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Owner Pose
Hiromi     The stage to which Hiromi's invited Lilian -- and, at the same time, everyone else who was listening and is sufficiently curious -- turns out to be a high-walled military installation, set against a steep mountain. The remains of wires to communication equipment still run up that surface, anchors drilled into the cliff faces, but even the base floor has the cold, thin air of high altitude. A thin layer of snow covers the ground haphazardly, the wind enough to have pushed it higher over some areas, while merely frosting others.

    There has clearly been no activity here for some time. Motor vehicles were left where they are, the main gate stands open, and collapsed walls have allowed heavier pilings of snow within some of the buildings, where warmer sun rays have difficulty reaching. The largest building, a drab but tall and imposing block, has lost almost all of its roof. Perhaps related are the massive stones, the same kind as further up the mountain, that litter its floor. The pattern suggests more sudden violence than a mere landslide.

    The damage is enough to disable the central elevator, though not the stair access around the room's edge. That strands the larger items, disassembled pieces of armored ground vehicles, while the lack of engineers to care about their state likewise grounds what's left of rotored VTOLs. Everywhere, that hasn't been ruined, stands some evidence of the heavy arms depot this place had once been.

    Hiromi said she'd be here, though not exactly where.
Persephone Kore      If Phony knows where, she's certainly not telling. It'd be really unsportsmanlike, wouldn't it? Besides, I can't even decide who to root for. Hiromi and Lilian are both just too amazing!

     She's perched casually atop one of those large rocks that litter the base, legs crossed at the knee and white scarf fluttering slightly in the breeze. That keyhole sweater ought to be an open invitation to hypothermia, but she seems perfectly comfortable somehow; her face is set in that beatific, eyes-shut smile.

     Those arriving are noticed by her psychic senses first, and her eyeballs second. Her aura acknowledges them when they're still a very good distance out, followed by a cute little finger-wiggling wave when they finally come into view.

     "Hiiii! Ahaha, I'd really hoped I wouldn't be alone in the bleachers. That'd make it sort of awkward, wouldn't it? So thanks for coming."

     "I won't interfere at all. I really, really promise! But I will keep you all safe, so they don't have to worry in the slightest."
Cantio Is Cantio curious? Of course she is. Why wouldn't she be? She's got history with Lilian, and Hiromi is an ally that she looks up to both figuratively and literally. When she hears the exchange between over the radio, there's little else to do but put her evening plans on hold (and promising to bring back a souvenir on the way back).

Thankfully, there's actually quite a bit to pick from. The abandoned machines will have to wait until after witnessing the impending battle, though, and Cantio is already eyeing a decently flat spot atop one of the walls where a roof would have otherwise stopped her from seeing anything. She's bundled up in a puffy winter jacket with big mittens and a beanie, although how warm she can really stay is questionable considering she's still wearing a skirt.

Granted, it's a really long one compared to her usual, but still. It's flowing and light, and of course her entire outfit is some color-coordinated combination of lilac and white..

Spotting Persephone, though, she instead beelines for that big rock to hop onto and perch upon. "Hi, Phony! Don't worry, I wouldn't miss this, either. I've... I need to see this and just... Figure some things out."
Ishirou There is a gust of wind from the direction of 'up', which is revealed to be a small flying robot-looking thing.  Smaller than a traditional aircraft, and more like a power armor than a normal aircraft it's quickly revealed to be the former when it flips and transforms into a humanoid model.  It floats down slowly, doing his best to scan for Hiromi, but hearing Phony's promise...

It lands next to her and the front of it opens.  Outcomes I4, to which the armor starts to fold into itself before seemingly entering a 'holding space' likely connected to I4's storage system.  I4, is wearing a fluffy white sweater, some comfy pants sort of similar to his usual boy shorts, and a pair of boots.  

"Well, if you promise so do I.  No cheating out of me..." he says, with a wave towards her.  He takes a seat on a rock.  When she mentions 'keeping them safe' he remembers actually fighting Serious Lilian For Real, which he is GLAD that he is not on the field against her, but also glad to have some protection from that.  

Especially more protection than 'having to survive through resurrection and regeneration only.'  He also waves to Cantio, "Figure some things out?  There's been a lot of that going around lately, hasn't there?" he says, sunnily.  "So how are you all?" Right now meaning Cantio and Phony, but also anyone else who shows up.  

It's an all-inclusive 'what's up?'
Persephone Kore      No cheating out of me...
     "Good, because I'll absolutely know!" Persephone says brightly. "Bad boys get sent to the moon, you know." There is no evidence at all that she's joking.

     I need to see this and just... Figure some things out.
     "Like what things?" Persephone says, smiling with eyebrows lifted in interest. But answering out loud is almost superfluous: at the same time she asks it, she's silently observing Cantio's emotional response.

     So how are you all?
     "I'm doing great!!" she answers, in a way that makes you almost feel silly for asking. Even though it happened just a couple weeks ago, it's difficult to imagine Phony not doing 'great'. "How's being human? You got drunk a little while ago, didn't you?"
Kale Hearthward Kale arrives in Lilian's retinue. Or along with her, if she isn't in a retinue mood. Or just somewhere above and behind her. It depends on her mood. Imagine a vector with origin point <Lilian>, a constant direction (up and back), and a magnitude given by the function LilianMood(Kale, Proximity)*(-1) and mathematically speaking that is where Kale is at, physically.

On arriving, he sets down on one of the anchors embedded in the cliff, looking around. "Ah, hello again," he says neutrally to Persephone. He should ask her something in a bit, there's a question on his lips (beak), he's just waiting for the right moment.

And there's Cantio. Kale peers down at her.

"Been a while since I've seen you around," he says. "You look like you're doing well."
Lilian Rook <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "You're insatiable aren't you."
<J-IC-Scene> Hiromi says, "'So I am called.'"

<Tac-Paladins> 4 Lilian Rook says, "The plan is that I use the opportunity to scope out as much about her as I can without trying to protect other people, and try and test some work in progress out in a real combat scenario with someone who won't die."
<Tac-Paladins> 4 Lilian Rook says, "That's it."

    Lilian knew it was coming. She can say all of that. She can mean it too. But it'd be a lie to say that this isn't at least a little bit intimidating. For one, the most serious of her encounters with Hiromi had ended with having to bluff and negotiate a withdrawal to cover for a completely wiped out team, having no visible route to victory herself. For another, she still isn't sure about being out here and fighting again after . . . the last time. Her physical symptoms aren't all that bad; perhaps a superlative hunter like Hiromi would be able to smell the whiff of painkillers and spot which joints are still a tiny bit less responsive than the others, but a lamyan wouldn't notice anything beyond the gradually fading cuts across her nose and beneath her left eye. Her sense of readiness --her inurement to the stress of live combat-- is what feels to her as if it might still be lacking, and why she'd rather not run upa gainst the Archwolf of all people untested.

    So, Lilian gets to be glad, for the millionth time, that she is such a fantastic liar.

    She arrives armoured in her 'season 2' style, which is to say the one that actually kind of looks like armour of a fashion, more like slender black partial-plate layered over the dark grey and amber bodysuit beneath. A heavy black 'new-model' rifle is folded at the small of her back, and Night Mist is magnetized nakedly over her shoulder, the telescoped tech-wand at one hip, and a few cases that radiate magic at the other. From the very start, Lilian looks to be taking her time, moving slowly from place to place, constantly turning to assess her surroundings, checking each corner and high angle, sending expendable crow familiars ahead of her into blind junctions.

    §This sucks. A mountain again? That's the last place I want to fight this damn dog. Dark close quarters like this actually helps her more than it does me. And she's concealed herself ahead of time. Maybe it'd be different if I had an opportunity to scout and rig this place with runes ahead of time, but this is definitely her home turf. She's not dumb enough to fall for noise distractions; even if I translocate, she'll notice the lack of scent. It looks as if I can't use any of this hardware against her either. Is this her doing?§

    §Ugh. I can hear my own heartbeat here. This kind of mental stress is no good; it'll make it way more taxing to nullify her attacks if my chest is pounding like this. Stop. Focus. Valsalva. Stand on your bones. Keep your ears open. Forget your eyes and watch the future instead. Check for her intent; worrying about where the strike is going to come from is how you fold.§

    Then, oddly, Lilian stops moving completely, and closes her eyes. Given the slow, rhythmic fogging of her breath, it appears to be meditative, like a trance.
Darren <X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Hiromi says, "I can't die. But, I know. Others worry. They don't, can't, know what I know."
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Darren says, "Oh, it's like -that-?!"
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Hiromi says, "You may watch, when she finds me. If you worry. Or, if you wish to see what I know. How I fight."
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Darren laughs raucously. "Nah, if it's like -that- then we good!"
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Darren says, "I'll come, tho'. Just to see how she fights."
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Hiromi says, "You are knowing? I see."
<X-Concord-Chatter> 4 Hiromi says, "Yes. 'Instructive.' Maybe."

     Hiromi sure knows how to pick 'em. She's going to fight Lilian Rook--a person Darren has met twice, and spoken once or twice at length. During the drive to the warpgate in that eccentric RV of his, classics playing on the radio, Darren is silent and thoughtful.

