Scene #7596: The Lodge: Tree Orphenoch

Owner	Pose
Go Shijima	March 1,1989 Twin Peaks, WA Sheriff's Department 7:04PM Days Until Planetary Alignment:3 It's evening. Those of you who have been in Twin Peaks for a while now have had a chance to spend the day focusing on your respective leads. But at 6:45 PM today, you all got calls from Sheriff Truman asking you to come in. One of you even got a call forwarded from the Grand Dorado, speaking of a man desperately asking for help in finding his daughter. "I'm sorry to keep you from your investigations," says Agent Cooper, in the conference room of the Sheriff's Department. Everyone is here--save... "James Hurley and Keitarou couldn't make it. Apprently they're training with that professor that just rolled into town." But everyone--even Ronnette and Bobby, the fledgling Orphenochs, is here. Agent Cooper has a copy of a ransom note, made with pasted clippings from magazines. "Now," he says. "Ben Horne says he was attacked on the highway this morning, taking his daughter on a camping trip." Cooper's skepticism is apparent in his all-business tone. "He received this message at 6:30, stating that if he didn't go back on his plans to buy the lumber mill in town, Audrey would be killed." "None of the men and women at that mill are capable of something like that," says Sheriff Truman, thumbs hooked into his pants. "But we still have to treat this seriously. The meeting point the note mentions is across the border. So, Coop and I can't go. Mari's got room for two in that souped up van of hers." Mari nods grimly. "I've spoken with a few of the lumber mill workers, and they said Mr. Horne reached out to them to discuss how they'd be taken care of, once the deal goes through. They were going to have a meeting on Thursday, and everyone I spoke to seemed fine with it... so if this is even real," she says, "I don't think it's--" "It's an Orphenoch," says Cooper, with certainty. "Look." He pours himself a cup of coffee. Sheriff Truman and Deputy Hawk look askance at him, as he tears the plastic seal from a little cup of creamer, and dumps it in. Both hands on the cup, Cooper sits down, closes his eyes, and waits. The creamer swirls and distorts into the coffee... until it forms the shape of a tree. A douglas fir. "You'll met them in the woods, near the meeting spot." NEW!!ALLIES 0/2: Your good deeds, dedication to solving the mystery, and personal connections with the people of Twin Peaks has earned you allies you may call upon in times of conflict. Mari can take two with her in the van, or one, if the van's weapons systems will be used. -James Hurley is training with Keitarou and Professor Harley. -Cooper and the Sheriff's Department officers can't cross the Canadian border. -Auto-Vajin Mk. II can be prepped. It is dumb, but strong and well armed. Prepping the Mk. II means its weapons systems will take up a passenger slot. -Bobby Briggs can transform into the Dog Orphenoch, boasting increased physical strength and sharp senses. -Ronnette Pulaski can transform into the Owl Orphenoch. She's been practicing her flying with Strawberry Princess. Her screeches make her a powerful ranged combatant, and her night vision could prove useful too.
Shinnosuke Tomari	"It's fine. What's the news?" Tomari asks Cooper, before frowning at the ransom note. The skepticism is apparent, and once everyone's done talking, Shinnosuke Tomari, tapping his detective's badge, speaks up. "It's a trap. But Audrey is likely still at risk. We need to secure her safety, and take Benjamin Horne in." He has the same certainty Cooper has. "He's the Orphenoch. One of the 'pawns'. A pimp behind the veil of friendly businessman. But that doesn't mean we need to kill him - he's still a father, and perhaps we can shake sense into him." Tomari is Adamant about this. It's probably personal. As he stands up to prepare, Shinnosuke turns to the others. "You should probably set up your van for combat." He suggests to Mari, before turning to Ronnette. "I'm Detective Shinnosuke Tomari, a coworker of Strawberry Princess. I can give you a ride in my car. Reiuji, Kaenbyou, you'll need to sit in the back again." It's playful, but still legitimate. They don't get shotgun privileges. He'll head out once everyone's done talking and he's gotten confirmation on what they're doing.
Hellwarming Trio	It had taken a while for Utsuho and Rin to realize that Ben Horne's relationship with Audrey probably wasn't nearly as good as they had thought it to be. Thankfully, by the time the group is assembled at the sheriff's department, they're already plotting something to get back at the lumber mill-building pimp. Utsuho: "He's up to something." Rin: "That much was obvious. But what?" Utsuho: "The murder, the bad... Stuff." Rin: "No kiddin'. Maybe he's had a run in with whoever else is behind all this." When Cooper sounds convinced that the culprit is an Orphenoch, neither of the youkai even flinch. When Shinnosuke declares that Ben Horne is the Orphenoch, they nod as thought implicitly trusting his deduction. Utsuho even grins a little bit when he calls Benjamin a 'pawn', making sure to make eye contact with Rin all the while. Utsuho: "We'll beat his ass, and then we can get answers on who his boss is, then." Rin: "And even if someone goes too far, I'll be able to drag the answers outta him anyway!" Utsuho: "Oh yeah, you can do that... Eh? The back again? Meh, fine. But I get shotgun when we're coming back!" Rin: "No way! You got us stuck in the back last time!" They're already bickering. At this rate, they are probably going to be stuck in the back on the return trip as well.
Tamamo	"Ah, Mr. Horne was the one mentioned as having been... 'that' sort of man, yes." Tamamo says, her expression unreadable. "If such a one might be reformed, it would be to the benefit of more than himself, though it does seem to me as if he has quite thoroughly failed in his role as a father." She nods to Tomari, despite that particular point of skepticism. "Whether or not he might change his ways, another's safety is threatened still, and it should be well within our power to both defeat an opponent, and preserve the lives of those present, both." Since they can, there isn't a good excuse not to do so, and that ends any argument, in her view. Tamamo takes the opportunity to view Cooper's drink from an angle, looking over the top of an unfolded fan with narrowed eyes. "My, my. Have you always had that particular talent, Mr. Cooper, or is it of some recent development? I should like to discuss some matters, but it does seem as if we are quite busy, at the moment. I shall return for a careful reading." She has no particularly strong opinions on who must ride where, but does take a moment, before they leave, to quietly distribute what she calls 'charms of good health,' little, red cloth bags that feel like they contain irregular, pentagonal wooden tiles, to those heading off to danger.
Staren	Staren has rented a hovercycle for the occasion. He (well, he looks like a he today) arrives at the staging area for the talk, taking in the information, although he does wonder: "If we're sure Audrey hasn't been kidnapped, then why aren't we able to contact her? Does she not have a phone or radio or something?" When he learns they're bringing along some kind of battle robot, he's quick to give it a look over, scanning it with various sensors and then warping in weapons fabricated to interface with it, supplementing its melee combat with ranged if there's a place to fit it, and souping up said melee weapons with high-frequency fields. "So the Horne guy who called the Concord is actually the bad guy, you're sure? I... I guess we'll see." Staren doesn't comment either way on taking him alive, but appears to be thinking about something when that's suggested. "If he's the Orphanoch, then... he'll be waiting for us and then turn into a monster or something, right?"
Shinnosuke Tomari	"She's his daughter. He probably hasn't kidnapped her, but he can restrict her access to such a thing easily. Also, this world is pre-cellphones. She wouldn't have a personal one, and there's no towers." Tomari replies, briefly, to Staren.
