View source for 1269/Sanctuary

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/03/25
|Location=Mitakihara - Downtown
|Synopsis=Blue Lotus goes out to retrieve her hidden book. She calls for backup, but goes uncontested.
|Cast of Characters=136,66,141,29,85,77,102
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The girl known only as Blue Lotus has been laying low for the past several days. She had sent her message of thanks to Virtue, but otherwise had remained out of sight, perhaps hoping that the issue of the missing book would fade from the consciousness of her pursuers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A stony silence has been emenating from Eclipse's leadership, which translates to 'we're waiting'- never something it's good to hear. Or not hear, as the case may be.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, though, it seems that Blue Lotus can wait no longer. On a sunny afternoon, she exits the building she had been hiding in, a nondescript apartment building, and begins making her way downtown. She goes in henshin- it seems she's never without that mask hiding her face. She goes by way of the rooftops, leaping from one to the next nimbly. At the same time, she sends a text out on her Virtue phone- 'Blue Lotus attempting retrieval of item that was sought by Eclipse. Any backup would be welcome', along with GPS coordinates.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Reiko Touyama was carefully taking a sharp awl to a piece of soft plastic. Chip, chip, chip, (syrup, whip!?)-- she wanted to carve a koifish into a soft plastic mold to use as a base for sculpting a chocolate koifish ever since White Day.<br /><br />Then that Rainbow Phone suddenly goes off and she sort of fumbles for it before it vibrates it's way straight off the table as she peeks at it. "Huh... oh!" she smiles. "Something Adventureous maybe!" she says.<br /><br />And off she goes, as Prism Keeper Orange into the air. "Apparently. Someone needs help." She's here to help.<br /><br />She doesn't quite know what an Eclipse is. Besides the astromonical term- she still needs to learn a bit-- and pass the rest down to the rest of the team. For now- she's following the GPS corrdinates using that same Rainbow Phone as she squints at it. "Should be...."<br /><br />She looks down at the hopping figured between rooftops. "Is that her?" she wonders. Well. She looks like it should be.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Anything to get out of the house. Anything to get out of his own head. So when Kukai's phone vibrated, he gladly tossed the soccer ball he'd been practicing with in the backyard back into his apartment, taking the time needed to run up the stairs to text Amu's main phone. <br /><br /> TXT to Amu Hinamori: Amu, remember the bookworm girl from the other night in the rain? She needs us again. Here's the location. Wanna come? <br /><br /> His prized ball goes into his room, and he calls out to his brothers that he's going back out. Up to the roof to Transform with Daichi, Eru riding shotgun in his pocket, as he sails off towards the meeting location. <br /><br /> Something inside him hopes there's lots of Eclipse there. Some smaller part hopes Utau's there again, no matter how mad she is at him.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The incident with a stranger - an unknown to Rune at least - calling for 'sanctuary' had stuck in her mind, but she just didn't understand what was going on with it. And thus it remained a concern in the back of her mind, while patrolling Tokyo for something, /anything/ to help her find out more about Fate's situation dominated her time lately.<br /> <br />Prism Keeper Orange is not investigating the same thing Rune is, but seeing the vaguely familiar color-guardian in the sky above is enough to get Runealy's attention and she sprints to chase in the same general direction!<br /> <br />While not transformed yet, the idea is on her mind as something that may become really relevant, really soon.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu was honestly planning her evening out when the text came in. She really hadn't expected at ''all'' to get a Virtue-related call. On the other hand, she never does; especially since she gave her phone to Reiko.<br /><br />Nevertheless, Guardian Business or Virtue, Amu has agreed to come--for now.<br /><br />"Ran, Su, Miki," she calls to her Charas, then dashes for the window. "Yoru, stay here," she says over her shoulder.<br /><br />And then she's out onto the balcony, and with a, "<span style="color:#FF6961">Hop, Skip, Jump!</span>" Amu and her charas leaps into the air, texting Kukai back as she goes.<br /><br />TXT to Kukai Souma: WTF, no plan or schedule? FFS. OMW.<br /><br />At least she's dressed for the occasion, today, in forest green shorts, a white teeshirt, and tall black-and-white striped stockings beneath her boots

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And it seems Eclipse has chosen tonight to act as well. Silence on the part of Eclipse does not always mean 'doing nothing'. In this case, it means 'we have been watching'. Each night since the book disappeared, Death Rebel has been out and about, searching the city for any sign of that Blue Lotus mask until the sun came up. Tonight is no different; Death Rebel leaps over the rooftops silently, birdlike visor-mask in place, scythe in hand.<br /><br />Except there is one difference tonight. Death Rebel finds a sign of the mask. And then there is the alert-- the Blue Lotus is moving. Death Rebel answers the sleek black Easter phone in a flat, lifeless voice. "I see her. I will follow her to her destination." His voice is garbled and scrambled in that visor-mask, but it's understandable without too much trouble.<br /><br />He puts the phone away and begins leaping over the buildings, trying to keep back far enough that he won't alert her to his presence. his utter silence will probably help in that, but when there are other eyes; particularly ones in the air, he's likely to be found out relatively quickly.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto had been spending the day at the WPS tower, trying to get some files released to her from one and another of the company's various research projects. Unfortunately, the one she wanted was from a research team with somewhat tighter ties to Eclipse than she would ordinarily be comfortable with. <br /><br />"Look, Hagane-san, I know you're doing important work for us. But some of these people... well, they're quite well-connected, you know?" <br /><br />She nods. "Yes, I know. But this is necessary for my project. White-san already authorized the CARNELIAN files, this is an extension of the same project." <br /><br />The obstructive bureaucrat sighs. He knows well the dangers of annoying powerful mages, even if Hagane is one of the more moral of WPS' contingent. "Alright, look. We've had a notice in that they've spotted that thief from last week. They want someone to back up the agent they're sending in. Do that, and I can shake something loose for you." <br /><br />Her eyes go flat, but after a moment, she nods. "Alright, who, and where?" <br /><br />Shortly enough she's flying over the city, heading towards the coordinates from Death Rebel's last report. She's already started stacking up her usual swarm of Flickers, orbiting invisibly as she flies along, but she's hoping not to need them tonight. <br /><br />It isn't too long before she spots the agent she was told to look for, and falls into formation alongside him, just within easy conversation distance.

