594/Inner Conflict: Build Limbs

Inner Conflict: Build Limbs
Date of Scene:	14 October 2023
Location:	Mitakihara General Hospital
Synopsis:	CW: Horror, Body Horror, Monster Guts. A doctor from afar comes to show off some medical advancements in prosthetics at Mitakihara Hospital. Another Dark Energy Impact site is the result.
Cast of Characters:	Pyrite, Yuna Yuki, Usagi Tsukino, Togo, Mamoru Chiba, Amanda Faust, Fu Inubouzaki
Tinyplot:	Inner Conflict

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Pyrite has posed:
    Doctor Salvatore Mezzapelle is from Sicily originally, and he has come as part of a tour of the world to show off the advancements in prosthetics that have been made internationally. The exhibition today is taking place at or near Mitakihara General Hospital. Probably in some sort of conference area or auditorium. He has a variety of contraptions set up, with the help of assistants. He seems pretty okay, considering that the weight of Death is pressing down on the entire area like the Reaper himself is trying to drive a bony digit through the face of the Earth.
    The unpleasant sensations have escalated in each of these Dark Energy Impacts, as have their influence on the perception of reality. This is no different, and is at an all-new level of intensity. But everyone seems totally fine so far. There are medical professionals present, as well as people from the public who are just interested in the presentation. There may also be people hopeful to see something today that may lead to them being able to regain something lost to them previously.
    Doctor Mezzapelle is sharply dressed, in his late-30s or early 40s, and seems to be in high spirits. Chatting with the people around him up on the stage, and laughing. It's not some kind of over-fixated super-intense happiness, like the manic mood of Hirohiro-san from the butcher's shop. So where is all of this pressure focused? And where is it coming from?
    There is a ten-year old in a 5th-grader's RHA uniform seated in the audience, scanning the area with her hands in her lap. She has bright red eyes, long black hair, and pale skin.
    There's also a girl with similar features, a few years older, in a red bomber jacket, faded graphic t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Her long black hair is in a side-braid, and she has a scar on her left cheek. She looks present, alert, and definitely not a walking doll. She is standing off to the side with her hands in her pockets, doing her own scans. It seems Himeko and Himeko are keeping an eye out for whomever is pretending to be Himeko.

Yuna Yuki has posed:
    Yuna is here today because her best friend expressed interest, and it seemed like a good place to do some work for the Hero Club. Yuna is standing near one of the auditorium entrances, handing out pamphlets with the program for the presentation to anyone who would like one. "Hai! Come get your copy of the programmu!" Someone comes up and gets one. "Dozo yoroshiku!" she says with a smile and hands the pamphlet over. Then she turns to look over at everyone gathered so far. "Isn't this exciting, Togo-san? I don't understand any of it, but it looks really cool!" She clenches her fist, with fire in her eyes, accidentally crushing the pamphlets in it. Then she panics over it. "Aahhh! Oh no!" She is utterly unaware of the supernatural pressure except in a very general sense. Her heart is beating quickly, and she is ascribing her excitement to the event itself instead of ancient survival instincts telling her to run and never stop running.

'Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Doctor Tsukihime is a young woman, her blond hair cut sensibly short, curled into a bob. Her lab coat and ID badge indicate she's from the hospital in Juuban; her white labcoat covers a pink blouse and beige slacks. Her eyes are a warm blue and her face is studiously interested - a definite lie, because she doesn't really understand anything that's happening here. Doctor Tsukihime is a disguise, of course - magically generated by Usagi Tsukinos disguise pen. She's come at Mamoru's request, and now Hematite is posing as her intern, a plus one to accompany the medical professional who had naturally been granted entrance.

She hates spooky stuff, but Himeko is in some sort of trouble, and Hematite had gotten into trouble the last times he'd gone without back up.

Worst comes to worst, at least she can blast this scary stuff. Can't do that in class.

"I think I see a Himeko," she murmurs to Hematite, watching the little girl in the audience. How many little kids from RHA could be here, huh?

Togo has posed:
    "Yes!" Togo responds with a smile. She's in her wheelchair, as usual, extra pamphlets in her lap. Her interest is more than just academic on this subject, for obvious reasons. She has learned to live without the use of her legs, and nobody around her treats her any differently because of it. It's just another trait, like anyone else might have. But still, being able to walk again, like she has faded memories of from long ago... That would be nice, wouldn't it? So her gaze is not entirely on the people slowly filtering in as presentation time approaches, nor is it on Yuna as it often is. She's looking towards the devices on stage, and wondering if there's something up there that, someday, will let her run and walk like everyone else.
    "Do you know much about this branch of medicine, Yuna-chan?" Togo asks, as she pulls her eyes back to her friend and sees a blonde doctor and her henchservant entering.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I think I see her too," Hematite murmurs back, craning down a little bit to be quiet. He is, of course, looking at the other Himeko. "There on the side, right? In the red jacket?"

He's overly tall and has black hair in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he's wearing no labcoat because he's not the important doctor -- he's not even wearing a suit jacket, just a white shirt and tie with his black slacks, and his sleeves are rolled up, and his nametag has considerably fewer letters after the name.

Henchservant.

