813/Meiji Shrine

Meiji Shrine
Date of Scene:	28 November 2023
Location:	Meiji Shrine
Synopsis:	Nephrite and La Crima assault the Meiji Shrine as part of the Midnight Tokyo Project, and heroes respond to stop them... Just as planned?
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Norie Okana, Rei Hino, Naru Osaka, Kureha Senkenzan, Veronica Perenna, Makoto Kino, Usagi Tsukino, Pyrite, Mamoru Chiba
Tinyplot:	Midnight Tokyo

---

Nephrite has posed:
    Located in the heart of Tokyo in a wooded area of over 100,000 trees, Meiji-Jingu is one of Japan?s most famous shrines and is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Meiji Shrine is a large Shinto shrine in the Yoyogi district of Tokyo, a little south-west of the huge commercial district that is Shinjuku. A beautiful, green retreat from the surrounding concrete jungle, it was built in 1920 to venerate the Emperor Meiji under whose reign Japan became a modern state.

    Next to huge Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu has an almost rural feel, and is one of the most visited Shinto sites in Japan. Meiji Jingu is a good place to stroll day or night. Meiji Jingu Shrine is a short walk from Harajuku Station or Yoyogi Station on the Yamanote Line. The surrounding Yoyogi Park includes the site of the 1964 Olympics. Kenzo Tange's Yoyogi National Stadium, on the far side of Yoyogi Park from Meiji Jingu, was built for those Games and is still a Tokyo landmark.

    A handsome, suave man in a black suit, with an open jacket and a red undershirt is standing in front of the Main Hall. He brushes back his long, wavey brown hair as he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a book. Maxwell Stanton thinks about everything that has happened over the past two years. How far he has fallen, and how far he has come since that fall. Having ascended from those depths, he now fears all he has to lose if he loses his balance again.

    Sighing, Maxwell looks down at the book in his hand. It's unusual for him to be attacked by youma. But this one wasn't one of his, or one of the others' (as far as he knows). It had this book in its possession, and the Dark General has been making heavy use of it as he tries to forestall disaster while still preventing suspicion from his master, or the Demon who is master to them all.

    It just looks like a book, but that youma defended it to the death. Since then, use has been found for it... As Nephrite has been adding to the journal he has misplaced remotely. On every page, there are constellations made of jewels, and the name of each. For an Astrological Mage like him, this is a powerful magic tool.

    Today, he is going to use it to progress the Midnight Tokyo Project.

    From a certain point of view.

    He begins radiating as much Dark Energy as he can, and waits.

    It's quite a lot.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima is here, today, to help this 'Midnight Tokyo Project', or what she thinks of 'a big mess that's gonna ruin the biosphere of the Dusk Zone', but she's playing nice today as she sighs and duskports in. Nephrite has his book. She has, nothing.

Except dark energy.

Which means she's just letting it all flow out of her to help radiate as much dark energy as possible. She looks at Nephrite.

"You know this is like a big fat bright light for sparkly moths, right?" she says potentially over the thrum of dark energy radiating. "We should get ready for them." she says as she looks forward dutifully.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino may have spiritual powers that manifest partially as psychic awareness. It isn't a hundred percent accurate, and she doesn't choose when it is active. She misses the overwhelming majority of supernatural events and villainous activities in Tokyo on a day-to-day basis, in fact. But she can sense evil, or the stain of it left behind. She can't sense the Dark Energy blasting outwards from the Meiji Shrine. But Phobos and Deimos are agitated, cawing from their perches atop the Hikawa Shrine.

    Their distress immediately focuses Rei's attention. She pauses in her sweeping of the temple grounds, and looks up at them. Then she looks in the direction they seem to be cawing at. She should probably check it out. She puts away her broom, and hurries off. She doesn't know what she's running towards, but a communicator should help her narrow things down. "SAILOR MARS here. There's some sort of disturbance going on... I'm not sure what yet, but I'm headed to investigate." She thinks through that map of the city she has seen many times now, trying to predict the next place the Enemy will strike. It could be anything, but the thing she's been on the look-out for ever since she found out about these attacks is the first thing to come to mind. Unhappily, she suggests, "It might be another attack on a shrine."

Naru Osaka has posed:
The tour of the shrines continues, and while Naru has been visiting a lot of shrines.. which is not wholly unusual. She used to with school, and sometimes with her mother when she was younger. A visit to a shrine isn't odd. Today, she's with Makoto, to come and spend a little bit of time in the green space. An oasis in the urban jungle. "I'm sure you've been here before, haven't you, Makoto?" She's asking as they stroll. "It's usually so peaceful."

Which is probably less so, or about to be less so when Naru spots Maxwell standing at the top of the stairs. There's a smile, and a bit of a quirk of her brow. Just about when her communicator on her wrist vibrates and she glances down at it and then back up to Maxwell. She's quiet enough to reply wihtout attracting updue attention.

"I think we found it." Naru comments dryly. Because she is a trouble magnet.

She takes a few more steps closer, and smiles. "Good afternoon, Maxwell." She lifts her voice such that Nephrite can likely hear her.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Kureha Senkenzan is normally not a sensitive person, magically. But someone radiating as much Dark Energy as they possibly can? Well, even untransformed, she can sense it, at least subconsciously. Something doesn't feel right. Something feels... off. Unsettling. Her instincts are warning her that something is Wrong(tm). "Yozakura. I... need to visit the restroom." Before her attendant can stop her, the scion of the Chikafuji family slips away.

    And in fairness, she DOES find a restroom. But the other women in the restroom are alarmed by the sound and sight of fire erupting from one of the stalls; so when Onihime comes walking out of the bathroom moments later, she does so alone. Quietly, the girl scents the air, frowning. "...darkness on the wind?" Without further comment, she starts to head in the direction of all that radiant darkness.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
This is the second time Veronica has been following the trail of one of the youma guarding the ward's relics, and the second time it vanishes like nothing. It's shaping up to become a habit at this rate.

Though now she isn't left wandering aimlessly like the last time. If her hunch is correct, she is going to find it at a Shrine. Again. Switching her focus to track down anomalous energies there, it doesn't take too long for her to find her way to Meiji Shrine.

So, this time too, the Princess of Sarek is making her way there, and what does she know, she hasn't even walked all the way when it becomes clear the figure on top of the stairs is holding her book.

