2686/The Time, Part 2
From Multiverse Crisis MUSH
| The Time, Part 2 | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 27 July 2015 |
| Location: | Tomoeda-865 |
| Synopsis: | Sakura and Kaiba have a Duel over The Time, while the rest try to save Tomoyo and take the card outside of Kaiba's challenge. |
| Cast of Characters: | Kotone Yamakawa, Staren, 165, 172, 312, Theo Morrison, 560, 623, Tomoyo Daidouji, 707 |
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
The arena is set. Countless people sit in the stands, ready to watch this epic battle. The audience is filled with cheering fans. Specifically, fans of the child billionaire Seto Kaiba. Sakura is not without her supporters as well, though. After all, this is Tomoeda. Sakura is a known Magical Girl who works with the Union. The announcement that such a hero will be playing a game of Duel Monster's is enough to draw a large number of people. There is even an area set off to one side, near Sakura's side of the arena. This area is designated for her friends and supporters. It is close enough to her stand that if people called to support her, she would be able to hear them.
The arena itself is a large white circle, filled with somewhat illuminated tiles. Two stands are set up opposite of eachother, for both Sakura and Kaiba to face eachother. These are about ten feet off of the ground, and they lack railing of any kind. Most likely, Kaiba has bribed away the issues of saftey compliance.
Above the arena there is a metal cage. It looks to be mostly for decoration. But, from where Sakura is, she can see someone within. Tomoyo. A gag is over the young girl's mouth, and ropes are wrapped around her wrists. Her arms are tied behind her back. It's not an insurmountable task to break out of the ropes, at least. Perhaps Tomoyo can find some method? The other Elites can likely spot her from their seating as well. It is laid out very carefully so that very few can tell this is going on. More noticable to the general public? The Time Card is strapped to the underside of the cage, within a golden holder of some kind. From it, various wires lead upwards into the ceiling, connecting it to other parts of the facility. It's through these wires and connections that The Time is used and controlled by Kaiba, connecting it to various computers and power sources throughout the place, to keep providing it the energy it needs to be used.
Kaiba stands tall across from Sakura. His face is smug, as usual. He is wearing his school uniform today, this simple and plain blue uniform cut to fit his lean body. On his left arm, his Duel Disk is at the ready. He shuffles his deck quickly, without even looking at it. A small grin is given towards Sakura as he slots his deck into the Duel Disk.
"Well. You and the others did well. Some /minor/ hiccups along the way. But. You do realize... This /is/ where you are going to lose. You stand /absolutely zero chance/ of winning. We are in /completely/ different leagues, and The Time will be mine forever." Kaiba draws five cards from the top of his deck, not even bothering to look at them. His eyes remained glued on Sakura.
"You go first. Let's duel!"
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura flips down her hood and puts the hat Tomoyo made for her back onto her head when she realises there's a crowd. Crap. She hopes no one got a good look at it.
As she spots Tomoyo, her eyes widen for a moment, before narrowing into a scowl at Kaiba. She stands stock still for a few moments, before holding her left hand out to her side.
A bright pink door appears, just suspended in place with no door frame. Sakura opens it, and it visibly leads into some sort of foyer. She promptly heads through the door into the Other Space... and returns with a Duel Disk. Obviously retrieved from the box it came in. She prepared for this! She shuffles her own deck, methodically, with her eyes... closed for some reason.
In it goes. Five cards are drawn.
- Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
Is Sakura REALLY going to take Kaiba on at his own game?! Shirou emerges into the chamber uncertain about this plan, especially with the gathering of onlookers around. "He's making this much of a spectacle out of it?"
This is utter madness. he's ASTOUNDED at Kaiba's willingness to show off and ego.
"He's putting on a hell of a show." The question is, how to put things in Sakura's favor?
He was right about Tomoyo though. And his sharp eyes lock onto the distant card.
Hmmm. What to do about this situation?
- Staren has posed:
Staren is half-surprised when he sees the arena. Seriously? Tomoyo and the magic card hanging in a cage? Does Kaiba seriously see himself as a supervillain or something? If so, how are people cheering for him? But he's not at all surprised that this ends with a card duel. Everyone knows cards are Serious Business.
A big public spectacle like this, though... means Kaiba /probably/ can't try anything with Tomoyo. It's not like she's hanging over a tank of sharks or anything. Kaiba will be ready for them to try to save her, of course. On the other hand, if Sakura can /win/ this card game, Kaiba will look bad in front of all his fans if he doesn't give her up. Any measures they can take to save her, can be taken after the game, if Sakura loses. So... Staren begins trying to think of a backup plan, and smiles at Sakura.
He wonders if he can hack the arena's speakers to play back the bomber's speech, if they need to buy time later. May as well check for wireless networks...
- Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo is still a little spooked after the sudden surge of violence Sakura turned against the terrorist-bomber in the other room. On the one hand, there was no doubt that this guy deserved nothing resembling mercy. On the other, well... that was still not really the ideal end to that problem in his eyes.
Trust, though.
Rather than sit and watch them play a(n inferior) card game for Tomoyo and The Time's fate, Theo focuses on trying to figure out what he can do about Kaiba's ability to control time. That is not a power a megalomaniac like him should be allowed to keep.
He fishes around in his backpack for binoculars, and, crouched by the edge of the Elite spectator area (such as it is), tries to get a look at those wires. Where are they going? Maybe if they share a common wall, he can get Shirou to do his thing and they can find what's powering it and cut the line.
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
Some time earlier last week, the man named Ren Tanaka, very much unhappy with the behavior of child billionaire Seto Kaiba, decided to infiltrate Death-T to provide some preliminary intel on the quote unquote 'theme park'.
However, doing so is very difficult when you are dealing with someone who can manipulate time. He found his perception of time twisted, muddied, and occasionally frozen, and often he found himself outside of the theme park entirely.
But he never gave up and he never stopped going.
And now, he's managed to make his way very close to where everyone else is, having approached from the alternate angle while attention was being given to them. And he immediately doesn't like what he sees.
He lost his radio some time ago to a trap: hence no reporting in. He hopes no-one thought he died. Therefore, he cannot voice his ire at Tomoyo being captured on union channels.
He should do something about the Time card. He should really, really do something about the Time card.
He decides to save Tomoyo, and he still doesn't know why.
The crowds of people really should question the fact that someone is explicitly being bound and held against their will, but he doesn't care that they're not paying attention to her, not really. After all, that makes things easier for him.
His goal is to make it from where he currently is, which is undefined because, hey, /you/ don't know where he is, and to where Tomoyo is. While everyone else is looking the other way. Should be easy. Nothing could possibly go wrong. This is going to be the best christmas Walford's ever had.
