231/Black-Hearted

Black-Hearted
Date of Scene:	27 July 2023
Location:	Beryl Holdings Warehouse
Synopsis:	An investigation into the Black Jades leads to the first confrontation with a Dark General.
Cast of Characters:	Jadeite, Rashmi Terios, Rei Hino, Coco Kiumi, Usagi Tsukino, Minako Aino, Koji Silvia

---

Jadeite has posed:
    The explosion at the Four Clover Mall is fresh in the minds of many. Or rather, the attack that was reported as a gasline explosion by the news media because they can't brain magic. The Veil is convenient like that. Despite it protecting the identities of the forces of truth, love, and justice, it also gives many more advantages to the forces of not those things. From an outside perspective, it might give an observer reason to consider perhaps the Veil exists due to the Dusk Zone and other evil beings, to keep the non-magical people of the world blind and ignorant to the danger they're in, forced to rely on a special few to determine the fate of the world without even knowing they have those protectors in the first place.

    The cover stories have been given out. Investigators satisfied. Curious minds turned towards being curious about something else. The remains of the two dozen or so Black Jades that were destroyed that day have been moved to a warehouse owned by a branch of Obsidian, rather than just thrown away. That much can be figured out by investigating what was done with them, looking into the company used to transport the trash, and then asking the right questions.

    Or being a computer hacking cat, or having magical investigation abilities, or being in the right place at the wrong time and stumbling upon the warehouse right as someone else is breaking in.

    The point is there is a warehouse with the branding of Beryl Holdings, and delivery trucks made a short-notice delivery, and they were contracted to do so by the same Obsidian branch, and there are armed guards at the normal entrances, which is already weird and concerning because who has ever heard of ARMED GUARDS OUTSIDE OF A CORPORATE-OWNED WAREHOUSE IN JAPAN?

    It's late evening, and while the sky is red-gold from the setting sun, night is falling fast.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Sorry, Koji-san, >> Rashmi thinks as she sets down on the roof of a warehouse a short ways away from the one licensed by Beryl Holdings. The ninja-esque Device Mage and she had slipped their way into the mall's security cameras the day after the madness happened, and from their followed the trucks' path to... well, here. And while Koji advised a delay to plan, Rashmi simply... waited until he was gone, and flew after the trucks. *Something had to be done.*

Peeking out at the area around the warehouse, the redhead's eyes widen in dismay at the *armed guards* patrolling the grounds.

Who brings *guns* into Tokyo?!

The presence of guns, and people apparently willing and able to use them, gives the neophyte Mage pause. For now, she's simply lying prone on a corrugated roof, in full mahou regalia, staring down at the warehouse.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino didn't even consider taking one of those things home with her. Even if she had been in a state to consider it, she wouldn't have. She doesn't even own a television, much less enough appliances for a robo ball to manage her smart home (whatever THAT means). So, when Luna declares there's something worth looking into, she just takes the cat's word for it. She's not technologically illiterate she just... Okay, maybe a little bit, but it's totally reasonable and expected! Like, what's she going to do with one of those... Ninstayboxes or whatever? What are they even used for? She has no idea!

    She doesn't waste time trying to infiltrate this warehouse in civilian form. Armed guards means she's not going to test ofuda versus bullets, and also she wants to know what kind of bribes this company paid to get permission to give guns to corporate security guards. There is no way that's legal. No, she just transforms into Sailor Mars, find a good spot to observe from, and coordinate with her Allies.

    Maybe there's, like, a window or something they can get in through.

    Maybe it won't even have an alarm on it. Who knows!

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco had been messing around with the Black Jade, mostly because Wuwu kept being a nuisance about it. The sphere didn't look weird to her, but since the monkey kept insisting so much, she decided to try getting it checked by a bunch of the device mages she knew.

She tried with Stern Stark first since she was the only one she knew both in her mundane and magical forms, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

She then tried transforming into Yellow Pearl Voice and meeting the device mage with Blauer Greif, but the noble was similarly busy. She was about to give up when she coincidentally spots Francesca Leon in her magical guise and recognising the magical girl from the fridge youma incident, she decided to ask her to check the Black Jade out.

Thankfully the girl agreed and her analysis revealed a Beryl Holdings network card. Somehow it got burnt and corrupted, as if plant roots were growing through it. The card, according to Francesca connected the Black Jade to some servers somewhere, but it got now rendered useless for that purpose.

Apart from that the Black Jade was perfectly functional, so the sphere now rested in Coco's dorm room, kept well away from any monkey that might deem it a rare treasure. Wuwu however got a full explanation on what happened, since he was good enough to be trusted.

Some low-level magic that Francesca detected in the item, coupled with the incident at the mall, kindled some suspicious on Coco's part, so here she is at one of the Obsidian warehouses managed by the Beryl Holdings branch, after some of Coco's otters did some snooping around. The girl is currently hiding in her magical guise behind a dumpster, away from the field of view of some armed guards.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi had taken the Black Jade for one reason and one reason only: Naru-chan had kind of wanted one. Only, as soon as Luna got a hold of it, there was no one allowed to use the thing - she was convinced there must be something wrong with it, after hearing about the monster attack at the mall. And worst of all? She was right.

There was something wrong with the thing, even if she wasn't entirely sure what. Something not quite right. More technologically advanced than the planet should be, which, what did she mean by planet? Wasn't this the only one she'd been on?! But no, Luna wasn't interested in sharing secrets like that.

And then, she'd insisted on coming with her! Saying oh it would be fine, she could protect herself if Sailor Moon couldn't, determined to go searching for information. Looking for clues. So Usagi had agreed to go ahead and investigate the warehouse, and now -

Well, now Sailor Moon is in henshin, hiding behind a corner because there are guards and they have guns and what is she supposed to do against a gun, huh?! That's just a guy! She can't hit him with an attack! What if Moon Pencil Action goes through his eye?!

She almost gags at the thought, covering her hand to keep from making noise.