Veronica waves at Naru as she sees the other girl, before addressing the figure that she will have to steal her book from. She doesn't think this is going to work in fact. "Mr. Maxwell, I believe that it is in everyone's best interest you give that book to me. You don't know what forces are involved behind it."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto had been enjoying the grounds, herself, walking unhurriedly with her friends. Even before Sailor Mars' warning on her communicator, though, the tall girl had begun to frown. Something in the wind, a feeling she can't put a name to. It has her canting her head, trying to feel out what the voice of the wind through the leaves is trying to tell her. "I think so..." she begins to answer, but slowly.

Sailor Mars supplies the explanation before she can quite reach it on her own - and Naru homes in on the source with typical acuity.

For now, she trails in Naru's wake. Green eyes glance aside at La Crima, at Veronica's approach, but for the moment Makoto says nothing. She just slips her hand into her pocket, curling her fingers around her transformation pen.

Nephrite has posed:
    Maxwell tilts his head slightly to show acknowledgment towards La Crima. "I know. Conflict is needed to mark this location mystically. Otherwise I would have just done this secretly on my own. Thank you for being here, by the way." Then he hears Naru's voice, and turns his head to see her. He smiles.

    "A good day to you, Osaka-san." he says, the formality of his speech towards her more of a tease or running joke than an actual signifier of their relationship. "I don't know why I didn't expect you to be here, but even so... Good to see you again." He eyes Makoto vaguely. Didn't he see her at the ball briefly?

    When the Princess of Sarek appears, and wants her book back, Maxwell sighs. "Yes, well, I have messed with forces that the eyes can't see."

    'And now the Darkness has a hold on me.' he adds silently.

    "I seek understanding. Learning is part of that process, and I cannot do so if I just hand this over, can I?" he asks, waving the book around. Then he looks around the wide open area. Plenty of room to move without damaging the shrine. Just as planned.

"Still, if you wish for its return, you can always take it from me. The same way I took it from its previous owner." Well, not the same way. He'd rather not die quite yet, thank you very much.

    He jerks his head to the side while looking at Naru, suggesting she might want to step a little bit to the side so she doesn't get caught in the cross-fire. However reluctant he is to go forward with this, he still has to put in his full effort. He can't just phone this in, the way Hematite does. Unlike Hematite, there's no Demon waiting outside the cage his soul is in, waiting for any opportunity to reach inside and finish what she started thousands of years ago.

    "My companion and I are going to have to insist on holding onto the book for now. If you try to take it by force, we will defend ourselves." Then all of that Dark Energy radiates around him, outlining him in black and red that sweeps inwards like miniature tidal waves of shadow and fire, until sinking into him, and leaving a duskier individual in Maxwell's place. Nothing has changed about his clothing, but the power he was previously radiating invisibly is now much more tangible and visible.

    He is prepared to play the role of Dark General to the hilt.

    He'll need to. There's other powers closing in on him already. He can tell.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Clack, clack, clack go the geta, very old-fashioned sandals for a horned girl in very old-fashioned clothing. Her steps take her soon enough to the general area the others are gathering, not far from the steps on which Maxwell Stanton stands. "One... two... three faces I recognize," Onihime opens, glancing between Naru, La Crima, and the Princess of Sarek. She stands with her hands folded together, the picture of a graceful noblegirl despite the oni's horns jutting from her head. "One of which I recognize from an attack on a random student at school," she adds, fiery eyes lingering on La Crima for a moment.

    Smoothly, she looks back to the Princess. "...I yet owe you a debt for assisting me. What is happening here?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    No replies yet. The others might not be in a position to answer. And given that she is increasingly convinced that the target of whatever is happening is too distant for her to reach, fit as she may be, as Rei Hino... She takes a turn, passing beneath the shadows of a tree, and Sailor Mars comes out the other side. Superhuman leaps and dashes replace slow mortal movements. She is on the way!

    It may take a little bit longer though. She does keep her allies apprised of what's happening. "Does anyone know which Shrine might be in danger? That would help with narrowing down where to meet up." Knowing something is going on, but not what, is somehow even more obnoxious than being totally oblivious.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima buhs as people arrive. Two... normal people and the Princess of Sarek. Is that it? She lowers her arms and stops radiating dark energy and then raises a hand. "Oh. It's you." she says quietly. "Do we really need to fight? Maxwell has the book. It's his." she says sharply at her.

"Ugh it's the oni!" she says as she arrives and casts firey eyes on her, as she looks back to Makoto a moment, Naru... she knew why she wasn't running away.

But what's with tall girl there not running?

Maybe she'll figure it out soon. "Don't make us like. Hurt you a lot." she says.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It /is/ good to see you again." Naru comments to Maxwell, and her voice is sincere. "Although the circumstances are less than ideal." She doesn't quite follow it up with 'we really should do coffee sometime', no matter that she's thinking it. It just doesn't think this is a good moment for it.

Naru comes up closer towards Maxwell, because she is obnoxious like that, well in the way of things as she considers the book in his hands. "What /are/ you reading? It looks fascinating."

Naru offers a polite nod to La Crima. "Good evening, La Crima. It's good to see you again as well."

Veronica Perenna has posed:
Well, don't colour her surprised. She really will have to do this the hard way. "Well, ok, Mr. Maxwell, if this is the way you want to dance, then dance we shall." At least she isn't alone.

"Hello, Onihime", she greets joyfully. "Really, it was no debt. But about what's going on here. Mr. Maxwell has one of the ward's relics, so I would need to get it back."

Veronica reacts with a kind of mellow behaviour when Norie addresses her with "Oh, it's you". "Oh, hi. I didn't expect you to turn up here either. Sorry, but I really have to get that book back. It doesn't belong to him. It's part of the ward I am a guardian of."

Makoto Kino has posed:
La Crima eyes Makoto; Makoto eyes her back. "It's funny," she remarks offhandedly, "how it's always the people starting the stuff that say things like 'don't make us hurt you'. Haven't you ever heard of 'don't start none, won't be none'?"

Then again, things have been civil so far... but with the Darkness that 'Maxwell' is radiating, it doesn't seem likely to stay that way. She sweeps a quick look around and lets out a softly hissing sigh - naturally there's no very convenient cover.

Tension ticks out in seconds.

Making a snap decision, she tugs her pen out of her pocket, lifts her other hand to speak into her... wristwatch? "Meiji Shrine," she says, speaking clearly. "Nothing's exploded yet, but I'm not sure how much I like our chances."

Her arm drops; her stance shifts, a little wider, weight balanced lightly on the balls of her feet. The gold-capped green pen twirls once around her fingers, preparatory. She doesn't seem inclined to move.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
SAILOR MOON's voice comes over the communicator, confused, "Bwuh?"

Truly the most eloquent of souls.

