Scene #7365: First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Owner	Pose
Samhain	The report's been going out for a few days. Samhain of the Slaughter, horror monster who doesn't understand people, apparently got into a prestigious Japanese academy, is inviting Elites of all factions to come hang out after classes, and is probably going to turn someone into a monster because he was suggesting that he'd demonstrate monster creation. Desperado, an ally of his, requested that people convince him to stop messing around with school and start terrorizing people more. Townsend is a lovely little place. Founded by American immigrants in conjunction with the government and locals, it is a town that is beloved by nature. Forest, hot springs, a lake, and even a beach not too far away. The town is trendy and loves technology, with new buildings coming in frequently, but it's not a big city with too many skyscrapers or heavy corporate presence. It's a Slice Of Life town, basically. Up on the hill, past the forest, is Michizane Private Academy. An absolutely sprawling campus that basically does not understand the word budget, it has every type of facility students could need, ranging from very nice dorms, to a huge stadium, to a fine library. Once you get past the school gates (currently open), you come to a central 'hub' between all the various buildings. It's like a very small park in the middle of the school, with benches to sit at, various green and trees, and a statue of some sort of emperor with his hand on a sheathed sword, straight in the middle. Samhain is here. The seven foot tall wall of muscle is dressed in a perfectly-fitted boys uniform, buttons closed, welding mask still on, black hair still death metal-y, and while many students are walking around after class or sitting on the benches, none of them are looking at him funny as he stands next to a tree in plain sight, texting on a flip phone. Among the students on the benches: A big buff guy eating several bentos, with several more to go. Three teenage girls, one dressed with a red ribbon with short brown hair, one dressed with a blue scarf with long black hair, and one dressed with a yellow bow with blonde twintails, just hanging out and chatting. *A boy in thick glasses going on about his Latest Invention on the cellphone. No details are obvious. This should be an interesting visit.
Robin Sundance	There are things you have to do as a thief who steals hope for the hopeless. One of those things is make an impression. A big one. The white-haired young man just sort of drops out of one of the overhanging trees. He lands in front of the brown-haired girl, rainbow scarf leaving a little trail in the air behind him. A flick of his earring as he stands and his smile becomes dazzling. "Excusez-moi, belle dames," he says. "I don't suppose one of you would be so kind as to give me a tour of l'academy? I am, mmm, how do you say, nouveau dans these parts, and I could really use a guide." "And," he says, sweeping his hand in front of him as he bows, "I would much prefer my guide be a pretty one." "Je m'appelle Robin, Robin Sundance. A pleasure." He straightens. There's a rose tucked behind the brown-haired girl's ear. That, right there, is how you make an Impression on a yard full of anime teenagers.
Kale Hearthward	School uniforms are easy mode for disguises. They're all the same (mostly) and sometimes they're even sold in stores, making acquiring one a matter of expenditure rather than difficulty. From there it's just a matter of accessorizing - an hour or two of observation turns up the right buttons or pins to wear, the right ways to carry yourself and adjust your uniform, and the various other details that, honestly, are probably overkill for infiltrating a school. And, of course, the tiny touch of illusion magic, relatively the cherry on top but still the essential part for looking like one of the myriad pig people that seem to be the majority population of the multiverse, instead of a giant bird. "Ah, excuse me," says Kale. He doesn't enter via tree-drop unlike some people - instead taking an unassuming path on foot as he approaches the kid going on about his 'latest invention'. "Hi, I couldn't help but overhear - you're an inventor? I'd love to hear more about it!" "Oh, name's Yoshino Hikari by the way, my dad works in the patent office - just transferred here and I don't really have any friends yet."
Selene	For once, Selene is actually wearing something other than her usual t-shirt and shorts combo! She had heard that Samhain was inviting everyone to see the school he had been working from, after all, so she needs to make a good impression. Today, she's dressed closer to what student would wear: A fitted blazer (gray), a pleated skirt (red), dress shoes, and her trademark ~~chicken~~ flower hat has been replaced with a more school-appropriate beret decorated with a couple of sea shells from her native Alola. Her hair's still kind of a mess as usual, but it adds to her vague charm (probably). She still looks about as excitable as ever, of course, scoping out the school grounds and definitely not looking for places that look like they'd be ideal for spying on people like some kind of shadowy weirdo. Spotting several potential targets to talk up, Selene straightens out her beret as she weighs her options on how to make the best impression on these students. She's heard that beating the biggest and toughest guy always makes a splash in prisons, so she beelines it for the BUFF EATER.. Once she's close enough, she opens her palm wide, and... Slams it on an empty spot on the bench, leaning in to stare at the guy from barely more than a few inches away. "Got room for one more?" She's even speaking differently, smirking confidently and taking on a deeper tone to try and sound as TOUGH and AUTHORITATIVE as possible.
Janine Liberi	If there's anyone who deserves to become a monster, Janine reasons, it's a schoolchild. She has her reservations though, due to her own experiences. If it's gotta be a kid, it's gotta be the right kid. She's kind of hopeful it winds up being some awful teacher, but beggers, choosers, etc. She showed up early and took a look around the town. Unlike Alberichstadt, which was propped up entirely by Drachenblatt and its legacy, this is no academy town. There's tourist hotspots and burgeoning industry, so at least the school can't get away with murder due to being the prime industry. When she strides through the gates, all designer shades, trendy top with a cartoon Grim Reaper on it, denim skirt and sports bag (that has her sabre in it) she looks every inch someone's trendy European cousin here to visit. She marches up to Samhain and looks up at him. "Are you seriously still wearing the mask at school?" With a sigh and toss of her hair, she sits next to him and crosses her legs. "Is this really what you want? Some idyllic school life?" Looking around at the big boy, the girls being hit on by the new guy, the nerd on the phone, she shakes her head. "It doesn't last man. School's out eventually."
Strawberry Princess	Strawberry Princess is keenly out of place here- though she's not dressed unreasonably, wearing a simple white button-up shirt with black jeans and a comfy surplus jacket, she can't help looming over the high schoolers nearly as severely as Samhain does. If they can overlook "Shaw's" oddities, perhaps they can overlook hers. One can only hope. Why is she here? The obvious answer: network with other Elites, get to know other worlds. That's why the Reignition Project supported her coming. But there's something else, too. Seeing a beautiful high school like this, students studying and relaxing and just living ordinaryish teenage lives- it forces a jumble of tangled, unresolved feelings into the forefront of her mind. It feels raw. But whether it's a cathartic rawness or just a painful one is hard to say. For a moment as she enters the central hub, Strawberry's mind flits back to her last day at middle school, age twelve. Laughing, playing, drinking chocolate milk. She woke up the next morning as a magical girl and never saw those friends again. The trio of girls catches her eye immediately, of course- she might be caught out awkwardly staring at the three of them. She Knows what they are; understands in her bones the subtle language of that exact kind of bond. Do they notice what she is, or are they too preoccupied with Robin's display? ... That contact, she reluctantly decides, can come later. Instead, she sidles over to Samhain and offers him her hand. "You- must be Shaw Wayne," she says, doing her absolute dead level best to keep an even smile in spite of his menacing aura, she barely needs to look up to meet his visor's gaze. Her voice is hoarse, halting, cracked, like she's perpetually holding back some strong emotion. "It's, it's good to meet you in person. I'm-" Shit. Normal name. What's a normal name? Just say your real name. Just say- "Strawberry Princess." Smooth.