Xion	Arriving when she's ringed up, Xion seems concerned -- conflicted. "I was hoping James and Keitarou would be back by now, but Professor Harley is really good at what he does... And I believe that James has the best help he can get." Scratching the side of her neck and cheek with black-gloved fingers, Xion smiles despite her clear anxiety. "But that means we're down Delta... And I don't have any more of Mashin Chaser's power, so it'll be really hard to capture him." Her scratching stops. "And I kind of don't want to, either. That's awful of me, I know. I think people should get lots of chances too. But what about the people who will be hurt, garunteed, if they're taken in? The people who have to try and pour themselves into care for someone who has not been showing care? Who may not ever? And that whole time, the incarceration system..." Her head hangs, and she pulls down the hood of her red hoodie with white draw-strings she wears over a long plaid flannel shirt. "I'm just trying to justify it aloud. Sorry." "Maybe... Bobby and Ronnette can come? We'll have the best tracking. That way, we don't have to choose between 'kill' and 'get away' at least." And also, bringing along Ronnette and Bobby to stop an evil rubbersuit man might give the pair some confidence and self-worth as people with agency. They can have little a self determination. As a treat.
Hamada Haru	Hamada Haru is present, but he is more withdrawn and cranky than ever. He lingers near Xion, as the person who had been working with him directly most recently. His belt, usually off in a pocket dimension, pulses curiously at his waist. It is not with a light, exactly. More like a heartbeat. He shrugs loosely. "If you need to borrow power, borrow mine. I don't think it will help with nonlethal subdual, though." For that matter, he's not certain that nonlethal subdual is actually an option so long as he's a part of the group at all. Haru isn't content with that at all, but he's not about to speak about it out loud. The psychics -- like Xion -- are perfectly able to tell what's going on there, though. Towards Staren, he shakes his head, "Wouldn't assume his intent is a fight. Hasn't worked out for them so far. Wouldn't assume that it isn't, either. They're confident in their standing in this place, even when outnumbered. But he might be wanting to try to cut a deal, too. Either way, we've been at this long enough that I wouldn't distrust our internal investigations about it."
Go Shijima	"I try to brush up on unconventional investigation methods, when I can," says Cooper to Tamamo. "But lately, I've found I have something of a knack for them. Maybe you could give me some pointers along with that reading of yours? Stay safe." He gives her a firm thumbs-up and a reassuring smile that seems to lessen the tension in the air... Stillwater Campgrounds BC, Canada 7:28PM This preserve is a popular tourist attraction in the warmer months. On the first day of March, it's still a bit too cold for anyone but camping nuts to bother. On a Wednesday night, it's all but deserted. There's a parking lot --the spot where you were meant to meet the supposed kidnappers. It's empty, save for all of you--plus Bobby and Ronette. "Thanks for the ride, Officer Tomari," says Ronnette when she steps out. She transforms, and so does Bobby, when he steps out of the Kikuchi Cleaning Van. There's a sound of rushing water as their bodies change. Bobby shifts into a form of sleek, segmented grey armor, with the head of a dog, piercing white eyes and a 'mane' of white fur that travels from between his pointed ears down to his back, where it becomes a fluffy white tail. He gives a stretch and sniffs the air. "Don't smell anyone out here. Ronnette, you see anything in the woods?" Ronnette's form is an owl, with powerful wings formed from her arms. Her armor is more aerodynamic than his, and her feet are the talons of a bird rather than the claws of a dog. "I think I saw movement, yeah," she says. "They're keeping behind the trees..." The moonlight reflects off the surface of a placid lake, visible down a dirt trail leading from the parking lot. It's surrounded by trees. Douglas firs. "I'm sure she's been kidnapped," says Bobby Briggs to Staren. Then, to Tomari, "I'm just also sure it was her scumbag dad that did it." Bobby's knowledge of Twin Peaks' CRIMINAL ELEMENT seems to extend fairly far. "Laura used to talk about him. He's got a finger in every pie, and she felt like that department store he owns was funneling girls in town to One-Eyed Jack's, across the border." Cooper had told Tomari, during their investigations earlier in the day, that he believed 'BH' in One-Eyed Jack's ledger might be 'Ben Horne,' and Sheriff Truman posited that JH could be his imbecile brother, Jerry. That would mean that the two of them have a habit of sampling new talent when it arrives. Battle Mode Is announced when Mari finishes her preparations. The Kikuchi Cleaning van shifts and transforms to a hulking, towering bipedal robot with wheels at its feet (likely for quick acceleration). The abdundance of articulation at the arms and legs implies it's a melee combat model--and the integrated buzzsaws the scan picks up complement that idea. It is modular, and easily accepts Staren's modifications, especially with Mari's help. "That's right," says Mari to Staren. "That figure Ronnette sees in the woods... it might be him." "I hear something," Bobby says, suddenly. "MOVE!" He suddenly cries, shoving Mari aside as roots burst from the ground! The parking lot's asphalt erupts in jagged chunks as wooden, gnarled tendrils of various sizes attempt to batter, choke and toss each person present. The Mk. II's buzzsaws are helping, especially with Staren's upgrades--but it's not prioritizing at all, just moving from one to the next. Bobby is tossed into its back. Mari huffs in frustration. "Manual override!" A hatch opens at the back of the massive robot, and she climbs in, moving to saw a root that snagged Ronnette by the leg. "Get down to the lake--that's him, I'm sure of it!!" cries the Owl Orphenoch.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Tomari gives Ronnette a thumbs up as he deposits himself and unlocks the child safety lock for Utsuho and Rin. As the gnarled roots come through the parking lot, though, he's on his wits. He rolls, quickly dodging them as they tear up the ground, grabbing his Shift Cars off his bracer and revealing the Drive Driver belt on his waist. He slides Type-Speed over (Rinna's new toy isn't done yet, unfortunately, and he needs the speed boost) and grabs something from the trunk of the Tridoron supercar he drives. Shifting Type-Speed into the wrist brace and flipping it... DRIVE! Type -- Speed! Kamen Rider Drive manifests, red and silver suit with black armor, as a tire pops off the Tridoron to slide across him diagonally. The Handle Sword, which is a sword with a steering wheel handle, is taken in both hands, as he suddenly starts running towards the lake, juking back and forth to avoid more roots. "Benjamin Horne! You're under arrest for, well, for a lot of things! We know about Laura, we know about One-Eyed Jack's, and we know about your daughter. If you care at all about Audrey, give up and let her go!" And then, like any arresting officer does, he slices into the nearest roots (or Benjamin Horne-shaped monster) with the sword! Trying not to cut him in half, but still do decent damage.
Tamamo	Those who carried Tamamo's charms will find that 'health' isn't quite the same as 'healing.' It's more like they carry a noticeable feeling of 'being energized' the moment things start happening, a moderated boost to the adrenaline rush that usually comes with the spiked heartrate of being attacked by mystical or alien forces in a tense moment. Tamamo has similar benefits, herself, having gone along with the prediction of others that this is most definitely a trap, and the first roots to reach for her batter against shields of magical, rather than physical force, able to shatter them with enough effort, but not before she's leaped high, and landed with uncannily perfect balance on her high geta sandals somewhere else. Once she starts moving, Tamamo doesn't stop, tossing out a handful of paper talismans like she's dealing a spread of cards. They fly away from her, but don't have to fly too far to find more reaching roots, bursting into a dozen small fires.