However, just a moment later, there's, "Oh, oh, Meiji Shrine! It's Meiji Shrine that Naru-chan was going to! I'll be there soon! Aaaaaaah, don't worry, I'll be there soon!"

Why is Usagi Tsukino near this shrine, but not with her friends? Well, because there had been this nifty little food stand and she really wanted to try some of the items, and before she knew it she was in line, and Naru-chan and Makoto-chan were walking off without her...

Which is why when Sailor Moon comes into distant view, rushing down the shrine path towards where everyone is gathered, she's got a stick of yakitori in one hand, and goheimochi in the other hand and also half stuffed in her mouth. Running and eating, she can do it all!

She's coming. But it's gonna take a little while to catch up.

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite sighs as Naru approaches him instead of getting out of the line of fire. Of course. If she had any self-preservation instincts she wouldn't be caught up in even half of the things she gets involved with. "Yes, the circumstances are less than ideal. But they are what they are. And things may be becoming dangerous soon, so you may wish to seek cover." Quite a way of understating the threat level of the situation. He is prepared to fight all-out. Especially since this isn't all of the auras incoming. Two here, one on the way. He hasn't stopped radiating Dark Energy so there might still be some stragglers.

    He takes in a breath, and lets it out slowly. "Correction, Princess," he states. "You were the Guardian of the Ward. You clearly made a grave error if its component pieces are scattered all over. A youma had it when I found it. Now I have it. It is, at least for now, very much mine."

    He says this and immediately holds it out for Naru to take if she wants to look at it. The pages have jewels in the shape of constellations, with the names of said constellations written next to them. No wonder Nephrite has interest in it. None of his own writings are inside of it though, or at least not visibly.

    He can't recall if he has faced the girl with the Oni horns before, as himself or otherwise. She doesn't look familiar. But of course she wouldn't. Henshins have that affect.

    The brunette, on the other hand... A wrist communicator? If she is with Naru, it makes sense she is involved with all this. She isn't freaking out or running away or otherwise having an adverse reaction to being surrounded by magical people.

    Well, he should probably get started then. Leaving the book in Naru's possession (or tucking it away if she doesn't want it/gave it back), Maxwell Stanton begins to descend the stairs, steadily, but casually, hands in his pockets. "I should introduce myself to those who've not met me so far. I won't be keeping this Maxwell Stanton identity much longer, so it doesn't matter. I am the Second of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Dark Kingdom. You may know me as Dark General Nephrite." When he reaches the bottom of the steps, he stands there and waits. With his hands in his pockets.

    Cheeky bastard.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Danger doesn't seem to phase Naru much, it's clear that her 'OMG DANGER!' meter is completely busted.

Naru reaches her hands out to accept the book from Nephrite, the Maxwell facade falling to the wayside wihtout any real hoopla. "Thank you." She does want to look at it, stepping just a little to the side to be able to turn some pages and consider what's in it.

Naru is most certainly keeping a hold of the book for Nephrite, at least for the moment as she looks through it.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Few things close in on the scene of a bad guy's plans like a Senshi. A red and white blur eventually resolves into a young woman as she appears beneath the huge torii on the path leading towards the Main Hall. In seconds, she is behind the heroes already assembled.

    "Hold it right there!" she calls out.

    "You can't just walk onto sacred grounds and start conducting evil schemes! People have a right to enjoy shrines and temples peacefully, without interruption or being threatened! Your crime cannot be forgiven without proper penance! I am Sailor Mars! In the name of Mars, I'll punish you!" She poses at the end, pointing at Nephrite like, 'I'm coming for you, dude.' Also, there's a girl or something with him? And Naru-chan!? HAS NARU BEEN KIDNAPPED AGAIN!?!

    These fiends!

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "I see," is all Onihime says to Veronica; then, her attention turns to Nephrite. "I may not be qualified to judge this situation, as an outsider. But it sounds as if the Princess has a need for this item, whereas you simply want it. And more importantly, I repay my favors." She glances briefly at Naru when the book is handed over... but decides to continue focusing on the Dark General.

    Unclasping her hands at last, the horned girl brings her right hand back, openly displaying the crimson talons on her fingertips - talons which flicker briefly with flames. "Youkai Musume, Onihime. Mine is the blood of Mount Ooe. I would say it was a pleasure, but such words would ring hollow in this particular situation, I should think." It seems that, despite her apparent youth, the powers of an ogre, and the element of flames, she isn't an impetuous fool; she doesn't rush Nephrite. Indeed, she's regarding him warily, slowly circling closer, cautious. She's got good instincts for battle, and all of them are screaming that this is a powerful foe.

    And then, without warning, her left hand snaps over to the side and latches onto a heavy stone lantern - which she immediately flings at Nephrite with inhuman force, even for a magical girl.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima narrows her eyes. "See?" she asks. "It's his. He didn't even steal it from you, he stole it from some crappy youma." she says as she keeps her arm up as as she floats down the stairs with Nephrite and and---

Is that Sailor Moon in the distance. With food? She raises a brow and looks back down to the Onigirl and the Princess of Sarek.

She sighs a moment. "I'm sorry. But..." this place needs conflict, she thinks, and as Onihime swings a heavy stone lantern into Nephrite's general location, she sends out a basic blast of dark energy in an orb towards the loudly arriving Sailor Mars. "Be gone!" she calls out.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Pleasure's all yours, clearly," is Makoto's reply to the grand formal introduction of Dark General Nephrite. Even now, she seems to be holding back, waiting for - something--

At least until Sailor Mars arrives on the scene, justice speech and all, and Onihime starts tossing heavy things. That seems to bring her up short for a moment.

"Technically they haven't actually done much of anything yet," she feels the need to point out. "Except steal a book, apparently, and then hand it off?" Yeah okay this is beginning to escalate. "If either of you actually want anything other than to pick a fight, now would be a pretty good time--"

That's about when La Crima throws that orb of dark energy at Mars.

"Oh, fine!" Mako gripes under her breath. Another flick of her wrist re-reverses her grip on the pen in her hand, bringing it back right side up. "I guess we're being stupid, then. JUPITER POWER - MAKE UP!"

The pen - and the air around Makoto for a good couple of feet in any direction - erupts into a blaze of electricity.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"The Ward still exists, else we would all be in deep trouble", Veronica corrects Nephrite. "And I am still very much its guardian. In fact I am for the moment supplementing the missing pieces. Nonetheless, that's no excuse to keep it, but you may be relieved in knowing I didn't expect you to surrender it." If worst comes to worst, she has three relics to make him eat the energy of.

