View source for 1201/CatP - Polarization

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/12/23
|Location=A Quiet World
|Synopsis=A mission to steal a number from a city in the sky.

Mortal Frisbee ensues. 
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=7, 33, 42, 70, 183, 253, 495, 570
|Tinyplot=A Chime at the Precipice
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For those who were here before, the seemingly endless blizzard taking place in the valley below seems to have subsided. Perhaps this is why, for the convenience of previous sojourners and new alike, a warp gate has conveniently opened directly beside the ruin that will mystically transport any who step upon its dais beyond the clouds, and to another locale cluttered with green. Green, that likely stands in stark contrast to the infinity of white visitors have just emerged from, and a whole rainbow of other colors that hint at the extravagance of the realm that they have now entered.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A figure in a pitch robe and hair to match is seated upon a bench whose legs have likewise been overgrown, though this particular person would not seem anywhere near so foreign as the vertigo the altitude invites -- no, because she happens to be the woman who asked you here, just dressed far more humbly than she usually prefers. A bit more dour of mood, too, perhaps, though not in a way that anyone who has not known her for a good amount of time would be able to discern. As people begin to arrive she would slowly rise from her seat, flicking a few locks of hair out of her eyes and folding her arms behind herself. Her features are so austere in this attire, and in this position, that she might be mistaken for a personification of death... if only her eyes didn't retain their usual fire.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Very few words of introduction are exchanged this time around beyond the usual 'hellos' and 'greetings', though she is careful - careful as she can be, at least - to behave as much like her average as to not invite an overabundance of questions. As she walks through the city, though, she would draw the hood back upon her head, and keep her eyes firmly glued to the ground in front of her person. It's as if it would do some grievous injury to her for her to gaze too long at the buildings that surround the rather narrow streets, and even more as though she does not wish to be recognized by someone, or something. The more astute might garner an impression of 'shame' which, when you consider that this place is allegedly one that she built at some point in her lifetime, would make quite a lot more sense. Riva might certainly understand that when one glimpses upon their old drawings or writings in hindsight, always will you nitpick the details and, on occasion, grow distraught in your past self's ineptitude.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And if you somehow got that far in your musing? You would be exactly right.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;People likely won't have the time to think that far, though, before the group is at the foot of yet another glorious palace. This one is even more fine and grandiose than the one beneath the sea was before it was hit with a cascade of proverbial antimatter, adorned with twinkling bits and bobs at nigh its every pore... but ah, one would already have conjured that image with the aid of descriptions left elsewhere.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So we may move on to the description of those we find in front of this almost too-bright monolith: two identical young women with pink hair with curls that frame the ends of their chins, and rose brocades that decorate their foreheads and collars alike. A pastel hue to match their locks would drape over their shoulders to conceal the lavender robe that lies beneath it, running all the way to each of their feet where boots of a more bold shade peeks out at the group. Each of them would stand in utter silence until Mizuki, in a decidedly impatient tone, destroys this state with all haste.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Drawing her hood back, she would command: "You will bring us to meet with the Priestess this instant. Failure to do so will result in punishments of which you should be well aware as denizens of this particular region." And for several moments, more silence; a subtle tension allayed only by a gust of wind that breaks through to the castle courtyard. "We are under no obligation," The one on the left would chime, yielding now to the one on the right, "to do anything for you. We are not beings of your creation, nor are we beings that have, for any period of time, called this place our home." They would continue to alternate, virtually every sentence changing from the mouth of the one to the mouth of the other, carrying from the pattern they had before established. "Rather, we are the attendants of another person entirely. And she is --" And she is the one interrupting them right now as she emerges from the ostentatious double doors that serve as the palace's only perceivable point of entry.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And you," She would pick up from them, "are being quite rude. Please allow me to handle this." The newly appearing woman, dressed in an almost Victorian style not unlike Mizuki's norm, would curtsy to the group as Mizuki herself would stare, wide-eyed. "Greetings. I am not the Priestess, but I am the one who has fulfilled her role since her self-imposed exile. That does mean, unfortunately, that the maiden which you seek cannot be found here, at this explicit location... though you will be gladdened to know, she has returned recently. Or so I hear from word of mouth." Her blue eyes glint and her expression warps into a grin to reflect her earnest feelings of sympathetic mirth. "You might find her in some creep or crevice of this metropolis, and when you do I am certain she will be glad to bequeath her number to you. Though we, I fear, have little with which to aid you for the time being. My sincerest apologies." Again, she would bow, as Mizuki but persists to stare in disbelief.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"All of that is well and good, but would you mind terribly to inform me of what your... cheeky compatriots meant when they said they are 'not beings of my creation'? I do not recognize them as Seekers of mine, and so I cannot understand --" The woman would continue to smile, peacefully placing a finger to Mizuki's lips. She would barely stifle her urge to recoil at this gesture, but something stays her feet; something quite unnatural. Then the likewise mysterious, Victorian-clad woman would answer simply: "Because they are not, but they should not have said. It is not our time to tell of such things, nor your time to know. Though once you've completed what you must do here, then perhaps - perhaps - we may engage in discourse on these and other oddities of the realm. But for now, go! You've deadlines to meet, haven't you?" Here the woman would give the most curious, clandestine glance to Arthur, before retreating before the doors of the palace in the company of the pinkette clones.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki would turn to the group here, but not before any response she might have ready is completely torn apart by the sweeping entrance of another figure. One of the Arthur shades -- the loud one, judging by the manner of his entry -- rushes in, narrowly avoiding a collision with the side of the palace. Looking directly at Arthur, he would quip, "HEY, ULTRANERD THE SECOND! APATHY WAS FEELING HELLA GENEROUS TODAY, SO SHE SENT ME TO HELP YOU GUYS OUT! BECAUSE OF MY MAD SPATIAL RECOGNITION SKILLS, I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THIS 'PRIESTESS' LADY IS AT. JUST GOTTA FOLLOW ME AND THIS WHOLE THING WILL BE OVER FASTER THAN A SBURB SESSION STARTED BY IGUANAS." And you thought Arthur was loud when he shouts. This guy shouts -constantly-.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now of course, Mizuki hardly trusts this loudmouth, so she'll be taking a separate group toward one of the town's MORE PREVALENT TEMPLES to check it out. There are other landmarks people can inspect, too, like a certain MYSTICAL ANTIQUES STORE and the TOWN SQUARE. All of these, including the LOUDMOUTH ROUTE, are viable areas for exploration.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Truth be told, Priscilla feels vicariously embarrassed for Mizuki the moment she lays eyes on the palace. She is very familiar with the girl's penchant for the subdued, the serene, and the surreal, which seems to have been the aesthetic of choice she had finally settled on after all these years. Seeing something this gaudy brings to mind the obvious conclusion that she must have passed through some kind of phase involving obnoxious overdesigning when she was younger, which is now on full display; like awful fanfiction written in someone's teen years and immortalized on the internet for a respected friend to eventually read. Were she that type of person, she'd probably be patting Mizuki on the shoulder as soon as she sees that look.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Arthur shade is entirely new to her however. It implies that Arthur had done something more important than she had already gathered by his seemingly intimate knowledge of Mizuki's world's workings. On one hand, it is probably some kind of nega-clone, possibly like the ones from Himei's world that the Union had been made to deal with years ago. On the other hand, Arthur is generally trustworthy and earnest, so if it isn't blatantly evil, listening to it would cut down on hours of otherwise fruitless searching. Or maybe it's simply reverse psychology to keep everyone away from the correct place? She looks to the Arthurshade, and then back to Mizuki, genuinely unsure of which to go with. "Wouldst thou care to explain, Lady Mizuki? I feel as if I am missing something very important here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa has been here the snow is a thing she just kinda thinks for a moment and she's soon clad in clothing better suited for it. She's always been a bit hestant in using the powers of the mind here, for certain reason. The temptations of the powers of the mind are not lost on Kotone not at all, and she's managed to not give into one certain temtation for the moment. <br /><br /> She does notice someone else is here when she arrives whom not one of the people from outside she takes a moment to try and make them out she has an issue making out but sooin things do get Kotone's attention at this point. <br /><br /> "... I see." <br /><br /> Kotone thinks she gets what's being said but she's not sure as she looks to Mizuki for a moment then to Riva and then to Mizuki and thinks she'll be checking out the Antiques store. Or the temples with Mizuki but she's got a moment to think that over it seems.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Priscilla, Mizuki would draw in a deep, deep breath before replying. "As was stated on the radio, I -believe- this alternative Arthur is trustworthy, although I am not willing to bet all of our resources on his honesty. Thankfully, we have a surplus of aid here, and so we are not obligated to do so. I will make way for the location where I previously surmised we might encounter the priestess whilst Arthur's shadow leads any... willing members of our group to whichever place he believes she might be found." She would fold her hands. "... we've been throwing around the word 'insurance' quite a lot, I know, but this, too, is just a safeguard. So that both our groups may not be caught in some might-be, could-be trap when some of us could be spared. Things of that nature."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ostentatious as ever." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber is here, tired, and mostly just ready for a lull in his usual busywork to enjoy the holiday season. Last night was a nice break, but then here we were again and it is right back to the grinding stone. He's smoking, as usual. He's not drinking for a change. He's wearing his big coat and otherwise tagging along at the back of the group. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Without Nathan around, like he usually has, he doesn't have a clear victim/ward to be covering, giving him an amount of autonomy that he promptly uses to kinda just sit back and watch it all. He doesn't wanna put himself at the front of these issues except for the rare moments he thinks he has insight into whatever is going on. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This leads to these long stretches of time where he's mostly hanging around silently and watching things play out. Not necessarily bad, but it makes him look more anti-social than he actually is on this, when in actuality he's just willing to let Arthur take the point on this issue. Arthur seems to have the most solid grasp of what needs to be happening anyway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren arrives -- there's the usual exercising of super-shapeshifting by the gate, but he settles back to his normal form in winter clothes soon enough.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once in the city in the sky, he changes his clothes back to normal and looks around, taking it in... barely noticing Mizuki at first. "...Mizuki? Why the... change in clothes?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He listens with interest to the exchange, until...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur shade.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren just stares at it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Wat."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With recall of their last time here, Kimiko has arrived in unassuming attire, consisting primarily of jacket and scarf. This seems less appropriate when the snow is left behind and the city is entered, but neither does she discard it. The thick wool, half-covering her face, is rather comfortable, and she seems quite calm and relaxed. This continues throughout their walk through the city, with her no more than nodding and giving quiet greetings. The city itself--she lacks any context with which to comment on its make-up, though she does recall Mizuki mentioning a "phase," or something of that sort.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The shouting one man captures her seemingly calm attention, but in fact she is evaluating this newcomer, with his offer of assistance, for potential danger. In their prior trip, there seemed to /be/ no danger--but Kimiko finds it impossible to maintain that as a default assumption. It takes some silent questioning and possibly-secretive reassurance before she accepts Nega-Arthur as not a threat. Probably.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Very well. Please lead on." If there is remaining uncertainty, she wants to be there as a precaution. She has no need to visit another area that precludes taking even small steps.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur Lowell is here, standing behind Mizuki. He's mostly just watching the exchange between Mizuki and her strange interloper, arms crossed in a dramatic and cool way. "Well if you ARE some goddamn MULTIVERSE PERSON we gotta HOOK UP WITH, try not to drop the MAD CRYPTICISM up ins, yeah? Looks like even MIZUKI don't like that BOGUS NOISE, and she's usually ALL ABOUT that fuckin' shit!" And then Arthur arrives. A second time, unfortunately, for both of them. Arthur Prime is not enjoying this fact very much, as anyone can see on his face right now. "YEAH, that shit sounds FANTASTIC. Let's get this OVER WITH as FAST AS POSSIBLE." He's already grinding his teeth. This shade is going to do or say something awful, he already knows, and he can't really bear the idea, so he's going to come along with the shade.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla and Staren get a vaguely helpless look. "I made a DEAL. I'm PRETTY SURE that I'm gettin' the HELLA SHORT END of like EVERY STICK EVER right now, 'cause I traded AWFUL JERK MES for INFORMATION and now THIS happened." He's aready pressing his fingers to his temples, rubbing them gently in frustration while his teeth grind. "MYSTERY FLAVOR ARTHUR is probably not gonna be a liar. Just DON'T... LISTEN to the IRRELEVANT things, okay? It's not..." He sighs heavily. "Let's just MAKE THIS HAPPEN QUICK." He's gonna go follow the ARTHUR shade.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva ENGAGES MAXIMUM WARP SPEED towards the cirt ruin hanging in the sky, which is why she hops onto it and ends up... <br /><br />"Wow! What a trip!" Riva exclaims as she looks around, peering at the environment, then towards th Mizuki. She squints, and then folds her arms, watching her speculatively for a little bit as they stroll through the ruins. Riva is quiet, but watches Mizuki intently.<br /><br />She gets a quirked eyebrow at the women barring the way, and she begins slipping around, casually edging aroung back. She was totally just going to try to sneak past when they were distracted, but this gets interrupted by the woman in Victorian clothing. "Uh huh." Riva says, tilting her head. "So you have no idea where she is..." Riva rubs her chin, and then blinks. "Wait, not of her creation? That means..." She trails off. "Well this is getting weird." <br /><br />She's about to talk again when she gets MAXIMUM ARTHURED. Riva blinks as she looks over at the EXTRA LOUD Arthur and just mouths 'wow'. That might be even more Arthur than she can handle. She looks over to Real Arthur and then to Kotone, to whom she shrugs. "Don't worry too much about it, Arthur. We can tell the difference!" Riva, of course, follows Real Arthur. She's curious. And you know how she gets when she's curious. Or maybe you don't, which will be educational.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For those who take the NEGA-ARTHUR ROUTE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Loudmouth leads the small group through a wind of streets, their more than slightly obtrusive verbage and their certainly obnoxious gait convincing some of the citizenry to retreat into their houses. Blinds upon which children are perched and tending to flowers on the window sills have their blinds closed forthwith, and doors practically slam in the group's face. Arthur is gleefully unaware of all of this occuring around him, electing instead to just keep on until the group reaches a lookout post on the outskirts of town.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Truth be told, it offers a rather beautiful view of the world beneath... until the half-circle shaped observance area is literally torn from the ground and thrust into the sky via gravitational manipulation as though it were some inhumanly large frisbee. All of this is done with the most juvenile grin on Loud Arthur's face, but as the many group members following him would duly note, this situation doesn't warrant such an expression in any stretch of the imagination. If that 'frisbee' hits its mark, it will inevitably collide with the palace. And if it collides with the palace, the bits of the palace that flake off would likely fall to the other side and crush untold quantities of homes and people. Even if they are only manifestations of Mizuki's thoughts, would it be okay to let that slide? Well, people will have to decide quickly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though Stupid Arthur, quite unaware (or otherwise, apathetic) about this turn of events, gives the group no time whatsoever to register this before moving on beyond looking to the sky and commenting, "OH, SHIT!" The succinctitude and empathy driven into that statement would surely be evident to people for miles and miles hence. Though if -everyone- stops to focus on containing this miniature catastrophe, he'll likely dash out of their sight before they can follow. And knowing him? He likely won't know that he isn't being followed if that ends up being the case. So really, you have two options: follow Arthur through the opening he just revealed through blatant vandalism, or go and help the people living here.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seems like an obvious choice, right? ... right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren indeed follows LOUD ARTHUR, since Real Arthur seems to think he's trustworthy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's quiet a view, until... are they headed right for the palace? "Hey, um, are you gonna...?" He runs off. "DAMMIT!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren tries to think of what among the tools he has on him can stop a giant stone disc...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he remembers where he is, and imagines a flying stone wall in front of it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And under it, to catch the debris. Gotta remember that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He can avoid the collision by flying, of course, and he assumes his companions can handle themselves.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"HEY!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber shouts abruptly, glaring at the Loud Arthur in a pretty serious fashion. The half-angel doesn't view it AS Arthur, but since it's a projection of a subset OF Arthur, it's still something he's tangentically responsible for in Space Dad terms. He's not exactly chasing after the disc, since other people have skillsets that can help out with that in their own way. Instead, Psyber's actually just using Dad Tones. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I know for a fucking fact you were raised better than that," He scolds, stepping towards the poorly-made projection. He's not gonna let it out of his sight, and if it tries to flee, he'd actually go so far as to grab it by the ear and twist, "What would your father say? Honestly. You are grown ass man. Put that thing back how you found it right now and behave your damn self. I don't need you throwin' a pissa all over this damn planet because you get bored." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Now fuckin' fix it and behave yourself before I smack you in the head wicked hard and leave you smarting."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For those who follow Mizuki to the TEMPLE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The group likewise must make their way through a long row of homes, though they do so without the reverberant noise of the Arthurclone. Rather, they are met by a rather disturbing silence, and the eerie display of people in similar positions as those on the other street -- that's to say, in balconies above their homes and tending small gardens outside their doors -- reverently bowing their heads as they see Mizuki walk by. This would elicit a rather swift and pained gesture from her in kind: she would almost instantaneously pull her hood down again as she notices these gestures, grumbling subtly to herself with cheeks as red as the fires of hell. Suddenly it may not seem so strange why she had decided to come dressed in something a bit less ostentatious today.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the entire world beneath them quakes, and some may take notice of a particular stone dais hurtling toward the palace. Mizuki, clearly surprised by this, would attempt to catch the disk in one of her slowing fields -- though this is met with limited success due to the proximity of the object from her and its size. She would turn to Priscilla and Kotone with a bit of a wince as she attempts to control the situation to the modest extent which she can. "You two -- urgh. Do not concern yourselves with this situation. Allow those better suited to it to handle things whilst you advance. If you follow this street the rest of the way, you should find a fork. Turn right there, and at the end of the road you should see a Roman-esque dome. That is the locale we seek. I shall join you both shortly."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As much as this may /seem/ like one of those heroic sacrifice scenes, it really isn't. Seriously, she'll catch up in a minute.