Scene #1035: A Tale of a Cursed Painting, Diving of Selene

Owner	Pose
Veronica Perenna	The rumours persist just as much as ever, but this time the feeling they talk about is slightly different. It's as if something is begging to return, lost away from sight and under the embrace of a statue that watches over it until it gets a chance to return. Nonetheless, it is still showing that odd behaviour of kidnapping people and letting them go after a while with only faint memories of what transpired, just like a vague dream you aren't even sure you actually experienced. The Art Gallery from the first time the rumours started spreading is the one experiencing this distress, so it's certainly having a lot of worries to deal with these last weeks. Not to mention that now they are straight up being threatened with theft, if the calling card they thought on their premises is to be believed. The building, once fairly active is now completely void of any spectator, the only human presence a few guards that clearly aren't at their best. Rather, they look quite panicked and confused.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong had heard of people disappearing and, frankly, as a member of the student council it was her duty, nay, obligation to ensure that all of the students of their school were taken care of! ... Okay, not really. But there was possibly something magical in nature and while she wasn't the most 'artsy' girl around, she did understand badguys had a flair for being over the top. How did one go more over the top than robbing an art museum? So she'd had a bit of a chat with the local king and the two had decided to investigate. In this case... As the moon rose, a golden cloud flew across the sky. Cure Wukong held onto Tadase while the young king held onto Kiseki. Why? Because only the pure of heart could ride on the cloud. Oh, and Wukong. And Kiseki... Kiseki was not. Fortunately, Cure Wukong was making sure that, despite the fierce winds, Tadase was kept safe and once they were there, she'd gently hop off, still holding him, only letting him go once they were on solid ground. "There. Safe as could be. Go ahead and henshin and then we'll be good to go." She then gave a low whistle and the golden cloud flew up, off into the sky and out of sight. Until it was needed again!
Usagi Tsukino	Rumors about kidnappings are still swirling, and after the mermaid adventure, Usagi isn't exactly ''scared'' of the idea of being kidnapped again. So she'd suggested to Mamoru that they check it out - Maybe it could even be a date. A low-key night after a very ''high-key'' experience. "You... can get us in there, right?" She asks, once they arrive at the museum - it's closed, of course, and they're hanging out near a back entrance, hiding from view. In henshin, so no one will be able to identify them later, but still... "I mean, just because I think if I break the door down, the alarm will go off, you know?"
Tadase Hotori	Kiseki's being unable to ride the cloud always amuses Tadase and annoys the little king. Which means it amuses Tadase a little bit more. But the two of them step off onto the roof of the museum, and Tadase brings his hands up near the lock he wore on a chain around his neck, under his clothes. "My heart: Unlock!" And then standing where Tadase was and near where Kiseki was, Platinum Royale in his red-and-white outfit is ready to get moving. "It's probably magic. But Kiseki didn't sense anything yet, so maybe it's sleeping. In any case, let's not cause too much trouble here." he says, looking pointedly at Wuwu, before starting to walk towards the rooftop door... which doesn't open. "Actually, we may need to cause a little trouble, specifically with this door's lock."
Anna Domenico	Remember how 'Pink' flipped away, and escaped out a high window last time? Well yeah. She's at the same window this time and peeking in. Since she is bright pink in her hunters gear, she waits for the guard to do their rounds and then carefully produces a silver dagger. She carefully uses it to... Break the lock wide open, just shoving the dagger into it and destroying it, as she then slides the window open and slides down into it along the wall and down to the ground as she settle and sneaks the opposite way she saw the guards walk. tip toe. Relevant BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEsE0v1fEks
Amy Faust	The art gallery is locked this time? Due to threat of thieves... that must mean the Princess of Sarek left a calling card or something. ''Ugh,'' Amy thinks, this makes it a bit harder on them... but hopefully, it means fewer civilians getting sucked into the paintings. She hasn't had to consider ''breaking in'' until now, so she hadn't really... 'cased the joint'. She's doing that when Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask show up, so she walks out to greet them. "I guess that depends on how burglar alarms actually work. There's probably ways to disable them..." She gets out her phone to do a search that might get her on a watchlist, but out of the corner of her eye she sees a kintoun fly down out of the sky. "Is that...?" Amy transforms, and leaps up onto the roof. Seeing a familiar face she hasn't in awhile, she runs up to hug Cure Wukong! "Long time no see! How've you been?" Tadase gets a friendly smile and nod too. "Good to see you again, too. So, you both heard about the paintings, huh? They suck us into other worlds, inside them. So far there's been an underwater one where a bunch of us were mermaids, and a ruined future city one where I was a robot. This time we're looking for a painting that..." Amy taps her chin. "Gives a feeling of... something lost, that wants to return." She'd ask how they plan to get in, but. It's Cure Wukong. And Wuwu. A direct route is probably going to be taken anyway, so Amy may as well go with them!
Mamoru Chiba	"Yup," says Tuxedo Kamen, reaching into his hat and pulling out!! a set of lockpicks!! totally casually. He glances at Amy and nods a greeting, but otherwise doesn't address her concerns about burglar alarms. He crouches in front of the door and takes off his gloves, carefully starting to work at it like it's one of his favorite hobbies-- --and he definitely hears that metal wrenching and popping when Anna just busts a lock in at a window. He sighs through his teeth. "Well," ''click'' his lock opens, "remind me to avoid whoever just broke something while breaking in," he says as he stands up and tucks his picks back into their little fold-over packet, then shoves it in his hat. He pushes the door open and holds it for Sailor Moon, looking to make sure no one's watching, especially. Cameras probably but they can't be identified, at least.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong gave a small nod. "I'll see what I can do!" she said proudly. Only for... Amy! Amy? "Oh! Hey, Red? How've you been? Suck us in? That... that'll be an experience. Here's hoping it's a good one. I wouldn't mind the mermaid one, I'm pretty familiar with mermaids now. Right! But first, I've got to get us inside! Wuwu?" And then Wuwu's tail moved out and... he dropped... lockpicks into Wukong's hands. Who stared at them. "Ummmm..." "Do you know how?" Wuwu asked. "... How in the world would I know how?" Wukong asked. "Don't you?" "... I'm a monkey." Wukong just stared at him. Eye twitching. Then shrugged. She just walked to the door, grabbed the knob, and twisted it. There was a sound of breaking metal crunching, followed by a low grounding sound, before she pushed it open. And the door just came out of the frame to go inside. "I think that was a 'pull' door," Wuwu offered helpfully. Wukong groaned, motioning the others inside while she... tried... and failed... to put the door back the way it had been. Failed miserably before racing after them down the stairs. At least monkeys could go down stairs quickly. Mostly by just jumping down the handrails...
