Scene #4936: A Winter Witch

Owner	Pose
Elsa Maria	Mitakihara Town, day after Christmas! Yes, Christmas is a thing in this town. There are Christian churches and the like of them! That is where our tale starts tonight. One particular small church that is having a gathering, one day late? That's the strange part for anyone normally watching. For those more magically sensitive, they might be able to see the marks on the necks of the Witch's Kiss, drawing them to a late night congregation in the local church... no doubt for some nefarious purpose. The method of death isn't clear yet, but there's still time to stop them from whatever lethal plan is in place. The zoned-out normal people are just taking seats, and while they may crowd out those coming in, there's not much active resistance. The Barrier is's entrance is easy to find, in the choir preparation room. There's no super hunting for it, no difficult climb. It's almost like it's TOO easy to reach. Maybe this one was just caught early enough... but the increasing stream of poor victims stumbling in says that this could be a very, very lethal Witch if she's not taken care of fast!
Eliot Ness	Cops don't take days off. Even cops with adorable daughters and divorced wives. Ness would love to be at home, watching his daughter play with the new doll she got for Christmas. He'd put in a week of overtime to afford all the accessories even during that Great Depression thing that shows no signs of quitting any time soon. But still, here he is. He's stepping out of a 1931 Ford Model A and exhaling a bit from a cigarette in his mouth. He adjusts the hat on his head and fixes his tie. And then he sets foot onto the sidewalk and locks the car door behind him, "Well then. Feels a bad uncouth to be preparin' to fight in a church," Ness says to no one in particular as he proceeds to the front doors.
Homura Akemi	The usual call goes out to, evidently, the Paladins, and also a few other people. That's Kazusa! Basically Homura went through her contacts list and just jammed the 'eh, call erryone' button. Then Himei did too. It's when Ness' car stops that Homura hops off the roof of the church, already transformed, casually landing in front of the man and preventing him from going in just yet. Then she flips her hair, because that was at least a 9/10 landing. "If it helps, we won't be in the church for long. The Witch'll pull us into her world. Whoever's in there is just a civilian. Probably mind controlled. Easy to handle without you needing to get a shot off." Homura produces a cylinder with a pin, evidently some sort of gas grenade. She throws it up and down a few times, pulls the pin, and then the grenade disappears, with Homura's position having shifted just a bit. One can see the gas start leaking out of the church's windows with the distinctive hiss of the grenade behind the doors.
Ellestaria	"Homura," says a familiar voice. With the change in factions, Ellestaria has reactivated herself, and is here... dressed as a schoolgirl again. Sigh. Well, at least it fits in reasonably well, right? The Atlantean approaches from the side, nodding to Ness. "Hello, sir." Lest is actually used to Homura's methods, so the gas grenade is of no concern to her. "Hopefully we'll have enough people here to do a cleaning. I'm a little rusty, so wouldn't want to try it alone. I haven't been in touch with Flowers today, but it sounds like Himei is coming."
Kazusa Ujikane	Shortly after Homura lands just in front of Eliot Ness, so does Homura. Wait, what? That's odd. The second Homura has shorter hair. And is just a touch shorter. And has a different facial shape. And... well, alright. It's Kazusa Ujikane transformed into a replica of Homura's powers, by way of The Magus. The likeness really is uncanny, though, right down to most of the mannerisms. Her landing is, unfortunately, 7/10 at best. But it still ends in a casual hairflip, and a glance over the shoulder. "I should have copies of most of your weaponry," Kazusa says, in an eerie facsimile of Homura's intonation. "If there's anything in particular you need me to use, let me know."
Xiaomu	You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy Christmas; just ask Xiaomu! She's more Buddhist than anything ... and still isn't sure what Christians have to say about mystic fox spirits masquerading as humans (but she suspects the traditional answer is, "burn them" ... so, not much different than usual.) All of that is beside the point, though. Xiaomu spends most of her lightcycle ride from Tokyo-52605 dredging up what she remembers from the Union's reports on Witches of this variety; Himei's quick precis is a useful refresher on the gist of it. Fortunately, Xiaomu has grenades in the event that she needs them - for, say, massed familiars. She also has her usual complement of handguns and her monk staff, plus the less physical assets - namely, a robust handful of sage-fox magic that's served her well in past encounters, and should continue to do so. Xiaomu's lightcycle brakes to a halt outside the church and is summarily de-rezzed; the resultant baton is tucked away inside her vest, and Xiaomu strides up to the door, pausing next to the others. "Tear gas?" she inquires, eyeing the wisps of 'smoke' from Homura's grenade. "We gonna need breathing masks, or will it settle before we go inside?"
Sigrun Stem	Sigrun is nowhere to be seen, unless you know where to look, of course. She's not really good at the whole 'fitting in with typical modern Earths' thing, she can't hide the bow without hiding herself, and that would raise questions. Of course, this is an urban environment, which means rooftops. Using her archery and some rope to assist her, she's quickly moved from roof to roof until she's close to the target site, spotting the double Homuras and others, and keeping an eye on them.
Himei	A few moments later, a black Nissan screeches to a halt some distance from the church, but the people are still gathering so Himei doesn't worry about it. The Magical Girl transforms before she steps out, silvery skirt and trim decorating white blouse. No hairflip involved, just a light job over to meet the rest. "Huff," Himei mutters. "So I guess it's one of those nights. Wonder if this is one we know..." That sounds more grim than it is meant, as she really is just wondering if this is one from when they went through all the timelines. "The religious bent makes me worry."
Elsa Maria	The gas grenade is stared at blankly at first. Those under the influence of a Witch's Kiss CAN think though! They start to move toward it just as it goes off, and then there's some staggering to get AWAY. They may be suicidal right now, but 'avoiding a grenade' is just instinct at this point. The front door spills open to let a few stumble out, but they collapse right afterward. They might wake up early if nothing is done, but the accumulation of negative energy is growing... really fast.
