Session Start: Sat Dec 18 16:10:39 2004 Last time, on Hunters: The team set up at the school, and got things together for the expected confrontation to come. This time, though, they were able to notify Princess Oak, and include her in their planning. She was... well, helpful, but not particularly pleased to be the subject of such attention. And who could blame her? Afterwards, the Hunters got a phone call from Sakura, inviting them over to the Soka Hospital, where Anzu was about to (hopefully) be woken. [Friday, February 20, 2004 - 1800 local time] [Soka Community Hospital Ward 2b] [session start] * Taki steps into the room, not quite sure how she should present herself. She's a mixture of awkward and mournful. * Leena is still in her school uni, and has a pair of Blossom Agency Headsets on her. She's looking anxiously worried as she walks in. Early evening at Soka Hospital is a relatively slow time - many of the guests are out getting supper, many of the patients are eating, and the daytime rounds and bustle have already ended. * Maya isn't downbeat... perhaps the fact that Anzu's supposed to be coming to has her moods up some. Still, she does give off a tiny bit of concern. * Lord_Darkmoon also steps in, dressed in a generic boy's school uniform. His expression is carefully enforced emotional neutrality, though his eyes belie some anxiety and hope. * Haruko is quiet, but is doing her best to radiate support. * Minami walks in, concerned but quiet. Anzu is still laying prone in her bed. She has a number of large bandages about her scalp and right cranium. * PrincessSakura slips into the room behind everyone else. "Boo." ... so now we wait, eh---YEE! * Maya actually does hop up an inch or two. "... Sakura!" * Minami quirks an eyebrow at Maya, and nods hello to Sakura. "Hi, Sakura." I see we're all a bundle of nerves tonight. * Leena twitches, and turns quickly, one hand held up as is ready to transform on a dime. * Taki jumps despite herself. It's hard to imagine with our line of work being so relaxing... * PrincessSakura is wearing something without a trace of pink in it for a change. She has on a very formal almost funereal black jacket and long skirt, with a high-collared white blouse visible under the jacket. ... oh. ... y-yeah. Sorry, Sakura. * Minami just shrugs. * Lord_Darkmoon doesn't jump. Honest. Okay, maybe a little. He quirks a small smile at Sakura's observation. * Leena relaxes her hand, and looks Up at Sakura. Well, don't jump like that tomorrow. * Lord_Darkmoon nods a slow affirmation. * PrincessSakura frowns. "She's not awake, yet?" Not yet. ... Is she supposed to be? ... funny. It's not an impending firefight that will get me to jump, it's waiting for a diagnosis. They're probably waiting for her parents. Yeah... actually they took her off the meds that were keeping her in a coma this morning. She was supposed to be coming around a half hour ago or so, though it's possible... um. ... * PrincessSakura grimaces. "They found her father in the rubble last night." ... no... * Leena blinks, flatly. * Taki looks down. "I'm sorry." (softly, to Leena) The firefight is something you have a chance of helping in. We... should've kept looking. ...ieeh... Was he...? * Lord_Darkmoon flips open the fan for a moment, blinking and wiping something from his face before snapping it shut again. * Minami places a hand to her face. Well, let me rephrase that - they found badly mangled parts of him splattered over nearby houses. ...*twitch* * Lord_Darkmoon grits his teeth at that. * Leena decides to sit down, after hearing that. Her eyes are closed. * Haruko winces Sakura! That's... not right. He must have been at Helmet Zero... and no, it's not. ... ngh. * Taki swallows deeply and looks over at Anzu. So. * Maya shivers a little, hugging herself. "Simply unfair..." * Lord_Darkmoon moves to stand next to and a bit behind Maya. Perhaps trying to be supportive, in a nervous (shy?) sort of way. * Minami places a hand on Maya's shoulder briefly. "Yeah." We talked to Oak. She took it pretty well, I think. Good. How did she take it? Well. * Leena nods at the others words. She's pretty steady. I like her, mostly. Remarkably well, in fact. *nods at Sakura's assessment* All should go well for her, with a little luck. She seemed nice. Mm. She's a bit of a bigot, but she hides it well. Anyway... And she's going to make sure no one else comes out. I really hope they don't decide that Takeuchi's Our school. ... bigot? * Maya raises an eyebrow. * Lord_Darkmoon likewise raises an eyebrow, looking somewhat worriedly at Sakura. * Leena looks up at Sakura, frowning. * PrincessSakura moves over to the bed and pokes Anzu in the side. "Hellllo?" Save it for after it's over. Whatever else she is, she's a target right now, or will be soon--that's what we gotta concentrate on. * Maya just looks incredulously at Sakura. "Only you would do that..." ...yes. * Taki moves over next to Sakura and looks down at Anzu. To see if she's just sleeping. The doctors say that they want her to wake up now... so... Is Amp gonna be here? * PrincessSakura half-grins at the team. "I've always wanted to see if this works." ...? * Minami eyes Sakura warily. "To see if what works?" Eh? Amp fell asleep this afternoon, and I sent her home. * Maya gives Sakura a look as well. * Leena blinks. "Might was well Order Anzu to wake up, for all the good it'll do." Exactly. ...oh, that. * Haruko blinks at a thought. At least you're not trying to wake her up with a kiss or something. * Taki blushes a bit at that thought. * Maya looks sidelong as Taki... and barely suppresses a giggle. Sakura, um, could you Order me to pass my History test? But, yeah, that's not a bad idea. * Leena megablinks at Haruko. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes widen a moment, then he chuckles a bit at Haruko's question. ... does that work? * Minami shakes her head resignedly. Well, if she'd wake up even if she wouldn't otherwise... maybe I'd pass even if I wouldn't otherwise... That's cheating, Haruko. If you really need the help, I can tutor you or something. * PrincessSakura leans over and puts her lips to Anzu's ear. She clears her throat, then enunciates, "Wake. Up." It's not extremely loud, but it surely has that frission of command. Everyone else in the room straightens up involuntarily. It'd probably just force Haruko to study very hard. Whether she wanted to or not. * Haruko smiles at Minami. "Thanks, History just isn't my best subject." How can you not pass history? It's just a bunch of stuff that already happened. It's not like it changes. * Maya flinches a bit. "Gyeh... never get used to that feeling." Because history is hard! * Minami shrugs. "'s fine." * Leena 'hrmphs'. History isn't too hard if you apply yourself. Only if you don't apply yourself. The teacher always tells me my answers are wrong... even when I know they are right! ... and pray. All those numbers and dates and places and names... Prayer works. * Minami shares a glance with Maya, and snerks. Well maybe if you didn't make up... nevermind. * PrincessSakura turns around and looks at Haruko. "I can order you DO something, but I can't order you to accomplish something." Oh... * Haruko reddens a bit and starts watching Anzu closely. Anzu, in a somewhat delayed reaction, yawns audibly and half rolls over in the bed. * Taki goes all O_o Anzu? ... well, it seems to have worked. ...it worked? * Lord_Darkmoon smiles. * Haruko claps Yay Sakura! Now order her to change? * Leena blinks. * Anzu begins to snore cutely. Perhaps get her all the way awake, first? Perhaps. ... * Maya giggles into her hand. That sight seems to have broken the tension-ice for her, and it's back to the usual Maya. * PrincessSakura knocks on one of the newly exposed casts. "Anyone in there?" * Leena laughs herself, unable to hold back once Maya giggles. It worked! Maybe! Maybe she's just a deep sleeper. ^^ * Minami puts a hand over her mouth and smiles a little. *little * Anzu rolls back onto her back, and tries to stretch. Her eyes open, and she sees the medical hardware and the casts... ...um. ... Sorry. * Leena hops to her feet, and waves exuberantly at Anzu. "Hi!" ...hey there. ...what in the world? ... Um. Sorry we were late to the party. Anzu! Since the party seems to have involved blowing me up... I am too. * Lord_Darkmoon just smiles quietly. I just wish we had all been late to the party... I tried to get there on time, but ... yeah. But you're awake! But anyway. ...er. Yeah... ... We need you to transform so you can heal and stuff... Yeah... heya, Anzu. Sorry about this... How do you feel, do you need to transform to get better? Well... about that, maybe you should wai- Your mom was here yesterday, so you might want to wait... The doctors said you would wake up today, so she should be by today. * Anzu blinks and mutters something under her breath, and in a demure flash of silvery light transforms into LadyHandcuff... ...just in time for her mother to walk in. * Maya looks around, then shrugs in seeming agreeance... then sighs... and eeps. ...what the fuck? ... * Leena blinks, and glances at the door. * Haruko eeps ... hoboy. ... I'm sorry. OI. *facepalm* * Lord_Darkmoon hides his face behind his Tessen again. * Leena waves at the mom. "She's awake, at least!" Um, Congratulations Akahara-san, your daughter is a warrior for goodness! * Haruko smiles * Maya shakes her head slowly. * Taki ducks behind Sakura as best she can, just not wanting to be in this situation. * Akahara-san closes the door behind her and tilts her head back against the wall. Um. * LadyHandcuff blushes. "Hi, mom." * Minami winces. * Lord_Darkmoon seems to have gotten control of himself, as he puts the fan away once more. * Maya looks Sakura's way for some kind of a hint. * Leena blinks, and steps out of the way between the mom and Anzu. She doesn't want to be close to in the middle of this. Let me guess - you got involved in this last... November? * Haruko shuts up after her first outburst. That's about right. When I started making a bunch of new friends. * Maya looks Anzu's way. "Should I...?" * Akahara-san gestures around the room. "And all of them are...?" I'm Princess Sakura. I'm Anzu's boss, in both senses. * Leena smiles cutely. "Perfectly ordinary, overly friendly girls. Who are not magical girls outside this room." * Leena winks at Akahara-san. And this whole mess was about your business. ...in both senses. Yes. * Minami winces again. It's more than 'our' business, ma'am. It's... very, very complicated. Ah-heh. Not