Xion	There's reports of a lot of things, but it's the spirited request that draws a certain X. Not that X. Or that other one. Not that one either. Okay, it's Xion. In a local school uniform, she holds a black lunchbox wrapped in white cloth, and seems to completely miss the overall point of the call, the commotion, or Robin sliding a flower behind the ear of some brown haired girl. No, she's about some buff guy killing bentos. "H-hello!" She stammers, her cheeks the perfect anime flush as she approaches Buff Bento Boy. "Are you eating... alone? Do you not have anyone to have lunch with you?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	The peace of the forest is disrupted by the whine of engines and the dull roar of chemical thrusters. Flights of birds and deer herald the coming of the rider, who sits astride his mechanical steed even as a knight, yet is green all over. He sits astride it--but he surely isn't dressed like one. No--he's wearing a black t-shirt which reads GRIDSTREAM RADIO in cracked and fading text, with a depiction of several futuristic punks celebrating and jamming out beneath it. Over that, a leather biker jacket with more zippers than is functionally necessary, the sleeves torn off to make it into a vest, and show off his enormous green biceps. Jeans are tucked into heavy motorcycle boots, and his shockingly red eyes are currently hidden behind a pair of wraparounds. As he blows through the forest, his mohawk blows wildly in the wind, his bushy green beard much more unflappable. The bike has got to be military surplus--there's no way that steel plating, several inches thick and set at intimidating, deflecting angles, could've been set with any other purpose in mind. There are no weapons on it, but it is green, like him--and it features painted decals of hounds chasing alien prey. He pulls past the open gates, coming to a halt in the commons. You'll hear him coming a lot sooner than that--because that bike also has a pair of loudspeakers. He wants God and everyone to know that he's coming. You'll hear the delightfully dirty synth backing track, first, then the perfectly grimy guitar, and finally, the vocals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4VFFBCa5Aw Just as the song is in its last few seconds, he arrives, dismounting, striding up to Samhain with a menacingly neutral expression. "Samhain." It looks like there's about to be a fight... until he offers a meaty palm for a bro-shake. His shake is firm, slapped into Samhain's palm with enough force to knock a less sturdy fellow over, but delivered in such a way because he knows 'Shaw' can handle it. "God to espy thee ayen," says the biker in the wraparound shades with a smile, as the song ends. He snaps his finger, and the bike's thruster cuts off, the vehicle slowly lowering to the ground.
Samhain	Robin immediately draws attention, but it's not the kind he might usually get. It's positive, and it immediately draws the attention of the three girls and some other classmates, with 'woahs' and cheers at the tree drop, but then people just...go back to what they were doing instead of forming a crowd. It's the type of thing that is 'special' in this world but not 'entirely unique' enough. "Oh my gosh! You're so cool!" Is what the red-ribboned, brown haired girl says. "I'm Nozomi. I can totally show you where everything is!" Her yellow bow'd friend elbows the blue scarfed girl. "Anna, Anna, look, a cute guy!" "Yes, Yonk, I can see that." A sigh from Annalise, which Yonk is oblivious on why. Nozomi stands up, and starts looking around. "It's a big campus...there's maps in the Administration Building, over there." She gestures to it. "That's the stadium, that's the cafeteria, the classrooms, the old schoolhouse, the dorms..." A gesture to each. Luckily for Kale, inventor kid was just ending his phonecall, so he's not being gauche. As 'Yoshino Hikari' walks up, the inventor looks over to him, tilts his head, and nods. Patent office, huh...? "Why, yes! I invented a trusty, unique, one-of-a-kind gizmo. You see..." "I invented a way to detect monsters! You would like to see it, wouldn't you? Why, of course." He doesn't even give Kale speaking room, as he pulls out a strange pocket compass from his bag. It immediately begins spinning around, pointing straight at Samhain and the statue. "Ah...it might be making a mistake right now, that's just my classmate, Shaw. But! Once it's finalized, it will certainly be able to find any monster, just you wait!" And then he pauses. "I'm Toshiro Watanabe." Selene and Xion approach the Buff Guy, who looks at Selene as she tries to kabedon him. He just hands her a bento, and then offers one to Xion if she seems hungry. He speaks in a Kansai accent that translates pretty cleanly. "Sure. I've got plenty. Trying to bulk up. I'm a wrestler, I gotta be BIG. You get it, right?" He senses a kinship with Selene, a distinct Wrestler Communion. Xion gets a laugh. "I'm not alone. All my friends are training right now, is all. Besides, you're here! Name's Koji." Janine gets some eyes, especially when she approaches Shaw of all people. People gossip about that! 'Is that his relative?!' "Of course I'm wearing the mask. What else would I wear?" He asks, puzzled. "Yes, I want an idyllic school life." He steps over near the statue right as the compass is triggered. "I want friends." As Strawberry Princess shows up, Shaw tilts his head, and then slowly shakes her hand. His pale hands are frosty, and his grip is extremely strong, before he releases. He immediately gets a suspicion from her name, and there's a tenseness. But in the end... "It's nice to meet you. I am indeed Shaw Wayne. Sixteen years old." It's like a mantra. Most people are focused on the Other Weirdos, so she doesn't stand out. "Did you come to see me make a monster? I was thinking about that guy." A gesture slightly towards Koji. "But he seems nice. He is sharing bentos with my comrades." And then, Everything Grinds to a Halt. The sweet tunes of ZZ Top blare out, and all the students look over at the motorcycle. A teacher on the rooftop of the class building points, and charges down the stairs to try and scold him, but it'll take them the Entire Scene to get to him, so it's fine. Bercilak approaches Samhain, who is just bewildered, and shakes his hand. The meaty slap gets met back with an eventual understanding nod. "Bercilak. Can you introduce yourself less noisily next time?"
Robin Sundance	"Merci beaucyou, madamoiselle." Robin draws himself up, turns, and takes a bow at the student body. He straightens, winks at Strawberry Princess, and turns back to the girls. "Well, then. I had best to the Administration Building, non? Best to let them know that the new French teacher is here tout suite." Bercilak draws his attention for a moment. When he hears Bercilak's tone, however, he laughs and offers a two-fingered salute off his brow, then starts walking towards Administration. He pauses at Janine as he passes, then carries on with a similar wink at 'Shaw Wayne.' He's going to go get employed so he can keep an eye on this place. It's a school. In a toku. It's fucked.
Kale Hearthward	Kale has the straightest of faces as the monster detector is brought out and accurately points at Samhain. "Well, you know, it's possible to patent things without them being fully working!" he says, brightly. "I mean - ah..." He affects a tone of embarassment, reaching back and rubbing his back awkwardly. "Sorry, my dad likes to talk my ear off about boring things like patent applications, and government grants for young inventors, and all that stuff - you don't want to hear about that, yeah?" Bonus - the fact that the inventor kid is focused on Samhain gives Kale a natural way to turn and look in that direction, and bring up the thing he actually wanted to ask about. "So that's Shaw, Toshiro? You know him pretty well? I have to imagine, from one new kid to another, he had a few problems fitting in..." Also, if the inventor kid puts the monster compass away, Kale makes a note about what pocket he put it in. Just in case.
Strawberry Princess	Strawb's grip is, by contrast, not particularly strong- firm, but one can tell she's not exactly crushing the squeezy hand-spring exercises. Just as she's returning Robin's wink with an awkward one of her own, Bercilak fucking tears up the reception in powerful Techno Biker Knight style. She steps out of the way for him to assault Shaw with his powerful handshake, stunned to the point of going slightly pale. Her eyes look as if they're going to bug out of her head. Strawberry resolves this by quietly scooting back, seating herself on a bench, and staring at the bike as if trying to convince herself that it's physically real. If you look very closely, you can actually see her trying to decide how much vodka she's going to have to drink tonight.
