Scene #65: Night Parade

Owner	Pose
Onihime	The warm summer weather of the city is cut somewhat by the cool sea breeze in Yumegahama Ward. The seaside district gets to enjoy a relatively pleasant evening, which makes it all the better that a museum is holding a special exhibit tonight. A number of families old, powerful, or both, have collaborated with the museum to put on an exhibition of old items and artifacts with ties to Japanese history. Several rooms have been set up with temporary displays, each bearing the name of a very generous donor who very generously provided the items therein. Old clan armors, the blade of a well-known samurai, everyday items like sandals or umbrellas, beauty items dating all the way back to the Heian period... In short, to anyone paying attention, it's a way for the museum's owners to show off the powerful friends backing them, and a way for those powerful friends to flex their own renown and history at each other, to assuage their own pride. Kureha Senkenzan would almost rather be anywhere else. ''Almost''. But in the side room the Chikafuji patriarch has secured for his own collection, one of the many items on display is one that by all rights should be hers. It belonged to her mother, a last keepsake of the Senkenzan clan. A necklace with a magatama pendant, impressively old and just-as-impressively intact. It's one of Kureha's only chances to see it - to make any sort of connection with her mother, with the side of her family the young girl has never had the chance to know. And this being a prestige night for old Hozan, it's one of the few events he'll even let her attend. So there Kureha sits, on a bench across from her mother's pendant with one hand absently on her cane, staring in quiet, thoughtful silence. Nearby, her maid Chisa stands, watching the girl with a contemplative expression of her own.
Rashmi Terios	Rashmi can never understand why people refuse to sign up for extra credit. Hearing of the exhibition coming up, her History teacher has announced an extra-credit assignment due Friday; go to the museum, find a particularly interesting piece of history, and write an essay about it. Few people from her class took the teacher up on it. But to Rashmi, it's everything she loves about learning things, plus the free will bonus of picking one's own topic! What could be better! However, weekdays mean work for her parents, and while they hate the idea of not going with her to something she's clearly excited to do, the restaurant must be open. Thus it is that the dark-skinned redhead tours the museum, gawking at precious artifacts on display and spending a good deal of time over the information plaques, eager to drink in the history.
Hannah Steiner	A certain Heiress of House Steiner is here, in a fancy dress she's managed to find with what money she has, her poor finances stretched but a Steiner scion is ever good at making the most of money. And so, she at least visually looks like she fits in, some foreign girl dressed and comfortable in clothes that scream 'I'm important'. Which isn't strictly a lie, but, not so much on this planet. At least right now. But Hannah needs to build her wealth and to do so, she needs contacts. Getting lead about the place by Lyra, she's soon using her gift of outgoing gab and her obvious gaijin-ness to deflect anything awkward. She cares nothing for the history here. She only sees the future. Mostly her own, where she can at least live here comfortably. Thus, she's listening to some old rich fogey go on and on about his daughter and the business he's leaving to her, Hannah laughing in turn and nodding with her thousand-watt smile as she treats the old rich guy like a dear friend while casually pumping him for information on who's Important so she can ride a few coat tails to luchre and glory. This does lead her into spitting distance of Kureha. Who gets a brief wag and bark from Lyra!
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi actually did like history, but alas. There was no report for her. She'd have done it, because... she was kind of a nerd. Unfortunately, Wuwu was less of a history buff and instead was occasionally mumbling commentary to her from her book bag. "Please, I had nicer... had nicer... had nicer... okay, that's just tacky. Pfft. I once used one of those as a toothpick and--" "Will you kindly shut up before someone hears and I get in trouble?" Cho asked her book bag, glaring down at it. "If you wanted history, why didn't you just ask me?" Wuwu asked. "Because the only history you ever talk about is your own." "Uh, yeah? Because it's the only one worth talking about." Cho just sighed and shut her bag. Stupid obnoxious stuffed animal. She quickly joined the crowds, ooing at a display of old makeup. Sigh... maybe one day she could look as pretty as some of the girls in the images they made to show how people looked then. She quickly went to another display, though, when she saw an old staff. Nope. She was NOT letting Wuwu near THAT. Good way to get banned from the exhibit forever.
Scorn	Scorn is here for nefarious purposes, and thusly, is here, alone save for the crow on her shoulder, and has her nose glued to display cases and seems to be looking for something particular. Leaving little nose prints on every little display case she checks as she frowns a little. Rashmi gets practically pushed out of the way one time as she stared into cases. "Come on... where is it..." "Something in here... she wants. I know she wants it. I will bring, the best artifact..." "To Queen Mirage-sama!" she demands, pointing a hand to the sky. Speaking to herself, but really anyone directly nearbg can hear here.
Wako Agemaki	Wako found the museum mostly by accident, if we're being honest. Tokyo is much, much bigger than she's used to... and it's been a long, long time since she's been able to go much of anywhere she didn't already know like the back of her hand. She'd really just been looking for somewhere to get some food. But the banners for the exhibition snagged her attention and her interest. The whole wide world has opened up in front of her like a horizon, and for the first time in her life the history of places beyond one tiny island off the south coast of Japan actually feels relevant. So here she is, making her unhurried way along, taking in the displays and somewhere in the back of her head hoping she's not radiating 'provincial bumpkin' ''too'' obviously.
Coco Kiumi	Walking along the Yumegahama Ward's district, Coco was enjoying the cool breeze coming in from the sea. She took a few breaths, taking in the fresh air as much as possible, filled by a melanchonic sort of happiness. Her thoughts go to the rolling waves, craving the sensation of fresh water around her as she swims together with her companions. 'One day, we will be together again', she reassures herself, imagining the faraways waves as the guises of her friends. Taking peeks at the various seaside entertainments, she takes note of an history museum, a huge coming and going occuring in its premises. Deciding to check what the excitement is all about, she makes her way to that location. 'I think I need a distraction. And these places often have shops alongside the exhibition, right? Maybe I can find something Noel will like'. Going inside with that intention, she lets herself be renovated by the thought of how much Noel would like the surprise once she is freed, a smile appearing on her face.
