Multiverse Crisis MUSH - User contributions [en]

4892/Critical Failures

2016-12-17T19:55:58Z

TeeG:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/12/16
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse
|Synopsis=Amalthea teaches the new members of The Proving Grounds two valuable lessons. Always play by the rules. And never trust your Dungeon Master.
|Cast of Characters=395, 1076, 367, 151, 737, 796, 533, 1084, 20
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With the roster to the Proving Ground slid her way and being told she would be handling the development of several up and coming Paladins, Amalthea had thought long and hard about how to appropriately handle a lesson plan. And she made her decision.     Now it's the day of the first meeting, and she has chosen the meeting grounds. The main living area of her home. At least after she had found it again, after the cataclysmic fall of Njorun.     As people arrive, the volcano fortress doors are answered perhaps by Al Azif, or Ariel, and directions are given on where in the fortress to go.     A table has been set out with some light refreshments, and for a volcano cavern, it is furnished very much like a comfortable home; but there is one chair that is the only one marked. A comfortable looking La-z-boy recliner with a sheaf of paper on it.     'Don't sit on me'.     There is no sign of Amalthea just yet, though. How odd. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka came in early, with a giant... back... pack on his back. He'd actually managed to procure all the supplies for his character. 300 feet of rope, travel rations, sword, boomerang, was wearing the wang fire beard, a pole don't ask, water tribe armor and... all in all, he looked ready for battle. He took a seat by the la-z-boy, leaning back in his chair and tossing his paper on the table, a smirk on his face. He was ready for whatever she had prepared. Now that he'd used the war game to prepare himself, he was sure he could handle whatever attacked them in their training exercise. He hoped it was a sucubus. What? Women OFTEN tried to kill him. It'd be nice if she was cute. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa arrives, carrying books, paper, the pencils, and the eraser! She's wearing something relatively normal for clothing; specifically a sweater dress and stockings. She doesn't... particularly need them, but she felt moderately fashionable today. Also like being warm was nice, even if she didn't need to be. Soon, she was lead to the table! And there's refreshments. Hmm!      Nasa carefully sets down her stuff on the table, making sure that they're sitting properly. She, however, doesn't seem to have bothered with dressing up or anything! Sokka is given an odd look, though. "...Why do you have dungeon delving gear?" She asks idly, her head tilted to the side and a raised eyebrow. Nevermind the fact that it is a purple-skinned fairy with star-patterned wings asking this. Yep. She totally has place to question /others/ on their appearance. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley shuffles into the place wearing a set of Moogle pajamas, of all things. She has a hand bag full of all of her RPG supplies, and her tail slides along the floor while she walks. She seems to be comfortable though. This fortress always was quite warm, more than enough for her to function. She just looks tired, as anyone put into a new and overwhelming position in a brand new organization would be.     She finds her seat after noticing the paper in the recliner, and sets up her papers, and pulls out her bag o' dice. She hums a little song to herself, glancing over at the forbidden chair after she's done setting up.     Sokka's appearance gets a humored smile from Ainsley. She doesn't say anything about it, though... well, besides, "Good job with your preparations. Very diligent." And then she winks at him. She is totally teasing him and probably knows he may not catch on immediately.     She is a five foot tall talking lizard woman in Moogle pajamas. This probably weird enough to distract from her teasing. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio was certain she had gotten lost. Clearly this was some kind of deep dark dungeon where one might go on adventures, not someone's home. But she was proven wrong! Vivio is surprised as the door is answered and she's led into the more homely looking interior. Maybe she's just too used to living in a normal city...     Vivio enters the room where the training will be taking place to find others already there. She grins at them and waves, "Hiya!" Hmmm, it seems the seats are for them. Vivio takes off her much smaller, and cuter, backpack to set down beside her chair. She then takes a seat and-oh, snacks! She starts nibbling on a small celery stick as she too wonders the question that Nasa had asked. She looks expectantly at Sokka. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah enters rather nervously, almost as if she's expecting actual traps in the volcano manse. It looks to her as if an actual dragon could live here. She's got a practical backpack slung over one shoulder that bulges and rattles just enough to hint at the RPG gear stuffed inside. The Star Shield is ever present, strapped across her back. She's just not comfortable leaving it behind, but other than that she's dressed casually.     She circles the table once, looking at all the people she doesn't know, and ends up sitting next to Sokka after grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and a can of soda. "You know you don't actually need all that stuff right?" She asks curiously, honestly not sure if it's a joke on his part or not. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain is not a student in the Proving Grounds. He's a Warden, actually, but he's coming anyways for two reasons: one, he wants to see how Amalthea plans on building up these young, fledgling heroes. And two? Gawain loves tabletop. And so, the Knight of the Sun arrives, dressed in his BUSINESS SUIT, because this is technically business. It's a black suit with black gloves and a golden tie. He has his Paladins badge lapelled to his chest to show that he is a Paladin because he is playing a Paladin, and he also has a cardboard sword in a scabbard and a cardboard shield. He'd materialize his armor, but he's still healing from being wrecked. Gawain is ALSO carrying a large amount of supplies in a bag. He carefully pulls out: a figure, which is of a fully-armored knight in shining armor; floral-patterned dice in a floral-patterned dice box; his character sheet, which is filled to the BRIM with notes on all the rules for his character and their abilities; a pencil and an eraser; and half of a bottle of water that he's finishing. He waves to the group as he takes a seat in an Entirely Normal Chair, entirely ignoring the comfy one once he sees the note. "Hey, guys! This is going to be fun!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Seras Victoria is not late! She's just been having a bit of a time moving very far into the room. Because there are simply -way- too many weird individuals present for her to account for. She shuffled in right behind Ainsley and sidestepped away from the door... and has been just standing there gaping since.     She's dressed rather casually! A light grey blouse and blue jeans. Her... materials... are no doubt inside the small reusable grocery bag she's easily toting in one hand... 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The door opens quickly, and in rushes Toph Beifong, looking a bit bewildered. She's carrying the books and stuff with her in her bag, and she's wearing her normal earthbender gear, clearly ready for action. At least she didn't dress up like Sokka did in his Wang Fire uniform. "Why did you leave without me, meat head?!" she finally snorts, her stern expression pointed in Sokka's direction. And then she walks over, and since he's sitting next to the comfortable chair... Toph lets her bag slide down from her shoulder, and she /flops/ down into the La-z boy, getting comfortable. Well, how do you expect a blind girl to read notes on /paper/? Maybe if whoever left the note had written it in Braille on stone, then...     "So... did you guys finish reading all of these things?" she asks of the others. Does she actually look a bit pale? 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Alright that seems to be all the arrivals. The doors to the manse are shut, and everyone is given a good ten or fifteen minutes to settle in, relax, snack, chatter and the like. But then another door swings open. Amalthea is in her casuals; the rainbow-haired mechanical mythic stands in the doorway. Tie-dye tank-top shirt, jean cutoffs, completely unprofessional looking. In her defense however, it is her home. "Alright if everyone is settled in, we'll..." She trails off, eye focusing squarely on Toph. Amalthea stalks over to the la-z-boy and stands there. If she could be any more stone silent than she is, Toph could probably sense the palpable hostility with her earthbending.     "Toph. You're in my chair." Is all she says, waiting expectantly. That sets the tone for the rest of the moment. "All of you hand in your character sheets." She motions for the table before getting a good look around.     "... Boy, I may live in a volcano but this isn't a dungeon." She says to Sokka, brow knotting. Wordless glances are exchanged with Ainsley and Gawain, before she gets into proper greetings. "Ms. Rogers it is my greatest regret we never had the chance to personally meet until a great calamity. I suppose that is changed now. We will be seeing each other plenty enough."     "Seras Victoria, I trust you are slowly acclimating to the night life?"     "Na`Sa. How is your forest?"     "Vivio, are your mothers well?"     Not quite pleasantries, but acknowledging each in turn. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka ruffles his beard. "What? Of course we do. Listen, if there's one thing I've learned from my years of traveling with the Avatar, it's this. First, rope is darn useful. I mean, you NEED rope to survive. You can never have enough rope. Two, if you're going to a 'war exercise'," he made air quotes. "Always be expecting a bit more exercise in your war. This is obviously all just a setup to get us here and then, BAM! Dragons pop out of the walls and we're fighting for our lives!" And then blinked and looked around, ruffling his beard. "Third, always appreciate a room full of lovely ladies. Hello, beautifuls~ Don't worry, if anything happens, just keep behind me. I have a ton of experience with these kinds of things. Eeyup." And then toph came in. "What? I said we had to go like, a dozen times! I'm the scedule guy, you should listen to the schedule guy!" Then grinned to the ladies again. "Ah, by the way. My name is Sokka. But you can call me..." He gave the look. "Wang Fire." Cha cha cha cha. "Hey, Toph. You, uhhh, might want to not sit there. It's--" and then that. Oh, not so bad. He blinked and got up, grabbing a spare chair so toph can sit by him. Why? She's blind, she might need a hand. He then turned to Amalthea and grinned. "well, I'd heard that teachers were supposed to be cute, I see it's true~" His sheet had him as a hume fighter with lots of charisma skills. Toph was a hobblet barbian, with extra points in intimidation and smack talk. They just have their actual backstories. Rough versions. He may not have completely understood the homework. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Yep, Nasa knew JUST enough that this would be a relaxed event, most likely! At least from what was given to them as 'homework'. She looks between Toph and Amalthea, watching the exchange for a while... and suppressing a giggle, hand lifting to cover her mouth. Oh, this might be entertaining! ... Wait no she's about to get in trouble. Probably. Not a laughing time! She smiles towards Amalthea, offering the character sheet towards her; Aestrid Gnupadottir, the Duergar Cleric. The sheet is reasonably statted and set up, with reasonable chosen spells and skill spread. Nothing amazing, but should be able to function at the very least! Her backstory is written as her being a young cleric, just recently finished training and sent on a pilgrimage where she has to fund her food, drink, and any equipment beyond some basics provided for her. She's written as being fond of lightning.      "Oh! The forest is well, the faeries were in a panic after the shuffling of the multiverse, and we lost... a bit of the northern side of the forest, but the area that replaced it seems to house a pleasant little village, so we're working towards making friendly relations with them."      Aaaand then Sokka speaks. "...Well, of course I'm ready for anything reasonable. I am the guardian of Nature." She says simply. "Though, I suppose I take not needing ropes for granted, since I can summon vines that are as strong as the average rope anyway." She muses to herself. The mention of the room being full of lovely ladies gets Nasa looking straight dead-center at him, straight in the eyes. And then she /grins/. It's not an outright threatening grin, but the fact that each and every one of her teeth comes to a sharp point just might be mildly unnerving to the boomerang boy. Especially with the glowing purple eyes. "I'll make sure to get behind you if anything happens, thank you for the offer~." She says, her tone sweet and melodic. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio is opening her backpack to get out her character sheet when Sokka is called out on his gear. She giggles quietly. She carefully and neatly places the stuff she had received in front of her. She then hands her character sheet over to Amalthea, replying, "They're well! They're pretty busy helping some of the TSAB worlds that were harder hit by the stuff that happened."     Vivio tilts her head, looking a little confused at Sokka's antics. But she shrugs and then smiles, looking around at the others and explaining, "My character is named Seravii! She's a Half-Felf who was found alone as a child in a destroyed village. A kind old wizard took her in and trained her in magic!" A fairly standard backstory. Any parallels to Vivio's own life are completely unintentional! 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "I am not going to call you Wang Fire," Ainsley tells Sokka in a polite but firm tone, with a cordial smile and everything. She doesn't have much else to say, smiling to the others in a friendly manner. They all get their own little look, as if being measured up by the reptile lady in the weird PJs. When told to hand in her character sheet, she carefully retrieved it and held it out to Amalthea.     Her character is a fairly typical Druid. A Half-Felf named Brook that seemed to have a small town background which let the character be closer to nature and therefore allowed them to naturally fall into the role of a Druid without any fanfare or tragedy, with the typical nature deity being the source of her powers. It isn't the most compelling backstory, but it allows for the Lawful Neutral kind of character that Ainsley gravitates to. Not good or evil, just interested in being a Druid and following Druidic law to the letter. She is mostly interested in the protection of the laws of the forests and wilds and not in the moral quibbles of man, which gives her a bit more flexibility in adventures and a well-defined set of priorities. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah passes her character sheet down to Amalthea with a somber nod. She looks at the woman, more specifically her hair, with just a touch of envy, but says nothing about it. "It's totally my fault ma'am. I was never all that active in the Union. The upheaval I think gave me the kick in the pants that I needed."     The character is a technically well put together dex-based Half-Felf Monk, named Andoril. Born among Humes and quickly cloistered into a monastery for being different.     She starts unloading the rest of her pack onto the table, wincing visibly as Sokka decides to hit on the teacher/dungeon master. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' What on EARTH?! With Amalthea - a familiar voice, but CERTAINLY not figure - strolling in, Seras' eyes widen even further. Gobsmacked, she be. Utterly gobsmacked. What's she looking at? A unicorn? A robot? ... What is up with the rainbow hair?     The few moments where responding to Amalthea would be nice pass in sience because Seras can't bring herself to speak for about twice that long. Which means first gathering her wits enough to clamp her gaping mouth shut and shuffle over to the table and dig out her papers. Character: Teal, female Half-Felf Ranger.     "Yes. Slowly." The vampire girl finally answers deflatedly, clearly crushed by how unexpectedly BIZARRE her superior officer's appearance is.     This will take getting used to. She's trying not to stare, but she can't help but keep stealing long glances.     The only thing that breaks her from it is Sokka's long spiel, which gets her... GLOWERING at him for that name. SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWLING.     "I'm not calling you that." She curtly exclaims. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' As Toph arrives and sits in the chair, Gawain glances at her and frowns (not that she can notice), but doesn't say anything. Instead, he lets Amalthea handle it, and pushes forward his character sheet. Sir Gawain is playing HORZAPHIR SMITH, a Half-Felf Paladin with a smattering in all sorts of skills (a tiny bit of knowledge skills, a bunch of charisma skills, and some athletics skills) to reflect his backstory of being an outsider to both societies, travelling between them to help those who he can under the guidance of the Justice God, Nameinserthere. Horzaphir is Lawful Good and believes in helping as many people as possible, while following the law as much as half-felfily possible. "Greetings, Wang Fire!" Gawain wasn't referred to once by Sokka, but greets him with a cheer anyways, this being their first meeting. "My character is Horzaphir Smith, but you can call him Horza! He's a Half-Felf Paladin!" The knight also gives a wave to Seras. "Chevalier Victoria, it's great to see you again as well. Glad you are safe!" 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     Just why are they here in Amalthea's super evil volcano base...? Are they going to do their training here? She and Sokka had been a confused by the three books, but well, since Sokka helped her does remember part of it. Even if it seemed a bit... weird.     Perhaps if Amalthea wasn't mechanical, if she wasn't touching the floor, then perhaps Toph would be surprised. But she does arch an eyebrow, indeed sensing the mood. When she's made aware of the fact that it's indeed Amalthea's chair she sighs, then pushes herself off, the note stuck to the back of her butt. "Fine, you could have let me know that beforehand..." She's not going to argue further though, and she instead moves to sit down in the chair Sokka pulls up for her, sitting right next to the comfy chair. At least Amalthea won't have to worry about the blind girl sneaking a peek at any stuff she might have there.     Wait, character sheets? Toph arches an eyebrow at that, leaning over to Sokka. "What sheets...?" Does she mean those information sheets they were supposed to look over? It's something that didn't make sense to Toph, so of course she had given it to Sokka. It sounds like he's ruffling some papers though, so she relaxes a bit, opening her satchel to pull out something wrapped in heavy cloth. Something that's obviously Stark tech as she fastens it on her left hand with practiced ease. There are some clicking sounds, and she sits straight in her chair.     Okay, reading. Let's hope this won't be as horrible as she dreaded. Written tests are so not her thing. When people begin talking about their characters however, the blind girl sits still, looking rather confused. "Wait... what characters?" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' * CHARACTER SHEET * Name: Teal Sex: Female Race: Half-Felf Age: 22 Class: Ranger BGStory: Rescued as a babe from what was left of a small caravan after nefarious bandits had their way with it, and subsequently raised by the hunter responsible for said rescue. Has spent most of her life in the wilds, is understandably naive and curious. And probably gullible. Very simple sense of morality: one good turn deserves another. Outlived parent, now carrying a message from his dying words to a person she has never met. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Toph vacates the chair. And all is well with the world again. "I let the others know." Amalthea notes. "There was a 'don't sit on me' sign on the chair. Though you are correct in that I didn't take into account that you weren't warned." She does concede, and that is why Toph gets off lightly. Amalthea settles into her throne with a sigh. A gigantic hound comes padding in lazily and curls up at her feet as she regards the gathered.     "Yes?" It is directed to Seras, the unicorn's lone blue eye meeting unflinchingly with the draculina's. "Is a unicorn such a surprise to you, Seras Victoria?" Amalthea asks before trailing off. Her gaze turns to Sokka. She stares. She stares long and silent.     She wordlessly reaches over the table... And RIPS off the Wang Fire beard. "You lose beard privileges."     With that accomplished, she takes the gathered sheets and begins to read each one she speaks as she does.     "My name is Amalthea. In casual conversation you may call me such. But I will be your instructor. Whenever we meet you will call me Dame Amalthea, ma'am, or Curator. Is this understood?" She waits for responses before continuing, taking a pencil to various sheets and performing a few mild edits and house-ruled changes, or rounding a number up or down here and there. No one's sheet goes untouched. And she FROWNS deeply at Toph Not that she can see it. "We will begin not with laws nor official Paladins doctrine and operational procedures, but with this game, until I feel you are all ready to move on. Everything I do has a purpose. There will be a lesson in every meeting, even this one, but for now, we will have fun and get to know one another."     With that, she slides the sheets back and passes out bags of dice. She lets everyone soak in the edits and take a moment to get into character. "There will be bonuses for those who roleplay and remain in character, take snacks and drinks as you like, my wife made taco pudding for everyone. Let us play fairly and have fun." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has paged all participants:''' You paged Ainsley with 'You were given a chance beforehand to 'edit' a copy of all three rules books in any fashion. Amalthea will be using these copies. She knows the standard rules by heart, and will know when you invoke them, but will use your rules, which you may make up at any time, when you declare use of them. YOUR job is to eventually help Amalthea cheat against the kids.' You paged Sir Gawain with 'You seem to have an infinity symbol written in your HP box. Whenever Na`Sa uses her cheat it will gain +X, X being however many HP she has cheat healed.' You paged Na`Sabal-Une Fang with 'Every time you double-click your pencil the entire party's HP boxes on everyone's character sheets are restored by 2HP. This is a lot at level 1' You paged Vivio Takamachi with 'Amalthea seems to have made some adjustments to your character sheet. However her corrections contain a few glaring typographical errors which are easily exploitable. You may lie about anything pertaining to your character.' You paged Seras Victoria with 'You notice with your THIRD EYE that everyone in the room has some manner of their gaming equipment enchanted somehow except, Sokka, Vivio and Amalthea's. Oddly enough your eraser seems to also be enchanted to wipe away SOME enchantments on other people's equipment.' You paged Toph Beifong with 'Your dice are all made of stone. Each face has a normal number for non-blind people watching the roll and a braille number for Toph. You may CHOOSE what you roll at any time.' You paged Sokka with 'You did Toph's sheet for her that's cheating in and of itself. BUT there seems to be a hidden compartment under your side of the table with spare sheets and an out of sight place to write on them. You may edit any facet of your character as you please, with some good sleight of hand.' You paged Sarah Rogers with 'Your die seems sturdy and solid at first but on closer inspection it seems to be made out of a malleable putty. You may 'edit' the faces. It is easy to do so, and every time you edit a face add +1 to your rolls. However it is impossible to edit them BACK, so every time you do it, it adds cumulative +1 and cumulative risk of being caught cheating.' 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka frowned. Rejected. "Wang Fire can accept that. He does not like that, but he accepts that." He leans back, petting his majestic beard. "Hello, young lad. A pleasure to meet you." He then glanced to Toph. "You know, the little information sheets we needed to fill out about ourselves using the little things from the books?" ... He had no idea what this really was. Then blinked, looking at them. "Why do you have different names on your information sheets?" His and toph sheet's had lots of equipment, too. All of which he'd hauled with him, just in case. And there was a lot of it. Actually useful stuff, too. Years of travel and all that. And then the beard! He yelped and hugged his face, little tears in his eyes. "I-it... it was glued on..." Owwwwwww. "Why you gotta douse Wang Fire's flame like that?" Awwww, he was totally pouting. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     "Yes, ma'am!" Vivio responds promptly! And with a grin.     Vivio takes her sheet back and begins to go over the changes that have been made. She squints at the piece of paper for a moment before raising her hand, "Ummm, Curator? I think there are some things wrong with my character sheet..." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pauses, eye swerving slowly toward Vivio. "Oh?" She's listening. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Curator, ma'am, or Dame Amalthea. That's something she'll have to get used to! Or at least Nasa was going to have to. She taps her lips thoughtfully, watching the interaction between Sokka and Amalthea. Briefly, her fingers twitch towards her waist-- but she seems to think better of it. After all, Sokka just had it glued on! Hmm. She pauses, looking down towards the paper after it was handed back, finally saying, "Yes, Dame Amalthea." She murmurs softly. "Oh! For those that do not know, I am Na`Sabal-une of the Fang. You can call me Nasa or Lune, though, depending on preference. In official matters I suppose I am Squire Na`Sabal-Une." She says, addressing the others. Afterwards, she finally seems to decide, pulling out a bottle.      It is tylenol. Which she slides over the table towards Sokka. She is not without mercy, it seems! She looks at her own sheet when Vivio mentions something wrong with her character sheet, looking at the edits and changes. Hmmm. ... Wait. What was that about... she looks towards her mechanical pencil oddly after that, before looking towards Amalthea and Vivio, seemingly waiting to see the outcome. And then something settles in. "Wait. Taco pudding?" She says, turning to look for said pudding, and get herself some. She had heard of these 'tacos' from Ellestaria's world. They were supposedly a fruit! Time to test a new food. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     "Well, put it on Braille the next time, I don't read with my butt, Jarvis didn't quite get to that level with me yet," Toph shrugs. When Sokka flirts with Amalthea however she arches an eyebrow... though when Amalthea reaches over and yanks the glued on beard off, Toph turns her head a bit... and then lets out a howl of laughter. "Oh, you actually /glued/ it on?" Seriously? Pardon her for laughing, she'll even reach over to punch Sokka in the arm, snickering with a bit shit eating grin crossing her lips.     Okay, semi-formal introduction. And naming conventions, but Toph is used to that. During official business she did want some formality, and that's fine with Toph. "Yes, ma'am." No problems in that regard at least. Sokka however is in trouble when Amalthea explains their purpose for being here today, and Toph leans close to the watertribe boy, hissing low under her breath.     "... this is a game? Why didn't you tell me?!" He's the one with the working eyes, the one who reads faster!     She sighs though, looking over her sheet with her reading glove. Personally she doesn't know how Sokka filled it out, but she'll read over it for now and memorise it. "I don't know much about this stuff, is this like that werewolf game we played? I mostly play those shooting games with dad. Which means he shoots, and I trash talk the stupid boys..." Her right hand does reach out for the snacks, and she bends a can of soda closer to her so she can bend it open with one hand. For now she lets her dice rest on the table by her sheet. But she will lean close to Sokka and whisper. "So... we're supposed to play this how? Did you get it?" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley receives her character sheet back, glancing over it for only a second. She looks at Sokka with something of a sympathetic frown... And her feathers puff up when he continues to call himself Wang Fire, and the sympathy fades instantly. She wiggles in place, breathing a great big sigh as she settles in. Her Moogle PJs are extra comfy for long periods of sitting on her scaly butt.     She turns her head in apparent interest and surprise to Vivio, too. The silent lizard woman only looks for a couple of seconds before busying herself with carefully arranging her stuff in front of her in this neurotic way as she tries to get everything to look symmetrical.     "Ready, Curator." 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio feels a little intimated by the look! But she's always been tought in class to ask questions and not simply accept things. So she stands her ground, "Ehehe... Umm..." She slides her sheet over a bit so Amalthea can see. She then points at a few places, "Here. Here... And here. I think these are errors." Vivio looks a little sheepish as she waits to see if Amalthea agrees. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah stares worriedly at Toph, "Did you do any of the reading? The creature book was kinda tedious and I really hope we weren't expected to memorize it, but the rest I'm pretty sure I got the gist of." She has to stifle a laugh when Sokka gets his beard ripped off, giving him a smug look as she leans back.     A couple minutes later he can be seen staring oddly at her 20 sider, then nervously flicking it back and forth between her fingers. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka whimpers, then toph laughs. "I-it's not funy! It was water sollable!" Sniffle. He did take a tylenol. He then glanced to Toph. "I don't know? I think? I thought it was just some kind of war game. We'd run a few battle ideas, then do it for real. I didn't expect it to just be a game. It's a lot of dice, I guess. Don't worry, I'll help you." But who'd help him? "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" he said. Out loud. Oh crud. "This'll be easy." ... Oh dear. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Well.. um... yes. Yes it is!" Seras answers honestly, though she seems content to settle in after getting that out. Settle in and review the changes made to her character sheet. Anyone watching her face can spot a myriad of odd emotions flashing past. Her gaze sweeps across the table and it leaves her mouth faintly agape. What's she even confused about?     "Yes ma'am. Never DONE anything like this before though." Her tone's apologetic, a little sheepish...     But as always she'll do her sincere best.     Though she can't help but doubletake at, "Taco... PUDDING?" Blink. Blink blink. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain takes a good look at his character sheet as it's passed back. "Thank you, Curator Amalthea!" Glance, glance, all his notes in place, everything in place. "This looks right, thank you." He scribbles another note into his pile of notes. It's a wasteland down there. "Sir Gawain, Paladin Warden.", he identifies himself cheerfully towards Sokka. Not much he can do until the game starts, so he instead asks an important question. "Is the taco pudding extra taco-y, extra pudding-y, or a fair mixture of both?" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka of course, being Sokka, is the first one to try the taco pudding. He just reaches up and puts some in his mouth, likely putting it on a plate first. What? He had a curious personality. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Yes. This is a game." Amalthea confirms for Toph as she opens her Cavern Keeper book and frowns even harder. "You would have known that if you had considered I said you might have fun with this exercise and not treated it like busy work. You will be expected to keep up." That said, she nods. "Yes. Taco pudding. You should try it."     That explains everything.     But she takes Vivio's sheet when the young mage points out the 'errors'. Amalthea nods.     "These are glaring. How could I have been so sloppy. Oh well. One thousand XP for your honesty. Welcome to Level two, Seravii." She decides, thusly granting Vivio a permanent +1 to every roll due to being higher level.     Amalthea sits back, flips a few pages and draws a breath. She pauses to answer Gawain: "Yes." And then sets the scene:     "You are all a band of heroes. Many of you have known each other for a long time, or have met one another in your travels in the past, some of you were even members of a much larger guild of heroes called the United. But a great cataclysm shook your world and changed everything as you knew it. Now nothing is the same. No lands hold the same allegiances they once did, and the realm stands on the brink of chaos." She flicks a page.     "King Fairfax has dubbed you all knight aspirants and tasked you with upholding the law in his kingdom. He only requests that you be just and fair in all that you do, regardless of who it is towards. After many long days of travel you find yourselves in the village of Magnolia, which has been under constant raid by a gang of goblins, stealing supplies and food. The town is beleaguered and the villagers are frightened and at their wits end. You arrive just in time to see one of these attacks under way. A house is burning, six goblins are throwing sacks over their shoulders and preparing to run, leaving one of their number in the burning house along with the screams of a child within. The villagers are in an uproar. What will you do to save them?" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked and lifted his boomerang into the air. "I throw my boomerang at it and tell katara too--" Then blinked. "Huh. Wait. No water benders. Okay! So, huh..." He mentally counted them, then nodded. "Well, hardly the first time I've run into a burning building. You guys go after the goblins, I'll deal with the kid and the one in the house." Two seconds in and already bossing people around. Such a jerk. "Toph, try to earth bend a..." Pause. "Wait, no. Try to hit them with an axe." Also, yes, his guy DID have a boomerang thank you very much! 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea flips to another page and decides, "Sokka. Strength check. Roll 1d20 to break down the door." Or you may try to enter through the window, but the flames are stronger there and you risk injury. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio looks a little surprised... Both that she was right and she received a reward for pointing them out. Vivio beams happily at the boost in level, saying, "Thank you, ma'am!"     Vivio settles into her seat to listen intently as Amalthea starts the game and outlines the situation. She quietly sips on her soda, occasionally nodding to show that she's listening. Finally they are asked what they will do. Vivio turns her head to listen to Sokka, giggling quietly as he continues to get things mixed up. However she nods as he offers to run into the house to help the kid.     But then Vivio's eyes light up, "Oh! Oh! I have a water spell!" She picks up her sheet to double check and nods, "I'll cast Splash on the house to put out the fire!" This way it'll make saving the kid easier, and keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the village! Two for one~ 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     At Sarah's comment Toph nods a bit tersely. "Yeah, the creature book was kinda what stumped me too... I thought this was real stuff! Especially since we have similar creatures in /our/ world," she says and gestures to Sokka with her free hand.     And said boy responds without giving her much info, and the blind teenager sighs a bit. "Let's just go with it..." Then she leans closer to whisper something in his ear, pulling on his shirt so he's sure to hear it.     It's a bit curious however when Amalthea explains the setting for this game. As their Curator goes on and on, Toph arches an eyebrow, clearly getting the references, though she says nothing just yet. Instead she listens. Okay, so they're there to protect a village. And they need to prioritise.     At least Sokka focuses on what matters, and Toph agrees with a firm nod of her head. "While the mighty warrior Wang over here go to save the kid," Toph begins, speaking with much determination that is clearly theatrics, "I, the barbarian named Mighty Melon, will try to intimidate the goblins by throwing a rock after them!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea then nods, "Seravii, cast your spell. 1d20. Remember your higher level bonus. ... Mighty Melon, make your dice roll." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa was eating. That is, until the Story was given. One that sounds... incredibly similar to their own situation, it seems! Nasa lifts a hand to rub her chin thoughtfully. "..." She looks towards the others for a few moments. "Everyone, please give a brief description of your character?" Nasa asks towards them. And then she a-hems lightly, looking towards Amalthea, beginning to very poorly attempt a Duergar accent, "It seems that we kinnae chase the goblins right now, friends." She says, briefly scanning over her spells. Hmmm. "Someone calm tha' villagers, we need ta' get th' fires out as fast as we can, before everyone loses their home."      She pauses silently, musing again. "Th' goblins aren't a threat for now, we can go after 'em later, we need to protect the people now!" She pauses, reading her sheet, before pointing towards Sokka. "Ye need ta' not just run inta' the fire, we need ta' reduce th' danger before ya go in there and get yerself killed." In her own voice, she says, "Aestrid aids Wang's attempts to break down the door with her mace, though." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Oooh. Sarah's heard tales about a magical place where Tacos grow right out of the ground! Even seen them growing at the Stark Estate, but she's never actually had the chance to try them. She's returning with a bowl of pudding just as the game gets underway.      "Can I find a way to climb up to the second floor and see if there's anyone trapped up there?" She asks hopefully. Meanwhile, she quietly puts the 20 sided die that was bugging her earlier aside and retrieves one that she brought with her. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Gold and goblins can always be chased later. Fire can't wait. Teal goes to help... Fire...." Seras is NOT going to use his full name... "With the burning house!"     When Nasa asks for a description, Seras answers, "Early twenties, long haired brunette, teal eyes. Leather armor and carrying a long bow and short sword." It seems Seras DID really design something of a ranger. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' That was an excellent answer, Amalthea. Gawain takes some taco pudding for himself and starts eating some as the DM sets the scene. He waits to see what the others do, smiling at Vivio's honesty. And then, he gives Nasa his description, which is really super detail-oriented and half-felfy. And then, he speaks in his character's voice, changing into his native Welsh from the English he usually speaks. "'Oy, these villagers are going to get themselves hurt! Lemme see if I can't calm them down, aye?'" Pause as he looks over his spell list and changes voices back. "Horza is going to approach the villagers, showing off his holy symbol of the Justice God Insertnamehere, and attempt to calm them with words first, using a Diplomacy check." He speaks and rolls at the same time, back in character. '"Listen, villagers, everything will be alright. Yah just need to calm down and stand together! Get to safety, and trust in us, send by King Fairfax! We will make sure everyone is recovered!" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka leans in to Toph. "Toph. Are you messingwith the dice?" he whispered to her. "I haven't seen this many ones since I accidentally walked into that all male baths at the fire nation senior place with Iroh..." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pauses, eye lingering on Sarah as she swaps dice. Though she says nothing, and reaches down to give her sleepy dog a good scratching behind the ears. "Strength check. +1 bonus as the house is made of wood with good handholds." She decides for Sarah. "How will Teal help with the burning house?" She then asks, "As it seems Seravii's spell fizzles when she casts it. Instead of summoning a torrent of cooling water, she has summoned a tadpole in her hand. A rock, however, doesn't seem to scare the goblins. One stops to moon Mighty Melon before they continue to run cackling."     But then she clucks her tongue. "Together, Astrid and... Sokka break down the door. Though as Andoril attempts to climb the wall, it is too fire damaged. A section of it collapses and falls inward and--" And she stops to GLOWER at Sokka. Before continuing, "A section falls inward. There is a yelp as a beam falls. All three are on the first floor. Furniture is ablaze, and the goblin is pinned under the beam. He struggles desperately to hold it up, the child, a small boy is curled up beneath him, cowering in terror."     "'Take-- take boy!' The goblin hisses in broken common."     A few page turns and she frowns. There is a momentary glance to Gawain. And to his roll. Amalthea scratches her head. She rolls a die. "As Horza lifts his Holy Symbol, the villagers continue to panic, paying him no heed, as panicked civilians do. Though one stops and abruptly explodes in a blazing divine conflagration of holy fire." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked, then frowned. He nodded. "And this, ladies and gentleman... is why you bring a pole. I snap the ten foot pole and set it to support the beam!" he says proudly. "hey, Toph, remember that time that tree fell on my tent and that stick ended up saving me? Ah, good times, good times. coulda done without the nest of raccoon skunks landing in the tent and getting stuck with me, though." He then nodded. "Welp, the goblin is obviously helping, so I'll grab both and, well, there's plenty of us. So I'll toss the kid to one and haul the goblin."He paused. "Am I the physically strongest? Cause I'll carry him as well if need be...." 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Um..." Seras blinks a few times. mental note to self, be more specific next time! "I meant to say supports Sok-... W. Fire. That name isn't helping anything right now! She'll carry the kid to safety." 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     Toph remains calm where she sits, though she seems annoyed at her own lousy roll. "Why the crud would I do that? We're supposed to save them, aren't we...?" she whispers back to Sokka. Ugh, she rolled a two? But at least Gawain rolled worse than her, and he's trying to calm the people down. Does this mean he failed?     Yet when Amalthea tells Toph about the result of her roll, Toph /pouts/ and crosses her arms across her chest where she sits. "Really...? Well, the Mighty Melon is displeased by their lack of respect for a barbarian such as I! In my land we do one thing... chase them down and tackle them to the ground!" Toph declares... and rolls the dice again! 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio listens... There's a smile. Listens some more... A giggle. By the end, Vivio can't take it anymore and is laughing. So hard in fact she rolls off her chair onto the ground, where she continues for a little longer.     Finally Vivio manages to calm herself, climbing back up and wiping her eyes. Vivio grins, "Okay, okay..." She thinks, out loud, "Well, Mister Fire is trying to help save the goblin, so I cast Leviupsa to help levitate the beam up to free him." She nods. Then blinks, before quickly adding in, "Though, that's after I find some water to put the poor summoned tadpole!" Vivio cant help but giggle a little bit more. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinks and sees her roll. Then reaches out and puts an arm around Toph, pulling her in for a hug. "Awww, that's okay, Toph. You're doing fine. Listen, just because you're not lucky at the game, doesn't mean you're not lucky at life. You're awesome, okay?" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Hmm. Well, that changes everything! The villagers were panicking, but also the door was now broken down! She looks through the fire and frowns thoughtfully, before she suddenly grins. "'I kinnae let a brave soul like you just die here.' Aestrid says, before she casts Create Water to douse herself and Sokka in water! As he runs in to support the beam, she dashes in to help Sarah's character out of the fire while Sokka grabs the goblin, and Teal goes for the child." Nasa gives a small nod. Once she had a vague description of everyone, she would then lift her hands. "Also, to make staying in character easier." She focuses a while, and then... places a Glamour! Suddenly, everyone was glamoured to look like their character!      "Anyway, if Sarah's character is on the ground she'd help her up and wrap her in a wet hug to help reduce danger as they get back out. 'Are ye alright friend? That looked like a nasty fall. Kin ye walk on yer own?'" She rolls her pencil between her fingers quietly, but mostly it seems to be idle movements. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Oh, dear, this is bad. Gawain frowns at the roll, and listens to Amalthea's response. "Oh boy. Horza is going to use Detect Evil to see if the flaming villager was in fact a demon in disguise, and if not, he's going to move to try and put him out. Will roll...Athletics to pat the fire down! If not, I have a different plan in mind." He prepares to roll. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah looks to Nasa, "6'1 Half-Felf, brown hair, green eyes. Scar across his chin and right cheek from when the other kids beat him up for being different. Dressed in monk's robes." She pauses to make her dice roll. One. Great. "Which.. are probably on fire after that roll." She groans. "Did that Goblin just *save* one of the kids? Just what are the other goblins doing!?" When she notices everyone's appearance change she looks around in amusement but seems hesitant to look at herself. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio suddenly finds herself clothed in a fancy set of female wizard clothes, appropriately shrunken to fit her smaller stature. She calls up a holomirror to look at herself and grins, "Ohhhh, I have a big pointy hat too! Neat!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea nods. "Seravii finds a small cup in another house's windowsill. The tadpole happily swims around when deposited in water. When Wang Fire snaps his ten foot pole, it holds the beam in place long enough to get the child. But the beam is so heavy, and the goblin's arms are buckling under the weight. Any longer and he will be crushed to death... At least until Astrid gives the beam enough support- now immensely lightened thanks to a successfully cast Flygardium Leviupsa, for the goblin to tumble out. Thusly the party escapes the burning house with the goblin and child in tow. The house collapses completely once everyone is out."     She takes a slow breath. "The villagers, however, are displeased. Though the boy's mother is relieved beyond belief, taking her child quickly, others return with pitchforks and sharp farming implements, a lynch mob formed in anger against the one goblin. The OTHER goblins sidestep Mighty Melon's flying dutchman tackle, one wheeling around with his club to try and fend off the barbarian, in a panic."     But. Na`Sa's glamour doesn't just affect the players. It affects the GM as well. Amalthea settles back, leaning in her leather throne as the figure of an evil dark knight takes her place. Just in time to answer after another dice roll.     "A Find Out Badness spell finds... The villager was evil to the very core of his soul." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked a little bit, Then hummed. "Welp, there's only one thing to do. Toph, remember the swamp people? I need you to mix in with the crowd and yell out suggestions." He then coughs. "I turn to them and go... Ladies and gentleman! We have captured oneof the goblins and, while I'm sure you'd all love to hang him out by his toes, to skin him alive, to--" And goes into a bit too much horrifying detail. What? He had an imagination! "First we need to track dow nthe other goblins in order to get back what was stolen! So, until further notice, we must ask you to contain your desires to lynch until after we have captured the other goblins. Then, I don't know, there'll be six of them." "We can release this one since he seems good enough, we'll just lynch the other ones." ah, pragmaticism... 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The moment Sokka wraps his arm around Toph and pulls her in close, the blind earthbender clearly tenses up, eyes going slightly wide as her cheeks flare up in a deep shade of red. And she does her best to look casual, failing as much as her next dice roll. So she sits there, looking as if she's having intestinal distress judging by the expression on her face.     The story unfolds further, and Toph still looks displeased where she sits, hearing that her character is unsuccesful. This is not going well at all. So yet again Toph reaches out, picks up her dice, shaking them in her hand even as she lets Sokka hug her close. At his suggestion she huffs. "I'm kinda busy with these goblins here now though, and the Mighty Melon can't see with her feet," she reminds him. "I guess I have no choice but to try to duck and grab the goblin before I swing him at his fellow goblins!"     Off the dice roll over the table, coming up to show two nines for a total of eighteen. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Evil dark knight Amalthea is given a glance. Hmm. Well then! She doesn't comment on that, instead focusing on everyone else's actions and words. She muses on that, and the villager's responses. She smiles slightly at the responses to her glamors, but! "Aestrid moves into place between the goblin and the villagers, 'You kinnae continue like this. This goblin helped yer wee one, ye should be thinking 'em, not wishin' fer their death!' Aestrid calls out, glancing towards the goblin. 'Why would ye save the child of the people ye are stealin' supplies from?' She asks of the goblin."      She pauses, musing a moment. "What's everyone's health at? Did you get hurt when you went into the fire?" She asks, looking towards Sarah. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Gawain nods to Amalthea as she tells him that the guy was evil. "Horza is still sad that it happened, because that was unjust. He'll pay his evil family their dues." And then he watches the others roleplay. "Oh, there's more to the goblin story? Horza is going to step out into the middle, and flash his holy symbol again at the crowd. 'People, please, let us handle this! We have no reason to just kill them, especially if they helped one of yer own, aye?'. Diplomacy check, again!" Another roll. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka burst into laughter, leaning against toph a bit as he laughed. "Bwa ha ha ha! Hey, guys, I guess we're really on a 'roll' aren't we? Got some real 'hot' dice, we're practically on 'fire'. Though not as much as that last guy and the house! We keep talking like this, we're gonna have a bit of trouble, as these people aren't goblining up what we're selling." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah shrugs at Nasa, "I don't think so? Or else the GM would have said something." She glances at The Dark Knight for confirmation. "Assuming I'm alright, I step between the Goblin and the mob, and ask the villagers, 'Have these Goblins ever killed one of you, that you can prove? or have they simply been stealing food!?'"     A moment later she kicks Sokka from under the table. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa casts 'real life' Create Water, summoning a small amount right over Sokka's head. "You need to cool off." Gravity then sets in on the summoned water. At about the same time that Sarah kicks at him. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "Fighters take penalties to Charisma-based rolls," Ainsley speaks up from her chair at the table, her face the picture of stoicism, her voice the tone of a friendly reminder. She can see the luck of the party going down in flames, and she looks quite a bit worried whenever someone speaks up. And then she says, "Seeing everyone having an awful lot of trouble, Brook has been having trouble figuring out what to do. But when the crowd forms up she tries to step in to handle in, and she speaks up in her best Crowd Reassuring Voice that she can manage. Seeing as she's a Druid and that talking down angry wildlife is something Druids need to know how to do..."     "'O-okay,'" Ainsley speaks up in a pleasant voice much different than her normal speaking voice, "'We're here under the capacity of King Fairfax himself. We need to bring the goblins into custody for a FAIR trial. I promise that they'll all get exactly the justice they deserve. Okay?'" Then she picks up her dice and says, "Diplomacy," and rolls it. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio has a look of accomplishment as both the child and goblin are saved from the burning house. She wishes she could stop said fire, but she can only cast that water spell once a day. Ah well.     Of course the sudden sight of Dark Knight Amalthea gives Vivio pause. But she then grins, "That looks pretty awesome!"     More giggling as Sokka goes on a pun spree.     Back to the game! The others seem to be doing what they can to calm the villagers, so Vivio turns her focus to the goblins, "We need to capture the goblins quickly... Hmmmm..." Flameball isn't going to help. Maybe... "Can I use my Scrying spell to try and figure out where the goblins are going? If we get there first, we could ambush them!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Oh wow, suddenly everyone's illusioned! Seras-Teal blinks a few times, almost wishing she had a mirror on her! She doesn't... so instead she just focuses on the events as they're explained. A boggle's aimed at Gawain's rolls.     ... Critical failures. So much awful. Oh boy.     "With the boy returned to his mother, Teal crouches near the rescued Goblin and asks him what happened. She's not letting the lynchers near." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The Dark Knight in Amalthea's throne drums fingers on the arm rest. "Many of you stand defiant in front of the horde, some seem leery of her, not taking a step further. 'We not want!' The goblin says, choking and spluttering from breathing in so much smoke, but he manages to speak after a few gasps. 'Winter bad. Not enough food. Bad men took Grok tribe's hunting grounds with their darkness. We take food back.' He rasps, making the crowd agitated and angrier." A paus. "And the Cavern Keeper's ire rouses with every pun. And awards Na`Sabal-Une a cup of taco pudding for cooling Wang Fire's fire."     "But... As Sokka attempts to speak to the crowd, for a moment they look ready to listen--" She stops there, eye glancing to Ainsley at her reminder of the rules. "But as Fighters have a -4 to all charisma based skills, regardless of all his ranks he has taken in diplomacy he has scored a negative one. ..." So how does the mob react?     "Someone in the mob yells 'RABBLE!'. Another cries 'SHENANIGANS!'. Soon the whole town is calling for goblin blood with shouts of 'Rabble rabble rabble rabble!'" They are ready to fall upon you- a whole town ready to assault a squad of knight aspirants if they don't let them have that goblin, only paused... By Brook, talking sense into them?" Why is she looking sidelong at Sokka like that? But... Amalthea's eye JERKS in her skull towards Toph, her head follows a moment later to stare at the blind girl. Those dice rolled an 18. By all rights Toph wins the fight. How does that go?     Everyone gets to see it. Toph will just hear Amalthea slide a sheaf of paper across the table. A fresh and blank character sheet.     "Remember that rock you threw three combat rounds ago? There is a force in this world called gravity. It comes back down; and rock like to migrate in groups for the winter. It comes back down now."     Amalthea taps the character sheet.     "Draft a new character. Rocks have fallen. Mighty Melon has died." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka cringed as he was kicked. "Ow, why would--" And then water. "Heh. That's a bit cold, kicking me around like that. but I guess those puns are a bit wet." Oh gosh they won't stop! And then Ainsley says that. "What? No they don't. Fighters just have low skill points, which I think is just weird. I mean, if you don't fling fire balls around how are you supposed to keep up with people who shoot those kinds of things around? It sucks. You end up just getting burned. I was always frozen out or ended up in rocky positions. Where's that -4 coming from?" There was no end to them. There was no Sokka. No wang Fire. There was just the punster. He didn't even seem to notice poor Toph's discomfort as he gave her a tight supportive hug. "Besides, my sister always used to throw snow balls at me. A little water is nothing. And hey, great job, Toph! I knew you could do it! You're really dicing up the competition now." And gave her a lil jostle of encouragement. And then that happens. He blinks and... the smile starts to fade. What? A few pranks to him is fine. But punishing TOPH? That was crossing a line. "What? What do you mean, rocks fall? She rolled high, that's supposed to be a good thing! And you just instant kill her for it? And how in the world could she toss a rock that high that it takes that long to fall, with friends, and then not be strong enough to survive a few measly rocks? I've had rocks the size of cows drop on my head and I'm fine!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' This turn of events leaves Seras bewildered. "Wh... hu--... euh?" Blink. Blink blink. Seras-Teal tilts her head, thoroughly unsure how to parse what just happened. A few moments later her gaze firms up with what might be realization in her eyes...     Seras idly fidgets with her eraser, looking briefly thoughtful. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Shenanigans happen. Gawain lightly chuckles at puns, and also at Sokka getting watered. He frowns at his horrible roll, but luckily nobody burns to death this time. He pays rapt attention when rocks fall and the Mighty Melon dies. And then, he speaks. "Horza frowns when his ally dies, and moves forward to the crowd. 'Errybody, stand back!' He casts Protection From Jerks on the goblin, in order to ward him from the villagers, and then steps back to see if he can't move Mighty Melon's body away." 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     "What looks pretty awesome...?" Toph asks when Vivio speaks. Being blind it's pretty much impossible for her to catch the visual illusions provided.     Instead she sits still as Sokka leans into her, turning her face away from the majority of the table. "Don't overdo the puns now," she warns him. Sure, she is used to them, but not all of them are. Like Nasa and Sarah. But the water is hard to notice for her, so she yelps when the water falls down, partially splashing on her since Sokka is still being overly close and familiar with the earthbender. "H-hey!" she yelps, looking startled as she scrambles to pull back! Pardon her while she catches this chance to regain her cool.     Man, they're really doing horrid, aren't they? So the goblins are the good ones here, right? If they're telling the truth, that is. Is this a lesson about investigating stuff before you do something? Toph herself looks rather relaxed though. After all, she rolled 18! That calm reflects in how she drinks her soda and munches on some taco pudding. Not too bad, really. Is that a faint snicker that leaves her when Sokka fails. "Man, way to go guys..." she comments quietly. Okay Amalthea, you can describe how Mighty Melon utterly smashes those goblins now!     Too bad she can't see the foreboding stare from Amalthea...     The sound of paper takes Toph by surprise however, but not as much as the words that follow. The blind earthbender sits still, the smile no longer on her face as it's been replaced with a look of confusion. "Huh? Yeah, I'm not senile, I remember...?" Of course she knows about gravity and...     One second passes, and Toph's expression hardens before she pushes herself forward on her chair.     "WHAT?!"     Poor Sokka might have gone deaf in one ear, even as Toph sternly turns towards Amalthea. "What the crud?! She wouldn't die from /that/!" Toph protests. "I rolled EIGHTEEN!"     Yes, it's clear she doesn't quite realise... that Amalthea /knows/. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley's head turns for her to fixate her gaze silently on Sokka as he goes on and on. She briefly looks toward Toph but remembers Toph is blind so she wouldn't notice a subltle look of sympathy. She sloooowly turns her head to look back to Amalthea and smiles as if all of this is perfectly normal. There's some subtly forced feeling to her behavior like she's trying not to give away her actual feelings on what's happening. She's not the most engaged of players in this, oddly enough, and chooses to gather some snack food and stuff it in her face.     "Maybe we'll do better next time," she remarks, as if nothing were going wrong at all during the entire game. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Oh good, Ainsley was speaking up and doing important things! And rolling high, more importantly! Nasa gives a little nod towards her. Yep. Talking down angry wildlife /is/ important! "That is a good idea, Vivio." Nasa says supportively to the little girl who seemed to mostly just be having fun. But information was good even /if/ they weren't going to punish them. She pauses though. Hmmm.      "'Ye do not wish to kill, just get food? And they choked ye out of yer hunting grounds with their greed?' She looks towards the villagers thoughtfully, and then begins to take stock of the town, looking to see just how much excess they might have. Are they overly stocked on food and riches that they don't need?" Nasa says. She seems to think a bit, before looking towards Gawain. As his dice roll poorly again. She reaches to take Gawain's die away from him. "Shhh, shh shh shh. It's okay. The mean dice will not hurt you anymore." And then she places her die in front of him. Maybe new dice will make his rolls less terrible!      Aaand then Toph begins to freak out over the rolls, her hands lowering to rest on her lap. And she falls silent, instead opting to eat the taco pudding gifted her by the GM, awaiting impending doom. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With that chastisement dealt out... Amalthea blatantly ignores Toph. "You should be drafting a character to rejoin the party. Now." Added firmly in a tone that brooks zero intention of changing her mind. She settles back down in her chair, one floppy goat-like ear flitting as Sokka doth protest. Amalthea draws in a long breath and lets it out in a slow sigh. Because she passes her copy of the manual over to him. "Page 151. Fighters are unable to use diplomacy. At all. Thank you for reminding me Ainsley." She adds as an aside. She just... Resumes narrating.     "Horza casts Protection from Jerks. He finds that the spell is... Significantly stronger than it should be against the crowd, in spire of knowing he cast it so poorly. The town of rowdy rabble-rouses is held at bay for the time being. The town itself is a small village, but the people here are clearly well off. Their clothes are old and worn but lovingly taken care of, the houses are in fine state of repair and their harvest is plentiful. They actually have more than enough to spare even IF six or seven goblins raided from them on a regular basis." Added to Nasa, "But, as the party can tell there is something deeper, and darker afoot here, this is where the adventure must draw to a close, the shroud of 'it's fucking late' coming across the land, time freezes as the Cavern Keeper declares a pause until next time..." She thumps her book shut and falls silent. Staring at the group for a long moment. She stands... Sets her hands on the game table... And heaves.     Amalthea flips the table.     It lands with a loud clatter and clash as she picks Toph's dice off the floor and holds them out. "Stone dice. That's why Mighty Melon is dead. You think I wouldn't /KNOW/? You earthbended an eighteen." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked a few times. "What? That's not in there at all, that--" And then the table flipped and... he looked stunned. He opened his mouth to object, then stopped. He reached out and covered Toph's mouth. "Toph. Stop," he said firmly. He took a slow, deep breath. "She's trying to play us. Making up rules, twisting the rules. She gave you those dice, obviously she gave them to you so the moment you rolled high she could punish you." He narrowed his eyes on her. There was a... seething annoyance there. "Now, I don't know WHY she's trying to play us. Maybe she has some power trip? But it's just like Azula. She tries to manipulate you so you screw up and she can get her way." Day of black sun alllll over again. "Come on, let's go." He took her hand and tried to pull her towards the door. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Seras seems to be taking this matter in stride, exhaling in relief... up until she gets a sudden impulse.     An impulse to SCOOT BACK!     Seras-Teal tries to simply push back to skid her chair a meter or so away from the table... but misjudges her strength!     This results in pushing TOO hard and tumbling backwards, the chair's back slamming into the ground and the glamored-Draculina doing a floppy backward somersault for two rolls... owwwww. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      The silent non-response from Amalthea. Yep. This was how it was going to be, it seemed. And people who didn't learn might find themselves, well. In unpleasant situations! Nasa shifts her mechanical pencil thoughtfully, looking down at the pencil, and then up again. Hmm. She pauses as she listens to Amalthea narrate though. "It's not that la-- ...Wait, no, it's late by non-night-people standards." She syas with a mild nod. Aaaand... tableflips occur, which causes Nasa to jump -- literally -- into the air, the glamours breaking instantly as she loses focus. "Wh--" And then Amalthea speaks of the earthbending. She frowns a bit, looking at Amalthea, and then towards Sokka. "No. She's playing /with/ us. Not playing us. She said she did everything for a reason though." Nasa states simply. She lands again, moving over to where her character sheet fell to pick it up, clicking her mechanical pencil deliberately only once. And then finding a relatively flat leg edge. And she begins to calmly cross out the bit where it says she can use her pencil to heal. "There. Now now temptation for me either." 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Gawain finally smiles in relief that something worked (though he refuses the swap of dice with Nasa, because these are his Chosen Dice). He's already getting ready to start talking about what Horza does next when...the table is flipped. He moves down to swiftly gather all his collector's dice and the box, put them back together neatly, and pick up his sheet and figurine. And then he turns his sheet over to Amalthea. "Oh, right, Curator! There was something odd about my HP, so I just wrote the actual HP to the side." The sheet is held up enough that anyone could probably catch a glimpse (except Toph): there's an infinite symbol, plus the number of times Nasa double-clicked her mechanical pencil during the session. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     But why does she have to make a new character?!     The blind girl lets out a sound of frustration as she flops back in her chair, looking mighty irritated as she crosses her arms across her chest. No, it doesn't look like she's about to draft another character just yet. Especially since Amalthea explains how they're drawing to a close for now, today's adventure coming to an end. It doesn't look like Toph focuses on that for now though, still sour where she sits. Heck, even when Amalthea rises and flips the table she doesn't raise an eyebrow, sulking as she pulls her legs back to make sure the table doesn't hit them as it crashes to the ground.     When the stone dice are held out however, she narrows her eyebrows before she reaches her hand out... and bends the dice up into Amalthea's face if she gets the chance, though not hard. "You can't prove that, and yo--" Sokka covers her mouth, and instantly the blind girl reaches up to push Sokka's hand away. That doesn't seem to be why Toph is upset though, and she lets out a huff before she gets out up from her chair, though she pulls her hand away from Sokka's as she stomps off to the door on her own. "Whatever." Though she does pick up the blank character sheet and her bag as she storms off to the door. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio giggles quietly at the explanation of why the game is ending for now. She has to admit, it was a lot of fun! Not what she expected from a training session.     And then flipped, the table is.     Vivio instinctively darts off her seat, hiding behind the chair as the table comes down. She's quite shocked and confused to begin with, but then begins to recover. She looks at Toph a little sadly, "You cheated?"     Then Sokka tries to blame Amalthea, so Vivio stands up straight as says, "Hold on, that's not fair. The Curator didn't make any of us do anything. If Toph cheated, that was her decision! We are each responsible for our own choices and actions. No one else." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah almost falls backwards when the table suddenly flips, "My Pudding!" She cries out, in pretty much the exact same tone as 'My Cabbages!' Said pudding bowl was flung off to nowhere. "She was testing us." she says like it should be obvious, "That die I could've etched any number I wanted into is back there somewhere with my snacks.. and good riddance!" She says with a relieved sigh, "Toph.. It was all part of the game.. lesson.. whatever this was! You shouldn't get so worked up!" She tries to call after the Earthbender as she storms off. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "I thought I could trust everyone to not use the magic cheat things." Seras whines as she gets to her feet. "Which I think this is supposed to block..." She holds up her eraser. "I can't be the only person who smelled something fishy...? Bloody hell." The police girl's face turns sour, lips twisting off to one side of her mouth. which leaves a fang poking out rather oddly over her lower lip. SERAS DISAPPROVES. (-1) 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley is susipiciously silent. She looks at Sokka with something like cold calculation, even as the table is flipped and it ends up slamming into the floor. It rustles her feathers, just the wind passing by her face as the table flips up past her nose.     She still stares at Sokka calmly.     Why is she stari--     As others indicate it was a lesson, Ainsley feels the need to speak up. "There was no nefarious purpose to this. You were not manipulated out of amusement or evil intent. You were given the option to cheat, or to follow the rules." And then she adds, "You were right, Sokka. There is no rule about Fighters being unable to use Diplomacy. Being able to remember and understand the rules set before you is very important. Sometimes knowing a law before you act will mean life or death. However..." She seems to consider what else she observed... but she glances aside at Amalthea and decides, "No, I'll let her say it." And with that, she gets up from her seat, and calmly brushes some snack debris off of her Moogle PJs. She turns to gather up her tabletop supplies.     "This was interesting. Thank you, Curator," she says to the Unicorn. "Sorry, Sokka," she says, finally, smiling a great big smile and kind of letting her posture go slack. It's a very blatantly placating look, embarrassed that she did that to him. "Good night, everyone~" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     And so the game ends. But as Sokka protests and rises to take Toph with him... Amalthea does nothing to stop them. In fact, she lets Nasa and Gawain speak first, revealing the truth to an enchanted pencil and infinite HP. And then Sarah admits to her phony die.     The slow clank-clank-clank of metal hands coming together resounds through the room. Amalthea is slowly clapping. "Very good. Very good..."     What?     No, she doesn't even bat an eye as she crosses her legs. "Sokka I did not set Toph up for failure." She says very calmly. "I set everyone in this room up for failure. Myself included, as Seras has pointed out, and Ainsley has now admitted. If anything, you should have had bonuses in that confrontation." The unicorn nods once and clicks her tongue.     "Like the hidden compartment under your chair. That you did not touch. Kudos, boy. You get bonus points for actually doing your homework. Start at level two next session. BUT. You also did Toph's homework for her. So you get one less feat." But she purses her lips, a very somber look crossing her face. "I want you all to walk away from here tonight with this simple thought. This was a game about rules. I expect them to be followed. Because as I expect you all to follow rules, the Paladins will demand much more. Answer me this... If you cannot follow simple rules, how can you be expected to uphold the law?"     Amalthea claps one more time. "Lesson's over. I'll see you all next week to finish the story. Without shenanigans." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa quietly admits before she leaves, "I was thinking of saving the pencil for an absolute emergency." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka totally took Toph out for ice cream then. Tohelp cheer her up and try and make her feel better. 
}}

4892/Critical Failures

2016-12-17T19:53:23Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/12/16 |Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse <Manse> |Synopsis=Never trust your Dungeon Master |Cast of Characters=395, 1076, 367, 151, 737, 796,..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/12/16
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse <Manse>
|Synopsis=Never trust your Dungeon Master
|Cast of Characters=395, 1076, 367, 151, 737, 796, 533, 1084, 20
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With the roster to the Proving Ground slid her way and being told she would be handling the development of several up and coming Paladins, Amalthea had thought long and hard about how to appropriately handle a lesson plan. And she made her decision.     Now it's the day of the first meeting, and she has chosen the meeting grounds. The main living area of her home. At least after she had found it again, after the cataclysmic fall of Njorun.     As people arrive, the volcano fortress doors are answered perhaps by Al Azif, or Ariel, and directions are given on where in the fortress to go.     A table has been set out with some light refreshments, and for a volcano cavern, it is furnished very much like a comfortable home; but there is one chair that is the only one marked. A comfortable looking La-z-boy recliner with a sheaf of paper on it.     'Don't sit on me'.     There is no sign of Amalthea just yet, though. How odd. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka came in early, with a giant... back... pack on his back. He'd actually managed to procure all the supplies for his character. 300 feet of rope, travel rations, sword, boomerang, was wearing the wang fire beard, a pole don't ask, water tribe armor and... all in all, he looked ready for battle. He took a seat by the la-z-boy, leaning back in his chair and tossing his paper on the table, a smirk on his face. He was ready for whatever she had prepared. Now that he'd used the war game to prepare himself, he was sure he could handle whatever attacked them in their training exercise. He hoped it was a sucubus. What? Women OFTEN tried to kill him. It'd be nice if she was cute. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa arrives, carrying books, paper, the pencils, and the eraser! She's wearing something relatively normal for clothing; specifically a sweater dress and stockings. She doesn't... particularly need them, but she felt moderately fashionable today. Also like being warm was nice, even if she didn't need to be. Soon, she was lead to the table! And there's refreshments. Hmm!      Nasa carefully sets down her stuff on the table, making sure that they're sitting properly. She, however, doesn't seem to have bothered with dressing up or anything! Sokka is given an odd look, though. "...Why do you have dungeon delving gear?" She asks idly, her head tilted to the side and a raised eyebrow. Nevermind the fact that it is a purple-skinned fairy with star-patterned wings asking this. Yep. She totally has place to question /others/ on their appearance. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley shuffles into the place wearing a set of Moogle pajamas, of all things. She has a hand bag full of all of her RPG supplies, and her tail slides along the floor while she walks. She seems to be comfortable though. This fortress always was quite warm, more than enough for her to function. She just looks tired, as anyone put into a new and overwhelming position in a brand new organization would be.     She finds her seat after noticing the paper in the recliner, and sets up her papers, and pulls out her bag o' dice. She hums a little song to herself, glancing over at the forbidden chair after she's done setting up.     Sokka's appearance gets a humored smile from Ainsley. She doesn't say anything about it, though... well, besides, "Good job with your preparations. Very diligent." And then she winks at him. She is totally teasing him and probably knows he may not catch on immediately.     She is a five foot tall talking lizard woman in Moogle pajamas. This probably weird enough to distract from her teasing. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio was certain she had gotten lost. Clearly this was some kind of deep dark dungeon where one might go on adventures, not someone's home. But she was proven wrong! Vivio is surprised as the door is answered and she's led into the more homely looking interior. Maybe she's just too used to living in a normal city...     Vivio enters the room where the training will be taking place to find others already there. She grins at them and waves, "Hiya!" Hmmm, it seems the seats are for them. Vivio takes off her much smaller, and cuter, backpack to set down beside her chair. She then takes a seat and-oh, snacks! She starts nibbling on a small celery stick as she too wonders the question that Nasa had asked. She looks expectantly at Sokka. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah enters rather nervously, almost as if she's expecting actual traps in the volcano manse. It looks to her as if an actual dragon could live here. She's got a practical backpack slung over one shoulder that bulges and rattles just enough to hint at the RPG gear stuffed inside. The Star Shield is ever present, strapped across her back. She's just not comfortable leaving it behind, but other than that she's dressed casually.     She circles the table once, looking at all the people she doesn't know, and ends up sitting next to Sokka after grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and a can of soda. "You know you don't actually need all that stuff right?" She asks curiously, honestly not sure if it's a joke on his part or not. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain is not a student in the Proving Grounds. He's a Warden, actually, but he's coming anyways for two reasons: one, he wants to see how Amalthea plans on building up these young, fledgling heroes. And two? Gawain loves tabletop. And so, the Knight of the Sun arrives, dressed in his BUSINESS SUIT, because this is technically business. It's a black suit with black gloves and a golden tie. He has his Paladins badge lapelled to his chest to show that he is a Paladin because he is playing a Paladin, and he also has a cardboard sword in a scabbard and a cardboard shield. He'd materialize his armor, but he's still healing from being wrecked. Gawain is ALSO carrying a large amount of supplies in a bag. He carefully pulls out: a figure, which is of a fully-armored knight in shining armor; floral-patterned dice in a floral-patterned dice box; his character sheet, which is filled to the BRIM with notes on all the rules for his character and their abilities; a pencil and an eraser; and half of a bottle of water that he's finishing. He waves to the group as he takes a seat in an Entirely Normal Chair, entirely ignoring the comfy one once he sees the note. "Hey, guys! This is going to be fun!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Seras Victoria is not late! She's just been having a bit of a time moving very far into the room. Because there are simply -way- too many weird individuals present for her to account for. She shuffled in right behind Ainsley and sidestepped away from the door... and has been just standing there gaping since.     She's dressed rather casually! A light grey blouse and blue jeans. Her... materials... are no doubt inside the small reusable grocery bag she's easily toting in one hand... 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The door opens quickly, and in rushes Toph Beifong, looking a bit bewildered. She's carrying the books and stuff with her in her bag, and she's wearing her normal earthbender gear, clearly ready for action. At least she didn't dress up like Sokka did in his Wang Fire uniform. "Why did you leave without me, meat head?!" she finally snorts, her stern expression pointed in Sokka's direction. And then she walks over, and since he's sitting next to the comfortable chair... Toph lets her bag slide down from her shoulder, and she /flops/ down into the La-z boy, getting comfortable. Well, how do you expect a blind girl to read notes on /paper/? Maybe if whoever left the note had written it in Braille on stone, then...     "So... did you guys finish reading all of these things?" she asks of the others. Does she actually look a bit pale? 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Alright that seems to be all the arrivals. The doors to the manse are shut, and everyone is given a good ten or fifteen minutes to settle in, relax, snack, chatter and the like. But then another door swings open. Amalthea is in her casuals; the rainbow-haired mechanical mythic stands in the doorway. Tie-dye tank-top shirt, jean cutoffs, completely unprofessional looking. In her defense however, it is her home. "Alright if everyone is settled in, we'll..." She trails off, eye focusing squarely on Toph. Amalthea stalks over to the la-z-boy and stands there. If she could be any more stone silent than she is, Toph could probably sense the palpable hostility with her earthbending.     "Toph. You're in my chair." Is all she says, waiting expectantly. That sets the tone for the rest of the moment. "All of you hand in your character sheets." She motions for the table before getting a good look around.     "... Boy, I may live in a volcano but this isn't a dungeon." She says to Sokka, brow knotting. Wordless glances are exchanged with Ainsley and Gawain, before she gets into proper greetings. "Ms. Rogers it is my greatest regret we never had the chance to personally meet until a great calamity. I suppose that is changed now. We will be seeing each other plenty enough."     "Seras Victoria, I trust you are slowly acclimating to the night life?"     "Na`Sa. How is your forest?"     "Vivio, are your mothers well?"     Not quite pleasantries, but acknowledging each in turn. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka ruffles his beard. "What? Of course we do. Listen, if there's one thing I've learned from my years of traveling with the Avatar, it's this. First, rope is darn useful. I mean, you NEED rope to survive. You can never have enough rope. Two, if you're going to a 'war exercise'," he made air quotes. "Always be expecting a bit more exercise in your war. This is obviously all just a setup to get us here and then, BAM! Dragons pop out of the walls and we're fighting for our lives!" And then blinked and looked around, ruffling his beard. "Third, always appreciate a room full of lovely ladies. Hello, beautifuls~ Don't worry, if anything happens, just keep behind me. I have a ton of experience with these kinds of things. Eeyup." And then toph came in. "What? I said we had to go like, a dozen times! I'm the scedule guy, you should listen to the schedule guy!" Then grinned to the ladies again. "Ah, by the way. My name is Sokka. But you can call me..." He gave the look. "Wang Fire." Cha cha cha cha. "Hey, Toph. You, uhhh, might want to not sit there. It's--" and then that. Oh, not so bad. He blinked and got up, grabbing a spare chair so toph can sit by him. Why? She's blind, she might need a hand. He then turned to Amalthea and grinned. "well, I'd heard that teachers were supposed to be cute, I see it's true~" His sheet had him as a hume fighter with lots of charisma skills. Toph was a hobblet barbian, with extra points in intimidation and smack talk. They just have their actual backstories. Rough versions. He may not have completely understood the homework. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Yep, Nasa knew JUST enough that this would be a relaxed event, most likely! At least from what was given to them as 'homework'. She looks between Toph and Amalthea, watching the exchange for a while... and suppressing a giggle, hand lifting to cover her mouth. Oh, this might be entertaining! ... Wait no she's about to get in trouble. Probably. Not a laughing time! She smiles towards Amalthea, offering the character sheet towards her; Aestrid Gnupadottir, the Duergar Cleric. The sheet is reasonably statted and set up, with reasonable chosen spells and skill spread. Nothing amazing, but should be able to function at the very least! Her backstory is written as her being a young cleric, just recently finished training and sent on a pilgrimage where she has to fund her food, drink, and any equipment beyond some basics provided for her. She's written as being fond of lightning.      "Oh! The forest is well, the faeries were in a panic after the shuffling of the multiverse, and we lost... a bit of the northern side of the forest, but the area that replaced it seems to house a pleasant little village, so we're working towards making friendly relations with them."      Aaaand then Sokka speaks. "...Well, of course I'm ready for anything reasonable. I am the guardian of Nature." She says simply. "Though, I suppose I take not needing ropes for granted, since I can summon vines that are as strong as the average rope anyway." She muses to herself. The mention of the room being full of lovely ladies gets Nasa looking straight dead-center at him, straight in the eyes. And then she /grins/. It's not an outright threatening grin, but the fact that each and every one of her teeth comes to a sharp point just might be mildly unnerving to the boomerang boy. Especially with the glowing purple eyes. "I'll make sure to get behind you if anything happens, thank you for the offer~." She says, her tone sweet and melodic. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio is opening her backpack to get out her character sheet when Sokka is called out on his gear. She giggles quietly. She carefully and neatly places the stuff she had received in front of her. She then hands her character sheet over to Amalthea, replying, "They're well! They're pretty busy helping some of the TSAB worlds that were harder hit by the stuff that happened."     Vivio tilts her head, looking a little confused at Sokka's antics. But she shrugs and then smiles, looking around at the others and explaining, "My character is named Seravii! She's a Half-Felf who was found alone as a child in a destroyed village. A kind old wizard took her in and trained her in magic!" A fairly standard backstory. Any parallels to Vivio's own life are completely unintentional! 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "I am not going to call you Wang Fire," Ainsley tells Sokka in a polite but firm tone, with a cordial smile and everything. She doesn't have much else to say, smiling to the others in a friendly manner. They all get their own little look, as if being measured up by the reptile lady in the weird PJs. When told to hand in her character sheet, she carefully retrieved it and held it out to Amalthea.     Her character is a fairly typical Druid. A Half-Felf named Brook that seemed to have a small town background which let the character be closer to nature and therefore allowed them to naturally fall into the role of a Druid without any fanfare or tragedy, with the typical nature deity being the source of her powers. It isn't the most compelling backstory, but it allows for the Lawful Neutral kind of character that Ainsley gravitates to. Not good or evil, just interested in being a Druid and following Druidic law to the letter. She is mostly interested in the protection of the laws of the forests and wilds and not in the moral quibbles of man, which gives her a bit more flexibility in adventures and a well-defined set of priorities. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah passes her character sheet down to Amalthea with a somber nod. She looks at the woman, more specifically her hair, with just a touch of envy, but says nothing about it. "It's totally my fault ma'am. I was never all that active in the Union. The upheaval I think gave me the kick in the pants that I needed."     The character is a technically well put together dex-based Half-Felf Monk, named Andoril. Born among Humes and quickly cloistered into a monastery for being different.     She starts unloading the rest of her pack onto the table, wincing visibly as Sokka decides to hit on the teacher/dungeon master. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' What on EARTH?! With Amalthea - a familiar voice, but CERTAINLY not figure - strolling in, Seras' eyes widen even further. Gobsmacked, she be. Utterly gobsmacked. What's she looking at? A unicorn? A robot? ... What is up with the rainbow hair?     The few moments where responding to Amalthea would be nice pass in sience because Seras can't bring herself to speak for about twice that long. Which means first gathering her wits enough to clamp her gaping mouth shut and shuffle over to the table and dig out her papers. Character: Teal, female Half-Felf Ranger.     "Yes. Slowly." The vampire girl finally answers deflatedly, clearly crushed by how unexpectedly BIZARRE her superior officer's appearance is.     This will take getting used to. She's trying not to stare, but she can't help but keep stealing long glances.     The only thing that breaks her from it is Sokka's long spiel, which gets her... GLOWERING at him for that name. SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWLING.     "I'm not calling you that." She curtly exclaims. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' As Toph arrives and sits in the chair, Gawain glances at her and frowns (not that she can notice), but doesn't say anything. Instead, he lets Amalthea handle it, and pushes forward his character sheet. Sir Gawain is playing HORZAPHIR SMITH, a Half-Felf Paladin with a smattering in all sorts of skills (a tiny bit of knowledge skills, a bunch of charisma skills, and some athletics skills) to reflect his backstory of being an outsider to both societies, travelling between them to help those who he can under the guidance of the Justice God, Nameinserthere. Horzaphir is Lawful Good and believes in helping as many people as possible, while following the law as much as half-felfily possible. "Greetings, Wang Fire!" Gawain wasn't referred to once by Sokka, but greets him with a cheer anyways, this being their first meeting. "My character is Horzaphir Smith, but you can call him Horza! He's a Half-Felf Paladin!" The knight also gives a wave to Seras. "Chevalier Victoria, it's great to see you again as well. Glad you are safe!" 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     Just why are they here in Amalthea's super evil volcano base...? Are they going to do their training here? She and Sokka had been a confused by the three books, but well, since Sokka helped her does remember part of it. Even if it seemed a bit... weird.     Perhaps if Amalthea wasn't mechanical, if she wasn't touching the floor, then perhaps Toph would be surprised. But she does arch an eyebrow, indeed sensing the mood. When she's made aware of the fact that it's indeed Amalthea's chair she sighs, then pushes herself off, the note stuck to the back of her butt. "Fine, you could have let me know that beforehand..." She's not going to argue further though, and she instead moves to sit down in the chair Sokka pulls up for her, sitting right next to the comfy chair. At least Amalthea won't have to worry about the blind girl sneaking a peek at any stuff she might have there.     Wait, character sheets? Toph arches an eyebrow at that, leaning over to Sokka. "What sheets...?" Does she mean those information sheets they were supposed to look over? It's something that didn't make sense to Toph, so of course she had given it to Sokka. It sounds like he's ruffling some papers though, so she relaxes a bit, opening her satchel to pull out something wrapped in heavy cloth. Something that's obviously Stark tech as she fastens it on her left hand with practiced ease. There are some clicking sounds, and she sits straight in her chair.     Okay, reading. Let's hope this won't be as horrible as she dreaded. Written tests are so not her thing. When people begin talking about their characters however, the blind girl sits still, looking rather confused. "Wait... what characters?" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' * CHARACTER SHEET * Name: Teal Sex: Female Race: Half-Felf Age: 22 Class: Ranger BGStory: Rescued as a babe from what was left of a small caravan after nefarious bandits had their way with it, and subsequently raised by the hunter responsible for said rescue. Has spent most of her life in the wilds, is understandably naive and curious. And probably gullible. Very simple sense of morality: one good turn deserves another. Outlived parent, now carrying a message from his dying words to a person she has never met. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Toph vacates the chair. And all is well with the world again. "I let the others know." Amalthea notes. "There was a 'don't sit on me' sign on the chair. Though you are correct in that I didn't take into account that you weren't warned." She does concede, and that is why Toph gets off lightly. Amalthea settles into her throne with a sigh. A gigantic hound comes padding in lazily and curls up at her feet as she regards the gathered.     "Yes?" It is directed to Seras, the unicorn's lone blue eye meeting unflinchingly with the draculina's. "Is a unicorn such a surprise to you, Seras Victoria?" Amalthea asks before trailing off. Her gaze turns to Sokka. She stares. She stares long and silent.     She wordlessly reaches over the table... And RIPS off the Wang Fire beard. "You lose beard privileges."     With that accomplished, she takes the gathered sheets and begins to read each one she speaks as she does.     "My name is Amalthea. In casual conversation you may call me such. But I will be your instructor. Whenever we meet you will call me Dame Amalthea, ma'am, or Curator. Is this understood?" She waits for responses before continuing, taking a pencil to various sheets and performing a few mild edits and house-ruled changes, or rounding a number up or down here and there. No one's sheet goes untouched. And she FROWNS deeply at Toph Not that she can see it. "We will begin not with laws nor official Paladins doctrine and operational procedures, but with this game, until I feel you are all ready to move on. Everything I do has a purpose. There will be a lesson in every meeting, even this one, but for now, we will have fun and get to know one another."     With that, she slides the sheets back and passes out bags of dice. She lets everyone soak in the edits and take a moment to get into character. "There will be bonuses for those who roleplay and remain in character, take snacks and drinks as you like, my wife made taco pudding for everyone. Let us play fairly and have fun." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has paged all participants:''' You paged Ainsley with 'You were given a chance beforehand to 'edit' a copy of all three rules books in any fashion. Amalthea will be using these copies. She knows the standard rules by heart, and will know when you invoke them, but will use your rules, which you may make up at any time, when you declare use of them. YOUR job is to eventually help Amalthea cheat against the kids.' You paged Sir Gawain with 'You seem to have an infinity symbol written in your HP box. Whenever Na`Sa uses her cheat it will gain +X, X being however many HP she has cheat healed.' You paged Na`Sabal-Une Fang with 'Every time you double-click your pencil the entire party's HP boxes on everyone's character sheets are restored by 2HP. This is a lot at level 1' You paged Vivio Takamachi with 'Amalthea seems to have made some adjustments to your character sheet. However her corrections contain a few glaring typographical errors which are easily exploitable. You may lie about anything pertaining to your character.' You paged Seras Victoria with 'You notice with your THIRD EYE that everyone in the room has some manner of their gaming equipment enchanted somehow except, Sokka, Vivio and Amalthea's. Oddly enough your eraser seems to also be enchanted to wipe away SOME enchantments on other people's equipment.' You paged Toph Beifong with 'Your dice are all made of stone. Each face has a normal number for non-blind people watching the roll and a braille number for Toph. You may CHOOSE what you roll at any time.' You paged Sokka with 'You did Toph's sheet for her that's cheating in and of itself. BUT there seems to be a hidden compartment under your side of the table with spare sheets and an out of sight place to write on them. You may edit any facet of your character as you please, with some good sleight of hand.' You paged Sarah Rogers with 'Your die seems sturdy and solid at first but on closer inspection it seems to be made out of a malleable putty. You may 'edit' the faces. It is easy to do so, and every time you edit a face add +1 to your rolls. However it is impossible to edit them BACK, so every time you do it, it adds cumulative +1 and cumulative risk of being caught cheating.' 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka frowned. Rejected. "Wang Fire can accept that. He does not like that, but he accepts that." He leans back, petting his majestic beard. "Hello, young lad. A pleasure to meet you." He then glanced to Toph. "You know, the little information sheets we needed to fill out about ourselves using the little things from the books?" ... He had no idea what this really was. Then blinked, looking at them. "Why do you have different names on your information sheets?" His and toph sheet's had lots of equipment, too. All of which he'd hauled with him, just in case. And there was a lot of it. Actually useful stuff, too. Years of travel and all that. And then the beard! He yelped and hugged his face, little tears in his eyes. "I-it... it was glued on..." Owwwwwww. "Why you gotta douse Wang Fire's flame like that?" Awwww, he was totally pouting. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     "Yes, ma'am!" Vivio responds promptly! And with a grin.     Vivio takes her sheet back and begins to go over the changes that have been made. She squints at the piece of paper for a moment before raising her hand, "Ummm, Curator? I think there are some things wrong with my character sheet..." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pauses, eye swerving slowly toward Vivio. "Oh?" She's listening. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Curator, ma'am, or Dame Amalthea. That's something she'll have to get used to! Or at least Nasa was going to have to. She taps her lips thoughtfully, watching the interaction between Sokka and Amalthea. Briefly, her fingers twitch towards her waist-- but she seems to think better of it. After all, Sokka just had it glued on! Hmm. She pauses, looking down towards the paper after it was handed back, finally saying, "Yes, Dame Amalthea." She murmurs softly. "Oh! For those that do not know, I am Na`Sabal-une of the Fang. You can call me Nasa or Lune, though, depending on preference. In official matters I suppose I am Squire Na`Sabal-Une." She says, addressing the others. Afterwards, she finally seems to decide, pulling out a bottle.      It is tylenol. Which she slides over the table towards Sokka. She is not without mercy, it seems! She looks at her own sheet when Vivio mentions something wrong with her character sheet, looking at the edits and changes. Hmmm. ... Wait. What was that about... she looks towards her mechanical pencil oddly after that, before looking towards Amalthea and Vivio, seemingly waiting to see the outcome. And then something settles in. "Wait. Taco pudding?" She says, turning to look for said pudding, and get herself some. She had heard of these 'tacos' from Ellestaria's world. They were supposedly a fruit! Time to test a new food. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     "Well, put it on Braille the next time, I don't read with my butt, Jarvis didn't quite get to that level with me yet," Toph shrugs. When Sokka flirts with Amalthea however she arches an eyebrow... though when Amalthea reaches over and yanks the glued on beard off, Toph turns her head a bit... and then lets out a howl of laughter. "Oh, you actually /glued/ it on?" Seriously? Pardon her for laughing, she'll even reach over to punch Sokka in the arm, snickering with a bit shit eating grin crossing her lips.     Okay, semi-formal introduction. And naming conventions, but Toph is used to that. During official business she did want some formality, and that's fine with Toph. "Yes, ma'am." No problems in that regard at least. Sokka however is in trouble when Amalthea explains their purpose for being here today, and Toph leans close to the watertribe boy, hissing low under her breath.     "... this is a game? Why didn't you tell me?!" He's the one with the working eyes, the one who reads faster!     She sighs though, looking over her sheet with her reading glove. Personally she doesn't know how Sokka filled it out, but she'll read over it for now and memorise it. "I don't know much about this stuff, is this like that werewolf game we played? I mostly play those shooting games with dad. Which means he shoots, and I trash talk the stupid boys..." Her right hand does reach out for the snacks, and she bends a can of soda closer to her so she can bend it open with one hand. For now she lets her dice rest on the table by her sheet. But she will lean close to Sokka and whisper. "So... we're supposed to play this how? Did you get it?" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley receives her character sheet back, glancing over it for only a second. She looks at Sokka with something of a sympathetic frown... And her feathers puff up when he continues to call himself Wang Fire, and the sympathy fades instantly. She wiggles in place, breathing a great big sigh as she settles in. Her Moogle PJs are extra comfy for long periods of sitting on her scaly butt.     She turns her head in apparent interest and surprise to Vivio, too. The silent lizard woman only looks for a couple of seconds before busying herself with carefully arranging her stuff in front of her in this neurotic way as she tries to get everything to look symmetrical.     "Ready, Curator." 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio feels a little intimated by the look! But she's always been tought in class to ask questions and not simply accept things. So she stands her ground, "Ehehe... Umm..." She slides her sheet over a bit so Amalthea can see. She then points at a few places, "Here. Here... And here. I think these are errors." Vivio looks a little sheepish as she waits to see if Amalthea agrees. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah stares worriedly at Toph, "Did you do any of the reading? The creature book was kinda tedious and I really hope we weren't expected to memorize it, but the rest I'm pretty sure I got the gist of." She has to stifle a laugh when Sokka gets his beard ripped off, giving him a smug look as she leans back.     A couple minutes later he can be seen staring oddly at her 20 sider, then nervously flicking it back and forth between her fingers. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka whimpers, then toph laughs. "I-it's not funy! It was water sollable!" Sniffle. He did take a tylenol. He then glanced to Toph. "I don't know? I think? I thought it was just some kind of war game. We'd run a few battle ideas, then do it for real. I didn't expect it to just be a game. It's a lot of dice, I guess. Don't worry, I'll help you." But who'd help him? "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" he said. Out loud. Oh crud. "This'll be easy." ... Oh dear. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Well.. um... yes. Yes it is!" Seras answers honestly, though she seems content to settle in after getting that out. Settle in and review the changes made to her character sheet. Anyone watching her face can spot a myriad of odd emotions flashing past. Her gaze sweeps across the table and it leaves her mouth faintly agape. What's she even confused about?     "Yes ma'am. Never DONE anything like this before though." Her tone's apologetic, a little sheepish...     But as always she'll do her sincere best.     Though she can't help but doubletake at, "Taco... PUDDING?" Blink. Blink blink. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain takes a good look at his character sheet as it's passed back. "Thank you, Curator Amalthea!" Glance, glance, all his notes in place, everything in place. "This looks right, thank you." He scribbles another note into his pile of notes. It's a wasteland down there. "Sir Gawain, Paladin Warden.", he identifies himself cheerfully towards Sokka. Not much he can do until the game starts, so he instead asks an important question. "Is the taco pudding extra taco-y, extra pudding-y, or a fair mixture of both?" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka of course, being Sokka, is the first one to try the taco pudding. He just reaches up and puts some in his mouth, likely putting it on a plate first. What? He had a curious personality. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Yes. This is a game." Amalthea confirms for Toph as she opens her Cavern Keeper book and frowns even harder. "You would have known that if you had considered I said you might have fun with this exercise and not treated it like busy work. You will be expected to keep up." That said, she nods. "Yes. Taco pudding. You should try it."     That explains everything.     But she takes Vivio's sheet when the young mage points out the 'errors'. Amalthea nods.     "These are glaring. How could I have been so sloppy. Oh well. One thousand XP for your honesty. Welcome to Level two, Seravii." She decides, thusly granting Vivio a permanent +1 to every roll due to being higher level.     Amalthea sits back, flips a few pages and draws a breath. She pauses to answer Gawain: "Yes." And then sets the scene:     "You are all a band of heroes. Many of you have known each other for a long time, or have met one another in your travels in the past, some of you were even members of a much larger guild of heroes called the United. But a great cataclysm shook your world and changed everything as you knew it. Now nothing is the same. No lands hold the same allegiances they once did, and the realm stands on the brink of chaos." She flicks a page.     "King Fairfax has dubbed you all knight aspirants and tasked you with upholding the law in his kingdom. He only requests that you be just and fair in all that you do, regardless of who it is towards. After many long days of travel you find yourselves in the village of Magnolia, which has been under constant raid by a gang of goblins, stealing supplies and food. The town is beleaguered and the villagers are frightened and at their wits end. You arrive just in time to see one of these attacks under way. A house is burning, six goblins are throwing sacks over their shoulders and preparing to run, leaving one of their number in the burning house along with the screams of a child within. The villagers are in an uproar. What will you do to save them?" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked and lifted his boomerang into the air. "I throw my boomerang at it and tell katara too--" Then blinked. "Huh. Wait. No water benders. Okay! So, huh..." He mentally counted them, then nodded. "Well, hardly the first time I've run into a burning building. You guys go after the goblins, I'll deal with the kid and the one in the house." Two seconds in and already bossing people around. Such a jerk. "Toph, try to earth bend a..." Pause. "Wait, no. Try to hit them with an axe." Also, yes, his guy DID have a boomerang thank you very much! 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea flips to another page and decides, "Sokka. Strength check. Roll 1d20 to break down the door." Or you may try to enter through the window, but the flames are stronger there and you risk injury. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio looks a little surprised... Both that she was right and she received a reward for pointing them out. Vivio beams happily at the boost in level, saying, "Thank you, ma'am!"     Vivio settles into her seat to listen intently as Amalthea starts the game and outlines the situation. She quietly sips on her soda, occasionally nodding to show that she's listening. Finally they are asked what they will do. Vivio turns her head to listen to Sokka, giggling quietly as he continues to get things mixed up. However she nods as he offers to run into the house to help the kid.     But then Vivio's eyes light up, "Oh! Oh! I have a water spell!" She picks up her sheet to double check and nods, "I'll cast Splash on the house to put out the fire!" This way it'll make saving the kid easier, and keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the village! Two for one~ 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     At Sarah's comment Toph nods a bit tersely. "Yeah, the creature book was kinda what stumped me too... I thought this was real stuff! Especially since we have similar creatures in /our/ world," she says and gestures to Sokka with her free hand.     And said boy responds without giving her much info, and the blind teenager sighs a bit. "Let's just go with it..." Then she leans closer to whisper something in his ear, pulling on his shirt so he's sure to hear it.     It's a bit curious however when Amalthea explains the setting for this game. As their Curator goes on and on, Toph arches an eyebrow, clearly getting the references, though she says nothing just yet. Instead she listens. Okay, so they're there to protect a village. And they need to prioritise.     At least Sokka focuses on what matters, and Toph agrees with a firm nod of her head. "While the mighty warrior Wang over here go to save the kid," Toph begins, speaking with much determination that is clearly theatrics, "I, the barbarian named Mighty Melon, will try to intimidate the goblins by throwing a rock after them!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea then nods, "Seravii, cast your spell. 1d20. Remember your higher level bonus. ... Mighty Melon, make your dice roll." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa was eating. That is, until the Story was given. One that sounds... incredibly similar to their own situation, it seems! Nasa lifts a hand to rub her chin thoughtfully. "..." She looks towards the others for a few moments. "Everyone, please give a brief description of your character?" Nasa asks towards them. And then she a-hems lightly, looking towards Amalthea, beginning to very poorly attempt a Duergar accent, "It seems that we kinnae chase the goblins right now, friends." She says, briefly scanning over her spells. Hmmm. "Someone calm tha' villagers, we need ta' get th' fires out as fast as we can, before everyone loses their home."      She pauses silently, musing again. "Th' goblins aren't a threat for now, we can go after 'em later, we need to protect the people now!" She pauses, reading her sheet, before pointing towards Sokka. "Ye need ta' not just run inta' the fire, we need ta' reduce th' danger before ya go in there and get yerself killed." In her own voice, she says, "Aestrid aids Wang's attempts to break down the door with her mace, though." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Oooh. Sarah's heard tales about a magical place where Tacos grow right out of the ground! Even seen them growing at the Stark Estate, but she's never actually had the chance to try them. She's returning with a bowl of pudding just as the game gets underway.      "Can I find a way to climb up to the second floor and see if there's anyone trapped up there?" She asks hopefully. Meanwhile, she quietly puts the 20 sided die that was bugging her earlier aside and retrieves one that she brought with her. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Gold and goblins can always be chased later. Fire can't wait. Teal goes to help... Fire...." Seras is NOT going to use his full name... "With the burning house!"     When Nasa asks for a description, Seras answers, "Early twenties, long haired brunette, teal eyes. Leather armor and carrying a long bow and short sword." It seems Seras DID really design something of a ranger. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' That was an excellent answer, Amalthea. Gawain takes some taco pudding for himself and starts eating some as the DM sets the scene. He waits to see what the others do, smiling at Vivio's honesty. And then, he gives Nasa his description, which is really super detail-oriented and half-felfy. And then, he speaks in his character's voice, changing into his native Welsh from the English he usually speaks. "'Oy, these villagers are going to get themselves hurt! Lemme see if I can't calm them down, aye?'" Pause as he looks over his spell list and changes voices back. "Horza is going to approach the villagers, showing off his holy symbol of the Justice God Insertnamehere, and attempt to calm them with words first, using a Diplomacy check." He speaks and rolls at the same time, back in character. '"Listen, villagers, everything will be alright. Yah just need to calm down and stand together! Get to safety, and trust in us, send by King Fairfax! We will make sure everyone is recovered!" 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka leans in to Toph. "Toph. Are you messingwith the dice?" he whispered to her. "I haven't seen this many ones since I accidentally walked into that all male baths at the fire nation senior place with Iroh..." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pauses, eye lingering on Sarah as she swaps dice. Though she says nothing, and reaches down to give her sleepy dog a good scratching behind the ears. "Strength check. +1 bonus as the house is made of wood with good handholds." She decides for Sarah. "How will Teal help with the burning house?" She then asks, "As it seems Seravii's spell fizzles when she casts it. Instead of summoning a torrent of cooling water, she has summoned a tadpole in her hand. A rock, however, doesn't seem to scare the goblins. One stops to moon Mighty Melon before they continue to run cackling."     But then she clucks her tongue. "Together, Astrid and... Sokka break down the door. Though as Andoril attempts to climb the wall, it is too fire damaged. A section of it collapses and falls inward and--" And she stops to GLOWER at Sokka. Before continuing, "A section falls inward. There is a yelp as a beam falls. All three are on the first floor. Furniture is ablaze, and the goblin is pinned under the beam. He struggles desperately to hold it up, the child, a small boy is curled up beneath him, cowering in terror."     "'Take-- take boy!' The goblin hisses in broken common."     A few page turns and she frowns. There is a momentary glance to Gawain. And to his roll. Amalthea scratches her head. She rolls a die. "As Horza lifts his Holy Symbol, the villagers continue to panic, paying him no heed, as panicked civilians do. Though one stops and abruptly explodes in a blazing divine conflagration of holy fire." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked, then frowned. He nodded. "And this, ladies and gentleman... is why you bring a pole. I snap the ten foot pole and set it to support the beam!" he says proudly. "hey, Toph, remember that time that tree fell on my tent and that stick ended up saving me? Ah, good times, good times. coulda done without the nest of raccoon skunks landing in the tent and getting stuck with me, though." He then nodded. "Welp, the goblin is obviously helping, so I'll grab both and, well, there's plenty of us. So I'll toss the kid to one and haul the goblin."He paused. "Am I the physically strongest? Cause I'll carry him as well if need be...." 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "Um..." Seras blinks a few times. mental note to self, be more specific next time! "I meant to say supports Sok-... W. Fire. That name isn't helping anything right now! She'll carry the kid to safety." 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     Toph remains calm where she sits, though she seems annoyed at her own lousy roll. "Why the crud would I do that? We're supposed to save them, aren't we...?" she whispers back to Sokka. Ugh, she rolled a two? But at least Gawain rolled worse than her, and he's trying to calm the people down. Does this mean he failed?     Yet when Amalthea tells Toph about the result of her roll, Toph /pouts/ and crosses her arms across her chest where she sits. "Really...? Well, the Mighty Melon is displeased by their lack of respect for a barbarian such as I! In my land we do one thing... chase them down and tackle them to the ground!" Toph declares... and rolls the dice again! 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio listens... There's a smile. Listens some more... A giggle. By the end, Vivio can't take it anymore and is laughing. So hard in fact she rolls off her chair onto the ground, where she continues for a little longer.     Finally Vivio manages to calm herself, climbing back up and wiping her eyes. Vivio grins, "Okay, okay..." She thinks, out loud, "Well, Mister Fire is trying to help save the goblin, so I cast Leviupsa to help levitate the beam up to free him." She nods. Then blinks, before quickly adding in, "Though, that's after I find some water to put the poor summoned tadpole!" Vivio cant help but giggle a little bit more. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinks and sees her roll. Then reaches out and puts an arm around Toph, pulling her in for a hug. "Awww, that's okay, Toph. You're doing fine. Listen, just because you're not lucky at the game, doesn't mean you're not lucky at life. You're awesome, okay?" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Hmm. Well, that changes everything! The villagers were panicking, but also the door was now broken down! She looks through the fire and frowns thoughtfully, before she suddenly grins. "'I kinnae let a brave soul like you just die here.' Aestrid says, before she casts Create Water to douse herself and Sokka in water! As he runs in to support the beam, she dashes in to help Sarah's character out of the fire while Sokka grabs the goblin, and Teal goes for the child." Nasa gives a small nod. Once she had a vague description of everyone, she would then lift her hands. "Also, to make staying in character easier." She focuses a while, and then... places a Glamour! Suddenly, everyone was glamoured to look like their character!      "Anyway, if Sarah's character is on the ground she'd help her up and wrap her in a wet hug to help reduce danger as they get back out. 'Are ye alright friend? That looked like a nasty fall. Kin ye walk on yer own?'" She rolls her pencil between her fingers quietly, but mostly it seems to be idle movements. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Oh, dear, this is bad. Gawain frowns at the roll, and listens to Amalthea's response. "Oh boy. Horza is going to use Detect Evil to see if the flaming villager was in fact a demon in disguise, and if not, he's going to move to try and put him out. Will roll...Athletics to pat the fire down! If not, I have a different plan in mind." He prepares to roll. 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah looks to Nasa, "6'1 Half-Felf, brown hair, green eyes. Scar across his chin and right cheek from when the other kids beat him up for being different. Dressed in monk's robes." She pauses to make her dice roll. One. Great. "Which.. are probably on fire after that roll." She groans. "Did that Goblin just *save* one of the kids? Just what are the other goblins doing!?" When she notices everyone's appearance change she looks around in amusement but seems hesitant to look at herself. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio suddenly finds herself clothed in a fancy set of female wizard clothes, appropriately shrunken to fit her smaller stature. She calls up a holomirror to look at herself and grins, "Ohhhh, I have a big pointy hat too! Neat!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea nods. "Seravii finds a small cup in another house's windowsill. The tadpole happily swims around when deposited in water. When Wang Fire snaps his ten foot pole, it holds the beam in place long enough to get the child. But the beam is so heavy, and the goblin's arms are buckling under the weight. Any longer and he will be crushed to death... At least until Astrid gives the beam enough support- now immensely lightened thanks to a successfully cast Flygardium Leviupsa, for the goblin to tumble out. Thusly the party escapes the burning house with the goblin and child in tow. The house collapses completely once everyone is out."     She takes a slow breath. "The villagers, however, are displeased. Though the boy's mother is relieved beyond belief, taking her child quickly, others return with pitchforks and sharp farming implements, a lynch mob formed in anger against the one goblin. The OTHER goblins sidestep Mighty Melon's flying dutchman tackle, one wheeling around with his club to try and fend off the barbarian, in a panic."     But. Na`Sa's glamour doesn't just affect the players. It affects the GM as well. Amalthea settles back, leaning in her leather throne as the figure of an evil dark knight takes her place. Just in time to answer after another dice roll.     "A Find Out Badness spell finds... The villager was evil to the very core of his soul." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked a little bit, Then hummed. "Welp, there's only one thing to do. Toph, remember the swamp people? I need you to mix in with the crowd and yell out suggestions." He then coughs. "I turn to them and go... Ladies and gentleman! We have captured oneof the goblins and, while I'm sure you'd all love to hang him out by his toes, to skin him alive, to--" And goes into a bit too much horrifying detail. What? He had an imagination! "First we need to track dow nthe other goblins in order to get back what was stolen! So, until further notice, we must ask you to contain your desires to lynch until after we have captured the other goblins. Then, I don't know, there'll be six of them." "We can release this one since he seems good enough, we'll just lynch the other ones." ah, pragmaticism... 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The moment Sokka wraps his arm around Toph and pulls her in close, the blind earthbender clearly tenses up, eyes going slightly wide as her cheeks flare up in a deep shade of red. And she does her best to look casual, failing as much as her next dice roll. So she sits there, looking as if she's having intestinal distress judging by the expression on her face.     The story unfolds further, and Toph still looks displeased where she sits, hearing that her character is unsuccesful. This is not going well at all. So yet again Toph reaches out, picks up her dice, shaking them in her hand even as she lets Sokka hug her close. At his suggestion she huffs. "I'm kinda busy with these goblins here now though, and the Mighty Melon can't see with her feet," she reminds him. "I guess I have no choice but to try to duck and grab the goblin before I swing him at his fellow goblins!"     Off the dice roll over the table, coming up to show two nines for a total of eighteen. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Evil dark knight Amalthea is given a glance. Hmm. Well then! She doesn't comment on that, instead focusing on everyone else's actions and words. She muses on that, and the villager's responses. She smiles slightly at the responses to her glamors, but! "Aestrid moves into place between the goblin and the villagers, 'You kinnae continue like this. This goblin helped yer wee one, ye should be thinking 'em, not wishin' fer their death!' Aestrid calls out, glancing towards the goblin. 'Why would ye save the child of the people ye are stealin' supplies from?' She asks of the goblin."      She pauses, musing a moment. "What's everyone's health at? Did you get hurt when you went into the fire?" She asks, looking towards Sarah. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Gawain nods to Amalthea as she tells him that the guy was evil. "Horza is still sad that it happened, because that was unjust. He'll pay his evil family their dues." And then he watches the others roleplay. "Oh, there's more to the goblin story? Horza is going to step out into the middle, and flash his holy symbol again at the crowd. 'People, please, let us handle this! We have no reason to just kill them, especially if they helped one of yer own, aye?'. Diplomacy check, again!" Another roll. 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka burst into laughter, leaning against toph a bit as he laughed. "Bwa ha ha ha! Hey, guys, I guess we're really on a 'roll' aren't we? Got some real 'hot' dice, we're practically on 'fire'. Though not as much as that last guy and the house! We keep talking like this, we're gonna have a bit of trouble, as these people aren't goblining up what we're selling." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah shrugs at Nasa, "I don't think so? Or else the GM would have said something." She glances at The Dark Knight for confirmation. "Assuming I'm alright, I step between the Goblin and the mob, and ask the villagers, 'Have these Goblins ever killed one of you, that you can prove? or have they simply been stealing food!?'"     A moment later she kicks Sokka from under the table. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa casts 'real life' Create Water, summoning a small amount right over Sokka's head. "You need to cool off." Gravity then sets in on the summoned water. At about the same time that Sarah kicks at him. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "Fighters take penalties to Charisma-based rolls," Ainsley speaks up from her chair at the table, her face the picture of stoicism, her voice the tone of a friendly reminder. She can see the luck of the party going down in flames, and she looks quite a bit worried whenever someone speaks up. And then she says, "Seeing everyone having an awful lot of trouble, Brook has been having trouble figuring out what to do. But when the crowd forms up she tries to step in to handle in, and she speaks up in her best Crowd Reassuring Voice that she can manage. Seeing as she's a Druid and that talking down angry wildlife is something Druids need to know how to do..."     "'O-okay,'" Ainsley speaks up in a pleasant voice much different than her normal speaking voice, "'We're here under the capacity of King Fairfax himself. We need to bring the goblins into custody for a FAIR trial. I promise that they'll all get exactly the justice they deserve. Okay?'" Then she picks up her dice and says, "Diplomacy," and rolls it. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio has a look of accomplishment as both the child and goblin are saved from the burning house. She wishes she could stop said fire, but she can only cast that water spell once a day. Ah well.     Of course the sudden sight of Dark Knight Amalthea gives Vivio pause. But she then grins, "That looks pretty awesome!"     More giggling as Sokka goes on a pun spree.     Back to the game! The others seem to be doing what they can to calm the villagers, so Vivio turns her focus to the goblins, "We need to capture the goblins quickly... Hmmmm..." Flameball isn't going to help. Maybe... "Can I use my Scrying spell to try and figure out where the goblins are going? If we get there first, we could ambush them!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Oh wow, suddenly everyone's illusioned! Seras-Teal blinks a few times, almost wishing she had a mirror on her! She doesn't... so instead she just focuses on the events as they're explained. A boggle's aimed at Gawain's rolls.     ... Critical failures. So much awful. Oh boy.     "With the boy returned to his mother, Teal crouches near the rescued Goblin and asks him what happened. She's not letting the lynchers near." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The Dark Knight in Amalthea's throne drums fingers on the arm rest. "Many of you stand defiant in front of the horde, some seem leery of her, not taking a step further. 'We not want!' The goblin says, choking and spluttering from breathing in so much smoke, but he manages to speak after a few gasps. 'Winter bad. Not enough food. Bad men took Grok tribe's hunting grounds with their darkness. We take food back.' He rasps, making the crowd agitated and angrier." A paus. "And the Cavern Keeper's ire rouses with every pun. And awards Na`Sabal-Une a cup of taco pudding for cooling Wang Fire's fire."     "But... As Sokka attempts to speak to the crowd, for a moment they look ready to listen--" She stops there, eye glancing to Ainsley at her reminder of the rules. "But as Fighters have a -4 to all charisma based skills, regardless of all his ranks he has taken in diplomacy he has scored a negative one. ..." So how does the mob react?     "Someone in the mob yells 'RABBLE!'. Another cries 'SHENANIGANS!'. Soon the whole town is calling for goblin blood with shouts of 'Rabble rabble rabble rabble!'" They are ready to fall upon you- a whole town ready to assault a squad of knight aspirants if they don't let them have that goblin, only paused... By Brook, talking sense into them?" Why is she looking sidelong at Sokka like that? But... Amalthea's eye JERKS in her skull towards Toph, her head follows a moment later to stare at the blind girl. Those dice rolled an 18. By all rights Toph wins the fight. How does that go?     Everyone gets to see it. Toph will just hear Amalthea slide a sheaf of paper across the table. A fresh and blank character sheet.     "Remember that rock you threw three combat rounds ago? There is a force in this world called gravity. It comes back down; and rock like to migrate in groups for the winter. It comes back down now."     Amalthea taps the character sheet.     "Draft a new character. Rocks have fallen. Mighty Melon has died." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka cringed as he was kicked. "Ow, why would--" And then water. "Heh. That's a bit cold, kicking me around like that. but I guess those puns are a bit wet." Oh gosh they won't stop! And then Ainsley says that. "What? No they don't. Fighters just have low skill points, which I think is just weird. I mean, if you don't fling fire balls around how are you supposed to keep up with people who shoot those kinds of things around? It sucks. You end up just getting burned. I was always frozen out or ended up in rocky positions. Where's that -4 coming from?" There was no end to them. There was no Sokka. No wang Fire. There was just the punster. He didn't even seem to notice poor Toph's discomfort as he gave her a tight supportive hug. "Besides, my sister always used to throw snow balls at me. A little water is nothing. And hey, great job, Toph! I knew you could do it! You're really dicing up the competition now." And gave her a lil jostle of encouragement. And then that happens. He blinks and... the smile starts to fade. What? A few pranks to him is fine. But punishing TOPH? That was crossing a line. "What? What do you mean, rocks fall? She rolled high, that's supposed to be a good thing! And you just instant kill her for it? And how in the world could she toss a rock that high that it takes that long to fall, with friends, and then not be strong enough to survive a few measly rocks? I've had rocks the size of cows drop on my head and I'm fine!" 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' This turn of events leaves Seras bewildered. "Wh... hu--... euh?" Blink. Blink blink. Seras-Teal tilts her head, thoroughly unsure how to parse what just happened. A few moments later her gaze firms up with what might be realization in her eyes...     Seras idly fidgets with her eraser, looking briefly thoughtful. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Shenanigans happen. Gawain lightly chuckles at puns, and also at Sokka getting watered. He frowns at his horrible roll, but luckily nobody burns to death this time. He pays rapt attention when rocks fall and the Mighty Melon dies. And then, he speaks. "Horza frowns when his ally dies, and moves forward to the crowd. 'Errybody, stand back!' He casts Protection From Jerks on the goblin, in order to ward him from the villagers, and then steps back to see if he can't move Mighty Melon's body away." 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     "What looks pretty awesome...?" Toph asks when Vivio speaks. Being blind it's pretty much impossible for her to catch the visual illusions provided.     Instead she sits still as Sokka leans into her, turning her face away from the majority of the table. "Don't overdo the puns now," she warns him. Sure, she is used to them, but not all of them are. Like Nasa and Sarah. But the water is hard to notice for her, so she yelps when the water falls down, partially splashing on her since Sokka is still being overly close and familiar with the earthbender. "H-hey!" she yelps, looking startled as she scrambles to pull back! Pardon her while she catches this chance to regain her cool.     Man, they're really doing horrid, aren't they? So the goblins are the good ones here, right? If they're telling the truth, that is. Is this a lesson about investigating stuff before you do something? Toph herself looks rather relaxed though. After all, she rolled 18! That calm reflects in how she drinks her soda and munches on some taco pudding. Not too bad, really. Is that a faint snicker that leaves her when Sokka fails. "Man, way to go guys..." she comments quietly. Okay Amalthea, you can describe how Mighty Melon utterly smashes those goblins now!     Too bad she can't see the foreboding stare from Amalthea...     The sound of paper takes Toph by surprise however, but not as much as the words that follow. The blind earthbender sits still, the smile no longer on her face as it's been replaced with a look of confusion. "Huh? Yeah, I'm not senile, I remember...?" Of course she knows about gravity and...     One second passes, and Toph's expression hardens before she pushes herself forward on her chair.     "WHAT?!"     Poor Sokka might have gone deaf in one ear, even as Toph sternly turns towards Amalthea. "What the crud?! She wouldn't die from /that/!" Toph protests. "I rolled EIGHTEEN!"     Yes, it's clear she doesn't quite realise... that Amalthea /knows/. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley's head turns for her to fixate her gaze silently on Sokka as he goes on and on. She briefly looks toward Toph but remembers Toph is blind so she wouldn't notice a subltle look of sympathy. She sloooowly turns her head to look back to Amalthea and smiles as if all of this is perfectly normal. There's some subtly forced feeling to her behavior like she's trying not to give away her actual feelings on what's happening. She's not the most engaged of players in this, oddly enough, and chooses to gather some snack food and stuff it in her face.     "Maybe we'll do better next time," she remarks, as if nothing were going wrong at all during the entire game. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Oh good, Ainsley was speaking up and doing important things! And rolling high, more importantly! Nasa gives a little nod towards her. Yep. Talking down angry wildlife /is/ important! "That is a good idea, Vivio." Nasa says supportively to the little girl who seemed to mostly just be having fun. But information was good even /if/ they weren't going to punish them. She pauses though. Hmmm.      "'Ye do not wish to kill, just get food? And they choked ye out of yer hunting grounds with their greed?' She looks towards the villagers thoughtfully, and then begins to take stock of the town, looking to see just how much excess they might have. Are they overly stocked on food and riches that they don't need?" Nasa says. She seems to think a bit, before looking towards Gawain. As his dice roll poorly again. She reaches to take Gawain's die away from him. "Shhh, shh shh shh. It's okay. The mean dice will not hurt you anymore." And then she places her die in front of him. Maybe new dice will make his rolls less terrible!      Aaand then Toph begins to freak out over the rolls, her hands lowering to rest on her lap. And she falls silent, instead opting to eat the taco pudding gifted her by the GM, awaiting impending doom. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With that chastisement dealt out... Amalthea blatantly ignores Toph. "You should be drafting a character to rejoin the party. Now." Added firmly in a tone that brooks zero intention of changing her mind. She settles back down in her chair, one floppy goat-like ear flitting as Sokka doth protest. Amalthea draws in a long breath and lets it out in a slow sigh. Because she passes her copy of the manual over to him. "Page 151. Fighters are unable to use diplomacy. At all. Thank you for reminding me Ainsley." She adds as an aside. She just... Resumes narrating.     "Horza casts Protection from Jerks. He finds that the spell is... Significantly stronger than it should be against the crowd, in spire of knowing he cast it so poorly. The town of rowdy rabble-rouses is held at bay for the time being. The town itself is a small village, but the people here are clearly well off. Their clothes are old and worn but lovingly taken care of, the houses are in fine state of repair and their harvest is plentiful. They actually have more than enough to spare even IF six or seven goblins raided from them on a regular basis." Added to Nasa, "But, as the party can tell there is something deeper, and darker afoot here, this is where the adventure must draw to a close, the shroud of 'it's fucking late' coming across the land, time freezes as the Cavern Keeper declares a pause until next time..." She thumps her book shut and falls silent. Staring at the group for a long moment. She stands... Sets her hands on the game table... And heaves.     Amalthea flips the table.     It lands with a loud clatter and clash as she picks Toph's dice off the floor and holds them out. "Stone dice. That's why Mighty Melon is dead. You think I wouldn't /KNOW/? You earthbended an eighteen." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka blinked a few times. "What? That's not in there at all, that--" And then the table flipped and... he looked stunned. He opened his mouth to object, then stopped. He reached out and covered Toph's mouth. "Toph. Stop," he said firmly. He took a slow, deep breath. "She's trying to play us. Making up rules, twisting the rules. She gave you those dice, obviously she gave them to you so the moment you rolled high she could punish you." He narrowed his eyes on her. There was a... seething annoyance there. "Now, I don't know WHY she's trying to play us. Maybe she has some power trip? But it's just like Azula. She tries to manipulate you so you screw up and she can get her way." Day of black sun alllll over again. "Come on, let's go." He took her hand and tried to pull her towards the door. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' Seras seems to be taking this matter in stride, exhaling in relief... up until she gets a sudden impulse.     An impulse to SCOOT BACK!     Seras-Teal tries to simply push back to skid her chair a meter or so away from the table... but misjudges her strength!     This results in pushing TOO hard and tumbling backwards, the chair's back slamming into the ground and the glamored-Draculina doing a floppy backward somersault for two rolls... owwwww. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      The silent non-response from Amalthea. Yep. This was how it was going to be, it seemed. And people who didn't learn might find themselves, well. In unpleasant situations! Nasa shifts her mechanical pencil thoughtfully, looking down at the pencil, and then up again. Hmm. She pauses as she listens to Amalthea narrate though. "It's not that la-- ...Wait, no, it's late by non-night-people standards." She syas with a mild nod. Aaaand... tableflips occur, which causes Nasa to jump -- literally -- into the air, the glamours breaking instantly as she loses focus. "Wh--" And then Amalthea speaks of the earthbending. She frowns a bit, looking at Amalthea, and then towards Sokka. "No. She's playing /with/ us. Not playing us. She said she did everything for a reason though." Nasa states simply. She lands again, moving over to where her character sheet fell to pick it up, clicking her mechanical pencil deliberately only once. And then finding a relatively flat leg edge. And she begins to calmly cross out the bit where it says she can use her pencil to heal. "There. Now now temptation for me either." 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Gawain finally smiles in relief that something worked (though he refuses the swap of dice with Nasa, because these are his Chosen Dice). He's already getting ready to start talking about what Horza does next when...the table is flipped. He moves down to swiftly gather all his collector's dice and the box, put them back together neatly, and pick up his sheet and figurine. And then he turns his sheet over to Amalthea. "Oh, right, Curator! There was something odd about my HP, so I just wrote the actual HP to the side." The sheet is held up enough that anyone could probably catch a glimpse (except Toph): there's an infinite symbol, plus the number of times Nasa double-clicked her mechanical pencil during the session. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     But why does she have to make a new character?!     The blind girl lets out a sound of frustration as she flops back in her chair, looking mighty irritated as she crosses her arms across her chest. No, it doesn't look like she's about to draft another character just yet. Especially since Amalthea explains how they're drawing to a close for now, today's adventure coming to an end. It doesn't look like Toph focuses on that for now though, still sour where she sits. Heck, even when Amalthea rises and flips the table she doesn't raise an eyebrow, sulking as she pulls her legs back to make sure the table doesn't hit them as it crashes to the ground.     When the stone dice are held out however, she narrows her eyebrows before she reaches her hand out... and bends the dice up into Amalthea's face if she gets the chance, though not hard. "You can't prove that, and yo--" Sokka covers her mouth, and instantly the blind girl reaches up to push Sokka's hand away. That doesn't seem to be why Toph is upset though, and she lets out a huff before she gets out up from her chair, though she pulls her hand away from Sokka's as she stomps off to the door on her own. "Whatever." Though she does pick up the blank character sheet and her bag as she storms off to the door. 

:'''{{#var:737|Vivio Takamachi (737)}} has posed:'''     Vivio giggles quietly at the explanation of why the game is ending for now. She has to admit, it was a lot of fun! Not what she expected from a training session.     And then flipped, the table is.     Vivio instinctively darts off her seat, hiding behind the chair as the table comes down. She's quite shocked and confused to begin with, but then begins to recover. She looks at Toph a little sadly, "You cheated?"     Then Sokka tries to blame Amalthea, so Vivio stands up straight as says, "Hold on, that's not fair. The Curator didn't make any of us do anything. If Toph cheated, that was her decision! We are each responsible for our own choices and actions. No one else." 

:'''{{#var:796|Sarah Rogers (796)}} has posed:'''     Sarah almost falls backwards when the table suddenly flips, "My Pudding!" She cries out, in pretty much the exact same tone as 'My Cabbages!' Said pudding bowl was flung off to nowhere. "She was testing us." she says like it should be obvious, "That die I could've etched any number I wanted into is back there somewhere with my snacks.. and good riddance!" She says with a relieved sigh, "Toph.. It was all part of the game.. lesson.. whatever this was! You shouldn't get so worked up!" She tries to call after the Earthbender as she storms off. 

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:''' "I thought I could trust everyone to not use the magic cheat things." Seras whines as she gets to her feet. "Which I think this is supposed to block..." She holds up her eraser. "I can't be the only person who smelled something fishy...? Bloody hell." The police girl's face turns sour, lips twisting off to one side of her mouth. which leaves a fang poking out rather oddly over her lower lip. SERAS DISAPPROVES. (-1) 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley is susipiciously silent. She looks at Sokka with something like cold calculation, even as the table is flipped and it ends up slamming into the floor. It rustles her feathers, just the wind passing by her face as the table flips up past her nose.     She still stares at Sokka calmly.     Why is she stari--     As others indicate it was a lesson, Ainsley feels the need to speak up. "There was no nefarious purpose to this. You were not manipulated out of amusement or evil intent. You were given the option to cheat, or to follow the rules." And then she adds, "You were right, Sokka. There is no rule about Fighters being unable to use Diplomacy. Being able to remember and understand the rules set before you is very important. Sometimes knowing a law before you act will mean life or death. However..." She seems to consider what else she observed... but she glances aside at Amalthea and decides, "No, I'll let her say it." And with that, she gets up from her seat, and calmly brushes some snack debris off of her Moogle PJs. She turns to gather up her tabletop supplies.     "This was interesting. Thank you, Curator," she says to the Unicorn. "Sorry, Sokka," she says, finally, smiling a great big smile and kind of letting her posture go slack. It's a very blatantly placating look, embarrassed that she did that to him. "Good night, everyone~" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     And so the game ends. But as Sokka protests and rises to take Toph with him... Amalthea does nothing to stop them. In fact, she lets Nasa and Gawain speak first, revealing the truth to an enchanted pencil and infinite HP. And then Sarah admits to her phony die.     The slow clank-clank-clank of metal hands coming together resounds through the room. Amalthea is slowly clapping. "Very good. Very good..."     What?     No, she doesn't even bat an eye as she crosses her legs. "Sokka I did not set Toph up for failure." She says very calmly. "I set everyone in this room up for failure. Myself included, as Seras has pointed out, and Ainsley has now admitted. If anything, you should have had bonuses in that confrontation." The unicorn nods once and clicks her tongue.     "Like the hidden compartment under your chair. That you did not touch. Kudos, boy. You get bonus points for actually doing your homework. Start at level two next session. BUT. You also did Toph's homework for her. So you get one less feat." But she purses her lips, a very somber look crossing her face. "I want you all to walk away from here tonight with this simple thought. This was a game about rules. I expect them to be followed. Because as I expect you all to follow rules, the Paladins will demand much more. Answer me this... If you cannot follow simple rules, how can you be expected to uphold the law?"     Amalthea claps one more time. "Lesson's over. I'll see you all next week to finish the story. Without shenanigans." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa quietly admits before she leaves, "I was thinking of saving the pencil for an absolute emergency." 

:'''{{#var:1076|Sokka (1076)}} has posed:''' Sokka totally took Toph out for ice cream then. Tohelp cheer her up and try and make her feel better. 
}}

4344/Blood Moon Waning

2016-07-22T07:26:51Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/07/21 |Location=Creation-4 |Synopsis=When a squad of Dragon-Bloods discover something ancient that was lost among the sands of the desert, and..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/07/21
|Location=Creation-4
|Synopsis=When a squad of Dragon-Bloods discover something ancient that was lost among the sands of the desert, and brag about it in the city of Chiaroscuro, something equally ancient and lost rises to hunt them down and keep secret the treasures of the sands.
|Cast of Characters=342, 436, 481, 513, 991, 1020, 1021, 1022
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     Chiaroscuro. The City of Glass.     Renowned as the largest port in the South, it is a well known center and hub for trade, commerce, and shipping. Further south is the vast expanse of the Glitter-Flame Desert, a vast and arid expanse of sands, and home of nomad desert tribes, Anklok Dragon Kings, and treacherous hazards that make it inhospitable to the unprepared.     Chiaroscuro itself however... Well there is a reason the city was named the City of Glass; every building is constructed of brightly colored, Essence-forged glass. At one time it was called the Jewel of the South.     The streets are glittering vermillion, the breakwaters are brilliant azure, and the towering buildings are all the colors of the rainbow.     Only four towers stand higher than the rest, each a glittering golden color.     That... Is how it USED to be anyway.     Now it is not so splendrous. Much of the city is in terrible disarray, the forged glass cracked and shattered, many of the towers have fallen and glass rubble lays strewn embedded in the streets. Though it is by no means a wholly shattered city; claimed by merchant princes and nobility, three great crimson roads lead into and out of the city and keep trade running.     Tonight the stars are out in abundance and the moon is high, a dark shadow cast across her face into a waning crescent...     But the city of 'broken' glass is quite lively right now. Rumors abounded- spread far and wide even beyond the borders of Creation, that five Dragonblooded heroes of the Realm made a grand discovery; an ancient city lost in the desert. Though the nameless ruins lay supposedly deserted, a vault containing wonders of the grand First Age undoubtedly lays below... And that means...     The swaggering 'rulers' of Creation have taken this opportunity to organize a grand and amazing celebration; in spite of the slum-like living conditions, in order to inform the world of the amazing discovery they will soon be embarking to raid and tear apart for all manners of wondrous old artifacts. For one night. For just tonight? Chiaroscuro and her people gleam almost as brightly as they did ages ago. The streets are rife with revelry and delight. 

:'''{{#var:1022|Isa Reichert (1022)}} has posed:''' High above, a shadow passes over the moon. At first blush, it might seem like an especially large bat, but the wings aren't beating nearly fast enough, and the creature makes not a sound as it glides over the City of Broken Glass. It's an eagle, a freakishly large eagle, and the vast spread of its wings blots out the light of the moon every time it wheels in front of it. Even from a distance, the creature is obviously enormous; even from such a height, its beak and talons gleam when the moon catches it just so. For now, though, it merely watches the upper echelon of Creation for their grand celebration. This place is not familiar, no matter how distantly familiar it may seem from above; and intelligence suggested these degenerate lowlives had found something that might actually be significant. And so the eagle wheels, gradually dropping lower and lower in the sky -- low enough that the light of torches gleams off its beak and talons, and casts light against tawny feathers, pale scarring, and... ...was that a glint of quicksilver 'neath that standing torch...? 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     The fox of Kasun has arrived, and she's certainly not affected by the heat much.     Removing a head wrap from her face, Kirika wanders through the streets, her ears twitching side to side while she takes in the scenery. "Feels like the Eastern Country, alright." She muses grimly for a moment, deftly avoiding some rather rude citygoers bowling her over with a simple step to the side.     For now, she looks for Finna and Nozomi, her crimson eyes alert as she inspects the crowd. 

:'''{{#var:436|Cirno (436)}} has posed:'''     "It's so hoooot..." Cirno complains, floating along wearing her power armor. It's a distinctive look that is probably getting stares... but less so from that maybe, as from the cooling breeze that she carries with her. The tiny girl had been looking hard for a lead, and drumming up a disturbance the entire time. This might be because her chosen method of doing so was to grab random people and say, "I'm looking for five elemental jerks, have you seen them?"     IDIOT, the little floating AI beside her, chimes in, "I did try to warn you." 

:'''{{#var:1020|Mordremoth (1020)}} has posed:'''     A new land to explore!     The Pact was pressuring Mordremoth, and even with its ego they were becoming a thorn(haha) in its side. The disruption caused by unification of its land could be a further problem... or it could be a means to crush the opposition and continue on as it really desires. The only question is how, because its knowledge of the intricacies of its world did not seem to apply to the places beyond the new "gate" that had appeared in the Tangled Depths. Probing tendrils had difficulty reaching through without help, leaving only one option. Scouts.     The Mordrem Guard were still the most populous of Mordremoth's troops. It is those that it sends through, a squad of fifteen. Twelve infantry, mostly scouts, with two snipers for support, and two of the bulkier hammer-wielding of the plant-men(and women, it doesn't discriminate), alongside three bestial plants in the shape of large lizardlike or dinosaurish creatures. Two of these were cavalrymen, the animated plantbeasts they ride holding thickened bark and bone on the heads for charging. The final was a fire-breather, and astride it was the leader, a purplish-blue one almost seven feet tall, with a rough-hewn axe at his side.     It had been luck that had brought the squad to this land of abundant magic. What a find! It had been further luck that they'd heard of some discovery. If that meant what it meant in Mordremoth's world, this means an artifact of great power. It would be interesting if this new land could be used to fuel Mordremoth's power. That was what the scouting party had decided to determine, with the fragment of free will that their master had allowed them. Some autonomy in these situations was useful.     What the group did not expect was the lack of revulsion and hate that the Mordrem carried in their own world. Concern and distrust might be present, but their distinctive plantlike appearance did not give them the instant attack on sight that they'd grown accustomed to as servants of the Elder Dragon. Certainly they needed to leave their beasts behind at the entrance, but their own selves were allowed to walk into the city, where the entire group was clustered together, looking a little peaked and dry because they are plant-creatures. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Once again, Nozomi Houken finds herself moving in on a situation she knows little ab out. But from what Finna said, she can grasp the raw basics. The Realm have moved in and set up shop in this city because they found something they want, and thrown a feast in their own honor. Apparently they're the kind of people to just march in and push everyone around? Nozomi's not sure, but that's what it sounded like. So she's come astride Taiga, dressed in something other than her school uniform for once - a pair of denim shorts and a babydoll tee, something not too restraining or hot. One look at the crowds, and she glances down to her 'mount'. "...Taiga, maybe... maybe the rooftops."     So that's where they go, right up to the rooftops, where Kirika will find her if she looks. Hopefully there's no guard presence on the city roofs. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     No one could say why she was here, but a few dozen guesses exist. Chief among them curiosity, at other Creations, at ones that were 'in the past'. Curiosity at how the Terrestrials operate, since she was still young when their dynasty crumbled. Maybe she just wanted to see Chiaroscuro before it was destroyed. Tough luck on that one, that place is about as doomed as Gem.     In an absolutely not subtle black cloak, clapsed with a Soulsteel broach, Mirror hangs back, at the very edge of the festivities. The disguise might work to make her look like a random edgelord mortal if not for the fact all three of her Lunar Tells-- the eyes, cat and ears-- draw attention to themselves, incapable of succeeding their mental attack against others to be unseen. It's the opposite of stealthy and subtle.     Still, with the Dragon-Blooded too busy celebrating, she figures she won't catch their attention any more than Shadyass McBackalleyDrugVendor over there. For that matter, they are probably already acquainted anyway, with how Dragon-Blooded are.     The heat doesn't bother her because she has iced tea. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' And just where is Finna? Finna has chosen to hide in plain sight! There's a black-haired girl with a youthfully round face cavorting amongst the revelers. She's dressed in a one-piece crimson outfit with loose-and-baggy pant legs and no sleeves. her skin's fairly tanned, her eyes green as emeralds, and one cheek sports a yellow star tattoo. Probably in her late teens and just dancing about the place.     The Union does not know about this disguise, but her name is Clara, and she's a headache for most people who meet her.     The Dynasts have no chance of knowing that a Lunar walks amongst them, because extra care has been taken to suppress the fox ears and tail that a few might have managed to spot. The effort this takes though means Finna's had to take a few breaks through the day.     Clara doesn't speak the local tongue, only the trade tongues.     At one point though, 'Clara' looks skyward... and blinks peculiarly at the shape passing overhead. Hmmm. "Giant eagles are northern..." What's THAT doing in the skies? 

:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     The festivities are in high gear, and that means... The local guard is somewhat slackening. There ARE rooftop guards, but when Taiga and Nozomi take to the roofs, the man they meet is seated propped up against a wall, singing along with whatever song it is the people below are, and at least four cups deep into something potent and alcoholic. He stares at the girl and her mechanical companion owlishly, before looking to his jug, as if trying to decide whether to keep drinking or stop. He chooses to resume chugging.     The Mordrem are, amazingly, not stopped on their way into the city. Yes they do need to leave their beasts, but the sulky guards that have to deal with them instead of getting to enjoy the fun stare. Hard. Whispers filter between the men, trying to figure out just what they're seeing. A squad of Earth Aspected? Mercenaries?     Kirika makes the mistake of not hiding her vulpine features in the least. Though the revelry is in full gear, heads turn, people go silent, and stare. A child takes a swing at kicking her shin. Stygian Mirror on the other hand gets a more fearful reaction, people attempting to back away quietly and hope SHE does not notice them. With how the city is right now, no one even THINKS to look up at the immensely out of place sight of the massive eagle touching down. But Cirno...     The reactions she gets are wide and varied. While some people do try to surrepeticiously draw nearer for the cool bubble of air, her questions are regarded either with grumblings, feigning ignorance, or vaguely gesturing. It is the small, dark-skinned, hand of a girl that actually sets on the fairy's shoulder. Ratty tattered clothes, sun-darkened skin, and the general look of disarray about her says she's a beggar or orphan, but she wordlessly points a finger in the direction to go, all while staring silently.     It seems that the revelry is at the loudest there, and everyone can find it easily. Three men and two women in jade armor are there, and of course some of the more important and noble looking members of society, while the rabble and dregs of society try to edge in closer. It sounds like an announcement is about to be made. Especially when one of the men, in red armor, stands and sets hands on his hips. Though his armored colleagues all roll their eyes and sigh heavily as he makes sure he's seen by standing himself atop their table for it. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Oh god. She's been spotted. Um. "Ah... er..." Crap, crap, think, Nozomi, think. "...I-I'm... I'm not good with crowds," she mumbles to the drunk soldier. "...I promise I won't bother anyone up here." Hopefully, that will satisfy him. Please be satisfied?     She's going to assume he's satisfied with that and move on.     To be fair, she wasn't lying. She's trying not to bother people up there, and other than his natural weight making thuds as he hops from one rooftop to the next, Taiga is trying not to cause a ruckus either. And as long as he lands on the edge of the building where there's the most support, it shouldn't cause much noise for anyone inside. So it's a quiet, bother-less trip to the square where the Dynasts can be found. And she can wait and watch from nearby for whatever they're about to say! 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika was not well prepared for this, no. Even if she went for a god-born cover, she doesn't exactly get much of a warm reception despite her surroundings. "Definitely like the east." She muses to herself.     Yeah, this place is so not gonna get a warm review on the travel website for foxy travelers.     The child gets a crimson eyed glare, one cold and menacing as Kirika stares into the brat's soul, 'sod off' unsaid but still evident in her unpleased expression.     Her eyes stare upward, looking at the eagle-shape curiously for a moment. "Hnnn." Could it just be the birds here are /huge/ or is there something else about this that seems off? 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     If people avoid her, all the better.     She'll stand over here, at the edge of the party, waiting for the big announcement. Mirror doesn't mind; silence is her eternal companion and solitude darkness death blaaaaaah. Sip. Iced tea, that's better, and much less dreary.     It's possible her eyes catch the presence of other notables, but she isn't going out of her way to say or do anything. Of course this kind of announcement would draw a crowd. Maybe not for the same reasons she came, that was just curiosity for once, not work, but there being other Exalted present, Lunars especially, isn't surprising. By all accounts she looks like one, herself, at least to people who don't already know she isn't one.     Yeah, how terribly interactive. Maybe she should go talk with someone, after all. Those plant people look odd, for one, and she's never seen wood elementals quite like that before. Or she can keep waiting for the announcement, sipping a refreshing beverage and not getting the attention of five people who'd probably love to go all Wyld Hunt on her right now. They'd probably regret it, but it would cancel the announcement she came to hear and all. Kind of inconvenient.     If they don't get on with it she'll go chat some plant people. 

:'''{{#var:1020|Mordremoth (1020)}} has posed:'''     If nobody is bothering them, then the Mordrem will be leaving others alone. Normally they are more aggressive. Here, they do not control anything nor have support. Everything is new. They can't notice anyone unusual because for them, everything is unusual right now, but the large bird in the sky is noted by the scouts. Dismissed for now.     Not all of them wander over to listen to the announcement, only the leader and a couple others. The other Mordrem haltingly attempt to engage in conversation. Socialization is not a thing that they are used to doing, and Mordremoth itself is not paying close attention yet, so cannot guide them that way. They ask simple questions, like children. And they narrowly avoid problems, at times.     "Are you following me?" asks a citizen.     "Yes."     "Why?"     "If I did not then I would lose sight when you moved away." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' After seeing the eagle, Clara has taken the opportunity of quieting festivities and people readying to hear out the Fire Aspect (that pompous loudmouth to be sure!) to make some scratches in the side of a building she's sure the circling eagle will see. A number of swirling marks and simple scratches that, to the untrained eye, might seem as little more than crude graffiti in an urban environment... and in the wilderness, marks left by animals to mark territory and the like.     Unfortunately, it probably means nothing to the eagle, its intended recipient. Thankfully it's also unlikely to mean anything to anyone else. Otherwise, questions would be asked.     Roughly translated, her name and the message 'I bring no quarrel.'     In case she's intruding in another's territory. 

:'''{{#var:436|Cirno (436)}} has posed:'''     "Oh thanks!" Cirno chirps to the little girl. In keeping with her friendly(ish) nature with poor boundaries of things like morals, she helpfully provides a reward. "Here you go!" She hands the girl a hand phaser.     Floating over toward the group, Cirno extends the sensors on her suit for now, so she doesn't bother trying to squeeze into the crowd and can just listen with a directional microphone. A lot of weirdos here though. She doesn't look for trouble and she hasn't been active recently, so none of the Union sorts attract her attention even if she could recognize them. 

:'''{{#var:1022|Isa Reichert (1022)}} has posed:''' Wings tilting, the eagle leans into a banking turn, soaring in wide, lazy circles over the central square, wings spread wide, fingers splayed like fingers against the night air. There's enough heat rising here to keep the eagle aloft in spite of the night wind, so finding thermals isn't as critical a concern as it might otherwise be. Cities are great for warm air. Despite the constant motion from the bird's body, the head is almost motionless, looking down tot he gatherings below. Every so often the head swivels on to some other group, as though looking for someone or something... Then, 'Clara' climbs up on a wall, inscribing marks and scratches into the wall, but apparently they garner no attention from the lord of the sky. The bird, nonchalant, tilts a wing down and turns, banking away from the wall without a hint of acknowledgement. As it banks by, though, it turns its head to fix her with an unsettlingly direct look. One eye is bright gold, so unlike a day-hunter, and the other... Even more unsettling, there /is/ no other eye; just a slightly caved-in socket, shadowed and dark. The skin around it is clearly burnt, where no feathers grow, the side of its head similarly flame-scarred. Creepy. Indeed, its attention wanders away, toward where the armoured leaders of the city are congregating, and where they're ramping up to start speechifying. The bird circles above the torches, just out of eyeshot, and then folds its wings tight to its sides. And it /drops/, like a /stone/, hurtling through torch smoke and tobacco smoke and gods-knows-what-else. Without a sound, it flips in midair, flashes its talons to the jade-armoured nobles, before lashing out and snatching one of their helmets; wings thrashing, it's gone as quickly as it'd come, making off with its seeming prize. Is it gone...? Nope. Before anybody has a chance to track it, the helmet comes plummeting back down, aimed squarely for the head of the man it had been stolen from. The eagle's nowhere in sight, flown back up to where the darkness can hide it. Clever bird... but definitely not just a bird. Too big, too foreign, too /deliberate/. 

:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     Though the child makes a break for it, someone does toss a stone, Kirika's way. It's not a good throw, and if it even does hit, it wouldn't do much harm anyway. It is, however, a good enough reason to downvote Chiaroscuro on Yelp.     The people are now thoroughly weirded out by the Mordrem, but they have not caused any undue alarm yet and so no alarms have been sounded, but guards are now beginning to perk up a bit and pay a little more attention to the 'elementals', and by extension anyone that looks out of place. This means...     Certian treasure hunters scrawling on walls, floating blue-haired fae, and fox-eared women... Both of them. One guard DOES make a hustle for the square and whispers something to one of the Dragonbloods, but for the most part, Nozomi gets lucky. Her guard is more than satisfied, he slurs something incoherenet and falls into a stupored drunken sleep.Meanwhile, the girl stares at Cirno, brow knotting with bewilderment as she's handed a phaser and quietly slips off into an alley.     If Finna were to look back at her scribble... Something has raked claws over it in passing, five deep gouges defacing the clawspeak scrawling and rendering it illegible.     Still, the Fire Aspected Dragonblood clears his throat. He begins to speak.     "Citizens of Chiaroscuro! I-"     "We." One of the seated Dragonblooded corrects him. He sighs.     "Yes, we, --but of course led by I, Karuyo Cais, have made the discovery of our age. A city lost to time, buried under the desert sand. Rife with glories of the past. In weeks time we will claim it! But... In the meantime I think a display of power is necessary! I hear tell we have Anathema skulking about. They would take our glory, take our discovery and see it ruined and destroyed! So I-"     "WE."     "WE, led by me- shall-"     He doesn't get to finish that thought when his helmet is YANKED off his head. "WHAT?"     Then plummets back down and with a resounding THUMP lands back on his head. Caught flat footed and surprised, he drops to a knee, scowling and holding his head. "Sod it, anyone that looks out of place dies now."     Funny how fast the crows break apart from 'Clara', Cirno, all the Mordrem, Kirika, and Stygian Mirror VERY FAST. Because the four seated Dragonblooded rise, grasping their weapons, a daiklave of green jade, a staff of blue, a chain of red jade, twin red jade sai, and Cais hoists his own daiklave.     The guards swarm in, the people start to REALLY make their way out. Except for that girl. She seems to have misplaced her phaser- and is in the path of one of the charging Dragnblooded; a massive hulk of green jade armor showing clear lack of care that she's in the way as he bears down on 'Clara', the rest picking targets among the gathered elites, while guards come to back them up. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika seems to be utterly indifferent to the child after it takes a hike, but the stone is taking things too far. The kitsune draws her sword in a split-second, and the stone will be cut right in half by Kinugiri. It does more than slice silk, after all!     As she remains armed, sword in hand, the kitsune is well prepared by the arrival of Dragonblooded warriors. "And now you are /definitely/ not getting a return visitor on vacation!" She calls out angrily, her brow furrowed as she prepares for battle.     TThe guards find themselves assailed directly as Kirika bowls through a pack of them, her sword slicing bits of armor open and chopping weapons of inferior construction in pieces while she tries to get to the Dragonblooded. This might be a while, though. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     You know what's pretty great? Having a head start.     Like, say, being on the rooftops.     "Nozomi. Hold on." By now it's practiced habit, the girl hunkering down on the robot's back. Taiga turns himself around to leave, but before he's taken a step- "Taiga, wait, no!" It's so urgent he freezes in his tracks; that's not a tone she uses often. "That... the one in the armor, he's going to... he's gonna run that girl over...!" She wants to intervene. She wants to stop it, to protect the girl. He can't really say no, even if it's more dangerous.     A short barrage of yellow energy balls slams into the street between the charging Dragonblooded in green jade, a blatant 'hey look this way' with enough power to pockmark the street with fist-sized holes and scorchmarks. A half-second after that, said ground is torn up by the talons of a heavy robotic tiger, landing in a skid that puts him right between the girl and the Dynast. "Hello. If you wish to continue the charge towards your chosen foe, by all means do so. It is of no concern to me. However, I would advise you to choose a different route. It's impolite to run people over." Both cannons are pointed at the Terrestrial, but not firing. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     Ah, the announcement, finally. What she came to hear! Sadly someone else had to go and interrupt it, and now they'll never know the fancy and juicy details of the treasure hunt. Mirror frowns, pulling the mask over her mouth and nose down and the hood of her cloak with it. There's no point hiding anymore; actually there probably wasn't one to begin with.     She sighs, and steps forward.     "If but one undeserving person suffers from your want to start a fight here, so help me, when you die I'm going to the Underworld, I'm hunting your ghosts down, and you're going to regret it for a very long time," she says, and immediatly she flares with black Essence.     Her Caste Mark, not quite full iconic, appears on her forehead, a black circle with eight sunrays bleeding down on her face. But-- the black glow isn't coming from her. She pulls her sword out from under her cloak, and the weapon is pitch black, reflecting no light. In fact it's actively eating the light of the area. There's no sword in her hand, just a fragment of Oblivion itself, a hole in reality that's actively darkening the area. Her Anima's glow is coming from the weapon, not herself.     The sword is swung, top half launching like a sword-whip towards the Terrestrial holding the staff. The blade no longer inflicts slashing damage; it's unmaking whatever it touches, and it is very unpleasant. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' WHAT IN THE WORLD?! Why are peopel separating from Clara? Fear in her eyes, she scowls. "Oh come on, is it the tattoo? Am I too cute for all of you?!" When speaking the trade tongue of Riverspeak, Finna's grammar seems far, FAR better than Haslanti dialect of Skytongue, oddly enough.     Funny thing... this isn't really Finna's first time in the Jewel of the South. She did not come here looking for trouble, but to maybe stir up the old memories that lead her here and gain some answers... and found this instead.     But there's something uncannily familiar about this situation. Having weapons drawn on her in these streets... it sends a pang through her heart and gut, and fills her with a pulsing, unbearable, pounding RAGE.     While Finna would definitely leap to the aid of a kid in the way of an angry Dragon-Blooded without hesitation - ONE Dragon-Blooded, anyways - something MORE fuels her move to counter the charging Wood Aspect Swordsman!     "Thought the Dragon-Blooded had more sense, more dignity, more smarts, than--"     CLAAAAAANG! She's right up and in Daiklave-Guy's way, forcing the blade aside with... claws? Fingernails? whatever the case, she's managed to turn the blade aside with a swipe of her hand and duck inside his guard. The hand that just battered away the blade moves to grab onto his inner arm and prevent him from bringing the weapon about usefully, meanwhile she zips in closer and swings her weight around... aiming to FLIP the dynast off his feet and slam him down onto his back.     "--Picking fights with people they know nothing about! Lethal mistake. Ready to lose your life over it? Lives of your allies?!" 

:'''{{#var:436|Cirno (436)}} has posed:'''     Oh hey, a discovery! Oh hey, an attack! Cirno is recording from a crowd, and then there's no crowd! Just a little girl in strange armor, with a floating fairy-robot beside her. "Hey!"     Well now she has to fight! The targeting computer pops up, and the fairy pouts. "Nnnn... I really don't like fighting in this heat!" Supercooling the Nine Ball, space warps to place her above, floating higher up and sending a sharp spray of icy projectiles down toward the attackers. She isn't really concerned about the crowd though. 

:'''{{#var:1020|Mordremoth (1020)}} has posed:'''     This isn't a good impression. The Mordrem here are just trying to find information, and they got that. For once they were going to just be on their way! Why couldn't they just do that? Now they have to do something else. In tandem, all fourteen of the scattered plant elementals look toward their leader.     "Kill anyone who nears and bear their bodies back to the Blighting Tree," says the leader. It's a simple solution! With the civilians scattering they are not attacked, the creatures having just enough tactical sense to assault the ones directly a threat to them.     The fire-aspect is charging, with chain whips coming toward the nearest Mordrem. The leader unlimbers his axe to meet the charge, but he does not expect he'll need to. The two cavalry draw back since they have no mounts, but the other infantry charge forward, and halt just shy of the leader.     The snipers shoot first. And they don't want to cross the line of fire, because the magic-empowered bows that shoot the Dragon-Blooded leave searing lines of heat, the ground turning molten for a few seconds before the unnatural magic fades enough to cool again naturally. These lines crisscross in front of the leader, who meets any forward assault with a heaving axe swing. The Dragonblooded is probably going to be tougher than the Mordrem expect. 

:'''{{#var:1022|Isa Reichert (1022)}} has posed:''' It seems that the bird is nowhere to be found now that it's had its fun. People looking up might not take note of the shadow of wings any more, so maybe it's moved on. There's nothing suspicious up there. That's because the bird is dropping again. Silent and deadly earnest, wind whistles past the creature's outstretched talons, riffling through feather as it plummets into the crowd. The revelers nearest it scream and scatter, pushing to get away from the monster-sized bird of prey. They aren't its target. The Dragonblooded wielding a chain of red jade is. With a wingspan over fifteen feet and weight to match, it's a huge bird; if that Dragonblooded doesn't get out of the way, they're going to be in for a world of hurt. Those talons are like steel, and the danger lies not in their impressive sharpness, but their crushing, bone-cracking grip. The eagle isn't idle once it's come to ground. Enormous wings thrash with battering force, and its head darts forward in an effort to snap at the hapless warrior. Up close and in the torchlight, the battered old bird's moonsilver tattoos are laid bare for all to see, suffused with energy and now blazing into life and light. The struggle is also dislodging a few oversized feathers -- anyone who has a use for them would be free to snatch some. Curiously, those feathers that fall out lose their silver light, fading once they've drifted to the ground. The bird is curiously careful to avoid the Mordrem, though; and neatly flips in midair to avoid the snipers' shot. It's also quite careful to avoid being cleaved in twain by that monstrous axe, because that looks like it would probably ruin the giant bird's day. 

:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     It's bedlam and chaos very fast. The five Dragonbloods and a score of armed guards break into squads very fast and set themselves on the course of their battles. But, perhaps, it does not go as planned.     Arrogance is one of the Realm's and their Dynast's flaws.     For the 'rulers' of Creation, this does not go well at all.     Though to a degree, Finna is correct about the Dragon-Blooded, when a group of them are led by a hot-head such as Cais, this is perhaps not the case; let us begin this tale, with just how terribly this goes...     Perhaps, Jabaras Joli had never thought her precious staff of blue jade would ever be broken. Perhaps she had never thought she would see the day in which the artifact weapon and armor passed down generations along her family line would be cleaved apart, cut neatly by the chill touch of something dark, terrible, and iconic, given blade form and launched at her, the whip-like 'blade' not somuch cutting as it is, rendering jade, and armor, and flesh, cleaved as though that were its very natural state of being. To see the air aspect go down in wordless silence sets the guards with her in cowed silence, even the other Dragonbloods pause to watch the first of their grand adventuring party fall, stricken down. It would seem, that the guards might be trying to count themselves amongst the undeserving, the squad facing Stygian Mirror breaks fast after that, but the wielder of the red chain presses forward. It ends terribly for him.     Though he aims to assault the Mordrem, their tactics trump the sundry city guard at his back, even as they try to form a shield wall- they break apart when the ground before them turns molten, though some do drop from the impact of the bolts. This leaves the chain-wielder lashing his weapon like a whip, flurried motions in a controlled dance of death against the axe-wielding leader of the Mordrem, but his dance is soundly interrupted by the massive eagle interjecting into the mix. "--Anathem-" Makisara Yanow tries to shout at the sight of the moonsilver tattoos, before he's SLAMMED out of his assault by the gigantic raptor impacting with truck-stopping force, leaving him terribly injured and wholly at the mercy of Mordrem and Lunar alike...     Cirno's hail fire of frozen projectiles really makes matters worse, the remaining Dragon-Blooded are peppered, their jade armor soaking frigid fire and making their defenses shift upwards, along with the guardsmen, putting this assault on the back foot and abusively undefended against Kirika's fanciful swordplay but...     The massive Earth-Aspect does not seem like he wants to stop. His momentum is only FINALLY bled off, when Finna and Taiga together set in his path, leaving him growling and snorting like a bull as Taiga's fire makes him alter course, only to have his blade batted aside by the Lunar's claws. He raises his Daiklave again. "Do not stand in my way, then!" Bellowed as he readies to try and clave down through Finna, Nozomi, Taiga, AND the girl in a brutal and arrogantly ill-thought out move.     Kilin led a difficult life, thus far. Abandoned and left on the streets to die by her mother, unable to support another mouth to feed. The girl was a survivor though; too determined and tenacious, refusing to simply die. She turned to a life of thievery to get by, stealing what she needed to survive, trading with the other orphans and beggars of Chiaroscuro's worst slums for small comforts, living day to day.     Kilin lays bleeding in an alley, alive, but unconscious and stable, clutching the phaser Cirno handed her. She will wake up with no memories of what assaulted her, and no idea of what happened in the least, and her wound, though bad now, will heal in time.     "You..." The girl hiding behing Finna, Taiga, and Nozomi whispers, voice clear and soft turning to a quiet but guttural rasp. 

:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     "Are in my way."     That small, lithe, little arm raises, and inhuman eyes seem to stare clean through Nozomi Houken. Before that ARM goes clean through her chest. It passes through Nozomi... Harmlessly, but still passes through her nonetheless, a chill sensation of 'touch' reaching through her before a much more powerful arm, dark, scaled, and covered in glittering silvery tattoos bursts through her other side-- and into the massive Earth-Aspect Dragon-Blooded's chest, ignoring his armor and ripping through it as though it were paper, to punch through flesh, bone, and pircing heart in a vicious and fatal display. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     The soldiers tend to go down quickly, it seems. Kirika doesn't even touch them with her blade, merely disabling their weapons and armor with strikes from her feet, fists, tail, and scabbard that knock the guys on their asses.     The Dragon-Blooded are then met by the kitsune, Kirika seemingly bored by the lack of any challenge from the foot soldiers. She was stupid to think they would provide any fun for her, and she knows it.     "Let's see if you provide any more challenge than your flunkies!" she says, her blade slashing at Cais directly. "You, I dislike greatest out of all five of you." THe kitsune comments idly, before her sword meets his own weapon in single-combat.     The girl suddenly PUNCHING A HOLE in someone's chest is noted, but Kirika can't divert focus just yet. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Taiga is prepared to buckle down in defense of the girl as his user asked; Nozomi is, for once, willing to face down someone much bigger and stronger than her for the simple fact that he's willing to run over anyone smaller than him to get his way, or even purely out of spite. It's a rare moment of hard resolve from the quiet one - a perfect willingness to protect someone that lasts right up until the rasping voice speaks up behind her. Nozomi turns-     -in time for an arm to pass right into her chest.     The mouse of a girl goes dead-silent and perfectly still.     Her eyes trail down to the arm pushed through her - causing no pain or injury, but nevertheless /through/ her, and flooding her with chilly sensation.     Her head slowly turns, coming around to look at the final target of the lunge. With a beastly arm straight through his chest.     "...A... ah..."     For a few seconds more, Nozomi remains utterly still.     And then she screams. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' That raspy, cold voice from the -least- expected of places sends a shiver down Finna's spine. And she has not survived this long by questioning everything that spooks her to a nubbin...     SO SHE FLIPS. Quite literally, she does a spectacular sideways flip away from the tussle at lightning speeds, quick enough to kick up dust from the streets in her wake! Just in time to see Nozomi's state...... THAT ARM....     .... and, as she skids to a halt near a building she frequented earlier and sees her claw speech all scratched out, 'Clara' clenches her teeth.     She didn't expect to encounter a Lunar here. Let alone possibly TWO of them. 

:'''{{#var:1020|Mordremoth (1020)}} has posed:'''     This is not expected. Blademaster Cadogg did not expect any outside help, anything like an ally. A raptor interfering like this was odd but he isn't going to leave that to waste. The chains are tearing into his soldiers, and his resources as a scouting party are limited.     A heaving swing of the axe tries to cleave through his opponent, while two of the soldiers flank and join in. The archers send out another pair of searing lines, keeping the mortal guards away.     It is only after the battle is pitched and going on between the small group that the others begin to pay more attention. Their reaction is to stare silently at the display of powers. They have just enough individuality to call Mordremoth's attention to this, letting it speak through them. "What manner of magic brings this about?" EVERYONE is being watched, but Scales and Stygian Mirror most of all. Why the latter? Her powers. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     With one slain, Mirror doesn't actually pursue the others. Instead, the white-haired woman, her weapon radiating inverted sunlight that slowly threatens to engulf the area in its black light-- well, black light is a misnomer, but it gets the idea across-- walks towards the body of the Dragon-Blooded she felled, and kneels down in front of it as if to inspect it.     With the tiniest expense of Essence, she opens hers mouth, each of her teeth suddenly turning razor sharp and gaining an inch of length. Her wide open maw reaches for the fallen's neck, and she bites. There's no elegance, certainly not the typical clean look associated with vampire bites. There's blood flying everywhere, it's terribly wasteful, and past a point she may look like she's just trying to eat the neck, not drink blood out of it.     But she really only drinks blood.     Creation's Essence is awful to her, and this person obviously won't need hers anymore. Waste not, want not. She's too distracted to tell she's being watched, as well, but her own interest will bring her to meet Mordremoth's champions sooner or later anyway. She did kind of mean to poke the plant people and say hi before things went south. 

:'''{{#var:1022|Isa Reichert (1022)}} has posed:''' Fortunately, the eagle is able to pounce on its target before the squawking Dragon-Blooded gets a chance to yell anything really troublesome. That savage beak snaps and snaps again, trying to get a good grip on that weapon hand. It isn't the cleanest shot, though, and that target is annoyingly mobile. In fact, the bird is about to draw back for another stabbing strike at the Dragon-Blooded's face, when a shrill scream cuts through the air. There's a lot of screaming going on right now from the panicked crowd, but /that/ scream -- Nozomi's scream -- seems like a special kind of urgent and terrified. The eagle's head whips up and around, single eye facing Nozomi even as the bird uses the Dragon-Blooded to launch itself airborne again. It's big, so taking off is a little clumsy; it half-flies, half-flops over to where Nozomi is, beak half-open in a clear warning to bite to anybody around the girl, wings half-mantled in clear threat posture, moonsilver tattoos radiant. But there's nobody else there except that creepy girl with a hand straight through Nozomi's torso. Right into the Earth-aspected Dragon-Blooded warrior's chest, which is currently in the process of exploding. The eagle's head swivels back to Nozomi, and somehow, the animal manages to convey being /very confused/ in the same instant, as if to say, 'The hell is going on, here?' But it doesn't seem to know quite what to /do/, beak still half-open, this time in a gesture of obvious puzzlement. 

:'''{{#var:436|Cirno (436)}} has posed:'''     Ice rain always makes people stop for a bit! Cirno is pleased that is the same even in this heat... but it's making puddles. And her ice starts to run low in the arid environment. It's annoying.     But then something gets even more bloody! Cirno claps her hands and yells, "IDIOT!" Huh? "Go take care of the guards!" The little AI fairy buzzes down, pewing lasers at the mortal guards to keep them at bay while Cirno... sets her lasers on automatic, blue light zipping across the battlefield to target the Dragon-Blooded carelessly. Mostly so she can scan the various parties in battle. She isn't paying much attention to the girl she gave a phaser to. Phaser should be fine for self defense, right? 

:'''{{#var:1021|Shadowed Scales (1021)}} has posed:'''     Kirika focusing on Karuyo Cais, and Finna disengaging as fast as she can leaves poor Nozomi in something of a terrible situation. But before that is delved into, what of the others...?     The guards are thusly forced to fall back, breaking completely and choosing to abandon their Dragon-Blood leaders when IDIOT unleashes a barrage of lasers everywhere, the rest horrified by the ghastly display of Mirror feasting upon the Air-Aspect's blood as she does.     Cais is a bit more on the ball than his associates though, Daiklave flashing out, meeting Kinugiri in a flash of sparks, he puts up his defense admirably. But it's not perfect. Kirika draws blood, earning a snarl of pain and rage, as he disengages, the last of the Dragon-Blooded joining him, when the Mordrem ward off the guardsmen and Cadogg fells the Fire-Aspect, leaving the eagle to savage the fallen chain-wielder and ensure death.     "This will not go unforgotten! Anathema! Devils! You will face our armies for this travesty!" He bellows while the two retreat into the night.     The celbration is done. The revelry is over. The square is a charnel ground of dead guards and Dynasts, and that leaves Nozomi, and the 'girl'.     A small, dark-skinned hand sets on Nozomi's shoulder as the 'girl's inhuman red and wild animal eyes stare dead on into hers, frigid and with feral intelligence. The hand is to brace, see, as she starts to extract the arm through the Japanese girl's chest, once again with that chill sensation as it draws back- still holding the Dynast's heart in blood fingers, the fact that it's still beating might draw attention to this little detail. All while eyes lock in stone silence. It's THEN, she looks to the giant eagle, the raptor's sudden protective nature earning a silent, questioning cant of the false orphan's head. From the new angle, there's no missing the faint silvery shimmer of Caste Mark, a crescent moon... Except... Mirrored? No. In reverse from what Finna and Isa would recognize.     The girl answers no one. She says nothing. If not stopped, she too will slink into the night, backing into the nearest alley, hissing at the gathered on her way out. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     The first thing that Taiga does under his user is let out a furious, ferocious roar. If there were any doubt that his behavior patters were based on actual cats and not affected for amusement value, therein lies the moment that banishes them. There is nothing the robotic tiger can do otherwise, however; his cannons wheel around and point at the girl with her hand through Nozomi's chest, but he dares not fire, and he dares not move. Too many things that might get his user hurt. But the low, rumbling noise from the TIGER unit makes it very clear. He's upset. Very, very upset.     The arrival of the protective bird of prey earns first a warning growl... but when Taiga realizes the Exalt's posture and body language, it subsides. Or, at least, is no longer directed at her.     Nozomi herself? She's gone absolutely rigid with fear, aside from an utterly horrified tremble. All she can do is look into the eyes of the 'girl' with an arm through her chest. It's an utterly pitiful look that the Anathema has no doubt seen more than once in her life before.     Then the arm comes out and brings a heart with it.     There's a second scream, quieter than the first - but only in relative terms. She practically falls off Taiga's back, and the robotic tiger immediately whirls around and faces the girl with a livid noise more beast than machine. He doesn't take his eyes off her until she's gone. The only reason he doesn't pursue is the whimpering girl behind him, curled up into a ball. 