"Mars-chan," she whispers into her communicator, "What are we supposed to do!?"

Luna huffs from her own perch on Sailor Moon's shoulder. The disguise pen had turned her into a calico cat. "Maybe keep your voice down?"

Minako Aino has posed:
The worst part about having a decent amount of hours as a heroine was that you tended to learn some hard lessons. One of those one encounters quickly Minako had come to learn was that she couldn't be everywhere or stop everything...but unlike her time in London it didn't quite feel like she was the only one 'fighting the good fight'...because she very much wasn't!

Still, tonight with the guidence of her own Cat-sleuth and instincts, the silhouette of a familier fuku-clad heroine with her long blonde locks and that red domino-like mask stood out against the night sky, her gaze taking in the sight of the guards and considering.

"They're bad guys..."

"They might just be paid guards with no idea," comes the counterpoint from the small white cat who sat beside her peering down on the scene.

"With guns, Artemis?"

"You cannot assume and just blast them or start hitting them with a sword until you are certain."

"Okay, sneaky it is."

Jadeite has posed:
    There is, in fact, a window. A few of them, situated high up, near the roof. There is also, conveniently, a skylight. Unfortunately, Sailor Mercury couldn't make it, so there's no one to do the analysis for alarms. If they choose the sneaky way, they'll just need to take that possibility into account. At the very least, there's no audible signal if someone does pry open a window or slip in through the skylight. Why a warehouse has a skylight is a question that shall not be addressed in this scene.

    The dark continues to overtake the sunlight. Within the next few hours, the Moon will provide some pale illumination to the interior of the warehouse and offer the cover of night to sneak in. For now, the molten glow of sunset is all they have, and the electric lights in the area that kick on at a certain time of evening. The security lights are already on, giving the guards a clear view of their surroundings.

    However, the guards, maybe six in total situated at different entrances around the warehouse, look rather bored and unattentive. Right up until one of the sets of doors burst open, and a red-headed guard captain storms out, yelling at the slouching outdoors guards and setting them to standing at attention. Is this the professionalism of Beryl Holdings Private Security? Do they not realize they are on camera and she can see them slacking off!? Are they, in fact, lazy spineless jellyfish who want to get reassigned to guarding a landfill!?!

    By the time she goes back inside, all of the guards at every entrance are suddenly much more alert, and much more invested in keeping their job by doing their job. One of them mutters under his breath once the doors slam shut, calling her the 'Dragon Lady'.

    Thanks for making the infiltration harder, Dragon Lady!

    On the plus side, now they know there are cameras. None on the roof though, because who enters a warehouse through the roof???

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Silently, Nicomachea alerts Rashmi about the gathering magical presences around and about the warehouse. Which... is good, because with a lady like that exhorting the *people with guns* to further watchfulness, a solo excursion is the last thing she'd want to be doing.

Scouting the place for the best entry point, however... That sounds like a useful idea. A moment's searching on her initial lessons on her Device's capabilities, and the answer is clear. "Nicomachea," she murmurs to her book. "Wide-Area Investigation."

A little sensor ball made of golden light materializes over the great cabochon on the book's cover, and darts up into the sky for a moment, before zipping this way and that, down to the warehouse's roof. As much a signal to the others as a scout... and provided none of the soldiers are inclined to keep a watch *upwards,* a perfectly unnoticeable one to anyone else.

Shortly after, Rashmi herself pushes off the roof, wings of golden light unfurling from her ankles to keep her aloft as she follows the sensor to the least-dangerous point of entry.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Sailor Mars can't help but have grudging admiration for the so-called Dragon Lady keeping discipline in her workplace. However, she did just make this harder. Her own communicator lets her tell Usag--Sailor Moon her idea.

    Clearly they should use Sailor Planet Teleport to get insid--What's that? They can't do that yet? Okay, uh, then...

    "I think I can temporarily paralyze those guards with my ofuda. If we had Mercury here, she might have been able to mess with the security cameras... Do you think Luna could slip inside ahead of us through one of those windows and disable them? Then we can just go inside!" Or they could just slip in through the skylight, the practical part of her brain suggests. Shut up, no one asked you, the part of her brain that guilty dreamt of being a Lady Spy retorts.

    "That or we can just not worry about the cameras. It's not like they'll recognize us while we're transformed, and if we're fast we can get in and out before anyone realizes!" Uncharacteristically optimistic of her, but there you have it.

    Then theree's a bright light that zips around before descending on the roof. Mars blinks her violet eyes. Wait, are they not the only ones here? Also, yesssss they could go in through the roof, but, uh, err, she doesn't have a counterargument for that.

    "I think there's others looking into this, Sailor Moon. Should we team up?" Just as the guards remain unaware of the magical girls, Sailor Mars remains unaware of the striking silhouette of a domino-masked blonde watching from above. She does, however, notice a girl behind a dumpster while scanning the area. Isn't that...

    Sailor Mars hops down to the top of the dumpster, somehow remaining mostly silent and not falling on her face despite being in heels. "Psst. Hey! Yellow Pearl Voice-san, right? If you're here for the same reasons we are, we're going in through the roof. Want me to give you a boost?" If allowed, she'll gather up the mermaid idol in her arms and leap back up to the roof, and then across to atop the warehouse.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Before Sailor Moon can say anything, Luna is leaning in, speaking into her communicator on her behalf. "I certainly could sneak my way in, but we'd need to find or break a window first."

She can't walk through walls, after all! That's another type of shadow cat.

"I could throw a rock at one, but I think they'd notice that." Just a feeling she has, you know? Hm, hm, hm - wait! "Could that work? If we made a distraction, then let Luna slip into the cameras? You could put them to sleep with your ofuda when we draw them away!"

It would be just like a James Bond movie! It would be something cool, even when this is so scary - hey. Wait... "Mars-chan, do you see a light zipping past?"

