[Mari]

heirtothemonado

The decision to handle Phosphora had been a hard one. Arle still felt timid around the other, for reasons that went entirely unanswered during their fight. But with a shy tug, she pulled Phosphora into her arms and guided her into sitting up on top of the squirrel. She wound up sitting in back as a result, holding Phosphora to her and trying not to freak out a little, but that was okay as long as she reminded herself it wasn't disrespectful to worry about Phosphora's safety. Once they got moving, there was a strong chance Phosphora wouldn't have been able to hold on. She couldn't pretend she didn't like being this close to the other, though. That feeling was all too familiar to Arle, and it hurt, because it reminded her of Viridi's betrayal. Several huge lunges across the sphere later, Arle had brought Phosphora to LIghtweather Hospital. She got some strange looks from Nurse Joy for bringing a giant squirrel inside, but magical healing didn't generally require a sterile environment anyway. Not long later, Arle was taking care of Phosphora's every need. From tenderly healing all the damage she'd done to ---well, as Phosphora would soon find out, whatever she wanted.

"Is there anything I can get for you..? It shouldn't take me too long to finish healing you, but you've got me and Mr. Squirrel until I finish~" Arle offered somewhat softly. She'd left Phosphora with the giant squirrel, figuring she might appreciate the fluffy cuddle buddy over a hospital bed. The squirrel, slightly tired out, looked back at Phosphora curiously where it laid.

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora sat up, still feeling a bit groggy. After her and Phosphora's fight, she was completely spent. She took the opportunity to catch a bit of sleep while Arle flew (or rather, hopped) her to Lightweather Hospital. Now however, she was awake, although still feeling a bit tired.

"No Arle, I don't need anything at the moment" Phosphora responded. She really appreciated the help that Arle was giving her, and, it seemed, Arle was happy to give it. Phosphora thought for a  moment, Perhaps she could use this time to ask Arle a few questions. She propped herself up and looked at Arle.

"You fought very well, you know. I didn't know that there could be so much power in a normal human. Mistress Viridi certainly knew what she was doing when she recruited you." Phosphora paused, choosing her next words carefully. "What happened between you two, anyway? When you came to rescue me, you seemed to get along well...."Phosphora trailed off. She didn't want to seem rude, but the question had been nagging her since the beginning of the fight.

[Mari]

"Heehee, thanks~! I went to school for a ...while! I guess I never stopped wanting to learn and get better at magic." Arle began, only to trail off for a moment as her brain violently rebelled against her as she attempted to remember how many years she'd been in school learning to better herself. She could remember the many schools she'd graduated from, but not how many years that had taken. You might be thinking that's ridiculous, it takes years just to graduate a single school how could Arle have graduated several at the age of 16? ...And the scary part is, you'd be right. But Arle? Arle can't seem to grasp that. What she did grasp, however, was her relationship with Viridi. That was a sore spot for her, and her mood immediately plummeted. Could she even trust Phosphora to open up to her about that? Just bringing it to mind made her heart ache. "...I kinda thought she'd have realized and told you by now." Arle half-heartedly replied. She averted her gaze, a slight bit of guilt entering her expression--though it was now mostly hidden. You could just see the tension in her body.

"...You seem like a nice girl, Phosphora. I-I really like you... I want to like you, and trust you. Just like I wanted to trust Viridi." Arle began to lament. She knew that there was a chance that Viridi was watching her right now, listening to her through Phosphora's eyes. She could not be garaunteed privacy, and she would not ask for it. "...But it's hard, really. I saw what Viridi did. The way she tried to wipe out humanity. How many died. I- I don't understand. ...How was I... supposed to feel? How can I face her, knowing that every one of those people could've just as easily been me? What would I even say..? Am I... Are we... rotten to you? ...To Viridi?" Arle went on to ask, losing her composure a bit and becoming upset. It was very obvious that she'd been hurt deeply by this knowledge. Even a few moments discussion had brought her halfway to tears.

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora's smile disappeared as she realized she might have overstepped a boundary. As soon as she brought up Viridi, Arle's demeanor completely changed, her sunny attitude blowing out like a dead light bulb. "I'm sorry. I haven't been back to the Lunar Sanctum since I got to the Life Sphere, so anything that's happened between then and now, I know very little about. Viridi hardly even contacts me anymore."

Phosphroa listened as Arle basically poured herself out to her about Viridi's plans and attacks on humanity. She understood. As a member of the race that Viridi used to be bent on destroying would tear a rift into any human relationship with the nature Goddess. And Phosphora didn't really know what she could say to ease the pain of that rift. What was one supposed to say to that kind of problem?

