[TheSpatialWeeg]

Lidelle relayed the duo the necessary info in order for them to save Amitie.

To elaborate, she told them that Amitie went to the east of Toad Town - or rather, whatever remained of it, to find a teleporter that would take to N. Trance's location, which was a space station. The blonde apparently also said that the teleporter was 'pretty hard to miss' because it had a bright orange glow that one could see from afar...and sure enough, when the two actually went to search for the teleporter, it was pretty hard to miss.

The sun was setting by the point the two reached their 'destination', so to speak. It didn't seem like there was no one expecting them. Now all they had to do was step on that glowing platform, hopefully rescue Amitie and put a stop to N. Trance's maligned plans once and for all...

Mission...Start!

[Mari]

"Arle... Thanks for coming to save Amitie with me."

"Hnn..? Of course! What're sisters for~? I can't just let anything happen to Amitie, after all."

"I know, it's just... I'm a good friend, right?"

"Huh--? Of course. What's got you so down lately anyway? I mean--Other than the kidnapping."

" . . . I really let you down at the sleepover, didn't I?"

"Oh, y-yeah... That was a terrible sleepover. --But you were just really scared, right? It's not like you really wanted me to hurt me or anything."

"!"

" . . . You're really torn up about that, huh?"

"Y-You're not??"

"Nooo... I mean, it was pretty bad. I don't think the memory won't ever not hurt, but look! I... found my way out and now I'm back here with the people I love!" Arle explained rather bashfully, moving to give Raffina a very sweet hug.

"!! --...A-Arle..??" Raffina turned a bit red. She wasn't used to Arle being physical with her feelings.

"Everyone makes mistakes. It doesn't mean I don't want to be close to you. You took care of me when I was sick! Besides, it looks like you finally found someone who can love you the way you want! Heehee. ...I noticed the ring. Let's go save Amitie together, okay? If you need any help being brave, I'll be here to help you!" Arle went on to remark. And with that, she moves to enter the teleporter with Raffina in hand.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Once the duo stepped on the teleporter, it'd almost instantly take them to N. Trance's space station. The apocalyptic look of the Mushroom Ruins was quickly replaced with a cold, metallic, perhaps even kind of claustrophobic interior.  To the front of the girls' vision, there was a very reinforced window for the outside view...wow, Li looked kinda small from there. Looks like the egg-looking fellow took his time to make sure his plan went unnoticed...for the most part, anyway.

To their left was a big metal door. It felt pretty...ominous even at a respectable distance. It gave off a pretty big warning that something or someone was awaiting them, and they weren't the good kind of person. There didn't seem to have any other things to check or see aside from the window and the big door, so might as well go forth...but perhaps a bit of prep is in order.

((Arle and Raffina can use this turn to prepare themselves before the first boss fight begins next post if you so desire.))

[Mari]

Arle immediately rushed over to the window, peering out to get a good look at the planet. " . . . We're in space!" she announced in surprise as Raffina caught up with her, peering out past Arle's shoulder. She wasn't going to question how Arle knew that. Hadn't she lived on the moon or something for a while? "Is that... Li?" Raffina asked. "Mmhm. You can't see very much because the atmosphere is full of smog, but that's Li!" Arle replied. "...It almost looks like a 3D jigsaw puzzle from up here." Raffina mused aloud. Li's wildly exotic and bizzarely varied surface didn't make for the sort of uniform green and blue that you might expect from Earth. Each location had its own unique color and texture to it, distinct from the area next to it for the most part. "The life sphere looks so tiny..." Arle murmured aloud. "As much as I enjoy the view, I'd be a lot happier if we could share it with Amitie." Raffina hesitantly replied, reminding Arle that they had a rescue mission to complete. Being able to hang out in space was kinda cool, but not nearly as cool as knowing Amitie was safe and sound.