A second later, there's Mars' voice over the communicator, mentioning others looking into this - she must have seen the light after all, and if it's an ally - "Maybe I should follow it?"

Luna, watching the light zip away, frowns. "It's magic to be certain, but I'm not familiar... you should follow it to your ally, Sailor Moon. Sailor Mars seems to be following her own lead."

So what else is Sailor Moon to do but launch herself up, towards the roof? In her henshin, she can do that - stronger, faster, and far more agile, it's easy to leap for the roof in a great bound, Luna tucking herself closer so she can't fall. Once she's on the roof, she has a better vantage point, and she can see a girl flying about. One she recognizes! "Hey!"

WAIT, STEALTH! "h-hey!"

Well, at least her voice is much quieter on the second call, as she waves towards the flying form of a magical girl she'd fought alongside at the mall. Some of the guards may have heard her though... whoops?

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco was rather stumped on how to get inside the building. She was temped to check whether the roof had an entry point, but the Live Stage would attract the attention of even the most distracted guards.

And that's before the Dragon Lady comes in and snaps the guards back into duty, nevermind the fact she reveals they have cameras. 'Ok, I am definitely stumped now.' notes the mermaid princess.

She starts looking around, checking if something can help ease her way up, but nothing she sees is that convenient. 'At best I could act as a decoy if someone else needed to get in, I can't create a decoy for myself!' thinks the frustrated magical girl.

She gets shaken out of her frustrated search for a way to the roop when a figure jumps down right at the periphery of her field of vision. The distracted mermaid princess instinctively worries of someone having spotted her, so she quickly turns around towards the figure.

"Oh, it's you", she whispers to Sailor Mars with a smile recognising her ally from the fight with Carbonado. She nods gratefully as the magical girl of the red planet proposes her an easy way to the rooftop.

"If your reason is investigating the Black Jades, then I am here for that too. Thanks a lot, Sailor Mars."

With that, Coco gets picked up and effortlessly princess carried to the roof.

Minako Aino has posed:
Despite her outfit, Sailor V could sneak...probably, if guided by Artemis! With leaps and swift movements shadow to shadow she was moving closer before her slender frame coiled up and she -launched- herself to touch down on the rooftop, white cat resting atop her shoulder.

Of course, her speed had meant she'd only seen signs of others as she was already making to touch down.

Improvise! Pretend you totally meant to appear dramatically...have to keep up that Sailor V mystique!

"Sailor Senshi," she speaks, making herself known. "And guests?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Another form appears close by the group... but neither by jumping and landing or making any kind of flashy entrance. Instead there is just a ripple in the air close by where Rashmi is, and the form coalesces into a familiar one for most of those present.

The ninja-themed magical boy going by 'Hanzo'.

"I didn't take you to be the type to ignore me... or go running off while I'm cleaning up after us at the mall." He says as he walks past Rashmi.

Without much more preamble and a shift of the eyes and the head in a prefunctory nod to the others, Keeping it 'cool' this time for the famous Sailor V, Koji moves over to the nearest window and draws one of the knives on his side to touch to the side of the pane.

    << OBSCURE. >>

There's a ghostly blue glow that runs over the window and then down along parts of the roof, following unseen paths as Koji's device works to loop cameras, lock out the warehouse's alarm system from being able to call out, and shuts off all the alarms on all the windows and door.

Earth tech is easy when you've got a magic space computer.

Reaching down, he stops for a moment, looks at the hinges on the thing, and then floats two knives over to them to run a little light along their lengths to kick the rust and dust off. After that... a little more for the lock, and he twists and opens!

Lastly, someone who seems ENTIRELY too proficient at doing something like this fires a line from his hand and says softly, "See you inside."

And just like that... quietly over the edge, into the warehouse, and gone back into the blurry nothingness he walked in from!

Jadeite has posed:
    Well, that solves that! Magic super computers really do speed up infiltrations. Without any alarms and the windows and skylight open, getting inside should be pretty easy. And everyone is clustered in a convenient place to enter through! Fate really does just shine on the good guys, doesn't it?

    Below, the angry muttering of the Dragon Lady can be distantly heard as she slams the inner doors, closing off the storage part of the warehouse from the staff area. Even more fortuitous!

    And, look there! There's a bunch of broken Black Jades scattered across the floor in a pile within sight, and several things to hide behind too.

    This is just going super well, isn't it--

    Space-time distorts, but any sensor reaction to it comes after the man in the gray uniform has already appeared. He has short, curly blonde hair, and is back is to the heroes/heroines once they actually get in there. Maybe he's another magical boy, like Koji, and is just investigating.

    The way he's angrily kicking around the smashed plastic, metal, and electronics, searching with his booted feet in a very rough manner, suggests perhaps that is not the case. He bends down to pick up one of the Black Jades and seems to be examining it.

    Quickly, while he's distracted! Get inside! He's disassembling the orb somehow even though it appeared to have no cracks, seams, or edges, so he probably has knowledge of them. There's a complex collections of glowing sigils and glyphs that appear on the surface during the process, and... As he places a finger to the black and silver core of the Black Jade he has selected, he speaks. A voice that a few here have heard, even if at a different volume and in a different tone. Compared to that time, he is much calmer. But he still has the same presence. Dark Energy flows through him down to his very soul, as he says the following words.

    "Huh. So the one at the mall was what an adult version looks like." He puts the Black Jade down with the rest, and says, "Oh, well. No harm done." Then space-time distorts again, reality layering over itself to erase the collection of Black Jades from existence (at least in this dimension).

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Sailor Moon's greeting earns a rushed but welcoming wave, and the redhead looks gratified to see the others forming up on the roof with her... Then Hanzo pops in, and at least Rashmi has the grace to look abashed at his comment. Once inside, the sensor ball is directed tohover at ceiling level, taking detailed scans of objects matching the signature of the Black Jade.

When Jadeite appears, however, she ducks further behind the pallet she's currently hiding behind, eyes wide. Asking her Device to ping Koji's, she sends a quick, telepathic message through Device relay.

