2958/Return to Sapidor

Return to Sapidor
Date of Scene:	03 September 2015
Location:	Sapidor Republic <SR>
Synopsis:	Union soldiers were unable to trap and arrest Sapidor's infamous arms dealer, but only because their attempt was interfered with. The original plan still stands, and this time they have even more reason to succeed. They're no longer trying to stop some jerk from using a new superweapon... they're trying to stop him from using a child.
Cast of Characters:	Kotone Yamakawa, 162, 215, 385, Ayako Hasekawa, 857

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Eve (857) has posed:
    Interpol is really not very happy. Apparently that's the word from your contact. It's not really a problem, however. He accepts that it's not your fault enemies crashed the party. Besides, after hearing what happened, he has a new plan.

    Originally, the idea was to lure Rudman outside and pick him up when he could be easily taken in on the authority of Interpol. Interpol lacks authority to raid his villa, not without having to deal with the corruption of the local police forces. If the Union itself were to arrest him, or were to break into his villa, the political turf war would hurt the relations between this world and the Union. Not permanently perhaps, and not badly, but a small world has its pride and wishes to be respected. The less troubles caused the better!

    Things have changed however. Before, Rudman's crimes weren't so severe that he could be hauled offworld and tried in a Union court. He keeps his hands clean after all, with no evidence tying him to the dirtiest of deeds. That may just have changed however. By the reports, it MAY be possible that Torneo Rudman is violating slavery laws. THAT is one of the Union's big no-nos. It may give the Union enough cause to make a direct move.

    Interpol is willing to leave the decision to the Union agents on the field. Continue the initial plan to lure Rudman out and have him jailed for his local crimes such as tax evasion, or go in after him in the hopes that the big charges will stick and justify direct Union intervention. This isn't Interpol's call to make... only the Union representatives know which risks they can take most safely.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
By Yuna's judgment, it's not a question of whether Rudman 'may' be violating slavery laws - the fact of the matter is, that's exactly what he's doing. Eve may have been conditioned to the point where she doesn't have 'wants' to speak of, but the tears in her eyes after stabbing Yuna were evidence enough.

Eve is a little girl with a heart and soul of her own - a heart and soul which Rudman is trampling on to make her into his weapon. The only reason Yuna isn't personally kicking the doors in is because she'd rather not beat up the guards to get in, either. If the group has to, she'll help, but she'd rather at least try to talk our way in.

Iria (215) has posed:
    Iria might be a swift and strong bounty hunter who loves to rush in and kick the ass of the bounty she's hunting, but she also knows that discretion is the better part of valor sometimes, and that sometimes it's better to hold back. So like Yuna, Iria's holding back as well for the time being.

    "Might as well just give himself up," Iria mutters to herself, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "It's obvious we're gonna get him and kick his ass, so why doesn't he just show himself so we can do that?!" Even though she has the ability to utilize stealth and discretion, that doesn't stop Iria from being impatient.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako is here! That is, she's sitting side-saddle on her flying broomstick, high above Rudman's villa. Her amber eyes stare downwards as she thinks to herself... "Hmm... what would be the best way to go about this?" A pointer finger taps her cheek as she considers. "I'm not really the blasty-type so..."

    One might wonder why a witch-dressed Water Spirit is here. Well, Ayako has a bit of a thing for people who are being used as weapons-it's not that she dislikes the users or anything. It's more of a personal thing from her past. And of course, she is a bit curious. Not to mention in search of a friend!

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr lays a hand on Yuna's shoulder as she walks beside the Idol Singer. "We got this. And besides, you've got me here. If we have to 'Go Loud' I can use Binding spells to neutralize the guards without hurting them."

    The Mage remembers that stone face. Those eyes. Then she remembers the report. That crushing sadness... She's going to save that girl even if it kills her.