Selene	Xion's here, too! Glancing over at her as she approaches Buffguy as well, Selene's grin widens as she gestures at the other side of Koji following his introduction. There's a glint in the trainer's eye when he speaks of becoming a BIG WRESTLER, and she gladly takes the bento while sizing him up. "You'll get big enough once you get a budget, don't you worry about that. What you've really gotta work on is your mic skills and improvising. How to work with someone busting his head open so bad he can't see, but you still gotta make the finish look good. Convincing a stadium full of smarks that you're not just being pushed by the higher ups for a month before getting tossed out like every other big guy. Doing your own makeup so you don't gotta have the makeup people trailing you all night before the big title match!" Selene's gotten heated, and she's not even trying to use that deep, 'intimidating' voice anymore now that she's found a kindred spirit of sorts. It only lasts a few moments before she finally settles back down to start eating. She's fast with the filler, but slow with the sides. She knows how to prioritize and save lots of the best for last! It also gives her some time to figure out her alias. "I'm me! Uh. Mika Bung... Bar..." She coughs once, buying herself a little more time to try and figure out something believable. "Mika Banhara." She glances over at Xion, trying to look casual about sizing her up as well just to play it cool, then leans in to whisper to the both of them. "So. You two notice anything weird about this place? Like the statue moving on its own?" She didn't actually see it, but she needs to put some kind of bait out there.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak takes a moment to look around the little courtyard. That white haired guy introduced himself as Robin--and with that accent, it's absolutely the same one he acquainted himself with earlier. Were it not for the gentleman thief's assurances that he weren't interested in such, Bercilak might laugh at the sight, and congratulate his fellow for his boldness. As-is, he can't help but be curious--what does Robin know that he doesn't? Hmmm... Then there's Kale, chatting up that inventor-looking type. Bercilak crosses his arms and shoots him a haughty, amused sort of grin. 'Fuck with me,' that grin says, his red eyes gleaming with mischief as he looks down those wraparounds. Who else is here? Selene, apparently, absent her usual outfit--including the chicken hat, displaying some very good energy as she attempts to be threateningly friendly. Xion appears to have taken up a similar interest in the bento-eater. But what actually draws his attention, more than an idle glance or a nonverbal challenge, is Janine, coming up to ask if this is really what Samhain wants. The towering biker, very obviously a grown man, is quite out of place here, visually speaking. But in terms of his demeanor, he carries himself as if he runs the place. "Verily," He says, when Samhain asks if he can introduce himself less noisily next time. Why make the same entrance twice, after all? His attention, however, hasn't left Janine. He removes his shades to meet her eyes directly, and though his irises are an alarming red, there is no hostility in them; only sincerity. "Scole is not permenable, but ne is ani-thing elles. Saith I, let my sib 'Shaw' enjoie scole while hit lasts," he gently suggests. Yes--that's how the green biker man with the sleeveless leather jacket and the mohawk tawks. "Like a flouret which blomes in somer and unapairs in winter; comli and beauteous while-sum the aire is warm, ilevinge fond ithoughtes afte its wiltinge." Turning to Strawberry, who is likely just as stunned by his manner of speech as his futuristic bike, he offers the seated girl a hand to shake--though he doesn't go in for the slap like he did with Samhain. "Yea, I am Bercilak of the High Wasteland! Heil and wel met, and be thou wel at ease."
Janine Liberi	Dammit, how is Janine supposed to respond to that? 'I want friends.' That's way too earnest. If she was a member of that subculture, she might even call it 'moe.' Raising her good hand, she thumps Shaw's shoulder with a balled fist. "You have friends. Desperado and them, and the rest of the Watch. I really don't know about this place man, something about it-" Janine pauses as Strawberry Princess approaches, and lowers her shades to stare critically at her. The magical girl's Mean Girl radar probably starts pinging immediately, but Janine manages to swallow whatever pithy comment she was about to make. Bercilak recieves the brunt of the stare instead, and a cold silence as the Italian does her best to comprehend what he said. "What's he gonna do when he graduates? Start over again? Go to university? Get a job? I dunno man, it's just... it seems weird. School isn't that great." She sighs and shakes her head. "But if it's what he wants, sure. I feel like this school needs an eye kept on it anyway." As Strawberry Princes is inspecting Bercilak's bike, Janine walks over to sit next to her. "A real magical girl fan huh?" she says. Less as a question, more as an accusation. "I hope you're not here to cause trouble on my 'cousin's' early days at school." The Mean Girl radar is pinging off the charts now.
Xion	Koji... "You're a wrestler? Wrestling's fun! I really like being physical." Xion grabs a bento and slides in across from Koji, unwrapping the offered food and digging in with a gusto -- before pausing, her face flushing, her ears pouring with steam, and a cliche 'umai!' shout is heard. "It's delicious!" She blushes, rose patterns and stars haloing about her in a pink arched-bow as she digs in. "So, you're bulking? That's cool! I don't put on weight like that, but you've got to eat to build your body!" She leans in. "Hey, do you like eating, too, or is this all about being the strongest? Because, I mean, I think my friend Shaw wants to make you the strongest, but if you want to get there on your own and enjoy it, that's your choice!"
Strawberry Princess	Gears almost visibly shift in Strawberry's brain as Bercilak greets her, jarring her out of the fugue. In the span of a few seconds, he's resolved himself from an inexplicable phenomenon to a person- and people, at least, she knows how to deal with. Taking the giant's hand, she shakes it with a shaky smile. "Bercilak of the High Wasteland," Strawberry repeats in her rough voice. "Strawberry Princess. It's- it's a pleasure to meet you. I like your... taste in music. It's a strong statement." She is, of course, sincere- constitutionally incapable of being otherwise. Janine's presence makes her instinctually tense- some reflex from her middle-school days that isn't yet completely atrophied by the intervening years. Even so, when the Mean Girl sits beside her, she offers Janine a gentle, earnest smile. Bravery means being willing to open your heart to people, right? Even if you might get hurt for it. "Sometimes- magical girls can be wrong," Strawberry says, her smile picking up a slightly pained undertone. At least she's managing to pick up on the subtext. "I've made a lot of mistakes, myself. Let down people who were depending on me. Hurt... hurt people, who didn't deserve it. You know." "I'm not here to... take 'their side'. Because maybe they're wrong, like I've been. And if Shaw wants to make friends here, then- I think that's really brave of him. Because it's hard to make friends after you've been hurt."
Samhain	"Woah! I want to learn French now!" Nozumi says, as Yonk laughs and Anna sighs. The two go back to sitting down as Robin heads off. Robin has Adventures In The Administration Building, but those aren't important right now. He ends up getting employed, in the end, either way. Kale, in disguise, talks more to Toshiro. Toshiro's glasses gleam at the patent thing. "Ah...no, no, it's fine. It's interesting!" He's trying to get more info, but he's being cautious. "Well, Shaw just actually came in today. He's new after the holiday break. Nice guy. Quiet. He likes horror movies, apparently, but I'm not a fan." He seems like he wants to talk more about patents than Shaw, honestly, as he places his device in his right pocket. Janine talks to Shaw. "It will be fine. I have thought this through." He replies, confidently. Strawberry sits down on a bench, stares at the bike, and ends up close to the Magical Girl(?) Trio. She can hear their chattering, mostly about Robin, until mysteriously, a fourth voice, high pitch but muffled, comes up near their laps, where their bags are. If she tries to focus on it, she can make out the words "Stitch", "nearby", and "about to attack". If Janine focuses away from chatting, she can pick it up too. Koji listens to 'Mika', and scratches his chin. "Wow, you know a lot. You're even a good eater." Xion asks if he likes eating or is trying to be the strongest. "Well, I love the sport and the exercise, but I gotta be stronger to win, you know? I didn't know Shaw was able to do that, but I'm not surprised. Dude's got gains." Koji scratches his chin to consider it, but can't get an answer out just yet.
Samhain	As everyone is chatting with people, Selene mentions the statue. Koji's about to reply, when suddenly, a foul stench emanates from the statue. It's absolutely rancid, enough to make someone gag easily. The statue's head turns, and glares daggers at Selene. "How did you find me out?!" Ripping his feet off the pedestal, the statue starts to change. He's still a greyscale statue, but seams appear all along him. He's suddenly got a cap, a fake moustache, and his sword sheath is on the other side - a clear impostor of a real statue. People are probably looking towards Shaw, to see why he created a monster or something. Shaw just stares after gagging, and finally speaks. "I have no idea what that is or where it came from." The statue hmphs at Shaw, as it twirls around. "I am Statueface, the first Stitch of the new school year! I will turn those smiles upside down into frowns!" Statueface tries to strike Shaw, but Shaw just teleports backwards in a blink, instead allowing the statue to impact the tree. It falls over from the sheer force of the blow. The students all immediately react in fear and confusion. This is...not normal, per se, but they've heard of such things before. They're still incredibly terrified, which they all react to in their own way. Koji immediately moves to get in front of Selene and Xion. "Run! I'll hold him off!" He seems Entirely Mundane besides his wrestling powers. The three girls all stand up, reaching into their bags. Out of one of them comes a small, fluffy white dog-like creature with tiny wings lifting it up. "Dog Friday is here! Hooray!" It calls out in a high-pitched, gender-neutral voice. They're all about to Do Something, but need someone to buy them time. And then, finally, Toshiro screams. He grabs his device, which tracks from Samhain towards Statueface, drops it in the confusion, and runs off. A lot of students are evacuating indoors, besides those there.