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur is immediately springing into action. Sure, Mizuki's world is mostly full of 'NPCs'. Sure, circumstances may come about that may make any action he does for the sake of this area moot. But, he's not able to disregard HEROIC INSTINCT, despite being kept on a reasonable ground level by his gravity magic in all the chaos. "God damn it to hell!" He mutters, immediately jumping into action. He blasts off on his broom, calling out, "PSYBER! Stay WITH 'im!" Rocketing into the distance at massively high speed, he slams into Staren's wall and then wall-jumps straight off, rocketing back into the observance area and harshly ramming himself straight through it, intending to break it up into smaller, less damaging chunks.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oddly enough, as he rockets through, anyone who got caught up in that toss is going to find themselves being grabbed out of the air by the surprisingly dexterous mage. The boy himself is going to suffer a fairly substantial bit of bruising despite enhancing his charge with a barrier of gravity. Did Kimiko or Riva wind up getting caught up in that? Arthur will be making sure to grab hold of them so they don't wind up crashing into Staren's wall or the palace or anything.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The joint explanation from Mizuki and Arthur himself is fairly comprehensive, and falls somewhere between the extremes that Priscilla had expected. The fact that Arthur had been participant in the clone's creation is enough to assure her that it wasn't an objectively evil act, but the mage of space is practically radiating waves of 'please don't do something stupid that will reflect on me', so it couldn't have come out exactly like he'd hoped. Mizuki also seems inclined to . . . well not /mis/trust him, but not so much that she'd take his word over her own form of sense, and so Priscilla makes the wise move to shy away from the reckless shade and thus prevent herself being sent flying by ill-thought-through applications of spatial magic.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Said use of spatial magic grabs her attention pretty easily as she sees the chunk of masonry go hurtling past overhead, but she regards it with a dry sense of satisfaction knowing that she'd made the correct choice rather than any sign of worry. Mizuki would have dealt with the Arthurshade ages ago if he was capable of, and willing to, cause wanton destruction of her dreamscape. Right? "I thou wouldst sayeth so." She replies to Mizuki in faintly perplexed tones. She has an inkling that the girl might just want to avoid her friends seeing more of everyone bowing to her like a royal princess, but the situation has legitimate need for her powers. A little hesitantly, she leaves the Author's side; taking her directions towards the temple with a surprising degree of confidence and security, despite being in the midst of a crowded city.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko notices, with idle curiosity, that the city's welcoming atmosphere is distinctly inverted in !Arthur's presence. She hurries on, all business, rather than tourist. She's sticking close to both Arthurs, but takes a few steps forward when they seem to be reaching a location, to get a view of the area before the others are gathered.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the ground is lifted up beneath her, with her falling flat onto it reflexively to avoid being thrown off. Being thrown off might have been /preferable/, for her own safety, given that it is also tossed, spinning, toward the tallest building in light. Dealing with this is going to be difficult. /Not falling off/ is going to be difficult. She might survive the fall, but--<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Immediately, she's transformed, her usual mode of dress as a Puella Magi perhaps being slightly more in fashion here than that of a Japanese student on vacation. A moment later, weapons are bursting forth from every opening of her clothing. They're more like tools than weapons in this instance, but that's a matter of intent more than form--the thick, dull spikes could break bones as easily as the stones they /do/ break, but that's important only for esoteric reasons.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The thought of simply imagining things /without/ using her magic does not occur to her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur is quick enough to grab her before she's completed her action, and fortunately she is not wearing her armor, so will not cause more than a minimum of bruising in that collision. This does not stop her from acting, as the stone-breaking stakes strike out in every direction at her will, trailing thick chains to let her keep controlling their motion without removing her arm from where it's moved to wrap around Arthur's shoulder. Each either strikes into a larger chunk of masonry, or loops around a smaller one, aiming for those errant pieces that not otherwise blocked by walls or other magic.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa :gives Riva a look for a moment and nods back. <br /><br /> "We can yes tell the orginal from the second mark, don't worry." <br /><br /> She comes from a world where some people share the exact same specs to their bodies after all. <br /><br /> "All right I'll come this way." <br /><br /> She watches Psyber and the others head off with Arthur two and hopes things go well for them. She looks ahead as they head along. She looks at the omes and can't help but feeling more and more like a doll as she looks at everything. She hugs her a bit. She looks to the dragon woman for a moment nods and heads forward<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva follows along, looking between the Arthurs with a measuring expression on her face. Her hands are folded behind her back as she strolls along, giving a look upon the group present. Psyber, Kimiko, Staren, Arthur... There's no way something could go wrong, right? <br /><br />And then it does. "OH CRAP!" Riva yells as Impulse Control Issues Arthur hucks the observation plate around into the air. Thankfully, she wasn't /on/ it yet since she was hanging in the back. She looks up, panicking as she sees the hunk of ground flying through the air. how the hell is she going to do anything about THAT? Arthur BLASTS OFF, however, which gets her to focus on ACTION TIME.<br /><br />She looks up as Psyber begins lecturing ICI Arthur, and frowns, focusing herself. "Imagination, right?" She says to herself, and then leaps into the air, rebounding off of walls to get some height. As Real Arthur blasts through the area, Staren sets up a catching wall, and Mizuki slows the hunk from a distance, Riva pulls her guns. "Here we go!" She calls, and begins firing a barrage of bullets, trying to supplement Arthur's idea of breaking up the plate by getting her Asteroids on and shooting glowing bolts of Anima energy from her guns at the hunks, trying to break them down further and dissipate their collision force so Staren's wall will be more likely to hold. "You can do it!" She calls to Kimiko, then she yells to the rest: "COME ON, GUYS! WE GOT THIS!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For everyone handling the DEATH FRISBEE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Their concerted efforts are likely successful, but before we get into the details of that we should cover something a trifle more pressing. And that, of course, means the paternal smackdown that Loud Arthur receives from Psyber. Just as he's about to rush off down the corridor revealed by his cosmic bout of destruction, holding tight to his rocket broom for dramatic emphasis, he's... stopped. Why? Well, all the physics in the world could never surmount the Godly force of a fatherly earpinch. He flails about like any child would if they were cought sneaking dessert before dinner. "OW OW OW! DUDE -- THE FUCK?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although his vocabulary might be a bit more colorful than that of a naughty five-year-old.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"SERIOUSLY - DAMNIT, THE PAIN! THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'BECAUSE I GOT BORED'? I'M NOT DOING THIS SHIT BECAUSE I'M BORED! I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE APATHY SAID I SHOULD, AND I HAVE TO LISTEN TO HER BECAUSE SHE WOULD ERASE ME IF I DIDN'T AND OTHER CRAP." He would swallow, making himself sound slightly less flustered in the coming few statements. "... BUT SHE DIDN'T SAY TO THROW THAT THING, I GUESS. I JUST DIDN'T THINK IT MATTERED. I MEAN, LOOK. WHEN WE FIND THIS LADY AND GET THE NUMBER, ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE ANYWAY, YEAH? SO I'M NOT GONNA WASTE MY TIME WORRYING ABOUT THEM WHEN WE NEED TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So ends a whole paragraph written with capslock on.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren's wall would, as he'd expected, form up on the providence of a veritable tornado of tan bricks torn up from various areas of the city. Then Arthur, in just enough time to not be squashed, would rocket off of it, sending yet more of those small blocks of construction flying every which way. The observance area is, mercifully, CAUGHT, saving the majority of the palace from the destruction it would otherwise have faced.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko, who is likewise held in place thanks to Arthur, is able to summon up for stone spires to prevent further devastation. And it turns out to be a very good thing, too -- several bricks the size of homes, certainly on a collision course with several homes lining the streets, are deflected by them, sending the debris flying instead off into the sky and, eventually, the valley below. Far better that they land in a barren area of ruins than in the homes of people still living, however tenuous their grasp on genuine life may be, right? Riva's contribution has a similar impact, cutting several too-large blocks down to more manageable sizes with her barrage.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So through their combined efforts, yet another crisis is averted. Staren gives Arthur the platform he needs to prevent the breakage of the tower, whilst Kimiko and Riva clean up the not-insignificant leftovers. Several homes are, unfortunately, pulverized, but most of the populace had the good sense to clear into the streets beforehand where Arthur would have been able to get them out of harm's way. The... less said of those who didn't think or have the time to do so, though, the better.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Off in the distance, Other Arthur can be seen, still dangling from the ear clamp Psyber has secured. It would be adorable in any other circumstance.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't care what apathy told you! You were raised better than to just write off the lives of all these people. You're supposed to know better." Psyber scolds in a serious tone, "Just because it's the thing that must be done, or the outcome is what it has to be, doesn't mean you just callously plow forward like human life doesn't matter." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber twists the ear even harder, glaring, "You make sure to tell Apathy, whoever she may be, that she and I are gonna have words soon. As soon as Christmas is over, I'm coming by for a nice talk with her, just her and me, and then we're gonna see what's what." He scowls at Fake-Arthur, "Honestly, throwing a damn building. That woman needs to teach you some restraint." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You EVER do that again while I'm here and I will make you go cut yourself a switch," Psyber threatens in a serious tone, reaching a conclusion to his longer rant, "You think she scares you, you don't wanna see what happens if you take artistic liberties again."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Actually, Staren /didn't/ expect to tear up the city below for building material! Still, he's hopefully averting greater destruction. "SORRY!" he calls downward. Once the disaster is averted, he lowers the platform to a clear area, then tries willing the bricks to return home. If they don't... oh well ._.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko's able to endure a lot, but even an unnaturally good sense of balance isn't enough to let her get away with being sent flying on a giant stone frisbee via surprise applications of space magic, then rescued via rocket broom, without getting a little out of sorts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The pieces of debris she's grabbed will be placed safely down once she's able, and her chains desummoned in the same moment.