Previously, on Hunters: Taki led the team to her home village in search of the missing Lady Goggles. Their arrival forced Taki's father, the nominal clan leader, to face down the council and force the clan to terminate their contract to stalk and kill magical girls. Taki, though, was challenged by Mitsuko for the death of her sensei at the hands of the Hunters (or at least the "structural collapse caused by the Hunters"). It was a short, bloody battle, that left Mitsuko battered on the floor, and Taki with a sword stuck through her. In any case, she was somewhat unsteady and the rest of the team was awfully tired, having gone more than thirty hours without any significant sleep. So they trekked back to the Kurosaki house, and ended up spending the afternoon, and when the train schedule did not line up properly, that night as well. The next morning, though, everyone was up and ready to leave. [Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 0725 local time] [the Kurosaki forest retreat] [session start] * Lord_Darkmoon , having almost literally collapsed into a chair and slept straight through, is actually wide awake by 7:25 am. * Leena is getting in what stretches and exercises she can, waiting for everyone else. * Haruko is up bright and early, bubbling as she struggles to contain something. * LadyMysteria slept rather well, and looks like she's ready to go. "... another day, another chance." * Norcliff looks a little tired, as it's toward the end of his time to be awake. * LadyRoyal is up as well, all her stuff packed away, ready to go. Even after all that sleep, though, she still looks tired. Both of Taki's parents are on the front steps to see their daughter off. * Leena is doing some well-practiced handstands and flips currently, staying in place. * Heishiro seems to have recovered from his mild snit last night, and holding Mutsumi in one arm. * Lord_Darkmoon looks much more calm than he did yesterday, and waits quietly for Taki and family to say their farewells. * Taki yawns and stretches, coming out from getting cleaned up after a morning jog and exercise. * LadyMysteria looks like she could use a cup of coffee, but she's otherwise functional as she looks in the direction of Taki's parents. "... man, this must be tough for them." * LadyRoyal waits patiently with her bag and possibly still Maya's as well. * Mutsumi grabs Taki in a group hug with Heishiro. Taki is squashed. * Leena is patient. Active, but patient. * Taki is hugged and tries to hug back as best she can maneuver. They let go after a few seconds. Keep training, Taki. I'll get you some help soon. * Taki nods. "I will." Write, even. I want to hear from you. And we'll come down to see you sometimes too. ... so. What do we do now? This turned out to be a dead end... * Leena blinks from her handstand. "Training?" Oooh, I have an idea! Okay... Gimme some notice so I can clean up a bit. ^^; * Haruko tries to gather everyone's attention. * Taki looks over at Maya. "Not... entirely..." What is it, Haruko? * Leena waits a moment, then pushes up, jumping with her hands and curling into a Leena-sized ball in midair, landing mostly on her feet. "Time to go?" * Mutsumi waves enthusiastically. * LadyMysteria looks Taki's way and waves a hand apologetically. "I didn't mean that... just in finding Junko... eh? Haruko, what is it?" * Taki feigns interest in what Haruko has to say. * Heishiro nods to the group stolidly. * Lord_Darkmoon bows to Heishiro and Mutsumi. "Thank you for your hospitality." Now that we're not in a huge hurry, I really want to go to Whipple. Its Dani's hometown and its very close, almost on the way home! * LadyRoyal winces a little. "...'Whipple'?" ... are you the only one who knows where it is? Yeah, Whipple! It's this quiet little town.. ... No... lots of people know where it is! * Taki mutters a few explicatives to herself. Come on guys, I'll show you! ... I guess we'll see? *glances hopelessly at Maya.* ... Whipple? * LadyRoyal makes a courteous farewell to Heishiro and Mutsumi as well. I don't think we have time... *looks sternly at Maya* Bye Mr and Mrs Taki! * Leena waves at Taki's parents. "Seeya!" * LadyMysteria looks at Haruko for a moment before paying her respects to Taki's parents. "Yes, Sakura's waiting for us. We need to return to the agency now." But, its really close, it wouldn't take more than an hour... * Lord_Darkmoon nods, and turns to start walking. * Taki turns once again to her parents and bows respectfully. "I'll keep in contact. I promise." * Leena walks quickly over to Maya, and whispers at her, (hopefully) out of hearing of Haruko, and asks, "... does she make places, too?" Haruko... I hate to sat it, but not now. The mission's a bit more important. Bye mom and dad. But... * Taki waves and then heads down the path with everyone else. You can always visit later, right? I guess... * Haruko wanders down the path, dejected and not really paying attention to where she's going. * Norcliff patpats Haruko. "Dani'll understand." We can make time, Haruko... don't take this the wrong way. * Leena makes a sad face at the sad overcreative girl, and rushes to catch up. "Hey, wait up!" The trail seems harder going downhill - the tree roots and medium rocks that made the climb easier now make navigating the steeper sections difficult. You could send Norcliff to get her to meet us at the bottom! She won't want to leave... today is battleship day. * LadyMysteria obvious doesn't like hill-climbing, judging by the look on her face. "Battleship day?" * Lord_Darkmoon speaks up once they're out of sight of the village. "We still need to find Lady Goggles. Which means we need to discover who took her, if it wasn't the ninja." You know, they play Battleship. * Leena walks with Haruko. The grounds too uneven for her to bounce like she usually does, but she's making an effort of it. That American game? I'm sure the Mystic Warriors will understand...uh...they do prioritize, right? Well, it is Dani's favorite game... ...perhaps we should ask Leena for as detailed a description of the kidnappers as possible. * Taki has fun making her way down the mountain path. Despite you know, leaving her