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Penumbra	=== To whom it concerns ===     Who I am isn't important. Neither is how I got this information to you. The information is the important part; it always is. More important than anything else, in this Multiverse big enough that it loses itself in its own scope. Read close and read carefully.     As individuals --contractors, heroes, vigilantes, employees, consultants, experts, whatever your personal calling is-- there are certain aspects to running in the Multiverse that haven't, and may not, ever be relevant to you. All the things you make use of; where do they come from if it can be anywhere? The times you're paid; who guarantees the value of the Credit and how is it so consistent? The organizations you belong to; how do they get any of what they have and how do they get it to you? The things you buy; how can the prices be set when there's infinite of everything? The thousands of nameless people supporting you on a daily basis; who even are they and why not anybody else? Everything you can name is changing hands all across the Multiverse every second that you're reading this. How does it cross paths with you?     You might already know the answer to some of these questions. At least, in part. The main hub of brokering and trade in Sector Zero isn't a secret, and it's hard to argue with those results. No doubt it's easy to assume that the major factions all have their own superpowered accountants and consultants as well. But doesn't that reach a certain point of absurdity when you think about it?     There are no doubt hundreds of thousands of places, if not millions, in your world alone, where you could get food, and you mainly base that choice on how far away they are. So with Warpgates everywhere, how do the Paladins decide what gets in the cafeteria from hundreds of thousands of worlds? Thousands of people could build you a house, and your decision would be based on who has the rights where you want to live and speaks your language, but with our translations and communications, how does the Concord decide who to call to put up construction in Grand Dorado. Who knows how many activists and hired help you can find if you were to scrape around your own world, or how many of them are legitimate and how many will either rob you or throw you in prison, so how can the Watch so effectively seek and vet its talent and connections without constantly falling apart? If you've been paying attention, you know by now that nobody knows nearly as much about even Sector Zero as you'd think.     You might also sense the pattern. Whenever you can call an oversight like this into question, what fills the gap is people. Elites, specifically, but that rationale is backwards. Elites don't fill the gaps; we call the people who fill the gaps 'Elite', because their very existence is implausible. When someone needs to fill the menu, or the contract, or the line, when someone has to get morphine in your blood, ammo in your hands, or a place and time in your ear, they can't scan the entirety of even the spotty intel they have on Sector Zero; they scan their short list. A list of Elites, like you or I, who stake their names on their work, make it a brand, who venture all over, striving for strength, who push the limits, and live and die on their talent. However, they live in a different world from you, and a different world from me.     There are many kinds of Elites, you see. As many as there are gaps. You should consider yourselves the pins that keep Sector Zero from falling into chaos; the pillars that hold it above the entropic nightmare that should be the ground state of so many things spilling into each other. You'd do best to familiarize yourself with a few more kinds; some other worlds of blood and sweat. You'd do best not to underestimate them.     === Missive self-terminates in thirty.
Penumbra	True to the recurring pattern of these inexplicable missives (though perhaps less mysterious than before, by degrees), the next batch of temporary coordinates leads to another place within the vast region of ever-shifting space, filled with the shining silver proto-stuff of worlds, known as the Soft Expanse, for the 'soft' plasticity of its rules and configurations. If one were to closely examine the previous coordinates they've received, though they're now bunk due to the inconsistency of the region, they'd note their current point as the fifth in what appears to be a nearly completed circle, each equidistant from its neighbours.     Far from having any local theme or definition, though, the place could be considered as uninteresting as they come, as far as the Soft Expanse can ever be that. At this corner, along an equator line of sorts between the two circuits traced so far, there is certainly plenty of 'expanse' visible in all directions, including up and down. An endless, fuzzy white void, given a bare sense of direction from the platinum threads of shimmering silver light that run throughout it, at such scales and distances that it's disorientingly impossible to tell if many are mere spiderwebs in arm's reach, or galactic formations lightyears away (likely neither). Solid ground is found only in the diffuse, in the form of what looks like wreckage, strewn across the bottomless horizon like a ring of Saturn, drifting lazily out of what might be exclusively inertia from its cataclysmic origin.     The pieces of it range from mere clutter, easily brushed away with a hand, to land fragments large enough to run a plane off, if aviation were a concern here. Large quantities appear to be massive shards of torn and sheared earth, whether clotted soil, broken bedrock, gradually cooled molten runoff, but amongst them are obvious signs of shattered concrete and congealed, melted metal. Another substantial portion is a baffling quantity of wood, whether carven beams or with the bark still on, much of it having bizarrely grown in every direction, seeking earth and sun, to resemble strange cellular structures, while other parts are somehow still on fire. There are rivers of fine stonework to go with it, as well as glittering rivers of metal fragments, broken glass, and the threads and tatters of soft furnishings, rare amongst them. It looks like a city smashed into a forest and they mutually blew up in space.
Penumbra	There's absolutely no reason you'd be here without the precise coordinates. There's also no reason you'd be getting *paid* were it not for certain maneuvers in previous chains of events, that have lead to having an in through a certain info specialist and a number from a certain acquisitions specialist. Only the latter is on site here; one Vivian Akaiko, a tall and affluently no-nonsense woman in a fancy black coat, including the previous curls of white hair, red eyes, and weird silvery kiseru-alike pipe.     With her, arranged all around the largest chunk of generally safe to walk upon asphalt-layered stone dangling dead wires, is a fleet of what look to be transport trucks, hitched to the bottoms of vertical takeoff aircraft by cables, the latter currently adrift whilst the former stays firmly on the ground somehow. A fleet of assistants in snappy suits, surveyors wielding sleek silver scanning equipment, and technicians wearing what look to be grey and amber pressurized pilot vests, are swiftly and professionally setting up a whole cargo assembly line, which goes all the way to an aerial Warpgate, in the middle of the sky, a kilometer away, designated by flashing runway lights on cables that have been inventively dangled through it to form a visible flight lane.     You might have been here under different circumstances in other timelines. In this one, it is, ostensibly, to work. Because this seems to involve 'company secrets' or something, on third-in-command staff brief you upon initial arrival. You're handed canister cases of familiar design (namely, by which the Seekers transported their nonsense) each the size of a substantial airport luggage wheel-on, a pair of gloves that *also* seem familiar (by passing resemblance to the marble and ebony 'mocap gloves' employed by the Makers), and instructed very carefully not to touch the cargo with your bare hands, or else it will become completely worthless, and it will be dedicated from your pay.     "By the way, we have a quota, so if you go ruining it all, you'll be paying *me*." are the dread words from the woman of nebulous resources, as technicians and assistants are launching themselves off into the debris field, using compact jetpacks and EVA suits. What they're in search of, and by extension, you?     "It's like, a red orb. Or green. Or blue." the briefing awkwardly explains. "I'm not kidding. That's really just it. You'll know it when you see it." Even they appear somewhat embarrassed giving such poor explanation, though they seem to be helpless to change it, and have clearly had plenty of practice over previous meetings.
Cantio	As Cantio arrives at the designated location in the Soft Expanse in her usual white and purple, she's letting her drones float around overhead in a vaguely subconscious effort to sell the very brand that was mentioned in the missive. She's seen the tech before, and she's keen on getting her hands on it just from hearing about it in the briefing and after realizing some of it is the same stuff from last time (mostly the gloves). The canisters get that same careful treatment, going as far as not actually having her hands in front of herself after hearing that the cargo shouldn't be touched. "Some kind of orb floating around in the... Somewhere. That sounds straightforward enough, at least." Although she's chuckling, there's a certain level of understanding and pain in her tone that suggest she knows it'll be anything but. When have any of these things ever been simple? As she slips the gloves on, Cantio first assesses where the existing technicians and assistants are going before heading off way in the other direction to search on the other side of the field. She's aiming to cover as much ground as she can with everyone else, so it would only make sense to go where there's the fewest concentration of people. Actually finding the orb in question is another matter entirely, though, but there's little else for Cantio to do but just be thorough in using those gloves to search through the seemingly endless debris field. "Should we be expecting anyone or anything to compete with us during all this? Or anything that might want to destroy whatever this orb is?"
Nova Terra	-- Earlier --     Nova leans back in the chair of her 'office', feet propped up on the desk. She's casually watching a news feed coming in from the Universal News Network. Though the name is a little smaller in meaning than it used to be. Right now the reporting is commenting about tensions along the Dominion, Protectorate border. But that's nothing new. There's been tensions going as far back as when they first discovered each other, before the Dominion even was the Dominion.     There's a brief ping as part of the screen is covered by an alert. Apparently Nova has mail. She reaches out to tap a button on the console, bringing up the message. A quick glance over it, then she frowns, pulling her feet off the desk and sitting straight. She then quickly taps another button and says, "Reigel! I thought I told you to block these damn messages."     The reply through the intercom is quite calm, "They have proven to be more invasive than I expected."     Nova mutters utter her breath before pushing herself to her feet, "Fine. Fine. I'll go find out what the damn things want." She walks around the desk, grabbing the large canister rifle next to it, then starts heading for the door, "Prepare a dropship. Usual scouting loadout."     -- Now --     A Terran Dropship with a black paintjob and emblem of what looks like a mask and skull combined comes flying out of the aerial warpgate. It follows the provided flight paths down towards a free landing zone. Inside the bay of the dropship, Nova finds herself wedged between a pair of power-armoured Marines and an SCV in standby mode. Nova taps her foot impatiently, waiting for the dropship to land while the Marines appear to be chatting.     One of them saying, "And so, I asked her out."     The other replies, "Oh damn! What'd she say?"     "She said she'd think about it."     "Ah, sorry dude."     "Nah, I've got this. I'll give her a few days, then invite her to the Skyhigh Restaurant."     "Oh damn! How you going to afford that!?"     "I got the bonus from my hundredth kill last month! I've got it covered."     Finally the dropship lands and the bay door opens. Nova stands, "Finally." She makes her way down the ramp, glancing back at the Marines, "Secure the ship. I'll check it out." While the Marines debark, take up guard positions around the dropship and continue to talk, Nova makes her way towards the official looking person who appears to be their contact here.     After the briefing, Nova is handed her own briefcase and pair of gloves. Taking them, she stares at them, before looking up at the staff member that briefed them, "You're kidding, right?" Still, they are getting paid...     Nova mutters quietly. She's not fond of the idea of being some kind of... Gatherer... Type... Person. Hell, she's not even sure she knows what to call it. But she is unwilling to pass up another burst of income that might prove useful later.     Plus she can probably delegate.     Still, Nova does have a question, "What the hell are we collecting, anyway?"
Doctor Strange	Strange brushes away a cloud of floating debris upon arriving via self-made portal. The explanation given is vague, but that's somewhat to be expected--the Soft Expanse is poorly understood at the best of times. Besides, it's not hard for him to glean some understanding of what they're doing and why they're doing it--or at least, how the canisters and gloves factor in.      "Right," he says, nodding towards Vivian. "In the extremely unlikely event that anything is 'ruined' with me present, sure, the Paladins will make sure you're taken care of. Anyway." He slips the gloves on, and nods towards Nova.      "I think I can answer that. We're looking for a Something," he muses, tucking the canister under an arm. "And if, for example, I were to touch it with my bare hands, it's not a Something any more. More like a... Strange Thing. A Thing of my world and my world's rules. The red, the green, and the blue, they're something with more of a form than the Expanse's baseline matter, but considerably less of a form than whatever..." He crosses both gloved hands behind his back, frowning slightly. "Assorted collectible bobbleheads you could find on the average world--or even this crap," he muses, plucking a floating splinter of wood from the air.      "So," he says, suddenly preparing a spell, and turning his attention back to Vivian. Orange glyphs burn brightly before him, forming rings of intricate glyphs which rotate and lock into place, guided by motions as martial as they are mystic. "When we do the exact opposite of ruin everything, then you can talk to me about *how* you're going to pay us."      Crossing this disorienting area (one hesitates to call it a landscape when there's precious little solid ground) could prove difficult. For this reason, Strange's first spell is a scry-mark, peering through the floating landmasses to get an idea of how many there are and how accessible each is.      Another Strange appears beside him and begins altering the landscape, lengthening the landmasses, creating stairways, observation towers, and platforms, all by copy-pasting and impossibly dragging chunks of them from within, like space itself were a kaleidoscope.
Tamamo	It's uncommon for Tamamo to be doing something like 'working for pay.' She has, however, been assured by Vivian Akaiko that, firstly, she is aware of the worth of Tamamo's time, and, secondly, that the Acquisitors can find anything she desires. Knowing her own Quest well enough, she doesn't believe the claim, but hearing it made with such assurety, she's willing to invest a little more of her (in fact quite valuable) time on resolving the uncertainty. She should not need to remind anyone that she has high expectations for that compensation.     Still. Any experience that involves the word 'quota' is quite novel. "And of these orbs, it is known only that they are in this area, and not of the matter of their arrival, their behavior since, nor anything else of their disposition throughout the field?" That does seem to be the case.     Though ready to go out and look, case held to her side by a strap (attached by her, from personal crafts supply, if none is already there) like an outsized shopping bag, and gloves drawn over her hands, Tamamo isn't in too big a hurry for the physical portion of the search. Taking anything told to her, and what she can guess from the operation presently ongoing, she takes her time in analyzing the area from the starting point, using straightforward magecraft to catch wind of high-energy points, as she expects these colored orbs to likely be. Into this she mixes some of her own divination, filtering out the dull and smooth portions of the threads of her Fate to find the points of more exciting twists and kinks. She'll save time by skipping all the dull points, even if she doesn't know what it is she'll find, instead.     As for actually moving about, if the pieces of land aren't all that far apart, it's enough to bless her own strength to the point of making sailing leaps from point to point, trusting in a graceful sense of balance to stick the landings, regardless of the reorientation of each piece of terrain on her route.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Shinnosuke Tomari is not currently transformed. That might cause problems, since he dropkicked this woman into the ocean. Hopefully, she does not recognize his untransformed face, as he does not want to cause Issues for the Paladins. If he has to transform, he will, but for now...he grabs the gloves and the canister case, and moves with Doctor Strange, especially once pathways start to form - he'll cross those. "If we find anything of interest, such as the orbs, I can have Mr. Belt take a look, Seneschal. Anything you need me to do, while we look for them?"
Tomoe	The letter has come once more. The contents were new but the writing style seemed the same it was the same anonymous sender it seemed once more. How they got the info they did she'd never know most likely. She does heed what it has to say as she reads it over. This time it got into how such groups of elites were funded and bankrolled and the question of /who/ was doing that? Given the small nature of the Gate Crasher's Union and keeping it going. She had an idea of the stagging amount of work, cash and materials it could take. The last line of the letter hit her hard. Had she not unified she's never been important the Iron Lily would have been at best a footnote in the Death game and faded away into nothing after that. Yet here she was setting out again to chase thins down this latest of leads. Once more to the soft expanse she goes seeking answers to questions. This place was strange, to say the least, even stranger than Haven where the GU kept its home these days. She would find herself on the largest chunk. She will look around for the moment to think while she's more or less on her own. She pauses as she's greeted handed a canister case for a moment and she'll take a look at it. The glove to she gets and has he wondering about this either way. Well, it's money right and a bit of 'gathering' might be a good way to get money and maybe even better some answers. So she hears what they are looking for and she'll flare out her wings to go start seeking out the three colours of orbs wondering just what they are but will heed use the gloves don't touch it with her bare hands. She will however wait to take off until there's a reply to Nova's question.
