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Yuyami Kagayaki	Not every point on the path that needs... preparing... by Riventon's still-unnamed Department, for whatever energy-related thing they're doing is so luckily tucked away in a quieter part of Tokyo. In fact, in this case, it's not even a block away from the gates of Radiant Heart Academy that today's procedure must be done.     But since Yuyami had been part of the process at the previous two points, it only seemed reasonable to keep her involved; she'd made a few notes and discoveries that had helped the process, and also showed the quick thinking needed to prevent the shield from being breached by Coco's music, so Riventon had continued to let her be involved.     But this close to Radiant Heart Academy - well, that meant more chance of chaos and more danger, so Riventon hadn't sent Yuyami alone; and in this case, that doesn't just mean another youma.     But once more a black dome phases into existence in a crossroad street, a spire of twisted technomagic and purple crystals in the center of the shielded area, starting to grind and dig into the earth, pushing its way both into the street itself but also into the magical aura of the world as it slowly grinds downwards, the lab-coated girl with the large glasses, having upgraded the clipboard she often carried to a digital tablet from DARK Electronics, tapping it with a stylus pen. She reaches up to a headset by her ear, toggling it on.     "Based on the proximity to the school and previous experiences, I suspect we'll be interrupted in mere moments." she warns. "The secondary power sources for the shield need to last."
Rashmi Terios	Well, Yuyami isn't wrong; Rashmi had been alternating between homework and design notes for her next upgrade project, when Nicomachea pinged a sharp warning.     << *BONG!* >> << ALERT. MASTER. ALERT. CORROSIVE ENERGY SIGNATURE 'Dark Energy' EMANATIONS PROXIMATE. >> With a sigh, Rashmi took off her glasses, massaged the bridge of her nose, then replaced them. "Welp... I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway, *I guess.*" Down the hall she goes, and up the stairs to the roof, where a quick henshin later she's in the sky and heading toward the Extremely Obvious Black Dome, which tells her all she needs to know about what kind of plans she's going to be foiling. So when she reaches the dome, it's with resignation in her voice that she addresses the figure she knew would be there. "Hiiiii Kagayaki-san... And, y'know, sorry in advance..."
Takuto Tsunashi	On cue: There's first the faint sound of a distant sonic boom, and then one of those twinklings in the sky that indicate either something vanishing into the distance after being punted, or an incoming intercontinental ballistic bishounen. In this case, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the latter. The twinkling turns into a shine which gets brighter and bigger until it's definitely something coming in for impact, wind whistling, and then something is red-haired and white-coated and wearing an ascot and epaulets with his opera gloves and thigh boots, and relatively cheerful?! face-- --an echoing KRANGGGGG is the sound when the Galactic Prettyboy slams full-force fists-first comet-style into the black dome. He wobbles on it for a second before politely knock-knocking on the dome. "Hey there! I ''was'' planning on dropping in," (he was) "but sorry I tripped." (he didn't) "We got off on the wrong foot last time." (it was the intended foot) "Can we start over?" He sparkles at Yuyami.
Amy Faust	It's just a hop, skip and a jump from Radiant Heart Academy... well, more like a few jumps. Amy senses darkness, finds a spot out of sight to henshin without changing clothes, crosses to a tree near the wall, leaps up into it, from there to a building, runs across the building while changing outfits, and leaps down to the edge of the field. "Hellooooooo~!" Amy greets cheerily, as she sets something down at the dome's edge, takes a couple steps over, puts down another one, repeat.     "So, I was wondering," the Puella Magi asks conversationally, as the objects she set start spewing showers of sparks and melting into little puddles of iron and slag. "Why don' you have a henshin like Riventon and La Crima and everyone else? ...Although I don't mean to bring up a sore point or anything. Just, I can't help being curious, you know? Is Obsidian not able to give you a costumed identity? Is there something unique about your own magic that stops anyone from seeing you as someone else when you're transformed? What?"
Norie Okana	La Crima arrives. How does she arrive, by hovering down from overhead JUST as Gigna Bishounen hits paydirt. She blinks and turns around and frowns hard. "UGH. YOU RUINED MY DRAMATIC SPEC---" she stops as the Bishounen sparkles. Oh No, he's still hot. She kind of awkwardly stutters for a moment in unintelligible Spanish words before she mutters. "Hey first off, that's my Kohai, if you touch her, I take your soul or something." she says angrily. "I don't even know if I can do that, let's not find out, okay?" she frowns hard and turns towards Rashmi and that's where her sad expression softens. "I'm sorry. But don't you have....something... erm." better? No. That's. Rude. Maybe. "...Something else to do?" she asks. She may not want to fight ''Rashmi''. "Look! To get to her, you're gonna have to go through ME." she finally resolves as she angrily starts to glow with a dark aura. "I won't let you touch her." she commands. "Or what she's doin---" then there's Amy. "AMY YOU CAN'T JUST ASK WHY SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE A HENSHIN!" she yells! >.< ruining her dramatic moment, where she doesn't wanna fight a friend(?).
Kaori Jira	Last time Kaori Jira had transformed, it hadn't been to her henshin that her condition had created when trying to contain the power of the creature she was meant to be in the body of a teenaged girl it had been into the giant city-destorying titan that those who had brought her here intended to be and it had been a little messy. Of course, friends, heroines and heroes alike had managed to wrangle her and revert her back from the giant rampage but... Well, it was probably part of the reason why she'd disappeared for a while. People tended to remember that stuff, at least until -another- Kaiju causes some problems. Hair down, wrapped in her leather jacket and nursing what appeared to be a vending machine soda, the rather delinquent looking teenager was making her way through the ward when that chill down her spine (that was currently missing her tail!) had drawn her attention. Great. Something was wrong and she'd only been back in town for a day.
Yuyami Kagayaki	"Are you really sorry, though?" Yuyami asks Rashmi, without even looking up from her tablet. "In that case, I'm also sorry for anything that might happen to you as a result of trying to interrupt our important work." she notes. And there's... well, despite her trying to be cold, there's a mix of nervousness and honesty in her voice. And a little tinge of bitterness, though that might be the Dark Energy.     The sound of the Ginga Bishonen impacting the dome-barrier does cause her stylus to stop moving, and she looks up, sees Takuto, and brings the tablet to her face, eyes peeping over it, blush still slightly visible anyways, at looking at him.     "T..the best way to start over would still be with you not interrupting my work..." she tries. "As long as you keep doing that, you'll have two wrong feet."     She continues to look over her tablet at Amy's question, and La Crima's defense of her. "I... don't have a henshin... yet." she admits. "My magic was suppressed... by people like you all... I'd probably have more if it hadn't been hidden!" she protests. A little anger in her somewhat high-pitched voice.     "Anyways, you can all just pack up and leave, right? Of course you won't." Ah, two times and she's already picked up on that much. "That's why La Crima-sempai is here, though..." That and the occasional heartbeat of something with Dark Energy around them, more of a sensation than any actual clear point yet, though seeking them out is possible.
Takuto Tsunashi	Takuto straightens up, then sliiiides off the dome and lands between Rashmi and Amy, before frowning indignantly at La Crima. "I would never cheat on my boyfriend and girlfriend, how could you suggest such a thing??" he demands, crossing his arms. Even his grumpyface is pretty. "And besides, you'd have to go through them to get my soul, and Sugata-kun still wants to kill you for trying to eat Wako-chan's soul - but she's alive and I cut your arm off temporarily for it, so I figure you and I are even~! You don't want ''Wako-chan'' after your ichor, though." He beams sunnily. "Fortunately I think if you two stop and dismantle this before it can harm us or advance the causes of Obsidian," he sparkles some more, warm and secret little smile a bright thing, "I think I can convince even Sugata-kun to get off your back. And--" He slings an Arm around Amy's shoulders briefly then lets go. "Amy-chan's only looking out for your poor kohai's well-being. Physical and emotional! It's like Riventon gives everyone but her nice things." Then he looks back at Yuyami and bites his lip. "I'm ''really'' sorry if you think anyone like ''us'' can or would suppress magic. Eclipse zones do that. Obsidian makes them. We don't even have an after-school club."
