2071/Walp Walp Walp

Walp Walp Walp
Date of Scene:	31 October 2024
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	On the night of Hallloween, as Walpurghisnacht is battled by a legion of heroes, Radiant Heart Academy students struggle against the storm - and the coming familiars. Kuiper Belt Cape and Chiyo Sakai are joined by the Star Driver Trio in a fight to protect the ordinary students, and as the storm breaks, an important question is asked.
Cast of Characters:	Taro Yamada, Chiyo Sakai, Takuto Tsunashi, Wako Agemaki, Sugata Shindo

---

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro Yamada's lived through monsoons before. He's died in a couple, too, though usually not for more than a few days. He's very firmly learned his lesson about water before, during and after major storms, thank you very much!

Which is why when the flooding began and Chiyo's phone began blowing up with messages about witches and danger, he didn't hesitate to henshin before barging out the door with Chiyo to help haul students to the highest ground safe to get to.

Which, for now, is the rooftop.

Some of the students are huddled under umbrellas and tarps; others are half-in, half-out of the stairwell that leads from the dorms to the roof. A few have taken refuge in the rooftop supply shed. Taro has hauled the emergency supply of food he keeps under his bed and distributed some among the students, and put the rest in the shed in case this is a multiple day affair. Nutrition is key! Sometimes help doesn't come for a while!

Kuiper Belt Cape's cloak is a neon orange raincoat, his kimono is a brilliant yellow with white lines running down it, and the toy coffin on his hip glows white. As long as there's a little light, he'll be visible in the darkness. The ambient fear also means he's a solid ten feet tall now, which - most of the students are taking well, at least?

The little wooden doll in the suit and top hat on his shoulder whispers into his ear; Taro turns to where Chiyo is keeping track of the students. "Jack says he can tell there's some kind of magic bullshit coming closer, but there's so much mojo in the air right now he can't tell if it's a friend or foe."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai pauses handing out a few snacks to some of the students that were huddled under an emergency poncho they'd pulled over their heads to act as a tarp of sorts. The flooding was getting worrisome, but it was still far from being anywhere near the rooftop. They would be safe here for... Awhile.

A quick glance over her shoulder is shot toward Kuiper with her expression turning quite worried. She'd long since given up on trying to remain dry--Her hair was soaked through in spite of the raincoat she'd managed to snag on her way out. The hood kept blowing off, and she needed to be able to *see* so it remained off.

"They said a Witch. If it's the sort of Witch I've seen this is no friend at all," she assures in a way that is not at all reassuring.

The pack of snacks is pushed into the hands of the younger students freeing her to walk over to where the (very tall) slash--Ah, Kuiper stood. Her neck cranes to look up at him. "This is everywhere though not just... Usually they're contained in a Witch Labrynth. I mean. Once they create one." She does recall having to chase one across numerous rooftops to where they could corner one once. "I haven't gotten any other updates from anyone for quite awhile."

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
There's some other incoming magic, a blue-white radiance in the darkness coming at the school like a comet. It's bright, bright, and it slows down and stops, flying in front of literally everyone-- it's also as soaking wet as a drowned rat in a white-and-red military-esque outfit, water from the torrential rain pouring off of him.

It's the Ginga Bishounen, and he wipes rain from his eyes and puts a hand over his eyes, blinking the water out of them. "Hey!" he shouts over the growing wind and rain. "Storm surge shouldn't come anywhere near this high! Wind's going to get MUCH worse though!"

He's both glowing and wet cat. "Can I help you get everyone back inside? Hm maybe Wako-chan can--"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The other two members of the Galactic Trio arrive somewhat behind Takuto, floating along at a less meteoric pace in one of the Ginga Otome's shimmering pink shield bubbles. They're also drier as a result - though how long that will last is anyone's guess.

"Wako-chan can what?" Wako asks, bringing herself and Sugata down to hover near where Takuto is with a similar careless disregard for any civilians who might be getting an eyeful. "There's always Zero Time, but..." she glances up at the sky and then around them at the weather, steadily growing fouler. Her forehead creases slightly. "I don't think that's really going to help them much, in these circumstances."