     What do I know, and what don't I know? I know Lilian's name been on a lotta people's minds lately. I know she rolled up on one of ours and all hell broke loose. I know she's smart. Resourceful. Smooth operator. Said she wanted to kill Hiromi. Also know she's not necessarily opposed to my own vision for society. And I know Hiromi 'can't be killed.' Darren signals a turn. Click-click-click-click. In the distance, the shape of the warpgate approaches. I don't know what her beef with Hiromi is. I don't know how Hiromi's immortality works. I don't know how that Rook girl fights. And I don't know how determined she'd be, when it comes to finding out how Hiromi works.

     In other words--he can't be certain how far down the Google results Lilian would go to be rid of Hiromi. He might've said it was good--might've said that was all Hiromi had to say. But in lieu of getting to know Lilian better, he can observe a little of how she fights today, and be that much more informed.

THE BLEACHERS

     Darren takes a seat, accompanied, as ever, by Roswell. "Hey, what's good, Phony? Appreciate you looking out. We're on the same page," he says, as much to her promise of non-interference as to I4's. A glance towards Cantio, which Roswell mimics perfectly. "Good to see you again, blood."

Letting the play clock run, observes Darren, watching Lilian's trance. Trying to read the field, maybe? Or Hiromi? Nah, nah. Grounding.
Cantio The flight armor I4 shows up in has Cantio gawking. Why not? It's new tech to crib off of, and it's... Gone. Indeed, she seems to lose all interest in staring directly at I4 the moment he looks like a normal boy, but she does still raise her hand in a light wave.

"Hey, I4. Ah, there's no point cheating in this, anyway. It's... Lilian wants to prove herself, and we need to see where that goes." Cantio states plainly, rubbing her neck lightly when both he and Persephone address that same point. "Oh! Um... Well, everything. What I should be feeling, how to handle all of it, what to do going forward. It's..."

She fidgets a bit, and there's clear uncertainty in both her tone and her mind. Can she keep hating Lilian? Should she? What if Hiromi wins? What if Lilian wins? Even though she doesn't ask all that stuff verbally, even her awkward movements and uncomfortable shifting makes it clear she's got a lot on her mind.

"But... A-anyway! I'm doing alright, Lots of projects in the pipeline, but nothing... Hidden anymore, so it'll be fine." She laughs lightly, and then stops abruptly when she hears another familiar voice! "Hello, Hearthward. I am, thank you. You look like you're doing... Well enough, I hope!" Her tone shifts again, going from thoughtful and conflicted earlier to just raw forced politeness once she addresses Kale.

Thankfully, Cantio's tension is eased visibly once she hears another familiar voice. "Oh! Hey, Darren. Good seeing you again, too! Yeah, interrupting would be..." Satisfying? Only briefly, but not worth the rest that would come afterwards. "... A dick move? W-wait, forget I said that."

Lilian arrives, and Cantio gets focused again. She watches her movements curiously, taking note of the frequent checks and the massive amount of gear. Part of her wants to ask about it, but...

Later. If she's comfortable enough, she can ask Lilian after this match is over.
Ishirou I4 gives Persephone a look, and a pause, "I don't want to go to the moon, because it's very boring on the moon," he says, after a moment.  Not 'because I'll die but 'it's boring and nothing is there.  It's likely he could survive the moon.  Maybe.

"It's wonderful," he responds when asked how he was enjoying being human.  "And...yeah I did.  The bartender knew I was a first-timer and kept me hydrated, so the next morning wasn't so bad," he laughs a little.  He looks towards Kale, who likely can hear him, but then over towards Phony, "It was a fun time, rough parts aside.  That's actually my experience as a whole with it.  Sure, there are good parts, but rough parts too."

"I also am getting an education in cooking.  Hibiki's roommate is teaching me, but so is Tamamo.  That's its own experience.." And then a pause, "So I did have something I wanted to chat with you about, and I think you likely know it's serious.  We can put it off though, as it's not immediate.." he muses, "It's also a huge ask...so I feel a bit bad about asking."

Cantio seems to bring up something, and I4 just sort of motions towards her first.  He can wait, it seems she might need an emotional support giant woman first.  Though I4 is frowning that only his giant armor gets any notice.  He helped! In fact, it was built around him, so it might as well be a part of him in some ways.  He's amazing damn it!

"Oh, more of a declaration really.  Given my abilities, it'd make things unfair if I were cheating..." he says towards Cantio.  When Darren says she likely wants it, I4 isn't so sure but doesn't say anything.  He hopes it isn't one of those 'I have to do it because nobody else can' things.  He worries Lilian is pushing herself too hard.  

Though he does turn back to Cantio, "Sounds like you should directly talk to her then, but that's me," he says, calmly enough.  "Though if you don't want to be bullied, I'd suggest not being like Hibiki around her," I4 says with some thought.  

I4 does cheer for Lilian but quiets down.  Just moral support!  "I think this is my first time seeing Hiromi have to go seriously all out.  What about you guys?" I4 just assuming that she would.  
Hiromi     Though there aren't any actually functional vehicles on this floor, that's not to say that all of the tech is ruined. There are cases of ammunition, disconnected but undamaged, cannons and rockets, and even directed energy weapons. Whether those last still have charged capacitors, while disconnected from cold engines, is in question. As well, they'd all be a bit difficult for someone on foot to lift, though potentially possible, for a given degree of 'superhuman.'

    Persephone probably can find Hiromi, because 'thinking' is something she's still doing. Among the things she is not doing is 'moving,' even to the constant wind, which she's sheltered from, nor even to breathe. There is no idle motion. She is fully supported in her position and, unlike a certain smaller, brighter, equally long-eared figure of Lilian's acquaintance, Hiromi proves capable of perfectly drawing into herself that expansive presence that I4 had reported. She'd likely make a poor hunter, otherwise, and Lilian may specifically recall that time Hiromi had very nearly taken her from behind.

    It's from the front, this time, as one of the larger chunks of fallen mountain explodes outward, its shards forming a cloud over Lilian's entire position, Hiromi emerging from the stone in her two-legged form, her black bone claws extended, expression neutral, eyes staring wide.

    The 'lesson' had begun the moment Lilian arrived.
Persephone Kore      Lilian showing up is largely unacknowleged outwardly, save for Persephone making a heart with her hands and beaming. If the heart's on keyhole-level, that's probably just a coincidence.

     Psychically, though, before Lilian can get too into it, Phony sends a little communique. Hiromi wants you to do well, you know. And I do too!! As 'Type Black', you're sort of representing SH, aren't you? Ahaha. If you don't try your best, I really won't forgive you!!

     Ah, hello again.
     "Hello again!" Persephone answers Kale sunnily. Then she just sort of stares at him for a good long moment or three, blankly expectant. ... Oh, right. She can tell there's something he's waiting to say.

     Nah, nah. Grounding.
     "I'm not sure that's it," Phony muses, tapping her lips with her finger. Her gaze slides from Darren back down to the battlefield. "Lilian can tell what people are thinking, can't she? And I think she can see the future a little bit too. It's hard to imagine her not being 'grounded', but I can imagine her trying to puzzle things out!"

     Sure, there are good parts, but rough parts too.
     "That's just how 'being human' is," she answers in a relaxed tone. "Do you know, I miss it sometimes? I'm almost a little jealous of you!" Her eyes glimmer in response to that unspoken second question. She winks. "Let's talk about it later! But it might not be as big an ask as you think, ahaha."

     Oh! Um... Well, everything.
     "You still can't hate her like you want to, huh?" Persephone muses softly. Then she realizes I'm being rude, and flashes Cantio a slightly embarrassed, sympathetic smile. "I understand. It's okay to feel that way. But don't let it keep you from enjoying the fight, alright? If it gets too scary, I'll cover your eyes!!"
Kale Hearthward "I'm always doing well," says Kale, in response to Cantio's forced politeness. It doesn't look like he's picked up on it being forced.

He watches Cantio with some intensity for a bit. Cantio can practically feel his eyes burning into the back of her neck. It's like the moment in an MMO where you tread within an enemy's line of sight, and you hear the warning soundbite. It's like when your radar pings with the warning of a target lock. How well are you feeling like you're doing, Cantio?

... And then his gaze moves on. Over to Darren. "I... don't believe we've met," he says, over at him. "Though I think I saw you at the last meeting? I don't recall if your... friend was there too," he adds, glancing at Roswell.

Then over to I4. He should say something. He'll get his phone out in a moment, send a text message - there's nothing he wants to say in the presence of the Concord.

(He forgets the whole mind reading thing.)

And then his gaze travels back to Persephone - and before he can say anything, he gets distracted by Hiromi's arrival. Or - more accurately, Hiromi already being here.

"That's - unexpected," he says, blinking.

And *then* he gets his attention back to Persephone. How to phrase this...

"Hey, are you taking challengers right now?" he asks.
Lilian Rook     §Calm. Focus. Where can she come from. Above? No, she'd be obvious and vulnerable while she fell all that distance. Anywhere underground? Yes. Assess those possibilities. Three seconds each. Long range? She knows that won't work, no doubt. The rubble? Posibly. It'd be projectile cover too. Assess four seconds. Calm. Focus. Don't get excited. Don't flinch.§

    Lilian flinches. Despite her best efforts, despite her collected calm, the sound and violence of the Archwolf exploding out of the solid rock and leaping at her with all the expressivity and gentle mercy of a lunging shark is too strong a stimulus, to say nothing of the wave of animal violence she is mentally assailed with in that moment of intentional psychic receptivity.