Amy Faust	Oh. It's La Crima... that is to say, Okana-san.     And before she gets too friendly, Amy remembers what two of her best friends showed her the other day. They're OK working with people who want to end the world, leyline fuckery is possibly going to terraform the world into Dusk Zone, and even if they sort of mean well in the moment, dark energy can make even the most reasonable person--     ''flying around Lady Bat just out of the blast radius of the others' attacks, moving missiles specifically to block her escape, trying to get a look at her face to see if ''she'' is now the one suffering, and when the Dark General goes down to the combined assault, being frustrated that there is only the most hollow, empty satisfaction to be found in her dazed expression.     --into a ''monster.''     A chilling thought. Although she still does automatically 'sorry' at YOU CAN'T JUST ASK WHY SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE A HENSHIN. But Kagayaki-san answers anyway.     And that answer does surprise Amy into just stopping for a second.     She nods, still looking confused, as Takuto briefly puts an arm around her. "Wait, ''what?'' We don't surpress magic... except Dark Energy, but if that's what you need Obsidian surely has more than enough, right?"     "...Is Kyubey really the only thing that's sought you out? No gods, or someone looking for the Pretty Cures, or remembering you worked for a space princess in another life, or anything like that? Have they tried seeing if you can use Devices?"     Amy glances to Rashmi, "Does it work that way? Could Axiom tell if she can use Device magic? ...Can Nichomachea?"
Rashmi Terios	"And besides," Rashmi says, turning an apologetic smile to La Crima, "you *know* we can't stay out of it. But I promise there won't be any hard feelings, okay La Crima-chan? So... Sorry, Kagayaki-san, and I really mean it because I don't like upsetting *anyone* if I can help it, but... we're gonna have to do this. Also... nobody would *keep* magic from you why would anyone tell you that? Magic is *amazing* and the more people who get to experience it the better!" She seems about to go on, but is brought up short by a *ping!* from Nicomachea, alerting her to the presence of unidentified, brightly colored creatures in shadowy places nearby. "...La Crima-chan, what'd you bring? And how fragile are they?" << Heads up, >> she says over the comms. << There's some kind of Dark critters hiding out around us. Look for the colors and the wings. >> Rashmi blinks at Amy's question, and clears her throat. "I mean... just about anyone *can* use Device magic, if they're not already empowered by something... They just need a compatible Device to register user-ship of?"
Norie Okana	La Crima frowns so hard. "S-stop that, you know what I meant, stop twisting my words!" she says with a blush! Why is this guy so wei---why are ''guys in general'' so weird sometimes!? At the thought that Gigna Bishounen has a girlfriend and a boyfriend she sputters. How can this weird guy have two of those and her still none!? What does this guy have that she doe--oh right. The whole. Dark energy, fight me thing. Oh well. She frowns harder and narrows her eyes at Ginga Bishounen in the universal 'I'm sick of your stuff' body language and sighs as she slacks in the air and hovers off the ground a bit further. "We won't dismantle this just because you ASKED US NICELY." she commands. "I'm going to--- ugh, you're just gonna twist my words anyways!" she frowns so hard. "Besides he isn't here, so who's gonna stop me!?" she says as she tempts fate. Maybe. "Look, Riventon is working on it. Masterworks take time, you know, you don't pull miracles from nothing! It's hard work! Blood and sweat!" she says angrily as Gigna Bishounen tries to drive a wedge there. She looks at Rashmi and is about to speak when Rashmi finally asks a pertinent question and she suddenly .... carefully... Rashmi can see it, the edges of her lips curl up. Is she....s..smiling? But she is. But it isn't a nice smile. It's that slasher kind. Too large. Too sinister. Like it doesn't belong on her face anymore. "Do you finally see them!? They're friends! I Hop--Hope you enjoy their time!" she finally says as she starts to finally sinisterly laugh uncontrollably. Oh dear. That feels oddly bad and ominous. Everything about what just happened right there. It's like Amy is seeing her friends proved right or something.
Kaori Jira	It was a long time till, Kaori rounding the corner to the rather loud and spirited conversation between those transformed and those henshin-challenged. Hearing Obsidian's name dropped definately had her turning, but it was when those eyes of hers settled on Amy's face, someone she -knew- that Kaori would actually stop and stare rather blatantly. La Crima she'd seen once before, but the Puella was someone who'd actually managed to crack through enough to be considered a friend once. Who knows if she was even remembered now. A step comes, a step closer, time enough for the random girl catching the mention of Dark Critters quite clearly. Of course, even from here there -was- a weird energy radiating off her for those who could detect such things.... Less dark, more 'Primal' in nature.
Coco Kiumi	It wouldn't be possible to deny Yuyami has. point, with the number of times dark energy was in sight of the school. Certainly could count them with your fingers, even if you regarded as valid the more "pacifist" incursions that happened after the addition of the Crystal Heart. Though, the light spectacle caused by the arrival of other mahoujin would also be quite hard to miss, really, especially with Coco out on the campus talking to a club mate about their current progress. "I think we are doing well. We are not missing anything very bad", she says, and then she grits her teeth with wide eyes when she notices just what's going on outside. "Is something wrong?", her club mate asks her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, I think I heard that Kawaguchi-san wanted to talk to you about ways your partnership could improve", she says with a grimace, at the same time pushing her club mate towards the club building. "If you say so. You are acting awfully weird now, and no need to push." "Let's talk more later, and you can tell me how it went", Coco insists, keeping the door open until they make their way inside with a glare and a resigned look. Coco sighs as soon as they are out of sight. Well, now she is going to have an annoyed club mate to deal with. But she really didn't want to waste even a second on Campus when they have a fight going on. But this is her problem later, now she is going to to light up too. Curving her hands in a vague x-shape around her shell locket, yellow light radiates in around Coco, and a kaleidoscope of colour flourishes over her form. "Yellow Pearl Voice!" The rainbow energy glimmers and clings, warping into pale yellow boots that flow into overlapping fabric. Rising up, a golden yellow dress and a short yellow pleated skirt blossom onto her and her pearl gleams and expands, settling comfily into her hand as her trusty E-Pitch microphone, with the yellow jewel nestled safely in the head's center. "Is that what you have been told about the Veil?", the yellow magical girl says, arriving just in time to hear Yuyami talk. "We have no control over it, and if you really want there are so many ways you could choose to explore magic. Why skip to the most dangerous of them? Drop whatever you are doing", the sea idol urges her from within the Live Stage. "Everyone alright?", she then asks her fellow mahoujin.
