631/Save Princess Dia!

Save Princess Dia!
Date of Scene:	21 October 2023
Location:	Plot Room 3
Synopsis:	The forces of the Dark Kingdom and the Inner Senshi clash at Princess Dia's Masquerade Ball after the young princess is possessed by Nephrite's shadow. All seems lost - until Sailor Jupiter awakens in the nick of time!
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Nephrite, Pyrite, Zoisite, Rei Hino, Mamoru Chiba, Kazuo Saitou, Jadeite, Makoto Kino
Tinyplot:	Masquerade of Princess Dia
Tinyplot2:	Silver Crystal

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Occurring about two hours into the Masquerade Ball taking place in scene 623.

As befits a royal, once her circuit of the ballroom is made and several superficially casual and subtextually critical conversations have been completed, Princess Dia dances, with a few guests, here and there, speaks briefly and respectfully with the young prince - second grandson of the current emperor - in attendance, and in general, seems to have a good time. Her eyes may be hidden behind thick glasses, but her smile is bright, and warm. Still, as time passes, she seems to grow more, and more tense - the time is approaching for her father to share their treasure, with her.

Approximately two hours into the event - an hour or so after her arrival to the ball - Princess Dia slips away, exiting the ballroom in favor of a side hall; this corridor isn't open to the guests - it is no decorated for the party, is lavish only in that it suits the general aesthetic of the embassy, rather than as a display of prosperity and power.

She walks alone, fidgeting with her glasses. The national treasure her father intends to surprise her with is deeper in the embassy, and a part of her wants to sneak, to see it, to know, so she isn't as surprised as the rest of them when she sees what he's planning for her, and the rest knows it should be a surprise, and another part is fretting over it being something horrible somehow despite being a crystal -

All of which is to say, Princess Dia is exceedingly distracted, fully paying no heed to her surroundings.

In the ballroom, the princess' absence doesn't go entirely unnoticed. Usagi Tsukino had had the time of her life at the ball thus far, dancing merrily with her handsome boyfriend, catching up with friends, enjoying fancy snacks, and being tempted to try the sweet-scented champagne carried about by waiters moving this way and that. She's supposed to be here to investigate the Silver Crystal.

She's not the one to notice the princess disappearing. That would be Luna, lurking in the vents of the embassy like something out of Metal Gear Solid. She sends an alert to those Senshi in attendance via their communicators -

Delicate chimes sound, just loud enough for the Inner Senshi and those nearest them to hear. Usagi is quick to bring her wrist up, stifling the chime. The middle of a ball isn't the best place to go speaking into your wrist communicator, but, there's enough distraction here that she thinks she'll go unnoticed. Maybe they'll think it's a smartwatch. "Luna, what's the matter?"

"Princess Dia has slipped away from the masquerade. Following after her may lead you to the crystal - and at least, you'll be able to observe her more closely!"

The whispered exchange is carried across the lines for not just SAILOR MOON and LUNA, but those for SAILOR MARS, SAILOR MERCURY, and SAILOR VENUS, and NARU. The line that should connect to SAILOR JUPITER is of course, inactive.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite finishes his dance with Naru. Originally, his plan was to possess her with his Shadow during said dance, and use her to get closer to Princess D. But he has a better idea. He turns his phone back on, and responds to Himeko's gif from earlier.

    TXT to Himeko: Would you mind terribly taking something to the young lady in the fancy dress who has just departed? It will be fast, I promise.

    She's already an evil spirit. What's one more?

    From there, he just makes sure he is nowhere near what's about to happen, so he can't be blamed for it. He'll be splitting his attention between what's happening with Naru and what's happening indoors though. Soul Projection or not, his Shadow still shares his awareness, so some degree of conscious direction is needed.

    This is all going to go perfectly.

Pyrite has posed:
    A short time earlier...
    TXT from Nephrite: Would you mind terribly taking something to the young lady in the fancy dress who has just departed? It will be fast, I promise.
    She thumbs the keyboard of her phone to message Nephrite back as she chews on her floor chicken.
    TXT to Nephrite: Is it a cat?
    TXT to Nephrite: I had cat ears earlier, I should probably have a reason for that.
    TXT to Nephrite: I thought maybe it was due to the bakeneko in my future, but a cat is fine too.
    She looks up from her phone, at Nephrite, during the moment while he's indoors. Yes, she is just there now. It's a thing that happens, don't worry about it. She holds out her arms, as a Shadow coils in them, shaping itself into a cat. Ish. Thing. It's still an evil Soul Projection, but it's something a ghost can carry around no problem.
    Then she is off to find Princess Dia to show her the Nephrite cat! Or... Nekorite! Nek... Kagerite... Kageneko... Rite... She'll figure it out before she gets to the princess, it's okay.

Zoisite has posed:
    Zoisite is not wearing a dress to this event, surprisingly. Maybe he just likes to alternate. JUST KIDDING he is dressed as Sailor V and nailing the look and outfit. "Haha, do go on." he is telling some guy who is trying very hard to hit on him while he glances across the dancefloor towards where that wobbly wight is carrying a soul cat. What in the hell is going on here? Wasn't Naru supposed to be the host to Nephrite's Soul? Oh, if Himeko is messing things up again...!

    "One moment, I just realized I need to drink much more than I am to continue this interaction." Then he sashays his way over in his mini-skirt to get a refill. And also to try to get closer to Pyrite and figure out wtf is happening.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei, largely spending the evening alone over by a wall, watching others have fun, is startled by the sound of her communicator going off. Glancing around casually, she slowly retrieves the communicator from her handbag after turning around so that no one can see her talking into it.

    "Should I excuse myself and follow her as well, or keep an eye out for Dark Kingdom goons? If they spawn a youma in the middle of this crowd...!" SAILOR MARS sends to Luna, SAILOR MOON, and any other Senshi present. She has certainly felt evil in the area, but it hasn't been 'active' so pinpointing it has been difficult. Her senses aren't some kind of spirit radar, and they don't come with an instruction manual. Intent matters a lot, and so far no one is intending harm to anyone here...

    Yes, not even Darien over there, or his sister who is--Wait, where'd she get that cat?

    "Luna, is Hematite's sister carrying you right now?" she asks.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi would prefer not to ditch the ball - but half the reason she's here is for this specific moment, the chance to figure out if D----- Kingdom has the Silver Crystal and princess. Plus - she had split away from Mamoru for to use the restroom, leaving him to Kazuo's capable hands, so it's not like she'll be missing out on much. At the sound of Rei's voice, and the suggestion of goons she grimaces reflexively, lifting her communicator to her mouth.

"There are other folks here tonight who could help if they do start something," she whispers, making her way towards an exit, wondering how she'll find the right one.

And then the second question registers, and she pauses, startled, even as Luna squawks, indignant. "She most certainly is not!"

"Hemachan told me he got Himeko a new cat," Usagi says hesitantly, scanning the crowd for the miniature Hematite. "But Himeko-chan didn't have her when I saw her earlier... I'm going to follow her. Rei-chan, I think you should too. This might not be good."

She would like to hope that Himeko-chan would cause trouble tonight, but, well. They are a little on opposite sides.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Someone else who notices Princess Dia leave is Mamoru, in his mask and black tailcoat and white tie, and he lets a short breath out between his teeth. He's still with Kazuo, so he leans up to whisper, "Just remember, I wouldn't."

And then he gives the taller white-haired boy a self-deprecating smile as he rocks back on his heels. "I'll be back soon. Find Usagi? Remind her too? I have to figure out what's going on." Among other things.

And then he heads up the stairs to the balcony to find Jadeite and Nephrite.

And maybe Pyrite. And why is Sailor V here in costume? Must be a cosplayer-- but a cosplayer at a formal ball? Unless-- he pauses at the foot of the stairwell and can still see Hannah, so no, the Sailor V costume is definitely a cosplayer at a formal ball who isn't getting kicked out probably for the same reasons Himeko isn't.

Right. Balcony.

Up the stairs he goes! "Guys--?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Everyone's watching Himeko tonight, for some reason. Including Kazuo Saitou, who pauses a moment to frown faintly. Wasn't the bakeneko supposed to be in Mamoru's room? Did she bring it back to the party? There's certainly food here, granted, so hopefully it won't start trying to eat the guests. He starts to say something to Mamoru, but Mamoru beats him to it. And then departs.

All right. That's probably not the bakeneko.

And whoever is wearing the Sailor V costume quite so well is also probably not Sailor V.

He does not go up the stairs to the balcony; he turns to lose himself as well as he can in the sea that's close to half black and white, hunting for an element of blonde and pink. The first four are not Usagi. He doesn't have high hopes for the fifth.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite is wearing his glasses and reading a book. Of course he is. What else would Jadeite be doing at a social gathering? "Hmm?" is his reply when he hears Darien's voice. He glances up a few seconds later, realizes it's not 'Darien' he's speaking to, but 'Mamoru' (different posture, tone, inflection), and gives a smile while gesturing at the chair formerly occupied by the artist known as 'Nephrite'.

