Session Start: Sat Jan 17 16:14:42 2004 Previously, on Hunters: The team has taken on a few missions now, of varying difficulty, and with general success. Nothing seems to be happening, and the queen isn't handing out busywork this week, so Sakura has announced another practice session. Oldman was off at an education conference, so it was the office secretary that passed on the orders and shuffled them out the door. Today, they are supposed to meet up with Sakura at a train stop all the way down in Yokohama. [Wednesday, November 19, 2003, 13:40 local time] [North Yokohama train station, platform #4] [session start] * Taki shows up a couple minutes early. * Kyouko is standing near a pillar, tapping her feet and listening to music as usual. She's wearing her black "LUNA SEA Slave" t-shirt again, this time with jeans. o/~ Kiss meeeee in za stooormyyy o/~ ( Amazing, how Taki manages to get there early even though she got out of TM with the others, and there's only so many trains going south to Yokohama... ) * Taki (is a ninja. :P) * Leena steps off an incoming train, not immediately noticeable due to the crowd of other, taller people getting off too. * Minami looks her normal self, having grabbed a few seconds to change out of her school uniform. She's flipping a card around, over and between her fingers idly, looking around for Sakura. * Lord_Darkmoon steps out of a different train than the girls arrived on, wearing a traditional school uniform. The tessen is, as usual, in his belt. He actually smiles as he waves to the others, and walks up to join them. * Minami nods amiably at people and stuff. Yaa. Hello, Ladies. I am glad to see you again. * Taki changed right after leaving school. She has on a black light long sleeve shirt, and pants with her black duster on. * Leena is, of course, not in her school uniform. She's got some stonewashed jeans on with furry/fuzzy bottoms, with a glittery black longsleeved shirt to go with it. And her everpresent backpack, too. Yo. * Lord_Darkmoon seems to be both trying a bit too hard to act normally and to be a bit nervously distant. * Taki looks slightly less uncomfortable around everyone than she did on Saturday. * Leena makes her way into view, and waves when she sights Taki. * Taki makes a quick wave-like gesture in Leena's direction. So, uh... how did the thing Saturday go? Sorry I wasn't there. It went. We won. ...won? Wasn't it just a practice thing? * Minami makes a face. "I'm really sorry I wasn't there, guys." It was supposed to be. We ended up with an actual job to do. There was a really big dog too. * Leena glances around for others, then approaches, almost-walking as usual. She's got her hair partially in braids; half the length is unbraided, the bottom down is braided. Hi! * Taki rubs her backside at the memory. Hi Leena! * Lord_Darkmoon nods to Leena. "A big dog?" Really big. Yes. * Leena blinks, and eyes Darkmoon, a bit non-friendily. "And where were you?" * Leena waves to Minami, too. ^__^ Leena, leave him alone. * Lord_Darkmoon edges away from Leena's unfriendliness. "I was busy. Had to take a Pet to the vet. Fortunately, it was a normal-looking one. I think it ate something while I wasn't looking." ... oh. But...sorry. I don't mean to be so useless. * Sakura scurries up the stairs to the platform, an exasperated look on her face. * Leena seems ... unsatisfied by that answer. * Taki looks at her watch. "What time did Sakura say she was going to be here? * Lord_Darkmoon pauses, then brightens with an effort of will. I'm not sure... * Kyouko zones out back to her music. * Taki looks up. "Oh. There she is." * Minami catches sight of Sakura and waves. * Leena waves at Sakura. ^__^ * LadyGranite follows, untransformed, but with a giant western-style pretzel steaming in one hand. * Taki nods at Sakura. "Greetings." Hey, guys. * Kyouko zones in. "Oh. Hi Sakura." She's talking rather loudly. * Minami looks at Granite curiously. Hello, Sakura. Sorry I'm late, but SOMEONE (looks back at Granite) needed a snack. Oh, hello...um, what do we call you right now? *looking at untransformed Granite* I hope you brought enough for everybody. It's the only place you can get a good pretzel in fifty klicks. So sue me. ..snaacks? * Leena blinkblinks. No, I didn't. You had lunch at school, anyway. I... I was just kidding. * Minami walks up to Granite and holds out her hand. "Minami." Uh, you can call me "Anne". * Taki looks down uncomfortably. * LadyGranite shakes politely. Her grip doesn't seem very strong. * Leena looks at Taki for a moment, and blinks. Not her real name. But you knew that. * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "Anne, then. Nice to see you again. ...do you want the fish back, yet?" ..fish? ...didn't you give me mine back last week? Don't tell me you got my goldfish mixed up with another one... * Leena seems a bit lost, trying to follow the conversation. ...well, we can work through that later. * LadyGranite looks irritated. * Taki nods in greeting to Anne. So are we..doing show and tell? Yeah. Again? I think we all know what everyone can do, now. Minami wasn't in on the last one. She was in the first fight, though. Don't argue. * Taki looks sternly at Leena. * Leena blinks, looking slightly confused again. "Um... okay." Sure, but I didn't get a good look at her. And I want an expert assessment. That's me! * Sakura looks strangely at Taki, then shakes it off. Ooh. * Minami blinks. Anyway, there's a handy junkyard about a half-klick from here, that I, uh, know is empty for the next three hours. So... let's get going. Right. * Sakura goes to the platform stairs, and leads the way. * Taki follows Sakura closely. * Minami gives Taki a narrow-eyed look out of the corner of her eye, then gets going. * LadyGranite follows, contentedly munching on her pretzel. * Lord_Darkmoon trails behind, avoiding talking to anyone. * Taki ignores Minami. * Minami wasn't trying to catch Taki's attention, so doesn't notice Taki ignoring her. * Leena nods, smiles, and almost-walks along. The way her hair is braided, it's