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blue Lotus pauses atop a building downtown- a tall one, with a good view of the surrounding area. There she waits- these are the coordinates she gave on the Virtue phone. She isn't sure anyone will actually show up. She knows she hasn't been forthcoming with information about this situation. But she's hopeful. She's a member in good-standing, though hardly well-known.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And it seems she isn't to be disappointed. Sky Jack and Prism Keeper Orange soon appear, with Amu in pursuit. It's hard to read Lotus' expression behind her mask, but her tone sounds grateful as she offers greetings. "Hello. Thank you. Believe me when I say it's important to me that you've come to lend assistance." Her tone, as usual, is very formal as she turns to glance out over the city. "I am sure Eclipse will not make this easy. But I must recover that book."

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange comes down for a spinning hover and listens to Blue Lotus. She smiles. "H-hey! No problem!" she says with a smile. "What good of is it to join a group if I'm not gonna help!" she says. She head tilts a little as she looks down at Blue Lotus. "But..."<br /><br />"I think I saw that jerk with the visor moving in. Is he coming for us?" she asks.<br /><br />She glances over to Sky Jack and gives a really goofy wave to him.<br /><br />Then she gives a really goofy wave to Amu moving in!<br /><br />"Alright, so what's the plan?" she asks more towards Blue Lotus.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack skids to a stop on top of the roof near Blue Lotus and then looks around, searching for Eclipse personae. "Hello, miss blue katana. It's good to see you again. Think you've been spotted yet?" <br /><br /> He waves at the grumpy-looking Amu as she lands behind him, giving her one of his cheeky, cheery Jack's grins, with enough confidence to bolster the hearts of everyone around him. "Hey, I wish the bad guys kept a time table too, but if this is the moment, we gotta take it." <br /><br /> He also waves at Orange as she nears. "Koi-chan! It's good to see you. If we're lucky this will be a cake walk and nothing will happen." He grits his teeth when she mentions the 'jerk with the visor'. "Or we'll end up in a fight that we win this time."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune arrives behind most others, by virtue of not knowing precisely where Virtue is going... and by having ran on foot to get here. She's a tad out of breath as she gets to the building where they're all gathering on a rooftop, and works her way there using the fire escape stairs. "What book? The one from the other day? Why is it so important?"<br /> <br />She keeps Sky Jack in the corner of her vision, too. Rune silently hopes he won't have too much of a grudge for her rather angry actions last time they met, but it would be perfectly understandable if he did... and the notion that he might take a justified swing back at her now is on her mind. One that makes her questions come across in a more timid tone. Among them, following up on Orange: "What plan?" And to Sky Jack, "Ahh... why are you sure we'd win...?" Not very confident at all.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu alights on the rooftop, then squints at Blue Lotus. "Honestly, don't you think it would be better to do this with like ... a plan? A schedule? ''Any'' kind of forethought other than 'now now now'?" she asks curiously.<br /><br />With a sigh, though, she motions, "Well, whatever, we're here now. Let's get it done. Hi, Runealy-hime!" she says to Rune again. "I'm not sure how many folks here you know, so let me introduce to you Sky Jack, who you met last time, Prism Keeper Orange, and Blue Lotus, all of whom are in Virtue. Guys, this is Runealy-hime. She's a friend."

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane will probably realize instantly-- it's THAT guy. The one from Utau and DL's-- no, Ikuto's-- concert. The one who was collecting the X-Eggs with Lunatic Charm. However, he's on a leash here. He doesn't offer his name, notably. And unless the Eclipse agent she spoke to did-- either's possible-- she still might not know his name. And he doesn't seem to be offering any information about himself. So if she wants to know she'll have to ask.<br /><br />When The Blue Lotus stops and picks up friends, Death Rebel pauses on the building he's landed on. He's not going to reveal his presence just yet. But the sense of something dark, something WRONG, is definitely felt in the area. There's no getting away from that. Death Rebel is both dark AND intrinsically wrong, so it's not surprising.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane offers Death Rebel a curt nod. "I've been asked to back you up on this," she informs him. "But if I think you're going too far, I'll take matters into my own hands. The book is the priority, nothing else, understand?" <br /><br />She glares at him for a moment, then turns to look down at Blue Lotus and the Virtue crowd, as the Eclipse pair lands and pauses. It doesn't take her long to recognize some of them. Amu, Sky Jack, Orange... people she knows. People who know her. <br /><br />She grits her teeth. This won't be pleasant at all for her. But she needs the research. And it's ''this guy''. Maybe she can learn something about whatever they're doing to Ikuto. <br /><br />So she holds off from saying more, for a moment, as she watches the little group gather. As she contemplates her motivation, her Barrier Jacket flickers for a moment, reforming with a set of jet-black cat-ears atop her head. She doesn't even seem to notice the change.