Veronica Perenna	Veronica's method of entry is quite simple, when it comes to being a Phantom Thief. She just turns ethereal and simply ''walks'' in through the walls. She probably isn't the only one though, considering how the other two times went. So, after glancing around quickly to locate the source of the curse, a painting named "Diving of Selene", she just leaves it be just in case anybody else decided to enter. Admittedly... It really isn't hard to hear the noise Cure Wukong makes when entering and the guards hear it too, not just the Princess of Sarek, and while the former run away under the effects of the fear caused by her calling card's magic, the latter just heads in the direction of the sound, stumbling on two folks she knows and one she doesn't. "Hello, Red and Wukong, nice to meet you again!", she smiles towards the two, before bowing towards Platinum Royale while keeping her hat secured with her hand. "Hello, good sir, I don't believe I have had the pleasure. I am the Princess of Sarek." She then turns back to Red and asks. "Have you filled them in on what to expect? If so, I can lead the way to the painting."
Tadase Hotori	Platinum Royale shrugs. "Well, it gets us in." he says as he follows Wuwu downstairs. Amy's explanation makes about as much sense as your average reason a 14 year old would be breaking into a museum dressed like a king, so he just nods. He takes it all in stride; he's about 60% magical fairy himself right now. As he walks down the stairs he muses. "Something lost that wants to go home?" he asks, following Wukong down. "Like... like somebody's car keys?" Then he pauses. "No, car keys always want to stay lost. Like missing socks." he muses. When they reach the bottom and run into the Princess, Royale smiles. "I don't think we have. I'm Platinum Royale." He blinks, and for a moment there's a pause and he says "I'm the king." Not a King. The king. And that was Kiseki in control for a moment. "She gave us a little bit of info, yeah. Some sort of a painting people get stuck into?"
Amy Faust	Huh, Wuwu actually suggested lockpicks. "I think I saw Tuxedo Kamen--" Amy starts to explain, but there goes the lock. Amy walks on in, but when Cure Wukong tries to fix the door, she shakes her head. "That's not gonna work. You took off the hinges too..." She follows down to where they meet the Princess... or rather, the Phantom Thief? The Puella Magi nods, "Yeah, to the degree I can. I mean, who knows what the painting's world will be like ''this'' time?"
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong was many things, subtle was not one of them! Sure, sometimes she could be subtle. But this... this was not one of those times. Especially when Wuwu was being just a little trolly towards her. However, then there was another magical girl. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Princess of Sarek! "Oh, hey! Long time no see! And yup, this is a friend of mine. Platinum Royale... the man who will be king of the world," she said in a playful tone. "Totally different king than the king of monkeys, so it's cool. I also don't think he's equal to heaven. Yet," Wukong said playfully. Alas, though. The door above was uhhhh... toast. "And apparently we need to help find something that was lost? And wants to be found? It sounds fun! I'm ready whenever you are!" She punched a fist into her palm. "Also, uhhh... I don't... suppose you have... repair powers? For broken doors? Because I kind of... yeah... Accidentally..." ... Right. 'Accidentally'.
Mamoru Chiba	"How do you ''accidentally'' make a sound like that while breaking into a place?" comes Tuxedo Kamen's voice from behind everyone -- he and Sailor Moon arrive from the back of the building as he's neatly tugging his white gloves back on. "Next time there's a group raid on a haunted painting, let's actually make it a group raid." Says the guy who's a stranger to both Cure Wukong and Platinum Royale -- though since he's arriving ''with'' Sailor Moon, he's probably okay. He's very tall and dressed as well as the Princess of Sarek, all bespoke and bedizened. ... well, maybe not bedizened, but he doesn't completely lack accessories. "Tuxedo Kamen," he says with a bow, taking off his top hat, then vanishing it into nothing and nowhere as he straightens up. "Please do, Princess," he asks Veronica politely.
Veronica Perenna	A king that aims to rule the world? Veronica raises an eyebrow towards Platinum. "Thay sounds like a goal I would expect a villain to have." She may be skirting the rules herself, but that was a bit too much even for her, as far as she was concerned. "Well, I would hope he is not equal to heaven. In the first place, only Wukong or you would be able to waltz around such a place undisturbed", she remarks. "Can he really be that ambitious?" "I think I know what wants to be found, but that's a long story, so for now I can just say it's something I am meant to protect", she tells Wukong. The Princess of Sarek shakes her head. "I don't have repair powers", she tells Cho. "I typically walk in through the wall, so it has never been necessary." "Hello, Tuxedo Kamen!", she beams up at the figure of the fellow... I mean... "I will do so, especially since Red has explained them the gist of it." To Amy, she says. "It's another underwater painting, so I hope you are ready to put on things once more", she smirks. Once at the painting, darkness claims them as they get absorbed into the painting and once the shroud on their sight dissolves, they find themselves transformed. "As expect, I am a mermaid again", the Mermaid Princess of Sarek says, looking at her swimsuit, bracelets, light blue tail and the nymphaeaceae on her hair. The placid sea currents gently push around the group, and in front of their eyes a colourful spectacle of corals and fish dances, as clear as it could be with sunlight.