Samhain	As Statueface stands there, he stomps his foot onto the ground. "Come out, Stitches!" A bunch of mascot costumes in generic humanoid-animal shapes appear in a cloud of smoke, being menacing. They each have seams all over, and no sign of a person inside - it's like the handicrafted costume is the actual monster! They're just kinda...doing gang signs and threatening people, not swinging hands yet, but they're Absolutely Hostile.
Janine Liberi	Janine lets out yet another big sigh as Strawbs comes out with nice smile and positive words anyone could in this situation. "How I am so surrounded by the most earnest people in the world?" she grumbles. "Fine. Truth be told, I'm hoping you're right. This school seems too good to be true, and if it is, I don't want him turning anyone into a monster who doesn't deserv-" Janine had been tuning out the words of the people around her, but 'about to attack' causes her to snap her head around like a wild animal listening for predators. Her hand unzips her sports bag and clutches something inside as her eyes flick around behind her shades. From where?... From plain sight apparently. The sheer never it takes to just stand there as a statue until it's time to pounce has to be commended at least. Little minions start running around, and Janine produces her military sabre. The sun catches the blade as she yells, "Would you all get the hell out of here?! That goes for you too tubby!" she adds to Koji as she checks her reflection in the blade. "CATHERINE!" The shackled bride arises behind Janine in a flurry of golden light as heavy winds begin to swirl, pushing students back and away from the monsters.
Selene	"Can he do that? I should get bigger sometime. Taller, buffer, especially right up here in the-" As Selene lifts her hands momentarily, she stops when there's a stench and a voice coming from the statue. She doesn't turn at the stench at first, simply assuming it was Koji or Xion, but the voice has her raising an eyebrow and staring right at the statue's head. "... Heh. Wouldn't you like to know, Stinkface?" A shit-eating grin is plastered right over Selene's face as she says that, apparently not interested in revealing her secret ability to lie and be incredibly lucky at it. She jogs away as the statue comes off the pedestal, making sure to finish eating all hte good bits of her bento box on the way while it focuses on attacking Shaw. "Whoa. He really doesn't like the new guy." She sounds (relatively) calm as she keeps stuffing her face, blinking slowly when Koji moves to act as a human shield for herself and Xion. She doesn't respond right away, partially due to setting the food aside and partially due to laughing. It's not a mocking laughter, though, but one of approval that a wisened old master would laugh at a poential student showing their worth. "You got chops, Koji. Keep this up, and you might become the next big thing. But right now, we got this covered." She picks a Pokeball off her belt, taps the button, then holds it forward and summons a massive... Housecat-sized cat. It's black, red, and it has a bell. It also puffs out a small bit of fire as it snorts upon seeing the Stitches and that thing calling itself Dog Friday. It does not look particularly pleased about the existence of this Dog. "If you're not fighting these guys, get outta the way because I can't pay up even if you sue!"
Robin Sundance	It's suspicious. Robin is a thief. Robin is a man who knows intimately how to pull the wool over someone's eyes, how to make an impression, how to make a distraction. So, when the events in the administration building occur, he relays his thoughts to Janine and the rest of the Watch: someone's putting on a show. Whom, he does not yet know. And he'd like to poke about, but... That's not happening. He's about to buy some water from a vending machine when he hears the noise outside. A glance out the window tells him everything he needs to know. He turns to the teacher next in line, winks at her, and offers her the money. "Pardon me, madamoiselle, mais I have somwhere to be." And with that he just opens the window and front-flips out of it. Robin lands outside the window, unharmed, as the Stitches appear. This, he knew very well. He casts a look at Janine and Bercilak - a nod and a flick of his fingers from his brow. He's organizing. In the other hand, the Vaulder. It looks like a vault door. He slams it on his waist. A belt grows around it. "Oh la la," Robin says, strolling forward, spinning a ring of keys on his right finger, "So you are the local flavor, non?" "I must commend you!" He says as he stops, still spinning the keyring, "It takes quite the tenacite to stand there, waiting for the proper time! Bien joue!" He's echoing Janine. Oh God. "Mais," The keyring stops spinning, "This was, unfortunately, not the proper time." A key flicks off the keyring into his hand. He jams it into the Vaulder. His hand snaps across the handle. "Transform." B-B-B-BURGLAR! Robin's arms spread in a 'well, what of it' stance, one foot slightly higher than the other, as the armor spins into being around him. The golden key-shaped antennae. The red armor with yellow highlights. The black coattails, like a flashy thief ought to have. Last but not least, the mask itself. His finger flicks upwards. "Masked Ranger, Thief." "The thief who steals back the smiles of the downtrodden!" And with that, he's off, going straight for the mascot animals with his grapple gun in hand. He wields it not unlike he's pistol-whipping them as he fights. He's got a very ballet style to his combat - it's clearly at least a little aikido-inspired, redirecting attacks away from him with open-palm motions when he's not using the pistol. But, at the same time, it's flowy and flashy, with lots of spins and gentle pushes. It's very much like watching a dancer. That image is enhanced even further by the flowy coat tails, of course, whipping this way and that around him as he moves.
Kale Hearthward	"Well, if you're wanting to talk patents, I can give you a card," says Disguised-Kale, reaching into his own pocket and pulling out a contact info card (one that conveniently omits any personally identifying info that'd give him away). This kid might be useful in the Gale Empire - or if not, then his new employers the Paladins, or just kinda useful in general. He's interrupted by the statue coming to life - and he is indeed looking directly at Samhain, eyes narrowing, coming to the same conclusion others are, and expressing the same confusion when Samhain denies responsibility. He takes a step forward - and glances at the fallen Monster Compass on the ground. Smoothly, a gust of wind picks it up and puts it in his pocket. "You! You, Statueface, who would defile this place of learning!" He dispells the illusion on himself - an action that coincidentally involves making a dramatic sweeping motion. "Know that East Wind of the Gale Empire's Regalia - Kale Hearthwind - will not stand for such! The gentle breezes that flow through this quiet land call out for justice, and by my will I shall be their mouthpiece, and by my swords I shall sing their voices!" He draws both of the swords - which until now had been hidden by the illusion. (He's still wearing a school uniform, though.) "Make peace with what time you have left - what little time you have, for I shall shorten that of you and yours for as long as I live and breathe!" And with that, he kicks off, air-dashing across the courtyard with his twin swords lashing out!
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	The Green Knight grunts his agreement at Janine, when she says that this place could use an eye kept on it. "Per happes it doth," he says with a slow nod. His fellows' conversation on the radio hasn't escaped his notice--how could the principal have known that Robin was coming? "Yea," he says, smiling warmly at Strawberry. "I am muchly biloven of ZZ Top." He chuckles. "We shouldst speke in greter mesure of musike soon." It's one of his favorite subjects! What the hell is that smell, though? Bercilak turns, his broad nostrils flaring with displeasure, a confused expression on his face. "Who ferten?" Statueface, apparently. He glances towards Samhain--only to find that Samhain isn't responsible. However... no matter who's responsible... this should be a happy place. Schools aren't always, and in fact, for many, often aren't. But he's here now. His friends are, too--plus the buff bento dude, and a few girls evidently identified as 'magical girls,' whatever that might be. He grins widely, as it appears they need someone to buy them some time, and Robin has offered to do just that. Might as well go all-out, then, if Statueface wants to make this a contest of numbers. "IHIWEN!" Why does he feel the need to shout that, and why only on certain worlds? Strange... but it feels correct, somehow. In moments, his body is encased in armor of tough synthetic weave and space-age green alloys, a massive green harness with pauldrons forming over the already thick chestplate of the armor. A horned helmet with a T-shaped black visor conceals his face, and to dramatically complete the ensemble, there springs from his back a cape of wild winter grasses and hardy flowers, errant petals blowing in the wind only to regrow near-instantly. He stretches a gauntleted arm outwards, and into his waiting hand there appears a massive battle axe, taller and heavier than any man should be able to wield with both arms, let alone one. Its monomolecular edge is concave, and glows bright green. The head of the weapon is massive on its own, evidently housing some manner of advanced technology for the way it hums. When next he speaks, his baritone is modulated by the internals of that horned helmet. "Wel? For what dost thou idwell? An invitacioun inked? Ifighte us, thou liti couarts!"
