2479/The Queen's Debut

The Queen's Debut
Date of Scene:	17 April 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	During Glimmer's debut concert, trouble comes in the form of Hawkmoth... Fortunately, the girls are able to save the day. More importantly, though, Glimmer is able to connect to the magic necklace she got from Fuku... Which definitely isn't mroe cause for alarm. Coco, Catra, Rashmi and Bow managed to fix this issue, surely they can fix the next, right? ... RIGHT?!
Cast of Characters:	Glimmer Brightmoon, Bow, Rashmi Terios, Catra, Coco Kiumi, Gabriel Agreste

---

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
It wasn't every day that Glimmer had a concert... Especially because she'd like.... not... ever had one before. But this? Was going to be a totally normal, unhindered concert. She'd even let her friends know that Obsidian wasn't up to anything. It was just part of the job, the social side. Like Utau. She'd even got them tickets!

She was 'The Bright Moon Queen', though some just called her 'The Queen', a simple, easy to remember name for anyone to remember, really. And the concert was... actually going really well. Glimmer COULD sing when she wanted. She'd done a few songs already and was wearing an overly elaborate, dazzling outfit that seemed to be covered in 'gems' and made her 'bright'. She'd been 'teleporting' across different suspended stages, and frankly? She was doing rather well and having a blast. Sure, it was exhausting, but it was kind of cool to be the center of attention and have every eye focused on her while not like... Expecting her to make all those tough decisions.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. There had been a mix of japanese songs with a few 'english' ones, callbacks to something? And it was about the fourth when she'd begun doing a rather... jazzy one.

'I got Rhythm', albeit slightly altered.

"I got daisies, in green pastures! I got my fans, who could ask for anything more? Ol' man trouble? I don't mind him--" As she danced along the stage, dashing by the front row seats, making the lights beam off her and dazzle the audience...

Say what you will about Easter, they knew how to put on a show. Full-on pyro and everything!

Bow has posed:
Conflicted.

That is where Bow is at the moment.

On one hand... Glimmer seems happy. At ease. More than when she was Queen. More than at some points around him. She glitters like a gem, she shines with renewed vigor. She's in what seems to be her element and is free at last. He has every reason to be proud of her. She's one of his closest friends and means so very much to him, even if he wasn't her sworn protector and knight.

And that is the other side of the coin. This change - this eruption from the crysallis of her worries into the elegant creature that is currently crooning about she don't mind him is felt deep inside his gut. Sure, it's just a song. It's a catchy tune and the words probably don't mean what he thinks.

Maybe.

For now, he remains where he had taken up station, arms crossed over his chest, watching Glimmer perform with a slight smile of pride, eyes reflecting the glittering of the decorations and pyrotechnics.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
It's good that Bow came to the concert, because Rashmi would not have left him alone about it until he relented.

Concerts *usually* aren't her thing, honestly; too many people, too much sound, too much going on... before magic, maybe not so much, after magic there are times when the *pressure* of everything feels more like Walpurgisnacht returning...

But Glimmer had contacted them, and it was clear that showing up to support her would be the kindest, most meaningful thing they could do for her. Earth is a far cry from Etheria, after all. Doing *anything* publically and loudly has to be one of the most soul-searingly terrifying things to do, and *not* showing up would probably hurt just as much as dropping a brick on her from the top of Clover Tower. Sure you'd never *see* the damage done, but...

Which is why she absolutely blew up Catra's phone making sure *both* Etherians were here. About some things, Rashmi is utterly ruthless, and friends supporting friends is apparently one of those. She did, at least, make sure Catra was bringing her headphones to muffle the sound.

And as Glimmer launches into her fourth set, she looks up at Bow, and smiles at the little smile on his face, leaning over and nudging the boy's elbow. "It's gonna mean the world to her you came," she notes reasonably, sipping from a soda before loosing a wild cheer as the song breaks just long enough for the crowd to answer her energy.

Catra has posed:
"Nice ears! Can I--"

"Headband," Catra snaps in response, as she moves through the crowd, following behind Rashmi with a sullen expression. "Cosplay is not concent!" she adds as she dips between two people to escape. Well, this would be a bad place for bloodshed so escape is the preferable option all around, but since everyone is focused on the singer up on the stage, the feline has felt generally safe in going undisguised. And besides, she'd rather she get to finally wear that teal colored tuxedo she got, on that one shopping trip not so terribly long ago.

And she is wearing it. And it makes her feel absolutely fantastic. Not that she'll ever admit that outwardly. (The sullen expression might just be a matter of habit.)

She's making her way through the crowd behind Rashmi with her hands in her pockets, until she finds herself standing beside Bow. And she glances sideways at him, while Rashmi is busy being positive from the otherside.

Well, all things need to be in balance, right? That's what the purple man in the utterly ridiculous movie she watched the other day said. "Stop being a dork," she states, after lightly punching Bow in the arm.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"You were saying that's someone you know?", Rihito mutters from among the crowd, looking up at the songstress curious. He certainly doesn't remember seeing her around the music club or the charities, and with a voice like hers, he can't help but find it odd.

"Weird choice, anyway, to bring me to listen to competition. Unless you aren't afraid I start out admiring her?", he gives Coco a polite smile.

"Of course I am not afraid, I would never lose in a musical contest", the blonde girl taps the back of his hand with lighthearted admonition. "And I see no issue admitting she has a great voice. Music is a connection, not a barrier. So, let's focus on enjoying ourselves, ok?"

"Very fair", he nods gladly, glancing towards Coco for a second when she takes his hand in hers. "'Music is a connection'", he repeats, thinking if he has figured out her strategy. "I should have known you are a romantic with the kind of songs you use for your performances", he smiles while Glimmer switches to her fourth song.

"That doesn't make it any less true though, you have to put your feelings in your songs. That's what really allows you to draw in others", Coco winks at him.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
The concert is exactly what one expects from a concert - crowded with excited, eager fans, most of them young adults and younger teens, cheering, singing, and otherwise acting the fool for a celebrity who wouldn't think twice about them.

