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Merelisa Shaynore	Even at nighttime, Planet Zeni is riotously bright. Tall structures with flashing screens, hot air balloons strobing party lights, multi-story-tall holograms of idols or advertisements for attractions, all blur together into a sea of light and sound. Every building along the street is outlined with neon, glowing just enough to cast the building itself into silhouette as if they were just holograms with bright signs. The wormhole opens up in an alleyway mercifully sheltered from most of that, just off of the main strip, with a giant looming hologram of an idol with magenta hair waving overhead.     Once the wormhole collapses back into a tiny pinprick star and Yuma's accompanying magic glow fades, the only light illuminating Hikaru and Lala's faces is the hazy ultramarine glow coming off of the neon tubing on either wall of the alleyway. Lala is wearing, in addition to one of Hikaru's pink hoodies pulled on over top her typical flared dress, a scarf and a santa hat, despite the complete lack of Christmas cheer around-- obviously, because this isn't an Earth. Hikaru has a pink and black hoodie with an asymmetrical neckline, ending with a star button at the point, and a black beanie squashing down her pigtails. Lala is glued to her side, eyes squeezed shut and breath fogging while she tries to sap Hikaru's warmth through her clothes, but both of them make a (shivery, in Lala's case) cheerful expression and animated waves when the familiar Elites come through.     To Sougo, Woz, and Swindle, Hikaru immediately revs up for her greeting again, sticking her hands up in the air excitedly. "Hi! Are you more of their friends? I'm Hikaru Hoshina! I love stars and constellations, and as a Precure I'm--"     Detatched from her Hikaru-radiator, Lala's antennae scrunch up in crinkly angles and the electric bulbs glow weakly blue. She makes a chattering whine of tiny distress, and lifts her arms to shamble over and drape them around Hikaru again, vicariously benefiting from her hoodie and sweatpants. In return, Hikaru drops her own arms to blanket Lala's shoulders, and keeps beaming at the new arrivals with just less physical motion to avoid disrupting the arrangement. "--As a Precure I'm traveling and protecting the universe along with my best friend, Lala!"     "Hi, I'm L-L-L-Lala, l-lun." Lala extremely bravely unravels her arm from Hikaru's shoulder, fumbling for her Star Color Pendant with one hand. She rotates around with it outstretched, until it glows with light and hums for a moment while she's pointing it out of the alleyway. "Th-th-thanks for c-coming, lun. One of the St-stellar Notes that Yuma lost should be in th-that building over there, but we won't know what we'll have to do t-to find it until we're inside, lun. Once we're there, we'll need t-to look around f-for a shiny yellow sheet with a s-symbol on it, l-lun."     "All right! So let's go jump right in, and get out of the cold, too!" It's not actually that cold; it's a few degrees above freezing, even, and Hikaru seems plenty comfortable in her hoodie. She goes charging off out of the alleyway with Lala scrambling to hold on behind her, her shocked "O-o-oyo--?!" getting swallowed up by the crowd and music.
Merelisa Shaynore	Across the busy thoroughfare, where no fewer than three kiosk-salesmen try and get you to buy food, or a record, or shitty jewelry, the building that Lala pointed to is huge, bedecked in neon lights with spotlights waving in the air behind it. A giant, muscular alien with blue skin and short antennae stands next to the archway entrance wearing a suit, and when Hikaru tries to barge her way in ('Coming throughhh--!!'), he lowers his arm to clothesline her and send her tumbling backwards to the ground. "Ow--owowoww..." "Hey! What's the big idea, lun?!" "No entry for riff-raff." "Oyo...?"     Lala's eyes widen and her lips part in surprise, as the security guard pushes up his sunglasses. Yuma swoops over to Hikaru flat on the ground with a fluid-light green !! on her face, trying to give her a hand up with her tendrils. Boredly like referring to a script, the guard explains, "This club is for the most distinguished and respectable denizens of the universe only. Not for people like..." He looks down at Hikaru's now scuffed hoodie. "... you."     His cursory glance across the rest of the party is approving on Lilian, Woz, and surprisingly Swindle, but before there's a chance to figure out how to use that to get all the rest through, there's another arrival. A long white limosine hovers to a stop on the road, door sliding upwards automatically to reveal a teenaged girl seated in the red leather interior. Magenta hair, with two buns tied up to evoke cat ears to match her tail with a ribbon tied around the end; a chaotically cutesy outfit covered in pink and white bows and ruffles and jewelry; and before she can step out herself, a well-dressed man with horns and gaudy rings on every finger exits the car on the other side and offers her his hand up.     Immediately, Lala is kneeling by Hikaru's side where she's dizzily trying to stand back up, shaking her shoulders frantically. She babbles incoherently, cold momentarily forgotten, while her antennae gesticulate into random curls and angles in her frenzy. Eventually, she just slaps her antennae onto Hikaru's cheeks and wrenches her face over towards the girl stepping out of the limo, then up towards the identical hologram that dances over the entire city. "O-oyo--!! Hikaru-- Hikaru it's-- look-- i-i-it's-- right there??? The-?? Oyo??--?! Near, u-us?? She's--" "Wwowow... wait, isn't that--?" ""The super-famous galactic idol, Mao--?!""     While the girls are grabbing each others' shoulders in shock, Mao slips out of the arm of the man holding her and saunters over to them, bending down at the hip. With a gloved finger smugly squishing into her cheek, she stares into their eyes and says, "Nnnnya? Are you two fans of little old me-ow?~ That makes Mao happy!~"     She briefly places her hand on Yuma's head, which elicits a upwards-pitch trill of curiosity from the Star Drop. Watching the light-pattern on Yuma's face swirl around, she quiets down and says with wonder, "And aren't you a precious thing, meow...?"
Merelisa Shaynore	The well-dressed man's long draconic tail coils around Mao's waist from where he's standing, tugging her back lightly. "Come on now, Mao. You don't want to dirty yourself before the concert by fraternizing with that rabble. Besides, what could you get out of it that wouldn't be time better spent with me?"     Mao plants her hands on the tail around her as if she's going to pry it off, but her voice is only cutesily pouty when she retorts. "*Lord Doramus*, you know it makes meow very nyangry if you talk badly about my fans. All Mao's fans are like friends to meow~! If you keep being such a sourpuss, I might just turn tail and give these cute fans a show on my own!~"     Doramus and the security guard share a brief look over Mao's head, with the classic 'Women, am I right?' expression. Mao raises her hands up like paws and bats them by her cheeks, eyes wide and innocent. "So purr-lease~ won't you let them in to see the show? And all their cute friends too?"     "T-too cute... then... OK!"     As Mao is pulled away and links up arms with Doramus again, she tilts her head back to look over her shoulders at the Elites with a slit-eyed smile and a flick of her tail. Hikaru and Lala don't notice, because at this point, they're bouncing up and down and spinning around together in excitement. Yuma gets in on the excitement too, by humming a synthesized tune with a glowing cat symbol on her face. They turn to the Elites, insistent that they *have* to understand how monumentous an event this is. "That's *Mao*, lun! She's a super-idol who appeared out of nowhere a year ago and took the galaxy by storm, lun!" "Lala told me about her! Apparently *everyone* in the Starscape galaxy knows her." "She's *super* popular, lun. And she's really nice too, and pretty, and now we get to see her perform in *person*, lun--!! While finding a stellar note, too!" "-_- -_¯- -_--¯¯¯¯!" "Twincool!!!"     After Doramus and Mao have passed into the building, the security guard stays out of the way to allow passage for the rest of you into the high-class performance venue, too. He's good enough at his job to not look particularly sour about it, either.     Inside the club is a massive domed room encompassing almost the entire building. The ceiling is covered in interlocking screens showing a magenta and blue alien sky, with a fuchsia synthwave setting sun rippling on the edge. A wide ring of plush carpet encompasses the outer ring of the room, with tables and tables of card games, roulette tables, space-age electronic cabinets to play other unfamiliar gambling games, and so on, filled with a crowd of wealthy-looking patrons attending all of them. Scattered around this communal area are alien relics like jewelry in glass cases, statues of nonhuman historical figures, paintings, intricate devices, all with demure labels noting their 'starting bid'. In the center of it all is a platform upraised high so that it's visible to everyone, though it's empty right now.     Hikaru and Lala are offered a change of clothes by borrowing some of Mao's in her changing room, so that they don't stick out as peasants, and they vanish instantly to take advantage of that. Mao gets swept off by her patron and attendants with an airy "Cheer for meow lots, okay~?", and for a little bit, you're given free roam.
Combaticon	Of the arriving Decepticons, the first to step out of Yuma's portal is the tall, narrow figure of Onslaught, his hands folded behind his back under his cannons. With his faceplate closed, the only hint of an expression is his eyes-- which regard Hikaru and Lala both with a sort of... resting Glower in glowing red with the little white pupils just like Depthcharge and Vortex had. Something about the shape of his army hat-like headpiece just makes him look perpetually annoyed.     Stepping out behind the two meter height of Onslaught is a bright olive green 'bot just about two whole heads shorter, sporting purple eyes and an unsavory grin. The girls might recognize him as the robot that Brawl decked on sight near the end of the Pikmin adventure. Resting his hand on his hip, Swindle lifts his eyes to the bright lights of the city, letting out an appreciative whistle.     The unmistakable and immense bulk of Brawl emerges last, smashing her way through both her comrade robots. Onslaught staggers but remains standing; Swindle sails the opposite way and lands in a tangle of limbs and wordless complaints. Brawl only stops when she's reached the two young mahou, crouching down and placing one hand on the ground. The other reaches out, holding a-- well, it's one of those big thermoses with the metal outer shell and the cap that can also be used as a cup, "It's so good to see you again, Hikaru! Lala! Here, I got hot chocolate when I heard you were cold--" There's a lot of stuff she wanted to say that kind of already got radio-answered.     Instead, she rises to her full height again, "That Lilian lady had a good idea about bringing warm clothes but-- I didn't know what your measurements are in metric, SAE, or even Cybertronian Standard."     "Organic children change their dimensions all the time, anyway," Onslaught states calmly, crossing behind Brawl to assist Swindle back to his feet, "Whatever measurements you could hae taken before would likely be outdated by now anyway."     "Oh yeah-- Hikaru, Lala--" Brawl gestures to the pinkette, then the minty haired girl one at a time, "This is my boss, Onslaught," The stern military-hatted robot nods once with a little beep, "And uh--" "Quartermaster." "We'll go with that; Team quartermaster, Swindle."     "Charmed!" Capitalismtron lifts one hand with two fingers extended, cocking slightly at the wrist, "And what a fascinating little planet you've brought us to!"
