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Star Twinkle	Hikaru was specifically requested to not go hunting for more evil women to free from eternal jails alone, after trying to bust another Tamamo out of her world's Sessho-seki. Supposedly, breaking the shackles of ancient mythological evil women is 'dangerous' and could 'bring ruin to the earth not seen for millennia', but Hikaru doesn't seem entirely convinced. Naturally, she's almost never alone anyways on account of Lala, but now she's extra super duper not alone because all of you are here!     The forest on the outskirts of Mihoshi town is currently only hosting the supernatural women gathered in the pastel teal and purple spaceship interior, around the star-shaped table where Lala and Hikaru are planning their heist. Yuma sits on Lala's lap in her donut-shaped command chair, while Lala's antennae tap electrosensory pads to pull up a rotating holographic map of the Greek archipelago. Hikaru plants one hand on the table proudly and jabs her finger towards the map.     "Alright! So, the legend of Medusa's like this! She was once a beautiful priestess in ancient Greece, but then she and the god of the ocean, Poseidon, fell in love. Since priestesses weren't supposed to fall in love, the goddess Athena cursed her to have snakes instead of hair, and she was imprisoned in a cave for all of eternity, lest she turn anyone who she looks at into stone!"     'Lest' is in fact the phrasing she uses-- or rather, the outdated ~o osorete-- which is apparently common enough in her vocabulary that Lala takes it in stride despite her limited Japanese. "The most famous myth about her's the one where she gets beheaded by the hero Perseus, but it's totally possible that didn't happen, probably. And if it didn't, then she'd still be trapped there! And if she is, then all she needs is for someone to remember her, so... we've gotta go check."     Lala tippy-taps her antennae on the controls of her chair, and the map swirls around to zoom in on one particular island. There's a small city on one side, but the coast she focuses on is rocky and covered in scrub that turns into a dense forest further inland. "Lun. AI did a scan from orbit and processed the probability data, and she calculated that this island was the most likely place to be in the story, lun. And then we learned that recently, there's been rumors about people seeing statues turned into stone in the forest."     She pushes herself away from the table, and her command chair glides away across the room like an office chair, except that it weightlessly bobs like an inner tube. She slides over to open up a pair of stars-and-planets-painted cabinet doors, pulling out a box of very rugged expedition equipment, which she brings back to the table for everyone to take. The box contains a bunch of pairs of sunglasses with angled mirrors glued to the lenses, letting you see to either side but not in front of you, and a pile of pink and green compact mirrors.     "Even if she's friendly, it's really important that we don't look directly at her. According to Hikaru's stories, it's supposed to be okay if we see her through a mirror, so once we're there, we shouldn't take the glasses off at all, lun. When we're all ready, Yuma will open up a wormhole and we'll get going."
Riku Asakura	Aboard the spaceship is Riku, who has never been aboard a spaceship as far as he is aware.  He's in his normal outfit, a jean jacket with an orange shirt with a space logo on it.  He's also got a pair of jeans and sneakers with them, rounding out the modern guy look that he always seems to be in unless doing Trideag work.   Today, he's amazed and trying not to touch anything important, looking inside the ship, but still a bit star-eyed at all of what's going on, hanging on to every word from both Hikaru and Lala.  First, over the legend of Medusa, and then second, over the preparations that Lala has made to make sure they don't get turned to stone.  That would be awful, and who knows if they would return to normal! Riku takes a pair of sunglasses and pockets them so that he's ready.  "I'm ready.  As I like to say, standing around doing nothing won't get us anywhere!" he says with a bright smile and bright attitude towards the mission.   "Oh, wait, how are we supposed to free her if she's there?"
Chuyao He	To be involved in the grudges of gods and spirits is even less advisable than becoming involved in those of the martial world. >I love to get involved with the grudges of gods and spirits!!     This is the dynamic which Chuyao wades into, knowingly. If someone must be involved in supernatural grudges, let it be with responsible supervision, and for noble rather than self-aggrandizing reasons. Hikaru can handle the latter proviso herself, and Chuyao will take the former upon himself.     So it is that the scholar is seated at the star-shaped table, dressed in his flowing white shenyi robes. He takes in the briefing with a serious frown, nodding along with details and fanning himself every so often with a gentle dip of Two Rivers.     "To look at another only through a mirror seems... eccentric, but, if the alternative is..." He trails off, takes one of the pairs of glasses and holds it out curiously, demonstrating no cultural context for the article whatsoever in the way that he turns it over. "These protect the eyes by resting upon the ears... junior sister Lala is most inventive."     Chuyao raises his hand like he's making a point of order in a city council meeting. "I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, wish to offer a word of caution before we embark. It would not be difficult to imagine that Medusa is mistrustful of others, after the very object of her worship punished her so. If this is indeed the case, we must not hold that mistrust against her."      He lowers his free hand and closes the steel fan with a crisp flick of the opposite wrist. "That said, this unrefined scholar is ready to embark when our allies are."
Angela	The Magical Girl of Love is determined to help out her pal Hikaru and also, of course, freeing a snake lady. She is so determined, in fact, that she has brought along her sister the THE KNIGHT OF JUSTICE to lend a hand! Hip hip, hooray! The Knight of Justice is very tall, like twice the height of Love herself, and she wears a star patterned gown, a black teardrop tattoo under her left eye and the right side of her face covered in perpetual shadow while the left side of her face is perpetually pale. Love is eagerly bobbing her head to Hikaru's explanation on Medusas and she raises her hand up high to ask a question, hopping up on her feet repeatedly. "Question!! Is it okay if I look at her because I'm part snake? And since Justice doesn't open her eyes, she should be okay to FACE towards her right?" Sadly, Love thinks that having snakes for hair is actually an improvement to one's beauty rather than a deteriment. "To be punished for the act of falling in love, tis truly an unjust punishment." "Snake hair is cool though. I'm actually jealous my twintails are only snake-''like''." Love insists. "Plus she can turn haters to stone that feels like an upgrade!" Justice pats Love on the head in reply. "I pray that she still yet lives and can be freed from her unjust imprisonment." She bobs her head in Lala's general direction. "Thank you for your warnings. We shall be cautious."
Tamamo	Tamamo is actually pretty pleased with how things are going, recklessness included in that balance. Hikaru's attempting heroic work, showing compassion for the misfortunate -- not to speak of any personal connection Tamamo may have to the sort of misfortune being focused upon -- preparing for hazards and, most impressively, allowing adult supervision. Trusting other people is among the rarer properties of heroes, in her experience.     This good mood shows in her demeanor, though she's always been warm on purpose around Yuma, so the degrees mmay be harder to notice. Tamamo's bustling about in her layered, winter-appropriate robes, passing slips of paper to everyone. The characters scrawled on them aren't particularly readable, though at least Chuyao could probably make out 'soft.'     "It would be rather difficult to do anything upon becoming a statue, but please keep these for the case in which you may have the chance to use them. Placed upon one being presently affected by a curse of petrification, they shall provide its remedy, most likely." They have to 'be used,' that is, so they won't protect someone from being cursed in the first place.     "What is it that is turning into stone, did you say?"     She has, of course, already heard more than one tale of Medusa's legend. That lets her avoid giving too much reaction to the story, as terrible as the version most familiar to her is.     'Is it okay if I look at her because I'm part snake?'     Tamamo brings two fingers into an X. "It would not be safe."