Francesca Leon	Soooooo the museum. This should be nice. Definitely better than Francesca's failed attempt to sneak into a theme park to have fun. Maybe she can even learn something while seeing the sights. So what is a girl with very little money to do? Sneak in through the back. That is EXACTLY what she does to get into the museum, managing to somehow weasel past security and get into the exhibit without making the minimum recommended donation to the museum to do so. BOY does she sure look conspicuous though in her ratty old clothes as she wanders the exhibit halls. At least they're clean, so she has that going for her a she stuffs her hands in her pockets and meanders from room to room, peering at the various ancient antiquities with about as much culture as a martian. Which kind of makes sense considering she's half Mid-Childan by blood. She even passes Rashmi briefly, though doesn't seem to notice her at first while pausing to look at some super sweet samurai armor regardless of how much she sticks out like a sore thumb.
Onihime	The museum staff don't seem particularly surprised to have students here, even students without their parents; extra credit assignments aren't terribly uncommon, and sometimes students just plain like visiting museums! Hey, shush, it happens sometimes. So even without her parents, Rashmi is not getting a second glance. Meanwhile, Hannah is getting second glances - and third, and fourth! She looks like she fits right in with this crowd, and she's absolutely got a few ears she can bend. Especially if she's willing to let the rich old people talk about the most important thing in their life: themselves. Her faithful hound, meanwhile, has set eyes upon a gaunt, frail-looking girl on a bench in a kimono. Kureha turns to look at the dog, and something resembling alarm flits across her face briefly. She clutches her cane a little closer, but then turns her attention back to the pendant she's been watching. ...mostly. ...glance. ...glance glance. Cho is going mostly unbothered as well, fortunately. It looks like most of the staff and rich people are paying her no mind. Mostly. One of them does briefly hear her muttering, but the woman's only reaction is a soft scoff and a muttered, "Honestly, the children don't even switch off their ''phones'' anymore..." Likewise, Wako probably isn't getting all that much attention; perhaps a few stares and titters from the occasional 'highbrow' patron, but most of them seem to have at least grudgingly accepted that they are among the masses for the night. Likewise, Coco will find herself a bustling distraction indeed; even the gift shop seems to have a few special items in stock for the night. Meanwhile, Scorn... is likely to find exactly what she is looking for. There's one particular display, for one particular family - the Fujiwara family, or at least one branch of it. A number of very old historical artifacts are on display, a vase dating back to just before the beginning of the Warring States period, a hand mirror from the Meiji Restoration, and even a comb going all the way back to the Heian period. And, strangely, several of them radiate dark energy. Especially that vase. The cat designs are made to look as if they're clawing their way up it, and something in the way the eyes twinkle... "Who is ''that''?" Everyone is staring at Francesca. The stuffy rich people have hit their limit, looking on with disdain. The museum staff look like they're considering asking her to leave. Even Kureha is watching with bafflement from her bench. One particularly snobby man snorts with indignation, turning to watch with a huff. "My ''word'' the clientel they'll alow in here. If this is the sort of- oop!"
Onihime	Scorn gets to watch it happen. She gets to watch as the man nearly trips over a barrier, and his flailing hand smacks the cat vase. It tumbles right off its pedestal, hits the ground, and just shatters. Immediately, a shadowy creature hisses, and lunges free of the fragments - and wisps of dark energy begin to whip and flit about the room. And then the simmering creature of darkness lets out a yowl like an angry cat, and suddenly the wisps move with purpose. Straight into various items around the museum. An umbrella suddenly grows an eye and a mouth, and leaps free of its display, chasing a terrified patron with a huge, flailing tongue. A pair of wooden sandals begin whacking an indignant-yet-terrified woman over the head, driving her off. A series of old Noh masks begin floating around and taking the rough shape of a humanoid figure. It's pure chaos, and the shadowy feline uses the chaos as cover, weaving and darting through the room, its twin tails curling and swaying.
Rashmi Terios	It's the first sniff Rashmi hears in earshot that turns up her Sense of Justice. Following the complainer's sightline until she orients on Francesca, Rashmi weaves through the crowd, purposefully falling in next to the poor stray and smiling brightly. "Oh good you're here! C'mon, I want to show you this Sengoku-period helmet!" she chirps at top conversational voice. Then, she leans in a bit more conspiratorially, and murmurs, "c'mon, let's look together. They can talk about me all they want, you just look like a friend would be ni--" And then the vase shatters. And then all neko hell is unleashed. And there are no convenient benches to transform under. ...Well this is awkward.
Scorn	Scorn frowns when someone breaks the dark energy vase and she ''huffs''. She was just about to ''steal it'' when it breaks and sends dark energy flaring around, and ''waking up'' monsters and she 'arghs!' loudly. Corvus covers his ears with his wings at this and she stamps her foot. "That's not fair, you jerk!" she says to the man who crashed into it, as the umbrella hops behind her at someone else. "NOW IT'S .. It's a..." "KERFLUFFLE!" she doesn't know where this word came from, but she says it. "KINDABADS!" three beings in dark skin-tight suits appear near her in a puff... --and immediately pick up the man and throws him out the front of the museum. Karma. Okay? "NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO." she laments. "Popcorn?" asks Corvus as he provides a box of said treat. "Ugh fine." she says as she sits on one of the now empty displays and munches.
Hannah Steiner	Hannah is definitely up there amidst the rich-or-rich-in-theory hierarchy, but House Steiner very much values the often dirt-clad opinions of their most low-born. It takes quite a bit for her to not slug the man giving Francesca grief. If she had any hesitation about grifting the old rich people in this room before? Well that's just been shattered harder than the vase that got turned into historical fragments. If anything her Networking turns even more ruthless, she has quite a few numbers in her pocket already, and she's ready to just burn these jerks for a much, much better class of High Class. She means herself, of course. Rashmi proves to be a true knight, and so Hannah is instead on the arm of an older woman saying how much she reminds her of an associate oversees when all hell breaks loose. With far, far too much calm for this kind of situation, Hannah beams a smile in true Masking of her concern and begins to -along with her massive not-dog Lyra - bodily usher people politely to the nearest exits. "Acht, certainly just a technical difficulty Frau Obito, I shall call you soon about that stock-listing! Come, come, it shall all be alright!" As she pushed the old lady out the exit, waved her cane about, and then snuck into a nearby bathroom. "Blauer Greif! For House Steiner!" <Bereit meine Herrin> The symbol of House Steiner erupts under Hannah's feet, and the Belkan Knight's armored heels tapped upon the ceiling of the room as she settled in. She tilted her bowler hat dramatically as she leaned on her Device while she initiated an Area Search to get a 'look' of the tactical disposition of the chaos below. The massive, furred lizard-form of Lyra fiercely barks at the many Noh-masks floating about! "How DARE you interrupt this gathering of merchants of antiquity, interrupt their..." Potential for giving her their money. "Interrupting the appreciation of history and names joyously spread for the enrichment of all here, in mind and in pocketbook! Upon the Name of mein House, you shall pay for your folly, and Justice be done!" Offers Hannah as she leans back, posing dramatically!
