Session Start: Sat Mar 11 16:26:50 2006
<Ked> Last time, on Hunters:
<Ked> Ultimate success, and ultimate disaster:  Haruko defeated her Dragon
King at long last, and the team captured Sato and delivered him into the hands
of Princess Squeegee and a news crew.  And then as they waited for a ride back
to the Agency, a nuclear explosion annihilated the far side of the bay,
approximately where the Palace stood.
<Ked> Tokyo proper was only mildly messed up by this - shattered glass, power
outages, a few small fires - until the Ningyo made a grand appearance,
summoning enough water to explosively flood most of downtown Tokyo.
<Ked> Mysteria got snared in a fragmentary Order from the Queen to go to and
protect Princess, but she's kilometers away, and so far the Secretary hasn't
shown up with their ride...
<Ked> [Friday, April 1, 2004 - 0100 local time]
<Ked> [In the streets just north of the IHA campus]
<Ked> [session start]
* LadyMysteria waits, silently, sullenly, looking in the direction of the
Palace like maybe, just maybe, it'll just all come back and this nightmare'll
end.
* LadyMallet lets out a breath. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."
<LadyHeat> I hope she's okay...
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...pity the Secretary doesn't have a Pet.
* LadyRoyal notes dispassionately, "You know, if she's not all right, we could
end up standing here for quite a while."
<LadyMysteria> Thirty more minutes.
<Lord_Darkmoon> I shall see if there is any of her tell-tale driving style on
the street, then.
* LadyNightshade looks up to Darkmoon, her mouth starting to open but no words
coming out yet. "I-- If I have to, then I will..."
<Ked> A bluish blur turns the corner at the east end of the block, aims itself
for the team, and comes to a stop right beside Lady Mysteria.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...or not.
<LadyNike> *pant* *pant* *pant*
<Lord_Darkmoon> Madam Secretary, I presume?
<LadyHeat> Oh.
<LadyRoyal> Oh, good.
<LadyRoyal> Glad you made it all right.
<LadyMysteria> ... yeah.
<LadyNike> *deep breath*  Got it in one.
* LadyMallet blinks, then waves.
* LadyMysteria takes a moment to register who it is. "No vehicle can come
through, then?"
* Lord_Darkmoon glances down at Nightshade, sparing her a small smile. "Good."
He then turns to Nike, repeating himself. "Good, glad to meet you. You have a
ride for us?"
* LadyNike shakes her head.
<LadyRoyal> Mm, suspected as much.
<LadyRoyal> Any ideas?  What's it look like out there?
<LadyMysteria> Princess. Have to get to Princess.
<LadyNike> Van died.  Was on the main highway near the coast.  Too exposed -
EMP got it.
<LadyRoyal> Ah.
* LadyMysteria rubs her temples, eyes squeezing shut like she has a headache.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Do... do you know who all survived?
* LadyNike is in a rather generic bluish Lady fuku - and running cleats.
<LadyNike> What?
<LadyMallet> ... we can make a list later. Right now we need to focus on who
made it.
<LadyNike> I got a call from Sakura - she was on a plane, so she should be
alive.
<Lord_Darkmoon> We need to accomplish two things. We need to find Princess and
acquire her, and we need to get to Akahara-san's TV station, to reconnoiter
with Squeegee, assuming she survived.
<LadyNike> Haven't heard from anyone else tonight.
* LadyMysteria opens those eyes, still rubbing at her temples. "It's going to
take some doing to get around, unless we can find some means that wasn't
damaged."
<LadyMysteria> Bikes, maybe.
* LadyNightshade just stands there quietly, looking down at her feet. She's
trying really hard to stop crying.
* LadyMallet 's eyes light up at the mention of bikes.
<LadyNike> A few cars survived.  And further from the blast there should be
more working.
<LadyMysteria> That works, then. Let's go; we don't need to waste anymore
time.
* LadyRoyal nods.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Right. ... *offers Taki a handkerchief, and leans down to talk
quietly at her for a moment*
* LadyNightshade wipes at her eyes. She's mostly stopped now. Mostly.
<Ked> One or two cars have driven past you, but mostly people seem to be
walking or running away from the coast.  The flood waters seem to be slowly
rising - the far end of the IHA campus is now wet, where it wasn't after the
first burst.
<LadyMallet> ... I wonder if Hardhat made it. She'd be great to point at the
big dome of water.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Good. Secretary, Mysteria, where to?
<LadyHeat> If Squeegee is alive, she and I could probably do something...
<LadyMysteria> ... flooding's getting worse. They're going to drown downtown
at this rate. Secretary... look. Can I call you something else? The time for
facades has passed.... you saw working cars. lead the way.
* LadyMallet shakes her head. "Right. We'll need all the firepower we can
gather, though, and gathering them comes first."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> If you meant bikes as in bicycles, I could make them for
us.
