560/It's not a date!

It's not a date!
Date of Scene:	10 November 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Game Center Crown
Synopsis:	It isn't we swear!
Cast of Characters:	Tadase Hotori, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Amu Hinamori

---

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Not too long after the two of them enter the Game Center Crown, the action of the some of the other occupants seems to move away from them. This leaves Amu and Tadase art the counter with a large milkshake each.

When Amu thanks him for buying for her, Tadase inclines his head a little bit and blinks. "For wha... oh, the milkshake. It's no big deal." he says, taking a drink of his own.

He watches Ran and Amu have their little discussion, and sighs a bit. Kiseki goes off to bother Ran (and probably steal some of her ice cream). Amu comments on the fact that her Guardian Character sometimes gives her issues. "Yeah, they can be trouble sometimes, Amu - but they're also a part of you. An important part of you." he adds, bluntly. "They can teach you a lot about yourself, if you are open minded enough to look." For just a moment, he seems wiser than his years.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
What? He heard that!? Wide-eyed, Amu looks up from her bag to Tadase, then frowns a little. So far, she hasn't felt like Ran has taught her much of anything; only made her life miserable. And she's supposed to have two more of these things?

She hunches herself up a little, unhappily, and very quietly picks up ehr milkshake to drink it. It is a good milkshake.

Meanwhile, a pair of kids playing on the dance machine seem to be struggling with it. Even the beginner level is giving one of them difficulties. Not that Amu is paying them any mind at the moment.

"I just feel like I have no control over them," Amu admits after a quiet moment. "Every time Ran makes me do things I didn't want I go a little crazy inside, like that's not me!"

One of the boys falls and hurts himself, and the other says, "This game sucks! I think it's rigged. No one could possibly play it!"

Ran perks up at this, then flies her way over towards the boys, curious enough to leave ice cream behind.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase smiles. It's an honest smile - a warm one, and he looks at Amu. "Well, you don't have control over them, that's true. I know it's true with Kiseki." he says, giving the little king a side-eyed look.

"But that doesn't mean they don't have a reason. When Ran puts you into a Chara Change, that's all stuff you have the potential to do. Sometimes they take it a little too far..." he grimaces about his own little tirades "...But usually, when you have a Guardian Character, it's because you personally have not enough, so they're trying to balance it out."

He takes another drink of his milkshake - nowhere near finished, as he does not have the black hole stomach of some other personalities in Tokyo - and looks over at the game. He smiles at it. "Do you want to go see what's up over there? It looks like they're having a hell of a time with that dance game."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu wrinkles her nose faintly at Tadase, not sure she likes the implications of his words. But she's not going to tell him what she's thinking; he'd probably think she was a horrible person for it.

But he distracts her from those thoughts by calling her attention to the video game, and she flails her arms a little. "Ran, what are you doing!" she hisses, then rushes over to the game, leaving Tadase and her milkshake behind.

"This game is so dumb!" says the kid who fell down, unhappiliy. His friend seems to agree, and Amu--poor Amu--just rolls her eyes at them both.

"Games aren't dumb; you just need to be more coordinated," she tells the pair of them. Why does she even say things like that?!

One of the boys Amu up and down, then his eyes widen. "Aren't you the girl from Seiyou!? You're the Cool and Spicey Fifth Year student! Oh my gosh! I bet you can absolutely ace this game! Show us what you've got!"

Here, Amu is caught, because she is really not a very good dancer, herself, and doesn't even particularly like these sorts of games. "What?" she says to them, trying to stall.

"Oh, Amu Hinamori-senpai!" says the boy on the ground. "If you can't do it then I'll know the game is rigged! Try it Amu Hinamori-senpai! Show us!"

"N-no! I'm n--"

"Chara Change!" Ran declares, "from a girl who can't dance, into one who can!"

Amu just stops for a moment, then raises her hand. "OKAY! I'll show you some amazing dance moves you can learn, if you really try!"