exactly... but you could say that. * Akahara-san appears halfway between a complete breakdown and a journalistic revelation. * LadyHandcuff flexes a few muscles, and smiles as the bones all seem to have knitted back together. * Taki continues to hide and wish she was elsewhere. Perhaps we should allow Anzu to tell her story to her mother, first, as she wishes to tell it. We can help fill in any details she wants us to, afterwards. * Maya remains where she is, looking between Anzu and Miss Akahara. "Mmm-hmm." All better! Um... where's father? * Leena looks at Anzu for a moment, before saying, "... Anzu. If you're better, you should detransform so the doctor can recognize you to check you out." Does he need to know? * Lord_Darkmoon winces at that question. * Leena winces, and looks away at 'father'. * Minami winces again. It's winceday, I guess. Anzu. He... he didn't make it. * Akahara-san collapses against the wall, and lowers herself to the floor. Um, maybe we had... yeah. * Minami goes over to Akahara-san and tries to lead her to a chair. We should go... leave them alone. ... I'm sorry. * Lord_Darkmoon 's hand moves towards Maya's, but chickens out halfway there and returns to his side. * LadyHandcuff is trembling, and tearing up. She detransforms before starting to wail. * Lord_Darkmoon nods at Taki's suggestion. * Maya promptly walks over to Anzu and hugs her gently, almost without thinking. Um. I'm going to stay around here - Akahara-san will have questions, and there are some answers she deserves to have. But yeah, maybe you all had best... scoot. * Minami nods quietly. ... yeah. * Minami scoots. * Leena looks around, and counts head. "Way too many people in one room right now." * Lord_Darkmoon bows out, and leaves. I hope everything turns out ok... * Haruko slips out of the room. * Taki bows to both of them. "I'm really really sorry." * Taki blushes and heads out of the room. * Leena touches Akahara-san gently on the shoulder as she passes her, looking at her sadly. And then she's out. * Maya seems rather reluctant about letting go of Anzu, but does nonetheless. "... if you need anything, you can call me. I'll help where I can... I promise." ...thank you No. Thank you... and stay strong. * Maya waves, and finally steps out. Once out, she wipes her eyes with her forearm and just stands there. * Taki looks at everyone in the hall. This job really sucks sometimes... Yeah... * Minami puts her hand on Maya's shoulder, pinching the bridge of her nose with her other one. No denying that. Is there a time when it doesn't suck? When we're not actually doing something related to it. *sigh* It's just... getting the good out of the bad. Right. * Maya pats Minami's hand, then exhales. "She doesn't deserve this..." Anzu is alive right now because of us. I think that's good. But that wasn't our job... * Leena nods, slowly. "Still... watching her mom take the news- both news..." So then we earned extra credit. ... Let's just go set up for tomorrow. ... yeah. Taki's right. It's best not to dwell on the bad points right now. Let's go. Yeah. * Taki heads toward the elevator. * Minami heads there too. * Leena sighs, and walks along with the others. * Lord_Darkmoon likewise follows. * Maya tags along, gravitating towards Rin. * Haruko trails along, still thinking. ...and so the team left the hospital, and went its separate ways for the evening. Each to think about what they had seen today... and what they were going to see tomorrow. [Saturday, February 21, 2004 - morning] * Taki shows up early to patrol the grounds and the surrounding area. * Minami shows up early out of nerves, though she doesn't show it. Much. It's a bright, crisp late winter morning. The sunlight has that funny filtered edge that it so often seems to this time of year, lending an air of hyper-reality to the schoolgrounds. * Maya shows up a bit later than is usual for her, but looks at least somewhat rested and composed. * Leena is in her school uniform, as usual. This one's accessorized with pink fluffy ribbons that serve as wristbands, though. Her hair's in a plain, long ponytail. True to her word, just about all of the Tea Club is playing hooky today - no reason, no excuses... and you know they aren't going to get into trouble, either. ^_^ * Haruko arrives at normal time, back to her normal cheerful and kind of spacey self. Upon entering the grounds, a close observer would see a small furry blur scurry out from her bag. * Lord_Darkmoon is in a secluded spot, sitting down and wearing sun glasses. He's wearing a pair of slacks and a black jacket with a pair of matching gloves, and generally trying not to be conspicuous. He's settling in for a long morning. In truth, a lot of students are playing hooky today, as the ugly news about what happened to Junko really starts to settle in and give them unfortunate psychoses. ... quiet. * Maya inhales deeply, then sighs and moves about, staying vigilant. The media has thinned out even more, and the grief councilors are starting to move in. Classes, normally riotous on a Saturday, are subdued. * Minami keeps herself on constant vigilance. * Leena notes the general state of things. "Please, God, don't let something else happen here. We've got to stop them this time, or... I never noticed how nice