1098/Go Get Me Those Crystals

Go Get Me Those Crystals
Date of Scene:	08 February 2024
Location:	Obsidian Tower - Board Room
Synopsis:	There are seven Rainbow Crystals and Beryl wants themm all. Good thing she has two minions to pass the problem too,
Cast of Characters:	Beryl, Hinoiri Kirara, Takashi Agera
Tinyplot:	Rainbow Crystals

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Beryl has posed:
It was a day which ended in Y, which meant Director Beryl of Beryl Holdings was Distinctly Unhappy. Today's reason for being Distinctly Unhappy was the realization that Hematite had been her only trusted soldier informed of the Rainbow Crystals - and Hematite had betrayed her.

So, naturally, she's summoned her new subordinates to a meeting. Thetis is there too, in the background.

She's a youma. Beryl doesn't expect that anyone will pay attention to her.

"Sunbreaker, Riventon, I have summoned you here for a matter of urgent priority."

Beryl's office is roomy enough that four people being present in it is plenty, and given that she never has a chair available for guests, there's no question about who gets the chair: Beryl gets the chair, and the rest of them get to stand. On her desk, is a black crystal, the perhaps the size of a golf ball at the thickest point, tapering to the size a 100 yen voin at thinnest point. It's as long as a hand, and reflects no light.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker would come. After all, Beryl was a pivotal investor of Project Eclipse. There was no way she could just ignore her calling.

Even if, admittedly, she had... a lot of OTHER things on her mind. Other people. Lots of other people. Sayaka. Klarissa. Usagi. Sailor Moon. Double Trouble. Yeah, she had a full plate.

She gave a nod to Thetis, at least, when she came in. Water girl. She could respect that.

"Beryl," Sunbreaker said, giving a nod. "I imagine it must be, considering you've called the most competent members working with your department." She left off the fact that both of them worked for *other* departments first. She had style, grace, and... no chair.

She snapped her fingers and two chairs appeared. One for her and Takashi. They were simple enough. Easter chairs.

The fact they were just a centimeter or so higher than Beryl's was just coincidence.

"So, gemstone magic?" Sunbreaker said, cracking her knuckles. "That is kind of my specialty. What's the goal? Weather manipulation? Scrying? Summoning? Hair alteration?"

... She'd likely get some looks for that one. "What? Hair manipulation magic is incredibly hard." Says the girl with TWO DIFFERENT COLORS in her hair. Naturally.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Takashi isn't here in henshin; everyone here knows who Riventon is, and he's not expecting this discussion going as bad as say, the average discussion with Precia. Sure, she's unhappy, but Beryl is always giving off at least a minor aura of unhappy. Still not as bad as Mamoru made her out to be, in Takashi's opinion. Takashi does notice Thetis and regards her for a moment, but is mostly focused on whatever it is his new benefactor summoned him for. Particularly him and Hinoiri.

    Takashi takes Sunbreaker's compliment with only a little smirk. But when she suimmons chairs - that is something he'll remember. A neat trick, and somewhat of a smooth move. So he sits in his as well, because what were you gonna do, stand awkwardly while a chair was right behind you?"

    To the hair magic, though, she gets less of a look and more of a nod as Takashi idly runs his hand through his long silver hair. He just agrees with her on this.

    "Whatever the matter is, Director-Beryl-Sama..." Takashi begins with all courtesy "... if you say it is urgent then right to the top of the list it goes. How can I..." he pauses. "How can we be of service?"

Beryl has posed:
Sunbreaker acknowledges her own and Riventon's competence, and Beryl will allow the slight to the Shitennou, who had been incompetent and disloyal, failing to get her the Silver Crystal, failing to get her the prince, failing her at every turn.

No, she's not practiced with self-reflection, why do you ask?

The summoning of chairs, with their petty centimeter of additional height is not acknowledged verbally, though Beryl certainly does notice. She doesn't cast more than a glance though, at Thetis, who remains standing and in fact offers a tiny bow, fist over her heart, when she notices her queen's eye. She dips her head very slightly in acknowledgement of Takashi and Sunbreaker.