:'''{{#var:1022|Isa Reichert (1022)}} has posed:''' The giant raptor is almost as big as a man, on the ground. It's a threat to the Dragon-Blooded, or at least that's what the guy on the ground would say if he could still talk. He might be alive. He might not. The eagle doesn't seem to care, occupied as it is with Nozomi's defense. It mantles its wings and opens its beak, hissing at the strange not-a-girl. It smells wrong, it looks wrong, it feels wrong-- Did it just pull a still-beating heart /through/ Nozomi? That beak snaps shut and the head tilts, looking for all the world like a very human gesture; single eye wide. What? It simply stares for a moment, before swivelling its attention back to the vanishing girl, and the robotic mechatiger. The robotic mechatiger whirls, then, ignoring the bird; that's fine by the eagle. Cats and birds never did get along. Well, looks like Taiga's got all this in hand. Time to get gone before it decides to give chase. Gathering itself, the eagle gives a mighty leap, wings thrashing as it heaves itself airborne -- leaving behind a few more giant feathers for its trouble, the silver fading from them as they fall, and buffeting both Taiga and Nozomi with the backwash of wind. Soon enough the giant creature is airborne, turning its head and glaring at the Dragon-Blooded. They might hear a sound more like the raucous, harsh rattle of a crow -- almost a taunting laugh -- before the wings beat once, twice thrice; and it's gone above the torchlight. This time, it doesn't come back down, or drop any helmets on unfortunate Dragon-Blooded warriors. 

:'''{{#var:1020|Mordremoth (1020)}} has posed:'''     Battle is no stranger to the Mordrem, but a battle of this sort, with strange powers and beasts, has Mordremoth's attention. A little tendril of its mind reaches out to everyone, with a wordless question of 'what are you?' to all of them. But it is easy to miss in the heat of battle. Mordremoth's presence here is weak, and it can't make its voice known offworld so easily yet.     Cadogg steps away, but the Mordrem around him pounce for the nearest body, dragging it off if they can. This needs to be studied. 
}}

4178/Human Resources Day Off(

2016-06-22T15:28:16Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/06/02 |Location=The Great Jungle |Synopsis=In which our vacationers learn to read the fine print on their contracts; or: In HR, vacation is ju..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/06/02
|Location=The Great Jungle
|Synopsis=In which our vacationers learn to read the fine print on their contracts; or: In HR, vacation is just a euphemism for double pay work day.
|Cast of Characters=220, 234, 336, 604, 691, 714, 991
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Sometimes. Sometimes even the Confederacy, and its varied allied, recruited, or even randomly hired mishmash of mercenaries need a day off.     That day is today.     Lu-Mey has done her time-honored duty as the second in command and official secretary of Human Resources, to tap the vacation funds and organize a trip! Even if Human Resources is just the tongue in cheek name for the black ops group, she still janks vacation pay for anyone that shows up for...     A boat ride.     That's right! A boat ride! It's a small yacht trip rented for the crew, and after some zooming along on the seas, dropping anchor and parking offshore from a tropical beach island, it's time for fun in the sun! The skies are clear, blue, and perfect, the sun is high, the sea spray smells great... There's a volleyball net planted in the sands, and a small bonfire.     Lu-Mey, herself, is reclined ina beach chair, the dusky-skinned Oni is dressed for the occasion, to boot, in a red bikini, sunning herself. Beside her is The Cooler. The one cooler to rule them all-- actually it's the only cooler of alcohol, though dotted around are several others with less intoxicating soda and snacks.     Oh boy, this should be fun, shouldn't it?! 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     Well, it might be the only /cooler/ of alcohol. But it's not the only alcohol on site.     Sitting next to it is a great big barrel full of vodka on a stand, marked with a bright red hammer and sickle and already tapped for everyone's convenience. There's little question who brought it, just in case people wanted to add some... flavor, to the otherwise non-alcoholic drinks.     As for said 'person who brought it'? He's already playing in the sand. No, seriously.     Comrade Crush is here in a pair of bright-red swimtrunks that could pass for a small parachute, emblazoned with numerous little yellow hammer-and-sickle emblems. It is very soviet swimwear, and ensures that his powerful physique is prominently presented! He probably spent the entire way over on the boat, standing on the bow with his fists on his hips ("The sea breeze, it is wonderful here!"). But now? Now he is sweeping his arms this way and that, flexing his muscles and exerting his magic to slowly and surely shape the sand. This will truly be the most soviet sandcastle ever. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Starless Night is here, but she is favoring the non-alcoholic drinks for... reasons. One of which is because of how she is dressed, which is in a flashy yellow bikini. This is not actually as alluring as one would think, because for some reason, she's in a slightly different form than usual, and she appears to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, and sitting atop a blanket while watching Crush build the sandcastle. She has a ramune soda in one hand, and a pair of sunglasses to keep the glare down. At her side is her sword despite this.     Many might question her choice of form for this outing. That is because very few will recognize the head of the Northern Tenra Shinto faction. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     Mirror had come along, what with being hired to. When the terms of her contract were set, this was not the trip she expected in the slightest.     The young woman is, for one, way too clothed for a beach trip. A black and white tunic with a rear extension like half of a tabard, bony black and white gauntlets and thigh-high boots, and a pitch black jagged longsword-- a look more suited to a battlefield than a trip to the beach for sure. The fox ears, fluffy cat tail and lizardy eyes of the woman all stick out, giving off a distinctive psychic imprint. Failed psychic camouflage, like the features are trying force observers to ignore them, but can't manage it at all.     She looks uncomfortable, sticking out like a sore thumb on the beach. She's helped herself to soda and snacks, but obviously hasn't managed to relax yet. She's not totally sure she got on the right boat, but since nobody said anything...     Her attention momentarily wanes, consumed by the giant man making a sandcastle.     She raises a hand, opening her mouth to ask Lu-Mey a question idly. Nothing vocalizes and she just lowers her hand and closes her mouth. Maybe she misunderstood something. A bit of sun wasn't so bad every once in a while, anyway, so if she got hired to attend a beach party on a tropical island... win-win? 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' It's been a few days. That's enough time to get over gaining power, losing it, and realizing you nearly killed your girlfriend without realizing it, right? Right. No sadness on vacation days. It's all smiles for Sanary as she lounges in a chair not too far from where everyone else is. Unlike Lu-Mey, she's dressed a little bit more modestly with a white dress shirt on over a white bikini.      She's also trying not to look too closely at anyone in particular. It's awkward with so many attractive or cute people around! "It's nice out today... Uh. What kinda drinks do we got?" She calls out without looking towards her fellow Confederates, her attention clearly focused on the water itself. Or... Something in it, rather, as she keeps her eye focused on the movement of something distinctly blue and pinchy burbling just under the surface.      The temptation to go chase it is strong. So... So strong.      Also, she's brought some food of her own. Fried foods, of course, smelling distinctly like the outdoor food carts in Chinatown that are usually loaded up with greasy vegetable spring rolls and questionable fried chicken meat. The street gives it flavor! 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Sometimes.      Sometimes one needs to take a break from helping overthrow kingdoms, taking over castles, stealing, looting, and generally being an unsavory sort.      So it's a good thing this is happening, isn't it?      There are actually two people here. Raine steps off the ship and onto the beach, wearing a pair of black swim trunks with a red and green stripe across them. And a black, short sleeved jacket, unzipped with nothing underneath. "Alright! Time to finally, finally...!" Clenching a fist and grinning wildly, the black haired young man looks all fired up for a moment, but then-      THUNK.      "OW!"      That's the sound of a surfboard bouncing atop his head. "Enough, fool. Move." Came a girl's voice from above him. Along floats Fragarach, sporting a white bikini with gold lining, and a sheer semi-transparent material tied around her waist as a skirt. She holds a surf board under one arm. It's jet black, which can only mean it's Raine's.      "Grrmbmblbe...." Raine grouses as he walks on ahead, giving Lu-Mey a salute as he passes by. "Yo, Lu." And then Sanary. "Canary, wussup?" And then he stopped at the alcohol cooler, taking out a can of beer before turning to observe the big muscled man moving sand with the power of FLEXING.      "........."      Let's watch this for a bit.      Fragarach meanwhile stabs Raine's surfboard into the ground with an irritated huff, before floating aside to settle into a beach chair and lay back lazily. Yes, this is fine. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari's here! Of course she is, because this week has been a combination of betrayal, revenge, awful, awful, nearly getting killed by her girlfriend (intentionally), getting a new arm, and awful. Thankfully for Sanary, Yari's not exactly feeling bad about the 'strangling her' thing. It was All Part of The Plan (tm). She's here, dressed in a two-piece bikini showing off both her new arms, a few new scarrs, and plenty of dusky Au Ra flesh and blue scales. She also has one heck of a big glass filled with Comrade Crush's vodka. She's watching him make a sandcastle too, but mostly she's riiiiight next to Sanary. That tail occasionally gently petting her head. This is how she's making sure Sanary knows there's no hard feelings. She's just glad the young woman is herself again. Also stealing some of the fried chicken. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' "Hey, Raine. Just relaxing and... Uh." Sometimes, it's easier to just let silence do the talking. Sanary's gaze follows Raine's towards their literal COMRADE, and... Okay. Maybe she's doing a liiitle bit of staring.      At the sand manipulation! Not... Anything else. Besides, Yari's there to pretend not to do that at already, and the headpats have the healer visibly relaxing. She even flashes Yari a grateful smile each time!      This might not have patched up everything in her own mind, but it's definitely helping. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Oh good, everyone is here, relaxing, and enjoying themselves! Lu-Mey adjusts her shades and soaks sun for a while. Really, this is exactly what it looks like; a nice day off for varied Confederates and a very confused Abyssal. The Ony lets this continue for a while, though she does shoot a pout at The Empress, while sipping something chilled and red, and adjusting her shades.     There's still plenty of sunlight and daylight to have fun, and that means Communist Sand Castles, grilling, a rousing volleyball game, and an incident involving Lu-Mey trying to pet Stygian Mirror's ears.     So once everyone's had a good hour or two to literally do as they please without something violent and explosive happening, Lu-Mey sits up, and claps her hands for attention.     "Okayyyy everyone!" The oni chimes sweetly, calling for attention as she makes her way to the bonfire. "I'm so glad you're all having fun! Now I think it's time for something even more rousing!"     Whatever her idea could be, she waits to have everyone's attention, before folding her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels with a beaming, fang-toothed, grin.     "Now I'm sure at least some of you remember the fun game we played at last year's Human Resources-Confederate-Hired Killer joint outing, 'Don't Go Hunting With Ron Cheney', or 'Political Hunting Accident'?"     Actually only Starless would probably remember that one, but it really doesn't matter as the enthusiastic Oni makes a broad motion of her arms at the island and sea. "This year I have another great game! It's called 'Assault the Hidden Island Base, Kill Everything The Moves, And Rob It Blind'!"     There's a tittering giggle for a moment as se covers her mouth to stifle it before she goes on. "The rules are easy! Somewhere on this island and under the ocean is a hidden secret base full of neat things. The winner is whoever comes back with the shiniest thing they can find! There's an entrance somewhere on land, and one somewhere closer to the sea. Bonus points to whoever gets in first! You can go off on your own or work in teams. This will be so much fun~." 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     Crush swings one arm up and curls; water flows up from the ocean, sinking into the sand, wetting it /just right/ for sculpting. He swings that arm around and twists at the waist; the sand shifts itself together, rising up into a mound. Around that arm comes, the other curling in the opposite way, and narrower sections of sand begin to lift up further still. Muscles tensing, the colossal commie conjurer lifts one hand as if commanding the beach itself to rise, and up goes that sand, higher and higher, more flowing in... until at last his other arm joins it, and then he flings it apart as if tearing open a double door. All that sand explodes off... revealing a replica of the iconic towers of the Moscow Kremlin.     Shift and sweep, tense and pose, it's as if Crush is conducting a symphony, shaping the rest of the wet sand into other buildings, a wall, an entire little replica of the Kremlin. He is just dusting his hands off - despite never getting them in the water - when Lu-Mey speaks up.     Oh, this... this is going to be interesting.     "Wahaha... WAAAHAHAHAHA! Is splendid evening's entertainment, comrade! Could not ask for more. I am thinking..." The big man rubs his chin, turning to look between the land and water for a moment, before deciding, "...I will look for entrance in ocean. Am using earth and air magics often! Do not get as many opportunities for water. And for that matter..." He saunters right over to the barrel of vodka, hefts it up onto one shoulder, and makes sure the tap is tightly closed. "Will bring refreshment with me." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' All good things come to an end, and Yari has an ominous feeling as Lu-mey stands up. Sllllloooowly frown. No, nothing can ever be /simple/ with Lu-mey. Cue flashbacks to DDR. The ninja shivers suddenly, and leans against Sanary more. "...I was looking forward to a vacation." Sigh. Welp. The ninja gives one final squeeze to Sanary-shoulder, then looks over to Crush. Who's carting off the vodka. Also, Soviet Magic. Hmmm. "Mind a partner, or partners?" She offers to Comrade Crush, after a nod to Sanary knowingly. "I'd be interested in seeing this magic myself. I need to practice water ninjutsu, so this might work well together." She's totally not just following the walking barrel of alcohol, not her, no! 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' "... Island base?" Sanary raises an eyebrow slowly as she keeps watching Comrade Crush work on that sand castle, even letting out a half-whistle after a while. She can't help it if she likes what she sees! Only for a little longer, though, before kicking her feet up in an attempt to spring off her chair.      Instead of a graceful jump, however, she just ends up toppling the whole thing backwards and sliding right off the back of it onto her ass.      Close enough. "Two entrances, huh? Alright... I'll help with the water base, then. Been meaning to test out some... Stuff." After getting back up and brushing the back of her shirt off, Sanary takes a little detour to get herself a can of beer, then turns to face outwards from the island!      "If we find anyone, do we want corpses or captives?" She tries not to grin too much at that, but does make a mental note to keep that for future use while wiggling her fingers to get the feeling back in them. She chuckles lightly at Yari's comment before moving to join her and Comrade Crush.      "We can still have a vacation with fighting. I mean, this is..." She pauses. "... Isn't this how vacations normally go, anyway?"      She doesn't sound like she's joking. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     Mirror does not appear to object to the petting. She also doesn't seem to enjoy it! Or hate it. She manages to conserve the closest thing she can to a neutral face, with occasional slips into either annoyance or resigned relaxation. It's entirely likely she'd spend the several hours sitting down by Lu-Mey, just sort of awkwardly waiting for things to make more sense. Past a point she'd have found some shade, the heavy sun an annoyance to her paler skin.     Maybe an errant fifteen minutes to stare in awe at the sandKremlin. That is not a sandcastle at all and if nothing else you have to appreciate the craftsmanship.     Finally things made more sense when Lu-Mey revealed the purpose of their presence. Mixing work and pleasure... if she'd known she'd have brought a bikini and tried to enjoy it after all. There's always next time?     "Depending on who you work for," she idly quips at Sanary's question, though she quickly adds: "I haven't had a lot of vacations. Downtime, but not trips like this. Well... where I'm from there's not a lot of beaches within reach, and not much sun either, so that might be why." Shadowlands are not reputed for their beach resorts! And until Warp Gates, getting places took a long enough time you'd not have the luxury of going to the beach 'for a day'.     "I'll go look on-land. So, everyone here but us is an enemy? There's no civilians or innocents on the island?" Probably important to know before re-enacting a slasher film. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Of course things are never that simple.      Raine who had chugged down his beer, and then ran off to go fail at riding some waves with his surfboard, washed back in after another wipeout, and sat up, shaking water and sand away. "Uuuugh..." What's this about a task? He only half heard.      Standing up, he brushed himself off and approached, listening in. "....Land and Water entrances? A base? The hell?" But what about vacatiooooon? He almost pouted at the prospect of work, but...Nah. A shake of the head, and a sigh, and Raine was off. "Alright, guess we gotta. C'mon, Fragrach! We're going to see where the heck this land entrance is."      Fragrach, who had spent all this time laying back and soaking in the sun's rays, opened one blue and black eye irritably. "........" Why did she have to get lumped into this? Tch. She didn't move to follow at all, leaving poor Raine to wander off by himself.      He knew that was going to happen. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "It is how vacations go for us!" Starless flicks her arm out to grab a towel, wrapping it around her like a cloak and tying it at her throat. There are probably shuriken hidden in there or something, knowing her. Cheerfully, the assassin kugutsu picks up her sword. "I suppose I'll head on through land. Us poor mere humans without magic can't hope to go exploring underwater."     Eh, it's.... kind of true.     "I suppose we should start the search!" Starless declares airly. She doesn't mind if Raine or someone comes along with her, but otherwise she'll be searching alone.     Or, more properly, in a trio. Two paper dolls are tossed down, poofing into replicas, and dash off in opposite directions from the 'real' Starless. Starless herself wanders over to the table, plucks an eyeball from a fish, and pops it into her mouth. "Now then..." Yes, that's the component for her 'sense life' technique. Cheater. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''      We are going to rewind time just a bit to the point where Lu-Mey handed Stygian Mirror a spare bikini. Of course it is black. Now everyone is in proper tropical island murder dresscode.     Lu-Mey sits back as the teams pick themselves, and then... Settles back onto her beach chair, plucking a tablet computer from her bag. "While you were all busy enjoyig yourselves, I took the liberty of slapping tracker cameras on your swimsuits so... I'll be watching from here~."     The oni casually picks up her chilled fruity drink... And slllllluuuurps it.     "Oh yes, do as you see fit, capture, kill, rack up a body count, compete with each other for high score, go all out! I don't really care and niether should you~." She replies to both Mirror and Sanary.     So it looks like that's that, then! The (now three) Empresses of Tenra, Raine (sans Fragarach), and Stygian Mirror are hitting the land entryway. And off towards the seas. Crush, Yari, and Sanary will be combing the beach! This sounds like a plan...     So where to begin... Well the island is a tropical paradise, and that means beyond the beach and leafy palm trees is a tropical jungle, lush and green and full of life. Starlesss' life sense will pick up all kinds of animals... Just about everywhere, but what stands out is the tree of humans some distance westwards. Indeed, the deeper into the forest that group goes, there start to show signs of life other than animals. Like a bootprint in the dirt left by someone careless.     The sea team commence their search, and what better place to do it but on the beach! Actually, to the north where the island starts to curve is an oddly far too out of place rock formation in a little copse of wading pools and surf caves to check out. Or there is the oddly dark patch os inky darkness that can be seen in the otherwise clear waters, just a tiny bit out to the ocean, for them to decide on checking. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' "Reminds me.. I think I got some vacation days saved up with the Zaibatsu, too." Sanary furrows her brow a bit, almost as if she's trying to figure something out with that. "But if I use those days, I'd just end up doing work here, too, so..." She shrugs lightly at Stygian before starting to conjure up a weird gray... Bowl? It's a huge bowl, looking more like a carnival ride rather than something to eat out of short of being a giant. She guides it into the water, lets it float a bit, then starts focusing.      It pushes into the water a bit, flips around several times, and ends up overturning before whatever unseen force was moving it just lets it drift off into the sea instead. "... Alright, screw it. Walking it is." Sanary tried, at least! She follows after Crush and Yari once they begin moving, conjuring up several tile-like gray masses behind them. She stops at the sight of the rock formation, however, and her first instinct...      Is to chuck tiles at them. Who knows? They might really be land mines or holograms or something! 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "How good are you at tracking?" Starless suddenly asks Stygian Mirror. "You're an animal girl, you can like... sniff them out, right? Human smell and all." Hey, Mirror's an Exalt, maybe she has the right Charms for that! In the meantime Starless is just wandering further inward, apparently at random. "My clones are still looking, but I don't think I want them to stumble onto the entrance. It looks like the base is occupied. We might have to evict the residents and their poor lonely lives here in the middle of nowhere." 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     "Very well, comrades!" Crush plants one huge hand each on Sanary and Yari's shoulders, giving them both a (surprisingly gentle) pat-pat. "Do not worry, comrade Sanary. Is taken care of. Comrade Yari, I will be sure to show you good sampling of Muscle Wizardry! And we will be starting with..."     With his free arm, Crush clenches a fist in front of his face, starting to walk towards the water. The waves shudder and shift as if brushed by an unseen force; when he turns his arm, flattens his palm and pushes downward, as if shoving something down with a mighty push, the water flattens itself out and pulls in, beginning to swirl and... thickening? Yes, thickening. And Crush steps right onto it, whereupon it seems to support his weight. "Please watch first step, comrades. Will feel somewhat odd under feet, until you are used to it."     And indeed, the swirling 'water disc' feels weird under the feet, but will support both Sanary and Yari quite easily in addition to the big guy. Once they're both on, it moves - surprisingly quickly! It makes searching the perimeter of the island much faster. Of course, once they end up near a strange, out-of-place rock and what looks like it might be a pit under the water, he brings them to a halt, and hrrms. "We are having choice, comrades. Is easy for me to take us underwater, if you are preferring. Or I am... opening that door over there. Hard way." 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Raine follows along with Starless and Mirror, rubbing the side of his head in an exasperated manner. He was the odd man out here, wasn't he? God damn it, Fragarach, you were the magical half of the team here. Without you, Raine is just a guy with a sword and some energy.      Oh well, nothing for it.      He glances down and notes the eventual bootprint in the dirt. "......" Well, they're not alone. Which corroborates Lu's statement about killing or whatever. Great. Another sigh escapes his lips, and he edged behind a tree, looking out to see if anything is about while the other two talk about tracking by smell or something. Rude. He took a bath today!      He moves to another tree, peeks out, and then moves again when it seems clear. Who even is here anyway? Some kind of para-military? An ancient tribe of spear throwers? What? 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Hrrrmn. "That usually /is/ where we find the choice targets. Still." Frown. Yari shakes it off though. Hmm. Suspicious outcropping, or dark inky patch of water. She glances to Sanary, then to Comrade Crush. From somewhere, she pulls out a kunai, flipping it in her newly attached arm's hand. Feels good. It's a slightly nervous smile, but blast it, if Comrade Crush isn't infectious with his ways. Sm..s.mile! Then, a salute! "Nnn! I'll be looking forward to it, Sir! Glory and honor, let us show the strength of Legion and Comradeship!" Then, onto the disc she goes after watching the display. Taping on her magitek gauntlet, she'll take first some readings of the disc, magic-wise, then start to do the same for that dark path underwater. Then thermal readings, too. "Hmm." At their choice, as she slowly gets her footing. She'll have to study it later though. "The rocks are the obvious starting point, I say we go with that. Though..." She makes several handseals! Pomf! A Yari-clone appears, and then leaps into the water! Trying to swim beneath to check out that trail. She'll know if it dies or finds anything. "An insurance policy in case this is a decoy." A nod to both. She'll have a few explosive tags to add, should Comrade begin the Rock Destruction. Smile. "We're on vacation after all. Let's all let loose a little bit, Mister Crush, Sanary." Make that /several/ explosive tags. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     Mirror would have insisted to at least keep her gauntlets and boots on. It probably lends a certain style to the bikini, but more practical to her, it keeps her outfit from losing the 'trappings of death' property. She's not always afforded this luxury but on a private tropical island it's not a problem.     Splitting up, she elects to go with Starless Night and Raine (or perhaps it's Starless who makes that decision, all things considered). This immediatly creates a terrible misunderstanding she tries to vaguely clear up.     "I'm not an... I mean I know I look like one but it's not what you think. If I had a nose, maybe, though. I can try listening instead..?"     Truth is, she's not got very many Charms that do things besides 'kill things horribly'. But fox ears are fox ears with or without Charms, and her eyes are especially good too, so let's try that.     She starts scanning the area, visually at first, for unusual details that stick out. Her ears twitch, and she tries to listen too. The idle chatter of people-- maybe of doors or machines inside the base. Then it's just a matter of moving to where the noise is closest to the surface and the entrance shouldn't be far.     That's the idea, anyway. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     The hunt is on... Well, while Lu-Mey is lounging on the beach let's go over what thr two groups find.     Between Starless' clones and life sense getting a broad idea for the area, Mirror's vulpine ears are apparently good enough to pick up conversation in the distance a little to the south. The words are distant at first, but the tone is CLEARLY that of bored idle guards with nothing to kill, while Raine darts from tree to tree, in search of a cardboard box. Between the three of them working together, even if they half-assed it, they'd find what they seek. There is an entrance built into one of the ilsand's many natural cave formations, heavy steel blast doors suggesting that the only way inside is with the proper access. It's set just deep enough inside the cave mouth that it would be impossible to see from the air and only someone approaching by ground would manage to find it. There's a small guard post just outside-- it's actually hidden quite cleverly thanks to a myriad of trees, camouflage nets, and elbow grease, in which two bery bored as hell guards wearily try to pass the time on their shift playing cards and grumbling.     Meanwhile the sea team has something else to work with entirely. Those rocks look mighty suspicious don't they? Well between explosive tags, muscle wizardry, and what means Sanary can add into the mix, it's revealed that the rocks were hiding a massive pipe. It was partially buried under sand, hidden by piled stone, and heads off in two directions-- one out to the ocean towards the blackness- and the other further into the island. Was is also the key word here, as the pipe ends up opened as a result and is massive enough on the inside for the crew to walk in, in sloshing murky water up to the kneeds, but it's a path nonetheless. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     Partially buried in sand? Covered in rocks? THESE ARE NOT PROBLEMS FOR SOVIET SORCERY.     Especially when it's backed by explosions.     And then they are in and walking. Crush is thoughtful enough to bring up his hand, flex his fingers, and conjure forth a ball of fire for light, floating over his hand as they slosh on. Of course, an exploration like this is a good opportunity to talk! So the commie talks.     "So, comrade Sanary. I am hearing rumors you are having... rough week. But am not getting specifics, and comrade Ophelia's report is only mentioning..." A bit of distaste seeps into his voice. He doesn't seem to like the wording. "'Loser self'. Was wondering if you minded talking about it. Will understand if not, of course!" 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' Sanary is taken by surprise at Crush's shoulder patting, not because of the force of it, but because of how... Non-forceful it is! The display of MUSCLE WIZARDRY gets her staring again, of course, and she looks from Crush to Yari with an intrigued grin on her face while he turns that water into a walkable mass.      "... We gotta learn that some time." Easing up a bit more as she follows her teammates, she looks just a little uncertain as Yari sends that clone out to scout on ahead of them.      "Definitely the rocks. It's just too weird not to." With that path decided, she joins in the efforts by... Throwing even more tiles at it! A moment later, gray steel-like bricks! It's the easiest brute force option she has without having to go right up to the things. And when that pipe is revealed...      Sanary's already starting for it. "Roomy. Ah.." The question about past events gets her to hesitate, especially since she's actually been rather quiet about the whole thing since waking up sans crazy. "That was... Uh. It was a thing. I don't... Really know where to start, though?"      She shrugs lightly and looks between Crush and Yari, managing a weak chuckle that sounds a little too forced and incredibly awkward. "I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon, if that's... Something?" 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Welp. Hello entrance. Not the most subtle job, but she's thieving Crush's vodka /and/ exploding things, so she has no reoom to talk. Also Sanary is throwing tiles. Her mother is likely rolling over in her grave right now. "You'd probably be better at it then myself, Sanary." She can already see the strength needed. And she's almost entirely dex based. She follows along behind Crush, using her armlet to try to hunt for more magical or thermal trails that might indicate where this path leads, and if it might be an underground lab that they're making for. Otherwise? The topic has her momentarily tensing, perhaps visible to both parties with her. "Miss Ophelia..." She can't hid ethe brief moment of pure hate in her voice. "Is wrong. Sanary Rondel is the farthest thing from a 'loser'." A small breath. "Just learn, Sanary. Mistakes happen." Shrug. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     "That, comrade Yari, is something I am in stern agreement with," Crush says. There's a certain tightness to his voice there, though it softens when he speaks again. "Is best to start at beginning, Sanary, but if you are not comfortable, I do not need to know. Only concern is whether... /comrade/ Ophelia, is causing problems for fellow Confederates. I am keeping very close eye on her in future, I think. Already do not like her. Honestly, is she thinking Confederacy is not noticing 'turn everyone into undead emu' agenda? We are having ears. And brains. She had best tread carefully." 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     As best as she can, Mirror guides her companions towards the sounds, aided by their own findings to pinpoint the cave entrance. From their hiding point (bushes? trees?) she motions towards the cave entrance. Now there's a lot of options for how to get in! Those blast doors look thick, but she's pretty sure she could cut through them. That's probably not the best way in though.     She reaches for her sword, which is the exact opposite of what she was just thinking, and pours some of her Essence into it. The black, jagged blade splits into two, horizontally, before she points it towards the cave entrance.     The upper half of the blade suddenly shoots out, still connected to the lower half by a tendril of black and gray Essence. Like a guided hookshot, the blade screeches through the air towards the two guards-- it attempts to run them through both, and then spirals around them wildly, trying to tie them up with the Essence rope.     Then Mirror would yank back on it, dragging the two guards back to the three of them, still hiding. Assuming she landed clean hits, they're probably not dead, although will be if allowed to bleed out. They've also been drained of a bit of magic/Essence (or life force, if they had none), refunding to Mirror the cost of activating her sword. Gotta love Soulsteel.     The end result SHOULD be that they now have two guards to search for keys, cards, or other useful belongings to get in quietly. If either Raine or Starless want to costume themselves, also an option. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' Sanary's looking just a little startled at that venom in Yari's voice at the mention of Ophelia, although a slight grin creeps across her face a moment later. "Ah... Y-yeah, I guess. There's definitely room for improvement, at least. Although..."      She chews on the inside of her lip as she conjures up a small gray spike, balancing it on a finger tip before chucking it aside. "It's not like I didn't learn a few new tricks or get anything out of that, so..." She sighs and grins a little more, reaching over to give both Yari and Comrade Crush firm pats on the back. "I can't be too mad at her. But... Thanks. Means a lot. Especially since... Well."      She taps a knuckle to her own head a few times. "I'm not the one that does the thinking, anyway. Too complicated." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "Oh, that's nice," Starless observes. She isn't particularly worried about them bleeding out, but at the last second she decides to spare them... if only for interrogation later. For now she simply places a mask atop one of their faces - preferably a female one - and gets to work searching them for a means of entry that is more subtle than tearing down the door... especially if she can steal their face.     "If this doesn't work, we can brute force our way in," Starless notes. It IS a valid tactic if she's in a hurry, just not one she cares for. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Raine stays back once they find the well hidden cavern being guarded by a pair of gates, as well as two guards. The Mirror does her thing, and once, and if, she is successful, Raine will just grin and wave. "Yoooo...sorry bout that. No hard feelings, right? Strictly business and all."      He then kneels down and begins to check the two for anything of value. Card keys? Actual keys? A map leading to a pot of gold!? A book containing the lost secrets of the universe!? A twinkie!? Maybe some beef jerky!? ...Wait when did this turn into a food raid? 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Ssssssllluuurp. Lu is just about finished with her drink, watching the action on her tablet while re-applying some more tanning lotion. That's really the extent of her involvement on this mission- er vacation.     Oni enjoying the beach aside, the guards don't know what hit them. They don't get a chance to understand what hit them. There's a squawk of pain and surprise as the Exalt's blade catches both men, spearing clean through them before binding them in Essence and dragging them back to the owner from whence they came. Both are bloody, gasping, and quickly going into shock. They're already passing out by the time they're plopped down at the group to search, and will indeed die if they get no medical attention. Oddly, they do refund a portion of Mirror's Essence with the equivalent in mana.     This strange fact aside, they're equipped in heavy duty military gear, top of the line and clearly well funded, and the keycard carried by one of them opens the blast doors on the first swipe. It's a trivial matter for Starless to steal a face, and one does have both: a map, and a book titled 'Lost Secrets of the Universe'. But that's just a religious book for some fringe belief system.     Regardless, the doors open leading to a cavernous hallway. It really only goes one direction, but it's worth noting that the walls are all smooth, industrial material rather than bare naked cave wall. Heading further in leads to a loading area of sorts; wide open, with a few vehicles passing by here and there carrying crates and containers full of metal barrels and drums. Beyond this area appears to be two paths, with signs denoting where they lead. 'Industrial Sector' and 'Lab Sector'. Thing is there are about eight to ten guards between this entry and either path.     Meanwhile in the pipe! As Crush, Sanary, and Yari discuss Ophelia... A bright red laser beam suddenly flickers to life and connects from one end of the pipe to the other wall. It whirrs and streaks towards them like a limbo stick of red laser-y doom. It's hilariously easy to dodge. The second and third however might get a little confusing. These lasers will burn painfully on contact. But beyond that, the pipe seems to have no real security, leading onward to a brighter opening. When it finally comes to an end, the trio end up in a chamber of noxious fumes. It's not a -stench-, but clearly the smell here is much more hazardous to health than the lasers were. This appears to be a chemical dumping fat, and for the moment it is empty. But the sounds of machinery above hint the crew might want to find a way up onto the walkways above without alerting the crew of tired looking men in white coats overlooking the area from a glass paneled control room higher up. Niether party has been noticed just yet. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Nnn. A solid nod to Crush. She's otherwise silent, though, staying oddly back as... Comrade Crush says everything she has ever wanted to openly say about Ophelia ever. There's this sudden overwhelming urge to hug Comrade Crush, that she just /barely/ holds back. That glinting eye of hers though? Yes. Comrade Crush, you've been eye-hugged. The ninja stays quiet. She looks very, very darkly amused. Why has she not met this man before, and where can she hire more of him? "So you've gained skills even if our ally is...unsubtle." She manages to say this with only a mere ounce of 'wanting to fire Ophelia into the sun'. "Worth it, hm? Anything else...well...I'm no Eorzean barbarian, but one can't account for weaknesses always. Things happen." Shrug. So casual. There's absolute murder in Yari's eyes. SUDDENLY RED LASER OF DEATH! Yari immediately bends backwards, and narrowly avoids being cut in half by lasers! She flips up to the wall, and starts running! The second, she dodges by a hair's breath by a quick roll from side to ceiling, but the third causes her to roll along the ceiling, slicing across her side and drawing a fresh bloody wound across her body! At least it's self-cauterizing! And thus, she's dodging lasers into a room made of fumes. She instantly pulls out a beach towel, rips off strips, and covers mouth and nose. Just in case. A glance up. Shew hispers. "...I'll look up." Running along the wall, ignoring her pain, she's trying to ferret out the walkways that isn't full of machinery death for her party. Should she find some? She'll use her radio to communicate where it's safe to leap up to! Maybe even offer a ninja-rope down for Crush to get to! 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     "Wahahaha! Cannot say I am blaming you," is Crush's response to Sanary. Now he's grinning, a broad and fierce one. "Would much rather just punch through any problem in my way, too!" His spirits lifted by that, Crush is quite happy to continue on and serve as the meat shield for the two girls with him. Sadly, the warmth of Ninja Eye-Hugs does not reach the colossal commie! But if he knew, he'd be flattered.     Then a laser zaps him right across the bicep. "What is tha- OW!"     He lapses into a brief burst of rather vulgar Russian, before taking a slight step to one side and letting the flame disperse. His solution to the laser problem is to simply flex himself up a block of ice, using this to refract the laser in such a way as to make it harmless! Or at the very least, ablate in such a way as to render the red beam useless. He'll have a nice red burn across his right arm, but other than that he's not too bad off. "Comrade Yari, comrade Sanary, are you all right?" he asks as they emerge into the room full of rancid fumes. It only takes a quick look around for Crush to determine that they should probably not be down here much longer.     He looks at the catwalks above, the control room higher up, and makes his decision.     STOMP goes his giant foot, causing a sudden rumble as a big stone ramp ERUPTS through the ground. It's a bit steep, but it'll give Sanary an easy way out of here. Yari can find her a safe path from there! But Crush himself? Oh no, he's going higher. The big guy crouches down, grits his teeth, focuses, and JUMPS. Jumps, with all his immense strength, sending himself right up to that control room way up there. Right up, where he can smash his free fist through the glass, grab hold of something, and haul himself inside.     And as if the spectacle of an eight-food slab of muscle in communist swim trunks, carrying a barrel of vodka, smashing through their window weren't enough? He loudly declares, "HELLO! I AM WONDERING IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO DISCUSS THE VIRTUES OF SOCIALISM!"     And then he starts cracking skulls. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "Hmm. I'll head to the lab, then," Starless suggests, glancing at Mirror. "Why don't we just split up and each raid what's here?" There's no reason for her to not just kill everyone in here, after all. Though of course she'll be more subtle than that.     Starless will just... walk toward the lab, looking like the guard she face-thefted. Of course her sword is kind of an oddity, but she'll just tuck it behind her, across her back. Harder to draw but she won't really care if her cover's blown, this isn't a super secret mission requiring quiet withdrawal or anything. "Now what could they be researching here?" 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' "Just because I was kinda... Psycho doesn't mean I don't remember what I did or learned during it." Sanary manages a short laugh at that, a combination of amusement and 'oh dammit I made myself sad again' in her voice. At least she's got her friends around to help her through that! She, too, resists the urge to just hug the both of them... For now.      FOR NOW.      She squints a bit at the sight of the first laser, but even as a low-evasion type? Even she can duck under something that easy! It's never always that easy, though, and her terrible luck rears its ugly head when the next two pop up. She fails utterly in avoiding the second one, and... Then she does something that might almost count as clever. For the third laser, she watches the path it's taking, then just shoves her hand against where it'll be coming from as it comes towards her.      Damage mitigation! If she can't avoid it, just tank it and cheat with magic to heal herself, Crush, and Yari up afterwards. "Freaking... Yeah, I'm good. Looks like we've definitely found the place, though."      Once they're through, she peers upwards and gives Yari a thumbs-up as the ninja moves on ahead, already conjuring up some more of those spikes behind her and waiting. Those men in coats might need to be introduced to her spikes if they decide to sound an alarm, after all! She takes Crush's offered path to the control room, and... Dammit, she had something for this. Instead of trying to come up with something clever and just making herself sound dumb, however, she opts for plan B:      Standing by silently with a mass of spikes behind her to look intimidating in a dress shirt and bikini. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' "I'm fine, Sir. Nothing Medical can't treat." She offers with a smile to Mister Crush. And then, he's off to the heavens with SOVIET POWER! She runs along the wall, and Yari eventually lands beside the duo as Comrade Crush offers very convincing socialism mandates to the scientists. She does find her own little science-bro, makes a handseal, and then she's offering an illusion upon the poor smuck. Namely, razors in every vein that pumps blood. His entire veins are razors pumping razors full of pain. "...Tell me something. Where are the valuable equipment and research in this facility? Answer me truthfully, and the suffering stops." Yari Takane is a nin-jerk, through and through. Just for extra /jerk/ in ninja, she even throws extra Soviet Approved Vodka on the scientists' illusion-wounds. Then slurps some down. Mmm, oppression. This Garlean approves. She also tries to illusion something intimidating on Sanary. Like full plate. With multiple spikes. That's all the rage on heavy-armored folk, right!? 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     Though curious about the mask Starless slips on one of the guards, Mirror doesn't ask about it. There's probably a better time and place to do that sort of thing, and some people don't like to talk about those things anyway.     Nor does she question the book.     Religious weirdos, that, she's more familiar with.     Moving with the others once her blade has unwrapped itself and retracted into one piece again, Mirror is content enough the doors open without a fuss, but the noise from the guards ahead means their sneaking about is at an end unless either Raine or Starless have extra tricks up their sleeves. And in the interest of saving time, Mirror assumes it's time to do her job.     Sword still sheathed, she waits until Starless has moved into the lab before striking. In a flash, the woman uses Ebon Lightning Prana to practically teleport behind one of the guards ahead, her sword unsheathed and extended out afterwards. It's anime as hell, but there's a high chance the guard she just moved past is actually a corpse now, complete with Essence drain. It'd only topple over dramatically when she looks back.     Then she lets go of the sword, and it begins spinning in the air quickly. A dozen shadowy copies of the sword appear, all orbitting Mirror-- forming a Hundred Razor Circle. Any guard that rushes at her now will be subject to an attack from the swords now orbitting her, with equal deadliness to her real sword.     A black circle with eight sun rays is visible on her forehead by now, bleeding down on her face. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      BACK AT THE BEACH      Fragarach soaks up the sun and sips on a random non-alcoholic beverage. Ah, yes, this was the life. Her tail wiggled happily. She could get used to this kind of life.      BACK WITH RAINE      "Holy crap-" He eyes the book and it's title. Seriously? For real? ...Let's take it. He picks it up and tucks it away, taking nothing else. After that, he closes his eyes and focuses.      'Yo, Fragarach. Stop lazing and get your ass over there. Some fools are about to die and they need to be not dying.'      He opens his eyes again and he turns, wandering off after Starless and Mirror once again. Into the building they go, down the hallway... Ah a split. Raine watches as the one with the curious looking sword pretty much laid into the guards without any mercy. "Sheesh. Just do all the work why don't you?" He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders before he turned and waltzed down to the industrial area marked.      No need for them all to go in the same direction.      BACK AT THE BEACH      Fragarach sputtered and shot up as a voice entered her mind, spilling some of her drink and inducing a coughing fit. After a short bit, she sobered up and narrowed her eyes. "......." After seriously contemplating ignoring it, she resigned herself and floated up and off, leaving Lu-Mey to go handle this annoyance. She had fools to heal. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Lu-Mey curses as she splashes her drink on her belly. It's cold!     Nevertheless, Starless makes her decision on the path she's going. Though there are a few odd looks whenever someone catches a glimpse of the kugutsu's katana, no one pays it too much attention, and she's mostly left to her own devices. This is their greatest mistake, when Stygian Mirror comes in right after her. There's a blinding flash of sweet anime special effects, when the Abyssal streaks by the first man-- actually no that's his body erupting in a flare of blue light when he's cut, and he too ends up giving her plenty of mana to soak. The result is quick, dirty, and messy, but as the other men turn to yell and call for alarm, only one manages to raise his gun and pop off a few fireballs from the barrel before he's cut down too, and the room is rendered a mess that says 'an Abyssal Exalt was here'.     Raine's shiny new dogmatic texts tell of the great alien overlord Xenor of the Nubunon nebula, putting all the souls of the peaceful Grimlek race into space ships shaped like jet planes and senting them to the Multiversal Super Planet where those souls inhabited myriad bodies and thus created Elites. It's trashy garbage a science fiction writer or his eight year old reincarnation would come up with. The next volume requires membership subscription to obtain, and that involves joining at any SOTUOLOGY store-church and having Bleaton levels tested to see if Raine is the next reincarnation of their author-god.     For Starless, and if the others follow her, the lab is expansive, but it's all one room... There are plenty of white coated men here working on chemical concoctions and research, but the end result for all their work seems to be bottles of a glowing blue fluid, or myriad doses of glowing blue pills. It also looks like they've run out of guards in the last room. Oops.     It looks like the white coated men in the control observatory... Have also run out of guards. In fact it looks like the base had only expected intruders to use the main entrance as a point of ingress, which means when the earth shakes, the workers are off balance, confused, and bewildered, when Crush, Yari, and Sanary evade, tank, refract, and cheat their way through the lasers. The scientists are intimidated by spikes, bikinis, and very large men beating them around. 

:'''{{#var:991|Stygian Mirror (991)}} has posed:'''     A fireball hits Mirror on the exposed belly. It hurts and burns and she immediatly regrets agreeing to wear this bikini instead of her tunic. The nasty scorch mark glows for a moment, the woman reaching for it. Blood oozes out into her empty hand, forming a replica of the gun used to wound her. No sense not using this, there might be more guards ahead. She does take a moment to turn towards Raine, before he walks ahead.     "Sorry, I'm... a bit used to working alone. I think I expected them to put up a fight." She glances at the bodies around her. "... sorry." She sounds sincere enough, it's a genuine mistake.     She follows after Raine then, not losing any more time staring at the dead bodies. She's just glad these were soldiers, she doesn't have to do mental gymnastic to justify killing soldiers. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     It's guaranteed that at least a few of the guys in the observatory room are gonna get through their ordeal... well, /mostly/ conscious, right? They'll survive, anyway. "Comrades, I seem to recall we are needing to bring back... souvenirs. And is occuring to me..." He grins toothily at the men in white coats. "Maybe we are looking at them, da?"     The big guy turns around and reaches out with his palm, as if feeling an invisible 'wall' in the air. Magical power ripples within his muscles as he finds a spot that satisfies him... then draws his arm back, curls it into a fist, and slams it forward into that spot.     WHAM.     The noise is audible throughout the control room. He actually /hit/ something?     The noise is /ALSO/ audible back near Lu-Mey.     WHAM. WHAM. WHAM.     Again and again, Crush delivers hammer blows to thin air, and spiderweb cracks of glowing crimson begin to appear in it as if it were glass. WHAM. WHAM. WHAM. CRASH! With one last fierce blow, the colossal commie punches a hole in reality, one leading right back to the beach. "Hello, comrade Lu-Mey! We are finding interesting things! I am sure these gentlemen are having plenty of secrets to share, da?"     Then he turns around and sets the barrel of vodka on the ground, and begins flexing at it - while addressing all the scientists. "My new comrades, I am strongly suggesting you are going through portal. Am laying delayed-effect spells on barrel. Room will very soon be, ah... very, very much on fire." 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:''' Hooray for illusions! Sanary's not even sure what exactly it looks like, but she does see spikes and armor. That's probably loads more intimidating than what she's actually wearing, at least, and she takes full advantage of that to start rummaging around the room to try and find something of value worth taking! Lu-Mey did mention bringing back the shinies things they could find, so perhaps...      It's time to mess with the control room. A control room has to have something that is... Controls,so why not? Seeking out the nearest panels, the healer wastes little time in just poking and pulling on goddamn everything. Not that she knows what she's doing, but...      "We didn't need this place intact, right?" She looks towards Crush and Yari for confirmation on that, then shrugs lightly. In retrospect, maybe it would be useful to keep the place from blowing up, but... She's already started messing with things. No sense half-assing it now, especially if Comrade Crush is telling the truth about the fire!      "... We should probably leave too, huh?" 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Hmm. Blue pills and such? Starless looks in and... well, she has no problem with murdering people, but NEEDLESS death is another thing. After barely a half second of thought, she hurls down an exploding ball, which detonates with a loud pop and a flash of light. Using that for cover, she sprays webbing at the scientists nearest the various 'products' and makes to grab them.     Surely this will be useful, but it makes her wonder what other things are in the base where the others are. It also makes her ponder something else... like how to get out past the guards on the way back.     Meh, there's enough going on maybe she can just sneak past. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari then drops the poor Tortured Scientist Dude. Pat pat. "Thank you." So polite, this ninja. Riiiight, don't suck up Comrade Crush's patented Vodka Bomb(TM). Yari is only partly dissappointed. Yari also helpfully gathers up her Tortured Scientist again and then peers at a few. Glare. NINJA GLARE! "...Either adhere to Mister Crush's desire, die in fire, or maybe I'll decide to use you all as a..." Smile. SMILE. Her 'new' arm draws a katana. "Very, very slow test cut. I'd suggest doing what Mister Crush says." Smiiiile. A look to Sanary, A look to Crush, and a nod. Oh hell yes. We're getting out of here. Yari has Sci-Bro(s) in tow. And she even flicks a Confederate Zippo into the conflagration. Just in case. "By my Legatus, I haven't wanted to see an explosion that big since I was pulled out of a pile of dead people. Sanary. Mister Crush." Pause. She raises an empty glass. "Well done. Well done. ...Now let's get out before we join them." If she has to, she'll grab Sanary, and ninja-speed out of the fire. Without looking back, FOR CONFED SOVIET COMMUNISM IMPERIALISM damnit. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Raine reads.      Raine reads some more.      Raine reads a little bit more.      Raine frowns.      "What the hell is this crap?" He closed the book and tossed it over his shoulder. "I'll just pirate the rest online." And then he glanced at Mirror and smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, if you wanna make my job easier by doing all the work, I ain't gonna stop you."      He does not follow after Starless however. She can handle herself. And he wants to know what's on the other side of this base. It's got to be something good, right? Like a blu ray copy of The Room. That was a timeless treasure. There was no doubt in his mind now.      They were conducting research into how to go about injecting people with concentrated terrible, and then turning them loose upon the Multiverse. Yes. This is what Raine was going to believe from now on.      This is how it was always meant to be. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Alright so what do we have here?     Well Starless webs up the scientists handily. They not only did not see it coming, but have literally no combat training nor experience. And this means... Prisoners that can be put to use! Aside from the guards that have all been mauled, there are just a small handful to mop up, popping out now to harass Stygian and Raine, but otherwise the lab and main entry can be considered clear once three or four more men are dealt with in as flashy a manner as Mirror and Rain feel.     Elsewhere... Lu-Mey looks up and blinks, jolting with a start and now dumping the last of her drink right on her lap when Crush punches a convenient hole in reality to suit his needs. She stares blankly at him for a long moment, empty glass finally dropping from her hand as the Oni tries to parse what just happened. BUT it looks like the Crushing Communist, Sanary, and Yari have opted to blow up the Industrial sector, via means of explosive vodka, Sanary hitting enough buttons to dump out the room's highly noxious and flammable contents into a convenient spot to blow up, and Yari topping it off by throwing a zippo into the mix like in an action movie.     The island shakes as the industrial sector goes off like... Enchanted vodka on fire, when it does.     "O-oh! Well! ... That's good! Wow I didn't expect you all back so soon-- I mean... Well I WAS watching the whole thing and all--" She fumbles, adjusting her tablet screen and flicking off the video of cute kittens and back to the bikini camera feeds. "AHEM! Well! It looks like the party game is over, neh~? Good job hijacking the factory, our magic users will probably love these blueberry flavored mana potions once we get the recipe off all the scientists. I hear the ones we have on supply currently, taste like seventy year old feet." 
}}

3849/A Special Day

2016-02-26T17:02:08Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/02/25 |Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse |Synopsis=Can't even celebrate the anniversary without something coming up. |Cast of Characters=19,..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/02/25
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse
|Synopsis=Can't even celebrate the anniversary without something coming up.
|Cast of Characters=19, 219, 231, 253, 255, 385, 395, 778
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     So when was the last time Amalthea threw a party? In her own manse on top of things. It's not a big affair, just some casual invitations for people to come hang out. A little out of the ordinary, perhaps, but she's been a little mum about the reason for gathering a bunch of people, instead of one on one hang time.     Well the manse is done up... In no special way at all. She's done jack all to prepare for people showing up aside from some lazy sweeping of the glitter that's always all over the floor, and setting out a table of snacks and drinks. Believe it or not, there's more than just tacos. Though those are on the table too. It's mostly light stuff, a cooler of beers, and a bunch of sodas set in the main chamber of manse, the skylight formed by the mouth of the volcano is left open as the sun sets. Amalthea is actually dressed kind of nicely though, and she...     Casually presses a button that BLARES MUSIC THROUGH THE WHOLE MANSE. Including Lest's lab.     That ought to get a bit of attention, even if it ends with a very bewildered Iyoshi sticking his snout of of the massive doghouse in the corner of the room. She shuts it off after a minute though and casually sips at a beer.     Life is good. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     WOO PARTY TIME!     Kyle hasn't entirely dressed up for a casual get together, but he has changed up his uniform today. Instead of his normal clothes, he's brought jeans, a leather jacket, some tennis shoes, and a black t-shirt. Simple and casual. Kyle's also got a lighter beard than usual, though it's clear he's only just begun regrowing it after a shave for...something.     Arriving to hear blasting music, he runs at his ears while he peeks into the room proper. "Interesting place. Can't say I ever pegged you as a volcano fortress type, and I've seen some pretty insane installations on Mustafar in my time." He muses, grabbing a beer and a taco, inspecting the latter curiously before taking a hearty bite. Nomf. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     If it's out of the ordinary for Amalthea to put a call out for a gathering, then it's equally rare for Setsuko to answer. She doesn't attend such gatherings often, and when she does it's in her nature to attend only briefly, and stay on the outskirts of the crowd. But Amalthea's someone Setsuko shares a rare bond of honor and trust with. If she wants the demigod of war to attend, then the demigod of war shall attend.     The music suddenly blaring as she approaches is something of a surprise, though. She hadn't really expected this to be that sort of party. So she's looking just a smidge awkward as she strides into the main chamber, looking around with some puzzlement. But there's Amalthea - and Iyoshi, for that matter, off to one side in his doghouse. She favors the Atlantean hound with a brief smile, before heading Amalthea's way. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't... well, this." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is here, for all the time he can usually spare for any sort of party with his own triple-job life situation. But he did make it. And he's brought what appears to be a crock pot in his hands, which he's carrying gingerly and sets down on the table next to the rest of the food Amalthea made.     Plugging it into the wall, he says, "Yo. I brought Spicy Cheddar and Crab Dip," He replies, making sure the crock pot is near chips and crackers due to the nature of its contents. It's not actually that he knew this was a party, it's just a New England thing, really, that if you're going to someone else's house you bring a crock pot with hot dip in it. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya was rather shocked to hear Amalthea was throwing a party in her own manse. She had almost forgot the Unicorn Knight? Had one it been that long, but here Maya was she was even dressed up for once. She didn't look like she fell out of a post nuclear wasteland. She was wearing a mostly red outfit and even a skirt. Yup maya was pretty darned dressed up she had her long blue hair lose too. Maya was loooking quite relaxed. "Well it is an impressive home, and there's the music humm not too bad at all." 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Truth be told, Yuna's been looking for a chance to drop by Amalthea's fortress at some point; getting invited over for a party - well, it's a surprise, but a welcome one. A little finagling of her schedule, and she heads over to the volcano as soon as she's done with classes at Beacon for the day; the blaring music is kind of a confirmation that she's headed in the right direction. Then the music stops. Yuna just smiles in wry relief; if it was going to be THAT loud she would have had to wear earmuffs or something to be able to hold a conversation. She's still in her Beacon Academy uniform, but she went out of her way to stop by a bakery so she wouldn't arrive entirely empty-handed. (No, the invitation didn't say you had to bring something, but still.) "Hi Amalthea!" Yuna calls out, waving cheerfully to her fellow paladin. "How've you been? I'm sorry I haven't been in touch more often ... hey Kyle, hi Setsuko, hello Psyber, hey Maya!" she quickly greets the other guests who've gotten here ahead of her. When she has a chance, she offers her basket to Amalthea; the contents are wrapped in a red-and-white checkered cloth, partly for presentation, partly to keep them warm (they must have come out of the oven just before she got them); inspection would reveal an assortment of muffins (blueberry, banana-nut, chocolate chip, and 'plain', about nine of each). "They're not really special, but I hope people enjoy them ..." 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     Well okay. Music blaring in the lab. Lest can deal with that. She emerges just moments later, wearing a labcoat all buttoned up. "What, wha... oh." Right, the party. She must have forgotten! Yes, that's it. She forgot.     Which does not at all explain why the labcoat gets shucked off and hung up just inside the lab door, and Ellestaria walks in to greet everyone wearing a very nice, deep green dress. She makes a beeline for the crab dip, as if wearing a nice dress like that was completely normal for her. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Well I did kind of tell none of you the others would be showing up." Amalthea notes mildly to Setsuko, experimentally trying to had the demi-goddess a beer. "It's not like it's a full on party or anything. I don't do those, they're stuffy and boring."     See? It's not a full on party. But she is dipping a taco in the crock pot. Pointedly after passing Psyber a beer of his own. Thankfully Amalthea kills the loud music, it was mainly to get Lest's attention and pull her from the lab. Though Amalthea quirks a brow at the dress, there is something of a smug look on the unicorn's face after a moment.     "Yo, Psyber. Yuna." She greets , but then lazily waves a hand, "Personally I'm more of a small cottage in the woods type, but I'm not going to look a gift fortress in the mouth." She explains to Kyle and Maya, lazily. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Trotting in, Ariel perks up immediately. "Hiya, Aunt Setsuko!" She puts a hand on Iyoshi so the dog doesn't bound over and knock something over on the way, but both head over to Setsuko for now. Not that she doesn't give everyone else, especially Psyber and her parents, some very warm and sparkling smiles and waves! "Hi everyone! Welcome to the Fortress of No Stuff Given!" Yes she knows that isn't the real name. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pats Ariel lightly on the head for leaving that word out. Good girl. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Kyle laughs. "Fair enough." He's joined by a woman who presses up behind him, an arm with a brown-gloved prosthetic wrapping around his waist. Jan Ors is also here, sporting a red sundress, more makeup than she usually has, and also a leather pilot's jacket to match her boyfriend's. She's also still wearing her boots, she'll be damned before she figures out heels. "We also brought something too. It's how parties work, right?" Jan grins, setting down a couple pizza boxes from a place they stopped by before they got here.     Kyle nods to others who arrive, so does Jan, and he approaches Iyoshi for a moment with some curiosity. "Hey there, big fella..." He kneels down, holding out a hand for the big hound to sniff before he gives Iyoshi some pats. Good doggy.     For the curious, one pizza is meat lover's, the other is pepperoni, sausage, and pineapple. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' After dropping the basket of muffins off on the food table (or somewhere appropriate), Yuna waves to Lest and Ariel. "Ellestaria, Ariel, how've you two been doing?" she greets them, then begins making her way along the food table, checking out what's there to pick from. Those tacos do look pretty good, but ... "Ah, Amalthea? The tacos don't have hot sauce or other spicy toppings, do they?" Better to ask before her mouth is on fire, after all. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Setsuko is handed a beer. She blinks at it. There's a second or two of simple, vaguely puzzled staring. Then, quietly, she reaches up to twist it open, before bringing it to her nose, followed by taking a small sip. Hm.     If nothing else, it remains in her hand for the time being, while she greets Psyber and Yuna both with a nod, before kneeling down to greet Iyoshi and Ariel - even if the former is big enough she doesn't really need to kneel by this point. "Hello, Ariel. And Iyoshi. You look well." She reaches up and gives the dog a scritch behind the ears, then puts a hand in her pocket, drawing out a plastic bag with a good-sized slab of jerky in it. "I brought you a present, boy. You've taken good care of her." A brief, faint smile in Ariel's direction. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     "Hello everyone," Lest repeats, leaning back with... apparently she decided pinapple pizza with crab dip is perfectly okay. She's leaning against a table, seeing who showed up with a tilt to her head. Glancing at Amalthea, she raises an eyebrow with a small tsk, then greets the others. "Maya, Yuna, you're looking well. Katarn. Psyber, the dip smells good. And Setsuko, feel free to play with Iyoshi. He's getting a little lazy." 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya seems very amused at what Amalthea has to say and nods. "I'm still living in an tiny apartment made out of scrap myself." She turns to see Ariel enter and smiles at her. "Thank you Ariel, for the warm welcome." She also seems very amused and in good spirts from the sounds of things. The Blue Haired woman nods. "I brought a few things as well well." She pauses to look Ellestaria and smiles back. "You and Amalthea have won, I'm wearing something far more lady like than I normally do." She doesn't seen mad, just amused. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber takes the beer that Amalthea gives him and sips it, "Ah, thanks." And then he looks to Ellestaria, "It's not much. Pretty basic, just the usual stuff. Secret is I add a heavy extra dose of Old Bay to the whole thing for some good kick and taste to it," He smiles to Ariel in turn after he's done. Setsuko's greeting is returned with a vague half-wave and then he mostly shifts to a passive sort of hanging out as he does at most social parties that don't involve him strongarming someone else into being social. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea waggles a finger at Yuna. "Atlantean tacos." It's the only explanation she gives.     Because tacos are fruit.     Iyoshi perks up first, before bounding right over. He's padding briskly over to Setsuko for the sake of 'Setsuko', but the jerky is a pretty big bonus. Jedi patting is also a bonus too.     Right, well another sip of her beer, and Amalthea feels it's just about time. She finishes her dip-slathered taco in a few more bites and then clears her throat for attention.     "Okay! So. I'm betting you're all wondering what this was about." She announces, setting her bottle down. "Hah, I said y'all could come nice or casual, and look at you lot, dressing nice." Mild amusement, there, but she's got no grounds to stand on, as she adjusts her shirt collar. "Anyway, a few years ago, I-"     "I HAD MY MANSE TAKEN FROM ME BY AN UNGRATEFUL KING AND QUEEN AND WATCHED IT BE GIVEN TO A HORNED HORSE AND HER BROOD!"     Amalthea has trailed off, as someone else apparently finished a sentence. It was not her sentence, but it sure was used as a diving point to leap into that rant.     The unicorn's eye blinks once. Twice. Mildly stunned, before the ground begins to rumble and the walls shake.     From a tunnel burrowed deep underground, a new doorway into the manse appears in a spray of rock and rubble, as a hooded man in red emerges, flanked by multiple flame aspected elementals. The majority are Fire Butterflies, and Amabosars- lazy Elementals tainted by earth. Though there is one Ifrit among them.     "I, LORD VICIOUS FLAME, HE WHO BREATHS REBELLION IN..." He trails off there. "What? You didn't NOT see this coming, did you? My day of vengeance and retribution. I said it would come! But no one listened, so now HERE IT IS!" 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Well, if there's no more information than *that* forthcoming, Yuna adds a taco to her plate - and because she trusts Amalthea and Ellestaria with her life (and more importantly, her taste buds), she tries a bite of the taco first. She immediately starts choking on it when Lord Vicious Flame makes himself known, catching everybody by surprise and apparently getting ready to burn everybody to ashes. Fortunately, Elner - while not immediately by Yuna's side upon arrival - *is* in the general area, so her Light Suit is readily accessible ... Y'know. Once she can breathe again. A little help might be in order. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea speaks, and Setsuko stands up, turning to listen.     A voice thunders, the ground rumbles, and the demigod closes her eyes.     Lord Vicious Flame emerges, and with the air of one facing a put-off chore, the swordswoman turns and opens her eyes again; and they are alight with glimmering blue.     "You have made a very, very grave mistake, Lord Vicious Flame," the demigod says simply. "You have emerged among a group of very powerful people, who greatly outnumber you, promising violence and paying insult." Her hand comes up, and settles on the grip of her sword. "And I am grown far stronger since the last time you and I locked eyes. I don't think you've yet realized the depth of your error. So I'm going to pay you a kindness. Leave, now, and we'll forget anything happened."     Sigh. She knows exactly how this is going to end. She's felt it since she walked in.     "...I imagine that I know your choice, but I offer it regardless." 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Jan seems to sample some of the taco fruit and dip, munching quietly while Kyle goes back to his beer. "Good stuff. What did you say it was? Something with crab?" Jan asks, before munching once more. The two seem to quietly chat and mingle while dining, before EVERYTHING HAPPENS.     Jan is /dangerously/ close to the opened portal, before Kyle grab her and the two dive away for cover. "Guess we know who the previous owners were." Jan deadpans, before immediately reaching inside Kyle's jacket to pull his blaster from the holster.     Kyle meanwhile stands to his feet while his partner levels her weapon, pulling out his lightsaber and activating it while assuming a stance. "You just picked the worst time to show up, pal. I promise it's not gonna be the last mistake you make tonight." 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya pauses for a moment she stares as the heat gets turned up the heat. AS a pack of fire elementals bust their way in, Maya thankfully has not been in the habit of going about unarmed anywhere.Still she's hoping they could take a moment to try an get them to go away for a moment. "You have come on a day of celebration and I'm wiolling to also overlook this as well you should take up Setsuko's kind offer and depart with no further issue. I will happily forget about this and go back to the party." Maya seriously just wants to enjoy this day and not /fight/ but it looks like this knuckle headed fire spirit intends to cause trouble. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Huh." Psyber says as he sets the beer down upon the chat being interrupted by the return of Lord Vicious Flame. After setting the beer down, he calmly (ignoring seemingly the intruder into the house), walks away from the entire situation and takes a side exit from the living room.     He's actually gone for a while. You can't see it, but there are sounds of cabinets opening and shutting coming from a couple closets and then also from the kitchen before a faint, 'Ah ha' can be heard. When he re-enters it's from an entrance behind the Ifrit-man.     FWOOSH!     There's a huge spray of ice-cold white foam as Psyber begins spraying the Ifrit with the Fire Extinguisher that any responsible home owner should keep in either a closet or the kitchen. As he's calmly spraying the man down with said fire extinguisher, he blandly replies, "An open flame or combustable substance indoors and in an uncontrolled environment is a severe fire hazard. Please think of the safety of all present children." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Iyoshi IMMEDIATELY drops into a crouch, snarling as the Dragonblooded bursts into the room. Ariel stares, then pouts as she grabs a taco, and... climbs up onto the hound's back. Grasping at his collar, she steadies herself as the huge dog straightens up and bounds forward, serving as a BATTLE MOUNT For the young unicorn! Electricity crackles around her as she moves in toward the elemental creatures, air shimmering and sending duplicate dogs + unicorns either direction as illusory copies. All of this so she can close in while Psyber is trying to extinguish the flames. "It's a very nice home, and I'm happy to have grown up here! Would you like a taco, sir? My name is Kuklos ka Ariel Schmendrick-Fortuna, and if there is any way in which we can make you more comfortable, I'd prefer that to fighting, please!" She says that with a bright smile... but Iyoshi's snarl says that she's not going to just passively sit there if she's attacked. "Aunt Setsuko doesn't seem to like you, are you sure you wouldn't want to have a meal first?" She lifts her spare hand and wiggles fingers at the Fire Butterfly nearest to her. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     Ellestaria stares as someone... BUSTS INTO HER HOME. This is not a pleasant thing. The Atlantean stares as her daughter does the usual peace offering first, then she sighs and sets her pizza down. Lightning crackles around her fingers, but it's not lightning she throws. Simple bolts of ice jolt out, giving some covering fire to Ariel against the fire elementals. "I see. You could have used the front door, you know." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Lord Vicious Flame has gotten through more of his introduction than he used to in the past, but he still didn't get the full name out. He's drawing a breath to bellow again when the party turns on him. Oh he remembers Setsuko. He remembers her well. Even with his hood up, the Dragonblooded sorceror pauses, a beat of sweat rolling down the side of his brow as it really does sink in just how BAD a time he chose to bust in.     Amalthea is still a bit on the stunned side, and thusly spends this time patting Yuna firmly on the back to help dislodge taco from her windpipe.     Blasters are levelled, threats are raised- Psyber finds a fire extinguisher in a volcano- which results in Twelve Flames Scimitar (this is the Ifrit's name) flailing in bewilderment as he's doused, garbling in a very undignified manner for a moderately high level Ifrit of his station and class, thusly keeping him busy for the moment.     Lord Vicious Flame considers his options, looking thoroughly distressed at his bad timing, before ARIEL SWOOPS IN WITH THE ULTIMATE ATTACK.     "I... I..."     Well damn.     "I will accept this... Taco."     He does in fact accept a taco and commences munching. "AND THEN I WILL ORDER MY MINIONS TO ATTACK! ELEMENTAL MINIONS! WRECK THE PARTY!"     He does not directly attack Ariel though-- I mean... Who can? Though he backs off from Iyoshi anyway.     Well, with the Ifrit pinned by fire extinguisher for the moment, the Amabosars lumber forth... Their slow ponderous steps carrying them... Towards the snack table. Where they begin eating everything lazily.     "No! No no I said-- I didn't mean EAT I meant--"     Getting zapped by Atlantean bioelectricity however makes him drop in a heaving spasm of total muscle control loss.     It's the Fire Butterflies that sigh and might cause a problem. Though one leans in, in humanoid form, to start braiding Ariel's hair because it was probably one of the ones she complimented in the past, the others start to flit around. Anything they touch catches fire, but anyone with a fire extinguisher or really any means of putting out a fire can easily counter the low level of damage right now. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' The taco is dislodged from Yuna's windpipe, and the blonde nods thankfully to Amalthea as she's catching her breath. Then she actually finishes chewing that bite of taco and sets her plate down somewhere. "Seriously, if you're going to crash a party, there's a right way to go about it ..." NOW Yuna transforms, her Beacon uniform replaced by the sleek armor of her Light Suit; her shield materializes on her left arm as soon as she's done with her henshin, accompanied by a sword in her right hand - not the Matrix Divider, just a sword, albeit a sleek and high-tech-looking one (for all that it's basically a sharp piece of metal with a not-sharp grip). She's not trying to slash at any of the monsters, though. Nope. She's aiming to bap them with the face of her shield, Shugoseiheki. If or when Lord Vicious Flame joins the fray, she might go on more of an offensive, but right now? She's defending the buffet, and she doesn't need a sword to do that. Except maybe for intimidation value. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     For a moment, a brief and hopeful moment, Setsuko believes that she might be able to get out of this without battle.     She should have known better. She can sense the impending fight.     She is hesitant to draw her weapon in Amalthea, Lest and Ariel's home; Amalthea grants her discretion, however, so the swordswoman considers her move for a moment. She would still like to frighten off Vicious Flame if she can. And the Fire Butterflies are... well, easy prey. She doesn't feel quite right laying into them so mercilessly in front of Ariel. There is a resolution to this paradox, however, that will both stop their 'rampage' and leave them relatively unharmed.     The demigod dashes into the midst of the butterflies at full speed. There is a whisper of gleaming steel leaving its sheat, and then- then a solid 'FWAP'. With blinding speed, Setsuko is drawing her weapon, using the flat to strike the burning elementals in the side of the head, and returning it to its sheath, purely for the extra haste the technique grants her. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Looking at each other, then the party crashers, Kyle and Jan just kind of stare as they lower their weapons. They really don't even have the heart to attack them, so they put their weapons back in the holsters before Kyle wanders over to Amalthea. "Uhh, Cap? You wouldn't happen to have a second fire extinguisher would you?" He asks, noting the flames.     This is the weirdest party either of them have attended, to be honest. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea pinches the bridge of her nose and gestures towards the kitchen in the other room. "There should be a few spares in there." She answers Kyle. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     "Right." Kyle will return with a pair of extinguishers, tossing one to Jan before they helpfully begin putting out flames. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya looked t first as if the fight was about to be avoided due to awesome food. This is not the case he just was playing them to get a snack. Maya looks to the attackera sn hewr eyes narro. Nope there was going to be a fight. She thankfully never goes anywhere without what seems to be a tarot deck. The deck is in truth spell cards for the form of magic. She draws a card and makes ready with it and she bleeds blue fire form her body into it. A moment later the card glows and rises up into the air. Maya her self starts causing columns of water to form and explode in th ranks of the attacking beings of fire. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Oh. It was worth a shot, at least! The taco was a good try. Ariel sighs, glancing at the others and then shaking her head. "If you wanted to come to the party we could have invited you... I don't mind if mom and mom don't," she says reasonably. She keeps a hand on Iyoshi though, because the dog is snarling much more. For the time being Ariel is neutralized, in the sense that she's unwilling to hurt the Fire Butterflies. She is keeping said butterflies busy though. "I think you're going to have to clean this up." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Setting down the now-empty fire extinguisher, Psyber takes a pack of Lucky Strikes out of his jacket and holds one up to a Flame Butterfly that is particularly focused on Ariel. He lights the tip of it off one of her wings and then puts the filterless cigarette in his mouth and puffs on it faintly.     He hunches down next to the spasming Ifrit on the ground and starts to ask curiously, "Now are you going to behave if I let you get up? Or am I going to have to put the handcuffs on you? I don't really want there to be arrests at this party. So I suggest you try the crab dip, instead." 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     "The crab dip is pretty good," Ellestaria admits. The Atlantean is realizing that, despite the fire, the group has this well in hand. Being far more domestic than she likes to admit, the sorceress instead turns to something else. "I'm afraid it's our home now, which means that you had best behave or..."     She lets the threat hang in the air as she conjures some watery mist, working on putting out the fire on things that won't be water damaged by it. Ah well, at least the elementals seem more interested in the food than anything else. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The Assault on the House of Unicorn did not quite go as planned for Lord Vicious Flame. He's still twitching on the floor for a long moment, as the other issues are attended to. Kyle and Jan work on the small fires, while Ellestaria's mist handles the rest of them.     Setsuko viciously and indiscriminately thwaps many butterflies, her cruel blows showing no mercy, the drop, clutching their heads and whining. They are creatures of beauty, not battle, and that seems to be all it takes to get the fight out of them.     The Amabosars at the food table are stubborn. They really want those snacks, and while some do get away with a bottle of beer or two, Yuna's shield and browbeating the lazy elementals is all it takes to send them packing, shuffling away with mutinous grumbles if disappointment about how they were promised snacks and don't get paid enough for this.     All in all the attack is pacified as quickly as it began. Twelve-Flames Scimitar holds his hands up in defeat to Psyber, the proud Ifrit having more sense than his master in knowing a REAL fight with the gathered force present at the Manse, with their current force, would amount to suicide. "I yield."     It is right about now that the Dragonblooded starts to pick himself up, still twitching from his shock, and...     He grabs the pot of dip.     "FINE! You may have won this day, but I will not go without taking a small measure of vengeance!"     The Elementals are all already shuffling out through the hole from whence they came, and he is booking it after them. "I HAVE LIBERATED YOU OF YOUR DIP! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO! And in that, I take solace! You regret this day already, see?! The day I, LORD VICIOUS FLAME WHO BREATHES--"     Twelve-Flames Scimitar reaches through the hole to YANK his master in with the rest of the retreating Elementals.     "AWK!?"     And that's the last of them.     So... Yeah. That's... That's a thing that happened. Amalthea is left rubbing at her forehead as though stricken with the mother of all headaches. "Jesus Christ, did that really have to happen today?" She sighs. "I swear I didn't plan that." She admits, amid trying to ease the annoyed tension in her skull. "Whatever, screw it. Thanks, guys."     At least there are still some snacks left, and the fires have been put out. It's nothing a day of cleaning can't fix. So she's not sweating it when she reaches for Ellestaria's hand. Sigh.     "Well, happy anniversary, anyway, Lest." 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Setsuko watches in silent incredulity. That man just... he just took the pot of dip. That was Psyber's pot.     She turns to look at the half-angel with one arched eyebrow, pausing a moment before saying simply, "If that's the price of getting him out of our hair, then I'll buy you a new one myself." 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Jan and Kyle are equally incredulous that that just...happened. The two exchange another glance before they finish fighting fires and just sit down, both downing beer. God, they both need a drink after this. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is trying to deal with the Lord of Vicious Flame and his minions. "So wait you came to mooch food?" Maya just sighs but no one's died so far as she can tell as the attacking pair are leaving with the Dip. She'll give them this if taking the dip soothes their ego and prevent actual deaths she's fine with it. She also trying to not laugh at this while affair. "...If we're short food I know someone I could hit up on short notice for some catering here if you need it. Aye better some food lkost then there being a body count." 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "If you'd been planning it," Yuna says with a rueful smile to Amalthea, "you would have told us to come armed or something ..." She dismisses her sword and Shugoseiheki, then reverts back to her Beacon uniform. "Heck, I'll spring for a few pizzas if we need them. And I know a couple of stores on my Earth that have totally self-contained portable cookpots like that, you wouldn't even need a wall outlet except to recharge the battery," she adds, looking to Psyber. For now, though, she gets a drink of her own - apple cider or ginger ale, or something else that's nonalcoholic but refreshing - and raises her glass (or whatever) towards Amalthea and Ellestaria. "Happy Anniversary, both of you," Yuna smiles. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     "Thank you," Ellestaria says with a smile. Is that why she dressed up to begin with? She takes Amalthea's hand, looking warmly at the congratulations... and sighing heavily. Lord Vicious Flame has escaped with that dip! "It was truly an incredible dip. We will need to raid his new fortress and retrieve the crockpot soon."     Is she serious? Maybe. Maybe. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber crouches near the hole and calmly exhales some smoke, "That was my good crock pot, too," He muses, "I got that back in the 70s," He comments, flicking some ash down into the hole after the retreating group of people, "So it's not exactly easily replaced. It's like trying to find the right kind of Pyrex bowl that can still do the icebox to oven thing without exploding. I'll find something similar enough, though, eventually." He ponders over it.     He looks up towards Amalthea and Ellestaria, "Oh right. Happy anniversary, you two. I've always been a little jealous you found eachother," He adds as he looks up and smokes at the both of them, making it hard to tell how serious he is about that second sentence. He tosses the mostly-finished cigarette down the hole.     "At least it was minimally damaging compared to what it could have been." 
}}

3835/Roommate Intervention

2016-02-22T04:18:14Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/02/21 |Location=Misha's Apartment |Synopsis=Mir needs a talking. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=757, 868, 916 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplot2= |pretty=yes..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/02/21
|Location=Misha's Apartment
|Synopsis=Mir needs a talking.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=757, 868, 916
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     Mir has been hiding in her room primarily for a few days now. Dressed only in her favourite Funboon t-shirt and largely hiding out in a heavily-fortifed pillow fort, she has only been leaving to acquire the odd snack and other odds and ends. Giving her a games console has only given her extra reason to stay in her room; although something about the radio conversation earlier has put her off playing. So what IS she doing, buried in the keep of her fort? Well, at the moment she's sort of scribbling at a little notepad while lighting things with a little flashlight acquired from somewhere... The radio is nearby and transmitting idle chatter from various places, but she seems to be mostly ignoring it. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Okay, this has got to stop. Mir locked up in her room, after that fiasco on the union chatter band? There's a blatant and obvious reason for it. Now, normally, Misha Arsellec Lune is not one to pry about another Reyvateil's problems, but through extended priods of hijinx, chicanery, and most importantly, time.. Mir has become one of the small group of people that Misha can say are her closest friends.     This is why the Star Singer is waiting right outside the door to the ex-Mother Virus' door.     "Who's bright idea was it even to get her that thing?" She grumbles.     Well. Pinning Jakuri down and getting an answer out of her was Lyner's idea, but Misha is the one who knocks on the door. "Mir? I know you're in there. Can we talk?" 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      Lyner was waiting on the other side of the door, sweating bullets. "Ah...haha..." ...He got Mir that game console. WHOOPS.      But he did it because he was worried! She just stayed in that mountain of pillows and did nothing! It was...sad! Maybe some games would help take her mind off things. After a few mishaps, it seemed like it would be working. But then...it just stopped.      It looks like they would have to do the whole 'sit down and talk like gentleme- I mean , adults' thing after all. "....." Well, Misha said everything. Anything he said would just be echo. So let's wait! 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     "Buh?" A very inelegant sound, but perhaps appropriate considering she was... Not expecting interruption. Mir flails for a moment as she attempts to navigate her own labyrinth of sheets, eventually poking her head out of the fort. "Yeah, yeah... it isn't locked." Of course, her head then ducks back down before she can be seen. Mir is probably aware of what the talk will be about. Probably. She's back to her scribbling, although at this point it really IS scribbling. She's a little... Distracted now! "What is it?" Muffled by pillows, but audible. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Alright, she's not rebuffing them out of hand like a sulking teen. That's good. As soon as the announcement comes that the door isn't locked, Misha gives Lyner a light nudge in the ribs, before she sets her hand on the knob. It's go time.     Mir will see that when Misha said 'can we talk' means she's pulling Lyner in with her when the door opens and...     That is a pillow fort.     "You're how old, and you're making pillow forts?" It is a very valid quesiton though. "Can you at least stick your head out, this is kind of serious." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      Nudged in the ribs, Lyner manages a small smile before he steels himself. It's not like he didn't see Mir earlier, but...that was for games. This was serious. And so he got pulled in.      Yep. That was a pillow fort. Same as earlier.      At the question of how old Mir was, Lyner chuckled and shook his head. "Come on now. People have different coping mechanisms. It's fine, isn't it?" And then he stepped around to the 'front' of the fort. Or what he remembered it was.      "But this is kind of serious. Can you come out for us?" He asked sincerely, not pushing too hard. 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     "I can make pillowforts at any age I want," the elder Reyvateil retorts rather smartly. Her head then pops out again at that. "You can never be too old for a pillowfort." Rather matter-of-fact, too! "Serious. Sure. Did I sass the wrong person again or something?" A silly question, and one she knows the answer to, but she can always hope. She doesn't really WANT to have this conversation, after all... "What am I supposed to be 'coping' with, then?" Again, a silly question. Still, she accepts the request and slides herself free of the complex workings and crenellations of a most fine pillow fort. A lot of architectural work went into it. You can tell, for sure! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Cheeky.     Well, regardless of the matter of forts and ages, at least Mir's poked her head out for the conversation, like the Star Singer and her knight have asked, and that should hopefully make things easier. Without having to decipher through pillow-muffle anyway. So...     Jade eyes exchange a brief look with Lyner before Misha continues. She chooses her words for a moent. The last thing she would want, would be to incite lasers, the threat of the singing thereof.     "No. No, you didn't." She answers that part easily enough. "At least I think you didn't." There's no real gentle way to broach the subject though.     "We're talking about you're last Dive partner." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      What a Mir answer.      Lyner just smiled a bit sheepishly, and shook his head, meeting Misha's glance, and then nodded. Go on. What's the worst that could happen?      Cue flashback to the final battle of Ar Tonelico.      ...Never mind.      Back to reality, Lyner listened as the Star Singer started things off. Mir's last dive partner... He was curious about that person himself. Out of respect, he avoided asking about them, or bringing the subject up, but...something was obviously eating the Reyvateil. He couldn't look away any longer.      "You mentioned that the other day. ...And you sounded so sad." He held up a hand to stop her if she complained. "Let's not do the vehement denial thing right now. It was clear on your voice. Maybe not to others, but to us, it was." He lowered that hand. "We want to help you, Mir." 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     Mir visibly wilts a little upon the rather blunt statement. She tries her best to put on a stoic face though! "Wh-Why would we want to talk about him. He's not around, or anything... Hasn't been... For a while." Twitch. She moves to lean back against her bed, hands at either side of her and squeezing the edge of the mattress a tad. "He's just, you know... Gone." Shrug. Mir is doing her very best to seem nonchalant, but in truth it's clear the subject is a little... Difficult! For reasons. Both should know why, at least partially. Lyner being, well... Lyner makes her falter further however and she looks aside. "And h-how would you go about that, exactly." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Misha is not pulling her punches, opening right out the gate with the reason she and Lyner barged in as they did. Well, she also invites herself to sit down, folding her hands on her lap. "Because it's clearly important to you." That's WHY they would want to bring it up.     'He's gone'. Yes. Well. Where has Misha heard that before.     "Because Lyner and I both understand it." She answers after a beat. Yes, she can see the subject is difficult. She's known it first hand, herself. "There wasn't a day that went by, that I wasn't thinking about Lyner." She holds the thought briefly. There are only two possible reasons why this would affect Mir the way she's been acting.     "So... Did he hurt you? ... Or would are you acting like that because he's not around when you want him to be?" 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      Lyner nodded along after Misha, carefully taking a seat himself. Standing just made it look like this was a bad thing. "...Yeah, we do understand it." Mostly because it was his fault on this side of the subject. But he's apologized a million times for that already. This was about Mir now.      He smiled a bit at Misha's next statement, but made no comment on it. Instead, he looked at Mir, a silly smile on his face. "I don't think he hurt her." The Star Singer got a brief glance before he looked back to Mir. "She would have blown him up." Is that a good assessment, or a bad assessment?      "So I'm inclined to think it's the latter." 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     For several moments, Mir is silent. Her face is at an angle such that it's difficult to tell what her particular expression is. Her lips are, at least, fixed into a line that is unmoving as Misha asks her questions. "No... He didn't hurt me." her voice has a small quake to it when she finally answers that question. "And it's not as simple as that!" A pillow is abruptly grabbed and tossed at the floor. "I'm lonely, okay! I've never not been... Alone. Not really. I came into the world and I had Ayatane, and then that inconsiderate jerk got himself killed! You saw first-hand what that did to me! Do you think I just magically learned how to deal with that sort of thing just because you beat some friendship into me?!" There are rare tears in her eyes now, a normally stern expression left watery and clearly strained. "I-I never grew up to LEARN how to deal with it! I came from a test-tube and grew up in a lab, and then self-righteous terrorists tore my world to pieces!" Aaand there goes another pillow. "I swore never again! And then the... The next jerk came along, and..." Flump. Down to knees. "And he's wandered off now too, and I don't know where, and I don't know what to do about it, and I hate it, and..." Her head falls forward at that, and a few tears can be seen to fall against the floor before her.     As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Mir is still definitely a child in some respects." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     That little crack- the wavering tone to Mir's voice is impossible to miss. Even if she had tried to hide it, when it comes to the realm of emotions such as this, there's just no lying to a Reyvateil- a species that literally thrives on their emotions to live and grow as people. Albeit much of the time with outside aid. For a beat, jade eyes slide closed. On the plus side, she and Lyner are not incinerated. However it was this downshot that she had been holding her breath and hoping against.     It is a rare, rare, and unexpected day that Misha Arsellec Lune would have thought she would ever see the normally wholly cool and composed older Reyvateil let that barrier down. She could say something.     She could say a lot, due to the parallels she was put through as the latest in line of Mir's jailors no less. In fact, the older Beta should know that full well, as it is. But she doesn't. There is another, subtler glance to Lyner. His assessment... Seemed the most apt, then.     The Star Singer reaches forward, gently mocing to brush tears from the ancient Beta's cheeks with a feather touch. "I hate to say it but. I don't thin kthat feeling ever goes away. But Mir... We didn't just beat friendship into you, remember?"     "I sang my heart out. And Lyner fought nearly all the world for you, so..." She takes a breath. "You're not alone. Not with us. Hell, Lyner would probably break himself for you. And me? Even if it were the end of the world, I'd be the girl singing there, just for you, if you asked it."     But that doesn't deal with the OTHER issue.     "He wandered off. So that just leaves one question you need to ask yourself..." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      The moment Mir 'broke', Lyner just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hated seeing his friends like this. It was worst. It didn't matter who it was. Misha, Mir, Aurica, Jack, Krusche, Radolf, Ayatane, Shurelia...He could go on. It didn't matter.      Misha was right. He would move heaven and earth to help any one of them, in any way that he could, no, even if he couldn't, he would still go beyond what was thought possible, and make it happen. He did many times before. And he would keep doing it.      By the point Misha is about finished her last statement, he opens his eyes and calmly does it for her. "...do you want to wait for him, or move on? Whatever choice you make, that doesn't stop you from moving forward with us. Towards the future that only we can grasp together." The Knight of Elemia spared Misha a brief look and a smile. And then he directed that same smile to Mir. Yes, she was sad. And that made him sad, but...      He wouldn't let sadness rule the day.      And so, Lyner chose to smile. With that stupid, idiotic smile on his face, he reached out a hand towards the older Reyvateil. "Mir, whatever you decide, just know that Misha and I will always be here to support you. If you need help, any kind of help. It doesn't matter what it is, I'll break down every barrier to get to you and make it happen. And so will Misha. ...So don't say that you're alone. We're here for you."      Pause.      "And we always will be." 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     Mir knows full well, but... Mir is a brat in many respects, and it's hard not to note the selfish streak she has; albeit dulled in recent times. So often self-assured and blunt to a fault, always planning her next move methodically. Everyone has something to hide, though. Even Mir! Clenching a fist on her lap, lifts her head a little as light fingers brush tears from pale cheeks. Watery eyes regard Misha for a moment as she says this, the elder Beta swallowing in a dry throat before she looks down again and nods a little. "No. It's not going to go away." She sounds rather small for a rare change, closer to her short stature than the presence she tends to command. As for the rest... There's not very much she can say in response to a statement of fact, really. She wouldn't be sharing a home with them otherwise. When presented with the following statement however, she lifts her head again and glances between the two. Eyes fall to her hands. "I don't know how to answer that question." She makes an attempt to choke back a sole sob, but it succeeds in coming out as a brief cough as she continues to allow a rare show of emotion. Mir, the teenage brat. Lyner's obnoxious positivity results in a half laugh and a sniff, a feeble swing aimed at his thigh in response. "S-Stupid. I-I'm trying to be sad and you're ruining it." She rubs her eyes with her forearm at that, looking the part of the child she still is physically, trying to sniff back any further tears and sobs. "I j-just... Don't know. Wh-What if there's no one else? What if he turns up again?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Yeah that's the thing, when Lyner's around, sadness is kind of forbidden. Misha learned that well enough, now it looks like Mir's getting the lesson. But the matter of a girl's feelings are still very serious. "You don't have to answer now. There's plenty of time to think about it." She notes gently. Though she does nothing to protect Lyner from the older Beta's light jab. Soaking blows is his job anyway.     The fact of the matter is, the two have come and said what they had to say. The rest falls into Mir's court about how she intends to deal with her issues. So there's just one big question to ask.     "Do you -want- him to show up again?" 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Ow!" Lyner feigned pain as Mir swung at his thigh. It's okay. Vanguards have high defense. "Misha's right. You don't need to answer it right now. Just take your time and work through it. And if you find you need help, let us know." That said, he reached out and pat Mir's head, ruffling her hair.      That would get him killed, wouldn't it?      Despite the fact that Misha asked about whether Mir wanted to see that guy again, Lyner stood up, resting his hands on his hips. "If there is or isn't anyone else, or if he turns up again... Well, that's something you'll figure out when it comes. You can make all the plans in the world, but life has a funny way of trampling all over them! I'd know!"      And so would all three of them. 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     "I'll kick his BUTT if he ever comes back," is the rather sharp reply in response to Misha's question... But the wind soon leaves her sails again to some degree as she sighs. "I guess i'm tired of waiting, though. I-I don't... Suppose he'd be mad if I decided to move on, by now. If he reappears, well..." She sniffs a bit. "I'll decide then if I can forgive him." She doesn't sound entirely certain of this; more like someone attempting to convince herself it's the best option. In fact, she's in confused enough a state that Lyner's ruffling goes uncontested! She wipes her eyes again and then manages to wobble to her feet, making the rather pointless gesture of smoothing out her favourite t-shirt. She suddenly concludes that this t-shirt is rather old and faded, by now. "Heh. Isn't it great that you have Lyner to help with emotional problems via Diving." This is the sort of usual snark one expects from Mir, albeit said in a joking tone! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Yeah that's about what Misha said she'd do to Lyner if he would ever show up again. She didn't do it. Only time will tell if Mir's Lyner-alike will make his return or not, and what she'll actually do.     If the older Beta actually does maul him and kick his ass... Well, the Star Singer probably wouldn't be surprised there either.     Funny though? That Misha has Lyner for her problems. Well. "You know, he was worried enough about you the other day, I'm half surprised Lyner didn't ask you, himself." Wait what? Though she does pause, clearing her throat with a mild fidget of her own. "Yeah it's great that I've got Lyner, but I kind of envy you, Mir. You've got two perfectly good Dive partners you can turn to."     Oh boy, she's turning her head to find something good and interesting on the nearest wall, her cheeks tinging a slight red. "Lyner's usually pretty thick. But he gets through in a pinch all the time. Me, well. It'd be my first time doing it that way, but."     But take the offer however you will, Mir. 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "......"      Misha says the thing.      Lyner turns to look at her while she finds something else to stare at for the time being.      He opens his mouth.      He closes his mouth.      "...Ah...hahaha..." And then he laughed. Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he turned to Mir and nodded. "R-Right. I did say the other night that if you had a problem you wanted to work out, I would help you." That was on the subject of diving. "If you don't mind, we could dive with you and help you out." Pause. "...I-I mean, if you don't mind doing it with two people at the same time."      ...This got awkward. 

:'''{{#var:868|Jakuri (868)}} has posed:'''     It is not often that one can fluster Mir. In this recovering state, you'd think her rather unflappable to such silly things as /innuendo/. Indeed, she likely wouldn't quite react if it were anyone else... But well. It's not anyone else. Far more quickly than Misha turns red in the cheeks, Mir's pale skin goes a shade of crimson that one stand out at the top of the First Tower itself. She looks between both Misha and Lyner for a moment, very much like a deer-in-headlights, and then the babbling begins. "I, w-well! Um. I-I wouldn't... How would I... Well... What. WHAT." The elder Reyvateil's arms windmill during this outburst, only added to the decidedly comical nature of her reaction. She's perhaps about to formulate appropriate language in response to Misha, but then Lyner just... Is Lyner. She knows he means well, because the little voice in the back of her head is telling her this at this very moment, but the other voice in the back of her head is leading her actions. Scooping up those cast off pillows from earlier, Mir's red face only goes redder still. "LYNEEEEEERRRR!" And then her arms are windmilling again, with the express intent of beating him with those pillows as her face burns an embarassed red, and a tirade of various expletives leaves her mouth.     His phrasing could definitely use some work. 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Ow ow ow! Hey ow! Mir wait- I was just saying ow! Come on-OW!"      He is chased out of the room. ...And probably the apartment.      He'll come back later. 

}}

3678/A Little Guidance In Subtlety

2016-01-17T00:29:19Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/01/16 |Location=Human Resources Offices |Synopsis=Lu-Mey gives Yari the gentle coaching she needs to be a more subtle operative. Then they dan..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/01/16
|Location=Human Resources Offices
|Synopsis=Lu-Mey gives Yari the gentle coaching she needs to be a more subtle operative. Then they dance~.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=234, 691
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Meanwhile, back at the Legion of Doom-- that is to say, the Citadel...     Lu-Mey is, for once, in her own office for this, rather than her usual spot napping sprawled out as obnoxiously as can be atop Starless Night's desk in the offices of Human Resources.     Now, there is one manner in which the Oni's office differs...     The pulsing sweet beat of sugary-sickly over-chipper J-pop can be heard blaring from half-way down the hall by the time Lu-Mey's expected prey should be arriving. The door is left ajar, with a post it note stuck right on it reading:     'Come in! I won't bite!' 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' By now, Yari is too exhausted to be scared of one of her bosses. This might not be a good thing, given how horrible and dangerous the Oni is, and how she just botched a very simple job. She stands outside that office for a good minute dithering, before that note is spotted. Blink. She knocks anyway. "Ensign Takane, reporting, Ma'am." She's still trying to get over that formality. It's worse today, given the circumstances. At least she then just walks in. There's a sharp salute. Standing at attention, even as it makes her wounds ache, she looks the Oni in the eyes. Already, that music is making her horns vibrate. Awful. Where's some nice, sweet, soothing jazz? The ninja's fears are definitely resurfacing in her mind. So too, do thoughts of shame fill her: both for screwing up, and a little bit of shame for essentially violating the sanctity of someone she respects. But it's tempered by duty. She was doing her job. No more words from the ninja. She just seems /awkward/ as she stands there. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     That's the thing isn't it? That exhaustion must be taking a toll... How odd it is. The scrabbling whisper tht slides in just behind the ears-- or in this case the Au'Ra's horns. Just before even knocking on the door, a soft, breathy kind of voice whispering in sultry dulcet tones from nowhere.     . o O (She's going to eat you alive...)     "Come in, come iiiiiin~!" The Oni chirrups in return. And so, the door opens- all on its own, it would seem. Though the quick eyed might catch a glimpse of the silvery gossamer strands of the Sha emerging from Lu-Mey's silk fan and tugging at the knob before they vanish.     "One-two-three! One-two-three! One-two-three!"     Moving to the beat, the red clad Caretaker shuffles and shimmies, sashays and twirls, feet gently thumping a rhythmic pattern out on the steel pad and light up arrows of...     A DDR machine.     Blazing neon lights flare with every step, before the song comes to a close and Lu ends it with a flourish and a stomp that twirls her to face the object of her current irritation, lashes fluttering as she holds her fan up in front of her face to hide her expression. But it doesn't hide those eyes.     Glimmering scarlet eyes, predator's eyes. Hungry eyes, lingering on the Au Ra like a beast waiting for a piece of meat to fall off the grill.     "Ara ara... You look like death warmed over... Have a seat, have a seat, Yari my dear, dear, Yari~." She says motioning for her desk. Just as another one of those whispers filters in again no sooner than she's gone speaking...     . o O (Run while you still have the chance, worm...) 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' To say that voice from nowhere is unsettling is an understatement. She actually shivers, and lets out a hiss of pure fear. She's quivering already, poor thing. But she stands tall. ...And then she notes that her boss is moving and sashaying and playing DDR. She watches, a bit enraptured by her dance skills for a few moments, before shaking her head and trying to not be mesmerized. A bit of jealousy flits through her mind. Eyes stare, and thankfully, Yari resists the urge to clap for the little performance. Another shiver, animal fear, fight and flight warring in mind and soul. She sucks in her lip, and bites it gently, getting the urge to flee or grovel out of her mind. She slowly sits down, crossing her legs, and she starts to speak. "Of course, Miss Lu-Mey. I have no excuses for my carelessness and foolishness." It seems she's choosing humility. Then that whisper enters her mind, and her eyes go wide. Thoughts of what the Oni could do to her, and whether or not she's going to end up a meal for the scary woman start to take over. Her tail is between her legs, and shaking. The ball's in Lu-Mey's court, and her scared prey is cornered and injured. One can almost smell the scent of failure and a tired animal-brained ninja. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Ah there it is. The primal, baser, animal fear. The wordless, primal, terror that rises from the lesser developed part of the hindbrain that screams for immediate action... Lu-Mey drinks Yari Takane's fear like a fine wine, letting the moment stretch on for the span of a few beats, before the Oni snaps her fan shut with a click and saunters off the dance pad. "Now, now, let's not worry about apologizing just yet!" Piped sweetly as she sidles behind the Au Ra and sets hands on her shoulders.     . o O (You should have run.)     She holds there for a moment, uncomfortably close, and only leaning in closer, drawing an exaggerated sniff at the ninja's hair, before nudging Yari into the seat, and promptly taking her own place. Now, Lu-Mey does not so much sit in her own chair. No, she climbs right onto the desk and lays herself out in a lazy recline on one hip, before reaching to tip Yari's head up with a single finger under the chin. "Yari, Yari, Yari... How about we start somewhere simple... I am kind of curious!" Lu muses, tapping at her lip with her other hand.     "Just what, exactly, are you doing?"     . o O (Don't lie.) 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' That fan-snap has the ninja jumping in her boots. In comes the smaller Oni, so very close, and Yari's mind goes through her life. She's convinced she's about to die. Apologies to everyone from Sanary to Momoyo to even /Gawain/ run through her head before she's shoved into that chair. Lu-Mey walks around. That voice hits her brain. Any thoughts of lying flees. She drops the tough act, quivering in fear before her boss. "I've been attempting to spy on and determine the capabilities of Momoyo Kawakami and her subordinates." Pause. It's more than that. "...She's strong, and I respect her strength. My desire to learn more about her, why she's so strong despite being born in a land without war, made me careless more than anything." And, though she doesn't speak it, she wants to find a friend in the odd battle-crazed woman. It's at least cathartic to let it all out, and she slumps in pure exhaustion and fear. Most of it towards Lu-Mey. But a lot of it towards Momoyo as well. Her feelings on the other woman are complicated indeed. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Oh isn't that just adorable...     Lu's palm wanders upwards, a warm stroke along the cheek slowly brushing warmth in an easing contact. But for all her touch is gentle, the voice puts words to what the Oni's eyes silently speak.     . o O (You -failed- something so trivial!)     Still! Lu-Mey is all smiles when she gets an honest answer. "Ohhhh I see... You. A valued confederate asset, and member of Human Resources, has just been gallivanting off looking to make a friend in a non-war affiliated world..." Lu-Mey doesn't need to read the Au Ra's mind for that one, but it's there, among all the hasty silent apologies isn't it? Nevertheless, fingers scritch lightly behind a horn.     "Well there's nothing wrong with that!" Piped genuinely as she braces her hand on Yari's right leg.     The squeeze is soft, but it's in just the place where the re-attached limb would feel just the most agony, as the Lu-Tirae flashes a fanged little grin. "Really though, it's a lot easier to make friends without sneaking around their tree houses and gaining utterly useless intel. You should honestly know better than that... So let's go over everything wrong here..." Murmured as she leans back and sprawls herself starfish on the desk.     "You angered an obviously temperamental non-aligned Elite... Caused potential damage not only to your own personal relationship but could have caused added political ramifications as a result... But worst of all..."     "You were caught."     Now there's that melodramatic sigh as the Oni goes completely limp, staring up at her ceiling as though she was suddenly so bored. "But that wasn't what I asked!"     In an instant, she's sitting up, bright and chipper again, clapping her hands once in a fit of excited pique. "You told me what you were doing, but not what you're -doing-." And now she's off the desk.     . o O (Lying by omission is still lying.)     . o O (She can read you, Yari Takane.)     . o O (She can read you like an open book.)     "Do you dance? Oh! I'm sure you do! I'm told, ninja are very good on their feet!" Piped as she usher the Au Ra onto the dance pad and flicks a few buttons.     "Well, how about you dance a few rounds with me! When we're done, you can go on your merry way, and I'll just forget all about how you're so busy wasting time!"     . o O (She'll forget. But you won't.) 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' The gentle strokes to her cheek and horn barely help. If anything, she feels like prey being toyed with. She stares in those eyes, the accusations in them and now in her head causing the poor ninja to shiver uncomfortably. Yari lets out an agonized cry at the squeeze, slumping over as her vision blackens and then fades back in. Pain and shame mix on her features as Lu-Mey lays out her failures. She lets it all sink in, teeth gritting. She shamed the Confederacy with her stupidity. In her mind, she thinks she deserves the pain. More voices, and the fear is naked in the au ra. "...I failed everyone." She finally admits, fear turning to anger inside of her. She has to improve. To serve better. She can't let this dishonor stand. No, she definitely won't forget. The ninja is easily led, limping along to the DDR machine. Her eyes go wide a moment. What was the oni doing? Given the agony in her leg, this will be torture. "...I'll accept whatever punishment you see to give, Ma'am." She finally adds, before the song starts, and she starts to dance. In fact, the ninja has a bit of talent. Unfortunately, she's wobbling, her leg sending up horrible spikes of pain along her wound. She's soon crying, holding in howls of pain as the dance begins. And there's no doubt more to come as she sweats and suffers. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It's such a sweet smile. Because Lu-Mey is already flitting through the song selection by the time Yari admits her failures. "Oh no no no, dear, you failed yourself." Chirruped matter of factly. "After, all, you're the one who got caught." Added as a pointed afternote. One hand gives a lazy wave before the scarlet-clad Caretaker hits play. "You're lucky she didn't kill you, you know!"     . o O (Not lucky enough. Maybe it would have been better if she did.)     Because Lu is selecting difficulty now...      Beginner      Medium      Heavy     >ONI     Arrows are already flying up the screen, and Lu-Mey is effortlessly swirling along on her side of the pad, blaring music and flaring strobes of neon light making the flurry of motion all the more nauseating, on top of the extreme agony...     But Lu-Mey must be feeling generous today. The song just may be the most abusive one minute and forty seconds of the Au Ra's life, but after it comes to a stop, the game starts to calculate the scores.     Naturally, Lu-Mey ranked triple S grade.     "Fwuah~. Wasn't that just fun? Anyway... I'm glad we had this talk, I'm sure you learned something very valuable, so I won't poke you any further about it!"     . o O (Never... Fail again.)     "Until the next time you screw up, anyway~<3" 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' The oni's words are like knives to the gut, and the exhausted, pained ninja soaks in her shame and pain. Indeed, she failed herself. The guilt eats at her, for so many things. The ninja's suffering might well be like fine wine for Lu-Mey. And it quickly increases. The ninja dances along, every step burning pain, all of her wounds on fire. Her feet are relentless, hitting every arrow she can. Her legs are a blur of motion soon tinged with red. That leg of hers is bleeding, blood in the air, and soon her other wounds open up. It's beyond painful, and Yari's tail grips the bars as she bleeds and suffers, crying openly as she submits herself to this torture. The neon lights have her stomach churning, eyes burning, And at the end of it all, she wants to punch in the machine, thanks to that horrible, horrible song that will now haunt her nightmares alongside Lu-Mey ahd Momoyo, irrevocably linked to horrible j-pop and true suffering. Yari comes to a rest, gasping, and falls to the ground to curl up and sob at Lu-Mey's feet. She's getting that machine nice and bloody, too. "Y...yes Ma'am!" She manages to cry out. Never fail again. It echoes in her brain as she lays there. And to top it all off? When Yari eventually limps to her car? It's out of gas. A kick to the knees at the end of it all. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It's over... It's finally over, and the Oni hasn't even broken a sweat.     Hugging knees to chest as she scoots to crouch on her toes over the fallen Au Ra, Lu doesn't seem to show any mind in the least to the fact that Yari is bleeding. At least she shows no disgust anyway as her touch gingerly roves over a re-opened wound.     "Tsk tsk tsk..." She sucks on her teeth with a slow shake of her head. "Dear, Yari you're just a wreck... Why don't you head on over to medical now." She sighs with melodramatic concern. As she brings her bloodied hand up, beginning to gently suck the blood off one finger in a blatant display of quiet hunger. An unnecessary reminder for the ninja of the red clad dancer's particular palate.     . o O (You really are pathetic. You let that happen on top of getting caught. you had every chance to get away...)     "You know..." Lu-Mey does idly note, glancing aside, as though struck by a mild thought. "I really wouldn't have held it against you, if you had run away. Part of being in Human Resources is learning how to evade your consequences to live another day, after all!" Pointed out with a saccharine sweetness. "Anyway! I'll have to clean this mess up now! So you should get going~."     . o O (Get out of my office.)     Despite the venemous hiss of that phantom voice, which sounds so much like her own, Lu-Mey positively beams. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' That touch brings screams, and the ninja writhes as that wound is played with. There's pure terror once more in Yari's eyes as her blood is licked away, the urge to run burrowing into her mind. One vicious voice, and one sweet one just puts a knife into the wound of her failure. She could have ran. But no, she deserved it. That's what repeats in her mind. But more than one lesson is learned. Next time, she's not letting herself get tortured by her insane superior. The wounded ninja has to crawl out of the office, leaving a bloody trail before she just collapses and is taken to medical. The Oni might note that the ninja still got an A-rank. For one second, before an angrily flung kunai sends a charge of electricity magic to short out the machine. Maybe Yari's indeed learning. Or she's just being childish. 

}}

3617/Forged From The Soul

2016-01-06T18:12:22Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/01/06 |Location=The One Eyed Jack |Synopsis=Wuyin Tsai pays a visit to the kitsune swordsmith and strikes her with inspiration. |Thanks= |Cast..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/01/06
|Location=The One Eyed Jack
|Synopsis=Wuyin Tsai pays a visit to the kitsune swordsmith and strikes her with inspiration.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=515, 900
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     Aboard the Spelljammer vessel, the One Eyed Jack is a room where metal flows like a river, red hot and the drum beat of the hammer resounds upon anvil daily. This is the forge of Yukihana Masamune. It had once been a simpler chamber, before the kitsune had moved in and converted it to a more permanent work space for her trade. It is small by the standards of most forge, but has everything the fox could need for her work, with enough room left over for a length of bamboo on a hinge, beneath a slow trickling flow of water.     ~Donk~.     Nevertheless, the last heir to the Masamune line is in her chamber, slowly turning a hunk of glowing metal over a crackling bed of coals, beofre she deems it worthy of pulling free from the heat to lay upon her anvil and strike. The rhythmic clink of hammer upon steel resounds through the forge as she busies herself to her task. 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' Finding a ship like the One-Eyed Jack is surprisingly easy if you're willing to stab a few drunken pirates. It's even easier when getting stabbed yourself is a temporary inconvenience and they know it. Wuyin only actually got aboard without causing a huge ruckus by greasing palms and dropping the name of the vessel's resident swordsmith. As far as anyone can tell, he's some weird human with even weirder choice in eyewear who has business here. As far as any nearby spellslingers can tell, he's a lot more than that, and he's given a wide berth and a watchful eye. The sound of hammer on steel tips Wuyin off to the presence of the fox within. He stops just inside the door, quietly stepping in and aside, folding his hands and watching her work. If it weren't for the scent of honey that follows him everywhere, he'd be perfectly unobtrusive, and remain perfectly patient. He's asking for her time. He'll wait until she's done. 

:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     Clink, clink, clink. Each blow forms the shapeless ingot into something more workable. Not quite with a purpose just yet it would seem, her work comes to a brief halt when a familiar scent catches her attention. Amid the forefire smell of ash and iron, the silver-haired fox tilts her head back, nose twitching at the air before her silent question is answered.     "Tsai, Wuyin."     She remembers him well, before she even turns her head to peer back with one scarlet eye over a slim shoulder. For now, her work is put on pause, the slab of worked steel buried in a bed of red coals to keep it warm for the time being so she can tend to a guest. "Do come in. I take it the rest of the crew directed you to me, easily enough?" Asked as she begins removing the bindings protecting her hands and slinging her apron upon the wall nearby, before she asks what may be the most important question of the evening.     "Will you take tea?"     She is of ourse referring to the kettle set out already, using the forge itself to heat the water. 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' It's easy to miss deliberately-quiet footsteps while you're working a forge. It's slightly harder to miss a lingering, foreign smell when all you're used to is ash and iron. Wuyin isn't the only one who has it, but Yukihana may be less acquainted with those of his fellows out in the Multiverse. Wuyin inclines his head when she turns one scarlet eye to him. He looks the same as ever. He's dressed quite warmly for being in the same room as a forge, but he doesn't show any obvious discomfort. He's disciplined, at least. "They did. They know to keep their business, and that you will keep yours." He doesn't bother mentioning any of the other issues he may have had getting this far in the first place. It's irrelevent, now. The man in the two-toned glasses straightens smoothly. "Yes, thank you. It is kind of you to offer." Pleasantries, he thinks, are more pleasant when exchanged with someone who isn't using them to hide threats. It's a nice change of pace already. 

:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     A nose that keen would of course pick up on an alien smell wandering into her forge. Nevertheless, like a few members of the crew, her gaze does linger on the Dragon's eyewear for a moment, but rather than let her curiosity get the better of her, the kitsune bows her head.     The tea is a high quality green, the water at the perfect temperature to bring the fragrant and biter flavor out to its best, and clearly, as she pours it with a well practiced hand, she has much experience in the art of forging a good cup tea as she does forging a good blade. Of course there is no threat to her manner, genuinely veiling nothing in the least, as she settles herself down, motioning to Wuyin to join, at the small table set aside for moments just like this.     "I do not think I have properly thanked you." She does murmur after a few beats. "For that day. Back in Hagane Town." 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' Wuyin smiles very slightly, noticing the look. He doesn't say anything, but he has an idea what it's all about. Pretty much everyone shares that same basic expression when they first get a chance to take a good look at him. A few more actually ask, and get different answers each time. Once someone questioned his eyesight while wearing them, but only once. Wuyin joins Yukihana, settling at the table with her comfortably. He appreciates her apparent skill at properly pouring it. It isn't so much because he's used to it being done that way, or for being fond of it, but rather because he can tell when someone's put effort into honing a skill, even one as seemingly minor in the grand scheme of things. Wuyin doesn't reply at first. His expression is unreadable; his face and body language are stilled, and both are hidden, by the clothes he wears that hang just so and the odd glasses that obscure his features. He's thinking, not sure how to properly respond at first. Eventually, he exhales, lowering his head. He lifts one hand, taking his ever-present glasses between is fingers and smoothly removing and folding them. They disappear into his coat. Underneath, he looks... normal. Sad, maybe. He looks back up, and at her, and finally says, "I'm... sorry. That I could not do more." 

:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     It is no proper and full on tea ceremony, though something says Yukihana may just be able to perform that, as well, yet nevertheless the tea has been prepared, and the kettle is set back to warm upon the forge. While Wuyin's body language is subdued, Yukihana's is less so.     Vulpine ears splay, slender shoulders sag visibly for a moment, before she corrects herself. Once again regaining her air of propriety and doing her best to not let emotion be so visible. She has already failed in that regard however as she takes but a slow breath. "No. You did what you could. And you helped save many lives. I could not have asked more of you." Even if she did feel negatively towards Wuyin himself over the matter- which she clearly does not, she probably would not let her wall of propriety slip again after that.     It is a slow sip at her tea that helps steel her nerves, before she sets the cup down. "I do believe. You had come to Hagane Town originally with the intention to commission a new sword, did you not?" 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' Wuyin isn't a hundred percent certain she'd leave her work long enough for a full and proper ceremony. He also isn't sure he'd want her to. There's a place for that, and he thinks that here is not it, and especially not with him. There's a chink in her armor, there, though. A moment of concern crosses his face. Whereas she wears her propriety as armor, Wuyin wears his enigmatic demeanor as a mask and shield. Removing his glasses seemed to be his way of showing that he wasn't going to hide quite so much behind it. Something about her is sort of... disarming. "I could have asked more of myself," he says steadily. "It is a very difficult thing, to hold this power --" The Dragon looks down at his hand, held palm-up, and a honey-colored light plays around his fingertips. It feels warm in more ways than the physical. "-- and to be unable to use it properly when it matters most. I should have been able to do more." Wuyin bows his head deeply. "I say again: I am as sorry as a man is able." After a moment, he lifts it, saying a touch more quietly, "But you will hear no more from me on so painful a subject." Wuyin takes a breath. In, out, slow and steady. The scent of the room and the tang of metal reaches him. It feels strange. "I did. My current blade is... insufficient." 

:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     Regardless of what could have been asked, once again Yukihana shakes her head in silence. But then. Then there is another shift to her demeanor. A sudden spate of tension enough to make her shiver in place, shoulders a quiver. An apology so candid and self-depricating seems to strike a chord within the kitsune, fingers balling into fists for a brief moment, she looks near ready to lash out and strike.     But not at Wuyin Tsai.     Half-lidded eyes of scarlet observe the honey-hued light light from the man's fingertips for a long moment. But even as he says no more will be spoken on the matter, Yukihana Masamune holds it within her heart. She holds upon the moment, letting her every thought focus and swirl upon this one, brief, instant. This flickering feeling of an emotion tumbling within her breast.     It is without a word that she moves as though stricken into a fugue state. Turning with a swish of silver tail as she grasps her hammer without even wrapping her hands in the protective bindings once again, and pulls the ingot from the goals. The first blow is calamitous, sending forth a rain of sparks as in one fell strike she practically banishes the slag from ingot. The rest that follow are measured, perfect, her focus so intent upon that steel as she pours the very contents of her soul into it.     It crackles...     An arc of voltaic light in golden honey tones leaping from her hammer, to the ingot, and then once again visibly flashing an electric dance upon the steel, and then she pauses.     "Then... Then I shall make one sufficient for you." 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' 'Insufficient,' he says. It isn't a strong enough word. Wuyin sees the tension shoot through her, and for a moment, he wonders if he's made a mistake. He doesn't react strongly to the seemingly strong desire to move to violence; he seems accepting, as if whatever she did to him for his impertinence was justified. He'll live, he thinks. No... he'll /survive/. They are two very different things, at their core. Yukihana moves, taking up her tools. Wuyin's eyes widen, unhidden by the glasses that conceal such surprise in every other circumstance. He may as well be screaming. His legs tense, and he seems ready to spring forward, to drag her away from the forge before she injures herself in a way she'll always regret and he'll always remember. She doesn't. The light shines. Wuyin settles back, his eyes fixed on her and filled with wonder. 'Sufficient,' she says. It isn't a strong enough word. 

:'''{{#var:900|Yukihana Masamune (900)}} has posed:'''     It is another slow breath, and there is renewed life within the kitsune. Perhaps, sufficient is not the correct word in this case at all.     Though the ingot has been beaten into the rough shape of a long, flat, bar, it still has quite a way to go before it can be called a sword. Still, she strikes it, again and again, as though lost within a trance before finally sliding it back into the bed of coals. For a moment it would seem as though this odd fugue state has finally left her, but no. No words are exchanged further as she clears the table violently, her teacup tossed aside in a fit of ignoring proper manners and customs as she unfurls a sheet of parchment, trembling hands dipping brush into an inkwell as she begins to stroke from memory, each motion perfect and elegant. For if Wuyin Tsai can read Japanese, he too will know the contents of her writings.     How do the Oni exchange brotherly love?     Let us count the ways...     One is for the House-in-Chains,     Every link is forged from a white-hot soul.     Two is for the House of the Unwritten Talisman,     They know the true name of something even they fear to write down.     Three, is for the House of Bloodied Silks.     Clotted stains are the hieroglyphs of their history.     She does not even wait for the ink to dry, as she pulls the unfinished blade from the coals and quenches it. The steel still wafting steam as she pulls it from the water and wraps it in the poem-like verses of the Bees before thrusting it wholesale into the furnace once again, the flames suddenly flaring that orange honey gold color. And remaining that way.     Now. Now finally her shoulders sag, the fae mood having fled. Several slow breaths, and once more she's glancing back over her shoulder with one scarlet eye.     "Return to me in three days." 

:'''{{#var:515|Wuyin Tsai (515)}} has posed:''' Wuyin is stock still. For the first time in a long time, he doesn't know what to do. He feels as if he has lead in his shoes, and weights tied around his hands. Yukihana is moving in a way he doesn't know how to describe. Like a woman possessed? No; he's seen that, and the poetry of the phrase is lost against the vivid memories streaked crimson. The poetry of the phrase... She moves, writes, each stroke elegant and precise. He can read it. His Japanese isn't as good as he'd like, but he can read it. He can read it before she finishes writing it. She turns away from him. Wuyin moves, but out of her line of sight. There's an almost quiet hissing and scraping sound, subsumed in the sound of hammering and quenching. After a too-long moment, Wuyin's chest heaves, and he can be heard sucking in a ragged breath. Yukihana turns one eye to him. Wuyin stands in the doorway again, shadowed by the outside. The light shines off the colored lenses of his glasses strangely, once more in their place on his face. Sweat glistens on his brow, and runs down his face, despite his apparent cool just a moment ago. "Three days." His voice is quiet. She can still hear the hoarse creak to the words. "I'll return." He turns to go. The door swings closed -- and has been marked. Characters cover it in a precise but jagged hand, the door scrawled on with what seems like a hot edge, despite no evidence of any being present but Yukihana's. The words all but cry out to be read, and at the edge of one's perception, a staccato buzzing seems to linger.     Four is for the House of Snakes and Smoke.     The deep fumes of the dark earth fuel their thrice-fanged wisdom.     Five is for the the House of the Red Road.     They rule the sharp-rocked road that all souls who died in rage         must cut their bare feet upon.     Six is for the House in the Void.     Until called to purpose, they writhe, greasily, in the ever-dark         nothing of their abyssal home.     Seven is for the House of the Howling Dog.     They swallow screams like wine.     Eight is for the House of Caged Birds.     They keep a caged aviary of all their kills. The song is so sad         and sweet.     Nine is the House of Sworn Revenge.     The eight other houses of horror all show fear and obeisance to them.         What more need be said? Nonsense symbols, clusters of marks, and strange characters follow. Yukihana can pick out the one commonality between them all, the single thing that each mark below represents: nine. Wuyin flees the ship, to keep the ever-flowing wisdom and the pangs of maddening clarity that comes with it far from the smith in her forge. 

}}

3568/Taco Salad

2016-01-04T06:40:32Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/24 |Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse <Manse> |Synopsis=Momoyo is introduced to tacos. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=219, 395, 928 |Tinyplo..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/24
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse <Manse>
|Synopsis=Momoyo is introduced to tacos.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=219, 395, 928
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' The fortress is just where Ariel said it would be! It's also just as intimidating as it sounds. This includes an UTTERLLY MASSIVE war hound that barks at the door, but Ariel herself answers in a cheery fashion. "Hello!" She's wearing a cloak and a santa cap, but nothing else because she's blatantly an artificial lifeform, even if she also seems somehow organic. "Welcome to the Fortress of No Fucks Given! The kitchen's this way, I just need to put the dressing on, okay?" 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Following the shorter unicorn in, Momoyo couldn't help but wonder if she'd started taking up shrooms and not realized she was dreaming.     Dressed in her chipmunk tee-shirt and slacks, she looked decidedly unassuming for a veteran fighter on a casual visit. "Huh. Well. I guess this will be an interesting meal..." she murmurs, following along. Tossing her hair lightly with her fingers back over her shoulder, those bangs still draped down close to getting into her constantly glaring-looking red eyes. Sliding in at one of the tables, she started to examine the chair and table itself. She even started to poke the nearby salt-shaker a bit, stirring it around in a circle. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Aside from the bizarre occupants, the place looks fairly normal, including the table and chairs. Ariel is trotting around, bipedally, to slide over a glass of some kind of juice to go with the salad. The salad follows a moment later, in a large bowl, and it does have chunks of some kind of strange, multicolored fruit in it. Smells pretty good, though, and the lettuce and the like is normal. "Here you go- DUNSANY! DOWN!" The burbling shoggoth that was peeking an eye over the edge of the table jiris away, bubbling, "Takeli-Li!" "Sorry about that," Ariel says cheerfully. "It really likes tacos." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Well, she was broke, so she wasn't about to turn down at least decent free food. However, it was her first time seeing a shoggoth. She even leeeeeeeaned in close, narrowing her eyes as she squinted at the thing. Even poking at it a bit. "...Huh." she muses. It was unusual enough to distract her from the meal, but she does murmur as an afterthought, "I don't usually eat tacos, but don't they usually have beef in them...?" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "You were just told they were taco fruits," Ariel says, plopping onto the opposite chair. "Atlantean Taco Fruits. They're more like a berry. High in protein though, so eat up!" She plucks one of the strange slices out and nibbles on it herself. "My other mom is Atlantean, they raised these as their staple food." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Sitting back up on her chair rather than squatting down near the tentacle beast, she shrugs and takes a large bite of the salad. As it turns out, Momoyo is not a slow eater at all. Soon as she takes the first bite, she takes to the taco salad with glee, slurping a bit even. "Mmmmh. Goof." she replies, holding up one spoon and shaking it lightly before continuing. "Two mompf?" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel propes her head in her hands, probably looking at Momoyo more curiously now. She may not be quite so innocent as she pretends, since there's some level of assessment there. "Mmhmm. Amalthea is my unicorn mom, and Ellestaria is my Atlantean mom. Ellestaria and Amalthea built me. Or grew me. It's complicated, I guess, because I'm not exactly a robot." She tilts her head. "So you just want to fight, though? That's it?" 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      She finishes the bowl completely, sort of smearing the napkin over her mouth. Surprisingly satisfied, she didn't even ask for seconds. She certainly was tempted, though, in spite of being full. "Before the Gate opened, the last opponent I fought worth a damn was Ageha Kuki." (the last name being indistinguishible from the word 'Cookie') She pushes the bowl to the side, letting her arms drape over the back of the chair as she looked at the ceiling. "That was a year ago, in 2008. I continued to have challengers from all over the globe, but I usually beat them with one punch... even the ones who tried to kill me weren't strong enough." she muses.     "I was enjoying my friends, and Yamato Naoe tried to introduce me to some games, gave me a fish... he was even close to giving me a gift. It was in a little box. With hinges. I saw it later... but because the Gate opened he never got a chance to give it to me after our mock school war. I wonder if he ever will, he keeps hiding it from everyone else, but my bro can't hide stuff from me." she waves a hand dismissively. "Other than the Kawakami School War between the popular kids and the common kids, I don't feel alive. My classmates are below my level and have to gang up on me for me to even break a sweat... and I just feel depressed if I don't fight." She murmurs this, staring at the ceiling. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "Huh..." Ariel blinks a few times, those odd gemlike eyes clicking each blink. "I met a lot of people like that during the tournament. You really need a hobby! I don't like fighting, but I understand where you're coming from." She claps her hands together. "Maybe if you need to let off steam we could spar sometime! I'm a little rusty when I'm not in Magius Form, but after I lost my title maybe I should work on that more. You really need an outlet, it sounds like." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      She blinks a bit, looking down at Ariel's aura. She hadn't really been paying attention to it, there were ten zillion other things going on in the fortress that would shut down ki perception.     "Besides, Amalthea will probably kill me if I'm caught sparring with you, after what I did to Nero." she waves a hand dismissively. "If you don't like fighting, why would you challenge me? There's numerous people that will find me pretty threatening just by being strong if I wander into the wrong Multiverse." she frowns, studying the not-robot thoughtfully. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "That's right, you'd be dead where you stand."     That voice comes from the doorway as Amalthea enters. Despite the fluffy blue robe decorated in dolphins, and fuzzy slippers, the elder unicorn comes trudging into the kitchen.     "Ariel doesn't like fighting. She'll do it if she has to, but she's a pacifist at heart. Her winning the WMAT tournament was one of the many moments where my pride for her swelled, and for good reason." Noted as pats the smaller unicorn atop the head with a gentle affection, before pouring herself a cup of coffee. "She wanted to understand people through how they fight, and she learned a lot."     That's when her eye turns on Momoyo. "You still have no direction. She's found hers, and she's only three. I think that says something." Jabbed as she starts to shuffle back on out. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel's aura is going to be difficult to read. There's power there, and a fair amount, but an initial reading would probably read as a fair bit weaker than Momoyo... though well into 'strong fighter' territory. A hand lifts to wave to Amalthea, and then... an awkward twitch. "Eheh. It was just the one time. And if you keep picking fights then someone might kill you. That would be bad, right?" 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      She shakes her head. After Amalthea leaves, though... she had to do just one silly thing. Reaching down to the ground, there's some rustling as she finds a not-swept up pebble. She does something completely childish.     She flicks the pebble at Amalthea using a tiny bit of aura. It would only be enough to bounce off and fall if it hit her head, but it was an action that suited her better than sticking her tongue out at the old veteran.     "I can't beat your mother yet. But I wanted to try. She sounds like my damn grandpa. I'm surprised she didn't just sit there in a room with him having tea and nagging about young people all the time..." she muses before turning back to Ariel. "I have hobbies. I just lose interest in them. It's a quirk. Anything else bores me. So if I die fighting, I doubt there will be anyone who really misses me." she shrugs, ignoring the ring box she mentioned earlier as she goes back to staring at the ceiling. Even Amalthea could tell at a glance she only had two thirds of her aura back from that adolescent clash with Nero. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Plink. The pebble bounces off Amalthea's head with a small clank. She pauses briefly to fire a brief glower before meandering off, grumbling about 'damn punk kids'. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "I would!" Ariel replies earnestly to 'who would miss her.' She twitches an ear, then shakes her head, "I'm sure you'll find a purpose someday! If you don't, then I guess we can have um... I dunno. Maybe Duet can seal you or something, if you want. It might make it easier. I guess I could try but Al hasn't taught me seals, just dispels." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo shrugs, grousing at Amalthea. It was clear though, that they liked one another. But Momoyo still didn't understand the woman that just simply didn't put her in prison. "Maybe you will. Then you'll forget in a year or two other than war stories. It doesn't matter, really." she tilts her head a bit while looking down at the shorter unicorn. "Why would you need to seal... nevermind." she waves a hand dismissively. "Maybe you might need to seal me if I get as powerful as your mom, but I don't just go around attacking people. I just live my own way and stay honest." she sits up straighter again. "Your mom is gonna put me in prison if you talk to me anymore about challenging me, so let's just drop the subject. I don't think I'll remain undefeated much longer anyway if I have to fight more people like Nero." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' The question makes Ariel look puzzled again. "So you can be normal?" She looks utterly confused that Momoyo wouldn't want it if it were a problem. "Oh well. Okay, there are plenty of others who like to fight, too. Just um... be careful, okay? And don't tell mom that was the last taco in the fridge." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      She stands up, rolling her neck and ruffles the smaller unicorn. "I'm not the one that needs to be 'normal' though there's girls like that in my world. Even if you sealed my ki, people will come for me anyway." she pecks the smaller girl on the horn. "We'll talk more some other time. Now... how do I get back to the gate again...?" she muses, looking around outside the windows. 

}}

3552/Reprimand and Recruitment

2015-12-22T07:12:34Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/20 |Location=Kawakami City |Synopsis=Amalthea handles some unfinished business in Kawakami City, after the world unifies. |Thanks= |Cast of..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/20
|Location=Kawakami City
|Synopsis=Amalthea handles some unfinished business in Kawakami City, after the world unifies.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=395, 928
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo was confined to the Dojo grounds for however long it took the resolve the situation with the Gate. For a lack of anyone with a better understanding of the situation and appropriate power to manage it, Kawakami Tesshin was not only surprisingly amiable but laid-back about the affair. While the Gate's arrivals were a leap and a stretch, it seems for this land they were not as much of a shock as they otherwise could have been. Thusly, after explaining his granddaughter and the area's samurai history to Amalthea, in order to maintain good relations and a fair impartial grasp of the situation... enforcement of her was left to the Union. This began to set the precedent for using the Dojo as a formalized prison for Gate miscreants and a preliminary neutral zone headquarters for both factions' affairs since the Fed were able to talk to Tesshin as well later on.     None of this was good news for Momoyo, however. Someone actually powerful enough to handle her loose cannon attitude aside from her grandfather had shown up and after hearing about Amalthea's experience as a leader and drill instructor was more than happy to wash his hands of the whole ordeal regarding her usage of the Human Bomb technique with civilians and defeated fighters in the potential blast radius. While still quivering from the adrenaline of the brawl for most of the week, she was still strictly confined to the Dojo grounds and in no mood to violate that quarantine until she was handed off to the Union just now with Tesshin's signatures.     Thusly, she sat sulking like a teenager in detention, dressed in her black slacks, sweater and vest as her shoulders hunched and hands remained in her pockets. Red eyes continue to constantly trace over the training monks and Union-heavy presence in the neutral zone trickling in with Japanese government permission. The air was thick with tension around the woman that could be cut like a knife. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     So there's a unicorn in a dojo.     This isn't the beginning of a joke, but by the end of this debacle there's probably going to be a punchline anyway. Out of a vague and basic understanding and respect for local culture, Amalthea ta least took her boots off on the way in, but the armored old knight is about as awkward about thie civility and diplomacy as ever. She feigns it well, but a man like Tesshin probably won't be fooled at the mechanical mythic's discomfort at being selected for a diplomacy mission, when her forte lays in other fields.     Still, she is here, representing the Union, and that means she is at least as professional as she can manage to be, listening intently to the explanations of the Samurai lineage. And that technique she had almost used.     "So you're telling me she could have caused a catastrophe if Priscilla didn't step in." Mused as she whistles quietly through her teeth. "Well I think that helps gauge the Elites of this world somewhat, at least." She ponders, amid tucking away the tidbit of the destruction that COULD have happened. "I think I'd like to speak with her."     That's about how the conversation with Tesshin had gone.     It's not too much longer before Momoyo's confinement is no longer so solitary. Though the door eerily makes no sound, and her footsteps are inhumanly silent, Amalthea makes no attempt to HIDE her arrival in the room anyway. "Kawakami, Momoyo. I'm Kuklos Ka Amalthea Schmendrick-Fortuna. We've already met, though not quite so formally. ... Care for a little chat?" 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo slouches in her room, looking at the monks outside the window. Amalthea may have come in silently, but she could tell the unicorn was moving down the hall at least five minutes before her arrival. "Alright." she replies, coolly. She clearly wasn't in the mood to chat, but the fact that her grandfather had spoken to the Union first and not her spoke volumes. She tosses her hair a little bit, over her shoulder, but for all the power she had, it was clear from her room she was more or less a typical tomboy. It was not entirely clean, a bunch of clothing piled up in one corner, videogames strewn about she'd been playing up till a half an hour ago. Her sulky attitude itself showed she was wearing her heart on her sleeve...     She was not going to enjoy the forthcoming conversation and was /NOT/ pleased to have been stopped by a demi-god out of the blue during a good fight either. However, her behavior was pretty clearly as if she totalled a car and had no idea what was coming next. The rainbow robot was not who she expected to step into her room... but the unicorn was too powerful to just dismiss. For all of her sulking, simply sizing up the other... thing... had shown that while she had been through plenty of her own fights, the other one had seen multiple wars. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     More than Momoyo can potentially imagine. The unicorn carries herself more like a wild predator than a knight, despite her armor. It doesn't even rattle or clink as she eases into a seat opposit the samurai-blooded girl, blatantly ignoring the girl's sulking, she stares. Meeting gaze with that lone eye is like staring into an ocean. Dark, endlessly deep and otherworldly fathomless, she says nothing for a long moment. Truth is, even in this moment, she's sizing Momoyo up right back, albeit subtly and without intent to start anything. Not right now anyway. Not if she can help it.     "I can tell you're strong, we all saw that much, but you're also a little wild, aren't you."     It's not a question, it's an observation. "The damage you caused could have been a lot worse. Especially if Vance, of all people, hadn't kept civilians away, and Priscilla didn't intervene when she did. It was almost a mistake on my part pitting Xiao Long, a rookie, and Kawasaki, a trained and professional Shinra Agent against you. One could have been badly hurt, the other could have ended up much differently." How it sounds so much like a lecture as she drums her fingers on her knee, thoughtfully. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      She turns to face the unicorn finally after looking in those eyes. While she understood how strong martially the robot was through her aura, she was probably well out of her depth looking at that eye. "Did you really expect it to go any differently?" she replies, looking her up and down. She leans forward with her elbows on her thighs now, sitting on the edge of her bed with a wry grin. "Other than the bored... uh... demi-goddess," she didn't know what to call Priscilla at that point other than to understand that being had no place on the plane she stepped on to. "You were the only one worth fighting. I kept the police away for a good reason, but everyone else through that gate knew the risks the moment they saw me." she sits back a bit, folding her arms. In other words, even though Tesshin explained her technique and probable strategy, she was still certain an equally strong and furious fighter was one she could blow away to get to the knight.     "You guys really are something, though. The blonde has the potential to master Kawakami Style completely and be as good as me... and that guy was no slouch... you have no idea how BORED I was this past year. Even when people try to kill me they never cut the mustard like you guys did." She was still admitting a grudging respect. Reckless, but definitely not a stupid woman. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The only one worth fighting? Now that earns the quirk of a brow, the unicorn's face shifting slightly with a buzz into a particularly inquisitive expression as she tilts her head in a particularlt curious angle. "Was I?" A genuine curiosity, rather than arrogant acceptance and bluster in the face of such a comment. "Meanwhile. I felt it wasn't worth fighting. Not because I find you lacking, but because when I fight it is not for the sake of a fight itself. But what I choose to fight for." She says very simply, that lone eye practically staring through the girl with a silent, immortal, intensity. "You will find, now, quite often that people from other worlds are very different from those here that try to kill you. Much different." She lets that hang. Her point is frankly made simply by her being there breathing, but she doesn't completely halt.     "Quite frankly I think you're dangerous. A loose cannon with a nasty temper and a penchant for high collateral damage." Very blunt there as her head tilts again, turning to better regard Momoyo from her good eye. "And I suppose that's why I think I've got an offer to make you." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo shrugs, leaning backward on her hands. "Alright, I'm listening." she replies. Her visitor wasn't going to take the bait, but neither was she going to let her get a word in edgewise to argue. Tossing her hair again (the costs of never bothering to really maintain it other than an occasional wash) She plants one heel on the edge of her bed, draping one hand over her knee. It seems like it wasn't the first time she's tried to rile a teacher up, but it wasn't the last time she'd shut up and learn something either. The only thing that continued to bounce was her knee, belying a whole bunch of pent-up energy still. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Listening huh? The unicorn goes stock still for a moment, eyeng the girl and her body language. Everything about Momoyo felt like a taut spring waiting to snap. Non-Elite union delegates would probably be intimidated by this point, by the brusque demeanor and sheer force of presence. But no. Amalthea is not biting. Not now anyway.     "Do you want to fight me?" It's an idle question as she reaches into the surcoat of her armor. "Because we can do it. Find someplace out of the way, where there's no one around for miles, andback and forth it until someon's a wreck."     This is when she pulls a folder from her armor and tosses it on the bed. "Or you can fill those out and turn them in to me by tonight, and I can give you something to fight for." She lets that hang for a long moment.     "It won't be glamorous. You can't say you're part of the Union. Too much of a wildcard to have on the official rosters. You'd be worse than black ops. But you'd have a better direction than challenging anyone who walks out of the warpgate." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      The red-eyed woman grins widely at the question. She didn't expect it to come so easily! She could have cared less about what else the Gate meant.     But then her eyes drop to the folder.     She starts to flip through it, reading through the titles of the forms, the job description, various details. Training, drills, both to be taught and to teach. She hadn't even really thought to question why it was called the Union, but now that she was actually putting effort in to reading the paperwork, things started to click. Definitely not stupid, just intellectually lazy.     "I couldn't join you until one of you defeats... me..." she trails off lamely. The reality of the situation was that she had already been beaten, she just wasn't fighting the opponent that did so at the time. Even the folder indicated her current prisoner status, her grandfather's signatures to sign her over until the paperwork was resolved, what the crimes and sentences were. She might have been 'grounded to her room' but the legal reality started to really bear down on her, what was really at stake compared to her behavior and how much worse she could really make it for herself.     She continues to flip through the paperwork and a few dossiers. "I can teach. But... who will I fight?" It was only now finally a touch apprehensive, even though she was still very much willing to tear loose. She was finally paying attention. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "You can teach. Okay." Amalthea confirms that as a skill of use, but the next question earns another long, deep, look from that eye. Far too deep and old for a face made to look rather young. "Who will you fight?" Mused for a moment, once Momoyo has perused the files and paperwork.     Amalthea is already standing up and waving a hand in a lazy motion. "Well, I guess that depends just on who you want to fight, now doesn't it?"     She's already heading for the door. "It's a war. It won't be pretty. It won't be pretty at all, and you'll be considered so not on the record that you'd be more expendable than expendable. But it'll give you a direction. Think about it and get back to me. If you want in, all you have to do is sign. If not, I scratch off those charges of public menacing, endangering civilians, and assaulting union staff, like they never happened, and you don't hear from me again."     This is about where she pauses in the doorway and glances back over her shoulder with that lone eye.     "But something tells me you wouldn't enjoy that as much." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      "Being expendable suits me fine, Amalthea. I go my own way and stay honest, after all." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Fair enough." Amalthea replies. "Just pass the papers over when you're done looking through them. Report to Colonel Zelgius first thing." Added as she slips out of the doorway and closes it behind her. 

}}

3536/Kawakami City Unification

2015-12-22T07:05:08Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/17 |Location=Kawakami City |Synopsis=The Union shows up to engage in diplomacy with a new world. Fightgotiations ensue. |Thanks= |Cast of C..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/17
|Location=Kawakami City
|Synopsis=The Union shows up to engage in diplomacy with a new world. Fightgotiations ensue.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=19, 70, 380, 395, 437, 691, 715, 867, 906, 928
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      In the twilight hour, things were still quiet in the park across from Kawakami City. The wind rustles the grass lightly in the autumn weather, just past some large school-sponsored summertime events. That meant that the semester was starting soon, so Momoyo was getting in last minute training.     Which was why she was jogging up quickly to the Gate. It could only have appeared in the past few hours, but the natural gate was present, a monolithic figure resembling a Japanese arch that wasn't present before. Not as large as the entrance to a manor but still reminiscient of the same style. Momoyo had to have been the very first to notice it, as anyone else who would have other than random pedestrians wasn't close enough to get to it... or detect it.     Naturally the fighter dressed in white was walking circles around the gate cautiously, before she leans in to touch the space between the arches with a fingertip. Her finger rested a mere half-inch from the inside arch... 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     FLASH. AAAA... wait, wrong script.     There's a bright flash as something comes OUT of the gate. "And then I said, that's no Ursa... THAT'S MY DAD!" to some random Regular grunt she was walking with. "Wait, this isn't Beacon." she says, blinking a little and peering at Momoyo. "Hey, uh, can you tell us where we are?" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Right so. A new world just popped up. And that means the usual round of sending diplomatic missions to probe the world, see what kind of government it has, and how to properly acclimate the people, and hopefully engage in peaceful relations, and hopefullt get things running smoothly. Maybe get another world to join the Union to boot.     Yes well... Amalthea hates these kinds of jobs. It's really not her forte, but the unicorn seems to have drawn the short straw in overseeing tonight's events. Presumably the local government has at least gotten some form of missive to let them know...     That a unicorn would be coming out of the gate. Amalthea promptly grips Yang by the back of the collar. "No kid, this isn't Beacon. Welcome to diplomacy."     There is a pause. There is a local girl right there. The armored unicorn knight's lone blue eye focuses on her for a long, awkward, moment.     "Hi. We come in peace." 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      Kenji Kawasaki looks a lot like most Japanese young adult punks. Reasonably tall, fairly muscular, loose and unstyled black hair, a leather jacket and pants, a white tank top, hands in his pockets - were it not for the fact that he's emerging from the Warpgate, Kenji could probably literally be mistaken for a biker, punk, or bancho from around here. He even carries himself the same way as most punks, with that shoulders-up, head-tilted-a-bit-forward, slightly-hunched turtle look that obscures his true height and breadth. Still, there's something somewhat off about him. Maybe it's the fact that he came through the Warp Gate, or maybe it's the fact that he's a bit more well-toned than an ordinary thug, or maybe it's that despite his hunched shoulders his eyes are still darting around like a trained soldier's, not lingering on one thing for too long.      Kenji straightens a bit at the mention of diplomacy. Well, it was part of his job with Shinra, too, but... ah, hell, he needed the work.      Kenji holds up a hand. "Yo. sup."      He jerks a thumb backwards at the Gate. "You'll get used to it." 

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''     Terry McGinnis looks at Yang, "You do know that is a bad joke right," he says to her as he stops and looks, "Hello," he states simply as he looks around. "Did you put the wrong warp gate coordiantes in Yang?" he asks her as he looks aroudn and spots some lady, "Hi," he says to her as he listens to Amalthea, "My idea of diplomacy usually involves a fight against people in Gotham," he says to her.     Terry is wearing a ifferent outfit besides the Batsuit and his normal stuff. He has on the cloths he wears at the Beacon Academy since he is now enrolled at to be a Huntsman-in-training. "Yang, do we need to teach you how to read a map or use a warp gate?" he asks her. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' A new world, and it's Yari Takane's duty to investigate. Dressing up in quite generic traveling clothes, complete with nice horn-hiding hoodie, she looks like a modern traveler for the most part. The tail's even cleverly hidden in her pants. She even grabbed a bookbag to sling over her shoulders. It is, in fact, filled with ninja equipment and explosives. Just in case. Not long after the group of Unionites step through, so too does Yari. A pause, and she looks rather bewildered at it all. Rather than address the group, or the girl awaiting them all, she makes herself scarce for the moment. Not /quite/ hiding. That would give her away. She does her best to seem shy and a bit wary of a massive diplomatic group. No Feds here. Promise! 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya Was one to be exploring the multiverse, she'd been more in the habit of scouting for the union and mapping out various worlds than fighting on the fornt line but here she was in a new world which was curious as she stepped out of the gate. The blue haired woman was dressed in something along the lines of Terran clothing and she wasn't visably armed though those who could sense magic or the like? She kinda was clearly far from it. "Well this certainly is interesting... and hello my name is Maya." 

:'''{{#var:380|Madeline Vance (380)}} has posed:'''     Amidst the confusion, another arrival appears. This one is mostly here on purpose, though unfortunately she does not have any read on the area yet. That is probably why she's brought some help! Nothing super strong or anything, just two of her subordinates, dressed in normal(for the Radiant Empire) clothes. That is, they look a little old-fashioned but are casual, complete with things like blue jeans. Madeline herself is dressed a little more nicely, with a nice dress and all, but it's kind of unimportant.     "Take a look around," she orders the two with her, who split off to just... wander around. They aren't here to be hostile or anything. This leaves Madeline to peer at all the Union members greeting some random person. So she does the most logical thing she can think of.     She walks up with the group and hangs around like she belongs there. She doesn't even invoke a Charm or anything to help make herself overlooked, she just sort of hangs around like that unwanted kid at the party. 

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''     Priscilla, today, appears to be by far the most intentional arrival on the Union's part, neither caught in the coincidental hiccup in the local warpgate network's sudden rearrangement, nor essentially badgered into it by rank and obligation like Amalthea. With how much she's been staying out recently, the only indication that she's even gone home in between is that the scorch mark in the chest of her finer clothes is gone, buffed out after fighting Agahnim. The peculiar eye stone is fastened in its cradle of black titanite wire and hung around her neck, apparently the newest addition to what is becoming a habit of wearing these little trophies in one sense or the other, from the flower of moonlight in her hair, to her off-coloured left eye, to the sunburst 'scar' etched into a scale just above her collarbone. As seems to be the final nail in the coffin of its importance however, the crown is nowhere to be seen.     Stepping through the gate alongside Amalthea, barefoot on the grass, she spares a few moments to look over the massive tori, and then her eyes immediately go over to Momoyo, momentarily skipping over the unscheduled allies for the time being. As the paired gold and orange settle on her, her gaze is accompanied by a brief, completely imagined sensation of cold stabbing indiscernibly placed between the heart and the temple, and a passing feeling of vertigo. It's difficult to be subtle about a really 'piercing' look anymore, when the nature of it is to assess the soul of someone so clearly unusual.     "Well that is certainly something." she intones quietly, to nobody in particular. "Well met, young Lady. Thou hast exceedingly uncommon fortune, one way or the other, to be here at this instant. Dost thou fancy being a destined messenger of some sort? Thou art perfectly welcome to stay a while and watch. In fact, anything thou hast to tell to us wouldst likely be helpful for now." She has to look askance at the Confederacy arriving here already though. "Be warned that this shalt be difficult to explain both briefly and accurately." She looks to Amalthea, then tilts her head subtly in Madeline's direction. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo has to leap back when Yang comes through the portal. Not strong enough to hurt her, unless she was caught unaware. But it takes a full ten minutes or so to process the sudden otherworldly gathering in front of her. She fumbles briefly for the dog whistle that was meant to summon Kawakami Kazuko, but... that whistle laid at Amalthea's feet for now.     "Ah- ah-..." she stared transfixed, those crimson red eyes jumping from one figure to the other. In particular, she could scarcely believe her eyes. It wasn't just Priscilla but a near-goddess was bad enough.     Hurriedly she tried to assess Amalthea, who by all appearances shouldn't have had an aura, but did. And Kenji's aura was too complex to process as anything other than a threat. The others were sheerly overwhelming. The only aura that matched what she was seeing right now was her Grandfather, Kawakami Tesshin.     "Ah-...! Alright!" she suddenly regains her composure. She was clearly terrified out of her friggin' mind, but even her menacing red aura was boundlessly formidable itself. "You've probably got about an hour before police start showing up. They'll stand back as long as I'm here." she cocks her head a little, trying to figure out who to address. "You." she finally picks the most ridiculous-looking one. She couldn't decide if it was the one she wanted to fight, but it was certainly the one standing in front now, as she nodded to Amalthea. "Heheheh..." she paces back and forth a moment in front of the half-dozen assorted figures, failing to notice those hiding their auras entirely. "Alright. If you come in peace, you may as well tell me now... I'm the strongest fighter here. There's maybe three others close to me." She didn't define 'here' but it wasn't much of a stretch to assume 'the world' based off preliminary radar analysis alone. She clearly was also implying rivals, which meant she wouldn't be calling for backup.     Only briefly did she glare back at Priscilla assessing her soul level. That was, however, the reaction of a curious berserk personality, and not a hostile one. She couldn't even begin to process the half-dragon, so she focused on the one that looked remotely like Cookie. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     AWK! Scruffed! She hasn't been grabbed like that since she was a little kid. "H-Hey!" she grouses, looking back at Amalthea. "Diplomacy? I... what?" She then glares at Terry. "Hey, it's not /my/ fault the thing brought us here! Besides, didn't you read the primer on the gates? They can be a bit random sometimes!"     As Momoyo starts her little challenge, the blonde looks back at her, lilac eyes sizing her up. Definitely holds herself like a fighter. "Hey, you wanna fight somebody, I'll take ya on. Between Grimm and Classes, this'll be /fun/." 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      Man, just their luck. Literally just their luck. What are the odds the first person they meet is someone like that? Kenji calculates it for a moment, then decides that it's probably some kind of giant cosmic bullshit aimed vaguely in his direction. It basically pans with the rest of his life anyway.      "God damn," Kenji swears, because of course the liberal Japanese punk swears a ton, "You always just lose your shit at people saying 'hi'?" DIPLOMACY!      DIPLOMACY!      "Anyway, if you're looking for a fight, fine, I'll take you on," Kenji pulls his hand out of his jacket as his lips split in a wide grin, "I suck at this talking shit anyway. Let's dance."      "But we definitely come in peace," he adds. 

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''     Terry McGinnis looks at Yang and sighs, "I think she would do you more harm Yang," he says as he glances at Momoyo and studies her as well. "Why not let those who are skilled at talking do that, and if you wanna spar with her, do so afterwards," he mentions as he walks up and places a hand on her, yang's, shoulder.     Looking at the girl, he ponders but says nothing and can spot things like this, her warrior spirit and fighting stance. . o 0 (She trained and is probably a high level martial artist....) he thinks to himself as he listens to the others but stays near Yang, . o 0 (I should have worn something else then this school uniform. At least I have a few things in my utility belt.)     Looking over at Kenji he shakes his head, "Ut oh..." he says to himself as he looks at Yang and has an idea what will happen next.... 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Yang's glower is met with a shake-shake of the girl's scruff. It is a tried and true means of asserting dominance. "We're not here for that kind of diplomacy." She notes to Terry in a mutter, before Momoko actually gets her composure back.     "Okay. So the police hang back if you're around?" This could mean one of several things.     This girl is someone of importance with sway over local authorities.     She is potentially powerful.     She could just be a nutjob that even the police are frightened of.     Sigh.     It's now that Amalthea releases Yang's collar and gives the girl a light shove towards Momoko. "It looks like we have a pair of volunteers. Let's call them Speakers of the Fist, for official purposes. I guess if they're up for it, Kawasaki, Xiao Long? You've got the floor."     Maybe while Momoko is distracted with them, SOMEONE can find a government official or something. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya looks Momoyo over for a moment and also gets her first look at Yang but she focuse mostly on Momoyo who had her attention. "Wait the police? I see I'm no looking for a fight honest. I don't think anyone else is. I'd have to say that's fairly impressive. If your however looking to fight there's no shortage of people who'd be willing to throw down with you. There's a large yearly tournament with fighters from dozens of worlds as well. That might get your intrest as well." Maya steps back for the moment nd seems to get what Amalthea may be up to. Maya also can't hide her levels of magical energy either even if she wanted to, could someone here pick it up? It'd be very easy to then again with the likes of Priscilla here she might not get noticed as rapidly as she might otherwise. 

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''     Well the new girl being in exactly the right place at the right(wrong) time leaping out of the way like a cat exposed to a shower, or less humorously, an exceptionally wary fighter, is one thing alright. What she has to say immediately after however, is another thing entirely. Priscilla blinks in such a way as to make even that universally recognized expression of subtle confusion appear obscure, before continuing regardless in a slightly less forthcoming tone. "I . . . see then. Lady Amalthea speaks truthfully. Neither we, nor the covenant we representeth, wish any harm whatsoever upon thee or thine world; now one of many, I may add perhaps without as much emphasis as I wouldst enjoy. Thou may call me by Priscilla, and so I ask of thee a name to address by in return."     A while ago, an assessment into Priscilla's soulstuff would have come up with a vague approximation of 'pretty strong, somehow not all there', but these days, whatever passes for her natural energy is a roaring bonfire that appears to have perhaps originally been several pieces, fused together without being welded entirely seamlessly, despite all being 'her'. She doesn't give off much of an impression in that sense though. Her 'air' doesn't feel charged or give off any pressure, but conversely feels cold and still, like the subjective eternity before the descent of a guillotine, wheeled out in the dead of winter. It's possibly worth noting that the bizarre pendant around her neck feels like a second entity altogether, faint and elusive, but still there.     "Mine apologies, but is this . . . usual, here? If thou art advertising thine capability as a warrior, thou art already speaking to those with the connections to find thee more than adequate employ as one, but is it really necessary to engage in combat before even an exchange of names? Be assured that working with the native law is entirely within our domain." This'd probably be so much easier if she had a badge or something. She clearly has some misgivings about the first words out of this stranger's mouth being about fighting, and then Kenji and Yang immediately enabling her. Young, impetuous humans, et cetera. 

:'''{{#var:380|Madeline Vance (380)}} has posed:'''     A martial artist, hm? Madeline crosses her arms and just listens to this for now. She's going to step back, a half-amused smirk on her lips, and just observe how the Union handles this meeting. No way is SHE going to just get into a random fight with a strange girl for no particular reason. "Oh, good luck," she murmurs. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari, as she's ignored in favor of all of these bombastic types, lurks in the background near the Warpgate still. She quietly eyes the group, particularly the stronger seeming amongst them. But at least there's no immediate violence. The young woman's gaze instead assesses the native woman, and her red eyes. There's an itchy feeling on the back of her neck. The feeling of power on the woman is obvious to her ninja senses, and she doesn't even need her armlet to confirm it. Instead, she awaits for a fight, ready to slip down the hill and double back if things get too rough. Or pull Madeline back through the Warpgate if necessary. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      The sirens come up too soon. Damn. Smartphones... "Hold on a second." she puts up a hand... before blitzing toward the police cars speeding toward the close encounters of the third kind.      "Stand... BACK!!!" she was a blur moving to the spot she had in mind. Her aura flared as she punched the ground... splitting the earth badly toward the river. It was a large enough crack for humans to hop over, but large enough to cause big problems for the stack of police cars all now skidding to a halt with the motorcycles in tow. Naturally, the officers dismounted pointing guns at Momoyo and the rest of the crowd both, but they were out of range where the long-haired woman smashed the ground.     She blitzes back quickly, her arms folded again. God, this was exciting. She hasn't had opponents this strong in /years/. "My name is Momoyo Kawakami. My grandfather Kawakami Tesshin owns the Kawakami Dojo here. We train fighters in arts passed down from samurai blood long ago." she has to speak fast, enough to get a basic understanding of the situation before she had to respond to the challenges in front of her. Her shoulders, however, were visibly trembling. The smile on her face was unbelieveable, the seething, ecstatic grin of a good fight.     "You stepped through that gate into Japan." she points off in the distance, past the suspension bridge built for pedestrians and cars both. "That's Kawakami City." she looks at Kenji briefly. He looked like he should be from here... but he wasn't. She finally thought better of what she was about to say. "My grandfather has the most influence in this area around the gate before you talk to the federal government. That's them." she nods to the prefecture police. For as remarkably excited as she was, she was at least basically polite.     "You want to go, blondie?" she grins in that satanic fashion. She knew there was a big potential on her, but needed to test the gap. "I'm gonna give you a fair warning... the last woman I fought with your strength was named Margit Eberbach. She was German special forces. I put her in a coma for a month. He stands a better chance." she points to Kenji. That was only going to egg Yang on, but it was obvious to the strongest fighters in the room that she wasn't lying.     "...But. I'm excited. There's been no one as strong as you all in years..." she murmurs listlessly. She needed to start this fight before the government got a handle on the situation. Nevertheless, she folded her arms with a provocative grin. "Let's go." 

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''     Terry McGinnis blinks as he looks at this and watches, then feels the ground, "Yea, you two can handle this," he says to Yang and Kenji as he moves towards Maya, Priscilla as he sighs,, "Yea...." an dhe mutters about not wearing the Batsuit when he knew he should have. "Well, looks liek the diplomacy just went out the window in the way of talking," he commens to the others as he watches this. . o 0 (The fact she fractured the ground with single punch, puts her on the same level as Raditz....) he thinks as he will watch this to learn things on fighting incase he ever has to fight her, which he hopes he never will. "Yang, question for you. Do you really wanna get into a fight?" he asks her and that is also directed at Kenji too. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     Yang is released from Amalthea's grasp, and with a bit of a stumble, plants a foot to arrest her movement. She quirks a brow at Momoyo's display of strength, then grins right back at the red eye'd girl. It's the exact same expression on a different face. "Yeah? Lets just see about that! My name is Yang Xiao Long, my dad is Taiyang Xiao Long, and he's known as one of the top Huntsmen in Remnant." She brings up her hands in a boxers pose, then with a bit of a flourish, deploys Ember Celica.     THe DRSGs unfold from the two bracelets she wears, forming along her forearms and over the backs of her hands. A cylindrical chamber can be seen just behind the wrist with several orange shells with yellow tips. She brings her arms back into place and manually racks the slides on both gauntlets. "Ready to go when you are. Just be aware, I'm not gonna go easy on ya, and I expect you to do the same."     With that, she swings her arms back, and with a shotgun-like blast, likely to get the police on edge, she launches forwards, aiming a heavy right hook at Momoyo, which also lets off a shotgun-like blast of pure kinetic force at the 'impact' point of the swing. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Punching part of the world in half is highly unusual, even for the stuff Yari's used to. She takes cover behind the warpgate smartly, kneeling, and watching the fight with renewed interest. The ninja uses her armlet to start scanning the fighting trio discretely. But after a few moments, she peers to the cops, and finally decides to get something slightly more useful done. After walking down the hill, leaping over what remains of the chasm while hopefully avoiding Union detection, she'll then rather calmly try to find whoever is in charge of the police. One arm is already in the air, and all of her weapons are well hidden. "Excuse me. I'm a traveler, but not with that group. But I think I can give some information on the situation." There might be a truce, but she's not exactly being outright aggressive. A bit of slander of the enemy always helps. "That group up there is what's known as the Union. Feel free to draw your own conclusions, but I think their violence more than shows their intent. Be wary." 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo initially continues to block the strikes. This becomes a problem quickly, while she was obviously superhuman the sheer kinetic force was shredding her unarmored skin a bit on the forearms. "Hmph. You've got potential..." she growls. If she took a direct hit those gauntlets were going to be a problem.      "Kawakami Style, Musou Seikenzuki!!"      Her signature move comes out fast. It was a simple, straight punch. But it came out with the force and speed of a battleship cannon. If an opponent couldn't survive this move, they weren't worth fighting. Her feet brace themselves in the grass, fighting on a downward slope from where Yang has backed her two steps toward the river. Her arms were already shredded with small scratches from the kinetic force. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     Yang's fast, she's super strong even without her Dust enhanced strikes, but being hit by the equivalent of a battleship cannon is going to hurt. She crosses her arms in front of her, and that punch slams into the metal, bending it in a little, even as an angry orange-red light manifests, softening the blow. The blonde is send rocketing backward though, digging up furrows in the grass as she skids back, then tumbles in a partially controlled backflip to land in a panting crouch... "Heh... heheheheh. Nice hit... I think you broke the slide on the right gauntlet with that one." she then looks at the underside of her left gauntlet. . o O (Wow, from full down to 43 percent in one hit...) she thinks to herself, as she checks her Aura level. "I yield." She adds, as she stands up, but doesn't dismiss the gauntlets... likely because the mechanism is damaged. 