    "He's out dancing with his crush or whatever Osaka is to him. Care to have a seat and take a load off? You've been on your feet or someone else's feet all evening."

    Then he glances around, doesn't see Usagi anywhere, and pauses. Hm. She's been absent for a bit now hasn't she? Or did Jadeite just lose all track of time? "Where is your little shadow? Not off knifing someone in a dark hallway, I hope. Or, worse, kissing somebody who asked her to dance. Poor soul if the latter. Hope he comes away with all his teeth at least."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto wasn't really still officially running interference for Usagi... at this point, it hardly seems needed. Still, she's restless and at loose ends. The air in the ballroom feels simultaneously stifling and unsettled in a way that she can't explain. Over the music and the murmur of a hundred quiet conversations, she'd swear she could hear the wind whispering a warning against the tall windows.

With nothing better to occupy herself, she keeps an eye out for one particular little blonde girl in pink.

And when she sees Usagi and Darien separate - Usagi headed out of the ballroom entirely moving with purpose - Makoto Kino frowns. Gathers her skirt close to her legs with one hand. And follows.

She's long since mastered the art of moving quickly through a crowd. When you're tall and you carry yourself with single-minded forward purpose, people tend to get out of your way. She closes the distance quickly.

"What's going on?"

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite's Shadow compresses itself into something about the size of a basektball. It can flatten itself to go under doors and through cracks, so it's not surprising it can shape itself, but it takes Himeko's special touch to gain the feline appearance. After all, it's just a black and red mass of Dark Energy and elemental Evil, with Nephrite's face writ in fire where a cat's face should be. The head is currently turned to hide said face in the crook of Himeko's arm. Fewer people will be scarred that way.

    Little whispers pass between Soul Projection and ghost, guiding her to Princess Dia. She's not magical, as far as Nephrite can sense, so it's a matter of scanning for auras, and eliminating individual human auras from the selection pool one at a time, until the right person is found. Human auras are all the same. Except for those of a Senshi, which are larger and brighter. But unless the Senshi is transformed, there's no way to differentiate between one human and the next.

    What an awful bother this is, and on a deadline to boot.

    Nephrite is hoping very much that Himeko stays well clear of Kazuo. That one in particular is sharp as tacks and might clue in to something others wouldn't.

    (Nephrite does not know that Rei is here, or he would be warning Himeko away from her too.)

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The halls in the D---- Kingdom Embassy are awfully long, as befits a Western-style mansion, and Princess Dia walks this one alone, slowly making her way. She knows that her father has hidden their national treasure in one of the rooms in one of the corridors here in the embassy, but not which one (how else was a father to keep his nosy daughter from peeking early?), so she meanders, peeking into rooms. It means that she hasn't gone that far, and will certainly be in line of sight once Himeko exits the ballroom.

"If I was a national treasure, where would father hide me," she mumbles under her breath, pouting when yet another door turns out nothing.

Pyrite has posed:
    Turning and twisting as directed by the whispers of a not-cat, Himeko leaves the ballroom. Then she sees the princess. That's the princess right? She's wearing a fancy dress, so she must be the princess! Himeko hurries her pace. "Hello! I am Himeko! Would you like to see this cat? It is normal and safe!" she assures the royal inthe most reassuring manner possible.

Nephrite has posed:
    The 'cat' remains normal and safe with its face tucked away in the crook of Himeko's arm, right up until it is close enough to turn suddenly, with a fiery human face silhouetted on darkness, grinning malevolently, like something out of high octane nightmare fuel movies or anime or something, and then looms large, expanding into a wall of shadow that sweeps over the poor princess... And takes control.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Luna's indignant protest leads to Rei going, 'Ohhhhh boy. Here we go again.' in her head as she hurry-scurries as unobtrusively as possible in her red dress and heels (Senshi magical athleticism does a lot of work for running in heels that Rei is sorely missing right now, let me tell you). "I'll follow her then. There's... Something nasty about that cat. It definitely has malicious intent."
    Pause on the communicator before she puts it away. "More so than a normal cat, I mean." Then SAILLOR MARS closes her communicator before Luna can squawk at her.

    It's the little things in life.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Following a rather small child through a dance hall is harder than one might think; Himeko isn't that much shorter than Usagi, but Usagi isn't very tall, and the other attendees - largely adults and among them a healthy smattering of foreignors of much grander height than Usagi's lowly four foot eleven inches - makes it a harder task still. Himeko looked like she might be heading towards a closed side door, but Usagi had lost track of her within twenty feet of trailing her, forced to weave her way around dancing couples, conversationalists, rude commentators -

So, of course, there's plenty of time for her to be caught up to, as she's looking around, trying to spot that little child, still making her way towards that side exit, just in case -

Doesn't mean she doesn't nearly jump out of her skin when Makoto appears at her side, her low voice urgent. She slows, stops, and scans the crowd again, before looking back at Makoto. There's the instinct to lie, but she's a bad liar, and Makoto is already in the know about some things - "You remember how Naru-chan and I mentioned the weird happening to us a lot? I - am hoping I'm wrong about something weird happening, but I'm just going to take a little look..."

Meanwhile, Luna huffs loudly, stalking through the vents, trying to keep up with the princess herself, but the vents aren't exactly a straight shot. SAILOR MARS does not receive the message, but SAILOR MOON and the other lines do. "As if teenaged girls were not filled with malicious intent."

Usagi sweatdrops, clasping a hand to her communicator to stifle the little voices. She loks earnestly at Makoto - "You should stay here!" - and heads through the door, not expecting Makoto to follow that advice.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Oh wow it is super easy to distract Mamoru when he's Mamoru and he's been dancing and actually happy: he brightens as he slings himself into the seat that's been playing musical occupants this evening, and asks, "Are they really dancing? That's awesome. I don't know who she knows is who, but she certainly knows who I am and doesn't care--" and he stops, and frowns, and shakes his head, then lowers his voice. "Wait, not what I came up here about. Do you know what Neph's plan is?"

He cranes around to look out on the part of the balcony that's outside, overlooking the gardens, then turns back to Jadeite and gets even quieter, leaning in. "I just saw Dia leave, and everyone's out of sight. So stuff is probably about to go down, right?"

He slouches down in the chair and one hand comes up to take off the mask and rub at his eyes with the back of his wrist, like he's getting a sinus headache or something. "And damn it, someone let in a Sailor V cosplayer, and I'm pretty sure the actual Sailor V is here, and if she is and we do this, I'm probably going to die if Danburite ever told her who he was working for."

His other hand's tight on the edge of the chair, but his white knuckles are invisible under his white gloves. "Unless that's part of the plan. No one tells me anything. I just get used as a distraction, and only sometimes even get told that. I mean I don't think me dying is part of the plan but if the shit is hitting the fan right now I'd like to know so I can at least angst actively instead of autogenerating angst." Still Mamoru. Even Hematite is sometimes Mamoru these days-- but the Darien act is practically nonexistent in all but name, now.

Just now, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his wrist, where he's wearing a gifted bracelet under his glove.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Fifth pink-and-blonde does not work out. Eighth ... is headed for a side door. And there's Makoto. Kazuo comes up behind her, slouching just a little to blend in a little more among foreign heights. Quick words as Usagi heads through the door. "The cat isn't your boyfriend's. He says, just remember he wouldn't."

What he does next depends on Makoto. Because if she does decide to stay here, he'll stay with her. If not? That door's going to close behind both of them.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite seems pleased when Mamoru sits down. "I'd offer you something to drink, but no one has been by to serve us. I'm not sure anyone even knows we're up here." He gestures with one hand towards the outdoors balcony, where Nephrite and Naru are still visible. They might not be dancing anymore, but they're both still out there, and both presumably having a good time. "You can see him through the doors." He frowns a bit at the question. "...There's a plan? You mean the whole..." More gesturing without letting go of his precious reading material.

    "I didn't think this was part of it. Is there a shrine hidden on the embassy grounds or something? Just relax. No one is going to die here, there's no Sailor V, and you're just imagining a cosplay." He shakes his head in mild bemusement, wondering what it would take for Mamoru to take a break for one evening.

    "Honestly, you're reminding me of me and that's not a good thing. Himeko was by earlier. I think. You know how she is. Here and there and everywhere and nowhere all at once. I thought she might settle down tonight too, but she's probably feeding off your anxious energy or however that works for you two." Looking up and tilting his glasses down his nose to look over the rims at Mamoru, he adds on, "Really. There's no plan. We're just waiting for this crystal to be brought out so we can see if it's the real thing. We can always come back later for it if it's genuine. It's not like the Sailor Guardians can teleport or mind control people into forgetting they saw us, or glamouring to fool cameras, or if you're Zoisite to just control the cameras directly."