Francesca Leon	"Who is ''that''?" Such a simple question, but it makes Francesca cringe as though the words were a less than subtle blade rammed into her back. She can feel the stares. The boring and baleful gazes of the affluent and well-to-do bourgeoise looking so down on her the weight of their eyes is like a ten ton press. By the time Rashmi arrives at her side the girl looks like she's about ready to find any excuse to leave, herself, head tipped low, a dark shadow hanging over her eyes and face as she bites her lip hard enough to start tasting blood. "--huh...?" She DOES look up, a little shocked when she realizes Rashmi is right there and smiling. "... Thanks..." Muttered so small and defeated that it might even go unheard in the chaos of a vase shattering and. "Uh." That sure is a nekomata running around now. And that umbrella just licked someone. Francesca's expression shifts from silently wanting to crawl in a hole and die to one of quiet bafflement for a moment before she sighs. Wow this IS awkward. But then she clasps Rashmi by the wrist. "We should hide this way." She says tugging the other girl towards the nearby restroom. And there's Hannah. In the restroom, to boot. "... Excuse us." She says letting of Rashmi's hand and... Quietly heads into an unoccupied stall. "MISTER MISTOFFELEES! SET UP!" <Standby ready!> There's a flash of purple light under and above the stall. The stall door opens. And Stray just... rubs the back of her neck with a heavy sigh as she steps out into the chaos.
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi glanced up and... What? What was wrong with a weird girl not having the nicest clothes? She had half a mind to mentally scold the man because there was no way in hell she was actually going to have the courage to TELL OFF someone like that. She pretended to be nice, friendly and outgoing. But... confrontation was still something she was struggling with and there was-- NO! She had to say something. "L-lis... ten..." she said, so softly, her hands shaking and... And before she could... the man managed to knock over a priceless artifact! SHIT! She took a step forward, but her freezing had slowed her down... That and she likely wasn't fast enough anyway. It shattered on the ground. And monster. She blinked. And stared and... "Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding me," she muttered. She could already see where THIS was going. She just turned and stomped off. FINE! FINE UNIVERSE! HEAVENS FORBID SHE TRY AND GO TO AN OLD HISTORY LOCATION! She looked left, right, then dipped into a conveniently placed janitor's closet to transform! Of course, a few moments later... Cure Wukong came out! Armed with a bucket filled with soap water! Yes, Cho was still a bit too soft to actually... yell at someone. But Cure Wukong? Cure Wukong was NOT liable for any damage she may or may not cause, so if she was to chuck a bucket of mucky mop water on a certain jerk who had tried bullying a little girl for not looking nice, oh and releasing some old evil demon, then it was obviously just an accident in the line of duty. Yup. Totally accidental. Oh, right, she should probably... Actually go after the monster... "Uhhhh..." she asked. "What? No, keep doing what you're doing, it's what I would do," Wuwu said with a grin while he floated behind her in a reclined position. "WUWU!" Cure Wukong snapped. "Fine, fine, thataway," he said, pointing towards one of the stands the twin tails had disappeared under. Cure Wukong growled, looking at the monster. She REALLY needed to stop it... and as much fun as being Cure Wukong was, she knew enough to know that anything she tried to stop would likely end up damaged and she could not destroy ancient, valuable artifacts. Tossing mop water on an old asshole was fine, though. Nothing of value was damaged. But then there was Scorn. She couldn't just leave her here, could she? Was she behind this? And the kindabads? Ugh! But then... they'd tossed out the jerk, so... was she a good guy? But the kindabads were trouble, right? This was all going... Right. RIGHT! "YOU!" she pointed at Scorn. "Are you behind this? Because if you are... well..." she then sighed. "Here, catch," she said before tossing her staff to Scorn. It was such a light throw, a pretty easy catch. Not even an attack... Unless Scorn caught it. And she'd suddenly discover 'Oh, that stick? That looks like it weighs 10 pounds? Try... more... 10,000 pounds.' "Whatever you've done, stop doing it!" Yes. she was assuming that cat was HER fault. "I don't know, I kind of like it," Wuwu said. "I was bored." "Oh will you SHUT UP already!" she snapped at Wuwu. "You have been like this ALL day! Is this because I didn't want to stay up until three AM watching that wukong animated series with you?!" "... Maybe."
Wako Agemaki	A few stares, perhaps a mocking titter... Wako lets them slide off her with studied complacency. In a way, it's almost refreshing, really. None of these people knows her from a hole in the ground, nor has any idea where she's from. Most of them probably haven't even heard of Southern Cross Island. "It's too bad the guys aren't here with me," she muses to herself - just before the sound of a vase shattering fills the air. Chaos follows immediately, making Wako deeply regret even opening her mouth. The artifacts rampage. The formerly elegant patrons, along with the not so elegant, are screaming and fleeing. Someone is making a speech? There's only one real bright side to this whole situation, and that is that with umbrellas and sandals and masks and monsters all running berserk at once, absolutely nobody is paying attention to one slight blonde girl in a pink hoodie. Squeezing herself against the wall alongside a large glass display case full of kimono silks, Wako throws her hand into the air. "Apprivoiser!" In a series of golden flashes, she's transformed into her flashy white-and-gold uniform. Without even emerging from her very dubious hiding place, the Galactic Maiden brings her hands up before her and tugs forth the energy of Zero Time. The barrier engulfs the museum in a flash - it brushes over the magical warriors like no more than a gentle breath of air, but in its wake, the civilians have disappeared, the hubbub of running feets and exclaiming voices cutting off like someone just pressed 'mute'.