At least, that's how Ayaka Ueta feels as she sits in front of three shrieking, cheering teenagers, head beginning to throb in spite of the earplugs she'd put in before the show even started. They were good earplugs, but they weren't designed to drown out the roar of a crowd, and she was grimly aware that she'd wasted money trying.

This. This is what she went to college for. This is what she got a degree in Business Management for. This was the path to ensuring she didn't end up another burnt out salaryman drowning his sorrows.

Personal assistant to the CEO of a thriving tech start up, and here she is babysitting! Instead of doing any of the real work waiting for her at her desk!

Glimmer's show is an absolute hit, lights, music, action, and it's all lost on this one miserable soul, a woman in a business suit sunken into her chair, furiously ranting to herself about all the work she'll have to do when this is all done, and it's about to get a lot worse.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Hawkmoth murmurs, observing through the eyes of his akuma, the dark purple butterfly fluttering its wings patiently. "You know, when Easter made it clear they were having a show, I truly didn't imagine they would make it this easy to meet our shared quota."

A crowded room, irritable chaperones, fans frustrated by merchandise lines and sold out exclusive items... it's not that there's an endless array of negativity in this one spot - but the cheer and positivity of the crowd makes those few, angrier voice all the more welcome.

And that's before the anger he senses rockets up to another level, as pure rage and hatred pours through the air.

"Eh? What did they do now - Wait, I didn't tell you to make a choice!"

The akuma has sensed the negativity too, and with something that furious, the tainted creature has no need to wait for direction. It dives for Ayaka's cellphone, sticky and dripping with spilled soda, and purple light takes the form of butterfly wings in front of the woman's face as the connection is established.

"Oh, they dumped soda your cellphone and your clothes? And you can be sure your supervisor won't be replacing that, now will she?" There's false sympathy in his voice, but it sounds sincere. "Usually, I would ask you to seek the Miraculous when I give you this power, but given the situation, I'll spare you this once."

"A - miraculous? Power? Unless you have the power to fix this, I'm busy -"

"No, the only power that might fix that is a bag of rice and a drycleaner," Hawkmoth says derisively, "But Ueta-san, wouldn't you much rather have the power of revenge? You could be doing so much more with your life, your skills, your education! You're a woman of many talents, being forced to babysit the spoiled brat of a superior too lazy to raise their own child. Why don't you satisfy both of our ends, by draining their energy - and then, drain the rest of this obnoxious crowd. Surely you can see that there's a better use for all this youthful energy than screaming in a crowded venue."

Ayaka Ueta thinks about it for exactly one second.

"Give me everything you have.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
And then?

A burst of dark power would ripple outwards, and a new figure would rise into the air, a woman clad in a jet-black business suit, nicely tailed, very finely detailed with a subtle pattern of grey and silver lightning bolts, her eyes covered by a silver visor. What was holding her aloft was not wings, but - wires.

Hundreds of metallic wires, bursting from the back of her suit, racing across the concert venue, snagging and snaring audience members. Live electricity crackles along the length of the wire, jolting the audience members into stillness, and then there's the suction, as the ensnaring tendrils drain away the life from their prey.

"I am Wire Fraud," the Akuma screams. "And I have a quota to fill!"

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
"You won't find him 'round my door," Glimmer sang and, for a moment, her eyes met Bow's. And she smiled at him. Ahhhh, this was right. Just her. Her friends. She blew a kiss, to most? It would look like part of the routine, but well.... The fact it was directed at her friend's directions was a--

And then the microphone went dead. Huh?

And then there was ELECTRICITY?! "W-what?!" she asked, looking shocked, mouth falling open, staring at the.... well... destruction. That was what it was. There was destruction. Why was there... Why.... how? There couldn't be... Why was there...

She stared, the microphone slowly falling from her hands, staring at the... thing... the person, now a monster, that stood over... everything... that hovered.

That destroyed. That was destroying... everything...

"W=what?"

As people were screaming, as the lights were going out, as people fled for their lives in fear and horror. As some people moved to help guiding people out.

... She didn't move. Glimmer COULDN'T move.

Bow has posed:
Unlike Catra, Bow knows how to block Rashmi if she were to get too annoying. But she's the daughter of his employers, so that was always a nuclear option. At her words about being delighted to see him, the archer glances up to where Glimmer is performing, and then back to Rashmi. He smiles a little more, but she can see the melancholy tinge in it.

"She's thrilled to be adored by the crowd, Rashmi. I'm just a face in said crowd tonight." he points out to her, "She's doing great, she should be proud."

And then there's a POKE and a threat not to be a dork and Bow blinks a couple of times. "Catra, hey." he greets the other Etherian. "Didn't know you were coming out. Except I did." And with that, he reaches behind him and pulls out a purple t-shirt with Glimmer's BIG SMILING FACE ON IT. "For her biggest fan." That's not him.

Coco's arrival with her boyfriend is noted and he tosses a wave over to the blonde. But before anything can be said or done...

Trouble finds them.

As it always does.

"Rashmi, get a barrier up!" he immediately orde-rs, pushing off the wall, henshing without a second thought about who sees. "Catra, see what you can do about all those wires!" As for himself, he draws back his bow string, as it magically forms and spreads around his fingers. "Grapple arrow!"

The arrow is fired into the rafters above the stage, and using that as a winch, he's heading straight for the stage to rescue Glimmer.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Show me a person who lives who *doesn't* want that," Rashmi counters. "But *you matter,* and *you being here matters.* You watch."

Having finished dispensing her wisdom for the moment, she turns at Bow's wave, grinning as she spots Coco. "Hi you two! How're you li--"

    << *BONG!* >>

Nicomachea's warning comes exactly as the wires begin to burst from the assistant's suit, and she looks left, looks right, shifts in front of Bow so both Etherians are blocking incidental line-of-sight, and *ducks* below the seatbacks.

    *FLASH!*

Wings of golden light unfurl from her ankles as she pushes up off the floor, gaining altitude as she throws her first pair of spells of the evening.