She is immensely relieved when Naru takes the book, walking in front of her, her priority shifting from "protect Naru and attack Nephrite" to "defend Naru, and if possible, attack Nephrite." "Please, hold onto it for me, Naru-chan."

"The youma is just an emissary of those who stole it first, doesn't make it any more right", Veronica explains to Norie. "And unless you want everyone to pay for it, it's better if you give it back."

She also gives a thankful smile to Onihime, glad to have her support.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It took a bit of time, but Sailor Moon had managed to actually reach her friends and enemies! She takes a look at the scene - at Nephrite, standing there, Naru with a nifty looking book, Mako-chan not yet transformed, La Crima but no guns in sight, and a host of magical girls, and concludes that she is in fact right on time.

"Hey! Naru-san! Make sure you take pictures of that cool book, we probably have to give it back to someone!"

And then, because the attacks are flying (or at least the stone lanterns), she squawks. "Wait!!! Everything at this shrine is really old and precious! Don't break the shrine just to break him!"

She's not that worried about breaking Nephrite. He's pretty tough, she's pretty positive about that, but there's no way she's going to be able catch that lantern and - oh no that's a black of energy going right at her friend! "Mars-chan, DUCK!"

This has all heated up quickly, huh? Sailor Moon stuffs the rest of her goheimochi into her mouth, chewing as fast as she can, cursing herself for buying mochi of all things when it has to be chewed so much. As soon as her the mass of mochi is gulped down she raises a hand, and the now lonely stick is joined by the much more impressive Moon Stick, which she raises for her iconic and exceptionally painful attack.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Taste the sparkles, Dark Energy Users!

Pyrite has posed:
    The toro is torn from the shrine grounds by the Oni-powered princess.
    Somewhere far away, Himeko Soryuu doubles over in pain, arms wrapped around her torso like she just got sucker punched. Wincing, she tries to sort where the pain is coming from. Did she take damage somehow?
    No. It's something separate from her, but something she is connected to. Something...
    Someone.
    Someone she was connected to in life, or would have been connected to if she had lived long enough, unless she died before their era, or perhaps they died before she did? She doesn't know, can't tell, can't ask or answer, or see, or hear, or feel anything but pain from it, but she Knows.
    The bloodline of the First Emperor of Japan that once flowed through Himeko's body in life meant more than just a genetic inheritance. It was also a spiritual connection, allegedly to a God who descended from the Heavens, with knowledge and treasures... Who might, taking into account the true history of the Earth, have come from another planet in their solar system.
    A nd it feels like someone just walked up and ripped the arm off of one of her relatives.
    There is a ghost standing next to Onihime.
    A ten-year old girl with long, straight black hair, and ruby-red eyes, and deathly pale skin, in a loose black sundress with black lace sleeves.
    She looks unhappy.

Nephrite has posed:
    Looking unimpressed with Sailor Mars, Nephrite just says, "You are late." The stone lantern slams into his forceshield and breaks apart. Good thing he was shielding against kinetic attacks. He's not as good as Jadeite or Kunzite (the one that isn't with them this time, but should be) at forceshielding, but it's enough to tank a stone lantern. Still, the force of the blow grabs his attention, and he flickers into motion, leaping up and arcing down, one arm raised to try to chop Onihime in the neck. He has to drop his forceshield to physically attack or teleport, so superhuman speed and brief attacks will have to do until there is cause to do otherwise.

    He was not expecting to see Himeko there, but knowing she's a ghost he doesn't hold back his strength. This Oni Princess, a Youkai Musume (he has never heard of such a thing) is clearly a heavy-hitter. Nothing but his best is going to put her down.

    He isn't going to pick an extra fight with the Princess of Sarek if she wants to stand by and argue. Besides, La Crima is here for a reason. He should let his singular ally help him. No idea if Himeko is going to be a help or a hinderance though. Oh, great, and here is Sailor Moon. Nephrite's other hand also comes out of his pocket, prepared to try to block or blast away a tiara or something. He is not taking chances with her either. Another powerful Mahou he can't turn his back on.

    There is a flare of electricity that has Nephrite reflexively leaping up and away, and flipping his forceshield to radiant energy, only to freeze when he lands. He seems surprised to see Sailor Jupiter... That moment of hesitation is nearly the end of him as Sailor Moon's purification attack flies at him. His forceshield collapses under the strain in a matter of seconds, sending him hurtling backwards, both arms in searing agony and also numb at the same time somehow. He was smashed into the shrine steps, but thankfully didn't break them.

    Snarling at his own mistake, letting the past catch up with him, he teleports out of sight.

    Did he run away?

    "Starlight Attack!" Nephrite yells out. A sphere of energy flies towards Sailor Moon from above, gathered from the stars themselves.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru settles down on the steps, holding the book in her lap. For someone who has an uncanny knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she manages to settle down just when the shards of stone go flying above her head. She does look up as she hears Sailor Moon arrive, and the wash of purification come over the area and she, and the book are in.

At least this time, she doens't mind getting bathed in happy juice at least. She squints at the book, flipping the pages carefully as the battle gets going in earnest around her.

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Sarek-hime! Can you maybe argue with the super villains later, when they aren't--" Dark Energy orb flies at her. "Agh!" she yells as she dives out of the way. Getting hit with THAT wouldn't have done her any good. That attack looked STRONG. Rolling up into a crouch, Mars looks around, sees there are now three Senshi here, and breathes in and out quickly a few times. With Onihime and Sarek, they should be able to handle this, even if it's a Dark General and some kind of living Dark Energy battery that they're up against.

    Or at least that's what she believes. She will keep on fighting towards that end. She clasps her hands together, and then yells out, "Fire Soul!" A fireball flies forwards, towards La Crima. She hasn't noticed Himeko is here yet.

    She does notice the sudden light descending from above, and glances up (foolishly). When the yell goes out, and the orb descends, Mars turns to look at who it is headed for. "Sailor Moon! Look out!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The heavens give of their light to Nephrite, who hurls it towards Sailor Moon--

--and out of the shadows near Himeko a black-clad and white-accented figure in a top hat and cape darts out, faster than should be humanly possible, hurtling toward Sailor Moon as well!

There's no real impact, maybe a little jarring for Usagi, but Tuxedo Kamen's arms are strong and his touch is light as he scoops her up in mid-run and leaps the two of them out of the path of Nephrite's Starlight Attack.

He smells of roses and coffee and the edge of memory, between sleeping and waking, and he's warm and calm as he murmurs, "Do your best," from behind the luminous, half-translucent white mask.

