83/Caught in the Act!

Caught in the Act!
Date of Scene:	21 June 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Central Harbor
Synopsis:	Scorn attacks a couple of civillians, but a number of magical girls interrupt her!
Cast of Characters:	Hannah Sharpe, Gaofele Doiru, Mamoru Chiba, Sakura Kinomoto, Makoto Kino, Ami Mizuno, Haruna Kurosawa, Rei Hino

---

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
"GRANT MY HEART'S DESIRE, SOUL BIND!" yells out the figure hovering over the couple in the alleway- dressed as a witch and flying on a broom, in the night. The two, probably having just return from a lovely date at the local theme park, probably thought the alley would make for a good shortcut. It did not.

The man and woman yell out as they're forced to their knees as despair as they're locked in place. Scorn isn't making that same mistake again. No, no one's getting away this time- she can't let that happen!

Already, the feeling of magic in the air is already high, though the inheret darkness in the air begins to spike as she calls out "Grant my heart's desire! Soul Release!" she calls out. aimed at the male of the group, there's a brilliant flash of light as a wisps of white and sparkling silver are pulled from him and into the broom the witchgirl hovers on. "That's one...." she says as her attention turns onto the currently , still reeling girl down below.

There's a good spike in readings--- and those attuned to feelings of darkness and despair can almost feel this a good distance away, as she gets ready to cast again.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
With orders from a high ranking member of Eclipse, 'Miss White' is on the move. It might not be the Professor giving the orders, but if nothing else, she prides herself as a loyal minion.

Thus, Hannah has been out the past few days, searching for signs of others being drained. All she's gotten is a few Familiars, youma, and a Witch or two. Not her target, if useful enough.

Instead, two buildings over, Hannah is enjoying a pilfered ice cream cone while doing an Area Search. About the time that Scorn uses her powers and spikes the area's Darkness Magic, the woman lets out a muffled curse and drops her ice cream from pure feedback. /Ow/.

"No youma lets out levels of power like /that/." She mutters to herself. The boxer leaps from building to building until she has a nice, relatively safe vantage point. Another spell, and green lines of magic search through the area until they come across drainer and drainee(s).

She doesn't move just yet, Raging Tempest recording the procedings. A hand reaches a pocket and rubs the picture of Ao Karina. A woman, her best friend perhaps of all, now sitting in a hospital.

"...Business before pleasure. And at least confirm it, you dolt." She mutters to herself, tamping down that burst of anger and hatred that causes her lines of magic to swell.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
SHABOU SPRAY!

The attack comes out of nowhere and hits the ground near the witch, causing the fog to envelop the witch and reduce her visibility to minimum. Fortunately (or unfortunately for her), it doesn't keep her from hearing what comes next.

Prepare for Trouble!
And make it Double!

To protect the world from devastation!
To unite all people within our nation!

To denounce the evils of lonliness and despair!
If someone's in danger we're sure to be there!

MERCURY!
MARS!

Sailor Senshi! Blast off at the speed of light!
Surrender now or prepare to fight!

That's Right!

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura Kinomoto has been investigating a little herself, thinking that perhaps these comas are being caused by a Clow Card. And if they are, it's too dangerous to leave alone. Kero even suggested that it might be the cause of a card called The Sleep, which was enough to spur her on into the night!

So, flying on her wand and its magical wings, Sakura looks for signs of trouble or, well, just anything out of the ordinary. Tonight, she's wearing a cape-and-hood ensemble, dark blue to blend in with the night sky and pulled down enough to hide her face from anyone who might look up. The Sealing Wand is bright pink, of course, but with any luck, observers might just think it's a large bird.

Suddenly, there's a spike in magic, and Kero, flying in looping spirals nearby, heads straight for Sakura. "Sakura, heads up! We've got something, but it doesn't feel like a Clow Card. It's too big to just ignore, though! This way!" he says, and then he takes off toward the witch, Sakura following behind. If it's not a Clow Card, what could it be?

Makoto Kino has posed:
"And bringing up the rear, the Soldier of Thunder and Courage, Sailor Jupiter!"

In the thick of Mercury's fog, it's hard to see where Sailor Jupiter's bold voice is coming from, but Hannah and Sakura at least will be able to see the tall senshi in green standing posed on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the alley, a hand propped against her hip.

Privately, Makoto feels a little ridiculous. She still has some doubts about all these speeches, but after all, Mercury and Mars have been doing this sort of thing longer than she has, so she at least does her best to sound properly authoritative as she points toward Scorn and declares, "You'd better be prepared for the consequences of what you're doing!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Nighttime is a good time to patrol, especially if you're trying to be unobserved by most people. Hence why Gao is traversing the city, wandering by alleyways and crossing rooftops, looking out for signs of trouble -- whether it is youma or strange magic. It does wreak a bit of havok on his sleep schedule, but naps do help with that.

The surge of magic is enough to catch the forester Knight's attention, and he travels the rooftops, jumping gaps with help of bow and staff (and judicious plant magic, natch).

The first thing he sees as he approaches is a green-clad senshi standing on the roof on the other side of the alleyway. "/Another/ one?" he murmurs to himself, shaking his head slightly. Time to wonder about the bumper crop of Sailor Senshi later; something's going on, and whatever it is, it looks like it's currently in this alley.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"And hoping to rely on the element of surprise," a familiar, dry voice says under his breath from somewhere behind Jupiter in the fog, "Tuxedo Kamen is on the scene."

Dark-clad as he is, and without the dramatic lighting of the Sailor Senshi, he is, in fact, easy to miss. His words are just for Makoto at the moment. "I'm going to try and get them out while you're occupying her. She's giving me a headache."

That said, the tall young gentleman in black dives down through the fog and vanishes in the pooled darkness: he's making good on his word, and having a go at hoisting up the civilians to carry them away like a couple of sacks of flour.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Scorn is all set to finish the girl, off, then disappear into the night. Then that fog--- the same fog she encountered not but a few days ago, fills her vision, and stops her mid casting. She goes off into a frustrated yell. "Not again!"--- she says as the two go on their Team Senshi speech.

The raven wisps into existence on her shoulder, suddenly.

c+"Again they come!-- but you're not done! See it through! Give them their due!" the raven rhymes. "If you can't finish them off for good, I will find a student who would!"</span> it spouts.