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Apart from that, she's going to just hold onto Arthur until they get back onto the ground, and then wobble, once, before righting herself, and very carefully shaking her head.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Okay, she's good to go.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur manages to rocket his way through and out, likely sustaining some bruising but surprisingly not too much worse for the wear. He's got an arm on Kimiko, roughly swinging her around so she can sit side-saddle on his broomstick before he blasts back off to the observance area wreck. She'll get to hear the lovely noise of his teeth grinding over the sound of a rocket engine.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By the time he gets back to the revealed corridor wreck, he's slamming roughly into the ground, his broom suddenly disappearing. Arthur makes rugged landings, and this is no exception. He comes in on the end of Psyber's lecture. As he strides in -- less swagger, more stomping -- he comes to Psyber's side and puts a firm hand on his arm. "You know what this is about. I told you what I'm keeping shut down. He's not gonna change, don't matter what you do." A meaningful reference to a past conversation. "Don't look too deep into this shit. Please, dude. For a reason."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then an accusing hand comes to jab at Nega-Arthur's face. "DON'T. I know what YOU'RE GONNA SAY, OBVIOUSLY. And I KNOW for a FACT you don't think ANYONE HERE is worthy of LISTENING to the answer to 'im. So DON'T." He's trying to cut off a very specific tangent Psyber is about to lead nega-Arthur on. "Just GUIDE. That's what we're HERE FOR, right? Get this shit done QUICK and all." He's trying to get them guided down the corridor ASAP.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva lands on top of a roof and winces as she sees some of the buildings get crushed anyway. She looks downward, frowning to herself and thinking quietly. Psyber's lecture causes her to look up, and she holsters her guns, her expression growing harder as she hops down, flipping from the building. You can almost see her seething for a bit. She watches the exchange between Arthur, Psyber, and Not Arthur and huffs slightly, letting ther ominous feeling disperse. <br /><br />As Kimiko lands, Riva claps her on the shoulder, and nods to her, quietly in that sort of 'You did good' way, before she lets go and walks forward to continue following along.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber nods his head to Arthur as he releases his grasp of Nega-Arthur. He figures Arthur will be a better Warden for himself than Psyber can be, "Right, sorry." He looks to Arthur, "I still plan to meet her, though," He notes before he falls back into his old job of placing his hands in his pockets and hanging out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, back to those at the TEMPLE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki would likely alight before the Westernmost entryway just before Priscilla has the chance to push the eloquently carven wood slab that constitutes the door out of her way. Mizuki would give a not at all insignificant sigh in exasperation before giving both the crossbreed and Kotone alike nods, and entering the edifice herself. She looks uncharacteristically strained and exhausted, and Priscilla likely has a -very- good idea of why that is at this point. Thankfully, though, the people were distracted from her presence by the chaotic nature of the local skies for just long enough for her to slip by unnoticed, so they likely won't be seeing any more awkward worship this eve.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But that's certainly not the end of the extravagance they will see, much to the lady's chagrin. As they enter the temple their eyes are met by a blinding brightness courtesy of yet another stained glass window perched above a Gothic podium. The floors beneath them are all wrought from marble, but the pews and said font of words are all built from wood. The center of the room, though, is left bare -- mostly. Much as there was on the ruin that brought them here, there is an indent here, filled with a gem that gleams little more than a pathetic, dull blue even in the brilliant brightness that filters in from the outside. Mizuki looks quizzical for a moment before her eyes widen somewhat, and her face dyes itself... faintly more pale.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Priscilla." Her eyes would dart closed after this, as though in another wince. "Truth be told, I am glad that you chose to accompany me here. You see, there is something very curious about this place that I now recall. It relates very closely to why I thought this place would be the one we seek." Her arms would meander behind her back, and she would take several small, cautious steps forward, training her eyes on the dim stone. "This circle -- the one defined by the vague outline in the floor's marble, here -- is actually an elevator that will take us to the heart of the city. To the gem that, at least narratively, keeps this city airborne. That is likely where the priestess has gone, considering its significance, but this is where things become difficult."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A sigh. "My own penchant for the dramatic thwarts me again here, for I --. In order to power this elevator, or otherwise activate it, we'll need to 'enchant' this stone with a small fragment of my own soul. I could do this myself - for it would make no sense if I could not - but to a being of pure concept like myself, one whose entire being is little more than an extrapolation of my soul, this is quite a... horribly painful experience. It is often much easier for a friend to remove a band-aid quickly than it would be for that person to remove it themselves, so you see..." Her eyes shut again. "Essentially what I mean to ask is: would you be so kind as to tear out a portion of my soul, and apply it to that stone?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gee, that sounds benign.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone was not expecting things to seemingly go so well so far well she's taking an eye full of thing she looks to Mizuki for a moment and ponders what she's saying. <br /><br /> "I think I see this is a strange place I admit and yes you do love to be dramatic." <br /><br /> She does however seem to be wondering about this soul frament and muses to her self Mizuki is a ghost without a shell she thinks before she follows along. <br /><br /> "...wait what you want us to do what?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Back to everyone else who went the LOUDMOUTH ROUTE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nega-Arthur looks outright horrified. So horrified, in fact, that there's actually a delay before he can respond to Psyber. "O-OKAY, OKAY! SHEESH! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN, I SWEAR! IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO HURT PEOPLE OR SOME SHIT. I DON'T! AND APATHY DOESN'T EITHER, YOU GET ME?" He clams up again when Real Arthur confronts him, and if you look very, very closely you might even be able to see some beeds of sweat slowly, mournfully slipping down his forehead. "Y-YEAH, I'LL BE GOOD, JUST CUT IT OUT WITH THE YELLING. IT'S HELLA SCARY, IF I'M BEING HONEST. I MEAN -- NOT SCARY, OKAY? I DON'T FUCKING -GET- SCARED, BUT IF I COULD GET SCARED, I WOULD PROBABLY BE WETTING MY PANTS RIGHT NOW."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also, Staren's willing the bricks back into their proper places, thankfully, goes as planned. A few thankful sorts down below clap their hands together and bow to him as if in prayer, as they might also to Psyber, Riva, Arthur, and Kimiko alike. Looks like these people are pretty liberal about who they worship.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Assuming Psyber allows him to wiggle his way free, Nega-Arthur would flit a few feet away, dusting off his Godrobe. As soon as he does, he seems to regain a bit of his machismo... but it's clear the larger portion of it won't be coming back for some time. Thakfully. "S-SO IF YOU GUYS ARE READY TO STOP GIVING ME SHIT," Scowl, "I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET MY LEADING ON. BETTER KEEP UP BECAUSE THIS GUY ISN'T SLOWING DOWN FOR ANYBODY." A bit contrary to his word, though, is the much more gradual pace at which he recedes into the hole blown open by his earlier exploits. For Kimiko, she would likely be able to claw her way into the entrance since it's not too far from the newly created cliffside, or she could hitch a ride on an Arthur gate. Same goes for Riva.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This corridor is less showy than the surface, to say the least. The same tan stones line its ceilings and its floors, but many of them have been knocked out of joint by roots that have begun to grow throughout the cavern. Yet more of the infrastructure has been damaged by crystalline spires that point their way in which, given the rather narrow features of this pathway, might bear some attention as people navigate the area. Eventually, though, this area would give way to something every bit as grand and opulent as they had come to expect.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This walkway eventually opens into an enormous, hollow region that seems to contain the mother of all crystals. It's almost as large as the palace, and every bit as perfect -- it's every edge is perfectly shaped, translucent, beautiful; anyone the least bit sensitive to magic would feel appropriate amounts of mystical energy pouring forth from its expanse. It is locked in the middle of a risen stone path that the previous corridor opens to, each individual stone illuminated by the soft, ethereal blue that shaves off of the mighty stone at the chamber's heart.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And before the stone itself is another familiar figure: the woman who had led the group to the ruins before. She holds her hand out to the stone calmly, patiently, the only visible alteration in her serene manner when she notices the group at the far end. At their appearance she would simply close her eyes and sigh, though the latter gesture likely wouldn't be noticed given their proximity from her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now there's a request Priscilla never thought she'd hear. Normally people are either asking for her not to do anything to their soul, admonishing her for the suggestion of doing something to someone's soul, or else getting uptight at the very idea of doing anything to anyone's soul. To be actually asked to use one of her few talents would normally be cause to feel pleased at being needed, but having to do it to one of her closest friends makes it far less so. She can understand why Mizuki would ask of course. There is a reason that surgeries have to be done by ones other than the patient. It takes a very rare kind of fortitude to be able to do something excruciatingly painful to oneself, and then continue seeing it all the way through without pause. It's simply much easier if whether or not the procedure continues is outside of their control.<br /><br />tThat doesn't mean that Priscilla has to be okay with it however. The crossbreed visibly frowns at the idea. "I shalt admit, this was perhaps not one of thine best ideas. To require such for something that must be done in direst need is not necessarily simply a dissuasion from doing it, but may be a barrier preventing thee from accomplishing it even when it is absolutely called for. I will have it that thou shouldst refrain from designing anything of this ilk again."