View source for 1794/CtC: Shadow Hands

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/08/03
|Location=Pikarigaoka - Clover Tower
|Synopsis=Lacrima and Puella Magi Tomiko rob some gems during the same time as 'CtC: Smash and Grab'. Platnium Royale, Nicola Esprit and Cure Flora stop then.
|Cast of Characters=160,161,158,62,178
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>While Hannah Sharpe and her Puella friend were making a rukus in the front area of The Crysal Group's exhibition and trying to make off with gems and/or trinkets there, another group was going to use that chaos to /try/ to get into a side door.<br /><br />Lacrima is a young teenage girl with long purple hair, stunning purple eyes, with a pale complexion and slightly pointy canine teeth. She's with a fancily dressed Puella Magi.<br /><br />"Here's the door, Tamiko-san." she says softly as she raises her hand and places it against the door.<br /><br />What? Just, 'open' doors? That's stupid. It's probably locked and alarmed anyways. Instead, she focuses a rather strong burst of dark energy down her arm, into her palm and it explodes outwards, causing the door to bust off it's hinges and fly off into the exhibit. Lacrima doesn't seem to care wether she hurts people or not right now.<br /><br />She walks in. For people that don't immediatly run off--- she summons up a sudden choking fog of dark energy that begins to cause people to drift off into unconciousness. Well mundane people.<br /><br />Magical people seem unaffected, that were here to either guard, or look at, pretty gems.<br /><br />"Let's get to work, Tamiko-san." she says quietly to her Puella friend.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima takes care of the heavy hitting -- she slips in for the goods. Those are her orders. That's why she's here. And she's never been one for questioning when there's a job to do.<br /><br />"Yes," Tamiko says to her companion. "Let's."<br /><br />With a smile, she twirls the little wooden staff in her hands -- perhaps unnecessarily intricately -- before slamming it to the ground in a flash of green. From the impact spring snake-like vines, dotted with blossoms every color of the rainbow, that slither along the ground of their own accord. Over bodies and fallen furniture, twisting and turning with minds of their own, until they find the stones they seek.<br /><br />The vines grasp with open flowers, swallowing the crystals whole, before trailing back to their master with their prizes in tow.<br /><br />Tamiko's grin widens. This will be even easier than she thought.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola was off doing some shopping for her chemical experiments, she's working on perfecting her stink bombs. Thus, she's in the shopping mall at the bottom of the tower, going through various over the counter medicines to get herself base materials to synthesize into smelly compound, when Lacrima summons her dark fog.<br /><br /><span style="color:xterm203">&lt;Master! Unwholesome Magical Energies Detected, please stay clear&gt;</span> Ruby Rose recommends, and Nicola dutifully answers, "Of course not!" After ducking in somewhere a little more private, "Ruby Rose, set up!" Thus transformed, she quickly hurries towards the source of dark energy, and takes a good look around before deciding on what to do.<br /><br />"We need to get those people out of harm's way." She murmurs to herself, and looks towards her dual handguns meaningfully. The device gets the point, <span style="color:xterm203">&lt;Initiating Temporal Force Field&gt;</span> Thus, the barrier expands to cover the local area, shutting the mundane people out.<br /><br />Then, Nicola rushes in and points her device at both Lacrima and Tamiko, "What do you two think you're doing?" She asks, her foreign accent abundantly clear.

:'''{{#var:62|Platinum Royale| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase, for a long time, didn't even consider himself a leader. That is, after all, where Kiseki came from, and still one of the biggest things he relies on the little Chara for.<br /><br />But to the extent that Tadase is a leader, which seems to be often, he's the type to lead from the front. There's no way he'd ask for his friends in Virtue, his allies, the people he cares about like Kukai and Nagihiko, to show up to this thing and not show up himself.<br /><br />And of all the people he's asked here, he and Kiseki are probably the least interested in pretty, shiny jewels, for whatever reason. They're only standing in front of a series of four jewels - Pink, Red, Blue, and Green, and looking at them - but not really looking at them, just using them as the catalyst for some lost daydream.<br /><br />That all ends when Kiseki senses Lacrima's fog before it starts to hit. "Tadase! Trouble!" Kiseki says sharply. There's a little sigh. Of course there's trouble. That's what Tsukasa had predicted.<br /><br />But when trouble arises, that's when a leader should really be at thier best. And so, Tadase straightens his back, and Kiseki fixes a determined look on his face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#FA7D00">"Boko no Kokoro! UNLOCK!"</span><br /><br />A brilliant flash of golden energy that seems to push against Lacrima's fog erupts, and there, standing white and ruffles and large crown and all, is Platinum Royale - the combination of Kiseki and Tadase standing as one. As the barrier covers the battlefield, he rushes in right next to Nicola. "Turn around and go home before you hurt these people! Gems aren't meant to be stolen and hidden away, but are treasures of the Earth itself, and they're best shared for the admiration of all." he says.