    << So uh... You don't... happen to know *him* too, do you? >>

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
That's. Sailor. V.

Sailor Moon claps a hand over her mouth to keep from shouting out with glee because THAT'S SAILOR V! Right in front of her!!!

She jostles Sailor Mars' arm, paying no need to the fact that she's holding an entire person. It's fine! Yellow Pearl Voice doesn't even seem like she'd be heavy, Sailor Moon had carried Darien and he was a whole foot taller than her or something crazy like that!

"Mars-chan, Sailor V is right there and she knows who we are and she has a cat like us -"

Hey wait.

"Luna?" Luna, are you going to explain -

But then there's another person there, appearing out of the shadows like a ninja, and they don't have time to dawdle and gossip. He's taken down the security, apparently, which means they have the chance to get inside, to rush along with only the most minimal of stealth as long as they keep out of sight of the guards...

And then. Someone else appears. Ninja-like, but far less cool than the mysterious Ninja Guy - more of a creepy than a cool. Luna leaps from Sailor Moon's shoulder, prowling into the darkness to stay hidden and observe. What? She's a cat. It's not like she can transform into Sailor Luna and protect her charge!

Sailor Moon isn't entirely sure what to do at first. There's something eery about watching this guy just open up the Black Jades, removing any ambiguity at all that they could have been something good. And then he speaks and -

She can picture the eyes, fiery and huge, burning in the sky. His voice might not be as angry right now, but it's that voice, it's him, the one who wanted to hunt the youma hunters -

And suddenly, there's a perhaps suicidal amount of bravery welling up inside of her, because Sailor Moon stands straight and tall and starts a justice speech of all things, stepping into a perfectly convenient patch of moonlight.

"Halt, evil doer! How are you trick innocent mall-goers into taking home your dastardly devices! Don't you know people just want to enjoy the reward after one of those long surveys? I won't let your -" this is probably around the time someone starts desperately hushing her and trying to shut her mouth.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Sailor Mars is elbowed, annoying her greatly, right after landing with Voice in her arms. She sees Sailor V, yes. She stares back as she is addressed. Well, her and Sailor Moon both. And... Also the others present. 'Guests'?? The long intimate moment of staring at each other is broken by Sailor Mars saying, "I'm Sailor Mars. I didn't think you were real." Wow. Very smooth. Good job, Rei Hino, you definitely didn't fumble your Social Graces roll there. "I mean... Because there's so many stories about you." A beat. "And they sounded kind of..." she trails off into mumbling as she realizes a costumed heroine who takes down jewel thieves and bank robbers and DARK GUYS; DARK TOUR is hardly the strangest or most far-fetched thing in her life.

    Face red as her namesake, she just jerkily nods her head in acknowledgement to Rashmi and then turns to the skyli--HOLY KAMI BUDDHA JESUS AND ALLAH IT'S A NINJA. Sailor Mars definitely did not jump in surprise just now. No, she didn't, that was your imagination. Shut up.

    Taking in a breath to settle her rattled nerves, the raven-haired Sailor Senshi jumps down after the ninja guy opens things up for them, and then quickly gets behind cover like a Lady Spy would--

    She feels him before she sees him. In the process of setting Yellow Pearl Voice down, Sailor Mars freezes. This is her first time encountering him. The Dark Energy that flows through that young man is akin to what she felt coming from the man with the Black Moon on his forehead during that fight that nearly ended them all.

    And he's just... Standing there. Kicking around debris and muttering to himself. He isn't actively trying to do anything to them.

    Mars doesn't want to know what it would feel like if he was.

    She finishes putting down the colorful idol singer Mahou as she peers out through an opening in some shelving, watching the stranger examine the Black Jades, pick one up, do something to it, and then put it back down. Is he altering them? Sabotaging them? Getting rid of eviden--Oh, he just made reality eat them, that's normal.

    She is reminded of the hole in reality that the creature at the mall made. And the stranger's words link the two together in her mind. He was involved then. It HAD been planned. Sailor Moon wasn't being paranoid after all. They actually are being targeted.

    She doesn't know this guy is THE 'Fire Eyes' that has so spooked her friend, but he's clearly involved, right? This worrying lets her get her mind off of the totally embarassing first impression she gave to Sailor V, the Warrior of... Vs? Wait, didn't she also have a cat--

    Then Sailor Moon is yelling.

    Mars turns, reaching out a gloved hand towards her fearless leader while trying not to leave her hiding spot, shushing loudly, and failing to grab anything but the hem of Sailor Moon's skirt. And at that point, she has just basically revealed herself too, so she lets go and leaps up to stand by Sailor Moon. "I am the Pretty Guardian of Love and Passion ! I am Sailor Mars, and getting kids hooked on electronics when they should be outdoors enjoying themselves in nature is unforgivable! In the name of Mars--!" It's instinct, okay, shut up.

Minako Aino has posed:
At least Rei didn't acuse her of being a cosplayer just yet, that was an improvement. Making to step forward she blinks at Sailor Moon's comment about her knowing them, a little smirk on her lips despite herself. Oh if only they knew!

Rashmi and Koji's arrival brings a little smile, she'd actually met Koji before, but...

Sudden arrival of Jadeite however, that brings a little shift in circumstance and-

And now Sailor Moon was announcing them loudly.

Okay then.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
This is the second time she does this, and the distance is much shorter, Coco tells herself, as Sailor Mars gets ready to jump. She gets a bit afraid mid-flight as a magical girl on the roof starts calling out to Mars, but she emits a sigh of relief when she notices the guards haven't actually picked up the sound.

"Thank you", Coco says to Sailor Mars as soon as the magical warrior has landed safely on the roof. Her head is a bit dizzy from the quick speed Sailor Mars has demonstrated while princess carrying her, but she is holding up well.