Combaticon	With introductions out of the way, it's time to investigate the matter of the Stellar Note. And a bouncer who knocked Hikaru down. Brawl positions herself to divert passersby around the scene, leaning down to check on the girl. Onslaught inclines his head slightly, staring the bouncer eye to eye with the similar height, "Which definition of 'respectable' are we following, here?"     The matter gets sorted out, however, by the arrival of a major celebrity. Onslaught's eyes glance sidelong towards Mao without a turn of his head and, deftly, he steps aside for her and Doramus to pass without even being asked. It's Swindle who speaks up, "Miss Mao-- I think I heard about her work when I was in the Vorlon sector. Nice species, the Vorlons. Great love of the arts out there." Lifting his hand to his chin, Swindle hums dramatically, "I smell an opportunity~... I'll have to check who Miss Mao's chief publicist is."     "I suddenly feel like too much of a rustbucket to be here," Brawl lets out uncomfortably once they've been let inside. A huge tank robot feels very out of place in this kind of ritzy upper-class society, especially at a big auction.     "Keep your optics primed and stop complaining."     "Look at all of this great stuff!"
Timespace Riders	Hi! Are you more of their friends? I'm Hikaru Hoshina! I love stars and constellations, and as a Precure I'm--raveling and protecting the universe along with my best friend, Lala!     "Hi, Hikaru, hi, Lala!" Sougo brightly waves, with a cheery smile despite the cold. His navy pea coat offsets the pastel blue and pink of the paisley button-up beneath it, and a comfortable-looking white scarf seems to be battling the cold favorably as well. "I'm Sougo Tokiwa. I'm gonna be the greatest, kindest Demon King of Time! This is my retainer, Woz."     "Felicitations, Hikaru and Lala," says Woz, who is likely huddled with Sougo less for the literal warmth and more for another reason. He manages a bow at the waist with Sougo's arm around him. This club is for the most distinguished and respectable denizens of the universe only. Not for people like... you.     Woz inclines his head respectfully towards the bouncer, and Sougo smiles in that way that he does when he's cooking something up behind his sunny exterior. "They're with us," he begins, before-- The super-famous galactic idol, Mao--?!     "Mao?! Where?!" asks Sougo, who was focused on the bouncer, with such rapidity that the next sentence leaves him before he sees her. "Woz, get my copy of the Little Red Book!"     Woz clears his throat and doesn't retrieve this for Sougo. "The idol, sire."     "I know--oh. Oh!" He chuckles, bashfully rubbing a hand over the back of his neck when he realizes his mistake. "Well, maybe she could sign it anyway..."     Woz is too busy pursing his lips at the silent exchange between Doramus and the bouncer to say much about that. He and Sougo both offer her grateful expressions; a bounce-in-place from Sougo and a respectful inclination of the head from Woz. She's *super* popular, lun. And she's really nice too, and pretty, and now we get to see her perform in *person*, lun--!! While finding a stellar note, too!     Sougo clears his throat, still a little embarrassed. "Y-yeah...!"     After being let in, Sougo tugs his collar a bit. With a nod towards the central, empty platform, "So... I guess they know what they have, otherwise it'd be here. They probably won't bring it out until later, right? Hm... Is there any reason we shouldn't just go about this... you know, legitimately?" A glance between Lilian and Swindle. Surely there's no reason they can't just bid on it?
Futaba Nuki	Although roaming around at night in brightly lit cities isn't completely new to Futaba, the sheer amount of it coming from the streets of Planet Zeni is still something the ninja needs to adjust to. It's not so much that ninjas and light are natural enemies seeing as how she revels in being seen, but because... Today was a day of actually working at home instead of doing her usual ninja hero patrols, so her energy levels aren't where they normally would be. Nevertheless, she's here to help the Precures in finding a piece of their missing friend, and she's dressed like she's worth a million bucks. She doesn't actually have that much pocket money to just throw around, though, so she has to fudge it quite a bit with how she's seen rich people dress back home: A pressed suit and pants in white with a matching tie and shoes, a black long-sleeved dress shirt underneath that with the sleeves just poking out from under the suit's sleeves, and a white hat with a black band around the middle to top it all off. Instead of red, her usual scarf is bone white today. Her hair's also, oddly enough, flat and brown instead of being tied up in the usual orange high ponytail. "Hey there, Hikaru! Yo, Lala! And Yuma's with ya here, too, I see! You gals figure things out at home okay?" She asks as she approaches them, pausing to listen to the unofficial briefing from Lala and taking note of the shivering. "We're gonna have to get you something warmer to wear later, but for now..." Using the power of her brain for the umpteenth time today, Futaba does not take out her flaming katana in the middle of a street! Instead, she takes off her extra long scarf and offers it to Lala, although the idea of wrapping them both up in it does pass her mind up until Hikaru's already bolting out of the alleyway. "A yellow sheet, eh? Should be pretty obvious... Alright, let's get to it!" Futaba laughs as she sees Hikaru taking off ahead of Lala, jogging behind the former to nudge her along so she doesn't fall behind. A light chase later, however, Futaba sees a big blue alien knocking Hikaru over, and the gears are already turning in her head to right this apparent (to her) injustice (of doing his job) without being a bad influence on the girls. Before she can come up with anything, though, Mao arrives and seems to take a liking to the Precures and the Star Drop! "The one up there, right? With the..." Futaba can't really simulate a hologram-look, so she just points up at the holograms. She glances up at said hologram, then at Mao while she leaves with Doramus. There's a brief eyebrow raise at the smile and flick, then gives Hikaru and Lala a light nudge before patting Yuma on the head once. "Well, you heard the idol. Let's get in there and enjoy the show!" With Hikaru and Lala given a chance to change, Futaba takes advantage of the time to explore by checking out... The alien relics! She does't balk at seeing the starting bid numbers, either, just putting on a calm smile like she's seen rich people do instead of showing proper excitement and interest in things. It's a chance to mingle and eavesdrop on the sorts of people that would buy these things, and she's even listening for anyone speaking particularly loudly about where these came from.
Rita Ma	Another outing with Hikaru and Lala! A fresh start! And it'd be a smart time to come clean, while they still like me.      ... But I won't, will I. I'm not brave enough.      Rita Ma- allegedly also known as 'Cure Glow!'- emerges into the alleyway, silently slips over with a look of concern, and drapes a crimson-and-charcoal windbreaker around Lala's shoulders, still warm from her own body. (Don't worry about the scary snake 'S' on it! That's normal Cure stuff.)      "It's good to see you again, Hikaru, Lala! And Yuma," she says as her first introduction, head-tilting towards the little star politely. "This seems like it'll be an easier one, right?"      - - - -      "Nice species, the Vorlons."      "Huh? 'Nice species'?" Cure Glow is too distracted by that one in the background to intervene much in the bouncer situation, and her pop culture knowledge is regrettably Maoless.      "What does Ms. Mao perform? I'm sorry I'm a little clueless," she says perkily after, swooping inside to catch up with the Cures from behind and then slip ahead of them. "And should we really be gambling here? I don't have any..."      "Hey?" Rita looks back at the blinking outline where the Cures were. Betrayed by the offer of new clothes. She deflates slightly, then smiles, then looks around at the glitz and rich people, and then deflates slightly again. Her eyes slide off a 'starting bid' that could've fed her for a year.      ". . . I'm not sure I like it here very much," she says, drawing inwards a little further. Arms cross.
Natsuki Nuki	Having returned from a business trip, the Golden Caterpillar Club had received back its stormy mistress in a befouled mood. Lieutenants and suited made men scattered out of her way and formed two rows across the entranceway carpet as she stormed back in, the instant obeisance to her path a minimum-expected motion. It didn't make her feel better. Dropping into her big chair at the top of her tower of luxury, Natsuki glared at the closed door opposite her eyes and then dropped chin and leaned forward. Elbows thunking to the wooden desk enough to cause a complaint-creak and palms pressed to temples, Natsuki tries to squeeze the feeling out her skull and breathe it out of nose and lips. Sticky, tarry, a poison with no known antidote. "Sounds like it went great." Takeshi opines in dry humor from one of the chairs before his sister, in brown shirt with black tie with three-dot leaf tie clip and dark slacks. "So--" "Shut the fuck up, Takeshi." Natsuki snaps, snarling with a lengthening quartet of fangs pushing past lips. "I don't need you on top of the rest." Holding up hands in an 'I surrender!' pose but still smirking just a bit, Takeshi leans forward. "So are you giving up? I can send the guys down, make things 'right' for you." Natsuki's eyes, and angry expression, dips down to the neatly stacked papers on her desk her elbows push askew. A wall of victories and ten-yen bounties. None of it hit, not like before, and what was worse was her sister - constantly smiling at her. "No. I'm still looking for those 'stellar notes', and so will Futaba. I can still get *something* I want if I re-stake." "And how're you going to do that?" --- A few days later, Natsuki's opportunity came. A far-easier one than falling out of the stars into a forest that made everyone small. Here, among the neon, Natsuki could be enormous. She arrives in the slightly off-tone alley dressed in a long black slit-legged evening dress that shimmers like ten thousand black butterfly wings seamed to a single piece of cloth, shoulderless to allow the transition from tiger orange and dark brown striped forearms, hands, button ears, and digitigrade legs to the softening of fuzz to her tanuki-masked face and swept back crown braid and bun of white hair pierced through by two holding sticks of dark lacquered wood with gold embellishments. Of course, she immediately looks down at the state of the spaces between neon luxury with an open look of narrowed-eyed contempt, strutting out into the street on a roiling black carpet crackle of ground-occluding micro stormclouds just to keep her feet out of the Alley Juice. She knows all about the Alley Juice. She also knows enough to smirk faintly at Hikaru spinning up a hand and trying to push into an exclusive club on 'coming through!', nodding in the rear about the proper way to stop clubhoppers: a clean clothesline. Stepping up besides the Demon King of Time (and his Retainer and fellow Concord Partner, Woz) Natsuki is likewise about to start waving away the problems when the *local* celebrities show up. Standing idle long enough that her stormcloud step-protectors solidify into misty heels, the arrival of Mao is watched with clear interest -- equally for idol and the possessively-tailed minder. It's from the slit of her dress her own peeks out, scaleblack besides gossamerdark. "Well," Natsuki decides, reaching towards Woz when he starts getting out red books to sign only to realize that it's the wrong kind of thing for a wealth-cursed monster to co-sign. Offering it back half as interestedly as she took it, she shrugs off the exchange. "Can't beat the admission price - though if they wanted people who'd attend their auction they could have at least sent an invitation."