Roxas	Roxas's in is indirect; he was supposed to be coming with Xion, but ended up being 'sent ahead' when Mog started hassling Xion for something. He half-assumes it's to do with plumbing, because between the two of them Xion is the one with actual practical life skills to work with. He takes an extra canister and pair of gloves for when Xion gets here, tucking them away into his pocket inventory in a shimmering, ringing flash. He's just about to ask questions when Dr. Strange starts explaining things. "So... we're looking for a tangible variable?" Roxas wonders aloud, scratching his head. There's another ringing noise as one of the pairs of gloves he took is transferred from inventoy to his hands. "That's pretty weird, but it sounds cool." "But... isn't it weird for a tangible variable to have three variants? Sounds like it's already 'Something' in some way..." He remarks. Then he compresses into a point of light and starts to zip along the zone that Dr. Strange is making easier to navigate, reappearing along that route in fits and starts to stop and look for any of these spheres.
Xion	That's a lot of text! It's like an ad for a service Xion had never considered. Where DID the money *really* come from? How was the sausage made? What did it mean... ... To be Elite? There's a lot of intervening dialogue that is being skipped through because Mog - a hovering plush nose in a black coat with a red deely-bopper - is forcing Xion to watch the mission briefing again. There's also plumbing involved, but she had fixed that -- and then had only a few minutes to watch the briefing. "So... what're we doing?" Mog pushes a long 'arm' into the darkness of his cowl. "Kupoooooh. Listen very carefully, kupoheart: There's gonna be a nice person on the other side of the portal who will probably ask you to hold something, do something, or find something. Let me be very clear: I need you to *collect* this time. The munny! Get the munny!" Xion nods dumbly. "Okay, Mog. This time I'll get paid. Why do your pipes keep breaking, anyway?" Mog somehow stares daggers from a dark void. "Inner city infrastructure scams." Xion nods knowingly. "Ohhhhh." RIGHT NOW: Xion tumbles out of a vertically-depositing darkness portal right in the back end of the 'okay, go and find orb'. "Okay! Get the thingy, quest clear. I got it!" Stephen Strange is already getting it. "Um... Actually, do we *all* get paid, if one of us finds it, or is it, like..." A glum look crosses her face. "PVP?"
Penumbra	"Do I look like I get paid to joke?" replies, to Nova, a very busy man in a very nice suit with very complicated glasses who is trying very hard to not look very tired. "If we knew more, we'd have more to say. If the Miss wants them though, trust that they're valuable to someone." Cantio gets "I should hope not. Who shows up to a gold mine with a pickaxe and a mine cart with the intention of burying all the gold?"     The Miss herself, though a fair distance away, standing at the precipice of the floating landmass and staring off into the debris field, interrupts. "You're free to compete with each other. I'm paying per sample; however you sort that out is your own business." She makes a sound almost like a scoff at Strange. "A useless question, I assure you. It'd be quicker to list off the ways I *couldn't* pay you. You should be asking what you want, and if you think you've earned it by the end."     She is less overtly abrupt with Tamamo, as the bunrei is the one she'd given her business card to before, breaking her inscrutable vigil to meet formally instead. "There's not much I'm prepared to say about them, I'm afraid. Of course I have my own theories, but it'd be a waste of time and my good credibility to make statements of certain about them that could be proven wrong later, right? What I can tell you is that they won't be here for long. They crop up, linger for a little while, then dwindle and collapse into nothing again. Like bubbles on the surface tension of the Expanse. I've had custom equipment made to order, to separate them from their environment, until they can be used in . . . controlled conditions, later. Some of our friends you've met are ready with considerable sums. Some you haven't."     "Don't worry; they aren't dangerous themselves. However, harvesting them tends to have its own complications. I suggest you keep your heads in check. Don't get distracted; it's about the goods. The more you get wrapped up in your personal business, the harder it'll be. How do I know they're here? How long do we have? Where will they appear next? Where am I sending them?" She extends a fingertip to her lips. "Company secret."     Getting to the effort itself is simultaneously easier and more difficult than first imagined. Whatever you're seeking, it doesn't seem to have any energy signature *at all*; or at least it's one that nobody available can sense. Not even a peripheral signature, like low energy radio waves incidentally coming from the explosions of stars. The 'acquisitions branch' had been right on the money with this location, though, because the area needed to be explored with scrying marks and 'fortune telling' turns out to be close and not very large; the first hit is about half a kilometer away, and the furthest about three, which really isn't very far in what may as well be space. Three in total.
Penumbra	Getting there has its own quirks as well. When gaining a certain distance from the ground, one ends up in drifting freefall, without gravity or orientation, and yet despite most assuredly being able to breathe, also experiencing incredibly little drag, able to easily triple their top speed with some additional acceleration. When passing close to floating junk, you instead 'snap' to it, and fall about ten feet or so. However, for some reason, this doesn't always seem to happen.     Pieces of small enough sizes or regular, unforgiving shapes, don't seem to have this effect, and some chunks only seem to have a gravitational pull on their flattest face --or as much as you can observe so far, at any rate. The fact that some of these are currently on fire, molten, covered in broken glass, snapped pillars and beams, or other hazards, is a problem in of itself. Actually, especially those tend to extend their gravity. When one looks down to see menacing points or smouldering metal below them, and feel their gut drop, the fingers of gravity are sure to tug at their ankles shortly thereafter. A hazard jump is always a *jump*.     Matter that is summoned into being holds well enough for only a short while, then begins drifting off all on its own, even with force exerted to hold it in place. It's like the coordinates themselves are flowing, like warm molasses. It doesn't seem to have any gravitational relation to *anything* though, serely tumbling and bumping off of things, and generally playing the universe's slowest game of marbles.     The three locations, closest to furthest away, would be easy to miss normally. The contents of what could have been a church, an observatory, or a jewelry store for all one can tell, forming a strangely too-regular cloud of coloured glassy shards, all refracting each other a dizzying number of times, and reflecting loose objects that look like the fixtures of lamps and chains within, coloured by a diffused red glow. A mass of cement, steel, rubber, and wooden slurry, all congealed and melded together into a sphere that bristles with regenerated thorns and burning electrical tips, crackling with radiation and shining a faint green glow in the fine seams of its composition. A single, miraculously intact car, tumbling around in absurd defiance of the destruction around it, its windows fogged over, but with a faint blue glow suffusing them from the front seats.
Doctor Strange	It does indeed sound as though the orbs are already Something, in some way. "Smart kid," says Strange, watching Roxas flit off in search of the orb. He ventures backwards in time to do the aforementioned scrying, and when he returns, there's only one of him.      "Huh?" asks Strange. "PVP?" His brow furrows, and he pauses momentarily in his efforts to create walkable portions of the landscape and vantage points for orb hunters. "Oh. Like, the opposite of co-op." It's hard to miss that glum look.      "It seems like you *don't* want that. To be honest, I don't either." There's a glance towards Vivian when he adds, "Especially because running around here playing grab-ass trying to steal them from each other sounds like a great way to... 'ruin everything.'"      Another Strange appears, to peer forward in time. He's looking at several possible futures, wherein everyone has done exactly as Vivian asked. She was pretty straightforward about the means by which they'd be paid, and what they'd be paid with. But there's something he imagines she'd be more tight-lipped about.      Where are these orbs going, and what's going to be done with them? That could be used as leverage, in the event that he decides they're worth more than she's letting on.      In the mean time, the other Strange continues where his past counterpart left off, addressing Xion:      "So how about this: she's paying per sample. We work together, bring her as many as we can, decide on a payment, and split it up. Anybody who doesn't feel like being a team player, we'll just..." He makes a 'detour' motion with both hands. "Work around, instead of against."      He creates, in the space between his hands, a replica in miniature of the GREEN orb, in its hazardous, thorny cradle. "This is the one I'm thinking of getting. For us, it should be pretty easy." He'll create a portal there, if Xion's amenable--though of course a certain mind reader can pry the details of the other two while he's distracted. "If your Keyblade can Unlock it, I can slap the container over it without us having to get close to the, uh..." He makes a vague gesture. "Nastiness."
Nova Terra	Nova turns to look at Strange, staring at him as he proceeds to provide the answer she just asked. Nova often doesn't get this metaphysical stuff. But she grasps the basic concept of what they are. It makes her somewhat curious to touch one herself, to see what it would become. If she understood right. But it's probably more trouble than it's worth. If past incidents have taught her anything, it's that it's best not to mess with the weird stuff.     It's the notice that they're all essentially working for themselves that draws Nova's attention once more. THAT, she understands quite well. She glances at the rest of the elites that have shown up for this job. The ones who now appear to be her competition. She could try attacking them to try and get an edge. But that probably won't do much good. And more likely harm her own efforts. Besides, Nova has more subtle ways of manipulating the situation to her advantage. Case and point, she turns her gaze back to Strange. The good Doctor is already working hard with that timefoolery of his to work out how to proceed. That's the general feeling Nova gets from him. But with a little more focused prodding on her part...     At the offer of working together, Nova simply turns around to start heading back towards her dropship. She waves a hand to the others, "Thanks, but no thanks." She carries her set of gloves and briefcase in one hand, while on the other she starts tapping in the information of the sites she just pulled from Strange's head. One she reaches the dropship, she starts up the ramp and waves the Marines in before striking the button to close it. Nova takes the gloves and briefcase over to the SCV, while calling out to the dropship pilot, "Head for the first site." It should be simple enough to get to with her dropship's ability to just fly her there.     The Terran Dropship's engines come to life, pulling up off the landing zone and starting to fly towards the closest site. Along the way, Nova prepares inside the ship. She walks up to the SCV and taps on the cockpit windows, "You awake in there?"     Several lights across the mech come to life, along with a set of main thrusters that burn up into standby mode. The SCV's engineer reports, "Yes ma'am."     Nova nods, proceeding to open one of the exterior compartments and pulling out a roll of good ol' fashioned duct tape. She moves over to the SCV's left arm, consisting of two large clamps, "Open." The SCV pilot opens the clamps. Nova stuffs the briefcase into them, applying dubious amounts of duct tape to it. She then says, "Close." The clamps slowly close, closing the briefcase with it. Nova nods in satisfaction before moving over to the SCV's other arm, which is a three-fingered mechanical claw surrounding a glowing emitter. She taps one of the claws, "Fold this one back." The claw finger folds back, the remaining two rotating to be opposite each other. Nova slides the pair of gloves she was given onto each claw, before applying more dubious amounts of duct tape to keep them in place. She doesn't know whether their guide meant specific flesh to orb contact or if it had to specifically be the gloves. So she's not taking the risk.     By the time Nova finishes the adjustments to the SCV, the dropship should just be pulling up to the collection of glassy shards that represents the site of the RED orb. Nova opens the dropship doors once more, before signaling the SCV to move, "Alright, get out there. Let's see what we're working with."
Shinnosuke Tomari	As he makes his way forward, there's a blue glow coming from a car. He can't transform without causing some (in his head) problems, so instead, he thinks. He's gonna have to get serious. Shinnosuke Tomari straightens his tie. He may not be Kamen Rider Drive right now, but he's still an athletic man with nerves of steel. Shinnosuke makes a running jump as high as he can, off the tallest surface he can if he needs to, and launches into freefall. He lands in a tumble on a platform, shouting 'oaugh!' while being dizzied and nauseated, but keeps moving. He leaps for the next nearest object he can to accelerate himself, and then for a piece, avoiding fire and glass, using the belt he's placed on his waist to help him calculate the best places to launch forward, using Strange's created matter as an aid. "Mr. Belt, can we get to that car?" Speaking in crisp Engrish, Mr. Belt responds. "Yes!" Eventuallly, hopefully, Shinnosuke ends up on top of the tumbling car, grabbing the nearest handhold to not fall off while it rotates. If he can keep gravity towards it, or otherwise crawl towards the driver-side door, he tries to find out if it's unlocked. If not, he might just have to break open the window.
Cantio	EARLIER 'Who shows up to a gold mine with a pickaxe and a mine cart with the intention of burying all the gold?' Cantio doesn't answer that question. She just lets out an awkward chuckle, then a long suffering sigh. NOW "PVP... Hmm. I mean, I guess that could technically work, but it wouldn't get anyone anywhere comapred to getting as many as we can and splitting things up from there." Cantio replies to Xion first, breathing a sigh of reief when Strange seems to be in agreement with that thought process. Besides, Cantio's probably not in a great place to try anything like that on her own. She's still feeling kind of sore from yesterday. Getting around proves to be both less dangerous and more treacherous than Cantio was expecting. Although she's able to 'leap' from point to point with careful jumps, the first few snaps have her colliding with the junk until she gets used to that strange interaction with whatever qualifies as gravity here. The fact that it's stronger with the more dangerous debris definitely has her hesitating at first. As such, it's not long before she just gets her sword out to give her something to push off those objects with or batter them away for a little more safety in getting around. When the three locations start coming into view, Cantio's attention is drawn almost immediately by the thing surrounded by glass shards and colored RED. Actually getting in there, though, is going to be tricky with all those shards floating around. She doesn't know what they're capable of, after all, so she just sends in one of her own drones along with Nova's SCV. Rather than relying on the drone to get anything done, though, Cantio has a different plan in mind. Namely, she's just using her drone as trap-detection fodder before heading in herself. She keeps her canister wedged between two other drones as they glide behind her, leaving her own (gloved) hands free to fiddle with the floating glass to see if it does anything more beyond looking ominous.
Roxas	Presuming for the moment that Xion will be going with Tamamo and that Dr. Strange nevertheless probably wants somebody to act with him, Roxas shakes a hand in the air and produces his own silver-and-black Keyblade with a ringing noise. He offers Xion an encouraging pat on the shoulder -- a bit muffled in noise from the work gloves -- and then takes off. His overall approach is to use the strange gravity to his advantage-- but he DOES go out of his way to leave a clear path behind. The way that Roxas does this is unusual; when he finds a surface that is relatively safe (not perfectly safe, but relatively) he aims his Keyblade down at it and gives it a twist, a stylized keyhole briefly manifesting as he goes. This seems nonsensical at first, but would make sense when what it does comes into effect: Tidal Locking. Quite literally, he helps leave a clear path to the thorned mess surrounding the glowing green sphere by tidally locking the surfaces along the way to face the specific direction that it was when it presented a usable platform for him. Once he gets near, though... Roxas stops, standing sideways on a piece of metal that's looking down on the hideous radiation-riddled ball. He scratches his head with the teeth of his Keyblade, searching for a coherent 'entrance' that might be used to unbind this place... Even if that entrance HAS been crunched a little in the mess. "Hey, Dr. Strange..." Roxas is talking to the Dr. Strange he assumes is nearby because Dr. Strange has a habit of Just Being Nearby in situations like this, even when it's some sort of future Strange or mirror Strange. This might appear to be a lead-in to talking about the situation at hand, but it isn't. "What do you think defines 'a person'?"