Eve (857) has posed:
    The villa itself has suffered some significant damage thanks to MORDRED the other day, but the damaged sections have been covered over. More difficult to deal with is the lack of guards. Several were wounded or killed during the attack. Rudman's personal bodyguards weren't involved in the fight, but the standard guards are probably depleted. Still, a basic security guard force isn't that hard to come by... especially if all you really need are dressed-up thugs. Doubtless Rudman is reasonably well protected inside his own home surrounded by his own people.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Indeed, security in the villa is directed the way you'd expect for a conventional invasion or assault. Cameras, in general, point DOWN. Not very good for a multiversal defense, but then this world only recently unified.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako flies down quietly towards the group, taking the long, curving, sweeping way down. She floats to a stop a foot above the ground by everyone. "I don't think they're watching above. The cameras are all pointing down!" She grins cheerfully and pats the empty spot behind her on her broomstick, just in front of the brush. "I can carry people nice and quiet onto the building or past the gate."

    Ayako sighs softly and glances downwards. "Beyond that, though... I have no idea what's next."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa had taken the job again given wha thappened. She gets they are not happy and it can effect the reputation of someone like herself. Also she doesn't want the guy to get off. Given the apprent slavery that's going on. SO here she is with the other's she's once more suited up again. Also the memory of the girl much like one of the exsurgant infected of Rory's world plays through her mind. She's still on edge who knows what else might be here. She's gong to go with the union's call on what to do with this.

"Look we should deal with whatever way we can actually put him away for any period of time."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Sneaking in is the smart thing, and Yuna knows it. It may not be the easiest approach, and it certainly lacks some of the punch of physically kicking the door down (whether with feet or with high-firepower spells or what-have-you), but ... what Rudman is doing and/or has done to Eve goes against EVERYTHING Yuna stands for, not just as a girl who means well, but - as far as she can tell - as the Savior of Light as well.

Elner is, as before, flying above the group and helping monitor the situation from above; the robo-faerie is also ready to trigger Yuna's transformation as soon as she needs it - and the back of Yuna's mind is already going 'suit up and take the minions of Darkness directly'.

"Ayako," she says quietly, "let's do it like you suggested - put us on one of the inner rooftops. Let them wonder how we got past the perimeter."

Yuna stops suppressing that urge, and a swirl of wind and light rises around her, replacing civilian clothes with the sleekly armored Light Suit. "Once we're inside, I'll call out our challenge, then we start disabling guards." She looks around at her allies before adding, "Non-lethally, but fast and hard. Everyone okay with that?"

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr transforms along side Yuna. Her Barrier Jacket forming and the long handled battleax of Windshear form appearing in her left hand. "Sounds good to me. Take 'em down, don't give 'em a chance to react."

Iria (215) has posed:
    Iria doesn't have anything to transform into. Then again, her suit of armor is more than enough to act as her standard form for bounty hunting, so it works out evenly in the end. Not to mention, her grappling hook and her acrobatics can help assist in a situation like this too. "Right, we'll take them out quickly but leave 'em alive!" Iria replies to Yuna.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako nods her head once and then claps her hands softly. "Oh oh... now that sounds like a plan. So! Who's gonna come up on the rooftop and confuse the guards like crazy?" She inclines her head to the side gently. "Or should I just do it?"

    She shakes her head quickly. "But anyway... first... just in case." Ayako's hand sweep outwards, "Water Bubble!" And a bubble of water surrounds each person for a moment-and then fades away. Water Bubble isn't much of a barrier, but it's needed for Ayako's stronger barriers! And anyway, while it does almost nothing against Elites, it might help much more against the common guards.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Nonlethal is the way Interpol prefers it as well, though in this case they were willing to leave that call up to the Union. Not that they have a problem with criminals dying, but it's certainly preferable to show that the force of law took down the criminals... not a battle between rival syndicates.