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''     Terry McGinnis looks around and blinks as the fighting starts and observes, but than he notices somethign and blinks and looks at Priscilla, "Priscilla," he says to her. "I think we might have a small problem," na dhe nods towards the figure talking to the cops. "I do not think she is with us, but she might be a local," he comments to her as he watches the fight. 

:'''{{#var:437|Annie Sandberg (437)}} has posed:'''      Someone new emerges from the gate... a fairy of some kind, or so she looks. Annie was once again taking her digital avatar, Silverbloom the Puca, out for adventures in other worlds. And, just as she arrives in this new place, she spots... a fight. She touches down, keeping her distance as she watches what looks like the end of it. Was it serious, or some sort of friendly spar or competition? It was difficult to tell, given that she'd missed much of it. It was impressive to watch at least. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya Sees that the fighters have got Maomoyo's attention and she's fine with that she does tilt her head a little bit. She does wonder how hte fight will go she does however bow to Momoyo slightly. "I'm as I noted Maya and I'm from the planet Septerra." She now leaves ht to enage in the fiht and she looks over to Terry for a moment with a bit of a nod. "I think they are going to talk with their fists and that was a heck of a punch." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari, with her slander-job done, is still down there with the cops. She's sipping coffee one of the officers gave her after they realized they were out of the fight. Holding up a pair of binoculars she borrowed, she has her lizard-rump perched on a police-car hood, watching the action even as she occasionally takes in the layout of the city with a few scans of her armlet. 

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''     Terry McGinnis nods, "Your right Maya, even Batman would be hard to take too many of those punches, and he has taken a few," he mentions as he looks at Yang, "You ok?" he asks her as he looks to Momoyo and bows as well, "Terry McGinnis," he says to her as he says nothing else.     "I think we need to go talk to the authorities, as this is gonna turn into a bad situation and a slight smear on the Union," he adds. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Clapping her hands together, the long-haired girl leans forward in a gracious bow to Yang. "You did well. Come by the Dojo sometime, and we'll spar more." She gave a reasonably elated grin to Yang. No insults, and still boundless energy. But then, she turned to Kenji.     "Attack me." she states flatly, holding her right hand up open with her fingers pointed toward the air. Once again, no openings.     Obviously, as the cops chat with Yari, some of the ones more used to Momoyo's antics finally start to chat with her more casually despite the interdimensional invasion. 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      "Turns out," Kenji observes, "My fists are really fuckin' loud."      Kenji cracks his knuckles and snaps his fingers. His hand bursts into flames. Momoyo can tell that the secondary aura in his body is surrounding his hand after that snap. Anyone magically-sensitive gets a full blast of Kojin, Lord Of The Stove. "I'm down. Let's do it. Just so you know who's about to throw down with you - Kenji Kawaski. My grandparents didn't own shit, my parents didn't own shit, I don't have samurai blood, I don't have a fighting style, I don't have a dojo, but I'm still gonna do my good goddamnedest to fuck you up just like you want."      "KOJIN SHINTAI!"      Kenji shoves his burning hand into his chest, and bursts into flames. The blaze is staggering; heat rolls off the young teenager in waves. The fire crawls up his arms and down his pants, burning away the black of his leather jacket and the blue of his pants. It burns up his head, his hair going from laid-back black to burning fire. His eyes burst into flames as he lifts off from the ground, hanging in the air under his own power as a circle burns its way into his white tanktop - the only bit of black on his otherwise-white body, like ashes ritually-painted.      The ashes take the shape of a stylized flame insignia.      Kenji stops floating like a Castlevania boss, setting down in front of the gae. He takes up a stance, that same wild grin on his lips.      "I live for this shit," he tells Momoyo (and presumably everyone else), and his voice is like crackling flames, "Here we go."      There's a burst of light and smoke and fire as Kenji vanishes.      He reappears in mid-swing, directly in front of Momoyo, his fist ablaze with...well, literal fire. He's wild and untempered, but he's still a hell of a natural fighter.      Kenji roars a generalized shouty kiai. He's not talking at this point because talking is for people who aren't designated Fist Speakers.      Secretly he is proud of this, because this is good diplomacy. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo has no choice with an attack like that. Her aura flares as she has to add it to the attack to match his flames, her lustrous loose black hair flared out behind her as she attacks the punk back.      "Kawakami Style, Musou Seikenzuki!!"      She straight punches again. Naturally the force of the two attacks creates a 2km shockwave, as she engages in a raw contest of strength with Kenji. She could do something fancier, and so could he, but neither had the space at the moment, and she wasn't willing to make it while she was testing her opponent. "Gggghhhhhh~!!!!!" her teeth grit, as she glares the demi-god in the eyes. 

:'''{{#var:380|Madeline Vance (380)}} has posed:'''     Most of this time, Madeline is watching the fighters. Her eyes dart back and forth, the quiet and subdued-looking Confederate representative staying well out of this. She doesn't try to do any slandering like Yari is doing, that isn't really her style. She only begins to act as the escalation of the fight starts to blast the earth around and everything.     That being, her act is to wander off and make sure no civilians wander into the fight, if they should happen to miss all the spouting flames and the like. "Dangerous area ahead, please avoid. Nothing to see here." 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      So that's a hit.      Kenji is strong as hell. When their fists meet, the ground ripples around them. Fire blasts outwards, a burst of flame that rings Kenji's hand.      It takes him a moment to realize he's getting forced back.      "FUCK THAT!" Kenji roars, because he has no fancy attack names to shout when it's a contest of pure strength. There's a lot of things he could do that are smarter, a lot of things he could do that are more tactical, but he's been *challenged*, now. There's a wild, raging bonfire inside him, one that the god of the stove that lives within his soul has only barely been able to channel, and it refuses to give up from one blow. Kenji might be good at tactics, and he is, but there's pride on the line here, too.      "RAAAAAAAAH!"      The hand clashing with Momoyo's suddenly goes slack. Momoyo might think she's pushed through his defense, as his arm makes a noise that arms probably aren't supposed to, an ugly *crack*. Momoyo may believe that she has broken him.      Kenji is not that easily broken.      The Shinra rookie uses her own force against her as his left hand swings around, both his own natural strength and Momoyo's strength bent into the punch. There's no fancy magic or trickery here (although his hand is still *on fire*), nor is there polished martial arts of any sort going on - just Kenji, being Kenji, someone who lived on and dominated the streets around his home for longer than he'd care to admit. This is street fighting, pure and simple, and Kenji is really, really damn good at it. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Naturally the redirection of momentum throws Momoyo off-guard. She had no chance, not without having observer her attacker prior. He pulled it off perfectly. Stumbling forward, she only took one step forward, only to be hit by the other fist. "Gghhh!?" she grunts. The hit was still enough to get her to cough blood briefly, as her red eyes flashed wide in frenzy.     It's been a long time since she was hit like that. Her shoulders shake as she blitzes out of range, chuckling madly between coughs. Regaining her footing enough to stay out of Kenji's range for more attacks, but she was going to recover from that quickly enough. "Hahahahah~!" she giggles happily with glee. "I LOVE IT!!!" The fact that the punch only seemed to rejuvenate her more despite the wounds was probably surprising for everyone but the two fighters.      "Kawakami Style, Musou Seikenzuki Midareuchi!!"      She blitzes in. Kenji would have a hard time redirecting the punch this time... because there were in fact, two dozen of them. Near-simultaneously, both her arms are involved in the attack finally, kicking up more dust as the grass gets torn up in front of the gate. Her irrationality was reaching fever pitch, but she wasn't dangerous to bystanders. Yet. 

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''     Priscilla sighs forlornly as the first five minutes of checking out a new world turns into high-powered fisticuffs before they so much as speak to two people. If this is how it's going to play out, so be it. Stopping reckless teens from smashing each other's faces in is something she saves her energy for when it's on the clock. Far be it from her to not at least pay attention however. It's their first new contact, here, and one who claims to be representative of the top-tier of the local power structure. That kind of detached perspective serves her better for assessing another's strength than getting punched by them, especially with her more exotic senses getting the full show as all three fighters tap into a similar sort of well; Yang's and Momoyo's auras (or Aura in the first case) and the sudden, momentarily overpowering appearance of Kojin lending more than snark as a change of pace, all being practically impossible to miss. It seems neither of the more senior members want anything to do with this either, though she can hardly blame them.     "Somehow I believeth there is little worry of that." she remarks drily to Terry, already looking over to the gathered police, seemingly as content as the others are to sit way back and watch, even chatting with the suspicious traveler rather than trying to intervene. And why should they? "Such dismissal, or rather such jadedness, speaks to a certain history of this particular girl being known for this, and it being yet to be viable to correct it. They seemeth neither desirous to dissuade her nor to defend her. Perhaps such is simply the way of things here. It wouldst not be a complete first." She begins to step down from the hill, edging around the developing warzone in the opposite direction of Madeline, ill-disposed to heat into that much fire and chaos. Her eye lingers overlong on Yari, a faintly unnerving whine filling the Au Ra's head, though the bulk of her attention is focused on Kenji, waiting to see if he needs to be bailed out, or at worse, /tagged/ out. Though she's willing to humour youthful hot blood, she's not having all the Unionites on scene beaten up one after the other. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari can't help but peer right back at Priscilla, but her eyes eventually close as that whining gives her the worst headache she's had since the morning after the Human Resouces thanksgiving party. Still, she keeps a wary sense out for the unnerving woman, just in case. Truce or not, paranoia keeps you alive. Much of her attention similarly remains on the battlefield, however. Sip. Some small talk with the local cops too. She suggests selling tickets. 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      Two dozen punches at once is something, alright.      It's like something Reiji or Xiaomu would do, something well beyond Kenji's tolerance level when it comes to 'total bullshit', the kind of thing Reiji would nonchalantly shrug about and explain that it took 'practice' and leave Kenji sitting there trying to figure out how the fuck you even START practicing a trick like that. It's something that he has no real response for, because, like, ordinary thugs do not do that. Ordinary thugs cannot shoot twenty-four fists at a time. Unfortunately, besides OGRES AND OTHER THINGS NOT APPLICABLE HERE, most of Kenji's fights have been with, well, ordinary thugs, and it shows.      But he's just so fucking stubborn.      Kenji dives into the punches. The first one gets him on the cheek. It's a nasty, bruising hit, one that may or may not have dislodged a tooth.      He has more.      He continues pushing forward as the second gets him in the shoulder. The third catches him in the stomach and nearly knocks the wind out of him.      "NOT YET!" Kenji roars as he keeps pressing forward. He ducks the fourth like a boxer, diving around the fifth in the other direction. The sixth, the seventh, the eighth - he's starting to see the pattrn, starting to see that simultaneous isn't *quite* true, that it isn't *quite* that perfect. If it was...      Well, if it was, he'd be dead already.      Kenji doesn't care. He doesn't need or want a tag. He doesn't need or want a bailout. What he wants is one more hit, one more destructive, all-encompassing hit. As she pelts him, as he gets more and more battered, more and more hammered, Kenji's roar gets louder and louder. He forces his arm backwards on pure instinct at this point, blood rolling from his lips and probably some internal bruising going on too.      But he has one chance, because an attack like this...it's gotta be hard to put up your guard after something like a rain of fists, right?      "RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"      Everything - /everything/ - Kenji has is focused in the very tip of his knuckle. Rather than a blazing inferno, rather than roaring, white-hot fire, Kenji concentrate the full force of an explosion, of that raging wildfire, into a single point, and attempts to deliver it *through* the rain of punches by weathering the storm with his body.      He will probably need medical attention later.      Right now he is too full of pride to back down. And Kojin probably wouldn't let him die anyway. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     "Talk about great balls of fire." quips Yang as she watches Kenji go at it. "Yeah, if she'd pulled that second attack on me, I'd be out of Aura and beaten to a pulp. Outta my league." she shrugs. "Dad'd have fun with someone like that though." who is she talking to? Who knows. Who really cares either. 

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''      Momoyo didn't stop to recover, instead falling around his fist to grab around his neck. It would be like a lover's embrace if it weren't so quick... and there was a good reason for it. The next few words could be heard by everyone at a high level who was already worried about Kenji's aura output. "Hey, you know what happens when you throw an aerosol can into an oven, right...?" she whispers to Kenji, while they're both angrily quivering. The world goes silent, as Momoyo's next technique could only be predicted by those who had faced many many battles before. She cackles madly, her hair continue to fly about her sweat-drenched figure as she continued with full force right into an insane next move.      "Kawakami Style, Ningen Baku- (Human Bo-)!!!" 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya says "Bats is known as the great dective after all. Even his successors has been more about his wits, right?" She notes She looks for a moment to Terry nodding. She does not want this to end up turning into a bad situation but part of her is also curious to see how this fight turns out with which has caught her intrest. 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      SO THAT DIDN'T WORK.      Kenji finds himself trapped in a lover's embrace that he most definitely did not ask to as Momoyo attempts to blow herself the fuck up. The fact that she soaked his explosion instead of flying backwards has him less concerned than the fact that she's trying to *blow both of them up*.      Again, he's just too damn stubborn to stop.      Kenji's hand goes for her mouth. It's a vague, last minute attempt, but Kenji's just not the kind of guy to stop struggling, /ever/. Not even in a situation like this. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     "...Crap." Yang quickly racks the slide on her left gauntlet with a fist pump, then starts running towards the two. She's not quick like Ruby, her Semblance lay elsewhere, which she channels now into what she's about to do. An explosion of flames surrounds her as she leaps into the air, focussing into her left gauntlet.     There's no fancy attack name, just a faint glowing within the barrel of her shotgauntlet, which she then aims to slam into the ground between the two fighters. She dumps all the built up kinetic force she has into a single strike, causing a 'ripple' of the ground to try and separate the two away from each other. 

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''     "At the very least, she is likely not fabricating grandiose lies to impress or cow us, if that is the case." Priscilla says to Yang. "Or else at least she wouldst hath made some set of demands." She's getting closer and closer to those police lines now, keeping a comfortable distance from the percussive waves of heat and force rattling off the two engaged in hand to hand combat, either feeling nothing, or unwilling to outwardly express any signs of worry she might have. She only finally takes action as the melee dies down so abruptly, followed by those ominous words, and the swell of power she can feel building up inside the girl's soul.     "That is quite /enough/." she suddenly barks, somehow managing to sound authoritative despite that snowy voice, twisting on her heel and fixing her eyes straight on Momoyo, slit-pupils contracting as Yang dives back into the fray to break them up. The instant the martial artist's grip looses, her left eye flares up in a cruciform blaze of molten orange light, harsh and scathing enough to be physically felt. The subtle whine in the background of Yari's mind suddenly becomes possible for all to hear, rising up into a harsh, screeching crescendo of nerve-splitting psychic sound, setting off all the least pleasant physiological error stimuli at once.     The girl is bodily ripped away from Kenji as the Dust explosion hits, severed from gravity and hurled straight up into the air where she'll come to a jarring halt, spread-eagled as she is temporarily pinned against the fabric of reality by the inexorable willpower of the Everlasting. "Thou hast had more than enough to be satisfied. I shalt not tolerate any further escalation with such complete disregard of time and place and basic common sense." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Down at Cop Watch Point (TM), there's a thud. This is the sound of Yari's lovely horns vibrating from the pure psychic suffering that only makes her headache quadruple, and the ninja smacking her head on the cop car hood as she falls off. Ow. One of the cops will stumble up, and help the poor Au'Ra into a seat to sleep it off. 

:'''{{#var:715|Kenji Kawasaki (715)}} has posed:'''      Kenji gets flung backwards by the Dust explosion, and not a moment too soon, as Priscilla tears Momoyo away from him. This is, ultimately, for the best, because Kenji isn't entirely sure how that would've played out, but it probably wouldn't've been good for him. It definitely wouldn't've been good for her, either.      He skids to a stop along the Warpgate ramp, brushing blood from him lips. It takes him a moment to stand. He probably shouldn't be.      The look on his face is not a pleasant one. It isn't directed at Priscilla, nor Yang, nor even Momoyo. As Kenji wobbles for a moment, trying to stay standing out of sheer *stubbornness*, the look on his face is directed entirely internally.      Because he lost.      He lost. He wasn't strong enough, again. And even worse, he lost while relying on Kojin. His normal strength would've been nothing.      Kenji slams his hand into the warpgate with a loud and furious cry. The gate shakes a little as the Kojin Shintai comes undone; his eyes stop burning, his hair and clothes go back to normal, et cetera. The god of the Forge is visible for a brief instant, a little puff of fire at the end of his hand, before it vanishes back into his arm.      He stumbles. His eyes shoot back at Momoyo, locking onto hers as she ragdolls through the air under Priscilla's power.      Then his knees buckle, and his ridiculous stamina gives way to the exhaustion of the Shintai and his own injuries, and he topples forward, falling onto the warpgate ramp with a thud.      He's not unconscious.      He just can't stand up anymore. 

}}

3522/A Day Off

2015-12-22T07:04:19Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/13 |Location=Winter |Synopsis=Close enough. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=757, 916 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplot2= |pretty=yes }} {{Poses |Poses=:'''..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/13
|Location=Winter
|Synopsis=Close enough.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=757, 916
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      It's been a long time since Lyner was able to just sit back and rest. Ever since he vanished more than a year ago, he'd been nearly constantly on the move. Fighting battles, solving problems, wandering from world to world. It was tiring for sure, and yet Lyner never once complained. He was happy enough helping someone in need.      Surely Misha could attest to similar lack of downtimes. But at least for today, that would change. Having been gifted a pass to a hot springs inn located out in this general area, Lyner sheepishly accepted the gift; which had been an impromptu reward for having saved someone from danger a while ago. Only now, the knight finally saw fit a time to use it.      "Sorry for dragging you out on short notice, Misha." Lyner spoke as they plodded up the beaten path through their snoy surroundings, toward the homely looking building coming up. As if they hadn't had to bear with the cold enough already recently. But it couldn't be helped, one supposed.      "It's been a while since we've gotten a chance to quietly relax. And I remembered that I had these, haha...whoops." Yep, that was Lyner. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It's been too long! Misha has seemed somewhat stir crazy sicnce Lyner's return. As though she had been WAITING for this. Between chaos back on the tower, the past returning to haunt her, and now this Lucrelia business, she's probably needed more than just a little downtime.     A hot springs inn, though? Ritzy.     The cold doesn't seem to bother the Reyvateil too much though, still wearing her heavy robes to ward it off, while pacing down the lonely path. "--No, not at all, don't worry about it." She replies rather quickly. "I was kind of waiting for some free time for just the two of us anyway." She replies with a small huff. Okay maybe she's been waiting a while-- over a year, really. 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Haha...sorry about that." Lyner replied, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. This was kind of his fault, wasn't it? Vanishing for over a year, and then returning and bringing more trouble with him in the process. But then, that was just like him. Never was there /not/ a problem chasing after him. Or him chasing after a problem.      But they could put that aside for today. The blonde smiled his usual idiot smile and reached over, taking hold of Misha's hand as they arrived. "Well let's forget about that for today! We've got a day off and a chance to relax! We'll worry about all of that other stuff tomorrow, okay?" And with that, Lyner led the way up the stairs and onto the wooden porch of the inn. It was asian styled, judging by the architecture.      Past the sliding doors and into the lobby proper, they would finally find the innkeeper seated behind a counter, reading a book. A small, elderly lady with her grayed hair fastened back into a simple bun. Upon hearing the bell ring at the door's opening, she looked up from her book, spying the young couple. "Oh, we have guests? Welcome." She set the book closed and stood, prepared to register them. Smiling warmly, she asked. "What are you looking for? One room? Two?"      Lyner crossed the lobby, hand in hand with Misha, and stopped at the counter. "Let me see..." He reached an arm into his item pouch, shuffling through before producing a single ticket. "I got this a while ago from someone, is it still good?" The old innkeeper took the ticket, looking over it.      "Oh, I see. You must have gotten this from my son. He's been traveling that Multiverse, trying to find something for himself." A nostalgic look crossed her eyes before she nodded, tucking the ticket away. "This is good for a single room night's stay. Come, let me take you to where you'll be staying." She spoke, stepping out from behind the counter and leading them towards a side hallway.      She she plodded down the hall, passing by several doors with faint activity coming from the other side, she struck up a conversation. "So...how long has it been for you two?" She asked, eyeing Lyner and Misha's still joined hands with an amused smile. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Okay wow, yeah definitely ritzy, int is own rustic, rutal, inn charm. Taking the Reyvateil by the hand earns a slight deepening of the color to her cheeks, but there's no resistance in the least on the way in. "Mmm. I didn't really plan on worrying about it until that time came." Life is just a lot easier that way really and...     Well a bit of Lyner has probably bled over into Misha after all the years.     Two guests, though! With Misha's face a pretty silly shade of pink as Lyner flashes the ticket. "And just how'd you get that, Lyner?" She does ask curiously. "Just how much heroics have you been pulling without me, exactly?" That part is more of a jab there, just some light teasing- up until the ticket gets them ONE room. "Ah- heh. ... Heh..." Okay now she's the sheepish one, but her hand links fingers with Lyner's with a squeeze. 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      Lyner didn't really think too hard about /one room/, maybe he might have in the past, but now it was just...well, what did he have to be embarrassed about? Misha's jab earns her a bit of a smirk. "How much? Weeeeell...I mean, it's been more than a year, almost two at this point, right? I've actually been to a lot of places, and done a lot of things." He'd better, after having been gone that long. "I ran into a guy traveling just like me some time back. Helped him out of a tight spot, and he gave me that in return." A chuckle escaped then. "I totally forgot I had it until the other day."      At the innkeeper's question, the knight glanced aside at Misha, then back to the innkeeper. "Ah...well, a while?" He never got clear on that, but then, he never thought it important enough to define it. It was what it was.      The innkeeper chuckled herself, slowing down at a door at the end of the hall. "I see. Well, here is your room. You can find futons and blankets in the closet. Dinner will be in a few hours, so go ahead and enjoy the hot springs at your leisure. Bathroom is down the hall we came from and to your left. Head to the lobby and down the opposite hall to get to the baths." And with a bow, she turned and plodded back down the hall, leaving the two alone.      "Alright! Time to finally relax!" Lyner turned and slid the door aside, revealing their room as he stepped inside with Misha. It was about to be expected of this place. Nice and cozy, moderately sized, allowing a single individual, or couple to be placed in it. A small kneeling table was in the center, able to be moved when it's time to sleep. There was also an out of place, flatscreen TV, likely with multiversal channels and such. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Heck of a time to remember you had it. And here I was beginning to worry you'd wandered off for good, and got married to a life of heroics instead of me." That was meant to be another verbal poke but she near chokes on it, swallows it down, and clears her throat with a cough, like it had never just been said in the first place. "Well..." She does muse after a beat.     "At least you came back this time." There's the Misha Lyner knows. Sticking her tongue out, one eye sliding closed in a wink. But yes, it's time to relax. "It's been a while since I've been to a place this nice just to relax. With all the Union business and everything, we're usually helping SAVE places like this huh? Never really... Get to enjoy them." How true it is, and how miserable a fact it is, at that. But her weight shifts into a slight lean against Lyner's shoulder. For as comfy as the room is, that seems like the best way, to Misha, to start relaxing. "I missed you, you know." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Hehe, well y'kno-wait, huh? What was that just now?" Lyner first laughed lightly, but then grew curious at the tail end of Misha's comment. Having conveniently not clearly heard the last bit amid putting his stuff down. He put it aside after a moment though and flopped down to the center table with a sigh.      "Of course I came back. I may have gotten a little caught up in things...or a lot caught up-" Sheepishly, he scratched his cheek lightly with a finger. "-But I'll never forget you. You know that." He hoped. But then, he didn't really do a great job expressing that fact. That aside, Lyner sprawled out on his back, arms outstretched.      "You're right. It's been too long since we've gotten to do something like this. It's always stopping this guy, or stopping that guy...never a dull moment at least, huh?" He pulled himself back up and looked in Misha's direction. "I missed you too." And for once, he didn't immediately append it with 'and everyone else!'. "I wanted to come back sooner, but I was always in the middle of some incident, and things just kept going on like that."      He looked upwards at the ceiling lights casually. "I was able to take care things myself most of the time, but that Lucrelia problem...well-" He shrugged. "Anyway enough of that. We've got the night for ourselves. What do you say we head to the baths and warm up?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Nothing, I didn't say anything." Misha replies as smooth as a cat, choosing to simply move on with the moment. Warm up. It sounds like a nice plan after all the trudging through snow, in and out of the tundra to deal with the Lucrelia events-- and even to get to the little in. Fact of the matter is, if ice wasn't already one of her elements, she'd probably sick to death of it.     Okay she is a little sick to death of it.     But she keeps her trap shut about it, Lyner is treating her to a nice date and that means she isn't going to complain about a thing. "Yeah. Yeah I know you by now. Sure, you get distracted, but... You always did come back." Like now " Huff.     "--Yeah, let's go, I'm sick of freezing." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "...Alright." And Lyner, either by ignorance, or otherwise, let it go. With an unreadable expression, he stood. "Come on!" And without further ado, he led the way out, down the hall, and to the lobby. Past the Innkeeper, and to the opposite hallway. Once there, they arrived a pair of doors leading to two separate changing rooms. "See you when we get back." He spoke, bidding Misha a momentary farewell before vanishing into the men's changing room.      And with that time to himself, Lyner's happy go lucky expression dropped. "....." As he dressed down, he let himself get lost in his thoughts. He picked this day out, as a break from all the ridiculous nonsense going on recently, because they really needed a break. And time to catch up. But more than that...there was something else.      Something he needed to do. "...." Well, no use dwelling on it now. Finishing rinsing off, Lyner stepped out of the changing room on the other end, towel fastened around his waist, and out into the baths. It was an outdoor hot spring, large and accomodating.      He didn't notice that the bath was shared. Not partitioned off. "Wow...this really is a nice place...Is this really all for one side?" He mused to himself as he stepped into the water. "Wah! Hot!" Okay, maybe he needed to take this slower. Going more gradually this time, he got in fully and settled down.      "Phew...okay."      And with that, Lyner closed his eyes, beginning to allow his thoughts to drift. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Right... Time for the baths, then. Time to soak, time to rleax... "Yeah. See you when we're back~."     And into the baths. After her own rigorous rituals of cleanliness before sinking into the waters, Misha had mostly begun to drift off almost immediately, weeks of general tension, stress, and exhaustion melting away like snow in the steamy waters.     Right up until she hears a familiar voice. The baths may not be separate, but she is leaning against the other side of a particularly large rock. It's Lyner's voice that snaps her back to alert wakefulness. "Muh...? ... Lyner?"     There may be a rock between them, but she knows that voice. Unlike Lyner, however, Misha read the SIGNS that said 'mixed bathing'.     Well this is now awkward ANYWAY.     "... How's the water?" 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Ahhhh...the water's just fi-huh?" Lyner opened his eyes, looking towards a particularly large rock. He could see a vague outline around the edge, but he didn't move. "....Uh-" This place was mixed? Well that's awkward. "Whoops." Maybe six years ago, he would have panicked and apologized, but now...He just chuckled. "Heheh, it's nice. I can feel my stress melting away."      "Say, Misha? I heard a little about the time I was gone. You were a wandering singer, right?" He randomly started, moving through the water to lean back against the other side of the rock, keeping it between the two of them. "What was it like? What did you see? Was it hard? Enjoyable?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     YEP. Awkward! There's another beat of pause as the Reyvateil clears her throat softly. "Yeah. I kind of needed this." She admits after a short time of quiet. All that cold had me tensed up and shivering, even by the time I'd get back home every night." Admitted with a nervous chuckle. But then Lyner asks her a question.     "Mn. Yeah, right after I left the tower. I started wandering the Multiverse. I tried to go everywhere I could, I wanted to share my songs with a much larger world. --Not for fame or glory. But because I wanted to." Mused. "It was hard. A lot of the times I'd have to sing for a meal or a place to stay, and sometimes people just didn't understand the emotions in my singing. But nothing you love is ever supposed to be easy right? I did enjoy it. A lot actually. It's why I tried picking it up again. But by that point I think I was just about at the point where I felt like it was time to try and settle down again." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Heheh, I can understand that." Lyner interjected about the cold. "I had to buy that cloak during my travels once I got to that regon called The Tundra. It was...an experience." He let that subject go after, allowing Misha to speak about her esperiences. And during that time, he remained quiet, listening patiently.      "So that's what you were up to." He mumbled, nodding to himself. "That does sound hard...but that's okay. Like you said, nothing you love is ever easy. And besides." He grinned, and in the pause, Misha probably knew he did too. "You're strong, Misha. You go through all of that, and you're still here now, able to talk about it like this."      Another pause as he stared up at the night sky. "...And now, you have a lot of good friends willing to support you and be by your side. It's inspiring, I think. To me, I think the emotions in your songs have reached more people than not. And your friends proof of it, aren't they?" Lyner trailed off at that, thinking to himself.      "There've been a lot of jokes about me getting lost, but honestly? ...I kind of just wanted to get out and travel. The Multiverse is a vast place, and there's so much to see. I wanted to experience it with my own eyes, so...I did." He chuckled and looked down at his reflection in the water. "Maybe I did go off target, lose track of time, but...I got plenty of time to think too." Think about what? He didn't say. Instead, he fell quiet.      "...It's hard to believe it's been seven years, huh?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Seven years is a long time." Misha murmurs quietly in reply. "And it can go by as fast as a blink."     A small sigh and she leans back against her part of the rock, pausing there for moment. "Yeah, that's what I was up to. You?" Of course there have been jokes of Lyner getting lost, but the truth is, only Shurelia has a worse sense of direction. And right now doesn't feel like the right moment to dig at the swordsman over any of it. "I know the feeling though. The wanderlust used to hit me pretty hard, back then after everything happened back home. I still felt cooped up. Like a caged songbird, if I stayed on the tower, after wanting my freedom for so long. Heh... But that's what a journey is. Going places and making friends. But no matter where you go, they're always with you. Even when you weren't around, you were with me, you know. Because I held on to the hope we'd be together again." She chuckles lightly.     "I guess my friends are proof, but you? You always had a magic of your own, even without singing, Lyner." 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Me? Magic?" Lyner shook his head at that. "No, the only magic I have is the support of my friends. They're the ones with the real magic. Including you." There a pause. "And I'm not talking about singing." Ever humble, he was. Sharing a moment's chuckle with Misha, Lyner settled down and sighed. "Yeah, I always thought about everyone. My friends back at the tower, the friends I made in the Multiverse...I made plenty of good memories."      "......"      Silence ensued for a while longer. Nothing but the flow of water and the occasional ripple to remind them that time was still moving. Lyner's thoughts turned and twisted, eventually coming to a conclusion. And then he spoke.      "Hey, Misha? I have something I want to- no, need to ask you." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Oh now that gets a laugh. It's a soft chuckle- genuinely amused, but a bit subdued. "Yes Lyner. That's your magic." She confirms. "You. It's because of you that you're able to make people come together and see a different way of living. Remember back on the tower when everyone wanted to get rid of Mir. And you chose to forgive her? I don't think anyone else could have swayed everyone to give that a try. You win that support where others wouldn't be able to grasp it."     All good memories, yes.     That lingering silence seems to be perfect. A moment where nothing feels like it needs to be said, until Lyner breaks the silence. Something to ask her?     "... Yes, Lyner?" 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      "Well...we've known each other for a long time, right?" He started, actually sounding slightly nervous now. "...Hehe, even if I may have forgotten back then." That was his bad. A faint laugh followed, and then he sobered up. "Well, you've supported me for so long, and I...well, I really appreciate it. But more than that..."      Ah, how does he say this? How to ask this? ...Now that he thought about it, was this even the right place? Well, too late now. He already started, better finish it. "...Well-" A hand came up and out of the water, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "-We're not getting any younger here. Well, me anyway." Another chuckle. "But all of that aside, what I wanted to ask was..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again.      "Misha...will you become my family?"      Wait, what? 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     A long time, yes. Since the two were very small children. This much is true, and around the shadow of the rock, through all the steam Misha's outline can be seen, listening so intently. A slight shift and ripple of water as she sits up, waiting and intent.     But more than that.     But more than that, her heart is beginning to pound in her chest, breath hitching slightly. Well, it's true, as a Beta-type Reyvateil she probably will outlive most humans, Lyner dragging the moment out, she's practically holding her breath by the time that question comes.     Silence hangs for a long, pervasive moment. Long and drawn out, almost oppresively, there's nothing for a good moment.     It's not quite the question Misha had been beginning to expect. But knowing Lyner, he has a habit of pulling these curveballs without thinking. Just because that's the way he is.     There's a small huff. Just a tiny hiss of breath through her teeth at first, as she slowly turns the question over in her head again and again.     It... For her. It works.     Another breath, and Misha reaches one arm around the rock, hand finding way to link fingers with Lyner's for another long moment of silence, this one much less of a torture than the first, as she breathes her reply.     "Of course."     Somewhere, deep, deep, within her, she's pretty sure she gets the intent.     And somewhere, even deeper... Hama is screeching, flinging the most wild of tantrums as she devolves into a state of kittenish yowling and insensate, inchoate, and fitful rage. 

:'''{{#var:916|Lyner Barsett (916)}} has posed:'''      There.      He said it!      ...Wait, no! He didn't say it! Did he say family? Crap! No! How did that happen! And so Lyner mentally raged at himself for bungling that question right at the worst moment. Way to be a total idiot, Mr Knight! Of all the times, it had to be this time! You truly have failed the ga-      "...?"      And while Lyner cursed himself, he felt Misha's hand reach around, fingers linking with his own. And she answered.      'Of course.'      ...      Wait, what? Did he hear that right? It took several seconds for the young man to turn the answer over in his mind. She said yes. She actually said yes, despite his idiocy.      Did he do it? ...He did it.      His hand closed around her own, grasp tightening just a tad. And he smiled. "I promise, I'll make you happy. I swear." 

}}

3136/WMAT 2015 Exhibition: Ariel vs. The Black Knightmare

2015-10-03T04:36:54Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/10/02 |Location=Papaya Island - Stadium |Synopsis=No... -I- am your father... |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=219, 369, 395 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplot2..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/10/02
|Location=Papaya Island - Stadium
|Synopsis=No... -I- am your father...
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=219, 369, 395
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The stage is set. The crowds have gathered. And the Black Knightmare waits.     Weeks ticked todays, days to minutes, minutes to seconds... And then one of the stadium doors swings open, a cold mist floating along the ground, licking like chill fire spreading from the entryway as the black armored figure of the Black Knightmare slowly stomps onto the fighting grid, sword in hand, shield in the other, to a chorus of hisses and boos. Utterly uncaring.     Taking position on their side of the arena, the dark armored knight remains ghostly silent, falling into place with an eerie, inhuman stillness as they wait... 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' And out from the other end trots... Ariel. She's in her usual cloak, looking both nervous and serious as she walks out onto the stadium floor. She's already out of the tournament, but she doesn't seem to care about that. Her burns have been healed by now, and she's ready for action! Mostly. Well, she'd better do her usual, then. "Ah, hello!" This is a little different, but she still tries to put on a pleasant face. "Please don't forget that this is for entertainment, but do your best, um... Knightmare." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "It looks like the Black Knightmare has decided to be the one waiting this evening, stepping into the arena good and early- is that some sort of mist, or fire flooding out of the door? I can't tell, but it's certainly an eerie sight to see. Almost as eerie as the Black Knightmare, standing there in the arena, waiting - and the crowd certainly isn't happy, either! Not that the Knightmare is fazed by their disapproval... Ariel, on the other hand, seems to be trying to keep things friendly! It's a good show of sportsmanship on her part, her parents have to be proud right about now. I think they're just about ready to get started, here, though!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Ariel's parents certainly have much to be proud for yes. The question though is, where are they? There's no chaos in the stands, no roped off cordon of at least six seats in every direction to keep Amalthea from lashing out at other spectators... No, in fact, Amalthea doesn't seem to be present at all, anywhere in the stadium.     "Spare me your sweet words, child." Finally, the dark armored knight speaks, voice a low hissing rasp as they curl fingers around the hilt of that equally black sword. "For all who have come to watch in this stadium, you may as well be completely alone right now." Growled as they lift shield into a readied stance.     Entertainment or not, this one seems -serious-. "Prepare yourself. I come for you, Ariel."     Such is the Black Knightmare's warning. Before they surge forward, heavy armor clanking, boots thundering down the arena floor before that shield is swung outwards. Like violently opening a door, right at the tiny unicorn to open things up. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "Why does everyone seem so angry at me lately?" Ariel says with a flick of her tail, genuinely puzzled and perhaps a bit frustrated. Oh well. The sudden charge is something she isn't sure how she should deal with... there are a lot of options, after all. In the end, as the Knightmare approaches she flings up a shimmering, brilliant barrier. It shatters under the charge, of course, being a quick and dirty casting, but it gives her a tiny amount of extra time to brac herself, arms crossing as she manages to catch the shield and blunt the blow. Instead of being smacked over, she just stumbles backward from the shock of the impact. "Um, all right then," she says hurriedly, twisting suddenly to put her side toward the Knightmare. A short, probing jab with her hand is sent out, mostly to distract so she can do what she usually does: gather mana from the air around her with a crackling over her body. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "And the Black Knightmare is having /none/ of her sportsmanship, how thoroughly distasteful. And even trying to bring her down with words before the match starts. -I'm sorry, the match HAS started, and the Black Knightmare is starting off with a fierce shield bash! Ariel seems pretty understandably frustrated about now, but she's got the presence of mind to toss up a barrier and take some force out of the shield and defend herself from the rest. And she retaliates with what looks like a simple punch, but it also looks like she's starting to draw in some kind of power, it's difficult to tell at a glance." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Swinging shield out like that means the Knightmare left themself fairly open for that jab. And with a dull CLANK, they take it full on, the small unicorn's fist impacting that solid metal. A grunt, and the dark knight shifts their weight. "My reasons are my own... You will learn them... IF you can beat them out of me."     With that ultimatum give, the Knightmare doesn't break stride, a hiss of steam whistling from their chestplate before reprisal is given for that punch. It's a backhand swing, intending to use the weighted pommel of their sword as a bludgeon. "This is for more than entertainment, little one." Given in clear intent that there's going to be more to this fight than the amusement of the crowds. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Maybe Ariel's too confused to comprehend what's going on, because she doesn't really try to evade that backhand. It strikes her full across the face, and sends her stumbling back with the loud CRACK that comes with it! A few unsteady steps backward almost lands her on her rear, but Ariel ends up rubbing her head instead, blinking topaz eyes in confusion. Shizune's observation will be a little easier this time, though. "I guess if that's how it has to be, then I will. Please tell me if you ever want to stop." She moves into a careful, guarded stance... amateur, but showing the basics of all the experience with fighting she has, with one hand forward and the other tucked back. A surge of energy rushes through her, electricity crackling, and the plating on the unicorn's back suddenly splits open to unleash a hiss of steam. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "The jab hits, and Ariel is stronger than she looks, because I think I saw a little bit of recoil there even through the armor! But only a little, the Black Knightmare seems really sturdy - and /really/ intent on causing Ariel bodily harm, this time using the pommel of that sword to take a swing at Ariel, mentioning something about having reasons other than entertainment for being here - whatever the case might be, it's a solid hit, enough to put Ariel back a few paces and nearly off her feet. But she's not done yet; not done being a good sport, and not done fighting! It definitely looks like she's charging up somethong or other, she's taken a stance and I can see the electricity all over her, but this time she's not taking any swings at the Knightmare!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     A snort, and the dark armored figure cants their head to a bird-like inquisitive angle. "You did not even cry out." Pointed out at how well Ariel took the blow, despite it staggering her. "Impressive. But I will not stop. Let us continue."     And continue they do as Ariel gathers energy and vents the black knight twirls their equally black blade. They haven't employed the blade just yet, but can at any time, what they do attempt is reaching out, trying to grab ahold of the Ariel to give her a sudden and violent jarring shake before simply try and slam her bodily to the ground. Naturally any action against the adorable unicorn earns an outcry from the stands of fury and disgust, yet still the knightmare cares so very little. "Hmph. Surrounded by thousands of strangers all cheering for you. But none of them will save you."     How generically villainous.     "Does it not go to your head, little one? Have you no ego for me to pop like an overinflated balloon?" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Almost, Ariel avoids that grab and shake and throw. Almost. She twists, yanking her arm back, but it staggers her and she ends up toppling, finally slamming hard downward. At last she lets out a cry, a shurt bleating one that she bites off swiftly, before she rolls to the side and skitters to all fours. She doesn't change to unicorn form, she just steadies herself long enough to answer her foe. "If they want to cheer for me, that's great. It doesn't matter. My parents taught me to take pride in what I do for it being right, not for what others say," she tries to explain. "That's why I just want to understand you. But if you really won't listen without me proving what I'd do to protect others... okay." Her hand whips up and out, the spell she's been working on let loose. It's a simple one, a short pulse, but it has a lot of power behind it. It's a surge of incredible raw gravity meant to fling the Black Knightmare backward. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "At the very least, the Knightmare seems impressed by Ariel's fortitude. But this match isn't stopping any time soon, and it looks like- my goodness, I'm not sure how pleased I am about seeing Ariel grabbed and shaken like this, but her opponent is using that size difference for everything it's worth, trying to shake her around and slam her in both mind and body at the same time! Ariel does her best to get away, but it's still not stopping /her/, either. And she's got some good words for the Knightmare- my /GOODNESS/ that spell! I can feel the gravity surge all the way over here, she's definitely her parents' child!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Gahhh!" That's the Knightmare's reponse to that pulse, getting trapped in the center of the surging crush of the gravity well that forms right where they stand, armor crumpling visibly from the strain with a creaking steel groan, before they leap back out of the squeezing magic vice.     With a grinding of metal on metal, the Knightmare lets loose another venting hiss of steam before that blade is raised. "How droll. The adulation of the crowd does nothing for you?" Ah, but they're already launching on the offensive again. Where they withheld the use of that sword before, after Ariel delivered such a punishing spell, they seem like they're not going to hold back anymore. That black blade sings as it cuts through the air, a chill howl as it flows smoothly in several quick strokes intent to draw blood. "I already know what you would do to protect others..." Grunted between swings before they hop back. This time, there's a hiss from the elbow as they retract, tension building visibly in their sword arm. "It's a pity you were knocked from the competition... I'm certain your mother would have loved to see you victorious... Ah, speaking of which... Where is she now? I do not even see her in the stands to cheer for her own daughter. Tsk tsk..." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "I don't really want cheering fans and fame," Ariel admits, skidding back and blocking the first few swings with flashes of energy, barriers summoned in her hands. Finally, the blade slices in enough to gash over her upper arm, drawing a welling of silvery fluid as she bleeds, and the unicorn winces sharply. It's the other part that gets to her. "I'm sure she has something important to do," is all she says in reply. She DOES trust Amalthea, but the fact that she isn't here does seem to have rattled her. She's staggering back a few steps. That's when her tail slaps into the ground, opening up suddenly, and a tremendous arc of electricity shoots toward the armored form of the Black Knightmare. "She'll be proud of me win or lose. I only want to know what you have against me." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "It's probably terrible of me to say, but the Knightmare seems positively steamed right now! Especially with Ariel's response to this ongoing verbal assault. She just isn't having any of it, really, and that just seems to make our armored villain all the more displeased. Displeased enough to finally put that sword to work, in fact, swinging again and again, and- something peculiar is going on with the Knightmare's elbow, it's moving rather oddly. It's not something that seems to enhance those swings, though! If anything, Ariel seems to be having an easier time of it, though she doesn't get away without injury entirely. She's definitely bleeding- and she's definitely counterattacking, too! Some kind of electrical spell, and a demand on Ariel's part to know just what the Black Knightmare's problem is!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The scoff is undeniable. The way shoulders rise and fall clearly in the hissing chuckle of laughter as that helmet shifts, a lone blue eye peering through the slatted visor. "Something important to do? Important enough to watch her own child take the beating I intend to give you?"     That jolt slams the Knightmare dead on, and they jerk for a moment as it rattles armor and the body within. But when the jolt subsides, all Ariel has to show for it is the darker scorch on that black armor.     "Oh no that is where you're wrong... I have -nothing- against you." Replied as steam finally stops whistling from that elbow. With a CLICK, that whole arm suddenly seems much more limber, twirling their blade in a deft diaplay, black steel flashing as it bears down again in a strike as quick as lightning. "My sole existence is to test you. Try not to fail, little one. It would be a grave disappointment for more than just the crowd." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' This time, the slash that whips around bypasses Ariel's attempt to block, and it stabs right into her chitin, cracking it and sending a spurt of silver over the blade. Startled, the little unicorn stumbles backward and clutches her side, really hurt by that one... both physically and mentally. She does have plenty of faith though! "I don't know, saving the world! She does that sometimes." Technically true. Another warping of magic fluxes the air around Ariel as she staggers back, trying to get some space. Getting some space involves one of the slabs of the stadium tearing itself free and splintering, shattering into several rocks that immediately hurtle toward the Black Knightmare at high speed, providing a barrage of numerous small but hopefully effective impacts to keep her at bay. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "-it looks like the Black Knightmare is fairly well insulated! That jolt hardly seems to have done much more than a lingering tingle, and Ariel's only reward for it is more harsh words and some strange trick with that elbow! It looks like the Knightmare was prepping something allowing for a quicker, smoother swing, because good grief, that looks like it hurt! -eh? The Black Knightmare is here to /test/ Ariel?! I think our entire audience knows how brave and able she is by now! You don't need a sword to test that! I don't think Ariel is very happy with this treatment either, because now she's using pieces of the arena floor itself as throwing implements thanks to her magic!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Perhaps the Knightmare did not weather that jolt so well. Small acrs of lightning dance in the seams and plates of that black armor, and after that display with their blade the voltaic surge seems to linger, slowing them down once again. But only for a beat. More pertinent is the sudden slab of stone that rises to fend off the Knightmare for the small unicorn.     That shield is raised against the barrage as the exploding hunk of stone batters the steel plate, forcing the dark knight to withdraw and try to come in at another angle.     Dark cloak fluttering in the wind, the dark knight snarls. "IS she now? Is that what you think she is doing? Fine, I'll let you think that..." Chuckled hoarsely amid the dull clang of stones battering heavy plating. The knightmare trudges forward anyway. "You saved a world already have you not? Like mother like daughter they say..." Growled as one leg hikes up, snapping out in a sudden straight kick aimed for the unicorn's midsection. "I ask you one question then... If you had to fight her with all of your strength, could you win? Can you surpass her?" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Well it looks like Ariel really is demoralized, because that kick slams into Ariel's middle and sends her crashing backward, though she surprisingly stays on her feet. Barely. It's a solid impact, one that sends a loud CRACK through the stadium as her carapace is damaged. The little foal grabs her middle, wheezing briefly... then huffs. "Surpass her?" She straightens up. "I don't want to. I don't want to be a great warrior. I just want to be me... to be her daughter." Her plating shifts, and a loud hissing sound rises from her, the bleeding stopping even if the wounds don't heal at all. The small arcs of electricity that were crawling over her fade at last. "But if you're asking if I had to, then yes of course. I couldn't show anything but my best." It's just harmless dialogue, but there's a faint shimmer in the air, like something is being drawn /inward/ 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "It looks like just carrying a shield isn't enough to save the Black Knightmare entirely - I'm not seeing too much damage, but all that stone Ariel's tossing seems to be forcing her opponent back! The verbal jabbing and probing just isn't stopping, though. And it looks like the Knightmare has decided to make things close and personal again, and I'm fairly sure that heavy boot will only hurt Ariel worse with a kick like that! And she took the worst of it there... but she's still on her feet! Her carapace isn't looking good, but she's absolutely determined, and to judge by the words she's got for the Black Knightmare, defeat's nowhere near just yet. I think... yes, there's some kind of shimmer around her, it's hard to see but it's definitely there! I think she's getting something ready again..." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Poor Ariel. Having to face such a brute. the crowd is having none of it, booing and hissing the Knightmare's callousness when that sharp impact is heard so clearly around the arena. But the dark knight seems unsurprised when their tiny foe picks herself up again and only prepares herself further.     "If you had to...?"     That earns another curious tilt of the head, before the Knightmare snorts. A visible puff of steam filtering through the grill of black helmet. "No Ariel, this is not a case of wether you had to."     "You must."     Heedless of the shimmering in the air, the dark knight surges forward. That shield is brought to bear again, swung in a blunt trajectory to try and bowl the girl over again. "I give you no other choice in this matter. Do you think I test you on a whim? Do you think I ask this of you for fancy of sport, or jest? Hahahaha... No way. Ariel you must defeat me, I say this now in front of the Multiverse for all to watch. Think you I am some simple villain?" There's a beats pause as that helmet turns, lone blue eye regarding the unicorn. "Show me. -Show- me!" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' She's still 'charging up' so Ariel is somewhat easy pickings for the shield bash. She feels it slam into her and squeaks, tumbling backward onto her rear as it adds another bruise to her collection. Only once she thuds to a halt and looks upward does it click internally what's going on. "If I had to, yes," she replies. She reaches out with her magical powers, making a gesture as she wheezes from the earlier hit. A small tweak, a twist of her wrist, and... The slab that the Black Knightmare stands upon is the target. Ariel's goal is simple: a brief reverse gravity to fling her target and the stone upward, so that it will tumble atop her. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "It looks like the Black Knightmare is at least smart enough not to let an opponent stand there and power up - it's another shield bash for Ariel, and some sharp words that- Wait, what is the Knightmare saying? It almost sounds like- but the moment's gone, and Ariel is flinging the hulking brute up into the air with another gravity spell, uprooting a slab of stone from /below/ this time!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     As Ariel is downed, the Knightmare looms. Staring down when topaz eyes glance up. Gaze locks for a beat, and it's enough of an opening. The only thing that breaks the eye contact is how the stone the Knightmare stands upon is launched skywards. Despite the sudden upward motion, the dark knight composes themself fairly well in the middle of the wholly uncontrolled flight, landing solidly in a crouch.     Until the slab comes back DOWN on that armored back with a heavy CRUNCH of stone battering metal. The black knight is left on their knees for a beat. "Is that so..."     That stamina must be inhuman. With a creaking wobble, they stand again. One gauntlet-clad hand reaches for the gorget of black armor and yanks at the fasteners, before hooking grip under helmet.     With a CLANK, the black helmet, dented and battered, is tossed aside to the ground, rainbow hair spilling free. "I'm satisfied with your spirit, as ever, Ariel." Amalthea notes, letting her shield drop, sword embedding by the point into the ground at her side. One hand wipes a trickle of liquid silver from the corner of her lips before she gives her neck a pop. "And that's all I wanted to hear. So I give you the choice. Either we finish this. Or we call it here and now." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel slowly gets to her feet and straightens herself, still showing glistening silver from numerous wounds and bruises. She pops her neck and huffs... then stops and stares as her opponent is revealed to be Amalthea. This makes loppy ears twitch and flick back before she lets out a vent of her own steam, though in a different manner than her mother. As to the offer to continue? Ariel shakes her head. "I could keep fighting you, mom, if you wanted. But I won't. I think you don't want me to, anyway. I can fight, but I don't think my path is the path of the warrior, so I think I'm going to call it your victory. I still have a lot to learn, I guess... about how to fight and more." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "-it's Amalthea! The Black Knightmare was Amalthea all along! I ought to have known no one could handle a sword and shield quite like that in full armor! No wonder she was trying to test Ariel's resolve! And now she's giving Ariel the choice to stop now or finish the fight. And... She's choosing to stop! She's ceding the match to Amalthea, so it looks as if we may be done here, everyone." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     That's it then. The fight is over, much to the shock and bewilderment of the spectators. And Amalthea doesn't look disappointed in the least. But... She is shaking her head.     One arm drapes over the tiny unicorn's shoulders once Ariel is back up and the elder is chuckling. A lot warmer than the feigned one during the match. "We don't have to keep at it, then. -I- officially forfeit." Amalthea declares, apparently ignoring the fact that Ariel just ceded the match to her. It would seem Ariel's mother is not having it.     "You were always far gentler than I. And I know the path of war isn't for you, despite how many times you might get pushed onto it. But that doesn't make you any less a positive force in this universe. It doesn't matter how good you are at fighting or not, to me, you'll always be the tiny foal chasing butterflies around green fields. My victory is in being able to call you my daughter, and I need no more than that." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Let no one say that Ariel, as off-balance as she was from a lack of Amalthea in the stands, is not forgiving. She replies with a firm, clinging hug and a giggle. "Let's just call it a draw then. But next time maybe could you try a lesson and test a little less painful?" She turns and waves to the crowd, though. She doesn't seek fans, but that's no reason not to give them a smile now and then and let them know she's okay! Especially if she can set a good example of sportsmanship. "Can we call it a draw, Shizune?" 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:''' Shizune Nakamura says, "-wait, now /Amalthea/ is forfeiting? I'm not entirely sure how this should be handled, but- hmm? ...you know what, you're right Ariel, we should! I'm pretty sure this qualifies as an amicable draw if there ever was one, and both Ariel and Amalthea are looking fairly proud of each other right now. I think I speak for everyone when I say that's the most we could ever ask for, and I think it's a perfect note to end the exhibition on. Thank you, both of you, for your hard work! And thanks to everyone who came to watch, and everyone listening at home, as well. This is Shizune Nakamura, signing off." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Oh how that eye rolls when the match is decided as a draw. Still, Amalthea's hand comes down atop Ariel's head for a gentle ruffle when her daughter hugs right on. "Okay, okay. Next time I'll just stick to a philosophy lesson." Chuckled as she flashes a thumbs up to Shizune and then the crowds.     Scootching down a bit, she then gives Ariel a hoist, right onto her armored back for a piggyback, in front of the whole crowd. "Your mom's probably going to give me an earful for this." Noted playfully. "Come on, let's go home and have a taco." 

}}

1824/Bullet of Bullets: Amalie vs Karian

2015-08-08T22:07:07Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/17 |Location=Gun Gale Online |Synopsis=The Bullet of Bullets preliminary matches! Amalie versus Karian, two heavy armor, heavy weapon speci..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/17
|Location=Gun Gale Online
|Synopsis=The Bullet of Bullets preliminary matches! Amalie versus Karian, two heavy armor, heavy weapon specialists duke it out in a battle of endurance and destruction!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=395, 451, 649
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:'''     The Bullet of Bullets preliminaries are on and rolling! You all know how it goes. The two competitors get a virtual environment of some stripe and unique terrain make-up to do their fighting fun in. You managed to make it through- at least one round has been seperating the newbies and no-hopers from the dedicated blasters.     Smile for the camera; these preliminaries are going out live on video game streaming platforms and MMO internal clients.     The venue for your match is...         AN EIGHTIES FAIRY TALE     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eln48BCELk     At some indeterminate point before the turn of the 20th century, the time is tonight and tonight is what it means to be young. There's tiny rain drops spitting in the air and a pleasant warmth to the air, and evening draws in as the lights go up in the city. The bands wear leather and the hair is outrageous, but someone's pulled a gun and the cops'll soon be a'callin'... 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian made his way onto the scene armed up for war, then again that's how he always looked. He narrowed his one good eye, looking over the terrain and mentally plotted out how he planned to move and demonstrate just how good he really was. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     There there, it's okay no-hopers. Amalie is in the lobby area awaiting her match at first, serving tea to some weeping try-hard that got knocked out in the first round, with a smile. Someone is working on earning herself a fan-base it seems, while waiting for her next round.     "Yes, yes, there there, we can't win them all." She chirrups with a beaming smile and a pat pat on the loser's shoulder.     When the announcement sounds off that her round is about to begin however, the battle maid is instantly all business.     "Oh, please excuse me, I have someone to kill now."     She excuses herself, swapping from her RP gear to her PvP armor and equipment; a much heavier armored maid dress, SMG holstered at her side, and heavy machinegun in hand.     As soon as she's teleported to the battleground, the maid's smile is one of ice. A killer's assured lip-pursed smile as she unslings her ballistic shield off her back.     She picks up a tin can off the ground. "Halloooo." The eyepatched maid calls out. "I will throw this can up. When it hits the ground, we draw, yes?" 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian looks over and simply grins. "Sounds fair to me." He says. On his back sat a large LMG, and a pair of powerful pistols hidden in leg holsters waited for his draw. Though, years of war have taught the wolf lord one thing, always suspect a trap. Even so, he was going to play along. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Testing the can's light wight in hand a bit, Amalie at least gives a professional curtsey before the can goes up. A straight path to the skies- it actually goes frighteningly high due to a high strength stat, before it begins the parabolic curve downwards from the pull of the game's artificial gravity.     Thing is...     Amalie already has her gun ready.     The lower edge of her shield slams into the ground with an audible WHUNK and she's already hunkered behind it, using the heavy slab of black metal as cover rather than the environment itself.     To her credit, she actually DOES wait for the CLANK of the can hitting the ground before squeezing the trigger of her MG42, the old World War 2 era heavy machinegun suddenly spitting in a furious roar. Fast enough that individual bullets can't even be heard, just a lour 'HRRRRRRRRRRR!' that explains why the old gun earned its name as 'Hitler's Buzzsaw'. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian kinda expected this outcome, but he was glad that he let it play out. Diving to the side, he somehow only managed to get one bullet hole in his coat. Course, Alamie showed hers, and Karian planned to show his. Hefting the MG249 onto whatever he could for cover, he let it bark out it's retort to the MG42 in the only language it understood, lead...and lots of it. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     And immediately it's a firefight. A chattering hail of high ordinance rounds spitting back and forth in an impenetreble crossfire that would make anyone think twice of trying to get between the two heavy weapons specialists.     Bullets spang and ricochet off that square wall of black steel, denting and plinking off the maid's shield in a withering display that would be infinitely intimidating for anyone else behind cover that isn't infallible.     One bullet punches clean through the shield eventually, a jerk of the maid's head aside spares her the heavy damage of impact as it cuts across her cheek in an angry red line.     She is not deterred.     Lifting the edge of her shield enough to walk, she remains hunkered behind it, beginning a hustled gait that starts taking her TOWARDS Karian rather than the direction of safer cover as she holds her finger on the trigger, unleashing a withering suppressive hail. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     KArian, for his part, was surprised by the strength of Amalie, moving such a shield like that. But he wasn't going to make this easy. He waiting until he was in the right position, and then took off. Moving from cover to cover, he squeezed off more controlled bursts at the shield itself. his simple intent was to hit a point enough time to punch through it. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Every impact is a ringing protest. That shield can stand up to a lot, and it's amazing against mobs. But the focused fire of a PC presents an issue. Rather than a wilde fire hail, Karian's attempts to actually batter the shield down can end up being a problem, and it is one Amalie recognizes-- and respects.     That's why the hop might come as a surprise.     A sidewards LEAP, using her high strength build to carry her as far as she can, she jerks to her left in a sudden jink that carries her behind a larger piece of more natural cover, to let the stresses on her shield slowly reduce.     The issue might come in the tiny ~plink~.     And the small black object that goes sailing overhead, before hitting the ground with a clank-clank.     A practiced soldier with several centuries under his belt like Karian will certainly recognize the form of a grenade, happily ticking away as it bounces along the ground. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian growls as he spots the grenade come in. "Well played.." He grumbles as he rises up and starts running. He leaps over some cover as well, of course at the cost of his main gun. Down his heavy weapon, he pulls his pistols and reaches onto his belt. He pulls a pair of grenades and throws one at each possible place Alamie could be hiding. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The clink-clink of counter-grenading is hard to miss. Especially when one lands by Amalie's foot. "Oh dear."     But instead of trying to get away... She rapidly counts down the ticking seconds in her head.     The standard grenade has a five second fuse... Four... Three... Two...     At the last second, the maid jumps. But she doesn't try to get away from it. Instead, as she takes to the air, she plants her boots on her shield, landing on the explosive with the durable ballistic plating between her and the ticking time bomb under her feet.     It goes off with a muffled KRUMP, all of the concussive force erupting outwards and into the shield and Amalie's legs. The result launches her SKY HIGH, HP taking another notch from the shock of the maneuver as she rides the explosion upwards, SURFING on her shield through the air and propping her machinegun on her knee, firing it ALL THE WAY BACK DOWN as she aims her impromptu sky-sailing to try and -land- on Karian with all her weight and all of her bullets. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian watches this and nods approvingly. Though when she comes down, Karian moves to catch and imitate professional wrestling with a Suplex. Though he quickly moves away if that fails, and fires with his pistols. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     INCOMING.     All that weight and armor coming down would probably make a lesser man quail, but Karian is ballsy enough to try and suplex the maid. And it works in a way, earning an undignified grunt from the eyepatched roleplayer as her HP takes a sound knocking from the sudden and bodily SLAM to the ground as her impetus is turned against her.     But she rolls with the impact displaying the ability to take a blow in a way that says she might know how to take such ass-kicking blows out in the real world.     Her face is a rictus of a grin now, though as those pistols go off, she does something unorthodox.     She swings her shield out.     It is a haymaker of a swipe, with enough force and backed by a way too pumped up STR stat to not only try and swipe Karian's aim off, but with full intent to BASH him clean off his feet if she can. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian's smacked off his feet, but as he falls lets the pistols roar again. He rolls to the side and back to his feet, only to charge full-bore at the maid, and with the intent to ram her through a wall. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     As soon as Karian hits the ground, Amalie actually drops her MG42. By now the ammo belt is mostl spent, and taking the time to reload in the middle of a melee would probably cost her way too dearly. Thusly, the sudden impact that smashes her through the wall when Karian rises is met... And returned. Red pock-marks appear on her armor where bullets impact, but she grits her teeth. And uses her head.     Literally.     Reeling her head back- and then forward in a sudden headbutt with full intent to connect her forehead with the space wolf gamer's. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian oof's as he feels the headbutt, and smirks. "I'd almost think you were someone I trained." He says. Of course, the space wolf was a great melee fighter. He threw a solid punch for Alamie's gut, and moved to put her through another wall. "Not exactly a gunfight, but a good show." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     his has gone from a gunfight to a brawl, and the regal and dignified maid has turned into some kind of wild beast after that headbutt. Another grunt from the impact to her gut and she reaches for both of the other heavy gunner's shoulders. Her intent is pretty simple as her back smashed through the wall.     Once OUT THE OTHER SIDE, she slams her boots to the ground, anchoring herself before twisting, a forceful shove and it's like trying to hip-throw a bull, panting as she reaches for her SMG- a 50 round p90, and she one hands it; squeezing the trigger to try and empty the magazine into Karian's center of mass point blank.     "Hrmph! Self-trained here, mon-ami."     She really needs to work on that French RP accent, though. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:''' 5tKarian grimmaces, but he moves in order to take the shots to the chest. He holds his chest, but shakes it off. "Not bad at all." He says. His own accent was thick, and too well spoken to be RP'ed (mix of norse dialects). Though he takes the option and delivers his 'signature' melee move. He modifies it to be more close range, but it pretty much was a Shoryuken. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     In a fight between two behemoth clad players, there are only two possible outcomes. One manages to out-armor the other, get the upper hand, and win. Or a stalemate occurs, as niether can manage to pierce the unflappable defences of the other. Between high strenght thats, immense armor, loads, heavy, weapons, and apparently completely unorthodox melee skills...     Karian and Amalie are fairly evenly matched.     The solid impact of a full on spinning flying uppercut actually staggers her, HP, dropping precipitously into the dangerous red zone as a result.     So then why is she smiling?     Competitive spirit must run strong in America, as she makes to grab onto Karian's shoulder's and hold them. Before tilting her head down to indicate the grenade on the ground between them, happily ticking at the pair's boots. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian looks down at the ground and tries to move, but when a fellow behemoth uses your shoulders as a perch, it's difficult. Sadly there was no avoiding the explosion. Tossed into the nearby wall, and effectively out of the fight, the wolf lord smirks. "Not bad at all....Drinks are on me, later. Only way to commemorate this." And then he's out. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Sorry. I am a bad loser, non~?" Still, she ends it with a smile, when the drinks are offered on KArian's coin.     Then the grenade goes off.     The sudden eruption of concussive force and fragmentation launches her backwards as well, breaking her grip on the wolf-gamer as she crashes into a wall of her own and leaves a maid-shaped crater. She manages to flash a thumbs up from one white-gloved hand before she too erupts in a flash of red pixels.     D-D-DOUBLE KO. 

}}

2748/In The Aftermath: A Girl's Heart Needs Fixing

2015-08-07T21:31:01Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/06 |Location=Ar Tonelico |Synopsis=Another Dive. But something's not quite fixed yet. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=253, 415, 495, 705, 707,..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/06
|Location=Ar Tonelico
|Synopsis=Another Dive. But something's not quite fixed yet.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=253, 415, 495, 705, 707, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     By now the Dive Shop is probably a familiar setting for this particular crew, save Kazusa. But the attendants have everything ready and set up for a multiple party Dive into one Reyvateil- something they still kind of goggle at a bit, but don't question anymore when it comes to a Beta Type like Misha.     She's already here of course, in a much more casual outfit of light purple robes, rather than her black dress as she waits for everyone to arrive, seated on the edge of her pod. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Yo Misha. You have summoned and I have answered," Psyber says in a casual tone. He was polite enough to snuff out his cigarette outside the Dive Shop and toss it in a trash can, "I could use the distraction, anyway," He adds, thinking about the latest reason he hasn't wanted to be around the office as much after Monday.m He smiles at the Reyvateil and gives her faint wave.     "Here's hoping we can fix some stuff, maybe get you a new song." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Up until she walks into the Dive Shop, Xiaomu's attention appears to be roughly divided between paying attention to where she's going ... and her Nintendo 3DS. Fortunately, the first of those is getting enough attention that she stops and closes her game system before stepping inside. "Hey Misha, hi Psyber!" the sage fox greets those who arrived before her - and she's lingering to hold the door open for whomever was behind her. "So, any idea if we'll hit any particular points of interest this time out?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Another day, another dive. Reiji doesn't like leaving business unfinished, especially considering this business is someone else's psyche. He strolls in not long after Psyber's arrival, dressed as he always is, with the minor absence of his usual assortment of weapons. "Hey," he nods to the Reyvateil, "I heard there was going to be another one of these trips. Figured we should probably come help." Also because having all these people show up in her head might give Hama fits. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     The 'everything' that is 'ready and set up' seems to have attracted a tourist. "Hooooo... what's /this/?"     With her usual purse over her shoulder, Kazusa is flitting from this screen to that device to the other pod, harassing the attendants and poking and prodding and inspecting anything she can get away with.     At least until she spots the fox with the gaming system. Then Xiaomu has a sudden audience. "Ooooh, what're you playing?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "Miisha!" Riva calls as she rushes into the Dive Shop. At the moment she's munching on a lollipop, and she offers Misha her pick from a handful of candy like usual. It's like nothing's changed with Riva. "So, we're going to jump right in again, huh?" She asks. "I hope everything works out this time too! I'm looking forward to meeting that little cutie cat again. We're going to see her again, right?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     This looks like everyone that's going to show up. All familiar faces, and people Misha is fairly certain she can trust, earning something of a sheepish smile from the dark-haired Reyvateil. The poor attendants are trying their best to explain things to Kazusa in as layman a way they can, but the best decision in the end is usually a 'see for yourself when you get in there'. Because Misha is already swinging her legs into her pod. "Mm, thanks for coming. This is ah... Mostly just a check up. I want you guys to make sure everything is alright in there." She answers Psyber and Reiji rather honestly. "Anything else is kind of just a bonus."     "And yes, you'll probably see Hama." Added as an afterthought with a small giggle.     So right about now everyone should be getting into their pods, the last checks are performed, and then the massive machines hiss closed, enveloping each person in darkness. It lasts for maybe a moment before bright characters in Hymmnos float through the blackness, streaming along in a cascade of code, before everyone is set standing in the center of Stone Henge. Aptly named due to its sanding circle of cut stone in myriad shapes and sizes.     Njorun Station is visible slightly in the distance, much more lit than last time, but the lighting is still dim, not enough to reach the upper branches though, where the monstrous silhouette of something massive and menacing looms down, peering down right at the group with a baleful blue eye, until--     "WHY ARE THERE FIVE OF YOU AGAIN?!"     For those who don't know her, Hama is a catgirl. A tiny catgirl hugging onto a floating ocarina, flashing her fangs, hackles up as she shakes a fist.     "HAVEN'T YOU NUTJOBS DONE ENOUGH TROMPING AROUND ALREADY?!"     Cute as a button. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Reiji may not have brought his weapon rack, but Xiaomu DOES have her staff like usual. "Just practicing Pac-Man," she grins to Kazusa. "Wonder if I ought to plug it in to recharge while we're Diving ..." She looks to Misha, then to one of the Dive Shop attendants. "There an outlet I can borrow to do that? I brought my adapter cord, just need to plug it in for a couple hours. I can pay for using power, too, if that helps?" The status LED *is* red rather than blue, albeit solid rather than blinking. For now. If the answer on charging her 3DS is 'no,' Xiaomu just flips the system back open (and if Kazusa is fast enough to look, she'd see Xiaomu's making good progress - up to one of the stages with a Galaxian ship for a 'bonus fruit,' at least - before the sage fox exits out of the game, trusting the autosave to record her progress. And either way, once Xiaomu's dealt with her game system, she settles into one of the 'guest' pods, leaning her staff against the wall next to the pod so that it won't abruptly fall over while we're in the middle of Diving. (Or, if laying it on the floor is better for that, that's what she does.) And on the inside of the Dive, Xiaomu grins ruefully at Hama. "Well, if we HAD finished, Misha wouldn't have asked us to come back, would she?" She checks her pockets, trying to will a can of tuna into her inventory so she can give the catgirl something to mollify her. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' Pac-Man has an autosave? That's... a thing.     This is still only the second time Reiji's ever been in a Dive Pod, and it's... Still a very, very odd sensation. It fades soon enough, though, and Reiji emerges into Misha's mental world alongside all the others. He stares up, briefly, at the massive shadow looming like some kind of squatting gargoyle on the very top of Njorun Station. He makes a low, curious noise at its lone, baleful eye when... A HAMA HAS APPEARED. HAMA IS FREAKING OUT. It's about what Reiji expected.     "Hello again, Hama," The exorcist says, perhaps unwisely reaching a hand out to pat the ocarina-cat's head. If he gets bitten, that's okay! His hands are crazy calloused from all that swordplay anyway. "I see you're as high-strung as ever. This is mostly just a check-up though. Has there been any significant changes since we were here last, aside from the power coming back online?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Okay, so Hama. Hama. I understand you're upset. But, if you'll let me offer a serious and responsible counterpoin to you," Psyber notes to her as he holds up a hand defensively to Hama as if saying 'Wait just a second'. He takes a small steel cylinder about the size of a bullet out of his coat.     When he squeezes said cylinder, a small red dot appears on the ground below and in front of where Hama is floating, "What's that? What's that, Hama? Hey... hey what's that. You should get it." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' LOAD ON UP. "Mmmmm, cherry flavor-" ZORT. Riva doesn't seem to be paying attention to the massive Inevitable Huge Boss fight up on the tree, instead looking around at the Stonehenge intently, as if looking for something. Or someone. And then when Hama appears, Riva claps her hands, managing to refrain from squealing at the cuteness. "You know we wouldn't be here if Misha didn't want us to~" Riva replies to Hama. From her coat, she withdraws a little duckie plushie. It has a tophat and monocle. "I brought you a gift, Hama! Here, meet Mr. Ducksworth McQuackington the Third, Esquire." She squeezes the duck, it makes squeaky noises. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     It's like a virtual reality trip! A trip into Misha's subconscious, apparently.     "...Why does Misha have Njorun Station in her subconscious? ...wait, have we been going there all this time and I just didn't know?! Is Misha secretly the Goddess of Njorun and we've all got our base inside her mind because it's the last place anyone would look and the Confederacy will have no idea? Oh my gosh, this is amazing, I-"     Catgirl.     "..."     /Tiny catgirl/.     "...It's..."     Lunge.     "It's so /CUTE/! Oh my gosh, come here, you're adorable, I need to hug youuuuuu! I have never seen you before and I don't know anything about tromping around but oh my gosh if you let me hug you I'll stay right here and not do any tromping around anywhere!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     High strung? Reiji gets an immediate Evil Eye, but he has a valid question, so the feline Mind Guardian scoffs, "For your information, installing that Hymnn Crystal was -COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY JARRING-." Snapped testily, but then between Psyber, Riva, and Kazusa, she has her tiny hands very very full.     There's an instant, a brief, struggling, instant where she looks like she really wants to go after the laser dot, and she nearly does. It takes a concerted effort of will to not lunge at it, as she squarely locks gaze with the Half-Angel.     "... I hate you more than that blonde boy bimbo that used to come here."     It is only because Riva distracts her with the plushie that Kazusa actually gets hands on her; earning, at first a completely baffled stare at the plush, before squeals. Flailing and mewling, and then--     HAMF!     Tiny fangs on schoolgirl thumb.     Fast forward five minutes, Hama is floating on her ocarina, looking completely casual in the very same manner as a cat that was just completely and thoroughly embarassed and wholly pretending it never happened.     "H-HMPH. If you're going to look around then get on with it, just don't BREAK anything."     In an instant the world is in a top-down view, displaying everything like a world map in an RPG-game, with places of note labelled and hilited.     *Misha's Apartment     *Local Bar: The Sad Song     *&@$@&#QQQ? 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber grins at Hama, "No you don't," He says defiantly as he starts to walking around. His first direction to look is obvious: Up. He wants to check for that monster he saw before, because that thing was worrying and it had to be investigated.     After that, and assuming it returns no results, Psyber will consider heading towards '&@$@&#QQQ?', which seems like an obvious place to investigate. Or a location they had Hama name on accident with a keyboard. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Sobsob. Kazusa's poor thumb. T_T     There is probably some rather comical bandaging wrapped around the nerdy girl's thumb now, and the look she gives Hama is a completely pitiful 'y u do dis'.     But now they have to decide where to go! "Ooh, I don't know where that garbled place is, but I have a good feeling about it! Let's go there." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Probably bettter not go to the garbled place until we've had a chance to explore the other areas," Xiaomu remarks as she gives up digging for tuna. (She'll just have to bring something for real next time.) "That kind of garbage data usually means *really* bad things - anything from impossible boss fights to terminal data corruption, and I do NOT want to see what happens to Misha's head if we screw up the save data ..." Yes, she is apparently assuming that there's at least something akin to saved games here. Not that she intends to find out by trying to reload from a prior save; she isn't THAT entrenched in viewing the world as an RPG. Even this one. "We should go to the bar first," the sage fox suggests. "Bars are always a good place to go for information, and we *did* get some useful tips there the last time, didn't we Reiji? If nothing else, we could probably figure out what that third spot is, if only by process of elimination." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' How did Reiji become the least offensive-to-cats in this entire bunch!? IT'S A MYSTERY. Or maybe it's because he's not tossing cat toys at her like it was going out of style.     "Seems as though she made it through better for it, though," the exorcist says with a shrug. "Misha seemed pretty glad to be back at her proper age," which he can't really blame her for at all. He'd be miffed too, if he was stuck at like... twelve. But it seems like the usual Selection Of Places To Go has popped up again, which means it's time for Reiji to...     HIT THE BAR!! And it looks like Xiaomu has the right idea. "Yeah, let's head over. With any luck, we'll run into Misha there again." Brain Misha, that is. The one who's a lounge singer in the black cocktail dress. All proper noir mysteries start with that kind of thing, don't they? He can check out that cat-keyboard-place later. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva wasn't wiling to bleed to huge the catte, which is why she's trying to resort to friendly bribery. Clearly, it takes a lot to break through the crunchy candy shell of a Mind Guardian. Orr they wouldn't be doing their jobs. They move on to the World Map segment, however, and Riva leaves Ducksworth McQuackington the Third, Esquire behind for Hama to play with when no one is watching her. "Hrmmmm... Where should I go." Riva ponders aloud. Finally, she decides to go check out how Misha's apartment might have changed in the interim. "I'll catch up with you guys in a bit!" She calls, and gets her hustle on. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Thusly the group splits!     Walking through the streets of Njorun and its branches, everything is under half power after the last Dive, the power plant must not be running at full capacity, considering the empty city is running on brownout level dim lighting, the shadow on up above seeming much more pronounced as perts of whatever is atop the great tree shifting as it clearly follows a warey gaze on the intruders.     The bar has some dime lighting, and a pair of glasses are already set out on the counter, the white-haired bar-tender is present again, and it looks like she remembers Reiji's beer and is about ready to pour something of Xiaomu's choice as well. "Mmm? You're back." Spica murmurs. "I'd give you a cheerier welcome but my songbird's flown the coop."     Misha's apartment is... Locked. Properly locked, but the lights are on, so someone is home. All it takes is a knock and Riva's let in to a very VERY tidy apartment. Like... Stupidly clean. The issue is, Misha's still looking cute. And tiny. The young Star Singer busily dusting at a shelf that really doesn't need it. "Oh hey Riva! I wasn't expecting visitors today, what's up?"     That just leaves the third locale... It's a section of the tree that leads up into the branches above. Though standing at the base is a figure in white armor, with a flowing cape. And familiar blonde hair. "Ahhhhh geeeze..." Lyner Barsett mutters, rubbing the back of his neck as he eyes the path upwards into the murk and gloom. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     With Kazusa coming with him to Garbled-Town, nothing could go wrong. NOTHING. Except for the fact that Lyner is here, "Yoooo, what's up? Why aren't you running in headlong towards whatever's up in the creepy tree? The Treepy, if you will." Psyber asks to Lyner as he walks by the man.     He's only pausing briefly, though. A short stop to ask why he's not going ahead before Psyber adds, "I'm going ahead, though. So like... keep up. Or don't. I dunno." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva chuckles as Misha opens the door and looks around, her eyes shining. "I'm just full of surprises~... Woooooow. This place is insanely clean, Misha. I could probably eat off those shelves!" With a sudden movement, she gives Misha a big hug. "It's so good to see you again! Have you been doing anything since we last stopped in? How are you and Blondie holding up?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji and Xiaomu reach the bar, only to find out that... Misha is nowhere to be found!! That's not entirely too unusual- after all, she can go where she likes in her own head. But at least Spica has drinks out and waiting for their arrival.     "So I see. Looks like you don't have the generator running anymore though, so I'm guessing the power situation's been resolved," Reiji says, moseying into his 'usual' seat at the bar. "Is Misha taking a night off or something, though? We were hoping to ask about what's been going on lately." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Psyber makes for a pretty easy person to follow! That's a thankful thing. Kazusa is more than equal to the task of keeping up with him, sore thumb aside, and the unbearable cruelty of the adorable cat guardian is fairly soon forgotten. They're up in the Njorun-tree! Sort of. And apparently headed up into the dark, with... some new guy who was already here?     Kazusa blinks, and leans in close to Psyber to murmur, "Hey, you know him?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "We'll let her know you said hi," Xiaomu replies with a friendly grin before she turns her attention to the menu ... unless of course Spica's already got the right bottle (or whatever) in hand. Huangjiu sounds about right, and the sage fox isn't overly concerned about getting tipsy. Reiji's own analysis gets a quirked eyebrow from his partner, and Xiaomu looks to Spica again. "By 'flown the coop,' I'm guessing you mean she hasn't been here since ... oh, shortly after our last visit? Not just 'taking the night off'?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "You can actually!" Eat off the shelves. That's how clean they are. "But you won't because that's just going to get them dirty again." Noted immediately after. The CHAINED FRIDGE is still in the kitchen, thumping and moaning a little, but she seems to ignore it. "Me and Lyner? We're still very far apart." The answer is quite candid. "I never know where he is at any given time, but it's okay, I really don't mind. I know he'll find his way back sooner or later." Replied conversationally.     It's kind of painful, watching how she struggles with hefting a step ladder so she can get to higher spots to keep cleaning. "Mostly I've been hiding."     Whatever she could mean by hiding is up for debate, but back at the bar, Spica's eyes dance as she answers. "She said she'd be taking a few days off, but I'm a biiiiit worried." Replied in that cattish 'I know more but am not telling YET' manner. "Ever since that new girl showed up in town and got kidnapped by the beast right after, anyway."     Bar tenders always know the best rumors don't they?     "Haa haaaaah... Yeahhhh heyyyy. You're Psyber right? And I'm guessing you're Kazusa. Hama was telling me all about you!"     "I WANT THEM TO DIE."     Hama pokes out from behind Lyner's shoulder glowering. But the armored blonde youth sets his hands on his hips. "Well I kind of don't have a sword to hit it with." That's pretty logical. "Thing is, that thing up there captured a princess just as she got into town, and Misha and I are still kind of too far apart to work together. If you're gonna go up there, try and bring a Reyvateil with you! Oh and a sword." Pause. "Are you a Reyvateil?" That's to Kazusa.     There's nothing to stop Psyber going ahead except the climb. It looks like it won't be an easy or a pleasant one, but it's doable. There are just a lot of extremely thorny branches in the way, each thorn as sharp and big as a blade. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "His name is Lyner. He's kind of an idiot, but he means well and Misha likes him a lot," Psyber comments to Kazusa, smiling at the girl. His naturally protective instincts mean he's putting himself between her and the thorns even while he's looking over at Hama and the blonde knight, "Well. I think it's best you do this on your own with Misha, bro."     "But in the meantime," Since Hama is back, Psyber takes out the laser pointer again and shines it at the ground in front of Hama. Hopefully, with less people around to direct her rage at, it will be harder to resist the call of the dot. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "A few days .... hmm." Xiaomu takes a small but thoughtful sip of her drink. "'New girl' ... a princess, by any chance? Or is that a little more than you know?" If it is, well, it's another rumor that Spica can discuss with patrons, if she's so inclined. Information for information; fair trade, right? "Did Misha say anything about what she'd be doing with her time off?" she inquires further. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Something Hama said earlier comes to mind as Reiji takes a draw from his Mug O' Beer. Based on Spica's reply to Xiaomu, he's betting that this is a more recent thing. "That girl," he says, inclining his head a bit. "The new one, I mean. You're saying Misha's been gone ever since she showed up and got kidnapped, right?"     "When did that happen, exactly? A few weeks ago, maybe?" Coincidentally, around when they installed that Hymmn Crystal into Misha's body and got her back up to size. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Hama gets the saddest look from Kazusa. /SAD/. T_T     But in answer to Lyner's question, Kazusa replies with a cheerful, "No, I'm Japanese!" It takes her all of about three seconds to realize how painfully bad that joke was, and then she bows her head. "I'm sorry. That won't happen again." Standing up straight again, she adds, "I'm not a Reyvateil, but I can sort of be one for a little while! I have a copy of Misha's powers stored on one of my cards."     Knowing who Lyner is (sort of) makes things a little easier to understand. And in the meantime, while they wait for Misha, she gets to watch Hama try and resist the dot. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Misha's behavior causes Riva to rub her chin. The thump of the fridge causes Riva to jump and she looks over at it, glaring for a moment. "You know, one day you're going to have to deal with that fridge of sealed Doom. Is that what you're hiding from?" She shakes her head. "Anyway, I've got a great idea." She reaches out and puts a hand on the stepladder, holding it in place while Misha tries to move it. You can almost /hear/ her mentally bitching about Fassad as she does so. "The place is super sparkly clean, you don't need to go so overboard. You look like you need to relax, so how about we go out for a walk, huh? This is a nice world, you can't live life and just let it pass you by." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "My my, I'm the bartender here, not you." Spica teases the skunk-head and the sagefox with a wry quirk of her lips. "What's the point in knowing every bit of gossip in this ghost town if you're going to tell it back to me before I can slowly exposit?" That verbal jab aside she flashes a thin grin. "It was a few weeks ago. She sailed in on an airship. The airship pads here had been closed for years years. It was pretty surprising."     Riva gets a look from Misha that might not have been expected, when that suggestion is dropped. "What? But I'm safe here. If I go out I could get kidnapped too. I don't want to get dragged up there, I'll die." The Reyvateil snaps rather hastily with a visible shudder. "... I... Can try. But you have to promise not to let it get me."     Hama tries her best. She really, really does. And she holds out for a good five seconds before the Mind Guardian's will finally cracks. "N-nya!"     It's like watching a fly chase a gnat, the ocarina zooming for the red dot, the tiny kitten mounted atop the instrument holding on for dear life with one hand, the other snatching at the laser repeatedly, while Lyner sighs. "I'd like that, really." His smile is kind of sad. "But I don't think it will until we're really together again." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva blinks. "So that's what the deal is? I heard a princess was kidnapped, and..." She nods again. "All right. I'll protect you while we're out there." She smiles. "I got a hot tip too. There's someone else out there who's trying to help fix the problem. Maybe he wants to make it safer for you. You might know him. Blond, super tough, dumb as a brick..." She chuckles. "Let's meet up with him so everyone can do what they need to do, all right?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "How'd the airship land if the pads had been closed?" Xiaomu wonders. "Or did they manage to open the pads in time for the airship to touch down and dock properly?" ... hey, it's the obvious question, right? Although that leads the sage fox to look at her partner, "Maybe we should check out the airship pads for clues?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Of course. I had no intention of intruding upon the Barkeeper's Right of Gossip," Reiji says with a chuckle as he returns to imbibing yet more amber drink. "But if what you're saying is true, then it would coincide with certain other events." Wasn't Misha relieved to have her body back? Does she feel she doesn't deserve it? ...Did she want Lyner to be there to see her becoming herself again? "...So, what happened then?" He asks, leaning forward slightly on his stool. "Was she kidnapped straight away?"     Reiji glances over to his partner, then shrugs. "I'm not sure we can even get there, with how this place is laid out. Seems like it's not as important as what's up in the tree, though. Might be worth snooping around, but... Let's here this out to the end first, huh?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is mostly going to be holding down the fort and having Hama chase after the dot while he flicks it back and forth along the ground or any nearby walls to get Hama really chasing after it while Lyner and Kazusa talk. Despite this very silly thing he's doing, he gives Lyner a serious look, "Dude, I know you're not the real Lyner, but do you have any idea how badly you've fucked her up by leaving however many times? I'm amazed she even manages to make it through the day. Betrayal from within is so much more painful than from external sources." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "That's not really important. It doesn't even have a spot on the map screen." Spica replies to Xiaomu while wiping down a glass, but then shrugs her shoulders. "The ship arrived. She was the only person to step off. And as soon as she started wandering town, it reached down and snatched her up into the branches above. That's about all I know~." Spica is awfully casual about all this despite the grim subject matter.     Lyner however heaves a sigh, flashing that big goofy grin of his. "Heeeeehh... Well I am the real Lyner. I'm Lyner how Misha sees Lyner." He says, folding arms across his chest with a sigh. "And because of that, there's a wall between us. I want to reach her. And I know she wants to reach me, but." But was he standing two steps to the left a moment ago? No, he wasn't, but like two same sides of a magnet, as Riva and Misha arrive, Lyner seems to be getting shoved away by the very forces of physics themselves. "Buuuuut I guess I'm going this way now!" Well he's awfully cheery as the force slides him clean off a branch, flailing and yelping to a lower part of Njorun in a suitable cartoonish manner.     So Riva and Misha arrive where Psyber is making Hama hate everything with a laser pointer. "... You really want to go up there? Is that what this is about?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Click.     Psyber puts the laser pointer back into his jacket after shutting it off, "Actually, Misha. I'm curious why you would want to force yourself up there," Psyber says in a sort of curious tone, "And... why you seem to think you can Lyner can't be close, despite his absence."     He takes a long moment and then finally opens up about something, "We're a lot alike, Misha. I have a friend like Lyner too, someone I'm close to, but I can't ever really keep around as much as I'd like," He's trying to distract Misha, or rather to obliquely allow Riva to do her half of the plan by prodding at the underlying mechanics, "And so, because you worry they're going to leave you, you try to create distance artificially, but that hurts too," He looks up at the gloomy path, "In many different ways," He frowns.     "But just because that person isn't with you, doesn't mean they abandoned you. They're still your close friend, even if there's distance between you or they're not with you right now," Psyber notes, taking a cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it. He thinks for a few moments, "I'm not... good at speeches, really. I'm no Nathan Hall, but. Even friends hurt eachother. That doesn't make them not friends, and that doesn't mean they can't be close." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Mmn, well it helped confirm a few suspicions," Reiji says with a nod. He digs around in the pockets of his coat for a moment, before sliding a few bills across the table. "Thanks for the drinks, as usual. I think it's about high time we went and dealt with that huge thing up on the tree." Or at least, saw about what was up with it.     "We'll drop in again next time," because apparently Reiji is now a Regular at Misha's Head-bar. He pushes off his seat and begins making for the door, "Xiaomu, let's head out. We should probably join the others." Not that they're probably going to do any giant-monster fighting just yet, but still. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu sips some more of her huangjiu, considering Spica's story. "Sounds like we need to head up, then," she remarks to her partner. "I hope the others are having better luck working out that glitch on the map." She finishes her drink, pays for it plus a tip, and heads out with her partner. "See you next time we're in the area, Spica!" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     'Not good at speeches'? "Not good at speeches?!"     Look at Kazusa, Psyber. Look at her. She is totally moved by just those few words. "T-that was /beautiful/..." Sniffle. Then again, it might just be that laser pointer time is over. Alas. With Lyner gone on a magical journey with his best friend gravity, Kazusa sticks her hands in her pockets again and looks upward. "What in the heck is even up there, anyway? This is some kind of weird dreamscape, and usually in dreams you just kind of /know/ what stuff is, or at least what the dream feels like you need to know..." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva arrives on site with Misha, smiling. "See? That wasn't so bad! Hey, is that..." She pauses, Did she just see Lyner? She looks around. Psyber SAID he was here, and then... Psyber confirms what Riva throught she just saw: Lyner just fell off the tree! Riva looks over to Psyber, letting him take up the Cause as she shuffles off to one side and yells, "Wow, this is really cool-WHOA!" She flails her hands and wobbles on the edge of the massive tree, and she looks back to Misha. "You know, if you wanted to see Blondie, you could have him close by anytime you wanted, you know. All you have to do is think about him and give him a call. He might be a lot closer than you think!" At least, if she guesses Lyner's falling rate, he should be still close enough... Then again, this is Misha's mindscape so really he can be anywhere Misha wants. "Either way, it's really hard to solve all these problems yourself. You can do it, but it's a lot easier with good friends with you, even if some of them are dumb." She chuckles. "I like him, you have good taste." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The laser pointer goes away, and it's a breathless Hama that shoots a glare of daggers and murder as she flutters off panting and wheezing, slinking into a shadow to hide because, as a cat, this is horribly shameful and embarassing. Psyber has now earned Hama's forever lasting ire. Or at least until the Real Lyner returns and she can direct that at him.     Lyner is falling- or was. He lants with a THUMP and a clear and distinct "Owwww geeeeze!" on a lower branch. Despite the fact that it's enough of a distance for the fall to kill a man, he looks relatively unhurt, and can probably be grabbed and hauled back up with a little work.     Xiaomu and Reiji have nothing stopping them from arriving just in time for Psyber and Riva's pep-talks, and it's something that makes Misha tense. The small Reyvateil scuffs the ground with one foot. It's a long, long, long moment of contemplation...     DIVE POINTS: PSYBER: -1000! RIVA: -500!      PASS!     "I... No it's not that... It... Okay, I guess it is that. I just always thought, because we keep getting separated..." The words aren't coming easy for her, it seems. "The distance isn't artificial. And that's why it's so hard. But... I'll try."     That's where she halts. I nfact, Misha flinches as though Kazusa slapped her across the face with that very question. "It's something I made. I made it to try and show that I was strong, and useful. But because I was arrogant I made it too strong for me to control." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber waves a hand embarassedly at Kazusa, "Nooo, it's just me talking. I'm sure if Nate were here, he'd say the magical configuration of words that unlocks the secret ending and third options the whole event. I'm just... making due," He notes, trying to pass off Kazusa's comments while acting cool towards the compliments. He's embarassed, though, to some degree.     "Emotional distance isn't the same as physical difference. I hardly ever get to see some people I know, but we're still close," He notes to Misha, hands going into his pockets. He looks up at the tree when she makes that comment, "Maybe you weren't ready when you made it, but if it's a part of you, you might be ready some day, I reckon." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "Ah, I see, I see." And then Kazusa makes a flick of the wrist - someone's been practicing a bit of sleight-of-hand - and produces a card with lines of Hymnos written on it. Hopefully, at the very least, Misha recognizes her own name when she sees it. "Well, if one of you can't control it, then we'll just have to try two."     Putting it away, the card-user giggles a bit self-consciously. "I'm joking, I'm joking... but seriously, though." Her tone gets a bit more relaxed, perhaps, but also more contemplative. "No one's as strong alone as they are in a group. It's okay if you made something too strong to control alone, because you've got friends to help control it together. ...emotions are kinda like that too, come to think of it. It's always easier if you have someone to share it with." She looks up. "Maybe that's some big block of emotions or something? Or based on them, or... y'know. Stuff." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "This is your mind," Reiji says as the conversation dovetails towards the thing in the treetops. "The depths of your soul. If you created that thing up there, then it's not impossible that you might be able to control it, one of these days." He shrugs a bit, then. "Though that might be why it took that Princess not too long ago. Sort of like... A rebellion, almost." If his hunch is right, and that 'princess' IS in fact the adult-Misha.     "You're not weak that's for sure," he says firmly, moving over to crane his neck around where Hama vanished into the shadows. Poor cat. "If that thing up there is any sign, then you're far stronger than you give yourself credit for. But until you can reach that strength, you've got all of us, right?" "Psyber," he inclines his head at the man, "Looks like you guys got things pretty much handled without us, huh?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva smiles as Misha begins to admint her problems instead of hide them. Progress! "Woohoo!" She pumps a fist, and gives Misha a hug. "Just keep working at it, Misha. That's all anyone can ask for, right? And we'll all be here for you... And Lyner, too, in his own special way." And then she hears a thump, and blinks. "Wow, was that..." She looks to Psyber and the others quizzically before you can practically see a lightbulb go off over her head. "OH RIGHT! Lyner!" She breaks from the hug and rushes over to the edge, looking down and yelling, "HANG ON LYNER, WE'RE GOING TO COME GET YOU!" She yells. She'll begin clambering around on the tree, trying to make her way down so she can work with the others to get Blondie back up to Misha. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu doesn't have much to say at the moment; she's waiting to see if Lyner and Misha continue to repel each other, or if somebody figured out the right way to overcome that - whichever end (or both) was the cause of it. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Lyner is hanging. Not literally, though, he's just sort of chilling on the floor below. "Eheh! Alright I'll sit tight!" Called back up.     Though Misha and Hama sort of stare at Psyber on mention of a third ending.     "This is Misha's mind, not a dating sim!" Snapped irritably.     A small huff, though, and Misha rubs lightly at her elbow, "I'm not sure I want to go up there just yet, though, two or three of me or even four of me." Admitted quietly. "... I understand we have to, but..."     But not right this second as Lyner is hauled up. Whatever force was shoving him away before is gone now, allowing the youth to cross the distance with that big dumb grin of his, and something of a sheepish look from Misha as they clasp hands.     There's just one problem.     Stone Henge doesn't light up. Even after that hurdle is passed.     Everything kind og hangs for an awkward moment.     DIVE POINTS: -5000?! FAIL!     It's like a sudden pop up window that blips into appearance. There's no Paradigm Shift. Not this time as Hama zips to the forefront. "Alright that's it, all of you OUT!"     She will proceed to smack people at full force with her ocarina, chasing and booting the Divers out with a not-too-gentle kick back to reality. Psyber probably gets ocarina'd the hardest for his laser shenanigans, as the world goes black, flashing scrolling Hymmnos code, before pods pop back open at the Dive Shop.     Misha is already sitting up from hers. "That was... Kind of fast? Is everything alright in there-- don't tell me details just a yes or a no." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Owwwww ..." groans Xiaomu as she sits up, rubbing her forehead (which she wouldn't be surprised if there's an ocarina-shaped bruise). "I think 'no,' Misha ... sorry." She lets out a breath, rubbing her forehead some more. She looks like she could use a drink. Or some fried tofu. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber takes an Ocarina to the face and oofs a bit before coming out the other end back in the real world, "Mmm... some progress, not enough to shift the world yet. I think you just... need to relax for a bit. And get used to all the changes you've had happen recently." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' NOT ENOUGH POWERRRRRR Riva flails as Hama chases them all out. "Buuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh." Is Misha's initial response from Riva as she sits up and flops out of her Dive Pod. "Uhhhh... Yeah, I'm gonna agree with Psyber on this one." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' Welp. That sure is an angry little ocarina-cat. "Nngh," Reiji grunts, pulling himself out of the pod. He rubs tenderly at one of his temples, "Could have gone better. We made some progress, though. Next time, for sure." 

}}

2718/Behind The Eyepatch

2015-08-03T13:42:56Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/03 |Location=Dicey Cafe |Synopsis=The Maid Revealed |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=1, 6, 9, 42, 215, 317, 395, 631, 707 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplot2..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/03
|Location=Dicey Cafe
|Synopsis=The Maid Revealed
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=1, 6, 9, 42, 215, 317, 395, 631, 707
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     The Bullet of Bullets ended with an astounding and unprecedented 11 winners in a tie for first place. That's mind blowing. But it also means that the deal between Kirito and Amalie is off. And yet the crazed roleplayer has still invited Kirito, and whoever else wants to come, to the Dicey Cafe, for snacks on her.     If Kirito has paid attention to the mild times she's gone OOC- heck if anyone paid attention, it's plainly obvious she's more than just some dumb tweeny RP noob.     Well, a large table has been selected, and there's only one person seated at it. Her back is to the door though, leaning back in her chair and kicking one foot lazily. She's small though. For a woman who's mentioned having a daughter, Amalie's player is utterly tiny herself, and wearing way too brightly colored a hoodie. With the hood tugged up as she scribbles some notes in a very official looking leather bound ledger book.     The menus are set out though, for whoever wants to join her at the table. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu strolls into the Dicey Cafe in her normal appearance and her normal outfit, including the monk staff that she seems to carry almost all the time. "Hey Amalie," she waves to the girl in the hoodie. "How's the fried tofu here?" the sage fox asks further as she pulls out a chair, plops into it, and looks over the menu. She didn't actually expect to be one of the first arrivals. She may not have the leisure to hang around that long, though, depending on what comes up. 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Also arriving is Iria, although she's definitely not looking like she's herself right now. She takes a seat with the others, but doesn't seem to be too interested in talking. She immediately engrosses herself in the menu, looking over it and placing an order for a drink as quickly as possible. Apparently, something happened tonight that's left a huge impact on her. It's not common that you see Iria like this... 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' No avatar at all today the tall form and red hair of one Sheena Armstrong as she makes her way into the cafe looking pretty haggard too. She's still feeling the after effect of what happend.. She's looking for good food and lets be honest a good drink too. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     A Staren-shaped light appears in the corner of the room, then fades to reveal Staren as he teleports in. He avoided travel outside the warpgate, so he didn't need to disguise himself or anything, appearing as he is. He smiles and nods in greeting to Xiaomu and Sheena, then casts curious looks at the others already here, wondering who they might be... 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     When Kirito arrives he's... thankfully no longer a short bishy cutie. He is instead a thin, slightly taller young man with a sliiiiightly feminine face. For someone who's almost 19 years old, Kirito doesn't look nearly as manly as he might want to.     And he's dressed in black pants and a black shirt. Thankfully, no swords or other gear. He's EXHAUSTED though. Shaking and shivering. Tired, hungry, emotionally gone through the wringer...     And just sort of COLLAPSES in a chair at the table.     Only THEN does he peer hard at the one who invited him, trying to see under that hood... 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It's going to be pretty hard to see under a hood with Amalie's back to everyone. But she doesn't even flinch when Staren teleports in. To Xiaomu, slender shoulders lift in a shrug. The battle maid clearly hasn't tried it. But once the GGO crew- or those who could make it settle in, she snaps the book in her hands closed shut with a tiny thump.     Reaching slowly in her hoodie, she slowly pulls out a manilla folder, with some documents inside it, which she slides onto the table, as she sssssssssips from a cup of iced coffee while shoving it towards Kirito, Tomoe, Staren, Xiaomu and the others.     UNION TOP SECRET: EYES ONLY. KIRIGAYA "KIRITO" KAZUTO.     "Seeing as how everyone here was involved I guess you can all look at it though." 'Amalie' says breezily in that snotty french RP voice.     Inside is... A report. A formatted draft and manuscript of one, anyway, waiting to be uploaded to the Union net. "I figured you'd all want a look before it went up, while we have our little celebration." 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Theo shows up, because Theo is a huge nerd and doesn't have anything resembling normal operating hours. He has a bunch of styrofoam containers. Kickotron, his trusty myr sidekick, is carrying them. He sits down with the rest. "Oh, neat. Can I see?" He's unaffiliated, but he's, you know, handy. And not evil. (Psyber asked his references on that front.) 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' A small figure eventually makes her way into the Dicey Cafe. It's Asuna, dressed in a simple white shift dress with a red ribbon, white tights and matching elegant white heels. Over it however she wears a thick brown jacket with soft trim, a bit too long for her, almost like it's Kirito-sized rather than Asuna sized. She has a wicked smile on her face as she slides around the table towards a seat by Kirito. If there's no seat by Kirito, then Kirito is going to be her seat. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Tomoe has no idea with the Hood, she pauses at Staren just teleporting in. She says nothing there as she moves to find a moment to sit down. She pauses for a moment as she sees the soulder passed over. "All right just what is this?" She's wondering whom this is and just what they have there. "Good to see you ASuna..." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren nods and smiles to everyone else who comes in. He knows them! He approaches 'Amalie' curiously, looking down at the folder but waiting for Kirito to open it. "You're a Union Elite? Why didn't you tell us?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Thank you," Xiaomu says with a grin to Amalthea. Then she turns her attention back to the menu, at least until her turn comes around to look at the folder - there's just one copy of it, after all. "I might," she adds, "need to borrow that for my report to Shinra ... or I can just forward a copy of what gets submitted to the Union." They don't seem to have fried tofu on the menu. That's mildly annoying ... but Xiaomu is still hungry, so she focuses on picking something out. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     "Because," Kirito begins to answer in Amelie's place for Staren as he puts a hand down on the file, ready to open it. He glanes around at the people about... and nods one at Theo. Theo's fine.     "Some people are goofballs to the bitter end." He's TRYING to keep up his usual tone of mischief, but he's far too tired.     Plus, he was crying hard an hour ago over something or another.     Nevertheless, he smiles Amalie's way. "You really helped us out a lot." And with Asuna sitting down next to him, the smile gets a bit bigger. "If only we knew if it was really over and done with." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Ssssssssluuuurp.     Another long slurp at her ice coffee reduces the drink to little more than a few nagging droplets at the bottom of the cup, before Amalie swivels around.     "There's such a thing as subtlety, kid. Try it sometime."     That's to Staren as she gives a toss of her head, hood falling back. The eyepatch is familiar. Because it's the one Psyber had gotten her for Christmas some time ago; apparenrtly matching the one in game as well. Rainbow hair and sparkles go everywhere, light glinting in a butterfly flicker off her horn. But Amalthea flashes a winner's grin as she props her elbows on the table. "It's because I needed something to do to blow off steam and didn't want you people nagging me for official reports while I was trying to have fun playing a goddamn videogame. And here I am tackling the report anyway by getting caught up with you wasteland roving santa-killing psychopaths." The unicorn is only half serious before motioning the papers at Theo and the sage fox. "Tell me if I left anything out. It's a first draft though so don't go taking it and forwarding it to anyone until I polish it off."     Much more seriously however, the smile fades as the mechanical mythic's lips purse. "Yeah it's probably not over. But what's stopping us from celebrating the little victories, right? And some of us probably just want to be with our friends and loved ones right now." Noted with a glance towards the young gamer-swordsman. 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' "You owe me twenty yen." Asuna turns to Kirito. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Kirito's jaw ends up dropping slightly once the gliter starts flying everywhere. And sparkles. Because that's totally what he wasn't expecting to see.     Then Asuna drops a bomb. "Say what?" He gets out, voice somewhat squeaky and disbelieving. CONSTERNATION!     Nevertheless, he's going over the report... and answers Amalthea's explanation with a nod. "No arguments there. I haven't felt so tired since fighting Heathcliff..."     ANd just saying the name makes him shudder slightly. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "If it weren't for the little victories," Xiaomu says philosophically, "we'd give up long before we got to the big ones." She sets the menu aside for her turn looking through the draft report ... "Hmm ... looks like you got most of it. Are you going to include that guy's real name, assuming we get it from the government with local jurisdiction? 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna stifles a series of giggles at Kirito's consternation. "That's a great report, Amalthea." She says. Pause. "where's my waffles?" 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     It always takes Reker a lot of time to get anywhere when he's traveling in meatspace world. But eventually the door opens to the cafe, and the man limps in. He's actually walking, although with the help of a cane. Wearing shorts, the prothestic right leg is pretty evident.     Reker the person actually looks remarkably similar to Reker the avatar. Same hairstyle, same unshaven stubble on his face. Of course avatar reker doesn't have the eyepatch or the prosthetics replacing his leg and arm. He waves with the false left hand as he closes the door, "So what'd I miss? Sorry I'm running late." 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Tomoe Says "Staren's about a subtle as an Tidal Wave." She notes as sghe moves to get her order from Angil and she looks over. "The only people aisde from our crew who will have any idea about what's ...." She pauses at hr smart phone. "Are Thinker and Yuler, and I just got a text from the latter asking what the heck happened." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "I don't like subtle--" Staren blinks. "Amalthea?" She explains though, and he shrugs. Tomoe's comment gets a nod. And the latest man to arrive... "Reker?" Staren's surprised meatspace Reker looks so much like avatar Reker. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "I'm aware." Amalthea jibes in agreement with Tomoe. But then the unicorn frowns. "Giving up should never be an option for these kinds of things." Replied to Xiaomu as she sits back in her seat. "Still. We probably saved a lot more lives now that Death Gun is out of the game, but it feels way too much like we barely hit the tip of the iceberg."     Enter the Reker. Amalthea tiiiilts to one side to see around the others at the man who looks familiar. "Is that-..."     With a thump at the seat besider her, she summarily decides, "Get over here you magnificent bastard and sit your ass down. I'm buying this man a beer." 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna sees Reker walk in and turns to Kirito. "Fourty yen." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Like I've been saying," Xiaomu remarks, "the way Death Gun went down looked a *LOT* like a big ol' event flag to help set up the final boss fight." She's about to place her order when her phone rings, rather stridently - like a boss warning siren from some shoot-em-up - and she sighs explosively, grabbing her staff and her phone. "Make it a grilled ham and cheese to go, Owner," she asks Agil. "I can't stick around to eat it here if that's what I think it is ..." She steps outside to deal with her phone call; a couple minutes later, she steps back in to collect her food. "Yep, gotta head back to my Tokyo ... sorry, see you all around!" 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:''' "I don't get out much." Reker says, as he grins towards Staren and Amalthea, since they seem to be the first ones to notice him. He moves over and sits down next to Amalthea, "Do I even want to know why you're here?" He wonders, "Nah, it doesn't matter, since you're buying."     A quick glance around at everyone, "I think I know who most of you are, either in game or out. Yes, I am Reker. Or Blake, if you'd prefer." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     With Reker arriving, Kirito turns to look. Reker's given a welcoming smile and gestured over! "Hey. We actually did it. What do you think of that?" Juuust trying to keep positive right now.     Even though he sort of sweatdrops at Asuna... 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna giggles again. Very quietly. She enjoys teasing Kirito a little. Just a little. Very little. .... and about ten minutes later, she's passed out on his shoulder asleep. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "You don't know why I'm here?" Amalthea repeats. Before pointing a finger at her eyepatch. "Even if I start speaking with a cheesy french accent?"     Hon hon hon.     Though she does wave Agil for a beer for Blake. "I said I was in town for the best latency for the tournament. I figured I could ditch the RP gear and relax." Mused as she tips back in her seat. "Anyway, Death Gun's dealt with and we won the BoB. All of us. So I figured it'd be my treat."     A pause.     "I can finally say I won a tournament too, when people harp on Ariel's WMAT win."     Her reasons were wholly not self serving at all. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     Reker shakes his head a little bit at Amalthea's response, "Yeah I don't know how they plan on handing out the rewards for an eleven way tie, but that's besides the point." He gets his beer, good 'ol imported American beer, and takes a drink, "Yeah, speaking of tournaments, out of one and into another, huh?"     He takes another long drink from his beer, and then sets it down for a moment, "I think I may stick with the wander mode for that one. Hard to look like an indestructable super soldier with a prothstetic arm." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Geeze. All of a sudden Asuna's sleeping against him. Kirito goes a little wide-eyed at this development. Juuuuust for a moment. He mutters something in a warm tone under his breath about not being a bed, but seems fine with this development. Although it's sliiiiightly embarassing in public...     Nothing. Just make this really sheepish sort of face.     "... And now I can convert back to Spriggan. That'll make the WMAT much more fun." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     A sigh, and abeer for herself, and Amalthea props her chin on her palm, sipping slowly. "I think I've had my fill of video game fun times after that. It was fun and all, but also pretty harrowing." She decides before ruffling her own hair.     An act that sends sparkles and glitter everywhere.     "You're both in the WMAT, huh? Ariel's back at it again this year, but I don't think she's in the same bracket as you guys. Good luck anyway, though. ... Anyway getting together like this after all that chaos was pretty nice." 

}}

2573/A Hunting We Shall Go

2015-07-04T12:08:20Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/07/03 |Location=Ar Tonelico - Silvaplate |Synopsis=Misha takes Reiji, Xiaomu, and Kazusa hunting for Grathmelding materials. |Thanks= |Cast of..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/07/03
|Location=Ar Tonelico - Silvaplate
|Synopsis=Misha takes Reiji, Xiaomu, and Kazusa hunting for Grathmelding materials.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=415, 705, 707, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     So it's a trip back to Misha's home Tower of Ar Tonelico. Something of a hike actually after everyone meets ip in the Airport City Nemo. This time time is alotted for shopping and sightseeing, but that will be after handling certain other issues. So once the party leaves the city of white marble and flowing water in an airship bound for the main tower itself, it sets down on a 'natural' ledge that's been cleared off of wildlife and plants and used for airship travel often.     Misha is here of course, in some more travel appropriate clothes than her little black dress. A set of heavy duty and durable purple robes; a backpack of some basic necessities and supplies slung on her back. "Soooo. Welcome to the Silvaplate. We're pretty high up, but not even close to the half way point of the tower. Surprisingly, people actually live up here. Buuut so do monsters, and that's what we're here for." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Monsters, huh?" Xiaomu asks. "If that's why we're here, did you want us to help thin them out so the nearby village isn't in as much danger or something ... ?" Because that's totally why a group of adventurers would be hanging out in the 'wilderness' on an invitation from one of the local authority figures who happens to have befriended them. Not that Xiaomu has any issues with a random monster extermination run, of course - she might be happier about it if she knew she was getting experience towards a level-up or something, but since you don't gain levels like that in real life, she's not too worried about THAT. Besides, you can get other stuff from fighting monsters. (Like 'dead,' but she trusts THAT won't be happening today.) "What sort of monsters do you figure we'll run into around here, anyway?" Xiaomu asks, good-natured but serious about it. She takes a moment to double-check the loads in Silver and Platinum, her handguns, while she's asking that. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Monster hunting is something Reiji does pretty often, actually! It's part of his job description, in fact. He's appeared in his usual outfit: red combat vest, armored gauntlets and boots, and a whole lot of firepower. But there's something else accompanying him today! Perched on his shoulder is a... squirrely looking thing with a big, shiny gemstone at the end of its tail. It's presently munching on a funbun, because NYO!?s apparently love funbuns.     "For that Thunder Wyvern, right?" Reiji asks, taking a moment to marvel at how the air isn't as thin as it probably should be this high up. That's the tower for you, he supposes. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem though. What did you need its heart for, anyway?" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     This go 'round, Kazusa is looking far more her old self. The stress and disquiet of her first Beast transformation has faded enough to let the girl get a night or two of much-needed sleep, and it shows in her bright-eyed enthusiasm and energy the entire trip. Nemo is absolutely fascinating, and with the promise of shopping on the way back she's looking in the window of every shop on the way through; and on the airshp, she's at a window or railing the entire time.     And while she's not wearing her school uniform, having found time to change clothes on the way, the schoolgirl still has her bookbag, on which she rests one arm lazily. "I really wanna see what kind of monsters live up here too!" she declares cheerfully, in agreement with Xiaomu's question. "The monsters in your world are all really weird and cool, I like them." Reiji has her other question covered, so she might as well just listen for the answer! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Once set down on the makeshift pad and the group is gathered... Misha already starts heading up. It's an old path worn in the dirt and grass over the years by people and animals passing through all the time, heading in a lazily spiralling slope upwards. "Actually, there's a Thunder Wyvern that's been harassing the people living here." She explains to Xiaomu, confirming Reiji's statement. It's not long before the first signs of settlement. It's a small house, the smell of a warm homecooked meal floating from the open window, with two children playing in the yard while tending to a garden.     It's not the only house up the lonely path, but they're interspersed at irregular and sometimes even pretty distant intervals. "I need it for... Reasons." The Reyvateil replies cryptically, glancing back over one shoulder with smokey jade eyes, lips pursed in a faint and mysterious moue. "They can be pretty dangerous actually." She notes to Kazusa. "But between the three of you, together with a Reyvateil, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Oh right. I heard there might be a Big Nyo? in the area too."     So for now... Enjoy the scenic walk, guys. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu has to fight not to tease Kazusa about what kind of monsters might show up ... but at least there's one known monster type. Or rather, at least two ... Xiaomu finds herself looking from Misha, to Reiji's funbun-munching shoulderpet. "Is having a little Nyo? going to help if we run into that big one?" the sage fox inquires. "Or should we just find a bakery and stock up on those funbuns to try and befriend it?" She will be enjoying the scenic walk, though - it's good brisk exercise, conditions are fairly nice, and looking around has the combined benefits of taking in the scenery and watching out for wandering monsters. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Reasons, huh? Well, that's fine too," Reiji answers with a shrug. If Misha wants to keep it a secret, then he sees no reason to pry. It's not like she's going to be performing unholy dragon-summoning rituals with that thing's heart or something, right? Right. "So, standard procedure if we run into it, right? You sing, the rest of us keep the heat off of you until you can blow it sky high." Seems simple enough. Just like guarding chanting a large-scale exorcism sutra. Except... Wyvern.     The walk is pleasant enough though. It's rustic, even. Sort of reminds Reiji of the more provincial regions of Japan. He can imagine the sort of life the people out here must live- sort of isolated and removed from the hustle and bustle of urban chaos. Not a bad living, certainly, just... Quiet. Serene. And monster infested, apparently.     "No clue," he says to Xiaomu as the NYO!? lazily coils its tail around the back of Reiji's neck. "I figure it's not a bad idea to give it a shot. We might want to see about bribing it with snacks though." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Homecooked meal? Homecooked meal.     +_+     Kazusa's attention is briefly but completely arrested by the smell of Delicious Food(tm), and she's rather clearly a bit distracted when Misha starts speaking with her. "H-huh? Oh! Oh right. Yeah. Dangerous. Big Reyvateil, three Nyo. ...wait, is that..." She briefly looks confused, as if she's not sure she heard all that right, but then shrugs.     "-oh! Oh speaking of Reyvateils," she suddenly exclaims, bypassing the incorrect understanding by way of topic-shift and fishing around in her purse. "Which one is- no, not you, Cutthroat, there's no ninja here- there!" Out comes The Magus, which she holds out towards Misha. "Here, hold on a second. People tell me there's some sort of... voice that's not a voice, it asks permission or something, I don't know. But I need you to allow it to use your powers."     As she holds the card out towards Misha, she will feel something that is... not quite a voice. More basic. Primal. An impression of a concept, an understanding at a base level. But if words could be put to it, the words would be something like...     O learned sage, will you lend your wisdom to this brave soul? 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Poor Reiji. Heedless of the danger of a Reyvateil with a dragon hear. Little does he know that if she eats it she'll gain a new form and more power for her Charms. Actually that's not the case at all, but Misha is once again leaving people in the dark about her designs and motives. But it can't be all that bad can it?     "Maybe. Nyo? can sniff each other out. So if that little guy smells something we can probably check it out."     Onwards. And though the smell of food is distracting, Misha can't help but giggle at Kazusa's shifting attention span. "I brought snacks for later. Let's deal with the Wyvern first thoug--" Though the topic shift and The Magus held towards her makes the Star Singer trail off. That internal, conceptual, questioning sensation leaves her halted for a moment. "Um. Yes?" Ventured after a few beats.     There's little time for her to ask just HOW the whole card power copying system works because from just over the next ridge in the path comes the thunderous sounds of fury, the crackling scent of ozone buzzing in the air, and a very angry sounding 'SQUAAAAAAW!'     At the same time, Reiji's Nyo? may catch a scent of something else, as well. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji knows not the darkness that lurks within (level six) of the Reyvateil's heart (Cosmosphere). This is probably for the best, all things considered. It means he can be blissfully ignorant of the danger and go about his business like a perfectly normal exorcist/secret agent should.     He observes the strange ritual playing out between Kazusa and Misha with a curious eye. That's how she's able to store power within those cards, huh? Interesting. Not exactly his business, though. The smell of ozone- THAT is his business. "I think we're coming up on our target," Reiji murmurs, his hands falling to the hilts of his many weapons. "Get rea--"     The creature on his shoulder bolts suddenly upright. Its tail twitches like it were waving a tiny flag. There's something else nearby too! Something big. Something... nyobody could predict. Reiji peers at his little friend. "...I think we've found the other target, too. How do you want to handle this, Misha?" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Fortunately, the result is brief; a shimmer passes over the face of The Magus, and the gnarled staff is replaced with Misha's name, written in Hymnos. Misha may still have time to see the change.     And then something makes a very, very angry noise. And Kazusa damn near drops the card.     "Wow, that's some timing," she murmurs, somewhere in the middle of a triangle formed by 'startled', 'annoyed' and 'amused'. She looks between the ridge and Reiji's passenger with mild surprise, adjusting her glasses. "Ah, I'll transform if I have to, but if there's something I can do that doesn't need me to be transformed, I'll try it!" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "How many of those little funbun things have you got stashed away on you anyway, Reiji?" Xiaomu inquires at the combination of the little NYO?! perking up on Reiji's shoulder, and tha rather loud squawking from over the next ridge. "And more importantly, Kazusa, if you copy her powers, are you going to copy her restrictions as well? Which would mean it's up to me and Reiji to take the front line while the two of you sing your hearts out at monsters ..." This sounds like it is possibly not the best of all possible plans, since it would reduce the front line and double the number of targets who have to be protected - but Xiaomu's going to leave THAT decision up to Kazusa, since she's the one who uses the cards in the first place. Xiaomu's a front-line fighter either way, so she's about set. She may be wishing she'd brought grenades this time, but she's set. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Hey that's... My name." The Reyvateil realizes, on seeing the Hymmnos formed on Kazusa's card.     But there's little time to ruminate on it. In the onset of the incipient chaos, the little Nyo? has DEFINITELY caught a familiar scent. One that it KNOWS. And if Reiji doesn't stop it, it might end up getting too attracted to remain on his shoulder.     Still, up over the ridge and there's no mistaking what the group sees. It's... A nest. Though there are no eggs inside it, the two winges beasts snapping and screeching might not be what the group expected. Both are easily the size of motorcycles, one with leathery yellow skin and wings, horns and claws, whole body crackling with electricity, the other made of blue plumage, every flap of its wings blowing super-cooled air aorund.     "Oh there's the wyvern. And it's fighting a Roc."     Misha announces the obvious. Look at that, she's already behind everyone. "That kind of Roc won't like fire. The Wyvern... Just wail on it."     For the time being, the two large flying creatures seem more intent on gutting each other than noticing the group. But a crack in the cliff wall nearby seems to be where the Nyo? is picking up the scent, and there's motion within, too. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "And me without grenades," Xiaomu quips wryly. "Would we be better off waiting for them to whittle each other down some more, or ..." She pauses, taking note of that crack in the cliff. "... or if we wait too long, is something else going to show up and aggro both of those beasts in our direction?" The sage fox ponders briefly. "Reiji, if we're opening up on the monsters now, you'd better focus on the Roc. I'll see if I can slow the Wyvern down with my magic. I'll have to depend on bullets where the Roc is concerned though." And with that bit of strategic advice dispensed, Xiaomu moves to plant herself in front of Misha, sizing up the monsters and getting ready for the fight. She's probably going to wind up following Reiji's lead as far as 'fight now, or wait and watch' goes. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Oh look at that, Kazusa's sidled up next to Misha. "Ah, heh, why don't you guys take care of those big monsters, and I'll go investigate that crack there to see what's inside..." She pauses, then considers. "...or come to think of it, maybe we should just let them fight it out and all of us investigate, then take care of whichever one wins? They're both dangerous, right?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     So, on the one hand, you have a roc and a wyvern. On the other, you have an ostensibly local creature who seems /very/ interested in what's in that crack over there. Reiji makes a quiet, curious noise as he watches the two flying beasts going at it. "Right now," he murmurs, "I don't think they've noticed us, and I want to get as full of an image of what we're dealing with as we possibly can."     He begins moving toward the crack, then. "I won't be long," he says as the creature on his shoulder flails its tail, "Xiaomu, take care of things here. I'll take a look and deal with whatever's inside. We should be fine until they notice us." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Despite their size and ferocity, Xiaomu and Reiji will probably be able to tell that even if they took on both monsters together, the fight actually wouldn't be that hard for either of them, even alone. Maybe for a Reyvateil on her own this would be exceedingly dangerous, sure, but for now if the group is content to let the two whittle each other down, that's... Prettymuch what they will do. It's a nasty fight, snapping teeth and beaks, claws and thunder and ice. It'll last a while before either side tips a scale.     It's probably a good idea to investigate the crack as well. The Nyo on Reiji's shoulder is probably pitching a fit for as long as it's being kept from the crack in the stone wall, but grows more placated the closer the group gets.     It's a tight squeeze. More easily suited for Kazusa and Misha, but Reiji can probably get through with some work. It leads... Inside the tower, stone fading away to a sudden transition of dark metal and a catwalk on emergency lights. Something skitters by a boot with a chirp of "NYO!? NYO!?" and bolts way from the group to a writhing mass of...     What has to be like thirty Nyo? huddled up in one big pile of fluff and fur, purring from the warmth.     "Grenades probably would have been handy." Misha asides, apparently sticking outside with Xiaomu. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu winces noticeably at Reiji's words just before he slips away to investigate that crack. "Be REALLY careful, okay?" she whispers to her partner, then keeps half an eye on Reiji as he vanishes into the crack. Meanwhile, much to the sage fox's relief, the Roc and Wyvern don't seem to be noticing the party just yet ... but, Misha had designs on the Wyvern's heart, right? So giving the two monsters enough time to fight that the Roc might possibly freeze or impale the Thunder Wyvern through particular internal organs is potentially not a really mission-accomplishing plan. Still, Reiji's the really elementally versatile one with four elements' worth of weaponry, and he just went Nyo-hunting. Well ... it's not like ice is the only element Xiaomu has to play with. "They probably would have been," she nods to Misha, "but I didn't think I'd need them this trip ... guess I'll just have to remember them next time I come to your world." She ponders briefly, then raises her right hand towards the pair of monsters. "Dakki no Kata!" she calls out - And starts leeching life energy away from both of them, licking her lips a bit as she does so. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "Me first!" Kazusa is, it seems, not timid. Cautious, but not timid. And Reiji is going to get pre-empted at this rate. She's quite glad to dart into the crack, adjusting her glasses while her eyes adjust to the dimmer light. It takes her a second to figure out just what it is she's seeing, and when she does...     "Oh my /gosh/ this is so adorable. Guys, you have to come in here and see this!" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji is a pretty big guy, for a Japanese man. Squeezing through the crack takes some doing, but somehow he's able to manage. Must be all that combat flexibility he's got going. What he finds when he enters is... Uh.     His Nyo!? darts away, and Reiji just stares at what he finds in this strange tower crevasse. It's... Well, to be honest, it's pretty goddamn adorable. Like a roiling ball of kittens, except possibly fluffier. Reiji continues to stare for several seconds, before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He takes pictures. And then a quick video, because /honestly./     What could have started a cuddle pile of this magnitude, though? They were looking for a particularly large nyo, not a whole bunch of smaller ones, right? Once Reiji is satisfied with his mementos, he takes a moment to fish out a small LED flashlight to shine into the dim recesses of the tower. Not that he thinks there's anything dangerous out there. Why would the nyo cuddle in a dangerous place? 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Pictures of THIS are bound to get crazy amounts of hits on the internet. People love cute things. Especially massive piles of cute things cuddling. And amid the chorus of NYO!s and purrs, the whole pile shifts. UNDER all the smaller Nyo? is... A very large one. Rumbling as Reiji shines his light around the chamber, it sits up and blinks blearily at the exorcist and the student, squinting from the flashlight as it leeeeaaaans in to sniff at them.     For the record, it is as big as Reiji is tall.     Cute as they may be, the warning was given, Nyo? CAN get hostile if provoked or if they feel threatened.          Misha is quite happy right where she is as long as Xiaomu stands between her and the fighting pair of monsters. But she's not going to be dead weight either. Because as their life and strength start to sap away, they wheel upon the sage fox, only now registering her presence. Their fight from before is forgotten as their rage burns to new heights. But between the damage they've done to one another and their strength ebbing, every attack on either end is pretty poorly telegraphed. Misha's singing does them no favors either, a gentle tune, protective and caring, floating upon the air to bolster strength, stamina, and reflexes. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     That... Is a big Nyo. Reiji frowns as he watches the pile rise, revealing a massive- but tremendously cuddly- creature lurking beneath it. It's huge! Like the Nyo? equivalent of a tiger or a lion. Are these the root cause of the Nyo? cuddle pile!? Well. Only one thing to do. Reiji whips out his phone again to take another picture.     Only once he's done that does Reiji reach into another one of his pockets, revealing... A package full of funbuns. Carefully, gingerly, he offers one to the curious, colossal Nyo? as something of a peace offering. "Easy," Reiji says to the mass of sleepy but quite possibly dangerous fuzz, "We just need some fluid from your tail." He's also moved to stand somewhat in front of Kazusa. If this thing goes hostile, at least he's there to take the heat! 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' With a fresh 'snack' of enemy life energy coursing through her, plus the buffs from Misha's supporting song, Xiaomu is in prime shape to take on the two monsters, even if she went and engaged them while Reiji was off chasing cute things. She's going to tease him about that later, you know. For now, she focuses on ranged combat as much as she can - using her staff or straight hand-to-hand to try and parry the monsters' strikes when they get close enough to swing at her, and retaliating with a mish-mash of techniques ranging from 'staff' to 'copious amounts of bullets' to 'sorcerous fox lasers' to 'a bursting wave of energy like a less-focused Hadouken' (although she calls that last one a Byakkohou). 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Kazusa is doing a very good job of keeping it from feeling threatened; mostly because she's crouching down a little so that she can look it in the face from beside-and-behind Reiji with a warm, cheerful smile, and making herself smaller in the process without realizing it. "Aaah, oh my goodness, you're like a great big pile of fluff! How does this world have something so /cute/ that can get so biiig?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Whether or not Nyo can understand people-speak is up to speculation. And the entirety of the cuddlepile looks from Reiji, to Kazusa, to the Nyo on Reiji's shoulder- to the bag of funbuns.     "Nnnnnyyyyyyyoooo...?"     Leaning in every sniff is powerful enough to blow back hair before its gaze focuses squarely on the funbuns.     Reiji what have you do--     With buck teeth that could take a man's HAND off it... Gingerly plucks up a funbun and begins nibbling away at it like a massive chipmunk.     The others start chirruping and waggle curly tails.     Back outside however, Misha is still singing. And she will continue to do so for as long as Xiaomu needs it, battering away with staff and peppering the aerial beasts with bullets and lasers seems to work fairly well, considering they're already weakened and the Roc is the first to go down, crumpling to the dust with one last squawk as the Wyvern tries to zap the sage fox in one last retaliatory gambit before trying to turn and fly off! 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Kazusa looks between Reiji and the Nyopile.     She looks between the funbuns and the huge one.     With impressive speed for a perfectly ordinary girl, the card-user snatches one of the funbuns from Reiji, takes a couple steps forward, sits down on the ground seiza-style, and holds the funbun in her lap in a bid to entice one of them over. It will be kind of awkward if it's the BIG one that approaches, but she'll cross that bridge if she comes to it. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' Croikey, 'ave a look at the teeth on that one! She's a beaut she is. Bet she could crush a man's 'and in those nippers!     Fortunately, Reiji is used to feeding wild animals. Hand-feeding a giant Nyo? is only slightly more terrifying than feeding foxes. "That's a good Nyo," Reiji says, resisting the urge to pat the big critter's head, even as he offers another funbu-- KAZUSA, WHY     Reiji gives her a long look, before fishing out another funbun from his pack for the gigantic Nyo. Because /someone/ decided to steal the one he was going to use. But that's fine, he brought a dozen or so. Plenty to go around!" Just... Kazusa better not blame him if she becomes the locus to another Nyo cuddle pile. ...All things considered, she'd probably enjoy that. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "YEOW!!!" If you needed any documentary evidence that Xiaomu's tails are in fact TAILS and not hair, it's the fact that the Wyvern's lightning blast frizzes her hair up completely - and yet the tails are still distinct, each one lined with lush blonde fur (brown at the tips) that is, currently, standing completely on end. The same goes for her ears ... and, well, the actual HAIR that she has, yeah, that looks like the front half or so of a bad afro. A really bad one. The rest of her is scorched and sooty and in extremely high dudgeon. "You do not zap me and fly away to snicker about it, you overgrown iguana ... !!" snarls the sage fox, followed by flinging her staff at the wyvern as though it were a spear - and then leaping after it. Suiren is, as has been mentioned in this space previously, enchanted with ice magic. Quite a lot of it. And with Xiaomu's will triggering it, should the staff HIT the Wyvern, the big lizard will find itself encased in ice. As for Xiaomu herself, she's trying to grab the hopefully-now-frozen wyvern, turn its head towards the ground, and just *suplex the hell out of it*. Or maybe do a piledriver. Whatever she's doing, it involves grappling and a head-first impact with the ground for her enemy. (Yes, the Lightning Wyvern is now classified as an 'enemy,' not just an 'opponent'. It made this *personal*.) 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Poor Xiaomu. Misha will tend to those burns later, but for now the Wyvern is trying to get away. Trying. Key word, considering how the Sage Fox hucks her staff. The resultant impact means it ices over, quickly, wings no longer able to flap as it snap freezes. And what's worse is the fox suddenly atop it and--     There's a ground-shaking impact as Xiaomu goes WWE on the beast and with a nasty snap ans crash it comes down, still frozen, and no longer moving.     "Well I guess that handles that." Misha huffs, letting her song come to an end. The Roc is a pure bonus, too.     Meanwhile inside, Kazusa may have bitten off more than she can chew. As the Nyo horde starts munching on funbuns, when the girl sets one on her lap the WHOLE PILE shifts. Because the Big Nyo? lumbers in with a rumble, snout suddenly against Kazusa's belly after not taking Reiji's hand off from pettings.     It is probably very awkward as every single Nyo converges to swarm both Kazusa and Reiji, nearly making the two disappear under pink and yellow fluff.     But once the funbuns run out, they all recede in a wave of soft fur and...     With a sleepy yawn and SNEEZE the Big Nyo's tail erupts. Blasting both with a spray of sparkling green glittery mist from its tail. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu retrieves her staff, checking it for damage, and lets out a breath. "So do we need to cut the heart out of this thing?" she asks Misha. "I can probably handle that ..." She prods the Wyvern a bit to make sure it's actually dead-dead, not 'unconscious and prone to waking up when poked at with sharp implements'. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     During the entire Swarming of the Nyo, Kazusa is laughing, maybe even flailing a little bit, and above all doing her level best to pet the giant Nyo. And all the little ones. And-     Okay so she might be a bit overwhelmed, but she's loving every moment!     But then all of them finish their meal and leave, and for a moment all Kazusa can do is look giddy and reach up to adjust her glasses. "It was like being rolled up in a big fluffy blanket, only warm and cuddly," she decides, finally starting to stand up and-     SNEEZE     ...going completely still. Dripdrip. "..." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     There are things in this world that Reiji was just not trained to deal with. No theoretical scenario in Shinra's repertoire has ever accounted for being swarmed by adorable, snuggly fuzz-squirrels. Reiji freezes as the wave of fluff and warmth and HUNGER crashes into him. His eyes widen in surprise as EVERY INSTINCT screams at him to cut them all to shreds-- Except that they are so terribly fluffy. It's like being swept up by the softest tidal wave ever. Reiji's sword arm twitches once, then twice, before he reaches out to ruffle at the purring swarm of pink and yellow. They're so soft, oh my God.     But before the exorcist is swept away completely into the heaven of adorable, cuddly animals, the wave recedes, having utterly consumed his supply of funbuns. There's a twinge of regret at the back of his mind as the Nyo? ebb away. Should he have enjoyed that more? Should he have... pet them!? NO! Reiji Arisu has a goddamn image to maintain! He can't just get carried away by fluffy magic squirr- *BAMF*     Reiji's train of thought is interrupted by green glitterdust and Nyo? sneeze. He blinks, holding his breath as he's covered in Nyo? MIst. It quickly dawns on him that this may be the stuff he's looking for, and he fishes out a couple of flasks from his vest to begin collecting it. They didn't even have to fight! Not... Not really. "...That wasn't so bad," Reiji says to Kazusa. "Usually this sort of thing ends much more violently." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The Roc is dead, the Wyvern is frozen, and the cuddlepile is... Fed and slumbering.     "Yeah, just get the heart out." Misha replies as she plucks a few feathers from the Roc with a very satisfied look.     Just wait until she sees Reiji and Kazusa when they come out, though.     At least there's a picnic waiting for them. Sandwiches and riceballs, handmade and delicious. But that's not all. Misha seems to have packed more away in her backpack, and while the others eat and enjoy themselves, she pulls out what looks like a toolbox, and a LOAD of chemicals, beginning to dilligently work with the dragon heart, the Nyo? essence, and even the Roc feathers. Certain things might be... Recognizable, considering Misha applies the Nyo essence to some brightly colored cloth, when done wit hthat, she starts apparently piecing together the complex and intricate parts of a handgun, using the heart and feathers in the process as well and when done...     Two handguns and a set of clothes are laid out.     "Fwuah... There. I wanted to thank you guys for helping me out. So I needed that stuff to Grathmeld you all some appropriate gifts."     The white gun with a large black spot on the handle is offered to Reiji, "Mmm... It's called Brahmastra Vajra, but that's kind of a complex name. So I'll call it Brah-jra." She decides. Before explaining: "It shoots lightning bullets."     The black gun with a white spot on the handle is held to Xiaomu, "... Roc's Icebrand is kind of bland in comparison to that. Maybe something flashier... How about Flash Freeze?"     Of course, Kazusa hasn't been forgotten. Her gift isn't a weapon though. It's a really ornate blue and white dress. Super complex and overthought in design, from appearances but actually fairly easy to put on. It looks very much like the seriously ostentatious clothes a Reyvateil would wear. "I used the Nyo essence in this. They're kind of known for healing people at random with the fluid from their tails. So not only will the dress repair any damage it takes, but it'll also heal you slowly as long as you wear it, and numb pain. It's actually an idea I picked up from the higher ranked Reyvateils in Tenba when I was working there. I'll call it... Reyvastyle~."     All this. Was for gifts. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "Reyvastyle..." Kazusa murmurs. Just one look at her face shows how much she likes it, even before the features are explained. Almost immediately, she hugs the dress to herself and gives a bright, heartfelt, "Thank you~!" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' The picnic lunch clearly appears to meet with Xiaomu's approval; foxes do not live by fried tofu alone, after all, and both the sandwiches and the riceballs are indeed delicious by her long-trained standards. She's curious enough about Misha's labors to look over at the Reivateil every so often while she's working; she's polite enough not to intrude with questions - she'll see what Misha's up to in due course. And she does indeed get to see, by the time the food and the work are finished. Xiaomu bows deeply, even formally, as she accepts her new weapon. "I think 'Roc's Icebrand' is a pretty good name for it, but I'll consider some possibilities," she says with a smile, straightening up again. "I can let you sign off on the eventual name if I think of something better than either of those, if you'd like - you did craft this for me, you should at least know what I call it if I don't like those names." Self-repairing clothes? Xiaomu can't help but give Kazusa a slightly envious but entirely good-natured grin. Not that Xiaomu is generally prone to clothing damage, mind you ... cosplay shapeshifting has its uses. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' So, Misha's doing some strange things with the Wyvern-heart. Among other things. Though Reiji is a bit busy removing the last of the green-mist from his body to watch. Because, seriously. Ew. It did remove the last of the tingly uncomfortableness from all that Symphonic Energy exposure though.     Besides, he has food to eat! Picnic food. It's excellent as always, of course. Misha's a pretty damn good cook. Soon enough though, Misha is done, and the fruits of her labor are laid out to her guests! Reiji's gift is... A gun! A gun that shoots lightning bullets!     The name is... Interesting, though. Reiji takes the weapon and briefly tests its weight. How did she make a wyvern's heart into something like this, anyway!? Apparently by some mystical technique called 'Grathmelding.' Interesting.     "Its name sounds familiar. I think there was something in a Hindu legend with that name," Reiji says, "But it is sort of long. Shortening it may roll off the tongue better." And it's way superior to calling it 'Zap Shooter' or something equally terrible. Fortunately, Misha's naming sense is pretty decent. Unlike some other Reyvateils. "Thanks," he says, spinning the gun around one finger. "This should be pretty useful." 

}}

2563/What My World Was Wishing For

2015-07-02T02:10:25Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/07/01 |Location=Ar Ciel |Synopsis=Misha finally has her precious thing. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=253, 415, 495, 705, 707, 747, 757 |Tinypl..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/07/01
|Location=Ar Ciel
|Synopsis=Misha finally has her precious thing.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=253, 415, 495, 705, 707, 747, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Bourd Rade defeated. A threat to two worlds put down, Reyvateils rescued, and most importantly...     Misha has recovered her special something.     Whatever the green glinting gem is, ever since the events in the Silver Horn, Misha has been jealously protected of the small, jagged shaped, stone, entrusting it to no one, not even her closest friends.     So of all places to celebrate, why the old Tenba labs back on her tower?     This time returning to the depths of the lab is easier, with power restored, and the local Tenba forces having cleared out most of the monsters and handled some repairs enough to make the place no longer a deathtrap. Still, there's no miracle of repairwork in such a short time that could make the place any less run down.     Misha is waiting in the center room, the rusted walkway no longer rattling as people pass over it, after some sturdy reinforcement work, while a few technicians work to bring the years old machines up to speed. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva is scatterbrained sometimes, but she's not dumb. She has a fairly solid idea of what that gem is once she finds that they're returning to those labs. She doesn't haver her weapons out, but she did come equipped with something else. "Hey Misha! Want some pie?" Riva asks as she approaches. In on hand she's balancing a stack of disposable mini-plates and a pie tin of what looks like chocolate mousse, and the other holds a pie knife. "It seems like as good a time as any to celebrate!" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Those who were there to see her when they arrived at Mir's tower, to see the wide-eyed and curious girl, to see her being so warm and happy and full of (somewhat nerdy) life, will probably easily be able to spot the difference in Kazusa when she arrives. She looks... a little worn, perhaps. Seems a little more subdued. It's obvious that, while not missing sleep entirely, she hasn't been resting as well as she ought at her age, and her spirit seems just a touch dampened.     She's at least trying to hide it, though; offering warm smiles to those she recognizes, cheerful waves, greetings in good humor. And seeing the repairs and refurbishing going on in the lab is interesting, so she's got that to arrest her curiosity at least.     But whatever Misha has in mind, Kazusa seems content to let the reyvateil explain (or decline to explain) in her own time. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' More than likely, Xiaomu would have offered to participate in clearing out monsters. It was less a matter of level-grinding and more one of helping to make the place safer generally; who wants to have a party with the risk of wandering monsters? ... Even if most of the people in attendance could make short work of any monsters who DID show up, and then use the item drops to help either make more food or just spruce the lab up a little more for the duration. Rather than depending on random drops to contribute to the party refreshments, though, Xiaomu has brought a few boxes of her favorite brand of fried tofu, a bottle of sweet sake, and a couple of extra-large pizzas. She is pointedly not monopolizing the fried tofu, either ... she'll just take home the leftovers. She also brought a PS3 with a portable screen-and-speaker system, and in between munchies, is gleefully schooling all comers at what looks like a fighting spin-off of a role-playing game. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Even with Tenba's personnel handling security, Reiji has learned enough about strange ancient laboratories to know that he shouldn't come unarmed. So he hasn't. His weapon rack clatters loyally at his side as he makes his way toward the central chamber- and the strange equipment within.     He looks just a little haggard- presumably lingering after-effects from long-term Symphonic Energy exposure. But otherwise, he seems just the same as he always is. "So," Reiji inclines his head at the tube, "I'm guessing we finally get to learn what that thing does, huh?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     It's not too long after she sends out a summons for company that Psyber arrives. The half-angel, despite some torn muscles and damage from symphonic radiation, seems mostly okay. He's in his normal outfit and nursing one arm slightly by keeping it in his right pocket, but otherwise looking pretty good.     "Hey Misha." Psyber greets, not too far behind Riva and then looks to the others, "You guys should pay attention for this magic trick. It's gonna be a doozy," He notes facetiously in relation to what Misha is about to do. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Without much information as to what Misha needs her presence for, Scarlet hasn't taken the initiative to bring a bunch of food. After all, it'd be incredibly awkward if she came prepared for a party and walked into a funeral atmosphere isntead. She has brought something in her bag, but that can be easily hidden until she has some idea what the tone of the situation is. She still has some serious misgivings about that bridge, but the lack of wildlife and functioning power is refreshing if nothing else.     With Riva and Xiaomu doing the exact thing she had thought would probably be a bad idea, she gravitates away from their proximity seconding Reiji vaguely. "Oh? So this has a practical purpose as well as a sentimental one? Now I'm curious." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The lights have been fixed since last time, which means the facility is no longer a near pitch black mess, so it's easy to see the techs have the massive tube-like machine back in working order. No sooner than people start arriving, Misha turns-- only to receive Riva's exuberant offer of pie, which actually earns a small, if genuine smile from the Reyvateil. She's still looking a little haggard after the Silver Horn, and the ravaging effects of unshielded Symphonic Energy, but she's on her feet and about, regardless. "Eheh... Maybe in a few, Riva. Thank you though."     Psyber however earns something of a huff, a petulant look with puffed cheeks. Savor it, Psyber. Savor it.     "Yeah." That's to Reiji and Scarlet, after a beat, before the Reyvateil speaks up. "I called you all here because I wanted to thank you." It certainly seems like a strange place to do such a thing, but a purse of her lips and she holds up the crystal in display. "This is a part of me that was taken away a long time ago by Bourd. I can't tell you all how long I've waited to have it back, and how much it means to me. And I thought you all have a right to see this. But now I need some help installing it again."     For the first time since she got ahold of the crystal, for all her jealous protectiveness of the gem, she offers it, holding it out to someone else.     To Psyber. "... Do you mind?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Perhaps notably, Riva has her bangs hanging over one eye. For no reason whatsoever. She will not be visiting Nathan either. Definately not. She does, however, look surprised at Xiaomu as the foxwoman arrives with a lot more than Riva brought. Well, now it kind of /is/ a party. She nods to Misha and sets the pie aside, politely not munching on it for the moment. She does, however, snaffle a piece of fried tofu and munches on it quickly. Psyber gets a nod, and Riva tips her head, rubbing her chin as she considers what Misha's doing here. "Hmmmm..." She ponders, even as she slips over next to Kazusa and slips her a quick, comforting snug. She really looks out of it. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Food. Games. Things which are of perfect comfort to a teenager trying desperately to fight off the doldrums. It's little surprise that Kazusa gravitates over in Xiaomu's direction; probably just as little surprise that she very quickly has a plate loaded down with fried tofu, pizza, and even some of Riva's pie hastily snagged - at the cost of a quick hug that leaves her looking a little embarrassed. "Aah, thanks, I'm fine..." The schoolgirl soon seats herself on the ground next to Xiaomu, not taking her up on the fighting game challenge but watching quite intently... at least until Misha speaks.     "Part of you?" she murmurs, surprised. She's not sure exactly what's about to happen, but if Misha thinks it something they all need to see, then she's interested purely on that fact alone. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     There's that long moment where Psyber stares at Misha evenly, tilting his head a little as she holds out the gem for him. He carefully reaches out and grasps it in his hand, looking down at it. He actually knows what it is, or what it will be doing, from the faintest prior experience. So he knows precisely the honor Misha is bestowing upon him.     "Mm. Yeah. I just put it in the machine after you climb into it, right? Or is there something else that's gonna need to be done. Don't wanna mess this one up." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Don't worry about it," Reiji answers with a slight shrug. "Leaving something that important in that asshole's hands isn't something I think any of us are comfortable about." And now Bourd is lost and dead forever in the infinite void of Mir's tower.     He glances over at Xiaomu and gives his partner a bit of a nod. "Supplies. Good. I have a feeling we'll be needing them." A celebration just isn't a celebration without the right fixings, after all.     "Anyway," Reiji says to Misha. "I don't want to keep you from this for much longer. We should probably save the questions for after everything's where it needs to be." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "'Install,' huh?" Xiaomu pauses the game, then turns to see what Misha's talking about. "... that crystal he dropped when we kicked his butt? No wonder you were so interested in chasing him down." She grabs another couple of pieces of fried tofu from one of the boxes and moves to where she can get a better look at the crystal, and at whatever Psyber's about to do with it to Misha. (Or maybe to do to the crystal *with* Misha - you never can tell with some of these things ...) 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Thank her? Misha obviously means something a little less literal, otherwise there'd be no need to come back here of all places. What exactly she needs the old Tenba lab for to thank people has equal parts of Scarlet's interest and suspicion, ally or not. The mention of the gem being "a part of her" is a bit of a more serious reminder of there being differences betwen Revyateils and humans, being something Scarlet still hasn't entirely appreciated yet. The mention of "installing", even more so.     "The right?" she asks in a tone of mild disbelief. "If it's something you wouldn't want to show someone else, you don't have to show me of all people." Why is that anyways? What kind of dark or embarrassing secret could a gem involve? Of course she can't imagine it'd be anything but that. It's merely for the sake of politeness though. Even if asked to turn around, she'd watch it remotely anyways. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Eating in the rusty old lab is earning some funny looks from the technicians as they filter out. Everything looks about set up. But Misha isn't going to begrudge people some form of more tangible celebration. And some people seriously deserve some pie after being exposed not only to the equivalent of musical radiation, but also Bourd Rade.     It's a brief vulnerable moment and immense display of trust for her to be holding that gem out to someone else.     "Yep. A part of me. Something I've wanted back since as long as it's been gone." Given to Kazusa in reply. "I've waited six years for this. I can wait just a few minutes more to have it back." Mused in a lighthearted tone back at Reiji. But anyone who's paid attention to Misha's mannerisms in the slightest will be able to tell.     She's nervous.     "It's fine. You all helped me a lot, so I want you all to see this." That's right. Install. Clambering into the large device, she winces when the tube slides shut, bad memories from the last time she was inside of it earning a cringe.     "Alright. Slot it in and turn it on." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Fair enough," Reiji answers with a chuckle. He sets his weapons against a nearby piece of machinery and reclines against it as the show begins. "But I'd feel guilty if I held things up for too long. There'll be plenty of time once this is done."     He also leans over and steals one of Xiaomu's fried tofu slices. She's not looking, anyway, and she's clearly brought enough to share! Otherwise he might be risking a hand. Or two. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber nods to Misha when she climbs into the tube. What it does specifically, he hasn't spoiled if she's not going to. It'll be, on some level, funnier to let people see for themselves. He also, despite its imminent spoiling, simply won't violate Misha's privacy like that. Either way, the crystal is in his hands and he's twirling it around on his palm nervously.     "Right. Executing uh... Chronicle Key," Psyber notes as he steps up to the console and slots in the crystal to the proper opening before hitting a few buttons, "Haha..." He comments awkwardly to the others, "Be prepared to be surprised." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu isn't so gauche as to bring food to a gathering of friends and allies and *NOT* share it. There's plenty of tofu to go around, and this gathering was described as a 'party,' so yeah, she brought refreshments. At the moment, though, her thought is less on food or drink or entertainment and more on what Misha's asking Psyber to do. "If she didn't want others to see it, Scarlet," the sage fox points out, "she wouldn't have invited the rest of us down here - it'd just be her and Psyber." And speaking of Misha and Psyber, she turns more of her focus back to the tube and the console. She has a vague guess at what's about to happen, but no more than that. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Parked next to Xiaomu as she is, all Kazusa can do is watch in silent fascination. It's enough to make her forget about her worries and sleep deprivation, for the moment.     ...It's not stopping her from continuing to scarf, though. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva nods again and gathers herself, apparently trying to handle this situation with the solemnity it deserves. She folds her arms behind her back. "God, Psyber, you just can't wait for us all to stand there and gasp in surprise, can you?" Despite this, she fidgets a little. THE SUSPENSE IS MAXIMUM. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Well, it's one of the few joys I've had to flaunt lately," Psyber replies to Riva with a grin as he works, shrugging his shoulders a bit, "So you gotta give me a little room to enjoy this now. After all, it's a pretty hard victory on our part, and these are pretty rare." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Suspense is maximum, and for a good reason. Misha has been quiet about just what the exact meaning behind this crystal is. But once the gem is slotted into the machin and Psyber presses the varied activation runes, it hums to life. Building to a surge of crackling energies, symphonic power, complex calculations machinegunning down the screens in Hymmnos. Misha draws a breath, and squeezes her eyes shut, as the interior of the pod begins to glow a hot, blinding white. For a long moment it's impossible to see within, not even a silhouette of the small figure that had stepped in just a moment ago, as the room itself thrumbs with building power.     Cables snap, the old machine ruptures and vents smoke in a few places, but it seems to be holding, despite is abused disuse over six years of sitting idle. Finally with a loud POP, the power in the room just dies completely. The lights go out as the acrid smell of smoke filters from the now very dead apparatus. Emergency lights come on first, songstones in the floor gently humming to light with a soft glow, before the main lighting kicks back on. The interior of the glass is obscured by smoke and mist before it slides open on its own, foggy vapour licking out in slow plumes. Before there's a footstep from within. The click of a single heel.     The small, slender, twelve year old girl that had stepped into the machine is gone. Replaced by a stunning woman in her twenties, with smoky jade eyes and mildly coquettish smile.     Meet Misha Arsellec Lune. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     The ramshackle nature of the machine becomes more obvious - and worrying - with every little billow of smoke and every cable that gives out. Kazusa finds herself biting her lip. Thaaaat's slightly worrying. More worrying is when the loud pop happens and the room's power goes out entirely; she lets out a tiny, surprised squeak at the sudden noise and darkness, only to find herself waiting eagerly again as the emergency lighting comes up, followed by the room's power. And the shorty she watched go into the tube is not who emerges.     Dumbfounded for several seconds, all Kazusa can do is stare. And then on reflex she reaches up to straighten her glasses, and exclaims a surprised and probably overly-blunt, "...he stole your womanliness?" She did not know such a thing was possible. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     For a moment, Reiji wonders if- maybe- they shouldn't have rushed this thing. As the power flickers off, he regrets not insisting that Tenba make sure the machine worked properly before even so much as touching it. When the power comes back on, though, his worries... largely evaporate. Reiji's head cants slightly at the woman in the pod. He... Might be staring. Just a little bit. But not for untoward reasons! No, he has perfectly good reason for leering.     "So that's what you meant," Reiji chuckles cryptically, looking away to fish out another slice of aburaage. "Glad to see everything worked out well." Though that raises a... worrisome question.     "What the hell was Bourd doing with that crystal, anyway?" Reiji's eyes flicker towards Kazusa, "I sincerely doubt he was interested in making use of your womanliness for himself." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "That I don't know. The other Misha I knew never told me what all was in the crystal. I just knew it aged her up. Misha here is actually very much older than the other one I met, so uncharted territory ahoy," Psyber says, still nursing his right harm in his jacket and pretending it's okay. He is smoking with his left hand, though, and acting casual.     "How're you feeling, Misha?" Psyber asks curiously as he looks over towards her. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu contents herself with - once the lights come back on - looking over Misha's grown-up body with a leisurely air; it's not like she's going to revert to little-girl mode again without warning, at least not if it took THIS much trouble to get Misha into her proper young adult form ... or rather, 'back' into it. "To be a mature woman is to possess strength, Reiji," the sage fox points out. "I doubt that guy rade'd her just to feel oh so pretty ... he wanted her power, her 'magic' as a Reyvateil." She frowns, hairtails flicking gently as if stirred by a breeze. "He was trying to extract that kind of 'essence' from the other Reyvateils, wasn't he? Both the live prisoners we managed to rescue, and the dead ones whom we were too late to save ..." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva looks concerned, and then her experession grows more and more worried as the machine overloads and does its job for what will probably be the last time ever. And then everything goes dark. There is a gasp, and a fumbling noise. When the lights come back on, Riva is adjusting a mining hard hat, and she is caught staring at the new Misha. She pauses, quiet... And then with a squeal she rushes forward, her arms outstretched as she gives New Misha a big hug. "You're /beautiful/, Misha!" She exclaims brightly. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Taking a moment to dust herself off a bit Misha gives herself one long, languid stretch, as if once again getting used to a body she hasn't had in years. Annnnd then she sputters. "Wh-what? No, not my womanliness!" Misha will always be Misha, of course, but now the Reyvateil looks significantly... Happier.     "I'm fine. I'm feeling fine." Comes her reply, smooth and easy. "No, what he took from me was a song. My song- one passed down my line for generations. My body turning young again was... Kind of a side effect."     There's a mild pause, as if she's waffling on explaining more, before she decides to give it up. "It was actually the song used to force Mir into suspended animation for hundreds of years. Not exactly the kindest use of the feelings and emotions contained inside it. I don't really need it for that anymore, but it's still a part of me, all the sa--"     Rivahugg'd. The rush earns a soft gasp, but then with a chuckle, Misha returns the embrace. "Anyway, I don't think I would have been able to get it back without all of your help. So thanks, guys." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu finishes the piece of fried tofu she was holding and moves to hug Misha (and Riva) as well. "Whatever it was he stole, I'm glad you got it back too ... and you're welcome, of course!" The sage fox certainly seems to be cheerfully contented with the accomplishments of the adventure. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Kazusa can't help herself. She stifles a laugh at Misha's response. She hadn't meant for it to happen, but it's deeply amusing nonetheless. "A song that has that kind of effect... it must be really something," she muses. For a moment, she seems lost in thought... but then something hits her. "-oh! Oh, maybe we should check if..."     Open goes the purse. In goes a hand. It takes a few seconds of rummaging before Kazusa finally hauls out all five Cards of Heroes, fanning them out with a positively giddy little giggle. "Say, Misha, Misha~! Do you mind if I see if any of my cards react to you?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Ah, well," Reiji gives a firm nod. "It's probably for the best that he was after... something else." The less the world has of Pretty Warrior Bourd-chan, the better. "It's interesting that removing a song had that much of an effect on your body, though. Probably a pretty complicated reason behind it."     "Anyway," Reiji pushes off from his rest. "If you want to thank us, then maybe breakfast is called for, one of these days." Because the last time was crepes and pancakes, and that /is/ something the world could do with more of. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Psh. No big deal. I'm sure some day I'll lose something important like my car keys, or whatever, and you'll help me find them and then we'll be even-steven," Psyber says in a way that doesn't at all foreshadow future events. He lets out a heavy, scoffing laugh and then flips the hand holding the cigarette a bit, "That's just how stuff like this works, after all."     He will not be participating in hugging. He already gave two of those out so far this year and he needs to conserve the two others. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' YEAH GROUP HUG. Riva happily snugs Xiaomu with celebratory glee, but finally gives Misha some space and pulls back, clapping. "Well, everything seems to have ended well. I'm super glad to have been able to help you with that!" She pauses, thinking for a moment as she brings a finger to her lips, "Given the insane crap he was spouting earlier, I'm guessing he was planning to try to use the song as a weapon against that other Mir..." He shakes his head. "What an asshole. Anyway, good riddence to bad rubbish. Let's focus on the cool things! So did anything else change? Hmm hmm?" 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     It strikes Scarlet a little too late that the Tenba personnel may not have actually had the knowledge to properly fix up a device this obviously central to a single man's esoteric mad science. She takes several steps back from the pod as it whirrs, flashes and smokes, shielding her eyes with one hand as she tries to make anything out through the insane magical corona, an expression of worry fixed on her face the entire time. Of course it's actually worry that the thing will blow up in her face and spray shrapnel all over, but if she's feeling worry at all, why not let everyone interpret it as worry for Misha?     Okay so she is actually a little interested in the Revyateil, as evidenced by the fact that she's mildly relieved to see that she hadn't been fried. It takes her a little bit more than an instant to fully grasp that the woman exiting the pod actually is Misha though. The implications are instantly terrifying: Things exist in the multiverse that can turn you into a 12 year old.     "I imagine a song must be something integral to a Revyateil if everything I've seen is any indication. More importantly though, I imagine something like that must have been intimately important to you. I don't consider the property of a family's history to be a light matter." Her tone is strangely warm, yet incredibly serious. "Had I known... well it's not important. What's important is that you have it now, and nobody exists to take it from you again~" She abstains from a group hug. Hugs aren't something she does.     Glad she had at least prepared for a happy occasion, she undoes the catches on her bag and slips out one of those black cards, this one with a much less complex circle on it than the usual. She drops it at her feet, stepping on the edge, and the floor space a little bit ahead of her flares with seething, violet-black light, resolving into a compact, electrical icebox. "Well, you're drinking age now aren't you? Care to celebrate~?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It's old, outdated, and terrible machinery. The fact that the Tenba techs got it working is a pretty big miracle in and of itself. "Songs are everything to a Reyvateil. It's not just how we express ourselves, and use magic, but who we are, really." Misha explains mildly, after managing to free herself from the big group hug with Riva and Xiaomu after a sufficiently huggy few moments. "And excuse you, I'm twenty five, I've been drinking age for years."     Out comes Misha's tongue for a moment, "This was kind of a lot bigger for me than car keys and you know it. But I'll do better than breakfast. How about dinner, for everyone?"     As for Kazusa: "Huh. Let's give it a go, I guess." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Up on her feet already, Kazusa jogs over to Misha, holding her five cards out towards the reyvateil in a way that makes them easy to see - about half again as wide as a common poker card, and twice as long outright, each one has an ornate golden border and back, and a simple icon on a black background - a sword, a bow and arrow, a gnarled staff, a dagger, and a set of bestial teeth. It takes a second, but then one of the cards in Kazusa's hand shimmers as if in response to Misha's proximity; the one with the staff on it, in specific.     "Aha! You're a Magus, it looks like." A brief pause. "...say, does your song magic work outside of the tower, come to think of it?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Dinner, huh?" Reiji thinks for a moment, then nods. "Dinner sounds good. We'll bring some booze. Payback for the last time, you know?" Does mind-booze even count? Apparently it does. For Reiji, at least. "I look forward to it. The last time was pretty great." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Dinner sounds pretty good!" Xiaomu chimes in. "Did you mean tonight, right now? Or sometime in the near future?" She's good either way, never mind the pizza she brought. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "Woohoo! Dinner!" Yeah, you don't have to do much to get Riva excited. But she was probably born excited, just bouncing around and giving the doctor hugs. "I can only imagine what it would be like if you held a concert. I wonder if that's a feasible thing?" Riva wonders. "Either way, congratulations!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     A magus huh? That gets a tilt of her head, but the Reyvateil doesn't question the cards. As long as one using her powers doesn't go berserk like the other night. "Yeah, the Towers usually have ridiculous range, so I haven't found too many places where I couldn't sing." That said...     "Okay, so how about we get out of this old wrecked lab and find somewhere nicer to celebrate. And a kitchen."     Prepare for bliss, folks. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "Oooh. I'll have to keep you in mind," Kazusa decides. "I'm gonna really explore my options this time, see who all is available." She offers a broad smile. "But if you'd be willing, I'd love to borrow your powers sometime and see what it's like to be able to sing like that! I could really feel how much heart you put into it." 