She looks at the magical girl that called out when she suddenly jumps onto Sailor Mars' arm, not really contributing in a positive manner to her dizziness. "Hi, Sailor Moon", Coco speaks, trying to ignore the unpleasant feelings to demonstrate good manners towards her ally.

Speaking of allies, those multiply quickly as she sees Rashmi, as well as the one Sailor Moon has addressed as Sailor V, plus a boy with weird garments. She waves at everyone, wondering when Sailor Mars is going to put her down, but in reply, the boy does something that instantly paves the way for their entrance.

The impressive trick does nothing to distract her from the fact she has to brace herself for another jump, this time downwards through the skylight. 'Ok, it's over now', Coco tells herself as she feels Sailor Mars reach the ground, having grasped at her not to fall.

Fully expecting to be set down now , she interrupts her hold onto the other magical girl, but she gets confused when her expectations are only half-met. 'What's going on?' she wonders, looking around and noticing the guy that had been examining the Black Jades before disposing of them. "Do you know him?" she whispers to her carrier as she completely sets Coco down.

She receives no response however, as Sailor Mars is too busy berating Sailor Moon for ruining their cover with a heroic speech... before joining it herself? "What are you doing!?" Coco asks with alarm and incredulity to the magical girl.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Hanzo WAS going to sneak up behind Jadeite, try and wrap him him up like a Dark Dimensional burrito, and if he succeeded, then hang him from the ceiling to dangle and try to interrogate... but Sailor MOON speaks up.

And then Sailor MARS speaks up...

And all Koji can do is stand there stunned for a long moment as he is still thankfully enshrouded, but has enough brain left to shoot a quick telepathic response back to Rashmi

    < This one. Sorry, we haven't been introduced. Let's change that. >>

He begins by drawing all his Blades from his belt and moves off behind some boxes, out of sight so that he's not interrupted from using his most powerful spells from his Device. Closing his eyes, he mutters to himself, "Okay, let's see if he'll monologue..."

But he proceeds to direct all six of his Device's extensions out and around where Jadeite is, each of them cloaked like he USED to be and arrange themselves for a proper magical circle.

Jadeite has posed:
    Right before he can leave, the blonde-haired man is accosted by sparkle skirts and their speeches and their posing. He never understands when they do this. He sighs heavily before turning around to face the two Sailor Senshi. He has a mildly pained expression as he looks at the two of them. Has he met these ones before? Were any of them part of the group he threatened? No. He doesn't recognize either. He's also picking up magic all over in here, and it tells him something fucky is going on, though he doesn't know what yet. He tosses up a forceshield around himself, just incase.

    His eyes are cold, but his mind is on fucking fire. This is partially thanks to the horrendous headache that still hasn't gone away since before he spoke with Hematite on the roof, thanks to his continued use of his powers to mind control people into forgetting things or believing other things or forgetting how to breathe or whatever.

    And--Actually, wait a moment.

    Moon? Mars? Aren't they... Jadeite squints. The memories were shrouded by the Veil for the humans he memory-scanned, but that one human, whatever her name was, Rana-something? Putting together that with what he sees now, he can only conclude... These two were there at the mall. They were part of the group of Magical Girls who Hematite and his pet viper-scorpion watched fight the creature. They're responsible for all of this, even if Jadeite is actually responsible indirectly.

    Despite the foul mood he is clearly in, as the justice speeches continue towards their inevitable conclusion, a very creepy, mirthless smile slowly spreads across his face. It doesn't reach his eyes.

    "Die." he suggests before raising his right hand, pointing it, and telekinetically blasting at them with a wave of rippling force.

Minako Aino has posed:
The best thing about the 'less than intelligent' speech? It did draw focus pretty well. Minako was even getting ready to draw her hands up for an attack of her own...then that wave came hurtling out and she was forced to dive down lest she take the full brunt without Rashmi's shield. Of course, if there was anyone else caught outside it, there was likely going to be some less-than-elegant tackling to get them to cover.

Quick to her feeet, her hand lifts and she sweeps her hand in a wide motion that leaves links of energy in her wake. Sailor V wasn't out of the fight and she didn't want the badguy getting away as long as the other Senshi were safe!

"Crescent Love-me Chain!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
*BONG!* << SHINE STEP >>

Short-range bursts of speed are common additions to the Grimoire of any Intelligent Device, and the moment Jadeite calls doom for the Senshi, Rashmi activates hers.

The reason for the burst of speed? To interpose herself -- and more importantly, a Shield of gold-colored hard light -- between Jadeite's wave attack, and the girls. Knowing well that the two of them are *much* better attackers than herself, keeping them in the fight is the smartest choice possible.

Being optimized for support and defense, Nicomachea's shield is strong. But Jadeite's telekinetic wave is *frighteningly* strong, and the shield cracks, then shatters under the assault, throwing the earnest mahou off her feet and backwards at the Senshi she sought to protect. But with luck, at least, it's blunted into something a lot less lethal.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon is aware that a justice speech may not be the best idea. This guy sent Lightning Man after her. This guy was Fire Eyes, one of the most terrifying enemies she knew of, her first introduction to the concept of a bad guy.

But what was she supposed to do? Cower? Watch?

Well, she really wishes the answer to that question was yes, but she's the strongest one here, next to Sailor V (ninjas were not usually specced for DPS!), and the best thing to do is draw attention, right?

Only, Sailor Mars copies her! Does a Justice Speech! And even if everyone is freaking out about it - but she doesn't have much of a chance to regret her actions before Fire Eyes is telling them to die. Telling her to die -

And then, the mysterious magical girl is in the way, making a shield, and tanking the attack - one that's familiar to Sailor Moon at least, as the one that once upon a time broke everyone's pots. She'd been hiding behind cover then, an ice wall that kept her from being hurt, but now, she calls out, "Do you only have one trick?! Your minion is doing a better job of being scary than you, Fire Eyes!"