Arle's silence after her question rang in Phosphora's ears for a few minutes as the lightning lass tried to figure out something to say to her. "I...I can't say that Viridi was close to humans in general, but I don't think it was a personal thing. Viridi...was just sick of the way humans treated nature with such disrespect. In her eyes, the best way to solve that problem was to get rid of it entirely." Phosphora paused. As she vocalized Viridi's end goals, thoughts of doubt started surfacing in her mind. She had followed Viridi for eons, but she didn't really think about what she was doing. She wasn't exactly one to stop and think about her actions, preferring to just go with the flow. However, as she got closer to humans, especially people like Arle, the thought of what she was doing stuck with her.

"I've followed Viridi's orders for years, Arle, and even I don't really know why Viridi did what she did. I will say that not all of the humans I've met here are as rotten as Viridi thinks. But changing her mind about it is a difficult task. The Starvia is taking up most of her resources right now, but I'm not sure what her plans are after the Starvia is resolved."  Phosphora said. It wasn't really a straight answer, and Phosphora didn't know how such a vague answer would affect Arle. but right now it was the best she could say while still sorting out her own conflicting thoughts.

[Mari]

Arle was quiet for a long moment. Her question had gone unanswered, or rather she'd been left to assume its answer. And her assumption, well--It wasn't a very positive one. But in all fairness, she hadn't been expecting anyone to change her mind anyway. How could they? There was no excuse for actions like that. You couldn't just explain away all the lives that had been lost. What place of it was Arle's to forgive Viridi on their behalf? "...I guess I don't know either." Arle replied. And maybe she should know what Viridi's plans were after the Starvia was cured! "I never stopped believing in a greener, healthier world. That's still what drives me forward, but I want to share that world! ...With my friends. I don't believe in killing people. Not like that... Not unless I really had to." Arle began to explain, shaking her head slowly in dismissal of the idea. Yet, she didn't sound entirely sure of herself. She didn't wait to explain her hesitation. "Sometimes I think back to the people I had to... kill back on my world. I felt like I had to. They just kept attacking and then it was too late for them to rethink their choices. But sometimes, I... wonder if I could've done better. If maybe I took their life away from them when there was another option." Arle softly continued to explain, barely above a whisper.

She smiled half-heartedly, in a rather forced manner. "It doesn't feel right, making that decision. Even when I felt like I was forced to. When I saw Viridi make that decision for every last human and... laugh about it... 'Good riddance'? 'The world is better off without you'? ...'Human Scum'?" Arle continued, her expression twisting with disgust as she began recounting the words that had seared themselves into her brain, particularly that last one. It had been like Viridi was talking directly to her.

"...I don't think I could ever speak to her again. Not unless I confronted her about what happened. Not unless she opened her heart to me. Not unless I felt like I could... know her. But... I'm--...I just don't feel like I'm ready to face her. I'm not ready to hear the person I looked up to try and defend something so awful." Arle finished explaining, stammering slightly as she spoke. The poor thing was distraught, and it seemed like she couldn't endure much more of this. Her arms folded and she looked away for a good, long moment as she tried to recover her composure. There was no need to irritate those wounds more than she already had.

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora fell silent as Arle looked away from her. What Arle had just said, well, there wasn't anything that she could say to refute it. All that she could do was sit there awkwardly as Arle continued to battle with herself.

"I...I..." Phosphora stammered after a long silence. She still didn't really know what to say, but similar feelings had started to surface in her. Was Viridi in the right after all? Phosphora didn't know. However, there was one way that she could help. Pausing briefly to gather her thoughts, Phosphora answered Arle.

"If confronting Viridi is something that you think you can handle, I'd be glad to come with you. I won't say that you can completely change her mind, but having one of her top commanders on your side could at least get your foot in the door and give her something to think about." she offered. These new feelings that have awakened within her needed to be answered as soon as possible, and if it would help Arle face and overcome her misgivings on both Viridi and the Forces, then so much the better.

[Mari]

Arle hesitated for a moment, lookiing up at Phosphora with a certain curiosity and surprise. Had she just offered to give Arle some support? Arle hadn't expected anything like that, hadn't thought her voice mattered, hadn't expected anyone to agree with her. But here was Phosphora, giving her a place for her heart and some moral support. "--You'd do that for me?" she asked in mild disbelief, a smile crossing her face. All things aside, that was more than she could've asked for. Without further delay, she stepped forward and leaned into Phosphora to giddily give her a rather affectionate hug! Her head slipped under the other's chin, turning to rest her ear against Phosphora's heart. "Thank you~!" she chirped in relief. If Phosphora didn't make any move to hold her, she'd eventually become self-conscious after a moment and shyly pull away.

