View source for 1531/Plotting On Her Downfall (1)

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2024/05/12
|Location=School Library
|Synopsis=Sailor Moon has invited those impacted by Beryl's time portal - either directly or indirectly - to enjoy a meal of ramen and cupcakes, as well as plot on Beryl's downfall.
|Cast of Characters=43,226,38,32,33,131,41,58,122,61,86,107,96
|pretty=yes
|Tinyplot2=We Got The Beef
|Tinyplot=Operation: Past
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>It's early afternoon on a warm Spring day, a perfect time and date for a gathering of all those impacted by Beryl and the portal she created. It's been a little while since then - time for everyone to recover, lick their wounds and seek comfort, to settle back to something like a normal life. Every one of those people has received an invitation from Usagi Tsukino, one way or another. The invitation? <br><br>It had been something like this: <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Were you or your loved ones victimized by Beryl's latest insane scheme? You too are entitled to compensation! Join us on the school library's rooftop for rooftop ramen as we decompress, recontextualize, and plot on the downfall of the worst woman in history. <br><br>A little silly, yes, but after how heavy everything had been... especially at the end... Usagi had thought some levity might be appreciated. She was inviting everyone, too, which meant Sunbreaker, so she'd passed along that anyone who still had their identity locked in might... want to have their henshin up. No biggie! Ramen tasted just as good, whether you were currently magic or not. <br><br>And oh boy, is there ramen. The good stuff, ordered in advance from Okujoo Ramen, in a variety of flavors of broth and toppings, from vegetables to fish cakes to meats to... well, everything else you'd want to put on ramen, plus additional soy sauce, chili sauce, sriracha, and more. It's laid out on a table, with plenty of bowls for everyone. On another, nearby table, are vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry cupcakes. <br><br>Everyone is greeted by Sailor Moon herself, in henshin for the sake of, well, recognizability more than anything, since she's pretty sure everyone invited knows her identity, and encouraged to help themselves. <br><br>Once a good number of people are gathered, she looks out at the group, and say, "Thanks for coming, everyone, and I hope you're all doing well. I know that it's been a little while since we all experienced - everything that we each saw, in that portal, but I wanted to check on everyone, and... well, I also really wanted to make sure that we had a space to talk, if we want, and to well, yeah, plot out what we know, and can do, about Beryl. I think everyone knows what a threat she is now, and there's no reason to think she'll be satisfied with this." <br><br>She thinks everyone knows that, now. <br><br>"There's only like, two things that are generally going to be off-limits: if you have questions about someone's death, besides, like, Beryl's, this is not the time, because - because we're not really here to retraumatize ourselves. And two: we're not playing the blame game, either, so please try not to phrase what you're saying as like, blaming anyone for - what they did or didn't do, in a past life. Um, thanks again, and enjoy the ramen, and yeah!" <br><br>A speech, everyone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Coming together as a group to deal with things is something that happened a lot back on Etheria. Most of the time, it was Bow, Adora and Glimmer, but eventually it grew, a support group to deal with the trials and horrors of the war that waged on that planet - and to celebrate together when things went well. So when Usagi suggested the rooftop gathering, he was all for it. Enough so that he invited Sayaka along - no, she wasn't there physically, but she had sent Attesa with him to watch over him as he dealt with things. <br><br>And while he wasn't there for everything, he caught the most important bits - and the bits that made him realize that his new friends were old souls and that they themselves could use a friend. <br><br>Arriving on the rooftop as Sailor Moon speaks, Bow nods his approval at her words. One of his hands is settled in Puella Sayaka's, the other one is holding a basket that he moves to set down on a raised surface. "I know we're ordering ramen - but I spent I think four days in the royal kitchen and it did not open a new portal for me until I got these personally right by the head chef so..." He pulls back the napkin covering a basket filled with hand pies. "...please eat these." he begs. "They're stuck in my head and I don't think I can remeber how to make Dehydrated Slaw buns until I'm sure they're right."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru's in henshin only because he had to be to get to the roof, and then didn't bother dropping it. He's just got his bowl and hasn't started putting ramen in it yet when Usagi gives her speech and then Bow arrives...<br><br>...with hand pies. That he says were from the royal kitchen--?<br><br>He puts down his bowl and takes his gloves off and vanishes them, then slidesteps the two feet necessary to get to where Bow's got this big basket, and he ''immediately'' takes one. "These are ''not'' moon pies," he says, "so--"<br><br>''Chomp.'' Oh Mamoru's eyes ''sparkle and shimmer'' as he tastes it, then starts chewing, and he slings his other arm around Bow and ''huuuugs hiiiiim''. Is he crying? No he is not crying. He is wearing a mask, it would get wet.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>Sayaka was ostensibly unaware of the wonders and perils that had transpired during the events that led to the exploration of the Silver Millennium, so she is coming here due to the presence of Madoka, Hinoiri, and Bow having explored the Portal. Ostensibly of course, because one of her Familiars had been there to watch over and had telepathically relayed what she saw once she had made it outside, with a little help from Hope Witch who had offered her a ride in her Labyrinth to help her stay on track.<br><br>Sayaka had walked there alongside Bow, bringing with her a block notes and a pen to write down anything that would be even remotely useful. She doesn't have much to offer since all she could do would involve hauling a piano there (or use the one in her Labyrinth, but that would lead to uncomfortable questions from 3 of the people present), and anyway there is little doubt that background music would only get in the way of the talking.<br><br>So, she waves along to everyone when she assesses who else in there, but especially reserves a bright smile to Madoka and Hinoiri. "Hello!", she exclaims before noticing the huge preparations that unfold in front of her eyes. "You truly outdid yourself, Moon!", she says, taking 1 strawberry cupcake for herself and 1 for Ula.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hope Witch arrives in henshin, using a Laybrinth portal instead of super jumping. It's not that she thinks that her identity is a big secret, but because a recent conversation with Ikuto reminded her that it probably should be. Madoka might not be concerned about Sunbreaker taking things too far, but Easter? Easter might not be so smart.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, Hope Witch is here because of Beryl and her latest BS, and so that's what she chooses to focus on today. She likely also mentioned this to Sayaka at some point, since her Familiar was there and probably saw some of the things that she did.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Upon hearing Beryl be described as 'the worst woman in history', Madoka has to think... is there anyone actually worse than her? ... Nah. No one was so bad, so ''petty'', that they literally forced the human race to start over from day 1. If there was such a person, it was probably just a previous incarnation of Beryl anyways.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the offer of hand pies, Witch takes one and smiles at Bow. "Thank you, Bow-san. I guess I'm not the only one who found value in recovering a bit of their culture." She reaches into a tiny portal and pulls out a sketch pad, and opens it to a page full of various dresses and outfits she saw back then. "It was hard to do it from memory, but... I really liked some of these designs."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sayaka, naturally gets a bright smile from Hope Witch. "Hi~! I'm glad you could make it!" Mamoru also gets a wave.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although Madoka is all smiles, there's a little bit of sadness in her eyes. She's not trying to hide it. More like... smile through it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>The idea that Bow had been trapped in the kitchens, until he learned how to perfectly make something - honestly it's an idea that's so cute, so refreshing, that Usagi smiles rather brightly. When he offers his basket filled with treats? That smile turns mega-watt. <br><br>"Sure," she says warmly, and takes one right after Mamoru. She's not sure what to expect, because the kitchens of the Golden Kingdom had produced many delicacies, and now, it's not been too long since she tried them - <br><br>But oh, if Mamoru is ''hugging''? It's got to be just right. <br><br>She pats Mamoru on the back gently, and tells Bow, "Honestly, I think that means it's perfect. What's a Dehydrated Slaw bun and is it exactly what it sounds like?" <br><br>Not to judge anyone's food but it sounds a little gross and yet strangely desirable for that very reason... <br><br>"Thanks, Sharp-chan, and - oh ''wow'', Madoka-chan, you did these yourself? They're ''amazing''!" Usagi nibbles at her hand pie, and - oh, oh it sure is perfect. Ramen gets soggy quickly, so she'll make herself some of that, but honestly? This pastry is amazing. It's just like the ones she tried before.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Hinoiri Kirara (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Hinoiri Kirara had received an invitation. Thought it was stupid. So incredibly stupid. Why would they EVER think she'd come to something like this?<br><br>So of course she took about twenty minutes to come to something like this. Hoping to get in, get out, before it got settled. And the moment she saw Sailor Moon... She just... thrust a folder into her chest. Possibly enough to make even the henshined girl step back. "Here," she snapped, with all the annoyance you'd expect of... well. Her. "And if anyone asks? I wasn't here. And I didn't offer you any aid against one of the directors. I swear, you people..." Even she wasn't sure, entirely, what she was mad about.<br><br>The folder was filled with... information. All typed up. None of it could be linked back to her. But, most importantly? It had a bunch of information that Hinoiri had received from Usagi's mother...<br><br>"I've got to go check on my friend, but I'm taking some cupcakes. Consider it payment."<br><br>... Sora, if Obsidian ever found out she did it this... well. Okay. Some of them would be pissed. Others might encourage it. Beryl WAS pretty awful.<br><br>Obsidian, come for the world domination, stay for the lovely backstabbing packages.<br><br>"Hey Sayaka," she said, giving her a wave and a smile that she HADN'T given Moon. "Good to see you. Hey Bow," she said, giving him a nod. "Only here for a second, had to give Moon-girl something for homework. Try not to get too worn out by all this."<br><br>She did give Bow a small nod too, but well... he seemed busy. Mamoru gave great hugs and all.<br><br>She then moved to the cupcakes and... took one of each (for a certain wounded reptile) and a chocolate one for herself.<br><br>"And there, with my job done, I'm out. Truce!" Then paused. Wait. No, that was wrong. "Peace!" she called, before fleeing!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>It's *always* a good idea to pool knowledge, especially when a comparatively large amount of mahou found themselves exploring a ghost memory, and often getting separated. With the near-certainty that everyone saw wildly different things, knowledge must be shared before a good consensual context can be achieved.<br> <br>Rashmi herself knows that at least two people actively sought information specific to them, and she is one of those two. So Usagi's idea is not only a really, really good one, but it may be important enough to secure their success in the future.<br> <br>Plus, there's ramen. Who doesn't like free ramen?<br> <br>So, in henshin, she touches down on the roof, banishing the wings on her ankles and offering a general wave to those who got here before her.<br> <br>"Hiiii~!" General greetings given, she moves toward Usagi, as the gathering's host. "This was a really good idea, Usa-chan... thanks for putting it together."<br> <br>The knowledge that Bow was *there* is a new thing... And that he spent time in the *kitchens.