Amu jumps right up on the game's pad and hastily sets it to the hardest setting, then picks a song rated impossible in difficulty. The song starts, and she's off, dancing and spinning like a well-choreographed expert, swaying her hips and arms and whole body to the music, faster and faster and faster. "My body's moving on its own!" she cries to herself, but who's going to notice over the sound of her stomping, dancing feet? The game keeps declaring her Amazing Moves! and Great Job! Amu doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat as she dances like a woman possessed of athletic perfection. And indeed, under Ran's influence, she practically is.

The song comes to an end, and hastily flashes and bleeps and blings, "High Score!"

Amu just stands there looking confused and weary from the exertion. Ran is busy cheering her on.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase watches all of the sudden occurances with a half amused, half totally amazed look on his face. I mean, even when you've seen people chara change before, it's still impressive the feats they're able to accomplish. And Amu is still new to him.

Plus, wow, that song was really hard. Tadase's grinning a bit now, walking over and clapping. That's to say nothing of the two kids next to him, who are just slack jawed and stunned. "Well, looks like you showed them the game isn't rigged, Hinamori-san." he adds, with another half-stifled laugh. It's obviously not a mean-spirited one, though.

He looks to the two kids, clearly enjoying this moment. "Do you believe her now?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Amu Hinamori-senpai is so cool and spicy," says one of the two boys, drawing out the words utterly enamoured of her.

"Yeah she's amazing," his friend joins in. "We need to practice really hard so we can be as good as Amu Hinamori-senpai!"

Amu, meanwhile, shakes off her confusion, then reaches up and flawlessly snatches Ran out of the air one-handed. "*Hrk!*" says the little Chara, obviously surprised.

And then Amu runs out, leaving her bag and milkshake behind at the counter while she rushes outside and literally flings her Chara into the air. Ran goes tumbling end-over-end, "Whoawhoawhoa!" then arights herself and flies right back to Amu.

"Ran, you can't keep doing that!" Amu yells at the Chara. "Taking control of someone and making them do whatever you want is mean and really annoying!"
"But you were having fun," Ran replies, hurt at being thrown and scolded. "And those boys really thought you were amazing, Amu-chan."

"It isn't fun being made to do things I don't want to do!" Amu yells at Ran in frustration. Meanwhile, a little blue egg has crept outside to listen in on the conversation. "I wish you'd go away, and never come back! Just leave me alone!" Amu yells at Ran.

"Amu-chan," Ran replies, clearly hurt by Amu's words.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase watches the exchange between Amu and Ran. Well, what he could see. There was a point where Angry Amu ran out of the door, so he actually missed the throw, but he got to the door in time to hear Amu tell Ran to go away.

He's a little shocked. Okay, more than a little shocked. Kiseki might be difficult, or even trouble, but his life has been better since his egg hatched. "Hinamori-san, she's not wrong." he says. His voice is quiet, but firm. "Neither are you, but... you have to understand. You have Guardian Characters for a /reason/ Amu. They're here to help you. If you let them." he adds.

Kiseki floats over to try to console Ran, but there's really no luck there. Her words cut too deep.

Tadase looks at Amu. "Why are you so upset? Is it because Ran took control, or because you don't want to admit something to yourself?" He has to actually pull him back from escalating the situation more. "Are you sure you're not saying things that you don't really mean, Hinamori-san?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Meanwhile, the little blue egg starts to hop away. If Amu doesn't want it, it's not going to stick around for long!

Kiseki's attempts at consolation don't really work. Ran just hangs in the air, pom-poms held low at her side, defeated by Amu's harsh words.

"They're not helping me!" Amu replies to Tadase in frustration, "they're just making me into something I'm not!" She points back at the dance game and exclaims, "That wasn't me! I can't dance like that! I'm nothing like that!"

"But Amu-chan," Ran pipes up, now, "All I did was help you be who you want to be! I unlocked your hidden potential to be so much more than you are! But it's still you; just ... not yet."