    Jadeite pushes his glass up his nose one-handed as he goes back to his book, still wearing an outfit from 14,000 years ago. Speaking of which... "Isn't it odd that Zoiscite has a power so suited to the current era, given the last time we were awake was--" he glances to the side, over the railing, and sees a colorful figure stalking out of the room. "OH MY GODS, IT'S SAILOR V!" he yells, jumping in his seat and scrambling to find a bookmark.

Makoto Kino has posed:
It's just as well that Usagi wasn't really expecting Makoto to follow her advice to stay put, because it's instantly clear she has no intention of doing any such thing. "If it is something weird," she says firmly, "you shouldn't go alone."

She stiffens for about half a heartbeat when Kazuo speaks behind her - glances back, and nearly double-takes at the sight of him. Or maybe it's at what he has to say, exactly none of which she follows.

Doesn't matter. He can see it click in her face, confusion sealing over into determination. She gives him one decisive nod and heads after Usagi with long, determined strides.

Nephrite has posed:
    Yep. Just Nephrite and Naru, out there in the moonlight, beneath the stars. Talking away, even if he doesn't know what to say. He's saying it anyway. Today's another day to find Naru. Why is he shying away? Is he actually seeking love? Is that okay? For someone like him?

    The contents of that interaction will have to wait. For now, there's no sign of any malicious intent or duplicitous activity, not even with the Take On Me reference, and everything is fine. It's fine. Everything is fine.

    ----

    Princess Dia is not fine.

    She's great!

    Better than ever, even!

    She's charged with Dark Energy, and an intelligent, confident, driven, and capable being is existing parallel to her. Not that she'll remember any of this later, but for now? All of the memories and knowledge of Princess Dia are being used to Nephrite's advantage as his Shadow puppets her to turn towards Himeko, smile wickedly, and say, "Excellent. You can go back to the party now. I'll handle it from here. Go tell Hematite that... You found the princess's cat and were returning it to her, or something." Then 'she' is off, heading for that very special present from 'her' father.

Pyrite has posed:
    Oh! Hm. That was unexpected. THe Nephrite cat just turned into a Shadow and possessed the princess. That is one way to snuggle a cat, she presumes! She blinks her red eyes, takes off her mask because the elastic is starting to itch, and just tucks it away in her costume. Listening patiently to the instructions from Princess Diaphrite, she just says, "Okay!" cheerily, turns around, and starts heading back towards the ballroom. She definitely won't notice anyone who was sneaking up behind her suddenly being in front of her, or anyone hiding in side rooms to spy on her, or anything like that.
    She is an apprentice on a mission!
    She pauses.

    "Wait, Hematite-senpai is not at this party. Did Nephrite-senpai perhaps see me dressed as him and become confused?" HMMMMM.
    "I should go back and ask, so that I do not make a mistake." she decides out loud, and then turns around, and follows after the possessed princess again.
    She has a new mask made of ghost nonsense or something, it's fine.

Zoisite has posed:
    Except! No! When Himeko turns around again, standing in her way in the hallway, is none other than Sailor V herself! Hands on her hips, booted feet apart, looking like she's ready to give a justice speech, she calls out, "Hold it right there!" Oh, boy. Here comes the trouble. Someone is definitely going to die tonight after all. She raises one hand, finger pointed towards the heavens, and then directs it at Himeko! Is an attack incoming!?

    No!

    "What do you think you're doing? Get back to the ballroom, and stay with your brother. You can't be wandering around ruining everything. Honestly, every time anyone takes their eyes off you for a second, you're off causing trouble! Do you have any idea how much he worries about you!? I don't! Because he's always chasing you down before you... Set fire to a water tower or teach rats how to sing rude limmericks or whatever you do! Seriously, have some consideration for others!"

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei is following not Himeko herself, but the sense of Evil, which is now practically thrumming. It feels like a pulse passing through an ant's nest. That's the mental image it gives her. Everything goes squirmy and agitated in millions of places at once, but she only gets a clear look at how bad it is when the pulse wave reveals it, making her fear its coming for making her see the horror, and desperately wish for it so she isn't blind to what's going on around her.

    Evil is on the loose, and it's ramping up to do something. The raven-haired priestess picks up her skirts and sneak-sneak-sneaks as well as she can in her current get-up, zeroing in on that soul-itching darkness, unaware that it has changed hands (so to speak). She gets our her communication again, flipping it open, and whispering into it. "That evil presence is on the move... I think it might be headed for the crystal...! If I see the bad guy, I'll confront them to buy time for everyone to get there!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The speaker of Usagi's communicator is still being muffled by her hand, the volume having been turned down, but she hears enough to understand that Mamoru is speaking with someone - one of his fellow generals, probably, and he's stressed and anxious because there's a plan underfoot that no one told him about.

Which means this is definitely Obsidian, at least, and a part of her is furious because they had been having such a good time. She had been happy. He had been happy. Kazuo had been happy, even, she was sure -

(Minako-chan isn't here though. She's sure of that. She would have said something, or shown her face, or maybe tried to interrogate Mamoru under the guise of friendly questioning, or something, so who's the Sailor V cosplayer, and who's the Sailor V?

Luna, up above, growls. Rei's turned off her communicator, so she can't tell her that the Dark Kingdom are surely the ones ready to cause trouble with the princess. At least she knows that Himeko is related to Hematite and isn't likely to be too off-guard -

SAILOR MOON's line buzzes again. LUNA's sharp voice comes through loud and clear. "Don't bother getting rid of them, you don't have time! Hematite isn't here alone!"

Kazuo appears at Usagi's side, resplendent in white, very handsome, had cut a fine figure dancing with Mamoru earlier, and saying things she doesn't need to hear, but that Luna probably did. "I know he wouldn't. We came together, he wouldn't have been using our embezzling date for a scheme!"

It's a good thing the three of them are out the door before anyone could hear her say that, probably. Well, Rei-chan might have heard, when she makes it out the door with them.

"I definitely wasn't going to be alone, Makoto-chan, but if you and Kazuo-kun are in, you're in. Just - don't get hurt, okay?"

Which would definitely seem like a stranger thing to say, if her broach did not appear in her hand, held aloft - in this nearly empty hallway, with just two friends, one who knows and the other who will soon, to see, transforming is her best bet.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Light and ribbons, ribbons of light, even, and the sparkle of cosmic power, love and justice, hope. In between one breath and the next, Usagi Tsukino is Sailor Moon, pink dress and loose hair traded for fuku and iconic buns and twintails.

"Someone's after Princess D, and her treasure. I'm here to stop them - and I'll answer any questions later, I promise!"

And then, as if to underscore her statement, the only part of Jadeite's statement that Hematite's communicator can pick up comes through, loud enough for Kazuo and Makoto both to hear - "OH MY GODS, IT'S SAILOR V!"

Borrowed credibility is always a little nice, isn't it? And it's as good an explanation as anything. "She's got to be somewhere in this mansion -"

And then there's Rei-chan, speaking over the line, still for all to hear because Usagi certainly isn't keeping anything from her two friends. She must have taken another exit, followed her own way. "Stay safe Mars. Back up is on the way... uh oh."

There's the edge of a little cape, turning a corner in this large mansion, and she can think of only one person who was wearing one sized to fit. Sailor Moon runs ahead, trying to catch up -

"Himeko-chan! Stop there! Where's Princess D- huh?"

Sailor... V?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Jadeite!?" comes Mamoru's voice in a panicked half-whisper as he stands up too, and reaches out to grab Jadeite's sleeve, and parses what Jadeite's wearing. His flickering henshin breezes past something navy blue with light blue and gold trim for a half second, a couple of times, before it settles into a lighter-colored variant on Hematite's own, still with black trim and a black cape-- though the inside of the cape is red instead of blue, right now.

Obviously he's not looking down.

"Jadeite stop, what's-- I hate it when you guys hide stuff from me!" he sounds like this is an old, old, old argument, but one that hurts, still, and one that's completely irrelevant. He sounds like something really hurts, he sounds like he's pleading. "Zoisite is here? My sister is-- she's--"

He takes a step back and holds his head, eyes shut tight for a second, chin crumpled. And he takes a deep breath. And he says, "No plan. You said there's no plan. Fine! So! THAT'S NOT SAILOR V!"

He grabs for Jadeite's sleeve harder, and-- why is his hair short? Why is his black cape red on the inside? Why are his blue eyes frightened? There's never any red in them, what does he have to be scared about?

He pulls himself in close and hiss-whispers, "I don't want to lose you again."