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
One moment, Tomoyo is staring at a bomb about to go off at her feet, and the next? In a cage, bound and gagged. Terribly disconcerting, to be sure. For a while, she just sat there, hoping the others would find her. And also quietly fuming that Kaiba would turn one of Sakura's cards against them.
But now, things are happening below! Wiggling over to the edge of the cage, she peeks down and spots her friends! Oh thank goodness... right, she can't just stay up here and watch (though she will certainly watch, she has the best seat in the house to watch Sakura humiliate Kaiba in front of a crowd).
Lifting her knees up against her chest, she begins to pull her bound arms under herself, bringing them around to the front. If it hadn't been for all that training, no way she could have done this. Though still bound, this means that she can use her fingers to start working on the gag.
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
After studying her cards for a moment, Sakura exhales slowly. "Okay. Draw." One more card! "First: I play Pot of Greed." She inserts the card into the Duel Disk. A hologram of a one-handed pot with a weird grinning face appears before Sakura, as she draws two cards. "And I set... this monster. Go."
She places a card face-down and at right angles on a segment of the Duel Disk. A hologram of a face-down card appears before her.
MONSTERS: SET
SPELLS:
HAND: 6
GRAVEYARD: Pot of Greed
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
With the binoculars, Theo can see a number of elaborate magical runes upon the device. It also seems to be made of solid gold. It also does not look anywhere near modern or new. Glancing up, the wires seem to be connecting to the ceiling. The way the cords look bent, though? The various groups of cords are going to various sides of the building, to all four sides. There probably is some way to access the area in the ceiling where the cords reach, though.
Kaiba smiles, looking at the face down card. He will give Sakura some credit: She played Pot of Greed. That is, in fact, an incredibly useful card. No duelist worth their salt would play without it due to the basic utility of thinning the deck.
It's his turn, though. And so, he draws his card. His eyes idly glance down to his hand, though just for a second. With just that brief look, he knows exactly what he wants to do for his action.
"I set two cards face down in my spell and trap zone! And, for my own monster... I play La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, in Attack Mode! I'll just go ahead and destroy that face down Monster of yours!"
The holographic form of La Jinn appears, a giant green genie with gold bands and a long moustache. He rushes towards the card, punching straight at where it is. And all the while, Kaiba's face keeps the same arrogant smirk. It is, in fact, his poker face.
- Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa has been pulled aloing by Shirou when things went down. This wasn't something he heneded to twist her arm for. Tomoyo had been good to her She was sulking about with him. She knew they had to do something to help Tomoyo as well. She had considered some options but unlike Many? Kaiba was actually good at keeping his cybersecruity at being top shelf or even custom in house systems to make it even harder for outsiders to play with them. She'd wisely avoided trying this all togehter as she moves to set a hand on Shirou's shoulder however.
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
So. A cage on the ceiling. A cage... on the ceiling. So, how are we going to do this?
Well, it would help if he could talk to the others on the radio, but, well... no radio. So it's going to be him operating entirely on his own assumptions- no guessing that this is staged, no assuming this is all silly games. He doesn't know that Sakura has already had to kill someone, but he would know already from his own investigation into Death-T that Seto Kaiba is a bad, mad man. And so he is taking no second chances, because he's that sort of man.
First, it's time to figure out the best angle to approach. If he does this from within Kaiba's field of vision... well, he'll be concentrating on the duel, but no margin of error is acceptable. So, from behind Kaiba. This means people who are sat WATCHING Kaiba may see him, but they might think he's a maintainance worker.
So, he begins to climb. Any way he can. Maintainance duct? Elevator shaft? He has the ability to climb on sheer vertical surfaces if he really needs to. Don't question it, folks, I'm a maintainance worker. See? I'm carrying a tool, even. It's uh... a wrench.
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
The face down card erupts into the form of a... ridiculously adorable sheep. With wings.
Which is immediately OBLITERATED because it has 1000 less DEF than the Jinn's ATK.
Sakura makes a face and draws a card. "Okay... I play... Pot of Duality!" Yes she already drew another goddamn pot. THis one has the same face as the Pot of Greed on one side, and a serene mask on the other...
Sakura draws three cards from her deck, studies them, then puts one into her hand and the other two back into her deck. Which gets shuffled.
"And... I play another Pot of Duality." Yep! SHE HAD THREE POTS. She goes through the same process!
"Right! I summon Arcana Force Six: The Lovers, in attack mode!" She plays a card, and a... weird, alien creature, vaguely humanoid, appears before her. Then, a holographic coin appears in front of it. It spins through the air... and comes up Tails. "Okay that means I can't tribute summon Arcana Force monsters while it's in play but who cares? One for One!" Another spell card! This one simple vaporises the Lovers, while Sakura searches through her deck for... "And I special summonArcana Force 0: The Fool, into defense mode!" Another weird alien monster appears, purple skinned, with tentacles for hair and wearing pants that make it look like a clown. And now another coin appears: this one comes up heads. "Which is immune to your card effects and destroys them, by the way. And NOW... I play Court of Justice!" A golden ring materialises above the playing field, flanked by a pair of golden orbs with cute little angel wings. "And now I use the Court of Justice's ability to special summon Tethys, Goddess of Light, in attack mode!"
A golden beam of light shoots up from from the Fool's extended hand, towards the Court of Justice. A moment later, it sends down a broader beam of light, within which materialises a beautiful angel woman with wings that don't seem to be attached to her body.
"Who, of course, immediately attacks your Jinn." Tethys forms a bow out of pure light, and shoots a silver arrow towards the green-skinned genie.
Sakura is kinda getting into this.
MONSTERS: Arcana Force 0: The Fool (0/0 DEF), Tethys, Goddess of Light (2400/1800 ATK)
SPELLS: Court of Justice
HAND: 2
GRAVEYARD: Pot of Greed, Fluffal Sheep, Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Arcana Force VI: The Lovers, One for One
- Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
With Kotone walking in, Shirou exhaaaales to control his feelings. He's normally one for acting without thinking like a hotheaded maniac, but Bedivere's changed that. Somewhat. "We've got to make sure Sakura either wins this... or Kaiba doesn't pull anything if she doesn't. It's probably just reputation on the line... man, Kaiba's really pulled out all the stops here!"
- Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "So we keep the game honest if we can, he plays hard. I gamed with him before, I think he's lost the nature of fun with games a long time ago. Still he did turn the company from being a death merchant into dealing in gaming and enterainment for the most part. I'm still trying to figure him out. He's so hardcore about games but doesn't want to profit off blood."
She's really tyring to think this out it seems.
- Staren has posed:
Staren's not familiar with Duel Monsters, but he tries to follow along. Sakura's monster was defeated, but now she has /two/ on the field, one is an invincible blocker (he's learned enough about Magic to see the importance of that) and the other is... pretty strong? Maybe? He has no idea if 2400/1800 is a lot in this game.