got an extra bounce with it from each bouncy step she takes. * Taki wasn't trying to ignore her noticeably, so... yeah. * Kyouko heads along, mumbling about Super Love. It's not far at all to this junkyard. It's about a one-block area, with a very high wooden fence. * Minami looks around as she approaches it. This it? Once inside, you see that the fence is more likely there to keep the junk from falling off the five-meter piles and braining some passerby on the sidewalk than for hiding what's within. ...though it works quite well for that as well. Yup. Watch out - not all of these piles are stable. * Minami nods, eyeing them. * Leena looks around, her gaze wandering to the tops of some of the taller piles. * Kyouko maneuvers her away around...junk. * Taki nods, following closely. * LadyGranite eyes some teetering refuse, and immediately transforms. Transform? * Lord_Darkmoon finds a good location to watch from, with a steady pile or piece of equipment to lean on. Sure. * Taki looks around for some place to sneak off to and hide and change. * Kyouko heads behind some of the junk and transforms in a burst of steam. Don't change on my account - I just enjoy being invulnerable. * Minami makes sure they're out of sight, then holds her arms held crossed at shoulder-level and sweeps them outwards. A whirlwind of cards moves down and around her body, dissipating to show her transformed form. * Leena watches the others scurrying off, but doesn't herself. * LadyRoyal quite noticeably did not say any sort of transformation phrase out loud. * Sakura calls to the others, "Stay in uniform this time, please..." * LadyRoyal nods. But... * Leena blinkblinks. No-one else is here, Taki, what are you worried about? Taki, put on your coat or something. Just, don't change out of it. Thank you. Can she use my tessen to alter it? ...no. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, fading back again. * Taki runs off around a couple corners to a place that looks fairly isolated. * Leena has noticeably -not- transformed, or made a motion to. Leena? * Leena looks at Sakura. "Yes?" You okay Leena? * The sky flashes PINK for a moment, and sparkly sounds are heard. * Sakura makes whirling gestures with her hands. * Leena nods. "Yeah. But ... do I have to?" ...uh, yes. Why would you not want to? * Leena glances to the side. "... I'd have to redo my hair..." * LadyNightshade comes back quickly, tightly wrapped in her coat. Pink gloves stick out from the sleeves and even pinker boots stick out the bottom. You should have thought of that ahead of time. * Leena grumbles something. "Fine..." * Leena drops her backpack, and tosses it next to a pile. She touches a finger to her forehead, points it up to the sky, spins, and transforms. * Sakura turns back to Minami. * LadyRoyal tilts her head at Sakura. "So....now what?" Okay, just to get you up to speed here, Lady Granite is pretty much invulnerable. * LadyRoyal suddenly gets a very blank expression. Oh? She can feel heat though. * LadyHeat looks at her feet. * LadyGranite grins and makes a victory sign. * LadyNightshade crosses her arms, trying to hide the gloves under her arms. * LadyMallet raises a fist and shakes it at Granite, jokingly. Yeah, she took one from the Mallet last time and basically ignored it. ..um. And you...want me to do what, exactly? ^^ * LadyNightshade looks awkward and embarrassed and tries to hide in the back. Uhh...you hit her. So, I want you to do your thing - use your special attacks, your magic on her. ...uh-huh. * LadyHeat looks at the ground some more and blushes. It's all right, she bought me a pretzel. ^^ * LadyRoyal shakes her head and steps back, squaring her shoulders resignedly. "Well, I guess this won't take long, then. Don't anyone get comfortable, I don't think things will be very exciting." Don't worry, I'm not. * LadyRoyal lifts one shoulder in a rather "eh" half-shrug. With the other hand, she flicks her wrist, producing some cards which she sends shooting at Granite. * LadyMallet reaches her hands behind her head, and starts messing with her (vastly shorter) hair. * LadyGranite takes a few steps back. Go ahead. * Sakura gets out a notebook from somewhere and starts scribbling. * LadyHeat watches and hums. o/~ where's my super love? o/~ * LadyNightshade mumbles musically as well. o/~ We're the nobodies... wanna be somebodies... o/~ * LadyRoyal then holds both her hands out, placing index and thumbs together to form a triangle, and concentrates. A flurry of cards shoots out, less impressive than Sakura's flowers, but they're fairly numerous. * LadyMallet glances up at Royal's attack, briefly. * LadyRoyal then, before looking to see if the cards hit, turns around and shrugs at Sakura. "Ta-da." * Lord_Darkmoon seems to be caught up in the musical moment, though his is almost inaudible (and rather thick Engrish) o/~ but in the end, it doesn't really matter... o/~ * LadyGranite winces a little as the first cards manage to penetrate her costume and stick in her chest and abdomen. Then the follow-up flurry arrives, and the cluster of explosions lifts her off her feet and bounces her back and forth through the air. Ooh. * LadyGranite lands heavily on her back, and doesn't move for a couple of seconds. * LadyRoyal hears the cards hitting Granite and turns to look, then steps back, looking a little surprised. "...what?" * LadyNightshade turns to Darkmoon suddenly. "Ooh! I love that song!" * LadyRoyal walks over to help Granite up. "Sorry...I didn't expect them to have any effect on you. They're not really powerful attacks..." ... huh? oh. It's one of the few English ones I know. * LadyGranite gets up on one elbow and starts pulling cards out of her gut. * LadyMallet blinkblinks, impressed. * LadyRoyal helps Granite. "Sorry..." * Lord_Darkmoon steps forward. "Are you okay, Lady Granite?" I know a bunch. I have all their CDs too. Against Ningyo, I can see where they might not be really useful, but humans... heh. I'll be all right. * LadyGranite stands up and straightens her slightly-bloody fuku. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, and leans back again. "Good." Turning to Nightshade, "I've only got that one in a single." * LadyRoyal purses her lips and nods slowly to Sakura. Oh... Would you like to borrow mine? * LadyMallet closes her eyes at the sight of blood, looking down. That was... two separate attacks, right? ...thanks, I would. * LadyRoyal nods again. "Cut For Deal and 52 Flurry." * LadyRoyal winces. "I know they're horrible names." Well, at least they make sense. True. The first one, the homing cards, that's going to slice up most humans pretty well. One strike probably won't kill unless you get lucky, but a couple could easily. It did seem to work pretty well that time... Okay. I'll bring it with me next time we meet. *blushes a little* Thanks. I...don't really have anything to offer in return... *notes her blush, and looks uncomfortable* The flurry is more impressive-looking than it really is. But you bracket someone with one, and they are going to remember it... or then again, maybe not. That's okay. And it spreads out nicely. Sakura, I think she's a keeper. How did you get Her Majesty to give you this good of talent this time? * Sakura shakes her head. I don't know. I wonder if she used up all of the really pathetic ones. Or maybe she has some new plan... I never can tell with her. .... * LadyGranite shrugs. Who's next? * Sakura looks over the group. I really wanted Kenji here today. * LadyMallet sighs. "Used up... I can understand you being coldhearted against... them. But even with your own charges...?" Eehhh...Mysteria's not here.. ...Leena, it's not like that. It probably saves her from going mad, to relegate the emotional ties to lesser importance, Lady Mallet. Sorry, he had some stuff to take care of at his new place... And I have to include myself in that "really pathetic" category. ...you were more useful than I against that Sea-powered man, Sakura. ...and there are other things that I can't tell you about. That make "used" seem a lot more appropriate. * Sakura looks really pensive as she says that. ... I've said too much. I'm beginning to wonder which side is worse in all this... * Lord_Darkmoon studies his feet rather intensively. * LadyNightshade looks awkwardly quiet. ...Remember, Mallet. At least our side is trying to keep humanity from drowning. I'm... I'm sorry. Good grief, Sakura, you really are off your feed today. * LadyRoyal shrugs and half-grins at Sakura. "Said what? *I* didn't hear anything." * Sakura half-smiles. All right. Leena, you're up next. I need to see how your recovery is coming. * LadyMallet blinks. Okay... Recovery? * LadyMallet waves her hand, opening up the MalletPortal in front of and above her. She catches the Mallet as it falls out. Ehh? The Mallet is mostly back to normal, though its head is more of an ellipsoid than a cylinder. * LadyRoyal goes off to the side, somehow giving the impression that she's leaning idly against something without actually having anything to lean against. A card appears out of nowhere, and she starts messing with it in much the same way that she had been earlier. I'm fine. It's just the Mallet that's not fully there yet. What happened to your hammer? .... It's not a hammer! Oh, Leena... *more a release of sympathetic breath than anything else* Whatever. ^^ Come and get me. * LadyMallet twirls it a few times, like a baton. "Fine." * LadyGranite sticks out her tongue. * LadyMallet doesn't waste a breath, running forward and swinging it as she runs... * LadyGranite braces, tucking her tongue safely back inside her jaw. * LadyNightshade quietly watches from the back of the group. * LadyMallet slams The Mallet into Granite with a downward swing, her own feet leaving the ground momentarily. * LadyGranite is fairly well pounded into the ground, which distorts underneath her, but does not rupture as before. Whooo! * Sakura scribbles notes. * LadyRoyal raises an eyebrow. Um... * LadyMallet casts an annoyed look at Granite. "Why are you so happy?" * LadyGranite struggles to extricate herself from the hole. A little help here? Oh, it's just exciting. * Lord_Darkmoon hurries forward to help Granite out. Thank you! * LadyRoyal walks over to give Granite an extra hand, if necessary. * LadyMallet spins the Mallet with a flourish, slings it over her shoulder, and steps back. You're welcome. * LadyGranite is pulled handily from the ground, and flashes a grin at Darkmoon as she is placed back on her feet. * Lord_Darkmoon eyes the malformed Mallet, an expression of...pity?...on his face. * LadyNightshade looks a bit annoyed at Granite. Sakura, I think she's at about 85%. * Lord_Darkmoon offers a brief smile back to Granite as he helps her stabilize on her feet, then goes back to pseudomoping by a random pile of stuff. * LadyMallet blinkblinks, the spoken number knocking out of her annoyance. The headspeed is all there, but the mallet doesn't have the same extra... pop it did a couple of weeks ago. Still nasty, though. Hmm. And she didn't get the same level of terrain damage she used to, either. * LadyMallet looks embarrassed, now. ^_^; But that's better than she was last week. So I guess long term prognosis is good. I told you I'd be fine. * LadyGranite eyes the Mallet. "How on earth did that happen?" Or is that none of my business? * LadyMallet glances to the side, a bit nervously. "Um. Nothing special, really. Just kinda happened." * LadyHeat looks up. "She got into a fight..." ...oops. Heh. Just don't let it "happen" again, okay? So... who's next? ...well... I would like... ...well, I want Darkmoon to try out his wolf form. ...