And he lets go. And he steps back. And he looks out the balcony doors. And he says, forcing his henshin into the correct configuration and getting his head on straight, "Himeko? Where have you been and what were you doing?"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Kazuo was wearing white and black both, and more black than white. When Sailor Moon's brooch appears, though, he tilts his head just a little -- and the crystalline earring he's also wearing catches the light of her transformation, refracts sparkle into sparkle, mingles with the shadow of his clothing and chases it away. In its wake, the only thing black he's wearing is a different mask; his clothing is white, more ornate and more perfectly fitted. And as Sailor Moon doesn't look entirely like Usagi, he doesn't look entirely like Kazuo anymore.

The swift smile he gives Makoto, however, is remarkably familiar.

"If they start throwing magic around," he says to her, "I'll do my best to keep it off of you."

He doesn't know what's going on, either. But neither of them is about to let Usagi go into this alone. Then again, apparently neither is Sailor Mars.

(If Sailor Mars turns out to be Naru, Kazuo will be vastly relieved.)

Jadeite has posed:
    Once he's on his feet, he's being grabbed and pulled by the sleeve. His own face is a picture of confusion, slight anger (just at being grabbed, not at Mamoru himself), hurt at being accused of hiding something from him when he was honestly telling the truth, and the look like he has seen a non-Himeko ghost as Mamoru's appearance shifts and flickers. Still bewildered by the Sailor V jumpscare, he doesn't resist being pulled in close, just allowing his leader to do so. He lets go of his book so that it falls to the table, and gently hugs Mamoru.

    "Why wouldn't it be Sailor V? You're here with your girlfriend, and... And him." He has to swallow as his mouth goes dry trying to say 'Kunzite'. The one who is still missing even thogh they're in the same room of the same building in the same city and country and world. He couldn't be any closer other than by being literally close enough to touch. But they're still not allowed to reach out.

    What bitter work is the role of a guardian. he laments internally. "Alright... So it's a cosplayer then. Then why are you worried?" Then he pulls back and narrows his eyes. "...Were you planning something that I wasn't told about?" That isn't something he'd be mad about, but it does make his thoughts start racing as he tries to figure out what else could be happening tonight beyond what he was told.

    Then it clicks.

    "You're giving the Silver Crystal to Sailor Moon."

    It's stated in a completely dead tone of voice. It's not a question, or an accusation, or anything. It's just a cold, numb fact.

    Jadeite doesn't know why that realization has impacted him like this, but there it is. Rightly, wrongly, or very wrongly, Jadeite feels his leader, his Prince of Lost & Found, has turned traitor. That unspoken thing that Jadeite ignored as nonsense when the paranoia in his mind whispered to him that he can't trust anyone... Sure, he knew Hematite felt a certain way about Sailor Moon... He had picked it up from subtle cues rather than from being told. Intuition over insight.

    But now here's the insight, and isn't it just a pair of spikes to the eyes.

    Why is such a simple thing...

    So painful that he has lost the ability to hurt?

Makoto Kino has posed:
At the speed of light, the world rotates ninety degrees. Makoto, who'd felt the floor solid beneath her feet as she hurried to catch up to Usagi, suddenly feels as though she's standing on a wall and has no idea how she got there.

Makoto stops in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon, who just transformed from Usagi right in front of her. It'd make no sense except that she just saw it happen.

When Kaitou Kamen comes up beside her and remarks casually about magic being thrown around, she nearly jumps out of her nice black dress shoes. "Wh--"

He smiles, and it clicks into place. Makoto throws both hands into the air. "This explains much less than it should!"

Fully given up on understanding anything that happens for the rest of the night, Makoto kicks her shoes off and orients her focus forward again. She has no idea where the other voice came from, the one that just declared 'That's not Sailor V!' At this point she doesn't really care that much. The much more immediate question, as she strides forward after Sailor Moon like she has any idea what she'll do if anything else happens, is: "Since that's not Sailor V, who is it?"

Nephrite has posed:
    An ant hill to Rei. A downed electrical line to Princess Dia, with all the sparks, danger, and the fascination of death that implies. Dark Energy pumps through her limbs as she hurries down the hall, not running, but still practically flying. She doesn't know that she's putting out stabbing pulses of a youma's aura. She doesn't know anything. She is in that state where one awakens from anesthetic in the middle of surgery, knowing nothing, understanding nothing, just terrified and in agony, and then that brief self that existed disappears when it subsides back into sedation, and the surgery ends, and the original self awakens.

    A self that never existed, but for as long as it did, it experienced the extremes of emotion and sensation in a way that most people never will, and over such a short timespan.

    Being drowned in Nephrite's Shadow is just like that.

    The Princess will remember none of this later on, but right now, she is manic with the power swirling within and around her. Last room up ahead. That's where the crystal is. She grins and lunges forwards, reaching for the door handle.

Pyrite has posed:
    !?!
    Himeko is alarmed! A wild Senshi has appeared!
    "...I was returning the princess's cat or something." she repeats stoically.
    Pause.
    "I am to be going back now." Then she turns around, not wanting a confrontation with Sailor Z, only to--
    'Himeko-chan! Stop there!' Oh my gosh, twice in one night!? Oh, but it's Sailor Moon! She's a friend! 'Where's Princess D?'
    Himeko smiles and waves to Sailor Moon and the other two alongside her. "Good evening! Have you enjoyed this gathering of peers thus far? I understand that it is A Big Deal, so it was very helpful for me to be able to enter without proving my identity or providing documentation of the right to do so. That may be against the rules and regulations, but behold!"
    She pulls her domino mask out of her costume and puts on over the mask she made out of psychoplasm or Dark Energy or whatever she's made of right now. Now, double-masked, she says, "Do not be alarmed! I am not actually Hematite-senpai, I am Himeko Soryuu! Anyway, I gave the princess her cat back, I did not think to ask where she was going, I just assumed she was happy to have back her cat. I know how important that is, to keep one's cat with them. It can be very painful to lose a companion of such great significance, and so, as I was asked to, I returned the feline to her! However, I was not certain if she was aware that I was not Hematite-senpai, due to my clever disguise, which I had intended for Halloween, but which now is no longer a surprise and thus must be replaced, and so I was turning around to let her know, but the Sailor over there--" Vague gesture behind herself. "--Has told me to stop right here, and also to go back to the ballroom and stay with my brother. I assumed I was not to perform both of these at the same time, and instead am trying to do so in the order I was told, but now I have been told stop by you as well, so I am wondering whether I shoul--"
    She probably would have gone on like that if she hadn't just stopped existing in the hall with everyone.
    "--d really let me know in advance if I am on cat duty, I would have made sure the princess did not lose her cat to begin with. Because, as you know, it is very important to retain one's cat, and--" she keeps going, looking up at Mamoru, with occasional nods to Jadeite, as though he was in on the conversation the entire time.

Zoisite has posed:
    Oh, feck. As Sailor Moon appears and also The Gentleman Ghost, and also xXSportyShoujo92Xx, 'Sailor V' just remains where she is, pointing at Himeko. "...." When Himeko disappears, she says, "Don't let her get away! She took the crystal from the princess!" Then she dashes towards Sailor Moon and crew (the Moon Crew? Name still being workshopped), as though chasing the Tiny Terror, and may accidentally-on-purpose attempt to elbow Sailor Moon in the solar plexus while 'passing by'. "Becareful, Sailor Moon! I think the Dark Kingdom might be here!"

    Hopefully the cute guy isn't going to give Zoisite trouble, he wants out of this hallway immediately.

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Hey! Stop right there!" Rei calls out as she rounds the corner and sees the princess lunging for the door, arm outstretched, radiating evil like Rei has never felt before. Even more than Jadeite, and Jadeite was... Well, she still has nightmares sometimes. Him, and the Lightning Guy. They're both so strong. And this? This is worse than that. But she is also leaping forward, reaching out... But not for the door. She is reaching out with an ofuda between her fingertips, trying to tag the princess with it! There's nothing that's in that closed-door room that a creature of evil should possess, especially when the creature of evil is so eager to do so.

    Maybe she should have transformed first though. Oops.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Himeko talks and talks and talks, saying everything and yet also nothing at the same time, and Sailor Moon would be impressed by that - really! - if Sailor V weren't standing there.

Sailor V who can't be Sailor V, because her communicator has called it out to them but also because Minako-chan would be here as Sailor Venus, Luna had called for the Sailor Senshi.

"I... have enjoyed this gathering of peers," she says slowly, "But the princess doesn't have a cat -" Himeko is gone.

Well then -

Sailor V plows into, elbow driven into her solar plexus harder than a normal human cosplayer should be able to, and Sailor Moon wheezes for breath. What is going on, huh? "You're - such a liar!"

There are two people here she would really rather not risk hitting with her tiara or a laser beam attack, so she will catch her breath instead.

