1072/Focus of the Youma Camera

Focus of the Youma Camera
Date of Scene:	02 February 2024
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	A new modeling agency isn't exactly what it seems, and poor Haruko Hara gets captured! Good thing Chrono, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Ginga Otome all showed up to live out their modeling dreams! Cameran, your time is over!
Cast of Characters:	Beryl, Wako Agemaki, Minako Aino, Chrono Harlaown, Haruki Hara, Rei Hino, Miya Sakamoto

---

Thetis has posed:
For the last week, Radiant Heart Academy has seen an assortment of fliers posted all over the campus bulletin boards, all advertising that the new modeling agency, Camera, Action~!, is holding an open talent search, with aspiring models of all ages and genders welcome to show up, get styled, and have their photos taken! The exceptionally talented will have the chance to sign on with the agency, and appear in some of Japan's hottest magazines.

Camera, Action~! may have only opened its doors in January, but it's already made a splash, with both established and new models walking through its doors, and shots from a variety of new products already being used as advertisements on magazines, buses, and billboards alike.

The open talent search is this afternoon, and there's a small line of eager would-be-models lined up, providing their names, email addresses, and phone numbers to the staff.

The greeter for this event is a young woman with long blue-green hair and jade-green eyes in a pale blue mini-dress. Her hands and forearms were protected by a pair of sleek white gloves, and pinned to her chest was nametag reading Thalia. As new arrivals appear, she offers them a clipboard. "Here, make sure to list your namae, email address, and phone number, so we have a way to contact you if your photos turn out well. Once you've done that, you'll be escorted into the next room, where you can try on some of our sample clothes - or model in what you have, if you'd like."

The expression on her face casts doubt on whether that's a good idea, but at least it's allowed, right?

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Modeling isn't exactly an aspiration of Wako's, but the sheer quantity of fliers caught her attention nonetheless. As it happened, she has the afternoon of the event free, and curiosity has drawn her to come see what an open talent search might be like. She does want to go into the entertainment industry, after all... perhaps it'll be good experience, for all that she honestly doesn't expect to be catching much attention today.

So here she is in line, in her casual pink hoodie and white skirt, thumbing out a brief text message on her phone while she waits her turn to submit her information to the lady with the clipboard.

Minako Aino has posed:
Sailor V was already famous, she had games and media, fans all over and her heroic deeds were well known in many circles. Minako Aino however? Not so much...and for all her time as a superhero and a 'guardian of love and beauty', the most normal thing in her life was...well, the idea of modeling did actually appeal to the girl.

And so Minako was here, having seen the advertisement and excitedly having told her friends she was going. After all, it could be a big break, but at the very least it was going to be a bit of fun that didn't involve fighting Youma!

Right?

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was a born model, as everyone who knew him knew. Don't you remember him from TSAB monthly?

... No. No he was not. He was, however, an enforcer. And that often meant doing what needs to be done to ensure the protection of the world and find the crew of the Arthra.

Also, the greeter had blue hair. Obviously she had magic. Wait, no. Was she under 20? ... Poss... ibly? Maybe not. Huh. Well, he'd been wrong about the rainbow haired girl, so maybe she just dyed her hair?

Honestly, the whole 'colorful hair' theory for magic wielders had like... a 15% success rate, so he probably should PRETEND to take it seriously. But this was just some silly modeling thing, so he didn't have to worry about it too much. Fenyx thought she might have seen one of the crew of the Arthra amongst staff, but she wasn't sure and he'd been... snooping around, as it were.

Now? He was in line, having filled out the paperwork and... had already left and gone to the back of the line like five times. Peering around at members of staff more than actually looking at people. He was too short to be a model anyway, so no need to really put much effort in.

Haruki Hara has posed:
    A teenage girl in a school uniform (but not Radiant Heart Academy, so as not to be as easily identified), is walking by with her bookbag in both hands, hanging in front of her. Haruko Hara is once again just... Walking the city streets, in a wig, and feminine clothes, enjoying not having to explain her circumstances to anyone, or to be recognized by anyone she knows, and just being accepted as a girl by those she meets. Or just not even paid attention to at all! That's nice in its own way. There's nothing noteworthy about a schoolgirl walking home after school.

    As is typical of her, she has a very calm, soothing presence. Like rain drops in a night forest, she emanates a sensation of peace, freshness, and just... Well, it's odd for someone very non-magical to make tht kind of impression just by being herself.

    Her vivid imagination has her walking underwater again today. Air bubbles rising to the surface, fish swimming around people as they go about their business, light cast in dramatic hues that shift the colors of things. Haruko's pink wig looks white to her in her reflection in shop windows.

