Scene #7659: KRE: The White Grasshopper

Owner	Pose
Reliant	THE WORLD OF KAMEN RIDER EMERGENCY FUTO CITY SUNSET MUSIC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rRv9gDalVg The location that the White Grasshopper offered is an office building in the middle of the city. To the extent that it's noteworthy, Futo City is known for its clean power sources, and its most treasured landmark is Futo Tower, a great windmill which presently stands still. The time, of course, is now. There's something curious about the timing, however: The White Grasshopper gave a time that was sure to be a bit late. Anyone approaching from a distance, early, would see a woman in tan business attire and a man in a black suit with a white scarf bearing a red circle talking to one another. It looks normal enough at a glance, until the very end. The man wears a dismayed expression while the woman dons a belt. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the drivers worn by Kamen Riders, but it's more plain by far-- a plain steel color with a bronze center, which receives the USB drive-like device that the woman is carrying. Those close enough can hear the announcement of TABOO quite clearly. The form that the woman assumes is nothing like that of a Kamen Rider, however. It has a crudely stitched together appearance, with a completely fused together lower body, relying on flight for ambulation. An unfinished seam down the middle of black-and-red halves bears golden-yellow bows that keep the body together, but a red line of some inner padding material is visible in oval-shaped gaps. An eye located at the very bottom of the body suggests that the red material is intended to be the connections between the eye and brain. The upper body is more humanlike, though in a Frankenstein's Monster sort of way. Its arms are stitched together in different colors, with clawed fingertips, and a skull-shaped shoulderpad. Its neck is collared and head is eyeless, instead flaring upwards in a series of strawlike protrusions with a grotesque ornament at the center. A pink-fleshed face and hints of a nose exist, though the mouth has visible stitchings. There's really not time to take in her grotesque appearance however, because she immediately whips an enormous orb of energy towards the man standing across from her.
Ein	EARLIER: "I'm a here-to-stay Kamen Rider," said the White Grasshopper. The dark-haired man in a working professional's black jacket and tie rolls his eyes, leaning forward with both hands stuffed into his jacket's pockets. The pair stand in a dark alley, lit only from the street. "Listen. Everyone around here, they call themselves 'Kamen Rider'. Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider... It's all I hear. Well, you know what? I'm a 'Kamen Rider' too." Pulling his right hand out of his pocket, jamming his thumb into his upper collar. "But I make my own rules, whoever you are. If you're here to stay, why can't you--" His phone starts vibrating, and he pulls it out of his inside jacket pocket with a quick flick. "This is Isamu. Douglas, it's a little after-hours, don't you--" Fuwa's eyes widen. "A white hopper... huh?" He breathes, immediately more focused on the 'man' before him. "Right." "X can't make it because of a Hunter operation. Right." "I'll see what I can do." NOW: Isamu Fuwa, who looks like every anime scruffy agent-man in his black pants, black belt, black shoes, black jacket, black tie, and white shirt, takes one look a Taboo's grotesquerie and draws a blue casette-like device from his jacket with one hand, and readies a gunbelt around his waist with the other, the buckle and large blue blaster centered on his waist. He holds up the key, thumbing the front face of it with a clear practiced exertion. "Normally I only handle Special AI Law violations..." He depresses the casette's stud, which announces BULLET, and flicks open the face to slot it into his blaster and draw. Over a loop of 'KAMEN - RIDER - KAMEN - RIDER', Fuwa watches Taboo's deathball charge up, and aims his blaster at Taboo's rooftop menacing energy. "... but since it's off-hours, I'll make an exception." He pulls the trigger as the explosion races towards him. "Henshin!" A high-tech bullet fires out into the detonation with a declarative SHOTRISE. Fuwa, having not thought this through at all, immediately eats shit diving away from the explosion primarily tanked by Mashin Chaser as the blaster bullet does a harassment orbit of Taboo before connecting with Fuwa and encasing him in a blue-white wolf themed armor. Which helpfully names itself: 'SHOOTING WOLF' (pronounced 'WU-ru-fu')
Kale Hearthward	Kale arrives at the appointed time, at the appointed place. "Futo, city of winds... my sort of place," he says to himself, as he heads in. "... Oh, another kamen rider," he concludes, on seeing the belt. This is going to be a nice pleasant meeting. It turns out to not be a nice pleasant meeting. The hawk reacts a little too late to the energy orbs being flung out, and gets winged by it (pun not intended) - and in the process of trying to get clear he dives off the roof! This is, of course, not a problem, as he flies back up a moment later - a belt buckle featuring a red curtain attached to a sliding lever. "Right - not a Kamen Rider," he says, clicking the belt into place as he settles back on the edge of the roof. "Henshin!" He yanks the curtain open. THE TAKE ^ ^ STAGE! by force KAMEN RIDER E N C O R E "Opening act, stage directions: Step away from him and drop the driver!" he calls, and doesn't wait for her to respond - he's throwing an orb of his own, in the form of a fireball-esque pressure bomb.