He smiles at Yuna and Togo and it makes his dark blue eyes sparkle, and he takes a couple of programs from them. "Thank you very much," he tells them, passing one to Dr. Tsukihime.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    It's kind of funny.

    Amanda Mallory's life has been turned upside down and changed in ways she never would have expected, and plunged her into a world of magic and monsters. And then she hears about this conference, this demonstration. The dream of replacing lost, missing, or malfunctioning parts of the body is an old one, so old that Amy can't even remember whe she first encountered the idea. She doesn't need cybernetics herself -- well, unless you count glasses, she needed those for two decades -- but it still has that *air* to it. The becoming-real of something that was once science fiction, just like the ubiquitous pocket communicators which are also general purpose communicators, keeping everyone connected all the time to a massive globe-spanning network, weren't a thing when she was a child or even a teenager, and then they changed the world.

    And besides the immediate use for the maimed, it's a step towards greater bodily autonomy for all. One day, maybe people will be able to have bodies of their choosing. She'd been so engrossed in magic these past few months, she hadn't been thinking about *these* dreams, until... *whatever* happened yesterday, bringing it once more to mind.

    She looks down at her hand. Turns it over. Closes a fist and opens it again. It is completely different from the arm and hand she had just a few months ago. One day, others will have a similar experience, be it with steel and circuits, cloned flesh, or something she cannot yet even imagine.

    Amy lifts her head and looks around as she hears a bright voice addressing... Togo-san. Someone for whom this presentation might be all-too personal.

    When Amy Faust was really a teenager, she would have innocently, enthusiastically asked Togo about that. Aren't you glad you might have legs that work soon?

    The idiot she was in her youth didn't *think* about other people, not... in a critical way needed here.

    The wisdom of years knows better. Of *course* Togo has heard of the idea. And real, practical, consumer-grade cybernetics have been 'just five years away...!' for longer than the girl has been alive.

    The redhead smiles and waves to the other Hero Club members, but doesn't speak up yet, just listening.

Fu Inubouzaki has posed:
    Another blonde enters, a bit behind Usagi I mean Doctor Tsukihime. She calls out, "Oi, oi! You didn't bother asking if I know anything about it! I'm the one studying medicine!" Fu Inubouzaki is standing there in the entrance way so she can be dramatically backlit, and also hold up the entire line of people trying to come inside. She poses like Sailor Moon, the urban legend that has gain more and more popularity since the sightings a few months ago. "It's me! The mightiest of the Inubouzaki sisters! I was going to bring Itsuki with me, but she says she ate too much udon for lunch." She scoffs, hands on her hips, still blocking the entrance. "Can you imagine such a thing? If she feels laggardly, she needs to eat more udon, for extra girl power!" She finally starts moving again, and finds a seat in the row ahead of Togo, so she can stay near to chat with her friends.

    She also turns her so that her kohai can't see the smile fade from her face when she looks around carefully, one hand going to her chest over her heart. What is this? she wonders, concerning the dread that seems to be hovering around her. She stealthily pulls out her smartphone and checks it for messages.

    Nothing from the Taisha.

    So her team isn't 'it'. That doesn't mean a fight isn't happening right now though...

Pyrite has posed:
    Doctor Mezzapelle seems to be prepping for the presentation, as he tests the mic on the lapel of his collar. He's not wearing a labcoat because, bluntly, he's not in a laboratory. He knows people expect all doctors to wear labcoats, but seriously. The sound of metal on metal briefly echoes down from above. Is that something suspicious!? No. Someone is just doing something with the pulleys to make sure the curtains are pulled back all the way and not obstructing the devices when they get rolled out.
    So far, so good...?
    Other little noises of mechanical tension may be heard occasionally. Things easily explained. People shifting in their seats. Togo's wheelchair moving. Someone adjusting the lights or testing the sound equipment.
    But it still feels like there's a huge, mechanical beak emerging from the dark at the back of the stage, like a plague doctor's mask, barely kept open by straining cables, and that it might snap shut on the doctor at any moment.
    Images that vivid as just sensation probably isn't normal.
    But there's nothing actually there. No change in magic, or Dark Energy, or even the pressure of Death.
    Then the doctor steps up to the podium at exactly 5 p.m., and begins to speak.
    The sound of sawblades whirring replaces his words, but nobody but those sensitive to magic seems to notice.

Yuna Yuki has posed:
    "Ehh... Nothing really..." she admits, while rubbing her head. It's all way over her head, to be honest. Then, a familiar voice! "Fu-senpai! Uwe? You're trying to become a doctor? I didn't know that...!" Then she holds up a pair of pamphlets for the doctor and the handsome one, smiling back with just a tiny blush. Her heart is already held by someone else, even if she doesn't quite realize it yet.

    "Well, I'm glad you could make it. Hahaa... I don't think putting more udon into little Isuki-chan is such a good idea though..." Then she looks over, notices Amy waving, and waves back enthusiastically with her free hand! Even if she wasn't the one being waved at!

    She doesn't seem to notice the weirdness going on, but does turn her attention when the doctor begins speaking. She's excited because Togo is excited. If it's important to her best friend... Then Yuna is behind it, 100%.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"She's being two of her, because there's one in a school uniform over there," Dr. Tsukihime murmurs to Hematite, tilting her head in the direction of the younger Himeko. She's not trying to draw attention to them, which is why she looks to the two young girls (her own age or thereabouts, but Dr. Tsukihime is supposed to be an actual doctor, and looks like one - an adult, that is) and smiles. "Thanks for the pamphlets. You two are great volunteers."

