View source for 2941/KTF: Focus Point D

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2026/02/14
|Location=Mitakihara Ward
|Synopsis=Yuami and La Crima are still trying to muck with the Fade and something Magical In Tokyo, but this time around, the heroes have the secret sauce to stop their 'impenetrable' shield as soon as it goes up: Sailor Mercury and a Gadget. Hinoiri, Catra, Amy, Mamoru, Usagi, Ami, and Kazuo send Yuyami, Night Hope, and La Crima packing, but uh... what's ''happening'' to Yuyami, anyway?
|Cast of Characters=307,94,131,43,107,122,38,102,58
|Tinyplot=Kill the Fade
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In a part of Tokyo's ward of Mitakihara, a section of streets away from the usual highrises has been closed off by black trucks and what appears to be some kind of corporate or private security team, setting up road blocks a distance away from a four-way intersection, blocking all traffic.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Those who make their way towards them and are magically inclined can quickly deduce from glowing purple eyes behind dark sunglasses and/or slight aura that this 'corporate security team' is actually a group of quite low power youma, but they are largely focused on keeping people away from the intersection. An occasional black van has a name embossed in silver: SHADE - with "an Obsidian Company" below it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By convincing civilians around that the sidewalks and roads are closed due to "an urgent infastructure project with minimal but not zero risk" they've quickly managed to render the otherwise busy street isolated.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a few moments later that Yuyami Kagayaki, in her new labcoat adorned henshin, is walking towards the cordoned off intersection, tablet in hand, (repaired) locket hanging from her neck. She knows she'll be joined by someone else soon, but for now, it's time to begin.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The now-familiar bubble of Dark Energy rises up in a hemisphere and one of those half-crystal, half-magitech spires begins to construct itself within the dome, starting to press down into the asphalt of the center of the intersection, creating more spire above as it continues to descend below.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:94|La Crima (94)}} has posed:'''<br>Norie Okana is here! WELL. La Crima is here now. She's walking towards Yuyami Kagayaki in a dark lavender/purplish colored suit, with a lighter colored tie. She has the jacket open and a badge with SHADE on it aswell, and gives a nod to Yuyami, wearing a trademark straight face, indicating she's... as well feeling as she's going to get.<br><br>"Is it going well?" she asks. "I mean. No problems have shown up yet?" Problems. She means. Sparkles.<br><br>She then frowns. "They'll come. They always do." then quietly, as she leans in. "Nice new labcoat. Is it similar to Riven-senpai's?" she asks in a whisper, because girltalk still happens even in a professional environment, ''especially'' in a professional environment. Okay!?<br><br>She then leans back and nods professionally, as if she just asked something important.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Hinoiri Kirara was doing the unthinkable.<br><br>Was on a *date*. Leh gasp! Sure, her and Catra were casual, but even casual relationships need some maintenance and Hinoiri was the first to admit that she had not been the best at maintaining her relationships as of late. Sure, the Fade had her primary focus...<br><br>But that was no excuse to just *let* her actual relationships fade.<br><br>And so it was that she was out and about with the girl who she had decided to spend some romantic time with, and after seeing a movie, getting a shake and actually going for a nice walk with, she was feeling pretty good. She felt she was dodging the curse. Ha! It hadn't been interrupted at all. Maybe it only hit--<br><br>Then a truck with the logo 'SHADE' had driven by and she sighed. "Okay, *that* just screams 'going to get thrown' all over it," she said dryly. "Wanna get a workout?" she asked, drinking a lil bit more from her shake, making a light bubbly sound from it as it got lil air pockets...<br><br>And soon, Cure La Licorne was standing on one of the high rises, cocking an eye as she gazed over the bubble. "And there she is, Yuyami. Looks like she got an upgrade and a new coat..." she mumbled. And... Norie. Delightful. So it was going to be doubly personal. At least neither of them knew who she was.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>Problems weren't there initially, but they are there ''now'' - or at least, one problem is, crouching on the roof of a building near the blocked off intersection, squinting down at what's going on below. It just figures that things had been too quiet - or at least, too much without ''these'' guys for the last little while. <br><br>Sailor Moon raises her communicator closer to her mouth, whispering over a channel open to all friends with her comm number: <br><br><span style="color:#FDFFC2">MOON</span> to <span style="color:#ff0000">E</span><span style="color:#ffaf00">V</span><span style="color:#87ff00">E</span><span style="color:#00ff5f">R</span><span style="color:#00ffff">Y</span><span style="color:#005fff">O</span><span style="color:#8700ff">N</span><span style="color:#ff00af">E</span>: Yuyami and La Crima are at (X Intersection) if anyone wants to show up... oh! La Licorne's on the scene too! <br><br>She glances down, notices that neither of Yuyami or La Crima ''seems'' to be looking up (pivotal gamer mistake) and superjumps across the intersection to come to a rolling stop near Hinoiri. <br><br>"Hey, I was just letting folks know they're here!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah. Yeah that is ''obviously'' Obsidian.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tiny, non-explosive rockets fly towards tires; High-explosive incendiary armor piercing warheads aim to pierce hoods and set engines on fire.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Why ''not'' hurt Obsidian in their wallets if they're going to leave a bunch of expensive stuff lying around? Amy's pretty sure each vehicle has got to be worth at ''least'' a half-million yen and that's probably lowballing it. And even if they're not totaled, that's time and repair bills and paperwork still. Also, they'll have to have the vehicles towed away. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So that's why she's lying on a rooftop down the street, destroying things from a distance.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>Sailor Mercury had been rather hard at work. This, of course, wasn't an uncommon affair as there was always homework to be done and data to be worked through. It was just unfortunate that barriers were such a difficult thing though, since magic was always tricky to touch technologically. Her work with Rashmi, then, had been instrumental in building out a foundational understanding of these interactions and how to manipulate them.<br><br>And so, the blue-haired senshi arrived on scene in a rather timely manner. Wearing knit brows behind the transparent blue of her Mercury Visor and carrying a device that looked like the unfortunate combination of the controls for an RC plane and a hedgehog. There were probably a half-dozen too many antennae to be any kind of sensible and one of the thumbsticks had been replaced by a knob that clicked whenever it was turned.<br><br>If it was problems they were concerned with, Sailor Mercury was almost definitely determined to be one of them as she fiddled with the knob.<br><br>"It'll take me a little to properly calibrate..." Mercury was muttering.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru's got his hands in his pockets and a lollipop in his mouth when the bubble goes up, and he sighs and crunches it.<br><br>About ten seconds after Sailor Moon sends the communication, Tuxedo Mask is on the scene and crouching down next to her. When Mercury gets there he glances up and back to her, magic silk cape shifting back down his shoulder as he moves. "Should we get out of your way?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:102|Catra (102)}} has posed:'''<br>All this time on Earth, and Catra is still learning new things. <br> <br> "So wait, these things actually have ''milk'' in them? How did nobody tell me this before?" she half asks, half complains. it's only a mild complaint, though; now she knows about milkshakes, and will probably be drinking one every day. Because they'd great. Almost as good as fish. Definitely way better than the grey kind, though that bar is getting lower and lower as time goes by. <br> <br> She will hardly be the one to ccmplain about relationship maintenance being sparce. She's still trying to figure her life out in... a large number of respects. And it's hard, of course, and still leaves her pining for the simplicity of the Horde -- albeit just the simplicity these days, not so much the villainy. <br> <br> Oh but then the 'SHADE' truck drives by, and one eyebrow goes way up. She's about to declare it not their problem today, but then... <br> <br> "Actually a workout ''does'' sound nice," she replies, and after a burst of flame the guise of Rachel Miller is replaced by Catra's preferred look, in a charcoal grey tuxedo with red and orange highlights and the now oft unused Powersend hanging off her belt. <br> <br> "Oh, hey, been a while since I've seen Norrie," she comments to Hinoiri, standing beside her on the high rise that totally does not have claw marks on ths side of it now. "They might not recognize you, but they'll definitely recognize ''me''. But that's okay. I'll just... be violent or something and I'm sure they'll forget all about it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>It's a good twenty or thirty seconds after Mamoru arrives that Kunzite follows him, hanging back to, one, give Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon a little space of their own, and two, take up a guard position behind and to the side of Mercury to let her concentrate on her hedgehog hybrid without having to worry about dark energy beams to the back of the head. Or the front of the head, for that matter.