"I'd like that--A lot." Arle replied in a calmer tone regardless of how Phosphora reacted. And then, an idea occurred to her. If Phosphora was troubled just like her, maybe she needed help just like Arle did! She knew just the group for that. "Y'know, I've been staying with a group of friends called the Magical Girl's Society. They've been a big help to me, giving me a place to stay, being my friends, taking care of me and teaching me about love magic and helping me grow stronger. If you ever wanted to come by, I could put in a good word for you." Arle offered, wanting to return the favor she'd been dealt.

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora smiled as Arle started to perk up again. "Indeed I would" she started to reply, before she was cut off by Arle leaning in and giving her a hug. The lightning lass was caught off-guard by the act of affection, but after a few minutes she relaxed and let Arle hug her for a few minutes before slowly pushing her away.

Once Arle had let go, she further surprised Phosphora by...offering her a place to stay? "I...don't know what to say. I haven't exactly found a place to put down roots...and that's really not my style, but...I think having somewhere to call home base would be wonderful. I think I'll come by at some point, and you can show me around."

[Mari]

The next thing Arle knew, she was in a familiar but unexpected position. Phosphora had let her hug her. She wasn't, however, oblivious to the tension in Phosphora's body at first. After the moment passed, she bashfully pulled back. "...Sorry~ I got a little excited. It just means a lot to me, y'know? I'mmm...--" Arle timidly began to explain before trailing off and looking away for a moment. One could see the guilt creep into her eyes. She'd been learning to be more physical with her feelings, but had come away feeling distinctly like Phosphora hadn't enjoyed that. ...Which meant she'd probably invaded her personal space and disrespected her in the process. She couldn't help it if she liked Phosphora or admired her looks, but she felt like maybe she could've had a bit more self-control than that. After all, what was the point of being close to Phosphora if she didn't also want it? Arle chased her anxiety from her mind. Phosphora's choice not to say anything about what had just happened meant she obviously didn't want to talk about it! She just wanted Arle to stop being a dork! Get it together!

"--...That sounds nice." Arle replied, brushing her apology aside in an effort not to make things worse for herself. "I know how it is, always running from place to place. I don't think that'll be an issue at all. If you want, and you're feeling well enough, I can show you there now. I wasn't sure when you wanted to talk to Viridi with me." Arle offered, though one could still tell she was a little worked up underneath her cheery exterior.

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora noticed Arle's tenseness as she pulled away from her. Almost as if she was embarrassed about that sudden show of affection. "Geez Arle, don't be so nervous. Your going to give me a complex." she lightly teased her. She propped herself up in her bed as Arle extended an offer to take her to her friends' place. "I  would love the head over there right away. I'm feeling great, and I think we'll need all the support we can get. We and head over there right now, and when your ready to face Viridi, let me know and I'll be ready to go." under most circumstances, Phosphora would have just rushed ahead and went to Viridi right away, but this was more about Arle then her. Whenever she was ready, Phosphora would be there for her.

[Mari]

"--Sorry... There's still a lot about myself that I don't understand. Sometimes I'm not sure if these feelings I have are okay." Arle quickly apologized in a rather bashful manner. She quickly swallowed what remained of her nervousness though, doing her best to bury those feelings for now, and offered Phosphora a refreshed smile. She'd have plenty of time to reflect on them later. "Let's get going~! We can ride Mr. Squirrel there." Arle cheerily offered. Not long later, she was back on her giant flying squirrel, who had had enough of a rest to run around at a proper speed again. Patting the squirrel behind her, she gave Phosphora some time to get on board or well--decline, as she saw fit. "I think Princess Peach should be getting back from training Valorie. She's learning how to use love magic. I learned a little bit of it too." Arle explained, casually dropping that magic lessons were a thing that was offered.

