Scene #7529: MI: The Fate of Camembert Way

Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	The first day that the Gale Empire left, airships taking off and commandeered buildings left empty, the town held its breath. It's only now, seven days later, that that held breath is finally released. Metaphorically, anyway. The Gale Empire hasn't come back. The mayor, along with the rest of the city hall staff, leave in the night at some point during the week - nobody's quite sure when, just that they've slipped out, perhaps fearing reprisal for capitulating so readily. And while some people have left, others have started arriving - those that were driven out of their homes, a few. A trickle of familiar faces, showing up each day. Not everyone, not all at once, but enough that some semblance of how things were before the occupation is returning to Camembert Way. And that is, in words both short and long, the fate of Camembert Way: "You've won." Those words aren't actually spoken in the town, technically, but in the cavern carved out by Bercilak the week before, hidden in the mountainside and hidden further by some carefully-cultivated wilderness cover. The new base for the Camembert Resistance, a lot more secure than the storeroom of a dive bar... albeit also a lot more homely. Being still mostly just a cave, in other words. They're still sneaking in the furniture, and there aren't enough chairs for everyone to sit yet. "You've won - I was already in a Galer cage when the others had the idea to call you in, request your help, but damned if it didn't turn out to be a good idea," says Harper the ferret, who's resumed primary leadership (not least because being arrested and then getting busted out of jail gives him some 'cred' in the world of local resistance movements.) "We've got the town again..." He leans forward, resting his crossed arms on the solitary dining table that someone managed to drag out of the town and into the cave. "The question on my lips now, is - what next? And a couple other things we need to solve, now that I think on it."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	[Vicinity] Harper: The question on my lips now, is - what next? And a couple other things we need to solve, now that I think on it. "Defensen hit," says Bercilak, striking a large fist into the opposite palm. He's here, and he isn't sitting, because chairs are few and he could always grow or hew his own if he wanted one that badly. "And rememor thee hau hit was witlosen." If they want to hold onto the Way, they must be prepared to fight, and be prepared for larger powers to try the same tactics again. He's worn his armor here, but the helmet is removed so that his facial expressions--in this case, a resolved frown, eyes aflame with determination--may convey his meaning where his twisted tongue can't. "Let no lord but theim which thou chese hath office hither--and be wacchleu in what-sum-ever lord thou may chese." A watchful eye towards leadership figures will also be necessary, given the role of the mayor and the councilpeople in this mess. "If thou awene a lord shalt be necessariouse at-al."
Selene	With the Watch's efforts to free Camember Way a success, the next step is already weighing on Selene's mind as she loiters among the Resistance members, listening the Harper's words when he brings up the more difficult realities ahead of them. Judging from the usual wide-eyed smile with the mildly distance stare, it's not a particularly heavy weight in her mind. It's easy to see, too, since she's actually not donning potentially offensive face paint today! "What's next? Uhh... Depends on how far we wanna take this whole thing. Or who to take this thing at because I'm pretty sure one o' youse mentioned that the head of the Empire already went kinda splat, right?" For emphasis, she even holds her hand up and mimics a falling plane noise, complete with careening it into her leg and making (eerily accurate) explosion and fire noises. "You know any other places like this that the Gale Empire's pushed over lately? We could make this BIGGER and then something cool happens! And if we bounce around a lot, then the Empire might waste a lotta time trying to chase us down instead of just dumping ass on you guys and whoever else."
Hibiki Tachibana	One whole week, and the Empire is still gone. Hibiki considers that it means things went as the hyena said - that he reported back for a permanent withdrawl from Camembert Way. Which hopefully does mean that they won't be back, at least anytime soon, and that they've won. It just doesn't entirely feel like to her, which is pretty apparent to anyone watching her opt to forego seating to lean against the cave wall, arms folded and head lowered. She's been tense every since the Galers left, actually, which can almost definitely be owed to the back and forth on the day the Empire left. Still, she wouldn't have showed up if she wasn't planning to contribute to the conversation despite whatever is going through her head right now, so when Harper speaks up she also shifts up to attention and takes in a short breath. She's not really good with this sort of thing, but there's no reason not to throw her hat in. "...Bercilak has a point. I don't think the Empire will be bothering you again. Not for now, anyway. But that doesn't mean that nobody could or would try the same thing again...including people from other worlds." An unfortunate truth she probably wouldn't have realized herself if it weren't pointed out a week ago. And after Selene, "I don't think chasing after them to start more fights is a good idea when you're going to need time to get back on your feet. Especially with the old mayor and everyone else gone. What's the 'couple other things'?"