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blue Lotus turns to regard the few who have gathered at her call again, as usual her eyes invisible through the dark holes in her mask, though a faint glitter indicates that they are indeed somewhere in there. "The plan is for you all to watch my back while I recover the book from where I hid it earlier. It isn't so much that this is 'the moment' as that I dare not wait any longer. I had hoped that my pursuers would lose interest by now, but.."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She winces visibly when she hears Reiko mention the 'jerk with the visor'. "It appears I was being overly optimistic." Rune arrives, and Lotus casts a glance at her.. then answers, after a brief hesitation when Amu vouches for the girl, "My brother is currently being held captive in a pocket dimension. That book is the key to opening a doorway there so that I can rescue him. Without it, all hope is lost. I know this is not much information, but should be acquire the book I will tell you more, I promise. Members of Eclipse may claim the book is dangerous, but they are merely angry that I stole it from them. Pay no heed. I must have it, or all this will have been for nothing."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances around, searching for any sign of the opposition that Reiko had mentioned. She does not see them yet, though she can certainly feel the menace in the area. "Come. It isn't far." She tells the group, before turning to leap across to the next building, an apartment building of some sort, then move to the rooftop door.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange listens to the story. It's sad, isn't it? Your brother being held captive somewhere? She looks around and frowns. "Yeah he's close, isn't he. I felt that before too." she says as she looks around. She looks up and smiles. "Yup!" she says to Amu. She looks at Runealy... and blinks. "Oh! Hello!" she pauses. "h--hime!?" her eyes go wide. A Princess!?<br /><br />She huhs, the book is dangerous? Well. Villians do lie a lot to get thier way. She frowns.<br /><br />She follows along, across to the next building-- then to the rooftop door.<br /><br />"Should we stay out here?" she asks.<br /><br />"Or do you need someone to come in with you?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack grins and waves to Rune. "Hey. No hard feelings. I'm still gonna fight your friend if she shows up again, but hopefully she won't." He hears her question and nods. "Because I'm tired of losing to that scythe-wielding, overpowered jerk. This time I'm not giving up. I'm at least sending him home with a limp." Jack sounds irritated, probably because of the thought of having to fight Death Rebel again. He doesn't take losing well. Then what Amu said at the end finally clicks for him. "Wait. She's a princess?" <br /><br /> Jack pushes the thought away for a moment. "Ok. Brother, huh? I'd do anything my brothers needed, so I get it. We'll stick with you until you recover the book - we all should move as a team. If we separate we'll get picked off. In a group it'll be harder to dodge, but we can at least cover one another and focus firepower." <br /><br /> He lifts off, then looks back over to Rune. "Can you fly? I can give you a lift if you need."

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sometimes, 'now now now' is all you have." Rune observes in a quiet tone after Amu speaks. "But yes, I'm a friend or at least trying to be." She winces preemptively, expecting to be called out on that given what happened last time.<br /> <br />Lotus' explanation quickly wins her over, enough so to overcome any reservations about plans. "So you're worried about him... and that's why 'now, now, now'." It's a guess, not a question. "Even if it is dangerous, maybe that's just how things are. Summoning Princess' Tiara!"<br /> <br />Jeweled headwear appears in hand. "The Line of Succession..." It's passed to her other hand, which brings it to forehead in the same motion. "Transform!" A flash of red light engulfs her, then fades to reveal Runealy in full magical form. Boot wings light up, then... fade.<br /> <br />Sky Jack is offering her a ride. That's surprising enough to stop her from jumping. It seems he's holding no real grudge over this. "I'm not asking you to not fight her, just to avoid hurting her too bad if you can... and not to celebrate like that if you defeat Fate. She's in a very bad situation, so please..."<br /> <br />Nonetheless, she does relent and accept his request. "I'm Runealy, or 'Rune' for short. Guardian Princess of Waldia." She tries to step onto Jack's board, curious how this is going to work.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu glances at Orange and Jack as they respond to the '-hime' part, then smirks. "K'duh," she says with a snicker. "She's even got a fancy court of knights and ladies that help her out. They're pretty awesome. Especially Guardian Vale!"<br /><br />But business is business, so she nods to Blue Lotus. "Yeah, I get it," she agrees. "We've got your back. Brothers are important. Lead the way. We'll cover you."

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Death Rebel doesn't even look at Hagane. He merely echoes, in that lifeless, garbled voice of his, "...The book is the priority." He waits along with Hagane. But... he turns as her Barrier Jacket flickers. His gaze aims up at the cat-ears... and he freezes. Behind that mask, he tries to gather his thoughts. Where has he seen those before? Where has he seen HER before?! He can't remember. That whine... that whine is all that he can really think of...<br /><br />Movement disturbs his peripheral vision and the moment is broken. Death Rebel forgets about the confusion and snaps his gaze back to the group, watching. Blue Lotus is going for the roof door of an apartment building. It must be there.<br /><br />"...There," he states. He doesn't wait for backup. He just leaps. He's trying to jump up and land in front of the door, specifically, to block the Blue Lotus from going in. Whether he misses or not, his scythe is in-hand, and he crouches to attack at the first opportunity.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a frisson of magic that whisks through the area, a desaturation of color as everything is ever so slightly phase-shifted out by Hagane's Barrier spell. It should keep the civilians safe and ignorant of the battle going on right under their noses. <br /><br />And then she leaps after Death Rebel, landing in a neat crouch to one side of the door. She stands, drawing her sword and levelling it at Blue Lotus. <br /><br />"The rest of you... go. This doesn't concern you." She'd really rather not have to hurt any of them. But life doesn't always go the way she wants it to. <br /><br />So she punctutes the order with a trio of Flickers that slam into the ground, between Lotus and the other heroes, digging up pavement and throwing gravel about, but doing little more than looking flashy and - hopefully - intimidating.