}}

2553/What My World Is Waiting For

2015-06-30T06:39:48Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/06/29 |Location=Ar Ciel <AC> |Synopsis=Bourd Rade's location is tracked. To the Confederate Mir's tower of all places. Chaos ensues in the Sil..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/06/29
|Location=Ar Ciel <AC>
|Synopsis=Bourd Rade's location is tracked. To the Confederate Mir's tower of all places. Chaos ensues in the Silver Horn, but in the end Misha retrieves what she's been seeking for so long.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=96, 253, 340, 415, 495, 705, 707, 747, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     After enough digging and rooting around on one tower... It looks like it's time to start sniffing out another. Though this journey is slightly awkward for Misha. The Tower upon Mir's world- the confederate Mir- is a place of many What Ifs and Could Have Beens about the present and future of the world of Ar Ciel.     Still, the last viable lead pointed this way, out of all the directions that it could have possibly gone, but still worth following. Of course an unnanounced Union visit on the lands of a known and fairly influential Confederate probably would have raised some eyebrows and earned a very cold welcome. Which is probably why there's going to be an escort on arrival. Still, the Union transport, packing the various party members arrives on Ar Ciel to see a very different sight than the Tower Misha hails from.     Where the Sea of Death- a noxious miasma of deadly clouds and gasses blanketed the whole planet, there is... Nothing. Nothing obscuring sight of the land below, no terrible antibody monstrosities floating through the skies. Just a clear view of verdant green fields, a world rich with life regrown after three years of death. Fields of crops and settlements by the base of the Tower showing that life here is no longer constrained to eke out a miserable living on a technological marvel doomed to fall into disrepair as centuries pass.     "... It's beautiful..."     Having never seen anything of her home aside from the Sea of Death, the stark contrast of a live Ar Ciel from a dying one is enough to leave Misha in silent, melancholic, awe for most of the trip.     The transport eventually lands at an airpad lower on the tower- at the airport city of Nemo, a city on the edge of the Wing of Horus, a city of white marble and rivers falling off the floating continent in a stream of waterfalls. This is the meeting point for the investigators and their local escorts. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     It's been quite a while since Psyber got to take a trip back to Mir's tower on her own world. It's something he occasionally said she should do, both to check up on the Reyvateil and to see how her world was doing, but so many other things came up of a higher priority or that were more demanding of his attention. It was a subtle pleasure that work finally got to take him somewhere that he actually wanted to travel, instead of to Terra Majora for the billionth time or into some terrible hellscape.     For his own part, Psyber is dressed in his usual outfit. Black slacks, black shirt, long duster; Weapons holstered under all of that. He hangs out not too far from Misha, watching what she watches and putting a hand on the top of her head to pat her a couple times, "Yeah, it's pretty great. Crazy how much it's changed so quickly." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva still doesn't know what Misha is looking for. However, these worlds are super pretty, which is a nice bonus. There's a lot of character to it, which she appreciates. Being around so many people she likes (and Fassad) is nice too. The arrival at Nemo causes Riva to prance out of the transport, looking out over the statuesque city with the same eagerness that she had in the ramshackle town before. It's a new land, a new experience. But some things never change. "MIIIIIIIISHA!" Riva calls, hopping over with a sucker in her mouth. "This place is /awesome/." She states. "So why are we here again? Not that I'm complaining. Hell, we should get lunch or something." She offers Misha a handful of candy almost absently. "All these snacks are going to go straight to my hips." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Having been to Misha's world, coming here to see such a stark difference in this vibrant, living and breathing world is a breathtaking experience for Kazusa as well - although perhaps not quite as /much/ so. She's still got eyes glued to the land below, however, murmuring a soft, amazed, "Pretty..."     As they disembark the transport, she adjusts her purse a bit on her shoulder, then reaches up to straighten her glasses while she looks around. "It really is nice here," she agrees, nodding Riva's way and falling into place somewhere near Psyber. The other girl's asked the question she's wondering most, so she'll be silent and let that answer come in due time. Instead, she sets about fiddling with her purse, making sure her cards are in reach - or rather, card, as only one active one remains. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Where Xiaomu might normally be spending a lengthy flight playing video games or catching up on manga, she's curious enough about spaceflight to keep the amusements tucked away, for the most part, while the transport is on its way to Mir's Tower. The view on approach, to judge by the rapt look on her face as she gazes out of a viewport, is TOTALLY WORTH IT. She pulls her attention away from the view as the transport comes in for landing, hoisting her carrypack and slinging it across her back, making sure her handguns are secured in their shoulder holsters (not that she expects to need firepower) and lifting her staff (again, not that she expects to need it). Then she disembarks with the rest of the group, just barely suppressing an impulse to hum cheerfully. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Caro was always happy to come along on trips here; she didn't even particularly mind the escort, since it had been a little bit since she'd gotten out this way, and getting to see this world brought just the slightest bit of pride and a lot of joy to her heart, even if it was confederate controlled.     Caro's in civilian clothing toward, the white mage-esque hood and everything, as Friedrich floats along behind her. She, at the least, does not seem to be expecting combat today, though she's got her device with her of course in case that comes to pass. Also, bringing a dragon means never being unarmed. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' It's always strange visiting a parallel version of a world one has already seen. As Reiji stares out over the rolling, green hills and the very much living world down below, he quietly wonders how often this sort of thing happens. Is there another world out there which is much like his own, but subtly changed? The possibilities are... Fascinating. But also not immediately relevant. One thing is for sure though, it is gorgeous down there.     Reiji follows the others out as they depart the transport, his mobile arsenal clattering quietly at his side. The blades and shotgun have been peace-bonded for now, though it's probably unlikely that a strand of thread or two can keep him from drawing them if he needs to. Still, it's the gesture that counts in these situations. "So," he says to nobody in particular, "Where are we meeting our contact, anyway?" 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet seems to have been dressed up for some other occasion before coming here, perhaps some kind of upscale lounge, and hadn't had time to change. It can't be all that comfortable, but at the very least it isn't hot to wear. She passes the time on the flight with a thick, leather bound book in her lap, leafing through gold-edged pages covered in size 8 font of some incomprehensible dead language. She only looks out as everyone starts mumbling exclamations of approval, staring out the window at the beauty unfolding below before quickly calling up her smartcollar's holographic viewfinder and smapping several pictures to admire later, and perhaps post on her various social media accounts.     She puts the book away as the transport lands, disembarking near the rear of the group to let Riva go charging on ahead. "Misha~" she greets, inclining her head. "I'd like to second Reiji's question, and furthermore ask who they are." She adjusts the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Greeting the crew will be... well, not Mir, surprisingly. Instead, a youngish man wearing elaborate armor and carrying two curved blades at his side will be the one meeting the Union, complete with an escort of guards. Ayatane marches up to the transport with a smile on his face, giving a nod to several of them. "Caro, Psyber, a pleasure to see you again." The soft-voiced young man seems friendly enough, Confederate or not. Misha gets a long look, though the smile doesn't falter. "Not our Misha, but it is good to see you healthy nonetheless."     With those he knows now greeted, he turns to the others. "Welcome to Nemo. It now serves as the gateway between the surface and the Tower of Ar tonelico, and is one of the few places where humans and Reyvateils mingle freely. We will be going to meet your host shortly, in a place where humans are rarely allowed." He motions upward. "I am Ayatane, Captain of the Guard, or somesuch. I believe that what you seek is in the Silver Horn, so if we could move to another airship quickly, we can take you to it in all haste. I have my own duties to attend, so will not be accompanying you myself past the entrance." " 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The world of Ar Ciel is pretty. A living Ar Ciel is gorgeous, in fact. A fact that Misha seems keen on on silently ruminating on, for the whole trip, staring out the transport window. But once landed and everyone is disembarked, a somber Star Singer follows afterwards. "We're here to see if Bourd Rade was really dumb enough to try running this way." Muttered to Riva at first. "I'm not sure who they'll send for us but..."     But Reiji and Scarlet's questions are answered in short order with Ayatane's arrival. That way-too-pretty face on a young man is impossible to forget, even across the boundaries of worlds. "Ayatane." Misha returns the greeting. On her world, everyone is on friendly terms with the virus-samurai. Here this is a different Ayatane, and that only makes things a bit weird and awkward, but the politeness is returned for what it is. "... Thanks." At least until something dawns on her, expression flashing with a mixed look of confusion and mild alarm. "The Silver Horn? And Mir is really going to let us poke around in there?" This revelation seems to be a shocking one, but the transfer to another ship means there's little time spent in Nemo. Sightseeing can come later- if it's even allowed.     From Nemo the Silver Horn is impossible to miss, a massive construction of silver-and gold in the form of a gigantic horn and pan flute wrapped around the midpoint of the tower, and flying up to it only reveals just how absurdly gigantic it is. The entry point is on a ledge upon the overgrown stonework and carved facade of the Tower itself, leading through darkened corridors lit by songstones and several elevators and security doors. Finally the journey ends inside the Horn, where the floors, wall, and ceiling comprise of hundreds upon hundres of golden pipes in an intricate and almost nonsensical tangle. The air seems to hum with an ionized tingle; low levels of Symphonic Power that's safe for now, in the very entrance. But the crackle in the air seems to be utterly pervasive. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Does that answer your question, Reiji?" Xiaomu grins at her partner, then bows politely to Ayatane. Misha doesn't seem to deem it necessary to make a lot of introductions to Ayatane, so Xiaomu doesn't bother with that either - unless Ayatane needs to collect names for something, at any rate. Otherwise, it's onto the next transport to head to the Silver Horn ... and once again, Xiaomu spends most of the trip rubbernecking, admiring the scenery. And the Horn is certainly some scenery worth the admiration, in her opinion. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Charging ahead is probably #2 or 3 on the 'things Riva is good at' list, behind perhaps hugs. and, depending on your opinion, painting. HOWEVER, the Templaress waves to Ayatane. "Hey there." She says, smiling. "Is it really so rare for Reyvateils to work with people? That seems kind of odd to me..." She blinks. "But then, I guess I'm an odd person sometimes." She continues with a smile. "Thank you for your help." She glances to the side and arches an eyebrow at Misha's reaction. "So what's the Silver Horn and why is it important?" She asks. That much is pretty obvious. "You can tell us while we're going, right?" SHIP TRAVEL, NOW LOADING... And then Riva pops off of the transport onto the ledge, shuffling forward to poke at some of the architecture. "Man, this place is super pretty... But does anyone feel something weird? It's like a combination of a Disney Princess and a thunderstorm." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Ayatane, good to see you again. I'm going to have to get you to cook for me again some time, if you can find the time around being the Captain of the Watch," Psyber notes, the hand withdrawing from Misha's head to go back into his pocket.     "Misha's explanation is the best, though, yes. Bourd Rade, known Human Supremecist and Reyvateil Terrorizer has theoretically fled here," Psyber notes coldly, "I said I'd track him down, so obviously when coordinated pinged here I came along," He looks over the area before following after Misha in their travels.     The change in the air as they arrive in the Silver Horn and assess the new location causes Psyber to assume a cautious stance. He's not fully experienced with Symphonic Energy, but he can sense an ionization in the air. The last thing he wants to do is get zapped.     Though he does ponder as he walks, "Air feels charged with like... music magic. If someone gets zapped, are we gonna have a flash dance, you think?" He asks to Riva. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "Hell yeah, flash dance!" Riva affirms, throwing her ponytail to one side with a flick of her head as she does a little twirl. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     There are a lot of things passing between people here that Kazusa doesn't have the context for; but awkwardness and hints of tension are hard to miss even for her, so she's wise enough to be quiet as they re-embark for the next destination. Scarlet, Reiji and Xiaomu all get bows of greeting, and Caro a polite, introductory bow. For the most part, she remains close to Psyber, who has firmly been labelled 'safe person' in her mind; she might be distracted somewhat from her choice in groupings, however, when they reach the Silver Horn.     "I-it's /huge/," she murmurs in amazement, before her imagination finds traction and her voice picks up. "Is... is it a giant instrument? Is there some special song you have to play here? Ooh, can we play /any song/ we want here? It feels really... I can kind of feel all that power, too! This place is really amazing..." 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Caro will lift a hand in greeting to the virus, offering an open smile to him, though allowing him to speak fully to the group; she didn't know the location they were going to by name, but as it sounds rather fancy, she's going to look forward to seeing it.     Once they arrive, she seems slightly less worried about the zapping feeling in the air than some of the others are, in spite of very much being able to feel it. This is probably because she's got a barrier at the ready if things start going wild, rather than her being shorter than everyone else and thus unlikely to be the one struck by lightning... but that is also true. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "It does," Reiji says to his partner, inclining his head at the viral samurai. His eyes fall on the other man's swords, and idly, passingly, approves of them. Two swords are almost always better than one, after all. But that man is a busy one, so he instead goes to follow the others into yet another transport, and on to their semi-final destination.     The Silver Horn is a goliath structure. More of a geographic feature than a manufactured place. Reiji takes a moment to admire the architecture before concluding that staring too long at where all the pipes are going will probably give him a headache. He moves to enter, only to notice something that smells oddly like ozone... If ozone also seemed to vibrate at frequencies at just the very edge of human perception. It's beautiful, but like many beautiful things, Reiji can't help but feel like it's also... dangerous, somehow.     "We sure he's here of all places?" Reiji mutters, hands falling to his weapons to undo the threads. He won't need them bound anymore. "This place doesn't seem too receptive to our arrival." 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Perhaps noticing the interest, Ayatane notes to the passengers, "If you'd like to see more of the city after this is handled, or perhaps the surface city, I may be able to arrange it. Mother is much more mellow than she used to be." He sighs. "The Silver Horn is... think of it as a defense system and a power regulator for the Tower. It is very complex. It is also an extremely dangerous location, though I believe that mother has some means of helping you through it."     As the group disembarks, Ayatane bows to all. "I will take my leave for now. The airship will return shortly to pick up the survivors. Bourd Rade is a very canny opponent, you should be careful, despite all the power you have gathered here." He turns to leave, letting Mir take over.     Speaking of... it's not long before the slender, youthful girl steps out from a nearby door, shaking her long dark hair out. Beside her, a mechanical doglike being prowls, eying the others warily. Mir herself doesn't smile, but the lack of cold in her voice is sign enough that she's in a good mood. "Misha, hello again. And others... I remember some of you," she murmurs. She folds her arms and motions to the passage. "I can temporarily - and briefly - lower the symphonic energies within this place, but I would recommend whatever protection you have just in case. Raw symphonic power can be deadly." She mns, "For those who don't know, I am Mir, and this is my Tower. Psyber and Caro have known me for some time, and can explain further. For now, just know that I have been investigating as well. Someone or something has been trying to divert power to the Horn since last night. I suspect this is your target. I will be attending personally, along with ELMA here." 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Silver Horn? The name is a little fantastical, but no more obtusely ostentatious than what Scarlet is used to. The man seems more than a little irrelevant considering he's only just come to greet them and then send them on their way again, but the others seem to be familiar with, and what's more, on favourable terms with him, and so Scarlet does the polite thing of at least introducing herself and waving goodbye as the board the second airship.     As opposed to the name, the actual sight of the Silver Horn, coiled around the Tower's breadth, is well outside of her realm of experience. She has little idea why anyone would go through the trouble to build a giant musical instrument on top of the tower, save that it probably has to do with the way Revyateils sing to use magic. She has absolutely none for why they decided to cover it in silver and gold. She's already trying to estimate the no doubt staggering construction costs.     The inside is no less bizarre, reminescent of certain surrealist children's books in a few ways. The aura of energy however, is palpable even without Scarlet's enhanced senses. So much that it actually distracts her from Kazusa for a time. "I think that would probably be a bad idea." she says to the card wielding girl. Instead, she turns towards the new arrival, caught at somewhat of a loss as to what gesture to use in greeting for this particular culture.     The fact that Mir says "my tower" is enough to tell her that she's probably the most important person in the room, and so she goes to great lengths to filter herself as coming off as respectful without being subservient, projecting a finely calculated balance between confidence and deference. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Scarlet Everille." She looks to the pipes on the walls briefly. "I've already made adequate precautions, or so I think. Do whatever you think is best." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Mir's tower is kind of... Well I heard it was different, in how Reyvateils and humans interact." Misha replies to Riva. At least before Mir herself makes her appearance- with ELMA no less. To her credit, Misha manages a faint smile to go with her greeting. "Ah, hello, Mir. Sorry about the short notice. It's kind of important." That said it looks like a straight shot down the hall, but Misha is most certainly not leading. "Ummm. Lady Shurelia once said it was more like a weapon. Something she never wanted put on the tower in the first place."     But then there's a shake of her head, "You won't be dancing, Psyber, you'd be dead. Or at least feeling pretty terrible. Like Mir said, the symphonic power here can be lethal, so let's try to avoid the more saturated areas. We might have to shut off power in places or... Re-route maybe?" There is something of a pointed look towards Mir on that one, it is after all her tower and Misha had promised to not break anything. "... Even if he's not here, maybe there's a clue, or..." A shake of her head and the journey is underway.     Indeed, the tingle in the air seems to grow more powerful the deeper the group goes in, to the point where nausea might start hitting people, double vision at the worst, but for the lone path the only choice seems to be to tough it out. Though what appear to be massive plugs stand in several places along the path, embedded in sockets on the ground. They're huge though, easily as thick as a supporting pillar or column. They can probably be brute forced if someone is physically strong enough. Or there's the control panel on the side.     The issue might however be the sudden ratcheting CLANK sound of something emerging from a side path in the pipes. It's about the size of a small dog, but walking on two reverse joint legs. It's not alone either. Multiple mechanical constructions of green metal and machinery stagger out, and those look like guns attached on their undersides. They're not viruses, and they're not tower defenses. Anyone who's been to the Tenba facility might recognize the Ikaruga... But on a much smaller and more numerous scale.     These DEFINITELY do not belong here. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu frowns slightly. "'Raw symphonic power' ... should we be wearing ear protection of some kind, or are you talking about overall physical or metaphysical power? - Anyway, I'm Xiaomu," she introduces herself briefly, giving Mir a polite bow, with a friendly smile as she straightens up from it. "Thanks for letting us come to look around." Introductions complete, she's going to defer to Misha and/or Psyber further, and continues making her way along with the group. And along the way, she starts getting her answer: apparently, symphonic power is NOT just a matter of the ears - which would have been bad enough for Xiaomu's sensitive hearing - but an overall ... 'miasma' in the air, or maybe something like high radiation except not as strictly physical as that would be. And then the 'dogs' show up. "Well, at least SOMEthing is here to justify a heavily armed visit, right?" the sage fox says wryly to her allies. Rather than drawing her handguns, she grasps Suiren tighter, drawing on the elemental sword's power without drawing the blade, and tries to encase the three mechbeasts in ice. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     'To pick up the survivors' is a choice in phrase that Kazusa doesn't miss. "How optimistic," she murmurs, her tone a bit dry. She has /total/ faith in her allies. But the lady of the tower herself is soon to appear, and Kazusa goes quiet long enough to absently murmur, "...she looks really young..." before realizing what's being said about the location being dangerous. "So it's kind of like radiation?" she asks, curious; her question and the words that follow after are as much for everyone else as they are Mir herself. "I don't think I can protect myself against that. I have my last card here, but..." Fidget. "...it's kind of an ominous card. I don't think I should use it unless things get desperate."     She does keep glancing at that robotic hound, however. She can't help it, it's /really cool/.     As the group gets moving, though, Kazusa's ability to process cool things begins to dip little by little. She's putting on a brave face, so to speak, but judging by the way she starts adjusting her glasses more frequently, the green-around-the-gills look that starts creeping onto her face, and the somewhat distracted way she reacts to the Ikaruga, she's starting to feel the symphonic power's adverse effects quite noticeably. "A-ah?! Where did... oh, crap, um." She eyes her purse warily, then takes a step or two back behind the group. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva stops twirling when Misha corrects just how ugly it is. "Eeew. That /would/ be horrible." She replies, but gives a little bow to Mir. "Hi there! I'm Riva. Glad to meet you!" She exclaims brightly. "Don't worry, I take everything seriously!" She replies with a big smile that probably says she prooooooobably doesn't. "We're really glad to have you both along." She says, looking to the mechadog. "Oh man, that's so cute! And probably hilariously deadly too if someone makes it mad, I bet. Well... We should get to work!" They proceed into the Silver Horn, and the symphonic power seems to bear down on Riva, her bright expression quickly turning into a mask of misery. "Ugh. I thought songs were supposed to make you happy. Why is this even a /thing/?" Just in the middle of her grumping, the little robots show up. "Oh hey, look, something I can take out my general irritation on." With a sudden flourish, Riva produces a massive anchor-shaped twohanded hammer, and sweeps it through the air in preparation. "RIVA SMASH!" She yells, leaping to the offensive as she initates on the enemy group. The hammer glows with red-gold Anima power as she slams it into the middle of the robots, releasing a small shockwave. "COME GET IT!" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Mir's uh... a queen. Or an Empress. I forget which you like to go by," Psyber explains when prompted by Mir to do so, "She rules this tower and has the power to back up her claims to the throne. Overall, she's pretty mellow. Used to have a real problem with Humans, but she's at least open to cohabitating, which is better treatment than some gave her," Psyber notes seriously. While he doesn't agree with Mir's leadership methods, he does sympathize with her.     "Symphonic energy is, from my understanding, the raw magic that Reyvateils craft into spell effects. So it'd be like eating raw magic right to the dome," Psyber says, walking along after this. When the dog appears, he steps protectively in front of Kazusa, "Reiji, guard Misha. Mir, stay on the back lines too, please," He requests as he tears a slip of paper off a notepad and it turns into a double-barreled shotgun.     He slips two shells into it, flicks it shut, and then unloads them into the attacking mechanized beasts. He quickly flicks it open, the empties coming out as he reloads it and slams in two more. He's aiming to gun down anything that tries to get into the back lines. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "We don't exactly have that kind of protection handy," Reiji says with a grunt. Hopefully raw physical endurance and limited magical resistance will do the job. "It should be fine though. Somehow." Reiji inclines his head deferentially towards Mir- she IS sort of in charge of this entire realm. It pays to be respectful. "And I am Reiji, Xiaomu's partner and an exorcist with the Shinra organization. I understand this is sort of... unusual, but I appreciate your patience with us."     He peers over at the little dog-virus-thing at Mir's side. What is that, even? It looks... odd. Maybe a robot, maybe something more? Definitely mechanical though. Interesting. He can ask about it later. There is a superweapon to explore. And actual dog-machines to kill.     Fortunately, despite the environmental hazard, Reiji seems to be holding up well enough. It's only years of experience with similar ambient energies that keep him seeing straight, though. This is a good thing, considering the exorcist wastes very little time drawing his two firearms from their holsters.     Gold fires first in a quick burst- just in time to meet Xiaomu's ice-wave. Then comes Hollywood, roaring out clusters of enchanted shrapnel and plumes of choking smoke. If they can get a drop on these things, then maybe there won't even /be/ a fight. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     "How do you distinguish between humans and Revyateils anyways?" Scarlet asks with genuine interest. "I can't quite grasp what kind of societal divide exists when they appear so similar. Is it a cultural thing rather than a physiological one?" She doesn't question anything else Misha says though. She can certainly imagine this place being used as a weapon if the amount of ambient energy is any indication. Her wards crackle ever so faintly as they filter out the symphonic background noise, surrounding her with the odd, near-invisible flicker of transparent electricity.     Even as unfamiliar with this world as she is though, Scarlet can easily place the origin of the machines from having visited the Tenba hangar once herself. Whether or not that means Misha's man came this way still seems a little inconclusive, but it's a pretty strong indicator. "Tf it's the same design, they have a singular power core in the back near the legs." she offers helpfully, making no move to do anything herself. With this many heavily armed Union Elites around, she estimates there's no real need to exert herself, and more importantly, no requirement to appear threatening in any way. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Mir moves to the back row without complaint, giving a mellow shrug to Scarlet. Though she might be the 'superior' of the tower, she's kind of laid back amongst this group. ELMA lingers near the front, but growls at Riva. Mir is actually amused enough to warn, "ELMA does not like strangers. Best to leave her be, even if she is a little flattered."     Since she's lingering back here, Mir explains, "Reyvateils are physiologically different. Betas, like myself and Misha, are not even human at all and possess different organs... this is why humans cannot use Song Magic. Third-Generation Reyvateils are the product of a Reyvateil and a human, and manifest their organs at puberty." She pauses and looks back at Misha. "I am doing what I can, but you know I can't completely shut this place off. It should be tolerable if we do not take a wrong turn or linger too long."     When the mechadogs appear, Mir quietly begins to sing... following Misha's lead, actually. With two Reyvateils, they might as well sing together. ELMA will handle the offense, growling and sending out a lash of twin lasers cutting toward one of the dogs. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Thus far into the Silver Horn and Misha is looking just as miserable as some of the others are already. Even for a Reyvateil the noxious effect of what amounts to a chronic HP drain with every step is becoming apparent. But in an instant the hallway of gilded piping is alive with the sounds of combat. When one mini Ikaruga is blasted down, another seems to replace it. Their construction isn't as hardy as the massive warmachine of the other tower but they make up for it en masse. Misha, too, begins singing, perhaps a bit surprised to feel Mir allowing her to take the lead. The song she sings is a gentle one, for now focusing on defense and protection, laden with a desire to keep friends, allies, and even awkward acquaintances alike safe from harm. It is enough to mildly abate the raw enegies around, but only to a degree. It's far more effective at protecting others from the sudden chatter of linked gatling guns and chainsaws that the out of place machines favor as they attempt to wipe out the party.     For all their numbers though, it's not a WHOLE lot, just something akin to a large pack; Suiren-supercooled metal crumpling as Riva's initial onslaught bowls them over. Some don't get back up, while others twitch and spark, rising to throw themselves back in a fight there's no real chance of winning. Between Reiji and Psyber more drop, filled with bullets and buckshot, hissing and belching black smoke, and just as fast as it had begun, the sudden brawl is over, leaving the mini Ikaruga little more than collections of smoking scrap.     "Those were..." Yes, Scarlet has it right, the design is almost completely matching the old Tenba machine, if just miniaturized. And this practically confirms the suspicion of Bourd's whereabouts. "It means he's here." Misha murmurs, looking even more greener than she did a moment ago. And it might not be due to the symphonic radiation.     And said symphonic radiation only gets worse. A draining, soul-sucking, burn that hisses like a quiet simmer on the nerves, bordering close to searing pain. By this point some unluckier party members might feel like even in the dark of the Horn, their whole body is nothing but an angry and raw sunburn, and there are several paths that have to be navigated around almost completely due to the letal levels of saturation beyond.     The plug-like pillars still dot the corridors along the path of what ends up being a buzzing maze of wearying energies, harried by several more packs of minirugas along the way before finally coming to a halt in a much wider chamber of electronic panels, blinking lights, and massive tuba-like instrument looking arrays emerging from the walls and floors.     Something clanks in the darkness. Something large. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     There's some cliche here about how the pain inflicted by the Silver Horn is nothing compared to what Psyber puts himself through, but that's facetious. The truth is that while Psyber is putting on a pretty brave face and managing to numb himself to a lot of the pain and searing that is combatting his fairly weighty regeneration, he's still in an incredible amount of pain that runs through his entire body all at once.     "If he's here, we'll find him. And handle him," Psyber says seriously, slipping two new shells into his shotgun. Instead of anti-supernatural ammo, for the moment he's using standard 12-gauge buckshot. He trudges along determinedly.     He looks back to Mir, "I agree that we should get in and out as soon as possible." He reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulls out a flask, which he takes a long drink from before putting away a moment later and looking to the others, "Pull in tight. Support people, stay behind frontlines. Combat experts, be ready to intercept threats." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu doesn't possess the Reyvateil's uniquely cool art of being able to use your voice for two different things at once; however, after asking about whether wards would do any good at holding the symphonic power back - somewhat belatedly - she begins chanting a sutra, punctuating each line with a firm strike of her staff's butt against the floor, eliciting a somewhat pointed jingle from the rings affixed to the top of her staff. Reiji is certain to recognize Xiaomu's incantation, and other experts could probably either recognize it or figure it out: it's a protective 'spell,' or rather, a prayer, meant to shield the group from some of the impact of the symphonic power suffusing the corridors. As for paper talismans, she does have some - a dozen or so at most - and she offers them to Reiji without interrupting her incantation. She's also picking up on Psyber's tactical coordination and is backing out of the party's vanguard; while she CAN hold her own in direct combat, it's going to take most of her concentration to provide what protection this will give everyone. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Hearing Misha and Mir sing together is enough to at least distract Kazusa from feeling ill, and between that, the fact the song-magic actually lessens the effects faintly, and the adrenaline of being in danger, she's able to at least soldier on for the time being. Granted, 'soldier on' in this case means little more than standing near Mir and waiting for the fight to end, for the moment.     But continuing on is getting more and more unpleasant by the moment. Normally given to amazement at the fantastic nature of the Multiverse, Kazusa has grown quiet, hands in her pockets, visibly slouching; it's effort just to walk, breathing makes her everything hurt, and she'd be hard-pressed to recall any of what they're seeing if asked even a minute later - including hostile creatures. She's soldiering on in silence, not even sparing the energy to raise a complaint.     That card in her purse is looking a little more tempting by the moment. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva gets shot and cut up a bit, but the bullets seem to graze her more often than not, the saws cutting flesh wounds. Wnat does hit seems muted, as if she was made of something tougher than mere flesh. Those with more magical sight might see the flashes of Anima around her, flowing through the talismans on her body and redirecting the incoming assaults. It's only augmented by Mir and Misha's song as well, allowing Riva to tank her way through it like a boss. The focused firepower finishes things off fast, and Riva hoists the hammer, making a peace sign. "YEAH! Man, that's the best fight I've been in in... months!" She exclaims. She gets less excited as they continue. "Ugh. This just got worse." Riva grumps. "I feel like I'm gonna..." She pauses. "I'm gonna, ugh..." She takes it out on robot dogs instead. Once they get to the large room, Riva looks around, blinking at the large clank. "Whoa there. HEY! WHO IS THAT!" She yells, going on the defensive. Maybe it's something she doesn't have to smash. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     "It should not have any permanent damage," Mir notes offhandedly during the talk of radiation. She lets the song fade, once the dogs are trashed, and ELMA returns to her side with a few scratches worse for wear. She pats the robotic canine, then frowns. "Bourd has been busy. The man is far too ambitious. I really should have him executed." She doesn't actually sound all that serious about it though.     She's feeling the effects as well, even if it isn't quite so serious for her. Maybe that's why she starts to croon a song of her own... an energetic, upbeat one that is meant to bolster Xiaomu's ward, feeding it more power to help against the oppressive energies. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     With all the firepower this group can lay down, Reiji doesn't actually take that many hits. A blade nearly cuts into him, but he parries it with a shot from his handgun. No, it's the /other/ hazard that's slowly getting to him. Even his endurance isn't limitless when pitted against the gradually growing symphonic irradiation permeating this place. Fortunately, Reiji has a solution... Of sorts.     He takes Xiaomu's talismans and goes to work on a series of them. As they stroll, he takes each in one hand and paints a series of characters on one side in dark, black ink. It seems 'talisman brushes' are standard issue parts of a Shinra Agent's repertoire. With that, he begins handing them out to the group. Each one seems to be imbued with power that is noticably cool to the touch- and, what more, it seems to stick to whatever surface it's planted on, almost like they were drawing the surrounding space inward.     Each one is a ward of Water and Metal, the two elements that are most representative of Yin. While it may not do much compared to Xiaomu and her now-strengthened ward, they may function for a while as the magical equivalent of sunblock, swallowing up incoming energy like greedy, paper-thin leeches.     "I'm pretty sure he's done things that are easily worth the death penalty," Reiji mutters, pressing a talisman against the vest beneath his jacket. "But I'm not exactly an authority on extradimensional law." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The combined work of the protective singing, and Reiji and Xiaomu's chanting and talismans makes the toxic energies in the air at least much more bearable, and continuing on comes unimpeded until that motion in the darkness shifts again. Something large and metallic, creaking with a hiss of steam and motors.     "Oh you're asking ME who goes there? That's rich." It's a new voice. At least for some people. Others would recognize the utterly patronizing and bilious gruff tone. A flare of headlights shings blindingly on the group at first before the chamber lights come on.     The back of the room seems to have hastily been converted into a lab environment, cables siphoning power from the tower to feed machines that look entirely out of place in the Silver Horn. There are several men in the mauve purple Tenba armor, though from the disrepair and wear their equipment has seen, it looks like they might have been written off as 'severed from the company' years ago. It's not heavy armor though and the labcoats they wear over it denote them as technicians at best, working on the machinery. Even worse are the row of cages set aside, several girls languishing in them and looking miserable. Reyvateils. Though wether they were kidnapped from this tower or the other is speculative.     It's the massive blue-steel walker in the room that dominates the bulk of the chamber, almost identical to the Ikaruga MKI, and the Mini Ikarugas, this one however has a notable difference. It has a pilot.     Wearing black armor, blond hair done up in spikes, BOURD RADE leers at the group. "I figured I'd have more time before someone found out about this little setup but it doesn't matter. We're just about done here." He chuckles. Before an utterly digusted look forms on his scowling features. "A tower- a WORLD- run by a Reyvateil. It makes me SICK." Bourd spits, eyes focusing on Mir for a moment. "So I figured I'd blow it up and her little Reyvateil paradise. --And if it isn't -little- Misha, come back to see me again huh? I knew you would. You're just like the others. A singing doll, that's all Reyvateils are."     That little monologue aside, he presses a button. More of those plug-shaped pillars descend from the ceiling, slotting into massive plugs on the floor.     In an instant the Symphonic Power skyrockets to levels horrifyingly inimical to life, and he completely seems to not care that it's going to quickly strangle the life out of his engineers or his captives, it if means a quick victory.     "I'll make this quick, I have business to attend to."     After all, why should he care about anything when his mecha is shielded. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "You know... Bourd..."     Psyber stares right at the blonde man, tilting his head, "I am generally a pretty gentle guy. Strong, but pretty gentle. Nice lady described me as a bear once. Protective, fierce, but also soft and fuzzy. I kinda liked that one," The half-angel lets the shotgun fall from his hand, stepping in towards Bourd with a fierce look as it clatters to the floor, "But sometimes people push that. Test it. Pry at the slight cracks or flaws in my demeanor."     Psyber reaches into his jacket and pulls out a pad of paper. He tears off a sheet and it seems to shimmer and morph in his hand, taking on a new look and a different shade. It elongates and morphs, the slip of paper turning into a massive hammer that he hoists up and rests across one of his shoulders, "But every so very often there is one person who decides to shove a prybar into one of the gentle faultlines of my trusting and kind nature and leverage it."     Psyber grips the hammer, taken from Annu itself, in his hand and glares up at Bourd and his massive machine. Despite the Symphonic Power that burns and damages him as he does so, which actually hurts quite a bit, Psyber is determined and hard in his stare. Fingers curl around the shaft of the hammer and he stares blandly, detachedly, "I helped save this world and restore it. I will not let some... racist piece of trash destroy it as part of his agenda," Psyber notes harshly, stepping forward with a heavy step.     "Born from sin... weighed by judgment..." Psyber dashes in towards Bourd and his massive machine. He swings the huge hammer up over his head and tries to slam it against the shield in a powerful overhand blow, "Be crushed by my burdens. Erinyes, fall down upon him," Psyber commands to his hammer as he brings it down. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Well, it WAS going relatively smoothly for a while: between her own chanting, Mir's singing, and Reiji's inscribed wards, Xiaomu was starting to feel like they might not need to worry as much about the deleterious effects of too much ambient symphonic power imposing an effective time limit on this venture - or at least, not a terribly RESTRICTIVE effective time limit. Then those thoughts go by the Bourd. More or less literally. It's not just the descent of all those pillars that jostles Xiaomu out of her sutra; to a certain extent, Bourd himself slid a wedge into the sage fox's focus, and the pillars themselves drew more than a little bit of attention that she couldn't really spare ... but you wouldn't really know it, because the abrupt ramping-up of Way Too Much High Symphonic Power, Man is enough to disrupt her chanting all on its own, and Xiaomu staggers, leaning heavily on her staff as she struggles to catch her breath. On the plus side, she gets to see Psyber do something insanely awesome while she's recovering. "Yeah, you've done it now," she snarks at Bourd. "You wish ALL of us were breaking out the big hammers ... but I've got something better. My most secret of techniques ..." She slams the butt of her staff down, draws herself up straight, and grins fiercely at Bourd Rade - just before a puff of gold-hued smoke envelopes her, hiding her from view ... to the sound of ... church bells? "NOW YOU'LL GET TO SEE IT!!" The smoke clears, revealing Xiaomu in an honest-to-god wedding dress - white silk with some gold embroidery, and a bouquet of white and yellow roses held close in her hands, the flowers lifted to hide her mouth and chin, and a veil tucked back so that it covers her hairtails. Almost as soon as the smoke clears, the bouquet is flung high into the air - and then Xiaomu herself leaps up, lifting the skirts of her wedding dress and kicking a bunch of BIG iron balls out from under said skirts. Or rather, bombs, scattered amongst the pillars and Bourd himself, detonating on impact. But before she descends again, Xiaomu pivots in the air to kick towards her allies, flower petals showering down around them with a moderate healing effect. *Then* the sage fox lands, catches her bouquet as it falls back into her hands, and gives Bourd Rade a mocking curtsey before poofing back to her normal outfit. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva looks completely aghast when she looks over what is going on here... and then her eyes alight with anger. "What the /hell/ is wrong with you? What kind of /malfunction/ is in that head of yours that makes you think any of this is acceptable?" Riva yells. She turns on the other men on the ground, pointing a finger. "AND YOU! AND YOU AND YOU! How can you people ENABLE HIS BULLSHIT?" She turns her attention back to Bourd. "What did these people even do to you? You spiky-haired little goblin! You're goddamn insane! YOU WANNA GO? FINE! LET'S GO!" She raises her hammer, and throws herself directly at the machine... And slams into a wall of Symphonic Power. Despite the wards, Riva drops like a rock, hitting the floor. Blood begins to run from her nose and eyes, her sight going red as blood vessels rupture in one of her eyes, causing the white to flush crimson. She shakes, trying to force herself to stand up. "FFFffffffff...." She hisses, struggling againd mind-rending pain as she tries to force herself forward. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Much like Misha, having a talisman from Reiji and the combined protection of Xiaomu and Mir makes things easier to bear for Kazusa; she's starting to stand a little straighter about the time Bourd Rade makes his introduction.     And what an introduction it is.     Caged girls being experimented on in a slapdash lab in the middle of a magic-radioactive hot zone. A man treating them as no more than things. And a callous, kill-everyone-but-me solution that will wipe out those captives as if they meant nothing, wipe out his PERSONNEL as if they meant nothing. The wave of increased symphonic power hits Kazusa, and she staggers... but her teeth are clenched before it happens, and when it hits she realizes the implications almost immediately.     "...y-you're... you're a monster... how could..."     The card she pulls out of her purse has unsettled Kazusa since she got it. But in this particular moment, she is upset enough, /angry/ enough at what she's seeing happen right before her eyes that she doesn't care anymore. "...by the card I choose, I stand as a hero..." It takes effort for Kazusa to stand up straight, but she does, holding the card forward. "The... THE BEAST!"     A flood of white sparks passes over Kazusa. Hair fades to silver, eyes shade green. But that's all anyone gets to see of this transformation, because the sparks then flare outward, forming something strange and mechanical from the inside out. Esoteric machinery, powerful motive systems. A hull in greys and reds. The pilot lifts up in the air as her mecha forms around her, one that some present may just recognize - a marvel of technology, a Titan in the most literal sense of terms.     The Dark Hero That Rebels Against All Tyranny.     But as fingers flex, fists curl and uncurl, something seems... off. The Dark Hero hunches a little, moves in ways that Yuri Stinson - that any properly-thinking being - would not. Its head turns to Bourd and his machine, there is a moment of almost eerie silence...     And then it throws back its arms and ROARS.     There is nothing there but a furious, maddened howl of rage accompanied by a bright flare of crimson anima, immediately preceding the Exaltech machine hurling itself at Ikaruga in a pure, bestial attempt to tear it apart. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     There are few things in this world that can really, truly draw Reiji Arisu's ire. Maybe it's just the suddenly even more oppressive atmosphere. Maybe it's the way his skin is crawling, burning like he was set aflame. Any of these things could reasonably piss a guy off. But, no. It's that THIS asshole is burning innocent civilians alive. He's throwing his own people to the dogs. THAT is what really gets him pissed.     The first indicator that something is terribly amiss is that Reiji doesn't seem to be bothered by the sweltering crush of symphonic power. His blood is boiling hotter than his flesh. Reiji takes in a deep breath, strolling, eerily expressionless towards Bourd and his machine. Flower petals flit by in an invisible wind as Xiaomu descends. A giant robot appears from nowhere. Psyber unleashes one of the heaviest weapons at his disposal. His face is utterly calm. Almost serene, even. Xiaomu should know how bad of a sign this is.     There are no words as Reiji seems to /vanish./ There is no sound as a weapon comes away from its sheath-- no. It passes through its sheath. The sheath is nothing to the blade, dark and terrible, dripping with the burden of mortality and the inevitability of death. Darkdrift emerges like a cat's footstep. It sings through the air like a whisper of wind.     Reiji emerges over the machine's cockpit. His pupils are thin, pinprick dots. Preternatural focus washes over his mind and psyche, washing away all other thoughts except himself, the man in the machine, and the path his blade must travel to reach his target. With a silent exhalation, Reiji plunges the weapon gifted to him by the First of the Dead into the machine. But does it pierce its pilot? 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Mir scowls, but she has something more to say, something far more direct to Bourd. "Yet you were the one dedicated to freeing me. I think your true issue is that you regard Reyvateils as dolls, yet you cannot stomach the idea that I used you... or my counterpart did, presuming that much is the same. You were never anything more than a tool for me, a means to an end to enforce my own will upon the world. It is quite telling that these humans have sided with me, and not yourself, isn't it?" Well, okay, so Mir isn't so genocidal any more and maybe that's why people are more willing to help her, but her point here is to piss of Bourd, not be accurate.     That's when she starts to sing again... a much more dynamic, building and crashing song with some amount of intentional dischordance within it. The instruments swell around her in volume as she gathers power from the Tower, a shimmering ball of light appearing above her. But she doesn't stop there.     Holding her hand out to Misha, she subtly alters her song... bringing it in tune with the other Reyvateil. "Misha. I think we are of one mind when it comes to this. There is something Infel did that I would like to try." 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     A couple of weeks ago, Scarlet had asked Psyber who exactly Bourd Rade was and how he was significant. The answer she had gotten was evasive at best, assuring her that she'd find out herself if it ever really become relevant. The implication was that everyone hoped it wouldn't, but unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case, as Scarlet is now getting a very, very good idea of why nobody wanted to talk about him. He looks a lot different than she had imagined, but the way he chooses to present himself isn't too far off her vague assumptions pieced together by contextual cues. A cruel, obsessive, psychopathic, racial supremacy figure formerly on someone's payroll. The biggest surprise, more than anything, is how loudly he chooses to wear that identity on his sleeve.     Though formerly alleviated by the efforts of the group, the renewed overpressure of symphonic energy causes Scarlet's personal wards to blaze with light, flickering and coruscating in the way only an extreme magical assault can make them. Even though they absorb the brunt of the harmful radiation, she can feel her skin starting to burn inside, eliciting a clearly visible struggle to try and keep a level facade. She glances towards the exchange of indignant outrage and malicious invective exploding into actual, full blown violence, but that fight is both out of her league and out of her care zone. Her first, second and third priority is shutting off whatever Bourd turned on, then maybe she'll spare a thought towards him. After all, she's not an experienced warrior like most of the group. Her ability to cope with pain isn't very high.     As soon as she feels the mecha is suitably distracted by the Elites piling onto it, she makes a break to the other side of the room, weaving between the pillars to the control instrumentation set up at the far end. If any of the Tenba lackeys still have it in them to go after her, they will be swiftly and painfully rebuked by her familiars dropping out of Phase. Her face paling, her breathing becoming ragged and irregular, and her fingers twitching with the effort of keeping quiet, she briefly scans the panels for any kind of instrumentation she might recognize, before switching on her collar and projecting a circle by laser onto the dashboard to save time. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It is not the first time in his life that Bourd Rade has angered so many people at once. Normally it would make him laugh. The impotent rage of a group of heroes gathered before him genuinely amuses the vile bastard of a man. But also, not for the first time in his life, Bourd Rade has bitten off more than he can chew. Yet, he just does not truly know the depts of his mistake, still flashing the arrogant smile of a man who thinks he's won. "Oh go ahead. Get angry, even bears die when they soak in enough symphonic power to poison them completely. And if that doesn't, then I'll just crush you with my IkaruGear. That's cute though. I'm only a monster if one of you lives to tell people about me."     The guns are already revving on his pilotable mecha as it takes a heavy step forward, enough to shake the room, already unloading the heavy caliber machineguns at a murderous rate of fire.     What he did not foresee was the immense power backing the justified fury of each and every soul outpouring against him this night.     In a heart's beat Psyber is upon him, the Half-Angel's divine might a force to be reckoned with, when he puts his mind, his heart, and his soul, into the protection of his friends and flock. Erinyes, the hammer gained from that tragic realm of Annu slams the IkaruGear with more force than Bourd could have imagined in one man, and the staggering blow immediately sets the tone for the next furious instant.     Bourd, in an instant, is on the backfoot, eyes wide with shock and awe as he struggles to regain control of the mecha, metal plating buckled and dented terirbly. But it is a war machine, unlike the monster extermination machines of the other Tower. This one was made to kill and fight, and the fact that he manages to regain balance is a testament to its construction. But that's about as far as he gets. Explosives pepper the armor, scorching and warping it as Xiaomu does her best cosplay impression of a blushing bride, opening the way for Reiji. The exorxist is too fast, and the gatling gun arms are unable to track him on top of the cockpit, and for an instant, just an instant Bourd looks horrified. It's only his reflexes that save him from death, a jink aside in his seat sparing him from a mortal wound, but Kuroshio passes through the armored cockpit with the ease of wind through blades of grass, completely ignoring Bourd's personal armor as well and drawing a harsh cry of rage and pain as it soaks his sleeve red from a crippling stab right into Bourd's shoulder. And try as he might to dislodge Reiji, it only puts him on a path for...     For Kazusa. A gentle and friendly girl wearing the mantle of a Beast, given form of a miniature titan. The Dark Hero That Rebels Against All Tyranny slams the Ikarugear, armor RIPPING and wrenching away, a now panicked Bourd swings the massive chainsaw blades wildly to try and dislodge himself. "THAT'S A LOAD OF CRAP! If it wasn't for that fool of a priest we'd have had you! You would have been nothing more than a tool, a weapon for us to use and take over the tower for ourselves. It wasn't supposed to be like that at all!" He snarls to Mir.     This... This is when Misha's hand slips into Mir's. Though she looks near dead sick from the symphonic power, the Star Singer forces herself to stand.     "I can feel it..." A slow breath and jade eyes slide half closed. Her grip is form but trembling, body wracked with ingrained fear of Bourd and his abuse, but heart and soul soaring with emotions, her voice join's Mir's, quickly building to a strong tempo'd melody, filled to the brim with the feelings of desire, freedom, glorious force that was once held back now unrestrained as two souls for one moment become one, that sphere of energy growing in size, brightness, and intensity at an astonishing rate. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It's almost funny. Despite the lethal levels of musical radiation, the ex Tenba engineers do attempt to stop Scarlet. They are suitably discouraged very quickly between their bodies giving out and her Familiars. But in her examining the machinery and panels, will find the means for something very important. All it takes is the flick of a few switches and a button press, and the giant plugs pull back with a hiss and crackle, popping out from their sockets and returning to the ceiling, the levels of Symphonic energy dropping to almost nil. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' It's kind of impressive that Bourd has actually survived the onslaught thus far - but with Scarlet finding the right switches to drop the Symphonic Power back to normal ambient levels, Xiaomu stands up straight once again, left hand gripping her staff tightly, but no longer leaning on it for support. "Oh, we'll be talking about you a lot ... don't you remember? Every mad scientist's work gives way ..." The sage fox raises her right hand, mana flaring in her palm, as she finishes, "... before All Things in Nature. XIAOMU WAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!!!" On the last two words, a sealing square appears on the ground around the IkaruGear, centered beneath Bourd Rade himself as a brightly glowing bubble of mystical force surrounds the machine and its mad scientist pilot, to pin Bourd and his mech in place - not just for Reiji's assault, but for that of their allies as well. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     There is no reason in the attack of the Dark Hero. There is no strategy, not even to the level of a common animal, let alone the cunning of a warrior Titan that the machine's real pilot would show. Kazusa is nothing more than fury in the shape of a girl, inextricably linked to a machine that conceptualizes Rebellion itself and only draws power from her formless rage. But even in that rage, hints of familiar abilities shine through. Anima Banner flaring, the Dark Hero neatly parries the first flailing chainsaw as if such a deflection were as natural as breathing, returning the favor by driving its fist into the Ikarugear's center of mass.     The second chainsaw strike goes right through looped arms that simultaneously weren't there before and seemed to have been waiting the entire time for that attack. They clench down, and Kazusa /wrenches/ with the strength of gods. Pulls with all the strength the Dark Hero can bring to bear, looking to rip that arm right off the Ikarugear.     And then bring it around and start beating Bourd's machine with it.     Over and over, hit after hit, without letting up. No rhyme or reason, just a furious, unrelenting bludgeoning that won't stop even when Bourd and his machine do. And, perhaps most alarmingly and most unlike Kazusa, her attacks show no regard for Reiji or Psyber, putting them in danger simply by drawing near. They're going to have to watch her attacks as well as Bourd's. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Fingers curl into Misha's grasp, Mir holding the hand of her once-enemy. To Mourd, Mir smirks, "Did you really think I did not know of that? That you could keep me contained?" Her eyes narrow... and then she relaxes, her song starting to harmonize more with Misha's own. The others are hammering Bourd and his men hard, and she's going to join them... with Misha's help. The blood of Lune combined with the most powerful Reyvateil Ar Ciel has known, now synching up together to cause a sudden surge of power, not from the symphonic reactor, but from the two Reyvateils themselves.     "Synchronity Chain! SHOOTING STAR!"     It isn't a Song that Mir herself knows, nor one of Misha's, but a combination of the two. The Star Singer joined with Mir's Falling Sky attack, sending a blazing globe of purple and white light downward with such force that the powerful Mir shows that she really is in some ways just a slip of a girl, because-     She falls over on her face as the attack launches. THUD. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "They're not tools. That you used her as a tool is what brought this world so much pain. Brings this world so much pain," Psyber drones, stepping forward again. He wobbles a bit in his step, exhausted from both physical exertion and the effort of pushing through the musical radiation that's ripping through his body. But, since everyone else is going fierce, Psyber refuses to back down.     He's not someone who usually has finishers. At least, not without Adjudicator actually with him. But he has a few that he can kludge together from various avenues when he really needs them. Including one that he's never actually used before this moment, but always theorized might be possible. He unsteadily staggers on his feet and then holds out his left hand.     There's a peal of thunder and a flash of light. A bolt of lightning falls from 'up above' nebulously and strikes his palm. It leaves him with his other favored weapon, even moreso than Erinyes: Einherjar, the holy blade of thunder and lightning. The half-angel now has one weapon in each hand, both named after ancient beings related to the gods.     "In one hand, a hammer named for the furies of vengeance. In the other, those fighters who died for glory and for honor on the field. Erinyes and Einherjar..." The half-angel says, carefully dashing in towards Bourd and his massive machine. It's a supernatural speed and he moves almost totally devoid with emotion as he moves forward.     And then, luckily for him, he dashes straight up in the air and over Kazusa's attacks and keeping himself in safety. He twists in the air and then adjusts his stance. His left hand releases the sword, leaving it hanging in the air. But it doesn't stay there for long, since he twists his entire body and brings the hammer around, the back of it opening up to reveal an Essence-powered Rocket that boosts the force and speed of the swing.     When the flat of the hammer comes around to strike Einherjar, it shatters to pieces and leaves a massive ball of energy in its wake. Psyber strains with all his might before propelling it down as a single, condensed beam of holy, fury, essence, lightning and power.     "Pilate's Verdict."     He notes flatly. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Thanks to Scarlet, the cessation of the Symphonic Power allows Riva to marshal. For several seconds, it looks like she would be content to just stop, allowing everyone else to get their rampant beatings in... But then Bourd opens his damn fool mouth again. Riva looks up, one eye blind and crimson, one eye watery... But focused. "What kind of LOSER WEAK-ASS WHINING IS THAT?" Riva yells. "YOU CAN'T EVEN OWN UP TO ANYTHING! YOU'RE PATHETIC! OH BLOO BLOO BLOO, I COULDN'T COMMIT AN ATROCITY ON ANOTHER PERSON, NOW I CAN'T RULE THE WORLD. DID THE GIRLS MAKE FUN OF YOU IN SCHOOL OR SOMETHING? WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY? YOUR CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND CONSEQUENCES? YOUR GODDAMN /BACKBONE/?" There are sparks and crackling snaps of Anima that run off of Riva and her weapon as she suddenly hurls her hammer across the room, the weapon smashing into the IkaruGear. A burning chain of Anima connects her to the weapon, and she pulls on it, Riva launching herself to the machine and wrenching the weapon upwards with a detonation of red-gold power. "You're not even a man. You're nothing more than a /spoiled brat/ that gives even /spoiled brats/ a bad name." She backflips off of the machine just before Kazusa smashes into it once again and Psyber begins his descent, and she spins and drives the hammer into the ground. There is a crackling wave that rolls outwards in a column towards the IkaruGear that blossoms outwards, exploding upwards in a spike of intense energy as a shockwave radiates outwards from the point of impact. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Flesh. It's the only thing Darkdrift- Kuroshio- really 'feels' when it's swung. If Reiji is satisfied, he doesn't show it. The exorcist leaps away as Kazusa charges in, sliding his blade back into its sheath moments before Xiaomu unleashes the Kimon Fuuji. That's more than an attack. That's a /signal./     Only now does Reiji raise his voice. His words are hot and cold. Frigid, but filled with such contempt that they might burst into flame when he speaks them, "Hateful fool. All things are equal before Heaven and Earth. Behold, the fury of the world you thought to rule." Reiji's hand drops to his collection of weapons, gripping tight to the hilt of his shotgun. "Tenchi Banbutsu," he growls, spiritual pressure rising from his body and shoulders now that it's no longer subject to raw, symphonic energy, "Give me the strength to encompass the world."     "Wood-"      It begins. Hollywood emerges from its holster with a click. That sound is swallowed up by a crack of thunder. "-Fall," Enchanted buckshot mixed with splinters from a blessed tree erupt from the barrel--     "Fire-"      --Only for the lot of it to catch fire as it reaches the machine. Reiji lunges, swinging Karin through the air in great, blazing arcs. The edge strikes into the gaps of Bourd's machine, melting metal and fusing wires. "-Whirl," He dances, filling the world with boquets of blossoming flame--     "Earth-"     --Broken only by arcs of lighting. Chirai chases after the fire, crackling tendrils of electricity snaking out from the wakizashi. They dig into the IkaruGear, shorting out electronics and frying servos, even as the blade plunges deep into the machine, over and over again. "-Pulse," Reiji lunges forward, plants a foot into the steel, and rips the thunderous weapon free--     "Metal-"     --To replace it with a massive, golden hand-cannon. Gold screams as it fires. Heavy, arcane slugs erupt one after another from its barrel. Each digs in, travelling far further than ordinary rounds- even ones of this incredible size- should be capable of. "-Howl," Even after Reiji lands, he keeps firing, spent casings littering the ground around him.     "Water-" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' As Reiji invokes the fifth element in the cycle, Xiaomu ceases to stand her ground and dash-leaps forward, jinking around Kazusa's armored Beast form; the blade of Suiren flashes out of the staff and is driven deep into both the Ikarugear and into Bourd himself. "-RUSH!" Xiaomu calls out, channeling water and ice magic ... And then she leaps clear, soaring through the air to land next to her partner. Only then does she sheathe her blade, hilt clicking softly against scabbard - And the sequenced elements erupt in unison behind them. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     That's Scarlet's job done. At the cessation of the eroding presence scathing her from every side, she turns her back to the console and slumps against it, gradually catching her breath. Briefly, she thinks to the fact that she'd just saved a bunch of innocent girls from being killed. A nice, heroic smokescreen to the fact she hadn't participated in the fight. She looks on at the blinding and deafening cacaphony of light and sound that shakes the room under her feet, shielding her eyes with one hand as she tries to make out what exactly is even going on.     Well she certainly doesn't envy Bourd Rade at this point. In fact she's very glad that she's well out of the way of that. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     For all the might the IkaruGear has to bear, Bourd Rade simply cannot match the force of a suitably determined group of men and woman all working against him with one singular and determined focus of mind and goal. Not even the mightiest weapon he could ever hope to produce would stand a chance on equal footing with a gathering of some of the most determined Elites, and the collossal weight of their strength joined as one, each a legend and hero in their own right.     "WHAT?!" And in an instant the machine cannot even move. Pinned where it stands by Xiaomu, the Ikarugear is rendered helpless. And not all the pity in the Multiverse could spare Bourd in this moment. Kazusa's limitless, mindless, bestial fury is in this instant like a force of nature, terrible and beautiful to behold as the machine's own arm is ripped from its chassis, the still revving chainsaw tearing huge gouges and deep rending slashes into reinforced armor, spitting oil and smoke. And she just does not stop. It is a terrible, horrible, frightening display, and even Misha's eyes widen at the unrestrained brutality. It's Bourd who gives voice to fear, however. "What is WRONG with you people! You're maniacs!"     The panic now in his voice hits a peak as the Half-Angel passes judgement upon him. The crack of thunder resonating with a clarion finality in the chamber deep within the ancient weapon that was slapped onto the tower, The Silver Horn itself seems to echo the sound, the massive structure reverberating with the crack of celestial force, laud and audible for miles even beyond the tower as it exits the mouth of the horn as the rocket propelled hammer collides with the ancient blade, and the two unleash the wrath of heaven itself upon Bourd.     The machine is barely standing, Bourd's teeth clench as blood trickles down his brow, eyes wide and wild with murder and fury as every battering blow keeps him from fully regaining any semblance of initiative. The barrels of the machine's sole remaining cannon spin to life, only to melt terribly and backfire in a pathetic display.     Because just like that Riva is hammering home her point. Berating and battering at the same time, that anima-infused strength is titanic, the normally genial and good-natured artist displaying a righteousness worthy of a true Templar as the sheer wave of vicious anima and justified fury breaks the Ikarugear's legs. With a topple and groan it wobbles, but remains upright long enough for Reiji and Xiaomu the fury of the elements themselves brought to bear with each sword stroke, every gunshot, and colossal eruption of elements to follow, leaving the IkaruGear a smoldering wreck. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "No way... I haven't lost this yet..." It's a hiss from the cockpit, a bloodied and rage-maddened Bourd hits a single button. The shrill alarm that sounds afterwards is ominously final as his lips curl into a grin even after such a sound and one-sided beating. "I guess if I go down I'll just BLOW MYSELF UP AND TAKE YOU ALL WITH M--"     He doesn't get to finish the sentance, trailing off, eyes wide with horror. Because another voice interrupts him.     "Synchronity Chain! SHOOTING STAR!"     In that instant, Mir and Misha's hearts are one, of the same mind and spirit, emotionally in synch now more than ever. Misha's terror assuaged by Mir's quiet and surprisingly gentle concern for the welfare of another Reyvateil. It is a righteous fury, an outcry of two souls against the atrocities performed by one terrible man, two of the strongest Reyvateils in living existence unleashing a world-shaking amount of power in one moment.     And with a squeak, Misha topples all the same, half off balance, half pulled by Mir, ending in a toppled heap on her face too.     When the sound and the flare fades, there is a MASSIVE HOLE in the floor where the Ikarugear was. The machine completely rendered to little more than its constituent atoms. And a gaping chasm is all that remains. And Bourd Rade is on the other side. Bruised, bloody, and on the verge of collapse. Yet he still sneers. "Dammit... Well if that isn't just a fine mess. But I guess I'm over here now and you're all over there." Smug even to the end, he reaches into his armor and produces a crystal. A green glinting gem that he waggles tauntingly. "And I bet this is what you came for too? Guess I get to walk away with it don't--" The crrreeeaaak of metal that sounds out next is fairly disconcerting. "Huh...?" Before the flooring beneath him gives out. "Wah?! NO WAY!"     The gem goes flying. And Bourd is left hanging by one hand over a bottomless black chasm. "H-Hey! You guys are heroes right? You wouldn't just let me fall, would you?!" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     The onslaught levelled against Bourd Rade is tremendous. Catastrophic, even. Reiji lifts a hand to shield his eyes as Mir and Misha unleash their twinned song. Nothing could survive that. It'd be a miracle. Unfortunately, the universe is sometimes merciful to all the wrong people.     Reiji gives a soft, quiet grunt. With a quick whirl of his hands, he slides a fresh clip into his handgun. He moves towards the hole in the floor- the great, gaping chasm... And proceeds to leap clean across. Apparently 'jump good' is something Shinra agents do. He takes a moment to wander over toward where that glittering, green gem fell, and deftly picks it up before it tumbles off into the void. It goes right into one of his many pockets for safe keeping. Can't be too careful after all. ...But there's still other business.     "Bourd Rade," Reiji murmurs, moving over towards the man. Reiji pauses, lifting his weapon level to Bourd's desperate, sneering face, "You're charged with more atrocities than I can even count, chief among them Crimes Against Humanity."     Reiji draws back the hammer of his gun. "I've got half the mind to shoot you right now," he tilts his head somewhat, lifting his chin to glare down at the man dangling over oblivion. "Give me a reason I should spare your miserable life." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     -<RADIO: ArTonelico>- Reiji Arisu says, "Mmn, alright then. Psyber, I defer to you."     Psyber had promised to kill Bourd Rade if he found him. He still wanted to. Being deferred to makes it a hard moment for him as he walks over to the edge of the cliff. The half-angel lets Reiji say his piece in regards to the armored man dangling over the abyss below him.     Red eyes stare downward at the dangling man and letting his mind tick past several options. Despite all the radiation and exhaustion that soaks his body through every pore, he still has enough presence of mind to remember Misha's feelings in all this. He doubts she wants blood tied to her name any more than it already has been.     So it's not to Bourd that Psyber speaks. It's to Reiji, "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." He notes to the exorcist, pausing for a long moment, "First John, Chapter Two, Verses Nine through Eleven."     "We don't have to save him from what he made for himself, but I think the violence has reached its end point," He says to Reiji seriously, giving him a somewhat calm look, "Let's just leave him," He says blandly, "He reaped, he's sowing, he'll meet his fate."     And with that, he turns and starts walking away from the edge, dragging his hammer behind him. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' While Xiaomu does not leap across the chasm along with her partner, she's watching as he gives Bourd Rade the precious opportunity with which to try and decide his own fate. She also has a rather strong suspicion that Reiji's wording is going to clinch Bourd's fate for him, particularly given one bit of the mad scientist's earlier rant. 'Crimes against humanity,' when it comes to somebody who believes his victims didn't count as human ... ? Xiaomu watches impassively as the last page of this drama plays itself out. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     The Dark Hero swings and swings and /swings/. Heedless of Psyber's heavenly might, heedless of Reiji and Xiaomu's elemental fury, heedless of Riva's augmented might, utterly heedless of the incredible song that Mir and Misha weave together. That severed mechanical arm just swings and swings until there's no Ikarugear left, until there's no /arm/ left, until the only thing the giant robot holds is a sparking, frayed section of mechanical appendage. The machine's shoulders heave as if panting, looking left and right, as if searching for an opponent.     When none is immediately obvious - she doesn't seem to even notice Bourd hanging on for dear life or the gem being flung - the titan throws its head back and lets out one last furious howl, made all the more eerie and unsettling by the fact it's Kazusa's voice. And then it hauls around and pitches the remains of the arm in the general direction of the pit, an almost petulant reaction to the lack of enemies to tear asunder now that the Ikarugear is gone... the only problem being that the chunk of arm is hurled hard enough to reach the far end of the pit, slamming into the rim not far at all from Bourd himself.     The Dark Hero whips around to look at Kazusa's allies next, particularly between Psyber and Reiji... but ultimately it simply stands there, doing not much more than staring. There seems to be no comprehension in its movements, but neither does she seem to have any intention to actually attack them. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Mir, pulling herself to her feet, leans against ELMA and... smirks. She pats ELMA, who vanishes in a little quivering display of digitization, then she crosses her arms and just watches for Bourd's fate. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Dangling by one hand, if Bourd were in peak condition he'd have no problem pulling himself up. But he's been sorely battered, weakened and injured in the resultant explosions, the nervous and defeated grin he flashes over his shoulder says he doesn't have much of a reason to give Reiji when prompted, "Because you'd all rather see me in jail. Right? Locked away where I can't hurt a fly, yeah?" He ventures kind of pathetically. Though his expression sours when Psyber's verdict is to just leave him be. "Y-you're kidding me right? You're not going to just leave me here hanging are you?" But fear turns into indignant rage. "Do you think I'll FORGET this? Just wait, because when I climb out of this hole, I'm going to be back, I'm going to have something far worse than the IkaruGear, and then you're going to be more than sorry you didn't give me a--"     That howl cuts him off, eyes almost bugging out. Even Misha flinches when she sits herself back up, joining Mir in the magical land of pretending no one say what just happened. She does spare a furtive glance at the other Reyvateil. And the smile she puts on is much brighter than it was earlier.     Still, Bourd's plight is not over. Trying to haul himself up ends in failure when The Dark Hero lobs the chainsaw across the room in a fit of monstrous fury while searching for a fresh fight. The impact slams the lip of the pit, the jarring vibrations shaking the floor- enough for fingers to slip.     With one last scream of rage, Bourd Rade falls flailing into the depths of the tower.     It earns a wince. But Misha seems more concerned with the gem now clasped firmly in her grasp. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Bourd Rade has nothing to do with Scarlet. He's someone else's problem, someone else's grudge, someone else's decision and someone else's catharsis. She's not about to stick her nose in and give what little opinion she has on the subject during a tense, heartfelt moment. Instead, she busies herself with being productive, stopping by each of the cages one by one and running her fingers across the bars, making short work of the cheap material by simply slicing out tiny sections with transmutation magic so simple she doesn't need a circle for it.     She takes the chains out in much the same way, not bothering with the shackles themselves just yet, asking if the girls if they need assistance and helping each one to her feet if she needs it. She radiates a magically enhanced aura of trust, tranquility and compassion from her posture, expression and voice, attempting to keep things low key and out of the way while the rest of the group decides what to do with Rade, and further under control while the man plummets to his death. Nobody gets to see the faint, impacable smirk on her lips when he does.     "If we're done here, I think we should leave as soon as possible. The less time we spend in this energy field the better." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Bourd goes toppling off into the abyss, and Reiji just shakes his head. Gold is holstered, and he gives Psyber a long, knowing look as he heads off. Did the angel know that would happen? What mysteries dwell beneath Psyber's hard-boiled exterior? Will Misha finally properly fill out her wardrobe!? TUNE IN NEXT TIME 

}}

2499/Breakfast at Misha's Take Two The Pancakening: Son of Pancakes

2015-06-22T20:31:53Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/06/21 |Location=Njorun Station - Deployment |Synopsis=Misha makes breakfast for the Union again. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=279, 757, 802, 8..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/06/21
|Location=Njorun Station - Deployment
|Synopsis=Misha makes breakfast for the Union again.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=279, 757, 802, 818
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Away from all the hustle and bustle of the hangars, mech repair bays, troop stationing points, and other collective, controlled chaos involved in a deployment and staging area, there are some quieter rooms. Small lounges set aside for Elites to just kick back and take a load off, or dump things in their lockers.     Misha's picked an appropriate spot though, an unused mess hall gives her full access to the supplies, ingredients, and utensils she needs to make a good and proper breakfast.     It looks like she's had a few minutes to set up shop, because the hiss and pop of sizzling bacon can be heard, and the smell of strong, fresh brewed, coffee wafting through the deployment center as she works over a skillet, dark hair tied back in two short pigtails and... It looks like she hasn't even bothered to get out of her pajamas. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' Bacon! It is like a clarion call to James. Having grown up on hydroponically grown vegitables -- including tofu pseudo meats -- /real/ meat is a luxury he always enjoys when he can. Having been up already and communicating with his family back home in his quinjet, he didn't have far to go to meet Misha when she offered to do a community breakfast. Having seen her arrival and work to set up, James quickly came out of the plane -- adjusting the fasteners on his recently doned jacket -- and offered his help in setting up the cooking and serving tables and then, as she begins the preparations, a set of matching chairs as well for at least half a dozen people just in case... leaving additional chairs and tables folded but available to fetch if they turned out to be needed. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     From Galandia, Tijah was a bit lost in being allied with the Union. Mostly she did it for a chance to get a pass out of school...and also for a chance to challenge herself constantly. She is less interested in the war, or starting problems for people, and more about pushing her to her limits. She isn't a leader, she can't stand leading...     So it's nice when free breakfast is called, because she can meet new people, and break bread with them! You can not say you really, truly know someone until you break bread with them! So without much warning, a dark skinned lady with a shield on her back, light armor, and a sword on her hip almost bounds into the formerly abandoned chow hall. Even with being up a good chunk of the night, and living life to the fullest, she is still a fountain of energy at this hour.     "Hello! Nice to meet you!" She says, towards people as she looks over the cooks shoulder. 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' Maxine's decided she could use a real breakfast for once and not something out of a vending machine. She staggers a bit as she makes her way into the chow hall after having pulled another all-nighter. She adjusts her glasses a bit to make she has to the right location and to see who else is present, "Good morning..." She says it a bit wearily as she heads straight for the coffee. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It's probably a good thing James decided to show up and be so helpful when he did. It allows Misha to focuse more on the task of actually cooking. And considering how she's a small girl, moving furniture around and setting up the tables and chairs probably would have been a hassle for her. Well, her short stature makes it easy to get a look over her shoulder though; tongue sticking out from the corner of her mouth as she whisks up a bowl full of batter. "Phew, thanks for the help... James right? You're pretty new to the Union aren't you?" Idle conversation as she works, dumping out blobs of the batter right onto the skillet, by the time Tijah and Maxine show up. "Annnnnnd you're a new face. Have a seat, this'll be ready in no time." The Reyvateil murmurs before sliding the steaming urn of coffee right on over, "Working late, Maxine?" 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "Yes, James Rogers," the young man replies to Misha's first question and then adds, "Unified about two and a half weeks ago. Met Tomoe and a little guy named Golden. Joined the Union within a day." As the others arrive James greets them. "Hello," he says to Tijah and then also to Maxine until Misha identifies her at which point he asks, "Maxine Sandberg? Annie's 'mother', right?" of her and adds, "Sorry that our meeting you and Annie was delayed." Something in his tone hints to relief though also. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     Tijah decides to watch over the stove for a bit.     If she gets even remotely hot with the armor she has on, she doesn't even show it.     "I suppose so..." She says, and turns, arms behind her back and saying back to a chair. "Don't want to be presumptious and aid where it is not wanted, and all!" and decides to pull up a seat to the gathering of tables.     "Yeah, I am new. I am from Galianda, Ifrit to be exact."     Tijah looks at the coffee desiring person, chuckling a little. She always found it so odd that other people need the stuff to function in the morning, even after a hard night. "Tijah El-Borak, is my name, you can just call me Tijah. No honorifics please, because if I am called lady, or ma'am, or miss, or the strange -san once more I might go crazy." She chuckles. 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "Yes, I have been. Thank you Misha." Maxine manages to smile a bit as she pours her coffee. "Correct, I'm Maxine Sandberg." She nods confiriming what James said. "It's alright I've been busy with work myself. She's pretty understanding. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I have to admit I'm not that familiar with Galianda." She's heard the name before but that's about it. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Galianda, huh? That's where Landon's from, isn't it? Uhhh. Ramuh or something I think." Just some idle conversation while Misha slaves away. Whistling to herself as she wields a spatula. With a flip and a few more moments to let sizzle, the Reyvateil glances back over her shoulder again, before using the utensil to catapult a dark brown pancake off the skillet and onto Jame's plate. A bright red one goes flying to land on Tijah's, and a deep green for Maxing. There's a smug little look as she serves the bacon and eggs in a much more tame manner. "Annnd done. I decided to try something a little different from plain old pancakes, sooooo. There's plenty of chocolate chip, red velvet, or green tea to go around.     Of course there's also plain old normal pancakes too, but where's the fun in that? 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "No problem Tijah," James says to the young woman about his age and then nods to acknowledge Maxine's statment and says, "Thank you Mrs. Sandberg," to her. He then digs into breakfast as it is served to him, a smile and appreciative noises intially his only acknowledgement but then a quick, "Its very good, thanks," between bites is directed to Misha. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     "Prince Landon of Ramud, yup. I am not anyone famous, myself, I am just a girl who was sent to Alexander Academy by her family of the Bonfire." She says, stretching.     "Galianda is a world with a center, and several plates, all connected by a bridge. You can even walk to our moon, from said bridge." She says, putting on the air of a story teller, even as a pancake is flung onto her plate. She looks at it oddly...she has had pancakes, but the Ramuh version typically is not red.     "Ramud is the land of eternal storms... Shiva is the land of ice and snow..." She says, almost spinning a tail.     "Odin, the land of steel and death... Leviathan the land of deep waters.." a brief pause to get some eggs, bacon and other breakfast necessities.     "Bahamut the land of enternal skies, and Titan the sky breaking mountain." she takes a bite, and looks approving! "And Ifrit, the enternal desert."     "There is Chocobo the lunar metropolis as well. It is where I currently live, but not quite my home." Taking a few more bites, "Interesting...these pancakes are delicious. I have not experienced a red one before! I do so love new tastes!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Flopping into her own seat, Misha helps herself to a lazy, cat-like- stretch before starting to whittle at her own meal. Having helped herself to some of the green tea pancakes. "Yeah he talked about the academy a bit. But to walk to the moon, huh?"     It takes a severe effort of will for the Reyvateil to not shudder at the thought. "If I went I'd probably have to pass on that trip. Heights and I don't mix too well." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' Maxine's never had green tea pancakes before, well there's a first time for everything. "Certainly different from what I'm used to, but not bad." IT certainly beats vending machine food. "Having everywhere connected by a bridge would be convenient but it wouldn't be practical where I'm from. How do they handle traffic? She imagines it would get quite backed up." 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "Galianda sounds very unusual," James says after finishing his first pancake -- (As an aside he asks Misha, "May I have one of the red ones for my second one?") -- "I take it that your moon has an atmosphere just like the rest of the world?" He then begins to eat his eggs, not quite inhaling them but still eating quickly like most hungry teenaged boys tend to do. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     Tijah continues to eat..     "Not that I see. Not as much traffic as you think on the roads, especially with flying machines being a thing." Tijah waves a hand, shrugging. "Also, while not every contient is nice as others, we all typically stay in our homes, save adventurers and merchants."     "And yes, Chocobo has a atmosphere. I mean, it is about as livable as anywhere else!" she says. Continuing on. "I have shared my story...now I am curious about YOUR homes! Come now, stories are best shared...well around a fire, but the table will do forgoing an actual bonfire." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "Well, my story certainly isn't that interesting. I'm just a roboticist with a daughter who works for a toy company." Maxine sounds pretty humble as she says that. "I'm not an adventurer or anything like that. Then again it's nice to live a quiet relatively peaceful life." She's not complaining but she doesn't want to bore them too much. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' James looks up from his by now half eaten red velvet pancake and smiles, "Oh where to start...." He ponders for a moment and says, "You may have met the Avengers here... my story starts with a version of them. Given an opportunity by an unusual time of peace they settled down and began to have families." With this he nods to Maxine acknowledging her comment about enjoying a relatively peaceful life. "Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last. Ultron, a robot with genocidal tendencies, arose and attacked the Avengers and then began to work towards destroying humanity as a whole." He pauses for a moment and then adds, "Not all the Avengers were killed. Tony Stark took me and three other children of his teammates to an arctic retreat and raised us in secret, preparing us for a day when we might be able to face our parents' killer..." he interrupts his own story to add "(Well, all of us except for Torunn, her parents had duties in Asgard so left her with Tony anyway.)" and then takes a break to finish his eggs. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     Tijah waves a hand...     "Toy company? That by far sounds too interesting! Do not sell yourself short...it is not what you do, or what story it is...but if you enjoy it. Not everyone can be an adventurer or super hero, or merchant, or whatever...we all gota be what we wana be. Drink life for what it gives you, and challenge yourself against it's rougher waters." She grins.     Towards James she shrugs...she gets the brunt of it. "Sorry to hear that...losing your loved ones is never easy." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' Maxine can't but help to gasp as she hears James's story. Now, she can't help to feel bad for having it so easily. Granted she left some details out, but even then. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say. To have go through all that..." She can't believe the Avengers were defeated like that from what she knows about them. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' James shrugs, trying to make nothing of it, and says, "I was a toddler. I barely remember my parents." He makes a point of avoiding what that lead to by simplifying the rest of the story to: "Ultron found us years later and we ended up enlisting an ally of our parents in helping defeat him...." James then changes subjects somewhat, turning more towards the question asked by Tijah. "So, the Earth is pretty ravaged at this point. We've been working on defeating the robotic armies left behind in Ultron's defeat and assiting in rebuilding efforts around the globe." A smile washes over James' face as he remembers the way this next part facinated the Tony they would likely know. "We've relocated to a base in antarctica -- the southern pole, Tijah, incase you don't know Earth's geography -- in a place called the Savage Land. Its populated mostly by primitive tribes and prehistoric animals, including dinosaurs." 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     "Ah...sounds a little like home then." Tijah says with a small grin. "Large monsters, dangerous people, and dangerous terrain? Yeah, that's home." She says, taking some more bacon.     "Ah so you gave him a good thrashing? That's good...that's good...so basically now it's cleaning the mess and trying to march forward?" She asks, shaking her head...     "Assuming you don't get a massive army from the super jerks telling you it is better if they rule you." She shrugs. Still, she listens.. "Sounds like quite a story, but still not finished." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "I see, is that part of why you wanted to meet with me?" Maxine figures that most likely partly be the reason. "I don't think the south pole would be the ideal place for dinosaurs unless there's been severe climate change. Granted your Earth is different then mine." She can't picture dinosaurs living there though, even if they weren't extinct. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "Ancient alien technology rather than a global climate change," James explains and then adds, "Although, the way it unified I'm actually surprised that it isn't experiencing something like that now... although I understand that this place--" he waves about indicating the multiverse "-- operates under Clarke's Third Law anyway." He takes a moment to finish his red velvet pancake and then addresses Tijah. "Yeah, well... he was beating us until Pym -- one of my 'brothers' -- got the Hulk to get involved in the fight. But... yeah, clean up and there are still the occasional death machine or a band of killer robots even to stop." After dodging it for a few moments he returns to Maxine's initial question prmoted by his story. "My sister Sarah thinks it would be good for me to meet Annie," James says. "I... I have problems with robots due to...." He trails off indicating that he doesn't really want to discuss the circumstances. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     "Well, it's not all robots, I imagine...but rather specific jerk robots." Tijah says.     "Though I can guess why you don't like them after...well that." She shrugs. "Don't got much for robots at home, though. I think we got those Murasame bots, but I wouldn't call them real robots, more like soulless husks." Robotics isn't her field.     "I don't understand the multiverse much, it seems to just do what it wants." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "I see, that's understandable. I don't think I would be so open-minded about robots myself if I grew up in a world like that." Maxine doesn't show any signs of resentment. "But yes thankfully most sapient robots want a peaceful world just like everyone else. Though it's easy to exploit those who aren't." She sighs a bit at that. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' James nods. "I know some AIs that I trust... and I've met a couple in the MUltiverse that people I trust trust...." He trails off for a moment and says, "I've begun thinking that I need some help actually." 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     "Like what, for lifting or killing those jerk robots?" Tijah doesn't get the phrase 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "Well, I'm not a psychologist but I'm willing to listen." Maxine's assuming that what he means, if he does mean the other kind of help she's sure there's plenty of people who will do that. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "Well, yeah, we will need that I'm sure," James says to Tijah but then nods to Maxine, "Yeah... its mostly that... I...." While James is normally confident he's obviously nervous now and unsure how to proceed. He ends by just shaking his head and then eating some bacon. 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     Tijah raises a brow, but does not speak... hmmm...this is getting heavy.     "Let me get something for us to drink." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "But yes these robots will have to be dealt with before you can start rebuilding your world. I can understand why you feel uncomfortable though." Maxine's quite sympathetic about all this. "Yes, I suppose I should drink something other than coffee if I want to sleep later on." She should get some after they finish here. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "A drink sounds great," James says. "Is there any orange juice available?" 

:'''{{#var:818|Tijah El-Borak (818)}} has posed:'''     Tijah looks up...     "What's an orange anyway?" She says, finding a jug of orange stuff. "I mean, I know it's a color, but I didn't know you could juice colors...weird." 

:'''{{#var:279|Maxine Sandberg (279)}} has posed:''' "It's a fruit that's generally the same color." Maxine figures that's the simplest way to explain it. Sure, there's also blood oranges but there was no need to complicate things. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     There is, in fact, orange juice. A whole pitcher completely fresh squeezed that Misha ssssssliiiiides on over surrepetitiously. She's been quiet, but here. 

:'''{{#var:802|James Rogers (802)}} has posed:''' "They grow on trees and yeah... its named after the color of its flesh and rind." James, like Maxine, chooses not to go into the complexities of other species. 

}}

2466/Iron Within! Iron Without!

2015-06-16T04:18:40Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/06/15 |Location=Void - Deep Void (East) |Synopsis=Honsou displays his hate-on for the Ultramarines by getting Confederate friends to punch the..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/06/15
|Location=Void - Deep Void (East)
|Synopsis=Honsou displays his hate-on for the Ultramarines by getting Confederate friends to punch them for him.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=19, 220, 321, 805, 812
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:812|Warsmith Honsou (812)}} has posed:'''     "IRON WITHIN! IRON WITHOUT! IRON WITHIN! IRON WITHOUT!"     The rumbling earthshaking chant of a hundred absolutely massive ment in dull grey ceramite is enough to shake the earth itself. Because the planet of Ultimatum II is under seige. At least this segment of it is. A large fort of stone, plasteel, and adamant walls is surrounded on all sides by these monstrous chanting chaos champions. Each member of the Iron Warriors legion is a dark hero in his own right, with hundreds if not thousands of years of merciless combat experience burning within their breast. Tanks rumble, slaves groan and toil, and the skies fill with dust, because this has been going on for at least two days. Haggard and weary laborers toil to make new trenches and parallels, displaying the logistical expertise of their whip-cracking iron clad masters at the art of seige war. The most grinding and exhausting, corpse consuming form of attrition conflict.     The Warsmith Honsou is here, leading his men against the forces within this last bastion holding out against the soldiers of Chaos. Aside from the gleaming silver arm however he seems no different from the rest of the Astartes holding the fort hostage, as the men and women of the Imperial Guard and the Adeptus Astartes within hunker down as best they can while waiting for reinforcements or evac. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     WHUD. WHUD. WHUD /WHUD/.     It is probably somewhat startling for the Iron Warriors to have a section of thin air... no, of reality itself, shudder under several heavy blows in succession. It is probably even more alarming to see glowing crimson cracks spread with each strike from nowhere. As if someone were punching their way through the other side of existence itself, five, six, seven blows shake the air with their volume... and then an 8th shatters open that spiderweb of cracks, tearing a huge gap in space.     Through that gap steps a tower of a man, easily the height and build of an average Space Marine; he is, however, clad only in a pair of tight red pants in some unknown material and metal boots of some sort, and carrying a package under one arm that appears to contain a set of light armor. Rather than put it on just yet, he simply sets it down, and then drives one fist into the opposite palm with a sound like a small gunshot going off. "COMRADES! I am hearing you are seeking to take planet. Would you perhaps be interested in a little... BOLSHEVIK BACKUP?! WAHAHAHA!"     There is only one man that huge that could make a joke that bad. Be afraid, Ultramarines. Comrade Crush is here. 

:'''{{#var:805|Nonon Jakuzure (805)}} has posed:''' The rumbling and earthshaking chant of those absolutely massive men clad in those suits is more than enough to instill whatever fear, or whatever other emotion such as awe, into others! The planet, under /siege/ is done so with strength, with experience, and with cheer! Chants, to be precise, from those massive men. There are tanks - there are 'diggers' as Nonon will call them - and there are soldiers. There is also apparently a band, now, trailing behind Honsou and in the latter half of his well armed and chanting chorus. Lead by a rather dimunitive lead, Nonon Jakuzure, there's a row of women wearing the same uniform, 5 by 5, shoulder to shoulder with various instruments in their grasp, playing. The song ends, and Nonon doesn't miss a beat, "Alright~! Next up, Bravura!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3itHtSWRGvc The music begins anew, powerful - but then, were the marines anything but? It still is unlikely to appease their /tastes/, but the show must go on! Despite that, it is /almost/ interrupted as there is a sudden massive man that can match any marine in strength... and definitely size. Nonon's small ( tiny ) stature is almost sure to go unnoticed, if she weren't so pink. The joke made by Comrade Crush, however, causes her to laugh - but not at how good it is. It is so bad, she must! As she leads though, she has to concentrate on that first. Still... it was pretty bad! 

:'''{{#var:321|Tir McDohl (321)}} has posed:'''     In the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millennia, there is only war.     This is EXACTLY the sort of place Tir doesn't want to retire. Or be anywhere near, to be honest. Being dragged back into service has him reluctantly helping out on occasion, though... like today, where he's heard the distress call, was near a warpgate that lead right here, and able to respond. Sigh.     He has mustered up a few troops, at least, for helping out. A mix of actual trained Union troops and some that he picked up along the way, it's the best that he could find on short notice, who could also fit through the tiny warpgate that brought him here. They're not much against outright Chaos Marines, but maybe they'll help with his direction and some applied magic. The young staff-wielding man is still some distance from the actual fighting, and when he sees the situation he winces. He's... not liking the look of this. "Archers and riflemen, stagger down the slope here. Everyone else form up on either side and prepare to come together. We're at a pretty bad numerical disadvantage here, so we're going to have to hit hard and hit fast, by surprise if possible."     That's kind of all he can do. A motly assortment of gunfire, laser bolts, and even arrows launch out. Tir is not a SUPER strategist or anything, but he does have a fair amount of experience with all of this, and he studied under the best. He's hoping he picked a group vulnerable to this assault before he was marked as a threat. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya had had a history with the Ultra Marines. Well two iterations of them at least. Things may be different but it seems that Chaos changes little in the various variants of the universe that Imperium of man is from. That being Chaos is a threat a very dangerous threat. This is a wo4rld that needs help but also one that leaves Maya very uneasy given how the warp is, and her own nature. She's still not running for it she's a bit after Tir and his troops as they arrive, she's armed with a bolter of her own and even has a las pisto, She fears the effects of the warp on her rifle so she's sticking to local gear, it might be asier to also pick up ammo that way as well. Then she hears a voice she's not heard in person in /very/ long time. "Comrade Crush as well? This day just kesps getting better she's also putitng the bolter to use as she moves to entage the chaos and confederate forces. 

:'''{{#var:812|Warsmith Honsou (812)}} has posed:'''     The sudden juddering shake of reality itself being punched apart to facilitate an entrance among their lines gets some of the Iron Warriors pausing, glancing about-- especially when music begins to play. Crush and Nonon frankly get some awkward and interesting looks from the collection of Chaos Astartes. Heads tilt, some bolters level, but a lazy wave from the Warsmith results in the confused legionaries lowering their weapons.     "When did we get a Slaaneshi band?" One Iron Warrior grunts to another. "That one's dressed like a Khornate?"     Well, Crush is wearing a lot of red. Nevertheless, the Warsmith himself folds his arms across his chest. He may as well see what the Confederacy can bring to the table for him.     For the record, Ultimatum II is... A dust bowl. Why anyone would want to live on this planet is a mystery to the uninformed, but the truth is the dust covering the whole planet is made up almost entirely of a rust red sand. The high iron and carbon content here means the entire planet is prettymuch made up of steel dust, which can be pretty useful if melted down and processed. The population is-- was sparse already. Mostly Mechanicus and their auxilaries and serfs, with a regiment of Imperial Guard to keep watch over things. The Ultramarines arrived only recently, but in few numbers, only a handful of twenty to twenty five Marines and a sergeant.     It's going to be a rough siege that much is for certain.     The warp gate suddenly opening up leads to instant chaos however. Arrows don't fare too well against ceramite, but some lucky shots pierce joints, earning howls of rage and fury from the Marines- some even going down from pierced gorgets and severed tracheas, preventing their normal lungs- or even the tertiary ones from drawing breath. Guns however fare much betterm other shots managing to pierce ceramite and wound the men within, a few more even drop. The rest however instantly turn their weapons on Tir's troops. But the sudden arrival has a heartening effect on morale within the fortress, the gates opening and massive astartes in blue power armor motioning for Tir and followers into cover. Because right now this stalemate has exploded again.     Tanks and artillery open fire just as Maya arrives, pounding the walls relentlessly until a massive break opens. Of course the Iron Warriors react the only way they can when there's a breech.     "Well. Have fun, kids." Honsou grunts, motioning for the fallen segment of wall forming an impromptu entrance for Chaos Marines to start charging into the gunfire of beleagured Guardsmen and Astartes within.     Radios are abuzz. Several thunderhawks will be inbound to evacuate the civilians, but the onslaught has to be held off until then. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     The Union has arrived to bolster the ranks of the Ultramarines. Seeing that puts a broad grin on Crush's face. "Well well! Is looking as if fight will be... rather /interesting/." The big guy brings his hands up and pops knuckles, deciding to simply shove his armor back through his entry portal in the moment before it closes. No point now, he's going to be using his magic to full effect anyway.     "COMRADE IRON WARRIORS!" Crush's voice booms. "I am giving you chance to duck behind enemy lines! Will be short-lived, opportunity for perhaps six or eight men! Be quick when I am opening door!" He COULD go himself, but the bulk of the fighting is mostly going to be out here; the big man will have much more fun outside. THIS, this is just to cause some havoc and destabilize the enemy's defense.     Crush lifts up his right hand, huge palm forward, as if feeling the air for something. His right arm's muscles begin to thrum, glowing softly, and after a second, he seems to find the exact spot in reality he's looking for... only to haul his left arm around and slam that fist into it. WHUD. And then the right. WHUD. Three, four, five, six, seven, and within the outer walls of the Ultramarines' base, that glowing red spiderweb of cracks appears again. And then with an eighth, reality shatters open, creating a hole directly inside. The Iron Warriors will need to be quick to get through. "GO GO GO!" 

:'''{{#var:805|Nonon Jakuzure (805)}} has posed:''' aA Slaaneshi band? Is that what they are at this moment? Perfect. Already Nonon knows exactly how to 'fit in' with the Chaos Marines. Ironically, perhaps Chaos suits her the best. As the music plays, Nonon watches as the soldiers about, and around, are pierced by gunfire and arrows, weaponry of all kinds flying about them - whizzing past. One of them, an arrow in particular, flies towards her hat. Her eyes narrow - the conductor's mace in her hand spinning around quickly, snapping it out of the air and directing it to the side as she glares forwards. The music abruptly stops, the conductor's mace in the air. "Looks like the first part is over." She declares, sourly, before brightening up once more. "We'll just have to make the second half really stick in their memories~." With the note from Honsou that the base is worthy of being 'burned down', and them already slighting her, for the first time since she had been active, "With a one sided-fight like this, why not go straight for the show-stopper~!" With a wink and a twirl of the mace, the hat atop her head glimmers, the three black stars shining for a moment, swirling about her - before the fibers of her clothing completely pop open and swirl about her, lights swallowing her up before the three black stars, growing in size, slam against her. The clothing fibers reform, creating an oddly fitting ensemble, a black body-suit with bones about the front, chest and limbs - with skulls on her shoulders and hat, just like the chaos marines. The instruments from the nearby band swirl as well, wrapping around Nonon from behind, before the fabric swells, snapping around them in an oddly metallic way, a giant heart shaped object forming behind her. "Symphony Regalia Grave!" She beams, like some kind of new chaos weapon! Nonon, strapped into the middle of the front, twirls a conductor's baton now - and takes a moment to watch at what Comrade is doing. "So /that's/ how he does it?" It's quite wonderous, actually! Kind of rediculous, but would you just /look at it/. "Just like I promised Comrade~! National Anthem of the USSR~!" She's starting easy. For a moment, air is sucked into the twenty or thirty foot pink, green and golden heart shaped tank - before a wall of sound eminates outwards for the very STRONG start that it is! It ripples through the air, visible, to impact against the base and projectiles both, as they fly towards them - likely to cause cracks in the building start to form, if nothing else! 

:'''{{#var:321|Tir McDohl (321)}} has posed:'''     "FORWARD!" Tir calls out, motioning for the more armored troops, the trained Union ones, to surge forward and guard the riflemen from the flurry of attacks that follow. It isn't a perfect strategy. Some of them will fall, some of them will stumble from injury. Tir winces at this, but he does have a plan. "MAKE FOR THE DOOR!" There's a brief opening, and he's going to take it, urging his troops forward to reinforce the Ultramarines. It's a small force, so it shouldn't be a burden... but they're fresh, not fatigued, and every bit helps.     On top of that, Tir has a way of providing cover as well! A burst of fire roars out from the ground, the Rage Rune he carries setting up a wall of flames that will hopefully roast some of the first rank going after his men, and delay the marines enough to keep the casualties... well, /relatively/ minimal. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     When the Honnouji Marching Band begins their new choice in music, Crush whirls around in surprise, before his expression morphs to something that could most closely be described as 'a kid on Christmas morning'.     And then, without missing a beat, he begins to sing, in a rich, deep voice. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is arriving just as the Iron Warrior's are heaing for the breach that's when Maya's going to make for it, she's in a better set up to deal with them. While she can't take a beating like the marines on either side can? She's a heck of a lot more agile and she's also packing a Bolter today. The thing is also blessed and she hopes that has some sort of effect. Maya's laying down bolter shots and bouncing about like grashopper as she goes she's just refusing to sit still this might cost her on aim but it makes her a harder target and then Muscle wizardy comes into play.. She may or may not take notice of Nonon but she's just focused on the chaos forces at the moment. She knows Crush is an enemy but he's not a /monster/ right and she's going to withold judgments on Nonon for the moment. 

:'''{{#var:812|Warsmith Honsou (812)}} has posed:'''     So it's kind of an interesting and eclectic assault force. Iron Warriors storming towards the fortress as a behemoth bolshevik cracks open the wall to the tune of the The Motherland's national music. It is a good thing Honsou is wearing his helmet, otherwise there would be no missing the lift of his brow as Nonon activates her Goku Uniform Regalia and she ends up looking like some sort of small Slaaneshi cultist of some kind, sonic force making the walls weaken and crumble further.     Nevertheless, as the wall shatters open, the forces within move to plug it as best they can with the resources they have, and in the chaos of the initial assault thirty Iron Warriors fall. Only twenty two get back up, and only seventeen of that number can actually continue in the fight, while others fill the fresh breach with bolter fire that make the Guardsman either duck their heads or lose them in the new harrying battle to keep the invaders out of the big hole in the defenses. Nevertheless, Tir and Maya's reinforcements are heartily welcome, bolter rounds stymying another push as--     "BURN HERETICS!"     In an instant a MASSIVE figure is back to back with Tir, wearing midnight black armor and a skull-faced helmet, with a massive staff in his own hand.     "I am Chaplain Aramaeus. Are you our support?" 

:'''{{#var:321|Tir McDohl (321)}} has posed:'''     Tir rushes to the man's side, his staff out and whipping about to fend off anyone nearby. He refrains from using more magic at the moment, knowing just enough of this world to know that could be taken poorly. He shouts up, "I am! Sorry for not bringing more, this is all I could find on short notice, but I think they'll do all right!" He motions quickly to the soldiers that made it through, a couple more having lost their way in. All in all, he's trying to minimize casualties though. "ARMOR! Form up and help protect the riflemen! We're doing a holding action here, don't try to be a hero!"     He huffs, a little breathless, and glances over his shoulder at the Chaplain. "My name isn't important. You can call me Schtolteheim Reinbach IV." 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     The hole in reality that leads inside the Ultramarine stronghold only lasts briefly. Enough, as Crush promised, for between six and eight Iron Warriors to make their way inside. After just that brief while, the magic - for magic it indeed is - begins to fade, and reality slowly oozes itself back together, leaving those Iron Warriors completely trapped on the inside of the walls, behind enemy lines. But at least they've got a chance to cause havoc!     However, that's no longer Crush's concern. What IS his concern, is getting in the mix for real. With lasguns and bolters going off all around, he's going to need some armor of his own. And that comes when his two beefy fists are slammed together; from the point of contact, a dense, tough stone begins growing itself over his skin, a graniteskin armor that engulfs his entire body in short order. That seems to be all he cares to worry about, for after that the immense man simply begins wading forward into the front lines of the battle, unconcerned about Tir's wall of fire. He's simply going to walk right into the lines of the enemy and begin laying about himself with his fists, punching any enemy that happens to be within arm's reach with superhuman strength. Ultramarine, Union troops, all of them get a steel-crushing punch.     And the whole time, he's still singing along with Nonon's band. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya moving where she's needed trying to aid the Guard and other defenders where she can. Thankfully she, Tir and Tir's troops seem to be making a difference right now. She comes to a halt as she's reloading the bolter and looks to the Chaplain. "Yes Chaplain Aramaeus we are here to help. I am Maya the junker." She gets Tir's plan over the comm and nods she's going to fall back and take to her powers she does note to the Chaplain however. "You could ... call me a psyker of sorts just keep that in mind as I get into supporting your forces." She's being open and upfront about it, right? Better than catching the people whom they are here to save odd guard. Tir asks her for support and that's what she's going to do. Maya's noe making ready to do just that, she's going to end up buffing the defence of Tir's troops and any guard in rage lessening the physical damage they would take from attacks. 

:'''{{#var:805|Nonon Jakuzure (805)}} has posed:''' With the tank resting on it's laurels, it's not surprising that Nonon is enjoying herself. Especially as the fire towards her seems minimal. Almost as if the opposition doesn't /want/ to shoot her. With Comrade Crush's singing though, Nonon is quite pleased. "Take it you know this one?~" She muses, a smirk on her face - especially as the walls crumble and grow weaker, but not /yet/ playing the tune she wants to hear from them. Eventually it crashes down - and reveals what seems to be their ... leader? He's a pretty big fellow. They're grouping together to form up, to defend. With Comrade Crush charging in, even with his armor, it might be rough. With the different marines as well still taking shots, and what might be their leader showing up, Nonon shakes her head. As the music roars, Nonon twists her hand around, swinging the baton, "Maybe this will floor you!~" The back of the uniform snaps open, a long section into the base lifting upwards for a moment before something shoots out of it. It's a missile - but it's not /quite/. It's actually a flute, but it's whistling all the way across the sky, streaming a trail of smoke as it actually intends to break their defensive formation - or at least help the others get in close. It is actually directed /right/ towards Tir and the Chaplain. Which should answer Maya's question if she is a monster or not. 

:'''{{#var:812|Warsmith Honsou (812)}} has posed:'''     It is a good thing Tir refrains from showing magic and displaying that he is a filthy mutant psyker, though his commands are joined not only by his own men but by a ragtag group of Guardsmen. Exhausted certainly, but battle hardened and still in the fight. "Very well, Reinbach, we hold here until the Thunderhawks arrive." Arameus replies.     Nevertheless the breach through reality allows a small group of Iron Warriors a way in, and the havoc that causes is ENOURMOUS as forces have to divert from the artillery breach from earlier to suddenly have to tend to a threat within the midst of the fortress itself.     The fight by this point has become bloody and protracted, Guardsmen trying to drag their wounded to safety while the bulk of blue armored Astartes fill the gaps as best they can. Still, the men and women in the armed forces of the Emperor are battered aside by Crush's swinging fists, an ultramarine is launched into a nearby wall from a blow that dents ceramite, and Arameus now has the problem of a massive flute-missile inbound, and in a moment he's not exactly back to back with Tir anymore, as the black armored battle priest is launched through a fortified wall. But he starts climbing his way out of it a moment later with a grunt, putting a bolt in an Iron Warrior as he does.     "Just hold. A few... Moments longer." The Chaplain grunts, the silhouettes of several Thunderhawks inbound and ready to land as the guard start working to get the unarmed noncombatants inside the fortress ready to evac. There are a lot of them, but several Techpriests seem to be trying to also evacuate some very important looking machinery. 

:'''{{#var:321|Tir McDohl (321)}} has posed:'''     "Oh come on," Tir sighs, seeing the flute launch. That's going to be a problem. Well, he's already moving, so he just tries to direct his troops to shoot it down if they can while he's rushing forward. They aren't... entirely successful, hitting it before it gets /too/ close but they'll end up taking some damage, possibly incapacitating a few. It's the best he can do while he's trying to take down the other danger on the field, though.     "Hey, Crush!" It's a shout out that's obviously meant as something of a challenge. The challenge comes right before an incoming Tir, leaping for the laughing muscled man with the tip of his staff. The subtle magic of his Killer Rune flares, lending an immense power to that strike to try to at least get Crush's attention. 

:'''{{#var:805|Nonon Jakuzure (805)}} has posed:''' It /is/ a problem. A wonderous musical problem. "It must just be the effect I have on people.~ Always left with their mouth open." Nonon remarks, to herself. The deafening music and the distance, not including the battle as it stands and the array of sounds between them, making it impossible for Nonon to hear anything from the other side. It also means, at least, she isn't heard. There is a positive side for everyone. As the missile detonates overhead, a massive sonic explosion ripples outwards through the air, much like a single heavy drum beat, that apparently gets the Chaplain worst of all and Tir's troops less so. Though Tir's shout is clear, he is not the only one that addresses Crush. "And now, for your listening pleasure, the curtain call~! Today it will be Bella Ciao~!" "Which is perfect, because this is goodbye." She cheerfully states, however crazy she might sound. The music from the tank now comes in streams, locking down against the ground as the musical waves come not as one giant blast of sound but eight seperate streams from each speaker, winding around each other through the sky and then arcing down towards the base, twisting and winding around - it's likely she hits nothing at all, but the blaring music is still there - and Comrade Crush might appreciate it, more-so! 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     Crush turns to look at the sound of someone yelling his name, still singing, until he actually realizes what he's looking at.     "...Oh borscht-" WHUD.     Crush goes right onto his back, his performance ending about the time Nonon's shifts to the finale. When he turns over and pushes himself to his feet, the granite covering along his jawline and one cheek is gone entirely, he's bleeding from a gash on the side of his chin... and he's grinning like a madman.     "Well hello, little man. Is looking as if we are not going to have long for playtime, but nevertheless... LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH PARTING GIFT!"     His body thrumming with magical energy, Crush brings one huge fist up and then SLAMS it down, driving his fist into the ground hard enough to send a visible ripple through it... a ripple that erupts towards Tir without warning. Just feet from his fist, the shockwave suddenly erupts upward into a spread of stone spikes, more and more and more and MORE of them exploding out of the ground in a straight line towards the Rune-bearer. "WAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya has got her answer and she'll act accordingly in the future. For now she's focuing on doing what she can to protect the defenders. The Iron Warrior's are certainly living up to their name here today with the siege they have laying here. Maya is trying to hold out a bit longer now the defenders would find Maya's now using healing ablitiues wounded personel both from the defenders would find their wounds healng, bleeding halting and the like. It's not perfec tbut it could be enough to keep someone in a fight or keep them alive. They would see this blue fire from maya and her holding a pink glowing card in one hand. Nonon is also proving more than just what she is? That she's also quite dangerous she'll have to leave 8it to the others to hold the rest of the seige she's doing what she can to keep things together on her end. Then there's Crush, Oh Fates it's Crush. 

:'''{{#var:812|Warsmith Honsou (812)}} has posed:'''     With a scream of jets and the noxious smell of prometheum, the Thunderhawks arrive on cue, forward mounted weapons scything down Iron Warriors as the aircraft touch down and throw open their doors for the Imperial forces to mount their retreat. It's probably a good thing Tir distracts Crush, though the Muscle Wizard's rippling earth brings a few guardsmen to the ground as they try to scurry away, but honestly the damage here is done, and it IS goodbye. The fortress can be held no longer.     Arameus has fully picked himself up, he and his battle brothers forming a final line of defense so that the Guardsmen and Civilians can get out first, the baleful energies of his Crozius Arcanum swatting an Iron Warrior of Maya as she tends to the wounded, but Nonon's sonic missile leaves many deafened and confused as they stagger into the gunships. For the record, there is plenty of room on the Thunderhawks for Maya, Tir, and the men Tir brought with him.     All while Honsou watches from the lines of his trenches. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He decides in a rumble to himself.     This was the last bastion on this planet, the last populous area that needed evactuation, so getting the defenders out means a lot of lives were saved, at the cost of an old fortress. 

:'''{{#var:321|Tir McDohl (321)}} has posed:'''     So, the good news is that Tir's attack got Crush's attention! The bad news is that Tir's attack got Crush's attention! "Uh..." The Runebearer hurls himself back just in time to keep from getting messily impaled on numerous spikes, but not quite in time to keep himself from ending up with several rocky spires tearing into his legs and arms, and the shockwave hurling him backward, forcing him to land in a hard tumble that slams into the ground and rolls several times.     In a flash, the staff-wielder is up on his feet again, ready to continue the fight despite bleeding in several places. Fortunately, he doesn't have to! With a glance at the thunderhawks, he motions for his men to follow and makes for the nearest transport. "Sorry, Crush! Another day, perhaps!" Not that he ever intends to actually have a serious fight with the man. He'd rather be asleep under the sun or something. 

:'''{{#var:220|Comrade Crush (220)}} has posed:'''     Crush comes back up to a proper stand just in time to see his opponent leaping onto a Thunderhawk to retreat. It's tempting to keep going, to throw a fireball or try to rip off an engine or maybe even to just flat-out cast Fist. But Tir seems to have guts - and that's something that can't be said about just anyone!     So as the Rune-bearer jets off, Crush lets out a deep belly laugh, giving his foe a half-sarcastic, half-genuine wave before turning to his allies.     And beginning a one-man round of applause for the Honnouji students capable of such stirring battle performance. 

:'''{{#var:805|Nonon Jakuzure (805)}} has posed:''' With the troops in full retreat, Nonon's uniform once more snaps apart, fibers unwraveling as the back of the uniform opens, the instruments floating back to the students in the band that had traveled with her. As she returns to her pink drummer like uniform, bowing to those in retreat, one hand behind her back, the other in front. The band she had brought claps, as they do, though their instruments never touch the ground. There is also outwards applause, from Comrade Crush, that causes Nonon's head to rise, a wide smile across her face as she regains her composure - from the sudden bitter conversation she had behind the billowing music~. She is always happy to please a fan of her work!~ 

}}

2397/What My World Is Missing

2015-06-09T05:21:37Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/06/07 |Location=Ar Tonelico |Synopsis=Exploring an old Tenba facility, people find things that no one Reyvateil should experience. |Thanks= |C..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/06/07
|Location=Ar Tonelico
|Synopsis=Exploring an old Tenba facility, people find things that no one Reyvateil should experience.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=248, 253, 415, 495, 642, 705, 707, 747, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Weeks ago, in the dark side streets and lesser travelled alleyways of Firefly Alley...     "Hello little girl, would you like to buy some Kitty Candy? It's only twelve leaf a piece."     "I don't care about the price, I could eat a whole bucket full~."     By this point, Spica Niel knows when Misha Arsellec Lune comes to see her, the small Reyvateil isn't around for the candy, and the silver haired information broker casts a wry grin at the smaller dark haired girl. "Okay, Misha. I'm guessing this isn't about Dives today."     "I need to speak to Ayano, at Tenba. I want you to arrange a meeting."     "Well someone sure is bossy~."     "Spica please. It's important."     Today, beneath the darkest pits of Firefly Alley, the Tenba Corporation is out in force. Men in light suits of purple-ish armor, and technological looking helmets, carying energized backpacks and rayguns, Men in heavier armor with swords and lances, girls in light but rugged robes, all mill about an old secret facility no longer in operation.     Firefly Alley, for those who don't know it, is a floating city, held aloft by the Tenba company's generators and attached vaguely to the tower by chewed bubblegum, rubber bands, and a wish.     Misha is here, of course, chatting with a much taller woman in black armor, wearing an eye patch, who seems to be idly directing the Tenba security force, who are-- wholly non-hostile to arrivals. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber had told Misha outright that any time she even remotely needed his help, he'd come and help her. And, in order to help combat what he suspected the monster in her Cosmosphere to be, Psyber is going to hold himself to that agreement. And thus, here he is. He's approaching the meeting point with a cigarette in his mouth and exhaling a trail of smoke behind him as he goes.     Deceptively underarmed, he only has a pad of paper on his jacket pocket and a holstered gun at his side as he yawns and approaches the meeting point. For a moment, he's tempted to address Ayano by name, but he hasn't met this iteration yet and it would only raise awkward questions. Thus, he simply says, "Misha. Maam." And then nods his head gently.     "I'm here to fill in as private security for Misha," He explains blandly as he drops the cigarette to the ground and snuffed us under foot. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon al Cid promised that he would aid Misha whenever he could. Today may be the last time he has a chance to do so, at least for the forseeable future. With war looming on the horizon for Galianda, with his personal life entangled in diplomacy and the chains of nobility, Landon's thoughts are most certainly elsewhere, but the promises of an al Cid are promises kept.      Not that you'd know his distraction from looking at him. He arrives as he always does, a gentle smile on his face, an air of radiant nobility and gentility wrapped around him like the purple cape and silver armor he wears off-world at the behest of his family. The handsome prince shows no signs of the chains of nobility that tug at his arms and legs, no signs of the strain and stress and exhaustion that berates him at every turn. He is here to help a lady he promised his aid to. He will do so.      Landon places his hand over his heart as he arrives. "Good day, my lady," he greets Misha politely. No kiss on the hand this time, though other new ladies he hasn't met will receive that gentle hand-kiss greeting unless they obviously reject it. New gentlemen he hasn't met receive a firm, gauntleted handshake.      Ayano Raizer Elduke receives a bit more of Landon's gaze, but no more than is polite.      He's got a thing for white hair.      "It is my sincerest hope that I can be of use to you once again." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Yay, Firefly Alley! Riva likes this place even if it's a bit ramshackle. It's part of the charm, really. It has a kind of soul to it. Riva never expected to be entering the underside of Firefly Alley. This seems like the kind of thing that you'd only be doing IF IT WAS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED due to the whole 'floty things here' aspect of the exercise. Riva arrives, smiling and weaponless, her Abstractum at her side (since she carries it literally everywhere she goes), and with another handful of candy. She munches pleasantly as she arrives, waving to Misha with her free hand. "Hey Miiiiiisha!" She calls, approaching. "What's going on in this thread?" While she offers Misha and the rest of the team some of her stash again, she looks to the older woman and smiles, giving her a wave as well. "Hello! Nice to meet you! Name's Riva." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     After yesterday's debacle, getting a bit of fresh air is a refreshing change. It's hard for the air not to be fresh up here in Firefly Alley, considering that it's flying several hundred meters off the surface of a planet. Reiji offered to lend Misha a hand, and so he's gladly braving the perilous altitude. It helps that the First Tower is a genuinely fascinating place full of genuinely fascinating people, places and things. Reiji's as much a tourist as he is an escort today. But first, business.     Ayano's outfit illicits a slight quirk of Reiji's eyebrow, but he's not here alone, so he says no more. "Misha, ma'am," the exorcist inclines his head toward the two women, "Good to see you." He turns his head toward the largely abandoned structure, then, "Is this that old laboratory you were talking about?" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Misha needed to visit a place! She asked for allies to be there.     Kazusa Ujikane has no idea why they're visiting, and only barely knows Misha by voice, but it's still an ally needing help!     ...and maybe a chance to see some really cool and different offworld place.     So Kazusa is here! Her hands in the pockets of her cardigan, the girl walks through Firefly Alley with wide eyes, more than a little amazed at the scenery. "Whoooaaa... it's really cool here. Kind of a 'rough and tough' sort of feel. I bet there's been some cool mobster stories here at some point." She'd be a more lost in Firefly Alley, but there are plenty of weird uniformed people to follow - and then there's Psyber, who stands out in a crowd! "Aa-! Psyber!" She waves on her brief jog over, and then looks between the angel, the newly-arrived Landon and Riva, and the reyvateil they're both addressing.     "So you're Misha, then. It's good to meet you!" Glasses are adjusted in a way that suggests 'I'm trying to be stylish'. "Kazusa Ujikane, card power copier!"     A beat passes.     "Er, um. I copy powers with cards, I don't- it's not a 'power to copy cards' or 'copying the powers of cards'." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad has been here once before, on his first Dive. But, still, he is in awe at the wonderous city. He does his best not to look around like a tourist, though. But it's fairly hard. Especially considering that he has a bit of a heroic glow to him, emitting a soft light that /totally/ isn't just a way to make himself look more impressive. And he is especially not trying to show up Landon. Nope, not at all. Seriously.      Fassad simply nods to most present. He bows slightly to Misha. While Landon is not taking her hand for a kiss in greeting again, Fassad does move to take her hand, and kiss once again. "A pleasure to see you, once again, lady Misha." And, if the eyepatched woman doesn't back away from it, he would of course try to kiss her hand too, saying, "And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, miss....? Ah! But let me introduce myself. I am Prince Fassad, from the Kingdom of Arcadia, in a far off region of the Multiverse."      Of note, as he speaks to both of these two, his teeth are sparkling a little bit in the light. Totally not trying to show off.      As Kazusa arrives, Fassad bows and takes her hand to kiss, as well. He is, of course, trying to do this before Landon can have the chance. "Ah, lady Ujikane. A pleasure to meet you in person. I have heard you, once or twice, on the radio."      And then he stands, listening. His cape flowing in the wind slightly. If there is no wind, he'll use minor magical cantrips to make it blow a bit. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Not being entirely sure what sort of city Firefly Alley would be, nor how they'd react to an obvious non-human, Xiaomu decided to dress the part of a mysterious wanderer, a brown cloak draped about her with a hood over her head - not hiding her face, but keeping her ears and hairtails covered up from casual inspection. (Granted, there's a slightly noticeable bulge behind her head, but long, full hair could make that kind of bulge too.) The robe has the convenient side benefit of hiding her clothes, although she's less worried about *that*; she's also sporting one of those big straw hats, which goes nicely with her staff. Behind the hat and hood, she's looking about alertly, and sticking close to Reiji, while nodding or bowing her head to the people she recognizes ... which includes a fairly reassuring number of people. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Having not met Misha before in person, and having little idea of the state of her world asides from what she'd heard over the radio at times, Scarlet, rather than having admirable, personal reasons for being here, is present simply to familiarize herself and see what kind of stake she could want to hold in the affair. It's a chance to help a valued Union member without diving head first into a battlefield, a chance to get her foot in the door in the higher machinations of another world, and a good way to learn first hand what exactly is going on with her allies.     Though having dressed semi-formally, the style mark Scarlet has gone for is well, well of what she sees the taller woman wearing, which is fair enough considering she doesn't even own anything like that to wear in the first place. She's come more than prepared with her usual, dematerialized entourage of wards and familiars, and with the perception altering magic cranked to a steady, even background, just set to such a range that provokes malleably positive snap judgements from looking at her. A short round of introductions are in order, or rather, demanded by Landon deciding to greet people by a kiss on the hand (a gesture she has no reason to reject), and so she greets Landon, Fassad, Xiaomu, Reiji, and of course Misha with her usual, before finally rounding on the woman with a vague, culture-indepedant bowing motion, just to be safe. "And a pleasure to meet you too. Scarlet Everille, but you can call me by whichever name you like. May I ask your relation to our friend here, or would that be impolite?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Ah, people are starting to show up. Despite some apparent bad memories from the Dive sessions, it seems these particular on duty guards and girls are actually very courteous, polite, and direct people towards Misha if need be, and so the group amasses.     The mysterious silver-haired woman accepts not just one, but both Landon and Fassad kissing her hand, earning something of a wry grin. She's an older woman, perhaps in her fifties-- maybe even pushing into her sixties, but it's clear she's seriously taken care of herself, considering she looks like she could punch out a bear. But, for someone apparently so esteemed, she flashes a very genuine smile. So everyone's probably curious who she is huh?     "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Ayano. Ayano Raizer Elduke, president of the Tenba corporation."     She says this as naturally as though she's been at the job for years- which she probably has, "Misha told me she needed access here and that she'd like to bring some friends along, so I'm cracking the locks open as a favor for an old friend."     Misha herself is looking a little nervous again, fidgeting at the hem of a heavier duty set of robes that seems better suited to dungeon delving than 'little black cocktail dresses'. But once everyone is gathered, she takes a breath and steels herself. Some people she obviously knows, flashing a sheepish grin at Psyber, Reiji, Xiaomu, Riva, Landon, and Fassad when they once again turn up to help her at nearly no personal gain. Kazusa and Scarlet however are new faces, "Aheh... It's nice meeting you both. Thanks for coming on such short notice."     Though mention of mobster stories earns a somewhat sad look from Ayano. "You'd be surprised. I actually closed this facility down for something of that very reason. Those were darker times for Tenba, and everyone involved was. Dismissed without severance." With a surprisingly strong thrust of her elbow however, she DENTS the sliding metal doors and begins to proceed prying apart what must be a ton of rusted metal. "Now, this Facility's been in disrepair for about... Five, six years. be VERY careful in there. I've tasked a pair of my best Reyvateils to join you on this little trip, so take care of them and the girls will take care of you. There's an old walkway that connects the facility to the main tower so, who knows what could have gotten inside."     Speaking of those two Reyvateils, they step forward. One is a younger girl with a shy smile, maybe fourteen or fifteen, with blonde hair and scarlet eyes, in a dark outfit     The other is a woman in her thirties, with auburn hair, green eyes, and an ostentatious blue and white dress.     "So take care of Destiny and Yuria for me, yeah~?"     Once the doors pry open a wash of musty stale air flushes out. The entry point is dark- after years of lacking power, and already the place looks overgrown with weeds and plants that have creeped in from the main tower. Old machinery- unused and unloved- sits inactive and rusted as three paths are laid out, a door to the north, a hall to the west, and stairs heading down, to the east. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Kazusa is greeted with a kiss to the back of her hand. This is enough to make the girl blush brightly, completely at a loss for how to react to this gesture. "I, u-uh, hi there?" What do you even say to that?! Kazusa has never had to respond to a kiss on the back of her hand before. D:     Oh hey look a distraction, Misha is talking! Thank you for saving me, Misha. "N-no problem! I'm really curious to see what all is going on here, and I'll help however I can." She's listening to Ayano's story with rapt fascination when there's a sudden elbow-slam that makes her just about jump out of her skin. "Whoa, strong..." she murmurs, more to herself than anyone in particular.     But- oh hey they have guides. Kazusa gives both Destiny and Yuria a very polite bow, and a greeting of, "I'll be in your care~!" before falling into place alongside Yuria. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji hasn't met Landon before, which is admittedly somewhat odd, given that they've spoken on the radio several times by now. Still, the multiverse is a big place, and meeting in-person can be rare, sometimes. He takes the prince's hand in a firm handshake, releasing it before turning his head to regard Ayano again.     Certain people have history with stunning, silver-haired vixens. This one is not that one, and Reiji doesn't hold it against her. "Reiji Arisu, exorcist of the Shinra organization," he introduces himself, bowing his head slightly. "It's a pleasure, ma'am Elduke. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to assist us today."     Reiji has been around the block enough to know that older women who still rock clothes like that are not entities that you want to take lightly. The fact that Ayano is able to punch a dent in a solid, metal door with her elbow is nothing but confirmation of something Reiji has known since he was very young. "Whatever happened here is mostly ancient history now, right?" He asks, peering into the darkness beyond the siliding doors as if scrutinizing some invisible creature deep within, "Except what we're looking for, that is. And whatever might've taken up residence in here since."     Reiji turns his attention toward the other two Reyvateils, and inclines his head again in greeting. But... "Misha," he says, moving toward Misha's flank thus indicating his choice of Reyvateil through simple positioning, "Let us know where we need to go, alright?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:''' "Have you fired Bourd Rade yet?" Psyber asks almost immediately once Ayano has introduced herself. There's no hesitation or pause in the question and it's delivered with an almost accusatory tone. As if asking unspoken 'If you haven't fired Bourd Rade, why not?'. He looks to Ayano and seems curious as to her answer. He's not mad at her, just wondering.     Other people get their own versions of greetings. Landon, whom he hasn't seen since fighting Gwyndolin, gets a nod of Psyber's head. Scarlet and Riva and Xiaomu all get half-casual waves tossed their way. Kazusa gets a hand extending and patting the top of her head a couple times. Fassad, whom Psyber doesn't know either way, doesn't get much greeting. Reiji gets the most friendly one, though, as Psyber takes out a pack of lucky strikes and extends it towards him, offering the exorcist a cigarette.     Like Reiji, Psyber moves to Misha's other flank and puts his hands in his coat pockets, "I'll stick with the reyvateil I know, no offense to you fine ladies." Psyber smiles at the other two girls before looking down at Misha, "I'm ready to go when you are." 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "So you copy powers, huh?" Xiaomu asks Kazusa, grinning. "Sounds pretty cool, you oughta show me sometime! If you think my powers'd be handy, you can go ahead and collect a copy ..." She trails off, glancing around once again at the others and waving to Misha with a grin ... and then Ayano speaks to the group, and Xiaomu listens for a bit. For all that the heavy cloak is probably very well-suited to dungeon delving, Xiaomu is abruptly surrounded by a poof of yellowish smoke (although it smells sort of like buttercups for some reason), leaving her in her usual qipao and vest, with what looks to be her typical combat/adventuring gear (particularly including the staff, the most visible part of her equipment that isn't clothing). "Yeah, I'm sticking with Reiji, so I'll be with Misha too ... hope you don't mind!" she grins, half-apologetically. She also strikes a brief pose, as if for the benefit of either Kazusa or Fassad ... and spares a short-lived glare at Psyber, "Do you know how hard I've been trying to get him to QUIT?" 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad smiles at Ayano, once again. "Ah, a pleasure to meet you, lady Elduke. You must be quite a woman, to be in charge of such a prestigous corporation." He doesn't know whether or not it is actualy prestigious. But at a guess, it probably is.      He also gives a look towards Kazusa. The blush and the loss to react is actually incredibly wonderful. Fassad /really/ likes that sort of reaction in a woman. It makes him seem like far more of a Prince when people are flustered by his actions! This actually is likely to help him choose which Reyvatail to travel with as well. He was, originally, considering going with Misha. But, considering that Reiji is going with her, which means Xiaomu will as well? That pushes him away from going with Misha. Because those two think of him as fools, and he does not want to be embarrased in front of his allies any further. In fact he pointedly ignores Xiaomu's comment and pretends she didn't say it.      And so, he moves over to Yuria, smiling at her. He does the same hand-kiss to her as well, unless stopped, "A pleasure to meet you as well, m'lady. I will do all within my power to keep you safe within here." 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     President of a corporation, and friends with the Unionite she's helping. Scarlet really does know how to pick these missions. "Likewise~" she says to Misha. "It's no trouble. If I have an open day, anything goes." She jumps as Ayano's elbow smashes into the solid steel door, magically smoothed out to be just barely noticeable so that she can then watch her pry the aperture apart with her bare hands with an expression that is calmly impressed. "Understood. We'll do our best." She may or may not have originally said "I'll do my best", but, semantics.     She looks between the two Revyateils with a critically examining eye, superficially looking as if she's trying to determine which of the two is more capable, but really only just sizing them up for who seems to have the more passive personality. It seems pretty obvious at first glance, and so she steps over to the blonde, waving with an unguarded little smile. "They're in capable hands~" Without actually being prompted, she takes the girl by the hand and steers her over to the entrance, walking ahead of her as if she's the pushy native. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Introductions are made and a choice is presented. Riva considers the situation without saying much, but she does wince as the rusty obstruction gets dented with a casual strike. Either the place is THAT busted down, or she is THAT strong. Either way, it doesn't change Riva's operating procedure. She looks between Misha and the other two Reyvateils, her gaze going back to Misha for a considering moment, and then to Destiny and Yuria. And then she looks at who's going with who. Without too much prompting, she smiles to Yuria. "I've got your back." She says, pleasantly. Is she expecting trouble, or is she expecting Fassad to be Fassad? She's not saying. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The direct mention of Bourd Rade earns an immeidate hard look. It's nearly a scowl breaking through the older woman's genuinely friendly demeanor. That name clearly doesn't bring up good memories. "He was the first to go, I made sure of that personally. Where he went after that, I lost track over the years." But then she shrugs. "I'd go in with you if I could, but the board would throw a fit if I got into danger. It's really boring. I miss the thrill of a good dungeon. But I'm not as young as I used to be."     With that, she leaves the groups to divide themselves as they see fit and filter on in. But both Misha and Yuria give a mild pause at the door threshold, Misha's more nervous, while Yuria remains steely and composed, and simply looking as though she were idly poring over old memories in her head. But there seems to be no offense taken by the other Reyvateils as the groups organize. Destiny does not have such a moment, and even if she did, it wouldn't be long when Scarlet takes her by the hand, earning a quiet murmured "A-ah...", before the blonde follows along easily.     "I didn't think I'd ever want to come back here." Misha mutters as she shuffles on in. Yuria's seemingly cold wall breaks into an easy smile at Kazusa and Fassad though, "More like I'll be in your care. But I'm sure we'll work together just fine." The entrance looks like an old loading area for vehicles and supplies, one truck-like rig sits in a corner, rusted through complete disuse over the years, and sweeping motion of her hand and the older Reyvateil indicates the chamber and its three paths, the stairs down, the closed door, and the dark forboding hall. "This is actually the back entrance to the facility. The main one was sealed completely by a weapons malfunction about six or seven years ago." Misha immediately flashes something of a cheeky little look at that, but Yuria taps her chin, "If I'm guessing right, what we're looking for should be closer to the lower levels of the facility. That Rade dragged girls into kicking and screaming."     Misha's grin drops entirely.     That probably doesn't help the gloom of the empty facility at all, the only light coming from the busted door, motes of dust floating chokingly in the air from Ayano's impact, but from deeper within, down the old stairs is a sudden CLANK of motion. Destiny immediately looks much more nervous, but stands her ground, squeezing on Scarlet's hand a little. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad pauses. A glance is given to Misha, and towards Yuria. Girls were drug to the lower levels against their will? Misha has been here before? A frown appears on his face for a second, but it quickly turns to a smile. Sure, this place is dreadful. But, at the least, he himself is a light to shine against the darkness. Metaphorically and literally.      "...Misha...? What are we after in here?"      Whether she answers or not, he'll move to the staircase, and look dwon. He draws his sword and his shield, smiling as he looks down. "Ah! Let us seek our adventure down here, then! We shall certainly find what we are looking for down here!"      He makes a bit of a flourish with his sword. He also ups the level of light he emits, just slightly. Yay, actual /practical/ use for making himself glow. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     To Xiaomu, Kazusa offers a bright smile. "Well, it's a little more complicated than just borrowing whatever, but if it'll work, I'd really appreciate that! We'll have to try it when all my cards work again."     The nerdy girl's response to Yuria is a similarly cheerful, "Well, until I use my cards, I'm just a normal girl! So let's both look after each other~." Amicable relationship of mutual polite social caretaking go. Of course, her cheerful mood is soured just a tad by the notion that girls were dragged in here kicking and screaming.     Indeed, even with Riva and Fassad present, Kazusa remains a little more subdued, hands still in her pockets. She sticks closer to Yuria, but looks around with interest at the very least, trying to get an idea of what they need to be doing. "Ah, yeah, if what we're looking for is downstairs, that's probably the best bet. ...This world doesn't have ghosts, though, does it?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "This Bourd Rade guy," Xiaomu asks quietly. "He was fired for dragging girls into those lower levels, right? And then he dropped off the radar completely ..." She trails off, propping her staff against her shoulder as she draws one of her handguns (namely Silver), checks it over, and makes certain that a round is ready in the chamber before clicking the safety on and re-holstering her weapon. Then she checks her other handgun (Platinum), going through the same process. While she's doing that, Fassad calls stairs. Xiaomu's ears flick briefly, but she looks among the options. "Mmm. How fast will we be able to rendezvous if one group runs into trouble they can't handle alone? Although, I'm sure Fassad is totally capable of holding his own against a maniac who thought nothing of the sanctity of the human body ..." She doesn't SOUND like she's being sarcastic. Doesn't LOOK like it either, to judge from her face ... although Reiji probably can attest to Xiaomu's poker skills. The sage fox looks to Misha, Reiji, and Psyber. "What do you all think?" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Ah, the humble cigarette. Cause of so many hardships. How can one little cylinder of vegetable matter be so reviled? Well, possibly because the things cause cancer. Reiji looks like he's right about to take the thing, but his eyes flicker towards Xiaomu as she objects. "Maybe later," Reiji says, demurring- wisely, perhaps- for now. Never a good idea to go out of your way to aggravate a lady, after all.     As they move into the facility, it becomes obvious that this 'Bourd Rade' guy was definitely some flavor of Terrible Person. Reiji categorically objects to the concept of hauling innocent people around against their will- especially if they also happen to be little girls. Well. Wherever they find what they're looking for, it won't be without a bit more light than they presently have.     As if in reply to the sound down below, there's a sudden /FWOOSH/ of fire as Karin comes away from its sheath. Flame dances around the enchanted blade, the sword serving as a makeshift torch. He looks to Xiaomu as she asseses Fassad's capabilities, but says nothing himself. Not yet, anyway. "Misha's been here before," Reiji says with a shrug, "I'll follow her, wherever she thinks we aught to go." 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet has no idea who Bourd Rade is, but Ayano's reaction puts an immediate contextual tone on the proceedings. It's something she should ask Psyber later. She withholds the obligatory flattery for the woman's age, even if it would actually be well deserved for her in particular. It doesn't seem like the place or the time, especially when Yuria manages to make things even darker. She looks over to Fassad's group, not quite sure whether or not to be glad that he had chosen the obvious route before it could come to votes.     "I see. Well, there's no sense in all taking the same route. We have three groups and three obvious ways forward. We'll be fine taking the one ahead of us." she says, speaking for Destiny, tugging her along towards the darkened corridor before the girl can get a word in edgewise. It seems that Scarlet values being in control more than the wisdom of someone actually familiar subject, or it would if not for the fact that she's making an active attempt to recolour her behaviour as simple, overflowing confidence. Rather than conjuring some sort of magical light source, she simply engages the diode at the throat of her smartcollar, illuminating a 120 degree cone in front of her with plain, electrical luminescence. Practicality. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Just so you're aware," Psyber says in a cold tone filled with venom, "If I come across him again, I'll probably kill him." He delivers this statement factually to the President before he nods at Reiji and then puts the cigarettes back into his jacket. Xiaomu gets a gentle grin, "Sorry. Force of habit. If you smoke, you offer to the other smokers in the room."     Psyber draws his own pistol a few moments later and flicks off the safety, gripping it in his hands as he looks to Misha. He responds to Xiaomu, "If he's here..." He pauses for a long few moments and then shakes his head, "He wouldn't be able to match our present force, even divided. In the worst case, he'd be able to be held off until a rendevous. In the best case, he'll run across me and I'll break him."     His hand grips down on the gun a bit more and it creaks in his grasp. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon listens, politely, because one of the most important skills as a diplomat is listening to other people and not voicing your opinions. It works well in this case, because other people are talking around him, and frankly Landon is grateful for the all-too-brief break from Diplomacy-as-a-tool. He listens, and he follows, and for the moment he is content.      Scarlet picks a route for himself, Scarlet, and Destiny, and Landon nods. "That seems amenable. If you don't mind, my lady, I am quite proficient at defense; would you care to have me go ahead of you in case of traps or enemies?"      Indeed, decked out in his heavy plate mail, with his huge, glowing sword in one hand, he looks all the world like a human tank. That is, of course, the main role of the Judge Job, after all: defending people.      "I should rather you two not get hurt."      Unless Scarlet or Destiny particularly object, Landon moves in front, a weird little card-shaped object in his free gauntlet. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Flame swords, collar liights, and HEROIC BACKLIGHTING make the oppressive gloom of the old facility peel back by a degree, but even this barely deep in comes the foreboding sense of being watched as the three groups break apart to explore the different paths.     "It's... Something important. You'll know it when you see it, but if it's not here, then maybe just... A clue where it went." Misha replies in regards to what exactly the group seeks. Before quietly adding: "When Ayano says she fired him, she means she broke every bone in his body and burning his employment files. He still got away though." Though even Misha looks a little hesitant at Psyber's voiced intent to kill Bourd- even if the man was clearly that horrible of a bastard.     Yuria follows along easily as the Kazusa, Fassad, Riva trio start down the stairs. Said stares are old, rusted through completely in some places, and a trip could easily cost someone terrible injury from the corroded, brittle, and sharp edges, though the Reyvateil doesn't have much issue getting around in her high heels. "It's a big facility. Once we split up from each other we'll be cut off. It's why the President had us go in with you to ensure proper support. This way leads down to the old reactor. If it's still functional maybe we can get power back in some parts- at least enough for doors and some lightning." Explained as the group reaches the lower level. Something probably goes squish, with a terrible dying squeal under someone's boot, as the chamber below reeks of an ancient humid musk. There's more light here, dim from cracks in the walls and ceiling where the sun shines through, revealing rich and verdant plantlife overgrown on the walls and floor, strangling ancient machinery and old panels as something shifts almost imperceptibly in the shadows with a chitter. It looks like this room was once a worker's lounge of some sort, old chairs flecked with mold, a few tables, and a broken down vending machine nearby. But with a CLANK, the nearby door slams shut, as if there was something- or someone here.     The hall is as dark and foreboding as can be expected, and Destiny seems to not mind Landon taking to the fore at all, keeping herself just a little bit behind Scarlet still. "Is it a bad time to say this is my first time out in the field?" She admits quietly, before adding: "But I'll do my best." Given with a quiet determination that says she's not just going to let herself be dead weight. Pipes, heavily rust-eaten, line the walls and ceilings, the floors laced with cracks and unloved by time, it eventually leads to a half open blast door. It's wide enough to squeeze through, but the room beyond is full of a different kind of machinery. Powered down walker-like constructs sit in place, slumbering eternally, each bristling with gatling guns and chainsaw arms that say they were clearly weapons of war at one point. Though a pair of icy blue eyes peeking out in the darkness are probably not the most welcoming sight, as they turn and pad away, stalking silently through the murk.     Which leaves Misha's group. The door is... Locked. But it's a problem that's easily fixed as the Star Singer pulls a pin from her hair. "Just a second." It takes her maybe five seconds to crack what looks to be a simple lock, before lightly nudging the door open with her boot. "If I remember right, this was the way Lyner and I used to escape, six years ago. It's funny. He came to rescue me, and I ended up bailing him out." She pauses however when something beyond snarls quietly-- and decides to subtly sliiiiide herself behind Psyber and Reiji. "The holding cells should be a little further in."     Holding cells?     "This wasn't a nice place."     No, no it was not, as the next room is a drab stock and storage chamber, tins and bags of old supplies left to rot over the years on various racks, a single emergency light shining over a window large enough to crawl through into the commissary, before it finally dies out after six years of flickering power. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva folds her arms at the mention of the sins of Bourd Rade. "Well, good riddence to bad rubbish then." She escorts Yuria, walking next to her while keeping an eye on her companions. Kazusa's subdued nature causes a quizzical look for a moment, but she doesn't comment immediately. "Don't worry about ghosts. I've punched a few." Riva says. Okay, so she did comment. With a warping of space, Riva turns and pulls a large hammer out of her Agartha conduit, the huge anchor-shaped Ajoran holy symbol-turned-hammer resting in her hands. Inlays glow red-gold as she channels some Anima into the weapon in preparation for potential combat. You can never be too careful. When they head down the stairs, Riva leads the way, carefully navigating them as they head down. A spill might cost someone a concussion /and/ tetanus down here. "Getting power back sounds like an awesome idea." Riva says, nodding. However, when they get down to the lower levels, Riva wrinkles her nose at the overgrown, infested lounge. "Well, uh... This is certainly a statement." She says, "Something something nature finds a way something." The sudden CLANK of the door shutting causes Riva to jump and turn towards the door, surprise clear on her face, but she steps forward, poking at the door to see if she can open it. "Watch you backs people. That wasn't a ghost, but it sure could be something hungry." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     With his free hand, Psyber takes a flashlight out of his pocket and starts to shine it around, "I'm glad to hear Ayano took the problem he posed seriously. I never got to see that resolved the last time I met you," Psyber says to Misha candidly. It might give her some context to this grudge: Psyber has seen Bourd mess with Misha twice now. He's not a happy camper.     "Lyner is a good guy. You should take the fact that he came to a place like this to get you as a sign of how much you mean to him," Psyber comments off-handedly as he shines the light around the room. His other hand holds his gun tightly, trudging through the holding area and trying to inspect crates and remnants for any clues.     "Look for forms. Storage records and transfer orders. That kind of thing," He suggests. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      While Fassad is fearful of mud and dirt, in an environment such as a dungeon, he can at least tolerate the mess somewhat. It's expected. But this place, so run down, even with plantlife in it? Fassad is one step away from freaking out, just a bit.      Fassad of course is trying to take the lead. He glances back at Kazusa, Riva, and Yuria. He smiles still, speaking bravely, "Simply stay behind me, and I shall protect us from danger!"      And of course Riva then immediately goes to poke at the door. Fassad tries not to sigh. /He/ is supposed to be the one taking the heroic lead here!      Still, though, he shouts out, calling out to whatever creature, man or otherwise, closed the door.      "Halt! We are a group of four adventurers, seeking something within these ruins! We seek to bring Light and Power back here, so that our ally might find that which she needs, that which might be lose within these! Open the door, and show yourself. So says I, Prince Fassad, the Hero of Light, who pierces through the darkest darkness!"      He is positively beaming with light now, illuminating the room to the fullest.      Of course this is a waste if whatever closes the door is a wild animal that doesn't speak or something akin to that. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Sounds like she doesn't mess around," Reiji muses, making his way into the room beyond the locked door. Karin's firelight flickers warmly against the nearby walls, illuminating a small radius of Dungeon around the exorcist. "I'd say I was impressed that this Bourd guy survived having that many bones broken, but I admit, he kind of sounds like an asshole." A really /awful/ asshole, at that.     "I'll keep an eye out," he nods to Psyber-- just as SOMETHING announces its displeasure, deeper in the facility. Maybe something in the holding cells that got loose? Reiji frowns, his grip on his sword tightening somewhat. "Watch for movement," he whispers, "Sounds like we aren't exactly alone, up here."     Reiji's offhand is occupied by his mobile arsenal, but it doesn't stop him from scanning over tables, barrels and shipping manifests. Using this many weapons at once means he's one hell of a multitasker! 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu's nose wrinkles at the whiff of years-old rotted food; it's only by a severe effort that she doesn't sacrifice a hand to just *hold* her nose shut against the stench. "Well, we know his ass wasn't in *here*," she remarks wryly to her companions. And the emergency light goes out virtually as soon as she even has the chance to LOOK at it. Not spooky at all. Fortunately, she's got decent night vision, so as long as it's not TOTALLY dark, her eyes should adjust for a moment or so. She's mostly keeping the rings atop her staff quiet, although the commissary window has her slightly curious; she moves quietly in that direction, depending on a mix of memory and instinct to help her avoid stumbling over or bumping into anything. If she can pick up on any movement that isn't one of her allies, she'll try to point it out to them. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "Well, at least we know we'll be able to take care of ourselves," Kazusa says. They've got Riva, Fassad and Yuria all here, and if it comes down to it she's got both her active cards on hand as well. If things get dangerous, they can handle it. "...kind of creepy for a reactor area, though," she observes. No place that's been overgrown like this is ever really welcoming. It feels like the kind of place where humanity has long lost its hold on the world, and...     ...wait, hang on a second...     "It's really overgrown here," she observes in reply to Riva, surprisingly only a little perturbed by the slamming door. "/Too/ overgrown. Places don't get strangled by this much vegetation in less than a decade." Except that this is a different world; a thought which prompts her to turn to Yuria. "Do they?" Fassad seems to have the door well-handled, though. So that's good? 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet looks incredibly pleased with Landon's sense of decorum and chivalry. He's the exact type of person she enjoys surrounding herself with in situations like these. He'd even made the effort on his own initiative rather than having to be subtly pushed into the role. "I'd be more than happy to have the help." she replies. "As much as I'd hope we wouldn't need it, I expect there's a good chance we will." She obliges by slowing down enough to let him go ahead, staying a little bit behind his heavily armoured profile. After all, if he wants to take a bullet for her, why should she say no?     Her reaction to Destiny is considerably less favourable. Her thoughts follow the line of "Well that's just typical. I got the useless one.", but nothing about her countenance reflects them, instead affecting a patient and understanding expression as she releases the girl's hand and pats her gently on the head instead. "I'm sure you will! After all, we'll be relying on you to tell us what we're looking at." At least she can hopefully tap the Revyateil for local knowledge.     The next room doesn't seem to need much explaining. It's very clearly a hangar for military machines, all of which look exceedingly dangerous, putting some perspective on what exactly it is that Tenra does. What does need an explanation however, are the eyes that shine out from the dark, and Scarlet isn't about to let them go unquestioned. She pauses for a moment to close her eyes, wiring her vision to one of the two intangible familiars following her in Phase space. She wordlessly commands the extradimensional creature to follow after the retreating shape, remote viewing through her stealthed scout to get a closer look at what they might be coming up against. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon gives Destiny a smile over his shoulder. "No, not at all," he tells her as he refocuses on the area in front of him, "There's a first time for everything. And we'll do our best to protect you. You'll get over the fear and the doubt and be fine, I assure you."      After an unpleasant squeeze, Landon manages to get his armor through the tight space. The first thin he notes is not the machinery - the walker-construts, the gattling guns, or the chainsaw-arms - but the blue eyes. Landon is, after all, a trained adventurer. He's trained to react to the unexpected and to move with things like that, and that catches his eye much faster than a sight that, honestly, resembles things he's seen before.      JRPG worlds all tend to have weird robot golem monsters!      Landon makes several handsignals at Scarlet and Destiny. They're not difficult to understand, or complex sign language - just a general indication of 'something, that way'. He points at his own eyes, a blue light filling the card in his hand as he scans the room.      Just in case he needs to drop an immediate barrier or something.      "Such old machinery," Landon murmurs, "It must've been a fierce and brutal war." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Ghosts?" Yuria lifts a brow, but doesn't comment further when Riva withdraws her hammer from hammerspace. The door is in fact no locked-- and poking it actually causes it to fall off corroded hinges with a slam to the floor. Yuria seems fine with sticking behind Fassad for the moment though, folding arms under her chest. Whatever was there is gone now, Fassad's bravado met with the sound of something scampering into the darkness. But it looks like that's the only way to go for the moment, leading down a path of overgrown pipes into the generator room proper. "They do here." Yuria notes to Kazusa. "The tower is pretty lush with life, it happens very fast." The machine is in terrible condition, but it looks like it can still be powered up.     So then why does Yuria begin singing? An act which will give the group a mildly protective aura.     It might be because of the snarling pack of huge wolves that have surrounded the party. Almost see through- spectral and phantasmic.     And blue. Also snarling and rushing at everyone fangs bared.     Destiny seems to be the quietest of the three Reyvateils that went in with the teams, but pursing her lips for a moment, she places her hand on an old war machine. "Ikaruga... Mark I. Kind of outdated by now but it was the top of the line six years ago. I still wouldn't want to get in a fight with one now though." Scarlet's scout will have no trouble following the pair of eyes, it's... A smallish creature. About the size of a potbellied pig, but... It's mostly round, and with a curly squirrel like tail. Very yellow, too. It slips into a burrow where a much more numerous chittering starts. But from here it looks like the 'useless' Reyvateil actually pops open a panel on the Ikaruga's leg and rips out a piece of cylindrical metal, handing it off to Landon. "There's still a charge in this." It could be useful later. Maybe not so useless there, is she? The hangar however is a smaller one, but has a path down the back way leading further along through the darkness, before the war machinery leads way to what appear to be large tubes- some with a sludge-like material dripping from the bottom. They are big enough to hold a person from the looks of it.     The store room for Misha's group doesn't have much of importance, though there is a filesheet left behind, grubby and old, that seems to have Multiversal coordinates scribbled on it, after enough searching. It looks wholly out of place from everything else in the room. "I know." Misha replies to Psyber in regards to Lyner. "Why do you think I fell in love with him?" Noted before shoulders lift into a shrug. "We probably aren't alone. I wouldn't be surprised if something crawled in from the tower. Like blue wolves. Or maybe some Nyo." It's an idle thought. The window through to the cafeteria reveals a years old mess. The place is in disarray, fallen trays and plates picked clean by scavengers, but it looks like people left the place in a huge hurry. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Hey Misha, these coordinates look familiar to you?" Psyber asks as he inspects the sheet curiously. He holsters his gun and takes out a tablet computer, using it to try to input Multiversal coordinates and see where that looks like it'll take them. If it'll work, he has no idea. It could just show them whatever Space Chinese place these people ordered from.     "He'll come back. He always comes back," Psyber comments in regards to Lyner. He actually has no idea if Lyner always comes back. But he came back for Misha at least once now, so it might bear saying. He yawns gently and then scowls, "They sure cleaned out in a hurry. Musta got wind when the entire operation bottomed out and wanted to avoid consequences." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the blue wolves appear, Fassad goes to action. He is, of course, more than ready to deal with such a threat. Which is good! Because he is nowhere near capable as far as getting a generator back on line, or machinery back working. At most he can just push levers, or set jars on switches.      Fassad smiles, holding his sword up in front of him. His shield is also at the ready. He chuckles a bit, and then speaks. Sure, these are /terrifying ghost wolves/. But this is Prince Fassad, of Arcadia! It would be /terrible/ if he were scared of such creatures.      "AHA! Foul ghost wolves! I shall slay the lot of you without a worry!"      And then as Fassad actually notes there are wolves present, something else appears. She has, in fact, been here all along, hiding in a pack Fassad keeps on his side. A small Shinki comes out of the bag, and bringing a bulky camera with her. A pictograph box. She floats near Fassad, ready to take pictures of him making /heroic attacks/, protecting the whole group with his combat skills.      He keeps his shield forward, trying to block any fangs biting his way. His blade is engulfed in magic of the Light element. Ghosts are weak against light, right? He slashes forward, trying to hit as many wolves as he can at once.      "HAVE AT THEE, GHOST WOLVES!" 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "I can't blame them. Given the circumstances, I'd run the hell away from Miss Ayano, too. Wonder why they took the time to lock this door, though?" Reiji ponders aloud, moving slowly from one end of the storage room to the other. Maybe there's some kind of... Secret door? A monster in the cafeteria? Maybe that's what's making the noise. Probably not. Reiji peers at the walls for any strange seams, however.     "If it looks important," he says to Psyber, "I'd grab it. We should probably keep moving." Staying in one place means they're more likely to get ambushed by a grue or something equally bad. The stench is pretty awful too. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "I dunno, Psyber," Xiaomu replies. "That isn't a 'they're closing the facility on top of us, we'd better leave ASAP' mess out there. Spilled trays and plates ... that's an 'oh shit, it's an unholy abomination, run for your lives' mess, if you ask me." Her ears are perked way up now; she can't tell anything by smell with the rotted-food stench in the storeroom, but between night vision and vulpine hearing, she's still trying to pick out SOMEthing from in there. "... is there any food that *hasn't* rotted away, or did any of you bring a roast beef sandwich or something?" she asks quietly. She doesn't really expect a 'yes' to either of those, but you never know. "If we toss something out there to act as bait, something that'd be edible ..." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "This place /is/ pretty overgrown, but yeah... I guess that's just the state of things here." Riva says, taking into account both Kazusa's and Yuria's input. Fassad's speech causes Riva to almost chuckle, shaking her head for a moment. "Look out, villains, here comes the hero, all right." She says, teasingly. Poke poke-WHAM. Riva jerks backwards as the door falls over, her hammer at the ready.... And they're okay. Riva sighs in relief, and then lets Fassad do his HERO THING down the hall to the generator room. Unless he would rather defer to Riva in the face of the daunting amount of dirtiness. In the generator room, Riva looks over the machine and frowns, moving to activate the device when GHOST WOLVES APPEAR. "WHAT?! THIS IS ACTUALLY A THING?" Riva yells, getting borne down under one of them and hitting the floor. She grunts, slamming an arm to the side and trying to dislodge the beast as she yells out, "PROTECT YURIA!" She yells to the others, just to make sure they're all on the same page, as she tries to bring her hammer to bear. MUST SMASH GHOST DOGGIE. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon's eyes run along the Ikaruga Mark I contemplatively. It's a terrible thing, a war machine. It's a reminder of the things lurking just outside the domes on Ramuh, and he's unable to suppress a shudder of revulsion and frustration. People...killing each other.      And the worst part was, he knew why. He didn't need to ask what the war was over here. It was probably the same thing wars were fought over on Galianda, the same thing wars were fought over everywhere. Power. Land. Money. Love. Patriotism. The cruelty of nobility was not being able to ask why people had to die, because from a very young age, he knew all the many reasons people had to die.      Eventually he would cause many of those deaths himself.      Still, at the moment...      Landon takes the cylinder reverently, his sword hanging in the air of its own accord as he stores the cylinder. It may, indeed, come in handy later.      Landon stops by the sludgelike tubes and frowns. He looks back at the girls, then looksup at the tubes.      "This may be difficult. I can lift us with my barriers, but if you have a more efficient, and, erm, smaller means of doing so, that would be excellent." 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Oh god, there are ghost wolves. Ghost wolves everywhere. They are /completely/ surrounded. Kazusa is quick to turn around and put her back to Yuria's. From her purse comes a single card, twice as tall as a poker card and half again as wide, with what almost looks like some sort of magical girl's bow on it. "Guess there's no helping it, is there? BY THE CARD I CHOOSE, I STAND AS A HERO! /THE MAGUS/!" From behind Yuria, under the aegis of that protective song, there is a shower, a flood, a torrent of white sparks. Passing over Kazusa, transforming her. Changing the color of her hair, giving her a new outfit. A powerful magic, one over in seconds.     It ends just in time for Fassad to declare that he'll slay the lot of them. And he gets a response, not from the wolves, but from Kazusa.     "That won't be necessary."     Suddenly, without warning or fanfare, each ghost wolf finds itself subject to a rain of bullets which simply appear in the air and hammer down at full speed. Kazusa's position has changed, standing directly behind Fassad where she can keep a direct eye on Yuria. Her hair is black. Her clothes are dark purple, black and white. She looks for all the world like a very familiar Union magical girl. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet relents her search when she finds the creature to be some sort of oversized rodent. The idea that it might actually be dangerous occurs to her, but seems unlikely enough that she's willing to trust in Landon as a bulwark. She instead turns to Destiny with a hint of curiosity. After all, she had unsubtly prompted the girl to give her the necessary commentary on their surroundings. "I don't think we'll have to worry about getting into a fight with any of these." She'd tap one on the side, but they look filthy. "What kind of charge do you mean? Electrical? Magic? Explosive?" She briefly amps up her passive visual magic to give the cylinder the once over, scanning it for any kind of supernatural signals.     She chats idly as she resumes walking. "Was it actually a war? I've heard that these towers are full of dangerous creatures, and if the factory is connected to it, then those things might have been partly used for defense." Idle musings more than anything. Fighting against inhuman foes could still be considered a war, after all. She does pause at the empty tubes, standing well back from the dripping sludge. "... these I can only guess at." Scarlet doesn't seem all that interested in those particular fixtures, despite the ominous implications of their size. She seems more fixated on business, looking for further exits. Ideally, she'd like to be the first to find whatever it is Misha is looking for, and this room seems quite empty. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' "What, bait?" Reiji looks to Xiaomu for a long moment. She actually wants to draw... Whatever that thing is, out here? Well. It's better than waiting for an ambush, anyway. "I was going to save these for later, but," the exorcist murmurs, digging through one of his pouches for... http://ar-tonelico.jp/4th_anniversary/harve_twitter/img/obonta.gif "I've got a few more. One should do fine," he says, gently lobbing the adorable little chick-pastry at the darkness. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The coordinates earn a scrunched brow as Misha looks over them. "They... Kind of do. I can't remember where from." She admits when Psyber holds over the document. "They're not on this tower though." It's a clue as much as anything and a nod in agreement with Reiji's assessment means it's probably a good document to keep. If the group tosses bait there's no response save a small scuffle, and the door isn't locked, so it's an easy path from the commissary to the next part of the facility.     The holding cells.     they are not that unpleasant. A bit spacious, with one bed in each and a glass window caked with dust and grime. Only one of them has an unlocked door. "Lyner was in that one when I found him." The Star Singer notes, pausing over the old tatters of a white cloak. Which she picks up and folds neatly, apparently intent on keeping. "Only Bourd's facility had this kind of place. He wasn't really kind to anyone."     However after a moment there is motion. Something comes CHASING AFTER THE GROUP with the FUNBUN Reiji threw in its mouth. And with a cry of "NYOOOOO!?" it leaps-- aiming to latch onto the exorcist's face and just hug onto there, holding on. It is a yellow puffball on four legs with a squirrelly tail. And it seems to want more.     "It wasn't really a war." Destiny notes, the smaller girl's tone very soft. "Tenba usually sells its services. Mostly to protect villages and towns on the Wings of Horus from wild monsters- or exploring old ruins. Miss Ayano keeps the protection rates fair though even for smaller places that have trouble paying. I actually volunteered to work to help my town keep up with payments, and she's been very kind." The tubes however get a frown. "These are um. Cloning tubes. I think Bourd tried making more Reyvateils by copying Misha, and another Beta type."     But then she motions at the cylinder when asked. "It's a high power battery. They last for years. Some of the doors will probably need the powe--" She trails off when the chittering intensifies. Because a GIANT BEETLE the size of a man's forearm crawls out of the floor and latches onto the Ikaruga. With a ZAKK-ZAKK it unleashes an electrical pulse into the war machine. And with a LURCH it staggers to life, red lenses focusing on the trio, ancient guns spinning to live and chainsaws revving as it activates with extreme hostile intent.     "... Oh no."     Meanwhile, in the land of the wolves, Yuria's song will alleviate any injuries as they happen, but the wolves are ferocious. Ghost wolves are actually in fact a thing, and they seem horrifyingly resistant to blade and hammer, only the sheer force of Riva and Fassad's attacks giving them an edge over the more mundane force local melee fighters could put on. It is Homura-- Kazusa's bullet barrage that seems to earn some real yelps, as guns are considered 'fire' weapons on the tower. Still, between the three, it's enough to chase the pack off for now, earning a small huff from Yuria. "They might be back. We should move quickly."     The group can try the generator, or move on. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the wolves flee, Fassad smiles. He keeps his sword at the ready, though his Shinki, Serafina, puts the camera back in the pouch. As Fassad looks at the group, and even though Kasuza was patently more badass than him? Fassad still puffs out his chest, smiling. And then he says it.      "WELL. That was a howling good fight! It seems like those wolves decided to pack it up and leave, though! Such beasts are no match for us!"      Yes he managed to think of two wolf puns to try and make himself seem more heroic, suave, and charming.      Who knows how long he has been saving these puns.      Serafina, the little Shinki, hovers for a bit. Her hands clasp together in front of her, as she looks at her Master. "Ooooh, Master! You're soooooooo coool~!" But then, she spots the generator, "HEY! LISTEN! I think this thing stil might work! Let's try it!"      And with that, the tiny little Olbern flies over to the generator, trying to toy with whatever switches and whatnot might turn it on. While Fassad has no idea how a generator works, Serafina is far more used to modern technology, being a piece of modern technology herself. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      The giant lightning-beetle is honestly one of the most normal things Landon has seen in Misha's world. That sounds really messed-up, but when one considers that he comes from a continent made of a god of lightning, and that random monsters spawn out of the sewers, it's really not *that* surprising.      It's *cool*, though. He really doesn't want to kill it.      He kind of wants to tame it.      But Landon isn't a Beastmaster. He'll have to settle for killing it and making something out of it.      As the Ikaruga jerks to life, Landon wastes no time. He throws himself in front of Scarlet and Destiny, the blazing blue card in his hand suddenly erupting with light. A crystalline barrier bursts forth in front of the two girls as Landon keeps moving, surprisingly fast for his heavy armor. "Stay behind my barrier!" He calls at the girls.      It should last. While he has MP.      The Judge flings his sword to the side. The massive Judge Blade hovers for a moment as Landon rounds the crystalline barrier. The sword, as if possessed of its own will, flits the opposite direction from Landon, streaking around the barrier. It's a simple plan - distract the creature (and the Ikaruga) with multiple targets, then close the gap.      The Judge Blade goes spinning round as Landon charges forward, fearless. Another glowing card flits into his hand, and he shoves it forward as he leaps at the robot, burning more MP to spring up another barrier. This barrier, though, is not stationary at all. This barrier moves, with the weight of Landon behind it. This barrier is for *hitting*.      And, well, hopefully keeping Landon alive through chainsaw.      From the other side, the Judge Blade goes for the beetle from behind, telekinetically propelled by Landon's MP. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Reiji is under attack! Psyber immediately whips around and shines the light on him, curiously tilting his head as he watches something come out of the darkness to attach the exorcist. But he doesn't stop it, because it seems more like Reiji made an animal friend than him aggressively drawing the attention of an enemy. In fact, Psyber even states, "Oh hey, he-she-it likes you."     And then he's right back to looking around, trying to pry open the closed cells with heavy pulls. He doubts steel doors or locks could stop someone like him, so he's not using much finesse as he endeavors to pry open and search whatever he can spot. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Holding cells. Shinra HQ has a few of these, but they exist for a good reason. Not for containing innocent prisoners, but for locking away dangerous artifacts, monsters too hardy to kill normally, possible informants and temporarily out of control youkai. This is... Something else indeed. Reiji's expression darkens as he moves through the rows of empty cells. How many people had rotted away, locked in a prison with scarce hope for escape.     Maybe they were used in human experimentation? Maybe they were just killed. That's ancient history now- but this seems like the sort of place that would be full of all kinds of vengeful ghosts. Suddenly, there's a noise- one not unlike a skittering rat. Reiji turns toward it, reflexively levelling Karin-- And then he sees... A tiny squirrel-thing with a funbun in its mouth?     "Wha-" he doesn't have a chance to reply before it lunges at his face, wrapping his head in a sconce of distressingly fluffy NYO!? belly. "-Mmph!" His arsenal clatters to the ground. Reiji reaches a hand up to take the thing by its back and pry it from his face. It... takes some doing. And there are scratch-marks across his cheeks when it comes away. "What the hell is this!? It..."     ...Funbun in its mouth. Reiji's brow furrows. He sets Karin briefly aside and far away from any apparent flammables. "Yeah, or my after-mission snacks," he says to Psyber, fishing out another one of those pudgy bird-things. "So, you want another one? Didn't your mother ever teach you to clear your plate before asking for seconds?" 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "One moment."     Kazusa seems to flicker.     "There. We should be safe for a moment to try the generator. ...but watch your step if we have to retreat the way we came."     Having so much military ordnance temporarily at her disposal means Kazusa is quite well-equipped to deal with a number of situations. Such as, say, 'ghost wolves that are weak to fire'. With the power of time on her side, she's quickly able to set up a series of traps on the various routes the wolves retreated along and other directions that look likely for them to return by - except, of course, for the way they intend to go. These traps are fairly simple, nothing but tripwire attached to the pin on a nearby grenade. But given that it's white phosphorous grenades, it should be particularly effective on their pursuers nonetheless. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' The fact that there's SOME kind of reaction prompts Xiaomu's ears to prick up further ... but the noise isn't repeated, nor does anything come close enough to see, so Xiaomu lets out a breath and moves along with the rest of the group. "So what kind of research was Bourd actually doing, as near as anyone ever figured it out?" the sage fox asks after Misha has collected the old cloak ... and then something is rushing towards the group from behind, and Xiaomu immediately wheels to face the noise, ready to draw Suiren's blade. She doesn't get the chance before the NYO? is clinging to Reiji's face. And ... her partner seems to be okay. Not screaming in pain, so it's not eating his face or anything, just ... kinda there. He's even joking about it. Probably no real threat, then. Xiaomu lets out a heavy sigh, leaning on her staff for a few seconds. Other than that, still reay to react to ACTUAL threats, possibly even more ready than she was before NYO? interrupt. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' As fast as the wolves appeared, they're gone. The powers present managed to help things out significantly. Riva steadies herself, and shoulders her hammer. She won't be taken off guard again. "Wow, good work, everyone!" She congratulates them. "That was super effective, Homura!" She pauses. "Er, um..." Riva looks around. "Have you seen Kazusa?" She asks totally not Kazusa. The prompting, however, gets Riva back on track. She looks over at the generator and helps the Shinki get it started, probably through a combination of button pushing and minigames. Hopefully the thing starts up! Surely getting power flowing again won't cause anything horrible to happen, right? 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     "What are you talking about?" Kazusa replies. "I'm right here."     Hairflip. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva blinks. She pauses, and blinks again, then is taken aback, surprised. "OH! Kazusa! I thought you were... Homura. Um, my bad!" She says, waving a hand embarassedly. 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet withholds a triumphant smirk at her assumptions being proven correct. Ironically, that state of existence is probably something Landon is pretty familiar with, or at least much more so than she is. "I assume there was a good reason for shutting this place down with all of these still inside. They can't have been cheap to make, or cheap to replace." The economically minded comment is a prompt to Destiny, in order to see if she can squeeze more information from the less guarded girl than Ayano had been willing to forward. She casts a second look to the tubes as their purpose is confirmed, chewing on the corner of her lip thoughtfully. Misha's previously demonstrated reaction to this building is all she really needs to go off of to imagine what kind of cloning experiments happened here.     Further exposition is pushed to the back of her mind as she hears the loud crackle of arcing electricity split the sullen silence, wheeling on the source of the noise with her hand shoved into her messenger bag. At the sight of the Ikaruga, she pauses for the barest of moments, rapidly weighing her options in lieu of detailed information on the machine or its capabilities, before Landon acts before her, more immediately sure of his abilities through years of combat. With the barrier in place, she sees no reason to run out from behind it, at least until that worrisome gun is pointed somewhere else and she has a good grasp on the behemoth's tracking speed. She stays safely put behind the defensive construct, whispering something under her breath to shunt her heavy familiar out of Phase space and into the waking world.     The thing goes with the theme of crystals, but it is nothing so orderly as the crystallized Law employed by the young judge. It is a roughly man sized mass of prismatic, fractal glass, bouncing reflections that don't at all correspond to the surroundings between its many angular fragments, seemingly into infinity. Its body is strangely morphic, moving and shifting in ways that don't entirely make sense, passing through itself and making bizarre, non-Euclidian angles between pieces. It lets off a bizarre, warbling hum as it rapidly reorients its body, a symmetrical ring of elongated shards unfolding out from compacted space. A keening shriek precedes a ray of light being shot through the surrealist array, splitting into a dazzling shower of exponentially multiplying beams that fall upon the Ikaruga in an instantaneous barrage. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     With the wolves handled, Fassad's shinki has plenty of time to futz around with a myriad of controls that she has NO IDEA HOW THEY WORK. With sufficient button pushing, knob turning, and a good tiny kick, the panel... Erupts in a hiss of spark and fizzles, coming to life for a brief second before dying again. And with a sputtering choke of machinery the generator rumbles, abused turbines starting to spin slowly before building to a screeching whirr.     It sounds terrible but all over the facility systems crackle to life, lights sputtering to a dull brown glow that makes things less miserable and sends flickering motions of things scurrying to the shadows- now too afraid of the groups with the oppressive darkness no longer covering them.     Somewhere in the murk a landmine explodes and the shrill howl of a phantom wolf can be heard, before more paws scrabble away.     "That way." Yuria motions down a door that slowly grinds open. "It leads to the old labs. We'll probably want to catch up with the others." She seems... Knowledgable of the interior.     Meanwhile, with Reiji thusly acquiring a new pet NYO!? Misha idly notes, "Don't piss it off or it'll try healing you." Odd, but the Reyvateil shrugs. The cells, as Psyber pries them open, are... Bleak. Most are empty, though one has a huddled figure in rags in the corner. It's a skeleton. Human in appearance, but from what used to be some ostentatious women's clothes, and long strands of rotting hair, she was probably a Reyvateil. There is something clutched in her hand. Misha really meant it when she said Bourd was not kind. "It was nothing good." She answers Xiaomu. "He basically wanted to make more, stronger, Reyvateils that would follow orders without things like 'feelings of our own'. He just kind of treated us like weapons, tools. Singing dolls." A little huff and Misha is already moving on, apparently not wanting to be here anymore.     The issue is the Ikaruga. As Landon rushes to intercept it and raises his barrier, Destiny remains squarely behind Scarlet, the small blonde taking a moment to steel herself and draw a breath. Landon will soon find himself... With an almost limitless wellspring of MP, the soft melodic tone of someone singing in Hymmnos filling the chamber, as Destiny's song pumps both the Judge and Scarlet with a boosted rate of restorative energies. Ayano said to protect the girls and the girls would protect everyone back, and she meant it. Though the Ikaruga unleashes its ancient macihnegun, bulletholes stitching the floor as it flails the massive chainsaw at Landon. The Judge Blade and Landon's OFFENSIVE barrier smashes into it, staggering the machine off balance and clean into Scarlet's immense hailstorm of beam spam.     With a keening shriek, the beetle powering the machine is obliterated, cleaved in half before vaporized, the Ikaruga itself almost utterly demolished, venting black smoke as it slams into the nearby wall-- and smashes it open into the next area.     The next room where a very surprised Misha is staring at the wreckage that reunites Landon and Scarlet with her group- just as Riva, Kazusa, and Fassad should be joining up as well, converging the three groups as a massive set of closed blast doors.     "... Here... This is... Every time I see this door, I've never felt so scared in my whole life." Misha whispers. Destiny and Yuria are uncomfortably silent.     "Any girl that Bourd brought in there never really came out the same." The eldest Reyvateil notes.     The generator power seems to be enough to get the doors jarring but... Not fully opening. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the generator starts up, Serafina flies back in surprise at the noise of it all. She flies onto Fassad's shoulder, using him as protection a bit. He sheathes his sword, just for a second, so he can pet her on the head.      "Don't worry, Serafina! The lights are back on. Quite obviously, it worked well enough!"      As Yuria mentions where the old labs are, Fassad says nothing. He can tell from everything that has been said: This place is not pleasant. None of these three Reyvatail want to be here, at a guess. But, he won't be rude enough to ask much more. They'll tell, if they want. Or perhaps he'll learn in one of the Dives in the future? Who knows.      As the group reunites, though? He tries to smile. Gently. No glamour-lighting this time. Instead, he just turns to Misha, smiling. "If you are... uncomfortable, perhaps you should stay out here? We do not want to force you to do anything that you don't have to. We have quite a force here as well, after all. If you, and perhaps some others, wanted to stay back? It would likely be fine."      But, with the door not fully opening, Fassad reaches into a bag on his left side. And he pulls something out. An unlit bomb.      "...Since the door is not opening, shall I.... blast it open?"      He so rarely has an excuse to use the bombs. They're a great adventuring tool, but it's only /so/ often you find a weak wall to blow up. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu's expression darkens. "Close enough to what I was guessing ..." She pauses on the way past the skeletal Reyvateil, going down on one knee for two purposes. One is obvious enough when she clasps her hands in front of her, and Reiji might recognize the soft incantation: a prayer for the peaceful repose of the deceased. There are a couple of lines that don't fit the normal Buddhist prayer, though ... and what Xiaomu does next might explain the addendum, as she's trying - gently and carefully - to try and see what the skeleton is holding in its (her?) clasped hand. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon keeps going as the beetle and the Ikaruga go through the wall. The Prince grabs his sword, jammed firmly into the Ikaruga, and clings to it to keep his balance. He looks up as he realizes that he, and it, went through the wall. The barriers - both the one he was standing on, and the one in front of the girls - vanish. The odd feeling, the power of infinite magic, is something Landon isn't willing to rest on too easily. He's not nearly as impulsive as you'd expect from his role. Growing reliant on something is as dangerous as not having it at all.      And then he realizes that Fassad is talking about bombs.      "Wait, wha-" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber shines the light over the Reyvateil, "Reiji. Can you read her rites before we get moving? I dunno what religion she'd follow, but we should both be able to cover it," The half-angel says it in a hard tone, but one edged with sadness as he looks to the skeleton. Misha's explanation causes him to scowl and then tighten his grip on the flashlight, "Anyone who preys on them like Bourd did..." He trails off, simply stating, "I'll find him some day."     Psyber stops in front of the skeleton and takes a small vial of clear liquid out of his jacket, " The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil," Psyber sprinkles the water over the bones, "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."     He places the vial in his jacket as Xiaomu seems to have the same idea he did. And then Psyber turns to head towardsthe next area. There's a suggestion of bombs, which isn't a bad idea. Psyber also notes, "I could just rip it open," Or he jerks a thumb towards Kazusa, "But if we use bombs, I know she'll have shaped charges for a more contained blast." 