Xion	Great Mouse Detective Xion seems glum in the face of their grand victory, even a week after. She tinkers with things here and there, snap-creating useful structures out of bits and bobs in her inventory, stitching together shelving and potting areas and the homey sort of scrap furniture that evokes memories of college dorms and co-ops and parking lot farmer's markets. Literally. Clinging spectres of memory drip like leaky cielings from the cracks of the objects Xion fixes up. A menagerie of little friends and personalities. "We're not really out of it. They wanted this place because it's the best way to 'do business'. Them not having anything in the city isn't a win. It's like Bercilak says:" "We keep building stuff until your reach is strong enough without a bunch of us here to beat up the Gale Empire. They can just wait or go somewhere else."
Chase	Catching up with what they've missed is a sheer matter of reading reports. Though, having arrived in town, it's pretty easy to see that the Watch was successful in chasing out the Empire. The methods of which, he doesn't fully agree with, but he wasn't there, and complaining about it currently would just be a waste of energy and time. Chase arrives in his usual attire, this time glasses-less as he no longer has to 'disguise' himself. He completely ignores the seats though, instead opting to let someone who needs it use it instead, as his legs and stance are powerful. "What is next? What do you want next? That is a good place to start with that sort of question. You are free to make your own choices now, are you not?"
Maricel Thorne	Maricel Thorne, of course, disgorges her own chair from a neon-staticky portal- an Art Deco swoopy thing that looks like she got it from IKEA, still slightly dripping with weird extradimensional fluids. A moment later, the portal also spews out a futon, a bookcase, a coffee table, three more chairs, and a coat rack, all of which are rapidly placed in appropriate spots around the cave by the portal's whipping tendrils of red meat. "Muuuuch better," the good doctor says, clapping her hands together in self-satisfied glee before dropping back into her chair in a cross-legged pose. Between her renovations and Xion's, the place is really coming together! (The faint sheen on the new decor smells faintly like a mixture between blood and hand sanitizer. It'll be fine.) "Self-sufficiency is a reeeeal and substantive concern," she says, locking eyes with Harper across the dining table to prompt his input. "What is it that Camembert Way needs, but cannot produce itself? Trade, after all, can no longer be taken for granted."
Kale Hearthward	"Well, we'll need to hold a new election for mayor, that's for certain... as far as lords, there's still the local baron - Lily-something. She- no, wait, it's he... he hasn't really done much. Stays in his castle, don't hear even a squeak out of him except when it's time for tax collection," says Harper. He snaps his fingers. "Emberlily. Baron Emberlily. Yeah. Castle's over on the other side of the mountain range, you might be able to see it if you go hiking. Kinda inconvenient to get to and from, but that doesn't mean much if you have airships." There's some uncomfortable shifting from the local resistance members present when Selene does her 'crashing airship' impression. "Gale I, yes, did die a few months ago - on the same day that the much beloved King Summershine perished, also on the same airship," says Harper, giving some context as to why Selene's just lost a few relationship points there. "Gale the Second is ruling the Empire now - some branch family member that hadn't been in the spotlight at all until that day, maybe. I don't really keep up with foreign politics." "And as far as places the Gale Empire's pushed over - there is still all of Quicknest," he suggests. "Throw a dart at the map, you'll likely find a place that they could stand to lose some influence in." "Or, heck, you're pretty strong - could always just try to kick them out of the Quicknest capital. Hah, that'd be a thing." "What do I want next - securing this place sounds really good, making it so that they can't do anything like this again, maybe figuring out how we can help one of the other towns..." he says to Chase. "... And I've got a personal favor, one I'd like to bring up in private to one of you," he adds, getting curious looks from the other resistance members, but none of them inquire further. Maricel's furniture-summoning trick earns a lot of friends, even if the means of it is wholly alien to those watching. "What we make - a bit of everything, we've got a fair number of craftsmen, and we've got the only mage academy for miles around. We do need raw materials - metals and ores, mainly, and a lot of our foodstuffs are brought in from other towns..."
Selene	An election? Trade routes? Supplies? Those aren't things Selene's interested in, and it's completely obvious as that vacant look returns when those topics are brought up going in one ear and out the other. What catches her attention more is the talk of the current Empire's ruler, and she has just enough sense not to add more unnecessary sound effects or gestures. "Gale the Second, and just hitting random places... Hmm. Depends on if we wanna be COOL or tactical." Although she doesn't outright say it, the emphasis is pretty clear on which one she likes more. "If you really wanna make this please good and defensible, then folding in some other cells would be super good. Probably. Like... Nearby ones, enough that the Empire'd be worried about trying to take one place without getting wrecked by like four other directions at once." The talk of personal favors, however, gets a curious look from Selene as well. She not-so-subtly walks right over to Harper, leaning in and cupping her ear. "Hey. Hey. Who is it? Is it me? Bet it's me."