Strawberry Princess	As Janine draws the saber and summons her Persona, Strawberry Princess flips over the back of the bench to take cover behind it, drawing a mahou's wand from under her jacket as she does. It takes a few seconds for the wand's reactor to fully rev up, shrieking and rattling and groaning as it taints the air with a persistent tinnitus and a taste of metal. By the time it's done, she re-emerges from behind the bench in full mahou regalia, flashing a glance back over her shoulder to ensure that Janine's okay before zipping across the courtyard in breakneck high-G flight. She skids to a halt in front of the three magical girls from the school, having already mentally identified them as Her Squad, and whips around to turn her back on them and draw a bead on the monsters. An opaque pink bubble forms around her and the three of them, acting as a forcefield against transformation sequence interruptions as well as hiding their identities from onlookers. When she speaks, her voice is utterly different- still forced through the same rough vocal cords, but possessed of a confident force and conviction. "Listen to me. My name is Strawberry Princess, a veteran. I am not fully weapons-free here, but I will help you as I can. Transform and tell me your names and abilities." The timer on her wand's reactor is already ticking down, burning through enriched plutonium to bolster her flagging magical heart. 04:53
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	When no attack is immediately forthcoming, the Green Knight takes the fight into his own hands. Shouldering the axe, he strides slowly up to the nearest Stitch, tapping it on the shoulder. "Thire is som-thing upon thy countenance," he says. "Here." His thick metal helmet crashes into the Stitch's face. "Let me assist thee." After that blow is made, he reaches out with his free hand, grabs them by the arm, and bodily throws them into a crowd of their fellows.
Selene	"Now... Light 'em up!" Selene snaps her fingers, and the cat's bell starts to ring as it gathers up fire in its mouth. She hurries forward momentarily to aim it away from the three girls and Dog Friday, then points at the Stitches and gives it a brief pat on the back. The Torracat proceeds to belch flames at the Stitches with gusto. Less gusto than it would have towards its initial target, but gusto all the same.
Xion	"You're going to... turn those smiles into frowns? Why? What possible reason is there--" Xion calls, haltingly, as she rises quickly to her feet. Her anime sparkles fall away as the dark threat of Themed Sentai Jerk rise in a cloud of funk. Literaly. He smells bad. Appetite soured, Xion is right about to leap into the fray when... Koji... leaps into the fray. "Shaw! Stop Koji! He's going to hurt himself!" She calls to Tall Dark and Suspect while she shoves off the table with her borrowed bento to step past Koji and coolly jut her arm across his path. Even though he's, like, waaaay bigger than her. He won't be able to move her arm if he's just a big man. Strawberry calls for the FULL ROLL CALL (as is custom in Episode 1), and Xion doesn't have... a good answer for that. She doesn't have a cool belt sound, or a shouting formformer. "I'm Xion." Shion. "I feel hearts and hit things. And right now -- these things are rotten!" A steel pipe, ruffle-bent at one end, materializes in her non-halting hand, taking a swing as the three girls talk about... "D-dog... Friday?"
Samhain	Everyone kinda tells Koji to leave it to them, and after a moment of Xion blocking his path which he can't push her arm aside, and Shaw literally grabbing him and escorting him away, he nods, and retreats. Not runs off, retreats. He's braver than Toshiro, at least. Heavy winds push students away, assisting with their escape and making sure Koji doesn't change his mind. The Stitches try to run into the wind barrier, and it pushes them back, knocking one over and forcing another to try and help him get up. Statueface just sighs, as he takes a step back, avoiding the winds with his stony visage, as he grabs the Stitch and throws it straight at Janine to barrel her over! Selene's cat gets Dog Friday's hackles up, but the fire is effective in burning Stitches, as one is just set on fire and drops on the ground to roll. Another one moves to put it out, catches fire itself, they eventually get put out but are injured, and end up moving to try and punt Selene's cat away. Masked Ranger Thief gets a reaction from Everyone. The three girls stop briefly, as does the Statueface. "Ranger? Are you sure?" Is all he says, before shrugging, as he kicks a Stitch straight into Robin as he pistol whips them, trying to stagger him with a rapid Stitch attack. "It's my job to defile places! The power of my sword, Kuso-nagi, makes everything worse! Ehehehe!" Kale comes in to lash at Statueface, but he just releases more foul fog, as a Stitch charges into Kale, gets stabbed, and just punches at him over and over in an attempt to do damage. Bercilak throws a Stitch backwards after headbutting it in the face, and that Stitch is just thrown back as a bodily weapon. Apparently they use a lot of throws! The forcefield just confounds the monsters, but they end up trying to attack it anyways! Fists from mascots go to slam into it to try and hit Strawberry inside! Xion takes a swing, and it just smashes a Stitch's head in, causing it to fall over as if it was attacked by seven finishers at once. Huh. That's one down. Two others come rushing at her screaming incoherently, trying to rip that pipe out of her hands and hit her in the face.
Samhain	MEANWHILE, IN STRAWBERRY'S FORCEFIELD The three girls nod, as they pull out brushes covered in appropriately-colored ribbons. They all begin to pose with them, pointing them out and banding together. They have big smiles on their faces, despite the situation - hope that they'll win. It's...probably reminiscent of when a magical girl first begun on Strawberry's world, told that they were doing a good thing. "RibbonRed!" Nozomi, the brown-haired girl, shouts out. "We wield needles as swords!" "RibbonBlue!" Annalise, the black haired girl, says calmly. "We use ribbons to trip them up!" "RibbonYellow!" Yonk, the blonde girl, gets excited. "We have giant scissors we use in a combination to go sksksk on them!" The brushes are used to paint through the air, as they begin to transform. Armored dresses appear, piece by piece, over their bodies, as colored helmets and visors cover their face and mask their identities. Once they're ready, and out of the sphere, hopefully...they pose for Statueface. "We are Ribbonger! Defenders of everyone's hearts!"
Janine Liberi	"Listen buddy! Making things worse is /my job!/" Janine begins to advance on StatueFace, sword raised in a fencing guard, only for the monster to pick up one of his own men and yeet them at her. Not expecting that, Janine takes it full force and lands on her back with the Stitch on top of her. "Would you get the hell off me?!" she shouts at the poor minion before a burst of wind launches it skyward. She kips up - no. She /floats/ up, held aloft by swirling winds with anger in her eyes. Two other Stitches see only a fast blur before Janine is on them, slashing them before sending them skyward with more wind. As they come down along with the one thrown at the Persona user, they get tangled in something. Golden strings stretch in between the trees of the ward, glinting faintly in the sunlight. With the Stiches held aloft and enwraped in them, Catherine clenches her hands and the strings rapidly begin to move, reeling onto the screws of her handcuffs. The Stitches are smashed together and bound up, leaving them to flop onto the ground. "I'm Janine Liberi, and I'm the top bitch around here!"