Yuyami Kagayaki	"Oh, you just suppress the kind of magic you don't like or want around..." Yuyami says to Takuto. "But it's obvious you are... self-absorbed, in only your own local understanding, because of the way you talk about it. My magic's suppressed at the school grounds! And it's probably stronger in one of those Zones - but if you think we don't care about the world around us - well, there's a reason Riventon-sensei doesn't use those." she says, as if she's not standing in a dome of Dark Energy while a giant spire digs its way into the street and the Earth's crust below.     "Dark Energy *is* magical! It's also powerful, and yeah, it's dangerous, but so are so many things that have advanced humanity! But instead, people who can't see what it could do to protect us, to save us, are trying to be the ones to regulate... no, to ban it. If people like you had their say we'd never have harnessed fire, instead you'd... stomp it out, it just because it ''can'' burn!" she shouts. She's definitely been listening to... someone, familiar to everyone here.     "You think it's that easy - to just pick up magic? You're not even from this world, are you?" She asks. Riventon is familiar, vaguely, with mermaids via Gaito and interactions with them. "Don't act like you know what it's like - do mermaids even know what it's like to DEAL with bullies, with needing to fit in, with - fearing drowning?!" she asks, and maybe she's got more dark energy than the last two times since she's a lot more forceful and a lot less calm.     The creature Rashmi is near, is about the size of a medium dog, a bright red thing with leathery wings wrapped around it. Slowly, it unfurls its bright red wings and... the center mass of its body is bright red as well, with little yellow teardrop-like spots, and two 'ears' that look like leaves slowly pop up. It's bat-face is revealed from the wings, with two dark eyes and a snout - but then it opens its mouth and shrieks in a sonic wave that hurts physically and to hear as it tries to rush past Rashmi and move towards Lacrima.     From other locations around come similarly, brilliantly colored creatures; yellow and red with strange membranes on its body, purple and dim green with a circular pattern...     ...They are... ''fruit''... bats... and they rush by the mahou, trying to rake at them with seemingly-wooden but rather solid and sharp feet-claws, or shriek with the same damaging vocalizations as the one Rashmi startled, before fluttering around La Crima, each of them decently sizeable, and numbering about half a dozen.
Takuto Tsunashi	"I figured I should try the asking nicely thing once, at least, to make sure I wasn't blowing up an unlocked door," Takuto says blithely to La Crima, straightening his cravat and then tossing his wild hair in slow motion in the dramatic nighttime lighting. And Coco arrives, and the Ginga Bishounen calls out in response, "Doing fine, they haven't released the kraken just yet--" 'Fruit' bats. "--whoops, spoke too soon. OW LOUD! TAU GALAXY BEAM!" Takuto yells, slamming his fists-- no-- his flat hands, glowing, together, OVER HIS EARS, and shooting raw blue and white energy in a giant KSHOOOOO from his mouth like a *gif*, because his ears hurt but he had to punish that bat for MAKING THAT SOUND.
Rashmi Terios	"Magic doesn't keep people from having problems," Rashmi says gently... But it's becoming pretty obvious pretty quickly, that the Dark Energy is taking the wheel in both cases. And Rashmi does not like that smile on La Crima's face, not one bi-- 'SKREEEEEEEEE' The sheer sonic hell of the 'bat' nearest to her causes her to bobble in the air, clapping her hands over her ears. Oh, that sound is *offensive* to the senses. Like Dark nails on a Darker chalkboard, or Joker's favored coffee additives.     << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE >> Mindful of the fact that with Barriers targeted for *immediate destruction* around these domes, it's best to simply not put one up, Rashmi elects instead to keep her attack relatively low-powered and rapid-fire, as a stream of golden Barrets lash out at the 'fruit' bat that had the temerity to scream in her face.
Norie Okana	La Crima splays her hand out as the fruit bat goes by, like an animal-loving princess brushing past a bluebird as it flies by only intensely more creepier as that smile finally starts to leave her face, and that laugh comes down into a sobbing kind of weird sound as it ceases as she closes her eyes. She always tries to suppress those. But she failed today. Oh well. She kind of gets angry at herself as she starts to urge the bat away to join the fray. "Shhh, go, go." she speaks. She hovers there and just directs. She's in charge tonight, technically. She's Director, DIRECTOR Riventon's number two! His 'Joker!' His 'Hematite!' His 'Oresky!' Wait no, not that last one. She's no one's ''Oresky''. Oresky somewhere, furrows his brow beneath his hat, probably. La Crima takes a deep breath and says. "I'm sorry." under her breath. "But you won't win today. Your main advantage is nullified and you're outnumbered and outgunned." she says. "And again, IF you touch her...." she angrily mutters.
Kaori Jira	Not a single one of them had seemed to have noticed the 'bystander' who'd stumbled into the darkness or the path of the creatures that came swarming in, perhaps a recipe for disaster if the girl were caught by the creatures. Energy stolen at best, serious injury at worst...but the creatures branching off weren't quite so lucky. There was no loud declaration of words or invoking a higher power that announced Kaori's henshin. The sound that filled the air was more akin to some great beast, the titan she was -meant- to be. A burst of heat and worrying cherenkov blue light filled the air before the steam cleared to reveal the female form armored in places by hardened scales, claws on her hands and the large reptillian tail behind her. Kaiju Hime was back in town, and her first action? A resounding -THWAP- as she spun, using her tail to try and bat one of the...bats out of the air.
Amy Faust	"Wait, ''anyone'' can? So if we could make something like a Device, we could give ''anyone'' magic?!" Amy's astounded at the thought.     But Tears has gone from blushy(?!) to full on mad scientist laughter, and Rashmi's warning about creatures nearby. Amy didn't ''see'', but she's not sure she dares look now; she doesn't want to let their apparent master out of her vision, either.     She can't sense Primal energy, unfortunately. She ''can'', however, sense an opportunity for banter:     There's a reason Riventon-sensei doesn't use those.     "Because he's envious someone else invented them?" It kind of slips out on banter autopilot while Amy's half parsing words and half trying to stay aware of La Crima and her unseen minions.     Yuyami sees Riventon as Prometheus, stealing the forbidden power to share. "Fire can be used safely. Can you use Dark Energy safely? It ''can'' do things and sometimes it even helps, if it's purified as soon as it's done. I don't dispute that."     Amy keeps setting thermite around the edge of the dome as she talks. Maybe the heat will damage it? Even if not, like half the people here ''don't'' know what she's doing, and if La Crima spends time trying to figure it out, so much the better. Kagayaki-san ''absolutely'' knows, though, and come to think of it, her lack of concern that this will damage the dome probably means it won't. Drat.     "But outside of the most ideal use cases, it ''spreads''. Maybe a little. Maybe stopping an evil is worth ruining someone's day. Or maybe it spreads a ''lot''. Maybe it drives you to ''become'' a problem."     Amy winces at the bit about bullies and fitting in. "I ''understand'' that, ''believe'' me! And I was lucky to get a chance at another life. And believe me, I've thought plenty of times about how I'd make my life better if only I had ''power''."     "But power isn't what made it better! If you live by the sword, you die by it! If those people knew you were powerful... would you really want the kind of attention you'd get?"     Amy holds a hand to her chest and proclaims, "What made my life better was ''good people!'' And while I'd feel inadequate if I didn't have power, they'd help me get over it! But if I had power and no friends..."     Any stops and stares into the distance and deeply considers this.     Then there's a screech, and she's startled, looking around, and there's a lot of fluttering, and she doesn't get the chance to recognize Kaori yet because wooden claws cut her head and blood runs down into her vision. "Augh!" She crouches and wipes her face, firing flares blindly before the blood vanishes in pink sparkles... although a bruise soon appears where the cut on her forehead was.
Sugata Shindo	What had to be the most annoying things about Star Drivers is not their tendency to text in fights, or even their tendency to ''pile drive'' their enemies by flocking together, made easier by the way they ''know'' when one of them has transformed. No, what had to be the most annoying thing about fighting Star Drivers is the way every single one of them is ''extra to the max''. Case in point? "King's Pillar." As the Fruit Bats launch their assault and La Crima angrily declares that no one had better hurt her kohai, there comes in the bright sky above, an even ''brighter'' spark of light. Rivaling the sun. The descending end of a pillar of energy as wide as the dome Yuyami has protecting her equipment, ready to pulverize and destroy everything without sufficient durability to withstand the blast. <<You should get out of the way,>>] the calm voice of Ginga Kingu enters Rashmi's telepathy range, seconds before the attack streaks for the ground like a wall of lightning, blue-tinged white light blotting out most vision for a moment. Trees, bushes, cars, mailboxes, pavement, ''anything'' that isn't protected - and anyone - is reduced to nothingness, with even the pavement and asphalt pummeled to a fine powder by the attack. Ginga Kingu pays little to no attention to these facts, however. He has a sword in hand, forged of pure gleaming white energy, and his eyes are fixed on La Crima. "Finally, you show your face again," he says, and everyone might remember that thing Takuto said about Sugata wanting to kill La Crima.
