1908/Marching Band

Marching Band
Date of Scene:	29 March 2015
Location:	Midnight Shrine Tokyo <MST>
Synopsis:	Filling in for the elementary school magical girl protectors known as the Orchard Knights, Miko, Sakura, and Lute wind up encountering an agent of the Nether Realm group known as Underland.
Cast of Characters:	172, 188, 589

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Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Orchard Elementary School is not what one would generally expect to be a hotbed of supernatural activity. Yet it is home to at least one magical girl team, and the students and teachers seem to regularly come under attack or become involved in the plots of the Nether Realm group known as 'Underland'. While many of the schemes concocted by the chaotic enemy group are kind of lacking in the 'true ultimate evil' department, they are still not a good idea to allow to keep running around unchecked. Ordinarily, the Orchard Champions handle it. But Miko has intelligence suggesting that the girls are out of town this weekend, dealing with another threat. So she has moved in to 'help out' the magical girl group, and earn bonus points with them by protecting their turf while they're away.

    Miko isn't necessarily expecting anything to happen, because there's funny coincidences regarding how magic works here. How it's just so convenient that the villains keep their attention focused on Tokyo, and don't, say, go attack somewhere WITHOUT a massive magical girl population and rival Nether fiends to compete with. When they DO stage something out of town, it's somewhere magical girls can generally reach without too much hassle. That sort of thing. Just as the fiends of the Nether Realm are the (super)natural predators of humanity, magical girls seem to be the supernatural enemies of monsters. And because magical girls are themselves generally human, that duality means that monsters both seek them (often unknowingly) and are defeated by them (at least most of the time).

    But while the 'laws of magic' can be described in a general sense, they are not ironclad. Magic is, by its very nature, based upon altering probability and fundamental building blocks of reality. And that means sometimes exceptions occur. But those exceptions, themselves, are bound up in the same laws of coincidence and improbability. So if Nether Realm forces show up at Orchard Elementary today... There will be at least a couple magical girls to deal with them, even if they wouldn't ordinarily be expected to be here.

    Taking lessons from White Rose about Law Magic is really improving Miko's understanding of the mechanics of her world.

    It's a pleasant day, as is typical of spring in Japan. Warm without being too warm, sunny without being painfully so. The skies are clear and blue, the air as clean as can be expected near a major metropolis, and Miko is wearing an outfit appropriate to the weather. A sleeveless white button-up blouse with a ruffled collar, a red necktie, a short pleated white skirt, some white socks, and brown shoes. Miko has a pair of red ribbons in her black hair, giving her 'puppy ears'. It may be the sort of hair style a younger girl would wear, but she doesn't care. Today is a good day. She feels good. She especially feels good about the people who are coming with her on this mission.

    Orchard Elementary is quiet on a Sunday, except for the sound of the school's aspiring band members. These are the younger crew, and their playing is pretty terrible. There's a reason why they only practice when almost no one else is around, though it's not like Japanese students don't sometimes go to school on Sundays too. Though that's usually for extracurriculars.

    Miko is trying not to be bothered by the dischordant sounds, and just enjoy the weather and the company while keeping an eye out for anything that might ruin the day. Right now she is hanging around outside the fence in front of the school, but she intends to make a full circuit as the day progresses. There are certain time windows when monster activity tends to occur at this school, so if nothing happens during those periods then at some point she and the others can probably safely depart. White Rose is present, but hanging out on Miko's shoulder. Her magic sensitivty is much shorter range than Sakura's, but she can identify magic type when she's close enough. If the two of them work together, they should be able to detect and then analyze the enemy's powers.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura is starting to realise she's starting to essentially become Miko's 'cheat code' when it comes to magical activity in Midnight Shrine Tokyo. Her magic is, after all, far broader than that of most denizens of this world - and runs on somewhat different rules, making things that should be difficult for natives easy for Sakura (although also vice-versa in some cases).

    Sakura doesn't really mind, though. She likes to be helpful!

    She's currently sat on the ground, her Cards laid out in front of her. She seems to be... doing some sort of tarot reading, although the way she's going about it might mean she's just practicing. Kero is here, too, sitting across from Sakura and chastising her any time she goes about the ritual incorrectly - such as shuffling the cards with her right hand, or forgetting to cut the deck before the third drawing.