parents for the second time in her life. * Lord_Darkmoon doesn't seem to really be paying attention to what the others are discussing, no. Why do you ask? * Leena gives up trying to walk energetically, almost immediately deflating at the suggestion. * LadyRoyal suddenly pays attention to what Darkmoon is saying. "...yes. Yes, we should." * LadyRoyal gets a notably colder tone at that suggestion. * LadyMysteria has to take a moment to process Haruko's comment. "You have a point, Rin. Anything will help right now..." I couldn't make out them at all, except they were bigger than me. The dust was too thick. There were two of them, and they were carrying Junko. You're sure it was Junko? Could you tell how they were dressed? Approximate build? ... pretty sure. We couldn't find her then, and they were carrying someone our size. ...hn. I bet she's at that shipyard. * Leena gestures something akin to 'little'. Where else could they take her? But who else could benefit from... * LadyMysteria looks Taki's way. "... true." ... if it wasn't your clan, it was an interested third party. And that was Junko, because it couldn't have been anyone else. * Lord_Darkmoon lets out a breath that might be a bitter laugh. "So we raid the shipyard? I wonder if there's a way to find out for sure if she's there before we try." Do you think they wanted Junko cause she could sense something was coming? ... I'd love to bust into there. But Sakura mentioned something about having *shudder* Squeegee look into it. Maybe she can see stuff we can't... ... ... that couldn't of been it. Junko only told Mysty, here. Well, if someone knew that she could feel what her team couldn't... still, yes, she only spoke to me. Still, what other places that we know bad things have gone on would make for a good place to take her? Well, why don't we give Sakura a call and see if Squeegee's found anything out yet? ... we should confer with Sakura anyway. Well there's always abandoned warehouses... * LadyMysteria is already getting her cell out. Well, yes, but--ah, good. ... other places? The various attack sites, but none of those are as suspicious as the shipyard. I mean, really. Queen Fish herself. * LadyMysteria pauses, sighs, then dials Sakura up. The weapons from the attack on Octane were provided from there, too. * Haruko suddenly trips, lets out a scream, and tumbles down the a twist in the path to land heavily on the ground below Holy-- * Leena 'eeps', and tries to catch her! * Haruko isn't moving... There are answers to be found there, even if they maybe aren't the ones we're looking for... NO! Haruko! HARUKO! WAKE UP! ... wuh? * LadyRoyal quickly makes her way down to help her. Haruko! ... * LadyRoyal turns her over to check her status. Haruko seems to have banged her forehead on a tree. * Taki dashes over to the girl, helping her up. ...geh. * LadyMysteria closes her phone and scoots down the mountain to check up on her. "... hell." Haruko, are you okay? Does she look okay?! * LadyRoyal waves Taki down. "Hold up, hold up." * Leena , failing to catch her, recklessly speeds down to Haruko's position to make sure she's okay. She hit her head, we don't want to move her around too quickly. There's no bleeding and she's breathing all right, but she's not responding to any of you. I'm not, I'm not. Haruko? Haruko... * LadyRoyal gently inspects the lump that's probably there, checks pupils, etc. "Norcliff?" What? Are you just worried because she's hurt, or is there something else going on here? * Lord_Darkmoon stands back, watching, trying to stay out of the way. Mina? I just mean, any conditions she might have that we should take into consideration. * LadyRoyal responds absent-mindedly to Maya. "Hmm?" ... the cellphones not working? I'm not big enough to protect her from everything, and dammit that upsets me. ...ah, okay then. Just wondering what you were getting at. And I got Sakura's voicemail... which I need to leave a message on. * LadyMysteria dials again and waits for it, looking worriedly down at Haruko. * LadyRoyal digs a water bottle out of her pack and splashes a little bit of water on Haruko's face. "Ah, okay." * Leena 'whews' at the working cellphone confirmation. * Norcliff wrings his paws, very easily having a squirrel-sized attack of some sort. * LadyRoyal glances over at Norcliff. "Calm down. She'll be fine....probably." * Taki rests Haruko's head on her lap. "We might have to carry her down." Perhaps. * Leena picks Norcliff up, and pets it. "... it'll be okay. You've got full- sized people to help you." * Norcliff just shakes some. ... yeah, Sakura, this is Maya. Call us back as quick as you can to let us know if Squeegee found out anything concerning the dock. *Anything*. Thanks. * LadyMysteria hangs up and sighs, folding her arms. "We have to keep going, but let's wait and see if she comes to." * LadyRoyal nods. I- Is she injured anywhere other than her head? * Leena sets the sugarglider on her head, and looks around for anything that could be made into a stretcher. * Dani is hiking up the mountain, not paying much attention. * Taki checks Haruko for other injuries. * Norcliff spies someone he knows. "Dani!" * LadyRoyal glances at Darkmoon. "Not so's I can see." ... ... * Leena blinks at the 'Dani.' Then facepalms. * Dani turns, shocked. ... even when she's out. Well what do yo... But she's not transformed... What happened here? * Dani jogs up. * LadyRoyal looks up the hill, eyes narrowed in thought. "...hm." Haruko fell down and hit her head. And she's not waking up. Sheesh, she looks okay except for her head. Did she trip again? ... again? Looks like it. But yeah. She should be fine and coming to...but she's not. Knowing her, she'll be out for a fair amount of time. She's more fragile than she acts. ...Then we should probably take her someplace more comfortable. ... I need to feed Haruko a book about me kicking Ningyo ass. I see. ... If she is otherwise uninjured, it shouldn't be dangerous to move her, should it? Good thing I was on patrol; you guys can come to my house if you need? * Taki grumbles about going to crazy made up places. We've moved her before, she'll be fine when she wakes up. ... Whipple? Does