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Merelisa Shaynore     While Lala is holed up in the space ship scouting out the environment, Hikaru is way off in the woods, doing her own thing. It's probably bad for both of them that they're operating separately, both tactically and emotionally, so even though Hikaru doesn't put out a request for assistance, it's a good idea to check up on her anyways while the others are talking to Lala. AI, with a faint note of concern, points you in the direction of Hikaru's 'project', making sure to only project its voice outside of the spaceship-- it's hard to tell how much it cares "about their relationship" rather than "for Lala's well-being, and thereby her efficiency in doing work", but it's some sort of concern either way.

    It's a bit of a ways through the woods to get there, one that you can imagine being terrifying to a young girl traveling all by herself. Dog-sized aphids scuttle around in the brush, a grasshopper leaps over the path you're traveling and lands with a thud, and even though nothing leaps out of the grass to try and devour you, it readily feels like something *could*. And Hikaru's a kid, and a transforming magical girl besides; her life experience, for the most part, is just being a typical middle school girl, where 'making a phone call' is still an existential threat. So it's just a little worrying, how far you walk without a trace of her.

    The first sign you get is the characteristic fweeeee of the whistles that Lilian gave the girls. Hikaru, a ways away and not seeing you yet, stumbles out of the tall brush with twigs and grass stains all over her (star-patterned, of course) overalls, with a stack of relatively straight sticks piled up high in her arms. She spits the whistle out of her mouth with a teeny ptoo so that it falls down around her neck, and then addresses the crowd of pikmin that have assembled in front of her.

    "Thank you for all your hard work, everyone! We'll be almost done soon! I couldn't have done it without you, so, I'm really truly grateful! Or... something like that...."

    The pikmin stare back completely silent and unresponsive, and Hikaru holds that position for a few seconds before flumphing forwards with a sigh and dumping her load of sticks onto the ground. Half of the attending pikmin start gathering them up and marching off in pairs on either end of the sticks, while for the other half, Hikaru tears up a few armfuls of grass and tosses them into a pile for them to carry in the same direction. Another squad of a dozen pikmin totter down the hill that the others are heading up, aiming to join them in carrying these new materials over, but Hikaru stops them and squats down to (almost) their eye level.
Merelisa Shaynore     "Hey, you've already done a bunch of work, haven't you? How about you take this and go... relax for a bit, or something, maybe?"

    She sticks out a finger for the lead pikmin of the bunch to vacantly grab onto, and performs an awkward finger-waggle handshake that wobbles the non-reciprocating pikmin around. Then she pulls a cosmo gummy out of the pocket of her overalls, hands them one, and when they excitedly carry it in the direction of the spaceship (and, subsequently, your direction), Hikaru straightens back up and wipes her forehead.

    Hikaru's wearing bright blue overalls over a pink shirt, with biiiig yellow star buckles on each shoulder. Her hair is pushed back from her forehead with a wide blue headband (also, star-patterned), and she's flushed with exertion and fairly dirty all over, evidently having been helping the pikmin with... the 'project'.

    That project being, watching the construction pikmin haul their materials over the hill, a surprisingly sizeable *castle*, made of supersized twigs and woven grass blades. Acorn palisades line the walls, a matchbox drawbridge is lowered, angling away from where the spaceship is, and a polished pearl, like one that was broken off of an enormous necklace, is mounted over the entryway like a symbol. A cloud of dust and vague 'construction activity' obscures where the pikmin are actually doing work, building up one final tower to complete the castle's outline.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxECNHX0f8Y&
Echolalia Echolalia is, completely unsurprisingly, worried about Hikaru and Lala working seperately especially after their last conversation with one another. Echolalia would be a little worried even without the spat, but with it she's seriously concerned! What she isn't worried about is a girl wandering around through an alien forest on her own--the dangers just don't really occur to Echolalia in the moment as none of the 'danger' outside of the actual people unleashing mahou minions have felt real yet. A lazy smile flickers upon her lips when she actually catches up to Hikaru.

"Hey..." She says. "You went for quite the ''Moonwalk'', Hikaru. Are you ready to head back?"

She then looks towards the castle, truly taking it in for the first time. She cups her chin and studies it like watching some grand art sculpture before saying, "Gosh that's pretty ''Stellar''." after a moment. "You know, I bet Lala would love to see something like this. We should head back and show it to her."

She trails off, brushing her lightly detonating dark blue hair with her hands. "Maybe she's got some ideas to help renovate. I bet it'd be more fun with her, right? And we wouldn't want her to get worried..."

She pauses as if she's about to say something more but just kind of clamps her mouth back shut.
Futaba Nuki Spaceships are usually safe, right? Right. It's not the first time Futaba's left either of the girls alone for an extended period of time, but she's still more worried about Hikaru getting scooped up by who knows what outside of the ship than she is for Lala inside of it. Plus, she's just plain curious to see what Hikaru's come up with outside of the ship.

Not finding a trace of her lasts just long enough, too, that Futaba's actually moving quickly by the time she hears that specific whistle instead of stopping to smell the gigantic roses. Although she doesn't specifically say anything about being worried about Hikaru, climbing onto oversized blades of grass and leaping from one to another like some kind of ninja-themed insect is a pretty obviouss ign.

When she does hear the whistle, meanwhile, she takes a springing leap off her current perch, spreading her arms out to start gliding towards the sound with winged arms and scanning the area rapidly with quick glances here and there until she's spotted Hikaru's messed up clothes. Breathing a sigh of relief, Futaba pulls those wings back just so she can land just a few yards away from Hikaru, rolling on her landing before springing back up as an orange pikmin-alike.

"Yo, Hikaru!" It's still Futaba's voice, and she even has that usual leaf drooping over her forehead in addition to a little white flower on the tip of her head thingy. She greets Hikaru with with a quick wave, then looks her over once before glancing towards all those pikmin hauling all that stuff off. "Looks like you've been pretty busy out here. Makin' sure to take breaks and all that?"

Spotting the castle construction project for real now, Futaba whistles lightly despite not having a visible mouth. "Whoa... Real busy, looks like! Really makin' the *cosmost* of your time setting up this secret base here, eh?" Beat, to see if she or anyone else graons, then. "Wait, is this supposed to be secret?"
Hiromi     Hisako has come bearing gifts, though this time it's for the pikmin, so it's maybe a gift and maybe one side of a contract that enlists a small army of little plant-guys into her service. A second barrel of rice was more difficult for her to obtain, not because there wasn't a second barrel, but because she took the first 'to help a pair of shipwrecked children,' and when she asked for a second 'to grow plants,' it led to a lot more questions about what she's been up to. Her own uncertainty as to what the pikmin are, and what they're useful for besides 'carrying things' (not 'eating,' which would have been much easier to explain) didn't help speed that conversation along.

    Regardless, she's now here, feeding carbs to a giant onion-thing in hopes of popping up a pack of silent followers. Once she's done with that, she leads them on to find Hikaru.