She's thinking of the lightning man, who'd wrecked havoc and made her sacrifice her tiara. Fire Eyes might think she's talking trash about a basic youma. With a different attack, Sailor Moon could try to tank, but with this one - the most she can do is grab the mysterious girl and drag her away just as her shield gives out. She'll hit the ground with Rashmi in hand.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Sailor Mars isn't copying Sailor Moon! It's a team speech! Synchronized posing, you know!? That thing Sailor Senshi do togeth--Okay you know what, it's fine. It's all fine. Moon can think she's copying her for now. It's all just... Fine. Also, the bad guy breaks several levels of villain etiquette by not letting them finish their speeches! Don't they all wait usually!? The sheer creepiness of the enemy's smile, and the hate in his eyes, is intimidating, certainly, but... For some reason... Something about him...

    Mars can't devote further thought to the matter as she takes the opportunity while Rashmi blocks the attack and Sailor Moon makes sure Rashmi is covered to dive out of the way with a yell. She was not expecting an instant attack at all!

    She manages to roll into a crouch though thanks to her Henshin-granted agility, and clasps her hands together as she focuses the power of her namesake planet and then unleashes it as a wave of flames! "Fire Soul!" she calls out. If he wants to just get down to business, then Sailor Mars will oblige her. She isn't going to let Sailor V's smooth interception and her shining chain be a waste, pouring fire onto the target right behind it. Will this be enough to defeat him!?

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is unsurprised by Jadeite's reaction. To be precise, she would find his reaction to be expected given the little he knew about the Obsidian bunch. The speed and the attack itself come as a complete surprise to her.

She instinctively dodges out of the way before noticing the shield Rashmi had put up to defend them from the ominous wave of dark energy. It doesn't look like the shield is going to do the job by itself, realises Coco by the cracks that are already starting to appear.

She mentally calls upon the Live Stage, the white sphere appearing into existence as it was always there. In preparation for Coco's singing, the Stage starts generating a soundtrack, while the magical idol declares "Legend of Mermaid: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!'

https://youtu.be/JZ5oJI72bCA

The magical song moves through the air, its power a counter to dark magical energy in the area. To its audience, it offers a promise: that everything pure is sacred and protected by the blessing of the seven seas, and nothing is going to make them falter.

The wave of dark magical energy is the most obvious addressee of this melody, being debilitated by both the shield and the song.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Feeling as much as hearing that 'Die' and the blast that followed it, 'Hanzo' comes around the corner as his Blades are in place.

He can see how the Barrier that Rashmi threw up is beginning to crack under the pressure and everyone else is being dragged out of the way. There's fire, and heart-shaped chains... and this he can work with.

While it's not required for him to use these more powerful spells, the kuji-kiri hand-poses help him focus his mind and center the spell in it.

    Visualize.

    Channel.

    Release.

All six Blades appear and slam down into the floor of the warehouse, and the grips of each weapon ignite with a purple flame. From up under the ground comes a magical circle in ghostly blue, Mid-Childan incantation script flowing in the slowly rotating outer circle and along each of the six interconnecting lines. It begins to rotate slowly, and all that seems to be missing is the japanese flute, the taiko sticks being tapped together, and the kabuki 'HYOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU'...

    << SIX BLADE SEAL. PURIFICATION. >>

Just as Mars and V's attacks make to strike, a pillar of ghostly blue white shoots UP from under 'Fire Eyes' attempting to hit him with the thing that usually snuffs out or weakens beings like this...

"Don't Let Up!", Koji yells, "He won't give you the chance if you falter! You can do this! All of you! Together, you girls are unstoppable!"

Jadeite has posed:
    The shelves, crates, and anything else not nailed down is thrown through the air as easily as paper in the wind as the telekinetic wave crashes against another Magical Girl's barrier. Jadeite snarls as a chain smashes against his forceshield, stopping several inches short of touching him but marking the impact point with a line of golden light, Jadeite hand is thrown up just as the flames wash over his forceshield too, making it visible by marking its boundary and shape. Then some sort of ritual spell is being cast on him, and Jadeite crosses his arms in front of himself in an 'x' shape, and hunkers down to reinforce his shield. Then a column of light and purifying fire explodes under him. Simultaneously, the song of Yellow Pearl Voice is annoying and for some reason hurts, interfering with his already strained concentration and his killer migraine.

    Little known fact: It is very, very difficult to forceshield against both kinetic energy and radiant energy at the same time. Usually you have to pick one at a time. A valid tactic against people who can use forceshields is to barrage them with one of each, such as a sword and a fireball, to catch them with at least one. With kinetic impacts from Sailor V's attack, radiant energy from Mars and Hanzo, and the mental interference of Yellow Pearl's song of cleansing, the force shield visibly distorts and flickers as it is overwhelmed.

    It is very, very difficult to shield against both types of energy at once.

    Difficult, but not impossible.

    The forceshield flickers... Distorts... And then stabilizes.

    Jadeite throws his arms outwards, releasing an explosion of telekinetic force infused with Dark Energy, turning the floor beneath him into a crater, smashing sturdy steel shelves and heavy crates into fragments, throwing shrapnel and broken concrete and particulate matter in every direction, and making the ground ripple outwards like a city street in an earthquake.

    Ironically, it's very similar to what happened at the mall.

    It's like a bomb just went off, with Jadeite as its epicenter. He was tired. In pain. Distracted. Stressed out. Now, he's all of those things and also completely furious. "Very nice." he says into the residual echoes and rumbles and sounds of things falling from high up and crashing to the ground below. "You rats managed to put together enough brains to arrange an ambush. And you thought this would allow you to kill me? ME?" He spits out a wad of blood from the purification effect making the inside of his mouth split open. "I am Jadeite, First of the Four Heavenly Kings, Dark General of Her Majesty, and of the Dark Kingdom! And I WILL NOT BE LAID LOW HERE, BY THE LIKES OF YOU!!!" he screams out into the dust-cloud shrouded warehouse. Or what's left of it. Some of the roof has started to fall inwards.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It's a lot easier to appreciate a monologue when you haven't been whipped *twice* by large-scale kinetic energy attacks.