    << *BONG!* >> << TIME-SPACE BARRIER >>

    << *BONG!* >> << TELEPATHY >>

As the bubble of staticky-gold magic flares out, phasing the concert-goers away to safety, Rashmi's voice rings out in the heads of her allies. << Catra how's your accuracy with that fire magic? Only sometimes people get 'stuck' in a Barrier, so... try not to throw it *down.* Bow let me know the moment you've got Glimmer-chan secure, Yellow Pearl-chan... Looks like the stage is yours. Let's get this done quick, so we can explain it as a power outage and Glimmer-chan can finish her set! >>

Catra has posed:
Catra's mismatched eyes dip to the shirt that Bow is offering, with the picture of Glimmer's face with her usual grin that implies a serious lack of understanding of reality, and then rise back to look at the archer. She shrugs, takes the shirt, and slaps it right back in his chest.

"For her biggest fan? Put it on then." She doesn't wait himj to take it back, either, just tosses it over his shoulder where it totally won't interfere with his quiver if anything happens. Which, of course, it does, directly on cue, right as she's handing Bow the shirt; and one of the electrical wires that's seeking people, latches on to her arm and

"AAAAUGH!!"

For a moment, Catra is just wracked with electricity, and there's a couple of bright flashes that one could swear revealed her skeleton in silhouette, before she grits her teeth and slashes hard, overcoming the agony and electric force to cut the wire with her claws.

<< Bow, I don't take orders from you. And the Spirit Ember and I are not really on speaking terms yet, >> she answers, << But my claws work just fine. >>

The feline tilts her head until it pops; she looks down at her arm, where her BRAND NEW TUXEDO has burn marks on it, and her eyes narrow to mismatched slits. "Oh you screwed up," she hisses.

So maybe she and the Spirit Ember aren't really on the same page yet. But just the same, her tuxedo smolders and black spots spread across eat, eventually leaving it a black tuxedo with reds and oranges around the edges, while the shirt underneath just generally looks... burnt. On the upside, she can still manifest Powersend; so she does, but leaves the sword in its scabbard hanging off her belt for now.

<< But I promise you I'm good at breaking stuff anyway. >> She glances over her shoulder, noting Coco's position along with Rashmi ascending upwards, and sighs. << Cut the wires... fine, I can do that, Bow go save Glimmer she'll love you for it later. >> The cat turns to dash away, leaping forwards over seats and... whatever, dashing for the thick of the wires. As s he runs she does at least manage to conjure a little fire on her claws, making them trail two sets of five bright orange lines as she dives in and starts hacking and slashing at the wires, gritting her teeth to ignore the electric shocks she's going to get as best she can.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"So, how is it you met Glimmer?", Rihito asks among the roar of the crowd, turning Coco's smile in a nervous smirk. Oh? Was that not actually a good thing? Even with all the good things she said? "No, don't worry about it", he immediately walks that back, causing Coco to scoff lightly.

"We met at a difficult moment, but Glimmer is a nice person. Don't worry about it", she replies anyway, giving his shoulder a light push. If only she could say that Glimmer has given her no concern lately. With what Seira has been telling her...

But this is not about work, and she should keep it away, she insists to herself, focusing on the sound of Glimmer's voice. Not like she would be able to tell Rihito any of it, regardless of her suspicions on him.

Then very different roars grown around them, scream laced with fear so strong one would be able to feel them from kilometers away. Would they really have been interrupted this soon?, a nervous grin lingers on Coco's face, but this time accompanied by elements of irritation.

She is about to find an excuse away from him when Rashmi's Barrier washes over them, and Rihito's hand remains still in hers. That obvious then. "Rihito-san, questions for later", she declares, and the shell locket on her starts shining.

"Yellow Pearl Voice!", the Idol of the seas announces her transformation under Rihito's side eyes. "Legend of Mermaid: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!". Words painting a vision of a faraway world's nostalgic sog, a promise to always be connected thanks to the shared memory of the paradise of the seven seas, and joyful purification radiates from her. <<I am on it, Rashmi-chan!>>

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Wire Fraud's boss' daughter and her friends were the first to be drained, wrapped tight in wire and sucked dry as they shrieked in fear. They're just a trio of the unconscious bodies beginning to litter the stadium though, all of them wrapped in the metallic wires that are acting as additional limbs for the villainess. The teens are drained dry, though Wire Fraud is sure that with a little time they'll have more to give.

Not everyone she's captured is unconscious - some of them are awake and struggling, others are still in the being-shocked-still stage, and others - well, others are figuring out that they can wriggle away if they ditch a shoe or jacket, and fleeing for their lives.

"Absolutely not," Wire Fraud snaps at those fleeing, and her wires lash out streaking across the room after those panicking and running. "Your energy is mine! This is how it goes! You give the best years of your life to something, and hope you get something out of it later!"

She's moving, too, high in the air, propelled by her wires, which snag and grab and twist and pull her along, a cross between Spider Man's webs and Doc Ock's tentacles.

Then the barrier goes up, and hundreds of screaming people simply vanish, as the world takes on an odd sheen.

Not everyone vanishes, though. Anyone caught in Wire Fraud's wires is still there, still vulnerable - though that can be fixed, as Catra will find when she cleaves through wires, and the civilian caught drops through the air - and vanishes, disappearing to the other side of the barrier.

"What was that," Wire Fraud snaps, and then - "Well, aren't you a colorful lot? Are you supposed to be the opposing negotiating team?"

'They,' Hawkmoth says snidely, 'Are the opposition indeed. If you don't stop them, they'll do their best to free everyone before you've made quota, and then you'll lose your power. You'll be back to shuttling around snot-nosed brats. On the otherhand.... they have plenty of energy.'

"Oh," Wire Fraud's smile widens. "You're the main course."

And naturally, that's when hundreds of wires start reaching for them.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon just stared out at the people. The youma. Was that a youma? It seemed like a youma. IT was angry and destructive and vicious and ATTACKING PEOPLE at her concert and... and...

Why? Then there was a barrier. Why was there a barrier? This was a concert. This was HER concert. HERS! IT WAS HERS! Why?! This wasn't what she wanted.