"--Right! ...Ever get the feeling we're probably walking into a trap?" Arle replied and asked somewhat awkwardly. "Yes." Raffina answered, far from oblivous to how off this whole convenient path forward was. "Diacute!" Arle incanted. She for one was going in prepared.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

As the duo went through the door, they'd come across N.Trance himself! That was...surprisingly fast. The egg-shaped foe turned around to acknowledge the intruders in his space station. Once he bat an eye on Raffina in particular, a smirk crossed his face. "So, you really did come around. Talk about a pleasant surprise." he began, sounding kind of giddy to see her. "You know, I got to give credit where it's due: Amitie did come prepared, but that won't change anything. My plan is already being set in motion." he cackled without a trace of worry. "I will be Li's new overlord! The world will soon fall under my neverending control! As such, I've got no time for you two. I'll let you play with someone else, however."

"Amitie? Do the honors."

"...Yes, Master."

As if on cue, a figure familiar to the two would emerge from the shadows. It was indeed Amitie, but something about her was just plain wrong. Her friendly smile was replaced with an expressionless mouth. The light from her eyes vanished, instead leaving a pair of blank green irises to gaze at the two. N. Trance's cackle evolved into maniacal, but triumphant laughter. "Gyahahaa! Enjoy fighting your friend! Amitie, leave no trace of them behind."

"Your wish is my command, Master." Amitie replied in monotone before she assumed a battle stance, her expressionless face turning into a mild scowl at the two. It seemed that their Puyo-capped friend was far into that egghead's control...or was she? Well, whatever the case, N. Trance went further down the ship. They'd need to get around Amitie as fast as possible...

((Arle and Raffina! There are two ways you can go with Evil Amitie's fight. You can either:

[/b][li]Fight her normally like your typical bad guy.[/li]
[li]Use Charisma rolls to try to get Amitie back without raising an aggressive finger.[/li]
[/ul]Each of these have their own HP and threshold to succeed, which will be detailed down below.))

---

Evil Amitie
145 HP
210 Control HP
Threshold for Hit: 14
Charisma Threshold for Control: 10

[Mari]

Arle's expression twisted in mild disgust as she listened to Amitie heartlessly call N. Trance master. Meanwhile, Raffina just sort of seized up in horror at the sight. A stifled little scream-gasp escaped her, but she failed to react beyond her initial shock. Somehow, hearing Amitie talk like that and seeing her look at her like that hurt her. Arle was the first to speak up. "...That's your idea of a better world under your rule?? You took everything nice out of Amitie! Now she's just like everything else on your ship--lifeless!" Arle scolded, glaring daggers at N. Trance as he left. "We need to take Amitie down fast so we can track him down and make him pay!" Arle shouted indignantly. "Fire--!" Arle began to incant, only for Raffina to throw herself in the way. "Arle, wait!" Raffina blurted out rather breathlessly. "...Don't hurt her. There's got to be a better way to snap her out of it." Raffina complained. "...Yyyeah, but usually that's not such a good idea... Someone'll get hurt real bad. It's risky." Arle replied in concern. As much as she didn't want to hurt amitie, that was the quick and safe solution to their problem. Safe for themselves, safe for Amitie. It was just how things had to be! "Arle. ...This means a lot to me. I... I want Amitie to feel safe in my hands." Raffina softly explained, becoming flustered and squeaky at that last part. Arle hesitated for a moment as she recognized those words. They reminded her of ... Rulue. Raffina, do you?! ...Arle reluctantly tossed a fireball over her shoulder, harmlessly dissipating against the ground nearby. She then nodded her head in silent understanding.