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami is about to answer Norie in the negative when... of course, like clockwork, several problems show up. "Well, that was fast." she says, casually. Suddenly a figure, slightly larger than a Guardian Chara, appears floating nearby her shoulder. Seemingly 'glitching' in and out of existence, the figure is one of dark purple and wearing a sort of hooded cloak. "Even with the civilians relocated, I detect several magical presences coming into range. It seems your efforts to isolate the area have gone without benefit in terms of time or number of presences." the figure notes.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hush, Night Hope. The benefit is that the civilians are clear. No reason to hold back." Yuyami says to the figure on her shoulder.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If you say so." the figure remarks with a calm dispassion that might give Lacrima a challenge.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rockets fly towards trucks, but before they can impact tires, some of them hit a shimmering purple shield - meaning not every truck is set alight. Several are, though, sending security-guard looking youma flying or into smoke.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Even before we get into the fight, they are rather prone to colateral property damage all on their own." Night Hope remarks.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, you've come here to waste your time and ours?" Yuyami calls out. Her compact can sense the arrivals too, even if not distinctly enough to go after any of them. "Come on, you've never been able to break these barriers before we've gotten far enough, and this time, we've closed the loophole. Several interlocking barriers over generatorts all over this area, you'll have to destroy them one at a time, after you find them. You've were outsmarted long before you arrived, and we'll be done and long gone before you get any progress on the main one." she says, pushing her glasses up her nose. Her pupils glimmer a strange purple as she does so. "This is what happens when you go up against the best."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Are you providing them unncessary information, Field Researcher Kagami?" Night Hope asks her. Yuyami shrugs. "What are they gonna do, blow up the trucks one at a time, trying to find the right order? It doesn't matter what they know, better to just let them know how out of their depth they are, maybe they'll make the smart choice for once and go away." she says, feeling secure behind her Matryoshka Doll of barriers.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Gods she's starting to mimic his style of speech," Tuxedo Kamen says in exasperation, loud enough for Yuyami to hear but not ''to'' Yuyami, because he's feeling particularly immature. There are so many other things he could say, if he cared more at this moment that someone on the internet was wrong. (He cares. He just has Willpower, and Ami can most certainly speak for herself if she wants to.)<br><br>Instead, he watches for a good time, then abruptly stands up and calls out, flinging his arm out, "<span style="color:#707070">T</span><span style="color:#797979">u</span><span style="color:#838383">x</span><span style="color:#8C8C8C">e</span><span style="color:#969696">d</span><span style="color:#9F9F9F">o</span> <span style="color:#B2B2B2">G</span><span style="color:#BCBCBC">l</span><span style="color:#C5C5C5">i</span><span style="color:#CFCFCF">t</span><span style="color:#D8D8D8">t</span><span style="color:#E2E2E2">e</span><span style="color:#EBEBEB">r</span><span style="color:#F5F5F5">i</span><span style="color:#FEFEFE">n</span><span style="color:#FCEDED">g</span> <span style="color:#F7CBCB">R</span><span style="color:#F5BABA">o</span><span style="color:#F2A9A9">s</span><span style="color:#F09898">e</span> <span style="color:#EB7676">B</span><span style="color:#E96565">o</span><span style="color:#E65454">m</span><span style="color:#E44343">b</span><span style="color:#E23232">e</span><span style="color:#DF2121">r</span><span style="color:#DD1010">!</span>"<br><br>It looses a veritable cloud of exploding-into-glitter facepunch roses which leave scattered petals and glowing golden sparkles overtop of the dome, decorating it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:94|La Crima (94)}} has posed:'''<br>Lacrima is waiting for an answer with bated breath when a truck's tires explodes. She sighs, miserably, as she turns around and yells. "Really!?" she says as she asks. "Just blowing things up now. What are you guys, GI Josephs!?" she calls out.<br><br>She stays behind the barriers though, this time, with Yuyami, because Yuyami has a point. What are they gonna do, keep shooting trucks trying to find the correct puzzle order!? Ha. Let the youma handle this one for once. That's one of the benefits of being in charge this time.<br><br>She reaches into her suit as if she's pulling out something.. a weapon!? A device!? A remote to a larger youma!?<br><br>No it's a donut, in a wrapper. It's a little squished which means it isn't a magical storage thing. She unwraps it and starts eating it as she considers and taps the donut on her shoulder as she takes turns doing this and eating it.<br><br>"You know, Yuyami. You shouldn't goad them unless we know we'll win." she says.<br><br>She then adds. "So goad away." she says.<br><br>She looks to Night Hope and considers. "Night Hope." she says. "What's your analysis of the likelihood of their success?" she asks. Because she's here. Might aswell ask her something useful.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>"Thank you!" Sailor Mercury called out almost absently as she immediately set to proving Night Hope's criticism right.<br><br>Ami was going to have to settle into studying that particular curiosity at some point, too. The need to gloat in a manner that wasn't only unnecessary but actively detrimental to a plan was one that seemed to go hand-in-hand with Dark Energy. There had to be a causal relationship there...<br><br>She was letting her thoughts wander a little and there was a job to be done. ''Right!'' She set to turning the knob and wiggling the thumbstick around, her attention wandering slowly about the area as the Visor allowed her to track the subtle changes that she was making.<br><br>"If we... yes... and then..." Mercury was still muttering mostly to herself, though others were likely well and truly close enough to hear. "We just have to match polarization... Oh, is it sequential?"<br><br>The device in her hands made an odd series of beeps followed by a whirring sound, and finally Sailor Mercury nodded.<br><br>"Ah!" She exclaimed. "It's like several binomials stacked--"<br><br>Mercury trailed off, recognising the attempts to explode things that had already began and grimaced. "I should press the button now, shouldn't I?"<br><br>And press the button she did. The whir grew louder over a period of about four seconds before a particularly audible ''doomph''--like a low bass string plucked with a coin--announced a pulse in ''precise opposition'' to the energetic structure of the generated barriers.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''They shielded the trucks!?'' Well, ''some'' of them. Did they anticipate she'd try this?<br><br>Communicator: Amy says, "Yeah, I saw them. They shielded some of the trucks, too-- wait, does that mean those contain important gear?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Interlocking barriers. Telling them how impossible this is. Telling them the generators are in the trucks.<br><br>Communicator: Amy asks, "Oh my god, is ''that'' how I sound when I give them advice? Like, geeze, it's stuff they ''should'' already know, but... I mean I don't... I don't tell them ''where'' their tactical objectives are, you know?!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So what ''are'' they going to do?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well... far be it from Amy to reject a logical course of action ''just'' because Kagayaki-san said it. She thinks she can blow things up pretty fast.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she stops using longarms and moves up to a shoulder launcher, firing tandem-charge warheads at all the unshielded trucks she can reach from here, re-checking the shielded ones with rocket bullets, then targetting any that are no ''longer'' shielded with explosives, repeat until she has to change vantage points. Lather, rinse, repeat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Only ''if'' she does, in fact, manage to break a shield generator, does she shout "THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME HOW NOT TO WASTE OUR TIME!" as she's repositioning.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:102|Catra (102)}} has posed:'''<br>"You know what, the annoying new girl is right about one thing," Catra comments as she watches the results of the rockets impacting against the shields, "Time is a factor, and these trucks are all rolling along with some heavy shielding. But she's ''wrong'' about us being outsmarted before we even arrived. ...That was the sort of beginner mistake I might've made before I made Force Captain." <br> <br> Might. Emphasis on might. <br> <br> "So let's not make that mistake. Hey," she yells, raising her voice to be heard, "Red!! GRENADES! Toss me some! You and Licorne and I, let's blow stuff up to stop the trucks, we don't have to break their shields just get a bunch of debris in their way so they can't keep going forwards!" <br> <br> Catra immediately makes good on that; she splits off her illusory doubles that go running and parkouring off to different rooftops, and together with them she starts raining down blasts of fire from on high. None of it is targeted at the trucks, it's all aimed at other stuff; lampposts she can melt at the base and knock over, vehicles with furel tanks that can explode and get knocked into the road, manhole covers to try and set off the sewer system to damage the roads... <br> <br> Anything she can do to make the terrain worse and worse, towards the point that the trucks can't drive on it anymore. Oh yes, we are very friendly to the city infrastructure.