    This takes longer than expected, over which she has some mixed feelings. A 'PreCure' is certainly someone strong, she's seen, but this place has been dangerous, too. Whether this is a sign of recklessness, or of confidence in having taken this area as the magical girl's own territory, Hisako isn't sure -- until she sees the castle being built. Territory-claiming, definitely.

    "Hello, Hikaru! I came to... help?" Somehow, it ended on a question mark. "Did you need any...? Building a wooden stronghold... is it part of a plan of attack?" She's a little fuzzy on military theory, but has heard of something related. She glances back at 'her own' pikmin, to see if they're inclined immediately to go help the others.

    At Futaba, Hisako gives a double-take, asking, "Are you practicing your disguises?" Though there's no one around right now to fool, and the voice is the same. Futaba's actions continue to mystify her.

    To Echolalia, Hisako asks, "What's a moonwalk?"
Echolalia "It's when you walk on a moon," Echolalia says. "And your body feels lighter because of the lower gravity so you can just hop up and you go up like twice as high as normal." As far as she knows, this is the truth. "...Though come to think of it, I live on a moon and we just call it 'walking'. Maybe it's only actually referring to the ''real'' real moon rather than all moons."
Hiromi     "Hu-huh? What? You can walk on the moon? How do you get up there?" Hisako is not made less confused by the answer. "Real moon? All moons?" She's staring in wide-eyed wonder.
Futaba Nuki "That's right! Figured...." Turning to Hisako, Futaba laughs mouthlessly and nods briefly before resting a hand on her non-chin in thought. "Hm. I dunno how useful this kinda form would be here, actually. I mean, I got hands already, and my tail's way bigger than this thing." She helicopters the flower-tipped thing around a few times, then snickers and pushes it back up like she was straightening out a pompadour.
Natsuki Nuki Natsuki doesn't see a whole heck of a lot wrong with a girl enjoying some alone time in the woods, but, also is among the sorts of people whose opinion isn't asked about such matters on account of being part-native to the world that was not 'Human', cast in safe lights and hard walls.

Here, in the worlds the Cures landed on, it was like human was too abstract a concept - something so enormous at scale it couldn't be, too complex and gangly and out of place to be anything more than alien.

Natsuki prowls the path in stompy black boots, black cloth skirt layered over by the escape of her scaleblack tail, arms jammed into the cream sleeves of a red-bodied style jacket and fists jammed into the pockets to accent the look. With white hair tied up in a single braid by a purple ribbon, Natsuki tries to not give her gander up towards Futaba being a giant Pikminoid herself, making headway on the ground below the jumping ninja dingus.

Appraising the castle on approach, Natsuki lifts her attention to Hisako's questioning of Futaba - giving the other woman a flat look and an almost-apologetic purse of the lips. "Trying to take her too seriously is a mistake, unfortunately. They don't think that far ahead because they don't have to." Natsuki 'explains' for Futaba, though the excited younger sister's bouncing energy is hard to distract from completely.

Shaking her head like Futaba is some sort of aggressive illusion or confusion effect that saves must be made against, rattling until her eyes roll and flutter and settle on the castle and Hikaru within, Natsuki crosses her arms loosely and watches the Pikmin arrange sticks with diligence and the most blessedly moronic single focus.

"You've got them to make something pre-tty complex with just whistling, Hikaru. Did they start making this on their own? Or, are you making this for a reason?"

Raking eyes across battlements of acorn and stick, Natsuki takes stock of stockade. 'Why this' was a question she almost already saw the answer to, or thought she did with knowing 'older sister' attitude eyes. "It's a nice castle, but who's going to stay here? The Pikmin?"
Sarracenia      Sarracenia was a bit worried when the two friends that seemed inseparable had a falling out right in front of them, and even more concerned when it is over an issue that (at least in Sarra's mind) is somewhat similar to the one that started her decade long feud with a certain someone.

     The princess returns once again in a durable yet (at least to her) stylish red jress woven with shimmering thread and golden embroidery, black gloves that reach up to her upper arm, and pointed black boots with noticeable heels with a shark-face design much like the bullet bills she uses.

     Sarra is also not as concerned about Hikaru being out here alone as she probably should be. But, Sarra learned long ago that small, young, adorable magical girls are as dangerous as the biggest, burliest, demon kings so...she just isn't worried. At least, not for that reason.

     After finding Hikaru and the castle, Sarra is rather impressed! "Oh my! You made this out of foraged materials using the Pikmin?" she asks as she appraises the castle.

     'You know, I bet Lala would love to see something like this. We should head back and show it to her.'

     Although she agrees with Echolalia, Sarra is unsure just starting off with that is the best strategy. Instead of joining in with that, she pulls out some large bottles of sweet sodas to share with Hikaru and the Pikmin, along with cookies. "They really do not express themselves well, do they? It is hard to tell what they are thinking or...if they are thinking at all. They sort of remind me of the piranha plant people of my world, though even they are much more expressive than these little guys." she says as she offers Hikaru some cookies. Specially made sugar cookies with stellar designs on them such as stars, comets, and the like.

     Sarra also offers them to the others here. She is happy to share with her friend...ly acquaintances. "May we see inside the castle?" she asks Hikaru.
Merelisa Shaynore "Yo, Hikaru!"

    "Oh--! Hi there, orange guy; you're new!"

    The first Elite to greet Hikaru out of the forest is disguised as what's ostensibly an entirely normal creature to be wandering around the wilderness, so she reacts accordingly. It takes her a few seconds to recognize that this is *Futaba's* voice specifically, rather than a new talking pikmin, but she's already got momentum running at her, and a cute and funny disguise by a cool shapeshifter is just *begging* to get touched and poked at. So rather than waving back at Futaba, she wavedashes into melee range and starts squooshing her pikmin cheeks with her palms to mold her like clay.

    "No, hey, iiiit's Futaba! And everyone else! What are you all doing here...?"

"You went for quite the ''Moonwalk'', Hikaru. Are you ready to head back?"

    Hikaru shakes her head, pigtails flapping around. "Nuh-uh. I've still got work to do! Wait, have you seen it? Come on, come on, follow me, let me show you! I've been making something super duper galacticool, so you *have* to come see!"

    Hikaru runs up the hill, sneakers slipping on the grass and nearly sending her toppling on her face, to stand triumphant at the top and show off her domain. Arms thrown wiiide out to either side, Hikaru spins in a circle and comes to a stop gesticulating at the castle like she's presenting it on stage.

    "Castle Polaris! ~ The shining North Star that'll guide Yuma home!"

    Hikaru drops her hands to her side, still smiling, but much less exuberant. Sober, her voice quiets down conversationally, though she still has to project a little to be heard over the looping background hammering and scuffling and 'pipi pi pi pew pew pipipip' coming from the construction.

    "This was the direction that AI said Yuma was in, after Lala fixed the X-Ray Detector back up. So I'm working extra hard to get her back as soon as I can, so Lala's not worried about her anymore."

"You know, I bet Lala would love to see something like this. We should head back and show it to her."
"Wait, is this supposed to be secret?"

    Hikaru's smile flattens out incrementally more, and she hooks her thumbs into her overall-shorts pockets and slouches a bit, guiltily. "It's not a... 'secret'. I'm not going to start keeping *secrets* from Lala. But it's just..."