Taking a deep breath, Raffina turned about to face Amitie and slowly approached her. "...Leave no trace, huh? How do you intend to destroy every last bit of us?" Raffina asked in an anxious yet firm tone. That was a rather specific request on N. Trance's part. "I don't think you have enough mana to do that with fire. N. Trance didn't even take care of you after you lost, did he?" Raffina went on to ask, shaking her head in disapproval. "...Maybe if you had a huge influx of mana, but where would you get that? You could eat one of us. That would get rid of one of us and give you lots of mana for dealing the other." Raffina went on to muse aloud, earning a tense look from Arle. She could hear how nervous Raffina was under her cool exterior, but still..! Raffina, what the heck are you doing?? Don't give her ideas! What the heck's wrong with you? "...But I don't think you have it in you to do that, even under his control." Raffina went on to state rather firmly. Her plan was simple, but perhaps not the most intuitive. She was attempting to reach the real Amitie by appealing to her good nature. Maybe if she scared Amitie with thoughts of what could happen, she'd fight hard enough to regain control!

"Ami... I know you're in there somewhere. I can feel you, however faint. And that's why..." Raffina began, fiddling with her fanny pack. She removed it from her waist and held it out to Amitie. "I won't fight you!" she went on to state with a rather forced burst of bravery. She dropped her pouch at Amitie's feet. She then faced off against Amitie, leaving herself wide open in a deliberate gesture of pacifism and vulnerability. Arle hung back a bit, not wanting to interrupt. Maybe Raffina was onto something. She needed to give her a chance to do this her way. "Do your worst. I won't defend myself." Raffina stated. Huh. When had she found her bravery? Arle hadn't known Raffina to invite harm upon herself like that. This was the same pinkette who had ran in fear when Arle needed her most, but somehow she'd found the courage to not only stand up to Amitie but take frankly questionable risks on her behalf.

1plLOYcup_1d20-1 (Raffina's Critical Failure at Convincing Amitie to stand down ...Maybe the tough guy routine was'nt the best approach?)

((You can assume success in whatever Amitie attempts to do to Raffina))

Raffina 190 HP 65 / 65 Shield	Arle 180 HP 55 / 55 Shield

1d20-1

[TheSpatialWeeg]

N. Trance wasn't paying any mind to Arle's scolding as he left, unfortunately.

As for Amitie? The other slowly blinked twice at Raffina, as if she was trying to understand the other's declaration of not fighting her. "...Flame." she soon chanted in monotone, sending fireballs to the two girls. That persuasion attempt fell flat, it seems...

...well, at least until the fireball hit her.

((Arle! Roll 13+ DEX to evade the incoming Flame or else take 7% damage!))
((Good news, Raffina! While your initial appeal roll didn't do jack squat, the act of taking damage is stirring something up in Evil Amitie to help you take her back! If you choose to continue taking damage, the Control HP will suffer double the damage of the attack tanked.))

The pinkette was true to her words and just took the fireball. A look of confusion appeared in Amitie for a brief moment. Something stirred on the back of her head...an unpleasant feeling, to be more specific. Why though? Why was she feeling like that? She didn't get it...but that confusion was soon overtaken by her mindless obedience. "...You waste your words. I'm his servant, and nothing else."

---

Evil Amitie 

145 HP 

196 Control HP 

Threshold for Hit: 14 

Charisma Threshold for Control: 10

[Mari]

K1dFg19Sp_1d20+1 (Arle's Dodge)

"WaaaAAA!" Arle squealed as she threw herself out of the way of Amitie's flame attack. There was a moment of fear when Raffina realized she was about to eat her words, a moment of regret. This ... was going to hurt. The familiar sensation of one of Amitie's fireballs plowing into her washed over Raffina and she sucked in a breath. For a moment, she was angry. A pang of betrayal filled her heart. That... had definitely done some damage to her makeup. It was waterproof, but decisively not fireproof. In another day and age, that would've been enough for her to start picking a fight, but then a question invaded her mind.

Looking good felt good, but was it really all that great if you couldn't share it with the people you loved?

...That last word caused Raffina to shudder harder than the fireball she'd just taken to the face. In all fairness, she was a tough girl. But also, she still had trouble coming to terms with the reality of those feelings. Singed, but not out, Raffina's expression changed from one of hurt to one of softness. She didn't have to say a word. Her eyes spoke loud and clear, accompanied by a half-hearted smile.