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blue Lotus draws her sword as she approaches the door atop the apartment building. Seems she doesn't have a key- she wedges the balde into the gap between the door and the frame and gives it a firm 'whack'. The door pops open. She glances back at Reiko. "You shoul stick with me unless the enemy makes a move. Sky Jack is correct.. it is safer for us to be together until we know what they are likely to do."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pays vague attention to the discussion between the others about Fate, but makes no comment. It's of no concern of hers, at the moment. The matter of the book is clearly foremost in her mind.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although that changes suddenly as Death Rebel seemingly falls from the sky to land between her and the open door. Cursing, she steps back, whipping her katana around into a defensive posture. "It seems we had no need to discuss splitting up." She says, quietly, her masked gaze intent. "But I must get through that door." Hagane arrives as well, but Lotus doesn't shift her position, merely casting a gaze at the shots that dig into the ground.. "I am afraid I must refuse." She says. Then she darts forward, sword flicking out towards Death Rebel with graceful speed.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange nrg. "It's that jerk again..." she says as she looks away from Blue Lotus. She bites her lip. Ugh the last time she saw this jerk- he almost killed Yellow, among other terrible things like steal X-eggs at a concert! She points her Chroma Wand at her.<br /><br />But then, Hagane!? She frowns. "You two!" she says.<br /><br />"Why are cats always jerks, huh!?" she calls out to Hagane. "Like aren't there any not jerk cats!?" she pauses. "I mean besides when Amu is doing the thing with Yoru, BUT STILL! MOSTLY JERKS!" she calls out.<br /><br />She huffs. "WELL. KITTY DO YOU WANT FISH!?" she calls out.<br /><br />Then she begins popping out koi from the tip at the wand at both, Hagane and Death Rebel- they sort of swim, darting through the air to try to crash and explode into the two with that color energu sparkle.<br /><br />Yeah Reiko may be tired of cats being jerks like ALL the time. /ALL THE TIME/.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack shifts, standing on the back his board, which doesn't pitch at all as Runealy steps aboard. They're quite close, but there's enough room for her to draw her wand if she wants to. Then they're flying, up and over the gap, behind Blue Lotus, the wind in their hair. <br /><br /> Of course, this doesn't take long for Hagane and Death Rebel to land in front of them, in front of the door. Jack sighs into Rune's ear, and pulls up short, giving her a chance to either land on the rooftop or stay on board, before he gets some altitude. "OK you two, you know we beat you the other day when there were four of you, yeah? Why aren't ''you'' the ones standing aside before ''we'' get riled up?" Jack thinks about saying he doesn't want to fight them for a moment, then bites it back. He does, in fact, want to put a soccer ball into that helmet.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rune smiles as her sworn friends are mentioned, snapping her out of her funk. Still somewhat quiet and reserved, but no longer blatantly 'down.' "Some day, I hope you get the chance to meet them," a general invitation to those Virtue gathered here, and then a nod to Amu. "Thank you."<br /> <br />Riding on the board evokes a 'ahh...?', a noise of some wonder from her. "Been a while since I did anything like this... and you're keeping us both perfectly upright, too," She looks impressed, and swept up in some nostalgia.<br /> <br />It passes quickly as they're confronted near the door. "You're going to have to explain why it doesn't concern us, because so far I've seen your friends try to hurt mine one at a time and say it's none of my business. I suppose it would /become/ my business once they got far enough down the list to then attack me, on my own?"<br /> <br />She's not impressed, suffice to say. Worried, but not sufficiently moved to just go home without a fight. She manages an aside to Orange, "We have a cat at our house, and it's pretty nice."<br /> <br />Wand ready, she aims down... but seeing as Jack hasn't attacked yet, she doesn't either. The offer to hop down onto the rooftop is... not taken. Apparently she rather likes the idea of staying onboard and letting him fly her around. "You're giving me some ideas, being able to move around like this."

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu knows she isn't in henshin. She knows a fight could break out at any moment. But she also knows that henshining is quick, and the utility of having all three charas available is too high to be ignored.<br /><br />Which is why when Hagane and Death Rebel appear, she immediately jumps back a step to buy herself space and calls, "Su!"<br /><br />"I am here, Amu-chi," Su replies, as Amu flashes a finger frame around the locket over her chest.<br /><br />"<span style="color:#FFB6C1">Atashi no Kokoro: UNLOCK!</span>"<br /><br />The lock glows brilliantly, increasing in intensity until it is nearly blinding to look towards the girl. Su ducks into her egg with a little girlish whirl, and a brilliance of green ribbons begin to enwrap Amu. Her clothes are blasted away, only to be replaced by the ribbons, which enfold her in a cute green dress with a brighter-coloured apron, a maid's cap, and tall white stockings with a green mark that runs the length thigh to toe, crossed by another at the knees.<br /><br />"<span style="color:#68BB68">Chara Nari: Amulet Clover!</span>"<br /><br />Amulet Clover bounds forward with a wisk in one hand and an oversized frying pan in the other. "Lotus, get the book. We'll cover you," she promises. "The longer we delay the more chance they have to call for backup."<br /><br />Then she rushes in, interposing herself between Blue Lotus and Eclipse's lackeys, prepared to block anything that comes Blue Lotus's way.