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still though, if it's the only way forward, she won't deny a friend's request. Slipping her long, sleek, silvery dagger from her sleeve, she takes Mizuki's hand by the wrist; waiting for the girl to steel herself, and then dragging the point across her palm. The cut is only just barely deep enough to break the skin, but it is the nature of her powers that it should bleed rather heavily, and feel much more painful than it deserves to. The physical injury however, is irrelevant next to the blinding stab of pain that will shoot through Mizuki's core essence. Not a hot, clear, or sharp kind of pain, but a wild, ragged, tearing agony; feeling as if something is being ripped loose with savage teeth. Priscilla does her best to ensure that the sensation is as short lived as possible, leaving little residual ache, and carving off only the smallest piece possible. One hundred Souls in Lordran terms.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Holding the silent, whispy little flame floating above her palm, Priscilla moves to the end of the room, kneels down, and pushes it into the gemstone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren is bowed at? "I, uh, you don't have to..." He's uncomfortable with this, but decides it's not worth taking time off the mission to try and explain it to them, so he tries to nod appreciatively then looks to the Arthurs for direction, flying after Nega-Arthur.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To find the grumpy woman from before. "/You/? /You/ were the one we were looking for the whole time?" Staren looks from her to the crystal. "So, what now? You know what's going on, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the TEMPLE,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki bites her lip so hard in the process of soul extraction that, if she could bleed; she would likely be at this moment. Rather than that, though, that wound, as well as the slash to her wrist, would merely elicit another, gentle trickle of azure flecks that dye themselves a vacant silver as they emerge from her being, falling to the ground as they lose their individual lives. Mizuki would likely grit her teeth and make small noises in pain, but the clearest indication of the agony would come when Mizuki's free hand flies to her chest, and her whole form slumps on her right knee. A tear might roll down one of her cheeks, though she is as determined to wipe this away quickly as she was not to cry out. Though she doesn't want to her the verification of her own pain, it's also likely that she doesn't want to further injure Priscilla by making her pain so obvious. She's begun to care for the woman, and...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... well. When she cares for some one, that one will likely have no trouble being able to tell. Without the insinuation of a pun, Mizuki is rather 'transparent' when she has strong feelings.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thankfully, though, this action does indeed bear fruit. The gem would gleam gently as Priscilla deposits the souls into it, the small whisp swirling about and joining its weak, milky hue with the blue of the orb to create something almost beautifully incandescent. This transformation would be accompanied by a gentle, mystical hum, as well as the characteristic crumbling sound that occurs when a fixture of stone breaks apart from its larger parts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Slowly, gradually, this platform would descend into a corridor not unlike the one traversed by the other group earlier, only vertical rather than horizontal. The movement of the 'elevator' likely breaks several unfortunate growths of crystal that find themselves beneath it during the advance, and the agonizing snaps can certainly be heard by Kotone, Mizuki, and Priscilla alike. As they make their way down, Mizuki would finally muster the strength to stand, brushing the hair out of her face to address the crossbreed's earlier words. "... yes. Believe me, were it that I had the wisdom of my present circumstances when I constructed this place, I... would not have made it so ridiculously convoluted. I --" She would pause a moment, widening her smile as her hand clutches the area where Priscilla's dagger had left its impression, "... I would not have made this place at all, in all honesty, or at the least given it a significantly different face. But I am quite sure that goes without saying."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eventually, the platform reaches the same chamber as the one the other group had recently happened upon. The dais stops in a small, thin circle of metal, close enough to the walkway proper for each of the occupants of the elevator to bridge the gap. Mizuki would step off first, curiously eying the Wanderer. Likewise, her gaze is returned.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"... oh. Well that would certainly answer a number of questions, now wouldn't it?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She probably doesn't need to explain her epiphany for anyone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Interesting. It's the woman from before. Psyber tilts his head and makes a mental note of that, registering in his head that it was the woman they had met prior. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He doesn't have much to say. She gets a silent and polite nod of his head as she turns his way, but his hands are in his pockets and he's already smoking again. He's unsure, internally, what to make of her actions. She led them here, but clearly did not want the responsibility. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps this endeavor would end peacefully with her simply giving them what they need and allowing them to go.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva looks over the cliff, seeing the looooooooooooooooooooooong way down. <br /><br />She leans farther. And then a little more. "That's a hell of a drop." She comments offhandedly. "This place must be /awesome/ for basejumping." <br /><br />She reaches behind herself, her hand poking into a faint ripple as she accesses her own inventory. <br /><br />She comes back with a grapple, which she swings out at the rock with a heft. The hook clatters against the irregular rock face and hooks in, and Riva tugs on the line, setting it and uses it to rappel to the entrance everyone needs to get into.<br /><br />A short time later, she follows the others down the corridor, one hand on the smooth tan stones. A hand runs over the cracks and traces the roots a she walks along. When she sees the spires begin, Riva takes a close look at them, giving an 'ooooooh' noise. <br /><br />But she follows along some more, stopping when they see the huge crystal. <br /><br />"Holy mother of /shinies/." Riva breathes in reverent ferret shock. "That's /awesome/." She doesn't actually notice the other figure yet. She's too busy dealing with the shinies.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur's still stomping a bit. Not tantrum-stomping, quick-stomping, practically a march. He's urgently pushing forward as quick as he can. Arthur knows why the Shade is acting like that. Psyber managed to hit one sore spot on that side of his personality and lord does he hurt, thinking about it. He didn't think that side of him would have carried over. But he's got other things to focus on. The snow woman, for example. He strides forward, turning a scrutinizing eye on Nega Arthur for a moment. And then, oh hey, Mizuki! And Priscilla and Kotone. Cool!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur focuses on speaking up properly now. "'SELF-IMPOSED EXILE', I think I heard? Seemed like we were goin' the SAME PLACE AFTER ALL. Right where a PRIESTESS is s'pposed to be up in this motherfucker." There's an eyebrow up to Mizuki now. "Said last time, you've NEVER SEEN 'ER?" Arthur crosses his arms now, standing with a more incredulous sort of stance. "LADY, NO OFFENSE, but it'd be HELLA RAD if you could CLEAR SHIT UP. I think you know what I'm TALKIN' ABOUT. We're here to see a SELF-EXILE PRIESTESS about a NUMBER, and, well." He gestures out in the direction the group came from. "Would rather get OUTTA FOLKS' HAIR ASAP. Before we get more AWFUL CHAOS up ins."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His tension hasn't disappeared though. The nega-Arthur's presence and the awful implications of so many individuals Mizuki isn't especially familiar with. Eyes dart back and forth a bit nervously under the surface of his usual brazen confidence.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The 'Wanderer' gives Staren a response that is likely every bit as terse as people have come to expect from her: "Of course I am aware of what is happening. What I must do is likewise blisteringly prevalent in my perception." Her hand would lower from the crystal, and she would turn more fully to face the others in the chamber, with particular focus on Arthur as he speaks. His statements seem to garner more of a response, and with a prominent heft of breath, she would begin.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Your first curiosity, at least, is a simple one to clarify. I look different to her now, as while the regions she creates are static, the Sentinels are more fluid constructs. That's to say, our appearances and behaviors shift as her attitudes toward the concepts and feelings we embody do. To put things more simply, I have grown ill of the innocence and ignorance demonstrated by the people of my dominion. And yet, I am nevertheless compelled to defend them at my own expense. My status as an exile is reflective of her turning away from the ostentatious visuals you have seen throughout your exploration of this place. So I have changed. Last she looked upon me, I was clad in brilliant robes and far younger. Now I am much more... simple."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That explanation would receive verification from Mizuki in the form of a nod. "... she speaks the truth, and I must say I am compelled to believe her. It is a curious thing, in hindsight, but the trio at the palace doors felt foreign. She does not. She is most certainly a native, and the more she speaks of her history, the more her tale breathes familiarity." She would nod twice more, quickly. "I shall elect to believe you, for now. But that does beg the obvious question --" The woman would raise her hand.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Why I did not simply give you the number? Patience." She would gesture back to the crystal with a swivel of her neck. "Much like Apathy, I had to confirm your good intentions. But there is more to it than that. For you see, like the realms themselves are static, so, too, are the locations that will be impacted should the Sentinels be destroyed. I should have to say no more for you all to grasp my meaning, but for the sake of absolute clarity: that means this entire city may be saved if it should be moved. I have witnessed and reviewed what each of you are capable of through my analysis here. Additionally, I have concluded that you would, collectively, be capable of moving this place elsewhere. Ideally it would be placed near to the Clock Tower, as that would be the best area to guarantee its longevity."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And with that, her hand would grasp the hilt of her sword. "If you deny my request to save this place, I will do my utmost to resist you, but I do not forsee that this will be an issue. Still, though, I will ask -- will you relocate Echo, and all of its occupants, before you demand the number of me? If that is so, then I will lower my guard immediately."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone is just not sure what to think of this with what has been asked of her she looks to Priscilla and she wonders now about what's going on. Mizuki's basically asked a heck of a thing here she looks at Priscilla wondering where this is going but she's going to have to trust people she finds her way going down. <br /><br /> Kotone takes a moment as she looks at the wanderer and eveything else she's also looking to STaren for a moment. <br /><br /> "I see so you need us to get this to the clocktower?" <br /><br /> She has no issue with the moving it she's now starting to get a handle on what's going on with Mizuki or thinks she does. She's honestly wondering if this is the case of her ghost fragmenting for lack of a better term. <br /><br /> "I do not object to moving this, does anyone else?