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>Kunzite waits, quietly. Waits until there's that coin-on-bass-string sound, and the pulse designed to counter out the SHADE barriers. It's not till then that he calls, "Radiant Dark Embrace!" to let the others know that what's about to happen is not an attack. Another hemisphere of darkness rises - this one much smaller, centered around Sailor Mercury. (To the point that he himself needs to tuck his chin down and duck a little to keep his head and shoulders inside it.) His shield is tuned, casually and carefully, to let precisely that pulse through absolutely unbothered ... and also Mercury's water and mist attacks, should she choose to use them.<br><br>But any cranky SHADEd vengeance for disabling barriers that comes their way (as opposed to, say, Amy's), Mercury will have a defense against.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"THE CITY HAS A BUDGET!!!" <br><br>It's the kind of frantic shriek that activates Supersonic Screech as Sailor Moon witnesses Catra's incredibly likely to be effective but also incredibly expensive plan start to go into effect, on top of the damage Amy had caused by just blowing up a few trucks. Luckily for most people's ears, Sailor Moon was still up top a roof, putting some distance between the supersonic waves and their ears. <br><br>Having decided on college in her future and public policy within, Usagi has finally started paying attention to the family discourse when she visits home and her extended family - and that means she feels pretty passionate about these things now. <br><br><span style="color:#ff5fd7">"</span><span style="color:#ff5fd7">M</span><span style="color:#ff5fd7">O</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">O</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">N</span> <span style="color:#ffafd7">S</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">P</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">A</span><span style="color:#ffd7af">C</span><span style="color:#ffd7af">E</span> <span style="color:#ffffaf">C</span><span style="color:#ffffaf">R</span><span style="color:#ffd7af">Y</span><span style="color:#ffd7af">S</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">T</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">A</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">L</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">I</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">Z</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">E</span><span style="color:#ff5fd7">!</span><span style="color:#ff5fd7">"</span> <br><br>Sailor Moon superjumps from the building as she calls out the attack, tucking her knees under her in a dive, and magic spreads out all around her, transforming the intersection and the city for a couple of miles into the toy-and-present filled world of Moon Space, the sky above this time a <span style="color:#d787ff">p</span><span style="color:#d787ff">a</span><span style="color:#d787ff">s</span><span style="color:#d787ff">t</span><span style="color:#d787ff">e</span><span style="color:#d787ff">l</span> <span style="color:#af87d7">g</span><span style="color:#afafd7">r</span><span style="color:#afafd7">a</span><span style="color:#afafd7">d</span><span style="color:#afafd7">i</span><span style="color:#afafd7">e</span><span style="color:#afafd7">n</span><span style="color:#afafd7">t</span> <span style="color:#afafd7">o</span><span style="color:#afafd7">f</span> <span style="color:#afafaf">g</span><span style="color:#afafaf">r</span><span style="color:#afafaf">e</span><span style="color:#afafaf">e</span><span style="color:#afafaf">n</span> <span style="color:#87afaf">a</span><span style="color:#87afaf">n</span><span style="color:#87afaf">d</span> <span style="color:#87d7af">p</span><span style="color:#87d7af">u</span><span style="color:#87d787">r</span><span style="color:#87d787">p</span><span style="color:#87d787">l</span><span style="color:#87d787">e</span><span style="color:#87d787">.</span> When Sailor Moon collides with the ground, she bounces, the floor having become ''extra'' springy this time, and flips back to her feet. <br><br>"Yuyami-san, I think spending time with Riventon is costing you some of your brain cells. Even I know that just because things have happened before doesn't mean they'll ''keep'' happening."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne couldn't help but adore sharing new and exciting things with her girlfriend. And there was nothign as fun and exciting as punching someone who deserves it in the face.<br><br>And having a girlfriend who could help serve as a great distraction was always useful.<br><br>She gave Moon a thumbs up. Always good to have bunch of allies on their side. It--<br><br>HOLY SORA'S-- HELLO AMY! Her eyes bulged a bit as suddenly HIGH GRADE EXPLOSIVES! Still, she couldn't blame the girl. Blowing up the dark energy wasn't the worst plan and, hey, Yuyami was snarking at them and telling them their plan was pointless. As someone who had once dark general'd herself, that likely meant one thing.<br><br>It wasn't pointless, it meant something, and it was *really* annoying. So go Amy.<br><br>Mercury seemed to have a plan, too. And that likely meant something else as well. She'd butted heads against that girl a few times, and when it came to a plan... well... There was a reason sparkles hunted in packs. And there was nothing worse for a member of Obsidian than getting overconfident. And now Norie was getting cocky, too.<br><br>And, right on cue, Ami demonstrates why. Then Amy follows up... Then Catra follows up with even MORE explosives and oh gosh she loved her girlfriend but she made a mental note to ask Cure La Mer if there was like... a mermaid equivalent of 'Magical barrier of protection'. Or maybe a 'Repair everything' spell. Actually, wait, she knew a few. She just needed to find out how to use them *here*. Gahhhhh.<br><br>Oh. Oh thank goodness. Moon barrier. Whew. Now that a barrier was up... "Well, some things! Because gonna tell you, following Riventon only to get your flank kicked while he records all the data? THAT song and dance just *keeps* on happening! <span style="color:#c10900">Ambitous blazer!"</span><br><br>She leaped down from her rooftop, body erupting into fire and kicking out great fireballs at the pair.... While a great many more were sent launched at the trucks themselves.<br><br>Bouncy infrastructure did not burn as well, admittedly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Night Hope turns to regard Lacrima. "The barrier is impenetrable, and as long as it remains so, they have zero chance of success." She says this as the glitter rains down on it<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami nods. "Absolutely, one-hundred-percent impenetrable, and I'm here to adjust frequences if something even so much as starts to pressure it. It took one of those King Pillar things without any issue. We're gonna be fine, so I don't know what she's so worried about." she says, side-eyeing Night Hope.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is all discussed, of course, as the culmination of data, effort, and focus that is contained in a strange magitech device causes a distinctly powering-down not-functional noise to erupt from the dome. Not only does the barrier go down - but the equipment within the main dome doesn't disolve like it normally does. It continues to exist there.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...I would like to revise their chances of success in light of new data." Night Hope says as Yuyami's jaw drops visibly. "It appears they have a way to disrupt the connection between the barrier."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Y...yeah..." Yuyami says, trying to collect herself but obviously starting to sweat a bit. She laughs nervously. "Well... they must have... ah... found a slight flaw... or something I overlooked... but... welll... we should never say things are impossible anyways... at most... uh... unlikely..." she says, her whole demeanor changing now that she's not behind the impenetrable dome.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pauses, straightens out her lab jacket a little bit. "W..well... there's still me and Lacrima-sempai here. They're not going to be able to take us down..." she says, looking at the other girl and balling up her fists. "While we hold them off, you just have to go get Director Riventon-Sensei, Night Hope. Then they'll really be sorry!" she says.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Field Researcher Kagayaki-san, are you not aware that Director Riventon is currently attending a conference in Oslo, which is in the country of Norway? His arrival will take some time at best." Night hope asks, her digital eyes blinking.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami facefaults and speaks through gritted teeth. "I knew that and you knew that but now THEY know that. What's wrong with you, haven't you read The Prince or The Art of War?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I do not read in the way you do, I import from datasets..." she begins and Yuyami's visible frustration only increases.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That increase grows again when the street turns into a bounce castle of pastel colors. "Fine... fine... this is fine... we're gonna be fine..." she says, her eyebrow twitching.