Ellestaria	When the victims stumble out, Lest quietly slips over. A small motion flicks out, her tail stinger jabbing each for a mild paralytic. If they wake up, they won't be going anywhere. And that should take care of that. "Right. Let's get into the barrier. We've had the briefing, most of us, but just to reiterate: don't chase after the small fry, stick together, don't use any big magics in there. We want to find the Witch, kill it, and also find the girl's body." She stands up and dusts off her skirt, then heads in with the others once the gas is clear. "Speed is important. The girl could die if we wait too long. You don't technically have to kill the Witch so long as Himei and I can cleanse the Soul Gem in time."
Himei	Waiting until the gas clears, Himei shrugs to Xiaomu. "Yeah... everyone stay together." Ness gets a quick look of concern, since this is a supernatural thing and he's mostly normal. "Let us know if any of you new ones have a problem." Speaking of new... Kazusa gets a quick stare, before Himei chuckles. "Okay, guess we don't need to worry about armaments. Let's get moving." She's used to being one of the ones who takes the lead here, though she lets Homura actually guide. Her own sensory abilities are pretty vague compared to the precision work that others here can do. "Everyone new to this, be preapared for some serious mind-screw. The Barrier enters into a pocket dimension so uh... rules can be a little wonky." Let's see what we got.
Homura Akemi	Homura answers Kazusa with a brief, "Every Witch is different, so just don't let it get to you and adapt." She's ready to head in the moment the gas has dissipated, which isn't too long. She lets Ellestaria and the others handle the civilians who need extra security. She takes the lead, as expected, using her Soul Gem to pinpoint the entrance of the Barrier, which she'll fling open for all to step through. She also keeps an eye out for whatever suicide method the civilians were planning to use, in case it concerns them.
Sigrun Stem	An arrow hits the ground near the entrance to the church, a line attached to it that Sigrun uses to sail down. Mid-sail, a yellow-tinted bubble forms around her head, and she rushes in to follow the others, picking up the arrow as she goes, the line quickly shrinking into a much shorter and more manageable size. The masked woman remains quiet, but the little gem on her left hand pulses slowly with gentle detection magic.
Xiaomu	Still being wary of the stray gas, Xiaomu takes a quick look at some of the victims who stumbled outside. The sage fox didn't bring rope or anything, but she does recite a brief incantation - more of a purification than a binding, to those who know Buddhist incantations - and makes her way inside with the others. "No big magics," she repeats, nodding to Ellestaria. The other instructions are pretty clear - don;'t split the party, don't go chasing mooks (kinda falls under the previous), focus on taking down the Witch and locating the body of the girl whom the Witch used to be. Also, brace for severe mindscrew. That's an important one - and it tallies with what Xiaomu's read. The sage fox takes a deep breath of what passes for fresh air (and is probably pretty darn fresh indeed), and heads inside with the others - probably around the middle of the group, her staff held at the ready, but prepared to draw a handgun (or two) if she needs to deal with something at a distance.
Eliot Ness	Ness takes a hankerchief and a bottle of water out of his coat pocket. He dumps the water onto the hankerchief and then ties it around his neck and mouth, "Mm. Somewhat reassuring. Still doesn't make me happy." Using the wet hankerchief as a makeshift gas mask, Ness wades into the building after people start filing out. He brushes back his jacket and draws his Hi-Power, clicking the safety off on the gun before starting to proceed up the steps, "This mystic mumbo-jumbo never really was my bag. Kinda wish Twilight or Saito were here. Much more seems their grasp." He's heading up into the building with gun raised. The hankerchief will prevent him from breathing noxious fumes, but he's still waving his hat around a bit to try to minimize the amount it stings his eyes.
Kazusa Ujikane	"I see," Kazusa replies, to both Homura and Lest, before falling into step. While she might be working on a replica of Homura's powers and mindset, she doesn't have the original's experience and knowledge, for the most part; so where the actual Puella Magi takes the lead, her duplicate will be sticking closer to the middle of the group. Right beside Xiaomu, as it so happens, to whom she gives a brief nod of recognition. It's a far cry from her usual, borderline-gushing outgoingness. She does, at the very least, take a quick look around the area within the church as well. If she can spot anything of their suicide method, she could always take care of it so Homura can conserve.
Elsa Maria	Fortunately but perhaps distastefully, the suicide method is easy to spot in the form of a large jug of Flavor-Aid. So infamous, it even crossed international barriers. It is fortunate though, because this means it's not going to explode! It also doesn't appear to have been dosed with poison yet, because the flavor-aid hasn't even been added yet... instead clutched in one of the nearby sleeper's hands. That concern out of the way! The Barrier is a large decorative circular one, just like manny of them, and stepping through puts the group into the Witch's world of colorful stained glass windows and stairs! Or what are supposed to be colorful windows. The entire realm is in black and white, as like a shadow relief, including those who step through. Silhouettes are all that remain! Including the Familiars, little crawling snapping plants that jiggle disturbingly like in stop-motion. Dark stairs crisscross all over, the 2D look making depth perception difficult, especially since they cross through openings in the labyrinthine array of stained glass that makes it hard to see where one leads through, and another is beyond the wall, or leading right up against a wall. It's a good thing so many people with detection magics are here! Homura can lead the group if she wants, and staying on the guided path will allow passing from stairwell to stairwell much easier. Strayig off that path will easily find an unprepared person smacking into a pane of glass, or ending up on an orphaned staircase. Climbing the stairs up leads resolutely toward a brilliant orange display of a monstrance, made to look like a sun with a cross atop it. The only color visible from here. So long as the group maintains a careful pace, the crawling Familiars will not bother them.
Eliot Ness	Always one to oblige proper protocol and proper order of actions, Ness reaches the inside of the barrier and then stops. He fishes around in his pocket and pulls out his Paladin badge, shouting to the inside of the Witch Barrier. "My name is Federal Agent Eliot Ness. You are currently under investigation for suspected undue corruption and attempted Murder while Under the Influence. If you're willing to surrender peacefully, we can lower the charges to involuntary attempted manslaughter and you'll get probation!" When he probably gets no response, he shrugs and puts his badge away, "Eh. Had to follow protocol. I'll let the experts lead the way and take a back seat."