Amu blinks at the chara's words, then leans back a little and takes a deep breath. "Who I want to be?" she asks quietly. Who does she want to be? Even Amu isn't entirely certain of the answer to her question. Some small part of her really liked the reaction from the younger boys; liked feeling like she was the best at something. And she did like music. Did she want to be a dancer like that?

Amu looks to Tadase, then back to Ran, then lets out a soft sigh. "Look, it's not that I don't want your help, Ran," she says after a moment more. "I just ... need to make the choice for myself, okay?"

"Ohhh," Ran replies, as if coming to some massive epiphany. She suddenly flies forward and spins around Amu-chan's head, little pom-poms making noise. "Like a team! We can be a team, Amu-chan! I'll help you when you need me!"

Amu lets out a sigh of frustration. It really isn't what she'd meant, but it's better than what she had. And ... maybe it's not so bad, anyways. She glances to Tadase, then hangs her head a little. "Sorry," she tells him, and then says, "Ran, just go eat your ice cream, okay?"

"Ice cream!" Ran replies exciteldy, rushing towards the table.

With Ran gone, Amu looks to Tadase uncertainly, as if waiting for him to scold her further.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase looks up. It's obvious Amu is having more trouble with Ran than he had with Kiseki - he's understanding of that. But it's also hard to watch her be so hostile with something that has her best interests in mind (if not in purpose) and is also a part of her. So he's glad when it seems like they come to some sort of less-hostile agreement. "Hinamori-san, believe me, I understand it can be disconcerting and a little scary - and embarrasing - when that happens. When suddenly you find yourself acting in a way that seems shocking. But those eggs, and the Charas inside them - they're born from you. They're a part of you. They're your dreams given form - and if you don't believe in them, they'll fade away." he says, trying to let all of his worry away and just be compassionate. "That's why it's important that you try to work with them, like Ran said."

"And you must have a lot of dreams, to have three. That's why I'm supposed to let you keep the lock."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
The lock. Amu reaches up to her neck, but the lock isn't there. It's in the bag, back inside. Tadase's words, though, give Amu plenty of reason to feel guilty for how she's treated Ran. She's just about ready to voice that when, "AMU-CHAN!!!!!!"

"Huh?" Amu asks, confused by Ran's overly excited worrisome tone. She rushes inside, leaving Tadase behind. "What is it, Ran?" she asks as she nears.

"Amu-chan, an egg is gone!" Ran tells Amu, highly distressed.

"Oh no," Amu says, then grabs up her bag and gently puts Ran back inside. "We have to go look for it. Come on. Let's go tell Tadase-kun."

"Mm!" Ran agrees, riding in the leather bag with her arms sticking out over the edge.

Amu rushes back towards Tadase--probably meeting him half-way as he's coming in behind her--and tells him, "One of them is missing. I have to find it." See? She does know they're important!

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase turns - hearing Ran. He looks at Kiseki, who didn't go inside with her to eat ice cream (shockingly) who shrugs. It takes a moment for Amu to get back, and when she does, she's in a bit of a panic.

"Missing? One of your eggs?!" he repeats back. He's in a rush and a panic, too. "Well, we have to find it! What happened?" he asks. Then, after a moment of thought, he turns to Kiseki. "Kiseki, you'd know if Ikuto was here right? I know he tried to steal them before."

Kiseki muses. "I think I would but... No, I would /definantly know/ if that cat was here." he says, his tone change obviously expressing some likely undue certainty.

"Well, I hope not. But then... it must have gone somewhere, right? It can't have been missing for long, right Hinamori-san?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto might be following Amu. Or it might just be coincidence. It wouldn't be the first time Ikuto's been at a location Amu's at. In a city as big as this you'd think that would be a taller order, but hey. he's not going to complain. He's after that Lock, and those unhatched eggs anyway. They could hold the answer to all his problems! If one of those eggs is the Embryo, he could...