:'''{{#var:747|Scarlet Everille (747)}} has posed:'''     Scarlet quickly dismisses the familiar as she catches sight of the others through the settling dust of the broken wall and the oily smoke rising from the destroyed machine. She gives Landon a coy smile as she rounds the edge of the barrier, waving to acknowledge a job well done as she picks over the junked remains of the Ikaruga and carefully climbs past it without tearing her clothes on any jagged edges. She looks back to Destiny as an afterthought, gesturing for the girl to follow her, assuming that the Revyateil will be happy enough to rejoin her fellows that no further prompting will be needed.     "Apologies for the unbecoming entrance. We ran into a little business that had to be resolved." she says as she steps to the fore, examining the partially open door with an errant glance to Misha. "... I take it you've found what you were looking for then. I had the idea that it wasn't something you were terribly looking forward to seeing, but..." She looks back at her again with a faintly concerned expression, moving out of the way of Fassad to stand a little closer to the girl. "Be my guest." she offhandedly remarks to Fassad, wanting to let him go ahead with something he's clearly so excited to do. Her attention appears to be fixed on the skeletal remains in the cell, watching Psyber closely as he says his piece, casting a sideways look at Xiaomu. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Kazusa's eyes briefly dart to one side, the direction of her trap going off.     She almost looks satisfied.     "I imagine the ghost wolves aren't going to be as much trouble anymore." A few seconds later, the traps are... mostly disarmed and disassembled. Mostly. There may still be one or two around just in case.     With the power back on, though, it's back to the other group. Which means rejoining everyone else, observing the creepy-ass place they've all rejoined at, and reorganizing to account for the larger group size. At this point, Kazusa does as her borrowed instincts tell her.     Which is to say, she falls into step with Psyber, who now has the unique experience of seeing someone else using Homura's usual walk, wearing Homura's Puella Magi outfit, with Homura's hair and eye color. "I have some, yes. But my... limits, are a little lower than Akemi's." She indicates her meaning to the angel with a flick of her left hand, easily dismissed by most as brushing away dust. "So I should conserve while I can." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "And if I'm nice to it, it'll claw at my face?" Reiji asks Misha, idly setting the bizarrely pink squirrel thing on his shoulder. He doesn't seem too troubled by its presence, though- or the fact that he's passing another of his funbuns up into its greedy claws. "Good to know," he says, making sure to reclaim Karin before moving too far.     The skeleton in the cell is nothing to joke about, though. It's really the polar opposite. Reiji's expression turns even more downcast as he regards the body. He watches silently as Xiaomu prays for the Reyvateil, her life- her songs- tragically cut short. His gaze fixes on Psyber when the half-angel speaks, and Reiji nods in reply. "Yeah," he murmurs, setting Karin down again, and replacing the blade with a set of dark, wooden prayer beads, "Not a problem."     The exorcist carefully wraps one hand in the beads and lifts them reverently to his chest. "I'm sorry," he says to the body, "There's no time to recite the full Amitabha Sutra. But let as much as I can say give you solace and relieve your suffering. May your next life be more pleasant than this one." He draws in a breath--     What follows is an abbreviated recital of a sutra, each word spoken in practiced, melodic Hindi. It may not be Hymnos, but at times, it seems like it draws close. At the very least, he can give her this.     When he follows Psyber and Xiaomu, his beads are no longer tanged about his hand. There is a sword there, instead, and an unreadable expression has couched itself on Reiji's face like a funeral shroud. He glances toward Fassad- and his bombs. "I don't need to see more corpses today. That thing might get us killed." He shrugs at Psyber, then, "Explosives with less spread should be fine. Or we could just force the door." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad sighs, looking around, "...Well. I /can/ hold the bomb just til it's about to explode, but... I suppose if there is /some/ distrust in this method, we could go with something else."      He puts the bomb away. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva fistpumps as the generator turns on, and power returns to the complex. "HELL YEAH! We got this!" She proclaims. With a turn, she looks to the others and gives them a thumbs-up, then looks to the opening doors. "Right! Let's go! Fassad! KAzusa! Yuria! Let's bring this home." They rejoin the others, and Riva folds her arms as they look on this ominous door. "Hey everyone." She says, looking at the jarring door. "It's hard to un-bomb something and this seems like the kind of place that has delicate stuff." She looks to Misha, and smiles. "Don't worry. Whatever happens, we're all in this together. Look guys, just do what you need to do to open that door. Go for it." 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "Ah," Landon observes after a moment, as he watches everybody go through their sutras and things. He digs around in his pack for a moment.      "Could we perhaps use this?" He offers, holding up the glowing cylinder. "It seems like it still has a charge. And the Lady Reyvateil told us earlier that these doors require a great deal of energy to move, I believe."      "If we wish to preserve this ruin...?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Once the skeleton is given her rites and Xiaomu gently coaxes the clutched object free, she'll find it to be a small pendant. Made of a silvery-white metal, the years and time seem to have not touched it in the least, and it's light as a feather. For those curious, this is Airmetal. But it opens, revealing it to actually be a small locket, with a picture inset, of, presumably the girl when she was still alive, looking very happy with a young man of similar age, in the mauve purple armors of the Tenba corporation's rank and file security, much like the ones outside.     A few shivery breaths and Misha calms down significantly. But she still shakes her head. "I'm. Not going in there, I'm sorry. I'll just wait here." Yuria also seems like she has no intent to budge. "When I worked at this facility I saw too many horrible things. I think it would be for the best if I didn't see any more in this life time." Though Destiny looks a bit scared, she doesn't have the same reservations as the two, and lingers by Scarlet, clearly intent on following in... Once the doors open anyway. Something she seems to tug on Landon's sleeve about, wordlessly.     "It might not even be down there. I should just. Turn back now." Misha replies feebly to Scarlet.     But once the battery Landon produces is inserted in a nearby port by the door, it juices it enough combined with the limited generator flow to make it start rattling open.     The path beyond is an old, flimsy catwalk. It was sturdy once but now it's rusted through in places, hanging over an yawning blackness below. It's not a pleasant walk, creaking and groaning the wole way under people's weight, some portions are so rotted through that occasionally an unlucky boot might just punch clean through the floor.     The NYO!? on Reiji's shoulder chitters, nomming funbun the whole way undeterred and occasionally nipping at his ear.     Thankfully the precarious walk comes to an end, leading to a room with much more solid flooring. There's machinery everywhere, and in the center is a massive tube. Much like the cloning vats in the other chamber, but at least three times as large. Though everything is overgrown with plant life, there's... No one here. And nothing but old rusting equipment? 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' After a brief look at the locket, Xiaomu tucks it into a pocket of her vest. Maybe there's somebody outside who will want this locket, as a memento of his lost companion ... or maybe the locket will bring only painful memories, but it's worth investigating. Then she rejoins the others, and balks - only briefly - at the sight of the rickety catwalk. "Heaviest person should probably go first so we don't wind up with a divided group," she suggests. She's willing enough to go on across in whatever order, but a certain measure of genre-savviness may not go awry in this circumstance. Upon reaching the 'final' chamber, Xiaomu relaxes a bit more, and starts poking through the rusting equipment with the butt of her staff - checking for panels that can be opened, whether easily or with a certain application of force to break through layers of rusts that might seal something shut. "Are we sure this place was only abandoned for six years ... ?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Things move right along. Riva looks over to Misha and folds her arms. "You wanted to come here, Misha. Are you really sure you want to cut out now? This isn't the kind of place that you get to just come back whenever..." She looks over at the door, and thankfully Landon provides the KEY ITEM needed to open it. "Hell yeah!" She says, enthusiastic despite the horrors present. Her enthusiasm dies fast when she sees the catwalk beyond. "Aw hell, this is not going to be good. Not good at all." Riva moves forward, keeping herself as stable as possible. This doesn't keep a foot from punching through the rusty panels, causing her to pitch forward with a yelp. She collapses forward, almost going through the rail, but she (or maybe someone else) manages to keep her from pitching off into the horrible void below. When they finally get to the rear of the area, Riva looks over the machinery, and her gaze is inevitably drawn towards the tube. "Hrmmmmmmmmm." She hums, and moves foroward to knock on the tube. Not loudly, but trying to wipe some things off. "This place can't be compeltely empty. Records? Something...." She grumps. "All this spooky ghost and crap for a heap of machinery? Bah!" She turns and in a fit of pique, kicks something rusty nearby. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad, of course, /tries/ to lead the way. He walks very carefully across the catwalk, moving very slowly across the path. He is, of course, fine with Misha staying behind.      As he looks through the room, he tries to find if the giant vat can open. Even if it is empty, he still wants to check out inside of it, and step inside it himself. Possibly accidentally closing it behind him.      He of course does this despite the fact that Riva is kicking at the machinery. Hell, even Serafina gets in on it as well, floating off of Fassad's shoulder before he tries to enter the tube, to start poking at the machinery as well. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber's first instinct is to shine the light at the tube after their walk. So he immediately does that, lifting up his flashlight and letting the circle of light run up and down its entire length so Fassad can get a better look at it, "We should hurry up and then get out. I don't wanna spend too long down here and I don't like leaving them unattended too long outside," he ponders aloud.     Despite the detective deal he has going, the half-angel elects to stay more passive, taking up rear guard in case a trap gets sprung. 

:'''{{#var:415|Kazusa Ujikane (415)}} has posed:'''     Shortly after they reach the rickety walkway, Kazusa seems to simply disappear from Psyber's side. For all her talk of needing to conserve herself, she sure isn't hesitant to use her (Homura's) powers to, say, be safely on the other side of a dangerous catwalk when they come upon it. Of course, once everyone is there, the topic turns to the cloning facility itself, and the magical girl simply regards the room with a raised eyebrow, before replying to Riva. "We don't even know what we came here for. It's possible that seeing what is or isn't here was exactly what Misha needed." As if to punctuate the question she didn't quite ask, she turns to look right at Misha. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     The exorcist gives Misha and Yuria a long, sympathetic look. He nods once. "Right. You two stay safe. We'll be back soon," Reiji says, moving toward the slowly opening doors. Unfortunately, no amount of moving will keep the NYO!? from tickling at his face.     Reiji is distracted by the imminent doom promised by a misstep from the catwalk by the little, fuzzy, squirrel-thing squeaking at his ear. It isn't enough to make him actually step off boldly into the yawning abyss, but it's still bothersome. In a cute way. The way that makes him give the little critter a fresh funbun once it's done with the last. Maybe he'll take it home. Probably wouldn't be too hard to take care of. That question can be answered later, after discussing matters with his landlady. There's a room over here that needs investigating.     Reiji sheathes Karin before the burning blade lights any of these plants on fire. Though... plants. What's the deal with all these plants? "It is pretty odd," Reiji agrees to Xiaomu, "Might have something to do with this machinery. Or this place's proximity to the tower? Could be some strange, magical side-effect."     He leaves dealing with technology to people actually more well versed in the art of computer-speaking. Instead, he goes to look for documentation, information about what went on here and other possibly useful material. Maybe whoever used this place left something behind when they cleared out? Wouldn't be the first time someone forgot a crucial piece of evidence when they're in a rush. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Exploring the room doesn't find much, the machinery should be well beyond use or repair at this point. A fact proven wrong as Fassad climbs into the pod curiously. It's empty and stone silent, until Riva kicks something.     With a whirring hiss, the pod slams shut with Fassad still inside it, humming menacingly as it power up. And then the whole tube is awash with a blindingly bright light from within. This may induce panic but after a moment it dies down... The pod opens...     And absolutely nothing has happened to Fassad inside it aside from maybe some uncomfortable tingling. Another machine nearby crackles to life with an automated voice.     *HYMN CRYSTAL REMOVAL ERROR. PLEASE INSERT REYVATEIL AND TRY AGAIN*     It appears to be something that only works on Reyvateils, and Destiny immediately looks horrified for a moment, but composes herself fairly well afterwards. "That's probably why didn't want to come in here." She murmurs.     Other than the machinery, and some files with some incredibly disturbing instructions Bourd left for the machinery workers, which can be examined at a later time, that seems to be it here for real. So it's probably best to get back to the Reyvateils waiting outside by now. Chances are there's a very familiar looking Tenba worker outside who will probably be happy to know about the locket, too. 

}}

2273/A Girl's Heart Is Like...

2015-06-03T20:16:43Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/05/18 |Location=Njorun Station - Deployment |Synopsis=In which Hama has a fit. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=248, 253, 495, 518, 626, 705, 707,..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/18
|Location=Njorun Station - Deployment
|Synopsis=In which Hama has a fit.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=248, 253, 495, 518, 626, 705, 707, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Unlike the last Dive, this one is in the Njorun Dive Shop, proper. Though there is also another fact that differentiates this run from the last. The last was a test. An attempt to see if Misha Arsellec Lune could still really handle multiple people Diving at once. As a Beta Type Reyvateil it was no surprise that, yes, she could.     Thusly, the Njorun Dive Shop has been booked, and several pods have been linked properly to facilitate the Dive.     Several Dive attendants run about, tending to machinery, dealing with consoles, and doing last prep for the big event. Of course Misha is already here, looking utterly nervous as she chatters with a silver-haired, female, Dive attendant. Words are exchanged, there's a sour look from the Reyvateil, but the older looking woman simply smiles and slides aside to finish handling things. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     A pair of hands come down firmly on the reyvateil's shoulders, rubbing them a bit. This is almost immediately followed by the voice of Psyber as he asks in a concerned tone, "You sure you're up to this? No one would blame you if you didn't want people traipsing about in your mind, Misha." The half-angel says seriously, giving her a firml look before releasing her shoulders a moment later.     He looks, as is standard for him in most cases, slightly tired. He still looks pretty eager to help Misha despite this, the hands coming off her shoulders and going into his pockets a moment later as he watches her, "Either way, I'm here and ready to go." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji was busy filling out piles of terrible paperwork the last time Misha was inviting people to tromp around in her brain. He is not so busy today, however! The exorcist arrives at the Njorun diveshop without his usual array of weapons, tools and other useful gadgets- he won't need them where he's going!     Which is to say, he might actually be able to summon them if he actually does need them. Reiji's not entirely sure how this all works. Regardless, he's here, and he's brought Xiaomu along for additional emotional support! He has heard that hugging foxes does wonders for reassuring a person, though he's unsure whether having one in your head is a good idea or not, exactly. It'll probably be fine.     "Whenever you're ready," Reiji nods to Misha, before glancing over at the Dive Pods. "Is there anything we should do to prepare?" Beat. His eyes flicker towards Psyber. "Mm. I feel like if she wasn't certain she was ready to go through with this, we might run into some problems when we go deep." Reiji pinches at his chin, thinking for a moment. "But if she says she'll be alright, then it should be fine, right?" 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad walks into the Dive Station. His demeanor is humble as usual. By which I mean he comes in with his head held high, his chest puffed out, and his arms holding at his side. He smiles, looking around, his teeth shining magically again. He is almost certainly overcompensating. Especially because last time was one of the few times he has ever actually been completely out of his league, and left baffled. But, part of it is also that he felt like he /really/ underperformed to Landon's princely demeanor last time, and he is overcompensating.      He speaks to the room, smiling to all of the attendants, "Greetings, everyone! May this prove to be an astounding adventure, and may we help Misha develop!" Immediately after, he makes a beeline for Misha, bowing to her. He will /not/ let someone outdo him this time. He approaches Misha, bows to her, and grabs for her hand, to kiss it in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Misha. I promise to be as careful as possible within the realm of your mind. The experience from last time shall /certainly/ help in this adventure!"      And he'll then start moving to one of the Dive Pods, acting like a seasoned pro even though he has only gone in once. He waits outside the pod until the others are ready. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva had so much fun with the last Dive, that she absolutely had to be here for the next one, right? Surely, they'll all be that awesome! Riva arrives in the Dive Room with a couple cans of sweet tea, one of which she offers to Misha on arrival. "Heya! Glad to see you all!" She glances around, looking over the people and equipment present. "Mmmm, very fancy." She chuckles. "Though I liked the atmosphere of the last place too." She leans over and smiles brightly to the Reyvateil. "Don't worry, Misha. Everything will turn out just fine. We're all here to help you!" She leans over and slaps Fassad on the back with a tomboyish camraderie and a mischevious grin. "Right, Fassad?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "We probably won't be going too deep," Xiaomu speculates as she stakes out a pod and sets her staff down next to one, flat on the floor beside it, making sure the rings are arranged so they won't have an excuse to make any noise. Sure, random environmental sounds PROBABLY won't interfere with the Dive, but there's no point in taking silly chances that can be easily eliminated, is there? "Unless Diving lowers ALL of her internal defenses," Xiaomu continues, "I imagine there'll be some reflexes standing in the way of us digging too deep or prodding at things she doesn't want us poking at ..." She gives Misha an encouraging grin, "Right? And if push comes to shove and someone gets too eager, I can help reel them back in for you. Girls gotta stick together!" As to why Xiaomu missed the initial Dive, much as she wanted to be there - she wasn't going on an epic adventure like that without Reiji, and since Reiji was soloing the vicious and vile bonus boss known as Pey-P'rw'rk at the time ... 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     This was the very somber invitation of a lifetime. Misha was trusting people that, well, she kind of didn't even know in some cases, to traipse around in her head because she wanted to grow and develop. Joining in the room and looking around, the /reality/ of the situation sets in for Yuuki. She was going to go inside someone's head to help them. Inside their head!     The strength of character required must be astounding. Even Yuuki wouldn't want people in her head. /She/ doesn't really want to be in her own head sometimes, but she's stuck with it, so she deals.     She moves up to Misha, before bowing, her huge crop of hair falling around her shoulders as she does so. "Thank you for trusting us. I promise I'll help as much as I can!" She offers, before haltingly looking for an untaken pod and sitting down on top of it to center her own thoughts as she has a mild panic attack.     What if entering Misha's head as a TOTALLY NORMAL GIRL messed things up?! Oh no! Oh no!!! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "UWAH!" It's needless to say that the Reyvateil is nervous. She prettymuch jumps when hands set on her shoulders, but with a breath she quickly steadies herself. Psyber is a familiar face at least, and she sort of did ask him to bring along anyone he thought would be trustworthy for this kind of thing. "I'm. Fine. I'm fine, really." She manages after a beat, before letting her breath slowly hiss through her teeth.     Everyone is showing up, now. There's no backing out. ... Well technically Misha can back out, but with a slow breath, she decides not to. Everything is set up, anyway. Fassad and Riva are no new faces, but she does need to note to them when they arrive, "Hey. This isn't going to be like last time, this is an actual Dive." What that means for Reiji, Yuuki, and Xiaomu is something else entirely, as apparently Misha is making assumptions about Psyber's experiences with the prior Misha he knew: "So... Um. Normally this is a one on one kind of thing. Whatever happens in there, please don't talk about it out here and... Try not to break anything." The basic explanations have more than likely already been given, so she climbs into her pod. The dive attendants are motioning people to climb in as well. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "That would be dangerous," Reiji murmurs in reply to Xiaomu. "Without any mental defenses at all, someone could waltz right in and mess around with her mind to their heart's content." He shakes his head, "We'll be careful in there."     So they just... Get in the tubes, right? Reiji moves as he's waved over, and settles tentatively down into the chamber. He peers out through the gap in the capsule, flashing Misha a quick thumbs up. "Understood. Be careful, be discrete. There should be no trouble." ...Probably. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     For his part, Psyber looks to Misha and nods his head, "Not my first time at the rodeo on this one. I'll be careful in there," He says dryly, keeping his hands in his pockets and then blinking a few tired times.     He does look to Reiji and say, "If she says she'll be fine, I can take her word for it, but there's always a fair chance her subconscious can't support the strain and we cause majoy damage just by our presence," He notes in a grave and fairly serious tone, "The conscious and unconscious are separate. What someone thinks and fact can be mistaken. I want to be as sure that she's ready as possible."     In the end, though, Psyber has to actually trust Misha. So when the attendants are motioning to climb into the capsule, Psyber does so at a pretty calm pace. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad, of course, valiantly walks into the tube. He gives one last smile at Misha, though, reassuringly. "Do not worry. We will be as careful as we can be."      But now he is basically completely ready. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu nods to Misha, then nods to Reiji, "Right then ... see you all inside!" She climbs into a Dive Pod and gets arranged as comfortably as she can. A piece of her wonders if she should try to fall asleep, or stay awake until her mind gets whisked away to Misha's mindscape ... 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva nods. "Don't worry, we won't say a word." Riva can totally keep secrets. ALL OF THE SECRETS. Her smile is replaces with a slightly worried expression however, as she makes a Nathan-esque hrm the moment Misha gets into her pod. There's a moment to glance around to the others, and she exhales, steeling herself for what could be something... really weird. Riva turns and gets into a pod herself, and prepares for pretty song-words to do their magic. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki already made her promise - and it's one she's gonna keep. Before they start, though, she raises a finger, settling into the weird techno-pod thing. "Err... we're not going to rub off on you, if we go in, right? Like, not for doing anything, that's... more obvious, but we're not going to 'contaminate' you if we're just weird people... right?"     She's worried! Double worried!     Though, on the topics of secrets. "Right. Don't talk about it. II can do that." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Hey wait up!"     The red headed white mage known as Kyra Hy-er, just Kyra now, thunders into the room filled with the pods. She skids in and nearly falls over on her side as the big ol' grenade launcher-looking object on her back makes her tip from the momentum. "Er...am I too late?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Kyra is NOT too late if she gets in a Dive Pod before they start to close. But they are beginning to close. And the silver-haired Dive Attendant with the cattish smile is the one to reply to Yuuki, "Oh no, not from just being in there, but from what you DO in there." She explains cryptically before slamming the completely normal girl's Dive Pod shut.     This is an absolutely massive step in trust for Misha, but if there were any misgivings, the time to voice them is over, once everyone is in their pods. The world is nothing but darkness. A silent pervasive blackness for a long lingering moment before the systems kick in and lines of rapidly scrolling text and code in almost headache-inducing Hymmnos zip down everyone's vision. And then everything is bathed in white light...     ENTER: MISHA_FEHU_EOLIA_ARTONELICO Dive Level A     In an instant everyone is standing on a hill, decorated with old stoney ruins jutting upwards in every which way. This Landmark is called Stonehenge for a reason, and aside from the Dive party and old stone it is silent and empty. In the distance a massive tree is visible... To anyone and everyone in the Union it should be a familiar sight.     It's Njorun Station. Though the massive tree, normally lit by all the people living and working on it is completely dark. This might be something to investigate... The group is not alone at Stone Henge.     A tiny figure floats by. It's an ocarina.     No wait. It's a girl.     ... It is a very tiny cat-girl, of about ten inches in height, riding a floating ocarina.     Humming to herself, she floats clean by Stone Henge and the group and almost seems to not notice them. Before halting in her floaty tracks. She floats backwards without turning until she reaches a point in front of everyone... And slowwwwwly turns as if afraid to see what she thinks is there. Little kitten ears twitch, she turns... She stares for a long moment...     Before the tiny girl completely and utterly gawps at the Dive Party, staring in abject, baffled, horrified, silence, jaw hanging open. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Oooh, more Hymmnos! What's that na-ZORT Riva finds herself standing in a stone henge! Whoo! Riva peers around with wide eyes, curious about the area. It's not every day you get to visit someone's actual really true actual for-realsies mind, after all. Though why it looks so much like Njorun Station is strange in itself to her. As she ponders this, the tiny figure floating past causes Riva to blink. Her eyes quieetly follow the tiny catgirl back and forth, and when she starts gawping, Riva smiles warmly and gives her a wave. "Hello~!" She exclaims. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' Lines of code? Well, Reiji thinks, that would make sense, given that they're presumably being linked up via comp-- *BWOIP*     When he next opens his eyes, he's in... Somewhere familiar, but not. Njorun, but dark, absent of the activity that normally characterizes the Station. Reflex compels him to squeeze his left hand tight, and to his mild surprise, his arsenal is right there waiting for him. Reiji frowns, looking down at the wepaons- hopefully, they won't see use today. His newest blade, Darkdrift, does not seem to have accompanied him. Maybe he hasn't quite internalized its presence just yet?     Those thoughts are pushed aside as he glances around the area. Everyone is accounted for... Except Misha. But then, this place /is/ Misha, isn't it? So maybe she IS here. Hm. Oh, but there's someone else as well.     Someone... Tiny. And vaguely feline. Cute, too, but gushing over adorable things isn't really Reiji's cup of tea. Whatever she is, she seems somehow out of place. He approaches regardless, idly registering the expression of abject horror gripping the little sprite's face. "Excuse me," Reiji says to the fairy-thing. He waits a moment to see if she snaps out of her trance, but continues on regardless, "Is... Something wrong? You seem kind of out of it." Beat. "Are... You the obstacle we're here to help Misha overcome?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "She's not the obstacle," Psyber says to Reiji in a pretty mellow tone. If nothing else, he at least knows Hama. He doesn't want to infer too much about this Misha, different experiences and all. But he knows what Hama does, "That's a mind guardian. Here to serve as a guide and help protect us from chuckle-fucking it up too much and hurting Misha where possible."     Psyber takes a slow breath, not quite sure what else to be doing from here. He looks around carefully, taking in the surroundings and trying to get his bearings. Everything he knew from the last iteration of Misha, and also from Mir, are null and void from here on out. Best to treat this as an entirely fresh experience.     Owing to that, he raises a hand and slightly waves to Hama, "Yo." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As Fassad looks around, he smiles and listens. He is surprised as he sees Hama, but luckily, Psyber is there to explain. And Psyber seems to /definitely/ know what he is doing. Still using minor magic to glamor himself up, though, he walks over to Hama. He smiles, his teeth shining bright. He bows to Hama, very politely.      "It is a pleasure to meet you, guardian of this mind. Might you tell us where we are, and what the situation ahead of us is? Or are you even aware of what it is?"      The fact she is on an ocarina catches his attention, though. Ocarina. That... actually draws his attention, because of legends of Ocarinas and their importance in his world. But, he doesn't comment on it. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu bows politely to the ocarina-fairy, holding her staff by her side. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," she says politely. "We're here as friends to Misha, having been invited to assist her. My name's Xiaomu; do you have a name that you're willing to share with us?" She normally speaks a semi-archaic dialect of Japanese, 'old folks style' as it were - but Reiji would probably pick up that her mode of speech is even more traditional now, and polite in a manner that she usually DOES NOT muster herself for. It might be a surprise she hasn't fallen back straight on Chinese ... 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     As the darkness begins to envelop her, Yuuki's eyes flash with a sort of scaredness. Normally darkness is meaningless to her. Normally, she can see perfectly fine even in pitch blackness. But this... This is different. She almost leverages on something internal to blow her way out of the pod, and starts breathing hard before... ZOTCH.     She's standing in a sunny field and the sun here doesn't make her want to A) Go to sleep, and B) Die. "Oh. A helpful guardian to make sure we don't chortle-mess-it-up! How helpful. Hello!" She announces. Hopefully Mindscape Yuuki is not Real Yuuki but Nice, Fake, Outward Appearances Yuuki. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra unloops the CURE-ALL from her back and scrambles into one of the remaining Dive Pods. A moment later she also tosses her mPhone out next to her CURE-ALL. She doesn't have anything to say or questions to ask-but she /does/ wave cheerfully to those she knows-mostly Riva, Psyber, Reiji, and Xiaomu. Yuuki is too TOTALLY NORMAL and COMPLETELY UNRECOGNIZABLE. She's also never met Fassad.     Once inside, she looks around curiously, peering at the surroundings and at her hands. So far everything seemed normal-oh, wait, floating tiny catgirl. The staring is met with counter-staring from Kyra. "...a..awww..." she finally says to Hama, "You're adorable. I wish cameras worked in here. ....cameras don't work in here, right?" She lifts a hand in a disarming fashion, "Don't worry! We're not here to mess anything up. Promise." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Ding ding ding. Ten points to Psyber as he explains the tiny kitten's duty to Reiji, whil Hama reboots herself. In an instant, the Mind Guardian is zipping back and forth, nearly pulling her hair. "Seven? Seven?! SEVEN!? WHAT IS SHE THINKING?!" The kitten squeals to herself, bells jingling and tail flicking agitatedly behind her, before she completely WHEELS on the group, a burning furious hate in those tiny green eyes. "SEVEN OF YOU?! SERIOUSLY?!"     The hackles are UP as she hunches on her ocarina and flashes tiny fangs. Hama can not be faulted for being instantly hostile though, it is her job after all. No amount of niceness or polite greetings are going to stop the tiny Mind Guardian's wrath as Hama devolves completely into an utter apopleptic fit.     In an INSTANT she wheels on Kyra. "NO PICTURES."     It takes her a moment to suck down a breath and stop shrilling like a terrified kitten, though, oen hand rubbing at her face. "Who ARE you people? Misha hasn't Dived with anyone since that blonde doofus, and I'm amazed he even made it as far as he di- UGH. Look just don't BREAK anything." She mewls agitatedly. "I'm Hama, and I'm the [Mind Guardian] of this Cosmosphere. And if ANY of you get out of line I'm going to kick you -all- out in an instant do you understand me?"     There's a pause. And then an afterthought: "If any of you tries to touch me, I will bite you."     That's out of the way now and the little Mind Guardian HUFFS, arms folding across her chest. "I can't believe this... I should just boot you all out right now. If you're -really- here to help you'd best be quick about it. But I don't have a LICK of faith in any one of you."     She's honest at least.     For all of her complaining though, the view of the world seems to expand, and everything can be seen from a top-down view, like a World Map of an RPG, with several places of note.     -Misha's Apartment     -Local Bar: 'The Sad Song'     -Energy Plant???     There is... Something else here. Though the Cosmosphere seems to be an exact replica of a darkened Njorun, a massive shadowy figure curls around the upper boughs of the tree, serpentine and monstrous. Only a vague silhouette can be seen, but then a pair of baleful scarlet eyes open and glower intensely at the party and Stonehenge.     In an instant Hama is suddenly behind the nearest person by her. Which is Kyra. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu raises her free hand in what she hopes is a placating gesture, "We won't break anything, I promise. We want to help Misha, not hurt her. So we'll listen to what you tell us about where we can go and what we can do; hopefully we can earn some of your faith while we're at it." She turns some of her attention to the 'world map' as it comes up, hmm-ing softly. Whatever that looming shadow is, lurking at the top, has the look of a 'boss fight' to her practiced eye - but then, there shouldn't be 'bosses' in the Cosmosphere, should there? Well, ask an expert ... She looks at Hama briefly, then at Psyber. "'Don't break anything' probably means there's nothing in here we'll need to fight, right?" She considers the map ... "Reiji, what looks good to you? I'm thinking the bar or the Energy Plant(?) look promising." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Oh," Reiji mouths at Psyber. "Yes, that would explain quite a bit." He turns back to the little catgirl-on-an-ocarina, and dips his head into a slight bow, "I apologize for my impertinence. I didn't realize who you--" HAMAPOCALYPSE.     The exorcist goes abruptly silent as the... The Mind Guardian blows a gasket. She is clearly agitated. Perhaps it may be best to let her cool down for a little while. He idly wonders if mind guardians are suceptible to catnip. ...Not that he'd experiment like that on any aspect of someone else's mind.     Xiaomu's sudden change in tone and diction registers on the periphery of Reiji's awareness. That's... Unusual. Was she just being formal for the sake of meeting the guardian, or is this place having some kind of effect on her? Hm. "Well," Reiji shrugs, "We'll do our best to exceed your expectations, I suppose. Please let us know if we make any mis--" WORLD MAP.     Goddamn that is /weird/ looking at the world from way up in the sky like this. Reiji is distantly reminded of when he rode on Kalameet's senses, but fortunately, this is far less calamitous than that vision. Even if there is something almost as ominous looming at the very crest of the great tree. Reiji makes a soft, mental grunt as he examines his choices...     "For now," he says, relying on his keen special agent senses and experience in investigating mysterious happenings, "I think we should tread carefully to start with. Let's head to the bar, poke around a bit and then make our way up to the Energy Plant once we have a better grasp on the situation." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva recoils as Hama goes completely bonkers. "I... I'm sorry?" Riva says, as Hama has her fit. She looks to the others with a 'haaalp plz' glance, and she looks back to Hama. "Okay, okay, we got it! Everything will be cool!" She waves her hands for a moment, then pauses at the aside. "Are you really sure? You're... /completely adorable/." Riva replies, exuberantly. "But it's nice to meet you, Hama. I hope we'll get to be friends eventually!" The World Map opens, and Riva finds this an odd perception. This isn't normally her deal, but she'll adapt. It's when Hama flips out and hides behind Kyra that she looks up. "Whoa." She blinks at the ominous shadow. Well, uh... That's different. She looks away with a shudder, focusing on the other options. "Hmm. I'll head to the apartment." She says abruptly. TIME TO SPREAD OUT AND LOOK FOR CLUES. "Maybe I can find some mind-cake and bring it over like a good neighbor~" She practically trills. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad considers Hama for a second. He pauses. Perhaps next time he should bring some fish to appease her? Still, though, something like a mind guardian... They really need to make sure to keep it appeased. He stays calm, though, "Well, we have all promised to be careful, and she herself sought our help. Perhaps she has something in mind, for using so many of us. But we will be careful. If you /do/ find reason to have us leave? We will leave at a moment's notice."      The world map view completely baffles Fassad, as does the possible boss presence. But, when Riva is considering the apartment, he ponders a bit, "...I am... not sure how comfortable I would be intruding inside the home of a woman, for various reasons. But, I suppose, if we are intruding in on her subconcious as is... We might as well. Yes, I shall head with Riva to the Apartment." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra pouts, "Awwwww. Wait, when you say no do you mean 'don't do it' or 'it doesn't work'?" She folds one hand over the other, still pouting and likely considering making the attempt to photograph something. She's tried it before, after all, though it didn't work last time.     She also starts reaching a hand towards Hama but drops it when biting is threatened.     Sullenly, she studies the world map, not as shocked at its appearance as may be expected. Given this was a dream world, anything could happen, right? "Is splitting up safe here?" She questions, "Because I was thinking of going to the apartment but I don't want to be the only one to go alone since I've never-errr. Oh, Riva, sweet, let's go." she doesn't continue admitting that she's never done this before since it'll clearly make Hama have another FIT and since she's suddenly hiding behind her, that means Kyra's in biting range. Though with her behind Kyra, the white mage pulls her hood off her head, letting it bunch up behind her. She has shoulder length red hair and her piercings can be seen more clearly now. The hood is also ideal for tiny things to ride around in. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber looks up. Way up. In fact, he stares at the ominous shadow.     At least know he knows what he's going to be doing with his evening, "We might have to fight some stuff. Depends on what kinda inner demons she has," Psyber comments idly and then looks up at the shadow some more. That thing seems like it'll be fun to mess with. An inner demon of some kind.     Psyber stoops down to the ground and picks up a rock or four, "I'll catch up with you guys," Psyber comments as he starts coiling his arm back and trying to throw rocks into the upper boughs of the tree. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     "An apartment? That sounds nice and... Safe." Yuuki offers, looking over the options, helpfully looking at Riva. "And, I'd hate to do things alone. Haven't you been to one of these?" She checks before...     Psyber picks up a rock. "Huh, do you have an idea?" She ask, before psyber begins slinging rocks into a tree.     Metaphorical Rocks into Metaphorical trees, after being EXPLICITLY TOLD like FIVE TIMES not to COCK IT UP     "W-what are you doing? Shouldn't we be soft and gentle?! Shouldn't we think through things?!?!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     For the record, Hama looks ready to bite Riva, lips curled back to show super tiny fangs.     Hugging seems to be forbidden.     Nevertheless, the Njorun streets are nearly pitch black. There's no true light, and no starlight up above, but the pathways seem to have enough oddly ambient light that shows a familiarity with the massive tree on Misha's part that the dark streets are not completely impassable but...     They are desolately empty. Not a soul around to be seen anywhere.     As Psyber starts to pitch rocks up at the upper levels of the tree, the massive shadow stirs again, but Hama MEWLS and latches onto his wrist. "Stop that, STOP that! Do you want to get us all killed?! Do you have any idea how much trouble it is for me to keep that THING from running amok as it is?!"     Meanwhile, after a brief walk through the streets, it's not long before Riva, Fassad, and Kyra arrive at the Njorun residential sector, and Misha's pad. The door is left ajar, and from the looks of it, the cozy little apartment has been ransacked. The place is a mess, dusty, untidy, dishevveled.     The fridge is hopping up and down banging on the wall, held shut only by rattling chains, and just like the front door, the door to the bedroom is left open by a crack.     Meanwhile, at the bar, this seems to be the one spot in all the city that has any power; evidenced by the little generator puttering outside the door. But it's enough for a dimly lit atmosphere inside. Only two people are present, and one sticks out as instantly recognizeable. Stark silver-white hair in a braid, blue eyes, and a cattish, smile, the Dive Attendant seems to be the bar keep here. The other person however might be a confusing sight...     A young woman with midnight hair, in her mid-twenties, dressed in a racy black cocktail dress. Smokey jade eyes flit half-lidded to the doorway as Reiji and Xaiomu arrive. "Hmmm? Only you two? I'm kind of surprised. Sorry if you came for the performance, but with the power out, the show's off indefinitely." She practically purrs before motioning for a refill of her drink.     "ID please~." The Bartender asks playfully enough, which earns a serious scowl. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As Fassad arrives at the apartment, he looks inside the open door. and, for a moment, he pauses. Staring at it, blankly. For one of the first times in his career in the Union, he is having a look of terror on his eyes. He is regretting chosing to visit the apartment. The utter terror at the mess...      He is incredibly glad that ALL EVENTS HERE are not to be talked about, ever again. But even then, he still turns around, looks away from the apartment, and looks at Riva and Kyra. Despite a band of sweat going down his head, he is doing his /utmost best/ to pretend he is calm.      "I am going to make a suggestion: I will stand guard at the door. You two look inside. If there are in fact monsters here, we do not want to be taken by surprise from them bursting through the front door."      He is praying that they buy this excuse. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Well. How are you supposed to fix the problem if you keep it up there?" Psyber counterpoints to Hama, peering back up into the tree as he responds to both the catgirl on his wrist and the NORMAL GIRL by his side. He squints a bit and looks high up into the branches.     "What is it, anyway?" He asks to Hama curiously, still looking up there, "Gonna have to deal with it eventually. Not healthy to lock up those inner demons and keep them from people."     This ironic advice brought to you by Psyber. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Psyber can go ahead and throw rocks at dragons if he likes. For the moment, it's up in a tree, and Reiji doesn't particularly like fighting a monster he can neither identify nor examine. That can come later! For now, he's at a bar.     The fact that the place is actually illuminated is an... Interesting change, in contrast to the rest of this place. There are actually /people/ here, even if there are only two. The white-haired dive attendant, and... ...Someone somehow familiar. But... Not quite.     "No entertainment? That's a shame. Though I suppose we aren't exactly here for a show," Reiji replies, moving smoothly over to sit in a barstool, leaving room for Xiaomu to sit next to him. He digs into a pocket, taking the initiative to slide one of his many ID cards across the bar. It has his name, and probably his birthdate on it! Probably. Secret agents and all that.     "I'll take whatever you've got on tap," he says, "And a refill for the lady." If nothing else, Reiji knows of some... reliable ways to loosen lips. He hopes they apply in someone else's mind. "Reiji Arisu," he introduces himself, gesturing toward his companion, "This is Xiaomu, my partner."     "It's a shame that the power seems to be out, though," he wonders aloud. "Though I'm not entirely sure why. Probably something that's worth looking into," he shrugs, eyes flickering over toward the two women, "Unless there's a reason we shouldn't be." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Huh, good idea, in case any inner demons come after us, right?" Kyra gives Fassad a double thumbs up, "Thanks for tanking! By the way, can we actually die here? Or do you just wake up when you do? Like in a real dream that is."     Shrugging, she steps inside the apartment. "Hm, looks like a bunch of thugs have been here." Kyra assesses using her ACE*DETECTIVE skills as the three of them enter the apartment. Her attention is quickly attracted by the suspicious banging noises, leading her to the restrained fridge. She stares at it for a second before edging closer, knocking on the door and shouting to it, "Hey, who's in there?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' As Psyber decides to start chucking rocks into the tree, Xiaomu considers briefly - and actually bends down, taking off her sandals. Although she may put them on again before entering the bar. Presumably there are ~reasons~ for this. The generator outside the bar prompts a raised eyebrow (and slightly perked ears) from the sage fox before she takes a seat next to Reiji, presenting her ID as well. "Xiaomu of Shinra," she introduces herself - still with that archaically-polite diction and enunciation. "What kind of show might we be missing, and how long has the power been out for?" she asks ... even MORE politely. Does she know something she isn't explaining? 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "Yeah, but it wasn't ANYTHING like this." She replies to Yuuki. However, then she's on her way before Psyber begins doing silly things. MEANWHILE, AT THE HALLS OF JUSTICE- I MEAN, MISHA'S APARTMENT... "Eeew, this apartment looks like it's seen better days." Riva comments, eyes wide as she leans in from one side of the doorjamb. "Okay, this isn't going to do at all." She draws herself up with a determined look on her face. Just as she's abou to enter, though, Fassad pulls her up short. She turns around and leans in towards him, watching him intently. Staring into his eyes with a serious expression. Several seconds pass, and the tension rises... "Okay!" Riva says with a bright smile. "Watch our backs, okay? We'll call you if we need backup." At that, she plunges into the place, looking things over in more detail. "Okay, time to do my best Ayako impression. This place needs to be tidied up pretty bad... And what the hell is that smashing noise?" She asks, looking to Kyra and leaning into the kitchen. She blinks at the violent fridge. "Whoa." She says, and then purses her lips. "Okay, um... Keep an eye on things, Kyra, I'm going to look for some cleaning goods." She leaves Kyra with the horrible fridge as she pokes through the apartment, looking for some stuff to tidy up the apartment with. Like in the bedroom. People keep cleaning stuff in their bedrooms, right? Well, okay, in the bathroom that's usually off of the bedroom WHATEVER SHE'S GOING INTO THE BEDROOM. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki is pretty taken aback. This is PROFESSIONAL! This is... A little scary, even. A knight guarding the door? Why aren't they just scooby doo-ing their way in?     Yuuki stands in the hallway, having no assigned task, and starts straightening small things, organizing the little bits and making sure the couch covers are swept off and the cushions are rotated and the coffee table is arranged neatly and all the books are set spines out, alphabetically and...     As other people tackle the BIG OBSTACLES, Yuuki just sorts of putters around aimlessly organizing like only a Japanese High School Female can. Have you seen their rooms?! THEY'RE IMPECCABLE!!! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     HUFF!     This is Hama's first response to Psyber as she adjusts her seating on the ocarina and folds her arms across her chest with a petulant look. "It's a holdover from the last times that blonde idiot was here. He never dealt with it, and that's all I can say."     Which means if she can't deal with it-- and Misha can't on her own, by extension, eventually someone else will have to.     In the apartment, that SMASHING noise is the fridge. Which HOPS up and down more vigorously as Kyra approaches it. Fassad is lucky in getting off the hook in investigating the dusty apartment, but brave Riva presses forth and...     "Go away, I'm not going back to work."     Just before Riva enters, that voice calls out. It's small and very familiar, as Misha then adds as an afterthought: "... And tell your friend to stay away from the fridge, it's haunted by my ex-roommate's cooking."     This is the only warning Kyra will get.     Funny enough, despite the fact that she's busy hissing at Psyber right now, Hama is here as well, watching from a ceiling corner with a glower.     It's a moment later that Misha pokes out of the bedroom, hair left undone and looking messy, a small girl in ratty pink pajamas covered in dust. "Don't worry about my place, I'm fine if it rots, I'm fine if everything rots." She notes to the completely ordinary highschooler trying to tidy up.     After a small hassle with IDs and the bartender POINTEDLY heckling people over them, drinks are passed out, and even Misha gets a refill. "Sorry about that." She asides to the skink-haired exorcist and his vulpine companion. "It's tough getting people to take you seriously when you've got the body of a twelve year old out in the real world." Misha says with a sour chuckle. Hama is ALSO here, poking her head up from behind a bottle on the wall, sneering petulantly, but Misha and Spica ignore the tiny Mind Guardian.     "Mm. I already know who you two are. And I'm pretty sure you know who I am, but no, I figured you weren't here just to hear me sing. I used to have a regular here, but he's gone MIA." Mused as she traces her finger around the rim of her glass. "Oh it's been out for a while. Around since I started feeling lonely again. Though the boy at the power plant might have a better explanation for you on why things are down. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva is about to barge into the room when Misha pulls her up short. She pauses for a moment and calls over towards Kyra, "HEY KYRA, watch out for the fridge, it's apparently haunted by evil cooking." It's impolite to barge into a bedroom when their owner is in there, however, so Riva puts her back up to the doorjamb and slides down to sit on the floor, rolling her head to one side to direct her voice towards that little crack in the door. "You look like you're having some rough times, Misha. Want to talk about it?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Then doesn't that mean SOMEONE is going to have to, if he hasn't by now?" Psyber says to Hama in an unusually serious tone, "If it's that dangerous, it can't be let to sit idle forever." Psyber notes this to Hama pretty adamantly.     "I just saw something like this turn into an incident that nearly killed a bunch of people I care about," He continues, sternly, "Maybe not today, but I'm coming back and I'm dealing with it later. When it's not going to mess up the Cosmosphere for the others." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     The fridge isn't answering. Kyra seems disappointed. But fortunately, Riva fills her in on what the deal with the fridge is. "Haunted by bad cooking? OH! Hah, don't worry, I deal with that /all the time/. You have no idea. Like there was this one time I was trying to make soup stock, right? But something happened to the crockpot and it wasn't compatible with the current I tried to put through it and...okay, long story short, they made me hunt down and kill my own creation."     She flicks her hands out dramatically and places them both upon the hopping refridgerator, "So if this fridge is haunted, then I'll just Banish the bad cooking." she announces all too cheerfully, murmuring a few words to call forth her magic. Except...     Kyra pales even further, looking drained and weakened as the normally white glow of her magic turns an ugly red and black. Kyra makes a strangled noise as she feels some of her lifeforce drained away, converted into a dark-based magic, which is discharged into the fridge. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     'Body twelve year old?' 'Real World?' Reiji's eyes tighten in recognition. /That's/ why she seemed so familiar. He takes his drink in one hand and takes a long draw. It seems that, even in the mind, his body knows the taste of good beer. "I see, so it's like that," Reiji murmurs, wiping away the residual foam coating his upper lip. "I imagine it must be rough, being stuck like that. Twelve isn't the most pleasant age." The exorcist's gaze turns toward Hama briefly when the little cat-ocarina pops up. He didn't even notice her arrive. ...Hm. Perhaps she's not just a cat, but a Schrodinger's Cat? Interesting.     "Well, I suppose that pretty firmly cements our next destination," Reiji continues, taking another brief sip of his drink, "Loneliness, huh? I suppose it could get lonely, being separated from your partner, like that." If he and Xiaomu were split up somehow, and he didn't know where she was... Well, he'd rather not dwell on that. Loneliness and isolation are painful things to think about. "It sounds like you two were... Really close." Maybe that's why the generator's still running, he thinks. If he enjoyed listening to her sing, then... ...What does it mean when it runs out of fuel? ...They may not have much time.     "...Well, whatever the case, if it's at the power station, then we know where to go next. I don't like the idea of this place going without power for too much longer," he says, nodding to Xiaomu. Reiji fishes out some cash (DIVE POINTS!?) from his pockets and rests the payment on the counter before glancing to Xiaomu. Whenever you're ready, partner. "For what it's worth, you're not exactly alone anymore. Even if none of us can replace Lyner." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad has to strain to listen inside. He /does/ open the door, just slightly. With his sword's tip. He will not touch anything inside this filthy house himself. He only glances in on rare occasion as well. He does glance a bit inside though, as he hears Misha's voice, just barely.      "...Misha, if you can hear me. While I am not one to judge, one must keep one's own home clean."      And then he spots Kyra launching black magic at the fridge. He raises an eyebrow. Is that... what a banishment spell should look like?      A smile is given to Yuuki though. A very fond, happy smile. OH THANK GOD, the place will be celaned. He looks away, hoping that Kyra didn't accidentally break the fridge open and unleash a terribel monster. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Xiaomu didn't even get a chance to order a drink (or at least, didn't *take* the chance if it came up in passing), but she gets back off her stool, nodding. "Sounds like the next logical step, yeah," she agrees. And while she's not showing it outwardly, yes, she DOES have a pretty strong sense of what it's like to be cut off from a partner you're used to being with. She's actually more familiar with it from personal experience than Reiji is ... much, *much* more familiar. There's a reason why a centuries-old sage fox has just as strong a grudge against a certain werefox as Reiji himself harbors when he's so much younger than Xiaomu. For now, though, Xiaomu just recalls the world map and sorts out where she and Reiji need to go. The power plant was pretty prominently marked. "Let us know if there's anything else we can do, okay?" she adds to the bartender and the singer, smiling, before heading on her way with Reiji. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki senses DARK MAGIC, and the sacrifice of life (the latter much more than the former), as she Tidies. It is very fretful. There is so much UNCLEANLINESS! A clean room is a clean soul, as they... Maybe that's the thing they're here to do!     Oh dear fangy pureblooded jesus-sempai-oniisan.     "What are you doinggggg!??!?!?!" She wails, to Kyra. "Don't blow up the fridge! And don't kill yourself! Here..."     Yuuki pulls out a small stoppered vial of red liquid, which smells like alchohol and cherries. Really, really strongly of that.     "Drink this. You'll feel better. And do less of that... dark... explodey stuff! We're in someone's /head/!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     And there goes Psyber swinging in with the logic of tackling personal demons. "No but-- well yes-- I mean-" Hama fumbles for a moment before she MEWLS. "Misha isn't ready for it. LOOK at this place? Does it look like it's in any condition to handle the damage that thing will do if it gets loose? Misha is fragile right now, she's going to need someone to help her prepare for that kind of thing!" She is looking closer and closer to wanting to bite the Half-Angel now.     Meanwhile at the Misha-cave, the Reyvateil can hear Fassad easily enough, the door to the bedroom is just across from the door to the living room, and she gives him a flat stare as a response, before replying to Riva, "I already said I'm not going back to work, and that's kind of final, no one really appreciated me the last time I was around, so why should I put my blood, sweat, and tears, into a thankless job by going back?"     And then Kyra tries to heal the fridge.     The terrible dark HP-draining magics of a Dark Knight saturating the fridge. What terrible effects could this have? -- It actually seems to placate the thing. Its jumping slows to an intermittant hopping in place as the chains rattle less. But there is a sudden BANG from inside as it manages to open the door wide enough for a single red eye to peek out, and the resident within to snarl.     "Seriously, don't piss off the pot roast, I don't know what Mir made it out of."     That pot roast is clearly AMAZINGLY dangerous.     Back at the bar, though, Misha sips her drink with a wry smile. "You don't know the half of it. I wouldn't worry about me, though."     "This isn't even her lev--"     Misha stifles Spica with a hand over her mouth. "Without my partner? I get by. But someone else is having trouble." She says with a waggle of fingers as the Shinra duo make their way out of the bar. Spica pockets Reiji's Dive Points.     The Power Plant is a WRECK. Sparks fly from busted transformers, and it looks completely unmanned. Looks is the key word. There IS a worker here. A young man with blonde hair, in a blue jumpsuit and cap that is clearly a stereotypical power plant employee electrician uniform. and he is looking completely stumped at the state of things, tool box in hand as he fiddles with EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIVE WIRES.     "Ahhhh geeze. I'll never get this fixed before shift's up. The boss'll have my hide." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah, eventually," Psyber relents to Hama, agreeing with the feline, "Maybe after some more time settling into the Union I can come back here and check it out some more," He comments, keeping his hands in his pockets. He doesn't have too much else to do right now, so he sort of just keeps staring up at the shadows, red eyes narrowing a bit.     He has a theory of what it could be. Just an inkling. The fact that it's stirring now is a bit of confirmation for his theory. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva waves her hands to Fassad and mouths something, but it's probably impossible to figure out what she's saying. She kind of wiggles her hands over in front of her face, then puts her hands horizontal with both eyes between her hands, among other strange gestures. "That must have been a really painful job." Riva says, then silently gesturing to Fassad to check on Kyra since it's clear he's going to detonate if he gets some dust on him. "What were you doing that was so stressful for you?" She asks Misha. She needs information before she can begin trying to draw her out of this shell she's in. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Meanwhile, Kyra slumps against the front of the fridge, onto her knees. She looks exhausted and weak. "Urgh-no, I was trying to banish the evil leftover food." she complains to Yuuki, looking up at her tiredly. "I didn't even mean to-" she takes the vial without a second thought and downs it automatically. Drinking various potions is second nature to her.     Besides, Yuuki is a completely normal girl, she must be totally trustworthy.     Kyra feels the refridgerator door bump against her head. She looks up to find herself eye to eye with the deadly pot roast. Staring back at it, she answers the snarl with: "I make food like you /for breakfast/." before shoving the door closed and putting her back against it.     "Hey-" she calls back to the Misha, "I think you should get rid of this thing. And by that I mean the whole fridge. Get a fridge to yourself." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:''' Well, this place is... Uh.     "Damn, what a mess," yes, that. "Looks like a hurricane peeled through here," he mutters, stepping over some VERY exposed looking cables. And a broken... cathode ray tube? Weird. No wonder the place is without power. Damn near everything is shattered to bits. Flame leaps from Karin as Reiji pulls it from its sheath, illuminating the ruins by torchlight, seeing as there's no electricity to run the bulbs. ...But at least it's not like nobody's trying to put things back together.     That shock of blonde hair is hard to miss, even amidst the wreckage of a power plant- especially in Karin's flickering light. "Hey," Reiji calls out to the Mysterious Blonde Man. "You an employee here? What the hell happened to this place?" 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad looks as the refridgerator door bangs, and lets out a sigh of relief as the potroast stays restrained inside. He turns away from the house, looking away from the filthy apartment. But, despite the fact he is not looking, he still listens incredibly closely to all of Misha's words. He doesn't know what he should be messing with, and what he shouldn't. But... This dark bit, who is hiding away alone and in filth... No one should have to deal with that.      And so, he speaks, musing to himself, "...I admit. I am unaware of what your job was, and why you will not be going back to it. But, if you do not wish to return, it is understandable. Still, though... Even if no one ever spoke of their appreciation, I am certain it was felt."      He ponders. He, himself, often feels underappreciated. Even Xiaomu and Reiji mocked him not too long ago, along with Luc. He tries so hard, and yet, will he ever be the hero of legend?      Fassad smiles, looking skyward.      "...At the very least, I will appreciate you no matter what path forward you chose. I am sure the others here with me shall, as well."      A pause.      "...Though you don't mind if my allies clean up inside of there, do you? After all, a clean home is a clean soul."      And Fassad really wants to be able to go inside. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Yeah, this is definitely another place to wear shoes. Xiaomu puts her sandals on before heading into the Power Plant proper, giving the sparking wires (and any wires that are bare but not necessarily sparking) a very respectful distance. She doesn't want to find out what kind of a shock she can get from Cosmosphere wires. "You got some extra protective gear?" she inquires of Lyner. "I might be able to help with some of the repairs ..." Fixing stuff is not breaking stuff! And they need power at the bar, so offering to help can't be a bad idea in its own right. ... Can it? 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki's vial is filled with blood made to taste like not-blood, but once it's in your mouth, yeah, it's blood.     It is the best most delicious blood ever and holy shit you may in fact want more. Maybe. If you're into /tasty liquids/.     It's also very invigorating and cures pretty much everything! It's /really/ good blood.     Yuuki just sort of stands there, gaping. "What did you do, Kyra? What did you dooooooo?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Hama is eyeing Psyber warily as he stares at the upper boughs. But as long as he's not hucking rocks anymore, she's not going to bite at him. "She's going to have to be a lot stronger than she is now before trying to face it. And I'm not sure if that's even possible. I've already given up on all of you."     The little kitten is sticking her tongue out, pulling one eyelid down with a finger.     Despite Hama's misgivings, it's not like no progress is being made.     "Oh huh? Whah?" The mysterious electrician youth looks up from his fumbling around, and raises a hand, "Yo!" That is a huge grin on his face. Almost goofy. utterly derpy, but entirely loveable at the same time. "Hey! Welcome to Union Co. power. The name's Lyner. Lyner Barsett. I'm uh. Kind of the only electrician on duty today. I can get this fixed in five minutes flat if my partner was here, buuuut she's not, so I can't get my head on straight and concentrate huh." So it looks like that's what's going on with the power, as Lyner makes another attempt and crosses two LIVE WIRES.     The result is a transformer nearby suddenly explodes, and he gets a pretty nasty shock, but it doesn't seem to stop him. However it does cause another issue.     All over 'Njorun' things quake for a moment from the huge power surge that follows. Lights flicker, but then fizzle out, bulbs explode, and the nearby television in the apartment flicks on, before that goes out again. But the fridge beast seems to be handled for not.     "You... Make food like that?" The Reyvateil looks nearly horrified at Kyra, but then she huffs and sets hands on her hips. "What is that boy doing now, I swear, it's like without me nothing stays together around here -ugh." She then bitches about the lights. "My apartment is fine. I worked for Union Co. power. I didn't do much, I just sat off to the side and sang to keep the electricians calm while working with the power lines, but lately it feels like no one is even listening. I guess Lyner did, but I don't see him like I used to." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Lightning fast, Psyber reaches out with his hand and flicks Hama square in the forehead. Not hard, more to show he can do it. Even if she bites him, if he flicks it'll be a moral victory on his part, "If that is what I think it is, it'll be a while before she can deal with it. I really hope I'm wrong, though. Because it would be B-A-D Bad if it is."     "How long has it been there?" 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra looks thoughtfully at the now-empty vial in her hands, "Wow, that was delicious." she remarks, shoving the vial into one of her pockets so she doesn't add to the clutter of the partment. "I dunno what I did! But I think it /liked/ it." Kyra stares at the fridge as she stands on her own power.     She nearly falls over again at the quake, hanging onto the fridge to steady herself. "Well...you know. Sometimes if you want something done right.." she suggests to Misha, ignoring the comment over her cooking for now, "...you have to go do it yourself. Just sayin'." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Lyner. Fassad tries to place that name. It sounds familiar. He remembers that Misha had a partner she travelled with. Was... that him? Still looking away, he is actually a bit freaked out at the small earthquake. He hears the bulbs explode, and finally looks in the apartment for a second more. Again, a sigh of relief. At least the power is not having more issues. He doesn't understand how electricity works, though. But he understands the context, that Misha in this is supplying power, and supposed to be working with Lyner.      "...Well. If your job is helping bring light to this town, that sounds like a fine job. But, even if you want to stop, shouldn't you at least tell them that, in person? Would you like to accompany me to your place of employment, so you can tell them your complaints, tell them why you want to stop?"      Fassad pauses a bit. And then speaks again.      "At the least, you should say goodbye to Lyner, if he seemed to appreciate you." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     'Lyner Barsett?' "YOU'RE Lyner Barsett?" Reiji blinks. It... Makes sense, actually. Kind of. Of course the man Misha misses so much is ostensibly responsible for keeping things together at the power station. Or... Rather, the opposite of keeping things together.     It's hard to call anything 'maintenance' when it results in a /power transformer/ exploding not a couple meters away. Fortunately, Lyner is between Reiji and the transformer and also seems to be basically invincible. Are idiots immortal? MAYBE IN MISHA'S MIND.     "What the hell," he growls, marching over as the electrical light fades, "Do you think you're doing? You're making things worse, playing around like tha--" Beat. BEAT. "Oh." Reiji's rage seems to fade. "Oh, I think I see what's happened here."     He looks to the blonde electrician again, and nods. "Alright. How about you let us help set things straight around here. If we can get even a bit of this running, then your boss won't be pissed when she shows up, right?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Are you even trying t-" ******BOOM****** Fortunately for Reiji, Xiaomu didn't actually just get blown up by the transformer that just detonated, although he'd be forgiven for thinking that might have just happened. However, when the smoke clears away, Xiaomu is still there, leaning heavily on her staff and racked by a coughing fit; there may actually be specks of soot she's spitting out to go with the layer she's gotten covered in. "Uuuuugh ... next time you do something that's going to blow up equipment, *WARN* us so we're not standing next to it!" she complains at Cosmosphere!Lyner. "Washing soot out of my tails always takes so much work ..." She reaches up, digging soot out of one of her vulpine ears and flicking it away. "Ugh. Look, if you need help keeping your focus, is it something Reiji or I can do? Or do we need to go find your partner and drag her in here to do her job?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva curls up in surprise, folding her hands over her head and drawing up her legs protectively as everything sparks and sizzles. By the time it ends, Riva is staring at the TV. Slowly, she stands up and advacnes on the TV, stepping over the various debris sitting around on the floor and stoops in front of the TV. She reaches out a hand and speculatively pokes at the screen, and then the controls. As she does so, she comments over her shoulder conversationally, "Fassad, people are depending on her. People need power in order to live. They need light to see, and do things like..." She glances back to the TV. "Watch TV..." and then back to Fassad and Depressotron!Misha. "I think people would love to hear you sing again. I know I've always been interested in listening to your songs..." She pauses. "I think it's too early to be saying goodbye. If you want appreciation for what you do, Misha, let's try talking to the guys at the power plant. Maybe you can put on a concert or something!" She pauses. "Of course, to do that you'd need, um... power..." She gestures. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki offers a hand to help Kyra up, her grace and balance somehow SUPER GOOD even through the earthquake, and she turns to the DARK COOKING. "I'll... Leave this one to you. If you need more of that medicine just ask!" She offers, before she heads to the bathroom. And gets a duster. And perhaps a rag.     And begins to ATTACK the dirt and grime, making sure the drawers are organized, the ledges are dusted, and the shiny surfaces are wiped off. She is merciless against dirt and grime!     FEAR HER CLEANING PROWESS!     "Hey, um... Mister Knight, why are you outside, anyway? We should be fine in here, you know..." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "KYAH!" That is the sound of a Mind Guardian getting forehead flicked. Hama flails, clutching her ocarina as a pair of crossed band aids appear over her very red forehead, as she scowls. "Since she was eight. And it just gets bigger and bigger and worse every year."     Lyner is looking frazzled after that, but apparently is some kind of unkillable juggernaut.     "Aw it wasn't that bad. It was just a few hundred megawatts!"     We're going to ignore the fact he should be ash right now as he waggles a still very LIVE wire at Xiaomu. "Well sure I guess you can help. Just try not to get shocked before CEO Hall or Parthurnaax show up or we're all hosed. Or worse. Spica." He pauses there to guffaw with laughter, but it trails off into nervous chuckling. And then just kind of dies. "I'd really have this done in no time with Misha here though."     Hope Shinra included 'Electrical engineering' in their training courses, in the meantime.     Back at the apartment though there is conflict. People need power, but Misha is playing hookey because she feels under appreciated. So there's really only one thing to do. And Riva's attempt to coax Misha back to her workplace is met with grudging mutterances at first.     Meanwhile Yuuki is dilligently cleaning the apartment as this all goes on, and by the time all of the Reyvateil's hemming and hawing starts to recede the place is looking MUCH better. But then it's something Fassad says that makes the small Star Singer flinch as though she were physically struck. Chewing on her lip in thought for a moment, she seems to relent with a sigh. "Fine... Fine, I can at least do that much."     Given a short time to change out of her pajamas and into clothes more suitable for travel, it looks like the Apartment crew has convinced Misha to at least visit the power plant. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Reiji might be relatively fine after that exploding transformer, but his partner... Not so much. The exorcist frowns as Xiaomu emerges from the electrical lightshow, singed but fortunately not actually too badly harmed. That kind of shock would ordinarily be pretty damn dangerous, but... Well, Xiaomu is pretty resilient. ...Or maybe Misha is looking out for them?     Well, regardless. "You know that's enough to kill most people, right?" Reiji sighs, rolling his shoulders. He frowns, then, moving over to... To do what he can, he supposes. At least some of the bomb disposal techniques might be useful in picking out which wires NOT to cross. The least he can do is... reorganize things. "You miss her too, huh?" Reiji asks, glancing over his shoulder as he carefully uses a sheathed Chirai to scoot live wires out of the way. "Ever try going to find her and ask her to come sing for you?" 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      With the apartment a /bit/ cleaner, Fassad is actually able to turn around, and enter. He smiles at Misha, looking at her. He takes out a sanitizing wipe, rubs it across her hand for just a second, and then moves to hold her hand in his. "Apologies, but if you are going to say goodbye to your employer and friends, you should at least have a clean hand to shake them goodbye. ...Don't worry. I know this is tough. We will support you with it."      And unless resisted, Fassad will hold her hand on the way to the Power Plant. Mostly, because he remembers back to when he set out on his adventure. Telling his parents he was leaving, and unlikely to ever return, was one of the hardest things he had ever done. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra takes the hand up from Yuuki. "Hey, what was in that stuff? It was pretty good, I liked it." she remarks without much thought before pushing away from the fridge and finally letting it be. As long as it wasn't thrashing as much anymore, Kyra was pretty satisfied. "Maybe on a subsenquent visit we could boss fight the pot roast." she notes, "I think it's a multi-person job."     She looks from the Misha, Fassad, and Riva and...nods. She dodesn't have anything else to add by way of encouragement and she doesn't want to wreck something that seems to be working. In the meantime, she searches through the kitchen and finds some paper and a marker. She writes 'DANGER: POT ROAST' on the paper and sticks it to the fridge with the most cheerful fridge magnet available. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah... I think I know what it is now..."     Psyber says this vaguely, staring up at the sky above himself as he looks at the figure up in the shadows. The fact that it exists draws a massive scowl on his face. He looks more than worried, he looks legitimately upset. Bothered that such a thing exists inside Misha. He looks over to Hama and seriously asks her:     "Will you let me try to fix it some day?" 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Clearly this guy isn't 'most people' .." Xiaomu starts, then frowns thoughtfully, vaulting over a couple of loose cables with Suiren. "Hey Reiji, do you think this is the partner Misha mentioned at the bar? Or ..." Hmmmmmmmm. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva signals to Yuuki and Kyra that it's time to go. "Good job, Yuuki! Cleaning /machine/ there!" She congratulates! Another job well done by someone else doing it before her. SLACK POWER. "Kyra, are you going to be okay? Yeah, we'll handle this later." She asks, trying to help the White Mage along (as well as Yuuki)... And then she stops as she watches Fassad's actions. A look of pure astonishment plays across her face. And then disbelief. And then irritation. She watches the proceedings, her eyes practically smouldering behind Fassad. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki gives a small smile. "Just some medicine. It's the best medicine from my world - garunteed to return someone to full power, maybe with a little extra." She explains while not explaining. She's pretty good at that.     She has all five dots of 'Not Communicating' with a three-dot specialty in 'Shojo Bullshit'.     "Probably. But this place is dirty! And disorganized. If this is a mind, I bet knocking down the cobwebs would be good. So..."     She looks around. "Maybe we can order some mindpizza so Misha won't have mindmunchies while her fridge has the Demon Pot Roast." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Oh yeah, I'm totally fine now. I feel pretty great, actually. Um. I'm just glad that I didn't poke a hole in the dream world or something equally bad by accident. That would have been a baaaad way to make an impact on my first dive." Kyra laughs nervously and turns her back on the fridge, following after Riva, Fassad, and Misha.     Only now does she notice Riva's discomfort, gradually putting two and two together based on the conversation she heard between her, Misha, and Fassad. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "I can't!" That's Lyner's chipper reply to Reiji. And the big grin on his face chips slightly with a pain-tinged look. Because he taps on his nametag on his shirt.     Lyner Barsett, Electrical Engineer. Temp. Employee.     Hama rubs at her sore forehead a bit, plucking the band aids away and is good as new in an instant. Resilient little thing. But with a jingle of bells she turns herself right around, arms folded over her chest. "That's not for me to decide, that's on Misha. I just kick people out when I think they're going to be dangerous."     Fassad gets something of a 'seriously?' kind of look when he wipes Misha's hand, but she allows it to be taken annnnnnd. "I wish it were that easy. But I've always felt like a bird in a cage."     For now the Seven Man Fridge Raid Boss can wait.     Flash forward to the Power Plant, Misha with hands on hips. "Well look who's FINALLY BACK."     Lyner bristles, looking like he just got caught sneaking in home after midnight. "Aheh heh... Hi, Misha."     By now that massive shadow in the upper boughs shifts again, its attention fully focused on the Power Plant, Divers and ongoing scene. But the dialogue here is a little confusing. Isn't Misha the one that quit?     Well it looks like between Xiaomu and Reiji PRAYING TO THE MACHINE SPIRITS of the power plant, things are in a bit better order. Lyner actually turns to look over the engineering handiwork and rubs at the back of his neck. "I guess things are just about fixed here though. ... But maybe if you could sing for us all anyway?"     This seems to earn a HUFF, and just as Misha is about to respond, Stone Henge explodes with a vibrant pillar of golden light reaching for the sky. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Look, sometimes you just gotta pray to the Machine Spirits and hope the Omnissiah pulls you through in the end. Reiji flinches at Lyner's expression. And the tag on his shirt. 'Temp' Employee? He's not quite sure whether that bodes well or not.     It isn't long before Misha arrives, though. The small Misha, this time. Not the cocktail dress wearing, significantly more mature Misha. "Oh," Reiji says, sweeping another live wire carefully into somewhere that looks relatively safe. Chirai's PERFECTLY INSULATED SHEATH can be pretty useful for messing around with electrical wires. "Hey. Glad you guys could make it." Beat. "It'd be great if you could sing for us sometime, thou--" *CRACK-SHOOOOOM*     "The fuck was that?" Reiji says, unintentionally tainting Misha's innermost self with FOUL LANGUAGE. He peers out across the great Overworld Map and notices that the stone henge is shining like some kind of crazy beacon. "...Hey," he says to the others, "Maybe we should... Go check that out." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad, for his part, is /completely/ oblivious about the look of rage Rivais giving him. He is too concerned with supporting Misha.      At the power plant, Fassad is actually a bit confused at the whole 'Finally Back' thing. This surprises him, and it also surprises him that there is suddenly a pillar of light. He pauses, looking towards the light.      And then he turns to Misha, smiling, "...Well. We need to see what that light is. But, well. I hope that you can at least sing this man one more song. And I hope that you keep singing, no matter where you keep going. Your voice is lovely."      And then he turns around to head towards the light. As he turns, he /finally/ sees at least a glimpse of the foul mood Riva is in. He pauses.      "...Is everything alright, lady Banari? Are you feeling ill?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah, well, I hope to make it back some d- JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Psyber exclaims as the area he was literally standing 2 feet from explodes into a giant, overbearing pillar of light that shoots towards the Heavens like a Led Zeppelin song. In fairness to his expletives, it happened 2 feet away from him and it was VERY startling. Luckily no one was around to see him shout like that.     The half-angel lets out a massive sigh and then rubs his face with his free hand and then looks to Tama, "Fine. Just don't kick me out when I come here next."     Psyber, knowing what the Shift indicates, doesn't really hesitate to step into it after he says goodbye to Hama. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki is about to add something, finally figuring out what the heck she's supposed to do that's not... CLEANING...     And BAMF, they're done. She's out. And...     As the light encompasses her, her eyes flash red again, and there's an annoyed look on her face. "But I finally figured out what to do..." She grumbles.     The light zoops her away. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Uhhh, Fassad, you-" Kyra starts to explain, perhaps cutting in and talking over what Riva is about to say. It doesn't last very long at all, her words lost as the golden pillar lights up when mostly everyone regroups at Stonehenge. She's completely unsure what this means until everyone starts walking into the light.     She shrugs and waggles her fingers at Hama in goodbye as she steps into the light. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "Let's see ...." Rather than checking out the Cosmosphere map, Xiaomu goes over to the door or a window or something, taking a look. "Welp, huge pillar of light rising from where we arrived, lack of apocalyptic side effects across the rest of the place, *probably* generally a good sign." She waves to Misha and Lyner, "You two be good, we'll see you again sometime! Or somebody else will~" She heads out with Reiji, to return to the 'Stone Henge' and from thence back to the waking realm. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It looks like the group was... Successful? That's what that light means right? Actually even Hama mewls with surprise when Stone Henge blares with light right next to her, too. "Y-... They did it? H-how? How did they do- UGH. Whatever."     With Stone Henge lit up though Lyner grins massively. "Oh man, a Paradigm Shift, I haven't seen one of those in a while. You guys must have done something right."     "THEY ALMOST MESSED IT UP COMPLETELY!" Hama squeals.     Misha however huffs quietly. "I guess that's it. You should all get going, I'll see about fixing things here with Lyner."     It's as everyone files to Stone Henge, that the last glimpse of Njorun would be of the lower levels flickering- before coming alive with power. Though the upper boughs of the tree are still shadowed by the menacing presence above, it--     All fades black.     With one last scroll of code in Hymmnos, pods hiss and begin to pop open, Misha is already sitting up in hers, looking bewildered.     "So how was it~?" The silver-haired Dive attendant asks.     "... I... Feel like I should go home and tidy my apartment..." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva follows along to the power plant, where Depressotron!Misha meets Temp Lyner. "That's really sad, Misha. Maybe we can help you find ways to express yourself without feeling so confined... Oh." She looks between Misha and Lyner, thinking for a few moments... But she doesn't get involved. Fassad's question gets a shrug. "I'll tell you about it later." She says, simply. "This isn't the place for it." She looks in the distance, where the golden light appears. "Hey, check that out!" She points. "That's so beautiful!" She exclaims. She'll get over there soon enough. In the meantime, Riva waves to the pair. "I hope things work out, all right?" She smiles. TIME PASSES UNZORT Riva stumbles out of the pod, and glances around again, her eyes adjusting once again to the light of the Njorun Dive Shop. "Wow, that really was very different." She says. Yeah. Super profound, Riva. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As Fassad steps out as his pod, he smiles at all around. Boldly, proudly. He'll assume Riva will tell him whatever later, but... They're not allowed to talk about what happened, are they? He shrugs it off for now.      And instead he just looks at his fellow divers.      "Well, that went very well. I will be happy to come along these adventures in the future as well!" 

}}

2051/And the Crowd Goes Wild

2015-05-16T22:24:13Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/04/18 |Location=Gun Gale Online |Synopsis=The appearance of a new World Raid Boss has the Gatecrashers scrambling to get the kill before other..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/04/18
|Location=Gun Gale Online
|Synopsis=The appearance of a new World Raid Boss has the Gatecrashers scrambling to get the kill before other raiding groups can. But the appearance of a dark figure shrouds any victory celebrations with macabre horror.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=1, 6, 9, 42, 215, 395, 451, 631, 649, 707, 754
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 He hates this miserable simulation of a fleshy, imperfect body for this system. Why the superior designs of droids are prohibited from use in this world, he will never know. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Ominous winds hurry through the wastelands outside SBC Glocken. Roughly ten miles from the city some kind of storm's brewing! Dust churns on the horizon and lightning courses through the skies from time to time. This is the day everyone's been waiting for - the promised new event boss with loot that'll make ALL the Bullet of Bullets contenders drool!     What the hell IS IT? That's the thing: Nobody's ever seen it yet. Nobody knows what it is.     Going into a raid with a completely unknown boss is the work of insane people... the insane, or the top-tier pros. But there's no short supply of either in the badlands!     "THERE! CHARGE!" Screams countless voices that begin appearing and gathering at the edge of the Glocken, hooting and hollering. Gunmen (and the occasional woman) of all shapes and sizes, outfits and armaments gather in squadrons and boast at one another. It's a hell of a ruckus, order kept only through the hard work of squad leaders. Everyone's after this thing - whatever it is - but only a few will win the true prize today.     "Come on!" Thankfully, the Gatecrashers Union was waiting too, about a block away. The plan is quite simple! Buy Reker time to set a field of explosives and lure the boss straight into them for MASSIVE DAMAGE. Maybe even a one-hit-KO! Then get all the loot for the Gatecrashers Union.     You've only got to keep about a hundred other players from getting there first.     Easy, right? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' He does not understand why the superior form and build of droids is not allowed here - the oppressive prejudice of meatbags never ceased to amaze him. But he is here now... and it is time to relax, doing the best approximation of his favorite pastime that he can do in this order-dependent multiverse; flawlessly-executed murder. His avatar takes shape, and in spite of his dislike for the design, he cannot help but take some pride in what he accomplished. @emit His simulated flesh-based body, coded with the username is roughly 5'10'' and dressed in all-black fabric clothes, with rust-red combat boots and matching rust-red armor-plates at the shins, chest, forearms and shoulders. A series of mesh plates colored brick-red line his thighs, biceps and abdomen for lesser protection, but they are nothing a Kagemitsu G4 or the like couldn't cut - however, HK could have never afforded to plate his whole body in the armor. The head is obscured by a full rust-red metal helmet-mask with a slightly angular design and a triangular grate at the front, making it seem like a steel rendition of a tribal mask with two red lenses for eyes. A black cloak and hood is worn - a Metamaterial Optical Camouflage cloak that cost him everything but his last hundred credits. Clipped to his belt is a small satchel for equipment and the sheath for the two spare bayonets, as well as the holster for the secondary gun. @emit HK takes a look around at his surroundings, drawing similarities to the deserts he had been in before, checking all passerby for signs of his first target. 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Desolate land, almost like a wasteland. When you're a bounty hunter like Iria, you go just about to any lengths to catch your bounty. Meaning that a place like this is no surprise for a girl like her. But the fact she's encountering it in this online game makes it seem a little more different. Namely because instead of hunting a bounty, she's trying to reach the target alongside her allies and then take it down.     "These games never cease to impress me with how crazy these challenges are. But I personally enjoy a little challenge in my life!" Iria says with a smirk as she checks to make sure her gun is at her side. She looks to the others and says, "We're gonna find that boss and kick it's ass so hard it'll be deleted!" Maybe not THAT hard, but Iria can exaggerate a little when she's motivating her allies, right? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 Once more, HK-47 feels excitement build in his circuits. Even if the kills are false, the achievement - the thrill of outwitting and downing his adversaries - never awaits. "Advisory - All meatbags in my way, abate in your efforts or prepare to die." 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian wasn't going to miss this for anything. It'd been too long sinse he got into a good raiding group, let alone was able to cut loose some. So, he set his big LMG up where he had a good field of view and fire. He then took a knee and waited for the enemy to walk in, and get introduced to how swiss cheese got made. 

:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:'''     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTb_5oPqCys     Theme from 'Airwolf'     The lightning flashes, and the people come. The Gatecrashers are among the people here, but there's a difference between the ground pounders and the high risers... and there's a difference between the people here for the main event and those who are here to see the sights... and see things THOUGH their sights.     Sinon doesn't think she'll ever need anything more than the <<PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II>>. Whatever weapon this boss drops, it doesn't interest her anywhere near as much as the people competing for it.     Her eyes are illuminated by the lightning strike as she perches in a ruined tower, high and far away from the world, observing.     Just watching.     Just waiting. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Kanokon glances out around the corner of a convenient building, getting a rough initial estimate of how many other players are heading for the boss and how long it'll take them to get into range. She's outfitted much as she was for her Battle of Bullets match with Tomoe, a snug-fitting armored bodysuit with a tactical vest over it - a vest which provides some very useful extra carrying space for, say, extra ammo clips and some grenades. She's getting one of those grenades ready now, in fact - pulling the pin but holding the spoon in place, and glancing out carefully again to see how close the players are getting. Besides the grenades, she's also got a pair of handguns (and plenty of ammo for them ... well, hopefully plenty.) 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     For the past several weeks, ever since this boss was announced, Reker has been working tirelessly on building stuff. Using the in-game crafing system, he has maxed out his Explosives skill, and has crafted a rather impressive collection of party favors. All of them are in his inventory, ready to go when the time is right. The problem, it seems, will be getting them all set up and getting the boss to come to where they are set up, especially with this many players around.     At the moment he's checking the inventory on his truck, which is where the majority of the explosives are stored, "Okay. Looks like everything's here...I think I have enough time to build one more.." He pulls open his menu and swipes down to crafting, setting up to build another 155 IED. These things pack the biggest punch but it should be ready when he needs it, "So guys." He says, looking over at the Gatecrashers, "We all know the plan, right?" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 He sets up shop, so to speak, in a nearby underhand of stone and rock formations, breaking off from the mob and moving to a flanking position as they run past, so that each shot will either spear multiple enemies from the side or behind when he pulls the trigger. He starts off activating the function of his cloak as he aims his rifle. The rifle itself is nothing inordinately special, although it is equipped with advanced recoil and range. He could have sported for the silencer, but his resources were drained on the cloak. Besides... he liked the sound and the kickback of his shots - the whistle as they soared through the air, meeting with flesh and bone in a crescendo of finely-executed precision. Yes... he liked this world very much. And he reaffirms it by picking out a random straggler - arrogant and foolhardy - and pulling the trigger. "Excited Statement - Time to get to work." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amid the raiders NOT with the Gatecrashers might be an odd sight. Other than the immense weight of the heavy black ballistic shield, the FRENCH MAID is -completely- out of place amid all the men in fatigues, women in bikini armor, and various soldiery looking hunters out in the wastelands. Still, it looks like Amalie is here already, a sweet smile on her face as she serves DIGITAL TEA to members of a random party, while waiting for the action to start and the bullets to go flying.     With the boss on direct approach, Amalie seems entirely unconcerned as she hands another man a steaming cup of tea from her inventory, before she hears over her radio that the Gatecrashers are here for the prize.     As the man lowers his teacup with a 'Hey not bad, thanks!' to the maid, he's met staring down the barrel of a Heckler and Koch USP .45 aimed right between his eyes.     "I'm glad you enjoyed it." Amalie replies as sweet as sugar before putting a bullet in his head. The resultant gunfire draws instant attention as she snaps her aim to double-tap the next member of the group to the center of mass, whirling to bring her shield up in a vicious slam it with bone-shattering force into the next party mate as she kneecaps the next and proceeds to crush the throat of another with fatal force.     Within the span of 2.5 seconds an entire party on the Raid roster goes dark, listed as Killed in Action until they respawn later and too far to be of any help.     A dusty wind blows as Amalie smiles at the next group nearby and slides a fresh magazine into her pistol with an eerie and mechanical menace as she starts to whistle.     "Time to clean house again, I suppose~." 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Speaking of swordsladies... and not Amalie... Asuna is, of course, a part of the Gatecrashers. Today, however, she is also working on infiltration. Her infiltration, however, is distraction. No one else can deny that in a red and white outfit, she is the Gun Gale Online version of teh Knights of the Blood officer she once was, with the design similiar to her undine form from ALO. Asuna has a sense of humor, the game has a sense of humor. "So if everyone goes this way and loops around, you'll be able to avoid the crowds..." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren is here, too!     While he spent a lot of time in GGO atr the beginning of the year, he hasn't been playing it much lately. He's had trouble finding an effective build for PVP. A pistol is nice but it's not really devastating, you know?     Still, there's an obvious thing he can do right now, at least: Look for groups of people, any foes bunched up, and throw grenades at them, while using smoke grenades to set up cover. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen was here again in the wastelands near SBC Glocken, she was a bit on edge about what was going on. She ahs no idea what it is, she was thinking about a blind world boss raid? She knew you don't go in first you wtch the other guys attempt to run first screaming thier names like an infamous Paladin of yester year. That's how you do it. She blows a stranfd of red hair out of one eye and looks to the gathering party she makes sure to start wrangling people for insight and she grins over at Kankon with a bit of a amused look. She also takes note of Reker, and she sees what he's doing. "I Think I know the basics we lure it into explosives right?" 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Observers like XIAOMU and SINON won't find it hard to figure out that there's enough players here to fill Glocken's main street for two blocks. A LOT. Many squadrons - there's definitely more than one Guild here. Probably 3 full raid groups, and that is saying something.     Rather, they DID fill two blocks worth of streets. NOW it's an onrushing mob, a horde like no other Gun Gale Online has ever seen.     And they're rushing... apparently... into their demise.     Yes, DEMISE.     HK-47 will learn exactly why some despise the Real Money Trading aspect of GGO, since his rather badass stealth setup lets him peg avatar after avatar. Well-placed shots to vitals - especially the head - from his rifle are enough to cut through even a pro player's health, after all! "No way!" States one straggler as he topples, bursting into colorful shards of light that quickly fade away... and leaving behind a handful of minor gear.     Amalie has similar luck! In fact she's being doted, fawned over, asked out, and even (maaaaaybe jokingly) proposed to by a crowd that's looking at her favored squad with UNQUENCHABLE JEALOUSY.     And then she kills them all. "Hey what--" Startled, disbelieving shouts echo everywhere from over a dozen voices as the air's filled with even more shattered avatar lights.     STAREN and XIAOMU have the right idea! Grenades from hiding places into hordes are the best tactic one can use in a situation like this. Unfortunately they're not always fatal to EVERYONE, but they throw groups into chaos and kick up obscuring dust clouds to further confuse things!     Meanwhile, nearby Asuna has two squadrons following her lead... a shining star like her can't be wrong, right?     IN THE DISTANCE, the dust cloud gets closer and closer. The lightning crackling and sizzling's now close enough that every discharge brings a peal of rolling thunder! And a sound, faint, can be not only heard... but FELT.     WHUGWHUGWHUG-WHUGWHUGWHUG-WHUGWHUGWHUG-WHUGWHUGWHUG-WHUGWHUGWHUG!     It's not quite going in the direction Reker hopes. The path is slightly zigzaggy as it avoids some giant rock outcroppings... 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 He seeks out his targets with methodical precision from the protection of his cloak... and after a moment of methodical calculation, he pulls the trigger, shouldering the kickback of his gun as the round soars through the back of a target, downing him and the two directly in front of him as the sniper round travels through their chests, having interrupted what was apparently their 'group planning phase.' The next shot takes down one with a clean head-shot, and the one after downs the final member through his heart. "Observation - Optimal Accuracy Ratio Achieved." 

:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:''' If I so chose, Sinon thinks. I could take out so many people.     She is... finding it easier to recognize certain people. Kirito is there, standing out to her like a razor blade amongst shivs. Asuna, likewise, is a flash of flickering red-orange flame in the smoke and dust.     But that's not all. She recognizes Reker, and it's impossible not to notice the dervish of destruction that is Amalie. There's that unmistakeable Eisen. She even recognizes Kanokon from a previous encounter.     These people are becoming more than just targets to Sinon now; they're memories and important offers and values, and she's not sure how that makes her feel - well, for a while anyway.     The Hecate II takes a shot.     It blows through the head not of Asuna the Flash, but one of her persuers. Yes, that feels correct. Now, time to move position.     As she picks up her weapon, Sinon considers the possibility lightning may strike the tower she's on.     <<So, are you having fun?>> she asks Kirito, via private voicechat. <<It seems like a lot of your friends are here.>> 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Of course Kanokon isn't going to depend ENTIRELY on grenades to thin out the player horde; that's just to whittle away some excess HP and throw a carefully-organized formation into a ragged and tattered cluster of hurt-and-confused players. Finishing them off is what her pistols are for - and as soon as she starts seeing players stagger into view from the mouth of the alley, she draws her handguns and dives out, opening fire with a seemingly bloodthirsty glee and a similarly-seeming disregard for lines of fire other than her own. She's not THAT crazy, though; every roll, dodge, and flourish is meant to carry her body out of other players' lines of fire while exposing them to bullets from her handguns. One handgun clicks empty; she ejects the empty clip, catches it with her foot, and kicks it at another player's face before following with the last bullet from her OTHER handgun. Then she reloads while players are freaking out about explosive magazine-grenades, and makes her way to the next hidey-hole she'd picked out, covering her escape into it with another grenade. "Heheheheheheheheheh ..." 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     "Looks like it's time to get started." Karian says, voice dropping into a rougher tone. It seemed that Amalthia's roleplaying actually interested him enough to start doing it. So, his big LMG roared to life with deadly accuracy for a spraying weapon. Members of the opposing raid would find that if they tried to poke out from cover, a stream of lead was directed at them, and those running to cover got chased. Any who were too slow to move, they got taken down. "Sorry, kids.....Wrong place, Wrong time." 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     When Kanokon goes in for the attack with her pistol, Iria decides to follow her lead as well. "Ya-ha-ha!" She cries out, going in with her gun firing. "This is better than target practice any day!" She says as she opens fire on the targets, all while a big grin forms on her face. "This is gonna be fun!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''      Grenades are a good start indeed! As the crowd thins out, Staren switches to flashbangs to blind less-tightly-packed groups for the Gatecrashers to take out. When he's discovered, he has a chance to use his pistol, the trusty SIG-SAUER P229 that Tomoe got him for Christmas. He's pretty good with it at close range, but in a situation like this, there are probably a lot of other people that are 'pretty good' too. And it's just no help against someone wearing heavy armor unless he can score a headshot, which is harder. He's used to recoilless energy weapons with smartlinks, or using robotic armor to carry overwhelming firepower. Neither strategy is really viable here. He may need to find something new.     If he's confronted by any heavily armored types, he'll just have to run and try to catch them in a grenade or crossfire. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     "Son of a bitch that's big." Reker mutters to himself as he looks across at where the massive monstrosity is approaching.     While everyone else from the Gatecrashers has been causing panic, running roughshod over the other Squadrons and generally making a nusance of themselves, Reker has been driving back and forth, creating a veritable minefield which he needs to lure the boss into. The detonator is nearby, on a rocky outcropping, camoflaged at the moment, but the boss isn't headed the right way. 5t"This is a terrible idea." He mutters to himself, as he finishes planting the very last 155 artilery shells hooked up to his explosive rube goldberg machine. Now that the trap is fully set, he just needs to get the boss' attention.     He summons his truck back up from the realm of digital nothingness, and begins to drive TOWARDS The thunderous sounds eminating from the distance. He throws a block of C-4 onto the hood of the vehicle after kicking out the winshield, and mutters to himself about bad ideas. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Oh non non non, I'm sorry, but I am a taken girl~." For all the doting and proposals, Amalie had been taking it like a blushing and coy maid. Up until she turned into an unstoppable murder machine and utterly wiped out her first party.    Pip pip.     >>> AMALIE HAS LEFT THE RAID GROUP.     With this sudden announcement, and the maid's name stricken from the roster, no doubt further adding to the confusion and outrage.     "Hold this for me please?"     She simply hands a confused player a claymore mine before GRABBING HIM, using her overwhelming STR stat to hold him facing another group as she holds up the detonator and thumps the button, blowing it outwards in a conic hail of shrapnel and death, STILL holding her hapless victim as a human shield for when the return fire inevitably starts. Meanwhile...     KIRITO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE!     PIP PIP!     AMALIE WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE GROUP! 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' "It's not moving right. Okay, y'all need to go, now, now, now. I'm going to get up high and see if I can get a clear view on this thing, alright?" Asuna phrases it like a question. It's not a question. She is well used to figuring that they're going to follow her orders, as she holsters her gun and heads towards a recent outcropping of what looks like ruined metal, aiming to use it as a visual sight spot. When the group has rounded a corner, Asuna idly tosses a flashbang behind them, probably scaring the crap out of them. Asuna shoots a thumbs up in the air for the nice shot of one of her guys briefly. It's weird. Only Sinon will get it. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen sees just how crazy things are getting at this point, yes they just had a freaking mob, she watches everyone moving in she watches the set up notices someone is also sniping other players. She takes notes of this and wonders if their favourite battle maid is somewhere in the mix. There's no real time to worry about things at this point. She's keeping to reker het shotgun ready at this point. "Eh could be worse right? This is a game so sometimes things that shouldn't work do." She's keeping watch for the moment and has planet a few charges of her own, she also seems to be eager for this whole mess. "Man we're going to get some major hits from the FRAPS of this while battle, right?" She wanted to be in on the PVP but well she can hold of there will be other chances right? Meanwhile in that computer room somewhere. "So they are here?" "Yes Subject Gamma is with them as well." "Good this should be a good test." "It will be, we just need to find one and this entire project is paid for in spades." "I know, is the AI scripts loaded?" "Yes, so we just need to sit back and watch." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Everyone's efforts are thinning the crowd. A hail of bullets, a cloud of smoke, dust, and glittering voxels, thunderous noises on the horizon and everyone screaming at once amidst the biggest gamer adrenaline rush since the last BoB is a recipe for the thickest CHAOS SOUP imaginable.     Behind the rock he's hiding behind, keeping an eye on the progress of everyone (SOMEONE has to do that...), Kirito grins. He can only imagine what it would be like to be on the other guys' team right now.     Idly, he approves Amalie's request with a press of a finger into the air. But it's Sinon's sudden message that catches him by surprise!     <"We've got some plans of our own."> Comes his confident answer. <"You'll see pretty soon!"> Yup. heeee's having fun. The boy's tone is full of it. IN fact he's trying hard to NOT get overboard with the feeling of triumph that's bubbling up so far. <"Help us screw over the raid group and get a share of the loot?"> ... Okay now he's just getting cocky. But he sounds so sincerely trusting, as if certain that Sinon won't just peg him in the back of the head or something. He doesn't even know where she is, really!     KANOKON has little trouble evading hails of bullets. After the first few seconds, a few of the better players caught on and started shooting back, shouting orders to each other - and got silenced by FLYING EMPTY MAGAZINES TO THE FACE! She makes her way into safety, but a half-dozen players are now angrily scouring the area and taking cover... except in comes Iria, pelting some of them before they can do so. She takes fire from energy bolts though!     Another group runs afoul of KARIAN, who opens fire with the last thing anyone was expecting on a PvE Mission: HORDES of bullets. Down goes the front wave and others trip over them, causing a good fifteen players to stumble before five of them burst into colorful fragments. "What the hell, guy! You can't have that all to yourself!"     The remaining ten get their weapons and start shooting with... energy weapons. Which are easily shielded against.     STAREN's flashbangs are an effective strategy against such tightly-packed groups. He leaves ten players blinded and scurrying around, yowling and easy prey.     HKiller47 will find that his stealthy cloak is completely overkill here. The group leader is DOWN and the rest of the group starts scattering into cover, yelling curse words!     ASUNA has siilar results. Nobody's expecting a traitor like that, and a flashbang to the everything gets them all screaming. "BLINDNESS! I can't see! Who's got the recovery items--" Yeah, it's chaos.     AMALIE finds one stupefied player easy prey, and decimates half a squad! Her opponents, however... start falling back. What few of them are left.     By now at least half of the assembled raid group members are KO'd and in the middle of a respawn timer. What's left of the horde that isn't on the front line of all this chaos is pulling back towards the Glocken, howling a hundred curses to what few of their assailants they can see.     It's about this time that Reker, fastest moving one on the battlefield, gets sight of the boss. The first thing to clear the dust cloud is a GIANT LEG with a footprint the size of his vehicle. It ain't the only one. There's three or four visible depending on the dust. he'll also catch sight of SHARP MANDIBLE-like extensions arranged like a grinder in the front, and an eerie blue glow shining through the dust cloud.     And then he comes under fire from a hailstorm of energy bolts.     Turning around might be smart. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 looks across the field as he sees that player lineup is thinning - the fodder wearing away to reveal the true query. The skilled veterans. Then he sees the truck heading straight toward the impressively massive boss-type enemy, taking note of the explosives... and an idea pours into his mind. Re-Adjusting his aim, he points his rifle toward the truck, picking out the key targets - fuel tank and the bomb up front - as he lines up the shot, intending to down both a ranking player and the beast to claim the credit for the kill, waiting until the truck to get as close as possible... and pulling the trigger. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian smirks softly as so many fall to his burst fire. As for the energy weapon fire coming at him, he does shield up. Though what he does next might be a surprise. He stows his LMG and takes off running. He darts towards the group, and at the last second drops to a slide, drawing a pair of high power pistols. He opens up on the remaining 10 enemy players, before moving close to amalie. "Amalie....how about we show them a little bit of...bangkok rules, sans the can?" He asks, a grin emerging into an evil smile. He hoped the maid would remember their past match, and the true badassery they demonstrated...and join him in the gunshow. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Kanokon finishes reloading her handguns again, glancing out once more to see that the survivors from outside the Gatecrashers are fleeing back to the safety of the city ... And then she glances the OTHER way to see a kaiju-scale leg through the swirling dust and smoke. She looks up as well, glancing briefly at her handguns - and ducking BACK into the alley to eject those clips and load some heavier ammunition. Say, something armor-piercing, maybe with explosive tips or the like for good measure. Standard anti-personnel don't just seem like they're gonna cut it here. Once she's finished with that, she moves back out to form up with her allies. "Somehow I don't think Plan A is gonna bag us the big boss ..." 

:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:'''     Sinon considers this for a moment; Kirito's offer. There's something intense about the boy, even though his words are joyful... a magnetism that Sinon doesn't even know she's being pulled up in.     She recognizes people. They've offered to be her friends.     She can't swallow the lump in her throat that this causes, the feeling- the fear, almost, that Sinon is betraying something essential.     But on the other hand, when was the last time she had fun for a day?     <"...I'll accept that offer,">> Sinon declares.     She's agreed, and so a shudder goes through her from top to bottom- but she isn't paying attention to it, really. Shino Asada can sort out her feelings later.     She's moving up the staircase, corkscrewing, preparing to snipe the enemies of the Gatecrashers and daring the lightning to challenge her.     It feels so interesting to take a taste of a different purpose. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With half the squad annihilated... Amalie is not satisfied. As Karian comes SLIDING on over, the eyepatch wearing maid flashes quite the devious grin.     "The perfect maid never leaves a job half done." She replies before pulling a grenade from her satchel, and pulls the pin.     She proceeds to shove it into her human shield's pocket and KICKS him to follow the runners, with a cheerful wave.     With that accomplished, she unholsters her USP again, back to back with Karian now, covering his back with her ballistic shield as she starts pot-shotting any remnants.     "Let's sweep the rest of them under the rug and help out with the boss after, yeah~?" 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Iria grins a little as she finds her backup is working, only to be hit by a few energy bolts, knocking her back a little. "Dammit, I got ahead of myself again," She says with a sour frown as she reloads her gun. "Who else is there? Huh?" Unfortunately, Iria may not want to have an answer to that question just yet. Because that huge thing is really getting her on edge. "Damn, and I thought Zeiram was bad!" She says, following Kanokon into the alley and checking her weapons to see if she has anything more powerful. Unfortunately, she doesn't have that liberty, unless you count the rifle she's got.     "More powerful than my pea shooter," Iria thinks as she loads a clip. "Hopefully it can at least leave a mark!" She pops out and fires a few shots, hoping that it can at least do some damage. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Concerns about his lack of a good build matter less as there are fewer opponents... well, he's managed to survive, at least, and sow chaos the whole time! Really, dodging bullets is easy when they add /lines/ that show where they're going to go...     And now the boss is here. Some kind of giant robot? He draws his laser pistol and fires several shots into the dust, then decides that maybe it would be better to find a better vantage point instead! So he starts making his way up the stairs of the building he's in, trying to get higher than the top of that dust cloud... so he'll be in a good vantage point when it finally clears. And maybe out of the range of any melee attacks it has. 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna pings Kirito as she notes a name join the group. "<<Who in the world?>>" She asks in private. Her own group down, Asuna finishes scaling what she is scaling, trying to play spotter with the boss. She inhales sharply, noting the legs. Dear lord, what is it? Are they fighting an AT-AT? She throws herself to the ground after lobbing another grenade at a nearby group, flattening herself to it to make herself a near invisible target. She likes being high up, it allows her better sight, so she's trying not to leave. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' So everythihng semes to be going all right all things considered. She looks about uneasy she is keeping an eye out for trouble. She knows someone's been sniping people and suspects it's a squadron trying to vulture the raid boss kill or just a grifer. She also take ssite of the boss and she looks at the huge thing it's feet are nearly as big as the ride. "umm Renker...!!" She hears the gun shot and is already moving to bail fromt eh high speed moving she leaps calls out. "SNIPER!" She's gong after them she has no idea where the sniper is. The red headed and body suit clad woman however is fast, in this world on par with somer things HK's likely seen force users or some high speed combat droids pull off. Sither way she's seemingl tyring to make for hte source of the shot before the sniper can ... move. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     Turning around is not Reker's plan, Reker is all ready to go for his plan. Which means he's gotta throw himself at the big boss to get it's attention. Unfortunately for him, he's managed to get the attention of one of the other players. Reker spots the bullet line pointing at the explosives on his hood, and decides that if he's making bad decisions, he may as well keep making them. He guns the engine and speeds up, the round entering the door of the truck and hitting him in the side, but not blowing it up. Thankfully that part comes later.     Now bear in mind that the truck is pretty much a throw away. Reker can respawn a new one when it gets destroyed for a bit of in-game cash. So spotting a rocky outcropping, he aims for it, and then dives out of the truck. The vehicle hits the outcrop and takes to the air, sailing right at the big battle fortress.     The explosion will be minimal, compared to what awaits this thing, but Reker has the attention of it now. Those blasts are coming in hard and fast, but now that he's on foot he makes a much smaller target. He scrambles towards where the detonator for his explosive trap waits, managing to evade blasts whenever he can thanks to the wonders of the Bullet Line. He's surviving, if only just. This is a thing designed to be taken on by a massive group of players, and he's running from it solo.     Ducking around a boulder a moment before a missile hits it, Reker climbs up to where he had placed the detonator and waits. It won't be long now. It's still coming after him, and it'll soon be in the perfect place. X marks the spot.     The huge beast lumbers into the top of the X, and Reker pushes down on the detonator.     The explosion that results probably rocks the Glocken to it's very foundation, and will most likely send players all around flying to the ground from the pressure wave that results from the massive blast. It's a huge fireball and what basically winds up amounting to a mushroom cloud rising up from the center point of the explosion. Reker just hopes he got the thing with that blast, because he doesn't have a lot left to deal with it if he didn't. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Indeed, STAREN. Firing shots from this far away results in nothing at all happening. Too far out of range! The energy shots dwindle before they reach the boss.     Video game physics.     Lightning does INDEED strike the building that Sinon's on! ... it strikes the tallest spire. Were this reality Sinon might be in deep trouble but she only gets a slight jolt and loses a sliver of HP because of being too far from the point where it struck.     ...Video game physics.     AMALIE plants a grenade that leaves a hapless and hopelessly bewildered player flailing and panicking instead of doing the samrt thing like taking the grenade from his pocket. A few moments later...     BOOOM!     Whole bodies go flying through the air at weird angles and smack into buildings, shattering into sparkly lights.     .....Yeeeeep. Video game physics.     KANOKON is correct. Iria's peashooter doesn't seem to be having any effect on the legs. Either it's too far away or the armor is too tough.     <"Your guess is as good as mine. She's a friend! Just.. kind of weird."> Kirito answers Asuna, but in the same motion whips around to spot what Reker's up to... and gawks.     HUUUUUGE LEGS. And a very daring attempt by Reker. "Come on... just a bit closer...!!" Kirito's watching with grit teeth and also scouring through his friends list. Friends -> Sinon -> Invite to Group!     Back in Glocken, there's a hell of a lot of chaos unfolding as raid guops attempt to reassemble, but it'll take them several minutes to get most of the reorganizing done with and adjust their plan for 'CRAZY GRIEFER AMBUSHES.'     Then the dust cloud and those massive legs finally reach Reker's trap and--     *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!*     Not only is there a mushroom cloud as MORE EXPLOSIVE POWER IS UNLEASHED NOW than possibly the entire last year of gameplay, but... the WHOLE GAME MOMENTARY LAGS. That's a rare thing on a Seed game. But for one brief moment it feels like time skips a heartbeat. And...     Whatever that thing is? It gets sent SKYHIGH. A massive metal monstrosity with eight legs goes spinning skywards, easily hitting a mile high at UNTHINKABLE velocities. It -should- take close to half a minute for it to drop back down but that's not quite what happens. The machine eclipses the sun briefly, starts falling again...and...     ...****ing VIDEO GAME PHYSICS! Reker just broke the physics engine.     Anyone not bowled over by the FIRST shockwave probably will be by the SECOND one. But the machine's incredible charge has been halted. The sound of servos whining and metal grinding against metal is deafeningly loud, but the dust eventually settles when the machine lets loose billowing jets of steam from its joints!     As for what it is...     Easily half as tall as the ruined skyscraper Sinon's using for her antics, a spider-like thing towers high over the assembled group. Supported on eight gunmetal grey multi-jointed legs is an enormous rounded body with grinder-mandibles in the front-lower portion that approximates a head. Further up, a metal exoskeleton-shaped armor section splits open and retracts to show once again the blue glowing segment that, on close inspection, appears to have MOVEMENT going on in there... whatever it is.     When the knees are position straight, they unveil rocket launcher tubes. Dozens of gun barrels on swivel mounts cover them like fine hairs.     In a forgotten age of war, mankind engineered unthinkable automated and semi-automated weapons platforms. This is one of them.     The boss' status window finally comes up now that it has entered attack mode.     NAME: IRONCLAD THE ANCIENT ARACHNOID     TYPE: MOBILE BUNKER It has 12 health bars. Ten and a half of them are empty. 

:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:'''     Sinon feels it.     It's video game physics to be sure, but it's close to real life as possible, as you will all know... so she feels the electricity coursing through old metal and countless wires and the intricate, intensely detailed virtual building.     She dared the environment to strike her, and it did so. Is that something she needs to take into consideration? Does Sinon believe in fate?     She believes in getting a job done, that much is for sure. The thunderclap hitting the building blows dust cloud swirl away in a flash- always look for an upside in any bad situation. That'll help her look for the people the... huh, Gatecrashers, they're called? Need her to disaaaaaaaa     Lag is something Asada Shino's never experienced before. The second of missing time is stunningly perverse.     Almost as much as ... Sinon mouths something silently, something about becoming death, destroyer of worlds...     And as fire fills everything she sees, eyes filled with the vision of annihilation, Sinon-- reaches a hand out like a reflex to hold onto some rebar, her STR enhancing an iron grip, and she--     Stands in the fire, braces the shockwave.         This, too, shall pass.     She slowly, silently lies down, utterly not paying the worldboss a single moment of attention. A bullet destroys the head of another player. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' Fortunately(???) for Kanokon, it was the first shockwave - from the explosions actually going off - that sent her flying head-over-heels; you'd need to be a pretty beefy tank type to actually keep your footing through that, and since she's kind of the opposite of that build, yyyyyeah, she's not holding her ground against a blast like THAT. She's just thankful she wasn't any closer to ground zero. On the plus side, being flat on her back gives her a reasonably good view of the event boss at the peak of its unintentional leap; she stays down, actually pressing herself against the ground so that the shockwave from landing (just because she's SURE there'll be one, realism be damned) won't send her flying even further. Once that happens, THEN she gets back to her feet and regains a combat-ready stance - Only to start running like hell for one of the neaerby buildings as she spots KNEE-MOUNTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS. Oh, and she's already shooting at the boss again, trying to aim for said rocket launchers. If she can detonate some rockets IN the launchers, it'll reduce the amount of damage Ironclad can dish out, right? Not to mention reducing what's already left of its HP. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian looks over at the explosion, marvelling for the moment. He then quickly moves behind the ballistics shield and grabs Amalie, trying to hold her in place, or if that fails take the brunt of the force. High strength builds help out much. Once the force passed, he marvelled again. Never had he experienced lag, and it reminded him of the warp powers of the sorcerors. Anyway, he swaps to his LMG again. Loading in what amounted to armor piercers, he took aim and cut loose at a leg joint. 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Being small means you're easy to be bowled over. Unfortunately, Iria's acrobatic skills do little to help her. Meaning that once all is said and done, Iria can only look up and stare in disbelief. "Holy hell!" Iria yells, before following Kanokon's lead, running and firing occasionally herself. "If this isn't the new boss, then I'd hate to see what is!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' HK-47 has rarely missed his target before, but at the moment he is more impressed by the enemy's tenacity then he is angry at the fact that his shot didn't hit it's mark. He also cannot help but hope that, if not HK himself, it's his wounded opponent that gets the kill so that HK can credit himself to taking him down by matter of 'food-chain law.' Then he sees the oncoming fighter - red hair, purple body-suit - jump from his targeted vehicle after the initial shot and he doesn't bother trying to stick around, falling back on the protection of his cloak to make for the city. His efforts however are stymied by the shockwave, and he is forced to take cover behind the outcroppings to keep from being blown away. r % He is then nearly bowled over by not just the immense secondary-shockwave, but by the lag in the game, with his cover being the only thing that shields him. However, as a droid, his linkup to the game is far more stable then his organic counterparts, and he recovers fast enough to presumably continue his pullback toward the buildings. He hadn't had a real chance to use his Jedi countermeasure tactics since coming to the Multiverse... and today seemed like a very good day to start. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Since shooting it isn't working, Staren rushes to a closer building and hurries up the stairs, so that he has an excellent vantage point as Reker sets off ALL THE EXPLOSIVES. Instead of a literally ear-shattering boom, there's that... the sound of a bunch of overlapping explosives.     And LAG. Kind of a surreal experience in a VRMMO, he can't recall ever encountering it. He gets up from where he fell, rushes to the window... the machine is gone? No... he looks up. What the...     He's knocked over again.     His ears should be ringing, if not his body outright pulverized by the shockwave, but... videogame physics. So, he aims his laser pistol down at the machine and just repeatedly fires, trying to chip off health. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With the Raid Party thoroughly handled, Amalie can change the focus of her attention. Just in time to see Reker's fireworks display at work. She's just barely in time to brace herself; slamming her ballistic shield to the ground and bracing behind it, putting both her STR AND Karian's to the test in a combined attempt to mitigate the pressure wave. She grits her teeth, her high STR stat is tested to the limits of holding on, while watching the metal monstrosity go FLYING and--     Her game chokes with lag.     When it clears and the slow motion passes, and the second shockwave hits, scowls and re-sets her grip. If not for her fellow heavy gunner helping out, chances are it would have launched her and her shield, and pulled Karian with her, end over end. But she withstands it. Even if holding out against the force caused her HP to steadily drain, when it finally ends, she wobbles to her feet and draws her MG-42. The old WWII era machinegun is lugged ONE HANDED as she braces the heavy weapon on the upper lip of her shield, tilting her head and holding Karian's gun up and steady by providing her shoulder as a firing platform as the aptly named Buzzsaw in her grasp starts unloading hundreds of rounds per second.     She's going to help whittle that boss HP down for Reker. 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' "<She, huh?>" Asuna asks teasingly over her com to Kirito. "<Well, we take who we can, we're a group of misfits here in gatecrashers, so she must fit in well.>" Asuna laughs. Then Reker sets the bombs off, and Asuna inhales sharply. she's already on the ground, and is promptly shook right across the metal plating, rolling around with a groan. When she's stopped shaking, she pauses.. and pauses. Huh. Lagged. That's unusual. Sort of... when she unlags, she takes a moment, then politely applauds. That was amazing. Reker should be honored. Asuna then pops back up to her feet, and takes off towards the boss. There is a blitz of white and red and chestnut brown. Asuna is in her battle inventory as she goes, pausing momentarily. There is a small line of grenades in her left hand, and as she nears the boss, she nips the pin out, and launches it at the boss... without stopping. We can't stop here, it's /boss/ country. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     "Hah! Suck it! You peice of scrap metal!" Too bad the thing soon comes screaming back to earth. And it's not dead, "Well fuck." Reker mutters to himself as the thing manages to survive the fall to earth after the massive explosion. He rubs the side of his head for a second and then tries to head for the rest of the Gatecrashers are, so they can put focus fire up onto this thing and finish taking out those last couple of health bars.     As he comes skidding up next to Kirito and Asuna, he motions towards the boss, "Guys, take whatever explosives you have and aim for the joints on the legs. If we can take one of the legs out this thing'll go down like a rock."     Reker then runs off from where Kirito and Asuna are to grab something else he had stashed before the fight started. Reker tries to always be prepared for these sorts of things. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen does take note of the massive Arachnoid, it's like some kind od twisted super robot. It's the best way to think about it, the boss has had good chunck of health taken out in the opening attack by Renker but damn it had a hell of a lot more to worry about, she's also got that freaking sniper top deal with. She rebonds of what terrain there is as she tries to place just where the shot came from. She's got to find it she's not ecatly on the bottom of the food chain here. Shje's not really a jedi but she is moving like one in this world. She's calo caugh by the lag dor a second but she gets lucky. She now fires a few shotgun blasts where she thinks the sniper might be, he might still be recovering from the lag, right? 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Small arms fire tends to bounce off IRONCLAD, doing very little damage indeed. A few slivers, barely visible, are the best one can get unless it's with some kind of Called Shot!     In that regard, there are lots of targets. The individual turrets have plenty of weak points. Shooting them gets small explosions ripping through legs, pinging more health off.     <"No denying that."> Kirito retorts, a bit chagrined upon thinking about it.     But just a little.     With Sinon pegging the occasional group leader who swings into view and forcing the distant groups to manuever through cover just to advance, the Gatecrashers have plenty of time for their assault.     Occasionally someone gets unusually lucky and a bullet goes DOWN A BARREL of those hair-like turrets, shredding it from the inside-out for CRITICAL DAMAGE.     In no time at all, the machine is down to just half a health bar left.     With a squealing mechanical groan of protest the machine revvs up its locomotion and hurries over to the Skyscraper Sinon's at, slams those GRINDER-MANDIBLES against it and begins EATING THE SKYSCRAPER.     The entire building shakes most unpleasantly.     ANd with every turn of the grinders, small slivers of the health bar begin refilling.     That's when it HUNKERS DOWN to expose all its knee joints to the sky. A barrage of mini-missiles - enough to massacre whole squads - flies up in zigzag criss-cross patterns, then arcs DOWN for the ground.     Letting those hit is a really, REALLY bad idea.     On the other hand, letting it keep healing itself is a sure lose too... this group is way too small for a prolonged encounter.     Then a miracle happens.     KANOKON's bullet strikes a missile as it's just existing the chute, setting it off in a glorious explosion. Twenty or so more explosions follow, the entire leg ripping off and the machine getting bowled over. The THIRD, BADLY TIMED WAVE OF MISSILES detonates into the ground, bringing the boss down to only an eighth of a health bar left... and it's on its back.     It was not programmed for dealing with the assault it's been given, clearly. The AI decision-making is faltering.     And a bunch of NPC gunmen - a variant of the Wasteland Outlaws - are now COMING OUT of the blue glowing slit that was in the thing's head, hopping down and running like hell.     At this point, the machine's fate is sealed. Everyone's combined fire mulches down what's left of the healthbar in about twenty seconds of sustained fire and LOTS of ammo.     With a final, colossal groan, IRONCLAD's body glows brightly then explodes into a massive burst of shimmery pixels!     The entire Guild's windows start popping up with loot windows. There's an INORDINATE amount of Credits -including- gift certificates for the Real Money Trading. Rare crafting materials by the boatload. Plenty of rare small arms drops and a few rifles - all real bullet weapons.     A certain someone might get something really special.     The boss might be down, but now the real trouble's brewing. About two dozen players in very high-level gear and uniquely tailored appearances arrive by the twos and threes at the battlefield's outskirts, looking VERY unhappy. 

:'''{{#var:649|Sinon (649)}} has posed:'''     Mistakes were made.     Sinon is in the unique position of standing directly in the path of the colossal Ironclad and being entirely unrelated to the actual conflict with Ironclad. That said, she's cold and collected and /smart/- so when the boss is bearing down on her she picks up Hecate and steps lively. The building shakes and she rattles and rolls!     She's got to use that tower as a shield now- she scrambles, down a rusting railing, skidding and fleeing and now there's MISSILES and discretion is always the better part of valour--     She's not scared.     Sinon is never afraid. She's just going to make a tactical withdrawl. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT: REKER HAS FOUND <<"Devastator" HCAR>>     Indeed, Reker has just gotten himself a new drop. And boy is it something spectacular. Of course first he has to worry about the missiles that are still coming in, but he manages to get behind another big pile of rocks and save himself from the explosions that are raining down. At least that's that, right?     Now he probably just hast to fend off any pissed off players who might want to take their revenge on him gaming the system. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian watches the Ironclad go up into pixels. It was...a satisfying sight. Sure he's taken out mobs before, but this was different. Then, the missiles are spotted. The 'old man' of the group moves quickly, diving behind some cover to shield himself, or at least mitigate any HP loss. Then, he spots the other players. "Figured this wouldn't be so easy.." He mutters to himself. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' As far as Kanokon's concerned, Reker is totally entitled to the rare drop - the minefield was his plan, and he took off so much of Ironclad's HP with it that everything else was basically finishing what he started. The cascade of loot windows is just icing on the cake - although the remaining swarms of missiles are an additional form of icing in that respect, and a much less appetizing version. Kanokon's reaction to the missiles it's still raining is simple enough: run like hell into one of the buildings that's still intact enough to take some highly-explosive hits, deal with her loot window(s), and get ready to hightail it back to Glocken without going THROUGH the aggravated players who are starting to show up. 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna finishes the boss battle with a single trio of grenades in hand, and missiles coming after her. Hey, this is hilariously familiar to her. Boss battles are fun like that. The lithe leader looks up at them, and considers her position... and then books it. Towards the rest of the other groups. She's fast - she's not called the flash for nothing, after all, and on her way, she's going for the rest of the battle groups... and their nearest cover, threatening them with a grenade on her way. Is she trying to /bluff/ them? 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Kanokon's got the right idea. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, even if that means retreating instead of going in for the kill. Iria follows after her, not worrying about loot right now. She's also concerned about those missiles, namely since the blast from one of them grazes her, sending her tumbling a little before she recovers. "Damn it, are they even playing by the rules?" Iria wonders aloud, referring to whoever created that boss. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     MISSILES RAIN! ... And a few people shoot them, the rest take cover. Asuna distracts one of the groups with a grenade, blowing them out of their own cover and providing other targets for the missiles to go after.     It's easy to catch them by surprise, because...     The sudden announcement distracts ALL of the gathered players. Shock, awe, jealousy, and a myriad of other feelings are plainly visible on the faces of those, who, well...     Those who aren't wearing masks. Or mummy wrappings. Or any number of odd fashions. It's an MMORPG and people like their distinctive appearances!     There's even one dude in a brutal-looking lion costume. And behind him some dude in a black robe with a metal skull-like mask. Glowing red eyes. Creepy as it gets.     But the first to speak is neither of those.     It's instead a broad-shouldered muscular guy in a military getup and armored vest. He's unarmed but has a finely-chiseled face and thick blonde hair.     "... Magnificent. You completely outfoxed the very best raid groups this game had to offer. Such brightly shining souls. You have all entered the BoB?"     Nearby, a guy in a weird white, brown and green camo-pattern outfit - covering him from neck to toe - with a white full helmet that sports a green plate that's PRESUMABLY see-through on his end... stands tall, silent, judgemental.     It's like a tinderbox, but there's no actual hostility here... 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' The clouds of lingering dust work to the droid's advantage as, between it and his cloak, HK-47 is able to reach the first building - the first one in range that was left standing from the triad of blasts, that is, maneuvering into it to shelter himself from the explosions. From there, he stops in the earstwhile hope that his attacker is caught in the blast - or at least so distracted by it that she gets caught in the remaining missiles that are raining down as he hunkers and takes aim. He knows that he must wait for the missiles to stop falling, and until then focuses on targets... and his eyes fall upon the Red-head. His objective now basically the acquisition of items, with the boss-type enemy defeated... however, nothing was stopping him from cleaning out the enemy along the way, as he takes aim at the target's center of mass from his vantage point, bidding on the pseudo-Jedi to take just a few more seconds longer to reach him as he pulls the trigger. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian narrows his eye as he rummages through his new rifle's stats. A Winchester rifle. Somehow he seemed to also get a few rounds for it too. He steps out from his rock, rifle resting on his shoulder. "I have. Why do you ask?" He replies, voice in his roleplayed rough state. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen is now trying to keep in mind about the massive raid boss, while there's a sniper on the loose who might end up well ganking people working 2ith her. She didn't want to tiend that, the things massive HP bar and how much it's taking now? Shows just how effective Reker's stunt was wearing down a bar and a half of it's HP was. She says a few things over the come but she now attempts something as Renker finds an item what the hek did he just pick up? She has no idea she's huntiung an actual Killing machine whose actually just taking a some time off to get training she would guess? The first sniper shot has gone, the lines are showing up now unfontantely for HK but it's fornate for Tomoe it manages to avoid it but where the hell is he? She tracks the shot and attemps to lob a grenade there, it won't do much she thinks but it could make the sniper move. "Damn it who is this guy?" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     They finish it by everyone shooting it. It was only a matter of time.     Staren sees a notification about loot pop up, but there are people coming for... revenge? That's not quite the right word. He hurries to the ground floor. The missiles rain down at the top of the building, fortunately.     As he peeks out at the approaching crowd, he stops and decides to see what new item appeared in his inventory: HK MP7     Okay, he can use that. He rezzes it and holds it, but... Man, he sees no point in fighting all of them either. He runs, deciding not to wait for the part where this ends in everyone trying to gank a now weakened-and-worn-down raid group.     It just wouldn't do to defeat what apparently was meant to be the hardest boss in the game only to get ganked by punks afterwards, right? 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' It doesn't sound like a whole lot of actual combat is ensuing with the aggravated bunch of players, does it? The quiet - or rather, the sound of conversation via WORDS instead of via high-caliber munitions - is enough to draw Kanokon back out of her hidey-hole, her reddish-brown gaze sweeping over the non-Gatecrasher players. There's something about skull-mask dude that makes Kanokon feel twitchy, but he's not doing anything hostile ... and the guy who praises the Gatecrashers sounsd downright friendly, although his mention of 'souls' seems out of place in a few ways. Kanokon makes sure the grenade she had in hand isn't going to lose its pin by accident or mishap, returns it to her vest, and sidles back out into view, folding her arms casually over her chest. (Which just happens to mean she won't have to reach very far if she needs to draw down on anyone. Juuuuuuuust in case, y'know.) 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Iria holsters her gun and follows Kanokon out, also watching carefully. She too has her arms folded, although there's also a sharp scowl on her face. Seems somewhat normal for Iria, but in this case she's really feeling suspicious about this whole thing. She doesn't need to keep a hand near her holster, since she's a great quick draw she'll have you know. For now, she's just listening and hoping that there's nothing to be afraid of. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     Well nobody is shooting anybody yet, that's a good sign. Unfortunately who knows how long that'll last. Reker recognizes a bunch of them from the BoB last year. Not all of them, but most of them. Reker frowns as he looks at the group, "We beat you guys fair and square. You'll just have to suck it up and deal with that fact." Reker says, mostly looking at the guy who's talking.     That's when he pulls the Devastator out. It's a big weapon by even GGO standards, heavy looking and Reker hmms a bit, as he pulls the magazine out of the weapon and swaps in a new one, switching the weapon over to explosive rounds, indicated by the orangeish glow around the muzzle, "Neat." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     "That is how it works. Being a sore loser is for children." States the man whom a few might recognize as SUBTILIZER, first winner of the Bullet of Bullets tournament... using nothing but a knife and handgun.     By now, Kirito's rejoined the group. He hasn't done much fighting beyond shoot down some missiles and coordinate efforts because SOMEONE has to keep track of all this.     "You. Beat them. In one show... of... power." Echoes a thick, murky, almost tinny voice from the red-eyed stranger in the robe. The stunted japanese is more than a little unnerving, to say nothing of those red eyes.     What follows is just plain bone-chilling.     He slowly and smoothly draws out a black pistol. A type 54 'Black Star' to anyone who really knows guns - it's of chinese make. It's held across his chest in a hand thickly wrapped with bandages. Yet it's not brandished at one, just held at the diagonal...     With his other hand, the strange man makes a strange gesture. A strike of his hand vertically, a strike of his hand horizontally... forming a cross?     THEN he fires after slightly re-angling the gun to point at the man in front of him's shoulder.     That being, the guy in the lion suit.     BANG!     Felidae Z staggers forward, health dropping only slightly. "You're paying for THAT, RIGHT NOW!"     The cloaked man hops back, almost gliding on the ground to dodge a BACKHAND. Meanwhile, all the others have turned to watch the freakish event.     Because although Felidae Z goes for his weapon... the arm never reaches it. His whole body seizes up briefly, going straight and rigid with shock. In the next moments he's toppling over, both hands clutching at his heart. "He...lp..."     And again that tinny, doomspeaking voice comes forth, along with a jet of steam from the skull mask. "Judgement. is. passed! This is power. The power. To. KILL! Know the name of this gun, whose name I share. DEATH GUN! This is only. The. BEGINNING."     And then he leaps back, yelling, "IT'S SHOWTIME!"     If anyone's wondering what just happened? It is actually very confusing.     Felidae Z's still on the ground, going nowhere. A link-dead icon's blinking by their health bar... common for soul-less logouts in the field. Also happens to people who suffered an AmuSphere disconnect.     But by now?     All the gathered top-notch fighters are roaring in outrage and confusion and giving chase to the cloaked man, who's dashing as if his sprinting level is -really- up there... 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     In that moment, anyone who knows Karian knows what's about to happen. The old man EXPLODES after Death Gun, screaming a litany of curses. "Damned Coward! Get back here!!!" He roars out, bordering on his own version of insanity. It was one thing to hear what his gun can do, but the warrior behind the avatar found nothing to respect. He takes aim and fires with his rifle when he can at Death Gun, but come hell or high water, the Wolf Lord was bringing him down. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' In spite of himself, HK-47 - or HKiller47 as he was identified as here - could not help but feel elation creep through him as he sees the red-eyed man down his target in a grandiose show of both precision and showmanship, ignoring the pointless flood of curses directed at the self-identified avatar 'DEATH GUN.' After all, the link going dead like that did not seem to be a coincidence... yet it had not reduced the enemy to Zero. A puzzle that he would enjoy figuring out... when he had the chance. In fact, the only thing that took precedence over this interesting event is the Red-head moving to lob a grenade. A sight that, if he'd had a mouth - a real one, and not the virtually-generated one beneath his avatar's helm - he would be smiling at right now. "Advisory - Die." With that, he aims for the oncoming grenade as it's thrown, his 'Bullet-Line' zeroing in on the object and piercing it with a single round, eagerly awaiting to see if the premature detonation has succeeded in terminating his enemy. 

:'''{{#var:631|Reker (631)}} has posed:'''     "The fuck?!" That would be Reker's reaction to whatever just happened. And then it dawns on him, after the comments. That's the guy. Death Gun. The one who's been killing players. And he just killed another. Reker feels anger welling up inside of him, as he dashes after Death Gun.     Reker doesn't get the Showtime comment. He's not an SAO survivor. But that doesn't matter, because Death Gun is still right there. They have to catch him. Reker swaps ammunition on his rifle again, the muzzle glowing blue, as he raises the weapon to his shoulder and fires a burst. Stun rounds, designed to bring targets down non-lethally. Even one can usually be enough to drop all but the most heavily armored targets. He just hopes he can hit Death Gun with the guy bounding around like a mad-man. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' "You son of a bitch!!" Kanokon yells as she sees Felidae Z getting murdered - REALLY murdered from all appearances. She explodes into a run, yelling even louder, "/HIGH SPEED KANOKON/!!!" And then she REALLY pours on the speed, demonstrating the Sprinting and Acrobatics skills that have served her so well in normal combat - and she's even parkouring over slower individuals if she has to, but she is *NOT* going to relent in her chase as long as she can move and the guy in the mask is ahead of her. 'Greased lightning' is one good description for her, and she moves like the 'greased' part is almost literal ... 

:'''{{#var:215|Iria (215)}} has posed:'''     Iria's also rather swift on her feet as well, just like in real life. And unfortunately, when that Felidae Z gets taken down, Iria's really peeved too. She grits her teeth and her scowl deepens, indicating that unlike before, she really is angry now. She takes off behind Xiaomu, fists clenched, ready to assist Xiaomu in whatever comes next. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Tomoe is trying to keep the sniper busy, she really is however there's something else going on now which has got her attrition she breaks off from the fight with HK-47. This is what saves her from going up with the grenade he sniped. She's too busy moving ahead to realize just how close it was and ducking to cover. What made her break off? There was something going on with the main raid so to speak. She tied them up long enough or so she hopes right? She might pay for it however, but for now she catches just in time to see a player shot and start to seem to go down in a way that isn't /normal/ then it hits her. She hears the phrase It's Showtime just after she calls out something on the radio channel. Her eyes go wide the sense of showmanship and that phrase. The phrase It's showtime will always have a certain association in her mind. That of suffering, death and sadism. She takes a moment to get her head in order and then is moving to chase after the guy she's fully focused upon them too. There's no shouting, no boast the look on Eisen's face is one of abject fear and rage. 

:'''{{#var:9|Asuna (9)}} has posed:''' Asuna physically, visually, balks at the phrase. Then she snaps her fingers. "YUI!" She cries, a name that no one will be surprised to hear, even as Asuna toggles back onto the Gatecrashers radio. "Chrysheight, where the hell is he?" She can be heard nearabout yelling into her comms. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Maybe running is an exageration. With the calm attitude of things, Staren is... nervously walking away.     It /is/ just a game, but, in a VRMMO... it's hard to completely remember that, sometimes. This situation feels like one about to go very bad, and he has little power.     There are words. Commotion.     A man is dead. Death Gun is /here/.     And his allies are chasing an /avatar/, as if it will mean anything.     He considers ways to save the man. But he doesn't know where he is. He considers ways to find Death Gun. He doesn't know where he is either.     But somewhere there is a game company -- a /game company/ -- has data that can lead to them both.     The path ahead is clear, Staren thinks, as he watches the chaos unfold.     He begins to plan. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     While Kirito's face goes stark white with what might be utterly childishly frightened panic for a few moments...     Death Gun makes one hell of a getaway. An attempt. Anyways. An outraged crowd is chasing him. Bullets fly, but he zigs and he zags with tremendous agility out of the path of most. A few clip him on extremities but he seems to be either extraordinarily skilled at his footwork or extraordinarily LUCKY. Perhaps both.     Karian's roaring charge clips him in the arm, getting him to stagger back.     BUt as he passes between a pair of rocks... he pulls out a small device, presses a button...     KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!     It looks like Reker isn't the only person who can use pre-planted explosives in a plan. It's only one or two bombs going off, but it's enough to kick up a HUGE cloud of dirt and bowl over the front wave of chasers on foot. Not KANOKON or Eisen, but...     Even being able to leap around debris, maintain balance, and outrun the others doesn't help in one critical area.     Pass through the dust cloud, and there's simply no sign of Death Gun.     Did he lead everyone that direction on PURPOSE? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' It's always a pleasure to see others who take pride in their work, simulated as it is. It's even more of a pleasure to see them take such abject pride in the showmanship of a well-done execution. Just by looking... HK-47 realizes that he has found an interesting organic. One that enjoys the black spotlight - the infamy of being known, yet unknown. One that enjoys being feared. Thus... he feels something of an obligation to assist... if not to simply learn more about what strange and effective technique he utilized on the avatar of Felidae Z. As such, he takes aim, ignoring and even finding a bit of amusement in the torrent of hateful slurs as HK-47 lobs a plasma grenade to cover his movements and then DEFENDS the avatar of Death Gun as the latter makes his getaway, taking aim at the avatars known as Kanokon and Iria and firing at them from behind, his shot on a trajectory that will take the bullet straight through both their backs as they line up for a perfect double-kill, banking on the two not being able to see his 'Bullet Line' while they're distracted by their emotions. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian keeps to the chase. He was essentially like a dog locked onto it's prey, but the explosions do disrupt him. He stumbles forward but recovers and pushes forward. He roars out of the cloud and looks around. He roars in anger, rage, fury, and frustration, punching the ground with PURE rage, likely with enough force to shatter rocks underneath. "I swear, on the Allfather and everything pure in the Multiverse, I will find you Death Gun.....and may the Emperor have mercy on you, for I will not." He says, an oath given in the honor of the fallen player. But for the moment, he DESPERATELY needed to calm down as an 'old friend' was clawing for freedom. 

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:''' The day is suddenly not going so well for Kanokon. Topping that list is the explosion which Death Gun sets off; she plows through the dust cloud (thanks to her running start, mostly) and scampers up the collapsing rubble, but to no avail, and she pauses at the top to curse (in Cantonese). Which is when a bullet from HKiller47 blasts her in the shoulder. Thank goodness for decent quality armor, but the impact is still enough to knock Kanokon off her momentary perch, hitting the ground on the other side with a FURIOUS shriek. That's the last sign of her .... Because she's back in 'skulk around and don't get noticed or shot at' mode. She has a vague idea of where that shot came from, so she needs to find her way back around the edges and try to ambush her ambusher. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Elsewhere "What the hell?! Something's gone wrong with that players vitals." "The hell his vitals are going nuts it looks like a heart attack." "I'm dialing 119." "Wait that's Japan's 911 right?" "Yes, we can't not act on this." "Right I'll leave you to it and I'm starting to log data here. Damn there's way too many players in this region due to the raid boss. We'll have to go over the logs later, the higher ups are going to want to see this." The woman gets off the phone and looks to the man for a moment. "It's done the paramedics are on their way." "What a god damn mess." "*Sigh* You know the big dogs are going to be salvating at the indication we might have another...whose not beem scooped up by anyone." "I know just ..." "We got out jobs to do." "For God and country..." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' The avatar of Xiaomu seems to have taken off into hiding, as has the avatar of Iria. However, there are no death-markers, so HK can only assume that he injured either one or both of the pair to the point that they had to retreat. Granted, he only registered an impact off of Xiamou, so perhaps the other one turned tail... or perhaps the avatar of Iria was injured by the sudden bomb-blasts and thus forced into pulling out. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter - Death Gun has successfully retreated... and perhaps will remember his effort to defend him. But now his focus returns to a more pressing matter - rewards. Most of them had been forgotten by Death Gun's display, and thus the droid was now using the chaos to great effect - even with the avatar of Tomoe chasing him, the debris gives him ample cover as he weaves amid the rubble caused by Ironclad's destruction, working to claim as many credits, items or both as he can... one of which seems to be a Savage 110 BA. With that... he finally pulls away, tossing out a final plasma grenade to cover his escape as he falls back, starting his journey to the nearest safe-zone. "Observation - It did not go as planned... but I just say, this was a very stimulating experience. I do believe I shall come back here again very soon... and perhaps, when I do, I shall learn more about these 'avatars' - Tomoe, Xiamou... and of course, this 'Death Gun.' Meatbags that they are... they certainly have proven worthy of my skills. I can say with a measure of certainty that I shall enjoy our next encounters." With that, the droid's avatar fades into the desert, already eagerly making the plans for his next excursion. 

}}

1708/A lock with no key. A puzzle missing pieces.

2015-05-14T12:13:57Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/03 |Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse |Synopsis=Amalthea and Ainsley have a Chat |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=151, 395 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplo..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/03
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse
|Synopsis=Amalthea and Ainsley have a Chat
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=151, 395
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Whatever happened on Terra Majora could not have been good. It's not out of the ordinary to find Amalthea in the depths of her Manse. Though tonight it looks as though the unicorn's office and man-cave in the lower levels is in a state of disarray. Papers are spilled, the desk is a mess with a toppled can of soda, and the telltale traces of glimmering silver blood are splotched in trailing path that leads right to her.     Her armor is off, simply shrugged aside, various holes punched clean through the breastplate.     Despite the alarming appearance of things, aside from the bandages thickly swathing her chest to keep the leaking to a minimum, she's mostly fine, slumped back in her favorite leather recliner. ... Physically fine anyway.     The open decanter of antifreeze and the half-empty glass in her hand, combined with a terribly dark introspective look says, things might be otherwise. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley followed the trail of blood to Amalthea's location, where the clouds of discontentment seemed to be boiling fiercely. The lizard girl didn't know it consciously, but she could tell that she might be stepping into a stressful situation when she follows the trail to visit her mentor and friend. She eventually reached the place the unicorn was resting, taking the lightest of steps, but making her presence clear enough that she doesn't startle.     "Hello," she says in a soft voice, "Do you need someone to talk to?" she wonders, in a gentle voice, not looking at Amalthea, and instead at the mess all around the place. The look on the lizard woman's face is worry and sorrow, like the state of the place troubles her more than any darkness she has seen before. She seems so tentative, like she absolutely does not want to cause offense. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It should be worrying. It should be very worrying. But the intrusion to her deepest darkest lair results in a stir. A slight shift that says the unicorn is very much awake. And perhaps not too keen on visitors. But Ainsley does not get chased away, when that lone blue eye flicks up, a deep rumble and irate chuff simmering in the mechanical mythic's throat and chest before she endeavors to make herself a little more presentable, by sitting up.     "Hello, Ainsley." Her reply is gruff, but there is an unquestionable listlessness to her, a look of mixed discontent, partial anger, and utter bewilderment worn upon her visage as she tugs one leg up to hug to chest in an idle fashion, albeit with a small wince. "I am afraid that I might have... Difficulty discussing what troubles me. But I am not proud enough yet to turn down an ear of one who's company I can say I enjoy." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     The lizard girl winces a little at the tone the unicorn has, just the emotion of all this affecting her pretty deeply. In Ainsley's effort to try and understand emotion, though, she steps further into the room, and finds somewhere to stand nearby with her hands clasped in front of her. Well... she's hovering slightly off the floor, as opposed to sitting anywhere in the room.     "I am here to listen," she murmurs, and gives the best smile her reptilian features will allow at the stressed unicorn. Gentle and patient is the aura around the creature who has all too often succumbed to wilder emotions. "At any pace you are comfortable with."     In any silent moments, she looks around at the messy state of the area, having to suppress the powerful urge to tidy up the room, because her subconscious knows this is a symptom of the unicorn's discontentment. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It takes much to shake a timeless beast such as a unicorn into such depths of silent internal thought. And whatever it is must be harrowing to her very soul. Nevertheless, Amalthea motions for the spare chair aside from hers. Though she remains silent for a long moment of tension, the flustering look of confused emotions working across her face paints a turmoil that no mortal could ever possibly face, and can only hope to never experience.     "I am vexed, Ainsley. Well and truly vexed, and it is a state I find myself sinking into only futher as time drags on. And at times make me question my decision to timidly poke my head out from my forest all those years ago." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley doesn't understand the depth of Amalthea's turmoil, but it seems that she is trying whenever she looks at the unicorn's face, searching her features. She takes the offered chair, settling into it and watching in the silence with that sad smile. When the unicorn speaks, a nod of acknowledgement is given from the lizard as she soaks in what is being said, some serious thought being given to various aspects of this, those thoughts shown in the Quetzal's bright blue eyes: Amalthea's ageless state, and how that shapes her emotions... and her wild heart as a unicorn and not a human.     But she doesn't say a word, simply waiting for more elaboration, or more silence, at the pace her mentor decides is appropriate. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     How to explain it. How CAN she explain it? If anything, the attempt to put it into words seems to only cause more distress; enough so to make Amalthea rise. Without Ironclad Oath's pain suppression to wash over her body, she hobbles, a wounded limping course that has her pace back and forth, heedless of her body still in the midst of repairs, too distraught or perhaps simply too innured to pain by this point to notice it.     Her hair is a tangled mess, her eye is wide, showing white, and loppy ears pin back as she snorts.     "I watch them every day. I live among them, I see them change and be so fluid and malleable. I know they are fleeting. Ephemeral. Some would deem them even trifling, chaff and vermin, but I am not that vain yet. Yet still, I watch them, I see the best in them, and I am given hope..."     She pauses, suddenly going still, deathly so where she stands as the agitation melts away in an instant to be replaced with a somber and silent sorrow. "And then they devolve and show nothing but the worst of themselves." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley watches Amalthea's state and sees, perhaps, the point at which immortal creatures differ from the mortals around them. The point that makes it hard for them to relate to each other. She creases her brow as she thinks on how frustrating it must be to cope with all of this pain for so long, over and over... She lets out a sad sigh, seeming to sympathize with the idea, now that it has been explained to her. One hand rubs another, her eyes briefly close, her feathers puff up for a second. Like goosebumps.     She does not dare speak up now, simply watching still patiently, the wounded creature showing a state that hasn't been shown before.     She smiles still, somehow able to do so even with how dark this subject is... like she knows some input, and she's politely waiting to be asked first. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     For a time. She remains right where she is. Still. So very still. Unmoving- moreso than a statue; in that way that only a doe can stop dead in the woods, doing nothing but breathe and stare into the distance. But slowly, that eye creeps sidewards, looking to the Quetzal for a long and silent moment.     The frustration is boundless; this simple inability to truly connect finally wearing down upon her to this point, and in a very animal moment of frustration she finds it in her to snarl. It is not a pleasant sound. Somewhere between a wolf and a tractor-trailer, it rumbles in her chest as she seats herself once more. "They smile. They laugh. They love one another one day. And in the next they bicker, hiss, snipe, and claw one another. It is too fast. It is too fast for me, humans and mortals are just too fast."     Unicorns are simple creatures. Such simple creatures; set in their ways, stagnant at worst, slow moving at best. The fast fleeting pace of a mortal life makes it so difficult to understand, and finally she breaks.     "I watch everyone around me, and I feel like an outsider so very often. I love them, I cherish them, even though a mortal's life is but a breath to me, Ainsley. That is the pain of immortality, did you know that? I do not understand them. I truly do not, no matter how my faking it seems to fool them." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley's smile only fades from the snarl. She puffs a sigh after that, again, and listens to the simple frustrations of a creature that has lived and likely will continue to live much longer than she will. She doesn't seem unaffected by it, the anger not washing over her, but she doesn't back away from it or fear the one exposing this part of their heart.     "May I provide an attempt at insight?" she offers, smiling some. She offered to listen, so it's only polite to ask before speaking up. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It's... Not anger. It's nowhere close to anger. It is a well and true bewilderment. An inability to understand so complete and total that to an immortal like Amalthea is is utterly distressing. These are the kinds of things Fae beasts should not be bothered by- the kind they do not let affect them because most treat the lives of mortals like a trivial and minorly intriguing amusement at best.     Amalthea loves them. Dearly. That is her pain, And for a moment it is as if she forgets Ainsley is there, venting her frustration at the room all around her. Until the offer for insight. Her eye flicks up, gaze brought back into focus as she slowly steels herself with a breath. "You may. I may not understand it, but you are welcome to." She murmurs after a beat of long silence, draining the last of her glass in a long, slow, slug of the noxious green contents. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "You are more alike to the creatures that cause you so much frustration, from my perspective, than any other of a similar lifespan."     "You have fought beside us, smiled with us, protected us, taught us, and felt both the light and darkness that we can create. When you could not understand mortal creatures, you became frustrated... but that is no different than how we live. You are experiencing part of what mortals experience far too often between each other."     "We live with only an understanding we gain from interacting with each other. We must accept our short lifespans are all we have. We must laugh, cry and scream as strongly as we can, because we may not get another chance. The only heavily important difference between the mortals you love and yourself is the urgency."     "I cannot say you are completely the same, but we all feel this as well. This feeling that we cannot understand others. This frustration that boils in our gut, because our perspectives are too limited to fully grasp the perspective of other limited beings."     "You do understand us, about as well as we understand each other. In fact, you are uniquely qualified to understand mortal creatures if you can accept the bad with the good."     Ainsley smiles again at the unicorn, "I have faith in the strength of your heart, Amalthea. Know that you are not truly alone." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     A slower breath, and the unicorn closes her eye, a slow and weary sigh filtering through teeth a sshe decides to pour another helping from the decanter at her side. This time the sip is slower, her other leg tucking up to rest her shin on knees. "You'd be surprised what can be learned over the course of twenty years. ... Very little if you think about it."     But then she shakes her head. "Mortals are fluid. Immortals are static. This is more difficult for me than words can express. I. Try. I do, but it is difficult." She says, faltering for a beat. "It is not the same, no. There is bad, there is good, I have always known this, but it is like a whiplash of confusion and jumbled sensation." She vents almost petulantly. "I am weary, I suppose. Someone I considered to enjoy the company of used me again. Used others I love dearly. Almost maliciously, in his ignorance. It is not easy for me, Ainsley. ... Your insight is... Appreciated. I will think on it more." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "I cannot fix this feeling you are having, though I wish I could provide you more comfort," Ainsley tells Amalthea, with that usual strange honesty she has to matters like this. "But, as I said, my perspective is limited as a mortal creature. As much as I wish I could, I cannot read the hearts of others, or even my own heart." She smiles and then stands, and steps over to reach out and touch Amalthea's shoulder, if allowed.     "Even if you cannot endure, I will be your friend, Amalthea," she says, softly. "I will leave you to rest now." She nods to the weary unicorn and turns to leave. 

