A Fond Farewell

[Just some lady]

First not sure what she was getting at.. but he was fast to react as she tosses the demon-heart thingy; trying his best to focus on some kind of nullifying effect and if not, at least use the staff to partly bat back the thrown projectile.

The heart flares to fiery life as it flies through the air, like a fist-sized meteor...but then, as it approaches the staff, it dies down, at least mostly. It's not like the beige effect--it doesn't look like not a flaming demon's heart, but the effect seems to have been turned way down, to just a mild sauna level.

The increasingly translucent woman nods approvingly.

" S e e? E a s y . "

*accepts the cookie and eats it without delay* Yeah, and it's about to get loooonger. Blast it, now she's got me doing it. I've got a lot of stuff to look into now, so I guess I'd better get a move on...

Oh, right! Before I forget... *calls out* Hey, Curtis! You have that Going-Away present ready yet?

*The words "Just a minute!" scroll across the air close by, as if on a theater marquee.*

The woman raises an eyebrow, and then giggles.

"Aw! You silly, you don't have to do that!"

All right, I guess I can play with that on my own time... How much for it?

"^^ hmmmmmmmm~~~"

Caprice steeples her fingers, looking over the nurse closely.

"10,000 HL!
...
Ooor, free, if you let me install the network directly to the system instead of being in laptop form~~~"

[Whatevr89532]

"I...I will," says Cacophany, although she doesn't actually know who those people are. There are some tears in the cyborg's eyes, but she's making an effort to stand tall and calm out of respect and appreciation.

[xGoggles]

"Y-yeah... I- I guess...", lucky the heat was decreasing, but the fact it was still some kind of demon heart did make him uneasy around it. He 'stabs' the crystal with the point of the staff, hoping it would cool it down even more.

Only later on, glancing back at Entropy, "Are.. are you disappearing?"

[AmbushCat]

The woman raises an eyebrow, and then giggles.

"Aw! You silly, you don't have to do that!"

Callista: *sighs* Have to, no. Want to, yes. *holds out one hand as a small, gift-wrapped box drops into it from a tear in reality* And judging from those cookies, I'm guessing Mom felt the same way. Could you please accept this?

[Ookalf]

"^^ hmmmmmmmm~~~"

Caprice steeples her fingers, looking over the nurse closely.

"10,000 HL!
...
Ooor, free, if you let me install the network directly to the system instead of being in laptop form~~~"

Wait, are you asking to install it into me? ...Is that safe?

[Just some lady]

"Y-yeah... I- I guess...", lucky the heat was decreasing, but the fact it was still some kind of demon heart did make him uneasy around it. He 'stabs' the crystal with the point of the staff, hoping it would cool it down even more.

Only later on, glancing back at Entropy, "Are.. are you disappearing?"

As the staff touches the heart it seems to flare up for just a moment, and then, as though it had been put in fast forward, the fiery embers of it burn, and go dark, within a prolonged few seconds, leaving it completely dark and lifeless.

Meanwhile,Entropy studies her own hand, turning it over experimentally.

" Y eah, jus t a b o u t . "

She smiles, almost totally unconcerned, somehow.

" I w a s o nly ever parti a l l y r e a l , r e a l l y. A magical girl fantasy."

Callista: *sighs* Have to, no. Want to, yes. *holds out one hand as a small, gift-wrapped box drops into it from a tear in reality* And judging from those cookies, I'm guessing Mom felt the same way. Could you please accept this?

There is a pause as she nibbles on a cookie, but she nods.

"I mean...yes, of course. I'd be honored."

Wait, are you asking to install it into me? ...Is that safe?

Caprice tilts her head to one side.

"Iiiit's...
...
efficient! ^^"

"I...I will," says Cacophany, although she doesn't actually know who those people are. There are some tears in the cyborg's eyes, but she's making an effort to stand tall and calm out of respect and appreciation.

She looks like she wants to say something more, but as she hesitates, it becomes clear that her power is waning quickly without her daemon engine. It's more surprising that she's still standing at all, really. The cracks are everywhere.