Swords of Justice	Medusa just quietly listens to Hikaru's explanation of a story she's already heard a least a dozen times by now, remaining rather expressionless outside of an extremely brief twitch of the brow as the name Athena is spoken. It's a person she hates being reminded of, but if there's one thing she can take solace in, it's that the version of the story where Athena's the one responsible for her monstrous transformation seems to be the more popular one.      Honestly, she's had more than enough time to mostly sort out how she feels about that. Hearing other people's opinions, on the other hand, is a bit awkward. This Medusa isn't her, in fact, they're probably not that similar at all, but at the same time, it still feels.... Off. She'd rather not think about it, instead asking a question she's been meaning to ever since she heard of this plan.      "Do you have a plan for if Medusa doesn't wish to be reasoned with?"      Shirou, who had been mostly zoned out the entire time going through his own eternal monologue, finally snaps out of it upon hearing Medusa's voice, being finally cognizant enough to catch the explanation of how to handle the other Medusa's very well known to him ability of petrification and simply nodding.      "Question!! Is it okay if I look at her because I'm part snake?"      "No... It uh... Really doesn't matter what you look like I think?"
Lilian Rook	Lilian is allowed to be a little pushy at Hikaru about this after the whole Killing Stone thing. It's not hypocritical at all. She never went around trying to do nice things for ancient evil women unsupervised! She just stole and then tried to exploit an ancient wish-granting artifact of dubious origin for her own gain, and an ancient evil woman just sort of fell into her lap like a sloppy isekai introductory chapter! And then she had a really hard time and almost nothing in her life went well for a very long time, so actually it's double the object lesson, or something! And all the other times don't count because she already had an ancient sealed evil lady whom she was being nice to!     After half an hour of reciting this sequence of thoughts like a protective mantra, Lilian fails to make herself believe even half of it, and drags her feet to the imminent problem that she's going to have to take responsibility for like the world's most incandescent hypocrite. It's all she can do not to squish poor Hikaru's enthusiasm by weight of jaw-clamped, shifty-weight, restless and silent anxiety about the whole thing, avoidant gaze and all. She stands about three inches further away from Tamamo than usual.     'The most famous myth about her's the one where she gets beheaded by the hero Perseus, but it's totally possible that didn't happen, probably.'     Lilian conservatively limits herself to "Guys make things up all the time." while she's coincidentally very distracted by a specific section of pastel wall pattern. Unrelatedly.     'there's been rumors about people seeing statues turned into stone in the forest.'     "Beg pardon?" And now Lilian whips head head back around to stare at Lala, like she'd just heard a landmine click underfoot. A second later, she starts frantically wondering why they buried that one too. "Sorry that's-- Quite a lot, isn't it? Isn't that very bad?" She glances around the room once as if there's a fractional chance that she might still be the crazy one here.     'we shouldn't take the glasses off at all, lun.'     Lilian sighs. The way she looks at the pair she picks up screams 'Do we have to? I bet I look so bad with sunglasses on'.     §Hang on, is that really necessary? If everything's stopped, then light isn't moving anyways, so the image can't be 'real', right? But then if it's just that the image itself is inherently magic, then it'd be perfectly recreated so-- but then using what magic? An automatic spell couldn't-- Does that count as interacting? Like, would the magic move because I touched it with my sense of vision or . . . ? Oh my god why are the visual hazards always 'drives you insane'? I have no data to test that with! Augh!§     'To be punished for the act of falling in love, tis truly an unjust punishment.'     "Happens all the time." Lilian sighs, flicking the sunglasses half-over the pocket of her usual favourite coat.     'These protect the eyes by resting upon the ears... junior sister Lala is most inventive.'     "One day I'd like to thank your mother for the fact that you exist." Lilian says, mysteriously.     'It would not be safe.'     "Don't make any stupid guesses that'll make work for Tamamo or I'll make certain you learn your lesson." Lilian says, sing-song high monotone. Finally summoning up the courage to provide a good example, she flicks the Silly Sunnies onto her face and awaits drop. "And don't panic or freak out when we get there. With these on, we're definitely the more threatening party compared to her." Lilian says, unintentionally accepting the premise that Medusa is real and alive. She was just given a piece of Mission Critical Hazard Gear, which is how it works.
Star Twinkle	"Oh, wait, how are we supposed to free her if she's there?"     "Um... I don't know!" Hikaru readily admits. "But we'll have to talk to her first before we know how to try! She might have a better idea, or Precure magic might work, since we're able to free people the Nottraiders put under their control."     Quieter, she adds, "Either way, the first step is to confront her at all. It's okay to move forwards without a plan if it's the only way of moving forwards, isn't it?"     Lala looks more uneasy about that proposition, but she nods after a moment of hesitation. "... Lun. If AI couldn't calculate a way to free her before we go, that means we're missing data." "These protect the eyes by resting upon the ears... junior sister Lala is most inventive."     "Thank you, lun. I got the idea from Harukichi." Behind her, Hikaru makes a bemused expression at Lala's continued habit of referring to her grandfather by his first name. Lala taps on the nosepiece, continuing with, "If you're hit in the face, they'll come off easily. It's better to be safe by keeping your eyes shut completely if they do come off or break, lun."     Chuyao's greeting reminds Hikaru that she hasn't exposed the newcomers to her introduction yet, so she eagerly springs forwards and jumps up into the air. "Oh!!! I'm Hikaru Hoshina! I love stars and constellations! As a Precure I travel the universe with my best friend Lala helping our friend Yuma and fighting the Notraider Empire!"     The light on Yuma's face forms into a star-shape while Lala strokes her head between the two wiggly tendrils. "Right now we're not doing either of those things, lun. But since we're the legendary magical warriors, we're strong enough that even when we're on Earth there's lots of people we can help. And we're strong enough that... when the people who are hurt already expect to be hurt more, we can help calm them down even when it's difficult."     Justice has to loom across the domed ceiling of the spaceship's main interior chamber, especially to avoid bumping into and knocking off the walls any number of the cutesy decorations and doodads scattered around the girls' living space. While Hikaru darts around behind her to start excitedly patting her long starry hair, Lala reaches one of her antennae allll the way up, so that the glowing bulb on the end is offered out to tap against Justice's finger. "You're Love's sister, aren't you? It's nice to meet you, lun. Sorry it's a little small inside AI." "Snake hair is cool though. I'm actually jealous my twintails are only snake-''like''."     Hikaru grips the beads on the ends of her own twintails and wiggles them around threateningly, looming behind Love. She pinches her fingers like snake bites while slowly rising up, and then pounces on Love, wiggling the pokey ends of her twintail into Love's neck to tickle her. Lala is roped into the tussle a moment later, with Hikaru lunging towards her next. "Ccccccccccobra attack-!!!!"     "Oyo?! Then-! Um, AI, what's-- boa constrictor, lun!"     Hikaru comes to a stop, surprised, as both of her twintails are wrapped up and held in place by Lala's antennae coiled tightly around them. They both pause for a moment, and then start giggling with each other. "Looks like I win, lun." "Ehehehe, yours *are* way more like snakes!"     Before releasing Hikaru's hair from her deadly coils, Lala remembers to respond to Love, suddenly very serious, "But don't look at her, really, lun."
Star Twinkle	"Sorry that's-- Quite a lot, isn't it?" "What is it that is turning into stone, did you say?"     With Tamamo's presense, Yuma clambers off of Lala's lap to totter on her two stubby legs over to her. Hikaru crouches down to hoist the Star Drop up to eye level, holding her like a cat draped over her arm so that she can morph her face into a sunburst of comfort in company. "There hasn't been any reports of people missing yet, but AI overheard people saying there were stone statues in the woods where there shouldn't be. No one's gotten a close look though, lun, since they always run away."     "There were some super loud roars too!!!! Though, I don't know why Medusa would be making those." Hikaru would ask Medusa herself since she's here, if she ever makes roars, but she doesn't know she's Medusa! "If anyone's turned to stone, we'll have to figure out how to save them too. But Medusa can't help it. That's why it's so sad. She can't ever fall in love again, since she can't look into anyone's eyes."     With that, though, they're able to head off! The journey, such as it is, is extremely simple and short. Once Lala points out the island on the map, Yuma just drifts up to the top of the egg-shaped room inside the spaceship, AI's voiceover reminds everyone to sit down and buckle up in preparation for liftoff, and then Yuma's loud singing note of exertion summons a star-shaped rip in space above the rocket that spins around and sucks them up into it. From liftoff to touchdown, there's about five minutes, and eighty percent of it is spent traveling through the streaking yellow and purple wormhole that glows through the big star-shaped window on the side of the rocket.     The porthole hisses open when the ship lands, heart-shaped door lowering into a ramp that puts the group on the rocky shore. Hikaru and Lala wear the modified sunglasses on their foreheads like they're ready for a day at the beach, and Hikaru has a black cloth sack tucked under her arm to put Yuma in later, just in case she can be turned to stone too.     She punches her fist into her palm. "Alright! Into the forest we go! Here we cooooooooome, Medusa!"