:'''{{#var:178|Cure Flora| (178)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Haruka was investigating the gem show with evident curiosity- after all, this wasn't the kind of thing that she had ever seen in her home town. The sound of the door exploding into the exhibition hall gets her to duck, and the smog just gets her coughing slightly. She pauses at the sound of a pair of familiar voices, she brightens. Nicola's barrier gives her all the chance she needs- the fact that she's magical is obvious because of the barrier. She pulls her Dress Up Key off her neck, the Princess Perfume out of her purse, and slams to the two together, turning the key.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span style="color:xterm219">Pretty Cure, Princess Engage!</span>" Haruka announces, flower petals and pink energy swirling around her. She grabs her floral-themed crown from the air above her head, hair lengthening, and turning blond with a pink ombre at the tips. She gives Lacrima and Tamiko a glare, all noble disdain for their actions. "<span style="color:xterm219">The princess of flowers blooming in full glory, Cure Flora! Do prepare yourselves!</span>" She slides into a physical fighter's stance, lowering her center of gravity.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima watches as a barrier comes into existence and she frowns. She's familar with this phenomena. She frowns even harder as her eyes lay down to the same revolver weilding mage who stole the gem the last time.<br /><br />"You again. You won't spoil my mission this time. There's too many for you to take by yourself!" she spits. "You'll give me back what you stole before I come for you in your sleep." she says.<br /><br />Then Tadase transforms--- that power explodes forth--- banishing her black fog... and Cure Flora transforms--- the pink aura and transformation burning the rest away. Not mention both transformations put her dark powers on edge.<br /><br />She usually knows that's a sign of things to come. She doesn't like the feeling.<br /><br />"Tomiko-san. This is getting a little more crowded than antcipated." which she seems dissapointed about.<br /><br />She flicks her hand back and a rope of dark energy forms as she swings up outwards across the room--- trying to lash every one of the incoming heroes--- Nicola, Royale and Flora. She calls out: <span style="color:purple">"Cadena Oscura!"</span>.<br /><br />"A prince...." she glares at Royale. "A princess...." she glares at Flora- because that's what she called herself in her intro speech just now. "And a brat with guns...." she says.<br /><br />"What a motely crew you have!" she says.<br /><br />"Too bad it won't last very long~" she singsongs out in that creepy deadpan she usually talks in.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>No one told her to expect a fight; at least, not in so many words. But the lack of surprise in her face as the barrier rises is enough of a giveaway -- on some level, Tamiko had expected this. Interference. Resistance. Quite possibly violence.<br /><br />She's a young girl, evident from her diminuitive height and her innocent face. But she's old enough to know that nothing ever goes as planned.<br /><br />Her vibrant green eyes scan across the three in front of her, still going through their posturing and speeches, and that is all they get from her. With a mighty leap, so fast as to be a blur, powerful even for a Puella Magi, she propels herself into the air and lands daintily behind them.<br /><br />"Lacrima," she says, undisturbed. "Take care of them, please, while I find a way out."<br /><br />With that, she taps her staff against the ground to summon a hail of razor sharp petals and thorns above the three fighters, and calmly begins to walk towards the building's exit. These types of barriers are rather different than the kind she is used to -- but there is an end to everything, isn't there?