                -----[stop]-----
    Lilian clutches her collar bone, fog accumulating in front of her face with rapid breathing until she waves it away. "Fuck. No good. I'm still too wired. That kind of destruction-- it's screwing with how I trained myself to respond to Persephone's attacks. Except these ones can actually hurt me. A lot." She curses a little under her breath, all the while retrieving her rifle, the stock slamming into her shoulder as the electric release unfolds it, holo-assist winking into bright, starry existence over its spine. "I can't take this easy. I just can't think of this like a relaxed sparring exercise." Charging bolt. Safety. Fire selector. "Well, I know my next four seconds."
                -----[start]-----

    Lilian blips out of existence right in front of Hiromi. Where she was standing, a pair of briefly smouldering footprints melt the snow and score an atomic layer off of the rock, and a blobby flash of blue-white fire explodes into Hiromi's face, spewing a cone of hypervelocity tungsten bullets into her front. Compared to last time, the shots themselves are much more powerful, if slightly less accurate --but she can easily put that down to the new gear. The part that feels different is the faintest reminder of blistering heat left behind Lilian.

    She hasn't gone far, only having swerved around behind and begun retreating out sideways towards the open mountainside, covering her retreat with a few short bursts of incendiary crack-whine snapfire before suddenly remembering that it won't slow down Hiromi in the slightest.

    §Oh go suck one! This is stressful enough already!§
Cantio "I can imagine... If we started getting involved, it'd just become a brawl and that wouldn't really answer anything." Cantio replies to I4, stroking her chin lightly as she keeps her gaze fixed on the two combatants. "Hiromi won't find out if Lilian's grown at all, and Lilian won't have her own answer to... Her own questions, I guess?"

It's a bit of a cop out answer, but it's the best she could come up with on short notice. "I'll... Yeah, I'll need to speak with her once things dies down a little more. Still kind of want to punch her in the face still, but... Not as much as before all of that?" She laughs lightly, then raises an eyebrow at I4. "Wait, is she causing trouble for Hibiki again?"

Okay, maybe she wants to punch Lilian a little more now. Later, though, as the fight begins in earnest with rocks exploding and bullets flying already. "Interesting strategies... I wonder how well it'll work, though."

Persephone, of course, gets right to the heart of Cantio's inner turmoil, and she chuckles a little more weakly at that. "Right? It was easier before all of that. But... No, I'll definitely enjoy this fight. I'll probably enjoy it more if she gets trounced, though."

She's even learning how to be more honest about that now. "Don't worry, I won't get scared of something like this. And... What about you, Phony? Are you rooting for anyone in this fight?"

All the while, Cantio doesn't react visibly to Kale's sightlines and targeting circle lining up with her. She probably notices it, but she's gotten a little better at not flinching at a moment's notice. If anything, she might even be inviting him to try something if her occasional laughs and relaxed posture are any indication!

... Or she actually didn't notice it at all. Her drones aren't floating around, and she doesn't have eyes on the back of her head. She does, however, turn to actually look right at him when he asks Persephone about challengers. "Depends who's asking."

Cantio doesn't quite get that he asked Persephone that instead of herself.
Persephone Kore      Around that time the rock explodes. One of the smaller pieces flies towards Persephone, and is stopped dead just inches from her face. Her eyes slide over to it, her smile fading into an unworried but thoughtful frown. The pebble is dismissed, and her telekinesis lathes it into nonexistence.

     "You know, maybe it'd be better to be proactive. Let's move to a better spot, okay?"

     From further down the mountain, her telekinesis gathers up a few tons of dirt and effortlessly crunches it into diamond. It briefly turns white-hot from pressure alone, then rapidly cools, impurities turning to black ash and flaking off or rising as steam.

     What's left is a cute little telekinetically-supported floating island cast purely out of old-fashioned diamond. It's got a few comfy-looking chairs in varying styles, a hammock of fine diamond links strung between two cute little diamond trees, and even a diamond beach umbrella that really does nothing at all to block out the sun.

     She floats herself over to it to sit in what looks like a cushy love-seat, then telekinetically whisks anyone willing- I can tell!- over to it too. It's a perfectly good viewing platform! Actually, each of the chairs seems to correspond to what one of the spectators would enjoy the most, so that each person has their ideal chair available.

     Then, and only then, pouring herself some cozy hot chocolate out of a thermos into a little diamond mug, does she answer Kale with a smile: "I am!! But only after they're finished, okay?" It takes her a moment to find the obvious question: "Haha, but why? I'm really not good at fighting!"
Persephone Kore      Ahaha. You too, babe~ a a a a a a a a a a a
Darren      "Not wrong, though," says Darren to Cantio. There's a time to roll deep, and a time to let 'em settle it one on one.

     "Yeah! I remember you from the other day. Kale, right? Darren Spears," says Darren to Kale, leaning closer to offer a hand to shake. Roswell lifts up an arm, and the lights at the end flash in approximation of a wave. "And that's Roswell. Been with me since I was a kid." His confident smile, the firmness of his handshake, his physique--Darren must've been the jock to Kale's theater kid. He overhears the question aimed towards Persephone, but doesn't answer... save a raised brow, as if to say 'hell of a question.'

     Hiromi's running a screen. Fake a long shot, make a short pass instead--operate from better field position. She wasn't gonna do no big fancy roll up, just wait in coverage. Okay, Archwolf. What's Lilian got for answers? Classic answer to a screen. Contain play. Control her movement with that fire. Bullets? Damn. Lots of 'em. Enough, though?

     Darren leans forward in his seat, hands on his knees. Roswell mimics the motion. He'll agree to move to the floating island, but only when I won't miss anything. His ideal seat resembles the benches on the sideline at Big Stadium in his hometown--as close to the action as you can get without playing.

     "You take a bet, or something?" he finally asks Kale.
Ishirou I4 looks at Cantio after a moment, "You know, it seems such a minor distinction, but it's quite different to root against someone, then for another.  It's bad to do that, from my observation!"

He does nod at Persephone, "Yeah, that's true.  It's something I like about it, but there is more...to it than just that.  I guess part of me wasn't happy with being an Android, and I think it's more than just how I was built.  I'll have time to discover more of that though, and the thought's exciting."

He nods at talking about it later, though surprised that it might be as complex as he thought.  "Well, I'm more optimistic about it now.  I thought it might be too much of an ask.." he says but when the topic of humans comes up he looks at her.  

"Well, isn't that the point though?  Bringing humanity up with you?  I don't think you're LESS human..." a pause, "Though I think you got a lot riding on you.  Oh...and here I am asking for more," he says, rubbing his head.  He's not UNHAPPY to ask for help, just worried for her.  He knows it's not allowed, but he does it anyway.  The rebel.  "I'm actually wanting to talk with the doc on it more...you know when things are ready for that.  The stuff I read, and able to read with a clearer mind are good."

Then the first clash of the battle started, and thanks to Persephone's field they're not immediately grounded.  He's fine with being taken and sat down farther away, taking a moment to gawk at the diamond.  "Huh.  You're just showin' off, aren't you?" he says, though less accusingly and more teasing.  

Once reseated he returns Darren's greeting, though he seems to be very focused on the match.  "Everything alright?"  
Kale Hearthward Kale, forgetting that he's around at least one mind reader, texts I4...
PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "Hey."
PHONE: I4 says, "Hi."

He pauses. He isn't quite sure how to open this conversation up. After a long moment, he decides to just go for the throat of it.

PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "I should be nicer to you."
PHONE: I4 says, "This is sudden! What brought it on?"
PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "A moment of introspection. That I probably should not be driving my allies away from me."

Kale is *possibly* fine here, on his perch on the cliffside, but - better safe than sorry, and admittedly while perching on some wreckage sticking out of the cliff is cool-looking, the island also looks more comfortable. So shortly after comes into existence, he kicks off from the perch and flies over to it, landing neatly in an open spot and heading over towards Persephone and the others.

PHONE: I4 says, "...So is it because you don't want to be alone...or because you actually feel bad about the situation? If you're worried about the first, you might be doing that with Lilian too, ya know?"

Kale checks his phone - but doesn't respond right away. He needs another moment to think on his response. Darren's got a handshake that's a *bit* too firm.
> "Haha, but why?"
> "You lose a bet, or something?"

'Because Lilian's making it a prerequisite for a rematch' doesn't sound like it'd fly. Or sound cool. It sounds kind of like he'd be simping for Lilian, and he's pretty sure that's not the case.

Pretty sure.

"It's part of a quest," he says, simply, seeing how well that'll go over.

"Also, here."

He reaches into his vest, and pulls out what looks like a small figurine, dropping it on the ground of the island - it *pomfs* into a full size portable cooler, full of beer and sandwiches.

"For the hospitality," he says, glancing down at the convenient floating island.
Hiromi     Hiromi absorbs the tungsten with her center of mass. Her opponent is gone, but her feet are on the ground, and Hiromi immediately turns to face her new direction. There's no sign of damage from the fire to her, though those were certainly hits. In fact, there's even blood -- but no wounds and, perhaps most frustrating, no change at all to her momentum. There's no satisfaction in pouring force against something that doesn't react.

    The stones had done nothing but startle her, and Hiromi's claws hadn't reached. The floor dents for the force of her heel sliding against it, changing direction into a new leap, but this one doesn't have nearly the range to reach her. It strikes hardly a third of the way to Lilian's new position, but rather than landing lightly, the Archwolf's heel comes down hard, and all the surviving, snow-dusted floor between her and Lilian breaks, jagged pieces of steel plate spinning free, slicing and crushed against each other in a storm of destruction.