Homura Akemi	On one hand, Homura is glad it's one she knows. On the other, this isn't her favorite. The lack of clear visibility, the way everyone and everything is just a black shape with a colored outline-- hers is purple, if you must ask-- like some kind of shadow art performance. Could be worse, though, but not by much. Without a flinch, the Puella Magi leads the way, minding her steps not to walk right on one of those dangerous writhing shapes, knowing full well they're animal-headed, snake-like tentacles with a taste for blood. She sees fit to reassure Ness, though: "Don't worry. Guns work fine. Magic is a bonus, not a requirement. I'd never have survived if you couldn't deal with Witches without a magic weapon or a fireball." Granted, normies don't usually get to try. "If this is like last times," note the plural, "We should find her near a massive statue at the center of the Barrier. This isn't a maze, it's a flat plane, but considering we're years after her usual appearance... she might be much stronger than before."
Himei	Ness giving the badge makes Himei sigh. "Yeah... I don't think that'll work. And hey, Saito's my apprentice, so there's that. The hardest part about this is... well, the fighting. But besides that it's dealing with these weird worlds and their names." She cracks knuckles and eyes the whole situation. "This one can get nasty, just... keep moving and only approach if you're going in for the kill. Lest and I will also need to break off to do the cleansing, once we find the body." She glances at Sigrun, who has popped in as well. "Any help there would be nice, too. Finding the body that is." To the others, "If you have to attack the limbs, do it as close to the base as you can. No sense making things easier for her." Her arua flares just a little brighter. Last time, it was a glowing black(somehow), but this time it's a bright silver.
Sigrun Stem	Sigrun, upon entering, finds herself to be a bit unusual. First off, she's glowing brightly, a clear and potent source of some kind of magic. Second, she's a mess of differing colours, all the ones of the rainbow are present, moving every time she does. It probably draws attention to her from any sources, she's unreasonably bright like this. "I'm already running basic detection spells, but I'm initiating targetted scanning right now." With that, the first detection spell starts, a blue line goes up and down from her hand, and then extends into a rotating pane, every time it crosses human flesh, where it does the pane lights up, the closer by, the brighter. Sigrun moves around a bit to ensure that she doesn't miss anything because others are in the way. "Got some other ones I could try if this gets me nowhere, but... these aren't exactly subtle."
Kazusa Ujikane	For the moment, Kazusa Akemi remains near the middle of the pack, her own outline the same shade of purple as Homura's. She does quietly palm a grenade, however, keeping it on hand and ready.
Xiaomu	Xiaomu gives Eliot a particularly wry look - although given the silhouettey nature of the Barrier's environs, he might not be able to register it properly. The sage fox is outlined in yellow, as if the distinctive shape of her ears and (five) hairtails isn't enough to identify her. "It's a rare youkai that gives any fucks at all about mortal law and authority when it's already making people suffer and/or die," Xiaomu remarks dryly as the group continues onwards. At least the soft jingle of the rings on Xiaomu's staff should break up the gloom a little bit, audibly if not visibly. But it MIGHT also draw Familiars' attention - even if she can also keep them at bay to some extent, she'd rather not need to until it's actively 'crowd control' time. Still, ruffles Kazusa's hair briefly, then reaches into her vest and offers the power-mimicking magical girl a grenade. "Shinra special, enhanced with fire-element magic," she explains briefly. "Use it if you need it, hang onto it if you don't. Just in case, right?" She'll pass out a couple more grenades, specifically to Homura (one) and Agent Ness (two in his case), keeping a couple in reserve for herself. They look like standard 'pineapple'-style hand grenades, easy enough to use once you know the basics: pull the pin, drop the spoon to start the fuse, throw grenade at enemy (or into a pack of them for even better results) before it has a chance to explode. Other than sharing some party favors, Xiaomu just keeps her ears perked and her other senses alert. The whole Barrier is seeped in the Witch's presence, so she's not expecting any useful 'early warning' from her sense for the supernatural - but a lot of hunters of supernatural monsters can forget to pay attention to the basic five senses, and Xiaomu does not overlook them.
Ellestaria	Ellestaria glows a gentle aqua, which might be different from her original color. It's been years, and she's changed a lot. "Mn... until we find the target, I'm going to support as usual. I'm not nearly as good at fighting as the rest of you." Well, this lets her kind of hang back, anyway. "Don't worry, Mister Ness. I'll provide some basic enchantments to bolster you if you're feeling too mundane for this. It really shouldn't be necessary, but such a thing never hurt, right?"
Kazusa Ujikane	Shortly after Xiaomu ruffles Kazusa's hair, she reacts in the only way that feels natural. Hairflip.
Elsa Maria	As the ascencion approaches that bright object, mournful organ music begins to play in the background. This version of Elsa is probably a little different than previous ones, in that the temperature is also dropping, and little black specks begin to drift down. It's snowing here, as part of the weather outside reflected in this huge hall. Oddly, all the symbols are largely just generic Christian, and no specific signs point to any denomination in specific. Just lots of crosses and crucifixes. Homura is half right. The walkways and stairs form a kind of maze, but it COULD be easy to bust through the glass if people were impatient. That isn't needed though. The Witch comes into sight very soon, atop an upward sloping hill that rises from a clear area that the stairs open up onto. This hill is just beneath the monstrance, and it appears like a young girl's shadow is knelt in prayer before it. A few Familiars wander about the base of this bluff. Approaching the kneeling girl will reveal her method of attack. She stays put, silent and in prayer, while numerous lengthy branchlike arms erupt from her back, aiming to slash and impale anyone who comes too close.
Eliot Ness	"Ah," Ness says to Himei, "I've known Saito for some time. She was a Junior Detective at my office when I was dealing with Capone. After the Paladins hired me on, I recruited her to Second my new Division. That girl is skilled and smart as a whip." He tells the Magical Girl next to him and then dusts off his hands a bit as he puts the badge away. Ness's own aura is a strange, calming orange color. Suspiciously, the same gold-orange you see in an assassin's creed game when you look at someone neutral. The Federal Agent looks towards the girl again, "Hrm. That looks like a bit of a trap. I'm gonna try to... talk to it, I guess?" He seems hesitant that the trick will work again, but he's willing to try it, "Miss! This is Paladin Seneschal and US Federal Agent Eliot Ness! We're going to need to ask you to calm down, stop trying to attack officers and Civilians, and come along peacefully! This is your last warning before I use lethal force!" To emphasize his point, Ness draws up his pistol and aims it at the girl as he talks to her. His stance keeps the pistol close to himself, the kind of perfectly practiced stance you'd expect to see from a trained military or police officer.