Tamamo	Three orbs, and payment per sample. Though this is far from obvious, given the lack of energy radiating from the goals, Tamamo can guess that she isn't the only one to notice. And by her count of the searchers... oh, dear.     Before heading off out of range, then, she speaks in a loud-enough voice. "Though we know not the particulars of the rewards offered, nor their true value, I shall make an offer of exchange. Would any lend me their assistance, in exchange for no more, today, than the likes of Sun-treated gold?" Orichalcum, gold, and silver are among things she can supply, more easily than most. More easily than almost any, in the first case. The solar-gold was just too good a fit for her.     She exchanges a few words, less publicly, confirming with Dr. Strange that they'd spotted the same three goals, and were orienting toward different targets. There will, sadly, be no such luck with the whole group at large. Some competition is inevitable.     It's toward the red glow that Tamamo travels, less because it's closer and more for reasons involving a judgment of materials. The way over is, without flight, a nontrivial matter, but there are at least plenty of islands in range, and she doesn't mistake the changes in gravity more than twice. Along her route, she focuses on the fire hazards, simply because they're the easiest for her to deal with. Talismans fly out ahead of her, burning away in the flames in exchange for explosively expanding sheets of frost. Ice gives much better footing when it's both kept cold and lacking in the smooth surface of a still lake.     Getting closer to the target, it becomes obvious that Nova's dropship has the same destination. "Oh, dear. Though no friends of mine, nor would I have called them enemies. And as for the others... no, they, too, have their claimants. I wonder how this might be handled."     A mass of reflections. To say that there's something unnatural in this regularity would be too obvious. Analysis has proven to have little effect, though Tamamo naturally attempts the same once she's gotten closer. Not for long, though, as she has a tool that might be effective even if it has no actual relation to this puzzling phenomenon.     Tamamo's mirror flies into the mass as if she'd swung it, then twists, seeking a reflection of what's inside.
Xion	"Honestly, Doctor." Xion shrugs. "I'm pretty sure if you just handed me a big wad of bills Mog would be happy. Maybe a bag with a money sign on it? So don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure the Funky Spike will be..." Xion looks at Stephen Strange. Then Xion turns over to look at... Actually Tomari Shinnosuke is heading to the car! Oh no! "Officer wait! I need--!" Xion extends her hand, grasping at something, and yanking back -- a spiked ring keychain, green with a green chain? "This is what we need, Doctor. If you can slow it down or hold it in place, I'll turn the key -- and get Funky-Inspired!" Pushing forward both hands, each containing a medal -- A spiked wheel, and a red-eyed welding mask with a background of purple. Tire Change! Funky Spike Announces her spikey medallion, whereas the dark mask with the harsh red eyes just announce a startledly-interested Woooooooooow!. With her outfit updated by a car tire (any car, from offscreen, thanks CGI vehicles) launched around her waist like a death metal band's drummer's belt, except it's in Y2K neon green. From her hair, two long forest green pigtails made entirely up of spreading and expanding cones seek out through the Tidally Locked intervening distance, like a forest of fingers to touch and hold and slowly retract the spikey green object, back towards Stephen Strange and the gang.
Tomoe	With the question from Nova answered? Tomoe is going to take off to get to work and she'll just grunt about it as she gets somewhat of an idea of what's going on. It seems to be dark and mushrooms for the workers at the bottom here. She'll give the Miss one last look before her wings flare out and she'll get to work on trying to even try to get one of the orbs. It seems to not have any signature she cant' scan for it, she can't since this sort of stuff. So shes' going to have to go for eyeballing, dumb luck or someone having an idea about where to get it. As she heads out she'll be flying ad and having to deal with flying too high leads to her drifting in freefall like she's in space. Things keep going though and soon she'll get a better idea she'll keep lower when she can but the terrain and finally she'll give up on flying. She'll shift over to running jumping and just Parkouring her way along. Though some of these places are actually molten, Tomoe is going to have to be careful about things here. Also, it doesn't seem like there are many of the items they are after it could turn into a bit of a contest she muses internally as she heads along. This was indeed going to be PVP and it could get very damn messy, very fast with the calibre of people who are here. Others have brought this up and she knows where this is going, she'll just have to roll with whatever happens. Hopefully, there will be no hard feelings, she'll keep moving through this strange land using a mix of flight and Parkour to try and get to the car but she sees she's not the only one making a go for it. She'll try to pick up speed as Shinnosuke Tomari seems to have a bit of a head start, he'll have no issue seeing she's coming making a go for it herself. If she can get there first she'll try to get the car door open and make a grab for it, but that looks like it's going to end up contested. "Nothing personal..." Tomoe notes as she makes this attempt.
Penumbra	The simplest obstacle by far seems to be that car, lackadaisically floating through space like an item in an I Spy book. Its simplicity makes it the biggest problem.     Shinnosuke finds that standing on the roof, hood, trunk, whatever, are all fine, but the 'down' of the car is definitely 'down' to him. Slipping off the side feels as if it'd send him sailing into the abyss, more than it would make him float. Having such a definite orientation point as the roof of a pricey sedan makes it much worse. The exterior is cold, but not terribly so. The door is not only locked, however, but the handle refuses to even operate, like a merely handle-shaped bronze sculpture. The window, fogged up and glowing, is equally problematic; it suffers not even the slightest crack.     Actually, someone familiar with cars would notice something more specific than that. When two bodies collide, they exchange their kinetic energies into each other and suffer differing forces, politely humouring Newton. This doesn't feel like that. Not only does the glass not flex, or even vibrate, in the slightest, but it feels like double the shock on him for trying, like the crash-energy had nowhere to go and just went right back into him. Tomoe ends up awkwardly stumbling into the same stalemate, the car door not working on the other side either. Oddly enough however, she is able to stand on its side, and not its roof.     Both of them should feel a very familiar sense about it, though. Close enough to be themselves illuminated by the faint blue glow that escapes the frosted over windshield, a particular sense comes over them. The light, though it is nothing but blue --it cannot be described or conceptualized as anything more than blue-- summons up old memories and nostalgic feelings. It calls to mind things they want to protect. Precious people and special moments. Those things that they wish would stay the same, or last forever, as unrealistic as they know it may be. The desire to guarantee the future, for themselves and others.
Penumbra	The closest end harbours the red glow that bounces around innumerable fragments of something that might have once been beautiful, or at least taken a great amount of laborious and skilled work. Just looking at it, peering at the flecks of gold and silver bouncing around inside, calls to mind just how sudden and senseless it is that something so exquisite must have been obliterated in an instant like this. The problem is as-advertised, but more.     Cantio sending her drone into the cloud sees nothing wrong, nothing wrong, nothing wrong, and then her drone falls apart completely. Where it touches the glassy bits, instead of gently knocking them aside, the edges pass right through it, at first seeming intangible, only to then have the effect of cutting apart butter with razor thin wires. This is thankfully demonstrated in time for Nova's SCV buddy to not immediately commit suicide.     Tamamo's mirror, interacts with a different oddity altogether: in its own reflection, none of the debris is reflective at all. Like the graphics settings all turned raytracing down to zero, it shows her a flat, two-dimensionally textured version of the orbiting shards. Peeking inside, she can see a large number of severed structural chains, bits and pieces of fine ornamentation and jewelry, and a headless statue, over the stump of which exists . . . it might be compared to a cluster of grapes on the vine, perhaps, but perfectly round in the geometric sense, populated by palm-sized circles that are indeed impossible to describe as anything more or less than absolutely red. Redness itself, made three-dimensional. The idea of being foam on the surface of the Expanse feels like it makes much more sense now. They seem, somehow, sort of hollow, though one could only guess by the slightly darker and lighter red refractions through them.     While bathed in those red beams, snatches of certain experiences come back to them. Moments of pulse-pounding uncertainty and exhilaration. Danger and triumph. Inflamed desires. Burning wants. The ache of missing things. Tireless drives and insatiable curiosities. The red mist of conflict and the adrenaline of taking the plunge. The siren song calls with all the notes of 'overcoming', which not coincidentally includes the resonant greatness of how much better it'd be to take that prize by beating the others here. After all, they're from different factions, and the spirit of competition, and the vitriol of enmity, run deep here.
Penumbra	In the middle, the problem faced would naturally be very difficult, but the spirit of cooperation between the three who've chosen it may just render it less of an issue by far. The word 'corium' might be familiar to Doctor Strange, in a Wikipedia sort of way, given to the special man-made substance of fascinatingly horrible description, coined after Chernobyl. Yet, plant life is growing --quite prodigiously-- from the waste.     Roxas tidal locking each piece into place along the route finds something quite extraordinary about the process: not only does each face remain consistent in the way he'd used them, standing on any given piece, and then jumping or flying directly to the 'top' of the next piece, from that perspective, also allows boots to rest on that 'top', facing 'down'. Even the unstable reverse sides of junk, if one needed to make do with poor footing, is technically accessible as a floating stepping stone from his locked portions.     When Xion draws the unidentified object back to the group, she finds that the large pieces with usable faces that are pointed towards the larger core --about the size of a truck-- begin to slowly draw it in, as if it is 'falling' very weakly towards whatever the largest landmass is. If there are multiple at once, the difference evens out between their angles. That probably has relevance for when they open it up.     Strange looking into the future where everything goes very ordinarily sees a large number of these being packed into trucks --actually, way more than the three sites they've verified (where have all the other workers gone?) could contain-- and flown out through the aerial Warpgate, and distributed through . . . some channel that quite deliberately blacks out his temporal scrying. Vivian over there had already demonstrated the use of a number of very specific, and ostensibly powerful, personal effects despite having zero powers herself, so perhaps this might be part of 'company confidentiality'. Either way, where they *end up* isn't protected by any such means. He sees a large number of red cases, and a handful of blue, end up with a small group following around Klars. A large number of green cases, and a small number of blue cases, end up with the dynamic duo of Mattermancer Jung and Archlogician Verity, back at the listening post. And a number of red and green in equal measure are shipped out to what looks like a snowy mountaintop somewhere. In space? The delivery team walks off with an entire crate, left there for them by some absentee master.     When the core comes close enough to the three that the thin sheets of ineffably, incorruptibly green light wash over them, it brings out and amplifies certain things they may already be feeling. The intrigue of the unknown and the joy of discovery. The heady rush of using their powers, whether to help others, to selfishly succeed, or to break the rules. Especially when breaking the rules. Flurries of creative theories and plans, idle daydreams and exciting possibilities, all come to mind at once. The satisfaction that comes from improving, from tapping latent potential, and knowing there is still more to go. The thoughts of all the kinds of things that are still out there to see.
Nova Terra	The SCV engineer notices a nearby drone fly into view. She radios back to Nova, "Looks like we have company boss." However, before the engineer can even think of what to do about it, she notices the drone proceed to get cut to pieces by those fragments. She then looks forward, realizing she's about to hit one of those fragments, "Woah!" She applies the breaks hard, thrusters stopping the SCV from striking the fragment just barely.     Back on the dropshop, Nova frowns at the sight. This is more dangerous than it had initially seemed. She would hate to be floating out there without an ability to actually apply thrust in some manner. It's probably a good thing she sent the SCV. Still, she's concerned about the engineer's safety. Maybe she should-     "We've got this, boss!" The engineer energetically encourages Nova, feeling the red light beginning to pump her up. Nova is on the edge of the field, but she's starting to feel it too. Amplified by the thoughts and emotions her engineer is giving off. Nova nods firmly, "Got it. You keep going ahead." Nova turns to look at Cantio and Tamamo, who appear to have established an alliance, "I'll see if I can slow them down."     Nova turns her attention towards the other two trying to obtain her prize. She reaches behind her, grabbing hold of the large canister rifle attached to her back. She brings it around and raises it... Before detaching the scope from it. Before she uses it though, she glances around. Spotting a chunk of land floating by, Nova reaches out towards it with her mind. Gripping it with her telekinesis, she alters its course, speeding it up and sending it in Tamamo's direction. It's not going fast enough to really cause any harm, but the obstacle should hopefully slow her down.     As for the other, Nova points the scope in Cantio's direction and presses a button on it. A thin, consistent beam of red light flashes to life, cutting its way out to disappear into the vast space beyond. Normally a targeting laser that Nova uses to call in air and artillery strikes, she has none here to do so. Instead she tries to angle the laser to bounce off one of those reflective fragments and into Cantio's eyes. Nova doesn't know whether using the fragment this way will provide an additional effect-or even work for that matter-but she's hoping that at the very least the light shining into Cantio's eyes will be distracting to say the least.     All the while, Nova's SCV starts moving forward, albeit a little more slowly to navigate around those fragments.
Doctor Strange	"What do I think defines 'a person,'" repeats Strange flatly to Roxas, crossing his arms as the Cloak of Levitation slowly billows out behind him. He is, indeed, Just Nearby. "That's... a real doozy to just bust out on a mission. And it's also not the sort of thing someone just casually asks, so..." He lifts a hand to rub his face.      "Here's what I think."      His hands are held out, and he begins making spot alterations to the space around the orb's housing, to hold it in place without touching it, so that Xion can work the housing and free the orb proper. "Most of the time, debates about who is and isn't a person aren't made in good faith. They're made to..." He furrows his brow, twirling space around an unusual axis to keep the housing from smashing into a hefty chunk of floating concrete.      "...to deny someone personhood, and the obligate treatment that comes with personhood--whatever shape that might take in their mind." A slight shrug. "For some people that's empathy, for others it's natural rights, maybe it's a power dynamic thing. It's easier to reconcile mistreatment if the one on the receiving end doesn't... look... like you. If you don't see them in that way."      An aside to Xion, his usual frown slightly more intense for the concentration. "Moving down, don't want it to clip that wooden beam. In three, two..." Gentle swoosh of space.      As it grows closer, another bit of communication. "Okay. Cool, that should be close enough. Holding it in place now."      That feeling... it's like when he first began learning, in Kamar-Taj. The insatiable hunger for more knowledge, the thrill of applying that knowledge and seeing obstacles melt away before him, long hours spent learning to astrally project and cram even more while he was asleep...      And one memory, in particular. Experimenting with the Eye, before he was even a Master. Breaking the rules he didn't even know existed. They should really put the warnings in the front of those books.      This Strange, being a future version of the one who was peering *into* the future, already knew where the orbs were going. He didn't know, however, what they'd be used for, and being awash in the light of one gives him an idea--especially with what Tomari had said. His idea for securing it is simple enough:      Manipulate space to put the container 'inside' the orb's housing, capturing the source of the light by simply manifesting the container around it. "...anyway, my answer is 'if you have to ask, they're probably a person.'"
