158/It's Time

It's Time
Date of Scene:	10 July 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Abandoned Convenience Store
Synopsis:	The Waldians and their new sworn friend make an important decision. (Spoiler Note: This log contains strong hints for upcoming events. Don't read it until July 15 2015 if you don't want certain surprises revealed to you!)
Cast of Characters:	Runealy Waldia, Gaofele Doiru, Hinote Kagari

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Runealy Waldia has posed:
(OOC Note on Spoilers: This log contains clear hints at some upcoming storyline events. If you read this log, some of them will be revealed early to you. The choice is yours, but you might want to delay reading it until around July 15 2015 if you'd prefer to be surprised!)

It has been nearly two months since Runealy and Gaofele arrived on Earth. They knew almost nothing; all they could see from their homeworld's side of the portal was what appeared to be a normal sky, trees and dirt... presumably an inhabitable world, albeit one they didn't even know the name of at first, nor if they would even find anyone here. Yet they came, seeing no other option. It meant giving up a familiar forest, a familiar castle, friends and family too. Those things would simply not be in easy reach while the pair explored to see if they could find something, anything to save their home that would soon be destroyed if they did not act.

Tokyo had been full of surprises. Inventions far beyond what they could imagine, a society far different from theirs yet not entirely unrecognizable. Monsters, too. In their time here, the team had likely been in as many fights as the late Queen had been in her entire reign. Yet there had been one other surprise that stood out.

There was Hinote, whom Runealy had just finished calling and asking him to come to the store. She sounded serious, upset but fairly calm about it. That she was inviting him here this evening was the biggest surprise she could have imagined. He was part of this world, yet Gaofele's attempts at compromise during their chance encounter had perhaps prevented the princess' more cautious reactions from driving him away for good. And as each learned more about one another, Rune found herself doing the unthinkable; she found a devoted friend, one willing to swear himself to them - and in effect, they to him - and now they had an ally from the very world they sought to plunder.

And so Runealy sits, the chairs behind the check-out counter arranged in a triangle. As they arrive, she speaks: "We need to talk. Though we can maybe spare another few days, I worry that we're running out of time. So I need to ask both of you!" She gazes at Gaofele, then Hinote, and asks: "Have you done everything you need to? We need to... start, soon. Very soon."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
The past two months had been busy for Gaofele. With the help of Hinote, the forester had gotten used to the concrete jungle that is Tokyo. While he might not be able to vanish into the city like those native to urban areas, he at least has a decent idea of where to find hiding places, locations that scavenged supplies could be found... and sites that could be used to stage ambushes.

He had become moderately familiar with some of Tokyo's defenders, and had a basic idea of what capabilities they have. He had also encountered those that might be considered enemies or competition, stealing energy from the ordinary citizens of Tokyo. He was even aware of a couple of different types of magical items, some of which are only useful to allies, while others might have potential behind their hazards.

Not the best set of knowledge, but time is important.

"I believe I am ready," Gao nods to Rune.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari is called. He looks up to the drama club students in the room. He doesn't even say anything because it's now very common for Hinote to get a call in the middle of Drama Club, and leave. Did it upset the rest of the club? It most certainly did! But Hinote knew his lines when it counted- as long as he still appeared on play day, It's all be fine.

Hinote arrives into the room, as he puts his backpack down and walks over to sit in one of the chairs. He head tilts a bit, and Runealy asks the question. He knew, of course- even when he took the oath this day was going to come. He clenched his teeth a bit, keeping his mouth closed as he thought it over.

"Yeah." he says.

"So.. what exactly... is this going to go down." he asks, looking at Runealy.

"Are we just... going to attack these people when we see them, or...?"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Okay. ....Okay." Rune repeats that, taking a breath between words. Her eyes wander from friend to friend, back and forth many times. "Then we're really going to do this." She sighs after Hinote's question. It's a good one. "Not exactly. If you see an opportunity like that and you think you can succeed, go ahead. That's not our main way of doing it, though. Come with me."