I forgive you.

Flustered, but not lacking understanding, Arle watched from a distance. Goodness, she wished she could protect herself better. But what was she supposed to do, take this situation out of Raffina's hands? She couldn't do that, not when it was clear Raffina was learning an important lesson. Brushing at her face where the burns stung, Raffina took a step forward as if to confront Amitie, but no. She merely moved closer without any real attempt at protecting herself.

((Raffina is committing to taking whatever Amitie can throw at her!))

"That wasn't your worst." Raffina remarked in a half-hearted attempt at humor. "That was a little baby hit~" she went on to remark, playfully teasing the other. She was just feeling around in the darkness, trying to get Amitie to feel anything that wasn't N. Trance's control. "...You know, every time I see you frown now I feel like I want to change it. ...You have such a pretty smile. What kind of master wouldn't want to see you smile..?" Raffina softly asked in an encouraging tone. As she said this, she moved to gently cup Amitie's cheeks in her hands. She was just going to caress Amitie for a moment if the other let her, quietly coming to terms with her own feelings as she did. She fully expected to be slapped or worse though. That was just what happened when you pushed your love on someone who wasn't returning it. She knew she would've kicked the heck out of someone for touching her in such a way without her permission. But what about Amitie? The real Amitie. She hoped they were on good enough terms for her to be physical like this...

Raffina 183 HP 65 / 65 Shield	Arle 180 HP 55 / 55 Shield

1d20+1

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Amitie kept a straight face at Raffina's tease. That would come to falter, however, when the other decided to cup her cheeks. That feeling came up again. What was it? What seemed to be so...wrong? Whatever it was, it had something to do with that pink haired girl... Her hand felt like acting on her own, and grapsed one of Raffina's...but didn't forcefully pulled it back. Instead, the hand just kinda...lightly caressed the other's before her expressionless face took a look of shock and pulled herself away from Raffina. "You...what are you doing to me...?!" she asked as her monotone suddenly got a shift into panic. "Get away from me!!" she yelled, attacking both girls with a cyclone blast!

((Raffina! Cyclone Whirl will deal 15%. Buuuuuuuut, your attempt to bring back good ol' Ami kinda shook Evil Amitie's core. So, an extra 60 HP's gonna be shaved off of her Control HP!))
((Arle! She knows you're still there. Roll 14+ DEX to dodge, else take 15% damage!))

As Raffina took the hit, a lone tear escaped Amitie's right eye. Why did this feel so...unpleasant now...? "S...stop trying to do this! I'll never fall for your tricks!" she proclaimed, trying to figuratively push Raffina away from her.

---

Evil Amitie

145 HP

106 Control HP

Threshold for Hit: 14

Charisma Threshold for Control: 10

[Mari]

hS9T077Xp_1d20-1 (Arle's Dodge)

Arle and Raffina were both thrown back by Evil Amitie's cyclone whirl, with Raffina landing on her back and Arle throwing her weight into the attack to keep herself from falling over. Raffina winced as she got back up, gently holding her head where she'd banged it against the ground. "...Are you--?" Arle began. She had to question whether there was some love going on between the two after seeing that. She wasn't quite as oblivious as she'd been when she first discovered her own feelings for girls. However, she was still not very perceptive. More importantly though, this probably wasn't the time for that question and she half-expected Raffina to get upset with her for asking. She'd always known Raffina to be boy crazy, and maybe not the most secure person at that. "...Healing!" Arle went on to incant, taking away Raffina's pain and drawing the pinkette's attention for a moment.

p_1d15+5 (Arle's Healing; Heals for 18% Health)

With a glimmer of joy in her eyes, Arle met Raffina's before pointing back to Amitie to direct her focus. "You're doing really well, Raffina! No amount of brainwashing can erase the magic from a young girl's heart~ Let's show Amitie how much we love her." Arle encouraged, unable to hide a big, goofy grin from her face. 