    The cracks extend back to Hiromi's position. In fact, the whole floor is collapsing, pieces at a time, some more quickly than others, revealing the level beneath. More half-assembled vehicles. Rows of small-arms. Entrenching tools. Explosives. Small blades and larger ones, jagged or forked, made of some dark metal and connected by cords to carryable batteries.

    Hiromi falls, too, even leaping down ahead to hasten her arrival at the weapon racks, tearing one of the larger weapons from its locks with brute strength, and coming at Lilian again with what -- though it's a miracle that the thing still works at all, without maintenance -- is now clearly a weapon of great, imminent threat, no less than the claws that had already been seeking her, even before the hum of a resonant vibration.

    "Not enough. Not yet."
Persephone Kore      "I'm something that humans could be, but aren't. A person that no other people are. A human that humans are not," Phony answers I4. She says it remarkably casually, for all the fanciness of the words, and chases it with an audible sip of hot cocoa.

     "Maybe someday I'll be human again! But it'll be because humanity changed. Not because I did. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

     I see you worrying about me!!! Don't you dare. I really will put you on the moon at this rate. "And I'm not showing off! Diamond really is the easiest thing to make. Everything else needs special ingredients, but for diamond you just take dirt, remove the bad parts, and squeeze!"

     At Kale, for no outwardly-discerning reason, she briefly makes an adoring silent 'awwww' that involves cupping the side of her face with her hand. When he starts talking to her again, she perks up and smiles an eyes-shut smile. "A quest, huh?" In the middle of munching on one of his sandwiches, she shoots him dead.

     "It's for a girl, isn't it?"
Cantio That rock comes dangerously close to the group. "... Yeah, a little further sounds good." And so, Cantio goes on a floating island ride! She's lounging in that love-seat with Persephone, kicking her boots off before laying on her stomach and kicking her feet up to watch that fight. Perhaps it's just an effect of being comfortable, but...

Yeah, she's pretty comfortable right now. Relatively, but still comfortable enough not to just sit up right the whole time.

"I need to have my own bouts with quite a few people, now that I think about it." Cantio replies to Darren, stroking her chin briefly before lounging again. "... I'll think about it later, though. Being able to watch this without anything tangible invested in the outcome feels... Different. Good different."

"I guess rooting against someone would be pretty unhealthy, though." She admits after a little while, giggling briefly before turning to I4. "So instead, I should be rooting for Hiromi and think of it from that perspective, then?"

Those with mind-reading powers or good body-reading sense can tell she's actually trying.

Kale's cooler full of drinks and food has Cantio hesitating for a bit. On one hand, fresh food to eat from someone else. On the other hand, she's still not quite sure she can trust Kale yet. Then again...

What's the worst that could happen? "Thanks. You're... On a quest, you said?" And then Persephone makes things worse by saying just enough for Cantio to misinterpret everything. She stares right at him blankly, going wide-eyed as she looks from Kale towards the battlefield, then back to Kale.

"Really? You're into her? G... Good luck with that."
Ishirou I4 is about to say very intelligent things like he mostly normally does, but between Persephone's interpretations of Kale's quest, followed by Cantio's...he starts to make a choking sound.  This is followed by the sounds getting louder.  He's trying Kale, he's trying very hard not to do what he's about to do.

I4 roars with laughter, nearly knocking his chair over from this confluence of events.  He's down for a good solid five minutes, stopping only to breathe.  He sounds like he's about to stop, and say something, and then is cracking up again.  Wheezing for air.  

Finally, he calms down, looking towards Phony as if to say something about her threat to the moon, but then is laughing again.  He'll need a round guys.
Persephone Kore      Phony drapes an arm around Cantio's shoulders and, without asking, pours her a diamond mug full of that still-steaming hot chocolate too. "That's a healthier way to think about it," she says, in a voice warmer and sweeter than even the drink. "Thanks for trying your best, Cantio!"

     Looking back up at Kale, smiling: "She's been taken, you know."
Kale Hearthward I'm sorry, I4, you'll need to wait a bit longer for the answer to your question, because Kale is dead.

He stares at Persephone. And then stares longer at Cantio. And then at I4. Oh no. This is all going terribly.

"Ex...cuse you, I'm gay, I have a fiancee actually, so this can't be for a girl," he says.

"I've - I've been taken too!" he says, feeling like he's lost control of his life. "Quite vigorously taken, in fact!"

"L-look!" He tries to regain his composure, crossing his arms. "Does it matter why I'm challenging you? Do you accept it or not?"
Ishirou I4 laughs only LOUDER when he says it isn't for a girl. Because I4 knows the truth, Kale. You can't lie to him.
Darren 'It's part of a quest.'

    Darren nods once. Roswell goes a step further and makes a bow at the waist.

OH DAMN RESPECT, comes the Beheeyem's telepathic praise.

    "I'm cool," says Darren to I4 assuagingly, eyes still glued on the field despite his friendly tone. "But you know, you and Cantio are right to fear that mindset. That's hateology--rooting against someone. Dead-end school of thought."

Lilian knows we're watching. We ain't gonna see the whole playbook. But I'll take what I can.

     Contain play won't stop Hiromi--she gets behind her pads and trucks. Second down. Gain of a few. Going long, now. Deep route, testing Lilian's coverage. Dug something up--something big. Here comes the stiffarm...!

    His hands grip his knees. Rosweel hovers over his shoulder, green eyes unblinkingly staring at the field. Roswell, overhearing Kale's vehement protests, makes things worse.

YOU AIN'T GOTTA LIE TO KICK IT MY G
Kale Hearthward I'm sorry, I4, Kale is not only dead but is presently buried in a shallow grave at the crossroads. Please wait kindly for the necromancer to arrive so he can finish the conversation.
Persephone Kore      "Mmm-hmmm. Mhm. Hmhmmm." Phony makes quiet Mouth Full of Sandwich acknowledging-noises as Kale goes off. She's turned around in her loveseat to look at him, one arm draped over the back. After swallowing, she smiles that unbearably sunny smile.

     "I told you, I'm really no good at fighting! But if you can forgive me for that, I accept. Just give me a second, okay?"

     She turns back to the fight happening in the military base and presses a finger to her earpiece.
Lilian Rook     §Christ. She didn't even flinch at that. Even if she can absorb them, normally there'd be some reaction from thirty rounds going off at once in your face, right? Doesn't she have super sensitive wolf hearing? How much was she just screwing around before?§

    Lilian has just lowered the rifle from her shoulder to refresh her field of vision, memorizing the display reading 96, when Hiromi lunges again. Already knowing she's too far to reach with that much wind-up, Lilian doesn't try to get more distance on reflex, but strangely reaches for Night Mist with her right hand just before Hiromi's heel has hit the ground, sensing the imminent danger.

    §What the hell?! I know I moved out of her line of sight! Even if she can smell me, it should take her at least the space of a breath to actually track that, right? How did she reacquire me so fast?! No, first things first; draw her out into the open. There's more rock around here, but it'll only be to my disadvantage if we fight in all that closed space. My reaction time isn't perfect; she's at least as fast as I am, and getting grabbed would be really, really bad. I probably don't have a choice but to push it.§

    The ground explodes into a wall of flying steel shards. Lilian twists sideways with that eerie note of pre-initiative movement that characterizes her in serious battles, flattening her profile so that most of it goes spinning dangerously past her on her each side, the remainder deflected from the sword that is almost her full height while she barely has to move it to cover her profile. Cloven pieces of metal spiral away in circular streamers of white and black sparks.

    It seems her prediction had only gone that far however. The ground cracking seems to catch her by surprise; the gap between even a miniscule reaction time and 'already saw it coming' is noticeable to a seasoned eye. She begins falling, and then black static crackles outward from roughly the area of her ankles, trailing dark, surreal smoke that arrests her descent. This time Lilian twists the opposite direction, putting her sword behind her and slamming the rifle against her torso one-armed, absorbing the recoil into her core mass while hipfiring it on full-automatic towards Hiromi below, strafing the blue-white tracers through the debris field to seek her out.

    §A fucking hangar layer. Perfect. I bet she's completely scouted this area already. I don't really have the firepower to do much more than maybe wear her down at range, but there's no point in just closing in without at least using it up. Ugh. Just fight me out in the open air you bloodthirsty youkai bitch!§

    Without her feet on the ground, the sheer rate of fire and overpowered superhuman-grade ammunition gradually push Lilian back through the air. The holographic ammo counter flashes 00 just as Hiromi grabs the giant blade and leaps towards her. Then a lightweight black magazine whips through the air at Hiromi's eyes, Lilian has a tight shouldered grip again, sword at her back, and the ammo counter is back to blazing right back down: 144 »» 113 »» 86 »» 61 »» 32 and then flatlines at 00 again as Lilian stares down the oncoming freight train and tries to milk it for all it's worth.

    §C'mon c'mon I can't miss at this range; this is the full muzzle energy and everything. This has to start outpacing your regeneration, right? Please just let it be that easy.§
Lilian Rook     The gigantic blade is about as telegraphed as it can get. Lilian flits weightlessly to the side, and then slams the big broad side with the butt of her rifle, perpendicular to the direction Hiromi is exerting uncontestable strength, probably hoping to disrupt its center line. Instead, her rifle explodes from making contact with the invisible destructive harmonics. Bits of chassis and internal machinery, sparking wires and magnetic fragments, fly out of Lilian's hands, and-- she blinks back to the ground again, at the floor of the hangar, sword drawn and held ahead of her in a broadly anchored forward middle stance.