Coco Kiumi	Coco shakes her head at the list of accusations Yuyami has given. "No, of course I don't. But if we are here to point at each other and list grievances, do you know what's like to handle a kingdom? To do your best for it, only to see it wrecked around you? To lose a friend to dark energy and be forced to watch your efforts to help amount to nothing while she only gets worse and worse?" She shakes her head. "No. Of course you don't, Kagayaki-san. And I don't expect you to. But I still am here, lending you a hand, because I don't want that to happen to anyone, and today it's just so happens you are the lucky one. So please, listen to me and stop this now, before we stop you the hard way." Yellow Pearl Voice turns to the other dark general present. "La Crima, that goes for you too. You can choose to stand down or not, but you are not going to get better by indulging what is making your life worse." She is not going to wait for her response however, because suddenly there are fruit bats everywhere, and her voice immediately raises in song. Paradise of the Sun ~Promised Land~ Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start! Let's go on an adventure beyond the sun and wind I will show you a place where we can go, And we can open the door To paradise When I first saw you The angels were smiling down on you The heavens ring with celebration People are born holding just one treasure in their hands I will never forget the feelings from that day Still flowing in my heart Dear my songs In the middle of our journey Heading for the land of the sun Without a map, we head to the Promised Land This great story will take us to a future without limits I'm sure all our dreams will come true So smile! Even if you can't see it, there is a treasure deep in your heart I will never forget the feelings from that day Opening my heart wide Dear my place A Live Stage starts playing chase with the ones trying to get close to her, and people can watch the sphere of light essentially play Pacman in midair, trying to get as many as it can inside and hold them prisoners.R One does manage to get past it though, and Coco winces as she can barely step back enough to only get long scratches on her arm, glad that wasn't her good arm, because even like that, it's still sending quiet fits of pain.
Yuyami Kagayaki	It seems as though the aligned Dark Generals have chosen to put all of their eggs in one 'fruit basket' today as it were, as all of the detectable energy signatures seem to have come together as one of the various versions of antagonistic fruit that were pestering the Mahoujin and coming to LaCrima's call.     Takuto's FIRED LAZOR catches one of the grape-created youma bats, popping several of the grapes and causing it to screech out in pain, though at least it's mostly pointing at the sky when it does. Solar Barrage slams into the strawberry-bat, causing a few large seeds to drop and fade into Dark smoke, while the thing shows visible crumple damage from the impacts.     The bat-youma that alights on Lacrima's hand seems to have been created out of a lemon, which squeaks slightly at Lacrima before going to join the fray as instructed.     "It's okay, Lacrima-sempai, the barrier's impenetrable as long as the generators are functioning!" Yuyami says from over her clipboard. Though she does wince when an apple-formed bat takes another hit from a mahou-creature she doesn't quite recognize. For just a moment, Kaori's presence gets Yuyami's full attention, because she's NEW and DIFFERENT and she's scribbling and looking at the tablet and then her machines and then back.     She's mumbling something about reptillian physiology mixed with mammal characteristics when Amy's words slowly catch up to wherever they've been waiting for a free brain thread. She's not been concerned about the attempt, as Amy guessed - and she'll tell Amy that, as she addresses her. "I hope you don't think a mere ''chemical'' reaction can breach a ''magical'' barrier system created by my Sensei and refined by me?" she asks, with no small degree of pride in her work.     "But just look at all this dome can withstand - imagine if we could put it up in the face of a natural disaster?" she offers, a bit more helpfully. "We're all going to die one day, the question is, what do we leave behind?" she asks, pushing her glasses up on her face. "Do we leave the world better than we found it, improving humanity's sharted knowledge; or do we snuff out potential, improvement, out of fear?" she asks Amy. "Dark Energy, if controlled, could take us to the stars and beyond..." she says, her eyes practically sparkling.     "..." she pauses when she hears what Coco suggests. "If Dark Energy could have saved your Kingdom, would you have turned your back on it, too?" the girl asks after a moment. "...Was your friend the orange mermaid?" she asks, having heard a bit of a story from Riventon. "If that's the case, then what happened to her - that wasn't Riventon-sensei, or even Obsidian." she notes. Or at least, not the direct thing - there might be a line of consequences, there. The Yellow Pearl Voice's song disrupts the lemon-bat, the yellow mermaid causing the yellow bat to have to flutter to the ground from the damage her pure song inflicts upon its Dark-Energy created body, and it screeches in response, the devilish noise trying to counteract the merfolk's song.     And then - ''blue''. The King's Pillar is... familiar, to Yuyami, in some ways. Still, the level of energy it puts out is, while within the barrier's tolerance... notable. As in it disrupts some of her readings and she has to run around tinkering with the devices. It's telling that is where her focus is, rather on her 'sempai' outside the safety of the reinforced barrier.     The King's Pillar doesn't catch any of the fruit-bat-youma, at least, leaving the Grape, Strawberry, Lemon, and Apple bats injured, and the Orange bat mostly no worse for wear. Each of them flutter to their feet and try to gather after the wake of the King's Pillar, screeching together - as a group, it seems to amplify the sonic attack into a visible beam that rips through the landscape, towards the mahou, sweeping across the battlefield - but it also means they're gathered together.
Norie Okana	La Crima watches the bats attack and this is turning into chaos. For the heroes. Chaos for the heroes. Good. Let them get a taste of defeat for a change. Let them taste the bittersweet fruit of licking their wounds for a change. Riventon is gonna be so pleased with her. She feels very neutral suddenly, even amongst the chaos. Good. Content. That's as best as she can feel normally! This is a good day. 'King's Pillar.' Huh? She hears it and looks up JUST as Ginga Kingu connects and--- everything around her, turned to dust in a bright light, she brings her hands up even as the bright light connects and she tries to resist. Is this purification!? NO it's jus...just raw energy, raw power and she can't... "I Can't....!" and then that bright light overtakes and what's thrown is a spray of ichor and wispyness all over the wall of a building, and when the chaos of that attack fades there is no La Crima. Is...is she dead? Did she die? That Ichor starts to move. and seep. and writtthe and starts climbing down to the wall into a homogenous puddle before forming upwards and taking the shape of a small girl, before La Crima sort of dissolves into existence on it's frame like something goopy through a sieve. It might be unsettling to some as La Crima frowns. "You can't kill me. So you're wasting your effort. But for what it's worth. THAT HURT LIKE F***ING HELL." she yells angrily as she starts shivering like her everything hurts. Because her EVERYTHING hurts. She doesn't attack yet. She can't. She's too busy resituating from ''dissolving into nothingness''.
Kaori Jira	Today it wouldn't be discovered if the likely somewhat unstable mix of primal magic and atomic fire could mess with the barrier...mostly because Kaori didn't have the context to really know what the hell was going on, and she was too preoccupied with swatting away at the bats of fruit with claws and tail to actually have the awareness of the grander problems. Or the King's Pillar that was about to come crashing down. Yellow Pearl Voice's song? It might actually make her pause, a flare of recognition on the very edge of her conciousness from a memory she hadn't been completely in control of. Distracted Kaiju girl is distracted...and the irony of her being caught in some attack inflicting massive devestation on the area unknowingly was potent.