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Sugata doesn't live on campus. He doesn't even live all that close to the campus, having decidedly chosen to have an mansion built away from campus for a reason.

That mansion is currently proving it was wise to have the flooring slightly elevated in that traditional style, because it's keeping the flood from taking out his home. Tiger and Jaguar are keeping watch, ready to do their best to bail out any water and stop continue to board windows as needed -

But instead of being at home, he's here, in the rain with his partners, looking at a bunch of shivering wet cat students.

"The top floor of this building should be safe enough," he says cryptically, looking around. "If the storm gets worse they're going to get blown right off the roof."

Takuto's right about getting people back inside - these are dangerous times, but there's no way the flooding is going to reach five stories. Still, he can't blame them for the panic, not when the weather is like this.

There's the flash of lightning, the boom of thunder.

And on the wind, a distant giggle.

"Have you ever put Zero Time up around a Witch?"

Taro Yamada has posed:
"We got an alert from the Senshi that there was going to be a flood and I didn't want to fuck around and find out!" Taro yells over the storm, holding onto the fencing around the rooftop.

But he looks at the water - high but not THAT high yet - and then up at the storm, and the wind that keeps on smacking his raincoat hood into his face.

"We can move everyone into the fifth floor! don't activate any shields or shit, it should only take a few minutes to get everyone in! We haven't had any hostiles show up yet!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai flips her bangs back out of her face to better see the flying/floating Bishounen as he arrives. A quick grin is flashed toward him, rather glad to see the first of the trio that heralds the arrival of the other two. "Good, we really hadn't gotten any further news and a lot of phones are out."

She does have to raise her voice over it all but as those with powers start to talk she turns to busy herself relaying the updated news to the students. Most are quite glad to head back inside where it's far less wet, and dangerously windy. As for 'hostiles' not showing up though? A few dancing girls float by prancing effortlessly through the sky.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Good, because the familiars are creepy, they're outlines of--" and there go some RIGHT NOW "--magical girls dancing and they can kill you but I haven't seen any go indoors," says Takuto, pushing his red and yellow hair back out of his face again. "Oh. Aw man," he says as he sees the familiars.

"I was saying maybe you could help get people inside," he shouts over the growing wind and the pelting rain to Wako, shaking his head, "shields shields something, but these two have it under control! Keep an eye out for familiars getting too close to these kids, I guess? I'm going to wade back in-- here, Chiyo-chan, Osaka-san used to use this--"

Takuto detaches a sopping wet sheathed saber from his sash and pushes it into Chiyo's hands. What, it's a magic sword. "For if they get too close!"

The Ginga Bishounen takes a step back in the air, then. With twin cries of "Star Swordo! EMERAUDE! Star Swordo! SAPHIR!" Takuto pulls first his green light sword, then his blue light sword, out of his chest-- and then he takes a deep breath and bellows:

"Sassou toujou! Ginga Bishounen TAUBURN! APPRIVOISE!"

Ghost-light, white and gold and pink and blue, sparkles around the boy hanging in midair with the blue-white rocket nimbus around him. It forms a ghostly set of extremely dapper and very tall armor around him, in the shape of the small robot that's occasionally seen with him, including a mask and a fantastic hat-looking thing with a plume on his head--

"FLAIR!" he yells, then, and zooms into a giggling dancing outline of a girl that's maybe twenty meters away, the first of many, and his words can still be heard as blue and white and green light flashes in the sky around his glowing form, "GALACTIC CROSS SLASH!"

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The look on Wako's face does not get any less concerned at Sugata's question. "I haven't," she answers. "I'm not sure this is the time to find out what would happen, either. Witches distort space around them, right? I haven't run into any, but--"

Aw, man, says Takuto, and Wako's shield vanishes, dropping her and Sugata both out into the wind and rain. "I'm on defense!" she calls out gamely, blonde hair whipping around her face. "Don't overdo it!"

Too late.

