Scene #5034: Last Days of Summer

Owner	Pose
Samantha Middleton	Going to the place that was revealed doesn't show much! It's a field with a lone shack, which isn't even occupied, and a sign. The sign is next to a rocky and thin trail up the side of the nearest mountain, and says in faded lettering, "WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF TREDGE." A very unfortunate name for a 'town' even though a mountain village would be the best description for the smattering of houses further up the slope. It's pretty small! However the group of people arriving choose to make their way up the winding and treacherous path, they'll find a strange set of wires connecting posts and boxes along the edge. This serves the double purpose of making it harder to tumble off the more steep edges, and reveals that there is a way to deliver things to the town! A large box bullets down along the wires, wheels following them and skipping over each post breaking the wires with a little hop! Must be how mail is delivered, because what mailman would climb all this every day... or even every week? The town itself looks pretty small. About a hundred people maybe? Houses with humming machinery have help with the crops that are struggling to grow here, and farther up the mountainside there's what appears to be a mine, and a sprawling house that looks like it's made of junk from other houses, a large bell, an upturned boat, and other oddities. People are just going about their business right now, which includes gardening and a blacksmith pounding out some kind of tool. Before any of them notice any newcomers, a dark brown dog, some kind of mutt, wanders over to bark and sniff curiously. One of his hindlegs is made up of a clockwork prosthetic.
Staren	Staren flies up on his broom. There's not really anything for him to comment on beyond "Well, that house looks interesting." Until the dog walks up. "Hello." Staren greets it, then notices the prosthetic. He looks to Anne. "Does that look related to your style?"
Guest Psyber	Psyber continues to be here on Ariel (and the Paladin's) dime. He's sticking close to the Unicorn girl and also eating some dinner. He's got what looks like a container of potstickers in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. He's walking along with Ariel, "Usually, I charge people five hundred per hour, but since you're family, I'll lower it to two-fifty plus expenses. You can invoice it to Eryl if you want." And then there's a dog, "I don't suppose your weird, Disney Princess Charisma also lets you talk to animals, Ariel?"
Ariel	Ariel has arrived with Al this time, if only to help investigate matters. Riding Iyoshi up, the little unicorn and bored-looking book girl shrug at Psyber, and mostly try to get used to their companions and the long trip up. "I wish we'd been given more precise coordinates. We could have flown in..." Though she isn't sure what to make of the town on the hill there. Sliding off Iyoshi, Ariel stares at the dog. "No, that isn't really one of my things. Al?" Al blinks, looking up from her examination of the view. "What? Who do I look like, Snow White?"
Anne Blakely	Anne showed up via airship, and brought one of the more sleek and deadly-looking clockwork dogs with her. True to her promise, she has been quite civil with the rest of the group, and could almost be a standard companion if nobody knew her. She's been relatively quiet, though. Until the device whrrs past and she raises an eyebrow. Then the dog comes, and even before Staren asks, Anne is kneeling next to it to take a look. "Not exactly my style... and the components are of cheaper make than I normally use. Don't let the shoddy appearance fool you though... this is much more advanced than what is commercially available in this area. And on an animal, as well... interesting..."
Kirito	Sometimes it pays to be a fairy. Kirito cannot help but think this as, several times during this treacherous climb he's forced to manifest his gliterring black wings and catch himself on narrow pathways. At other times he uses them to just glide across problematic areas, or stand guard in the air in case anyone seems likely to fall... But that matter aside, when they finally do reach the town-bearing plateau... "Living so far away from people must be pretty interesting. But I'd be lost without an electronics street around the corner..." Murmurs the black-clad Spriggan as he takes in the sights and rubs his chin. Kirito may or may not be an oddity in these parts, as - so long as he doesn't manifest his wings - the only thing setting him apart from human is... pointy ears. It could be worse. A CYBORG CLOCKWORK DOG running up is enough to get him staring, but hardly bothered. He's seen weirder. "No need to be a Princess to know what this dog's saying. 'Hello, who are you?'" The boy asserts, only to crouch down and reach out to invite the dog in for sniffs and a headpetting!
Nozomi Houken	Much like Psyber, Nozomi and Taiga are here under contract from Ariel. And much like Ariel, Nozomi is astride her beast of choice, dressed for "mildly cold weather", which translates to a simple warm jacket. However, for the time being, Nozomi decides to stay on the TIGER's back - especially with a random dog wandering up. She might be tensing up a little on the robotiger's back.