*gulp* ... that's why we're all transformed. Very well...I just hope you don't regret it. Among other reasons, yes. * Sakura frowns, and finally transforms herself. Is this the thing he didn't want to show us last time? * Lord_Darkmoon straightens up, resigned, and walks up to the now-transformed Lady Sakura. "Would you hold this for me? Feral...tends to lose it." He holds out the tessen. Of course. ...the rest of you Ladies, could you step back a bit? * LadyMallet steps back from Granite some, even before she says to. Cool. * LadyHeat moves away from Darkmoon. ...just tell me when, Sakura. *takes a deep breath* * LadyNightshade hops her way up onto some junk. Carefully. * LadyRoyal backs up a little, with a nice free path out of the place should things get a little too out of hand. * LadyMallet glances at Nightshade, then looks around herself for a stable pile to perch upon. Rin... just transform at first. I want you to try to concentrate on controlling yourself. After a bit, take a few swings at Granite. Granite, *don't* fight back, all right? * LadyGranite nods. "Do I ever? Don't worry, Darkmoon. As long as you don't have some funky energy blast, I'll be fine." * LadyMallet spies a shorter one, and jumps up to the top of that. * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "I'll...try." After a moment, he says with very careful diction, "Eclipse the Mind...." His eyes are replaced by those purple moons, which begin to be eclipsed by darkness. When they're gone, they flash pure white - full moons. "FERAL RAGE!" * LadySakura stays on the ground, a few steps behind Darkmoon. * LadyNightshade sighs wistfully. * Lord_Darkmoon hunches over, and starts to grow, both bigger and hairier. When he's a good 12 feet tall, he flings his arms back, embracing the sky, and howls to a non-present moon. Rrrrrrrrrrr. * LadyMallet shudders, despite herself. * LadySakura clutches the tessen, unprepared for the sheer size of the beast. ...eeeh. * Feral_Beast 's clothes just seemed to be covered by the fur, which grew out of them. As if they were absorbed by the transformation. A giant, hairy beast best described as a brown-furred bipedal werewolf shivers with barely contained rage. But...it doesn't seem to be going crazy. Yet. * LadyRoyal starts, narrowing her eyes and tensing. Rin, are you... in control? * Feral_Beast turns one glowing eye on Sakura, and manages one tightly controlled nod. A tightly controlled, and not entirely certain nod. * LadyGranite is visibly impressed, and maybe a bit excited. Do you think you can try an attack? * Feral_Beast flexes its claws, which glint wickedly in the ambient light. A vicious grin, saliva glistening as it drips down some very sharp teeth, shows bone-white. It nods to Sakura's suggestion, letting out a low growl. * LadyGranite braces herself. Go for it. But try to keep some control. * Feral_Beast closes its eyes briefly, maintaining control, hopefully. Then, it reaches over to Granite, and picks her up in one clawed hand, not being gentle with those pointy nails as it does so. Yeep! * LadyNightshade watches intently. * Feral_Beast tosses her into the air, and catches her sideways in its mouth, biting down hard and shaking like a dog with a rat, before flinging her aside. * LadyMallet tenses and grips the Mallet tighter, ready to jump in if starts looking bad. Aiiiiiieeeeeeee*thud* * Feral_Beast then leaps after the fallen Granite, pinning her down with one knee while scratching with both claws and snarling. * LadyGranite is tossed into a pile of junk, which collapses around her. * Feral_Beast is digging her out then, before tearing at her. ...Owww. ... tell him to stop. * LadyRoyal winces. Junk flies in all directions, then the sound of shredding and meaty impacts ring through the junkyard. Rin! Rin! Enough! You can come back now... * LadyMallet winces at the shredding sounds, then jumps down, Mallet at the ready. * Feral_Beast pauses, and very slowly stands. Every moment or so, it looks like it's going to strike again...but it stops itself and is finally standing, and forces itself to back away a step. And another. Umm... * LadySakura smiles, approving but silent. * LadyRoyal inhales, not letting out the breath. * LadyMallet eyes the retreating Feral, and rushes over to Granite. * LadyNightshade hops over quickly to where Granite is. * LadyHeat heads to Granite as well. * LadyMallet clears out more of the debris, before helping Granite herself out. * LadyGranite sits up. Her uniform is basically shredded into rags, and there are a few scratches, but nothing deep. * LadyRoyal goes over to help too, keeping an eye on the beast. * Feral_Beast growls, a low rumble, and stares at its claws. Closing its eyes, it seems to concentrate, it's brow wrinkling. ...and then it shrinks. Fur retracts, revealing Darkmoon's school uniform, and finally a hunched over, wide- eyed Darkmoon. Who drops to the ground in a fetal position for a moment or two. * LadySakura rushes to Darkmoon's side. * Lord_Darkmoon slowly picks himself up off of the ground. You did it! You okay Granite? ...I-- I did? Yep! Oh, I'll be just fine. .... * LadyGranite stands, then looks down at herself. Eeep! I did! I-- I don- *looks dizzy for a moment, before grinning happily* * LadyNightshade begrudgingly removes her coat and wraps Granite in it. * LadyMallet nods. "That's good." * LadyGranite shrugs off the coat, and simply detransforms. Oh fine. ...You- I didn't hurt you, did I, Anne? This is one of the great things about being a Lady. * LadyNightshade wraps her coat back around herself then. ...who? Oh, me! No. I mean it did hurt a bit, but you didn't do any damage. ...I'm sorry about your uniform... That was...the least carried away I've ever gotten. Sakura, he's really something. If he ever gets that under full control, he would be able to play on a level with most Princesses. * Lord_Darkmoon grins again. "But...I did it! I came out of it!" Yaay. * LadySakura pats him chummily on the shoulder. "You sure did!" * Lord_Darkmoon looks ashamed at the mention of Princesses. "Um...I don't want to do that near a Princess. Bad things happened, last time." But, if it's really controllable...I never thought it would be, but if it is... *grins again, looking almost goofy* ... * LadyNightshade quietly marvels at Darkmoon, almost staring. Don't get too excited yet. You were awfully scary, and we need to experiment more before we consider it part of the standard arsenal. * LadyMallet has a look of... almost pity on