Hellwarming Trio	As people start to disembark at their destination, the youkai also flutter out of their hiding spots in the back of the Tridoron having taken on their animal forms to make the ride a little easier for everyone involved (mostly from not blocking the rear view mirrors). They stay in their respective raven and cat forms, too, loitering in the air as they scan the area for... Whoever it is they're supposed to find out here. At Ronnette's callout, they direct their attention towards the trees as well while conveniently transforming into their humanoid forms to touch down on the ground. Just in time, too, as the roots start coming up to grasp at everyone. Rin springs into the air just in time to avoid getting snatched up, but Utsuho gets tangled up almost immediately! And then she bursts into flames. "That won't be enough... Come on, you can do better than that!" She taunts, sweeping the flames and ashes away before pulling those flames back into her control rod. She strikes a powerful pose from below while Rin takes on a more dynamic pose in the air above her. Utsuho: "The Flames of Hell!!" Rin: "The Wagon of Corpses!" Utsuho: "We!" Rin: "Are!" Both: "Junior Detectives!" With their routine actually followed for once, they whoop and cheer once to each other before flying off after Shinnosuke in pursuit of Benjamin Horne. Their method of trying to subdue him: Actually using their magical bullets instead of copious amounts of fire for once. Between the both of them, there's practically a blanket of multi-colored projectiles already to try and drown the roots and/or Benjamin in nondescript magical pellets.
Hamada Haru	Hamada Haru takes his own motorcycle. He makes considerably better time than most of the group; for one thing, he transforms partway through the drive and simply starts to cut a straight line through the "everything", and for another his motorcycle is not actually one with a reasonable speedometer apparently. There are vehicles present that can keep up with it, if not for the cutting-through-obstacles problem. It's only when he gets too far ahead that Kamen Rider Tetra slows down some, glancing down towars the eerie glow cast by his belt. It ends up being a bit of a boring trip. There's no purpose in getting ahead, and by the time they get there they have to rely on those with special senses to detect what's coming. He hasn't even bothered getting off his motorcycle by the time things happen. Tetra taps at a panel on his forearm, triggering a voice to declare: DELETION PROTOCOL: ARBOREAL Then his motorcycle roars as Kamen Rider Tetra simply crashes into the trees erupting around them. Contact with him or his motorcycle is varying degrees of corrosive, and in any case Tetra himself turns ghostly and begins to pass through them partway through, the corrosive effect dropping away rapidly as it does.
Xion	Riding on Haru's motorcycle to arrive, Xion has a few moments to give him some quiet reassurance: "Hey, Haru? It's okay if what you're feeling in your head, and what you're feeling inside you, are different. I think that's the most odd part of having all this stuff, really, but people are defined by their contradictions. I think... I can feel your heart, Haru, and I can tell that you care about people. Just because you have the power of darkness doesn't mean your heart is made of it. You can still choose to reach out, okay? Even if you're the hero." Disembarking with the rest, Xion has a moment to look around before -- well, the PARKING LOT finds the party. It was a lucky thing everyone was here -- with Bobby AND Ronnette, and the equipment load Staren brought for the Autovajin MkII (Aka 'Van Cleaner') -- because it feels like the whole team avoided a huge problem - the attack is avoided, and their target is found at the lake. "If there's a lake, then I've got the winning combination:" Reaching out a hand, she presents a gold medallion with a red welding mask face surrounded by fuchsia. As she thumbs it, two more power-motes -- one blue, from the Autovajin MkII, and one red, from Kamen Rider Drive. Gathering the power into a fuchsia sphere, a twisting ball of light expands into a strangely-geomorphic rubick's cube... That Xion lobs into the lake, while shouting. "Come out! X Emperor!" Pronounced 'Key Kaiser'. The lake fills with bright pink light as crowned head and broad robo-pauldrons rise from the lake. Streaming with water, a whole mecha rises out of the lake with what can only be described as a hotrod red police baton, which it immediately swings down at the Tree Orphenoch while Xion cheers it on from the far side of the lake.
Staren	Staren watches with interest as Bobby and Ronette transform. They were Riders too?? His ears droop at Bobby's words. "'One-Eyed Jack's'? Do I want to know?" He nods his head. "Y-yes, if I'm going to play any part in deciding to kill or spare him, I should be informed of what he's done." He smiles at seeing the robot transform. He'd already put together a model of how it would look in his computer, but it's nice to see, all the same. This nice moment is interrupted by roots just as Ronette spies a distant figure in the woods. Staren's thrown from his hoverbike, and stands. "Well. When in Rome...!" He strikes a dramatic pose, and a ring of light travels over his body from top to bottom, organic disguise disappearing to reveal a body of metal and something glasslike. At the same time, several camera drones warp in around him and spread through the forest. Their sensors function just fine in the dark... The metal parts of Staren's body are painted red and sea-green, divided down the middle, with the colors on opposite sides on the head, with half of the upper head made of some tough clear material, showing the mechanical brain within. The eyes look more like some kind of lights than conventional cameras, but the nose and mouth are normal humanoid. Swiveling robotic cat-ears are attached on top of the head. The limbs and each section of finger and tail are cylinders segmented at the joints, the form human-oid but not shaped exactly like a human. The clothes have disappeared, but it's still wearing the heroic scarf! "I am Staren Wiremu, Partner of the Concord! The Concord does not look kindly on trying to trick us into helping you... but I am inclined to be merciful! Surrender, and I... I promise you'll get out of here alive!" He stumbles over the words a bit, trying to sound heroic while thinking of all the ways something could go wrong. Could he REALLY guaruntee none of them could kill Horne? It doesn't seem surrender is immediately forthcoming, though. Staren looks over at Shinnosuke. "Does saying that sort of thing EVER work? Not that the stuff I used to say did either..." Given Horne is threatening a group of elites, it seems likely that whatever his body is made of won't be destroyed THAT easily, so Staren doesn't hold back, trying to get clear of the root field and then pointing his right arm at Horne. Compartments on either side of his forearm open and a pair of some kind of energy cannon extend out, firing twin beams of highly-energized particles that tend to disintigrate anything they hit that's insufficiently hardened! Staren's drones watch, gauging Horne's toughness from the effect of the attack...