    She's dressed in a soft pink dress, with a wide-brimmed pink hat atop her head. Her footwear consists of sandals, to boot. Yukito is also here, wearing casual clothes and leaning against a handy wall with his eyes closed.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute arrives after both Miko and Sakura. Walking through the streets, he honestly looks quite a bit out of place. One, because he's from a portion of the Pokemon World that is more of a parralel to an American state than Japan. Two, because his outfit is really out of place. Sure, part of it is jeans and a shirt, but he also has a jacket that is much like a labcoat. And the Pokeballs on his belt. It also doesn't help that he is quite a pretty boy, and in fact has some braids in his hair at the moment.

     It also doesn't help that he is being trailed by an I-Class Destroyer.

     That is being hid inside a cardboard box. A fake cat tail is sticking out of the back of the box.

     Yes he's trying to pass off his floating ghost ship as a cat. But he told some of his allies he'd keep it close to him, in case the Fleet Girls attack again!

     But, he waves to Miko. And then Sakura. He isn't sure what to think of Sakura. Sure, she's nice to everyone. But that makes her untrustworthy. She must have an angle. Just like Elliana.

     He also gives a bit of a glare at Yukito. Because Yukito might be a rival for being prettier than he is.

     But, he turns the glare into a smile, as he looks at the group. And, he just speaks, happily, "So. How are all of you? Anything going on yet?"

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko would be watching Sakura's work with the cards, but has to keep an eye out for anything unusual. Sure, Sakura can sense magic. But sometimes magic isn't obvious until it starts being used. A lot of monsters operate like that here. They keep it subtle, on the down-low, and you have to piece together the seemingly-unrelated evidence, a little at a time. White Rose, however, cares not for that, and is very interestedly observing the card divination. The fact there are rules to it seems to sit well with her. Magic is magic, and has a degree of mystery to it, but there also have to be rules or else it might as well just be Chaos Magic!

    As a Sacred Fairy of Holiness and Law, the little white-haired and red-eyed pixie has her own particular views on things.

    When Lute approaches, Miko looks up at him and smiles broadly. She gives the box with cat tail under it an inquisitive look, but heads towards Lute regardless to give him a hug. "Aah... Nothing much yet. Just the second-grader band practicing. I'm not sure if they're always this bad or not, but we haven't picked up anything magical yet. ...Are you aware you're being followed?"

    White Rose has departed Miko's shoulder to flutter down and sit near Kero. She has questions! "This divination method... It has a formula to it. Was it designed by someone or somethin'? It doesn't seem like this kind of magic would be naturally occurring, but you seem to use different magic than we do, so..." Aah, magical girl familiar bonding. Adorables.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere, the band teacher, a Miss Kikumura, is struggling to comprehend how ANY group of kids can demonstrate such a complete lack of talent. Though she has repeatedly told them what she truly believes, that their spirit is what matters, and how much effort they put into it, what she was -hoping- was that their spirit and effort would go into... Like... -Actually practicing and becoming better-. After all, if they pour their passion into what they do, how can they NOT get better?

    Miss Kikumura is an optimist like that. Still, she wonders if maybe she's just not doing a good enough job as a teacher. She's a fairly young teacher, only in her 20s, and has only been teaching here for a couple years. She has been here with these second-graders since they were first-graders, and is well-known and well-liked by them as a result. But the woman in the red pony-tail is starting to feel the strain (and not just on her ears) from the same lack of improve over and over. Celebrating each and every minute improvement hasn't resulted in more improvements.

    There has to be something she's doing wrong.

    So when she calls for a break, and all the kids excitedly go to chattering and having snacks, having so much fun they don't care if they're actually making anything close to music, she has to duck out for some fresh air and to think.

    And that's where Miss Kikumura meets a rabbit.

    A stuffed rabbit, it seems at first, just sitting there, wearing a coat and pants, and drinking tea. "They'll never improve that way," the rabbit says. Maybe more of a hare than a rabbit, come to think of it.

    "Yes," Miss Kikumura agrees.

    "They need to work together, march to the same beat, play to the same tune, drink to the same queen!" the hare continues.

    "Oh, absolutely," Miss Kikumura agrees, not really sure either why she's agreeing or why she's so calm about this situation.

    "Try this sheet music." the hare suggests as he pulls out several sheafs of paper from inside his coat and waves them around wildly in one paw, causing some to go flying around.

    "I don't think they can read sheet music." Miss Kikumura responds doubtfully.