Currently Ikuto's still in his school uniform, walking around the city. Yoru's on his shoulder, trying to get him to go somewhere they could go play. Ikuto has work to do, though, so he's scouting a place for that. The Game Center's usually a good place, so he's found his way there, wondering where he should set up shop this time. The roof? Upstairs? In the gaming area itself? That might be a bit weird, though, and he might get run off before...

Suddenly Yoru interrupts. "Ikuto!" The boy pauses, looking over his shoulder at the little Chara. Yoru puts his face out, shuts his eyes, and sniffs a few times. "I smell an egg-nya!"

"Where?" Ikuto inquires. Yoru points, and Ikuto starts off in that direction. And he sees the little blue thing bouncing its way towards the park. He recognizes that egg! Now, boys and girls! Let's everyone follow the bouncing egg~! Bounce, bounce, bounce...

He smirks, and zips towards the egg, dipping down to grab the egg, and heads for the park himself. He doesn't pop the ears yet. Too many people around.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
The little blue egg lets out a faint gasp of surprise as it's picked up. Miki pokes her face out from the crack in her egg's shell, then her eyes widen before she ducks hastily back inside to hide. Well, this is a bit more adventure than she bargained for! Miki's face turns cross as she considers it. "Still better than disappearing," she mumbles grumpily inside her shell.

Meanwhile, back at the Game Center Crown, Amu is about as close to panic as she has ever been. "I just had it when we sat down for our milkshakes. I put my hand in the bag to feel their warmth again, and," that's when Tadase had overheard her mentioning how much trouble they were. "Maybe it fell out on the ground inside," she says, then rushes back inside to start looking, more than willing to crawl around on hands-and-knees even in her dress, if that's what it takes to find the egg. Visions of someone stepping on the thing flash through her mind, and she increases the pace of her search.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase is also none-too-proud a King to help a subject with their search on hands and knees - but a few moments after he joins her, Kiseki goes... well... ballistic.

"Tadase! Tadase!!!" he shouts, yanking on his hair. "I feel it. That theiving cat. He's nearby. He wasn't before but he is now, I think! Or something! But I know he's nearby.

Tadase makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like he may be stifling a swear. "I just know he's got something to do with this." Tadase says. Kiseki nods. "That black cat is nothing but trouble!" Kiseki says.

Tadase moves over to Amu. "Hinamori-san, Kiseki says that he sensed Ikuto - that same boy who tried to steal your eggs. He's nearby, and I'm going after him." he adds. If Amu keeps searching, he'll go after Ikuto alone. He can't help but consider him at fault for this - and anything else that goes wrong BUT ALSO THIS.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Yoru's voice interrupts Ikuto's journey to the park. "Oh whoa. Wait, it's not..." He trails off. "Ikuto, the egg-nya..." Ikuto pauses, finds a secluded spot. This turns out to be an alley near the Game Center that he ducks into.

Holding the egg up where he can see it clearly, Ikuto states, "...Come out, I know you're in there."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Well, since they know. The egg opens again, revealing a small blue-haired Chara in a pageboy cap. She floats out, half-dignified, half sad, and stands bravely in front of Yoru and Ikuto. "I'm Miki," she introduces herself.

"Ikuto's here?!" Amu asks, worriedly. "Ran!" she calls to the other chara.

Ran dives back into Amu's bag as the girl jumps up off the ground. She's only a few steps behind Tadase as they rush to try and find Ikuto--and presumably Miki.

"You're that mean cat who tried to steal my egg," Miki observes of Ikuto. "Amu-chan doesn't believe in me, though, so I'm probably going to disappear soon. Will you take me to the park with the penguins, first? I want to draw a penguin before I disappear."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase is all but charging at Ikuto - there's a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand /the moment/ he sees Ikuto with Miki's blue egg. Tadase is too angry at him to insult anybody properly - but that's okay! He has Kiseki. "You should stop taking things that don't belong to you, you filthy cat. This is becoming a problem. You should see someone about it. After we beat the hairballs out of you!" There is a reason Threats, Insults, and Confession Turndowns are the Department of Kiseki.