Despite trying to think of how to save Tomoyo, he finds himself getting drawn in. "Goooo Sakura!" he cheers.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Traveller is forced to climb the sheer surface of a maintenence shaft. As he climbs, he gets to a wide area above the ceiling, a fairly short area. Various workers are in here, providing minor technical support. Making sure lighting and sound is working right, and similar. Some mechanisms near the middle of this upper area seem connected to Tomoyo's cage. As in, there is machinery to keep it together.
Of course, this machinery is highly guarded. There are four different bulky bodyguards surrounding it. Along with this, there is another figure. A long haired child, who looks a bit like a brat. Mokuba Kaiba. He's busy giving people orders, while also standing guard near Tomoyo's cage mechanisms.
Kaiba actually raises an eyebrow. Once again, he is impressed. Most newbies can't summon this many monsters so quickly. It's a fairly grand move. But, Kaiba's smirk never leaves his face. In fact, his poker face breaks a little bit as he smiles just /slightly/ wider.
"I activate my trap card! MIRROR FORCE!"
This, sadly, won't affect The Fool. Which annoys Kaiba. It still will destroy Tethys, at least. As she moves in to attack the Jinn, there is a burst of energy flying right back at her.
"You walked /right/ into that. So much effort, for so little gain. And now you just hide behind your little wall!"
He has to get rid of The Fool, and fast. He draws his card, his poker face back to normal. And a glare is given to Sakura. He plays a card, face up in his spell and trap zone. "FIRST. I play Photon Sanctuary! This creates two Photon tokens!" The two tokens appear on the field, looking more or less as just balls of lights, similar to Will-O-Wisps. And then Kaiba shouts out, dramatically holding a card up. "BUT. Those aren't going to remain for long! I tribute them, to summon forth my most powerful Monster! I CALL YOU FORTH! BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
He places the card on the field. The two tokens break apart and vanish. In their place, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stands. It lets out a loud roar, and stares across the Battlefield at the Fool.
Kaiba wants to attack. But. It'd do no good. And so a slight frown. "...And. I end my turn."
Monsters: La Jinn, Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Spells/Traps: 1
Hand:2
Lifepoints: 8000
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
After fiddling with the knot of her gag, Tomoyo manages to get it undone! Spitting out the wadding, she's momentarily tempted to throw it down at Kaiba, but decides against it. Sakura will beat him no problem, after all~
So for now, she leans against the bars to look down at the duel, clapping quietly to herself as Sakura pulls off summoning three monsters in one turn~ She then proceeds to work on the bindings with her teeth, trying to loosen them some.
But then Kaiba plays his trap card! Oh no! Looking away for a moment, she's just in time to see Kaiba summon his favourite card. But Sakura has an invincible monster, and an invincible spell~ Still unconcerned, the tailor gets back to work on the bindings.
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
A look of shock flickers across Sakura's face for a moment. She then drawns a card. "Okay. I play Cup of Ace." A golden chalice appears before Sakura, as another holographic coin appears. It flips through the air, as Sakura crosses her fingers... and it comes up heads! "That means I draw two cards." Which she does.
"And... I end my turn." She's focusing pretty heavily on this duel right now.
MONSTERS: Arcana Force 0: The Fool (0/0 DEF)
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
SPELLS: Court of Justice
HAND: 4
GRAVEYARD: Pot of Greed, Fluffal Sheep, Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Arcana Force VI: The Lovers, One for One, Tethys Goddess of Light, Cup of Ace
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
Ren thinks. Alright, that was not exactly strenuous- at least, not where it matters. And now he's up in the fly system, and we have the easy part over and done with and now it's time for the part where literally everything and quite possibly including lives because we can't discount the possibility that- is this a trap, actually? Is that cage trapped? Are Tomoyo's bindings trapped? Is that something else he's going to need to consider while he walks right up to these four security guards? Which is what he's doing? Just walking right up to them? Because that's what he's doing.
"My goodness, you fine gentlemen, I do applaud that you have some very strict security in place for people who aren't supposed to be here but it's almost as difficult to navigate for people who are supposed to be here am I right am I left because and you have to understand it's a darn pickle of fish to get anywhere here behind the scenes even if you do have the proper credentials because let me tell you first you drop them off at one office and they tell you it's fine but then someone else further along the line asks to see them and you say well I gave them to the person behind you and well I suppose Peter told Paul and something here is going on but I don't really know and I'm just trying to make my way up here and it's really quite exhausting, and I'll tell you who else is exhausted it'll be my employer here, yes, that's her over there, the one who's helping in the performance there or at least I certainly do hope that's what's going on because I'm not really very informed of these celebrity comings and goings and I'm just here to do the delivery but woah-ho I tell you that certainly does look quite unfortunate and more than a little strange but anyway enough about my opinions as I said I'm here because my employer Tomoyo Daidouji you see how pale she looks there right now well I know you do well she's a little more pale than usual and that's the result of the fact that when she came out here today she was in such a hurry and she's so excited well wouldn't you be I mean look at the crowds down there it's a big event but she went and entirely forgot her melanotan injections or her melatonin injections I don't quite know I'm just here to deliver them in a bit of a pinch and she's quite in need of her daily injections, you know how it is, it's medical, it's medicinal, let's not argue the semantics gentlemen if you could just do me an awfully big favour and give her the old winch out of the public eye and give me a little bit of a help yes ma'am don't worry I've got your medication right here if these fine gentlemen would help me out and get you out of that cage, get you unbound and out of your costume or what have you and I can hurry things up and give you your injections that you forgot to pick up when you left today please ok thank you sirs?"
And then he takes a breath, maybe.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Kaiba reaches to his Duel Disk, to draw another card. A glance is given to it. This card will not even make it into his hand. He places it down on the spell/trap zone. And, his eyes set on Sakura.
"...Really. Your strategy is commendable. Especially for such a new player. But. Yet again, I am turning this fight around. Your deck relies entirely on luck. Fifty-fifty chances. My deck will overpower you with its raw strength, the skills of one who has been playing this game for years. And let me tell you the name of the card that will destroy your pathetic wall."
Kaiba points forward, dramatically. The crowd shouts out in joy. Kaiba shouts out the name of the card, "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"
The Blue-Eyes flies up. Its mouth opens, and a massive beam of plasma flies down. Kaiba smiles, explaining for Sakura and the audience, "This isn't an attack! This is a Spell Card! And, it destroys /all/ Monsters on the field, rather than targetting just one! The only downside is my Blue-Eyes can't attack this turn. But.... Let me add to the field! WHITE STONE OF LEGEND!"
He sets down another Monster Card, in attack mode. A rather strange monster. It looks like a wide rough orb. Kaiba smiles, pointing forward.
"And now! La Jinn, White Stone of Legend! ATTACK HER LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!"