this school was without Tea Club here." * Haruko goes about her daily routine as though nothing were wrong. * Minami includes peering suspiciously at anyone new, including the counselors, as part of the vigilance. * Lord_Darkmoon is already bribing his patrol force, and taking reports between borrowings of animal senses. Hopefully no one notices the animals with the glowing purple eyes. * Taki tries to catch Oak as she arrives at the school. * Chiako waves to the Hunters she sees, and smiles cheerfully, but her eyes are narrowed and haunted. * Taki catches up to her. "Uh... hi." Taki. How are you holding up? We'll know this afternoon, now won't we. Don't worry. It'll be okay. We've done this lots of times. * Maya hasn't quite seen Chiako yet, still glancing about elsewhere. * Chiako winces for some reason, and heads away to home room. * Taki follows her, making sure she makes it to class okay. Uh... can you write down your schedule for me, just so I know where you are in case anything happens? * Leena sets up her usual 'disinterested, let me sleep' face at homeroom. * Chiako manages to get very tense through the morning classes, as the team members checking in on her during and between them note. * Maya does check once, notes the tension, but doesn't really make anything of it. * Taki does most of the checking. She sure does have to use the restroom a lot today, her teachers note. * Leena leaves Chiako to have what peace she can get for the day. ie; not bugging her or checking up. The classes drag on, the tension grinds up, and then... the final bell rings. [1225 local time] * Minami checks on Chiako, but discreetly, while keeping her eyes open. She's gonna have to rest her eyes for a week after this is all over. * Leena heads to the front door, because that's the closest entrance to the fountain. She slips on her headsets and clicks them on. * Maya jerks to attention, then rises and preps for what may come afterward. "Here we go..." * Taki meets Chiako outside her final class as it lets out. Darkmoon, anything? Schools out. Just some...somewhat familiar faces from these last few days. Keep an eye on her on the way home. I'm still watching. * Chiako chucks her bags into her locker, pulls out her coat, and then turns to face the front door. * Taki follows, figuring the other girl doesn't feel like talking. * Leena gives a thumbs-ups to Chiako, flashing a smile. ...gods. I'm so fucking scared of these damned normals. It's so STUPID. * Minami grabs her stuff and heads to the front door to be ready. It's not stupid. It's not the people. It's the weapons. Well, riding club is a wash today, so all there is to do is head home. The people make the choices to use them. Any last advice? Just act normal. Don't let it affect you. Don't tense up, when in doubt, run, and remember, you're not alone. You've got an entire team backing you up. Chyah. Riiiight. * Maya heads out, waiting near the front as well. She does dig out her headset and put it on, hiding it under her hair. "Testing..." If hurt, transform and run. Right. You guys are here, so if I go out, it'll be with a bang. Check check. * Leena grimaces at the pun. Good, good. Loud and clear. I hear you, Maya. I see you, too. * Leena giggles, then jumps over next to Maya, and waving at thin air. "Do you see me too?" Not anymore. Changed viewpoints. * Minami saves her headset for after she's transformed, aka when the Ningyo comes up. * Leena pouts. ;_; * Haruko walks to the group, having finished packing her things. * Taki stays quiet as she walks with the girl. ... Leena. * Maya rolls her eyes. Hi everyone. The Dragon Lord did say he'd be happy to help, and Dani and Kendra are in the area, in case we need more help. Thanks, Haruko. Great. Awesome. * Taki tries not to sound sarcastic. * Minami takes up position near one of the stairwells/exits, trying to look like she's waiting for someone and watching what's going on. ... and always, the hardest part is the waiting. * Chiako begins the walk home. She exits the school, and trudges slowly down the front steps. It's obvious that she doesn't like being so exposed, but then again she's not running either. * Leena trails her, not liking it herself, either. As she moves out into the streets... nothing happens. * Maya will stay a bit away while keeping an eye on Chiako, as well as the surrounding area. Looks like it's not happening at the school....? Less cameras to worry about, anyway. Still looks clear here... * Minami looks around. Nothing here... * Leena keeps an eye out! * Minami stiffens and pulls her jacket out of her satchel, flipping her hood (and incidentally the headset as well) up. Oi. Head's-up. Just gotta wait for the big fish before the- oh? What? WHAT! Where? Remember our companions-in-earpieces from Soka, from the Spoon episode? We've got at least one here. Across the street. ... great. * Taki looks across the street. Eh? Yes... are they--- oh, lovely. Keep it cool, Chiako. I know it's hard. Don't get her alarm up. What does this mean? * Leena doesn't look. She just keeps walking obliviously. * Minami keeps her voice down, so anyone listening would think she was humming or singing or something. That we were probably right about the sniper. It means we're not the only ones keeping an eye