"N-now just...some finishing touches."

Coughing again she clumsily maneuvers the glowing, malicious orb into the space between the two blades, and quickly that light spreads through the material, like a virus. The metal seems to become molten at its touch, dripping and swirling, but instead of falling apart, pulling together, the hilts combining and growing longer, like for a two-handed weapon and the guards gain that same uniformity of smooth, cool alloy. Even the hues of the metal changes, becoming an even gunmetal grey instead of bright white and midnight-black, the various runic markings remaining, but dulling, slightly.

Panting, Calamity staggers, her eyes wild but her expression triumphant, somehow.

"Here--your...call it your...birthright. The Calamity Edge. When you want to do this, channel your energy through it. Y...you'll figure out how. Just. u-use some moderation, or this might happen...:"

Heaving it, she breathes deep, and that lightning that had been crackling around the sword pulls inside of it, concentrating around the core at its heart for a moment before releasing and creating a third blade filling the space between the two, this one of shimmering violent light. And as Calamity swings it, it extends even further for a moment, slicing through part of the shop roof like it's not even there, the energy blade angry and blinding like a lightbulb about to burst, and...!

With a sizzle, and a -pop-, and the faint smell of ozone, the energy blade is gone, and the daemon engine in the heart of the new weapon is dark and cool. And like a puppet with her strings cut, the strange, erratic woman stumbles to her knees, propping herself up with the sword, but only barely.

"my...my last work. t-t-ake it, and you'll.b.b.ond."

She coughs again, her body starting to give way wholly to ash now, form diminishing with the wind.

"...give 'em...h.hell, Cacophony."

And with a last smile, she's gone, leaving only the sword, stabbed partially into the ground in front of the cyborg.

[AmbushCat]

She coughs again, her body starting to give way wholly to ash now, form diminishing with the wind.

"...give 'em...h.hell, Cacophony."

And with a last smile, she's gone, leaving only the sword, stabbed partially into the ground in front of the cyborg.

*Up on the roof, Callista inexplicably feels that it's easier for her to breathe. Not knowing what transpired, she ignores the feeling outright.*

There is a pause as she nibbles on a cookie, but she nods.

"I mean...yes, of course. I'd be honored."

Callista: *gives the box to Caprice* Here you go, then. Feel free to open it whenever.

Meantime, I'm going to go down, grab that Forge, and skedaddle. *smiles gratefully* Take care of yourself, Caprice, and if you're ever in the area again, you know how to find us. *winks*

[Just some lady]

Callista: *gives the box to Caprice* Here you go, then. Feel free to open it whenever.

Meantime, I'm going to go down, grab that Forge, and skedaddle. *smiles gratefully* Take care of yourself, Caprice, and if you're ever in the area again, you know how to find us. *winks*

"Hey. ^^ You too. And take care of rge Brotherhood for me."

Hesitating, she looks down at the box, before, after a momemt going to gingerly open the lid, almost as if she was worried it was going to explode in her hands.

[xGoggles]

As the staff touches the heart it seems to flare up for just a moment, and then, as though it had been put in fast forward, the fiery embers of it burn, and go dark, within a prolonged few seconds, leaving it completely dark and lifeless.

Meanwhile,Entropy studies her own hand, turning it over experimentally.

" Y eah, jus t a b o u t . "

She smiles, almost totally unconcerned, somehow.

" I w a s o nly ever parti a l l y r e a l , r e a l l y. A magical girl fantasy."

Dan begins to get a bit of a worried look, he was glad that the staff was working like intended, but it wasn't very reassuring that the shopkeeper was disappearing... "Is this because of the staff? Do you need it back to be stable?"
Why wasn't she concerned about this at all, was still somehow common for her, the young man was clueless.

[AmbushCat]

"Hey. ^^ You too. And take care of rge Brotherhood for me."

Hesitating, she looks down at the box, before, after a momemt going to gingerly open the lid, almost as if she was worried it was going to explode in her hands.