Samantha Middleton	Sniffsniff! The dog sniffs around, then raises his hackles at Anne's construct! He doesn't bark any more than before though. And a second later... a young boy, maybe ten, waves nearby. "BUCKY! LEave them alone, we don't get guests much... oh wow!" He hurries over, staring at Ariel, TIGER, and Anne's mecha dog. "Are those... hey! That one looks kind of like Summer's, I'll have to go tell her!" He claps his hands together. "Are you her teacher? A relative? I've never seen one of hers walk by itself! I mean without someone telling it what to do." A little chatterbox, isn't he? "Art, get back from them," calls an older man. He does notice the unusual group though, and sizes up everyone. "Anything I can do for you folks? We don't get many visitors. Especially not - no, go on home - not the likes of you." He doesn't sound unfriendly! Not intentionally! It's just a weird group.
Ariel	Well if they're greeting the group... Ariel smiles to the boy first. "Hello! I'm Ariel!" Waving a little. "Ah, I'm not... like that exactly?" She smiels sheepishly and shrugs. That's okay, because the older man is coming over, isn't he? She nods her head, "Good evening, sir! We were directed here by an old letter, looking for a woman named Summer? Your um... son? Nephew?" She gestures after the boy. "Mentioned her."
Staren	Staren looks curiously from the dog to the boy and the man. Then nods. "Sorry to bother you, but... this is about something important."
Nozomi Houken	For the moment, Nozomi remains silent. She's still watching the dog somewhat warily, but does glance up to the man every now and then as well.
Guest Psyber	"It's okay if you don't get many guests, sir." Psyber says, shoving a dumpling into his mouth as he looks to the older man, "Because we're here! And we're bringing with us a very important guest." "You may not have heard of our guest yet. Or perhaps you hurt of him before and haven't spoken to him in a while. Or maybe you speak to him regularly, but had some bad times and fell out of touch." Psyber seems to have practiced this speech pretty thoroughly. Or he's making it up as he goes and just being a weirdo. "I am, of course, talking about the greatest guest of all." "Sir, have you accepted Bret Hart as wrestling's greatest savior? In November of 1997, he took the sins of the World Wrestling Federation on his shoulders so that the industry could become pure in the eyes of the fans again. I have some pamphlets if you like."
Kirito	Oh boy. The part Kirito was dreading. People. Well, people who aren't kids. He has, if anything, the OPPOSITE of an urge to speak with the older man approaching. A hundred worries flare up as he examines him and the situation as quickly and thoroughly as he can with just a few seeps of his eyes. And it all reaches a simple conclusion. The group he's with just stands out WAY too much. Worst case, they might have to face torches and pitchforks after stepping on some kind of social landmine. Gulp. These worries are barely visible on the Spriggan's face. His smile fades to a neutral, more solemn gaze and he ends up stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. But the young man's dark eyes flick from Ariel to Staren... and then he steps forward to politely introduce himself. But he doesn't even get a chance to part his lips because then Psyber. Yeah. Psyber. For the briefest of moments his face expression screws up and churns, then he FORCES it right back to something he hopes is more neutral and solemn. So he catches those words that were about to come out, and they turn into a throaty grunt instead.
Anne Blakely	Hmmn. "Probably hasn't managed to replicate decision-making," Anne replies, looking at the boy curiously. Yes, curiously. That's almost the only emotion she has these days. Ariel is already bringing her her concerns up though. "Yes, we're looking for a Summer Blakely." And... Psyber decides to do his thing. Anne stares at him, baffled at first. Her mouth opens, then it shuts, with a look that says something like, 'are you right in the head?'
Nozomi Houken	Nozomi and Taiga both turn to stare at Psyber. Nozomi makes a quiet sound of confusion. And for once, so does Taiga.
Samantha Middleton	The man nods, then smiles at Ariel. "Cute. Name's John, myself." He looks toward the woman peeking out and makes a motion toward her, and suddenly she darts in and shuts the door. John goes back to chatting... or he would, if Psyber didn't just say that. "... are you sure you're all right?" He doesn't look as strange and confused as the others, he just assumes Psyber is talking about something from outside the village. "We don't really pay much attention to that stuff up here." But Summer he knows! "A woman na- heh. Summer Blakely, yeah. She fixed up Bucky a year or two back. Nice girl. You can find her in the old Sands house, what's left of it. Top of the rise there." He gestures toward the ramshackle house.