Natsuki Nuki	Warmed in the way that girls showing absolute territory attract heat entirely through gaze, and used to country winters, Natsuki still relaxes by degrees upon entering the reception hall, immediately going for the relics on display -- entirely to start appraising them. "I wonder if there's anything worth buying here..." Natsuki wonders as she starts contemplating prices and how much she thinks they're actually worth. Of course, if anything catches her eye: She immediately moves to buy.
Lilian Rook	Lilian has just enough time between hearing what Hikaru and Lala are up to, and the availability of Yuma's portal, to hastily find out what the Starscape Union takes as money, hastily convert currencies several times at a highway robbery rate through her private network, and grab what physical items are relevant from her store room at home (formerly someone else's office). She will not be caught dead on Planet Zeni without cash.     She does not have time, after all that, to drop what she's doing, research the location, and change her outfit to match; so for the second adventure in a row, Lilian is right in the middle of trying something out when she hurries off to save the universe's smiles, or something.     Lilian appears at the ninety-fifth minute mark in front of the mirror, wearing by pure coincidence a partial combination of her Yinghua, Wuthering Heights, and Bernish formal; all sleek black lines and elaborate semifloral stitch-in, long gloves and bare shoulders, high heels and backless window, white-gold and diamond jewelry, dropping the fancy updo of old and instead only lightly sorting her long hair with a celtic knot and extra pin. Wearing small fractions of her armour so that they seem like dress decoration with how they remain mysteriously attached, the sum total of coloured accents were clearly laboriously arranged to fit with advice that Lilian totally isn't taking from the Precures' worst enemy.     She's not! Colour coordinating around irrelevant-to-Tenjou lipstick is just to match her eyes! Don't question it! She was absolutely sure that it was going to be way colder than this from hearing Lala's teeth chattering on the radio, so actually only the black double-button peacoat counts! Which she shoves into Futaba's arms and says "Don't you dare lose this." almost immediately.     'Hi! Are you more of their friends?'     'Hi, I'm L-L-L-Lala, l-lun.'     "Hikaru! Lala!" Lilian changes her tone instantly, absentmindedly performing the excited little hand-clap reserved for evil aunts and grabbing both of them for a simultaneous squeeze. "Yuma! Goodness, it's wonderful to see you together again!" she crows just a moment later, in for-Fae-like tones. She isn't sure whether Yuma likes being touched, and wearing gloves only counts when it's girls, so she limits herself to hands-ideally-spaced for cheek squishes once she releases them.     'Once we're there, we'll need t-to look around f-for a shiny yellow sheet with a s-symbol on it, l-lun.'     "Naturally, it's as good as ours." Lilian says, casually brushing her hair over her shoulder in that excessively showy way. Either the glitzy atmosphere or the previous success is getting to her. "You're all together, there's no crash landing, and I don't see any giant monsters, so compared to last time, this should be a cinch~"     . . . . . . . .     'This club is for the most distinguished and respectable denizens of the universe only. Not for people like...'     Lilian's action sequence is automatic bordering on autonomic. Overstep by two paces, slow down to acknowledge the situation, scan for Hikaru and Lala, sigh, crouch down as low as she can without her dress touching the steps, delivers "What did we say about running off ahead? The gentleman won't let you in until he knows why you're here; he's doing his job properly." as if they'd discussed it in the car over, straightens out, beckons Futaba to bring her coat back with a crook of her finger, and--
Lilian Rook	'Nnnnya? Are you two fans of little old me-ow?~ That makes Mao happy!~'     §Hhhhuhhh? What in God's name-- Who?! Huh?!§     Lilian takes a second to reboot. Rather, she subtly freezes while wracking her brains for any information on how to act around . . . pop idols? And comes to all of a sudden when she encounters     CODE: SLEAZY MANAGER (WANNABE BOYFRIEND)     The way she glares at the two men exchanging the Classic Look is, accidentally, perfectly part of the little formality of adult interaction.     'She's *super* popular, lun. And she's really nice too, and pretty, and now we get to see her perform in *person*, lun--!! While finding a stellar note, too!'     "That's wonderful~" Lilian switches tracks, smiling with the vicariously satisfied look of a chaperone who is glad there will be no trouble. "Sometimes, famous people aren't what they seem like on-screen. I'm so glad that she's exactly like you hoped in-person! We'll all have such a story to tell."     '-_- -_¯- -_--¯¯¯¯!'     Lilian is already starting to hum the bars under her breath when she hears--     'Woz, get my copy of the Little Red Book!'     Lilian spins on Sougo with beat-for-beat perfect timing to have a comically shadowed face and glowing eyes lens flare. "Hey. Do you want to go missing? Because talking about that in a place like this is how you go missing."     '. . . I'm not sure I like it here very much'     Lilian puffs out air from her cheeks. "It's not dangerous." she says, contradicting herself from two seconds ago. "As long as you look good, don't break anything, and don't make a lot of loud noise, you can get away with practically anything. That's the reality of how these places are. The intricate rules are things people make up for entertainment, so don't worry."     'Is there any reason we shouldn't just go about this... you know, legitimately?'     "My thoughts exactly." Hairflip. On the dot. "Excuse me. I'm going to raise some capital."     For the second time in her elite career, Lilian takes a deep breath, puts on her most mysterious half-smile, glides her way once around the gambling area in a full circuit, finds a table that 'feels rght' to sit down at, and begins relentlessly cheating for fifteen minutes, takes one small loss, laughs and 'quits while she's ahead', and finds a new mark.
Merelisa Shaynore	"Here, I got hot chocolate when I heard you were cold--" "'Hot ch-chocolate', lun...?" "It's a tasty drink that warms you up inside! It's really good." "Oh! Thanks, l-lun!" "Organic children change their dimensions all the time, anyway,"     While Lala carefully sips from the thermos with a blissful expression, Hikaru puffs up with a proud expression. "That's true! Us organics grow really fast. I grew three centimeters last year!" She pauses, then elaborates, leaning towards Brawl, "That's a lot, even for an organic."     "It's affected by all sorts of stuff, so you can predict it sometimes. Diet, activity, age, and I've met lots of aliens that were organics that were bigger or smaller. When we first met, Lala was a little shorter than me, but now she's a bit taller!" Neither of them are very tall, though, only a couple inches above Swindle's head. Being taller than a robot makes Hikaru delighted, and she claps her hands over her mouth to fuss over him. "I'm gonna be the greatest, kindest Demon King of Time!" "You're a demon?! That's solariffic!" "Oyo?! Oh, but a kind one, lun..." "That's double solariffic!"     These kids have been around the block long enough that Sougo being a demon only phases them in that Hikaru expected horns, and surreptitiously gets up on her tiptoes to try and peek if they're coming in. Some of their best nemeses are demons! "We're gonna have to get you something warmer to wear later, but for now..."     Lala takes a hunched-up sip of her hot chocolate while pointing at the Santa hat on her head. As if she's sharing rare wisdom, she explains, "This is what Earthlings wear to keep themselves warm when it's cold, lun. A big friendly man with red skin gave it to me." "This seems like it'll be an easier one, right?"     After both of the girls unwrap themselves from hugging Rita, Lala nods decisively, but leans in to confide a bit more information. "Not everyone out here likes the 'Precures', by the way, lun... so it's safer to not transform where anyone can see."     For Lilian, Yuma trills happily at being squashed, with a spinning trio of green circles on her face. Hikaru stares at the slit in Natsuki's dress with her hand on her chin and her lips pouting in *intense* thought, murmuring "Pretty... I wonder where we could get something like that ourselves...", while Lala is entranced by Lilian's without the determination to comment on it. "Which definition of 'respectable' are we following, here?"     Unflinchingly, the bouncer keeps his arms folded and his sunglasses steady. "The club maintains a certain quality of clientele. If you can't meet it, then you can't go in. That's the rules."     When Natsuki and Lilian step up, he steps down for them to enter without question. Them actually accompanying the girls surprises him the most of anything that night, and he clasps his hands behind his back and stiffly lets the idol-nonsense proceed in front of him with a line of sweat trickling off his blue head, hoping that he didn't accidentally physically assault these clearly-important womens' nieces or something. "What does Ms. Mao perform? I'm sorry I'm a little clueless,"     Lala nods and waves her hands reassuringly, while her antennae spark and she can't keep herself from bouncing on her feet. "It's okay, lun! You all come from really far away! She's a singer, lun, and a dancer, and she acted in a short movie, and she writes her *own* songs, but she's still so *mysterious* because no one really knows where she came from, and she keeps her interviews mysteriously vague, and--"     "Lala, lala! They're waiting for us to go inside, and Mao's looking at us--!"
Merelisa Shaynore	Going around the display cases, they're all *exorbitantly* pricey, and mostly the kinds of things that should hardly be owned by anyone. An entire full-body fossil of a giant fanged monster from Uranain, ancient pottery depicting the story of aliens descending to a planet from the perspective of the aliens, lots of beautiful, iridescent jewelry from a place called 'Planet Rainbow'. There's some straight up magical objects too, like a ring of invisibility supposedly used by a famous spy, and something claiming to be an elixir of eternal life, and an old knife made out of a strange purple metal that claims to be cursed to bring misfortune on anyone who owns it. That last one is, counterintuitively, more expensive as a starting bid than the elixir of immortality.     What *doesn't* seem to be on display is anything that could be the Stellar Note, though. It's hard to be sure, with Lala, Hikaru, and Yuma off getting changed, but there's nothing like a glowing yellow sheet around.     There *are* interesting conversations to overhear. Futaba catches a cluster of women holding champagne glasses full of some very thin silvery-blue drink, making sad sympathetic noises while eyeing a display case of that iridescent jewelry. "Just terrible what happened to them, isn't it?" "Oh, my heart *broke* when my husband told me the news." "Tragic. Really nothing that could've been done." "Rainbowians always made the most beautiful jewelry, a shame that there's never going to be any more made."     Natsuki, of course, blends in perfectly, because there's no 'blending in' for her to even do: this *is* her element. Sensing that natural belonging, a very short bug man with wide set eyes and antennae, with an *impeccable* scarlet red suit, puffs a cloud of sweet-smelling cosmic dust from a pipe and strikes up conversation with her.     "Have you heard the rumors? They say the interplanetary phantom thief 'Blue Cat' threatened to strike tonight. I'm quite excited frankly, I've never seen her work in person."     Eventually, Hikaru and Lala show back up, fully outfit swapped. Hikaru (https://imgur.com/hcRWCpv) is wearing an adorable pink dress with a heart nestled in the ruffles on her chest, a flower in her hair, and a large hot pink ribbon tying her waist, complete with star jewelry loaned to her by Mao. Lala's (https://imgur.com/0FoK4rm) is less traditional to Earth's beauty standards, but fits in perfectly among the varied clientele here. Wide mint green shoulderpads pattered with dots on her white and mint dress with a yellow stripe down the middle, and most strikingly, two big hair ornaments arranged like mouse ears behind the origin points of her antennae.     They're both twirling around in their outfits happily, with Lala clasping her cheeks and swooning ("Mao's so kind... she's like an angel, lun....") while Hikaru holds up Lala's arm and shows *her* off to the Elites rather than paying attention to any of the jaw-droppingly pricey decor. They're both cut short by a hush falling over the crowd, and a mechanical whirring coming from the center stage.     Mao, and a buzzing fly-guy who must be the auctioneer, rise up to the central platform, and multicolored spotlights and a suppressed volume wind up to a bouncy 80's pop song accompany his announcement, "WELCOME DIGNIFIED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BUT BEFORE WE KICK OFF THIS AUCTION, HOW ABOUT A SHOW, PROVIDED TO US BY LORD DORAMUS! A PERFORMANCE FROM THE POP IDOL, MAO!"     Both Hikaru and Lala are entranced as the music revs up and Mao begins dancing and singing on stage, with the entire screen-dome above changing color and patterns to go along with the show.