out. * Lord_Darkmoon tries to focus some animal-eyes over there, and begins moving himself. * Maya remains a bit away, but glances in the direction Mina notes for just a second. * Chiako flinches. Stay calm. They're the ones who called you traitor, huh? Not I. Maybe we'll drag out just -why- you're a traitor from one of their tongues. ... if we could spare enough focus to keep tabs on one to chase down. Which is probably a no. * Minami mutters a "fuckit", goes into the stairwell, gets her stuff out of the way, transforms/changes, and then heads out, jacket and headset back on. She trails behind everyone else. The breeze picks up, and there's a scent of sea magic in the air. * Lord_Darkmoon checks the sniping-points again, looking for anyone setting up. AT all. * LadyRoyal prickles. It's starting... * Leena sniffs. "Right then..." * Taki looks for a spot to change. They are. Looking now. You feel that. *not a question, really...* Should we all change then? Chiako, wait for me before going out. Remember, in and out as fast as we can. * Maya notes the scent, and quickly finds a spot to change as well. She's done it so much that it's a quick transition. * Lord_Darkmoon mutters something about killing all the damned spotters beforehand. If I think I can finish it myself, duck out of the fight before it's down, and I'll finish it. How do you know they won't just take you, instead? * LadyRoyal keeps on keeping an eye out. * Chiako is still walking, still at a slow pace. Because I'm small and I know they're there. A Ningyo body would make great cover. * Taki ducks into a nearby shop to change and transform. * LadyMysteria returns to the task at hand, wand shoved in her pocket and ready for action. * Leena hasn't transformed yet, but she's noting all the good spots to do so. * LadyNightshade comes back out a minute later. Come on... where are you hiding...? We'll know soon enough.. I'm getting a little nervous here... Soon 'enough' is before the Ningyo shows. Dammit, you have to be here SOMEWHERE. Haruko... relax, keep your head. Chill, Rinada. Rin, easy... things will work out. * LadyNightshade follows the group, keeping her eyes alert. You need to think more than you need to act right now. You can let yourself get nervous when the Ningyo shows it's fins. The winds swirl around in an unnatural way, and stormclouds twist into existence in a circular pattern above your heads. The Sea magic is putting all of you on edge, but it's a slightly different feel than you recall from other Ningyo encounters... I've told you all I'm not very good at this. * LadyRoyal twitchtwitches, and speeds up inconspicuously. Something's not right. Don't worry about... hmm? * Lord_Darkmoon continues moving, though not quite so sure where to move -too-. ...what the hell... * Leena looks up, frowning. Dammit, why can't this ever be easy! This is new... too new. Heads up, everyone. * Chiako has stopped, along with half of the other pedestrians, and looks up. * Leena stomps her foot petulantly. What the hell... Of course... ... this is just a guess, but us two might not be enough for this. * LadyNightshade keeps her eyes on the crowd. * LadyRoyal doesn't look up, at least not at the clouds--she looks around instead. Who's doing what? If so, Chiako, you're still doing the same damned thing. * Haruko looks EVERYWHERE not sure what to think. * Leena mutters to herself. Meh, I'm a Princess. What more do we need? Speed. The enemy dead. Us all safe. I suppose I could live with that. We need to make sure this isn't worse than the usual. * Chiako sidles over into an alley, and transforms with a burst of large, rounded leaves. Everyone else transform too, if you haven't already. * Leena follows after Chiako, and transforms herself, making sure the headsets are safe. She takes the gun out of her backpack and attaches it to the holster to her leg under the significantly longer fuku. * Haruko looks at the gun, and looks away, queasily. * LadyRoyal catches up with the crowd, backing into a wall to keep an eye out. 4 Ladies, a Princess, and a Lord, all transformed. If that's not a Ningyo magnet, I don't know what is. The clouds have darkened and towered into a thunderhead, and the rain arrives with a crash of lightning and thunder, all at once as if someone flipped a switch. * LadyRoyal tightens her jacket around her as she keeps watch. * LadyMysteria scowls and keeps an eye on matters as much as the sudden rain will allow. * PrincessOak blinks, but stays under cover in the alley, watching everything. * Lord_Darkmoon pulls out his Tessen, ready to use it to pull his pistol into its proper form. * Haruko finally decides she can't take it anymore and transforms in the blindness after a flash of lightning. * LadyMallet snaps her fingers, and catches the giant hunk of wood that suddenly falls out of midair. * LadyNightshade buttons up her long coat and disappears from sight as she goes invisible. * LadyMysteria stays in a more observant position, not getting ready for trouble just yet. * LadyNightshade sticks close to Oak, but hopefully not in range of Ningyo area attacks. * Lord_Darkmoon hovers somewhere behind the group, back nearer the school, as he attempts to use his spies to find anyone who is setting up to one-shot the Magical Girls. * LadyMallet