She rises, heading toward the back office. Toward the Sailor V poster they found, now used to fold over a hole in the wall. A hole she reaches in to, producing several small crystals. They're clear and diamond-shaped, with perhaps the faintest hint of a soft blue to them. These are held out to Gao and Hinote both. "We'll bring them here when we fill them up. As for how we fill them? There's no good way to say this... outside of opportunities we find, we'll be making our own. We'll be luring people in to places we've picked out, and attacking them. Once they're down, we'll use these."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru takes the offered crystal. Now that they're going into this phase of the plan, best to have a crystal ready in case an opportunity presents itself. "We'll have to be careful, especially with those that work in groups," he points out. "Individuals we can take on with force of numbers, but beyond that we'll have to rely on surprise and ambush."

He drums his fingers on his leg, a contemplative expression on his face as he looks at the crystal. "This won't be easy," he admits. "We know how well they work together; we know what we're up against."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari blinks at the blue crystals, as they're presented. He takes one and holds it up, examining it in the dim light of the abandoned store. He blinks. "What... are these exactly?" he asks. He blinks a bit and nods at Gao. "I think... if we worked in teams of two. Someone could... hold the other off while the other works the--- whatever these crystal things are." he says. "The problem is keeping that covered from all sides, so. dunno how well that'd work." he says and then looks at Runealy.

"Oh, I'm already going to stomp that guy with the spooky mask when I see him next. I might aswell get something out of it." he insists.

"But... yeah. If it's time...it's time. I already know the score." he insists.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
The crystals might be familiar to Gao; he helped pull some of them out of their original housing before they left for 'the Unknown World.' As energy conduits, they were empty at the time for having nothing to pull in... and they remain empty now for having nothing to hold just yet.

Rune looks down as Gaofele points out the challenges. "...Yeah. You're right. You're right about all of that. We're taking a huge risk, and it's something I wish we didn't have to do at all, but... we can't ask for help. If word gets out about how vulnerable we are... Tokyo seems to have plenty of people who would beat us home to make sure the worst happens." Tokyo has plenty of good people who wouldn't dream of it, too, but Runealy fears the threat of attack more than she welcomes the prospect of help. "So we're going to have to take our chances."

She faces Hinote afterward. "It takes a while. We can't just 'hold them off', we're going to have to win and take energy from people who can't stop us anymore. What you're holding now is part of the Barrier Shrine. When the Queen does her ritual to renew its power, her energy flows into several pillars... entering through these crystals. They let it in, then keep it in there as it's used by the Barrier itself. Eventually the pillars start to run out, and another generation's Queen has to be ready to do the same ritual. It might buy us five years, or ten, or even twenty-five or a hundred depending on how powerful the Queen is. Now, we'll be using them to hold energy to bring back home."

She begins to return to their seats in the front of the store. "I think there are some things we should go over, though. To be sure we all definitely know 'the score', and it's the same score for all of us. Hinote, after we're done talking here tonight... go home and stay with your family, this is probably going to be one of your last nights where you can stay with them with anything even close to a clear heart."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
A wry grin crosses Gao's face when Hinote mentions the dark-wielder. "Getting the better of him does sound tempting, although I'm wary about using his energy," Gao admits. "It might work in a pinch, but using darkness magic to power the Barrier? It feels... treacherous."

He nods to Rune. "If we could capture one of them and make an escape, that /might/ work, but it'd be safer to win first and then take the energy," he agrees. "If we can force the others to retreat, fine; if we defeat several of them at once, even better! But we have to win, first."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari listens to Rune as she warns to stay home with his family. He grits his teeth a little. "Yeah..." is all he can say on that point. He doesn't want to dwell on that too long. He made a promise. He intends not to break the promise. Even if things are sounding like they need to beat-up heroes.