"Let's~" Raffina replied literally rejecting Amitie's attempts to figuratively push her away by approaching her again. "...It's not a trick, though! We've spent years fighting eachother, and it used to make me..." Raffina replied, only to hesitate a moment. Her eyes averted slightly in shame and she proceeded to reach up and gently brush the tears from Amitie's cheek. She then quickly retracted her hand. "...I used to cry. A lot. Every time you beat me, actually. Sometimes I cried just because I imagined getting beaten and humiliated. I had to leave class once." Raffina hesitantly admitted, a sort of distant look in her eyes. You could see how painful the memory was for her. The moment quickly passed though, and she quickly brushed off the gloom. Her expression lightened up and she beamed at Amitie. "Somehow... it stopped hurting! The spells still hurt, but losing felt ... n-nice." Raffina went on to admit, still very bashful. (Hold on a moment, where's this going exactly?) Arle thought to herself, her brows furrowing. "Instead of just imagining you defeating me and my life being over, I started to imagine you defeating me and my life beginning. At my most vulnerable you'd take me--and make me yours." Raffina went on to explain in an uncharacteristically timid tone.

Arle's expression blanched nearby. Good god, Raffina. Your idea of romance... is a lil' raunchy! ...Who prefaced asking someone out with a fight?? ...And also wanted to lose?? The appeal was decidedly lost on Arle on several different levels, but the mental image was nothing if not intimidating. She just hoped Amitie didn't feel the same way or this romance was about to go up in flames--possibly literally. Hold on was Raffina bluffing?? Was that what was going on here? Was she just really bad at being convincing about love? Man, she was so confused... She had questions for someone more mature than her later.

Speaking of Amitie though, Raffina took the opportunity to reach in and clasp Amitie's hand with a gentle firmness, performing a little twirl to weave it around her. She then guided that hand to her hip as she attempted to mosey on into the other's unwitting embrace, all but verbally inviting Amitie to reach over and hold her. However, while Raffina was busy being distracting, Arle was doing some moseying of her own. Before Amitie could do any such thing, involuntarily or not, her other arm would find itself the victim of Arle's embrace! Arle decidedly didn't copy Raffina, instead just hugging Amitie's arm and attempting to pin it against her belly. She might not be sure how to feel about what Raffina had said moments ago, but she was still on board with plan love. The two then leaned in and attempted to sandwich Amitie in between them, casting personal space out the airlock in its entirety...

...by attempting to plant a kiss on both her cheeks simultaneously.

Only one of them would be leaving an lipstick mark on her cheek, though. --Unless Rulue had been teaching Arle how to put on lipstick of course. It was less unlikely than it sounded, given her request a while back.

Raffina 186 / 190 HP 65 / 65 Shield	Arle 165 / 180 HP 55 / 55 Shield

1d20-1·1d15+5

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Amitie slightly tilted her head, confused with Raffina's words. By this point, her previous panic was replaced with that cold and expressionless face again, though her breathing was a bit rushed. Before she could comment or take action, however, her moment was restrained by the two girls! And then--she was kissed? Now she was even more confused and emotionally distraught over being showered with immense amounts of love. Why were they doing this to their enemy, and why did she wanted to so desperately return it? She didn't understand!

...Wait, why would she ever want to understand? She wasn't...a friend of theirs. She was...N.Trance's servant! She didn't even need to remind herself of that!

"...Aktina." And well, there's Amitie's answer for being kissed. She was going to blast the two of them with either the magic in itself or the recoil if they didn't unsandwich her quickly!

((Arle! Roll 6+ DEX to escape the Aktina, else you'll face 36% damage.

As for Raffina, I'm assuming she's still committed to taking the hits.))

Whilst Arle's dodging results were still up in the air, Raffina wouldn't be that lucky. The powerful raw magic projectile blasted her off of Amitie, forcing her to slam on a nearby wall. There was no comment from Amitie. If they were to look at her, the empty green eyes were now covered in the shadow of her own hat, making them nigh unseeable. Silence would fill the room...