    Haruko sees the fliers, and hears the animated chatter long before she decides whether or not to join the line. In the end, after peering ahead and marking the relatively quick pace the procession is moving at, and weighing her options, her dreams and her doubts... She decides to join the back of the line, not rushing. If someone cuts in ahead of her, that's fine. It's not like there's a shortage of would-be models in Tokyo.

    She smiles at Chrono as he reaches the back of the line ahead of her. Whether it's because he's a cute child, or because she imagines a clown fish circling his head, is known only to Haruko.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino isn't exactly enthralled with the idea of being a model, but it's not like she hasn't looked through fashion magazines. Curse that Usagi for introducing her to them! Either way, she wants to be here to support Minako. Since she was told about it, she's there in line with the blonde, in her own private school winter uniform. "What kind of modeling did you want to do, Mina-chan?" the miko asks. She's thinking, run-way model, swimsuit model, fitness model... Are there models for tv commercials? She has no idea, not owning a tv and detesting the things.

    She peers at the little kid who keeps going back and forth suspiciously, arching an eyebrow. Hmmmmm. She better keep an eye on him. He seems like a troublemaker.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Wait, sample clothes?", Miya mutters under her breath at the back of the line as the woman known as Thalia explains how this is going to work. She is clad... well, for work: baggy yellow/orange overalls, a tooolbox, hair pulled back into a ponytail for practicality, rather than looks. "What do clothes and photos have to do with anyth-"

It's the end of the explanation which draws an expression of suspicion. Some word in there made Miya realize something.

She looks down at the flier she's holding, re-reading every word carefully. "Oh, it's 'modeling', not 're-modeling'"

She raises one hand and waves her adjustable spanner, "Nevermind, I'm out! Bye!", as she walks away.

Thetis has posed: has posed:
"Thank you all for following instructions," Thalia says calmly. She offers the clipboard to Wako, looking the girl over for a moment, and then past her, eyes skimming over Minako (visibly excited), Haruko (visibly neutral), and Rei (visibly uninterested). "As soon as you're done, please pass the clipboard to the person behind you and move through to the next room."

Humans really are vain, Thalia - Thetis - thinks to herself. All it had taken to get this many people here was the chance to have their photos taken and shared to the masses. Did they really have nothing better to do with their lives? Ah well. All the better for the Dark Kingdom, and the glory of her queen. Except for...

"Little boy," she says sternly, looking down at Chrono. Her high heels mean that she stands around 5'6, very effectively towering over him. "You need to move onto the next room or leave the area. This is an active event, not a loitering gallery. Please move on to the changing rooms and photo line."

Thalia points to a hallway where other attendees are heading. Beyond the initial greeting area is indeed a room filled with clothes of all sorts, from formal to sport, modern to traditional, mainstream to obvious sub-culture curiosities. The clothes are organized by size and style rather than gender, with men's cuts and women's side-by-side, all the better for browsing. Large baskets on wheels are available near each clothing rack, for those outfits tried on and sampled by would-be-models to be discarded rather than returned to the rack for someone else to try on. The students would be able to try on anything they wanted, with no judgement (except what they brought to bear on each other, anyway).

There are dressing rooms at the back wall, with space available for the aspiring models to change into new clothing and bag up their old clothes. Once changed (or in their original clothes, for the bold and the brave), the aspiring models are encouraging through one last set of doors, where a line has formed.

It seems the photoshoots are private. There must be another door on the other side of the wall, where the models can come out without having to do a walk of shame if it didn't go very well, because once people go in, they don't seem to be coming out the same way...

Oh well, it's nothing, right?

Minako Aino has posed:
"Why stop at just one Rei-chan?" Minako offers, excitedly taking Rei's hand and gesturing with the other. "If our beauty can inspire and bring joy to someone's heart, shouldn't we share it with the world as much as possible and bring as much joy as possible?"

Well, that was Mina's belief anyway, but she -was- grateful that Rei had come along with her.

"So..." she asks as she pulls the 'willing' companion along with the prompting from the apparent director along and a sweep of her gaze to the others joining in. "What do you think I should start with Rei-chan?"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako duly accepts the clipboard and begins filling in the requested information - then pauses, diverted for a moment by Thalia's scolding of Chrono. Clipboard in hand, she glances back curiously. Hadn't he been up at the head of the line when she joined it?

Realizing she's about to be holding things up, she quickly finishes filling out the rest of the form and offers the clipboard back to Thalia. She'll move herself along to the fitting area, where she begins almost idly looking through the array of clothing on offer to try on.