Qulan Kahkol	A strange dream had given Qulan a feeling to go somewhere. Instead of the fully armored get-up, she is actually here in civilian clothing, though perhaps a bit dated. A black shirt with a white part in the middle that seems ruffled. The shirt ends with more white frills on the end extending past the midriff and hanging over the waist. The shirt ends in cuffs, revealing a slightly different red color underneath, to offset the blue color of the shirt. Long black pants settle into a pair of boots that would look more at home with someone who's used to walking through snow. It was right at the moment she opened the door to the roof (with others?) and the blast came down. Damn, are they too late? The only thing she could do was brace against the attack and look for retaliation. When the blast clears the outfit she was wearing was gone, and instead is dark armor. In her hands, a giant sword is held. The helmet was up, her eyes looking right towards TABOO. Assuming someone else had gone to save the poor son of a bitch who was at the center of that attack, she instead aimed to close the distance between the two of them. The sword in question glowing with a strange heat haze, absorbing light and giving it a sort of 'staring at a black hole' feel. The blade swings down, causing a bit of that energy to swing off behind it aiming to try and cleave through the monster. "Well well, seems we caught ourselves someone trying to commit a murder," She says, the blade extending out in a motion to indicate she's here to protect the victim, but then it points right towards TABOO. "I am the Dark Knight, Qulan Kahkol, here to defend those who can't defend themselves. Keep trying to kill this man, and I'll instead give you what you are trying to give him." The helmet closes, but those red eyes glow underneath. "Now, time to cash out your sins, pretty lady!"
Rita Ma	It's sort of rude to show up early, isn't it? I should've gotten a better clock... Should I be eavesdropping on these people? That can't be why we were told show up, right? Rita doesn't look like an perfectly ordinary girl today, because she doesn't look like anything, because she's invisibly hiding behind a rooftop AC unit and restlessly twiddling her thumbs. When the woman transforms, she has to clap both hands over her mouth to keep from audibly gasping in shock. A human who transforms into a monster... I don't know what to do. Should I fight her like a person or not? Is it okay to eat her, or not? ... No, think. That man is in danger! Rita vaults over the AC unit when the monster conjures up its deadly energy ball, shimmering into visibility as a perfectly ordinary girl at last. "No! Please, stop! This isn't right!" She's engulfed by the explosion. She unravels in strips like a hollow mummy and fades away, a mimic-tentacle decoy. The real Rita, now uncloaked, lunges out from behind her cover and swipes at the monster's back with an invisible razor-sharp tentacle from ten feet away. The blow is impeccably precise, but shallow. If words won't work, I'll just have to taste her blood to make sure.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Shinnosuke Tomari arrives at the scene, even if Futo isn't his jurisdiction. An office building rooftop. A man is about to be killed. The sleep paralysis Kamen Rider had given him a mission, and he wasn't going to let a fellow ally die, no matter what jurisdiction it was. It doesn't matter if he's in anguish over a friend. He has to fight. But he's not fast enough to intercept the orb. Thank god Chase is here, as the energy backblasts off into him as a MAP ATTACK, slowing Tomari with pain and forcing him to roll. He grabs the Drive Driver, slides in the Type Speed Shift Car, and initiates. "Henshin!" DRIVE! Type -- Speed! A tire flies up onto the roof, connecting to the red and black Kamen Rider's shoulder, going down diagonally. Car-like in theme. Kamen Rider Drive is here. "I'd say you're under arrest, but this really isn't my place to call those shots. So instead, leave him alone!" Kamen Rider Drive rushes at Taboo with a justice-filled elbow swinging with super speed, moving to stagger her and realign her focus. This is followed by a flurry of fists, trying to hurt her as badly as possible and limit her mobility with high-precision footwork and jabs.
Zephyrman	Holy shit! There's almost no time for John to even transform, let alone do his speech. The Gale Whistler's in his mouth before he can even start. He's moving at a run. They'd been given a time, a place, a goal, and, most importantly, someone to save. The woman becomes TABOO. The ball of destruction comes whirling from her hands. The Gale Whistler's song erupts. There's a gust of wind, all too appropriate in this city, all too fitting, that whips around John just at the impact point. It's enough to save his life - a second later and he'd've straight up died from the hit, untransformed, even with Chase soaking most of the damage. After all, he's a normal human being without the Gale Whistler. As it is he can feel some blood running down his face, but nevermind that. Zephyrman emerges from the cyclone, scarf fluttering to a standstill. Zephyrman snaps his hand outward. The Gale Whistler ignites. The beam saber hums amidst the wind. "The wind calls the name of my soul..." "ZEPHYRMAN!" He swings the beam saber like he's done this all his life. Slash, slash, slash - three times, three gusts of cutting wind that carve up the roof and carve through the air.
Hibiki Tachibana	'There's a Kamen Rider who will die if no one helps him at this time and place...' That's something she'd never let happen. Not if there's something she could do about it. The White Grasshopper's words didn't feel like they were anything less than truthful, mysterious as he was. And thus... Hibiki hits the scene in Futo running - literally - ascending to the rooftop only just in time to catch the tail end of the conversation between the two. When the man's expression changes for the worse, some kind of disagreement must have occurred--and a belt comes out. For a split second, it's easy to imagine that the tan-clad woman was the Kamen Rider mentioned. But it's anything but. And not just because of appearances, severely messed-up as it is. Even more importantly than looks, they wouldn't be the one to throw massive balls of pain first, at an untransformed opponent. Or be so ridiculously wanton with the splash damage from their attack. "Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron...!" Golden light bursts out and breaks against the explosion, making it part around her...and then vanishes when it's passed, leaving Hibiki clad in her Symphogear - and bursting forward into a sprint, that then becomes a spinning roundhouse kick aimed at Taboo's back. The momentum keeps her going past, skidding to a stop a short distance away as her fists come up and at the ready. "...Sorry. No Kamen Riders are getting killed today. You should really think of a better way to work out your problems."