...
...
...and then, the silence was broken with a sniffle.
A sniffle from Amitie.

It looked like Raffina and Arle's love did manage to break her mind-controlled state, but Raffina would strangely feel a big sense of turmoil and sadness coming from Amitie. Was she...aware of the fact that she was hurting her friends? Apparently so.

The sniffles would soon turn into sobs. And sobs would soon turn into loud crying. Amitie was crying. She slumped on the ground, continuing to crying, occasionally blurting out a "I'm so sorry...!" in between. She didn't crawl to Arle or Raffina to hug her. She wouldn't do that, after all that she had done to them now...

[Mari]

p0ggRpMvp_1d20+1 (Oh okay)

It turned out that it was difficult to dodge while you were hugging and loving on someone! Both Arle and Raffine were sent flying. Arle crashed into a wall and emitted a little whine as she hit her head, her tiara nearly falling off her head and her staff clattering to the ground next to her. Nearby, Raffina goofily tried to stabilize herself but just wound up with her rear-end in the air, which in turn just lead her to smack into the wall anyway--just upside down. The impact knocked the breath out of her and stopped her from screaming. However, a little squeak escaped her as she slid down and bonked her head ...And then comically fell over again.

While Raffina was coming to and shaking off the delirium that blow dealt her, something yanked at her heart strings. What was ..? That noise..? That was Amitie! When she finally picked up on what exactly she was hearing, Raffina's heart skipped a beat and she squirmed about to face Amitie. ...Moments later, Amitie might be surprised to hear someone approach her. Raffina plopped down next to Amitie and folded her legs underneath herself. Or maybe Amitie's loud sobbing completely muffled raffina's meandering approach. Either way, Amitie would soon be in for a surprise when a pair of hands slipped around her waist and gave her a gentle yet firm tug onto her lap facing each other. Raffina then shifted one hand up to Amitie's upper back, keeping the lower one around her waist, and pulled Amitie tightly to her body in an embrace that could only be described as true love's coddle. There was a certain protective insistence to it, and of course an encouragement to latch onto her tightly in return. But regardless of what Amitie did, Raffina began attempting to soothe her. Amitie could feel Raffina's heart beating a mile a minute in her chest from where Raffine guided her to lay her head, giving her a place to dry her tears against her shoulders or bosom, all but ready to burst from their encounter. However, holding Amitie seemed to do as much to calm her down as it did Amitie, if not more. Her upper hand began to gently stroke the other's back in a soothingly affectionate manner. Words of whisper found their way into Amitie's ears.

"It's okay..." Raffina softly murmured. "Ammie, I've got you and I--..." Raffina began, only to choke on her words. Was she... tearing up? She hadn't cried just because someone else was crying since she was a little girl. Of all the many times she'd cried, none of them were for empathetic reasons. She'd had that habit trained out of her in the name of being a proper lady. And at that moment she had to wonder. Had she been wrong to do that? It felt... nice, in a weird way, to open up her heart to Amitie. To be vulnerable for her. She took a shuddering breath to help calm herself. "...It wasn't your fault." she continued, still in a hushed tone. "Remember, how I said I didn't want to go back to Primp without you..?" Raffina went on to ask, smiling weakly for the other as her hand drifted to Amitie's side. "...I realized that even if I had to, I couldn't do it." Raffina went on to admit.

Meanwhile, Arle finally regained her senses, tenderly rubbing her head as she fixed her tiara and gathered her--WOAH! catching sight of what was going on, Arle immediately froze in place. That was a pretty lovey dovey touchy feel hug for 'friends'. She had no doubt when she saw it that there was something going on between them. But her being, well, sympathetic to the cause, decided to remain where she was and keep her mouth shut. Arle wasn't going to be a heckler. Not for her friends. It seemed like Amitie really needed this anyway. For now she just... pretended her feet were really interesting to avoid staring.