*Callista nods, shifts to her hybrid form, and blurs out of visibility.*

*The box is unarmed, happily. Within the box are a small collection of customized cards, some of them fairly aged and difficult to read. At the very bottom is a folded-up piece of paper that, when unfolded, presents the picture seen here.*

((OOC: And I'd like to point out that the picture's message is entirely coincidental: I drew it back in April to celebrate being able to role-play for a full decade.))

[Whatevr89532]

Cacophany watches, not entirely sure what's going on, but certain that it's the end of the person responsible for giving her a sense of self. Her tears come more freely, though her actual expression stays calm. When Calamity disappears, she takes a slow step forward, eyes still leaking fluid, and takes the sword in her her right hand, both hands if necessary to pick it up out of the ground.

[Just some lady]

Dan begins to get a bit of a worried look, he was glad that the staff was working like intended, but it wasn't very reassuring that the shopkeeper was disappearing... "Is this because of the staff? Do you need it back to be stable?"
Why wasn't she concerned about this at all, was still somehow common for her, the young man was clueless.

"It i s, but . . . "

She hesitates, words failing for a moment. Her form is sparkling and clear now, like glitter in the sun.

"T he re's no n eed fo r me any m ore. It's alright. E ven mag ical gi rl s ha ve to r e tir e."

*Callista nods, shifts to her hybrid form, and blurs out of visibility.*

*The box is unarmed, happily. Within the box are a small collection of customized cards, some of them fairly aged and difficult to read. At the very bottom is a folded-up piece of paper that, when unfolded, presents the picture seen here.*

Caprice blinks, sorting through them quiet for a moment. She's smiling--wide, but also tears up a little, and sniffs, before re-closing the box, and storing it carefully in her bag as well.

Cacophany watches, not entirely sure what's going on, but certain that it's the end of the person responsible for giving her a sense of self. Her tears come more freely, though her actual expression stays calm. When Calamity disappears, she takes a slow step forward, eyes still leaking fluid, and takes the sword in her her right hand, both hands if necessary to pick it up out of the ground.

The sword is heavy but Cacophony is stronger than she looks--more than she knows, even. And as she raises it in the air there a brief feeling of warmth, connection like she'd never known before. Perhaps this is what Calamity meant by "bonding". But even if that was what had been the woman's heart that was inside the weapon, there's no sense of life or thought. Just the distant, whispering, promise of power.

[xGoggles]

"What? No! Of course, there is a need for you.", Dan rushes over to Entropy, "Here take the staff, I don't need it if it means you'd disappear." Maybe trying to almost shove it back to her, even if she maybe couldn't hold it anymore in that form. "Hurry up take it!!" Now he starts to panic, the way she was talking didn't sound like she'd easily pop back into existence the next day either.

Going over to take the bracelet, "I can use the bracelet to make you better. Maybe you don't have to be a magical girl anymore?"

[Just some lady]

"What? No! Of course, there is a need for you.", Dan rushes over to Entropy, "Here take the staff, I don't need it if it means you'd disappear." Maybe trying to almost shove it back to her, even if she maybe couldn't hold it anymore in that form. "Hurry up take it!!" Now he starts to panic, the way she was talking didn't sound like she'd easily pop back into existence the next day either.

Going over to take the bracelet, "I can use the bracelet to make you better. Maybe you don't have to be a magical girl anymore?"

The girl laughs. but Dan can hardly hear it.

"Yo u're a s we e t k id, but. . ."

She waves a hand, passing it right through the staff.

[AmbushCat]

*Traversing the area at high speed, Callista makes her way down to where Flo and the other Caprice are located. The both of them should notice the air whooshing around them as a grayish-cream colored blur navigates past them.*
Callista: SorryformyhasteI'mgonnataketheCosmicPlushieForgeandgetmyselfsetupforfunhere'sabunchofcashbyeandthankyou!

*Four seconds later, both Callista and the Forge are gone, and in the latter's place is a collection of cash in the amount of 65,000 HL.*