Riku Asakura	'Um... I don't know!' Riku looks slightly put off by this. They don't really have a plan going into this, but Lala says that her AI lacks sufficient data.  Perhaps meeting Medusa, if she exists still, would give them the data they needed to make a plan.  "Alright, let's go then.  Maybe we'll have to figure this out like a mystery novel. Or like in Don Shine episode twenty-five." 'I'm Hikaru Hoshina!' "I'm Riku Asakura.  Nice to meet you both officially." He says with a chuckle.  "Though I think we met once before at the poker game...but it's been a while." And it was just after the fall of L-corp.  Things were a lot more confusing then for him.   With their game of snakes vs antennae, and the victor being antennae, Riku laughs at the game itself.  It's nice to see the girls so relaxed and calm right before a potentially dangerous situation.  Riku beams at the pair of girls who genuinely seem to care for each other.   'To be punished for the act of falling in love, tis truly an unjust punishment.' 'If this is indeed the case, we must not hold that mistrust against her.' "I know, the punishment is harsh, and I think it is unjust as well.  I feel sorry for her, but if she's still there, we'll think of something to free her from her curse." He pauses while considering Chuyao, "Yeah, I won't hold anything against her.  It has had to be a very lonely thousand or so years." On the ground, Riku has his glasses on and looks around.  It's not exactly easy, not being able to see directly where he's going, but he gets used to it with slow, easy steps.  "Any idea where we should start looking?"
Angela	''Lots of people saying that 23andme confirming Love's snake heritage doesn't mean that she doesn't gets special medusa privileges.'' "Aww..." Love takes some glasses, one for herself and one for Justice who may not be someone who opens her eyes but, well, she actually does look pretty cool with sunglasses on so maybe it's fine. Unfortunately, Justice is so tall that Love can't even hop and get those glasses on her that easily so Justice gently collects them from Love's hands. Love also collects the slips of paper, "Thanks Tamamo!" and will reach out her arms and attempt to give Tamamo a biiiiig hug. Love hugs like a boa constrictor: very tightly. But she is quite loyal. ''If Medusa doesn't wish to be reasoned with?'' "Well if someone doesn't want to be reasoned with, you usually have to be more emotional than the first time you asked, maybe even crying a little--I actually never learned to cry on command though so whenever I cry it has to be real. And then if that doesn't work, maybe there's lasers? Or running away?" "The Dame Commander says we likely outmatch Medusa should it come to it, but battling her seems contrary to our aims. We can always just leave." The Magical Girl of Justice says. ''Happens all the time.'' "There is much injustice in the world." She sees that Hikaru is sneaking up on Love but doesn't say anything since as a pink-themed magical girl, she's okay to bully a little it's fine. ''Cccccccobra attack-!!!! Yeah I typed this myself rather than copy pasting I just sort of threw a random number of c's in and--'' Love shrieks in joy/terror and writhes in tickled agony. "C-c-cobra counterattack...!!" She grabs at her own twintails and tries to tickle Hikaru back though the space-themed mahou has the upper hand because she struck first! The one with initiative wins! That's what it means to be a cobra!!! "Don't worry! Listening to instructions is all part of being a magical girl!" "I'll cover her face if she forgets." Justice adds, more encouragingly. Love is a bit bouncy during the voyage, while Justice is meditative. "Here we coooooome!" Love joins in, punching her palm into her fist rather than the other way around. She's doing her best to fit in.
Star Twinkle	"Do you have a plan for if Medusa doesn't wish to be reasoned with?"     The somewhat steep slope up to the inland forest is covered with dry, prickly bushes, but they're good handholds to make sure the girls don't lose their balance and tumble backwards down. While clambering up, Lala says between breaths, "If she's... happy where she is, then... there's nothing we need to do, lun. But if not... even if she's angry, or stubborn, or... violent, then we've got to stick it out for her, and be patient, and listen. If someone's not happy, we can't blame them for being unhappy."     The forest, almost immediately, is dense enough that the midday sun only comes through as a dim filtered glow. Shadows seem exaggerated in the gloom, and it's easy for your imagination to fill in any kinds of threats leaping out of the thick underbrush. Hikaru shivers, a little nervous, and sticks close by Lala while pushing aside plants to make slow but steady progress through the woods.     The slow march is interrupted by a booming noise that shudders tree branches and vibrates the ground, lasting for a full thirty seconds and growing louder throughout it. Hikaru and Lala shriek in unison and grip onto each other, looking around in every direction to try and find the source of the roaring noise. It settles down slowly, the echo dying, and bird and animal sounds gradually reemerge from the silence.     "Now would... be a good time to put the sunglasses on, probably.... What *was* that?"
Chuyao He	If you're hit in the face, they'll come off easily.     "Hm... yes, a strike from below or the side may lift them, and head-on, may split this part," he says, tapping the bridge. "This unrefined scholar graciously thanks the inventor for her advice. If such a thing shall come to pass, I shall close my eyes tightly." He offers a bow of his head and a fist-in-palm as further gesture of thanks.     Tamamo passes out talismans, and he takes one, immediately interested in it. "What a curious script," Chuyao marvels, holding it up to the light. "At first, this unrefined scholar thought that perhaps some error was made in rendering a certain character. Rather, Lady Tamamo's brushwork is most excellent. Accordingly, this script is some dialect unknown to me, yet familiar enough to be legible..." Do you have a plan for if Medusa doesn't wish to be reasoned with?     Chuyao tucks the talisman away. "Indeed," he says to Medusa, "The Master once said, 'I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others.' This lowly scholar's plan is to listen twice as much as he speaks. Spoken words should be thought of as a form of art; one may accomplish much with little, many schools exist besides those which first come to mind, and every ear shall have its own preference. Therefore, 'reason' need not be alone in the gallery." One day I'd like to thank your mother for the fact that you exist.     Chuyao smiles wanly at Lilian. "She has given me many gifts. It would delight her to hear that someone feels they have not been wasted." And we're strong enough that... when the people who are hurt already expect to be hurt more, we can help calm them down even when it's difficult.      Chuyao smiles and nods approvingly. "Ah... junior sister Lala, junior sister Hikaru... though the life of a <vigilante | knight-errant | wandering hero> is dangerous, it is good for those of any age to be so circumspect, regarding the burdens of others." Ccccccccccobra attack-!!!!     "Hm," notes Chuyao facetiously, with an exaggerated version of his usual thoughtful frown. "A pressure point technique like Cobra Attack requires a commitment to close range. As junior sister Lala demonstrates, a skilled opponent may recognize a meridian strike, shift their body out of alignment and close for a clinch..." He clears his throat and returns to a more serious demeanor.     There were some super loud roars too!!!! Though, I don't know why Medusa would be making those.     "Indeed... perhaps this unrefined scholar shall revisit the reference literature..." He does do exactly that, during the colorful trip there, reading through mythology books checked out from various libraries for any mention of Medusa roaring. It isn't until the journey's almost over that he looks up in time to see the marvels of interstellar travel--and sadly, by that point, it's pretty much what he determines as time to put on the sunglasses.