He takes a deep breath. "So... that's what we're doing then?" he asides to Gao's idea.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune's eyes narrow after Gao speaks. "What you said, and then some. I'm not just 'wary' about it, I'm /against/ it. It doesn't just 'feel treacherous', it's dangerous! What we're doing is a stretch as it is, I don't know for certain what will happen when we use energy from Sailor Mercury or those two we saw when we saved Mistpaw," a nod to the kitten from that day they came across Nanoha's and Fate's battle. "Putting in something similar to a demon's power? That sounds almost like... well, defeating ourselves. I'm not chancing it unless we really, completely run out of any other options." She pauses to think on Gao's other suggestions. "As for that... I guess we could, but where would we even take them? We can't bring them here, their friends would find them and then... we lose everything. We can't bring them much of anywhere else in Tokyo, people are going to notice. I think 'win, take, and let them go' is about our only real option."

Her head lowers again. "So. 'The score.' I think the score needs to be that we can live with ourselves after this. You probably already know this, but I think we should all hear it anyway. We're not here to kill anyone. Stop before it gets that far when you're collecting energy. If you see a gem on them that starts to turn black, run away. They're probably a Puella Magi, and taking even a little energy will bring them a little closer to death in a way I don't think the others do. Puella Magi are absolutely off limits!" She can't be certain of it, but it matches what she has learned so far.

She has more rules to lay out, bringing herself to face her friends. "Bring your phones. Once we're done... if they don't have anyone to take them away to get help, call a healer. Watch from a distance, and only leave once they're in the healer's care. We're not leaving people to be killed by a Witch or found by that man in the mask. Our number one rule for this has to be 'bandits, not killers.' I..."

Her voice wavers, lowering. "I don't want anyone to have to go through that. Not because of us."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari thinks this through... right. Puella Magi. Something that Runealy mentioned before. "Right... you already said that--- Puella Magi are off limits. So...people with strange gems that go dark..." he says, putting this to memory a bit as he thinks. He hasn't as far as he knows, met a Puella Magi yet. Hopefully, he won't screw that up. He'll need to remain extra alert for that kind of thing....

"I really don't know what creepy mask dude's deal is, but if he's running off like.... evil... that could be a problem, right?" he asks. "So any of these monsters running around are off limits, too- right?" he asks. "Most of those are just creepy-." he says.

He crosses his arms as he leans forward. "I'll do my best." he says reassuringly.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru nods. "If we're near a park or another place with lots of trees, I might be able to make a temporary hideout, but it's not a trick I'd want to try often," he notes. "There's some decent places to hide around the city, but nothing where it would be wise to take somebody, true."

He nods again at the mention of Puella Magi being off-limits; the Puella Magi need all the magic they can keep, and they're the only ones able to deal with Grief Seeds -- both are good reasons to leave them alone.

"Don't drain the other heroes too far, keep them save until they're in safety," he sums up. Leaning over, he gives Rune's hands an encouraging squeeze. "We'll all do our best," he agrees. "And we'll be successful, too."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"We have to, you know." Rune affirms as Gao tries to encourage her. "We have to do this right, the first time. We have to do this to live, and live with ourselves. Two different things, but we need to do both."

Then Hinote brings up a very important question. "Yes and no. Yes, they're forbidden in that we're not draining their energy. Some of them seem to respond to my anti-demon seal, so they're probably 'close enough to demons' that we're not risking it. They're not off limits in that if we see one... we'll fight them. This may be naive of me to say, maybe we'll have to change our minds later, but for right now?"

She becomes much more firm in demeanor on this point: "If the choice is between taking someone's energy, and saving a life by standing up to a monster... I'd like it if we can deal with the monster first, even if that means letting an opportunity slip away. For now, we have enough time that we can try doing it that way. Of course, if you see a chance to stop a monster and then defeat whoever helped you... if you think you can succeed, and if your heart says it's okay, then try it."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari nods. "Alright then..." he says. "No monsters. People only. Help with the monsters first. Then worry about the energy..." he says as he counts each point off on a finger. He sighs a bit. "Hopefully... we can make the first few surprise attacks count- because I doubt that we'll be keeping that advantage for very long." now he's worried about messing this all up---- he bites his lip.

"How do.. we use these things?" he asks matter of factly.