They land somewhere under partial cover, still with plenty of room to avoid damaging the shrine further, and Tuxedo Kamen dissipates, no longer there at all.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    After unloading an opening attack, Kureha doesn't press the advantage. It was entirely a probing assault, seeing how her foe reacts to sudden, excessive force. She's taking him entirely seriously, right off the bat; probably a refreshing surprise, coming from a magical girl. Her wary guard lasts right up until the exact instant Himeko appears at her side; some instinct in the back of Onihime's mind screams that someone is suddenly right there beside her, and the sudden split alarm has her distracted enough for Nephrite's hit to land home. "Ghk-!" It's a solid hit - and 'solid' is the operative word. Much like her strength, the ogre princess's toughness is high even compared to her fellow mahou shoujo. He hits hard enough to stagger her, but it's like hitting a concrete wall.

    Unfortunately, Nephrite has Onihime completely outmatched in speed. By the time she comes back to her guard, he's already moving, dodging, dealing with other attacks. So, while she keeps one eye on the clash, the daughter of monsters focuses most of her attention on the ghost that appeared beside her. A ghost... who looks upset.

    With no words exchanged as yet, Onihime finds herself forced to conjecture regarding that unhappy look. And maybe making a few assumptions. "...If I have given offense, spirit, I apologize. But someone dark treads on this sacred ground, in possession of something that isn't his. If he won't return it, I must fight him. If he won't retreat from this sacred ground, then there will be violence here. I will do my best to correct any violations I commit."

    It's probably worth noting that, despite any deference she may be showing, her body language indicates she's regarding the ghost as a potential threat.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima lowers her hand and calls out "Falcata!", a sword with a slight curve forming as she gets ready to follow up on her threat she leaps into the air and flies downward towards Sailor Mars when----

Moon Healing Escalation.

The wave hits her incredibly hard, the first... is a good feeling...!? Wait. Good Feelings!? She... she can feel them again. Happy! Glad! Concern! Caring! and then...

Then that feeling is gone. Intense feeling that she'll never ever feel them again.

Because she lives in the dark.

Next what comes is some sort of uneartly screech from her location as she comes tumbling out of the purification and reverts, against her will to her most base form. Some sort of girl shaped shadow as she looks up with wide, glowing purple eyes at the incoming fire attack...

She chooses to leap in to the air to avoid it, in a strange manner where she turns into a misty form along the way, flowing like a kind of dark rainbow, away from the blast as she shivers.

"W...what was that!?" she asks hastily.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
Naru doesn't react at all to her, which leaves her rather disappointed. She knows Veronica is going to get it back by the end of this, right? "Naru-chan, have you heard me?" she repeats.

Then Sailor Mars exhorts her to fight. "Sure, on it!" Naru isn't getting attacked anyway now. The energies of the moonlight gather on her cane, shining bright as they condense in an instant. The Transient Lunar Flare shoots out from it, a moonlight beam of concentrated destruction aimed exclusively at Nephrite.

Then Himeko comes here and Veronica notices she doesn't look at all content. Is that because of what Onihime broke? "Hey, listen, that was an accident, Onihime didn't mean it. Why don't we go take some food for the bakeneko together after this?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
The whorls of electrical energy dissipate, leaving after-images in the vision of any who might have looked a little too long. Where a tall girl in street clothes had been, a tall senshi in green and white and pink now stands, looking... well, rather severely irritated by this whole situation.

"Guardian of Love and Courage, Sailor Jupiter!" As she declares it, she spreads her hands to either side of her, calling up the wind to push back against the massive amounts of darkness that Nephrite and La Crima have unleashed here. As her fingers uncurl, flowers bloom into being cradled in each palm: in one, a deep pink camellia. In the other, a pure white rose. The petals scatter, tumbling in the wind that swirls around the grounds of the shrine, buffeting all present with color and fragrance.

"I am," Jupiter's clear voice rings over the wind, carried upon it, "still waiting for someone to explain what the hell we're fighting about!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You're supposed to shout Refresh!" Sailor Moon shouts when Nephrite disappears. She turns, Moon Stick in hand, looking this way and that, prepared to launch another attack or try and use the sharp edge of the magical tool to fight - but the attack comes not from left or right, back or front. The attack comes from above, and Sailor Moon freezes for a moment, looking up at the encroaching ball of light -

But it never strikes her. Instead. there's a jarring feeling of contact with no proper weight, and her body is lifted, her form pulled snug against a strong chest, the scent of coffee and roses surrounding her, and her lips are curving into a smile before she even knows it, because a part of her leaps to see him.

Even though she has a boyfriend.

"Tuxedo Mask!"

His encouragement is warming, right down to her toes, and Sailor Moon is laughing a little as she says, "Hey, I always do!"

And then there's a screech, an unearthly, unnatural sound of agony and despair, worse than nails on a chaklboard, and Sailor Moon's smile drops as she turns to see the shadow-shaped girl. "Purification! And there's more where that came from, unless you stop this senseless fighting!"

Please note, Sailor Moon has a best guess as to why they're fighting, after all, She came in late, with snacks.

"Nephrite! Your plans for these shrines can't be completed! We're not going to let you destroy our world!"

Pyrite has posed:
    Himeko was there during the Night Parade of One-Hundred Demons. Though she was writing a bakeneko at the time. So she recognizes Onihime after a few moments of trying to drag the information out of her inherently blurry memories. She nods slowly, and then clasps her hands together in front of herself. "Please do not damage the shrine. It hurts those of my blood whom were honored with its construction. I am hurt by their pain in turn."
    She looks up as Nephrite fires some kind of 'Starlight Attack'. And then there is a blur out of her shadow, and she blinks in surprise, but emerges from that person's shadow a split second later, just as he rescues Sailor Moon, to stand in the way of the attack. She lets it hit her, and destroy her body in a swirl of some kind of gelatinous vaporous mist-like ghost nonsense. Better than letting it damage the shrine further, and she can just build another body.
    She doesn't get a chance to respond to the Princess of Sarek beforehand, but she'll do so once she can make something with a mouth again. Actually, didn't they get semi-synchronized during the Night Parade? Closer to being on the same plane? As ghost, Himeko tries to get, at least in empathic form, the message across that she doesn't want any trouble either. Hopefully Veronica will pick up on it.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    There's a slight widening of Onihime's eyes when Himeko speaks, and a moment or two of stunned silence. But then, her face hardens just slightly... and she nods. "I... I see. I will do my best." She glances back over at Veronica briefly, taking note of the girl's seeming familiarity; she'll have to ask about that later. For now, Kureha decides, she'll have to finish the fight. The Youkai Musume of Flames whips around, turning to look for Nephrite, and-

    Suddenly, flower petals. Flower petals, everywhere. Pelting everyone.