Kazusa Ujikane	Regardless of hair-ruffling, having the grenade in hand is a comfort of sorts for Kazusa. It's a second grenade, and probably a fairly powerful one at that. So it'll be good for a trump card. And having a trump card is a good thing right about now - because here kneels the Witch at last, in more or less the best possible place to defend itself. "I don't think it can understand a word you're saying," she says simply to Ness... who is already moving towards it. That approach is without a doubt extremely risky, because anyone who can't cross that ground in an instant is going to be a prime target for her attacks. So, of course, Kazusa crosses the ground in an instant. More specifically, she crosses there and back again. Her silhouette seems to have twitched slightly forward and to one side when she reappears, and both grenades in her hand have been replaced with what looks like it might be a detonator. With her thumb on the trigger. There is, in fact, a new package very near the Witch's body.
Homura Akemi	Homura doesn't judge Ness, because she knows adhering to what he knows how to do is one of his strong points. So far, the Witch hasn't attacked them either-- maybe because they haven't attacked, or because they haven't lept for its face yet. Unarmed and settling by Ness, she waits for the man to finish his speech, and for everyone to have decided where they want to go. If they avoid provoking the Witch, they might be able to get to the bo-- No, a twitch. Homura glances towards Kazusa and then frowns, although that's difficult to tell, shadowed as they all are. Magic's been used, the Witch won't stay blind and passive. Or it probably won't. Better not take chances. Rather than hope it'll behave, Homura summons her bow, and immediatly draws the magical string back, an arrow of light forming on it. She doesn't fire yet.
Himei	Well, time to get moving. "Bleh. Cover me, guys. And Lest, I'll need her help." Himei sighs, brilliant silvery wings tinged with edges of black from her Malfean taint sprouting from her back. Her hand draws the sword at her side, which flares with silvery light as well, and she makes a running leap into the air to do a dive toward the base of the pillar. This will probably take her close by Elsa Marie, so her sword is there to slice at any arms that reach toward her. She's been down this road before. "Good luck, guys! Try not to blast us while we work!"
Xiaomu	Xiaomu actually stops and looks sidelong at Ness as he makes a serious, good-faith effort to put the Witch under arrest. At gunpoint. She doesn't utter a word, but most people can probably hear her thinking, 'Seriously?' But she also sets her staff next to her - somehow it stays upright, on its own and apparently unsupported - and draws her paired handguns. She's not opening fire yet; maybe she's waiting to see if Eliot's ultimatum actually bears fruit, maybe she's just letting the Witch (or the Familiars) make the first move ... or maybe she wants to see where her firepower is going to do the most good when push comes to shove.
Sigrun Stem	For a change, Sigrun is not actually attacking. For another change, she's actually standing in front instead of in the back lines, She's trying to do the right thing and not initiate combat, but she also wants to make sure people are walking out of this alive, as such the walking font of magic heads forwards, and starts channeling that power into a spell that most people from her world couldn't maintain for any real period of time. Even she leaves it only partially up, runes float up in the air, in front of herself, Ness and others near them, lines carve themselves in the air, until it all forms a big magical circle, glowing mildly, magical energy flowing through and creating a weak one-way forcefield. With just a moment's notice, she can turn that into a strong one.
Ellestaria	Sigrun's told them here to go, so Ellestaria will try to home in on it. She doesn't try anything fancy, just sighs at first. "This will hurt. Again. I lost a leg last time." Funny, she seems to have two natural legs now, and she isn't a regenerator. She makes a sprint forward, following Himei but downward, hoping to maybe split things up. A crackle of energy has her eating up some mana to make a wreath of lightning around her.... because she expects those Familiars will need a good blast. Her parting gift to the others is a simple rush of energy, a loose energizing spell to give extra speed and reduce fatigue. She doesn't want to use anything big, not yet. The goal is to reach the pillar and start searching for the girl, of course.
Elsa Maria	Eliot Ness confronts the Witch! But... she does nothing. Elsa remains praying, passively, neither attacking the mundane man nor surrendering herself. It's a complete ignorance of the threat, though the Familiars start to shuffle toward him in their weird stop-motion jerkiness. Someone should take care of those! Then magic is used! The flicker of Kazusa's bomb planting causes the Witch to explode to life! Magic was there but a moment ago, so arms of darkness erupt and wrap around the space where Kazusa was. As expected of the others using magic, they get a reaction as well. Himei and Ellestaria, Sigrun and Homura. Xiaomu is spared a direct assault, but the Familiars are headed her way as well. As Ellestaria and Himei guessed, there are obstructions their way, with the sword slicing through several of the erupting arms of shadow, while Ellestaria makes the Familiars wilt away with her lightning. The assault just redoubles an instant later though! And this Witch is proven to be different from the last time Homura fought her, as well. This entire realm is made up of black and white, of shadow and light. The ground itself is shadow. And any place shadow falls, the arms erupt from THERE as well, making direct attacks on the ones who used magic, slicing with sharp handlike protrusions and grasping, clawlike mouths snapping at everyone. It isn't just from her back, she can attack from any angle. The alcove with the body is hidden by the fact that it's black and white as well, but the shape of a skirt can be seen. Ellestaria and Himei should get to work swiftly though. The fluttering of last glimmers of life is all too easy to be felt dwindling. At the same time, the Witch is announcing her presence as she awakens, runes forming in the mind, oppressively thrusting her identity into them, SCREAMING her despair and suffering into the minds of those who invade her sanctuary. ##### ### ## ### #### ### ## ##### ### ####### ## ## ##### # #### ##### # # # ## ##### ######### ## ### ####### # # ## ####### ## # ## ####### ### ## #### # ###### # # ## # ###### ## # ## ## # ###### ## ### #### ## ###### ## ## ## ###### #### #### ###### ## ##### ## ## # ### ## ## ## # ### ## ## ## # ### ## ## ## #### ### # ## ## ##### # ## ## ## ## # # ## ## ## #### ## # ### ### ## # # ## ## ## # ## # ## # # # ## ## # ## ###### # ## ###### ## # # # ## #### # #### ### ##### #### ##### ###### ## ## ##### Elsa Maria The Shadow Witch
Kazusa Ujikane	Unfortunately for Kazusa, her inexperience has led her to return exactly where she was to begin with. Well, more or less. She's a little off on her positioning, but it's the same general spot. So it doesn't go well for her. The arms of darkness coil around her at precisely the moment the Witch furiously howls her name into everyone's psyche, and Kazusa is forced to make a hasty dodge that doesn't quite work. If the shadows could show her stockings shredded from a passing swipe, that's the most obvious sight. But here in this land of contrast, only the lines of red are truly visible. But she comes right up to her feet, and- Well, that detonator's not for show. Click. Boom.