* LadyNightshade listens to Darkmoon and tries to think of someway to respond
but can't quite manage. After a moment she looks up at him again and nods.
<LadyRoyal> That many?
<Lady_MakeBelieve> With the Dragon King dead, the restrictions on my powers
have been loosened.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...excellent.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Do it.
<LadyMallet> ...
* LadyMallet smiles, and gives Haruko A REALLY BIG HUG.
<LadyNike> I'm Lady Nike... and I'll keep my real name private for the moment,
if you don't mind.
<LadyNike> Where are we headed?
* Lady_MakeBelieve holds out her hand, and bicycles appear one after another.
Like the knife used to stab the Dragon King, these appear totally solid,
lacking the Dream-like haziness from before.
<LadyMallet> Princess.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...unless we can find a car to get there faster, yes.
Princess's house.
<LadyHeat> If the ningyo get to her, she's doomed.
* LadyMallet blinks. "Um."
<LadyRoyal> She did say bikes as in bicycles, Mallet.
<LadyNike> ...right.  Okay, you want to go a few blocks north to Route 8, and
head west.  I'll scout ahead and see if I can steal something.
<LadyRoyal> Right.
<LadyMallet> ... give the bikes wings or something.
* LadyHeat climbs onto a bike and waits for everyone else.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I'm not sure that’s very helpful.
* LadyRoyal gets onto the nearest one.   "Don't be fussy."
<LadyMallet> ...
* Lady_MakeBelieve climbs onto her own bike.
* Lord_Darkmoon mounts a bike, and looks to the others. "Stay together.
Everyone ready?"
* LadyNike takes a few steps out into the street to get an open path, then
blurs away.
* LadyMallet just stands there and stares at an empty bike. She's not boarded
yet.
<LadyMallet> Someday.
<LadyHeat> Leena, get on the bike.
* LadyMallet gives a big, dramatic sigh, and slowly boards one of the
bicycles.
* LadyMysteria hops onto a bike, and frowns. "Try to follow Nike's path."
<LadyNightshade> I'll uh... walk. Thanks.
* LadyRoyal shakes her head at Leena, nods at Maya, and starts going.
* LadyMallet starts pedaling. She vaguely looks like she's dying a little bit
inside.
* LadyNike is well out of sight by now.
* LadyHeat heads the direction Nike told them to go in.
* Lord_Darkmoon starts pedaling. "Good work, Make Believe," he comments after
it successfully moves.
* LadyMysteria tags along, looking back towards the bay now and then.
* LadyNightshade starts running behind the group her eyes searching around for
trouble and maybe just something to distract herself with.
<Ked> The streets are not as full as you might expect - then again, you're
about as close to the flooded areas as you can be, so it's not like there's
anyone fleeing from behind you to jam the roads here.
<Ked> A few stranded motorists and pedestrians watch you ride with some degree
of jealousy.  The light from the fireball has completely faded, and it was a
moderately cloudy night to begin with, so darkness is beginning to become an
issue.
* Lady_MakeBelieve has thoughtfully provided the bikes with headlamps.
* Lady_MakeBelieve flicks hers on.
* Lord_Darkmoon follows Make Believe's example after examining his bike for
where the switch might be.
* LadyMysteria does the same. "... so."
* LadyRoyal follows suit.
* LadyHeat turns on her light and pedals steadily.
* LadyMallet rides like a dark shadow of terror in the darker night. Or maybe
she just refuses to turn on her headlamp.
* LadyNightshade stays invisible so as to not draw attention to herself.
<Ked> Tokyo without road traffic is a strangely quiet place.  A few sirens can
be heard in the far distance, and the thrumming Sea Magic behind you provides
a soundtrack only a Lady can appreciate, but otherwise there is only the
frightened chatter of the few people you pass by.
<Ked> You make it to the highway Nike mentioned and turn west.  You can see
streetlights lighting up the sky some distance ahead, the gentle glow of
civilization still recognizably intact.
<Ked> Cars are scattered in the road here where they died.  Some motorists had
the good sense to pull off to the sides.  Some were too shocked to try.  And
some lost their power steering and crashed into things.
* LadyMysteria pedals harder at that sight, almost like it's giving her
something to actually pedal for.
* LadyRoyal hunkers down and pedals, keeping her eyes on what's ahead of her
and trying not to pay too much attention to the cars.
* Lady_MakeBelieve looks relieved that this didn't hit the entire city
<LadyMallet> ... creepy.
* LadyHeat calmly steers around the cars.
* LadyNightshade just continues running.
* Lord_Darkmoon looks calm, at least. He's not taking the lead, but mostly
because he seems to be tightly controlling his energy.
<Ked> You're passing more people now - and being passed by a very few vehicles
that managed to start.