But they have to get to their seats soon, especially if they don't want to draw too much attention to themselves right away, so she goes along with Hematite - stiffening only a little, at first, when the feeling comes, the sense of something looming, almost like a great bird is watching -

But that's silly.

But then there's the doctor stepping up to speak - and his voice is nothing but sawblades, whirring, whirring, drowning out voices. Oh shee hates spooky things, and she doubts they're lucky enough to have someone with a barrier here. A fight could get nasty. "What do we do?"

It's Hematite's sister. She'll follow his lead.

Togo has posed:
    Togo kind of sweat drops at Yuna. "Y-Yuna-chan... Fu-senpai has been studying for the exams since we first met..." She does agree on the overstuffing with udon, even if udon is delicious. She notices the waving from Amy, gives a much more subdued wave than her companion, and gestures Amy over to join them. "Udon can't turn into girl power if it doesn't stay in her belly, Fu-senpai..." she admonishes. Then her brow furrows, and she turns her head suddenly. What was... That sound?

    Hm. Must just be people setting up.

    Togo tries to relax. This is an exciting moment, and she's glad to be sharing it with the Hero Club. She smiles up at Dr. Tsukihime, "Iie! The Hero Club is always happy to do whatever helps people out. Thank you for coming!" She then bows smoothly and formally, though with a smile on her face. Very elegant nadeshiko type. Maybe a little bit like a certain shrine maiden. Minus the fire.

    She also elbows Yuna a bit over her blushing at the handsome man once the two pass by. "Hooohhh?" she teases with a knowing look. "Is that why you came here today?"

    She grins and then pays attention to the doctor. He's welcoming them all here today, and the usual introductory stuff one does. Nothing major so far. So why... Is cold sweat running down her back...?

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite's hand is over his chest again, because that's always where he feels the Death first, always, and if he's paying attention he can feel his heart beating around a--

"This is about prosthetics," he says, bending, talking right next to where Usagi can hear him over the sawblades but where he can be quiet enough not to disturb anyone who's trying to listen to the speech. "Yesterday when it happened again, it was dolls, and the-- it was like we were being asked to give up, or give up our bodies. Before that, bones. She's trying to build herself a body, but it's not her, she was trying to build herself a place for it too, I think-- but it's not her. She said that she was investigating, in a text the other day, and that was definitely her. So-- I think we should ask her what to do to help."

He takes Usagi's hand, laces his fingers through hers, and he gets up carefully -- trying not to block anyone's view for too long -- and pulls the good (fake)doctor gently with him to approach the bomber-jacket older Himeko on the side of the room.

"Himeko-chan?" he whispers as they get closer, hand in hand. "How do we help?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Like a giant beak, waiting to snap shut on the presenter...

    Wait, what? Is she falling asleep? That sort of... idea, or story, coming unbidden out of nowhere usually means she's falling asleep. Amy startles herself awake, even though she was already awake. She looks around, and sees Togo waving, and gets up, walking up to them--

> Udon can't turn into a girl power if it doesn't stay in her belly, Fu-senpai...
    Amy jerks slightly as the phrase she thinks she just heard demands her attention, staring wide-eyed at Togo, trying to figure out what the hell, and needing mental effort to find the error between sensation and perception of words and linguistic meaning before relaxing. Sheesh, that was a *cartoonish* level of mishearing and she feels embarassed to have done so. She opens her mouth to say something but is that Usagi dressed up like a doctor why is Usagi a doctor. Amy's mouth hangs open, confused, as she looks at Usagi, who starts to walk past with that guy from he mad dash witch hunt. She gives Togo and Yuna an apologetic look look before hurrying after the doctor-and-assistant couple. "What do you--" she tries to ask, but

    *BUZZSAW NOISES*

    Amy glances at the presenter. He is speaking in buzzsaw. The fuck. Have her linguistic centers shorted out completely?! Well, Usagi's disguised, so clearly Sailor Moon is on the trail of some magical bullshit and Amy had better stay close.

    Trying to hear words and hoping she's not crazy, she hears the couple she's followed speak. Although, whatever the hell the guy is talking about isn't making ANY sense, until she realizes part of it kind of describes the dream she had in the middle of the day yesterday.

    "That HAPPENED?!" It would be rude to talk so loudly over a presenter, but she's forgotten the saw noises are talking. Or never made the connection in the first place, that others might hear talking. At more normal volume, she continues, "I, what, build a body? How do we help her?"

Fu Inubouzaki has posed:
    Fu looks up at Togo and Yuna waving, the motion catching her periphery vision. Oh? A new Hero Club member maybe? Either way, a friend to be had! She turns in her seat and grins as she prepares to greet the new face, but then she turns away. "Huh... Was it something I said?" she wonders quietly. She... Didn't say anything to her, so probably not. "Hm... Maybe she was just intimidated by my suave and sophisticated countenance!" She muses thoughtfully with her hand on her chin.