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seeing everyone else alive after being thrown atop a giant stone frisbee is a relief, but Priscilla hadn't expected much otherwise. The moment she sees White in there however, Priscilla arrives at the same conclusion as Arthur, albeit, she feels like being less ironically coy about it. "What he means to say is that it wouldst benefit us all if thou were simply to reveal thine proper nature for those of us less familiar with this situation, or simply less perceptive." Fortunately, White does just that, or at least, she speaks so blatantly that nobody can mistake the truth.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This time, the new information is relatively easy to process. The area that loses life when a Number is taken is defined by a set of set boundaries, rather than tied to the elements that exist within it. Echo, being a floating city, doesn't have to remain within these boundaries when the Number is taken, since it isn't intrinsically a part of them. The request is simple, however, the means are not. "Though I wouldst be well inclined to grant such a wish were it within mine power, I believeth thou ask a great deal of us without our full knowledge of how to accomplish it." She looks to the giant crystal, sensing the immense power radiating from it. "I take it it hast something to do with that?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren listens to the explanation. "I see. Well, having to protect people you don't especially like is something every moral person has to deal with." More is explained. Staren nods. "Sounds good to me. Actually, it sounds like something we should do every time!" He excitedly turns to Mizuki... then his ears splay and his tail droops. Oops. Proooobably not the best thing to bring up.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur stays still. His arms are crossed and his look is firm. There's not a single bit of hesitation in his voice. "Absolutely." He says, simply, to the query. His usual brazen, boisterous mannerisms are nonexistant now. "Close to the clocktower? I'll try." There's a quick, imperious kind of snap, implying he's about to give a direction. He gestures to the rest of the group, nodding to Priscilla briefly. "I can probably make a Gate big enough to move this. No idea about the thrust, no way I can do both at once. Unless the lady here has a better idea, all of you start using the mental manifestation power. Thrusters, as big and as strong as you can make them. Push the whole thing through the Gate." There's a look to Staren. "Most of them aren't mobile. Prohibitively difficult to pull out of the ground. Focus on what we can do now."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unless anyone objects, he's planning on marching his way back outside, with GREAT intent. He'll accept any interruptions the group may present to him, but he's planning on just getting started if there's none.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva finally shakes off the giant crystal appearance as she looks around the area, focuing again on the Priestess. "Huh. What do you know. I guess we should have expected that." She comments offhandedly. "But I think it's better this way. We got a chance to go up and see the place, look at the people. They're good people, you know? There's no reason why it should get all messed up." <br /><br />She nods, and looks to the others. "I can't imagine anyone here would say that saving the people is a bad idea." Riva says. "And I bet Arthur and Staren could get this place moved, no problem!" <br /><br />She pauses, then. "Unless there's another way it can be moved? I don't know."<br /><br />Then Arthur brings up his idea. "HELL YEAH!" She fistpumps. "That's a cool plan!" <br /><br />She seems all for it!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren smiles, and then grins wide. "Sounds like a plan." He flies back out of the palace. His mecha flies by out of nowhere (literally) and he flies into the cockpit in a smooth motion, straps moving themselves to buckle him into the seat and canopy closing. The Star Hawk flies out to the edge of the island, transforms to humanoid mode, and turns, placing its hands against the edge as if to push.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then it grows. And grows. And then spurs jut out of it like wings, telescoping out and thrusters telescoping out behind them. More thrusters grow out of the limbs.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'M READY, ARTHUR!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Priestess begins shaking her head to Priscilla... before gesturing to Arthur. "Indeed, as he says. If you were not already aware --" Mizuki would lift her finger to request the 'floor', here, and White would gladly yield it to her. She's likely sick of talking at this point. "Perhaps I've neglected to mention, but in this world, one may gently alter the fabric of time and space to bring objects into existence, alter the time of day, or what have you with thoughts alone. It is a liberty that I have always had here, and one that unequivocally cannot be made selective. That's to say, when they are here, everyone has Godlike capabilities in addition to those they would traditionally possesses. I am quiet about this in observance of the myriad ways in which this right could be abused, but I know I need not worry in your case." With that she would pay the crossbreed a quick bow and a small smile. "But -- yes. Imagine the most powerful force of propulsion that you can conceive of, forcing this city through the Gate Arthur will summon. These things are far simpler here, in earnest."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren would inspire a small dip in Mizuki's expression, but Arthur speaks for her, here. In a somewhat hushed voice she would add, "Were it so easy in all instances, Staren, goodness knows I would wish to do so. Truly." But with that, Mizuki would fixate on the promise of the present moment. Glancing to Arthur, and inspired by his own resolve, she would give a decidedly powerful nod. "Though your plan is sound. Allow me to shift it into an appropriate position."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Carefully, she would focus her energy to conjure her own form of 'rocket' -- that's to say, one with a clockwork dial at its heart, and crimson-on-black finish. This rocket would meaningfully affix itself to the base of the city as the entire thing shifts upon its side and, in a rare instance where Mizuki may exhibit her full control over her world, actively shifts gravity so that everyone in the room will still be standing upright when it twirls. Though it's less like 'standing', really, and more like 'levitating' -- provide no one would resist the effect, the entire hollow chamber would begin to gyrate, likely elicting a sensation of dizziness for the others present.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As soon as Arthur gives the word, the plan is go.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko doesn't have any powers that are really useful at all for moving a city. However, there is a space mage and a science cat here, so she's pretty sure this is still doable.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh, right. Manifestation ability. Didn't that pull existing material when Staren did it, though? Kimiko frowns at the thought. What's the limitation that caused that?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Of course we'll save them, if we can." As if there were ever any doubt. She turns, then, to walk with Arthur.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She already has an engine in mind, if purely because it is the only type of flight she has ever used. Not a rocket, no, but a flight engine--that of a Bf 109H Karlsland aircraft. When given a place on which to place it, for which she'll make her way to the opposite side of the city, she'll summon the engine in as great a size as possible, headed by a similarly massive propeller. The engine as she understands it uses no liquid fuel, but for this she needs only add a place to stand--and then to pour her magic into it, just as the Strike Witches taught her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Okay so we got to move this? She envisons a prototype land battleship from her world that was never built the hulking spider like fortess appear sprouting arms it's design never had to help pick up and move the freaking city along with everyone else's construct and Kotone's perched upon it arms crossed like she's the spawn of the girl from Gunbuster.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Psyber elects not to go help. His player is contrarian like that. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, he's going to hang out and bother the woman. That's much more up his alley than creating rockets with the power of IMAGINATION or CREATIVITY. The woman is making her own rocket for the whole affair, but that doesn't stop him from hanging around and smoking. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So you're the fact that she turned away from ostentatious naivety. Did you ever think of what you will become when this is all over? Perhaps you will be an avatar of Nostalgia. Yearning for the time of her simpler ideals and beliefs. You may find that the thing you hate now is something you miss later, compulsion or not." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This whole world baffles me on some level. It is as if it were a quilt made of the pieces of someone's life. Tell me, if you know. Was she always as she is right now, or did she start as some other existence?" He asks pryingly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva looks TOTALLY PUMPED for this plan. Mizuki explains the deal to everyone, and Riva nods, understanding. Why she doesn't indulge herself more when she's here is anyone's guess, but hey, she seems perfectly willing to rock out with this now. She starts getting an absent-minded expression as she brings her imagination to bear, and then... <br /><br />Everything twists. "WAGH!" Riva says, totally shaken out of her concentration as everything twists around them. However, she looks over at the wall-floor, and nods. "Okay, this makes sense! We just stick the rockets on the bottom, and the bottom is over there, and then everything will push THAT WAY, and..." She nods again. "GOT IT!" <br /><br />Once again, she begins to focus, her eyes looking off to the side as she begins to let the gates open. <br /><br />There is a low rumble of thunder as space ripples outside, and th air parts.. JAH JAH JIGGA JAH JAH, JIGGA JAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! A metal band is heard as a huge ship of sleek silver and steel and crystal flies out, Stabilization fins are swept wide, a gleaming flare of propulsion pushing the rocket through the air simply and easily in rainbow trails. The metal band sits on top of the rocket, jamming out with BADASS RIFFS. <br /><br />The side of the ship has 'THE FLAMING UNICORN EXPRESS' stenciled on it in flowing script, with a large, almost mural-like painting of a leather-jacket wearing unicorn on a flaming motorcycle, popping a wheelie. <br /><br />All this said, the ship glides in and extends SWEET DRILL ARMS and anchors to the side of the flying island. Because of course it has SWEET DRILL ARMS.<br /><br />"READY!" Riva yells, still holding the image in her head.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now Priscilla remembers. Somewhat. Staren had passingly mentioned something of the like when first making that trip underwater, but she hadn't paid it much mind, having no special need to do so at the time. In retrospect, many things begin to make sense through the lens of these newly explained world mechanics, but now isn't the time to start putting memories together. Everyone else seems sure of this course of action, and if there's anything the crossbreed can do to help, she will.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Imagining a rocket is a little difficult for her since she's only passingly familiar with the concept, as with practically every other modern method of propulsion. High speed travel around Lordran is either done with winged flight or teleportation, leaving her with little baseline that she is familiar with. The closest she can get is thinking up the most powerful force she can imagine, and then applying it in an outward sense to the city, alongside the others.