    With an expression entirely similar to a cat who has been dunked in water, with flower petals bouncing off her face and one stuck to a horn, Onihime slowly turns to look at Sailor Jupiter. "...Was this really necessary to get the answers you're seeking? Really?"

    :|

Nephrite has posed:
    Nephrite hisses as he floats in the air, still feeling the combination of pain and tingling numbness in his arms. It's a bit like cold electricity crawling through his skeleton. It's not the worst thing he has ever felt, but it's pretty high on the list. Is the pain why he missed? No, there was... Someone else. Someone appeared and disappeared so quickly, but got Sailor Moon to safety. But was there only one? He could have sworn he saw a different figure entirely stand in the way of his blast and negate it. A dummy projection of some sort?

    As flower petals begin to float around, obscuring vision and assaulting Nephrite with their scent, the effect they have on his Dark Energy-laden body is entirely separate from the affect they have on his mind. The smell of the Princess of Jupiter's perfume, and the specific way it mixed with the sweat of her exercises while she trained.

    Memories are trying to break their way free from the depths of his soul, of a different person, and a different Jupiter. Nephrite tries to tell himself that. That isn't him. He can't let it distract him. He focuses on Naru instead, feeling his blood pulsing in his head.

    Then he snaps back to Sailor Moon. "What in blazes are you talking about?" he asks in annoyance. It will take time for his energy to flow back into his arms. Buying that time is important. But the freak-out that La Crima just went through, and her reversion to a shadow-person, has him thinking maybe they won't be necessary.

    He teleports down to La Crima after she evades the Fire Soul, evading that moonlight beam in turn. He has no intention of finding out if that can pierce his forceshield or not. He tries to work his hands to put them together and focus. "I have no intention of destroying the world." he asserts. "Not now, and not ever." Then he intones, "The Stars know everything..."

    Then he raises up one of his hands, the smallest amount of feeling returning to his fingertips, and calls out, "Come forth! Regulus!" The constellation of Leo appears as the surroundings darken. The huge lion charges forth, and then comes to a stop in front of Nephrite, snarling. It gradually fills in, no longer a constellation, but a turquoise lion with solid red eyes, and a pink mane. The big cat prowls forwards, growling threateningly, but staying nearby to his summoner.

    "La Crima, can you fight still?" he asks out of the corner of his mouth, trying to keep an eye on everyone at once. Sarek is standing in front of Naru. That needs to be dealt with. But buying time is the name of the game right now. The longer this goes on, the higher the chances of success.

    "This Shrine is to be part of the foundation of a little project of mine. But the shrine itself needn't been damaged in any way. It will remain intact, and un-altered." he answers Jupiter while refusing to look directly at her. "Physically, anyway. It won't impact anyone who visits here either."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Hmm?" Naru eventually realizes that Veronica said something to her and she looks up. It's belatedly and honestly, the moment has passed, now that she's really not sure what she was supposed to have been listening to.

And then she shrugs and goes back to reading, her eyes widening a little as different attacks go on over her head, bathing the area in electrical and starlight and moonlight. It's like trying to read by fireworks, really.

The shriek that emerges from La Crema makes Naru look up again, and over to see the vampire now all ghostly. "Hunh." Her attention goes back to the book, turning a page and letting them fight on without her.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima looks up at Nephrite and stands up as much as a wispy shape can stand up. She frowns and tilts her head up as she shakes off the fuzziness of what just happened. She frowns. "I can still fight. I'm stronger like this anyways." she says sharply as she calls out. "Jabalina...!" she calls out, a dark energy javelin forms in her hands.... then many many others hovering in the air as she throws the one in her hand out towards Sailor Moon... before the others all launch in unison for a small rain of Javelins into the air around her and at her as she huffs.

"No..! Go away!" she screams at Sailor Moon.

Rei Hino has posed:
    The awful shriek from the shadow-wielding girl as she is hit by Sailor Moon's attack is painful on SO many levels. Rei claps her hands to her ears, right after she was relaxing from seeing Sailor Moon didn't get hit with Nephrite's attack! Also, wasn't that Himeko just now? She may not be an ally, precisely, but Mars doesn't want to see that poor little ghost girl get hurt either. It looked like she took that blast directly.

    She'll figure it out later. Her ears are still ringing with La Crima's screams, and--And her being revealed as some kind of... Shadow creature is surpising to say the least. Mars pauses. Jupiter demands an explanation, which Nephrite seems willing to give. But not really? It doesn't explain anything in particular!

    "Wait, they're trying to destroy the world!?" Mars cries out, looking between Jupiter and Moon repeatedly. "This is that thing you told us about!?" she hisses. Great. One of the many apocalypses is on their doorstep. That makes stopping this attack even more important.

    She looks at Onihime, then the Princess of Sarek and Naru. Good, the Princess can get Naru to safety and get that awful hypnotizing book or whatever away too. "It doesn't matter what you're trying to do, we can't just let you roam around filling places with Dark Energy. You are not our ally! I can't afford to just trust your words!"

    As if to emphasize that point, now there is a lion. A very strangely colored one, once made of stars, but a lion nonetheless. Mars can tell it's a youma of some kind, but it's not necessarily evil. Not like its master, who has a being of immense evil woven throughout his soul.

    She draws an ofuda, sweating slightly.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon stomps her foot, a little, glowering at Nephrite. Who does he think he is, anyway? "Mixing our world with the dusk zone would destroy things! Probably! It's definitely a possibility!"

She would do a lot more than stomp her foot, if not for all the javelins now flying her way. She runs this way and that, flailing a little in a panic as the dark energy attack tries to hit her, and ultimately gets clipped, a javelin catching her in the shoulder.

"Argh!" It doesn't punch through or anything so gory, but the dark energy burns, leaves the guard over her shoulder blackened as if burned. "That - really - hurt!"

Maybe that's fair play. Her attack had certainly seemed to hurt La Crima, but still - aaaaand there's a lion.

Sailor Moon sweats. "Bad kitty?"

Veronica Perenna has posed:
For some mysterious reason, Veronica actually perceives Himeko's message. Is that a thing now? Does she have telepathy with ghost spirits after becoming ethereal in the spirit world? She isn't sure how much of that is positive or not, if it's indeed a thing, but for now let's try to see if she can message Himeko back. If she can, Himeko will perceive an affermative nod and a thanks for her understanding.

Naru does notice the Princess of Sarek talking to her this time, although it seems she missed her previous request. "I was saying, please hold on it for me", Veronica repeats now she has her attention.