Luna is in the vents, still, but she's found one with a grate - one that happens to be in the same hallway as Rei and Princess Dia. The vents are well maintained, but also, no one was prepared for the idea of someone trying to open them from within. It takes only a few purposeful hops for the vent opening to begin pressing down, denting under her weight.

It's pretty noisy, but considering Rei is attacking Princess Dia, it may go unnoticed!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite looks stung -- who can hurt better than the closest of friends? -- and then the accusation comes, and he abruptly looks livid. "No I am fucking not!" he bites out, still in a whisper. "I'm keeping it. Do you really think we would get a happy ending without it? Do you really think I can save you guys without it? Did I not fucking say I was always acting in your best interests? Did you not say 'always' to me? How could you possibly think I'd just give it away, when I want my wishes granted? When I want you guys with me instead of her? When I want Himeko to be happy and whole, when I want to remember my childhood, when I want to meet my parents? I want to fix this so we can all live! I can't do that without it!"

Every word of it rings terribly true, it's all the words of a boy who wants, wants, wants. A boy who's jealous and possessive, who's protective and who seethes with anger, a boy who was so happy just twenty minutes ago, who hurts more every day; the dark energy is welling up in him again, like it did at the ill-fated drill-making company. Maybe this place will end up haunted, too. Maybe it'll only be Hematite.

"I'm sorry I doubted you! I'm really messed up right now, why do we sound like each oth--" he's continuing, at the same time as Himeko is talking, and he startles again and looks down, as if he'd forgotten completely that he asked for her to come talk to him. He almost bursts into tears, but he does not, because he's En-- Hem-- someone who grew up somewhere that you'd lose everything if you showed weakness when you were really, really weak.

"Hime-chan," he says, "Hime-chan. Is there a time in which the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou is here in this building?"

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite closes his eyes at the angry retort from Mamoru. Is this the first time Endymion has yelled at him like this? It feels like it is. He must have messed up badly then. It's his duty to guard and guide his prince, not to pass judgment. He'll have to apologize sincerely, and hope his transgressions can be forgiven somehow. If not, he will voluntarily retire from the servic-- "I understand." he says when his eyes open, all memory of what he was just thinking gone like white noise. "It was my mistake. Sometimes, we make them, for those we love." he says simply and calmly.

    He's still numb, but maybe the ice will melt a bit by the time he figures out what's going on--There's a Himeko talking at him. He stares at her, bewildered, and in no fit state to process whatever this newest freshest hell is she's subjecting him to. He looks over his shoulder to see if Nephrite is there. "I don't think Zoisite is here, by the by. I just thought it was strange how his control over modern electronics is so convenient since I can't remember him having a use for such thing back when--" Back when what? He hesitates.

    "...Ah, it's probably from how much stronger he has grown since then. We've all unlocked new powers since being awakened." Also, why the hell is somebody yelling? It's distant but just barely audible over the din of the crowd. Focusing on that sound also leads to him habitually scanning for auras. He chokes on his own saliva and starts coughing, pointing off into the distance, and repeatedly slamming Mamoru's shoulder with his other hand, trying to convey that there's at least one Senshi aura over that way, possibly two or more, it's all very vague because of a bunch of weird powers moving around, and Nephrite is over there putting out a HUGE amount of Dark Energy for some Metallia-forsaken reason, and oh boy is he going to have words later.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Mako's defiance of the universe in general and transformations in particular is quite definitely appreciated. Everything explains much less than it should. "No idea," Kazuo-in-mask says to Makoto's question about Sailor V. "Maybe we'll find out."

And then in front of them, there's no Himeko, but there is a Sailor V.

There's no actual time to think things through; it's a gut reaction. Sailor V was there at the same time the cat was, and is therefore not the cat, not the package Himeko was associated with, not the source of the cat-ears earlier. Sailor V also hit Moon hard, but there's no blood, Moon is producing words -

What he does is slide past, twisting out of the way. putting himself between the two of them and whatever Sailor V-alike is trying to get away from. Not catching up to Moon. In case he needs to protect Makoto from V.

... he doesn't protect V from Makoto, either, granted.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Things are happening so fast, all at once, and Makoto has fully given up on understanding any of it. Here's what she does know: that elbow to Sailor Moon's solar plexus was no accident, and that's definitely not Sailor V. Even if the disembodied voice from earlier hadn't claimed it, the blow and Sailor Moon's wheezed protest confirm it for sure.

So as Sailor Moon reels from the blow and the faux Sailor V bolts past - Makoto slides into her path, squaring herself into a combat stance. "Oh no you don't!"

Outside the embassy, the night has turned unexpectedly overcast. A distant warning growl of thunder rumbles against the walls.

The first swing is a feint, clearly telegraphed to cover for the pivot that sends her elbow driving hard for 'Sailor V's face.

Nephrite has posed:
    Rei... Really shouldn't have called out a warning before trying to intercept. Princess Dia halts her charge, and leaps back like three meters from a standing position. Her eyes glow red and an aura of Dark Energy radiates around her, rippling upwards from her skin, as she says, "You, huh? No little priestess can handle me. Stay out of my way, or you won't live to regret it!" The demon inside of the princess has her body move rapidly, zig-zagging through the hall, then leaping off a wall, and vaulting over Rei's head to land behind her, and try to claw her back with darkness-shrouded claw fingernails.

    No Ofuda for you, da.

    There's a sound above Nephrite, and he scans for auras, but detects neither human nor youma up there, so just writes it off for now and focuses on the girl who tried to interfere. Human or not, interference, especially with spiritual powers, isn't going to be tolerated at this stage. Now, Princess Dia! Claim your first kill! Exercise your strength! the Shadow whispers inside the girl, even though it's unnecessary. There is no resistance possible when there's nobody home.

    The princess rushes forwards, trying to follow up her scratching attempt with more physical blows. Stronger than Jadeite indeed. The Shadow, even if not Nephrite's whole power, is still considerable. Enough that he can entrust it to fight on his behalf, even against Sailor Senshi.

    A human, even an extraordinary one, stands no chance.

    What's that about a crystal? It can wait until bloodlust is sated. Priorities, people.

Pyrite has posed:
    Himeko halts her rambling immediately when Mamoru speaks. Listening attentively, and only fiddling with her mask a little bit. She wobbles a bit as she tries to understand what she is asked. "...I don't know. We consolidated. Only two of me now. Pyrite is at home. I don't think I'll be here much longer either." She pauses as she thinks. Then she does what she tried to do in the past, to see if she could summon the Silver Crystal. Back then, she was calling the wrong crystal, was divided and divided and divided and Not Whole. She's still not whole, but she's closer than she has been in a long time.
    Closing her eyes, Himeko holds her hands out in front of her chest, palms facing each other, like she's holding something there. White travels from her wrists, up her arms, to her body, up to her throat, and then down her legs to her feet, all in a flash, replacing a mimicry of a Dark General's uniform made out of Halloween scraps and also a utility belt out of a hardware store. Why a utility belt when Hematite does not have a utility belt? Because they're cool and Hematite should definitely have one.
    No, all of that is gone. It's lace, and fine silk, with a pair of red tassles hanging from the high, wavey collar, and a similar pair of red tassles worn as hearings on both ears, and silken gloves, and long skirts, and she has no shoes because she's floating off the ground. Those round, innocent eyes of her more 'human' appearance are once more replaced with the sharp, elongated, more eastern-looking eyes, with bright red half-circles that each bear a pure white pupil in the middle.
    She doesn't appear to be struggling with this transformation this time. Not like back at the dorm room. But she's also not trying to summon the Silver Crystal.
    Instead, there's a golden shard. Elongated, like a fragment of something greater. And it compresses into a sphere, like a golden pearl, which in turns grows a little 'tail', making it look like a comma. The glow of the Earth Soul shines from it, potentially drawing attention on many levels, including the paranormal, as the bearer of the Golden Magatama, Princess Soryuu, peers into it to see if she can find the answer to her brother's question.
    She stares for several seconds, then looks up at Mamoru. As if in a trance, she calmly shakes her head back and forth, and says, "No."

Zoisite has posed:
    Well, that was unexpected. 'Sailor V' gets elbowed in the face. Speeding forwards as she is, the sudden halt in forward momentum results in the lower half of her body continuing forward while the upper stops on the point of Makoto's elbow. The disguised Zoisite lands on his back and skids along the floor for a few meters, seemingly knocked out. Certainly, it hurt and was shocking! But a knock-out to the mighty Sailor V!?

    "I'll bet when you go to the zoo, the keepers try to recapture you, thinking you escaped, you gorilla!" Zoisite yells from the floor. Yeah! That'll teach her! Compare her strength to a really powerful animal that is very strong! Or maybe he was insulting her face, in which case, RUDE.

    He teleports away, to check his face in a mirror and make sure nothing is broken or bleeding, because it definitely feels like his entire face is broken and bleeding. OW.