The Jinn moves forward towards Sakura's location, punching at her. The safeties are /partially/ enabled. She'll feel a force from the punch, but take no real damage from it.The White Stone of Legend simply sends bursts of mystical energy at her. 1800 damage from the La Jinn if it isn't stopped, and 300 from the White Stone of Legend.
...But why did Kaiba play such a weak card?
Monsters: La Jinn (1800/1000), Blue Eyes (3000/2500), White Stone (300/250)
Spells/Traps: 1
Life Points: 8000
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
The men up above just /stare/ at Traveller. Really, this is almost entirely unusual. They simply just stare /straight/ at him for a moment, absolutely bewildered and baffled at that long rambling rant. They just blankly turn towards Mokuba, looking to him for instructions.
Mokuba sighs, walking forward. "Alright, alright. You have medicine for her? Well. Give me the medicine, and we'll put it into her cage. But we can't let her out /unless/ Sakura wins the duel, right? She's /waaaay/ too valuable of a hostage!"
Mokuba lets out a wicked grin. And then he pulls out a switchblade. "...And, if you /do/ pull anything, I'm gunna cut you!"
Mokuba is /ten years old/, for reference.
- Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
"Mn. I'll respect his determination and showmanship, but this is playing dirty in other ways. It's just meant to embarass Sakura. He'll profit either way. If he loses, he can say he went easy on a newbie. If he wins, he'll let Tomoyo go and impress the crowd by showing how magnanimous he is, or something like that. It's just the kind of guy he is." Shirou states this solidly, without either really damning him or praising him.
Shades of his future self, perhaps.
"I'm not sure if Tomoyo's really in danger. What do you think?"
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura winces a bit as the stream of destruction bathes her monsters! Or, well, her single monster anyway. The Fool lets out an inhuman shriek as it disintegrates! And then Sakura gets punched in the face. She winces and steps a few paces back... but she's not injured, even as her Life Points tick down to 5900. She glowers at Kaiba, and draws a card.
"...Right. I summon another Arcana Force 0: The Fool, in attack mode." She does just this! Why is she summoning a 0/0 into attack mode?
Because it's a level 1 fairy. "I activate Court of Justice's ability to summon... Arcana Force XII: The Hanged Man!" A coin appears in the air, and flips itself... "You don't understand Kaiba. This is Tomoeda." The coin lands on tails. "And here, Fate is my ally! Hanged Man, attack his Jinn!" The creature, which honestly resembles a weird tree with a hanging caccoon more than anything else, whips is 'caccoon' toward the green-skinned Jinn.
"I end my turn - which triggers the Hanged Man's ability. Your Blue-Eyes White Dragon is destroyed!" And Kaiba takes damage equal to is ATK.
MONSTERS: Arcana Force 0: The Fool (0/0 ATK), Arcana Foce XII: The Hanged Man (2200/2200, ATK)
SPELLS: Court of Justice
HAND: 3
GRAVEYARD: Pot of Greed, Fluffal Sheep, Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Arcana Force VI: The Lovers, One for One, Tethys Goddess of Light, Cup of Ace, Arcana Force 0: The Fool
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
Tomoyo's bindings are completely ignored now, too entranced in the duel below to be working on them. Stupid Kaiba... oh, nothing to worry about, Sakura will totally win~
But now, she hears voices coming from above her cage! One of which sounds familiar... well, it certainly goes on long enough for her to figure out it's Ren. Wow, he's really just going and going, isn't he?
Ah, but it sounds like his plan worked! Frantically, Tomoyo begins to try and plan. Should she attack once the cage has opened? Make a run for it?
- Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "I get you, he's got it in personal for it. I'm still trying to figure out what makes him tick."
She thinks there's something good in Kiba but something really has twisted him up. She has no idea about the nightmare that Kaiba's life has been in the slightest. She ponders for a moment.
"I'm not sure eithere, he might just be trying to motivate, with this. Is he trying to teach Sakura a lesson? How did this get seemingly so personal?
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
And that's when something unusual happens.
"Ah," the man says, and the voice has suddenly lost every single trace of everything it previously had in it. His posture changes, and as he walks forward, the light and shadow in the fly system from the various beams and cables crossing over his body, as he walks right past the security guards, it becomes clear that there is something amiss about this young man. Something very much amiss.
"Then I am going to have to assume, given the word 'hostage', that I was not just making my way though-" And then it can be clearly seen, this close, that the man is /injured/- that there are the faint signs of electrical burns, acid, specifically of /Death-T traps/- on his body, present but fading in a way that implies both unnatural resillience and recovery- "Halloween maze props, and that there is something very, very sinister here. But I suppose that brings me to my next question-"
And he takes Mokuba's hand, the hand holding the knife and he--
SLAMS that knife directly into his open palm with force-
And almost nothing... happens... at all.
"Would you like to find out which of us is worse, little chap?"
"Or are you going to just give her back to me without a fuss?"
- Staren has posed:
Staren winces as Sakura's monster is destroyed, and she's attacked. She might lose after all! This reminds him to get back to work on backup plans.
They could fly or teleport up to Tomoyo. But as long as Kaiba has control of Time, whatever they try can be stopped. He has to do something about that card...
Perhaps if he fired a tiny homing rocket at the wires running to the ceiling, he could break the connection without destroying the card? His hand reaches into the bag at his side, loosely grasping his micromissile pistol anxiously...
And then Sakura rallies, hard! Staren raises his fists and cheers, "YEEEEEEAH! GO SAKURA!"
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
A frown on Kaiba's face. First his Jin is slaughtered and hit, breaking apart. Adn then his Blue-Eyes breaks apart due to the effect of the Hanged Man. His Blue-Eyes, destroyed? So easily? Sakura, taking fate into her own hand? No. This can't be. This will /not/ be. He remains calm, even as members of the audience cheer for Sakura. People of Tomoeda. He pauses for a moment. ...No. Not yet. Worst case, he can use The Time to win this duel. But not yet. His Ego won't let him. Even though he is almost /certain/ Sakura is using some sort of magic.
He will win this via his own skills.
A card is drawn, and placed face up. He speaks, a more commanding tone in his voice. This is probably one of the first times Kaiba has sounded outright /frustrated/. "I play Maiden with Eyes of Blue, in Attack Mode. I switch my White Stone of Legend in to Defense mode. ...Finally, I end my turn."
At the least, he has a plan. If /either/ of these monsters are attacked, he can shift the tables yet again. He has a plan, at least.
Monsters: White Stone (350/200), Maiden with Eyes of Blue (0/0)
Spells/Traps: 1
Life Points: 4600
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
And, Mokuba is now being threatened by a /really/ intimidating Elite who treats his knife as basically nothing. Mokuba just stares blankly straigt at The Traveller. And then, he looks towards the guards and workers, in a panic.
