5388/AOH: Every Rivet, Every Weld

AOH: Every Rivet, Every Weld
Date of Scene:	22 July 2017
Location:	Fraulein Earth <GFY>
Synopsis:	Agents of the Black Fleet turn up in Shirokodai, specifically seeking revenge.
Cast of Characters:	385, Nagato, 215, 136, Shigure, Midway, Kotone Yamakawa, Wo, Staren
Tinyplot:	Abyssal Operation Hydra

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Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Another lazy Saturday is drawing on towards evening in Shiraokadai, and a bout of passing rain has given way to clearing skies - and, if you happen to be in the right spot, some beautiful rainbows. Yuna has been too busy to look at rainbows, though; when she hasn't been engaged in promotional work of one sort or another for the upcoming _Star Ship Shoujo_ anime, she's been either rehearsing intensively, or actually taking part in the first of several audition sessions.

"I don't think even the Galaxy Fraulein Contest was that intense," Yuna sighs as she emerges from the studio. "I know it was just the director and production team listening, but it felt like every other actress who was there was listening and judging too ..."

Nagato has posed:
    It's a short time after, but Nagato finally emerges from the studio too, a strange look upon her face. "The intensity of producers and directors... are beyond even some of Musashi's training methods." she shakes her head, moving to catch up with her friend. "Is it always this way for people who are doing this?" she questions towards Yuna with a shake of her head, that coat flowing behind her as she walks behind. "Either way, let's go grab something to eat, my treat."

    There's a bit of a pause as the Battleship looks around, the only place Nagato's been to in Shiraokadai... was the hospital when Yuna was injured that last time. "Just, where's a good place? It's your world, so, your recommendations are of importance."

Iria (215) has posed:
Iria auditioning to take part in something like this? Call it strange, call it un-Irialike (no, that's not a word, we just made it up) call it whatever you want. But apparently, Iria's decided to try her luck at auditioning too. Even if she doesn't make it in, she has knowledge in knowing that she tried. Of course, what she hadn't expected was how harsh it would be for her.

Coming out behind Yuna and Nagato, Iria throws her cape back on and sighs. "That was a bit strict, I will admit. Makes some of my training programs seem like child's play." She shrugs a little. "But I suppose you gotta do what you gotta do if you want to make it in this business." A slight smirk forms on her face. "Of course, compared to how Fujikurow would've done, I'm sure I did a LOT better!" She chuckles.

At the same time, she's looking around the area. She's only passed through here once, and is now getting a real look at it. To Iria, it seems like a rather nice place, and she stretches her arms over her head, albeit underneath her cape, before continuing along with Nagato and Yuna.

Rarity (136) has posed:
"Well dahling, at least you weren't the only one getting stared at, right?" Of course by this point Rarity is use to getting odd looks simply for not being 'human', and barely thought another concern about it. "Personally, I think you both did marvelously. To even get up in front of others like that, private or not, is quite different than performing on stage in front of faceless crowds."

No, she didn't try out for anything. She was just here to support her friends in their efforts. Hardly the first time she's assisted Yuna in her profession. The one other than fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by dayli -- wait that's someone else's tagline isn't it...

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure isn't normally the type to do this kind of thing, but even she came to audition... being effectively carried by the blonde, red-eyed little sister of hers. She does emerge not long after Nagato and Yuna, to be instantly glommed onto by Yuudachi. "Well... that was not quite as bad as I had imagined." she remarks, even as she kind of stagger-walks with Yuudachi clinging to her side. "They seemed to like me." The soft voiced destroyer says.

    Yuudachi giggles. "Yuudachi is so proud of Shigure-neesan, poi~." she says, then finally lets go of the dark haired girl, the pair forming up beside Nagato and Yuna.

Midway has posed:
    "Intensity, huh," a young voice comments. The source is a white-haired girl in a black hoodie and shorts, her hands tucked into the pocket at the front. She can't be much older than fourteen, all limbs and not much else. She looks pale, what bit of her face is visible in the shadow of the hood. This girl had been leaning against the building near the door, and only now pushes off. While she addresses the exiting party of hopeful actors, she keeps her face turned away, obscured by the hood, "Reading lines in a sound booth while people evaluate your performance? Is that really a rough time for you?"
    She turns just slightly, not enough to show her face but enough to acknowledge, "At least you seem to be having fun."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone had come to visit up with Yuna because she'd never got a chance to make it to Yuna's world bfore and the contest? Why the heck not. She'd taken a crack at the contest, even if she didn't get nowhere it could be fun. It could also be an alternate source of income of she did well and the Paladins bombed out for her. She was casually dressed and in a good mood. It had been fun and she'd had to do some acting in the past where her neck was on the line if she was uncovered. So doing it for fun? That was treat.

"That was pretty crazy I'm not even sure I'd make the cut for an extra but hey it was a good deal of fun. You ain't kidding about that Admiral. You threw me through the wringer for my own good but ... that was something else."

Wo has posed:
Call it a hunch, or maybe a strange connection. Curiosity helps, as well. This surface world media is something that the Wo-class aircraft carrier is only nominally familiar with, but this _Star Ship Shoujo_ phenomenon, or rather some of the fleet's enthusiasm for it, had been hard to ignore. She wasn't going to participate herself, for several, deeply layered reasons, but she could at least be in the area to lend support after, and soak in the general atmosphere, in between her often stressful engagements. Accordingly, and to hopefully spook the locals less, she was dressed in her lighter configuration, which probably passes more easily as 'just clothing', and she's seated in a cafe relatively close to the studio. The steaming cup of tea, a kind suggested by Kongou, dances around in her gloved fingertips, rather than being consumed at the moment.