Selene	Despite the Torracat's best efforts, the Stitch's kick catches it square in the side, and it goes flying! It's a tougher cat than it looks, however, as it lands on its feet with only a slight limp and a rather intense scowl on its face. Selene furrows her brow as she reaches into her bag, sliding a red and white luchador mask out of it to slap over her face. "You've taken worse, TC! If they can't use their hands, then just keep their feet from getting anywhere close!" The cat turns to Selene slowly, clearly not getting anything she said. It's still a creature and not a person, after all! "... Fire Spin! Start with the legs so they can't kick you again!" That works well enough for the cat. Instead of just spraying fire at the Stitches wildly, it actually takes aim with its next burst of flame. The flame starts out as a small stream at first, wafting towards the cluster of minions Catherine works on binding, almost as if it's trying to add some suspense first. The buildup, naturally, leads to a considerably larger cyclone of flaming death. It blasts upwards, swirling about dangerously and likely to create quite a bit of collateral damage if it's not brought under control sooner rather than later. Selene does not seem interested in bringing it under control. She's too busy posing wildly and cheering like a girl possessed.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	As the Stitch goes flying, Strawberry and Her Squad demonstrate exactly what a 'magical girl' is. Interesting. Or, as he says, "Bihowing!" If Xion's with them, then she must be one, too. He grins, behind that T-shaped visor on his helmet, watching as the Stitch is thrown back his way. Is that so? Bercilak stands resolute. At the very last moment before he's struck, he pushes his chest out. With a resounding CLANG, the Stitch strikes the enormous breastplate laid over his already extensive armored plating. Stepping slowly over them as they land, he closes the distance so that Masked Ranger Thief will have some assistance. Should Robin's helmet have any capability to display flashy AR toku graphics... FRIENDLY NANOPROGRAM: Barrier of the Righteous A faint green shimmer envelops Thief, after which, any attack which Statueface or his minions make against him (including having said minions thrown his way) will have its strength reduced somewhat by a semisolid wall of force, generated by millions of nanites flooding his personal space with exotic particles. The Green Knight himself stands shoulder to shoulder with Thief. He isn't acrobatic. Or quick. But he packs an extreme wallop, and it isn't just unskilled brute force, either. Bringing the axe up, he deflects any blows thrown his way with patient strokes of the weapon, making expert use of the haft as a blocking surface without endangering his hands, using the blunt eye of the head as a bludgeon to push foes away. When he sees an opportunity, he takes it... Driving his axe into the ground with such strength as to cause a directional shockwave, attempting to bowl over Statueface and any of his Stitches which occupy that cone before him.
Kale Hearthward	Kale comes in swinging, and then has to pull up short after just a few hits - more out of concern of the foul fog than the minion punching at him. The breath weapon user really doesn't want to know what happens if he breathes that fog in! As for the minion punching him - Kale simply brings up his swords, parrying one, twice, and then abruplty dropping both swords and air-dashing backwards, getting back out of range. "Alright then!" "If you want to claim that this is your job - go ahead! It's my job to stop you, by putting you to the sword, if necessary! The explanation matters not, the outcome will be the same!" He falls back a bit more, starting to cast something - something big, that requires both hands. The spell forms as a large ball of knotted, compressed air between his hands - once upon a time he described learning wind spells as 'trying to weave while blindfolded', and especially while concentrating on not getting punched or stabbed whilst casting and keeping track of all the targets while doing so. The only feedback he gets is from his sense of touch, and even that's brief and fleeting - literally measuring the flow of the winds with his fingertips. And then, with the spell formed, he breathes - a forceful, almost angry inhalation and exhalation, a meaningfull huff. The spell between his hands takes on new life - from a containable knot of winds to a raging tempest that, if not cast quickly, will overwhelm him. It's this that he grasps, as firmly as one can grasp the wind, and rears back and throws as one would a soccer ball from the sidelines. The spell sails towards the heaviest cluster of foes Kale can locate, and explodes upwards, forming an immensely powerful updraft right beneath their feet! It's strong enough that if they can't get out of range of it, it'll send them straight upwards, skyhigh! "NOW, STRAWBERRY PRINCESS!" he shouts over the sudden squall.
Robin Sundance	Thief just shrugs and shakes his head as he spins around through one of the Stitch's attacks. "Oui, monsieur, I am quite certain that I am Masked Ranger." One hand comes up to catch an incoming Stitch's punch. He grabs it by the wrist, sweeps his foot under it, and knocks it to the ground in a single flowing motion as he sidesteps another incoming strike. He almost avoids the third one, but it clips him across the face; though he minimizes damage with his whirling motion it nonetheless leaves some of the typical damage sparks scattering across the field. He comes to a stop, shouldering the Rifler. There's a sigh. Burglar Form doesn't have enough speed. There's too many of them, and the damage is going to start racking up quickly. He spins out the keyring again and snaps a new key into the Vaulder, ducking backwards under a strike - slightly too slowly. Thief gets clipped in the chin. He flips backwards. Credit where it's due - he makes it look good. PH-PH-PH-PHANTOM! Thief lands on both feet as the golden key-shaped antennae spread into a black and white top hat. His armor goes black and white, accented with gold. The coat tails flutter behind him gracefully as he grabs the Rifler by the hook and snaps it outwards. It solidifes into a cane, which Thief tucks under his arm like a proper gentleman. Bercilak's buff is not unheeded. Thief throws another two-fingered salute Bercilak's way and then steps sideways. As Burglar, he was all-around competent. No particular strengths - but no particular weaknsses. As Phantom, though? He's fast. He's real fast. He brings the hand holding his cane up to catch a Stitch attack. Rifler Cane itself follows through to smack the Stitch on the leg. Thief wastes no time bringing his other hand around the thing's back, flipping it over, and stomping on it. The cane comes down hard on its head. Then he strolls forward, whirling the cane this way and that into the melee. It moves equal parts a dancer's baton and a rapier, a zone of control to herd the Stitches into Kale's attack so Strawberry can take care of as many as possible in one go.
Strawberry Princess	"Right," Strawberry says, nodding sharply to the trio. "Melee specialization. I'll keep you safe from ranged attacks, Ribbongers." She drops the greater bubble, but as the three magical girls disperse, she buds off a mental fragment of herself to watch over them and create further bubbles as necessary. Initially she'll only allow one of the Stitches in a bubble with all three of them; as she quickly gets a greater sense for their strength and synergy, she'll allow them to vary it up, creating mobile and protected 'arenas' in which they can massacre as many foes as she deems safe and prudent, or even split up if they prove competent enough. Her radio coordination with Kale is about to give the lie to her earlier statement about not being weapons-free, though. As enemies are rocketed sky-high, she takes off after them, soaring hundreds of feet into the air to get a safe distance between her payload and the ground. The whipping wind flutters her hair. "I'VE GOT IT, KALE. PREPPING THE ANNIHILATOR BEAM." 4:37 Control rods shift and raise out of their wells like a blossoming flower to de-inhibit the fissile material inside, accompanied by hisses of steam and grinding metal. The air is filled with a ringing tinnitus; everyone who has a tongue can taste metal in their mouths, everyone with skin can feel a sunburn-like prickling along it. A column of glowing blue, like a Vegas skylight, shines out of the tip of her wand to illuminate her targets. "FIRING ON MEDIUM! THREE." The staff's reactor shrieks like an animal, like a flywheel spinning up to unimaginable velocities. The buildup isn't linear but exponential; if held for a fraction of a second too long, it could shred the reactor- and, perhaps, Strawberry- apart in an instant. She holds the wand steady, staring down its feathery wings like iron-sights. "TWO." The darkened crystal at the tip of Strawberry's wand, emblematic of her drained soul, glows with an unearthly light once again. Dim at first, over the next second it becomes utterly blinding to look at, erasing every shadow in the courtyard. Plural ounces of nuclear fuel are being converted into raw energy for that crystal to channel. "O-" There is a noise like thunder that's felt more than heard, a reverberating wall of air that hits like a tidal wave. The pink-white beam fires, consuming all the energy of a nuclear reactor on the verge of meltdown. It can be seen even through one's eyelids. For several seconds afterwards, local radios are jammed with the roaring static of a fireball blackout. It is a concentrated, three-foot-wide beam of unearthly destructive force, wholly excessive for whatever can be pointed at. A direct hit is disintegration. A grazing one is maiming. It's just a question of how many of the monsters she can hit before they reach the ground again.