"This all seems very efficient," she muses aloud, watching as other hopeful models who've picked out their styles line up to go through the doors to be photographed. "I wonder where the exit comes out...?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    When Rei thinks 'Minako', she thinks 'energy, light, and activity'. Someone always in motion, always talking, always laughing. Someone who brings joy to a room just by walking into it. She does not resist the hand-holding or the forceful guidance to proceed into the building, even if her expression is somewhat nonplussed to find out how strict the modeling world is that even free try-outs are being run like an assembly line.

    "Hm... Maybe a sports uniform? Volleyball maybe?" Then she grins deviously and lightly elbows Minako in the side. "Maybe you could ask if they have a Sailor V costume you could wear." Any mirth passes from Rei's face around the same time she passes by Thalia. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she turns suddenly from the conversation she was having to stare directly at the lady in charge. Or maybe it's more of a glare. Or some hybrid of the two. Her eyes are suddenly very focused, and so is her attention, and it's aimed squarely at Thalia, is the point.

    Hm. Was it something the older woman said?

    Either way, Rei continues to be dragged along inside, despite her feeling something off. Well, her hunches aren't always right... Right?

Haruki Hara has posed:
    Haruko signs the form handed to her, filling it out quickly and efficiently. Information memorized and signed dozens of times before, for other things she wanted to try out. Things that only accepted girls or young women. Like this gig.

    She hands back the clipboard with a smile, and genuine 'thank you' for Thalia. It can't be easy herding a bunch of kids. And in an outfit like that too! ...During winter!

    She sympathizes with you, Thalia-san.

    Once inside, she takes a moment of dawdling around the entrance, staring wide-eyed at the set-up, the people, and just trying to figure out her next steps. In the end, she decides to stick with what she's wearing. It's... Less risky that way. She assembled her entire outfit very deliberately for maximum 'impact' on the viewer. She's ready for the try-out as-is.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown would give Haruko a small, comforting smile himself. Well, she seemed nice. Maybe she'd be a model as well. He really should ask Adrien more about how--

Little boy. Ah, crud. Time to play the role. He gave a soft sigh, glancing up at her. "Right, sorry ma'am," he said obediently. Like a properly scolded child. He turned to make his way towards the next room... rolling his eyes. Well, if one of the crew was here, he'd likely find them soon. For now, he figured he'd change and...

Oh gosh, he didn't know about clothes. everything he wore was decided by the TSAB. He wore pants and a tucked in, buttoned up t-shirt. What about him screamed 'model'.

Whatever, he grabbed a suit and made his way back towards the changing rooms. Once there, he leaned against the wall and pulled out his henshin device. A card. A flash later...

Still, the scans weren't able to get a proper reading from here. Obnoxious. Did he really have to go through this? He had half a mind to just bring up the barrier jacket editor and change that way... no. He's already run into some issues with over expending his energy by being in a henshin all the time.

So he ended the henshin a moment later and began to change. At least being in the TSAB had given him plenty of experience in the field of 'hurry up and wait'. He didn't have any issue getting the suit on, adjusting the tie, even storing his clothes inside his device... and then coming out. Tugging on the sleeve he looked... well. He thought he looked like he was going to an elementary school prom. He didn't. He looked more like he was the world's tiniest Yakuza.

BUT OH WELL! It wasn't like he wanted to be a model! He'd likely never hear the end of it! It likely didn't help that he walked with all the grace and poise of a boy more used to being in a military jacket than a school jacket. He then went to the next line, still glancing around, hand in pocket, tie up, posture perfect... glancing around with the eyes of a soldier and...

Yeah, he uhhh... he was definitely not going to be what they were looking for. He assumed.

Thetis has posed: has posed:
Thalia doesn't appear to notice the glare Rei is leveling her way, focused on providing information to a variety of new arrivals.

Haruko is the first to join the line for those ready for photos, having decided to remain in her own clothes, with Chrono a couple of people behind her. Wako, Rei, and Minako are all milling about in the changing area, selecting clothes and speaking...

Which means when the line moves up, it's Haruko who is first to be allowed into the next room. "Haruko Hara?"

The speaker is a boy around her own age, wearing the Radiant Heart Academy uniform, a fancy camera hanging from a strap around his neck. "I'm Kijin, the photographer's assistant. It's time for your picture - are you ready?"

The door is held open for Haruko alone, and closed behind her. Inside, the room features simple decore, a few small tables holding props, a white backdrop, and a number of balloon clusters - four blue balloons with a white balloon in the center. Shutters to control flash and light diffusion are carefully spaced through the room.