her face as she watches Darkmoon. Or sadness? But only for a moment, before it's replaced by an annoyed glare. ...yeah. We do. *still grinning, but not so much* Uh, can I have my tessen back, please? Hmph. Yeah. We'll discuss that sometime - oh, of course. * LadySakura hands it over. Thanks. And thanks for holding it for me. ^_^ Should I transform again? * LadySakura looks over at Taki and Kyouko. "No, I think that's it for today. Not to chase you away or anything, but there are some things the team needs to discuss." * LadyGranite nods. Thanks for the pretzel. And thanks for the exercise, all of you! * LadyRoyal nods and waves at Granite. "Nice meeting you!" * LadyNightshade looks uncomfortably back at Sakura. See ya! * LadyGranite strolls away. * Lord_Darkmoon waves, still looking more happy than anyone's seen him. He does seem to be getting it rapidly back under control, though. * LadySakura sighs, and looks much less happy once more. ... ...problem, Sakura? What's bothering you, Sakura? * LadyMallet twirls the Mallet a final time, then sets it next to her backpack. * LadySakura sits down. Okay... You look ... like you have to say something you don't want to. Well... not quite. * LadyRoyal sinks down into a cross-legged position nearby and looks attentive. * LadyMallet sits down on the ground, knees forward. Ehh? I was going to run this up north at that abandoned construction site that we used before. But I got a call this noon from Princess Squeegee who... suggested we move it here. * LadyHeat heads over and squats next to Leena. * Lord_Darkmoon also takes a seat, since it seems like a good idea. .... That can't be good. * LadyMallet blinkblinks. Squeegee wants our training sites? * LadyRoyal listens quietly. She wanted us down here to investigate a potential problem a few blocks away. I'm think it's more along the lines, "Squeegee wants us here." * LadyRoyal raises her eyebrows. * Lord_Darkmoon finally stops grinning, and listens intently. * LadyMallet sighs. She was extremely unclear about what it was - which is very unusual for her. She's mean and arrogant, but inevitably precise. * LadyMallet nods. "She is that." Yeah. And something about it has been giving me a bad feeling all afternoon. So... ...you think all the magical activity here may draw out the problem? * LadySakura opens her notebook and pulls out two faxed photographs and passes them around. * LadyMallet hops to her feet. "... we hurry and get this out of the way?" * LadyRoyal takes her copy and passes it on, studying it. * LadyMallet blinks, and sits back down. * LadyHeat eyes the photograph. "eeh?" This is Lady Deer - Nozomi Watoku. * LadyNightshade examines the pictures. * LadyMallet takes her turn looking them over when they come around, passing them on. * Lord_Darkmoon studies the picture(s) given to him as he listens to Sakura's briefing. Hey! He's getting this militaryesque stuff down! Deer? The photographs are of a sixteenish girl with short brown hair. Attractive, but in her civilian form her appearance suffers from what obviously are secondhand clothes. Some sort of animal. I thought it was what you called someone you liked. She apparently grows magical antlers which rip things up really well. Good speed, decent close-combat skills. Kind of like a horse, but with antlers, I think. Or is it a cat? * LadyMallet blinks. "Like Bambi?" Yeah, Bambi. That's right. Ooh. Bambi. She and Lady Gothic - they partner most times - took down a Ningyo a couple of nights ago. Lady Gothic? * LadyHeat eyes Taki. * Lord_Darkmoon turns his gaze to Nightshade. * LadyRoyal doesn't avert her attention from Sakura. ... What? I don't know. She's from around here, but they didn't send any material on her. * LadyMallet nodnods, listening. * LadyNightshade feels uncomfortable. * Lord_Darkmoon turns back to Sakura. "Anything more, or is that all we know?" * LadyNightshade finds her bag and pulls out a folder and flips through the pages. Anyway, they split up after the fight... and then something apparently happened to Miss Watoku. Happened? ... * LadyRoyal frowns a little. That's the part I'm not clear on. * Lord_Darkmoon waits for Sakura to go on... Was she attacked by some black hair dye or something? *shrug* She's still alive, since Squeegee made it clear we were to go interview her. * LadyMallet glances at Heat, suppressing a giggle. ...wait, interview? ... interview? I thought we weren't supposed to contact them. ...or red. or blonde. They like a lot of hair colors. Oh come -on-. Do we get to be peer mediators now? Can't the Queen just summon her personally and get answers that why? I recall what happened when I tried to contact "Lady" Secretary... *winks* This isn't a protection mission. ...oh. Will she be expecting us, then? * LadyRoyal nods slowly, waiting for Sakura to continue. This is an... investigation. I believe she is expecting us. * LadyMallet is annoyed again. Fancy that. The Queen apparently decided that sending us was the best option. Maybe only one or two of us should knock, though. Her parents might suspect something, if too many of us show up... Why does that not bode well for us.... * LadyHeat siiighs. "We'll probably get attacked by a horde of gothic lolitas or something." * Lord_Darkmoon seems amused by Mallet's ever-so-accurate attitude. * LadyRoyal speaks for the first time since sitting down. "Are we only supposed to investigate what happened to her?" ...what do you mean? Well, you said that Squeegee was kind of vague. Was it just on the details of what happened to Watoku, or is there anything else involved that's giving you a bad feeling?" * LadySakura sighs again. There was one other instruction. I know I said I couldn't tell what she meant, but there are some inferences to be made from this. ...we are supposed to show up in uniform, and we are not supposed to take along our Lords. Is Watoku...unable to talk or something? ... ...I see. So I am to remain behind. Very well. *looks disappointed* * LadySakura steps over to Darkmoon and whispers something in his ear. ... ... ... ... *looks...uncomfortable, and whispers something back* Ehhhh? * LadyHeat eyes them * LadySakura replies back, still unheard by the rest. * LadyNightshade quietly flips through her cards. * LadyMallet watches Sakura and Darkmoon. Of course she's curious. You want me to...