Eventually, they would arrive at The Sisterhood's lodge building. It was rather humble on the outside. You could easily pass it over if you didn't know it was there. The inside had a bit more character. What appeared to be a plate of sugar cookies was set out on an end-table, where Black was resting under a mushroom print blanket. Nearby, White looked up to acknowledge their entrance and took notice of the newcomer, greeting Phosphora with a wave. Also in the room was Ciel, who stopped and smiled brightly at Phosphora, bowing her head in a little nod, and Ashe who was the first to break the silence. "--Hi Arle. I see you brought a new friend~" Ashe remarked. "Who's this?" she went on to ask rather light-heartedly, looking up to Phosphora curiously. "This is Phosphora. She's one of Viridi's generals. She's thinking she might want to hang out here from time to time~" Arle explained. A few eyes could be observed lighting up. They understood what this meant. "Oh yeah? Does that mean she knows Palutena?" Ashe asked, making connections pretty quickly.

[heirtothemonado]

Giving Arle a small smile, Phosphora followed her onto her squirrely steed, and soon enough they were soaring through the Life Sphere. "Love magic?" Phosphora asked. "Is that something Princess Peach teaches?" Arle didn't have time to reply before they landed, so it looked like Phosphora would have to find that out herself.

As they entered the Sisterhood Lodge, Phosphora caught the glances of a few people that she didn't recognize, although she returned their waves all the same. As Arle introduced her to everyone else, she heard a question directed at her.

"I know Palutena, yes. Is she here?" Phosphora said, looking around the room as if the Goddess of Light had just walked in. Last time she had seen her, they hadn't parted on exactly...pleasant terms. Perhaps a reunion was in order later.

[Mari]

"Weeeell, not right now she isn't. She usually comes and goes without a schedule too." Ashe explained rather thoughtfully. "Peach can teach you all about Love Magic. It's all about channeling your emotions and the power of love into powerful magic." Arle explained, holding up a hand in demonstration. A pretty pink magical heart formed in her palm, sparkling with a fabulous power. Phosphora could feel a slight warmth from it, and yet it was harmless if she touched it. "It's also about honing your girlish charms into magic powers! It's kinda like a literal version of girl power~!" Ashe added rather humorously, seeming to find the idea pretty amusing. "It can do a lot of things, really. That's why a lot of us tried to learn it~! Plus, it helps that Peach is a great teacher. I think you'd enjoy it!" Arle encouraged, stressing the versatility of love magic. "Though, she isn't the only one. We all chip in to help our sisters when we can if anyone needs help on a mission, rescuing, items and even teaching! I know Ashe here is a good with guns... Why don't we introduce each other?" Arle offered.

"My name's Ashe. And well... Arle's got me there. I was kind of a bounty hunter and an archaeologist back on my world, so I trained to be really good with a gun. I worked for a legal guild that took comissions from the government though, so we were all above board." Ashe explained, flashing a thumbs up.

"

My name is Ciel. I can help if you ever need any technology expertise.

"

"She says technology, but Ciel is really good at anything when she puts her mind to it. She's more of a thinker and a supporter than a fighter though. Even though she's younger, a lot of people look up to her for support and care. Plus, she owns the Life Sphere's public library. Apparently she and her friends built it and stocked it themselves. ...Hey, why don't you ever invite them here, Ciel?" Arle explained before asking. Ciel's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink at the flattery.

"

...Thank you, Arle. I-It's true, but I suppose it slipped my mind. I'll have to ask Ringo and Seriri how they feel and see if they might like to visit sometime.

"

"And my name is Touko, but most people call me White. I'm... a pokemon trainer. I'm not really an expert on anything except battling, but Black and I are good actors if you're ever in the need for someone who can play pretend. ...And this is Black. She's having a good time." White explained somewhat leisurely, gesturing to the sleeping Black nearby. Black seemed pretty out of it right now.

"These two traveled to the underworld and back just to save my butt. They're good friends." Arle explained, somewhat bashful about the admission. White simply smiled at Arle in response.

Finally, after introductions were finished, a rather tall princess emerged from one of the nearby doors. She was 6'2'' and clad entirely in a frilly pink princess dress that looked like it could put most tailors to shame. She stood out in the room, as in addition to being the tallest and wearing a frankly immaculate outit, she was the only one sporting makeup. Her lips were painted a subtly glittering pink and eye shadow helped to draw out those pretty blue jewels --Not her earings! Her eyes! Sheesh. It was immediately obvious to anyone with even a slight hint of awareness that she put a great deal of work into her appearance. Her lips turned up in an inviting smile. "Oh hello! It's always peachy to see a new face~ If I'm not mistaken, you were battling with Arle in the stadium earlier--weren't you? My name is Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom, and it's a pleasure to meet you." the princess greeted

[heirtothemonado]

Phosphora was a little disappointed by Palutena not showing up, but she couldn't blame her. Not when she had an army to run. That disappointment was soon turned to wonder as the lightning lass watched a heart blossom in Arle's hand. "Impressive" Phosphora said, looking over the hear resting in Arle's palm. "And Peach can teach me how to do that?" she asked.