Hibiki Tachibana	"Doesn't sound like the Baron will be the type to offer any help," Hibiki mentions before adding on, "...unless we go visit first. Wonder if they even know about what happened here. Hmn..." She doesn't sound very hopeful about the idea, but she might also just be thinking about it. Doubly so at the subject of the airship crash - that was something read over in the initial reports, but no matter how you look at it, a king and an emperor both dying in the same crash is strange. But that's that, and they need to figure things out right now. She looks somewhat conflicted when the subject of going around kicking around the Empire comes up, but it fades after a few moments as she uncrosses her arms to plant in her pockets and some resolution comes to her face. "...Something does need to change with the hold the Empire has. That's for sure. I think you guys here should focus on solidifying yourselves before anything else--and if we're the ones stirring up trouble, I don't think the Gale Empire will have any blame to put on you, so you can build up in peace." She pauses, frowning. "...And I think plenty of us still have unresolved business with them. I dunno the first thing about trade. Nobody I know would be able to help with that, at least not without any strings attached..." Hibiki murmurs, sighing and then shaking her head. "...Wait, a private favor?" She raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything past that, much like the other resistance members.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	[Vicinity] Selene: We could make this BIGGER and then something cool happens! And if we bounce around a lot, then the Empire might waste a lotta time trying to chase us down instead of just dumping ass on you guys and whoever else. [Vicinity] Hibiki: I don't think chasing after them to start more fights is a good idea when you're going to need time to get back on your feet. Especially with the old mayor and everyone else gone. [Vicinity] Xion: We keep building stuff until your reach is strong enough without a bunch of us here to beat up the Gale Empire. They can just wait or go somewhere else. [Vicinity] Chase: You are free to make your own choices now, are you not?" Bercilak clank-strides over to Selene's seat and gives her a hearty thump on the back. With the other hand, he makes an emphatic thumb up, his expression one of utmost, stern approval. Her suggestion would truly allow the best in these people to shine through--particularly in that crocodile mage. But Hibiki brings up a valid rebuttal. "There shalt be time for swich," says the Green Knight to the Selene. She can tell that he hopes, at some point, that's exactly what happens. The approval is much too emphatic to suggest otherwise. The gauntlet on her back departs, to sweep towards Hibiki, as he turns to face her. With a nod of agreement, he adds, "But hit nede not be nau." Pausing to solicit a high-five from one of Maricel's moving company tendrils, there's a meaningful glance towards Chase. Bercilak looks as though he wants to clarify, to respond to the Grim Reaper's question--but perhaps he's not certain he'd be able to, because nothing comes of it. There's at least something brought up when Harper answers it, anyway. "'Tis unhard," he says. "For thee, and for thy felaues. The difficultuous--overmaistringe thy fer--loten bihinde thee. Assistinge theim othere burgs shalt exact theim overmaistringe thire fer." "Ilern to espy the Empire as what hit is, not what hit apperes to be. Hit is overlarge, hit is bihowen of riches and the mightihed to hold swich. Hit is not inevitable, ne al-mighti, ne al-knoueinge. Theim that serve hit art as mortal as thee, as abled of fer as thee. So maken use of that, and assure that the other burgs so als maken use of hit." There's a glance towards Hibiki again, and he scratches his chin, the faint trace of a grin stretching across his features. "Wagour thou shalt not gree to hit," he says to her in a dare-you tone.
Kale Hearthward	The things that Selene finds boring are definitely on the minds of those here, having to get back to what passes for normal life. Perhaps sensing this, Harper gets up and leads her (and anyone else interested) off to the side a bit for the private favor. "... Do you... think you could find somewhere safe for my son? Derek?" asks Harper. "He's enthusiastic, and he wants to help, but he's... well, you met him, I presume..." "So I was thinking some sort of... multiversal mission - someplace far away from here, that's safer, doing something that still seems important so he'll focus on that instead of running off here and getting into trouble?" Back at the table, he listens to Bercilak's words, nodding. "Make them as scared of us as we are of them... good advice, but not quite sure how easy that'll be to pull off, hah."
Maricel Thorne	"Agrifoodural insufficiency," Maricel mutters, scribbling something on the back of her hand. "Right. That iiiis a real concern- the surrounding communities, I can onnnnly assume, are still quite under the thumb of the Gale Empire. There's no guarantee they'd continue to be your breadbasket." As Harper splits off to confer about favors, Maricel hops up out of her seat and ambles over to Xion. One of the patched-up shelves is nearby; Doc Thorne drags her finger across it, soaking up a little of the memory-spectre-residue, and then sticks it in her mouth. "You're still feeling mis-eased about things," she says quietly to the Mouse Detective, though it's not clear whether she read that from her glum expression or the cozy-escapist flavor. "But I think we've accomplished more than you're allowing yourself to believe. The people of Camembert Way- they're no longer being evicted, being terrorized. Can't you count that as a win, indespite of how much the Gale Empire's lost?"