Merelisa Shaynore	"And should we really be gambling here? I don't have any..."     Once Mao's performance is underway, Lala explains the Currency Lore while Hikaru goes off to the bar(???). She sits down on one of the hovering ovoid chairs and kicks her feet, sparkly green heels reflecting the light.     "Everywhere in the Starscape Union uses shiens so it's efficient to go to other planets and buy things, lun. I asked AI before, and each shien is about as much as a yen on Earth, lun." The announcer pulls up hologram projections all around the hall of a full dishware set made from the core of a star, and the smarmy voice of Doramus immediately calls out for ten million shien. Lala quietly echoes, "'Ten million'.... I think I get what you mean, Rita, lun."     Hikaru comes back from the bar-- it actually *is* just a bar!-- with a drink in each hand. Thankfully, on short inspection, both drinks are, in fact, milkshakes. One is a thick purple shot through with edible glitter-stars, blue sparkly whipped cream on top, which she hands to Lala, and she keeps an orange and white one that faintly glows with actual emitted energy to herself. She takes a sip, and then opens her mouth to have light shine out of it, exclaiming "That's so twincool~!"
Combaticon	Onslaught passes the bouncer once Mao serves as the ticket inside, following him with his eyes up until the pair are right next to each other. His hand flips up, extending a thin metal plate the size and approximate shape of a business card; "Onslaught, Decepticon Justice Division. We are guests; but our presence may serve to further deter any security violations. Put your mind at ease." Not that anyone in this region would have any idea who Decepticons are, much less the DJD.     Once inside, Onslaught strolls through the displayed auction pieces with his hands behind his back, his usual resting posture with that usual resting scowl on his face. When it becomes clear that nothing here fits the description of the Stellar Note, he steps out of the way of foot traffic and unfolds one hand. His wrist flips open, extending a nondescript metal rod. The plate concealing his face retracts into the sides of his jawline, revealing-- an actual mouth. Onslaught places the metal bit between his lips like a cigar, then ignites a plasma torch from the tip of his thumb to heat the protruding end until it's cherry red and giving off a thin acrid smoke.     Yeah, the robots have their own version of cigars, don't worry about it.     Swindle schmoozes his way into the social elite gathered around the rainbow jewelry. With his outer chassis nicely polished (he even went over the dents Brawl put in him earlier), he leans forward to appraise the trinkets with more curiosity than greed, "I'm a bit new to this side of the galaxy, would anyone be willing to fill me in on these?" When he straightens his posture, a device unfolds over his left eye which he uses to zoom in and examine them more closely, "Because it sounds like whoever crafted these lovely pieces might not be around anymore."     Brawl, meanwhile, has barely moved at all since going inside. Given her imposing dimensions, she's a bit concerned about smashing or knocking things over just by moving about. All she's done is get out of the way and, by virtue of her great size, winds up having a good view of the auction hall and much of the casino floor not obstructed by walls. Which means she gets a good sight of Hikaru and Lala in their fancy cute new dresses. The tankbot lifts her right arm overhead and lets out a cheer-- which happens to coincide with Mao and the announcer taking the stage.     The lights dim, further highlighting the points on the three Cybertronians that have their own glowing effects; purple lines on Swindle's body and his purple eyes, the red-orange cherry of Onslaught's cy-gar and his bright red eyes, Brawl's big red visor.     As the concert winds up, Swindle seems more interested in keeping his conversation going. Onslaught remains still, only swinging his eyes towards the stage, then sweeping a glance back across the room. Brawl, meanwhile, decides to just Get Into It. She produces, of all things, a Brawl-sized electrified metal police baton. Clicking a button on its handle a few times, the energized blue light flicker-flicks red, then green, then magenta. Once satisfied, she lifts it overhead like a glowstick and rocks it to the song's tempo.
Lilian Rook	'When we first met, Lala was a little shorter than me, but now she's a bit taller!'     Lilian thinks about the gummies that Lala hates, presses her lips together, and frowns.     'A big friendly man with red skin gave it to me.'     Her eyes jump to Lala's santa hat. "Oh my. If that's who I think it was, then you should know that he only gives things to good girls and boys."     ansi9243,'Not everyone out here likes the 'Precures', by the way, lun... so it's safer to not transform where anyone can see.')     "Places where money is god happen to be that way." Lilian says, with a little sigh-puff. "It's a tremendous problem if you don't have any, but, conversely, if you happen to have plenty, they're the easiest places in the universe to get around."     'Pretty... I wonder where we could get something like that ourselves...'     "Not until you're older." comes out automatically.     'If you can't meet it, then you can't go in. That's the rules.'     Lilian delicately slips the equivalent of a hundred into the bouncer's breast pocket and pats him on the shoulder as she glides by. "That's how a proper bouncer should be." she says, reassuringly.     'Rainbowians always made the most beautiful jewelry, a shame that there's never going to be any more made.'     Well now Lilian has to get one. Two, ideally. She wasn't going to participate in the auction, having little use and less trust for an elixir of life or a dagger of misfortunte, but if it's priceless one-of-a-kind jewelry, one for Tamamo and one to match should be fine!     §Wait.§     Processing . . .     "The entire planet? Really?" Lilian inserts herself into the conversation, concerned in tone yet distracted by rapidly tabbing through her bank accounts on her appropriately holographic phone. "No one was offworld at the time? How could something like that happen? You don't think--" She side-eyes, then raises her voice a little. "Someone doesn't want there to be anymore?"     §Don't let me seeing you bidding, extras.§
Timespace Riders	Hey. Do you want to go missing? Because talking about that in a place like this is how you go missing.     Sougo goes comically rigid with such rapidity that the cartoon skeleton-rattle is all but audible. . . . I'm not sure I like it here very much.     "Me neither," admits Sougo. "But... I have a good feeling about this! Especially if Mao is serious about wanting all of her fans to be welcome."     Can't beat the admission price - though if they wanted people who'd attend their auction they could have at least sent an invitation.     "Had *I* been entrusted with the guest list, you would surely have received one," Woz assures Natsuki consolingly. Excuse me. I'm going to raise some capital.     "Okay! Have fun!" Sougo gives Lilian a fervent thumbs-up. Mao's so kind... she's like an angel, lun....     Sougo smiles knowingly at Rita, as if to say, 'see?' A PERFORMANCE FROM THE POP IDOL, MAO!     A surprised, excited 'uwoh' rises up from Sougo, perhaps a little undignified but entirely sincere in its enthusiasm. Woz applauds politely, and Sougo, vibrantly, as the performance begins. 'Ten million'.... I think I get what you mean, Rita, lun.     "Lilian says I shouldn't talk about it here, so I won't get to far into it, but, um... the circumstances that lead to this kind of thing aren't really sustainable. Lots of other people probably feel the same way, too, so don't worry." He gives her a little reassuring nod. "It's normal to feel that way."
Futaba Nuki	"This is what Earthlings wear to keep themselves warm when it's cold, lun.  A big friendly man with red skin gave it to me." "Good clothes for the season, for sure. The fuzzy bit's real cute, too! Red skin, though..." Futaba purses her lips as she considers whether to be worried about Lala running into an oni, stops, then breaks into a broader grin that's notably softer than most she might have ever seen Futaba with. "... Well, make sure to take good care of it. I'm sure he'll be eral glad to see it next time you're in the area." "Don't you dare lose this." Putting on her suavest charms, Futaba drapes the peacoat over one forearm as she dipds into a light bow at the waist while not letting that coat move even a centimeter closer to the ground. "But of course, Lady Rook. I'll defend it with my life." She replies, briefly puts on the tone of a refined escort that actually sounds accurate compared to her usual awful impersonations of other noises. It's almost like she's heard this specific type of voice before. She's quick to bring that coat back to Lilian with just the gesture, too, still holding it just as high off the ground as she had when she was given it. She holds it up with both arms, of course, being careful not to tilt either end too much so as to not risk anything falling out of it. "They probably won't bring it out until later, right? Hm... Is there any reason we shouldn't just go about this... you know, legitimately?" "My thoughts exactly." "Excuse me. I'm going to raise some capital." "They'll probably charge an arm and a leg for it, but we've got... Hm. I dunno if the girls'd feel alright getting it by makin' other people pay up for it. Of course..." Futaba rests a hand on her chin as she considers Sougo's suggestion further, hiding a smirk when she hears Lilian ready to go along with it. "I think they'll be fine with whatever Miss Rook's got in mind. She's real sweet on 'em, and..." Dang, that's cute." Futaba still doesn't have any idea what Lilian's got in mind, but any worry that was in her head about how the Precures might react is quickly extinguished from her head.