Rashmi Terios	'You should get out of the way.'     << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR FLASH >> The *moment* Sugata's caution comes into the telepathic comms net, Rashmi's flash-step spell activates, sending her a good twenty meters *back* from her previous position. Which is great for getting her out of the *destructive radius* of King's Pillar... ...but it doesn't help to avoid the eye-searing light, or the hammering ghastly noise that comes when an infrastructure-sized chunk of the city is reduced to powder. << ...Hiiiiii Kingu-san... >> Once her senses are descrambled, Rashmi orients on the 'fruit' bats... only to notice that as they group up, their sonic assault grows *still more powerful.* Thaaaat's concerning.     << *BONG!* >> << TETRA BARRET -- BOOST UP >> A quartet of wispy Boosts fade into being around her, streaking out to lend a moment's increase in damage -- not that Kingu or Bishonen *need* it, particularly -- to her friends' next ranged attack.
Takuto Tsunashi	"We're not going to stop being pains in your neck even if we don't win. We're still taking time, efficiency, energy, resources, and peace away from you, and as long as there are people on earth, there will be people to oppose the darkness!" calls Takuto at La Crima, kind of ignoring Yuyami at this point since she has people much more adept at diplomatic persuasion than he is working on her. 'Anyone that isn't protected'-- except that Sugata knows Takuto is there, and with Wako absent, protection falls to the Ginga Bishounen. "Hello!" the redheaded high school senior says cheerfully, rocketing into Kaiju Hime the same way he'd rocket into Wako to grab her and get her out of the way if she's not already shielding, a fraction of a second before the whole street around them is DEMOLISHED and Takuto sweeps them up in the air, staying there through the fruit-bat sonic beam of destruction and wincing, then dropping Kaiju Hime off next to Rashmi. "Sugata!" he calls in delight. Then he points at the reconstituting La Crima. "a) You're basically admitting you're a mushroom good job," he switches to pointing to Sugata but is still looking at small ghost girl, "and b) ''that's my boyfriend'' <3 <3! And--" The Page Mage gets flashed a sunny smile for the boost, and Takuto brings his fists together properly this time and points the same attack at the clump of fruit bats, "c) TAU GALAXY BEAM!" Again, a big beam of energy -- bigger this time because even if he's a loudmouth he can keep a secret, and his hands are bigger than his mouth, he knows, he's tried to fit a fist in his mouth, who hasn't -- KSHOOOOOOs out, a bright DoT laser exploding toward toward the flying fruit monsters.
Amy Faust	Amy finaly gets a moment to see Kaori Jira fighting, and smiles in recognition. It's been a long time and they weren't ''close'', but the girl was willing to ''listen'' and that's more than... basically all of Obsidian at this point!     A mere ''chemical'' reaction-- "It's ''magic'', ''baka''." Still, it seems the ''magic'' molten iron puddles' ''magical'' heat isn't doing anything to the dome. Was worth a shot.     We're all going to die one day, "''Really'', I'm surprised ''you're'' not more optimistic about that." She genuinely is! Isn't conquering death the main reason mad scientists want to overcome the natural order?     Dark Energy, if controlled-- "Then ''show'' us it controlled. We would ''love'' to see a demonstration, and work ''with'' you and Riventon to avert the world's destruction at the hands of the ''rest'' of Obsidian. Why is it you guys worked alongside the folks trying to call that Pharoah thing? Remember the chaos that hit ''the entire city'' when they unleashed, I guess every Daimon ever at once?! How was ''that'' helping get us to the stars?!"     "Seriously, you have people ''actually calling themselves'' the 'Bad End Empire', what do you think that ''means?!''"     KING'S PILLAR! "Wuh-oh." Amy rocket-jumps away from the dome.     As DESTRUCTION RAINS FROM THE HEAVENS, Amy transmits, << I'll work on the shriekers... has anyone got any new ideas for how to get through that damn barrier? ...Oh, and do we have the monstergirl looped in-- >>     As she thinks that, she's already drawn dual pistols and is just spamming homing rocket-propelled-bullets at the fruit bats that ''weren't'' in the blast while King's Pillar comes down, one at a time, trying to work out about how many shots they take.     << Hey! >> Amy's voice is projected to Kaori's mind. << Good to see you again! The monsters are a distraction, this is all about the machines inside that dome! ...Talk after? We can go out for ice cream. Oh wait it's cold. How about curry? >>
Coco Kiumi	The King Pillar strikes, wide and imposing, and Coco is glad she is not the type of mahou to get up close and personal, because she doesn't feel her defenses would have lasted long against it. Also glad that she doesn't have to worry about getting anyone out of the way, thanks to the warning Ginga Kingu gave, and Ginga Bishounen's well-timed assistance. She still doesn't really like it, though. The bells of hope are ringing, and the doors to our fate are opening I'm sure we will reach the last paradise Even if a ray of sadness overwhelms us, we'll keep swimming From the bottom of my heart, I have to keep believing... In myself Over the rainbow A new tomorrow's being born Hear it loud In the middle of our journey Heading for the land of the sun Without a map, we head to the Promised Land This great story will take us to a future without limits I'm sure all our dreams will come true The bells of hope are ringing, and the doors to our fate are opening I'm sure we will reach the last paradise Even if a ray of sadness overwhelms us, we'll keep swimming From the bottom of my heart, I have to keep believing... In myself With a fruit bat trapped, Coco can focus on the part of the song that comes most natural to her: the purifying essence of the positive emotions that can make others feel at peace with themselves and that can burn through the dark energy, in a way not unlike disinfectant on an open wound. That trapped bat is probably getting the most of it, with how stuck it is. She glares at Yuyami once she asks her question. "Dark energy is what destroyed it. Why would I want to rely on it to save it? I would have never touched dark energy, and for your information, my people are fine now." She was expecting that, but her warning really does mean nothing. Hopefully one day, she realises before it's too late. "Her name is Sara, and she was able to rediscover her heart", she tells the younger girl, swallowing. She gives Yuyami a smile. "So I know she would agree with me if she could give you advice. Think on it, at least, and if you ever get questions, you can come to us at any time." Maybe a few months from now it will bear fruit. Actual fruit, not fruit bats.
Sugata Shindo	King's Pillar crashes down. Ginga Bishounen helps to ensure that the uninitiated doesn't get herself killed (she wouldn't have died. probably.) while Ginga Kingu stays focused on La Crima - even Yuyami and her speechifying don't matter. <<Hello, Rashmi-san.>> But he doesn't look in her direction, even as the Tetra Boost strikes. Feeling his energy grow, he instead launches his energy sword - not for LaCrima, but for one of the lemon fruitbats, the energy sword rocketing forward, touched by blue-white energy. "Star Crash!" And aims to strike it right through. "Anything can die, when under enough pressure. How much can you ''really'' come back from?" Is he practicing serial killer lines? No, but he isn't taking his eyes off her. "Given you tried to kill my fiancé, it seems only fitting to return the favor."
Kaori Jira	Oh. She was in the air. What in the Hells? It was a full noise of confusion and a small flare of cracking blue flame from Kaori's lips before she turned her head to see Takuto up close as she was held aloft. "What are you doin-?!" she begins, proving at least that the girl could speak a moment before the noise was drowned out by the explosion. Dropped down into the fray before she could really ask questions, the Kaiju girl was left looking confused as she was deposited next to Rashmi. Only when that mental projection of thoughts caught her mind did Kaori blink and look back at the bats being torn apart by the others attacks. "If it's a distraction, then destroy it?" she speaks aloud, apparently not quite adept at the telepathy reply thing. A small roll of glowing blue energy flowed up the scales of her tail and her spine to where they mingled with her hair, a beam of energy errupting from her mouth as she swept it over any creatures she could catch.