She twitches a bit, visually at the coaxing by the raven, a cross between worry and frustration. "Arrgghhh-------SOUL REND!" she calls out and claws outward, a foul wind ripping through the alleyway- it'll push against the magical girls with a powerful gale force- that if they don't ground themselves, might find themselves being tossed into the walls of the alley--- though it's primary purpose seems to be to literarily eat the fog of the Shaou spray. It dissipates as the dark wind blows out.

"/I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES!/" she calls out at Jupiter, from her hovering broom position. "You're all in my way! You're going to make me lose another one!" she calls out. Nrg, if this continues, she'll have to be less picky about who she takes..... the look of unease on her face at this thought is apparent.

"You said I'd be ready! But this is too many! WHAT DO I DO, I HAVE NO CLUE! ARRGGGGH YOU BIRD YOU HAVE ME DOING IT TOO!" she yells in frustration at the Raven. The raven only cackles in delight. c+"Give it time, you'll talk in rhyme. As for the fight, show them your might!"</span>.

She raises her finger skyward, and calls out. "GRANT MY HEART'S DESIRE! BLACK FIRE!" she calls out- black flames spin around her fingers, before it explodes upwards, and outwards, like a fountain, aiming to cover the area in some sort of large, powerful saturation attack around her, small- darkness fueled explosions on the epicenter of the strikes of the fire.

The two figures are taken away. One's inert-- comatose- the others still hanging in there.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
Sakura and Kero soon come across the alleyway with all the strangely-dressed girls (and one guy) gathered, full of fog with some kind of evil witch flying over it! And down in the alley, two innocent victims, though they're being carried off by a dashing rogue! Who /is/ that masked stranger? "Sakura, focus!" Kero suddenly exclaims, bringing Sakura back to the here and now.

It seems that witch is casting some kind of evil spell! A wind to blow away the fog, and then evil fire that is set to blow up the alley! Flying down to the rooftop across from Makoto, she takes her wand in hand and draws a card, and with the yell of "WINDYYYYY!" the beautiful womanly form of Windy flies through the air, seeking to blow Scorn's magic away from her targets!

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury touches her earring, causing her visor to appear in front of her eyes. She then begins to tap rapidly upon her computer, trying very hard to scan the bird as rapidly as she can. She simply doesn't see anyone else, but Mars and Jupiter at the moment, but it's not hard to feel the wind suddenly kick up in the area, due to Sakura's Wind spell.

Rei Hino has posed:
Dark fire rains from above, and Mars immediate runs to avoid it. Her hair catches fire and she flails her arms while running away, but this kindof makes it worse and certainly doesn't solve anything.

After a moment she pauses and snaps her fingers. "Wait a second! I'm the senshi of Fire! I should know how to handle this." Mars thinks back to various Fire Facts she's learned over the years and comes up with a solution.

She stops, she drops, and she rolls. It works and the flames are put up. Now victorious, she stands up and strikes a "V for Victory" pose, her hair only lightly smokey thanks to the power of her henshin.

Mars knows what to do upon seeing Scorn and her Raven again. Mercury, Jupiter and herself have discussed it before. Time to see if this tactic even works.

"Rhyming Raven, I won't tolerate the way you're using that girl! I don't know what her motives are, but it's clear that you're the mastermind here!"

A white ofuda covered in kanji appears before Sailor Mars, held between two fingers. An aura of flame surrounds her as she begins to chant. "Rin. Pyou. Tou. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen!"

Mars, now with her magically charged ofuda, rushes towards Scorn and flings the paper talisman at the Raven. "AKURYO TAISAN!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Glancing over the edge of the roof, Gao spots a pair of familair faces -- well, outfits, really -- as well as /another/ Senshi he hadn't seen before! And... a witch with a ghostly raven?

No time to wonder, though: the firey barrage from Scorn causes him to scramble backwards slightly and strike his viney quarterstaff to the ground. "Forest Wall!" he calls out, bringing a barrier of plants up, curved towards him to help protect against the dropping flames. A sustained gust of wind from behind him causes him to look that direction, and he spots the cloak-clad wand-wielder.

"Thanks!" the forester Knight calls to the new arrival, then he lets the barrier start fading away slowly as he summons his bow. Looking down at Scorn and the Raven, he glances towards the fire-using Senshi, then adjusts his aim.

"Bramble Grasp!" Gao calls out as he looses the arrow, which peels into eight linked thorny vines that fly down in an attempt to bind the witch -- while still avoiding Sailor Mars, of course!

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
That raven...grates on Hannah's ears even from so far away. She's going to have that rhyming voice stuck in her head for /days/. Despite her irritation, she calls on her Evil Internship training.

Perform duty for professor now, strangle irritating minion /later/. Business before pleasure, Hannah.

Still, the girl is impressive. Measures of magical output, darkness levels, all sorts of juicey data that will make her partner weep in joy filter into her Device.

And best of all, the girl's desperation and desire call to her in a way that's almost frightening. Hannah can feel the ambition and desire, and it has her chuckling atop the roof.

"You really are interesting, little girl. No wonder they want you. Alright. Now, what to do..."

Senshi everywhere. That one man who used arrows on her. And of course, Hat Guy is around making himself a nuisance. Somehow, she isn't surprised.

It's about the time when Sakura starts blowing away evil fire and mist, and then Mars arrives on the scene, that Miss White makes her move.

Gripping her Device, it speaks up. "Transfer!"

As wind battles fire, and Mars throws her seal at what might just be the girl's power source, there's a fluttering leather coat likely blocking Scorn's vision for a moment as Hannah teleports in front of the girl. In a perfect arc, Hannah kicks a gust of wind aimed mostly at the flying ofuda to cut it apart with the force of physical power and magic, as well as add her own wind to stoke black fire against Sakura's wind.

Of course, this may well leave her to take some vines from Gao's thorn arrows straight to the barrier jacket if she gets there in time! If so, she gurk's aloud, scowling.

There's definite damage there, if so. But the girl is determined and strong.

"...Is this what composes so-called 'warriors of justice'? Ganging up on a girl, what, half your age!? Why not even the odds a bit?"

Then, she's whispering to the girl behind her, so only she can hear.