"For some reason, all I could think about when we were fighting was how much I'd miss you if I couldn't snap you out of it. It didn't hurt the same way it used to. I didn't get angry or want to hit back. I wasn't even embarrassed. I just...--" Raffina began, trailing off for a moment as her feelings got the better of her. "I just don't understand anymore." she relented, drawing Arle's attention. "All I can think about is you. When I'm scared, when I'm lonely, when I'm angry, when I'm happy, when I dream, and even when I go to buy cream. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for what a great friend you've been to me, but I don't understand what it means. Now when I dream of being the envy of the land, carried on a throne by my adoring fans, you're there alongside me. Not helping carry the throne, but sharing it. And... I'm happy. Not only that, but somehow, my older dreams feel lonelier now. Is... something wrong with me?"

"I tried going to a doctor, but they told me not to worry about it. That nothing was wrong. ...But I feel guilty not telling you about these feelings. I'm worried I might be... losing it." she softly explained, earning a bemused smile from Arle. ...Did Raffina not realize she was gay? ...Was that what Arle sounded like before she figured out her feelings?? ...She definitely remembered thinking she was going crazy for feeling those things, that they were weird and abnormal feelings and not recognizing them as love or attraction. But actually going to a doctor to ask for a mental health check?? She wasn't sure whether to envy Raffina's dedication to her health or have a quiet chuckle at her innocence. It was ... kinda cute when it wasn't her.

Raffina 186 / 190 HP 65 / 65 Shield	Arle 165 / 180 HP 55 / 55 Shield

1d20+1

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Amitie was listening to Raffina, and she kinda stopped sobbing loudly but was adamant about avoiding all eye contact with the other. Since they were that close to each other, Raffina could feel a crushing weight of guilt on Amitie's heart. She was pretty down about that still, huh. By the time Raffina was confessing how she felt to the other, Amitie slowly but surely turned to face her again.

And then Raffina revealed she went to a doctor. Amitie hung on a blank face for a while...and then she tried to stifle a giggle. Tried to, anyway. Turns out that this little tidbit was enough to cheer Amitie up a tad. She burrowed her face on the other affectionately, her giggling coming to a stop as she faced the pinkette, now with that bright smile on her face.

"Raffina, you silly girl~!" Amitie commented. "You're in love with me!" ...Well, that was straightforward, but it was the truth, wasn't it? You couldn't fault Amitie for that. "Then again, I suppose you'd be pretty confused since you and I didn't have the best relationship at first..." The blonde self-pondered.

...Well, that was one way to bring Amitie back to her old self.

[Mari]

While Amitie was busy admiring the vast sea of ignorance that was Raffina's understanding of her own feelings, Raffina was quietly stunned into submission by the obvious answer lurking right under her nose. She softly cuddled the other as she was burried into, seeming to enjoy the intimacy--at least until the truth was shown to her anyway. At that moment, her grasp could be felt weakening as the truth hit her like a slap to the face. "In... In love?" Raffina softly replied, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. She looked so very spooked. Arle meandered over, taking a seat nearby and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Hehe, I think Amitie's right you know? You kinda reminded me of me when I first confronted those feelings." Arle remarked, joining in on pointing out the obvious. "B-But I'm not a--!" Raffina stammered out in an uncharacteristically nervous tone, cutting off abruptly. "...Yeah?" Arle replied rather innocently. Honestly, she was surprised Raffina liked Amitie too, but wasn't sure what to make of it at that moment. "...I like boys." Raffina softly added, though it wasn't particularly defensive. "Do you like Amitie?" Arle asked in response.