Futaba Nuki	"I wonder if there's anything worth buying here..." "Looks like plenty of fascinating stuff, for sure. Planning on making some purchases, my lovely madam?" Futaba continues speaking in that imitated host-esque tone as she slides over to Natsuki, smiling politely while trying not to lose her cool with the act. She does balk a little bit at seeing those prices, though, even though she knows Natsuki's good with money. Is she worried for her older sister's wallet? Of course she is. "Quite the selection to... Select from, I must say. And some of this jewelry would shine so much brighter around your... Neck." She's corpsing just a bit, and she has to fall back to the safety of listening to rich people drinking something out of champagne glasses to recollect herself. She peeks at the glasses for a few moments, but hearing about the Rainbowians gets her some more information that's worrying, if not necessarily vital to follow up on. Naturally, Futaba approaches the women with the same well-imitated host-y tone and slight smile. "Excuse me. I couldn't help but hear that something happened to the Rainbowians. Might I ask one of you to grace me with yours own words about what happened to them?" She asks, laying it on thick to try and get a little extra intel about that. When Hikaru and Lala come back out to show their new otufits off, Futaba excuses herself from the gathering (complete with kiss to the back of the hands, if any of the women let her take their hands) before regrouping with everyone. She greets them with a polite wave at first, then grins more casually once she's close enough. "Oh, wow... That's so ador.. Stard... Have we used stardorable before? Because that's what these are, for sure!" Sadly, she can't gush over their outfits for long once Mao comes out to entertain the crowd. Futaba's pretty well-distracted by the show for a while, but she has to fight some of her instincts to cheer like she normally would during a concert. Coincidentally, that means she's paying attention to Lala's explanation. "Convenient numbering... Huh. They're really starting out high, too..." She comments on that dishware set, clearly not a Big Money Spender despite everything in her life.
Merelisa Shaynore	SITE: A DISPLAY CASE CONTAINING A RAINBOWIAN NECKLACE WORTH FIFTEEN MILLION SHIEN     The women all lean in animatedly to answer Swindle and Lilian's questions about the jewelry, excited but conspiratorial like it's gossip. One of them, a woman covered in bird feathers but without wings or a beak, swirls her glass and makes gleefully simpering noises.     "Oh, you haven't heard? It was terrible, really terrible. I'm not sure if anyone knows what happened perfectly."     A fish woman with deep blue skin burbles bubbles thoughtfully out of a blowhole-like structure on the back of her neck. "Oooh... I wonder if that was it? Sabotage because of their famous jewelry... but who do you think? Not many people think they can compare with the Rainbowians..." "Beautiful Cosmos, maybe?" "Oh my gosh, I know a girl who swears *off* Rainbowian accessories. Says they irritate her skin, and are totally gaudy. She adores Rouanin jewels instead, that gorgeous deep red." "I've never thought about that, is that something to worry about?" "Well, the jewels do emit those frequencies, you know." "Mmmm~ right. I should ask my doctor if I have a sensitivity to the wavelength, I'd hate to get excited for a piece and then learn I can't wear it."     To Swindle's close inspection, the facets of the gem set inside the necklace are *incredibly* precise. The transparent, rainbow-filled gem is perfect enough to be mind-boggling, and even dust is repelled from it by a gentle force that the gem itself seems to emit. There's magic involved, definitely, but it seems to be inherent to the stone itself. "Might I ask one of you to grace me with yours own words about what happened to them?"     Futaba's arrival makes the gathering of women squeal like she was an edible arrangement placed on a platter in front of them. None of them treat her either like a fellow guest or a host, more like she's a conveniently half-their-age blob of meat to fuss over and strip down to the bone.     After sharing some communal gushing and heart-holding at Futaba's demeanor, the fishlike woman drapes an arm across Futaba's back and starts casually massaging her shoulder, because, of course, maids are free use. And so, of course, by the time she backs out, any offers to kiss hands are accepted with cheek-holding adoration at her manners. "Oh, of course, of course, we got so distracted, didn't we?" "Speaking of distractions, that Mao really is something, isn't she?" "She's so cute and full of life... oh, I hope she doesn't go too far like all those other idols." "Oh, oh, me too... I hope she keeps herself on the straight and narrow. Girls put into the spotlight so young have it hard. It's tragic, what happens to them." "Tragedy! We keep getting off track, ahaha! Silly us." "This always happens with us, doesn't it, Iruka?" "It does, it does! Hey, Toriko, remember that time-- ahaha, again!" "So, no one really knows what happened to Planet Rainbow." "Just that, just over a year ago, some dark curse spread across the entire planet, and everyone on it was turned to stone." "Everyone! Can you imagine?" "All those people..." "And there's nowhere else in the galaxy that the Rainbow ore can be found, too."
Natsuki Nuki	While she enters at a storm-chased saunter, Natsuki pauses to draw a set of credit-bills out of the front of her shoulderless dress and tuck them into a showing breast pocket or the collar of the bouncer's shirt with a sidefang smile. "For the confusion." She assures, stuffing her generous tip down the bouncer's front and continuing on as if the help thereafter didn't exist. 'Things that shouldn't be owned by anyone' is the particular favorite genre of things Natsuki likes to buy, and with such treasures on display -- her game face comes on, as she finds a glass of blue space champagne off a walked-about tray and starts casing the field and finery for the ideal items. Abreast of Woz and Sougo while the pair of her allies chatter between themselves and at her, she scoffs with a single birdsong note of near-flat dispassion. Primarily unamused. "If you were handling the invitations, Woz," Natsuki decides, leaning over and slyly turning her slightly-more enriched red eyes to the Demon King's retainer. "-you'd skip the whole auction and have Sougo's face up a lot more. The King's table, ah? For the king's pleasure. And finding a buyer for these things wouldn't be the hand-wringing act of bringing in as many rich-blooded sorts as they could." In his ear like a momentary lover, it might look like she's getting up to kissing or licking his ear. It's not that -- it's a mask over her real words. "And you wouldn't drive up the price on me with counterbidders, would you, Wo~zu~?" Giggly in her hyoo-hyoo-hyoo birdsong, she pulls away from Woz's ear and winks at Sougo to step away and get a long look at the massive fossil, tracing the skeleton with her eyes and captured by the piece for a long moment, as her tail peeks past leg with a flash of further red gaze fixed solely on the (extremely expensive) cursed object. It is there a little red bug man in a suit walks up on Natsuki while she samples the silveryblue champagne (from the Champagne Galaxy, apparently), two sets of eyes tracking around shoulder and knee too fix her new companion with renewed interest. "Oh? A phantom thief?" Natsuki asks, refined in her light-chuffing understanding. "So that's why the headpiece of this event is still under cover. Hard to drum up interest and fill people's heads with ideas if nobody can see the items for sale. As none of these have a buyout listed, I'm sure they're just appetizers... But for a 'main course', isn't a bit of excitement..." Natsuki, looking down, takes a sip of her drink and still a sibilant voice adds 'Delicious?' before the chimera woman's glass lowers. "If you're interested in a bit of voyeurism, sir, after I've bought out the auction-" A bold claim spoken so straight as if she believes it's genuinely true and real already. "I'll be open to secondary deals for that ring over there. For an interested buyer of means, I'm sure we could find somewhere in the middle to meet if you're interested in observing a phantom thief at work, out of the way?" "It's the interesting ones that claim first, before arrival, but that's the trick of thiefs: They'll use even their calling cards as a first probe. I do hope this auction carries on, of course: I very much intend for the lot." She purrs in heady promise, letting her eyes lift back to cursed objects and the grand depictment-vase.
Natsuki Nuki	'A PERFORMANCE FROM THE POP IDOL, MAO!' Natsuki smiles faintly at the Cures with their borrowed dresses, nodding with a Hikaru-understandable 'Now you fit in' mouthed in Japanese during the general reception, before shooting Futaba an 'If you blow this for me...' while the concert gets underway. And who's there at the head? Why, the little bug-person proprietor, of course! Feeling quite good about her chances at the auction - and with a split intention to get as much rare jewelry and one very particular cursed object at least - Natsuki dreams about her betting strategy during the auction during the rather wonderful concert. For a child performer - the hype wasn't air! Finding herself near Lilian, the Nue gives a look across to the other 'woman who belonged' in such a place, and also belonged in a different place entirely, and looks forward while continuing to address Dame Rook: "Are you also interested in rare treasures?" She asks, and then, eyes following Hikaru to the Bar (???), asks again: "Or that which follows after them?" Her eyes return again, forward to the concert. "If the former... You could make things easier on us both by not battling me in the bids. Try a signal instead - it will make both our lives easier. If the latter..." A smirk. "Enjoy the concert." Natsuki suggests, before following Hikaru towards the bar area. She's holding an empty glass, you see.
Combaticon	> "Just that, just over a year ago, some dark curse spread across the entire planet, and everyone on it was turned to stone."     The shorter Combaticon hums thoughtfully, listening in while he gets a feel for the gemstones' properties. Once satisfied, he glances over his shoulder at the feathery Toriko, "As a collection of different rocks that can think, I speak from experience when I say it's not so bad!" quipped in a joking tone punctuated with a sincere eyes-closed laugh. He accentuates it by rapping on his chestpiece to highlight his own robotic nature.     "Ahhh... Joking aside, though, that's really quite tragic, yes" Stepping back and to the side, he gestures to the case, "Even if the ore still exists, just thinking of the talent that went into producing such a work-- all lost like that. Such a pity." > "You don't think... someone doesn't want there to be any more?"     Swindle laughs an earnest, sincere laugh at Lilian's conspiratorial idea, "I can't help but feel like there must be an easier way to drive up scarcity! Oh, but that certainly would be an effective method, I think." He ends it by resting a finger across his chin, eyes drifting back to the necklace on display, "Scarcity inflates value, after all-- and value makes something more appealing to a thief. Oh, but certainly that isn't the only motivation, ha haaa~."     His gaze shifts past Lilian to the chatty socialites, "You know, there might be more than a song and dance for tonight's entertainment. Rumor has it Blue Cat might make an appearance; just be careful, hmm?" > "...Try a signal instead - it will make both our lives easier. If the latter..."     Swindle laughs again; that same sincere guffaw, "Oh madam, I've no intention of competing with either of you! No doubt either you or Lady Rook would easily bury a humble merchant such as myself long before you hit your limits." Eyes half-lidding, he glances stage-wards, "My golden opportunity is more... Publicity-focused, this time. You see, Mao is virtually unknown in Cybertronian space. If I could cut a deal with her management for local constellation distribution and sales-- ha haaa~, with my contacts, I'll make a mint!"
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki, in a moment before she leaves towards the BAR that a CHILD is heading towards (to tell Hikaru how to spot a good Japanese whiskey by bottle, despite there probably not being a Suntory bottle in attendance), she is paused by Swindle. 'I'll make a mint!' Smiling - smirking, but for one side of her face it's certainly a smile, and the face Swindle sees. "Ten million's barely enough to invest into yourself. But residuals are where *real* profit lies, isn't it? Making money make you money. Enjoy your marketing deals -- If you've half-again the ability of that manager currently you'll make a mint on Mao. I've got three clubs that could play her music tonight looking for a killer draw. If you land her, let me know!" Natsuki offers. Then, she returns to her pursuit of a decent whiskey and perhaps encouraging underage drinking. It was fine! Futaba and Natsuki survived stealing sacred wine when they were kids, this is essentially the same. Pretty Cures were probably just as tough to turn tipsy as yokai. Probably.