Shinnosuke Tomari	Shinnosuke is almost bruised by the force of trying to break the window. He narrowly holds onto the car, making sure he doesn't slip off. He has two things he wants to do, and he'll do them both. But first, that blue light is inflicting memories. People he needs to protect. Kiriko falls into his mind, for one reason. His buddy. Go, for another. His 'successor'. The people he's fighting for. Fighting because of. Dad. He slowly grabs his radio, and also a small toy-looking taxi. It looks like a gag to Tomoe most likely, until the taxi starts moving on its own. "Dimension Cab, I need you to try and teleport in there." The cab honks, and then creates a tiny portal, trying to 'sense' inside the cab via normal senses. Seeing inside, hearing inside, or perhaps even 'feeling' that blue, that want to protect other Shift Cars as a true taxi superhero. Dimension Cab sheds an invisible tear as it tries to be useful, entering through the portal into the car if it can find a lock. Meanwhile, Shinnosuke dials a number. He gets a pick-up and a sigh. Somewhere, all the way in Tokyo, a wine aunt is eating a bowl of stovetop ramen and has a glass of red wine, all while doing research. "Shinnosuke! I'm trying to eat dinner, I thought you were off on Paladins business!" Rinna says, exasperated. "This is very important, Rinna. Weird physics question." Shinnosuke says. "Oh~? What's up?" "I'll have Mr. Belt send you the data, but this car is being weird. Normally, when two things collide, they exchange differing forces, right? Isaac Newton. But I hit it, and it doubled the impact back at me, with not even a dent. Additionally, it's tumbling around in some sort of zero-gravity while doing it. Dimension Cab's seeing if it can even teleport inside." The belt sends video recording with readings to Rinna, who gets straight to work. "Alright, Shinnosuke, Krim, Dimension Cab~. I'll do it for you." Rinna keeps the call open, as she moves to input the data and put her physics degree and Mad Science knowledge to test, in an attempt to take the collated data and figure out What's Going On with the car. Hopefully, they can find a way to get inside if the cab can't.
Roxas	Roxas... is actually kind of baffled by the fact that his tidal locking seemed to 'carry on' towards other platforms in a way. He glances back the way he came, experimenting with it a couple of times -- he can't fly, but he can propel himself in bursts that gets the job done in an environment like this -- before doubling back to the general vicinity of Xion and Strange. "I know all of those things," Roxas says to Doctor Strange, spinning his Keyblade in one hand absent-mindedly. "I'm not a 'person' by a lot of definitions. The way they think of me, it's sort of like... hmm... a ghost. It's got everything that defined the person it came from, but it's not exactly them, either. So it's sort of a... scar on the world, in the shape of a person. People don't like things like that." "We've had... a lot of talk like that going around the Paladins, recently." Or maybe it's just a lot from the perspective of somebody for whom that is a Very Personal Issue. The flood of green light washes over Roxas. Contrary to how other people react, though, he winces. His empty hand rises to his temple as clashes of mind and spirit begin to occur. At least if we all put a lot of thought into it, I'll feel more confident about the whole thing.     So you gotta fight a couple of matches, no big deal. I swear I'll put an end to this. "T-that's not..." Roxas stammers, squeezing his eyes shut and swaying as if suddenly gripped by intense nausea, which really is something considering the acrobatics he was doing getting here-- and for that matter, did just a moment go for kicks. "Mine, is it?"
Tamamo	Tamamo is faced with a terrain hazard. This does slow her down, as she has to stop and consider how it ended up shifting toward her at that moment, when she'd been fairly certain nothing had been on a collision course for her, previously. There isn't an immediately obvious reason for it, so she can only wonder. Actually dealing with it is not too much of a problem, as she can leap to the top of it, then back down again, careful not to send herself careening into (fortunately breathable, at least) space.     Thus delayed, she spies the SCV moving in ahead of her, trying to navigate the cloud of glass. "Oh, yes, of course." Though she'd made a reasonably valuable offer, in her own opinion, there would always be some more inclined to gamble on the worth of mystery. She's feeling, herself, a great deal of unusual fascination with competition. Though aware of it, she'd already been planning to take the orb herself, anyway, so there doesn't seem to be a reason to resist the amplified urge.     Staying where she stands, Tamamo withdraws a paper fan from her sleeve, flourishes it, then begins what would, by all appearances, most easily be described as a formal, heavily archaic dance. More importantly, it's a powerful, immediate curse, summoned without the need for leylines or great preparation, directed by her motions into a fairly narrow path through the cloud of selectively-reflective glass. Recalling what she'd been told of the temporary nature of these phenomena, all the easier to believe for this being the Soft Expanse, the curse targets their remaining span of existence, withering the shards away.     Tamamo isn't in a position to run through the path she creates, because she'd made it right in front of Cantio. And, for that matter, Tamamo cannot fly, and it is all the more difficult to avoid instant death spikes while long-jumping.
Cantio	When Cantio's drone falls apart thanks to the glass, she is suddenly feeling much less enthused about messing with the glass herself while she lingers in that red mist. Messing with the SCV and Tamamo, though... That would make it easier to get more of the reward, wouldn't it? Sure, she did just come to an agreement with the latter, but what harm is there in a little knife between the ribs? Her reputation would be a small price to pay for... ... What even is the reward here? She's still not certain, but she is certain that something's messing with her head here. It's only then that she realizes her head's getting messed with by the intense redness of everything that Cantio notices her grip on her being far too tight and too ready to start swinging. The desire to compete and prove herself is strong, but the desire to advance her own goals is stronger. Besides, getting paid in that strange magical gold might make things worthwhile, anyway, especially compared to the alternatives. Forcing herself to loosen her grip, she shakes her head to try and clear some of that fog out of her mind. "Nn... "Be careful, Tamamo and... Um... Person." She has no idea what the SCV is called. She's totally assuming there's someone in there, though. "This area's dangerous physically, and I think there's some mental... Something going on here as well." As if that wasn't enough to make her see red, though, she's also literally seeing red when the red beam gets shone right into her eyes. It's mildly irritating at first, but when the light lingers, that's when she starts to disrupt it with a little technology of her own: tossing a few more drones to just have them float around her head like a small array of sunblockers. "It's like this... Red nature of this place is designed to infuriate us or something. Stay on guard, though. Someone might be watching us... We'll manage, though." She says through gritted teeth, moving ever so slowly behind the SCV for the time being to let it handle navigation. As the fragments become more numerous, however, she starts plotting out a different avenue of attack. Cantio closes her eyes, and a pillar of light erupts arund her briefly as she transforms into a distinctly more plastic leotarded, yet vaguely powerful-looking form complete with an oversized translucent purple blade replacing the smaller one from before. "That should make moving a little easier... Okay!" Despite her announcement, she doesn't move. Cantio just floats there, waiting for the opportune moment. That moment comes when Tamamo opens up that gap in the shards, allowing Cantio to start charging through the gap by just flying herself right through, apparently having transformed just to avoid having to try leaping or running through it and worrying about the messed up gravity nearly as much. Actually knowing where to go is another issue, but looking for the first pile of RED she can find is probably a good sign, right? Right.
Xion	With the guidance of Stephen Strange, a steady hand and a confident voice learned from years of Sorcerey Supreme-ing, Xion's (Drive Funky X-Pronounced-Key Inspired) mass of manipulator-spike-pigtails gently shift the object closer and closer, close enough to see the light, close enough to bask in it-- But another voice stops her up. "Roxas...?" '''Xion''', shoulder-length brown hair and fierce blue eyes turn worriedly to her action-partner, herself visibly recolored to a similar-yet-distinct other person. This similar-yet-distinct person looks up to Stephen Strange, worriedly, auburn hair giving way to pale and then neon green spike-hands, which, despite everything, still serve the cause of SCIENCE. "We think you should just grab it. W-..." '''Xion frowns, rubbing at her forehead, a headache forming behind her brow. "I... trust you to magic up some... coins or whatever?" As the Green Light approaches, yet another anime young adult has a breakdown for Nomura Reasons.
Tomoe	The car would seem to be easy so damn easy she should just be able to get inside but it does not go well for her, it does not go well for her at all. she'll end up stumbling into the same stalemate as the officer has. She goes tumbling and, but she manages to not go too far and soon she'll end up she's on the roof and thinking of how to get in or how to deal with Shinnosuke. She would then find him offering a deal to split the prize and she accepts, it's better than fighting and a possible zero payday for her. "Looks like I can stay on the roof here..." She looks at it for a moment then feels something it calls to her about special people she wishes to protect, her friends, her guild, her own freedom, also the person she loves the most too. She will see the toy for a moment at least she thinks it's a toy but then it's moving holy crap it's real she just stares in surprise at it as she sees the Dimensional Cab arrives and he does hit thing he's also calling out for some backup. "I should have paid more attention in Physics class." She does have somewhat of an idea however which might help. "look if it keeps spinning right? What if we came at it from the opposite side? We might cancel the motion out from each other letting one of us get in the car." If Shinnosuke is down for this idea she'll get to it otherwise she'll start thinking about other ideas. "If that fails maybe we could break the windshield?"
Penumbra	Shining the laser sight into the crystal cloud causes it to bounce around as expected (with some loss on each shard for being slightly transparent and not perfectly smooth), and tilting it around by minute amounts can easily sweep it into Cantio. After a second or two, however, that laser starts doing a lot more than blinding. The scope emitter warms up in Nova's hand, like an overworked laptop, recharging from the wall. The beam grows brighter, or perhaps only redder, on each bounce, and when it reaches Cantio, it begins burning. First, just the sting of a magnifying glass on a hot summer day, enough to light a cigarette, but then enough to cause real damage, as if from a full weapon rather than a weapon accessory. It'll melt a drone used to block it in short order.     The reflection also causes the shards to jostle around. One could say something about 'light pressure', but it's like they've been excited by the introduction of the laser to their orbit. Disturbed by a shot. There's *absolutely* no way an entire SCV can fit into the hazard zone even at its least-dense exterior; little bits of glass will serenelt go all the way through the legs, arms, and cockpit, and out the other side like this.     Tamamo *cursing* them has a similarly wild reaction. Though all of these things are some form of glass or crystal or mineral, which should be proof against decay or decline for hundreds or thousands of years, the entropic, destructive energy of her curse seems to pick up extra vim when it falls within the bounds of the red light. The glass dissolves away in a sense that feels eerily 'happy'. As if it were playing along. The kind of 'excited to find a strong opponent' fist idiot air, but certainly imagined in bits and pieces of inanimate objects. Cantio can fly right into that gap if she so chooses. But the SCV could also chase her that way.     The astonishingly red orbs number exactly thirty six. She didn't count, but she knows that instinctively. She could probably fit all of them into just her canister alone if she really squeezed them. Their radiant effect on her is much worse closer up though. Being exposed to it feels like being exposed to . . .     Something that shouldn't be tangible. Something that wasn't *meant* to be tangible. Like she's handling something that physical laws didn't script for being a *thing*. Yet it feels as familiar as a part of her body. It has the surreal sense of seeing her childhood home, exactly the same as she remembers it, in a fifty year old photo.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Rinna comes back with the information, and luckily, Tomoe is spared technobabble. Once Shinnosuke understands it, he relays it himself, while Dimension Cab continues to try and teleport in. "My expert got back to me. We won't be able to break the windshield. See, the car is in perfect condition, absolutely perfect, when it shouldn't be. Something's keeping it in this condition, and whatever that is isn't emitting energy to counter or be consumed by our actions, if I understood her correctly. Our 'energy' has nowhere to go, so it's being tossed right back at us." If Dimension Cab can teleport in, it'll teleport back so they can transform, and actually allow Shinnosuke to teleport in with his bag.
Penumbra	After Rinno's results come back, the Hero Of Everyone's Hearts, Dimension Cab, opens up its itty bitty hotwheels portal, and strong blue light spills out of it so intensely that it drowns out the iconic taxi yellow glow completely.     The unidentifiable sense that exists in the nowhere space precisely between nostalgia, resolution, balance, determination, consistency, longing, confidence, and wellness, is almost like a powerful drug, though it'd certainly be of the 'performance enhancer' variety, rather than a narcotic. It feels as if a nuclear bomb wouldn't stop him from defending his city; somehow it'd work out.     Because this doesn't interact with the car at *all*, he can, in fact, access the orbs directly. There are thirty six --he knows exactly how many without counting-- each of which fits snugly in his gloved palm, or a few at a time if he grabs them more greedily, though who knows what happens if he drops them.     The problem is that now he feels an incredibly strong urge to 'protect' them. To make certain they aren't ever disturbed, tarnished, changed. Tomoe even being there feels like a threat to something precious. And *Shinnosuke* feels the same way to *Tomoe*, though the effect on her is much lower, given she doesn't have a direct way to access them via Dimension Cab.
Tamamo	It takes a little while before Tamamo comes to the realization that the red feelings that haven't been particularly bothering her are also, definitely, affecting others nearby, and might present a serious risk of her losing this race. She hadn't quite been thinking of it as a race, and she hadn't quite been so concerned over who received the promised rewards beyond some more-than-healthy doses of curiosity, but those feelings have since changed, and the prospective future is both vexing and energizing, driving her to act. Knowing that there's an external influence doesn't do anything to banish it, since she can't say that any of it is wrong.     Cantio is heading in, just as she'd planned. The way is open. Whether Cantio is about to change her own mind, Tamamo doesn't know. Among the best moves toward her winning position, none of them involve sitting still. The degree of willingness of the cloud to be destroyed by her, the sense that it's responding positively to an attack, when there should hardly be any spirit in such objects -- she won't worry about that means, just now, but it's convenient. Even while moving, she can continue to attack. Leaping through the cloud would have been difficult, as it was, but if she just attacks as she moves, if she strengthens and widens the curse, sacrificing precision for mobility and keeping her own area clear, then she can take that window to make her own leap for the place the orbs are held.
Shinnosuke Tomari	As Dimension Cab does its magic, being the MVP of the Shift Cars, Shinnosuke feels that blue glow directly on him. As he starts moving the orbs into the case, slowly, he almost stops. His eyes glance over to Tomoe. She wouldn't... No, she definitely would try to take these from him, wouldn't she? He needs to protect them. But as he's on the radio, acting almost out of character, his will starts to try and reassert itself. He continues casing the orbs, taking them with his gloved hands, careful not to touch them, and puts them away. He shifts the container away from Tomoe, habitually. <"On second thought, I'll take a portal if you can offer one, Seneschal."> Shinnosuke doesn't want to fight Tomoe. So, instead, he wants to get those orbs to the drop-off point ASAP, without them leaking everywhere and causing everyone to fight over them. His strong will's helping, but he's still protectively paranoid, and is afraid that the longer he has them, the more likely he is to try and kick her off the side of the car.