She looked to the others, wanting to say something. As they started to fight.

I didn't do this. I swear. I wasn't a part of this. They weren't supposed to be here.

But nothing came to mind. None of the words fit.

And now? They were all going to--

Well, hello there, familiar abs. "What?" she asked. As suddenly BOW! "W-why are you--" And then her cheeks went red. "I-I swear I wasn't a part of this! I-I don't know who's interfering but, but it's not with me! T-this was supposed to be my concert and they're RUINING IT!" she shrieked. And, for just that moment, it was like she was on Etheria again. The princess throwing a tantrum, getting all high pitched and angry and frustrated and she couldn't fight because even if it WASN'T with her... they were part of Obsidian, right? She couldn't punch them, could she?

And she wanted to scream in frustration.

Then she heard that music. That soft, purifying music.

She blinked a few times, shaking her head. What was... that? Why did she feel...

Glimmer smiled and put a hand on Bow's chest. "I'll be fine," she said. "Go help them. I'll head backstage, okay?" she said. "I... I think I have an idea. Trust me, okay?" Oh, if that wasn't the most worrying statement of the century...

She then turned and ran, away from the trouble, back towards the backstage.

Bow has posed:
<< We can argue about it later, Catra. >> Bow responds in mild irritation, as he glances upwards towards where Wire Fraud has headed to roost for the moment. Can't think about that right now. Glimmer's locked on stage and unable to move and that's just not going to do. With Coco preparing to start her own concert, << Rashmi, you can coordinate better than I can. >> he admits to her, as he lands on the stage and releases the grapple line.

Now that he's there, he's making his way towards Glimmer, but with the lines coming in from above, all he can do is use his bow to bat them away. A hard swing, and a grunt as he hears the comment about being a main course.

"I'm not much of a snack, but I'm not letting you dig in on me!" he calls out at Wire Fraud as he gets to where Glimmer is and searches her face for a moment and then everywhere else in the search for any injuries.

"Your Majesty?" he asks in concern, keeping his eyes out in case the tentacle princess returns. "We need to get you off the stage and to Rashmi. Can you move?"

But then Glimmer, for a moment, was panicking and throwing a tantrum. And for a moment, he looks at a loss.

Maybe he needs to snap her to her senses?

But fortunately, before he can act on that, Glimmer does respond and he feels that hand on his chest. A frown crosses his features for a moment, and then he nods when she says she has an idea. In for a penny...

"I always have." he replies quietly. "Be careful."

And with that, he's off in his own direction to pin down some tentacles.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< On it, >> Rashmi answers Bow, darting to one side to avoid the grasping wires... but they are many, and *small,* and hard to properly track--

And for a moment, all thought goes away as a questing filament wraps around her wrist and delivers a jolt of electricity. When her brain clears, she blinks sharply, shaking her head to clear the sparks from her vision, she reorients on the battlefield and spends a brief moment to consider options.

    << *BONG!* >> << ACCEL -- BOOST UP >>

Speed Boosts wing their way toward Bow and Catra, giving the Etherians a moment of extra *zip* to get ahead of the questing wires, then turns her attention to Wire Fraud, slotting a 'bookmark' into place on Nicomachea.

    << *BONG!* >> << BURST INDEX: SOLAR BARRET >>

A dozen balls of golden mana blink into existence, loaded with a payload of kinetic force. Homing and power are set to maximum, speed reduced, and then the dozen are launched.

While the Barrets *will* explode when they contact anything, the formation they're launched in is sort of a spiraling, conical 'wedge,' in the hopes that the ones in front can run interference on the ones behind, and enough of the wires get destroyed on the way in, that at least a few will survive to connect with Wire Fraud.

And then explode in her face.

"Negotiating team?! You're *hurting people* and we're trying to *keep you from hurting people!* What is *wrong* with you?!"

Catra has posed:
As Coco's song starts up, Catra's ears go flat and she hunches her shoulders, expecting it to be uncomfortable. And it is. The Etherian is still making more than enough use of dark energy that this. Is. Unpleasant.

But she's still in a fight and she still needs to win it, so suck it up prince--NO WE ARE NOT DOING THAT TODAY.

"Wait so lemme get this straight," Catra yells as she slices her claws through a bundle of wires, "You're trying to be a villain but you're coming at this from the angle ot... what, an office clerk? You're like what happens when Ted jams a fork in an electrical socket and forgets his hair gel!" As she snaps the last couple words she launches into a backflip, diving backwards to first avoid a bundle of wires coming for her and then as she lands, whips Powersend out of its scabbard and severs them, returning the blade to its scabbard with an audible snap.

As Rashmi's Accel Boost hits her and she feels herself not merely faster than any human but the gap widenning, she grins, flashing predatory teeth. "I'm not here for you to dine on, I'm the apex predator, and a better villain than you'll ever be. Time for Force Captain Catra to teach jumped-up tadpole a lesson." The sword flshes back out into her hands and she leaps forwards; and then there are two Catras where she lands, one standing still and the other jumping forwards again; and then there is a third Catra, and the real one leaps up onto the stage, swinging her sword in a wide, circular slash to sever as much as she can, while the other two -- illusions, naturally -- manifest just enough flame on their false blades (one of them takes three times, and neither of them are all that bright) to go to work. As the illusions split off in opposite directions to dive into the mass of wires and cut Wire Fraud's hold on as many people as she can, Catra points Powersend up at the villain of the day. "You, girl, have picked the wrong fight."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
A second they were enjoying their date, and at another the crowd starts running and then disappearing, and if that wasn't enough, his date tells him to leave the questions for later, and then trasforms right in front of him, and the both of them get wrapped into white light like a cocoon.

He should have plenty to worry about, but something in that white light tells him not to be, and his panic starts washing away when the girl he knows as Coco sings, replaced by less impulsive worries.

Her golden eyes filled with sincerity locks onto his, and Coco brings out a finger to her mouth while she keeps singing. "I... understand", he agrees reluctantly. There will be plenty of time later.