Behind a much larger camera is the photographer, a tall woman with teal blue hair and neon blue lipstick, a pair of purple lines painted up the left side of her face with make up. Her asymmetric purple dress is shows plenty of leg.

Minako Aino has posed:
"You're right," Minako muses at Rei's suggestion, unaware of the glaring. "A swimsuit would be too..." she trails off with Rei's jest, giggling lightly. "I'd make one heck of a Sailor V cosplayer, huh?" she offers back before retrieving her outfit and making to change. Sports uniform it is, even if it wasn't exactly an odd sight. Of course, Minako would argue that she should be trying to look beautiful even when dressed normally, or was she really worthy of the title of 'Goddess of love and beauty'?

Changing fast, she was ready quickly enough, gaze moving to Haruko as they were summoned inwards and returning to Rei's side. "What do you think?" she asks with a twirl only to pause.

Excitement hadn't quite killed all of her instincts...and Rei was looking awfully serious.

"What's wrong?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and glanced around, the smile now off his face. Serious mode. Serious. There was a reason back when he was doing the videos with the TSAB his coaches had always told him to 'smile' when he was working. He was just... way too serious and he practically radiated 'Lets get down to business'. And there were no huns to defeat.

He occasionally slid a hand into the front of the jacket, the inner pocket, where his device was stored. Still no scans. Was there interference of some sort?

Something magical? His eyes narrowed... No. Probably just being paranoid. What were the chances there'd be something like that here? Not every situation called for a magical solution. He was just getting paranoid, like the time he waited for that coffee barista to turn into a youma... turned out she was just in a foul mood.

Haruki Hara has posed:
    Haruko comes when called, greets Kijin, as well as the photographer once she is in the room. She admires the lady's look, and says so. "Oh, my. You must have spent plenty of time in front of the camera yourself, miss. You clearly have the look of professional model!" she says, complimenting for the sake of it, rather than because she thinks it will get her any special treatment. She moves where directed, and does as instructed, a little bit excited for this opportunity. If her parents only knew what she was up to...!

    "May I ask how long you have been in the industry?" she asks chipperly. The blue tones of the ocean in her mind pair well with the color scheme of the photographer. Like an undersea princess. She wonders if she'd do well in the same position, or if she would simply drown under the responsibilities.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei is a bit troubled, yes. But she wipes it away at Mina's concern. "It's probably nothing. I just got the impression the lady outside didn't much care for her job." It had been much less specific than that, but it's as good an excuse as any. She doesn't want to dampen Minako's enthusiasm. She's here to support, not spread doom and gloom by being Weird or Strange like everyone calls her behind her back, thinking it won't reach her ears.

    Instead she looks the blonde up and down and nods appreciatively. "You look stunning as always." she compliments with a smile and a tilt of her head. "Knock 'em dead when you get in there."

Thetis has posed: has posed:
"You might say I was made for this," the photographer says, and instructs Kijin to adjust a few of the diffusers. "I can hardly remember a time I wasn't in the business."

Haruko is a lovely little thing, delicately put together, outfit striking and pleasing to the eye. There's a sense of peace that emanates from her.

Her energy will be absolutely perfect.

"Now, go ahead and strike a pose..."

And as soon as these instructions are followed, the photographer snaps a photo. The camera flash is blindingly bright, filling the room with it's white light -

And when the room comes back into focus, the space in front of the backdrop is empty, save for a single polaroid photo laying on the ground.

"Go and get the photo, Kijin," the photographer says, and her smile fills her face, unnaturaly wide, neon blue lipstick framing a mouth with too many teeth. "And bring in the next model."

Kijin follows directions, the boy walking across the floor to collect the photo and pin it to a board on the far wall of the room. The board is filled with dozens of polaroid photos already, all the people who passed through today, several showing that they had captured with an expression of utmost surprise and terror - some of them are slumped in the photo, having clearly lost the energy to stand; some appear to be beating weakly at the screen of the photo.

Haruko Hara is the newest of them.

Kijin walks to the door of the room. "Next, Chrono Harlaown?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown glanced towards the door when he was called. Huh. Well... that was faster than he expected. And he moved to follow the boy towards the back, currently unaware that there was something up...

... That is, until something that he heard a girl outside say came to mind. 'I wonder where the other exit is?'

And when he came into the room, well... he suddenly had a bad thought. There was no extra exit. In fact, he didn't see ANY exit. Anywhere.

... His hand moved into his front jacket, taking out the card and sliding it into his sleeve. Rather than going in front of the back drop... he glanced around. And... yeah. Something was up. Something was...

