"I do have - one of the woods spirits', which one did I stop at second..."  She has the maps...  "That one's seal of 'I'll boop her if you lot think she's trustworthy', killed some toothy things for it - so I suppose it depends on if they can see it.

"But yeah, honestly my plan with Culpeper Cut is to just show up with books and maybe cool plants, and just, be friends?  Insofar as that's possible?  Not really angle for booping as a primary goal; it feels all...taking-advantage?  In a way I don't like.  Punching down, instead of up."

"I mean, I can almost smell it. Spirits aren't usually subtle. It's boopiness will go to waste if it doesn't use it."

She smiles, gently.  "What's it like?  To see things like you do?  I find myself wondering about other perspectives, today, more than I usually do."

...And if the present arrangement permits, she feels surprisingly like she should be snuggling up to Lilith while she listens to the answer.

They're in a booth seat. Lilith looks a bit surprised, then makes a dramatic 'fine, fine' sort of expression and budges over with a smug smile so Annabel can lean on her. She's soft and smells nice in some unidentifiable vague way.

"I honestly think I'm... Pretty normal? I see and hear and smell things. I get impatient and bored. I like sleeping and eating and other nice sensations." With this her arm reaches around Annabel's back for a sort of side-hug at the waist. "The only big difference is what options I have. The grass is always greener."

She nods along quietly, and then drifts into an explanation: "Apparently I'm feeling affectionate," she murmurs quietly, "to one of the few people I can honestly claim as friends.  Who understands me, as I seek to understand them.  Who inspired me to do a difficult thing, today, and succeed where I might have otherwise faltered.  So...thank you, Lilith; I'm better off for knowing you."

"-Ha. Hahaha! Wow. Friends, huh? I wasn't even... That's so strange. It's, uh, not what I was going for." She frowns a bit and sits straight again. "Talked to you 'cause you seemed unusual, you know."

"Yeah, I've never, ever been...normal, normative?"  She's looking at her hands, as if seeing them for the first time; her voice is a bit...floaty, distant, almost mystic, as she continues, one hand returning the side-hug.  "And...we're definitely the sort of unusual you'd like to have around, I think; there's this...rage against the machine, that's only held in check by trying to care about everybody, including the monsters; even though a part of me dreams of a righteous cause to smite over, people are people are people...and killing people just...feels wrong, especially when they're not hurting anybody.  Even if they are, people do things for reasons; there's so many better solutions than the terminal violent one, that leave more people around, to experience them.

"Which is a long-winded way of saying that I don't think I could bear to consider hurting you, even if someone made my being booped contingent thereupon, because whatever you've done, and I'm almost sure there's something, you've still done it out of caring in your own way, and that...I want to support that, want to encourage that, want to defend that.  And I really don't think I'm misreading you, no matter what you say.  You fuck with people, for sure, and you enjoy throwing the apple of discord...but it's mischief, not malice, that drives it.  You definitely have ulterior motives, you're certainly cultivating me for something...but:

"I'm better off for knowing you, for seeing and speaking to and spending time with you, and I expect that to continue to be so, no matter where I go from here.  ...Also, you're incredibly pretty."

"I am, aren't I? Fuck. It's, it's a survival strategy. You know? The vain hope that if I don't do anything too bad maybe I can just keep doing it forever. I used to be... A lot angrier. I'm furious most of the time. There is so much bullshit and I'm practically made of it. The heavens look upon what man hath wrought and reply only with death. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

Waitress is coming over soon. Eff why eye."

...there is no worrying about the waitress (- she can scratch out an order on her pad of paper -) there is only giving Lilith so much hug.

"Then fuck heaven, for dropping that burden on you."

Lilith sighs and leans into the hug, her head resting against Annabel's shoulder.

"Not that I know the deep truth of the matter. Not for sure."

She squeezes Lilith supportively.  "Doesn't matter.  Whatever's responsible, you have my support in whapping it with a newspaper until it stops being like that.  You deserve better."

Lilith hums softly...

And places a quick peck on the side of Annabel's neck, then straightens up and smiles over to where the waitress is showing up and orders a pancake meal with soda.

She's going to order something more lunch-shaped; a toasted sandwich, with chicken, red sauce, and various cheeses, and a side of mixed steamed vegetables.  (She orders a hot chocolate for her drink.)

The diner is well equipped to fulfill these requests and the waitress goes off at an amiable amble.

Lilith fills the lunch conversation with occasional small talk, but mostly a comfortable quiet as they both eat. She looks kind of thoughtful.

"So..." Lilith drawls once their plates are mostly empty. "What would you do if you got magic?"

"You know, I'm not really sure?  But...use the power I have, to be kind.  Ironically, considering my opinion of cops, to protect and serve; to uplift the downtrodden, bring hope to the hopeless...to inspire people to pursue their dreams.  To pursue my dreams; to advocate for a world where people aren't just allowed, but are encouraged, provided with the tools, to do what they wilt, an it harm none - to advocate for a world where people can be who and what they are without fear of censure, without being forced to conform to societal diktat.  To make the world kinder.  And maybe that's an absurd dream, but it's my dream, and I'll fight for it til my dying breath, with magic or without."