    'You should have joined them there, and maybe gotten involved, yourself! We talked about this, and your reluctance to strengthen those relationships, didn't we?' The playfully nagging voice in the back of her head just wouldn't let that go, would she. "You're right," she mumbles, seemingly to the wisp of steam rising from the cup, and now she's likely a crazy person to anyone that's within earshot. "...but I have more than that to consider. I can't just do things like that on a whim." 'Again with that kind of talk. You need to think of yourself, too!'

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure and Yuudachi come up short as the hooded figure speaks. They don't quite know how to react, but their initial reflex is defensive, the pairs hair-flaps lifting slightly, and their eyes flaring with an inner light as their radar goes active. Even the non-kanmusu would feel the radar sweep, like a tingle across the little hairs on their skin from the radiation.

    Yuudachi begins, "Who..." and Shigure finishes. "... are you?" Both eyes locked onto the figure.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"There are a *lot* of aspiring voice actresses hoping to break into the industry," Yuna says to Nagato and the others. "Some of them specifically want to be in this series, but a lot of them are just jumping for any role they can read for. And that's before you add the fans who don't necessarily want to make a career as a voice actress, but want to be part of StaSho in particular ... the producers usually play their initial thoughts closer to the vest than that, as far as I know, but given how many people showed up, I guess they're trying harder to see who has more potential, who can take direction in the studio without cracking, things like that." She trails off with a shrug.

"Anyway ... yeah, supper sounds good. It's kind of upscale and priced to match, but there's -" Yuna stops abruptly as that young girl speaks up and approaches the group; the blonde girl turns to look at the hoodie'd figure. "It makes you feel the competition, at least, and there's a different kind of pressure when you're recording for real. Are you a fan or something ... ?"

It's about at that moment - specifically, the moment when the word 'fan' leaves Yuna's mouth - that a certain tiny construct, like a robotic faerie, blips into view a few stories above Yuna. At almost the same time, three more girls who seem roughly Yuna's age (and vaguely similar to her in appearance) start wandering in the group's direction: one from a small shopping plaza down the street, one leaving her table in the cafe where Wo was sitting, the third heading that way from the train station.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Rarity pauses and leans over a little to look past the group at the source of the new voice. Glances up, and then down, and then scoots closer to the others again as she murmurs, "I can't tell if she is ill or just one of those human foals that like to dress in black outfits and pale makeup for some unfanthomable reason."

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato was about to suggest something when she feels that radar sweep from the two destroyers. She gives her attention to the girl who speaks and she hmms. "When it comes from someone who is not normally accustomed to doing such, then yes, a rough time can be had from it." she replies, "But I shall echo my girls question, who are you?" Nagato gets a curious feeling but she shakes her head...

    "I think they are still holding auditions if you're interested. While I may not be of.. prime stock when it comes to this, I believe everyone should give a new thing a try when they can." There's an odd little smile coming from the battleship, eyes looking around... something didn't /feel/ right, especially since her Destroyers are in 'radar check' mode.

    "Shigure, Yuudachi, I think you two can stand down from radar." she comments, "We don't want to make the guest uncomfortable." even if she's making it uncomfortable for us...

Iria (215) has posed:
Iria's nodding to Yuna in response to what is being said, not really saying much else at the moment. It's not until the strange new girl appears that Iria looks forwards again and her eyes widen for a moment, before she attempts to regain her composure and look natural again. "Who are you?" She asks, trying to sound casual, but if one listened closely, they'd detect a hint of uneasiness in Iria's voice.

At the same time, one of Iria's eyes narrows just a tiny bit. Even though she's trying to look calm, those who look closely at Iria can tell she's getting suspicious already.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa if she by some miracle got a minor role that would be find like soldier a or some other small role of tht sort. She was almsot bouncing a bit in step with Yuna, Nagato and the rest of the voice acting hopefuls who had comeby to visit Yuna. She looks to the girls who are looking a lot like yuna. That gets one blue eyebrow raised at least for a moment.

"Supepr? Mmm fooc could be niceand hey eating out off world is always fun for me!"

Yes the cyborg's a foody, odd thatthen again she has her reasons.

Wo has posed:
Normally, someone standing up and simply walking out wouldn't be of much concern. However, there's still that faint, uneasy feeling in the pit of Wo's stomach, and her turquoise eyes follow the girl as she exits. Eyebrows furrow under the edge of her smaller-than-usual hat. Calling a server over to pay her bill, she also stands up from her seat. Kongou would be really disappointed; a few sips of the tea cup are all that's missing, judging from the subtle mark of the maximum fill depth. It's probably just her imagination. Maybe she's that bad at people-ing. Regardless of the cause, she just has a notion that she shouldn't be sitting here, right this moment.

    The faint illumination by a radar closeby, a few moments ago and dampened by the walls of the building, did not help put her at ease. That spirit that's with her speaks up, at this point, 'Hey! We were going to try to meet up with them here, weren't we? Though I agree that that didn't seem like the kind of radar you'd feel being used in the city.' It was a familiar sort, one that might have once been an uncomfortable memory, at that. Nonetheless, for all that troubled worry, she is still only walking for the moment, trailing that girl that left with hopefully enough space and plausible deniability that she doesn't cause any alarm, herself.