Chase	BREAK UP! TUNE - CHASER SPIDER! There's no time to think. No time to take in the situation. The moment the ball is thrown, Chase whips out and slams the Break Gunner into his palm while also inserting a Viral Core. His armor flies onto him in streaks of purple, and a large shield-like object bolts itself onto the arm holding his transformation weapon. Planting himself firmly between the Death Ball and the person being aimed at, Mashin Chaser takes the attack head on, his weaponized arm raised as he uses it to help tank the attack. Despite the fact that they don't budge, there's a flurry of sparks flying off his armor, leaving it noticeably singed and smoking. "Leave." Bringing the Break Gunner back up to his hand again, he briefly presses into the nozzle once more before pointing the weapon back at the Dopant. GUN He then pulls the trigger, releasing a flurry of purple beams aimed directly at the kaijin's chest.
Candy	Last night was a strange one. It's not every day someone manages to find Candy right after a job. When strange things happen, he pays attention. He loves the strange, the unusual, the odd. And he loves people. Well, here I am. Got no idea what the fuck that guy was talking about--but I don't want nobody to die because I couldn't get off my ass. The buzz of an early twentieth century motorcycle prevents him from hearing the word TABOO. He gets the picture well enough, when the woman in tan transforms into a stitched-together monster. When the energy orb is created-- Time stops. She's not wasting any time, ah? That's gotta be the guy he was talking about. Shit... he's so close to her, I dunno what else I can do. Candy dismounts the motorcycle. The odd rectangular kickstand is pulled back from the rear wheel, then pushed beneath and in front of it. He needs to get up there, get that guy from harm's way and give him a fighting chance. An instant--for whatever it may mean in this frozen time--passes, and Candy is atop the roof. Fuwa's dive is displayed in dramatic relief against the blinding light of the explosion blocked by Chase. When shit's back, that thing is gonna knock me off my feet. Long as I stay low... Time resumes. -A slight disturbance at the ground floor, as if someone had hidden something in one of the decorative features. -The man who would be blasted, save Chase's intervention, finds his jacket is weighed down. An amber bottle with labeling that looks like it was stolen from a WWI field hospital. REGENERAL, it reads. -Tucked into his collar is a playing card with a note: BLINK. So long as he holds that card, the would-be victim can make short range teleports to avoid harm. -Candy appears, lying prone. The force of the blast hurls him across the rooftop like a stone skipped across a pond. He hits the AC unit near Rita with enough force to crunch it, spitting out an angry curse. As he rises, Candy's scrapes and bruises from the brutal impact begin healing, darkened skin and drawn blood vanishing as if erased. Wiping a spot of blood from his lip, "You hit like an old geezer," he says. "How 'bout some music, old timer?" In a cloud of smoke, strange lights dance. When the wind blows, it reveals a light machine gun mounted on a bipod, with a circular pan magazine affixed atop it. The RM20--also known as 'Mendoza's record player' for its iconic pan magazine--was the workhorse of the revolution on Candy's world, the product of a gunsmith who lost her sister to the the brutality of president-for-life Ibanez. He'll need it, for the kind of firepower this monster can wield. Short, controlled bursts. Every time Rita and the Riders have to fade their offense to avoid one of the monster's strikes, there's a rapid, aggressive bark from the weapon as it kicks in his hands. 7.62mm rimmed rounds ought to pack plenty of punch, in the absence of any energy balls of his own to toss.
Reliant	BGM SWITCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJb91dBgYAc There are some things that you just can't account for in your plans. A temporal-hopping weirdo telling everyone where you're going to commit a murder is one of those. //Leave.// "And just... what business is this of yours, Roidmude?" Taboo demands. She would look absolutely bewildered if she wasn't a floating doll thing-- at her attack being abruptly intercepted by Mashin Chaser and a crowd a bit over half a dozen. There's not a lot of time to wonder though, because GUN is asserted. A hiss if annoyance follows, a wave of her hand bringing up a semi-transparent red barrier that softens the incoming blow substantially, though it still draws a shower of sparks. Taboo finds herself under attack from all sides. To call her equal to is... probably isn't correct. Her eyes fix on FUWA and his particular manner of transformation, and even as she tries to mount a defense the SHOTRISE bullet cracks through the shield and strikes her in the chest. "W-why... is AIMS in Futo?!" She shouts, incensed. This fact is apparently distracting enough that she doesn't even have the presence of mind to raise a defense against Encore's pressure bomb, and gets blasted halfway across the rooftop by its intensity, gouts of sparks racing all over her body. Qulan delivers a sweeping blow that elicits a similar pronounced burst of sparks, but doesn't cleave "through" Taboo, and is soon followed by Rita's attack-- whereupon Rita is exposed to the knowledge that this thing doesn't really have //blood//. This doesn't stop her from sampling it anyway, but it's more like extracting data that happens to take the form of life energy. The answer to her question is that the belt Taboo is wearing filters the possibility of becoming a monster just because you're using it. Taboo is just a shitty person. //Please, stop! This isn't right!// "THIS," Taboo practically spits through the fog, "IS THE PREROGATIVE OF THE MUSEUM!" An arc of crimson-and-black slashes through the air and smoke, traveling along a path that sweeps through Qulan, Rita, and Kale. It doesn't have the sheer, directed murderousness of the deathball towards an untransformed human, but it's still a nasty bit of work. Injured though she obviously is, Taboo is more prepared for Zephyrman, Hibiki, and Tomari, weaving out of the way of the former two and keeping a bit ahead of the latter-- though not so much that he doesn't get a few good hits in. Taboo twists in place, flinging a trio of energy spheres towards Chase, Vulcan, and Candy as she's peppered by the former's regular fire, while sweeping her bizarre tail-like lower body towards Zephyrman, Hibiki, and Shinnosuke in a wide circle that is painful but probably intended to get them to go away more than to inflict serious debilitating damage.