    Priorities, people.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei... Was not expecting such an agile opponent. She manages to just barely throw herself forwards to avoid the claws, still getting long painful scratches across her back. But the rest of the blows are unexpected, knocking her to the floor, and then kicking her in the middle-section to hurl her up against the wall at the end of the hall. Then being picked up by the throat and choked, as she fumbles around for an ofuda. But what evil is possessing the princess is strong, and the edges of Rei's vision are already going dark.

    Just barely, she comprehends the sight of Luna breaking out of a vent in the ceiling. With a single ofuda between fore and middle fingers, she weakly tosses it so that it will most likely miss the princess, and drift through the air. She hopes that Luna will handle the rest. She tries to say something like, 'You won't succeed!' in defiance, but she doesn't even after the air left for that.

    Somebody... Help me! she yells out in her mind, eyes closing, as she continues struggling with the inhumanly strong arms holding her up.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon is wheezing loud enough that the scattered soundbites her communicator offers can't be heard by anyone but her, and even she only understands one word in four. It's enough for her to know that Mamoru is upset but not enough to really grasp why, aside from, well, this whole plan, and probably the whole being evil thing, and his friends being evil, and all of that.

It's not that Usagi doesn't care - she does. But she'll ask him and he'll talk to her and she'll understand, from his lips to her ears, and that will be enough. Besides. There's something just a little more pressing, right now -

Makoto launching strikes at the fake Sailor V. And the fake Sailor V just goes... skidding across the ground. And then teleports away after being such a dick. "What a jerk," she huffs, now that she's finally caught her breath. "Makoto-chan, that was amazing. You're amazing. I can't believe that faker is so - rude!"

Meanwhile, Luna hops one final time and the vent grate gives way, leaving her tumbling towards the floor, snatching the fluttering ofuda from the air itself. It's a good thing her communicator is pinned to the decorative ribbon looped around ehr neck. "Moon! Mars is in trouble! Keep down the halls!"

Luna has no spiritual power, but she is an agile little cat, and she rushes Princess Dia, just as she had once rushed Jadeite - but where it had been her teeth and claws aimed at Jadeite, this time she's just trying to press that ofuda to her skin.

The call comes loud and clear over Sailor Moon's communicator, and her head snaps up. "We've got to go! Come on!"

And because she can run much faster than a civilian like this, unless otherwise stopped, Makoto is scooped into Usagi's arms in a princess carry while she runs through the halls. It's not nearly as akward as the time she did this to Mamoru.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"O-okay," says Hematite, eyes a little wide at Jadeite, at the particular way Jadeite folded, there, and he feels like yet again he has done completely the wrong thing, and he feels like yet again he has failed Jadeite, and there's nothing he can do about it. Except maybe hug. He hesitantly steps forward to sling an arm around Jadeite and just... stand there, watching Himeko, with his arm slung around Jadeite.

And he blinks at Himeko, and he's done it again, hasn't he, he's failed her somehow too. He's asked another thing he shouldn't have.

And she's holding... gold.

"Okay," he says much more calmly, "thank you, Himeko. If you can, please come back now. I don't want you to keep messing yourself up because I ask something that doesn't work the way I thought. And please put the magatama back, or someone might try to eat it." He doesn't go on because this is too much, too much.

Hematite makes himself relax. He briefly turns his head, leans his forehead against the side of Jadeite's head-- then lets go slowly, letting his arm fall back to his side. "You don't have to worry about any Sailor Senshi getting it because it's not here," he tells the blond, and his voice is a little shaky for it.

He still doesn't actually know what's going on, but... it's not because Jadeite is keeping him in the dark. (He'd say he's keeping Jadeite in the dark but the whole point is he's trying to pull him out of it--) He walks over to look over the edge of the balcony, and doesn't actually go bother Nephrite out there with Naru, because they're just waiting to see if the heirloom is the Phantom Silver Crystal, right? "I think we should go see where she's gone." Code for 'let's just walk and pretend to be normal, maybe score some canapes'. "Suit time again, I guess. Come on, you two."

He drops his henshin and is back in the black tailcoat and white tie of his formal evening dress, and he puts the mask back on, and he starts practically jogging down the stairs.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
More things that Kazuo does not have time to examine - why what the Sailor V-alike yells from the floor makes him half want to smile and go check on her. At least the abrupt vanishing means that he can't be distracted that way. "Nice!" he calls to Makoto instead, echoing Sailor Moon, and --

-- and then they're moving, and so is he. He wasn't expecting it to be difficult to keep up with Sailor Moon. Her stride is considerably shorter than his. But apparently, when Mars is in trouble, that stops mattering.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite coughs several times. Himeko's transformation does not help that. Thankfully, Hematite put an arm around him, so that will definitely fix the choking issue. Not. As he is guided away from the demi-goddess or whatever Himeko has turned into, he puts a hand to his throat, and introduces some Dark Energy to make it stop spasming and being stupid over some saliva. Gods. What a way to go that would be. Can you imagine just choking to death because you breathed wrong?

    He's down the stairs and after Hematite, glancing worriedly over his shoulder, as though he isn't sure it's safe to leave someone with that much power in a single tiny bead floating around unattended. "...If she can tell that much, what if we just ask her to--?" he starts. But there's a better place and time. And there are Senshi on the loose. So it's time to go be bad guys, he guesses.

    Also, for some reason Nephrite is throwing around mad amounts of Dark Energy given that he's out on the balcony with his redhead friend (or is she brunette? seems to shift in the light, much like Jadeite's eyes). A misdirect? A Celestial Avatar? A youma with Nephrite's aura? Or is this that one thing? You know the one. Either way, he is keeping pace with Hematite. There's nowhere else he'd rather be.

    He may be frowning over near-fatal accident with the fine art of breathing, but inside he's smiling. Just a little bit.

Makoto Kino has posed:
The parting shot that not-Sailor V throws out before vanishing unceremoniously from the floor where Mako laid her out cuts deeper than Zoisite probably could've imagined - a natural talent on his part, perhaps, if not a finely-honed skill? Whatever the case, Makoto locks up - just briefly, a momentary hitch. Easily missed.

Thunder rolls again outside the embassy. Louder. Closer. A storm on its way in to darken the night.

Then Sailor Moon has scooped her up right off her feet, and Makoto nearly bites her tongue from the absolute unexpectedness of being carted down the hall at top speed like she's a dressed-up feather pillow. "Um?!"

Nephrite has posed:
    The beat-down is going well! The ofuda is even dodged in the feeble last attempt by the miko to stop the princess from claiming the crystal! ...Oh, right, the crystal. This girl is of no consequence to that. Why didn't somebody say something? Priorities people! Speaking of priorities, the possessed princess turns at the sound of a human voice calling out, surprised given the lack of any aura before now. An unknown teleporter!? The cat goes unseen, as an ofuda is placed against Dia's ankle. The princess shrieks, and lets go of Rei, turning to claw at the ofuda, having to shred it and damage her ankle noticeably in order to get it mostly off.

    There's still scraps of paper remaining. She looks up, her eyes glowing brighter red, showing off sharp teeth, but finds herself looking at... Luna.

    The glow dims a bit, and though the Shadow does its best to suppress it, there's a struggle on the girl's face. Not struggle for control, but a struggle not to show recognition. Eventually, the possessed princess stands up, snapping, "Enough of this nonsense!" That ofuda was a major hit to Dark Energy reserves. They'll return shortly (being one of Metallia's play tools has its perks), but for now, she jerkily heads for that closed door, raising the same leg that was paralyzed and prepares to kick her way into the room!

    Nephrite, outdoors, frowns as a shadow passes over his features. Not tonight. Please, not tonight. Why are there interlopers every time? He hides the deep frown on his face that turns his smiling visage into a stone mask by turning away, and scanning. What in the HELLS is that gigantic aura just a few meters away? He feels like he should recognize it. Like... It's wiping away the muck from his soul just by being exposed to it. Is that... Mamoru?

    He turns and smiles again, and by making some excuses, he attempts to navigate himself and Naru to somewhere that is Not This Balcony because the Stars know everything and they're telling him to skedaddle.

    Also the fact there are storm clouds rolling in, and it's just unpleasant to be out in the rain when one didn't plan to be. Who even does that?

    He has been hearing thunder for a while, and was trying to ignore it, because of the memories it stirs up. But once lightning flashes made an appearance, he couldn't ignore it anymore. He's willing to tough out weird unknown auras, but lightning is...

    It's connected to memories he doesn't want to have to touch again right now.

Pyrite has posed:
    Swirling golden currents rise from the ground beneath the transformed Himeko's feet. Spirals of wind, visible to the eye, spawning flowers around her from the marble and the rugs. Chrysanthemums it seems. They die just as quickly as they are born, only to give rise to more flowers in their place. Himeko is spaced out, but responds to Hematite's instructions, closing her hands around the golden pearl with its little tail. The glow of the Magatama turns into light rays between her fingers until the moment they close completely, and things go dark around her. It's just the dimness of indoor lightning by comparison, but that sunlike glow that was also the warmth of the Earth makes artificial light seem like darkness by comparison.