"GET HER UP HERE AND RELEASE HER NOW!"
The cage holding Tomoyo is lifted up. Only enough that she is above the ceiling now. The Time on the bottom of the cage is just against the ceiling.
And Kaiba brief looks up. He mutters under his breath so no one can hear, "...God damnit, Mokuba."
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"YOU CAN DO IT, SAKURA!! FAI-TO FAI-TO!!"
That particular burst of cheering comes from Xiaomu, still in the stands where the rest of Sakura's retinue who made it through the gauntlet were directed. The sage fox is currently decked out - as she has been since she got there, really - in what can only be a cheerleader's uniform, in red and black with silver trim, plus a pair of gold pom-poms. Seeing Sakura take out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon fair and square was the prompt for this latest exclamation of encouragement.
She's mostly keeping her mouth shut when the players are thinking about their moves, so she hasn't had as much chance to express her support as she would clearly like to do.
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
Tomoyo blinks a few times as she moves from the bright arena to the dim backstage area, to see Ren threatening a child with four goons around him. Her eyes adjust enough to see that said child is holding a knife though, so she'll forgive him for that~
"Hi Ren! Thanks for coming~" she says, clearly trying to act all nonchalant, but there is a bit of a tremor in her voice. Stepping out of the cage (assuming it was unlocked), she offers her bound wrists to the Exalted.
"Would you mind? I'm better with thread than I am with rope."
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura looks up as the cage holding Tomoyo rises up into the ceiling. Was that Kaiba's little brother she heard yelling...?
She shakes her head a bit and draws a card. She quirks her mouth at the card. "Okay, I summon Fluffel Leo, in attack mode! And, I activate Court of Justice to summon Arcana Force IV: The Emperor, also in attack mode!" The Emperor looks like some sort of... robot thing, with huge wings, and far too many eyes dotted all over it. A coin appears, flipping through the air - heads! Suddenly, the Emperor, the Hanged Man and the Fool suddenly all gain 500 ATK points.
"I'll attack your Stone with my Hanged Man!"
She pauses for a moment. "And I'm not going anywhere near your Maiden. I end my turn."
MONSTERS: Arcana Force 0: The Fool (500/0 ATK), Arcana Foce XII: The Hanged Man (2700/2200, ATK), Fluffel Leo (1600/1200, ATK), Arcana Force IV: The Emperor (1900/1400)
SPELLS: Court of Justice
HAND: 2
GRAVEYARD: Pot of Greed, Fluffal Sheep, Pot of Duality, Pot of Duality, Arcana Force VI: The Lovers, One for One, Tethys Goddess of Light, Cup of Ace, Arcana Force 0: The Fool
- Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
With an unexpeted INterrupt getting Tomoyo rescued, Shirou holds his breath. This is a turning point to say the least! "If we knew THAT..." Shirou can just shrug slightly at Kotone. He's not so happy about this entire THING really. "Looks like someone got to Tomoyo first."
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
I terrified a small boy, he thinks. I am probably not a very good person for doing that.
But on the other hand...
"Hello, Tomoyo," Ren says, and now his voice is something of a median point between the two ways he was before. Briefly checking to see that there are no last second tricks with the rope, he unties her, and then says-
"You're safe now."
"Themepark Insider.com, Kaiba Land review: rides are run of the mill, I was sprayed with caustic acid and one of my fellow attendees was held hostage in a large cage. 0/10 would not recommend, stick to Hearthstone instead of Duel Monsters."
He holds out his hand. "Tomoyo, for your safety, I'd like it if we left now, please."
And presuming she is willing, both of them will do so.
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
Once her hands are free, Tomoyo rubs her wrists to get rid of that vague sense of pins and needles she was starting to get. 'Hehe, pins and needles, and I'm a tailor.'
She might be a little delirious with relief.
Turning, she smiles and bows to Mokuba and his goons. "Thank you for having me~" she says in a voice that sounds absolutely sincere. "But, I think you should find a better habit than playing with knives, okay~?" she adds to Mokuba. Again, might be a bit delirious.
But all of that clears up instantly when Ren suggests they get out of here. "What? No, I'm not leaving. I want to watch Sakura beat that... that... /Kaiba!/" she says, her face becoming ponderous for a moment like she was trying to think of something unkind to say, then changing her mind.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Kaiba smirks. A small chuckle comes from his lips. And he points towards his White Stone of Legend. "It seems you /don't/ know the effect of the White Stone of Legend! After all, it's a card few people have a reason to use! BUT! Once it is destroyed... I can add a /very specific/ Monster to my hand! I'll give you one guess at /which one/."
His Duel Disk ejects a card. He holds it up, showing it towards Sakura. Though at this distance, it might be hard to make out? It very clearly is displayed on some jumbotron style monitors set up along the walls of the building. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He places it into his hand.
...Where it is somewhat useless. He realizes this. Yes, he has the Maiden with Eyes of Blue on the field. Yes, he has one other Blue-Eyes in his hand. So, should the Maiden be attacked, he could pull the one from the Graveyard onto the Field, and then activate that Spell Card he placed on his first turn.
But right now? He has no way he can summon forth a Blue-Eyes. No way to protect himself. He /has/ to win this. Even if he lost his hostage, he /will/ win this.
A hand reaches towards his deck. His movements slow. Sakura is still fairly well defended. He places the hand on his card. He's reminded of something Yugi once mentioned. ...No, not Yugi. Yugi's Other Side. That all Cards have their own Hearts.
Such is ridiculous. He isn't going to win via such nonsense. He will win via his skill. He glares at Sakura. She, and all her friends... They remind him so much of that short high school student with the ridiculous hair. Perhaps that is part of why he is so enraged that she has been holding her own so far.
Finally, he brings himself to draw the card. He looks at it. There is a pause. The audience's talking and hollering quiets slightly. This silence from Kaiba is unusual. It's not often he pauses for so long in the middle of a duel.
He places the card, face up in his Spell/Trap Zone. And, he lets out a loud laugh. It's not pleasant. He is smiling, quite fully.
"THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS, KINOMOTO! I play Monster Reborn, to bring my Blue-Eyes White Dragon /back/ from the Graveyard! But, that's not all... Within my hand, I hold /two more/ Blue-Eyes White Dragons. And let me show you what I will do with them!"
He flips the card he had placed earlier. The Spell Card. Suddenly, a swirling burst of energy around the Blue-Eyes he just summoned to the field. Holographic illusions of the two Blue-Eyes from Kaiba's hand flow from his deck, into his Blue-Eyes on the field. They swirl, merging together.
Now, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon stands on the field. It's three heads lift upwards, roaring towards the sky. It flaps its giant wings, before turning its three heads towards Sakura's monsters.
"BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! DESTROY HER HANGED MAN!"