Reliant	The man who has been assembled around staggers back from the fray, blinking at the awareness of something in his pocket that wasn't here before. Kirihiko pulls out the bottle of REGENERAL and takes it immediately for no apparent reason. "The Driver-- it's hers to begin with," Kirihiko corrects one of the demands made, reaching into his other pocket and drawing out his own USB stick. He does not, however, seem to be able to make the decision to use it.
Shinnosuke Tomari	The tail-like kick pushes Kamen Rider Drive, but he barely staggers. "Let's heat things up." He grabs a Shift Car off his bracer, and slides it in, flipping it once. Tire Change! -- Max Flare! His tire is replaced, another orange fiery one flying up and smashing into his torso. His fists are engulfed with fire, as he speeds forward, moving for one jab to the chest, and then using footwork once again to sidestep, moving for an uppercut to the jaw rapidly. The flaming fists burn brightly, even if this isn't a proper finisher. Adachi taught him he can't Full Throttle this early. "I don't care about your Museum! I'm helping an ally of justice!"
Kale Hearthward	"Hmfh!" Kamen Rider Encore rushes forward through the explosion. He can tank it! Kamen Rider Encore cannot tank it. "Such- overwhelming power," he says, once the pyrotechnics have cleared. He's on one knee down on the ground, trying to catch his breath through the beak-shaped helmet. "What is she..." He reaches down and yanks the curtain to the left. INTERMISSION Then he stands back up, drawing one of his swords, bringing the hilt up to the helmet's beakplate and blowing through it in a way that's wholly original and unique and isn't being featured in any upcoming Kamen Rider series at all. The sword unfolds, forming a spiral shape, and starting to rev up like a drill. "I think it's time we bring this act to a close," he says as he lifts up into the air once again, yanking on the curtain lever with his free hand. ACT UP ACT TWO "Stage direction: you regret playing your strongest hand so early! FINAL ACT STRIKE!" He jets forward and downward, drill sword outthrust, trying to simply tear straight through Taboo with it!
Qulan Kahkol	Slashes come, but Qulan welcomes the attack. In fact, one might expect she's suddenly and completely insane. Her heat haze of dark-like energy continues to build and when those slashes come, even when the sparks fly and she goes rolling across the roof she continues to BUILD. Getting to her feet after a moment, another set of slashes would rain, but those get smacked away by the large sword. She stabs the weapon into the roof, before she.. Arches back, four pools of darkness surround her before jotting her body with looks like lightning blasts. The power courses through her body before she settles down and grabs the weapon. Those eyes, now burning red dots that glow outside of her armor focus right on Taboo. "Hurting and killing is the prerogative of your organization huh?" She says, then dives forward. She easily clears the space between them in a single jump. The blade comes high, attempting to knock her to the ground before she comes down like a meteor on top. Her blade swings, in succession, aiming to break through those defenses, but this time there is more restraint in her swing. Not for fear of her life, but because something is building. Taboo can feel that Qulan's building power from the pain she's getting. She's trading her own well-being for power. Though the man explains. It's hers, and not something clouding her judgment. "Ah good, so you do this of your own free will...this means I don't have to hold back. Death to those who feed on the suffering of others!"
Zephyrman	Ah... Hell. Taboo is fast. She's fast, and she's clever, and she's angry, and she's powerful. All of those things together make this so different from every other fight John's been in so far. So far, he's fought giant monsters. He's fought things that are more suited for HurriKaiser than himself, big and bulky and strong and mostly unintelligent. Captain Hook's ship needed to be held down by HurriKaiser; all of the giant monsters C had sent them after had been better dealt with by hitting them with HurriKaiser's fist than the Gale Whistler's blade. This is completey different. This is something malevolent. Someone malevolent. It was someone with a directed will behind that power, not a wild beast lashing out or a man looking to die. This is a monster with a will. A smart monster. He couldn't just swing wildly. He couldn't just call up HurriKaiser - that'd put the building at risk, and anyone inside. So he had to take a risk on himself, right? Outmaneuver by doing things the other side wouldn't expect. The engines whirr. The sound of jets roars as Zephyrman goes surging forward into Taboo's attack. It hits him dead-on. The sparks explode across the area. Zephyrman spins- -forward, because of the momentum. He spins forward at a ludicrous speed, and the Gale Whistler suddenly ignites as he passes by the woman at speeds much, much faster than he could normally move. As he falls off the other side of the building, of course, he whips around, straightening himself out and rising into the air. Zephyrman flits back to the other side and lands next to Kirihiko, raising the Gale Whistler. "...are you going to give up the dreams of your childhood just to die like this? I don't know what those dreams are...but I don't think they were dying on a roof, uncertain and unwilling, afraid of what tomorrow holds." "Don't let your dreams disappear without even putting up a fight. And don't make us fight to defend something you don't even have the will to protect." "And smile!" John gives him a thumbs-up with his free hand. "We're here to help you. So stop looking so worried, and just smile!"