Futaba Nuki	Somehow, Futaba was both expecting and not expecting this sort of reaction. She's certainly no stranger to seeing it happen to others from the outside, and she's learned enough to imitate the tones and some of the mannerisms that she's seen around town and on TV. At first, she's even all smiles when she hears the squealing. Why not? Any attention is good attention, and it's all within expectations. Actually getting that same kind of attention with the arm-draping and shoulder rubs, though... Even knowing what to expect, it's still somewhat unnerving even if she's morphing her face ever so slightly to hide it. Is this the kind of anxiety actual club employees have to put up with all day? Regardless, Futaba continues playing the role of the dutiful host for the sake of digging, kissing hands and listening in closely while nodding along the whole time. "It's tragic, what happens to them."" "Mao truly is something else. Only time will tell, but I'm sure she'd land on her feet even if she did fall from the spotlight." She comments, not knowing enough about Mao to really know that for sure, but still sympathizing enough to feel some amount of bad for her with those managers of hers being how they are. Thankfully, Futaba doesn't have to listen to idol reality for too much longer as the topic shifts to Planet Rainbow. She gasps and frowns on cue when the women speak of a curse turning it all to stone, and that's only slightly faked as far sounding as unnerved by it as she looks. "The entire planet? How terrible... I can only how much more terrible it would be if such a curse afflicted this fair Planet Zeni." She lies through her teeth, closing her eyes briefly for emphasis and to stifle the urge to roll them. How do they put up with this? Seeing Natsuki staring right at her, luckily enough, does put a bit more energy into the tanuki's tank. Even without any words exchanged, she can tell from the intensity of Natsuki's gaze that her sister's counting on her to do a goob job here. She can't let her big sister down! She closes her eyes again, then shakes her head with a slight flourish to touch the top of her head over the hat. "The universe would lose even more if such a curse struck lovely young women such as yourselves. I'd have half a mind to seek out a cure myself if that were to happen." A tip forward of her hat for style, and to hide another internal grimace. "Now, if you would indulge me once more... Has anyone ever claimed responsibility for the curse? Or found a reason for it striking Planet Rainbow? A..." What reasons could someone have to wreck an entire planet's population, anyway? "Greed? Ambition? Revenge, even?" Futaba asks, somehow still keeping that face and voice on despite wanting to get out of there five minutes ago.
Merelisa Shaynore	"Lilian says I shouldn't talk about it here, so I won't get to far into it, but, um... the circumstances that lead to this kind of thing aren't really sustainable. Lots of other people probably feel the same way, too, so don't worry."     Lala takes a slow sip of her milkshake through a curly straw, antennae loosely coiling down in thought. She raises up her eyes and scans around the crowd, with Mao showing off on stage and most of the patrons treating her as pleasant background noise while chatting about the auction or focused on the gambling tables.     "... I don't really know about that, lun, and if it's not safe, then we shouldn't talk about it now. But it feels like... people here don't take much seriously, lun. I don't want to badmouth people I don't know, but..."     Hikaru, bobbing her head along with one of Mao's slower songs, nods, and then nods again more emphatically to distinguish it from her bopping, "Yup, yup. I've had that feeling before, Lala. Because they're here to have fun, rather than actually own the things they're buying, right? But it's just fun because of buying stuff, instead of doing stuff. Shopping is fun and all, but..." Hikaru looks up at a hologram of a fossil that's currently being bid on, with Doramus again tossing out a number in the eight digits to crush the lesser bets others were making. "Oh? A phantom thief?"     The bug-man hums in affirmation, pleased with himself, drumming his clicker-fingers on the side of a glass. "She's quite the devil, they say. Never fails to steal something she's set her eyes on. With all the security measures tonight, I'd love to see her try." It's actually worse that he sounds genuine about that. "I do hope this auction carries on, of course: I very much intend for the lot."     The bug-man's mandible chitter in amusement, obviously approving of the attitude. "Oh? You plan on going head to head with Lord Doramus? Blue Cat wouldn't be the only devil here, you know. That's the young master of the Dragon Clan; for most of the attendees tonight, the auction's simply his show."     Overhead, the cursed dagger goes up, the auctioneer showing it off around the stage while holograms pop up in every corner of the room, complete with a little blurb about its tragic cursed past. Doramus instantly calls out for ten times its starting value, a staggering hundred and fifty million shien, a number that causes Hikaru to physically stagger and nearly lose her milkshake.
Lilian Rook	'Oooh... I wonder if that was it? Sabotage because of their famous jewelry... but who do you think? Not many people think they can compare with the Rainbowians...'     "That sort of thing happens, from time to time." Lilian murmurs grimly. "It's precisely because they think they can't compare; or that they aren't being given a fair shake because of the older, established competitor. Some people just want to tear things down for being higher than they can reach, you know." The solemn head shake, the distant stare into her champagne glass, the little swish and rock; it's all picture perfect. "Gaudy~? Sounds like someone is sour she can't afford them to me~" Lilian titters, fingers over mouth.     'Everyone! Can you imagine?'     'All those people...'     'And there's nowhere else in the galaxy that the Rainbow ore can be found, too.'     Lilian really doesn't like the sound of that. Surely it's some random accident and totally unrelated to anything. "They haven't tried sending anyone else down to mine it?" she says out loud instead. "What a valuable resource, just sitting unused."     'Are you also interested in rare treasures?'     Lilian glances sidelong at Natsuki. She's perfectly glad that what she wants to talk about isn't the other planet they both went to. "On occasion. Rarity alone isn't enough for me, but I often find that the things which will spark joy aren't easily acquired." says Lilian. "If the field of battle isn't your thing, I'll be glad not to drive up the price for you, if you'd be so civilized as to do the same." Mostly because she has some idea of Natsuki's nature, and she will be pissed if she doesn't get what she wants for Tamamo. She looks a little perplexed at the last comment. "I intend to either way."     'Oh madam, I've no intention of competing with either of you! No doubt either you or Lady Rook would easily bury a humble merchant such as myself long before you hit your limits.'     "A salesman doesn't bid." Lilian says, 'naturally' implicit. "Leave that to honest buyers such as ourselves."     Then she walks in on Hikaru and Lala struggling to grasp the concept of the Bourgeiose in their fourteen year-old way, and ignores all of that in favour of gasping at their dresses. "Oh my goodness you look wonderful! Look at you!" she practically squeals, maneuvering into circle strafe posture. "That really was kind of her! But you pull them off so well! Oh you're going to be tripping over--" Lilian narrowly catches herself "--attention when you're a little older!"     ...Doramus instantly calls out for ten times its starting value, a staggering hundred and fifty million shien...     Lilian curls her lip, and clicks her tongue. "How ungodly tacky." She looks to the bug-man. "Let me guess. The rising starlet of a nouveau riche conglomerate? No, the young darling prince of not-quite old money. That's the sort who especially loves puffing themselves up in a way that irritates everyone else and chronically failing to read the room."
Merelisa Shaynore	"Gaudy~? Sounds like someone is sour she can't afford them to me~"     Iruka and Toriko put their fingers to their mouths, faux-aghast and giggling. "Ooooh~ *doesn't* it sound just like that?" "Oh, I'd never say it to her face, but hasn't her husband's company been struggling lately?" "Mmm~ shipping businesses in these troubled times... not a good business to be in, no way." "As a collection of different rocks that can think, I speak from experience when I say it's not so bad!" "Oh dear... do you think they can still think?" "Oh, that'd be *dreadful*. I'm sure they can't." "I think I heard that scientists announced that it was irreversible, didn't they?" "Knowing those Rainbowians, maybe they're fully alive, and just waiting for the right time to turn back as if it's some sort of prank, ahaha!" "Hahaha~" "Scarcity inflates value, after all-- and value makes something more appealing to a thief."     "Ooohh, a *thief*?" "If Blue Cat did it, just to make more precious jewelry for her to steal... oh, it's horrible, but it's still impressive, right?" "She does strike such a dashing figure from those sketches that went around a while back. Who *knows* what she's capable of." "She's already beaten entire worlds in running away from high security vaults after emptying them completely! Who knows what else~" "Only time will tell, but I'm sure she'd land on her feet even if she did fall from the spotlight." "Oh, she's a wonderful girl, wonderful girl, that's for certain." "They're all wonderful girls at first though, aren't they?" "True, they are. Even I was young and innocent once, though that might've been before you were born, sweet thing~" "The entire planet? How terrible... I can only how much more terrible it would be if such a curse afflicted this fair Planet Zeni."     "Oh dear..." "Do you think it could? Iyaaa~ scary!" "And Blue Cat's supposedly making an appearance tonight! What if that's what she's planning on?" "Oh...."     Up until now, they've been cheerful about both the topic of Blue Cat and the annihilation of the entire population of Planet Rainbow, though with lapses into affected solemness when appropriate. At the idea that it could happen to *them*, of course they get a little more shaken. Futaba's following dramatic reassurance blows all of that worry away though, and gets both of the women laughing, with Iruka fanning her face. "The universe would lose even more if such a curse struck lovely young women such as yourselves. I'd have half a mind to seek out a cure myself if that were to happen." "Oh, you're such a *charmer*." "You better keep an eye on that sweet tongue of yours, young lady, or it might get you in serious trouble someday~" "Come on now, let *me* indulge *you*."     Iruka raises a hand daintily, and a waiter circling around sees and hands two glasses of glittering bronze alcohol to her. She holds one between two fingers, gesturing for Futaba to take it, and running her fingers along Futaba's when she does. The perfect colored translucence of the fluid lets all the light from the stage show shine right through the glass, like Mao's performance was repeated in miniature inside it. "Now, if you would indulge me once more... Has anyone ever claimed responsibility for the curse?" "No one~ it's one of those great mysteries, you know?" "Maybe some expedition of scientists could... oh, but they said it could be dangerous on the planet's surface." "Mhm, it was all they could bear to subject the retrieval squads to just hurrying down there and gathering up what mined gems were left."
