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Owner	Pose
Stanley Padgett	Today is the day. Now or Never. Do or Do Not. As many aphorisms and you want to throw at the wall to see one stick. All those sorts of messages one might see up in the break room of an outfit like NovaTech.     For a hostile takeover of a company, this one is surprisingly tame. Well, as tame as it gets when a pair of Elites park themselves in the lobby of a tech company powered by Shady Magitech Horseshit and just... wait. There's still 2 hours on the clock on a Friday, but for some reason, all of the company employees who have sense in the heads immediately peaced out when STANLEY MARIGOLD PADGETT and CHARLOTTE DELILAH NEWMAN just sorta came in the front doors and demanded a meeting with the CEO.     They are still waiting. Stanley pokes at his phone, where the noises of The Reversal Game are still running. "I say wait for backup and then just... march in towards the Wish Room again?"
Ishirou	Ishirou shows up once he hears that Stanley and Charlotte are just going to... walk in through the front door and confront Stanley's father.  What he's more surprised about is nobody being there when he shows up.  He walks up to the two, giving them both a glance.   "This is Risky, but... what's your end goal here?  Just... fight your father or is there something else you're looking to do here?" he asks, trying to get an understanding of just what the goal here was.  If he's just looking for a fight, then... Well, then it's going to be harder to justify being here.  "Or do you think he'll listen to you now, of all times?"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine shows up a little after the appointed time, but she shows up ready for trouble. She's wearing more chainmail than usual, in the form of a full hauberk under her jacket. At Madeleine's right as she enters the lobby is an armor-clad minotaur with a heavy double-headed axe on her belt. On the huntress's back Drogrung waits, its reptilian eye narrowed and sweeping the room. There is an air like a coiled spring about her, like a static charge waiting to be released.     When Madeleine enters the lobby she looks almost disappointed to not find a melee awaiting her. This girl is spoiling for a fight. She and Torrie join the gathered elites as the strategy discussion begins.
Kukuru	As always, Kukuru arrives relatively on time! She's still shorter and smaller than usual, though, so she might easily be mistaken for someone's weirdly dressed daughter when she arrives in a dark navy hoodie and matching shorts and stockings. It's a comfortable fit, but it might also be some weir attempt at looking a little more tactical despite her usual everything else about her. "I guess this means the building should stay up so you can take it over, then. Riiiight?" Kukuru asks as she looks between Stanley and Charlotte, humming idly once Ishirou asks about their actual goals here. "That'd be pretty convenient, yeah... If he turns over a new leaf, you two could even start making up for all that lost time." She suggests with a hopeful tone, then starts passing out snacks as usual around when she sees Madeleine and Torrie joining them all. Today's snacks: Shrimp tempura jerky (somehow crispy, but kinda dry), apple fritter jerky (she fell asleep cooking them), and big-box store coconut water (the one that doesn't taste weirdly floral).
Touta Konoe	When Touta ends up arriving, there's an emptiness to the building that's almost eerie for a corporation to have on a workday. "Still better than it was before..." The only thought that comes to mind as he sees the people that are left attempting to take their leave to avoid the potential for what was to come in this 'hostile takeover'.     If anything the Elites that arrive probably were enough reason to run off alone. One does not simply see a minotaur, a Lindworm (he believes that's what Drogung was named, it might have been another one of Madeleine's allies), and a plethora of other weapons carrying Ne'er Do Wells arrive. "Guess it shows something that we're not even getting met by security or something. Or they're slow on the uptake."     Like the last times he's been here, his appearance has been constant. An older form that keeps him aged to that of a young man in his early twenties, his attire is that black jacket with rolled up sleeves, black pants, and the red t-shirt beneath. His color scheme is consistent to the point that even the small katana latched to his back by a small cord rather than a sheathe is jet-black from tip to handle.     That said, the moment that he's arrived he's looking at who's assembled. Ishirou, certainly with his PODs whether it was with analysis of a situation or support he'd be ideal, Kukuru with her healing was something that was always appreciated, Madeleine with her hunting expertises and assortment of weapons and beasts made for a great vanguard if things came dicey.     The thought lingers for a moment, as a more unpleasant one lingers in his mind, but for a moment just seems only half-present. As if he was present in presence alone. Though he shakes the thought off. He's here. He's been here. He told them that he was going to be here and he is.     From here, he steps to Charlotte and Stanley both, looking them both over for a moment. He could ask if they're ready for their finale. That it's okay for either of them to be anxious, especially Stan who was about to be meeting and dealing with his father. Instead, he just looks at both with a nod.     "...You guys have been through alot...Some of its been some real shit...But you're here...You're both /here/." His eyes veer to Charlotte for another moment, as if to emphasize that statement. "I don't know what you two have cooked up this time, but I trust you both care enough about getting this done right, and about this place that whether in total success, or fall-out...You'll be able to make it out at the end."
Charlotte Newman	> "I say wait for backup and then just... march in towards the Wish Room again?"     "Honestly, who's going to stop us?" Charlotte remarks casually. She doesn't have her phone out; instead, she's reading a novel, calmly turning a page as she speaks. It's a novelization of Hamlet, evidently since Stanley kept making the Ophelia joke.     When Ishirou arrives, Charlotte tucks a bookmark in place and slides the book into her purse, "Oh, thank you for coming, mister Ishirou, miss Kukuru." Her gaze shifts, "And miss Madeleine and mister Touta, too." The vampire gets a little nod when he acknowledges her directly. Politely, she accepts some of the snacks Kukuru is handing out, bowing her head in thanks.     After giving the shrimp jerky a taste, Charlotte leans forward a bit in her cheap corporate lobby waiting seat, "I don't think he'll listen, but it's important to at least try. We can never reach hearts if we don't make even that much effort. No matter what happens, though... The plan today is to bring an end to this mess in Lampport." She rises to her feet, adjusting the strap of her purse and the bat hanging off its strap.     "Once and for all."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia is the last to arrive. Given the last few things she's been last to arrive to, she not only merely walks into the lobby, but she does so with her huge hammer resting over her shoulder.      She's in her battle dress, even. Instead of her usual red dress she is wearing a black leather dress with red metal plates riveted on in a few places. "Who indeed?" she says, agreeing with Charlotte. She offers a confident smirk to Charlotte and Stanley. "If anything has been proven the last few times it is that it is hard to stop us."      She gives a smile toward Madeleine, Kukuru, and Touta in greeting. "Good to see you two again. And you, Miss Kukuru." she says.      Naturally, Ishirou gets not even an acknowledgement from her.