    Still though, what... Is that sound? Her smile drops noticeably again as she goes back to her phone. Her thumb hovers over a certain app, the shakiness of her finger betraying exactly how nervous she truly is.

Pyrite has posed:
    Teen Himeko shakes her head when addressed. "I don't know. I'm divided. She isn't. She's getting stronger, and so am I, but at a reduced pace. Why does she need so much power for this? It doesn't make any sense..." She turns to look at Hematite and Usagi, either not realizing they're diguised or not caring, and starts to say, "Can you ask Py--" But then there's someone else coming up from behind. Does she know that girl? The moment of hesitation is all it takes for Amy to yell out loud, making Himeko jerk backwards in surprise.
    Others in the auditorium turn to scowl or look in curiosity, or disbelief at such rudeness. Doctor Mezzapelle stumbles over his words for a moment as he looks in the direction the shout came from. "...Yes, that did happen! Haha! I'm glad to see we have such enthusiastic audience members regarding sealed electromagnetic joints!" The sawblade has stopped at least.
    He resumes talking tech, and one of the devices is rolled up to be presented. Something something technobabble yadda yadda, prosthetic that can transmit the sense of touch accurately, what the what? Is this automail or something!?
    The bird/plague doctor mask is there again, actually faintly visible, and two huge, mechanical arms are snapping into place on either side as clawed hands ratchet forwards, as though planning to just sweep up the entire audience and bring them up close to be eaten. Then the doctor says it.
    "So, to show how this all works, how about a volunteer from the audience? I promise it will feel just like the real thing when it's attached!" he says brightly, gesturing at a prosthetic leg that looks very robotic and sophisticated. There's some laughter from the audience, thinking he's joking. But then he focuses on Togo.
    "You there! Young lady! Why don't you come up here, please?" he asks. The laughter is more scattered and weaker as people look over, see Togo and her predicament, and feel that... Maybe this joke is in poor taste. Then an operating table is wheeled out by a 'medical assistant' made of Dark Energy in surgical gear. "Don't worry, I can do the surgery very quickly. Right here." he promises with a smile.

Yuna Yuki has posed:
    "W-what? No!" she protests, blushing more at Togo, as she whispers. When it's mentioned that Fu has indeed been studying though... Train of thought shift. "Uwe?" O_O Yuna lets out in confusion. "She has?" Yes. Fu has, in fact, been studying. In between Hero Club activities. And Udon. And karaoke. And... All those other things she does instead of studying. "Eehhh?" she says in even more confused and also a little bit doubtful about Fu-senpai's dedication. She distracts herself by looking at Amy, but the way the redhead turns as though she just saw something and starts to follow the doctor lady... Seriousness comes to her face. She puts down the pamphlets on the seats behind her and reaches out to touch Togo's shoulder with her left hand. "Togo-san... Fu-senpai... Something is wrong."

    She doesn't know what specifically, but for all that she lacks in intelligence she has a great deal of empathy. That emotional intelligence is telling her there's more going on here than it appears. When the doctor brings out the leg, at first Yuna is excited. This could be just what Togo needs! And then...! And then....

    Her hands instinctively, slowly grip the guide bars on the back of Togo's wheelchair. "T-Togo-san... That's... A joke, right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Prosthetics. And dolls. And bones. And manga (stories about getting to start over and live as a new person, Galatea in Hell -), and getting a body.

Hematite had once said the Silver Crystal could grant miracles. Luna had once said it was the most powerful object in the galaxy - maybe the universe. And they had both said, they would do what they could to give Himeko -

Well, Usagi can't blame her, if she's getting impatient. Or if not her, is getting impatient, she guesses, because if Hemachan says it's not her, then she believes him.

The good (fake)doctor follows him to Himeko's side, trying to pretend to just be one more doctor stepping aside for a quick emergency, a quick consultation, a quick whatever, the point is no one will really notice the two of them as they quietly consult with the young girl on the other side of the auditorium. She, of course, is Himeko. Not the young one, the cute little one who she had first met, but the slightly older one that Usagi had hugged, who had blown up a lightbulb and told her how she had been prayed too, made into a kami of sorts without any thought about her well-being.

She looks okay, but is she?

Usagi worries. Especially given that the sound of sawblades is as frightening as it is irritating, an ever-present drone in her ears.

"She like the little one or she like another one here?" She asks, and she might have asked if not for the person she hadn't noticed, who certainly notices her, and is speaking loudly as soon as she gets close to them, enough so that attention is cast onto them. Usagi - that is, Dr. Tsukihime - stiffens up, turning quickly to shush Amy, all apologetic body language for the watching eyes and grabs at the girl's wrist, pulling her closer to the group. The doctor makes a joke, turning the attention back to himself, and she quickly whispers, urgent, "Shh, not so loud, people are watching the presentation!"

She tries to project her mama's sense of cool awareness and apologetic sensibility, the yes I am so sorry this child I am responsible for is such an embarrassment, you can bet that I will handle that right away attitude that had proceeded similar talks with her throughout her childhood. Of course, those talks weren't about magic or disaster or building bodies, or, all of this. She continues, still in a whisper, "I'm pretty sure they're hearing the speech, and this is - well, it was private. A little? We're going to figure out the stuff about her body, so don't worry about that, but -"

She trails off, because there it is again - the sense of some great looming bird, only now she can see it. It's not a bird at all, but the shadow of something like a person, sweeping hands through the audience, and she grabs at her broach, grimacing. This is going to - but what do they even fight? She can't blast a shadow, can she?