Coco Kiumi	After crossing the entrance, Coco is greeted by a surprisingly orderly sight. Everyone is maintaining a respectful distance from the objects of the exhibition, most likely due to the still presence of the guards in a corner. Making her way through the crowd, she can't help but have her gaze caught by the vases, their really elaborate decorations showing the expertise of their maker. 'If I can find a book on their history, that would be the perfect gift', she reflects, also pondering about the location of the gift shop. "Can you point me to the gift shop, please?" she asks one of the guards, receiving an odd look in response. "Didn't you just enter? Ah, nevermind... Down that way, go straight ahead", the guard replies, the raised arm showing Coco the way. Giving the figure her thanks, she follow the direction. That's when all chaos explodes. Tendrils of dark matter quickly pass by her, almost grazing her skin. 'What was that?" Instinctively grabbing her shell necklace, she peers at the rest of the shop. The dark energy forcefully enters the merchandise and a few of the books grow wings, starting to bash anyone within reach, while nearby cups get bigger and quickly dash towards the exit, blocking the passage for any fugitive. 'What are those things?', reflecting about how Tokyo has been surprise after surprise for her in terms of supernatural menaces. Taking advantage of the confusion, she quickly hides in the back shop, making sure she was alone with a quick glance. "Yellow Pearl Voice!" The familiar light surrounds her as her clothes transform into her idol getup and the pearl turns into her E-Pitch microphone. Back outside, the situation has quickly degenerated, everyone pushing others or vainly trying to rip the books. "Everyone, eyes on me!" she declares to stop the stampede of people that was doing just as much damage as the supernatural objects. With the Live Stage forming around her, the background soundtrack starts playing, causing people to actually listen. So do the cursed items, actually, growing freaky eyes on their bodies. "Well, freaky things, time for a concert that will change your perspective. Pichi Pichi Voice Live Start!"
Onihime	Perhaps no convenient benches to Superman with, no - but there are enough curtains, partitions and other convenient objects that Rashmi might be able to find something she can use, if she looks! Fortunately, Francesca thinks fast, and provides them both with a chance to get properly dressed for the occasion. It's a perfect chance to freshen up before beating down some youma! Meanwhile, Scorn might have lost her shot at the most enticing of the dark artifacts... but others in that same display still seem to hold some energy! Perhaps not quite as much, but the mirror or the comb in particular could make excellent centerpieces for spells, or youma, or even just dark-energy batteries. On the other hand, other prizes might present themselves... like the hopping one-eyed umbrella, which hop-hop-hops right up to her and tilts its head. "Hrrrrn~?" That poor clumsy patron sure isn't coming back in after getting drenched in water and pitched out, though. In short order, he's running for dear life, dripping mop water on the sidewalk the entire way, and making the kind of frantic noises he will have to pay ''lots'' of money to keep off of streaming sites. The masks, meanwhile, are happy to whirl and 'walk' and generally cause havoc, until a Belkan knight and her fine four-legged companion stand and issue challenge. As a collective entity, they don't seem to have any ability to communicate, but the way they turn (it turns?) suggests that it has (they have?) heard Hannah's challenge, and intends to take her up. Indeed, the response to her dramatic pose... is an oni mask thrown like a disc. Think fast! Wukong, meanwhile, has gone to confront Scorn. And that plucky little karakasa youma, or youkai, or whatever it is, turns its umbrella body around in a flare and slings its tongue straight at her! It's a completely ineffectual attack, but at the same time... that little animate umbrella monster is trying to defend scorn. Brave little critter. Coco's transformation is flashy enough to draw attention even before she calls all eyes on her - youkai and civilian alike turn to watch. A pair of sandals even start tapping to the beat. She's succeeded in arresting the stampede before it can get anyone hurt, and she only needs to do it long enough for Wako to work her magic. The shimmering wave of Zero Time magic sweeps through the area, banishing both the Dark and the Magical to a side-space where they will present no harm whatsoever to the civilians. The vanishment of youkai and magical girls is probably a relief for all the terrified people... but when the wave sweeps over both Kureha and Chisa, both of them are, somehow, brought into the magical barrier as well.
Onihime	Needless to say, when the chaos starts and the youkai first attack, Chisa is quick to get Kureha to her feet. In a crisis, even the relatively frail girl can move something resembling 'quickly' - though it does take a lot of labored huffing and use of her cane for support. They're both frantic enough to get out that they don't notice the disappearance of all the other patrons. However, their escape attempt goes out the window when the feline youma slinks its way into the room... and locks its glowing yellow eyes right on the magatama pendant Kureha'd been watching. "Theeeeere... accurssssed artifact...!" The sound of its voice draws the attention of the girl and her maid both, and things happen very quickly. Sensing its ire, the girl starts laboriously moving to intercept. "No, don't you dare...!" Chisa turns with shock and alarm, and lunges to intercept ''her''. "K-Kureha, don't-!" She bodily grabs the younger girl around the waist and turns, putting herself between the frail girl and the nekomata's claws. "Hgnk!" The maid, the girl and the display go over in a tumble, and the shadowy youkai growls in irritation. Wounded, Chisa shifts herself between the youma and Kureha, and it seems irritated enough to turn all its attention on her. Kureha can only watch as it advances on her, growling with feline malice and violent intent. The frail girl's voice grows frantic, pitch rising. "Ch-Chisa, no- no get up! Don't you go near her! Don't you touch her!" It leaps- "DON'T YOU DARE!" -and flames pour out of the room. Seconds later, the nekomata itself comes hurtling out as if thrown, crashing through a display and tumbling across the ground. Shortly thereafter, out stomps a young lady in black and red, with eyes the color of blazing fire, and a pair of oni's horns emerging from her head. She's marching right on towards the nekomata with violence in her eyes... ...only to come to an abrupt stop as she sees all the magical girls. "...W... w-what? Who are... what on ''earth'' is going on here?!"
Scorn	Scorn scoffs. "Me!? I have nothing to do with this!" the witch li---no wait, she's telling the truth this time. Still, a staff is thrown at her and she goes to catch it and arguh! She's pinned and her popcorn goes flying, along with Corvus and his popcorn and porpcorn is ruined forever. "THIS ISN'T MY FAULT! JUST WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT! THIS KERFLUFFLE ISN'T MY FAULT!" she cries! When the Umbrella comes up to her, she wails and cries about it and all she can do is angrily try to get out of her pinned state currently. When a new magical girl transforms she!-- doesn't care. Because it's more problems for her! "I'm calling my ''lawyer!''." she demands. "Corvus! Serve them!" "Kinda busy right now." says Corvus, under the same pin she is.