Tamamo	'Ccccccccccobra attack-!!!!'     'Um, AI, what's-- boa constrictor, lun!'     Tamamo, gently smiling, reaches out to squeeze Lilian's hand. She's noticed the fretting, but this requires the same response.     With Tamamo's presense, Yuma clambers off of Lala's lap to totter on her two stubby legs over to her.     Tamamo reaches out with her palm now containing a (maternally approved) snack: salted sunflower seeds. If the star drop has no way to eat them, that's fine, but offering food is basically reflexive. Tamamo can still eat them, or give them to the other girls, otherwise. In fact, she picks a couple out to munch quietly while listening.     'No one's gotten a close look though, lun, since they always run away.'     "Eh? The statues run away?!" Wait, she probably meant...     'If anyone's turned to stone, we'll have to figure out how to save them too.'     "If it is 'a curse,' it is a thing that can be broken. If one has merely 'passed away,' however, this is more difficult." Explaining the mystically significant difference between those two things can also be difficult.
Riku Asakura	Riku takes one of Tamamo's talismans and thanks her for the protective charm.  "Thank you, Ms. Tamamo," he says brightly, grateful for the protective and curative help.  He beams at her with his usual smile and bows respectfully towards her.  He's very grateful for the aid.   The booming noise answers his question about where to look.  "I think we should go that way..." he says, motioning towards where he heard the deafening roar.  "It's at least a good place as any to start..." he says with a frown.
Chuyao He	What *was* that?     "Nothing in the myths and records mentioned Medusa knowing such a technique," says Chuyao, waving a hand in front of his sunglasses to test his visual acuity with them on. He frowns. "Could it be local wildlife? Or perhaps a spirit of the forest who considers Medusa a trespasser...? Not entirely untroublesome, yet intriguing all the same." There's as good a chance he means the sunglasses' effect on his vision as he does the unexpected presence of something roaring in the woods. I think we should go that way...     "Perhaps," Chuyao offers, stroking his chin. "Yet we should prioritize that which we know for certain to be associated with Medusa. If, in drawing closer to that sound, we discover a greater number of statues, we may move in whichever direction they appear to recoil from, whether that shall be closer to or further from the sound."
Lilian Rook	'If you're hit in the face, they'll come off easily. It's better to be safe by keeping your eyes shut completely if they do come off or break, lun.'     'If such a thing shall come to pass, I shall close my eyes tightly.'     "I'm familiar with the general protocol." Lilian says, automatically enough to almost be dismissive, forcing her to double back and explain. "On my planet, the full moon can drive people mad if they see moonlight with the naked eye. People tend to be taught about this sort of thing. For instance, I'd like to add that," She turns to the group now, so it's not like she's scolding Lala or something. "If you are forced to just shut your eyes, keep your head down as well; where you're looking won't matter if they're closed, and there are various human reflexes that will definitely make you open them up if you aren't ready, such as if you fall or lose your balance. It's safest if you're looking away as well."     'But since we're the legendary magical warriors, we're strong enough that even when we're on Earth there's lots of people we can help. And we're strong enough that... when the people who are hurt already expect to be hurt more, we can help calm them down even when it's difficult.'     'But if not... even if she's angry, or stubborn, or... violent, then we've got to stick it out for her, and be patient, and listen. If someone's not happy, we can't blame them for being unhappy.'     Consecutive critical hits. Lilian holds her hands over her mouth and tries not to tear up. There's no way she can explain this one.     'There were some super loud roars too!!!! Though, I don't know why Medusa would be making those.'     Hmm. It'd be a little bit sad if they went through all the steps to deal with 'a Medusa' but it was some monster to slay instead of a sad lady to help in the end. Lilian tries to discard the idea. Instead, she admites the bag Hikaru brought for Yuma, and approvingly says, "You've come a very long ways since that crash landing on the pikmin planet. Your brand of mindfulness is a sight for sore eyes."     'Rather, Lady Tamamo's brushwork is most excellent. Accordingly, this script is some dialect unknown to me, yet familiar enough to be legible...'     "Even if you're an unrefined scholar, you certainly have a refined eye for calligraphy." Lilian preens, rapidly emanating green plus symbols for someone having complimented Tamamo's handwriting. "Tamamo is a top-notch healer and curse-breaker. I've never met anyone who comes close. Rest assured that you're in good hands." What happened to 'don't make her work'?     'She has given me many gifts. It would delight her to hear that someone feels they have not been wasted.'     She pauses for a second, struck by the fact that an Elite just talked about their parents, and they aren't, like, tragically dead or estranged or something. She flinches a second time in stunned realization that hers are now. "Petra is going to get my ass." Lilian mutters under her breath. "Even though it's her fault."     'Eh? The statues run away?!'     Lilian instantly glues herself to Tamamo's side. She grins at her while she's obviously working through her own mistake. "Too cute~"     . . . . . . . .
Lilian Rook	"What in God's name was that?" Lilian mutters in hushed tones. Frozen still through the entirety of the event, save for turning her head this way and that to look awkwardly sideways through the sunglasses she's wearing, she only lets down her body's automaticall coiled readiness when the last echoes of the sound finally fade. She'd have ducked behind cover, as a sensible survival move in line with her training, but it seems 'readying to draw her sword' has actually somehow become slightly more second nature than that, over time.     "If we can find a statue, we can use that to divine with." Lilian says. "Though it might not do much, I may as well check from vantage." She barely gets the words out before vanishing up into the canopy, leaving behind a vibrating branch and a slight scattering of leaves. Once she's above tree level, Lilian intends to hang around on a little pond-surface distortion of black static and scope around in a careful full-circle scan, starting with the direction she can best tell the sound originated from. Though it seems likely to her that the trees will cover up anything interesting anyways, it's also a good angle to get a view of the closest landmark to it, and potentially sense any strong magic without a million trees in the way.
Tamamo	'Do you have a plan for if Medusa doesn't wish to be reasoned with?'     Tamamo looks over toward Medusa -- the one present, and an ally, though not someone she's yet had a chance to come to know far better than by reputation, and takes a moment before asking, "Might you guess as to what would be most likely?"     'Thanks Tamamo!'     "Of course," says Tamamo, and returns Love's hug, albeit with less than boa constrictor strength. There aren't, somehow, a lot of people who go straight in for the hug with Tamamo, but this is the sort of thing to be encouraged, and she feels at least a tiny bit of a sense of responsibility in raising Love.     'Rather, Lady Tamamo's brushwork is most excellent. Accordingly, this script is some dialect unknown to me, yet familiar enough to be legible...'     "Oh, thank you. It is rather... how would one explain the art, I wonder? There is a need for precision in the creation of such things, but also of a flow that carries between the brush and the magic it brings into physical being. Might you have ever painted a river in ink? The 'pull' is similar." On this rare occasion, Tamamo tries to explain a bit of how the magic works.     'Alright! Into the forest we go! Here we cooooooooome, Medusa!'     Tamamo dons the mission-critical sunglasses, and makes her way outside. She then takes them off again, as they make it exceedingly difficult to walk through the woods. "Hm."     The forest, almost immediately, is dense enough that the midday sun only comes through as a dim filtered glow.     Being heavily predisposed against darkness as she is, Tamamo brings out... a flashlight! There were other methods available, but this is probably enough for now. She shines it here and there, creating even deeper shadows, but keeping a clearer idea of where she's walking.     'Now would... be a good time to put the sunglasses on, probably.... What *was* that?'     After recovering from reflexively freezing in place, "Oh, perhaps so. Ah, as to the Medusa of this world... though roaring is much associated with dragons, it is not so with other serpents, nor those connected to them. If it were something like a bull..." But that's a totally different island, probably. Tamamo turns the flashlight toward the source of the sound, but of course, she isn't like to make out anything more from here. Better to wait for Lilian, rather than rush ahead.