Welp. Why not cause a bit of trouble? His device started making some scans and... he 'tripped' over one of the stands. "A-ahhh!" And then he reached out to steady himself, grabbing one, 'turning' as he fell and just yeeted it into another one.

There was a couple of crashes from the room as a whoile bunch of the lights and stands were sent toppling over everywhere.

But, it did allow him to 'fall' at the foot of where he wanted to be.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" he said, looking up... right at the wall of photos.

Yup. That? That was trouble. "I'm just so-- CLUMSY!" And then he kicked one of the lights, right at the photographer, sliding his card out of his sleeve and beginning his henshin sequence. That was all the evidence HE needed.

Minako Aino has posed:
It was devious, truly...but sometimes it wasn't the obvious magical warning or any mystical sense. Common logical thinking provided a warning even for the excited Minako Aino as she stood with Rei awaiting her turn. Noone had come back to talk about their experience as she was sure she would, noone had returned to claim their clothing and change out of their outfit...it didn't make sense.

"Rei-chan...noone's returned from behind the curtain," she begins, adjusting the grip on her bag where her transformation pen was concealed. "Something's not..."

Then Chrono was knocking things over in his faux-clumsy moment that sounded awfully like a struggle.

That clinched it, Minako was already running to push into the studio.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako is in no hurry, still picking through clothing, debating between looks. Should she text Takuto and get his opinion? --no, that was a terrible idea.

This is approximately when all hell starts breaking loose in the photo room, by way of a terrific crashing of falling stands and breaking lights. Wako's head jerks upward at the noise, and without hesitation she tosses the clothes she was considering over the nearest surface and joins Minako in making a beeline toward the studio. "Hey, is everything all right?"

Haruki Hara has posed:
    A pose. A simple, cheerful, innocent schoolgirl pose. Guileless, vulnerable, welcoming. Someone who might have tried to befriend a youma under other circumstances. And then she is trapped after a blinding light, and she feels weaker by the moment. Hm. This is a problem.

    While very zen and chill, Haruko is not the same sort of unflappable as Naru. Naru has accepted her lot in life as a magnet for supernatural activity. Haruko isn't even sure if she believes in ghosts. This is a very strange experience, to say the least. One hand strays towards her throat briefly, but she pulls it away when she feels her fingertips brush against her own skin.

    She stands and moves towards the celophane barrier between her and the outside world, pressing her hands against it, but not trying to escape. She just looks out with a sad, almost betrayed expression as she gazes upon the photographer and her assistant.

    Who would derive joy from such cruelty? She cannot fathom such an existence.

    Then there's a boy tumbling in, and the noise of clattering, and yelling, and... Well, she can't see from her angle, but she assumes this plot has been uncovered.

    As far as Haruko is concerned, this is her own imagination running away from her again. There's real events going on, but she spends so much time in a dream world of colors and creatures and unearthly environments that she's having trouble finding the line between the two.

    She would be very surprised to find out that this is actually happening.

    But she's a bit too dizzy from this sudden, radical shift in her personal reality to think or do much of anything else. What could she do? Nothing.

    Besides, she's so tired...

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei had hoped her hunch was wrong this time. Because Minako was so happy. Everyone was so excited for a once-in-a-lifetime chance at a dream. There's many boys and girls who would have done just about anything just for a chance, and here it was being handed out to everyone.

    Rei's smile is long gone as she runs after Minako, transformation pen already in hand and ready. Modeling? Stardom? Normal things that normal girls want, probably. That isn't Rei's life though. She has always known that she would be the one to work while others playeed.

    But Mina deserves better. All of her friends and all of these people deserve better.

    Suffice to say, that when Rei bursts into the studio, she is already seething with righteous indignation. "Hold it right there!" she calls out before she even knows what's going on.

Thetis has posed: has posed:
Kijin is completely unprepared for what happens next, and as diffusers and lights start tumbling to the ground, an expression of dull horror crosses his face. The photographer, on the other hand, is furious. "What kind of clumsy idiot are you?!"

She grabs her camera. Kijin rushes to Chrono, only to completely bypass the boy and start grabbing the equipment, lifting it up, trying to see if anything is broken -

In doing so, he ends up directly in front of Chrono, just as the photographer snaps a photo.

A blinding flash of light, and then -

"No, you idiot assistant, you weren't the model!"

A polaroid photo of Kijin lies face up on the ground beside Chrono. Well that sure confirms something is up, huh?

The other people waiting in line start complaining as they're jostled by Minako and Wako rushing forward, and the noise draws the attention of Thalia, who comes into the clothing area just in time to see the two girl throw the door open, revealing Chrono on the ground and the mess of knocked over equipment. Her eye twitches.