Midway has posed:
t"Who am I?" the pale girl straightens briefly, regarding the two destroyers who first address her, "I'm a nobody. But I think I know a thing or two about having a rough time." Her head tilts towards Shigure, then Yuudachi, "I know that these two little sisters here know. And I know the big one knows. The horse and other kids I don't particularly care one way or the other. But do /you/ know what pain is, Kagurazaka?"

    She removes her hands from her hoodie's pocket, spreading them out to either side, "For that matter, do you know what pain you've caused others? Not in battle, that's obvious. But your actions are a cause. And there is an effect." Her gaze lifts, and for the first time the glowing violet light of her eyes can be seen, "And that effect creates consequences."

    At the cafe across the street, a woman in a long brown coat a few tables away from Wo's seat stands up. Something writhes underneath her jacket as she turns and exits the closed-in area from the sidewalk, her hands reaching up to tug down the black military cap she wears. Something hisses from a storm drain grate, and small blue and red lights start gathering underneath the metal bars.

    "To be honest, though," the strange girl comments, "Pain is really nothing. It's a kindness that tells you that you're alive. The real rub is torture. Agony for days on end." Her violet eyes narrow in the shadow of her hood, "Do you know what that's /like/? Do you know what you've /done/ to me?" Her hands flex, the sleeves of her sweather swelling suddenly, tearing along the seams as her hands are replaced by enormous metallic black gauntlets, "I /hate/ you. I hate everything /about/ you." Those torpedo-styled fingers flex, then clench into fists, "If every /rivet/, every /weld/.. every sproket, spring, and coupler.. if every /plate/ and /pane of glass/ was inscribed with that word..!" Teeth clenching, she hisses, "It would not BEGIN to describe how much I HATE YOU! I don't care how many escorts you pick up, you're going to pay in blood and oil for EVERYTHING you did to me!"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"I ...." Yuna starts to reply when she's asked if she knows what pain is, what pain she's caused others ... and then the girl mentions consequences. And the conversation only takes a darker turn from there.

Honestly, though, the unease started to set in for real when she was addressed as 'Kagurazaka'. Most of Yuna's friends just call her by her given name - or rather, the simplified version that she uses in day-to-day life, or sometimes a nickname derived from it. Out of Yuna's circle of friends, Nagato is the one who calls her 'Kagurazaka' most often, and *that's* because of exactly how they work together in the Hikari Defense Forces.

Between the girl's words and that abrupt change in her tone, followed by the physical transformation, the look on Yuna's face goes from confusion to consternation to actual fear. "Destroyer? What did ..." Yuna's words trail off, her jaw hanging open as she stares at those gauntlets. The fear on her face right now isn't fear for herself, though - and just as quickly, it mixes with another emotion.

"I'm sorry," Yuna says quietly, bowing her head. "It sounds like you can't find a way to forgive me, but ... I couldn't let you and the other Abyssals simply go ahead with hurting people. I *had* to fight you, to stop you from taking the oil at the refinery. I don't know why you were altered like this, but if it's anything like ..."

Her voice actually breaks, and Yuna just sucks in a gasp of air, squeezing her eyes shut against the memory of 'modifications' inflicted on human subjects in yet another world entirely.

"I'm sorry that you endured such pain because of me, Destroyer-class, but I *could not* have stood aside. Just as I can't stand aside now." Yuna raises her head, opening her eyes anew, and looks into the Destroyer Water Demon's eyes. There's no defiance in her gaze, no hatred; she doesn't even seem to have a desire to fight the Abyssal girl. Not because they're in the middle of the city and bystanders are likely to be hurt in an all-out battle - but just because, by the Abyssal girl's own words, Yuna has already been responsible for *her* suffering.

"If apologies will make the difference, then I'll gladly apologize as many times as it takes," Yuna continues, her voice gentle but resolute. "I'll kneel and prostrate myself before you, apologizing all the while. If I can do anything else to make amends, then tell me, and I'll tell you what I can do. I am truly sorry that I caused you to suffer, by my hands or by anyone else's. I swear that I don't want to hurt you any further than you've already endured."

Wo has posed:
Maybe that was the reason that the carrier just couldn't seem to relax and enjoy some tea. Though, if so, Wo doesn't immediately take notice that she's only the second of three that suddenly left under curious circumstances and motives. Though she'd like to get a look ahead, simply launching aircraft among streets scattered with of civilians would cause unwelcome attention, as a best case scenario. She'll have to wait for an opening. From beneath the edge of the smaller flight deck hat, a small, female creature with a round head and button eyes emerges, using one of the seaweed-shaped tendrils to climb down to a shoulder. "Sorry to call you out like this, but could you help me keep watch? I'm feeling uneasy with all of this." The pilot fairy salutes, and gets to pivoting her head around this way and that, sometimes at nearly impossible angles, if she had normal human anatomy.

    That's when she notices another figure tailing and moving seemingly on the same rough vector as the girl that had left the cafe earlier, and gotten this whole line ahead formation started. The fairy's flight cap pops up briefly in surprise, and then she tugs on the carrier's collar and gestures. Wo glances back over her shoulder, trying to not be conspicuous; though quite possibly failing. Yeah, that one looks suspicious, alright. Though she can't be sure that those that attended are out of the audition, things are seemingly becoming tense enough for her to break radio silence, and make the call.

Shigure has posed:
    The reaction this time is instant, reflexive and decisive. Flares of blue-white light come alive on the two Destroyers, forming their Rigging in a moment, before they surge forwards to interpose themselves between Yuna and the Abyssal. "Battlestations."