Go Shijima	"Of course I care about her, Officer," says Horne from the cover of the treeline. "I made mistakes with Audrey. But now, I see what I did wrong. I can give her a future. When our King returns, she won't want for anything. When she's ready, she'll even take over the family business." Tomari manages to find him, with Ronnette's help--her screecnhes splinter trees all around the Orphenoch, and when the fallen firs settle, he is revealed. Horne's armor is thick to the extreme, with hands that terminate in gnarled, wooden claws. His amror is the white and blue of a powerful Orphenoch, with his eyes and mouth looking like the knots of an old tree. Leaves cling to his form--and when Tomari moves in with that sword, he seems to dig his heels in--literally. There's a shifting in the earth in the seconds before that sword impacts. Tomari hits him, dead on--the sword is halted by his wooden hide, and the strength of his blow is absorbed by roots stretching underground. Bullets collide with him, too--clearly shearing off bark, causing sap to ooze out--but he remains, those roots extending farther and farther down... Until Tamamo's talismans collide with his above-ground roots and set them ablaze, drawing a gasp from the Orphenoch. Lest he himself be set ablaze, he sinks into the earth and emerges a few feet away, returning fire with a spread of his own--razor sharp leaves fly towards the mischievous duo, Tamamo and Tomari. Each is sharp enough to cut scores into the firs which surround the lake! Tetra's attack in particular is one which Horne expends a great deal of effort trying to avoid. Furrows appear in the earth below him as he is carried backwards by the underground network of roots he's cultivating. Wooden tendrils appear and are melted away in equal measure, Horhe attempting to halt his pursuit with repeated lashing. "Where ya goin', Benny Boy?" Bobby Briggs runs on all fours, appearing behind Horne to punch him squarely in the back, stunning him long enough for Haru to corrode a significant portion of his arm-- "Much farther than you ever have, Mr. Briggs," coolly replies Horne, as new, bone-white bark grows to replace what Haru melted. A gnarled tendril shoots from his back to wrap around Bobby, and throw him--but Ronnette picks him up before he can fly into the path of Staren's particle beams, carrying him to safety. "Let me make you a counter-offer, Staren," replies Horne, again attempting to weather the force of his enemies' attacks. There's even more vibrations in the ground. "I understand you don't appreciate being deceived. Let me be completely truthful in saying that humanity will go the way of the dodo, very shortly. You could go with them--or you could join us in this new world our King will create." As sap oozes and that white bark bears its share of scorch marks, Horne throws his arms wide... One is sawed off by Mari in the Van Cleaner. Another is crunched into uselessness by Key Kaiser. Horne grunts in slight irritation. Staren's drones observe a sudden, alarming shift in his metabolism, then-- Both arms regrow in seconds, a new layer of bark occludes the injuries he's sustained thus far. And the earth quakes. "Of course, I understand why you'd all be skeptical," says Horne, as a chasm appears in the earth. "So allow me to demonstrate the future in a way you'll all appreciate." He is lifted high into the air, by an enormous, intertwined network of roots that may as well be those of the mythical World Tree, for how many and how thick their union becomes. Manipulating this network allows him to soar across the battlefield as easily as Ronnette. Branches and limbs as thick as human bodies rapidly jut from this intertwined mass of roots, striking out at the Key Kaiser, Van Cleaner, Staren, and Tetra!
Shinnosuke Tomari	The Tree Orphenoch, Benjamin Horne, blocks the sword and rebuttals to Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke audibly grimaces, as the arms regrow when sliced off, and then he creates a massive series of roots, lifting himself in the air and slicing the Rider hard enough back to disarm him with the sharp razor leaves. Despite that... "You're wrong!" Kamen Rider Drive staggers, picking up his sword before he begins to actually leap onto a 'branch' of this 'World Tree'. He begins leaping from branch to branch, trying to reach Horne. "She didn't want a future! She didn't want your business! She didn't want money or fame or a legacy!" Drive turns the handle on his sword. TURN belts out of it as an activation of more power. "SHE WANTED YOU, HER FATHER!" There's personal anger and regret in there, as Kamen Rider Drive moves to try and slice straight into that bark, and keep the sword caught to keep slicing.
Hamada Haru	"I wasn't thinking about what my heart was made of," Kamen Rider Tetra replies to Xion. "I don't know the answer to that. If we're talking light and darkness, I think that you have to have some of both. At the least, it's natural for people to have some of both. What I am..." "That's still a question to be answered. I don't know." Soon after he winds up in a deluge of moving tendrils, and it gets to be too obnoxious to find his way through them without actually engaging them. The motorcycle draws to a halt and he gets out on foot, his form flickering ghost-like as he varies his level of intangibility and advances into the brush of the Tree Orphenoch. And he gets battered along the way. Enormous sparks fire into the air as tendrils find him in the spots he leaves tangible, and yet-- and yet Kamen Rider Tetra walks on. Slow-and-steady, but nevertheless on. Eventually, Tetra toggles his wrist device again and makes himself fully tangible, reaching out to slap the particular segment of tree that attacked him most recently. DELETION PROTOCOL: WATER The attack isn't the hideous eroding thing that it ordinarily is to the thing touched, at least not in the conventional sense. Instead, Haru is trying to eliminate the moisture in the tree network in order to render it brittle and exhausted all-around. Most importantly... It's something that Haru is fairly certain Ben Horne needs to get externally, instead of regenerating within his body. "You're not bad-- for the Yakuza boss of a town with no train station," Tetra cedes, grudgingly.
Hellwarming Trio	"Sounds like you want to make her one of you, then, right?" Utsuho asks Horne as she and Rin come to a stop from their initial barrage, studying his tree-like body and glancing at each other as though they were trying to figure something out wordlessly. Sadly, neither of them are telepaths, so they both speak up at the same time and stop repeatedly, not quite able to get an understandable word in. Then they see those talismans forcing him to not just withstand those attacks head on, and they actually stop trying to talk over each other. Just in time, too, as the knife-like leaves come flying towards them. Neither of them gets away from getting some nasty cuts on their arms and legs, but they do at least bring their arms up in time to avoid getting sliced across their necks or something. "Are you really tryin' to bribe folks now? Come on, we already know we're stronger than most of 'em!" Rin boasts as she breaks out of formation from Utsuho, perched atop her wagon while it glides around the semi-flying Horne. "But you've gotta do way better than just that if you wanna bring anyone over to your side!" "Pretty sure we're not supposed to be accepting that kind of thing, anyway." Utsuho sounds skeptical as she looks over at Shinnosuke, wiping some blood off her arm and wincing at the still-open wound. "This stuff about you and your kid sounds pretty complicated, too. Too complicated. But if Teacher's getting this fired up about it without even being related to you..." Utsuho flares her wings and cape out, aiming the front of her control rod at Horne as it and the raven start glowing. "He's probably got a better point somewhere in there. And Master's trusted us to learn from humans instead of other demons, so..." She lets out a noncommittal noise after that. It seems Utsuho couldn't think of a punchy way to end that statement. As she stays in position to keep gathering up energy inside of her, Rin remains on the offensive. The flying corpse wagon takes her closer to Horne while she stands atop it, thrusting her hands sideways as floating flames spring into existence behind her like a blue and red trail. "Better call it quits now, or we might just put you down a little too hard!" She taunts again before clapping her hands together, causing all of those flames to converge upon the tree Orphenoch all at once.