And then Nephrite says something about not wanting to destroy the world and summons a huge lion constellation. Well, now she can guess at why he was so interested in her book.

"Sorry, but you are still doing something dangerous." And then she throws another Transient Lunar Flare straight to the lion's snout.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "'Physically, anyway'," Onihime echoes, reaching up to give her hair a flip. "So metaphysically, you intend to cause harm to this place? I don't know who you are or where you hail from, but my blood is of this land, and I must rather forcefully object. The spiritual is as important to us as the physical." Turning sideways, Kureha extends her right hand, as if to make a beckoning gesture - but for a second time, flames dance briefly across her clawed fingertips. "I'm not being metaphorical when I say 'forcefully', either."

    She's promised she won't damage the shrine if she can help it. So her usual ground-cracking full power charge is out. How to close the distance? Frown. The youkai musume looks left. Looks right. Can she bounce off a light pole? She's not sure that will be okay. Is there something she can swing or vault off of? With her strength, she'd damage it. If only she could fly, or just push off the... air...

    "...this is going to make me look utterly foolish if it fails," Kureha mutters, before giving a solid push off the ground and hopping into the air. Fire dances along both her arms as she whirls herself around, facing away from Nephrite... and then swings both her arms around to slam her palms together with enough force that it's less of a 'clap', and more of a 'thunderclap'. A forceful shockwave that just absolutely launches Onihime at Nephrite like a projectile, so quickly that she only barely has time to wrap her clawed right hand in fire and swing it around in front of herself.

Pyrite has posed:
    The ghost receives and acknowledges. Like a little twinkling star saying 'Hello'. A brief response to show she heard. Then there's nothing else. Not right now anyway. She has no body still. It will take time. Probably more than is left in this fight.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter manages a fleeting, apologetic half-smile to Onihime. "People don't listen."

She listens. She tries to listen. It's a full throw-down now, one way or another, but she furrows her brow and tries to make sense of Nephrite's explanation.

"I don't get it." It's not enough. It doesn't add up, not in any way that makes sense, not in any way that explains this slowly-roiling anger in her. "I don't get it," she says again, frustration mounting in her voice.

And then Sailor Moon cries out and it doesn't matter anyway, the fight is already here whether Jupiter understands it or now. "Dammit!" Leaping into motion, she bolts across the grounds toward Sailor Moon. As she plants herself solidly between the blonde senshi and La Crima, she flings out one hand, a snap of her fingers throwing a slim lance of electricity at the lion. "Sorry, Sailor Moon - I've got your back now!"

Nephrite has posed:
    Regulus is struck in the snout by Sarek's moon laser. His head jerks to the side. Then he turns his head back to look at her. Oh. He looks angry. Sounds like it too.

    "It doesn't matter," Nephrite mutters. "It's time to go. La Crima, this is enough. Exit if you can." Ordinarily, Nephrite would use a forceshield or just move out of the way (more likely the latter than the former) when someone comes hurtling at him, but the Constellation Avatar is a major energy expenditure with the damage received from the purification attack. So, assaulted by pain, emotions, and memories, Nephrite just... Tries to block Onihime with his slowly recovering arms in an 'x-block'. The collision is powerful. Again, Nephrite is thrown back. This time, he flips backwards so he can at least land on his feet. The impact was jarring though.

    Regulus is hit with a line of electricity from Jupiter. It sizzles through his fur, and sets him off. The lion leaps forth with super-felinoid speed, claws out, trying to eviscerate the Senshi of Jupiter right then and there with a swipe at her mid-section.

    No more explaining, it seems. With Sailor Mars having an ofuda out, Nephrite decides that the odds are sufficiently against them that sticking around would be a losing proposition, even with Regulus.

    He rolls to the side, towards Naru, and passes behind one of the wooden pillars that holds up the large, hanging roof of the main hall. He stops without coming out the other side, and yells out in effort as waves of black energy roar forth, surging between the gaps between the pillars like a storm, driving red rain on black winds, that flow across the open terrain, crashing and colliding with each other, sending each wave to flow away and ram into another... And anything else in their way.

    "We're almost done," he says quickly to Naru, hopefully only loud enough for her to hear. Then he stops pouring out his energy reserves in the destructive display that seems not to have harmed the temple grounds themselves, and disappears, greatly weakened.

    Regulus hangs around for a bit longer, angry and violent.

Norie Okana has posed:
La Crima is set to summon a spear and tackle into Sailor Moon with it next, when instead a new challenger appears between her and Sailor Moon. She huffs. "Fine. be that way." she says to Sailor Jupiter as she's about to do her original tactic anyways when Nephrite calls for a retreat. "Ugh. Fine." she goes.

"YOU'RE ALL LUCKY SOMEONE TOLD ME WE'RE LEAVING BECAUSE ELSE YOU'D ALL BE SORRY FOR... FOR! ARGHH!" she goes. Before stepping into the Dusk Zone into a duskport.

She'll find somewhere nice and quiet to unwrap all this. and probably cry to herself. again.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    The biggest saving grace of this attack is that it seems to have off-balanced Kureha as much as it did her target. She manages to get up to her feet quickly, but... well, he's a good ways away. And not only is she typically not that fast on her feet, she's not willing to try that attack again. So there's no easy way for her to close distance and keep the pressure on. When he disappears? There's nothing Onihime can do to stop him.

    "...To weather a direct blow from me... not an opponent to take lightly," the fiery oni murmurs to herself, before turning around to face the lion directly. This, she feels a little more confident charging - and so she does. Kimono billowing, two-tone hare flowing behind her, the ogre princess hurls herself fearlessly into melee with a monstrous lion, and gives full yield to the kind of fighting style her oni blood cries out for.

    Which is to say, she wrestles it. She impacts like a freight train, but instead of attempting to punch or claw or burn, Onihime pits her monstrous strength to the task of... holding it in place.

    "If any if you mean to vanquish this beast, this is your chance!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Don't worry - Jupiter-chan! You've always got my back." Sailor Moon might be sore and her shoulder might throb with pain, but her smile is sunny as she looks up at Sailor Jupiter's strong back. The lion looming before threm is still an especially frightening threat, but standing with her friends at her side...

Especially when they're all fighting so fiercely, between Onihime's swift, powerful charge that sends Nephrite flying, Jupiter's strike of lightning, the Princess of Sarek's lasering...