    The white dress fades to black, replacing the imperial attire with that of a faux villain. She lands and moves to follow after Hematite and Jadeite, but she's distracted. More so than usual. On the way downt he stairs, she disappears.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Sorry Mako-chan! But we've got to hurry, and this is the fastest way to get there! If it helps, it's a lot easier to do this with you than Mamochan!"

Kazuo is following her, hot on her heels, which is good, because Usagi doesn't know how she'd grab up two people and keep her balance. Thunder is rolling overhead, she can hear it through the walls of the mansion, and it should make her nervous - she's never really liked storms, and lightning has been the opposite of friendly lately - but something at her core says that this is different. That this storm is safe. Like how the warmth of a fire is a sign of friends, the chill of morning mist a soothing welcome, the shine of metal a sparkling reminder of joy.

It's just a moment, maybe two, of running at full speed, hurtling down hallways, but then - but then there they are. Rei, surprisingly not in her henshin and looking worse for wear for it - Luna, tangling herself in the fight in a manner most dangerous - and Princess D, bleeding from an ankle covered in scraps of paper, trying to kick down a door.

There's a moment where she doesn't quite know how to address Rei, given that she shouldn't give away her name but she also doesn't want to call her Mars, and then she gives up on that in favor of setting Makoto down gently and rushing for the princess. She grabs her arm and yanks, mindful of her strength - she doesn't want to hurt her, but she's thinking - throw her off balance! Don't let her kick that door down!

"Hey! Princess Dia! I, Sailor Moon, am here to help you so - stop hurting party guests! And kicking doors!"

Luna, safely ignored by the princess after that eerie stare down, rushes away from the center of the action. Thunder is crashing overhead. The crescent moon on her forehead is glowing. And there is a girl she has met before, who had seemed familiar then, interesting then. She winds herself between Makoto's ankles, circling in a figure eight once, twice, before planting herself in front of Makoto and rising on her hind legs, forepaws pressed against Makoto's dress-covered shins. "Makoto Kino... are you the one we've been looking for?"

Because why not add talking cats to the lengthy amount of weird Makoto has encountered tonight?

Rei Hino has posed:
    Still coughing, Rei rubs her throat with one hand while struggling to get up off the floor. Her dress is torn, there's blood on it, her makeup is ruined... Things an ordinary girl might worry about. For Rei, it's an excuse. She staggers away, limping noticeably, to get out of sight, so she can transform.

    Once she has done so, voice still a bit hoarse, Sailor Mars calls out to whatever scene she finds herself intruding upon, "Stop right there!" That's like the fourth time someone has yelled that this evening, and Mars has done it twice. The bad guys must be so tired of hearing it, really.

    "Sailor Moon! I'm here to help too! She's possessed by an evil spirit! It's really strong so becare--" The warning might be coming too late.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
Kazuo was expecting another Sailor Senshi, here -- but there's the princess (that ... is distressingly not the princess), and Luna, and another civilian. Luna's dealing with Makoto; he darts to cover the other civilian's sensible retreat. And oh, there's Sailor Mars --

-- just in time to tell Kazuo he really wishes someone else were here, because "really strong evil spirit" is not something he has anything for in his toolbox yet.

And the storm, and the rapidly changing energy fields, are getting to him.

Makoto Kino has posed:
If Makoto weren't already well past the upper limit on her weird-shit-o-meter, the remark that comes with Sailor Moon's apology would raise several further questions. It's probably just as well that she's being set back onto her feet before any of them have time to form in her head anyway.

Taking in the scene she's been brought into, Makoto's eyes land on Rei, apparently in distress. Before she can even start toward the other girl, however, Luna is in her path.

"Are you the one we've been looking for?"

The weather outside the embassy is going crazy, thick clouds lit from within by arcs of lightning that can't seem to break free towards the earth. Thunder growls and grumbles, and the wind has kicked up to a roar, hissing and battering against walls and windows. Yes, it seems to say, yes, yes, yes.

Makoto looks down at Luna, wide-eyed. It's hard to tell if she's even really registered that it's a cat who's asking, paws insistent against her legs.

"I don't know," she answers as honestly as she can.

Nephrite has posed:
    Sailor Moon grabs Princess Dia. Or the body that looks like Princess Dia. She stops, with foot raised, and instead of proceeding with kicking the door down, she just rotates her head to face the twin-tailed blonde. The bright brick-red of her eyes almost makes them look like Himeko's. But they're too wide. She can't see very well without her glasses, but she doesn't need to. Something else is doing the seeing for her. And seeing Sailor Moon right now, under these circumstances... Despite how Nephrite may feel, the Dark Energy practically explodes from the possessed princess, overriding morals, memories, restraints, and anything else that could get in the way, just like it almost did against Rei.

    With the arrival of a second Senshi, and also That Man, there's nothing else for it.

    Sailor Moon is grabbed in return. She has a moment to process that before, much like Rei, she is slammed against the wall. Unlike Rei, Princess Dia is laughing maniacally, a mix of cruel amusement, and desperate, ancient hate, from the true power behind that Shadow -- the thing in the Abyss, that wishes to kill Everyone.

    Also unlike Rei, Sailor Moon is treated to the evil spirit running back down the hall with her, still pressing her to the wall, gouging the plaster, breaking door frames every time she hits one, sending paintings flying, potted plants exploding under the impact of something so much larger than the princess surrounding and empowering her.

    It's a hellish but mercifully short journey from almost where the crystal was to where the mazzanine that Jadeite and Hematite and Himeko were on is. Still not satisfied, the princess stomps her way to the folding glass doors out onto the balcony, just kicking them out of the way, and raises Sailor Moon overhead. Storm clouds pass swiftly in the sky. Lightning flashes regularly, and the thunder isn't needed to tell just how close it is.

    Sailor Moon, if she's been holding on all this time, is going to have Dia's other hand trying to pry her grip off. Snarling, the Shadow's host says, "Get off me!" Then with both hands holding the leader of the Sailor Guardians, the poor possessed creature yells out, "YOU'LL ALL BE SLAVES TO OUR GREAT LEADER!!" Then... She throws Sailor Moon off the balcony, to the ground below.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Oh, boy. "SAILOR MOON!" Mars calls out. She is about to chase after her, but sees Luna talking to a girl, and that white-garbed man nearby... "If you're an ally, help Sailor Moon!" she yells out hoarsely and then starts Senshi-booking it down the hall the way only a magical girl/boy/cat/assorted others can!

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon does grab Princess Dia. She does stop her from kicking down that door. But as her head rotates, shifting in a manner decidedly unlike what a human being should move, her glasses gone, her pretty face twisted with hate, her eyes an ugly red. A realization comes, in the instant before she is slammed bodily into the wall.

Oh mistakes have been made, mistakes have been made, mistakes have been -

It's impossible to catch her balance, impossible to get enough momentum or stability to right herself, as Princess Dia drags her. The world is moving too fast. Her tiara, her earring, gouge tears into the plaster, slams aside portraits, breaks vases that she's shoved through.

Luna snaps her head around, hearing the crash and thud and flinching whole body. Thunder and lightning crash, the heavens tearing, and Luna has to believe.

"You are! You have to be!" And she leaps, higher than a cat should be able, turns a neat flip as sparkles trail, and a green and gold pen appears. Luna lands on Makoto's shoulder, her voice in her ear. "This is yours. Take it, and cry out this phrase - Jupiter Power, Make Up! You can do it. Sailor Mars has already been injured, but you - Makoto Kino, we have been waiting for you."

Sailor Moon's whole world is reduced to pain and struggle, but - it's not as bad as the fire. Not as bad as Sunbreaker, burning and burning and burning her, intent on destruction. Her feet drag, slowing enough that every thud and collision with a piece of furniture bruises instead of breaks.

It's not enough to stop her wild ride, but it could be worse, right?

R,right -

And then it does stop. Her head is spinning, her twintails are looking worse for wear (the odangos are still intact, though!), and her tiara is half off her forehead. She's been holding on. She's been trying to stop her. She has been failing, though, and her hand is pried away, and she realizes, suddenly, that there's nothing beneath her feet. All the weight of her body is supported only by Princess Dia's hand.

And then it's supported by nothing at all, and she falls.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Abruptly, there's a strong, warm, white-gloved hand around Sailor Moon's wrist and a top hat falling past her to the ground. The angle is awkward, and Tuxedo Kamen's grimacing because his ribs are against the stone railing and holding a person by one arm is awkward and hurts!

And there is slipping.