Tadase adds in. "What is it with you and stealing this girl's eggs?" he adds - since it's twice now. "You're never getting the lock, you're not keeping the lock, and Easter is gonna lose."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto seems surprised as the egg just opens, and the Chara inside steps out. But... he blinks at the mention that Amu doesn't want her. He's never heard of that, either. yoru even seems a little sad to hear that, and his ears droop a little.

But as for Miki's request? "...There aren't any penguins there," Ikuto replies. "No real ones, anyway." Penguin decorations? Maybe. But no real ones.

Suddenly Yoru gets an idea! "The library! There's computers there, and you can watch a video of a penguin-nya!"

Though suddenly there's a little prince there, royally declaring how much of a horrible person Ikuto is. And in response? Ikuto smirks. "How else can I get her to come to me?" That smirk turns lecherous. "There's something... special about a girl with three heart's eggs. Don't you think?"

In all seriousness, he knows Tadase likes Amu. Making the little king think he's trying to 'steal' Amu? Just one more thing Ikuto can use to make Tadase hate him.

Looking to Miki, he says quietly, so low that hopefully Tadase can't hear him, "...Sorry about this." And then? His cat ears appear! He makes a grab for Miki-- gently now, he doesn't want to hurt her-- and makes to leap away. That library seems like a good idea. Or maybe he can find Amu later, on his OWN terms, and reunite her with Miki...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Miki's expression seems to fall even further as Ikuto explains there are no penguins at the park. Her shoulders droop, and her whole body literally drifts down towards the ground, as if she's got no will to keep herself afloat anymore.

When Tadase rushes up to accuse him of thievery, Miki grows interested again. Her eyes behold the Kiseki, and oh but those might just be sparkles. "Wow," she murmurs quietly ... just in time to be snatched out of the air by Ikuto.

Amu rushes up behind Tadase, uncertain what she should do. "Give me back my egg!" she yells after Ikuto. But he's already jumping away, rushing off into the city. "Ran, can we transform, again?" she asks the Chara, desperate for a way to catch up.

"Yes!" Ran replies, half excited because she gets to be helpful, and half excited because even asking for her help means Amu believes in her!

"My Heart, Unlock!" Amu declares loudly, drawing the humpty lock out of her bag. The lock begins to glow with a brilliant light that rapidly encases Amu's whole body. A brilliant light so full of hope! Her clothes seem to fade into the light, only to be replaced by another outfit: a visor, cheerleader's top and skirt, and a pair of sneakers and leg warmers. "Amulet Heart!"

Amulet Heart jumps into the air, high enough to soar!

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase listens -for a little bit, anyways - to what Ikuto has to say. Right about until he gets that creepy smirk on his face. He gets slowly angrier and angrier and then just loses it, his hands balling into fists. He's been partly called out on it, and it shows. It shows through petulant, yet somehow righteous, anger. "Hey did you even listen to me you big dumb cat? You're not stealing ANYTHING!" he shouts at him.

There's that same golden glow coming from Tadase. "Kiseki, now!" Kiseki is, at this point /already in his egg/ because Kiseki hates Ikuto as much if not more, and Kiseki can feel what Tadase feels. "MY HEART: UNLOCK!"

There's a bright flash of gold, and where Tadase Hotori stood a moment ago stands Platinum Royale, dressed in dazzling white frills and weidling a much more ornate scepter. The standard henshin wink doesn't even come this time. He has a focus. And while transformed with Kiseki, his focus burns much more brightly.

"I AM COMING FOR YOU IKUTO!" Platinum Royale shouts as he jumps in a massive leap after Ikuto. Sure, he's gonna protect Amu and get her egg back. He's just currently convinced the best way to do this requires him to put Ikuto on the reciving end of a beating.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
...Well, this just got real, REALLY FAST. As soon as he notes the henshins, Ikuto smirks. Good. He's stopped on the roof of a nearby building. And when he sees Tadase leap up in that frilly outfit, he looks to his own Chara. "Yoru."