Takuto is gonna Takuto, and Sugata is no doubt about to Sugata; with a mostly useless effort to shove her hair out of her eyes, Wako moves closer to Chiyo and the very tall Kuiper Belt Cape in hopes of needing slightly less shouting to be heard over the storm. "If we need it, I can cover the rooftop with a shield," she tells them, "but I'm not sure how long I can keep it going! For now, let's get everyone inside!"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"In that case, you definitely shouldn't do that," Sugata decides, casting a glance at their peers once more. Some of the students - wet, miserable, and shivering - look pleased at the idea of getting back inside. Some of them are looking more than a little - displeased, at the thought of being on the fifth floor, because that's decidedly not where they live -

But given the givens, they're already to start moving, when Takuto points out the dancing ethereal girls, and several of them shriek and point.

Sugata is ready to just toss them through the window and let them sort themselves out, when Takuto - does whatever the fuck that was, hey what the fuck was that!?

His expression is full shock no chill, as he takes in Takuto's super armor. "Since when can he do that?!" Wako-chan! Wako-chan, what the hell is thiiiiiiiis?!

Samekh pops into existence besides Sugata. His voice is deep, dark, as he says "It is possible for you to summon a pittance of my armor as weEEEELLLLLLLL-"

The shriek is on account of Sugata wielding his Star Sword more akin to a baseball bat, and slamming the tiny robot - and more importantly, the force bubbling surrounding it - at speed towards one of the Familiars, causing its form to warp and burst.

"I am going to figure out how to do that," Ginga Kingu says grimly, and jumps off the building towards one of the Familiar's, grabbing it by the foot and swinging to stab a different one.

Maybe he should learn to fly, first.

Taro Yamada has posed:
It's not like Taro DOESN'T like being a ten foot tall vampire guy. It's good being huge and terrible sometimes! Like in a storm! Being able to grow knives out of his feet mean that he's very sure the wind won't blow him off the roof! But he can't help but stare in admiration as the Definitely Not A Seme Since That's Inapporpriate To Ask and his friends summon sick as hell robot armor to fight -

And then there's a shimmering outline rising from the other side of the fense. A darkness even darker than the rainy night. A girl's slender outline, and a friendly little giggle, and a clawed hand reaching out -

The Back Street Slasher tears the familiar apart with a long red blade from the palm of his hand. Something wet spatters on his face - he doesn't know if it's rain, witch juice, or something else -

"Chiyo, we got company! We gotta haul ass!" Taro shouts as he scoops up a student as she risks slipping and hauls her to the stairs to safety.

And on the other side of the roof, near Chiyo, another familiar daintily peels back the fence as the wind picks up - and another student slips on the water and goes flying, ready to fall into the familiar's waiting arms -

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai finds herself suddenly with a sword scabbard in hand as it's thrust upon her. It's taken without hesitation however as the quick explanation is given of being the same sword Naru had been loaned many a time when in similar situations.

Well. Maybe not similar, given the circumstances, but 'unpowered versus powered' still fit.

"Thanks! I hope I won't have to use it!" Though she already had a sinking feeling she would. Those dancing figures that were starting to creep ever closer weren't content to just flit by enjoying the night. THEY didn't seem the least bit bothered by the rain or the strong winds.

"Everyone, inside now! Don't let those things touch you just *go*!" A few of the students listen heading inside. Kuiper grabs another as well which was good. Just as she turns to glance toward Wako joins mentioning the shields she's about to say something more.

The yelp and the sound of metal screeching tears her attention away. There really was no time to think: She was the closest person that didn't have her hands full right now.

Chiyo dives for the student that slipped over the now-fenceless edge reaching to grab hold of their arm. Her fingers wrap around firmly gripping the students' wrist while her other hand ... Well. It's a good thing she'd gripped the sword sheath tight as it's the sword itself, held like a 'T', that catches hold of the remaining fence posts still in the bricks of the building as an anchor point while she dangles off the edge holding onto the student.

The familiar doesn't get a free prize.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's not especially familiar with the work of Robert Burns, but if she were, she'd definitely be agreeing with his sentiments about best-laid plans. She's hardly appointed herself as rooftop defense before the familiars are on them, and everything's happening at once--

"Chiyo-chan!"