Stanley Padgett	Stanley looks to Ishirou and smiles as he slips in. "Oh, we've got a really good plan." He pats something on the counter next to him. The Wishing Box. Schrodinger's Pandora, whatever you want to call it. "Something I should have done sooner, once I got my hands on it. I'm gonna make a wish." He looks to Charlotte and Kukuru and Maddie. "Turns out, living outside of Lampport for so long now makes me realize I don't actually... care what happens here. I just care that my dad can't hurt people anymore." He swallows, as the overhead emergency lights turn on. "He deserves punishment for all the people he hurt. And after that? I'm done."     A beat. "*We're* done. Assuming Mr. Igor doesn't care that I'll be running off with one of his attendants. One... half of his attendants?" A confused look at Charlotte, and a shrug.     The overhead speakers crackle. The... absence of a voice fills the space. The negative of where a voice should be. Hey, kiddo. Heard the plan. I don't suppose I can convince you to just leave the box, then? There is no attempt at warmness, despite 'kiddo'. There can be no warmth in this voice. And out from the stark shadows cast by the emergency lights, a form of a man slips out. He looks like Stanley, but older. The same lanky build, the same face-         The same face-             The same face-     Any attempt to actually LOOK at the man's face fails. Eyes just drift past it. The face is there but it just does not register, at all. The rest of him just screams 'CEO on a Friday'. He's wearing a jaunty NovaTech branded fleece pullover, he's carrying a cup of coffee, and he's got a tablet in his hand. All ready to go out to the golf course. Without a face.     Stanley sighs and turns to face his dad. "Hi to you too. This is the first time I've seen you in... 4 years? And that's all you've got to say?"     Mr. Padgett shrugs. Not sure what you want out of me? I know everything about what's been going on, though. Or at least I did, until you stole Beaufort away from me. He looks to everyone else. I suppose this is this where you all beat me up? 'Heroes from beyond the gate!' A mirthless chuckle.
Ishirou	Ishirou stares at Stanley for a moment... A wish.  Alright.  A wish.  Probably one that would counter the wish made by his father.  He looks up from Stanley when his father comes up.  "It's over, sir.  I am sure at this point that if we came to blows things would not go the way you'd want them to.  Even with some of us injured from recent events..." Ishirou is still wrapped in bandages, but he doesn't yet activate RESCUE, or get ready for a fight.  "Instead, think about what you are doing, and the fact your son is here trying to stop it.  Think that we've already stopped two of your aids, for the same reason you're here now.  You're underestimating them and us." "So I stand with Stanley's plan... it's up to you if you want to make this a fight, but we're not hunting one.  It's time to stop what Novatech has been doing, for good, and to gracefully step away from the dangerous wish-making device for good."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	I suppose this is this where you all beat me up?     "Doesn't have to be like that," Madeleine opines. "You heard Stanley. He'll make his wish and then he's done with this city. I'm not here to make things complicated." Even as she offers peace, she's taking her spear off her back, holding it in a guard position. "I'm here to stop *you* from making things complicated yourself."
Charlotte Newman	> "I'm gonna make a wish."     Charlotte glances at Stanley with the expression of someone who knew this was coming but is still worried about it. She lets out a little 'nn' sort of noise alongside an agreeing nod. Seems he brought that up to her already and she's on board, no matter what concerns she has about it.     "Don't worry about what mister Igor thinks right now," the girl comments, closing her eyes, "Fight for a future where you get to worry about what he thinks, instead."     The lights shifting to emergency lighting makes her jump, immediately shifting to 'ready'. Her hand rests on her bat though doesn't unclip it just yet when the elder Padgett reveals himself. The girl squints at his face, troubled clearly by her inability to actually focus on him. She finds herself staring at his cardigan instead.     "If we just hand it over and leave, that makes everything we've done meaningless. Why on Earth would we ever do that?" Not only that; it'd be spitting in Lilian's eye after the work she and Exigent Serenity put in to get it into hers and Stanley's possession in the first place.     "I have a better proposition, sir," Charlotte's posture shifts and she forces herself to relax, straightening out of her 'at the ready' stance, "Forget about wishes. Just... Just run a successful phone game that people clearly like. What dream are you chasing that you have to meddle with the Other Side? Isn't this enough?" She punctuates it by raising her hand, indicating the lobby and, by extension, NovaTech itself.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia tries to look at that face...and fails. She blinks, then mmphs in annoyance and tries again. She really tries. She ends up looking at his coffee. She tries again. She looks at his pullover. She mmphs again.      Mr. Padgett speaks up, and Sarra hmphs. "Indeed. We could do that. I would be happy to. I have been having a bad month and I could really use something to smash."      Madeleine and Ishirou say it doesn't have to be that way. Sarra doesn't disagree with them. But she -really- hopes he doesn't just surrender. Of course, she also doesn't fully appreciate the situation. Evil CEO fathers are rarely weak in this kind of world.      Charlotte suggests he just...not be evil. Sarracenia hmphs softly at that suggestion. There's no way he will do that, after all.
Touta Konoe	There's a raising of the brow when Stanley makes mention of a wish.     "Making a wish for something mundane, something you can achieve on your own...We've seen what that brings. But you've also seen the kind of miracles worth wishing for, without even needing to wish for them. If you're making this wish..." There's a long pause, like he's about to nudge him on the shoulder but...There's a tug away, a resistance that comes. Ultimately it just comes with a smile that feels a bit ...Pained. "Let's see how you close this chapter."     It's as those words conclude does the man of the hour appear. The physique was surely similar, but the tone was still something left to keep father and son separate. Especially in the way he spoke to Stanley."...We said it to Beaufort and you're hearing it now from us again. Stanley and Charlotte don't need us anymore. If it came down to it, I imagine they'd be able to deal with you, after what they've been through. The rest of us are just...We're here because...We want to help see them thrive."     At this point, Charlotte makes a new proposition.     "She's not wrong. These wishes, this box, it's caused a nightmare for people that goes even beyond Lampport. If it kept going this way, imagine what else it'll attract down the line? I don't know what wish you got going but is it really worth this? You're about to throw hands with your own kid. That's...You can tell how messed up that is can't you? Even Beaufort made his excuse that he wanted for his family at least...But you? What the hell..."
Kukuru	"Nobody can stop us, if we gotta get in there hard enough." Kukuru chimes in reassuringly at Charlotte's comment, humming softly as answers are given to so many questions. "It'd really be way easier if Stanley's dad listened, buuuut..." She looks over at Madeleine and Torrie, at Sarracenia and her hammer, at Ishirou and... Just at Ishirou, actually, and at Touta and his sword. "If anyone makes it hard for us, clearing a way should be real easy, unless..." Stanley answers the question in Kukuru's head before she can actually ask it.  "Oh. That makes things waaaay easier, mhm." She murmurs with a light yawn and rubs her eyes, glancing up as she hears a somewhat familiar voice. She recognizes him as Stanley's dad, but... She can't remember his name. That could make things awkward, if she's going to try and address anything he says. Luckily, he's asking a question, and that gives Kukuru the opportunity she's been waiting for this whole time. Rising slowly to her feet, she lurches forward briefly before catching herself, then turning her head to Padgett Sr.. She stares at him with one half-lidded eye for several moments before starting to walk right at him, a hand slipping into her pocket and coming back out swift motion right towards him to... ... Present him with an envelope. There's a wax seal on it bearing the insignia of the Concord, but it's on the front of the envelope where a postage stamp would go rather than the flap where it could actually keep the envelope closed. "That depends... Stanley's dad?" Wait, crap. She was supposed to avoid revealing that she doesn't know his name. "If you're able to keep this kind of thing going, you could go reeeeally far with us in the Concord. And if you and Stanley both joined up..." She turns to Stanley with a bright smile, conveniently presenting her back to Mr. Padgett. "Then you two really could start making up for lost time. Wouldn't that be great?" She asks of both of them, sounding like she genuinely believes in that as a possibility.