    The March Hare leans in conspiratorily, turns his head from side to side, and then winks. "As long as they don't know that, it won't matter."

    Somehow, that nonsensical statement made perfect sense to the band teacher.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura turns over the fifth and final card of her current divination attempt, laying it next to the Song card. "...The Jump? What does jumping have to do with... Ugh, am I still doing this wrong?" And then, Lute is arriving. She looks up, and smiles. It's a warm, friendly smile! "Hello, mister Trieste," she greets him softly.

    Yukito opens his eyes and regards Lute cooly for a few moments, before closing his eyes again. He's usually as warm and friendly as Sakura! Miko may note his reaction to Lute as somewhat odd. Maybe he just doesn't like Lute.

    Kero looks up from studying Sakura's divination, grinning at White Rose. "Oh, well. It's based on Cartomancy, right? See, the man who made these cards - Clow Reed - he was the best fortuneteller in the world. So he created the cards with mystical connections and symbolism, so they could be used in Cartomancy! It's... different from reading the Tarot, or reading a deck of playing cards, but fundamentally it's similar."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute, of course, hugs Miko back. And, even though they have a bit of an audience, and he knows Miko gets embarrased /quite/ easily? He leans in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. Nothing too improper! Sakura is just a kid, after all. She can't see anything too terrible.

     And, he motions back to the box, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder, "Oh, that's just Imima. My I-Cla--" Lute pauses. He was about to say I-Class Destroyer. And then he realizes no one in the Union has /seen/ an I-Class Destroyer. He sighs a little bit, pretending he stumbled on his words.

     "I mean, it's my cat. It followed me in the box. Yes."

     He's not fooling anyone. But, still, he's trying not to panic. He's been keeping the I-Class with him to protect him against the Fleet Daughters, if they pull another surprise attack. But, still... They were going to find out eventually /anyways/. Just, hopefully he can find some way to keep it secret today.

     "...Well," Lute continues, "We should check out inside. Because, seriously. This is Japan. /No/ band, even at the elementary school level, has a music program this bad, in Japan." He's stereotyping a bit, yes. But hey, it's better than sitting around and doing nothing!

     And, a glance at Sakura, "Look, if you pulled Jump, that means one thing. We jump!"

     And as such, he starts climbing the chainlink fence. Sadly, he can't jump over it in one bound.

     Imima, on the other hand, enters ramming speed, and justs bursts through the fence, likely making a nice hole in it. Large enough for the others to crawl through. The I-Class Destroyer hidden under the box is about the size of a /large dog/, so it's quite obviously not a cat.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    "I see... I see... So it's like... A tradition formed based off of a branch of the divination school of magic, rather than a principle... And it utilizes specific magic tools to do so... But Petals is able to use them in other ways, can't she? They even seem to have identities of some kind. I wonder if all the cards together would hold enough sapience and magic to be classified as an Artifact, or whether it would just be a collection of magic tools..." The dream pixie is pacing up and down the sidewalk, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, acting all magic-professor-ish, but the fact she is a tiny fairy in a dress that looks like an upside-down rose kind of detracts from her professional magic expert demeanor.

    Miko accepts Lute's explanation, but arches an eyebrow at the box. She doesn't seem to be any more clued into what it is than anyone else here, so maybe it's not so much a Confederate secret as a Lute secret. Or maybe Miko just hasn't made the connection. Miko kisses back, though, yes, she is still a bit shy about public displays of affection. So, with slightly reddened cheeks, she turns back to Sakura and Yukito, noticing the unenthused reaction from the latter (but it seems a lot of people are unenthused by Lute's presence) and says, "S-so... Jump card... Does that have any special connotations? From what White Rose has told me, if you get a weird result when checking for magic, it's generally best not to assume it's an error but to consider it to be accurate... Just needing more information to determine in what way-L-Logan!?" Miko cuts herself off when Lute just starts climbing the fence.

    When the box cat punches right through, Miko slaps a hand to her forehead. She's going to have to repair that before anyone sees it now. Good thing Paladin's restoration magic can restore objects and place as easily as people. Then, suddenly, Sakura may sense magic in the distance. The band has fallen silent for awhile now, but they start up again, and there is a marked, drastic improvement in their skill and coordination. And yet the symphony being played is... Unnerving somehow. Dark, and powerful, and thrumming through the walls. They sound like a professional band now, but there's a certain frantic intensity to the notes, weaving together in a song that just so slightly makes the mind of listeners slip towards madness.