Guest Psyber	"Sir, the Montreal Screwjob affects everyone. Please, take a pamhplet," Psyber takes a pamphlet describing the incident and hands it to the man, "There's some information in here. And some websites that can give you more information. Remember, that the WWF lives on in our heart and in our Hart." "Oh neat, Summer lives over there?" Just as quick as he was talking about it, he's wandering off again a moment later to head exactly that direction. Never underestimate the power of being weird at people and how much it makes them want to just get you out of their hair.
Kirito	Kirito glances at John. Then at Psyber. Back to John. The local gets a helpless look that says rather clearly 'your guess is as good as mine' from the Spriggan's gobsmacked face. Thought that too fades as the Spriggan catches up on just what went on. The boy's lips begin to show hints of a frown and he fidgets in place. "Then, please excuse me..." Grunts the swordsman in a barely audible voice... and ambles after Psyber with hands still in his coat pockets. This sucks, but he'll just bite this bullet and accept whatever accusations of poor manners the locals have to offer. For now, keeping an eye on Psyber is much more important.
Ariel	"Thank you, sir!" Ariel gives a little curtsey before yanking Al by the scruff and starting to drag her along. "We hopefully won't be long! I'd like to see more of your village later! Come on, Iyoshi." Al 'gacks' while Iyoshi pads along loyally. "Hey, I can walk you know! I was just enjoying the view!" She does straighten up and walk alongside Ariel after a little grumbling. "I guess we aren't so close to the ocean that this secluded village is full of hybrid Deep Ones or something. Keep an eye out anyway. This is a great place to pick up a grimoire.
Anne Blakely	Hmm. "Yes..." Trailing off, Blakely gets a more unsure look the longer this lasts. "Come along," she orders to the mechadog, which thuds alongside her. She's making note of the village, but in more of a bored manner. "A woman with those talents, living here... she might be in hiding for some reason. But then why tell everyone later? We might be in for a rather mercenary meeting." She glances toward all the others gathered here. "Well, any thoughts?"
Nozomi Houken	Once again, Nozomi Houken is left completely confused by Psyber. It just doesn't get any more sensible the longer he talks. So after even going so far as to look Anne's way in confusion, the girl gives Taiga a little nudge, and he starts to amble off after the angel. Taiga says to Anne, simply, "She wishes to be found. She has accounted for the possibility that it will be someone who is neither you nor a Middleton. I feel confident enough that we will not be in any danger - or at least, not in any that will happen too quickly to respond to."
Staren	Staren looks at Psyber, then back to John. "Yeah, we're fine. Thank you." he follows the group. To Anne he comments, "Maybe she just want a quiet life, like Mort. I've certainly considered it myself, settling down in Ponyville..." He nods to Nozomi. "I'm confident we can probably handle any trouble, if it comes to that..."
Guest Psyber	"I have a few theories," Psyber says to Anne in a much more serious tone as he takes a bite of food and walks with her, "Identity Theft for the sake of publicity is one. Another is that she wanted to eventually get your attention." "If I were a Hunter, hoping to kill someone, I'd use their name a bunch to get them to come check it out and then put a bullet in em just like... pow." He makes a finger gun gesture at the center of Anne's chest, "And it'd be over."
Anne Blakely	"I have made a lot of enemies," Anne admits. "But this seems a little odd even for that. It's why I brought the dog along. Just in case. I'm not aware of many who would know the Middleton name and set up a ruse like that..."
Staren	"A ruse?" Staren echoes. "Do you think the airship crash was a fake?"
Kirito	"'Blakely' isn't an especially uncommon name, outside the context of this... investigation." Kirito points out, unsure what else to call it. Especially with Anne Blakely here. "... At least it isn't on some other Earths. I've seen it a lot on the internet. It might be just one family in this world though, huh..." The Black Swordsman ambles up next to Psyber and quietly asks, "You aren't worried about ticking off the locals?" He doesn't sound so happy about doing so himself.