this happen...often? Let me guess. It's right nearby. -_-; What about Whipple? ... Let's just go to the train station... Not often, we've just dealt with it before. She's so clumsy. * Dani laughs a little. Ah. We really have to head to town... * LadyMysteria just looks more and more confused as time passes. ... um. You think she'll wake up if we take her back to town anyway? She'll probably wake up on the trainride back... We should... report to Sakura... and stuff. * LadyRoyal nods. "That's probably the best idea." * Lord_Darkmoon steps down, and carefully picks up the unconscious girl. "Lady Mysteria?" I wouldn't mind taking her to ... Whipple, and then coming back. It's closer than the train station, but you seem to be in a hurry, so you should decide. * Taki helps Darkmoon carry her as best she can. What, are we going to leave her there? I can see her home. * Taki tries not to look like she wants the answer to be yes. It's on your way, follow me. ... * LadyRoyal glances at Maya. If it's on the way... I have her, Taki. Thank you, though. She doesn't weigh much. * Leena sighs, defeatedly. Dani starts down the mountain, on the path you were on already. Alright... ... it's on the way, so we can't avoid it anyway. If you get tired, I can help carry her though. * LadyMysteria gives Mina a helpless shrug as she starts along. * Lord_Darkmoon nods to Taki. "Thank you." He follows Mysteria. * LadyRoyal shakes her head in resignation and follows. * Norcliff climbs up on Dani's shoulder and curls up. The path narrows for a moment, then turns sideways cutting around a steep section of the mountainside. Nyeh... I'm not doing any more mountain climbing after this for a while. * Leena hovers nearby Darkmoon, since he's carrying Haruko. As the team comes around a bend in the path, they find themselves at one end of a tiny village - perhaps only two dozen houses and a few other buildings along the a street. Heh. * Taki is also by Darkmoon, making sure he's okay. This is Whipple. It's not much, barely a town, but it's nice. You can leave her at my place * Lord_Darkmoon looks pretty okay. Just a bit withdrawn. No where near as bad as yesterday. At least he doesn't look tired. This... wasn't here before... * Leena nods at Taki. "Well, that confirms that." * Taki shakes her head in disbelief. * Leena laughs, giggling to herself. * LadyMysteria blinks a few dozen times. * LadyRoyal puts a finger to her lips thoughtfully, and glances at Haruko's untransformed, unconscious form. Dani, what are all these people doing here... are we still going to play battleship? ... AGH! * Taki covers her mouth. ... battleship? Sorry, something's come up. You remember my friend Haruko, right? * LadyMysteria jumps a little and turns around to spot Gregg. She's still kinda stunned by all this. The one you help out from time to time? That's the one. She had another one of her famous accidents, only she had friends this time. Oooh, she'll be ok though, right? * Leena waves at Gregg, a bit nervously. She usually pulls through I can't deal with this... * Gregg turns to the new people. Hi, I'm Gregg. Do any of you like Battleship? * Taki shakes her head and heads back to the edge of town, squatting there until everyone is done. ... you keep saying that. Battleship. What's that? It's a type of board game. Its great fun, it takes luck and skill to play! Taki, just... relax for now, okay. And... I have actually never heard of that. Board game? Huh. * LadyRoyal looks back and forth between Dani, Haruko and Taki. You use a grid system and try to find your opponents boats and sink them. ...ah. A strategy game? Yeah, sort of. We play every Saturday. But I feel bad for you *indicates Darkmoon* , so why don't we get to the house? ...interesting. Ah, was nice meeting you folks. Indeed, there are a number of people sitting on their porches or in the small yards, playing some sort of game that involves a pair of book-sized blue plastic clamshell cases. * Lord_Darkmoon nods. * Taki isn't looking and isn't listening... Nope. There's a shout nearby as you move down the street. * LadyMysteria rubbernecks, just like she did in the ninja village. Only this time, she looks like she's about to have an aneurysm. * Lord_Darkmoon follows Dani to wherever she lives. He doesn't seem bothered by this scene. Augh! You sank my destroyer! dangit... * Dani leads you up the steps of a two level house. "Over here everyone." ... * Villager gets up, and lets the winner pick up all the little plastic bits. I hope this isn't related to the shipyard at all. Oi, Dani! Can I play you later? I hope to god it isn't. * Lord_Darkmoon looks at Leena with a strange expression. * Dani smiles. "If I have the time I'll send you packing!" * Dani lets everyone in the house. Riiiiiight. Later! * Leena glances around like she's about to get run over by a train, before cautiously stepping inside. * Lord_Darkmoon enters carefully, so as not to bump the unconscious girl against the doorframe. * LadyRoyal murmurs to Maya. "Deep breaths." * LadyMysteria moves over and along, taking said deep breaths. "... this is..." Yeah. I know. ... insane. * Taki mumbles to herself. "Maybe they'll piss Leena off and she'll destroy this godforsaken place. It's a well-furnished little house. The kitchen and a family room are immediately inside the door. Some bowls are visible on the coffee table - they look like the remnants of a Western-style cereal breakfast. Where should I put Haruko, Dani-san? In the back is a staircase and a bathroom. At least she's got good taste in decor. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable. You can put her on the couch, it's plush enough. She's going to wake up and all of this is going to go away... *talks to herself as she draws in the sand with a stick* * Leena heads for the kitchen! "Ice cream!" * Lord_Darkmoon nods, and does so, carefully putting her down. He then finds a chair or a piece of floor and sits himself down, stiff-backed. Dani? You're home quic... * Leila comes down the stairs and trails off after seeing everyone. * LadyMysteria walks over to the couch... and pokes at it, curiously. * Lord_Darkmoon offers a polite bow of his head at the new-come woman. * LadyMysteria waves offhandedly, still poking. Hey Leila. * LadyRoyal nods absently. Remember when I told you about meeting Haruko's new friends? * Leena checks the kitchen for a fridge for ice cream. She doesn't feel -too- bad about raiding an almost assuredly persons freezer. L-- ... Ma-- er. Mysty, should we wait here, or continue on? * Leena raids the fridge! Rummage, rummage, squeal of joy. Was there anything good left in there? * Leena sounds exultant. "ICE CREAM!" * LadyMysteria finally sits down, still looking dazed and confused. "I'd hate to leave Haruko here..." Leila, these are Haruko's friends from the city. They do the dirty work there. I can't quite remember their names, but I'm sure they don't mind! *smiles* * Lord_Darkmoon nods to Mysteria, acquiescing. He offers a practiced smile to Dani. "Not at all." * LadyRoyal gives a slight, tight grin. "Of course not." * Leila grabs a handful of long, aqua hair nervously and finishes her way into the living room. * Leena walks back into view, carrying a thing of ice cream over her head with both hands, like a trophy, a (single) spoon sticking out. * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles - it might not even be forced. "You not planning to share, Leena?" * Norcliff jumps over. "Yeah, share!" After I make sure it's as good as the real thing. ^__^ Real thing? * LadyMysteria gives Leena a *look*. We don't get the really cheap stuff. I doubt they'd have fat-free any more than you would, Leena. Yeah, too gross. * Leena giggles cutely. The ice cream is somewhat fluffy - it's an off brand, but still cold and sweet. * Leena takes a seat, and digs in. * Leila moves to the couch to look at Haruko. "Hit her head again?" Yes. Mmm. She'll be okay. Pity she doesn't stop in more often. She tripped *snarf* on *chomp* the way down. I try- *snarf* tried to catch her, though. I imagine she's busy; look at all the friends she's made. * Leila looks a little hurt. "I know, but she could call." * LadyMysteria chuckles a bit nervously. "Well... um. We have some very important business to take care of... how long does she usually stay out after this sort of thing happens?" Well, Leena? Verdict? So how often does a baddie show up around here? *she takes another bite of ice cream, showing no sign of stopping.* Still not sure. Need a larger sample. * LadyRoyal snorts. Then you probably need other testers. Chad! There you are you naughty boy! A small, almost kitten-sized, black cat noses out from underneath the couch, disturbed from its nap by all the visitors. * Leila scoops up the cat Hello. What's your name? *directed at el gato* * Leena looks up at Darkmoon in mid-bite. The spoons still sticking out of her mouth as she shakes her head. "Nuh-uh. Wouldn't want to bother you with the duty." * WingedCat is scooped, and everyone can see the small reddish bat-wings on its back. They appear far too small to lift it. Now, now, Leena, you know we're a team, and are supposed to share burdens. I insist. * WingedCat yawns very cutely. * LadyRoyal eyes the winged cat. His name's Chad, and I'm afraid I can't get him to communicate with anything. Seems the transformation broke him. * Leena big-eye stares at the winged kitty, momentarily forgetting about the ice cream. "KYYYUUUUUUTTTTEEEE!" This is followed by a 'squee.' "Squuueeeee!" ...broke? This is, or was, my brother. ...oh, my. I see. ...I can try to help, if you like. If he's willing... * LadyRoyal remembers something. "Ah, yes. I actually remember Haruko mentioning something about that, but I had no idea..." Be my guest, if you can. *holds out Chad* * LadyRoyal tries to sound sympathetic instead of freaked out. * Lord_Darkmoon rises and takes the cat. "Hello, Chad. My name's Rinada. Can you understand me?" * WingedCat twists, and squirms as Darkmoon addresses it. * Leena watches, angling the spoon in her mouth up and down as she does so. * Leila pulls Chad closer and coos at him. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes narrow in concentration as he listens to the cat's cat- noises. "Strange..." His eyes glow purple for a moment, and it's reflected in Chad's eyes, but ends quickly with Darkmoon shaking his head and wincing. ...no luck? I don't know if this is good or bad, Leila, but he's got some strange combination of a human's and a cat's thoughts. * LadyMysteria just... looks at the thing. Confusing returns! ...huh. So...your brother's probably still there. But, without a clear sense of who or what he is, he can't communicate as either a human or a cat. He's cute! Can I keep him? He was human, but my village got attacked and this is all that's left of the inhabitants. Leena... No you can't have my brother! * Leena pouts. "Aww..." * LadyRoyal rubs her temples. I'm really sorry you all had to come, I know how busy you must be. If you need to go I understand. * Gregg yells in from outside Dani! Get out here! * Lord_Darkmoon , while Leena's distracted, steals the ice cream and scoops some onto the end of his Tessen, which he then holds like a cone. Puppies, everywhere! Shit Wha? ... ...? Something terrible is happening! * Dani bolts outside, grabbing Leila in the process. Ack! * Leena grins from ear to ear. "So I do get to beat something up." * Lord_Darkmoon takes the entire ball of ice cream on the end of his Tessen into his mouth in an enormous bite, and fights to swallow it while flicking the Tessen open to clean it as he heads outside. * Taki shrieks from outside. "I hate this place!" ...Taki! * Leena jumps to her feet, and jets outside, imaginary spoon still in her mouth. * LadyRoyal rushes outside. I'll go see if I can find the others! Well... we do have to---puppies? Wait, puppies? * Norcliff runs! There are a dozen very very cute puppies (with bows) running up the street towards you. * Taki is up a tree at the edge of town. ...Someone explain why this is a cause for alarm, please? * Leena doubletakes at that. "PUPPIES!?" Why, oh why did I think they were joking? Shit this is bad! * Gregg peeks out from behind a tree. Why is this bad? All of them are yipping furiously. The villagers begin to poke their heads out their doors