    White Rose's sensing range is more limited than Sakura's, but she can hear the music just as well as everyone else, and she can feel the impact on her psyche. When the magic is being carried right to her ears, she doesn't NEED to be close. However, as she flutters up into the air while Miko is still debating whether to follow Lute over the fence in a short skirt or just go around like a normal person, White Rose seems to determine she can't help here. "Sorry, guys. I can't stick around. That's definitely Chaos Magic, and as weak as I still am, if I keep getting hit with it even as this range, I'm going to go poof. Any closer and I might die. If Miko needs me, I'll be in her dreams."

    Then White Rose is gone in a series of glowing white sparkles. Miko seems concerned, but decides there's little time. She needs to get somewhere less public and transform as soon as possible. The way the 'psycho strings' keep going up and up, faster and faster, is making her REALLY uneasy. Why would second-graders even HAVE violins!?

    "Come on, everyone! Let's get in there!-Ah, Mister Yukito, can you give me a boost over the fence?" What? He's tall and he's on this side of the fence. No awkward climbing required.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    "Well, the whole divination aspect is really a secondary function of the Cards. Y'know? Their primary purpose is to... well. Do whatever it is that they... do." Pause. He rubs the back of his head. "Wow that was not the best explanation..."

    "Uh. Well, I guess the Jump means... athleticism, and going higher? Maybe?" She doesn't really understand all of the symbolism and mystical connections of her cards. "And... maybe something about plush toys, considering..." She sorta trails off.

    Sakura does not seem particularly traumatised by Miko and Lute's kiss! She's from a romance series, after all.

    Then the music starts up. Sakura winces a little bit - and Kero retreats backwards. "Aaaah... Chaos Magic? Oh man I hate that stuff," Kero grumbles a bit. But he doesn't seem to be as weak to it as White Rose, at least. Yukito hooks his hands together, stooping down a bit so that Miko can use his hands as a foot hold and he can help lift her up over the fence! And, once that's done, he'll follow her up - actually managing to easily leap all the way to the top, and the down the other side.

    "Um. There's... a... hole..." Sakura says, peering at Miko and Yukito for a few moments before entering via that hole.

    She has a card in her hand - The Silent.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute normally is not the kind to get jealous of other men. But, something about Yukito is rubbing him just exactly the /wrong/ way. Probably the fact that he is likely Union aligned as well. Still, though, as he is already on the other side? He'll look up at Miko as she comes down. About half of the reason is so that he can catch her, and set her down.

     But, he grabs Miko's hand, and then looks at Sakura. Frowning.

     "...I was hoping this situation wouldn't get bad. I'm here because I love Miko, and I want to help her here. So. If you're a friend of Miko's, do me a favor: Don't tell the Union about the pet I'm about to bring out. ...Especially not to the Fleet Daughters."

     And he'd run forward, pulling Miko along with him. The creature in the box follows too. But, as he approaches the window to the school? He lets go of Miko's hand, and gives the I-Class Destroyer a command.

     "IMIMA! Make me a hole!"

     And, the box flies off of the creature. It is an elongated shape made of metal, with massive teeth on it. It is about the size of a large dog. It opens its jaws, and a cannon can be seen. It fires it, upwards. Aiming /very carefully/ to the window, at an angle where the shell will hopefully break the window, and explode just above the ceiling of the school.

     He's assuming they can just rule this all off as being a 'gas leak'.

     Lute, of course, leaps through the hole dramatically. And, his I-Class Destroyer follows.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Miko leaps over with Yukito's help, and is caught safely by Lute. She turns to make sure that Sakura and Kero and Yukito are getting through okay, but fully intends to warn Lute not to cause more property damage when she turns around. But then Lute is running off and blowing open windows and leaping through them and Miko is making a high-pitched noise in the back of her throat as she can't immediately follow. Instead she dashes for the building, ducks around a corner, checks to make sure no one is looking, and then performs her pink-and-shiny split-second transformation sequence. It's nearly instantaneous. Most of them are. In anime they're just slowed down and dramatized for the viewers.

    Princess Paladin barges through the doors, and what she sees is what Lute would have seen when he entered more unconventionally. A bunch of second-graders in a room much larger than the confines of the music room itself, with music notes on disjointed lines swirling all around the platform-in-the-middle-of-empty-space they find themselves in. The music teacher is grinning wildly, her eyes glowing red, her hair flying this way and that as she conducts the band frantically.