* LadyMysteria scans around, looking all the more agitated upon seeing people.
"Where... is Nike?"
<LadyMallet> Norcliff?
<LadyHeat> She did say she was going to look for a van or something, didn't
she?
<Lord_Darkmoon> She'll catch up, if she can be of assistance. We just need to
keep going.
<LadyRoyal> She did say she was scouting ahead, after all.
* Lady_MakeBelieve relays the message to Norcliff, since they're biking and
Norcliff doesn’t have a headset
<Lady_MakeBelieve> He says "Whacha want" ?
<LadyMallet> Ask him if the Secretary is okay!
<Ked> The seeming quiet is shattered as four fighter jets swoop in low over
the city.  They fly by the team just a couple hundred meters above the ground,
heading back towards downtown Tokyo.
* Lord_Darkmoon winces and struggles to keep his bike balanced as the sonic
booms wash over.
* LadyMallet waits a moment, then repeats herself, louder, when she won't be
drowned out be the jet engines.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> He says she's out of range
* LadyHeat wonders who the jets belong to. "I bet they're American."
<Ked> They're low enough that they are only in view for a second or two, but
twenty seconds later there is a surge in the background Sea Magic and a couple
of explosions are heard from the southeast.
<LadyMysteria> Whatever they are, at least they'll be a distraction to the
Ningyo.
<LadyMallet> Not much of one.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I hope they live.
<LadyMallet> They're gonna need some heavy magical support if they're gonna
have any chance.
* LadyRoyal winces.
<Lord_Darkmoon> After we meet up with Squeegee, we should contact the
military. Mallet would be useful backup for them.
<LadyRoyal> Short range, though.
<LadyMallet> More like the other way around.
* LadyRoyal rolls her eyes.
<LadyMallet> The military doesn't have the ... oomph to work on the Ningyo by
themselves.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> We could just shove her in a bomb casing and drop her.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> ... Sorry, that wasn't very nice.
<LadyMallet> They're great backup, but they can't do it themselves.
<LadyMallet> The Ningyo are just too resistant to guns. Remember?
<LadyMysteria> No, they can't. But right now we have priorities.
<LadyHeat> Yeah, Princess.
<LadyMallet> Not if I can help it.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Regardless of what you think of the Order, Leena, Princess -is-
in need of protection. She may be the heir to her Cousin's power, and in that
regard, we'll need her.
<LadyMallet> Hmph.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Hence. Let's get there. We'll bring her with us to where -we-
need to be.
<LadyMysteria> We'll need her no matter what. If her dreams still have
meaning, she might be vital.
<Ked> A set of headlights turns onto Highway 8 ahead of you, the first vehicle
that you've seen coming towards the disaster areas.
<LadyMallet> ... yeah. I think after we gather all the MG survivors, we're
gonna have to get a hold of the surviving military.
<Lord_Darkmoon> They should be mostly intact. Chiba is not a military
headquarters.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Anyone want to bet that’s the Secretary?
<LadyMysteria> Sucker bet.
* LadyMysteria states that flatly.
* LadyMallet jumps off the goddamn wussy bike.
<Lord_Darkmoon> I believe the phrase is, "<dollars to donuts>".
<Ked> It might not be, though, as it's driving sensibly.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> <I never understood that phrase.  Donuts are almost as
expensive as dollars>
* Lord_Darkmoon keeps biking, unless and until the vehicle stops to pick them
up. "Sorry, I've exhausted my English, Make Believe."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Oh, sorry.  Just saying its an odd phrase
* LadyMysteria slows down, watching the vehicle.
* LadyMallet walks toward the van, waving.
* LadyRoyal narrows her eyes at it for a sec.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Oh.
<LadyHeat> I don't think it's stopping.
<LadyRoyal> It's driving pretty sensibly, too...
<Ked> The van takes its time closing the two kilometers to the group of bikes.
<LadyMallet> It's looking for us, whoever it is.
<Lord_Darkmoon> We keep going. If it's friendly, we stop when it gets to us.
If not, we just keep going.
<LadyMysteria> ... stay wary.
* Lady_MakeBelieve hasn't even slowed down yet.
* Lord_Darkmoon hasn't, either, in truth.
* LadyRoyal hasn't, either.
* LadyHeat is still biking steadily.
* Lord_Darkmoon keeps rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'!
* LadyNightshade keeps on running, watching the vehicle carefully.
<Ked> As it comes up to the team, it does come to a slow, sensible, safe stop.
The Secretary waves from the passenger seat, while a slightly-spooked guy in
the driver's seat holds the wheel with white knuckles.
* LadyMallet is jogging! Stupid bicycles.
<LadyRoyal> Ah, okay.
* LadyRoyal slows down and brakes.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...that explains it. *brakes to a stop, and dismounts from his
bike* Nice to see you again. Let's get going. *opens the back of the van for
the Ladies to get in*
* LadyRoyal hops in.  "Hello."