And then the audience takes a turn for the worst, the doctor singling out a young girl in a wheelchair, and her face goes white with shock and then pink with anger. She whispers, "Get ready to fight - don't let anyone touch that girl, you hear me? Hemachan will be able to work with Him- with her," maybe don't give away names, self! "But we're not as useful for that. And I'm a doctor."

She is not a doctor. But she sure is making the world believe she is, and she stands up straight, and projects her voice loudly. "Doctor, Mezzapelle, you can't be seriously suggesting doing surgery on that child in front of us. And I hope you've at least talked about this with her - it would be very rude to spring this on her in front of an audience!"

Togo has posed:
    Togo is... Distracted. There's mechanical noises, or maybe there isn't, but she isn't really paying attention to them. All attention, everything she could have said, goes out the window. The comforting touch on her shoulder is the sole point of contact into reality as she processes what that doctor just said. "What?" she asks in a tone of disbelief, a smile frozen on her face. She must have misheard him, right?

    The yelling from another doctor decrying the proposition of imprompty surgery makes it clear that she did not. All the color drains from her face and her smile goes away completely. "Yuna-chan..." she whimpers.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy is kind of mortified by the audience looking at her... But this time, a friend is supporting her, not telling her she's crazy, and that's enough to keep her from dying of embarassment or running away.

    Usagi tries to explain that it's private, but when she's distracted by the beak, Amy states firmly: "I want to help." That expression and balled fists make her look like a child overdramatically taking Baby's First Stand. She's not sure how to explain, but then remembers, "--And you *know* why. You were there!"

    The 'Doctor' asking for a volunteer get a curious look from her. It makes sense there are probably some amputees here, actually, could this thing *really* be so advanced that just touching it to their stump will--

    Huh? That doesn't make any sense. Togo still has both legs, how is attaching another one going to work?

    Oh. OH. Oh no.

    She nods to Usagi, ducks down, and makes her way to the back, trying to duck out of view and transform before making her way across the back room over to the Hero Club.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite -- as Dr. Tsukihime's intern -- startles at the yell behind him, but glances to Usagi; she takes Amy in hand and addresses the wider audience, so he's free to reach out to take Himeko's hand instead. For a moment he looks at her with a searching expression, and then he nods. "I'm sorry about the way the energy works," he says, voice quiet and urgent, "but you saw what it does. If you can get another kind from me, you-- no, later. Please help Usa."

Then he has let go, and he leans over to say, quietly, next to Usagi's head again -- and touching her hand lightly -- "I'm going to get Pyrite's help. Himeko's with you. If you need me next to you then yell."

And then he teleports to the empty seat next to the middle-schooler in the audience, sitting down hastily. Hematite slouches down very far in that seat and leans over to whisper, "Py-tan, what do you know about her? The one who is and isn't you, the one doing this? Can we stop her without hurting any of you? Does she think I've abandoned any of you?"

He realizes that's a lot of rapidfire questions for the smollest princess, and then holds out his hand. "Can you show me what I need to see?"

Fu Inubouzaki has posed:
    Fu is up and out of her seat. Her thumb is maybe 1 cm above the app icon that will turn her into a Hero. But it's not meant for this. It's meant for a different foe. But... "I'm not going to stand by and do nothing in front of my kohai." she says firmly, her eyes narrowing. She throws one arm out to the side. "No one is going to touch Togo, and no one is going to be performing any surgery here today. If you force me to... I'll fight to stop you!" she calls out. Just in case a doctor protesting isn't enough, there's a highschool student also complaining. Who would dare to proceed under such circumstances?

Pyrite has posed:
    The doctor looks confused. Disoriented. "What? But I just wanted to help. Why would you..." Then he wavers and wobbles on his feet. The rest of the audience is also starting to slump in their seats. Energy drain!? That huge plague doctor mask, open like a beak above and below, is creaking. Those unseen mechanical hands begin to move closer. Everyone within their reach starts to move forward, closer to the stage.
    The wires and ropes and leather straps holding the beak/mask open begin to strain more. The thing behind the doctor, with the operating table, just stands there, waiting. It giggles disturbingly, and asks, "Blue toiler paper... Or red toilet paper?" What? There isn't even a toilet here! Or toilet paper for that mat--No, there's one roll of each color in either hand.
    Anyone here know anything about Japanese folklore? Isn't there a monster that asks that question? This is the... What, the second? Third incident where mythological creatures have shown up, because Himeko is creating spaces for them where they can manifest and exist after slowly dying out in this modern age where no one believes in them? And...
    She used to be a kami.
    Maybe that has something to do with it.
    The Dark Energy the youkai is made of has a certain rotten stink to it. A stench that a few here have smelled before. A very distinctly unique combination of rot, decay, and ancient dust.
    Black and red energy crawls and seethes across its surface.
    This is another creature from the Underworld... Yomi!
    The smaller Himeko looks over to Hematite in confusion. "Hm? Not me. I'm Himeko. Pyrite isn't here." Oh, boy. Even more confusing ghost nonsense. "But Onii-chan... You know what I think?" She slips off her seat and crouch walks over to be right up close to him, with her mouth right next to Hematite's ear, and says quietly, "I think whoever is doing this is building a body for something else."
    The wires and straps snap, and the beak begins to slam shut, black feathers of spraying out everywhere, as the plague mask is about to close on that glob of life force, as well as the people in the front rows, those easier to gobble up whole.