*sigh* I, uh.. *looks at the others, seeming very, very uncomfortable* You don't have to. ...in fact, this probably is not a good time. But if you *want* to. * Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head. "No, thank you, Sakura. I shall remain behind. ...are animals forbidden? I could watch and listen through one's senses." That would be... more than my orders allow. Sorry. If you want to head back to my office, I can brief you in afterwards. * Lord_Darkmoon does not even sigh, this time. "Understood. I shall do that now. Good day, everyone." He rises, and heads out of the junk yard. Presumably to the train station. * LadyRoyal nods and waves to Darkmoon as he leaves. Bye Darkmoon! * LadyMallet waves bye to Darkmoon. Not with her usual enthusiastic waving. Baii. * LadySakura nods. * Lord_Darkmoon turns and waves to everyone before he actually steps out of sight. Then he's gone. With a dramatic passing of wind-blown petals and a softening to the light--- oh, wait, wrong anime. * LadyHeat siiighs. <3 * LadyMallet ignores his leaving. Really. Okay... well, not okay. But you know what I mean. * LadySakura stands, and rearranges her pink fuku. * LadyRoyal nods. "So, we're off, then?" Yes. Right. * LadyHeat brushes off her suit. * LadySakura consults a map in her notebook, then heads east from the junkyard. * LadyNightshade stands up and continues searching through the cards. * LadyMallet hops to her feet, and grabs her backpack and the Mallet. * LadyRoyal stands, brushes off her fuku, and follows. The neighborhood is an odd mixture of medium industrial and downscale residential. Junkyards, factories, and three-story apartment buildings, mostly with outdoors stairs. There are people on the streets, but no one looks more than twice at you. Maybe magical girls (or at least MG costumes) are not uncommon around here. * LadyNightshade grumbles and puts the folder away. "Brought the wrong one..." * LadySakura leads the group to a rusty-brown two-story. There are a few steps missing on the stairs that lead up to the apartment. * LadySakura knocks. This is it... * LadyMallet bounces in place, waiting. The door opens an inch. A wide eye is visible in the darkened room beyond. * LadyNightshade stands casually off to the side, looking around the area. I'm Lady Sakura. You are Lady Deer? The door opens a bit wider, and the girl inside steps back. * LadyRoyal stands quietly, looking casual and non-threatening. *whispered* Come in. My parents are at work, so you can stay transformed. * LadyMallet waves with her free hand. * LadySakura pushes the door open, and enters. * LadyRoyal nods at Nozomi and flanks Sakura. * LadyNightshade tails the group in, giving the surrounding area one final once over. * LadyMallet almost-walks in, glancing around the inside of the new place. * LadyHeat heads in after Mallet. The apartment is quite neatly kept, though the furnishings are cheap at best. Nozomi stands back from the group, untransformed, looking much like her picture, except a lot more freaked out and scared. So...umm..nice to meet you? Thank you for coming. The Princess sounded... strange when I called her this morning. I wasn't sure she would do anything. * LadyMallet looks (up) at Nozomi. "Hi! I'm Lady Mallet." She waves. * Nozomi backs away from the group, sitting in a straight-backed chair after a second. ...hi. Princess Squeegee did seem... out of it when she called me. So... um. *glances at the others* I guess the first question would be what happened? Well. She's Squeegee. Bleh. * LadySakura puts a restraining hand on Mallet's shoulder. * LadyRoyal takes a stance close to Nozomi, but not near enough to her to be threatening, and looks at Sakura. * LadyNightshade looks about the room, lurking in the shadows. More importantly, are you okay? Do you need medical attention? Anything at all? * LadyMallet blinks, and glances up at Sakura. I'm... I don't know. I'm not injured or anything. * Nozomi blinks, and looks guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry, sit down. Please." * LadyRoyal continues to stand, although she leans against a nearby wall to seem more casual. * LadySakura pulls up a chair, and sits down just off to Nozomi's side. * LadyMallet makes a face, and leans up on her toes. * LadyHeat pulls up a chair and sits down, looking at Nozomi. "Umm..what happened?" I... I... oh, gods, you're not going to believe me... * LadyRoyal raises an eyebrow. "Try us." Try us. ^__^ You wouldn't believe what we've been through. Was it a giant crab person? Was it a really big dog? We're not playing 20 questions, guys. * Nozomi looks at Heat, and winces. Just let her talk to us. ...you're like some sort of... police for us Ladies, right? .... not really. ...uhh? * LadyRoyal glances at Sakura. * LadyMallet blinkblinks. Eeew...Lady Policewoman. ...kind of. *shrugs* Our exact role has been somewhat different, but it looks like we're taking that on starting now. * Nozomi looks like she wants to giggle at Heat's crack, but can't quite manage it. ...then I guess this is a real first. I guess you could..start at the beginning? Goth and I pasted a Ningyo Monday night. * LadyNightshade continues looking around the place. She lives a ways south of here, so we split up to go home. I hadn't detransformed - there's a good spot in a park that I usually use. A minute after we parted ways, I thought I sensed someone walking behind me. Hmm... * LadyHeat thinks back to the previous mission, with Princess. ...so you know, I'm a Lady. I don't have to be afraid of anything, right? *broken grin* I turned around and confronted him. * LadyMallet frowns... What was it? * LadyRoyal bites her lip, but keeps listening. It was a guy. A guy in a costume, it seemed... And then he spoke. He told me... he COMMANDED me, I