    Hikaru makes a fist and puts it to her chest. "I *know* I made Lala mad. And she's been depressed and quiet lately because of it... so I have to step up and make it better without hurting her more. Once the castle's done, I'll mount an *expedition*, and I'll keep going as long as it takes until I get Yuma back, and then I'll show up at the spaceship with Yuma and it'll be a total surprise, and Lala will go 'Wow, Hikaru, thank you for trying so hard to save Yuma, lun! Now that she's back, I feel a lot better, lun, and everything can go back to normal! I love you, lun!' ... or something like that."
Merelisa Shaynore "Hello, Hikaru! I came to... help?"

    "Yaaaa! And you brought pikmin too! That'll be really helpful..." Hikaru puts a finger to her chin, forehead crinkling in thought. "Mmmm... but help with what... the construction's already going well. Oh! I have an idea!"

"You've got them to make something pre-tty complex with just whistling, Hikaru."

    Hikaru puffs out her chest and pulls her sketchbook out of her pocket, flipping it open to a page that is *not* architectural blueprints. It's a colored pencil, pastel-bright, drawing of a castle, surrounded by a moat (that isn't present), and Hikaru in samurai regalia brandishing a sword at the top.

    "I started building it all myself! I have to help the pikmin to treat them nicer, so I've been working just as much or more along with them, but...."

"They really do not express themselves well, do they?"

    "Riiiiiiiiiiiight?! How can you even *tell*?!"

    Hikaru groans in frustration and plops down cross-legged in front of Hisako's gathering of pikmin, cute sugar cookies in hand. "They just stare at things! I don't know how I'm supposed to be *nice* to them, when they don't care either way! They just stand there looking funny and running around whenever I whistle! And they're astradorable and all, but, they barely react, so...."

    Hikaru sticks out a finger to try and negotiate a Deal with Hisako's pikmin, despite their continued bemusement. "Hey, I've got something that it'd be helpful if you gave me a hand carrying. And if you do, I'll share a cookie with you. Is that... good...?"

    Hikaru looks up at Sarra and the Nuki sisters (one of whom is a plant blobbo), a bit probingly pleading. "Is there a trick to it? Some way that I'm not getting, to know how to be nice to them, so I stop being 'awful' to them?"
Echolalia ''You can walk on the moon? How do you get up there? ... Real moon? All moons?''

"Oh you don't know about the ''real'' real moon? I don't know much about it either, but Flamel mentioned there was a REAL real moon and nobody said he was wrong so I have to assume there is one. I've never seen it myself. I'm from a moon myself, but I think that's a different one than the ''real'' real moon but I still think it's a singularly real moon because I'd feel weird about calling my home ''fake''?"

She wrinkles her nose as she thinks about how she ''ended up'' on a moon. "As for how I got up there... I've always lived on a moon! I wasn't the one who brought us there, but I'm told it was a real long trip. As for why I was specifically on Hronn..." She trails off, glancing back to Hikaru--for a moment her smile faded away into not being there at all, but it perks back up immediately upon seeing her.

"Wow... super duper galacticool? That I've gotta see." Echolalia has siblings as well, though she hasn't really talked about them much. But she doesn't seem super inclined to start talking about them now.

''I'm not going to start keeping *secrets* from Lala. But it's just... I *know* I made Lala mad.''

"You're going to do all that before making up with Lala?" Echolalia asks. "Wouldn't it be easier to do all that with her? I understand wanting to do a big gesture..." She trails off again. Building some big thing to draw Yuma out doesn't SEEM like a bad idea, assuming Yuma is in a position to actually go anywhere.

''They're astradorable and all, but, they barely react, so....''

"Well sometimes it can be hard to tell when an animal--or a plant--is feeling bad or needs help or is mad... " Echolalia admits. "...But I think she'd be happy you're thinking about how to be better to them, but I think Lala--well, she has a big heart, you know? And when you have a big heart and it feels like other people--or pikmin--can't see it, I can get how that'd be frustrating."

She follows after Hikaru, peeking over to the sketchbook and taking a long look at it. "Oh that's cute." She adds.
Hiromi     'Castle Polaris! ~ The shining North Star that'll guide Yuma home!'
    Hikaru puffs out her chest and pulls her sketchbook out of her pocket...

    "Ohh, a samurai's armor! I wonder what it's like to wear that..." Hisako is duly impressed, perhaps more sincerely than most would expect in the face of crayon drawings.

    'I *know* I made Lala mad.'
    '...so I stop being 'awful' to them?'

    Hisako's own positive expression dulls by degrees, replaced with worried concern. She hadn't really been able to tell, during that battle, how much of an obstacle reconciling would be, even if she knew there'd be something following. Hikaru declaring that she'll go off on her own and fix everything without Lala's help gives her an 'oh no, I'll have to say something' level of pause. Seeing how well she wears her feelings on her sleeve, this isn't likely to be hard for anyone else to read.

    '...so I've been working just as much or more along with them, but...'
    'And if you do, I'll share a cookie with you. Is that... good...?'

    Hisako waits to see if the pikmin do react to this. It's totally not just because she's trying to think of the right and wise thing a reliable older sister figure would say and coming up blank. Her own aren't here right now, so she glances toward Natsuki, though without explanation of her desire to absorb sisterly energy through a look.

    "It's difficult, isn't it... if you don't know what it is they want. They just do things, or don't do them. If they do it more quickly, maybe that means they like it...? But they don't talk. So, maybe, if they don't talk, they don't listen, either...? Since they wouldn't need to. But, they did look at your drawings... maybe you can only communicate with them... visually?"

    Hisako takes a moment to ponder this, before saying, "Please excuse me for a moment," and taking Hikaru's hand. Then, while looking at her gaggle of pikmin, Hisako nonverbally communicates, in the manner of a wolf, 'this is my friend/family, accept them as you would me' by drawing close, rubbing her cheek back and forth on Hikaru's cheek, and wagging her tail.

    "Lala'd probably be happy just to hear you're trying this hard, I think."
Futaba Nuki "They don't think that far ahead because they don't have to."
Futaba turns to Natsuki with her stubby little hands on her hips, and she'd be pouting exaggeratedly if her face could really show anything without proper mouth-displaying. "Heeey. Just 'cause I don't think that far ahead doesn't mean I don't have to. I just don't want to." She 'corrects', puffing her pikminny chest out proudly for exactly two seconds before realizing her mistake. "Wait."

Another three seconds, and then she shrugs and nods . "... Wait. Yeah, no, that sounds right."

"It is hard to tell what they are thinking or...if they are thinking at all."
Pikintaba turns to Sarracenia and stares at her with those same unblinking eyes and mouthless face, slowly tilting to the side. No sounds, no blinking, and for a moment, it looks like Futaba's brain really did just turn off there with how slowly she's drooping to the side.

"Oh--! Hi there, orange guy; you're new!"
Futaba's brain really might have turned off for a moment there, as she looks up just in time for Hikaru to latch onto her, getting a few startled 'wububababa' noises out of her before she starts laughing again. "That's me! Heh. Sure, wouldn't mind takin' the grand tour around this place. A guiding star, huh...?"