Amy Faust	> Something lost that wants to go home? Like car keys? "Nnnno. I dunno. Wait, you have a car?" She cocks her head, at Platinum Royale. > That sounds like a villainous goal. "I mean... if he's a benevolent king who wants to make things better, it's not that odd... I think a lot of people wish they could make the world better..." > It's another underwater painting. "Things?" Amy quirks an eyebrow. She stretches. "Welp, it'll be interesting to see if I'm a mermaid again. Might tell us something about the logic of the paintings." As they come into sight of it, she opens her mouth to shout 'Here we goooooo!' but darkness claims her first. --- Ax1 $x0 x2 1 Longing to Return My Score $x0 Course 3 Diving of Selene --- Amy is wearing a black swimsuit top with a white stripe down the middle, cut like a sports bra, and once again has a big ol' fish tail instead of legs! It's a bright orange fish tail, with a big white stripe limned in black around her hips and a second near the end of the tail, with the fins tipped in black with a white fringe. Yup, 'Miss Clownfish' is back! "Yeah." She nods to the transformed Princess, swimming around the group to get a feel for it again.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong just gave a sheepish smile to Tuxedo Kamen. "Well... I pushed instead of pulled. Total normal mistake, anyone could have made it." Monkey BS! "But hi! Nice to meet you, Tuxedo Kamen! Hi Sailor Moon! You should have told us you were coming by, we would have helped. Or at least like... not gone alone. Do either of you know how to pick locks? Cause... I... do not," she said sheepishly. "And Platinum Royale is very ambitious. And even if he fails, he's a lot of fun to watch and be around, so as kings go we could do worse." However, now it was time to enter the painting and... Well... a moment later... They were in the sea! And Wukong was under the water. A monkey. CRUD! "HA! Mortality, it's hilarious, isn't it?" Wuwu asked. Wukong glared before pulling out her scroll! Tapping on a little mermaid sticker, with a flash of light she... was a mermaid! "Transformation art! Mermaid!" A little monkey mermaid. She had the fun seashell bikini top, with red fins. And she was now glaring at Wuwu. Who was also now a merman. "What?" Wuwu asked. Cure Wukong paused and pulled out her staff from behind her ear. It grew and, a moment later... it was a trident. Oh. Yes. She grinned at Wuwu... Who yelped and SWAM AWAY! Cure Wukong pursued, trident lifted overhead. "Mortality, it's hilarious, isn't it?!!" she yelled after him.
Usagi Tsukino	"We were coming for a museum date," Sailor Moon siiiighs at the others, though she's smiling so the disappointment can't be ''too'' harsh. "If we'd known you were coming, we would have spared the museum the damage though - ''he'' can pick locks." She's Will Smith handsing at her boyfriend, smugly pleased with his totally subtle and cautious method of pulling a Break and Enter. A moment later, the rest of the sentence registers, and she squints - "You can't be king of the world, that's Tuxedo Kamen's job." She has no idea the kind of bomb she's throwing into the pool with that one, but luckily, they don't have a chance to do anything about it, because the Princess of Sarek leads them onwards - into the abyss of darkness. Holding hands has multiple benefits - one of them is that ''this time'', when Sailor Moon transforms into a mermaid, she doesn't find herself alone in the deep sea - and she doesn't find herself in the appearance she had last time, either. Instead, she was still golden-haired, her skin and scales a pale, pale yellow, long flowing yellow fins at the end of her tail, and emerging from her back. Her top-half was covered with fabric of the same pale yellow. Her long hair flowed around them as the water soaked it through. "Ah! I want to see what you look like this time, Tuxedo-chan!"
Tadase Hotori	Platinum Royale shrugs and kind of gets a little flush in his cheeks at Sarek's accusation, and reaches up to scratch the back of my head. "It's kind of... a childish ambition. I've had my... powers... for a while. I've grown a lot since I got them." he admits. "I really just want to be able to help people - a benevolent king might not be the way it happens, but Red's got the right of it." he says. "But let's... get to that. Helping people. Today." he says, trying to put the rest behind him. Royale continues with the group, and they come to the painting. And then are consumed BY the painting - going into that underwater world. Apparently, the universe (or the painting) has a sense of humor, as Platinum Royale does come through as a king... As a king crab like merperson, almost like some sort of drideresque centuar crab-man, complete with a little golden crown and a staff that ends in a pincer. He sighs. He expects to get some hell from Wuwu and Cure Wukong, but then he sees what they're up to and laughs. Well, they're having a tougher time of it than he is. Finally he turns to retort to Sailor Moon - Mermaid Moon - because while ''Tadase'' let the comment slip, ''Kiseki'' did not. "If I'm not fit to be king of the world, nobody is." says Crab Royale. "And that's probably how things ought to be." he continues. "But if there's gonna be one, it's me." he says. He starts to get his underwater bearings - his back crabby legs are flattened into paddles, like other crab species, so he can partly keep up with the rest.
Mamoru Chiba	"I am shamefully good at picking locks," Tuxedo Mask agrees cheerfully, then hastily follows after Sailor Moon and the Princess of Sarek after Usagi comments on the king stuff-- --and as soon as they're in the water, he's a merman too, but one who's a ''ribbon eel'': he is very long, and vivid ultramarine blue fading into a lighter blue, with a brilliant gold fin all the way down the entire length of his body. He is ''very long''. "Apparently still tall and skinny," laughs the masked merman, immediately almost getting tangled in his girlfriend's hair and fins. Almost. Too slippery for that. "She just meant because once upon a time, I was supposed to be, but everyone died before my parents did," he tells Tadase, "don't worry about it." He swims side-to-side instead of up-and-down! And ends up just sort of everywhere, before briefly curling around Sailor Moon on purpose, then letting go. It's like a very big hug.
Veronica Perenna	To be fair, now that she knew what to expect, being a mermaid was actually a lot more fascinating, if nothing else for the advantages it brought when it came to swimming around. Following Amy's example, she takes a few practice tours around to refresh her muscle memory. A pity she can't take a photo of herself right now. "Nice to see you again, Miss Clownfish", Veronica waves at Amy. "How does it feel to be back?" "Did you actually just transform on your own?" Cure Wukong gets asked. That's unfair, that she can actually do that however she wants. "You are so lucky, Wukong. At best, I can turn into a phantom to sneak into places", she comments. Turns out Royale's goal was a lot more noble than she originally understood it to be, as Amy said. "Well, I wish you best of luck. Making others recognise your rule peacefully isn't easy, you got your work cut out for you." And she is the first one to walk around rules if her morals say otherwise. This is the first time Veronica sees Sailor Moon underwater and that reminds her of last time. "Hey, Moon, did you know that when you disappeared after we entered the other painting, we met a mermaid as beautiful as moonlight itself? Really, if she had appeared in this painting, I would have called her the goddess Selene herself." And then there is Tuxedo, who is looooooong and Veronica has to swim back a bit before he is entirely in her sight. "The painting really didn't spare anything with you, did it?" she chuckles. "It's going to take you a lot more time if we have to cross any entrance like that." The news that his parents had died leaves Veronica feeling awkward about avoiding any faux pas. "Oh, was it ok to share it all with us", she comments, even if he had said that himself. "That must have been quite tough to deal with." Though, she has to explain the group what to do. "Alright, everyone..." and she stops. How does she call on her relics here? Typically they are in her hat. Fiddling with her hair decoration, she tries to feel for a reaction and she actually gets it, the vase of silver appearing in her hand. "We are looking for something that has the same magic aura as this vase. If you find it, please get to me."