Selene	It's a good thing Selene's got that boost of general not-dying from Shaw some time ago, or that thump on the back might have broken something and stayed that way! Despite the brief buckling, though, her expression never wavers from thatusual broad grin. "Right? Yeah, we've got time. Not too much time, though, or they'll get their feeting back and then they'll get those stomping boots back on." Following Harper aside, Selene narrows her eyes as he mentions someone to be taken aside and led down a safer path. She doesn't answer right away, instead stroking her chin as though she were some sort of wizened old man complete with a bushy beard. "We coooould. Although that means... I mean, come on. You've met us." She gestures at herself, then looks towards... Just about every Elite there, actually. Maricel and Bercilak get looked at in particular, though, before she turns back to Harper. "'Safe' for us isn't really the same someone like you or the others, yanno?" She makes sure to muffle 'safe' more than she already is with everything else, going back to that non-existent beard stroking. "But... Well, what's he good at? What's he suck butts at? What's he wanna do? That'll make it easier to figure the rest out."
Xion	Xion's whiskers twitch oddly at Bercilak's explanation, though it's Maricel that directly asks her what's bothering her. "I just know how hard it is, you know? I know I can't stay here. The best I try to do is knock out the board of bounties and really annoying chores and helping pull people out of disrepair spirals, but... That's not this." Xion crosses her arms, elbows tight in. It's not quite a pout, but clearly ill-eased. "Are we just going to stay here, and fix it until it's done? I believe in what we did, and I'd still do it again, but I think we might have to talk about creating a strong community for the purposes of peace, not resistance. Symbiosis, rather than armed vigilance. They clearly wanted to use this place, and now it's a point of pride to fix this little pocket, right?" Xion sighs. "Like the hyena. He just wanted a win. Maybe if we focus on creating a situation where everyone gets to win at least a little, then we can just be too much of a problem to remove but fine to get along with."
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki glances back at Bercilak, tilting her head a bit...and then her clouded over expression breaks up some for a small pout. "--We'll see about that. Don't make bets you can't back up yourself." Bait taken. And it seems to have distracted her a bit from her thoughts. Pushing off the wall, she naturally follows Harper and Selene over into their corner, though not without a side-glance to Maricel and Xion as she passes and overheards some of what the latter says. Her frown returns. That's something to weigh in on soon. But she faces back forward and enters the private circle, and although she guessed it would be something about Derek, the actual request is a bit surprising. "...Yeah, I do know exactly how he is," Hibiki mutters back with a nod. "I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to go out to another world while doing something that matters. But 'safer' usually isn't very exciting, so what could that..." She trails off, seeming to think for several seconds. Then she nods in agreement with Selene's question, while also intoning herself, "He doesn't seem like the type who'd be satisfied with something like sorting out things like the trade business from a moment ago. Maybe something like teaching him how to handle himself better...?" The unspoken intention there being 'in a fight'.
Chase	"I see. Protecting your current freedom is important. Even though we wish to help, you can not always count on us to be there." Even with more furniture around, Chase continues to stand stock still, only occasionally turning his head to the direction of someone talking. "You do not know if talking will not work. Conversation is a foundation of human civilization. The people here may appear as beasts, but they act just the same." They respond to Hibiki, specifically to their comment about the Baron. Even as she walks away from the main group a bit. It's fine. He can just raise his voice. "I can also offer help. Though, I do not know if it would be much."
Kale Hearthward	"Some sort of 'win for everyone' feels... wrong, honestly, I'd rather us win and they lose?" says Harper. "They don't get to come in, treat us like this, and then get 'a win'. Right?" "In a fight, yeah, possibly," says Harper to Hibiki. "He's very physical, very athletic? Very enthusiastic? Before all this happened he was running around all over the place, nearly fell off of a mountain, took up hang-gliding..." "I don't know, do you have some sort of gym that's-" He gets interrupted by one of the other resistance members rounding the corner into the cave, at a run. "There's - um, there's a Gale Empire person back in town," they gasp out. "Darn it - should have known they'd do something after all," says Harper. "How many? What are they doing?" "Just - just one, and he's, um, sitting at the cafe and eating a sandwich. But like, doing it menacingly," says the runner. "... Mmmf. I probably shouldn't go out there... could some of you go check it out? Might not need all of you, if it's just one, and the rest want to stay and help plan out our next moves."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"If thou lest to astrue theim, hit can be done," affirms Bercilak. "Ifind what-sum-ever thei lest, and brak hit, elles that, forstele it from thire reche. Make hit so that idwellinge is mo costli thanne ilevinge. Plei to thy strengths. One oth two of thee couldst be most dificultuous for theim to idele with--thei awene that ani-wight which cannst not mete theim in batail is unmighti." He pauses in his pacing, his cloak swaying as a somewhat wild gleam twinkles in his eye. "Thou couldst preve theim wrong! Empires as thei strogel to dele with unequale, quik smite-and-fle assailinge." But it's not just because he enjoys a good fight and judging the mettle of mortals that he's on this bent. Harper brings up exactly what he'd have said to Xion--though the Green Knight does give his own take all the same. "I gate that, sib. But I am congru with Harper. Bisideforth, shit alik the Gale Empire is bihowen only of three wights:" Index finger lifted, as he leans on a table sturdy enough to support his weight. "Monei," second finger, "Daunger," third finger, "And worshiphede." Both hands cup and make a crude gesture around his pelvis when he says the third word. "Gale lest of monei which Quicknest might yeve hit. Thei bileve thire is no daunger in the stelinge, and thei awene thire worshiphede would lassen, wert thei to dele with Quicknest as equals. I lik wel thy herte, sib. But e'en if I did not awene resistance deserved, I wouldst dout stil Gale wouldst be congru to thy plan." He really does like that she always thinks of ways to resolve things without forcing fights--but he believes, based on the way that the Empire has acted so far, that a fight may well be the only option to get them out and get their hands off of the place. Besides-- "Thou ofhered hau the soudiours spake of Quicknest. Not one in mong theim bileved that Quicknest deserved self-governacioun. Som e'en bileved theim unabled of hit."