Tamamo	Tamamo looks to see Bobby and Ronette transform, commenting in-between attacks, "Oh, so that is how the other orphenocs appear. An owl, is it...? I do still wonder as to why those other owls were set to watch the woods, and by whom." X Emperor appears shortly afterward, and she looks between the mecha and Xion. "And is that machine in the lake yours, Xion? Whenever did you have time to hide it there?" <J-IC-Scene> Xion says, "I'm teleporting it out of imaginary data space! It's my super robot of soul, X Emperor! Uh, this time it looks like a police officer because I used Drive's power to form it. But the Mark Two is a great base for it!" "'Imaginary data space,' is it? My, what a mysterious power." If Tamamo has the chance to be that curious about others, she probably isn't too hard-pressed by combat. That changes very soon, as Horne reveals himself, as if bragging about his new form. Or, no, he definitely is bragging, isn't he? "How rude!" Tamamo exclaims, without a hint of awareness toward the possible impoliteness of setting someone on fire, as the razor leaves shred through her hastily recreated wards. She's sliced in a dozen places, but not just her wounds, but also her clothing begin to swiftly mend, her healing talismans burning away in place of what could easily have been more dire damage. "Hypothetically, Mr. Horne," she begins, drawing out her floating mirror, space distorting around her like a heat mirage. "If you were to be faced with a choice between certain death and total surrender, which would you choose?" The shift in the area spreads like a Summer heatwave, ghostly impressions of tall, red-beamed, open gates just visible at eight, distant points. "Would you rebel against the question, pride denying belief?" A phantasmal ripple across the ground, like drops of water in a still lake, a notion of cool relief denied by the reality of the burning Sun. "Is the way you have chosen the only path you will accept, or is it the force of a king that compels you, allowing that another may take its place?" The heat is no illusion. The air is dried, oppressive, more like the noonday light of the South than this northern, mountainous clime. The barest spark could set off a wildfire, if only between those distant torii, the not-quite-real markers of each direction. "Of the Eightfold Blessings, that which gives life is also a curse, and that which takes life leaves behind the seeds of renewal. Will you give up your life, or will you change it?" The next talisman she pulls from her is like the previous dozen, but it's more than a brief spark. It's an exploding column of flame, and it won't disappear so easily.
Xion	Key Kaiser's powerful mechanical build and the combination of powers give it an unnatural agility and durability both. Still, a whole field of roots becoming scraping, thrusting tree-matter causes the hefty build of the mecha to cascade with thick clouds of damage sparks. It lacks guidance, like the Van Cleaner, until Xion leaps from the opposite side of the lake and teleports directly inside the inner space of the Key Kaiser. The mecha rallies, a chest jewel glimmering with power as it brings up the Bonk Baton up cross-wise to force her way through the brambles and back to the Tree Orphenoch. "Your counter offer -- is garbage!" Xion bellows from Key Kaiser, as she drives the mecha resolutely through curtains of damage to stomp up and swing her oversized weapon up, power gathering. "'Let me just make the decisions, for everyone' isn't an offer! It's still a demand! You can say 'let me pimp you' as often as you like, as many different ways as you like, and it doesn't change the fact that it's a terrible request! You don't! Get! To Choose!" The swordbaton glows silver-white with magical energy, and Key Kaiser swings down in a sky-dividing swipe. A heartbeat after the shwing! of the definitely-not-sharp-at-all cut, the ground detonates in a pulsing wave of ground detonations outward, pyro practicals to furrow ground and root alike.
Staren	'It usually doesn't work, but you have to keep trying.' answers Go. Staren just inclines his head slightly. Unfortunately, Staren's drones mean that he can see from every angle just how tough Horne's armor is and how quickly it's regrown. Staren was expecting SOME gimmick, but this regeneration is really something! But Staren is a veteran of the Multiverse, and has fought regenerators before. It costs energy, and that energy is either coming from somewhere else, or using up an internal supply. The drones' sensor feeds are sent back to his lab for analysis... In the meantime, Staren shoots back -- words, this time, for the few seconds it takes the cannons to cool: "Then what are you fighting for? Why all the trickery? Why not simply live as an Orphenoch and offer the same benefit to all humans?" And then Horne goes all Yggdrasil on them, branches turning the forest into a quickly-changing maze of wooden death! This robot body is made of sterner stuff than the hovercycle was, but Staren isn't keen to test whether it can really best the power of nature focused to this degree! With jet-boots and a grappling beam (compartment in the left forarm) he leaps off trees and off the attacking roots, frantically trying to stay ahead, but eventually one clips him, putting a nasty dent in his arm and side and sending some shards of broken metal tumbling to the ground along with Staren, spinning and rolling to a stop. Then the data comes back from the lab. Staren looks over it. As he stands, he radios to his allies: <"I see it! the soil is changing around his roots, he must be draining neutrients to fuel himself! If we can stop him from doing that... this should go a lot quicker! ...Otherwise, he'll run out when he's used them all up, but that won't be good for the trees..."> Staren holds out an arm dramatically. "If you won't stop, then I will FREEZE you. ...Wait, no, should I have said 'prepare for a cold snap?' 'I'm going to put you on ice' is so cliche..." As Staren second-guesses his choice of quip, temporary micro-wormholes form around him and are moved by unseen machines to surround the base of Horne's... trunk, as well as over the ground along any unseen roots Staren can detect. Once they're in position, something on the other end of each exchanges heat in the air for cold at an incredible rate. Soil and the nearby part of the lake freezes, and the moisture in the air turns to snow and ice that coats the battlefield! Combined with what Tamamo's doing, not only is everything incredibly dry but moving between the respectively affected areas subjects one to extreme cold and heat in rapid succession. Surely not good for plants! Uh... so much for worrying about the forest... As much as Staren would LIKE to just stand there dramatically... he's not sure he can afford to. A shotgun covered in strange wires and engravings with bits of jade and gemstones set in it appears in Staren's hand, and Staren flying leaps into range with the jet boots, firing some kind of ice blasts at Horne directly! He doesn't even have to reload the thing, just push more magical energy into it, so Staren just keeps spamming as fast as he can until something shorts out and the shotgun stops working.
Go Shijima	Tomari's impassioned cry seems to wound Horne more than the sword cutting a massive gouge down the rapidly growing mass of roots. The Tree Orphenoch looks over his shoulder, a momentary pause in his advance. A stranger has just hit him with a hard read--even an evolved human isn't immune to those. But Tamamo snaps him from his moment of pause. "Surrender," says Horne to Tamamo, "Hypothetically speaking. If I'm dead, then I don't get what I want, and neither do my associates." This is one who is prideful, yes--but his Orphenoch form speaks volumes about his character. Ben Horne is patient, moving and acting based on his environment. Change is possible--but it must be change which he believes benefits him. "I wouldn't count on victory, however--you'll find I'm very adaptable." As if to prove his point, he takes advantage of the drier clime and Tetra's moisture theft, by deliberately twisting the massive wooden trunk he's made. The air and Tetra's Deletion Protocol makes it brittle, allowing him to snap off sharp, jagged chunks of wood, causing a rain of sharp implements over Tamamo, Staren, and Tetra. Tomari is thrown from his vantage point, as well, with no warning! Horne bails from this massive tree, striking the ground with a thud, when Rin and Utsuho's flames begin to consume the dried-up husk like kindling. He, too, is hit--and directly in the path of Staren's furious, icy assault, as well, buffeted by opposite elements as he engages the Key Kaiser in single combat. <J-IC-Scene> Staren says, Why all the trickery? Why not simply live as an Orphenoch and offer the same benefit to all humans? Shards hit him, and as Staren predicted, he's used up an immense amount of nutrients to fight so disastrously outnumbered. Rather than trying to withstand Staren's assault now, or heal the scorch marks from Rin and Utsuho, he's desperately burrowing and re-emerging behind trees to blunt the attack. "With the help of our otherworldly associate, we can induce the Evolution even in humans who don't have the Orphenoch gene. He just needs to be... constrained." Horne engages the Key Kaiser directly, recognizing it for the brute threat it is--he forms of his own arm a baton to match its own, attempting to deflect its blows and rake it with elongated claws on the other arm. "From there, we can manage our image much more effectively, and the sacrifices necessary for our King to awaken will seem all the more palatable." So that's why he can't just offer the benefits with honesty--because this King will apparently need food when it wakes up. That's why, as Xion says, it's a demand. Mari is determined in sawing down anything he might use for cover--and his strength has to be put to use batting aside massive firs as they collide with him, instead of deflecting the Van Cleaner or Key Kaiser. Xion can then beat him wholly, until, at last, the hypothesis becomes practice. Horne's human form is projected onto the disturbed, frozen, blackened earth, in a blue-green hologram, while his physical body heaves and pants, white claw extended outwards in a gesture of surrender. "I can see I won't defeat you through strength of arms. But as I said before," continues Horne, between labored breaths, "If I'm dead, then none of us get what we want. I'm prepared to hear your offers."