* This makes the redhead's eyebrows rise sharply.<br> <br>Taking an offered hand-pie, she takes an experimental bite... and blinks. "Moon food," she says after a moment. "You *learned how to make moon food.*"<br> <br>She opens her mouth to say more... But then in comes Sunbreaker like a localized whirlwind, leaving papers and spiky words in her wake.<br> <br>It takes a bit of processing, honestly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru is here, in tuxedo, so it's only to be expected that there's an -ite present. On the other hand, that -ite is also aware that at least a few people are liable to be twitchy about him being there, blame game averted or no. So while Hinoiri is momentarily distracted by Sayaka and Bow, Kunzite is ...<br><br>... snagging an empty box and holding it out to her for holding the cupcakes.<br><br>Because absolute mundanities are the strongest counter he can offer to past awfuls, under the circumstances.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>After setting down the basket, Bow was about to fix himself a bowl of ramen when Tuxedo comes over and tries one of the pies. And Bow freezes, watching with bated breath as he sees how he'll respond. And when Mamoru's eyes sparkle, it's like a chain reaction because Bow's eyes start to sparkle and the hug is eagerly returned because they're two tall dorks that are sharing a mutual love of filled pastries! <br><br>"I wanted to make sure they were right... you deserve at least a little bit of happiness from that time." he tells Mamoru, before lifting his eyes to look over at Madoka as he lets go of the Tuxedo'd one to look at the sketches. "Oh wow, you're really talented!" comes his admiration of Madoka's artwork. <br><br>"Sayaka was my test subject for my baking, so she may have had her fill of them for a bit!" he admits with a laugh and a wink at his girlfriend - just as Sunbreaker arrives. For a moment, there's a hint of tenseness, but Bow returns Sunbreaker's nod. "Take them a hand pie as well, Sunbreaker." No, no, Hinoiri was right when she said 'Truce', at least where it comes to Bow. <br><br>Rashmi's arrival is noticed and he gives a wave to the redhead, before chuckling. "Well, more the Earth Palace food." he corrects. "I also spent some time with the orchestra, but I figured I can play what I learned another time - it has the rhythm of a waltz, though." he explains as he finally goes about making hismelf some ramen and grabs a hand pie for himself before moving to settle down next to Sayaka.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>"It's not 'moon food' actually. It's Golden Kingdom of Earth," comes the voice of Sailor Mercury to correct Rashmi. The Senshi of Wisdom arrives a bit late and so offers an apologetic dip of her head toward everyone along with a small smile. "Sorry I'm late. It all looks amazing." <br><br>Hesitantly she lingers at the fringes a moment to regard everyone here. Those that she'd known for awhile, those that were there with them, and those that she was beginning to know in different ways. The urge to wallflower was there. So was the urge to stride confidently over to scoop up a bowl of the ramen so that she could have something warm in her grasp.<br><br>The second urge wins out as she was feeling more confident lately. Even Sunbreaker's quick arrival and departure is just met with a small nod before she steps closer toward Sailor Moon curious over the contents of the folder.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Flattered by Moon's and Bow's compliments, Hope Witch beams. "Eheh, well... I tried. It helps that I still have the one from inside. Lydian's been bugging me about drawing more. If I don't pursue my dreams then my Chara tend to get annoyed at me."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hinoiri comes, and Hinoiri goes. Hope Witch watches her but doesn't really say anything. Madoka's not a snitch, so she decides that it's best to pretend she didn't see her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rashmi, on the other hand, gets a bright smile and a wave. So does Kunzite, really. Past lives are past lives. If she held a grudge against every wrong done in some alternate life then she'd probably never be speaking to Mami again.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''I mean... you actually aren't, so...''<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pushing Gretchen's inside voice aside, Madoka looks over at Bow with a sparkle in her eye. "You learned a waltz? Or at least music that could be waltzed to. I'd love to hear it sometime!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After multiple people clarify that the hand pies are not moon pies, Madoka giggles and says, "Maybe they should be Earth pies instead?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"Earth Pies," Rashmi chuckles, nodding. "Okay so Golden Food, not moon food. Still... that's really awesome, Bow, and they're *amazing.*"<br> <br>At which point she sneaks a look at Madoka's notebook, and another pleased noise comes out of her throat. "Wow, Mado-chan... Just *wow,* that's beautiful!"<br> <br>Kunzite catches her eye, and for a moment she looks like she might freeze...<br> <br>...But it's banished with a shake of the head, for Rashmi knows very well what happened to the Generals of the present, and *this* time's Kunzite never required her to be princess-carried at speed out of a rolling explosion of energy-draining death.<br> <br>So Kunzite gets a bright smile and a nod, with Mamo's absolutely-not-crying hug antics getting a side-eye and a chuckle.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Sunbreaker appears, and a folder is thrust at Usagi's chest, hard enough that she does stumble back a step. There's no real aggression to it, though, and she knows that, and a folder means - <br><br>"Thanks, mysterious girl who was never here," she says quietly, tucking the folder against her chest. "Take plenty! We've got a lot of snacks." <br><br>Kazuo gets a grateful nod for offering the box to Sunbreaker, and the truce-peace mistake earns a little laugh, before Rashmi approaches, and she's given a quick nod of greeting too. <br><br>"Well, I guess we could call them -" and there's a moment where Usagi could say ''anything'' honestly, before she continues, a faint, sly smile on her face, "Golden pies?" <br><br>Innocence, it's all innocence, you sillies. <br><br>"Hope-chan, I still have the dress I wore, and Naru and Jupiter-chan do too, so if that will help you get more ideas, and I think all of our clothes are different styles, too -" <br><br>If they can preserve, or recreate anything... It's worth it. <br><br>Then, she hurries over to Mercury's side, and shows her the folder, too. "I think we should go over this as soon as possible, but like, after we eat some of this, maybe?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>"I was wondering when you all got back. Then I got this sudden text from U-... you know who..."<br><br>So speaketh the Koji, who somehow got himself to the roof, landed, and made himself up a full and hearty bowl of ramen without anyone noticing.<br><br>Instead of saying anything more for the moment, he takes a long slurp of his noodles, and then sets down the bowl so he can walk over towards the The One Named Sailor Moon.<br><br>Instead of making some kind of admonishing speech or delivering something regarding the world while the grop of them were gone... he just hugs her... "You were missed."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Bow rubs the back of his head for a moment, and considers before offering a smile to Madoka. "Sure. I was actually going to teach it to Sayaka so that we could perform together as a recital for class some time." he admits to Madoka. "I mean, it's not really... stealing music if I say it's a formerly lost piece of music that has been reborn?" At least that is how he will phrase (it's the same phrasing when he plays anything at ALL from Etheria). <br><br>Then there's the mentions of the dresses and he balks. "Wait, you all got awesome outfits? Do you know what I got?" he asks them and rolls his eyes. "I got a sous chef's outfit. I'm a ''musician'', cooking is a hobby... like the little figurines I make!" Oh yes, he's still working on those. <br><br>The folder is being looked at and Bow gets a curious look, but he's not going to insert himself into that yet. This is not the type of war that he's used to on Etheria, and it's really... taken a lot for him to try to change his tactics. But he's learning. Just give him time. <br><br>Bow wasn't around when the shittenou were being much different than they are now, so he has no reference point other than the stories that were told to him and that they are trying to change and to give them a chance. Words eerily similar that were said to him recently and is trying to parse. He tucks into his ramen, holding his chopsticks the way Sayaka taught him how to.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Fo goog!!" Tuxedo Mask says with his hand in front of his mouth when he pulls back from Bow-hug, because there's still pie in his mouth. "Fank oo! Fank oo fo muff--"<br><br>And Usagi's trying one too, and Madoka has sketches, and Mamoru looks over-shoulder to see, and his face brightens even more. Hasty chew and swallow, and he points to one of the sketches. "I think I remember that one! Early summer? You were there in early summer? Wow, you did a really good job! Here wait I need to make Kunzite eat one of these--"<br><br>And he's slipping through to get another hand pie out of the basket -- he'll come back for ramen, he will, but this is important! -- and snakes between people again to hold it up to Kazuo. "They're---"<br><br>He turns to look at Usagi, EYES WIDE, holding his breath... then exhales. Remembers how to ''breathe'' even. That's a Look she's getting from him, and it's like, I know what you almost did, lol lol lol. But then he looks back to Kazuo and insists, "Try it! It's the kind I ate too many of on my fourteenth birthday! The ones with fig--"<br><br>A glance at Koji, and he grins! And waves his half-eaten hand pie instead of the one he's holding up to Kazuo-- and he waves to Rashmi too--<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>There really is no doubt as to what a threat Beryl really is. Attesa's infovision was waaaay more than enough to sell her on the matter. Rather, it was excessive in a way, since she would have gladly taken her word for it. At the same time, she didn't stop her Familiar, since she doesn't want to even only subconsciously underestimate someone as disastrous as Beryl. She certainly agrees to let the past be the past, although, that's probably not addressed to her since she didn't personally experience on herself the fights with the portal's inhabitants.<br><br>Sayaka watches in surprise Hinoiri deliver what is probably a treasure trove of information to Usagi, feeling glad towards the unicorn that she went the extra mile to oppose one of Obsidian's Directors. At the same time, there is a veener of sadness since in her eyes it's another confirmation she is leaving. Not like she would stay here and make herself a possible target for Beryl, even with all the precautions she has intimated to them before running off. "Way to go, Sunbreaker!", she cheers for her friend.<br><br>"I can vouch for their taste", Sayaka exclaims, because her and Ula actually were Bow's guinea pigs, and got to make observations everytime he had required them. She is not going to have any, since she has had enough already, but she gives her enthusiastic approval.<br><br>"Thanks for all the help, you were invaluable", Sayaka eagerly tells Madoka when she greets back, with obvious regard to the aid she had given Attesa.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Hinoiri Kirara (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Hinoiri Kirara would give Kunzite a slightly wary look. Not because of who he was, but because of who she was. "Thank you," she said, though. Taking it.<br><br>The pie from Bow, however, was unexpected. "Oh, um. Thanks. Hope you all have fun. These vegatarian?" She'd take one herself, even, if there were some. "And, uhhh... It's Hinoiri, like this. Sunbreaker is just the disguise name... not that it means much anymore, since so many people know. Meh. Whatever."<br><br>They'd known who she was for a while now, at least. And nobody had tried to murder her as a civilian. So... it was fine. She was fine. She needed to drop these off with her little reptilian patient, anyway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>... the opportunity cannot go untaken. Kunzite leans and takes a bite out of the held-up hand pie, while Mamoru is still holding it, and while he's looking at Usagi. So when Mamoru looks back to him, ''neither'' hand pie is whole, and Kunzite is nodding to him with a deadpan expression about 'the kind Mamoru ate too many of.' While chewing.