Stanley Padgett	Kukuru tries to present Mr. Padgett with (ansi(+tomato,The Contract!)] The man frowns, and sighs, and hands it back. I'm pretty sure you and yours aren't going to be entirely forthcoming with the terms of whatever it will cost me to get itn. I know about your... group's attempts at what we've been doing. I don't think you'd be happy to just let us have our slice of the Everything.     > Just run a successful phone game that people clearly like. What dream are you chasing that you have to meddle with the Other Side?     Mr. Padgett skewers Charlotte with a unseen glare. You of all people, Miss Attendant, should know that this is a Game and that there are Winners and Losers. Once you've got skin in, you're in. Until the end. And I'm not about to lose to my own idiot son. > Think that we've already stopped two of your aids, for the same reason you're here now. You're underestimating them and us.     Ishirou brings up a good point, which just makes Padgett angrier. Actual emotions leak through the Faceless Curse. Underestimating the Multiverse? We never should have opened that gate, honestly. You-     Stanley Padgett sits forward on the desk he's on, picks up the Box, and Interrupts his father's monologue. "I wish the being inside this box was free to undo the wishes made while under the control of NovaTech."     Madeline has the best view in the house, as it unfold. The Box... cracks open. And something Neon and Flashing Brilliant and Wild and Free slips out to sit on the Edge of Reality. A great Fae. Not a fairy. A Fae being, timelessly beautiful, made of sparkling digital motes of glistening light, a face full of impish interest looking around the room at everyone. Oh, I'm out already? And I was just getting used to the comfy confines of my little prison.
Stanley Padgett	Mr. Padgett sighs... deeply. Kid, you have no idea what the fuck you've just done.     It starts happening in a flash, though, as the Fae being takes out a wand, an actual wand, of all things, and starts humming joyfully.     The Persona-users in the room and everyone sensitive to Narrative Disruptions can feel it happening around them. Parts of the city are starting to... become unmade. The rents in reality caused by the Wishes over the past 6 years resolving themselves in messy un-ret-cons. The old nature of reality messily coming back to life. "Oh, don't worry!" giggles the fae. "I'm saving the Padgetts for last." A... downright cruel tone there.     Mr. Padgett seems to take this as a sign, and immediately charges Stanley. Shadow energy billows up and out of him, and in an instant, the whole room shifts.     NovaTech has been forcibly moved wholesale into Neon City. The "real" colliding messily with the "shadow". And Mr. Padgett has his shadows around Stanley, using the distraction to smother the young man. Stanley struggles and grips at the mass of blackness around his head, but he can't transform, and he can't summon his Persona like this. Shoulda done this ages ago. Sorry, kid. You or me, and it was always going to be me.
Ishirou	"I wish the being inside this box was free to undo the wishes made while under the control of NovaTech." Ishirou was surprised at the carefully thought-out wish, and that it'd certainly undo what NovaTech has done. However, he doesn't like the words the entity says about leaving the Padgetts for last. Worse, things seem to be... happening. There isn't a better word for it, the fae creature seems to be taking reality apart... What they have is the real NovaTech building smashed into The Reversal. Twisted and fucked up parts of the human subconscious mixed in with the banal and real building. Of course, then Stanley's father takes a step forward and... Claims it's either his son or himself. That's awful, but worse than that there is no avoiding the combat, no avoiding the hostilities. Ishirou summons the RESCUE armor over his normal, bandaged body. He flips back avoiding the impact from the now larger man, the man without a face, only to get carried past by the pure force the man brings down upon them. Ishirou slides to a stop, hands gripping the fake tile placed in by NovaTech. He retaliates by grabbing a data pad object from subspace and attempts to use electromagnetic force to clamp onto his legs and drag him down onto the ground to give others, namely Charlotte, an attempted shot at him.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	I wish the being inside this box was free to undo the wishes made while under the control of NovaTech.     Madeleine is briefly stunned by the wish and its immediate effects. "Wait, what? You're going to undo-" and then there's a Fae of great power in the room, Mr Padgett is crushing Stanley in arms of darkness, and things have generally taken a turn for the strange.     Torrie storms across the room to grapple directly with Mr Padgett's shadows, forgoing her axe to avoid striking Stanley under the mass of darkness. Instead she puts her burly arms to work, struggling to pry away the clouds around Stanley's head.     Madeleine, meanwhile, is briefly disoriented by the shifting realities in the room. Once things stabilize even a little, she wastes no time attacking Mr Padgett himself. She leaps across the room, spear in hand, delivering an overhand swing at the businessman. Colorless flame flickers on the weapon's head, tearing a gash through the semi-real nature of the Reversal to reveal true emptiness beneath its fabric.
Charlotte Newman	> "You of all people, Miss Attendant, should know..."     "Charlotte," she corrects him. Her eyes close and her posture shifts, a bit more haughtiness brought in one subtle change, "We fixed the damage you caused with the help of these fine people... She's still her. And I'm still me." Her eyes open, fixing his--sweater-- with a determined glare, "How does the song go? 'You have to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em'? You can stop any time." > "I wish the being inside this box was free to undo the wishes made while under the control of NovaTech." > Oh, I'm out already? And I was just getting used to the comfy confines of my little prison. Oh, don't worry! I'm saving the Padgetts for last.     "Nnh..!" The terrible beauty of the creature unleashed into reality has Charlotte shielding her eyes with one hand. Her other unclips the bat from her purse strap, keeping a grip on it just in case, "Wait--" The city is coming apart, she can't see it but she can feel it, reflecting in the Reverse. Right up until the NovaTech building itself twists into the Other Side.     Mr Padgett goes after Stanley. Charlotte's eyes flash from red to gold and stay like that. The casual, stylish outfit burns away in blue flames, replaced by the prim and proper blue and white and black of a modified Attendant's double-breasted jacket, shorts, and tall boots. The pillbox cap is the last piece to appear when she points using her bat.     "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"     Whatever the unleashed Fae gets up to, Charlotte's attention is entirely on Stanley and his father. Her Persona twists out of her silhouette as has happened countless times before-- but it isn't the familiar Galatea. The new figure, carved from marble and wearing brass and bronze armor, unfurls great chains from her arms. With impossibly heavy sounds, huge spiked balls crash into the floor on either side. The Persona's stance shifts, adjusts, and she reels one up until she can swing it in a wide arc, spinning it overhead to build up momentum.     "Come forth, my other self...! Agidyne!"     At Charlotte's command the Persona reacts, hauling her entire body into the swing, paying out chain, and -- crashing directly into Mr. Padgett's torso with a mace ball that immediately bursts in a fiery explosion. The girl herself is already closing in with danger in her eyes.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia hmphs again. "Pretty foolish. The Concord doesn't demand a price other than loyalty and ambition. It is actually surprising how little they demand of their members and how much free reign they allow." she says when Mr. Padgett hands back the letter.      Stanley makes his wish, and Sarracenia is dazzled as that fae appears. She smiles delightedly, so rarely meeting such a sparkly magical being. And she has a wand! "Oh my!" It is enough for Sarra to lower her defenses.      Though, that tone when the fae says 'Padgetts' kind of diminishes that smile. And it disappears completely when suddenly they are hit with the shock of being forced into another realm! Sarracenia looks a bit dizzy after the switch. And she can't feel the Narrative Disruptions. But, she does have an opinion about what Stanley just wished for.      "Wait, so you didn't wish them actually free -or- wish for them to definitely undo the wishes? You left it up to them which wishes to undo? You never do that with genie-type creatures! Especially when you don't know what wishes were made!" Sarracenia might not be the smartest, but she's studied some of both legends and law, being a princess obsessed with heroes.      Padgett Sr. goes immediately after Padgett Jr, and Sarracenia quickly joins the assault! "What kind of father puts himself before his son?! Kukuru, you definitely don't want this guy in the Concord after all! You're always talking about family, right?"      Sarracenia leaps and spins, aiming a powerful hammer blow right at the evil father's faceless face! "Leave him alone already!"