    There ARE cameras on the roof however. Recent temporary installations aimed at the repair site, presumably to catch anyone trying to use the broken rooftop as a convenient break-and-enter point. It's easy enough to reach the roof without crossing the path of a camera, but entering might be another matter.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako quickly, yet carefully begins ferrying people one by one from outside towards the villa. Have to be careful! We're not ready to be spotted. At least not yet. However, she can't quite bring people onto the roof. Not yet! Those cameras on the roof have to be dealt with, after all!

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    She just is going to have to settle for dropping everyone off just out of sight of the cameras! Ayako isn't the sneaky sort, though, so she has no idea what to do next!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "All right just let me know where you want me and I have some ways to be non leathal means."

She's cloaking already ana making ready to get to as Yuna and the others had planned.

Eve (857) has posed:
    It's easy enough for people to get to the rooftops undetected. People, particularly those fearing this world's police and equivalent of the Colombian mob, really don't think about heights and there aren't enough people within to competently man the security systems 24/7.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr can fly, and offers to ferry anyone that needs it up onto the roof. Divine Wind works with Elner to run a loop on the video feeds to cover their approach, until Yuna gives the call to 'Go Loud' and break in.

Iria (215) has posed:
    Iria doesn't need to fly. She can utilize her grappling hook to get her from one spot to another in terms of the rooftops. It makes her look like a futuristic ninja in some ways, what with the way she somersaults through the air and lands swiftly and stealthily. One has to wonder just how heavy that armor really is.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Once everyone has gathered on the roof, Yuna takes a moment to look around. Elner does another aerial surveillance scan, confirming where the guards are - and for that matter, where all of the life-signs are on-site that AREN'T obvious guards - and 'echoes' that data to Zephyr's Device for good measure.

Then Yuna takes a deep breath.

"TORNEO RUDMAN!!! On behalf of the Union, you are hereby under arrest for the willfully-committed crime of enslaving another sentient being! Show yourself and surrender!"

The Matrix Divider materializes in Yuna's hands as she finishes calling Rudman out, although she doesn't expect the guards will be TOO much of a threat if they're all at ground level. Truth be told, she's not sure what other surprises Rudman might be hiding in his estate ...

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr does the one other thing TSAB Mages are good for. She spikes her Device into the roof tiles and pours some magic into the AI unit. <SORCEROUS PRISON> The sky darkens, and takes on an odd distorted colour, trapping everyone in the estate in a little pocket dimension. A Barrier Field!

    "This should help mitigate any further structural damage... I'll get to work on the guards in the corridors, you guys take the ones out here." says Zephyr, before she dives into the hole in the roof, landing with a resounding thud in a crouch, for emphasis to any guards that may or may not be in line of sight.

Eve (857) has posed:
    The what now? Rudman and his guards are surprised by Yuna's demand, but are quick to act. Orders blaze out on the shortwave radios. Guards run around, setting up defenses around the perimeter. They don't, however, come to the roof. Why should they? What reason would they have to believe anyone is THAT close without being detected?

    Within the villa, Rudman himself begins preparations. "The Union. Well, they're not getting my prize! I've spent billions of dollars on this and if I can't have her no one will!" he says to his aide. "Get the NS Serum." "But sir! That could..." "I don't CARE what it does to her. If we have to use it, we'd lose her anyways. Besides, don't you want to SEE that thing at full power? Get the serum, and bring Eve here. If they want a confrontation, they'll GET a confrontation!"

    When Zephyr rolls on in, nearby guards begin to open fire. Small caliber bullets still ... seems they haven't upgraded their gear since MORDRED crashed the party.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr is the big loud distraction. As bullets come streaking in, flickers of purple energy deflect and disintegrate them. A hand flies out as she slowly stands. "You're annoying." <RIBBON BIND!>. Lashes of purple energy whip out, attempting to tie up the guards nearby and immobilize them.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako hops off of her broom and swiftly grabs it as she lands lightly on her feet. Amber eyes glance about quickly-and then blink. Gunshots? She looks over to the hole that Zephyr jumped into. That was quick! They're already reacting!