"Everyone, it looks like some clumsy little boy has disrupted the shoot. Please leave the building - we'll have everything set up again in about twenty minutes!"

This prompts a few grumbled complaints, but the crowd starts walking back towards the entrance, leaving the premises. Thalia throws a glare towards the studio room, and follows them.

Inside the studio room, the photographer tries just once to convince them all to leave - "You children need to go while we clean this up - yes, just, go ahead and - oh forget it! You brats deserve to just - just go somewhere and think about what you've done! I'll go ahead and take you all!"

And then in a flash of dark energy, the photographer transforms into her true form! The youma, Cameran! Get it? Get it? Do you get it?! Because she uses a camera -

"Just stand still my pretties!"

And she blasts a bolt of white energy at Chrono. If it connects, he'll be trapped in a photo, just like the rest of these victims!

If it connects.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown held the card out and flicked it. There was a flash of light, not from the camera, and he was in his barrier jacket.

The white energy came at him and he was already rolling away. Gliding through the air as a soldier of the TSAB, he grabbed and chucked one of the light stands into the white bolt, catching it in the beam, instead of him.

"I'm afraid you won't be cleaning anything up!" he said, holding his right hand out and... once more... his ID flashed. "I am Time Space Administrative Bureau Enforcer, Chrono Harlaown. You are under arrest for misuse of magical bindings to trap civilians. If you surrender peacefully, you will be able to defend yourself before a TSAB court." Granted, the 'TSAB court' would mostly consist of... him... and maybe some other people who were roped in and...

... Okay, so it wouldn't really work. But they never accepted it anyway. But it didn't mean he wouldn't try. "If you consent, throw down your camera. If you resist, I will be forced to consider you a threat to the people of this world and will respond in kind."

He glanced towards the girls. The blue haired woman. How many of them were in on this? Was the camera youma alone? Or were they all a part of it? He really wished he'd called in backup for this... Maybe he should start... He'd try and send a message to whatever devices were nearby, but as far as he could tell there weren't any nearby.

For now, however, he'd keep that stern look on his face, holding his device out and aimed at the youma, held in his right hand. Maintain a calm presence. Don't let them see the anxiety he was starting to feel. If there was one thing he'd learned in his time here, it was that there was a lot of help when they needed it. So long as you had trust in the people around you.

... No but seriously he hoped someone got here soon who wasn't trying to capture him.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's not quite the athlete Minako is; she ends up reaching the studio door just behind her and Rei, peering around them at the sight laid out within. The mess of fallen lighting. The youma. The photographs arrayed around the studio, telling their own silent story. And Chrono, making a noble effort that was... probably not going to end well.

With a resigned sigh, she pulls out her phone long enough to snap a shot of Cameran.

TXT Takuto, Sugata: it got weird. u_u <attachment: youma.jpg>

Then she stuffs her phone back into her pocket and declares, right there in the doorway: "Apprivoiser!"

In a cascade of sparkling pink light, the unassuming girl-next-door in the pink hoodie transforms into her flashy white-and-gold military-style ensemble. "I should have known it'd be something like this," the Ginga Otome laments.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Right. So it's like this then. "MARS POWER, MAKE-UP!" she yells as she raises her henshin pen above her head and in a burst of red light and spinning flames, the teenage girl becomes Sailor Mars. "Release all of your victims right now, or we won't go easy on you!" Mars challenges. Sure, she could just start shooting fire, but photos are flammable, and who knows if magic photos are too. Good thing Ginga Otome is her--Wait, Ginga Otome? She thought she saw Wako-san here! Maybe with the power of two miko here, they can release everyone my banishing the evil.

    "Actually, never mind." Sailor Mars clasps her hands together and focuses, then leaps into the air and somersaults, throwing out a spinning, expanding ring of ofuda many layers deep, with her at the center. Some are aimed for Cameran, to try to at least herd her away from the photos, if not temporarily stun her, but most are aimed to carpet the half of the room with the polaroids, in an attempt to mass-exorcise them of Dark Energy. And if Mars alone can't do it... Well... That's what Ginga Otome is here for!

    She trusts Venus and that... TS... Chrono... TSA Chrono, that's your name now, kid, you work at an airport. Those two should be able to deal with the youma!

Minako Aino has posed:
Okay...so the day -was- going to be ending in fighting Youma. Of course it was. There's a look towards Mars, a nod of agreement and then...well.

"VENUS POWER, MAKE-UP!"

A flare of brilliant radianxe and Sailor Venus looks back as Mars goes for the photos. Hopefully she can pull off some kind of Miko 'wicky-woo' to restore the victims. How the heck had Usagi managed not to come to this?!