<br><br>He does, however, snag the ''rest'' of the hand pie out of Mamoru's hand before either it or he can get menaced, swallows, and grins at Mamoru. "It ''is.'' And you learned how to do these that well in a few ''days''?" he asks Bow, sounding distinctly impressed, and lifts the hand pie to him as if making a toast. Before eating more of it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh geeze, Rashimi and Mamoru are complimenting her pictures, too! Madoka is all sheepish grins for a moment. "Early summer sounds about right. It was a bit humid if I remember."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Neither Madoka nor any of her fairies think for one second that there is anything amiss about what Sailor Moon said. At least not until she sees the slyness in Moon's eyes and the unspoken response in Mamoru's. Huh... Some kind of in joke maybe?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, I enjoyed eating the golden pies. They're delicious!" She still has no clue whatsoever.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the mention that Naru, Moon and Jupiter all still have clothes from back then, Madoka nods. "I wonder if it'd be possible to recreate some of the designs. Of course, they'd be made with modern fabrics, but it might be nice to bring a little bit of it back. Red-chan might have hers, too."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Bow, Madoka covers her mouth to stifle a grin. "Honestly, Bow? I think the IP rights expired a long time ago. You're fine."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a bright smile, Madoka addresses Sayaka. "Of course! I'm glad to. We gotta look out for each other sometimes, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>When Sailor Moon steps over toward her, Mercury flashes her friend a warm smile that was rather dazzling. They'd been through a lot recently after all, and it was good to just be here with everyone. Bow and his pies, Madoka's drawings, Rashmi, Tuxedo Kamen looking near tears while trying to feed Kunzite. Sayaka, and Koji, and... for just a moment she swallows rather hard over Koji's remark.<br><br>"We were lucky we got out safely. We did learn--or remember at least--quite a bit in the process. I'm glad to see it wasn't all wasted."<br><br>The folder that is brought up is reached for to tuck pointedly beneath her arm. "We can look at it once we've all eaten," she agrees. Her chopsticks are plucked up in hand to daintly catch hold of the white and pink fishcake ontop of her ramen which she then offers out to Sailor Moon for a bite with as much innocence as she can muster.<br><br>"I think we all need this gathering though. I have one of the dresses I wore still, too. You're welcome to take a look at it sometime. It would be a good project to try to record what history we can from our time there." And she really does like projects.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"The ones to the left are!" Bow makes sure that Sunbreaker gets the right ones to take back. When Kunzite joins in the praise, there's a nervous laugh. "So... the portals, right? They were weird. So. I ended up in the kitchen. And I was there, and they were making the pies and I really didn't have a way to dodge out, so I ended up helping out. That first time? Oh man, the head chef was so mad... no. Disappointed." he frowns for a moment. "So... I became determined to get it right. But the portal open, and I thought it was my way out so I stepped in." <br><br>"Nope. It looped me back. Maybe it was taunting me, maybe it hoped to catch me in a terminal loop? But I wasn't going to let it defeat me! So I kept trying. And kept looping back. And finally, I got the chef's approval!" This is what Attesa had to deal with. She'd probably been better off with Madoka. <br><br>"And I'm not going to blame Sayaka for not wanting any. She's been eating them since I showed up at her place after we got back, because I wanted to continue to practice and make sure I didn't forget. Crystal Hope memorized the recipe for me, but if you want me to write it down, I can."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Koji is given a quick, tight hug in return, "Missed you too," she says warmly, "Good to see you! Don't forget to eat, okay?" <br><br>And then she's with Mercury, leafing through documents, reviewing, learning - a lot, but she's kind of skimming, they're definitely going to have to search this in-depth later... <br><br>"Oh man," she says quietly, before raising her voice some. "You guys, our Mysterious Stranger just handed us a trove. She spent a lot of time talking to - Beryl herself. And my mother." <br><br>It's ''incredible''. <br><br>"It's going to take a while to get through it all, but this is - she made some kind of deal with a literal ''demon from the sun'', that's how she was so strong at the end!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>Going back to his bowl of ramen and his chopsticks, Koji goes to a spot where he can sit and listen... which takes him past Tux-san.<br><br>Grinning as he goes past, or at least it can be assumed to be a grin under his half-mask, he says to his roomie, "You want me to set you one up while you are all putting all of this... whatever this is together? And... sorry if this tells you how out of the loop I am... but Beryl? Is this another reincarnation thing, or something else I've missed recently?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"Tuxedo-kun's old boss," Rashmi answers Koji's last question, she she moves toward the bowls. "The portal was her wanting to *educate* us all on how much respect she deserved. ... ...Don't think she's gonna like the answers when she throws a quiz."<br> <br>And indeed, Rashmi looks uncharacteristically dour, at thinking back over her education. "It's Usa-chan's story so if she wants she should tell it... But yeah. Powerful, evil, horrible, and dumb, and gotta go."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"Someone should have made a Beryl pinata to beat up while we're up here. It'd been cathartic." Bow comments between bites of his ramen, when Koji speaks up. He's not going to be the one to answer Koji's question, but he can totally sympathize it. <br><br>"So. While we're on it. Mercury and I have figured out that if we work in concert - my tech pad can hack into the Eclipse Zone after she hacks the password done. I had the thought that if we can change the settings after hacking into it? We could set it to send out a huge wave of purification energy down on whoever is benefiting from it. Maybe... an idea for a first strike?" he suggests lightly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru's face goes on a journey as he sees what Kazuo did, but what he settles on after 'incredulous' is just laughing. They both have hand pies now, and Mamoru finishes his, and he tells Bow, "Oh please do write it down!"<br><br>Then they're talking about Beryl, like... rather like they're probably supposed to be doing, and Tuxedo Kamen finally gets himself a bowl of ramen and puts beef and egg on it, and some scallions, and he tells Koji, "What Rashmi said. Except that she's not dumb, more's the pity. She has a couple of fatal flaws, but don't undersell her actual intelligence. She was an incredibly accomplished mage before anything else."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hope Witch isn't really looking at the folder directly. Not yet. She grabs data, but she doesn't always parse through it. In this case more than any other, there's literally no reason to push others out of the way so that ''she'' can take a peek.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A tiny little Familiar might be floating over Usagi's shoulder, though. High enough to stay out of the way, but with sharp enough eyes to actually skim along with the others. This is the least intrusive way that Madoka can think of to take a look.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sunny-chan mentioned something like that before. When we were speaking to the Moon Princess. Honestly she seemed especially riled about it."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, she did just refer to Sunbreaker as 'Sunny-chan' and yes, she is doing that on purpose.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So what do we know about this sun demon? We saw at the end how Queen Serenity was trying to purify the Earth. Would we have to do the same thing for the whole Sun?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Around this time, Madoka remembers that there is ramen nearby, so she goes to get a bowl for herself. She eats standing up, eating a few noodles here and there while watching others talk. She pauses eating just long enough to respond to Rashmi, "I don't know what she expected us to find, but what well all saw was her throwing away everything that ever mattered to her and then dying. She must be high on her own dark energy supply if she thinks that's some kind of victory." To Mamoru, she adds, "Sure, she's capable at hurting others. All that power and intellect didn't get her a happy ending, though."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka pauses to have an introspective moment, but lets it pass without comment.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Bow's pinata idea, she says, "Good idea. Maybe save that one for the victory party." As for the Eclipse Zones, Madoka glances at the direction that Hinoiri had left in, before nudging closer to Bow. "I don't really like to use mind control offensively, but... in a case like that, some of the non-magical thugs are weak to my Witch Stickers. If we're smart about it, I can probably make them help us."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:86|Zoisite (86)}} has posed:'''<br>Given that he didn't go through the Portal, it seems like arriving fashionably late should be no issue for Zoisite. Give people time to decompress a little bit, work through their shared trauma, and then when the discussion turns to Beryl, he can show up.<br><br>So that's what he does. A flurry of sakura petals precedes Zoisite's arrival on the rooftop, in his green-lined grey uniform. No cape, though, which is different to what those who had spotted his past-self may have seen, back in the day. He doesn't join the crowd nor go for ramen, only settles himself on the edge of the roof, distant enough to seem apart while still within audible range.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>A couple of fatal flaws. Beryl might have a ''couple.'' "The usual batch," Kunzite says. "Arrogance. Not bothering to doublecheck when she thinks she's won. Occasionally she's distractible, but best not to count on that."<br><br>He exhales, and takes a few steps, clearing the vicinity of the cupcakes. "Don't think too hard on what she expected you to find. What she expected you to do, Misses and Misters Bond, was die, or at the very least not make it back. That was her equivalent of smacking the entire group with a flyswatter and wandering off afterward.<br><br>"As for the thing from the sun ... I think ''from'' is the operative word there. If it'd infected the Sun, we'd be having this gathering a few degrees off from absolute zero. It came from there, landed here, needed assistance gathering enough power to infect the Earth, got that from and through Beryl. It's in that stage again now."<br><br>Those last few sentences do not sound like speculation.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>There is no doubt that Sayaka is going to master that silver millennium waltz. Because there is no way she isn't going to give it her all, and anyway she has already heard it with Attesa's reproduction, so she isn't completely clueless. The only matter is the fact it's not a piano piece, but that isn't going to stop her forever. "I am sure I will get ready" she tells Bow and Madoka.<br><br>Then there is the matter of Beryl having sold her soul to a sun demon, and well, she has already commented on it when Hinoiri had brought it up to her the other day, but she has been curious about the implications ever since then. "When the mysterious stranger explained it to me, she specifically mentioned Beryl had sold her soul", Sayaka shares in the leadup to her question. "Is it just an expression or do those notes point out at anything like a Soul Gem?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>Sailor Mercury pauses to shift her grip on her ramen bowl to one hand. THIS is why she ultimately prefered sandwiches in times like these. If she'd known Hinoiri was going to drop off the folder she would have grabbed one of those hand pies instead of the ramen, but the ramen did smell very good. The bowl is raised to simply sip some of the broth straight from the bowl while her gaze is still shifted to the side to look over the contents of the folder as Sailor Moon flips through it. The bowl is then set down, and likely forgotten for a bit in favor of the information typed up.