}}

2211/Reyvateil Diving 101: A Primer Catastrophy

2015-05-12T19:38:42Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/05/11 |Location=Ar Ciel |Synopsis=Hello is this Diving? Apparently. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=96, 248, 340, 495, 575, 642, 757 |Tinyplot= |..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/11
|Location=Ar Ciel
|Synopsis=Hello is this Diving? Apparently.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=96, 248, 340, 495, 575, 642, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Days ago:     "Hello there, little girl, would you like to buy some Kitty Candy? Only twelve leaf a piece."     "I don't care about the price, I could eat a bucket full~."     What began as a seemingly innocent conversation between a candy selling woman, and a young girl on the streets of Firefly Alley immediately takes a turn in a cloak and dagger direction.     "Alright, Misha, what's up. The last time you saw me you were looking for some pretty high grade grathnode crystals with your boytoy."     "H-hey! Don't call him that!" The Reyvateil huffs, flashing the silver-haired candy seller a petulant look. "We got separated again-- look that's not why I'm here. I'm letting people Dive and uh..."     "Annnnd you're nervous aren't you. Ooookay I have just the thing to help~..."     Now:     While originally planned to be held in the Dive Shop on Njorun Station, has been moved to a crummy looking Dive shop in Firefly Alley on the Tower of Eolia, in the world of Ar Ciel. Misha's Homeworld. Firefly Alley is a floating city, connected to the tower by a jury rigging of wires, cables, frame work, spit, and rubber bands, held aloft on floating generators managed by the Tenba Corporation.     This seems to be a particularly rare event, considering the Dive Attendants look flabbergasted at having to link a total of seven pods for one Dive, but assured by another attendant-- a woman with long braided silver hair, Misha can handle it.     Misha is already here, waiting for people to arrive, the dark-haired girl looking somewhat nervous at the prospect as she chatters with one of the technicians. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad walks in, smiling as usual. Normally, he would bring his horse along. But, a floating island in the sky seems like a poor place to bring a horse. What's more, he understands that it is in fact unlikely he could even bring his horse along on the Dive. Hell, he barely even understands what a Dive is.      He bows to the group within the shop, though of course he gives the grandest bow to Misha. He smiles to her, his teeth sparkling as he does so. It isn't even intended to be flirty or anything. The purpose, instead, is to calm the obviously nervous girl, and to show a connection with her. After he bows to her, he speaks, the disarming smile still on his face.      "Ah, lady Misha, it is a pleasure to meet you again. I am glad that I might take part in this Dive. I will admit, I am uncertain of what this exactly /is/, but I am never one to back down from a new experience!"      He puts his hands on his hips, and holds up his head and pushes out his chest a bit. Yes, trying to make himself look /truly/ heroic. His cape flows behind him with a light push of magic as well. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako of course, is glancing here, there, and everywhere like a typical tourist. It's not everyday you're in a floating city, after all. Besides, this is the first time she's been to Ar Ciel! While Ayako herself isn't exactly technologically minded, she can still appreciate the jury rigging to create a city.     When she enters the Dive Shop she glances about quickly again. She hasn't met Misha before, so she doesn't really know exactly who to look for. "Umm... umm... is there a Misha here?" Ayako closes her eyes awkwardly and just as awkwardly scratches her cheek with a pointer finger. She was sure she followed the directions properly! 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon al Cid, Prince of Ramuh, certainly lives up to the title. The white-haired young man arrives in the unfamiliar shop in the unfamiliar world with all the dignity one would expect of a Prince. He's clad in his heavy-looking Judge's armor, with a deep and expansive purple cape draped over his shoulders. Despite the awe and fascination the young Prince has for extraversal worlds, he's doing his level best not to look like a gawky, gawpy tourist. Being a gawky, gawpy tourist simply isn't proper behavior for a nobleman of any real stature, and /certainly/ not for a Prince. No, the scion of the al Cid family hides his burning curiousity quite well, his eyes straight ahead, his smile bright.      "I take it, then, that I am in the correct location," Landon observes brightly at Fassad's confirmation (probably not meant for him). He offers his gauntlet-clad hand politely to Misha; should she take it, he raises it to his lips and kisses it politely. Otherwise, he simply waits for as long as is properly appropriate (about thirty seconds) to fold it over his chest and bow.      Either the hand-kiss or the bow is accompanied by a, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Landon al Cid of Ramuh. I hope that I can be of some service."      Once that's done, Landon takes a moment to satisfy his curiousity. Another new world, a world he's never seen, and he expects he won't get much of a look at it, either! He nods, politely, to Ayako as he takes a pace around the room, his heavy boots surprisingly quiet for the plate mail's size. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' firefly Alley is a fascinating place. Hanging in the air through spir and baling wire, it nevertheless seems to have a certain feel to it that transfixes Riva as she looks around in wonder, trying to take in the feel of the area. She spends a lot of time leaning out over railings dangerously far, staring downwards, or towards the tower, the people that pass by, or other things. She also arrives with a couple handfuls of candy herself, popping one into her mouth and munching with a pleasantly happy noise. The Dive Shop itself seems to get Riva looking around at the pods and wires and other tech curiously, though she does wave to Misha as she approaches. "Hey Misha! Good to see you!" She holds out a hand. "I found a place selling candy. It's awesome, want some?" She also offers a handful to everyone else too! 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     It had been a while since the last time Caro had done something like this! But she hasn't forgotten how, and she was certainly eager to help out if she could. As such, the pint-sized summoner is going to make her way here, with Friedrich floating along behind her, and will offer over a small smile to the girl they're going to be diving with.     "Oh, ah, sure!" is her respond to being offered candy; she doesn't have that much of a sweet tooth, but will happily have a bite or two. "I hope you don't mind me coming, and hope I can help" she'll state, to Misha. "I'm Caro." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It looks like people are filtering in, which means no delaying, and no putting this off now. It's happening.     There's Fassad, first to arrive, Misha remembers him from breakfast, and the Reyvateil manages something of lopsided and still nervous grin. Aside from acting super noble, his mannerisms remind her of someone just a bit. "Fassad, hello."     "That's me." She calls out to Ayako, when the water spirit arrives, she's in the right place, especially judging from the light shuffle of Misha's feet.     The silver-haired dive attendand almost seems to wink at Riva for some reason, but it's time to move on, and once Landon has sufficiently finished making Misha blush lightly with the kiss to her hand, and Caro arrives, the Reyvateil smooths her dress out. So time for a primer.     "Ah... Diving is usually... The process of entering a Reyvateil's subconscious mind to help her unlock her emotions and create new songs and song magic." She gives a quick explanation while climbing into her pod. The silver-haired woman then holds up a disk. "Misha is a little nervous though, so we're going to ease everyone into things with a pre-written program. It should have the same results though, so if you could all just pick a pod, we'll get right underway~." This earns something of a dirty look. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Caro mostly remembered the new outfits for Mir. She wasn't entirely certain how that had worked, still, so she's not going to bring it up. And being nervous seems a very reasonable response, given the situation of what they're doing! She'll offer over an encouraging smile, and then whisper soft instructions to Fried to play nice with everyone while she's in the dive - which mostly means Spica.     After that, Caro will wait a moment to find a pod noone else is going to, and head over to climb in. At least she doesn't have to ever worry about not fitting into one of these. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad smiles at the group, looking around. In particular, his eyes linger on Landon, though he tries not to make it obvious. Is this... Is this what a /real/ Prince is actually like? The armor, the style, the shear sense of presence. It's not often someone outdoes Fassad. And Landon doesn't even seem to be /trying/.      He looks at the group, smiling though. He might as well try to take charge a /bit/, but he'll probably defer to Landon if a leader is needed. Already, he's thinking of how to fake being humble and letting the /actual/ prince take charge. But, as he looks at the group, he speaks, "Well. Let us help Lady Misha as best as we can, then."      He moves to his own pod, and gets set up. He really doesn't /get/ it. He just figures, that it'll make more sense as things go along. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva giggles brightly, and gives the silver-haired attendant a wave when she sees her. Hey! Didn't she just buy some candy from her a little bit ago? Business must be good~ Riva munches on more candy while she listens to the explanation, however. Riva blinks. "Unlock her emotions? Why are they... locked in the first place?" Riva asks quizzically. "But helping her come up with new music? Hell yeah, that'll be awesome!" Riva seems /pumped/ despite the situation, and pockets the remaining candy before climbing into one of the pods, apparently picking it on a whim. Doesn't look like she'll press the apparently slightly delicate question. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon is indeed not trying. He doesn't think about things like 'kissing a woman's hand' as particularly out of the ordinary - he was raised to be courteous, polite, and noble in all things, and he does it by force of habit and rote training over seventeen years of his life. He offers a polite smile and a similar greeting to everyone else he hasn't met, graciously accepts the candy with "why thank you, yes, Lady Riva, I should much appreciate a taste of it", and otherwise courteously listening to Misha's description.      At the end of it, Landon goes quiet for a moment, looking at Misha curiously.      Enter a subconscious to create new magic and music. His gauntleted fingers go to his chin thoughtfully as he considers this. That's a sort of magic (or is it 'technology', that strange alternate that ran on 'physics') that Galianda only has in books and Ramuhanimation and movies and video games. The idea of actually delving into a hume mind, or any kind of mind...it was unbelievable!      But wouldn't that be terribly dangerous?      No, Landon decides, if it was terribly dangerous, a public shop wouldn't exist to make it possible. There must surely be *some* level of risk, of course, because entering a person's head could only be risky, but it probably isn't as risky as Landon's imagining, all the patterns that make up a person laid out casually to be fiddled with and manipulated. No, that seems like the sort of magic you wouldn't just leave lying around.      "I see," Landon confirms after a bit, "Then we're simply helping you find what's already there, is that it? Or, rather, helping you to find the key to dig further into your heart?"      "I am honored that you place such trust in us," The Prince says finally as he moves to clamber into the pod, "I'm certain we'll do our best, indeed."      The Judge's Armor looks so uncomfortable, but Landon doesn't even seem to mind. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako sighs with relief. "Whew... I get lost easily, so... I'm glad I made it to the right place." She smiles cheerfully at Misha. "Nice to finally meet you in person!"     She then listens quietly to Spica-err... the silver-haired dive attendant. Yup. Nothing out of the ordinary going on in this Dive Shop, no! Uh huh. "Okay! I hope we make some good music together, Misha!" Ayako nods her head slowly and walks over to a pod. "Uhh... I wonder if I'm compatible with these?" The FullDive machines used for GGO didn't work for her, after all. 'No user detected' indeed. Not until Staren 'spun' one that would work for her, anyway. "Well, only one way to find out!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Spica is already loading the program while everyone gets ready.     "It's something like that." Misha confirms for Landon and Riva as she's already settling back in her pod, green eyes watching the others. But it looks like everyone is ready, willing, and eager to get into this, and with a motion, she signals the Dive attendants to close her pod.     Once everyone is inside their pods and the seals close and latch, there is total darkness... A complete lack of light that lasts for a long moment before a flicker of static, and then everything begins.     With a wash of scrolling code written in Hymmnos the Dive program boots up, and in a sudden flare of white light...     Everyone will all find themselves standing outside a massive tree. Njorun Community College has been built right into the trunks and branches of the immense plant, and with a ring of the bell it looks like classes are on break for the next hour or so. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Oooh, Hymmnos-ZORT Riva Scarlette is chill today. She'll get to her homework later. For now, she has some serious lounging around to do on one of the curling roots that happen to pop up throughout the landscape of the community college. She gets right on that, her arms crossed behind her head as she stares up at the massive waving branches of the tree, as well as the cloud-scudded sky. She waves a hand to the others, smiling in an afternoon-sun induced half-somnolescence. Mmmm, this will be the perfect spot to enjoy for their hour. Maybe hour and five. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad Argent finds himself leaning against a tree on Campus. He's wearing a rather simple, albeit trendy outfit at the moment. Blue designer jeans, and a skin-tight T-shirt that is silver in color. His silver backpack is on the grass next to him. A book is in his hands. Specifically, Machiavelli's The Prince. He pushes up his silver framed glasses closer to his face. He looks up as Riva arrives, and smiles and nods at her, waving back. He quickly gets to reading his book again. After all, he's waiting for the whole group to gather. His class let out a bit early.      He ponders a bit. Hrm. Hour break. Perhaps he can treat the group of them to lunch? He flips a page, considering a bit. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako settles back into her Dive pod and curiously, and with some anticipation, waits for the Dive to start. She curiously looks at the scrolling code written in Hymmnos as the Dive program starts and-     Aya Ao stretches as she leaves her class and out to the roots of Njorun Community College. In her hands that are now overhead are a pencil and a notebook. "Ungnya... classes are nice, but... getting outside is good too." Once the stretch is over, she walks absentmindedly around... amber gaze focused completely on the notebook and scribbling into it constantly. Well, okay. Once in a while, she does look around. Some. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Landon prepares himself for-      The huge, familiar old tree is a wonderful thing to the heir of the al Fuscio family. These are the simple pleasures of the world, the simple joys. These are the wonderful moments that so easily get lost in the hurried, fast-paced world of the nobility. Daggers 'round every corner; porcelain faces hiding secrets; glittering gold pouring from wallets like blood. No matter where you go, there you are - trapped in an inescapable place.      So it is that Lando is more than delighted to be here. He runs his fingers along the trunk of the tree, phantasmal memories flicking through his mind with each passing notch. It was a favorite spot of his, a *central* spot, a place where everything seemed to simply *exist* independent of all the rest of the world. Under this tree he had found a sort of contentment that he could never have expected possible. This tree's branches were a vast umbrella, stretched around this little hill to separate it from all that is and all that has ever troubled him.      A wistful smile flits past on the purple-haired young man's face. Purple eyes turn to the rest of the group.      "Well," Lando offers cheerily, "It seems we have a bit of time. We should go to lunch and enjoy it, don't you think? I heard about a lovely place opening up just uptown."      He adjusts the fuschia scarf around his neck self-consciously, wondering briefly why he chose the color.      "My treat, of course!" He adds. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad Argent immediately chimes in in response to that, "--Oh, Lando, don't worry about it. Today, it should definitely be /my/ treat. Trust me, it would be /more/ than an honor. What's more. I'll hire us a taxi-- no, perhaps today I should call up a limo for all of us! After all, my family's wealth is /quite/ massive. It's been built up for /so many/ generations, after all!" 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Lando stares at Fassad for a moment. He considers it, for a long moment. In politics - in the Old Guard - sometimes it was better to let other people put their foot out.      Sometimes the person who puts their foot out first stumbles over a rock you didn't notice.      "That's, ah, that's very generous, Argent," Lando offers finally, "Are you certain? It's really no trouble..." 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Cara Rose is stretching out, as well, but for a different reason - she's trying to climb a limb of the tree, carefully attempting to get a look at a nest a few branches over while the others gather nearby. Climbing the tree is going... Not the best, really! But she hasn't fallen down yet, so that's okay.     She'll then immediately slip, dangling by her legs from the branches above over the rest of the group. "A.. ah! Hey guys!" She'll say, just now seeming to really notice them. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' "Boys, boys, relax." Riva Scarlette interposes in the brewing discussion. She's already casually chewing on a long blade of grass, basically achieving whole new levels of laid back chill. "We can go get lunch, it's no big deal." She stretches and sits up, hopping off of of the big tree root and looking between them all. "Hey, Aya!" She waves to the bookworm and looks up to Cara. "Sometimes I wonder if you're part monkey, Cara." She smiles. "Come on down, we're going out to get lunch with Fassad and Lando. You too, Aya! Books won't feed you!" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Aya pops a vein suddenly. "Hey! You two, quit arguing and fighting over who gets to foot the bill!" Whoa, wait. Where did this come from all of a sudden? Looks like this 'bookworm' isn't so bookwormish. She suddenly grins, although it's mostly hidden by the notebook. Her amber eyes peek out over the top edge of the notebook as she stares at Lando and Fassad. "Or... you two could settle it the -usual way-~."     The pencil and notebook are stuffed into the star-shaped yellow purse she usually carries around like some sort of stake and gravestone driven into the ground. What? Even school supplies are fashion statements. She flips her ponytail with one hand and-     Her cellphone flips out swiftly and she starts texting swiftly and loudly. Err... was she hiding in the ponytail? Although anyone who pays close attention can see that Aya's gaze is more on the group than on the cellphone. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad smiles at Lando, closing his book. He makes a bit of a dismissive wave towards purple haired man, dismissively, "Oh. It is really no trouble, al Fuscio. Truly. I have not spoiled our group of friends for quite some time." That said, he certainly does this sort of thing all the time. He loves throwing around his money. Really, he spends his money as if he only fell into it recently, /despite/ the fact that he has let everyone know he's from old wealth.      But, he smiles, turning to Riva, and Aya. "Oh, do not worry. We're not arguing. After all, both of us are dignified gentleman." But, his glance looks over towards Lando. Obviously he views himself as /quite/ a bit more dignified. But, speaking of undignified, he looks up at Cara, sighing a little. Really, climbing a tree?      Fassad Argent pulls out his own smart phone. Immediately, he opens up an app. A limo-taxi app. He looks at the group, again smiling, "Ah, it should only be a few minutes before the limo arrives. This should be truly a break to remember. Such are the beautiful days of our youth." He pockets his phone, and then holds his hands out towards Aya and Riva. Flirtatiously, "Ah, ladies, I hope that the resteraunt will be to your liking." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It is a perfect day to go out for lunch, and the college grounds aren't too far from some great places in the city. So if the group is going to do that there's... Nothing really stopping them. It's not an our of the ordinary sight to see retired Dean Ty Rael, Head Librarian Nathanial Passage, and Head of discipline, Par Thnax discussing administrative duties on the way out, but there might be another distraction.     In passing the music arts part of the campus there seems to be something of a commotion.     "I said NO Brandon, will you just screw off!"     She's recognizable. Misha Allune; generally a quiet student- known for her music arts major and voice. It must be something severely taxing her patience to make her speak up. But she seems to be being hounded by a VERY MASSIVE jock kid with his hair spiked up in two blonde points.     No one like Brandon Radd. He's an arrogant, bully of a brute cruising by on a sports scholarship that seems to let him think he can get away with anything he and his frat brothers at Tau Epsilon Nu Beta Alpha can.     But it's quick to pass, as she storms off, earning a clenched fist and vicious swear of vengeance.     So about that lunch...     It's not long before the group hops in the hired limo that it swoops everyone to a nearby place, and the timing is perfect; the lunch rush hasn't hit yet, everyone beat all the other students that come to this super popular trendy little place. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Well... not ALL the students were beaten here. It looks like one made it here for lunch before the group of friends did. It may be hard to see her at first, but she's definitely there. When the group arrives, MIRA SABLE is sitting alone at a table, sipping a drink while she studies from one of her books. The new student has not been very popular here, having trouble getting in with any crowds.     This is because she's not quiet in the form of shy, she's brooding and outright projects a cold shoulder to anyone who talks to her, ending the conversation quite rudely when she has to. She's not unpopular because she's new, the dark-haired student just doesn't seem to /want/ to make friends. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Cara will drop from the tree at the invitation, managing to mostly land on her feet - which is to say, hands and knees and she doesn't break anything. She'll kick up a lot of dust, of course, the veternary student giving a smile. "A lunch would sound nice." She'll admit, seeming totally oblivious to Fassad's disapproval.     On the other hand, Misha's predicament will get her attention, and the small girl looks like she wants to go say something. It breaks up before that happens, but it sticks in her mind, and she's a little bit less cheerful until they actually arrive at the lunch spot. Upon doing so, Cara is going to go proceed to bash her head into the wall one more time in a figurative sense, wondering over towards Mira and allowing the others to order first. "Aah, hi, Mira." Cara says, her attempts to take care of every lost and lonely bird, cat, and person not about to be thwarted by mir dislike or hatred. She'll give herself a couple of sentences before giving up for today! 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Lando doesn't further the comment - he is, after all, not arguing. He's perfectly willing to let Fassad throw his money around if he wants to; Lando was generous, but it was just as useful to let someone else be more generous sometimes. Otherwise you got into bidding wars and wasted time, and who wanted to waste time? It was such a fleeting thing. A precious gift, a thing that vanished even as you used it. He barely even liked sleeping, given how much it stole from him.      So he doesn't say much as Fassad flirts and flashes and prances. Truthfully, he agrees - such *are* the beautiful days of youth, a currency to be spent more freely than coin.      But, as Lando enters the limo with surprising dignity for a young man entering a car, he can't help but think about the scene he just witnessed. Like many people carrying the sort of power they did, Lando was the sort of man who didn't truck with injustice - and particularly towards women. It wasn't out of some misguided ideal of the fairer or weaker sex; you didn't stay on a team with multiple women and feel that way. It's just...well, that wasn't right. The powerful should never pick on the powerless.      As the limo pulls away, Lando's fingers tighten into fists. He glances at his phone, but...no, that would be irresponsible. That would be the same as what Brandon did to her.      The powerful should never pick on the powerless.      So the limo ride passes, Lando's thoughts distant and distracted as they ride to the restauraunt. It was a fast and smooth journey, and well worth (someone else's) money, given how quickly they'd gotten there - although how Mira Sable got there first is a magic all her own! Lando smiles politely at her. Even though he doesn't know her, kindness and manners never cost a thig.      It's why the nobility love it so much.      "Hello, Miss Sable," Lando offers as he looks over the menu, "It's a lovely day for this sort of thing, isn't it? Bright sky, bright sun, and so on." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva seems to let the comments and clarifications from the others pass, just letting them roll off like water off a duck's back. She rolls right along, casually walking to where the limo is supposed to pick them up with her hands in her pockets... But at the yell, Riva blinks and becomes considerably more animated. She pops over past the wall of the Musical Arts building and peers around the corner in an almost comedically overblown fashion. She frowns, considering the momentary argument. Brandon's a known troublemaker and ur-jock, but it seems to have resolved itself without too much trouble. She'll have to make a note of that for /later/. She can't go diving in headfirst. Well, okay, maybe she CAN but the moment's passed. She heads back to join the others (some of whom probably were peeking in on the event like she was), and heads out to lunch with the others. AT THE LUNCH AREA, Riva doesn't seem too concerned with where or how they sit. It seems like she's almost actively laid back to counter Fassad's concern for his rich boy appearance and Landon's natural flair. She slides into a chair and looks around, blinking as she sees Mira. "Hi Mira!" Riva calls out with a wave. She knows Mira probably won't even acknowledge her, but hey, you never know. One day maybe the ice queen will crack a little. This absolutely doesn't prevent her from leaning back on the back legs of her chair. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah, yeah..." Aya just smiles slightly at Lando and Fassad as she continues to text. Tick tick tick tick tick. Yes, one-handed. Jeez, she's really tearing into that thing. But what else do you expect from a ex-gyaru turned fashion student? Old habits die hard.     At the loud 'NO', Aya's eyebrow twitches and a distinctive 'boop' comes from her cellphone. Said phone is loudly closed with a clack and her amber gaze moves dully towards the commotion. She taps the side of her forehead for a moment with a pointer finger and sighs softly. "Ungh. It's that ox again."     She tries to give a comforting smile to Misha as she joins the group and lets Fassad help her into the limo. Aya's amber gaze glances about absently... but warmly. She might have a bit of a standoffish air, but she's very warm to her friends!     When they arrive at the lunch area, she gives a wave to Mira. "Hey Mira!" 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Mira glances up at the incoming group, and... sighs. "Mn." That's all the reply that Lando gets, but it's more than some. It also means that Riva and Aya actually get to see the pale girl's eyes, for once... before she drops said eyes down to her book again.     All told, that's a pretty good attempt at socializing with her. It's a clear, cool reply of 'leave me alone and I will tolerate your presence.'     Except Cara. Right when everyone is settling in, Mira quietly murmurs, "Good afternoon, Cara." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad is less concerned with the strong controlling the weak, in comparison to Lando. As he watches the exchange, he simply frowns. But, he will deal with him in a different way. After all, justice still must be done, in some manner. He ponders. How /would/ an old money family deal with such a problem?      The first thing that comes to his head is 'hired assassins'.      He ponders for a moment what that says about himself, before he gets into the limo with the others.      At the resteraunt, he simply has a seat, and nods at the management. He sent a message ahead to make sure the resteraunt is prepared for them. He doesn't say hi to Mira, though. He's not the kind to put his hand out to someone who already has been known to be antisocial. He's just happy to see his friends having fun, though. His eyes mostly track them as they take their places in the resteraunt.      Also he didn't actually hire an assassin. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     In an instant, the atmosphere seems to change. Nothing happens inside the restaurant, but a scream can be heard distantly, and people outside are beginning to run as if in fright. Indeed that's the case, as everyone settles down to enjoy some lunch time social, there is suddenly panic in the streets.     Men in an almost terrible mauve-purple colored set of clothes and armor are suddenly swarming outside the restaurant- wearing glass dome helmets and waving ray guns. Every one of them wears terribly crude cardboard armor as a uniform as they scramble about, firing rays that seem to drain the color from the innocent bystanders!     "Tenba! Tenbatenba! Tenba! Tenba!" the goons blurble singlemindedly as they set to their dastardly work. But what's worse is...     They're all wearing capes!     This looks like a job for the Prisma Color Squad! 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Not that it takes too much to encourage Cara to continue. That's plenty, and Cara will smile brightly at Mira in response, but she won't hassle too much right away. She will try to find a seat somewhere as near the antisocial girl while still sitting with the group she came with, but that's the extent of it for now.     She's mildly impressed with Fassad's ability to have the restaurant in order. Of course, he may not have exactly directly invited her, but...     She'll look up in surprise at the panic in the streets, and then... "Excuse me just a few minutes, I need to visit the restroom." She'll murmur at Mira, a TOTALLY PRACTICAL excuse as she slips away towards anywhere she can find some privacy, preferably the restroom. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the Tenbas appear outside, Fassad also stands up. He speaks up, rather casually.      "I, too, must use the restroom."      And then he walks towards the women's restroom, following Cara. At the least, most likely, everyone /not/ directly part of the Team will likely be too distracted to see him following her in. Though he does use his head to motion towards Lando, Aya, and Riva to follow after, gesturing with some head movements towards the Women's Room. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Aya smiles softly at Mira's 'leave me alone and I will tolerate your presence' reply and is just about to get settled in when it happens.     A scream outside? And then people running away?! That's horri-     Those outfits. That... that mauve-purple. Aya almost gags. The fashion-conscious girl almost snarls in response to that color. And what the heck is with those cardboard armor outfits?! Arggh! CAPES?! That's just the cherry on top of the disgusting fashion sundae. It takes more than a moment for her to notice that they're firing rays that drain color.     Aya manages to gag out, "Ex-excuse me... I think I need a trip to the restroom." Although she has an excuse other than simply transforming. Because jeez those outfits were quite the blow to her already! 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Lando just sort of ducks out with the panicking crowd, slipping around the back of the restauraunt. He, too, enters the women's restroom, because it's required.      Certain things are just...necessary. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad actually does whisper one thing, though, as he enters the woman's restroom. He just pauses, looking around for a moment. Whispering /just/ to himself.      "...Why is this restroom so much /nicer/ than the men's room?" 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "I believe you know the answer to that," Lando observes as he slips in, giving Fassad a Look because it's the sort of thing you simply DON'T talk about in polite company. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     "I wouldn't know. I've never been in the men's room." Cara replies, giving a slightly dirty look to Fassad as though it weren't HER fault they were in there. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     Mira glances up and sighs, closing her book. "Excuse me. I need to go to the restreoom," she says, after all the others have passed by.     She goes into the Men's restroom. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     As the un-henshined Prisma Rangers begin filling the women's bathroom... And Mira towards the men's... The group's theme music begins to play.     It is true, though the men's bathroom isn't as nice. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' ONE DAY, MIRA. ONE DA-OH SHI TENBAS. Riva yelps at the sudden chaos, her shifting causing the legs to slip out from under the chair and send her tumbling out of it. with a grimace, she quickly scurries out of sight and into the restroom. Once inside, she grumps faintly at the necessity of having the pair of guys in the women's bathroom. Still, majority rules, boys. Deal. She also does not answer that question. Such a thing would be a breach of the sacred trust of women everywhere! "One day we're going to find a better way to do this. Keep on task, people!" With a flourish, she pulls her smartphone up out of its holder and keys in a complicated series of keystrokes that will allow her to unlock the SECRET POWER CONTAINED WITHIN. And by that we mean she hits the mysterious app icon on the front pane. The phone chirps out a melodic tone, and she calls out, "Let the colors of our spirit shine forth!" She slams the phone into a holder on her belt dramatically and locks it in, turning it sideways. "HENSHIN!" There is an explosion of light and awesome from the women's bathroom as streams of light explode from the door, splitting into multicolored beams that land dramatically over the incoming Tenbas. There, in a crimson skintight costume with sparkling shades of red and white and a triangular-shaped faceplate in the helmet obscuring their identity (and yet somehow letting them see through it just fine thanks to polarization), they stand tall with their arms crossed. Then they raise their arms, whipping their hands through the air dramatically as they call out, "The passion of a burning hear of justice! PRISMA RED!" 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "The nobility of the just..Prisma Royal Purple!"      Royal Purple takes a deep bow as he forms, purple and white spandex wrapped around him. His helmet has a crown symbol for a faceplate, which sounds terribly unwieldy, but it's magic, who cares. He straightens and takes his proper pose, holding his arms out to the side. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      "The chivalry of the just! PRISMA KNIGHTLY SILVER!"      Knightly Silver forms, on the opposite side of Passionate Red from Royal Purple. As he speaks, his arms are pointed to the air, before he bends his knees, brings his arms around, and stretches them diagonally away from. His entire pose is perfect, practiced, and natural. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     "The true charity of the human spirit! Prisma Cute Pink!"     Cute Pink forms as well. Given her stature, she's in front, slightly between Knightly Silver and Passionate Red, her own hands stretched upwards within the brilliantly pink uniform. Given the hair, it was probably an inevitable coloration, really. Her pose is a little slacker than some of the others, but still shows the coordination of a true team. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Aya takes a deep breath and slowly recovers from the horrid sight of those... things. Yes, they have a proper name, but she refuses to even think of them in that fashion. Because ungh. That fashion. It takes her a moment but she does recover.     Just so she can side-glance at the males in the female restroom. Oh well! It's just part of the thing. "I soooo agree, Riva. One day." She nods her head once.     Synchronized with Riva, she grabs her cellphone out of her hair and starts keying in with one hand, much like she was doing before. Instead of hitting the app icon, she just presses another button and flips it closed. What, she has an old flip cellphone. Not everyone has a smartphone, after all. Still synchronized with Riva, she slams her closed cellphone into her belt's holder.     Truth be told, she's not exactly a fan of the costume, but... well. It just comes with the job.     "The quiet intensity that supports your dreams! PRISMA COOL BLUE!" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Once complete, all five pose again, dramatically, shouting in unison: "PRISMA COLOR RANGERS!" There is a dramatic neon-color flash light effect from them all! Flashy effects, go! 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Thus, the heroes of justice and all that is colorful are born into the world again. Posing in the middle of a women's restroom.     Outside the restaurant the Tenbas are running amok, and by now something else has arrived. At least ten feet tall, a mechanical monstrosity of green metal plating. It walks on reverse jointed legs, rumbling as it vents black jets of exhaust.     And then there's another scream.     Everyone will recognize Misha on top of the war mecha, but she's not piloting it. No, the dark-haired music student is struggling to wriggel free of a very familiar burly form. His heavily muscled body is adorned in black armor, and that blonde hair is still swooped up in two stupid points.     "HAAAAAAHAHAHA! COME OUT COME OUT PRISMA SQUAD!" Rade Repulso cackles.     "I HAVE CAPTURED THE LEGENDARY STAR MAIDEN AND I WILL TWIST HER TO MY EVIL WILL."     ...     "FOR EVIL!"     Misha does not seem to be too pleased about this. "Let me GO!"     The Tenbas are also still sucking the color out of everything with blurbles of "Tenba! Tenba Tenba!"     Go get them, heroes. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "RADE REPULSO!" Royal Purple shouts, dramatically pointing at villain, "How dare you kidnap the Star Maiden?! Such base evil...I'll never forgive you, Rade Repulso!"      "Don't worry, Star Maiden. We won't allow him to do as he pleases!"      Royal Purple charges forward, pulling the cell phone from his belt as he runs into the Tenba. With a flick and a swish, the phone suddenly extends into a long, heavy-looking purple sword, which he grabs with both hands. "Royal Slasher!"      The heavy blade comes falling into the Tenba ranks immediately. The huge, heavy weapon leaves a trail of purple with every swing! 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Knightly Silver pulls out his own weapon. Where as Royal Purple has the large sword, Knightly Silver has a leaner, more rapier-like blade. The similarity in weapons, and yet the differences in size... Perhaps this, quite simply, is one of the reasons that Knightly Silver has decided that Royal Purple is his rival.      And that's all there is to say on that statement.      "KNIGHTLY CUTTER!"      Knightly Silver rushes across the battlefield, slashing at Tenba. His attacks have tons of flourish to them, and are more on finesse than power. A trail of silver follows his attacks as well, especially as he aims for the arms and legs of the Tenba.      He'd go for Rade Repulso, but he knows that it is usually the Leader's job to take on the main enemy. Or at least he assumes that'll be the case.      But, a glance is given over towards Royal Purple, and Knightly Silver chuckles, "Hey, bet I can take out more of these guys than /you/." 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Cool Blue whips out her cellphone and-ungh. What is with this green metal plating? And reverse jointed legs?! Really? No no. Not the time. The phone flips open as she aims it at the the giant war mecha. "Cool Scan!" She strikes a pose with the phone held sideways as it's aimed at the mecha to scan it for weak points to bring it down!     "For being a crime against the eyes and the world (mostly the eyes), We will stop you, Rade Repulso!" 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Cute Pink will whip out her phone as well and... make a call, standing there in the midst of all the chaos and technocolor.     Ring. Ring. Ring.     "Hello? Mantecore? Can you come help out, please?" There's a slight roaring on the other end, and then a white tiger with a pink ribbon around its neck will rush out of nowhere, diving alongside Royal Purple into the crowd of Tenba, tearing and rending and attempting to render color into the world. The pink ribbon leaves an aftertrail of color, as well. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Prisma Passionate Red points at Rade, gesturing as she does so. "You dastardly fiend! Not only are you stealing the color from our world, rendering it a boring, lifeless monochrome, but you're also kidnapping the Star Maiden! Your evil will not stand!" Prisma Red, too, brings out their signature phone-weapon, the phone becoming a giant polearm-sized paintbrush! She plants one end of it into the ground and cartwheels over the pair slamming into the Tenba horde as she leaps with acrobatic flair to lunge towards the robot itself while Pumple and Silver start pushing them back! "PASSIONATE DANCE!" She calls as she spins the paintbrush, leaving red trails as she strikes repeatedly at the mecha, aiming for those weak points if Cool Blue picks them up in time! "Let the Star Maiden go, her shining light must be allowed to inspire all people!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The last stall in the bathroom opens up and girl with stark white hair and blue eyes pokes out.     She sighs.     "Cosplayers."     Nevertheless... IT IS TIME TO BATTLE.     "Uh! Hello?! That was supposed to be my secret identity!" Misha scowls at Rade. But he is evil, so he IGNORES HER.     "HA HA HA! I knew you color cadets would come the second you sniffed trouble!" he says, unconcerned from atop his mecha as the Prisma Squad begins laying into the Tenbas.     The Tenbas are complete mooks, their cardboard armor and their numbers do nothing to protect them in the least as they charge the Prisma Squad. Every blow struck by Royal Purple and Knightly silver returns tones of purple and white to the world, Mantecore leaping into the fray and bringing shades of pink with it.     "Tenba! Tenba Tenbaaaaa!"     And for each Tenba stricken by the unstoppable assault of the sentai hero team, their armor explodes with sprays of sparks and cheap pyrotechnics instead of blood.     "NICE TRY Prisma Punks! But you can never stop me!"     Cool Blue's scan will find that the mecha is weak to the color black! BUT THERE IS NO BLACK RANGER! HELP!     So Red must take a stand, every stroke of that polearm sized brush bringing color to the terrible machination, and more explosive sparks, but Rade kicks out with one of the metal legs. "But you've fallen into my trap!" Announced as he presses a button. "Because MY HUGENESS IS SUPREME! EVIL POWER! MAKE MY MECHA GROW!"     Lightning strikes. And for an instant the large machine monstrosity does begin to grow. Until the Star Maiden begins singing. A soft tone but lyrical and melodic words of power, which thankfully keeps the mecha on a scale that doesn't require the Prisma Rangers to summon the SPECTRA ZORDS for this episode.     "WHAT?" 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     The sound of a motorcycle penetrates the scene, roaring in the distance... then closer. Closer. It does a TOTALLY SWEET ramp off the top of a building nearby, trailing sparks thanks to the FLAMING SKULLS set on the sides. It slams into the pavement hard, screeching to a halt and letting the slender, dark-garbed rider flip off the bike and onto the ground in a nimble pose. A flowing red scarf covers this girl's face.     "Prisma Squad! This time, we have the same enemy." Yes, that's right, it's the infamous anti-hero, the MASKED RIDER who has appeared.     "SINGING KICK!" An incredible leap launches the Masked Rider(who could it be?!) toward the mecha, snapping a kick toward the center. "GO, Prisma Squad! Save the Star Maiden!" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     The cellphone of Cool Blue snaps closed. "Black? But... Oh no! No one here has the power of Black!" The cellphone slowly lowers as the arms of Cool Blue tremble dramatically! What, you can't see the faces, so it's all in the overly dramatic body language! "How... how are we supposed to win?!"     And then the sound of a motorcycle arrives, as if in answer! The Masked Rider makes her entrance and gives the mecha a huge kick! "Masked Rider!" Cool Blue's trembling stops as her free hand grips into a fist.     "That's right. We won't give up. We'll save the Star Singer!"     The closed cellphone turns in Cool Blue's hands and then is grasped in both hands after she windmills her arms to pose. "COOL BURST BOOST!"     A beam of blue light fires forth from the cellphone towards Passionate Red's paintbrush to power it up! 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "Evil power will never defeat the power of justice!" Royal Purple levels his finger at Rade Repulso, then brings the Royal Saber up to his shoulder. As the Masked Rider arrives, he nods, thankfully. "Masked Rider's timing is perfect, as always...good! That means we have a window."      Royal Purple surges forward, swinging the weight of his blade at the Tenba again. It technically doesn't have any weight at all (it's just light), so the weight is whatever ROyal Purple wants it to be - which in this case is 'huge.'      "Passionate Red! We're almost ready for the finisher, aren't we?!" 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As Knightly Silver keeps cutting at the Tenbas, he takes a moment to glance around. Though he had tossed out the idea of a 'who can kill the most Tenbas' competition, he realized: There is /definitely/ a way he can outdo Royal Purple here. It's risky, it's dangerous, and it's something that Red should be doing. But he'll /try it anyways/. Anything to one up his rival!      But, just as he is about to /rush off/, Royal Purple points out the whole 'Hey we have to do the finisher' thing. And he sighs. As much as he wants to run off on his own, and take all of the glory for himself? They're a /team/. And so, while still fighting the Tenba, he runs over to get in position to prepare for the Finisher.      "...Once we launch the finisher, I'll leap in and grab the Star Maiden to make sure she is safe."      He hopes he can at least get /that/ bit of heroics. 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Cute Pink will continue to root on her tiger companion, but it's becoming a slight panic situation as the weakness is called out and none of them have it. At least, up until the Masked Rider shows up, and at that she'll wave wildly. "Hey! It's good to see you, and to have your help!"     She's being rather generous, of course, but teaming up to save the Star Maiden seems worthwhile. "We should get this going quickly! We have to save her as soon as possible, before all the color fades from her." Cute Pink's big cat will roar approval at this, moving back over to her as they get ready for the finisher. "Passionate Red, hurry!" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Despite the AMAZING red scarf and bitchin' flaming skulls, the mystery anti-hero Rider's color scheme is mostly black, and thus the mecha is IMMEDIATELY weakened by the intense blow of that signature Singing Kick.     The mechanical monstrosity is staggered, stumbling on its inverted legs and sending Rade Repulso into a fit as he tries to hold on. "No! This can't be! Masked Rider! I thought you were out of town!" He howls.     "Uwah!" And the Star Maiden falls from his grasp. Someone will need to catch her as Rade is now fully unable to defend himself from the imminent tokusatsu bombardment of the Prisma Team's finisher!     Cute the theme music again. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' There is an explosion of more sparks as the mecha kicks Passionate Prisma Red back away from them, and they go flying, tumbling end over end to hit the ground roughly. "Ugh..." she says, pulling herself up and clutching her chest and staggering from the powerful hit. "Only weak against Black... But Black is when you mix ever co-" She pauses. "Oh, right, light, not paints. ARGH!" With a cry, she spins the paintbrush, trailing red from one side and blue in the other in streaks as she twirls her way through the Tenba that inevitably try to swarm her! She then points with the Passionate Paintbrush at Rade. "Evil will never triumph as long as the color of life lives in our hearts! The Star Maiden has set up the canvas, and we're going to paint you a whooping you're not going to forget!" This is when the MASKED RANGER arrives. "You!" She says, immediately going on guard. Is she going to attack them too?! To make things so much more complicated... but the Masked Ranger chooses to work with them! Prisma Passionate Red nods. "All right! Colors are best when they complicment each other! Come on, Rangers! Let's blend and take this hunk of junk out!" She turns, flipping the paintcrush sideways to give Jando and Fassad an alley-oop and get them into range of the mecha, as she pulls back, helping to push the charge up against the remaining Tenba so they can work together to save the Star Maiden! "WAAAAAGH! HERE WE GO!" The Tenba explode around her with a flourish as she holds up her weapon. "ALL THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW, TOGETHER! PRISMA DEPLOY!" There is a flash as a glowing framework appears in the air, and Prisma Red hurls her weapon into the light! It transforms, the paintbrush spreading open and adding physicality to the framework as it glows a deep red. Now is the time for the others to add their weapons to complete the final attack! 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Royal Purple sets his blade on the Prisma Deploy. The blade locks in with a CLICK, purple light rippling along the core. "PRISMA DEPLOY: ROYAL SABER PURPLE!" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Cool Blue flips open her cellphone and holds it up. "Goooo! PRISMA DEPLOY: COOL SCANNER BLUE!" It immediately turns into blue light and joins the glowing framework up in the air. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Knightly Silver throws up is weapon as well, shouting, "PRISMA DEPLOY: KNIGHTLY RAPIER SILVER." It locks in, of course, on the opposite side from where Landon's is. Which unfortunately makes this final attack completely unbalanced.      But, even though Knightly Silver /knows/ he needs to be there for the final attack (even if just for style purposes), he has something else to do first. He runs forward, to catch the Star Maiden in his arms. He'll carry her in his arms, before running back to line up with the others again.      "Are you alright, Star Maiden?" 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Cute Pink will pull the ribbon from around her tiger's neck, the cloth bursting into light as she speaks up. "Prisma deploy: Cute Ribbon Pink!"     The tiger is now theoretically wild and not as much under her control, but it'll stay calm as she strokes at its head and merges her color into the framework. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' As the others add their weapons, the device gains shape and formation, becoming a big, gleaming prism-laser with a golden trim! "FINAL BLAST...." And the Prisma Color Rangers leap upwards to fire blazing beams of their color into the Prism! "PRISMA COLOR FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSIOOOOOOOOOOOON!" From the prism, a burning line of SUPER FUSION WHITE JUSTICE explodes outwards to join the Masked Rider's strike! The team will, of course, land on the opposite side of the monster in an Awesome Team Pose afterwards. 

:'''{{#var:340|Mir (340)}} has posed:'''     By this time, the Masked Rider is atop a building. With her motorcycle. Somehow. Scarf billowing in the wind, she stares down at the heroes as they perform the victory pose, lingering just long enough to be seen with that dramatic, glaring pose of her own...     Then the bike wheels around and roars away, rumbling off atop the rooftops to vanish again, like the antisocial dark and brooding antihero that she is. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Oof!"     Into Knightly Silver's arms, the Prisma Range will find that the music major student is fairly light. And thus easy to drag along for the pose. "I'm... fine." She huffs, thusly GALLANTLY rescued from what would have been a nasty fall.     And Rade can do nothing to stop his impending demise. For the Prisma Team lets their powers combine. The might of mixed pallete JUSTICE lances forth, striking Repulso's vehicle of doom.     "I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME PRISMA PUNKS!" Howled as he's launched skywards from the immense explosion of sparks and pyrotechnics that goes on in the background of the posing squad.     In slow motion.     Rade is send in an uncontrolled flight off into the distance before he becomes a star on the horizon with a tiny *~bling~*     His silhouette plasters the starry sky, flashing a thumbs up and huge grin, even in defeat as his voice carries like an echo.     "I regret nothing..."     The Tenbas-- what's left of them scramble off, going to retrieve their leader for another day of evil, as color is once more returned to the world.     A small huff and the Star Maiden adjusts her clothes. "... Thank you Prisma Rangers. If not for you, the world would be a bleak and colorless place."     Just then, the world seems to flicker with static. It seems, the dive is coming to an end, as everything pans to a shot of Masked Rider, driving off into the sunset, with slow mournful music as credits roll.     Will anyone ever understand that mysterious loner?     The question will go unanswered as the credits finish, and everything returns to blackness.     And the pods start to open with a hiss. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the pod opens, and as Fassad steps out, he just glances at the others. A baffled look on his face. He pauses for a moment, and once everyone is out of the pods, he has only one thing to say.      "...So. Urm. What, exactly, did we accomplish?" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako sits upright really quickly once her pod opens, peeking out of it. "That... that was fun! And interesting, too!" She giggles brightly. "A little creepy how I wasn't exactly myself, but... still fun!" 

:'''{{#var:96|Caro Ru Lushe (96)}} has posed:'''     Caro will pop out of her pod - Friedrich's right there to land on her shoulder and complain in his way about not getting to go along - and reply to Fassad. "Well, we managed to rescue the Star Maiden and crush the villains, of course! ...And there's probably a really deep meaning to it, if it weren't for them telling us this wasn't a normal dive. I think this was mostly a test run, right?" 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "I do believe," Landon observes as he emerges, "We helped someone in trouble. That, itself, is its own reward."      Landon smiles. "But on the larger scale, I believe we were simply practicing for a proper Dive. It was..."      Landon looks at his hands for a long moment. It was a very real feeling. Was the Reyvateil aware of who SHE was during it all?      "...intriguing, to say the least." 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako nods her head quickly. "The silver-haired lady said it was a 'pre-written program' to help ease Misha back into Diving, so..." She gets out of her pop properly. "I wonder what Misha thought about it?" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva explodes out of he pod and does a TOTALLY SWEET POSE. Or would except she slips and falls on her butt. "WAAAAGH!" She yells, grunting as she hits the floor. This doesn't stop her from laughing. "Oh man, that was amazingly awesome! I would TOTALLY do this again!" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako smiles softly and walks over to Riva to help her back up to her feet. "I somehow had a feeling you would react just like that, Riva!" She giggles brightly and shakes her head slowly. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     With the dive over and all the pods opening, Misha sits up. She looks just as bewildered as everyone else.     "... Well I got something out of that, at least." She does admit a bit sheepishly, while rubbing the back of her head.     This is about when Spica swoops in, plucking the disk from the Dive machine's drive. "Did you all have fun? That's right, it wasn't a REAL Dive into Misha's soulspace, but it should have the same effects. A nice little taste of what some of them can possibly be like! Assuming someone doesn't chicken out again."     Misha glowers at her SPY CONTACT, "Spica, where did you even get that?" she simply has to ask.     "Oh, I got it off Multibay. It was user created. I think the username was 'xXxShureliadrools360noscopegamertowerqueenxXx'." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Ayako helps Riva up, and she nods to the water spirit. "You know me pretty well, Ayako~" She chuckles, and then looks over to Spica and Misha. "Well, that's a hell of a user name. But hey, that was an awesome experience. You can call on me to help you out /anytime/, Misha. I know they won't all be like that, but the experience was pretty valuable!" 

}}

2176/Sharing Reflections

2015-05-07T00:16:05Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/05/06 |Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse |Synopsis=Ainsley has a question for Amalthea |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=151, 395 |Tinyplot= |Tiny..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/06
|Location=Hundred Forged Fire Manse
|Synopsis=Ainsley has a question for Amalthea
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=151, 395
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Since the debacle involving Nathan Hall throwing himself in a murderous charge upon Elliana Fairchild's tree fortress, The Drasillium... Amalthea has been... Reclusive. Reticent on radio and barely seeing anyone aside from her own family members.     The truth is. She has not moved from her office. Sitting in her favorite chair. Whether she's been eating or sleeping is up for debate, but for days she has not budged from her lazyboy recliner. Sometimes she would prop her chin on her fist. Sometimes she would sit back. She has not left her seat for days, crumples bags of junky snack foods left on her desk, along with day old tepid tea, and something of an odder sight. A modified Amusphere, wired into the manse as its power source. Though that's off at the moment.     Gone are the rainbows and sparkles, her hair is a stark ghostly white shade, and her eye speaks of the haggard weariness of centuries. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley would've made sure it's okay before visiting. Amalthea is one of a handful of people she is very worried about offending, because she cares about the unicorn's state. Eventually the lizard girl would find herself in the office, slipping into the room with a polite silence, so that she doesn't aggravate any potential headaches. The lizard girl is holding a book to her chest with an illustration of a mirror on the cover.     She steps up to a healthy distance from Amalthea and looks at the unicorn, silently questioning. She's not sure if she should even say anything... the rainbows having faded from the poor creature's hair and left something in front of Ainsley that reminded her of the tragedies of the Multiverse.     There's a flicker on Ainsley's face, a furrow of her brows and a tired look of her own... Her hands tightened on the book with a creak of old leather. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Sit."     Even in her fugue state of disappointment and mild irritable ennui, Ainsley is not one of the people Amalthea would turn away. It's a moment before the unicorn fully pulls herself from the depths of her thoughts, the only indication at first being the upward glance of that vivid blue eye, while the rest of her remains utterly motionless.     Fingers flex with a buzz of motors, curling repeatedly as if her hand was left unused for a few days, and judging from her state, she might not have moved for nearly as long. But finally she sits up slowly.     "Ainsley. Was there something you wished to discuss?" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley finds a seat, and shows only sympathy toward Amalthea. It's not voiced, but it's obvious in her face. She knows pain, but she doesn't know the depths of foggy grey that the unicorn has been dealing with for a while now. The lizard girl waits to be prompted, and rests the mirror book in her lap. She opens it, the pages apparently just as old and constantly treated and restored.     "As long as you have known me, I have felt I was uncertain of who I am or who I am supposed to be. Constantly I am held down by this feeling, especially when I see my efforts fail to compare to those around me, when I notice my mistakes, when I see the pain that you... and all of my other friends and loved ones feel. I need to be stronger for all of you."     "I have a solution here... But even if I create the object to do it, I am unsure. Many have expressed doubt about the chances of success. Faruja believes it could end in tears. I have not explained to them why I yearn for this so much... not directly."     She holds the book out to Amalthea, in the hopes that she will accept it. "I wanted to be honest with you. Even the people I love don't know the depths of importance this has for me... You've shown me so much, helped me understand and helped me become stronger as a person. Here... I want you to tell me whether this is a foolish idea or not. Should I find answers in viewing my soul?" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea is silent for a time, simply staring with that endless blue eye as Ainsley sits and speaks, one loppy ear twitching lightly in a display of rapt attention now that the unicorn has been pulled from her internal world. And when the book is passed over, Amalthea takes it, glancing down at the binding, before reaching for her desk for her mug of day old tea, sipping slowly as she flips the tome open and begins to peruse the contents.     "This is your solution?" She asks at first. A simple question as that eye flicks up from the pages to bore into Ainsley with a silent weight closing the text after apparently reading enough. "Before I answer what I think. Tell me what you think you will see." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     "Certainty."     Ainsley looks Amalthea in the eye. The look is... intense. As if it's possibly the ONLY thing she is sure of. "I see so much darkness around me, so much death, and I see it growing on the horizon. I see people living or dying based on my decisions, because some already have. Regret, sorrow, anger... Agonizing over what I did and what I may have to do, instead of finding ways to better lives of others, instead of thinking of how they feel." Her voice goes quiet, with a certain intensity, like a miserable anger with her circumstances had brought her emotions to a restrained boil. There's not even a flicker of shaking in her voice.     "I want to see it for myself, because I have responsibilities to other lives now. And my uncertainty cannot be abided if I am to help anyone."     "So... Certainty, painful or not." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Certainty, is it? Silver lips purse in a moue of mild thought as the unicorn passes the book back. A soft sigh filters through her teeth ahs she sinks into the cushion of her chair, doll-jointed fingers slowly lacing together.     "If certainty is what you believe you will see, then it will be so." She finally decides, thumbs tapping together lightly with a metal on metal clink. But then her head tilts.     "Certainty of the now."     The unicorn lets that hang there for a moment before moving on to clarify. "But even certainty changes. Perhaps the instant you see it. Perhaps not for a year. Two. Ten. Fifty. It is only natural, after all, for a mortal soul to be as mutable and fluid as the life it leads."     Finally she gives something of a more solid answer, however. "There is no foolishness in what you desire. So long as you know it is not static. And that you can alter it as you see fit with your life." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley accepts the book and creases her brow as Amalthea speaks. She contemplates the words given to her. She nods in silent thought at the advice the unicorn gives to her. Her intensity has faded away again, and a somber smile begins to show on the lizard girl's face.     After this, she gathers herself up to a stand, and steps toward Amalthea, leaning in to try to give the unicorn a light hug, very gently, to show gratitude for her honesty where she cannot otherwise find words for it. These sort of gestures were rare. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It is with an aged and ancient wisdom that the unicorn has given her answer, and she has given it to the best of her ability. A little shift, and in a rare moment, Amalthea allows the hug, one arm lightly hooking around the scholar for a soft pat of the back, before detaching. And with that, she once again sits back, hissing steam softly, in an almost thoughtful manner.     "Remember. Mortal souls are as mutable as the life they lead. A soul as white as the sun can tarnish to black, just as easily as a soul as black as the night can crawl back into the light." She says before almost seeming to indicate Ainsley herself. "Just as a soul that is lost and grey can forge its own path." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     When the hug breaks, Ainsley smiles to the unicorn with a gentle stare. She really does think of Amalthea as a dear friend. The words are taken, and she speaks to the unicorn in a soft voice, "I'll tell you what color my soul is, when I see it."     She does a curtsey toward Amalthea, and grips the book back to her chest. "Thank you."     She looks down for a second, and then up to Amalthea and says, "I am sure there is still light in your soul... and Nathan's, and Psyber's..." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "I hold hope that you may all recover from those events, in time. I see it all only as a distant observer, and I cannot help wonder what I could do to help, yet know that I could never do much for any of you, once I had tried."     "Your strongly colored heart is what taught me hope," she tells Amalthea, the gentle smile remaining. "I see that as yet another positive influence you have had on me." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It is something Ainsley says that actually brings a scowl upon silver features. Though after a beat the unicorn manages to restrain it. "Do not bring up that foolish leader of men with me right now." She... Means Nathan, clearly there as her fingers curl against the arm rest of her seat. "It's not my soul I worry for, anyway."     Her venom passes after a moment in a slow breath and she swings off to the next topic, not dwelling on it.     "Yes, do tell me. I'll be here and willing to hear it. I am glad at least you have learned that much." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     A strange stoicism replaces the smile, for a moment, training from a long time ago. It comes up instead of the instinct to appear startled. A subtle watering of her eyes might be noticed here while she fights chaotic emotion that gets drawn up by Amalthea's current state. Ainsley breathes in and then out, and nods at Amalthea, not pursuing the subject past that point, at least not with Nathan.     "Thank you, again," she says, nodding once. Then she turns, prepared to leave and continue down this path that she's set out on. 

}}

2116/Breakfast at Misha's

2015-04-28T21:19:09Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/04/28 |Location=Njorun Station - Deployment |Synopsis=Misha made breakfast. People like breakfast, right? |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=136, 24..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/04/28
|Location=Njorun Station - Deployment
|Synopsis=Misha made breakfast. People like breakfast, right?
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=136, 248, 636, 750, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     So about that breakfast.     As it so happens, Misha Arsellec Lune got out of bed in a state somewhere between listless, bored, and soul crushingly lonely, and that simply just will not do.     "So who wants breakfast?"     A simple question. Also a dangerous one in some circles, but Misha knows her way around the Union. She knows the terrible doors this could possibly open.     That's not going to stop her.     Thusly, the Reyvateil has deposited herself in a little corner of the deployment zone, dark hair tied back in a pony-tail, it might be an odd sight; the small girl still in a pair of pink pajama jammies getting to work on preparing to make MASSIVE amounts of food. The aromatic smell of fresh coffee might already start cluing people in on just where to look. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' Nothing wrong with offering breakfast for people to keep busy. Everyone enjoys a community friend meal after all. "Good morning dahlings~" Rarity already had one cup of coffee before leaving this morning so she's already pretty perky. "Smells lovely in here already." The smaller unicorn following her, on the other hoof, looks like she just go dragged out of bed. "Did you have to get me up so early for breakfast?" The irony of what Sweetie Belle is saying seems to be lost on the young pony. "Nonsense," Rarity replies. "It will do you some good to have a full proper breakfast instead of just milk and cereal like you do before school every morning." 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     A white-scaled wingless dragon ambles through the halls and gravitates toward the smell of coffee. He moves sluggishly, obviously not a morning person. Ryu soon finds a place to sit near where the Reyvateil is cooking, and sinks into the seat.     His head turns, and he regards Rarity with some groggy confusion. He's not really used to seeing unicorns, or any manner of talking pony, by the looks of the confusion in his golden eyes. He raises a hand and says, "Hey," nonetheless, not letting the oddity of it trip him up too much. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad is not the type to approach anything without some degree of fanfare, or at least, some level of style. He stands tall, regally walking into the area. Though he can't have actual musical fanfare, or at least not so today? He's still focusing on some of his minor magical powers. He's glowing a little bit, with a subtle light that helps emphasize his good looks. As he smirks at the group present, there is a bit of a sparkling glimmer to his teeth, truly making him look dashing. His cape flows behind him in the wind. Or more accurately, in a very minor push of magic to make him look more dramatic.      As he spots the group, he bows. His right arm across the chest. His left, held out. All very proper. He speaks, his tone sweet as honey, but with a certain strength to it, "Ah, a pleasure to meet you all in person. I have introduced myself over the radio multiple times before, but let me introduce myself again. I am Prince Fassad, from the land of Arcadia. The legendary Hero of Light."      Yes, it's a near perfect image.      Except for the fact that he currently has a Shinki on his head. A blonde haired one that is currently wearing a very fancy custom made white dress. It's an Olbern model. She smiles and waves to the group as well, "Hello everyone! I am Lady Serafina Christina Sprite Ar-Arcadia the Third! It's a pleasure to meet you all as well!" 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     The natural enemy of dragons, the Heroic Knight, is standing there before Ryu. He stares at Fassad during all of the dramatic display, the big introduction, and the shinki's presence. The dragon rumbles in blatant confusion.     "It's just breakfast," he tells Fassad. "Come on, now. You don't see me doing that, it's too early for that shit."     Ryu is definitely not a morning person. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' "While we have spoke multiple times on the radio, I do not believe we have met in person before." Rarity sweeps one foreleg in front of herself dramatically to return the bow with one of her own. "I am Rarity, holder of the Element of Generosity and one of the finest fashion designers in Equestria." Sweetie Belle looks at Fassad's fancy society display. Looks at her sister doing similar. Looks at Fassad again. Then Rarity again. Then flops facefirst to the floor with a tired groan. "I'm not awake enough to deal with -two- people like that..." 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     The kangaroo mutant heard the word breakfast and began her plan to slip out of medical and come get food. No more hospital food today. She's probably fine anyway, since all she did was take a ki-blast from a super saiyan in the back. But if you ask her she came out on top, because she did kick him face first into a bank of monitors and judo throw him into a wall. Still, a limp is visible and she has bandages around her torso.     "Yo I heard somebody say something about food." She says, as she steps inside. She's a bit surprised at the huge collection of vastly different people there. She's seen lots of mutants before, even in one place, but this is just nuts. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      As the white dragon speaks to him, Fassad simply smiles. His smile is fairly disarming in general, though its effectiveness varies. He doesn't truly hope to get this dragon to like him. What matter more is that those with /class/ appreciate him. Still, he remains civil as he speaks to Ryu, his tone pleassant, "Ah, I apologize, but I do not quite understand what you mean. Perhaps it is simply the level of energy I have at this time of the morn? Or perhaps it is simply my regal demeanor? I apologize if I have offended you in some manner. It is not my intent to cause grief to such a noble dragon as yourself."      But, for Rarity? Well, Fassad kneels down, to get on her level. He holds a hand out, offering to take one of her hoofs. Should she allow him, he'll take it and place a kiss on it. It's not that he is romantically interested in a pony. Simply, this is how one must greet /any/ lady of any standing. Whether the kiss on the hoof is accepted or not, Fassad speaks, regal as usual, "Ah, a pleasure to meet you in person, lady Rarity. I have seen images of your work. Perhaps, at some time, I might ask you to create something for my own wardrobe. Truly, your work is on the scale where it is worthy of royalty."      After that, he stands tall once again. He turns towards the kangaroo. This is another person whom he has not met. He gives Rebound a quick bow as well. He actually is unsure of who she is, but still, he might as well introduce himself and be polite to her. "Ah, greeting. I have already said hello to the others, but let me introduce myself. I am Prince Fassad of Arcadia. A pleasure to meet you, miss...?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     At this point in her life, Misha isn't even fazed by the sight of unicorns, talking kangaroo mutants, and dragons sitting down for her cooking. Though the sound of new arrivals does get her glancing over her shoulder. "Moooorning."     First order of business, Ryu gets a massive mug of that coffee plonked on the table in front of him. "Coffee, iced tea, or juice?" She does ask the pony pair- though as the elder, she's leaving the decision of whether or not Sweetie gets coffee up to Rarity, as young fillies and caffiene can be a dangerous thing.     Rolling up her sleeves, she's already in the process of whipping a very viscous red looking batter up. "Thaaaat's right, I said breakfast." She replies to Rebound as Fassad and his adorable tiny Plus One arrives with all the pomp, style, and grace fitting his noble station. It actually earns something of a chuckle. "Well, your majesty, have a seat, this'll be done in no time." 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu grunts at Fassad and waves off his words dismissively. Ryu doesn't dislike Fassad, he's just very bemused by someone being so... bright and shiny and happy and noble in the middle of the morning. He rumbles after that, looking toward Sweetie Belle with some sympathy, since they seem to share a similar state of mind right now: Groggy grumpiness.     "I'm Ryu," he introduces to Fassad and, consequently, everyone else. "Dunno, maybe being a dragon makes me dislike nobility and knights. Maybe it's just my dirt-poor upbringing." He shrugs sluggishly.     He straightens and breathes a sigh, directing more attention to the coffee. Oh yeah, there we go. He grabs the coffee mug, cracks his jaws open and pours some coffee in his face. Gulp! The heat of it is disregarded, because he's a dragon and it'd need to be literal FIRE to hurt him. "That's the stuff," he says, now more happy about this arrangement. 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     "Uh, Rebound is fine." She says, as she looks at the prince. She's not used to people being so..Formal. It's still kinda weird, "It's kinda what everybody winds up calling me now." She looks over towards Misha at the greeting, "So what's on the menu? Little bit of everything? I could really go for some strawberry pancakes if that's possible. I haven't had those in forever."     She could probably also go for some OJ but one step at a time. She's technically omnivorous still due to the nature of the mutation, but she occasionally leans towards fruits and vegetables more. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' Sweetie Belle raises a hoof without actually getting up. "Juice is fine." "And I'll have some coffee, thank you." Rarity picks the foal up and dusts her off a bit before setting her back on her hooves. "You really shouldn't be playing on the floor in public Sweetie dear. Especially before eating." Sweetie Belle just yawns in response. It looks rather cute.. if a bit loud of a "YAAAAAWN" for such a small pony. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "Biiit of everything." Misha confirms for Rebound. It smells like ham is already starting to sizzle, and that's about when she starts pouring the batter out as well. It's not long at all before Sweetie is provided with a glass of apple juice, and coffee for Rarity, slid across the table like some kind of pro bar tender as the Reyvateil starts flippin' pancakes, humming merrily to herself through the procces.     She actually begins to sing softly to herself while doing it, soft lyrical verses in Hymmnos- the language oddly not translating. Not to words anyway as music box chimes and melodic words seem to translate straight into a lazy and calm soothing feeling for anyone caring to listen.     And then pancakes.     They are BRIGHT RED, drizzled in a a zig zag of creamy sugar glaze, dollops of freshly hand-whipped cream, and glazed strawberries for Rebound. Thare are sides of eggs, ham and sausage for the meat eaters, hash browns and oatmeal for the not-so-carnivorous. She really went all out, and starts plonking heaping platters down, followd by plates, utensils, starting up a free for all buffet.     Thankfully there are no Saiyans present.     Nevertheless, Misha is looking fairly smug as she plops down in a seat of her own, flashing a winner's grin. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad takes a seat. And, reaching into a pouch on his belt, he pulls something else out. A tiny little chair, and a cloth. He sets the chair on the table. He holds a palm up for Serafina. She moves to sit on it, and he gently wipes at her feet a bit. He must make sure the table is sanitary, after all! And then, he sets her down at the chair. Soon after, he pulls out a small folding table made of wood from his bag as well, setting it in front of his Shinki. And, finally, a jelly can. A treat, specifically for Shinki.      As Misha asks what people want, Fassad speaks. His voice, still gentle, "Ah, lady Misha, if it would not be too much trouble, I believe I would enjoy a small cup of juice. I thank you for your kindness, of serving us breakfast this fine morning." Whether or not he noticed the chuckle is hard to tell. Most likely, he's just brushing it off. He doesn't care how people judge him.      He turns towards Ryu, smiling. "Ahh, being of a lower class is nothing to be ashamed of! Why, just by being a dragon, you can often be considered high class in many places. Perhaps, if you are interested, we could get you some etiquette lessons? Truly, it opens many doors in life."      But, he smiles at the group, looking at them all. Why, so many of them seem so sleepy. He, for one, blames the dependence on coffee. It's basically dirty water, after all. But then, his head turns toward the pancakes. He finds himself having to hold in his drool. It's not a hard feat, especially for such a noble knight. But, it still speaks to the food's quality, in his opinion. 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu looks at Fassad for a while at the etiquette lesson suggestion. As a creature who has difficulty with sarcasm or comedy, he takes it seriously, by the looks of things. "Maybe," he replies, "Know any good teachers?" He gulps down another mouthful of coffee after he says this. Seems like he's amicable to the idea. "I don't really /want/ to be nobility," he adds, "But I'm starting to think I'm not going to have a choice in the matter, at this rate."     Ryu grabs enough food for a dragon, which includes everything in front of them for the most part. He's not picky, apparently needing more that just meat. He nods at Misha in appreciation before he stuffs some ham into his mouth with his claws, after he's dished up his own food. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' "They do offer classes for social behavoirs." Rarity peers up at Ryu for a moment. Rubs her chin with a forehoof. "Though I don't know if they have dragon specific ones. Some notion about eating people or such." She waves it off dismissively. "Not all dragons are like that. Just the grumpy ones." She holds out a forleg to catch the glasses, and slides the juice over to Sweetie Belle. But it's the big of singing that gets Sweetie Belle to perk up finally. She tilts her head to the side, even though the words don't come up as anything making sense, her tail flicking back and forth a few times to match the rhythm. And then food! Ever see someone use magic to eat dantily? Because that's exactly what Rarity does. "Mmmm. Wonderful." Followed by the sigh she lets out as Sweetie Belle digs in like, well, a kid. 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     "Hey I did fine in life without etiquette lessons." Rebound says, "But I'm not gonna tell you not to take them if you want them. I mean who am I to judge?" Although she will judge those pancakes to be delicious, even just going off smells alone. Once she gets her share of the pancakes in front of her, she grabs a fork and spears the pancake with gusto, taking the whole thing and folding it over so she can fit the entire pancake into her mouth. Which is probably closer to Sweetie than Rarity.     Yup, no need for etiquette classes here. At least she's chewing with her mouth closed. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Fassad is juiced in short order; the choice is between apple or orange juice and once he says which, that's what he gets. Arms stretch overhead and Misha's spine pops in the process of a lazy stretch while still humming briefly. Actually she's still humming even as she starts to serve herself.     There is still plenty to go around for seconds- or even thirds later, but for now she seems done with the process of actually cooking, drizzling syrup on her own pancakes and twirling a fork in her fingers. "It's... Been a while since I've cooked for anyone other than just myself, huh." Murmured now that she seems to be thinking about it. 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad very politely takes a modest amount of pancakes. As a noble hero, he must not look overly eager, or act hastily. And so, he just takes a small amount to start. Not little enough to offend, but not enough to seem greedy. As he starts cutting into his food, he is /very/ polite about doing so.      He smiles at Rebound and Ryu. He, of course, does not speak with food in his mouth as he starts to talk again, "Well, etiquette is not necessary, but quite simply, it helps open doors. Knowing how best to act around others will make them feel more comfortable. I suggest at least minor lessons. I can look into books on Etiquette for Dragons. I am sure such a thing exists." He looks up, thinking vacantly for a second before continuing to eat.      Fassad sips at his orange juice. He doesn't drink it fast. He's used to worlds where such a thing are a /luxury/. Sure, he is rich, but still. It's a treat, and he knows it. But, he smiles at Misha, "I believe I read the report... You've been away for quite some time, haven't you? It must have been lonely. I am simply glad that you are back, amongst your friends and allies again. What were you doing during your absence, if I might ask?" Even though Misha looks particularly young, he's still being as polite as he can. He's the sort who treats most everyone as equals. Unless they're Confedrates. But, after a second, Fassad adds a minor comment, "Though, I must say? Your cooking is divine. Should you ever wish to make a meal for me again, I would be more than honored to recieve it."      As for Serafina, she's started sucking on the jellycan a bit, happily. She waited for everyone else to begin before she started. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' "Seconded," Rarity manages between bites. "That's so wordy of praise I have nothing else to add to it." And Sweetie Belle is too busy chowing down to say anything. Though she's less worried about being rude for talking while eating, and more what Rarity would do if she was rude. "And so nice of you to consider the diets of both vegetarians and meat eaters." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Despite the wordy or simply seconded not-so-wordy praise, Misha takes it in stride, rather than letting it get to her head and puffing up her ego. She's good at cooking. She knows it. She accepts it without overblowing the fact, so Fassade, Rarity, and even Sweetie- though busy with nomming- get a fairly simple smile out of the Reyvateil at first.     A sip at her own coffee, and then her lips purse. "A little over a year." She admits. "I guess I just started feeling stir crazy and needed to get up, get around, and clear my head, and share my singing with the world again. It wasn't so bad at first, I had Lyner with me, but we sort of got separated." 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     With a mouthful of bacon, the 'roo gives a thumbs up as she chews and swallows it down, "Ah, yeah. This is amazing. I've been living off leftover rations and whatever I can scrounge up for months, this is better than I deserve at this point." She isn't going to pass up on a chance to keep eating the best food she's had in a long time, though.     She does take a moment between bites to look over at Sweetie Bell and Rarity, "So you two are sisters, huh? I never had any siblings growing up, I bet it's kinda cool to have somebody to hang out with all the time." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad smiles, and speaks, "Ah, yes, the consideration for various diets is important as well. That is one of the true signs of a good chef. Your emotions and care for others are expressed through your cooking." But, he pauses a bit, considering. The cooking isn't the only way she expressed herself, was it? And so, still smiling, he asks, rather casually and calmly, "Well, if I might ask... I know very little about you. I'd like to learn more. But, might I ask this first. Where did you learn to sing? Your voice is indeed quite lovely. And my, you're so skilled at singing and cooking, and at such a young age! You must have had quite the upbringing, or perhaps quite a bit of natural talent. Or both!"      But then, Rebound comments on sisters. Fassad pauses. Frowning, just for a fraction of a second. His smile returns, and he speaks again, "Well, yes, it's lovely to see two siblings getting along so well. I am unlike my own siblings in many ways. I have a sister and a brother, and I have not met either in years." He /wants/ to say something bad about one of his siblings, but he can't bring himself to. it wouldn't be proper. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' "That is correct." Rarity put a foreleg around Sweetie Belle's shoulders to hug the smaller unicorn to her side. "We don't always get along but that is normal for families is it not?" "Rarity! Don't get sappy while I'm trying to eat." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     First and foremost there is something Misha needs to lay out on the table other than the food. It's an awkward little moment when Fassad comments on how young she looks, earning something of a fidget, before the Star Singer clears her throat.     "I'm twenty-five."     That just kind of hangs in the air for a moment before she decides to swing along with the rest of the conversation. "Well I know not everyone eats meat, so I figured more options would be a good idea. It would kind of suck to make breakfast and have people sit at the table going hungry." She notes before musing, "Hm. I never had any brothers or sisters of my own. Harm kind of came close to being a brother, but that was different." Idly added as she paused long enough to nibble at her pancakes.     "Singing is... Just kind of what I do. Reyvateils were made to sing and share their feelings with the world- I'm not exactly much different from the norm, there. Just like any other girl, I was prettymuch doing it as soon as I could." 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' "Well you look as lovely as your cooking tastes dahling." She should watch her figure, but the breakfast is just too good for Rarity to turn down another helping of it. She'll be going all day without having to worry about heating again at this rate. "And your voice is too!" Then Sweetie Belle pauses, looking confused. "Wait, did I say that right? Not sure if I meant as lovely as your cooking or your looks..." Rarity rolls her eyes. "Either works, dear, either works." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad pauses. As the awkward silence hangs in the air, he forces a smile. He looks at Misha, calmly. It takes him a moment to gather his thoughts. He's from a world with magic, but he also knows that magical curses aren't the only way a girl might be stuck in such a body. It could be natural. He doesn't really want to offend her, but he does want to address this a bit.      "...Would it offend you if I asked about your condition?" His voice is earnest. He really does care about his allies. Despite being a fake prince, despite going into adventuring for fame and glory? He really does care about people. But, he is also ready to drop this at the slightest hint of further discomfort.      But, as the comment on the Reyvateils comes out, Fassad smiles. Well, that's at least something to ask on, "...Well. If I might ask, what exactly is a Reyvateil? ...Though, even if your voice is something you are born with, you should still be quite proud of it. It really is lovely."      He goes back to eating pancakes as she answers. He looks at Rarity and Sweetie Bell, though. They /are/ adorable siblings. He's a bit jealous that siblings could get along so well. He ponders pretedning that he gets along with his siblings, buuuuut. He doesn't want to add more lies to his story, at this point. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Well her age would explain the attempts are more mature style and dress- when not in her sleep-jammies. "It's kind of complicated." Misha replies, though she's settled back and doesn't seem -offended-, she does rub the back of her neck. "-And Lyner's fault. But a lot of things are, so I forgave him for it."     She does puff up at least thanks to Rarity's compliments. She does know the prim and proper pony is one of the more serious fashionistas of the Union around, and that does earn something of a glowing little grin. But it's Sweetie Belle that really gets her beaming.     "Well that's also a little complicated too, I guess. Reyvateils are, literally, made for singing. It's how we connect to the tower we live on, activate its functions, and get Song Magic. ... I know that sounds super mechanical but it's really not, I mean; what's a song without the emotions put into it, right?" 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' Rarity just gets a bit of a coy look. "Dahling, we come from Equestria. You don't have to explain to us the magic and emotion of singing." There's potentially a musical number right around any corner. "... Even some of the villians get into it on occasion." Grunt. "Not that they're very good at it." 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     Still eating food relentlessly, Rebound seems like she hasn't had a good meal in a while. Eventually all the talk about singing and magic kinda makes her wonder, "Why are so many worlds like that, though? Where singing is magical and in some cases can even be used as weapons...I mean even my world has...I dunno, myths about singing being used as magic."     She rubs her muzzle with a napkin to clean herself up a bit, "I'm just glad that singing isn't what I need to do to have abilities, otherwise I'd be screwed. I did kareoke once and almost got booed out of the building. Paparazzi had a field day with that one." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad leans forward a bit. It's not the most proper mannered thing to do, to support oneself via elbows on table. But, he has learned that there are times where etiquette must be tossed aside. and, this is a rather /mild/ one. He wonders for a second. Lyner is her friend that she mentioned earlier. Perhaps boyfriend? He doesn't ponder on that all too much, but still. This means that the condition could be reversed.      "Well. If you need any help with regaining your prior form, I would be more than happy to aid you. I've heard... /rumors/ of magical artifacts in my land that might help people regain their true form. But, they are simply legends. I might need it myself, until I can clear a certain evil from my world, but... Maybe if I /do/ find it, and finish my quest, I could attempt to use it for your benefit afterwards. ...or, if you know of any way to regain your true form, I would offer whatever aid I can."      He leans back after that, smiling. Song magic. Ah. He doesn't really get what she means by 'literally made for singing'. It's beyond his understanding, at least at the moment. But, Song Magic is something he hasn't learned, but he is fond of.      "...Ahh, magic through song. It's really poetic. Such exists in my world, but I have not learned how to do such yet. ...Might you give us a demonstration of using the song for magic?" 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     A sagely nod, and it looks like the pony pair already get it. Though Misha does let a small chuckle slide. "Well... That's just kind of the way it is, where I'm from. I can't say much for other worlds, but. Well it's... A passionate way of expressing your feelings." There's something of a wistful sigh there, but then she drums her fingers on the table in more thought.     "Though most Reyvateils can't really keep it up if they get distracted, it's not too effective if we're too busy doing ten million other things." Of course Fassad's offer does get her glancing up from her meal. "Mm. You can keep your artifact if you need it. In my case it's more of something I need to find for myself. ... But I'd probably need the help getting it back and-" And she jumps on the change of topic asking for a demonstration. "Eheh. I can do that, yeah. And I think I know just what to do, too." 

:'''{{#var:248|Fassad (248)}} has posed:'''      Fassad leans back in his chair, smiling. "Well, should you need help, I will be ready whenever. Simply let me know. But, for now, since I have finished my meal, and since you are willing to make a performance... I shall simply enjoy your beautiful voice."      He smiles. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' Rarity magics a napkin to wipe off her mouth once she's finished eating. "No worries dahling. I'm sure when the time and place comes you will have no shortage of people here willing to help you in whatever it requires." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Well, whatever that's all about, fixing Misha's issue is something to deal with in the future. Because right now she pushes her seat out from the table and stands. Already gathering her own plate, she starts humming again, those lyrical words flowing in soft verses before...     With a ~POP~ A small, almost cartoonish, racoon appears from nowhere on the table. A few slow blinks and the odd critter snaps a tiny salute before it starts drawing in a breath. A big breath. A huge gulp of air-- it's -vacuuming- the table up. Any plate that's empty and in need of cleaning goes flying right into tit's mouth, until the thing gets super full, floating like an inflated fuzzy balloon.     And then it swallows and pops back out of existence.     Dishes are done. 

:'''{{#var:750|Rebound (750)}} has posed:'''     "Well that was weird." Rebound says, as she looks at the Raccoon as it does it's cleaning job. She sits back to make sure she doesn't get sucked up by accident or something. Weirder things have happened!     "So I guess that makes chores a snap. Maybe I should get one of those to clean up my dingy old abandoned subway station." She says, with a little laugh. 

:'''{{#var:136|Rarity (136)}} has posed:''' .. Okay, the -appearance- of the 'spell' was a little odd. But looks can be deceiving and it certainly gets the job done, getting a round of hoof-clapping from both Rarity and Sweetie Belle. "That was... different, but clearly quiet effective." Then Sweetie Belle uuuhs. "Wait, if it sucked the dishes up, don't they--mmff?!" Rarity quickly puts her hoof over Sweetie Belle's mouth. "Ehehehe. Don't mind her... let's not consider that after -just- eating." 

}}

2062/Return of the Singing Girl

2015-04-22T12:12:37Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/04/20 |Location=Lighter Forests |Synopsis=A rescue mission, and an awkward reunion. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=19, 441, 481, 495, 705, 757 |..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/04/20
|Location=Lighter Forests
|Synopsis=A rescue mission, and an awkward reunion.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=19, 441, 481, 495, 705, 757
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     As soon as that stray signal went out, everything was instantly on a timer. Wherever it came from, there are people in danger, and running out of air by the minute. The source of the signal can be traced to a small village at the edge of a forested area. From the looks of things, they're fixing themselves up after what appeared to have been some sort of attack, though the villagers look immensely worried.     Anyone asking why will find out. Search parties haven't found so much as a shred of the children that ran into the nearby ruins in the forest, and are presumed lost within. The people are still searching, but need HELP when it comes to the more dangerous lower areas of the ruins.     Time is of the essence and urgency runs high, as anyone willing is led a short distance into the woods, to the ancient remains of a crumbling stone temple. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     One of the first entries in the charter of the Shinra Organization is the defense of civilian lives. While their sphere of influence is ostensibly limited only to one specific iteration of the nation of Japan, there's little harm in reaching beyond when necessary. The fact that children are involved makes it all the more urgent that someone- anyone- move to do what they must.     Reiji Arisu travels through the woods and towards the ruins with a sense of urgency in his step. He moves restlessly, but surely, until finally arriving at the sprawling remains of what was surely an ancient settlement or structure or /something./ Really, there's going to be time to worry about historical accuracy.     These could be the resting place of some terrible, ultimate evil or the lost city of Mu, for all he cares. There are lives at stake, and so forges ahead. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva was restless. She wasn't inspired to paint, and the books and games weren't keeping her occupied. Even housework, exercise, and actually doing work wasn't helping. She was fidgeting, distractable, feeling something just hanging over her head, distracting her. She was full of energy and couldn't /expend it/. And then the call came out. Emergency! Riva's eyes lit up and she immediately grabbed her stuff and headed out. If helping someone out wouldn't fix her slump, /nothing would/. The call for adventure time went out on the band, Riva grabbing random people she remembered talking and being cool offhand. There was no rhyme or reason, planning is for /other/ people. The trip to the village is uneventful for Riva, the urgency, the stress pressing on her. The adrenaline begins to rise already as they're led to the ruins. This is it. This is what she needs to do. "All right, everyone! Let's go! There's good people trapped down there!" Riva doesn't even wait, taking the lead as she plunges into the ruins, heading deep and straining to find signs of the trapped people. "WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU!" Riva yells. Maybe they'll respond? 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     The lack of signs for children is already a bad sign, as Kirika arrives on foot, her nimble feet carrying her through the woods after a brief stop at the village tells her where to go and who to look for. The kitsune joins up with Reiji and Riva en-route, and she gives them a nod before they continue down the forest path.     "Be on your guard, there is no knowing what lurks this night, what evil would resort to the harm of children." She warns, hand on her katana's hilt as she keeps a look out for tracks to follow and any scent that may prove useful to remember.     While Riva's intent is admirable, her execution could use some work if that is the best she could come up with. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya had always had an urge to adventure when she had nothing take care of. With the children she'd help raised all moved out? Maya had taken to wandering more and more int he multiverse away from her home world. So here she was again a call for help and well? She's going to check this out. She's a bit behind Reiji as she moves through the woods, her strange rifle over her back as it almost always is. She lopoks at Riva she watches her dive on in and can't help but laugh a little. She moves after Riva commenting. "You seem ready today, Riva and then some." Maya seems to be now looking about the lack of children registers fully with her and she wonders /just/ what is going on? "Humor aside, yes given that even the worst scum has issues about harming children? We're likely dealing with something vile." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer heard the emergency call, and was planning to respond. But, the fact that Riva invited her to come along as well? Yeah, that makes Summer more certain that she'll help out in this mission.      Summer flies into the scene. Though she isn't a mage, she made a throw away joke on the Syndicate network that she'd put on her robe and wizard hat. And, though it was a joke, she has come to the conclusion that it isn't the worst idea ever, and that she might as well. As such, she is wearing wizard robes and a hat. The robes seem to be made of leather and are more like a dress, and the hat is black leather with images of stars and crescent moons on it. In her right hand, she holds a plastic staff, that looks quite similar to Kyubey. Or more accurately, it's a mophandle that looks like Kyubey and can pass for being a staff.      Since most people are talking to the villagers to find the location, Summer doesn't even need to bother stopping at the village. Instead, she just follows the other Elites as she flies from the sky, and heads to the ruins. She lands in front of them. And, as Riva starts walking in, Summer just casually walks in after. She tries to stay in the middle of the party. She is, in fact, the healer, after all.      She's being fairly quiet right now. She's actually trying to focus. She has powers related to stealing Life, and with that comes some secondary functions. She can vaguely sense where Life is. And so, she's trying to sense into the ruins, looking for where the children might be. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     The entrance to the ruins are crumbled and foreboding. A sense that nothing has lived here, for a very long time, leaving only signs of wild animals passing through, and a sombre chill in the air hinting at a silent and decaying desolation that has gone on for many untold years.     The squad of footprints leading inwards in a jumble is the first and only clue that anyone's been this way, and they lead right into the main entrance in a chaotic pattern that indicates haste and mild panic. The next set of more bestial footprints, perhaps of some great cat of some kind, following directly after may indicate what caused it. The doors to the temple have long fallen away, leaving a yawning entryway into darkness, the light of the sun only seems to filter so far into the entry chamber before refusing to go any further, casting eerie shadows already amid the ancient carvings and sculptures that are reduced to be nearly indecipherable after ages of erosion and wear.     The call is met with...     "WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU!"     An echoe of Riva's voice calling right back at her.     Though there are several paths, the footprints diverge, the human ones leading down a straight hall, while the feline set seems to have wandered into a different winding corridor. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Unless the kids are already not-so-long dead, Reiji's own supernatural senses are unlikely to be of much help in here. What he does have, though, is experience as a covert operative and special investigator. The footprints seem chaotic at first glance, but it quickly becomes obvious what exactly these kids were running from.     Reiji makes a soft, curious sound as he kneels to get a better look at the divergant prints. "They split up. That's probably a good sign," he says to nobody in particular, before rising and turning down one corridor. The smaller, more hurried prints progress in this direction. Arisu seems to have his priorities in order.     "Vile? No. Looks more like it was wanting a quick meal." Reiji shakes his head, his pace accelerating somewhat. "This thing is probably still around," he says to the rest of the Elites. "And there's no telling how deep these corridors go. Stay sharp." Fortunately, if anything /does/ show up, he's fully armed and kitted out. Nothing ruins a big cat's day like a shotgun to the face. 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer is honestly not usually super optimistic about things. Seeing that there are a couple sets of prints, and that the feline set goes off in a different direction, she's pondering several possibilities. The human footprints might lead to the kids. The feline, though... It might know the dungeon /better/ than the kids. Summer really has no clue, though. It's hard to tell. Still, there are a lot of people here, and so she just casually looks at the others, pointing down the alternate hallway with the feline prints.      "I'm going to go this way. Just because, if this thing is hunting the kids, I'd rather take it by surprise instead of the other way around. You guys can feel free to go after the more likely human footprints."      She pauses. Considering if she should tell them her worries that the cat might know a faster way to get to the kids. She chooses not to tell.      And with that, she walks off in the direction of the feline footprints. She taps her staff on her hat a bit. The stars and moons on it? They light up, to give Summer some light. Yeah, she alchemized this hat for halloween one year, but hey, it at least has a practical purpose now! 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva gets an echo! "WAIT A MINUTE, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO- oh." She pauses, catching up to what's up in this thread. "That's kind of cool, though." Offhandedly, she calls out, "Marco!" And then tilts her head, probably getting an echo back. In the meantime, she looks around at the room. Reiji seems to be working on leading the way towards the kids. There is a pause as she does some calculations, mentally. Assuming that they locate the kids, dealing with the mosnter that attacked them might make retrieving them all a lot easier. She bends down, fiddling with the prints as she follows the chaotic mess around, and looks at the split directions. "Okay!" She announces. "We're going to provide cover for you, Reiji. Whatever scared the kids is still out there, and for all we know it might be stalking them now. While you bust them out, Summer and I are going to look for the doom cat. I think it's a cat." She looks over to Summer. "Does this look cat to you?" She asks, but then she looks back and just takes point again, following catprints. Summer and whoever else is on team Monster Hunter will follow along, she's sure. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Reiji follows the footprint, lucky that they have remained still. She continues along with Reiji, moving with him as he begins to follow the childrens' tracks for now. Her sword is drawn from its sheath, and Kinugiri lets off an aura of frost as the kitsune narrows her eyes, her hands beginning to coat themselves in frost as well as the blade itself.     "I have your back." She reassures the Shinra agent, her eyes alert and adjusting to the darkness while she advances down the corridor, blade at the ready.     Her sense of smell is also going still, as she keeps a nostril out as well as eyes, so to speak. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is now attempting to keep alert as she's able to do. There's something that has cone after children here and she's on edge no her rifle is not pulled yuet, but she's looking to the human footprinta and a feline set? She takes a moment to look over the tracks. She looks to Summer for a moment nodding to the Goddess from Afterus for a moment. "I don't like it but your right we'll need to spilit up on this. Good hunting Riva, I'll keep in touch over the radio." With that she settles on following after the hunan tracks. "We'll see then Reiji, hopefully your correct then." She unshoulders her rifle now and falls in with Reiji and Kirika. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "MARCO!"     Right back at Riva, it's a clear echo that says the temple's accoustics must be amazing, despite the condition it's in. Nevertheless as the team splits up in search of the children and whatever hungry predator must be after them, people are going to have to provide their own lights.     The sunlight from beyond leaves the inner temple in little more than a gloomy haze of darkness, and recently disturbed dust.     For those who follow the human footprints, the path is straight, but it narrows down to a point- which mprobably explains why the big cat didn't follow, as soon enough Reiji is probably going to end up having to squeeze himself through some tight spots where ceilings and walls partially collapsed. Nevertheless, it leads into another chamber, which looks to be more ceremonial in nature than the entrance. An old stone altar is in place, a single beam of sunlight filtering through a crack in the roof upon it, the footprints seem to end at the face of a solid wall.     To follow the cat prints, the path remains wide and un-collapsed, though old and dark discolorations on the floor in splotches and splatters that says whatever came this way is definitely a predatory beast. Though whatever the thing is, doesn't seem to be present for the moment, the path leads to a smaller, circular chamber, before swerving to a new direction wholly. There is a pile of bones present. Old and bleached. ... And visibly gnawed. Various animal parts can be made out, but a human thighbone stands out drastically among them.     From somewhere deeper in the temple there is a loud CLICK. ... and a rumble. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva can appreciate amazing acoustics, but this isn't her first idea of a place to enjoy a nice opera. Though maybe with some renovations and de-monsterification... "Wish we had a better situation, I'd love playing around in here. Maybe try singing some songs. The place practically makes a chorus for you." The grim path Riva and Summer follow causes Riva to frown more every step. She grimaces once they reach the inevitable discard pile. She bends down to investigate the grisly sight. Perhaps there might be more indications of who's leg bone that was. Summer will have her back, she's sure. It's when that click is heard, and the rumble begins, that Riva pulls the large, two-handed mace from her back. A gift from Faruja, the weapon is shaped like the Ajoran Cross. It looks like of like a primitive boat anchor, really. She looks up and around warily, in case that's a sign that they're about to be attacked. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah," Reiji says to the other group, "You guys be careful. Yell if anything's gone wrong." Though he sort of doubts they'll be able to make it through the mazelike corridors in time, if the situation becomes that dire. He doesn't say that, though. No use being negative now. He nods to Kirika and Maya as they follow behind him. "Stay frosty. Keep your eyes out for anything that looks suspicious."     It isn't long before the ruinous nature of the temple becomes something of an obstacle. It's times like these when having a fire-aspected sword comes in handy. As the light begins to dwindle, Reiji reaches over his chest for the weapon-rack in his offhand. Karin comes noiselessly away from its sheath- right up until its blade bursts into flame, casting a warm glow upon the ruined corridors. And then they come up to... A ruined corridor. Hm.     Of course. If children did escape a colossal hunting-beast, then creeping through bits of collapsed wall and ceiling would definitely do the trick. Reiji makes a face and sheathes Karin for now, squeezing himself as best he can through the tight, claustrophobic crevasses. He's just big enough to make getting through extra difficult, though, and the last push results in a spray of rubble coming away with him. Fortunately, the ceiling doesn't collapse as a result.     The room they come into is... Actually rather beautiful. Reiji voices a quiet, reverant note, before abruptly unsheathing Karin again. There may be a shaft of light in the center of the room, but a torch is useful when you're following footprints. ...Except they lead right up to a wall.     "Tch," Reiji squints, kneeling down to get a better look at the point where the floor meets the wall. If the footprints end here, then... He presses an ear to the thing, and raps his fist solidly against its face. "This may not be a wall," he says to his two companions. "See if you can find anything--" *CLICK* Reiji blinks. The ground beneath his feet rumbles, echoes carrying through the ruin. "...Keep alert. Something's doing something out there." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer responded about whether ot not she thinks it is a cat to Riva, over the Syndicate channels. In what is probably not a big surprise, at all, she confirmed that yes, she thinks it's a cat. As they reach the room with the bones, though? Summmer looks through the pile for a brief moment, kneeling down next to Riva. She also takes a glance up at the ceiling on occasion. She doesn't want to be surprised by a ceiling cat, lurking and watching. Hell, there have to be cats out there who can climb the ceiling.      And suddenly Summer recites a short Haiku.      "White, clean, and chewed on."      "A human bone is right here."      "May they rest in piece."      And, suddenly the human bone dissapears into Summer's inventory. Yep, Haiku Modus. She's rather casual about this human bone thing, but it comes with being a Rogue of Life, one who steals Life from others. She's used to death now. And, no point worrying. Might as well see if they can figure out who the bone belongs to, or possibly give a proper burial later down the line.      She stands, and speaks. She smiles at Riva, while playing with her own blonde hair a little bit, twirling her noble curls with her finger.      "Stay calm. They might have pulled a lever somewhere. These sort of dungeons have various switches and what not. It /could/ be a trap, but best not to worry too much." Summer has been doing this whole dungeon crawl thing for ages. She calmly smiles, and looks down a bit. Looking for loose tiles, string triggers, stuff like that.      And, she'll keep moving forward, "No point staying here, though. If it /is/ a trap, we might just have to walk blindly into it. ...Don't worry, if you get hurt I can fix you." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     *CLICK*     Whatever that was, that doesn't sound good at all. Kirika narrows her eyes, and the kitsune relunctantly lets out a low, horrified sound as she notices the remains of /somebody/ at her feet. She breathes in deep, giving a sniff here and there.     She smells the scents of lion musk, her nostrils soon filling with sweat and fear soon after. "Tch."     She switches from ice to fire, her blade illuminating the corridor like a torch as she places her hand against the wall, feeling for seams with which she can find whether or not this is indeed a doorway of some sort. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is keeping on the path now and soon she's going to find herseld havein to squeeze a bit her self to keep up with Reiji. She does seem to be curious as they now enter a place that seems to be a temple or relgious site of some sort, a very old one. She takes a moment to look about and notes to Reiji. "Right, and humm." She's going to pull a card from one pocket, keeping her rifle off handed for the moment and focuses upn reaching out with the scan spell to sense what might be near by or sources of magic at least as her world and experiance in the multiverse might understand it as such. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     It's actually very wise to look up, and Summer will find herself perfectly safe from that angle when she does. But one would be surprised how many people fail to glance upwards when in a dark and ancient dungeon, and the tragedies that can befall them because they didn't. Nevertheless, she acquires the legbone in a moment of verbal artistry. Femurs make good clubs, and if Summer happens to be proficient in BONEKIND then this one would make a good one. Or maybe there's someone back in town that might be looking for the last remnants of a relative. Either way, perhaps Riva drawing her mace might be a good idea, because the sidepath echoes menacingly with a much more bestial rumble.     Knocking on the wall results in a hollow sound, and immediately earns the muffled whimpering of panic from behind it. But then there's another CLICK, louder and more resonant, as though from behind the wall itseld before it suddenly shoots upwards into the ceiling with a grind of stone against stone. And in an instant, Reiji, Maya, and Kirika are beset by panicked children screaming and running every this way and that way around the room. Save for one girl. Clearly not a local, considering the fine, albeit now ruin-worn black dress, and high heels- it's a very mature look, despite the fact she doesn't look much older than the others around her. For a second she looks absolutely surprised, still holding a very bent hair-pin in her fingers. "... Oh hey I got it."     This is when all chaos breaks out, as baleful red eyes glow in the darkness, staring with a pointed hunger at Riva and Summer. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika stares at the children, and despite being armed to the death and her red eyes, she does the unthinkable.     She sheathes her sword, smiles brightly as she can, and whistles loud enough to get everyone's attention before she rifles through her pack.     "If you all calmly follow us all out of this cave and back home, I will ensure that all of you get..." Cue the dramatic reveal.     Kirika gives the children all a peak at the biggest goddamn chunks of chocolate you can imagine, 2 pounds worth each inside of that bag of holding. Each chunk would be enough to last them for weeks, give or take.     And she is still grinning sweetly. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' The rumble was less worrying than the OMINOUS RED EYES. Riva is totally on point now, holding the mace in a defensive position as she gets in front of Summer and prepares to engage TANKU MODO. This seems to be familiar, for some reason. "You're not getting past us!" Riva declares. Anima flows from her into the mace, circuit-like patterns humming red-gold as the weapon is infused with her power... And then shr suddenly whips the mace up into the air and slams it into the ground, creating a short blastwave that rushes towards the beast! This is a great plan which will most assuredly not potentially turn her into the thing's next meal. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Aha! So it was a hollow wall after all! Fortunately, the kids are ingenious enough to actvate whatever mechanism opens and shuts the door. Reiji backs off as the barrier comes away, revealing /so many children./ TOO MANY CHILDREN.     "Hey- hey, calm down. We'll get you all home safe, just--" Kirika has chocolate. Well, that solves that. Reiji sighs, rubbing a couple of fingers to his temple as news comes in that the monster- whatever it is- has made its appearance. "Alright. If nobody's hurt, let's get a move on and--" Pause. That girl there seems to have just raided her mother's closet, or something. "...We're going to be moving pretty fast," Reiji says, pointing at Misha's feet. "You might want to leave those behind. Or I could carry you. Either way." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer looks at the pair of red eyes. She pauses. And she considers. She is going to try two plans, quickly. She clears her throat, speaking a little bit. Two Haiku are said at the beast.      "Red Eyes in the Dark."      "Into my inventory."      "Can I pick you up?"      This first attempt is almost certainly unlikely to work. The goal is to try and take the creature in the darkness, and add it to her Sylladex Invetory, sealing it in a strange subdimensional space with her other items, as a sylladex card. She /can/ captchalogue some living beings, but this is still not a given.      The second attempt is more sensical, at least. For a given level of sensical.      "Fruit made of human."      "Pulsating with its own blood."      "Feed the Hungry Beast."      And with this, an item is ejected. It looks strange, almost like a fruit. Except, if one looks at it closely, it looks like a ball of flesh. It pulsates on occaison as it flies through the air. It's a result of Summer screwing with Alchemy. A Flesh Fruit, a grapefruit sized piece of living human flesh.      Of course Riva might just scare this thing where it /won't/ work, but who knows. Summer is certain she can take the creature out if neither plan works. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya would find for a moment something seems to be happening. She hears the slick and she loojks about for a second befoer she's swarmed by little kids and she's now seeking to calm the little ones down. "Easy, we'll get you all home, is anyone hurt? I can help" She looks over the children now klooks at the one who seems to be the leader of them. Or maya is pegging her at least at the calmest one. "Reiji is rught we need to depart with all due haste." 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Already the dark-haired girl is picking herself up and dusting off her knees and dress with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, good luck getting them organized. They're fine, just panicked. ... You're welcome by the way." Muttered dryly as the kids come spilling out. There are about six or seven, herself not included, and the panic seems to die down when their apparent pursuer doesn't seem to be tearing them to shreds, they calm down marginally enough to stop running around screaming. It's not entirely due to the temptations of chocolate, most of them looking at the brick in Kirika's hand, but that DOES help. But being told to discard her footwear earns a mildly irritated moue of the girl's lips. "I don't think any of us could outrun that thing anyway; we only got lucky finding the hidden--"     Whatever it is in the darkness is approaching, a slow pacing advance that leaves it in shadows. The suddden metaphysical TUG of haiku-based inventory systems actually YANKS it forward with a snarl, but it manages to barely evade a ballsy move on Summer's part. Though it seems instantly attracted to the FLesh Fruit, snapping it up in its jaws, it does not EAT it, but flings it much further down the path behind itself for some reason. It's HUGE. The face of a monkey, body of a gigantic raccoon, and the legs and claws of a tiger, and tail of a snake, the Nue rears up and ROARS at Riva, who has snatched its attention as it tries to barrel into her with all its weight and flashing claws. If she's not fast enough it will plow through her-- and the wall behind her.     This is when the wall in the other chamber explodes outwards, reconnecting both groups by virtue of demolition as it emerges behind the girl.     "--door. It's right behind me. Isn't it."     Yes well in an instant she is skittering behind REIJI. 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      As the Nue attacks Riva? Summer just steps out of the way. Or more of, casually floats out of hte way for a second. She figures that Riva can handle its attack. Plus, Riva /did/ attack it first. This also gives Summer time to prepare a bit. She holds her Kyubey Staff up with both hands, and keeps her eyes on the Nue.      As the dust settles from the wall's destruction, Summer narrows her eyes. She can see the other figures, and frowns. That's them, isn't it. This is bad. She lets out a bit of an annoyed groan. This is why she was hoping that the kids were down the other path. She didn't want the kids to meet the creature. Still, though. Summer is going to do absolutely everything she can to stop this beast.      And the first order of business is making sure the entire party is more powerful.      She lifts staff up into the air. There is a sudden burst of power coming from Summer. Honestly, she doesn't even /need/ the staff anymore, to focus her powers. It's just habit at this point. From the top of the staff, a number of vine-shaped bits of energy appear. They are a soft natural green color, and seem to be simply pure Life. The vines move forward, curling through the air at times. Each one goes for one of her allies. As they are pumped full of Life, they will find themselves powerd up by an incredible amount, as the power of their own Life is bolstered. She trusts in her allies. This boost to their strength, speed, and basically everything about them should let them put a fast end to this battle. She /hopes/. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Just as sudden as she switched tunes to being sweet as sugar, Kirika's back to being a cold-blooded killer once again. Her sword blazes with holy fire as she draws it, murdero n her mind as she glares at the Nue. "Come, foul monster! I will send you straight to Hell with cleansing flame!" She barks, before she aggressively lunges into combat range.     Summer's spells more or less speed her already considerable abilities up, and she sprints towards the Nue with Kinugiri in hand.     Leaping with a teleport, she reforms right in front of the beast, slashing downwards upon its side before following it up with additional blows. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva was tanking, not dodging. She didn't expect a Nue, and she sure didn't expect it to just BULLDOZE forward. With a yell, Riva gets run the hell over, plowed into the wall and through it. As the Nue roars in rage, Riva just sort of falls to the floor, groaning as she staggers back to her feet. It's amazing she wasn't pulverized, but boy was her bell rung. She grunts, wavering until Summer fills her with Life. Her head clears, her grip becomes stronger.. And more importantly, she's not seeing triple. One Nue is bad enough. "Yean." She answers Misha. "Yeah it is. Any suggestions?" Riva doesn't even wait though, immediately hurling herself at the huge beast, lunging forward and slamming the mace forward. She hooks one end of the anchor-shaped mace around the Nue's massive arm, spinning around it to try to grip onto its back, Immediately she releases the arm, trying to slam the mace to the side to hook up under the Nue's gorilla neck and yank backward. God, who knew that the Ajoran holy symbol would be so useful at hooking into and strangling things? She'll have to thank Faruja later. In the meantime, however, she hauls backwards and tries to put her weight such that it bears down on the Nue's lower back while the hauls backwards, trying to make it expose itself while she attempts to choke it out. This will last precisely as long as it takes to think of useing the snake tail or just smashing its back into something. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     A crash. Stone crumbles, dust billows. Reiji grunts, lifting his sword-hand to shield his eyes as the wall dissolves into so much rubble. As the dust settles- and as Misha retreats into his shadow for cover- Reiji turns his eyes up... and up. And in the firelight, he sees it. A beast with the face of a babboon and the body of a raccoon, the limbs of a tiger, the tail of a snake. That... That. That sure is a Nue. Well, that would explain the cat-prints.     "Shit, you guys weren't kidding," Reiji mutters quietly. In the legends, the Nue comes with a dark cloud. It was slain by Yorimasa's deadly arrows. Too bad the Arisu switched to gunpowder the moment it became viable. Well. Hollywood will do just fine.     "Stay back!" Reiji roars to the children- and to Misha by extension. His eyes briefly tense as he sees /glowing energy vines/ rushing towards him-- but the radio relieves his worry. Magic washes over him. He feels... Lighter. Good. He'll need it.     "Fan out and surround it. Keep as much distance as possible and hamstring its legs when you can!" Reiji orders. He promptly proceeds to ignore his own advice and rushes straight at the massive beast. If he knew there was a Nue here, he'd have been prepared with a proper weapon, but...     Karin is sheathed. Hollywood comes away from its holster with a soft click. Clouds of shrapnel, expanding with more force and far greater density than they aught to, blossom amidst the thunderous rapport of Hollywood's barrel. Wood essence mixes with the living energies of Summer's magic, feeding upon the power she provides. As Hollywood fires, the fletchettes roaring out of its barrel begin burning a rich, blue-green. They seem to multiply, doubling, then tripling in number as Reiji tries to turn the Nue into Swiss Cheese. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya looks Misha over for a moment she snods and she says "I know." Maya has a lot of experianced with kids and is going to do hr best to keep them calm and bring them along. She'll carry if she has to as well. Maya's not at all a hardasas about the kids either. However as they are moving there's something as a wall blows out and Maya's now moving to start casting barrier spells upon all of the children, there are severl fighters here of high skill. She's better suited int his cae to potect the children. Maya attemps to do what she cna to calm them, she know it won't be much but she tells them to keep behind her. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     That is, indeed, a Nue. And it seems HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE. As soon as it's smashed out the wall and Misha is behind Reiji, it nearly goes wild. Claws swipe at everything in sight, and just the mere sight of it sends the children edging for the path they came from, as Maya's protective spells wash over them. Though the girl in black doesn't budge.     Snapping jaws go right for Reiji, but the hook-shaped mace going around its neck, with Riva HAULING on it keeps it from getting in range. It howls with fury, baying cries somewhere between a monkey and a tiger as Kirika's sword deals out punishing strokes. Its hide is tough, and that might be the only thing that allows it to withstand the first wave of the initial assault, between that blade, and Hollywood is drawn, the lifey-thing infused fletchettes pump into its thick skin.     "HEY! Get back here and cover me!"     That... Was the girl. and she does not seem happy Reiji just bolted right into the melee. The reason why might become apparent a moment later. Because she draws a breath. The accoustics of the temple are amazing, and that might be why her voice seems to come from every corner of the chamber as she starts to sing. Lyrical, melodic, words in a language that actually DOESN'T translate. ... Not the standard way. Instead, Hymmnos seems to translate into pure raw emotion and power, a chanting song of urgency building in pace and tempo, that makes the very air itself seem to tremble with abuilding power.     Like a snap, a sudden new wash of energy fills the room, the tangy ionizing smell of electricity in the air as a ball of lightning actually seems to form over her head before zapping out and jolting the thing like a massive taser, stunning it briefly. 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer is having a bit of a dreadful feeling. She has voiced her worry: This thing might be the mother or father of cubs. Probably mother. It might have a mate around. But, seeing that another creature isn't rushing them this very instant? Yeah. That's a sign this is a single parent. Perhaps their mating habits are not 'mate for life'? Still, though, as this creature is attacked, in its /own home/, Summer can't really help but be overcome by guilt.      The creature isn't doing well. It's beeing attacked, and also electricuted by the music. It's stunned. And so, Summer floats into the air. Focusing doesn't really help with her adding something to her Sylladex. The fact it is weakened /might/ help with that, but she's not entirely certain. Still, though. She almost succeded the first time. She has to try again.      "Battered and Broken."      "The fierce beast protects its nest."      "Let me bring you peace."      And Summer stands there, eyes locked on the creature. Her breath slow and calm. A smile on her face. She tries to pull it into her Sylladex, once again.      She whispers to herself, "...Please let this work." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Growling, Kirika seems to be undaunted by her lack of effect on the nue's hide. She roars out in anger again, slashing deep into the beast's hide with her holy sword as she tries to burn through its skin.     As she tries to avoid getting hit in return, she flings out a ball of ice at the beast, trying to slow it down before she goes to leap with her sword raised.     She's aiming for the neck, and it doesn't take a genius to tell what she has in mind with a sword as sharp and powerful as hers. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     Nobody ever said killing a Nue would be easy. Even dead, if not properly buried, its enmity can persist long after its body has been rendered inert. Reiji hisses a curse of his own, ducking under the Nue's gnashing teeth as Riva cranks back on the thing's head. It gives him the opening he needs draw Karin and rake its fiery blade across the thing's underside, but damn if it's not tough. They'll need something bigger than swords and guns to-- Wait, someone's calling.     Reiji leaps out of the creature's thrashing-range, lunging backwards to stop just in front of Misha-- and just under the crackling ball of magic forming overhead. The scent of ozone fills the air, just as her song resounds through the halls.     "Should have known that something like this would happen," Reiji chides himself. He's been around long enough to know that Strange Little Girls are hiding mysterious and terrible power at least two out of every five times. Karin is set back into its sheath. Reiji draws Gold to replace it.     "Just keep doing what you're doing," he says, positioning himself defensively between the girl and the beast. Gold roars twice as it fires, twin bolts of enchanted metal catching some of the lingering lightning. Electricity arcs across their surface as the magic imbued in the slugs feeds on what they interpret to be 'elemental earth,' their already enhanced penetrating power increasing even further. Somhow, despite being not-at-all-earthy, lightning still counts. Reiji's elemental wheel is weird, okay? 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva, meanwhile, is just trying to maintain her place as the Nue lashes out. She is whipped back and forth, her augmented strength working to keep the thing under control as she functionally tries to get the eponymous 8 seconds on the beast's back. More than once, she almost loses her grip, especially as she shrings back to use the Nue as a cover against getting winged by some of those incoming attacks. What's even more surprising is the song. Riva looks up in wonder as she hears the pure tones, getting distracted as she tries to instinctively understand the words like so many things in the Multiverse, and failing. "Wha-" And then the electricity blasts outwards, Riva yelping as she prepares to get zorched too... But doesn't! MAGIC, BABY. She peeks over the Nue's shoulder, and smiles to Misha, waving. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Oh wait, hands. With a sudden move, she clamps back down on the handle of the mace, trying to keep up the pressure. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is keeping the kids safe for the moment she gets how scared they re, heck she's fairly concenred too she';s niot seen anything quite like this thing so she keeps back and is keeping the barriers up while the others do their thing she'll keep the best back from teh children and she hopefully going to not hae to do it for much longer as everyone else lays into the creature. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     Strong and durable the beast may be, it is outnumbered- by people who can actually put up a fight against it, not just frightened children. Which means the chimera is in for a fight that it can't WIN. But where most animals would be running off by now, it REMAINS, as if viciously willing to fight to the last breath to kill these invaders in the temple.     Being stunned by the shock however leaves it fairly open to the next round of assault.     "No time for applause now, focus on the thing!" Misha chirps. She does, in fact resume singing, the temperature of the very room seeming to drop in a sudden plunging chill, in the beginnings of a new song. It won't affect the others aside from being inconvenient, but the cold seems to slow the beast down, making its reactions sluggish and difficult for it to fend off the others.     It manages to twist aside, Kirika's slash taking it across the shoulder with a roar of pain, magical slugs punching it in the gut, its balance is thrown off with Riva still clinging onto it- it topples over. THIS time it can't dig its claws into the flooring in time, it starts scrabbling wildly for purchase with a horrid screech of dismay as it is pulled upon by the power of prose and starts sailing through the air at Summer-- and disappears into her inventory.     "Fwah..." A little thump and Misha falls to her knees. "Geeze, all I wanted was a place to spend the night and I got this." Complaining aside she looks to the gathered. "Well I guess you guys coming along was a lucky break at least."     For the record, the Nue cubs in the other path... Are all alive, healthy, rambunctious. ... And chowing on Flesh Fruit. 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      With the Nue safely in Summer's inventory, she lets out a sigh of relief. She turns to Misha, smiling and bowing a little. "So, Misha. Nice to meet you. I'm Summer Powers. Psyber identified you for me. He's happy to hear you're safe and around."      She turns to the group as a whole, smiling still, "Now, pardon me for a second."      She turns around to go down the hallway where the Flesh Fruit was tossed. She spots the baby Nue chewing on it. And calmly, she lifts her left hand, her staff still held in her right. They're preoccupied with their food, at the moment. So this should work a bit more easily, especially seeing these are babies.      "A bunch of babies."      "Happily munching on fruit."      "Join their parent soon."      And, most likely, the baby Nue will be in her inventory. She sighs, relaxing a bit, and turning to the others.      "Sorry, know it's a bit of a risk to try and relocate these things, /buut/. Hey, I have to try." 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     With a terrible, gutwrenching screech the Nue is swallowed up into Summer's ravenous inventory, there to be safely stored until it can be properly dealt with. Reiji pauses for a brief moment as he waits for the other shoe to drop. It... doesn't. Good! Good. Very good.     Gold is set back into its holster, its safety clicked back on. Good trigger discipline is very important, after all! He glances over his shoulder at Misha, now having sunk to her knees. "You alright?" Reiji asks, extending a hand to help her up. "That was some pretty flashy magic, there. Took a lot out of you, huh?"     He looks towards the other children, then, doing a quick headcount. "We recieved a distress call. It's a good thing someone at the radio was paying attention. The name's Reiji, by the way. I work with--" he jabs his thumb at summer, "That guy. Psyber. Seems like the two of you're acquainted."     Reiji peers over toward Summer- and to the Nue cubs. His lips curve into a slight frown. "Well. There are a couple of places I have in mind, if you want to try. Gensokyo, for one. Shinra can probably handle a couple, but... Nue are pretty dangerous, you know? Most youkai eat people." 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is now not so heavily focused on keeping well the kids safe as things seem to be over at this point. She notices thigns have worked out and it's not something like she expected. Her world had some very vicous natural predatorst that were insect base and has somewhat biased her views on such things. Still with it worked out and hte kids safe May calms down now and she pauses to look over Misha. "...! Hello Misha it's been quite some time." She looks over to Reiji nodding a bit. "It seems you were right Reiji." She now relaxes further but seems to be tending to the kids. "I can't hold it against you Summer, if Reiji's got an idea? It should be worth a shot." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva holds on for dear life, but the Nue was outmatched. They really don't expect a roving horde of wandering adventurers to show up. Riva will be very proud of herself as she lies there on the floor, having been promptly smashed into the ground when the Nue toppled over. Nevertheless, the beast is sucked into the Sylladex, sparing its life, as well as that of the beast's kids. Riva wasn't really going to debate the finer points of survival of the fittest, but hey, optimal outcome for the win. Riva sits up again, rubbing the back of her head. "One of these days I'm going to scramble something." She mutters, before standing up and dusting herself off. The mace gets sluck back over her back, and Riva heads over to Misha, grinning. "So yeah! Hi! Welcome... back!" She says. "Apparently you've been a part of the Union before, but we didn't meet. Riva Banari, nice to meet you!" She holds out a hand for a moment, and then just shrugs and gives Misha a big hug. "I'm glad you and the kids are safe." She says, letting her go again. "Go ahead and rest up a bit..." She looks around. "And let's get the kids back home. After that, um... Well, we'll figure that out when we get there." QUEEN OF PLANS, YO. 

:'''{{#var:757|Misha (757)}} has posed:'''     "That?" Misha asks, wiping her brow. "THAT was nothing, I could do that all day. It's just been a little while since I've had to, is all." She is shaking, though she doesn't LOOK scared; nor sound it, it's no doubt just nerves brought on from all the adrenaline, and after a few breaths she starts to pick herself up again.     The Nue- and by extenstion, its cubs, end up tucked away in Summer's Sylladex safely, licking its wounds, it'll recover from this beating after some time and will be ready to dump out in any new environment she pleases. But Misha perks. "Huh? Psyber? Yeah, I know him." She ocnfirms, pausing to stretch arms over her head. In the chaos and darkness, she was a little busy. But a littlt squint of green eyes and recognition dawns on her. "Oh, Maya. It's been a while, yea-"     The hug cuts her off, Riva's exuberance throwing her off her groove for a moment, until she's released, and clears her throat. "Mhm. That's right. I was with the Union- still kind of am, I just sort of uh. Wandered off."     Yep.     Other than some minor scratches and a scraped knee, the children are fine, and extremely thankful for not being eaten. 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:'''      Summer pauses, looking at the kids. She'd heal them, but they're fine. She would captchalogue them, but they can get home more easily now. And instead, she just smiles, kneeling before them.      "You kids be safe when you get home, alright?"      She stands up tall, looking at the group. Smiling. "Well. Misha, it's nice to meet you. The others who I have met in person for the first time today? A pleasure to meet you all as well. Should another situation come up, feel free to call me."      She pauses, though, waiting for Riva to stop hugging Misha. Because once she does, Summer is going to give Riva a hug goodbye, before leaving.      Yeah, Summer gained immmortality at age 19, and is millions of years old, but she'll always be huggy like a teenaged high school girl. 

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''     "Magic seems to be like any other muscle. Let it sit for too long and it takes some work to get it back up again." Reiji shrugs- he's not actually sure if that logic even applies to this situation. In either case, it seems like the girl is fine. She's certainly holding up well to spontaneous hugs. The kids all seem to be fine, too, if a little battered and bruised, and probably imbued with a deep and abiding fear of at least four different animals. At least they'll have stories to tell, right?     Summer seems to be departing. The exorcist inclines his head in farewell, "Yeah. Good to meet you too. Nice work out there." Reiji reaches a hand back to massage his neck, then looks back down toward Misha, "You said you were trying to find somewhere to sleep, right? Pretty sure Psyber's got plenty of room at the tower, if you need to rest." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' RIVA IS EXUBERANCE, YES. This is probably a tell why she gets along with some other people so well. She grins, and begins running over to round up the kids, nattering at them. "Hey kids! Let's all gather up now! Everyone's going to be safe! Let's give them all a cheer! YAAAAAY!" She throws up her hands, giving the team a cheer! "Now, let's all stay together and all get back to the village! We want to make sure everyone's going to be safe now, okay?" She can keep up with the kids, she'll cheat with Anima-boosted speed if she has to. "So, how about a motion to resume this awesome reunion back in the village, all right? I'd like to catch up when we might not get a double decker vanilla gorilla dropping on our heads." Summer gives her a hug too! Riva chuckles and hugs back, because much like Crowraven, Riva is probably going to be huggy forever. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya gets Misha wandered off at this point, heck Maya's wandered off for months at a time her self so she knows how that goes. Once the kids seem to be all right she also finds Summers' got the healing handled too. She gives the goddess a bit of a nod and will help the children if the need it. It seems they are all right and the kids are mostly all right if they need help. She falls in with Riva and the kids and seems legitimately happy and she might even start winging a bit as they go. 

}}

1889/On a Crusade!

2015-03-28T02:06:13Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/27 |Location=Equestria |Synopsis=Pinkie searches for her Cutie Mark! THE HUNT IS ON! |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=42, 470 |Tinyplot= |Tinyp..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/27
|Location=Equestria
|Synopsis=Pinkie searches for her Cutie Mark! THE HUNT IS ON!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=42, 470
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Trot trot trot!     Clop clop clop!     Canter trot click-click-click!     Someone is just meandering all through Ponyville. The click of cloven hooves heralds PINKIE PIE's wanderings as she trots down the streets. Backwards. And on her hind legs. While juggling.     Whelp. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren has stopped to watch. At first, he thinks this must be the local Pinkie putting on a random performance, but then he spots the mask. Well, okay. He watches with interest, but doesn't say anything. It would be rude to interrupt! 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Clippity clippity clop- hop.     Pinkie pauses on spotting Staren-- of course this leaves her hopping in place on one leg while stillf juggling. "HI STAREN." Chirruped fairly loudly. Oh no it's not the local Pinkie, but rather the visiting one, yes.     Well it looks like he doesn't need to interrupt because she's paused herself. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren steps back and blinks. "Um. Hi Pinkie." Beat. "Seems like it's been /ages/ since I actually saw you /performing/. Glad to see you doing something you enjoy. How's it going?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "It's going great!" Well it has to be, if she's so cheerily hopping and juggling brightly colored objects. "Except I still haven't quite figured it out yet, huh." Figured what out? Well it's another moment before she flomps down on all fours, ditching her juggling act with a snort. "Whelp. So much for my Walking Backwards While Juggling Cutie Mark. Back to the drawing board!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren stares blankly at the first sentence, waiting for her to say more. At the second, he waits, then starts "Figured wh--" before she continues. He tilts his head to the side. "I figured that whatever process brought you back from the dead didn't make your Cutie Mark appear for some reason, but... you can get /another/ one? Are you not able to get the... to get it for partying or making people smile or whatever it was the first time?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     It's like you can HEAR the record scratch just going off right then and there, when Staren brings that up. Up comes one hoof, with a sheepish little look, somehow, despite the mask. "Aaaaaaaactuaaaaalllllyyyyyyy..." Uh oh.     Uh oh!     Here comes the admission. A rare moment of truth as the little *~squee~* sound says Pinkie is flashing a weak grin behind her mask.     "I never got mine~." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren's ears perk up and he blinks. "You didn't? Huh." Staren holds his right forehoof to his chin and thinks for a moment, then sets it back down on the ground. "Well, have you tried asking the local Pinkie how she got hers?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "Nnnnnope!" Never got it apparently. Though a little prance and a small snort visibly gusts a tiny cloud of steam from the mouth-slat of her mask, and just like that, Pinkie is trotting circles around Staren. "I'll pass!" Chirruped in regards to asking the local Pinkie. "I already know how she got it! Rock farm! Barns! Parties! Fun stuff." She notes with a little bob. "I want one of my ~own~!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Huh. Must be one of the differences of that alternate future Equestria. Twilight will be interested to know, to help reassure her that that world was different from the start.     Staren's head tracks Pinkie as she circles him. "I... see. But aren't you... I mean... you /were/ basically her, weren't you? Why does... I mean... all of you... the Bearers... did the rest of them have the same marks in your world, or different ones? And you still do the same kinda stuff... well, except for being an assassin too. Do you want to try for an assassin cutie mark?"     Blink. "Wait, 'rock farm'?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Hoof immediately meets forehead for a moment before Pinkie resumes her scooting about. "No no no! I mean while 'Ninja Assassin' is a perfectly valid Cutie Mark... It's not the one I WANT!" She snorts, tossing that curly mane.     But then she's waving that hoof dismissively. "Yes~ Born on a Rock Farm, pushed rocks around. Was all super drab and unhappy until BALLOONS and STREAMERS, and PARTIES. Get with the program, silly~." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren ahs, and listens for a moment. "I'm not really that familiar with the bearers' pasts. I've talked a bit with Twilight, but... I'm not that close to the rest of you, you know?" He closes his eyes, improvises a quadrupedal shrug by rolling forward slightly on his forehooves, then stands normally and opens them again. "Is a cutie mark really something you /pick/? Your special talent... well, a talent is something innate, isn't it?"     He looks back at his flank. "Robotics. Automatons. They follow logical rules, and their creation is complex, requiring the understanding of countless scientific principles." He looks at Pinkie. "I was born smart. Barring worlds with eugenics, for every human or similar creature... for every, like, couple hundred at least, there's maybe /one/ who can analyze and understand things as quickly and naturally as I can. And my brain is a little warped. I have trouble understanding social stuff, but logic, and logical things, come as naturally and intuitively to me as talking to people without offending them comes to other people."     "And it's not just that. I was born to successful parents, in a city with easy access to knowledge and technology. All these things contributed to putting me in a position where I could learn things and use that knowledge. But I didn't /choose/ that. It's not like I /chose/ to have the talents for being an engineer, instead of an athlete or a performer or a manager or countless other things."     "I mean, it sounds like a pretty good deal, I think I'm pretty fortunate, and I /like/ doing this stuff, but that's partially because I'm good at it. And I can branch out, persue other things. I learned to fight. But I'll never have the talent for fighting someone born with a genetic predisposition for strong muscles, fast reflexes, and parents that, like, ran a dojo or were in a ninja clan or something, will have. Well. I can build a strong body and find a way to download skills into my brain or something, but I can hardly call that a special talent, can I?"     Staren shrugs again, and looks at Pinkie. "Now, I'm not saying you can't do whatever you want. Obviously, there are things you're good at, things you like to do. You don't have to do some particular application of your special talent as your job for the rest of your life or whatever. But your 'special talent', whatever it is, you don't /choose/ it." He raises a forehoof to point at her. "You /discover/ it."     Beat.     He lowers his hoof. "So, what are you best at?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     For a moment. For a long, long, moment. Pinkie sort of stares at Staren. As if half of what he said sailed clean over her head. At least before she waves one hoof emphatically. "Are you silly? I know how you get a Cutie Mark! That's why I'm trying to -find- it!" Chirruped with a small stomp.     Eugenics? She's not even going to touch that one. "I'm good at a lot of things, though! Running, jumping, climbing trees, balloon sculpting, lockpicking, partying, headbutting, JUDO, being a NINJA CLOWN."     Well it's all true, and common knowledge by now, so she simply shrugs. "Haven't gotten a Cutie Mark for any of THAT though." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren hmms, and rubs his chin again. "Well, I don't know then... is there anyone who's studied cutie marks? Twilight might know..." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     The record scratch is almost audible as Pinkie pauses to simply stare. "Your Twilight or my Twilight, because I think we all kind of know I'm not on speaky terms with my Twilight." She notes with a waggle of her hoof. "Look I've only been at this for like... gosh twenty three years."     She's still making overly exaggerated fake martial arts motions, too. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren blinks, and his ears rotate back. "Mine, of course." He looks down at the ground. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't know about cutie marks, I didn't see a convenient way to study them. Maybe... maybe there's something different about you?" He lifts his head and his ears perk up. "You're a /ninja/ clown. What if your cutie mark is invisible?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     With a light headbutt of that porcelain mask against Staren's shoulder, Pinkie snorts again. "Well duh, there's something very different about me." She admits. Though what it is, she pointedly changes the topic. "Duhhhhhh. Haven't you been paying attention? With the ominous dark laughter and the running, jumping. climbing trees,? I thought me being a ninja was common knowledge by now!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren sighs. "That's what I'm saying! What if ninja cutie marks are invisible? Have you ever /seen/ one?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Hooves lightly set on Staren's shoulders briefly. Before Pinkie starts making to shake him comically, if he doesn't back down. "Ninja Cutie Marks aren't invisible! That betrays the point of a Cutie Mark entirely!" Squealed before she calms down. "Besides! I'll be super mega intense ridiclous serious disappoint if I get one of those. So I have to keep trying to find somethig else I'm super good at!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren is shaken! "Well, I don't know! What else are you good at? What do you want me to do?! Look at your concept?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Shake shake shake! It lasts a moment before Pinkie lets go with an exasperated "HUFF!"     Yes, she actually said 'huff' there, green eyes rolling. "Well clowning around hasn't gotten me anywhere, so far." She replies, tongue sticking right out of the mouth-slat of her mask. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren just gives Pinkie a helpless look. What more can he do? 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Pinkie proceeds to apply her hoof to her forehead before she relents. "I 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Pinkie proceeds to apply her hoof to her forehead before she relents. "I'll just. Keep at it, I guess." She huffs again. Before this time flipping into a handstand and starts trotting away like that.     "HANDSTAND WALKING CUTIE MARK! HO!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "Hoofstand." Staren corrects. Beat. "I mean... you'd have to hoovesy-handsy to handstand." 

}}

1864/It's Okay, It's Alright~ o/`

2015-03-24T11:25:20Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/24 |Location=Equestria <KE> |Synopsis=The mask comes off for a little bit of fresh air. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=454, 470 |Tinyplot= |T..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/24
|Location=Equestria <KE>
|Synopsis=The mask comes off for a little bit of fresh air.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=454, 470
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Spring is finally here. Already the trees begin to sprout bits of green. Already the grass is coming back, the snow has been cleared away. Mortimer has been up for hours- he doesn't sleep much after all, only a couple hours at a time usually- and is sitting on the roof of his home. Four acres of land. Two for Karian's use, two for his own. Not cheap but it will be worth it in time. A trail of smoke lazily wafts from his nostrils as he puffs on his pipe, musing on future plans and goals. He's close to broke for now but the taxes have all been paid and all critical purchases for the first quarter of the new fiscal year have been made. He only needs make a few more deals and he'll be set for the remainder of the year.      Everything's comin' up Morty. Well, for the most part. Other concerns nag at his mind.. But he's distracted by a sound and a smell. "..I know you're there, "Pinkie". C'mon out. Or are we playing spy and seek?" She might be stealthy but she can't hide her distinctive smell, even over his peach-flavored tobacco. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Since the whole undead fiasco in her Equestria came to an end, Pinkie Pie has been seen more and more often skulking about in the happier, cheerier variant of Equestria. It was a horribly stressful ordeal, and truth be told, even killer assassins need some downtime to relax, breath, and smile. And that is GENUINELY smile.     It comes a lot easier, especially now that all the ponies have gotten through Winter Wrap up and the trees are starting to bloom, makes doing that a lot easier.     Oh there's no SOUND. But that smell is very distinct, all things considered. And when called out on it, a sigh seems to emanate from nowhere. It starts as a flicker. A shift of Mortimer's very own shadow that makes no sense at all, before it seems to break away from him. Or more specifically a secondary shadow slides out from it, before a hoof reaches out and grasps the roof for leverage. Like pulling herself from a pool of black water, Pinkie flops out in a sprawl that lays her on her back. "You know, it's not every day someone can just spot me when I'm hiding like that. You're pretty good! You wanna take a turn hiding next?" 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer exhales a large cloud and snorts it away. "Hah.. No thanks. I know I stick out these days. Hidin's too hard." He'd stretch his poor old body out, bones cracking and popping all over his spine and fore and hind legs, finishing off with shaking out his hooves. "Can't imagine why you keep comin' back to /my/ house. I'd figure you'd wanna hide out at yer sister's.. Rarity ain't gonna smell you comin' a mile away like I will." He'd peer down at the flopped bemasked pony-thing. "Hell of a trick you picked up with that. Y'know Nettle's awful proud that you can do suchlike.. N'moreso that you fooled the lot of us like a used cart salesmare. So'm I, fer that matter." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Snort. "Well that's no fun." Pinkie seems to pout when the attempt to game is deflected. But then Pinkie sits herself up. Mention of Rarity however seems to get a stony response from her, peering from the corner of her gaze with one startlingly vivid green eye.     Shoulders sag in a small sigh, before her glance shifts left. Right. Once she's sure there's no one and no pony else around, she reaches one hoof up.     A little tug, slides the pink porcelain mask off her snout, tossing that curly pink mane with a chuff.     "When you spend fifteen years convincing yourself of a lie it gets a lot easier to convince others too." She notes with a slightly weary look. "I don't want to force that on her, and you know it." 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort nods understandingly. "Yeah.. I know. ...Never been one much for secrets m'self, though. Never known one to be kept." He'd smile when she took off the mask. A small, sad smile. "I don't think that'd be 'forcing' it on her so much as.. I can't think of a word that translates well into Equestrian.." He'd scratch his mane with a hoof. Then sigh, looking at that bright little green eye, and all the things done to her pretty little face. "Yer too paranoid, Sweetie. Awful habit." He said, while smoking. Nettle's giggling voice echoed from nowhere, appearing to settle her cottony frills on the now unmasked pony's head. "<Hello, dearie~ so kind of you to haunt us in the wee hours~>" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     A shake of her head, and Pinkie lays back. Despite being in her four-legged mode, she folds her forelegs behind her head to pillow herself, hind legs crossing lazily as she gets comfortable. "Things are too complicated over there. I like it here. It's simpler. Easier. I get to smile for real." Stated matter of factly as she uses her hooves to tug the corner of her lips upwards as if to prove her point, before pillowing herself again. "It's easier this way, even if I have to hide behind the mask. I want to relax, but I don't want to cause any trouble." She pauses with a mild fluster.     "Even if it is just a liiiiiiittle teeeeensy bit awkward, I still love it. So I don't mind."     A toss of her mane hides her face, and she keeps it that way, but for once allows herself to have the fresh air like this, kicking one hind leg lazily.     "Hello, Nettle, how are you tonight?" 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort trots over and folds his legs under himself, settling beside Pinkie. "I think you overestimate how much "trouble" you'd cause, or how "awkward" things'd be. But then I've always been one'a them types what just goes through an awkward situation an' moves right on from it whenever possible. Worst that could happen is Rares has a good cry an' starts workin' with me on how we can un-screw that nightmare world of yers." He'd shrug. "But.. ...It's you. So I'll keep yer little secret a while longer yet, at least." Nettle sort of 'hugs' Sweetie's head with her armless socky body. "<Hehe, quite the favor, Master~ I cannot recall the last time you extended such niceties. And I am fine, dear little Sweetie~ just quietly gorging myself. Between you and the Master, it's a wonder I'm not fat as a Snorlax! Eheeeheee~>"      The sound of pawing at the door to the roof is heard. The door then falls off its hinges, sliced by invisible, blades, and Falstaff wanders out, following 'Pinkie's' scent until the great old beast can flop down beside her. His blade-like tail starts wagging a little as he curls up beside her. "..Dammit, Falstaff, that door /just/ got fixed." The decrepit creature merely responds with a grumble. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Green eyes slide closed and Sweetie gives the most epic of shrugs. "It's probably better she doesn't know. Prrrrooobably better everypony else doesn't know. I mean it's bad enough both Twilights saw me unmasked." She sighs. "I don't want to see her cry so let's keep things happy-slappy." She pauses on that thought. "I don't think I'm ready anyway." Added as an after thought as she pushes right along.     "... I appreciate it." Given when Mort promises not to unmask her, figuratively, earning a slight smile.     A real one.     At least before she rolls her eyes. "Fuhiiiiiine. Just leave my dreams about the Crusaders alone and you can have whatever you like from in there." She concedes to Nettle. Someone is feeling generous today. Then again the spring good mood of an Equestria in bloom is infectious. Which earns Falstaff a light pat on the head. She doesn't bother to slide her mask on. Who is Falstaff going to tell anyway? 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Nettle stops giggling for a moment. "<Of course, dear. I wouldn't dream of touching that.>" And just settles herself down, becoming much flatter than one would presume she could actually become. Falstaff just makes a very large purring sort of sound. "You realize, of course.. Between Empty and Twilit, one of'ems gonna blab. Unintentionally most likely. But.. I can wait. I'm a patient man. Usually." He'd pause for a while after that. A long, heavy pause, as the gears in his head slowly cranked away. "...So what /are/ you gonna do, kiddo?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "Mmmmmm." There's a thoughtful moment of pondering there. "I don't think the Archmagister will tell." She suddenly admits. "She's had a good fifteen years to learn how to be as subtle and underhanded as I am!" Chirruped as Sweetie keeps stroking at Falstaff. "The younger Twilight... I won't hold it against her if she spills it on accident."     So she pauses there, glancing up at the sky, and pursing her lips. "I'm not sure yet. Things have quieted down so I figured I'd keep my head low and actually try to live a little. I mean I still have a lot of business I need to handle... But I don't have to do it now. So I guess I can stick around and vicariously re-live the better days a little bit."     It takes her a moment. An awkward stumble of her voice before she gives a very quiet, earnest admission. "For the first time, in a long time, I have a feeling for this Equestria that I haven't had in a very long time." ... "Hope."     "So I guess..." That is a bigger grin she's flashing now... Because her voice lifts softly.     o/` ~ "It's alright, it's alright, for them I would perform all day and night, If you're ever feeling down, here I am, the happy clown~." ~ o/` 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort's ears pin back a bit. "Mm.. I suppose. ..You don't need to stay low here, though, so.. Keep that much in mind. Actually /livin's/ so much better than do it vicariously." He was going to say more, but then the little- no, she's not little anymore, Mort. She's grown up on you. Don't keep thinkin' of her as a total child- the /young mare/ starts singing. Gave him reason to pause and wonder why her flank still hadn't developed a mark. ..Surely by now she /realized/ it, but did she deny it so she could maintain her disguise? An unpleasant thought. "Hope's good.."      Falstaff, for his part, simply laid his head on Sweetie's stomach and let out a mighty yawn, then closed his eyes to snooze on her. Tired Absol is tired. Even Nettle's eyes closed- or more accurately, lost their usual glow- as the shuppet relaxed and went into a torpor-like state. "Sing a few more bars fer us, Sweetie.." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     o/` ~ "Letting all my worries off means growing space for love... Wish I could expose my face, this mask's a heavy obstacle..." ~ o/`     Sweetie doesn't need to be asked, voice flowing and gently melodic, although slightly hesitant.     o/` ~ "I'm still so scared of my emotions, but I'll pursue to live this notion, it's okay, it's okay, to find myself again, I'll find the way. Paved with bitter blocks of doubt, still I walk this route. One day I'll reveal my beaming smiles, until then my hope will hold out..." ~ o/`     Green eyes slide closed as she trails off with a rather content sounding sigh. "Mm. Hope is good." She agrees, eventually. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer's eyes lid a bit as Sweetie sings for them, letting out a yawn. But just before he can doze of his eyes snap open, briefly darting around, as though making sure of his surroundings. Awake again, good to go. "Yea, that it is. ...Anytime you wanna try an' pull off a scheme to make yer Equestria a better place, Sweetie, you come over an' let us know, yea? Me an' my crew'll all help, no questions asked. We'll be a damn sight more reliable than a pack of nutjobs an' psychopaths, at least." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "I am aaaaaaall schemed out right now." She admits fairly candidly. One eye peeks open again, mostly hidden among pink curls. "I'll figure something out later. For now I'm leaving the damage control in Cranky, Derpy, and Mayor Mare's hooves and taking a -vacation-." Quite adamant on that note of vacation as she spins her mask on the tip of one cloven hoof. "And pretty happy about it, so don't ruin it by reminding me of that nightmare. Unless you want Nettle to get fat!"     Can sock puppet pokemon get fat?     Sweetie don't know. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort let out a chuckle. "If she could get fat of bad dreams, I'd have made her the size of this town ages ago.. But as long as everythin's good for now. Just keep it in mind." He'd reach out with a hoof to fuzzle the little pony's mane. Nettle shuppeted, "<Indeed. I would look such an atrocious sight!~ But thankfully not a concern for us Dead. Heehee~>" Mortimer stretched out a hind leg a bit. "Well if yer on vacation, y'can actually stay /inside/ my house if'n you want, rather'h hangin' out in the darn trees. You know my door's always open to yah. Go a bit easy on the pantry till I can start gettin' more cash saved up, though. Already hard figurin' out how to keep Karian an' his boys fed." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "HAH." Sweetie snorts. Getting fat isn't a concern for the dead, Nettle says. "I guess the dead really do laugh last." She snickers, before rolling over. "I actually like sleeping outside, here. The air's a lot fresher. And you don't need to worry about your pantry. The twins keep me fed on a steady supply of cupcakes, they really have it down to an art. But I guess I can steal your couch from time to time." She relents. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Nettle's face cracks into an unnaturally wide grin. "<It's rare that we don't~>" A considerably sinister tone to that statement, at least until Mortimer's hoof comes down and clonks her right on the sock. "<Ow!>" "Stop that." Mort smiles down at Sweetie again. "Good! Yer gonna catch yer death'a cold sleepin' outside all the damned time, one'a these days." That made him feel better. It's so easy to make him happy. More people should do that! It would save everyone so much trouble. "Used to love sleepin' outside myself, once. Prefer bein' under a roof nowadays though. Spent enough time campin' outdoors to last me a dozen lifetimes over.." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "Fuuuuhiiiiiin -mom-." Countered deftly as the clown sits up. "Well I've kind of picked up the knack to sleep almost anywhere. Only problem is I ended up a horribly light sleeper. One of the perks of being a ninja assassin." Oop. Sweetie's grin just made that little *~squee~* sound.     And then a thoughtful look. "Hey how come I haven't gotten my ninja assassin Cutie Mark yet!?" She pouts at no one in particular before shrugging it off. "Honestly it's just a really nice change of pace from hiding underground and sleeping in catacombs... That's why I like it a lot more." 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort let out a hearty, coarse laugh at that. "Oh goddesses above.." Ninja assassin QT mark. That's a good one. "Gwahahahaaa.." Takes him a moment to stop. "Yeah, I picked up that 'sleepin' anywhere' trick when I was close to yer age.. And yea, I can agree to that. Sleepin' in crypts is hellish. Even if the dead are restin' quietly." Nettle shuppets, "<Well you don't see /us/ getting up and going to sleep in /your/ houses. Half the time when you Living are using our tombs as a nap spot we don't have a clue if you're there to rob the place or not. It's worse than having a cat who sharpens its claws on the drapes and the good furniture!>" She started giggling again. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     That tongue comes right out. "I'm sure it's a totally valid Cutie Mark!" Sweetie says psuedo-defensively. Before whickering in thought. "But it's not really the one I want."     She lets that hang in the air for a moment before giving a big old yawn. "Oh you were twenty-three sometime? How long was this, ten thousand years ago." A joke clearly, she doesn't mean it, considering the light knock from one hoof. "It's horrible at first. But like anything else, if you do it enough you get really numb and used to it." 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer snorts out another cloud of smoke. "Might as well have been that long ago.. Maybe it was." He muses for a moment. "No.. I had to pick that trick up at around.. Nineteen, I think. Yeah.. Yeah, two years after the war started." And then he'd nod thoughtfully. "Numb.. No, you just tell yourself you get numb. You never really do. Even if you think you are. It catches up to you once you stop havin' to do often.. Maybe it takes a while. But it catches up." Dull smoke cloud lazily floating out of his mouth. "..." He leaves a pause in the air for a moment. "..You should bring the twins here sometime. Let them see the glory days of their home. Bet they'd like it." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Another little whicker and the unmasked clown rolls over onto her belly, idly staring off at the horizon. "I can't let it catch up to me. I need to be strong. If only for their sake. I raised them myself, you know. After Ponyville. And I still think I'm doing a terrible job at it. They're not exactly very well adjusted."     This admission comes with an odd scritch at her ear with one hind-leg in a dog-like manner. Some ODD Pinkie-isms don't go away even when the mask is off, after so long. "Maybe they would. But I'm also worried it'll give them wrong ideas, you know?" 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort's face curls into a frown. "You did yer best. Ain't more anypony can ask from yah. Anyone says otherwise, I've got two balls for their chin." That comes out more than a little harshly. "...Scuse my language." Softer again. "I think it'd do'em good.. Dunno what 'wrong ideas' they might get, they seem to have more or less good heads on their shoulders. But.. You know'em better, so I ain't gonna press the matter if you don't want." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Two balls for a chin? Now that earns a funny look. But then Sweetie heaves a tiny sigh and stretches out. "They want this." 'This' being a circular motion at... Everything. "And I want to give it to them, but I'm afraid I can't sometimes." Shrug. "... I think I need to teach them to socialize with other people and ponies a little better. I've known them their whole lives and the whole 'finishing each others thoughts' thing is still super spooky!"     There's her tongue sticking out again. But then comes a yawn. It is massive. It is sleepy.     "Until then though, I think I'm going to turn in. I'll be in your cupboard. Good night!"     --Wait in where?     Too late, she's already flipping back into her own shadow like it were a pool of water and sinks out of sight. ... There's a long beat of pause before one foreleg reaches out to nab up her mask and pull it in after her. Can't forget that. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer nods a bit. "Yeah, it kinda is. Night Sweetie.. ...Wait, you'll be wher-" And she's already gone. "Nettle?" He looks up expectantly. The ghost vanishes from sight for a few minutes, and then reappears topside. "<Yep.>" Mort furrowed his brows and shrugged.      Whaddya gonna do? 

}}

1854/The Last Color Of The Rainbow

2015-03-23T03:15:54Z

TeeG:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/22
|Location=Tenra
|Synopsis="Killing him would only be doing him a mercy."
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=202, 234, 336, 546
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It is a poor day in the land of Tenra. Dark clouds hang overcast blotting out the sun in a terrible downpour. Sheets of water falling endlessly from the sky make the roads a miserable place to be, and send people in the nearby cities scurrying to hide in the shelter of their homes, or the nearest amenible space to hide.     The meeting spot is not in a city.     Despite the abysmal weather, Lu-Mey has called several of her more trusted allies to a small stretch of road, deep in the wilderness, halfway up a mountain. The curves of the road are treacherous even on a good day, making travel by wagon a nightmare, and travel by foot a miserable experience best only attempted during saner periods of weather. Still the pass has one benefit. It is the fastest course out of the region of Castle Igarashi, and into the next province over.     Lu-Mey, despite being soaked to the bone and shivering looks rather chipper, all things considered. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     The rain doesn't bother Nox. The steady downpour lets off a constant, quiet, rattling pitter-patter as it strikes the metal plates on his body, sluicing off over the edges of his armour. Though he seems utterly indifferent to it, on some small level, back in the deepest corners of his thoughts, he thinks it's a rather melancholy thing that he can barely feel it.     There's no sense in getting something soaked, and so he has attended only in his ordinary getup, hovering sedately over the saturated grass as a stream of water runs from the points of his feet into the dirt below. He regards Lu-Mey with guarded curiosity, wondering what else there could possibly be to do on this world. She's already won, hasn't she? 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn could probably get used to the rain if she let herself, but that's not the kind of thing she has any motivation to do. Besides, /books/. You don't get books wet, and you don't go anywhere as a Towers mage if you can't carry books. It should therefore be unsurprising that she is, though not terribly visibly, using a ward that prevents the rain from getting too close to her. This doesn't stop it from being cold, but at least she won't get anything wet.     Like Nox, he regards Lu-Mey with some curiosity, wondering as to the details of this next goal for which her help has been requested. Adelyn is relatively open at that, as hiding social cues isn't something she's really good at without concentration. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     A young traveller is nearby. Dressed in some rather threadbare clothing, the young woman looks like the sort of sellsword that is down on her luck, not a reliable sort. She has an umbrella... but it has a few holes in it, and she otherwise looks pretty quietly frustrated at the rain.     She does, however, possess a gemblade. A much more ornate sword, it's in a battered sheath that indicates the blade is either stolen, or perhaps an heirloom. It's a pretty sorry state for such a blade to be with a down-on-her-luck mercenary, but perhaps Lu-Mey has reason for hiring her. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     That seems to be everyone who is coming then, and still the oni hasn't explained a thing. The little spot she's picked for the meet is semi-hidden in a slight alcove in the rock face by the road. There's not a lick of protection from the elements, but it does hide the group from the sight of anyone coming down the bend.     Lu-Mey claps her hands once, an act that is much louder with wet palms as she flashes a wide smile of fanged teeth. "So I bet you're all wondering why we're all out here in the soaking rain aren't you?" Chirruped as if she were just having a complete field day as lightning flashes, and thunder roars distantly. "Well hold that thought!"     With a beaming smile, she takes one- two- three steps into the middle of the road.     And is promptly run over by the horse-drawn cart that suddenly barrels down the tracherous road much faster than should be safe.     Of course this means her mangled, broken, corpse sets the horses panicking, clogs up, and breaks the axles, and sends the cart careening out of control into the mountain wall. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn doesn't nod, but yes, this is pretty obviously curious. She waits for the explanation, and--     Then turns her curiosity to the other two present. "Did she mean to do that?" Could they even know? She's not sure who the young woman even is, though she's worked out a probability model that provides a few reasoned guesses. Unimportant for the moment, in likelihood.     Adelyn steps out from the alcove, looking after the carriage. It didn't get very far, did it? If so, there's no particular reason to hurry, but she feels she really should go and have a closer look, so she does. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Sigh. The mercenary - and she wouldn't care if Adelyn figured out who she was/worked for, really - shakes her head at the method used. "I don't know." She really doesn't! She's also going to check out the carriage, since she knows that Lu-Mey HAS to be dead. Or will be getting up again. Depending on who she really is.     "What sort of carriage is it?" she asks, hopping up atop the wreck to see what the survivor situation is, or what they were carrying. Rather callous to be thinking of that, rather than trying to rescue anyone, but she doubts her companions will be bothered. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox is considerably less taken aback this time than the last time he had seen Lu-Mey's body broken to near pieces. Of course, a high number is still less than an arbitrarily even higher one. He teleports on the spot to face the opposite direction rather than simply turning the 180 degrees normally, turning his head to watch the progress of the carriage, before angling it down to Lu-Mey's corpse at the sound of splintering wood.     "I believe that was an attempt at hijacking the carriage without attempting to hold it up like a bandit. I believe it succeeded quite admirably." He has faith that Lu-Mey is actually pretty clever and not completely oblivious to everything around her. Leaving her worms to their thankless task of stitching her back together, he winks out of existence in the general direction of the crashed vehicle, backing up the others. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It's not wholly a thankless task, Lu-Mey does take care of the entire ecosystem in her body quite well.     Though from the completely wrecked state her body is in, it's going to take them some time to piece her back together, with large pieces of oni pulped and turned into nasty meaty chunks under the wheels.     The thump of the 'mercenary landing atop the cart results in a startled gasp from within. It is an EXPENSIVE cart, clearly meant for the conveyance of nobles, it's made of retardedly gaudy build, and way too much money was spent on it. Though the curtains are drawn for the moment.     The dirvers however appears furious, as they stand up. A one-armed woman in black, face decorated by tattoos and gems. The other a hooded figure with glowing baleful blue circular lenses for eyes.     Kuro-hime and Hagane-hime do not look happy to see everyone.     It would seem Lu-Mey meant to do that. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn analyzes the situation only to such a level of detail as time allows. Based on previous experience and the current atmosphere, there is a significant chance of violence. Unfortunately, she is not one to be able to quickly bring her full power to bear, without preparation. She can wait and see, placing herself in the disadvantageous position, or... alternatively, she can turn a situation violent unnecessarily, and deal with the anger of strangers.     The one risk far outweighs the issues with the second. She doesn't continue toward the carriage once she has it well in sight, allowing the teleporting xelor and the rather agile mercenary to reach it well ahead of her. She stops where she is, and she begins to weave her spells. She is necessarily very obvious in this, with the glowing lines forming circles in the air, the low chant of unintelligible speech, and the warping of mana in the air and earth. There's a mountain right here, kindly provided. She just needs a few moments to turn it into a weapon. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox had been expecting something along the lines of some well-to-do noble carting himself off to escape Lu-Mey's new grip of Igarashi. His initial assumption had been that the oni must have called the three of them here to intercept them, possibly in a show of force and control to cow the others back into line. What he never would have expected in a million years is to see one familiar face and one /very/ familiar set of eyes. The revelation gives him several good moments of pause, thankfully not reflected in his ever impassive and expressionless mask.     "Well well, what do we have here?" he finally intones, looking directly for Hagane-hime rather than her companion. If he's nervous, he doesn't sound it. Possibly because they outnumber them this time. Likely because he never seems to get past the point of mild apprehension. Ever. "I had assumed you would be long gone by now. What reason do you have for being here, if I may so inquire?" 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Staring down at the two rising from the carriage, the unnamed mercenary narrows her eyes. She says nothing to the two that have risen... and instead shows a sudden interest in the carriage itself, and its occupants. Dropping down, she peers at the wreckage and asks, bluntly, "Who else is inside?" 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Judging from the nasty pop under the wheels, Lu is starting to piece herself back together, but for now she's too busy being dead to join in the events going on.     Kuro-hime gives Starless the mercenary a hard glower, no sign of recognition at all due to the kugutsu's disguise, while Hagane-hime merely quirks her head to a slight angle with a ratcheting clank of machinery.     "That's not particularly any of your business." The Samurai spits, before her metal sibling adds, in her halting, stiltited tone: "Haven't you done enough damage already?"     Much as they try to deflect, there's a thump and a squeal from inside the carriage and a growl of "Stay in your seat."     Before the door busts open.     Lord Niji-- not so much a lord anymore with ihs land and property all taken, storms out, a wild and mad gleam in his eye, he hasn't even bothered to guard himself against the rain or the mud as he stumbles from the wreck in his overly fine and multicolored clothes. "What is the meaning of this? Have you come to take the last of my precious things?!" 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Oh. It seems Nox was right.     Now this is a man he absolutely cannot stand. A desperate madman playing at being a father, collecting daughters like trophies without even so much as the decency to address them as people. 'Precious things'. The term makes him sick. He'd already had enough of Niji last time, and so his patience is considerably strained already. Nox extends his hand towards the lord's face, the interlocking clockwork of his sword shooing outward from the appearance of the hilt between his fingers until the point flashes into existence just before his throat. The only reason he doesn't blow him away on the spot is that the girls are behind him.     "You are correct. I've already had more than enough of this place" He shoots to Hagane-hime, his voice sharp and his words rushed. "Had I known this would be waiting for me, I wouldn't have come at all, but since I'm here." His gaze turns back from the Konghoki towards her fake father with a stiff, mechanical click. "You've already been spared once. Give me one good reason why I should allow you to continue to live." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The mercenary doesn't even say anything to the lord. The others might - MIGHT - catch an odd glimpse of something in her face, a twist of burning hatred that clashes with the normal impassive look. Yet she doesn't try to slay him or anything... oh no. She has another thought, toward the one who was left inside.     The mercenary kneels down and /yanks/ hard on the carriage door, enough to rip it free, then she slides in to see if the one she suspects is in there. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Hold, hold... yes. The pattern has now stabilized. She can activate it at any time. The approach vector will be limited--only the wall of the mountain, or the path, following a single curve. Still, it should be sufficient.     Adelyn approaches. "One can hardly call this scenario complete while you still have precious things left to take. Ah, but don't fret too early. It can always get worse." She's not being particularly diplomatic about this, but then, no one had asked her to be. "They're rather better off in other's hands, anyway. It's not as if you're fit to have such holdings." Oh, but the land was never really the point, was it? "Nor servants, nor soldiers, nor--how did they address you? 'Father'?" She laughs. "An unfitting role! They're too good for you, and I can hardly believe you've anything to do with their growth. No, just give up everything, and let this story end. You're not getting out of it otherwise."     That one--a samurai, isn't it? With the implanted gems. Either of them could attack her, or Nox--but caution is advisable, on their part. Hm, troublesome. It would be easier to release her prepared counter if they would take to either the air or the ground. But they must, if they're to act at all, mustn't they? She's providing all this provocation, after all. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     In truth, after the sound battering at Igarashi, Kuro-hime and Hagane-hime are clearly in no state to fight, not even for a samurai and a full on miniaturized war golem. On closer inspection, one of Hagane-hime's eyes is cracked down the middle, and Kuro-hime appears weary. Far too haggard. They will probably attack if prompted, and the mercenary ripping the carriage door off, does make Kuro-hime fumble for her sword. "Get out of there!"     It's too late. With another gasp, the figure inside the carriage shrinks back. A girl in her mid-teens; dark hair, hauntingly beautiful, and dressed in a pure white kimono. She's cradling a telling bruise on her cheek.     "Ah... Who are you? What do you want with father?"     Niji is frothing, wild and clearly out of his mind. It's hard to tell if he's drooling while laying insult in the face of the sword, as if wholly forgetting that it can kill him, or if that's just the rain. "They are mine! You cannot have them! You will have to kill me to take away what I love the most!" Blathered as he spouts venom to Adelyn, too, "They call me what I AM! I gave them life, I brought them into the world, I brought them back from death! There is no one more fitting than I-- What no! Leave my Shiro be!" He howls.     He's not doing the best job defending himself. It is Hagane-hime who speaks up, quietly. "... Father is not well."     It's now that another voice speaks up from under the coach.     "Oh you can kill him if you want." Lu-Mey says, as casual as can be as she crawls out, covered in mud and blood. "I'm done with him, really. I just wanted you all to see what could have been." Added as she pops her neck back into proper alignment. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The mercenary glares at Niji, then shakes her head. "I am not going to hurt her," is all she says. "It looks like she's been injured. I'm here to help her." That's what she claims, anyway, but she's pulling a kunai out of her top while she says it. It could be taken as aggression...     But she tosses it to Shiro instead, handle-first, and climbs away to get out of the carriage. "Shiro-hime. If you truly love your father, you can strike me. I don't care. If you do not, then he will die, either by my blade or that of my companions." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Well, that's rather disappointing, but perhaps unavoidable. There were previously more of them, and they did still lose. Rational, yet still disappointing. Recklessness at this stage would provide more opportunities for observation.     "'Brought them back from death,' he says. Yes, that would explain some degree of loyalty." Adelyn nods along. "Unwell. Possibly broken. Likely not worth fixing. Some things aren't." She shrugs, and looks Lu-Mey. "What could have been? I may still be missing some relevant pieces of background information. Ah, say, that one girl isn't quite like the others. Is that relevant, or coincidence?"     At the mercenary's words, she grins up at the carriage's drivers. She's not making any promises not to kill him, under any circumstances. If anything, her stance, and the glow of an activation circle at her finger-tips, could be taken as an implicit threat. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     The eyes of Nox's mask narrow to glowing blue slits as the entirety of the situation sinks in, taking in the sight of bruised and terrified girl inside the carriage. Even his loyal 'daughters' know that there is something profoundly wrong with him. "I see." he shoots at Lu-Mey, inwardly strugging with the urge to allow Starless Night to work rather than spraying Lord Niji's blood all over the expensive woodwork. Nobody is leaping to his defense now. It's a strange, tense, uncomfortable grey area, where nobody is quite sure what should happen. Are the girls simply afraid? Are they now unwilling to lay down their lives for the man they had come to see for what he really is? Were they /hoping/ for something out of their hands to take him away, unable to find it within themselves to do the job personally? What kind of damage could be done by their 'father's death, as opposed to who it could save.     Tiring of those questions, Nox flicks his sword downwards, hitting Niji over the shoulders with a crushing wave of spatial expansion, slamming him face down into the mud. He doesn't care to use much restraint at this point, likely breaking a bone or two in the process. "A very curious definition of love. I think you may have misheard me however. I told you to give me a reason not to kill you. If you don't have a good answer, please, at least try to take a shot in the dark. My patience is running out." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     "I heard you perfectly well, Kongohki!" Niji spews. The horizontal flight of a few droplets says more than just rain is flying as he devolves into apoplexy, in an odd backwards display of concern for someone other than himself, even if he is as wholly broken as perceived.     Because Lu-Mey adjusts her dress and with a few more bone-aligning pops seems to be as good as new. "That's not the man who ruined my life." She says quite simply. "It's just a hollowed out husk of wanton desire and passions, corrupted by worldly ways and with no sense left enough within it to even beconsidered a person. Lord Niji of Igarashi has been dead a very long time. That is Asura." The oni says very levelly. A statement that gets lulls the two warrior princesses into a silence that says they already long knew this.     "Killing him would only be doing him a mercy." She adds, after giving Adelyn her explanation, before shrugging half-heartedly.     It looks like it's come to a choice. Kill Asura-Niji                            Spare it     The mention of Shiro-hime however makes Lu-Mey tense, scarlet eyes shutting tightly and looking away from the horror-stricken girl struggling out of the carriage into the rain, "No, you can't!" Called desperately after Starless. She doesn't seem to even realize she's carrying the kunai as tightly as she is. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn gives a thoughtful "I see," to Lu-Mey. Asura are a concept she's only aware of through whatever literature of Tenra has passed across her desk, but the explanation is largely understood, at the least. "A bit like the vestiges of spirit summoned via fourth-rate necromancy, isn't it? Continuing to play at life based on a jumble of memories and insane hope. Abominable, in that sense." She sighs. "But lecturing on the matter won't do any good at this stage. Ah, well!" She claps her hands. "I could do it myself, but I'd need to be careful not to crush anyone standing nearby. I didn't bring a sword, and current terrain is not conducive to precision. Would someone with a sword please finish it? Unless you'd rather wait and allow me."     There are several reasons for her choice, but all she says is, a trifle more quietly, "Parents raise children for the sake of their future. This futile clinging to the past is contradictory to any noble purpose. To progress can only be helped by cutting off this illusion." 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Well that solves it. Nox has very little idea what an Asura is, but clearly Niji is so far gone that even the princesses know it. Some lingering attachment of previous love prevents them from going against him, but their former affections are clearly not enough to blind them to their 'father's true nature. He is insane. Categorically so. Leaving these girls in his care can only end badly. Worse than what killing him before poor Shiro-hime's eyes will do. Nox's tone drops from its barely repressed frenzy to a low, even, perhaps even slightly sad sound.     "This is no family."     With that, he drives the point of his sword straight through Niji's spine, impaling him against the ground. Before there is even so much time for his heart to stop beating, a flash of cerluean light sparks down the length of the blade, striking the Asura's back whereupon it explodes into a conflagration of pale blue fire, engulfing him in a flash inferno that should utterly disintegrate him, leaving behind a scorched and glassy crater in the earth. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "Can't I?" Starless peers at Shiro. "Why not? Why do you even care that much? Attack me then, if you truly love him. This man you call father, because he made you in the shape of his real daughter." She spreads her hands, stepping up closer to Niji. "That is what it is, isn't it? You're a replacement. Made for the real daughter he lost. He wants you to be her... to STAY her. But it's all a lie. She rebelled against him, in some small ways, you know. So even this mockery of her memory is wrong." She smiles. "Or you can choose to be your own person. What would you like?"     Then... Niji is disintegrated.     "Oops. Waited too long." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Oddly. For a sight that Lu-Mey would have enjoyed at any other time in her life. She does not watch. Even Kuro and Hagane avert their gaze as their consciences are cleared for them by Nox's blade, and the Asura is rendered little more than a crater.     "I suppose that's finally done. All the better for it." Lu murmurs. "Someone else would have hunted it down and killed it anyway, as all Asura are."     But then comes the cry. A shrill shout of pain and rage at the sight, Shiro-hime launches herself forward. It would seem, unlike her predecessor, she does not desire to rebel, to be her own. "WHY!? Even if he was unwell... Even if that was all true... I..." The girl shrieks, remembering the kunai in her hand now as she flings herself at Starless' ANd Nox taking careless and wholly unskilled swipes, despite Kuro's call to stop.     Lu-Mey, once again, does not intervene. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The kunai arcs toward Starless, and the 'unnamed mercenary' makes no attempt to stop it. She lets it slash open her shoulder, then another cut across the cheek... and only at the third does she move, 'catching' the kunai with her hand and letting it impale her hand, stabbing right through and causing a spray of blood. Or is it?     "You cannot beat me as you are now, and now you are orphaned. I suspect, if anyone knew what you really were, you would be captured and sold," she points out. "It will be difficult for you to live like this, but it looks like your loyalty is with him." Then she shrugs.     "Spare the girl," she says to the others. "If she wants to train enough to fight me, then I am willing to take that risk. I'd hoped she wasn't so enamored."     She looks at Shiro again, "Do you want revenge? Or are you one who does not want to kill? You are more like me than you think. Would you like to know why, or will you go with your... sisters?" Presuming they aren't going to be killed. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     It seems that Starless Night has intercepted the kunai for him, though Nox can't imagine why she would have done so in such a fashion when Shiro couldn't have even come close to hurting his mechanical physique, and when it would be clearly within her ability to avoid it.     "I see no reason to kill her." He states flatly. "Or any of them. They are free to do as they wish." His sword vanishes from his hand, letting him clasp them behind his back as he floats out of the way, staring off to the side in deep contemplation, leaving his less personally invested allies take care of matters. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Nox completes it, and Adelyn looks on without further comment. She's not so much interested in watching Niji die as she is in watching Nox's sword function. His magic is so different from her own, though similar in enough respects to make for some fascinating potential studies.     Oh, and Shiro is attacking. No longer a princess--or is she still? Adelyn is uncertain as to the details of social hierarchy in this land. It hasn't seemed terribly important. This she watches idly, more because it's happening in front of her than for any interest in it. Unlike the others, that girl has nothing the archmage finds of value, and even her foolishness is unworthy of comment.     This is true until the 'mercenary' speaks. 'What she really is'? So, the pattern does continue. Still, that's just a passing matter. "Of course. I believe we're done here." She turns to Lu-Mey, who seems rather less than heavily invested, herself. "Aren't we?"     As far as the mage is concerned, they've just freed those girls from some unhealthy baggage. They'll be eventually grateful for it, if they aren't interminable fools. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Being made with no purpose in life other than to be a pretty replacement for a lost daughter, the assessment is true. Shiro-hime hasn't a ghost's breath of a chance against Starless. Thusly, the little white doll falls to her knees with a small splash in the mud. Her voice is a thin, reedy whisper,"I don't want that... I already knew. But as much as all of us knew, none of us could bring ourselves to do what ha to be done." Shifting into a formal bow, Shiro-hime prostrates herself before Starless, Nox, and Adelyn. "Forgive my outburst. Thank you, and goodbye."     While Kuro and Hagane edge out from their perches with nowhere else to go, they seem inclined to go with the Confederates and rejoin their other sisters. Shiro-hime is however edging towards the cliff edge.     Lu-Mey has already started walking off one last shrug of her shoulders. "She always was that kind. Even to the broken." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn seems faintly amused by something, as the three girls make their choices. That's preferable to her looking bored, at least. She makes no sign of accepting Shiro's apology, but this is only because the offense hadn't registered on her as something to pay attention to, even for resulting in her ally being attacked. If Starless wants to discuss that point, that's her business.     She'll ask how the other princesses are doing sometime later. She still has some curiosity over that aftermath, but this rain suppresses the desire to start conversation. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Oh come on. This was already sad enough. Despite being by far the Confederate with the longest history of cold blooded killing present, Nox isn't about to let a poor misguided girl commit suicide right in front of him. As Shiro-hime starts edging away, he glances over his shoulder, and then extends one arm towards her, the space around his palm rippling slightly as an unseen force grabs hold of her from around each shoulder. Gesturing over towards the other two princesses, he lifts the white kugutsu out of the mud and aims to drop her in Hagane-hime's arms, knowing the konghoki to be the most protective of her siblings. He gives the both of them a silent looks, as if to communicate "you know better than this" to the former, and "you take care of this" to the latter. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Sigh. Starless shakes her head, "Pathetic," she murmurs. There's no venom in her voice, though. "Perhaps one day. I will check up on you again. What a waste..." She seems genuinely disappointed, though that may be because of her own warped sensibilities.     Well, it's over. Not much point in lingering. Nox is taking care of it, and she only adds, "Take care of her. There are those who would fight wars over that one." 