"Hi kid. How about some help? Long story short, I have people who can help you, and have personal business with you. You come with me, I help you fight. Deal?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Judging by the startled look she throws back over her shoulder, Sailor Jupiter had no idea Tuxedo Kamen was there until he spoke, but her surprise lasts only a moment before she answers with a firm nod. "Got it," she says, and as the masked man makes his way downward she turns her attention back toward the immediate problem at hand: Scorn and her raven.

Not that she gets a chance to do anything before that black fire erupts.

"Flower Hurricane!" Half on reflex, she spreads her hands outward to scatter petals into the air. The gust of fragrant, spring-scented wind surges out to join the power of Sakura's Windy in containing the flames, bolstering the other magical girl's power against the pressure that Hannah has added.

"Save the high-and-mighty crap for someone else!" Jupiter fires back indignantly towards Hannah and the witch-girl. "Whatever you're trying to do, how can it possibly be worth stealing so many innocent people's souls?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Outside the alley and a couple of streets away -- a hair's breadth away from a major pedestrian thoroughfare -- Tuxedo Kamen sets the civilians down, the comatose one lain carefully on his side. He puts a hand on the shoulder of the woman, masked face looking into her eyes carefully to see if she's in shock or at all aware, and then he tells her firmly, "You were attacked, but your friend fell into a coma like the others in the news, and the attacker thought he'd catch it, so ran away. Don't forget to tell the EMTs when they get here. The attacker ran away. I'm going to go help take care of this, okay? Here, dial emergency services--"

If she's not registering words, he dials himself; either way, he makes sure they'll get taken care of properly before leaving.

He takes the roofs back, and alights with the distinctive tap-tap of his dress shoes on the tarry, pebbled roof. "Miss White," his voice comes across, even as the smell of burning is going on in the alley below and people are beginning to hurl attacks, "Can you get the souls back to their true owners if you help her?"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Wind blows throughout the alley way, and many of Scorn's strikes are blown off target, she seems frustrated by this, but the Raven acts in surprise, as if it just sensed something familiar for a moment. It doesn't say anything , however.

Mercury is able to scan the Raven, while everyone else runs interference. It's pretty clearly dark energy. But something else becomes apparent to her---it's a projection. But a projection from where? Not that much is clear right now. There doesn't seem to be discernable source.

Mars goes to try to seal the raven, it's eyes narrow ---and it seems ready to say something when--- suddenly Hannah shows up, and cuts the ofuda into ribbons--- and tanks some of those incoming hits- like Gao's. This causes Scorn to blink in a confused manner. The raven never mentioned /help/. Similarly, the Raven also has it's eyes narrowed at Hannah. There is so much speculative eye narrowing going on right now...... finally, the Raven speaks.

c+"Are you from The Pact? You better be exact!"</span> it demands. Scorn sort of blinks. These are new terms to her. "Wha!? Why are you helping me!?" she asks confusedly, and bewildered. "Nrg--nevermind! We don't have the time! That jerk took my catch! This is a /waste!/. I need to be more heavy handed now!" she insists. "If you have a way out..."

The raven hisses. c+"We need that soul! You can't just let it go! Stay and fight! don't fly in fright!"</span>. Scorn frowns. "There's too many, can't you see! It's better to let it be! We have one! That's better than none!" she insists. The two seem to continue to bicker for a bit. Sometimes the girl rhymes, sometimes she does not.

Tuxedo Mask is able to get the girl to come to, who's greeted by the handsome , formally dressed stranger. She's able to dial off by herself she seems, when she goes to thank the handsome stranger---he's gone! Well. That's strange.

MEANWHILE, the two bickering baddies finally come to a consensus. c+"Bah! Fine! Have it your way! But we'll come back, and make them pay!"</span> the Raven says as it crosses it's wings all adamantly. Scorn merely hrmphs! "Fine--take me to.. these people! Or whatever!" she insists.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury blinks at the readout upon her visor. She double, then triple checks before she lets out a growl. "Mars! Jupiter! Hit the girl and Miss White. The Raven's just a projection." But the answer is clear, a projection of WHAT. Mercury is clearly confused, and that's not like her. Of course, her call if clear enough for anyone to hear, but her intention is clear...it's not to kill them, but to disable them. And anyone that has worked with her before knows her intention.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah isn't one to just back down in the face of a fight, particularly when Jupiter adds her own wind to the mix. She doesn't even need Raging Tempest to feel the power in Jupiter's blows, her own magic struggling against the combined force of Sakura and Jupiter. Her heel digs in, crushing concrete as she struggles to not get blown away from the two! A glance back to her newfound 'partner' may as well scream 'Do Something Fool!'

"Oh, save it! I do believe you were joining in on one of those 'high and mighty speeches' yourself not a few moments ago! If you 'Senshi' think you have the monopoly on self-righteousness, then get some therapy my friend!" Fires back Hannah in a fit of fury. There is far, far too much similar to herself in that attitude, and it just infuriates the magical girl.

This is not going to end well for anyone.

Especially given Gao's strikes have her covered in vines. Twitch. Straining, and leaving herself open to strikes as she struggles, those vines ripping apart from pure physical force, but certainly allowing those present a window of attack!

At first, it's to Tuxedo Kamen she responds. It's with an overwhelmingly casual shrug.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But if I were her, I would be a fool to not know how to undo my own magic. Either way, bluntly, I have personal business with this one. Stay out of it, Hat Guy, or you are going to have broken bones." She scowls here, all but snarling. Despite the damage from Gao, she looks determined.

Then she asides to Scorn.

The poor raven is utterly ignored here, and Hannah's brow twitches at the arguing.

"Good. Good thinking, kid. Hold onto my hand. Now, we need to keep these Senshi at bay until I can complete a long-range transfer spell. Put all of your magic into defending, and let us get to higher ground." She motions towards a rooftop, and leaps towards it, before offering her hand to Scorn.

The others present will feel and perhaps see powerful waves of magic growing around Hannah as she prepares a teleportation spell to a very specific place! But she keeps a minimal amount of strength in a free hand, ready to retaliate as she allows Scorn to take the forefront in magical defense!

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Wha- really? That newcomer's gonna start talking about ganging up on a witch who's stealing people's souls? "B-but I'm only ten!" Sakura protests, stamping a foot on the rooftop to emphasize her irritation. And while she certainly considered attacking the raven, Mercury's words shift her target back to Scorn.