Swords of Justice	Medusa just absorbs the multiple responses she gets to her question, not particularly upset by most of them, though not really wowed either. They all are hoping to get through to the other Medusa in some way, and she's not particularly mean spirited enough to bring the mood down. She came here to help first and foremost, not question every motive here.      She does however, frown at Tamamo's question.      "I don't, no."      At the sound of the roar, she calmly removes her already existing glasses to replace them with the pair she'd been given for the mission.      Shirou meanwhile, nearly jumps out of his skin, barely managing to keep himself from dropping the glasses as he slides them over his face.      "Hey... You sure this is the right island? I've never heard-"      Shirou pauses, thinks carefully about what he's going to say, and simply doesn't finish his sentence.
Star Twinkle	"As junior sister Lala demonstrates, a skilled opponent may recognize a meridian strike, shift their body out of alignment and close for a clinch..."     Hikaru claps her hands together and solemnly bows to Chuyao, hair still all tangled up by Lala's antennae. "It seems I still have much to learn, Master.... hey- ahahaha!" She's playfully yanked back by the pigtails, with Lala's antennae being stronger than they'd seem for their thinness. She yelps in surprise, and then both of them break down into laughter again at the silly-serious response. > salted sunflower seeds     Hanging off of Hikaru's arm, Yuma reaches out a tentacle curiously towards the seeds. Whether she recognizes them as 'food' or just as 'something offered' isn't clear, because of course, she has no mouth. Once the purplish tip touches the seeds, a weird ripple of 'spikes' travels up the arm and through Yuma's body, like a shudder on a seismograph or a jolt of visualized electricity, startling the little yellow alien. The 'mask' on her face breaks apart into several smaller green bubbles, and then the other tentacle joins in to keep curiously touching the seeds and crushing them into smaller pieces.     Is this eating? Is she absorbing anything from this? It's impossible to tell, but Yuma's seemingly enjoying it, at least. "You've come a very long ways since that crash landing on the pikmin planet. Your brand of mindfulness is a sight for sore eyes."     "Huhuhu," Hikaru smugly laughs, brandishing the bag with a little flourish. "I've had lots of chances to get experience with crash landings by now." More seriously, she adds after a second, "And I don't want to risk Yuma getting out of my sight like that ever again." "What in God's name was that?"     Like Lilian expected, going up above the tree cover means having to look back down past the tree cover to see anything interesting. The sound seems to have originated from further inland, where the forest starts to climb up at a steep angle in its efforts to cling to the rocky island, but even where she can see gaps in the tree cover, there's nothing particularly of note past it. There isn't a single trace of magic anywhere in the entire forest as far as she can see, besides what the group brought with them, not even 'residue'-- though if the statues are a thousand years old, that certainly wouldn't be detectable anymore. Heading in the direction of the strange roaring noise, the forest seems to grow more and more unsettling. The cliffs of the inner regions of the island rise up starkly to one side, blocking out even more of the sunlight than the canopy already does, but since Medusa's supposedly in a cave, there's no reason to stray away from it. Once the surprise has worn off, Hikaru and Lala naturally stick to holding hands, and readying their Star Color Pendants, with Yuma floating just ahead to light the way. The angle of the sunglasses' mirrors means, once they're on, it's impossible to see well directly in front of you, so the girls end up awkwardly shuffling diagonally so the reflection is ahead of them.     It's mostly small talk, making conversation so that the forest isn't as spookily-silent as it's been in the aftermath of that horrible roar. "Lun... if we find a statue, we'll be able to learn a lot from it. With magic, and by looking at the direction, and through scanning it. And then we'll learn if Tamamo-no-mae can turn them back, too." "There was that other planet where everyone on it was turned to stone..." "Planet Rainbow, lun." "Right. That was supposed to be a curse too, wasn't it...?" "No one really knows. It wasn't even part of the Starscape Union, so it was weeks before anyone saw, lun. Why?" "I... don't know. It's just been on my mind a bunch."
Star Twinkle	Something indistinct in the shadows of the forest itches at the edges of your mind, a shape that automatically triggers gut-level responses and associations. It's impossible to make it out past the branches, especially without being able to see directly ahead, but the vague shadowy silhouette of a person appears frozen still as if petrified mid-motion. Hikaru gasps, and pulls Yuma into the bag, while Lala flips open her compact mirror to tilt it around and get a better look.     Inching closer........... it turns out to just be a pile of rocks. Stacked up to person height, it seems incredibly implausible that it'd be a natural formation, but... still, there's nothing here, and no person to see. The girls let out a sigh of relief, but the atmosphere is still way too uneasy.     "Someone playing a prank...? Or maybe, this *was* a person, and Medusa just turns them to stone*s* instead of just one! Would that be creepy or what?"     There's increasingly more of those odd rock piles as the group progresses past the first. Hikaru's half joking theory feels unnervingly more plausible, without another explanation coming to mind. It's either nerves, or something following you, when seeing flashes of movement out of the corner of your vision, but there's seemingly no source, and the mirrors make it nearly impossible to track the direction of it. The girls flinch when a stone rolls off of one of the piles and makes a startlingly loud clattering noise, as if the 'hand' of a statue suddenly came to life, pushed by some unseen motion.     Then further, to where caves start cropping up along the cliff wall. Arrayed almost like a wall, there's even more of the rock stacks, and just past them, framed against the darkness of the cave so that she's only visible as a silhouette-- is a human shape, impossible to make out any details except for the only one necessary: up where her head is, where hair should be hanging down, is a corona of writhing, wiggling snakes, their movement confirming that this isn't just a pile of stones like before!
Riku Asakura	Riku walks throughout the forest by tilting his head to one side so that he can see as close to in front of him as he can.  It's uncomfortable and a bit disorienting.  He also looks at Shirou, who seems to avoid finishing his thoughts, and wonders why that was.  Oh well, he'll come out of his shell when he feels like it. The statue of a person turns out to be a pile of rocks about the size of a person.  Riku lets out a sigh of relief; at least nobody was turned to actual stone here.  "I think this is likely a prank, Hikaru," Riku says as they look around the pile of rocks and find... That it's an ordinary pile of rocks.   However, beyond the pile of rocks in the cave is less a pile of human-shaped rocks and a person who is shaped like a person with snakes for hair.  Riku takes a step forward and tries to introduce himself.  "Hello, I'm Riku Asakura.  We're here to help free you from your curse..." he says carefully.
Angela	Love would probably be happy if it's a monster, honestly, but also a little sad whereas if Medusa is just a Medusa, she would be even happier because that's what Hikaru's looking for! And making her fellow magical girls happy is the most important thing she can do. She's still a little tired from getting struck by cobra hair but she is gradually recovering. She didn't realize she could've waited to put on the sunglasses so she's sort of wobbling around while trying to get used to looking through the reflection. ''Of course.'' Love gets...a hug...back! YES! She feels the power of love and friendship flowing through her so much today! Being struck by cobras is also a sign of friendship. She lets out a little 'yay' and smiles at Tamamo like she's a mysterious mentor figure who has charged her with battling the dark kingdom as a precure. Justice frowns as she hears, for the first time, about a similar curse manifesting elsewhere. She cups her chin thoughtfully. Could this be a similar curse? It seems unlikely--they aren't anywhere near this Planet Rainbow, probably. Actually, she's not sure where Planet Rainbow is but she suspects it's not around here. They press on. A bit anxiously, in Love's case. "A Medusa turning people into stones..." Love marvels uneasily. But then... ''a corona of writhing, wiggling sneks!'' Love rushes forward, suddenly excited, "Oh! You must be Medusa! Can we be your frieeayikee1" Justice has pulled Love back close to her body and holds her tight. "Pray, step into the light. It should be alright." Justice adds.