to see what is happening. * LadyRoyal frowns and looks for Taki. People are getting changed again! It's just like what happened to Redman! ... okay. Okay, let me get this straight. Who's doing this? * Dani explodes into a ball of red and gold lights and glitter as her transformation envelopes her It must be the Dragon of the North Wind * LadyMysteria looks to be back at near-veinbursty stage, rubbing her temples. "Dragon of the North Wind..." ...right. *gestures with the Tessen, and is suddenly in his actual Lord uniform* * Gregg sneaks away to hide into the house. * Leena blinks at one magical girl transforming, so follows the cue, taking the spoon out of her mouth and holding it up in the air as she does so. She's enveloped in the cone of rainbow lights, and then... * LadyRoyal spots Taki. "Oi! Why're you up there?" No time like the present; better save someone! * LadyMallet poses, spoon still in hand. The fuckin' PUPPIES! This place is insane! * Leila is wrapped in a silvery film, which subsides shortly. We should just get the hell out of here! And leave Haruko? She should be in a mental ward! * Taki rubs her temples. Let's see if we can find the source of these transformations... *his irises and pupils are obscured by purple moons as he starts trying to find where these puppies are coming from by jumping from mind-to-mind, backtracking* Those puppies... they'll... they'll LICK her to death with those cute little faces of theirs if we don't do something! * LadyRoyal sighs. There is a roar... or is it a whinny? ...from the downhill end of the village, and the trees around the path there begin to shake and fall as something pushes them out of the way. Oh Jesus fuck... They only get bigger, don't they? * LadyMallet snaps her fingers at the roar, and the Mallet falls out of thin air, and lands next to her with a WHUMP. * LadyMysteria starts at the sound and turns in that direction, reflexively drawing her wand. "... what. is that?" ...something like that. Sorry about this guys; you seem prepared enough. Today? Who knows what it is, but I think we'll find out in a moment. I'm back! And I've brought the cavalry! * Sailor_Landslide, last seen at the Warabi mall, bursts out of the house. * Lord_Darkmoon stumbles a bit as his eyes clear, but regains his balance easily. "Too many...too confused." * Taki takes off her coat and transforms in a black void of light, then puts her trenchcoat back on. * LadyNightshade doesn't leave the tree however. * LadyNightshade simply twitches at all the girls showing up. .... you're not the only one, Rin. After this, we need to talk to Haruko. * Sailor_Waterfall follows Landslide, looking around angrily. "Breeze, get out here!" * Norcliff looks around. Gentle Breeze, did you get lost?! Don't know how much help that'll be... * Sailor_GentleBreeze walks out briskly, looking slightly sheepish. * LadyMallet picks up the Mallet, tossing it into the air with a spin, then jumps up to meet- and catch- it, landing in a crouch and posing again. * Sailor_GentleBreeze boggles at all the people. * LadyMysteria looks back, sighs and takes a deep breath. "Alright... let's just get this over with." As Breeze comes around the corner, the trees part... well, are ripped out of the way, and the monster comes into view - but only for a moment before it gestures and a beam of brownish light spears a helpless villager. Aaaauuuuuugfughghhhhhhddhh... wooof. WOOF! WOOF! ... ... ... This is the most retarded thing ever... * LadyRoyal facefaults. * Villager is suddenly a cuuuuute puppy, complete with ribbon. It flees. ... yes, I'm definitely going to kick it's ass. Right. Since I'm already transformed, may as well kill it. The monster trots into town, satisfied so far with its raid. Commencing asskicking! * LadyMallet runs at the MotW. Ladies first, dear Mallet. Goddamn I *hate* these things! * Centaur is a classical centaur, torso and upper body of a man on the body and legs of a horse. Except this one is more than four meters tall. ... wow, that's a big... thing. Never seen one before? Just makes it easier to hit! Be careful! Ours are usually either aquatic, or human. They fight all sorts of strange things. Focus on the battle at hand! ... There's a red ribbon tied around one of the monster's wrists, and as it passes by a house, the ribbon emits a pulse of brown light. You can hear barking start inside that house. * Norcliff advises the Mystical Warriors from the side Take out the ribbon first! That *he flicks his Katana into existence* I can do. Quickly, Rin... * LadyMysteria pauses, realizing she's taking this seriously. "... geh." * Lord_Darkmoon spares a self-conscious smile for Maya. "Sometimes, it's better to err on the side of foolishness. Just go with it." * LadyRoyal flicks out a card and bounces it back and forth between her fingertips and her knuckles, looking thoughtful. * LadyNightshade screams a feral scream and leaps out of the tree and across the neighboring rooftops in a mad dash straight for the monster. She didn't sound particularly sane as she shouted "Fuck the land of make believe!" as she blurs past the group. * LadyRoyal blinks a bit at Taki's vehemence, then shakes her head and tosses that card right at the centaur's ribbon-tied wrist, trying to sever the ribbon, or at least the hand. The card ZINGS down the street. It is well-thrown, and actually does hit the monster's wrist, but only cuts through part of the width of the ribbon, and penetrates just far enough into the skin to stick there and cause some profuse bleeding. GWARrrrnneeeeeight! The Warriors! More than that, you dumb horse! * LadyMallet continues running at the Centaur. She flicks the imaginary spoon she still has at it en route. The spoon bounces off its wide, muscled chest. It looks confused at the spoon. * Sailor_Sunbeam winds up for an attack. "You're not gettin' my town big shot!" she hollers, releasing an ever-popular bout of the Star Tranquil Ovaries! * Sailor_Moonglow follows Sunbeam's lead. She closes her eyes and she sounds like she's praying, but instead of a miracle, she's surrounded by silver glitter and light, which launches at the monster. * Centaur is pelted by glitter