* LadyMallet hops in, and pokes her head between the driver and Nike. "Long
time no see!"
<Guy> Please tell me you're headed away from that mess!
* LadyHeat climbs in.
<LadyHeat> We weren't sure it was you.
<LadyMysteria> In a way.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> No need for these cycles any more is there?
<LadyMallet> Tired, miss Secretary?
* LadyMysteria hops off of the bike and drops it like a bad habit.
<Ked> A few of you notice the bullet hole in the roof above the driver's seat.
<LadyNike> No, but I can't hold a gun on him and drive.
* LadyRoyal glances up, and suppresses a snort.
<LadyMysteria> Whatever works, I suppose.
<LadyMallet> Oh. Well, we can help with that!
<Lord_Darkmoon> We're heading to two place, at least. *gives Elly's address*
Go there first.
* Lady_MakeBelieve lets them dissolve then, no need to clutter up the streets.
* LadyMysteria piles on in, wringing her hands idly.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Wait... if you stole the van, why are you keeping him
around?
<LadyNike> And it wouldn't have been fair to just kick him out into the
street.
* Lord_Darkmoon nods at the vanishing bikes. "Good job, MakeBelieve."
<LadyNightshade> Why don't we just make him walk?
* LadyMallet says that in the cutest, cheeriest possible way. Then draws a
gun.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Ah.
<LadyNightshade> Or hey, he could have a bike.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Can't I just tie him up.
<Guy> If you're headed away from the nuke, I'll come with.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Sir, you'd rather be tied up than held at gunpoint, right?
<Lord_Darkmoon> We needn't be rude to our driver.
<Lord_Darkmoon> However, I must insist we start moving.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Or that works then.
<LadyMysteria> Away, yes. So just relax. Desperate times and all that.
* Lady_MakeBelieve climbs into the back.
<LadyMallet> If you don't mind, would you let her drive, please?
* LadyNightshade crawls into the back of the van.
* Norcliff climbs onto the Secretary's shoulder. He wants to watch the action.
<Guy> Oh, all right.
<LadyMallet> Trust me when I say you'll be safer with a bunch of Magical girls
at this moment than otherwise.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Thank you, sir. What may we call you?
* Guy wriggles out of the front seat and into the passenger area while Nike
gets to drive.  He falls on top of Leena as she kicks it into (abrupt) motion.
* LadyMallet takes the passenger seat whe- or get's fallen on. "Ack!"
<Guy> Sorry!  Sorry!  Don't shoot me!
* LadyMallet lets the acceleration stabilize as much as it will with the
Secretary driving, then helps up the hapless civilian into a better position.
Then she takes the front passenger seat. ^^
* Lord_Darkmoon can't quite repress a chuckle. "Don't break him, Mallet. He's
not as tough as you are."
<LadyMallet> I'm not gonna shoot you, relax!
<Guy> ...I was going to ask what the hell a bunch of Ladies need a ride for,
but tonight...
<Lord_Darkmoon> I do apologize for the inconvenience, Mr...?
* LadyNightshade goes back to being quiet and just stares absently out the
window.
<LadyMallet> Well, in short, we're here to do what we do every night.
<LadyMysteria> It is not a very good night, sir.
<LadyMallet> Keep the ningyo from taking over the world!
<Lady_MakeBelieve> That’s the understatement of the year.
<LadyHeat> I just hope everything is okay over there.
* LadyNike has a particularly challenging course tonight, with all the cars
stopped in the road.  She swoops from lane to lane to median to grass to lane
without slowing.
<LadyMallet> It's really a lot of fun to watch, and I bet you'll have an
excellent view while you're with us.
<Guy> I don't think anything is ever going to be okay again.
* LadyRoyal shakes her head at Mallet's shenanigans.
* Norcliff just digs his claws into the Secretary's fuku and shouts "wheeee!"
<LadyMallet> Pfffft.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> No, everything will still work out in the end.
<LadyMallet> Thing's'll be okay in the end, one way or another.
<Guy> But what about fallout?
* LadyRoyal mutters under her breath.  "Optimists."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I'm sure one of us can take care of it.
* LadyNightshade continues not saying anything.
* LadyMallet giggles.
<LadyHeat> Or one of us will be able to eventually.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Probably a royal power.
* LadyRoyal looks out the window and ignores the optimism.
<Lord_Darkmoon> So we need to ensure there is a royal. One way or another.
<LadyMallet> By the way, when we do save Tokyo from the Ningyo, be sure to
remember it was Lady Mallet who totally saved the day and make sure to tell
your friends, all right?
* Lady_MakeBelieve rolls her eyes and mutters "attention whore."
* LadyRoyal snorts in agreement.
* Lady_MakeBelieve does this in a friendly way of course
* LadyRoyal doesn't.