"Your main course is a good dose of common sense and purification", the mermaid princess tells Wire Fraud. She has seen this enough that it's not a tall order to recognise who is behind this. "We are not here to negotiate, just as you are not here to hurt people. Hawkmoth only ever manipulates people, and you will be freed." Whether she likes it or not.

Those wire cables are not something she sees coming, but the Live Stage's presence forces them to come to a stop around the sphere first. Tightly holding onto the white light, Coco's magical energy slowly starts passing from the Live Stage through the cables to Wire Fraud, a wince from Coco's face making it abundantly clear she is starting to feel it.

Bright light of stars,
bright beacons up there,
we call you all together,
let us build a better world together.
We, from here, shelter land and sea because
that way the pouring rain will stop, will end...

It is a concert of love to
live and hope for great emotions
From a stage of light and shadow
I will sing the freedom
of a pure heart.

The influence of the different notes will try to create a Live Stage around Wire Fraud, one made for the purposes of trapping her in place, and the mermaid princess's song of purification fills the woman hear with peaceful feelings that bring hurt to the current of negativity within her.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Wire Fraud's been very effective with gathering energy, if she says so herself. Being able to gather so many people, all at once? Perfect for an inefficient mass drain. Even better, with the help of a core of wires punched directly through the ground, she could siphon out the energy, directing it to her benefactor's location.

Energy collection is easy. So much easier than 14 hour shifts crunching finance numbers and securing signatures and babysitting her boss' kid. This is the best job she's ever had! There's no way she's giving it up!

"Right, the negotiating team," Wire Fraud says in response to Rashmi's declaration - and then four of her wires work together to slap half of the barrets out of the sky - only for the other spiral six to explode in her face. She rocks back with a yelp, arms pinwheeling in the air, and the wires respond, shifting and rolling with her position, reanchoring themselves so she can be secure.

"Now that - that was something," she admits, before punching the air in Rashmi's direction - causing a number of the wires to launch forward, twisting themselves into the shape of a fist for a sparking punch.

This is around when Catra launches herself, and the singing starts up, and Wire Fraud rocks in the air, as the music seeps into her. It's so - pleasant. Perfectly melodic. On point, cheerful, soothing -

"No! No, how dare you start singing at me, as if this whole thing didn't start with a concert!"

She shrieks, as if her own voice can drown out Yellow Pearl Voice's.

"I don't know who Ted is, but I'm sure you harass him as much as that spoiled brat harasses me! I'm sure he's never even done anything to you but you can't help but have fun messing up his day, his desk, his papers, ANYTHING to get a cheap laugh!"

Someone is projecting. Someone might also be the Ted, to someone else.

Still, wires are cut, and more people are freed, and just before the Live Stage can form around Wire Fraud, a score of wires launch at the three Catra's.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Always trusted her? Well, there was a mistake right there... She hoped he wouldn't ever regret it. In the end, though? She ran away, leaving them all behind. Heading backstage.

Of course, once there, she had some work to do...

The speakers would let out an unholy squeal a moment later. OW.

And then... Coco's song was being... played over the speakers?!

At least, that was what it would sound like... at first.

But those with a very good ear might realize... it wasn't her voice on the speakers, even if it was singing in tune with her, harmonously.

It is a concert of love to
live and hope for great emotions
From a stage of light and shadow
I will sing the freedom
of a pure heart.

Glimmer, backstage, had her eyes closed as she sang into a speaker. Her necklace glowing with a soft, orange light... As she felt her power rising. This... this was what she needed... This was... perfect.

Bow has posed:
Okay. Glimmer's gone. And safe. That's good. Things seem to be mostly under control. Rashmi is whaling on the wirey woman. Catra's assisting. And Coco and Glimmer are dueting.

Check. Check. Check.

He can't see what's happening to Glimmer from here. Doesn't matter right now. Just focus on what needs to be taken care of. The screech of feedback hits his ears for a moment, and then the song returns.

Tap.

His foot taps. Finding the rhythm of the intersecting songs. As wires come in on him, he steps back, twisting into a dodge, a turn, arrow summoned and fired.

He keeps dodging and firing, until finally, he finds his spot on stage.

His hand draws back the bowstring. And an arrow is prepared, and he considers. "This might be something you're used to."

The arrow is drawn back... and released at Wire Fraud.

"GOOP ARROW!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
A brief glance toward the stage shows Bow speaking briefly to Glimmer, who runs backstage.

Y'know what? If it gets her out of danger, that works too!

But then Nicomachea chimes for her attention, and Rashmi reorients just in time to see... a giant electrified fist made of sparking wires headed her way. Yeah, none of that.

<< SOLAR FLASH >>

With a blip of energy, Rashmi not-quite-teleports *past* and *below* Wire Fraud, spinning around to bring the Akumatized assistant back on target. "You liked that?"

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE >>

"...Then you're gonna *love* this."

    << GLACE SHIFT >>

More Barrets blink into existence around the Devicer, then with a screeching *CRACK* become fist-sized, irregular chunks of golden ice. Which then launch, one after another after another after another. For Wire Fraud, it's a lot like being under machine-gun fire, if the bullets were snowballs. That stuck where they hit. And were *extremely cold,* but more important than the cold is the clinging, movement-fouling *weight* of all that buildup. Which, on top of the Goop Arrow, should go a long way toward locking this woman down.

<< Wait... *Hawkmoth,* >> Rashmi says, only *just* clocking the butterfly-ish visor. << Guys look for something on her that's got *lots* more Dark Energy than she does! If we can break that, it'll free her! Also who else is that singing, it's *really good,* Yellow Pearl-chan is that one of yours? >>

Catra has posed:
<< That is NOT one of Fish Gi--Err, Yellow Pearl's, that's Glimmer! >> Catra declares into the telepathic chat-room whatever it is that Rashmi does. And the exasperation is palpable. << And I -- you know what nevermind, it's not important right noAAIEE!! >>

Catra dives to the side; her doubles aren't so lucky and both vanish with a little burst of fire and a puff of smoke. Oh well, could have been worse, but the feline is left jumping and rolling and sliding down off the stage to get away from all the electrified cables coming after her. And, there are a lot of them. And, naturally, some of them find their mark and she rolls across the ground in a less voluntary fashion, smoking from burns that are definitely not caused by fire. Electrical burns really do suck.