Kukuru	"I'm pretty sure you and yours aren't going to be entirely forthcoming with the terms of whatever it will cost me to get itn. I know about your... group's attempts at what we've been doing. I don't think you'd be happy to just let us have our slice of the Everything." It's Kukuru's turn to frown when Padgett hands the envelope back, but she goes right back to smiling gently once she realizes... This just needs some clarity! "Oh, Stan's dad... You don't know a lot about the Concord at all, do you? That's okay, though, because we're super honest about what we do and what we want, and we'll answer aaaany questions you have~ It'll cost you some things to get in, mhm, but..." The words of someone far wiser than Kukuru reverberate in her mind, and she throws her free hand out to her side dramatically as she puts on a deeper, more theatrical tone. "'A share of a fortune is better than the whole of a pittance. Do not cheat yourself by settling for just' your slice." It sounds convincing enough in her own head, and there is obvious sincerity in her tone as she looks between Stanley and his father. Just in time, too, as she sees Stanley making a wish, and the Fae coming out to undo so many things at once while saying some rather unnerving things about their plans for the Padgetts. Unfortunately, Mr. Padgett seems more focused on trying to kill Stanley, and that forces Kukuru to start moving through the charging Shadows after everyone's dragged into Neon City. Getting shunted there so suddenly has her tumbling sideways and crashing into a wall before gettings warmed by those same Shadows, too, but... Kukuru's used to fighting at close range against swarms of things. Suited for it, even, as all their lashing at her and trying to tear her apart has to contend with the nanites focused squarely on her survival while the rest of Kukuru focuses on obliterating the Shadows. Her claws rip into some of them while she pulls others towards her, biting through them to free herself before finally advancing on Padgett Sr. to hurl one of those Shadows right into him like a dodgeball made of humanity. "You've got it all wrong... Older folks like us are supposed to nurture kids. Then they can do better and have more than we did, so they can help us have more than we did. Then everyone can have more than we'd have on our own."
Touta Konoe	I wish the being inside this box was free to undo the wishes made while under the control of NovaTech.     "The being...?"     Stanley makes his wish, but the choice of it is rather confusing to those uninitiated to the plan. No, even if he had been told, he's pretty sure he hasn't heard what it was about the box that made it a wish-granting device, let alone that there was a creature in it that had been doing so. With that said though...     "...Does explain the damned genie wishes..."     He doesn't know if a wish had to be used to release such a creature, but...There were already consequences building. Some expected such as the wrath of Stanley's father arising. The annoyance and spite in his voice is uttering as he ridicules his son.     What he doesn't expect is the acts of the Fae. The effects of unleashing the fae are happening on such a wide scale that for those that linger at the company building they surely can't see just how wide-impact the wishes have affected this city as things are reverted. Yet somehow in this moment they can feel the effects. All as the Fae begins to shift reality, wholesale into Neon City.     I'm saving the Padgetts for last.     "Hey, you see that Padgett just pulled you out from your little prison, right?!"     There's little time to argue that though, for Stanley's bigger issue is the shadows that begin to envelope him. The wish alone had definitely enough recoil at first to have most Elites pushed back. The blow enough to send reeling, but not enough to knock him off his feet. For in the moment he lands he's forced to kick off the ground.     The marbling where he stood cracking beneath for an instance before he launched himself completely at the Padgetts. The others are already focusing their assault to separate the two, but Touta's focused elsewhere. Though...He launches himself low to the ground, not even pulling out his blade. Not caring if he gets caught up in the shadows. He's already dealt with such against Beaufort before and his 'hands', and they don't scare him now. If anything, an eerily similar darkness begins to envelop Touta's hands till they accrue with a darker energy of their own.     "The only thing you should have done ages ago is learned to give your damn kid a proper hug, not this...!" As he shouts, his gauntlet-clad arms bury themselves into the shadows at Stanley's face. There's a certain level of delicacy that has to be used to just get at the shadows and not at Stanley himself. Still, with the strength he can muster he attempts to tear through the shadows, and help to pull Stanley away from his father as the others strike.     "Stanley?! Stanley! Hang on!" He calls out to him as he keeps going, trying to at least distance the two so that Stanley can get back to his feet, and for the shadows were completely rended asunder, if not at the very least enough where he'd be able to keep from being suffocated.
Stanley Padgett	Stanley will be learning today that people actually car about him, which is nice. He will have to survive all of this, though. Touta, Kukuru and Torrie are all gripping and ripping and rending Stanley free of the mass of darkness. Each and every piece they rip off of him, though... turns into one of the Monsters from The Reversal. Little tophatted frogs and weird snow men (hee hoo) and Cats With Bats and 15 flavors of Witch Girl. And all of them start... brawling with the Shades that populate the Neon City. Like, you are all brawling, but so are the locals, with all these Invaders.     Mr. Padgett is FACED and MACED and SPEARED and BATTED, and each of the hits smash into this form, smear it. Slide through it like people are swinging through a slime mold. And as the Hits Keep on Coming, Padgett Sr. growls. HERE. YOU ALL WANT TO KNOW MY WISH? The Shadow of Padgett expands and grows. The Faceless Being suddenly... has a face. But it is not his face. It's your face. A mirror image of *you*, carved out of marble and gold. I NEVER MADE ONE. NOT ONCE. ALL OF THIS? OTHER PEOPLE'S WISHES. I GOT TO PICK AND CHOOSE. WHO GETS THEIR DREAMS. THEIR REALITIES. WHO GOT TO EXPERIENCE TRUE JOY.     Shadows form into the air, horrible twisted copies of the people in the fight. Not of their abilities, mind you, but just... mirror versions in the uncanny valley of Your True Self. And all of them start to grab bits and pieces of Neon City, ripping the reality around them into shards. Shivs. Shanks. Knives made out of other people's minds and thoughts. And they CHARGE at you.
Stanley Padgett	Stanley gaaaaasps for air as he's released. And then he's reaching out. "THIS IS MY POWER. MERCUTIO!"     There's a digital green flicker of energy behind him, the mage of Mercutio forms... and immediately fizzles out. Stanley gasps and falls forward, straight through a passing shade. There's a horrible dull pressure in his head, and he's struggling back to his feet.     You should have picked better friends, mon amie...     The words echo in the offices, as Mr. Padgett struggles back to his feet. So this is all part of the deal, Goodfellow? I get my ass kicked by a bunch of assholes from space?     The fae shrugs, and undoes another Wish. Somewhere in Lampport- No. Everyone suddenly knows that the name of this city is, and always has been STEELPORT.     Robin Goodfellow just smiles, and kicks their legs, watching the carnage.
Ishirou	A shadow version of Ishirou appears, kicking the injured android into the ground and forcing him to roll end over end across the building until he hits a wall with a sickening THUD.  He groans, in pain, only to see that more shadows are forming, and all of them seem to be focused on the group.  He's barely got enough focus to notice the conversation between the strange fae creature and Mr. Padgett.   "Seems like you made a deal and not a wish.  That's a bit of an underhanded bait and switch, isn't it?" he says accusingly.  He wipes some blood from his mouth off and throws his hand to the right, signaling POD.   POD itself, deploys a large cannon, forming it from pieces of its own body and configuring it from the parts from his head.  The giant beam of energy soars out, aiming to try and smash through the shadows, and then into Mr. Padgett.  He attempts to keep the pressure up, trying to force the shadow man to be on the back foot.