"Nya!" comes the response. Ikuto's body starts to glow before the transformation even starts.

"Ore no kokoro: UNLOCK!"

Yoru disappears into his egg, and that egg merges with Ikuto. Tail appears from that glow, then the cat ears grow into place. A sharp claw appears on his wrist, and his outfit resolves into that black leather cropped top and pants with the long strap between the knees. The glow retreats into a cross-shape on his chest and then breaks away to reveal the large silver cross on the front of his shirt.

CHARA NARI: BLACK LYNX

He touches down, Miki still held in hand. he waits until both Amu and Tadase have gotten to the roof, and then asks, "Does it matter if I steal a dying Chara? I thought no one wanted her anyway?" To Amu, "She'll disappear if you don't believe in her. So what does it matter what I do with her?"

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Tadase can transform, too!? Amulet Heart is mystified by the sight of Platinum Royale, and if she weren't desperately trying to undo what she is coming to think may have been a huge mistake, she might stop to stare at him. Such a dreamy prince.

Miki struggles to try and free herself from Ikuto's grasp--just enough that she can really see what's going on. When Amulet Heart draws near, she seems a little awed by the girl's appearance. That is what a Guardian Character is supposed to do! And if Amu has managed to believe in Ran enough to transform, maybe she could believe in Miki, too? But no, Miki crosses her arms angrily and glares at Amulet Heart. No it's very clear how Amu feels about her. Isn't it?

Amulet Heart slows herself and touches down on the edge of the roof near Ikuto, then clutches her hands together nervously. Rather than address Ikuto, though, she speaks only to the little Chara in his hands. "He's right. I'm sure you ran because you heard what I was saying to Ran, but the truth is, I'm just confused and scared and I don't know what I'm doing. A few weeks ago I was just an ordinary girl with no friends and no idea who I wanted to be. I still don't know, but I believe in you! I believe in you, and in Ran, and I want to figure all of this out. Just give me a chance, okay?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase lands just behind Amulet Heart - Platinum Royale can cover space, but he's definantly the slowest at it of the three of them - and he actually makes a priorities check. He stops yelling at Ikuto. So he can help Amu.

"I'm sure Amu's just trying to figure things out one step at a time." he says, out loud, to the little egg. First priority. "It can be confusing to deal with one character, and now she's already got two. That means that she must have a big dream. But that also means she needs all of you. I think she knows that, regardless of what she said in frustration." he adds. "And if you weren't important, she wouldn't have run so hard or so fast to catch the guy who stole you! I could barely keep up!" this is also true.

"Ikuto, you can't win a two on one. Last time it didn't work out for you. Why don't you just put the egg down and walk away. Taking away the egg of a girl who's just trying to sort herself out? You really have changed..."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Surprisingly, Ikuto doesn't grow cross at Amu not addressing him. In fact, he turns his attention to Miki-- who would find that moving so she could see the goings-on isn't actually that hard. Ikuto's not holding her tightly. In fact, if she really wanted to, Miki could probably break completely free of his grip. It seems gentle enough.

Tadase's words get a smirk. "So have you. I remember you being tiny and defenseless. You have to learn to protect yourself before you can protect others, Little King." Yes, he knows Tadase's big hangup, wanting to protect everyone. "I've gotten stronger. Have you?"

He looks between the two of them, gears turning in his head. Then his gaze settles on Amu again. "Show me how much you believe in her, then." Ikuto actually releases Miki. "Chara Transform with her. If you can."

This might seem like an exceedingly stupid thing for a villain to do-- release the thing he was stealing from the good guy and tell the good guy how to use its power. Even if the 'thing' was a Guardian Character that belonged to the good guy anyway.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amulet Heart wastes no time, rushing forward with her arms outspread. Miki leaps out of Ikuto's hand as well, rushing towards Amu. "I'm so sorry," Amu says to Miki, as the blue-haired Chara joins her. "What's your name?" She really wants to know.