Rashmi Terios	"Whoa wait wha--" Snapped away from her search for a handy hiding spot by being dragged to the bathroom, Rashmi ducks into another stall, and is just about to transform when Francesca beats her to the punch. Thus, it's another couple of beats before she simply sighs, vowing to clear this up later, and pops her charm off its cord. "Nicomachea, Set Up!" BONG! << COMMAND EXECUTE AWAIT. >> A flash of golden light later, she steps out of the bathroom... and into utter chaos. And then the museum is shunted into Zero Time, which causes her to blink sharply. "...Wait that wasn't me...?" But no time to process that, someone else is throwing a concert! "...I am going to be trying to figure this out for days," she murmurs to herself, before summoning a Barret and launching it at the pile of Noh masks, eyes widening at the apparent new person in the scrum. "Magic is real, so's evil, you're probably still here because you're magic too!" she calls out to Kureha. "Whatever you did to make that fire, keep doing it!"
Hannah Steiner	During that transformation pile-up of mahou? Oh yeah, she's called out. Hannah has the sheer audacity to actually pull a full on Noble Tharkadian Bow and a Hat Tip to those who've caught her in act just before her Magical Girl Speech. There's no point in denying things, and frankly being outed as magic is less of a concern versus politics and where she's from. She goes for grace. "Viel gluck, both of you!" Beeeam! So many magical girls, such /odd/ magic. One thing does hit Hannah right in the noggin, though, and frankly she feels like an idiot. Wako casts her 'Apprivoiser', and she is both impressed as well as groaning in her own head. "Fine work! Curse me a fool for not thinking of it first!" Comes the mysterious Belkan Knight with a grin over to Wako! She prods Blauer Greif to take some magical readings, just to improve her own version. She's a perfectionist like many a Device User. The urge to study the differences in Wako's own spell and her own are regretfully shoved to the back of her mind, though, as there's youma to defeat! The masks might not be able to talk, but she can appreciate a good direct challenge however wordless! That swift slicing oni mask is appropriate, because rather than dodge, her Device makes a /click/ as the seal on the sword portion of Blauer Greif loosens, and she's suddenly slicing toward the mask deftly with a strike of blade upon magical ceramic! There's a grinding of steel and material, and she spins, turning the thing aside even as shards of mask flash along her Knight Armor and send a few blonde hairs flying! Her attention is briefly grabbed by the tumble, and then emergence of what her Device tells her...is something un-akin to the mask that attacked her. But a person. No! A new magical girl! "On your guard, mein freund! I know naught your name, but hold fast! For the spirit of all those of Justice are as one, oh noble soul!" Encourages Hannah in her own very weird, very Space German way! Before returning to her fight with that blasted Noh mask. Lyra distractedly offers growfs of encouragement and guidance, both to Hannah and Kureha, though its' mostly practically useful to Hannah as she dances on the ceiling, occasionally slicing at any Noh masks that get too close to herself or duck away from Rashmi's attacks.
Coco Kiumi	At the gift shop, the melodious notes are traversing the air, full of magical energy. Everyone's panicked looks turn to Coco as she starts singing the song of the seven seas, the home all of the princesses aspire to. "The rainbow wind blows at a far off coast Before dawn, there was a melody I heard It's a very nostalgic song The birds that fly towards the eastern sky now escape to the treasure island using this shortcut." The books start flying erratically, the song causing their wings to shrink smaller and smaller as the enchantment gets removed. At the same time, the feelings of fear filling the souls of her listeners get replaced with joy and serenity, the song calming all their worries. "Where the paradise of the seven seas lies After the stormy night, to tell you my love I will be born again Even if there comes a day where everyone... Is to journey away from here, as long as we sing the melody of the seven countries I'll never forget." The magical notes start showing an effect on the cups too as Coco keeps singing and dancing, cracks showing on their surface as they shake against each other. Just then, a torrent of fire blows them to smitheerens, so intensely that not even fragments remain. 'Uh? Who did that? I don't remember seeing anyone with fire powers up to now?' She turns towards the crowd. "Thank you for your cooperation. It's best I go check the rest of the museum. Please stay here where it's safe", she says before running off. There she sees the one clearly responsible for the breaking the blockade, a girl with flames dancing around her. "Thank you a lot for the assistance, that was awesome", she tells her.
Francesca Leon	In fairness. Francesca did say 'Excuse us' when barging in on Hannah. But she sure didn't expect such a formal bow for it. "Uh. Yeah. Good luck..." She says before stepping out. Zero Time... It's not the first time Stray has experienced this- similar as it is to Nicomachea's barrier in the desired effect of rendering both civilian casualties and property damage a moot point. "Ah..." The Galactic Maiden must be here, too, she realizes before pausing. Wait how many magical girls are showing up for this fiasco? For a moment she just kind of stares as Cure Wukong and Scorn, especially when one of them says she's gonna call her lawyer. A comical bead of sweat rolls down the side of Stray's brow at that. But then her attention goes elsewhere. The girl with the cane and her maid-- they didn't vanish with the barrier spell. "Oh hell." Stray says succinctly as the nekomata locks in on them both-- and the maid is injured for her efforts to protect her charge. The sword-wielding mage breaks into a full-tilt sprint, intent on throwing herself in front of the two to interpose herself between them and the youkai when... That is a LOT of fire and Francesca Leon skids to a GRINDING halt on her heels when the cat-monster sails past her and crashes into a nearby display. "..." Kureha comes storming out a beat later with a look of very intent murder in her eyes only to stop. "Questions later, deal with the cat-monster first." Stray says urgently as she turns her own attention on the beast, holding her hand out. A small Mid-Childan spell circle glints at her fingertips before she summons a very basic bullet spell, launching a single projectile of purple light from her palm at the feline monstrosity. <Claw Stinger!>
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong was ready to... she wasn't sure, honestly. She couldn't risk breaking everything. And Wukong, for all his myths, subtlety was NOT one of them... And then they were transported to a... place. A weird place. They looked around and... Then Wuwu and Wukong shared a look. "A zone..." Wukong. "Oh no..." Wuwu. "COLLATERAL DAMAGE!" the two yelled in unison, jumping up and doing a cheer! "It's time for some monkey business!" Wukong yelled, looking at scorn. "Get ready for the Monkey King!" she yelled, leaping into the air, spinning and... And Wait, what? Scorn said she wasn't a part of this. And wait, there was a magical singing girl? The moment of confusion and disorientation gets Wukong to utterly miss... And she ends up face planting at Scorn's side, feet up in the air, twitching slightly. Before... "S-sorry," she said, her tail moving over and snagging the staff, lifting it off her. "F-force of habit," she, then, sat up. And looked at scorn, her face all red from, well, face planting. On the ground. "Eh... heh heh. Errr. I'll give you an apology cake next time I see you, okay? I really am sorry for attacking you on your day off." She jumped to her feet and... wait, what was she supposed to do no-- FIRE! Oh, fire was a good! Her eyes lit up and then she looked down at Scorn... And held out a hand to her. "Okay, I know you're technically not on our side. But, hear me out on this. Zone. Of no property damage. That means no consequences. Do you wanna have some fun?" she asked, grinning wide down at the other girl... before nudging her head towards the evil cat thing and the fire girl. Come ooooooon. What could it hurrrrrrt. Mwa ha ha ha ha.