    "Aren't you supposed to be proving to me how the natural strength of a wolf is superior to the 'claws' of humans or something?" Lilian shouts. It's a shot in the dark. She already knows she can't influence Hiromi's mind; she'd tried before. Hiromi herself can feel that residual heat, smell that faint, implacable scent on the magazine, but not on the simple drop to ground. Furthermore, though she hadn't scored a direct hit yet, she can oddly smell just a tiny hint of Lilian's blood.
Persephone Kore <J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says, "Hey Lilian."
<J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward strangled noise
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore chews on a bit of sandwich casually.
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says, "Kale wants to fight me for your hand, or something."
<J-IC-Scene> I4 laughing uncontrolably.
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says, "How hard should I go on him?"
<J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "If he can't handle you at your worst, he doesn't deserve me at my best."
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says sunnily, "Okay!"

     She eats the last of her sandwich, sips her hot cocoa to wash it down, then turns back around to beam at Kale again.

     "I don't really want to hurt you, Kale, but if Lilian says so I'll try my absolute best! ... Actually, did you ever read those reports?"
Cantio When that mug comes her way, Cantio sits up, and she even leans against Persephone like she's a comfortable bean bag chair! She's certainly making herself comfortable, looking and sounding positively cozy between that and being bundled up in her winter gear. "Hehe... Thanks, Phony. I can't promise I'll always succeed, but I'll be trying." She takes a sip of that hot chocolate, then cups it in her hands while tugging the finger-covers up and off her mittens to really get her hands toasty.

And then I4 loses his shit, and Cantio looks away while covering her mouth to hide and muffle her own snickers. "H-hey, come on! It's rude to laugh at someone with a crush... Even if she is already... As Phony said." Her eyes go wide when Kale elaborates on how wrong that is and gives more details than she'd expect about his vigor, and she nearly chokes on some of her drink before turning to Kale.

She just gives him a thumbs up, nodding with a strangely respectful look on her face.

Darren's thoughts on her prior mindset, thankfully, have her focusing on the fight again. "Yeah... I just need to focus on how to improve things for myself, my family, and my people. That's the better than focusing on tearing anyone down, even if that might end up happening as a side-effect."

The fight itself has Cantio narrowing her eyes. "She's fighting to her strengths. Trying to wear Hiromi down, but... How long can that really last?" Sippy. Good chocolate drink. Good sandwich. "Although with so much stuff lying around... It's hard to say who really has the advantage here. Once Hiromi lands a strong hit, though, that might really start setting pace..."
Kale Hearthward Kale did not read those reports.

(Do I even want this, anymore, after all of this...)

"I can take you at your worst," he says, instead of answering.

He goes to grab a sandwich as an excuse to not talk for a while and lick his social wounds.
Ishirou I4 takes some time to calm down before he grabs a sandwich from the cooler and a beer.  He looks at the beer for a moment, taking a moment to scan the contents.  So this is also alcohol, he thinks wondering about its taste.  It took him a bit to figure out a taste he liked before, would the beer be different?

He tries it, taking an entire gulp of it down before spitting it out.  He aims this away from the group and looks like he's been betrayed.  It appears that beer does not sit with him.  He uses the sandwich to try and scrub the taste from his mouth.  Ughhhhh...

Finally, after some time, he recovers from both laughing and beer taste with a nod towards Cantio, "I'm glad to hear it.  I know it's unsatisfying...but it will be better in the long run!" he says, cheerful.  I4 has not ignored the fight, taking a more active look at things now.  Right now, Lilian might seem to have the disadvantage, but he's seen her fight.  If anything, they're on even footing.  

Right NOW, it looks like Lilian could have things controlled, but it's still too early to tell.  Though it does seem she has a plan, time would tell if Hiromi would figure a way through it, or if the plan was flawed from the beginning if Hiromi is able to use her strength through it.  How would he direct her in this situation?  Well, it's a bad faith question to himself, if he were helping her, he'd be able to take away the one advantage Hiromi has now.  

He sighs, still too close.  He does look over to Persephone though and smiles.  "Even if you put me on the moon, you can't stop me.  Care goes both ways, you know?" he says, calmly before speaking his mind, "I mean...we took Lilian for granted too.  She made herself try to bear our weight and her own.  NOT worrying for you wouldn't be any different."

"So do your best to bear the weight of my concern!" he says, with a sunny smile.  "If you DO have to punish me with the moon, can you wait till after the fight?  It'd be a long trip back."
Hiromi     Certainly, Hiromi is being hit. Even firing from the hip, on that straight-ahead approach, she's hard to miss. She isn't even trying to dodge, but an eery number of those rounds harmlessly strike the pilfered blade rather than reach her, noticeable in retrospect to have selectively protected her eyes, nose, and heart. That she'd be able to react to the fire rounds at all is just plausible.

    And yet again, Lilian avoids actually coming up against her, outside of the destruction of her rifle. An almost-hit is still a miss.

    Hiromi hits the wall, then kicks off it to reach the ground, her descent far faster than simple falling would allow. A mid-air twist lands her on her feet, blade still held, and now Lilian can easily see, when the Archwolf stands still, the wounds she'd definitely left. Scores of small punctures. They're not healing.

    Then, all at once, the squashed bullets are pushed out, and the lines of punctures close, not like a 'healing factor' at all, but like a willful restoration, not even allowing for scars -- though her body is scarred. A place where a sword had pierced through her heart, for instance.

    "No," she says. "You don't see. Your strength is yours. My strength is mine." With a note of difficult to decipher mockery, "What is 'natural'?" Followed by a serious, "You'll see, maybe, if you look."

    It's not something immediately recognizable as swordplay, but to someone with experience with long swords, it's hard to deny, in the end, that it is, as used by someone with huge reach, immense strength and, somewhat curiously, no concern with damage to their weapon, despite the force applied. It's a relentless testing of locks, 'weak' cuts from the wrist that would still decapitate a man in armor, passing steps into one-handed chops, low drops into springing, leaping kicks, and a constant danger that her free hand -- only the one being needed for even a blade of that side -- will catch Lilian, wherever she moves.
Darren Hella presence of mind from Lilian. Knew Hiromi was going deep. Almost like she knew the route ahead of time. Almost. Tough to get by a defense like that, making snap adjustments so quick. Swats away that stiffarm like a pro for the stop, but it costs her. Third down and inches.

    "Lilian's giving it her all to make the stop," agrees Darren with Cantio. "And she's good with adjustments. But Hiromi's running tempo here. Hard as Lilian's working to control the field, you gotta wonder how long that energy's gonna last." He pauses, then, brow furrowed.

    "Damn, I coulda made good money as a commentator."

    Roswell beep-boops his agreement.

Hiromi goes for a trick play on 3rd and inches... risky. Lilian brought a sword with her--bigass sword. So you know she's ready to use it. Real risky. But it might just be what Hiromi needs to run it into the end zone.

    "Hey, don't leave the moon without bringing me a little somethin' somethin'," says Darren to I4. "I'm talkin' bout that good good." A very brief glances towards the former android. "That proof of early antiquity period space travel."
Persephone Kore      "Okay! I believe you," Phony says to Kale. From anyone else it'd feel insincere, but I really do mean it! You wouldn't be here if you weren't special. And you did a great job helping Lilian, too!! If she says you can take it, and you say you can take it, I really do have to believe.

     Her arm slips back around Cantio's shoulders and idly strokes her hair on the opposite side, tucking some of it behind her ear. "And when you fall," she replies, "I'll try to be here to catch you! Everyone makes mistakes. But as long as you try your best, I'll love you, understand you, and forgive you, I promise."

     After a moment's pause, she leans over to plant a simple, plain kiss on the top of Cantio's head, topping it off with a hug-squeeze with that shoulder-wrapped arm. You just looked too cute bundled up like that!

     When I4 pipes up again, she leans over to poke his forehead with a single fingernail, softly frowning.

     "I'm special. With me, that's not how it works. If you worry about me, I feel your worry, and it makes me sad. And then I have to reassure you, and it's just more work. Because of the way they made me, trying to shoulder my burdens... just means I have to carry you, too. Don't you get it?"

     She smiles hopelessly, pulling back. "See, now I feel guilty that I made you worry. Don't make me sad like this, okay?"
Cantio "It's more natural, at least. It felt... Weird the other way around." Cantio replies to I4, looking a little too comfortable despite the fight going on in the distance.

Like Darren, though, she's running her own semi-commentary. "It's not quite what I had seen from Hiromi before. She had been so direct in the past, but this time it feels almost like she's... Biding her time?" Cantio comments in agreement with Darren, still keeping track of the fighting in the distance while taking languid sips and bites of her drink and food. "If she can get that one good hit, Lilian's might be in trouble. But if Lilian can keep up this pace for even longer, then it might just work out in her favor. It's just a matter of how long she can keep it up."

She snickers when he makes that comment about being a commentator. "It's not too late, you know. Cadenza is always hiring people with good voices, if you ever want to make some extra money on the side."

Persephone's constant contact has Cantio slumping a little more, though, perhaps even getting a little too comfortable as she lets one eyelid droop. It's not like she needs both eyes right now, right? "Heh.. Thanks, Phony. It's a lot easier knowing that you and everyone else is around for that, but... It's like I4 said. We're going to have to start making sure you're not overworking yourself, either."

"Not because we don't think you won't be able to get it done, and not because we're worrying, but... Because we want to. Does that sound better?"
Kale Hearthward "I can take it," repeats Kale, after swallowing his beakful of sandwich.