    Shigure's backpack ratchets out, bringing the cannon-tonfa around into her grip, barrels pointed at the hooded Abyssal. Yuudachi's rig appears, placing herself bodily in front of Yuna as a shield. Her white-flag sail flutters in the breeze, and soft crackles of red flare from the corners of her eyes, all turrets turning towards Destroyer Water Demon.

    Neither fire yet, however.

Iria (215) has posed:
Right now, Iria's attempt to look neutral has failed, as her face has contorted into a very noticeable scowl. Underneath her cape, her fists are clenched and her teeth are bared. She starts to open her mouth to stay something, but nothing comes out. It's not that she's at a loss for words, she's just unsure as to what to say that could keep this conflict from escalating. Iria never was a good negotiator honestly.

Shigure, however, has the right idea, and Iria decides to follow suit in a sense also. She steps to the right of Yuna and stares ahead at the original hooded woman, but again she says nothing. Her body language should be enough to say, "Don't try anything funny!"

Rarity (136) has posed:
And cue Rarity having one of her 'moments'. "HORSE?? Why I never! To think I was some common equine..." But the melodramatic fit comes up short when the strange hood clad girl keeps talking, and the topic starts to stray into ominously dark territory. "Uh.." The unicorn takes a shuffle back. "Now now, is that really any way to talk? It was a simple mistake. You don't need--" Big metal hands burst seams apart and the speech turns -even darker- "--Oh dear. Of the worst possible... No! Keep it together Rarity, this is most definately something serious!"

As quick as the panic attack started it's gone though thanks to the levity of the escalating situation and Yuna essentially presenting herself defenseless, and Rarity's demeanor shifts to match. "She is willing to make admendments for whatever issue she has caused." See this? It's serious face, for serious business, and a serious tone to match. "But if you so much as attempt to harm her anyways..."

Rainbow light passes over the unicorn, forming first into the collar holding the Element of Generosity around her neck, then cascading back into the rest of her magical attire, scarf and cloak flaring behind her. The stylized glasses form last like a visor, blue eyes already scowling behind them.

"There will be no one to blame for what follows but yourself!"

Nagato has posed:
    With Everyone ready, this gives Nagato a good break... she couldn't summon her weapons, battleship weapons in a city? But that's okay, she had a different ace up her sleeve. "I'm going to evacuate the citizens." and with that, Nagato runs off barking orders at civilians to get them out of the potential combat area. "Get away from the square!" she shouts, urging the citizens to listen and run. "Move in an orderly fashion to your homes, this area has become a combat zone. Any non military or non Elite personnel are requested to retreat to a safer area."

    Once she's able to get a good majority... Nagato, herself, finds a place to hide, fiddling with the Augma upon her ear... "Okay, menu settings... equip this... equip that..." she hmms, "Okay, this should help minimize any collateral damage around. Link... Start!" and, with a traditional magical girl sequence mixed with wireframing... a certain fairy catgirl with an axe as big as she is replaces Nagato's persona... for now.

    Tana takes to the air, moving through some buildings and soon, taking a rest upon a roof, hopefully hidden from the Destroyer-Abyssal. One felled to her axe before, this one may as well.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone was not expectinv this as An Abyssal who is not Wo, or part of Wo's fleet shows up. No it's aotyher one one he doesn't expect she hears the pain, she hears the hate. In a speech that chills her. She thinks of her early recovery time after her own conversion and that doesn't do it justice the hate though she hears. She has to be stoppe dbyt tht pain, that hate? That makes her cringe she looks to Yuna and then to the AByssal, Kotone only has her interal weapons being a network of tasers. She's not sure how much good that would do against an Abyssal who is already armed.

She sees Yuna Stalling and she quickly sets out to aid for the moment in getting people clear, but she's going to be soon into the fight soon enough as she puts out a call for help from Staren for a weapon.

Midway has posed:
    The Destroyer Water Demon leans forward, spreading her hands to either side with her fingers splaying out in an undoubtedly aggressive posture. As destroyers, pony, and hunter all interpose themselves between the Abyssal and the Guardian, her eyes dart between the four of them. Her teeth bare themselves with a hissing noise, and she flexes her fingers with a popping, metallic sound, "All of you are going to protect this woman, now?"

    The suspicion that the group is surrounded soon proves to be true, when that woman in the brown coat comes to a stop a few paces behind the group facing down Destroyer Water Demon. This woman idly removes her coat, neatly folding it while a quartet of tails ending in cannons and teeth unfurl behind her. The folded jacket is tucked over one arm, the other resting on her hip, and she speaks, "She's rather insistent about this. Even we couldn't stop her, so all we can do is support her."

    The nearest storm drain grate suddenly lifts up, flipping a few times before it clatters to a stop in the street. From the opening, fish-like abyssal destroyers crowd out. Maybe a dozen in all, the hate-fueled little Abyssal ships disperse rather than form around the two Demons. One pauses near Heavy Cruiser, who deposits her jacket on its head before it scurries off on stumpy little legs. They ... oddly don't seem hostile, though.

    Perhaps only the Water Demons are the threat this time. Destroyer ignores the newcomers, aside from a brief glance at her taller counterpart. Eyes fixate back on Yuna, behind her entourage, "You think an APOLOGY will make up for everything?!" White smoke begins seeping from the elbows of her gauntlets, "I tracked you down here, to your home turf, and you don't even want to defend yourself?!" Tensing, she balls her hands into fists, "Now you're makin' me feel like the asshole!"

Staren has posed:
    YUNA'S WORLD IS UNDER ATTACK!