Eliot Ness	"Welp. Gave it the ol' college try," Eliot says pretty calmly as the Familiars start advancing on him. The man adjusts his stance and levels the gun again. There's a moment where he drops to his knee and clutches a hand to the side of his head as the runes invade his mind, "Ugh. Feels like the day after drinkin' the wrong kinda whiskey." He shakes his head a couple times and then lifts his pistol. While he may not be under attack by the Witch, he's under attack by her Familiars. He holds his pistol evenly and starts taking careful shots. Each one is a thundercrack in the barrier that sends a bullet streaking towards one of the advancing familiars. Ness ostensibly does not have particularly potent super powers and is relying mostly on gumption, skill, and good ol' marksmanship to defend himself against this supernatural threat.
Xiaomu	The definition of 'spared a direct assault' does not, apparently, include the Witch's weaponized telepathic business card. Xiaomu lets out a REALLY unhappy-sounding noise, sounding halfway as though she were getting strangled even though she's physically more or less untouched. For now. That's about the only good thing she can think of about the present moment, really. The Familiars are on the move en masse, which is a threat she agreed to help deal with - if that isn't 'crowd control,' nothing will be in this fracas, and honestly? The sage fox is currently pissed off and eager to wreck somebody's shit. Familiars will fill that bill as readily as anything, and the Witch - Well, Xiaomu doesn't want to commit overkill on the Witch ... at least not yet. The sage fox from Shinra explodes into motion, leaping and diving and rolling, Silver and Platinum thundering in stereo as she unleashes a hail of bullets upon the attacking Familiars, not to mention any of Elsa Maria's own branch-like limbs. Homura will probably realize more acutely than anyone else that the number of gunshots from those handguns bears little relation, if any, to the magazine capacity of the base guns which Silver and Platinum originated as before all their modifications. And even as Xiaomu pulls the triggers again and again and again, she remains extremely agile - equally willing to roll under a Familiar's arm(?) and shoot it in whatever passes for the ribs as to leap high over a crowd of Familiars, raining down firepower upon all their heads, or the equivalents thereof. If there's one fixed point in Xiaomu's frenetic dance of firepower and evasion, it's the staff she 'planted' moments before - a point of reference, the axis about which she orbits, the line of defense which she won't allow any Familiar to pass out of those approaching the party from the approximate direction that they arrived by. Crowd control, huh? Xiaomu can't put her attention everywhere, much less her bullets, but she can control the crowd of Familiars and keep it off her allies' collective backs. With, as the saying goes, extreme prejudice.
Sigrun Stem	When you've got your magical sensors open wide, a psychic assault hurts a lot, or at least disorients, and that causes Sigrun to stumble. Next thing, the attacks from below come, where she didn't have her shield quite ready, and she's pierced in both her legs, slumping down to the ground, wounded and bleeding. She remains awake, but only barely so, not fully able to act.
Homura Akemi	Here we go. It's a rain of sharp, hungry arm-tentacle-snakes, and uncomfortable psychic screams. The latter bothers her a bit less, but as she's repeated a few times, you never really get used to it. Leaping back, bow still strung, Homura avoids getting grasped outright by the Witch's many hands, though a few nicks on her legs from close encounters leave red streaks visible even in the shadowed Barrier. The bow is aimed at the Witch, girl still in mid-air, and finally fired. One flicker later, and it's not one, but a dozen, of those magical, normally-purple-pink-but-currently-black arrows, whcih are headed not just for the Witch, but for a number of the Familiars too, trying to clip off their heads. "Ness, you have the advantage here! Witches lock onto magic, you're much further down her list of priorities than we are! You should be able to get closer!" Probably. She's not totally sure on that one.
Ellestaria	Crackling blasts of lightning keep the Familiars at bay, but this isn't something Lest can keep up for long, since she has other responsibilities. Diving for the body costs her, in the form of a slash across her middle that drips a streak of blood toward her goal. "Himei, be ready. I'll need you to finish this off," Lest says in clipped tones. Just like old times... but it's something she can trust. Himei will have her back, as wil Homura. The others, she can presume will do their job, but with those two she can be guaranteed she'll be left to do her thing as much as possible. Searching for the darkened Soul Gem, Ellestaria clasps her hands over it and begins her own magic, her aura flaring to life and crackling, tickling electricity running over the girl... who is getting a bit of blood on her, sadly. In the meantime she is getting something more, as the magic quests for the young girl's soul and the corruption surrounding it, seeking to slice away the infection, to draw up the corruption and despair to the surface. "Get rid of it, Himei."
Himei	Do her thing, huh? Himei is a little busy! Her blade slashes left and right. "This is new..." she notes of the hands striking from other angles. It forces her off hand to form a bright piercing light, her powers coming to the fore and blasting at the negative emotions with her solidified Hope. Being the one defending Ellestaria means that she doesn't escape unscathed though. She has a lot of experience fighting Witches, and with their psychic name-announcements, but... even so she has two shallow scratches already, lines of red on her shadowy form. And her bodygets another one as an arm manages to slip through, opening a deep wound through her off shoulder. "Ungh...!" But she has a job to do. A brilliant blast of white silver light that hopefully gives her some breathing room. This lets her latch onto the gem and draw out the emotions that Lest is pulling up, funneling them outward in a blaze of inky black power to slice through more of the Familiars with Elsa's own despair. Might as well get some use out of them.