"Attacking innocent people who just want to make others happy with their smile? You should be ashamed of yourself!" she declares, the heart-shaped links of her chair swirling around her before she lashes out. "We'll make you pay! Venus love-me chain!"

Thetis has posed: has posed:
Cameran stares at Chrono. "What... is a court?"

That's the thing about youma - there's just no such thing as an independently intelligent y one.They were, all of them, creations of dark energy and matter, often corrupted from living beings or inanimate objects, given life and personality by their creators, or otherwise twisted by the flow of negative emotion surrounding their creation. Cameran was created for the purpose of running this scam, and she'd been embued with all the knowledge necessary to complete this scam, and enough Dark Energy to fight if need be - but that's it.

She has no idea what a court is. Or why she should surrender to one.

And then there are three more magical warriors with her, and no back up to be seen (that blue-haired girl, Thalia, seems to be gone?), so she can only do one thing:

FIGHT!

Hiding behind a diffuser until all the ofuda have landed, she huffs, "They are making people happy! They're making our great leader very happy with their smile, Sailor Venus! You should all be grateful to fuel the power of the Dark Kingdom!"

The Love Me Chain whips out and crushes her hiding spot, and Cameran leaps up, practically bashing her shoulder blades into the ceiling to escape.

"The only ones who should be ashamed are you fashion disasters! Give up now, your energy belongs to the Dark Kingdom!"

And she blasts white bolts of light towards Ginga Otome and Sailor Mars. If struck, they'll be turned to photos!

Minako Aino has posed:
Photogenic as Ginga and Mars might be, Venus isn't exactly keen on seeing her allies reduced to poleroids. She'd have no idea how to fix such a thing after all!

The Dark Kingdom declaration? It was just a reminder about how they could twist anything positive into dark parodies and she wasn't going to have any of it at the moment. They'd ruined her outing with Rei-chan, her modelling fun -and- many other people's day after all.

The chain lashes around, another sweep intended to try and snare the creature. As long as she could force it to keep moving, she had a better chance of throwing off its 'shot'. If it was caught? Well, a killing blow would be that much easier for one of the others!

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown blinked a few times. What... is a court? "It's a room where your crimes are judged by the judges, often those selected after a lengthly legal--"

Of course, his explanation was cut short when BACKUP ARRIVED! Well, there she went. "Oh thank heavens," he muttered, letting out a sigh of relief. Gotta love it when the help arrives! In this case, the help not get him killed crew. YAY!

Better, it was Ginga Otome. He.... vaguelly knew her as one of the purifiers. They were always useful, especially as he wasn't one. However, what he could do was make sure there was less destruction. He held up his device and, slowly, a barrier appeared, enveloping the area! Shifting them out of the dimension and into another. "Feel free to destroy anything you need to," he called out. "Just be careful of the photos!"

He then turned to the youma. And Venus had the right idea... though admittedly he didn't know which one of the sailors she was. She and mars had fukus, he could only assume they were apart of Sailor Pluto's group.

He kept his eyes on the monster's camera...While Venus tried to ensnare and keep the monster moving... he flew up into the air and tried to get a clear shot before...

            <<Stinger Snipe!>>

A green ball of magic would appear and then pierce through the air, aimed directly at the youma's camera! Trying to destroy it in one shot!

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Ginga Otome throws her hands out in front of her, palms out, a transparent shell of pink light glimmering into being around her to block that blast of white. It hisses and fizzes, the Dark Energy in the camera youma's power meeting the purifying light of the South Maiden shield. She can see Sailor Mars' ofuda flying out in their spiral, and Chrono's call just clinches what needs to happen here.

"Got it!" the Galactic Maiden calls back. The bubble of her shield lofts her into the air, clearing space for Mars and Venus to move freely while Ginga Otome gathers energy at her fingertips.

"Cascade soleil!" Sparks of rosy light fly out from both hands, a shower of little pink bullets of purification raining down over Cameran and her photos alike. Mars probably got most of the photos with her talismans already, but any that she missed, Wako's got covered.

Rei Hino has posed:
    No go on exorcising the cursed photographs, huh? Guess she's not up to the level of Reigen Arataka, Professional Psychic, yet. She has bigger concerns! Bolts of light are being shot at her, and Mars ducks and rolls to get out of the way. As always seems to be the case with these young senshi, her evasion is right by the skin of her teeth. It's amazing how frequently a superhuman evasion looks like pure good luck or accident, even with Senshi reflexes and speed.