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Death Rebel had been expecting an attack, and so when the Blue Lotus stabs at him, he spins the scythe before him to deflect it. This, unfortunately, leaves him open to Reiko's koi, which crash into his chest and send him back. He doesn't respond to Sky Jack's taunts. Mainly because he can't. He stumbles back, not so much hurt by the koi as... well, let's be honest, that hurt.<br /><br />But it's something else.<br /><br />Something has him stumbling back, and he shakes his head as if he's confused for a moment. He looks up, looks around, as if not sure where he is. He almost misses Amu's transformation, even. The light gets his attention and he looks in her direction. He's... he knows her... but where...?<br /><br />And then suddenly the whine kicks up in his head again, louder than before. A choked sound emits from behind that mask, garbled into nigh-unrecognizability for what it actually is. A tremor runs throughout his entire body, and his head lowers. He's not about to surrender, is he?<br /><br />No. He isn't. As it turns out... he is going to attack. And it also turns out that he's going to attack... Prism Keeper Orange. He leaps at her, swinging the scythe in a diagonal motion. He's not trying for the knock-out. He's aiming for the kill.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane just shakes her head and sighs, sadly. "It's amusing, really. We're the ones trying to keep the public safe. The fighters for 'love and justice' are protecting a thief. Life makes for strange bedfellows, doesn't it?" <br /><br />She looks Amu in the eye, as if trying to communicate something to the girl, but finally shakes her head. <br /><br />With a wave of her sword, a dozen Flickers are launched out at the heroes, a trio for each of them. These seem to be a special brand, 'blunted' - they explode on impact, but without much in the way of piercing force. Maybe she really is trying not to hurt them too badly.

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Things pop off in an unfortunate but expected way all around Blue Lotus, as her strike is deflected by Death Rebel's spinning scythe, causing her to curse- she might have gone in for another, but Orange's Koi explodes against the guy's chest, driving him back. That's all she cares about- she makes no move to assist Orange as the scythe-wielding interloper now turns and leaps for her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has eyes only for the door leading down into the apartment building. As Death Rebel heads for Orange, Lotus darts for the door. "Keep them busy!" She shouts to her allies. "I only need a few minutes!" She vanishes into the darkness of the building as Hagane's Flickers slam into the doorframe behind her, just barely missing, one even clipping the trailing back edge of her dress as she vanishes from sight.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange oh god, Death Rebel is suddenly bounding for her- like he did Yellow- luckily, Orange knows how this pans out-- and she darts backwards-- upwards-- she is barely missed and maybe the third time is a charm-- he's honing in!---<br /><br />She dives behind Amulet Clovr, because she seems ready to defend with that ridiocolus frying pan. "Help please!" she says almost pleadingly.<br /><br />She points her wand over Clover's shoulder-- and fires off a beam of color energy at Death Rebel--- it leaves a bright orange splotch on whatever it hits that fades away over the course of a few seconds.<br /><br />"You know, this guy seems to hate my color energy. I bet he'd not handle similar stuff any better. Um... nrg what's the term... Tadase used-- look , I just know my color energy helps X-eggs so stuff like that!" she calls out.<br /><br />Yeah she's panicing so she's forgetting such terms like 'purification'.<br /><br />She frowns at Hagane. "Hey! I think you're the ones being lied to!" she calls out.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack grins at that little 'ahh' from Rune, and then nods, shifting a little to move in closer to her and wrapping both arms around her midde. He holds on, turning his forward foot for better balance. "OK! Flying turret it is! <br /><br /> And then he's focused on dodging the incoming shots from Hagane, flicking his board to one side as one goes flying past, then bringing the base up as another explodes in front of them, pushing them back through the air. Jack regains control easily - not focusing on launching soccer balls means he's able to guide his board even more deftly and quickly than usual! <br /><br /> Jack directs the golden, flying board around the perimeter of the fight, trying to get in behind Hagane as Orange and Clover occupy DR's time. "Just tell me what your range is and we'll batter them down!"

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Instead of finding this to be some weird joke, why don't you explain?" Rune calls down to Hagane, then goes tense as attacks head her way. Her first impulse is to dodge, but this would require leaping off of Jack's board... not something she's ready to do just yet. Instead, she puts herself into a sparkling red 'bubble' forcefield. "Shouldn't one of us go with her? So she's not totally alone in there?" It's a question directed to nobody in particular, though her gaze does flicker down to Amulet Clover; this transformation seems partially familiar to Rune, as far as her memory immediately recalls and it is pretty inspiring to see.<br /> <br />Her shield lowers as she's grabbed by Jack, making a soft gasp in surprise before calming down and allowing it. "My range? Ah... just about anywhere other than right in their face? Wherever you want to go, I'll try to work with it!"<br /> <br />Her wand is aimed at Hagane now, slightly low; any shots that follow will be trying for the legs. Such is the case with her wand's orb-tip, which launches off and sails toward Hagane! Whether it strikes terrain, barrier, or its intended target, the projectile will burst into emerald sparkles on impact.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amulet Clover dashes forward even as Prism Keeper Orange leaps behind her. She entangles his scythe briefly in her whisk, just enough to turn it aside, and then attempts to clock him on the head with the frying pan.<br /><br />It's entirely backwards from how the weapons are supposed to work, but scythes are ''weird''. "Hey!" she yells at him. "Unacceptable behaviour, bird-brain!"<br /><br />Then she's bouncing backwards again, spinning the frying pan around to absorb--absorb!--the flicker shots coming at her. The frying pan begins to glow as if it were heating up on a stove.<br /><br />"Grief," Clover mumbles, unhappily, as she falls back into a more defensive posture once more. "Orange, stay behind me and shoot around; I'll block you blast. Set purification to maximum!"<br /><br />"Jack!" she calls up towards him, "Keep Hagane off of my flank!" Because holy crap Death Rebel is scary and she will be focusing mostly on that, please and thank you.