    Being unable to fight, she hides behind those that can. And watches carefully. Never know when a barrier might come in handy!

Iria (215) has posed:
    Iria doesn't need a barricade or anything like that when she's got agility at her disposal. She uses her acrobatic skills to try to avoid the guards as best as she can, using her hands and feet to knock out anyone who gets too close. "You don't know who you're dealing with!" Iria exclaims as she takes out one random guard.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
With Zephyr drawing the guards' attention inside, Yuna glances over the roof's edge, gauging the distance to the ground and counting guards.

Then she jumps. It's only a couple of stories up, she can handle a drop that far while transformed. And as soon as she's on the ground, she starts blasting guards into unconsciousness with bolts of concussive light from the Matrix Divider. If any of the guards get too close to shoot, she'll shift to melee and smack them - all except for one.

The unlucky winner gets the muzzle of the Matrix Divider nudging against his (probably overpriced) necktie, the weapon's business end glowing as Yuna focuses a charge into it. "Take me to Torneo Rudman," she instructs him, "or meet the same fate as your buddies. You can't stop us. You can't even *hurt* us. And by the Queen of Light, I am not leaving so long as Rudman has even one innocent under his control ..."

It's only a slight bluff, but between local mook guards and trained Union Elites, it's a pretty safe bet that Yuna and her friends will be walking out of here relatively unscathed. Also, the guards she's either shot or smitten are only stunned - she WAS holding back, but she didn't want it to particularly look like it. She doesn't intend to kill the guard she's intimidating, either ... but she's happy to let him think otherwise for the moment.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa has been keeping stealthy the guards act quickly and she's kepeing cloaked for the moment. She does have something with her an arc thrower which she's going to use the sun the nearst of the guards. She's going to be exposed as being there but it would give them one less problem to worry about, so that's what she's going to do. She's forced to enaged in combat after the cloak giving out and she's got now a blaster pistol in hand which has also been set to stun and she's opening fire taking two more out of the fight but she's going to be on the defence for now.

Eve (857) has posed:
    The guards are no real match for the assembled Union forces. A couple of shots go off, but they're easily handled by speed, armor, or the 'best defense' being a good offense. Yuna's captive stares, wide-eyed, at the weapon to his throat. Trying hard not to swallow, he nods his head carefully upward in agreement, careful not to press too far down on the return motion. The outside group is led inside, where they can meet up with Zephyr and proceed to where Rudman is, ready and waiting for them.

    Inside the partially-damaged grand hall, Rudman and several bodyguards wait. Also present is the little girl Eve. Rudman has a meaty hand completely engulfing her frail-seeming shoulder. "I'd invite you in, but you already broke in." he says, gloating in an unseemly manner. "Leave now, and I might be persuaded to ignore what you've done this night. You have no legal grounds to come here. This..." he says, shaking Eve slightly. "Is not human. Slavery laws don't apply." he claims.

    "In fact, I'm well within my rights to have you all executed." Rudman insists. "Eve. Continue the game."

    The little blonde girl looks at the people assembled before her. She blinks only once when she sees Yuna. As far as reactions of surprise go, it's subtle, but it's the only thing that breaks her otherwise-emotionless countenance. She focuses on Zephyr. Continue the game. The game was supposed to be over when she killed Yuna... but she didn't kill Yuna. That's really strange... but she's glad she didn't kill the blonde woman who was nice to her. She doesn't want to kill anyone, but she has to continue the game.

    The game. The game was to chase intruders. She was chasing the other one before. That would continue the game, yes. Eve turns to Zephyr, taking note of her axe. She extends one hand, and the air before her fingers begins to shimmer as her fingers extend metallically. The process is slow, deliberate. Much slower than it was when Eve attacked Yuna; this gesture seems more to be one of intimidation, or possibly delay. When the blade is finally finished growing it's about four feet long and quite thick through the width and base. Like a to-scale Buster Sword. As a sword, it's about as close to an axe as someone's likely to find. It may not be a match for Divine Wind, but it's a serious claimant at the least.