"Somewhere in this city are seven rainbow crystals, each of which contains a great youma, ready to transform and absorb the pathetic soul that so arrogantly seizes them first. When brought together, these crystals will form a key to an ancient kingdom, my Kingdom." Because she's going to conquer it. "I want you two, with the resources at your disposal, to find them. Release the youma within to cause havoc, and bring the crystals to me. I do not care if you must steal them from our wretched enemies or if you select an impertinent foe to sacrifice to my youma - find the crystal."

She sits back in her thrown and gestures to the black crystal. Obligingly, it floats across the room, in the space between the two.

"This crystal will lead you to the general vicinity of the crystal, and allow you to handle it without yourselves being possessed. As you will note, there is only one: should you seek to collaborate, or pass it betweeen the two of you is your concern."

Takashi Agera has posed:
    There's a lot of information there, and Takashi debates which, if any, questions to ask Beryl about them. And, maybe, ask Mamoru. Finally, he decides to just... be up front. "Not that it matters, since I'm going to be grabbing them and bringing them here either way - but is this a metaphorical kingdom or a real kingdom? And how ancient are we talking. Like... Atlantis?" he asks. "Not that anything would really surprise me now, you could tell me it's on the Moon and I'd probably just shrug." he admits.

    "In any case I suspect we'll probably do a little bit of both - I'm involved in the other projects you put me on, Sunbreaker's got Eclipse... and when possible, sometimes work together." Takashi admits, reaching for it. "Wonder if I could get my Device to emulate the tracing ability of it." He thinks out loud. "That'd mean we could both hunt at the same time, cover more ground. Maybe set up detector stations around the city, too. Someone gets near one and alert comes to my device and we're on them like white on rice? Well, assuming I can sort that out. But if it's an energy signature, I'm sure I'll be able to also trace it." He adds, with no hubris whatsoever.

    All of this time thinking out loud and plotting, and the crystal is just floating between the two of them.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a small nod. She was... okay, not nearly as respectful as Takashi was. Then again, she wasn't a part of any department. Let alone Beryl's. Since this woman wasn't her boss she had... a little bit of room. Not to be disrespectful. Just... not having to be quite as respectful.

That and, well... Takashi wasn't in henshin. She'd likely be more polite in henshin.

"An ancient kingdom, huh," Sunbreaker said. "Sounds neat. Seven of them... shouldn't be hard. In a little over a week the first of Project Eclipse's zones will be going up. While I'm setting up for it, I'll see if any of the sites have a hit."

She then reached out to snatch the crystal, holding it up and... holding it to the light. Peering through it. She then hmed, making a small incant, her left finger etching some weird magic runes on the air, before a black diamond appeared in her hand. Perhaps a--

"Oh dear heavens that interface is *awful*," Sunbreaker muttered. "Right, you people don't use gemstones the same here. Lets just... uh huh... okay." She then held it out to Takashi. "If you figure out how to do it, maybe that girl, Keaka, can help spread them out. She's been working with me on the towers to setup an interface that can be used by Easter's personel. If we can figure out that, we could turn every eclipse zone into a sonar tracking these things."

... Then...

"Is... is Atlantis like your Glass Empire? An ancient empire of glass that one day just disappeared into the shadows?"

Seemed she had no qualms about working with Takashi, at least.

Beryl has posed:
"Atlantis?" She's heard of that children's story, but for the moment she looks briefly puzzled, as if wondering what it has to do with her. "It is an actual kingdom, rather than a metaphorical one. The Moon Kingdom is nothing more than ruins, and the Golden Kingdom no more than a half-forgotten memory, but the kingdom that these crystals will open the door to - it is the last bastion of the Earth which once was. It cannot be claimed by those blasted Senshi, or that traitor Hematite."

Her voice is an actual growl when she says Hematite's name, her rage thick in the air.

"Whether you wish to set up detectors, to copy the ability, or even simply challenge those pests and steal from them after they've exhausted themselves against the Great Youma, I don't care. As usual: I value results. Success. As per usual, you have Beryl Holdings' resources at your disposal to achieve that success."

The second the crystal is in Sunbreaker's hand, the power that allowed it to float breaks off, leaving it lying in her hand. The criticism of the interface is Firmly Ignored.