Yuna Yuki has posed:
    Yuna gets a stricken expression despite her attempts to keep a very forced, very small smile on her face, as she backs up the inclined floor towards the nearest entrance, with Togo's wheelchair still firmly in her grasp. "L-let's gooooo now, Togo-san..." Then she goes rigid. Something large just moved behind her. She turns to look, and sees someone approaching along the backrow. A girl trying to remain hidden. No, it wasn't her. This was much closer.

    Before she can do anything further, an invisible wall of force presses against her back, forcing her to slide forward, and thus push Togo along as well. "N-nani!?" she yelps. As she proved at the movie theater, she has a lot more life force than a normal person, even without any magic. Not that she knows that. But the white energy streaming from her and moving towards the stage makes her wonder briefly, 'Haven't I seen this somewhere before?' Didn't she have to help drag Togo up the inclined floor at the theater too? Why was that again? A fire?
    Before she knows what she's doing, her body is moving on its own to get in front of Togo, to keep her from rolling closer to that crazy doctor, to hopefully block any more loss of that bright white mist-like substance. "Fu-senpai!" she calls out sharply.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's private, Usagi had said, and she meant it. Himeko is something else - a ghost, a once-almost-kami, and Mamoru's sister. A dead girl who wants to live. How can she explain that to someone else, anyone else, without Himeko's permission? Without Mamoru's?

Luckily, she doesn't have to. Unfortunately, it's because everything is going to hell in that all too familiar way - only. The monster that appears - well - it's not like the usual youma, because she's heard stories about this all her life, in giggles and whispers at sleepovers and in the halls in elementary school, and -

It's a good thing disguise magic is so effective. It's a good thing no one here knows Dr. Tsukihime is Usagi Tsukino. Because on seeing that creature, on hearing that question, on inhaling the scent of rot and decay, of death, on seeing that tide of people, pushing forward, closer to their deaths -

Her broach is raised. The transformation cry is called. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!"

Sailor Moon stands on the scene, one arm outspread, shielding the older Himeko, hand already at her tiara, eyes locked on the enemy. She remembers another monster, shattered by the combination of their power - in a different form, maybe, but still - "Not today! This is a place of healing, not death! You'll leave these people alone, right now! Hemachan! Your rose!"

And without waiting for an answer, she hurls the tiara, cosmic power shining in the auditorium lights. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    God, this is what her life has become. It feels like everything is changing and uncertain.

    She doesn't want to go back to the life she had before. But, she'd like to take a break and breathe.

    Amy frowns. Or are her emotions just hitting hard right now because of, she hates to think--

    Oh wait no time for thinking now. The Hero Club is being pulled forward! "NO!" The Puella Magi holds her hands like she's aiming and the rocket launcher appears in them and she fires at whatever part of the beak she has a clear shot at. "LET THEM GO!"

Togo has posed:
    Togo lurches forwards, grabbing on tight to the arms of her wheelchair as Yuna's attempts to drag her up turn into pushing her back down the inclined floor. "Aah! Yuna-chan...!?" Then Yuna runs in front of her, trying to stop the rolling, and... They're both... Still moving. Like there's some invisible force drawing them closer. In the midst of all this, she hears a single voice ask a single question. The medical assistant in back. Colored toilet paper, one of each. Red and blue. Togo lowers her eyebrows, as she stops panicking and tries to think. "And Akamonto...?"

    Why would someone be pretending to be an Akamanto? What does that have to do with any of this? Why would a red-mantled ghost even be involved with some kind of horror movie doctor? Though... The Doctor doesn't seem to be in control here. He even seems to be being affected.

    One hand goes to her left ear, as she thinks she hears the sounds of something straining and then snapping.
    "Don't say either color! Stay away from the stage!" she calls out. If someone is crazy enough to dress up as a ghost who will flay or strangle you depending on which of its gifts it chooses, while some weird earthquake or something is going on, then who knows what else they might do? And the sound of things straining and breaking overhead... Some lights or something might be about to fall!

    Before she can say or do anything else, there's someone calling out loudly, and clearly, her voice penetrating all the chaos like a bolt of moonlight. Fu looks over there, tears of fear in the corners of her eyes, and sees a shining figure. She calls out something and then throws a silvery discus or something... Then there's the feel of some unseen force washing over Togo. Not like the wall behind them, but like a shockwave or something. Even though she didn't hear anything?

    She is so lost. All she can do is rely on those around her. She...

    Togo cannot fight.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Hematite nods emphatically to smol-Himeko, then looks up at the stage and actually jumps in alarm, so concentrating was he on his tiny ghost nonsense that he missed the doctor's faltering and the people moving and leaning forward. The question kicks something in the back of his head from meaner bigger kids telling stories at the orphanage, but he doesn't have time to fish through scattered memories. Pyrite isn't here. "Pyrite!" he calls, clearly not talking to Little Hime; he pushes up out of his seat, and the monster's about to snap up all that energy, and Usagi calls for him--

'Hematite, now!' isn't it?