"I'm Miki," replies the Chara. "I'm a part of the dream you want to be; part of your hidden potential. Do you really believe in me?"

"Yes," Amulet Heart replies without hesitation, "even if I still don't know what that means. I believe."

"My Heart: Unlock!" Again, the lock begins to glow brilliantly around her neck, and Miki dives back into her egg with a wink. Ran's egg emerges from Amu, and for a brief moment she wears a blinding glow as if it were royal robes. Then, the glow transforms into an outfit: a long, flowing shirt with a ruffled front and wide tails, arm warmers and shorts, striped stockings to her thighs, and a pair of cute hiking boots. A big floppy hat forms on Amu's head, with a spade for a pin. "Character Transform: Amulet Spade!"

Amulet Spade whirls a paintbrush in her hands, and then sins it over her head. "Colorful Canvas!" she calls, and the brush begins issuing forth a slew of rainbow-coloured paint, washing over the rooftop in riot of colour and light, spilling towards Ikuto quickly.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase watches the goings on. He's not blind - he can see that Ikuto is doing something that's very, very dumb for a villian. He just has so much anger in his heart towards him (good job, catboy) that he's more likely to see it as a stupid move rather than a calculated nudge.

When Miki gets free, though, Platinum Royale lets out a little cheer. "Looks like you're wrong as usual, Ikuto!" he says. And then Amulet Spade (nice hat!) arrives, and attacks Ikuto, and well...

You'll be hard-pressed not to get Platinum Royale to attack Ikuto.

"HOLY JUSTICE!" he shouts, aiming his scepter at Ikuto and unleashing a bright golden blast of energy - and not one made for defense - at Ikuto. Well, he /did/ ask for it.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto views the Character Transformation... and almost smiles. Almost. The only thing that really stops him is the fact that there's suddenly A WAVE OF LIQUID LIGHT COMING AT HIM! No way he's going to dodge that much power. He quickly crosses his arms, the clawed arm in front, and tucks his head behind them to try to weather through the attack. His feline ears are laid back with the strain of keeping his footing. Amu is so strong when she believes in herself...

He knows then. Ikuto knows she's going to be there. He doesn't know in what capacity, but he knows she is one of those who will be there to cut Easter off at the knees when it's time. He feels immensely better knowing that.

And there's Tadase firing that golden energy blast at him. Already straining against Colorful Canvas, there's very little chance of him weathering this, too. Holy Justice connects, clashing with his claw and for just an instant it looks like he just might beat the odds, that he just might be able to withstand them both. But then the pressure becomes too much, and he's pushed back, right off his feet. He actually bounces on the roof a bit as he falls, and twists just in time to save himself from falling off the other side.

He lands in a crouch, his claw pressed into the roof to arrest his backward motion, leaving scoremarks in the surface of the roof.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
As the wave of colour splashes its way off the roof, Amulet Spade spins around once, then jumps back to the edge again. "Miki and Ran are mine, you pervert! Keep your hands off my eggs!" But she's not going to beat him while he's down; that just wouldn't be kind. So instead, she pops back out of Henshin entirely (wait, aren't they still on a tall rooftop!?) and reaches out to hug the blue egg.

"Miki," she says quietly to her chara, as she pokes her head back out of the egg. "I really will believe in you, if you'll believe in me."

"I already believe in you, Amu-chan. You're the whole reason I'm here." She pauses, then looks glum again for a minute, "But I really wanted to draw a penguin. Can we go to an aquarium sometime?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Platinum Royale is, of course, going to join in shouting at Ikuto. "You stay away from her eggs! You know what, just stay away from her alltogether unless you want a face full of energy! You can't be trusted." he says, shaking his fist. But, like Amu, he's done. He feels like Ikuto has 'learned his lesson' today. Not like he would've planned it this way or anything.