Is this what it was like for Entrapta when she tazered her? Oh well whatever she deserved it even if she was trying to stop Catra from blowing up Etheria.

"You are getting on my nerves," she snarls up at the evil flavor of the day. "But you know we're going to put your face to the stage and stomp you, right? You picked the wrong fight." As Catra speaks she kips back up to her feet, and rests her sword on her shoulder. "Time to prove it to you."

<< Hey, you all think maybe just... grounding her might work? She's using electricity afterall. Yellow Pearl, I dunno how your stuff works, could you like... dump water on her or something? Short her out? >>

The feline wastes no time, splitting off her illusions once again while she herself runs off to the side, to avoid getting grabbed and treating like a low resistance snack. But her doubles, once again wreathing their fake swords in fire, take seperate paths to leap back up on stage, and go to attack Wire Fraud directly -- not so much to try to hack her to bits or anything but just to try and sever her wires from the source. More efficient that way, naturally.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco's voice falters slightly when she hears another voice join hers in the Concert of Love, a warning coming in with the warm glow of the orange shell locket at her neck reacting to the song. It takes a lot of courage to help them with Seira's stolen freedom, but she cannot think about that now.

"Is something up?", Rihito asks at the faltering of her voice. "I am ok, just something I wasn't expecting", she reassures him, squeezing his arm lightly. He is not the only one with questions anyway, and when Rashmi's voice fills her head, Coco swallows quietly.

<<That's Glimmer. Seira said Michel has given Glimmer some of her heart fragments. We don't know why yet, and honestly, I don't know what to think if she has the gall to help us with them.>>

Just after the Queen of Brightmoon had given her the Orange Pearl so she could raise Sara's heir, now she stands as one of the obstacles to Seira being born. Even if they barely know each other, the feelings of betrayal sting. And she has promised she will protect Seira. If that means facing Glimmer, she will go right ahead.

Hold me even tighter,
Follow me into the sea because
You give me all the courage
To fight and keep on winning
You and me
More and more magical emotions
This true love will overcome
The adversities
It will fly

Even if at the bottom of the sea
Terror still creeps in
energy joins us to the starry sky,
will drag us to a destiny,
luckier than ever

For the time being, the force of the purification will break the dark energy draining Coco, and the renewed song will start filling her allies with energy itself, easing some of their fatigue together with the vocal assault on Wire Fraud.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
"What are you talking about - NO!"

Unfortunately, Goop Arrow says Yes, and spatters Wire Fraud's whole body, sticking her limbs together, damaging her suit.

Again. Damaging her suit again. With a spatter. And a spray. From a teenager.

"ALL OF YOU BRATS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!"

The glace shifted barrets strike, hammering wires and even her own body with ice, weighing her down, but Wire Fraud clutches her head and screams, the little cell-phone shaped powerpack at her hip crackling with energy as -

Dozens of new wires burst from her body.

Uh oh.

These crackle with electricity, like the others, but they gleam at the edges, knife-like, and sharp, and she launches an attack -

Singing.

A second voice, singing.

No. No, no, no, that voice - those voices - weakening her -

"No, no, no, I won't quite - I'm good at my job - I don't deserve all this - from you brats -"

But she's been weighed down, and even those new wires, so threatening, are slumping, as the song pours through her, weakening her power.

"I should start encouraging you all to implement earmuffs into these designs," Hawkmoth says conversationally.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
Glimmer Brightmoon felt fresh life in her as she sang. Because, now? She knew what she had to do. And she was EXCITED. Because she could feel it, in her heart. This was it. This was IT! All of the other stuff? Not as important as this. She sang like she had never sung before. Who cared about the concert, about the attack?

... Okay, she did. She cared a LOT!

And she sang her heart out, until her voice was raw...

Because she knew how to save her mother. The very thing she had been running for, and with, for so long... and now she had the path forward.

And as her words came out, the joy, the passion, the excitement filling them, could not be denied. As she sang as she had never sung before....

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Wait, she has *what?!* >> Rashmi answers, shock bleeding through to her mental voice. << Does... Does she *know* that's what they are?? >>

...Questions for later. Wire Fraud is well locked down, but very much... not... out...?

What's that sparking thing on her hiOH OKAY MORE AND ANGRIER WIRES WE'RE DOIN THIS.

Rashmi darts and dodges through the air, but she has *never* been on Catra's level as far as speed, and 'electrified scalpels' are the kind of thing she fears telling Chrono she had difficulty with -- he'd find a way to simulate that in training.

<< On her hip! >> she calls as she does her very best to avoid getting slashed to ribbons. And it works, in that she may be smoking and her rib are cramping and her Barrier Jacket has a dozen small tears in it, but she's *still alive.* << It looks like a powerpack... phone... thing? It sparked first, it must be important! Catra-chan, break it! Yellow Pearl-chan, keep it up she's wearing down! >>

Catra has posed:
Catra has just been busy being, y'know, a cat. Which means breaking everything in sight that looks like it might be vaguely important for draining people, attacking her or the others, or like... doing her homework or whatever it is people like her do. Whatever who cares she's breaking everything anyway. And even though both of her doubles get hit and dispelled again, it doesn't matter; and even though she takes another couple of jolts, that doesn't matter either. They're winning and everyone on both sides know it.

<< She's got what exact-- you know what forget I asked, I feel like if I get the answer to that question it's going to make me have to choose a side I don't want to have to choose so leave me out of it. >>

Break the little gizmo on Wire Dweeb's hip? Catra can do that.

"And now you're gonna learn!" Catra spins her sword around the back of her hand and catches it, generating a wreath of intense flames around the blade; her eyes glow a brilliant blue and yellow, as she jumps up onto the stage and runs at Wire Fraud. She's higher up? No big deal, Catra just parkours her way up, bouncing back and forth between stage apparatus and Wire Fraud's own wires, ignoring the sparks that singe her feet in the process, before executing a leap and swinging her sword in mid-air, slashing with the weapon once, twice, thrice.