should say... to stay silent, and stay transformed, and follow him. * Nozomi shudders. .... You've all met a Lord or two, right? * LadyMallet clenches a fist. That particular bit -really- bothers her. ....Yes. Ever had one of them tell you to do something? ...it was like that. Except worse. STRONGER. ... * LadyMallet nods, her eyes showing off her obvious irritation on the subject. I mean, it completely blotted everything out in my head. ... oh gods no. Weird. * LadyRoyal crosses her arms and hopes this isn't going where she thinks it's going. So... I followed him a few blocks to this store. He smashed the window, and I followed him in. He made you rob a store? No... and it was really weird, since no alarms went off or anything. Maybe they didn't have one? Maybe he did something to it? I don't know. Go on. * LadySakura has a really frightened look on her face. But it was a furniture store and he pointed at a couch, and I sat down. * LadyNightshade listens more closely but still pokes around the room and looks out windows and stuff. * LadyMallet waits for the story to finish. Not bouncing in place, while she's at it. ...and then he told me to take off... take off my fuku... Oh gods... * LadyRoyal winces and looks away from Nozomi, although still paying attention. ....*winces* * LadyMallet keeps listening. It still might turn out to be something different from what she's thinking. Hopefully, maybe? Take your time, if you need to. He told me.. he told me to... * Nozomi is shaking. * LadyRoyal walks over and puts a hand on Nozomi's shoulder. "Easy." * LadySakura is shaking too, and has gone sort of cross-eyed. It's o--...er...take a couple deep breaths. * LadyMallet puts a hand on Sakura's shoulder, holding it firmly. "Easy..." It took I don't know... ten minutes or so. He wasn't even... rough or anything. He didn't have to be - I couldn't DO anything. * LadyRoyal bites her lip some more, but nods at Nozomi encouragingly. ...and then afterwards, he just got up and walked away. And told me not to think about it, and not to talk to anyone about it. * LadySakura mouths those same words silently as Nozomi speaks them. Sakura...are you okay? ...and is that al-- *quietly* Later, Kyouko. Not now. * LadyRoyal switches her attention from Nozomi to Sakura. * LadyNightshade really tries to distract herself with something else now. * LadyMallet shakes Sakura gently, concerned. Okay. *intensely* Later. * LadyRoyal clears her throat. "What did you do after that?" * LadyNightshade swallows uncomfortably. * Nozomi doesn't notice the byplay beside her. "...and... I didn't. I sat up, and wondered why the hell I had my clothes off. Put them on, came back here, went to sleep." I um... I'm going to check outside. * LadyRoyal nods. * LadyMallet turns from Sakura to Nozomi. * LadyNightshade heads out the door and sits outside. When did you remember the...incident? ..yeah. It was this morning. I... don't know why. I've been more resistant to orders than some other Ladies I've met, so maybe it just wore off. I don't know. * LadyRoyal nods slowly. "And right after you remembered, you called Princess Squeegee?" Um. Any... tests? ...it was like it happened to me again. I... I just was flattened by it. Skipped school. ...ah. Eventually, I called Princess Purity - she's the area supervisor. You say Squeegee talked to you? ...um. I see. She talked to Sakura. Yes. * LadyMallet frowns for a moment. * LadyNightshade sits on the front step, looking down quietly. * LadyRoyal glances at Mallet, then looks back at Nozomi. "You haven't had a chance to get any...ahh...tests done, have you?" ...no. Even if I did, what the hell would I tell them? * LadyRoyal nods. I know you said he was in costume, but how much do you remember about what he looked like? ...he... he was young. Had a young voice, and no wrinkles, anyway. * LadyRoyal nods again. "Approximate height?" Maybe seventeen? Eighteen? I don't know. He was taller than me, but that's as much as I can say. He had a mask on over most of his face - just a plain white thing with eyeholes. ...I see. Anything else you can remember? Anything at all? It didn't look like it was part of his transformed costume - it didn't match at all. Anything really..distinctive about his costume? The costume seemed to be some sort of dark suit... but he had a really odd cape - it was brown, with silver trim, and some purple designs. ...that's pretty distinctive. * LadyNightshade takes a deep breath, and decides to go for a stroll around the area. All right.... * LadyRoyal looks at Sakura. * LadySakura is strangely quiet. Barely even breathing. Um... Uh... * Nozomi looks a little more normal now - as if retelling it has helped a little. We'll...try and see what we can find out about this, okay? Um...if you remember anything else, get back in touch with us... Nozomi. And, uh, you might want to transform as soon as possible after finishing off Ningyo. Although I guess you'd figured that out. Uh- Nozomi, are you going to be okay? * LadyRoyal looks at Sakura. * LadySakura slowly seems to be coming back to herself. * LadyRoyal looks grateful, then lets go of Nozomi and steps back. You're right, we can't go to the real authorities with it, but you probably could use some counseling and personal help. * LadySakura scribbles a name and a number on a page in her notebook, then rips it out and hands it to the younger girl. If you call her tomorrow morning, she'll be able to help. And she... knows about us, so you can discuss anything with her. Uh... okay...? Are you going to do anything about this? * LadyMallet pounds a fist into her palm, with a solid sounding smack. "You bet." *frosty* Absolutely. * LadySakura turns and marches out the door. Yeah. ...what? * LadyNightshade looks up from her pacing as Sakura comes out. What's with her? I'm sorry. * LadyMallet seems to have missed the right cue, since she blinks. But then heads after Sakura. I think something's wrong...really wrong. * LadyRoyal starts and blinks. "Um...you've been very helpful. We'll...keep in touch and let you