<br><br>"There really is a good amount in here. That does explain that... That *pressure* at the end though. Once Beryl was already defeated there was something left that just-" A deep breath is drawn but it does nothing to stop her shiver. "That explains how she was able to get the power to take over so many minds, though. Even accomplished as she was, that would be impossible alone." She hopes. She really hopes.<br><br>Raising her gaze at Sayaka's question she just blinks looking confused. "What's a 'soul gem'?" Nobody had really explained Puella to her yet. That would be quite an interesting factoid. Though she doesn't press the question either at the moment because she finds herself momentarily distracted by the familiar fluttering flower petals. Her hand lifts to wave to Zoisite.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"... don't," says Mamoru, eyes wide behind the mask, holding his ramen and turning to face Madoka. "Don't use it offensively. Please don't. And please just-- it's a big deal, not having agency. It's one of the things she ''does'', it's what the whole Earth was under--"<br><br>He nods to what Kunzite says, sees Zoisite and starts to head over. He's going to need to explain the hand pies. "All the energy gathering, the stealing energy, that gets done for her? The energy goes to the demon. The demon burned through a lot of it when it was trying to keep us in Obsidian after the Silver Crystal came out, so that's a massive setback, but it's power she's looking for now, raw power. Energy. Life, magical, whatever. Even the Rainbow Crystals, she thinks they lead to a power source she can use."<br><br>He glances at Sayaka. "No soul gems were made during her process. We-- they-- magic users had stone names, granted when they earned a certain level of power, but that's... this doesn't have anything to do with Kyubey."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Bow is listening to the information and taking it in like a sponge. "Man, I wish Glimmer were here." he admits quietly. Sure, her idea would probably be dangerous, but she understood magic way better than he did. "So, Tuxedo?" he asks curiously. "Do you think she's seeking power for the demon - or is she herself looking to break free of the puppet strings she made for herself?" he asks curiously. <br><br>"And... I think maybe a discussion on Soul Gems may be set for a better time? I mean, if it's fine with them to explain it..." He already knows from Sayaka. "Sorry, trying to keep focused on the Beryl issue."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"Funny story, Mado-chan," Rashmi sighs. "She thinks that's *exactly* a victory, because she got everything she wanted *and* she's still around. That her enemy cleaned up her mess is just effort she didn't have to *make,*" Rashmi says, face and voice sour. "Also... yeah I'll grant, she's not *actually* dumb, but... *I* can be a giant idiot sometimes too, and I didn't even start my career by turning Dark Energy into steroids."<br> <br>Falling silent for a moment as the facts of the moment are chewed upon, and new perspectives brought to bear, she applies herself to her noodles. ...Then spots Tuxedo Kamen approaching a newly-arrived Zoisite, and tries to Catch Zoi's eye, holding up her bowl in silent question.<br> <br>Did you want some?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Usagi fingerguns in Bow's direction with one hand, nodding along with Madoka's position. "I agree. When she's dead, we're going to throw ''such'' a party, and have a pinata even if I have to beg Naru-chan to make it myself." <br><br>What? She's aware of her limitations. <br><br>"Purifying the Eclipse Zones, huh? It's a good idea. And even if it doesn't end up working... I bet it will get plenty of attention." <br><br>Everyone's answered about Beryl, and Usagi, Ami, and Madoka's familiar are reading through the file... <br><br>"My mother and our scientists were trying to study it - she told the Stranger how to identify the warning signs, and Kunzite's ''right'', it's not active the way it was again, so..." <br><br>She nods along with what Mamoru says, and grimaces because the idea of using mind control feels... icky. Wrong. <br><br>"I don't know how she'd sell her soul," she admits, "But it looks like... there's a lot of information. We'll definitely have to go through it in-depth, but I don't think she wants to cut ties, Bow. I think if she did, she could have already. We're - we were all reborn. Us, her, I don't know how far what my mother did at the end spread, but... when we woke, we didn't have any memories, and we didn't have our powers active, and I'd bet she was the same. She ''chose'' to do this, again, just like ''we'' chose to fight her, again." <br><br>And there's some bite there, at that - before she blinks at Rashmi. "Dark energy into steroids?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy leaps up onto the rooftop when no one down there is looking. She's henshined, but in a student uniform so no one would ask questions if they saw her loitering around the library waiting for a good moment to leap to the roof. "Sorry I'm late... oooh, ramen! And some kind of pies..." She's just in time to catch the tail end of the clothing conversation. "Ooh, I smuggled out ''four'' of the Princess's dresses and a pair of shoes, if someone's doing like, fashion archeology I don't mind letting someone look at them."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She prepares herself some food. "What kind of pie is this?" She takes a bite and sets the rest on a plate with her bowl, and her eyes widen. "This is First Age food?! Someone-- oh shoot, we really should've thought of that, getting recipes... Bow, you made these? That's amazing! This is really good..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So... aside from 'demon from the sun that possesses people and turns them into mindless monsters', do we know ''anything'' about this creature? If it's empowering her again, won't she only get stronger from here on out?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy taps her chopsticks against her bowl as she thinks. "In the past they said... we ''just'' have to kill her. I wonder if we could make like, a bullet that's resistant to magic and then shoot her? Or is this more of a 'toss into a volcano' type deal?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mercury asks what a soul gem is. Amy sets her food down on a table and holds out her hand, the gem on the back of her left wrist disappearing as the 'egg' form of gem appears in her hand. It's presently pure. "Um... do you wanna know the whole deal, or...? I guess we tell her the whole deal."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy looks down at the gem, and then over at Ami.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Puella Magi takes a breath, tapping the gem with her finger. "This is me. When I made a Wish, my soul was extracted and put into, or shaped into, this gem. It's unclear whether my consciousness can run on it or if I still need my brain for that, Kyubey implied I still want to avoid brain damage and I'm not inclined to do that experiment."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy waves at herself with a fluorish, "The body you see is a puppet of flesh I'm remote-controlling from there. So, uhhh, yeah, that's a soul gem..." She starts looking around for reactions as she realizes maybe that was a heavy thing to drop? "it's uh, how we're able to use magic despite not being reincarnated princesses or chosen by a god or whatever. They, uh... we recharge them with grief seeds taken from Witches..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then an entirely unrelated realization flashes across her face as she looks to Usagi. "Of course... they are ''yours'', so... if you want those dresses back, I understand..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:86|Zoisite (86)}} has posed:'''<br>Sat on the edge as he is, Zoisite has to twist to look over his shoulder at everyone, but he does catch the wave from Mercury. He returns it with a little upwards chin lift of recognition, and then a quick shake of his head to Rashmi's unspoken query. A "No, thank you," is mouthed in her direction, because occasionally Zoisite does have manners.<br><br>The explanation of other things is taken in, but Zoisite's focus is primarily on Tuxedo Kamen's approach, which earns a tipped head and raise of an eyebrow in question. He crosses one leg over the other in a smooth, elegant move and then leans back on his hands, poised in repose. The talk has him pursing his lips, but as of yet he doesn't intrude with any of his own thoughts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>From where Koji sits, there's another heavy slurp of ramen, and then he puts his bowl to one side, and says loud enough for everyone to hear, "If you go by writers and singers, you sell your soul for one of three reasons."<br><br>Pointer finger goes up, "Love."<br><br>Middle finger goes up, "Power."<br><br>Ring finger goes up, "Hope."<br><br>He has a slightly speculative look on his face, "I wasn't there, and honestly... I've been on the outside of a lot of things since I had to deal with my problems with my Device. But when someone lacks any of those three, or see those and desperately wants them, and cannot seem to attain them... it leads people to make bad choices. And one bad choice chases you right into another and another... and you're so used to just the pace that you don't see how far you've left that original choice behind. She may not even know why she's doing this anymore, and this... demon... energy... thing... is taking advantage of her and that. She might even think she's working on a way out. Even if she's just digging herself a deeper hole."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hope Witch's head tilts for a moment, then shakes 'no', at Sayaka's question. "No, there probably wasn't a Soul Gem or anything like that. If there was, she wouldn't have died to getting stabbed in the back. I mean... I kinda got the impression that it was a magic sword, but still. What she ''did'' have was a lot of dark energy. Like... more than we've ever seen in our lives, not counting past echos or alternate realities. Plus... I'm pretty sure there weren't any Witches back then, nor did I see any sign of Kyubey being there."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Mercury asks what a Soul Gem is, Madoka glances between her and Sayaka. "Um... I think I'll let an actual Puella Magi explain that."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru pleads with her, and his words make Madoka feel a built guilty. She crosses her arms and withdraws a little upon hearing it. Of course, Mamoru would have feelings about that. "I mean... I don't bring it up lightly... but I understand." Is an Eclipse Zone worth crossing that line? She guesses not.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Amy arrives, Madoka smiles and waves at her. At her explanation, she chimes in. "If you lost your head, you'd still exist and be alive, but you wouldn't be able to think. You do in fact need your brain."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It sounds like she's seen that before. Yikes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>What Sayaka expects to hear first is Usagi coming up with an answer, but instead it is Mercury asking her what is a Soul Gem. "You are probably familiar with Heart Crystals", she tells the fellow bluenette. "A Soul Gem is just like one of them, but it is permanently outside of the body. They are formed from a contract with Kyubey, who extracts your soul and gives it physical form. Mine is right here", she says, pointing to the luminous elonganted C around her navel. If Ami isn't in a position to see it, Sayaka will have approached her.<br><br>"This being our literal soul has been something Kyubey hasn't revealed until recently. It has a distance limit allowed, past that our body collapses like a marionette with its strings cut until the Soul Gem is returned. Like all the other Puellae, I also need Grief Seeds to purify mine the more magic I use. If it fills completely, well, it's goodbye to Sayaka. Which is why I am mindful about it." It's a good thing Ami wasn't spending time with her when Sayaka was practicing bare minimum mindfulness.<br><br>To Tuxedo she says "I agree that the sun demon and Kyubey are very different beings, but do they have similar methods? You mention those rocks you all have. Has it been enchanted in a similar deal so it operates like Soul Gems?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>Zoisite's refusal earns an understanding nod... then Rashmi's attention shifts back to Usagi, then Koji. Looking down at her noodles, she grimaces, and sets them aside.<br> <br>Food *not* eaten. Yikes.