    She has sheet music flying around her, and it seems the notes on the paper are what are being represented in super-sized form all around. The children seem to be in the same sort of trance. As the intensity of the music builds and builds, the pace increasing and increasing, the white walls of warped space all around them are starting to show signs of cracking. If the walls break, and all this crazy reality-warping music spills out in full, instead of just leaking through windows and doors... What kind of havoc will it bring?

    Paladin doesn't intend to wait and find out, but she isn't sure where the 'enemy' is. Is it the music teacher? Are the instruments cursed? Is it the sheet music? Is there a monstrous observer somewhere they need to identify and defeat to end all this? Paladin has less information on Underland than some other groups. She just knows their usual hunting grounds and habits, not their leaders, motivations, magic focus (knowing they used Chaos Magic would have been really helpful, for instance), or anything much else!

    The music seems to be physically flowing around the Sacred Scepter, given its Law Magic, but there are definitely crackles of magical electricity as the conflicting magic types interact poorly. If only White Rose could advise her! Maybe she can make contact with her mentally while the others do something about all this...

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    Sakura peers at Lute - and then starts in surprise as that... -thing- pops out of its box and destroys another chunk of property! "Wh-what the-!"

    She dashes off, following Lute - hoping to make sure he doesn't do something dumb that might actually -injure- someone. "O Key that hides the power of the Stars..!" she begins to incant.

    Yukito, meanwhile, follows after Miko, entering the music room at the same moment Princess Paladin does. He grits his teeth a little bit as the Chaos Magic washes over him.

    Sakura's magic does, after all, have quite a lot in common with Law Magic. The magic that binds together Yukito's very being is based on rules and sigils, and Chaos Magic has a tendency to... try to subvert those things. Kero is hanging back, not really wanting to risk flying headlong inside in his lesser-powered form!

    "SILENT!" Sakura cries out, tossing the card in her hand into the air. Her magic circle erupts at her feet - although it seems oddly distorted for some reason. Still, the magic seems to work just fine, as a bubble of distorted space starts to coalesce around the band!

Lute (188) has posed:
     The look on Lute's face at the moment is, quite likely, a bit odd and unexpected. While he is chill and relaxed person normally, and even often smiles and acts happy in the middle of battle? Right now, he's taking it way more casually than he normally would, period. But. A number of factors in this room are exciting him. The chaotic and unpredictable music. The laws of reality breaking down and warping space. The actual vissible notes. All of the imagery in front of him? It, quite simply, is exciting him. He is, after all, a chaotic being at heart. Perhaps that is part of what drew him to Miko, a desire for something opposite to him. But, as he looks around the room? He simply just /laughs/.

     He starts dancing to the music. His motions are graceful, and wide. It's like a bizarre form of ballet, in time with the music. He spins on one foot for a second, arms stretched out. And, he just speaks aloud.

     "AAAHH! This music is /wonderful/. If only we didn't have to stop it. If only it weren't likely to hurt all of these kids!"

     His heart starts beating in time to the music. He dances around the tranced conductor. But. A glance at Miko. A look of surprise on his face. And then he realizes something, even more so if Silent /does/ quiet the music.

     Miko isn't comfortable with this place.

     He keeps dancing, though. Even if the music is silenced. But, he's moving in to the teacher from behind. What he is doing is hard to tell, but as he keeps moving, he pulls his arm back. It simply looks like part of his dance. But, he punches straight at the back of the Teacher's head.

     "IMIMA! FIRE AT THE NOTES IN THE AIR! And, GO, ARCANINE! Burn the sheet music!"

     He no longer dances. Instead, he reaches with his left hand to his belt, and pulls off a Pokeball. From it, his Arcanine is released. And, using its Agility attack, it speeds up, to try and rush around the room. With its mouth, it attempts to bite at the sheet music, trying to burn it all with his natural flames.

     And, Lute just stands there. It's one of those strange moments. The music moved him. Very few things match with his chaotic nature. And yet, this did. He's a bit sad he has to destroy such beautiful music.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    Paladin is... Having a really hard time focusing in this environment. Like Lute, the music and magic is having an influence on her. Even when Sakura mutes the music, the warping of what 'Is' continues to influence her mind, and her magic, sending increasingly painful jolts through her body. She is trying to contact White Rose, which should be EASY, since White Rose is in her HEAD, but because 'in her head' is a place lacking in concentration, the process is harder.