Hibiki Tachibana	"Sounds about right," Hibiki nods to Harper. Given how excitable Derek was, she found it pretty hard to imagine anything else. With a hand up to her chin not unlike Selene just in a less sagely manner, she's in the process of thinking up a possibly-not-half-bad idea herself when the leader doesn't even get to finish himself, and she also turns towards the resistance member sprinting in. It's unexpected, and it leads to her pursing her lips in silence for several long moments. She's not really sure if it's the hyena or somebody else, but in either case, a singular Gale Empire member...when she finally finds it in her to speak, she looks to... Xion, over there with Maricel. "...Whoever ends up going, could I ask you to go too? I want to make sure...things work out." She's not sure if it's a request that's fair to make of the other girl - especially as she is right now, especially when she's not going herself, slightly afraid of what might happen if she does - but she asks it anyway. "I think I might have an idea, if Selene doesn't," she says, looking back to Harper...and then Chase. "...But for now...you're right, Chase," she says in a bit of an awkward tone. Maybe because he reminded her of something so simple, when she's the one who wanted to talk things out in the first place. "Then the sooner we see if he can be talked to, the better. Let's do it. No point wasting any time."
Selene	"Oh, oh! Or maybe he could train at being even better at moving fast. Then he can do stuff like scout out targets and shoot people and stay out of the way all at once." Selene follows up on Hibiki's suggestion in light of what Harper mentions, looking over slowly as one of the resistance members reveals that the Gale Empire is back. Sort of. "What kinda sandwich?" A beat, and then Selene strokes her not-beard once more. "Anyway. I probably shouldn't be out there 'cause of the whole rooster thing and stealing that one guy's robot suit... Unless that's a bargaining chip that we could use." She pauses again, then looks towards Xion and Chase. "Hey, you know stuff about negotiations, right? If they get the..." She reconsiders briefly. "...Part of that suit, would that be enough of a small win to get them off people's backs here?"
Chase	Chase simply gives Hibiki a nod, before joining her party. Which is really just him hovering at a respectable distance from her. And then Selene asks if Chase knows anything about negotiations. He thinks for a bit, before replying. "No. I do not know anything."
Kale Hearthward	The trip through the mountains to the baron's castle is a bit of a walk, but Chase and Hibiki get there in good time... ... and get there just in time to notice that the baron has a guest. A very familiar guest. A guest that had, previously, left with their tail between their legs, minutes before the 2 PM deadline. A hyena-shaped guest with a boat oar. The baron, a mouse, is standing out in the courtyard with the hyena as they approach. He glances over, noticing Hibiki and Chase before they have a chance to change their approach, locking out the stealth option today. "Ah - over there, those two, are among those that you are referring to?" The hyena nods, wordlessly. "Very good," says the baron, turning to fully face the two Watch members. "That will save us some time of having to hunt them all down." "I do politely request that you remain where you are," he says, pulling out a long-barreled pistol out of his belt holster. "We can be very civil about this - I merely need to shoot you each in the legs to ensure you won't prematurely leave, have a quick interrogation session to determine the location of your colleagues, and then we can get back to our days." WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING BARON EMBERLILY "Civility is important, after all." WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
Kale Hearthward	"Yeah, the suit - meant to address that, we have our allied craftsmen looking at it, it's a breath weapon armor alright, but it has some pieces we haven't seen before." "We'd like some more time to look at it, but..." Harper shrugs. "They didn't sound really optomistic about how much more we'd be able to find out from it? It worked once, and then it broke - which is what happens if you activate a breath weapon that isn't tailored to you. Presumably that one was tailored to that mouse, Hazelthistle." "... Still don't understand some of what she was saying about it, either, from what we overheard," he adds. "The... duplicate user interface interlock, whatever that means." "So if we have to give it up to secure something else, fine by me, I suppose. Just make it worthwhile."