Chuyao He	Along the way, Chuyao offers another word of thanks, this time to Lilian. "The Dame Commander's expertise in matters where sight is a liability--this unrefined scholar is grateful to have it."     Throughout the walk, which, after observing Hikaru and Lala, becomes pointedly more diagonal owing to the greater ease of seeing, he can't shake the feeling of being watched. Although it makes him uneasy, he comforts himself in the knowledge that, if someone is watching everyone, that someone may well be who they're looking for, or perhaps even a survivor who can point her out.     This isn't necessary, because, not long after his diagonal shuffling must account for the steeper incline, he can see her reflection.     "I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, respectfully greet aunt Medusa." He offers a fist-in-palm bow to the empty air diagonally away from Medusa.     "We heard, on our way here, a great and terrible roar, but saw no beast from which it might arise; we saw many piles of stones but not a single statue. This lowly scholar would be so bold as to deduce that these are... theater, of a sort, meant to offer you some degree of privacy, or perhaps to protect others."     Chuyao clears his throat, finding it odd to have a conversation with someone while looking directly 45 degrees away from them. "If my deduction is indeed correct, then please forgive our rudeness in disregarding the measures which you have taken. I, Chuyao He, assure aunt Medusa that it is for good reason, and ask that you lend your ears to junior sister Hikaru and junior sister Lala." With that, he makes a soft sweeping motion of his palm towards the two of them.
Tamamo	'Planet Rainbow, lun.'     "A planet of those petrified? Oh... and why was it known as 'Planet Rainbow'?"     There's increasingly more of those odd rock piles as the group progresses past the first.     "Such are used as markers by many peoples, with as much a variety of meanings. To have this many... they could not be marking a path, it seems. At least, it is not a single line, nor a simple arc. Do there appear to be signs of moved earth?" Tamamo snaps up her flashlight to each new promise of a jump scare. She doesn't jump, herself, but her ears do stand up in an alert posture behind the needles of her golden headdress, and rotate slightly during the quieter moments. She has the sense of being a little more frizzed than usual.     Usually, relying on her ears would much make up for needing to wear an odd pair of glasses. In this case, however... it's not particularly helpful with stone piles, nor with looking where she plants her geta.     ...a corona of writhing, wiggling snakes, their movement confirming that this isn't just a pile of stones like before!     "Ah? We found someone, so easily?" Tamamo may have been imagining a sealing stone being involved. If not that, there were a few other impediments that might have...     More loudly, "Hello! Is someone about? Are you in need of any assistance?" It's too soon to make assumptions, but it's certain that they're here in the spirit of rendering aid.
Lilian Rook	'Huhuhu, I've had lots of chances to get experience with crash landings by now.'     Hm. Maybe don't compliment that part. Focus on the good. "It's a good thing to learn as early as possible. No matter how confident you are, you should always be ready for 'what if lady luck just hates me today?' all the same. Too many people spend all their time flying by the seat of their pants, and then desperately need rescue the moment anything goes like they didn't expect." Lilian says.     'The Dame Commander's expertise in matters where sight is a liability--this unrefined scholar is grateful to have it.'     "And I'm grateful to have you around as always." Lilian says, smiling like she's just clocking in and seeing her favourite coworker for the first time that day; which she kind of is, in a way. "Sight is such an enormous part of how humans process the world that we seldom ever think of its myriad limitations and vulnerabilities. As I'm certain you know, even a substantial part of mastering the martial arts is built on reacting to events before your mind has visually processed them, by trusting the other senses that act faster, and letting your eyes catch up after. It sounds simple to simply keep them closed, but it's far from easy to trust yourself without vision."     . . . . . . . .     It's about as much as Lilian had expected up there. It's still a little bit disappointing, though. If there isn't going to be any sign of magic, there should at least be the dignity of a big glaring crop circle or something; or so Lilian thinks to herself. Carefully easing back down through the canopy, not used to sliding her gravity back to earth at such an awkward partial angle, Lilian still tries to wave to signal before remembering there's a low chance of anyone seeing it, and then says "Nothing in particular from the air. Let's keep going."     'There was that other planet where everyone on it was turned to stone...'     That again. Another reason to think about Blue Cat, and everything that made her uneasy about Planet Rainbow before. Though she'd chewed on those thoughts for a good long while after the concert, to no real conclusion, having to think about the subject yet again pushes Lilian's discomfort along some invisible thermocline, compelling her to speak up.     ". . . Are you certain that it'd be problematic for people here to get involved in the Starscape Galaxy? I feel like the least we can do is to notify the Paladins and see if a humanitarian relief team can't at least study the situation." She trudges on in quiet for a little while longer, distracted somewhat by the mild difficulty of simply moving forward. "It bothers me. Knowing that we're not doing anything about it, but that we're still opposing Blue Cat anyways."     'Oh... and why was it known as 'Planet Rainbow'?'     "For the rainbow ore, I think." Lilian murmurs, subdued. "The people were those sort that everyone would only want to think of by their exports." That's not much explaining, but she expects Tamamo will understand the layered implications left unspoken. It's not something alien to the Heian Era or this one.     'Someone playing a prank...? Or maybe, this *was* a person, and Medusa just turns them to stone*s* instead of just one! Would that be creepy or what?'     Lilian's reaction to a mysterious human silhouette is both more and less significant than average. She pays more attention than usual to 'the shape of a body', for obvious reasons, but a person standing completely still in a position that's weird to be frozen in is just . . .     Yeah.
Lilian Rook	"I'd prefer not to think about that." she says, sticking out the tip of her tongue for a second, as if Hikaru had come up with something gross rather than kind of fucked up actually. As the group travels, her sword wanders to her sword and back again multiple times, repeating the process of mounting tension reaching conscious awareness and being beaten back by the reminder that she isn't here to hurt Medusa; who theoretically exists for now. Each touch to the hilt is as reassuring as touching Tamamo's arm or back; which she does nearly just as frequently.     'Hello, I'm Riku Asakura. We're here to help free you from your curse...'     The loop ends with Lilian slowing to a near freeze at the new silhouette, stopping to turn her head this way and that until she catches the right angle in her mirror-glasses. "Isn't she going to only speak ancient Greek?" Lilian says, then winces remembering that it's the Multiverse now, then rallies upon remembering that dead or near-dead languages frequently don't translate; including her own archaic Gaeilge.     'I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, respectfully greet aunt Medusa.'     "Aunt?"     Recovering from her double take, Lilian eases her belt around to suspend her weapon at her back rather than her side. Unwilling to trust her angled vision, she quiets her thoughts to concentrate on those in the direction of the rocks, too.     She secretly wants to be the first one to go 'Hmph. It's just a shadow. No Medusa here.' when everyone seems so nervous. That'd be so cool.