    Maybe more so than White Rose expected when she said she could be contacted.

    Lute punching the teacher in the back of the head sends her falling to the floor, unconscious. The music notes are stifled in their wild movements thanks to Sakura's magic, but seem to be clustering around the dome of warped space surrounding the band, opening little cracks in themselves in the shape of jaws and claws, and then trying to eat their way inside. The cannon shots seem to do little to dissuade them except split them up into even smaller notes that then flock back to their original positions.

    It's not until Arcanine torches and destroys the sheet music that a noticeable impact on the magic seems to appear though. While the music is absent, the magic was still flowing strong as ever. But that sheet music seems to have been the focal point of sorts, or simply a nexus of havoc, emanating chaos without any real pattern or focus.

    The magic - and the distorted space pocket - begin to collapse now, though, and soon enough a bunch of dazed second-graders fall or slump over, much like the teacher.

    When all wavers and changes and reverts to being a music room, Paladin has been standing there, unable to take action of any kind, the entire time. The Chaos messed with her so much she was practically stuck in place.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    As Sakura notices Princess Paladin isn't DOING anything, a worried look flashes across her face. She then frowns, and reaches into her pocket to retrieve more cards. If White Rose were here, she'd probably note a distinct increase in the power emenating from Sakura's magical aura...

    But then Lute's plan to burn the sheet music seems to be working! So Sakura relaxes a bit again. Once she's sure it's safe, she snaps her fingers, recalling the power of the Silent card. "...Phew. That was... intense. I don't think I like Chaos Magic either."

    Yukito slumps against the closest wall, holding his head. Oww.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute smiles at Sakura. The smile is, probably, a bit unnerving considering that Lute just kept dancing for a long time.

     "Chaos is freedom, imagination, and creativity. But, anything taken to an extreme is a problem, right? Just like Law. Hell, most of the most dangerous Confederates would fall more towards Law. I mean. Look at fricking /Loros/. Too much Chaos means a world with no sense. A world with too much Law is a world of perfect order, with no freedom. Hell, too much Law, and the world is probably just a flat uniform unending plane with no differences no matter how far you go."

     But, even as he is talking, he starts walking to Miko. Or, should we say, Princess Paladin. And, his arms reach out to embrace her. He's not even trying to kiss her this time. Instead, he's simply trying to comfort her, putting her head against his chest. Trying to help her get her mind back together.

     "The Chaos Magic is gone, and things are back to order. You've finished your task here, Princess Paladin."

     He looks down at Princess Paladin, and then turns his head to Sakura. Frowning a bit at her, and Yukito. He doesn't say it, but he's actually a bit dissapointed in the two of them. He saw exactly what to do, immediately. Music problems? Get rid of the conductor. Get rid of the music. Had that not worked, he would have immediately gone for the instruments. And then, the kids themselves, if need be. Sure, he wouldn't kill them, but. He realizes that Sakura wouldn't even lay a finger on them, would she?

     He lets go of Princess Paladin for a second, though. Basically, to give her a chance to transform back. And then, he walks over to the chalkboard in the classroom. All music classes have one. And he writes something in chalk.

     LUTE WAS HERE
     PSYBER IS A LOSER.

     Why Psyber's name?

     Because he heard Psyber is friends with the Abyssal Fleet, and if he wrote Ash's name, he'd just be /completely/ ripping off Gary's style.

Miko Fujimoto (589) has posed:
    What Lute says is accurate, in regard to Chaos and Law. But as Paladin's mind returns to full functionality - or enough to take action - she responds to Lute's attempts to comfort her, to tell her that her duty is done, with a simple statement.

    "It is not over."

    "Indeed it is not!" a new voice calls out, high-pitched in the way that someone with a deep voice who has inhaled helium is high-pitched. Or a giant who has been shrunk down to a smaller scale.

    Paladin raises the Sacred Scepter, and pink energy gathers on the large jeweled orb on the end. "I don't suppose you would be polite enough to show yourself and be destroyed?" she inquires calmly, despite the headache she has now.

    "I am already on display! Open your peepholes and read!" the voice continues, seemingly coming from... A chair in one of the corners. Where a hare in a coat, vest, and pants is seated, dipping a playing card into a cup of tea. "That really was no fun! No fair! The Orchard Champions did not respond? 'Twas you who thwart and thwomped the March Hare!"