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Several of the trucks catch Amy's rockets or LaLicorne's fireballs as their shielding goes down and blow up - some of the rest, their youma drivers get in and the whole truck duskports out. But more than a fair half-dozen of them are flaming wrecks in pastel streets.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Glitter falls from where the dome was, dusting her lightly... but burning away when it hits her lab coat. Yuyami's fists clench and tears start to well up in the corners of her eyes. "You always attack the person who saved me. To upset me. You go after the good things in my life. Magic, a sensei who cares, a purpose. But you know what, he ''did'' give me a henshin, to protect me... and I know... just what I'm going to use it for!" she says as Dark Energy collects in her hands. And whether they talked to her or not, or about Riventon or not, the hail of uncontrolled Dark Energy blasts she unleashes go in nearly every direction (including some nobody is in; whether her shots are that wild or she's just not aiming is up for debate).<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Night Hope, however, vanishes off Yuyami's shoulder and takes a much more imposing, roughly six-foot-tall energy form, appearing next to Sailor Mercury. "The device you used. I require it to patch a security vulnerability." she says, reaching for it, though her energetic form is blocked, sparks flying, by Kunzite's shield, as she tries to reach through it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:94|La Crima (94)}} has posed:'''<br>Lacrima is chewing her donut when the shield goes down and her chews slow dowwwwwwwwwn until she swallows. Well. That happened. She frowns hard. "That isn't supposed to happen. More importantly, things aren't self destructing." she says as she looks down as she is dusted in glitter.<br><br>But more importantly, he's glittered her donut. Her donut is sparkly and she frowns super hard and throws the donut to the ground as she screeches. "I WAS EATING THAT!" she says as she stamps a foot. "AND YOU RUINED IT. YOU RUINED THE DONUT, YOU GLITTERED MY FREAKING DONUT!" she screams.<br><br>"You knew, didn't you!?" she yells. "You knew what would happen and you did that on PURPOSE!" she yells as she starts lobbing more expertly aimed dark energy bolts at the direction Tuxedo Mask is in, which means Kunzite and Mercury are probably in the line of that fire too, as she keeps lobbing.<br><br>Until a dark energy bolt from Yuyami flies past her face as she looks to Yuyami with a snap of her neck to the right. "Practice soon." she says. "Very soon, in your future." she says, as composed as she can manage right now.<br><br>Look they did the thing. They ruined a donut, before a fireball from La Licorne smacks her in the chest and stops her assault and scorches her lovely suit.<br><br>"Oh come on, this suit is expensive!" she says with a whine.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>On Mercury's other side, inside his shield, Kunzite turns his head a little awkwardly to eye Night Hope. Normally it wouldn't be looking ''up'' at the projection, but he's a little cramped off to the side of the shield rather than at its center.<br><br>But it's still one of ''his'' shields. And it's still dark because it eats light.<br><br>And other forms of energy.<br><br>Which means that Night Hope's reach for the device is not entirely blocked. The shield of darkness yields.<br><br>Sort of.<br><br>In that Kunzite's power rises to absorb the limb Night Hope reaches ''with.'' He's not going after the ''entire'' projection - the part that isn't trying to penetrate the shield, which is likely most of it, will be (relatively) just fine. But drinking down the energy she pushes with? That he's willing to do.<br><br>Carefully.<br><br>Doubly carefully as he absorbs two of Norie's dark energy blasts, then that near-friendly-fire stray of Yuyami's. He's aware he's not likely to be on offense today - but with Amy and Catra and Licorne and Moon, and their various capacities for violence and/or purification, that's not likely to be a problem.<br><br>... besides, he's right next to Mercury. If Night Hope proves to be able to hack his ''actual powerset from the inside,'' he will, in fact, be doused in water and repent.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"TO BE CLEAR I'M NOT TAUNTING YOU I'M JUST NOT SOCIALLY SKILLED ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAY IT WITHOUT SOUNDING THAT WAY." Amy adds. And also doubletakes at Hinoiri's attack call, oh right it just ''sounds'' like one of her own.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Catra asks for grenades, Amy leaps overhead and drops some bandoliers of grenades to her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Waitwaitwait don't blow up ''the city!'' I mean, unless there's no other way and what they're doing is worse... uh..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately, MOON SPACE is here! Which allows Amy to bounce on the ground like a trampoline as she moves from rooftop to rooftop.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thanks AI lady I was actually really concerned about that!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami demonstrates her henshin. Amy looks at the oncoming darkness, leaps towards it as thrusters are added to her outfit and, somehow, manages to get 'in the zone' so to speak and fly between them, though the ends of her boots and skirt and some of her hair is dark-scorched by the proximity.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This allows her to slam into the marshmallow ground near the device and Yuyami, hopefully. "But you told us about the trucks, Kagayaki-san," she tosses out a grenade to scatter incendiary material nearby, trying to encourage Yuyami to step away from the machine as the ground flings Amy back into the air. "It's kind of unfair to blame her for following your example..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Okay I guess that one kind of ''was'' taunting a little bit!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>"Hrm?" It was a peculiar kind of muttering as Mercury's attention drifted to the now-very-close-and-reaching-at-her Night Hope. "Absolutely not!"<br><br>Of course, she barely even has time to register what Kunzite is managing to do. This is a reflex moment--there's something nasty reaching out toward her in order to thwart their plans and Sailor Mercury simply can't let that happen. They definitely needed this opening.<br><br>"<span style="color:#00afff">M</span><span style="color:#00afff">e</span><span style="color:#00afff">r</span><span style="color:#0087ff">c</span><span style="color:#0087ff">u</span><span style="color:#005fff">r</span><span style="color:#005fff">y</span> <span style="color:#005fff">A</span><span style="color:#005fff">q</span><span style="color:#0000ff">u</span><span style="color:#005fff">a</span> <span style="color:#005fff">M</span><span style="color:#005fff">i</span><span style="color:#005fff">r</span><span style="color:#0087ff">a</span><span style="color:#0087ff">g</span><span style="color:#00afff">e</span><span style="color:#00afff">!</span>"<br><br>Maintaining possession of her device with one hand while coincidentally moving it clear to the other side of Kunzite's shield, the blue-haired senshi lifts the free hand rapidly. As it rises, water pools around her limb to be cast at the encroaching Night Hope. It wasn't directed toward the grabbing appendage that Kunzite was currently eating. Rather, it was cast at main body of the energetic projection where it would expand rapidly into an encapsulating sphere of water.<br><br>Ami is, otherwise, relying on Kunzite's shielding to keep her steady.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>The enemy barrier goes down, but the Moon barrier remains up - because in the end, no matter what Riventon ''thinks'' he's made impenetrable, they'll ''always'' be able to break it down. <br><br>After all, the lone wolf has nothing against a pride of lions. (Hey! Was that a metaphor? Ami-chan and Mamochan are going to be ''so'' happy for her!) <br><br>But then? There's Yuyami tearing up and saying they're always going after the things she cares for, and lashing out with dark energy, and there's La Crima joining in over a donut (why is it always the DONUTS?) and Sailor Moon is one of two purifiers here, today. <br><br>And she's going to make good on the magic that's truly ''her'' emphasis. <br><br><span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">M</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">N</span> <span style="color:#ffafd7">H</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">E</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">A</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">L</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">I</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">N</span><span style="color:#ff5fff">G</span> <span style="color:#ff5fff">E</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">S</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">C</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">A</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">L</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">A</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">T</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">I</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">N</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">!</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span> <br><br>No starting out with softballs - she's throwing a full power attack Yuyami and La Crima's way, trying to neutralize as ''much'' of the Dark Energy that just got launched everywhere as possible. A circle of golden light is carved into the air and fills immediately with silver light, which floods with a ''beam'' of purifying power, launching it towards Yuyami and La Crima. <br><br>"You deserve to have magic in your life if you want it," Sailor Moon calls, "But your senpai - wait, did you call him sensei? Seriously? Still?" <br><br>Her whole speech is derailed.