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Hey guys!" Nicola greets Platinum Royale and Cure Flora. She jumps up when the dark rope lashes her way, only to find a bunch of sharp petals and thorns rain down on her. She winces, before raising a shielding spell above her head and rushing forwards. "I'm not a brat, I'm an alien!" Nicola objects to Lacrima's description of her, "Come from outer space to protect people from the likes of you!"<br /><br />The other bits apparently aren't worth mentioning, and as the Puella Magi decides she'd prefer to find a way out while Lacrima 'takes care of them' Nicola has her target, she points both her guns at the girl. <span style="color:xterm203">&lt;CHAIN BIND&gt;</span><br /><br />A magical cirle forms in front of her guns, and she presses both triggers twice, red energy chains lashing out towards that girl, trying to wrap around arms and legs to restrain movement.

:'''{{#var:62|Platinum Royale| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And in a moment, things go from 'standing up to each other' to 'lots of attacks coming in'. Well, Tadase didn't expect anything different. These things always seem to escalate. He creates his scepter, forming in his hand, and steps in front of the Floral Princess, leveling his scepter at the incoming attacks.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#FA7D00">"HOLY CROWN!"</span> comes the call-out, and the golden crown construct bursts into being, interposing itself between the attacks and Tadase and the new Cure, who he turns to with a smile, even in the battle.<br /><br />"Good to see another Pretty Cure. Any Cure is a friend of mine!" he says, keeping the defenses up for now. But he's also keeping an eye out for an opening for him to join in with an attack of his own!

:'''{{#var:178|Cure Flora| (178)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cure Flora seems almost offended by the use of flowers and vines as a method of attack and gem theft, and is drawn toward Tomiko like a compass needle to a magnet. She launches herself at Tomiko, ignoring shallow cuts along her bare arms and legs. She nods briefly back at Tadase, teal eyes flicking to Tomiko. She tenses and springs after Tomiko, landing heavily and trying to stick close to her tail. "How -dare- you use flowers for this!" Yes, she is -very offended-, and not going to let that stand. She would rather be injured than let Tomiko get away- with the gems, or with using flowers to steal gems. She pulls out her Perfume and the Key off of her hip, pressing the two together. The other plant-user is *clearly* stronger than her, but maybe...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span style="color:xterm219">Engage! Mode Elegant!</span>" This precedes further power spilling off of Flora, her under-skirt lengthening into a gown in a flash of burning-white shaped like the gown. This is quickly followed by a subtle swirl of wind through the folds of her stately gown, her hands in front of her. "<span style="color:xterm219">Pretty Cure Floral Tourbillon!</span>" The subtle wind intensifies, a veritable swarm of dark pink flowers appearing between Flora's hands, held fingers outstretched, near her chest. She stretches her arms out, the swarm intensifying as it heads Tomiko's way. She's only used it once, and she prays the purification attack serves either as an effective distraction or at least a fair counter to the sharp thorns. After all, there are a -lot- of those petals, and they are -highly- agitated.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima looks back to Tomiko and hrmphs. "Yes." she says softly as she looks back to the matter at hand. Nicola raises guns and attempts to fire a binding spell. Cure Flora fires off something powerful and flowery-- hopeful and light- she can feel it and she hates it. She can already feel it licking at her senses as she builds up the attack.<br /><br />Tadase blocks her dark chain whip with his Holy Crown as he urges the Cure on and she frowns heavily as she has to act quick.<br /><br />She raises her hands forward and just summons up a horrible wall of black interposed between herself and Tomiko. Corrosive, black and horrible, it attempts to either stop or weaken the various attacks getting through.<br /><br />This may work fairly well for Nicola's Bind.<br /><br />But anything Royale or Flora might do---<br /><br />The Floral Tourbillion impacts the wall and Lacrima can feel it shudder and shake as she winces and attempts to keep it up--- pushing back with as much power as she can muster... she tries to get /angry/. Anger. That was the key, Riventon's been teaching her and she tries to get angry at this. 'You're trying to hurt Tomiko-san.' nope.. not enraging enough. 'You're ruining my operation!' not angry enough... 'I'm going to dissapoint Riventon-san!...' not angry enough.<br /><br />Her hands begin to shake-- yeah she can't keep this up--- and the dark glow sort of 'pops' from her hand as she jumps backwards a moment as she hrmphs!<br /><br />"I--is that the best you g--got!?" she says shakily.<br /><br />"Do you all have a deathwish!?" she calls out. "Leave us be. Now." she spits out at the heroes.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tamiko deigns to look behind her at the sound of gun blasts -- as invulnerable as she's learned this body is, wounds could still slow her down, and dawdling was not part of Eclipse's orders -- but Lacrima is on the defense before she can react. A wall of dark energy that negates the red magic, allowing her to keep walking, unaccosted.<br /><br />She nods in thanks to Lacrima, turns on her heel, and nearly bumps into the pink princess who's appeared there.<br /><br />"Use flowers for what?" she asks, with only the barest hint of emotion in the form of a single raised eyebrow. "I'm not killing anyone. Not even really hurting anyone. If you'd get out of the way, we'd leave you alone." Briefly, she glances over to the remains of her petal shower, disappearing now in sparkles of green as the magic dissipates. "They're not even real flowers, you know --"<br /><br />Not that that matters, because there's an attack coming her way out of nowhere. It's a pure beam of power, Lacrima's shield can't hold it back.<br /><br />And it *burns.*<br /><br />The pain is enough to break her composure, eliciting a cry of pain from her as her skin wrinkles and burns from contact with the magic, and as she's flung back into a nearby wall from its force. She'd known to expect the unexpected, but *this* -- they said being a Puella Magi was supposed to make battle painless, why is she suddenly so vulnerable?<br /><br />In her desperation, her eyes catch on the few of her original vines still in existence, wrapped around stones that remained when all the others disappeared. And, in the midst of the pain-wracked thoughts, the truth clicks into place.<br /><br />"Lacrima!" she yells. "Grab the jewels that are in my vines. They have to be the ones we're looking for. We need to get out of here. Now."