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki, finding to her greatest disappointment (mild amusement) that Lala and Hikaru have gone to a fancy bar and found sodas and drinks, loops back quickly with a good three fingers of rich amber-brown liquor poured into star-themed crystal glass to watch the event. Going and getting a drink means she had only placed a token ask-and-ten-percent-again on the starmetal dining set just to make good on her 'take the field' boast while enjoying herself, and returns in time for the second item up for auction. "A devil that never fails to seize what she puts her eyes on?" The nue repeats with a relishing sip of space whiskey. "I'm starting to wonder if I like this phantom thief already... Drive is everything, and I have to admit there's something lost in building fortresses to hold treasures that no-one will ever test. Storms are the most beautiful when you're within the eye." 'You plan on going head to head with Lord Doramus?' "Head to head?" Natsuki wonders, smirking to smiling to popping a 'hyoo!' of one-note laughter. "That implies that the young master sees me eye to eye. No, I believe he's somewhere..." Her free hand of orange fingers and black claws drops about to her navel, and then looks to the bug-man companion, and the palpable calculation of relating too someone else through height is weighed actively. Then, the cursed dagger goes up and the price adds a zero on the end just to start -- a flex, of course, and both a gaudy and gauche one. If that was how Lord Doramus wanted to play... Raising her hand, Natsuki calls out, at a tired yawn. "Twice again -- no, Twice plus whatever it takes to round off those excess numbers. We only need that lead and the zeroes. Makes it easier to count." Natsuki calls out, not going to ten-over simply because she put Doramus on blowing most of his budget in the opening salvo for the item. As if it was still entirely pocket change, Natsuki leans over to Lilian while swirling her glass and enjoying herself. "I think Lord Doramus has purchased at least one item for you, Dame Director." Natsuki asides, still cheerful. If she had to bludgeon Doramus with a money club until the cursed knife was hers her mentally budgeted war chest for the items true worth meant several of the pieces might fall out of her hands for now... but secondary deals could always be made. "I'm not here to pay premium to a third party for rare jewelry. Every piece has a story, and some have enchantments, but auctions are like parties: no-one likes a sore winner, hmm? People come to leave with things greater than hangovers."
Merelisa Shaynore	"That really was kind of her! But you pull them off so well!"     Both of the girls radiate happiness under the praise, and Hikaru does a full spin to show off her dress to Lilian. Lala has her hands clasped to her chest, overwhelmed between the outfits, the praise, and the performance on stage, but the smile on her face is indelible. While she's quietly stunlocked, Hikaru whirls behind her, and impulsively lifts her up by the waist to present her to Lilian, to Lala's immediate fist-pounding embarrassment. "Doesn't she??? She looks like an alien princess! Lala is-- stardorable!" "Hikaruuuuuuu--! Nooooo..!I'm an adult, lun! You have to put me downnnnn!" "Okay, okay~ I just couldn't help myself!" "Hmmmmph. Well, you-- your dress is pretty too, lun!"     Lala shouts that at Hikaru with her eyes squeezed shut and her fists balled up like it's some dam-burst of anger after the last straw of being grabbed. Actually, she's just pink because of embarrassment instead. "You see, Mao is virtually unknown in Cybertronian space."     The technobauble on Lala's glove chimes, and she lifts it up in surprise that AI is sliding into this conversation without prompting. After some digital whirring, the synthesized feminine voice smoothly responds to Swindle.     "From our encounters, I determined that it was prudent to add Cybertron to my database. However, with current travel technology local to the Starscape Galaxy, traversing the multiverse from Planet Zeni to Cybertron would take an estimated... fourteen years, one hundred and seventy one days, six hours, and thirty seven minutes, variable with local solar weather conditions. Yuma's warp travel bypasses all known limitations of space travel, which is how we met."     Lala, with an extremely serious look on her face, grasps Yuma with both hands and holds her up, eye to fluid-light green music notes bouncing in time with Mao's singing. "Yuma... Mao is a really, really nice person, lun. If it'd help her, would you be willing to do it? We can buy a record of hers too for you, lun."     Hikaru, standing behind her, has a chagrined smile on her face, eyes closed and head tilted. Girls will be superfans, it simply can't be helped. "That's the sort who especially loves puffing themselves up in a way that irritates everyone else and chronically failing to read the room."     "Hohoho, such a cutting read on our young Clan prince, mm? Not many people would be willing to undermine their chances of getting close to that up-and-coming Lord like that. Where might you two ladies be from?" That's confirming without directly confirming Lilian's opinion, and from the sound of it, this little bug man is nearing or already is in his sixties or so, and the threat of 'an insecure rich boy demanding he be fired' doesn't weigh too heavily on him.     "The Dragon Clan is responsible for much of the business passing through the galaxy. Few people are willing to work without their oversight, especially given the times. I'd bet everyone here has at least one finger in the pie that's dependent in part on what that young man is set to inherit." "That implies that the young master sees me eye to eye. No, I believe he's somewhere..."     The bug-man is unflappably uninsulted by the height comparison, even though he himself is only a bit higher than her navel. He chitters in amusement, then says, "It seems the old saying is true; the true show never happens on stage."
Timespace Riders	And you wouldn't drive up the price on me with counterbidders, would you, Wo~zu~?     "Indeed not," purrs Woz. "Not only for the insult it would pay you, either. Having the beautiful Lady Nue in attendance would be a treasure worthy of a king on its own." He waves daintily as she steps away. Shopping is fun and all, but...     Sougo follows Hikaru's gaze, hands in his pockets. He frowns at the sight--at something so venerable and old, which must have existed in a completely different context than himself or most of the other people here, being exhumed and sold for more money than some of the people here (himself included) will ever see in their lives, as an amusement for people who won't really miss it or be enriched much by the presence of that fossil.     "Yeah," Sougo agrees. He's trying not to get too into it, like he said.     "But, hey!" He nods towards Mao. "Maybe she feels the same way. Maybe that's why she stuck up for us? You never know."     "I think I'm gonna see what they have at that bar. Woz, you coming?"     "Indeed, sire," says the retainer.     A brief departure sees them both returning with milkshakes in hand.     "I must admit," says the returning Woz between sips, "I expect it shall be a distinct pleasure to work with you both. I believe I overheard that you have a... certain reputation?"     "It is the same with my Demon King and I."     Sougo shrugs. "I wonder how much of that is because of what we represent and how much of it is the way we look doing it," he opines. "You know? People seem to care a lot about appearances."
Futaba Nuki	"Sabotage because of their famous jewelry... but who do you think? Not many people think they can compare with the Rainbowians..." "And Blue Cat's supposedly making an appearance tonight! What if that's what she's planning on?" That's a motive if Futaba's ever heard one, and she's not even a real detective! she's just dressed like one from another city (or so she's heard), but getting more ideas of who the culprit could be gives her... Not a lot to go off of, actually. She doesn't know much about this city or its people, never mind an entire planet known far and wide for gem production. Lilian raises the possibility of the cause just beings someone wanting to tear the planet down for the hell of it, and that widens the range of possibilities even further. "Fret not, ladies. A thief would go for the bank or the valuables, but I doubt she would curse an entire planet. What value is there in taking a trophy if there's nobody to see that you have it?" She asks, not actually waiting for nor listening for an answer from the women at that moment. "You better keep an eye on that sweet tongue of yours, young lady, or it might get you in serious trouble someday~" After all, she has more important things to worry about. Being as smart-mouthed as she is, Futaba doesn't take the not-actual-advice to watch her mouth, but instead adds more fuel to the fire. "'Someday'? I'm afraid I have no idea what you could mean." She lies once again instead of taking the easy out, and it quickly bites her in the face when- ""Come on now, let *me* indulge *you*."" Oh, Iruka's getting a drink for her. Wait, what's in that? Futaba can smell the alcohol in there, and the alarm bells are once again ringing in her head. She already knows and Natsuki already knows Futaba's not great with holding her drinks down, but these women don't know that. as far as they know, she's just here to be the dutiful visitor, right? That means she's still got a part to play, so she doesn't blow her own or anyone else's cover. Forcing more of that subdued smile, Futaba takes the glass that Iruka indicates by touch and raises it lightly towards the older woman's. "Thank you kindly, Miss Iruka. Ah, to be blessed by visions and such flavors.. I was right to come here today." She gives her glass a little raise, then takes a slow sip and stores it inside her cheek instead of actually swallowing it. Hopefully, that much won't get her too drunk until she has time to get rid of it later. "Mhm, it was all they could bear to subject the retrieval squads to just hurrying down there and gathering up what mined gems were left." A little more. Futaba just needs to squeeze a little more info out before she can escape. "Mysterious indeed... I wonder what on Planet Rainbow could have even a trained squad running for their lives." She comments aloud, trying not to let the disgust about the last part seep through in her tone. Really, wouldn't it have made more sense to bring someone back and find out what happened? To just go after the gems... No, now's not the right place and time. Now's the time to play it cool, be smooth, don't think about how the alcohol tastes, definitely don't swallow it. "Was it the cause of the curse waiting to lure them into its trap, perhaps? Or... Did anyone ever say?"
Combaticon	> "A salesman doesn't bid, leave that to honest buyers such as ourselves."     Swindle laughs, but the way he shrugs his shoulders up while shaking his head is a clear admission of defeat. > "If you land her, let me know!"     "You can count on it! Though given travel distances, I doubt I'd be able to guarantee a live performance. Holo-playback, maybe~." > AI HAS JOINED THE MATCH     "Ahaha, that's true. I was already thinking about distance and travel limitations," Raising a hand with one finger extended, Swindle makes a clicking noise when he cocks it forward toward the bracelet that AI's voice came from, "Which is why my proposal will focus exclusively on non-perishable shippables. Album distribution and other merch. If I can get a Space Bridge set up nearby, that sort of freight should be no problem."     "Is that sort of coverage even possible with a space bridge?" Brawl glances aside, though doesn't lose the rhythm at all with her makeshift glowstick baton.     Swindle shrugs, "That's a question for the slipspace engineers. Worst comes to worst, I'll just load merchandise into my personal storage dimension and resell it later."     Onslaught's eyes rest on Swindle and Brawl for a moment, then shift aside and downward to rest on Lala-- the closer of the two teenagers. He takes in a long draw off his cy-gar, then slides the metal rod into his forearm again while letting the smoke out in a low, slow stream from what passes for a nose, "You had better plan for that. Even if a space bridge is approved, it takes several orbital cycles to build one."     Once again, Swindle closes his eyes with an exaggerated shrug, "Logistics outside the usual network can be hard to work out. Sometimes it really is down to what you can stuff in your pockets." He raises a hand in a departing wave before separating from the group towards the front counters. Swindle has to do some currency conversions.