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>It always feels-- so ''damn awesome'' when things come together and tick along like clockwork, teammates seamlessly working with and around each other after so long fighting at their sides. MOON SPACE sparkles into view around them as Kunzite's dome encompasses Mercury and the very tall magical boy, and they all make Tuxedo Mask's heart sing. For just a moment, there's startlement as Night Hope shows up ''right there'', but Kunzite's ''also'' right there, and Mamoru has enough to worry about.<br><br>He's PERSONA NON GRATA and he jumps in the air, unable to attack because of all the dodging, until he ''does'' take a blast (from Norie, not Yuyami, not that it actually makes a difference.) "YOU'RE JUST WRONG, KAGAYAKI-SAN! You're wrong and you won't believe the evidence in front of your eyes, or literally anything we say, because you've been being ''brainwashed''. And it sucks. And I'm really mad at him over it. But I can't actually argue with you, because it's pointless, so I'm sorry for being a jerk just then!"<br><br>"You're wrong TOO, La Crima, it's EDIBLE glitter. YOU threw it on the ground!" he yells in indignation, then goes ''WHFFFPH'' when he doesn't stick the landing, falling instead-- and bouncing right back up with a look of absolutely comical surprise.<br><br>He ''cannot keep bouncing like this'', so he goes and lands in the fountain on purpose. He splashes instead of bouncing, and then slops out of the water in wet silk and wool and immediately crouches, dripping hands sinking into the springy ground. He absolutely aims for 'under the equipment'.<br><br>"<span style="color:#A16100">T</span><span style="color:#9F640B">u</span><span style="color:#9D6817">x</span><span style="color:#9B6B23">e</span><span style="color:#9A6F2E">d</span><span style="color:#98723A">o</span> <span style="color:#947A51">l</span><span style="color:#937D5D">a</span> <span style="color:#8F8474">S</span><span style="color:#8D8880">m</span><span style="color:#8C8C8C">o</span><span style="color:#8D8880">k</span><span style="color:#8F8474">i</span><span style="color:#918169">n</span><span style="color:#937D5D">g</span> <span style="color:#967645">C</span><span style="color:#98723A">r</span><span style="color:#9A6F2E">a</span><span style="color:#9B6B22">t</span><span style="color:#9D6817">e</span><span style="color:#9F640B">r</span><span style="color:#A16100">!</span>" he yells out, singed and cranky.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:102|Catra (102)}} has posed:'''<br>Amy has come through, and dropped off... some bandoleers of grenades. <br> <br> Some. As in more than one. Catra gets a grin on her face all the way from ear to ear. <br> <br> "Perfect," she muses, not to anyone in particular. With the damage to the city infrastructure done -- and Sailor Moon answered with "Well they should budget for stuff like ''THIS''!" -- Catra dismisses her doubles, and crouches down to swap grenades around amongst the bandoleers for a moment. Remembering Amy's color-coding, she puts everything that's explosive into two of the bandoleers and stands, resummoning her illusory doubles and passing one to each of them, before they both take off at a dash, heading off to encircle around the outer edge of the combat zone. <br> <br> Catra herself slings what's left over her shoulder, and starts on her way towards Yuyami. <br> <br> "Don't crack under pressure!" she calls out to her. "That's a ''classic'' Dark General mistake, trust me. These boys and girls are gonna eat you alive for that. Things not going your way? Don't let it get to you! You had ''contingencies'' for this, right? C'mon, you gotta at least ''pretend'' you did!" <br> <br> As she speaks she pulls the pin on a smoke grenade and winds up to hurl it in Yuyami's direction. It probably won't make it all the way to her, nor will the next one, but that's fine 'cause it means that Catra can emerge from the smoke on the other side like a complete badass, and in the meantime it gives her a chance to watch people like Hinoiri being amazingly cool -- which, now that she's paying attention to such things and not just her own exploits, she has to admit is... honestly pretty fun to see. <br> <br> "C'mon, General, show us what you're made of. Or are you ''really'' just Riventon's latest note-taker?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>"I don't know how to tell you this, sweetie, but there's no such thing as impenetrable. However, there is such a thing as catching SHADE!" Cure La Licorne said before kicking one of the doors with the SHADE logo emblazoned on it into the air, and then kicking it out like a flaming fireball, launching it at one of the blasts of dark energy she launched.<br><br>"You know what? I get it! Magic is *awesome!* And there's a lot of things I'd do for the person who gave it to me, if I didn't have it! It's not the kind of thing I'd want to give up, either, if I was you! But there are *more important things*! After touching this way of life, I know how hard it is to say goodbye to it, but dark energy *destroys* you, from the inside out. It's *dangerous*. There is a lot of magic out there. And this? Is not the way you're going to find it. You're playing with a fire you don't yet understand and it's only going to be a matter of time before you burn yourself, or someone else. Once you cross that threshold there's really no coming back, not if you burn every bridge on the way down!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Night Hope reaches for Mercury - and hits shield - and part of her is *inhaled by Kunzite* which causes her to stop and pull her not-gory stump of a digital hand free. Then she loses a few inches of height as her energy body reconfigures to give her hand back. "Curious." she says. Even as the rest of the quasi hardlight construct that she is, is being pushed back and then encased in water by Aqua Mirage. "Note: I do not require oxygen. I will access the equipment from here momentarily." Night Hope notes. But she's also not reaching for Ami anymore, but trying to escape the bubble.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami's frustration prevents her from seeing the goal - as Dark Energy often does - and so she didn't really attack or remove the equipment like somewhere in her rational mind, she knows she should have. And equally important - now Escalation is heading her way along with incendiaries, and then a string of explosions from Catra on top of it And as Lacrima noticed; she's out of practice. She did reach for her compact, only for things to go wrong all at once - there's fire, and positive energy, and then the ground gives way due to Smoking Crater too - and she's in pain, and then there's smoke, and then from the smoke in a direction she can't see, comes a storm of positive energy - the escalation is tearing at the Dark Energy that makes up her henshin, and she lets out a scream of fury and pain all mixed, and then when she opens her eyes, they're glowing purple, and she's pushing back against the escalation, even as bits of her henshin lab coat rip away to reveal the purple beneath. But the purification is pushing Lacrima harder than Yuyami, as she fights against the glowing energy - and then staggers in front of Lacrima to protect her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As she does, the tattered bits flare out behind her like a pair of wings, and strange teal energy rips from her eyes, along with a phantom horn - her hair rises up, and she's pushing back against Escalation, fighting it, giving Lacrima the time to escape through the Dusk Zone, crushed donut left behind. "The only thing getting destroyed now is YOU! And anyone else who insults my sensei and hurts my sempai and MAKES ME CRY!" she snarls, hand reaching for and finally grapsing her compact, pushing it forward so it can absorb the last vestiges of the Escalation, panting. "I don't have to cry anymore..." she says, that horn flickering in and out of phantom existence. "I won't be hurt... you want to talk about what I don't understand? There's still a lot. But that's what he's helping me with. And what I'm helping him with! Once I understand everything, once WE understand and control magic, I'll never be hurt by anyone again!" she cries out.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Dark Energy is no longer coming exlcusively from the belladonna flower bloom on her tattered labcoat, it's coming from within, and it's stronger. There's an ''aura'' of it around her, and she's visibly stronger. "Oh I'm so much more than a 'note-taker', I'm a 'magic-taker'! I'll take all of your magic, analyze it, understand it." she says, holding the compact out. Tendrils of energy from various magical sources, including the bubble holding Night Hope, begin to drift into her open compact. Night Hope rips through the bubble because of it, and tries to suddenly move towards Kunzite, decding that if he is a battery, all batteries must have a maximum capacity... and to test it by trying to overwhelm him by throwing all of her current form into a giant energy blast for his battery/face.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne had to admit, she really *did* love having them on her side. But she could see how it felt from Yuyami's side. And Norie's. When you had seven people beating on you, it was hard to believe THEY were the ones in the right. Unfortunately, Yuyami started this. The smug sense of superiority was NOT helping her case, either.<br><br>And she was oh so grateful for Sailor Moon's barrier, cause Catra just loooooved to egg her on, didn't she? And... she couldn't lie. It was kind of cool seeing her girlfriend coming out like a badass from a smoke grenade...<br><br>Only for Yuyami to... get those phantom wings and horns. Her Heart Rouge Wand was in her hand a moment later, but she didn't launch her finisher. "Oh... Don't. You... Bucking... DARE!" Cure La Licorne snarled. Purifying, rainbow fire enveloped her and she just took off, straight at her. Just one moment she was there... And the next?