mouths quietly into the mouthpiece. "Mallet ready." Make-Believe ready. * LadyRoyal mouths. "Royal up." Found you. Taki, positions three and seven. Which do you want? Ready here. Eyes open. Always. You spotted them? Yes. Two. One at position three, one at seven. Earpieces? Which one can you get to faster? I'll take the other. There is a pause, as the rain seems to smash the ground with sheets blasted from the sky... and then it slows to a miserable drizzle... backed up by an inhuman screeching sound coming from in or above the next major intersection. * PrincessOak steps out of the alley and looks. "Oh, shit." * Lord_Darkmoon winces and waits for the rain to die just a bit so he can reply. "I'll take the one at seven." ... that's not a good sound. ... that's our cue. I can't tell if there are earpieces or not. Probably. * LadyMallet steps out into the open, hoisting the Mallet over her shoulder. ...mmh. I'm on three. Throw whatever distraction you can. Including your animals. * LadyNightshade speeds towards spot 3. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, not that Nightshade can see it. "On my way." He starts running, pulling out the gun as he goes. He grabs control of nearby animals, and directs them to attack the snipers as best they can, especially his gun, hands, and face. Floating in the air above the intersection is an octopus or squid or something... long, powerful tentacles are already ripping lightpoles out of the pavement and throwing cars at moving targets. * LadyRoyal makes a move for the earpiece-lady she sees, while keeping an eye for others. * LadyMysteria tries to move into position to see what it is.. and then she blinks. "... a Sea monster?" ... Oak? You can make trees, right? Yeah. Make one. * LadyMallet sets the Mallet down for a moment. * LadyNightshade says over the radio to everyone. "Drag the fight out if you can. Make a speech." * PrincessOak does so - there's suddenly a twenty-foot tree trunk in hand, and she charges the intersection with it, as if jousting. * Lady_MakeBelieve smiles at the mention of speeches. * LadyMallet blinks, then grabs the Mallet back and gives chase, charging as well. ... be careful, Oak. Oak. If you can grow one and put it up as a shield... * LadyMysteria doesn't join the fracas just yet, staying vigilant for possible assassins. I was gonna throw the thing at it, yeesh! And I thought I was gung- ho! * Lord_Darkmoon is running full-tilt, and would probably be too out of breath to talk if he wasn't a magical boy. Vile Monster of the Sea, Indiscriminate villains shall be dealt with by the Warriors of Good! Everyone is fighting the crowd, which is (understandably) running in terror. * LadyRoyal sneaks up right behind earpiece-lady. * Lord_Darkmoon keeps checking on the snipers, praying they can't set up in time, that the animals can distract their aim if they do. * LadyNightshade dashes her way towards the sniper. * Lady_MakeBelieve calls out "DRAGON LORD, LEND US YOUR POWER!" Down from the sky a mighty eastern dragon flows down to earth. His impact shakes the ground and lightning flashes as he throws back his head to let out a mighty roar. ... okay, I'm in a video game now. Tell me that sound was one of Make Believe's friends. Please. It is, thankfully... It was. That... uh, yeah. Good. *keeps running* At least we weren't trying to be subtle. They're pulling out long guns now. * LadyMallet hisses. "Fuck." * LadyNightshade continues running full tilt towards the building. I need time. Make the fight last. * LadyMallet eyes the big octopus thing. "Uh... will do." * LadyRoyal refrains from saying anything out loud so as not to give herself away, but curses quite a lot inwardly. They won't open fire until the fish is cooking, though. ...we hope. They don't want to have to fight it. I'm going to have the animals disrupt their aim until Nightshade and I get there, anyway. Keep in touch. Chiako... guesses on how to slow it down? One leg at a time? The monster towers above the street - from tip of tentacle to top of body is perhaps as much as eight meters. Just keep hitting it. Yeah, but that might go too fast! Gah. * LadyRoyal takes a quick look around and grabs earpiece-lady over the mouth, dragging her back into an alleyway or something, a precautionary card appearing in one of her hands. * Woman thrashes about, but can not get free that easily. * LadyMallet keeps a chargin'. * LadyMysteria moves off to the side some, closing in on the beast as well, but getting into the proper range for a Star Gun burst, if it's absolutely needed. "If you need an assist, Mallet, Oak, let me know." * PrincessOak doesn't respond, except with a battle cry. She raises the trunk above her head, as though it were nothing, then slams it down into the pavement in front of her, planting the end and thus vaulting (with the trunk still in hand) ten meters into the air. * Lady_MakeBelieve looks around, calling out to the Dragon Lord "Shield Oak from sight and fire!" * Dragon_Lord acknowledges the order, stretching in seemingly impossibly ways to form a large wall between Oak and the Sniper sites. * Dragon_Lord 's body seems to harden and glisten during this, taking on the appearance of polished stone when done. * Lord_Darkmoon keeps running towards