Hibiki Tachibana	Taboo is fast on the uptake. Even harassed by this many people, she's still holding up--and the retaliations are no joke either. "Rita...! Qulan!" She only gets a moment to call off towards her allies getting the worst of it when she's forced to move to deal with her own - looking back just in time to kick back, which is just a little too slow to stop her from getting belted in the side. The magical girl flies back, tumbles across the rooftop a few times, but pushes her hands against the surface and flips to her feet before she reaches the edge. "The museum...?" After an exhale, she glances in Kirihiko's direction; he's okay. But that stick, just like Taboo's...he's hesitating to use it. Maybe that means... Hibiki's head snaps back towards Taboo, and her eyes narrow. "...Then if you want to fulfill it, you better be prepared for all of us to stop you!" Her armored boots brace down, and she launches forward at full speed to close the distance that had been lost. She's fast. And she's going to be back in close range of Taboo in the span of a moment. Where her speed is put first into a knee strike, that'll then become a backwards spin and an extension of her leg that'll smash into Taboo's head. "Hah...!" She's left flipping back airborne after that. Only to come down with an axe kick, to smash her heel straight down from above to try and floor her.
Rita Ma	Rita fades back into stealth a moment after launching her opening tentacle attack, but she's still easy to track: audible footfalls race away in one direction, kicking up little plumes of rooftop gravel. The arc of energy slices right through where she's standing- -and meets with nothing but a stray, disposable cloaked tentacle. Each time, escalate by one layer. I was invisible last time, so this time she'd expect that. Faked footfalls are the next step up. Rita hangs off the edge of the building, gripping the rooftop's lip with a white-knuckled hand. She licks the tentacle that landed her opening blow, slurping off the strange data-like essence. It courses through her, as warm and welcome as any other feast, but... An energy attack. No surprises there. And I've learned my lesson about using a monster's ability against it, so that doesn't help me. And I can taste a hint of humanity in there, still...! Kicking off the side of the building and vaulting herself back up onto the roof with superhuman strength, Rita leaps above the battlefield, briefly silhouetted against the sun. This body wants to kill her, and she's awful enough that I wouldn't feel bad, but... no, I want to see if there's a different solution. Killing someone like that in front of Hibiki and John- I'd feel awful. She descends not with tooth or claw, but with her leg outstretched in a super-strength kick aimed right for Taboo's head. Her tentacles lash out to stab into the rooftop like grappling pitons, accelerating her towards the ground at turbo speed in time with the kick!
Chase	"I was asked to come here, and now I see why." Mashin Chaser does not elaborate further. Instead, he charges forward, weapon arm raised. The second ball of energy slams into the weird, misshapen buckler on his arm, creating another fireworks display that threatens to jostle the armor plating off his body. It doesn't however, and the Grim Reaper is still charging at them. Bringing the Break Gunner back up to his hand, the roidmude slams his palm into the barrel once more, this time holding it until there's a confirmation noise. EXECUTION Power begins audibly and visibly building up in Mashin Chaser's punch shield, and he jumps towards the Dopant. FULL BREAK - SPIDER! A giant spider-like energy projection sprouts off the shield, which is then brought down and slammed into Taboo in a cutting motion. As they land, they slash the energy beam to the side to slash again, before finishing with a forward thrust. Rather than pierce though, the pincers on the spider clamp shut, crushing the Kaijin Rider's waist violently before exploding.
Candy	Museum? Candy spits contemptously, squeezing the trigger once more. Four round burst. 31 left in the pan. "You were gonna kill this guy for a building full of stolen shit?" Another one of those energy things--smaller, this time. Candy's taking cover behind the dented AC unit he'd crashed into. At least, he is until the orb alarmingly flies over his cover. In an instant, Candy simply /isn't./ Should be 27 rounds left--FUCK, that thing's still after me! On the opposite end of the rooftop, Candy squeezes the trigger. Four more barks of the gun, four more kicks in his arms as if it were an animal straining to get free. He disappears again, causing the orb to dip under Tomari's flying tire as it relentlessly pursues him. Gonna wear myself out fighting this way--she don't got as many tricks as me but she hits lke a truck. Time stops. Boys, I need some help with this one. Her guns, they have a lot more oomph than I can whip up. Mortar! Mortar! You haven't used the mortar. Thisss far up? On a building? That'sss a ssstupid idea. If he wanted her dead-- He doesn't. He just wants her to stop. Luckily, we have the perfect solution for that. Think back, Candelario--back to when the boy from Jalisco came to visit. Do you remember when he kicked dirt in your food? Ho ho! Do I ever. I played that son of a bitch a little chin music that day, didn't I. Quite. Look closely, boy. There's someone here whose... methodology matches yours. No--not the riders. Not Rita. Yes! That's it. Ms. Battering Ram, you call her. There's an art to her movements you haven't noticed. She throws her full weight into every swing, but it's far from clumsy. All you need is some time to study her. And... maybe a little more brute strength. Time resumes. -There are two Candies. -One of them doesn't quite look the same. His gun sounds convincing--but the energy ball isn't fooled, and flies towards the real one, throwing him into the air. -There's a sound of footsteps circling around Hibiki. Lots of them. Candy (the real one) lands beside the man in the suit, getting to his feet. "This," he says, holding out the gun, "Or that," with a nod towards that USB stick. "Or get yourself clear with that card I gave you. No more gawking, suit!" He vanishes again. This time, he's in the middle of Taboo's shit, firing almost point blank with it. Aiming at her feet. 23. 19. Then in a surprise attack, the butt of the gun is whipped abruptly towards her stomach, and Candy attempts to follow up with a vicious headbutt. The gun (safety on so as not to inadvertently murder the man he's trying to help) suddenly disappears from his hands, flying through the air in a clean arc towards him. Now Candy's fighting bare handed. Dukes up, blinking inches at a time to avoid Taboo's strikes, and following up on openings with light jabs that hit harder than his appearance should suggest. A right cross, a left hook aimed at her temple. "Take that damn thing off or we're gonna knock your lights out!"