<br><br>She was directly in front of Yuyami and then there were scorch marks where Yuyami had been and a... Yuyami and Cure La Licorn shaped hole in the building conveniently placed right behind where Yuyami had been standing, Cure La Licorne's fist slamming into the girl's cheek and slamming her into and through one of the nearby buildings, and leaving a convenient hole for them to all launch their attacks into.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami's locket is puilling on the energy, but at a distance, it's not a terribly strong pull. It does more to things that are on the field - Kunzite's energy barriers, some of Amy's residual rocket magic - than it does to anyone who's magic hasn't been unleashed. And it does, in fact, pull on the energy erupting from La Licorne, especially as she gets closer - and in that moment she's greatful for the fact that during the fight at some point her glasses flared away - because it means they're not there to smash into her face, unlike the fist.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And yet, the girl slowly staggers to her feet. Even after the punch. "Not the first time... I've been punched... by someone..." she says. "But you won't make me... cry... I'll make you... I'll pull you into the Dusk Zone with me, and research what happens to you then!" she says, her hand reaching out to try to grab Hinoiri, even as the back part of her body tries to shift into the Dusk Zone. Maybe she won't be able to achieve this, but maybe it's not worth letting her TRY...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>Oh dear, the magic was being drained out of her Mirage it seemed and it didn't take the senshi too long to deduce where it was headed. If it wasn't for the glowing tendrils of energy then, certainly, the readouts blinking about on her Visor. Only a quick glance was required to count the odds stacked against Yuyami--there were a ''lot'' of mahou headed her way...<br><br>... And one ''hell'' of a punch...<br><br>That left her and Kunzite to deal with Night Hope's attacks against them. Or, more specifically, against Kunzite in this exact moment. Which was fine by her because it gave her time to do things.<br><br>Things like pushing more of her own magic back into the water as it slid away from the Dark Energy form which had the effect of rapidly cooling it. Thickening it.<br><br>''Freezing'' it as Night Hope threw all of her present form's energy at Kunzite. Perhaps, at least, she could contain ''some'' of it in order to take some of the brunt off of the Shitennou.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"What are you DOING to them!" Tuxedo Mask suddenly comes out with, looking at Yuyami, what she's DOING with that compact-- and-- she's not eating ''energy'' he'll have to ask Kunzite what she's doing when he's not--<br><br>As his hands starts to glow in front of him, he looks up to the roof at Mercury and Kunzite. Mamoru sees the struggle with Night Hope and he knows Kunzite can't ''shoot'' with the amount of dark energy he ate, and Mercury's interfering as best she can-- he doesn't have two finishers in him. But he has an attack and a rose, and if they stop Yuyami they stop Night Hope, so--<br><br>"<span style="color:#FF0000">ROSE!!!</span>" he yells as he literally backhands a rose out from behind his cape with his glow-free hand, aimed for Night Hope.<br><br>"<span style="color:#F9FF47">T</span><span style="color:#F9FF56">u</span><span style="color:#FAFF65">x</span><span style="color:#FAFF74">e</span><span style="color:#FBFF84">d</span><span style="color:#FBFF93">o</span>," he starts, then flings his glowing fist out in front of him.<br><br>"<span style="color:#FCFFB2">L</span><span style="color:#FDFFC1">a</span> <span style="color:#FEFFE0">S</span><span style="color:#FEFFEF">m</span><span style="color:#FFFFFF">o</span><span style="color:#FEFFEF">k</span><span style="color:#FEFFE0">i</span><span style="color:#FDFFD1">n</span><span style="color:#FDFFC1">g</span>," he continues, voice growing more strident, and then he opens that glowing hand and a growing ball of energy forms in front of it again--<br><br>--and then he yells out, the force of the laser blast enough to kick him back a half step, "<span style="color:#FCFFA3">B</span><span style="color:#FBFF93">o</span><span style="color:#FBFF84">m</span><span style="color:#FAFF74">b</span><span style="color:#FAFF65">e</span><span style="color:#F9FF56">r</span><span style="color:#F9FF47">!</span>"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>Kunzite's energy barrier is more of a lack of energy barrier, and an ongoing effort rather than a static effect - he can feel it try to bend toward Yuyami, but he concentrates on taking control back --<br><br>Oh hell.<br><br>Kunzite braces; there's a flare of energy that isn't precisely magic, but just -- energy. Sunlight. The faint fragile warmth of a winter afternoon, not warm to any other time of the year, but warm compared to snow and ice. The stronger heat he absently, quietly pulled away from the vicinity of a laptop a few weeks back, letting someone game in peace rather than having to go figure out where they left their fan. A crackle of loose electricity, dissipating harmlessly. The faint echo of Sailor Moon's shriek.<br><br>The random bits and pieces that he's picked up that are wholesome enough for him to let them overflow now - and he shifts the surface of his shield to deflect as much as he can, ''feeding'' it into Mercury's ice, so that Night Hope hits the ice as a filter on the way in and then the energy is dropped back into it ''again'' (water conducts, doesn't it? let's hope --)<br><br>-- and there is a ''rose'' flung into the middle of all of that, disrupting magic on its way, and Kunzite is flinging his cape up to shelter Mercury (primary) and himself (secondary) from the backlash of what they can't contain --<br><br>The flash of impact and feedback is very bright, and in its wake Kunzite's shield is down entirely, and Kunzite is down on the ground. Not moving. But breathing, if harshly, and still in henshin. And there is no smoke. If neither his cape nor his hair is on fire, that's probably a good sign.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:102|Catra (102)}} has posed:'''<br>The thing about looking like a badass is that you then have to actually BE a badass, or the whole image just sort of falls apart. Fortunately for Catra, she's not currently a scared angry cat fighting alone against a whole bunch of heroes -- as much as that feeling will probably always be familiar, she doesn't really miss it. Plus having a whole bunch of people fighting the one person who has decided to be the villain du jour means she's got time to make things happen -- like have her doubles with large amounts of explosive grenades (thanks Amy!) coming up around the back. <br> <br> "Oh just listen to yourself," she drawls, stuffing her hands in her pockets right where she stands, in front of the slowly dispersing cloud of smoke. "You're talking about crying and insisting that you're not gonna do it in a manner that ''really'' tells us you're ''totally'' going to be any minute now. Go on then; break down." <br> <br> And then she threatens to drag Hinoiri into the Dusk Zone, and the feline's ears flatten as she shows teeth, attitude flipping on an instant, "Oh like hell you will," she snarls; her hand rests on the hilt of Powersend and her knuckles tighten around it. <br> <br> She takes a deep breath, and releases the sword. She doesn't need it. She's been lugging it around all this time and not just leaving it in her apartment to ''prove'' that she doesn't need it, even if only to herself. Because sometimes it really does feel like she needs it. <br> <br> "Anyway." She straightens, gives her jacket a little tug and checks her cufflinks, "You are currently in the middle of losing, so..." She gestures in a circular motion with one hand, once the moment has come when there aren't any of her allies ''too'' close, "Look behind you." <br> <br> And running up behind Yuyami come both of Catra's doubles with the bandoleers of grenades provided by Amy, and as they come running they pull the pins on the explosives all at once.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Amy finishes her admission of taunting, the ground springs her back upwards, and... she was so focused on weaving through the darkness she didn't calculate what angle she'd end up at. She grazes one of the darkness blasts, part of her skirt armor and attached thruster crumbling away, and she careens off-course into the moon.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Err, the ''Earth'', the one in Moonspace's sky.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It turns out it's small and close up, not big and far away.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;About a half-second later, covered in cake, she falls to Earth -- err, to Moon, again. "Chocolate and mint...?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With the thrusters on her legs and arms, she's still able to land cleanly, wiping cake off her face. 'Mmh, good.' Then she speaks to Yuyami, "I used to feel the same way! If I just ''understood'' enough about the world, I could control it and make it better, but I never got magic then... But it doesn't work! One lone hero can't save the world, no matter ''how'' smart you are, and you can't see what Dark Energy is ''doing'' to '''''THAT'S MY SOUL!'''''"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her speech is cut off by a shriek of alarm as she sees a tendril of magic being drawn out of her soul gem. A pistol's in her hand, firing wildly at Yuyami, which is probably at most an annoyance. ''"That's why he kept Kyubey away from you he puts your soul in a gem that's the cost for magic!"'' Words spill out of her more rapid-fire than the rocket-bullets.