<LadyMysteria> ... Mallet, never change.
* LadyMysteria doesn't smile; she seems to high-strung to smile.
<Ked> You make good time up the road now, though you may need neck braces
later.  The glow of the lit portions of the city are closer, though you can
tell now that even there the lights are out in large swathes of city as
different transmission substations withstood the EMP variously well.
<LadyMallet> Hey, they say that to survive a tough time you've got to have
something to look forward to. Think about and aim for and wait for.
<LadyMallet> My thing is being famous! ^_^v
* Lord_Darkmoon eyes Mallet's tiara. "I do believe your Tiara's looking a
little over-majestic, Mallet."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Oooh.
<LadyMysteria> ... ow.
* LadyHeat snorts.
<Guy> ...yeah, well, I'm just going to head out of town.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> But, just think... you'd be able to buy a new home so much
cheaper!
* LadyMallet unconsciously adjusts it. The glowy gem in it glitters a bit more
for a moment. "Why, thank you my dear Darkmoon."
* Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes widen in shock for a moment, and he shivers in
revulsion. Then is back to normal. Well, normal for him since the bomb went
off.
* LadyRoyal makes a nauseated noise in the back of her throat.
<Guy> ...land value jokes.  Gawds, I thought you Ladies were supposed to be
innocent and sweet.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...I do wonder if she survived. She probably didn't deserve to
die. Probably.
<LadyHeat> We just got nuked. It's hard to be sweet.
* Lord_Darkmoon turns to the as-yet-unnamed guy. "Some are. But war tends to
rob you of it quickly."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> ... I wasn't making a joke.
* LadyNightshade mumbles from the back, "No one deserved to die.."
<Guy> I won't argue the war part of it...
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I'm just saying that there's a bright side to everything,
if you look hard enough.
<LadyMysteria> There is. Give me time, I'll find mine.
* LadyMysteria curls her legs him and goes about hugging her knees.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Many people think that the bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki played an important role in making Japan the great nation it is
today.
<Guy> Lady... just shut up.
<LadyMallet> ... you can joke about that ten years from now.
<LadyMallet> But ... not yet.
* Guy turns away and watches out the window as the traffic gets thicker and
the van has to slow down.  A little.
* Lady_MakeBelieve sighs exasperatedly.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I'm still not joking.
<Lord_Darkmoon> And not saying anything useful, either. Morbidity is
detrimental; please cease.
<LadyMallet> I'm trying to stay cheerful here. Please refrain from making it
any more obvious that we just got bombed by another nuclear weapon.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Geez, for a bunch of people who like to accuse me of
ignoring the truth...
* Lady_MakeBelieve lets it slide though.
* LadyRoyal pinches the bridge of her nose and winces, and continues looking
out the window.
<LadyNightshade> God, can't everyone just SHUT UP for like 5 minutes?
* LadyNightshade goes back to staring out the window.
<LadyHeat> We did. We were biking.
<LadyMysteria> I will be able to look back at this and perhaps agree with you.
Right now... silence might be a good idea.
<Ked> Traffic slows to a complete crawl as the van reaches the less-pulsed
sprawl of northwestern Tokyo and EVERYONE is in their car and trying to flee.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Changing the subject, does anyone know exactly what the
Queen could do?  Or have any idea what to expect from Princess if she
inherited the title?
<LadyMallet> ... no idea. Order Hardhat to help?
<LadyHeat> I think all I ever saw was her sitting there and getting groomed.
<LadyHeat> We know Princess already has visions.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> If that got more powerful... that could either be really
helpful or really useless.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Depending on how much we could change the vision.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...we need to be faster. Nike, you've met Princess, haven't
you?
<LadyNike> Her Majesty was once Lady, then Princess Earth... she did her share
of Ningyo fighting in the day, or so Sakura said.
<LadyMysteria> ... well, I imagine she earned the rest from all that.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Did she have ground based powers or anything?
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Or was the Earth more symbolic?
<LadyNike> Sakura never said.
* LadyHeat thinks back to the picture of Lady Earth in the MG magazine's
office.
<LadyNike> Just that she fought hard, and could do a lot of damage.  ...and
that once she became Queen, she didn't do so much in the field.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Nike. Have you met Princess? I cannot recall if you were with
us in your secretarial role any of those times. --wait, that's not important.
She'll recognize Norcliff. Can you carry a girl about Mallet's size?
<LadyMysteria> It's funny.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I think any of us can carry girls Mallet's size.
<LadyNike> I... um.  Yeah, she's come by the Agency once or twice.
* LadyMysteria chuckles, faintly. "I never imagined I'd feel this lost without
her, now that this has all happened. But... this raises a question."
<LadyNike> I could lift her, but not move at speed.  If I try to carry much of
anything, I usually crash.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...that won't work, then.