Ein	'W-why... is AIMS in Futo?!' Firing a few shots on the run, Fuwa Isamu -- Kamen Rider Vulcan -- leaps across the roof in a shooting stance. "I just told you. I'm covering for a co-worker." "It doesn't matter whose town it is, or whose jurisdiction it is." "I make my own rules! And when I'm off the clock, I don't take orders from a flying sausage." Fuwa shouts, tracking the tracing shots thrown his way from a crouched shooting positon, firing resolutely into the attacks to defuse them. "So why don't you--AAAARGH!" Blasted off the roof by an explosion, he tumbles clear as Rita and Hibiki make their approaches. From the lip of the grating on the roof, Vulcan grabs the lip and holds on, dangling off the side of the roof and looking down. Holstering his blaster pistol at the center of his belt, he heaves himself up panting-in-armor, and draws himself up as the others converge. "Just a passing through Kamen Rider... And a here-to-stay Kamen Rider... Museum... Metsuboujinrai.net... There's nothing that puts you outside of my jurisdiction! Taboo!" Drawing an axe-muzzled shotgun-like weapon out, he slides out the opened Bullet key and presses the switch again, to a loud BULLET. "If you think 'why are YOU here' will stop me from saving someone in front of me from someone like you, you're wrong!" Slotting the key into the axe musket 'grip', another plastic object voice announces Progrise Key Confirmed - Ready For Buster from the new weapon. Hibiki and Rita's twinned 'rider kicks' axe and streak down. "It's just not your day, Museum." Depressing the trigger, a large Wave (e)Motion Cannon beam twists the roof as it fires out with a leading charged shot ball of power to detonate on Taboo, loudly proclaiming BUSTER BULLET
Reliant	TABOO is powerful, and she is fast to an extent. But she's not actually all that agile, and she's not enduring. There's been a lot of scrambling, undisciplined luck here, and regardless of the fact that she's still raging and carrying on, she has more the demeanor of an exhausted fighter than she does somebody in control of the situation. //I'm helping an ally of justice!// Taboo barks a laugh. "An ally of justice! He's a Gaia Memory dealer, fool." She takes the fiery blow on the chin, spinning in the air before righting herself. //You regret playing your strongest hand so early// The drill sword barrels forward, and Taboo erects a spiral-shaped forcefield that 'gives' in time with it, draining away some of the force before it pierces through. It's enough to off-center it slightly, but it elicits an explosion that comes from the belt at her waist itself. The driver cracks and sparkles dangerously, but it doesn't come apart. "Why would I give my strongest to a flimsy wretch like you?!" She demands, which is when she tries to kill somebody else entirely. Taboo lifts a hand to the skies and generates another of the colossal explosive balls of energy intended for Kirihiko. It would be naturally for her to hurl it at Kale, the source of considerable immediate damage and agitation. But she hurls it at Chase, because that guy has been eating huge attacks as snacks. Immediately after it is released she releases a swarm of energy blasts that arc out in all directions, mostly converging on Kale but many splitting off to collapse towards Qulan and Rita, even as Qulan strikes her with what ultimately amounts to two heavy blows, since she's gravity-defying enough that pinning her to the ground just doesn't happen. Immediately following that she gets spun around in place by Zephyrman, shrieking in frustration. It's around this time that security from within the building shows up, the cry of MASQUERADE from gaia memories reverberating across the rooftop as suited bone-faced men draw guns and open fire on Zephyrman and Hibiki from just outside the staircase. Taboo weaves out of the way of Hibiki just in time to get kicked in the head by Rita, the blow of which is enough to slam her briefly into the ground-- and when she rises into the air again as she did with Qulan she acts woozy and disoriented. Almost certainly a concussion. It doesn't stop her from doing her damnedest however. She raises both hands in what SHOULD be a comical gesture, but the finger guns she's making produce actual shots of energy. They might be a little ill-aimed all told, but they are still powerful. This coincides, perfectly, with three attacks collapsing on her. Chase's FULL BREAK seizes her driver and begins to compress it violently, Candy comes in with the butt of a gun and then his fists, the BUSTER BULLET drills into her where there's an opening. Taboo's belt breaks. Her Gaia Memory breaks. She crumples to the ground, clothes tattered and burned, bleeding in places though not nearly so much as the fight itself would suggest. The young woman glares up at those nearest her hatefully, breathing shallowly, though certainly not in any imminent danger of death. She says nothing.