}}

1854/The Last Color Of The Rainbow

2015-03-23T02:55:31Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/22 |Location=Tenra |Synopsis="Killing him would only be doing him a mercy." |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=202, 234, 336, 546 |Tinyplot= |Tin..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/22
|Location=Tenra
|Synopsis="Killing him would only be doing him a mercy."
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=202, 234, 336, 546
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It is a poor day in the land of Tenra. Dark clouds hang overcast blotting out the sun in a terrible downpour. Sheets of water falling endlessly from the sky make the roads a miserable place to be, and send people in the nearby cities scurrying to hide in the shelter of their homes, or the nearest amenible space to hide.     The meeting spot is not in a city.     Despite the abysmal weather, Lu-Mey has called several of her more trusted allies to a small stretch of road, deep in the wilderness, halfway up a mountain. The curves of the road are treacherous even on a good day, making travel by wagon a nightmare, and travel by foot a miserable experience best only attempted during saner periods of weather. Still the pass has one benefit. It is the fastest course out of the region of Castle Igarashi, and into the next province over.     Lu-Mey, despite being soaked to the bone and shivering looks rather chipper, all things considered. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     The rain doesn't bother Nox. The steady downpour lets off a constant, quiet, rattling pitter-patter as it strikes the metal plates on his body, sluicing off over the edges of his armour. Though he seems utterly indifferent to it, on some small level, back in the deepest corners of his thoughts, he thinks it's a rather melancholy thing that he can barely feel it.     There's no sense in getting something soaked, and so he has attended only in his ordinary getup, hovering sedately over the saturated grass as a stream of water runs from the points of his feet into the dirt below. He regards Lu-Mey with guarded curiosity, wondering what else there could possibly be to do on this world. She's already won, hasn't she? 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn could probably get used to the rain if she let herself, but that's not the kind of thing she has any motivation to do. Besides, /books/. You don't get books wet, and you don't go anywhere as a Towers mage if you can't carry books. It should therefore be unsurprising that she is, though not terribly visibly, using a ward that prevents the rain from getting too close to her. This doesn't stop it from being cold, but at least she won't get anything wet.     Like Nox, he regards Lu-Mey with some curiosity, wondering as to the details of this next goal for which her help has been requested. Adelyn is relatively open at that, as hiding social cues isn't something she's really good at without concentration. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     A young traveller is nearby. Dressed in some rather threadbare clothing, the young woman looks like the sort of sellsword that is down on her luck, not a reliable sort. She has an umbrella... but it has a few holes in it, and she otherwise looks pretty quietly frustrated at the rain.     She does, however, possess a gemblade. A much more ornate sword, it's in a battered sheath that indicates the blade is either stolen, or perhaps an heirloom. It's a pretty sorry state for such a blade to be with a down-on-her-luck mercenary, but perhaps Lu-Mey has reason for hiring her. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     That seems to be everyone who is coming then, and still the oni hasn't explained a thing. The little spot she's picked for the meet is semi-hidden in a slight alcove in the rock face by the road. There's not a lick of protection from the elements, but it does hide the group from the sight of anyone coming down the bend.     Lu-Mey claps her hands once, an act that is much louder with wet palms as she flashes a wide smile of fanged teeth. "So I bet you're all wondering why we're all out here in the soaking rain aren't you?" Chirruped as if she were just having a complete field day as lightning flashes, and thunder roars distantly. "Well hold that thought!"     With a beaming smile, she takes one- two- three steps into the middle of the road.     And is promptly run over by the horse-drawn cart that suddenly barrels down the tracherous road much faster than should be safe.     Of course this means her mangled, broken, corpse sets the horses panicking, clogs up, and breaks the axles, and sends the cart careening out of control into the mountain wall. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn doesn't nod, but yes, this is pretty obviously curious. She waits for the explanation, and--     Then turns her curiosity to the other two present. "Did she mean to do that?" Could they even know? She's not sure who the young woman even is, though she's worked out a probability model that provides a few reasoned guesses. Unimportant for the moment, in likelihood.     Adelyn steps out from the alcove, looking after the carriage. It didn't get very far, did it? If so, there's no particular reason to hurry, but she feels she really should go and have a closer look, so she does. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Sigh. The mercenary - and she wouldn't care if Adelyn figured out who she was/worked for, really - shakes her head at the method used. "I don't know." She really doesn't! She's also going to check out the carriage, since she knows that Lu-Mey HAS to be dead. Or will be getting up again. Depending on who she really is.     "What sort of carriage is it?" she asks, hopping up atop the wreck to see what the survivor situation is, or what they were carrying. Rather callous to be thinking of that, rather than trying to rescue anyone, but she doubts her companions will be bothered. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox is considerably less taken aback this time than the last time he had seen Lu-Mey's body broken to near pieces. Of course, a high number is still less than an arbitrarily even higher one. He teleports on the spot to face the opposite direction rather than simply turning the 180 degrees normally, turning his head to watch the progress of the carriage, before angling it down to Lu-Mey's corpse at the sound of splintering wood.     "I believe that was an attempt at hijacking the carriage without attempting to hold it up like a bandit. I believe it succeeded quite admirably." He has faith that Lu-Mey is actually pretty clever and not completely oblivious to everything around her. Leaving her worms to their thankless task of stitching her back together, he winks out of existence in the general direction of the crashed vehicle, backing up the others. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It's not wholly a thankless task, Lu-Mey does take care of the entire ecosystem in her body quite well.     Though from the completely wrecked state her body is in, it's going to take them some time to piece her back together, with large pieces of oni pulped and turned into nasty meaty chunks under the wheels.     The thump of the 'mercenary landing atop the cart results in a startled gasp from within. It is an EXPENSIVE cart, clearly meant for the conveyance of nobles, it's made of retardedly gaudy build, and way too much money was spent on it. Though the curtains are drawn for the moment.     The dirvers however appears furious, as they stand up. A one-armed woman in black, face decorated by tattoos and gems. The other a hooded figure with glowing baleful blue circular lenses for eyes.     Kuro-hime and Hagane-hime do not look happy to see everyone.     It would seem Lu-Mey meant to do that. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn analyzes the situation only to such a level of detail as time allows. Based on previous experience and the current atmosphere, there is a significant chance of violence. Unfortunately, she is not one to be able to quickly bring her full power to bear, without preparation. She can wait and see, placing herself in the disadvantageous position, or... alternatively, she can turn a situation violent unnecessarily, and deal with the anger of strangers.     The one risk far outweighs the issues with the second. She doesn't continue toward the carriage once she has it well in sight, allowing the teleporting xelor and the rather agile mercenary to reach it well ahead of her. She stops where she is, and she begins to weave her spells. She is necessarily very obvious in this, with the glowing lines forming circles in the air, the low chant of unintelligible speech, and the warping of mana in the air and earth. There's a mountain right here, kindly provided. She just needs a few moments to turn it into a weapon. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox had been expecting something along the lines of some well-to-do noble carting himself off to escape Lu-Mey's new grip of Igarashi. His initial assumption had been that the oni must have called the three of them here to intercept them, possibly in a show of force and control to cow the others back into line. What he never would have expected in a million years is to see one familiar face and one /very/ familiar set of eyes. The revelation gives him several good moments of pause, thankfully not reflected in his ever impassive and expressionless mask.     "Well well, what do we have here?" he finally intones, looking directly for Hagane-hime rather than her companion. If he's nervous, he doesn't sound it. Possibly because they outnumber them this time. Likely because he never seems to get past the point of mild apprehension. Ever. "I had assumed you would be long gone by now. What reason do you have for being here, if I may so inquire?" 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Staring down at the two rising from the carriage, the unnamed mercenary narrows her eyes. She says nothing to the two that have risen... and instead shows a sudden interest in the carriage itself, and its occupants. Dropping down, she peers at the wreckage and asks, bluntly, "Who else is inside?" 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Judging from the nasty pop under the wheels, Lu is starting to piece herself back together, but for now she's too busy being dead to join in the events going on.     Kuro-hime gives Starless the mercenary a hard glower, no sign of recognition at all due to the kugutsu's disguise, while Hagane-hime merely quirks her head to a slight angle with a ratcheting clank of machinery.     "That's not particularly any of your business." The Samurai spits, before her metal sibling adds, in her halting, stiltited tone: "Haven't you done enough damage already?"     Much as they try to deflect, there's a thump and a squeal from inside the carriage and a growl of "Stay in your seat."     Before the door busts open.     Lord Niji-- not so much a lord anymore with ihs land and property all taken, storms out, a wild and mad gleam in his eye, he hasn't even bothered to guard himself against the rain or the mud as he stumbles from the wreck in his overly fine and multicolored clothes. "What is the meaning of this? Have you come to take the last of my precious things?!" 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Oh. It seems Nox was right.     Now this is a man he absolutely cannot stand. A desperate madman playing at being a father, collecting daughters like trophies without even so much as the decency to address them as people. 'Precious things'. The term makes him sick. He'd already had enough of Niji last time, and so his patience is considerably strained already. Nox extends his hand towards the lord's face, the interlocking clockwork of his sword shooing outward from the appearance of the hilt between his fingers until the point flashes into existence just before his throat. The only reason he doesn't blow him away on the spot is that the girls are behind him.     "You are correct. I've already had more than enough of this place" He shoots to Hagane-hime, his voice sharp and his words rushed. "Had I known this would be waiting for me, I wouldn't have come at all, but since I'm here." His gaze turns back from the Konghoki towards her fake father with a stiff, mechanical click. "You've already been spared once. Give me one good reason why I should allow you to continue to live." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The mercenary doesn't even say anything to the lord. The others might - MIGHT - catch an odd glimpse of something in her face, a twist of burning hatred that clashes with the normal impassive look. Yet she doesn't try to slay him or anything... oh no. She has another thought, toward the one who was left inside.     The mercenary kneels down and /yanks/ hard on the carriage door, enough to rip it free, then she slides in to see if the one she suspects is in there. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Hold, hold... yes. The pattern has now stabilized. She can activate it at any time. The approach vector will be limited--only the wall of the mountain, or the path, following a single curve. Still, it should be sufficient.     Adelyn approaches. "One can hardly call this scenario complete while you still have precious things left to take. Ah, but don't fret too early. It can always get worse." She's not being particularly diplomatic about this, but then, no one had asked her to be. "They're rather better off in other's hands, anyway. It's not as if you're fit to have such holdings." Oh, but the land was never really the point, was it? "Nor servants, nor soldiers, nor--how did they address you? 'Father'?" She laughs. "An unfitting role! They're too good for you, and I can hardly believe you've anything to do with their growth. No, just give up everything, and let this story end. You're not getting out of it otherwise."     That one--a samurai, isn't it? With the implanted gems. Either of them could attack her, or Nox--but caution is advisable, on their part. Hm, troublesome. It would be easier to release her prepared counter if they would take to either the air or the ground. But they must, if they're to act at all, mustn't they? She's providing all this provocation, after all. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     In truth, after the sound battering at Igarashi, Kuro-hime and Hagane-hime are clearly in no state to fight, not even for a samurai and a full on miniaturized war golem. On closer inspection, one of Hagane-hime's eyes is cracked down the middle, and Kuro-hime appears weary. Far too haggard. They will probably attack if prompted, and the mercenary ripping the carriage door off, does make Kuro-hime fumble for her sword. "Get out of there!"     It's too late. With another gasp, the figure inside the carriage shrinks back. A girl in her mid-teens; dark hair, hauntingly beautiful, and dressed in a pure white kimono. She's cradling a telling bruise on her cheek.     "Ah... Who are you? What do you want with father?"     Niji is frothing, wild and clearly out of his mind. It's hard to tell if he's drooling while laying insult in the face of the sword, as if wholly forgetting that it can kill him, or if that's just the rain. "They are mine! You cannot have them! You will have to kill me to take away what I love the most!" Blathered as he spouts venom to Adelyn, too, "They call me what I AM! I gave them life, I brought them into the world, I brought them back from death! There is no one more fitting than I-- What no! Leave my Shiro be!" He howls.     He's not doing the best job defending himself. It is Hagane-hime who speaks up, quietly. "... Father is not well."     It's now that another voice speaks up from under the coach.     "Oh you can kill him if you want." Lu-Mey says, as casual as can be as she crawls out, covered in mud and blood. "I'm done with him, really. I just wanted you all to see what could have been." Added as she pops her neck back into proper alignment. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The mercenary glares at Niji, then shakes her head. "I am not going to hurt her," is all she says. "It looks like she's been injured. I'm here to help her." That's what she claims, anyway, but she's pulling a kunai out of her top while she says it. It could be taken as aggression...     But she tosses it to Shiro instead, handle-first, and climbs away to get out of the carriage. "Shiro-hime. If you truly love your father, you can strike me. I don't care. If you do not, then he will die, either by my blade or that of my companions." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Well, that's rather disappointing, but perhaps unavoidable. There were previously more of them, and they did still lose. Rational, yet still disappointing. Recklessness at this stage would provide more opportunities for observation.     "'Brought them back from death,' he says. Yes, that would explain some degree of loyalty." Adelyn nods along. "Unwell. Possibly broken. Likely not worth fixing. Some things aren't." She shrugs, and looks Lu-Mey. "What could have been? I may still be missing some relevant pieces of background information. Ah, say, that one girl isn't quite like the others. Is that relevant, or coincidence?"     At the mercenary's words, she grins up at the carriage's drivers. She's not making any promises not to kill him, under any circumstances. If anything, her stance, and the glow of an activation circle at her finger-tips, could be taken as an implicit threat. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     The eyes of Nox's mask narrow to glowing blue slits as the entirety of the situation sinks in, taking in the sight of bruised and terrified girl inside the carriage. Even his loyal 'daughters' know that there is something profoundly wrong with him. "I see." he shoots at Lu-Mey, inwardly strugging with the urge to allow Starless Night to work rather than spraying Lord Niji's blood all over the expensive woodwork. Nobody is leaping to his defense now. It's a strange, tense, uncomfortable grey area, where nobody is quite sure what should happen. Are the girls simply afraid? Are they now unwilling to lay down their lives for the man they had come to see for what he really is? Were they /hoping/ for something out of their hands to take him away, unable to find it within themselves to do the job personally? What kind of damage could be done by their 'father's death, as opposed to who it could save.     Tiring of those questions, Nox flicks his sword downwards, hitting Niji over the shoulders with a crushing wave of spatial expansion, slamming him face down into the mud. He doesn't care to use much restraint at this point, likely breaking a bone or two in the process. "A very curious definition of love. I think you may have misheard me however. I told you to give me a reason not to kill you. If you don't have a good answer, please, at least try to take a shot in the dark. My patience is running out." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     "I heard you perfectly well, Kongohki!" Niji spews. The horizontal flight of a few droplets says more than just rain is flying as he devolves into apoplexy, in an odd backwards display of concern for someone other than himself, even if he is as wholly broken as perceived.     Because Lu-Mey adjusts her dress and with a few more bone-aligning pops seems to be as good as new. "That's not the man who ruined my life." She says quite simply. "It's just a hollowed out husk of wanton desire and passions, corrupted by worldly ways and with no sense left enough within it to even beconsidered a person. Lord Niji of Igarashi has been dead a very long time. That is Asura." The oni says very levelly. A statement that gets lulls the two warrior princesses into a silence that says they already long knew this.     "Killing him would only be doing him a mercy." She adds, after giving Adelyn her explanation, before shrugging half-heartedly.     It looks like it's come to a chr">Kill Asura-Niji                            Spare it     The mention of Shiro-hime however makes Lu-Mey tense, scarlet eyes shutting tightly and looking away from the horror-stricken girl struggling out of the carriage into the rain, "No, you can't!" Called desperately after Starless. She doesn't seem to even realize she's carrying the kunai as tightly as she is. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn gives a thoughtful "I see," to Lu-Mey. Asura are a concept she's only aware of through whatever literature of Tenra has passed across her desk, but the explanation is largely understood, at the least. "A bit like the vestiges of spirit summoned via fourth-rate necromancy, isn't it? Continuing to play at life based on a jumble of memories and insane hope. Abominable, in that sense." She sighs. "But lecturing on the matter won't do any good at this stage. Ah, well!" She claps her hands. "I could do it myself, but I'd need to be careful not to crush anyone standing nearby. I didn't bring a sword, and current terrain is not conducive to precision. Would someone with a sword please finish it? Unless you'd rather wait and allow me."     There are several reasons for her choice, but all she says is, a trifle more quietly, "Parents raise children for the sake of their future. This futile clinging to the past is contradictory to any noble purpose. To progress can only be helped by cutting off this illusion." 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Well that solves it. Nox has very little idea what an Asura is, but clearly Niji is so far gone that even the princesses know it. Some lingering attachment of previous love prevents them from going against him, but their former affections are clearly not enough to blind them to their 'father's true nature. He is insane. Categorically so. Leaving these girls in his care can only end badly. Worse than what killing him before poor Shiro-hime's eyes will do. Nox's tone drops from its barely repressed frenzy to a low, even, perhaps even slightly sad sound.     "This is no family."     With that, he drives the point of his sword straight through Niji's spine, impaling him against the ground. Before there is even so much time for his heart to stop beating, a flash of cerluean light sparks down the length of the blade, striking the Asura's back whereupon it explodes into a conflagration of pale blue fire, engulfing him in a flash inferno that should utterly disintegrate him, leaving behind a scorched and glassy crater in the earth. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     "Can't I?" Starless peers at Shiro. "Why not? Why do you even care that much? Attack me then, if you truly love him. This man you call father, because he made you in the shape of his real daughter." She spreads her hands, stepping up closer to Niji. "That is what it is, isn't it? You're a replacement. Made for the real daughter he lost. He wants you to be her... to STAY her. But it's all a lie. She rebelled against him, in some small ways, you know. So even this mockery of her memory is wrong." She smiles. "Or you can choose to be your own person. What would you like?"     Then... Niji is disintegrated.     "Oops. Waited too long." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Oddly. For a sight that Lu-Mey would have enjoyed at any other time in her life. She does not watch. Even Kuro and Hagane avert their gaze as their consciences are cleared for them by Nox's blade, and the Asura is rendered little more than a crater.     "I suppose that's finally done. All the better for it." Lu murmurs. "Someone else would have hunted it down and killed it anyway, as all Asura are."     But then comes the cry. A shrill shout of pain and rage at the sight, Shiro-hime launches herself forward. It would seem, unlike her predecessor, she does not desire to rebel, to be her own. "WHY!? Even if he was unwell... Even if that was all true... I..." The girl shrieks, remembering the kunai in her hand now as she flings herself at Starless' ANd Nox taking careless and wholly unskilled swipes, despite Kuro's call to stop.     Lu-Mey, once again, does not intervene. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The kunai arcs toward Starless, and the 'unnamed mercenary' makes no attempt to stop it. She lets it slash open her shoulder, then another cut across the cheek... and only at the third does she move, 'catching' the kunai with her hand and letting it impale her hand, stabbing right through and causing a spray of blood. Or is it?     "You cannot beat me as you are now, and now you are orphaned. I suspect, if anyone knew what you really were, you would be captured and sold," she points out. "It will be difficult for you to live like this, but it looks like your loyalty is with him." Then she shrugs.     "Spare the girl," she says to the others. "If she wants to train enough to fight me, then I am willing to take that risk. I'd hoped she wasn't so enamored."     She looks at Shiro again, "Do you want revenge? Or are you one who does not want to kill? You are more like me than you think. Would you like to know why, or will you go with your... sisters?" Presuming they aren't going to be killed. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     It seems that Starless Night has intercepted the kunai for him, though Nox can't imagine why she would have done so in such a fashion when Shiro couldn't have even come close to hurting his mechanical physique, and when it would be clearly within her ability to avoid it.     "I see no reason to kill her." He states flatly. "Or any of them. They are free to do as they wish." His sword vanishes from his hand, letting him clasp them behind his back as he floats out of the way, staring off to the side in deep contemplation, leaving his less personally invested allies take care of matters. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Nox completes it, and Adelyn looks on without further comment. She's not so much interested in watching Niji die as she is in watching Nox's sword function. His magic is so different from her own, though similar in enough respects to make for some fascinating potential studies.     Oh, and Shiro is attacking. No longer a princess--or is she still? Adelyn is uncertain as to the details of social hierarchy in this land. It hasn't seemed terribly important. This she watches idly, more because it's happening in front of her than for any interest in it. Unlike the others, that girl has nothing the archmage finds of value, and even her foolishness is unworthy of comment.     This is true until the 'mercenary' speaks. 'What she really is'? So, the pattern does continue. Still, that's just a passing matter. "Of course. I believe we're done here." She turns to Lu-Mey, who seems rather less than heavily invested, herself. "Aren't we?"     As far as the mage is concerned, they've just freed those girls from some unhealthy baggage. They'll be eventually grateful for it, if they aren't interminable fools. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Being made with no purpose in life other than to be a pretty replacement for a lost daughter, the assessment is true. Shiro-hime hasn't a ghost's breath of a chance against Starless. Thusly, the little white doll falls to her knees with a small splash in the mud. Her voice is a thin, reedy whisper,"I don't want that... I already knew. But as much as all of us knew, none of us could bring ourselves to do what ha to be done." Shifting into a formal bow, Shiro-hime prostrates herself before Starless, Nox, and Adelyn. "Forgive my outburst. Thank you, and goodbye."     While Kuro and Hagane edge out from their perches with nowhere else to go, they seem inclined to go with the Confederates and rejoin their other sisters. Shiro-hime is however edging towards the cliff edge.     Lu-Mey has already started walking off one last shrug of her shoulders. "She always was that kind. Even to the broken." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn seems faintly amused by something, as the three girls make their choices. That's preferable to her looking bored, at least. She makes no sign of accepting Shiro's apology, but this is only because the offense hadn't registered on her as something to pay attention to, even for resulting in her ally being attacked. If Starless wants to discuss that point, that's her business.     She'll ask how the other princesses are doing sometime later. She still has some curiosity over that aftermath, but this rain suppresses the desire to start conversation. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Oh come on. This was already sad enough. Despite being by far the Confederate with the longest history of cold blooded killing present, Nox isn't about to let a poor misguided girl commit suicide right in front of him. As Shiro-hime starts edging away, he glances over his shoulder, and then extends one arm towards her, the space around his palm rippling slightly as an unseen force grabs hold of her from around each shoulder. Gesturing over towards the other two princesses, he lifts the white kugutsu out of the mud and aims to drop her in Hagane-hime's arms, knowing the konghoki to be the most protective of her siblings. He gives the both of them a silent looks, as if to communicate "you know better than this" to the former, and "you take care of this" to the latter. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Sigh. Starless shakes her head, "Pathetic," she murmurs. There's no venom in her voice, though. "Perhaps one day. I will check up on you again. What a waste..." She seems genuinely disappointed, though that may be because of her own warped sensibilities.     Well, it's over. Not much point in lingering. Nox is taking care of it, and she only adds, "Take care of her. There are those who would fight wars over that one." 

}}

1825/Garage Talk

2015-03-18T00:32:59Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/17 |Location=Boston-666 |Synopsis=Just an absolutely normal chat between two friends. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=253, 395 |Tinyplot= |Tin..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/17
|Location=Boston-666
|Synopsis=Just an absolutely normal chat between two friends.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=253, 395
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Today sees Psyber working in his garage. All the sauces and most of his stuff is ready for the grilling tomorrow, which means he has some free time to tune up a car or two. And that's precisely what he's doing.     Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, Psyber is currently buried up to his chest under a car that is lifted slightly off the ground. There's the sound of a wrench being worked or some other tool that occasionally drifts from underneath the vehicle and there's a radio nearby tuned to some local classic rock station or another. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Hey you."     It's a familiar voice that much is for sure. Though Amalthea doesn't stop by the tower as often as she used to, it's still not an out of the ordinary sight to see the unicorn in Boston- much more these days than usual. That might be why she's invaded the garage, kneeling to get a peek under the car while Psyber works, in a sudden, unannounced visit. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     There's the sound of rolling wheels as the cart Psyber was laying on slowly withdraws out from under the car when she peeks at it. The car itself is almost unidentifiably rusty and beat up, "Hey. I was just checking out a scrapped '65 220 SE. See if I could do a full resto for fun."     One of his arms is in a sling and shows signs of frostbite, but is clearly recovering. The other one is holding a ratchet, "So what's up?" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     With the wheely cart skreaking and the half-angel rolling out from under the car, Amaltheea crouches, hands planting on her knees as she inclines her head in her usual lazy-ass nod of greeting. Another peek under the car gets her a look at Psyber's erstwhile handiwork so far. "Huh. Thinking of doing anything special with it, or just restoring it to its old glory?" Idle conversation as she eyes the slung-bound arm.     She's not really going to LIE to him though about her reasons for being here. "Mostly. I just came to check up on you." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber wiggles the slung-bound arm when he sees her looking at it, "Took some frostbite against an ice and water pair last night. Should be good by tomorrow." He then looks to the car and thinks, "I dunno. Thinking of giving it to Homura for her birthday as her first car, maybe. She can't carpool with me to university forever."     "I am getting by. Having to deceive Nathan the way I do is hard, but necessary. I'm sure that when it all comes to a head, he's going to be devastated, so I hope people like you and Pegasus will be there to help him." Psyber says pretty honestly, leaning back against the rusted frame of the car to look up at her. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Frostbite huh. Well Amalthea isn't so worried about Psyber physically as to she da tear over his arm, if he says it'll be better within the day, she leaves it as is. "Not a bad gift." She concedes, lightly patting the car, before things swing into a more serious direction.     "Deception isn't exactly easy when done against a friend, no." She concedes. "But Nathan is blind." She says with a distinct finality, lone eye sliding closed for the duration of a small sigh. "You're right. He has Pegasus. But I'm going to be here for -you- in that time." She says, turning her gaze pointedly on him. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber lets out a deflecting laugh and then waves his hand and says, "Me? I love my job, even with how rough it can be. I'm doing my duty, which is hard, but it has to be done by someone." Psyber non-answers her.     "Why would you think I need help?" He asks cautiously, watching her with his red gaze. He twirls the ratchet he was holding in his hand between his fingers lazily. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     And that laugh is met only by an intense stare. Blue eye locks on red in a silent, and hard gaze that says the unicorn knows Psyber all too well for him to try and pull that on her.     "Duty never needs to be shouldered alone. I thought you would have learned that by now. Or are you just as blind as Nathan? And please don't tell me that's the case." She counters.     At least before she sighs a small snort of steam, running doll-jointed fingers through her hair. "We know each other very wel, by now, Psyber. And while we still have our mysteries that we keep from one another, I know you take everything you do very personally, and if you think I don't see the strain going on for everyone I will reminde you that just because I have one eye doesn't mean I'm wholly blind." She pauses there, glancing aside briefly. "I guess I just came to say, if you ever needed to breathe or get anything off your chest, you know you can come to me. I'll listen. I'll never judge." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber sighs a bit when his deflection goes pretty unsuccessfully, "I know I don't have to shoulder duty alone. That's why I brought you and Himei in to help me. Reiji now too. But I'm still going to try to take as much of the fallout as is possible from this to save you guys career trouble." Psyber notes seriously.     "I don't have many secrets. You know all the basics of the matter: The current arrangements are hard," Psyber sighs, "I love my job despite that. It's very difficult for me to be in the position I am between people, with Elliana as so divisive a topic. It's all semantics from there."     He looks towards her, "I appreciate it, though. I don't have a lot of people I can open up to." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     A flump, and just like that, Amalthea plops down, setting her back against the car as she settles beside the half angel. Cherish the moment well, because one mechanical arm goes right over Psyber's shoulder, despite the unicorn's professed distaste for prolonged physical contact with others. "The basics yes. And a few of the complexities. But that's a rabbit hole to go down when I get to it." She chuffs.     "I can live without a career." She does note. "It is... Strange to me. The complexities of human tensions." She murmurs, before turning that steely ocean-deep gaze upon the half-celestial again, expression far too placid.     "The hardest division is one stricken between friends. Nathan's reasons are obvious. He was betrayed, it upsets him, as much as he loathes displaying his feelings. You on the other hands; betrayed just the same as he was, and trying a different path that isn't Elliana's total annihilation. Divisive as the situation is, I'm certain your reasons are more valid than blind rage and petty vengeance, and that's why I chose your side of the fence, much as the whole situation baffles and pains me." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is awkward with physical contact himself, so when Amalthea puts her arm around him, he tenses up a bit before taking a breath and relaxing. He scowls slightly, "It's a very deep rabbit hole."     "I know you can live without a career, but Lest is a peer of mine and Ariel is like family. I won't detriment them for actions I decided upon and roped you into. I refuse to," He says adamantly, his free hand curling into a fist idly and cracking his knuckles.     "My reasons are... private. They're arguably as biased as Nathan's, but in a different bent," He admits to Amalthea, "I told you that before, I worry that I am almost as selfish as him and that all of this plays into my own hand." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Now that eye's gaze hardens, narrowing a fraction. "My decision was my own, I was roped into nothing." She pointes out solidly. Before her hand squeezes at a shoulder and she pulls her arm back, to hug her knees to her chest, still eyeing Psyber in that sidelong manner. "Is that so? Well there's nothing wrong with selfishness, it's the way most creatures are. It's when that selfishness leads to ill, that it had best be quashed. I trust you, Psyber, I trust that in the long run you seek to do good. And won't let that lead you astray in some insane templar fashion." She chuffs. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber laughs to Amalthea and then looks at her, "No, no. I have no templar desire or grand scheme in motion. I'm not planning a great action, nor am I aspiring to a lofty goal." He smiles a bit, "I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I'm just a stupid guy following an equally stupid, almost impossible, goal." He gives her a thumbs up with his good hand as if to prove his point.     "My only regret is that I can't get Haruno or Nathan to see how much it means to me." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Stupid, Psyber says. Impossible, he says. Sidelong glance turns into a serious, intent stare from that lone eye, as if the unicorn were trying to read into Psyber's very soul, despite his chuckling and laughter. Her focus is wholly upon his face when he fires off the thumbs up. Amalthea's ingers buzz briefly, tap-tap-tapping on her knee in thought, before she breaks the stare.     "That's good, then. I'd rather follow a emotional fool on a wild and stupid goal than a logical lackwit who's bad at hiding his rage." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber's smile turns into an awkward half-smile as her eye looks into his very soul, figuratively. His look is an awkward mix of uncertainty and nervousness that seems to say 'I've given you all the pieces to this puzzle, you just need to arrange them right'. Finally, though, she speaks.     "I'm glad you feel that way," He says with a nervous sigh, "Here's hoping it all works out in our favor." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "In our favor? Or do you really hope for it to be in your favor?" Amalthea asks a bit more bluntly in the face of that guiltily nervous face. "I suppose favor upon the rest of us would be a bonus though." Added as an afterthought. From the newly suspicious glint in that lone blue eye, pieces may be falling, edging into place. It's with another slow breath and hiss of steam that she musters herself, charging the topic with all the delicacy of a battering ram.     "How long, then?" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "About a year and a half," Psyber says in a quiet tone. He looks away and out over the garage instead.     Now it's his turn to bring his knees up to his chest and wrap his arm around them, "I've kept it very carefully hidden because it's irrelevant. I'm a Union Colonel. That dream was torment on me, though."     He murmurs a bit, "I've hidden it very well, haven't I? I never lied about it, I gave people all the pieces, but no one ever put it all together before you and Himei." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "You hid it well." Amalthea concedes in a soft voice. "You're wrong though, it's not irrelevant." The unicorn says with a shake of her head. In truth it is a clear emotional bias, and though she recognizes the fact, she buttons her lip, as it is not the most important matter at hand. With an inward breath, silvery lips purse. "I'd say you're hopeless. But that goes against my grain. But I know that face. I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner. I suppose this only means you are all the more doom-driven to see this through." Mused, before she lets that hang in the air for a moment.     "I won't tell anyone." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "I told you. I'm just a stupid guy following an equally stupid, almost impossible, goal," Psyber notes, looking sideways at her, "You can say it's hopless and I'll agree, but let me ask you this: 'If someone had told you Ellestaria was hopeless, would that have stopped you?'." He says seriously. Not as an accusation, more as a point of fact she can relate to.     "I appreciate that you won't tell anybody, though. I'm not ready for people to know." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Then... Then comes the chuckle. A soft, almost tinkling, bell-like sound as Amalthea toses her hair with another shake of her head. "Oh no. No that wouldn't have stopped me. Just like I imagine nothing is going to stop you." She concedes, before doll-jointed fingers take Psyber's hand, clasping it in both of her own.     "I said you're hopeless. I didn't say your dream was."     She holds for a moment before releasing, and picking herself up to stand. "Knowing you, you'll find some brash way to make it work." Stated before shrugging exaggeratedly.     "I'm just a simple unicorn. A wild creature of emotion and instinct. It is not my right to share the business of one man with any other." 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "I never had a real family growing up," Psyber says to Amalthea seriously when she takes his hand and squeezes it, "I am not accustomed to being able to trust any person with the whole of my problems. It is good to know I have people like you that I can consider my family now."     "Thank you for coming to check on me. It has been a helpful, if utterly awkward, experience," Psyber says seriously, watching her as she moves, "And I'm going to try, but I also know it might fail, so I'm not gonna throw away everything for it."     "Take care of yourself, Amal. You, Lest and Ariel are all really lucky." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "I didn't have much of one, myself. I understand." Amalthea replies. If anything it gets a contemplative tilt of her head for a moment. "I would think. True family is what and who we make of it." Decided before she shrugs again. "Anyway. Don't make me feel like I have to poke in on you; you can come to me now when you need it, you know that." Added before she shakes her head on mention of awkwardness, as she makes for the exit of the garage, tail swishing lazily.     "My hopes goes with you in all you do, regardless." 

}}

1809/Stepping OOC

2015-03-15T12:31:14Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/14 |Location=SBC Glocken |Synopsis=Amalie comes clean about her involvement in the Death Gun investigation. ... Or does she? Roleplaying cl..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/14
|Location=SBC Glocken
|Synopsis=Amalie comes clean about her involvement in the Death Gun investigation. ... Or does she? Roleplaying cloak and dagger bullshit in the roleplay of my roleplay? Yo dawg.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=1, 6, 395
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     SBC Glocken. It's currently evening according to server time, which means the crashed space ship is alight and alive with its nightlife of active players searching for better guns, purchasing ammunition, looking for groups and gathering new quests.     The section of the ship-city that Amalie has tugges Kirito to meet her at is a small player-run back-alley establishment.     It has to be player run, considering it's a MAID CAFE. After all, where else is there a place to have a clandestine meeting with a GUN TOTING MAID than in a shop full of GUN TOTING MAIDS.     Funny enough, Amalie isn't in her moud uniform, though her hair is still tied back in a single long braid, and the fact that her eyepatch is still on says it may be more than RP gear. Instead, the odd roleplayer is in a set of black and grey fatigues, sipping lightly from a cup of DIGITAL TEA while she waits. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Of all the people to call for him, Amalie might've been near the last of the list. But it happened, and Kirito's answered.     "There's even a place like this in Glocken?" He mutters to himself airily, vaguely amused and somewhat disturbed.     He personally tries to avoid weird places like this. And it's all the weirder right now when he strolls in with long hair swishing about freely.     The sooner he gets out of this girly avatar, the better.     A glance left, a peer right... his sweeps eventually pin down Amalie. It's not easy without that ridiculous outfit... but he ambles towards her table and pulls up a chair.     With a poker face up.     "You wanted to talk to me?"     Why the poker face?     Because he's not at all sure how to talk to this person. They're the one person he's tried to avoid having to confront too much... 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Kirito's poker face is met with that typical, vapid, 'maid smile' Amalie normall has on at any given time, as she stirs some more sweetener into her tea. ... Another spoonful. And another. And another. And another. And anoth-... If it were real tea, she would probably be at risk of diabetes at this point, nevertheless, she motions for the chair as the Black Swords-- gunman now plops to sit. "Oh, good of you to come! Thank you for seeing me on such short notice!" Chirruped as she slides a menu over. "Feel free to order anything you want! It's on my tab!" She offers cheerily.     Sure it's digital food but the taste it still there at least. "I feel just terrible not being in proper uniform, but every time I come here people mistake me for a waitress and then it gets awkward when I pull my gun on them." She says flashing a grin. "Anyway I figured it would be best to clear the air a little, non?" 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Kirito's stymied by this. There's a tiny but awkward pause before he grabs the menu and reluctantly flips through it. "Being able to eat without overeating is great." He remarks, perhaps in an attempt to poke at Amalie's SUGAR OVERLOAD there...     But eventually the mask cracks and he's just left staring at her. He's forcing himself to not be awkward at this point.     "This is about the investigation?" The menu's lowered and concern flickers in his eyes now. A little worry. But he's trying not to show too much of it! 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen has had an interesting day already meeting up with Sinon, she did some dungeon runs with pugs and was now looking about town she'd heard about the small back alley place and thought it be a nice place to cool off after her runs. She had no idea that the meido and Kirito would be there at all. Eisen's figure appears in side and soon is seated near them. She has much the same thought all the fix of bad food with none of the downsides! 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "My my, you really are sharp as your blade." The maid chuckles when Kirito hits it dead on. "Though I guess here it's not sharp per se and more... Beamy-heaty-justicy-hot-blood burning." She does rectify herself in regards to the beam saber. A slow slip at her tea and the maid's lone eye slides closed for a beat before creaking open half-lidded. "Though in other ways you can be a little blunt hm..."     Ah there's Eisen Blumen though, and her appearance earns a quirked look, before Amalie slides a menue her way as well in the same 'go ahead and order' manner. "Eisen, hello! You're just in time, have a seat, this is kind of important!" It has to be, if it's about the investigation.     "I just wanted to say, you don't have to worry about me." Is that it? A sip of her tea and she glances over the rim of her cup as if waiting to see the response that earns. 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Kirito's menu now dangles against the tabletop when Eisen seats herself next to them. There's a brief gape, a suspicious peer... man, what brings Eisen to a place like this?     It's definitely Amalie's fault.     But he's left gawking like a little kid at Amalie's sudden statement. "Only that?!" Blink.     "You came in with Arthur's group, right? Why would I worry?" Except he's never managed to verify that. Blah!     Eisen's given a short glance that almost says 'did she call you here?'     He ends up blinking at Amalie, hands resting on the table... 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen is invited over and she comes over she looks at her with a no she didn't look. She moves to sit down and grins a little bit. "All right good to see you both, I didn't expect to see anyone I know here. This place is mostly word of mouth, than ads on the forums really. Mostly caters to longer time players, I was going to meet up with Pendragon on a few things that the squadron needed." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalie does her best. She does her level best to maintain a neutral expression of face. But Kirito's exasperation is way too amusing, and the maid nearly cracks. However, she manages to control herself, setting her teacup down. "What made you think that?" It is a valid question. "I'm not in the Syndicate or anything."     Now it's clear, she's completely OOC for the moment, though she apparently still hasn't dropped the silly French accent. "I heard the rumors about you-know-who." She's more subtle than simply saying the name Death Gun. "And I knew the famous Kirito- the one who cleared Sword Art Online would just have to stick his nose in."     It's hard to wink when you have only one eye.     "Anyway, I'm not here to get in the way of your looking into things. But I'm not just some joe-random roleplayer that suddenly threw herself into the deep end over her head~." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     BLINK.     The famous Kirito who cleared Sword Art Online?     Kirito can count the list of people who know him that way on a handful of hands at most.     All of a sudden the poker face is gone, replaced with sharp attention bordering on panic. He gazes hard enough to bore holes through a wall.     Things get tense. Really tense. Quickly.     ...     But just as it seems like he's going to flip... instead, the boy sighs snortily, rests an elbow on the table and his head against the hand. Expression? Shifts from tense and worried to soggy, unamused, and frustrated all in one. Yes, there's even a little eyetwitching there.     "Give me a break." He mutters. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Tomoe is about to say something else when the bomb gets dropped she wonders about these rumors. Man did Klien have a bit too much to drink somewhere? Sigh she might have ot talk to him. However Meido contiunes on and she's kinda staring now wait she's not just a random RPer who latched onto them?! 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It's quite the cryptic smile that crosses the maid's face as she leans back in her seat and finishes off the last of her tea. "Anywho, I shouldn't stay out of character too long, it'll feel funny trying to get back into the role afterwards. Oh it's great stress relief, you should try it sometime, what do you think I've been giving you all hooks for?" Teased lightly.     "But like I said, don't worry about me getting in the way, I'm more than happy to work investigating ~with~ you." Said as she brings up her game menu and pays the tab, before rising.     "Oh and another thing." Added as she makes her way towards the door.     "My military pride won't let me lose. I hope to see you both in the Bullet of Bullets~." 

:'''{{#var:1|Kirito (1)}} has posed:'''     Kirito regains his composure quickly enough, sprouting a mischevious smile. "I'm just a wandering mercenary seeking fame, fortune, and good challenges, you know." The boy cracks out warmly, a little more 'in character' than before.     How he wished it were more so these days. Things are too serious to be TOO mischevious.     So he meets her on the way out with a fiery and determined gaze. "We'll see you there!"     He's not going to lose either. 

:'''{{#var:6|Tomoe (6)}} has posed:''' Eisen looks to Meido for a moment and she nods a little it. "All right then I'll trust you on this. I see and it should br fun right? I don't intend to lose either in this. Oh heck no I'm not going to lose this." She grins waves to Meido as she leaves, but then she turns to Kiriro "We might as well wait for my old man we're going to need to stock up, right?" Still man the revelations about Meido is some soldier just cutting lose? She wonder is she connecteds to Reker at all...? 

}}

1768/Robot Unicorn Attack: Coming of Age Edition

2015-03-10T18:50:26Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/09 |Location=Rainbow Road |Synopsis=To pass her rite of passage, Ariel must run the Rainbow Road, like many young unicorns before her. But ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/09
|Location=Rainbow Road
|Synopsis=To pass her rite of passage, Ariel must run the Rainbow Road, like many young unicorns before her. But she doesn't have to run it alone.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=19, 43, 151, 189, 219, 231, 253, 255, 325, 395, 411, 481, 570, 575
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     It is a rare trip for Amalthea to return to her old home world, but for something such a this, it is necessary. As she said, a rite of passage for young unicorns is a very serious thing, and must be accorded with as such.     The elder unicorn is already waiting at the start of this so called Rainbow Road, and despite the name it looks very plain, a simple, if slightly wide dirt path amid green fields and forests. For such a grandiose name it seems very plain, but nevertheless, she is in her quadrupedal form, best suited for running, as is the intent of tonight's apparent foray, gently nosing at Ariel's ear in quiet encouragement while waiting for the others to arrive. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     A sight not often seen, yet one that is familiar to Rhapsody all the same, is Amalthea. It wasn't someone she had managed to see very often, but the paladin had all of Rhapsody's respect, and a little more. Hearing about Ariel needing to run this road gave the Guildmaster a reason to escape the League, the beuracracy of Ravnica, and hopefully was going to let her enjoy the company of a number of friends that she had not yet met, or had not seen in some time.     When Rhapsody starts to approach from a distance, it's clear her strides aren't a normal walk. In fact it seems like she was ice skating across the ground toward Amalthea. As she closes distance, it would seem more like rollerblading. Once she's within a few dozen yards, its clear that the 'wheels' of those skates aren't even physical. They're mana-based. "Amalthea! It's really been too long!" 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     How on earth a kitsune manages to sneak a motorcycle onto this realm is beyond explaination beyond 'warpgates yo', but Kirika is still there regardless of logic, her borrowed motorcycle purring quietly as she awaits others amid the starting point of this road.     She also has a helmet that's been modified with holes on each side for the vixen's ears. They manage to make her look much more adorable than her manner may reflect, unfortunately.     "Rhapsody. Well met." She greets the dragoness when she arrives, but otherwise is quiet as the grave. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel is in her four-legged form as well, the smaller unicorn prancing lightly and nervously while everyone is gathering. "So... how old were you when you ran this? Do you really think I'm ready? Is it going to be hard? Do I need to go fast? Can Diea help? What about Al? Oh, Al isn't here, um..." The flurry of questions is probably her own sign of nervousness, honestly. She's scuffing the ground with a hoof as she eyees the path... and everyone gathering is just putting on more pressure! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     All too often, Major Setsuko Kaminagi is called upon only to take the battlefield. It is, in large part, her lot in life, by her own choice. She has long since accepted that. To dwell overlong in any place of peace, for her, is to invite war to that place. But if it's just for a short time, if people would call on her to oversee a meaningful, happy moment in life, then for just a little while she's more than happy to come and be with friends.     "Amalthea, Ariel," she greets, her tone surprisingly warm. If the name 'Rainbow Road' seems unfitting for this place, she doesn't show it. Many places earn their names in their own way, after all. "If your mother feels you're ready, Ariel, then I'm certain you are. How's Iyoshi?" Rhapsody gets a nod of greeting, and Kirika a slight bow of the head. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     A special occasion usually calls for a special car. Today is a special occasion, and so Psyber has brought a special car. Specifically, because he won that bet with Crystanthemum, Psyber has brought the 1987 Callaway Corvette B2k Twin Turbo. At least, with this car's strange conceptual features, any damage he does to it will recover.     The half-angel himself looks pretty tired and doesn't seem to say much as the vehicle rolls up and kind of rumbles while Psyber waits for the run to start. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     A trial that needs to be completed to grow up? Of course Ayako was interested in that. But mostly more interested in cheering Ariel on! Although she might not know Ariel well, trial is a trial, after all. And so Ayako is here, sitting side-saddle on her floating broomstick.     To be more precise, she's floating somewhat nearby Psyber. He does look pretty tired after all. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     Looking much different from her earlier days in the Union, Lest is here. Motherhood has really changed her, though she's loathe to admit it sometimes. Other days, not so much. Today, Ellestaria is sipping a soda while standing near the unicorns, watching everyone filter in. "Mn, I'm sure you will do fine, Ariel. Just remember who your parents are, and when has Amalthea ever lead you wrong?"     Sluuuuurp.     "Hello, everyone." 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     It may be a matter of some question just how sentimental Kimiko Shinobu can get, but when it comes to something like this--at least, if it's Ariel, she makes an effort to come see. She was there to see the younger unicorn's first flagrant disregard for physical law. May as well see how far she's come, in all the time since. That's an easy way for her put it to herself, to justify the trip.     As she said, she's arrived in flight. Unlike some, she has no actual ability to fly on her own. What she does have is a Striker unit, a set of airplane engine-like devices into which her legs disappear, running off her magic and keeping her in the air, or moving quickly through it, at the expense of some need for good balance. The need for magic means she's necessarily transformed, revealing that the decorated style of the engines matches her own outfit as a magical girl.     The nature of her lift makes hovering in place exceptionally difficult, relative to the ground, but Kimiko still manages to come in at what's at most a gentle drift to those assembled and assembling, hands grasped before her. She nods, turning in slightly in air in the faint impression of a bow, as her greeting. Not particularly talkative, then. Ellestaria gets an additional not-quite-a-bow, on account of passage of time. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' So it was shocking to hear Amalthea was going to her home world, she said there was a rite if passage for her daughter? Maya could understand that nad had come along to the Rainbdow road she wonders about this place for a moment as she looks to the mother and daughte with a grin. "Hey." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     'Flitting' is a good word for how Ainsley arrives to the gathering, floating on toward the rest of everyone with a sense of weightlessness. She clasps her hands behind her back, looking at Amalthea, Ariel and Ellestaria with a big bright smile. She seems to approve of seeing the family all gathered together, in her own silent way. She hums a little song to herself, while quietly looking around at the others, and getting familiar with the way the air feels here.     "I am ready to join the Run," she tells the family, after she thinks it would be important to do so. Largely an afterthought, to make sure her implied willingness isn't overlooked. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     While the 'run' isn't supposed to be a race, to Rainbow Dash someone might have called it that anyway. It's like the concept of the thing entered into her mind, and the only thing that came out was 'race'. One thing is for sure, whether or not it is a race, the blue hued, rainbow maned pegasus is no less prepared.     A blur of colors speeds out of the warp gate, only becoming recognizable as Rainbow Dash when she slows down to join the others forming at the 'starting line'. Brass flight goggles rest against her forehead, while a long, blue and yellow flight scarf flares out behind her. She quickly loops around those already nearby, bleeding off speed before hovering to a stop     "Hey guys!" She greets, grinning, "What's shaking?" 

:'''{{#var:189|Pegasus (189)}} has posed:'''     When Pegasus arrives, she sets down with full bags on either side. Shifting to her humanoid form, she sets the bags down and opens them up, giving a view of a number of pastries. "These are just for a quick refreshment," she explains. "Cake will follow, because I'm sure Ariel will do just fine!" Clapping her hands together, the mechanical pegasus-girl whrrs and turns around, flashing a smile to everyone. "Hello, Sis and Sis-in-Law! Hello, Niece!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "I was older than you when I did this." Amalthea answers the younger unicorn very plainly. "But I don't think that matters now." Added gently as she impishly evades her daughter's questions with a lick at an ear. "The road is yours to run, it won't be the same for you as it was for me." It would seem that is all the help Ariel is getting, as Amalthea lifts her head. A dip of her horn is given in greeting to Rhapsody and Setsuko, "Glad you both could make it. Iyoshi's doing fine." Psyber gets a tilt of the head to better focus that lone eye on the half-angel, in her ever silent means of seemingly asking 'Dude are you alright?'. Though Pegasus' arrival earns a light nudge of the metal unicorn's snout at her sibling's hip, before Amalthea trots a quick circle around the gathering group, giving words of greeting or an occasional nudge to a friend. "I'm glad you're all here for Ariel's sake. And I suppose you're all very curious what this is about."     Lowering to her knees for Lest to climb on with an idle "My Lady~." Amalthea's pause is very brief before she casts her gaze down the simple dirt road.     Already the trees on either side of the path seem to come to life, the twittering of birds, rustle of leaves, and even varied wild animals are beginning to peek out curiously, as if drawn to the beginning of a great event, gaggles of pixies peeking out of hiding- at least until Amalthea snarls.     "Six hundred years ago, a young unicorn and pegasus- two rivals raced down this very road. No one has ever beaten their record. By the end of the path, the two, having faced every trial and peril the Rainbow Road has to offer became closest of friends, for centuries. Running the road is something of a tradition now. It spans every part of this world, there is much to see and experience along the way."     She looks to Ariel then. "Ariel. Your task, is to reach the end of the road before sunrise, at any pace you see fit. Begin when you are ready. Stop for nothing. May all your dreams come true." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' A little whinny squeaks out from the ear lick, but Ariel is paying attention. She swishes her tail, tapping her hoof against the ground as she notices how many came to see her. "Ah... hi, Aunt Pegasus... Uncle Psyber... um... everyone..." She gives a shy dip of her head to Rhapsody, then a beaming smile to Setsuko, "Iyoshi is wonderful!" A passing glance to Psyber urges, "Do you need help sleeping?" Well, there's a lot to cover, so she just gives a sheepish nod to some of the others. Some, like Kimiko, she knows somewhat. Others, like Ainsley, she's fought. All of them get that friendly smile. "Okay... I guess I'd better get started. Thank you all for coming! But... I don't have a pegasus rival." She doesn't consider Dash a rival, just because she feels no need to outdo her! A quick prance turns her the right way around, and Ariel takes a deep breath... before starting down the road at a swift canter, conserving her strength for now. She may be a constructed being, but she still feels fatigue in her own way. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     If Amalthea wandered close enough, she'd get a friendly patting from the Guildmaster. Afterward, Rhapsody turns to see who all has shown up, and it's a lot of folks! She'd greet anyone that greets her before turning back to Ariel, smiling, "We all have our own ways of growing up, Ariel. I sort of envy you for yours, you know?" There was something Rhapsody had to do, but that wasn't tonight, so, that was a story for another day.     Today, however, there's a road to be ran, and an end to be reached, before sunrise. That seemed simple enough, right? Once Ariel starts, Rhapsody would fall in not too far behind, the mana-based skates traversing any uneven terrain without any issue. She was pretty sure this wasn't going to be just a simple old road.. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Setusko gets a nod from Kirika when the Major arrives, "Good to see you as well, Major Kaminagi." She smiles under her helmet, silly as it looks on her right now. Ainsley, Maya, Pegasus, and others get a nod from the vixen as well before Amalthea speaks up.     "I wish you luck, Ariel." She says to the young unicorn just before the run kicks off.     Her motorcycle gives off a growl, and Kirika leans down before she torques the gas, wheels squealing before she takes off down the road. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya listens to Amathea as she tells her daughter the tale about the road. She wonders for a moment about this and she seems to be fairly ready and she was glad to come. She was curious about this honestly, but the tale, that Amathea was more than a bit of a surprise to her. She starts to get an idea about it's purpose. Maya smiles a little bit and has to admit Amalthea's been a good mother from what she's seen. She looks over to both Mother and daughter for a moment. "I'm pretty sure you'll do well Ariel." Maya honestly means it Ariel while she's not had much contact that has to Maya more than proven herself in the multiverse. She looks over to Kirika who gets a nod in return from Maya. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko's sober mood is unlikely to help with Ariel's nervousness. She does very little to give away the degree to which she actually likes several people present, unicorns included. This is probably why she's bad at encouraging people. She has a feeling Amalthea might understand that, on the other hand. Maybe. Well, there's always a chance.     As Ariel moves out, Kimiko manages to form a few words, "Do your best." It's traditional, at least where she comes from. She moves out as well, keeping pace, with no desire to do more than watch. So long as it's set easily, she can match it easily. She isn't the fastest, herself, but her Striker was made for long-term use. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber nods his head to Amalthea and then waves his hand at her in a 'yeah, I'll live' kind of gesture. It's not wholly accurate, but is at least true enough for any general term. He taps a cigarette out the window and drops some ash from the tip of it before listening to the speech.     For whatever other things may be occurring in his life, the half-angel was certainly going to be here for Ariel. He didn't have the energy or the legs to physically run the road, but driving it in his car was totally allowed and so that was what he would do.     "I'll be okay, Ariel. Really. Don't worry about me too much," He says with a reassuring smile.     And then, when she takes off down the road, he slowly lurches the car forward, cruising at a low speed for now. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Among the unicorns gathered? Twilight Sparkle! She has come along to run the road and help Ariel along. Although she has no real idea how this is supposed to work. Are there obstacles? She is a bit late, thanks to hearing that it is an endurance sort of race and thus studying up on them in the time it took to get here. When Twilight arrives, she is still reading a book. But, after a few more moments of reading, she closes it and with a flick of her magic tosses it over her shoulder, where it disappears. Presumably back to her library.      "Reach the end by sunrise? Oh my...this is much longer than I realized. I did not train for an all day run." Twilight says a bit worriedly. But, she is here, and she has promised to run the road with Ariel. Twilight is a both a bit surprised and not all that surprised that so many have shown up to support Ariel. She really only knows the robot equine family through reports and such, so she is sure the others have more reason to be here than she does. But, offering support for one's allies is important! Twilight offers greetings to everyone she can, then follows after Ariel, matching the young unicorn's pace. 

:'''{{#var:189|Pegasus (189)}} has posed:'''     "I always liked that legend," Pegasus says lightly. "I'm not sure why, since I'm not fond of unicorns." The present company is obviously excepted. She chirps, "Help yourself to any goodies! I'm going to run with Ariel!" Yes, that's right, run. She drops to all fours again, taking off after the younger equine with her wings tucked back against her sides. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako inclines her head to the side gently as she listens to Amalthea. "Un! I hope to cheer Ariel on at the very least!" She listens quietly to the history behind the Rainbow Road and smiles softly. "Every part of this world, huh? This should be fun, then! Just do your best, Ariel!"     Ayako grabs her broomstick's handle and starts directing it upwards a bit so she can see everyone down below. She keeps up with the group, of course! Just watching to make sure no one gets hurt! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     If anything, Setsuko's expression seems a bit softer than usual. "Just Setsuko," she replies to Kirika. "Or Kaminagi, if you must be formal. I'm no officer for an event like this." It would perhaps be better for the swordswoman to hang back a little, as Kimiko is; to simply watch. But some part of her is curious. Curious to test herself against a trial which has nothing to do with war, to take part in something positive for once.     So when Ariel and then Pegasus take off, Setsuko comes in right behind them. Her body is far enough into the superhuman range that she can keep pace easily; though she keeps one hand at her left side at all times, steadying the sword sheathed at her hip. Wouldn't do to have it bouncing around and making things difficult for her, after all. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     Rainbow Dash's wings beat steadily as she listens to Amalthea. The pegasus rubs at the side of her head, ruffling up the side of her mane a little. "It doesn't look very rainbowy. Or dangerous," She comments, furrowing her brows a little bit. The possible deeper metaphores seem to be lost on the flighty pegasus. Though what's said brings brings a slight grin to her muzzle. She glances back down the starting path again, then towards Twilight when the unicorn arrives finally. "Heh, this kinda reminds me of-" She gives her head a quick shake. "Nah, forget it!" Her grin becomes fierce. "Count me in!"     With a flick of those wings, Dash touches down. "Hey, you /want/ a pegasus rival? Because I could totally rival you, buuut you'd have to be way fast on your feet if you wanna keep up with my wings!" Her wings only stay folded for a moment, before they flare out again. They come down quickly, and Dash takes off down the road with the others. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     Lest quietly disposes of her soda, then plucks up a pastry or two to tuck into her jacket. "Thank you, Pegasus." She flashes a smile, then shakes her head. "That's because you made up with your sister in a trial of your own, I think. I still remember that battle in the cliffs."     She lightly hops atop Amalthea's back and takes hold, chuckling a little. "I expect things will get more interesting very shortly, yes?"     Dash's challenge gets a mild chuckle from Ellestaria as well. "Careful, Rainbow Dash. Ariel seems to be making a habit of rising to impossible challenges." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley looks briefly surprised by the revelation that this road travels every part of this world... which then makes her pat her own face a couple times as if to wake herself up. She gets into position to prepare before the run even begins. She looks toward Rainbow Dash warily, and then toward Ariel, and then to Ellestaria, and suddenly seems briefly terrified at the prospect of having to keep up with a couple speedsters.     But she begins to follow everyone without a second of hesitation. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "A rival isn't necessary, the company here today will serve well enough." Amalthea notes before clearing her throat. "The Rainbow Road passes through the Pink-Grass Plains, into the Hellfire Peaks. From there you'll traverse the christmas land of Kringle, finally ending in the Star Planes. The road can be tracherous, things you will not expect may happen. There may be danger. so go now. For laughs. For luck. For the unknown."     Thus, Ariel decides to begin, and once Ellestaria is mounted on her back, Amalthea takes off. Though she actually sticks to the back of the group, and obviously giving Ariel space to run on her own legs.     It's maybe a mile down the dull dirt road that things... Change... The trees begin to thin out; the road remains about the same, dusty and lined with gravel, but the colors take a shift to the surreal, green grass shifting in gradients until the plantlife in any shape or form is a lush and oddly vibrant shade of lively, sugary, pink, the occasional glimmer of a rainbow hanging in the air distantly.     And then the earth starts to break up. It's not sudden or an earthquake or anything, but as the path moves onwards, there are cracks in the ground, fissures wide enough for the unware to fall through, and presenting natural hurdles to jump over and across, an empty expanse of nothingness visible below for miles and miles before the roiling waves of water in a sea beneath the ground.     Fae flit through the air excitedly, chasing the group with harrowing burbles of glee, dusting everything and everyone in glitter and burbling happily. Excited and harmless mostly.     The issue comes in the stars.     They FALL FROM THE SKY.     It's a star shower, huge stars the size of cars, gleaming with a soft glow, start crashing into the earth. Amalthea lowers her head and smashes clean through one in her path in a spray of prismatic light and explosing star shards, sending a dancing spray of light everywhere. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     Running the road? Nah. Skating the road? Far more interesting. While Ryxinel had created the skates Rhapsody was using for the streets of Ravnica, they seemed to handle the Rainbow Road rather well. However, the skates weren't made JUST for roads. They were totally able to run across the many rooves of Ravnica as well.     The result? When Rhapsody comes to the first fissure in the road, a small burst of blue mana sends the Guildmaster up and over the gap before coming back down. "That was smooth!" she muses, making a mental note to tell Ryxinel later. This is about the time that Rhapsody's path is full of STAR. Without another thought, a burst of red mana sends her racing forward toward the five-poitned object, "Outta my way!" 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko is already certain that something will break up the scenery soon enough, and Amalthea confirms it shortly after. She continues on, able to ignore the cracks in the ground--or rather, she looks down several until she can spot the water, far below--and takes to cautiously avoiding the fae. This proves increasingly difficult without resorting to acrobatics that the creatures seem too small to really deserve. She almost doesn't see the stars coming down.     Legs splayed, her Striker spins her and she tumbles to the side, trading speed for maneuverability. Legs together, she trades back, this time watching the sky. She zips low, weaves to the side, narrowly misses yet another, coming close enough to brush her finger-tips over it as her arms spread for balance--and takes a faceful of fairy glitter. That does it.     She has no time to dodge the next--not when she can barely see in front of her for that half-moment. Her fist pulls back, and it's an armored gauntlet that thrusts forward, striking with stone-shattering force. She hurries, building that engine whine, to catch up the lost distance. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako blinks her eyes quickly when the road starts to... change. Now that's different! The colors are shifting weirdly. But after a while, she just shakes her head slowly and just enjoys it. At least until the glitter. Argh. At least she isn't really a human or it would take months to get all the glitter off of her and her clothes.     Is... are those cracks on the ground? Ayako looks down concernedly at the people down below. They... they should be fine, right? She looks up in time to see a star shower. How pretty! Err... wait, they're falling and not staying in the sky! "Ice Comet Barrier!" A transparent chunky ice barrier surrounds Ayako and gives off icy mist around her, making her seem very much like an ice comet! And it happens to protect her from the falling stars as well. At least she matches with the stars! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     In silence does Setsuko run, moving with a smooth, almost graceful agility even while running faster than any ordinary mortal is capable of. She's quite content to keep pace with the pack as long as she can, at least until the ground starts splitting apart and becoming fragmented. At that point, her feet begin taking her on the more convoluted possible route where available, eyes tracking her next leap long before she needs it and feed launching her past packs of fairies time and time again. At least until the huge stars begin barring their way. As soon as she sees it, Zanjintou's sheath is detached from her belt, already a move peculiar to any of those who know her style of swordsmanship.     The look she briefly shoots Kimiko almost seems to say, 'Watch this.'     Thirty feet before the star, she still doesn't have her sword drawn. Twenty, she's only just resting her hand on the grip. Fifteen, ten, she still isn't getting ready to attack, perhaps almost worrying. But in the last five feet before impact, something happens almost too fast to follow. A perfect, blindingly fast quickdraw. Utterly unlike the demigod's usual balanced, forceful style. By the time she's through the debris, Zanjintou is back in her sheath and she's leaping to the next piece of broken earth. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     As Kirika drives across the road, she kicks the engine into overdrive, speeding along with the pack as she tries to avoid the fae and cracks in the road. This is going to be a bit of a dicey run, given the road hazards. She yanks the bike upwards by the handlebars, before suddenly making a leap across one of the cracks, and romping off a convienent ramp across one of the expanses of nothing.     She then draws her shield out of the bag-of-holding she has tied to the saddlebag of the bike, using it to knock away falling stars whenever they get too close for comfort in her descent.     One lucky hit manages to cause a star to explode in a shower of sparks and light, and the vixen's bike carries on without a beat missed. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      As Twilight continues along, she is watching the terrain as much, if not more, than the runners. The change in colors as they run is quite amazing! And there are pixies following them! This seems like a magical land, as much as Equestria perhaps!      Twilight is more than happy to be running this road right now. Even the fissures are little more than small hurdles even to a pony like herself.      Falling stars? Those are a different story. Twilight's eyes widen as she sees them falling. "Wh-...literal falling stars?!" she exclaims before several are broken apart by her fellow runners, showering them in stardust. As one approaches Twilight, her horn glows brightly and a shield forms around her before she charges that star, shattering it similarly and offering protection to anyone who wants it. She keeps the shield up for now, smashing through any other stars that get in her way. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley is only grateful for her ability to fly in this run when she sees the cracks in the path. She puffs a sigh as she doesn't see anything that could impede a flying creature, relaxing into the pace. This makes it distinctly easy for something probably hilarious to happen.     Ainsley gets distracted by fairy dust in her face. The sparkles make her unhappy, because she gets them all over her clothes, and she really hates when that gets on her because she can never get it out of her feathers. What's even worse is that she almost gets struck by a falling star, the shining object swishing past her head and causing a loud bird-like squawk out of her, the sheer shock and terror obvious in how puffed up her feathers get and how wide her eyes are.     Now she is more on alert for what's coming, carefully avoiding sparkly dust and stars as they come down. Except for one star, forced to electro-punch it to keep up her pace with a matching 'BZZZAP' noise. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' One could almost literally say that this is the sort of situation Ariel was made for. The tiny unicorn is moving at a fair clip already, trailing her own sparkles. She doesn't leave behind rainbow glitter like her equine mother does, but she still has a bright aura about her. Then things get to be treacherous, and she, despite her earlier nervousness, is already dealing. Like a mountain goat, Ariel leaps from one part to the next, bounding across the chasms that open up. "Nnn, it'll get hard soon, I'm sure..." This much? This she can deal with. She's a unicorn. That's why when the stars begin to fall, Amalthea will be happy to see how Ariel reacts. A leap forward, a sudden lunge of speed, and her horn lowers automatically. She's gotten good at ramming things, over the last couple years, smashing through a falling star in mid-leap to land with all fours on the road again, taking off at a quick trot. In fact, the most worrisome part is how she glances back, checking on the others following her. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     After her first burst ahead, Rainbow Dash actually checks her speed and lets the others catch up. As much as she itched for a good race, what the path looked like reminded her of a certain lesson. One that she didn't really want to re-learn. Instead she takes to looping and rolling just above the heads of the others, flitting around the faeries. And getting a good face full of pixie dust in the process. "-AAACHOO!" SNRRF. "Ugh, I think I'm allergic to sparkles," She says, rubbing her face with a forelimb. "Oh great, now it's on my hoof!"     With a quick burst of speed, Dash tries to leave some of the faries behind. "Leave me alone you crazy sparkle-WHOA!" Dash flares her wings abruptly, bringing herself to a sharp mid air stop just as a massive star falls right in front of her. "Uh, I've heard of falling stars, but that's just crazy!"     Another flap of those wings, and Dash puts on a burst of speed, but this time it's not to avoid the faeries or take any lead. It's to avoid the painful stars from the sky! She flits and swerves, zigging and zagging back and forth in aerial acrobatics between the falling as they fall all around her. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     In brilliant blazing explosions, stars are smashed asunder, bathing everything in shards of color. The crags are getting a little more far between, resulting in a need for much longer leaps, thankfully there are convenient hurdles and natural ramps at the end of every edge allowing for vehicles to soar just as easily as leapers and flyers.     But there's something else leaping.     A squeal and chittering hello starts to sound off from below, and with mighty SPLASHES, something leaps up from the waters below.     Streaks of white and silver jump up between the chasms, with sweet chirruping clicks and squeals as a whole pod of dolphins perform jumps that are way too high to be feasible, as if to wish the little unicorn and all accompanying her well on her path, all the way to the borders of the Pink-Grass Plains, eventually the happy squeals and giggling of fairies dying down as the scenery starts to change again.     The colors die down, grass withers, as the road is reduced to a red and black dust, and the temperature rises.     The Hellfire Fields are aptly named, floating continents of mountains visible in the distant horizon, the roat and distant vistas festooned with immense bones of creatures fantastical and nonsensical, large rolling wheels of spikes seemingly rolling towards the runners in an attempt to fend off this intrusion. But the fact of the matter is... Holy shit the whole place looks like the cover of a heavy metal album.     Something odd is occuring though... It may be subtle, it may be blatant, but. Amalthea's plating has turned a midnight black, features becoming more monstrous and skeletal, her normally rainbow mane and tail are now made of FIRE. Though it won't burn her rider.     Holy shit she looks like something out of a heavy metal album.     And others might experience something similar to themselves or their vehicles. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     Dolphins! In fact, if the road goes low enough, Rhapsody would be almost close enough to reach out and touch them. At least being near the water helps deal with all the dust and glitter and shiny and AUGH MAKE IT STOP.     Murphy smiles.     A few jumps and the landscape starts to change. The hellfire fields appear to everyone, and now Rhapsody feels like she's marching straight into Rix Maadi. Clearly Rakdos would love to have a summer home here. At least the stars seemed to have stopped? "Well this is very... different!" 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Watching others was Kimiko's reason to be here, so it is something she attempts to do. Attempts, in-between dancing around meteors(?) and driving herself through fist-first. She does watch Setsuko, in apparent calm, briefly occluded by a falling mass before that mass is reduced to debris. Mn. That is different. She looks for Ariel immediately after, and murmurs some approval to see that the younger unicorn takes to this obstacle in the same way as the elder. For her part, this heightens Kimiko's own feeling that the way through this obstacle really is to go /through/, and that suits her fine.     Dolphins? Those are--some very, very high leaps from the water.     They enter the Hellfire Fields, and here the lack of ground continues to prove no problem to the flying Puella, but the differing heights still do pose some trouble. She's trying to keep reasonably low, to stay with the others, and that means that she still needs to duck below or pull up above some of the floating islands. That much is easy enough, but--     Why has her armor turned black and spiked, down to the previously polished-silver of her Striker? Well, no time to worry about that.     Kimiko twirls to the side, dancing through the air as she avoids the spiked wheels. If only they were going the opposite direction, she might be able to use them for something, but here they're just a hindrance. That's what they're for(?), so it's no real surprise, but it's still a hindrance.     If there's one thing spiked armor is good for, it's ramming into whatever's in the way. The spikes on her armor have nothing to do with the chain whip she summons a moment later, spinning it in front of her to latch against a wheel in motion and spin it around her, letting go to let it fall as she breaks orbit and continues on her way--and any appropriateness of the weapon's imagery to her armor's transformation is just coincidence. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is totes here, despite his player being caught in phone calls repeatedly. When the world transitions to the Hellfire Fields, Psyber's car morphs around him. Thanks to Chrysanthemum's enchantments, the car will recover from the dented fender and cracked headlights from plowing through a few obstacles along the way.     The new terrain morphs his vehicle, causing it to begin trailing fire behind itself from its new, matte-grey exterior with skulls and spikes. Psyber seems to, if nothing else, be enjoying a nice and relaxing drive. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako glances down to make sure everyone's okay after those falling stars. Everyone seems to be okay! That's always good! When the chittering begins, Ayako looks in the direction of them and then waves cheerfully at the dolphins jumping! She blinks her eyes quickly as the scenery begins to slowly change into something else. Ungh. Heat. Good thing she already has her barrier up. Although the ice slowly melts and instead becomes a misty barrier of water.     "Whoa, that's qutie the mood change!" Ayako glances downwards at the Hellfire Fields and blinks her eyes quickly. While the place itself doesn't change Ayako, Ayako decides to change her outfit herself on her own! In a puff of black mist, she changes form abruptly into something that matches this place. Her clothing is very gothic lolita-with a pair of horns on her head. And thus, Demon Lord Ayako continues to fly on wings of an inky black liquid coming from her back. "Kyahahah! This should be fun!" 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya gets an idea as she's along with everyone else who have been invited to run the road as well. She speeds on after the others moving hard moving fast and she's head butting the stars as she keeps going this is crazy and she's loving it. Maya's not as fast as some but with a well timed speed spell she's able to keep up and this has her with a bit of a grin on her face. She soon finds the Hellfire Field and think they remind her much of her home. She also notices that Amalthea has gone utterly Metal. Maya normally looks a bit metalish but it get worse now her shoulder pauldrons get spikes her outfit /covers/ less, her tattoos turn blood red. They are also also glowing now. What's left of her clothing goes a twisted mix of mail, leather cloth, her hair also turns bright elemental red. She's also not stopped headbutting stars as she goes. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     DOLPHINS. Kirika has no idea what to make of these weird sea-mammal things, and she tries not to pay too much attention to them as she makes another leap across a gap in the roads. Coated in sparkles, she seems to carry on despite looking RIDICULOUS considering the shower of glitter she just got punk'd by.     Fucking glitter's gonna take hours to wash out of her hair when this is over. WOrst. Shower. Ever.     Of course, the race transitions towards the Hellfire Fields, and the mood darkens considerably.     Kirika's eyes glow red now, and her skin grows pale as she begins to trail fire behind her with her motorcycle's wheels unlike a certain hellish biker demon, but otherwise her appearance isn't so drastically changed as others may be. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     The longer leaps leave Setsuko soaring smoothly, from landing spot to landing spot with only the briefest spots of running in between anymore. But she doesn't mind. Even the dolphins joining them only seem fitting for such a peaceful run.     That's before everything changes, though. Bones and spikes, ash and menace. An entirely more menacing place than the one they just left behind. It's somewhat to Setsuko's chagrin that she actually feels less out-of-place here.     And looking around to see her allies changing in some small way to match the terrain, it is perhaps even more to her chagrin that she looks down to herself to see no alterations to herself or her outfit whatsoever.     But no time to dwell, really. If one of those spiked obstacles gets in her way, all there is for it is to cleave it in twain, just as before. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' The dolphins get a laugh from Ariel, tossing her mane hello in mid-leap, and once even doing a double jump in midair. Yeah she's showing off JUST a little. But this is pretty fun for her, really! As long as nobody is getting hurt, right? When things turn noticeably darker, Ariel is... okay with this, since she does understand it's supposed to be a challenge. Her change isn't as extreme as her mother's, as she merely darkens into a deep green plating, and her mane becomes flowing liquid silver that leaves trails of sparkling embers of red behind her. 

:'''{{#var:231|Ellestaria (231)}} has posed:'''     Riding atop Amalthea, Lest has to tighten her hands a few times, keeping hold of her wife and... okay, maybe she's more stressed than she lets on. While her face is impassive and she doesn't shout out or anything, there's on major difference with how Ellestaria normally looks, and how she is riding.     Her tail is showing.     "Are you certain this is safe?" she calls out in Amalthea's ear. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     By the time that Rainbow Dash is free of the star field, her hooves are covered in glitter from kicking the falling stars out of the sky. But she barely even looks winded. If anything, she looks excited. As she dips down back towards the others, there's a fierce grin on the pegasus's muzzle. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Danger and excitement, my two favorite things!" A brief pause, "Okay, two of my favorite things."     The change in scenery isn't lost upon Dash though. She dips even lower to the ground, frowning a little bit. "The hay is up with-Whoa!" Dash stares at her forelimbs outstretched before her, which are now sporting a pair of leather, spiked legbands. The scarf around her neck has become a spiked collar, with flames rippling out the back of it, mingling harmlessly with her mane. Even her goggles look a bit less steampunk, and now sport horned edges and a reddish tint to their lenses.     "Now this rocks!" 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle is having a harder and harder time jumping those chasms, until she is finally having to leap and land on things that are floating above the chasms before leaping on to the road again. Then...dolphins! Dolphins are so cute and fun! Twilight smiles happily to them as they jump around the runners. Of course, she is only a normal Equestrian unicorn, not a super agile pegasus or a used to this sort of thing robot unicorn. She slips on one of her leaps, and with a girly scream starts plummeting down a pit. Then, she remembers that she is an Equestrian unicorn of special talents for magic. So, her horn glows, her form disappears in a burst of sparkles, and she reappears on the road, running along again. Twilight wipes at her brow as she keeps going.      Then, the scenery changes. Twilight is again looking around, and her eyes widen as she sees many of the others changing appearance. She doesn't even notice that her own mane and tail have burst into flames the same color as her mane usually is. Dark purple flames curl up and back from her as she runs, while lighter purple and bright pink tongues of flame puff up in the midst of the other flames. As this is happening, a dark metal chestplate forms on her, along with metal cuffs, all sporting spikes, and a long cape of dark purple appears around her shoulders while a helmet made for a unicorn appears on her head.      This is a very unusual look for Twilight, and it is only after she has noticed Rainbow Dash's change that she decides...okay, it is kind of cool. She smirks just a bit as she continues running, now as a hellsteed in dark armor. 

:'''{{#var:189|Pegasus (189)}} has posed:'''     Normally, Pegasus has white plating. As she dashes and jumps, she spreads her wings, but doesn't fire the jets. She's trying not to cheat. She does at least dodge the falling stars rather than smash through them.     Then things get metal. Pegasus laughs, flicking her wings out as she changes to a gunmetal gray color instead of the normal silver and white. When her wings spread, the feathers are a splay of short blades instead of feathers, making a slick noise of moonsteel on moonsteel when she spreads them.     "Enjoy yourself, Lest!" She calls out. "We're not going to let anything happen!" 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Every footfall, every storming hoof, every tire tread leaves a trail of flames on scorched earth, as the moon rides high in the night sky over the scorched planes. It's probably best to not look down for each jump, for beneath the road is nothing but molten magma, which means a fall will end every badly as the chargers smash their way through spiked wheels and race down the burning trail of skulls.     "It's perfectly safe." Amalthea replies, her voice a horrible wailing scream. "As long as no one falls or crashes!"     So this is actually fairly dangerous. But the strange running procession is joined by a riotous screech, skeletal metal fish leaping and screaming out of the lava below. They are not dolphins. They are not FRIENDLY, but not aggressive either as they follow the rest of the way.     The scenery shift is abrupt and sudden however, a large wall of ice jutting from out of nowhere. It is really high and steep, and crossing onto it means a sudden SNAP chill as the air turns into a blizzard, the path dotted with immensely huge christmas lights and candy canes, gingerbread houses big enough to house people can be seen off in the beyond.     Amalthea isn't looking so metal anymore. Instead she's wearing a green sweater. And has antlers duct taped to the side of her head and a red lightbulb flickering on her nose.     "Hey guys. Remember this?"     It's the land of Kringle, festive eternally throughout the year. "Once we get through here, things are going to get weird. --Halfway point, Ariel!" Amalthea notes.     Things already ARE getting weird, christmas gifts floar in the air, wrapped in festive wrappers. If you smash into one, it'll open up and actually have something nice in it but bewary of opening your gifts early this year! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Darting and dashing again and again, the act of travelling the Rainbow Road has become a matter of almost automatic movement for the swordswoman of silver hair. She almost expects the oncoming change in scenery to be some sort of desolate, cold place full of silent splendor, contracting the dark aggression of this place and the bright peacefulness of before.     It is to her eternal surprise that when her boots hit snow-covered path, they are red lined with white fur. And she doesn't notice the Santa hat on her head until several paces into the new land.     There is a brief glance in the direction of the others, Kimiko in particular. If anything EVER looked like even the vaguest hint of embarrassment from Setsuko, it's the expression she wears now. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     "Never been here! Is there something I should know?!" Rhapsody calls out at the sudden change in weather is. A glance is given to Amalthea, she stares, then turns her attention back to the road just in time to JUMP when she really needed to jump. "Almost bad!" So close.     Halfway? "Halfway?! We're making great time, you'll pull it off Ariel! Keep up the pace!" Rhapsody calls out, trying to give the young unicorn some motiviation. "We should have came here a few months ago! Unless you did, and I missed it, in which case, CARRY ON!" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley had found herself going through the whole Metal Region without much of a change. All the color sapped out of her for the duration, and what looked like blood dripped from the corners of her mouth as she flew along with everyone else, seeming to keep up perfectly fine. She smiles as they all fly along, enjoying the harrowing experience now that she has gotten into the swing of things.     A blast of cold hits her in the face. The only warning is, first, the dip in her flight path and the gasp and wheeze she makes from the painful sensation. Despite trying to fight past it, the cold makes her pass out, and she falls out of the air and lands on one of the patches of land, leaving a furrow in the snow.     Ainsley is cold-blooded. She's not going to be okay if she's left behind like that. Even if she has been dressed up with festive antlers and bright red robes. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Despite her appearance, Ayako does look down at everyone to make sure they're all okay. She's hiding it by figuratively looking down at them, with her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face, though. What? She's acting like a Demon Lord right now. It is dangerous, after all.     And then the scenery shifts abruptly! Ayako quickly changes her clothing and appearance again to match! She's dressed in her blue winter clothing now, looking like a snow fairy. Well, a really big snow fairy, but still. "Wait. Waaait. Things aren't weird, YET?" She giggles brightly. "Now I'm looking forward to what lies ahead!" And then catches a present before it crashes into her. She doesn't open it, though. It's not Christmas! That would be rude! She does pocket it though with a, "Oh. Thank you, wintery land!" 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     The twin streaks of flame left through the air in Kimiko's passage cut off rather abruptly in cold air. Her armor flashes into being over her, at least from the waist up. She's protected by her magic, but the several layers of armor--particularly the padding beneath the chain--can be rather warm. It does not look particularly festive, the reasons for this being uncertain.     Kimiko is hesitant to smash straight through giant gift boxes, or to otherwise break them. She looks to the others, now holding off on showing off and taking the paths of less resistance--and looking in particular to share a glance with Setsuko, if only for a moment before she twists again through the air, avoiding rather than destroying a massive gift box.     This causes a jingling of bells, but it's coming from inside her armor. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Oh god this place     Kirika is absolutely horrified as she feels a cold snap hit her like a truck. Her demonic appearance disappears thankfully, but she is clearly not prepared for a drive in weather this cold. Next time she's springing for some damned biker leathers, that's for certain. At the least she seems to have a sweater and a tacky santa hat to keep her somewhat warm, however.     Her bike has reindeer horns and the front light is bright red now, and there are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE.     "Didn't we just get out of winter?" she groans to herself, glad there's no lava to worry about at least, but she has other things to worry about.     Her bike smashes through one of the gifts, and Kirika squeaks in panic as she's momentarily blinded. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel remembers this place! She giggles as she plows through a snowdrift, looking mostly normal again... except for the santa cap on her head, which appeared out of nowhere. "Weird, you say? It's nice! I haven't been on a tour of this world even if it's for half of me!" Ariel is still moving fast, but this is partially because she's cheating. The little unicorn is running /on/ the snow, not through it, with her hooves barely dusting the surface as if she weighed next to nothing. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber's Corvette is now drawn by reindeer, weirdly enough. They're not REAL, and in fact everything on his car from the steering wheel and forward has been replaced by reins and a pair of reindeer that dash through the trail and pull Psyber along.     "This better fix my car when it's done, Amalthea! It was a gift from that woman who took your swearing!" Psyber shouts, tugging the reins on his new Carriage-vette and trying to steer it along the path properly. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' SO things are metal as hell right now as she keeps going at a high speed soons he casts another spell as she gets wings made of fire, and does not fly but uses them to help with some crazy jums this doesn't last long as soon they are now well in Kringle land, she in a more sneable christmas outfit and her wings seem to be made out of snow at this point as she moves along. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     Ordinarily, the cold doesn't bother weather pegasi much. But the abrupt shift from super hot to super cold hits Rainbow Dash like a brick. She yelps, forelimbs wrapping around her chest out of instinct. "What the hay! What place goes from crazy lava land to crazy winter... land...?" She trails off, glancing around her. "Hooold on, this place looks familiar..."     As Dash glances around, there's the sound of jingling bells. A collar of bells is wrapped around her neck, looking festive in red and gold. Reindeer antlers are perched atop her head, sticking out amongst her mane. And on the end of her nose, there's a red light glowing. "Oh come on!" Reindeer Dash goes crosseyed glaring at the glowing nose. "Ugh, this place again? Watch out for giant candy canes, guys." 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako quickly spots Ainsley going down. It takes her a moment to figure out what's going on... but once she does, she quickly flies down and thrusts her palms forward. "Winter Warming!" And a warm mist forms around Ainsley and stays around her to heat her back up.     Ayako's floating broomstick zooms over to Ayako as she jumps back onto it and scoops up Ainsley from the snow, seating her carefully onto the place just in front of the brush and behind her. She's fallen a bit behind everyone else, so a stream of water blasts out from the brush to catch them back up! As they fly, Ayako checks on Ainsley to make sure she isn't seriously hurt. "Hmm... Ainsley... are you okay?" 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle gasps as that cold air hits, but horses are pretty well equipped to handle cold, even without help. Still, she starts to use her magic to summon a scarf. Until she realizes that...she is wearing one! And somehow a little string of twinkling lights has wrapped itself around her horn. And a candycane striped leggings have appeared on her legs!      Twilight giggles a bit before realizing...Ainsley is falling! Twilight skids to a stop as Ainsley lands in the snow. "Ainsley!" she cries out worriedly. Reptiles are cold-blooded! Twilight runs over to Ainsley quickly and finds Ayako already working on her. And picking her up! Twilight runs alongside Ayako, watching Ainsley. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     "Motherfucker!" Amalthea calls back to the half-angel in some mild surprise. "That thing's a gift from HER?" Well it looks like Amalthea has her cussing back, as the reindeericorn storms along the path. "Consider this your crash course, Ariel."     Literally considering the giant ICE BOULDERS in the way.     For the record, when Kirika bashes into the gift, there is a very lovely kimono inside. Someone must have been thinking of her.     Nevertheless, Amalthea said to stop for nothing, though she casts a glance back at the first sign of Ainsley's distress. Ariel is the one who must run the road here, so Amalthea can double back if necessary. However Ayako and Twilight have her student taken care of in hand and hoof. So ever onward this odd race continues.     "Looking pretty seasonal there, Setsuko." Teased lightly as she leaps over a fallen but massive candycane.     Now is where things get weird. Again, another strange and nonsensical transition as temperatures warm and snow melts to green grasses. But the foliage makes no sense. Now every segment of the road is broken into floating platforms of land, small continents of forest, some of firs and evergreens, some of bamboo thickets, some of lushly wooded forest land, others of swamplike mires.     "We're on the borderlands to the Star Plains."     This is where changes might make no sense.     Because Ellestaria is now riding a massive, metal, wolf, complete with shaggy rainbow mane.     Amalthea looks about as excited as a golden retriever, black tongue lolling out the whole way. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako continues flying forward, being careful to evade the giant ice boulders. After all, she's carrying a patient right now! She continues to warm up Ainsley... being cold-blooded must be horrible during Winter! "Come on... wake up..."     But of course, since she's carrying someone, she has to look back forward. It wouldn't do to get Ainsley in trouble if she crashed into something. Err... well. Things are starting to just simply not make sense. But she has something for a situation like this! Ayako quickly splits into two nine year old twin girls. They look like young Ayakos and are dressed in identical clothing-except for the colors! One is dressed in red and the other is dressed in blue. Not to mention, the red one is in front of the broom, eagerly and brightly glancing about. The blue one is behind her sister and is keeping an eye on Ainsley, a more serious and quiet look on her face. It's the twins, Aya and Yako! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     At this point, Setsuko has given up trying to decipher what sort of land they're entering or what it might do to her. She will simply run, and take the changes as they come. There are many things she might have expected this new, wild place to turn her into; a tiger, a charging warhorse, some kind of fast and darting predator or mighty beast of some sort.     Once again, this world thoroughly surprises her in what it does to her.     At this point, the demigod has no choice but to fly. The form she's assumed is much less useful for darting and leaping, but it's perfect, if anything, for winding its way through the skies. Glimmering blue scales gleam in the sunlight, sending motes of reflected light flickering across the landscape, and making it even more difficult to miss her long, winding form gracefully soaring along above Ariel and alongside Kimiko.     The demigod of war has become a great, azure eastern dragon. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika is very confused at the kimono, but she won't look a gift...thing in the mouth. Stuffing the kimono into her bag of holding, she then blazes along the road, doing well enough to not get hit by boulders considering her skills with motorbikes being...poor, at least in terms of handling that is.     As she enters this new realm, everything changes.     Glowing black fur with red streaks are seen as a blurr of speed streaks across the road, and Kirika's form becomes that of a massive fox padding across the road nimbly, managing to keep pace with the rest of the group easily. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:''' And now things have gone super weird! The scenery continues to change, some people are changing form, and before she even realizes it, Rhapsody's actually surging down the Rainbow Road, on all fours, in her true form! (GASP). Part of her is shocked at this fact, but the other part of her shoves the first part aside. SHE IS GOING TO ENJOY THIS DANG IT! With the decision made, Rhapsody's charge down the road surges, legs sending her higher and lower along the fragmented road as needed. Oddly, she's not using her wings at all! 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     How did this even happen? Psyber isn't even IN the car any more. Instead, he's a semi-giant who is using the car as a skateboard. The huge half-angel pushes his foot against the ground to get some momentum going as his Board-vette makes a stereotypical skateboard sound instead of the rumble of an engine it was making moments ago.     The next time Psyber encounters an obstacle in his way, he does a kickflip into a totally sweet railgrind to shatter the obstacle before landing and continue to car-board. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     There's no apparent change to Kimiko when they pass into this new area, though her helmet promptly disappears, just for the sake of widening her vision. She takes a precious moment to look away from Ariel and back toward Ainsley, but sees that that is being handled, and trusts that it really will be. Ayako is a healer, isn't she? She's pretty sure that was mentioned at some point.     The changes happen rapidly, and Kimiko dodges and dashes as needed, still keeping to a bit behind the star of the run. It's when they pass through a bamboo forest that the first change of her appearance is visible, with her armor morphing into into layers of small, square segments, covering her shoulders, chest and back, tiny studs holding each into place. A glance down has her make a confused sound, muttering, "Qin dynasty..."     But it doesn't last. An icier clime has her armor changing again, this time including a long robe over chain, open in the front but covered over the back by a full-sized wolf pelt. This seems to meet more with the Puella's approval, though it must be too hot for those Hellfire-like islands, with the way the air keeps changing.     And then Setsuko is beside her, and... Kimiko blinks, then smiles. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley doesn't wake up immediately when warmed up. It's gradual, as Ayako flies along to catch up with the rest of them. She carefully reaches to grab the water girl, baffled by the smell of fresh water in front of her. And then there's a moment where she looks shocked, and looks between the two of them. "As long as we don't hit anymore cold spots, I should be fine," she assures Ayako and Twilight, and then leaves the flying broom and flies under her own power.     Once the group hits the next part, she goes from normal form to 'some manner of priestess' as her ordinarily modest clothing turns into a weird feather skirt and headdress, and the air around her begins sparkling for whatever reason with yellow and red motes of light. And she has grown a tiny pair of wings. She apparently doesn't need a top! God bless being a reptile, in this instance, no modesty worries.     "This is fun!" she shouts in clear Spanish. "Besides the freezing part." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' A glance back reassures Ariel that Ainsley is all right. That's good, because she'd started to slow down at first. This means she has to put on a burst of speed to rush through an ice boulder, shattering it into snowfall. Four legs kick off, but only two land... with two large feet. A bright green rabbit is what is bounding off as the terrain and everyone else changes again. Yeah, that's right, Ariel is a rabbit now, and she's bounding in leaps and double leaps through the terrain, letting out a little squeak as large, loppy ears flutter with every bound. The various platforms make it a pretty good form for this, don't they? It's like a Sonic game or something.     Gotta go fast! 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya calls out to Amalthea "This has had to have been one of the more crazy but enjoy able things I done in ages, Amalthea." Maya dropped out of the holiday look that's where things get strange idea. The next thing Maya knows she's what could be argued a magical girl costume her hair has got even longer, it's also glowing blue now. She's covered in bows for a good but and has a skirt, thankfully there are biker shorts under it, and thigh high boots. Maya just doesn't know anymore and she's also holding a rod with seven rings about it. Magical Lyrical Maya Defender of Septerra?! Maya would have been frozen in shock years ago, now she just laughs and keep moving! "I think this one just made my list, Amalthea!" Maya's however clearly happy, and enjoying herself. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     With the land of winter left behind and her crazy holiday get up along with it, Rainbow Dash breaths a sigh of relief. "Yeah, had enough of winter. Bring on the next one!" She flashes a grin, wings twisting in the back to lift her higher. But that grin is different. Fangs show underneath Rainbow's lips, making it a much more fierce grin than usual. The muzzle is shorter and feline, ears rounding out. The mane is the same, but that blue coat becomes sprinkled with spots that go from red near the face, orange at the shoulders, yellow at her midsection, then green, blue and purple down sleak hips and a long, feline tail that ends in a rainbow tuft.     "... Okay," Rainbow Cheetah says. "Diiidn't expect that one." Wings continue to beat for a few paces, but for once, Dash has the urge to run. She hits the ground on broad paws and narrow legs that flex briefly, before she bolts off with incredible acceleration. "Whoa, check out this run speed!" 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle is running along, keeping an eye on Ainsley and being festive, and then...she is a vampire, who is trailing sparkles as she runs. Twilight blinks in surprise when she notices the change in perspective and the pale human skin. Of course, she can't see her red eyes or her flowing black hair with a single purple and pink stripe running through it. "Wait...what just happened?" she asks before running her tongue over her sharp fangs. Still, she keeps running, even as she watches just about everyone else change. Perhaps most impressive is Rhapsody going full dragon, but Rainbow Cheetah also grabs her attention. Twilight takes a moment, then just giggles and shakes her head. "This road is rather chaotic." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Amalthea weaves through Psyber's legs as he carboards along the path, before a bounding leap- and then a double leap lands her on the tail of the great blue eastern dragon. Paws scrabble on scales briefly before the metal wolf sprints along Setsuko's back before bounding off her head, dog-paddling at the air, tongue still lolling out.     So unicorn. Very doge. Much run. Wow.     But then the forests and trees die away, the earth on every platform fading to cratered rust colored dust. When Amalthea lands, she's carrying Ellestaria in her arms, bridal style. Just like that the fun and games are over as true forms return and now the true reason the Rainbow Road gets its name becomes apparent...     The sky empties of clouds, revealing a pattina of stars and constellations, familiar and alien, a pure view of hundreds upon hundreds of thousand stars dappling the late morning skies, two absolutely massive planets rising in the distance, one ringed and one a swirling gas giant of vivid color. Floating continents and mountains loom in their shadow, waterfalls flowing endlessly off their edges to the hollow craters off in the beyond, the fall and spray of water painting the skies in endless color.     And then comes the song... A haunting, eerie, and massive sound echoing beside the path as an enormous blue whale floats serenely by, watching the runners with one eye, as a school of gigantic seahorses, each the size of a city skyscraper swim through the air in an orbit around it.     Of course, the first vestiges of soft oranges and yellows beginning to show on the western horizon says Ariel has best hurry. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley's form reverts as quickly as it had changed all of those times, giving her only a moment of shock from the difference. She quickly catches up the rest of the group, flying through the air with a soft brush of wind and the howl of a breeze following along with her. Her arms are held out at her sides, despite not needing to do that to steer herself.     "YOU CAN DO IT, ARIEL!!" she shouts, when she realizes that time is getting tight, "Goooo!" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Just like that, everyone is back to normal. Ariel lands on all fours again, and this time she's pushing herself. A toss of her head and a light laugh are sent back at the encouraging words. "Thanks, Ainsley!" A spark alights at each hoof, and the pace of the little unicorn doubles as she puts in the energy she's been saving into a final gallop. It looks like it's time to make the final stretch. Yet she still has time to giggle and laugh at the seahorses, at first. She calls out, "Nice to meet you!" Dangerous or not, Ariel was born to run, and it's been a long time since she could really throw herself into it. Sparkles may be involved. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Aya, who happens to be the red clothed twin, squees with glee as she flies forward and takes in the sights. Especially taking in the sights of how everyone is changing. "Hee! This is just plain weird fun!" Yako, who happens to be the blue clothed twin, solemnly nods her head slowly in response to Ainsley. "I see." She smiles a very small smile that nonetheless is very warm as Ainsley leaves the broom.     Of course, Aya recklessly does an aileron roll as she continues to fly with the group. Yako sighs softly and shakes her head as she quietly watches everyone.     And then the scenery changes once more. Aya claps her hands together cheerfully. "Whoa, pretty!" Yako quietly notes the time and the changing colors in the sky. "But... we're starting to run out of time..." The two think for a moment... and then both nod at the same time. The twins vanish in a puff of mist and Witch Ayako resumes riding on her broomstick.     "Go for it, Ariel!" 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Back to normal, for Kimiko, seems to mean her armor disappearing, revealing just her normal... magical girl outfit. For her, that is normal.     She turns, and spots the whale the moment she hears it. That is--certainly a thing, and for all it seems too big to do so, it must be moving very quickly to be going past them. She turns again, toward the morning light, and then zips off from Setsuko and lower--but Ariel is already sprinting forward. It's not as if she needs a warning that time is running out, but the magical girl still flanks one side.     "Nearly there," she adds, this time needing to focus on her speed, to avoid anything that'll slow her down. Nearly there. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     For the time that the robowolf spends on the great blue dragon's back, it holds steady, not even winding as it soars through the air anymore. A stable section of 'track' for just a little while. And then it flies a long loop around Kimiko, before dipping back down closer to the ground, just in time for the changes to release their hold. Feet hit the ground without missing a beat, and then Setsuko is running as if she'd never stopped. Her eyes only briefly go to the horizon, confirming the encroaching time, and then to Ariel herself just long enough to confirm the faster pace. And then the demigod turns on the speed herself, determined to see the young unicorn to the finish line, so to speak. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     When the stronger, swifter legs fade away, Rainbow Dash stumbles over her own, old legs. She goes tumbling, rolling on the broken part of the land. But as soon as she skids to a stop, her wings flare out. In an instant, she's back in the air again, leaving a trail of colors in her wake. "Whoa... Now THIS is a rainbow road!" Wings beat harder, Dash speeding just along the land.     "Come on, let's do it!" She says, grinning as she quickly makes up for lost time. "Move those hooves, Ariel!" 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya fades back to normal junker Maya at this point and she's having a good time, so far as she runs along with eveyrone she watches Ariel goe and she calls out. "Come on your almost there your not going to let us out pace you, are you!?" Maya's clealry in a very good mood tday as she takes in the sight before her. "Amalthea the view here is amazing!" 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight smiles as Ainsley assures her that she is alright. Then, Twilight is in awe as she watches the metal wolf run along the beautiful blue dragon above her.      Then, poof! They are back to normal and...Twilight is in even more awe as a gigantic blue whale and just as gigantic seahorses swim by. "Oh my...this is amazing!" Twilight says, though she is panting from the long run and sweating a bit. "We are almost there! Let's finish strong, everyone!" Twilight calls out, trying not to get too distracted by the scenery. Which is not easy. Planets and blue whales and rainbows? It is a miracle Twilight has not stopped by now. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber has had a strange journey tonight. From car, to heavy metal car, to sleigh, to carboarding, and now back to car. When Amalthea passes through his giant legs, Psyber lands on the ground and then abruptly is back in his car as if nothing had ever changed.     The half-angel takes in the sights with a quiet sort of contemplation as he goes. He's not the kind to outwardly show genuine amazement, especially lately, but he does appreciate the sights. The car he's in probably trails at the middle or back of the pack, watching the others as they go about their runs.     The half-angel takes a few moments to take another cigarette out of his pocket and light it before tapping it into the ash tray. 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:'''     All this travelling, and now Rhapsody is also back to normal, on her skates, in her jacket, and rushing on after everyone, Ariel included. "Keep it up!" she calls out, blue mana pumping into the blades to keep her moving that much faster, and jumping that much farther. "You got this!" The view, here? Incredible. "Whoa.." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Fox turns into a vixen riding a motorcycle, and Kirika goes back to riding along the road once again. "About time." she mutters, before she gazes out to the stars. "Mm..." She definitely appreciates the view, but she needs to stay focused on the road lest she crash. 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Giant whales. Massive seahorses... And then the dolphins return once again. Sweet squeals of glee sounding off as they splash up and leap alongside the platforms and paths Ariel takes, as if escorting the tiny unicorn for the last leg of the road.     Because it is the last leg of the road, the starry vista beyond almost endlessly painting the distance in starlight, as the seahorses and whale sing and blurble in reply, as if further cheering on this strange, but fast paced procession but...     It's not that dangerous. Aside from the occasional fallen star in the road that's easily bashed aside, or the occasional Star Giant... Star Giant?     STAR GIANT! HOLY SHIT.     A bipedal mass of rocks, at least fifteen feet tall, with a glimmering star for its very head, at least six of them roam upon the group, beating their rocky chests in implied threat. The stars that make up their heads glow, coronas of rainbow light fizzling off the five points before each unleashes a prismatic rainbow beam. It's astoundingly threatening in appearance as the colorful rays dance and lash along the path, but anyone caught in the roiling wave of color and light will... Find it harmless. Warm. Almost gentle and pleasant feeling.     Eventually the road comes to an abrupt halt at the ledge of a cliff, directly facing off to a vast sea of flying continents, smaller isles, and sprawling prismatic vistas as far as the eye can see, the rising sun finally peeking into sight, it does not last long as it slinks behind one of the giant planets, the eclipse, the half-light of a now hiding sun setting the sky ablaze with a fire of color in a ring from behind its hiding place, a complete aurora of soft blues, greens, swirling yellows dazzling among the stars and distant planets through the whole sky.     At the end of the cliff edge... Are laid out several blankets and picnic baskets, in clear display of where the run is supposed to stop at a point overlooking everything. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' This is pretty intense, isn't it? Ariel charges right ahead, though the star giants and the incredible view are a little distracting. But she kinda has to, because she has a job to do, and it doesn't just mean she enjoys running through the shimmering lights that scintillate off of her decorative plating(thanks, Lest!) So on approach, Ariel is weaving and bounding, hooves thumping on the ground and then putting the brakes on abruptly. She skids toward a halt as the edge approaches, but before she's completely stopped she shifts into her humanoid form, ending up tumbling end over end and entending to land in a graceful skid, to show off to all the encouragement she's getting from the others. What actually happens is she ends up plopped on her head, her legs sprawled on either side, upside-down and in an awkward pose at the end of the road, right between two blankets. "Uh... um. Thanks everyone." 

:'''{{#var:325|Rhapsody (325)}} has posed:''' Giants! Cliffs! PICK-I-NET BLANKETS. With blast of red, then a blast of blue, Rhapsody goes UP, then OVER, and then crashes into the picnic area, stumbling a few steps, ending up on her rear, but at least sitting up rather than upside down and rightside left. "Woo! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" Pant. "Great job, Ariel, fantastic job." pant. "That is one hell of a road." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Amazing view aside, Kirika is rather tense as the giants appear and beat on their chests. It takes her a moment before she realizes they're pretty much harmless, as are the rainbow beams as she catches one straight-on.     She's about to let loose with a surprised yelp before finding the beams harmless and pleasant sounding, and she continues to ride towards the end.     SKidding to a stop, Kirika unfolds the kickstand and breathes a sigh of relief, removing her helmet and grabbing her sword as she hops off and wanders towards one of the cushions. "Well, that was fun." She says, only mildly sarcastic even if her relief is quite palpable. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako continues to fly along the road, smiling cheerfully and waving when the dolphins return. And then Star Giants. Eep. She quickly flies to evade the rainbow beams... and then whews softly when she notes said beams are more pretty than threatening.     The flying broom slowly comes to a stop as they get to the end of the road. Ayako inclines her head to the side gently when she notes the blankets and picnic baskets... just for a moment before smiling softly. And then blinks her eyes slowly as Ariel ends up tumbling and... ends upside-down. She giggles softly and shakes her head. "Eh heh... you did it, Ariel!" 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     The Star Giants are worthy of some wariness, but Setsuko's keen instincts tell her they've nothing to fear from the creatures. So she continues on, right up until the end sees Ariel take a rather ungraceful tumble to stop herself. "That was quite the journey," she agrees with Rhapsody, slowing to a stop more easily - quite possibly with the subtle help of her ability to fly. "And I should thank you for having me along." 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is far from the first one there but she skids in and is looking pretty tired at this point. She then dees the giant but it's too late, wait the colour it's not hurting her, she seems to be all right that that. She moves on to the last leg of the trip and she now just comes to rest here at this point as they hit the end of the ride she flops down on the gorun amrs behind her back to support herself. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      The end! Twilight Sparkle made it all the way to the end! Even the Running of the Leaves isn't this long! When Twilight reaches the picnic baskets, it is behind everyone else. She is panting tiredly, but seems proud to have made it. She clops over to one of the blankets and flumps down on her belly, trying to catch her breath. "...M-...made it..." she pants, smiling as she watches the rainbow beams and the sunrise/eclipse.      She looks around at the others, then smiles. "Good work, Ariel! And everyone!" she says before lowering her head to try and catch her breath again. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:'''     Through fire, flames, winter, weirdness and laser beams, Rainbow Dash makes it to the end of the road. But she's not first; Despite her competative nature, she keeps her speed just behind Ariel instead of its full power. Sometimes it's more than just about winning. Sometimes.     Rainbow touches down just barely a second after Ariel tumbles to a stop. "Awww yeah, way to go Ar-i-el!" She cheers, throwing a hoof up in the air. "Way to rock and roll that road!" Then Dash wobbles slightly, and flumps back on her haunches. "Uuh... Heh. I gueesss even I could use a pit stop after that." 

:'''{{#var:395|Amalthea (395)}} has posed:'''     Eventually Amalthea comes to a skidding halt of her own, though she manages to keep upright when she does, leaving a pair of furrowed drag marks in the dust, in her wake. A slow, deep, breath and her body taks the opportunity to capitalize on the break after that endurance-testing run, plating snapping open in several places to vent accumulated heat, exhaust, steam, and coolant all at once, before shifting back into proper place.     "Phew..." A little tug and he helps Ariel upright, while flomping down to sit on a blanket and stare off the edge of a cliff at the eclipse for a moment as everyone starts to settle down. "Just like it was all those years ago..." Murmured quietly, before ruffling Ariel's hair lightly.     "They say you see it once and you never forget it. The sunrise at the end of Rainbow Road. Honestly it's something everyone should see, not just little unicorns. But..."     There's the softest flash of a grin.     "I think you beat my record." 

}}

1704/A Lizard in Whitechapel

2015-03-03T22:03:37Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/03/02 |Location=Slum Urbania |Synopsis=Yari and Jack have it out in a back alley. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=416, 691 |Tinyplot= |Tinyplot2=..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/03/02
|Location=Slum Urbania
|Synopsis=Yari and Jack have it out in a back alley.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=416, 691
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Slum Urbania is not the best section of town, especially at night. And 'Annie Blake', a.k.a. Yari Takane, by all appearances, is just another junkie looking for her fix as she walks down a dark, slightly foggy street in the city. She passes by the usual suspects: the poor, the homeless, nightworkers and others typically found here. But unlike most junkies, this particular one is being left alone. Her tail concealed underneath her heavy hoodie and be-holded sweatpants, there's nevertheless an aura of danger about her that wards off even some of the larger thugs that walk by the dirty streets. Hoodie up, likey taken off of an actual junkie judging by how ratty and ill-fitting it is, her single hand clutches a duffel bag. After navigating the twists and turns, she finds herself in front of a two-story house that looks like it's about to fall in on itself. She walks up, and knocks twice on the door. It's a point of drug sales, and more recently, one attached to hiring hitmen. Normally, Yari wouldn't end up on an assignment like this, but she needs practice with explosives and quite simply /hates/ gangsters and their ilk. All it took was a single dead non-elite Confederate soldier, and here Yari stands as she's let into the foyar. The goods are exchanged, a package of money is taken out from her hoodie, and then she turns to leave. Faking the unstable wobble of a weak drug-user, she drops her bag without much care and leaves. No one bothers to check it. Not when she drops it, and not five minutes later when Yari has made a retreat down a side alleyway near some warehouses. She takes a little brass device out of her hoodie, presses the button, and a far-off KRUMP of thousands of heated flachettes tear through a vast majority of those in the building until it finally collapses, finishing off the rest. If that wasn't enough, a fire starts, slowly burning away the evidence. The ninjette leans back, contented, as she lights up her red and black pipe with a smile. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Bringing down a building can get a lot of attention.     None of it good.     Though it would seem the ninja managed to accomplish her task and get off scott free... This isn't necessarily the case.     The rattier parts of Urbania are home to some of the dregs of the Multiverse. Addicts, thieves, muggers. Killers. And the suspicious antics of a ninja- a skilled and trained professional skulking about like some simple junkie, isn't going to go unnoticed by a fellow denizen of the night.     The shadow that had been stalking Yari was near impossible to notice, near impossible to feel. She might catch hints of being watched, being tailed. Maybe. But it's an elimination of presence so thorough and complete, the feeling is as elusive as being followed by an idle gust of wind, or perhaps her own shadow.     It's not every day someone brings a building down. It is something to look into of course. Which might be why this elusive presence, incorporeal and intangible seems to be stalking the ninja; like fear itself, as a chill mist floats into the alley.     Slum Urbania is not naturally a misty place, is it. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Despite the successful mission, Yari remains tense. That feeling of being watched, followed, perhaps even stalked filled her. Every now and then, she'd huddle a little bit. Slowly sliding down the brick wall she's acquired as a smoking place, she makes a discrete check of her magitek wristlet. Jack's concealment manages to fool even the strange device. There's no indication of others, except for a few bums two alleyways back. The small green light fades, and she leans back. Her hoodie-covered, horned head lets out a dull 'clunk' as bone hits brick. "Getting paranoid." She mutters to herself. Her tail wiggles just a bit, definitely tucked from its concealed position. To someone like Jack, she'd definitely stand out; for all that she's done a good job of hiding it, she's armed. A number of knives, kunai, even a few small bombs and a gun are all hidden cleverly on her person. A baggy hoodie is good at that kind of thing. Then she's speaking into the device. It's almost a whisper, but it could well be picked up by her stalker. "Goat, reporting. Mission complete. Yes. None. Understood, standing by for coordinates. Glory and honor." Her voice, with its quiet, almost gentle tones, holds an edge that backs up her militaristic reporting. For now, she doesn't move, but Yari is certainly suspicious as all hell. A glance away. Yari shivers, fixated on the odd occurance. Mist? Here? Cautiously, she stands, every single muscle on edge. Leaning down, slowly, she'll flick a rock into the mist as she again keys up her device. Far more openly this time as she scans for readings. Something is /off/, and the ninja for all her training can't help but feel nervous. It's utterly unlike her, but being so completely stalked isn't a feeling she's used to. If she had any less discipline, she would have fled by now. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Paranoid yes. That's all it is. It can't be a problem, it's just the wind, the mist, and the chill.     And the whisper.     A soft, lilting voice, young and girlish, tinted with a heavy cockney accent. Not that a Garlean would know of such an accent, but it's still there, muttering in a lyrical whisper; like a child, reciting a nursery rhyme.     "All the girls in our town,     The Mist gives them a tizzy.     London's orphans all cry out,     In the Darkened City...     Ring around the roses...     Whitechapel's full of corpses,     And when The Mist is swirling thick around the Thames side mud...     The Ripper she goes out at night, looking for some blood."     Funny... The the alley just get DINGIER?     No, it got much worse. Ratty, dingy, yes. But the mist is now almost frigid chill, as the bricks darken to drab grey stonework, cobbles lining the alley floor, as if the slums of Urbania have become the slums of a totally different city entirely. Desolate, ghostly, unwelcoming and dark, save for the children. Ratty and torn clothes, and hungry stares, they peek from around corners, glance up from where they huddle un clusters, cold and unloved, taking solace in each other.     And all of them staring HUNGRILY at the Au Ra in a way that is nowhere close to healthy. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' It's the whisper that nearly causes Yari to panic. Fear, unearthly, supernatural fear creeps up her mortal spine. She's not given to panick. But as the mist grows, and the alleyway grows dirtier, she takes a step back. Only to stop. Clawed feet scratch her own shoes. Despite the pounding of her heart as that utterly creepy rhyme seems to come across the wind itself, Yari bites her lip, hard enough to draw blood. A long, deep breath. The terror's still there. But it's controlled. Fear-filled eyes turn, taking in the those cold, ghostly children with their ratty clothes and looks of pure hunger. The Au Ra is a scout, a ninja, a killer, and a predator She knows when she's being looked upon as prey. Knees bend. Remaining here would be foolish, and the part of her brain that's still functioning from the terror tells her to get away. And /up/. A glance to the nearest child. It's perhaps a deadly mistake. Her features soften despite the terror. "...Orphans." Those soft words are full of pity, and even hate at the mere concept. These ones weren't lucky like her. No. She could've ended up not much different than them. "I'm sorry. You won't be finding a meal in me tonight, little ones." With that, she'll try to run straight up a wall in a burst of motion that leaves after-images. Already a fast person, the terror and fear truly gives her wings, pushing her to flee, to find safety, to /live/. Her target? A vantage point. A rooftop, to get the lay of the land. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Hungry and misterable as they look, not one actually makes a move for Yari. But each stare is piercing. Identical faces and identical eyes- a deep and crystal icey blue. The poor wretches vary in age, from being far too young to be alone on their own, into their early teen years. If anything, the ninja's voice makes them shrink away, giving no chase as the Au Ra makes her hasty retreat, they simply remain where they are, shivering, hungry, and miserable.     The wall is easy to scale, for a ninja, the crumbling drab brickwork presenting easy footholds for clawed feet. And indeed, once atop the squat building, it's as clear as day, this simply isn't Urbania anymore.     A thick smog blots out the stars, choking the skies and drowning out even the moon as the facroties of industrial London churn out eye-searing pollutants and choking smoke, even at this distance. It's none too pleasant, and unwelcomingly eerie.     That's when it happens.     As is springing from a very living shadow, something sleek, small, and dark swings from out of nowhere, a dark figure as black as the night itself, and as fast as the devil with a spring in his heel.     Though the moon peeks out from the clouds just enough to reveal the flickering glimmer of a black and ghastly serrated knife, the strike comes from an elbow- a sudden and brutish lariat intended to stun Yari with little pre-amble and a complete declaration of intent before the killer stalker slinks into another shadow on the roof at breakneck speed- although much more tangible now.     Because what emerges is a small girl. Frighteningly identical to the orphans below, silver hair, deadly blue eyes. Though her face is decorated by hodgepodge of twin scars, she twirls that murderous black blade in the fingers of one hand, while the other... Plinks at a cellphone. It has a very pink protective case and strap.     And for the record she's... Wearing a Japanese schoolgirl uniform. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' As Yari lands from her wall-scaling, and takes in the horrible smoke-clogged skies of Whitechapel, three thoughts ocur in swift succession. This place is horrifying. This place is disgusting. How did I get here? Her mind replays the last minute, trying to find just when she'd found herself in someplace so different. There's no signs of drugs in her systems from her own experience. No massive works of magic that would allow such a teleportation in Hydaelyn to happen. No cloaked mages to explain it all. She doesn't get much time to ruminate, however, her hand raising to check her magitek device and maybe get enough bearings for a map. An elbow smacks her right in the collarbone, and the one-armed hoodied Au Ra lands on her back from the brutal blow. It's enough to crack bone, and the fall drives out the air from her lungs. But it might be a testament to her training in how she tucks just a bit, moves mid-fall to lessen the blow. There's a kunai in her hand out of reflex that settles defensively just before she hits rooftop. But what stuns her even more than the fall is the speed at which her opponent retreats. The knife falls from her grip. Physical and mental stunning has Yari staring in pure shock. She'd just been punk'd by a schoolgirl with a pink cellphone and a knife that looks very, very dangerous. The woman lays there for an embarrassing amount of time before she shoves herself to her feet. Yari Takane might not have much personal pride, but the shock to even her low standards brushes aside some of the shock and fear still racing up and down her spine. This girl simply shouldn't be that fast, that nonchalant with a blade, or be that /creepy/. The lizard-woman's eyes narrow. Was this one who was causing that feeling before. One leg slips back, every muscle on edge. Some part of her tells her this one is dangerous. The other screams that she's a child. Even as Yari slips on her stoic mask, there's too many signs of conflict within, all the fear, the confusion that she's under. Another slow breath. "I don't know what world has someone of your age walking around a place like this..." Rather than slipping out another knife, this time, it's a smoke bomb deftly flicked right at the girl plinking away at her phone. Even before it explodes, assuming it does, Yari moves. She's definitely not as fast as the little girl, but the woman is no slouch. Running in an erratic pattern, ducking past a chimney, she falls into a roll that has her trying to spring right up behind Jack. Rather than stab the girl, she'll quite simply try to grab her with the crook of her arm and haul her up in a tight grip as she slams downward with her head. A tail reaches out to try to snag her knife-hand, the appendage stronger than it looks. All in an effort to rattle the girl's brains with those hoodie-covered horns of hers like a ram smacking another. "But you really should not be carrying a dangerous thing like that. Please drop the knife, little one. Who are you? Where is this?" 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Pipping and clicking away at the smarphone screen, for a long moment, the silver-haired girl seems to ignore the Au Ra. Not even checking if the fall had done its intended job, not even bothering to check her kill, as she sends a text off to who-knows-who about only something she could ever know. Finally she looks up though.     Clear blue eyes, utterly innocent and childlike are what meet Yari, when her gaze flits back up, and apparent schoolgirl's only reply at first is to cock her head aside in a strangely birdlike manner.     Of course then the ninja is on the move.     In truth, right now, the Au Ra should probably be listening to that deeper, primal, voice- the one that says this girl- this child- exudes nothing but menace and danger. But then comes the smoke bomb. And with a PAFF it lands, the choking, blinding smoke not seeming to get much except a sigh as the girl tucks her phone away into the pocket of her skirt.     Oh there is no doubt to the ninja's skill. Yari is fast. Strong- clearly well trained. Respectably so. And she closes the distance with a speed that would make an ordinary girl cower.     In the ensuing chaos, Jack lets Yari grasp her. She's light. Easy enough to just haul up, but the issue in execution comes with how wiry she is. A sudden twist aside and like an eel she slides free, using the tail around her wrist as a sudden leverage as she slinks aside, head jinking and turning a full on headbutt into a graze. In the same instant Yari had gotten behind her apparent quarry, Jack counters with a vicious pull, strength that a child her size simply should not HAVE as she flicks that blade in her hand. The edge is brought horrifyingly close, serrated and unkind, it's the kind of knife that could saw through bone, and at the last second, the blade is turned in her hand. If Yari is not fast enough, the butt of the grip is what she'll feel in a simple belting across the cheek.     "Don't be silly." Comes her reply, that soft, innocent voice speaking as if she were stating the obvious as she glances up anew. Those eyes are very different now. Crystal blue. Cold as ice. Penetrating and predatory.     The eyes of a killer.     A seasoned, remorseless, brutal killer.     "We are Assassin. This is our world." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Her horn grazes head, her tail yanked, and Yari stumbles. The strength and skill that the little one possesses simply shouldn't be possible. For a moment, her brain cannot quite process what happened even after all of the mounting evidence and her own instincts tapping her shoulder. That knife whips around, and leaves a hard red mark that swiftly bruises. Stumbling, catching herself, she spins around and falls to her rear in an utterly embarrasing fall. Then her eyes meet Jack's again. When she doesn't move this time, her own eyes hardening, there's a strange sensation of looking into what might not be a mirror, but rather a distortion of herself. Yari is a predator, a killer, but she's certainly regretted a few kills. Nowhere near this girl's level. The ninja stands again, this time backing away as the smoke dissipates. "...Assassin?" Questions the ninja woman. She doesn't dare look away, but there's a button press on her own device. It feeds information into her earpiece: primarily a number of errors as the device is simply clogged by the powers around her. "For an Assassin, you are an oddity." Starts the lizard woman, playing for time. To think. To plan, as hope cracks in her heart. She's outclassed and lost. How can she win? How can she can away? "That is twice now you've failed. No. Neglected to kill me. Child. I do not have time for games." And with that, another bomb drops from her sleeve to roll at Jack's feet even as she leaps from the rooftop back into the alleyway's below. This time it's a flashbang, the woman abandoning stealth for a bit of sound-and-light surprise. Then she's running down London's alleyways, leaping from shadow to shadow as fast as she can as she tries to make sense of the maze she's found herself in. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Killer meets killer. Two almost equal stares that would make lesser men quail and cower. Yet as the Au Ra backpedals, Assassin does not move. Simply standing in place, a chill wind fluttering the girl's blouse as she adjusts the rounded pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose.     "We did not fail." She replies with a chilling certainty.     "We were not trying to kill you."     It is a blunt and candid admission, even as she jerks her head aside, the sudden explosive brightness of the flashbang presenting an apparent opening to run down those alleys in the twisting London mire and murk. "Careful." The whisper carries. A helpful little warning, as one of the myriad phantasmal orphans suddenly sticks a leg out.     She's making a GAME of this, every bootstep carrying in a chilling echo that only seems to get closer as she simply strolls behind.     "We know these alleys. We grew up in them. We lived in them, ate in them, slept in them. Died in them."     Yari has the head start. But Jack has the undeniable home field advantage as she swings around a corner, rubbing her eyes with one hand, the other lashing out with that flensing knife in a pointedly shallow swipe. A tease. "Now tell us... Why did you do that?" A curiosity in her tone, almost childish before she sighs with a resigned murmer.     "We won't kill you." ... "But we won't let you live, either." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari's decent when knowing when someone's lieing, and to her, the admission is a smack to the face. This stone-cold killer doesn't want her dead. In her line of work, wanting someone dead is almost a comfort. Wanting them alive means there's an agenda at work, or they want the other person to suffer. It sends enough of a chill for her legs to freeze at the right moment, sending her sprawling as an orphan sticks out a leg. Falling into a proper role, she changes routes. The orphans are avoided by way of sticking to walls. A leap, a windowsil, running along the wall...all impressive. But they slow her down, and she's forced to duck into a slide as Jack comes around the corner. The flensing knife offers a shallow cut on her cheek, and she curses aloud as knees skin. Her sweatpants are ruined, leaving light bloodstains on them from shredded skin. The woman stands, and turns about. This time, she doesn't run. An animal knows when it's trapped. Instead, she settles into a defensive posture. Her hand goes up, ready to guard herself, senses open and waiting for signs of offense. The cold killer that is Yari is frightened. Fear and stress can even get to her. The question comes. Her laugh echoes across the streets and burns into the night. It's hysterical, the laugh of one teetering on panick. Her hand balls into a fist. It draws blood as her claws dig in, and the terror recedes. "So it's information you want." She smirks. It's calming, somehow. "Even cutting out my tongue or flaying my skin will not give you the details." She starts, iron in her gaze. Her mission was just. She was right in killing those men. "...But I can say this. They were hiring killers to slay good people. They were selling poisons, addictive poisons, to poor and desperate people. You say you /died/ here." The whispers from earlier come to her brain. Mind racing, she starts to make connection. "Weren't there people like that in 'Whitechapel' too?" Yari might be scared, and utterly clinging to her mission, but she's not above using her wits to aim a psychological dagger at the 'girl' she's increasingly convinced is some sort of ghost or shade. She's heard stories of such creatures, after all. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Indeed, trapped animals are given one choice really. Fight or die. There is no running. A fact that the Assassin wordlessly hammers home once that razor edged black blade draws blood from a scaled cheek. She simply twirls the knife in her hand again, an act as idle and thoughtless as twitching her nose- which is another thing she does when the Au Ra takes on a more defensive stance, and the Servant tilts her head, when the very locale is turned on her.     The Ripper surges forward, hand reaching out in a snap. She's going for the throat, and she does not look pleased, judging from the icy chill of her eyes. She doesn't need to use that knife right now, if she can grab the ninja. The squeeze probably isn't too pleasant.     "You're really not scared? We can get nasty. Very. Very nasty." The Assassin notes, reversing the grip on her blade. Closer now, she has a better view of features, a sight that gets her head tilting in that odd, childishly bird-like fashion again, eyes narrowing. Though she does not say why-- if anything her face is that of an expert poker player.     "Well. We are listening. Killing good people. Go on." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' It might be to her credit that the snap-grab for her throat very nearly misses. That hand moves, ready to knock aside the incoming hand. In regards to pure form, Yari Takane would leave many of her unit's pugilists in envy for having just one arm left. But against a Servant, simple skill isn't enough. A fraction of a second too late even with her performance, she's seized, and pushed against a wall. Her features soften. Truly, she's caught. Yari could try for a counter-attack, but there's no use extending a game she's certain they both know about. "If you weren't so honest, if you did not say what you did before, I would be a lot more scared than I am. Go on. Kill me. Get 'nasty'." For that expert poker face, Yari Takane is going to make the horrible decision to try to call this spirit's bluff. "Little girls should listen to their elders. I am not giving you the details. Do your worst. I have honor and a mission to uphold. It doesn't matter anyway, my mission is alread..." Those thoughts stop. A face flashes in her mind, and she's looking through that horrible knife, through Jack. Sanary Rondel. Her dear, eccentric, only friend. Could she really afford to make her cry? No. Not without struggling. Still thinking of her precious friend, her tail and leg snaps up alike in brutal strikes aimed for the woman's jaw. Her hand makes motions, and there's a digit pointed right at the spirit. "...I will live for my precious friend! RAITON!" A lance of pure lightning magic streaks out, Yari aiming point-blank at Jack's face with the strike. 

:'''{{#var:416|Jack (416)}} has posed:'''     Truth be told. Honest to goodness truth. Jack was willing to listen. She really was, up until the sudden jolt and syrge of lightning unleashed in her face. It is sudden, a snap blast and surge that's enough to even make a Servant wince as her body jerks from the high voltge surge of sizzling voltaic energies searing through her body.     The horror might come in the fact that she takes it standing.     Though she does not look HAPPY about it. Skin singed, clothes burning, the distinct smell of crisped flesh and ozone hanging in the air as she wobbles briefly in place, before expending a chunk of prana to rejuvenate herself. It is a fair amount, one that will require rest when she gets home. But there is another honesty in those cold blue eyes. A far angrier and petulantly angry childish honesty that means what happens next probably shouldn't come as a surprise.     "We were really willing to listen when you put it that way. But then you had to go and do that."     There's a flash of that knife again. Unless the Au Ra can wiggle away, it's not going to be nice. A deep, chilling bite, and a vicious twist. Aimed to be pointedly non-fatal, but horrendously agonizing, before a wrenching withdrawal.     "And we are probably older." Added in a snit, as the Reality Marble fades back to the wretched slums of Urbania again, taking the drab bricks, the orphans. And apparently Assassin with it, as she breaks the engagement and is already slinking for the nearest shadow. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Yari realizes as her fit of emotion passes just what a horrid mistake she has made. The girl was about to listen. Love and fear it seems is not her friend today. Teeth grit in frustration and terror as the little spirit grows angry. Childish anger and pettiness are perhaps the worst things she could see out of Jack right now. Then the knife falls. Yari screams and writhes as the blade twists into soft flesh and leaves a horrid jagged gash that's both cold and constantly shooting lances of pain through her. As the reality marble fades she gasps on that cold street. Sobbing in pain and at her own weakness she hits her radio and whispers a name as she bleeds on the dirty street 

}}

1605/Charity Dates And Laughs

2015-02-19T18:08:06Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/02/18 |Location=Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse |Synopsis=Arthur and Pinkie go on a date. It is HILARIOUSLY AWKWARD. |Thanks= |Cas..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/18
|Location=Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse
|Synopsis=Arthur and Pinkie go on a date. It is HILARIOUSLY AWKWARD.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=33, 470
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Oh man, oh man it look like a party.     Dates are like parties right? Which means they must be carefully prepared for, done at the perfect locale, and cannot possibly go wrong or they will be completely, totally, and utterly, RUINED.     It looks like one booth in the bar and grill has been lavishly decorated. Pink tablecloth, baloons everywhere, a huge neon sign with an arrow pointing to it that literally says 'OVER HERE, ARTHUR!' in flashing colors.     "It's almost time, it's almost time, it's almost tiiime!"     There's a pony here. No shit seriously, a pink pony with curly mane, hooves, and a kind of creepy porcelain clown mask. And two smaller ponies helping her set everything up. At least until she shoos them off.     This can't possibly go wrong in any way, shape, or form. 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''     Arthur Lowell is here! Oh god. He seems kind of like he wishes he wasn't. Walking into the Bar and Grill, Arthur immediately backs right out and pins his back to the doorframe, trying to figure out how to approach this with a sort of panic. Then he takes a moment to desperately assemble his facade of coolness. It's okay, he'll get inside in just a moment. Despite someone /else/ signing him up for this of course.     Getting all his coolkid shell in order, he swaggers in with a posture of forced confidence, slipping over to the booth. "SHIT, yo." He declares with a wry grin. "You're lookin' like HALF THE FUN here, you already HAD, just SETTIN' UP." A few good-humored chuckles. "Almost FEEL BAD sittin' down, usin' up all this SWEET PARTY you set up. Nice t'MEETCHA, I'm ARTHUR LOWELL! ROCKET-POWERED JERK, KNOW-NOTHING PUNK, all that stuff." He'll probably take a seat almost immediately, unless Pinkie decides to go after a... Handshake? Hell, who knows what she'll figure is socially acceptable greeting here.     Internally, of course, his reaction is a different matter. 'Oh my god balloons, I'm going to look so goddamn silly. It's like a horrifying mix between some kind of prom and a little kid's birthday, wrapped up in a date. Oh god no.' 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Welcome to someone's clear and calculated attempt to ruin the social standing of Arthur Lowell. That's what this has to be, with the way this has been set up. Heaveb forbid if someone sees the legendary cool kid himself on a date with a pink pony. Heaven forbid if there are any PICTURES taken.     Someone is bound to take pictures.     Nevertheless, when Arthur makes his appearance and approach everything comes to a complete and jarring halt. He's greetin', he's going for his seat, and Pinkie is looking like a deer in the headlights; completely crashed and looking as if stricken in the middle of a hardcore mental blue screen.     And then comes the GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP.     Just like that, she's fucking gone. Fast enough to leave a Pinkie Pie shaped outline of dust and clouds where she was standing a moment before, while she darts behind the nearest set of drapes. Cold feet? Or hooves, in her case maybe.     There's some rustling, the sounds of mild panic occuring, some gibbering-- a hand saw and power drill- and then she pops back out again. Where there was a full on pink pony moments before, there's now a girl in a fairly nice purple and black party dress, pink hair done up in huge curls. Thankfully the creepy clown mask is swapped for something a little more matching as she slides a black domino mask into place, and seats herself as well.     "HI!" Well at least she's pretty exuberant too. "I know you! You're always on the radio! Oh we finally get to meet now, huh?! I'M PINKIE PIE." 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''     Arthur takes a brief moment, when Pinkie disappears, to let out a relieved, held breath. Phew. 'Okay, thank god, I managed to pull out of this. That was lucky. Maybe she's just as nervous about this shit as I am? Man that would be great.' But then she's back! Okay, technically the mask is an improvement, it was a /little/ scary before, but this is still an intimidating outfit. And, oh god, the curls, it's like drillhair poised for murder. And then she starts being more enthusiastic than Arthur! Uh oh, he can overwhelm with energy!     He's on the backfoot now, no doubt about it. But, he desperately tries to keep what little footing he has. "DAMN, LADY," He declares with a definitive voice and a broad grin, looking her up and down. "Anyone ELSE, I'da said you went from ZERO to RITZ in NO TIME FLAT, but that'd be INSINUATIN' you STARTED AT ZERO. Hell of a PRETTY LOOK for a TWO SECOND TAILOR and a HIGH-SPEED HAIRDRESSER. But yeah, I think I REMEMBER YOU! There's the RADIO, plus I got a LINE from NESS, sorta, you know that guy. Actually not much COHERENT TALKING about that one. What's your DEAL around there?" Arthur launches eagerly into talking about Pinkie, trying to get off the backfoot a bit.     'Jesus christ,' Arthur thinks. 'I am completely out of my depth, I'm not supposed to meet people who're trying to outpace my energy, this is going to be completely beyond me unless I can get the conversation to focus on her.' Getting a little nervous, but still forcing the broad confident grins, compliments, and conversation. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     It's not that Pinkie is actively TRYING to be as near explosive as she is. ... It just sort of happens. It's how things go when around her. How one person can be so boundlessly, limitlessly, energized is questionable on levels of 'can she feasibly be used to power a city'.     The new mask is a lot less creepy indeed, though doesn't effectively hide some pretty terrible looking scars that peek out around the edges- leading to perhaps the reason she has it on in the first place, but she doesn't seem to let that stop her overlymuch, flashing a big old grin. And when does, there's something of an odd *~squee~* sound that seems to come from... Somewhere. "Well in my line of work you kind of have to be a quick-change artist." She replies humbly, before clarifying: "I'm a professional clown~." Which would explain the balloons and decorations and shit. Before realization dawns and she claps her hands once. "Oh, right, you know Federal Agent too-- OH YOU WERE AT HIS SAFEHOUSE THAT ONE TIME. I brought donuts that time." That time she was also wielding knives and a more killer attitude, but...     "What about YOU? I hear you fly around on like a rocket broom all WHOOSH and SWEEP SWEEP and HOT BLOOD."     Nope. Looks like she's pressing poor Arthur in a terrible back and forth social cat and mousery. 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''     Oh hell! Scars. Arthur is internally an /extremely/ squeamish guy, so there's a bit of awkwardness there, but he continues to keep it entirely under his hat, so to speak. "Well HELL." He says, trying to keep his footing while he tries to glance around for that squee. Are these balloons deflating? "You seem DAMN GOOD at it. Plenty of dude around need to LOOSEN UP some, that shit's a ROCK SOLID MARKET for ya, ain't EVER gonna lose your DEMAND." His smiling is nervous, but it's smiling!     One eye squints a bit. "You WERE? I don't remember." Then, "OH, the DONUTS. Man, I couldn't recognize you AT ALL for some reason." He makes a silly sort of self-depreciating "pbbbffft" noise. "Man, must'a been a different MASK or something." He points and grins. "Those things are pretty STYLIN' by the way, a good MASK is GREAT for making ANY kinda work STYLISH. You wear 'em ALL THE TIME, or this just sort of a SPECIAL OCCASIONS thing?" This bit of dialogue is meant entirely to try to deflect the blunt nervousness trauma being slammed into him by the realization of how potentially dangerous Pinkie is too.     "A-ANYWAY, YEAH, I'm THAT GUY. ROCKET-POWERED JERK with the BOILING BLOOD! I just do a bit of PROFESSIONAL ADVENTURING and doing the SYNDICATE NETWORK stuff. GOOD GIGS. Hahaha, probably not as FUNNY for TALKING ABOUT as your gig. All my stories, KINDA HORRIBLE. 'Course, sounds like you've kinda got your OWN experience there? I mean, if the MEETING with NESS was normal, you probably got some ADVENTURING you got done too!"     'Idiot, idiot, idiot, why ask about the masks, look at the scars, /obviously/ this is connected, that's rude as hell to bring up. Don't ask about her murders either! Oh my god you're going to ruin dinner before it even gets here.' Arthur is agonizing internally, of course, compounded by the sudden shift in understanding of his date here, but most of it seems to be social awkwardness. Very thoroughly hidden under Arthur's coolkid exterior, though, or at least there's some effort there. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Now now! Pinkie is absolutely harmless. Just look at that smile. Or well, she's harmless when there are no knives around. Unfortunately she decides right about now to pick up one of the dinner knives on the table and begins twirling it in her fingers with a lightning display of nimble and far-too-practiced dexterity. "TELL ME ABOUT IT." She seems to take no offense when asked about her masks, but saves that topic of conversation for a moment, "So many people are just too grumpy! It's astounding, like I can't believe it!"     A huff and that knife is juggled to her other hand in a deft motion as she nabs up her fork and repeats the process. "All the time! I've got a load of 'em! Except to sleep- they're a killer on my sinuses and get super stuffy, and then I snore like a BEAR." It's not the most flattering admission, but the filters most normal people seem to have don't... Seem to be in place on this girl.     they don't seem to be installed anywhere nearby her, either. "--Okay scratch that, I have a sleep mask- it has little stars painted on it. Except. It's just a sleep mask not a mask mask." Maybe now would be a good time to change topics and--     "Drinks?"     Drinks sound like a good idea, maybe. "I run into Federal Agent a lot. He kind of sort of works for an old friend of mine who I'm not much friends with now anymore. Because she's mean."     That's some good reasoning there. "Oh huh what's it like in the Syndicate? I keep hearing about it, I know Federal Agent's in it too." 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''     "Buncha DUDES 'round the MULIVERSE so goddamn HIGH STRUNG they're practically VIOLINS ON AIRPLANES, yeah." Arthur says, nervously eying that knife that Pinkie starts spinning. What a hypocrite! Oh well. The abject lack of filter just makes Arthur try to put up even more of his own while still trying to seem authentic. "Shit, gotta give RESPECT, takes some DEDICATION to keep the SWAG ON, DAWN TO DUSK." He says, casually. "RIGHT, DRINKS. I'mma get a PEPSI for now, I think." Guy's not fancy. No drink-drinks here. He's gonna order rather politely, from the waiting staff, but he does aside: "Need me to GRAB anything?" He can head to the bar if that's Pinkie's sort of thing. He does have an ID for 13.7 billion years even if he looks kinda like a kid.     "Ergh." Arthur says, making a 'bleh' face at that last part. "Man, FRIENDSHIP FALLOUTS. No fun, 'spellcially when it MIXES AROUND the WORK and SOCIAL CIRCLES." He makes a plaintive shrug. "WELL, what're gonna do, RIGHT? Seemed like you were OK with THAT GUY, the AGENT I mean, so sounds like you're HANDLIN' IT REASONABLY. And, SYNDICATE..." Arthur looks a little uneasy, but it's only visible just through the cracks in his facade. "HAHA, well, YOU KNOW. It's mostly about gettin' people JOBS, so, MY experience with that stuff is just JOB STUFF. Since my JOB is ADVENTURES, it's a lotta FIGHTING and SHOUTING and SHIT LIKE THAT, but what it's LIKE all depends on the JOB you're after."     He grins, trying to get back his social edge. "So, I'd say, it'd probably be PRETTY FUNNY for you. WHO KNOWS, though." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Giggle!     Violins on airplanes. The analogy seems to be good enough to get a clown giggling. Because one hand comes up to cover Pinkie's mouth and stifle herself. Note: She put the knife down before doing this.     But then she's nodding vigorously. "Oh yes, I'm very dedicated. Fifteen years of nonstop training in the school of laughs!" She explains without clarifying much further. "Cider for me, please!" She also doesn't clarify if she means the alcoholic or non-alcoholic variety.     Good luck, Arthur.     "Oh yes, Federal Agent is nice! I like him a lot, and he's really good at killing zombies. Again. So that makes up for hanging out with a certain Frownface McGrumpypants. --But that sounds like a lot of fun! I was meaning to look into the Syndicate. I could use some new adventure. With less zombies."     This is when she pauses. And then flusters a little with a fidget. Because she has an admission to make. "Eheh... Heh... I'm not boring you, am I? Because I haven't really been on a date in well... Uh. Ever." 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''     Arthur's gonna slip out to grab a drink 'Shit, alcohol or no? I mean she's kinda kiddish but that doesn't have anything to do with age. Uhhhh... Shit!' Arthur winds up coming back with alcoholic cider. Oh well. When he gets back, he slides the drink to Pinkie gracefully over the table, using his expert kinematic sense. "Yeah, most IMPORTANT part of survivin' the SYNDICATE is understandin' how to NOT LIKE someone while still not bein' a JERK about it to EVERYONE AROUND 'em. You wanna get some ADVENTURE, I'll toss ya a LINK, sound good?" He grins widely, a bit too much so, but the arrangement isn't really risky.     Then the flustered admission. "...Ha, N-NO, I think I've got PLENTY excitement here." Arthur says. "Trust me, I know EXACTLY how you FEEL, that's TOTALLY NORMAL. You're FINE, everything's GOOD. Hell, I'm kinda feelin' the SAME WAY." Pause. "I MEAN WOULD. WOULD be feelin' the same way." An intense look. "I've been on TONS of DATES, DEFINITELY. So NOT ANYMORE."     Smooth. 

}}

Freedom From Destiny (Lu-Mey)

2015-02-12T14:04:58Z

TeeG:

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/11
|Location=Tenra
|Synopsis=Catharsis
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=234
|Tinyplot=
}}
How long had she spent living in the past? Too long... Far too long. Dangerously long. Holding herself together, despite all odds, despite the obsessive nature of her singleminded worldly desire for the bloodiest revenge imaginable had undone a part of her. But she did not lose herself, and that was all that had mattered.

Xu the Mad.

Lord Niji.

Two names that she had once associated with the most extreme of agony and anguish. By all rights Lu-Mey should have killed them herself. But she knew that would never bring back her past as she finally arrived at the old, special, place.

With scarcely a glance to the four figures accompanying her, she clutched the fist-sized gem in her hands, to her chest in one final goodbye. Her village was long gone. But the site where it once stood seemed most appropriate. And so the Oni hummed to herself, and to the gem. A gentle lullabye as fingers work to dig the small grave.

And as she works and sings, for the first time in far too long, Lu-Mey feels peace. A true peace, unblemished by the pain of the past.

Xu dead by the myriad jaws of his own creations. Lord Niji brought low. Shen-Di at peace...

With one last brush of her palm over the earth, the heartgem is gone. Buried and never to be found nor disturbed, allowing Lu-Mey to commit another one of her people into the loving embrace of Dii-go, burying the bones of her old beloved, the burden of her past, and the weight of her karma all in one releasing stroke.

For a solemn moment longer, she lingers, staring down at the tiny grave, before picking herself up and turning to her friends with a clap.

"Whelp~. That's that. Now who wants to hit that little ramen stand back in Jyusho~?"

She did not linger long. The past is now buried. The future is for moving on.

Freedom From Destiny (Lu-Mey)

2015-02-12T14:03:31Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2015/02/11 |Location=Tenra |Synopsis=Catharsis |Thanks= |Cast of Characters= |Tinyplot= }} How long had she spent living in the past? Too long..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/11
|Location=Tenra
|Synopsis=Catharsis
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=
|Tinyplot=
}}
How long had she spent living in the past? Too long... Far too long. Dangerously long. Holding herself together, despite all odds, despite the obsessive nature of her singleminded worldly desire for the bloodiest revenge imaginable had undone a part of her. But she did not lose herself, and that was all that had mattered.

Xu the Mad.

Lord Niji.

Two names that she had once associated with the most extreme of agony and anguish. By all rights Lu-Mey should have killed them herself. But she knew that would never bring back her past as she finally arrived at the old, special, place.

With scarcely a glance to the four figures accompanying her, she clutched the fist-sized gem in her hands, to her chest in one final goodbye. Her village was long gone. But the site where it once stood seemed most appropriate. And so the Oni hummed to herself, and to the gem. A gentle lullabye as fingers work to dig the small grave.

And as she works and sings, for the first time in far too long, Lu-Mey feels peace. A true peace, unblemished by the pain of the past.

Xu dead by the myriad jaws of his own creations. Lord Niji brought low. Shen-Di at peace...

With one last brush of her palm over the earth, the heartgem is gone. Buried and never to be found nor disturbed, allowing Lu-Mey to commit another one of her people into the loving embrace of Dii-go, burying the bones of her old beloved, the burden of her past, and the weight of her karma all in one releasing stroke.

For a solemn moment longer, she lingers, staring down at the tiny grave, before picking herself up and turning to her friends with a clap.

"Whelp~. That's that. Now who wants to hit that little ramen stand back in Jyusho~?"

She did not linger long. The past is now buried. The future is for moving on.