Takashi Agera has posed:
    Well, that question gave Takashi a lot to... dissect. He'd have to consult notes. Archives. Maybe dark-haired teenagers who are too tall for being entirely Japanese. So much he doesn't know, and that EATS at him. But he doesn't show that. He just nods, like all of the words Beryl said make as much sense as anything else. He couldn't be seen as without knowledge. Ever.

    "Well, I appreciate, as always, the leeway to handle things my perferred way - and intend to, as usual, show my appreciation through results." He says. There's a confidence in his voice that comes from being the only one to successfully get away with even part of a Pure Heart, from his own general hubris, from his youma pulling energy even though being defeated. "Sunbreaker and I will work together to figure out how best to give you those results."

    He looks at Sunbreaker with a wry smile. "Right?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker glanced towards Beryl. "Hematite wants it? I thought he was dead or something. Wow. Never heard of moon kingdom or golden kingdom, though. Unless... I guess... every kingdom probably called itself the 'golden kingdom' at one point or another, so nevermind. Some people called Kirakirafantastica the Sun Queendom at one point... obviously, never took off. I guess it has a lot of ancient magic stuff in it..."

"So, are the rainbow crystals like... the key? Or the locator? If the former, any other way in? If the latter, any other way to track it? How much of a lead do the sparkle skirts got on us on this?"

She held up her own black gem. Entirely different from Beryl's, mind. the same one she often interfaced with her towers with. Kirakirafantastica magic was weird.

"And is this a... you need all seven, or more a if we get enough of them, we can get in kind of deal?"

She then glanced to Takashi and nodded. "Indeed. I don't think anybody in Obsidian has managed to get results quite as effectively as us."

And she then, indeed... pulled out the 'World's Best Employee' mug from... somewhere... summoning magic... and took a drink of her coffee in it. Yup. Her results spoke for themselves.

Beryl has posed:
"The Moon Kingdom was destroyed when this solar system was in its infancy," Queen Beryl boasts, because she is most certainly a Queen in that moment. "As was the Golden Kingdom, which was indeed a boast that those in power coulld not hope to live to. Those pathetic Senshi still cling to the Moon Kingdom and it's wretched princess for hope, but there is nothing there for them. The Rainbow Crystals - and the Silver Crystal, which those pathetic wastes once called the Shitennou allowed to fall to enemy hands - are all that remain."

Someone's very proud of all the killing and conquering she and her demonic master were part of.

Looking down at Riventon, she asserts, "Together, the seven form the key. All seven must be gathered for the Kingdom to open it's doors - which means, that while I require all seven for true success, if it is all you can manage, I will accept the inability of the enemy to obtain them all."

It's a distinct sleight, to suggest that she would accept them claiming partial credit, partial success, on this assignment, rather than full, meant to dig at their pride.

"But as you have said: you two are among the most competent at your respective levels in Obsidian. I expect great success from you, because you have achieved great success."

Sunbreaker's mug catches her eye for a moment, and she considers - is this what employee appreciation is? Hm. Something for the future.

"I can sense that crystals have only recently returned to the outer world. It's unlikely that more than one, perhaps two, has been discovered just yet."

Takashi Agera has posed:
    And the sleight 'is taken'. Takashi might know how to speak politely, how to disguise his ego sometimes. When he needs to. But it's always there. Lurking beneath the surface as surely for him as it is for the others in the room. Except maybe Tethis.

    "I don't think you'll need to worry about partial credit. For a host of reasons, but not the least if the crystals form the key for some door, physical or magic, I probably only need one to break in. Ideally, I'll get you the full key, of course. I have no reason to presume anything else. But part of the reason I requested the information is so that I can think of alternative ways to achieve success. Collect the scattered key is very... magic, yes. Very thematic. Probably whoever sealed that door in the before times thought they were clever. But seals can also be broken via brute force if need be. Especially when I might have reason to believe there's an ancient magical kingdom behind it..." he notes.

    "Anyways, that's for later. At the very least we must secure one, as soon as possible. I think you'd agree, Sunbreaker? Makes it impossible to see them grab all seven, and gives us something to study while looking for the other six."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker narrowed her eyes slightly. 'In its infancy'? Silver crystal... that thing Sailor Moon had? Oh, delightful. So it was connected to her. Well, Sunbreaker was planning to have a chat with her about 'rules' anyway... might as well add a little talk about this to the list.