"or do we not?" he asks.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"People only, and people not using power that might as well be a demon's," Runealy confirms. "And you're right, we're only going to get a few great chances for this. As for how to use them? There are a few different ways to activate them, most of which are based on the Queen's ritual. I don't think those will work for you... the next best thing we've found is to hold it near who you want to use it on, tap it with a finger, and say 'Transfuse.' Ah," A hurried addition, "Don't test that out here, we've tried it already. It definitely works, and it really hurts."

She begins pacing while talking. "We should start with the Sa-- no, before we pick who to target first... do either of you have anything else to bring up, anything at all?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru looks at Hinote, then looks at Rune. "I can't think of anything that hasn't already been discussed," he shrugs. "How about you, Hinote?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari shakes his head. "No, I think I get the idea now.---" he says. "Okay, then..." he nods over to Gao. "I think we're ready. We gotta be. If we're not, we're in trouble- right? Right!" he says.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"We're not even in trouble; the idea of 'trouble' won't even exist for us anymore, along with anything else. We absolutely can't fail!" It's a sudden outburst, but one that doesn't last long. "Therefore..." Runealy hesitates once more, her voice quieting. She doesn't like what she's about to say. "Our first target is..." It's going to be one of her last chances to back out, but she presses on and finishes: "Sailor Mercury. I want you two to find a good place for this. Somewhere out of the way, so other people won't get hurt by our fight. Somewhere that she can't run away from us easily. Once we've picked out the right spot, I think I can lure her there. When the time comes... I'll make the first strike. You won't have to do anything I'm not willing to do myself."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru thinks for a moment. "I might have a few ideas," he nods. "I'll want to check them with you two so you can get a feel for them and figure out an approach, but we at least have a start."

He closes his eyes and takes a steaying breath, as if he was preparing to shoot an arrow at a distant target. There is a line that they're stepping past, and while it is going to be rough, it will be important to follow their path.

For home, and for friends.

For Waldia, and for Rune.

He opens his eyes. "When should we do the ambush?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari frowns. "That's... going to be a hard one. She's the one that can... cloud the field with that fog, right?" he says. "But we'll try.. to find a proper place for that." he says. "Also. We should be ready if she chooses not to come alone, even if you ask her too. But---she hasn't reason not to --not trust you, right?" he asks as he crosses his arms.

He sighs a bit in thought.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Soon. Within a few days, as soon as we have the right place. I'm not going to set an exact date we have to do it, but let's find the balance between doing it fast, and doing it right." Rune returns to her chair, though she stands behind it and props her hands on top. "So when you think you've found a good place, show me and we'll figure this out. Just be sure it's a place where we can fight this out. I'm hoping she'll show up al--"

She cuts off as Hinote speaks about the same concern. "Maybe. We have to assume she'll bring friends, even if we hope she doesn't. If she does, we need to be ready to try it anyway unless she brings so many friends that we'd be crazy to make a move. And yes, she has the fog... I don't know if we can completely stop that, though. It might be that it's still really useful even in the best possible place we could pick out. We'll just have to deal with that."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari nods. He looks down at the crystal again, and walks over to his backpack, placing it inside. He'll have to---figure where he's going to hide this one. A braclet with a gem he can claim he bought from a second hand store as a prop is beliveable to his parents---- a big honking vaulable looking blue diamond--- probably less so.

He sighs a bit as he picks up his bag and nods. "I think...I'm going to.. head home now. And all that." he says a little awkwardly. "You're right. I should make sure of a few things before this begins." he says.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru nods. Tactics will have to be another thing he considers while choosing an ambush site. How to deal with a magical fog that reduces visibility, hiding their opponent...?

"See you tomorrow, Hinote," he says, a rather somber expression on his face. From this point forward, they will all have to be more wary.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"That letter, right?" Rune makes a guess as to Hinote's intentions. "You're giving up everything you've ever known to help us... I don't even know where to begin apologizing for that, or how to thank you enough." She has little more to add, and won't stop him from heading home.

Then she walks over beside Gao. "And you, too. It's thanks to both of you that we have a chance to make this work."