Shinnosuke Tomari	As they fight, Kamen Rider Drive is forced back to the ground, barely able to land with some skids against his legs. In the end, Horne surrenders. Drive begins to approach him, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. They're mostly for gesture, as they won't hold Horne if he doesn't cooperate. "Come into Paladins custody. We'll protect your daughter, too. You'll face trial for your crimes, but may get some time reduced if you assist us in our investigation. The alternative is that...I can't stop them from their justice, if you won't cooperate." With a genuine tone, Drive speaks once more. "So please, accept mine. For both yourself and for Audrey. And...for me, as well." If Horne accepts this, and nobody else kills him, Drive literally begins to call in Paladins dispatch to come pick him up, and will Wait Here. He recommends that someone else take Ronnette home, unless she'd prefer to wait. This also means that Utsuho and Rin are stuck with him the whole time! Yay?
Hellwarming Trio	With the weather fluctuating so wildly between Tamamo's fire zone and Staren's ice zone, the denizens of a hell are understandably confused. They're certainly lucky enough to have their own fire powers to rely on to maintain their own temperatures, and burning up all that wood gives Utsuho a clear shot as the Tree Orphenoch lands further below. What makes things a little more awkward, then, is seeing that Orphenoch surrendering and Horne appearing in hologram form. Utsuho looks towards Rin, Rin looks around Utsuho and her steadily expanding sun ball, and then they both look at Horne again. Utsuho: "Even I could've told you that." Rin: "See? It's a lot easier this way. And I guess you kind of have a point..." Utsuho: "Does he? I'm pretty sure Teacher and Audrey are the only ones that might actually care if he dies." With Utsuho staying in the air as nuclear-fire-based insurance, Rin touched down on the ground and hops off her wheelbarrow to cross her arms and look over the hologram. "Alright, bro. If you don't want to get iced... Er. Burnt up, do what Teacher tells you to!" She gestures at Shinnosuke, furrows her brow, then snaps her fingers. "And tell us where the King's hiding! And..." Rin looks over at Xion next, stroking her chin thoughtfully before snapping her fingers again. "Where're your other friends in all this business? You know, the ones from the phone calls and that other guy! Uh. Jernis? Jimly? Jerry!"
Staren	Wooden stakes rain down on Staren! He tries to dodge, but one lodges in a maneuvering jet, and another jams the compartment with the grapple tag in it. Afterward, despite being wood, the splintery chunks have embedded themselves in Staren like a pincushion, armor covered in dents and a puncture in his abdomen slowly leaking oil and smoke. He gets up, though, not finished yet... But it seems Horne is feeling in even worse shape. Staren doesn't attack further, and approaches to conversation distance. "Evolving everyone could be a noble goal... but there's so much you're not telling me. These 'sacrifices'... what were they, and is it possible you're motivated less by necessity for others, and more by seeing success as the only way to justify past sins?" Staren takes a breath. Well, makes the sound of it, anyway. "You also haven't explained why the human race is doomed, or why evolution -- forceably -- into Orphenochs is the only answer." At this point Staren re-engages the human -- well, catboy -- disguise. Staren looks at Shinnosuke. "Okay, I was trying to go with the flow on this and not kill him, but you know what?" Staren scratches his chin. "That doesn't feel right either. What good will he accomplish, rotting in jail? If he's facing multiple life sentences, it sounds like even if he learns from the experience, he won't get to do anything as the better person he becomes. There's got to be a better answer." Staren turns back to Horne. "But before we can decide anything, we need the missing information. You may as well tell us everything."
Hamada Haru	Kamen Rider Tetra is, after a fashion, punished for his choice of approach. Deleting the moisture from the wood gets him sprayed with shrapnel, which seems to penetrate the up-front toughness he's had so far. The wood cascades across him in a great burst of sparks and he tumbles to the ground, a surprised cry escaping the man within the suit. He moves to get up quickly though, not nearly feeble enough that he would be deterred by the first instance of 'blood' being drawn on his part. But there's nothing more to do... The Tetra belt hums ominously, the center of it oscillating open of its own volition for the third time now. The eerie red gleam from within flashes, and something begins to emerge. It's Jacques Renault-- after a fashion. It is a ghostly form that is dragged out of the belt, screaming for a moment before it is silenced. It is silenced because it becomes the second Tetra that has been so characteristic of Kamen Rider Tetra's gimmicks and trickery. The seeming of Jacques Renault is flayed away, grotesquely though not in any tangible visceral way that might be witnessed at the tearing apart of a human body. It is re-sculpted into a ghostly simulacrum of Hamada Haru, around which a new set of the Tetra armor appears. The second Tetra presses the release to open his belt. DELETION PROTOCOL: BENJAMIN HORNE Kamen Rider Tetra-Beta becomes a smoky haze when the original Tetra moves forward to grab him and simply strides forward purposefully. It does not raise a hand to strike, or draw a weapon, or complete a kick. It cannot hurt the surroundings. It cannot hurt its allies. It cannot even hurt its original self. But the moment it steps "into" Benjamin Horne, there is no doubt in the slightest what will happen to him.
Staren	Staren takes this all to be Weird Kamen Rider Stuff at first. He's busy interrogating Horne. But when the second Tetra strides forward like that, Staren asks "Hey, what are you--" and then draws his laser pistol and fires. Light doesn't work. He tries to tackle, but the... ghost? Is intangible. Staren PROMISED. See, this is what happens when you promise. He shouldn't have! He knew he shouldn't have! Crouching nearby, Staren directs all drones to focus on the ghostly Tetra and on Horne, Staren watching tensely. If the AI doesn't come up with something in time... Staren's last hope is that this attack does not utterly destroy the Orphenoch, only fatally wound in a way that can be treated with immediate medical attention, assuming Staren can figure out how quickly enough, and others can somehow keep Hamada from just doing this again...
Xion	As Key Kaiser locks 'blades' - club against trunk, really - with the Tree Orphenoch, they press, and then smash, rake and clash, showers of sparks and ragged damage chunking away at the arms and chest of Xion's large mecha, having taken the fore and strongly pushed into the attack. She swings with intensity, lifting up both arms in a power stance. And the tree begs for parlay. The siren-like flashing lights at Key Kaiser's shoulders siren once-- But Xion can't just borrow someone's power and not feel their heart. Flashes of memory flicker before her, and with an emotive roar, brings the police bonk-ton down besides Horne. "This is why you can't care about people. Because you think only force is power, and since you're strong, you only have to think of yourself except under duress. Is a life sentence even good enough for you?!" And then, she sees Haru's Tetra, and the gruesome spectre of Tetra Beta emerge from the belt as the used-up ghost of Jacques Renault is twisted into a more useful shape. "Haru!" Xion shouts, her hands leaving the 'controls' of her mecha. The face opens horizontally, like a garage door opening, and Xion leaps free from the mecha to land on the lowered arm and baton-blade to slide down. "I won't let your belt choose--" "--against your will!" With a lunge at ground level, she sails through the air and pushes the tip of her blade forward until it finds purchase in the air, and the star-shaped comb turns with a soft ker-klick of unlocking and separation. "If we're all trying to stop it, then that's what we agreed!"