Looking over at the castle, Futaba nods slowly and strokes her non-chin again while that little head dongle flaps with each movement. "If Yuma's up somewhere high, seein' this would be a good signal for sure. Just needs something to really let her know it's you, you know?"

"I'm not going to start keeping *secrets* from Lala. But it's just..."
Even though Futaba said she avoids trying to think earlier, she's visibly thinking now as she listens to Hikaru's worries and concerns, about Lala being hurt and wanting to patch things up with her by finding Yuma through this grand expedition. Even though Futaba's mouthless, there's still a thoughtful hrmming noise coming out of her as she crosses her arms behind her head.

"Do you think that's what Lala would really want? You, going off on your own to look for Yuma all on your lonesome?" She starts, trying hard not to look at any pikmin that might still be mulling about. "Just... Imagine if you were in her shoes, and she was in yours. If you were the one that was depressed about this whole thing, and she went and started looking for Yuma while you were back mopin' at the ship, and... She's out there for years, doing her own thing, with you never knowing how she's doing or hearing back about how she's doing..."

Piktaba lowers her arms back to her sides, shoving them into her hips like she's got invisible pockets. "Would you want that, or would you wanna head out there with her?"

"Is there a trick to it? Some way that I'm not getting, to know how to be nice to them, so I stop being 'awful' to them?"
That, meanwhile, has Futaba looking to Natsuki for answers. "Uhhh. That kinda sounds like some of the folks back home, doesn't it? You know, the ones in the shops that just kinda hang around, working with the owners, but not really being all there?" She pantomimes sweeping the ground with a broom and chopping vegetables repeatedly before turning back to Merelisa. "They're usually pretty cool about just hanging out, even it's not for... Like. Doing work or anything? But not bein' terrible to 'em..."

Another pause, then a fingersnap. "You ever try swinging 'em around? You know, like adults do with kid sometimes? Or bigger kid with smaller kids?" Futaba asks and, for no stated reason, just holds her arms up like she's preparing.
Sarracenia      'Is there a trick to it? Some way that I'm not getting, to know how to be nice to them, so I stop being 'awful' to them?'

     Sarra offers an empathetic smile to Hikaru at the pleading look and question. "I am not sure I am the best person to ask when it comes to matters of being nice. I think I am always nice, but many seem to disagree." she says, ending up looking at the package of sugar cookies she is holding with a contemplative look.

     After a moment of pondering she looks toward the Pikmin, then toward Hikaru. "I think they do give us some inklings of what they like. But, I think...you know...just in general..." She tries to use as nice and gentle a tone as she can. "...throwing cute plant creatures at things is probably not nice. Even if they do not seem to care, we know that they are basically considered food for many of the other creatures here. So, throwing them at those creatures or using them as ammo against evildoers is...probably...not nice?"

     "However!" Sarra continues with a smile. "If we give them something sweet, like that gummy or this soda, we can see how they respond. They seem to like those, so it is safe to assume that giving them such things is probably nice. And of course, protecting them from the many things that wish to eat them would be nice, right?"

     'Wouldn't it be easier to do all that with her? I understand wanting to do a big gesture...'

     Sarra nods lightly in agreement with Echolalia. "I think...maybe Lala was jealous that they like you and ignore her, and maybe felt like she was being left out of the fun of playing with the Pikmin. Did you try whistling them to her?"

     'Castle Polaris! ~ The shining North Star that'll guide Yuma home!'

     After that, Sarra looks toward the castle. "You know what it could use? A beacon! That would help guide Yuma even more, right?" Sarra rummages around in her purse for a few moments, then...pulls out a Power Star! "Here! We can place this at the top of the castle and perhaps it will help Yuma find us!" she says, then hands the shining golden star with cute black eyes to Hikaru.

     'Pikintaba turns to Sarracenia and stares...'

     Sarra raises an eyebrow as she is stared at like that. She tries to stare back, but eventually just laughs. "Futaba! Stop it!" she says. She nods in agreement with what Futaba and Echolalia have said now. "You should definitely have that adventure with Lala. As things are now...it might be even worse to do all that without Lala."
Natsuki Nuki "It looks pretty galacticool," Natsuki begins, every bit the slightly-strained sisteroid coming upon a young girl who has made a treefort (literal, palisades and battlements) to 'bring her friend home' - adorable and ultimately heartbreaking. Eyes welled with a kind of sympathy on approach, Natsuki's tail takes a wholly opposite approach: serpentine eye-rolling disregard, as if such a fool's project would receive the reward of fools. So, askew in two directions, Natsuki's eyes gaze up at 'Castle Polaris' and her tail glances away at any other thing in faint lack of other things to focus upon that aren't Hikaru, and the former rounds back on Hikaru after a moment.

'so I have to step up and make it better without hurting her more.'

Hikaru talks and talks about her plans, has such a robust imagination for each step that it seems almost-convincing, almost thought through, almost...

Almost something. But not quite anything.

At that point, Natsuki's tail, black serpent-headed and disinterested in such spilled-liquid feelings, finds Hisako searching for support and settles on the wolf-girl, tilting in contemplation. Following her alternate-black eyes, her head rotates over and the chimera woman quirks a white brow over slit red eye and... Pulls a weary smirk, exhales and half-nods, weary to the nonverbal tone of 'I know, I know'.

'... Wait. Yeah, no, that sounds right.'

"That's what I said." Natsuki growls, grumbly, dissatisfied with all and sundry and yet having to do this delicately. It's a small wonder that Futaba then runs down most of her lines anyway, scraping up the easy and low-hanging fruits of sisterly knowing and moralism. That left just the hard scraps to her, and it frustrated her yet more to only be called down for the hard questions. But,

She came here for Futaba. She stayed because of the Pikmin - and Lala and Hikaru.

"This is fine." Natsuki begins, then closes her eyes and rumbles out a through-teeth sigh. "But it's nowhere close to what you actually want, is it, Hikaru? This, and that, and the other thing, not involving Lala at all, to make her love you? It just doesn't make sense."

Natsuki can't even get interested in throwing Futaba who is in PRIME tossing formation. "Just like this castle. Everything about this - it's building walls when you should be going on the attack. This isn't something that you and Lala are building together for the Pikmin - which would be something special that you could do, together, and trade your time for the Pikmin's safety. Put a castle over a big sugar cane, or a safe spot for their flying onion to live, or,"

Throwing hand up and making a faint drag of frustration hang in her sigh rather than the full growly anger come out - something she did not want to do before 'Futaba's friend', despite her serpentine otherself's clear sibilant derision - Natsuki drags a smoshing rake of fingers across her face and lets the hand drop slowly after.
Natsuki Nuki "But this isn't about the Pikmin, Hikaru." Natsuki's voice comes out stony-flat. "You were ready to risk them for an advantage in a fight. A fight you were in because you and Lala needed things, to leave. And so all of this - the castle, the ordering them around, figuring out 'what they want'... it's so you can show it to Lala, teach Lala, share with Lala. It's not *hard* to figure it out, but, doing all of this *for* her..."