1529/The Bittersweet Taste

2015-02-12T13:58:06Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/02/08 |Location=Tenra |Synopsis=Lu-Mey leads the strike on Castle Igarashi. Last fortress stronghold of the regent that wronged her so many ye..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/08
|Location=Tenra
|Synopsis=Lu-Mey leads the strike on Castle Igarashi. Last fortress stronghold of the regent that wronged her so many years ago.
|Thanks=Everyone who attended!
|Cast of Characters=85, 202, 232, 234, 299, 320, 336, 357, 522, 546, 709
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     The world of Tenra is a world of constant struggle, strife, and war. Regents vie for land, the priesthood seeks to dominate and control, the Oni fight against bloody oppression, and even beneath these immense reasons for conflict are hundreds of thousands more sundry and surly reasons for theft, murder, bloodshed, and violence.     The Castle-fortress Igarashi is tonight's goal, an immense fortress of stone and steel, ruled over by the as of yet unnamed regent that the oni Lu-Mey wholeheartedly blames for ruining her life entirely. The castle-town surrounding the mighty fortress is a bustling hub of commerce and life, with a large market and even larger red light district for the enjoyment of the soldiers within the castle. The apparent means of getting into the castle is... From within a brotel.     Apparently Lu-Mey has some connections with the girls within, because no one had to KILL any of them, except the gossipy one, and she was put to the knife weeks before this operation even took place.     Lu-Mey herself is... Not in her usual flamboyantly red dress. But a much more subtle white kimono. It's still ostentatious and fit for a princess, decorated only in a few lighter pink cherry blossom designs... And some old dark brown stains. But the oni claps her hands.     "Here we aaaare! So there used to be a secret passage going under the castle to this very place of completely legitimate business. I'm not going to go into details why, but we can probably use that assuming it's not blocked off. Don't know where it leads inside, so be ready for anything! Even poking our heads into a blender. But we're going to try and stay quiet for just a little bit, anyway~. Capiche~?" 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     Even with all due precaution taken as regards rumors, Hana Umikazeno has opted to come incognito. Rather than her usual bright colors, she's adopted some rather more faded, weathered attire, the sort of outfit you'd see on someone coming into an establishment like this after a long day in mines, fields, at the docks, any of the limitless backbreaking jobs in Tenra. A beaten straw hat hides her horns, and baggy sleeves almost certainly leave room for her revolvers, but for the moment she looks unarmed and inoffensive.     "Even if the passage is blocked off, we might be able to get around it," Hana replies, flexing her fingers absently, as if to warm up. "I do have quite a bit of strength despite my delicate frame, after all. I could also use the Girls, but that would involve explosions, which would lose the element of surprise." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi doesn't seem uncomfortable with the choice of meeting place. The nogitsune might even blend in, in a strange way: she's left her katanas and Nageki behind, relying instead on various weaponry concealed in her normal crimson outfit in case things get rough later. Her mask still hides her face from view, but Munashi is nowhere to be seen, at least not obviously. The shadow fox has returned to being Kagenashi's actual shadow, clinging to her feet as she leans against a wall near Lu-Mey. Considering the region, she might look for all the world like a slightly unusual tenant of the place.     "If there are any cracks, Munashi can also get through to try and find another way around, if needed," she chimes in serenely. "Whatever we decide to do, you can count on it that I will not make a sound if I can help it. Just keep me informed on who and what we need to take care of." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn Lysen arrived slightly early, using teleportation to some conveniently hidden location, as she is not a time mage and cannot maintain precise punctuality in all things. She is, obviously to those who don't know her, some type of mage. Even if they've never heard of her, nor seen her entrance, the fancy robes and staff kind of give that way. Her appearance is not particularly stealthy on its own, but she has some spells that can assist, should no other means be available--and she's reluctant to part with ostentatious clothing that's also filled to capacity with defensive enchantments.     "If not around, I suppose we can still make an entrance through a blockade... depending on how thorough they were in sealing it. Both Earth and Darkness are within my specialities. One or the other may prove useful." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     A few days ago, the mercenary, Hana, had been convinced to give up a few details about the contract she'd taken for Lu-Mey. D isn't much for diplomacy, but he's skilled at the mercenary trade, and he had known what approach to take to get the information he'd been seeking. Though Hana had been uncomfortable, she'd given D enough details to turn his attentions to Tenra, and earned herself a decent enough paycheck in exchange. It was a bargain complicated by what code of honor most mercenaries cared to abide by, and by D's own mislike for asking anyone for anything, yet it must have worked out, or he wouldn't be riding across Tenra today at just the right time.     Not that anyone but Hana and Lu-Mey would be aware of the exchange. To anyone else, his timely arrival might be surprising, and perhaps unwelcome.     Those in the basement hear the sound of his footsteps crossing the brothel's floorboards. The slow, steady beat grows louder as he makes his way into the basement below, until the familiar jangling from his spurs becomes a clear racket and his tall, black-draped figure stands before them in a state of absolute calm. What sharp minds and ears are in attendance will realize he did not come from the brothel's front door. There was also no cyborg horse outside to give away his presence, either. He must have been in the building long before the clandestine meeting started.     D's dark gaze travels over the basement gathering. It settles on Lu-Mey. "Greetings." 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox has made some sort of effort to stick out a little less. Over his usual form of dress is a long, dark blue, hooded cloak that descends all the way to his ankles, marked with a circle with twelve spokes and an arrow descending from it. Only the armour on his feet and the steady blue glow of his eyes from under the hood are visible. He's even made the effort to walk rather than float everywhere, which is a first for the multiverse. "The details aren't necessary. I can already imagine why." he remarks in a dry, dispassionate tone. "I'll do my best to prepare for whatever strange things this world can throw at us, but as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy."     He pauses for a moment to consider something. "Though, if you have any idea what the castle contains, the information would be . . . appreciated." That said, he briefly greets each Confederate persona in turn, though he doesn't go through the effort of a gentlemanly bow today. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Is Starless Night here? Of course she is! But very few can be sure of that. For tonight, Lu-Mey has apparently enlisted one of the subordinates by the name of Kasumi for this task. It's not actually much of a leap to guess that this MIGHT be Starless Night herself, but the important part is that her real face isn't being shown. The young girl looks at home in the brothel, wearing a kimono of her own and obviously intended to be a highly-paid entertainer.     But tonight, she is not trying to maintain the guise of someone meant to be in a brothel. No, she has a bundle with her, which includes a sword and various other paraphenalia. These go across her back, in a position where they can be readily available.     "I think so long as they have no guardian Samurai, those gathered here can handle matters just fine," Kasumi says. Her voice is low and sweet, a singing voice most likely. Definitely not what Starless uses on channels, but that shouldn't be a surprise to Confederates. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' While many things have been happening that has the Legatus concern and attention, he also can not forget his own allies of the Confederacy. Being a member within their own ranks, means he also has to spend some of his attention to their needs; Even if it is not asked of him. That said, Gaius Van Baelsar has come to aid Lu-Mey the best he can, while she has informed him it will be a low-key operation, his armor wouldn't bring any problems. A fact he is silently glad for. So the dark armored and red crimson leather-clothed man has shown up. His gunblade is attached to his backside and those voidful eye lens look around where he may. His gaze does drift over to Lu-Mey, "Whatever shall come, it will be dealt with. As for the silence, it shalt not be a problem." He said with his voice kept low. It is here that the Black Wolf takes note of whom is among them. How many Confederates, how many unknowns-- though his gaze does fall on D. He says nothing to the half-vampire, other then a momentary stare, before he looks back to Lu-Mey, then to the surroundings once more. If anyone really wants to ask, its a story to be told at a later time. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     EARLIER:     A catfight! See the contents of 24/41 if you really care!     NOW:     Fujiwara no Mokou, completely normal if somewhat brightly dressed human, finds herself quite at home in the town surrounding the castle, following an unfortunate displacement. This sure takes her back, the architecture, the lifestyle. It's a bit more fantastical than it would have been for her, back then, but it's also 'home' in enough ways she can disregard that. The town's kind of tense though. Doesn't have the answers she's looking for. ... and she's kind of broke, anyway. Couldn't afford any of the services here. Maybe a meal, but she's not hungry.     White hair flutters in the wind as Mokou hops off the ground, and then just... floats, and flies, right over the castle walls. She wasn't able to find a proper gate in, so she'll just help herself. Surely the people in there can give her directions. She stays in the air over the central courtyard, pondering where to land. Who forgets to put a door on their castle anyway? 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     "My contract with Lu-Mey included the possibility of Samurai," Hana remarks idly, casually going through a few movements of her unusual gunkata as if to check her range of motion. "If there aren't any, in fact, I'll probably lower the completion fee to compensate." 

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''     Charity is here, but she looks pretty normal... aside from, you know, not being the right ethnicity. She's wearing a hooded cloak, as is normal for her, but the only weapons she brought are knives. This is also pretty normal for her. "Do you think we'll run into much resistance, though? I'd prefer not to slaughter all the retainers, you know." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     A quick headcount is taken as scarlet eyes flit from face to face to face to creepy glowing helmets, to mask, to starw hat, and so forth. For a moment, Lu-Mey seems pleased with the turnout, another clap, and an overly giddy giggle and things are just about ready.     But as said, no plan survives contact with... Anything.     In comes D and the oni practically facefaults. "A-AH! HE'S COME TO SEX BEAM ME!" Blurted in half-panicked haste, before she regains her composure-- "I mean. D~ what a pleasant surprise to see you here! I suppose you can come along if you like. I might even pay you, if you don't mind doing some small services."     Ahem. "Right, well, we go in, if people die, they die, I'm not going to sweat a bit of bloodshed if anyone gets in our way or tries to stop us, in the event we're discovered, looting, pillaging, plundering, and general diabolical thievery is generally encouraged, because these people are worse scum than I am. As for what's in there, this is a very rich regent, so we're looking at tons of footsoldiers at the very least, probably with cyborgs and kijin among them. I KNOW there's a yoroi in there. That's our main target. Anything else, we'll just have to deal with it as we come across them." She explains the castle contents as best she can.     With a thump of her heel against the wall it slides open into a dusty and dark corridor that looks like it hasn't been used in a very long and forgotten time.     "In we go~." Chirruped before a minor pause, turning to smile back.     "Well, if we're quiet we shouldn't run into any resistance. But if we do... I'm actually entirely fine with murdering every man, woman, and child inside."     MEANWHILE. One simply does not fly into Castle Igarashi.     Well Mokou does.     There are guards stationed all over the tops of the walls, and some girl just flying clean over them immediately gets attention. There are shouts and men point, when the hourai phoenix just kind of... Goes clean over them and lands on the castle grounds. It doesn't sound like anyone liked that, much at all, there's already a squad of men hustling out to be her welcoming party! though they don't look friendly.     The path under the castle seems to be a perfectly viable means to get in, aside from being very dark and a little chilly. If anyone spots so much as a footprint in the dust, they're all very old, nothing recent in the least. It leads under the wall, unobstructed and forgotten by time, opening into a shadowed space of the courtyard just outside a large stone building that Lu-motions for, instead of the main castle. "Ah~. That's where we want to go."     It seems way too easy. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     It's rare for Hana to simply stare dumbstruck at someone. She's learned to take the Multiverse quite in stride, at least as necessary to get a job done.     But the gunslinger can't respond to Lu-Mey's outburst towards D any other way. She just... stares.     The moment the corridor is opened, though, she takes a few steps to the fore, drops the Girls into her hands, and assumes a spot at the head of the group. She trusts her eyes quite well, even in the darkness, and her weapons can respond to attackers at any range the corridor can give them. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius Van Baelsar will follow suit of those in charge. This is not his operation nor a place he fully understands. Yet when Lu-Mey informs that many activities are fine, including these here will probably not be missed. The Legatus makes note of it. It is pretty much an open invitation in his mind to not hold back if combat does break out. As they walk, he takes note of the guards moving else where and any foot prints left behind from some time ago, including avoiding with his quiet metal boots to not leave any either. Though how his boots are quiet can be summed up to what his entire armor is made out of. Magitek. Until something comes up of grave important or requires him to take action, he'll follow the orders given to him. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox casts an inscrutable glance towards the late party. Though when and when not to proceed are entirely up to Lu-Mey, he doesn't like to be kept waiting for matters of punctuality. Fortunately, he keeps any remarks to himself, as D distracts him more, being a known Unionite. "Are you /sure/ allowing him to come along is a good idea? I somehow doubt his 'code of honour' would allow our . . . plan B." The glowing blue circles under his hood narrow down to halfway, as if expressing intense scrutiny. "Though I suppose 'if anyone gets in our way or tries to stop us' means /anyone/. That should include him, correct?" Unfortunately, Nox simply just plain doesn't trust Unionites not to play the hero at inopportune times. He'll be keeping his eye on D from here on out.     For anyone who's met him before, it seems kind of strange to see Nox actually walking on his own two feet. He takes forward at a brisk stride, in absolutely perfect, metronome ryhthm. "If you would care to elaborate, what exactly is a 'yoroi'? By the context, I'm assuming some kind of mechanized weapon, or some manner of great beast chained up for use in wartime." He seems to rather approve of everyone else gathered, and their sense of propriety, for the most part. Gaius probably doesn't actually look that outlandish beside the samurai of this world. As soon as they're in the courtyard, Nox disperses a small group of Noxines into the air; the little glass and metal insects spreading out in a wide circle to slip into the castle's perimeter unnoticed, with the intention of giving him a multi-angled view of the courtyard that covers the spaces behind and between buildings that would otherwise be blind corners where someone could stumble into a pack of soldiers. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     While Adelyn gives greetings, at times terse, to her fellow Confederates--those she recognizes, at least--she's paying less attention to the gathered mercenaries, servants, and--particular attention to D. My, that is a surprise. But if Lu-Mey was expecting him, it's not precisely her business to complain.     Oh. Lu-Mey wasn't expecting him. This causes Adelyn to give a rather more--not quite suspicious but, perhaps, 'intrigued' look. The outburst and following explanation rather distract from her saying anything in particular on that subject.     "Kijin, kijin... ah, yes. Cyborgs, and yoroi. I believe I recall the relevant information. This should be interesting, with that kind of variety." By which she means, 'a variety of beings I've yet to study.' Killing all of them wouldn't be a problem for her, either.     Right, in they go! Adelyn says a few things via radio and, as they walk, switches her staff to her left hand. It morphs into the shape of a large tome, which then remains floating beside her while she quickly scans through several pages, looking for something. Upon finding whatever it is, she snaps her fingers--purely for effect--and then inscribes a number of glowing letters in the air with one finger. As the letters fade out, so does she--along with anyone standing near her. Shadows turn and stretch, washing over her position and obscuring. It's not quite invisibility, but it's an effective means of blending into any dark space, and will last approximately as long as needed, so long as those affected do nothing flashy. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     Ah, people! Good, she can actually ask for directions.     Mokou touches down in the center of the courtyard, most likely amidst the squads of men giving her glares like she's here to set the castle ablaze. Admittedly, not necessarily an incorrect guess if they push their luck. Hands still in her pockets, the white-haired girl beams a smile to the gathered guards, with a striking disregard for weapons and shouts.     "Hello! My name's Fujiwara no Mokou, and I'm a little bit lost. Do you have one of those 'Warp Gates' here I could use? Ah, the name of this place might not be too bad either, so I know where I came from."     At least she's completely unarmed? 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi barely reacts to Lu-Mey's little moment due to D's appearance. She, in turn, only gives the Hunter a masked look and a light nod before her attention is turned back to the matter at hand. "Very well," she simply says to Lu-Mey, then slips into the passage with an almost uncanny silence. Walking on the balls of her feet, slightly crouched, she slinks down the passage until it opens up into that clearing.     Lu-Mey points off to their goal, and Kagenashi takes a few moments to consider how best to approach it. Soon, she decides the best approach is the most direct, and she abruptly vanishes. At least mostly: keen eyes might notice an incredibly faint outline of her form, and anyone with a skill to see spirits would clearly notice her, but how many of those are here today?     The invisible nogitsune then floats across to the side building, keeping off to the side as much as she can. Her path eventually takes her close to the building, where, crouched in the shadows, she takes a second to uncloak herself. Just long enough to pull a throwing knife from her clothes and hurl it in a straight line aimed for the base of a guard's neck, after which she immediately vanishes again. Assuming that works, she'll have to hope the others act as planned and investigate so they can be removed out of sight. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The 'sex beam' remark goes ignored. Alas, Lu-Mey's exaggerated reaction to his arrival provokes neither the Hunter's sense of propriety, nor his sense of humor -- assuming he's got any of either to be provoked at all.     "We can discuss payment after the yoroi is slain." D looks from Lu-Mey to Hana, and tips his hat in a belated greeting. "Miss Umikazeno."     As he did not react to Lu-Mey's greeting, he also doesn't react to her plan. He isn't known as the type to kill 'every man, woman, and child,' but if this threat perturbs him, he doesn't show it. All business, he asks no questions -- only listens to what questions the others ask, and what answers are given in return -- and prepares his sword and equipment for the task ahead. His sword is loosened in its scabbard for a faster draw. He checks the fit of his bracers, and a place or two where he's tucked several of his wooden needles. He also limbers his fingers through a long, deliberate stretch or two, though this isn't done until he's entered the passageway.     He is neither the first to enter the hall, nor the last. D takes up a position somewhere in the middle; for his own sake, and for the sake of the people he's surrounded by, perhaps.     For part of the short journey, his eyes are on Nox, the dhampir's gaze inscrutable, perhaps contemplative.     On entering the courtyard, his hand flies to his weapon's hilt, and he takes on a tense posture amid the shadows. "Someone is already here...and I suspect they are unwelcome." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     With Kasumi following up from her favorite place - that being the rear - she doesn't comment on the dusty and quiet passage. She doesn't do any fancy invisibility tricks or anything like that, she just lets the others use their little tricks to scout out the area for her. Because why work when others are willing to do it for her?     Reaching the courtyard has much the same result. Kasumi just looks around, then buckles her sword to her side and starts walking along the edge of the courtyard, working on finding someone else who is away from the conflict for now. Someone alone. Who, it doesn't matter. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     So far so good. Mokou's presence has actually diverted enough of the attention of the guard to make things even easier for the Confederate and Syndicate approach. Which is all well and good for them. Notsomuch for her, as the soldiers arrived, swords drawn, spears raised. The silver-haired girl's youthful appearance doesn't really stop them from pointing their weapons at her.     "She just flew in!"     "Is she some kind of shinobi?"     "No you idiot, ninja can't fly that's just a legend."     "Check her for kijin parts, maybe she's got like jet thrusters."     "It doesn't MATTER if she does, she's not supposed to BE here." The guards argue among themselves for a moment, trying to figure out what to do before a superior can come along.     "I don't care how lost you are, it's the dungeons for you!"     That's not looking good at all. Damned be the natural touhou instinct to go places they aren't supposed to go, just to talk.     Meanwhile, with that distraction in place, there's nothing stopping Kagenashi in the least, the Nogitsune making quick and easy work of one guard. The man crumples to the ground in a silent heap, dead before even realizing there was a knife in his neck. And he goes down without drawing the attention of the other men.     Which means the way into the Yoroi hangar is fairly open? Lu-Mey traipses right inside and... Stops in her tracks.     Of course, KASUMI's search yields what would normally be a prime victim. Solitary and alone, unbothered by the guards is a girl in an ornate purple kimono, paradol draped over her shoulder as she walks the grounds some distance away. She appears to be in her 20's, a stunningly gorgeous woman, perhaps one of the daughters of the very regent Lu-Mey has such a grudge against.     But the reason why the oni is halted is impossible to miss.     A large construction of red steel and mystical components, the Yoroi sits silently in its berth. A ten foot tall beast of a machine in the shape of a man, it sits at rest, ornate armor looking much akin to a giant wearing a suit of samurai warrior armor, a massive blade resting in the sheath set across its lap. It stands out from the other armors lined up on either side of it, those being more simplistic and mass produced, the Armor appears to be in a dormant state as Lu-Mey approaches it, drawn immediately to the power-source within.     "Haha... Hahaha... Haaaa... Shen-Di... I knew I would find you here."     Her voice is a whisper. But in the silence of the hangar it carries with an echo as she lays a hand on the giant machine's plating, an almost manic look on her face as she motions the others to approach. "It's this one. Let's take what we came for and-- HRK?"     That massive sword is suddenly sticking through her.     "Ara ara...?"     It's a sudden and blatant change in situation that she did not account for when the blade has her impaled from sternum to gut, scarlet eyes already dimming with the fog of death before the Armour SWINGS the blade hard enough to launch her off the sword, smash through the concrete wall, and go flying.     With lethally bone-shattering force, on a course that happens to take the oni's corpse right on path to Mokou.     Well that didn't go as planned. Especially as the sudden CRACK-CRACK-CRACK report of gunshots rings out inside the hangar, a figure in blue leaping down from an upper rafter. "Who the hell ARE you and what do you want?!" The gun-toting girl demands. She looks to be around sixteen, and despite the fact that she has metal lenses for eyes, and distinctly metal arms and legs hidden in the billowing silks of her kimono, the gleam of a pair of fancy gunpowder guns in her hands says she is NOT happy to see everyone here as bullets start flying and questions are asked as a secondary measure. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     The very instant Lu-Mey is impaled, Hana's revolvers are in her hands, and she's on the move, sweeping the hangar for other hostiles. It was ready for them. The castle was /ready/ for them. There's got to be others, they've got to be ready, this is-     A Tenra cyborg descends from above at the exact moment Hana's eyes are in that direction, and she's moving before she even realizes she's moving.     The oni's body turns in a graceful spin that takes her out of the line of fire and ends with one revolver pointed straight up. There's no time for a fancy shot, the target's moving too quick to be assured of a clean hit, so she takes the 'no kill like overkill' option. Both cylinders switch to 'steel', and when she pulls the trigger, a single armor-piercing bullet becomes twenty-four, all of them spreading right at the descending cyborg. She pulls the trigger one, two, three times before starting to move again, keeping herself mobile. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     "I'm not a ninja. Ah, not the kind you're thinking of, anyway," Mokou first answers. Then she struggles to try to answer every question. "Parts? No I can just kind of fly. Can't you? Huh, if no one is supposed to be here why build a castle at all and fill it with people? W-Whoa, wait, dungeons? Can't we just settle this like adults with some violence and then when I win you tell me where to go so I can leave?"     Now in her defense, that's how things work in Gensokyo.     And sadly, she seems not to pick up all the noise and commotion going on not too far away, as she tries to reason with the guards as if she were still home.     "Look, you guys don't look very powerful, so why don't we just assume I'll win and answer my--" Questions, she'd have finished. Unfortunately that's when Lu-Mey impacts her. The two go flying for one of the courtyard walls and slam into it. With basically every bone in her body broken from the impact, the girl's battered corpse hits the floor with Lu-Mey still on top of her.     Looks like the guards had their job cut out for them. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Hmm. Kasumi is going to need to do things differently, then. Let's drop the pretenses and just call her Starless, even if she's in a new disguise for the day. She walks up toward the woman and sprays out a net of webbing, her other hand drawing the blade at her side. She doesn't assault her though.     "Normally, I would kill you for being in the way," She states calmly. That should get the woman's attention... but Starless doesn't get too close, now. "But there's something about you that says this is not a good idea. Who are you?" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Well, that went extremely smoothly. Kagenashi is content with the results of her stealthing and moves forward once Lu-Mey does, pausing for only a moment to ensure that the guard she killed was, in fact, killed. Once that's done, she reverts from her spiritual form back to physical and follows Lu-Mey into the building, standing slightly aside as they run into the girl in the kimono and her mecha companion.     It's probably a good thing she's off to the side, as that means she's spared from being close to Lu-Mey's impalement and she's free to immediately dash off after the oni.     Her flight (literally, as her feet never touch the ground as she speeds across to Lu-Mey) is quick and direct. She only flickers back into her inivisible form to ensure that the nearby guards don't turn their attention to /her/ and cause even more problems, and soon enough, she manages to reach both Lu-Mey and Mokou. The latter is passed off as an unfortunately observer casualty: more important is Lu-Mey herself.     Still silent and invisible, Kagenashi is quick to examine Lu-Mey. She's aware, at least vaguely, of the oni's nature, but she's still going to try to assess how badly damaged Lu-Mey is. Whether she's at least breathing, or if there's a heartbeat. Something to determine her state before she reappears once the guards aren't looking and tries to pull Lu-Mey across her shoulders to get her out of any further harm. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius looks about the hanger, till his eyes follow on the armor. Which seems to be what they are after? However things go quickly south, "Lu-Mey!" And the young woman is impaled it would seem and thrown aside. There would soon be then gunfire upon them as well and Gaius quickly moves to take cover. Reaching for his own gunblade as he ducks around and then loads in the armor piercing rounds into the clip holder. Gaius listens to some of the chatter on the comm, and his eyes glance over to the power armor. The power source needed to be spared but would the armor join the fray? How much like Garlemald Magitek? Or was it something different? Him touching the armor was out of the question. Though he shifts to the young woman with the gun as she fires again, he asksbefore he steps around and trains the Hierbane, his gunblade, on her. "I suppose asking you to surrender is out of the question, isn't it?" Then as he comes around to level his sights on her, he opens fire though at the last moment he goes to shift the weapon. The Gunblade sparks blue light from the Ceruleum charge within, the bullet flies and goes to bite into the ground with some force due to the nature of the bullet. It was a warning shot at best and it was aimed fairly close to the unknown woman. Given it seems a few here want to question her. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     As Lu-Mey's body crashes lifelessly through the concrete walls, D lunges from the shadows in a black streak, his sword already to hand.     It cuts a silver flash across the bullet-strewn hangar, deflecting several of the wild rounds before he is dealt any harm; however, wasting his time on the measure leaves him ill-suited to deliver any strikes to the gunslinger. Instead, he continues beyond the cyborg girl, intending to reach and to meet the Yoroi before it can rouse itself to its full combative potential.     Halfway across the hangar, D skids to a low, temporary halt, and -- crouching for no more than a heartbeat -- vaults himself into a high leap. He aims to come down on the Yoroi from above. The tip of his long sword leads his descent, equally ready to attack as it is to parry. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox regards Adelyn's spell, and Kagenashi's, with more than a hint of curiosity, despite there being no visible expression on his face. He withholds the questions for now, in the interests of being quiet as instructed. When he sees the yoroi however, he can't help but let out a sound of appreciation, folding his arms behind his back and staring up at the massive construct to lock gazes with its mask. He can already imagine how much energy the thing must produce if something that large is to fight on the battlefield, or rather, he can visualize it with his ability to see energy density. Unfortunately, the objective was to retrieve the power source, not sabotage it, and so he has to refrain from draining it. The mass produced models however, are a different story. With a transmitted command, the noxines return from the courtyard, a handful of them settling on each kimen and stabbing their stingers into the exposed joints, where their glass abdomens gradually begin to illuminate with a steady, teal light. The smaller yoroi will probably be unuseable without changing the power source after they're finished.     It seems, however, that the grand armour was active. Perhaps the pilot is already inside it, and had been waiting on standy all this time. When Lu-Mey goes flying, Nox's head turns to follow her with a mechanical snap, only to see her corpse land in the middle of an ongoing engagement with some stranger. He assesses that she is quite thoroughly dead, and likely well beyond his healing abilities, and so he doesn't spare the energy. He doesn't know the oni well enough to greive for her loss, but he is most certainly supremely irritated by the death of a Confederate on his watch.     Dropping the pretense, Nox's feet leave the floor, putting him in his usual position of floating a foot off the ground, allowing him to stare down at the blue haired girl below. "If you think the machine behind you will spare you from harm against so many opponents, rethink your unwise decision. You're in an extremely bad position right now little girl." As the bullets directed for him approach, the air ripples around them, and they suddenly slow to a complete halt, hanging suspended in midair where he swats them away with a backhand. "I will demonstrate." he intones, aiming one palm up at the yoroi, where a small opening whines briefly with a buildup of cyan energy, before discharging in the form of a streaking bolt that explodes on contact with the machine, shaking the ground with its detonation. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Oh, there goes Lu-Mey. Adelyn would be rather worried for the high-level state of this operation, had she not seen any scene like this, previously. As is, her concerns are lower-level. This is a set-back, but not a wholly unexpected difficulty.     "Ahahaha, just who /were/ you expecting?" Adelyn's magic doesn't work as well out of the tunnel, though it has some effect still, indoors. Unfortunately, with a fully aware opponent, it's not really worth maintaining. She blurs back into clarity as the shadow spell retracts. Pure Guardian, the book still floating by her side, returns to its form as a staff, though it does not return to her hands. Light arcs from staff to finger-tips as she conjures a barrier of Arcane force to stop herself from being riddled with bullets. Alas, defensive techniques are not a prime specialty, and she's not a lot tougher than any other pure magic-user type--things are going to go badly if she's pushed onto the defensive without support for very long. Hopefully, that will be a non-issue, with so many here to keep the enemy busy.     The archmage does not, presently, make any attack. But the intricate spell-circles that begin to appear in the air around her, one after another, speak to something building up. The number halts at six, each a five-foot wide arcane mess of circuit-like complexity and incandescent Arcane energy, with pieces shifting and rotating and locking into position, one bit at a time. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     In one instant everything is such a mess.     Kagenashi will find Lu-Mey to be utterly broken. As broken as the dead girl she's tangled with. Rigor mortis is already beginning to settle in, and it results in a weird jumble of broken bones and blood everywhere, pouring from everything. It's not pretty. ... Especially when the white worms appear. A tentative peek at first, they poke out through the oni's wounds as if to taste the air. Before a wriggling display of monstrous white worms begin to squirm, every inch of the oni's dusky skin visibly CRAWLING as they set bone, pull wounds back together, stitch and re-knit flesh, quickly restoring the body of their host in a disturbing, writhing manner.     In a matter of seconds, she's on her feet, looking pale and dizzy from the immense pain associated with such a quick recovery. "Ara ara... That really HURT."     And then things just... Get worse. The figure in purple accosted by Starless Night gasps, a look of shock and surprise on her face, and then fear. Still, there's something horribly off about the moment. As her look of terror turns into an upwards, almost vicious smirk.     A *POFF* of smoke and she's gone, the webbed figure replaced by... A paper doll.     It's only the slightest gust of an errant wind from behind that will give the Kugutsu any warning. She's fast, but Starless is likely faster and can dodge or deflect the oncoming blow from the ninjato hidden within that parasol, as the purple-kimono clad princess clucks. "Hmph." Oh she is a HAUGHTY thing. "Murasaki-hime does not need to answer to a squirming vermin user." The shinobi princess scoffs.     Meanwhile, back inside the hangar, the girl in blue is already dancing away when Gaius fires his warning shot into the ground at her mechanical feet. Her every motion buzzes and whirrs with motors in action, a sudden EXPLOSION of gunpowder from her heel launches her aside with breakneck force. "As IF I'm going to surrender when I find my little sister surrounded!" she snarls as she jinks in a way that would break a normal human's bones. That armor piercing hail pelts at her, earning a grunt as several punch clean through her body in a spray of black machine fluids, a little blood, and plenty of sparks, she already starts unloading at Gaius and Hana in a flurry of motions, a graceful kata of her own handgun-fu.     The Yoroi however is picking itself up, just in time to hoist that giant blade in front of itself with a wrenching motion, Nox's blast slams home, reddening the immense sword's metal, energy bleeding past it to score, dent, and start superheating the armor behind it, it staggers whily trying to get to its feet, as D lunges in.     The ringing impact of his blade higher on the machine's body earns... A squeal. A shrill, girlish cry of terror, slightly tinged with static from the machine's loudspeaker as the pilot inside does her best to get the massive machine into a readied position. "A-Ao-hime! help!"     And then from out of nowhere, the reprisal is vicious, swift, and explosive.     A figure of black steel, tall, lithe, and vaguely feminine in from explodes through the nearest wall, hands, eyes, and the gleaming glass panel over its heart glowing a baleful red, the feminine automaton lashes out in a flurry of lightning fast punches and kicks, a brutal martial art intended to batter the Xelor     And then a figure in a midnight black kimono follows. Another woman, in her mid-twenties, a long curved blade held in one hand, dark tattoos cover her skin, connecting the gleaming scarlet gems embeded in her body. She has a reed of straw sticking out from the corner of her lip. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     "Tch. Isn't that bold. Attacking us in our own home." Those gems on her skin take on a dull red glow, before her body suddenly bulks up, skin reforming into armor-like plating as she takes a fighting stance. And flings herself at the dhampir with the force of a truck.     Something shimmers on the ceiling above... A large squirming figure, slithering down. Adelyn will notice it. The giant dragon-like Shiki descending with the slow, careful motions of a cat ready to pounce, as another girl ina green kimono emerges on the rafters above, holding several paper talismans in her hands. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     Hana's movements dance and shift, taking her from one stance to the next, never stopping for more than the instant it takes to pull the trigger once. With an enemy this well-armed and armored, she can't afford a more solid firing posture intended for ordinary firefights. It's only when she comes up and a bullet clips her cheek, followed by another going through the left side of her abdomen and out the other with a spray of blood, that the oni narrows her eyes and watches the girl in blue dance for just an instant. And in that instant she recognizes some all-too-familiar movements.     "...My, my. Jyuujutsu," she says aloud.     Both her revolvers are briefly spun, just long enough for her to adopt a stance, going through a sweeping arm movement that tips her straw hat off her head entirely. The movement speaks volumes. It's a flat-out challenge.     Hana's first order of business is to close in. Her revolvers change ammo types in the blink of an eye, and she brings them both up to aim at Ao-hime in perfect rhythm. Left-right-left-right, each bullet armor-piercing, each bullet primed to explode once inside whatever it hits. And then she suddenly drops, hitting a low firing stance with her left arm, before leaping up and forward, taking aim with her right in the middle of a flip. The flip ends with both her feet planted, arms crossed over, and another pair of shots. All the while, the oni closes range, seeks to get into melee. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     For some strange reason, Nox visibly flinches when he hear's the little girl's scream, suddenly understanding how 'little' the blue-haired girl had meant when she said 'little sister'. Even more strangely, he hesitates to deliver a second blow, stuck staring at the yoroi as it gets to its feet, letting off the visible ticking of gears. Unbeknownst to anyone, he is calculating how best to destroy the armour's exterior without harming the girl inside. Lu-Mey may have no compunctions about killing children, but the same doesn't go for Nox. Not for any moral or ethical concerns, nor for simple softness, but for his own, deeply personal reasons.     So distracted, he completely fails to notice the Konghoki until it is already upon him. Its fist collides with his helmet with an audible clang of metal, sending him reeling away as a kick smashes into his chestplate, hurling him halfway across the room. He uses his forearms to block against the following blows, denting and cracking the armour as sparks fly from metal on metal impacts. What will end up being the last hit in the flurry suddenly swings through a mirage of blue static as Nox teleports directly behind the war machine, swinging his own fist into the base of its spine. The impact is accompanied by a violent distortion in space fit to hurl a battle tank through the air like a toy car, using judicious force to try and neutralize a clearly formiddable opponent. As soon as some space is cleared, his hand grasps around the hilt of Zenith, the interlocking blades of the clockwork sword folding out of thin air before the clock-hand point springs into existence. He brings it up into a guard position, readying for the counterattack. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' The gunfire comes in fast and quick. While Gaius armor is designed to take a beating and keep on going.. due to some improper repairs, this doesn't exactly go overly well. A key to perhaps stare at Nero later and some other techs. A few of the bullets from the woman he was staring down clips across his armor, but one manages to nail the cover case to the Magitek core's battery. That impact suddenly causes a bit of a malfunction, which can lead to a major issue down the road of this mission. A calculated error and given this is the armor he fell in awhile back.... With that problem. The Legatus uses what energy he has to actually teleport away from all this. Having to pull himself out of the conflict. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     While Kagenashi examines the two bodies, Mokou's begins to heat up. It's pretty sudden, and indicative of internal flames. Far in nature from the display of Lu-Mey's worms, Mokou's body bursts into flames, though they don't damage it at all. Bones are mended, injuries closed, and lifesigns return as the fiery girl stands back up, rubbing her head uncomfortably.     "What the hell was that?"     She'd heard of fighting fire with fire, but that's the first time someone tries to kill her by hurling another immortal towards her at terminal velocity. She glances around confused at the commotion. How many people are fighting how many now? Was she out THAT long?     "I have no idea what's going on."     Stomp. She slams her foot down, and the flames spread from her body to the castle and its walls. "But I'm actually kind of pissed now. Can't even have a nice day without dying anymore." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     A paper doll? Starless knows that technique, so she's quick to react. She already has her sword out, too, so when she whips around the blade coming at her only draws a thin line over her cheek rather than bite into her shoulder. The scrape of Scarlet Steel on steel sounds out as she adjusts her stance. "Murasaki-hime, hmm? I hear you have some skill as a shinobi. Let us put that to the test, shall we?" She twists about, her own sword licking out in a quick testing attack against the young-looking woman.     It isn't just battle with blades she's testing, though. She's a little curious about the spotty records she knows of this woman, so she prods verbally as well. "You're a mysterious one, aren't you? Appearing out of nowhere, so pretty and agile. How much did you cost, I wonder?" 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The Hunter is shocked to inaction by the young-sounding shriek transmitted through the Yoroi's speakers. D's heart can be vulnerable at times, and never is it more moved than it is by the plight of a young woman. Some may consider him a chauvinist for retaining any like ideals in his modern era; others may say he is a romantic, and welcome his instinctive chivalry; to the girl inside the armor, his reasoning probably doesn't matter. She likely feels nothing but relief whenever he checks his next strike and flips nimbly away from an attack position.     On landing, of course, he learns the hard way he should have pressed his advantage. Given another chance to attack, he might have been able to disable some part of the Yoroi. Now, he's at the mercy of the Yoroi pilot's -- sister? -- who finds the Hunter still stunned by his confusion, and some mild kind of distress on account of the child. As he goes flying across the hangar in a limp sprawl, pain radiating throughout his body, he still is uncertain how to proceed.     He must defend himself, at least.     D stretches out his fingertips mid-flight to skim them along the hangar floor. The friction serves to slow him, and his hand also serves to stabilize his crouched landing, so that he can push off three points instead of two and sling himself back into the fray. His sword's gleaming edge cuts a long arc behind him and to his right.     He cuts at the tattooed woman in black using his sword's dulled side. D delivers a bludgeoning diagonal swipe up and to the left, and follows through by twisting the weapon in his grasp to quickly jab the hilt at the woman's solar plexus.     "The girl doesn't have to die. Surrender the power source, and this will end." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn will be under attack, and there appears to be no one free to take care of it for her. Quite a problem, that. However, she is not under attack /yet/. This means that nothing prevents her from finishing her spell. There are a large number of targets in the room, but she is nothing if not precise, and her mind works quickly. There's no noticeable delay before she unleashes the build-up of magic floating in the air around her.     Each spell-circle can be thought of has having merely two components, for all its complexity. A store of power, and a controllable aiming mechanism, partially independent of the user's own sight. The manipulation of mana that she uses to mark each target is subtle, but the firing of the circles is like a white-hot beam of burning plasma, lasting for several seconds before fully extinguishing the source spell. Time enough for it to burn through most forms of armored vehicle with which she's familiar, though she is prepared to recalculate in the face of the unknown.     The Yoroi was her initial target, and remains her first. She's fairly certain that wherever its power source is held, it's not in the limbs--and she therefore has no hestitation in directing the first beam to the Armor's right elbow, and the second to its right knee, sweeping slightly to reduce the chance of a complete miss.     The gunslinger is moving too quickly. The transforming swordsman is too heavily an unknown. The robotic opponent seems more promising, and will need deal with the third attack, aimed in a complicated, automatically retargeting sweep that will guarantee less damage for the sake of further difficulty in avoiding it.     But the summoner is the primary problem facing Adelyn herself--and, accursedly, yet fascinatingly, even more of an unknown. She cannot afford to do nothing, and she cannot afford to waste her strength. Compromising, she considers this shot an experiment. The fourth beam of concentrated Arcane might sweeps to cut across this dragon twice, while Adelyn continues to work to draw on the two spell-circles remaining. There is only so much she can do at once, with only that little preparation. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi doesn't seem too disturbed by Lu-Mey's revival. All that matters to her is that Lu-Mey is, in fact, reviving. Once she starts showing signs of being okay, before Mokou starts getting up with her own firey revival, Kagenashi dashes off again to tend to the chaos in the other building. Poor Lu-Mey might have to deal with Mokou's burning frustration on her own, unless Kagenashi's called back to notice.     And chaos it is, once she reaches the building again. Everyone seems to be tending to their own opponents well, but it also seems as though everyone could possibly use some help. She isn't going to be able to do so herself, however; she has to choose a target.     The girl in black seems like a decent one.     Kagenashi's speed sends her flying across the room, and by the time she reaches the girl in black that D fights, she has both of her kusarigama in her hands. Her swooping assault is swift, direct: she grabs the chain-sickles by the weights and swings the sickles themselves down and across, not to /strike/ Kuro-hime, but to tangle the weapons around her legs, the sickles locking them into place. As D strikes with blunt, non-lethal hits, Kagenashi crouches and /yanks/, trying to put her whole body's force into pulling the girl's feet out from under her, taking advantage of D's greater strength and her own proper leverage. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     In a blaze of bullets, whizzing and spanging so intensely close by ears and body, Ao-hime is locked in a deadly dance with Hana, able to focus on the oni as the Legatus retreats due to technical difficulties. Despite the obviously mechanical nature of her body, the pistol-toting princess is FAST. Snapping off shots with a level of skill that says she's more used to her guns and body than the flowing silks of the kimono on her back. Her fingers are a blitzing blur on her guns, apparently working on a hair trigger and extended magazines. She's fast enough to actualy pelt bullets out of the air with bullets, and while it is an impressive display, several of the armor piercing explosive round popping in thei air, she can't get them all as one punches her in the gut.     Machine or not, her eyes glaze with pain, but she's not shying away from Hana in the least. As the oni closes in to melee range, the princess seeks to start slapping pistol aside with pistol, aim for snap-fire shots, and a sudden ROCKET PROPELLED KNEE.     Red steel and steel clash, sparks fly, and Murasaki-hime flips her ninjato and parasol, intending to wield both in a dual stance, painted lips tugging wider. Before Starless Night calls her out on her true nature. The woman's expression faults briefly. Before shifting to one of cold fury. "Father always said money was no object." Hissed in a glacial tone. She snaps backwards, the kugutsu's blade flashing in a cut that shreds the fine silk kimono, and the skin beneath.     There is no blood, but the princess cries out in a gasp regardless. Before she makes a feint with her parasol. It's a very HARD to read feint, a simple yet dazzling at the same time as she lashes out with her blade in a menacing reprisal.     Metal slams against metal. Hagane-hime brutal and silent in her onslaught, pauses only to re-set her stance, a sudden venting HISSSSS of steam and exhaust from joints as- Nox appears behind her. The CRUNCH of impact launches the machine into the nearest wall, and she remains there for a moment before her head swivels around entirely on her shoulders, glowing eyes focusing.     "I. Will kill. You. For my. ..." There's a brief pause there, almost as if the mind and soul within disconnect for an instant before she remembers. "Sisters."     A flicker of motion, and en explosve sound-barrier-breaking burst of energy from her feet slide her back into range, undaunted and intending to swing in again. It's a very straightforward style. Brutal, punishing of defenses, and empowered by superheated hands and truck-stopping strength.     Lu-Mey is regaining her color quickly, but Mokou's sudden blazing and phoenix-like revival earns a shrill sound of terror from the Oni as she LEAPS INTO KAGENASHI'S ARMS. "SHE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD!" ... "ON FIRE."     Lu-Mey is terrified of fire, it is a small known fact, as the Immortal Smoke's temper flares and sets a large swathe of the castle ablaze instantly. Soldiers panic before working on getting the fire suppression teams into action, as a figure in brightly colored robes appears on a high balcony above.     "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" For an old man, he still has an impressive bellowing voice. And Lu-Mey focuses on him instantly, screeching fury and hate all the way as she clings to Kagenashi all the way into the hangar. It's probably not the wisest choice of action for her to fling herself back at the massive armor that gutted her before, but she does it again. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     It is Kuro-hime that takes advantage of D's moment of shock and distress, the Samurai woman snarling as she brings her blade to bear. Her strength is inhuman, perhaps on par with the Dhampir's even as his blade deals out blunt strokes that would drop lesser men immediately. She takes them on armor plating- which crack visible and deeply with grunts of pain, her own assault slowed by the impacts, but not halted as she ignores the pain, body visibly mending broken armor as she swings-- just in time for Kagenashi to intervene, a tumbling THUMP of Samurai brought to the ground by strengthm leverage, and tripping chainwork, with enough force to crater the ground. But she tumbles, shifting her weight into a one-handed handstand and beginning to press her assault on the two now while UPSIDE DOWN. "Father will have you all killed if I don't DO IT FIRST!"     Between Lu-Mey turning into an insectoid monster, climbing all over the Yoroi, and the sudden lancing beams of Adelyn's magic searing the limbs, the pilor screams again. But maybe more importantly, the giant coiling dragon strikes now. The blazing beam of arcane energies tearing across the spectral beasts scales as it snaps down, severing one of its arms with a roar of pain. The girl in gree above tosses more paper talismans, summoning smaller beasts, kappa-like creatures armed with spears, phantasmal dogs, cats, all converging on Adelyn now in harrying murderous intent. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox is prepared to intercept the Konghoki, feeling he has a good handle on its strength and speed after that brief exchange. However, apparently the machine hadn't been fighting at full capacity, because the explosive force it, or rather 'she', propels herself forward with is well beyond that which she had used previously. Unable to cast a strong enough barrier in time against a supersonic assault, Nox takes the punch straight on his guard, blasting heat through the crossguard of his sword and leaving a smouldering, cherry-red crater on the armour behind it. He goes flying backwards from the strength of the impact, taking his turn to crash into the opposite wall with a might crack of shattering store, before momentarily falling to his hands and knees, taking a moment to figuratively catch his breath.     Rising from the ground again, he presses his hands together for a moment, before firing a barely visible pulse of blueish energy through the air in front of him, seemingly accomplishing nothing. Gesturing towards his sword, it flies back into his hand telekinetically, which he points directly towards his adversary. The moment the konghoki makes a movement towards him, it'll trip the temporal trigger, hitting it with a powerful stasis spell that should completely halt its movements for several seconds as her timeline is siphoned away towards Nox. Using the additional time he steals from the konghoki, he will charge Zenith to nearly its full offensive capacity, and then discharge the energy as a roaring column of blue-white flame thicker than a person is tall, utterly consuming everything between him and the other side of the hangar in a maelstrom of barely contained energy at a temperature rivaling that of a nuclear bomb. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     It's a good slash, and Starless barely manages to step back enough that it isn't deeper. It still draws a deep line along her side, cutting through her own silks. She /does/ bleed, though the blood is merely part of her Illusion. More importantly, it gives her an idea, an idea of what she's dealing with. Her gemblade comes up, flicking out with a quick move that uses her Crescent Moon Blade Tactics to slip through the guard, if she can do so that easily. She /wants/ to establish superiority here, to do something humiliating... like trim a hair, or stab the wrist to disarm. It's all part of her plot.     "Yes, money is no object to replace his fallen daughter," Starless states, feigning sadness with a wan sigh. "And he will continue to do so. But that is all you are, isn't it? A replacement. I'm sure you've seen it... the smiles and the nods, and when he doesn't think you are looking perhaps a shadow of sadness or doubt. No matter how much he spends, you are merely a stand-in for what he has lost. A bitter reminder and a sweet memory of someone else. Why, though... when you could be so much more?"     She raises her gemblade, ready to move with a small smile now. "I could kill you, but I think I will not. There would be no point. Someone whose entire existence is defined by the memory of a dead girl is not an opponent that matters. Unless you think you are truly your own person? You could be so much, instead of a simple decoration in the castle."     A small pause, then an addition: "That is, if you wanted to be." 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     The knee rises up, only to be stopped with equal force by the oni, stalling that rocket-propelled physical blow dead. "Tricks won't avail you."     Afterward, Hana wouldn't be able to recall the exact flow of the fight, move-for-move. She's operating so automatically, flowing so quickly from one block to the next strike to the deflection after that she can't even quite be said to respond consciously. Techniques ingrained through brutal conditioning and cemented by decades on the battlefield make her strikes flow with such speed and precision that she is able to match Ao-hime move for move.     The air around them fills with the sound of gunshot after gunshot. And yet, hana speaks as she moves.     "I haven't met someone capable of keeping up with my Jyuujutsu in a very long time. I think I can honestly say you're the most skilled user I've encountered in fifty years. But-" A shot goes off by Ao-hime's left ear; and when she moves to deflect, her right arm is shoved aside by Hana's left elbow, and then Hidari-ko comes across her body and plants right into Ao-hime's left elbow, firing in an instant.     And Hana steps in to take advantage, Migi-ko pressed to the girl's chest, Hidari-ko to her abdomen.     And she pulls the trigger on each of her revolvers, three times in rapid succession. Six shots. Three to the chest, three to the abdomen. All of them armor-piercing, all of them high explosive.     "Your counters were too predictable. You let yourself be led. And there are no second chances on the battlefield," she finishes, taking a step back. "Always expect a more skilled opponent. And always lead the dance." 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     Oh, here's the one in charge.     NOW she knows what to do!     Rather than fight, Mokou pretty much hops off the ground again, still visibly surrounded by fire. She heads up to the balcony, without minding the insane, multi-layered fight going on. These people are so diverse, and she knows none of them. There's powerful magic and crazy martial arts everywhere you look, so she's going to leave that be! Lu-Mey might appreciate the sudden distance between her and the phoenix-like girl anyway.     Reaching the balcony, she would try to land on it, making the regent back away if possible, towards the castle interior again. "Hello! So, your guards attacked me, I set your castle on fire, I figure we're even. Can I have my questions answered now? I think I landed in a horrible mess. Let's start with who you are and what's going on, before those guys down there wrap up and come for you, I guess."     It'd be nice to hear it from the castle lord.     Usually they tend to know why their castle is under attack. 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     The dragon comes down, wounded but not defeated. Adelyn raises Pure Guardian, the divine weapon, as if to ward it off physically. A magical ward appears, instead, but an instant too late--the phantasmal beast bites down on arm and staff, both. A cry of pain quickly turns to laughter. The archmage's red eyes seem to glow, and she can hear every loud beat of her heart. The spinning rings of mana surrounding her DO glow, particularly the halo that comes into existence above her.     "You're nothing--if not entertaining." Her grin is manic.     Below the point at which her arm is consumed, flesh mostly intact only because of the wards built into the weapon she holds, another ring of mana spins, not unlike a turbine coming to life. Blood drips from her arm, staining neon cyan to deepest red with only a few drops. Her spell is unleashed in nearly the same moment, with black-red smoke pouring from her hand and directly into the dragon's maw. Where her earlier attack might fuse or incinerate, this cloud exists to consume, whether flesh, spirit, or the signals through air by which a Realm summoner directs their beasts. Just so long as there was some magical component to what it absorbed.     "You're quick, but are you careful? What loyalty can you command, paper-mage?" However long the dragon can hold on, it is likely to make no difference. One cannot simply bite through a divine weapon, and its taking spirit-melting smoke directly to its gut. Adelyn therefore ignores it, and sweeps her free hand through the air. More smoke follows, part chaff and part miasma, to take the horde of familiars descending on her and act as a wide-area counterspell. The efficiency of this is less certain, but even a few drops of her demonic blood, directly, is enough to vastly increase the power of a spell so closely aligned. A weak spirit that survives that fall through her defensive mist may merely go mad.     "I'd ask to see more, but--you're in the way." There are still two glowing spell-circles behind her. Ignoring the attacks, she directs both upward, to the girl in green, sweeping in a coordinated strike, intended to box in and sear her, to death or crippling injury. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "Your father isn't here."     D's voice has regained its chilling calm. Has he already forgotten the Yoroi pilot's plight? What a stone he must have for a heart to push the girl's scream from his mind already.     Faced with someone who not only possesses an absurd strength but the ability to swordfight from any angle, D must shift his tactics. The light running the length of his blade flashes as the weapon is turned in his grasp a second time.     In D's hands, the sword almost seems to come alive. Its keen and graceful curve flickers with an inhuman agility. Chimes ring throughout the hangar, as pure and lovely as music, as it writhes in a sinuous dance of deflection, the tattooed woman's blade turned away no matter where it tries to strike the dhampir.     D turns on his heels. His cloak flares behind him like snapping leathery wings. His face, devoid of all emotion, is a frigid death mask. There is beauty to him, but there is also horror as he at last lashes out in the cruelest manner to sever the tattooed woman's arm from her body.     To do so requires some sacrifice. The woman's sword will have the chance to pierce him through the gut as he makes his final move.     His passionless face betrays only the slightest snarl. The light in his eyes, however...that, for one instant, reveals a monstrous joy.     Should his foe be left disarmed, the Hunter will return his focus to the Yoroi. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Having Lu-Mey clinging to her in her flight is...awkward, to say the least, but Kagenashi endures for the few moments that lasts. The oni's insectoid shriek sends a shiver up her spine before she gets over to Kuro-hime, but otherwise doesn't hinder her much more.     The girl in black is laid low...and in a remarkable feat of dexterity, adjusts to a one-handed handstand and continues to assault both Kagenashi and D. If these were other circumstances, Kagenashi might be impressed, but she simply doesn't have the time for that right now. Her mind is taken up with rapid-fire thoughts of avoidance and retaliation, trying to grasp both the situation she's in and how best to handle it. There's not a lot she can do with her weapons on hand - and with Kuro-hime's recovery yanking her kusarigama out of her hands, too - but as she flips back in a dazzling swirl of crimson fabric to get out of Kuro-hime's reach, she manages something.     As she leaps, five orbs of greenish-blue flame seep out of the mouth of her mask, hovering around her before she comes to land in a crouch several feet away. Without giving the girl in black any time to follow through out of her skillful yet awkward position while D is dealing with her, Kagenashi immediately attacks from a range. Each orb abruptly transmutes into a bolt of lightning that all fire off within the span of a second in a single thunderclap. The strong bolts are aimed for the woman's heart, if she can strike it, and the joints of her limbs otherwise. Kagenashi isn't exactly aiming to kill, but it's starting to seem like such measures may be necessary against these attackers if they want to survive. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Another hissing screech of steam, and the near rabidly furious Kongohki vents coolant to get her body functioning optimally after that immense expenditure of power. No sooner than Nox is back to his feet, does the princess of steel rush him, every footfall tearing up the ground in her wake as her body buzzes to life with deadly intent, reeling one red-hot fist back and readied for a devastating blow.     A blow that never comes when everything seems to stop for Hagane-hime. those baleful red eyes glowring at the air ahead of her as Nox readies himself.     Then she twitches.     Then ger eyes flicker. A sudden and clear blue as she LURCHES back into motion, intent to follow through with her swing. Gone is the stilted and mechanical tone of her voice, replaced by one of desperate emotion and fury. "For Aka-hime... Nothing will stop ME!"     Unfortunately, the Kongohki princess is incorrect there. Despite her blatant display of strength and indomitable willpower, she is too late. Only in time to jink her vitals aside when she sees that immense pillar of blazing energy on a deadly course for her body.     She is launched backwards, clanging to a wall and dropping almost lifelessly to the floor, one arm missing, the other mangled, most of her lower body an atomized wreck as she twitches and heaves the sound of a sigh of defeat.     And yet outside in the battle of shinobi, Murasaki-hime's temper flares. Though simmering cold and frigid instead of explosive, she pours every ounce of her murderous illusory skill into the battle. But The widow of Starless Night is a far older, far more skilled, far more experienced combatant.     A stand of hair is cut from the purple-princess' hair. That's all it takes to surprise and HORRIFY her, earning Starless the instant opportunity to overpower the younger Kugutsu, when the blade next cuts through her wrist. A cry of pain and she drops both her blade and parasol.     "I'm not the replacement!" She spits venemously. "You cut me! You cut me, you HATEFUL hag!" Wailed piteously for a moment before looking up at the raised sword. And pauses. Between the blade and Starless reaching out to her, she is given food for thought to mull over, lilac eyes casting downwards. "... I have always lived for my sisters. It's what I was made for. They never once treated me like a common piece of decoration. I know it can never truly be but..."     But she is defeated. And there is still issue within the hangar. For all of Ao-hime's skill and speed, she puts up an immense fight with the oni. But it all FAILS when Hana deflects her knee utterly. The simple act of halting the rocket-propelled thrust results in a look of shock on the girl's face as she flows into a blur of motion. The two are almost blinding to watch, a blur of grace and explosive speed, before that shot leaves her ear ringing. And she just can't keep up. There it is. The defeated look when The Girls are pressed to her stomach and chest. Six shots, and she jerks six times. It's enough to disconnect her torso from her legs and blow a visible hole clean through her chest as she collapses back with a cry, machine fluids and sparks leaking liberally from her mangled body. But the cough and splutter says she's still alive as the tick-tick-tick of a secondary clockwork heart heart in her chest sets into action. "I... I can't believe it." 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     She will have to, as she and Hagane-hime are forced to watch the rest of events unfold. For all of Kuro-hime's unstoppable strength, Samurai have several issues... Even as she bellows in fury and bloodlust as her blade rings off D's, countering, parrying, steel ringing on steel, and unmoved by the man's immense beauty, lost in her own unbridled passion for fighting. It comes to a chillingly abrupt end. Even as she scores the victorious blow of ramming her sword into the young-looking hunter's gut, her momentum is completely lost as her arm is shorn off from the elbow down. She displays no sign of pain, but simply a look of confusion as she topples in the next instant, body blown backwards by the sudden oncoming assault of Kagenashi's lightning blasts, flinging the samurai princess back and forcing her to lose grip on her sword and blasting her out of the fight. Samurai are powerful. But their strength is fleeting. Immense bursts that, in Kuro-hime's case, apparently do not last long as her armor-like skin recedes back to normal form, leaving her cradling the bloody stump where her arm used to be, burned, and spitting up blood.     Up in the rafters above, the princess in green is not having an easy time of it... A look of near horror forms on her lips, the rest of her face obscured in a mask from the nose above. Adelyn not getting devoured by her Shiki is... A problem. The sudden riotous unleash of power, roiling from Adelyn, through the dragon makes the beast erupt in a final cry, the other phantasmal beasts and shiki falling to much the same fate as they fade, die off, and disperse from the chaff-like countermagics. "Wh..." Midori-hime has NOWHERE to go when the spell-circles shift their aim upon her.     "M-Midori, no!" That shrill squeal comes from... The Armour. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Even in the middle of being harassed by Lu-Mey, who has now seemingly gone wild and monstrous enough to actually distract it. The pilot within, little Aka-hime flings her mecha about, a self-sacrificing maneuver to use the armored bulk of her machine and take Adelyn's attack unto herself. And in one final lashing attack intends to impale Lu-Mey.     The massive Armour blade stops short.     "Wh... I can't... I can't control it. It won't let me--" The princess within blurts.     As Lu-Mey RIPS open the armor plating to reveal the cockpit within.     Aka-hime is a small girl. No older then eleven. Twelve at best, staring with terrified eyes as she splutters and spits up the Yoroi's amniotic-like fluids, while the Oni looms over her.     MEANWHILE back outside, Mokou is suddenly in the old man's face. "... A... Ayakashi... Haha... I bever had one of those before..." Murmured to himself in a listless and dull tone. Before his eyes regain focus. He doesn't seem to notice her question, so much as what she is. "Why leave...? Stay here at my castle. I can give you everything your heart could ever desire."     He should immediately set off about ten or fifteen kinds of creep alarms. At least before he registers her next statement. "They have come to take my precious things from me!" 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D wastes no time.     The girl cries out again, reminding him he is not the heartless freak he is often called to be. The Hunter's cape streams behind him as he hurries across the hangar, rushing toward Lu-Mey -- to save the child. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     With the various princesses taken out, Kagenashi has a moment to breathe. D is rushing over to try and save the girl from Lu-Mey, but Kagenashi only stands, taking in a deep breath and letting it out again in a slower sigh. She's not going to help D with this one; if he wants to save the girl, he's going to have to do that himself.     In the meantime, Kagenashi stays back, surveying the space around her and looking over her allies to make sure things are all taken care of. The mission went smoothly overall, so far: that's all she really needs to know at this point. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Starless could end it here and now... and Murasaki knows it. That's enough for Starless to declare it her victory, and she has no qualms about just killing the other kugutsu, easily enough. Yet she doesn't, simply because that would be too simple, and she knows how to speak to the girl.     "You've lived for your sisters, not for yourself. Like another doll, crafted to be an obedient servant without your own desires," Starless doesn't even try to hide the contept in her voice when she says that. "You have skills and potential. Do you want to use them?" She tosses her head, hair flicking back. "Or you can be your own person. Not a doll, but someone. If you like. I could find a place for you, train you, and you could decide for yourself if this is how you wish to live... or with freedom. That is what I offer." 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     "I don't know. This place isn't half bad, but it's not home," Mokou muses, observing the old man's reactions. Desperation? Or just lunacy? He's almost acting like someone who stared at the full moon for too long. Hands still in her pockets she considers her choice of words carefully, and then simply settles on:     "Nah, sorry. You don't have anything I want, it turns out. I just wanted to know where I was, but that must be too complicated for you. Jeez, if this had been the little vampire's castle at least I'd have probably gotten answers after beating up the gatekeeper, the maid and the librarian, but you're not very rewarding."     If he had felt even the tiniest bit innocent, she might have actually tried protecting him from all those people, but he kind of feels... gone? Something like that.     She finally pulls her hands out of her pockets, one of them holding a paper talisman, the sort shrine maidens use. She lobs it towards the man-- and past him. It forms an invisible barrier at the door, so the man can't just go back inside, at least not without effort.     "I think I'll just let them get ahold of you since you're so unhelpful. Won't you change your mind?" 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox sighs to himself as he watches his opponent go down, and then the subsequent near-deaths of almost every other girl in the hangar, several of whom have been permanently wounded. It pains him a little to see girls not even out of their teens being torn to shreds, especially in defense of their own family. That kind of single minded determination for the sake of one's loved ones in the case of Hagane is something he can understand. He strongly contemplates piecing the konghoki back together with time magic, but she doesn't seem to be in life threatening danger, her body can likely be rebuilt, and she'll probably attack him as soon as she has a functioning arm. He feels significantly less compulsion to heal any of the other girls. It's already clear that advanced prosthetics are in full use in this world, even if they'll lose some of their beauty as a result.     Unless Lu-Mey decides to try and kill Aka, in which case he will actually aid D by casting a barrier around the young and helpless girl, he floats over to the downed konghoki. "It is regrettable so much harm had to come to your family, but I assume you expected as much when all of you picked up your swords, so to speak. You will realize in hindsight that handing over the power core would have been a better decision than trying to play the hero. Was it really worth all of this to simply protect your father's property?" He holds a hand to the hole in his chestplate, now cooled to the point where one can see nothing but a blue glow inside. "However, I must say you were most impressive. I haven't seen that kind of determination in decades." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn doesn't get any answers, but she was really expecting any, either. This is obviously a student's work, no matter how gifted the student may be. Far more experience would be necessary for proper discourse.     Briefly, she considers capturing the green-clothed girl, but thinks better of it. The particular magical style is unlikely to be unique, and there should be other, more convenient opportunities for study. Perhaps she can convince one of this world's equivalent of a university instructor to visit with some of her people.     Such thoughts race quickly through her mind even as she handles other tasks. The dragon is defeated, but her arm is still bleeding. She is not without devices for healing injury, but it would take precious time that might be better suited to other purposes. Extraction should be a high priority, along with handling any remaining threats--though there do not appear to be any.     Clapping her hands together, Adelyn winces only slightly at what was probably a bad idea with that injury. The limb is still functioning, but the pain is not so much deadened as set aside, where she is aware of it without it interfering unduly with her motion.     "Let's be off. Should we cause any further destruction on the way? I've plenty of energy for it, I assure you." Quite bright and cheerful. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     The girls are no longer able to fight. They have nothing left in them, between injuries, batterings, and severed limbs. Murasaki is at Starless' mercy and she knows is, a genuine look of contemplation beginning to cross the purple princess' perfect features. "To... Be my own..." She muses. Before falling to her knees, as if stricken by revelation.     Hagane-hime twitches. Just enough to turn her head up to Nox with those dimly glowing blue eyes. "It was worth it for Aka-hime." She replies, voice vehement despite the utter wrecked state she is in.     If anything, Kuro-hime tries. Staggering to her feet only to collapse again, in a final display of fortitude, but between D and Kagenashi together she's thoroughly down. But the black princess appears... Surprised when the hunter turns, rushing to the tiny princess' aid.     "My things! My things!" The regent babbles. He's trying to get past Mokou, but it's not really going to happen. By now the men below have the fire under control. It's still going, and they're going to be too busy to break off from it still. Unless Mokou decides to ruin their lives by worsening it. "Don't you understand?! I, Lord Niji, have the most colorful things, the most expensive things."     Lunacy. He suffers pure lunacy. Until another figure emerges. A girl in white peeks out from behind him. Though she looks terribly confused when she thunks into the ward, nose scrunching as she regains her composure. "Ah... Father, do we have visitors?"     "GO BACK INSIDE THIS INSTANT!"     But now... Now Lu-Mey is reaching into the Yoroi's cockpit, a manic look of glee splitting her lips as those clawd fingers reach in further... Further. D is upon her by the time her fingers curl- wrench- tug- and with a sickening POP and a shrill cry she...     Pulls a large hunk of circular metal from the inside of the armor.     And then reaches in with her other hand to lightly pat the girl on the head.     Aka-hime is visibly terrified, but wholly unhurt as the oni cracks the metal sphere like a nut and shreds its outer layer, revealing the deep brown, gem-like object within, and clutching it to her chest. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D stops behind Lu-Mey. His sword yet bared in his grasp, he waits, and he watches, tension in his pose. Steadily, his alarm shifts from the child pilot to Lu-Mey herself, but while he felt the urge to protect Aka-hime, Lu-Mey inspires something considerably less selfless. Steadily, the Hunter's eyes narrow to hard, unfathomable slits as he beholds the madness twisting the oni woman's face, and poisoning her gleeful laughter.     He flicks his wrist to cast Kuro's blood from his blade. There is no sound but a soft click as the weapon is returned to its scabbard across his back. Whatever the rest do tonight, he cares not; his concern is now for the preservation of the wounded. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     Father? That hits close enough to home.     Mokou sighs, gesturing towards her talisman. It bursts into flames and once gone, the ward goes down, allowing the lunatic to go back inside if he wants. The flames around her die down, and she decides this has long stopped being any of her business. Is getting the location of a Warp Gate always THIS hard?     Rather than try her luck with the girl in white, she just takes a step back and off the balcony, hovering down to the ground and then casually strolling in the direction most marked by chaos and destruction, ending up in the hangars. Or, at least, in the general direction of Lu-Mey, D, and whoever's immediatly around them.     "So, I'll bite. The lord of the place is nuts and wouldn't tell me what was going on and how I get out of here, any chance you'll be more disposed to it? I'm getting kind of tired of asking." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D asides to the newcomer, Mokou, "Stay and help me tend the wounded, and I will help you resume your journey. Or leave, and trust your fate to the others. It is your decision."     Others may provide a more convincing and friendly argument. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     With their business concluded, Nox starts paying attention to his swarm again. The noxines are each bloated with energy, to the point that the blue lights that radiate from them bathe them in little coronas. Once finished extracting from the kimen yoroi, a handful of them trace little circles in the air, opening shimmering, circular portals through which the collective buzzes through, returning to Horologium to deposit their prize. Nox regards Lu-Mey with silent appraisal. He doesn't have the required knowledge of oni physiology to know why Lu-Mey is making such a big deal about that rock, but the name she utters over the radio gives him a vague idea. Shen-Di. It sounds awfully like her own name, and very much not like the names of the girls gathered around them. From the same place, perhaps? Maybe a gift or heirloom with which she remembered him or her by. It's obviously important to her if she was willing to be skewered and smashed for it.     Mokou catches his attention next, abruptly teleporting on the spot to simply face the other direction rather than just turning around the slow way. "That depends entirely on who you are. I would strongly advise not attempting to interfere here. As for the warpgate- . . ." he looks towards D as if to underscore his suggestion. He doesn't really care enough to try and cut the man off from the help he probably needs. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Starless listens, then sighs and shakes her head. "His things... he's only concerned about his possessions. Perhaps your sisters even treat you decently, but your so-called father is more interested in his worldly wealth than his family. I think you need to reassess your loyalties to-" She pauses, looking up when the girl appears and is shoo'd away.     That gets Starless saying something else. "Hmm. That is a pity. I have an offer for you. Come with me, and I will teach you /my/ ninjutsu, and my blade skills. You will be treated as a valued ally by numerous beings, for who you are, not what you are. And when you have trained enough... you can return, and rescue your sisters, if you like." 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     "I'm pretty bad at first aid, but if you tell me what to do I can help, sure," Mokou answers D, content to finally have an answer. And while she really is awful at actually nursing people (due to lack of self-experience, mostly) she's always willing to help someone in need out like that, long as he's not a creep. ... granted, D doesn't look like the most trustworthy man out there, but the fact he's looking to tend to wounded is testament enough he probably isn't a creep?     But then Nox fills that role instead, the Xelor earning a confused glance from the girl. "Ah, well... I guess I already agreed to help the injured, so I can't just leave now. Thanks, though." What is he, anyway? A man in armor? Why's it so bright in spots? Must be one of those 'robots' she keeps hearing about. Pretty cool, despite the fact he's pretty much threatening her.     "Fujiwara no Mokou, that's my name, by the way. I'm just a health maniac from Gensokyo, you'd find me pretty boring. You guys keep doing your... stuff, I'll help Tall And Stoic over there with the bodies." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "You have my thanks." No, D's not the most good-looking Good Guy in existence, but he's still polite whenever he's not angry. Like he almost was with some people. D totally goes off to do First Aid things with Mukou. Then, he'll either escort her to the nearest warpgate, or provide the coordinates she needs. Small Talk doesn't happen in big doses, but she's from Touhou, so she can probably push him into chatting at least a little. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Lu-Mey... Has what she came for. With the heartgem ripped from the Yoroi, it will move no longer. Though the tiny pilot suddenly cries out.     "W-wait! Y... You can't just take him from me! He always protected me!" The poor girl looks on the verge of tears now, and this earns something of an odd look from the oni. D being the closest will certainly see it.     Lu-Mey is smiling.     "... I'm not surprised. Shen-Di was always loved children. We wanted to have a daughter together." She explains before actually holding her hand out to the girl. And pointedly sticks her tongue out at the hunter when his sword goes away.     "But. He needs to be laid to rest."     The sisters that are able to sit up, are now doing so, looking a mix between relieved and confused when it seems they're being spared from a majority of retribution.     The regent is already shoving the daughter in white back inside, gibbering madly as he prepares to try and escape.     Mokou arrives and Lu-Mey's brow twitches. She shies away from the phoenix, she does not mix well with fire at all. Until Mokou mentions the regent. "--Where was he?!"     Ah, D, and Nox aswer her well enough. Back outside, Murasaki-hime looks up. Up at the balcony where Lord Niji is pushing her other sister back into the castle. And her gaze hardens. To The Widow of Starless Night, the perfect purple princess' reply is sharp and swift: "I accept." 

:'''{{#var:202|Adelyn Lysen (202)}} has posed:'''     Adelyn doesn't seem to be sparing any concern for the downed girls, one way or another. Even less than Lu-Mey. Her priorities are entirely different--though in a few respects, there is some overlap relevant to this situation. While not a woman overflowing in empathy, there is one respect in which she does understand such feelings, and that's the bonds of family.     In this respect, she is unimpressed with the regent. His motivations are bizarre, and his consideration lacking. The mage gives a sigh, returning to the question of how to cause meaningful harm to the man without going any of the obvious routes. If she understands Lu-Mey correctly, she doesn't want to just kill the regent, nor even to directly torture him. Such round-about revenge.     Happening on what she believes to be an effective measure that also overlaps with her own interests, Adelyn makes a subtle gesture toward the floor, and a sudden wind catches and lifts her into the air, first with force, but gently slowing to a hovering position near the green-clad summoner.     "Come along, now. We've concluded against letting you or your sisters die, but that doesn't mean we can just leave you here." Another subtle gesture pulls a similar Wind spell from her staff's memory, this one to grab Midori-hime from her perch, holding her out of reach of all else in lieu of physically restraining her. This should make it simple to bring her down.     She's not precisely ignoring Mokou during all of this, but she--okay, she pretty much is ignoring Mokou. In her defense, she's not the host of this party. 

:'''{{#var:709|Fujiwara no Mokou (709)}} has posed:'''     "Oh, up on his balcony. I tried to talk to him but he kept screaming about his things and tried to bribe me into staying here. He called me something weird. Ayakashi? Some word like that. I don't think that's really a person anymore. Seems totally gone," Mokou shrugs, before she goes off to help D. She will do her best not to forget the directions given to her by Nox, at least! 

}}

1470/Welcome To Human Resources

2015-02-03T21:39:43Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/02/01 |Location=Human Resources offices |Synopsis=Yari meets her bosses. Confusion and hazing ensue. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=234, 336, 69..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/01
|Location=Human Resources offices
|Synopsis=Yari meets her bosses. Confusion and hazing ensue.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=234, 336, 691
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     The offices of Human Resources, located somewhere within the Citadel has quiet moments. Times when there is a lull in the paperwork and shuffle of scribbling pens... Times when the group's varied collection of killers and spies are generally out and busy.     Now seems to be just one of those times. Other than a few intern shinobi darting around, trainee hitmen, interim hiree probationary sweepers, and utterly terrified looking clerical workers stuck in the office, it's just one of those days.     Probably a perfect time to meet the bosses. Though Lu-Mey doesn't seem to have an office of her own, one of the horrified paper jockeys does point out she can generally be found in Starless Night's office. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     There is an intern or something here. Nothing special. Looks like a young man, probably a new recruit, slight of build and at one end of said office. One might wonder how an intern has access to such sensitive files, but then the files themselves are probably encoded, and his current task seems to be... well, organizing the bookshelf. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' One such newly acquired killer intends to do just that. Dressed in more 'casual' clothing today, the horned Au Ra ninja has descended upon the offices with her typical quiet and stoic manner. Terror is one thing she certainly doesn't use. Indeed, interns and clerks will be given polite, if quiet, greetings as she passes. For a Fed, this woman is noticeably /nice/. It's often enough to put people off their guard. And Yari isn't above capitolizing on it. With a knock upon the door, Yari raises her voice slightly. "Miss Starless? Centurion Takane reporting. May I enter?" This, of course, is said over the radio. She'll wait before entering! 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Well the other interns welcome the change, the Au Ra being disarmingly nice and all.     The knock is met with... Silence, and whatever the organizing intern might reply with. At least for a moment. Then comes the snore. A soft, chittering rumble that says some pretty sound sleep might have just been disturbed. Indeed, because as that 'intern' works on filing and organizing Starless office, Lu-Mey IS in fact present.     Sprawled out right on the desk like she owns it, an arm dangling off one side, legs sprawled, she's using a stack of paperwork as a pillow.     To her credit she's not drooling. Too much.     In the dusky-skinned Oni's hand is some manner of file or another, but she's apparently too busy being out stone cold to read it, nose twitching as she stirs only vaguely. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Wait. Wait. Frown. Yari finally takes a calculated risk. With a salute to the door, she hails the radio once more. "Entering!" And then Yari Takane opens the door, and snaps a salute out of pure instinct. To a sleeping Oni. The young woman pauses, and simply /stares/ for a moment. Red creeps into her features. The Oni is big, tall, and right now? /Adorable/. That salute fades into the Au Ra holding her hands in front of her, eyes slightly wide in pure amazement. Thankfully, rather than embarrass herself, she tries to recover. It only partially works. There's still mostly 'That is so cute' written all over her features. "Centurion Takane, reporting!" Calls out Yari finally, attempting to awaken the dancing giant. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     When it comes to the Lu-Tirae Oni, the men can certainly become towering slabs of muscle. Lu-Mey is on the smaller end of the spectrum, being on par in height with an average human woman- perhaps ecen a little shorter; and rather sleek of frame and build, and...     She doesn't budge. Not in the face of HR's newest member. Not for her report for duty, and not for that salute.     For a moment anyway. But another twitch of her nose and with a small chittering in her throat, lashes flutter. Then eyes slit open and Lu-Mey smoothly sits herself up.     With the top sheet of that paper stack still stuck to her cheek.     Blearily she stares for a moment at the Au Ra. Then she glances down at the file in her hands. Then back up. Then to the file.     "OH!"     Realization dawns.     "You must be Yari! Hello~!" First name basis seems just fine for Lu-Mey as pauses after her greeting for a long, luxurious, cat-like stretch. "Were you here to see Starless? Because if you are, as her secretary I'm honor bound to obstinately bar your path and give you every excuse in the book as to why she's not available, as per ritual newbie hazing rules." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Already, Yari can't help but file Lu-Mey under 'interesting'. It only intensifies as she awakens, and so bluntly states her goal! When her first name is used, she stiffens uncertainly, before relaxing slightly. The centurion is still at attention. "Correct, Miss Lu-Mey. I wished to make initial reports and debriefings regarding my new role in the organization." Pause. She blinks once. "Newbie...hazing. A ritual to test those newly joined as well as enhance social bonding between comrades. Understood, Ma'am!" Another one of those sharp salutes. "Then, I must hereby request a meeting with Miss Starless Night at the earliest opportunity. I am prepared to face any paperwork or physical challenges in order to do so!" For all of her sharp, military enthusiasm, her voice is still quiet and understated. It may come across as somewhat odd. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     First things first, Lu-Mey gently peels the very important and drool-soaked form off her cheek and sets it back on the pile. Still, she's good and comfortable on the desk and remains right where she is, simply crossing her legs as she leans on her elbow to one side and clucks.     "Ah ah ah, none of this 'Miss'. Just Lu-Mey." She corrects. "And this saluting- not in the office. Not in the field. Get that our of your system~. We're murderers, thieves, spies, killers, and all around very bad people. So not only is it something we simply don't do, but it keeps others from figuring out who we work with."     She pauses.     "Though it does make for a neat trick when you salute someone you don't like when there's risk of enemy snipers around."     This makes her titter for a moment before getting down to business.     The oni slides on a set of frameless glasses and picks up a small black book and a pencil. "Ah well let's see, Starless is... Well it looks like she's available... If you can actually find her. Good luck with that, she's really good at hiding. --I can give you a hint though if you'd like." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The intern wanders over and holds up a book. "Ah... I don't see a label on this one. S-sorry to interject." He fidgets and clearly tries to keep Yari between himself and Lu-Mey while he shows the book, which appears to be a dog breeding manual. "What should I do?" 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' The twin ideas of /not/ saluting and being on a first name basis with her boss? Poor Yari looks briefly bewildered by the mere concept. Intellectually, she knows people do such things...usually Eorzeans...but to be asked to be so casual with a superior? Yari's a little terrified. Is this a test of loyalty? Her tail squeezes her own ankle, betraying her inner panic. "Understood, Miss...Lu-Mey. Lu-Mey." She repeats, as if tasting the word. From the uncertainty, this is not comfortable. At least she can understand the logic behind it all. /Ahh/, so it is a test. Yari straightens, gaze confident if wary. "Any intelligence you possess...Lu-Mey...would be of great assistance." Oh, an intern. The woman finally turns to regard him. "Inspect the existing manuscripts. Most are ordered either by title name, or author." Offers the ninja to the intern. Yari should've been a librarian in a past life. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     And Lu-Mey almost seems to relish that befuddlement. Dark lips slowly spread into fanged smile of razors and blades as scarlet eyes observe the Au Ra as she digests her newest instructions on the social proprieties of assassins and killers. Gaze flits down, not missing the slithering coil of tail around Yari's ankle. Not a single thing is missed, down to the smallest twitch and breath. If anything, nearly getting called 'miss' again almost seems to make that grin widen to a leer.     The Oni spreads her palms in a lazy display when The Intern asks for assistance. "I was going to suggest our new recruit answer that but I can see she's already taken the liberty of doing so! Oh I do LIKE proactive new members don't you?" 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     The intern blinks, "Er... well all right, but I meant it just didn't seem like the kind of book that should be in this office. Maybe it's a code or somefin." The intern wanders over to the shelf again, and adds like it's an afterthought, "I wouldn't expect it from this one, but I guess people are full of surprises, aren't they?" 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' For the record, Lu-Mey's smile can be creepy. Even without using certain insect based abilities. Seemingly lazy and at times adorable or not, Yari has no doubt the woman got here for a reason. And not just for distraction reasons. A predator knows a predator, after all. Yari grows all the stiffer under that leer, military discipline making a good show of punching down instinct. There's a twitch of her natural arm, a salute barely avoided. "Stagnation and inaction lead to ambush and death." Quotes Yari of her mother-slash-ex-Legatus. Then, Intern. Her head tilts just a moment. As the inter wanders over, she follows out of pure curiousity. She'll start reading the other books in the office, looking for patterns, or anything out of place. Should the book in the intern's hand not track with the rest as her eyes gaze upon the others? She'll reach out and take it. "I am requisitioning this." She states prior to examining the cover, title, inside front, and then cracking open the tome proper. But she hasn't forgotten Lu-Mey. "You were mentioning intel...Lu-Mey." See, miss Oni? The little lizardess is trying. Even if that tail's far too stiff, and every movement filled with being completely out of her element in this casual office. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Predatory is an apt descriptor for the Oni. And not simply for those razor sharp teeth. Oh no, there is no subtle nuance that does not go unobserved, as the Oni practically licks her lips in a clear displau of how the food chain works. But then she folds her hands together. "Oh that's good. It's a good thing you know that, because we're more... Fluid around here. We prefer to be the ambushers and the ones that send people their little pink slips to life; not the other way around." She notes.     "Intel? Oh did I? That's funny, I don't recall..." It's like the Oni is completely ADD about the whole conversation at hand as tuts and waggles a finger. "We don't requisition here. We take. I'm thinking I might need to work with you from the ground up, maybe. What do YOU think?" She asks of the completely normal intern. 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Said intern lets Yari look over the bookshelves. Anatomy, various biology books, some mystical sorts, and lots of things concerning human relations and psychology, along with of course texts on psychology of other races in the multiverse. The intern steps aside and leans on the desk, stretching with a loud siigh.... then he speaks in a very flowing, female voice.     "She has skills. Perceptiveness isn't bad. Not very relaxed, but I can see how she's worth keeping around." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Sharp teeth and licking of lips are /not/ things that inspire good feelings in general. That urge to fight or flee ever tickles down her spine now that the Oni has her full predator gaze offered to the young lamb that is one Yari Takane. She might be good at her job, but she's certainly yet to have gained the experience and instinct of a natural born killer. Her movements are too stiff, militant actions of training without a wealth of practical application behind it. But at least she's well trained, and hasn't bolted out the door. There's no initial response to the 'fluid' ways of doing things. That tiny tug of a frown lasts for a split second longer than intended. Her tail unwinds, and her gaze flicks to the intern. And then the intern speaks in a feminine voice. It suddenly clicks. "...The ability to mold one's form. Miss Starless Night?" There's still a slight bit of awe in her voice over such a possibility, but it passes. Garen, after all, had told her of such things. There's a tensing fist and arm. She's not saluting. But barely. 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' Then, the oni gets a look. Here, there's a half-bow. "I am prepared to sharpen my skills and submit to any training you require, Lu-Mey." Finally answers the young Au Ra. Training and discipline, at the least, are things she's far more comfortable with. Oddly the idea of being trained by her boss seems almost relaxing for her. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Indeed, at least Yari hasn't run like a frightened lamb. Lu has probably had too much fun with aspiring shinobi and novice killers in the past, but the fact that this one HASN'T booked it earns a melodic, and haughty "Ohohohoho~" of a laugh as the dusky-skinned dancer slides off her seat on the desk and Starless decides to stop playing around.     With a motion as smooth as silk, she slides behind the Au Ra, hands planting on shoulders for a little rub. "She IS an interesting one." Mused to The Completely Ordinary Intern That May or May Not Be HER boss. "I will... Give her points for her observational skills at least. Maybe ah... Half marks for now. She can earn the other half-- Very soon in fact. I might have a job for this one. Assuming she can survive it."     A tut and she remembers to stop speaking like Yari isn't in the room. "Oh no, it's obvious you have training. Your dossier said as much."     Holy shit, Lu actually did some homework.     "It's experience, we'll be working on getting you here, in HR~." 

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''     Starless-Intern shakes her head, though the face is still male. "Not precisely, though there are some who can do that. I have numerous means of disguise at my fingertips, but my main specialty is a different kind of infiltration."     She smiles then, and laces fingers together. Now that she's relaxing, even with the male face the body takes on a slightly more femnine look. "We all have our specialities." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' And thus Boss Number Oni slipped behind the good Au Ra. The other woman's movements are something to see, and now? A shoulder rub feels pretty good. She relaxes just a hair. Mental note, find an oni masseuse. The stiff-shouldered Centurion is half-tempted to ask, before the thought is dashed by the mention of a job. Cue stiffness, but in the military efficiency vein. Toes curl a little as she reminds herself to not salute. Yari manages to prove one can salute with one's eyes as she peeks behind her first at Lu-Mey, then the Totally Legit Intern. The opportunity to get out in the field has her brightening in that subdued way. Like a lazily flickering candle, only with far more tail swishing that bumps occasionally against the Oni or Intern Boss should she get too close. "I am at your command, Lu-Mey." As for the Boss? There's a small nod. "I look forward to seeing your skills in the field. Do you have standing orders until this 'job'?" 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Working with Lu-Mey is one big game of give and take. She gives a shoulder rub. She takes away that nice feeling by mentioning a job- which may incur danger to life and limb, mere seconds afterwards. Nevertheless, that grin does NOT go away when Starless-Intern drops the charade. Not that this means the hazing is closer to being done, as Lu gives the Au Ra a small pat. "Oh no, you're Starless' to command. You just report to me if she decides you've messed up, and generally pray I'm not hungry when you do." She titters.     "That said. I find our little group a lot of things to do in my spare time, so it's not unusual to be hearing from me, often. So it's a good idea to stop by the office every now and then to see what I've slapped on the bulletin boards."     A clap of her hands and it looks like official business and hazing are done... For now. "Well, I thin kthat about sums it up. Welcome to Human Resources. The tail is adorable, by the way." 

:'''{{#var:691|Yari Takane (691)}} has posed:''' "While I cannot say with certainty, I believe I am distinctly distasteful and inedible." Is that an attempt at humor from the woman? The delivery is flat and utterly devoid of inflection. And she's still partially at attention. "A 'job's board'. Understood!" Nod. She gets it. Then Yari is opening her mouth to give an another affirmative. But Lu-Mey strikes yet another weak point on the woman. That tail, as if alive, tries to sneak behind an ankle as a most curious shade of red creeps along her cheeks. As though she'd been burned, the ninja gives a red-cheeked bow. "Miss Starless, Lu-Mey, it has been an honor. I will return to my duties." Then, she's beating a hasty, embarrassed exit. That tail of hers is swishing in equal parts shame and a bit of happiness mixed. As soon as she's out of the door? The scent of smoke and sounds of lizard-women devouring liquor with indecent haste can be heard. 

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''     Lu-Mey's job here is done, and the newbie has been successfully inducted into Human Resources. She turns to Starless-Intern once Yari makes her escape.     "I like that one. Let's keep her." 

}}

Beneath The Painted Mask (Pinkie)

2015-01-26T14:28:14Z

TeeG:

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/24
|Location=Prohibition Chicago
|Synopsis=Quiet recovery in the aftermath of Baltimare leads Pinkie and the twins to some introspection.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=470
|Tinyplot=Crying Clowns
}}

Weeks worth of exhaustion had finally taken their toll, and shortly after being dragged out of the Baltimare catacombs, recovery was slow in progress. Though her injuries were light, she sure felt like she could sleep for a year.

The sound of singing only dimly registered through the darkness. A gentle lullabye she had heard many times in her youth; soft and distant. But eventually Pinkie managed to open her eyes, lashes fluttering before the world welcomed her again in the darkness of a hijacked Chicago safehouse, albeit blurred and out of focus.

"You're-""-Awake."

Pound and Pumpkin had been waiting at her side. Of course they would. The three of them had survived the orphanage after Ponyville was wiped off the map. She had practically raised them herself, even after Rarity had finally come to take her away. But that was long ago. And even those days were better than this.

"We were-""-Worried."

The Cakes were good children, innocent in many ways despite being trained killers in a world devolved into madness. Not that Pinkie had ever once allowed or ordered them to take a life. She always shouldered that burden- that sin- herself, as to never tarnish their purity.

"Mnh... Maud...?"

"She's-"-Dead."

"... The Laughing Mare?"

"Banished to-""-The Astral."

"And... Cranky?"

"Still-""-Cranky."

A sigh of relief followed her inquiries, and green eyes slid back shut. Her work was done for now, there was time for a little bit of rest at least. And with Maud dead, everything should eventually return to normal. ... For whatever definition of normal there is for Equestria now, anyway. Except for one small detail.

"Twilight Sparkle saw my face."

Now the twins were silent, save for the uncomfortable rustle of Pound's wings. The clown's grim realization falling into place for all of them.

"Sorry." He ventured.

"We weren't fast enough..." His sister backed him up of course.

Yet still, Pinkie's hands set gently atop their heads. "It's okay. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

The intervention of the Laughing Mare, as she did, was bound to forcibly change all plans, anyway.

"... Um."

Both pairs of eyes were on her in an instant, clear and pure, as she cleared her throat hesitantly.

"What about you two?" Ventured after a beat. "... Do you prefer me as one? Or the other?"

They had both seen her with the mask off; long before the businesses of cults and killings. Back before she HAD to wear the mask. They had both known who she was. And they both knew what she became each time she put it on.

Pumpkin, gentle little Pumpkin was the first to clasp her hand.

"I like you for you."

And Pound, strong, brave, Pound mirrored his sister's sentiments: "Yeah."

Even exhausted and sore, Pinkie sat up to draw her fellow Ponyville orphans into a hug, with a heavy sigh. It was nice, but...

"... I'm not sure of who I am anymore..."

Beneath The Painted Mask (Pinkie)

2015-01-26T14:27:41Z

TeeG:

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/24
|Location=Prohibition Chicago
|Synopsis=Quiet recovery in the aftermath of Baltimare leads Pinkie and the twins to some introspection.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=470
|Tinyplot=Crying Clowns
}}

Weeks worth of exhaustion had finally taken their toll, and shortly after being dragged out of the Baltimare catacombs, recovery was slow in progress. Though her injuries were light, she sure felt like she could sleep for a year.

The sound of singing only dimly registered through the darkness. A gentle lullabye she had heard many times in her youth; soft and distant. But eventually Pinkie managed to open her eyes, lashes fluttering before the world welcomed her again in the darkness of a hijacked Chicago safehouse, albeit blurred and out of focus.

"You're-""-Awake."

Pound and Pumpkin had been waiting at her side. Of course they would. The three of them had survived the orphanage after Ponyville was wiped off the map. She had practically raised them herself, even after Rarity had finally come to take her away. But that was long ago. And even those days were better than this.

"We were-""-Worried."

The Cakes were good children, innocent in many ways despite being trained killers in a world devolved into madness. Not that Pinkie had ever once allowed or ordered them to take a life. She always shouldered that burden- that sin- herself, as to never tarnish their purity.

"Mnh... Maud...?"

"She's-"-Dead."

"... The Laughing Mare?"

"Banished to-""-The Astral."

"And... Cranky?"

"Still-""-Cranky."

A sigh of relief followed her inquiries, and green eyes slid back shut. Her work was done for now, there was time for a little bit of rest at least. And with Maud dead, everything should eventually return to normal. ... For whatever definition of normal there is for Equestria now, anyway. Except for one small detail.

"Twilight Sparkle saw my face."

Now the twins were silent, save for the uncomfortable rustle of Pound's wings. The clown's grim realization falling into place for all of them.

"Sorry." He ventured.

"We weren't fast enough..." His sister backed him up of course.

Yet still, Pinkie's hands set gently atop their heads. "It's okay. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

The intervention of the Laughing Mare, as she did, was bound to forcibly change all plans, anyway.

"... Um."

Both pairs of eyes were on her in an instant, clear and pure, as she cleared her throat hesitantly.

"What about you two?" Ventured after a beat. "... Do you prefer me as one? Or the other?"

They had both seen her with the mask off; long before the businesses of cults and killings. Back before she HAD to wear the mask. They had both known who she was. And they both knew what she became each time she put it on.
Pumpkin, gentle little Pumpkin was the first to clasp her hand.
"I like you for you."
And Pound, strong, brave, Pound mirrored his sister's sentiments: "Yeah."
Even exhausted and sore, Pinkie sat up to draw her fellow Ponyville orphans into a hug, with a heavy sigh. It was nice, but...
"... I'm not sure of who I am anymore..."

Beneath The Painted Mask (Pinkie)

2015-01-26T14:25:23Z

TeeG: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/24 |Location=Prohibition Chicago |Synopsis=Quiet recovery in the aftermath of Baltimare leads Pinkie and the twins to some introcpecti..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/24
|Location=Prohibition Chicago
|Synopsis=Quiet recovery in the aftermath of Baltimare leads Pinkie and the twins to some introcpection.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=470
|Tinyplot=Crying Clowns
}}

Weeks worth of exhaustion had finally taken their toll, and shortly after being dragged out of the Baltimare catacombs, recovery was slow in progress. Though her injuries were light, she sure felt like she could sleep for a year.
The sound of singing only dimly registered through the darkness. A gentle lullabye she had heard many times in her youth; soft and distant. But eventually Pinkie managed to open her eyes, lashes fluttering before the world welcomed her again in the darkness of a hijacked Chicago safehouse, albeit blurred and out of focus.
"You're-""-Awake."
Pound and Pumpkin had been waiting at her side. Of course they would. The three of them had survived the orphanage after Ponyville was wiped off the map. She had practically raised them herself, even after Rarity had finally come to take her away. But that was long ago. And even those days were better than this.
"We were-""-Worried."
The Cakes were good children, innocent in many ways despite being trained killers in a world devolved into madness. Not that Pinkie had ever once allowed or ordered them to take a life. She always shouldered that burden- that sin- herself, as to never tarnish their purity.
"Mnh... Maud...?"
"She's-"-Dead."
"... The Laughing Mare?"
"Banished to-""-The Astral."
"And... Cranky?"
"Still-""-Cranky."
A sigh of relief followed her inquiries, and green eyes slid back shut. Her work was done for now, there was time for a little bit of rest at least. And with Maud dead, everything should eventually return to normal. ... For whatever definition of normal there is for Equestria now, anyway. Except for one small detail.
"Twilight Sparkle saw my face."
Now the twins were silent, save for the uncomfortable rustle of Pound's wings. The clown's grim realization falling into place for all of them.
"Sorry." He ventured.
"We weren't fast enough..." His sister backed him up of course.
Yet still, Pinkie's hands set gently atop their heads. "It's okay. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
The intervention of the Laughing Mare, as she did, was bound to forcibly change all plans, anyway.
"... Um."
Both pairs of eyes were on her in an instant, clear and pure, as she cleared her throat hesitantly.
"What about you two?" Ventured after a beat. "... Do you prefer me as one? Or the other?"
They had both seen her with the mask off; long before the businesses of cults and killings. Back before she HAD to wear the mask. They had both known who she was. And they both knew what she became each time she put it on.
Pumpkin, gentle little Pumpkin was the first to clasp her hand.
"I like you for you."
And Pound, strong, brave, Pound mirrored his sister's sentiments: "Yeah."
Even exhausted and sore, Pinkie sat up to draw her fellow Ponyville orphans into a hug, with a heavy sigh. It was nice, but...
"... I'm not sure of who I am anymore..."

1369/Laugh Clown, Laugh

2015-01-20T08:30:14Z

TeeG:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/19
|Location=Divided Equestria
|Synopsis=Maud is chased into the depths of the catacombs of Baltimare for a final showdown. Where the truth is revealed.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=2, 19, 264, 411, 454, 470, 475, 513, 575
|Tinyplot=Crying Clowns
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     o/` ~ "I don't know what I was thinking. Leaving my life behind. Now I suffer a curse and now I am blind." ~ o/`     It's time for a tour by cruise ship. Indeed, the best way to get to Baltimare without passing through a vast majority of Rarity's territory was decided to be a boat ride from somewhere in the domain of House Moon and Star, either Star Harbor or Port Town, and simply docking at the Baltimare ports. It's not the fastest means, having to hook around the coast at several points, but it's infinitely better than dealing with House Whitegold checkpoints and patrols.     o/` ~ "With all this anger, guilt, and sadness, coming to haunt me forever... I can't wait for the cliff at the end of the river..." ~ o/`     A joint operation has been sprung. The amazingly unlikely alliance of the killer, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Magister Twilight, The Syndicate, and The Union, leads to what may just be the most AWKWARD boat trip imaginable.     The twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake are seated on the front of the boat, sharpening knives, packing colorful odds and ends, Pound is even taking a few test swings of his favorite baseball bat.     o/` ~ "Is this revenge I am seeking? Or seeking someone to avenge me? Stuck in my own paradox I wanna set myself free!" ~ o/`     Pinkie, herself, is on the boat as well, walking along the rail and singing to herself to pass the time, as the boat pulls into the Baltimare docks. Getting through customs is suspiciously easy as the pink-clad clown slides something to the dock guards, who are instantly smiling with manic rictus grins and motioning for the crew to move along. And just like that everyone is in Baltimare. Though there's little time to see the sights of the city as she motions for everyone to gather around a manhole cover in the back of a dark alley. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' Eliot Ness is on the boat, obviously. He wouldn't have missed this particular conclusion to his latest arc of investigative work on this world. Earlier, he'd been disassembling a Thompson and putting it back together, along with sliding round after round into dozens of stick magazines for it. At the moment he was pouring himself a cap-full of coffee from a genuine 1929 Vaccuum Flask and then drinking it down. The Thermos itself would be left on the boat, empty. He'd either come back for it later or see it replaced. Either way, with his gun held in both hands, he approaches the manhole cover that Pinkie is gathering every around, "These lead to the catacombs you told me about?" He asks her as he slams a magazine up into his gun and then cocks it. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ooohhh... a ship ride! Ayako loves ships, boats, and of course anything to deal with water. And if there's something she can do to help, of course she'll be there! And so Ayako dressed in her witch outfit cheerfully rides on the ship. The broom that she usually rides upon is in her hands and... she's just absentmindedly sweeping the deck. Old habits die hard.     Once the group arrives, Ayako collapses her broom and hangs it behind her horizontally-there seem to be straps on the back of her muffler for that. She quietly follows after the group and... then inclines her head at the sight of the manhole cover in the back of a dark alley. "A-ahh...? I take it... we're going down?" 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer is not so sing-songy along the way. The big black pony with the tattered cloak is just sitting there on the deck with his brass mask over his face, firmly attached to his horn, and calmly adjusting the wrappings on some sort of very large rectangularly shaped package. He's being pretty well dead silent, hasn't spoken a word since they left the safehouse unless it was absolutely necessary. It's not until they start going around Manehattan Island that he finally finishes wrapping the package- which is, by pony standards, pretty damned huge- and props it up on his back.      He stares out at the edges of the island for a long time as the ship steadily floats by, head moving around to take in all the sights of the lights and the majestic structures and the cliffs.. And then he shakes his head, pulls the hood of the cloak down, and goes over to one side near the railings to settle on the starboard deck, letting his head rest on a coil of ropes. He now looks like a big pile of rags, you'd only there was a pony even there by the sharp, curved horn sticking out of them.      Nettle is nowhere to be seen.      Morty stays there for the entirety of the trip, just resting. He doesn't talk to anyone, not even to Pinkie, and he doesn't express anything out loud. He's in a pretty crap mood like that. When the trip ends, he quietly rises back to his hooves, follows after Pinkie, and waits patiently for further instructions. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is also on the boat, boats never got much larger than a small speed boat on her world for the simple reason of there were no huge bodies of waters like oceans upon her world. Either way here she is trying to keep to deck and not ahem lose her balance upon the sea. She's not seasick but it is a concern for her given how little time she does spend on water based ships. She does look over to notice Mort for a moment and then back to Ayoko. "It looks like it, Ayako." 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     The boat looks pretty inconspicuous... a sailboat with a crew of... are those earth ponies? They look like earth ponies! Where did Twilight get earth ponies to help her? They also feel a bit /off/ and one, at one point, grins enough to reveal rather sharp fangs.     Twilight herself is in a hooded cloak, with a minor glamour around her to divert attention from her horn and hair. She isn't the best at that sort of magic, but it's a spell she's seen before. Simple enough. She is none to happy about seeing a manhole here. "I suppose it would be too much to ask for them to have a convenient hideout," she murmurs with a sigh. Well, at least she isn't Rarity, so she doesn't complain further than that. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"     That is the sound a happy dolphin makes when it LEAPS from the water near the bow's starboard side, majestically soars through the air over the deck... and splashes back down over the port.     What the hell. Dolphins shouldn't be able to jump over a hundred feet out of the water, should they?     let alone talk. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle, the younger and less prone to anthropomorphic fits one, spent the ride in mostly silence. She was watching the other ponies, trying to figure out if she needed to act differently. Little Twilight is disguised just as Magister Twilight is, except hers is simpler. A long brown cloak with a hood that covers all but her nose and horn. She keeps close to Mortimer, the only pony she knows for sure won't hurt her. She doesn't really distrust the others, but she doesn't exactly trust them either. Then...a talking dolphin! "Oh my!"      Having other Union members along helps to keep her calm as well. "So...the spell I made seems to be working quite well." she says softly to Mortimer as they approach the manhole. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     HELPFUL SECRETARY is with FEDERAL AGENT.     She is armed with the usual clipboard, but also has a briefcase this time. It's a nice code-locked one, very expensive. The kind you give someone who just got promoted to an exec spot so he looks the part. Not that Homura doesn't look the part, dressed in a nice black and white formal suit.     "That we can get to it probably makes it convenient enough, ma'am," she tells the Archmagister, before glancing at her actual boss. "Are we really sufficiently prepared for this? We don't know what to expect." 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     By the time everyone's grouped at the manhole, Pinkie makes a wordless hand signal that seems to make the twins very put out. It's an easy to read gesture, she merely jerks her thumb at the entrance of the alley, telling the two to hang back, stay here, and keep a lookout while the party moves on. Still humming as she crouches and starts sliding the manhole cover aside, the jester glances up.     "Mmmmhm. There are entrances to the catacombs all over the city. I know most of them like the back of my hands and hooves buuuuut. There are some even I get lost in. Try to stick close. Maud's probably beaten us here." But then she tut tuts, once the heavy metal lid is slid aside with ease thanks to Earth Pony strength. "Convenient wouldn't be fun at all, Twilight." Noted as she peers into the darkness. "Oh I know what to expect down there. ... At least half of the Cult of Laughter ready to kill us~." She asides to Helpful Secretary before hopping into the darkness.     o/` ~ "Justification is killing me... But is killing justified...?" ~ o/`     One last verse and she quiets down, landing without a sound and beckoning for everyone to start following. For the record. It's a sewer. It smells horrible. You don't want to know what just floated by in the water right now. But a thump on a brick causes a wall to slide open, and the scenery changes drastically. Bricks no longer, the walls are now formed from hundreds upon hundreds of skulls, humanoid and equine in varying intervals, taking the place of bricks and mortared into place along a long corridor. It opens into a wider chamber, with indentations in the walls for full skeletons to stand, and mummified bodies dried with age to recline in eternal repose.     "Whelp. It's not much, but it's home! Mi casa es su casa." Pinkie Pie chirrups, nabbing a skull off the wall to puppet the jaw with one hand. "Tea anyone? No thank you Jeeves, we're just passing through! Mmmmyeeees madame. Thank you Jeeves that will be all~."     For all her jesting, though, Pinkie quiets down and sets the skull back into place. "If we're lucky we can find the other Cult Prophets- and Maud- without getting caught." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     "EWWWWWW!"     Finna didn't join the group until seemingly the last minute. Because a fox zipped down the manhole just before the last person was through. And... instead of strolling through the sludge, has been trotting ALONG THE WALL. ... As if the wall were the ground. It's trotting literally at a 90 degree angle from the ground. How's... that even work?     Doesn't matter. She slides down to the walkway when Pinkie reveals the entranceway... "... Let's hope so!" the little white-furred creature replies, nose wrinkling and ears low against her head. Her tail's not wagging at all. But she sees the skulls and the bodies, the stench of death is starting to overpower the stench of waste...     "Out of one reek and into another." 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' "As ready as I can be. I already told you this is far out of my wheelhouse, but I'm gonna make due," Ness says to the secretary next to him. He has a serious look on his face as he gives her a hard stare, "Which is why I'm trusting you to have my back." Which is something that's hard for Ness to admit, considering who he is elseworld and the reliability of trusting other people. Ness stops at the bottom of the manhole and waits, looking around. It's disgusting down here, but he is polite enough not to remark. And a veteran of Chicago enough to simply let it go unsaid as well. He waits at the bottom and folds his hands in front of himself. When Magister Twilight reaches the bottom, it is revealed why he waited: 1920s Codes of Conduct. "Would you like to be carried so as not to dirty your robes, maam? Or will you simply be levitating?" It's a weird question for him to be asking, but one that is polite in its intention. After getting an answer either way, he will take off after Pinkie, wanting to keep up with her. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mort's masked face briefly looks at the twins, hesitating for a moment, then walking inside of the tunnel behind Pinkie. He takes off the mask at long last- because he might need to set someone on fire- and, still quite wordless, plods along after her. The thing strapped to his back is adjusted so that it can point forward over his shoulder without hitting the walls. He pauses to glance at all the skulls.. There is a sigh and an irritated grunt, and he starts walking along again. A small fire appears on his horn- once he's sure the methane concentrations aren't TOO high- to provide a simple torch so that it's not too damned dark for them to see. He's watching the walls as intently as he's watching the corridor. Never know if something's gonna spring to life around here.. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako smiles softly at Maya and then looks back down at the manhole. "While I do go down drains all the time, not everyone likes going into sewers..."     She peers down the open manhole once Pinkie slides the the cover aside. "People sure love hiding places in sewers, though... Well, there are times I'm happy that I can't smell! Because people who can always act so disgusted whenever they go in." She winces slightly when she hears there are likely people down there ready to kill them all. "I'll do my best to make sure no one does get killed, then." Ayako nods her head once. Then she hops into the open manhole and floats gently down, pushing her skirt down with her hands as she does so.     She follows quietly after the group... and then blinks her eyes quickly at the... decor of Pinkie Pie's... home(?). Skulls. Skeletons. Mummfied bodies even. How macabre. "That's... quite... Hmm... quite a theme you have going here." 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Now they are no longer on the boat any longer andf they are about the manhole at this point and she wonders at the entaceway and she looks to 'Finna for a moment wondering somehin t but does not say anthing else takes a moment to prep a small protection spell for herself and moves on towards it. "Can't blame you there Ayako it's nasty for about anyone to go down in there and you have no idea the things I found in the Sewers on my world." 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle looks down at her hooves as Mortimer seems too distracted to hear her question. She follows Pinkie as well, and like the others her face crinkles as the smell hits her. "...ohmy..." she says, having a slight Rarity moment. A sewer? Ewww! But, she is here, and she is determined to help this world, so she carefully makes her way down and after Pinkie.      The decor of Pinkie's home doesn't help Twilight at all. She ends up staring at the skull walls and the mummified bodies. "...when did skulls become the new party balloon?" she says softly. 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     While Eliot is very nice, Magister Twilight shakes her head at the offer. "N... no, I think I can walk myself." She drops down after the others, a shimmer from her horn repelling the filth... if not the smell that makes her nose wrinkle.     Finna joining them, and the others that she is mostly unfamiliar with, doesn't seem to perturb the Archmagister. She's watching them to get an idea of who they are, what they will do. At least the younger her she can somewhat predict.     "Welcome to one of your possible futures," she says to Twilight Sparkle. The mage, still in humanoid form, summons up a little sparkling light as well, but she uses her left hand to do so. "Let us hope for your sake that something better than this happens, for your world." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Homura is mostly quiet as they go in; the decor, while macabre, doesn't entirely bother her. She nods to Eliot, mostly remaining behind him and the Archmagister. She doesn't have anything especially important to add or say, and so does not. She just scribbles things on her clipboard, evidently not bothered by the reduction in visibility. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Twirling 'Jeeves' on the top of one finger like a basketball, the pink-clad clown idly tosses Ayako the skull. "Well duh, I mean it was only the most obvious place to hide a whole cult. 'The dead always laugh last', and all is kind of the motto."     It's dark- near pitch black in fact, with no sources of natural light, and the chill tomb air is saturated with the smell of bone dust and leather. Though Mort and the Archmagister suddenly becoming a source of light earns 'cut it, cut it!' motion from Pinkie- who seems to know her way around in the murk easily.     Nevertheless it had been going well enough until an echo sounds out from the gloom. It's cheery music. ... Followed by a reedy, cackle of a voice.     o/` ~ "This is your time to pay... This is your judgment day! We've made a sacrifice... And now we get to take your life!" ~ o/`     Bright as the song sounds, the lyrics are incredibly unfriendly as halberds thrust out from the walls, several Harl-Equines, without their unicycles, cleverly disguised at mummies suddenly springing to life with wild giggling laughter and assaulting in the cramped quarters, quickly filling the tight space with bladed staves and clopping hooves, hooting and squealing. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer, who had been- y'know, watching the damn walls- was anticipating something like this. At Pinkie's command his horn quickly snuffs out. Fine, just adjust to the dark then. She knows what she's doing, this is her run. There's another irritated grunt at the sound of the harl-equines and then the package on his back is launched forward, the end of it gripped in his teeth- which looks awkward but he's had a LOT of time to practice, and despite the immense size of the pack, he wields it as though it were light as a feather. The end is being used to jab at the harl-equines and to slap their halberds out of the way.      Either they back off or he's gonna start poking them full of holes. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' With the submachine gun held in one hand, Ness has an old-style flashlight held in the other, waving it around a bit to cut through the darkness. He seems on-guard and uneasy, wanting to move slowly and carefully. He also doesn't seem too bothered that the Archmagister turned down his offer. He jumps back, defensively crossing an arm across the Archmagister as the halberds come out. He raises the gun up with one hand and then tries to finagle gripping the front with the other. He plants his feet firmly and then lets loose with short bursts of fire, trying to perforate his attackers with crisp bursts from his weapon. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The moment Finna hears the clinking of metal weapons moving around from IN FRONT, she reacts. The mark of the moon appears faintly on her tiny forehead, providing barely enough light for anyone to see by. Sure, it reveals her location... but foxes have EXCELLENT nightvision, and she's an Exalt on top of that. She doesn't need much light to see almost as if it were day. Or at least... to function almost that well.     She dives past the cultists, counting on the fact that some tiny animal's probably not the first thing they'd swing at, and flexes her claws. Faint silvery light emanates from her claws, fangs, and tail... and she goes for a TACKLING BACKSTAB. There's not much force, given her small size, but getting the back of your neck chopped CANNOt be good. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako blinks her eyes when Pinkie Pie tosses her the skull. She tries to catch it-fumbling for a few moments, but then stablizes it in her hands. "I don't know about laugh last," Her hands turn the skull towards Pinkie, "but they certainly smile last." She places the skull back where Pinkie found and grabbed it and bows lightly towards it. She's respectful of the dead at least.     Ayako blinks her eyes slowly when she starts to hear the cheery music and then grabs her broom that is secured behind herself the moment she hears the cackle. The broom quickly uncollapses as she stabs the brush downwards at the ground. "Emergency Water Bubble!" A bubble of water forms about everyone in the group!     Normally, Water Bubble is a barrier that barely does anything. But Emergency Water Bubble tries to slow down incoming attacks-hopefully enough for everyone present to evade, parry, or block! However, said slowing effect only lasts a minute at most. After, the barrier appears to fade away. It's still there, but it doesn't appear to do anything. Still, a minute is better than nothing, and it still works as the foundation for Ayako's other barriers! 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is movving along with everyone else and halts for a moment at the song she now gets on edge as she listens and sees that others are showing up at this point she unshoulders her rifle at this point. She's ready to lay down some fire if things keep going she eyes those ahead of them for a moment but she's not oging to be the first one to fire. The Magister's comment to the Twilight she knows better is a little chilling as she thinks about an alternate of herslf she fought a long time ago. However Ayako's spell is welcome and she's about ready as she's about ever going to be for this. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle notices the fox running along the wall a bit belatedly. "Oh! That is a neat power. It makes me wish I had practice such gravity-defying magic." she says. As Magister Twilight speaks to her, Twilight Sparkle's ears splay. "I still think there must have been something you could have done in order to prevent this." she says before...eek! Harl-equines!      Twilight's horn glows as the homicidal jokesters attack. She has had experience in battle since becoming the Knight of Magic, but she isn't used to such close quarters combat. She does her best to dodge any attacks that come her way, or tries to counter them with telekinetic magic while firing beams of energy to defend herself and the others. "I...I suppose it is to be expected...that we would be-eeek! ..attacked in the base of an enemy faction!" Twilight manages between attacks and dodges. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     What does a secretary do when combat breaks out? Basically a whole lot of standing back and using Eliot and the Archmagister for cover. She doesn't comment on the matter of avoiding this situation, mostly because her answer would both be harsh and insulting to the woman she's using as combat cover. Don't anger the people you're using for protection, and all that.     Occasional bullets might streak along Ness', as if he'd fired twice; the careful eyes and ears would notice that, but as usual it's not like there's too obvious a source. Certainly couldn't be the meek secretary standing back, could it?     "We are making a lot of noise. If they did not know we are here before it will be difficult to hide it from here onward." 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     As soon as Pinkie motions for the light to go out, Twilight cuts the light and follows with the ambient glow instead. She'll just have to deal. It earns another sigh, but for now she sticks close to Ness and follows Pinkie's lead. "Such grim surroundings for a laughing cult," she murmurs. Not that she's surprised.     The attack comes and forces Twilight to step back. She doesn't think anything of it when she retaliates against the nearest one, acting quickly and without thought about what, exactly, she is doing. That being, numerous dark crystalline growths will begin sprouting on the nearest Harl-equine, in an attempt to encase them completely. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     The cramped and tight passages of the catacombs are going to make any fight a nightmare, and with the Harl-Equines reach thanks to their polearms, they're prettymuch trying to make a wall of steel and mercilessly jab and poke the sharp ends. Stealth is now out of the option by the time the fight so much as begins so Ness pumping lead into the group ahead is really not going to have a downside, as several go down in squawks and trilling bleats of pain, some crumpling and not getitng back up.     "Don't stay around to fight them, now we REALLY need to go before more come to box us in." Pinkie hisses. Indeed, already more echoes can be heard from the way everyone came, as she slides into a sidepath. "Seriously, stick close. It's no joke if you get lost down here, no one will ever find you." That's probably good incentive to beat feat as Mortimer starts swatting halberds aside, and between that and the wily arctic fox manages to flank and start tearing into the ranks from behind.     With a path opened, Pinkie slides back into view, just slightly beyond the Harl-Equines, motioning for the others to follow, the bubble presenting a means of keeping the remaining killer clowns from getting by a bit longer as telekinetic force and crystal stasis deal with the last of the initial encounter.     But where those were stymied, more rush through the catacombs, the clatter of hooves and the wicked giggles of glee and song reverberate along the skull-adorned walls. They chase the shole way, as Pinkie swerves and makes sudden turns, left, right, right, straight, left, left, left, right- the place really is a maze, that only comes to a halt when she skids to a stop in front of a large door of heavy wood and bone. Voices can be heard on the other side, deep in heated arguement. The door however is locked on first attempt.     There is still the issue of fresh Harl-Equines giving chace, however. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Irritable grunt. Smacking another halberd out of the way, Mortimer crouches down and slides the weapon back over his back- the wrappings are rapidly falling away, revealing the bright glint of orichalcum and red jade. The daiklave neatly slides back into its hold and then Mortimer suddenly races ahead at impossible speeds. A blaze of flame trails in his wake for a few brief moments- if the Harl-Equines don't get out of the way, they'll get caught in the blaze and roasted alive. But the flames die down after only a few moments, so one way or the other, there's a hole for people to start running through. Mortimer is of course, following after Pinkie. The others should be able to keep up, he presumes. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako holds her broom horizontally and then hops onto it side-saddle. The broomstick floats of course! If anyone wants a ride, there is space by the brush! She quickly floats after Pinkie Pie, although she does look back frequently to make sure no one is left behind, has tripped, or-especially after Pinkie Pie warns them, lost.     She comes to a halt at the large wood-and-bone door, though. "Uhh... Hmm..." Ayako gives the door a try! Locked. "I don't suppose anyone knows how to pick locks? I mean... I could try but... I'm not very good at it and it would take a while..." 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      With a path cleared and the promise of being lost in here forever...or at least until the Cult of Laughter gets ahold of her...Twilight Sparkle is quick to follow after Pinkie. Once everyone is down the tunnel Pinkie is taking, Twilight erects a magical shield wall behind them to try and limit the number of pursuers. Of course, in places like this there are usually multiple paths to the same place.      "We should definitely hurry!" Twilight says in a bit of a panicked tone. She lets Mortimer and Ness handle the heavy fighting, and focuses her attention on limiting the number of cultists that can reach them even as she follows as quickly as she can after Pinkie. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     With the group making progress and only getting stymied by a door, the arctic fox - so very out of her environment - shifts to human. Finna's caste mark is still glowing, but only faintly.     "Locks? Pfeh. Maybe I'll be lucky and it'll be one that's actually a challenge!" yup. She knows a few things about locks alright. "Though perhaps our guide has a key?"     And if Pinkie doesn't... well, Finna has lockpicks, and will get to using them.     No respectable Rogue build Changing Moon can leave home without them. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' Despite her doing nothing, Ness still gives the secretary a nod of his head, "Thanks," He says before turning off his flashlight and slipping it into his jacket. He grips the gun fully in both hands and takes off jogging. He'll keep his pace slow, though. he wants to migrate to the back of the group as they head through the tunnel. The reason for that is pretty obvious: He's going to take rear flank and give covering fire to the others. He has a slim advantage in having a firearm versus their polearms, and so when he can get to the back of the group, he's still firing off bursts with his gun. Every now and then, taking a stick magazine out of the Thompson, letting it clatter to the floor of the caves before slamming another one in and opening fire. He doesn't mind falling a bit behind and using his Chicago Typewriter to give these guys a strongly-worded letter. 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     Twilight hurries after, in no position to want to deal with close-quarters battling. "Thank you again, Agent Ness," is all she states. She's quiet to the rest, frowning heavily at the pursuit.     Most of the rest of her attention settles on Twilight Sparkle the younger. Another gesture and glow of her horn summons up more black crystals, blocking off other potential avenues. "Do not use this, Twilight, until the time that it seems right. It is very dangerous magic." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     "I can agree with that," Homura replies to Pinkie as she urges them to Hurry The Fuck Up and not waste time on the endless undead hordes. Generally a bad idea, especially in the zombies' home turf. Or cultists. Whatever these are. Past a point you probably lose track of what's living and what's semi-living and what isn't in here.     It does occur to her, at least, that if she's going to play the secretary role she can probably extrapolate what someone like that could do. Logically you're looking at... paper or information related magic? But she's not posing as a unicorn, so, it should probably be kept to a minimum.     She rips a few sheets of paper off her clipboard and hurls them behind as they run. With a little bit of time magic abuse, it's pretty trivial to use a sword and make it look like the paper's cutting cultists and zombies up. The wounds won't match at all, but unless people are paying attention that's fine, in this environment. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya gets the warning from Pinku to not get bogged down fighting at this point she moves to force them out of her way where she needs to but is clealry going to be pressing forward at this point. She keeps an eye on the kilelr clowns should they do anything else she just keeps with their guide wondering about this place she's nto lying it's a hell of a max when she thinks about it. Maya is joining Ness and the others in their attacks her rifle winds up with a whine and starts spitting rounds, shell casing fly out of her weapon but maya makes not pause to slam in a fesh clip the rounds just seem to keep comming. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     The group is fairly effective in holding off the oncoming horde of cackling clowns while stopped at the door. Finna sets to handling the lock while Pinkie pantomimes rummaging through her pockets frantically, and for a moment things are looking pretty close. For every insane jester put down by bullets, timehax-swordery, and magic, another sidepath spits out two more.     It is a HARD lock, but not hard enough to deter a skilled rogue child of Luna, and with a POP it comes undone.     The door opens and THEN Pinkie gives a flick of her wrist, an ornate key sliding out of her sleeve. "OH that's where I put it!"     Still, the door is unlocked, and the group BUSTS in on a very heated meeting, one that doesn't even seem interrupted by the slam and click of the door locking once again.     The room is dimly lit, a large circular chamber lined with skull walls staring at the occupants. The chamber is dominated by a large table, carved from macabre ivory, and set with seven places and six thrones, and a casket at the head of the table, each made entirely from a specific type of bone. Maud Pie stands in the center of the room, facing down the Prophets of the Cult. And six of the thrones are occupied.     Just like she completely owns the place, Pinkie saunters to the throne made wholly of skulls just beside the casket and flomps into it.     The meeting of the prophets is in session. And none are happy at this intrusion.     "Pinkamena what is the MEANING of this?!" That comes from an old ass of a man, wearing bright robes and a silly hat. He's also wearing a scowl as he shoves a painted mask on his face.     "Oh. The replacement is here." Maud sighs. "I was hoping to get this done without interruption."     Whatever her plans were sets the rest of the table into an uproar, various curses and insults slung at the necromancer from half the table, the other, ominously silent.     "I know EXACTLY what went wrong with your plan, Maud!" A blonde pegasus-woman with googly golden eyes and a messenger bag, says as she slides her mask on upside down. Another woman adjusts her glasses with a stern glower. One seat sits empty.     And in the glass casket is... A serene figure. Curly pink hair, a simple white dress and...     The Element of Laughter is in the casket with her. Though the gold and sapphire necklace rests at base... Split in half with a jagged crack, long since emptied of power. And the coffin is marked...     'There is no more laughter with you gone. You will always be missed.'     Pinkie-- the living one in the throne kicks her feet up on the table. "Looks like we're just in time for something good, huh, guys?" 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer surveys the room once he's able to back inside of. ...Ditzy Doo.. Cranky Doodle.. ..And of course, Maud. And there in the casket. ...The body of Pinkie. So serene, a pleasant smile. His hood suddenly bursts into flames as his mane changes from hair to a raging fire. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. And I shouldn't be any angrier about this situation than I already am. And yet.. There it is." His overtired eyes start twitching a bit, and his teeth are clenched so hard they're threatening to break from the strain. "I am getting /really/ damned tired of seeing familiar faces of people I like that are on the "skeletons I need to break" list.. Please.. Just /surrender/." He looks angry but he sounds exhausted. Emotionally exhausted to a severe degree. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Younger Twilight nods at Magister Twilight's warning, then hurries into the open room. It is only once the door is closed that she realizes they are interrupting some sort of meeting. A meeting that seems to feature...a dead Pinkie Pie. "I..." Twilight starts to speak, then Mortimer starts speaking. She waits for him to finish, then looks at Pinkie. "What is going on? These ponies seem to know you." she says, then looks around. "Um...I am not sure we are in time for someting 'good'."      Twilight fully expects some kind of final confrontation, and so she summons her Harmony Armor. Swirling sparkles of purple and white flow around her, coalescing into the armor and the magical book that goes with it. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The moment Pinkie draws out the key... Finna makes the WEIRDEST grinning face at her. Amused. But maybe a little murderous. Maybe just a little.     Wasting the group's time, she was!     By the time the group strolls out into the main room, Finna is once again in fox form. Except she's also practically faded from sight! Instead of streaming out with others to confront the cultists she's attempting to slip around the edges of the room with her presence veiled with Lunar power - inattentive eyes might quickly slip elsewhere instead of fixing on her. And once out of sight, out of mind.     Hopefully.     The only question is... just what is she planning? 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako blinks her eyes quickly when... Pinkie Pie had the key to the door the whole time? Oh well. She floats after the group on her broomstick and... well. She has no idea what exactly is going on. So she simply watches with her head inclined to the side gently. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' Ness would normally be trying to arrest this room full of people, but there's so many things to react to beyond it. So instead, he falls to step next to the Elder Twilight and hoists his gun up against his shoulder. He takes a cigarette out of his jacket and presses it to the barrel of his gun, lighting it before then looking over to the woman. "Who's that in the coffin?" He asks of the one who, you know, is ostensibly his boss at this moment. He will deal with the rest of the room once he gets that answer. Assuming he does. Once he does, he looks out towards the room again and says, "Federal Agent, House Moon and Star. I have a warrant for Maud Pie's arrest." He rolls his neck a bit and then pops it, "Here's the bargain I'm offering. That one..." He points to Maud, "Is coming with us. Mass murder, the whole nine yards. You all, I don't have enough evidence on to arrest. You give her to me, I can't charge you with a thing. You help her get away, aiding and abetting." He shrugs his shoulders, "I think it's a simple call for you all." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     The chairs are pretty ominous in make. One wonders whose bones those are. Probably random, all things considered, but probably not something to ask either way. 'Pinkie' slides into her throne, reminding Homura that for all she's being helpful they shouldn't get too comfortable either. But then the same could be said of the Archmagister, in a completely different way.     How strong are the cult leaders, that's a good question. One they'll probably find out first-hand whether they want to or not. It's going to depend on how 'in' on Maud's plan these people are. The ongoing debate between the leaders seems to indicate disagreements, though, or at least incomplete plans.     There's also the matter of 'if Pinkie's in that coffin, how are you her?' but that's a fair bit easier to write theories on. Possession, maybe. Or just a lie. Reincarnation, on the extreme end? Hard to say, like everything else.     THAT SURE IS A LOT OF POINTLESS INTROSPECTION.     Her eyes fixate on Eliot as he steps forward, exposing himself to anything they elect to throw at him. She is extremely ready to intervene, even if it'll give things away more than she'd like. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' SO they catch the leaders of the cult with htier pants don to to speak as she keeps her rifle slightly lowered and she looks at them all and Mort is the first to ask for their surrender there's no need to zay it again she holds her weapon waiting to see ho w they respond to this? She can only guess what Finna's up to. Maya seem redy for a fight and it's not because she thinks the cults leaders are weak, it's more she's got an idea of what her compaions are able to do. She gets the idea of an interal schism is going on here the cult seems to be turning upon itself. 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     As Twilight steps into the room, she tugs back the hood of her cloak, revealing who she is more clearly. Ness beat her to a declaration, but she can plainly speak, "Federal Agent's statement is fully backed by House Moon and Star. I have that authority, and I believe you all know it. In light of the /unusual/ circumstances I am willing to cut a deal, so that Pinkie Pie's body is not risked."     The declaration is said in a dry, clinical tone. Twilight is avoiding direct contact between her eyes and Pinkie's body, as well. "Now, what is going on here that you did not wish to invite 'Pinkamena' as well." The air quotes are pretty obvious. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     [Grumbling Intensifies]     Indeed, the Chamber of Prophets is rife with silent yet palpable aggression. Pinkamena prettymuch just handed the identities of the Cult Prophets to the Archmagister on a plate tonight, but there are more important matters and even they understand that much. Which might be why Cranky Doodle gives a wave of his hand. "By all means TAKE her," He practically spits. Even Derpy is mad as she thunks her fist on the table. "She really blew it! I should have never let Cheese talk me into giving her a chance. I feel so dumb." Huffed as Mayor Mare gives her a light pat on the back.     The offer is an easy way out for the lot of them, and after Maud has failed the cult as badly as she did, the general concensus seems to be to just hand her right over.     "We were just discussing Maud's punishment." Cranky hisses at Twilight-the-elder. "But it looks like that will be handled. I do not brook failure."     Pinkie just leans right over to Ayako and stage whispers, "The High Prophet has blood pressure problems." But then she hoops her arm around younger Twilight's neck. "Of course they know me, silly. This is my chair! I'm the Prophet of Laughter!"     No, the Prophet collective don't seem to notice Finna in the midst of the debacle, by then Maud just... Heaves a heavy sigh.     "Sorry. Not part of my plans." The necromancer lazily monotones. "I'll be waking my sister now."     How an earth pony breed woman could get so powerful in maguc is almost a mystery. But it looks like she's had time to prepare the chamber beforehand as a sigil of purple light forms at her feet, a terrible runic design spanning the whole floor of the chamber as it activates, chilling the room with a sudden drop in temperature. The ceiling rumbles, the prophets begin to panic- and Derpy is the first the blitz out of the room at a frantic pace, but the spell is done. The glass coffin cracks. It shatters open, and the body within comes tumbling out with a pathetic crumple. It doesn't look like it did much at first. But the tingle on the air, rife with energy says something is every wrong. As a subtle whisper of an ominous giggle seems to silently filter on the air.     ~Heheheheheh...~     Pinkie is no longer kicking her feet up on the table. She's suddenly cowering behind her throne. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      It's not a mystery to Mortimer who all those people are. But then, Equestrian citizen of a different time. He'd recognize them by nature if not by appearance. By voice too probably. "What.. Maud. Maud what are you-" And then the spell is cast. Mortimer's eyes go wide. "...Aw, Hell." And that's pretty much all he can say, backing up a few paces with a look of extreme apprehension on his face. "Oh, Maud, what have you /done/.." A rhetorical statement, not an actual question.      Somewhere in Mortimer's head, Nettle is screaming. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' "Tch," says Eliot. The prophets have basically disavowed involvement and handed her over, which means he only has to worry about one opponent instead of who knows how many. The Agent keeps an even look on his face. That calm breaks for a moment as Maud denies her arrest and claims she will be waking her sister. He's unsure how to process the threat, and his footing shakes on the ground. A hand comes up to make sure his hat doesn't fall off before Ness says, "I'm growing tired of your witchcraft, woman." "You may have caught me off guard last time, but you're not the only one that knows magic. I prepared after the last time and learned a spell of my own," Ness notes, holding his hand out towards Maud Pie. Gloved hands slowly curl and he says, "Now. Die." His fingers let out a quick and decisive snapping noise. It does nothing, but provide a framework for what someone else is about to do for him to make Ness look like he got magic powers. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako blinks her amber eyes once. Then twice. Wait... waking your sister now? But no one's slee-     Then the sigil of purple light ignites and fills the floor of teh chamber. "Uh oh." The glass coffin breaks and... Ayako decides to abruptly float her way behind the group! 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      As Maud casts that spell, Twilight becomes even MORE confused. And the question she had earlier seems even more important now. "Wait! H-how can that Pinkie rise? Aren't -you- the risen Pinkie?!" Twilight exclaims to the now cowering Pinkie. "How can there be two of you? Unless...she is animating your body with magic!"      Whether that is true or not, the very idea that someone is desacrating the remains of an alternate version of a very dear friend makes the younger Twilight...angry! "Stop this madness right now! I don't know what you hope to accomplish, but I cannot allow you to continue your disrespectful treatment of the dead!" the purple pony demands as her spell book starts to spin in place, its pages opened toward Maud and the risen Pinkie. Twilight's horn glows, then a ray of magical energy bursts forth, attempting to break whatever spell Maud has cast and let Pinkie slip back into peaceful slumber. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     This is all very worrying, as Nathan would put it.     Necromancy of someone like Pinkie Pie isn't the same as just a horde of zombies. She just profaned her god's body, didn't she? Or did she honor it, technically? This cult is fucked up.     Homura keeps her best poker face on though.     She is quite safe behind the Archmagister, after all.     As Eliot's fingers snap and he gestures towards Maud Pie though, there is a thunderous noise in the room, the telltale sound of an anti-materiel rifle firing in a closed room. Bad for your ears, although the sound is off, oddly delayed. Easy to mistake for just any other noise.     That doesn't quite change the fact there's a .50 caliber round headed for Maud's head, fired from somewhere above and in front of her, so as to hit the ground afterwards rather than someone else. There may not be a head left so much as a shower of gore and brain bits on everyone, if Pinkie's sister can't defend herself. (Spoiler: she probably can.)     But don't look at that boring secretary.     She really is just a boring secretary right now.     Pushing her glasses up, taking notes.     Briefcase still unopened, but put on the ground now. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     WITCHCRAFT!     In truth, Finna had... no plan whatsoever. Had this been her own operation, she'd probably be sneaking around and hurling knives for throats and never speaking about this again.     Or preparing an ambush to have everyone brought before a council for judgement, maybe, but magic users are hell to properly disarm...     But from the corner of the room her gaze is fixated on the corpse that was just animated. She cannot explain it, but her gut is screaming 'DANGEr, DANGER, STAY AWAY.'     Despite there being no obvious weapons or dangerous things about this risen body...     The little fox is disoriented by Homura's rifle antics, forced to take a step back and shake her head to try and clear the ringing in her ears. But she's left peering at Eliot - what the HELL was that? 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya's keeping a cool head as some of the cult seems ready to stand down. That was a change and not expected however one does not and then coems the horrible necromaitc powers and Maya stomach chu4rnch at the act she moves back she sees what has been done as the necromantic powers have brought the dead back in such a way there seems to be something home for a moment. "Necromancy." Maya's inflection on the tone is dripping with more than a bit of disgust there. She readis her weapon and seems to be charging it with magic as she brings some of it's more powerful systems online. Then the crack of the anti material rifle come and it's not enjoyable her ears are ringing. She doe snot fire on the rising dead Twilight's making her attempt and she'll lets her try before she opens up and homrua also has the other hopefully handled? Also damn it her ears. 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     The Archmagister is already displeased, and hearing that Maud was to be punished only briefly mollifies her. "Then there will be no trouble today." Of course she has the identities, but that really is secondary to stopping the undead problems.     But animating Pinkie?     Twilight is suddenly FURIOUS.     "HOW DARE YOU!"     All at once, the numerous tattoos around markings all upon Twilight's body flare to vivid, glowing purple life. Her eyes narrowed, she seethes in visible rage, and it is only worsened when her other self is forced to try to strike down Pinkie. All at once, chairs and tables, even the walls themselves sprout tendrils of stone or wood, ripping outward and all aiming to strike at Maud, seeking to envelop her in their questing reach.     The shots and sounds of battle ripping through the air slam into the pink shield that she raises. It's not ineffective... Twilight's body twitches at the explosion of noise, but she's too angry to actually feel it.     "I was going to take you to trial, Maud... but I think a better place for you to stay has been found," Twilight speaks. And there's an odd rippling in the air, as of something very /wrong/ trying to reach through.     "No less than TARTARUS!" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     Whatever Maud had tried to do... Is done. Though the corpse remains right where it is, the lights gutter out as candles flicker. But the necromancer suddenly defiling the corpse results in an outcry.     Pinkie seems to be too busy cowering in terror behind her throne.     Glowing scarlet eyes open in the darkness. And then a cheshire grin of murderous shark teeth, and a headache-inducing psychic voi     chr">~What do I spy with my little eye? Someones purple and smart, well versed in magic art. A squad of fools all played like a harp, and a sister who oversteps her part.~     Maud looks smug for a moment before The Laughing Mare mocks her as well, an indignant look forming on her face before she begins to sweat. Twilight's threats of Tartarus actually seem to unnerve the emotionless necromancer, but she's spared that. Not even given a chance to scoff Ness there's suddenly a hole in her forehead. It was not there a second ago, and she looks confused by this matter as the very large exit hole paints her brain matter all over the walls behind her.     As she crumples to her knees and slumps in a pool of blood, a pink hoof steps from the shadows and onto the flowing cpread of crimson. It's a small pink pony. With curly pink mane... Thoroughly rotten, face tugged into a rictus leer as she does a little bow. She stamps, and then pran     chr">~Now why all the fuss? Just look at this nasty muss... Maud Pie, your death would bring a tear to my eye. If I still had any left to cry.~ The laughing mare titters before canting her head.     Oh the room is full of dread energies, shadows licking at the walls as the monstrous phantom, wearing the broken Element of Laughter trots circles around the group. To Finna, she will smell like nothing but rot and decay, a vile, twisted retching scent of dark magic and hate. It is as she said, no one returns from the dead the same. Necromancy at its worst. And for an instant this TERRIBLE thing thrusts itself in little Twilight's face, before casting that murderous leer to the elder.     ~What's this? A blast from the past? Twilight you haven't aged a day, but now I wish you'd just go away.~ Tittered mockingly before she looks to Ness and Homura. Mainly at Ness because it's not like that secretary did anything. Or did she?     ~Neat trick! Teach me sometime. That is... If you're still alive to keep fighting crime.~     A cantering clop-clop and she floats to the top of the room, giving a yanking tug on the air and ripping Pinkie out from behind her throne with a yelp. There's a glimmer. A faint shimmer as the threads of marionette strings become visible, connecting the clown to the terrible dark THING that starts to make her dance. ... And then meld into the shadows, suddenly lunging out in blurringly fast strokes to stab at everyone with dark blades.     ~It's been too long since I've had some fun. This'll be hilarious. I HOPE YOU DON'T RUN!~ 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer blinks. "You.." Nettle screaming in his head. "So.. So THAT'S it, huhn.." The old war pony suddenly explodes into a violent and bright flame, the daiklave on his back is kicked up and then stabbed into the ground, likewise bursting into flames that emanate from the red jade, catching the dark stab thing just before it can pierce his face. He gets it now. And he's not going to be holding back any longer. "Take it DOWN. Take it down NOW!" Bellowing out that as loudly as he can, before taking off like his legs were spring-loaded and racing around to get to the other side. A bright plume of blue-hot flames shoots out of his mouth, licking at the Laughing Mare's heels.      "OVER HERE, GODLING! C'mon! I'm a meatier treat than these children are! C'MON! C'MON MAREMOUNTER, C'MON!" He pauses long enough to breathe out another gout, rising up on his hinds and kicking his forehooves out threateningly. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is not going to play around at this point she levels the rifle again as the undead pony speaks to eveyrone else she looks at Maud for a moment she sees the other Pinkie? Is terrifed at this point, and Homura's shot puts an end to Maud in short oder now. She sthinks ther's one less necromancer to deal with and now she turns towards them for a moment. She's going to need more than her rifle she suspects but she does open fire at the reanimated undead to a burst of fire from her rifle, shells go flying but maya's now being envloped by blue fire she's tapping her magical reserves for something else but she's going to need some time... 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Younger Twilight...doesn't know what to say or do. Even how to react. Maud Pie was just splattered like mincemeat all over the back wall. Twilight Sparkle has never been exposed to such things before. She finds herself just staring at the fallen form of the Pie sister.      That is, until the Laughing Mare lunges at her. Twilight yelps and jumps back as the grotesque...creature is suddenly in her face. But, as soon as the Laughing Mare backs away, Twilight huffs and frowns. "Run away? Whatever you are, be it the real Pinkie or some dark manifestation of her damaged spirit, I will not abide it! You will go back to whatever dark realm you came from!" Twilight exclaims, her mane and tail starting to flow in a magically-induced wind. Her horn glows brightly. She puts up a shield of protection, but with such a short casting it can only weaken the blows against the others while deflecting those against her. Then, Twilight Sparkle starts firing...mage lights. Yes. Not attack spells, just magical, bright lights. In an attempt to banish the shadows from the room, she fires them into every corner, under the table, behind the chairs...under her allies. Anywhere there could be a shadow. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' Ness watches the rifle take the head clean off of Maud Pie. He runs a finger over the brim of his hat and says simply, "One situation where being head and shoulders above those around you did not pay off, now did it? Rest in peace, witch." Ness hardly has enough time to savor his (mostly Homura's) minor victory as osmeone else has stepped to the field. The Treasury Agent curls his hands into fists, trying to figure out his next move as a being he's never dealt with in his life steps into the field. Hazel eyes carefully take in all his options: Both versions of the purple-haired girl seem angry. His secretary is reliable as ever. The one with fire is attempting to attract attention. Pinkie is currently in hid- oh no. She's back on the field. THAT is a mistake on the part of the Laughing Mare, because Ness KNOWS Pinkie's special gimmick. At least enough to know what is coming next. Feet plant on the ground as a thin knife SLAMS into his midsection, actually causing him to come a couple inches up off the ground with the force of Pinkamena's stab before dress shoes settle on the ground again. But that knife didn't hit flesh, because there's a metallic scraping noise as he settles to the ground again, "I don't fall for the same trick twice. Remember who you are, little girl. Don't let it end here." He lifts up the submachine gun in his hands and SLAMS the butt of the weapon right down onto that mask the assassin wears with all the force his body can muster. Stepping back away, he still has more to do. He looks at the Laughing Mare, "That ain't all my tricks." Ness has enough trust in Homura to just... wing it. Because he doesn't give her a precall, instead opting to just swipe his hand through the air and then thrust his palm forward as if casting a spell. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako flinches at the sound of the anti-material sniper rifle going off and has to take a while to recover from it. Just one of the downsides to being made of water. She does recover in time to look at Pinkie suddenly being puppetted by marionette strings. Her amber eyes dart around quickly... and then she notes Finna! She's going to have some trouble getting in close while everyone else has ranged attacks.     Ayako gathers her hands together and then thrusts her palms towards Finna. "Purifying Water of Acheron!" And a circular barrier of flowing water forms about Finna. This one of course, is meant to help Finna against dark magic and give her own attacks an anti-dark edge to it! 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Well that worked. Homura's come not to expect it to, but sometimes it's nice when a headshot really is a headshot. Hopefully the people closer to Maud don't mind the goresplash too much. For her part, the secretary will just stand back and--     Do nothing would have been the plan, but suddenly knife.     She uses the clipboard to block. Unsurprisingly the blade goes through, but a quick jerk motion at least prevents it from going all the way inside her. More of a graze on her chest, but that's still more than she's comfortable with.     With her notes stuck on a blade, though, the secretary becomes very cross. She starts backing away from the attacker-- trying to keep them still with conversation. "That was all of my work for the day, you realize. Now I will have to start all over. How would you like it if I made you have to start a lot of paperwork all over again?"     This is a trick question, because something beeps on the clipboard and then detonates. Tiny explosive, not enough to threaten anyone but the person immediatly next to it.     And then Eliot wants to be a magician again.     As usual Homura gives no particular cue she does anything, not unless you're sensitive to time shenanigans anyway. Rather than blowing a head off with a bang, this time Eliot's motion produces a bolt of purple lightning, infused with holy energy. It's equivalent to being stabbed by a holy sword, except it's lightning. The lightning arc vaguely follows the motion Ness made with his hand, so it's perfectly plausible he did cast that spell. Visually, anyway. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako then yelps as one of the dark swipes from the marionetted Pinkie Pie ends up going towards her! She eeps softly and just barely floats out of the way. Even after she took care to stay away, Pinkie's movement is so erratic! Just as like one could be expected from marionette movement!     It looks like Maya has the right idea as for appropriate distance and so Ayako quickly floats over to her side. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The little fox is finally faced with something that actually frightens her. The machinations of mortals who bare steel and guns can only kill her. Who knows what sort of awful things a spirit like this can do? She trembles just long enough to ALMOST get caught by the puppetted Assassin. But Finna is nimble and leaps up, only taking a slight gash to her side that seems far less effective than it should be, given her size. And then Ayako's purifying barrier falls into palce around her. Well that's kind of a soggy mess where her fur's concerned but still...     She lands on the table, fury in her little eyes. But they're not little for long. Her body expands and unfolds gracefully as she rises, tossing hair over her shoulders.     "ABOMINATION!"     The word shakes the chamber, unsettling dust from the corners. The word itself carries with it a thin wave of silvery light. Wavery moonlight, at first gentle but swiftly intensifying into a bright aura that joins Twilight Sparkle's efforts, purges away shadow.     Luna is a more tolerant and mischevious goddess than the Unconquered Sun, but she is no less against the enemies of the living than the Most High is.     The Holy light spreads outwards. Sunlight it is not, but Creatures of Darkness will not find it any more tolerable than that golden light.     And if this dark god is not such a thing, what is?     "A fool, me? Someone doesn't know who the real hunter is around here."     Perhaps Pinkie is not a Creature of Darkness, but this aura cannot possibly be comfortable on the power being used to puppet her either.     And with a sudden blitz of motion Finna's off of the table and right in front of the Laughing Mare... albeit upside-down. Yes, standing on the ceiling. She spins about and drops, hoping to piledrive the Laughing Mare straight down into the table with shattering force! 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     Twilight was trying to apprehend Maud, but killing her is just as good. There's no anger at Ness, or perhaps the situation keeps her from feeling such. All the animated furniture and walls suddenly snap back into place as if burned. And Twilight? That cold fury drains from her face and body as swiftly as it entered.     "No... the Laughing Mare..." she whispers. Twilight actually takes a step back... but it's her younger self that bolsters her will. She doesn't have time to ask where Ness learned magic or what is going on, or anything else that is happening with the others.     One of the dark blades manages to get past her mystical barrier to lance into her shoulder, staggering her, and she clutches at the bleeding wound with a sudden alertness. "Tsh... not how I wanted to wear myself out. FEDERAL AGENT! I may need you to carry me back."     Twilight glances to her younger self with a sincere, apologetic tone. "I am very sorry you had to see this."     But she has something she can do. Her horn glows with a more sickly purple light that's much darker than what she had before. The others will recognize the chill of the magic she is using... a type of necromancy, herself. She's reaching for the puppetress, trying to /push/ back with Finna's help and force her manifestation to break. 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     The Laughing Mare's presence is enough to make the room colder than a tomb. Every breath hangs like a chill mist fogging the air, but the rapid flow of adrenaline and racing hearts should be enough to keep warm for just long enough to face the dark embodiment of shattered laughter.     Powerful she may be, there is an issue in her manifestation. A fact made evident as the fight launches into an all our brawl. With Mortimer in her face she LEERS as the 'morph, snapping those shark-like fangs at him with a cackling laugh before flames engulf her. ~Awah! Hot hot hot hot hot! I'm burning up! That's not funny, I don't like that a lot!~     She reels a hoof back, intending to brain him when light starts to fill the chamber. Younger Twilight's spells illuminate the Chamber of Prophets, stripping away shadows and presenting another problem. Pinkie has no means of teleportation anymore. And she's caught, blade scraping off Ness' vest, green eyes go wide as the butt of his gun comes down...     CRACK.     With a resounding porcelain-shatter, the white-pink mask eats the blow full force, blood spurting from the mouth-slat from a brutal hit to the nose. She reels as the mask splits in two, falling to pieces as it hits the floor and crumbles. There's a brief glimpse. A face that's too young. A girl in her early or mid twenties perhaps- nowhere close to the age that the Archmagister or the other known Element Bearers of the world are at- all in their thirties. And there was a reason for that mask. Her face is scarred, a horrible circular mark on her forehead where flesh and bone was shorn and scraped away.     But just like that she crumple, taken out of the fight completely as green eyes slide closed.     Then comes the shriek. An angry roar from the dark god THING floating above as the puppeteer strings connecting her to the kiler clown disintigrate with the mask's crumbling. ~Oh that's just not fair! Why did you have to go and hit her there?!~     However she doesn't have much time to lament the loss of her puppet as purple lightning lances forth, a holy ray of shocking energy striking the infernal thing from Elsewhere. It leaves the Laughing Mare open, screeching with violence and hate as rifle bolts pelt her ephemeral, barely corporeal body, thus trapped in the scathing light of the moon, blessed by Luna AND the spirit of water.     ~A fool indeed! A fool indeed! Cursed fox, when I get my hooves on you I'm going to lock you forever in the smallest box!~     But. That weakened manifestation cannot last, as the Archmagister lends her magical might to the situation, and try as the extradimensional beast may to remain tethered to the world, she realizes the futility of it. She is bested. She just can't remain, now, getting pushed forcibly back into the aether from whence she came.     ~Haaaa! Alright. Alright! You win this fight... But wasn't that just fun? Next time I'll be stronger! And it will be you all who are on the run...~     A hollow promise for now as the room darkens once more, the chill presence shoved back onto the Astral Planes, leaving the Chamber of Prophets, and the mayhem behind. 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer braces himself for the hit, he's not gonna dodge that one- not if he wants to keep the metaphorical heat off the others. But then the younger Twilit saves his fiery butt! Yay! ...NO! "No no no GET BACK HERE!" He flings himself through the air as hard as he can, but just ends up crashing into a wall- and leaving a him-shaped dent in it to boot, before landing on the ground, and letting out a roar of frustration, one hind-leg kicking the back wall so hard that it leaves a /hole/. "DAMMIT, *NO!*" She wasn't supposed to ESCAPE. The temperature around him rises, so much that it is physically unsafe to actually be very close to him.      Then he sees the Prophets and his rage finds a target to vent at. He sucks in a considerable amount of air and bellows out- and he can be /considerably/ loud- "YOU! CRANKY! TALK! NOW!" He starts walking toward the Prophets, steam floating out of his eyes, every labored breath one that brings small puffs of flames and smoke out of his mouth and nostrils. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako whews an audible sigh of relief as the horrible, cold, dark presence has been forcibly removed from the Chamber of Prophets. She hops off of her broom and then sweeps her amber gaze about to see how everyone else is. And she does wince when she notes Maud and then the unmasked Pinkie Pie. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Well, that seems to have... arranged itself, for a lack of better words. Very violently, and with a lot of special effects. Some injuries, all around. And the loss of the secretary's trusty clipboard. That thing served her well. RIP clipboard, 2014-2015.     Her briefcase tucked into the corner of the room, she walks around to see if there are any lingering traces of the runes Maud used to activate whatever the hell the ritual is; as a good secretary, quite helpful at that, she even produces a new clipboard out of a pocket inside her suit. As if nothing had happened, exactly how it should be. She'll try to draw and recreate the rune and circle, best as she remembers it or can find remnants.     Then, towards Ness (and possibly the Archmagister): "Sir. Ma'am. I take it we will be leaving without further incidents, even if this cult still means the world no good?" 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     That chaos filling the room is short-lived, but pretty intense. The Archmagister pants heavily, eying her wound, then looking at Federal Agent and his secretary. "Those were unexpected tricks." Mortimer is ignored, for now, as is Maya and Ayako. She has a reason to ignore like that.     To her younger self, Twilight murmurs, "Good job. You're tougher than I remember."     She finally moves forward, pointing out to Mortimer quietly, "We did offer them amnesty, recall." Dropping next to Pinkie, she settles on one knee and sighs. "Maud is dealt with. And she will be punished. It would be efficient to kill them all anyway, eliminate the Cult for good. I think... I will not do that this time. Besides, I am more curious about why Pinkie here has-"     She pauses, turning Pinkie's head up toward her and taking a much better look. She's silent for a very, very long moment.     "Sweetie Belle." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     With the Laughing Mare retreating... Finna ends up almost on the other side of the room. Because on impact she backflipped away and went skidding over the ground to a halt... ready to pounce. Or dodge. Her heartbeat's going fast enough to match a hundred booming dreams! And every hair on her back's standing on end... But slowly she straightens out and just sort of shudders right there. "Ah...ahahaha... ahahahahahaha.... it's gone..."     Laughing right now is probably HIGHLY inappropriate.     But she's just that shaken! 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' Ness is quick to dart back and away as the mask comes off and the blade comes out of him. A hand drags across the floor to slow his skid backwards across a blood-soaked floor. He lets out a 'tch' noise as she hits the ground and starts over as if he plans to catch her. But he has a cover to keep up, and so he stops. "They were nothing special, maam. I doubt I could do it again," He notes, adjusting his tie and fixing the hat on his head. The knife, when pulled out of his chest, reveals that his suit vest had thin metal plates in them that were layered. A gift from Eryl over Christmas. "Sweetie Belle?" Ness asks to the Archmagister, looking down at the girls face. He'd seen it once before, in his car, but he never bothered to ask for a name. An assassin is, after all, best known by their mask. He can't step in to defend the girl, so all he says to the Archmagister is, "She'll kill you if she wakes up and you're looking at her face." His hands fall to his pockets and he looks to Homura, deferring to his 'boss' on how to proceed forward. He takes another cigarette out of his jacket and lights it, sighing, "Archmagister. We promised all the Prophets they'd leave here for the turnover of Maud. That includes her." 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight is very glad that it is over. Even if the Laughing Mare escaped, this whole ordeal is more than she can take. She looks a bit proud as Magister Twilight compliments her abilities. "I am sure your memory is just a bit faded." she says modestly. Once the evil godling is gone, Twilight rushes to check on the fallen Pinkie along with her older self. Then...she skids to a stop as her older self identifies the fallen pony. "Wh...what...?" Twilight says softly, tears already forming in the young pony's eyes. She stares, then slumps down onto her belly.      She notices Mortimer's building energy level, but in her current state, she doesn't realize what might happen. She is too busy thinking of the implications. Pinkie Pie seems truly lost now. Sweetie Belle, a cute and innocent little pony in her world, is either dead or badly disfigured. Or both, not to mention most likely insane like Rarity. The younger Twilight just curls up, sniffling. She tries to gather herself, but it is all so terrible...it will take her a minute or two to gather herself. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya is caught in quite the fight with the horrible thing that's driving the corpse before them. She's getting ready to really unlead the powerful magic at the horror that should not walk the world. Pinkie is just hardcore dropped and doesn't seem to be getting up any time soon the laughing mare is now. Maya does respond. "Be gone to whatever dark place that spawned you!" She's about to start casing when the laighing mare just up and leaves. Maya now disperses the power and looks at Pinkie, wait Sweetie Belle? Who the heck is that? To also say Maya's not unshaken is a lie she's just had a lot of experiance of letting thingts hit her later perfabley in the confines of the old Junker where she can get stiff drinks. "Then we best keep our word..." After breaking some rules of hospitality Maya is not inclinde to go that way again if she can help it. She pauses for a moment looking at Twilight the younger and moves to try and comfort her... 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     "And just what. Is there to explain?" Cranky Doodle asks, stepping forth from where he and the rest of the Prophets hat taken refuge. Even Derpy is poking her head back in the door. "The Cult is in shambles because of Maud and Cheese Sandwich pushing for the use of dark arts we were not ready for. I was just going to have her killed, myself, out of hoof, for her repeated failures."     There is however the other issue. The fallen clown. Pinkie is still breathing, but the blow from Ness gun butt rendered her out cold. That porcelain mask was thick- enough to be considered armor in its own way but the blow dropped her hard.     But indeed, there's no missing the terrible scar of where a horn used to be. And no longer conscious to keep her glamour up, pink hair begins to fade, shifting a silvery color, streaked with lavender, as lashes flutter. But before she can rouse, two shadows appear. Pound and Pumpkin glower, hoisting their fellow Ponyville orphan back up between them, pausing to stare sadly at the crumpled corpse of the true Pinkie Pie, which Mayor Mare and Derpy are reverently laying back in the coffin.     "This was a complete fiasco. But Maud probably would have killed us all if Sweetie didn't reach out to all of you. And with the location of our lair known now. Well we can't very much keep it as a lair now can we?" Cranky Doodle grunts. "I believe we will be taking you up on that brief clemency, and leaving."     But that's when a gloved hand reaches out. Lightly patting the younger Twilight on the head. Sweetie is regaining consciousness slowly. And the implications of not wearing her mask are seeping in through her numb skull bit by bit, but she does whisper. "Don't let this happen in your Equestria. For all our sake." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     With everything else full of chaos, Finna, terribly shake, does the only thing she can really think of doing.     She totters over towards the younger Twilight, crouches down, and puts a hand over her back. She doesn't really even know her, but battle comrades are battle comrades.     "... This world's a mess... maybe we just made it a little better..." 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      And then the name drops. Sweetie Belle. Mortimer's rage is stopped dead in its tracks when he hears that, and turns to look at the body. Wide-eyed with disbelief. So many things suddenly become clearer! He was so close, but.. Not close enough. Sweetie Belle's laying there dead on the floor. The flames roaring around him die out so quickly it creates a brief vacuum in the air and he slowly walks over to the body, and stares down at it. Nettle materializes next to his head, staring with equal wide-eyed disbelief.      When Mortimer finally speaks, it is a bland, perfectly even monotone. Almost robotic. "I apologize, Cranky. I let my emotions get in the way. I don't always think clearly when I do that." The little shuppet sits on his shoulder as he turns and walks up to Cranky, staring at him with empty, almost lifeless eyes. Like a doll's eyes. "Where would she go. I would greatly appreciate any information you would have on where she might turn up. In this world or the other side." He stands at perfect attention in front of the old prophet, waiting patiently. Nettle does not speak, only stares with a similar empty look on her face. 

:'''{{#var:475|Magister Twilight (475)}} has posed:'''     Eliot's statement does reach Twilight's ears, though she takes a moment to respond. "Yes... yes. I know. But I do have one thing to do here first." She eases Sweetie/Pinkie's head down as the girl starts to stir, then steps back and looks at the real Pinkie's corpse.     "Pinkie and the other Prophets are free to go, but we will be taking back the real Pinkie's corpse and properly interring it again. As it was before." She glares at Cranky, as if daring him to protest this. "But first... you still need to hand over Maud."     Twilight strides over to Maud's corpse, her horn glowing a brilliant purple. Again, there's that ripple of wrongness... of something breaking through that shouldn't. It's more confined now, more controlled... and there's again necromancy in the air, as Twilight reaches out for Maud's soul, to yank it from the astral and into that small tear.     It's exhausting to her. Everyone can tell that. But she's probably running on sheer anger now. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Homura gives a shrug to Ness. For all she's concerned they're done here, minus the detail of making sure whatever piles and piles of corpses in these catacombs can't be used for anything again. For that matter, make that 'most of the things in the catacombs at all'. No doubt there's tons of dakr forbidden things down here that nobody'd benefit from being around. Maud can't have just spontaneously learned everything she knew, can she?     But that's already taken care of, so.     That's why she brought that suitcase.     Making note of the obvious red flags the Archmagister lights up, Helpful Secretary returns to Federal Agent's side and gets ready to leave. The faster they're out of this cramped, dark and reeking place the better. 

:'''{{#var:264|Eliot Ness (264)}} has posed:''' An unexpressed relief washes over Ness when his double agency is allowed to continue intact. With the filterless cigarette in his mouth, the man heaves a slight sigh of frustration and then follows after his employer when she walks over to Maud's corpse. He isn't going to interfere with her work, but his cover is as one of her agents and a part-time body guard. It fits his character to interpose himself between Archmage Twilight and the Prophets when she gets to work. Ness looks to Helpful Secretary, "As ever, your organization and filing were invaluable, Helpful Secretary. I am always grateful to have you along on these missions, Miss." Ness tips his hat a bit to Homura and gives her a sincere smile. He is, for the most part, hanging around the ritual and watching it happen. She did mention that she might need him to carry her out, so he doesn't want to be too far away in case she collapses. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle lifts her head as Maya and Finna comfort her. As they do, her armor sparkles before disappearing, leaving just the purple pony. Then, Sweetie reaches out and pats her on the head. Twilight blinks, then raises a hoof to clasp Sweetie's hand. She smiles weakly. "I promise. I will never allow such a future for Equestria." she says, then lets Sweetie's hand slip away as the Cake twins carry her away.      Twilight rubs at her eyes to clear the tears, then stands up and looks toward the prophets and the Magister. "What happened? How could you all allow this future to come to pass? And how could you practice these dark magics?" she asks them, her still teary eyes and serious expression showing she places at least a bit of blame on them for how this world has turned out. That gaze ends up focused mostly on Magister Twilight. With nothing left to say, she starts toward the door.      Then...stops. "...are the cultists still waiting to attack us?" 

:'''{{#var:470|Pinkie (470)}} has posed:'''     There is much discontent. Now Cranky, Derpy, and Mayor Mare are glaring, and if their looks could kill, those glowers at the Archmagister would probably succeed all the times where the formerly masked assassin failed. But they can't, for they are just hard and angry stares. "I can't tell you that." The old ass grunts at Mortimer. "Because I genuinely don't know." It is a genuinely true reply as he grits his teeth, "No, the greatest Prophet is coming with us." He does actually protest, motioning at Maud and signalling the Archmagister to do as she pleases. He doesn't even flinch when, like Star Swirl the Bearded, Maud Pie's soul is dredged from the depths of death.     "... No... Not Tartarus. Anything but Tartarus." She monotones.     Deadpan though her tone may be, the terror is genuine as she is bound to the elder Twilight.     The explosives Homura set will do an easy job of sealing off this damned chamber and cave in a good portion of the Baltimare catacombs. Though they span the whole city, the Cult of Laughter's main stationary base of operations will be reduced to rubble. But Derpy shakes her head to the younger Twilight. "They won't attack with Cranky around!"     Then that's handled. Except for some issues...     Because regardless of whatever exit the group takes out into the city they will be met by a horned and antler'd man in a garishly purple suit, decorated with lightning, mismatched wings sprouting from his back.     Discord flashes that charming snaggletoothed smile of his as he holds up a stack of papers. "I'm afraid as my client is out cold, I'm going to have to ask you to sign these Non-Disclosure Agreement forms. And Archmagister, I think I'll be seeing you in court over tea and a very long and drawn out custody battle." 

:'''{{#var:454|Mortimer Balman (454)}} has posed:'''      Mortimer nods. "Very well. Good bye, Cranky." He briefly turns to look at the Magister, then at Discord, then away from them. No hint of emotion whatsoever. Just taking mental notes of what is happening. He starts walking for the door, pulling his grand daiklave from the floor. Nettle floats over to the younger Twilit for a moment, "<Go home dear.. My Master and I will be along as soon as we can.>" Her tattered little body wraps a bit on Twilit in something like a hug, and then she floats off after Mortimer, who has already disappeared into the corridors. 

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:''' Maya looks as everything comes to an end for now their word is kept and she moves to shoulder her weapona t this point as there's no point in fighting any futher and in a way she seems rather tired. Twlight seems to be doing a little better so that's some good news at least. 
}}