and fireballs and moonlight - when he emerges from the lightshow, he looks somewhat battered and his hair and tail are smoking slightly, but is otherwise undeterred. * Lord_Darkmoon lowers into a kenjutsu stance, and runs towards the creature. This might be more impressive if the simple act of getting to it weren't taking so long. * Centaur puppies another residence. * LadyMysteria narrows her eyes and takes a potshot at the wrist wearing the ribbon with the Mystery Star Gun. Light, heat and a dull roar are soon followed by... ...a visible wound on the monster's arm, which is now very bloody, making the ribbon hard to see. ... damn! * Sailor_GentleBreeze pantomimes shooting an arrow. A strong wind wells up around her, rustling her pastel-colored outfit. She releases the Yooki Arrow with focus, trying to finish what the others have started. The arrow spears down the street, and sticks in the flank of the horse- body. Shit! * Centaur rears. As it comes down, it is raising its arm to point down the street. * Sailor_Waterfall quickly calls up her powers, releasing them in a screaming torrent down the street at the arm in a vain attempt to stop the attack. * Centaur gets wet. It is angered, but not hurt by this particular attack. * Sailor_Landslide looks to be focusing, much like Moonglow, except instead of light pouring down, the ground around her rips up. A simple kiai releases the vibrating masses, and they also streak toward the towering beast. The rocks bounce off the centaur, bruising it mightily. One of them knocks a foreleg out of position as it trots, and it stumbles to its knees. * Centaur still has its arm raised, though. "FEEL THE POWER OF THE DRAGON LORD OF THE NORTH!" A wall of happy brown light washes down the street. Suddenly, there are more puppies. ... ... Nightshade, Mysteria, Sunbeam, and Landslide seem to vanish for a moment, leaving their clothes behind to collapse in small piles. Then a cute-cute puppy with a bright red ribbon noses out of each. * LadyRoyal slaps herself on the forehead. "...GEEZ." These puppies, though, seem to be larger than the others, and as you watch, are visibly growing in size. * LadyRoyal exasperatedly tosses out another card at Mister Big Shot Centaur, again trying for the ribbon/wrist. Don't worry about them, they'll recover! * LadyNightshade growls and continues charging the centaur. * LadyMallet quirks an eyebrow at the puppies. ... then at the rabid, cute, growling Nightshade. A 'Squeeee!' slips out somehow. The card flies! This time, it finds the elbow, and penetrates far enough for blood to spurt and arc out. The beast is struggling to keep that arm raised, now. * LadyMysteria blinks... whimpers, and sits on her haunches, looking both angry and cutely pathetic. You... you.... quit abusing the POWER OF CUTE! Your vile cute puppifying days are over now that the great and mighty Lady Mallet, who's cuter than all those puppies combined, is here to KICK YOUR ASS! * LadyRoyal is running out of facefaults. * LadyMallet stops a step-and-a-half in front of it, swings the Mallet downwards behind her, then up again in front of her. "LEENA LEENA MALLET AIR STRIKE!" * LadyMysteria would smack her forehead, but... well, y'know. * Centaur is too large to really be sent flying by Leena's blow, but as the Mallet swings upward into the transition between man and horse, you can see its chest and abdomen cave in badly. The front portion of the monster is knocked upwards into the air, as if it were rearing abnormally high, then it topples over onto its back, writhing. * LadyMallet jumps up after it, Mallet held high above her head as she brings it back down, and it slips out of her hands, landing with a *thud* nearby. Warriors, Combine your powers to finish it off! * LadyMallet scrambles out of the way at Norcliff's yell. * LadyRoyal was never in the way to begin with. Yay ranged. ^^ The puppies are still growing, reaching medium-dog size now, and just starting to change shape to something more human-like. * Sailor_Moonglow calls for Waterfall and Gentle Breeze to gather around her, and begins to pray, a mighty glow springs up around the three of them. * Lord_Darkmoon , being a touch focused, finishes his charge and makes a slash at the monster's ribbon-bearing wrist, hoping to finish cutting it off. * LadyMysteria looks less pathetic and more ready to hurt someone as time passes... * Lord_Darkmoon, however, also misses. * Centaur half-screams, half-whinnies, and attempts to right itself. Its front legs aren't working quite right, though.... * Sailor_Waterfall gathers the power created by her and the rest of the team into a screaming maelstrom of Wind, Water, and Light. The pulsating ball screams forth from her hands with a shout from all three combined. "MYSTIC WAR BLAST!" The attack envelops the centaur, leaving naught more than wisps. Well, *finally*. * LadyMallet picks the spoon back up, then goes for the Mallet. Cheers - and barking - fill the air, as the citizens see the monster is defeated. * Lord_Darkmoon blinks, straightens, and sheaths the Katana before walking back to the others. * LadyMallet casts a peeved look at the spot where it used to be. "Someday I'll land them both." * LadyNightshade growls and runs around, trying to bite the wisps. * Sailor_GentleBreeze giggles and runs for puppified Sunbeam. * LadyMallet tosses the Mallet into thin air, then looks around at all the puppies. * Lord_Darkmoon is back in his civvies by the time he gets to the main group. "Do you suppose Haruko has awakened yet?" * LadyMallet pets the still-mostly-dog Nightshade. "Kawaii!" Stop that. *Glares at Gentle Breeze* Help me find all of their clothes. * LadyNightshade growls at the mention of Haruko and runs away from Mallet's petting. * LadyMysteria grumble-growls and noses at her gear, trying to at least find her way back into it. Aww! Come back! Don't run from the cute! * LadyMallet gives chase. * LadyNightshade runs off out of town and into the forest. * LadyMallet pouts. ;_; * LadyRoyal scoops up Maya's gear and Mayapuppy with one hand and...fails to be able to get Taki and her gear as well. * Lord_Darkmoon gathers the clothes of the girls in his team. "My Ladies, I will put these in a room in Dani's house. I suggest you wait there and get dressed." (okay, gathers the clothes of those not already gathered. Darn my slow typing.) * LadyRoyal ducks into the house and dumps Maya and her stuff in the first private-looking room available. Uh, Rin? If you don't mind, I think Taki would prefer one of us bringing the clothes to her, instead of her having to come back here for them. * LadyMallet sticks the spoon back in her mouth, and chews on that thoughtfully. She looks around as the other gather stuff, especially at the others who were puppified. * LadyMysteria struggles, only for a moment. -.