Elsa Maria	The explosives go off next to Elsa Maria's body... and the praying girl is blown to pieces! This isn't as effective as would be hoped, but the sheer mass of damage has slowed down even her regeneration! The arms and limbs erupt messily, questing blindly at first, but the magic nearby is easy to lock onto. They REACH for Homura, rapidly getting cut down by her barrage of arrows, while others jab toward Kazusa with a slightly less enthusiastic manner. A few are headed toward Sigrun but are cut down, and with the archer disabled, she is not given too much more attention by anyone but the Familiars. The Familiars might be a problem, but Homura is correct. They go after Xiaomu and Ness, especially Xiaomu for being an inherently mystical creature, but those two aren't flaunting as much magic and are less prioritized. The crawling masses of tendrils get blasted easily, torn apart by the Hi Power and Xiaomu's guns, but they're rapidly multiplying. A loud, keening and mournful shriek emits from the reforming head while Himei and Ellestaria attempt to save the nameless Puella Magi who caused all this. The organ music in the background escalates, a hint at how badly hurt the Witch is, but Ellestaria can feel that flickering life sputtering and fading despite her efforts. It's not gone yet, but she's dying. If not for their efforts she might be already beyond the point of no return. The despair is rapidly being drained, but maybe it's been too long...?
Kazusa Ujikane	This time, with less distracting her and more awareness, Kazusa is able to more effectively leap out of the way. She touches down with rather more elegance than before... which still isn't as much as she should have, because that wound in her leg is still painful. But the tradeoff is that she's in prime position to- -suddenly appear about a foot to her left. She still hasn't gotten the knack of that yet. But she's at least gotten the knack of utilizing Homura's signature ability to offer up another surprise present for the furious, regenerating Witch. The Shinra-issue, fire-enhanced grenade, slowly falling out of the air as gravity rather abruptly asserts itself. The pin clatters to the ground nearby. Kazusa will later be very disappointed in herself for not uttering any sort of witty one-liner.
Eliot Ness	-Earlier in the Day- A Serbian man hobbles up to Ness, walking with a cane, "Ness! NESS! I've done it! I've perfected the compact version! Take this with you! If you come upon multiple foes, use it and tell me how it works." "What is it?" "My perfect coil!" -Back in the Present- Ness reaches into his coat as the numbers start rapidly growing. One hand continues to pluck and potshot at the approaching familiars, but the other reaches into his coat and pulls out a small cube about the size of a Rubik's Cube, if those had been invented. He presses a button on the outside and tosses it. It rolls on the ground a couple times before landing in the middle of the tendrils. The Tesla Coil then pops up and immediately discharges a circle of lightning and electricity all around it. A moment later, it overloads from the heat and also explodes like a normal grenade.
Ellestaria	What is that sensation? Losing her? It's not like Ellestaria expected that she'd be able to save every girl. But this is the first time she's started to fail to save a girl they reached 'in time.' The first time she's used this cleaning ritual and it hasn't strengthened the girl's spirit. "Just a little longer," Ellestaria calls out to Himei. She concentrates as best she can through the pain, trying to pluck out any remaining despair and fan the embers of the girl's soul. The mystical equivalent of saying 'don't give up!' to the youth. Energy crackles around her and funnels through her hands, trying to 'recharge' the gem forcefully.
Xiaomu	Well, that's even more of a crowd of Familiars than Xiaomu was expecting ... and THAT's the point where her handguns click on empty. Both of them, almost simultaneously. She's about to reach for one of her grenades when Ness goes for his handy-dandy explosive little surprise ... and she doesn't even wait for her ears to stop ringing before flashing Ness a quick thumbs-up and an approving nod. THEN Xiaomu pulls out her remaining grenades, yanking the pins out and flinging the grenades - at roughly 45 degrees to either side of the Tesla Coil's impressive discharge. These are 'only' fiery explosions ... albeit much more fiery than your usual grenade, courtesy of Shinra Weapons R&D. And then Xiaomu scoops her guns up, ejects the empty clips, and slots fresh magazines into each of them during the brief lull that three big bada booms in rapid succession should have inflicted on the Familiars' relentless march. "Anyone else feeling like a Tower Defense game?" is her only verbal remark at the moment. Otaku's gonna otaku, even at a time like this.
Himei	A few more swings, and Himei sheaths the sword. There's no point in it right now, because she's funneling too much of that despair energy. She needs an outlet, be that a blast of rippling despair-laced energy that maybe tickles people, or a lancing bolt that shoots out to slice at the body of the Witch. "I think we're doing better than last time at least! Keep trying, Lest!"
Homura Akemi	The hands are multiplying way too fast. People like Kyouko and Sayaka have a much easier time handling them than Homura does, because they can make wide swings with their weapons that don't threaten pretty much everyone else around them. Grenades are a bit tougher to use 'safely', especially in a high-movement crowd like this. Not that she doesn't try. Homura circles the Witch the best she can, trying to put distance between herself and everyone else. She's intentionally burning a fair amount of magic just moving about, producing brilliant wings out of her back. She's trying to lure the Familiars in a pack, a tactic that isn't without consequences (see: more grazes and bites from the hands), especially when one just wraps around her leg and bites down. With a grunt, she makes a handful of grenades appear, and when she judges the Familiars sufficiently grouped up, lobs them down towards the ground they're emerging from.