<Norcliff> Hey, I wonder if Woofy will be there!
<Lord_Darkmoon> Nightshade? Can you carry someone and run?
<Norcliff> He was fun.
<LadyMallet> ... I can carry her.
* LadyMallet rolls her eyes.
<LadyNightshade> I... guess?
<LadyMallet> Are we gonna be on foot the whole time?
<LadyMallet> If not, she can just ride.
<LadyMysteria> ... will there be another?
<Lord_Darkmoon> You're not fast, Mallet.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I could call the Dragon Lord.  He could carry her no
problem.  And protect her as well.
<Lord_Darkmoon> We need to get Princess here.
<Ked> The van stops.  You're still on the highway.  Lots of honking is
happening around you.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> He's been released as well.
<LadyNike> Ugh.  Everyone wants to get away.
<LadyMallet> ... a helicopter would be nice.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Yes. I want the fastest of us to run and get her. The rest of
us will drive this thing back towards the station.
<LadyNike> We could be stuck in this for hours... it's just another three
klicks or so to Princess's place.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...a helicopter would be ideal. We don't have one.
<LadyMallet> We will at the TV station.
<LadyNike> I don't think I can even turn this around.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...right. Everyone out.
<LadyMysteria> Might have to take the rest of the way on foot.
<LadyMallet> Miss Secretary? Do you know where that is, and can you precede us
there and secure one for us?
* Lord_Darkmoon opens the door and gets out.
<LadyNike> Where what is?
* LadyHeat gets out and waits for a decision to be made.
<LadyMallet> The TV station.
<Guy> Can I have my van back then?
* LadyMysteria nods to the guy on her way out.
<Norcliff> Secretary, mind if I tag along with you?
<LadyNike> ...from what I saw back towards the downtown area, it's probably
under four meters of water.
<LadyMallet> Fast enough to run on water?
<LadyNike> It's not a speed thing, it's a shape thing, Lady Mallet.
<LadyMallet> Mmm.
<LadyNike> And humans are NOT built to run on water.
<LadyMallet> So much for that idea.
<Lord_Darkmoon> We need to find Squeegee and Sato. They were on their way
there.
* LadyMallet gets out.
<Lord_Darkmoon> If you take Norcliff and can find them, have Norcliff contact
me. He knows how.
<LadyMysteria> Agreed, Darkmoon. Hopefully Squeegee's protecting them.
<LadyHeat> Well, if Squeegee is okay, they're probably all okay.
* Guy gets in the driver's seat as Nike gets out.  He slams the door.
<LadyMysteria> Considering her powers, I imagine they'll stay dry for as long
as they need to.
<LadyNike> Right, but finding them could be next to impossible.
<LadyRoyal> As long as she doesn't run out of steam.
<LadyMallet> Not with Norcliff.
<Norcliff> I'm the man!
<LadyMallet> Even if you can't secure a helicopter, see if you can locate
Squeeg. If you can find her, you should be able to work with her to get to the
station and get a copter, at least.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Exactly.
<Lord_Darkmoon> I can keep in contact with Norcliff, and he can contact me.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Go. Quickly. You, sir, should probably stay with us for now.
Your car isn't going anywhere.
<LadyRoyal> ...an underwater helicopter...?
<Guy> I'll take my chances on the road, thank you.
<LadyMallet> ....? Under-what?
* LadyRoyal looks skeptical.
<Lord_Darkmoon> As you desire.
<LadyMysteria> Good. And Darkmoon, let him be... he's been roped into our
lives for long enough.
<LadyMallet> No, they're usually up on big tall buildings.
<LadyRoyal> Didn't she just tell us the station was underwater?
* Lord_Darkmoon shrugs. "It's up to him."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> If the helicopter is underwater, we use something else.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Norcliff can let us know once they get there.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Norcliff, with Nike. Nike, get going.
<LadyMysteria> At the very least, verify her condition. We need to continue.
<LadyNike> Look, if you want me to go find Squeegee, I will.  I'm the most
mobile asset you have, and Mysteria is the boss.
<Lord_Darkmoon> The rest of us, this way. *starts running towards Elly's
house*
* LadyMallet shakes her head. "Nevermind. We've got to get going."
<LadyNike> All right.
* LadyMysteria looks to Nike. "Find her, let her know we're alive. We'll take
matters from there." That said, she tags along with Darkmoon.
* LadyMallet heads off to Elly's!
<LadyMysteria> If possible! If not... well... we'll see, won't we?
* LadyNike looks at Norcliff and tucks him into a pocket, then blurs back
towards the black hole in the night that Tokyo has become.
* Lady_MakeBelieve runs after the others, breathing heavily
<Norcliff> WHEEEEeeeeeee!
* LadyNightshade just follows behind the group, mostly trying not to drag her
feet.