Tamamo	Tamamo engages in a very active form of defense, using the stack of talismans in her hands to intercept the falling, dry and brittle wood, bursting them into clouds of ash before they can reach her. She's not really fast enough to catch everything, and is looking just noticeably worse for wear when the clouds clear. But she is, still, a healer, among other talents. If only that could save her from cleaning soot from her hair. Readying herself for another round of it, she instead finds that Tomari is breaking out the cuffs. Visibly calming back down from that 'on edge' state, Tamamo takes a few moments to at least slightly clean herself up before going over to join him, and now take the chance to properly explain what she'd hinted at before. "Should it assist, I shall place upon Mr. Horne a geas, such that he will be bound by whatever rules are deemed appropriate. This does not require your agreement, Mr. Horne, though it does require you be aware of its terms, and your cooperation would be to your own benefit. The alternative is as I declared. Ah, to be specific, the penalty is 'burning.'" There's something Horne will find significant about that last declaration, like a lock clicking into place, or the sound of a gun cocking. If he's clever enough, he'll realize why: His awareness was a requirement. He is now aware of one piece of the curse. The rest would come, but Tamamo is distracted by seeing Hamada grab at an image of himself, that continues walking on, insubstantial as a ghost. She'd just told Xion about times like these, when she wished she had the time to think, to fully analyze what was in front of her, to make a calm decision with full benefit of all the knowledge that could be gained. She doesn't have that, so she can only act, knowing only that jumping in front of it won't do any good. She hasn't even had time to process the unwilling nature of this final attack, or to connect it to what had happened at the last fight she'd witnessed. She doesn't have time to think about whether Horne deserves her help. She can only reach out, triggering an old combat reflex from memories that aren't properly hers, from a future that happened to someone else, to draw the signs with the tips of her fingers, form the necessary array to project her will and her grasp, then plunge her hand through it, grab, twist, and pull. Whether it's a being, a ghost, a spirit, or even a curiously formed collection of mana, like a spell that had begun to take on its own life, it should still be something she can take away, and repurpose to her own ends. Not that she has any, at the moment, but the 'taking away' would be enough, even if she only weakens it. Even if she just slows it down. Charm: Spirit Theft
Go Shijima	"The King is recuperating," says Horne to Rin. "Healing, after an... unfortunate encounter. He's someplace the likes of you won't safely retrieve him--I believe 'total destruction of the self' was mentioned?" His tone is a little smug, for someone in his position. "I've told you plenty, Staren. But even if I told you everything, you wouldn't be able to stop this. The King can finalize the Orphenoch Evolution. Without his help, anyone who undergoes it risks a kind of genetic disintegration. But in order to do /that,/ he needs energy. How do living things get energy, Staren? They eat. Humans--unevolved humans--throughout the years, have always reacted to us with revulsion. What we see as evolution, they see as defects." He chuckles. "I've built quite a legacy here. Some might even say I /am/ Twin Peaks. But I can't control every person in it, can I? All it takes is for one person to act out of ignorance, and another mass crusade against us begins. So we, wisely, have chosen to remove that option from the unevolved masses, and force the evolution. Jerry, my brother, is out of town--he was going to be our next choice." Haru's belt activating of its own will causes him to roll onto his back, the hologram of him disappearing as he scrabbles backwards for purchase, or escape, or both. The soil on this side of the lake is too barren to support his tricks--and as tired as he is from fighting, that seems an impossible distance to cross. When Xion leaps forward, turning her key, the transformation is abruptly undone, Horne returning to his human form. His sharply tailored suit is dirtied by his exhausted retreat, but-- "Make whatever terms you want, just get that thing away from me!" Tamamo does exactly that... and Horne sighs with relief. "I'll take a jail sentence. I'll fully cooperate. I'll even hear the terms of her geas," says the businessman with a nod to Tamamo. "Whatever that one did to my abilities, it's not as if I can even run at this point, anyway."
Hamada Haru	CLICK Tetra Beta stops and turns its head when the tip of Xion's keyblade finds purchase against Tetra's belt. If it had something to say or try to do about it, it doesn't get the chance. Hamada Haru, who fell down and was just in the process of turning over, blinks as his previously thoroughly stuck driver whirrs violently shut and then unlocks, falling loosely from his body. Meanwhile-- Tamamo attempts to leech the spirit's underlying energy just before the de-transformation heralding its disappearance. It's no different from attempting the same on anyone else present who might happen to be a spirit of some kind-- damage is done, fragments drift away, but it is a powerful "mass" that would take much effort to put down. In this case, though, it feels... wrong. It is not a 'thing that could be spent', but 'a thing that already WAS spent', and this is what it was spent to do. It could, she would probably recognize, be put to multiple purposes. It could even give life again. Haru gets to his feet, nodding towards Xion. He doesn't say anything at first, milling around in place and slinging his belt over his shoulder, apparently unwilling to re-transform for the moment. He does tap a wristwatch similar to the one he had while transformed, causing a distant rumble to herald the approach of his motorcycle. //Make whatever terms you want, just get that thing away from me!// The dull, distant expression on Haru's face sharpens. He gestures loosely towards Horne, "If you're not prepared to face such things, you never had any business doing the things you do."
Hellwarming Trio	Utsuho: "Two Tetras now? Shit... Which one do I shoot?!" Rin: "Wha... Neither! I think we got this figured out! Maybe!" Utsuho: "Seriously? I didn't get to do anything cool last time, either..." Utsuho lets out an irritated noise as she absorbs that energy, drawing the excess into her control rod and letting it cycle through it and herself a few times until the glowing finally stops. She's still going to be steaming (literally) for a little while, but she's safe to look at again as she comes back down to the ground. Better yet, answers are provided, and Haru's belt mishap appears to have been resolved! Somehow. Neither Utsuho nor Rin made any attempts or dives to even look like they were going to stop it, although they do look relieved at the disabled Orphenoch not getting utterly destroyed by the remnants of Jacques. Not that they're even aware that's what happened, but it's a relief nonetheless even if they don't understand. Utsuho: "So... Where's that leave us now?" Rin: "We got Horny under wraps. Aren't we done here?" Utsuho: "What? No. I'm supposed to be the one forgetting stuff. What about BOB?" Rin: "Oh yeah. What about BOB?" They both turn to Horne, then shrug. "Meh. Someone else can handle the Q and A. But you better thank Teacher for getting you out of here alive. Better not do anything to screw up again, either." Utsuho narrows her eyes at Benjamin while gesturing at Shinnosuke with her head. Utsuho: "If you do, we're coming back for you." Rin: "Hell always needs more fuel~"
Staren	Tears well up in Staren's eyes. He promised. He didn't have the power to back it up. That's what he gets for trying to talk like a hero. He's relieved that Tamamo and Xion are somehow able to stop it. It's a better way for things to end. But as far as Staren's promise, it doesn't really matter. A promise kept only by luck doesn't mean anything. Staren sniffles. And then he pushes these thoughts down and stands up, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve. It's a robot body, so he can surpress its emotional indicators, speaking plainly: "You eat what. Humans?" Staren shakes their head. "Unacceptable. Also, unnecessary. You showed that today, you took nutrients from the soil. This is the Multiverse, there are things of which you haven't dreamt. If Orphenochs have been forced to prey on humanity to survive, then they now have a choice to work towards an alternative. Energy is energy. There are other foods, and renewable, magic, and nuclear sources provide plenty of power. If they do not wish to work towards a peaceful future... that is on them." Staren takes a breath, looking around at the group emotionlessly and then back at Horne. "If Orphenochs are to be the reason that humanity's time has come, you will find yourselves to be insufficient to cause such a change. Here I thought you were offering to save people from some environmental disaster or something. And if there's a problem finding the resources for even a few Orphenochs to survive... then any promise to 'uplift' all of humanity was false." Staren glances at Shinnosuke and Tamamo. "I'm pretty sure they allow you to send letters from jail. If I've got any of this wrong, please explain, and I'll fact-check. If you really want to help others... you still have a chance to do some good."