Kukuru	"What kind of father puts himself before his son?! Kukuru, you definitely don't want this guy in the Concord after all! You're always talking about family, right?" "A bad parent doesn't always have to stay bad, if he wants to change and his kid wants to give him the chance. The rest is up to him." Kukuru replies, inhaling slowly like she's trying to invoke someone else that's also smarter than her. Nothing specific comes to mind, though, and she sighs after a moment. "... I'd really like him and Stanley to join us and be able to get along, anyway. I can't not give them that chance." Alas, the chance isn't taken, as the Shadow Of Padgett turns its face to suddenly look like a statuesque Kukuru, and Senior reveals what his (lack of a) wish as. Despite attacking her and his own family, Kukuru can't bring herself to feel any kind of actual anger towards him just yet. There's concern for her companions, of course, but she doesn't feels malice or ill-will like she had with some other battles. Right now... She'll have to see how this all pans out. She can beannoyed at Goodfellow, at least, but the significance of the Fae's name doesn't strike her one bit. What does strike her, though, are the many pieces of Neon City cutting into Kukuru, forcing her to redouble on the healing efforts to keep herself and her allies held together. That still means the mirror selves are still close enough for Kukuru to grab, of course, and she's more than comfortable with whipping her hands around to start doing so with gusto. She grabs them by their faces, their arms, their legs, anything she can reach to start swinging them around like weaponized ragdolls, flinging them at each other, through the air, or simply smashing them into the ground and stomping them under her heel.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	I GOT TO PICK AND CHOOSE. WHO GETS THEIR DREAMS. THEIR REALITIES. WHO GOT TO EXPERIENCE TRUE JOY.     Madeleine quirks an eyebrow. "You think that's the gateway to true joy? Seeing all one's wishes come true? I'd spit, if these floors weren't so clean. Joy is not found in easy wins, in cheating your way to the top. All that gets you is a sense of lack when you have nowhere left to climb."     The hero-doubles begin their assault. Madeleine defends against their blows, turning blades and limbs aside with her spear, and continues her monologue. "Joy is loving the world as it is. Not for what it could be. Joy is a sunrise, raindrops on a window, a good book."     One of the duplicates slips past her guard and jams a knife into her leg. "Joy," she coughs, "is in the sweet sting of pain." She kicks the shadowy double away with her other leg and pulls out the blade, tossing it to the floor. "Joy is in every moment that lets me forget that the world is wrong. I don't even know what I'd wish for. I'm not alone in that. And it's never stopped me from finding joy." The gash in her thigh is already closing. "You pick and choose who gets their way, not who gets to be *happy*. Now a bunch of assholes from space are going to kick your ass, and you'll wish you spent your time pursuing joy instead of wishes."
Charlotte Newman	Everyone contributes to save Stanley. In brutalizing her friend's dad, Charlotte at least thinks she helped with that. Seeing him breathe and call out his Persona has her breathing a sigh of relief, golden eyes shifting and returning to intensity when Mr Padgett embraces his Tyrant self and grows massive. > "I GOT TO PICK AND CHOOSE. WHO GETS THEIR DREAMS. THEIR REALITIES. WHO GOT TO EXPERIENCE TRUE JOY."     "Do you really think 'true joy' is what you were creating...?" It's not an accusation or a denial. Her tone is honestly a little sad. As his face warps and changes into a mirror reflection, it isn't her own face she sees but Delilah's. The other part of herself that she had already reconciled with. There's only a slight pause, a brief clobbering, before a sweep of chains clears the space around her of those moldering doubles.     "Oh, mister Padgett," the girl twirls her bat. Behind her, the Persona reels in her mace but keeps it moving in a lazy vertical spin. Its partner is hauled up, brought into counter-rotation, keeping the Warrior Queen balanced as she approaches on Charlotte's heels.     "Service--!" Behind her, the armored Persona puts her hips into the mace-spinning motion and quite forcefully hurls one of the spiked balls skyward. Wreathing her hands in crimson light, Charlotte leaps up after it, drawing her arms up over her head. She comes up behind the sphere, hangs for a moment, then bends herself at the waist while throwing all of her strength, weight, and enhancement into spiking the morningstar like a volleyball; "MEGIDOLA!"     The sphere explodes when it hits him in a blast of shimmering Allmighty light. With a rattling of chains, the Persona reels it back in, dragging the ball across the lobby floor until she can resume spinning it. In front of her, Charlotte lands lightly.     "A deal is still a wish, you know? A different kind, sure... But you still use it to obtain something you desire." She casts a look towards the fae when more of reality is unwound-- rewound? She isn't sure-- "Is Goodfellow the name you go by? Certainly not your true name. I know how much that matters to someone like you."
Sarracenia	"OH! AND CONTROLLING WHO GETS TO FEEL JOY ISN'T EVIL AT ALL!!" Sarracenia shouts back at Padgett Sr. "As if that makes you somehow innocent or good or something? You proved that wrong when you went after Stanley! Especially since you didn't say anything about saving people or preserving the city!"      Sarracenia blinks in surprise as a Shadow Sarracenia appears, wielding a sword-like shard. "What the...a sword?! I use a hammer!" she exclaims as she tries to block the attack. But, how do you block thought? The weird thought sword slashes Sarracenia easily, and she gasps and stumbles.      The name Robin Goodfellow sounds familiar to Sarra for some reason, but she can't quite place it. And the name change - while noticed - is not too significant to Sarra. She really hasn't been to this world except to help Stanley and Charlotte a few times. "I am really tired of everyone who is completely wrong but powerful enough that they can't be touched acting like they are right." the princess says, teeth clenched. She gets back to her feet. She looks at her double, then at Mr. Padgett. She grips her hammer tightly in both hands, holding it forward in what is more of a sword stance. "It is REALLY annoying!"      A magical prismatic sparkle starts at the hammer's head, then forms into an aura of sparkling magic that flows down over the handle and then over Sarracenia. The edges of her dress and the ends of her hair float lightly, sort of like she is underwater. She sees her face on the strange CEO. She imagines it is a certain Paladin's face as that magical glow fully overtakes her, filling her eyes and turning her expression to a bit of a maniacal grin. "You might want to run now." she says...      ...just before the Hammer Fever overtakes her. The princess starts swinging that massive hammer up and down like she is demon-possessed. Each hit downward creates a small shockwave. And she aims to smash right through her double before trying to pound Padgett Sr. into the ground like a tent spike.
Sarracenia	Once the hammer frenzy is over, Sarracenia looks to Kukuru. "I really don't think they want that chance, Miss Kukuru. It is pretty kind of you to try, though."