Guest Psyber	"Magitech fuel can't melt brass beams, Staren," Psyber says as they walk along, his hands in his pockets, "And we already proved the airship crash was an inside job."
Anne Blakely	"The name might be," Anne points out to Staren. "But you're right, Kirito, that Blakely isn't uncommon. A name of Blakely who can build prosthetic limbs of better quality than most hospitals in the world, out of spare parts? That's a little bit larger of a coincid-" Stare at Psyber.
Guest Psyber	Psyber stares back at Anne. The poker face he has on makes it difficult to tell how much he believes what he's saying and how much is a Dad Fib.
Staren	Staren gives Psyber a blank stare. "Brass is used because its low melting point makes it relatively easy to cast. You wouldn't use it for structural features, you'd want steel or something."
Kirito	Kirito makes a downward stroke with his left hand in the air and rapidly types a few things on a keyboard that apparently only he can see. Staren gets a text message. <<You need to level up Joke Detection.>>
Staren	Staren doesn't seem to respond to the text message immediately, but several seconds later he says, "Oh."
Samantha Middleton	"Take care, fellas! Nice to meet you!" John waves, getting a sudden worried look before heading for the house. It is evening, but it looks like a lot of the people are shutting up tight early today, as all over the village the residents are locking up, putting their things away, and basically filtering indoors. There's still at least a half hour of daylight left, though, and from the look of things they do have electricity. There's a rumbling steam power plant off in the distance, and power lines. A lot of the lines lead to the Sands residence! It's bigger than it looked from a distance, and has a garage and all, too! There's a young girl out front, who looks up and calls out, "Summer! They're here!" The teenager, who looks about sixteen or seventeen, is already headed inside the garage. And just as she leaves, an even YOUNGER girl walks out! Fourteen or fifteen, she waves hello with her right arm, which is an elaborate construction of clockworks and gears. "Hey there! You must be Anne Blakely and... party? Wow, a lot of you. Gonna guess you're here about the letter I sent a few years ago?"
Guest Psyber	"Hello!" Psyber says, raising his hand and waving to the two girls. The half-angel seems pretty relaxed about this meeting externally. Internally, however, he notices that the down is very quickly packing up and all heading indoors. There's a not-zero chance that this is the setup to an ambush and Psyber is definitely not keen on getting caught in any crossfire. "I wouldn't call this a party insomuch as a temporary mutual collaboration. I am normally endeavoring to kill Miss Blakely, but mutual curiosity had us set aside that temporary arrangement in order to pursue this fact-finding mission."
Staren	"The letter... that took /years/ to arrive?" Staren wonders. "And... yes. What he said. It's complicated."
Kirito	The rapid move to head INDOORS Kirito sees around the town has Kirito getting increasingly wary. If there wasn't electric lighting around... and the sheer uniformity... it's setting off his alarm bells. He has no doubt, given the Anne Blakely situation, that something could be about to happen... These thoughts come to a screeching halt when a girl with a clockwork limb comes barreling into view. WHY does she have that? Are serious accidents this big of a problem in the region...? There's a cybernetic dog. And a cyborg girl... He ends up turning about to give Anne a powerful stare. A bit accusatory, really. 'What kind of nonsense do you attract'.
Ariel	"Well, he is," Ariel admits. "I'm just trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. We're all kind of from different groups looking into all this, and I really want to know more about the um. History and things. And kind of... I mean..." Ariel poits her fingers together. Al sighs, "Speak for yourself. Master is really too soft-hearted sometimes."
Nozomi Houken	Of course, Taiga is scanning here and there the entire time, but he's more focused on actually looking around - and conveying Nozomi in the process, of course. Much like Psyber, he hasn't missed how quickly people are packing their things and hunkering down for the night, so if she hadn't already been on his back, she would be now. Of course, it's to Nozomi's deep surprise that the person they've come to meet is... is... her age? She takes several seconds to process this, before replying with a quiet little nod. 'Yeah, me too', in fewer words. Meanwhile, the TIGER turns to give Al a look that almost seems knowing. Despite that he can't actually make expressions.
Anne Blakely	Anne mutters, "Your show of support is so reassuring." She sighs... then stares at the arm while the others are talking. "That is... a remarkable work. I'm not certain that I could make one that well. You've either prettied it up quite a lot, or you have some real talent." She shakes her head, "But I wasn't here for that. Yes, I'm Anne Blakely, and I would like to know what happened to the Middletons. If you're going to try to kill me, you could at least tell me that."