    Guards ready their weapons, but they don't open fire. They've been given their instructions, and are at least to wait to see if the invaders can be 'persuaded' to leave. One holds a rather huge syringe rather than a pistol, though he hardly looks like a qualified doctor-type.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr and Divine Wind lock eyes with Eve. Both the Mage and her Device seem eager to fight... and that intimidation measure only serves to stoke that little fire. "C'mon then, catch me if y'can!" she goads the girl, then turns and runs off down one of the hallways. Lets hope Eve decides to follow! GOtta get the girl away from Rudman.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako walks after the group, amber eyes darting about quickly, as if trying to take everything in. So this is Rudman, huh? Oh, and this must be the girl-Eve, huh? She pointedly ignores Rudman and waves hello cheerfully to Eve with a bright smile as well.

    She ignores even harder when Rudman states that slavery laws don't apply. Since when do slavery laws only apply to humans, after all? Ayako would definitley have words about that, but she's ignoring Rudman right now. Trying to anyway. She curiously watches Eve change the shape of her hand.

    She isn't really worried about Zephyr or Yuna! Those two can easily take care of themselves. Ayako does eye the guards carefully. Especially the one with the huge syringe. She might not be the brightest, but... she knows when one of these things is not like the other!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
The Matrix Divider disappears as Yuna looks at Rudman, then at Eve. Her expression softens noticeably as her gaze rests on the little blonde girl. "Eve, if you're going after Zephyr, I need to tell you one thing first."

"Even an oni has a heart. And whatever Rudman's done to you to make you follow his orders, he *can't* control your heart. I believed that from the beginning ... but when you stabbed me -" She gently rubs the side of her belly, where Eve stuck that thin blade through her last time. "- I knew beyond all doubt that your heart is still your own. If you defy Rudman and come with us, you can be free - free to choose your own path in life, to become what *you* desire to be."

Her attention shifts back to Rudman, her gaze hardening once again. "As for you ... It doesn't matter whether Eve is technically, officially, human or not. The Union laws forbidding slavery apply to any sentient being, organic or mechanical or otherwise. She could be a demon summoned from the darkest of hells and she would *still* be protected against slavery under Union law. If she chooses to come with us, you can do *nothing* to prevent it except by killing us all - and not you nor all your guards will be able to take our lives."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is happy to take down the guards and she's moving in she looks to him her face is locked in a mute expression for a moment.

"You presume too much."

She recalls the game, oh she does but she sees that the girl doesn't seem to be. She takes a moment.

"Do you want to leave here and never have to play this game again?"

She calls out but she's going to get on the move.

"He's lying to you, the anti slavery laws apply to self aware beings."

Eve (857) has posed:
    Rudman's face slowly turns red as Yuna speaks. Eve listens too, and even as her legs carry her in Zephyr's direction she seems to be listening. Whether the words sink in or not is unclear, but she at least seems to listen.

    As the plans seem to fall down around Rudman, he counters in the way he best knows. "No!" he roars, pointing a thick-fingered hand at Yuna. "Kill that one first!" he insists.

    Eve turns to Yuna, but once again hesitates. She looks back at Rudman, showing obvious uncertainty. "You are MINE! Do as I say!" he yells. She flinches, turning to look at Yuna again. "I ... can be free?" she asks.

    "No!" roars Rudman again. "You are a weapon! A weapon has no use for freedom. Kill her!" The roar, and the words, make Eve flinch again. Make her hesitate. Slowly she turns back to Yuna. "I can... decide for myself?" she asks. "I... don't have to kill anyone?"

    At those words, Rudman sees he's lost his weapon. "You leave me no choice. A weapon does not NEED free will!" he says, making eye contact with the guy with the syringe and nodding. The thug advances on Eve, who remains paralyzed, waiting for an answer.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr, noting no chase, turns back and comes in around another way. "Dee? Situation?" a quick scan of the room gives Zephyr all she needs. <MISTRAL STORM. STRIKE MODE! MISTRAL TEMPEST CUTTER!> A wall just gives up being solid, caving in and revealing the mage surging through with a divine fury.