Star Twinkle	"Knowing that we're not doing anything about it, but that we're still opposing Blue Cat anyways."     Hikaru's expression flickers downwards, and Lala looks away, uncomfortable. In neither-- or all four?-- of their encounters with Blue Cat did the phantom thief explicitly state her origins or goals, but between the shapeshifting, and the Rainbownian jewelry, and the wish for her family back.... "So you came to that conclusion too...? I haven't said it out loud before, but...." "... She still betrayed us, lun. And everyone. And she's willing to hurt whoever she needs to, and even Yuma, to get what she wants." "I know Lala, but..." "... I know...."     The silent communication between them ends with a stretch of more silence, with Lala still facing away from Hikaru and Lilian while they walk through the forest. A minute passes, and her antennae quietly lifts up to reach halfway in Hikaru's direction, met by a soft brush of Hikaru's thumb like handholding that causes it to glow. Conclusively, if reluctantly, Lala eventually says, "... We'll go, lun." "Hello! Is someone about?" "Oh! You must be Medusa!" "We're here to help free you from your curse..."     Medusa is silent and unresponsive, steadfastly staying in the shadows as if she's glaring out at the group. The only emoting it's possible to read off of her is that the snakes in her hair stiffen when people call out to her, but whether that emotion is fear, or anger, or whatever else, it's hard to say. Lala tentatively steps closer, cupping her hand to call out while she looks in Medusa's direction using the compact mirror.     "We don't mean any harm! If you just want to talk from a distance, then we won't get any closer, lun, but... if we can talk at all, maybe we can help! We just want to know how we can help you, lun!"     "And we're not fans of Perseus or anything! Athena's cringe for doing all that to you! And I think you're probably super pretty even with snakes for hair!" "This lowly scholar would be so bold as to deduce that these are... theater, of a sort, meant to offer you some degree of privacy, or perhaps to protect others."     There's no response for a little while longer, while Medusa's hair continues to wiggle, until.... "Sssssshoot! We've been had!" "Sssssshusssssh! You'll give ussss away!" "We'd be better off jusssssst running!!!" "But what about the ssssship?!" "Ssssscatter!"     Medusa's hair, all at once, jumps right off of her head and darts in every direction. Hikaru, with her honed skittery-thing-grabbing-instincts, lunges at the movement and nabs one of the pieces of hair(?) before it runs away, grabbing it just below the head. "Got you!!! Don't run! We're here to help!"
Star Twinkle	What she lifts up, finally visible clearly, is a pinkish snake wearing an adorable little spaceman helmet. Her head wiggles around frantically and her tongue flicks out inside of the bubble as if she's trying to speak, and a little electronic translator device on the outside of the helmet lights up to transmit a tinny, nasally voice.     "Aaaaaaa! Don't eat me! I-I-I'm sssso bony! Y-you wouldn't like it at all! But! Don't get the idea t-to crush me in your giant sssscary claws either, because they're not even good crunchy bones! They're all ssssoggy and bendy! I-I bet it'd feel gross!"     Hikaru lifts the snake up further to bring her up to eye level, or at least, diagonally next to her to be eye level in the reflection in her sunglasses. "Huh? I'm not going to hurt you at all. I'm Hikaru Hoshina! I love stars and constellations. Where are you from?"     Over by the cave, Tamamo's flashlight illumates the body of 'Medusa'-- just another human-height stack of rocks. The display on the back of Lala's glove lights up, signalling AI's presence, and Lala holds her wrist up so that her smoothly synthesized voice is audible to everyone.     "This is a Serpentian, from the planet Serpentia in the Starscape Galaxy. Being much smaller than the other animals on their planet, the Serpentians developed a technique to intimidate potential threats by pushing natural materials into a pile and then arranging themselves in a group behind it, giving the impression that the Serpentian is much larger than they actually are."     Lala looks dubiously at the snake-astronaut in Hikaru's hand, and then angles her compact mirror to see that all the other snakes have gathered up at the foot of the Medusa-pile, worriedly watching for Hikaru to swallow their friend whole. "But then... how did you get here, oyo?"     "We craaaaaaaashed! And ohhhhhh, what rotten luck to end up on sssssuch a primitive planet.... if any Earthlingsss sssee us, we'll be in big trouble! Big! General Topper will have our headssss!"     Hikaru puffs out her chest and jabs her thumb towards herself proudly. "Pfuh! You're talking to the experts on crash landings, y'know!" "That's not something to be proud of, oyo........" "Ohh, thank goodnessss! For a sssecond, I thought you were Earthlingsss!" "Oh, I am." "I'm from Samaan, lun." "Ah-- a-a-ah...!!!! NooOOoOoooo....."     "No, no, no no no no! It's okay! I love aliens, see? I'm not gonna tell anyone!" Hikaru frantically tries to reassure the squirming snake in her hand, setting her back down on the ground and squatting down next to her. "I think it's re~ally twincool that you ended up on Earth! Do you think we could help repair your spaceship?"     The pink-scaled Serpentian is teary-eyed from fear and stress when she looks up at Hikaru's earnest smile, but she gradually gets convinced as Hikaru goes on. All of a sudden, she sighs in enormous relief and slumps, space helmet smacking against a rock with a tiny little 'clack'. She slithers in the direction of the cave, past the 'Medusa', leading the Cures and the others behind her.     "Ohhhh, goodness graciousss. Well, it'd be a tremendousss help if you did. We can't take our helmetssss off to use our tools, sssince the atmosphere's POISON here; I've got no clue how you folk sssstand it. I'm Sssssylvia, by the way."     The spaceship inside the cave is a funny-looking hotdog shape made of gleaming chrome and jade-colored metal, held up on stilts and big ol' jets. When a snake pops out of the cockpit and tries to turn it on, the stuttering engines echo and overlap in the cave, booming out into the forest with that horrible sound you heard earlier. Conveniently, it's broken in any and every way you can imagine contributing to helping fix a spaceship!
Riku Asakura	Riku blinks as the jig is up for the space snakes, the Serpentians.  One of them is caught, and Riku tries to comprehend what is happening.  Of course, when it's explained to him, he laughs a little.  "The AIB wouldn't be happy about you guys being here either, I imagine..." he says, with a small laugh.   "Yeah, I'm also an earthling," he half-lies to Sylvia, though it's not intentional.  Being an Ultraman is still new to him, and being half of what he is is still sort of a new experience for him.  Also, he spent all of his time growing up on Earth.   Riku follows the snake, ready to help rebuild and repair their spaceship.  "Oh, I'm Riku by the way, nice to meet you all," he says to the Serpentians.
Angela	''Medusa's hair scattering!'' Love gasps in shock! "Oh my gosh this makes perfect sense! There's not just one Medusa there's a whole bunch of Medusas, and that's why there's a whole bunch of rocks!" "Well, Chuyao seems to have come to a conclusion our 'Medusa' agreed with so it is likely they are not former people." Which means that it's probably pretty safe to take off her sunglasses, which she does. Love keeps wearing hers because she thinks it makes her look cool. "Don't worry! I ''don't'' eat snakes either!" Apparently she felt it important to clarify especially for her. She watches Hikaru for a moment and is enthused by her enjoying the results of this. The snakes might not be Medusa, but at least she's happy! And so is Love, though she doesn't immediately turn into a giant snake since they seem a little spooked already and while they might not be spooked by the snake element of her Queen of Hatred form, they might be a bit spooked by her suddenly being BIG. ''The atmosphere's POISON here'' "Oh we just adapted over time." Love adds. "I like your scales! Do you want an emergency gerbil?" "They would have difficulty eating your emergency gerbil without the ability to remove their helmets." Justice says.
Tamamo	'The people were those sort that everyone would only want to think of by their exports.'     "Ah... I see." A sobering line of thought, even compared to the more unnerving bits of walking diagonally through a forest of mysterious stone piles.     'So you came to that conclusion too...?'     "I could tell... that she had decided to do whatever was needed, if it meant returning 'them.'"     'And she's willing to hurt whoever she needs to...'     "'That is not love'... is not something I can say. Such a strong drive, toward a single goal... is something to which I can relate. It is only that... after one takes such actions, one will need to meet with one's loved one as 'someone who would do such things.' It may make it difficult for another to accept her, to know her betrayals. To love oneself after such things may also become difficult, and yet, to expect of others what one cannot do for oneself is..."     . . .     'Ssssscatter!'     'Aaaaaaa! Don't eat me!'     'I-I bet it'd feel gross!'     Tamamo removes her sunglasses, tucks them away on a fold of silk, tucks her flashlight into another, presses the tips of her fingers together, and tilts her head in thought. "Oh, dear! Very well, then. You have thoroughly convinced me. I shall not eat you." Her smile, surely coincidentally, avoids showing her teeth.     'We can't take our helmetssss off to use our tools, sssince the atmosphere's POISON here.'     "I always bring antidotes with me, of course. Do speak up if you require any."     'I'm Sssssylvia, by the way.'     "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ssssylvia. I am known as Tamamo-no-mae, as it happens, and came to Earth from the Sun." That's technically true.