When Catra lands, she is entirely confident that she's completed the task. So confident, that she doesn't bother to turn around to see, she just rests the sword on her shoulder and walks away. Ignoring the pain in her feet. (That really was a bad idea.)

Coco Kiumi has posed:
<<I believe so? The reason Seira can tell me this is she is now connected to her pearl, Michel and Glimmer, so Glimmer must have seen her hang around her sometimes.>>

Seira could admittedly have tried not to draw too much attention to herself, but she has no reason to do that, and she is not the type to either in her circumstances.

<<I will deal with it right away. Time to drive my purification up a notch!>>

The Mermaid Princess of the South Pacific raises her right arm and calls out within herself Aqua Regina's blessing, the bracelet on her wrist shining with white radiance as a halo of yellow light moves downwards from the mermaid princess's head and her clothes change again.

Her left glove now adheres to her arm with a pattern made up of water ripples, while on her left leg a stocking has shown up with the same water ripple pattern, and on her right hand and on her legs a yellow glove and boots with flowy extensions show up.

Bathed in a white-golden glow, rhythmic pulses of light that give a warm embrace to the pain, soothe all the fatigue and push away the darkness.

"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Finale", the mermaid princess smiles gently.

Hit by the stormy sea, at this moment it seems
we might lose
We shake it off, and gaze at the love in our hearts.

We'll stand up again, no matter how many times
for the sake of that promise.
Bathed in the scorching light, a spray of water flutters.

Even hotter, hotter, hotter than the sun.
We'll raise our voices higher, higher, higher.
Now is the time, now is the time.

This intense heartbeat overflows with a melody of love.
In this speedy heartbeat, there is only one truth.
Reflecting in a cloudless mirror
The heartbeat we convey breaks out with the power of love.
And so we are born in this hot, perfect harmony.

At the apex of the song, purifying hearts fly out in all directions, the reach of a big circle of love that won't end. "Fine Heart Pitch!", she concludes the performance with a serene smile.

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Wire Fraud screams in rage, but she can't move as Catra closes in, cutting through all of her wires, cutting through her offenses, her defenses, leaving helpless -

And then cutting through her cellphone. The item at her hip, helping power her up -

As soon as Catra claws it, it turns back into a cellphone, now cut to ribbons, and a dark purple butterfly flies up, flapping its wings lazily, looking for a target.

"Well, I did get the energy," Hawkmoth muses, as Wire Fraud becomes Ayaka Ueta again - becomes nothing more than a young woman with tired eyes and a well-tailored pale blue business suit, but obviously cheaper suit that she's freshened up herself, liberally spattered with someone's spilled soda. The stain has started to thoroughly set.

At least she's not still covered in goop and ice, though once she's normal again, she's so full of frustration that she starts to cry. Just full shoulder shaking, hiccupping voiced, weeping.

Hawkmoth grimaces.

Luckily for him - that's when his akuma is struck by one of those hearts of purifying light, and the color goes from purple to white, as the little akuma flutters about before landing harmlessly on Rashmi's head.

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
And they'd done it. She could hear the electricity stopping, the destruction... and the speakers shut off. Good. They'd done it. They'd... done it.

And now she knew what she had to do.

By the time they ran back to the backstage, they'd find... Glimmer was nowhere to be seen. Later, the news report would mention an electrical fire, how a second concert would be hosted later, as compensation from Easter for such a tragic event...

Glimmer was gone, though... Instead...

How hard could it be? She stood in front of the Moonstone, clutching the necklace tightly... And she sang. A new song...

I wake up, hearing my name in someone's voice.
Floating above the blue waves within the sea's cradle
I dreamt.

Slowly, a pink, orange and red glow began to surround the Moonstone as the orange necklace glowed... And Glimmer opened her heart more to it, for what she wanted most... Both to Seira... and to the one who had given her the necklace.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
After a few moments of concerned confusion that the clearly-purified butterfly is sitting on her head, Rashmi furrows her brow for a moment, blinks, then sends a thought to Nicomachea.

    << *BONG!* >> << RING BIND >>

A teeny-tiny ring appears around the ex-Akuma, carefully closing on its long back end and locking its position in space. Slowly, she dips away from it, then gently, gently closes her hands around the strange white butterfly. "...Nicomachea? Register: Akuma Butterfly -- Purified."

    << *BONG!* >> << REGISTERED. >>

"Seal it."

    << *BONG!* >> << COMMAND INPUT EXECUTE. >>

A bright golden light shines from between Rashmi's hands, and as she moves them apart, the butterfly is... gone, locked in stasis in Nicomachea's Secure Storage. Drawing in a deep breath, she looks down at the puddle of fusstrated, exhausted personal assistant, then looks up at Catra and Coco. "Hey Catra, could you go check on Glimmer? Yellow Pearl-chan, if you want to have words with her... now'd be the time. I'm just... gonna..."

Shifting awkwardly into a crouch next to the bawling assistant, she waves the other two away. "I got this, go on ahead."

And under Barrier, in a costume that the poor girl *has* to think is weirdo cosplay nonsense, Rashmi just... takes a while to be there for poor Ayaka, making comforting noises, commiserating about bratty kids not being her job description... Whatever the older woman needs to hear.

Catra has posed:
Catra slides Powersend back into its scabbard with a satisfying click, and looks around herself at the... state of things. Wire all over the place. A bawling former villain. ...Seriously, does she have to lay it on that thick? What is it with people here?

Whatever -- Catr almost says that out loud, right at the moment when Rashmi is suggesting she go check on Glimmer. Which, would probably be a good idea, since Glimmer hasn't come back out since she ran in there and was singing from way oer there. The cat scowls, and... Yeah you know what actually this is a good task for her, she'd just tell crying girl to suck it up and stop being a loser.