Xion	"Ohhhhhhh!" Xion gasps, as the Ribbonger transform. "You meant them! The roll call, okay, for them." The bubbles creating and popping around their fight makes an almost pearlescent soap-bubble dreamscape of color coded violence. Okay, so only the girls are color coded, and largely they attack the goons by stabbing them violently or cutting them apart. "This must be what they mean by 'cutting the Ribbon'!" Xion decides, spectatorially considering the progress of the three across the field. As two Stitch leap onto her and not a local with legally distinct cries of generified alarm, her gormless watching of the ongoing fight is paid for in STOLEN PIPE. As soon as the pipe leaves her hand and is swung back at her, it dematerializes back into her inventory, causing the goon to swing-and-miss before comically tumbling into her in a loud crashing pile. This is 'loud' in the sense of a re-foleyed comedy scene. Strawberry proceeds to be loud in the Strategic sense. When the light settles and the dust clears, the two goons have both been clubbed with another pipe. It's different. It has an L-bend. "Holy moley. Is she Kamen Rider Nuclear Bomb?"
Samhain	Janine tangles some Stitches, before smashing them together, flopping on the ground, and basically just ripping them apart. The winds are bad enough that Statueface takes a step back, pondering if he should just escape. Selene's fire cyclone binds and burns those minions into nothing, and Statueface sighs. As Bercilak tries to bowl him over with the shockwave, Statueface literally leaps on top of one of the Stitches, and then onto a tree branch, hanging carefully, before it snaps under his weight. He luckily lands on his feet, but is staggered. Kale parries the minion, and then creates a massive cluster of wind. It brings up most of the remaining Stitches into the air, as Statueface jams his sword into the ground, using it to keep steady. The Foul Fog gets worse and worse as the sword is exposed, becoming blinding for any inside of it, as he doesn't respond to Robin, who herds Stitches into the attack. The Ribbongers, as Strawberry will find, are 'pretty competent', but probably not on the scale they could defeat a giant horror. These guys, though? Casually. Their needle swords go ripping them apart at the seams, as ribbons flash out to trip them and bind them for the others, and a series of combination attacks that allow them to pierce the Stitches. They all watch Strawberry in awe as they attack. Yellow's about to look up, but Blue covers her eyes for her. The three-foot blast and wind vortex swallows up a Lot of Stitches, who are violenty rended non-existent. Statueface rubs his moustache, coughs, and turns around, as only seven Stitches remain, that aren't being beaten up by Xion's l-bar as they're inside a pile. "Well! I'll leave this to you." Before anyone can stop him, he waves Kusonagi, and creates a massive cloud that blocks anyone from seeing him. When it's gone, he's already escaped. The seven Stitches look bewildered, confused, and honestly super terrified. But they can't run back. Their fate is to be the comedic goon that gets defeated. So... They resolve themselves. Mascot fists into palms, knucklecracks, and a charge, one for each opponent, moving to punch them repeatedly and try and die Proudly. Even if they're pathetic... The Ribbongers watch. Yonk is tearing up inside, while Nozomi just shouts. "Defeat them already!" They're not wading in to not screw up the others' melee, showing they actually know how combat works enough at their age. How long have they been doing this?
Selene	A warning is given. Despite bungling it entire on the radio, Selene knows enough about that specific set of warnings given that she complies immediately, even recalling her cat into its Pokeball momentarily to keep it out of harm's way. She pops her ears. She looks down. She exhales. It's still amazing to see even just the aftereffects of Strawberry Princess' blast. "If I had a nickel for every time I've these kinds of crazy explosions, I'd have... Two nickels!" She comments aloud to nobody in particular, finally looking up when the coast is clear enough to look at things without her eyeballs melting in her skull. By the time she looks up, she sees Statueface escaping with the power of Kusonagi, leaving his minions to their fates among the pile of Elites. She watches them steeling their resolve, preparing for their fates, charging into this unwinnable battle... Behind the mask, Selene sheds a single tear. She bellows a mighty shout (and coughs and hacks a few times at the throat strain), stomps forward once, then points at the Stitches with a fire in her chest. "You! The Seven Stitches! Even though we don't know your names because you're nameless goons, mooks destined to die horribly against..." She glances arund briefly, counting up each person around. "...All of us, you're some of the bravest ones I've seen! In your next lives, maybe we'll see you right at the top getting pushed for Slammerjam." She salutes the seven, barely even flinches as the Torracat gets punted again, reaching both arms up to catch it overhead as the kicking arc takes it right to her. "Don't hold back, TC. Least we can do is make it painless and flashy for these guys." Setting the cat back down with a bit more care, she draws one finger across the surface of her mask before pointing at the Stitches and tilting backwards in a rather awkward looking, but vaguely threatening stance. "Fire Blast! Leave nothing standing!" A beat, and then she stage-whispers to the cat. "... But try to do it from higher up." The Torracat's bell starts to glow while it bounds off benches, trees, the occasional observer's face, and all sorts of surfaces as it looks for a higher vantage point. Once it's sufficiently high enough that missing completely will still hit the ground instead of burning through the countryside, it leaps once more and vomits out a massive fireball larger than itself by several times. The fireball looks more like a meteor coming down on the Stitches, capped off with a mighty explosion!
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Bercilak shoulders his axe once more, pausing in the midst of the fight to utter a low whistle as Kale blows that gaggle of Stitches sky-high. Against Strawberry's advice, he does indeed look up--and is momentarily blinded as some decidedly un-kid-friendly things happen within his helmet. There are a few billion nanites around his person who can assist with that, and with his blown ear drums. In a matter of moments, microscopic surgeons, with their arrays of tiny scalpels, on-spot fabricated tissue stimulants, sample collectors and cell programmers reconstruct what was lost for his dalliance. He regains his sight and hearing just in time to witness Statueface's escape. In vain, he hurls his axe with both hands, the massive weapon tumbling end over end through the air. It travels through the cloud, but to no use, the edge of the axe embedding itself into a tree. The tree grows taller and wider, flowers blossoming within its leaves. "Hm." It is absently that he notices the gentle thuds of a comedic goon's fists pounding against his armor. He looks down. Then looks back at the Ribbongers. Defeat them? "Veri wel." One hand catches a fist en route for another hopeless strike, holding it with ease as he speaks without rancor to the Stitch. "Thy galaunce is noten--but the dai is lost. I grant thee a spedeli discomfiture." His heavy boot stomps down on the Stitch's foot, the knee of the opposite leg crashing with the hiss of microthruster assistance into their abdomen. Having winded his opponent, he takes his boot off of their foot, then drives his fist into their temple so hard as to force them to the ground. That done, he approaches the tree and retrieves his axe.
Kale Hearthward	"What -" Kale was expecting something big from Strawberry Princess. He wasn't expecting that. He looks away and braces just in time - even then he's not ready. He's been in literal hurricanes before, as part of his training (and when the North Wind Regalia is in a bad mood) but this is something else entirely. "That's... the power of the multiverse, is it..." says Kale to himself, a bit breathless from all of that. After that, he tries to focus on the statue - but the cloud of fog is too dangerous for him to get close, and before he knows it the target's just gone, leaving only some minions left over. "... Then I shall make it quick," says Kale, both out loud and in response to Samhain on the radio. He grabs one of his swords, and holds it up to his beak, blowing into the hilt as if it were some sort of musical instrument. Immediately, the sword starts transforming - parts of the blade disengaging from each other, rotating out, changing from a flat blade to a spiral shape... and the spiral shape starts spinning, and spinning quickly, moving with the sort of power and speed one would expect to find on industrial tunnel-boring equipment! "And if you're resolved to die, then Breath Weapon Periactus shall gladly be your end!" he declaims, swinging it. Despite the drill-blade spinning at high speeds, he doesn't seem to have any issues swinging it normally - and if it connects, it simply shreds whatever it encounters!
Janine Liberi	Janine is immensely thankful for her shades as Strawberry Princess unleashes her Annihilation Beam. The blinding light is dimmed by the extremely expensive dark glass, but nothing can block the taste of metal and light sunburning. So rattled is she by the light and sound of absolute devastation that she doesn't notice StatueFace getting away and leaving behind his last Stitches to die. "Wow. Cold." She shakes her head and points it at the minions as they hype themselves up for their final stand. "Sorry fellas. I'd have looked the other way if you had run but..." One lunges at her and begins swinging. Janine backs up, deflecting strikes with her sabre, but taking a few knocks. Back, back back, until suddenly, the Stitch finds itself utterly unable to move. Those golden strings have coiled around it and even dug into them at points, choking each joint and point of articulation until nothing can be done. "If it's any relief, your boss is absolutely next." And with that, she pirouettes past the minion, carving out its neck in passing.