He, too, looks down the long drop - but as he's not out of henshin, there's only one thing to do. He leans down and suddenly scoops up Amu in both hands, princess style, and jumps off the roof, since only one of them can make the jump right now, and he is /not/ leaving Amu on the rooftop with a perverted thief catboy.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto straightens, then smirks at Amu's words. "You still have one egg yet to hatch," he reminds her. "Careful not believing in your Charas. You don't want to get an 'X' on that pretty green egg..." Yes, he totally is taking responsibility for the appearance of X-Eggs. Which it's... kinda his fault for real. Not that they're ALL his fault, but Tadase and Amu don't need to know that.

And the words from Tadase! Ah-ha, that sounds like Tadase's got some vested interest there. He actually chuckles. "Take care of your queen, little king," he teases as Tadase scoops Amu up. "I still have use for her yet." Also completely true, and the use is totally an innocent one. But again, they don't need to know that.

As Tadase jumps down, Ikuto leaps away across the roofs. The muffled voice of Yoru pipes up, "Aww... we lost her. I hope she can draw a penguin, like she wants-nya."

"Amu has her back. That's what's important. And we have something more important," Ikuto states.

"What do you mean-nya?"

"Amu's strong enough to deal with Easter," the boy replies.

"OH! I see what you mean-nya! We just have to point her in the right direction, she'll bring friends, and they'll bring Easter down around Kazuomi's big flapping ears-nya."

"Un." Ikuto comes to a stop, far enough away that he's out of sight, but close enough that he can still (barely) see Amu and Tadase. he smiles. "We just have to wait a little longer..."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu really hadn't even paid attention to where they were. She wasn't thinking when she transformed back into herself; all she knew was that she needed to talk to Miki; to spend some time making sure her little Chara believed in her. It was too important.

When Platinum Royale sweeps her off her feet, she almost flails out of his arms before she realises that a) She is in a dress several dozen meters off the ground, which means he's the only thing protecting her modesty and her physical health, and b) those are ~*Tadase's arms*~ she's in.

Amu's heart races, and for a short moment she begins to worry that he might notice. Her cheeks flush red with embarassment and excitement, and bless her spade, Miki actually grins and pulls out a sketchpad to start drawing.

Ran just chases them both down, flying around them at high speed cheering, "Amu-chan, Amu-chan! You're the Best! Amu-chan!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Once they hit the ground, Platinum Royale carefully sets her up on her two feet, takes a few feet back and -whumph- Kiseki and Tadase seperate. Tadase speaks up rather quickly. "Sorry that was so sudden - I wasn't sure how much longer my transformation would hold and I didn't want us to be trapped on that roof." he says, quickly. That's a reasonable explanation. It's pretty close to the truth. Jumping off like that with a princess in his arms was pretty awesome, though.

"I'm so glad you got your chara back. What's your name again?" he asks, turning directly to Miki with a smile.

Kiskei, meanwhile, has landed on Tadase's shoulder. It looks like the chara transformation may have been more tiring for Kiseki than it was for Tadase (and miles moreso than it was for Ran.) But he turns to Amu. "I'm glad you got it all sorted."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Miki is busy drawing away, though her eyes light up--perhaps it would be better to say they literally sparkle--as Kiseki emerges. She stares at the chara for a long time, then goes back to her sketching. "Miki," is all she says to Tadase, because there is art to be done.

Amu is still blushing when Tadase sets her back down, and she takes a step away from him as Ran and Miki float in the air around her. For a long time, she just stands there looking half dumbfounded, half entranced. Holy crap, ~*Tadase-kun just carried her like she was a princess.*~

Amu smiles at Tadase, but she doesn't have any words for him. She can't bring herself to tell him how she really feels, and Ran--for the moment--seems to have learned her lesson about forcing Amu to do things without at least asking. This will probably not last long.

"Yeah," Amu agrees quietly, instead. She smiles at her two Charas, and then pulls open the top of her leather bag, peering inside to the little nest she's made. "Two down, one to go," she says to no one in particular. "I wonder who you will be?" she asks the green egg. "No matter who you are, I promise I'll do my best to believe in you, too."