Raffina turned to gaze upon Amitie again, searching her feelings. They washed over her like a tidal wave, smothering doubt in their path. She could feel only desire when gazing upon the other. She nodded, lowering her gaze for a moment. Arle thought about this for a moment. What did it mean if Raffina liked boys, didn't like girls but did like Amitie? She was starting to see what was so confusing about these feelings... What did it mean? "Hmm..." Arle murmured, rolling it over in her thoughts. Then it hit her. Oddly specific interests. A pink Hedgehog. A blue blur! Amy Rose had accidentally taught her something without her realizing it! "...Maybe you're attracted to Amities!" Arle replied with a light-hearted shrug of her shoulders. Hell would freeze over before she ever found a better answer. Raffina blanched. "...But... What would you call someone like that?" Raffina asked, struggling to wrap her head around the concept of a fundamental attraction to a specific person. Surely there had to be something about them that made them such an exception! Some facet, some quality, some aspect of them had to be special! Once again, Arle had to reply with a shrug and a roll of her shoulders. "Amitie's Girlfriend~?" she replied in a teasingly suggestive tone, smirking at Raffina. Raffina flinched at the suggestion. Yet, somehow it drew her to silence as her imagination explored the possibilities. There was a time they'd kissed. She'd very much enjoyed it, even if she'd done her best not to think about it too much after the fact. It had raised feelings in her that had made functioning difficult when she did. And Raffina had always wanted to be someone's princess! It was a long time dream of hers, one she'd felt very sorely about losing sight of, one she'd even fealt jealous of at Amitie and Lidelle's hands. She'd always wanted to marry a princess, but...-- Could she be the princess to another princess? Was such a thing even possible? She'd never once read of such a thing in any of her romance novels, and yet... it intrigued her in a very exciting way. Could Amitie really be the mysterious stranger in her dreams after all? Oddly enough, Arle's simple answers helped her calm down a little.

"...How could I ever call myself that without her royal highness' approval?" Raffina softly replied in a matching light-hearted tone, seeming to regain at least a little of her composure. She smiled softly at Amitie, reaching out to caress her cheeks for a moment. Her smile brightened as she did this. "...Her smile is prettier than I am." Raffina remarked, revealing only the tip of the iceberg that was her flattery before continuing. She'd recalled the pride Amitie took in her smile back on Primp. "...I don't think I could ever say no to it. Not after all we've been through. All of me would belong to you as the day belongs to the sun without any hesitation. But... how selfish would I feel asking for that kind of relationship with you knowing that I am not yet the better person I set out to be? How could I ever ask you to be mine without first knowing I could be the person you deserve? A proper lady? ...A man??" Raffina asked, nothing if not a romantic. She seemed a bit flustered at that last idea, though. She wasn't sure she could be one of those. Enjoy that, Amitie. she might not be this much of a dork around you forever. "...And yet, you're already everything I wanted. You're a princess, you can match my strength and then some, and you... care about me in ways I find difficult to describe. I don't think I'm brave or bold enough to ask you to be mine." Raffina admitted rather sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Arle seemed to have begun attempting to distract herself by watching the hall they were supposed to travel down. Goodness! She decided to spare Raffina the sassing that came to mind listening to her admissions.

Raffina 186 / 190 HP 65 / 65 Shield	Arle 165 / 180 HP 55 / 55 Shield

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"...I don't think I'm ready for something so big. Not yet." Amitie ended up quietly admitting after the conversation and lengthy confession of Raffina's love for her. Raffina could feel she had a lingering desire to say 'yes', even if she did say she wasn't prepared for it. "Can you...please give me some time to think over this? I'll try not to take too long..." The blonde quietly asked, taking a moment to have her head rest on Raffina's torso for a few momentes before she finally let go of the other.

"Besides..." Amitie started, looking at the door at the end of the hall they were in. An uncharacteristic look emerged on her face. "...I've still got a score to settle and a world to save." She would turn back to Raffina and offer her to pull her back up. "You want in?" She offered, a smile gracing her face again, though it was probably silly that she asked such a question.

((Last turn before we move on to the N.Trance boss fight! If you want your fighters at the ready, now's the time!))