'For' whom things are done slows Natsuki to a rolling stop of words, glancing over her nose at her 'uppies to toss me!!' sister. When things were done by someone else, it was different. A sympathetic truth the Nue-girl knew personally-palpably.

"... it's not the same as doing it with her. Or helping her. The dragon's right."

Pointing a finger at Hikaru, Natsuki quirks a brow. "*Are* you going to do 'all that' before making up with Lala? And do you think doing all that alone will really make up with her? You saving Yuma alone doesn't make it Lala's victory, either."
Merelisa Shaynore "Oh you don't know about the ''real'' real moon? I don't know much about it either, but Flamel mentioned there was a REAL real moon and nobody said he was wrong so I have to assume there is one."

    With an intensely cogitative expression, Hikaru considers this in her mind for a bit, before sharing, "I've only been to Earth's moon. Where's the real one?"

    A glimmer of sparkle reenters Hikaru's eyes as she inches closer to Echolalia, sliding into frame with bouncy up-and-down agitation. "What's yours like? You grew up on a moonbase? Are you, like, super duper advanced? Do you have AIs and stuff too?"

"It's difficult, isn't it... if you don't know what it is they want. They just do things, or don't do them."

    Hikaru nods, still keeping her eyes on Hisako's pikmin, and when a response isn't forthcoming from them, she bleps out her tongue in frustration. She teeters on her heels while squatting, then topples backwards, sprawled spreadeagle in the grass.

    "Aaaaaaahhhhhh-! They just do things! So if they do them, it's fine, right?! I want to knowwwwwww but they won't *tell* me! So how am I supposed to?!"

    Hikaru rolls over and props herself up on all fours when Hisako comes up with her plan, then sits back on her knees with a hand held out for Hisako to take (a lot like 'shake', coincidentally). The cheek-rubbing and tail fwapping makes her break down into giggles, mirroring the motion back at Hisako and then planting her hands back on the ground to crawl at eye-level to the pikmin.

    "Eh-- ehehehehe, h-hey, your ears are so soft! Pikmin, did you get that? Does that make sense?"

    She crawls towards the pikmin, palms and knees stained thoroughly, and attempts the same maneuvers on the little guys, bapping them with her cheek and rubbing her face on them nonthreateningly. They sort of just get pushed around, staring at her but otherwise being unresponsive. Maybe it's a start...?

"You ever try swinging 'em around? You know, like adults do with kid sometimes?"

    "No!!" Hikaru bounces to her feet and shakes her head emphatically at Futaba. "I'm not going to almost throw them like that! One of them *exploded*! Like Princess Sarracenia said, that's *definitely* not nice!"

    "Just... at the time... I wasn't thinking about 'nice'." Hikaru droops, hands back in her pockets. "I just thought it'd be helpful for winning, since it was the most direct way to fight the Nottrigger."
Merelisa Shaynore "I am not sure I am the best person to ask when it comes to matters of being nice."

    Hikaru smiles distantly and sits down in the grass overlooking the castle, arms wrapped around her knees. "I don't think I am either. I didn't really... have friends before Lala, so I don't know how to be nice, or how to fight, without-- without being worried about losing her. I just really, really wanna know about people, and usually that does... good enough."

"If Yuma's up somewhere high, seein' this would be a good signal for sure."
"You know what it could use? A beacon!"

    "That's right, if Yuma's not stuck somewhere, then maybe they'll see the castle, or we'll bump into each other when I'm exploring out of it. That's the plan, anyway." Hikaru stands up and takes the Power Star with something approaching reverence, face lit by the glow and eyes wide. "Woah... this is... *starvelous*! What *is* it?!"

    Hikaru strikes a pose, just like her post-transformation hand up to the sky, with the Power Star spinning above it (almost identical to holding up a Shine Sprite). "It's like... a little fragment of the twinkling star that glitters across the sky! This way, she'll *definitely* know it's me!!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to do all that with her?"
"Do you think that's what Lala would really want? You, going off on your own to look for Yuma all on your lonesome?"

    "Uuuuuuuuuu......." Hikaru's cheerful expression collapses, shoulders slumped and cheeks lightly puffed with her head hanging down. "It'd be *easier*, but... and if it was me, I'd be desperate to help no matter what, because I can't sit around, but... but...."

    "But what if--?!" Hikaru raises her head, staring at everyone with wide, anxiously teary eyes. "What if she's still mad after I apologize?! I haven't done enough to fix it, so if I apologize, she might say *no*, and then it's even harder to make up with her, because either she'll *unhappily* help, or she won't want to do something reckless like this, and then it won't be a happy surprise! I can't *guarantee* that I'm allowed to make up with her unless I've done everything I can, right?!"

    Hikaru fidgets in place, tugging at the straps of her overalls, squirmingly distraught. "I'm really, really scared of losing her. I've never had a friend I was so scared of losing. Back before I met Lala, I was so bad at knowing when people were mad at me, and by the time I noticed, they were always so mad that they didn't want anything to do with me anymore. I can't let that happen with Lala. It'd be-- it'd be 'black-horrible'."

"Everything about this - it's building walls when you should be going on the attack."

    "I'll *be* going on the attack," Hikaru says, a bit defensively. "If Yuma can't find the castle, then I need to use the castle to find Yuma. I'll just keep going and then coming back each time I need to, over and over until I find her."

    "The 'pikmin's safety', though...." Hikaru frowns, pensive, thinking along Natsuki's suggestions as they're completely new to her. "I thought this'd make them more safe from the Nottraiders. But I didn't think about after that. Or leaving something nice for them after we're gone... that'd be one of the *nicest* thanks to give them, wouldn't it...? And Lala's always happy to 'improve' things that way."
Merelisa Shaynore "I think...maybe Lala was jealous that they like you and ignore her, and maybe felt like she was being left out of the fun of playing with the Pikmin."
"You should definitely have that adventure with Lala. As things are now...it might be even worse to do all that without Lala."
"You saving Yuma alone doesn't make it Lala's victory, either."

    Hikaru's eyes widen with shock at Sarracenia and Natsuki, stunned by the revelation. Her mouth hangs open, and she looks down at the crowd of pikmin and then back up at her.

    "Wait... really?! She felt left out? But I... every time I'd bring up the pikmin around her, she'd just look annoyed, and then I'd change the subject so she wouldn't be, and-- and I thought she didn't like them. I tried to get them to do stuff for her, but they wouldn't listen, and she said 'Just nevermind, lun' and...."

    Hikaru shakes her head, along with her her shoulders, with the strength of her conviction. "I don't ever ever ever ever want Lala to be left out! I don't even want to be away from her, I just thought it'd be best, so that I could work with the pikmin without making her unhappy! If she's already left out, and I'm doing all this stuff without her while she stays in the spaceship, then... then...."

"... it's so you can show it to Lala, teach Lala, share with Lala."