No time to think at all, nothing but sheer instinctive reaction. Wako lunges the few steps to the edge of the roof that Chiyo went over, both hands outflung: "AURORE AUSTRALE!!"

Dawn-colored light erupts from her palms in an expanding wave, outward and downward. It slams into the familiar with the force of a wrecking ball, and just as swiftly recoils, curling in on itself to form a sphere around both Chiyo and the girl she's grabbed hold of. The grip of gravity on them loosens as the bubble closes and lifts them away from the wall of the building, up and over the edge to safety.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
Honestly Takuto's up there having the time of his life with Tauburn, because he doesn't have to hold back, not at all. Through the howling wind and driving rain and thunder and lightning, though, the pitch of Wako's cry is such that he can hear it, but all he has to do is glance while calculating the probable course of the Familiar heading for him and cutting it to ribbons without looking--

--and he sees the bright dawn-colored pink-gold signature of a swift use of her power, and he goes back to dancing through the air to a very different beat from the familiars.

Spin, slash, kick, attacks -- TAU PILE CRUSHER! -- then TAU GALAXY BEAM! with his arms up and in from being wide out; he's not just dancing, he's showboating.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Samekh's orb comes flying back towards Ginga Kingu at a sedate pace, the king cybody already in the midst of an irritated lecture that Sugata is ignoring. The Familiars are trying to swarm him, the one he's hanging off of kicking it's feet in a foxtrot dance that he refuses to die from.

Instead, he swings himself, leveraging his body weight and launches himself towards the next Familiar, Diamante carving a path through two familiars before Sugata catches himself on another Familiar's arm. She tries to claw him, and he twists to kick her in the gut before launching himself back to the rooftop.

Wako launches her attack, brilliant light flashing through the storm, Takuto goes wild, showboating left and right, giving it everything he's got -

And Sugata is really irritated that this is an inappropriate moment to be thinking about kisses. He never used to have problems like this!

A familiar floats up above the roof, diving towards them -

"Star Crash!"

And Diamant spirals through the sky, trailing energy, and dsplits through the Familiar.

"They're not going to stop coming, so the rest of you need to keep moving so we don't have to waste time protecting you!"

Taro Yamada has posed:
Taro gets the student in the stairwell, then stomps back over to help a couple more down in the winds, and then CHIYO IS GOING OVER THE EDGE -

"CHIYO!!!"

He's already running -

But Wako's already created a ball of dawn to catch Chiyo and the student, is already dragging them to safety - and then Takuto and Sugata are ensuring the familiars are being destroyed in flashes of brilliant light that make spots flash when he blinks -

When the bubble comes down, Taro grabs both Chiyo and the student and lowers them to the ground safely, his face naked with worry. "Most of the students are in. I think we can let these three cover while we get everyone else in. Perimeter secured?"

He says in a very confident normal voice, as if he did not have a heart stopping moment when he thought Chiyo was really going to go over the edge.

"Good catch," is what he says.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Loud as it is the wind still manages to carry the worried cries of her friends calling out her name as gravity pulls her downward before the sword she grips jars her to an abrupt, not entirely comfortable stop. Caught between her handhold and the weight of the student whose arm she also held, regret isn't something she has time to consider. It's there though. Loud and painfully screaming in the back of her head that she shouldn't have done that. Almost as loud as the pain in her arms stretched so uncomfortably wide. There's barely time to worry if she can hold it long at least. The warm light suddenly taking the weight off of her and the other girl brings a sigh of obvious relief.

Helped by both Wako and Taro she nods quickly as she gets back to her feet not the least bit wobbly. Thank you, adrenaline.

"Right, get inside, get warmed up. You'll be fine," she urges the student ushering her off while still lingering out with a glance to the trio, and Kuiper himself uncertainly.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"...Really good catch. Your reflexes are scary." Wako flashes Chiyo an only slightly shaky smile, still a little breathless from the adrenaline of the moment. "Are you okay? Your arms--"

Kuiper Belt Cape's advice distracts her, and after a moment she nods. "Hopefully the familiars won't last much longer. As long as everyone stays inside and calm, it should be fine." She lifts her head, looking out to where her boys are still fighting. She ought to stay here, put up a shield for however much longer the battle may last.