"Not a lot of specifics in that dramatic speech? Inspiration. Protect and serve. Pfah. That's straight out of the magic girl propaganda! And going up against the established interests is going to break shit! But you just said it was an ideal. Okay, what would you do about Culpeper? Amd what about yourself? Surely there's things you want personally."

"Yeah, it's propaganda...but the police most definitely don't mean it and never have, are allowed to just sit there as people die and claim they're doing their jobs because in the eyes of the law they are.  And...I hope I wouldn't be that sort of hypocrite; I'd certainly advocate for imposing that duty if the cops are to have meaning at all.  Not that I think that's the best solution to the fact that all cops are bastards, I think most problems are solved by simply actually funding the social services and not enshrining into law being fucking prudes and busybodies - did you see the bill from the Senator of California about decriminalizing basically everything in the 'vices' category? - but imposing a duty to protect, and consequences for failing, would be palatable, simple, and not readily opposable; it just needs a platform.  And I have a clear inciting incident for the narrative.

"What do I do about Culpeper, with a position as a magical girl...

"I kind of think that the underlying plan doesn't change?  Be its friend as best I can; advocate for its interests, show it some cool plants.  What changes is the scale I act on; magical girl status is a force multiplier to, especially, social status attacks, and I can use that, especially if I'm willing to be a standard-bearer and, perhaps, lightning-rod, for being unapologetically queer in more ways than Chromadyne, who's just gay and kind of an assimilationist from the rumors I hear.

"What would I want to do for myself?  ..."

"oh, fuck...what would I?  How much have I been hiding depression behind a veneer of selflessness?  I'm just going to have an existential crisis for a minute, and get back to you?"

A good thirty seconds pass, one finger held up in the 'hold on just a minute' gesture, as she wrestles that back under control, but it doesn't take more than the minute she quoted.

"Okay, what I'd do for myself...

"Well I'd definitely come out; if any time's the time it's this one, when I'm reforged in the fires of enkindling, and give my high school's probable transphobia a very big Fuck You.  I'd probably...Get a motorcycle?  I feel like getting a motorcycle is a thing I should do if I become a magical girl, for some reason.  And definitely revamp my wardrobe, I mean, look at this, it's a decent outfit but is it stylish?  Nope!  And I could do better if I wasn't so dang dissociated from very important things being Wrong with it half the time!

"Hmm.  Other things...kiss pretty girls who want me to kiss them.  Maybe some pretty boys, too.

"Generally, unapologetically unleash my desires, bare my teeth at the world-as-it-is, dare it to try and smack me down when I'm going to be the baddest ass to ever badass if I have anything to say about it so they can't. stop. me."

She says what she says next with an almost reverent quiet, breath heaving as she recovers from feeling all her hidden feelings - "I'd want to foment liberation, because I want to be free."

"I think you'd be hot in motorcycle leathers. And being untouchable and magic at idiots will be fun. You ought to record it. And like, you're a person who ought to get to have nice things too, right."

Oh, fuck, she would.  Her brain is melting from rampant lesbianism, and that is certainly part of the explanation for what she is about to do being what she now does.

"Yessss it would be that's such a good idea, I could kiss you, that's just wonderful..."

...A thought occurs.

"...Say," she breathes, words quiet, whispered into Lilith's ear, "are you a nice thing?  Because I've been wanting you for a while, and just not quite daring to ever say it...but you seem to be encouraging me to dare to, to try and seize what I want, Lilith~"

Lilith grins and looks at her, lips slightly parted, and rests one hand on her leg. "Well, duh. With how much trouble I went through to be hot, having it appreciated is... Delicious. So go ahead and just be careful of me taking what I want too."

She places a conspiratorial finger to her lips and hums, amusedly, consideringly...  "Oh, I think I'll be quite happy to give you what you want, once we're in a good place to get it~"

And with that said...well, she did say she could kiss Lilith...so she does, with quite some fervor, for a good, solid minute~

"A little teaser for you, you sexy succubus~"

Lilith eagerly kisses back, hungrily, breath warm against Annabel's skin and arms wrapped around her neck. The 'succubus' comment seems, perhaps, apt- There's something intangibly compelling as she makes quiet happy noises. A scent? A tingling? Just the pretty face and deep eyes looking back with desire?

"Oh, yes. I'm sure we'll come to a mutually agreeable exchange. I'll be sure to show you how I deserve that little moniker, hm? Alas, it would be pretty annoying to deal with the scandal of seducing you more right here in the diner... Even if it'd be pretty fun too."

She is so doomed~

"It really would, on both counts," she says and also thinks, "so let's hurry up, get the check and head on out, hmm?  I'm sure you know a place~"

Lilith coolly slides a crisp $100 bill onto the table. "I, in fact, do know a place where we can be as loud as we please."

"Then let us depart~"

(The plot resumes in thread 3.)