Tamamo	The moment of action is past, and a moment to think again presents itself. First, the fragments of spirit stolen from Tetra Beta. Tamamo holds them in her hand, held together like a foxfire, a ghostly light. She retrieves a small, braided rope with her other hand, no more than a bracelet in size, and when she closes her hand around to squeeze it, the light disappears. There is some small possibility this will come up again. But other matters demand attention, and Haru is leaving. Tamamo questions, but does nothing to stop him. Her attention returns to Horne, and the thoughts that had been interrupted. She speaks. "I do not know what makes a man 'good,' nor am I certain what makes a man 'bad.' It can be described, and I do not disagree with Xion's words. But a geas is like a law, and a law cannot command a heart to be generous, nor compassionate." Her voice lined with exhaustion, "Oh, if only it were otherwise. Humans would be far simpler, then. And, I suppose, we would have never met." Tamamo pronounces the remaining terms of the geas. "You will follow all orders given by officer Shinnosuke Tomari, for the duration of his Twin Peaks investigation." Tamamo sets down her mirror (by removing her attention from it) and claps her hands together. At the sound, the curse is placed. Horne now has an intuitive understanding of its terms, though he'll have to be sure to remember. One can be tricked into breaking a geas, and the punishment for doing so is never waived. She faces Tomari. "With this, you may trust he will make no attempt to circumvent any order given to him, whether he is held or watched or neither. In turn, please be careful with your words. I believe you more than worthy of my trust in this matter, that you would not abuse lives held in your hand. Should the verdict against him require such a talent as this, I shall provide my services, once more. Ah, to be clear, this is a special case. If it were not for the question of his daughter's well-being in this, I would wish no relation to those courts." It's not necessarily the case that triggering the penalty would mean Horne's death, if he managed to regain the strength he'd started the fight with, but Tamamo isn't mentioning that.
Xion	Tired, Xion rises to a posing stance, sweeping out her blade. X Emperor (Pronounced Key Kaiser) completes the same motion, drawing up its bonk-baton before disappearing into a haze of cubes that pop like soapbubbles as the energy of the combined medallions give out. Xion likewise releases her sword, an old iron key with a browncord ring remaining in her hand as the full blade disappears. "That... was a lot..." She pants, standing up. "If everyone wants something... but with different ideals, if they beg for that decision to be made, then I'll be the hero of those hearts." To Kamen Rider Drive, Xion's hotrod red hoodie'd arm outstretches, and she deposits the iron key in his hands. "The key will unlock his orphenoch powers again. The lock is made from forgiveness, and the key turns with the words 'Benjamin, help me with your powers'." Xion's face doesn't have the energy for an empty smile - just a flat look. "I suggest, if you'd rather not hold onto it, give it to the daughter you'd like to be his keeper. I did this for you, Kamen Rider Drive. Because you asked." Staren clenches their hands and cries soulfully. "... and it would be careless of me to commit a harm on all of you because I disagreed. You can hold the key in your hands, Tomari Shinnouske. I'm sure you know what turning the ignition again means." Passing Haru, Xion bumps his forearm with hers. "If you get into another fight, call me. I'll keep pulling that thing off of you until you can destroy it."
Shinnosuke Tomari	As Xion hands Drive the iron key, he looks at it, looks at her flat look, and nods, a genuinely thoughtful expression on his face. "I understand. Thank you. I'll hold onto this, for now." He's not going to press her. She's clearly had a lot taken out of her. And then, Drive shifts back into Shinnosuke Tomari, pockets the key for now until he decides what to do with it, and nods to Haru as he leaves. He's not bothering him, either. He's clearly having issues. Instead, he turns to Utsuho and Rin. "So! Good work. You need to be slightly less murderously threatening, but I'm proud of you two. Sincerely." He's taking them for pizza afterwards, because they deserve it.
Hamada Haru	"Not that I mind, but why?" Haru asks, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets and turning to follow the trail of Xion's movement. His motorcycle comes up alongside him, and he hucks the Tetra driver into the floorboard of the sidecar with, perhaps, a little too much force.
Xion	Xion works through stretching both arms out before jamming both hands in her pockets and slouching. "Because if you need help, I'm able to provide it. I know you've got it under control, but if you need help fighting because you'd rather use a lesser, safer power? I'll be there to help you fight. If you'd rather use the more dangerous power... I can help you not kill anyone you don't intend to. It's easier to fight alongside allies. Haven't you figured that out yet, Kamen Rider?"
Staren	Staren has re-transformed and sat down to start repairing his jet-boots, when he freezes at a thought. If Horne is being cagey, that's EXACTLY what one of Staren's analysis AIs is for. He sends back all the data, with more detail than a human can see or hear or consciously pick up on, about Horne's body language, tone of voice when speaking, etc, to determine what was true, whether there were deliberate misleading attempts... and what Horne's general intentions are, re: a world where everyone is uplifted to an orphenochs.
Hellwarming Trio	Rin: "Aw. We were just doing the good cop bad cop thing." Utsuho: "Doesn't that need a good cop, though?" Rin: "Well.. YEAH, but that's what Teacher's for." Either way, the two junior detectives grin brightly at the praise, and they're certain to report the good news back home once they're done here. And also once they're done with the pizza.
Hamada Haru	"Haven't I?" Haru wonders at Xion, shrugging. He's not intrinsically opposed to the idea, but something about it grates on him a decent distance beneath his surface thoughts and feelings. "That whole business working out versus not working out is around fifty-fifty for me at the moment. Not... the greatest odds."
Staren	Staren gets the analysis. It was truthful, Horne is just selfish, wanting a place of prestige in the new world and projecting his own desires onto his daughter. But would making more orphenochs help people, and can this dream coexist with those who want to stay human? Ugh, it always gets complicated. Staren has a lot to think about as they walk back to the bike. If allowed, some drones are left to watch Horne until he's safely at a Paladin facility. The rest are recalled to Staren as he cuts open the wreckage of the hovercycle, sticks the most valuable parts in his bag, then uses scans of the thrusters to quick-fabricate parts for himself more optimized for a lengthy, non-combat journey at high speed, warps them on, and takes off towards the warpgate at a couple hundred miles per hour.