Step one: Go read those reports when he has a free moment.

He watches the fight for a bit, and then gets out his phone. He thinks he has an answer for I4, at least.
Ishirou "Hiromi's tempo is being interrupted.  She's not pushing enough to be uncontested.  While it's true that she's a force, she's not uncontested here," I4 observes, his eyes focused on things as he tries to predict.  "We're approaching a point where even if she were to gain momentum and keep it up, it might still not be enough.  On the other hand, if Lilian slips...the tide will turn.  It's safer to say, that momentum is still undecided, and that the next few clashes will determine things."

"Though a single slip in any direction isn't victory assured either..." he says, thinking ahead, plotting out the best that he is able.  I4 considers that Hiromi might be biding, "It is possible she is looking for the right moment.  Throwing everything against Lilian won't work a second time...it's rare that it worked the first."

"The truth is, right now Hiromi hasn't gotten a solid hit, but the hits that Lilian has made haven't been telling," I4 continues, thinking.  

I4's head is poked by a fingernail, and it causes him to frown.  "It's not about shouldering YOUR burdens.  There are things only you can do, and things only I can do, right?  I am good at what I do, too!" he says with a nod.  He agrees with Cantio, "So take our worry as less a bad thing, and more that our thoughts are with ya, and wanting you to give us some stuff to do when you need it."

He stretches out but then stares at Darren.  He tilts his head after each iteration of the 'stuff' is mentioned until it reaches the end.  "Uh...I mean, I'm guessing there are some that managed?  The Multiverse is a weird place sometimes!"  A pause, "Oh I guess Phony didn't tell me what MOON she was putting me on.."
Lilian Rook     §This sucks. I still had eight magazines left. I can't test her limits if I'm the one who runs out of fuel first. She didn't even try to block those either; is she not even skimming off the top of her tank yet, or bluffing? No, wait, she definitely guarded her sensory organs and vitals. That means she expected I'd capitalize on it if one of them were hit. So there's a delay, right? That wasn't just for show.§

    "Beats me; I've never been much of a naturist." Lilian replies to Hiromi. Sharing words here is clearly just for the benefit of catching her breath, letting her thoughts catch up and get back to strategizing. "You're still not using all of yours, right? That feels a little unfair. But then I'm the type who'd rather try too hard and win than be fair and lose~" she adds, her grin too sharp, baring too much tooth, to seem naturally genial.

    §Tachibana, Muramasa, you were idiots to charge head on at this again. Hearthward, you'll be an imbecile if you still want to fight her after this. Do you even have anything that could put a dent in her, huh?§

    Hiromi lunged to the offensive again. Lilian hasn't pushed first this entire time. That could be seen as passivity normally, or intimidation, especially in the case of someone fighting the Archwolf, but if it's Lilian allowing setting to Hiromi to set the pace --someone for whom pace almost isn't a thing-- then it must be because she can't see a feasible way to get in, deal damage, and either get out or press an advantage, without being clapped back, unless Hiromi opens herself up first. It means Lilian's best option is to let the walking mountain swing away at her, and bank on executing everything perfectly.

    She almost doesn't. The first few horizontal sweeps and giant cuts are something Lilian simply maneuvers through, circling around while gradually closing in on Hiromi, leaping over or sliding under them preemptively. When the overhand chop comes though, Lilian's own blade flicks upward over her head to catch it at a shallow angle along the outer flat and turn it aside, only for her to realize at the very last instant just what will actually happen if she crosses blades head on with Hiromi's strength and that vibro-weapon function, and her sword freezes up.

    The seemingly too-little-too-late disadvantage stage, however, disappears as Lilian decides she'd rather be eight feet to the right instead, a dancing flicker of light that isn't-a-colour dissipating behind her. When the giant vibroweapon crashes into the ground, she sees her opening, and springs forward, thrusting Night Mist straight into the flat side of its housing, no doubt to gouge and tear out its internals, only for the point to skew sideways and carve a narrow gash along its side instead, putting her back on the defensive.

    Though she continues to be able to hold Hiromi off by acting first, acting faster, and acting one-sidedly, making it look easy isn't the same as it being easy. The difference in reach is still overwhelming, and for whatever reason, Lilian won't step or circle towards Hiromi's 'weak' side, constantly staying in her giant blade's danger zone instead, looking for something that can't yet be seen.
Lilian Rook     §She even made her weapon that tough?! She's baiting me! I'm sure of it! I already instant-killed her once, so she must have something planned for if I try it again; the way she's fighting is making it impossible for me to get a clean hit on her without doing it. Plus, she's leaving her offhand open on purpose. If she used both hands to swing it faster, it'd be harder for me to avoid her, but like this, if I approach her unarmed side, she'll be ready to grab me and turn it into a grapple I can't win.§

    §God. Fuck this. I can't even get touched by her once, but I still have to deal so much damage back. All of those attacks are so heavy and dangerous, I keep 'stopping her' automatically; I can't suppress the reflex; so eventually I'll run out of time too. The only thing I can think of is gambling on that 'delay'; it's that or lose by inches. The geometric capacitor is still fully stocked; an alkahest array shouldn't tap it by much.§

    Lilian's left hand drops to her hip when Hiromi crouches and springs. A two-foot piece of heavily engraved metal springs into her fingers with a silver twirl. The leaping attack comes at her, and Lilian flickers backwards, but not out of view, remaining straight ahead of Hiromi, inviting a continued assault. However, ahead of her, at the tip of the rod, is a three-layered silver magic circle, and matching it, a dozen other miniature mandalas appear in the air all around. Each of them begins firing high-speed silvery missiles of glittering energy that splash like reflective liquid mercury, barraging Hiromi from multiple sides. The individual impact isn't all that much, but each of them splatter her with hideously corrosive liquid magic residue.

    The techwand snaps right back to Lilian's waist again. Night Mist is drawn up high. A sharp breath in. A pulse of raw, flickering power gathers up around her. "Cleasa o'Skye--!"
Persephone Kore      We're going to have to start making sure you're not overworking yourself, either.
     So take our worry as less a bad thing, and more that our thoughts are with ya.

     Persephone's lips twitch with the first inklings of an unpleasant expression. Her eyes turn away from I4's face to look back down at the battle. Her arm withdraws from around Cantio's shoulders. Her hands fold up in her lap.

     There is the sharp and abrupt sense that they have both made a Dialogue Choice, and that it was probably the Wrong One.

     Phony takes a deep breath in, shuts her eyes, holds it (one, two, three, four, five), and then lets it out. She's smiling afterwards, but it doesn't feel genuine.

     Softly: "Yeah. Yeah. Okay."

     The warmth in her smile returns a little only when Darren and I4's topic shift provides a distraction. She laughs, just a bit. "Any moon you want, I4. I promise."
Darren      "I'll keep that in mind, blood," says Darren to Cantio. He's the type that'll try anything once.

    Roswell beeps at Darren, then floats over and sits in his lap.

    "Yeah," he agrees, patting the little alien's shoulder and holding him. "I like the cold, too."

    Lilian's constantly a step ahead, but she's gotta be or she'll fall behind. Hiromi's tough. Hard to make things stick. Against this kinda defense Lilian's fielding, I'd be running something like Hiromi's got. Tempo. Attrition. Screens wouldn't be good enough.

    "Luna or bust," says Darren to I4 and Phony. "Luna's poppin'. -The- moon to be at." He hadn't noticed Persephone's discomfort--his focus is still primarily on the fight. Though his tone is amiable, his expression is one of stern, calculating focus.

    First down, Hiromi. Lilian's line is open but it's a trap. Hiromi's in heavy traffic--more of those snap adjustments from Lilian. No gun, no problem. Don't like it. Tempo offense is the play, but it's exhausting. Slow down for a second, you open up for a turnover. Phony, how well you know this girl?
Kale Hearthward PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "Does it really matter to you if I feel bad about what I said? If you'll answer me that honestly, I'll give you my honest answer in return."
PHONE: I4 takes a real moment to decide. Then finally, "Yes. Because it means you DO feel like it hurt me, and not just some weird social thing. It makes me feel like there is legitimate regret, and that the regret stems from wanting to form a real friendship...or at least a real comradre."

Kale takes a long moment of staring at his phone, texting the person sitting not more than a few meters away from him. (He most certainly doesn't look over at I4.)

PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "Okay. I do feel bad that I hurt you. I regret it. But that is not why I'm reaching out."
PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "If you are half as smart as you claim to be you would call bullshit on me if I said this was entirely out of regret for having hurt your feeligns. So I won't."
PHONE: I4 says, "Yeah, but I also want to give you the benifit of the doubt. If I treat people close to me as if something is about to drop, then...well are they really close to me?"
PHONE: I4 says, "I am listening to you though."

Okay, what to say...

PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "Alright. Well."

What to say...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-DIALOGUE OPTION: WHAT DOES KALE SAY TO I4=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
1. LOWER YOUR EMOTIONAL BARRIERS AND EXPLAIN YOUR TRUE FEELINGS AND MAYBE FORGE AN ACTUAL CONNECTION
2. TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=MAKE YOUR SELECTION NOW=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "If I have the benefit of the doubt, can we just start over?"

> 2. TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT

PHONE: I4 says, "Mmm...sure!"