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''"That's what you could've had that's what he kept from you and we told you not to do I'm sorry LET GO!"'' she's getting increasingly freaked out about what will happen if energy from her soul gem is eaten, and the artillery recoilless cannon appears on her shoulder.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#d70000">NEUTRON PIERCER!</span><br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It sounds like a Devicer spell callout, before BANG -- while magic, ultimately, determines what actually happens when it hits defenses, in the space between Amy and Yuyami, the attack takes the form of a dart or needle scaled up, of superdense metal flying at supersonic speed -- yadda yadda physics, it ''expresses'' the idea of being a penetrating attack to deal with shields, that's probably what's important as it flies at Yuyami,<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...and Amy hesitates as the punch sends Yuyami to the ground, hopefully interrupting the drain... but when Yuyami reaches for her friend, BANG!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''"DON'T YOU DARE!"'''<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy screams as she fires again... and if that knocks Yuyami back from the attempted grab, she keeps firing, however many shots it takes to make her ''leave'' or surrender -- although, if she grabs Hinoiri despite it, Amy's left hesitating, not daring to take the even greater risk of hitting Hinoiri now.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She ''smiles'' when she sees what Catra did, though!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"If there is one thing that magic will always make you do," Sailor Moon calls out, even as she fires the Escalation at the two Dark Generals, "It's cry! And as long as you're with Obsidian, that's what your future holds, and I'm sorry for that!" <br><br>The attack ends, and La Crima disappears, felled by the attack, and Sailor Moon turns to Yuyami, doubting that they can talk her down but ready to try, and then she - <br><br>She is very much not someone they can talk down, in this moment. Eyes, wings, horn, glowing, and she is - they are - for a split second, she feels like the clock has wound back, but ''that'' was a solo endeavor, that was being hunted by a ravenous beast, and this is - <br><br>This is not then. She is not the girl who felt her boyfriend disappear - she is Sailor Moon, and she is not letting this happen agai, OH NEVER MIND, HINOIRI ''GOT HER''. <br><br>...She almost feels kind of bad about it. <br><br>No, scratch that: she does feel bad about it. But what she knows is that this has to end, right away. <br><br>"Yuyami... you're smart, and you're special, and you deserved so much better from this world... but your pain does ''not'' mean you get to drag ''anyone'' down into that ''hell'' with you!" <br><br>And she swaps her rod with a toss up, light flashing as she changes it for her scepter, and points it right at the hole. <br><br> <span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">M</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">N</span> <span style="color:#ffafd7">P</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">R</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">I</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">N</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">C</span><span style="color:#ff5fff">E</span><span style="color:#ff5fff">S</span><span style="color:#ff5fff">S</span> <span style="color:#ff87d7">H</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">A</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">L</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">A</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">T</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">I</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">O</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">N</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">!</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>"You're not the first person who thought she was smarter than everyone else who needed someone else to punch some sense into her, either," Cure La Licorne said, bluntly. "Take it up with HR." As Yuyami grabbed her... She reached up and grabbed the wrist and twisted in a quick, sudden circle motion, in that same movement she'd learned so long ago, ironically, from HR. Hey, she wanted to learn self defense and how to fight, and she'd done it. And she'd never promised to not use it against Obsidian. Heck, that particular mentor probably would have been disappointed if she HAD promised to not. "If you want to know what happens to me in the dusk zone? I'll tell you, my friends come for me, and I get out. Been there, done that, got the pretty cure device. Hopefully? We'll be able to get you, too."<br><br>As the massive bomber, explosive bandolier, purifying princess halation and Amy's magical demand against physics to 'Sit down and shut up' flew by, Cure La Licorne crossed her arms and was sent flying back by the sheer shockwave, straight at Catra! And... hopefully was caught.<br><br>... You know what? Having once been on the receiving *end* of one of those punches? And then the follow up? This side? Muuuuuuch nicer. So much nicer. Holy crud baskets she liked it MUCH more. Her fist kind of actually hurt, even. Also... "Heyyyyy, pretty kitty," she said sheepishly. "Friends are rad."<br><br>Unicorn wisdom.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:307|Yuyami Kagayaki (307)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Night Hope's expending most of her energy on the attack, to the point where she's visibly getting smaller, and less cohesive, more 'glitchy' as she pours her very literal current self into trying to overwhelm the attack. She's got little to worry about, she's not really here, she can give him all she is at this time, and in doing so guage her strength, get data. In some ways, she's more calculating now than Yuyami is, especially with the girl hurt and angry.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But between Kazuo fighting back, the rose, the ice, and the general exhaustion of just holding her current nature away, Kunzite's able to survive the attack, with the glitchy cloaked figure fading away into wisps of smoke within Moon Space afterwards. Still, he's collected a LOT of Dark Energy in his 'reserves'.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuyami's hand reaches out for LaLicorne's, but as she comes close to actually gripping her, LaLicorne turns the grip against her, and before Yuyami can even express her shock about that - the surge of energy from LaSmokingBomber, the explosions from Catra's doubles, the Neutron Percer and successive rounds (3 in all), and then the Halation keep her from even reaching out, tearing into her henshin. The horn and glowy eye accents flicker out, and the flower bloom on her labcoat withers slightly, one of the petals falling off - before Yuyami lets out a cry, but one of more than just sadness, but anger, frustration, anguish.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is still, impressively, moving, but not towards Hinoiri. Just a shaking hand, to her forehead, where the horn was briefly. "Was that... ''my'' magic, finally?" she asks aloud.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she laughs, and looks at Catra, of all of the people there. "Hah. A ''copy cat''." she says. Somehow, ''that's'' the last words she gets out (maybe she draws some sort of power from animal puns), before she begins to drift into the Dusk Zone. If there's one thing she has in common with LaLicorne? She has faith in her sempai and sensei and teammates, and if she can get to tghe Dusk Zone... All she has to do is get there. One of her friends will get her home, as long as she gets to thier world.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And the Dark Energy creatures are out of Moon Space now, though their effects - the energy, and some of the damaged components of Riventon's project - remain.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:102|Catra (102)}} has posed:'''<br>"...Sorry, was I supposed to be insulted?" <br> <br> Of ''course'' Catra caught Hinoiri. She's a cat, isn't she? She steadies the Unicorn back to her feet, and keeps one arm around her until she's sure that she's steady. She's not sure if she's ready to go as far as 'friends are rad', though. But admittedly they are... pretty good to have. <br> <br> If only she'd realized that sooner. <br> <br> "So yeah yeah yeah, off you go," she calls back to Yuyami, "But seriously though, you ever want to find out how the world works from someone who is NOT completely nuts, come and talk to us without all the screaming and dark magic and ''incredibly bad battle plans'' and stuff like that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru hears Sailor Moon in the background as he bellows out his own attack, and he sees the brightness of her attack in his peripheral vision on one side, and the brightness of his own in front, and the brightness of the place where the rose impacted on the other side-- he's squinting behind the mask, holding his breath as the light dies down.<br><br>Let the techies deal with the tech -- they won't need him. Tuxedo Kamen is pretty sure he just BLEW UP his boyfriend and Usagi's girlfriend; he immediately hotfoots it back up there, up to the roof, ditching his gloves and his wet cape on the spot and diving for Kunzite, and Mercury if she needs it-- but he's definitely on the surface of the roof.<br><br>So Mamoru's hand is on the side of his face, glowing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>There had been a squeak out of Sailor Mercury at the initial flare of light, as Tuxedo Mask's rose intervened in matters and fractionally before Kunzite imposed his cape as a shield. She'd flinched, too. The kind of reflexive shying away that brought an arm to instinctively cover her face from what she was sure to be an unpleasant experience. The Senshi looked a little confused when it had all settled down and she was, all things considered, fine.