    Or so Staren hears. He checks TV feeds, expecting to see a city under naval bombardment, but... there's nothing. Apparently it's a smaller conflict? So he /won't/ bring the mecha this time. Kotone asks him to bring spare weapons, though, so he grabs everything out of his ship's weapon lockers and stuffs it in his bag after suiting up.

    Once the ship drops out of FTL, Staren teleports into the street, wearing obvious combat armor, and turning to look at Yuna. He's expecting to be in a battlefield, but they're just... standing around talking? Since no weapons have actually been fired, he runs over to Kotone and hands her some kind of rifle. AR tags indicate that it's an assault railrifle with underbarrel micro-HEAT rounds. "What's going on here?" he asks her, quietly.

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure says softly. "Listen to yourself, do you truly believe harming Yuna will make the pain go away? What then? What will happen should you fail another mission?" The soft spoken destroyer releases her rigging cannons, letting them ratchet back into idle position on her back. "This does not need to come to an exchange of gunfire."

    Yuudachi remains eerily silent. The Abyssals might feel a familiar sensation from the blonde destroyer, her inner Abyssal nature lurking just below the surface, coming up to the top and broaching only a little as Shigure speaks.

Wo has posed:
Abyssal feelings can be surprisingly complicated. Wo would know that quite well, having only recently divorced herself from that kind of thinking. She comes to a stop at the very edge of the square, watching the brown coated woman from earlier do much the same, ultimately. Even at this point, she doesn't make an aggressive move, though her blue-green eyes do remain fixed upon her, especially once she rids herself of the troublesome garment. Nagato seems to have done a good job of chasing away all but the most persistent of rubberneck civilians away from the immediate vicinity, so that's one less thing to consider, at least.

    Sadly, that same knowledge about Abyssal thinking also causes the carrier's eyebrows to furrow, at the growing frustration on the part of this elevated Destroyer. In her mind, Wo figures, she's pouring her feelings out honestly, only to have them turned away by the surface dweller that caused them. That had always been a problem with her kind. "I don't think she will be convinced easily," the hat-wearing woman finally speaks up, herself. "Once our heart is set on something, it tends to become a narrow-minded obsession." That, ironically, had been her own salvation, but it can easily lead in other, less fortunate directions. "Your best move would be to agree to meet her honest feelings, and somewhere that's less likely to damage property and hurt bystanders."

    She's not taking sides, here, just yet. Though if it does come down to an open brawl in the city, better to go with those she actually knows.

Rarity (136) has posed:
"You best believe it that we will!" A sentiment emphasized by Rarity stamping one of her now armor-clad hooves against the pavement. "If you were capable of looking past what you believe to be slights upon your person you would see all that she has done to protect this world and many others like it. She stood at our sides at some of the worst times in our lives, and now we shall do the same."

The other woman discards her jacket to show her true form, while other creatures crawl out of the sewer. Oh, why do these sorts always travel in packs? Despite it's permed curls her tail still somehow gives an audible whip-like snap as she lashes it to the side in annoyance. What a bother. This is only getting more tense by the moment, and she has this feeling this is not going to end well.

A light glow shimmers around her horn as the unicorn lowers her head slightly in determination, and from within her cloak pulls out a parasol. Technically it's not a weapon.... but technically it's not a normal mediocare parasol either, when provided by the magics of her Harmony Knight form, either. "Revenge only begots a vicious cycle that rarely ends well for any involved."

Iria (215) has posed:
Iria's glare gets even more sharp and noticeable as she says, "You deserve to feel like one, what with you coming in here and confronting us like that when Yuna here is trying to help keep things from escalating over! At least she tried to apologize! It was something, you know!" She shakes her head. "Not that it really matters though. You're looking for trouble, and you got it!"

Underneath her cape, Iria is going for her pistol. "Still, I'm willing to give you one last chance to calm down and try to work things out peacefully. Because I, for one, don't believe in unnecessary violence sometimes, and neither does Yuna." A pause. "So, what do you say?"

Nagato has posed:
    Nagat.... Tana hops off the roof of the building, wandering over towards the group... axe upon her shoulder, "Look... we all don't want conflict, if we can help it." she mutters, turning towards the Destroyer... and then the rest of the Abyssals that have come in. "Some of us have a good relationship with /some/ Abyssals. It's something that I know you girls can strive towards as well." she looks around, an arm stretched wide to point at the city. "To punish an entire city for one person does take some guts but it's petty revenge that... honestly, probably won't sate your being."

    Tana steps forward, looking towards Staren when he entered, then back towards the Destroyer, "Well, to be perfectly honest... you /did/ show up here and start trouble, so technically you are an asshole, but it's something we can overlook, honestly. Personally, I wouldn't mind knowing who you worked for so we can come to... a few agreements, and maybe work something out, as farfetched an idea that be."

    Tana's tail twitches, a smile upon her face, "I /really/ don't think you want to cause that much destruction... lemme guess, if you fail at killing my friend here... you won't be allowed home or something like that?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is doing what she can to help here trying to direct people to get out of harms way. She knows how things are going the build up to a fight is almost certain. It's how long can people stall, to get people clear with her call for help from Staren issued she's going to keep working with guiding peopleout. She takes the rail rifle, which should do nicely when it comes to a fight. IT seems to ahve enough heat to menace the heavy armor the abyssals seem to have if it comes to it.

She's still focused on guiding people out for the moment as the talking contiunes.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna shakes her head, looking a little sheepish. "No - I know apologizing alone probably won't make up for enough of it," she says ruefully, even as the other Abyssals show themselves. "But you started by asking if I know what pain is. I can barely imagine how much you've suffered, how much you've endured, having your body altered into this form. It must have been horrible ... but even just saying it like that, the words seem so little, so insufficient it must feel like I'm insulting you. That's not what I'm trying to do."