"Windy, become a binding chain!" she commands her card, which, struggling against Hannah's magic, manages to push through thanks to Jupiter's help. It soars up after Hannah and Scorn, seeking to capture them in its powerful winds!

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Mercury's call brings a look of momentary confusion to Sailor Jupiter's face - the plan they'd constructed beforehand had been focused on targeting the raven, but if that's not going to work--

Any further pursuit of that thought is promptly derailed by Hannah's words; in an instant, Sailor Jupiter is bridling in fury. "Oh no you don't!" the tall Senshi fires back. The petal-strewn wind of her power still swirling around her, she leaps from her roofside perch in determined pursuit. "You wanna talk about fair, tell it to the people in the hospital! You guys aren't going anywhere!"

The shout is punctuated by the hand that she swings outward, a snap of her fingers that unleashes a bright, thin lance of electricity towards both Hannah and Scorn as they attempt to make a getaway.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao's eyes narrow as 'Miss White' appears, blocking the attacks. "Stop the draining first, then argue about 'fair fights' later!" he growls back. When civilians are in active danger, they need to be protected, fair odds or no!

He nods to Mercury -- capture the two, or at least disable them. Well, the vines seems to be working well enough for now; perhaps more of the same?

"Bramble Grasp!" he calls out again, and another set of vines flies down to entangle Hannah and Scorn.

Rei Hino has posed:
"Half my age?!" shouts Mars incredulously. "I know I have that whole 'mature beauty' thing going on, but she's about the same age I am!"

Well actually Scorn's older, but Rei's too competitive to admit that.

Mars looks as the tattered pieces of her ofuda scatter to the ground. It figures that the witch girl would have some way to defend against that attack, but she wasn't expecting a second girl to show up like that.

It's then that Mercury's words reach Mars. "It's just a projection?" she repeats. In that case, attacking it would probably be pointless. That Raven is dangerous enough as it is, but if it's just /projecting/ from somewhere.

Well it already wasn't simple, but now it's going to get complicated.

"Well I didn't want to, but I can't let you continue hurting innocent people!" shouts Sailor Mars to Scorn. "Don't you think there's a better way? I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, you don't have to go on like this! If you'll just open up to us, we can help!"

It may fall on deaf ears during a fight, but Mars still needs to say what needs to be said.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Scorn only looks wide-eyed at Hannah for a bit. But then she listens to Hannah... defending? Well. she can do that. She does, however, take Hannah's hand, as she hovers after her. She lands on her feet, and takes her broom into hand, as she settles in.. "Nrg-- I think I can do that. Why are these people even getting in my way!?" she asks.

The raven just sneers and turns to look at the oncoming heroes. The raven doesn't seem to LIKE being over-ruled, but the student is too new. Maybe /he/ misjudged the amount of heroes these actions would draw out. c+"Try as you might, you can't win this fight!"</span> it calls out at the heroes.

Mercury calls out battle strategy, as Sakura tries to bind around them. Scorn uses her free hand to raise the broom and point it at Sakura like a wand. "MY HEART'S DESIRE, SOUL REND!" she calls out, a burst of black, foul wind expelling from the broom before, trying to cut through the attack before it can reach her-- which she barely manages.

Ju"THIS ENTIRE WORLD IS UNFAIR YOU DOLT! ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO GIVE ME A JOLT!?"</span> she raises the broom high, and it absorbs the electricity, like a lightning rod. "LET IT BE, CAN'T YOU SEE!? YOU'RE ALL JUST GNATS TO ME!" she calls out, before the lightning is returned from it's ti"That's how you do it! See, nothing to it!"</span> it cackles, and also commits the sin of rhyming a word with itself.

Scorn just /glares/ at Mars, and that's all she gets for a bit, then she blinks, like she fell out of some sort of trance. "You can't possibly understand! Leave me be! Let me work!" she pleads. Her grip on Hannah's hand relaxes a bit.

Her eyes glance over to Tuxedo Mask, she blinks a bit at him. But no words.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I'm not in anyone's way, theirs or yours," says Tuxedo Mask irritably, still not moving from his spot about ten or twelve paces back, crossing his arms; his cape whips around in the wind, and his hat magically stays on. The irritation dissolves, though, into a strangely earnest and actively hopeful plea, "Please try. And you, miss-- please explore all the options you can; Miss White may have access to an easier and better way to get what you need. Taking souls can't be all there is."

As the winds rise and the sounds of the attacks flying back and forth increase, he takes a few more steps back and cups a hand around his mouth to call louder, "Please just try, you two!"

And then he leaps away, back the way he came. Apparent exit, stage second star to the right.

Of course he loops around back on the ground to lurk watchfully, most of his focus on minding things headed for Mercury and Sakura, but keeping an eye on the whole fight.

Rei Hino has posed:
Mars frowns as she hears the girl's reaction. "Maybe we would understand if you explain it!"

Well, that may be a false promise that Mars might not be able to keep, but she wants to keep reaching out.

"Can't you see that you're just causing more pain by doing this? How much suffering are you going to cause just to ease your own? There's still time to stop this!"

Yet, at the same time, other magical girls around her, most of them unfamiliar to her, are getting attacked.

"I can't just let this be," shouts Mars over the din of combat. "We might fight today, but I hope you'll change your mind. When you do, we'll be here for you. Please understand."

Mars's gloved fists are covered in searing flames, and Mars runs up the nearby alley wall to reach Scorn's height. She half-expects to be intercepted by 'Miss White', in which case Miss White will get a flurry of firey punches headed her way. If Mars isn't intercepted, then those firey hands will reach for that broom.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Windy is blown away by the dark magical girl's power, Sakura crying out in panic for her card! "Sakura, it's okay, Windy just returned to her card, just focus on stopping them." Kero consoles her with a gentle pat on the shoulder, and with a sniffle, she nods and stands up tall again.

"The world is unfair, but you can change that! Never give up hope!" she yells at Scorn over the noise of the battle, pulling out the Fly card and activating it with a call of its name, her wand sprouting its wings again as she mounts it like Scorn's broomstick. Flying a little above the witch girl, she then takes the Sealing Wand in hand once more, bringing it down at Scorn! Maybe if she can just seal the girl's magic, then...!

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
For a moment, almost as if Homura were here, time hangs. Hannah's head slumps, and then she waves both arms manically at Rei and Sakura.