    Her target?

    The guard with the syringe. "KIAI!" She aims the full force of her strike into him, like a giant hammer to swat him away. "Come with us Eve. We'll make sure noone uses you like this again." she says after landing, interposing herself between Eve and Rudman. "You're lost, Rudman. Give up and I won't have to flatten you like your guard there."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    While Ayako is definitely ignoring Rudman, she definitely isn't ignoring Yuna! "Yuna's right, Eve! If there's one thing you always have, it's that you have a choice! There are some..." Her amber eyes glance over to Rudman, although just for a moment! She's ignoring him, after all. "Things that may try to control you, or try to limit what you can choose, but you always have it! You just have to grasp it yourself!" She gives a cheerful smile to Eve!

    Of course, she still is watching that guard with the syringe carefully-and the very moment he moves she steps in front of Eve and points the brush of her broom at the guard. She might not be able to attack but... does the guard know that? She is all witchy right now, after all!

    And then Zephyr comes in like a breeze!

Iria (215) has posed:
    Meanwhile, Iria has found her way into where Yuna and the others are. She stops suddenly as she sees the guy with the syringe. "Oh damn it, now what do I do?" Iria thinks to herself as she feels like she's gone a bit too far this time.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Yes, Eve," Yuna says. "You can be free, you can decide for yourself what to do with your abilities."

Suddenly, Zephyr comes through the wall and goes after the guard with the syringe. Yuna smiles in relief, and continues addressing the blonde girl, nodding in agreement with Ayako. "You can protect instead of being a killer, if that's what you decide. I can't promise that there'll be no limit on your choices, but your decisions will be *yours*, and nobody else's, so long as I - or any of us - have a say in the matter."

Eve (857) has posed:
    A giant hammer of wind flattens the bodyguard who was planning on injecting Eve with some nasty-sounding thing that would likely be absolutely not good for her health. With the guard taken down, he won't be injecting her any time soon. That threat, it seems, has been blown away.

    This leaves several people in the room moving and acting at once. Eve herself doesn't hesitate. That murderous-looking blade on her arm shimmers and shatters, turning into dust which vanishes into glowing motes of golden light that themselves then vanish. She throws herself headlong towards Yuna and the others, knowing she's taking a chance, quite clearly desperate to take it.

    Others take the sudden assault less than optimally. Guns raise, and the room itself becomes a deadly crossfire. As bullets fly, Eve's eyes widen. She turns, facing the guards, eyes widening. "No!" she shouts, her voice sounding more alive, more fearful, than anyone here has ever heard... Rudman included. "You can't!" she cries, flinging her arms wide, her body between the guns and the person she so recently 'tried' to kill.

    The body of the tiny girl folds as if gut-punched, sent flying like a rag doll into Yuna by the momentum of the striking bullet. The other guards fire at other Union targets, and Rudman himself draws a high-caliber magnum.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    Zephyr throws up a barrier, deflecting bullets, though the screen was hastily erected and begins to crack quickly. "I'm just about DONE WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!" she roars over the gunfire. <MISTRAL STORM. AREA MODE.> "THIS IS MY WORLD NOW! YOU ARE /NOT/ WELCOME HERE!"

    Along with whatever else the others throw at Rudman and his flunkies? The air itself seems to come alive, knocking bullets out of the air with vicious slaps, 'punching' the guards with compression waves and generally being an unpleasant place to be. For everyone except Eve and the other Unionites. They're helped by the wind, their attacks being guided into their targets if they're physical, and their bodies being lifted by the flowing winds.

    Zephyr stands at the center of this strange storm, hair and skirt fluttering gently. "Get her out of here Yuna. We'll cover for you. GO!"