Reliant	Kirihiko straightens up, the Gaia Memory he's holding twitching between his fingers. He's managed to hold himself steady, but he's not really steady at all. He smiles at John, genially, not because he's asked to but because he's that sort of person. It's a little troubled, though. Anyone could see that. "That's my wife," he explains, simply. There's nothing else for him to offer. As one-sided as it was from Taboo, it couldn't be plainer that it was sincere for Kirihiko. That answers Zephyr's question AND Hibiki's pondering. But when Candy approaches him and insists, Kirihiko's smile fades a little. He pockets his Gaia Memory. He does not join the fight. He does not leave. "I'm sorry that you went through all this trouble for me. But I'm already dying, I think. I'll use the time I have left how I see fit." And yet, the attacks that have been ongoing really haven't had the chance to reach him. One of the Masquerades approaches him with a punch, and he judo-throws the guy to the ground. He does not get back up. It's not until Taboo's belt breaks that he steps forward. His smile returns, though it's rather confused. "Saeko. My offer still stands, if you change your mind," he says. The woman -- Saeko, apparently -- just looks even more incensed at this. Then, finally, he begins to leave, a little slowly and a little unsteadily.
Shinnosuke Tomari	As the shots hit Drive, he rolls, taking them only as grazing blasts that spark his armor. As the others likely deal with the guards, he tries to move in and cuff Saeko. He probably won't get the chance to due to SHADY VILLAIN MECHANICS, but it's his prerogative. And as he does so, he turns to Kirihiko, as he leaves. "If you ever need anything, call the Tokyo MPD Kamen Rider hotline. You're a Kamen Rider, too - or at least somebody who could be one. That's why we're here - to help a new friend."
Reliant	Ha ha ha ha ha A great, splotchy void opens up across the rooftop, heralded by the sound of distant laughter. Nothing passes through at first, but a sense of overwhelming dread settles in immediately. It's nowhere close to rational, and it's infectious. The first thing that goes is all thoughts of fighting. It's not that you are immediately so afraid that you can't fight; but rather, the idea of fighting is a lower priority. Something that you do when you're well-prepared and fresh, rather than coming out of a fight with something that hits so dreadfully hard. A humanoid smilodon wearing the same style of belt as Taboo rises from the muck in a flash and blur, seizing Saeko and putting her over its shoulder almost faster than it can be perceived. A low, feline growl emanates from it as it hunches low to the ground and disappears into the void with Saeko. The void shrinks, and closes up immediately afterwards.
Kale Hearthward	Encore sets down next to Tomari, ready to assist with the arrest. (Tomari knows the right words better than he does.) ... And then a dark void opens up and presses on Kale's fight or flight response hard - with 'fight' not being an option. ... A minute later, he re-emerges back up from ground level, lighting down on the roof gently again where he was a minute ago. "... Disappointing," says Kale, as he closes the curtain and detransforms, trying to play it off. (He doesn't have a fancy 'nice drive' style callout... at least not yet.) "Might be someone else looking out for her...?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki missed, but Rita hit. That's all she could hope for, really. The magical girl bounces back quickly, evading fire from the Masquerade force barging in (and narrowly missing the sound of footsteps among theirs) in the process, and gives the other girl a nod as she narrows her eyes at what's happening next--the three-man combination. Wait, where did Candy learn moves like that!? But thanks to all of that, the Driver...breaks. There's a sharp breath as the patchwork form of Taboo breaks away to reveal the woman behind it again, and then a subsequent release of it when she turns out to be all okay. Kirihiko is given an /extremely/ surprised look when he identifies their relationship...and more, only to begin finally leaving. She almost wants to follow him. There are things she wants to ask, or maybe try to find some way to help. They saved him now, but still-- That dies out along with several other things when Saeko is suddenly saved, and by the time she's done instinctually bracing herself and getting herself back under control, the pair is gone. They go back into the void, and she remains tense for a moment... And then she lets it all go. "...What the heck happened between those two...?" She frowns, simply glancing from the spot the void occupied back off in the direction Kirihiko is leaving.
Shinnosuke Tomari	Tomari tries to follow as the laugh rings out. His body slows, and he moves to flight over fight, recoiling, even despite his powerful will that lets him take one more step. Saeko is taken away. As he finally snaps back fully to reality, he stomps his foot into the ground. "I'm going to go file this with the local police." And then, still suited, he moves to leave back to his car, knocking around any MASQUERADE that could randomly appear to stop him, in case they're still there. KIRIKO SHIJIMA HAS BEEN UNLOCKED FOR TONIGHT'S OPERATION
Qulan Kahkol	The final explosion launches Qulan back, but not enough to down her. Pieces of her armor are broken, but dark bits of energy seemingly keep them in orbit around her. Parts of her body are exposed in this way, revealing burned skin, bloody pieces of her body, but nothing broken. In fact, she starts striding forward, ready to deliver another blow. However, in the back and forth the belt breaks, and the stick inside of it drops out, which also breaks. Qulan brings herself to her feet, starting to stride towards the fallen woman, but she hears Kirihiko speak about his own fate. "Heh. I'm glad I showed up then to save your butt. Die on whatever hill you want to.." she says, "But make sure it's a hill worth dying on. If it's over whatever these belts are, then I suggest looking for another way first...just don't die stubbornly." The sword comes down, pointing at the former Taboo. "Well..." she says, but before she can say anything else her body SEIZES in a moment of terror that takes her off guard. Which causes her to jump back and get ready for another fight. Instincts so developed fight against her, and in that moment the woman is saved VIA cat. "What in the nine hells was that..?" she asks, to nobody directly, maybe just the wind? A slight shaking of her hand causes her to grip the blade tighter. She makes a sound of annoyance to herself, before deciding it's not worth it right now. If she's feeling this way, then she can't imagine anyone else is ready for that fight. "It wasn't a marriage out of love, Hibiki," she says with a shrug. "Probably power and convenience. Someone wanted to move up in the world, and someone impressed the person who was up top...well, until this moment." Qulan doesn't have the whole story, but that sort of thing happens a lot in Ishgard...just without the murder. Ok, that's a lie, without the Kaiju part.