> 2a. FURTHER: FILL THE REST OF THE CONVERSATION WITH MEANINGLESS SMALL TALK

PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "Alright, then. Starting over. ... Sucks that your home town wants you dead."
PHONE: I4 says, "Yeah, sucks more that they used us as tools despite being living things with souls, infact souls of their own people."
PHONE: I4 says, "Congrats on getting married soon."
PHONE: Phoning I4, Kale Hearthward says, "You're welcome. I'll introduce you to him sometime. He's also smart."
PHONE: I4 says, "Alright!"


And then Kale looks up from his phone. Persephone said something.
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says thoughtfully, "He's cute."
<J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward says, "Sorry, who's cute?"
<J-IC-Scene> Persephone Kore says, "See?"

... Well, there's only so many males around in this area, so it shouldn't be hard to deduce. So - I4? Maybe. He does have that nerdy charm, but he needs to clean up a bit more. Darren? Too jocky. The whole conspiracy thing is possibly also a non-starter.

Then... there's really only one possible answer? Since there's only one other male within miles, out here in the desert. Kale really should have realized it sooner. It's obvious.

Yeah, Roswell is pretty cute.
Hiromi     You're still not using all of yours, right?
    "'Next time I see you, I won't kill you.' I said these words. Death is poor teacher. But you, can take more, yes? You don't care for fairness. Good." Eyes alight in interest, if uncomfortably close to those of one waiting to see how a smaller animal struggles. It's a look that can only be given from a position of power, yet it's too unthinking to fairly call it pride.

    There's barely time to even try to turn aside Hiromi's blows, though Lilian is one who could find it. With that much strength, she can swing the blade as easily and lightly as her own limbs, like it really was a natural extension of herself, attached via the complicated joint of her wrist and fingers, supplemented by the danger of every other part of her body.

    The magic circles land their hits, and Hiromi goes straight through, acid hitting her, burning, but just not fast or deep enough. At Lilian's readied strike, there's no thought to precede the change in direction, only an instantaneous shift from a kick at Lilian to one at the floor, which has the predictable result of caving it in.

    The destruction isn't total, this time, leaving most of the floor intact, apart from the hole right in front of Lilian, into which Hiromi disappears. It's dark down there. She doesn't reappear from it.

    The floor under Lilian, regardless of where she stands, explodes, instead, with Hiromi reappearing through it, swinging a broken battle tank cannon like a quarterstaff, under-arm and sweeping.

    "You've been bleeding. Why?" Of course she wouldn't be out of breath.
Ishirou I4 does notice that the weather changes, so to speak.  He's sure being concerned isn't a bad thing, but is...hm.  No, he's missing something?  He rubs his head, it was probably inside Phony's world when he was there right?  He was so focused on Lilian he was likely not paying enough attention before.  No...he let Kale handle it, he was too busy looking between the lines.  

He remembers small Phony, being worried for by the Doctor.  What was the doctor worried for?  He pauses, for a moment everything is gone and I4 relives the moment.  He goes over the details, as his mind tries and think about it.  The doctor had commented on her abilities, her pure power, and strength.  The 'dream' of SH.  

She was worried though...shouldering the burden of the dream.  That would fall on Persephone completely.  She was...and then Persephone ran away because she could feel that...

Fuck.  He gets it now.  She literally was telling him and he tried to apply what he had learned about PEOPLE onto Persephone, who had just told him /she wasn't actually human/ in the same way others are.  It's not like with Lilian, or Hibiki, or Go, or Candy.  There is a fundamental difference, ...he considers that he might not have considered this if he had grown up as a human either.  Coming at growth as an android first, ...Which means, to a point...she's a bit alone..?  

He snaps out of it, analyzing everything.  He eats the sandwich...so what does he say?  Does he apologize..?  Would it sound hollow so quickly?  Man, this would be easier if he could read thoughts better, but his stuff is so invasive.  Maybe that's something he could work on...but right now no.  Put that thought to the side, and think about how to...

She can read this, you idiot.  Oh right.  

"Actually I wouldn't mind seeing Europa.  Now that's a moon with things going on, right?  Might take me longer to get back though!" He laughs, rubbing the back of his head.  
Persephone Kore      I guess I've gotten inside her head once or twice, Persephone answers Darren with as much levity as she can muster. I don't know how much longer she can keep this kind of focus. She kept it up for minutes with me, but this isn't life-or-death like then, you know? There's not as much adrenaline behind it!

     Of course she's listening to I4. She doesn't respond immediately, instead silently holding a hand out for him to hold as her eyes sweep over the battle. She takes a sip of her cocoa, ruffles Cantio's hair. When she finally does answer, she's had ample time to steady herself. Of course it doesn't come in words.

     You're really smart, I4. Haha, smarter than I gave you credit for, for sure!! If you worry, I feel that worry too, and it makes me feel guilty, and that makes everything worse. Then you'll worry more, and I'll feel even guiltier, and there's no end to it.

     That's why there's a rule. You can't excuse or 'but' your way around it! Absolutely- never ever- worry about me at all. And if you don't know how to not worry, then relax and let me teach you.

     I've taught everyone else, by now.
Ishirou I4 takes the offered hand, and he gives a smile.  It's a bashful one because he's been kind of stupid, but all of this comes together.  "Sorry, sorry..." he says, "I'll actually have to take you up on that..." he pauses, "Worrying is what I do, I think it comes with the territory of being a supporter.  You worry about your partners, your team, making sure the info you give them is right to the best you can.."

He grins at being called smart, "Thank you!" he says, a younger I4 might have been more bashful, less sure of his own skill.  He does continue to watch, eyeing the fight.  Things shift, turn...his analysis turns.  "It doesn't matter who wins, they're both pretty amazing, huh?" he says, with a thoughtful look.  

"I'm not that strong, at least not like that.  I think now that I found myself, I need to find my strength...I guess it is like Hiromi said the other day."
Lilian Rook     §Come on, some of that has to get under her guard. Eyes or ears or nose, or even just burning through her muscles, anything works, it just has to slow her down. I can see it. A straight and linear attack is the only way she can close with me in time. And when she does--!§

    Midway through Hiromi's flying attack, Lilian's stance shifts by degrees. Her forward foot extends and swivels from one to three o'clock, her weapon drops by twenty degrees, and her center of gravity lowers by a half foot. It's all a commendable attempt at altering her attack mere moments before releasing it to account for Hiromi's sudden, silent change in strategy.

    But there are limits to how well even Lilian can execute something so advanced as that on the fly, especially at the highest level of Cleasa, and it's also a dead giveaway that she's pre-reading Hiromi's moves as well. Black and white flicker in space around her as the attack is launched, far lower to the ground than originally intended. A score of slashes, visible solely by the monochrome negative lighting where the slashes are-not, instantly crisscross the stone, scattered to catch Hiromi during her dive, but largely used up on obliterating rubble, lacerating steel, and going slightly off-target. The Archwolf dives.

    Lilian guesses what is going to happen next. She launches herself off the ground so that she has 'any' time to react before Hiromi grabs her by the feet; essentially a win condition for the Archwolf right there. It doesn't take a combat genius to figure out that Lilian isn't supremely confident she'd react to an ambush from a distance of 'literally inches', and it seems she was just in time too, briefly sent head over heels through the air, tumbling away from the Archwolf's re-emergence from the sheer force of the shockwave and erupting earth, before instantaneously correcting herself with a tiny alien-coloured static fizzle.

    §The vibro-blade is gone? A staff is going to be even faster, and the reach even more of a problem, but I won't have to gamble on deflecting it. Plus, it's using up both of her hands. She must be convinced that she can't get to me with her previous strategy; thank God, because I was starting to get worried. Presume that scrap metal will be just as tough, but there's an opening here; stay close, but not too close; don't let her extend it but stay out of reach of a bind; be careful of the moment she tries to drop it or throw it away, and watch your feet. She's exposed the unworked earth now.§
Lilian Rook     This is where Lilian proves that she wasn't full of it when she spoke last. When the two are finally locked in close combat, head to head, hand to hand, trading blow for blow, the difference between now and the last time they'd fought is palpable on multiple levels. Lilian's movements are faster, her strikes have more strength behind them, her defenses more stable and harder to crack, but her technique was already quick and heavy and sharp before; the raw physical improvements aren't what stand out. Despite the smell of sweat and blood, Lilian's adrenaline seems as if it'll still last quite a while longer; it seems as if she isn't wearing herself out as fast as last time, but that's not really it either.

    What feels the most different is her sense of 'readiness'. Lilian's confidence of reaction and efficiency of movement seem greatly improved. The little seams in moving from stance to stance, in constantly moving her feet to where they need to be, in the flow of void to thrust to expulsion to parry to void to quarter to rake to round to contrary to parry to backstep to counter, have all been filed down and polished. The microscopic reluctance to hit Hiromi back the moment an opportunity appears, and to push her blade as deep as it will go, have all but vanished.

    It's milliseconds of time, a half-degree of precision, here and there, but at this level of combat, for someone as experienced as Hiromi, that's a big difference. There's less stopping and thinking and careful extraneous motion from Lilian; the way she fights is much surer, more automatic; something recognizable as 'trust in her own style', in a sense.

    Furthermore, the exchange is constantly punctuated by Lilian's own original technique. Simply going head to head on raw strength, speed, endurance, and technique alone, Lilian would still be in a difficult, nigh-losing position. Instead, Hiromi is held off by the full combined weight of pre-cognition, causality-altered mixups, unwinnable 50/50s and unguessable feints, instant resets, negated wind-ups, unchaseable escapes, sleights and misdirections, and overwhelming blindsides, combinations, and lightseed attacks only made possible by Lilian holistically integrating that special ability into her swordsmanship, making it an entirely different beast to overcome; one completely unique to Lilian herself. If it were any ordinary master, they'd have died a hundred times before Hiromi has even slowed down.