Samantha Middleton	Huh, that's some news. The girl looks at the eclectic collection. "Well gosh, you all do look like adventurers. Glad you said that, I was gonna kill you all! Hey FIDO!" She calls out behind her, and the shape in the garage lumbers forward, rumbling from what seems to be a tiny steam engine on its back. That shouldn't work at all! It's open and has a chair in it, old and ratty, but the shape resolves into a large... robot? No, more like power armor. Though right now she's using the chair as a chair! "Um... about that," she mumbles. "It actually was an accident. I um... I messed with something I shouldn't have. So I thought I'd actually give finishing their job a go. It's only right." The girl taps on the artificial arm. "Anyway! Nice to meet you all. I called myself Summer Blakely just for that! Now just step aside and I'll take care of this, right?" So, from various parts of the house and a few spots underground, the barrels of shiny turrets pop up. Guys, you might wanna move.
Staren	When the girl announces cheerily that she was going to kill them all, Staren starts to say "Uhhhhh..." but he's not really sure to follow up with. And then, turrets! Oh, so they're all going to be killed anyway?! As if. He draws and fires his laser pistol at one turret, and then dives for cover. Cover might be Psyber, at least long enough for him to make a small foxhole with the matter manipulator.
Kirito	Perky young girls casually and cheerily saying they're going to kill someone - ANYONE - ranks pretty high on the kinds of things that sets Kirito off. Because... what kind of MINDSET leads a girl to say that? Is she even as young as she looks?! -Fear- flashes on his face and he IMMEDIATELY backflips, drawing both his blades in the motion and landing in a low posture. Fairy wings glitter into existence through his coat and spread out ready for use. ... And all this happens in less than half a second from the word 'kill' being said. Hair trigger much? "What the hell?!"
Guest Psyber	"Oh cool. Neat. You look pretty well prepared for this." Psyber turns to Anne and says, "I told you so." With a wag of his finger, "Never doubt a Hunter's instinct." Psyber then taps his temple a couple times and starts... walking out of the line of fire. "Anyway, I told you that I wasn't going to kill you on this mission, but..." He waves his hand slightly, "Well. Call it the Elliana in me, but that also means I'm not a liar if I simply don't stop someone ELSE from doing it. Because I never said I would do THAT." He looks to 'Summer Blakely' and smiles, "Have fun!" Thus, Staren diving behind Psyber for cover is a TERRIBLE tactical move, because Psyber's basically walking off the field of fire, moving to the side, and leaning against a tree to drink whiskey from a flask and watch Blakely die. "I'll be over here if Ariel needs me! Next time consider actually hiring me!"
Nozomi Houken	As is typical for her, Nozomi remains quiet, though there are varying, quiet noises of worry and alarm as the meeting progresses. They almost got attacked? She's not actually a Blakely? She's here to kill Anne?! And- oh god those are guns. "If you insist," Taiga replies blandly. Nozomi utters a puzzled noise. "Wait, Taiga, what-" Before she can finish her question, the robotic tiger takes a long, lazy leap out of the line of fire, landing some distance away in a long skid. Hey, he's got a lot of momentum.
Ariel	And now... Ariel has a problem. While she understands Blakely is probably better dead, she has an issue with how this is being done. Blakely is evil enough that while Ariel wouldn't like it, she would be okay with someone else killing Anne. But... maybe not this person. "W-wait!" "Ariel," Al warns. Ariel continues, "Do you want to murder her as your first act meeting people outside the village?!" She is, notably, NOT getting out of the way, though Al at least raises a shimmering magical barrier.
Anne Blakely	Anne was actually banking on a misunderstanding that would have the others being attacked along with her, if this were a trap. That didn't work out all that well, though at least Ariel was... standing up for her? This makes her look very confused. "I am not defenseless," Anne points out. Her mechanical dog leaps forward, dashing for 'Summer' to snap jaws at her, hopefully before she can get into full combat form. Meanwhile, she gestures, lifting up any spare parts and assmebling them into two rough charicatures of humans, moving to block the line of fire with them.