Yuna pauses briefly, glancing around at her friends, ready to protect her. There are a few faces she can recognize that most of the Elites here won't know - a girl with long brown hair, lingering near the doors of the studio rather than walking down to the street; a green-eyed girl with orangeish hair who's still sipping tea at the same cafe Wo was sitting at; a more mature-looking young woman, her hair almost black, who's window-shopping like she has nothing better to do. And of course, the rest of the Matrix of Light, making their way to assist Yuna if the need arises.

For now, Yuna steps forward, gently making her way past Shigure and Yuudachi and Rarity. "The pain you've been talking about is the pain inflicted on your body," Yuna resumes, her voice not quite as gentle but still full of compassion. "I've suffered injuries, some of them nearly fatal, despite the protection I normally have in battle. I won't pretend they compare with what you've been through ... but tell me this, Destroyer Water Demon. Have you ever had your mind torn apart, synapse by synapse, as a being foreign to every law of nature goes through your thoughts and memories? Have you lain awake at night, haunted by the memory of people who depended on you to protect them? Have you ever woken up from nightmares about the countless individuals whom you couldn't save because you weren't fast enough, strong enough, clever enough, to find a way to rescue them in the moment of crisis?"

Yuna pauses, offering her hand - unarmored, delicate, and human, in contrast to the torpedo-tipped gauntlets that the Destroyer is sporting. "I fight to protect people so that they *don't* have to suffer. Being the Savior of Light, I'm not allowed to turn my back on people who are in danger or who are being harmed. I fight because yes, I *do* know pain and suffering - and I want to do everything, *everything*, that is in my power so that nobody has to suffer. Not the innocent ... and not the guilty."

If the Destroyer Water Demon takes her hand, Yuna tries to pull her into a hug. Either way, though, Yuna's next words are a whispered, "I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry that you were hurt because of me. I fought because I didn't see another way to protect people. That doesn't mean I wanted to hurt you."

Midway has posed:
    "'Our' heart?" Heavy Cruiser Water Demon casts a side-long glance at the stranger who's stepped up beside her. It's difficult to make the connection due to the different look, but she soon realizes, "...A Wo-class aircraft carrier?" Her gaze lowers, hiding her own glowing eyes behind the brim of her peaked cap, "But you're not with our Fleet, I suppose, talking like that."

    She hasn't yet connected Wo to the 'newcomer' from the Pearl Harbor investigation.

    The situation is still rather tense with the Destroyer, though, and those who face off against her. Threats and hostile body language are exchanged, and the young girl stews in obvious, barely contained rage. Her hands shake, the metal rattling as she slowly tightens her fingers into fists again. The tension increases, her head dipping forward, metal groaning under protest while her eyes travel from Iria, to Rarity, to Yuudachi and Shigure all formed up around Yuna. Staren's arrival gets a glance, which wanders further towards the arriving Tana. Her eyes return to Yuna's approach, looking every bit like a beast ready to pounce.

    "Have you won a war, only to be discarded by the people you fought for?" she hisses, "Have you risked your life, and taken injuries, to save people... and then they throw you away when they don't /need/ you anymore?" She straightens her posture and thrusts her hand out. Not to meet Yuna's, but to expose the rifled cannon bore in the palm of her hand, its depths holding an ominous violet glow that matches her eyes. Her breathing quickens as she holds the weapon in place, jaw set.

    Opposite of the Destroyer, Heavy Cruiser flinches, then lowers her head again. Her snake-like tails mirror the gesture.

    Destroyer holds that pose for an uncomfortably long time, her arm shaking. Just when she seems to have decided to fire, however, she suddenly lowers it with a defeated noise, both gauntlets dropping to her sides while she slouches where she stands. After a moment, she lifts her hands again, fingers spread, and examines the palms of her gauntlets and the cannons embedded in them, "...It wouldn't fix anything, anyway."

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure dismisses her Rigging, and steps forwards beside Yuna once Destroyer Water Demon relents. "You could come with us." she offers, voice remaining soft, but projecting enough to reach those nearby.

    Yuudachi stands down, that baleful aura dissipating as she looks over her shoulder at Heavy Cruiser, before returning her eyes to Destroyer.

Iria (215) has posed:
Meanwhile, Iria has holstered her pistol and has her hands held up outside her cape to show she's unarmed. "There's no need for violence," Iria says, her voice softening a little but still remaining noticeably firm. "We can resolve this without any bloodshed." She takes a breath and blows it out. "Please, it's what Yuna wants. It's her world after all." Iria's words are sincere and genuine, even if her voice is still a bit on the firm side.

"At least give it a try," She adds, starting to feel a pang of uneasiness within her, as she remembers she never was good at negotiations, but she's hoping to give it a try now.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Rarity lowers the parasol a bit, though it's still readily at hand in her magic grip should it still be needed. Which hopefully won't be the case. "No, it wouldn't. But you don't have to do it. It may not seem like much, but one small change, one small step, is all it takes to make the future better."

Nagato has posed:
    Tana steps forward at this... "We didn't win that war... but we were discarded none the less. Used... thrown away... you're preaching to the choir here." she grips her axe tightly, "Some of us still remember ... every... painful day under that ocean. Some of us still have those ghosts behind us." she shakes her head, "I was used as a testing ground for the enemy... and then was a part of the Abyssal Navy for a while." Tana shrugs, they were bound to find out who Nagato was sooner or later...