Tadase Hotori	Crab Royale floats up. "It's fine, it does sound a bit world-dominationy." he admits. And well... he knows he can get that way. Thankfully merged with Kiseki, while it does come with the downsides of sometimes saying what his chara is thinking, does prevent him from going into rant and rampage mode. "It's alright. I'm not worried about it." He says to Tuxedo Eelen. And well, at least most of him isn't. "I have to say, of all of the things I've experienced, this one is one of the weirdest." the centuar-crab-king notes. "I will not miss having this many legs." he adds. "The same magic aura?" He asks. "Is it likely to be a vase too, or could it be anything?" he asks.
Usagi Tsukino	With her boyfriend transformed into the longest Mamoru possible, Sailor Moon has more to worry about than the hypothetical other king of Earth. That doesn't stop her from shooting Crab Royale the stink-eye, but it does mean that she focuses more on that full-body hug than worrying about it. The Princess of Sarek's comment earns a blush, pale pink interrupting the white-yellow of her cheeks. "Oh, really? I'm sure - that she'd be very glad to hear you thought that! Such a nice compliment, haha -" It had been a little awkward, not admitting that she was herself, but Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon probably deserved at least a little distance, to spare the Silver Crystal, right? "But it's got to be nicer than having just two down here - I mean, crab legs are a lot faster than human ones!" She swims around him, turning a quick circle, her fins like an enveloping wind. "The first time I was in one of these, it was a sword we had to find and destroy. Did anyone get a good look at the painting before we came in?"
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong paused her chasing of Wuwu for a moment to nod to Sarek. "Yup! It's my plot device! It's a bunch of magic stickers that let me access some of the transformations that..." Pause. "Actually, I'm not sure what they're supposed to represent. Probably my desires or something? Like there was this fruit that eliminates all fears when I eat it, and the mermaid, and there's some others. I get them when I beat up badguys. I'm friends with a mermaid princess, so the mermaid one made sense." "... But Wukong is a living plot device, so like. I think technically all of my powers would fall under that," Cure Wukong admitted. "Also, Platinum Royale! Looking good! Just don't get upset, we'd hate it if you got crabby!" she called after him. She then glanced to Amy... and was going to say something. Clownfish. Boy fish who turned into girl fish. There were just... too many there. She shook her head and instead decided to focus on what was at hand! Also... "So... 'Eeling good about this?" she asked Tuxedo. Because how could she NOT?! She even finger gunned him and nearly dropped the trident in the process. "Ohhhh. We're gonna do a little mermaid? Woo!" she yelled, taking off. "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think--" "We're not doing an actual little Mermaid!" Wuwu yelled, swimming after her. "Come on, Sebastion, lets go find us a magical mcguffin!" "WHAT? Hey, he'd be Sebastion, I'd be flounder!" Wuwu objected. "You're right," Cure Wukong said. "Which is why I called him, not you, to help me look," she said in a teasing tone before swimming off. Time to find the magic!
Amy Faust	> Do either of you know how to pick locks? "I tried to tell you that Tuxedo Mask did..." > Nice to see you again miss Clownfish, how does it feel to be back? Amy wiggles her tail. "It's neat, now that I don't have to wonder if I'm stuck like this or what. How about you?" > Mortality, it's hilarious, isn't it? "Oh shit, Wukong! Um..." Amy swims over to her in distress, unsure how to help, but it turns out she's able to transform! "Damn, that's cool... what else can you turn into?" > Mortality, it's hilarious, isn't it?!! "I wouldn't know..." Amy says softly, watching them. > Did you just transform on your own? You are so lucky, Wukong. "Be careful what you wish for..." she says ominously, then giggles. "Oh wait, I don't regret this at all! So you wish you could turn into stuff too, huh? ''Mood.'' I've always thought that would be a pretty cool power. Woulda been my top choice for superpower, honestly..." The red-haired mermaid looks down at her tail. "Although now, I don't know anymore. I haven't thought about it since becoming a magical girl. It would ''still'' be pretty cool, though..." Wukong explains. "Did you really just call it a ''plot device?''" Wukong safe, Miss Clownfish now turns to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Eel. "You look different this time! ...And you're an eel-merman? Huh. Y'know, last time, the only guy... well, the only guy was the one who turned into something else, in that case a squid. Like not a squid merman, just, a squid." She nods her head towards Wukong. "And we had one girl who didn't transform that time, either. She could breathe underwater just fine, though. I wonder what it means?" Beat. "Oh wait, we have two this time, where's--" She looks around for Platinum Royale. Who is a crabtaur. "Huh. I guess that's a pattern. Although, a sample size of three isn't much. And I dunno whether to count Wuwu..." If anyone comments on the subject, she looks at her tail kind of solemnly. Long Mamoru is long! "Whatd's that feel like?" Amy asks curiously, swimming over to poke the end of the tail with her finger. She doesn't seem too shocked at the bit about him being a king, assuming this is past life stuff. > I have to say, of all of the things I've experienced, this one is one of the weirdest. Amy looks to Platinum King Crab. "Honestly, I dunno anymore. Remember that time a bunch of people got turned into dolls and stuff? It's like this stuff is just my life now..." Her gaze drifts to her tail again. Princess Art Thief shows them a magic cup. "Magic aura? I have no idea how to feel that. Am I supposed to be able to? Is that a magical girl thing? How do I do it?" Moon has comments about crab shape! "I don't think I've ever seen a crab outrun a human. I'm good with two, honestly. Even this ''tail'' centipede's-dilemma's me if I think about it." > Eeling good? Amy ''grins'' at Wukong. "Fishing for jokes, are you? I don't think you realize the ''scale'' of what you've just unleashed."