Nova Terra	Nova was NOT expecting what happens. Feeling the scope in her hand heat up, she's surprised to find the targeting laser growing far more stronger than she expected. Thankfully, the emitter and the scope itself really weren't designed for the kind of use, both shorting out in spectacular fashion and causing Nova to drop the device. It's a good thing this happened before the laser could grow any stronger to do some real harm. Though one of Cantio's drones might have been lost as a sacrificial shield before the impromptu weapon failed.     Meanwhile, the sudden excite of the fragments definitely catches the SCV off guard, the engineer crying out in surprise as they start to slip through her mech. Sparks start flying, screens shorting out. One of the main thrusters on the back of the machine fails spectacularly with a small blast, knocking the engineer around a little. Most unfortunately, one fragment does manage to graze the engineer's arm on the way through the cockpit, causing her to cry out in pain.     But the fragment barrage lets up as the path is cleared ahead. The engineer breathes a sigh of relief. She opens a compartment, pulling out a bandage to slap on her arm, feeling the pain let up a little as the small amount of anesthetic coating the bandage numbs the area. She then starts flipping switches, reporting back on damage to Nova, "Laser drill is offline, navigation's on the fritz... I'm flying on sight. Left arm is showing reduced mobility. Life support's dead. Good thing we're not in a vacuum or I'd be breathing it with all these holes. But worst of all, a main thruster is down. I've only got fifty percent acceleration!" And it shows, as the way is open and Cantio is forging ahead.     Back at the dropshop, Nova mutters under her breath. It's ultimately her fault. But she'll be damned if she's going to give up now! She radios back to the SCV, "We're not done yet! Press forward! I'll provide a boost." Nova walks up to the edge of the dropship's open bay. She grabs hold of a bulkhead with one hand, before raising her other towards the SCV she can see in the distance. Like she did with the floating piece of terrain, she grips the mech in her mind, before starting to push it forward.     Feeling a sudden jolt in her machine, the engineer lets out a yelp of surprise. But realising she's moving forward fast, she quickly gets the idea! She pushes forward on the thruster she still has, adding her own force to Nova's. With this, they're still in the race!     Coming up to the actual location where the orbs are floating, the engineer gasps at the sight. And more specifically, the feeling. She remarks, "This is incredible!" Back at the dropship, Nova is no where near as enthused. She's only sensing a fraction of what the engineer is, but it's enough to make her skin crawl. It's a feeling like something is tugging at a part of her mind long since dead. A feeling that most would embrace, Nova cannot. It's probably a good thing she's not the one in there.     Still, there's work to do, Nova saying, "Get to it." The SCV floats up to the first orb, mechanical claw arm reaching out to try and grab hold, then proceed to place the orb into the canister case attached to the other arm.
Penumbra	Strange warps that special canister, with exacting care, directly inside the core object that Roxas and Xion have so precisely placed, balanced between masses like a very loose dyson sphere that keep it contained and stable. The dimensions are a bit unforgiving, since there are thirty six orbs arranged in a perfectly interlocking spherical way --he just suddenly knows that detail-- and the case is efficiently sized to hold them all lengthwise, without having a ton of empty space. It requires multiple teleportations to fully capture the remainder; two more at best.     When this happens, all three notice, as the green light fades, that the plant mass has ceased incrementally growing, and the flames have stopped burning on them. Yet, deep inside the slag sphere, other energies remain, or perhaps resume, glowing. The smell of hot tar and charred solder seeps through, then a very describable, Cherenkov blue luminosity fills those fine cracks, and then the sound of deep, rumbling vibration.     The entire core spectacularly blows apart. Spalling fragments followed by white hot globules of molten everyting spray in every direction, quickly overtaken by a wave of fire, and thousand degree steam. At its deadly center, a cavity where thirty six orbs could nestle is revealed, spherical but smashed open, surrounded by a number of large hexagonal rods.
Cantio	When Cantio's drone melts from that sustained laser lingering on top of it, she... Doesn't actually bother stopping to fight back or follow the trail back to the source. Instead, she's counting on Tamamo to keep her covered with their agreement from earlier, and against all better sense, she's still trusting that SCV to work with her as she keeps moving ahead without a care given to whether it's following her or not. The sound of the engineer getting injured does snap her attention back momentarily, however, as Cantio shouts back towards her, still oblivious to the reality of the situation. "Watch yourselves. There's definitely someone following us, so stay on guard!" There's still the matter of the thirty six orbs, though. With the gloves on, she makes a few grabbing gestures with them in the air as if trying to pull something significantly larger around the orbs. It's only then that she realizes that these gloves probably aren't the same thing, and she instead has to focus on trying to grab them in the more conventional way to start shoving them into the canister. That's when Cantio feels it. She feels that familiar feeling, that sense of 'this belongs to me and nobody else', that tugging sensation at her heart that lets her know things will be alright, but only if she makes sure these precious things stay with her instead of going to "Away..." She mutters at first, grimacing as her mind continues struggling to comprehend what she's feeling. The sword is raised, unsteadily at first as Cantio starts floating towards the SCV. "Get... Away!" She shrieks as she brings that blade down, trying to cleave right through the vehicle as something inside her snaps rather visibly. "All this potential... There's so much the Multiverse could gain and discover from these things. We can't just throw them away for... Who was it, this 'Vivian'?" Her teeth are chattering as she speaks, her tone equal parts anxiety and anger spurred on by the RED. "If anyone's going to take these, then it's... I'm taking these with me. I can turn these into something better. I can change my world... No, all worlds with twhat I can learn from these! I can finally stop getting..." Cantio still sounds shaky as she trails off, but the arm holding her sword is anything but as she points it towards the SCV and Tamamo as she approaches. "Are you with me, or are you against me?"
Doctor Strange	Several things happen in quick succession. They have to, for anything other than the most exacting and meticulous use of precious seconds could mean grievous harm for several people. One: The Strange near Vivian briefly jaunts backwards in time to assist the Roxas and Xion of the past. The Strange near Roxas and Xion departs through a portal to assist Shinnosuke, just as... Two: Another Strange appears beside them. No words, just a gesture. Arms crossed in an X before him. Square pillars of copy-pasted concrete wrap around girders of steel to form a hasty floating half-bunker in an effort to shield them all from the worst of the explosion.      At the BLUE orb, there is the sound of a distant explosion as Strange inwardly sighs with relief. He hadn't expected that. "Alright, hold the container steady, because I'm gonna do this quickly." Strange has had his head messed with plenty, today.      A hiss of sparks as a portal is made, within the car, to simply guide the orb out. "Gloves on," he says, waving a gloved hand. "Scoop them up. *Carefully.* Or else that'll happen," he says, angling his head back to the spot of the explosion a few seconds ago.
Roxas	"I'm fine, it's just weird." Roxas says, in response to Xion's concern. He steadies himself and focuses on her, frowning at the transformation she's undergoing. He blinks several times, expecting that what he's seeing is warped by the green around them. Only, it's not. He pushes through the nausea and realizes that, in fact, Xion simply has red hair. "I don't remember you dying your hair." Roxas remarks, reaching over to nudge Xion in the shoulder-- a little roughly, but not particularly so between two people who are pretty comfortable with each other. "I think it'd look better as highlighting, but you do you." This is half-serious, half-hey-your-weird-physiology-is-showing. The momentary support lapses as another throb pulses in Roxas's temple. He lets out an aggravated noise, "Can't catch a bre-- hey, why is it glowing like that?" Roxas pushes up to point, putting himself between the sphere and Xion and whoever else follows his warning to, "Get behind me." There is a faint shimmer as the chain on Roxas's keyblade transforms-- and then so does the rest of the Keyblade. It adopts a more properly axe-like appearance shortly before a suit of extremely high-tech green plate armor snaps down around him out of absolutely nowhere, recognizable as a replication of Bercilak's armor. Raising his Key(axe) to brace against the oncoming explosion, Roxas is momentarily surrounded by a forward-facing dome of semi-transparent white energy. The explosion crashes down around him, and for a few moments Roxas seems to struggle with it as if he blocked it against his blade-- the dome moves lightly in response to the movement of his weapon. After a moment the dome breaks and Roxas loses his grip on the key-axe, which goes whistling off into the side of the INSTANT CONCRETE BUNKER provided by Dr. Strange. The remaining force of the explosion and its resulting shrapnel hammers into the newfound armor, which comes apart in hexagonal fragments as if it was less being damaged in a natural way and more that its substance was flaking out of existence as it absorbed damage. By the time the violence abates only about half of the armor remains, spread out in uneven patches. Roxas heaves a great sigh, and summons his keyblade back to hand.
Tomoe	Tomoe would nod to Shinnosuke. "Well that saves us some time from trying that, and yeah I see it. It's basically what we would call an immortal object where I'm from. Something the world just says you can not break it." She notes while she waits to see how her partner's plan is able to play out. She has to say she's impressed with what he can do, and can only wonder what the Tokyo he's form is like if he has tricks like that and he's a police officer. However, once he gets inside there's something in the back of her mind making her want to protect those orbs think that he's a threat to them. They could trainshed or even be changed by them. She starts to wonder what ends could he be up to with them even as she tries to push it down the thought is still there. She watches Shinnosuke shift the container away from her as he moves to finish up the orbs. Is he going to take the goods and run, cutting her out of the reward for it? She's had it happen to her before, she's starting to get wary though is he going to pull one on her? Is he going to take and misuse them somehow she started to try and keep closer to Shinnosuke if she can, he best gets moving before something happens.
Tamamo	In some ways, this actually makes it easier. It's confirmation of a possibility, a betrayal that was uncertain, but now materialized. Violence rising to the surface, breaking the tension. Tamamo rises on the tide of red, the favored color of the Tempest.     Oh, yes. The Tempest. She didn't like them. She remembers why. They felt like this. They felt, to her, the way she's feeling, now. Bundles of aggression, self-assured in victory, in the value of the struggle for its own sake. Her mind doesn't clear, but it orients, finding a position from which to maintain her self, and her own goals, without contradiction. There doesn't need to be any. She's still here to win, after all.     "I am with you," she says to Cantio, and the bright, shining aura of the Sun Goddess leaks through as she says it, carrying with her words a feeling of absolute truth. "And so, let us gather them, all the rest as well, and be away, as we said we would." They had said that. That's true. And it's different from what Cantio had just said she planned, but it's said with the fullest, most natural conviction, from the most respectably trustworthy person possible. There couldn't be anything hidden in her words.     That's how the effects of divinity-enhanced Charm magic, delivered like a tactical strike, work.
Penumbra	Shinnosuke, since Tomoe isn't interfering with him and he has his way into the car, successfully removes the orbs. They feel completely weightless, but 'drag' slightly against the air that dubiously exists here, feeling like they lag behind his hands. They also have an odd sort of cohesion, like fridge magnets, easy enough to pull apart, but naturally sticking together into those hexagonal configurations; perhaps more appropriately like the way bubbles cluster together, with the positions of membrane and empty space reversed.     When he loads the last of them and closes the canister, there's a startlingly loud sound from the hermetic locks kicking in automatically, and a subsequent hiss as it vents all the air out of the interior. The LCD display reads to him CORRECTIVE ESSENCE: 36 UNITS.     The canister itself, it seems, provides no real protection from the blue light within, its sides being completely transparent. It isn't until he returns, and grey and amber suited men hurry up to take it from him, that it's loaded into a properly shielded crate amongst --there's half a dozen more in there. Much less full, but where are they all coming from? Also, Vivian doesn't even blink at the light. The workers don't seem anywhere near as affected as he is either. The woman leans over to count, taps a wrist display to verify, then puffs out her current lungful of glittering silver smoke, and asks "Personal or joint account?" as casually as Shinnosuke would punch a bad guy and deliver a catch phrase, or indeed as Tomoe would unthinkingly block a boss monster's telegraphed attack.
Xion	Everthing's cool until you're whammied hard enough by Exposition Radiation to have your spoiler palate swapped in. The green orb is stowed. They're done! And all they have to do is not mess up, eat a bunch of chocolate bars to feel better, and get paid. Life's easy when you have friends! Nothing goes that way. Of course it doesn't. The auburn-red haired '''Xion''' is prompted that she's got the wrong color of hair on and immediately jams her fingers into her hair, pulling it down -- much to the lack of effect on the green cones, down the 'strands' -- and gasps. "Oh no! My power is leaking?" Xion gasps, fretting. "I like it as highlights too, this is too much! I really do prefer black." She laments, before the sweep of an arm, a step, and a 'Get behind me.' is levied. Hair up-handing like surprised and caught-out hands, Xion gasps with both hands over her mouth. "It's critical? It's--" Concrete forms about them. Stephen Strange's will is easy to listen to, firm and comforting to just follow and not worry too much about if he's right or not. Questioning a Sorcerer Supreme at a full sprint is never the right idea: He has plenty of time to explain after. Xion knows. Removing her spiked belt in a smooth motion, Xion tosses it aside, switching medallions. The green spiked tyre-belt fades into green magic motes and her hair turns a plum-fuchsia throughout as she thrusts forward a black-and-white + or X. "It's radiation! That means I'll--" With the power of Oathkeeper - a white angel-wing keyblade with a box-like tooth, and Starlight, Xion's normal star-patterned keyblade, Xion sweeps out in a tinktinktink-ing twirl to touch the concrete slabs all around the party and then duck behind the armor. To radiation: Concrete is not a wall. To radiation, Concrete is a porous-open door that requires a thick poor. Permeability is the accessway of interesting energies: And Xion has closed those doors in the surrounding pillars and shields.
Nova Terra	Even if she hadn't been distracted putting red balls into a canister, the SCV engineer couldn't have done much to evade that blow, which threatened to cut through her machine and her along with it. Thankfully her commanding officer had her back, Nova using her mental grip on the SCV to for it to the side at the last second. The blade cleaves through an upper shoulder section of the SCV, sending armour plating and internals fly free. The engineer cries out in fear.     Back at the dropship, Nova frowns. It's like that one has snapped. Corrupted by the red light, perhaps. It doesn't matter either way. She took a shot, metaphorically, at one of Nova's own. And Nova doesn't take kindly to that.     Nova reaches back to grab her rifle once more, before realizing that the scope was fried... "Fuck it." The Ghost lowers herself to the floor of the dropship, nestling up against the rifle as she tilts her head to line up a shot. Admist trying to get Cantio to back down over the radio, she calls back to the dropship pilot, "Keep this bucket steady!" Nova settles on her aiming point, moves her finger to the trigger... Cantio's not backing down. So Nova fires.     The large 25mm round blasts out of the rifle. It rockets through the space-not-space they're all floating in, spiraling and curving in the chaotic air currents and relative directions of 'down'. Finally it zips through a spot between Cantio and the SCV. Intentionally. A warning shot. The one that Nova said she would give.
Cantio	Clutching her head briefly, Cantio can still feel that something's wrong, but everything  is too confusing to make any sense of it. There's someone yelling at her that she can only identify as the SCV driver's boss (Nova), and she's fairly certain a fight's going to break out as Tamamo... Agrees? That actually seems to calm down the mildly unstable anime-trash protagonist with the oversized sword in her hand. The mind-affecting magic works wonders against her, apparently, taking full advantage of her already somewhat fragile mental state in the current circumstance, and she even nods slowly as her hostility ceases, at least for the moment. "R... Right, yes. Thank you. Let's get these orbs inside, and..." Talks break down with Nova, and the warning shot forces the girl in white and pink to ready her weapon once more. Following theimpact zone to the sound of the shot from 'above', she spots Nova, and she's seeing red once again between... Well. She did just get (warning) shot at. Between the influence of the RED ramping up all those ugly thoughts in her mind and Tamamo's Charm magic diverting her hostilities elsewhere, there isn't really anywhere else but for Cantio's aggression but to go towards Nova. Raising her sword, she points it towards Nova in a rather blatant threat, floating upwards slowly as she prepares herself to fight without any further quips forthcoming.