Hibiki Tachibana	Fortunately, Hibiki has both trained enough and walked enough unnecessary distances that a bit of a mountain trek won't dissaude her, and probably much less Chase. She's not really sure there's much she could've contributed to further conversation back there anyway, so this is the best way to make use of her time. She might not have managed to make things go as smoothly as she wanted a week ago, but maybe this time... Or not. On the approach, which wasn't very stealthy in the first place and amounted to planning to knock on the front door, she stops at the entrance to the courtyard with narrowed eyes and some confusion. "Wait, that's--" The same hyena from before...! She doesn't get to ask what's going on because that's answered very succintly. A very hasty leap to the side right as she's taken aim at has the bullet barely skim her leg instead of crippling her, and she comes out of a roll with a hefty stone looted from the ground in her hand. "Shooting first and asking questions later is the opposite of civil...!" Despite not being transformed, the rock is flung with some surprisingly heavy force and speed straight towards Baron Emberlily's weapon, with the intent of sending the pistol flying right away--and giving them a chance to maybe get a word in if she can successfully disarm him. "We came here to talk in the first place!" Her eyes shift to the hyena. "What'd you tell him...!?"
Xion	"Good luck with your negotiations, you two." >No. I do not know anything. "O-oh." Xion understands the feelings of the group -- how can she not, catching whispers of their hearts on the air? They're all so loud, the members of the Watch, and so, as usual, in the end Xion is going along with things. "Alright. That's fair. We're not just leaving them. I just... I'm worried, and the bad feeling won't go away." Entrusted with going into town, Xion nods, while she unwraps a candy bar to treat her malaise with caramel and chocolate. "I don't think the part of the suit will help-help, but I can't really predict anything. Maybe it will!" "I'll do whatever needs to get done to help people. I have to be everyone's hero, you know! Being worried about the other side is part of my thing. I can't help but feel them and feel bad. I'll... work through it."
Kale Hearthward	There is indeed a "gale empire person" in town, sitting in front of a cafe. It's a hawk - a very aggressive looking hawk, with a very aggressive looking pair of swords strapped to his back, and eating a sandwich in a way that is, well, not actually aggressive. He's just sort of sitting there at the table enjoying it. He's also wearing an insignia'd Paladins uniform instead of a Gale Empire uniform, but it's easy to understand the mixup for someone who's never seen the latter... ... not least because this particular Paladin has some local notoriety. "Damn, I've missed food like this," mutters the Gale Empire's East Wind Regalia, scourge of the skies and part of the vanguard that took Quicknest in the Checkmate Blitz, starting the conquest and occupation of the very country you're standing in. Kale Hearthward, who Paladins uniform or not, is very much a "Gale Empire Person".
Chase	Chase is not overly familiar with the hyena. He is, however, extremely familiar with being shot at. A single bullet penetrates their leg, creating a plume of sparks as the only indication of taken damage. Because there sure isn't a hole or blood on his leg. BREAK UP TUNE - CHASER COBRA Chase suits up into Mashin Chaser, equipping himself with a metallic whip. Whether Hibiki's attempt to disarm Emberlily with a rocks works or not, Chase retaliates by extending the whip across the room, attempting to grab the Baron and bring them closer... So he can thuggish-ly grab him by the collar. Perhaps to make a point, there's a sudden shockwave of gravity that fills the room, slowing everything, and everyone down to a noticeable crawl. "We came here to talk. Not to fight. However, if you believe that fighting is the best way for our hearts to communicate, I will oblige."
Selene	"Yeah, there were these... Like. Two forms in it? And there were spaces for two more, but they weren't finished with those yet, either." Selene explains as she finally takes a seat, starting to bounce in place after a whole three seconds. "They were pretty freaked out when I got in, but it worked for a little bit until it didn't." The mystery of the duplicate user interface interlock comes back to her, however, when Harper brings that name back up. "Maybe... Oh! What if they're making something that does work for more than one person? I mean, aside from the fact that it didn't. Or... Do you know if they have any weird cloning tech? You know... /Duplicate/ user, duplicate weapons, army of perfectly groomed and perfectly hot breathy fighters." Xion's enthusiasm, meanwhile, is mirrored as Selene hops up to stand on the chair in one actually-not-falling maneuver. "That's right! And while Xion here's the wholesome good one inspiring the regular folks towards peaceful good stuff, I'll be the edgy one that takes care of the stuff that's too gross to touch!" And then she squats back down on the seat, suddenly looking drained. She's gotten fired up one too many times, it seems. "Once there's something dirty to get my hands on, anyway."
Xion	"Selene, it's a little concerning that you're looking to dirty your hands, but, I appreciate your willingness to get in to your elbows!" Xion beams, before leaning in to whisper: "Why is the power of your heart bully lucha?"