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    When the bullets start to fly, Ayako swiftly shoves the brush of her broomstick downwards. "Bullet Maelstrom!" And a sudden torrent of water swirls about herself as she quickly moves to position herself in the way of the bullets aimed at the group. The swirlling water of Bullet Maelstrom is made to deflect bullets away! And assists Zephyr's own Mistral Storm!

    Ayako makes her way over to Eve quickly and checks her over swiftly. She's a healer first and foremost, after all!

Eve (857) has posed:
    There is, strangely, no spray of blood. Just as obvious and probably just as strange, there's no exit wound. The bullet undeniably struck Eve, and the girl was clearly knocked sprawling, but...

    Those with sensors for such thing will note the girl's not badly hurt. The bullet wound is about as superficial as is possible, shredding cloth but not penetrating. The way the bullet flung her back is another clue for that. When a bullet passes through something, it delivers much less kinetic energy than if it's stopped by, say, ballistic cloth. Or by steel.

    After a moment Eve's eyes flutter open and she reaches out to catch Yuna by the arm of her light suit. The girl draws her lips into a pained smile. "I'm okay." she says, a bit weakly. She reaches for the bullet wound, pushing aside some cloth to show the gleam of bright metal. Could this girl, so human-seeming, REALLY be a construct of metal?

    Ayako's efforts quickly stifle the gunfire, leaving Zephyr able to concentrate on taking out the guards. Others are also freed of the need for defense and can act offensively or can aid Eve as best fits their abilities.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
A bullet hits Eve, and Eve's body hits Yuna; both blonde girls go down in a heap as Yuna cries out Eve's name, holding her as if in after-the-fact protectiveness. There are flickers of energy across Yuna's greaves and vambraces - but her full power doesn't have time to build up before the fact that Eve isn't anywhere near 'dead' becomes clear, as much from Elner scanning the girl and verifying it as from Eve trying to reassure Yuna.

Yuna lets out a deep sigh of relief, and just *hugs* Eve for a moment, mostly letting her allies deal with the gangsters. Then she works on getting up, and after a call of, "Shugoseiheki!" to materialize her shield, she helps Eve up as well - using the shield to protect Eve; it's big enough that the smaller girl could hide behind it almost completely.

Between Zephyr, Iria, and Kotone, it's not like Yuna needs to do much on the subject of offense. She'd like to make sure Rudman gets dragged along to face whatever charges are deemed appropriate, but getting Eve out without further injury *is* more important now.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako blinks her eyes quickly at the gleam of bright metal and thinks to herself. "Hmm... what kind of healing water would work best here? Well! Let's try the standard first!" Her hands cup together and purple healing water fills them. "Healing Water!" And her hands fling the water at where the bullet hit Eve.

    Purple healing water is meant for organic beings and heals their wounds quickly!

Eve (857) has posed:
    Organic-healing waters are probably best. The wounds to Eve's 'metal' aren't significant, only the damage caused by an impact powerful enough to send the girl flying. Eve reaches to the wound, tugging at fabric until with a small 'plink', a badly-deformed bullet falls to the ground. Underneath the metal she'll have injuries, but those are easily healed by Ayako.

    The metallic skin also fades back into normal flesh tones. Normal for the too-pale girl at least. "When the bullet hit, I turned my stomach to steel." she explains quietly, the words intended for Yuna. Or possibly, the words are intended for Eve herself and Yuna only happens to overhear. "This is the first time I used my power by my own choice." she adds, smiling weakly. "It was *my* choice." she repeats with emphasis. "It was good, right?" she asks.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna laughs softly, hugging Eve close with her right arm (the one that isn't holding her kite shield). "Yeah, you did great!"

Although Yuna didn't really need the protection ... but she's not going to tell Eve that at this point. Eve *chose* to protect her when she'd been ordered to kill, and Yuna is just as happy for the demonstration that despite everything Rudman did, Eve's free will is working as God intended.