"...ALRIGHT SO i AM TERRIBLE AT AGES, SUE ME! Sorry, okay!?" Comes the woman with an outburst, then time redoes itself in her brain.

And then hands are taken, and Hannah slinks back from the attack from Sakura. She's off-footed, thanks to so many blows her way! But Scorn manages, and the duo alight to the rooftops. Hannah lets out a breath of relief.

Jupiter's lightning is absorbed, and Hannah kneels to concentrate. Indeed, she leaves defense utterly to Scorn as wind soon envelopes the two that grows louder and stronger. Every ounce of mana, to the point of her body visibly straining to contain it, starts to gather. Hannah Sharpe migh be a second-rank mage going by her linker core, but determination and purpose rule her mind.

Twitch. It's Jupiter's words that have Hannah faltering for but a moment. Then her magic re-alights.

"...Shut up! I know more about that than you know! SO STAY OUT OF IT UNTIL MY BUSINESS IS THROUGH, YOU FOOL!" Comes Hanah, utterly irrational and angry. It might be in Jupiter's direction, but that fury is as much directed inwards as outwards. A pathetic cry in the dark.

Gao's brambles leap out! Her single hand, aimed with the little bits of magic she can spare, slams down upon those encroaching vines! Most are shattered, heading for Scorn! But the rest wrap about her arm! Scowling, there's a glare to Gao.

"...Save morality for when you are not pointing a blade at me!"

Then, squeezing, she'll try to physically grab and lash those vines right back at Gao's general direction! It's a wild strike, however, far outside Wind Divination's sight range!

Hannah's hand squeezes upon Scorns as it slackens. Again, she whispers.

"Hang in there. You have a purpose, a desire, something you want no matter what, right? Welcome to the club. I know what it is like to want something, to bleed and be hated for wanting something. Good or bad, I do not have any judgements on you. Anything else? You seem like no one else is willing to hold your hand. So come on. There are people who desire and strive for greatness. Ones who can help you gain your own goals, as well as ours. These people? Nothing if we combine our powers. Here. Run away, if I cannot get you away in time. Go to that building, and ask for Desperaia. And please tell them 'Miss White' sent you? It will make my life easier. And yours, too." A nod, and then she concentrates on her spell as reality begins to warp. She also slips a convenient card with a number and address towards Scorn.

Can the Senshi and their allies disrupt it!?

Hannah smiles towards Tuxedo Kamen. Is he fleeing?

"On that much? YOu have my promise! TUXEDO KAMEN, I WILL FULFILL MY DREAMS AND THOSE THAT I LOVE THROUGH ANY OPTION!!!"

In Mars' case, there's no retaliation! She's clearly working on finishing that spell, but her words are offered instead!

"It is impossible to help everyone! No, not in this world! All you can do is grasp for those closest to you, and pray for the best! Sometimes, you have to hurt people! But...if you can change a single life, THAT CAN BE WORTH IT, MAIDEN OF FLAME! AND SOMETIMES THAT LEADS TO /REAL/ CHANGE!" Roars Miss White, furious in conviction as any physical attack.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Mars is right. There are other options. Sure, the world is unfair, but you must give your best to get the best out of life. Make friends, protect your friends, work hard to be the smartest, or the best. But there are always ways to find happiness."

She hesitates to assist Gao, since she knows Gao can handle himself. But her attention is fully upon Scorn and Miss White. "Good friends makes it all worthwhile." She says finally before smiling a bit. "We will be here for you, Scorn....even you, Miss White, should you decide to trust us. Until then, we shall be trying to stop you from taking anyone's souls, or their happiness."

"As you've heard us say before, we are the Sailor Senshi. Knowledge and wisdom." She gestures to herself. "Passion..." She gestures to Mercury. "And Courage....." She gestures to Jupiter. ".....We will help you with your problems if you want us to, but you must make the decision to LET us help you." She then holds out her hand. "Let us help you, Miss White...." She then looks to Scorn. "you as well....."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Petals scatter in all directions as Sailor Jupiter makes a three-point landing from her flying leap, the palm of a hand braced against the gritty surface of a rooftop. In the next instant, she surges back up onto her feet, hands clenching at her sides. Her fellow senshi are doing their best to reach out in compassion, and it's not that Makoto doesn't know she should be doing the same, but the way these two are talking has her dander well and truly up and it's all she can do to rein in a barrage of invective.

"If you expect us to just stay out of it, then answer the question I asked!" she shouts instead. "If you've got a reason, then tell us why! What's so important that it's worth ruining so many other people's lives!"

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah stands tall, even in the face of a smile and such kind words. She visibly wavers, for but a moment, only for her resolve to harden. She remembers the words of her Lab Partner all at once.

She can't be soft. Her eyes close, and she shakes her head.

"...Sailor Mercury, was it not? I respect your resolve and purpose. But, neither can I simply shy away from even /THAT/ option! Did I not just promise I would consider all means?"

"YOU MEAGER FEW CANNOT UNDERSTAND OUR AMBITIONS!" Howls the woman.

"The fury and despair of we who would be hated by others for our dreams! Only when your strength is equal to ours, shall you be worthy of unravelling our dreams! For the only thing that makes an ounce of difference in this rotten world is STRENGTH AND STRENGTH ALONE!"

And then, she kicks the air offering a gust of magical wind towards Ami!

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao hastily backpedals away from the edge of the roof as the vines are swung back at him. It's a good swing, striking where he had been standing moments before. He leans back over once the end of the vines fall back towards the ground, listening to the Senshi.

The forester Knight makes no immediate attack; instead, he waits as the Senshi try to get through to 'Miss White' and Scorn. A peaceful resolution is best... but Hannah does not seem interested, shouting at Mercury and the others about ambitions and strength, then unleashing a blast of wind.

"So be it," he growls, drawing another arrow. "Nettle Barrage!" The arrow fragments into a swarm of narrow shafts, peppering Hannah (and, to a lesser extent, Scorn) like a cloud of needles.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Scorn gives Hannah a worrisome look, she talks of things, and ideals, and they sound very -- familiar and reassuring. She gives her instructions in case things go bad here... "T-thank you." she says a little dumbfounded. Go that building and ask for Desperia---okay.