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola's attack is stopped like that, but she's not deaf, she can hear what Tamiko is yelling at Lacrima, and she's fast. She immediately rushes towards the indicated spot, even pre-emptively putting up a magical barrier in between them and Lacrima so she can give herself extra time to get there.<br /><br />And then she tries to grab them, sweep them up in a swift motion, and in the process she drops a little black ball. A ball that isn't magical in nature, but the lit fuse doesn't care, and quickly enough it starts spewing forth thick brown fog that smells like the result of a sewermonster with a stomach bug.

:'''{{#var:62|Platinum Royale| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Platinum Royale can only keep the Holy Crown's ward up for so long, but thankfully, the enemies have been more focused on the jewels and defending themselves than trying to push on the ward. It fades out of existence, and in doing so, the Mahou Ouji takes a big leap forward, scepter in hand, coming towards Tamiko.<br /><br />But it's not an overhead smash, instead, while in the air, he calls out an entirely different attack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:#E3BC22">"ROYAL SEAL!"</span><br /><br />A burst of golden-bright energy in ribbons erupts, reaching out to bind her and perhaps seal an arm or leg to her body, or in other ways prevent her from getting the gems.<br /><br />"I don't know what Eclipse wants with these, but I know that I'm protecting people by keeping you from getting them!" Royale shouts. "And that's really all I need to know. I don't have a death wish. I have a life wish! A wish that extends to everyone, including you. But if you're working with people who have a goal to hurt others, that means I have to oppose you."