<LadyMallet> Haruko, can you conjure up a skateboard?
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Sure.  You want any graphics on it?
* LadyMallet grins. "Hunters. In red on black."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Nice idea.
* LadyMysteria is too focused to yell at Mallet.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Anyone else want one?
<LadyRoyal> ....sure.
<LadyHeat> I can run.
<Lord_Darkmoon> If you can make a scooter instead, I'll take one. I've never
mastered skateboarding.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...on second thought...
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Um, I can do un-powered.  Powered I'm not sure.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I can try.
<Ked> If things seems eerily peaceful nearer the heart of the disaster, out in
the sprawl the chaos is almost out of control.
* Lord_Darkmoon pulls out his tessen, and suddenly has rollerblades on. "These
will do."
* Lady_MakeBelieve just makes herself another bike.
<LadyRoyal> ...can you do one of those for me, too, Haruko?
* LadyMysteria just keeps moving along without any aid.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Oh sure.
* Lady_MakeBelieve lets the skateboard intended for Royal dissolve, and wills
a bike into being for her.
<LadyRoyal> Thank you.
* LadyRoyal bikes along again.
* LadyMallet skates. On a board! Good thing it's so crowded, she keeps
adjusting her balance and course by pushing off cars.
* LadyHeat runs!
<Ked> Cars everywhere, none able to get anywhere.  Pedestrians all swarming
north and west.  An air of fear and hysteria is everywhere, almost drowning
out the surging Sea Magic behind you.  Looting hasn't started - much - since
everyone's primary concern is running away.
<LadyMysteria> If they were shooting for shock and horror, they succeeded...
* Lord_Darkmoon growls, an almost feral sound, but subdued. "I hope Elly's got
her cousin's magic."
* LadyMysteria spits, then keeps running, sounding intensely angry.
<Ked> As you get off the highway and into the lower population density of the
wealthy suburb Elly resides in the crowding lessens, but if anything the
residents are more panicked.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> I wish we, or someone, could reassure these people.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...so do I.
<LadyNightshade> Reassure them of what?
<LadyMysteria> That this isn't the end of the world.
<LadyNightshade> Not yet anyway.
<LadyHeat> We don't know that it isn't. At least for Japan.
<LadyMallet> They'll realize that by themselves in a month or so.
<LadyMallet> All we gotta do is win!
<Lord_Darkmoon> A ruler's job is to give comfort to his people, and give them
security.
<Lord_Darkmoon> If we are to have a Queen that means anything, she must be
able to do that.
<LadyMysteria> We aren't rulers, though.
* LadyMysteria keeps running. "We're defenders."
* Lord_Darkmoon keeps skating.
<LadyMallet> ... we'll be a lot closer to rulers after this.
<LadyMallet> As soon as we go public, it's inevitably going to happen.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> She's not the Queen of the City though.
<LadyMallet> I ... really can't see not being public after this.
* LadyRoyal ignores the conversation.
* LadyMallet skateboards! She coasts along for a bit alongside Darkmoon,
crouching and balancing.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> If the queen, or squeegee, or someone reverses the waters
and cleanses the city, yeah.  That will be hard to hide.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Impossible to hide from the government, and probably not
worth hiding from the people.
<LadyMallet> We can't win by running and hiding.
<LadyMallet> We're gonna have to go public, we're going to have to gather and
get help and become known.
* LadyMallet glances behind her, in the direction of the water dome. "As much
as I hate to say it, we're not going to win this by ourselves."
<LadyMysteria> Right now, we regroup. The first cut's always the deepest, and
we can't let the Ningyo press their advantage without coming together.
<LadyRoyal> It's not as though people don't know we exist.  And more people
than we think have dealt with the Hierarchy.
* Lord_Darkmoon doesn't say anything and just keeps going.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> Right now, we find Princess.
<LadyRoyal> I think that's been established, yes.
<LadyMallet> Yeah. Regroup and reorganize first.
<Ked> Harsh noise cuts through the street-level tumult as a helicopter
regiment passes overhead half a kilometer north of the team.
<LadyHeat> Does anyone remember where her house is?
<Ked> They're painted with the JSDF meatball, and headed downtown.
* LadyMallet glances up at the copter squadron as it passes by. "They're just
gonna get blasted by themselves..."
<Lady_MakeBelieve> It might be an evacuation team.
<LadyMallet> Let's hope.
<LadyMysteria> We've visited Princess before; just have to orient ourselves
with the streets first.
<Lord_Darkmoon> If we get lost, I'll try and reach Woofy.
* LadyMallet shrugs. "I know where she's at."
<Ked> The team is quite close now.  The neighborhood they're in is unlit, but
there's enough light from the surroundings to navigate.  Not many people are
left here - they've already left and got stuck in the jams on the main
highway.
<Lord_Darkmoon> Good. We're almost there.