Guest Psyber	"Well... damnit." Psyber stands back up against the tree and puts his liquor back in his jacket. There's a couple of moments as he looks around in his jacket and then pulls out a gun from his holster. It's a pretty standard looking 1911, with the half-angel levelling it at Summer specifically. "THIS puts me in a bit of a pickle. See, I hate Blakely and kinda wanna see her dead. But I do like Ariel, and as an Uncle I have to protect her from anyone that threatens her. Couldn't forgive myself if she got hurt." Psyber waggles the gun back and forth as if in thought and then pulls the hammer back with a thumb, "So while I know that this is a big day for you, finally catching your prey and all? And believe me, as a former Hunter, I do understand wanting to kill your big score, I've gotta put a stop to this as long as you run the risk of hurting Ariel." "It's nothing personal. I appreciate the moxy, the planning, and especially the execution. This was nothing short of genius."
Kirito	"That's a bad idea, Ariel!" Kirito barks quickl, a torrent of fierce worry behind that alert! His instincts are screaming at him. And it's because plenty of events just clicked into place in his head. "She's prepared for this for years. The WHOLE TOWN knows anyone looking for a 'Summer Blakely' is bad news..." He's not about to shout down a young girl wanting to murder a legitimate source of serious trouble. This isn't his nation and society, not the rules he grew up with. Does he have a right to protest this... when he's killed too? Kirito holds his breath, scowling when Psyber steps forward. Indecision has him wracked. But he'll surely figure out what to do soon enough...
Samantha Middleton	Well this is a pretty pickle. "That's nice to hear and all, but I was born for this and it's something my family has been waiting for, for a long time," the girl explains. She looks pretty serious when she says it, and seems pleased that MOST of the group just dives out of the way. "Wow, fighting all of you would have been tough, this is great! Well... almost. You're cute, Ariel was it? But I REALLY need to do this." And Anne attacks! One arm is in the armor, and the artificial one lifts up to block the attack, making her shriek! The leg kicks out, showing gleaming metal lashing from the right leg... and the reason for the parts gets much more obvious! While she fights off the dog, which is having a /very strangely hard time/ damaging her prosthetics, she hits the button to turn on the turrets. "I have to do it! I'm Sam Middleton! I'm the LAST ONE!" She kind of has to shout the last words, not just for emphasis, but because the bullets begin to fill the air with loud rattling shots. They aren't fully automatic at least? There's a lot of them, though! Good thing they don't seem so tough, because it just takes one shot with Staren's laser to blast one apart, sparks and grease spewing from the remains.
Guest Psyber	Further reinforcing the fact that Psyber is not actually here to fight Samantha or to protect Anne is the fact that Psyber elects to NOT take any offensive action. Instead, as bullets start to fill the air, Psyber forms a second shield for Ariel. He has a lot of confidence in Al's ability to project a barrier, but he knows no shield lasts forever. Which is why, on the off chance Al's barrier goes down due to exhaustion, Psyber is going to throw his own body between the shots and Ariel. He's fully willing to let himself get riddled with bullets to protect the little unicorn. Anne, he's not really helping or hindering.
Staren	The ground rises. Well, part of it does. Staren's foxhole rapidly grows as parts of the bottom and sides animate -- he's pulling objects from his bag, pressing them into the dirt, and then dirt-men rise. He's animateds two before he stops to talk. They have the basic humanoid shape, at least, but don't have well defined ankles or necks for instance, let alone faces. They're a bit broader than humans, too. They stand protectively in front of him, but the turrets can quickly knock chunks out of them until they collapse -- if they aren't prioritizing Anne. Also, he notices Anne's power in use, what the heck? But now's not the time to ask about it. He's finally realized that Sam is only after Anne. "We've all tried to kill her and failed. Maybe you can succeed... but we're here because she's shown interest in regaining what she lost." He doesn't attack Sam further except in self-defense, but he also doesn't protect or attack Anne.
Kirito	Kirito backsteps even further - yes, he kicks the ground and seems to just freakishly rocket backwards in an impossible manuever, putting even more distance between him and the fight. But his brow furrows and creases as the fight grows more frantic. This is a seriously LETHAL CONFLICT starting right in front of him with VERY little warning and he knows so little context of what's going on... But he can reason out the gist of things. Enough to conclude he has little business interfering with Samantha's goals... For now, he keeps low to the ground, mindful of those damned turrets... "Sometimes girls can be so unreasonable," The boy squeaks quietly to himself, just a bit freaked at Samantha's dedication.