And yet--

"Illuminating the stage," she calls out into the wind. "Ginga Otome Wawna! APPRIVOISE!"

Glittering pink and gold and pure white light shines over her, Wawna's graceful robotic form appearing as glowing translucent armor crowned with twintails of golden light. She launches into the air, trailing pink sparks, and the floating piles that make up her skirt whirl in the air to shower the familiars with a barrage of bright, lance-like beams.

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"GALACTIC CROSS SLASH!" yells Takuto again, his attack called loud enough to be heard along with another bright blue-green X in the violent sky, and then there's a double helix of green and blue around the comet nimbus as Takuto spins downwards. He swoops up through two more Familiars -- "TAU MISSILE!" -- and their cosmic nothingness is torn to ribbons and scraps as he just crashes through them.

They can see him hovering in the air for a moment, looking all around, swords drawn, on guard... and then the wind is starting to die down, and the rain is still dumping buckets and the water's still rising (it's gone over the building's steps and has probably flooded the basements)...

Takuto sails down, keeping most of his attention still above them. "I think-- I think it's almost over. I saw what they're fighting land!" he shouts, Tauburn's face overlaying his in starlight lines. "Everyone in? Good, no reason to get hypothermia either!"

Oh man his hair isn't sticking to his head anymore, it's starting to be fluffy again. The armor's keeping the rain off his head. Yes: he didn't see any more familiars *up there*. That just means it's a good thing Wako was paying attention -- she gets one that was headed for Takuto just as Takuto half-turns, sword out-- "Thanks, Wako-chan!"

Sugata Shindo has posed:
Standing safely on the roof's edge, soaked to the skin and wtching Wako take off into the sky, cloaked in Wawna's armor, for the second time this day, Sugata would like to say:

Hey, what the fuck?! Didn't they go over hiding things? Didn't Wako and Takuto specifically go over hiding things, after that disastrous ordeal with joining the Glittering Crux?! And didn't he go over hiding things with them, when it turned out souls were almost eaten?

So how the hell is he finding out about this now? Don't they understand how terrible this is? How compromising it?! How dare they be so hypercompetent and brilliant!

(All of which is to say that Sugata is being totally normal about the fact that his partners have magically armored super forms through which they can kick a ridiculous amount of ass.)

(Totally. Normal.)

So normal, in fact, that when he whips around and sees that there are still students lingering, watching the magical battle in awe instead of evacuating down the stairs, he slams a fist to his chest, drawing Diamante with a crackle of bright white energy, and snaps, voice raised above the boom of thunder, "Get inside if you want to live, and get inside NOW!"

The rest of them get inside. Ginga Kingu grips his star sword as though he could conceivably snap it, inhales sharply, and says, "Sakai-san. Good job. Do that again and I'm going to ask Wako-chan to throw you into the stratosphere. Do you have any idea how much trouble it would be if you died? You can't exactly invade my hot spring if you snap your bones falling off a building. Be more careful."

And then instead of being a complete hypocrite and jumping off the building (again), he throws the Diamante to stab another giggling familiar.

"You, tall man," he snaps at the Slasher/Cape, "Just drag them if they're going to be so slow, and the two of you can get inside to keep an eye on them."

Only then does he look back at his fiancée and boyfriend, both of them shining and brilliant, and find himself thinking, again about the fact that they're both perfect. And kissable. Perfectly kissable.

He's going to kill Yamada if he ever runs into him again.

Taro Yamada has posed:
"Dude, you know who I am! You blew up a mushroom at me!" Taro yells at Sugata as he hauls the last of the students into the stairwell. "I accidentally called you something weird and I'm sorry about that?? I'm not forgettable!!"

He's having a normal amount of emotions and they're definitely about being forgotten, and not just because his best friend just went off the side of a building and he wouldn't have gotten there in time to -

He scrubs water away from his eyes. Most of it's rain. "Right. Chiyo, do you want me guarding the door or should we start making sure no one's getting hypothermia? That stuff is *nasty* and we can use my stove to keep everyone warm if we have to. Might be worth it to make everyone some tea. I'll break out the good shit for these three," and he rolls his shoulder at the Star Drivers.