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>His blade turned aside by Amulet clover's frying pan, Death Rebel leaps back. The frying pan misses, but it's a near thing. He looks to Amu, then to Orange behind her. his head tilts, a sudden, birdlike gesture, as if he's sizing up Amu. Or maybe he's formulating a plan!<br /><br />He raises his scythe to block the blast of color energy. But he still grunts at the energy-- yeah, he doesn't like that-- when it hits his blade. The blade takes on the look of wood in that area, though the metallic look seeps back into the blade quickly enough.<br /><br />Yes, it seems he is formulating a plan. He raises the scythe up into the air. "...Dark Night Storm," he says flatly, and wind kicks up all around him. He swings the scythe blade down, straight down, and the storm of wind turns dark, literally. Dark energy swirls around in a whirlwind, backed by his power.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane's attention is diverted for a moment as she sends a pair of Wide Area Search spheres to follow Blue Lotus, mostly to make sure she can keep track of the girl while she goes after the book. That's what they're all ''really'' here for, after all. Not to fight with each other. (Well, except Death Rebel, apparently.) <br /><br />So Runealy's shot catches her solidly, the sparkles flickering over her Barrier Jacket before dissipating. It doesn't seem to do much, beyond knocking her back a few feet. Like a cat, she lands on her feet. <br /><br />"'s simple, Princess," she explains, jerking a thumb at the building Lotus ran into. "Thief." A hand waves at herself. "Recovery." A finger points at Runealy. "Interfering." <br /><br />Another volley of Flickers is launched, these just as minimally-effective as the last batch - though the explosions when they hit are loud, this time, and bright - sort of a flash-bang effect. <br /><br />"That simple enough for you?"

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blue Lotus has gone from sight, and nobody seems particularly interested in following her. However, this suits her just fine. She's aware of Hagane's spheres floating after her through the building, but she doesn't have time to worry about that now. They will be able to track her as she descends several floors, then kicks down the door of an unused apartment, moving inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To those on the roof, there's no sign of her, though they all seem to have bigger things to worry about, moment to moment. She told them to keep the enemies busy, and they seem to be doing a fine job so far.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange keeps behind Amulet Clover, letting her shield her, because this means the two are working together, right? Orange may be good at blocking hits, but Death Rebel is a bit too much for her to deal with alone-- she thankful for the help. "Right!" she calls out.<br /><br />She levels that wand at Death Rebel-- and calls out-- "Kooiii Storm!" she calls out in a rare named attack!--<br /><br />Some koi appear in midair, overhead- and at an angle, a rain of koi appear-- aiming toward's death rebel and filled with the same colorful color energy as the beams.<br /><br />There's a lot of it, she's going for saturation over accuracy here.<br /><br />"On it!" she calls out.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack swears (a little louder than he expected, since his ears are ringing) and plows forward towards Hagane, still circling to one side, intent on giving Runealy a good clear shot at her, the board dashing to one side as he grips Rune's middle tightly and tries to get the aftereffects of the flashing lights out of his eyes. <br /><br /> He expects another attack from Hagane at this point, as close as they're getting, but that last blast from Rune's wand didn't seem to do much to Hagane except piss her off.

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Don't talk down on me like I'm stupid and need one-word sentences!" Rune is incensed by Hagane's gesture-splaining. "Explain why it's a problem! Otherwise you're not going to c-- ahh!"<br /> <br />Raising a hand to shield her eyes, Runealy quickly realizes she can't see... or hear very well all of a sudden. Disorientation. Freezing up would be the worst possible thing to do right now.<br /> <br />She lost track of where Hagane was, which means there will be no shooting at Hagane's 'last known location.' No attack at all. Instead, Runealy...<br /> <br />...holds tight to Sky Jack as he does the same with her; she's hoping he at least knows where he's still going. It's the only real choice she has; the other option was leaping off the board blindly to keep some kind of movement going. The rush of wind as they fly suggests they're still moving nonetheless, so she opts to trust him for now. No words; the hold will have to be enough to express this for now.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amulet Clover doesn't just pretend to go defensive, she actually moves to match Reiko, using the back of her frying pan as a mirror to ensure she can always see the koi girl behind her. When Orange zigs, Clover zigs with her. When Orange zags ... you get the idea.<br /><br />As Death Rebel drops back, though, Clover steps away from the Prism Keeper, expecting something monumental. She isn't disappointed. Clover banishes both of her tools in favor of a small little three-hoop bubble wand just as Death Rebel calls his attack.<br /><br />"<span style="color:#68BB68">HONEY BUBBLES!</span>" Clover calls cutely in response, whirling in a circle, every bit the child. A barrage of golden bubbles flow out of that wand as the Koi Storm goes streaking past. Unlike her usual bubblegun attack, though, Clover's barrage seems to form into a wall formed of those pretty opalescent colours.<br /><br />But a wall made mostly of air really can't stand up to Dark Night Storm. Wind attacks are super-effective against bubbles! The begin to blow towards Clover, who turns and tackles Orange to the ground, covering the smaller girl with her own body.<br /><br />Oh, but you didn't think Amulet Clover was stupid, did you? The bubble wall is shoved overtop both of them, acting like a blanket which directs the worst of Dark Night Storm past and into the building. They're both going to be out of the fight for a moment, but they're ''alive'', and that's way more important.