* LadyMallet takes the lead with the skateboard, putting on a burst of speed
with more room available and getting close.
* LadyRoyal pedals faster on her bike.
<LadyMallet> Last one there has to eat raw ningyo fin!
<Ked> They turn the corner, and the house is right there.  There's even still
a sedan parked in the driveway.  This far away from the bombing, windows are
even still intact, and the house looks entirely peaceful.  There's a
flickering light inside the front window.
* Lady_MakeBelieve stands up and starts sprinting.
* LadyMysteria growls something under her breath and picks up the pace,
obviously pushing herself well past her normal limits out of sheer anger and
adrenaline.
* LadyMallet kicks up the skateboard as she reaches the curb, catches the
skateboard, and runs along the lawn.
* Lord_Darkmoon 's rollerblades turn into shoes again as he chases up the
grass to Elly's house.
* LadyRoyal ditches the bike at the yard and follows the others.
* LadyMallet rings the doorbell. ^^
* LadyHeat jogs up to the door.
* LadyNightshade just waits on the walk, looking around the neighborhood.
<Ked> The light inside the house moves, and Elly's mother answers the door.
* Lady_MakeBelieve drops her bike and lets it and Royal's fade back whence
they came.
<Mother> Elly... no.
* LadyMallet waves. "Hi, is Elly h-?"
* Mother appears to have been crying.
<LadyMallet> ... where is she?
<LadyHeat> What happened?
<Mother> She left, just after the explosions.
<Lord_Darkmoon> ...do you know where she went?
* LadyMallet blinks. "Where? did she say anything?"
* LadyHeat has an idea where she went...
<Mother> She said... she said she had to go face her destiny.
* Lord_Darkmoon doesn't even bother with sunglasses as his eyes start glowing
purple.
<LadyMallet> ...?
<LadyRoyal> Did her dog go with her?
* LadyMallet facepalms.
<Mother> ...I know what she is - I know what you are... but she can't possibly
have a chance, right?
<LadyMallet> If she didn't have a chance, she wouldn’t have gone.
<LadyHeat> She went to the Palace.
<LadyMysteria> Where is she.
* LadyMysteria stops... and looks to be practically trembling in place, the
Order eating a hole in her gut.
<LadyMallet> ... don't worry. We'll make sure she's all right, and make sure
she comes back okay.
<Lady_MakeBelieve> ... We have to go to the palace then.
<Mother> I DON'T KNOW!  She said something about the Tokyo Tower, but...
<LadyNightshade> She probably went to the big bubble.
<LadyRoyal> ...that dream she had.  Yes.
<LadyMysteria> ... god, no.
<Mother> Even I could see it was gone.
* LadyMallet twitches at 'dream.'
<LadyMysteria> We need to go to the Tower. NOW.
<LadyMallet> ... well, that makes it pretty simple. Thank you. We're gonna do
everything in our power to make sure she's okay.
* Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head, sharply dispelling the glow in his eyes. "I
can't find Woofy. If her dreams are coming true... well, they've already
changed. Let's go."
<LadyRoyal> Right.
* LadyMallet waves again at the mom, then turns to Darkmoon. "Check on the
Secretary."
<LadyMysteria> ... no, the Sedan'll be useless in this traffic.
* LadyMallet shakes her head. "That's not what I'm thinking."
* Lord_Darkmoon nods, and his eyes glow again, trying to reach Norcliff.
* LadyMallet starts walking back to the road.
<LadyMysteria> Speed is of the essence, but speed isn't happening in this
panic.
* LadyMysteria turns around and starts to move as well, not running now as she
tries to catch her breath.
<LadyMallet> Mysty... wait up. Make Believe. Bike. Double-seater.
<LadyMallet> You're wearing yourself out. Catch your breath, I'll take you.
* Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head and dispels the contact. "I informed
Norcliff."
* Lord_Darkmoon runs down to the sidewalk and resummons his rollerblades,
skating off like a madman.
<LadyMysteria> ... thank you, Mallet.
<LadyRoyal> Same as before for me, if you could, please.
* Mother starts sobbing again as she closes the door.
* LadyNightshade follows again at her Taki pace.
* Lady_MakeBelieve looks like she has to think about this one, but after a few
second, dreams up a double-seater bike.
* Lady_MakeBelieve follows it up with a pair of plain old single seater ones,
hops on hers, and takes off after Darkmoon.
* LadyMallet chuckles to herself. "Don't thank me. Just sit." She points at
the rear seat of the bike, and gets on the front one herself.
<LadyHeat> Can I get a bike this time?
* LadyMysteria stops, and promptly bends over and helps herself to a quick
emptying of her stomach. Wiping her mouth and spitting a few times, she gets
on without complaint.
<Ked> [end session]
Session Close: Sat Mar 11 19:03:20 2006