    Special attacks are thrown into the mix at-will. Slashes that ghost through parrying tools only to strike Hiromi solidly right after. Contrary-cuts that pass through the Archwolf's freshly-shed blood and add on additional sympathetic connection damage. Flickering monochrome doppelgangers that appear out of thin air to lay on multiple strikes at once. Feints and missed cuts linger invisibly in the air until Hiromi approaches, and then activate all on their own as disjointed traps. The scent of blood, and something only loosely similar to 'after a lightning strike', builds up as she fights. It's clear that Lilian is working a lot harder than Hiromi is, but it's also true that she simply wants it more.

    At no point, however, does 'that thing' Lilian did before reoccur. Instead, Lilian's final gambit to try and push the duel as far as it will go, is one that only Persephone got to see from the outside before. A tremendous outpouring, then inward focusing, of martial energy. The distortion of light and shadow in rings of space. All of Night Mist's etchings glaring as brightly as can be. The sense of combat-grade deja-vu, crossing the border into 'danger instinct'. A scatter of phantasmic duplicates of Hiromi, like scarlet ghosts, from moments in this fight that could have been, but weren't, defending themselves from dozens of different attacks from dozens of hypothetical Lilians, until a few of them are eventually struck by deadly 'perfect strikes' simply by law of probability.
Lilian Rook     'Cleasanna Lilí Dubha ~ Claíomh Seilge sa Todhchaí'-- It's still not perfected, but it's come a long way since Lilian's first attempt to use it in real combat. The attempt still physically burns her, even scouring the surface of her armour, and the mirroring of the hypothetical and real still isn't quite perfectly simultaneous. But the purpose of it is clear enough: A technique that aggregates and combines as many theoretically plausible critical strikes at once, combining their total damage, could only have been created to push the regenerative limits of enemies like Hiromi; Lilian's self-professed worst matchup. Something she created herself to overcome that hurdle.

    However, by that point, Lilian is finally starting to look pretty exhausted. Her hair is stuck to her neck and brow with sweat. Her skin bleeds shallowly, as if abraded, where she hadn't been struck. Her armour has patchwork burns on it, especially around the arms and feet. Her movements are slowing down, her martial and mystic energies are significantly depleted, and the last attack leaves her at the point of exhausted, sweat-drenched panting, to say nothing of all the strain and effort compounded on her from Hiromi's side of the battle.

    Only then does she stop to finally answer, "The last time we fought, I apologized for getting serious, didn't I? Let me just apologize for holding back before instead. Obviously I'd shed a little blood if I wanted to push myself, instead of trying to hide things."
Hiromi     It works. It's working. At least, it appears that way. Worse and worse wounds, and Hiromi isn't healing them, except for those that actually slow her down, but so few actually do. It's not like last time -- though it isn't entirely, immediately obvious why. She's getting faster as they fight, even while Lilian tires, pushing herself harder. It's simply impossible to tell if Hiromi is pushing herself, or is just now more motivated. She's definitely learning Lilian's style, reacting more quickly, anticipating, intuiting. Her second weapon is dropped only when she tears out the steel reinforcement from the concrete to replace it, then kicks the bare earth to avalanche it into Lilian, and has returned to her claws by the time she's seen again. Catching a sword isn't a problem for her, on those. The black bones aren't something worth trying to cut off.

    And then, so many fatal wounds. Moments where, surely, Hiromi has certainly died, then continued to move, as if she could simply choose to ignore it. Her 'vitals' are still there, and still matter. That's clear from how she defends herself. It just doesn't stop her for long, even to strike them, and Lilian hasn't quite gotten that same blow in, that had been first opened for her by Hrunting. For all that it's owner had fallen while using it, one could have called that a 'good match-up.'

    "Hiding claws," she takes the time to say, allowing that moment to catch one's breath -- she clearly doesn't even need to breathe, though her chest does persistently rise and fall, at least by habit, "I know. I know you better, now, maybe. Understanding, I may display mine. You move well. That's why, I know. You'll survive this."

    She breathes in quite deliberately, then, and her presence is everywhere at once, just as I4 had seen it, then. An oppressive pressure, yet in the air, like one might describe the heat of a volcano, if with less burning.

    Hiromi approaches, not even quickly, and her strike seems as if it won't possibly connect, but the force behind it strikes the air, the space, and all of it breaks. The walls collapse, and the mountain crumbles.
Darren      Minutes?! Against -you?- Okay. Got a question for you, then. Not right now. But soon. His thoughts then turn to strategy. Composition. ...if I'm gonna run tempo I've got some good talent already. Roswell with Trick Room, Psi-Sword for a strong start and pressure. Slabb's Power Spot to redline it. But we need consistency, against a defense like Lilian's. Can't just throw deep the whole game. Need blockers--Protect's too passive. Harry's Snow Warning into Aurora Screen--that's value. But she's a split attacker. She'll knock the hell out Roswell, even with Screen up. And she'll get hard reads, every time, looks like. What do you do against that?

     He leans forward with a start, then bolts onto his feet, Roswell hurriedly hovering up alongside as they both watch Hiromi simply will herself into keeping the fight up--despite several grievous wounds. She's got scars--but only the ones she chooses. She stays in the fight long enough to throw one final pass. His mind flashes back to the conversation in the desert. 'Determination,' he'd said. 'Will-strength,' she'd called it.

     "Got it." Darren's backpack is in his lap now, having floated over his shoulder. He tugs it open, and procures a well-worn compact CD player. A scratched jewel case follows after a set of equally loved headphones. The insert depicts a spoon-bending whiskered humanoid in a before-and-after. Before, exhausted and slumped. After, standing proud and tall.

     Roswell beeps, lights on his arms flashing a one-two-three rhythm as he grabs the headphones and slips them over his unusually (read: perfectly) shaped head. He nods at Darren, who plugs the headphones in, slots 'TR144' and presses the worn-down play button.

     The TR spins rapidly. Through a slim, translucent window, the disc is observed spinning so quickly that it glows white-hot and combusts. A wispy grey curtain of smoke exits the player when Darren opens the tray, fanning it politely away from I4, Phony, Cantio and Kale.

Ta-da! Roswell learned TR144 - Recover.

     But even with this solution, Darren, still standing, is deep in thought. Damn, that defense got me shook. My best option is something she's run a thousand routes against. How do you move the ball on somebody that can download you AND make sixty tackles a second? Despite the worried crease in his brow, despite the way he strokes his chin as he ponders the aftermath of the fight... Phony can feel a kind of excitement coming from Darren. The satisfaction of trying to solve a difficult challenge. Memories of impassioned lectures given before the offensive line, marker in hand, whiteboard behind. He finally takes a seat, to respond to I4.

     "...Hiromi's a good teacher," he says, releasing a breath. "Says a -lot,- without -saying- a lot," Darren remarks to I4, as he slips the player back into his bag, setting it down between his feet. "Might say whatever else she hunts, she hunts strength. I'mma enjoy watching you find your strength and cultivate it, I4."
Lilian Rook     "Yeah. Hiding claws. You could say that." Lilian replies, daring to wipe a little blood off her lip, and yet, still thinking about how she can break off the melee engagement. "Well, it'd be hard for me to understand you any less than before. Yes?"

    §Shit. There's my data, I suppose. There's no way to do it without doing exactly what I didn't want to; and probably over and over again. She really does die for a moment if I get her just right, but she regenerates on what looks like a timed delay, and it's not a biological process or a spell. If that's all there is to it, with this kind of toughness, then I wouldn't be able to keep her dead for very long without a whole lot of things I don't have and can't easily get.§

    §What do I do now? I still have four grenades and six of each of the primary twelve in runestones. I've barely tapped the geometic capacitor, but used up a good deal of my personal energy; I haven't tried one of those attacks through the wand, but there's probably no reason it shouldn't work. There's still tons of weaponry lying around this dump. If I can shake her for a little while and catch my breath, I can locate some heavy armaments and try for a hail mary to get her off my back. Then--§

    "--Beg pardon?"

    Lilian is so surprised that she automatically falls back on being polite. The change in mood raises the hairs on her neck. The outpouring of divine power causes her to 'hide back' behind the length of her blood-soaked sword. But it's a split-second trance that causes her eyes to shoot open wide, a curse to half-form on her lips, and then--




    Lilian appears out of thin air on the diamond spectators seats, clattering to the ground with a loud, armoured thump, and a gasp like she'd just resurfaced from deep underwater. The air around her smokes for several seconds in a row, glittering with microcosms of nonsense heat and light as the glow around her legs gradually fades like scarlet-adjacent Cherenkov radiation.

    Rocking back on her butt so hard she almost falls over, Lilian teeters precariously, then slumps forward again, thoughtlessly stabbing Night Mist upright (in the solid diamond?!) to free up her hands, wiping blood from her lips onto the inner surface of her thumb, and then holding out her hand with insistent grabby motions, saying, "Water! Come on! Don't be stingy!" Then only after hydrating half a bottle at once, does she go on to say, "Jesus Christ was that really necessary? She absolutely had no way of knowing I had enough left in the tank to get out of that."

    Then a moment just for Kale: "So yeah, if you can do that well versus her, Persephone, Gilgamesh, and Vergil, I'll give you your shot. Easy, right?"