Wako Agemaki	The Galactic Maiden tosses Hannah a wink and a quick salute in response to her praise. Things are still, let's be fair, pretty chaotic - but at least now there's room to move. Breaking into a sprint, Wako vaults herself up atop one of the lower-slung cases for a better vantage and calls out to the others. "You don't need to worry about breaking things while we're in Zero Time! Just focus on stopping the monsters!" And with several of the creatures distracted by Yellow Pearl Voice's song, she's helpfully lined up some targets. Zeroing in on the umbrella youkai, Wako stretches her right arm forward, index finger extended and her other hand resting atop her elbow. For a moment, pink light gathers at her fingertip-- --and fires, a bullet of bright pink light flashing through the air at her target, quickly followed by a second and a third.
Onihime	Combat is well and truly joined, and the tsukumogami army moves to the attack - not that there's much of an army anymore, with Yellow Pearl Song's purifying music weakening most of the lesser youkai to the point of dissipating. The collection of masks whirls itself under Rashmi's fire, but one of the masks takes a magical bullet and cracks, falling uselessly to the ground. The entire swarm seems a little less animated, and not only does the strike from Hannah's blade have a similar effect, so does Coco's song! Each damaged mask seems to weaken the whole, especially under the power of Legend of Mermaid, but they don't stop it from lashing out - it goes from acting as one entity to acting as a collective, all of the masks turning horizontal and beginning to whirl around in a tornado. Anyone getting in melee range is going to be in danger... and one of the masks even hurtles straight at Rashmi! Meanwhile, after Cure Wukong headplants into the ground, that umbrella youkai comes hopping up and... headbutts her? It's headbutting her. It wouldn't be enough to hurt a normal human, let alone a Precure, but that little thing sure is trying its best. It even looks back at Scorn once or twice, before headbutting Wukong again. Is it... protecting Scorn? It's just winding up to start headbutting the Cure again when a trio of magical bullets slam into it, pow pow pow. It goes hurtling off to the side and just lies there twitching. Twitch twitch. Wako has shot it ded. D-e-d ded. The nekomata finds itself under fire from Stray, and it yowls in irritation. It's swift and agile, devilishly hard to keep a bead on - but even in all that evasion, the stray mage manages a grazing hit with the Claw Stinger that has the youma uttering a pained noise. The fiery oni girl, on the other hand, just stares in utter bafflement at Rashmi and Stray. "W... ''what''?" A glance at Yellow Pearl Voice, then back at Rashmi and Stray. "That girl over there is singing, what does that even-?!" It's all distracting enough that when the nekomata turns from wariness to attack and lunges, she's not paying attention until the last second. And on pure instinct, pure reflex, the magical oni girl jumps out of the way of the attack. She jumps... as hard as she can jump, with her full strength. The ground under her feet craters from the force. The kimono-clad mahou shoujo goes hurtling sideways like a projectile, uttering a very startled and very undignified yelp as she smashes right through a wall and out of sight. "GYAHH?!" Even the nekomata just kind of stares for a second at the hole in the wall. However, it doesn't take long for the horned girl to come back out - and in fact, she just walks right ''through'' the wall, next to the hole she'd made going the other way. Brushing off the dust, she looks completely unharmed, and walks with surprising grace, a perfect match to the elegant kimono ensemble that seems to be her transformed outfit. "I haven't the ''faintest'' idea what is happening right now. But listen here, you horrid little feline, you ''hurt'' my ''maid'' and I'm going to ensure you have some very deep regrets about your life choices. The shadowy cat youkai growls threateningly, then utters a hiss full of venom. "Curse you... Youkai Musume...!" It yowls and lunges to attack, and this time the oni girl just doesn't even ''move''. It tries to sink its teeth into her arm... and finds that her arm is quite literally too tough to bite into. And it is now within arm's reach of an oni. "Mrowr?" POW. That sure is a cat in a crater. Twitch. Twitch twitch.