"Khh--" he grits out, the tiniest of exhalations; he starts slipping further. "Can't hold without--"

And then he's gone, and Sailor Moon with him; there's only the flutter of a black silk cape as they silently fall.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
There is a split second in which the sound of that laughter freezes Kaitou Kamen absolutely still. He knows that sound, and the feel of that energy; bone-deep, seeking a hollow core in his soul.

Only a split second. Then he's moving, for an instant keeping pace with Mars, then perhaps - only because of her injury - moving past her. He catches up a side of his cape, uses it to shield his eyes from the splinters and shrapnel flying in the possessed princess's wake.

And when the Shadow's host stops at the edge of the balcony -- he doesn't. He doesn't even slow.

He flings himself off the edge after Sailor Moon and the other masked stranger, as if expecting physics to be someone else's problem, and vanishes from the balcony's sight.

Below - around Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen - the shadows of the storm seem to collect, curving in in an instant to slow their fall, cushion and stop -

- until Kaitou Kamen drops in beside them, fallen to one knee on nothing but air and darkness, one hand closed into a fist tightly enough to tremble. The sphere of shadow closes in around them, holding them in the air.

Makoto Kino has posed:
She catches the pen on reflex, automatically shifting her weight to account for the cat landing on her shoulder. There's no time to think about it. The wind is raging; Princess Dia has gone berserk, Sailor Moon is in trouble--

"Hang on, Luna," says Makoto, and takes off running.

Maybe she'll regret those specific words later, along with her choice of an off-the-shoulder dress. There's no time for it now. She runs, following in the wake of Sailor Mars and Kazuo, following the trail of destruction until she can see the open glass doors, the balcony, the possessed Princess Dia framed against the stormy sky.

"Jupiter Power--"

The elegant figure-four symbol of Jupiter flares upon her forehead in emerald-green light, echoing the glow of the pen gripped in her hand.

"--MAKE UP!"

The sky opens. A column of silver-white energy roars down from above and engulfs Makoto just as she throws herself bodily at Princess Dia in a full tackle, and Sailor Jupiter comes out the other side, carried on a rush of storm-wind and fragrant petals.

Nephrite has posed:
    Thunder and lightning. Things revealed and hidden in the flash and the darkness, like it's cutting gaps between this world and another. Nephrite is busy holding his head and sitting down, looking distinctly unwell as he tries to wrangle back control of his Shadow without letting its tendrils control him instead. The memories washing over him isn't helping.

    The possessed Princess Dia, however, is beyond painful memories, regrets, or past lives. Except in the glorious joy of killing a loved one. That memory it keeps. Before the Metallia-cursed Soul Projection can maneuver its puppet around, ignoring the caped men leaping after Moon right now, and go get that crystal, she is slammed into like she was hit by a linebacker. She flies over the railing, and off the balcony, just like Sailor Moon and the two others did moments earlier. The princess screeches hate at Sailor Jupiter.

    Nephrite fights not to vomit.

    He thought that perhaps Naru was Jupiter. That perhaps that was why he felt such a connection to her after being so inhuman for so long. He thought perhaps there was a chance to make things right for his past betrayal -- hah! As if it is possible to make right betraying and murdering someone you loved! -- but now he sees he has only betrayed her anew, by loving someone else.

    The Shadow, feeding on grief, guilt, fear, anger, sorrow, hate, and everything else, swells up, extending out of the princess's body to shield her, while trying to leave the host behind. It may also wind up shielding Sailor Jupiter in turn. Nephrite is no longer behind the wheel of his Soul Projection.

    Something darker than a Dark General guides it now, even as it continues to wear his face, forged from fire.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Sailor Mars doesn't reach the balcony in time, due to her injury or perhaps because she just wasn't good enough. But she comes around the corner on the heels of the Guy In White (maybe a few paces behind actually) to see the possessed princess out there... And what she does.

    Mars is actually just shocked into immobility for once. There will be anger soon. Anger, and hopefully not grief. But right now she just can't believe that someone just... Just man-handled Sailor Moon like that, and then threw her potentially to her doom. She knows, logically, that Senshi are built tougher than that, and Sailor Moon is the toughest of all of them.

    But at that moment, the emotional impact is stronger than any logical arguments she can tell herself in an attempt to deny the worst possible outcome.

    She saw two people go after her. Mars charges to join them, and Sailor Jupiter, finally completing their team, and giving Mars her fire back. She isn't going to let her leader die here.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Luna hangs on, alright, but with her paws, not her foreclaws. There's the instinct, of course, to ground herself with that most natural of tools, but she could hurt Makoto, and she doesn't want that, anymore than she would want for Usagi or Naru or Rei or any other of her precious charges to be hurt. She tucks herself low, curving her body to fit against Makoto's shoulder. Her hindclaws dig into the dress, slightly - not so much as to ruin the fabric, but definitely as to loosen threads, unfortunately.

Air rushes past them. Thunder booms. Makoto runs, faster than it feels a human girl ought to run.

Energy gathers, the power of the storm. Makoto's voice cries out, and Luna fills with utter smug satisfaction and leaps for the relative safety of the balcony as power crashes down to engulf Makoto Kino.

Sailor Jupiter is reborn.

The sky is overcast, heavy with clouds, loud with thunder, streaked with tongues of lightning, and Sailor Moon drops, the last thing she sees Princess Dia being tackled after her by a pretty-suited figure in pink and green, and recognition and warmth lance through her as though she were lightning-struck anew.

Her fall is brief though - a foot, two, wind howling against her ears - and before she's caught by a desperate hand, her own weight enough to jolt her to the bone with freefall no longer in effect. Her shoulder screams.

Her gloved hand wraps around his. She knows without knowing, just who it is. "Tuxedo - Kamen - "

The sky is so dark, and yet, for a moment, the clouds part. The moonlight shines on his masked face.

She's slipping. He's slipping.

They fall again, hand in hand -

And then they're slowing, even as they fall, until suddenly, they aren't falling. The moonlight is dimmed, faded, as shadow takes form, curving about them, and Kaitou Kamen is there, his pale hair gleaming in the last of the moonlight before darkness shrouds them fully.

Sailor Moon grips Tuxedo Kamen's hand tight, even as she throws herself at Kaitou Kamen, wrapping her free arm around him.

"Oh my god, oh my god, you're the best boyfriend of my boyfriend ever, I can't believe - and you, Tuxedo Kamen, you could have died! The two of you - you saved me."

Thunder still booms. Lightning still flashes. But the storm is her friend. The storm in on their side.

"The Dark Kingdom - is really going to regret this one, I think."

And then, she'll be there, gently floating, until Kaitou Kamen sets them free. Tuxedo Kmaen may disappear from their midst, but until he does, her hand clutches his tight.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Wind rushes upward, a vortex of tumbling pink petals and glossy green leaves, rose and camellia. It meets the Shadow that pours out of Princess Dia as a last triumphant peal of thunder resounds overhead; for one heart-stopping, terrifying moment, Sailor Jupiter and the princess hang caught in the center of all of it.

Jupiter has just enough presence of mind to twist in the air and curl her body beneat and around Princess Dia's. Then they meet the ground, deposited ungently but safely within the flower-scented funnel of wind onto the ground.

In its wake, the air is suddenly very still. As quickly as it roiled up, the storm has vanished into a starry sky and little eddies of petals still lingering here and there.

"Oof," says the Senshi of Thunder.

Nephrite has posed:
    Princess Dia is lying there among flower petals, held by someone strong, and nice-smeelling, and soft, and she blinks up at Sailor Jupiter. She would probably like to know what's going on, where she is, who has seemingly rescued(?)/romanced(?) her without her realizing it, and also has anyone seen her glasses? But she is more puzzled than alarmed. Her ankle is a mess though.

    The Shadow has split from its host. Burning black into the night like a window into another reality, a blackness darker than black, it looms over Sailor Jupiter, and hisses out in a distortion of Nephrite's voice, "It matters not! After I have killed you and the others, the Phantom Silver Crystal shall belong to the Dark Kingdom!" It's surreal the way the fire forms a face. The way it animates like the face is speaking, even though it's just fire out of some ancient hell where only demons are condemned to burn, and the greatest demon among them rules her prison while seeking a way to one day be free.

    But the soul this projection comes from, the person who set it loose to begin with, is recalling it. By the time Mars gets to the edge of the balcony and looks down, she'll see the cursing, hate-spewing phantom fading away despite its clear desire to exact terrible vengeance.

    Nephrite, himself, has passed out somewhere indoors.

Jadeite has posed:
    Jadeite, having lost track of Hematite, Pyrite, Nephrite, Zoisite, Sailor V, Sailor Moon, Kunzite, and everyone else, is wandering around the party in confusion as people freak out about the commotion upstairs and the storm that appeared and vanished. But at least he finally got some of those tiny corns.