Chuyao He	"Ah!" Chuyao removes his sunglasses, hanging them from the collar of his robes as he saw Lilian do. He turns to face the Serpentians, blinks the sudden rush of sunlight away, and procures Two Rivers. The scholar fwips the damascus steel fan open with a flick of his wrist, the other hand held behind his back.     "Ah, thank you, sister AI. So, it wasn't Medusa, but the Serpentians, from a far-off world... Then... perhaps, the roaring we heard was none other than your efforts to repair your vessel." He fans himself, eyes shut, and nods once. "I, Chuyao He, scholar of the late generation, nevertheless greet you respectfully, Serpentians, and welcome you to Earth. Would that your next visit is much less stressful. May I know how to address Sylvia's comrades?"     After further introductions are made, he accompanies the Serpentians to the cave where the mystery of the roaring sound is laid bare, and his suspicions are confirmed. Oh we just adapted over time.     "Indeed, this is most likely so," says Chuyao after a moment's thought. "Earth is best understood as a system of interconnected things, all acting upon one another. There are five transformations of generation and destruction, which may be observed over years, centuries or even millennia; the <wood | vital force | life energy> of Earth several thousand years ago may very well have been in a different cycle than it currently is. Perhaps the humans of such an age were different, or perhaps they did not exist at all."      On the matter of the spaceship and repairing it, Chuyao offers help in rewiring past blown conduits by cutting thick cabling with Two Rivers' edge, and, where he can, lifting the Serpentians' tools with carefully controlled gusts of wind, dextrous and precise enough to use said tools, with instruction.
Lilian Rook	'So you came to that conclusion too...? I haven't said it out loud before, but....'     '... She still betrayed us, lun. And everyone. And she's willing to hurt whoever she needs to, and even Yuma, to get what she wants.'     Lilian's breath catches for a second as she second-guesses having said so at all out loud. The connection seemed . . . well, not absolutely definite, but very strong in her mind. She'd expected these girls to have thought about it long and hard too; otherwise Lilian would have kept it to herself for a little longer; and yet, still, she's surprised to hear assent from them. She needs to take a minute to get her thoughts together, while Hikaru and Lala struggle with the thought as well.     "I've never thought that I should have to forgive someone to be better than the people who hurt them." Lilian says, after a long while. "Even if I don't owe them anything, I can't stand feeling like I'm the same as the people who made them that way. That's all."     She already knows. She knows who it was that did it. And she knows, too, that she stopped being like that person long ago; so much that it's nearly impossible to talk to her, now. But that person doesn't even enter Lilian's minds when she says it. When she thinks of 'the people who made them that way', all she can think of is the crowd at the auction.     . . . . . . . .     'Athena's cringe for doing all that to you!'     The juxtaposition between the gravity of the situation and Hikaru's use of year-appropriate slang makes Lilian nearly choke on her tongue. She's still recovering from that when--     'Sssssshoot! We've been had!'     "--Beg pardon?!"     Like ten minutes ago Lilian was halfway expecting to see a flying saucer just because that sort of thing keeps happening to these two. Now, the absurdity of the situation, the sheer delta from tension to disbelieving confusion, stuns her all over again anyways. Not even 'fleeing small animal' stimuli jolts her into action fast enough with the ostensible lack of any threat. She only catches up to speed once Hikaru pounces first.     'Aaaaaaa! Don't eat me!'     "Oh my god it's adorable?" Lilian says, covering her mouth for the second time, and accidentally adding a questioning inflection for the first.     'This is a Serpentian, from the planet Serpentia'     "Of course they are." Lilian snorts, at a private joke that's very obvious.     'We craaaaaaaashed! And ohhhhhh, what rotten luck to end up on sssssuch a primitive planet....'     Finally, Lilian is spurred to move forward, joining the rest of the group at an unhurried pace. "Well! Would you look at that. Hikaru, Lala, you've finally found someone else out in the vastness of space who's just as naughty as you when it comes to 'primitive ol' Earth." Lilian says, with some non-zero degree of enjoymnt. "At any rate, you needn't worry." she says to the little snake-oid next, using it as an excuse to lean a little closer and stare at that agonizingly cute tiny space helmet. "This is the sort of situation where anyone telling on each other would be just as bad for them too. No one here intends to divulge that they saw you at the devil's sacrament." Meaning . . . the planet Earth, in this case. Whatever.     'We can't take our helmetssss off to use our tools, sssince the atmosphere's POISON here; I've got no clue how you folk sssstand it.'     Lilian goes weirdly silent for a second. Her head turns around slowly, first to Tamamo, then to specifically focus on Hikaru and Lala. With considerable gravitas, words leave her mouth as if she couldn't quite find a way to keep them in.
Lilian Rook	"Hey . . . Does that mean that . . . Are we the pikmin?" Lilian says, looking around as if expecting to see something that registers as an onion, before settling on Yuma with a direly pensive expression.     . . . . . . . .     Far from being any sort of mechanic, and certainly wishing that she'd at least made an attempt to learn her sister's skillset, Lilian eventually finds herself enjoying the process of restoring the spaceship anyways. As long as she can get directions from either AI or the Serpentians themselves, she's more than happy to handle the heavy parts, vigorous reattachments, alchemically converting spare materials, and speed-running normally time-consuming processes like chemical setting and welding finish; and to be surprised at herself after a while of enthusiastic volunteering.     'Earth is best understood as a system of interconnected things, all acting upon one another.'     "I'd heard before that," Oxygen. "Pure air or water are actually very dangerous, if you think about just how many things in nature they insult or destroy." she says, remembering her wuxing just in time. "And that it's sort of an amusing miracle that people breathe and drink it all the same. Considering the things we ingest that are poison to other animals as well, I'd idly wondered, at the time, if aliens might be a little horrified with us."     Sort of like her being horrified at every single thing to do with Samaan, actually! Lilian minimizes her staring at Lala.     "This is nice." she says, out loud, to her own pleasant surprise. "And the best of both worlds, isn't it Hikaru? We didn't need to have a frightening encounter with Medusa, and no one was harmed, but your desire to help was coincidentally just what some people in distress needed most. How does it feel to pay it forward after so little time?"
Swords of Justice	So this is it? Another Medusa? There are a lot of things she's been thinking about saying and asking. Even if they're different, surely there's some sort of common ground outside of the name that they share... Or rather, she did have a lot of things to think and talk about, up until the revelation that this wasn't Medusa, but rather, aliens.      There's a small part of her that's annoyed with this reveal, having been mentally prepping to handle a real Medusa, but mostly, she's relieved more than anything. Helping funny little snake people from outer space is a lot less stressful.      Removing her sunglasses to put on her normal glasses, Medusa does her best to hold back an awkward chuckle as she's led towards the broken down spaceship, now realizing that maybe she was too quick to assume their new objective wouldn't also be stressful. She doesn't even know the first thing about spacecrafts on Earth other than the brief understanding she was given when she was brought to this time period, let alone how to actually fix them. Well, at the very least, it's a different kind of stress...      Shirou, meanwhile, is relieved they aren't dealing with another Medusa for completely different reasons. The reason being is that he really, really, REALLY does not like being petrified. Once was one time too many already, and he's well beyond just once as of right now! Though, now he begins to wonder something after this reveal. "So this Medusa was just aliens, huh? Wonder if these same guys showed up like thousands of years ago and made the Medusa legend or something like that..." "That's stupid." "...Yeah."