Mamoru Chiba	"Sorry," says Tuxeeldo Mask, having the grace to look a little abashed. "It was a really long time ago, I'm-- sorry. It's fine. And don't worry about me, I'm pretty sure I can move fairly quickly." Veronica explains what they're here for, and he nods firmly. "Cursed magical item, possibly pretty like the vase or the fan or the book, get it to you. Check." Wait. The fan and the book? How could he know about those? "Eeling great," he laughs in Cure Wukong's direction, and then he squeezes Sailor Moon's hand again and says, "I didn't get a really good look at the HEY!" That's when Amy pokes his tail, and yes: he can move ''very'' quickly, apparently. "It feels like you poked me," he says, scrunching up his blue and yellow face. "Anyway I didn't get a good look at the painting, but I think the Princess of Sarek did? Otherwise, we can just snoop around, angling for it." He really just said that.
Veronica Perenna	"It could be anything", the Princess of Sarek explains to Platinum Royale. "Besides the vase, so far I have had a painted hand fan, a set of knives, and a book with jewels patterned after constellations in it." That last one had also earned extra value after Zoisite had happened to write his notes about Midnight Tokyo in it. If the thought of Wukong's transformations was enough to make her jealous (imagine how useful it would be if she wasn't limited to people's disguises), then the Precure mentioning a mermaid princess is enough to reawaken Veronica's bottomless curiosity. "Mermaids are real? And you know one? What's her name? Where does she live? Is she pretty? What's her kingdom? How did you meet her? Do you spend a lot of time with each other? Is that why you knew you could turn into a mermaid, because you use it to swim with her?" She admittedly has a problem with not knowing. "Of course she was!" Veronica stresses to Sailor Moon. "It's a pity she was probably left behind in that painting when we dispelled it." Sure, that would have meant hers was only a fake life, but she is not about to go down that existential rabbit hole. "I wonder if there is a recurring theme and Selene's mythological lover Endymion is going to show up here." Probably not. Sailor Moon bringing up the sword they had to destroy is enough to distract her, anyhow. That's impossible, right? ''They'' had the sword, and everyone else was accounted for, so where was she? "That makes no sense. You can't know about the sword. You weren't with us", she comments puzzled. "I am enjoying it for the same reason, yep!" the Princess of Sarek replies to Amy. "The freedom it brings is honestly unrivaled, if you ask me. I wasn't one for the sea, but seeing it with no need to worry about breathing or all the equipment in the way it's totally a different experience. Wukong over there has proved just how useful a power it is." "So do you feel nothing?" Veronica asks puzzled at Amy. "Maybe if you try again? The process isn't too different from being able to feel dark energy." Of course, Veronica is aware of why Tuxedo knows about those items, so that doesn't earn a reaction from her. Well, she does laugh at Tuxedo's jokes. "That painting didn't have any particular revelation to give. Let's just keep our eyes open for any precious relic. " And with that, she starts snooping around.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong nodded to Amy. "Indeed! I mean, like. It's just a silly thing, but I call them my plot devices! Since they're just random little fun things and it won't do much good if I take all of this super seriously, right? Like. I'm a teenage girl who lives with a mermaid princess roommate who broke into an art museum with a tiny king so we could enter a magic portrait! Like, if you take all of this seriously and apply logic and stuff to it, you'd go mad! So, they're my little plot devices! Neat, right?" "And I'm here with a cute girl who shoots magic rockets and another cute girl who's a sailor of the moon and a cute guy who looks like he's supposed to be some stage magician and a cute girl who looks like his magnificent rival and we get to make PUNS! Our lives are AMAZING!" Of course... when she was questioned... "Yup! They're real! She's awesome! Yellow Pearl Voice. Under the ocean, I think, south pacific ocean. She's the princess of it. And she's very pretty! And ummm... I met her via luck, I guess. We hang out all the time, she buys me a lot of things because she's... well, rich. And I am not." And Coco was better at 'girl things' than her. "And I think it's why I got the mermaid transformation. So we can swim together! I actually made her sit with me to watch 'little mermaid' when I first met her because I knew she was an underwater princess of something and I figured either she was a mermaid or a siren. And so I did tests. It was only later I found out... there are a lot of underwater mythical creatures. So... that... was less useful than I thought it would be." "I found a rock!" she called out. Holding up... a white rock. It wasn't special or anything. It was just a rock. But it was pretty. Ish. It was smooth!
Tadase Hotori	So. Many. Puns. Crab Royale brings up a hand and slowly drags it across his face. "I just can't wait until you're all fin-ished with these." he says, both joining in and exasperated at the same time. Crabs do swim, but they do not do it in an elegant or streamlined way, and with his back 'feet' as flippers Crab Royale looks like he's sort of repeatedly 'jumping' under water. It's the goofiest locomotion of all of them, for sure. But it's reasonably quick and he's reasonably large, his eyes looking around for anything out of the ordinary - and occasionally mentally consulting with his other half to see if Kiseki feels anything. He doesn't go into any further back and forths about kings or royalty or even fish. Tadase, and Platinum Royale Crab King by extension, is often goal-driven, more focused. And he's merged with his fairy, rather than connected to one or not at all, which might give him a better ability to try to ''sense'' the magic as he kind of jump-swims through the water. Eventually he stops and scuttles along on the ground, reaching down to slowly pull up a pair of earrings. "Well, if these aren't it, somebody else came in here and lost a set of earrings that bleed magic which really just means more questions."
Amy Faust	Cure Wukong is a teenage girl who lives with a mermaid princess who broke into an art museum with a tiny king to enter a magic painting! Taking this seriously would drive a person mad! Amy grimaces a bit and glances down at her tail again. "Y-eah, my life is weird now..." A cute girl who shoots magic rockets? Wait, Cho means ''her!'' Amy blushes and covers her face. And then she lowers her hands and smiles. "Our lives ''are'' pretty amazing!" Oh, Princess of Sarek didn't know mermaids were real! "Yeah, I was shocked too when I found out. Pretty, one of the oceans, seems like most of that is private if you don't know her." Amy exposits, slightly. She nods at Wukong's description. "Are sirens actually different creatures? I mean, C--Yellow Pearl Voice has magic singing..." Miss Amanda Clownfish nods as the mermaid-ified princess exposits on the freedom of being part fish in water. "Yeah," she grins, "this is pretty cool! This is... basically like being able to fly! Nyoom! Do a barrel roll!" Holding her arms out like wings, she does a loop-de-loop and an aileron roll to demonstrate the similarity. Does... does she feel nothing? Try again? Huh? She looks a bit taken aback. "I... think it was a one-time deal, I can't transform ''again''..." ''Oh. '''Oh.''''' She meant trying to feel the magic aura. "Oh. Um, I'll try." She changes her soul gem from the ring form it's currently in to its base form, cupping it in her left palm with her right hand over it, feeling. It's about one-sixth corrupted, with darkness roiling at the top. "Hmmm... I'm not sure..." When the Phantom Thief swims off, Amy turns her soul gem back into a ring and swims after, smiling to herself. ''Cute...''