Tamamo	"Might you keep her occupied?" Tamamo says to Cantio, turning to see where the shot had come from. "I shall see to filling the container, if you pass it here." There's still that quality to her voice and her presence, exuding an aura of one with a well-thought-out and trustworthy plan. The only risk of failure is in not following it.     "Worry not. We shall return to where we began, treasure in hand." It's true, too. She does want to meet Cantio, treasure in hand, where they started this venture. It's the things she's not saying, and to which she brings no such attention, that someone might (unreasonably) object. She doesn't mention joining the fight, nor who will carry away the treasure in the end.     That said (or unsaid), Tamamo spares only a glance for the wounded SCV -- unfamiliar with the design, but knowing it's a piloted vehicle by the glass cockpit -- before pushing off her curiously stable mirror, then pulling it with her as she maneuvers through space to grab all the remaining orbs. With both her container and Cantio's at hand, it should be even easier to stack the thirty-six. If there *are* still thirty-six. She'll have to check whether that SCV grabbed any of them, first.
Nova Terra	Nova's warning shot apparently goes unheeded, the Ghost watching as Cantio proceeds to start flying in her direction with sword at the ready. Nova proceeds to stand once more, glancing around at their surroundings outside the dropship. She says the others on board, "Looks like we have incoming. Pilot, head to that large chunk at our four o'clock. Marines, stay aboard and guard the ship."     The Terran Dropship swings around and over a large chunk of floating terrain, looking like it was one part of a street, with a singular streep lamp still standing upright. Nova proceeds to jump out the dropship's bay, landing upon the broken and cracked street. The dropship then pulls away, leaving the Ghost to handle the incoming flier.     Nova drops down to one knee, raising the scopeless Canister Rifle up. She aims in Cantio's direction properly this time. No more warning shots. A pull of the trigger sends another large bullet similar to the first flying out towards the oncoming program. At first it looks like the aim is off slightly, likely the result of a lack of scope on Nova's weapon. But the bullet suddenly curves mid-flight, heading back on course for Cantio.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Still weary from the influence, Shinnosuke hands it over reluctantly but in the end, the orbs are out of his grasp. He's asked about payment, and remembers what Strange asked. "Actually, we were wondering if there's any way we could negotiate a more tangible reward. Money's nice, but we have funding. Something that can more concretely solve problems. I don't know what that would look like from your organization specifically, though." Hopefully, Shinnosuke thinks, they have an 'alternative'.
Tomoe	Tomoe, however, is going to try to follow after Shinnosuke as he departs she's keeping with him but at some distance, she's not quite affected as hard as he is by these strange blue orbs. She'll end up lagging behind however given how he departed. Still, she knows where he should be going, to sell off the orbs. So she does arrive after him and is looking Vivian over for a moment she does not seem paused by this and she looks to Shinnosuke on what call he's going to make overpayment she does feel the urge to get those orbs though she's clearly looking a bit pulled by something. However, it seems Vivian is used to this form how she's acting and just going how do you want the payment handled? "Err are we still going to split it what do you ... have in mind?" Tomoe is still trying to restrain herself. The sooner this deal is handled and those things are aware from them likely the better...
Penumbra	The fury of the explosion on top of Roxas and Xion abates. The massive slabs of concrete absorb most of the raw impact, shattering under the blast wave, and the fire and small debris clashes with Roxas' shield until the two (three counting Strange, though he doesn't need it) are stood on a broad cone of unscorched floating land. The grainy blue glow clears up as Xion purges the radiation that has sunk into the stones.     The remains are obvious that of a reactor, most likely nuclear in nature, but there are no signs of any kind of fuel, or turbine; only the reaction chamber itself, fresh out of water and with all control rods pushed out of position. There are exactly thirty six green orbs, though anyone in contact with each other could guess by now.     Despite the recency of the explosion, there is no lingering radiation within the chamber itself, or even any kind of energy emission. It looks like that shell had formed over it by cooling (and growing?) in the weightless void of the Expanse, but the fuel for the constant regeneration and incineration of its wooden pieces, and the melting and cooling of its metal and concrete, clearly didn't exist.     The canister reads CREATIVE ESSENCE: 36 UNITS. Again, mysteriously unshielded as it is, trying to carry it is a strangely strenuous exercise in mental fortitude. Or else, one of gleeful overuse of power in keeping with overabundant drive, imagination, and ideas about the whole affair.
Cantio	Recalling the entire purpose behind coming here and not noticing the more subtle effects of Tamamo's request, Cantio lobs that container containing those precious red orbs over. "Good idea... We can't risk them getting damaged. Especially not with..." She narrows her gaze at Nova and her dropship as the Ghost touches down (or however 'down' the street is in this strange region). "... Still don't know her name. What...?" Cantio should be asking this sort of thing. It's only polite, right? But... Something feels wrong. She doesn't want to be polite. She wants to fight. Although she had recognized that the redness was messing with her mind earlier, recognizing it and doing something about it are two entirely different things, and she's already in too deep to have those kinds of thoughts at the forefront. She sees that shot coming near... Around her? It looks like it's going the wrong way, anyway, so she pays little mind to it as she keeps charging towards Nova. By the time she realizes the shot's turning in mid-flight, it's already too late to evade! So she doesn't bother. Instead, Cantio jukes right into the bullet's path, bracing for the impact and (semi-literally) biting the bullet to get it over with as it punches into her shoulder's armor. She veers off course momentarily, but takes it in stride a moment later (or tries to) as she spins once to go with the veering maneuver as she dives towards Nova with an unnecessarily spinning slash once she touches down.
Penumbra	Vivian doesn't so much as blink at Shinnosuke's attempt at bargaining 'alternate payment'. "What negotiation?" she replies. "Do you negotiate with your cashiers to pay with debit instead of change?" A moment's thoughtful pause has her continue with a very different tone. "Come to think of it, that's probably all you know, isn't it? Financial transactions like that. Hmm, how to put it."     Vivian weighs her words carefully, absently curling a lock of hair around one twirling finger out of habit, and taking another mysterious silver drag. "The Acquisitors aren't a corporation. We don't have shareholders, or quarterly reports, or investor responsibility. Our goal isn't to make the most money. As a Multiversally-rooted organization, there's a soft limit of how much raw finance you can sit on before it's either taxed or taken by force anyways. Though obviously we're wealthier than any other organization of our size you could possibly find, it isn't for the sake of having the numbers go up."     "We --myself especially-- operate on company principle, to put it one way. With our talent and resources, we decided we could do better than simply funding the Unifiers, as cute as a pipe dream that was. What matters in the Multiverse isn't mere liquidity, but the kind of power a real faction --real Elites-- should have. Money is a means to achieving power, of a certain kind, but it can only so far. There are numerous ultra-trillionaires out there, making and losing fortunes every day. We have no desire to be just another face in that crowd."     "Simply put, everyone in the Multiverse needs something, and our goal is to become the best --the fastest, the fairest, the most reliable-- that there is at getting it to them. To push our name to the top of every list. To have no limits. That kind of wealth --that pull, that greatness-- can't be taxed or taken. There are all kinds out there, striving towards their own dreams, and we deliver, anything to anyone. You could call it a matter of professional honour."     "So, don't think of me like some corporate broker. Pretend more like I'm a magic genie, and you've earned one wish. Of a certain size. How much you need us *is* our share value."
Nova Terra	Nova tweaks the path of her bullet with her telekinesis so it's on target, watching as it strikes Cantio. And while it does throw off her flight a bit, it seems that shoulder armour of hers is able to otherwise shrug off the damage. Nova takes note as pulls on the bolt of her rifle, letting a shell eject out and clatter to the ground.     Nova proceeds to stand once more, watching as Cantio flies down towards her. Blue light begins to wash over the Ghost, who smirks and gives a wave to Cantio while disappearing from view. Moments later, Cantio lands on the street with a spinning slash, the blade slicing through the position Nova had been moments before with no noticeable connection.     There's some silence on the small floating battlefield for several moments, before the disembodied voice of Nova taunts, "You should have backed off." After which there is the sound of another supressed gunshot, this time coming from the other end of the street behind Cantio. The vaguely noticeable shape of Nova appears with the firing of the shot, her cloak briefly rippling the air around her.     The bullet fired this time streaks towards Cantio's back, Nova trying to find a more softer part of the program's outfit to get through.
Roxas	Roxas finds himself standing with his companions on a single unscorched spit of rock, frazzled but ultimately none the worse for the wear. Around half of a cape flutters behind him, flowing in strangely inequal tatters similar to the armor itself. He frowns between their canister and the empty space that the contents once occupied. They'd been in use to power a nuclear reactor? Was it the element of 'cheating' -- which he could tell that the radiative power approved of and urged those around it towards -- that enabled this? Criticality in the absence of proper materials? "Hey, I can carry this if you like. But... first, either way..." Roxas turns his keyblade towards the canister containing the orbs, presses it to the side, and secures it. "I'll make this worthless to anybody without out cooperation," he declares. If responsibility of the canister is turned over to him, he bears it relatively easily. For the same reason that he was able to endure the mental invasion simulation chamber, Roxas appears to be able to simply stomach a heavy mental burden-- though not so effortlessly that there is no sense of 'weight' to it at all. It's more like he's carrying something inconvenient but doable -- a large man-portable container of liquid, for instance -- than something that isn't really within his means.
Cantio	As Cantio's blade finds purchase in the nothing, she takes a moment to try and figure out where Nova had gone. Hearing that voice coming from somewhere without being able to identify the direction, she instead focuses her efforts on defense in anticipation of something coming from another unexpected direction. Above? No, too small of a target. Behind? Possible, but too obvious. Except it is totally from behind, and she only has a moment to react to the shot by sheer chance as she turns around to spot that vague shape shooting at her from the distance. Although the shot doesn't nail her in the back, it is another shot that Cantio has to simply brace for instead of powering through, a satisfying explosion of sparks coming forth as the bullet hits her square in the chest. "You really don't like staying still, do you...? Alright, then let's try something different!" Sliding the tip of her sword against the street, she raises it up with a dramatic flourish as she points it in Nova's direction, a pinprick of light appearing on the tip of the weapon. A moment later, it explodes outwards in a shower of wildly spreading lasers, somehow chaotic yet controlled as they converge on the Ghost all at once.
Penumbra	With Tamamo having ~~used~~ politely persuaded to Cantio to brawl it out with Nova for the time being, it isn't all that difficult to collect the orbs. Though the red light makes her heart thump in her chest and conjure up all of her strongest desires, on the verge of uncontainable obsession, using both containers, she sees the reassuring readout COMBATIVE ESSENCE: 18 UNITS on each. The thought of what she might be able to win from the Acquisitors as a reward for her clever victory is intoxicating, having to carry them, if she can make it back.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Shinnosuke considers, when she compares herself to a genie. Well, that makes things easier. "The Paladins are interested in the 'orbs', now that we've had firsthand experience with them and their power. Either information on what exactly they are, or preferably something related to them - something we could tangibly study. The highest request I could think is one of them, in the future, for this orb now." The Paladins would benefit from knowledge on this, especially considering that they're being sold to others. He's basically laid three choices on the table for Vivian, all of which benefit the Paladins, and allow her to choose 'what is too little or too much' as a deal, allowing her to be 'in control' instead of him being 'greedy'. A stark refusal of all three would be telling in of itself, too - on just how dangerous these orbs may be.
Doctor Strange	>I can carry this, if you like. Strange hesitates, faced with a contained GREEN orb. He frowns, withdrawing his gloved hand, when he realizes that the thrill is still there. The temptation to thumb his nose at the rules is always present within him--many of his tricks are violations of ancient strictures anyway.      But that's his strength, isn't it? This Strange furrows his brow, as the Strange near Tomari vanishes to complete a different time loop. "Yeah. I think you'd better," he concludes, as he decides to indulge those thoughts independently of the mental influence.      "Xion. You wanted cash, yeah? Tamamo's gonna pay you, instead of Vivian, because Vivian can give us something better than money. This way, you get both the money you wanted, and something else. I'm gonna stow it away so we can think of a Something Else to ask for, without that thing getting in the way. After that, Roxas can carry it to her." There's a nod towards the canister. It's promptly squirreled away into the Mirror Dimension, so that he can concentrate. But it's not on a something else to ask for. That wasn't his intention. His intention was to abuse his power, just a little.      The Eye is opened. What would happen if he were to use the malleability of the Mirror Dimension (the Mirror Expanse, no less) to simply duplicate the canister? Could one be delivered to Vivian, and another, to the Makers? Would they be able to use it as effectively, as safely as the original?      In the meantime another Strange appears, this time in front of Vivian, waiting for her to finish her explanation of the Acquisitors' mission statement before speaking up. "Got your package ready for delivery," he says. "It's around. I've just got it contained... so to speak. So I can hear myself think." Even so, it's still kind of difficult, with his mind still racing.      "Before I hand it over, you said that it'd be easier for you to list the ways in which you *wouldn't* pay me. And y'know what? That'd be a pretty good idea of how valuable it is to you, and by extension, your clients. So humor me. What's *too* much to ask?"
Tomoe	Tomoe would look to Shinnosuke for a moment then to Vivian as she gets a response she was not expecting about Shinnosuke's plan to get some sort of alternative payment for the orbs. The Iron Lily will listen to what Vivian has to say she thinks about the words that Vivian has to say it's quite interesting honestly. She gets it rather than just be on the money there's another aspect o tit to be seen as the best, the connections the reputation being top dog of what you do in the Multiverse. "That is worth a lot more than just coin, which does come and go." She looks to Shinnosuke "It's not easy being even in a group of independent elites, Officer. Trust me I have been at it, it's not like you can't use the money for other purposes right?" If tomoe is still getting a cut she could totally /use/ it, she's got bills she needs to cover for the guild she's in. She looks to Shinnosuke to see what he's got in mind to say after what Vivian has informed them both of about the group she's with. Then she sees what Shinnosuke says in response gets an eyebrow raise but it makes sense to her. It's a very clever plan that also shows respect to Vivian and her organization she pauses nods to him. As while she did want cash that might be pretty short-sighted with strange things like these orbs. "You have an point there with that officer..."