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu's deflecting move deals with the defense aspects of Dark Night Storm. Reiko's koi kaskade deals with the offensive aspect. Death Rebel is forced to break off his attack. Well, it's more precise to say he directs it towards the oncoming koi to blast them back and away from him. However, this doesn't get all of it. Enough koi get past him that his black coat is spattered in orange. Which clashes with his purple tie SO BAD.<br /><br />Ultimately though, he's forced back by the koi storm. And what does he do? Pauses. There's a moment where he seems confused again. Then a shudder runs through him-- just like before-- and he stands straight. And then? He heads right for the building. The building should provide enough cover from those purifying plasts, and with Amu and Reiko wrapped in magical bubblewrap for a bit, it'll take them a while to follow him.<br /><br />When he enters, he's heading down, looking for the Blue Lotus.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a reason why Hagane carries a sword. It's because getting close in to fight her is a rather bad idea. <br /><br />She flicks the tip of the blade at Jack's surfboard when the boy and his passenger get close, then slips to one side to avoid the expected fall. <br /><br />"Think about it for yourself, Princess. I'm not here to do your thinking for you." <br /><br />She sends a couple of flickers at Amulet Clover's bubble shield, just to keep them honest, but her real focus is on Jack and Runealy as she prepares the fight. "So," she muses as she flicks her blade, moving from the board to the rider. <br /><br />"Tell me, do you have anything to say to the audience watching at home? Maybe a lesson for the kiddies on how bad and naughty it is to try and hold off a dimensional disaster? Or to have talent and friends?"

:'''{{#var:136|Blue Lotus| (136)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Death Rebel doesn't even get a chance to pursue Blue Lotus down into the building. The reason for this is that as he moves towards the door, she's already coming back out of it, appearing in the frame just as he starts to dash towards it to enter.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she has the book in her hands.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The book is just as the Eclipse memo about it shows- black cover, silver arcane embossing, though it's the first time those from Virtue will have seen it. It's large, but not huge, perhaps the size of a good big cookbook or something. But cookbook this ain't.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Lotus steps back onto the roof and sees Death Rebel rushing towards her, she freezes.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she lifts the book up and opens it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a crackle of strange, purplish lightning from between the pages, and then.. a tear opens in the air in front of her. A rip through the very fabric of space and time. With it comes a horrible sense of ''wrongness''.. not dark or evil, like Dark Energy or something would be, but of something totally alien. Through the rent, nauseating swirling patterns of neons and purple clash together.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then something reaches through- a huge... claw, or spine, it's hard to tell. A solid mass, but obviously alive and obviously part of something much larger. It strikes out from the rent in the air at Death Rebel, hopefully knocking him aside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the hideous cracklign sound of the unearthly lightning forming the rent in the air, Lotus calls, "I have the book! We can fall back!" And then she snaps the book shut again. Just like that, the portal, and the huge, alien claw reaching through it.. vanish as if they never were. And Lotus is already turning to leap over the side of the building, not waiting for anyone else.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange eeeeek! That Tornado! Luckily, Amulet Clover tackles her and gets her under cover. For a moment, she realizes what's happening but it just kind of catches her off guard for a moment--- she peeks an eye open. "Oh, h--hey, thanks!" she calls out.<br /><br />She sort of tries to wiggle out of underneath the bubbles though---<br /><br />"Hey-- wait where did he go...?" she turns back to the door and blinks. She can feel that jerk. He's in there. "Oh no..." she says as she stares towards the door.<br /><br />Then Blue Lotus comes back out and---<br /><br />W--what the!? That feels... that feels weird and creepy-- and there's some sort of eldritch-like horror coming out to attack Death Rebel and she just sort of stands there and stares at it all. What!?<br /><br />Oh--then she's snapped out of it when she slams the book closed--<br /><br />"R--right!" she says.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The expected attack comes. Jack tries his best to dodge that flickering sword, but the tip smacks into the front of his board hard enough to lift it upwards and unbalance him. With an annoyed yell Jack holds onto Rune and leaps backwards, the abandoned board flipping upwards into the air before blinking out. <br /><br /> Jack lands hard on his knees, but keeps Rune up and ready to fight. With a small sound of pain he gets back to his feet, his legs aching, feeling his baseball bat wanting to be in his hands - but it's not quite time yet. A soccer ball, instead, appears in front of him. "Here's a lesson for the kids. It's better to be playing against one than two!" <br /><br /> And then Lotus is on the roof. She's opening the book - and there's a wave of power from it. Jack stops, feeling more than seeing the claw batting at Death Rebel. He takes a few steps back away from Hagane, not wanting to be anywhere near whatever ''that'' is, not wanting anything to do with such an alien sensation. "What the hell is that?!"