Her eye twitched. "I don't *do* partial credit," Sunbreaker said. And oh, her pride was nudged. The problem was... she didn't truly see Beryl as the 'grade distributer', as it were.

"You're certainly correct. One should be plenty, especially considering my world's advanced knowledge of gemstone magic. However, getting the full key would be simpler. And so long as we have at least one, we guarantee they can't succeed. From there it's just gathering the rest or figuring another means to enter."

She got to her feet, the chair behind her disappearing and the mug following suit. She still held the gemstone in her hand, though.

"How about we take this down to your lab and you can do a quick scan, then I'll take it to do my own studies with it?" she asked Takashi. "Beryl, its been a pleasure. I look forward to bringing you news worthy of Beryl Holdings." She even gave a small, neat little bow, before turning to leave. Now the only thing she was holding was that black crystal, her own gem having disappeared as well.

Though, once they were outside and a bit down the hall... she'd have a few more words for Takashi.

Beryl has posed:
Beryl nods regally at the pair, amused and pleased that all it had taken was a sting to their pride to ensure the two would be working hard at this. Takashi's boasts especially were - satisfying.

"If you believe that you can brute force a work around to what the ancient priests of the Earth created, I would be much interested in your success," she says candidly.

They've chosen to dismiss themselves, so she lifts a hand, and Thetis approaches the pair, guiding them back to the door. Once they've exited, she'll lock it behind them.

"They'll be quite useful, my queen," Thetis said quietly, once they were gone. "With them focusing on the crystals, I will be free to carry out your energy collection objectives. Riventon's team has been at work on this too, so energy collection remains on schedule. With two of our objectives underway... would you like me to focus a portion of my attention on the traitors once more?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker glanced towards him once they were far away enough...

"So, we're both in agreement, right? Reach out to our information networks, find out what else we can find out about these crystals, how important all this stuff is..."

She then flicked her finger and, for a moment, there was a glow around them.

"And dear heavens don't give them to her? 'Oh look, I broke the moon kingdom and golden kingdom. Find me another so I can break it too'," Sunbreaker muttered, before the glowing dimmed. She then glanced down at the black crystal. "Between you and I... one should be more than enough. It's hardly the first heist we've pulled. Assuming you're okay actually working together on this?" she asked, cocking an eye at him.

"It is your world after all."

Takashi Agera has posed:
    "Yeah, she's probably being guarded with me after Hematite and the other three ducked out on her - can't really blame her." he admits.

    "But there's absolutely a lot here that I need to figure out about. Kingdoms of Moon and Gold, keys, rainbows... but we absolutely need to make sure one of us gets one, ideally without her knowing we do. She didn't even seem like a conquering tyrant, which I could probably tolerate. She seemed like she won and she was still mad. That's dangerous. Though I'm assuming she didn't really win, or we wouldn't still all be here."

    "Frankly if there's some sort of magic ancient Earth kingdom somewhere, the only one I want access to is me... and maybe you since you don't have a claim on this world, yeah." he admits.

    "You know though.... She's really powerful, I can feel it radiating off her. My device is practically jammed by it whenever she's near by - can't sense a damn thing, like being magically blind. She hides it well otherwise, but... lets not get caught crossing her." He says. "And yes, I did say lets, so we're in agreement."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker nodded. "Can't say I blame her. Betrayal... teaches you things."

It was good, at least, to know he knew no more than he did. She knew exactly who to go to. Sailor Moon.

... Which, ironically, was the right choice here. But one of these days it WOULDN'T be the right choice.

... She's got a solar theme, okay?

"She likes to break her toys. Better destroy it all than let someone else have it. I wouldn't trust her as a ruler, anyway."

She gave a sigh and tossed the crystal up in the air, catching it in hand. "But yeah. Keeping it out of sight will be good. I've got a few places offsite, I'm sure you do as well. Lets get this scan done and then meet up again later to discuss ideas."

Though she didn't want to admit it... Beryl was powerful. Arrogant, yes. Nowhere near Sora's power... But even Sunbreaker didn't want to fight her head on. At least, not yet. But... maybe one day. Once she was at Sora's level. Once she ascended. And perhaps this would be another piece to solving that puzzle...

She just needed to talk to a pretty little moon princess.