<br><br>She was still seeing spots from that initial blinding brilliance, but she'd been spared the worst of things. This was the second time he'd thrown himself into harm's way to keep her safe in nearly as many minutes. Sailor Mercury turned sapphires to where she expected the Shitennou to be standing before her gaze dragged down slowly to where he was ''actually.'' Still trying to blink away her temporarily overwhelmed retina.<br><br>Her hair was, likewise, not smoking and she was scarcely even scuffed up. Kunzite had done a good job.<br><br>"Thank you, Kunzite." Mercury knelt beside him. "Are you o--oh..."<br><br>A glance to their tuxedo'd accidental assailant. "Mamoru-kun's here. That's good."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm all right," Kunzite says, mostly to the ground, and he's largely telling the truth - there's bruising from impact, and there are surface burns on the skin of his face, slightly creepily tracing the patterns of nerves that lace beneath. He breathes, carefully focused, and waits for Mamoru's power to un-numb the trigeminal on that side and make it significantly easier to talk; then he puts a careful hand up, nudging lightly at Mamoru's forearm. "That's enough for now. Thank you for the rose; that helped quite a bit."<br><br>He is remaining ... very focused. Very, very consciously focused on the slow rhythm and patterns of his breathing. Because he is carrying a great deal of dark energy right now, and it would be so very easy to just use a ''little'' of it to increase his energy storage capacity, and drink down just a ''little'' extra of all that golden power that is right. there. literally in his face.<br><br>He would like Mamoru not to notice how difficult it is for him not to dwell on that. So he is focusing on his breathing. And if Mamoru decides to let him get away with nudging, and draw that power away from Kunzite's skin, he will even then focus on getting up.<br><br>"Moon all right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>As soon as the attack is blasted and Yuyami is gone, Sailor Moon throws her scepter aside and runs for her girlfriend and Mamoru's boyfriend. <br><br>"Mercury-chan! Kunzite-kun! Are you two alright?!" <br><br>Tuxedo Kamen is on it, at least, but she throws herself down as she gets close, just in time for Kunzite to respond and breathe, and she smiles weakly, <br><br>"Moon is very alright. Would it help, if I purified you, or would that just give you more energy in the battery?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Copy cat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy lets out a brief... sort of chuckle, somewhere between a 'huh' and a 'hah' and a 'hah'. How did she never think of that? She nods in agreement with Catra, now that Hinoiri's no longer grabbed. "Yeah. Really, we're willing to talk..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she's gone.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy looks at the device, still here. She looks at Hinoiri. "So, uh... can you make sense of any of this?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She then checks her soul gem and has to wipe cake off it -- 'Mmh.' It's still chocolate and mint and it's still good -- and then she just... sparkles, and her outfit and hair and everything are pristine, and dropped back to base henshin form.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks to Hinoiri and repeats, "So, uh... can you make sense of any of this?" as if that might somehow overwrite the memory of her asking while covered in cake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne was caught. Oh. Yes. She really, really liked this. Being caught, having other people save her when she's in trouble...<br><br>She then looked to Amy and sighed. "Yeah... I'm... honestly not sure. But well. She's getting power from Riventon. There's a Yuyami in my world, and when I went alicorn like that? I about lost my mind. I did NOT want her doing that. The other option..."<br><br>"... She gets her power from Riventon, in theory. And as amusing as it would be for her to suddenly be twelve inches tall and speak in rainbows, I didn't want to take the risk of her fully snapping. And it definitely seemed like she was going to snap."<br><br>"Thanks for the catch, Catra... Also... yeah. It kind of is really annoying to have your dates interrupted by some jerk with dark energy. Guess we'd better salvage what we can, figure out what we can from it, and... go about making Riventon and Yuyami more miserable before they break anything else, huh?" she asked with a sigh. "I was never that bad, was I?"<br><br>Before she leaned up and kissed Catra on the cheek. "You were great, by the way. Hey, Mercury! Good job on cracking it, by the way!" she called out. Encouragement, it was useful!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Pulling back and reluctantly accepting the nudging, Mamoru looks unhappy about it-- until Usagi offers to purify Kazuo, at which point Mamoru sits back on his heels and glares at Kunzite. "I will be really suspicious if you say no."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm okay, Moon-chan." Sailor Mercury assured the twin-tailed heroine. "Kunzite managed to catch..."<br><br>She furrowed her brows. "Well, ''all'' of it."<br><br>Again, her attention drifted to the Shitennou.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:58|Kazuo Saitou (58)}} has posed:'''<br>If she purified him? She doesn't need to. He can take care of it himself. He's studied this, he's practiced for months. He's ''used'' it in practice. All he has to do is work through it patiently with a strong enough emotion --<br><br>Oh.<br><br>Hell.<br><br>Kunzite's eyes lose the faint hint of silver-white glow deep in the pupils, and with a determined effort he first lifts his head to look directly at Usagi, then bows his head to her. "Yes," he says, almost contemporaneous with Mamoru's glare and mutter. "If you have the strength to spare - please."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:43|Sailor Moon (43)}} has posed:'''<br>"For you? Always." <br><br>It's equal parts an expression of sincere love - and sincere caution. For Kazuo, she will always have a helping hand. For ''Kunzite'', she will always have purification at the ready. <br><br>Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, after all. <br><br>Reaching out to him, she uses not the Crescent Wand, but her own hands to carve the golden circle, allowing it to fill with silver light for only a moment before it floods of Kunzite. <br><br><span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">M</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">o</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">o</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">n</span> <span style="color:#ffafd7">H</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">e</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">a</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">l</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">i</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">n</span><span style="color:#ff5fff">g</span> <span style="color:#ff5fff">E</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">s</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">c</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">a</span><span style="color:#ff87d7">l</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">a</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">t</span><span style="color:#ffafd7">i</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">o</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">n</span><span style="color:#ffd7d7">!</span><span style="color:#ffffd7">"</span> <br><br>It's a crisp wash of purifying energy, the coolness of mint in the mouth, the comfort of a freshly made bed, the joy of a favorite treat, a kiss on the forehead: wonderful, sweet things, that set one to rights. <br><br>"There we go," she says gently, after. "Before I put shield down, do we want to look at all that stuff?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CAKE AWKWARDNESS AVOIDED!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her soul gem's a little over an eighth corrupted, maybe. Like everything she did adds up to about a full finisher. "Wait, is it even... ''possible'' for her to turn into an alicorn? She's not from KiraKiraFantastica..." Amy frowns. "Wait, she's getting power from Riventon, but..." She shakes her head, and turns back to look in Amy's direction. "Yeah! Great job countering the shield, that was awesome!" She raises her eyebrows at Sailor Moon needing to purify Kunzite... something to do with his darkness powers? They probably have it handled.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks at the device.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks at Hinoiri. "So... I remember your classes with Coco, but putting it into practice... how do we even start to figure out something like this?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:122|Ami Mizuno (122)}} has posed:'''<br>"I think we should probably look at all of that stuff." Sailor Mercury wrinkled her nose. "Or, whatever's left of it. It's bound to give us important information going forward."<br><br>She pushed herself to stand again now while tucking her gizmo-box under an arm. Of course, she was certainly motivated by good intentions. That went without saying. But, likewise, Ami didn't get a whole lot of opportunity to go poking at Obsidian technologies either.<br><br>So, without a doubt, curiosity also played its own part.<br><br>"I can't let Riventon and his cronies get too far ahead of me." Mercury stated flatly with a sigh, before tossing a smile in Amy's direction. "I really didn't do all that much, Amy-chan. You guys did ''way'' more."<br> <br>
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