Strawberry Princess	Strawberry's reactor abruptly bolts its control rods in with a sound like a door slamming, killing the exponential chain reaction and extinguishing the glow within her wand's crystal. Between its near-SCRAMmed state and maintaining her flight, the bubbles protecting each of the Ribbongers are starting to flicker ominously- so she turns off her sparkling wings and plummets towards the ground, only reactivating them to slow her descent at the very end and keep from splattering on the ground. "Shit, shit, shit," she mutters, hitting the courtyard in a three-point-stance. Maintaining the defenses on the Ribbongers- even if they don't need it at this point- is her main focus. Firing the wand again, especially so close to the ground, is out of the question. So when one of the little Stitches charges her, she does something that might dampen the watching mahous' impression of her. Strawberry Princess drops her wand, pulls out a Glock, and puts five bullets into the Stitch's center mass.
Robin Sundance	Well, that was unexpected. The beam of sound and light blows through the Stitches. It erases them out of existence. It just...wipes them out. Sweeps right through as if they weren't even there. Thief takes a moment to watch - sort of. Mostly he's looking at it sideways so he doesn't blind himself. The moment's gone. The monster retreats - of course it does - and the Stitches are left. Back to business. Strawberry needs a minute to recover. And there's enough of the Stitches to be a problem for her. And they know what she can do, now, so they'll probably make her a priority target. Thief shrugs. He hits the ground. The Rifler Cane fires. It sends him spiralling up over the Stitches, landing with a graceful flip in front of Strawberry Princess. He tucks his cane under his arm, spins, holds up his hand, and gestures for them to come at him. "Gather your strength, madamoiselle," Thief says over his shoulder, his fingers on the hat-brim of Phantom Form's helmet. And then he's in the thick of it. He doesn't allow them to even get close to her. With one hand he pushes Stitches backwards; with the whirling cane he yanks their feet from under them. He pushes them backwards into TC's flame. He trips them into Bercilak's knee. He ducks around Strawberry's glock and shoves them in the way. For someone who tends to fight on his own, Thief has excellent coordination, and excellent spatial awareness. It probably comes from, well, being a thief - being aware of what's around him at all times. The damage that he can't mitigate entirely he pushes onto himself, yanking claws into his armor with the cane or spinning into intercepts. Sparks fly, but Thief does not. B-B-B-BURGLAR! Burglar Form reasserts itself as the Vaulder spins into place. He flips the Rifler around as it turns back into a grappling gun. Almost lazily, as the Stitches are gathered together, he lowers the gun in their direction. "Au revoir~!"
Xion	The resolution of the defeated? Xion sees the shrinking mascot-like Stitch pushed back by the incredible attacks of everyone collectively. Finding their last legs for one moment of glory? Acceptance, the final stage of grief? Xion's fist clenches. One of them approaches her, shoulders rolled, knuckles popped. It strikes her one walloping blow, right to her face, but the short girl doesn't react. Nearby, the Ribbonger battle. A bit farther away, Kale unleashes a Breath Weapon. In the distance, she can feel Robin's shining heart, like a spotlight. A summery heat brings the feeling Torracat's lucha spirit. All that, and she just stands there, the blow punctuated by gunfire. "I don't know if I can hurt you any more. But I can't let you hurt other people, either. So:" Xion places her hand against the chest of the Stitch as a black ring surrounds her wrist in a halo. "X-Zone" (tn: it's pronounced 'key-zone'.) In a blink-and-you'll miss it, she just jams the whole Stitch into her inventory in a black voxelized de-rezzing animation of total silence. "H-hey, wait up, did you just say three swears and shoot that one with a normal gun?" Blink blink blink. "That works?"
Strawberry Princess	Strawberry stares at Xion like a deer caught in the headlights. She obviously didn't think anyone else caught that. "I- I saw you beating them up with a normal pipe. Why wouldn't a normal gun work?" In a quieter voice: "Please don't tell anyone about the swears."
Xion	Xion nods knowingly. She, too, has said the Forbidden Words in times of extreme duress, far from the camera and its terrible censors. Usually about cleaning ice cream machines. She gives Strawberry a wordless, slow thumbs up. The pact is sealed.
Samhain	Seven Stitches valiantly fight. Seven heroes move to stop them, slaying six and sealing the seventh in a pocket dimension. Fire has burnt the park, but the trees are fine, besides the ones knocked over. Shaw regroups with the others, where he hms. "Good work. But Statueface is still at large. We may want to regroup tomorrow to stop him, before he can attack again." And by that, Shaw means you'll want to regroup while he continues to study this and figure out what's going on. "I'll tell the Student Council about the damages." The Ribbongers, startled by Strawberry's gun play and avoiding her slightly as a role model, nod to Shaw, but there's a brief moment when Dog Friday appears. "We don't take orders from you, monster!" And then, he ushers the Ribbongers to leave. Shaw just glowers in posture, and heads off to the dorms, leaving just the Elites left to talk or depart. MEANWHILE: On a rooftop, a silhouette dribbles a basketball. He speaks to himself, where no one can hear. "These are the new heroes, huh? And the Ribbongers...maybe next time, I should give them a hand." His visor gleams. He twirls the basketball on his finger, and departs. NEXT TIME, ON SNAPSHOT HEARTS: Who is the mysterious basketball superhero? Why does Statueface stink so bad? Can the heroes together stop him once and for all?!
Strawberry Princess	Strawberry ought to have seen the Ribbongers' hesitation around her coming, after straight-up pulling a gun on a toku minion, but somehow it still manages to sting her in a way she didn't expect. Her face twitches in a queasy grimace as she watches them leave. Wasn't she just like them once? What does it mean if they're anxious around her? Is she not living up to being 'Strawberry Princess' anymore? Ugly thoughts. There'll be time to process them later. For now, she holsters the gun, SCRAMs her wand's reactor, and starts packing up to leave. She doesn't say goodbye to Shaw- he might not appreciate her doing so in her current guise.
Janine Liberi	Janine puts her sword in her bag and puts it over her shoulder. Before departing, she pats Shaw on the shoulder. "Sometimes you don't start as friends. They'll come around. See you tomorrow."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	When Bercilak finally deigns to yank the axe free, he's helped defeat one more Stitch than he originally accounted for, thanks to Thief shoving one his way. He turns just in time to see the tail end of the Masked Ranger's assault, and that little catch phrase. His helmet disappears, revealing--yes, he was wearing the sunglasses under there. He approaches Thief with the axe shouldered, his cape of wild grasses and winter wildflowers billowing out behind him. The sunglasses disappear, too, revealing his wild red irises. He looks... intense. Willful. His right hand is raised. Thief's barrier is still active--and so, following that Au Revoir, Bercilak offers him a superpowered high five, hard enough that there's a noticeable ripple as that forcefield the Green Knight provided accomodates the blow. SLAP! "Comli werk, Robin. I shalt ibide 'til our next metinge." He grins. Then... With a snap, his bike activates, hovering over to him. His armor dematerializes, as does the axe, until he's literally just a Future Biker again. Turning to look over his head at Samhain, "Janine spekes sothli, Shaw. Thei shalt comen aboute. Kepe thy hed up."
Robin Sundance	SPREE ENDED! The Vaulder unlocks. The Thief armor flakes away. Robin flicks his fingers sideways as it does so. He sticks one hand in his pocket. The other runs through his hair. There's a sigh of satisfaction, a grin, and a wink at the Ribbongers and Shaw. "I espere to see you in class as soon as possible, monsieur et madamoiselles." His gaze lingers on Samhain. His hand comes up to catch Bercilak's. He's not superhumanly strong, so the forcefield is probably the only reason his hand doesn't break. Indeed, he waves his hand afterwards as if he just slapped a truck. "Ah," "Une avertissement, next time, before you do that, oui? A bit stronger than anticipated, mon ami!"