Once again, Nicomachea throws a dome of hard light around herself and Sailor Moon, even as Rashmi utters a low, strained thanks to the twintailed blonde for catching her... And once again, it's just not enough to stand up to Jadeite's might.

So as she's thrown away from Sailor Moon's protection and into what would briefly be called a shelving unit -- and after the explosion, a twisted wreck -- the aftermath of the blast, the wooziness and tinnitus, makes it difficult to concentrate on his self-aggrandizing... *tantrum,* is really the best word for it. But she catches enough.

"Okay... well... that's great, Jade Eye. That all sounds... really impressive."

As her vision begins to clear, her eyes fall on the Senshi, and an idea forms.

    << ...Hey Nicomachea. Do we have enough left in us for one more big boost? >>

    << REMAINING LINKER CORE CAPACITY STATUS GREEN. POST HIGH-OUTPUT SUPPORT... RED. >>

    << Okay... Three targets. There, there, and there. >>

Even as she weaves on her feet, a circle similar to Koji's spreads out beneath her feet, traced in golden light. "Maybe... You can go be laid low somewhere else? Please?"

    *BONG!* << DELTA BARRET -- BOOST UP >>

Three sunshine-colored, wispy spheres of energy fade into existence, revolve once around Rashmi, then spread out. It might look like an attack, but the energy homes in on each of the Senshi in turn. If they have a ranged option, it is *going* to hit harder than it ought, thanks to Mid-Childan tactical magic.

...Aaand then Rashmi collapses to the ground, Barrier Jacket flickering, but ultimately holding stable.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Diving for the ground with Rashmi had been instinct more than plan, the need to get someone to safety, and do it while getting herself to safety too. That it worked - even if only for a moment, enough to get bearings and catch breath, is just a sign that Sailor Moon is developing the right instincts.

"No problem," she gets out as Rashmi puts up a shield, and then - the shield breaks. Again.

Sailor Moon has to hand it to that shield though, because even if she's thrown back, rolling across the floor until she strikes a box that's managed to hold it's shape, she's still alive, and miraculously intact - none of that new shrapnel, flying with the force of telekinetic push, managed to stab her. She's whimpering, of course, little involuntary sounds of pain as she forces herself up, but she's alive.

Luna, taking shelter under an upturned shelf, bares her teeth. The sound of Sailor Moon's whimpers, the cries of pain the other children had made as they were struck, and the general bravery they're showing - there's not a chance that she can simply cower away as they fight! Hunched low to the ground, staying out of sight, Luna begins inching her way forward, moving ranting villain...

Sailor Moon, meanwhile, stands strong - or at least, stands upright, gloves hands filled with wood fragments from shattered boxes - some just a few inches, others the size of her hand, and one particularly frightful one as long as her arm. They're heavy, weighted and shaped entirely differently from her tiara, but Sailor Moon has power. She thinks of that, of the rose she'd used to blow up his(?) monster, of the tiara that once channeled that power, and clenches her fists around those wooden fragments. This power - it's the one thing she's had from the start of this nightmare. And as Fire Eyes - Jadeite - starts a monologue - a rant - that reminds her of entirely too many sore losers on Call of Duty, she remembers the other thing she's always been able to do.

Seriously piss people off.

"I definitely see what you have in common with Lightning Guy," she says, throwing him a cocky (terrified) grin, "You throw tantrums the same way and everything! Do they teach you that in the Dork Kingdom?"

As Sailor Moon taunts their and Rashmi channels her power into a final support spell, Luna makes her move - with the silent grace cats the world over are known for, she pounces, sinking her fangs into Jadeite's ankle through the fabric of his uniform. Her mouth floods with blood - her backlegs kick, claws striking and tearing at his other ankle. There's not a chance she can kill or even seriously wound him - but she can most certainly distract him.

"Moon Shrapnel Action!"

An unfortunate time for an action, as Sailor Moon goes quantity over quality, and throw an entire double handful of wooden fragments - including that piece as long as her arm - directly at Jadeite's chest.

Every piece glows with the cosmic fury of the universe, love and hope transformed into pure (and explosive, without the proper vessel that was her tiara) energy.

Rei Hino has posed:
    It's too similar to what happened at the mall. Sailor Mars is shaking all over, her eyes darting around wildly to take in the destruction as the smoke and dust clears, unable to hear anything except the high-pitched noise of the organic structures that allow her to hear in the first place dieing and her own heart pounding like she just ran a marathon. She didn't realize until this very moment that the first incident might have traumatized her. Now she at least has an inkling. She struggles to get to her feet while everything blurs and seems to move in a staggered manner like a low-quality web camera with seconds of delay between frames.

    She still can't hear anything but that high-pitched sound and her own heartbeat. For a moment terror makes her almost fall back to the ground as she considers she might be deaf now. How can I fight alongside Sailor Moon if I can't even hear the enemy? she wonders in a dazed state.

    Thankfully, her hearing gradually returns, even if everything initially sounds like it's coming from a great distance. Her vision is clearing up too. She doesn't know where anyone is in this mess, but the evil that saturates everything now tells her the villain is still around. She uses that to hone in on him. He's saying something... Identifying his affiliation. Dark Kingdom?

    Rei's stomach sinks as she considers there might be an entire kingdom of people like this. No, most of them are probably more like the youma they fight regularly. She hopes. For now, she just tries to aim herself roughly in Jadeite's direction and gather her focus for another attack.

    It might not be necessary though, because Sailor Moon has unleashed some kind of magically-empowered attack!

Coco Kiumi has posed:
All the energy beams going off in the area makes it kind of hard to understand what is going on. She sees that her allies are being able to retaliate against Jadeite, though, so that's good. 'It wasn't an expected confrontation, but we are actually doing great', thinks the mermaid princess, still singing in the midst of all that destruction, moving the Live Stage as needed to avoid debris and various repercussions of the magical attacks.