Though for now, she's still there, still dealing with heroes. Sakura flies overhead, and the Cardcaptor tries to hit her broom. The two connect as there's a sudden bright flash of light at the clash- it's enough to cause Scorn to recoil. Darkness and Light magic don't like clashing with one another. This also causes Scorn to shake a little on her feet... something--- something inside her didn't like that hit. "W..what did you do!?" she demands.

Mercury, Jupiter and Mars try to reach out, but she's suddenly weakened a bit. No, heavily. She has to close her eyes, and the words do enter her head, but she doesn't heed them. "You're--- all useless! You can't understand at all--- you won't understand!" she seethes through her teeth as she opens her eyes.

She raises her broom... "Grant My Heart's Desire! SOUL BIND!" she calls out as a wave of darkness spreads out from the broom-- trying to send all the heroes will pure hearts into despair--- Mercury and Mars will remember this. Hopefully they'll know enough to avoid the wave. Others will have to avoid the wave----or be sunk into immobile despair for a bit.

Gao's nettles impact her, and in her weakening state--- this causes her knees to buckle. She still keeps her grip on Hannah's hand as long as she can, and she barely stops from falling to the ground. "You...---um.... please. let's go-- I can't... I can't deal with this too much longer. Ignore them!" she seeths.

The raven is looking impatient through all this. Impatient and annoyed.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Wincing as Ami steps up and tries to talk friendship to the two -- normally a good idea! but this time Tuxedo Mask doesn't think it'll work -- the mysterious masked gentleman in formalwear crouches, ready to spring, waiting for Miss White to lift her arm...

...and there it is. He takes off, springing up and flipping overhead the Senshi to land in front of Mercury as the Device-user's attack blasts forth. He doesn't see Scorn's attack coming at all, so instead of hoisting Mercury up and away with no preamble, he takes the brunt of the blast of hurricane-force gale and just stops, sinking to his knees in front of the Senshi of Wisdom, unable to even fathom bothering to move.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    The Sealing Wand and Scorn's broom make contact, and a brilliant, blinding flash of light erupts from the wand's beaked tip, sending painful reverberations up through Sakura's arms and through her whole body as she's thrown back against the rooftop. Wincing at the fading pain, she sits up and tries to say, "Strength isn't just about power, it's about hope, and love, and using that strength to /help/ others-"

And then WHOOSH that wave of despair washes over her, and she curls up into a little, crying ball. "M-maybe she's right after all. Maybe, no matter what we do, we can't change the world..."

Kero, who managed to detect the magic in time and avoid it, alights on the young girl's shoulder, gently petting her cheek. He speaks softly, soothingly, trying to break her out of the magic-induced despair.

Rei Hino has posed:
Mars isn't intercepted or interrupted, but the sudden attack from the very broom she was going for forces her to change course and continue running up the building. "WATCH OUT, EVERYONE!"

Rei wants to avoid the waves of darkness, but more than that she has to protect the ones who aren't aware of how dangerous the attack is. When she reaches the top of the building, she's in a position to hide on the roof and protect herself, but Mars isn't into the magical girl business to protect only herself. She's here to protect as many as she can.

Which is why she jumps back down to street level, standing between Scorn/Hannah and most of the rest of the group. "Maybe my light can banish your darkness."

"FIRE SOUL!"

Roaring flames pour upwards from her hands, palms upwards. The fire grows and spreads, and Rei thrusts her hands forward, trying to create a giant wall of magical flame to push against the wave of dark power that comes down on the forces of good below.

It might not do much, but it's the best she can hope for while improvising attacks.

"Everyone, don't give up! Don't give into dark feelings!"

The dark wave is strong as it was before, and Rei falls to one knee trying to defend against it, but she keeps pouring her fire into it, draining her own energy in the process.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao hears the warning from Mars -- right before Scorn's Soul Bind washes over the area. He staggers back, collapsing to the roof as he curls up into a ball. Was the whole point of coming to this world pointless...?

The warmth of Mars' wall of fire isn't close, but the Senshi's words carry, and it gives him something to hold on to. "Gotta stay strong, gotta be there for Rune, gotta help Waldia, gotta keep going, gotta stay strong, gotta be there for Rune..." he murmurs repeatedly, a mantra to fight against the darkness trying to dampen his spirit.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Our hand will always be there for you if you need...-EEP!-" Mercury manages to get out before Tuxedo Kamen whisks her away to block the pair of attacks with his body. "Tuxedo Kamen!" She manages to gasp out before he lands, and he's hit by the magical wave of despair. Mercury is spared, but Tux is hit full force....and when he sinks to a knee.

She knows exactly what he might be feeling, but not his thoughts. "No....Tuxedo kamen." She says as she moves over to him on her hands and knees, then lowers herself to her knees, looking at his mask. "Fight it, Tuxedo Kamen. Know you have friends here, and will always have them." She then places her left hand on his cheek.....letting him know she's there. Suddenly, something incredibly uncharacteristic comes from Sailor Mercury.....when she yells at Tuxedo Kamen. "FIGHT IT!"

There's a switch.....

Makoto Kino has posed:
Hannah's impassioned words, followed by Scorn's insistence once again that they won't understand - it all combines to push something in Sailor Jupiter past the limits of her tolerance. The change is visible on her face, the bright spark of frustration dying away into something hard-set and much, much calmer.

"That's it, huh?" she says, and her voice is heavy and flat.

Fortunately for Jupiter, she's had the benefit of forewarning from Mercury and Mars' previous experience - not in this specific detail, maybe, but anything associated with the words 'soul bind' can't be good. As the wave of dark power sweeps out, Jupiter leaps clear, mostly. The fringe of the spell brushes close enough to send a rush of cold water through her veins, an upwelling of hopelessness that reaches black fingers toward her heart... but though she's gasping for breath as she lands once more, the steady white-hot glow of the feelings in her heart is - if only just - stronger yet.

Overhead, the black sky rumbles with thunder.

"Sorry," Sailor Jupiter says. She's not shouting now, though her voice rings out clearly enough. "Maybe you have an important reason, but if you won't even bother to let us try to understand it, then we don't have any choice."

The slim antenna that stands from the center of her tiara sparks, a flicker of electricity that crawls along the metal across her brow as the charge within her builds. "We're not just going to let you go around hurting innocent people because you say so. People like you, thinking just because you're strong that gives you the right to do whatever you want to people weaker than you... I can never forgive!"