:'''{{#var:178|Cure Flora| (178)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Flora shakes her head. It doesn't matter that the flowers aren't strictly real. "Why do you even -want- the jewels?" Flora demands, heading for the vines. She stops at the smell of Nicola's stink bomb, coughing into a gloved hand. She nods agreement at Platinum Royale's declaration, though. She gags on the stench, but tries to keep a steady march toward the vines, trying to position herself between Lacrima and the vines. After all, whatever Lacrima *did* certainly couldn't seem to hold up to a Floral Tourbillon, and if that was the place she could be the most useful in this fight, that was where she was going to put herself.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima raises her hand at the vine about to do something to snatch them, but suddenly EVERYONE is in the way--- and now there's a thick black fowl smelling fog. She doesn't cough--- do undead even technically breathe? But it does make her eyes water--- a light stream of purple colored tears streaming down her cheecks- though not in full force-- and obscure her vision.<br /><br />Flora's a major issue. She knows what that attack was- and what it'll do to her if she tries to block or take the hit again.<br /><br />"A life wish...for me...?" there's a pause and then a series of mad cackling as--- she laughs. She actually laughs. "Wishing for life for the undead. How idiotic." she calls out. Then back to her deadpan, but she seems really shaken.<br /><br />Everyone's still going after Tomiko-san. Dammit. She squeezes her hands together into fists- and she just screams out. <span style="color:purple">"FURIOSO TOMRENTA OSCURA!"</span> she says closing her eyes tightly as it just begains raining, heavily, black horrendous beams of dark energy from the ceiling--- on getting the impression they'd be falling from the sky were this outside.<br /><br />The attacks seem unaimed, but strong and random and there's /many/ of them suggesting if one stays still one will hit eventually out of pure probability.<br /><br />"LEAVE HER ALONE!" she screams out.<br /><br />She's also hoping this'll open the way to the vines. Somehow.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tamiko's pushing herself back onto her feet, aided by her gnarled wooden staff, when she hears Flora's question. And maybe it's the pain, maybe it's the conceit of the question itself, but she feels compelled to answer.<br /><br />"Why do *you* want them?" she fires back. "You don't even know what they are. Why would they matter to you at all? Why are they worth protecting?"<br /><br />Eclipse never told her what they needed these crystals for. They told her only that they needed them, and that was enough. But she would never disclose as much to an enemy.<br /><br />Acrid smoke fills the room as the red blur moves to intercept the gems -- unfortunately, they overestimated a Puella Magi's need for air. Tamiko takes a moment to wonder whether she's been consciously breathing during this battle. From the lingering taste of disgust in her mouth, it appears that she had been, but she need not any longer. Pulling on the magic of her Soul Gem, she nourishes her body with its power, and leaps forward to begin collecting the magic crystals.<br /><br />That is, until a golden binding wraps itself around her ankle, and she collapses to the ground just in time for Lacrima to start raining death from above. She flails about on the ground for a few seconds, until she can turn herself over to look the so-called prince in the eye.<br /><br />"There's nothing you have to do," she says, mostly calm, although a thread of icy anger underlies that calmness. "If you wanted to, you could leave right now. All of you are choosing to hurt us, for whatever reasons you'd like to believe. But you are making that choice. Nothing is forcing you to."<br /><br />Where Lacrima's blasts connect with the vines, purple flowers spring up, glowing with unreleased power as she speaks, waiting for her command.<br /><br />"I hope it's worth it."<br /><br />And explosions rock the floor of the barrier, propelling crystals in every direction and sending debris from the walls and the ceiling tumbling down on the fighters below.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Suddenly, explosion. Nicola was trying to dig one of the crystals out so she's really close. It hurts, but on the upside, she has one of the gems. She manages to avoid most of the debris by sheer luck as she's flung backwards, and an auto-guard spell catches some more, which still ends up smashing her into the ground, but less painfully so.<br /><br />"I'm fighting you because you're helping that evil" Nicola uses a foreign sounding word to refer to Lacrima that is quite clearly not suitable for translation, "steal these gems. I don't know why she wants them, but it can't be for anything good."<br /><br />She gets back to floating in the air, and she points both her guns towards Lacrima, "You got to stop doing this, someone will kill you for it one day." She warns, and then she puts the barrels together, pointing them right at the magical vampire girl, the barrels starting to glow red while a magical cirle forms below Nicola's feet. Her aim keeps following Lacrima.<br /><br /><span style="color:xterm203">&lt;THORNED ROSE&gt;</span><br /><br />A large, red beam comes forth, filled with power. A lot of power. Surrounding the blast spiral countless little blasts, each of them shaped like a teardrop, with the pointy end facing towards the direction they travel. Some of those stay close to the beam, others spread far, a scattershot to surround the central beam.