    Paladin aims her Artifact and intones, "Penance Beam!" before unleashing a drilling beam of pink energy at a low output level.

    The March Hare flips into the air to avoid the attack. Literally, into the air. He does a flip and then vanishes into the air like there's an invisible hole there. It's quite possible, given Chaos Magic that he may have just hidden himself in his own coat pocket somehow. While wearing it.

    Ow. Headache.

    Paladin keeps her cool as her attack drills a hole in the wall instead of in the rabbit, and scans the room with her pink eyes.

    When the March Hare's voice comes again, it is from everywhere around. "Obtruded and obstructed, in my way you've got! But you obtuse bumpkins are an awful foolish lot! The dancing fool I might invite to cajort in my lair! But the rest of you - one, three, or two - would be madder than I to dare!"

    The voice echoes for several seconds, before the 'presence' of the mad hare seems to be completely gone. Seems he rather liked Lute, or at least enough to imply he might invite him over for tea. But Sakura, Paladin, and Yukito seemingly didn't strike his fancy. And Kero didn't even rate!

    Paladin lets out a small sigh, a sign of exasperation she usually doesn't show with her magically-enforced behavior. But she decides to perform some quick repairs and healing before hr transformation lapses. It's part of the Rule of 'Standing in for the Orchard Champions'.

    And the Rules are -important-.

    A bright white light washes over everything, healing the injures and restoring the wall and window. The fence will have to go on being mysteriously damaged for now, because Paladin can't quite make it there to fix it at the moment. Her healing magic is partially Holy, but also partially Law. It is taking the the laws that dictate that something is broken and rolling them back to a previous state. And with Chaos lingering everywhere... Law is not quite as effective as it would ordinarily be. The 'Record' of the damage is slightly corrupted. So maybe the wall has a bit of a blemish on it - an off-color hue. And maybe the glass in the window is running as though it were much older than it actually is, despite being fairly new. But at least they aren't completely destroyed.

    "Now it's over," Paladin lets out as a pink glow radiates from her and she reverts back to normal. Only for Miko to hold a hand to her head and rub a bit. She'll need some ibuprofen when she gets home.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    "...Oooh. So that's why I drew the Jump card. Huh."

    Sakura just kinda peers at the March Hare as it performs its speech and then vanishes. "...Is this... is this some sort of Alice in Wonderland reference? I've done that before. It was weird. Yukito was the Hatter."

    Sakura pulls out her phone to take a picture of Lute's note on the blackboard. And also of the I-Class Destroyer, when she's sure no one is watching.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute, of course, is not stopped from writing his quick grafitti due to the simple presence of the March Hare. Instead, he simply keeps writing. And listening. His face shows no sign of even considering the Hare. At least, not until after the March Hare has departed.

     The March Hare /does/ distract him from the photo taking, though. He just stares at the blackboard for a moment. His thoughts flowing. He's obviously waiting until he is certain the March Hare is gone. At that point, he turns around, slides his hands into his pockets, and just smiles.

     "I might take his invitation for a visit, sometime. At the least, it'd give us more info on what they're /doing/. So, worht a shot. Unless you think it's too dangerous, Miko."

     But, he spots the obvious headache Miko is having. And he moves to her again. Not to hug her, this time. Instead, he puts his back to her, and gets down a little.

     "...You don't look so hot. Here. Get on my back. I'll take you home."

     He also takes a moment to recall Arcanine. And, Imima goes through the door, finding its box, and nudges it back onto herself again.

     And then, Lute looks at Sakura. He speaks reluctantly, "...Thanks for the help." Obvious dislike in his voice, despite Sakrua quite literally having done nothing wrong, that he knows of. But, as he looks away, he smiles, speaking to Sakura again. "...And, thanks for keeping my pet a secret from the Union. It's an I-Class Destroyer. Something with me to help protect me. A token of my friendship with some others. ...Sakura, like. Just. Please. Stay a good friend for Miko, please? Alright? She might need more trustworthy people like you in the future."

     He's honest on this part. He doesn't think Sakura will take Miko away from him, or the Confederacy. But, Sakura is a lot more open and outgoing than Miko. He wants that to rub off on her.

Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
    "I'll always be a friend to Miko," Sakura responds, hands behind her back, a smile on her face. She looks downright innocent in that pose - and it's probably not a calculated adoption, either. "I hope she realises that."