his chosen sniper, almost running into things a couple times as he allows himself to be distracted by sensory reads from other sniping locations. The monster howls again - its beak opens and emits a screeching, bone- chilling cry, then hurls a small car down the crossing street at something no one can see. ... Then Oak's vault catches its eye. It swipes at her with one tentacle, misjudging her arc and passing underneath her. The lightpole it hurls at Leena, though, is closer to its mark. ! Mallet, watch it! Mallet gets smacked HARD by the large flying metal pole, and careens through a storefront before collapsing in agony. * LadyNightshade keeps her paces as she sprints towards the snipe point, keeping a eye on the sniper on the roof as she checks around for other attackers. * LadyRoyal attempts to pin the woman on the ground, but doesn't succeed. * Woman twists away from Lady Royal, and pulls a pistol from under her coat. "Four! Four I have seen!" she yells, then pulls the trigger. * LadyRoyal snaps out a curse and dodges away. The bullet just clips Lady Royal's arm. Blood seeps into her coat. ... dammit. * LadyMysteria grits her teeth and whips out the wand, setting her stance as she draws a bead on the monster. "... have to help. FIRE!" A Star Gun burst leaps from the wand... The monster squeals as a couple of tentacles are blasted off. * PrincessOak does a somersault as she flies through the air, allowing her to whip her tree trunk around at impossible speeds. It smashes downward into the monster, splattering it all over the pavement... ...or at least it seems so for a moment, before it bounces back up into the air. Its beak is shattered, though, and the resulting howl of agony is thereby distorted into an impossibly pitiful gurgling. ... *wow*. * Lady_MakeBelieve calls out once more. Gentle Breeze, your Goddess needs you! * Sailor_GentleBreeze, along with a gust of wind, comes in from a side street in a flash of green. Servant of Evil, prepare to be destroyed! * Sailor_GentleBreeze produces a shining bow from nowhere and draws it back, an arrow of swirling breezes appearing as she draws it back. "Yooki Arrow!" * Sailor_GentleBreeze smiles coolly as the arrow streaks forth from the bow, embedding itself squarely into the center of the beast, before vanishing in a column of wind, leaving a gaping hole behind. Excellent, Kendra! * Dragon_Lord growls his appreciation, maneuvering to keep himself between Oak and the snipers. * Lord_Darkmoon continues running, but reports via radio, "The snipers are packing up, putting away their guns. Lady Mysteria, orders?" I'm still gonna get the fucker. Subdue if possible. ...I'm unlikely to manage that. Should I trail him home? If you can, but be careful. Of course, my Lady. *sets his animals to watching the man until he enters the building - follow him if possible. Regardless, he has animals waiting and watching outside at every possible exit* The monster spins to orient its surviving tentacles, and hurls another pole at Sailor Gentle Breeze. * Sailor_GentleBreeze takes the pole awkwardly in the hip, spinning her around and knocking her to the ground. She does not get up. Two other tentacles stretch towards Lady Mallet and Princess Oak. They slap down on the girls, then lift them into the air where they coil and squeeze. * PrincessOak screeches, as her rib cage compresses. * LadyMallet urks, trying to keep her eyes open and blink through the pain. ... oh no... back! BACK! Let them go for now! Leena is made out of somewhat sterner stuff, however, and is only somewhat bruised. Hang on you two! And hang on Kendra, you I can do something for! * LadyMallet hoarsely says "Hanging!" * LadyNightshade finally makes it to the building, looking up and planning her jump path to the top. * LadyRoyal snarls and tosses a card at the woman's gun hand. * LadyRoyal manages to slice the gun up but good with the card. * Woman reacts instantly by jerking the trigger - the gun fires... sort of. The slide blows off in an odd direction, and the round half-explodes in place, making the woman's hand a somewhat twisted mess. GYAGH. * LadyRoyal mutters something under her breath that might or might not be "serves you right". * PrincessOak winces as the squeezing continues. "HAAAALP!" * LadyMallet growls something in return, getting a grip on whatever she can with her hands. She digs in, and pulls in opposite directions. * LadyMallet slides out and lands, then actually runs closer- to the base of the tentacle that's holding Oak, holding up the Mallet and swinging it down with a cry of "LEENA LEENA PANCAKE STRIKE!" The Mallet comes down on the tentacle, smashing it into the pavement, which crumbles and splits in all directions. ...the tentacle straightens out in agony, hurling Princess Oak off into a nearby gas station, but then springs back into normal shape. ( The pavement, on the other hand, is trashed. ) And that's what you get for hurting Kendra! * PrincessOak calls forth a bed of leaves to land in. She still makes an audible thump as she lands. * LadyMallet tosses the Mallet up into midair, winks and blows a kiss at the giant squid, then jumps up and catches the Mallet in midair. "And here's the main course!" She tries to wallop the poor monster, but loses her grip midswing, and