Their mouths open, and a set of three beams of burning hot plasma fly towards the upside down Duel Monster.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Monsters: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800), Maiden (0/0)
Spells/Traps: None
Life Points: 4600
- Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa takes note of the rescue at this point and looks over to Shirou for a moment she doesn't seem to move for a moment. It's clear she's not too happy either. "Still the imporant thing is she's out."
Kotone turns her attention to the duel.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Mokuba is currently backing up. The guards are somewhat fearstricken too. Fighting an Elite one on one? It is /totally/ out of their league. Mokuba starts taking a few steps further back from The Traveller. And, he frowns at Tomoyo.
"--That girl has /no chance/ against my big brother! She's as good as lost! And The Time will be his forever! Seriously. We're even broadcasting this across the /entire Multiverse/ right now! Her loss will be /super public/."
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
The Traveller ... grimaces a little. "Please, Tomoyo. To paraphrase a very appropriate warning based on our circumstances, this is not a place of honor. What is here is dangerous and repulsive, and best shunned. Plus, it's entirely possible that more guards might just be coming to put you back in that cage and try to kill me, so there's that to think about as well."
His hand is still held out to her. There are bright, red burn marks on it.
"...come along."
- Kaede (312) has posed:
There's a voice that hasn't been heard before yet. It's a small voice, but being amplified by a... tiny... little megaphone? Kaede's on Xiaomu's shoulder, wearing a cheerleader Costume Armour. The Megaphone also transmits to the Radio.
"You can't give up yet Master! It isn't over until the last number ticks down! So while you have even one point left you can bring it back!" She waves a tiny pompom to emphasize.
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu winces, less at Sakura's monster getting destroyed, and more at the fact that something three times worse than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon is now on the field.
Well, technically Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon is only one and a half times as bad, if you go by attack/defense scores, but ... still, three of those things in one, and Xiaomu doesn't even know what can do more than 4500 points of damage at once. Except ...
Suddenly there's a Shinki on her shoulder, and the sage fox grins. "She's right, Sakura! You have advantages that Kaiba doesn't have - that he can't even imagine! And we're all here rooting for you; who's in his corner that didn't pay to be here?"
She has to be more careful now so she doesn't dislodge Kaede, but Xiaomu raises her pom-poms for a few vigorous shakes, "You can win this, Sakura! Show him YOU'RE the Mistress of Cards - TAKE HIM DOWN, FOR ALL OF US!"
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
Tomoyo stares hard at Ren, shaking her head stubbornly. "I know, bad things are happening. But we're in a position to help make them better! If I just walk away, I'm only helping to keep things that way."
Turning to stare at Mokuba, she shakes her head. "So what? Yeah, of course your big brother the pro player might be able to beat someone who only starting making a deck a month ago." She grins. "But if he loses, he lost to someone who only started playing a month ago."
He does have a point on The Time though... but Tomoyo just smiles. "Unfortunately, on that front, your big brother made the biggest rookie mistake in business: he didn't get it in writing~ You think the Union will just stand by and let him walk away with it?"
And now, it seems that Tomoyo has picked up a trick from Ren. In rambling at Mokuba, she's distracting him... so she can suddenly run past! Scrambling about the narrow corridors, until she finds a way out among the seats! Looking down at the game in progress, she takes a deep breath, and puts her voice to work, trained by years of singing.
"SAKURA! YOU CAN DO IT!"
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
The Traveller blinks. "...oh, she's a wily one, that girl."
And then he's off right behind her! Just in case!
So there he is, after some running through the corridors, standing behind Tomoyo and giving a wave to everyone. Also he seems to have pilfered a radio walkie-talkie from somewhere. The dog.
- Theo Morrison has posed:
NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THE DUEL
Theo picked up his cards and wandered off. He apparently is so disgusted in the lack of comprehensive and all-encompassing rules that he packed up and went home.
Right?
SEVERAL ROUNDS AGO
Theo finds himself back in one of the other rooms, now idle and lacking Kaiba's all-encompassing stare. He gestures at Kickotron, and the cameras. The myr gets to work disabling them.
Theo draws a different deck. "Practice draw," he mutters. "Let's go."
FEWER ROUND AGO
"...Ancient Den, tap the second Sol Ring, Semblance Anvil, tap for colorless, tap both islands... Sharding Sphinx."
There's a ripple of Aether in the empty, sightless room. A creature with a leonine body and a feminine upper portion, metallic-blue wings and a mask of gold and turquoise materializes. She's big. Theo looks up, smiling.
JUST A ROUND OR TWO AGO
Tap, tap, play, play. "Whispersilk Cloak. Chariot of Victory. Skinwing. Bladed Pinions..."
The room is suddenly very crowded.
RIGHT ABOUT NOW
A shape moves across the sky. A shadow is cast, now and then, but nobody can tell by what. Maybe it's a cloud overhead.
What is actually is is Theo and his monster. The Sphinx sails across the sky, a cloak thrown over her that ripples with silver and makes her nearly invisible. Behind her, lashed to her back, is a chariot -- one with two sets of wings, one leathery and another sharp and metallic. Unless you're above the level of the audience -- say, in the Elite box or /playing/ -- there's no chance you'll see it.
Nor will you see what's /in/ it. Riding the chariot is none other than Theo, who is currently clinging to the front barrier for dear life. Kickotron stands on his shoulders, birdlike feet clinging to his shoulders and the added three feet of height giving them plenty of room for error. Kickotron is holding an enormous two-handed sword, one with a straight blade ending in a hook and draped with a pennon -- and they're rushing The Time and using it like a fishing hook.
"THE GAME IS NEVER OVER," Theo half-yells, half-transmits, "UNTIL YOUR LIFE COUNT IS ZERO! /TOPDECK LIKE YOU MEAN IT/!"
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura closes ehr eyes as her Hanged Man evaporates. Her Life Points drop down to 1700.
Well. This is it. There's no way she can win now. How does she fight something with an attack score of 4500? Nothing in her deck is that powerful! She has no chance at all. Next turn, he'll attack her Fool and completely wipe out her last remaining life points.
She's just about to give up when she hears a voice. Voices. Her friends! And... Tomoyo!
She looks across the battlefield at Kaiba. "...You haven't beaten me yet. My friends are supporting me! I can't let them down!"
She draws a card.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjlWQn8mhI
"Fool! Attack his Maiden with Eyes of Blue!"
- Staren has posed:
This is it. Sakura may be about to lose.
Staren holds up his tablet and starts programming a firing solution. Any second now...
And then, Theo.
Staren just stares in slack-jawed surprise at Theo coming out of nowhere.
Also he has /no/ idea what happens if the Fool attacks the Maiden.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Kaiba laughs out loud. Attacking the Maiden? This is not something he expected. He looks to her, holding his hands out to his sides. "Attacking my Maiden? With a pathetic monster like that? FINE. You should full well know what that does. Even though I've fused together my Dragons, they /still/ move to the Graveyard! And so... WELCOME BACK, MY BLUE-EYES!"