Merelisa Shaynore	"Twice again -- no, Twice plus whatever it takes to round off those excess numbers. We only need that lead and the zeroes. Makes it easier to count."     The ripple of shock that radiates out through the audience is palpable. The auctioneer hesitates just before he was about to swing his gavel and declare the dagger sold, unsure if it's a joke or not. Doramus, in his hovering VIP seat surrounded by suitably busty attendants, draws his eyebrows together and leans forwards to try and spot who interrupted his streak of simply purchasing everything, equal parts irritated and intrigued.     For a brief, maybe imaginary moment, it seems like Mao catches her eyes from all across the casino area to the stage, mid-choreography. She doesn't miss a beat in her saccharine-sweet love song ("Girls are charming and mysterious like a cat~ // try and piece me together all you want,"), but the expression on her face towards Natsuki is oddly piercing.     Then Doramus leans back, lazily lifts up his auction placard, and doubles Natsuki's offer again, nearly four hundred million shien. When *Natsuki* doubles that, his mood obviously starts to turn sour, and the auctioneer on stage shivers, gavel quaking slightly. People turn and talk to each other in low voices in the crowd, and teeth grinding, Doramus announces, "One billion. A billion for the dagger. This is getting *so* tiresome."     ... Which isn't even close to being a convincing out for his ego when Natsuki takes the dagger for two billion, while Hikaru's jaw is dropped in disbelief.     "Um... do you really have that much...?" She says to Natsuki quietly, with an air of concern like Natsuki must've not noticed the number of zeroes. "That's equal to two billion yen...." "Maybe she feels the same way. Maybe that's why she stuck up for us? You never know."     Lala hugs Yuma to her chest so that both of them can look up at the idol on stage with stars in their eyes. Wonderingly awestruck, Lala agrees. "Lun... I bet she's really smart, lun. She seems like it."     Hikaru, for no particular reason, puffs up her cheeks and pouts. "Hey, I'm really smart too, you know."     "Lun...? Of course you are, Hikaru. Did I say you weren't, lun?" "I believe I overheard that you have a... certain reputation?"     Hikaru tilts her head at Woz, pigtails flouncing with the extra weight of Mao's borrowed hair ornaments. She glances at Lilian and Natsuki, the people she can most likely imagine communicating some sort of reputation of theirs to Woz. "We do? What kind of reputation? You mean, as..." She lowers her voice so that none of the others can hear, "... Precures?"
Merelisa Shaynore	The rest of the auction is similarly frustrating to Doramus, even though he's still allowed to collect the majority of the items put up on stage; precisely because he's *allowed*. Within this room, possibly on this planet, and for the most part within this galaxy, he expected to go unchallenged, but here comes someone who he hasn't even *met*, one-upping him on his own *turf*! He practically spits out his bids on the items Natsuki counteroffers him on, slouching deeper and deeper in his chair while his female attendants try to reassuringly massage his shoulders.     Closing in on the end of the auction, the pedestal up on the stage starts shining with golden light, and the auctioneer nervously tries to drum up excitement. "AND AS WE NEAR THE CLOSE OF THIS... ACTION PACKED NIGHT, WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL ITEM COMING UP. THIS INCREDIBLY RARE TREASURE, IF YOU SOMEHOW GATHER ENOUGH OF THEM, IS RUMORED TO GRANT ANY WISH, ANYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY DESIRE! THE DEBRIS OF A DEAD STAR, SCATTERED ACROSS THE FURTHEST REACHES OF THE UNIVERSE, HERE IT IS: A FRAGMENT, OF A STAR DROP!"     A glowing yellow cylinder, too bright to determine the details on it, rises up and flickers into holographic presentation all around the room. Hikaru and Lala gasp, and at the same time exclaim, ""That's the Stellar Note--!""     Hikaru turns to Natsuki, urgent, "Miss Nue, I'll pay you back, but if you--"     "Ugh, after this disappointment of a night, I suppose I might as well. Two hundred million."     "A-AND, LOOKS LIKE THAT'S THE BUYOUT PRICE, FOLKS!! AHAHA. THAT'S IT FOR THE NIGHT, PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF THE ACTIVITIES, AND I HOPE YOU ALL HAD AS MUCH FUN AS I DID!"     "... Oyo...?"     Taken off the stand immediately, the Stellar Note is brought over to Doramus's floating chair, and unceremoniously dumped into his pile of riches, no longer up for auction.
Natsuki Nuki	'Hohoho, such a cutting read on our young Clan prince, mm?' "It's simple business sense. If this was a blind auction, starting at ten-times is idiocy unless your target is to crush the competition for the premium item. Of course, if I've walked into the item the auctioneers are putting up for the prince to overbid on, then I'm the greater fool." Natsuki 'admits', raising her hand as she's bid up further and cooly looks up from her conversation as if roused in annoyance by a subordinate. Did she hear a bid? "Double that." She calls, before returning to drink and conversation, as if she could go on doubling the pile over and over until what she wanted was hers. There was bidding for value, and then there was bidding for pride. "I'll let the Dame Director share for both of us where she hails from, as we only know each other through our work. I, however, am the Lady Nue of the Concord Partners." She extends down a hand to the bug-man, purring a "Charmed." out as she does. "As for the prince, it will be a good lesson for them to experience the full course of an auction." She adds, sanguine. "Arbitrage is my special interest." 'The Dragon Clan is responsible for much of the business passing through the galaxy. Few people are willing to work without their oversight, especially given the times.' "If times are hard enough that everyone must do business with one zaibatsu, perhaps this is an excellent opportunity. And if he is 'set to inherit'..." Natsuki's grinning dims to a kind of set-to-task decision. There was *no way* she would let the dragon prince have his way with *her* cursed knife. "He shouldn't be spending his inheritance before it is in his hands. A hard lesson, but a good one." 'It seems the old saying is true; the true show never happens on stage.' "Oh, no, the true show was at the start, with Mao. The encore will be our phantom thief? This?" Natsuki takes a long sip of her fine space whiskey. "This is beisu-boru." 'This is baseball.'
Natsuki Nuki	'Um... do you really have that much...?' Natsuki's eyes track from her interested conversation with her bug-man 'friend' as she bids on items with the passing of numbers that might seem unreal to all but the most seasoned kings and capitalists. "Two billion? It's quite an amount." Natsuki agrees. "But when you're investing into yourself, you don't think about the numbers but the *image* of what you want to attain. And I see myself with that knife. I don't need a new plane, for example - and that's about the cost of a plane for my business." Natsuki patiently explains as the jewelry starts to go up. "If I was buying property in Tokyo, that'd be about the price." Quick math exchanges in her head. "A half dozen apartments - not even a whole building - and that's real estate." Much more tame about objects that aren't the vase, fossil, or invisible ring, Natsuki calms for much of the rest of the auction and even steps away entirely a second time when the Prince goes for an item to find someone to get her another flute of fancy space champagne. What he's allowed to have, because it disinterests Natsuki enough the bold pricing of what Doramus wants cools her financial interests... and because outbidding him by simply being the much bigger fish was cutting into her slush fund for acquisitions. She would have to *sell* something if she took the auction entirely, and she didn't like selling things, she liked Acquiring them. Pumping the stellar economy and the Dragon family with her golden wealth had several other more subtle effects she planned for, but all planning is cut short right at the end. 'Miss Nue, I'll pay you back, but if you--' "Sold." Natsuki declares, looking from Hikaru up to the Stage having secured a 'pay you back' from a Pretty Cure of their own will -- to Mao, who is giving her a piercing look during the set. Ready and feeling triumph, the parting of her lips prepares to once again announce a 'double that!', when... 'A-AND, LOOKS LIKE THAT'S THE BUYOUT PRICE, FOLKS!!' "Buyout price... What?!" Natsuki gags, stepping back as if a particularly coiffed prosecutor being bludgeoned by the objection of a ratty defense desk. "There wasn't a buyout price -- ten times! Fifty times, bring that back!!" Natsuki shouts, as soon as the object is taken off the stand, bluster gone as she's straight up cheated from the item and scowling. "Sold for *gum* money." The nue spits, clawed fingers expressing out longer and longer nails before knuckles fold the sharps back in towards her palm. "A third of an apartment for stellar treasures. I'll get it, Hikaru. I'll buy it at the price it's going to be sold at."
Lilian Rook	'Doesn't she??? She looks like an alien princess! Lala is-- stardorable!'     "She is as far as I'm concerned~" Lilian says, proudly.     'Hmmmmph. Well, you-- your dress is pretty too, lun!'     "It is, it is~ You have a phenomenal sense for fashion at your age~"     'traversing the multiverse from Planet Zeni to Cybertron would take an estimated... fourteen years, one hundred and seventy one days, six hours, and thirty seven minutes'     "Oh, absolutely not worth it." she says, ignoring the part about Yuma.     'Hohoho, such a cutting read on our young Clan prince, mm? Not many people would be willing to undermine their chances of getting close to that up-and-coming Lord like that. Where might you two ladies be from?'     "Oh, I understand it's not the most perfectly savvy thing to say. This is hardly my first time." Lilian says, and means it. Her eyes wander, but her tone is conversational; shop talk with a fellow professional. "Auctions are supposed to be about the competition; the test of nerves, the sting of defeat, and the elation of bringing something home. Doing that just ruins it for everyone; anyone should know that. It means that I can accurately assume he hasn't been taught manners, networking, or cooperation, from the older generation of his group, which means he's getting away with more than he should, with their name nontheless, which tells me plenty about the trajectory of the Dragon Clan's stocks, so to speak."     "But I could forgive that on its own. Just barely. In the end, I just can't bring myself to tolerate men who are overly touchy with their girls."     Lilian sighs, and then does not say Earth, because she knows that gets Hikaru into trouble and also means nothing with fifteen different Earths. "Where I'm from, discipline is valued very highly. It's considered a semi-serious offense to do something like this." Rather than give a name, she swipes up a storm on her phone and holoprojects an image of photo taken with her junior officers in celebratory 'pose for the camera' formation; the background of Antegent-terraformed west Europe looks suitably alien, and the Immunes uniforms are perfectly sci-fi. It has a whole 'big game planet warrior culture' vibe to it. "Unfortunately, I was looking to start investing outside my local cluster, so this is disappointing news."     'Um... do you really have that much...?'     "Perhaps she has a plan for it that will make the money on its own." Lilian says, vaguely yet seriously. "It's a ridiculous amount of money to spend on something like that, but you never know. At that price range, it's never about what you personally have; it's about who you can easily convince to pool the money together, then pay back after."     'Ugh, after this disappointment of a night, I suppose I might as well. Two hundred million.'     'A-AND, LOOKS LIKE THAT'S THE BUYOUT PRICE, FOLKS!! AHAHA. THAT'S IT FOR THE NIGHT, PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF THE ACTIVITIES, AND I HOPE YOU ALL HAD AS MUCH FUN AS I DID!'     Lilian can't help but look back at the kindly old bug-man, tilting her head with the kind of sidelong disgust that conveys something much more foul than 'women, right?'     "That sort of attitude is exactly how you get people looking for alternatives. And once people start looking for them, people start finding ways to make them."