Nova Terra	The ripple of Nova's cloak only lasts for a few moments after her shot before fading, leaving her invisible again. Naturally she had already started to move after that point, to try and avoid another attack. But Cantio's use of a spread of lasers is a good choice as while most of them miss, one does manage to find its mark almost accidentally. There's a flash, followed by a grunt.     After a few moments, Nova reappears, the side of her suit still smoking from where the laser had vaporized part of it away and left a small burn on Nova's skin.     "Lucky shot."     Nova suddenly leaps away, quite a distance too thanks to the combination of psi-enhanced suit and weird local physics. She's heading towards another chunk of floating terrain nearby, what looks like a large piece of a broken building.     But Nova doesn't leave without a parting gift. A spherical devices bounces across the ground before rolling in Cantio's direction. Doesn't take a genius to guess it's probably not good for her. Sure enough, the pulse grenade explodes with a blast of energy, ripping apart the already broken street and possibily Cantio along with it.
Xion	Xion, red-brown hair immediately gradienting plum-fuchsia just past the first inch, has four tails - two to a side - extended like grabbyhands that hoverhand in front of her. Fingers of hair spike out like large comic gloves to define the 'ah ah' working of the phantom digits towards the exposed core. Harvested and put away. Stephen Strange makes Roxas and Xion and offer. Xion's expression is unreadable, her face moving through a handful of odd presets, like a smile, a tragic frown, a shining-eyed exhiliaration. Her tone is small, rasped like someone who hadn't spoken in a long time remembering how to use her voice. "That's fine. Tamamo is nice too. But I can hear it. You... you promise, right?" Xion hasn't asked for anything but money - but it's clear that's not what she want-wants. "You'll let Roxas know about... the stuff, right? It's really hard to think, right now. If I put it in my inventory -- I know it's not coming out, because it would be inside me and that's not... ..." She trails off. After a moment she starts talking again, stuck in 'fretting worry'. "The hair really wants to touch it and it's loud too." She confesses. A hair-arm reaches for the containment case. A second smacks it away. The lower third and fourth make slower, more meticulous plays.
Tamamo	Tamamo has two half-full canisters. Every orb is accounted for. Cantio and that sniper with the dropship are still fighting. That mechanized worker is... alive. Under other circumstances, most likely, she'd be more concerned about nearby injuries, but there are a few reasons she isn't so much here, with the strong presence of red being one of them.     She brings her mirror back to hand, taking one last, good look around the place. What had happened here? It likely doesn't matter, but... it might. Why should this amalgmation of competition be centered on this statue? What had it signified, then? What was its Fate, and does any of that old knowledge still linger?     But she won't stay around long enough to consider the answer, whether or not she finds hint of one. She has places to be, and other promises to keep. Finding this place involved less usual means, but returning will not be so difficult. There are people with whom she must meet, and her familiarity makes it so much easier to find not just them, but the trail that will lead her to them.If they're still together, so much the better.     The leap out and away from the former red site is by far stronger than those she'd taken on the way in, hard enough to throw back a statue's weight, enhanced by vigorous divine blessings, and aimed along the threads of the three promises she's made. One, to meet with treasure in hand. Another, to cover the payment of coins. Lastly, to bring the orbs to the one who'd made this venture possible.     There are other temptations, but there are, fortunately, reasons they cannot tempt her into breaking any one of her agreements. These will come up later.
Cantio	There's a clear difference in Nova's and Cantio's approach to combat as the former keeps evading the brunt of the latter's attacks, leaving Cantio visibly frustrated at just how jumpy her opponent is. "How annoying... But I won't need luck for the next shot! I just need to find you first...!" That's going to be the tricky part, all things considered. Taking up a defensive stance once again, the laser-sword wielder focuses on trying to predict Nova's moves rather than charging in once more. It's not until she hears that bouncing object coming towards her that she finally starts to move, jumping into the air moments before the pulse grenade goes off and yelping when it blasts the ground apart and sears into both her armor and flesh as pixelated lights start to appear more frequently where she's been hit before. "Trying to get away, huh...? But let's see if you can avoid something you can't see!"  Shouting her intent perhaps a bit too blatantly, Cantio thrusts her arm forward into a pixelated space in front of her, yanking out several smaller drones bearing faces and colors vaguely similar to her own, but significantly more cube-like and horribly drawn. She flings them around seeming randomly, letting the drones drift through the air for several moments. And then they start screaming. As they scream, they start turning towards Nova, as if following her through the sound and using that same sound to try and batter her with powerful sonic vibrations! Also, ear-splitting noise. Unfortunately for Cantio, she's also compelely failed to notice Tamamo's escape. The REDness is still overwhelming any good sense, focusing her entirely on the battle in front of her.
Roxas	"I'm... not the one you've gotta convince," Roxas replies to Strange, on the subject of a deal. He moves the canister from one arm to the other to get maximum distance from Xion, banishing his silvery-black keyblade and producing a highly stylized white one with blue-and-yellow accents. Oathkeeper is hooked lightly against Xion's side, pulling her in towards him so that her reaching feelers actually over-reach at this specific moment. It's not until Strange pocket-dimensions the canister that he banishes Oathkeeper and hooks his arm over Xion's shoulders instead, "Hey, do you know what I want right now?" It's a rhetorical question. Roxas is perfectly aware that, in fact, Xion does know what he wants right now. Taken from another speaker this could probably be taken as at least thoughtlessly suggestive. In this case, though... A sea of street food bubbles around in Roxas's head, very deliberately vividly imagined from all corners of their world for Xion's viewing pleasure. Or, more accurately, as a distraction.
Nova Terra	Nova lands upon the broken building's side, which turns out to be the top by local standards. She's starts running along it, only for some weird looking drones to come flying in and starting to pound Nova with sonic waves. Admittedly an effective weapon type that Nova doesn't run into often.     The Ghost grunts under the constant barrage, falling to one knee as she struggles to stand her ground. She's having trouble concentrating under the assault, struggling to move her body with the vibrations resonating through her. Blood begins to slowly trickle out of her ears. Still, Nova fights against it, slowly reaching to a small compartment on the back of her suit. From it, she produces a syringe, which she proceeds to plunge into the side of her neck. The advanced stim rushes through her body, temporarily feeding Nova the strength she needs to overcome the sonic assault.     Nova raises her arm, before plunging her fist down into the structure beneath her. It cracks under the heavy blow. She repeats this several times, the web spreading out further with each impact. Until finally a good portion of the building breaks apart. Several large chunks begin to float away, spreading out. One of them has Nova still standing on it.     Nova narrows her eyes towards Cantio, before raising her hand. Gripping the chunks with her mind, she starts to push them forwards. Fast. They quickly accelerate, several of them flying towards the drones trying to continue their assault against her. One particularly large chunk heading towards Cantio herself.
Penumbra	Vivian replies to Strange without a moment's hesitation or consideration. "For one, I'm not giving any of them to you as a cut. They're already spoken for by other clients, obviously. Or anything else promised to a client, though I doubt you'd be able to name any anyways. Two, I'm not giving you any of what you'd call 'company secrets', since those aren't mine to give, and I wouldn't want to anyways. Three, I'm not sourcing anything from one of the major factions that they wouldn't trade; if you want to steal from each other, that's your own business; we're not getting involved in your conflicts. Fourth, nothing that harms or puts my employees in unreasonable danger."     Inhale of smoke. "Then, the extra space: nothing that's worth more than your cut of what these are worth. We don't pay wages here. It's all cuts of actual profits. If you get all hundred and eight, and your collective cut for acquisition is twenty percent, divided eight ways, you're each owed a two point five percent cut, or two point seven units of equivalent worth each." Exhale of smoke. "By the current rate I'm charging for these is, if you just want cash, I'll pay out thirty seven thousand five hundred credits. If you want something else, we're talking about the cost of procurement for us." Inhale of smoke. "That is, the rate I have to give our contacts and procurement staff, based on the worth of that item were it sold." Exhale of smoke. "Some of those are abstracts, but don't worry. I can do the mental math on things you wouldn't normally put a price tag on."     She twiddles her smoking implement back and forth between her fingers, but barely even looks at Shinnosuke. "One of them? The rate is two point seven units. Aren't I generous? And I don't shortchange people for shooting too low. Since we can't divide them, I'll make up the difference with point seven units worth of study data we've purchased from the Seekers for as close to nine thousand seven hundred and twenty two credits as we can divide up."     "Of course, I'm not negotiation anything until you hand them over." It's spoken like someone who absolutely knows she doesn't need to fight anyone at all. "I see our esteemed colleague coming back." she glances up towards Tamamo. "You three work together, don't you? This is why I asked. Individual credit, or joint account?"
Cantio	Chasing after Nova, Cantio has to stop to reorient herself as she very nearly slams into the side of a building in mid-flight only to realize that directions are still utterly messed up with the strange 'gravity' in this region of Sector Zero. She kicks off the surface to take to the air again, but taking that moment to get her bearings straight provides Nova with the ideal opportunity to batter the crap out of her and her drones with all that rubble. Unfortunately for the sword-user, several of those drones go down in flames, their odd screaming faces staring off into space from their dimming screens while they go silent and leaving fewer shields for Cantio to rely on as the debris starts coming her way. She raises her sword to try and slice it in half on the way to her, but she misses it entirely in her haste to look cool and ends up getting nailed right in the face. "Bfgh...! Okay, this is getting... This is taking too long!" Cantio snaps impatiently as she spits out a tooth (into her pixelated inventory for later reattachment), shaking her blade off as pieces of it start breaking off as well. "If you're trying to buy time, then..." "... Well, that's what I was doing, too!" That didn't sound quite as cool as she was hoping it would. Gritting her teeth, Cantio swipes her sword in the air in front of her as the shards scatter around her, gleaming with a light similar to the beam that had fired from the tip of the previously single-piece sword earlier in the battle. As expected, of course, the shards start firing off an array of lasers towards and around Nova, although they don't curve and home in on her this time around. Instead, they sweep around her almost haphazardly, as if trying to cut off her potential escape routes while also passively targeting her position.
Xion	<J-IC-Scene> Doctor Strange says, "Are you alright?" Xion shakes her head, which, like four chicken head-hands, does not move her four grabby hair-mitts away from the green until Strange takes it away. With a ragged exhalation, Xion lets her own pair of keyblades return to the air, the X-Pronounced-Cross copied power fading away as well. But not the hands. Xion is mesmerized by Roxas, a thin line of drool falling down her face. "Yeah... you're thinking about... That festival food, we had! And the--" Her hair-hands pluck away at the imaginary floating shapes, fruitlessly lusting imaginitively for the deliciously imagined supercharged bounty of empty brain calories. The size, of course, is the clincher. "I'm hungry." She agrees.
Nova Terra	Nova finds another barrage of lasers coming at her. She really has two options in this case. Stay or move. Move is generally the way to go, even when her opponent is trying to cut off her means of avoiding a direct hit. Better to take that then just accept the main assault.     So once more Nova leaps away from the main blast, the floating debris she'd been standing on ripped apart by laser blasts. Nova herself takes a blow too, though still likely less than what she would have if she'd stayed. There's another hole burned through her suit and smoking, this time in her shoulder. Nova grits her teeth through the pain, focusing on reaching her next foothold. Years of operating in space have given her a good sense of managing weird terrain formations like this. And as such she lands on her target, a large grassy mound and not much else.     Nova reaches back once more to a small compartment on her suit. And once more she pulls out a syringe. But where the first one had been filled with a deep red liquid substance, this one contains what looks like gaseous mixture with a purple tint. This can't be good for Nova's health.     But right now, Nova is seeing red. Literally, the light of this area affecting her more as her stamina and thus her ability to resist weakens. She's determined to wreck Cantio and have the red orbs for herself. And so Nova jabs that second syringe into her neck.     The reaction is immediate, Nova's eyes flaring up with blue energy. A similar area blasts outwards from Nova, blasting the grass around her into the air where it quickly burns to a crisp before turning to ash and dispersing, leaving just a barren mound of charred dirt.     The growing psionic energy continues to flare as Nova builds it. It hasn't reached Cantio yet, but even at this distance the psychic pressure is noticeable and painful.
Tamamo	Tamamo makes her way back to the starting point. One might call this a complete victory. She feels like it's a reasonable assessment of matters, at least, and a victory feels quite good, right now. It's not enough, though. There's so much more she could have, far more important than hefty bribes and a little manipulative trickery should be expected to manage. There are, certainly, things she wants, very badly. But there's a problem, there, as will come up in just a moment.     Two half-full containers are different than she might be expected to be carrying on her own, but there are all sorts of possible reasons, most of which don't involve murder. They remain hanging from her hands long enough for her to get to what might be considered a rudely, uncomfortably close distance from Vivian's face, (not) coincidentally at an angle that keeps the infective cognitohazards are far from Strange as possible.     "You might have warned us of the effects of these items upon the minds of those who carried them, yes? Though I might forgive such, with supplied safeguards... oh, but lo!" The surprise is obviously not sincere, but in the way of a consummately professional actor, performing for an audience. "Your supplies offer no such protection." Tamamo is burning at high gear. She is literally, though not physically, on fire. The intensity of her words is like a curse on its own, as natural as breathing, if one could breathe magic. It's enough to be obvious even to one under protection from its effects. "It may be considered exceptionally dangerous to handle such material, the more so the closer one approaches. You are, in fact, quite fortunate that that which I desire, categorically, cannot be obtained by force. And so, it is merely an appropriate compensation for your misstep, this withholding of danger of which you cannot claim ignorance, that I will require."     Only then does she take a step back, ostensibly to make eye contact with Strange. Belatedly, "Oh, so you were successful, as well," she says, pleasantly, as if she hadn't already seen him.     Tamamo looks at Vivian again. "Oh, yes. The other two who traveled in the same direction as I have forfeited their shares." She smiles. "Mine shall be an individual account."
Tomoe	Tomoe looks to Dr. Strange for a moment she has an idea about where he's going with the negations. She'll let that get sorted out and she looks over. "If I'm still getting a cut I'm going to ask for cash. If I don't well not much I can do about it right?" She still got some information, some very good information so far as she's concerned. She doesn't want to get in a brawl over it after all. Still, though she's aware of the orbs and somewhat of what they can do. She can always try to look into it later right? She'll give Shinnosuke Tomari a look. "In the end it's your call and I won't hold it against you." It's just been one of those days in the end. She doesn't seem mad though that's the good news it will at least be something to talk to her companions with the next time they get to Dicey's or a campfire.
Penumbra	For having a pissed off literally divine fox woman in her face, Vivian is remarkably skilled at keeping her composure. One imagines she must be, in this line of work. "You weren't warned of any of the other hazards in this area either. You'll find that this is mostly because we can't predict what they'll be, from outing to outing. We include hazard pay, and trust that you'll be up to the challenge. Clearly, you were, of which I'm perfectly thankful, though I expected no less than you."     "That goes the same for the items in your possession. We can't predict what their effects will be from person to person." She gestures at her men packing crates with her kiseru. "You'll find that they aren't in any possession of special protection either; we don't have any. At least nothing portable. Perhaps you might put it down to a difference in mindset? I'm certain the types of work you undertake don't provide any insurance against, for instance, being scared of danger one might face, or being upset by unfortunate sights. Those are mental hazards, too, and quite traumatic ones, compared to what my employees have reported. Where there are battlefields of weapons and battlefields of politics, this is our battlefield of desires --dreams."     "I suspect my employees don't feel any pull so strongly as you seem to suggest --nor do I-- because of our reasons for being here at all. That is to say, we are the Elite who drive and steel ourselves with with acquisition itself in mind. Any desire of mine to fight, to protect, to fashion, is far subservient to the profit I have in mind. Much as I suspect any desire to give up, run away, to bend to fear or pressure, or to give the enemy what they want, is subservient to what you have in mind yourself."     This may be the most overt that parallel to any of the content of any of those cryptic messages has ever been. "I am, of course, terribly sorry if this has been an unforeseen, unpleasant surprise. I assure you that we've held nothing vital in reserve from you." Whether or not it's a favour that Vivian continues without even *slightly* questioning Tamamo's technically baseless assurance that all of the red pay is hers, it's difficult to say. "Of course. That comes to eight point one units of share. I'll round it up to eight point five as a favoured client bonus. Now. What is it, precisely, that you desire, by which money is no object to you?"