:'''{{#var:62|Platinum Royale| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Despite his actually agility, Platinum Royale's usual response to attacks - even in great numbers from strange directions - is to try to hold fast. And it's not like that could ever be a problem - so as Lacrima's energy begins to rain from the sky, Royale dodges the first few, but raises his cepter to the sky...<br /><br /> <span style="color:#E3BC22">"HOLY C..."</span><br /><br />Royale can't finish the attack as intended, though, because one of those gobs of black energy slams into his upraised hand, knuckle first, searing it. He bites back the urge to curse out or react, instead tossing the scepter from his injured right hand to his left, and moving forward, back to dodging the rain.<br /><br />And then the explosions go off, and he's jumping backwards, dodging rain, still trying to get to the gems before Eclipse does.<br /><br />If his most common opponent for his magical life wasn't a dangerous agile and super-fast catboy, he'd be in trouble right now.<br /><br />But then he gets in, and using his scepter left-handed, drags it forward and swipes some of the gems away from the vines and backwards towards the heroes and away from Lacrima and Tamiko - before he has to shield another explosion. The burst of golden energy is all that prevents him from being flung all the way across the room, but as it stands, he ends up near the gems he dragged back, which he picks up with his bad hand, pointing the scepter left-handed at Lacrima and Tamiko wordlessly, still gritting his teeth.

:'''{{#var:178|Cure Flora| (178)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Flora shakes her head forcefully. "You attacked *innocent people* to get to them. I'm not going to let you have them if it's something you would hurt innocent people over!" She yelps as a piece of debris hits her, tightening her grip on the Perfume in one of her hands. She thinks she has enough energy for one more Floral Tourbillon, and she pulls her key out again. "There were -children- here!" There's a child here even now, but -she- chose to join the fight.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span style="color:xterm219">Floral Tourbillon!</span>" The spritz from the perfume that forms her skirt -helps- with the reek, and she aims the turbulent storm of flowers at the largest concentration of those dark energy blasts. A piece of debris catches her as the storm of flowers spreads out, and she clutches her right arm where a piece of debris sliced it. "I'd rather be hurt than let innocent people get hurt and stand by!" She gets back up, the elegant ballgown vanishing even as she pants heavily. She's exhausted in some deep corner of herself, but it's not a physical type- not yet. She's hurt, but she can still fight.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns as she unclenches her fists as she hrmphs! "Innocent. No one's /innocent/." she spits out. "Everyone's done /something/ worthy of sin." she spits. Her attack seems to have mostly worked. They're scattering or moving or loosing concentration and she uses the moment to throw... well it kind of looks like a shadowy tendril with a claw that extends out from her hand towards a small smattering of gems.<br /><br />It quickly rakes back and just in time as a bunch of teardrop shapped bullets just pepper her. And they do hit home.<br /><br />This looks like agonizing pain as bits of black smoke rise up from Lacrima's general area as she screams something out-- it sounds like screaming-- but nothing super unearthly.<br /><br />The Floral Tourbillion easily cancels out her darkness attacks--- not all of them but enough around her general area. Enough to keep any unconcious people safe.<br /><br />"Nrg... Tomiko-san. We're leaving." she says curtly as she gently lets herself slip into the air in a float and begins to make a dart of the hole Tomiko made.<br /><br />if Tomiko also needs help leaving-- she'll either help clear and/or lift her out with her on the way-- making her way to clear the barrier and make a clean escape into a Dusk Zone teleport.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There are too many flowers here. Tamiko never thought she'd say that -- but then, until recently, she never thought that flowers would be attacking her, or that she'd be using them to attack back. She also thought she'd never use her injured leg again.<br /><br />Goes to show how much things can change.<br /><br />Hacking at the golden binding until it snaps loose, the little Puella Magi hurtles into the air, again almost too fast to see. They're snatching up the crystals, she knows. She can sense when each of her vines is hacked into and destroyed, even in the chaos unfolding beneath her. Less than ideal, certainly, but it doesn't matter much. As long as they make away with a few, their mission is at least a partial success.<br /><br />She's going to help secure that success right now.<br /><br />Shooting up through the hole in the ceiling dislodged by her flowers, Tamiko jams the thin end of her staff into the edge of the barrier field. Again, and again, until she starts to feel the magic give way in front of her. Once a hole is opened, they're in the clear -- Lacrima just needs to hold up until then, and gather as many of the crystals as she can.<br /><br />"Grab the ones that are left," she calls down, amplifying her tiny voice with a bit of magic. A tendril of darkness uncurls from within her salmon pink Soul Gem. "In a few moments, we can leave."<br /><br />Tiny vines shoot out from her staff, worming their way into the cracks of the barrier, wrenching it apart as she lays into it with her blows. It won't be long now. Not at all.