Elsa Maria	Big Witch battle and then EVERYONE decides to use explosives! Hands thrust all around, the rapid regeneration causing more and more to rise up and grab, but at the cost of the central kneeling body withering, shrinking away from the energy needed to do all this. The chattering, snapping silhouettes of strange plantlike creatures cluster far too easily, and grenades blast them to bits, lightning and explosions splattering their shadowbits all over or causing them to wilt. It's a mess. A huge mess. Arms everywhere, organ music in a crescendo, shrieking and giggling noises... a cacophony of terrible noises and chaotic explosions that make their weird, shadowy blasts billow out over the false landscape. The shrieking turns to moans under the buckling pressure of all that damage. And Ellestaria feels that sputtering ember dying still, even as the last of the corruption leeches out. It SHOULD be enough, but were they in time? The answer will come soon, because with another wail, the dying, /bleeding/ shape of Elsa Maria topples from the bluff and into shadow, and the entire landscape begins to break down. The stainglass windows all around shatter and tinkle downward before the whole reality vividly splinters, color returning for an instant before- It's the choir room again, quiet as a church, since it is a church late at night. Everyone, bleeding or not, is dropped onto the softly-carpeted floor. A gentle blue-tinted gem sputters and fades, becoming a hollow, glassy bauble to the limp body in Ellestaria's arms. And a mere second later, the eyes of the girl open, snapping up with a look of confusion and terror before she jerks away, scooting rapidly back into the shadowed half of the room, halfway up the wall, to stare wide-eyed from twisting, warping shadows at her rescuers. "Who...?"
Xiaomu	Reality shifts around them, with the church in Mitakihara replacing the Labyrinth of Elsa Maria, and Xiaomu moves her fingers away from the triggers of her handguns. In the next breath, she's clicked on the safeties of both guns, and - never mind residual heat in the barrels - she slips them into the holsters hidden by her vest. Her staff is here as well; she reclaims it quickly, and then turns around to survey her allies - As well as taking a look at the girl who was the objective of the rescue mission. "Friendlies," she says with a smile and a quick wave. She'll let somebody else do the detailed explanation; she can introduce herself after that if it's appropriate to do so. In the meantime ... Xiaomu has to stop and remind herself that the terrified look was not directed at her personally; she's sure that the girl was still freaking out over whatever had just happened to her. Whatever exactly DID just happen to her.
Ellestaria	The labyrinth shatters and drops everyone into reality, and Ellestaria is left... holding a corpse. Or, she thinks it's a corpse. "We... lost her, this time." She has enough time to say just that before Elsa wakes up and bolts away, startling Lest into tumbling back against a chair with a loud clattering noise. She stares in utter confusion at this result, her gaze locked on Elsa for a long moment before snatching up the 'empty' Soul Gem. Wordlessly, she holds it up for the others to see.
Kazusa Ujikane	The labyrinth fades, and Kazusa lands on her feet as if she's done it a thousand times. Then she turns, and peers with puzzlement at the girl crawling up the wall to get out of arm's reach. That prompts a silent, confused look, first to Lest and Himei, then to Homura. This is... this is new, apparently. So Kazusa does what only Kazusa can do. She holds her right hand out to one side, and a shower of white magical sparks pours off her, peeling away the layers of 'Homura' and depositing a now-blank card in her hand. As if shaking off the last vestiges, she brushes herself off a little, then looks up to the girl on the wall, and... Squees like a fangirl. "Oh my /gosh/, are you doing that with the shadows? Is that you? That is /so cool/, it's like some kind of... some kind of secret power from the abyss or something, like the last forgotten secret of an ancient secret socity and- and have you maybe awakened with some knowledge from the deep or something? Some sort of arcane secret no other magical girl has? That would be /so amazing/ and then we coul-" Kazusa pauses. Realizes she's rambling. Blinks, and then blushes. "...eheheh... ah... I-I'm Kazusa. Kazusa Ujikane. We won't hurt you, I promise!"
Eliot Ness	'Let's just calm her down, first.' Ness immediately switches from 'Cop Mode' to 'Dad Mode'. He holsters his gun and his entire demeanor changes. Most cops have two modes. The mode for dealing with suspects and the mode for dealing with scared kids. Ness takes off his hat and slowly walks over towards the girl. His tone is soft, patient, and reassuring, "Hey now. Just take it easy and calm down. You were having a bit of a uh... I guess you could call it an illness?" Ness, himself, is not fully aware of what she was or is, but he's trying his best to be the reassuring authority figure. Ness holds his hands up to show he's not carrying any weapons, "We're not here to hurt you. We just wanna make sure you're okay, wanna make sure you're safe. You gave everyone a bit of a scare, we're not sure if you might still be sick." He extends a hand towards her and smiles gently, "Why don't you come on down and let us check you with a doc, yeah?" He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a wrapped candy, "Here. You want one of these Tootsie pops? All the rage with kids these days."
Himei	Tiring. That's how Himei is feeling. She slumps to her knees, clutching her wounded shoulder so she doesn't bleed TOO much onto the carpet. A soft grunt, and she watches... something happen? What is this? Concerning, but if the girl is just panicked, she can just try to cool her down. Himei slumps against the wall and watches. "Sailor Hope, Himei Shoutan." She's long since stopped trying to hide her identity here. "Just calm down and uh... get down off the wall. We'll get you something to eat-" she glances at the tootsie pop. "And get you home."
Homura Akemi	So the Witch WAS stronger after all. Homura hits the ground after the explosions and the death of the Witch, and the dissolution of the Barrier makes her take a moment for herself to examine her leg and the severity of the bite marks. She's not missing the leg, so that's a plus. The reaction of the girl is, well, expected. Turning into a Witch is traumatic, and waking up surrounded by people you don't know would make one lash out defensively. Dangerously so considering she was just brought back from the edge and really shouldn't be using magic right now. Still, Homura is not a people person and decides to let others calm her down.
Xiaomu	Okay, so somebody is wounded and showing it. Xiaomu grimaces a little as she sees Himei's shoulder; if she'd anticipated injuries she could have brought a proper first-aid kit. Not that the sage fox is entirely empty-handed when it comes to first-aid supplies. She walks over to Himei, rummaging inside her vest and pulling out a few sealed packets with bandages, antiseptic ointment, and the like. If Himei lets her attend to the wound, Xiaomu will clean it, examine it, and bandage it - at least temporarily; if it needs more extensive (read: surgical) attention, she can at least mitigate things for now; if Himei actively waves her off from trying to attend to the injury, the sage fox will back off gracefully and without arguing. But either way, while (if) she's working, she addresses the just-rescued girl. "My name's Xiaomu; I'm not really local, but I came to help these fine young ladies - and gentleman," she adds with a nod at Ness, "rescue you from that pocket dimension. Our questions can wait, though ... the important thing right now is, are you all right?"