The heels of Sailor Jupiter's boots make a gritty sound as she squares her stance, spine straight; a bright flash of electricity arcs from one forearm to the other as she crosses her arms in front of her, fingers extended. The charge she's built up is a living thing, the air itself crackling with it. "My guardian star, Jupiter!" she declares. "Gather the clouds! Brew a storm! Call down the lightning!"

She throws her hands outward toward Miss White and Scorn, releasing all that built-up energy, and as she does, the sky splits open with a bolt of raw blue-white energy.

"SUPREME THUNDER!"

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah doesn't hesitate at her compatriot's words! Her spell begins to finally coalesce, the caster soon moving in front of Scorn after she offers her Soul Bind to the defenders arrayed before them.

She offers a confident, unconcerned smile as she tries to block out those others with pure physical presence as reality begins to twist.

"...See? Difficult to do things alone. If you have ambition, purpose, combine it with like minded people? 'Combined, our strength is greater than the sum of our parts'. Or something. I am bad at these kind of speeches, alright? Let's go home, kid. The name is Miss White. What is yours?" She offers, smirking in confidence, and perhaps, a genuine offer of friendship.

Tuxedo Kamen saves Ami, and Sakura is suddenly amidst despair! She can't help but a strike at the girl.

"Power is everything, little one. Without that? This rotten world just steps on you and crushes your bones. Think about that."

Nor is Mercury forgotten.

"...I want to believe that. You are an honest woman, Sailor Mercury. But circumstance leads to tragedy." A sad shake fo her head.

And then Mars appears, and fire fills the building they're on. In desperation, Hannah's arms wrap around Scorn, pulling her bodily towards her, shielding the other girl with her body from the fire. That leather barrier jacket holds, and then slowly burns away from the intensity of the flames. Eventually, even her kimono beneath and her magical barriers can do nothing. Purifying flame touches her skin, and she screams.

Teeth clench, and Miss White endures. Images of Professor Tomoe, and Ao flash in her mind.

"NO! I will not fail here, not again! Sailor Mars, I will remember this pain!"

But then Sailor Jupiter speaks. Hannah, breathing hard from Rei's strike, turns her sightless gaze upon the girl. Slowly, as she speaks, a grin comes to her face.

Hannah Sharpe begins to laugh, an utterly unhinged moment in the middle of the battlefield. She lets loose with all of her emotions, hate, love, despair, and hope intermingling as she listens to Jupiter speak of picking upon the weak, and that she has no choice whatsoever.

Her words hammer into her heart, guilt and fury mingling, but the single thought of those she's loyal to keeps her from passing out from pure pain. Lightning crashes down upon her, that electricity crashing upon fire-blazed skin to form a wail of suffering from the magical girl. She very nearly falls.

Shuddering, as the storm ends, barely on her feet, a blind gaze looks back to Jupiter. Miss White /smiles/ at the other girl.

"...You...really have some conviction, Sailor Jupiter. BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP! Right or wrong, forgiveness or hatred, I SHALL SEE MY DREAMS THROUGH OR PERISH!"

As she squeezes Scorn, magic bursts around her in a pure wave of anger, and the pair disappear, Hannah covered in burning fire, intermixed with Gao's sharp needles pierced into her flesh alongside Jupiter's magical electricity coursing through her veins.

"...You fools do not even recognize what is best for you." Comes her final words, ominously on the wind as the two are gone.

~~Elsewhere~~

The duo land before the investigation leader's office, the exact address and floor given to Scorn. Hannah, barely on her feet from enduring such a strike from Sailor Mars, deactivates Wind Divination.

She can't even tell if her investigation lead is there.

"...Miss White reporting in. We have the subject. Kid? Introduce yourself. These are my friends. And be polite, okay? For the love of God...shut that stupid bird up. And someone please call a medic." THUD! Down goes Hannah, exhausted and wounded.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Scorn can't say anything---- all she can do is go wide-eyed as Jupiter's attack rains down on her, causing her to yell out. She can't handle this... not anymore--- she has a lot of power, but no experience. "Argggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!" is all she can yell out. Her head begins to sing her into unconciousness herself, but she struggles, and keeps awake, and inert. It's pure force of will now....

"I won't... forget this....!" she snaps as the two dissapear off into the wisps of a transfer spell.

Strangely, the Raven /doesn't/ transfer along- it instead, hovers off her shoulder as Scorn dissapears.

c+"So far it's been Mercy I've shown, but it should be known! No more limits! I'll be free--- you'll see!"</span>

Then the bird dissapears into a poof of black motes and feathers that fall to the ground to the rooftop.

-ELSEWHERE-

Scorn collapses to the ground, minus a bird, before she lapses into unconciousness. Looks like a meeting will have to wait till later. Medics will see to them--- she'll get her meeting later.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The words ring hollow in Tuxedo Mask's magic-fogged mind. Hasn't he always been alone? It's only ever been him, for as long as he can remember. Him and a dream, and he's a fool to even believe that dream is real, nevermind think he could possibly do what the dream asks of him. His feelings have run strong and deep, endless burning frustration and loneliness and desperate belief and a tenacious hope, all neatly and firmly shelved in favor of practicality, in favor of making sure that those stronger than he is remain able to fight.

And now he's not even accomplishing that; Mercury is distracted by his weakness. He doesn't have friends. He's a liability. He can't even carry on civil conversations with people he likes without making them angry. He's--

Mercury's hand touches his face, and that thread of empathy, her determination and fierce hope and, despite the coldness people think she possesses, the abundant love unlocked by someone dear to them both-- her emotion breaks in at her touch, providing a light in the pit of abyssal despair. He looks up at her, eyes still empty and blank behind the mask, but starting to focus. And then she yells at him and his focus snaps to.

Very briefly, Tuxedo Kamen lays a hand on top of Ami's, and he gives her a grateful (and somewhat wry) smile. "Senshi of Wisdom," he says quietly. "Thank you."

With that, the youth gets a little unsteadily to his feet, then glances around at the wreckage. "The little girl, can you find her? I have to check on the civilians I dragged out, make sure emergency services picked them up." He presses a piece of paper into Ami's hand, then leaps up, vanishing into the night.