Before getting her answer, the other girls started to introduce themselves. Ashe, Ciel, Black, and White. "It's nice to meet you all." Phosphora said, then did a double take on Arle's comment on the last pair "Wait, did you say they went to the Underworld? Amazing. Thanatos usually doesn't let humans down there unless they're dead."

A new voice joined the group as a tall princess in a frilly pink dress entered the room. Phosphora assumed that this was Princess Peach, and her assumption was soon proved correct once the new arrival introduced herself.  "I was fighting Arle in the stadium. My name is Phosphora, and I'm one of Viridi's generals. Arle recommended I stop by here, and while l don't really like to put down roots, I think that having a home base would be a good thing."

[Mari]

"Mmhm~! There are a lot of things you can do with love magic, but I only know a little bit so far. You should ask her to teach you! I can help if you need a familiar partner, though I'd probably be relegated to a sparring partner. Peach is the one with all the knowledge. She can tell you everything love magic is capable of." Arle explained, smiling invitingly at Phosphora.

"...Actually that's a good question. How did you guys get down there?" Arle asked. White hesitated a moment before responding. "...Carbuncle created a portal in a strange tower for us." White replied. "...Oh! ...Huh." Arle replied. She guessed Carbuncle knew some of Satan's secrets, as it turned out.

Peach brightly smiled at Phosphora. "That's quite alright. Far be it from I to complain that one of our members is busy out in the world working to do their part~ You're more than welcome to come and go for as long as you please." Peach understandingly replied. "A recommendation from our Arle is high praise~!" Peach thoughtfully added, glancing at Arle. Arle smiled bashfully. "Phosphora said she might like to learn about love magic too~" Arle bashfully replied. "Oh! Well, I can certainly arrange to teach you everything I am able. Now, I'd like to take you back for some 'heart to heart' girl talk. It's just to get to know you better and make sure you'll be happy here with us." Peach explained, politely beckoning for Phosphora to follow her and leading the way out of the foyer, through a sleeping area to a small room that served as a sort of office.

She then moved to pull out a chair in offering for Phoshora, like a gentleman at a restaurant. If it wasn't strange to see a girl doing that, it was probably strange to see royalty doing it. It was distinctly not regal to serve another this way. But then, Phosphora was not one of Peach's subjects and this was not Peach's kingdom. Still, it communicated without words a sense of respect and humility. Peach then moved to take a seat at the opposite side of the table, smiling brightly at Phosphora. "I did not get a chance to properly introduce myself before. My name is Princess Peach." she politely greeted. "...Now that we are alone, I would like to ask you to open your heart to me. I promise to treat it with the love and care it deserves, even if you decide not to stay with us." Peach went on to begin, prefacing her first question with a request for honesty and thoughtfulness. "Here at the sisterhood, we are a lot like a family. We take care of each other, we stand beside each other, and we are always ready to help each other when we are in need. That is what we seek to accomplish above all else. Though, protecting the dignity of women even beyond our doors and working to better our community are also ideals we hold close." Peach began to explain. As a frequent kidnapping victim, she knew a thing or two about some of the... unique forms of negative attention girls sometimes got. In her own way, she benefited greatly from having this support network. Her toads had never really been able to do much when a 2000 pound fire breathing monster decided to take her out for a joy ride, but a sisterhood full of heroines? They stood a better chance. ...Bless her toads hearts. They were in the right place, but they simply did not have the strength to deal with threats like that.

"...One thing all of us hold in common is that we hold love close to our hearts." Peach began, conjuring a pretty, sparkly magical pink heart. She then held it out to Phosphora in offering. It seemed like she wanted Phosphora to take it. She could touch it, and it gave off a tingly sensation if she did. But otherwise it would float a few inches away from her hands on its own. This particular heart was not prone to popping. If she closely inspected it, she could see the faint forms of familiar faces swirling in the heart. Mario. Samus. Arle. Amitie. Lidelle. Luigi. Plus a bunch of other people that might be harder to recognize. A surprising amount of them were toads. Though if she took it for herself, it would change what it showed to reflect her own heart instead. "Phosphora... What does love mean to you?" Peach asked, her thoughtful tone suggesting a philosophical leaning to the question. She then went quiet, giving Phosphora time to think about her answer. It was a complicated question in some regards, and she wanted to hear a well thought out answer that came from the heart.