Touta Konoe	"...You're a person that doesn't understand either?"     As everyone attempts to cleave Stanley out of the Shadow's its those words that trail afterwards as Padgett Sr. decides to unveil his face and well...It was one thing to unveil his face as those that he made wishes in the city, but as the face of one vampire is shown within the gold and marble. And it's in that moment as he sees his own face reflected back at him well...     Stanley's father had let shadows envelop this world as     As everyone attempts to cleave Stanley out of the Shadow's its those words that trail afterwards as Padgett Sr. decides to unveil his face and well...It was one thing to unveil his face as those that he made wishes in the city, but as the face of one vampire is shown within the gold and marble. And it's in that moment as he sees his own face reflected back at him well...     Stanley's father had let shadows envelop this world as he did as they came upon stanley. Yet, the moment that he made that 'face reveal', something understand just begins to emanate from Touta. A flurry of black aura envelopes the vampire with eyes that blare crimson. There's a certain level of animosity that just lingers in his gaze, that even in the brief moment that Stanley is gripped by Touta to help pull him out, it honestly feels like he might be in more danger with the vampire than he ever might have been dealing with his father.     And yet with all that lingering malice, with all that anger starting to fill his eyes. As Stanley splits and the facade-faced shadows come into being and charge. Touta just stays where he is. There's no attempts to dodge, no attempts to defend, no attempts to use this malice to counter whatever's about to happen.     Instead, Touta finds himself being the one that receives it all now. FACED, MACED, SPEARED, BATTED. Whatever sort of punishment that these shadows can offer, Touta finds himself accepting it all as his own form smears, his body ruptured, his blood spilled, and yet at the end of it all he can only find himself uttering these words.     "Is that it...? Is that really /it/? You're using my damn face, and that's all you can do?! You think it's enough?!" Another visceral yell escapes Touta's lips, his fangs practically snarling from the mouth, his hands shaking in frustration as his body forms from the abrasions and cleaving strikes. Steam and darkness dancing around his form as healing and dark energy exude from his body before he goes silent. "Yeah...You know what...I guess that figures. You would only be able to do that much with that face, wouldn't you..."     His blade is drawn and with it cleaves through the shadow figure of himself with enough force that it's not just the shadow itself that disperses, but with the force of the swing alone, any monsters of the Reversal find themselves winding off their feet and into the distance.     "I really hope you're at least as durable right now...Otherwise you might consider finally using a wish of yours for immortality."     At this point, anything with the vampire's face finds itself on the cleaving end of a blade. "THE HELL DO you KNOW ABOUT GRANTING PEOPLE JOY?!"     Touta's blade cleaves straight down the body of one of the shadowy frames of himself, till the point that as his blade collides with the ground, the impact alone causes the earth at their feet to rumble like an earthquake.
Touta Konoe	"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU WERE CAPABLE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE?!"     As he finishes cleaving through the shadow puppets quickly and brutally, and before Padgett can realize what's happening Touta pounces at him. There's a look of hatred on the vampire's face that could only be reserved for one's worst enemies, and yet somehow and someway this vampire's wrath has been instilled upon him. Not even bothering with his blade, the black gauntlets collide without repent into the gold and marble of that form, reshaping the face completely as fist after fist after fist continues to bludgeon that face, solely focused on it.     "You, you deserve everything that's coming your way..."
Stanley Padgett	Princess Sundew has a Hammer, and everything Looks Like Goombas tonight. Overhead SMASH is still just as good here as anywhere else, but her own face greets her as Padgett looks into her eyes. PRINCESS YOU COULD DO WITH A GOOD WISH. WHEN THIS IS DONE I'LL GET YOU ONE, MAYBE THEN YOU'LL HAVE DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE.      UNDERHANDED IS A COPE FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T READ THE ROOM. Ishirou's POD smacks into the darkness around the Faceless Man's heart, and spangs off into the Neon Cacophony around them.     Kukuru becomes, as is her wont, a whirling, grabbing tornado of IMPROVISATION. Shadows go flying, parts of the office go flying. The place is coming apart at the seams and she's just assisting, at this point.     Madeleine's monologue strikes a nerve. YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT TO JUST SINK INTO THE NEON, SPACY GIRL? I'M SURE THE SHADOWS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU. Padgett is... not responding to the meat of her statement. It is mildly infuriating, as it is meant to be.     Charlotte... just blasts Padgett with Light. Straight in the face. The almighty power slaps through the muck of the Tyrant, and it's... taking longer than it should for him to reform.     Though, Char does drop a question at the Fae. "Who? Me? Oh, I'm nobody. Just a F O O L. You really have more important things to worry about right now, sister.     Touta's doing some WORK on Mr. Padgett though. Who would have thought showing a vampire their reflection would do this? Don't they miss having a reflection? Make up your mind!!!!!!!
Stanley Padgett	Stanley again tries to call up his Persona. "MERCUTIO!" Another spatter of green static, and then... the Fae, Robin, saunters over to Stanley, and kneels down next to him.     "Problems, Staaaaaaan? Not feeling like yourself? I wonder why that could be. Hey, so, quick question. You could have done this at any time after you got the box."     "...what took so long, hmmm? Wanted to keep me cooped up? Like your Papa? Thought maybe you could have gotten a better bargain?" Goodfellow pokes Stanley with their wand, as the boy struggles with his sabre. "Honestly, you should give up. You're not the F O O L I was looking for anyways."     Your companions are waiting. Why are you looking for someone who doesn't suit you anymore, Squire? The words curl around Stanley. Robin quirks their head at the noise and then smiles. "A new challenger? Delightful."
Stanley Padgett	And the Bigger problem is Padgett is transforming. And He... no. It. It grows. Arms rattle out, too many arms with too many joints. The Stone Face encompasses the Tyrant's head now, wrapping and morphing around rapidly to- An old man. Set in his ways. Too much beard and moustache. And Too Many Eyes with Too Many Monocles.     AND NOW YOU KNOW HIS NAME.     G E P E T T O     HE WHO CARVES THE LIVES     Knives, too many knives, fill the room. Carving knives. Scalpels. Hatchets. Rasps. Planers. Chisels. Everything you'd need to make A Puppet. Give Life to the Lifeless.     And in an instant, all of them launch themselves into those in the room.     But not Charlotte. No. Charlotte gets special attention. GEPETTO dashes across the room, three hands grabbing Stanley from under the boot of Robin Goodfellow, to SMASH him bodily into her partner. A terrible, horrible noise of indignation fills the air. THE LIES TO MAKE YOU WEAK TO MAKE YOU WEAK BE FALSE TOGETHER FOREVER
Ishirou	Knives fill the room, but thankfully for Ishirou he's fast, quick, and while unexpected a good type advantage for him.  Electromagnetic force bursts around him, sending knives away, even if a few get too close for comfort and dig into RESCUE's armor.  The face of the monster is revealed... but worse the /name/ of the monster is revealed.   He looks shocked, followed by horrified in a way that he can't put into words.  He shakes it off, but he glances at Stanley.  If his father is Gepetto... Worse, he's not able to summon up his persona.  What happens... if someone is wished out of existence..? Or rather, their wish ends their existence.   Shit shit shit...! Is all he can think, trying to find a way around this, trying to reason out or figure out a way to try and perhaps undo this, but isn't immediately coming, not with a larger threat in the room.  "Stanley, stop it!  Fall back and save your strength..." he calls out before turning towards GEPETTO.  "What deal did you make with him that Stanley's wish could do what it's doing right now?" he asks.   Pulling out his Tablet, he slides his fingers across it before a giant hand made from Electromagnetic force pops out, and with direction from his own hands, it rains down on Gepetto, repeatedly, trying to beat him into the ground and force him into a good position for Kukuru, Madeleine, and Charlotte.