Elsa Maria	A tootsie pop? Elsa eyes it suspiciously, but instead of grabbing it or approaching... a dark, inky arm reaches out from the shadows, plucking the pop from Ness's hand, and carrying it over toward the girl. She is staring at it and poking it with another shadow-arm, before starting to unwrap it with the fascination of a young child seeing it for the first time. All the others saying names at her just make her more confused, though she isn't lashing out thanks to the gushing and confusion that everyone else is offering. She looks hesitant to bring it up, but then says... "Home?" A long pause. "I don't know where that is."
Kazusa Ujikane	Kazusa goes very quiet. "...oh my gosh, it's amnesia," she murmurs. Are those stars in her eyes?
Eliot Ness	Ness lets the tootsie pop get snagged from his hand and then switches his stance a bit to look up at the girl, "Alright, there you go," He smiles at her gently. "You don't know where home is?" He asks with a bit of concern, "Well okay. You come down off the wall there and we'll try to see what we can do for you. We can at least, in the short term, get you a hot meal and a bed like Miss Shoutan said. Everyone here just wants to make sure you do okay."
Ellestaria	Ellestaria is injured, but has her own healing magic. A little shimmer works to seal the worst of the wound, but since Himei is being tended to, the Atlantean moves to Kazusa and the others to tend to their scrapes and cuts. "I am... Ellestaria," she says, skipping her full name. "Call me Lessa if it helps. What's your name? Do you remember that?"
Xiaomu	Xiaomu is neither gushing nor evidencing her confusion, at least not outwardly. Tossing questions around on the radio is the most she's going to go with the latter, and she's too preoccupied for the former. She is not, however, too preoccupied to notice an arm made of near-solid shadow as it reaches out of the darkness to take that candy on the girl's behalf. Or at least, on behalf of what appears to be a scared, disoriented, and apparently amnesiac young girl. At this point, Xiaomu's opening up her attention to things supernatural, trying to take conscious note of 'darkness' and 'monsters' around her. She's not going to jump to any conclusions, one little whiff of shadow isn't going to make her assume anything; whatever supernatural presences she can detect, she's going to try and focus on identifying where they are, and who they're coming from. She's not jumping to conclusions or making assumptions. She is, however, starting to speculate about why things are off-kilter. Ellestaria was certain they'd lost the girl they were trying to rescue; at the same time, a girl - presumably the same one - is alive, and if not well, then at least reacting to conversation as if she can tell what's going on and speaks the same language the other Elites do. And the Soul Gem looks completely clear, without color, which seems .... odd. This is out of her jurisdiction, of course, but Xiaomu likes puzzle games too. She's increasingly curious about the truth of what's going on here - but as long as the 'rescued girl' isn't trying to kill any of them, Xiaomu's not worrying about 'what' she is. First aid for those who need (and want) it is more important right now, anyway - and Ellestaria's healing spells mean less worry for the sage fox about having enough bandages..
Himei	Wince. Himei isn't overly worried about the injuries, she's had worse, but she's been in the office more than the field lately. It's a bit of a shock, isn't it? "Mn. Something's really off here," she admits. "Let's find a place to hole up for a little, for her. Maybe the ship has something, or we can put her in the loft. Would that be all right, Homura?"
Elsa Maria	The wrapper off, Elsa sniffs at the tootsie pop, then shoves it in her mouth to taste. She doesn't have an obvious reaction, but she does slowly walk down the shadow, coming to rest on the floor. So many names! Hers? "My name is Elsa Maria," she says, with the most certainty of anything she's said. "Amnesia? I think I have amnesia. I know what that is. I know my name. I don't remember anything before you were all bleeding on the floor."
Kazusa Ujikane	"It's good to meet you, Elsa~!" the card-user replies cheerfully, before adding in regards to the latter comment, "Aheheh... don't worry about that," with a dismissive wave of her hand. "That's all part of the 'saving people' thing, we're kinda used to it." Pay no heed to the way she limps and mutters tiny little 'ow, ow, ow's as she heads over to Homura to tug the magical girl's sleeve. "Hey, um, I have a question." "...how do you manage to get back into the exact same spot as when you left?"
Homura Akemi	"Way too much practice trying to impress people," Homura answers, flatly. Yes, she is kind of an edgelord or a tryhard in certain respects. It's the only explanation for some of the things she does, but looking like the cool hero was a way she thought might make certain people more likely to listen to her. It didn't really work. Having answered the question on giving her somewhere to stay, Homura's eyes go from Kazusa back to 'Elsa Maria', suddenly wary. A sapient Witch? It's never happened. It would change things too much if it was possible. And IF it is, Kyubey must never find out. But it may jut be a coincidence. Witch naming schemes are... well, whatever they are, she never got them.
Ellestaria	Hm. The name makes Ellestaria stare as well. She has better things to do than gape, though. "The tower should be safe enough until she gets her bearings. Here, g- Elsa. May I call you Elsa? Your Soul Gem. You wouldn't want to lose it." She hands the transparent gem over uncertainly, trying to see if it has any magic in it.
Xiaomu	That doesn't quite answer Xiaomu's question. Possibly it's not going to get answered until a report or something gets filed by one of the resident experts in Witches. Either way, the Witch who was camping inside the church is no longer luring innocent civilians in to die, and the civilians who'd BEEN lured in but were not yet dead aren't going to die either. At least, not from a Witch. So, as far as Xiaomu can pin anything down, mission accomplished. She'll let someone else worry about how to take care of young Elsa.
Elsa Maria	Elsa just stares at the empty Gem, which has no hint of magic to it. It's basically an empty glass ovoid. She does take it, shakes it, stares at it, then tucks it carelessly into a pocket. "Thanks, I guess? What's it for? You can call me Elsa..." She frowns and looks at her surroundings. "I have this feeling I've done something very bad. Can you take me to this tower and explain it? I thought you were all attacking me." She sure doesn't look like an Elsa Maria, since she's Japanese. Maybe a weird naming scheme? Her shadow twists and latches onto Homura's as if to try to strangle it, but all she says is, "I am hungry."