Her song was too able to hurt the heavenly king to her surprise, the energy the guy was releasing putting him on a higher level than the typical demon, so that she would have expected to need more mermaid princesses at her side for the magical melody to reach and hurt Jadeite.

She is not going to contest this miracle though, and keeps singing as all the explosions go off in the area, providing magical moral support for her allies and debilitating the enemy right as everyone is focusing on him.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Bodied.

That's really the only term that applies to Koji when that blast wave kicks everything at him. Without the Blades to provide his Device's enhancements and mobility abilities he usually uses in his fights, there's nothing to get between him and that oncoming tide of dark emotional power.

Unlike the rest, who had some sort of cover blown away from them, he is thrown back into a support girder HARD, the thing bending slightly and helping to cause some of the roof to destabilize. If not for the Barrier Jacket, that would have been fatal...

But as it stands, his final defense against true harm is flickering badly, derezzing almost at one point to reveal parts of an RHA sports tracksuit and then back once again. His face however, is never revealed...

    << Young Master. Warning. Warning. Linker Core Fracture. Disengage. >>

One eye only a slit open, his heart pounding in his ears, vision resolves for 'Hanzo' in time to see only one thing.

One brave little soul trying to fight by everyone's side.

Shakily reaching for his only active Blade, a thing that is only half-real at this point, he mentally pictures it flying to it's target as numb fingers let go.

The blue-blade of energy lances forwards, almost dematerializing once, before it strikes it's target.

<< POINT WARP. >>

Luna.

Before Jadeite can kick her away, or stomp that brave feline soul for her bitey defiance... the Blade contacts her and they both vanish, reappearing in Koji's hands as he rolls away from the falling roof, obscuring both from sight and potential harm, in and behind a huge chunk of roof that crashes and then falls forwards between them, The Dark General, and the Senshi.

Barely conscious, but at least the cat is safe.

Jadeite has posed:
    Being bitten and drawing blood through his good leather boots is quite the feat. For a cat. Ice shards form in the air around him, sharp as knives, glittering and aimed at Yellow Pearl Voice and her stage, but that sudden feline attack is enough to have them turned on her instead. Thankfully, Koji rescues her, just before the shattered, cratered ground suddenly resembles a porcupine with the dense collection of ice crystals jutting out of the concrete.

    It did the job though.

    Sailor Moon launches her attack, and Jadeite is caught by surprise. The cosmically-enhanced barrage of debris collides with his forceshield. Luna managed to sneak within its radius, so it didn't pick her up as a kinetic impact, but this is very much not a slow-moving attack. The Dark General narrows his eyes at the intense concentration of magic as it crackles and seethes against the invisible barrier. It is in more danger of collapsing now than earlier with the multi-pronged attack.

    He can't teleport without dropping it first, and he isn't some idiot who will stand here and try to take it. So, instead, he looks around at everyone, memorizing them to the best of his abilities given the Disguise Magic at play, and then focuses on Sailor Moon. His eye twitches as more things inside of him start to pop and tear and bleed from Yellow Pearl Voice's purification song. Then he gives a nasty smile. It's not like the sociopathic murderer smile from earlier, but a deliberate, intelligent, calculated smile. Somehow, that may be even scarier.

    He forms a knife of ice and draws it across his own throat, then says, "I'll let your friend from the mall know you said hello."

    It's a chilling if empty threat (mostly), but there is no doubt that he would carry it out if he got the chance. And there were only so many people that could have been there. And he has their faces in the memories of those he interrogated telepathically. One of them has to be connected to these magical girls. He'll find them, even if he has to kill them one by one.

    Then he flies up into the air, taking more damage to his legs from the shrapnel he can't get out of the way of in time as his shield shatters. The feedback of that adds to his headache tremendously, and he won't be able to reform it for a while. But he isn't sticking around long enough for it to matter.

    Jadeite teleports away from the ruin he has caused.

    He leaves behind destruction, trauma, fear, injury, a threat, and blood that is already beginning to blacken as the Dark Energy that has tainted it claims it in the name of an ancient evil.

    He will need time before he can act again. Cosmic shrapnel is not something one just walks off.

    The Dragon Lady pokes her head in, sees the state of the warehouse, then decides this is above her paygrade and closes the door again.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
*shf* *shf* "Nnnnnnggggggg..."

Pushing herself off the floor on extremely shaky arms, Rashmi raises her head -- trying to peer through both glasses *and* hanging hair -- and tries to take stock of the situation. "Hey... Hey it's quiet now. Did we win...?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon watches her attack strike Jadeite's barrier with intent eyes, chest heaving from exertion, fists clenched - ready to try it again if she has to, to grab for more debris, to keep throwing out attacks until she collapses if it means Jadeite runs away. (Runs away, because even with as terrible, as terrifying, as he is, she can't think of him being killed. He's a person, not a monster.)

But the shield buckles - she can tell, because her shrapnel, shining with all her power - hers and the borrowed power bestowed upon her - are advancing, pressing in that little bit closer.

And she has hope.

And then Jadeite looks at them - looks at all of them, even through the light of her attack, and she sees his eyes meet hers, a cruel smile twisting his face. It's worse than the unhinged grin from before, because the mad-edge to it all is gone, leaving nothing but cold purpose.

And he says -

And she freezes -

And the shield breaks and the attack strikes and Sailor Moon sees nothing of it, her eyes wide with horror, her lips parted ever so slightly. It takes everything in her to stay on her feet, to not fall back on her behind and shake because it's - she always thought the sheer scariness of these fights was the worst thing.

She was wrong. This is the worst thing. This man, threatening to kill her friend - threatening to kill Naru-chan, even if he didn't know her name - because of her.

"I -" she starts, stops, voice breaking. "We won."

She doesn't think they won at all.