the Mallet goes flying past the monster and down the street. GODDAMMIT! Just go get it! * LadyMysteria flips the wand up and catches it in her other hand, taking aim at the thing. "As for you... I don't like you anymore! Mystery Star Gun, SHOOT!" Another burst of sparkles, heat and light screams towards the Sea monster. It goes a little high, and just shreds the top of the giant squid's head. Body. Thing. ... damn. * PrincessOak summons up another tree trunk - this one is a bit narrower, though, and somewhat pointed at one end. She hurls it at the beast. It pokes straight through its body, and lodges there. The monster spirals to the ground, and lays there, coughing up blood and writhing in agony. It's down! Oak, are you okay, what about the snipers? I don't know! You tell me about the snipers! The snipers have retreated inside their buildings... * Lady_MakeBelieve sprints over towards Kendra * Lady_MakeBelieve kneels near her looking up into the sky. I'm not going to let him get away. Agency, you owe me this! Call her up there with you! Dragon, Curl around Oak, you won't interfere with the fight now! * Sailor_GentleBreeze coughs but is surrounded by a sparkling light, that curls about her, causing her form to lift into the air... become indistinct, and... vanish. * Dragon_Lord moves over to Lady Oak, shielding her from a full side. ...should I get out of here? Go someplace safe, the Dragon will cover you! The squid-thing thrashes about in the street, knocking chunks out of nearby buildings. * LadyMallet nods, although the gesture is probably lost. "The snipers are moving... it worried me, but the plan's still the same. Get somewhere safe, and don't detransform until you're absolutely sure it's clear." Mallet will take care of the evil beast. Sounds... like a plan. * LadyNightshade changes tactics with the reports of the men retreating and heads to the back of the building to watch the rear entrance. "Darkmoon, I need your friends to watch the front in case he decides to run out there." Check. I'm going to have to do about the same thing here... * LadyRoyal sets off a flurry at the woman to stop her. At this range, it's inevitable that several of the cards peg the woman and explode. She is tossed violently in multiple directions at once, and when she returns to the ground, the woman is twisted and distorted in a non-living shape. ....aw, fuck. Team, can I get a report? * LadyMallet breaks into a run, getting back her namesake weapon, and grins ferally as she advances upon the squid with it, a glint in her eyes. Just finishing up! The monster has managed to roll towards the gas station, and is flailing near the pumps. Waiting for our sniper friend to make an appearance. Both disappeared into the buildings. We're staking them out. The Dragon is covering Oak. * LadyMallet eyes the monster, then starts taking swings at it. "Stay!" *WHAM* "Still!" *WHAM* "Already!" *WHAM* "You!" *WHAM* "Dumb!" *WHAM* "Fish!" *WHAM* It does. Messily. * PrincessOak has been running away. "I'm on the move - going to get a few blocks out before I transform. Keep in touch. The clouds overhead are unswirling themselves, and the rain trickles to a halt. Right. Stay safe, stay out of the open. * LadyMallet surveys her handiwork, and wipes her hands. "I'm about to follow that myself." * Lady_MakeBelieve stays with Oak and the Dragon. * LadyMallet jets - she doesn't want to stay in the open intersection, and goes to find something not so glaringly open. The intersection is empty now, except for the carcass, and the girls around it. A (normal) February wind howls from the northwest, chilling all of them. After a second sirens begin to sound several blocks away. Cops. Time to move. * LadyMysteria starts to head towards a far less inconspicuous spot as well. * LadyMallet eyes the building that Taki's covering. "Which floor were they on, do you know?" They were on the roof and he's coming down and please stay outside. I can handle it. * LadyMallet cracks her knuckles. "Aww, but I really want to help." * PrincessOak eventually findsducks into an alley, around a corner, and feels relatively safe. "I'm detransforming, and going home. Keep the headsets on until you get there. Just to be sure. * PrincessOak smiles at Haruko. "Thanks for the assistance." Help her home, Leena. ... that would probably be a good idea. * Chiako pulses green for an instant, then is just plain Chiako. * LadyMallet glances up at the building. "You sure you don't want the help?" Don't worry about it. Protecting the princess is our objective. Thank the dragon... thing, for me too. * LadyMallet nods. "On it." * LadyMallet tosses the Mallet into midair, and starts trudging off to copy Oak's path away. * Dragon_Lord nods assent at the thanks * Chiako slips out of the alley, and makes a beeline for home. * Dragon_Lord reverts to a more normal shape, then runs off. * LadyMallet detransforms once the entirety of her injuries have cleared, pausing from following Chiako to find a inconspicuous place to do so. * Lady_MakeBelieve sees that there is no need for her anymore, and detransforms where Chiako did. Leena finally catches up with Chiako as the Princess reaches her front door. Well, hello, Leena! Would you like to come in and have some tea? [end session]