"Glimmer?" she calls out, as she walks backstage with an air of let's get this done quick. "Glimmer?! SPARKLES!"

After a few minutes, Catra reappears out on stage, and shrugs her shoulders. "She's not back there. I wonder if she figured out how to get her teleporting back and accidentally went to the Moon or something. I doubt it but you never know."

Catra's face is illuminated by her cellphone screen a moment later, as she fires off a text to Glimmer:

<< TXT: Hey, Sparkles. Where'd you vanish to? >>

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco takes a glance around the place, but she sees no trace of Glimmer, and given that Seira's pearl has stopped shining, she assumes the pinkette has fled, to her frustration and disappointment. "I think Glimmer is gone, Page Mage.", and then she nods at Catra when she confirms it. "Yes, Seira's locket has gone dormant again."

"Hey, it's ok, we are here now", Coco approaches the crying and gently touches her shoulder. "You feel the situation you are in is hopeless, right? I understand that, you are probably going through a harsh moment, but it doesn't have to be all there is. Why don't you start by telling us what's wrong, we might just be able to help you", she tries to speak reassuringly.

"Does this happen a lot?", Rihito approaches her and Rashmi calmly now that the chaos has stopped. "Not this specifically, but there are a lot of similar emergencies", Coco replies with an unsure smile. "Uhm, so I believe there is a lot you want to know, and I guess we could stop at a park to talk. I can explain about myself", she watches him with a slight tension.

"I sort of understand what is going on, enough that I can start to accept it", Rihito speaks measured and slowly. "I would certainly like to know more than this."

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
"It's just - so hard," Ayaka sobs, scrubbing at her face and trying to stop, and failing. "I mean! I went to school for this! I got my degree, and I was best in my class, and I took this job, and it was supposed to be great, and now it's, it's taking all the calls and doing all the scheduling and doing all the finances and babysitting and I hate babysitting, I wasn't even supposed to be a babysitter -"

She pulls at her outfit.

"I refurbished this! I spent - so much time - and she just dumped soda on me with her stupid friends -"

Yeah, she's been having a rough time.

"I just wanted to make them feel as tired as I am!"

Glimmer Brightmoon has posed:
There wasn't a response for Catra... not for a while, at least...

Until, a good while later, as all the chaos was dying down... Catra, Bow and Adora would get three picture messages.

The first was of a very, very, VERY tiny Angella... seemingly sleeping on the ground.

The second was of the ceiling?

... The third was a very, very confused, up-close look of what... looked... like Melog? But... a tiny... kitten... Melog?

... And a collapsed on the ground Glimmer nearby could be seen, the cat having touched the phone after she dropped it and collapsed.

... That... boded... well? And? Poorly?

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Deeeeeep inhale. Deeeeeep exhale. "I get it," she says gently. "I do... you worked *really really hard* and what you thought was good is *so disappointing* but... It wouldn't have helped *you,* y'know? You matter too... and it sounds like your boss is running all over you, and that's *double awful.* But what if he couldn't? It sounds like you're pretty important to the company, what if you worked somewhere else?"

Rashmi's eyebrows rise, and she smiles; gentle, sincere, nodding her agreemet with Coco. "Or... what if you fought back? Drew a line, 'this is what I do, if you want me to stick around, I'm not taking care of your kids.' It's a risk... but you're worth it too, yeah?"

While trying to bolster the poor woman's courage, and privately resolving to *never* let herself be trampled like this, she glances up at Catra.

<< She's gone? >>

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco just nods along with Rashmi, agreeing with everything the redhead has said. Sticking up for yourself can be difficult and dangerous, but it's important you do it. If things turn for the worse with your boss, then we can help you find another job, but you should defend your position first. He probably knows that what he is doing isn't right, and if you call him on it, you may catch him unprepared."

Catra has posed:
<< Yeah she's gone. As in poof. Vanished. No longer present. >>

Catra's phone bings, and she pulls it out of her pocket, once more letting the screen illuminate her face. As she's looking at it her eyes stop glowing, and her tuxedo returns to it's original teal color. (And it definitely needs a trip to a dry cleaner and a tailor, in that order.)

The feline stares at her phone for what might feel like a long time, before she thumbs the cracked screen off and tucks it back in her pocket. As she looks back to Rashmi, she shrugs her shoulders, and thrusts her hands into her pockets. << Yeah so anyway, she's gone. But I'm sure she's fine. >>

Catra wanders over to the now un-akumatized young woman, and stands over her, looking down at her with an obvious air of judgement with just a little contempt thrown in for good measure. "If your boss is treating you like crap, just even the score," she finally advises. "Rearrange the contents of his desk when he's not looking. Mix up his mail. Wait for him to leave his computer logged in when he runs to the bathroom and send e-mails on his behalf. Put laxatives in his coffee."

Gabriel Agreste has posed:
Ayaka sniffles, listening to the pair. "She's treating me like crap," she corrects quietly. "And - I guess I could... but..."

She thinks about it, and sighs quietly.

"I guess if it gets worse I can always just work at my parents' store like they always said I should. But what am I doing, crying to a bunch of kids?"

She shakes her head, and stands up, brushes herself off.

"Thank you, for listening," she tells Rashmi and Coco, before turning and looking at Catra, looking the girl up and down. "...The advice was interesting. I hope you receive exactly the energy you put out in the world."

And then she skedaddles.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"She has been," Rashmi says without missing a beat. "And she's working on it."

She would say more... but you gotta respect that skedaddle. Climbing to her feet, she just turns to regard Catra for a moment, then chuckle and shake her head. "But good work out there, Catra... And when the Ember feels more talkative, let me know? We can do some practice, it'll be fun."

With that, she turns to look at Rihito, and smiles brightly. "Yellow Pearl-chan, what's your friend's name?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco watches the woman go away with a sigh. Figures she wouldn't just believe her. Well, hopefully she will find her own way one day.

... And hopefully they get Catra to stop giving advice so murderous.

At Rashmi's question, Coco puts an arm behind Rihito and nudges him forward. "This is Rihito Amagi, one of our classmates, and my date", she announces chipperly.