Cantio	The scattered sword shards merge back into the primary big-sword as they finish unleashing their volley on/arund Nova's position. Cantio winces slightly as the sword pieces lock back into place, the extended battle taking a toll on her energy and her body along with the lingering effects of RED (and self-preservation) keeping her in this fight far longer than reasonably necessary. Where did Tamamo go, anyway? She's probably taken those orbs somewhere safe by now. All that's left is stopping Nova from chasing after those precious things that... Why were they so important again? They felt important, but Cantio's starting to have trouble remembering why. No matter. She's getting attacked, and her foe is still standing. The psychic energy assaulting the swordswoman even by mere proximity is enough to have her trying to find her figurative footing again, and she keeps her distance at first as the pressure preys upon her already somewhat weakened mental state between the RED and the trustworthy fox being purely convincing and not at all magically charming. "What is... With this? Why do so many of you people... Have this kind of power?!" Cantio shouts in yet more irritated angruish as she clutches her head, looking from that once-grassy mound to Nova directly. "Attacking someone's body is... It's not 'fine', but at least it's not messing with their thoughts, too!" There's some baggage there, to be certain. For once, however, the baggage seems to be spurring her on as Cantio hurls her blade entirely at Nova, brings her hands together in front of her, and touches her fingers together in the shape of a heart. --- For what feels like a solid minute to Cantio, everything stops. She takes half of that time to just breathe, to calm her breathing, to weigh her options, to boggle at how that shameless gesture actually worked even in the middle of a fight to cease the movement of all things (at least by her own perception). Without knowing how long she can keep this going, though, she'll have to move fast. Cantio tosses a few more drones into the air around her, the robotic allies freezing as well shortly after leaving her hands. She glides over to her blade in stasis, grabs it out of the air, and swings it towards Nova before releasing it into that frozen state once more. Finally, she holds one palm in front of her while the other hand is clenched in a fist, not unlike a martial artist poser, and... --- All at once, things start flying towards Nova. Drones that weren't there a moment ago float into the air and begin firing lasers at her from multiple direcitons. Cantio's hurled sword suddenly swings downwards at her, as though swing by an invisible force. Cantio herself is right there in front of Nova, shouting a somewhat convincing kiai as she hurls herself forward for a massive haymaker next to the oncoming slash.
Doctor Strange	By comparison to Vivian's, Strange's air is that of someone who can afford to wait. Rather, someone for whom time is not the concern it is for other people. "Okay," he says, the corners of his mouth turned down in a mischievous variant of his usual frown. It's impossible to duplicate the orbs, or even to subdivide them.      Tamamo's performance draws a dry chuckle from him. "Yeah... I'm gonna have to give you a hard time, too, for different reasons... and since I've got what you're looking for, and I love the sound of my own voice, well..." There's an inclination of his head that says it all.      "Mmmmost of that stuff is what I was thinking of, considering I'm..." He clicks his tongue. "...not a hundred percent in love with some of your clients. And since you and your employees are and have been 'in danger,' in a broad sense, from square one. I know you heard that explosion, just as a teeny tiny example. But... I get it." He throws his hands up in a faux surrender motion. A dismissive shake of his head, as his hands fall. "It's not a big deal. There's always a way around, and you guys are gonna operate with or without our help." More pleasantly, at least, for him, "Your guys'll notice another canister about ten feet away from where they've put the others. That's me."      There's a nod towards Shinnosuke--he's fine with 'information' being the pay for the blue orbs.      Tamamo, making eye contact, can tell that Strange looks like he's up to something, but he always does, kind of. "The people I was with forfeited too, funnily enough." It's his way of saying Tamamo will be paying Xion, without giving it away in front of Vivian.      Turning once more to face their businesslike contact, he makes his request. "So, about the payment. Individual account, and let's go with..." No orbs as a cut. No company secrets. Nothing promised to another client. Nothing from another major faction. Nothing dangerous to her or her employees. Nothing worth more than the cut. "Information. You guys are going to keep selling wonderful little things like this, and if I get rid of you, or stop you up, someone somewhere else will just fill in the gap, and you can color in whatever truism you want as the reason for that." He pauses. "It's like Mad Libs. You know Mad Libs?" He waves a hand.      "I'm not gonna ask you for information about your other clients, but I am gonna ask you for information you can plausibly deny. There are three clients of yours I'm concerned about. The Tempest, the Seekers, and a known unknown--we'll call them Space Mountain. I want dossiers on angles I could work to handle them, if it comes to that, without having to play the 'traipse across the Multiverse collecting knick-knacks' game." He's already got a mansion of knick-knacks and it's quite enough already.      "And if that's a company secret or there's no plausible deniability in it for you, then you can just lump my account in with Shinnosuke's and give us that much more research, data, yada yada."      The last visit he made with the Seekers had them on reasonably good terms, with an agreement to share information--but the memory of the wasteland their tower became and the sheer hubris of its construction is still fresh in his mind. It wouldn't hurt to have an advantage.
Nova Terra	As Nova stands there upon that hill, psionic aura flaring out from her. She no longer seems interested in dodging Cantio's attacks. In fact Nova doesn't even move as the program's drone strangely appear already deployed, unleashing their laser blasts. She doesn't budge as a blade comes swinging towards her, weirdly held by no one. She doesn't even seem to see Cantio charging in for that haymaker.     However as Cantio closes in, she'll find ever increasing telekinetic pressure emenating from from Nova, pushing her back to slow her down. The same occurs for the sword, as even as it's swung, it's at a slower pace, the force pressing back against it so that when it does strike Nova, it doesn't slice in as deep as it might have otherwise. The lasers fired by the drones find themselves being whittled away by the psionic energies until they're just a fraction of their power as they reach Nova.     It's Cantio's haymaker which finally gets Nova to actually react, the blow striking her in the side of the head.     And then everything just stops. The psychic aura vanishes, taking the intense mental pressure with it. It's now so eerily quiet, the only sound being the soft droplets of blood leaking out of the cut in Nova's suit and falling to the ground.     Nova proceeds to fall to the ground in a heap. Apparently... She's unconscious? Was Cantio's blow that powerful? Was it a result of the drugs? The red light? Hitting Nova at a critical moment in whatever it was she was about to unleash? All of the above? We'll never know.     Of course any thoughts and abusing Nova in her vulnerable state are quickly cut off by a Terran Dropship appearing in view, the pair of Marines jumping off to ward Cantio off while the banged up SCV recovers Nova. They all then return to the dropship, which quickly pulls away to return to the landing zone near the warpgate.     In all the commotion of the battle, Nova's SCV had limped back to the dropship. Just in time for them to arrive to collect her. Nova will just have to settle for whatever small number of orbs her SCV managed to gather early on.
Roxas	Roxas is more than a little relieved that he's able to secure Xion's attention like that. He indicates his chin to point out that, in fact, she's drooling but doesn't otherwise make a big deal of it. "Skewers or breakfast somewhere?" He asks Xion, almost absent-mindedly. He's mildly distracted by Tamamo's... fire, but quickly puts together the color that she's working with, with the way she's acting. Roxas waves at her lightly, half-suspecting that simply a friendly face might help with the effects of the red, but for the moment holds his tongue. Throughout the negotiation, Roxas is mostly just... bewildered-looking. A lot has gone on that he didn't personally get a good look at. Rather than trying to interject, he just lets Dr. Strange finish up his business insofar as he's inclined, and once the transaction moves forward -- properly, and not merely implicitly -- he summons his Keyblade and unlocks the container for Vivian.
Cantio	When the sudden shift from heaps of pressure to no pressure happens, Cantio's already too usd to pushing forward that she winds up landing flat on her face. It takes several moments for her to pick herself back up, wincing again at the various scorches and burns from so many explosions and shots to the everything. She looks up as the dropship takes Nova away, watching it lave with far les hostility than she had moments ago, only letting her guard down and hunching over to catch her breath once it's out of sight. Pounding headache. Everything hurts. Her side still feels like it's on fire. The adrenaline wearing off makes that all too apparent, and she has to suck in through her teeth once before finally trying to find her way back to... ... Where /did/ Tamamo go, anyway? There's the possibility she went back to Vivian, but she's somewhat confident that didn't happen after their agreement to... Wait. Their agreement /was/ to turn them in in exchange for that magical gold, wasn't it? Only one way to find out. Remaining transformed for the time being, Cantio starts drifting back towards their starting point in search of the bunrei and their initial contact for this mission.
Tamamo	Tamamo appears, from every observable angle, to accept Vivian's claim to ignorance, despite her earlier words of conviction to the contrary. Her spirit-flames lower several degrees. "Oh, is that so? In that case, it cannot be helped." Just maybe, it's because she was still given what she'd asked for. That level of contradictory speech is nothing foreign to her.     This question might have been asked before. 'What is it that you desire?' "You cannot acquire it on my behalf," she answers, with a tone of finality, "for you have no means by which to carry it." She does not explain what this means, providing that much less room for argument.     "As to ways in which you are equipped to aid me, 'information' does seem delightfully transportable. It must make such an excellent commodity, though it be one for which acquisition is the least reliable. But then, this is your specialty, is it not? I should like you to provide you with a list of questions, each beginning with, 'Where shall I find an item that...?' And you shall answer as many as you are able, until list or credit is exhausted."     With a low 'yoi-sho,' Tamamo sets down both canisters. "This will be acceptable, yes? Now, other matters require my attention."
Xion	The negotiations -- and the presence of the red infused Tamamo -- is the tipping point for Xion. The words that are said but mean other things, the heady twists... The red-and-fuchsia haired Xion's hands drop. She wipes her mouth with the side if her wrist, her expression drawn into a thin line. "I hate it here and I'm leaving." Xion mutters to Roxas. She makes a chopping motion with her still-gloved hand, and the swirling darkness portal opens to a sepia-tinted Dark Port-hole to... The Original Pancake House. Apparently, the answer is 'breakfast'. While Roxas goes to unlock the container for Vivian, Xion just staggers through the portal without even mentioning 'rewards'. For Stephen Strange, at least, it's story-validating!
Penumbra	"I wouldn't be so sure of *that*." Vivian replies to Tamamo, though she isn't terribly insistent about it at this point. "Though, what you get out of this is your choice, after all. You all seem to be the type who want to know things. That's fine. Actually, information is something easy to trade, though hard to get." Checking something that seems vaguely like a PDA, though somewhat less outdated, she taps and swipes, and a holographic card flies out and enters Tamamo's radio, uploading an encrypted frequency. "File your list at your earliest convenience. Though, within a business week."     She remains silent towards Strange until he confirms where he's put the canister, and after she quickly radios one of the subordinates to verify that Roxas has unlocked it, then resumes with a perfectly pleasant address. "Don't worry too much about that. We're not mere information brokers; client confidentiality is extra. By Space Mountain, I can only assume you've been doing some naughty information scraping of your own. So of course. I'll tell you all about our client at the Zenith on the billing date." She snaps her fingers. A lackey comes out with a literal briefcase of cash and dumps it in Tomoe's arms.
Roxas	"Okay. I'll be behind you in just a sec," Roxas says. He makes a point of walking Xion to the portal that she opens, only parting from her when she steps across the threshold. He gestures towards it, charging it with his own power to hold it firmly open. He turns back around and returns to Dr. Strange and Tamamo, his expression only lightly perturbed. This doesn't seem to be that unexpected to him. "Ahh... well, I'll take the orichalcum to her, if that's okay," he says. //Xion? Did you, too, have... an experience?// Looking a little uncomfortable, he's about to explain on Xion's behalf when she chimes in. His teeth click together as the beginnings of a sentence is abruptly terminated.
Shinnosuke Tomari	As Strange takes charge in the 'negotiation', Shinnosuke nodding to Vivian's proposal with only a little bit of the necessary head for numbers, he waits to see if Strange is favorable with all of this. If so... "Great, then that's a deal." And then, once everyone's ready, he moves to head back off through the warpgate and head to the DMV back in Tokyo. He needs to talk to those he's protecting with, for at least a moment. Kiriko, and the others.
Tamamo	Tamamo gets progressively less 'actively burning' as she steps away from the red, turning away with the air of the matter being fully resolved. She sees Roxas, begins to smile, but falters slightly as she sees Xion leaving. "Oh, dear. Xion? Did you, too, have... an experience?" The unknown nature of the danger produces an unhelpfully vague choice of words.     Tamamo is uncertain of the specific depth of Roxas' relationship to Xion, but can make several guesses that add up to the probable fact that she need not intervene, this time. It's almost definitely not necessary. "Would you mind if I joined you, for just a little while?" She looks, specifically, at Roxas. "Would that be alright?"     Xion agrees. If that does seem to be fine with them both, and with Roxas using his power to keep the portal open, she'll go on through, not forgetting to thank him for holding the door.     This will, conveniently, spare Vivian from further free information.
Roxas	Roxas shrugs loosely, in the way that one does when plans didn't quite go as-expected but they haven't especially drifted in the Wrong Direction in particular. He follows after Tamamo. The portal lingers for a few moments more, and then collapses in on itself a little while after.
Tamamo	Now, elsewhere:     Tamamo is sitting on a chair, pulling items out of her sleeves, one after another. The first is a burlap bag, followed by a small roll of black cloth, then a pair of sewing scissors. She tugs out a line of spooled threads of different colors like a tied kerchief trick, examines them critically, then takes just one, a coarse green, before sliding the others back in.     Snipping, turning, judging and snipping again, and bits of cloth flutter down, collecting on the restaurant table. A needle and colorful, ring-shaped thimble join her other tools, and she pinches the the bag and cloth together to make long, rough stitches, pulling taut, and finally tying a knot to finish the last stich in the loop.     Once she's filled it with silver coins, the result is a hefty money bag, made clear by the fancy L on the cover. It will be clear to some people, at least. 'What kind of symbol is... £?' may be the reaction of others. Bouncing it should clear up the confusion by all the clinking, either way.     And so, Mog will finally be pleased. Maybe. Not that she knows who Mog is.
Tomoe	Well things are done one way or another she'll leave shortly after Shinnosuke does heading off. She should go tend ot some more business she needs to deal with.