Kale Hearthward	"What did I tell him? The truth," says the hyena, stoically. "It's not my problem anymore." Density Shift slows everything down, and the whip and the rock handily get the mouse disarmed and pull him in closer. "The easiest path forward is for you to remain still - I assure you you will still be able to perform menial labor with your legs crippled, there's any number of factories that would have you," says the mouse, lips a bit unsynced with his words due to the density shift. BLAM! That's the sound of a short-barreled shotgun, pulled out and fired from the hip, done so quickly and with efficient motions to make up for the restrictive gravity. The mouse seems to have a lot of guns secreted about his person, on closer examination.
Kale Hearthward	"Something that works for more than one person... that'd be worrying, yeah." Harper rubs his chin. "Someone with a good breath weapon can tear through entire flotillas, but it's been limited by how hard they are for everyone to make..." "... What was that other word she used? The 'empy'? I assumed it just meant 'emperor class'..."
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki's expression grows terse, teeth clenching--she looks betrayed, almost. Maybe it was too much to hope that the Gale Empire would stop harassing them period. "Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron...!" Though her voice is desynced from the movement of her lips much like Emberlily's, that changes in short order when the light that bursts from her body clads her in her Symphogear, and she rises to her feet in time to block the spread of shots sent her way with a sweep of her forearm, having the shells dig into her armor rather than skin. "So what, you're planning to get us out of the way? So the Empire can move back in without any problems...?" Is this the kind of fight that would lead to feelings being communicated? ...She doesn't think so, but she's sure going to let hers be known either way. "Why don't any of you /get it/!?" Hibiki shouts back to the Baron and the hyena both, closing back in and intending to put an end to this scarily efficient gunplay by launching an uppercut to knock this new weapon out of his grip, and then follow up with shift of her body and a hook towards the same arm. Something might end up knocked out of place with a clean strike.
Selene	"Really? Huh. I mean, wouldn't you do that if things were switched around with you and me?" Selene asks with a mildly, yet genuinely confused look on her face complete with slight head tilt. "We can't half-ass this stuff or nothing. We gotta whole-ass it as hard as we can, whether it's getting the easy pops or the cheap heat!" And then she leans over at that whispering. She nods slowly, a thoughtful look coming to her face as there's actually a moment of thought to process the question and respond in turn. "Because being a squeaky clean face isn't gonna get stuff whatneeds to do be doing is... Wait." The answer takes a little longer to come out in a sensible way. "Because if I just do stuff in a way that makes everyone happy, then I won't be able to learn how the bad guys think. How the shady suits get their people and still look clean. I gotta get chest deep in the guck first, and then I can save Lillie and everyone else that needs it." She '''whispers''' back to Xion, actually sounding moderately serious for once instead of her usual smiles-and-war-crimes tone.
Xion	"No, we... we don't." Xion sighs. "Especially not cheap heat. Heat is the thing you gain because nothing else works. Making enemies is something that's always very expensive. It doesn't work out like a story when you're dealing with other people." Xion clenches her paw. "It's always a vendetta. A bitter story without any sweetness. I don't know if being a super serious villain will get you what you want, but I don't think being a super shiny hero will either. That sucks. It's complex when people are on the line. It's why I like fighting real bad guy monsters a lot more. It's eaiser hwen the threats are easy and the people just need to be righted." Xion isn't whispering. "The bad guys think thoughts like 'what can I get out of this' exclusively. No caring. No help. It's not thinking a certain way - it's thinking less."
Chase	Mashin Chaser was not expecting the shotgun, which throws him off more than the actual impact of the bullets. Metal plates jostle and come loose as the impacted area lets out a small shower of sparks and smoke. Letting go for the briefest of moments, the Grim Reaper collects their composure, letting the Baron fall in slow motion. "I see. Violence is the only way we will reach an understanding." Chase, in combination with Hibiki, launches his own punch, taking a big step forward as he puts all of his weight behind the blow. Though this one's directed squarely at Emberlily's stomach, rather than any attempts to disarm. Because the stomach is close to the heart, and Chase really wants them to understand their robot feelings.
Kale Hearthward	"Young woman, if you're going to be needlessly reductionist, I'd ask you to please not raise your voice," says the mouse, tut-tutting at her mid-battle. Hibiki's attack slams into the mouse's gun-wielding arm, causing him to lose his grip on the sawn-off shotgun, and then Chase punches him in the stomach, which is close to the lungs. "Really, this would all be a lot easier on all of us if you quit yelling," adds Baron Emberlily, pulling a semi-automatic out of his vest with the hand that Hibiki didn't just kick, and taking aim and firing. Apparently he's ambidextrous, at least when it comes to gunfire. "The empire's not 'moving in' - they're already here, and as they're not disrupting anything important, I do not see the need for concern," he adds, before opening fire again.