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As such, what Priscilla wills into existence isn't a thruster of any kind, but an incandescent spear, writhing and arcing like a bolt of captured lightning, and glowing like the boiling surface of the sun, embedded into the city's base along with the other imaginary constructs. As the other thrusters fire up, the massive sunlight spear gives off a tremendous flash of crackling energy, and then blasts a howling vortex of superheated air and swirling cinders out like jet exhaust. Such is the result of Priscilla remembering the stories of the power of her grandfather, and his bolts that slashed through the sky, past the clouds, and blasted dragons to pieces on the other side.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur stomps out of the chamber and to where the wrecked observance platform would have met the corridor. Where the ground tears away, Arthur takes a hunched stance, arms wide and hands clawed. Black and white arcs of energy shoot over his body in crackling storms, mixed with occasional green lines that wisp up and down his body, encircling him. He has, of course, neglected to mention that the last person who did something of a scale approximately similar to this one wound up dead of massive internal hemorrhaging. This isn't likely to kill him, but it is likely to hurt. He could do it much more easily with relays, but he refuses to take the shmuck bait of delaying to another day and letting the Nega-Arthur force their hand. While the others get to work establishing their thrusters, Arthur intends to get to work on his gate, with no hesitation.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His quiet nature lasted only a short time. As soon as he plants himself into position, he begins to work. The first thing, of course, is to establish a link between here and the clocktower. This world has never given him any trouble with that before, and so the small, human-sized green gate appears without issue in front of him. But fitting a floating city through it is going to take more. A lot more power to stabilize the link for the sheer quantity of mass, and a lot more power to make the threshold itself large enough.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He pulls out more power. Putting his hands up in front of him as if he were clawing a door open himself, there's suddenly an intense and powerful BLAST of black and white energies rushing around him, fluttering his godly robes and his long hair. He grunts as he expends much of his normally spent 'mana' all in one go, expanding the gate to something large enough to drive a cargo boat through. But it's not nearly enough. The grunt is sustained, turning into a shout as he burns, rapidly, through his immediate-regeneration quantities, the power gradually regained being immediately funneled back into Arthur's gate. Arcing lines of green electricity-styled energy rush up and down a massive green-lined spirographic circle that slowly begins to expand some distance from the city. It grows and grows, and so, too, does the apparent strain it is putting on Arthur.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;First, it is just a sustained grunt of effort, like someone lifting weights, alongside an intense rush of energy over his body. Then it is a low shout, then a harsher, hoarser one where his body is nearly obfuscated by the light to hide its weak trembling, and then it reaches a peak where the boy seems to be on the verge of collapse, breathlessly screaming and trailing blood from several orifices in the face. It's not going to kill him, but he's going to be pretty damaged by the time this is all over. Assuming space here isn't especially resistant, though, despite draining a fair amount of the limitations of his VITALITY GEL and the entirety of his ASPECT POWER, Arthur will shortly establish and maintain a massive circular spirgraphic design in the air near the city. Hopefully nobody followed him to watch him, because, of course, he chose not to explain the strain this would put on him to anyone. In this scenario, he's preferring to suffer alone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, each of the thrusters - be they a magically-endowed lance mimic of one or a more futuristic walker with a cannon the size of several stacked human beings - comes into being, affixing themselves, one after the other, to the back of the turning city.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Arthur, consuming every last ounce of MANGRIST he can muster (we mean MANGRIT), conjures a Gate so large that it would likely be able to consume a pod of blue whales, or alternatively, that might forewarn of Hastur's second coming.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Everything is ready. All the necessary power is accounted for, and the door is open. So Mizuki, recognizing via her sensitivity to her own dominion the strain the act of the Gate's creation must've placed on Arthur, spares him the further effort of announcing its readiness. Rather, she would raise her voice -- and her radio -- to announce to everyone, simultaneously, that now is the time for them to activate their respective engines. "To those of you who do not have a vantage at the present moment," She would begin, "the portal is open! Please, now is the moment to pour all of your energy into the task before us! So, on my count..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Three!" Chimes the first bell. Somewhere on the surface of the city, people who have been readjusted by the shifts in gravity cling to their homes and loved ones for dear life. The palace in this position looks like a lance in its own right, pointed toward the Gate as though it were the shield of a God, and it the weapon of another.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Two!" A second proverbial chime. So great is the upheaval of physics in this region that even this world, in all its conceptual elasticity, has begun to bend under its pressure. Static the likes of which Arthur may recognize from Sburb begins to scatter about the skies, and collective perception itself may buckle for a number of seconds to accommodate a flash of bleak nothing. Wherein everyone is made to stare down the void for those few seconds as the thrusters, each in their own way, may begin to spool up for the coming affair.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"One!" The final toll. There is a moment of charged silence -- the eye of the storm. In the interstice drawn upon time and space in this briefest of stints, the Priestess would relinquish her status as a Sentinel to a necklace worn around her neck and cast it into the air before her. It falls, shattering as the number emanates from it, eventually finding its way to Mizuki as she calls one, last time.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"BEGIN!" It's almost indistinguishable from the white hue that already characterized the valley beneath them all, but the feeling is too dreadful for any who have experienced one of these local 'fallouts' before. Nothingness has begun to encroach upon Creation, and within moments it will be upon them all. Perhaps it is good, then, that by now all those wielding a thruster of any shape or sort would have set them into motion now, and the entire city would, as though it were a meteor ascending to space in a world whose time had been reversed, rocket toward the Gate. All at once the city, the people, and the elites would tumble through, creating one more moment of chilling silence that is broken by a crack of static as they emerge on the other side and the Gate, in all likelihood, collapses.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki would reassert her control, here, summoning a massive stasis field -- though nowhere near as massive as the Gate had been, she could never manage that -- to stall the city's descent. And in the time she gives herself she commits her whole being to the righting of Echo, all in just enough time for it not to collide with her precious abode. Arthur would likely be face to face with the clock's face at the culmination of all of this -- certainly close enough to hear the dull sound of its ticks.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They made it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko sees what Arthur is doing, even if she doesn't understand the process. It's clear enough just looking the amount of effort this requires, and that there is injury means there is risk--but he is in his element, and she is in the habit of trusting companions in such circumstances. She does not look worried, or even concerned. If anything, her expression is only stern approval. To suffer for the sake of saving a city full of people? He could hardly be more in line with her beliefs in what it takes for one to be a good person if he'd been trying specifically to impress her. (That she is certain he was not is requisite in that she's impressed.)<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her feet lock into position. Her armor appears over her now, not for general protection so much as stability. A visor closes, to protect her eyes from what is about to come. The engine starts to turn, faster and faster, gaining speed more slowly than any she's used to, but it's also that much larger. More of her magic pours into it, taking nothing further from the world' convenient reality-bending in favor of a purely personal price. Once the blades blur, it really gives the feeling of thrust--and the wind spills every side of the city, with her right in the strongest of it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When she finally turns to respond to Psyber, the Priestess is likely heaving breaths, clutching her chest as though she were in some state of acute agony herself. She probably felt the massive tears in space-time that whole affair elicited, but that won't keept her from a reply. Juuust as soon as she catches her breath. Ahem.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"To some degree, that is already what I am: nostalgia." Another deep breath is taken as the woman straightens herself, coming out of a hunched stance. "Before her world unified, Mizuki was the indisputable Goddess of reality. Time, space, and even the holistic perceptions of other people - their every thought - were hers to do with as she pleased. She was not only the manipulator of, but the being that constituted the very fabric of reality, and we, dolls that she would toy with as her whims would dictate. It was not until other beings that were fully cognisant of themselves and independent from her consciousness came into this world that anything had been able to match her. Truly, it is a small miracle that she did not get herself killed in her initial interactions with the outside world."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Though what I mean to communicate by saying that is: her transition to living in a world where she was no longer omnipotent and beyond that, completely mortal, was an incredibly jarring change. Though she would not be likely to admit it on her own power, she has only just now begun to comprehend that you - and everyone around you - is a creature with its own desires, feelings, and original thoughts separate from her own. To some extent hers was a pitiable condition, but in spite of herself she yearns to return to that world. One of isolation, but in that isolation, absolute security. Only now... now she would fully comprehend the lonliness constituted by that situation. I doubt she would ever return to that state even if she could."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She would take a moment to capture her breath here. "... though a 'quilt'... is an apt analogy. Verily it is a mish-mash of different ways in which her thoughts have manifested across her lifespan. More than that, though, it is characterized by her thoughts throughout -multiple- lifespans. For as I am sure he," She would steal a glance at Arthur, "could tell you, this is not the first time this crisis involving Apathy has transpired. Though it is the first time that it has occurred with exposure to outside elements, and that, I believe, shall make all the difference. Though allow me to be the one to tell you," She might show the ghost of a smile, "when next this world is obliterated, you all shall be the ones to sew its renewed visage."