:'''{{#var:158|Nicola Esprit| (158)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nicola takes a step back as she finishes that spell, it seems to have taken a fair bit out of her, and now she needs to somewhat recover. She decides that the best place to recover is right behing the handsome princely dude, so she takes cover behind Platinum Royale.<br /><br />"That girl is crazy." She mutters, looking fairly blatantly at Lacrima. The assault on her barrier easily causes it to crack, and then shatter. I's not strong enough to keep it up against a serious attempt to break it open.

:'''{{#var:62|Platinum Royale| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Royale frowns at Lacrima. "That's a dangerous position to take, Lacrima-san. Sure, most people have done something wrong. But we try to help each other do right. We take care of each other. That's how the world works. If you hold onto that hate, that fear, that rage - that's when it all starts to break down. By standing with others, we keep ourselves strong too. The strongest thing anyone can do is stand for others."<br /><br />Royale looks at the situation as Tomiko looks to leave and so does Lacrima, and he looks down at the gems in his injured hand. "But you aren't doing that - you'll be weakening yourself by taking from others, until you stop hurting people. Right now you're stealing things - you're stealing gems from museums, and depriving those who might love them of the ability to see them. And for what? Because of your bosses? All they're going to do is hurt people too. Is escalate."<br /><br />Royale levels his scepter at the girls, in his left hand, but no attacks come out. He'll have to take then little victory today. But the determination on his face tells a story, too.

:'''{{#var:178|Cure Flora| (178)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Flora is new enough at this that finding her voice in an in-combat discussion is new to her. Still, at what Royale says, she nods. "He's right. What about the kids who come here, to see what people can make? To see what the world can create? What about those who dream of one day making things this beautiful, or finding a valuable gem to share with the world?" Flora shakes her head, trying to ignore the blood dripping down her right arm, the burning pain of sliced flesh. That's less important than trying to convince Lacrima and Tomiko, to maybe bring them back to the light.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima stops and turns back around in midair and she seems to be...leaking, that black ichor.<br /><br />Yeah that's unpleasent. Nicola did a number on her. There's no attacks this time--- just another shadowy-clawlike appendenge shooting from Lacrima's grasp to grab more gems as she listens to Tadase's and Flora's words.<br /><br />"That's so easy to say, right?" she says. "'Stand together?'" she asks. "So why didn't anyone stand by me when I was hurting, huh? No, they just...walk away. Call me names." she spits.<br /><br />"Those things are meaningless. I'm sure they'll live without having to see them." she says with a tone that drips sarcasm.<br /><br />She can't risk taking anymore. She'll leave just as Tomiko leaves.<br /><br />Which should be hopefully. VERY soon.<br /><br />She feels like she's goading a dog on a very weak leash.

:'''{{#var:161|Fiore| (161)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tamiko doesn't know if the three fighters down below are mocking her, or if they actually think what they're saying will sway her. It sounds like Lacrima is in some distress from the verbal assault, so she quickens her pace as she hacks away at the weak spot in the barrier. But just before she bursts through it completely, she turns away, looking down through the hole she created in the ceiling.<br /><br />"So the viewing pleasure of the mundane crowd is more important than what we're trying to do?" she says. "If that is the case, let them view the stones with no power. Surely they are just as beautiful. They won't miss these few." As she speaks, she reels in the vines that still have gems inside them, collecting them from their blossoms and cradling them against her with one arm.<br /><br />"Until you know our actual goal," Tamiko says, her staff glowing with undischarged energy, "don't assume you have the moral high ground. The world is much more complicated than that."<br /><br />And she lets her blast fly, shattering the barrier and setting the magic dimension to a slow crumble. They'll be back in the real world soon, and the two of them will be long gone.<br /><br />"Lacrima. Come along. We musn't waste any more time."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima softly frowns as she looks up at Tamiko--- and she runs off and upwards through the hole floating upwards as she looks back down and gives a hrmph. "Stupid...." she mutters under her breath, not really auidble as she begins to make her escape.<br /><br />Well. They completed the mission for worth of 'complete'. They're not leaving empty handed.<br /><br />That's better than last time.
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