Without thinking about it at all, blind reaction and all one motion, he pulls a black rose from nowhere and whips it like a dart at the best potential point of impact, joining both tiara and rocket.

ROCKET?!!? Where did THAT come from???

"Pyrite can you eat that yokai without getting sick to your stomach?! Or the explosion!! So it doesn't get the audience!! Don't get hurt!!" he yelps, ducked down in a crouch with his hands over his head, looking back to see if any more rockets are in the offing-- he's too tall for this!

Fu Inubouzaki has posed:
    The cold sweat all over Fu feels like the icy fingers of death. When Yuna calls out to her, and Togo gives her warnings, Fu just puts her phone away. "Kuso!" she swears as she turns and joins Yuna in trying to push Togo's wheelchair upwards. This isn't the time for her to be a Hero. She needs to look after her friends and the people in the audience first. "Where did your friend go!? We can't leave without her!" she asks loudly, not realizing the transformed magical girl nearby is the same person.

    She glances over her shoulder as the older girl digs her feet into the floor for more traction, and PUSHES with all of her strength. "An Akamanto? Why would--" No. The Vertexes exist. She doesn't want to believe in fairy tales just because there are some monsters she knows are real, but... This is all too wild for her to process right now. First thing's first. "Yuna, look after Togo! I have to start evacuating people!" Not just her friends need help.

    "Hero Club First Tenet! Give people a good greeting!" she calls out to draw attention from the other civilians, and make sure they know she's here. "I'm Fu Inubouzaki, President of the Hero Club! Hero Club Second Tenet!" Then she tries to pick up a full-grown woman and carry her on her back. "Try not to give up!" she calls out after a moment of straining, before starting to march her way uphill.

    There are other people yelling, strange lights, weird sounds, creepy entities... But... "Hero Club Third Tenet! Sleep well, eat well! This isn't the kind of sleep you need, so don't fall asleep here!" she yells.

Pyrite has posed:
    The tiara sails. The rocket launches. The rose flies.
    Right as those phantasmal, maybe-not-even-real-by-the-standards-of-conventional-reality jaws of a giant plague bird of some kind are almost closed, there is a loud impact. A girl in a black military uniform, a sword sheathed at her side, with long black hair, dead-white skin, and unseen red eyes, because her back is to those looking at her, has appeared. And she is holding the jaws open by standing on the bottom beak and pushing up on the upper.
    She is straining a bit, but she doesn't appear to be faltering. Those three attacks seem to be headed right for her. But then Pyrite lets go for a moment, curls into a ball in midair, and makes a big gulping noise as she swallows up that huge orb of life force and keeps it in her cheeks, before disappearing. She bought the precious few seconds needed for the attacks to land without endangering anyone.
    Cosmic energy, a soul-powered rocket, and a rose that Breaks Magic, all strike and dispel the apparition as though it never existed. But there's no splashback or shockwave. The attacks disappear as though they, too, never existed. But they definitely did. Just... Somewhere else now. Wherever that thing was sent off to when it was destroyed or fled or whatever.
    The Akamanto seems to be angry despite the wide grin of nothing but an empty black void for a mouth as it insists, "Blue toilet paper... Or red toilet paper--!?"
    Then it starts gagging, its attempt to step forward halted by a sword pressed against its throat. Pyrite is behind the youkai, her narrow, angular eyes not matching the gentle, innocent, round eyes that the little Himeko has developed as she has become more 'human'. This Pyrite is from the time when she was still closer to being one of these youkai herself.
    She spits out the mass of life force, and it returns to its owners, carried on the black feathers from earlier. Then her mysterious, barely-there, Mona Lisa smile is on her face as she says menacingly, "I will take everything, thank you."
    Then the left arm of the huge mechanical monster disappears as the youkai tries to scream. Then the right arm, as it again tries and fails to scream.
    Then Pyrite opens her jaws wide again, inhumanly wide, more like that giant beak that anything that belongs in a humanoid face, the corners of her motuh extending up and up so far that they're really best not looked at. Then she swallows what's left of the youkai whole.
    MMmngmmmnnmmmnng go her eating sounds as her hand covers her face, the other holding her sword dripping with Yomi down at her side. When she moves her hand and looks up again, she just looks like her usual self. A strange, spooky young girl, with white pupils in her red eyes, and a mysterious smile, presently smeared with black and red Underworld energy that moves as if trying to escape. She holds up a messy hand to show everyone and tilts her head as she says cheerfully, "All gone!"
    The doctor is still passed out, and the weakened audience members are helping Fu evacuate. No more invisible force tries to draw anyone in. No more young Himeko. No more teen Himeko. Just Pyrite. And all that pressure, that dread and sense of Death, is now coming from her, as she stands there, waving her hand, and smiling her messy smile, and dripping Hell on the stage, waiting to be praised.