:'''{{#var:29|Runealy Waldia| (29)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Being further talked down on ultimately puts Rune in no mood to listen to Hagane at this point. "Just shut up! If that's how you're going to act, don't expect me to put up with you! I'll... huh!?" With sword-slashes coming in, she opts to hole up inside her shield once more; it flickers and cracks as Hagane threatens it in various ways, enough to keep her on the defense. If it were to keep up, Hagane would likely either be able to knock her off the board or break through the bubble-shield in short order. Yet something even more pressing comes up. Two things, rather.<br /> <br />First, she's falling with Jack. Her boot wings light up with a silver glow, pulsing as they try to slow the fall and cushion Jack's knee-landing at least a little.<br /> <br />Then Blue Lotus has returned, and something is very, very messed up with the sky all of a sudden. 'We can fall back', she says. /Really great idea/, in light of that little preview of what the book can do. "That's our sign to get out of here, like she said!" She rises and makes a long backwards leap, aiming to get to another rooftop.<br /> <br />It's a process Rune will keep trying to do, but she /is/ notably waiting to see if Jack is coming with her first. Or, if he may need help moving that far quickly without his board; she's willing to come back and try to boost him along with her jumps if needed. Regardless, she is spooked enough to be working on leaving the area as soon as she can manage it with him coming along.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Tolja I've got you," Amulet Clover replies to the Prism Keeper as she scrabbles back to her feet. The bubble blanket pops around them, and Clover turns to figure out what's happened. "Ah crap, I let him get pas--"<br /><br />--Clover's eyes widen at the sudden appearance of Blue Lotus through the doorway. "Lotus, watch out!" she calls ahead.<br /><br />Oh but that warning was so not needed.<br /><br />As the giant clawlike ''thing'' tears its way through reality, Amulet Clover's eyes widen in surprise, and she grabs Orange around the waist and jumps back a good distance, ensuring none of them are caught in the splash damage. "... holy ..." she exclaims, not really finding words for what she's just seen.<br /><br />Yeah, falling back sounds like a really ''good'' idea. "What the actual ... go! Go! I'll cover your retreat," Amulet Clover says, then flicks her wrist to draw forth a pair of whisks once again.<br /><br />Except this time she doesn't worry about finesse or defense. Leaping into the air, the maid-cook-magical-girl begins to shine with a golden light as she calls, "<span style="color:#68BB68">REMAKE HONEY SPECIAL!</span>"<br /><br />Surf's up, Sky Jack! Better get the other girls out of here, because this whole rooftop is about to be a literal wave of purifying energy pouring out of Amulet Clover's whisks.

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Death Rebel confronts Blue Lotus as she's coming back out with the book. He tries to block her path. "...Surrender the book. Your life is unimportant." He'll kill her for the book if he has to. But not if she gives it up. He takes a few steps forward...<br /><br />And then suddenly there is a clawed horror reaching for him. He tries to block, to dodge, but it's too fast. The claw tears across his middle, and he emits and sharp, surprised yelp of pain. The force knocks him aside all right... right off the roof. He just misses Remake Honey...<br /><br />But more importantly, he's falling to the ground. And still he won't release his scythe.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane swirls about to confront Lotus at the doorway. Wihth all the heroes busy one way or another, it's the perfect time for her to go afer the book. <br /><br />And then Lotus turns up. And opens the book for just that moment. <br /><br />"I tried to warn you!" she calls out as she swings her blade at it. "Sealing mode!" <br /><br />The sword-blade in her hand twists and breaks apart and reassembles itself into a long spear, one that she turns to level at Blue Lotus ond specifically the book itself... <br /><br />Except that Lotus has already decamped. With a curse, she turns to see what her erstwhile partner is going to do.. and he's gone, too. <br /><br />Time to find him, then. The blue-suited girl waves casually to the heroes - "Good luck fixing this!" she wishes them - and jumps off the side herself, hurtling through the air towards the falling Rebel.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sky Jack suddenly finds himself the one in Rune's arms as he leaps with her from the rooftop, springing towards the next nearest one. He doesn't exactly know if he's going to make it, but he trusts in Rune since she started this and he dedicates as much power as he can get into his not-so-aching legs. <br /><br /> The two of them fly across the sky and Jack lets out a little whoop of cheer. Then the rooftop is coming up fast and Rune's boots slow their descent again, causing him to land with a stagger, but staying on his feet. <br /><br /> He whews, panting for a moment, then looks over at her. "You ok?" He grins. "Wow. Can't believe you can just jump that. How cool." He looks over at the rooftop of the building, covered in Clover's repairing, cleaning honey, and when he looks back there is a little flash of green in his eyes as he grins, taking Rune's hand. "Thank you for saving me. How about I maybe take you out to dinner in thanks?"

:'''{{#var:77|Ikuto Tsukiyomi| (77)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hagane can see him falling, his head back. He's unconscious, from the looks of it, even with that mask is covering his face. From this angle just the slightest bit can be seen under it... his mouth. His mouth is slack, lips parted just enough to tell he's not conscious. But regardless of seeing or not seeing his face, he's obviously in a bad way; a look at his torso is enough to tell that. But then his mouth moves, and his head tilts forward.<br /><br />He sees her. And something inside him, some part of him recognizes her. And knows that he needs to get to her, even if '''he's''' the one who's falling. He reaches towards her, just for a moment, before the whine increases in volume and scatters his thoughts again, and he emits a sickening sound. Fortunately Hagane catches him anyway, arresting his downward movement before he becomes a splatter on the ground.<br /><br />The pain in his body and the whine in his head... it's all too much at the same time. He can't... focus... it's all pushing his consciousness away.... And then he just... goes lax.<br /><br />Easter will probably collect him from Hagane before she can discover anything. But when they do, Hagane might realize that Death Rebel has a hint of a familiar scent...
}}