know how things are going, all right?" * LadyMallet calls back, "Someone stay with her!" * LadyHeat heads after Mallet, and whispers to her. "I think Sakura knows something." Do you need someone to stay with you? * LadyMallet nods at Heat. "So keep up with her. Same goes for Sakura, she's not gonna do it alone!" ...thank you. No. My parents are due back in a little, and it would get... awkward. Good point. Okay, we're getting right on it. * Nozomi nods weakly. "Good hunting." * LadyRoyal stands up to leave. "And, if it's worth anything...I'm sorry." * LadyRoyal gives an almost salutelike nod to Nozomi. "Thanks. Don't worry, we'll get him for you." * LadyRoyal follows the others outside, closing the door behind her quietly. * Nozomi shakes her head, and closes the door behind Royal. * LadySakura fairly ran down the steps, and even now is making good time back towards the train station. * LadyNightshade keeps up with Sakura. * LadyMallet is running along, trying to keep up. * LadyHeat speeds up her pace and easily keeps up with Sakura and Nightshade. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run out like that... * LadyRoyal detransforms before she leaves, and rushes off to try and catch up with the others. * LadySakura turns a corner, then abruptly stops, bends over, and starts puking up her lunch. I just-- Sakura? DAMMIT. ...What happened? SHITSHITSHITSHIT! I'm so fucking weak! * LadyMallet skids to a halt, once she catches up fully. * LadyNightshade looks more uncomfortable. "What? I'm sorry..." * LadySakura looks around, then detransforms. * Minami catches up to the group, panting a little. As soon as the change stops, she starts shaking. Sorry about that, I had to-- * Kyouko detransforms and puts her arm around Sakura's shoulders. * Minami gets quiet and digs a couple napkins out of her pack, handing them to Sakura. I... *looks around, unsure of what to do.* ...shit. * LadyMallet looks at Sakura, and says softly, "Sakura..." * Sakura falls back against a building, letting it support her. ...that guy did it to you too. ...yeah. Nozomi isn't the only victim. * Minami kneels nearby. "How long have...people...known about this?" ... I... I'm sorry. The really bad part is that it was almost four years ago for me. ... And I never ONCE thought about it. * Minami blanches. So he gets younger when he transforms... Maybe. He was younger - maybe early teens when he raped me. So...in most cases, the...people it happened to don't even know it's happened... So... he could be the apparent age. ....great.. ... Do you know who he is? But yeah. In four years... who knows? * Minami looks nauseated and gulps. I... No. Same modus operandi - I didn't recognize him, and he wore a mask. Black, that time, but the cape was the same. * LadyNightshade pales and darts out of the alley. Dammit! I was so confident of myself - so sure that I'd figured a way out from under most of the directives or at least ways around them... And all this time I've had that little bomb hiding in me. Shit, shit SHIT! Can't wiggle out of ropes you don't know are there... I hate this. I hate ALL OF THIS! ... So...where do we start? Damn the Lords. Damn the Princesses. Damn her wannabe Imperial fucking Majesty. Damn damn damn. * Sakura runs out of steam, and just clutches her head. ... I don't trust either side anymore, now. * LadyNightshade hides down the street, trying not to cry. ...gah. * Minami glances at Mallet, but then shakes her head and turns back to Sakura, talking to her in a very neutral tone. "Should we get back to your office, then?" * Sakura looks up. She's crying, and struggling for control. and who knows how many people he's gotten. * LadyNightshade takes off her stupid pink gloves and her stupid pinker boots and her stupid stupid pink tiara and throws them into the street. * Minami hands Sakura a handful of tissues from her pack. I'm sorry. I need to be stronger. Eh. Taki? * LadyNightshade takes her boots out of her bag and puts them on instead. Hard to be so strong in this kind of a situation that it doesn't touch you. * Sakura makes an effort, and stands back up. * Kyouko leaves Sakura and heads down to Taki. "Taki. Detransform. Maybe you'll feel better?" I fucking HATE this outfit! *is just looking for something to be mad at.* Yes. Back to the office. There are some places I can... TAKI. * Minami nods and stands up as well, straightening herself out. I'm sorry. * LadyMallet watches Taki silently. * LadyNightshade goes to pick up her stupid clothes and stuffs them in her bag. * LadyNightshade looks down at the ground, afraid of making any eye contact. * Minami doesn't respond to the byplay, just sighs and takes a deep breath. "Right then. To the office we go." Taki... Taki, whatever else you believe, believe that the Earth Magic is good. It is there to protect the land. ...just not necessarily those of us who it manifests in. I said I was sorry! ...I don't like the situation I find myself in, but it is what we are given. Be proud of what you are. * Minami shakes her head and mutters under her breath. "People is as people does, I guess..." I have some places I can start looking. And... don't repeat this to anyone, but given the scrambled way that the Princesses were reacting, I wonder if it didn't happen to them as well. ... He's a wanted man, now... Then why the hell haven't they stopped it? Maybe they didn't remember either, until Nozomi reported it? She was the first to remember... Maybe she has stronger resistance powers than she thinks. They might still not remember it - they were weird, not hysterical. Like they couldn't directly think about the issue. But that's... just... And in any case, I bet it's not every day they have to deal with this. I shouldn't think they'd just take it calm and collected. I have orders from the Queen not to follow any but hers related to my job. ...and this afternoon, it became my job. So of course I remembered. Ohh... Someone without that... *shakes her head* ...come on. I want a bath. [end session] Session Close: Sat Jan 17 20:30:10 2004