Yuna Yuki has posed:
    Yuna didn't see what happened. She just suddenly feels her strength returning to her, and that resisting force ease up. She does what Fu-senpai told her, and gets Togo out of here and to safety. She calls out, "Amy-chan! If you can hear me, get out of here!" Cold chills are running up and down her spine for some reason. But she has to make sure Togo is safe... And then, much like her senpai... Come back for anyone else. And she won't remember any of this tomorrow. Or at least... Not the way it really happened.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's maybe the third or fourth most horrifying thing Usagi has ever seen. Fifth for sure. Sixth, at absolute worst. Just. She will see the sight of that mouth stretching open to feast on a demon for the rest of her life or at least this week, probably!

But the monster is dead. And the energy was returned. And Sailor Moon wipes at her forehead with the back of her hand, smushing the tiara that's magically reappeared on her forehead into her skin.

"Is that going to give you a tummyache, Py-chan?" It's really the only thing she can even begin to process. Oh, but also - "Thanks for taking out the trash?"

There's a weight in the air, of death and awful and dread, but she pushes that AWAY as a problem to drown in ice cream. Pyrite is Himeko is her friend, and she won't be scared of her.

Togo has posed:
    Togo... Togo doesn't know what she just saw. She isn't sure how she'll remember all of this, or if she will at all. Two years of her memories were wiped out in an accident. The same one that rendered her unable to use her legs. Forgetting... She has wondered what was in those lost memories before. But what she just saw, what her brain fails to comprehend... Maybe it's best to forget sometimes. She focuses on Yuna and says, "I'm fine now... Please help the others. I'll guide them to the exit." Then she turns, and wheels herself towards the exit to the outdoors, so that people can follow the light.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
No smol Hime. No teenaged Hime. Only Pyrite, on the stage of the auditorium, looking for praise and reeking of oppressive horrifying endless death.

Hematite immediately calls out, breaking into a huge grin, "Pyrite, that was EXCELLENT work! Thank you so much, you're getting so good at this!"

Mamoru's heart hurts, but that was the gift he asked for from the little girl death curse who tried to make it hurt less. In the back of his heart, all the way down, there's love even past the dark energy. There's love in spite of the dark energy, all the way into the depths.

In the back of his head, there's a small voice going oh fuck because his heart's in his throat with second-guessing, again, worried that he's missed the point again, worried that listening and not listening are both incorrect, worried that he'll lose his shadow.

He looks to Sailor Moon, eyes wide, and then he's teleported over to her to give her a quick unsolicited and unapologetic kiss on the cheek, and then he's teleported to the stage to reach for-- and if she lets him, hoist-- Pyrite up into the air and catch her in a hug, death oppression and all.

"What Sailor Moon said, though! How are you feeling?" he asks, more concerned than anything else.

His heart hurts, but he asked for it.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy hears Fu calling out. She's proud of the brave civilian, doing what she can while the Mahou Shoujo handle the fighting.

    And then there's a mysterious girl in a black military uniform -- must be another mahou shoujo -- buying them time, and then the monster is goner... leaving behind the other. And then the youma is eaten like in a goddamn cartoon. 'All gone!'

    Amy's... not sure what to make of that, but is relieved the danger seems to be past. She mutters, "I guess it's only fair after the fridge ate us..."

> Amy-chan! If you can hear me, get out of here?

    The Puella Magi, cloak dramatically billowing, turns and asks cluelessly: "Why?" And then realizes: OH RIGHT.

    She turns back towards the stage and bounds down.

    "So uhm. Nice to meet you."

Fu Inubouzaki has posed:
    When it came down to it, when lives were in her hands, Fu chose to rely on those hands rather than the Shinju-sama's blessing. To some, it's an admirable action. Humans looking after humans. And in some ways, that's true. But in her heart, Fu also knows that... She didn't transform because then it would be 'real'. She'd actually be one of the combatants, and that might mean her sister would have to become one too, as a member of her 'team'.

    And...

    She can't do that.

    Not to little Itsuki.

    She isn't ready to do that if she can avoid it.

    So for now... She does what she can do with her own hands.

    Humans looking after humans.

    And she questions if she is fit to be the leader for putting her selfishness before the lives of others.

Pyrite has posed:
    Pyrite is lifted up! So high! She smiles at Sailor Moon! Oh, she's a friend! ...Right? She seems happy anyway! Her sword is already gone back to its sheathe, the remains of the youkai gradually getting drawn into her mouth despite their best attempts to drip away. A long, long tongue licks them up, from her face, and her hand, before retracting.
    "Tummyache?" she wonders aloud. "Hmm... Iie~! I am as usual in my stomach!" Then she looks down at Hematite, smiling as she suspended in the air. "How do I feel...?"
    She turns when Amy approaches. Red eyes fixing upon her. "...I feel like that was a nice start!" Then she smiles.
    She must be very happy.
    Because her smile is very wide.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There is a displacement of air beside her, the sudden presence of a person, familiar as her own breath and just as comfortable, beside her, all of a sudden, with her, and before she can even think to ask Hemachan why he's with her instead of Pyrite, there's a kiss to her cheek.

Her face flushes pink. Her mind goes blank. She even squeaks, fingers pressing to her cheeks. She stares at him, eyes wide as he scoops Pyrite up and holds her, and she doesn't even say anything, to Amy, as she joins them. She just - smiles.

Unlike the delighted, shark smile of an adorable girl who ate a youma and radiates death, hers is the bubbling delight of a girl kissed by the boy she loves.