Scorn	Scorn looks up at Wukong and blinks. "Work...with a precure!?" she asks with a sudden ''scoff'' like the idea is detestable to her. W..why would she work with a Pretty Cure!? Something about it makes her twitch. She still accepts the hand up though, as she dusts herself off, Corvus coming with the girl. She then looks down at the umbrella creature and leans down to shoo it away from headbutting Cure Wukong before it gets hurt when The Galactic Maiden shoots it with purifying finger bullets and she frowns and looks disapprovingly at the other girl. She stands up and puts in ear plugs, which she plucks from Corvus's tail feathers and he makes a SQUAWK and she puts them in because that purifying song is grating to the Dark General. "No. I'll sit here and watch. This is still a dangerous zone for me with you know. The purification and all." she says angrily at Wukong. ."In fact. Later." she says, looking to the downed Umbrella monster with another frown before she Duskports away, getting out of there before someone gets some ideas, with Corvus in tow.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong blinked a few times and looked down at the umbrella. "Uhhhhh... errr... it's... okay, little guy. I ummm... I surrender?" she said, blinking a few times. She... she wasn't going to punch an old umbrella! It might-- BOOM! Welp. She didn't have to. Even if it WAS a horrible, monstrous abomination of a creature... it was still kind of adorable. And just trying to keep Scorn safe! How could he? "Noooo! Little Umbree!" she cried, lifting a hand out towards it. And then, to make matters worse, Scorn DIDN'T want to have fun with her! THIS WAS TURNING OUT TO BE THE WORSE DAY EVER! HMPH! Oh well, at least she could go fight the cat thing! Now where... was... it? And when she turned around, the cat... was... in a crater. Huh. Well... "Good job, errr... Fiery... Firefist girl!" Well... she didn't know who she was. Okay, there had to be someone for her to punch! And... oh no. She blinked and turned around to see... the masks were all whirlwinding. The ancient, priceless masks. And she didn't really have a lot of, ahem, subtle, delicate assaults. She hung her head. Finally, she just walked over and sat in front of the concert. Paused, plucked out some hairs, okay, a lot of hairs... and made her clones. Coco... now had an audience. Sure, an audience of precure monkey girls. But an audience none the less! If she couldn't break anything, then she could at least enjoy the music. "WOO! Encore!"
Hannah Steiner	Hannah...really has to concentrate in order to avoid singing along with Yellow Pearl Voice! She's so /good/ and a Steiner appreciates someone with obvious and unfiltered talent in...well anything, but a Countess loves her Bread and Circuses! "...Do you have a fan club!?" She offers over to the Mermaid, before her attention and those of her Device and Companion make for the battlefield. 'Zero Time' is stuffed in her braincase for later examination, but she's a Knight and Noble and Countess with something to do! She does offer a whistle to the new Oni Magical Girl, however! "A Knight who defends those close to them are the most Noble of all!" Comes Hannah again, clearly taking a shine to Onihime as she takes care of her servant, striking a chord in Hannah's Countess heart that makes her long for home. The Noh Masks get faced with dropping tears under her glasses, and all the heady emotions of a recently traumatized Space Noble. How many like that maid died during her Uncle's coup? Either to defend her, or even the people just on a watch station that were just doing their job to keep their family fed? Rage fills her, and she taps her Device to the ceiling. <Fluss: Anlocken> comes the solid, proud voice of Blauer Greif as Hannah opens up her Linker Core. Her free hand slams into the ceiling, and teeth grit. Suddenly, for all those many floating Noh Masks, a pure point of gravitic attraction forms, like flying too close to a gravity well. Hannah and Lyra leaps off from the ceiling and land back on terra firma, as she aims to tie up the floaters for the rest of those attacking them. A pause, one heel-to-toe bow, and she grins mirthlessly. "...Cease harming the innocent. By my House, and those of my Allies, be brought to Justice!" She declares, snapping her fingers in the wake of her Spell to alert the others about!
Rashmi Terios	BONG! << ROUND SHIELD >> A magic circle pops up in front of Rashmi's out-thrust hands as the Noh yokai turns its attention to her, stepping back a pace under the recoil of the mask's impact against the shield. The sound of the Onihime cratering the floor in order to jump, however... That snags the attention quite well, and the redhead Mage really can only watch as the new girl on the block proceeds with the Justice Stomp. "....Oh hey she gets strong and fire... Uh, GOOD JOB Miss!!" With that, she turns back to the general chaos, eyes flicking back and forth in an effort to figure out where her help would be best placed. Rather than continuing to fire on the masks, Rashmi gestures toward Stray, pointing with one finger as a circular seal revolves to life around her. << STRIKE -- BOOST UP >> A wisp of golden magical energy streams out from the pages of her book, eeling around the base of the blade to form a golden halo, just above the guard. "Hit it REALLY HARD," the redhead yells to Stray, pointing at the mask entity.
Francesca Leon	"Yeah. She's singing." Stray replies to Onihime in regards to Yellow Pearl Voice. "Don't look at me, I'm new to this too." She points out after scoring a graze on the feline monster. "Okay I winged it, we're gonna want-..." The oni girl just put herself through the wall. "to... put it..." And then she walks back in THROUGH the wall again. "down..." That thing can't even scratch her with those nasty teeth. "... I think you've got this." She says when the nekomata eats a fist. "..." <Are we just in the way, Kitten?>} "Dude, I... I think we are..." <The concert is promising.> "Maybe there's a seat next to the monkey-girl..." <Which one?> "... All of them." Poor Stray is looking about ready to exhale her soul. Thankfully, Rashmi gives her renewed purpose, empowering her blade while Hannah binds the noh masks. <Hey, Kitten. Strike power has been boosted one-hundred percent. You should hit something.> "I should." She concedes, turning her attention to the mask-monster. Slinging her Device-weapon onto one shoulder, she turns on a heel and storms towards the masks, heaving a mighty swing of her sword.
Coco Kiumi	'Almost done!', she thinks as the monsters have almost completely disappeared. "Clouds slowly float away, vanishing away as they aim for the rainbow's end And then the stars, like pearls can start releasing a powerful, wondrous light. " As the crowd of Cure Wukongs start cheering for the song, Coco starts singing with even more passion. "From the southern sky, a whistling sound could be heard Yes, this is the time that's finally come, the time for me to become an adult. While embracing the kind mother's wishes in her heart She wished that everyone would journey on a miracle-filled adventure With overflowing tears and prayers, I just don't know anymore But their still remains a fantasy of a night where stars fall for the shining future!"
Wako Agemaki	She hit it! She actually hit something! ...Wako's momentary exhilaration fades quickly as the umbrella collapses. Honestly, she feels a little bit bad. Like she just picked on something pathetic. "...Takuto-kun, why don't you ever have these problems...?" She throws a look around, but the song that fills the air has a purifying energy she can feel against her skin, and most of the threat seems to have cleared out. What remains is... not likely to be there much longer. Wako has spectated more than her share of magical battles. She knows when one's almost over. The Galactic Maiden sits down primly on the edge of the display case and - keeping a careful eye on Onihime and the nekomata just in case the oni girl turns out to need backup - lets herself enjoy the loveliness of Yellow Pearl Voice's song.