Yuyami Kagayaki	As anyone who dealt with Hinoiri at her worst can probably be aware; sometimes all of those little conversations bear seeds, even in the heat of battle, even if they don't grow immediately. But there's a more present concern for Yuyami - she looks away from fixing the machines in time to see that moment where Lacrima goes from 'present' to 'past-tense' in her mind and she shreiks out a desperate, worried, truly heart-wrenching 'LACRIMA-SEMPAI' as she rushes to the edge of the barrier... in time to see Lacrima re-form like the youma she somewhat partly kinda sorta is. To say this is a surprise after her speech about 'dying well' last speak is an understatement, and while many Mahou have seen Yuyami overwhelmed with curiosity, this is more of a mix of shock and horror in her jaw-droped, wide-eyed look.     With the Tetra-boosted Star Crash, Yellow Pearl Voice Song, Amy's rockets, blue energy wave, and Tau Galaxy Beam all bearing down on the grouped up bats, they don't survive any longer - and unlike Lacrima, they don't reform. But each of them seems to have some chunk of strange magitech gear, parts of which will be familiar to anyone with the previous Barriers - the external connection the barriers rely on to remain solid.     "Lacrima-sempai! We need... we have to... They've got the externals, we'll just have to come back another time!" she says, though it's painfully obvious to those around her she's acting out of perhaps un-Obsidian-like concern for the other girl, even though she reformed. "I'm calling Director Riventon-Sensei!" she yells, as much to everyone else there as to Lacrima.     The barrier flickers, as the equipment within begins to fleck away into Dark Energy and then disolve in the air, like newspapers in a fire. "Faust-san? Do you work for the one who did all of this?" she asks, gesturing to the damage done to the district. "Or do you just happen to fight alongside them?" That's her way of answering the questions about the Bad End Empire - everything else is (luckily for Riventon) before her time in Obsidian, though (unluckily for Riventon) he'll be asked about them.     "Do you think Obsidian is the only threat we're fighting?" she asks, and then clamps her hand over her mouth. She can't be publically stating that! Oh, she hopes Riventon is on his way and not already here. "I mean, um, eh. I... misspoke... she says, starting to scoot back before bumping into a half-disolved bit of equipment and scampering back as the barrier fails entirely, and now? Now she's a civilian with a magic ipad hiding behind some rubble.
Norie Okana	La Crima grows eerily silent as Ginga Kingu keeps on looking at her. She frowns. "I can survive...e..enough." she says, there's a strange stutter in her voice along with a strange conviction. "Enough to know you can't do it." she says more angrily. "So work out your feelings on me, I guess forever." she says with exasperation. She doesn't poke the beast further. Since she knows that 'forever' isn't possible right now. She then blinks when the barrier falls and her eyes suddenly track to Yuyami. "...Yuyami-kohai! Hold on!" she says as she turns into a puddle on the spot and zips across strewn rubble to form in front of her, as she clenches her fists. "Yuymai, are you okay?" she asks with a worried frown as she turns back to the chaos and then true to her words.... You're going to need to go through her to get to Yuyami, huffing with a hard frown. "Don't you dare touch her...!" she says angrily. "Or..or maybe I'll return the favor. With trying to kill me..." she says with that strange conviction.
Takuto Tsunashi	Takuto's by Sugata's side nigh-instantaneously, putting a white-gloved hand on the blue-haired boy's shoulder when the barrier goes down. "She doesn't have a henshin," is all he says.
Sugata Shindo	Ginga Kingu snorts, hearing Yuyami's words and rolling his eyes. Even before Takuto is there, it's clear he won't be attacking. "Why would I hire anyone to do what I can manage far more effectively on my own? She doesn't work for me. She fights alongside me - as ''you'' fight alongside those who seek to end the world and kill for their own satisfaction. Seeking the moral high ground is a game for stupid children." His star swordo vanishes, and the mark on his chest glows under his coat. "Take your kohai away before she sees you go splat again."
Amy Faust	> LACRIMA-SEMPAI!     Amy just looks slightly confused. There's no way that kills Okana-san, doesn't Kagayaki-san ''know'' that? So I kill the distraction?     That's not what Amy meant, but all's well that ends well. << You just have to think back at me and will me to get the reply. It's magic. >> > They've got the externals!     Wait, they ''stopped'' whatever the experiment was? So the dome's not unbeatable after all. Interesting! Amy grabs any of the magitech that's fallen near her, dropping it into a conjured backpack. (It's beige, but there's some cute chibi cartoon character on it, winking.)     And stops, for a second, and mentally facepalms, as she wonders ''why didn't she just do that with the (fake) Memory Jar pieces.''     Yeah, there's a lot of destruction and it's ''not'' in a barrier this time, but she's kind of used to it. No civilians were harmed. "''They're'' not trying to ''destroy the world.''" Amy notes, of the Star Drivers.     Is Obsidian the only threat? Of course not, but Yuyami having such a reaction as if she let something slip means there must be some important, particular piece of information there.     And then the dome fades away. "Oh. So we ''can'' beat these." She looks at the frightened girl trying to hide, confused that the fear is directed at ''her and her friends''. But the kind words Amy's about to say die in her throat as she recalls the warnings of the other day. If Kagayaki-san ''persists'' on this path, they ''may'' end up killing her one day. Dark Energy ''does'' things to people--     Amy remembers ''wanting'' to see that fear on Lady Bat and feels sick again     "Just go. ...Maybe you should prioritize learning that villain teleport thing, if you can."     BANG. BANG. BANG. Amy casually blows tiny holes through the undissolved parts of equipment Yuyami ''isn't'' hiding behind.     Norie is there. "I'm sorry that hurt. But... hey, weren't you laughing earlier? Wasn't that a positive emotion? That means progress today, right?" Amy notes, glancing at her briefly before looking over to Kaori.     "So, hey." She waves. "You didn't answer but I know Telepathy is a trip and I guess there's stuff to explain. After-battle curry?"
Rashmi Terios	"Kagayaki-san," Rashmi calls, as the bats fall, the dome falls, and there is nothing between the mahou and their target save their own convictions. "For your own sake... your own *safety,* before you go out into the field again please please *please* get a henshin. Dark, Device, anything except talking to Kyubey, you *need to be protected.* You've been doing great so far but you have been *so lucky* and I don't want your luck to run out, okay?" Letting out a long sigh, she moves to stand next to the Star Drivers. "I'd *prefer* it if you found *your* magic, but... At this point I'll settle for just being *safer.*" At Amy's last question, she pauses, blinking. "...You... didn't really *hear* that laugh, did you Amy-chan?"
Amy Faust	Amy blinks at Rashmi. "I mean... it ''sounded'' all 'triumphant cackle'-like before the bit at the end, right?" She grimaces a bit recalling how it got all weird and sobby.
Kaori Jira	So very many questions for Kaori to ask, Amy's comment on the telepathy brought a small blink and a place to affix her attention when she was clearly very, very lost about what was going to happen. Crossing her arms under her armored bust and looking between the Mahou and their fleeing foes before turning back towards Amy with a proper nod. "Yes. I have a -lot- of questions...and a hunger."
Verre Reine	Only one person is still attacking - though she's not attacking the girls, she is attacking with loud weaponry, and she is known to another person who's been dispatched to the scene as 'the girl with explosives'.     Another shot - not one of Amy Faust's - rings out across the battlefield, and a streak of red light from an angle behind and above Amy's left zips towards Amy's left hand.     Towards the red gem on her glove that's ever so slightly filled with a little bit of inky blackness.     Instead it zips right past - so close it may have almost risked touching it, scraping by it.     Shortly after the shot is registered by parties, a girl with long white hair and in a red and white dress lands, with a crystalline fascimile of a pistol in each of her hands.     "I think this soiree has gone on long enough, don't you think?" She asks, standing between La Crima, Yuyami, and the rest of the group. "There's nothing left here to fight over, so it seems like a rather large amount of trouble for everyone, for not too much to gain." the girl suggests, her accent terribly posh and upper class.     She turns to La Crima. "Can you duskport? I'm taking Kagayaki-san." she says. "Oh. Riventon sent me - I'm your new coworker." she says with a smile that seems genuine - until she turns to look at the mahoujin, particularly Amy, and at which point it's still a smile, but dripping with venom - in a different way than La Crima's was, so much more distaste and disdain.