Mamoru Chiba	"Hm?" asks the blue-and-gold eel boy in the mask, looking up from where he's begun poking around when Veronica says 'Endymion'-- and then he pauses and is just silent for a minute, getting really distracted by the feel of the currents around him, and considering siphonophores and how long and tangly ''they'' can get, and considering the fact that he's breathing water through gills but able to talk and not freaking out about it, and considering practically pearlescent gold Usagi and having a tough time taking his eyes off her. Really if he keeps getting distracted like this he's not going to find ''anything'' -- and finally he says to Veronica, "Endymion's actually my other name, isn't that funny?" Then Platinum Royale finds the earrings, and Mamoru cheers. "Excellent work! I hope you're right and that's them, I don't know if I want to find out someone lost a henshin item down here or something..."
Usagi Tsukino	Cure Wukong goes swimming off, singing, and Sailor Moon giggles, tempted to sing along with her, resisting only because they should ''probably'' try to get out of here - Only to halt, when the Princess of Sarek shares more of the story of Selene, and brings her to a screeching halt. "Endymion? And - Selene? Lovers???" There's bafflement and confusion in her voice, and of course there is - because Endymion was and is ''her'' love, but the one the people of Earth called Selene was - Her mother. The Queen of Silver Millennium. The woman known to the people of Earth as Selene, Goddess of the Moon. But how did any of that story, even twisted like this, survive at all? "I didn't think people still knew about -" ah. wait. uh oh. "I - well -" she sighs, a little sheepish. "I was the mermaid who was with you last time - the one who still isn't accounted for. I looked like that because something about the painting called out... other parts of me. I just didn't want to mention it, because I didn't know that other girl - but everyone here already knows about me, so. My name's Serenity, in that form - and my mother, she was called Selene, so it was a little - odd, to hear that." Shehe's pretty sure just about everyone here came to that meeting she held, and would have then seen or heard about her transformation, so at least that part isn't weird. And then they're going, and she sticks her tongue out at Amy - "Yeah, on ''land''. But how many humans beat a crab in a race underwater? None, I bet." They carry on, and there's - oh! Earrings? "Well, we had to destroy them last time! So who wants to destroy these pretty earrings?"
Veronica Perenna	"I hope your mermaid friend appreciates that you can swim with her", Veronica comments to with a smile. Amy apparently knew about mermaids being real. "I hope I get to encounter one someday. That sounds nice." As the search goes on, objects starts turning up. Wukong exclaims about finding a rock, and jewels are technically rocks, so she can understand what Wukong was getting at, even if that doesn't seem to emit much magical energy. Still, she reserves a sincere smile at the fellow magical girl for the effort. "Thank you, we can keep going." And then Platinum Royale finds some koi fish earrings in pure white gold. It only took Veronica a glance to understand that was them. "Perfect, thank you, Platinum! Please, give them to me." Swimming close, she takes them in her own hands. That is then followed by Usagi revealing she was the other mermaid, that her mother inspired the figure of Selene, that Tuxedo is also named Endymion and that she actually has a form named Serenity. That's quite a bit of information, and yet it only raises more questions. "What do you mean, your mother is Selene? And are you a demigoddess, then? Do you have some sort of demesne? What is it called? Could it be that if Endymion is your lover, you also inspired the Selene of the myth?" She looks at Mamoru. "Are you the actual Endymion?" And then Sailor Moon mentions ''destroying'' the earrings. "No, no! These ones are different talismans. The sword was meant to be destroyed that, because it was just an illusory pillar of the enchantment, but these ones come from the real world, and they have a place to return to." Once the earrings are in her hand anyhow, they shine a bit before returning to how they were. Uh, it's over like that. That"s a first, but she isn't going to complain. At the same time, part of water condenses in some sort of gelatinous mirror, and they can see the art gallery on the other side.
Usagi Tsukino	Oh that's a long story - "I'm prrrrrrobably not a demigoddess? My mama and papa are normal humans either. But, my Moon Mama was worrrrrshipped as a goddess?" She's drawing out the sounds, considering her words and realizing she's making it worse, probably. "A long, long time ago, my name was Serenity, and my mama was also Serenity, and ''he'' was Endymion. And we were the original Romeo and Juliet, um, tragedy included." Unfortunately. But then, she's being warned off destroying things, and she waves her hands frantically, "Okay, okay, I won't destroy them, no probl-" In between sentences they are dumped back into the real world, legs and all. Sailor Moon drops onto her rump, disoriented by the sudden shift to Having Legs Again. "-em," she finishes dryly. "Well!! We fixed it, right? Now that you've got those earrings, this art gallery is clear?"
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong nodded. "Oh, she does. And I'll try and introduce you sometime. She's pretty busy and stuff, and there's always like... scheduling conflicts. But who knows?" she said with a shrug. Of course... destroying... earings. She gasped, shaking her head. "Noooo! We can't do that! That'd be like... but they're pretty..." And then, to her relief... it wasn't needed! WOO! She then glanced to Sailor Moon... "Wait. So are you like... actually kind of godly and stuff? I just figured it was a magical girl thing, not like. Actually being powerful and special and all that. Except for Coco. But. Well. Mermaid. Are... are you an alien?" she asked in an excited, hushed tone. "Are you space Romeo and Juliet?! Gaaaaasp! Or... reincarnated... oh. Ohhhhh. It's magic reincarnation. Okay then." "That's it?" Wuwu asked. "Platinum Royale is a crab, I'm a mermaid and my mascot is a talking monkey who's the embodiment of Wukong. Magic reincarnation princesses are the least outlandish things I've seen. Sailor Moon is cool, pretty and amazing, that's enough for me. Sebastion!" she called, swimming down to Platinum Royale. "Your first magic mission. What did you think? Cool, right?" Just floating there, upside down, smiling at him.