<br> <br>To Usagi, she nods. "When Sunbreaker-san said she wanted to learn the secret of Beryl's power, it made me wonder if we could go places and learn things by *wanting* to learn them. So, for awhile, I concentrated on 'Why is she doing this at all?' And... well, I found her, in her... I guess it was a lab. Over a big old cauldron of liquefied Dark Energy. Nothing *super* exotic, just... In drinkable form. That you could bottle like a potion, for a hit of power. That was her *first* attempt at giving the Earth enough power to match the Moon. Because that's all she really wanted; you guys had power, and she looked up and got mad that you had it and Earth didn't. So I *told* her where her efforts would end. 'It sounds like I won, so I was right after all' is the best way to boil down her reaction to having ended most of the life of an entire star system."<br> <br>Looking down at her hands for a moment, she looks up, at Koji. "What scares me is she's *doing it again,* but there's no interplanetary civilization to destroy. So no... I don't think there's a third option here, Koji-kun..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:96|Tamaki Suikawa (96)}} has posed:'''<br>Tamaki's late, due to getting lost on the away there and needing to find a corner to henshin in without being noticed - but he is here, and he is ready to help - <br><br> Right after he finds out what's finding that strange, enticing, FAMILIAR smell - <br><br> He tucks himself into the crowd next to Endymion and Kunzite, grabbing one of those pies. "It looks like neither of you two could resist these either, could you? It smells just like home!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>It's quite a lot of information to take on at once, but if anyone was up to the task, Sailor Mercury would certainly top the list. As both Amy and Sayaka explain she frowns thoughtfully with a slow nod. "I see. That sounds quite dangerous. As for the stones, I believe it's because of the connection to the planets in some way. Tuxedo Kamen and the Shittenou were all of Earth after all." As for her own? Well that was a different planet entirely she didn't want to think on much at the moment. She still recalls the words being relayed of Mercury having fallen as well.<br><br>It's Koji's remarks that earn a thin press of her lips along with a sad shake of her head. "While I would like to believe that there may be some hope for redemption in many, I don't think this is one of those cases at all. If Beryl had the power on her own to do what she did, she would have. It's because she didn't have that power that she became involved with Metallia."<br><br>"Corrupted computer files can be saved or reverted to a prior save state before corruption. A computer virus is just a virus."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>Kunzite's making no comments at this point, letting other people talk this out. What he ''is'' doing is quietly collecting cupcakes, one of each variety, and taking them back to where Tuxedo Kamen and Zoisite are - abruptly with Tamaki. Well. It's the pie corner, apparently.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"You really liked them," Usagi says to Amy, "So - as long as you let Hope-chan study them, so she can draw them and maybe learn more about how they were like, made and stuff? I'm okay with you keeping them. Plus, when I'm Serenity, I'm kind of already in a dress, you know?" <br><br>If there are those who didn't know she could still very much take the form of the princess? Now they do. And those who do know, well, they've seen that dress, so they know what she means. <br><br>She nods along to Sayaka and Amy's explanations, glad they were able to explain, and then Rashmi says - <br><br>"That... well that is awful," she says with a grimace, "And it's... not a surprise. Back then, Silver Millennium and the Golden Kingdom were separate, and the people of Earth were... really scared of us. For a lot of reasons, but I think there are people who can like, speak to that better than me, y'know? But, if she made liquid dark energy, that'd help explain how she got so many people with her, even without the demon. But... and, I'm sorry, I just want to be really clear about this to everyone, because I know we've all... we've all got our views on things... <br><br>She pauses, and she's speaking up, a little louder, then. "There's not a single chance that Beryl is going to walk away from Kamen-kun or I, and we're not planning to give her the chance. We might not be able to do it now... but she's going to die. By our hands, probably."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru looks -- a ''little'' apologetic to Madoka for the vehemence of his position, but the relief when she says she gets it. And Sayaka is asking about the rocks, and he shakes his head. "Not as far as I've ever heard? And while I didn't have-- I mean, I was the Crown Prince, I didn't get to have a rock name, haha." Hematite was a modern invention. "I didn't have one, but I ''should'' have heard of it. Whatever she did with the creature, it didn't put her soul into a physical external vessel."<br><br>Tuxedo Kamen floats through the conversation, listening but not adding anything to it yet-- and he gets to Zoisite, with his ramen in hand, and he leans in to one side of Zoisite to say, surreptitiously, "Bow made the hand pies that I ate too many of at my fourteenth birthday and had to miss most of the party. The ''really good'' ones. With fig. Your mission, even if you won't eat, is: ''We need the recipe.''"<br><br>But then Usagi's gotten very serious, and is louder, and he can't help but miss it: he nods firmly, simply. "And it's all right if you don't want blood on your hands, you don't have to help, but please don't try to stop us."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I don't think there's any real way out for Director Beryl anyways," says Hope Witch, her voice flat and grim. "She knows too much, for one. There are too many people who have just cause to hate her, for another. The moment she loses her power is the moment she dies. Doesn't make a difference whether we score the killing blow or not."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances off to some point on the roof. "I mean... I guess we can protect others who have changed sides, but even then... would anyone here even want to? For her sake? I really don't. Sunbreaker told me once that if she ever got purified, she'd just get more dark energy, and others have told me much the same. It's not the choices she makes while under the influence that damn her. It's the initial spark, the willingness to go down that road, to double down as many times as she can, no matter what stands in her way."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gesturing towards Sailor Moon, she says to Koji, "I mean, that's how it is. Beryl isn't just a woman who can't take 'no' for an answer. She's not some questionable yandere fantasy. She's real and she's horrible and she hasn't changed her mind in ''at least'' two whole lifetimes. There's a lot that I can forgive, but forgiveness is pointless if the person doesn't ''change''."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a sigh from Koji-Hanzo, which he puts off for a bit by finishing off the noodles and then drinking deep from his broth. Getting up, he goes back for seconds, because it's good ramen, Usagi paid for it, and he's not in a sweets mood. More broth, more noodle, some egg, and this time a healthy heaping of spice and adds. When he returns to his seat, he stirs his new batch a little bit, and then finally says, "I know in our little magical world, people would rather we hug it out and not thug it out, but my point about hope wasn't a hope for redemption. Some of the monsters we've faced specifically feed on a lack of hope. So it's not going to be enough to fight Beryl herself, but that... whatever it is... behind her. And her lack of hope could be a three-course meal. So, like any good fantasy rpg, prepare for a two-stage boss fight."<br><br>Bringing up a healthy batch of noods to slurp he adds, "I can't speak for every other Device wielder here in Tokyo, but I can at least say I'll help... even if it's to hide the body. I saw how miserable she made my roommate for over a year, and she LIKED him."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Bow finishes off one of the hand pies, his attention on the conversation around him as he tries to understand and hopefully find some way to contribute. When Sayaka rises up to explain what the Puella are, he had heard the story from her - when it was first presented to him as understanding her when they started dating. <br><br>Though at the praise anewed for the hand pies, his dark cheeks seem a little more darker, a bit of pride at the compliments. "Whatever it is that we decide to do, it will need multiple pieces. A distraction to draw off those that may be loyal to her - not everyone is like our Mysterious Stranger. The group that is going to seek her out. Do we know of allies we may already have on the inside that can assist to maybe cut her off and isolate her?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:96|Tamaki Suikawa (96)}} has posed:'''<br>Tamaki's listening in - and as the conversation seems to conclude that it was definitely neccessary to take Beryl out, he nods in agreement with Koji. <br><br> "I'd rather defeat her before she drives someone else to madness in order to create a weakness in her victims. She doesn't know who any of our civilian identities are yet, hopefully, but we can't discount that she might target the family and friends of anyone she is able to identify, whether it's poisoning them with her darkness or just straight out attacking them. That was her prime tactic back in the day;we're all being cautious but we ought to be extra if she's gearing up."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>Sayaka nods when it is remarked that Beryl is not the type to relent, nor does she have something to treat that's going to make her reconsider, even if she doesn't particularly like it. If she is going to come after Usagi and Mamoru no matter what, she certainly doesn't have any intention to stay back and watch. "Anything I can do, I will", she promises. "You have my full support, Moon. You too, Tuxedo."<br><br>On the matter of Tuxedo, Sayaka listens with interest when he delves further into the similarities and differences of their situation and those of Puellae, and he gives her the confirmation the sun demon didn't in fact use a similar method to use. A pity, that, it would have probably been marginally easier if taking her rock away from her also constituted as beating. "I see, we will have to beat her by more traditional ways, then. Thanks", she tells him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:86|Zoisite (86)}} has posed:'''<br>Zoisite sits up straighter when he's joined over on his little claimed section of the roof edge, his hands no longer braced behind him for support. With Mamoru's talk of hand pies and missions and recipes, Zoisite's pale eyebrows begin to climb higher and higher towards his hairline, until he finally asks, "Have you considered asking him?"<br><br>If this were any other time, he'd probably just approach Bow and ask him. But there are other topics at hand, so Zoisite tunes back into them, and his expression darkens as they discuss Beryl's upcoming demise. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say at least those of us who were once employed by Beryl should probably try not to seem too close to anyone in particular if we don't want them to have a target on their backs," he points out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Explanation given, Amy turns her hand and the soul gem goes back to its place on her wrist... oh wait she's not in her costume. Uhh, it goes to a necklace then. Yeah.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy mutters, 'I guess ultimately, it was all of them...' after Koji lists The Reasons To Sell Your Soul.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hope Witch Knows Things and answers what Kyubey didn't. Amy blinks at her. "Hhhhuh. ...Okay I should probably know, if that happens will I regenerate as long as I have enough magic left, or...?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No interplanetary civilization to destroy. "Isn't Kyubey from another planet? Although, maybe he's stuck here, like Officer Harlown and everyone..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Usagi's comments about the dresses, smiling in relief at getting to keep them.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the conversation turns more dour (and dire), re: Beryl's fate. Amy nods at that too. "'Omnicidal Maniac' is certainly on its own level of unquestionable evil. I mean, if over the course of events she somehow ends up harmless and in a state where she can still learn to be a better person, that's one thing, but... it seems pretty unlikely." She looks to Usagi a bit awkwardly. "I know I've wished being a magical girl was different sometimes, but... if I wasn't someone who sometimes thought overwhelming force was appropriate, I probably wouldn't have a rocket launcher... well, who ''knows'' how that works."