Norie Okana	La Crima glares darkly at Amy as she mentions the laughing, like she doesn't want to talk about it right now. (She doesn't. Nows not the time. Maybe another time. But most certainly not now.) and Rashmi hits the nail harder on the head. She just watches Rashmi try to hit that nail harder and looks between the two questioningly before she shakes it off and looks back at Kingu. "....fine." she says quietly. Not loud or angry, like a subtle agreeing but sad tone at him. She looks back at Yuyami. "Let's go." she says quietly. They'll need to find the nearest 'door'... La Crima can't take her kohai into the dusk zone exactly, and she can't provide protection in it. Hopefully Riventon really IS on the way hopefully. Then suddenly. Reine!? Oh. Oh a friendly thank god. "Leaving. Yuyami. Get out of here." she says quietly, as she jumps into the air and vanishes into wisps of black as she duskports away.
Takuto Tsunashi	There's an affectionate squish of Kingu's shoulder, epaulets aside, and Bishounen lets his hand drop in order to cross his arms and rolls his eyes at La Crima-- --and then there's a shot out of nowhere and Amy ''almost dies'' and Takuto goes hot and cold all at once, eyes wide, and he is momentarily the embodiment of the 'doing fluid dynamics with some effort with floating symbols and calculus BS in front of thinking-face' gifs. For a half-second he's like, "...okay, that's fair, Sugata-kun did the same thing, except we know La Crima grows pieces back..." and he rounds on Verre Reine, red eyes flashing in disdain. "But--" But she did it with style, too, and game appreciates game. He grimaces. "Yeah, okay, THIS bougie princess aimed deliberately for 'whiff'. I appreciate precision." But the disdain is back. "It was just ''wildly unnecessary'', whoever who are. We'd already stopped fighting."
Amy Faust	Bang.     Amy's hand and arm flinch upward, turning the soul gem ''away'' from the direction the attack came from, Bang! returning fire in that general direction with that 'conjured explosion launches a visible-for-one-frame orange line that's actually tiny bits of metal going very fast' thing she does, and then turning and running over take cover in the Live Stage.     Repositioning which allows her to see past the cloud of smoke her explosions made. "Oh, it's ''you.''" She glances over to La Crima and Kagayaki-san. "Why aren't you ''leaving?!" And then La Crima ''does'', leaving Yuyami, to Amy's surprise.     "Take her and ''go!''" Amy waves Verre Raine off with the non soul-gem hand, the left hand still keeping the soul gem turned away from the Dark Magical Girl, held close to Amy's collar. "She doesn't know how to do the teleport thing!"     And then she glares at Verre Reine at a thought, as Takuto comments on the shot and Amy thinks about the implications, and asks coldly: "...Did Riventon tell you to shoot me like that?"     Ugggh, Verre Raine can control her projectiles' flight paths like Amy can... that may be a ''problem'' in the future... dammit, why do her enemies suddenly have to make keeping her soul on the outside an inconvenience?!     Sorry, Kaori. Discussion of curry can resume when the fighting is DONE done and definitely over.
Kaori Jira	Sudden attacks from nowhere...and people were awfully calm about it. Her own reaction to the new arrival and posturing was to turn and give a little growl, a breath carrying the blue flame and energy crackling up and down her scales, over her clawed hands and practically surging over her form enough to make the air distort. The 'question' of what to attack or destroy was a little more clear here.
Coco Kiumi	'Director Riventon-sensei' Ok, they are fighting each other now, but... <<That was cute, how she referred to him? Right?>> She communicates telepathically while she still lets her crystalline voice out in her execution of the song. She hums notes with satisfaction at the discovery of the fruit bats being important for the barrier. Well, that's really good to know. << Next time, let's try to get the youmas out of the way as quick as possible. That way we could probably discuss things with her directly. >> Obsidian not being the only enemi is interested, and what it is gaining from keeping away from them. It is certainly both problematic and interest, though she doesn't really have any suggestion as to. It is certainly no Black Moon, and Coco grins at him for a brief moment. Hopefully something will reignite the brightness in her heart, but until then they probably should start preparing what else to do next time they cross paths. This wasn't nice, and the only reason the scratches on her arm are not aching anymore is her voice overall took care of it already. The mermaid raises an eyebrow as yet another new face appears. How many people is Riventon recruiting?She didn't think he would be able to find two more at the same time. Well, worries for another time, when they are not out here in the open under potential fire. << I guess we are going to get back to school now?>>, she checks via telepathy. She has nothing more to say to the Obsidian squad.
Sugata Shindo	A shot rings out from nowhere and Ginga Kingu goes from cold to glacial, eyes hardening. Takuto is calculating the odds - Ginga Kingu slaps a palm to his chest and pulls from it a gleaming sword of light, and he takes one look at the snooty look on Verra Raine's face and a ripple of disdain breaks the perfect control of his features. So this one works for Riventon oo. And unlike Yuyami, ''she'' has magic." He looks at Yuyami and says simply - "Perhaps you just aren't special enough. It certainly seems he's willing to share magic with everyone ''else'' who works with him. Sunbreaker. Firefly. La Crima. Catra. Fate. And now a new coworker. ''Everyone but you.'' How unfortunate to still be the least favorite."
Rashmi Terios	Just as things are apparently starting to settle down, an out-of-nowhere gunshot startles a loud squeak out of the Page Mage, and her eyes wide as she tracks the way Amy carefully covers her Soul Gem. The implication is clear; a friend *almost died just now,* for *style points.* And while the growl of the large, armored girl next to her is something Rashmi agrees with deep in her soul, nevertheless she reaches a hand up to rest on the Kaiju Hime's shoulder. "Not this time," she says quietly. "The new girl made her point, and now she's going to *leave.*" Her eyes close, as Kingu's verbal attack seems aimed right at Yuyami's soul, and she looses a deep sigh. "Well, she's going to be hearing *that* in her nightmares for the rest of the year..." << That's not actually a bad idea, Yellow Pearl-chan... Next time I'll have Nicomachea looking out for the monsters immediately. And... yeah. Back to the school, though if anyone wants an early dinner I'll go with. >>
Takuto Tsunashi	"Sigh," the Ginga Bishounen says out loud when Sugata takes his sword out at Verre Reine for honestly perfectly understandable reasons, but the problem with that is if the new new girl takes the bait and fights him, it puts Yuyami back in danger. He turns immediately to the old new girl and gets between her and the fighting. "Do you want a safe ride back to Obsidian Tower?" he asks in concern, stepping forward and holding out a hand. "I can fly you there lickety-split and drop you off. I'm so sorry my boyfriend is a weapons-grade ********."
Yuyami Kagayaki	Yuyami doesn't recognize the girl, but with Lacrima leaving, she certainly doesn't want to stay right now. And the girl had called herself a coworker - right now she doesn't really care if that means she works for Riventon or not. And while someone else offers her a ride - and perhaps the extremely perceptive will see her foot lift up as if to take a tiny step in that direction before returning - she looks around at the destruction wrought, and the hole in the ground where the device should be...     "I... no, I'm going back with her." She says quietly, mostly into her tablet that she's still holding up like a barrier, only her purple eyes looking over it. She was also thinking - a lot of things. And then Kingu's words hit her and her tablet drops slowly and there are, momentarily, little tears in the corners of her eyes. She doesn't even know most of those people, but she's so desperate for magic, and she knows she is more limited, so it hits home... VISIBLY.
