1578/Burning Cat Toy

Burning Cat Toy
Date of Scene:	24 May 2024
Location:	Plot Room 2
Synopsis:	Hinoiri decides to steal another toy wielding mahou's power, but fortunately the cat was out of the bag and Black Lynx managed to save her... unfortunately, it took his power and his no-burn-ward membership card to do it. Luckily, the Knight of Dawn knows the location of the nearest hospital!
Cast of Characters:	Yuki Hoshino, Hinoiri Kirara, Ikuto Tsukiyomi
Tinyplot:	Sunset of Sora

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Yuki Hoshino has posed:
"Alright, Argent Dawn, start log recording. 'Faerie Flight' version one point one seven, sustained speed testing set."

"Ready to begin, master."

Yuki Hoshino - the Knight of Dawn, rather - stands atop the roof of a tall shopping plaza somewhere downtown, selected mostly for her ability to get to the rooftop unobserved. As usual, her Barrier Jacket has settled for something loosely fitting the parameters she set for it - a silvery-grey tunic and sash paired with midnight-blue halter and skirt, the set completed with metallic armored greaves, bracers, and shoulder-pads.

Suiting deed to word, the Device invokes the spell, Midchildan magic circle appearing briefly around her to be replaced by the simple blue-grey dragonfly wings at her back. She starts into the air, gaining some altitude in preparation for a speed run down the length of the major thoroughfare.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
It was a training session, a good thing for magical girls to do. Hinoiri had practiced, quite a bit, when she was just... a student.

But that was then. This? This was now. The device would have a second to warn its wielder that something was opening above them. When suddenly... a rift to the dusk zone just appeared. What stepped through was... definitely strange. A monster. Scales. Lab coat. Black and red sailor fuku. The dark flames. The way she was breathing, wheezing even. The burns across her body. Her gaze turned towards the girl. Then looked to the device...

"Surrender and kneel... or fight and SUFFER!" she yelled, before erupting. Fire came from behind her, and she surged forward, hands out, attempting to grab the girl and her little TOY!

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
There's a moment of outright shock, the young Knight twirling in mid-air to take in the source of the voice - and linger to stare at the monster, mouth gaping in surprise. The still-active flight spell carries her further along her path, ignoring the change of facing for several seconds while she takes in the sudden event.

There's not a hint of recognition, of course. Her encounters with monsters have been few and far between so far - fortunately for her. Tonight is her 'lucky' night, it would seem.

There's no time to think, to plan, though, the foe is already racing towards her. Yuki lets her momentum continue to carry her past, focusing herself on throwing up a hasty shield to intercept the attack. "Lancer's Shield!"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto was lurking nearby. Things had been quiet for a few days. Quiet enough that the catboy was anxious. Easter Company didn't just -give up- like this. Something was up, and he'd spent a lot of time thinking about what they could be planning. There was only one thing he came up with: The two girls, the Device Mages who had saved him before. By helping him they'd put themselves in danger, and it was only a matter of time before Easter went after them...right?

Ikuto had thought, "If I were Easter...I wouldn't even bother going after Zephyr-chan. She's clearly with a bigger group of some kind. She's got a rank and everything. She's a foreigner, too. Even without solid proof, if she got hurt and pointed a finger at Easter Company it'd be terrible for their public image." That just left Yuki.

So he'd kept somewhat close when the younger girl was out and about, not bringing attention to himself by using his transformation and instead just...keeping an ear out. He didn't want to make her paranoid the way he had Chiyo, so he kept to the shadows and avoided directly watching over her, instead just staying within a block or two.

The moment the rift appeared above Yuki he felt something...bad, and turned to look to Yoru. The Chara looked like a ghost had just brushed past him. "What the hell was -that-?" Ikuto asked the Chara. "I don't know, nya! It's bad! Really, really bad! It's coming from-"

Yoru was about to say where it was coming from, but Ikuto knew. He knew. His bad luck was affecting someone who seemed to really like being around him, and who he was similarly enjoying spending time with. It was always going to happen, wasn't it?

He was already reaching out for Yoru as he jumped into the air, the transformation hitting as he crested over the rooftops and saw the attacker.

"My heart, Unlock!"

"Yuki-chan! Get away from her, monster!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Fortunately for Ikuto, this person was just as dangerous to Easter as she was to him.

Unfortunately, he and Yuki were here now. She turned towards him, her hands against the lancer's shield, and he might recognize her. That hair. Those flames. That smirk. "My my my. If it isn't the discarded son."

Then she pushed in. Her palms pushing against the barrier... and Yuki would *feel* it. The shield wasn't broken. It was *absorbed.* And even though she wasn't touching it directly, the flames could almost be felt, traveling along the connection and bond she had with her magic, burning it away in those few seconds before it collapsed fully.

"I won't make you out me this time. I am Hinoiri Kirara. The Sunset of Sora... and all of your magic is MINE!" she yelled, before surging back towards Yuki again, launching herself...

And this time just burning through her barrier if she was foolish enough to try that trick again, attempting to grab the girl's device in one hand, the other going for her shoulder, while her tail lashed out to try and grab her foot. All of them covered in those burning, terrible flames.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
"Well you can't have it!" Yuki yells out, She tries to reinforce the shield spell at first, but seeing it sputter out as it's drained puts the kibosh on /that/ plan. "I don't care if you're Theodore Roosevelt, Mahatma Ghandi, and Oda Nobunaga! Argent Dawn, sprint mode!"