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Still, one wonders..." Amy taps her chin, staring off into the distance. "She made this deal with... you said 'Metallia?' once, so did it get what it wanted then? If it didn't, why did it trust Beryl a second time? It clearly didn't ''get'' her soul, since she reincarnated like the rest of you. Does it even get it ''now'', if she dies again? Although I guess either way, if she dies it has nothing to gain from continuing to act on her behalf..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods along as Madoka tells what she's learned about what kind of person Beryl was ''without'' Dark Energy. "Mm. However compassionate we may be, if she's going to do that, the miniscule chance to save her doesn't weigh much against what she'll do to everyone else."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she takes a bite of ramen and ''coughs'' and sputters when Madoka says 'questionable yandere fantasy'. "I never understood what people see in that..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A two-stage boss fight? "I hope she's more like an RPG boss fight than Sigma. I can''not'' dodge perfectly that long... Although I guess it'd be good to have as many subtanks, or ethers, ready beforehand as possible..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>"It got ''part'' of what it wanted then," Kunzite says to Amy, steady and a little bleak. "It wanted the planet. It got that. It wanted the Moon. It got that. It wanted the Silver Crystal. It got that to the face, and got sealed away ... but the person who knew how to wield it best is gone. So as far as it's concerned, that was the first half. This is the second. And it doesn't think we have a defense left. Why ''wouldn't'' it use the same person that set up what it thinks of as a win before?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>Sailor Mercury nods solemnly as Koji clarifies his position on the situation. "Ah, yes. She's a foe in her own right, but yes. Once she's defeated it will open the flood gates for Metallia. If not immediately then soon enough after that we'll have precious little time to recover." <br><br>The folder that had been looked through with the others has at least now been handed back in favor of eyeing those hand pies that everyone is talking so earnestly about.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Ugh, just eat one while they're still hot and crispy-crusted," Mamoru says to Zoisite, chin jutted out a little mulishly.<br><br>But he does turn back to the topic at hand, and he also turns back to the crowd at large, and he starts eating his ramen in earnest. He also nudges Tamaki hello.<br><br>Then Koji actually projects again, and Mamoru can hear him, and the look he gives him is probably embarrassing in its amount of pure unadulterated gratitude.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"The only people I know, Bow, that are in that position... well. Sunbreaker was with us, and the other isn't someone who'd do *good* at getting close to her anyway," Rashmi says. "Riventon's a jerk but he doesn't deserve more time around Beryl than he can avoid, and from what I hear I'd rather not put her and Sunbreaker in the same room. Too much chance of losing a five-block radius. It's a good idea, but it feels like Beryl is so horrible she doesn't even have a good way to get anyone *close* enough to betray her."<br> <br>As Tamaki enters, Rashmi nods at the one Shitennou who actually scared her in this time... but like with Zoisite, all she does is catch his gaze for a moment and offer ramen.<br> <br>"So if isolating her's already happened but hasn't done anything to mitigate her, and storming Obsidian's it's own entire ten-part light-novel series of bad ideas..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>This is where in the shoujo manga, Koji would be fist-bumping his roomie and friend... but there are Shitennou around him like a pack of Shittenou, and his repeated glances over pass over Kazuo before he finally has to eat more ramen to hide any other looks of embarrassment or nerves can be exposed.<br><br>But he does say, "Also... welcome back everyone. As part of the 'Not sucked into the time-hole' faction present, we're all happy to see you all intact and healthy. Also... nice to meet those of you I haven't really met before."<br><br>As he looks towards Sailor Mercury, a nod is given as he goes on, "You know what's great about beings who think they've won? The blinders. They don't take random chance or the machinations of things beyond understanding into account... whereas we tend to lean into it. It's like in the american movie Star Wars. Specifically Return of the Jedi. The entire rebel victory arguably happened because Han Solo stepped on a twig. Without that, Princess Leia wouldn't have met the Ewoks, who wouldn't have gotten C-3PO captured, who wouldn't have gotten them to side with the rebellion, who wouldn't have been able to destroy the shield generator."<br><br> *SLUUUUUUUUUUUURP*<br><br>"Bad guys don't watch enough good cinema."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:32|Puella Magi Sayaka (32)}} has posed:'''<br>Sayaka listens to Madoka explain her stance on Sunbreaker and how it is less than favourable towards the improvements she had made. "Hope-chan, Sunbreaker hasn't stayed the same, she has been changing, and a lot", she says calmly, fully believing in its importance. "She actually has a coscience, even if sometimes you have to prod it to get it to work. The reason her Eclipse Zones drain civilians much less than she used to take from them is because I pointed out to her how dangerous are the ramifications of her actions. And she could have brushed them off, but didn't. She isn't a lost cause. There is a good person in there."<br><br>She takes in more air before continuing. "I don't know how many others this applies too, but I think if we try to extend a hand to those that can actually be helped, everyone will benefit. Them, because they can see how much they are depriving themselves of, us because we both lose an enemy and gain a friend, and everyone general, since she can devote all her contributions to improve the situation for everyone even outside our fights."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Thankfully, Koji said the word ''movie'' which is very important to say with Bow here because he totally would have gone on this whole tangent of how could they recruit this great hero Han Solo and their names sound awesome and what is an Ewok and omg, there's a WHOLE OTHER REBELLION OUT THERE? <br><br>But Koji clarified what it was, so we're all safe from that. <br><br>"So we draw her out somehow." Bow offers. "The clearest way... is the way I'm not going to suggest. Is there anything on that file of things she did outside of preening in her throne room? Even Hordak left to head into the field sometimes."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Amy's question, Madoka tilts her head to the side and places a finger on her chin. "Well, in an extreme case, you could lose your entire body and be left with nothing but your Soul Gem. In that state, you aren't really able to use magic anymore and you're only technically 'alive' if someone keeps using Grief Seeds on you. I've never seen anyone come back from that state. If you only lost a part of you, it can depend upon how your magic works, and also whether or not your Soul Gem was ''on'' the part that you lost..." She glances around at others before getting embarrassed. "Ah, maybe I shouldn't talk about that while we're eating."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well now she's getting shy. Might be a question best saved for later.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nibbles a bit more ramen, but also takes a moment to grab another hand pie. Those things are good and Gretchen likes eating them vicariously.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the mention of storming Obsidian tower, Madoka reiterates. "Yeah, that's out of the question." She doesn't remember her last timelines with ''that'' much clarity, but she remember enough of them to know that storming the tower is a TPK.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Sayaka, Madoka says, "I don't mean to say that Sunbreaker is a lost cause. I just think that Beryl is. If anything, Sunbreaker is an example of someone I'd want to help save. We probably can't do that without addressing her underlying issues, but she and Beryl are two entirely different things."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She waves her chopsticks-holding hand in front of her defensively. "I know she matters to you, Sharpsong-chan. I'm not trying to say we should throw ''her'' away. It's different."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Sailor Mercury (122)}} has posed:'''<br>Sailor Mercury dips her head toward Koji in greeting. They'd met breifly in passing in the past, but that was quite awhile ago. Her attention shifts again over toward the boys currenty huddling around the plate that Bow had brought. Curiousity is evident on her as she risks stepping away from Sailor Moon to make an attempt at snagging one herself. The ramen was not working so well for her style of study-talk-planing as her usual lunchtime sandwiches did.<br><br>"... Can I try one?" She asks hesitantly with a little finger wagged in the direction of the treats. The topic of luring Beryl out was still up there though so she speaks up with her own thoughts on that.<br><br>"We are not going to use people as bait. We could however attempt to lure her out with something she might want more, or just as much. If she's low on people working under her at the time it would possibly actually bring her out if she feels the prize is great enough. Maybe some of the rainbow crystals?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>A little whisper, to Mercury, "They're fig hand pies, and they're really good! Not entirely like a burger, but you'll really like them - look how much the Earth Boys are enjoying them." <br><br>True, they're all from Earth but... those are The Boys From Earth. She cheers a little to herself when Mercury does indeed go and get a hand pie. <br><br>But then there's more commentary, and she nods along with what Koji says. "Right. She ''liked'' Hematite, and she was still that horrible to him. She's - a monster. And the monster behind the monster will only get ''stronger'', if we can't take her out." <br><br>She's silent, for a moment, and then - <br><br>"Sailor Pluto mentioned that she found like, some useful items when she was on the Moon, in an echo after - after everything was over." Her voice wavers, slightly, but she pushes through. "I'd bet anything that one of them is the sword Venus used to kill her. It's - I don't remember a ton of specifics about it, but it's the Holy Sword, and I'd bet that's one of the reasons it cut through her like butter." <br><br>She nods sharply with the idea of not using any bait, and laughs a little ruefully - "I'm pretty sure Inai-sensei wants to storm Obsidian, but yeah I don't... think that's a good idea. Plus, it's their base, and I don't think we can make all their base belong to us. Our best bet... is probably to try and stock up power, and maybe we can lure her out, somehow... I mean. She's going to want my Silver Crystal, so she ''will'' come out..." <br><br>Mercury is suggesting the Rainbow Crystals, and Usagi shakes her head quickly. <br><br>"No way, no way! I get what you mean, but - one of the things we saw in there was.... the creation of the Rainbow Crystals, and she absolutely can't get her hands on more of them, and I... guess if we were ''ready'' to kill her, we could try... but...." her reluctance is obvious.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"What if she just thinks they are the rainbow crystals?" Bow asks. "After all... they fell for the fake crystal... I mean, is there something we could do to perhaps make a bait version?" There's a soft sigh, he's clearly out of his element here. <br><br>"There should be enough for everyone." he offers encouragingly to Mercury if she should chose to want one. He reaches up, rubbing his chin in thought. "What if she were to overhear a piece of information of where the Crystals ''aren't really at'', and make sure that she doesn't have to plan to send anyone else and she has to come out herself. And maybe, give the impression that someone is there... like a scarecrow?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy takes a moment to eat this delicious ramen. Mmmm.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods to Madoka's comment about her question and raises eyebrows at the mention of the Holy Sword.