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Everything is prepared. Riva begins to hum, beginning to sing a little tune. The metal band outside changes gear to play along. "There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going... There's no knowing where we're rowing, Or which way the river's flowing..." She sings lightly as everything begins to get Weird and start falling apart. <br /><br />"Is it raining, is it snowing? Is a hurricane a-blowing?" The world flashes with static and moments of madness as a huge piece of the world strains upon itself, clashing in ways never intended by Mizuki. <br /><br />Finally, there is the snap, and Riva pours everything she's got into making that thing move. She goes quiet, but that doesn't stop the metal band from picking up the slack. "NOT A SPECK OF LIGHTIS SHOWING! SO THE DANGER MUST BE GROWING! ARE THE FIRES OF HELL A-GLOWING? IS THE GRISLY REAPER MOWING?"<br /><br />The white nothingness races along as they do their best to stay ahead, Riva sweating and shaking as she struggles to maintain focus. The music increases in tempo and intensity as they crash towards the Gate, the white Nothingness behind them prepared to devour them all if they failed for a moment. "YES, THE DANGER MUST BE GROWING, FOR THE ROWERS KEEP ON ROWING, AND THEY'RE CERTAINLY NOT SHOWING, ANY SIGN THAT THEY ARE SLOWING!"<br /><br />CRASH! Everything lurches as the island translocates through space using the massive gate, and Riva hits the rotating, slowed ground, gasping for breath.<br /><br />Finally, she flips over and stares at the ceiling. "Did we... make it? Holy /cow/, that was nuts." <br /><br />She sits up, glancing around. "Hey, where's Arthur?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mizuki would, incidentally, make every effort to hide herself as White delivers her monologue. It's probably fairly embarrassing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren almost stares at the size of the portal and the readings on his sensors. Who knew Arthur could do this on such a scale?!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Mizuki starts the countdown, there's a whine as some of the engines start up. On three, the rockets and some of the turbines come on, followed shortly by the rest.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then they're through. The city is, apparently, coming in for a landing. Staren tries to help right it, but suddenly it flips rightside up again, so he flies beneath to slow its descent. (Ignoring physics as imagination can, getting out from under it in time should not be a problem.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once the city is down safely (more or less), the giant-er-than-usual robot stands heroically off to the side. "Nice job everybody!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I see," Psyber says as he listens to her, giving a somewhat neutral stare as he smokes his cigarette. He's unsure how to feel. It's not the answer he expected to get: Namely hearing that Mizuki had always been a reality unto herself. But at the same time, he also suspects that Mizuki herself may not know her origins, and as such, none of her sub-personalities would. He nods his head. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"All told, I wish she would cease attempting to portray an idealized version of her existence. She only isolates herself further by doing so." He takes his cigarette out of his mouth and drops it, crushing it under foot. A moment later, a new one from a crumpled pack in his jacket is being placed into his mouth and lit with a silver lighter. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I thank you for your answers on this matter."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla is not wholly exempt from the herculean effort required on the part of each person involved. Though putting nowhere near as much of herself into the act as Arthur, it is her first time trying to affect Mizuki's world in such a way. She has a vivid imagination, but one that works best when fluidly changing from one thing to another, and so it is a constant struggle to maintain focus on a single, driving force and defined, unwavering shape; to say nothing of the mental effort of actually powering it to begin with, made possible only by her adoration of the particular tale told to her in her childhood that had manifested her chosen manner of propulsion.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs with relief as the gate snaps shut behind them, as though she were the one holding it open; vaguely pushing down her dress as the world rotates again. For all intents and purposes, she appears to be looking for where Mizuki has run off to, but there isn't a word shared between Psyber and White that misses her ears, and hardly a piece of it that she doesn't deeply understand.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur collapses simultaneously with his strange spatial warp, but only for a moment. The boy falls to his knees, gasping for breath. When he gets up, he realizes Kimiko was there, kinda startled by it! "Augh! Oh. HEY." He says, giving an out-of-place grin. "HAHAHA DON'T WORRY about anything YOU just SAW." He's grabbing up great handfulls of his fancy god hood and using them to wipe away blood. "I just had a THING, and... YEAH." There's a brief nervous laugh that sputters a bit because he coughs up a bit of blood.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm gonna go over here now."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"RIGHT HERE!" Arthur says, to Riva, as he's swaggering his way back into the main area. He's done his best to clean up the blood, but there's still a couple traces on his hood and his face. "Shit, yo, you guys got some fuckin' POWER. Thanks for handling the HEAVY LIFTING!" he gives a pair of approving thumbs ups. He actually looks really, genuinely happy, though. Like, intensely. Dude's practically glowing with elation at this. "God DAMN, lady," Arthur says, with an eager sort of gesticulation at the priestess. "It feels GREAT to do this without HORRIBLE CATASTROPHIC SHIT following up. Fuckin', FINALLY we get to have ONE of these have a good ending! JEEZE." He's still panting a little bit, but he's doing his best to put on airs of "that was totally easy". It is sort of transparent, but it's clear he'd prefer the others talk about their rockets.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kimiko powers down the engine as soon as they're through, mainly because she's no longer certain of the flight plan. Good enough--further corrections seem to be handled. It will take her a few moments to get herself unlocked, but in the meantime she looks toward Arthur, her visor rises on its own, and the knight-puella gives him an even nod. She's not sure why he had that kind of reaction, but she'll puzzle over it later. (She may or may not figure it out.)<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Getting herself moving again involves a bit of extrication, but that's done soon enough and she's off to join the others.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Riva looks over to Arthur and waves. "HELL YEAH!" She calls, walking over towards him and giving him MAD RESPEC KNUX. "Couldn't have done it without you either!" If she sees the traces of blood or the fact that he's totally trying to hide that he drained himself dry doing it, she doesn't seem to care to draw attention to it. She slaps him on the shoulder, and then turns to everyone else. "That was TOTALLY AWESOME. MAXIMUM TEAMWORK AWARDS, people! WOOOO!" Riva waves her hands, and wobbles a bit before she starts looking around. "Everyone accounted for? We didn't lose anyone to the HORRIBLE VOID or anything right? Where's Mizuki? I don't see her!" She starts running around. "HEY MIZUUUUKI!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The ripples throughout her condensed reality have taken their toll on Mizuki, too, and though she's nowhere near as beat as Arthur, she might likewise find it hard to stand for a while. And when she finally does, she would not to Staren, smiling genuinely for the first time that evening. "Y-Yes, quite! -Phenomenal- job, all of you! Thank you for your ca --..." She would sputter a moment, as though she had expected words to come when they had not. Breathlessness, this might be called; the unique phenomenon of not drawing enough breath before you speak. But since this isn't the sort of thing that should actually impact her in any tangible way, maybe it's just an emotive reflex? Either way, her cheeks would, again, become quite warm.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though she tries to act unphased, at least. "... th-thank you for your candid efforts, and your generous donations of your time. I am grateful - far more grateful than I could ever express in word alone - that things have ended so well this night. Though I am sure that we all can agree Arthur...!" ... deserves the most rapt applause, she would have said, but where is she? With that she would stumble in the direction of an exit - any exit - by way of Psyber and Priscilla. Each of them would receive uncharacteristically warm looks from her that could almost, almost, fool you into thinking that she is the child that she appears to be. Priscilla might recalling seeing a similar expression once before, when she visited her abode before.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren would likewise receive a grateful bow, but then she would start to walk outside... but would meet Riva, Kimiko, and Arthur halfway. Each of them would likewise receive grateful bows, but Arthur in particular would see a smile from her so bright - and so wide - that it would look almost unnatural on her face. She would hug him, but she'll save that for another time. A time when she wouldn't embarrass the living crap out of him to do so.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nega-Arthur is probably off grumbling in a corner whilst the Priestess, likely for the first time in a decade, has knelt down in prayer before her crystal. Reflected in its glass can be seen cheering hordes of people as a final reminder of all their good deeds.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let's just not think about the fact that there are still four numbers to go.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa watches as everything comes together as they seemt o be able to move the city hopefully they will not mess this up as Kotone watches it all, she's after all directing the mental construct an terrible engine of war being used for something far more beign really and she watch as everything seems to be working out at this point she pauses at the weather? She's not sure what is going on but she's been able to help and she wishes she could think to sing on the fly like Riva, but hey you can't have everything right? She kinda flips down at this pint and calls out. <br /><br /> "That ... was just sometrhing I saw on line a weapon system that never got built for the third world war." <br /><br /> She looks a little sheepsih there now that it is all said and done. <br /><br /> "Don't worry about it really."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And there Mizuki is! Riva bounds over towards her, and once she's done bowing, she watches Mizuki, patiently waiting for her chance. The smile causes her to arch an eyebrow.<br /><br />But after she's done with that, she pounces! Mizuki might be too proper to hug Arthur right now, but Riva is a very huggy person, and right now Mizuki is the target of Riva hugs! "Thank you so much for having us here! Your world is just amazing."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The robot bows for the cheering people, Staren climbs out to greet Mizuki, smiling. "Yeah. This was a good day!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He hopes they can make the other numbers end like this... but he wonders what sort of challenges might prevent them from doing so...<br> <br>


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