Ariel	Unlike the others, Ariel is protecting not just herself, but also Anne. She can only handle one side, so even if her barrier were perfect - which it isn't - she ocouldn't handle everything. She chooses the part where the bulk of the turrets are attacking from. Pointedly to Staren, "I haven't tried to kill her. I'm not surprised you all have." A bullet zips by Al, and one snags Ariel in the shoulder. With Psyber blocking, though, she's kept more intact than she might be, so just cries out and drops to one knee.
Anne Blakely	It would appear that Middletons no longer make Anne's creations powerless... but they are much less effective. Samantha's prosthetics make the jaws snap down and creak, rather than biting through, and her kick wrenches the dog away, making it slam into the ground and rise again to aim at Fido's legs instead. Her makeshift constructs don't fare as well. They're almost immediately torn up, and some bullets strike... a shimmering barrier? Anne has further protections! It's not great though, and blood sprays as some of the bullets are getting through, forcing her down with her arm clutching her side. "I'd rather go down from a Middleton anyway... but the fight isn't over." Her bloodied hand pulls from the vest she wears... a small vial. Which she hurls down toward Samantha. The flash of light might leave spots in the vision of anyone on THIS side, but it will be a blinding light to Samantha if she doesn't look away in time.
Nozomi Houken	"Nozomi, please find cover," Taiga says gently. The girl gives a slightly worried (read: exceptionally nervous) nod, and then slides off the robotiger's back to go dashing for the nearest piece of solid debris, scrap, anything that looks sturdy enough to stand up to metal. The robotic tiger's shoulder cannons then twitch, before smoothly turning to point towards Sam. "While Anne Blakely is precisely the sort of being I was constructed to hunt, I must request that you cease fire immediately. You have caused injury to someone whom I and my user have been hired to defend. You will have many other opportunities, I assure you."
Samantha Middleton	The bullets tear into some of the dirt-golems, but Staren is correct: they are mostly aimed at Anne. And Samantha is grinning widely that she actually hit her! The grin vanishes when... she's sealed up in the clunky-looking suit, though, which rises up and lowers a /much bigger/ gun toward... Ariel? She doesn't fire, though. She hesitates! With Psyber defening Ariel and the unicorn asking her to think about what she's doing, it's... difficult. "I absolutely want to kill her! And you're IN THE WAY!" No boom of a larger gun fires, though! Another frustrated noise. It looks like she is much less dedicated to slaughtering others in the middle of town if they aren't actually with Anne. Turns out, murdering people is harder than it sounds. "WHY did you have to come along? You ruined everyth-" And then the flash comes! There's partial protection in the cumbersome-looking Fido, but it still startles Samantha... startles, but Michelle, her friend who went inside, has been listening. With a loud creaking tear, the roof shudders and slides off, and the upside-down boat flips right side up, the balloon rapidly inflating and turbine-like sounds whining from the sides. "FINE!" The shriek is childish and upset, like she's thrownig a tantrum... and she probably is! But the clunky-looking armor roars to life, and proves a lot more agile than it looks as it boosts up to the airship above. "I won't forget this though!"
Guest Psyber	As Samantha leaves, Psyber stands up and immediately points the gun in the direction of the bloodied Anne. She's hurt, this would be the perfect time to double-down and kill her, but he's a business man and he needs to honor the deals he makes, his personal feelings aside. The half-angel keeps the gun pointed at her for a few moments before dropping it back down into his holster. The back of his jacket is pecked and marked with holes and soaking with blood, but he stands up and glares at Anne, "You oughta thank Ariel. Her being here is possibly the only reason you're still alive right now, Blakely. If it was nearly anyone else, I wouldn't have stepped in." "Sounds to me like you owe her one." And then he looks to Ariel. He's not frowning at her, but he doesn't look happy either, "You shouldn't get between hunters and their prey."
Anne Blakely	The airship lifts up, and Anne sighs, struggling to her feet. Bloodies, yes, but not killed. "So it begins again..." Psyber's words are heard, and Anne looks toward Ariel. She's completely baffled, but sighs. "Thank you for saving my life."