- * Sailor_Waterfall gathers Sunbeam's and Landslide's outfits. Good plan, Royal. As I doubt she wants me to do so, I leave it to you. *hands over Taki's clothes* * LadyRoyal nods, picks them up, and trots over to the edge of the forest. "Oi, Taki! I'm leaving your clothes here, aright?" * LadyRoyal then drops them and turns her back discreetly. With a clap of wings like the thunder, a mighty green dragon appears from behind a cloud. Perspective makes it hard to tell how large he is, but as a best guess, he seems to make the centaur look small. ...I'm glad I don't lose my-- o_o FOOLS, DID YOU THINK MY PLANS WERE SO EASILY THWARTED! * LadyMallet bats her eyelashes at the big green thing. Yeah? ... You! Stop fighting like a coward! * LadyNightshade looks as annoyed as a dog can look. THE DRAGON LORD OF THE NORTH IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN STOP We kicked you asses candy ass, and you're next, if you stick around for more than two lines. * Dragon_Lord opens his mouth, and a cone of brown light spreads over the entire village. * LadyRoyal rubs her temples. "...I think I'm gettin' a headache." * LadyMysteria looks at her stuff, then at herself, making what sounds like a groan as she once again puts clothes together with slowly-reverting person. * Sailor_Sunbeam 's puppy version starts bawling and running recklessly around. .... You didn't. * LadyMallet looks around, not quite believing this is happening. * Dragon_Lord turns around with this final proclamation and attack, and flies off towards the North, from which he came. There's barking from every direction. Yip. Woof. Grrrrrr. ... two lines. ... Quick, Warriors! After him! Fucking bullshit! Come on guys, we have to get him! * LadyMallet narrows her eyes. * Sailor_Waterfall runs ...why did he waste our time? He could have saved us all a lot of effort if he'd just done that in the first place. -_- COME BACK HERE! * LadyMallet runs North! * Sailor_GentleBreeze sighs and runs after. * Sailor_Moonglow starts up, yelling "Wait for me guys!" * Sailor_Sunbeam runs after * LadyNightshade puts her clothes back on as quickly as they'll fit her form. * Dragon_Lord can be heard laughing great gales of dragon laughter as he flies off. * Sailor_Landslide is a little laggy, but good at catching up. The village begins to fade around you, and the barking dies out as well, once the Sailors leave the clearing. * Lord_Darkmoon sighs and shakes his head, and waits for the de-morphing girls to come back out to explain things to them. * LadyNightshade doesn't come out again until she's people. ...aha. * LadyMallet returns. Eventually, looking pretty agitated. * Lord_Darkmoon goes, now that the village is fading away, and checks on Haruko. The fading buildings begin to shimmer, and quickly blink into complete nonexistence. There's even forest where the houses were. The ground is still tore up where Landslide launcher her attack, though. * LadyMallet sighs, watching the spoon in her mouth fade out. * LadyMysteria is probably standing by or behind a tree... okay, not so much standing as kneeling, poorly-clothed and waiting for her thumbs to return to functionality. * Haruko comes running out from behind a tree. ...Haruko! It was great to see you guys and the Mystic Warriors working together! I'm so happy! Ah. Glad you're up. * LadyMallet looks at Haruko tiredly, like she really can't think of anything to say to answer that. * LadyRoyal raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "I see you're feeling better..." * LadyMallet finally thinks of something, and takes a deep breath. "... at least the ice cream was good." Huh, what? When was I feeling bad? * LadyMysteria finally comes into view, tugging back on her shirt and looking relatively uncomfortable as that stupid tail doesn't go away fast enough. "... that was a thing." ...hn. Never mind. * LadyNightshade dresses herself but stays out of sight. Let's just wait for Maya and Taki and then head back *as soon as possible*. ... hoi, Mina. I'm here... mostly. Where's Taki? Agreed, Lady Royal. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet them all in better circumstances! * LadyMysteria approaches, using her hands almost as if trying to will her mouth back to normal proportions via pushing. They were delightful, Haruko. As you said, the circumstances were inconvenient. Eh. That Dragon King's a coward. Still getting dressed, Maya. WHAT. THE. FUCK? Really, who'd of thought something that big could run away so fast. * LadyNightshade storms towards the rest of the group, positively fuming. * LadyMallet crosses her arms, still looking thoughtful. ...ohhh, shit. ... hey, Taki. You too? * LadyRoyal casually steps in between Taki's path and Haruko. Oh, that wasn't the Dragon King. * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles. "It could be worse, Taki. That could happen to you every full moon." Be thankful. * LadyNightshade isn't even looking at anyone else except Haruko. Shut up! ... wait, nevermind. Anyway, Taki, don't. No one cares! * LadyMallet looks up at the approaching angry angsty ninja. This is retarded! Why do we have to deal with this? Because she's part of the team. Taki, what's wrong? ... She shouldn't be on any team! * Norcliff glares at Nightshade. ...that is *not* a fair question to ask, Taki. Especially considering where we just came from. She should be in an institution! ... * Haruko turns quiet They let me go... * LadyMallet kicks Nightshade. *hard* None of us should, Taki, but we are. I