Mamoru Chiba	"I mean, okay, ''yes,'' I am the actual Endymion, but no, because I'm 16 and not a jillion years old. Reincarnation is weird," Tuxedo Mask tells the Princess of Sarek, and then he glances to Sailor Moon and lets her sort of flounder through the rest, but then Cure Wukong is also getting into the story a little, and he holds up his (webbed! blue!) hands-- but then she moves on, and he breathes a sigh of underwater relief. And then Usagi literally falls out of the painting, and as much as Mamoru really wants to just... stay, he follows her without hesitation. That ''is'' weird, because there's a lot more of him on the painting side than on the art gallery side, so it takes him a while to step out and he has to hold the edge of the painting for a minute. Cape. It's a lot of cape. Then he's finally all the way out, and he holds out his hands to offer help up to Sailor Moon, beaming at her. "You were a very, very shiny mermaid. I'd venture to say you might even have been-- though I didn't see the other transformation-- betta than the last time."
Amy Faust	The Art Thief of Sarek hopes to encounter a ''real'' mermaid someday. Amy muses, "I mean, you already might have? Apparently they're often disguised as humans while they're young so they can learn how to interact with the surface world." Amy swims after her into the endless blue. A big world to explore... or is it just big and empty, and she's so small and alone, even among magical girls, the only one who was something else... Well, hold on! Many of them may just be students, but Hannah and Coco are the princesses of other worlds, and Usagi and Mamoru are some kind of ancient moon nobility with multiple lives and sets of memories-- For some reason, what pops into her head then is an image of like... an ancient greco-roman city on the moon, with a bookstore with a display for the hottest new moontian light novel, with Sailor Moon on the cover and the title 'I was the Moon Goddess's Daughter and I Reincarnated As An Earthling High Schooler!' Mer-Amy can't help smiling to herself at the silly thought. And Wukong, Cure Wukong deals with figures of myth and legend and went to fairy heaven. "I guess 'all'' our lives are crazy weird in their own way, huh?" She still sounds a bit wistful for ''something'', but she's smiling. She turns to Sailor Moon. "Are you ever gonna tell us what your past life was l--" oops the exit appeared on top of her! Guess Usagi's back in the art gallery. Amy stretches and turns to the Phantom Thief. "Well. Looks like if you wanted the chance to just swim around like this, you got it. Looks like we don't have to leave until we want to, this time." She swims over to the ever-cheerful Wukong. "I don't think ''most'' of us are any kind of royalty or anything, even if the number of people from other worlds running around at school is ''far more than I ever expected.'' ...Wait, are ''you'' the king of something? I mean, the queen? Sorry, I just meant, because you're sort of Sun Wukong..." She looks at Platinum Royale. "Wait are you a king in real life too? I mean, it's not just a magic name?" Her eyes widen a bit as she glances back at the ''Princess'' of Sarek. "Wait, is everybody else here a king or queen or princess or something but me? ...Am ''I'' secretly a princess and nobody told me?!" ''That '''would''' be pretty cool...''
Tadase Hotori	Platinum Crab hands over the earrings easily. He's... figuring this out fast, and is adapting surprisingly well... but he'll also be happy to be back on his own two feet. In fact, part of the reason he's adapting so well is that part of him is already used to being a lot smaller and a lot floatier. Tadase himself... would be less so. And he is grateful to be outside of the water world - jumping up and down a few times, happy to have one pair of legs and not... too many. "Do you... go into paintings and strange worlds all the time? It sounds like Sailor Moon, at least, has done the mermaid thing before..." he asks. But he's also been listening to the Selene Serenity Endymion story. "It wouldn't surprise me if that was the core of the myth before it got distorted. Myths tend to do that." he says. "So, as long as nobody else is getting sucked into any more artwork without knowing... that's all good, right?" he asks. He just seems to nod along with Cure Wukong - Tadase has had Kiseki around for long enough that Weird is just his Normal. "You know, I'm pretty sure everybody that can see into magic sees a pretty strange world. All of us different in our own ways but occasionally intersecting." he says. And then he grins. "I've been called a King in real life, but no. No royal lineage that I know of." He admits, despite Kiseki trying to make him NOT. "Just always liked the idea, you know? Of being a king. But a good king. Of looking after subjects. Of taking care of all of those people." And then he addresses Cure Wukong's question. "My first magic mission?" He tilts his head. "...Cure Wukong, I've been doing magic stuff longer than you've been magic. Just... less safely."
Veronica Perenna	Well now she too is back into the real world with those who got out. Though, her mission here isn't over. "I got something else to do, though", she starts explaining. "This painting can stay, because it was going to be alright after I removed the earrings. However, the other one had a subtler curse cast on them, so I might need to take it for the time being. Until I can make sure it's actually safe." And Serenity and Endymion are probably the actual Romeo and Juliet. What? Uhhh. She can't quite crossreference the fictional duo's personalities over them. They don't seem quite as bad as Romeo and Juliet themselves. "How exactly do you mean that comparison?" Amy says she might have met some already. "Well, them staying hidden is just lame. I would like to meet one while knowing it. What's the point of meeting a creature of myth if you know nothing and the day doesn't change?" Veronica looks at Cho. "That's a shame, but if not her, at least one of her peers, or why not, a mermaid Precure. You are already halfway through being one. An actual one has to exist somewhere, no?" She shakes her head at Royale. "I typically don't go into paintings. I just protect a very special one. This is a new development even for me."
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong nodded to Amy. "Yup. It's all crazy magic stuff. And I'm a king. The Monkey King can be a girl. Because the monkey King can do whatever she wants. And ehhhh. There's a lot of magical kings and queens. I don't think any of us have like. Kingdoms. Though I can talk to monkeys and they do what I say, so that's neat. But like... I can't try and run a monkey kingdom or anything. Who'd listen? I imagine it's kind of like that for most magical princesses. Nobody is gonna like... actually care if you're the princess of the world by magic, because the world doesn't work that way," Wukong said with a shrug. "So I'd rather just not stress over it too much. And yeah, we been doing magic things for a while. But it's a magic MISSION! That's different!" Pause. "Somehow! We got to be sea animals!" Of course, their time now was up and well... she flew out through the exit, turning back to her precure self once she was out! No need to un-fishify at least! "I'm sure there's a mermaid precure out there, too! And I'm sure she's AWESOME!" Wukong said happily. "So, um, next time you need to do something like this? Come to the student council! At RHA. They know how to get a hold of us and we'll definitely help go into more magical pictures and stuff," she said happily, a big grin on her face. Because, honestly? All of this was so fuuuun! She had a blast. "And that goes for any of you. The student council is here to help all students, even the princesses."