Charlotte Newman	> "BE FALSE TOGETHER FOREVER"     The madness of a Tyrant has clearly overtaken Mr Padgett, no matter what he was saying about the wishes he hadn't made. Charlotte puts herself at the ready when he comes at her-- until he grabs on to Stanley as his weapon of choice. That throws her so far off-balance that the boy just bowls right into her flat-footed, slamming the girl into the armored Persona behind her and sending all three tumbling.     Penthesilea disengages from the mess first, twisting out and up with her feet apart. Wrenching on chains, she arrests the pair's motion in such a way that plants both of them firmly on their feet again, battering notwithstanding. Charlotte checks over Stanley, then glances at the fae-- Goodfellow. Robin Goodfellow. Returning her attention to Stanley, the girl leans close, "Mercutio isn't answering? That might not be the name you should be calling for... Listen with your heart. You know what to do. I believe in you."     Stepping back, the girl turns in place to face Mr Padgett again. From Stanley's angle, her Persona looms above her, drawing the maces up by their chains again, "My name is Charlotte Newman! Get ready, my other self-- Penthesilea!"     Penthesilea's response is to swing both maces down below herself, colliding the weapons together with a resounding metallic noise and a shower of sparks. Now formed as a single mace with two chains, she hauls it up and spins it around overhead in a way that slams into what's left of the lobby walls and decorative pillars, gathering motes of helium and argon that form glowing arcs.     "Mourning Star!"     It's not the skill exclusive to a certain other Persona. The pronunciation is slightly different, and the effect certainly is different as well; as Penthesilea alters the arc of her spin and slams the mace into the high ceiling. It penetrates, the chains ripping through, drawing a line.     Like a comet, the massive mace crashes back through the ceiling right into GEPETTO from above.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine raises a hand and a wall of ice springs up to catch the worst of the blades flying in her direction. Gepetto looms over Charlotte, battering her with Stanley's body. The huntress does not have any more words for Mr Padgett. Instead she simply breathes out a puff of freezing vapor which grows, and grows into a cloud hanging around Gepetto, condensing into clinging ice to slow his movements and open him up to Charlotte's attack.
Kukuru	"I really don't think they want that chance, Miss Kukuru. It is pretty kind of you to try, though." "No... Probably not." Kukuru admits with a tired sigh. She manages a small smile at the latter part of Sarracenia's comment, but it's one of those appreciative smiles rather than a fully roused one. It really is so sad to see a father and son fighting this way, after all, with both of them being so opposed to each other's general existence. She can't really think of how to even continue attempting to bridge that gap between them, either, but... Why should I be trying so hard for that? Neither of them want it, anyway. This makes things so much easier! Kukuru's smile returns and in a greater way, and she tosses aside the last of the Shadows crowding around her in time to see Padgett transform once again into Gepetto. With so many knives flooding the room, Kukuru opts for a more brute-force approach in healing herself, fixing her own wounds as the knives carve into her, and spreading that healing around to stem the bleeding, if not necessarily closing up anyone's wounds completely. They'll live. Charlotte seems to be getting the worst of it, and Kukuru gives her some more of that healing compared to the others, but it's not quite as much as Kukuru had in past battles. Something's definitely shifting there. Without stressing herself further about things I don't need to, Kukuru still has that bright smile on her blood-smeared face when she hurls herself right at the Tyrant. Unlike her previous tosses and rending of those shadows, her attacks this time are far more vicious: Slamming her claws in, digging into its body to making sure her claws can really dig in, tearing vertically to make sure she removes as many pounds of flesh as she can to hurt it as much as she can.
Stanley Padgett	Ishirou's cry for Stanley is immediately caught by Robin, who is suddenly at the Robot's side, kneeling and smiling. All smiles, the neon motes of light making up the fae's wings and hair sparkling ever brighter in amusement. "Oh. Now. Little poppet. Why would you say something so revealing? I know you've got all sorts of little secret finding things in your head but..."     Goodfellow leans in. Tone dead. "No one likes it when people spoil a story."
Sarracenia	So many knives! Sarracenia doesn't like blades aimed at her! And with so many around her usually pristine skin is covered in nicks and cuts and a few gashes. But, it's the words that really cut!      Sarra growls lightly at the transforming Mr. Padgett. "I know exactly where I am going! I am going to find my hero while becoming a hero myself! And beating someone like you is going to earn me major hero -and- friendship points!" she exclaims, then reaches into her satchel and pulls out a box. A black box with a red button on top. She throws it down, then steps on the button and hops back.      The box starts expanding, unfolding, forming into a bigger and bigger box. When it finally stops, it is a thick metal cube with a bore big enough to hold a car. There is a grating sound and a 'ka-thunk' as a large black metal cone with a shark face slides into view.      Just about the time Padgett Sr. finishes his transformation and the name GEPETTO fills their minds. "...Gepetto? The toy-maker?! And this is how you treat your son?! ...wait does that mean Stanley is...?"      She doesn't really have time to ponder as her cannon goes off. She yelps since she wasn't actually expecting it yet. Even so, the massive Bonzai Bill - a bullet as big as a truck - is sent flying toward Gepetto. "Oh! You guys might want to get clear for this one!" she calls out to her allies. Even Ishirou.      The massive missile tracks its target lazily, and when it hits...it isn't just one explosion. It's a series of rapid fire steadily growing explosions followed by one final massive blast that leaves a mushroom cloud in its wake.      Sarra is hardly paying attention to the explosions for once, though. Her mind has been turning, and with Ishirou's shouting she finally puts the pieces together. "Does...wait, if the deal or wishes or whatever are undone...and he's Gepetto..." She looks worriedly toward Stanley, then toward the fae. "Hey! If one of those wishes undoes Stanley or the deal is broken and it hurts Stanley...you think a fairy can stop us any better than some mutant toymaker?!" she calls out to the fae.      "But, just like with Gepetto here it doesn't have to go to that! Fairies like shiny stuff, right? How much shiny would it take?" the princess calls out. She has the wealth of a nation to play with after all, and a lot of fun power-ups and things. Of course, she doesn't really consider that fae usually ask for something...a bit more valuable.
Stanley Padgett	"This was the end of the story. And to be fair... Mr. Padgett was probably expecting it to go like this. Or he should have been. He really should have been." Robin slips up from Ishirou's side, and apparently takes over the narration duty. "To be frank, I was enjoying Stanley a bit more at the end there. It's a little sad that Geppetto's little toy seems to be broken too. How about it, Stan? You wanna step in for your father's Deal?"     And as Robin is narrating, they're calmly walking through the middle of the shot, as everyone unloads on the Tyrant Geppetto. Between Bullet Bills and Kukuru doing the Rip and Tear, Charlotte's MASSIVE MACES, the MIGHT OF ICE from Madeleine, and Ishirou's... revelation... The remains of R E D A C T E D Padgett start to crumple away from the body of Geppetto.     "And Stanley, I'll even let you keep your name! Your Dad had to give me his as part of things. Not that it meant much but was... collateral." Padgett Sr. falls out of the remains of the Tyrant. And... he's got a face. It's... older than Stanley's. The wrong color eyes. Grey hair. The same nose, at least. The old man reaches for Stanley, where he's still crumpled at Charlotte's feet. But as he tries to speak, nothing comes out. Just... the absence of a voice. An echo of what words are supposed to be.     Madeleine can see it as it happens. Bits and pieces of Padgett Sr.'s... story, are being plucked away, one by one, by Robin Goodfellow. Right along with the rest of Steelport. Puck is taking their taxes.     Stanley shivers and grips at Charlotte's legs. "What's... going on? I can't... feel anything." His hands tighten, putting red marks on his partner's leg. "I can't... feel..."