Selene	"Hmm... Yeah, you got a point there. Building quality heat's the better thing for making long-term moves, anyway. If nobody remembers you being a threat, then it might as well not have happened for all the no-pull that ends up with." Selene rocks back and forth on her chair while continuing to mull all of this over. "Way easier than getting people to love you, though, so that's something useful! Depending." She shifts around uncomfortably, apparently not used to this kind of discussion or any sort of introspection. She's pretty fidgety overall. "Fighting bad guy monsters is easy, yeah. Eating babies, dissecting puppies that's the kinda stuff everyone can feel good about setting on fire even if they're people. But if they're not cartoony jerks like that..." Selene actually frowns. She seems to be getting incredibly uncomfortable, to the point that she actually takes more than five seconds to think before breaking into another smile again. "Well, as long as it works out in the end. Then all the sucky parts will become good. Forever!"
Chase	Mashin Chaser soaks up even more bullets, his armor basically creating a small light show of sparks as he simply walks forward, ignoring the damage he's currently sustaining. "Are the wishes of those in Cambert Way unimportant to you? If you consider them unimportant, I do not agree. But just my words will not convince you... Humans hear what they want to hear." With that, the Grim Reaper slams his weapon into the ground, releasing a rippling shockwave stronger than current gravity he was already emitting. Everything grinds to a halt, as if time has stopped. It technically hasn't stopped though, especially for Chase, who walks through the now silent room as he picks up Hibiki. "Prepare yourself, Tachibana Hibiki." With no other explanation, they grip on to an arm and the leg, spinning around to build up momentum before letting go, the sudden wave of extreme gravity subsiding so that physics work again.
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki doesn't even know the meaning of reductionist, but she has the strong feeling she's being looked down upon. The baron is also a lot more combat-centric than she even assumed from his absurd amount of guns. A load of bullets comes streaming towards her while she's still setting back up into her stance post-striking. But there's just too much and the baron is too skilled for her to get every last one. Rounds richochet off of or punch into her armor, while others blow through some of the unprotected parts of her body - nowhere vital, but enough that her legs start buckling. "They were /disrupting/ everyone's lives in Camembert Way...!" She says in agreement with Chase, apparently not taking any advice to stop shouting. Maybe she should prescribe to the same method Chase is. Which she's actually not going to get any choice for, momentarily stuck in the frozen space while still registering Mashin Chaser's voice. Stuck still, she spins, and spins, and spins-- And she adapts surprisingly fast once things start again, twisting herself around in midair so that she's flying towards Emberlily fist-first! Despite the absurd momentum, she still yells out mid-flight - "Why is it so hard for the Empire and them to just work something out together!?"
Kale Hearthward	"Some people are getting forced out of their homes, sure, but that's just incentive to get working and pick up better jobs and get new homes. It's really very good for the economy, and if you'd only just stop yelling and understand that the incentives and opportunity costs of-" The rest of that statement is lost to the winds. The Chase-launched Hibiki missile strikes true and solidly, right in Emberlily's center of mass, and he goes flying, all the way through the doorway of the castle and landing inside in a crumpled heap that he doesn't get up from. Given that castle guards are finally starting to arrive to see what the matter is, going after him for the kill doesn't seem to be possible for this encounter, but you've very much Achieved Diplomacy here.
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki comes out of the Fastball Special (TM) in a tumble that carries her several meters across the ground before she leaps back up to a stand, panting more than a little. She /almost/ looks like she's ready to go after him while he's downed, not for the kill but to Further Establish Diplomacy, but it looks like that won't be possible. They didn't come here to fight through an entire castle's worth of guards for sure. "...Thanks, Chase. We better go before it's too late." Losing some of her tension, she drops her stance and stands back straight, looking over her shoulder to him. "I guess just words aren't enough sometimes. But I wonder if we got the right message across..." She trails off, looking back forward for a moment...and then off in the direction of the hyena, if he still happens to be around. She doesn't say anything to him even if so though, instead turning to return to Mashin Chaser's side. "...We better tell the others that they shouldn't be expecting anything from the baron right now. It looks like it's not gonna be as peaceful as I was hoping for."
Chase	"I am not sure either. We can only hope at this point, but our safety comes first." Mashin Chaser is outwardly completely unfazed by the altercation and DIPLOMACY that has transpired. Inwardly, however, there is a bit of concern. Is everyone in power so unconcerned with people beneath them? And if so, why? Now's not the time to really think on it too hard sadly, he can think about it and come to a conclusion later. It'll also give him time to learn about this 'economy' thing that the Baron was talking about, as he's only vaguely aware of it. "Anyway, you can take care of yourself, we should split up so we are harder to track down." TUNE - CHASER BAT Slotting in a new car into his gun, Mashin Chaser sprouts a pair of mechanical bat wings, which he uses to take off. Inside. He even shoots a hole through the roof to get through.