Rita Ma	Rita finally takes a hit: that plunging turbo kick was too committal. (Zephyrman really has been a bad influence! Shame on him.) She's blasted backwards in exactly the way you'd expect a hundred-pound-sopping-wet girl to be, rolling across the rooftop and catching herself on the edge only by digging her fingertips into the concrete. When she hauls herself back up, the black void is already closing, leaving behind only a residual sense of dread and the faint scent of human blood. She sits down on the rooftop and heaves a sigh of exertion. Rita's body is somewhat scorched- more accurately, the tentacle wrappings that camouflage her as an ordinary unmutated girl are scorched- but it doesn't seem to bother her, besides a dull ache of pain. "The worst," she mutters to nobody in particular. "Everything keeps being complicated. I'm no good for that at all..."
Candy	Candy is taken off-guard by the finger guns--because the way Taboo was woozily rocking, he was focused on the security forces storming the rooftop to get at Zephyrman and Hibiki. Old habits, as it were, he hits the deck, leaving himself wide open to Taboo's attack thanks to his extreme prejudice against anything in uniform. Don't think he's forgotten about who else is here. He hasn't. His regeneration factor--the last of it will be gone by the end of the day, but it's enough to mend the burn marks, and the scrapes from being blasted across the rooftop a second time. It's enough to heal the break from where he collided with the lip of the building hard enough to crack it. Razor-sharp playing cards--a full house, the especially observant will notice--sail through the air to stick into those bone-faced guards once Candy's gotten his second wind. They stick into armor, weapons, the ground. A split second after impact they explode violently, causing fireballs on the spot. Intruder! Stranger! I didn't break this shit up just so she could sleep it off to take another swing at her husband. He scrambles to his feet and wheels around angrily, just in time to see the appearance of the smilodon. Once more, Candy vanishes. But he doesn't reappear. The only trace of his passing is his disembodied voice, speaking to Qulan: 'Take this. It's the last I got.' Another amber-colored bottle of REGENERAL mysteriously appears as the last one had for Kirihiko. Candy may have made a stupid decision, following those two under guise of invisibility--but he just can't keep away from trying to help people, even when they may not want it.
Ein	Charging up another shot, Fuwa aborts it to block the finger-gun shots with the broad axe head of his weapon, dropping to a crouch and drawing his 'side-arm' blaster pistol and firing it while weathering the fire laid into him. Fuwa is, above all, a complete lunatic. Advancing with his fire, he roars, moving in even as her USB-like device shatters. Then, Vulcan steps not into roof but into muck, and stops cold, frozen in shakingly clear shock. The Smilodon's arrival and quick action slashes at Fuwa and he is sent crashing back in a pile, shaking like a leaf and wide-eyed as his transformation forcibly cancels and the Authorize Buster (the axe) goes clattering off the roof to fall and fall and fall. For a moment, Fuwa makes a few more back-sliding scrabbles that are unlike his normally forcefully reckless motions of gorilla confidence, turns to look left and right, and terrified in general, draws a larger key with some kind of grip out of his jacket... The void closes up, and Fuwa heaves in breath after breath, shaking hand poised to activate the latest greeble. Then, swallowing sharply, Fuwa rises, slotting his blaster back into his belt and fixes his lapel and collar awkwardly. Without actually speaking any more, he nods to the others and starts to walk off the roof before realizing something, and then spins about to head to the stairs access, walking stiffly. MEANWHILE Outside, someone's car has an extremely plastic-looking axe musket in the passenger's seat, and a new sunroof (false).
Chase	Mashin Chaser follows the poor excuse for a fursuit to the top of the roof. Until he doesn't, suddenly losing interest. He slowly and quietly turns around, taking long strides towards the opposite end of the roof, slotting in a new Viral Core as he does so. Tune - Chaser Bat! The shield on his arm morphs and shifts onto his back, becoming a pair of silver bat wings. With a single flap, he's airborne, and he flies off. He had to go now. His people need him.
Reliant	IN THE STAIRWELL... Sonozaki Kirihiko walks with the Nazca Gaia Memory held in hand. The characteristic echo of these damned access stair wells echoes up and down for the whole trip, and he's starting to find them depressing less than a quarter of the way to the ground floor. That is, until he hears a door open above. Another set of footsteps descend, not hurriedly, but quite deliberately. Kirihiko grasps the Nazca memory tightly, and waits. "Do you mind if I walk with you, Kamen Rider Vulcan?" He asks, when "Fuwa" catches up. UP ABOVE... The White Grasshopper emerges from the stairwell. He was not there before, and there's a messenger bag flung over his shoulder. His body language is a little melancholy and droopy. "I know, I know. It seems like a small victory, right now. But trust me, you don't want to lose that one. He..." He stumbles here a little, rubbing his hands together uncomfortably. "He has a dream, you see. And it's a dream that he's capable of seeing through. I brought you all something to remember this by." The White Grasshopper hands out... keychains! -> https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/kamenrider/images/c/c9/W_Mr._Fuuto.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120912164235 <- Even if he has to chase them down to hand them over, the White Grasshopper makes certain everyone gets one of these damn keychains in hand. He answers no questions, offering only friendly nonsense that doesn't quite manage to mean anything in the moment, and is gone soon after, just as quickly as he came.