And speaking of Rudman, Yuna glances around to see if the crime boss/arms dealer/scum of this particular earth is down for the count yet.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa looks now as Eve as ever thing pans out she sees Eva move and she now makes ready to move but then she's hit and she oes flying into YUna. The others open fire on her and she starts to not hold back she moves with inhuman speed and agility and lobs a flash bag into the enemy's ranks.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako quietly watches Eve and sighs with relief. Purple was the right call! She curiously watches as the metallic skin fades back into normal flesh and then claps her hands softly when Eve explains what she did. "Well, I think it was a good first choice!" She nods her head once with her eyes closed. Un, un.

    "And so! You have another choice coming up, Eve! What do do you want to do?" Ayako smiles brightly at her and then gazes significantly at what's left of the guards... and of course Rudman.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    The guards are rather pathetic, really. Even for non-elites. Zephyr keeps her maelstrom of ow up right until Kotone releases that flash-bang. A cover of eyes, then a flicker of superhuman speed. Zephyr would give a Saiyan a run for their money in sheer speed. She's near the Unionites one moment, the next she's right in Rudman's face. <MACH PUNCH!> Zephyr says nothing, but the almost too cheerful chime from her Device is all that's needed.

    Zephyr swings her right fist forward, sheathed in a boiling coating of wind magic. She slams that into Rudman's face, likely flooring him immediately and leaving a broken nose and a lovely impact mark he won't be forgetting soon. (Un)luckily, her magic is non-lethal, so that's the full extent of it... though imagine what that would have done with the 'safety' off.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Blinded and deafened, the bodyguards are really not going to be much of a threat. Rudman is no trained soldier. Even though he IS a named character, somewhat harder to finish than a bunch of nameless mooks, he's still not a warrior that can stand up to the mighty wind mage. The punch smashes him to the ground, down for the count and pretty much out cold, face smashed into near-unrecognizability. He'll live though. He'll live long enough to face trial for slavery and possibly many other crimes.

    Eve would probably be slightly disappointed to learn that she didn't NEED to act to save Yuna, but in the end it was the choice she made that's what counts, not whether or not those actions were needed.

    Eve glances over at Rudman, seeming not at all upset to see him dealt with so ruthlessly. She may be new to the whole idea of free will, but she knows enough to understand what he wanted to do to her. She may be sheltered from some of the details, but she knows who has treated her well and who hasn't. She blinks and looks back to Ayako, pursing her lips thoughtfully. It IS a tricky thing, and she's not exactly experienced in matters of having choices. The question 'what do you want' is still one that's difficult for her to answer, but at least she finally knows she CAN answer it.


"Can... can I come with you?" she asks hesitantly. She has no idea what that'll mean. Her only experience with any place outside the villa was brief, and she was lost and hungry. Still, whatever she's likely to face out there, surely it's better than staying here?

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Of course you can, Eve!" Yuna says happily. "If you want to join the Union, I'm sure we'd be happy to have you with us. You'll have to follow the Union's rules and such, but they're pretty forgiving for Allies ... most of the time, anyway."

It doesn't occur to her that Eve could be anything other than a regular Ally, apparently ....

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    "Falka Bi'tralth Lok'ra." spits Zephyr, purposefully overriding the translation effect to spare Eve from understanding what she just said to the KO'd Rudman. She casts a Binding spell on him, just to be sure, then starts unceremoniously dragging him over towards Eve and the others. "I'll put in a good word for ya, Eve." she offers, giving a cocky, lopsided grin. "Hell, if /I/ can keep my nose clean, I'm sure you can." she reaches down to lightly ruffle that blonde hair... then carries on draggin Rudman out to face charges... and /maybe/ get some medical treatment.

    Maybe.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako smiles cheerfully and says, "Of course you can, Eve!"-at the exact same time as Yuna even. Although she lets Yuna continue on. She isn't the type to talk over someone else! "Hmm... well, I'm sure the Union will figure something about!"