Usagi Tsukino	"Pretty much a space Romeo and Juliet deal," Sailor Moon explains, very aware that she's dumbing the whole thing down, but also not wanting to get into the whole nitty gritty. When Veronica asks for more details, she shrugs - "It wasn't exactly, allowed for us to be together, in that life. But that was then, unlike now?" It's really not that unusual, right? There's mermaids and pirates and aliens and even Europeans. What's a Moon Princess and an Earth Prince to that? In the real world, Tuxedo Kamen offers his hand, and Sailor Moon happily accepts, pulled to her feet and tucks in close, happy to have at least part of their Late Night Crime Date going well. "I think Amy was asking about our past lives, but I fell out of the painting right about then?" Whoops! Wukong follows them and has an offer for - "Oh, you're on the Student Council? I should have known there was more magic seeped in there than just Tadase-kun."
Tadase Hotori	Platinum Royale grins. "It'd be hard to be an effective student council if we didn't have at least some magic, right? With how much of it is around the school and in the school. Wouldn't be very helpful." He says, in a sense commenting on how he's on it too. Of course he would be, he has a King henshin. He turns to look at Wukong and sighs, but the sigh turns into a laugh. "Okay it was pretty fun, yeah, but hopefully next time I don't turn into a crab." He says. "And if you ever need someone to help you go to one of these weird places, well, I think Cure Wukong and I will be up for it. I spent a lot of time not able to fully help - its good to make up for that." he admits. "That's probably a good way to think about it - that was then and this is now, and you should be free to be with who you love." he says to Sailor Moon.
Amy Faust	Amy's probably not secretly a princess. How would that even work? Although she did once read a story like that, though. A very long time ago. She named an MMO character after the protagonist, once. "You can talk to monkeys?!" Amy stares. And can't help giggling at 'the student council is here to help all students, even the princesses.' It seems they can talk across the mirror! What's the point of meeting something from fantasy if you know nothing and the day doesn't change? Amy slumps a bit, "I mean, ''mood'', I guess, but, you're a magical girl, and you interact with people every day who don't know. All our lives are a fantastic story come to life, of one genre or another, or two..." She glances down at her tail and makes it give a little flick. "So we're ''all'' kinda like, something out of a story. Hhhevery day." She looks at the mirror-like portal in the water. Almost everyone else has gone through. This is cool and all, but she'd be alone in here. Although, she'll be alone out there too, once they all split up back to their own dorm rooms or other living arrangements. ''Geeze my emotions are all over the place today.'' And once she thinks that, it's ''another reminder.'' They're ''everywhere, all the time.'' Does the pattern on her tail represent what she ''is'', or the everpresent awareness of it on her mind? Miss Clownfish swims away from the mirror, fast. And then a few seconds later, turns around. She just wanted to see how fast she could go, flat-out! She speeds towards the mirror-- --and reappears in the gallery, a bit unsteady as she gets her land legs again. She laughs at Platinum Royale, "It ''would'' be cool to see more places like that! Hopefully next time it'll be something to be less crabby about!" she smiles. "I guess Student Council is as close to a king as you can get, for now." She puts her hands on her hips and looks around at the group. "Okay, so... I'm pretty sure most of us live pretty close together. Shall we like... walk home together?"
Veronica Perenna	Oh so, the star-crossed lovers bit, not their actual personalities, though the latter overshadowed the former in Veronica's opinion. "You could say you have taken the star-crossed deal to a whole other level", she smirks. And Wukong offers to turn to the student council if she needs help. Uhhh... Well, she did talk about stealing a painting right in front of them and they didn't even blink an eye, so it seems that's good. Probably? "Thank you, I will consider your offer and thanks for the help you gave today." "Well, you are welcome to give a hand crab or no crab, Royale. You never know what might happen", Veronica pokes fun at the situation. "But anyway, thank you for finding the koi earring and help undo this mess." Veronica looks curiously at Amy once she decides to emerge. "Were you considering staying inside for a moment there?" She thinks she lingered oddly there for a second. "That sounds nice", she adds to the redhead." "But I will probably move rooftop to rooftop." The Princess of Sarek certainly isn't carrying a painting in the middle of the street. "You are welcome to come with me if you are ok with that."
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong gave a small nod to Sailor Moon. "Mmmmm hm! Cho Konishi!" Blink. Blink blink. Then shrug. "Eh. Oh well. Everyone here but you two knew that and it's hardly that big a deal if you know. I'm pretty sure the white bone demon already knows who I am, anyway." She gave a shrug. "But yeah, not a lot of us magical people on the council as far as I know. I used to be the main one they'd task things with. But not any-more~ Now I've got BACKUP! It's like... Pri-- King Charming on speed dial," she said, barrrrrely catching herself. She was proud of her fellow council-mate! "As for walking home... wellllll... if you all live in the school... you wanna ride a magic cloud? You've just got to be pure of heart or okay holding onto a Monkey King. And yes, I can, in fact, talk to monkeys. It's... not as cool as you'd think." She'd start to head upstairs and out the way they came and, well... then... She'd let out a whistle. And soon, the golden cloud would come down to her. "So. Who wants a ride?"
Amy Faust	Amy shrugs at the Princess of Sarek. "Yeah. But then I decided, I'd just see how fast I could go real quick, then come out. Needed to... burn off some energy." Hop rooftops with the magic art thief? Hmmm... But then Cho offers a ride on her kintoun and Amy is just. Staring excitedly with her mouth open in excitement. "YESSS!" she is so excited it comes out in almost a squeak. Although, thinking about it, she glances away, "Uhh, how does it measure purity of heart, exactly?" However it does, she's up there on the roof after Cure, and when asked raises her hand like she's ''itching'' to answer a teacher's question!
Veronica Perenna	Yeah, Amy is right, how does it measure pure of heart? She has nothing to confess as far as she is concerned, but who knows if a cloud holds the same opinions as her? "Well, I am willing to try, as long as it doesn't try to shame me for stealing dangerous relics from the public sphere."