She raises her Moon Stick. Well. Her friends might have this under control, but they might still like a little bit more help! Especially as dark energy starts racing through the shrine, red-tinged black winds pouring through the shrine. Sailor Moon squares her shoulders, shifts her hips, and carves a golden circle in the air, shouting the name of the attack as silver beams of light and a mist of purifying glitter pour forth.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

It's a good thing Nephrite and La Crima left, because this would have hurt even more than the first one - Sailor Moon is putting everything she has into this.

Regulus... will be taking the full brunt.

Makoto Kino has posed:
None of this feels right, but there's no helping that now. The stellar lion charging at her with claws bared at least gives her something very immediate to focus on. In this moment, the absolute simplicity of Threat -> Response almost comes as a relief.

Sailor Jupiter doesn't flinch back from Regulus in the slightest, even before Onihime brings the beast to an unscheduled halt. "You got it!"

She plants her fist against her palm for a moment; as she draws it back, sparks crackle over her fingers, threads of hissing, spitting energy winding their way around her fist and up her arm all the way to the elbow like a gauntlet of lightning.

Even as the full iridescence of Sailor Moon's Healing Escalation bears down, Sailor Jupiter lets out a wordless shout of kiai and drives her lightning-charged fist into Regulus with all her considerable strength.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
Veronica fears the worst when Nephrite unleashes all those energies, but they don't damage anything. Weird. What's going on here? And he says Almost done?. Why is Nephrite telling Naru that? She is about to ask that out loud to the man, when alas, he disappears. She will have to ask Naru.

Especially since a certain lion is still there and not any less ferocious. "Hello, kitty, it won't be like your owner, but it's time for you to disappear too", the Princess of Sarek exclaims. With a snap of her fingers, her hat disappears and the Phantom Thief places her cane onto her left shoulder, reciting in deep concentration with her eyes closed.



"When colour's absence gives escape
To the deeper spirit of the shape,"

The ground under the beast starts rippling, as if it was coated in water, and yet it remains solid, nothing actually changing.



"Then do the clouds like silver flags
Stream out above the tattered crags"

The moon starts shining, not from above in the sky, but from under the lion's paws, pale light rising.



"And darkened land, and brightening wave,
The moonlight slants through Merlin's cave."

As soon as the word "cave" escapes the lips of the Princess of Sarek, a low rumble is heard, and the hat of the Phantom Thief reappears, a giant evanescent shape that passes right through Regulus, aiming to swallow it and make it disappear. It won't be easy on it if that fails, it may get hurt too.

The enormous illusion floats up to the sky and whatever the result, it reappears, solid, in front of Veronica's waiting hand, who grabs its brim and places it back on her head with a smirk.

"Is everything alright, Naru-chan?" Veronica says as she moves to take her book. When the book is in her grasp, it goes along with the other relics in her hat.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei contributes in her own way by throwing out her ofuda, chanting for Evil to be destroyed, and sending a blast of spiritual energy through the simple prayer paper. Hopefully it helps somehow. Mars is... Concerned. About a lot of things that happened during this fight. She isn't comfortable throwing out more fireballs. This didn't feel like a normal enemy attack, where they start up a fitness club for draining life energy and then close down a week later when some magical girls show up to end the plot. This wasn't a smash-and-grab, or even an extermination. The bad guys stood there and tried to bring the good guys to them. To what end?

    What was the point of all this?

    And why does she feel like her side didn't win?

Nephrite has posed:
    Wrestling a lion is a dicey decision at the best of times. When that lion is a physical manifestation of a constellation, it becomes considerably more dangerous. If it was someone other than Onihime, Regulus would probably still be dragging them around or flipping them around like a ragdoll if they didn't have super strength of some kind. Instead, he is held fast by Youkai Musume. Sailor Moon's purification attack washes over Regulus, and...

    Does nothing? That's not right. It messed up his master something fierce, not to mention La Crima! If anything Regulus seems even more furious than before, thrashing to get free. Maybe it's because... He has no Dark Energy, isn't corrupted, and isn't evil. But the change in behavior, the frantic, bestial movements, is still a change. Perhaps...

    Sailor Moon severed the connection between Regulus and Nephrite. Temporarily or permanently, the lion is no longer under anyone's control.

    So no intelligent defense is provided when a lightning-infused fist slams into his muzzle, producing even louder roaring and cries of an angry apex predator. What is it going to take to get rid of this thing!?

    Sarek's disappearing act seems to... Suck up the color of Regulus, returning him to being made of stars. But he's still here. The ofuda seems to be the last bit needed to banish him. As spiritual energy shocks the avatar, he bristles, bares his teeth, and seems to hunch up on himself. Then he slips Onihime's arms, as he turns into a streak of starlight and void that flies up into the sky, where he belongs.

Pyrite has posed:
    The stone lantern appears to have been stuck back in place with bubblegum. Not chewed bubblegum, just a bunch of sticks of unchewed bubblegum.
    A protective spirit appears to have stuck the landing.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru looks up as Nephrite ends up over by her, and she actually reaches a hand out.. briefly.. but then he's gone. And she nods to his words, cryptic though they might be.

Naru is reluctant to pass over the book to Veronica, but she eventually passes it over. "I'm fine, thank you. Do you know the details of what's in that book?" She asks, a note of curiosity in her tone. "I would be interested in spending more time with it, if that's possible."

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Onihime's arms suddenly pass through nothing - she's still reeling a little from the wave of healing Sailor Moon unleashed. It didn't feel unpleasant - indeed, she probably feels the best she's felt since the moments after her first transformation. But it's a very strange sort of positivity she's entirely not used to.

    So instead, she steps back, brushes herself off, and folds her hands together. "I feel as if I have stepped into the middle of an ongoing feud. If that man intends to target other shrines, it is possible I shall encounter him again, so I should very much like explanations. But they will have to wait." One clawed hand lifts up, pointing straight at the Princess of Sarek. "She knows where to find me. As does the user of Nicomachea, if any of you should know her." Admittedly, actually finding Kureha will probably involve Veronica reaching out to Rashmi anyway. But still! They attend the same school, at least. "I should go. I have people in my life who would be... difficult, if I am gone for too long." There's a pause, and then she looks over her shoulder, straight at Veronica. "...I would like to know more about the spirit, as well." And then, she walks off, calm and steady.

    The shrine will later receive a donation from an anonymous source, which should be more than enough to repair the stone lantern properly.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"I am glad you are alright", the Princess of Sarek smiles to Naru. "And it's just a bunch of jewels in the shape of constellation, but I will see if he has written anything in it", Veronica replies.

Once the hat is back on her head, Veronica winks at the other fighters and says "Thanks for the help, everyone. And Onihime, you can consider your debt paid back."

And just like that she disappears. Time to go back.