Verre Reine	Verre grabs Yuyami and grips her by the shoulder. "Darling, you mustn't put too much stock into the words of those so far below you. They're just rabble. I had my powers long before I graced your department. And the difference between you and that list of names is, you're still here. I'm sure the others aren't." she says, and with that, puts her mark on the map as part of Riventon's department.     She turns to Amy. "Oh, no, quite the contrary. His instructions were the opposite..." she taps her chin. "I only discussed it briefly of course, and he never said anything about being very close. And you know, even a master markswoman can sometimes drift a bit." she says, raising her eyebrows. "Not ''me'', of course, though. Nothing where you'd need to be careful about going through life with something so valuable in easy aim, checking every rooftop for a reflection." she notes.     "As I said, this really isn't my kind of party anyways. It's a little bit... dirty. Come along, Kagayaki-san, there's tea at the office." she says, practically pulling the girl into a Duskport.
Sugata Shindo	"Yes, Kagayaki-san. Run. Think about why it is that Riventon could gift weapons to his former associates, and all you have is a tablet and shields we've proven we can break in the mdist of these battles." Is Sugata's parting shot, and once she's gone, he turns to Amy with a cool and assessing glance. "Can you keep that hidden, or is it some trickster element to your powers, that something important to you be available to be shot?" The question is blunt but he doesn't seem like he's trying to blame her, rather, trying to figure out the parameters of her abilities. "And I could have said much worse to her if I was trying, and you know it," he adds to Takuto. "The only one she's fooling is herself, thinking that Riventon gives a damn for her."
Takuto Tsunashi	"I'm not mad at you," Takuto reassures Sugata, "but I also wasn't lying. I know you could have said a whole lot worse! That doesn't change the fact that that was super harsh and I felt bad for her. I thought she could use to hear that not every single person there was out to emotionally devastate her."
Amy Faust	Despite everything, Amy ''winces'' when Sugata decides that ''Kagayaki-san'' is the one who needs to be emotionally punched in the gut and then curbstomped here. "Dude! I know she's with ''them'' but you didn't need to be that ''mean'', ''she's'' not the one that--" Amy sighs.     "Ugh, the little white rat is ''after'' her and he's probably ''listening'' right now!"     While Amy ''initially'' takes Verre Reine's words to imply Riventon said to 'not shoot anywhere near the soul gem', she again recalls her friends' warnings and wonders if, perhaps, he's told his underlings the weak point and to shoot for it.     Amy doubts it's as easy as a single gem-bullet to her soul gem to kill her -- Kyubey needs Puella Magi to ''survive'' fighting Witches and Familiars -- and potentially Puella Magi fighting over grief seeds -- long enough to Witch themselves, after all -- but she really doesn't want to ''find out.''     If it cracks and her power leaks out, does she still Witch...?     Amy tries not to think about having to watch for snipers ''forever'' right now.     She looks towards Verre Reine, trying to stay calm and cold. "Tell your boss to keep ''extra'' close watch for Kyubey until she feels better, unless he's just cavalier with ''everyone's'' souls now."     And then Verre Reine is gone, and Amy sits down on the live stage, let's out the breath she suddenly realizes she was holding, and covers her soul gem with her oher hand.     "Do you know what it really is?" Amy answers Kingu. "...I don't think I can ''swallow'' it or something. It just... always finds a way to be part of any costume I make. Even if I ''could'' put it under armor or something..." she raps her chestplate. "It's not like this is much tougher than the rest of the outfit. Do any of us actually get real ''armor?''"     She looks up at him. "...Against a sniper who can aim that precisely... can't she target your hearts and brains just as easily? More, even. They're bigger, squishy targets."     Well this conversation certainly took a turn.
Kaori Jira	Does anyone get armor? Well...Kinda. Kaiju Hime's partially scaled form still broached questions of if that was part of her 'outfit' or her body, but that was far from the biggest question right now. Things in the city seemed to have gotten a -lot- more complicated, not less, in her time away. There were new heroes she didn't know, politics she didn't understand and clearly literally everyone else here seemed to have a hell of a lot more history. A frustrated snort came from her that wasn't entirely human, letting another small flame dance in the air for a heartbeat. She was so very confused. And she'd vaporized her drink when she'd transformed too!
Rashmi Terios	"Maybe," Rashmi says, even though Kingu had addressed Bishounen, "but did you see what it *did* to her? You don't have to stab *every* open wound, Kingu-san." Those tears in Yuyami's eyes... Those were very, very familiar tears, and part of Rashmi's ire is of the 'I remember when other people made me feel that way' variety. Shaking her head, she turns to Amy. "You gonna be okay? Because--" 'Snort' "....Sorry, hi?" she says, turning to the Kaiju. "Sorry we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Rashmi, I was the reason people were talking in your head. It's helpful when we can make strategies and stuff and the other side can't hear us coming up with our plans in real time, y'know?"
Sugata Shindo	"The truth hurts," Ginga Kingu replies to Amy and Rashmi, blunt. "If she's hurting, she might be driven to ask him about it, and Riventon will have to defend is position or give in. Either it drives them further apart or it gets her a henshin, and either option is better than this playing out again. Her feelings are her problem. The fact that she's still ''helpless'' is the more important puzzle. Riventon's never seemed to hesitate to pump any of his allies with magic before - no one in Obsidian seems to be gatekeeping the others from falling farther into their trap. Instead of worrying about her feelings, we should be questioning what it means that he's changed his habits ''just'' for her." Is Yuyami dangerous? Is he siphoning her power? Is she a test run for a new type of recruit, one strung along with promises of power never delivered? There are many things about Obsidian that Yuyami could represent. None of them are good. "I assume it's some sort of transformation gadget, given how protective of it you are, but we shouldn't discuss it - or the white rat you seem to hate - out here in the open. The fact that she's gone doesn't mean she can't come back. Let's get out of here." A pause. "And someone can explain the new armored girl, if they want."
Rashmi Terios	"I can do both things," Rashmi mutters, then sighs. "But you're also right, that *is* a really good question. I have... a couple theories... but I'm gonna keep em to me until I can nail something down precisely." On the subject of Amy's weak point, Rashmi opens her mouth, halts herself from talking about someone else's issue, and shrugs. "As I was gonna say... My weakness is pretty attack-able too, and the only reason no one does is because it's the kind of escalation not even Riventon really wants, because people'd go after *his* Device too. Which... really makes new girl worrying, if she thinks she's above that kind of consequence."
Kaori Jira	Said Armored girl, complete with a decidedly reptillian tail and scales that spread across some of the sections of her bare skin did turn towards Rashmi, already relatively tall in her human form and seeming decidedly taller like this (though it was more a presence thing) as she looked down at the girl. "That is useful...but unnerving." Explaining her? Kaori's eyes move back towards Kingu and there's that same slight raise of temperature in the air around her. "There is a lot to explain...and I am hungry." Eyes turn towards Amy. Don't promise a Kaiju-Girl a meal if you're not going to pay up!
Amy Faust	Amy blinks at Kingu's explanation. "Wait... is he even able to ''do'' that? Like... I thought basically anyone ''could'' use Dark Energy, potentially. And she's working with it, so it's obviously not kept from her... I mean even ''I've'' used Dark Energy a coupla times."     Amy blinks again. "If he ''did'' have a way to interfere with peoples' ability to use Dark Energy... could we ''use'' that?"     The kind of escalation Riventon doesn't want. Amy's hand rubs around the gem. "I ''thought'' he didn't, too... but has he changed...?"     She looks back to Kaori as the kaiju says she is Hungry. "...I figured people would ''want'' to go to the Korma, but if not..." Amy looks towards the school. "If we go to the cafeteria instead I'll figure something out."
Takuto Tsunashi	"I just want to drag Sugata-kun home before the cops show up. Later, everyone. Come on, race--" VOOM. Takuto has left.
Sugata Shindo	The Ginga Bishounen may as well be the hook coming from the end of the stage, because there goes Ginga Kingu: exit stage left, pursued by a bear.
Amy Faust	Amy's eyes widen. "...[oh ''f***''], right, there wasn't a barrier!" She stands up. "We gotta go!"