    "Not a day goes past that I reflect upon what I've done and how I've changed. It's no doubt for everyone standing here today. We've all risked our lives and taken injuries. We've all tried to save people and I'm sure most of us were discarded when our job was done." she unsheathes the axe, holding it even tighter. "To dare say we don't know what you're going through... or will go through, is an affront to what we stand for."

    Metal drops, the axe falls to the ground. Shigure's words ring and she looks towards the Destroyer Water Demon and Heavy Cruiser... A menu opens and Tana hits log out and, with another wireframe animation, the Battleship is there where catgirl was. "I'm the Admiral of these people here and of Hikari Seaport." a look to Wo, "And a friend of an Abyssal... no an Ally. Shigure's correct... you can come with us, we.. can provide a better place for you... and you." a look to Destroyer Water Demon and Heavy Cruiser Water Demon.

    It was a long shot... Nagato moves to step forward, unarmed, unarmored... she continues to step forward, offering a hand. "It's hard to accept peace... but we offer it to you."

Wo has posed:
An unexpected, but welcome, boon to having gone with lighter equipment today is being slightly harder to identify as the same one. Not that it would have been easy, regardless, with such standardized appearances, but just as Wo's closest friends could likely manage to pick her out of a lineup of her kind, Abyssals probably have a similar sense. Her eyes once again pivot over to the heavy cruiser from before, her face remaining neutral through all of this. "Is that an incorrect assessment, then? You've managed to subvert my expectations before, but I don't think I've been gone long enough to have forgotten my own feelings." Then again, with words such as those, it could be that the carrier doesn't really care to keep that much hidden. It had served its purpose at the time.

    She'll stick to her appraisal, though, until she's proven wrong, turning her gaze instead to the scene unfolding before her. The carrier, and the fairy still riding along on her shoulder, remain on high alert, since they're still in a live fire situation. She hadn't expected even this much of a pause by a clearly enraged Abyssal, but maybe there was still some mitigating factor inside of her that allowed the collective words to come through. It wouldn't be the first time. Out of all of this, she otherwise remains silent and still in the interim, save the 'poik poik' of the pilot fairy's dumbfounded blinking. Another exception is as she takes a few moments to adjust the fit of her gloves.

    'Remind you of something,' the inner voice chimes in again? 'Those same hands reached out to you for the longest time. Even when you were still able to ignore me.' Her own feelings are complicated about this, she realizes. It'd be nice if it were like this, but it's never been quite this easy. Maybe this time she'll be wrong. "I'm proof that there are other ways," she finally adds aloud, still not opting to force anything by the Destroyer. Merely standing as evidence.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Somehow, Yuna manages to look down the barrel of that cannon *without* having an all-out freak-out moment. It's not that it isn't frightening, mind you; but if she recoils *now* then it would smash the tentative framework she's built up with her words. Maybe not a bridge to friendship, but at least a buttress that leads away from battle. Still, if it's only her death that will satisfy the Destroyer Water Demon ....

Yuna doesn't want to die. She doesn't *intend* to die, either, but she keeps holding off against her transformation. Elner's tried to initiate it already, several times - Yuna's simply refused to accept the power and protection that her battlesuit would give her, because again, *that* would push things over the edge into a battle.

But finally, the Destroyer lowers her hand without firing, and Yuna tries not to let her relief be too visible. "If you have to go back to your Fleet, then .... I think I understand. If you want to take Nagato's invitation, though, I'd be glad to help you find your footing at Hikari."

And there's still a piece of Yuna that feels like the Destroyer Water Demon needs a hug, whether she wants it or not. She'll give that a moment, though - maybe if the Abyssal girl dismisses her weapons first. Or just seems accepting of it.

Staren has posed:
    Staren watches the exchange. "You cannot change the past. And I've learned more about time travel than most except actual time travelers themselves. But you can change the future. You weren't 'discarded'... It was a tragic misunderstanding. The people of your world didn't KNOW you were aware, until you rose. That sucks, but would you really rather have enemies and be hated, than have friends to fight at your side? What /future/ do you want?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
The stand off is tense she keep moving people out of here some ask about the gun but she'll flash her Paladins badge as she gets back to work guying people out. She does keep tabs on just what's going on with the Abyssals at it seems that Yuna is sjhowing how far she'll go to stick to her guns on an issue. She watches as Yuna brings up Iris and her experiance there within int. Shje wonders if that would have an effect. She listns to the reply and cringes.

Discarded by the people the fought for? She thinks about how a lot of third and fourth world war vets have been treated on her world. Doubly so given many were the first to take heavy cyberntics.

She flinches moreb ut keepos at work as it seems the fight seem to be not happening she moves to sling the rifle over her shoulder and focuses on evauting them.

Midway has posed:
    Heavy Cruiser narrows her eyes slightly towards Wo, the pieces falling into place. However, she doesn't voice it out loud. She does appear more wary around the down-geared aircraft carrier. The tension in her face only dissipates when Destroyer lowers her weapon. Cruiser lets out a slow, tired sigh. Her tails respond similarly, lowering to either side, and then curling up around her shoulders and neck like some kind of terrible stole. A hand is raised, gesturing over her shoulder, "I'll depart peacefully once I've rounded up the destroyers. They've all run off the play tourist."

    Destroyer Water Demon doesn't pull her gaze from her hands for a long time. It's an awkwardly long, hesitant moment before she dissipates the gauntlets in a haze of sinister red mist, then tucks her regular hands into her hoodie's front pocket.