To the left of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appears. The Maiden with Eyes of Blue switches to defense mode, kneeling on the ground and putting her arms in front of herself.
And then Kaiba stares /blankly/ at the Time, as Theo /bursts in/. The sword catches on the metallic holder of The Time, and the card /and/ the holder fall straight to Theo.
Kaiba shouts out. His cool is now completely lost. His fists clench as he looks up towards Theo. He shouts, at the top of his lungs, "MORRISON!"
There /is/ some booing from the Audience. To their eyes, it looks like an interruption to a fun event. Many are likely assuming this is as real as wrestling.
But, it's still Sakura's turn. Kaiba can deal with the Planeswalker later. His next turn, he'll be able to finish Sakura off all the faster.
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
When Sakura looks her way, Tomoyo smiles and waves frantically! As her best friend starts her turn, she begins to dash down the stairs to the railing, two at a time! At the bottom, she slams into the railing, using it to stop herself. Taking a long, slow breath to calm her heart... she starts to sing for Sakura. Clearly in Japanese, but thank goodness for the translation effect.
"It's all right!
Daijoubu daijoubu daijoubu
(It's all right, it's all right, it's all right)
Kiseki datte okoseru!
(I can even make miracles happen!)
Here we go!
Ikouyo ikouyo ikouyo tsubasa hiroge!
(Let's go, let's go, let's go, spreading our wings!)
Kitto nanikaga nanikaga dokokade
(I'm sure that something, something is waiting somewhere)
Deaeru hi wo matteru
(For the day that we can meet!)Do-do-do dreaming! Dreaming!
Soshite tobira ga hiraku yo!
(And then, the door will open!)"
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura smirks.
"I activate Court of Justice to summon Arcana Force Seven: STRENGTH!" A massive armoured collosus appears. It... only has 1800 attack. But then the coin materialises in front of it. Sakura doesn't cross her finegrs this time.
Heads.
"Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! DESTROY HIS BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
The Strength holds up its arms. Countless tendrils shoot out, ensnaring the three-headed dragon, driving into its flesh, into its heads. Its eyes go from blue to white.
And it attacks.
"Emperor! Destroy the Maiden! And, Fluffal Leo and Strength... attack Kaiba's life points directly!"
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
The moment the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is taken? An attempt to cut the feed is made. But, some of the systems were built so that they were connected to the Time. And, the Time is no longer connected. System glitches abound.
As such, Kaiba's defeat is broadcast to the entire Multiverse. This is, without a doubt, his most spetacular defeat to date. He lost to a rank amature newbie. She had to hav cheated. There is no other way! And yet, she pulled the card she needed. She didn't even just beat the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. She took /control/ of it.
The audience begins to cheer. They came to see the famous Seto Kaiba win. To see him lose? It makes it all the more amazing. All the more unprecedented. PEople across the stadium are chanting Sakura's name, cheerfully.
Kaiba lets out a scream of anger. Rage. So few are even looking at him, instead they are staring at the winner. Ideas rush through his head. Blow this place up? No. Too many people. Launch a final trap at Sakura? No. Even his last option, freezing time to change her move? It wouldn't work. Anger continues to fill him.
He turns around, stumbling down the path out of the arena. He has been beaten, completely.
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"WAY TO GO, SAKURA!!!!" Xiaomu shouts at the top of her lungs. (Hopefully Kaede's audio receptors can handle the near-overload.) On the other hand, Kaiba seems to be getting away ...
Xiaomu vaults out of the box, poofing back into her usual outfit en route. "Kaede, tell Sakura I need to have a few words with the lunkhead who just lost to her, okay?" the sage fox asks the Shinki ... and then Xiaomu pours on the speed, sprinting across the arena towards the exit that Kaiba just left through. She really DOES need to have a few words with him, but they don't need to be public ones.
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
He listens to her sing. It is very, very wonderful. It is absolutely wonderful. /She/ is wonderful. She is... there is something special about her, something that hasn't appeared in his life in a very long time, a person who reminds him of what humans are like when you stop and spend some time to look, /really/ look at them... It makes him think.
"It's not that I doubt you," Ren says, to Tomoyo, quietly, once her song is finished. "Or your friend. I've just... been in a lot of situations. A lot of situations, threatening... similar to this one. And..."
Why do you stay connected to Tomoyo Daidouji?
"And, well..."
Why do you stay connected to Tomoyo Daidouji?
"I don't take second chances when the lives of people who are important to me are in danger."
As the cheers begin and Kaiba storms off in a huff, there may be a moment, just for a little bit, where he catches the traveller's eye. And when he does, there is a message in the look that he gives him-
I've seen your true face, boy, and you've made an enemy today. Don't believe for a second that you're going to get away without me involving myself in any plans you have to hurt these people, and we will stop those plans, and I will make you know what it's like to lose even harder and more comprehensively than you did today.
- Kaede (312) has posed:
Kaede nods to Xiaomu as the foxwoman leaps over the railing, but the excitement can't be contained as she also leaps up from Xiaomu's shoulder, screaming at the top volume of her vocal processor. "SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! SHE BEAT SETO KAIBA AT HIS OWN GAME!!" she does a little dance in mid-air, then flares her jetpack to glomphug at her Master.
- Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
After all that running, Tomoyo only had enough breath to belt out the first verse. But it seems that that is all that was needed, as Sakura proceeds to take the duel! She's safe, The Time is safe and Kaiba lost! It really couldn't have wrapped up any more neatly~
Looking up at Ren, she catches her breath before saying, "I know, and I understand~ But I'm the same, you know? I wouldn't be much of a friend to Sakura if I left her here." Looking back out at her best friend, she just smiles and applauds politely, not engaging in the cheering. She always knew Sakura could do it, and Sakura knows that.
As Kaiba storms off, Tomoyo feels a bit of vindication, but also... a touch of pity. He went to all this trouble just to rub Sakura's nose in the dirt... why? He runs a massive business at so young an age... is he really so petty as to sink all that money like this? Or is something else going on with him?
Thoughts for another time maybe. For now, she's just proud of Sakura, expanding her domain to a new set of cards~
- Staren has posed:
The Traveller already saved Tomoyo, Staren's chief concern. And now Theo got The Time AND Sakura won! It's a trifecta of victories! They're in the clear now, probably.
Of course, Staren knows the final play came down to luck. She would either draw the card she needed, or not. He's not applauding her for /drawing the perfect card/.
Tomoyo and The Time are safe, and that's what /really/ matters. Of course, from what little he can figure out about the game, Sakura must have put a lot of work into learning this game, building her deck, and making smart plays with the cards she drew. And here she always says she's bad at learning stuff!