hate to say this but dea-- --*Taki*! ... WHAT? * Lord_Darkmoon loses all humor from his expression. "That. Is. Enough. Taki." * LadyNightshade grimaces and grabs her leg. Ow! *mumble mumble* * Haruko sits down against a tree and starts writing. Taki... What? If you have something to say, then say it! Taki, if we can deal with what you've brought to the table, we can deal with what she has. * Norcliff tries to cheer Haruko up quietly. * LadyRoyal is glad she didn't have to say what she was gonna say 'cause Maya just did. Lay off. Do you think ANY of us should be on a team, Taki? Because, guess what, this team is FOR those who don't fit in on any others. ... Whatever! I don't care! It's not Haruko's fault. I'm not going to get involved in her crap again. * LadyMysteria calmly walks over to Taki. "Taki, look at me and listen." And it's not your fault you were *pink*. Deal. No. NOT whatever! You OBVIOUSLY care, Taki. Or you wouldn't be so pissed. Are you hurt? What has this cost save some time? ... * LadyRoyal looks furious, but crosses her arms and lets Maya talk for now. What else does it need to cost? It's a joke. Lady Nightshade, shut your trap for a second and listen! ... Consider this: Some of us have problems that actually hinder our function. Like conflicting loyalties, or family involvement with the enemy. Perhaps they, too, should be kicked off this team, and hated? * LadyNightshade shuts up but doesn't really look that open to listening. You too, Rin! Let me do my job here. * LadyNightshade mumbles. "At least those are REAL problems..." * Lord_Darkmoon stops in mid-tirade, and takes a deep breath. "Yes, my Lady." * LadyMallet keeps her arms crossed, and watches silently. * Lord_Darkmoon whirls and storms down the mountain path, heading for the train station. * Haruko is burning through pages one after another, writing with big sweeping strokes. Taki, it's not my job to make you like or care about any of us... but it *is* my job to keep this team functional and efficient. You can feel however you want about any of us, but swallow it down and work with this team! ... What if this happens while we're trying to work? We can't be goddamn puppies and protect a girl at the same time! What happens when your clanmates attacked? We had a dead ally and a collapsed mall. But we *DEALT WITH IT*. I tried to stop it at least. I confronted the problem. I talked to my family. It's sorted out now. You're saying we just have to ignore this and pretend it isn't an issue. * LadyMysteria takes a deep breath. "All I ask... is just to accept this as part of the job. We will fix matters, but only when the time is right and when she's ready." She's never going to be ready if you keep coddling her... * LadyMallet glances at Haruko, who's right there, and not paying attention. and moves over next to her. What is our prime task, Taki? Overall, not just us? * LadyRoyal speaks quietly. "You think she's going to get any more ready if we treat her the way you do? It's obvious that's the way she's *been* treated, and it hasn't helped." To save lives. * Haruko 's story book has sketches of a crudely drawn Taki in the margins, suffering from various horrible things. What you can see of the writing isn't very nice either. * LadyMallet sighs, and plops down next to Haruko. What. Ever. Whateverwhateverwhatever. I don't care. To fight the Ningyo. The Ningyo are our main priority. Right now, we need to figure out how they're connected to Junko, if at all. For now, anything having to do with Haruko takes a backseat. But she better not be writing about me or my family. * Haruko looks over at Mallet. * LadyMallet taps Haruko's shoulder. "... you there?" Are you going to tell me I'm crazy too? ... look. Just *work* with us for now. Please. I won't have this team falling apart, as far as we've gotten. Because if it does, we don't have anyplace to fit in. Yeah, I'll figure it out. Don't worry. * LadyMallet pipes up, "Speak for yourself!" Because everyone else is crazy. You've met them, I don't understand how people can claim they aren't real. Geez, Leena. * LadyMysteria rolls her eyes; for some reason, that comment seems to have lightened her mood. "Taki... I only get angry because I care about you all. It hurts me to see stuff like this happening, even when we can't avoid it... so... yeah. Dismissed... or something." ...oi. If what you want is to get the job done, let's go and do it. None of this temper tantrum crap. We've probably missed the first train already, we're gonna have to rush to catch the next. What? I wouldn't have trouble finding a team or generally going back to doing what I was doing if this fell apart. ... I wouldn't want it to happen, though. Hey I don't want to fight with you guys either. You're all fun. ^__^ I did enough of that with my first group... ...right. Then let's go. Okay? Okay. I just don't want people to die because of someone on our own team... I'm just saying. I'll drop it for now... * LadyMallet giggles. "And *I'm* saying you worry too much." * LadyMysteria peels away from Taki and steps over to---wait, she pauses for a second, then keeps walking to Haruko. "Ready to roll, Haruko?" One second. * LadyNightshade turns and starts walking out of the clearing back down the mountain. Haruko, let me see your pen, will you? * LadyRoyal turns and looks down at the dust path left by Darkmoon, then starts walking, calling back to the others. "Hey, guys, get a move on, Rin's already halfway there!" * Haruko blinks, says "Ok I guess", and hands it over * LadyMysteria walks to Haruko's side and pats her on the shoulder. "Hey... I'll talk to you later in private, okay?" * LadyMallet adds some whiskers and a tail to the Taki picture, along with a couple of cutesy sparkles for good measure, then hands the pen back. * Haruko giggles and perks up a bit Thanks. * LadyMallet hops to her feet. "C'mon, let's go." * LadyNightshade is moving faster than she realizes and catches up with Darkmoon on the path. * Haruko does so. * LadyMysteria gets a move on. * LadyRoyal waits for Maya to catch up, then pokes her, speaking quietly. "When we have time, remind me to talk with you about her..." [end session]