    "Don't worry about whether we're failing a mission or not. 'She' doesn't know we're even here." Violet eyes fixate on Shigure, when the soft-spoken destroyer makes the initial offer which some of the others follow up on. "No. That's not happening. What we have here is a temporary ceasefire." Her eyes close. No. 'She' would definitely notice a desertion like that. And the Destroyer Water Demon knows exactly what 'She' does to deserters.

    The unvoiced recollection prompts a shiver in the small girl's frame. Her eyes open again, "I can't answer a question like that so suddenly," to Staren.

    When Nagato reveals herself, the Water Demon tenses again, dipping her head but not removing her hands from her pocket, "--Tch... So you were the fleet girl leader all along?" She hesitates briefly, then closes her eyes, "Yeah, I know who you are. And I'm not going to surrender to you. We'll be leaving once Heavy Cruiser rounds up the destroyers. If you intend to take me prisoner," One eye cracks, a thin violent line tinged with flame, "Then you're gonna get that fight that everyone worked so hard to avoid just now."

Shigure has posed:
    "A question, before we let you go." says Shigure. "Who is this 'She' you speak of?" she glances to Yuudachi, who finally dismisses her Rigging as well. The Fleet won't initiate a fight here.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Rarity takes the parasol in her actual hooves, opening it and resting it upon a shoulder as it would normally be used. As good as any other 'disarming'. Good thing she didn't get out an actual weapon, this is a bit less awkward. "Settling this encounter without dangerous incident is enough for us."

Nagato has posed:
    "I am that fleet girl leader, but I was asking not of surrender, I was asking aught but peace." she pulls her hand down, a slight nod. "I've no intention of degrading a ceasefire. As such, I'll leave you to it... but I will echo my destroyer's question, who is this 'she' you speak of?" Nagato takes a gentle breath, a composed look upon her face.

    "Regardless of what you choose to do... know that there will be a place to return to, and a place that you will be accepted. As I heard once, an enemy is a friend you haven't made."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Fair enough," Yuna says with a nod. "That may mean we wind up fighting again in the future, but I'll keep hoping for the best." And then, finally, Yuna reaches out to try and draw the Destroyer Water Demon into a hug. It's not tight enough to squeeze the seemingly-younger girl; rather, it's close and warm and gentle, the embrace of somebody who wants to be friends with the girl she's hugging.

And that's really how Yuna thinks of her - not a monster who has to be fought, but a girl she wants to be friends with, someone with whom the greatest 'conflict' is who can score better at a game, or something like that.

Yuna doesn't hold the hug any longer than Destroyer wants to be hugged, though; when she tries to pull away, Yuna lets her go. "I hope you and your friends enjoy exploring Shiraokadai, however much you all get to see of it," she says cheerfully. "Maybe someday you'll be able to visit for longer, and we'll have real peace instead of just a cease-fire."

Wo has posed:
When the weapons disintegrate, at least for now, Wo allows herself a slight breath. Whether she reacts to Heavy Cruiser's seeming realization or not, there is the matter of those destroyers that started wandering off everywhere. That's the clearest proof that some things remain constant among their kind. "I'll help," she speaks up, whether out of the spirit of cooperation or just wanting to end this disturbance as quickly and cleanly as possible. "Assuming they're as well drilled as the ones I ran into before." Right now they're basically behaving like they're on shore leave, but it shouldn't be too much trouble to get them to group up and march them back.

    She does glance back at the demon-tier destroyer, for a moment. She'd like to hear the answer to Shigure's question, too, though suspects that she can get filled in on it regardless. For the moment, while she'll still remain cautious if the tinder suddenly gets a spark set to it, she's going to go round up some tinywhales.

Midway has posed:
    "'She' is our leader," Destroyer comments plainly, "Our Princess. That much should be obvious." Her eyes narrow slightly at Nagato, "You of all people have run into her before, haven't you?" Is she actually referring to Samar? The Princess that Wo met at Pearl? Someone else entirely? Or she might just be assuming the Hikari fleet admiral has butted heads with every princess, demon, and PT Imp in the Pacific.

    She's so fixated on Nagato and Shigure's question that Yuna's action takes her by surprise. When encircled by arms, she lets out a choked noise, eyes going wide, then swiveling in the idol singer's direction. When released, she bobs back to a straight upright position and remains awkwardly still for an equally awkward amount of time.

    Once she recovers, the Destroyer dips her head, muttering, "I'll keep it in mind," before she turns on her heel and shuffles slowly in the direction of the city's harbor. Whether it was in response to the Hikari base or befriending is unclear, though.

    On the other side of things, Heavy Cruiser seems appreciative of the assistance, and while the pair work Wo can hear her fussing over 'these children', and 'Troubling big sister' here or there until the dozen are collected and she, too, departs for the port to meet up with their comrade.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa stops with her evauations as it seems the issue is sttled she radios inot the local law that things should be cleaned up shortly and the ones behind it? Are leaving without a single shot fired peacefully. She comes up to the Abyssals and looks at them for a moment.

"Thank you for not dragging uninvolved people into this disupte."

She seems to mean it flat out. Whatevrer the issue is the Abyssals didn't drag the bystanders hgere into a fight.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Rarity can emphasize with the having to round up a bunch of 'kids' so, so, SO MUCH. Which also makes her think she's really glad her sister and co. didn't try to sneak along with her this time.

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure nods, though she doesn't seem satisfied with the answer. "I hope we meet again, on more peaceful seas." she offers to the retreating Destroyer's back."