Stanley Padgett	And then PRINCESS HONEYDEW offers up something for a Deal. Robin's eyes widen a bit, and in an instant, the Fae is practically draping on Sarra. "I'm not really into the money, but Princess, if you want to make some sort of proper offer, I Looooooooove talking to Royalty. It's my favorite thing!"     DANGER.
Ishirou	Ishirou jumps when Robin appears next to him, trying to keep him quiet about what he's figured out.  Growling, but too focused on his attack on Geppetto.  However Geppetto goes down, and as Stanley is started to become unable to feel... Ishirou stops.   "Stanley... his wish reversed the deal.  He's being erased from existence..." Ishirou says, not sure what to do.  It wasn't his powers, but his powers revealed information, but right now people can see the narrative power flowing and slipping right now.   "Don't make a deal with this creature... the deal might be true, but the price is something you might not be willing to pay."  He warns Sarracenia.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine grits her teeth. "It's taking everything back," she says, "and it looks like the bargain with Mr Padgett had a nasty termination clause. Dro-" She halts, eyeing Robin suspiciously. "Spear!" Madeleine's weapon swells as she releases it. It extends and sprouts scales and claws and all the trappings of a thirty-five-foot lindworm, crowding the available space in the lobby. This isn't even its full mass, but it can choose how much of itself to make real in places like this. "My lady?" it rumbles.     "Seize the fairy."     Drogrung lunges for Robin, whipping its tail forward to coil around them. Supernatural venom drips from its fangs as it rears up over the fairy, menacing but waiting for Madeleine's word to strike. "Release the old man," she says as she draws her ritual knife, "Or you won't live to see another sunrise."
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte inhales deeply, then lets it out long and slow as Gepetto crumbles and an old man tumbles out. Her brow knits in concern; this doesn't look like the same person who went in. Not in the same way that Mr. Beaufort was emotionally broken, but more like-- the years have been drained out of him.     She stares at him for a long moment, a piteous look on her face, unsure what to do. > "How about it, Stan? You wanna step in for your father's Deal?"     The fae drifting about gets her attention with that one, but before Charlotte can whirl to confront Robin-- > "What's... going on? I can't... feel anything."     Penthesilea drifts back down, interposing herself between Robin and the teenagers. The maces swing down, slamming into the crumbling office floor on either side amidst the clatter of chains. Like this, the Persona maintains guard, argon eyes never leaving the fae even as they flit suddenly to Princess Sundew.     Charlotte crouches down with Stanley, resting her hands on his shoulders and giving a squeeze. In much the same way he supported her during her recent crisis, she imposes herself on him as he starts to slip, "I'm here, Stanley. I'm here with you. You're real and you're with me."     Leaning forward, she bumps her forehead against his, eyes meeting eyes, "Remember what Delilah said? You're strong. Strong enough to change your future."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia makes a bit of a face when Robin is suddenly so close. And she looks a bit worried when the fae says money isn't really of interest. Ishirou warns her, and with the situation the way it is she just gives him a sidelong glance of acknowledgement before continuing. "Um...w-well...first I would need to know the details of the previous deal, and what if anything I possess would be of value to a fairy if money and finery are of no value to you. And you would need to pause your...reclamation while we negotiate. If the Padgetts were to slip away while we bargained, there wouldn't be much of a deal to make." she says.      Which may all be moot when Madeleine chooses more violence. If it works, Sarracenia certainly won't complain. But, it may weaken whatever bargaining position the princess has if it -doesn't- work.
Kukuru	Kukuru takes a slow, steadying breath to recenter herself as the Tyrant falls apart and Padgett Sr. splits off from it. It gives her a chance to listen properly to Robin, to see what's going on with the disintegrating old man, and (more importantly) Stanley seeming to start falling apart himself. "Stanley...?" That brief moment of mania leaves her eyes as she hurries over to check on him alongside Charlotte, leaving the matter of the fae to Ishirou, Madeleine, and Sarracenia. "It's okay, dear. We've got you, so..." She murmurs while shaking her hand off to get the claw off so the nanites can flow more... Actually, it's not any harder or easier to direct them that way, but the gentle hand might be more soothing than the metal of her claws. "What's happening to you, anyway? You weren't this..." She furrows her brow, looking from Stanley to Robin, then Robin to Ishirou as she starts to remember one other thing! "No one likes it when people spoil a story." "What is that spoiled part, aaanyway? It's much better to be honest, you know?" She asks, looking at Ishirou even though the vaguely threatening tone she's using is directed more at the Fae.
Stanley Padgett	Poison drips down on Robin Goodfellow, and the creature, the fae... shrugs up at the giant worm and all those nasty teeth. "Sure, the old man? What do I care? I already have what I wanted from him." Padgett Sr collapses to the floor. The narratives stop unwinding from the old man, who is... still crumbling away, spiritually.     But Stanley is still shivering, even as Charlotte tries to rouse him. "Hah! It's not... huh. It's... maybe you're..." He struggles up to his feet, using her as a hand hold. "This is... my story, right? Not my dad's? And not... anyone else's."     Ayyy now ecuyer. That's what I wanted to hear. Where's the hospitaller who saved all those sailors? The fencer who stood against the dark here? The words still curl around Stanley. Around Robin. Around Charlotte. The image starts to flicker behind him. The after-thought of a man in a Tabard. And a very jaunty hat. The Jauntiest of Hats.     Robin looks up at the worm, and then at Madeleine. "So. Your boy's got one last chance here, by the way. Kill me, and you've got no way to keep him around. But he's got more spunk than his old man. And there's something... fascinating coming." The fae smiles and shimmies, but does not try to move from under the great wurm.     Mon ami, you know who I am. And who you want to be, no? What better way to move forward than with someone who *wants* to live to see the next sunrise? Not some... Can a ghost sound annoyed? Petit drunkard who put in his chips with an idiot. Stanley takes a breath, and then looks to Charlotte again. There's an energy growing around the pair. Growing around everyone.     Goodfellow smiles at Kukuru and Sarra. "So, here's my request. One last fight. One last glorious melee~ And at the end, whoever wins gets to go to the Old Man and say 'it was me, I am the victor, and to the Victor Go The Spoils'."     Stanley grabs Charlotte's hand. "...one for all."
Charlotte Newman	As Stanley stands, Charlotte supports him-- as he had supported her, perhaps less literally, in the past. She keeps her eyes on him as he strains to keep his feet. As he works through his words.     > "This is... my story, right? Not my dad's? And not... anyone else's."     The girl nods once in understanding, and shifts her attention to Robin when they make their offer. Stanley takes her hand. Her fingers tighten around his, sharing the warmth of her presence. The energy builds. Swells towards a crescendo. Penthesilea moves aside, dragging her maces as she floats so that the fae can see both teenagers unobstructed. Stanley gives his answer. Without even pausing to consider, Charlotte responds in kind.     > "...one for all."     "And all for one."
Stanley Padgett	"I AM THOU. AND THOU ART I."     "I AM THOU. AND THOU ART I."     "D'ARTAGNAN!" Stanley's form solidifies, and does that of his Persona. Which bows, and tips its hat to everyone in the room, before vanishing again into Stanley's soul.     "It would be wrong for me to turn down a duel, wouldn't it?" Stanley grins, and flexes his sabre.