    "... Mmm." Hikaru acknowledges Natsuki with a quiet little 'un', absorbed in thought. "*For* Lala but *with* the pikmin, instead of *with* Lala and *for* the pikmin... I've got it all backwards, don't I?"

    "...--Alright!" Hikaru raises her fists up to the sky, radiating determination. She points at the Elites, swinging her finger in an arc to address them all. "I won't go without Lala for even a single day longer! You're right! And so, would you all mind, helping me with one last thing, before I go apologize to Lala as much as I can?"
Echolalia ''It's not the same as doing it with her. Or helping her. The dragon's right.''

Echolalia looks back to Natsuki. Her expression is odd--not bad, but a little odd. This is the second time a member of the Natsuki family has treated her in a particular way that she's not really used to hearing from the multiverse. She thinks it over and resolves to get a better understanding of Natsuki's world. If she's going to show her a bit of respect, she should try and repay it in kind rather than just flying around halfcocked. "Thanks Natsuki. And for--well." For putting things so succinctly.

''What if she's still mad after I apologize?!''

"Aw... That'd really suck." Echolalia admits. "If she needs more time I'd respect it but once I took too long to check in on a friend who was unhappy 'cause ''I'' was unhappy and--well she really needed a friend and though we are getting along better now, I still feel really bad about it."

''I can't let that happen with Lala. It'd be-- it'd be 'black-horrible'.''

"Hey...! Black-horrible is against the rules, remember? So we'll have to make sure it doesn't end up like that." She places her hand on her hip. "It won't get that far because Lala's not the type to hide she's upset like that. So you can still patch things up--I'm sure she'd wantcha to!"

But fortunately it seems like Hikaru's a quick learner and Echolalia beams brightly when she vows she won't go without Lala for even a single day longer.

"That's the right Asteroitude!"

''Before I go apologize to Lala as much as I can?''

Echolalia quirks her head to the side and says, "Well sure! We'd be happy to help!ansi,")

She's just volunteering everyone on her own but from what she's seen, everybody else wants these two girls to patch things up as much as she does, maybe even more! It's moments like these that make her really appreciate infinity. There truly are incredible people out there.

''Rubbing her cheek back and forth on Hikaru's cheek, and wagging her tail.''

Yes, the multiverse is incredible, ECholalia decides.
Hiromi     'Trying to take her too seriously is a mistake, unfortunately.'

    Hisako has to make a noncomittal noise at this correction, out of politeness. The ways of elites across the multiverse may ever be strange to her, especially as far away as the Paladins.

    Though she's unable to absorb an aura of maturity in the moment, Hisako is still relieved at Natsuki having gotten to, and through, the difficult parts left to her. Too much seemed too uncertain to her to offer the opinion before someone else put it forth, yet now she finds herself nodding at 'this isn't about the Pikmin.' She could have said that. She could have! She didn't, though. She'll have to reflect on this.

    She is, still, curious about how they'll react to her and Hikaru's attempt to communicate. Is it the wrong strategy, to approach a plant like a wolf, just because it didn't react to a human...? It's a bit disappointing when they mostly just get pushed around, still. But if they can build a castle from a drawing, something they've never seen before...

    "Surely they can figure things out, after all...? If only I could use the True Speech, too." This must be the same frustration Hikaru's had with them.

    '...so if I apologize, she might say *no*...'

    "I think it's always best to apologize early, Hikaru. Even if someone is still mad... if they don't feel like forgiving you right then, they can still forgive you later, after they see you've stopped doing something you shouldn't, or worked harder at something you should. So... you don't risk anything by saying 'I'm sorry' earlier, do you?"

    'And so, would you all mind, helping me with one last thing, before I go apologize to Lala as much as I can?'

    Cheering up now that they've reached the conclusion, "Of course! What's the one last thing?"
Sarracenia      'What if she's still mad after I apologize?!'

     "She might still be for a little bit, but...she might not be. And if you do not apologize then it will just get worse later. I do not think Lala would unhappy help you, though. I think she would be quite happy to help find Yuma and help the Pikmin with you. You just have to mean it when you apologize. Take it from me. An insincere apology just will not work." Sarra says, expression flat at the end. She smiles after that. "I doubt you will have a problem with that, though. You seem very genuine."

     'Woah... this is... *starvelous*! What *is* it?!'

     Sarra giggles delightedly and ends up bouncing a couple of times herself at the cuteness and energy. "It is a Power Star! A special item...creature?...from my world that is highly sought after! Not unlike Yuma in that regard! So, please treat it well~"

     'I won't go without Lala for even a single day longer! You're right! And so, would you all mind, helping me with one last thing, before I go apologize to Lala as much as I can?'

     Sarra raises her fists like Hikaru did after the declaration and question. "Yeah! Of course we will! Just name it!" she says happily. She gave advise and the person did not yell at her! Sarra is all smiles now! "I have had very few friends myself, so I will do whatever I can to help you keep this one! You two obviously have something special!"

    
Futaba Nuki "One of them *exploded*!"
"That's why it's a trust exercise! But... Fiine, there's probably safer ways to do it." Another snicker, and Futaba settles down a bit while still keeping her arms raised. "At least, if you're real serious about keeping 'em safe instead of..." Using them? No, Hikaru doesn't strike her as the type to usually think of things in such a pragmatic way.

"I just thought it'd be helpful for winning, since it was the most direct way to fight the Nottrigger."
That, however, still sticks out in her mind as decidedly pragmatic. "Yeah.... That's somethin' to really think about, and to figure out what's more important to you." Futaba scratches her stalk thing a bit while rolling it around in her head some more. "Protecting yourself and Lala, protecting the little guys, finding Yuma. Of course, if you're anything like me-"

Those raised pikmin arms get flexed, and the bicep-region even raises a bit! "You could aim for all three. It'll be harder, but are you up for that?"

"Futaba! Stop it!"
Arms still raised, Futaba turns to stare at Sarracenia again. She can't hold it for long before snickering and sputtering again, though, even letting her arms down after a while. She looks over at Natsuki with a curious eyelid raise, then notices-

"Just like this castle. Everything about this - "
-that her sister is laying down something far more involved than her own surface-level look at what's happening between Hikaru and Lala. "Dang... See, that's why sis is the smart one around here. She knows this kind of stuff like the back of her hands!" She says, pauses, then scoots over to Natsuki and holds her hands up, not to try and get thrown, but to hold her tiny pikmin hands up around Natsuki's to really illustrate the size difference.

"doing all of this *for* her..."
"... it's not the same as doing it with her. Or helping her."
Futaba's considerably more quiet after hearing that, and she looks up and over at her sister roughly at the same time. She inhales lightly and would look like she's opening her mouth to say something, but instead just looks like she's staring at Natsuki for a little while before awkwardly turning back to Lala and trying not to slump her shoulders too much instead.

"But what if--?!"
Another inhale, and Futaba steps over to rub her stubby little hand on Hikaru's back. She doesn't answer any of her questions right away, instead listening longer and thinking more, letting out a strained humming noise all the while. It's hard to see her so distraught, but it does show Futaba where her priorities are.