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for another idea... "''Storm?'' Wouldn't it make more sense to do something to get the civilians out -- have someone pull the fire alarm or something -- and then bomb the base of the building so it collapses? Ah, I guess it's pretty big though... The dust might go for blocks... Plus it might fall on another building if we don't do it right..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:96|Tamaki Suikawa (96)}} has posed:'''<br>It will be visible to those who know Jadeite's vocal tics that he attempts to start saying 'my princess', stops himself, and restarts with, "If we're looking for bait, it will need to be convincing. Beryl will be sure to react to the presence of a fake crystal, and we'll need to prepare for collateral damage or keep her fooled long enough for her to react within Obsideon rather than wherever she finds the fake. She's sure to become more cautious if we do it more than once. Then... I suppose, should we try and turn the fake crystal into a bomb of some kind? Or would that be more likely to cause collateral civilian damage than to expose a weakness?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"She, uh... didn't fall for the fake version," Tuxedo Kamen says, then doubletakes at Usagi. "You saw--"<br><br>He looks into his ramen bowl, takes a breath, looks back up. "Sunbreaker tried to pass off a fake to her and wound up on ice for three days. It was a whole thing." A beat. "Literally in suspended animation, but awake, in a giant crystal in Beryl's office. Wasn't the longest I've seen someone in one, but... she can tell."<br><br>Then he stirs his ramen a little, getting egg in the soup, and he says, "She wants power. The rainbow crystals are useless by themselves, it would need to be all of them to lure more than just Riventon or Thetis or the newbies out. As long as we have some, we can make sure she can't put the key together. The more she gets, the more unsettled *I* get..."<br><br>He looks to Usagi again. "She wants the Silver Crystal, she wants me, she wants the rainbow crystals, she wants... she ''wants''." There's a look on his face, it sure is some kind of emotion. He puts the rest of his bowl down, then extricates himself from the pie corner and doesn't ''go'' anywhere, he just needs to walk around on ''that'' side of the roof for a minute, instead of ''this'' side.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"Speaking of collateral damage," Rashmi muses, "I need to talk to Chrono, and Wako. We need to seriously learn the fringes of Barrier Space and her Zero-Time, because... And I mean this is a wild theory, but... If a *bunch* of us who can fiddle with dimensional space work together... Maybe we can put up a big enough Barrier that can cover a whole ward? That'd be more than enough room to have any kind of battle in, without worrying about civilians?"<br> <br>Falling silent at Tuxedo's retelling of Sunbreaker's Plight, Rashmi pales. "...So yeah, *definitely* don't put them in a room together again."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well. I admit..." Bow kinda presses his two pointer fingers together in thought as he chews on his bottom lip in thought. "So. My original idea was that... if our Benefactor wasn't going to pay attention to the Eclipse Zone - we turn it and send in the purification. And I just thought, you know... if it hit her hard enough, she'd come rushing out to seek out vengance on whoever did it to her." <br><br>"I was just thinking if we chose the battlefield and lure her out, we can limit the amount of collateral damage?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>"Then we shouldn't assume that she keeps anything valuable inside Obsidian's main building at this point," Kunzite says, picking up to cover Mamoru's tactical retreat. "If Sunbreaker tried to pass off a fake to her, and Riventon has access to her part of the property, then it's compromised by people she doesn't have control over. Anything she left there might be taken from her by her ostensible allies." A beat. "Which raises the question of where she ''does'' keep those things - but if we can lure her out of wherever it is, that ultimately might not matter until the cleanup."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>Koji says, almost a bit out of the blue, "Why not take a page from our former enemies... Project Midnight."<br><br>Looking over at the Shittenous Three, he gives a slight dip of his head in apology, "We know all these places of power that are already vulnerable to dimensional crossing. We know plenty of people who can create barriers of separate space that only let those with magic be inside of them. So... why don't we just use their diagram in our collective spell and put all of Tokyo inside a barrier and make it into our own fighting game background?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy eats ramen. Eyes widen again at Tuxedo Kamen's recounting of what happened to Sunbreaker. "Jesus." She gestures towards him with chopsticks. "See, ''that's'' the kind of thing I keep 'worrying' dark magic is gonna do to someone."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A giant barrier? "At what point do we just like... cover the building with a barrier and then just blow it up with the biggest explosive technology and magic can get us? Because it kinda seems like that's the direction that line of thinking is going in."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"'Just,'" Rashmi chuckles. "But... yeah that's an angle, all right. I need to do a *lot* of talking to a *lot* of space-math nerds before I can even tell you whether or not that's feasible. And no, Amy-chan... Right now I'm assuming that if we end up engaging Beryl, it's gonna be without the backing of Obsidian. If that's how she treats her consultants, nobody's gonna *want* to work with her if they have a choice. Remember... From everything we've been able to see, Obsidian really isn't a single company, it's more like... well, a conglomerate. Lots of departments with their own ideas and plans, and sometimes they work together. So... Assume Beryl's on her own, but plan for help from weird corners. ...Also, don't kick the hive if you don't want bees in the face. Generally a good way to operate."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"There's a bigger problem with blowing up the building," Usagi feels a need to point out. "If we do that, they're probably going to blow up our school. Plus, there's probably normal people who work there too - I mean, it's a megacorporation, they can't all be dark energy users. And there's that mall, on like the bottom floors, that people are always in. Even if we could get a barrier over the whole thing... they'd still probably blow up our school." <br><br>There are too many people: if they had that many people using dark energy, they'd be all over them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>Looking down for a moment, Bow picks at a string on his pants. He'll have to fix that soon. Finally, he decides to ask. "So... there's all these groups. And they all have their own leaders, right? What if... what if we could get one of them to do the dirty work for us?" <br><br>"Surely, whatever they are doing to work together... might have a weakness? And if someone is eager... or power hungry enough, maybe they can you know... figure something out?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I thought the barriers removed civilians..." Amy points out, but, yeah, if the war escalates to that point and they don't get total victory, the school is next. Amy nods. "Okay. Barrier for battleground good, barrier to contain... attacks that destroy entire buildings, bad."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:96|Tamaki Suikawa (96)}} has posed:'''<br>"If we're going to get the different factions in Obsideon to fight," Tamaki muses, helping Kazuo and Zoisite cover Mamoru's disappearance, "Then we'd need to have something that multiple factions want AND a way to keep it from, as Sailor Moon says, destroying all the civilians who work at and near Obsideon. And - hm, this is unlikely, but if someone with dark energy defeated Beryl, could that sun being... hop over to them?" <br><br> He realizes this is not likely, given that Beryl only got into this situation via a deal with the devil, but if the damn thing is OUT of the sun, it'd likely try and STAY out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:61|Koji Silvia (61)}} has posed:'''<br>After finishing off bowl number 2, Koji goes over to put his things on the table an the clearer end, making sure to look where Tux-kamen has gone for a bit. Getting a napkin to wipe his hands and his lips... despite having gloves and a half-mask. He looks at the cupcakes and picks up a Strawberry one to carry with him, "Miss Amy, Miss Sailor Moon. That leads us to the question that has bothered me since I enrolled at Radiant Heart."<br><br>"Why does this school exist?"<br><br>And with that, he starts walking right towards the edge of the library roof!<br><br>"I need to go make sure I have my assignments ready for class, get some training time in the gym, and then bed. If anyone wants to work out some stress, I'm happy to go a few rounds on the mat."<br><br>Says the guy who just walks off the top of a BUILDING and falls off into what seems like nothing...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"I mean, if we blow it up in a barrier, it's not going to ''stay'' blown up," Usagi points out, "It just pisses them off." <br><br>And then Koji is asking a very pertinent question, but he's gone before Usagi can offer her answer. "Well... I mean, I don't know for sure. But considering they hired Inai-sensei? I'd say this school exists to give people like ''us'' a place to exist. It's probably... it's probably the same reason my mother created the Veil."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh. I kinda figured anything powerful enough to do ''that'' would take them out, and if it didn't, the barrier-copy of the building collapsing on them ''would''."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...So what are we gonna use that's even more powerful than ''that, without'' resulting in immense collateral damage?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...I thought the school was gathering magical girls so we have a positive environment instead of feeling like we're all alone, the only one dealing with magic at our school, etc?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kunzite (58)}} has posed:'''<br>Kunzite opens his mouth to make a suggestion, regarding the purpose of the school. Pauses. Snags one of the cupcakes he brought over to the boys (vanilla) and eats it, possibly to keep himself from saying ''even one word.''<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madoka listens to a lot of the chatter going around and quietly eats her ramen. She has a lot to think about, and a lot to think over, and she's not really sure that she can put everything into ''words''. She's also leaving a lot unsaid, because it's not relevant and she wants to stay on track.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Okay, so to recap: There are two main phases of this plan. The first is to lure Beryl to a battlefield of our choosing. The second is to kill her when she gets there. We already know that a fake crystal wont work, and we're not going to use real people as bait. She's still a Sage, so really her having some kind of magic or psychic sight should not be a surprise. However, we do know that there are four things that have a good chance of forcing a response from her: the Rainbow Crystals, the Silver Crystal, Endymion, or..." Madoka points her chopsticks at Moon, "... honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd come out just for you, personally."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sticks her chopsticks into her bowl, and then extends her free hand in front of her. The world shifts slightly, but after some minor distortion there's only one real change: there's a small blank grid in front of her, like a map with no details, with Beryl in the middle. "However... in addition to figuring out how to pull her where we want her, we should ''also'' make sure we know what to do with her once we catch her. We'll need that sword, I'm pretty sure. In fact, we'll need all sorts of power sources. All of us on the strike team need to be top form."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Turning to Rashmi, she says, "I'd be more than happy to lend Wake Labyrinth to that cause, but there's one complication that I'd like to point out. Beryl has repeatedly demonstrated the use of portals. If we work together we can probably find away to make those not work, or at least use the properties of Wake Labyrinth to bend space so that they can't reach us, but if I do that then it'll likely be my entire job. I'd have to let my Familiars do the fighting for me, and well... we saw what happened to the last one I dropped in front of her."