"Faerie Flight, Sprint Burst!" the Device vocalizes, sending the flight spell a quick burst of power to increase her speed dramatically for a second or two.

And then... there's a Catte.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
No. It couldn't be...could it? It had to be. There was no one else. Something was wrong with her, though. That malevolence permeating the air was something unlike the girl he'd just spoken with a couple of days prior. He couldn't afford to think, though. He had to stop her, had to do something!

"I won't let you!" Ikuto shouted as he charged at Yuki. His aim was to get her away from the grasp of the creature calling itself Hinoiri. Using her voice, her hair. That damned smirk, only right now she really did look damned in some way. Demonic even. "I don't know what happened to you Hinoiri-chan, but Yuki is mi- my friend! Back off!"

The catboy was forgetting one thing. If he pushed Yuki out of the way...didn't that leave him to take what "Hinoiri" was trying to hit her with? A voice in the back of his head was yelling at him. "This is stupid, this is -really- stupid!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora merely laughed, disappearing in a flash of fire, appearing over Yuki and--

And suddenly cat. Her eyes went wide...

But she didn't stop. If he wanted to play? She'd let him. She grabbed his hand, his shoulder...

And a flaming tail wrapped around his leg. And then, the draining began.

Taking all he was. All he'd ever had. Absorbing it all into herself. Taking his very essence. His hopes, his dreams. His power.

Draining it all. And it was, in many ways, a noble sacrifice...

But it was one she didn't mind. "Stay," she told Yuki. "If you run, I'll find you!" she yelled after her. But... Ikuto was buying her this moment. This time to flee... She'd best use it.

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
"Warning! Energy drain potentially lethal. Avoid contact!"

Ikuto's bought her a moment. Potentially at the cost of his own life.

She can't allow that.

"Lancer's shield. Sprint mode: Holdo Contingency." It takes a second to bring up the shield. To put as much energy as she can into her flight spell.

Is she going to run? Escape while Ikuto sacrifices himself?

Sort of.

'Sprint mode' engages once again, and she hurls herself forward -- directly at Hinoiri. Her shield shattering the moment it contacts the drain, but jsut enough to hopefully keep her out of direct contact - and hopefully the force of impact is enough to give Ikuto a chance to escape as she aims her path for the next building, trying to get out of the monster's line of sight.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
This..hurt a lot more than he expected. Ikuto couldn't hold back a cry of pain. He wasn't sure if this was going to be the end, but he knew one thing. He had to make sure Yuki got away. Maybe she could get someone to help. "Yuki...go! Get to the school, get Madoka-chan or Usagi-san or -anyone-! I need you to be safe! -AGGGHH!-"

His hand. The metal claw was heating up. Scorching his hand beneath it even through the protection that being in Chara Transformation offered. He felt the transformation slip away as this...demon, drained him. Yoru appeared on his shoulder, but looked...bad. More tired than he'd ever seen the little cat Chara before.

He saw Yuki rushing at them. Something in him...it tried to fight even as he wanted to see her get away no matter the cost to himself. He was always trying to play the martyr, and here the Knight of Dawn was putting herself in danger for his sake again. His instincts took over and he twisted as hard as he could in Hinoiri's grasp, lunging to try and bite her hand holding his own. It was the last of his strength in one spiteful motion, and he just felt....so tired, after. He slept, as did Yoru.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
The Knight of the Dawn glew at her, and it did have an impact... Primarily that Hinoiri's tail let go of Ikuto so it could smack the girl away before she even came within contact. "Wait your turn," Hinoiri said, turning her gaze back to Ikuto...

Who bit her. And his teeth wouldn't even be able to penetrate the scales. "A futile gesture, until the end," she said, before just... dropping him onto the ground.

Burned. Hurt. Broken. Possibly with a chipped tooth.

And then she turned towards the Knight of the Dawn... or where she thought the girl had gone. "Where arrrrre you?" she asked, taking off towards the direction she thought she'd gone. Time to--

Gnnnn! She froze, lifting her hands over her ears. "GAHHHH! EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!" she screamed, shaking her head. "ENOUGH!" Just enough time for Yuki to flee, to get away.... before the monster began its pursuit, once more....

Yuki Hoshino has posed:
Hidden behind her chosen cover, Yuki concentrates, guiding her 'distraction' along its hidden path. Staying out of sight until...

The little flare of magic, full of her aura, pops up briefly from behind a building, well away from her real path. It ducks back into cover again, then shows briefly once more as it puts another building between it and the monster. With a little luck, it will draw Hinoiri off long enough...

(This would be /so/ much easier if I had a scrying spell. Or.. hey. A little drone with a camera, linked to Argent Dawn... yeah, that'd work nicely. Make a note, pick up three or four drones with gopro cameras...)

A few minutes later, Yuki Hoshino appears at ground level, in civilian guise, to conceal her magic... hurrying over to Ikuto with her phone already dialling the emergency number.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunset of Sora kept following that bait, dashing after it and... it wasn't long before she caught it. And realized she'd been baited. Tricked. She yelled and shook her head. Looking around, trying to find SOMETHING, some sign... but... she can still feel everyone. Feel everything. Finally, she just roared.

There were more. She got a taste, she'd get more later. For now? She needed silence. She had to process what she had...

So, finally, she disappeared... leaving Yuki to deal with the wreckage left in her wake. The wounded, burned boy. Another victim to the Sunset of Sora.