"More reason to talk to her about all this, then. Maybe not right away, but soon. I'm sure Lala'll want to, too, once she's had some time to settle just like you do." She affirms with one more gentle clap on the back, glancing over at Natsuki again for what is most certainly coincidental and not related to the topic at hand.

And indeed, it sounds like Hikaru's finally settled down, prompting Futaba to let out an excited cheer that's a bad imitation of the pikmin noises-but-excited. "Heck yeah! That's the spirit! Spir... Comet...?" Futaba tilts her head, visibly mulling that over and not sounding too convinced by that non-pun. "... Yeah, let's do it! Lay it on us, Hikaru. What's the plan?"
Natsuki Nuki "I think you already know what hurt Lala." Natsuki issues, lowering her pointing right finger while planting her left on the back of her hip. Her tail, darkly interested in the proceedings, curls about the arm - slithered up from wrist to curl across corearm and come from under arm to rest spade head lazily atop besides bicep. It tastes the air, staring at Hikaru while Natsuki gazes off, out towards the enormousness of the distance, the tallness of the trees, every forbiddingness of the environment.

"Home's light, even if it's close, only minutes away, can be hidden. Through a forest, past a hill, far away, whatever. It can be lost, sometimes, with just words," And for a moment Natsuki rumbles, and her blink is slow, and then she continues on. "-and then the fire is extinguished and you're someplace else. So don't rely on beacons."

The stars hiiiigh above require a crane of the neck. "Just go out there and do it yourself, if it matters to you. Lighting a torch and waiting just isn't effective." Natsuki shakes her head. This, she speaks from the heart.

'What if she's still mad after I apologize?!'

"You know that answer too," Natsuki crouches down, knees out, palms dipping in the well of her lap while wrists rested on thighs. "Don't you?"

Apparently, Natsuki has a high expectation of feelings based magical girls at knowing emotional truths -- or, she's just like that. "You're not casting some magic spell, hexing away their anger. The words are a promise. You're supposed to do the stuff after. You apologize, and then... 'with' Lala part happen after. Don't light a torch and wait."

'Thanks Natsuki.'

Natsuki smiles up at Echolalia with a faint moment of interest. "And for? I'm not doing anything - just looking at the stars and seeing if I'm wrong about torches this time. If Lala comes running, I'm going to look stupid, but maybe these girls are even closer than they look."

'Yeah.... That's somethin' to really think about, and to figure out what's more important to you.'

Futaba, of all people (to Natsuki's tainted impression) comes in with what Natsuki was about to get in on, and so the punk-squatting Osakan drops her chin and hides a smile. Her tail, annoyed, slithers off her arm while Natsuki rises and stretches out her arms to find an acorn to lean against and pose. "The part Lala's probably mad most about is how different you and she care. If your priority is Lala -- just ask her how you should do it. Figuring out the details that way will be easier. Unless you're planning on taking Pikmin along with you on your spaceship, you won't need a big complex contract for forever. But you did go and make a whole castle without her and found a Power Star. So let's hurry up with whatever you need to do and get back to the ship."

The casual assent to helping out for free is snuck in as she talks almost to fool herself. Almost. Smartly being the 'big sister' is almost reward itself!

Almost.
Merelisa Shaynore "If only I could use the True Speech, too."

    Hikaru looks glumly at the Pikmin. "I don't know what the True Speech is... but it sure sounds twincool. It'd be a lot easier if things could just make sense."

"If she needs more time I'd respect it but once I took too long to check in on a friend who was unhappy 'cause ''I'' was unhappy and--well she really needed a friend and though we are getting along better now, I still feel really bad about it."

    Hikaru, still in the midst of her despair, grips the sides of her head and twists her torso around in distress. "Aaaaaaagh, but what if I've already waited too *long*?! I don't want her to be disappointed in meeeeeeeeeeeeee--!"

"You're not casting some magic spell, hexing away their anger. The words are a promise. You're supposed to do the stuff after."

    "... Yeah." Hikaru places a hand on her heart, taking a slow breath with her eyes closed. "'Lighting a torch'. I was doing all this like it would solve it eventually, just by showing how much I want it solved. But I can't wait around not doing it myself."

    Hikaru nods decisively, looking over to the side at the castle. "So! I'll run over there immediately after this! And then, no matter what, I'll keep trying!"

"You just have to mean it when you apologize. Take it from me. An insincere apology just will not work."

    "Mhm!" When Hikaru meets Sarracenia's eyes, with that determined, transparently hopeful and earnest fire, it's impossible to imagine her *not* meaning what she says. She swings her hands out and away from in front of her mouth, as if physically flinging the words all around. "I'll shout it to the whole world if she wants me to!"

"That's the right Asteroitude!"

    "Hmmm... I don't think that one works either..." Hikaru taps a finger on her cheek, then whirls around to point at Futaba as a springboard. "But you've got the right... spir-infinite!"

"You could aim for all three. It'll be harder, but are you up for that?"

    Hikaru puts her fists up to her chest and nods firmly, like Futaba is the one actually offering her the challenge for her to throw herself into immediately. "I'll do it. I'll protect everyone. That's what I wanted originally; that's why Yuma made me a Precure. I'll protect everything important to me, and Lala *is*!"

    "Thank you so much, everyone!" Hikaru bows deep, and the sudden swing of motion finally knocks loose a few glittering droplets of tears that had pooled up in her eyes and never fell.
Merelisa Shaynore     And then, the Plan!

    Hikaru leads the Elites down the hillside, marching authoritatively at the head of the group. Along the path leading away from the castle's drawbridge, a little ways down, is a huge birds nest that seems to have fallen from higher branches. It's only halfway blocking the way forwards, and the mama bird isn't present right now, but there's a few bright blue and red eggs the size of small cars all nestled together inside it.

    FWEEEEE!!

    Hikaru drops the whistle from her mouth, where it clatters with the pendant around her neck, and embarrassedly rubs the back of her head. "Ehehe... habit, sorry, sorry."

    "Anyways, while you're all here! I want to move this nest somewhere safe, so when-- when Lala and I start running around this part of the woods, we don't accidentally disturb the babies! I don't know how to move it fast enough to get it up in the branches, but... their mama probably won't understand what we're doing, so we totally want to move it fast."

    "And-- I'll help!" Hikaru flips open her pouch and pulls out her pink magical pen, waggling it in the air. "Star Color Pendant! Color Charge!"

    Touching the pen to the pendant, Hikaru twirls and draws on all the flashy ribbons, stars, flowing long pigtails and planetary ornaments, that make up her costume, and then strikes her pose. "The twinkling star that shines throughout the sky, Cure Star!"

    Cure Star jumps over to the nest and summons two big, glowing star symbols over each of her palms, squatting down to *heave* and try and lift the nest up. "I want to leave this planet better than I found it! I want this to be a place that Lala and I can look back on happily, and laugh about our time on it together, and know that we did good things! Even if we only ended up here by accident! I want to make happy memories with Lala wher*ever* we go!"
Sarracenia      Sarra watches and listens with a smile as Hikaru soaks in all the advise and seems determined to make up with Lala. "That is the spirit!" she exclaims. When it turns out the task is to help a birds' nest, Sarra's eyes sparkle! "Oh! A rather basic yet perfectly heroic task! Yes! Let us save these birds!