    "Good job, Venus, and everyone!" she calls out. After leaping and dodging in the confined space a couple more times, Mars takes the opportunity afforded by Venus pinning the enemy down, and Chrono aiming to destroy the camera, and Ginga Otome machine-gunning the youma with purity bullets, and lines up her own shot. Not having Sailor Moon here to deal the finishing blow feels weird, but... They have the Ginga Otome on this one. And she's more than good enough.

    Mars holds up one last ofuda, throws it towards Cameran, and then clasps her hands together gathering the power of Mars in her fingertips, before releasing a Fire Soul, which rushes to catch up to and consume the talisman, combining spiritual energy with the Fires of Mars! "Fire Soul Bird!"

    A bird of flame streaks towards Cameran, screeching furiously!

Thetis has posed: has posed:
A barrier goes up - and the photos are gone. Civilians, after all, are not included in the barrier. The ofuda stuck to the photographs, and they've started to slowly disperse the dark energy... but magical photographs or not, these are still civilians. With that barrier up, all the victims are out of danger.

Cameran is not impressed with this.

"Where did they go?! That was my portfolio! My offering to our great lead- ACK!"

Should have paid more attention to the magical chain, because now it's trapped her arms at her sides. Cameran wriggles, but there's no chance to escape before she's pierced through the chest with Chrono's sniping strike, is struck through with dozens of small pinky bullets of purification - each of which smoke and hiss where they land, and is finally, set ablaze by Fire Soul! What a way to go!

Cameran shrieks - and then bursts into a shower of dark energy shards, leaving nothing behind but the plastic and metal shards of a broken camera.

That name was really, really on the nose.

When the barrier falls, the quartet of heroes will be standing in - a condemned building? There's no longer any sign of the fashionable, new building they were in just seconds before, the lights replaced with bits of plaster, the walls empty. The photos have become a crowd of confused, energy-drained civilians...

And Thalia is nowhere to be seen.

Also, everyone's wearing their original clothes. It would seem that there was a complex illusion going on...

Rei Hino has posed:
    Mars doesn't know about how the barriers work. She doesn't even truly remember her first time meeting Ginga Otome, at a construction site, back before she had awakened as a Sailor Soldier. She's just glad that, when the youma disapepars, replaced by a broken camera, and the illusion vanishes, at least all the civilians are here. Even if confused.

    Also she's glad their original clothes are still on them, because it would be very embarrassing to be surrounded by a bunch of naked people. At least Venus would have her serafuku though!

    Disgusted at how the Dark Kingdom perverts everything, even people, Sailor Mars is all too willing to say thanks to Ginga Otome and Chrono Harlaown (a name she will never be able to pronounce, so she just calls him 'TSAB' instead). Then she is booking it before people see the mahou standing around and start asking questions. "Come on, Sailor Venus! We should get going!" is what she says as warning to Mina beforehand.

    You know, so she doesn't just run off without her.

Haruki Hara has posed:
    Haruko is among the bewildered, frightened people who find themselves in an abandoned building, with no sign of modeling try-outs to be found. Her memory of the whole incident is vague, as is how she got here. She was just minding her own business and walking by, when... What? Getting to her feet as her strength returns to her, Haruko is suddenly overcome by fear after the fact. This actually happened. She and a bunch of other people were all gathered here, and none of them apepar to have done so willingly. Is this that 'Juuban Flu'!?

    Gathering her belongings, Haruko Hara hurries to flee the scene as well. Though she darts away through the deep blue sea of her mind, it doesn't stop the light that filters down from somewhere high above, glittering off of silvery forms, and highlighting the path she must take to get home.

Beryl has posed:
===woooo woooo time skip woooo woooo==

Hours later and relocated to Obsidian Tower, 'Thalia' allows her human guise to fall away, leaving only the youma Thetis, bowing before Queen Beryl.

"Cameran was defeated, my lady, but we collected a large amount of energy, due to the high number of civilians captured. Your suggestion was a brilliant one - the humans completely lost their heads about the chance to be 'models', and in addition, we gained a number of contacts."

It was here that Thetis shifted, uncomfortably, a fact which Beryl notes, eyes narrowing.

"What is it, Thetis? Speak, before you try my patience."

"For the enemy to appears means its likely their contact information is in the list, my queen! Your plan was to use that information to continue inviting victims to our youma, so we have a more guaranteed supply of targets, but if the enemy knows -"

"Then they will come to stop us, as they always do, and we'll have more of an idea of who to expect," Queen Beryl says dismissively. "You have served me well, Thetis. Carry on with our objectives. Continue to build on the targets I have provided you with, and it will not be long before we regain the energy lost when that dreadful Sailor Moon stole away those wretched traitors."