Onihime	Standing over the nekomata, the horned magical girl turns to stare at Cure Wukong. "I'm not calling myself that," she declares in deadpan. Then there is a glance in Hannah's direction, and she adds, "I'm not a knight. I don't have the faintest clue ''what'' I am. But whatever this is, I'll gladly use it to beat this thing into the ground-" Is... is she crying? She's crying. Kureha stares. The floating collection of masks continues to whirl ominously until the moment Hannah crafts a temporary gravity well. Not expecting the sudden change in 'which direction is down', they all hurtle up towards the ceiling and slam into it, cracking a few more masks. They do manage to come back down, but they're weaker yet still. Even if it weren't for Stray and Rashmi's tandem attack, another minute or two of Yellow Pearl Voice singing would probably end it. However, with that much striking power in one blow - the combined magic of two Device-users in one technique - the process is hastened quite a bit. Most of the remaining masks shatter in one powerful swing. Just one mask floats halfheartedly in the air for a few seconds more... and then it sort of flutters to the ground, and falls still. Meanwhile, the girl of horns and fire turns her eyes back down to the nekomata in the crater. It's already starting to recover, to pry itself loose. It looks as if it would rather be anywhere but here- "Oh no you don't. I refuse to simply let you slink off and come back to finish the job some other time." -but before it can go anywhere, the fiery magical girl swings one leg high up. High, high up, perfectly vertical; and then she whips it downward, dropping a powerful axe kick onto the youma, straight into the center of mass. She's not sure how she knows, but on some instinctive level she knows that a powerful hit amidst all that dark magic will disperse it. And so it does, in a burst of dissipating shadows. Moments later, Kureha is walking herself out of the shallow crater, quickly dusting herself off and rushing towards the room where her maid still lies. But wow, it sure is a good thing the Galactic Maiden put up that Zero Time field, isn't it? The oni doesn't do things by half measures.
Coco Kiumi	With all the enemies goes, Coco decides it's best to beat it before the others start asking uncomfortable questions about the nature of her powers. "Thank you all for the assistance today, I hope we get to cooperate again". That said, she hurries away, detransforming in a safe space and going back to her dorm room.
Hannah Steiner	The crying smile of the good Onihime is met with a warm smile from the Countess! "Und then be what you want. What you /are/ mein freund!" She says with tears that she can't quite claw back despite the Oni's deadpan words! A single cane is lifted up upon the victory of Onihime's destruction of the last of the youma, all fire and fury and Leg upon the swiftly vanishing Nekomata! She pauses, turns, and once again Bows to Kureha and offers the rest of the many Mahou a deep formal bow before her Lifeward and Companion escord herself out. As the Time Stop ends, she'll escort another Old Rich Pesrson gently out as she gets yet /another/ contact to climb in her upward social climb!
Rashmi Terios	Straightening as the dust settles, Rashmi lets out a long, slow breath. Then, Onihime rushes to see to her friend, and the singer announces her departure. Waving after Coco, Rashmi grins. "Thanks a lot, miss! Your singing was amazing!" When the Time Stop ends, Rashmi checks on the few civilians left in the museum after the 'accident,' then makes her way to Kureha's vicinity. "Hey," she says gently, "is she gonna be okay?"
Francesca Leon	That's... That's a kick. The sheer force of Onihime's blow makes even Stray wince as she absolutely demolishes the nekomata. That seems to be it for the horrorterror magical problem causing creatures. "... I should go." Stray says, deciding that she should bail before people ask too many questions. Slinking backwards into the nearest shadowy corner, her Device chimes. <Disappearing Trick!> And bends light around her to make her nearly invisible to the naked eye. ... She'll just head out the back way she snuck in, in the first place.
Wako Agemaki	Well. That sure is one way to execute a grand finale. As the dust and the vanishing darkness clear, Ginga Otome halfway feels like she ought to be taking notes for future use in Drama Club. As soon as the danger's gone, people start making quick and unceremonious exits. "This is how this kind of thing goes here, I guess?" she wonders aloud, and hops down from the case to execute a polite bow. "Thank you, everyone." For Stray she spares an additional nod and a little wave, brief wordless acknowledgement before the other performs her disappearing act. She'll maintain Zero Time a little longer - enough for everyone to get themselves away from the epicenter of the chaos. When the barrier does come down, nobody's likely to have much attention to pay to one slight blonde girl out in the hallway, humming quietly to herself as she leaves the museum.
Cho Konishi	Cure Wukong let out a sigh. They'd done it. Sure, she didn't get to like... break much. But victory WAS victory. She was already prepared t o leave... before she realized. Shoot. Clones. She had to run back in to pop all her clones. You never knew WHAT they'd get up to if she just left them on their own. Trouble makers, the lot of them. Just like Wuwu. Which she wouldn't discover until she got home... and found out that Wuwu had stolen some minor, incredibly ancient and expensive trinket. And nearly had an aneurism. Ah... hah hah... hah... hah hah hah... She... she needed an adult.
Onihime	By the time Rashmi comes back to the side room, the oni is gone, replaced by the girl in the black kimono - who looks ''quite'' a bit less frail and sickly than she did before the transformation. She's also looking down at herself in mild shock. "I..." Kureha murmurs, staring at her own hands in confusion, flexing and curling her finers. "...what...?" But the sound of the mage's voice snaps her out of it, and she quickly looks between Rashmi and Chisa. "-I, er. I don't believe her life is in danger. Unless you know any healing spells, I believe she shall be fine waiting for medical attention." There's some uncertainty in her voice. "...thank you for your assistance," she adds, hesitantly. Putting herself in someone's debt is dangerous, by her reckoning, but it's not as if she could do otherwise in this situation.
Rashmi Terios	Still not quite out of henshin, and trusting on the magic to keep her from attracting notice, Rashmi kneels down next to Kureha. "You're welcome," she murmurs. "I hope she recovers quickly, miss... Just... this kind of thing happens a lot. If it happens again near you, you're probably going to have help whether you ask for it or not. It's just... what we do." Her Barrier Jacket shatters into shards of golden light, leaving the casually-dressed student kneeling next to the rich girl. Digging into her bookbag, she extracts a folded-up flyer, setting it carefully on the floor. "If you need a friend to talk to? Take that to the Korma Chameleon, in Pikarigaoka. You'll get a discount for your first visit, and I'll probably be doing homework there." With an encouraging smile, she gets up, making her way swiftly out of the museum. Beeeest to be gone before the emergency services show.