Sakura Kinomoto has posed:
    Sakura's trapped in that despair, thoughts of a world of darkness closing in on her, taking away all of her friends and family, running through her head. Is she really powerless to stop it? There are a lot of scary, powerful people and monsters out there, and she's just one scared little girl. Even Kero's words of encouragement and soft paw on her face do little to reassure her.

But Rei's flames draw her attention. That light, that warmth, that compassionate flame, the sight of it fills her heart with hope anew. Sitting up and wiping away her tears with a sniffle, Kero taking off to hover before her and make sure she's alright, she says, "There might be a lot of them, but... but we're not alone either. Everything will surely be alright."

Hopping down to the alley below with a little help from The Fly to soften her landing, she pulls her hood down a little to cover her features and bows to the others. "Thank you all for the help. It's a pleasure to meet you." She also wants to get a better look at that masked tuxedo man, but he's already gone, prompting a pouty frown.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
As the source of the crushing despair departs, Gao finally regathers his composure enough to crawl back to the edge of the roof. "Everyone alright down there?" he croaks, still rather unnerved by everything.

Makoto Kino has posed:
In the relative peace that settles after the two have disappeared, Sailor Jupiter lets out her breath in a quiet groan. "Ugh. That was a total failure."

She takes a moment to regard the others from her own rooftop vantage before, satisfied with what she sees, she vaults down to join them, landing in a crouch on the street below. "It looks like everybody's all right...?" she answers Gao's hoarse question, looking to Sakura and her fellow Senshi with a questioning expression that seeks their confirmation.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury smiles as she sees Tuxedo kamen's eyes begin to focus. "You're welcome, Tuxedo Kamen." She says just as he shoves a piece of paper into her hands. She glances at it before she looks back up and....finds him gone. "I was able to help him. Finally." She says with a smile. She glances at the paper again, but then turns to look for Mars and Jupiter.....and Sakura and Gao. "I'm all right, Guardian." Mercury answers him....she's still curious about the slip of paper though.

Rei Hino has posed:
Mars's flames subside as her target is spirited away. She considers, for a moment, firing one last fireball at the lingering Raven, just to land at least /one/ shot on the thing, but the creature vanishes before she can even gather the strength for another blast.

Instead, she turns to Sakura and says, "It's good to meet you, too! I'm Sailor Mars, and this is Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter." She gestures towards the named companions as she introdues them.

Mars walks over to Mercury, saying, "That was a little too close for comfort. We've already seen what that blast can do. Mercury, were you able to find out anything else after scanning the... the projection?"

She of course is referring to the Raven.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Turning to Mars, Mercury sighs a bit, even as she fingers the piece of paper, that happens to be Tuxedo Kamen's phone number. "You were right about the raven, Mars. However, it's part of a MUCH larger force. That's why it's so powerful." She then sighs. "I fear if this keeps up, we'll have to attack them in full force." She then looks over to Gao...... "You might want to hear this too, Guardian." She says to Gao.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao stands up, still moving a bit slowly from that blast of sorrow. He hops off of the roof, oversized maple seeds appearing around him to slow his fall, then disappearing as he lands. "Well met, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter," he smiles to the Senshi he hadn't met before, then nods to Sailor Mercury. "I take it you've fought her before?"

Rei Hino has posed:
Mars frowns, resting a hand on her hip. "Yeah, that sounds about right, but if that's true then it's /much/ worse than I originally thought."

Mars hesitates for a moment, and then says, "... Maybe if I try fire-reading again, I could figure out where it was, but... that's not something I can do on my own. Whatever that Raven is, it's so powerful that even trying to get a reading on it is overwhelming."

"Also, that girl. If we could get her to sit down and talk to us, maybe we could get through to her. We tried, but 'Miss White' got in our way this time."

Mars glances down the alley that Scorn and Hannah were just in. "If we aren't careful, this could get worse before it gets better."

To Gao, she says, "The pleasure is mine, and yes we've fought her before."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter answers Gao's greeting with a wry, crooked smile and an answering nod. "Thanks for your help," she tells him, and then dips her head toward Sakura to include the younger girl as well.

The smile doesn't stay on her face very long before the current topic of conversation causes it to slip away into a much grimmer expression. "From what you said before," she says to Mars, "isn't there a chance that could be dangerous for you? Although," Jupiter has to admit, with a grimace, "it's not like I have any other options to suggest."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Guardian, as you know, this is Sailor Mars, the Senshi of Fire and passion, and Sailor Jupiter, Senshi of Courage and Thunder." Mercury says, getting the introductions out of the way. "And yeah, while everyone was distracting the witch, I managed to get a more detailed scan on the raven. It's a projection of a much stronger entity. So, I'm pretty sure this is going to get worse before it gets better." She says gesturing to Mars. "If you need to make a new reading, Mars.....I could come and help, if that's possible." She says before looking to Gao. "I'm sorry we couldn't warn you ahead of time, but once you experience that spell, you can fight it. the problem is, the first time nearly knocks the fight out of you...and any hope you ever had."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"At least I should be able to resist it better next time," Gao replies ruefully. "And maybe be able to help my friends, as well." He's not sure how well Rune could hold up to that kind of despair by herself; he certainly knows that he might have done better if she had been here!

"Anything I could do to help?" the forester Knight asks. The teamwork of the Senshi undoubtedly means that they're best suited for helping each other, but the threat to the general populace means that any help might come in handy.

Rei Hino has posed:
"It will be dangerous, Jupiter," says Mars, "Which is why I can't do it by myself. I'll need strong friends around in case something happens."

Mars hasn't really put herself in /danger/ during an actual reading before, so she kindof doesn't know what to expect. Yet with the threat of being passed out, or worse yet /noticed/ by a being that can project things like that raven at a distance, she's not sure that it'd be wise to go forward without at least first taking some measures.

"It will be dangerous, but we put ourselves in danger all the time, don't we? That's our job, as soliders."

To Mercury, she says, "Thanks, Mercury-chan. I can't make promises about how it will turn out, so be ready for anything."

To Gao, Mars shrugs, "I'm not... sure if you can." Mars doesn't want to say 'no' right off the bat, but bringing Gao to the shrine would certainly give away who she was, though it may be possible to hold it somewhere else that doesn't point to anyone's secret identity. "We'll have to plan ahead before we get into it, in any case."