He's breathing very hard and very fast. Which is normal. In a fight. And his huge, clawed hand is curled in Chiyo's and despite everything he's saying about splitting up to watch the kids, he has lessened his grip at all.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
The sight of the fight ongoing in the sky was enough to keep a few stragglers, still soaked and chilled, out on the rooftop watching the ensuing ballet of a fight.

At least until Sugata, with his commanding voice and--HOLY SHIT DID HE PULL A SWORD OUT OF HIS CHEST!?--Snaps at them to go inside. It cuts through their dazed minds sending them scrambling to get to the safety they'd forgotten about.

Chiyo stands there managing to look fairly put together for someone that had to lock her knees so her legs wouldn't give out after all of that. The sword that Takuto had given her is still held in hand, still sheathed, and she holds it firm. A bit too firm to actually use a sword but it was the proper grip for the handle of a hammer. Kingu's words earn a short nod from her as she flashes a tight smile that held no humor. Just. She was trying. "Old habits." A deep breath is drawn to choke down any fear that had begun to claw it's way up her throat as she recalls the *last* time she threw herself in front of someone in danger.

"Guarding the others, right," she agrees curtly as she finally leans her weight away on one leg so that her body is forced into motion toward the stairway. Toward Taro, because her hand is now in his and it's solid and firm and solid.

"We should get everyone warmed up if the... The familiars aren't coming inside?" She actually didn't know if they COULD go inside, but so far she hadn't seen any do that. Perhaps it was safe.

Again she glances over her shoulder at the trio. Takuto with his too perfect fluffy hair, Wako all sparkling, and Sugata commanding if less armored. They had it in hand. "If there's anything else that needs done, I should do it now before the adrenaline wears off and I realize what I did. Let's all get inside and dry off?"

Takuto Tsunashi has posed:
"Oh no shit, that was you?" Takuto starts hooting laughing, leaving the armor on as the rain lessens; he vanishes his own swords, and takes a step forward, hand outraised. "Hey, buddy, maybe you forgot you're in henshin? It's cool though-- thanks, you did a good job, especially looking after everyone like that."

The wind is slow, slowing, slow; the rain lets up to a fine cold drizzle.

"But also--"

Takuto looks at Sugata, then at Wako, then toward Chiyo and Taro again. "Chiyo-chan?"

The rain finally stops, and Takuto dismisses his armor, dropping him the couple of feet to the roof. His hair ruffles in the suddenly fresh-smelling breeze, and the aura of despair that Walpurgisnacht had been oppressing the city with is lifting.

Sugata Shindo has posed:
"I blew up a -"

The beat drops. The pieces click together. "YOU."

Taro Yamada had made it obvious he knew what magic was, that night, when he did what he did and Sugata is not actually going to stab him for it because he's a collected, wise soul who has never stabbed anyone who wasn't a threat (he's never actually stabbed a person, only prepared for it grimly).

And threats to his dignity don't count.

He counts to ten, in his mind, exhaling.

"Well then. At least you regret that part," is what he says, eventually, as Takuto hoots and hollers in laughter above him.

The wind slows, the rain begins to let up. Takuto calls Chiyo's name, voice more serious. He catches Sugata's eye, and Sugata frowns, tilts his head, and looks at Wako, brow raised in silent question.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
She sweeps a look arounds for any more familiars, but there are none. The storm is ebbing, the sky beginning to clear - whatever happened with the big Witch, clearly, it's over with now.

Wako drifts down to rejoin the others on the rooftop, making a lighter and gentler landing than Takuto. Her armor dissolves into quickly-fading sparks. Through the fading glimmers, she catches Takuto's look her way - follows the direction of his gaze to Sugata - and, in an equally silent answer to the unspoken question, she nods.

With a quick, slightly knowing grin for Kuiper Belt Cape, Wako turns toward Chiyo. Behind her, the clouds break, and light spills over the rooftop as the sun emerges to trace the Southern Maiden's outline in golden backlight.

"Chiyo-chan," she says, in the tone of someone asking an important question. "Would you like to be a Star Driver?"