"YEEEEEAH! GO SAKURA! YOU DID IT!" He grins, then looks between her and Tomoyo.
There's always the possibility of Kaiba pulling some last-minute stunt until they're all out of here. But right now, there's probably some value in Sakura sticking around to please the crowd instead of immediately leaving, so he doesn't, say, try to rush people out of there.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Just before Kaiba exits the room completely, he turns over. He feels the Traveller looking at him. And, despite the depression Kaiba is entering? He glares back. He isn't sure who this man is. But, his entire look is something Kaiba recognizes. He'll remembe this face.
Kaiba is down the hallway a little by the time Xiaomu arrives. His head turns back to her, glaring. His entire body is shaking. If looks could kill, this one would. He speaks, rather fiercly at Xiaomu.
"...And what do /you/ want?"
- Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa Watches s the Duel comes to an end and gets the feeling she wasn't needed, not that she's not complaing about that. She's glad things seem to have worked out at this point as the duel comes ot an end and Sakura wins she takes a moment without thinking nad just hugs Shirou or tries to. She might need to watch her dread cyborg strenght. "SHE WON, SHIROU! SHE WON!"
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
"You're right, of course," Ren says to Tomoyo, joining in the polite, subdued applause. "Thank you for helping me remember that."
Later, terrible things will surely come: they always do. But it's the moments of happiness and joy that happen between those that make things important...
And so, for once, the traveller who always walked a long and lonesome road, always making his way out midway through the party, stays put, and joins in the adulation and the joy of celebrating Sakura Kinomoto's victory.
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu slows to a walk as she gets line-of-sight on Kaiba - and he's not running, so she doesn't have to chase him down. "'What do you want'? That's the wrong question, Kaiba...."
Not 'Kaiba-boy'; she's still ticked off at him but she doesn't need to insult him right now. And there's a seriousness, almost a solemnity, in her face that you might not expect when she's probably still giddy about Sakura turning the tables and trumping Kaiba's strongest monster.
The sage fox of Shinra continues, "Reckless endangerment. Attempted murder. Assault, battery, we could probably make a case for conspiracy to commit murder, I'm pretty sure we can file a charge of depraved-heart murder even if nobody actually died ..." She comes to a halt, looking coolly at the young CEO. "That's quite a list of charges right there; the *right* question is what's going to happen about them."
- Sakura Kinomoto (172) has posed:
Sakura looks down at the floor for a few moments, then turns. She waves her hand vaguely - the Time card floating away from Theo and into her hand. She kisses the card, then heads for the exit.
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Xiaomu speaks. Kaiba turns, and looks at her. Finally, this is something that he can at least handle. He turns to face her. His face rather blank. He looks up Xiaomu, trying to judge how serious she is.
"Any criminal charges will be dealt with by Kaiba Corp's lawyers. Should you wish to file charges, you may, but it will be a waste of the court's time. I might have lost today. But. This is one angle you can /not/ beat me at."
"Besides. I deny all charges. And really, if we wanted to go down that route, I have Sakura's own murder on video too. ...Does Tomoyo look injured to you, by the way? After all. It's all just a game."
He continues walking down the path. He doesn't speak for a moment. But, finally, he speaks again while continuing on. "...Also. As a reminder. The law of the Union isn't the only law out there. If you seek this route, perhaps I can find allies in those who stand against it."
- Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo helpfully removes the case before releasing the Card back into the winds (of Sakura's possession). He'll hold onto that.
He flies in a wide circle on the Sphinx, raising it up over his head like a trophy. He passes where Kaiba stood, and bellows the most insulting thing he can think of, given the circumstance:
"GEE GEEEEEEE!"
And then, everything he brought along disappears. He starts to fall -- and the leaf-like bracelet he got from Ravnica ages ago catches him, turning his terrible plummet into a gentle, gradual drop.
Kickotron is still on his shoulders. He looks triumphant. If you squint.
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu holds up a hand. "Hold it. I said 'what to do about those charges' was the question ... and there's more than one answer."
She resumes walking, following Kaiba. "Sure, we COULD try taking it to the courts - that's the obvious answer, and the one you guessed. But I know you own a big company, you could afford to build this place - can you afford to keep it open?" she adds, her tone entirely too innocent. "- and you could probably hire a dozen lawyers who are already specialists in any jurisdiction and field you might find it necessary to hit the courts in. So yeah ... legal action is ONE choice. But it isn't the only one."
She looks to see if Kaiba's still walking; she sort of hopes that got Kaiba to stop and face her again.
- The Traveller (165) has posed:
The Traveller's ears prick just a little, as he overhears something. Sakura's...
And there, that's where the joy and the celebration ends.
He looks at Kaiba again, as the clapping continues, as the people cheer, and he looks at Sakura...
"Oh, Sakura," he says. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Kaiba stops at that. He's used to the general threats. This is a little different. He doesn't turn around fully to face Xiaomu, instead he just turns his head back slightly.
"...And what is the other choice you suggest?"
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Option two is that we don't even bring the courts into it, and seek retribution *outside* the law."
Xiaomu still isn't smiling, or looking remotely playful. "You're probably not an idiot, Seto, but were you REALLY thinking clearly? Sakura, Tomoyo, Staren, Shirou, Staren and I are all members of the Union ... and we protect our allies. You went to all this trouble to try and poke *one* Elite with very sharp things, threatened the lives of the whole group that came in ... sure, we all came out the other side safe and sound in the end, but do you really think you can keep taking shots at Union Elites and not face reprisals?"
She takes a breath. "Or ... there's one other option. Want to try and guess what it is, or should I just tell you?"
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
Kaiba just glares at Xiaomu. This sounds like a threat. No. It is /certainly/ a threat. He knows it can't be anything else but that. But, quietly, he turns around, looking straight at her. An offer is being made, and as a businessman, he has to listen. He has several guesses at what it could be. Instead, though, he wants to be certain, and not look like a fool again.
"...Just cut to the chase and tell me."
- Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"The third possibility is to put a curse on you and see if you learn from it."
Xiaomu looks levelly at Kaiba. "There are reasons why I don't like that option. Professional ones, personal ones ... ethical ones too, really. But for all that I personally don't like it ... it's the best choice, I think, for someone like you. A curse that you would *learn* from. Because for all that you are a torrential jerk of a seahorse, I don't think you WANT to be in the Confederacy."
With that, Xiaomu turns to go back to the arena. "Do me a favor on that last one, and don't prove me wrong."
- Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
A slight eyebrow is raised towards Xiaomu. Kaiba says no more. Instead, he simply walks away. Really, she has no right to tell him what to do. She has no clue about who he is, his life, and what he stands for. Instead he just keeps walking down the hallway, no longer looking back.
He has yet another person to send an assassin after.