     'FWEEEEE!!'

     Sarra blinks in surprise, and it takes her a moment to realize why Hikaru is apologizing. She giggles after and shrugs. "I think the Pikmin would be fine helping with this if they could fly." she says, then looks at the nest. "...how are we going to get that up there...?" she wonders aloud. Hammering definitely isn't the answer this time.

     'And-- I'll help!'

     Hikaru transforms and goes to lift the nest. Sarra's eyes widen as it starts to move. "You can do it, Cure Star! And I shall help you!" Sarra declares, then pulls out a special power-up. The P-wing! A power-up that lets you fly basically forever (until you get hit)

     Sarra applies it to Hikaru, who gains raccoon ears and a tail along with a flashing P on the front of her outfit. Sarra uses one on herself, then offers one to anyone else who wants one. Then, Sarra starts helping to lift! With an entire team of flying lifters they just might have enough power to move it wherever it needs to go! "Come on everyone! All together!"

     Sarra is just having the best time lately! So many heroic deeds that keep finding their way to her and heroic friends who have been there to help!
Hiromi     'I don't know what the True Speech is... but it sure sounds twincool.'

    Hisako gives an animated nod, pony tail bouncing. "A way to talk so everyone understands perfectly... that would make a lot of things easier. But, um," deciding not to get much further into something that feels presently unhelpful, "I've only met one person who can use it easily."

    Soon, they're led to a giant nest. At first very concerned, Hisako's less worried on hearing they're going to move it. "Leaving it a better place, even if it was an accident... that does sound twincool, too. Ah-- hold on, I can help with this, I just need to..."

    Hisako pulls out a paper talisman like she had used to make the land bridge, but sits down rather than use it right away. "I just need to change this part, from 'soft' to 'hard,' and change this, and..." With two pieces of something chalk-like pulled from a small pouch, she makes her modifications before saying, "Okay, with this--!"

    Standing again, Hisako holds the paper in front of her, concentrates, feet apart and shoulders tensed, and tears it in two. Immediately after, she steps to the edge of the nest, drives her foot into the ground by its edge, draws a half circle, and retreats.

    There's a rumbling, and a settling of dust around the edge, but little else visible in what happened. Hisako waits a moment, and then says, "Hikaru, here! Lift from here!" and points to the line in the dirt that separates the regular earth from the magically solidified, stonelike plate in contact with the bottom twigs of the nest.
Natsuki Nuki Natsuki claps her hands, recovered from her punk squat with uncoiling of tail and proud flick of back-of-palm. "Well, now that we're going on the attack, this'll be light work."

Hopping down from her acorn perch, Natsuki follows the authoritative Cure with a stompy stride while her tail coils as belt about waist. Led to the hillside, it's only a short time before she takes full stock of the problem.

"It fell." Agrees Natsuki, sure the premise would be 'so let's throttle some punk bird!' and getting momentarily hitched in toneswitching ''shame'' when Sarracenia summons up flying power-ups.

Shaking off her flat-eared moment of 'oh, uhh' with a flash of a grin, Natsuki finally expresses another urge and reaches for her dubiously shapeshifted sister, grabbing the long Pikminoid flower-extension off the 'Nuki and stretching the cartoonish smear of a sister with two-fisted grip. "Okay, Futaba. Let's put that stretch to the test."

With one hand gripping the scruff of Futaba's neck and the other gently dough-stretching the goofy 'Nuki from the side, Natsuki offers the doofus towards Hisako and Echolalia. "Since the Princess and Pretty Cure are carrying - both of you are pretty strong, right? Help me stretch out the doofus under the nest, then we can..."

But Hiisako is summoning out paper talismans, much cleverer than a pancake trampoline of the Incredible Olsen Twin (derogatory, singular) Tanuki.

Loosening her grip on her stretched-out-sister, Natsuki lets the tension sproing out in sister and sets Futaba aside to roll up her sleeves as dark fur, black skin, and thick muscles bulk out her forearms.

"I *guess* we can lift it together like birds that way too."
Futaba Nuki "If only I could use the True Speech, too."
"Ain't that the truth. Still, that's... Hmm. That's somethin' else to aim for, right? So we don't end up with..." Futaba gestures arund vaguely, looking from Hisako to Hikaru. She also glances at Natsuki for a moment, fidgeting in place a little before looking back to Hikaru as she gets her spirit back.

"I'll do it. I'll protect everyone. That's what I wanted originally; that's why Yuma made me a Precure. I'll protect everything important to me, and Lala *is*!"
"Atta girl! It won't be easy, but stick with us. We'll steer you straight, even if we're not all that perfect." Futaba cheers again with an encouraging tiny fist raised to the sky as she starts to follow Hikaru towards THE PLAN location! She stays in her smaller pikmin-local form on the way, too, although she slows down as the group comes across the fallen nest.

"So don't rely on beacons."
"Lighting a torch and waiting just isn't effective."
The tanuki inhales deeply as she recalls something, and then she approaches Natsuki with a renewed fire in her eyes! "Hey, hey. Sis. I got a-"

"Okay, Futaba. Let's put that stretch to the test."
"-plan?" Squonking as Natsuki grabs her on both sides, Futaba blinks slowly with that blank pikmin-y stare and nods in the expected approval of her sister's plan. "Pretty hands on way of doin' it, huh? I was thinkin' we could turn into a studly beefcake of a bird in case mama bird does show up, but we should be able to get 'em in and out in no time like this!"

She's soon released, but Futaba takes it in stride anyway and rolls arund a bit before scuttling back over to Natsuki. "Hehe. Not too late to do some big liftin', at least. Let's get this done before mom gets back!"

To Futaba's credit, she's actually really strong even when she looks like this. The little gold bracer may or may not be playing a big part there.
Echolalia ''And for? I'm not doing anything''

"Oh in that case--thanks for nothing then--" Echolalia frowns as that phrase comes out of her mouth. "No that sounds wrong. I mean, thanks for the things you did while not doing anything..."

''I don't think that one works either...''

"Ehh....??? I was really proud of that one..." She hangs her head, frowning. "Oof...Wagh... Nuhhh..."

But at least Hikaru seems to have recovered her spirit so she straightens back up and follows along. A way to move a nest safely. Echolalia frowns. She can manipulate twigs and the like pretty darn easily, but disturbing the nest too much might discourage birds from returning to it. And besides, that would be tough to do without disturbing the eggs.

"I can only do that with plants.#-1 FUNCTION (ANIS) NOT FOUND Linh says to Hisako. "I guess I only know... the True Plant Speech!"

After thinking it over she decides she can try it like she had before, sending up vines to help stabilize the nest rather than trying to manipulate the nest itself. She is leery of touching the eggs directly for the aforementioned mama bird spooking.



''I want this to be a place that Lala and I can look back on happily''

"I'm sure you'll have lots of......................... Nebulamazing adventures?"

She looks towards the thirteen year old for approval.