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for the subject of the school, Madoka shrugs. "A lot of magical things end up here. If there was going to be a school for us, it'd be here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"It's still a good question though," Rashmi points out. "Because Inai-sensei, I *know* she's said there are *way* too many magical types around now, compared to when she was active... But the school's been around for *ages.* So something's weird there."<br> <br>Selecting a strawberry-iced cupcake, she looks up at Madoka, eyebrows rising at the holographic map. "A Labyrinth... it's *kind* of like the Witch places, right?" Rashmi shivers faintly, remembering the electronics shop and the madness that Witch surrounded itself with. "I'll put that on the 'let's see if we can mash these things together and make them work' pile, because honestly the harder we make it for her to leave, the better. As long as we're not doing more damage to the fabric of reality than it can hold, I mean."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm pretty sure they've got... some kind of way, of knowing, or something," Usagi says with a nod, "Pretty positive I'm ''not'' the only one to get an invitation to this school right before or right after they transformed for the first time... but, I know from Inai-sensei, that back when she was active, there were only like, maybe a dozen magical people in all of Tokyo." <br><br>She lets that sit - the people on this rooftop, at this discussion, are about as many magical people are there were in ''all of Tokyo'', not that long ago. <br><br>"Something happened... but I don't know what that something is. I dunno if anyone knows, really." <br><br>But there's the much more important subjects that Madoka is bringing up, and Usagi nods along. "Exactly. We'd need our top strength, so we should probably make sure we're all training and keeping on top of our skills. We need to lure her out - and I'm pretty sure I could do it, too. If I went Princess-mode... pretty sure I could tick her off enough to come charging out." <br><br>A grimace. "But yeah, she's ''strong''. We'd probably need like... as many people in Tokyo as we could get, and we might not survive, even then. We'd have to be ready to make it a stand, because we might not all walk away."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"I won't run again," says Tuxedo Kamen, finally, turning around from where he's been sorting himself out. "Don't ask me to. And don't ''you'' stand alone if you don't want ''me'' to..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm not the strongest. I'm not even low tier, compared to most of you." Bow admits as he summons an arrow into his hand, spinning it around in thought. "Not the smartest either." He's seen more than enough examples of that as well. "I'm not going to try to upsell myself to try to convince myself if that I could stand toe to toe with really... anyone... on this rooftop. But I've been in worse situations than this. And after everything I saw and experienced in that glimpse?" <br><br>"I'll help any way I can. I don't know what that ''is'' yet, but if it's one thing I'm really good at, it's improving once things have started happening to figure it out. And that comes from years of meticulous planning that immediately forgot the moment that things started to go down." Bow spins the arrow between two fingers before dismissing it. <br><br>"But you all took in a lost traveller from another world, showed him around, made him feel welcomed and..." a glance over to Sayaka. "...wanted. I know I'm just a guy with a bow and a violin and a great recipe for hand pies... but I'm in for the pound... or was it a penny?" <br><br>"And I'm sure Adora will be too once I go bang on her door, and drag her out of her funk. Even if I have to make her an entire banquet to remind her that she is needed, loved, cared about and there are people that still depend on her. And she can still make a difference." He's determined to get his best friend out of her funk.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wait, there's more magical types around now than before?" Amy taps the tip of the chopsticks to her lips. "I mean... maybe it was just a regular school, but because of its location, magic-aware folks took it over? Although... wait, how recently did all of us awaken? They ''certainly'' had the school... over a year ago, I remember when Nurse Meiou and Inai-sensei were ''hired.''" She gestures vaguely in front of her with the chopsticks.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then glances at Madoka. "But... we know time travel or divinations or something are a ''thing'', so it's quite possible someone magic-aware could have ''known'' there were about to be a ton of us and prepared ahead of time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Hope Witch (33)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's based upon the Labyrinths that Witches use," confirms Madoka. "I tend to use it the same way as a Barrier, in terms of containing collateral damage. It also tends to provide me with a homefield advantage, and... if need be? I can make it really hard to escape. Especially if other people are working with me. I don't know what kind of long term damage we might end up causing."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And, grimly, she nods at Sailor Moon. "That's right. We've already seen her wipe everything out once. We can't be naive enough to assume that wont happen again... which means..." Hope Witch sets her ramen bowl down and crosses her arms. "... Which means that when we pick this fight, we should enter with no regrets. Settle whatever business you have to, and make sure your loved ones know that you care about them."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The words sound weird to her, coming out of her mouth, but... it's the truth, as she sees it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Tuxedo Kamen, she says, "None of us should stand against this alone. We want to win."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Bow, she nods. "You're one of us, and I don't think you should underestimate yourself. Being smart is as important as being powerful, especially if you can adapt and think on your feet. Any friends you can bring, we'll need them too."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy brings up a good point, and Madoka has to consider it. "I mean, yeah, that's true. When it comes to magical things, we can't rule out the possibility of future sight. Either in Beryl's case or the school's."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't elaborate on time travel more than she already has.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"Bow-kun I don't care how powerful you think you are compared to the rest of us," Rashmi says. "Being able to improvise is *guaranteed* to be critical to *any* of us surviving. So don't undersell yourself, I will bet you an all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner that you'll be part of the tables turning. Beryl is a bigger single threat than any ten of us have a hope of matching, so..."<br> <br>Falling silent, she looks to Madoka, and nods slowly. "Just as important," she says quietly, "we need to be strong *together.*" Her eyes find Usagi for a moment, and a touch of sadness colors her face, before she shakes her head. "We have to trust each other as much as possible... We can't fight all-out, all together, if we aren't *fighting together.*"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Tuxedo Kamen (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"I didn't mean for the actual fight, just for the luring her out," Tuxedo Kamen says to Hope Witch, shaking his head. His hand unconsciously goes to his chest as he adds, "I remember how easy it is for her to kill, don't worry."<br><br>He finally comes back over to the thick of things again, but this time he's not interested in food. He'll help pack it up to bring it back in a bit, when they're all done, but for now he just looks like he needs to endure the rest of this doom party. "About two and a half, three years ago? Two and a half years ago, more or less, was when a lot more mahoujin started showing up. That's when Beryl picked me up, coming up on three years ago in late June. This past year it's been a veritable explosion."<br><br>He glances at Rashmi and doesn't say anything, doesn't give any kind of reaction. Kazuo can probably read that that's on purpose, but only because he's very, very good at reading Mamoru.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"More than before by a lot. I've been active since last June; I'm pretty sure started up around then too. Everyone other Plantery Senshi, except Sailor Pluto, awoke over like, months, after me," Sailor Moon reports, willing to share this much at least. "Us Senshi alone are almost as many magical girls as were in Tokyo in like, 2016, from what Inai-sensei said once; that's when she and her partner were active. It'd take me a little while to count them all up, but I'm pretty sure I know like..... thirty magical people?" <br><br>A huuuuge jump in numbers. No, she has no idea why. Yes, it's probably something to worry about... for now it's mostly a cool fact? <br><br>Much more important is Mamoru's concern, and the fact that he says - <br><br>"I wouldn't ask you too," Usagi says quietly, looking at Tuxedo Kamen, "And I can definitely say I'm not facing her alone. She's crazy and I don't think I have enough punch in ''my'' use of the crystal to handle her or that thing away. Even my mother could only seal it; we need to kill it, this time." <br><br>They have to manage to do even more than was done before. <br><br>Rashmi's words feel a bit pointed, and there's the way her eyes land on hers, her face sorrowful. Usagi doesn't grimace, but it's a near thing. She's probably heard about things from Setsuna, since she's close to her, and... "Yeah. We'll have to fight together, all of us. It's going to take all of our power. And Hope Witch is right. We'll... we'll want to settle our affairs, before it's over."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy takes a breath and sets her food down. "This'll be it, huh? I've talked a big talk, about how I've expected to die in battle since becoming a Magical Girl, and I meant it, but... It still hits a little bit differently, planning for a fight and thinking 'this might be it.' ...I guess I'm a little bit sad, thinking about it."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes look briefly to Mercury, "I'm not ''that'' smart," she looks back to Madoka, "But I'll give it my all. Saving the world... saving people is what I became a Magical Girl for."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...But right now I need a drink. A cold drink. Anyone want anything?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She walks out to the edge of the roof looking for an unseen opportunity to drop down, and does so after collecting any drink orders.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:41|Rashmi Terios (41)}} has posed:'''<br>"I know, right?" Rashmi says to Amy, drawing in a deep breath. "It's weird, and sad, but there's what you plan for and what you hope for. No thanks about the drink though... I should probably get back to my homework, though... Usa-chan, thank you *so much* for the ramen, and can I text you later tonight? Or tomorrow or whenever? And if I get good indicators on how generous Barrier math is, definitely got a whole bunch of people to talk to."<br> <br>That said, Rashmi waits for Usagi's answer, before making her goodbyes and soaring off to the dorms.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:226|Bow (226)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm not planning to get my affairs in order. Most everything I have is on this rooftop." Bow points out. "And what isn't here, will be by my side, be what may come." He looks around the roof, considering them all, each of them in turn. There's a quick count on his fingers and a grin. "Best Friends Octoquad." he offers up. <br><br>"What I will plan for is the afterparty. Complete with karaoke, pinatas, and maybe a fireworks on the beach. I did that for Sharpsong once." A wink over his shoulder at her. "Anything else? Well, I'll reach out to you to talk about that seperatedly."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"...sure, Rashmi-chan," Usagi says quietly, watching her prepare to go. There's no unfriendliness, but a faint, echo of caution in her voice, before she shakes her head and turns back to everyone. "And Bow? That's a great idea. You're right. We need to be ready to go - and ready to party, afterwards. I think fireworks on the beach sound ''perfect''."<br> <br>
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