View source for 2683/I Can Feel It, Coming In the Air Tonight.

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/05/17
|Location=Mitakihara - Mitakihara General
|Synopsis=Norie and Kunzite have come to help figure out the mystery of Koji's parent's condition, with some friends to help support the newcomer magical boy.
|Thanks=Norie for Inspiring the Idea, Mamoru and Rashmi for Pushing me to do it, Kun-sama, Chandra, and Kokoro being willing to come along for the ride!
|Cast of Characters=202,160,198,199,200,109
|Tinyplot=The Remnant Conflict
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The call went to Norie the night after the impromptu get-together at Korma Chameleon, just a single call from a young man who's been forced to do things that a young man his age shouldn't be made to do. He gave her visiting hours for the hospital and that he'll be on the third floor, working to help keep things clean as a part-time job. But this is Koji who we're talking about, a boy who seems determined to be helpful despite the pressure it might put on him.<br /><br />For the other half of things, Rashmi only just found out about this, because the boy came by her family's restaurant, looking a little teary, and just asked for a small order of lamb curry to go, and when pressed told he was going to see his parents and to do some work in their room.<br /><br />Despite how warm and friendly that the place is, the first thing that anyone who comes up on the third floor of the hospital and into the long term care wards can feel is that there's a stillness. It's not a good kind of stillness either. It's the kind of feeling one gets when one goes into a room that hasn't had anyone in in for a long time. The cool and crisp taste of the A/C is still in the air, but somehow, despite the buzz and hum of the vents, they don't seem to matter.<br /><br />Even the sound of feet on the carpet seems unusually loud...

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima gets a call. She agrees to meet Koji and check out her parents at an agreed upon time. Shortly after, she tapped Kunzite to meet her at the location that Koji gave her. She went over to the UMBRA labs and got changed, she nabbed a few things that looked like dark crystals. She grabbed a small handheld pad like device. Anything else would had required prior auth and paperwork and she didn't feel like it. For a number of reasons.<br /><br />As an after thought, she also texts Kokoro. 'Going to check on the cat boy's parents. Maybe something will appear to hit really hard, if you wanna come. Not sure. But a possibility.' along with the information if she aggrees.<br /><br />Lacrima arrives via elevator because she doesn't want to contaminate a hospital ward with even the minute amounts of dark energy a Dusk Zone step entails. She brushes off her labcoat and her eyes scan the rather sterile halls and takes in the atmosphere. Nrg. She likes it. Because of course she does. Her senses and tastes as what she is so /different/. She just shakes her head and reaches the room and looks around. She presses the button next to it, a light 'call' button. She isn't just going to walk in.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Some things simply Are Not Done. Things like 'allowing a sad young man to visit his parents in the hospital, alone.' Thus, when Koji gets his korma, Rashmi carries it out herself, apron hung on its peg, bookbag on one shoulder and smelling of cut banana. "I know we don't know each other well," she'd said quietly, "but would you mind if I joined you? I'll stay out of your way, just... well, maybe it would help to be there with a friend?"<br /> <br />Apparently it would, and Rashmi has been quiet the entire walk to the hospital, waiting for Koji to decide whether or not to open up. Chandra, on the other hand, has plenty of room in the bookbag, snacks, and her smartphone to play with.<br /> <br />Once they close in on the hospital, however, the monkey is 'asked' to discreetly human himself before they get inside. Monkeys, after all, are Especially Not Allowed In Hospitals.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hanging out in Rashmi's bookbag is like a favourite pasttime for the monkey. After all, her cell phone is full of ridiculous games, which he has far too much fun finding new and inventive ways to play. Pretty much none of them are how you're ''intended'' to play. Like trying to beat bosses in an RPG by defending with a riposter only.<br /><br />And the snacks are an added bonus. This monkey's gonna get fat with all the spoiling he gets, but how can he possibly turn down fresh fruits and nuts!?<br /><br />When he's pulled out, the little monkey gives the most wounded expression to Rashmi. ''But I was having fun!'' he complains, then sighs and bounds out of her arms to head towards the bushes.<br /><br />Moments later, a tall teenaged boy with too much silver facial hair emerges, strolling casually back towards the group. He's still playing on Rashmi's phone. No wonder she never has battery power left on that thing.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mutter mutter phone number mutter thought that was for information swapping mutter calling me out for a hospital visit mutter.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro is heading into the hospital about the same time as Rashmi is, her eyes firmly glued to her phone. She's busying herself with some kind of mobile game or another, a perfectly good way to avoid the need to scowl at everyone and/or socially acknowledge them. But when it's someone she actually ''knows''... accompanied by a... a teenage guy with silver hair? Blink blink. "...oh. Rashmi." It's as close to a greeting as she typically offers.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>For someone who knows more than one healer, Kazuo has gotten remarkably good at navigating Mitakihara General. Admittedly, doing so requires upgrading his attire a half-step. White button-down and black slacks, all in good order, puts him far enough into an 'obviously this person is perfectly normal and reputable' that while people will still ''remember'' the absurdly tall young man with the long white hair, he won't be stopped three times a hall for inquiries into what he's doing there.<br /><br />Even if he's not in a labcoat.<br /><br />He comes up beside Lacrima while she's still waiting, nodding to her once in silence. A minute or two earlier and they might've shared an elevator.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The entire walk to the hospital, the normally talkative young man has been utterly quiet about things. Walking with his head slightly bowed and the small bag with the food in it just swaying back and forth with each step. It's a curious mixture of embarrassment, shame, and discomfort that seems to sit around him like a thick winter jacket. And perhaps more than that is even the surprise of seeing Chandra in his human guise doesn't even get the familiar jerk of surprise or alarm that the boy normally gives off. The first reaction that breaks this tense silence with him is Kokoro's arrival, and the fact that he's not even noticed just makes him suddenly speed up his step and go inside.<br /><br />Thankfully, Rashmi has the room number. Room 302. Long Term Care.<br /><br />For Kazuo and Norie, the elevator bings softly, announcing an arrival, and while the others are outside sort of commiserating, the young man looks up, and his glasses reflect the adjustment of lights as he sees the two older people there. They can both see him take a hard breath before he steps out of the elevator, as if he's hesitant to even be here... but then approaches and in a very subdued tone, "Sorry, I wasn't here to meet you. Thank you for coming." Bowing softly to both. <br /><br />And as he reaches for the door to open it, the lights in the hallway seem to dim just a touch and then brighten again, not enough that normal people would really notice, but for the other two here, it's a minor flash as obvious as someone turning on and off the lights.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"...Kokoro," Rashmi answers uncertainly, glancing after the speeding-up Koji. ''Chandra, could you go after him and make sure everything's all right? I might get held up a little here.'' Tilting her head as she opens the door, she manages a curious, but unchallenging, "Visiting someone here?" before moving to the front desk to obtain directions to Room 302.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Chandra doesn't even look up from his game; he just picks up the pace to speed after Koji, keeping up without a word to Rashmi.<br /><br />In the elevator, Chandra leans against the wall, making faces at the screen while he plays. Something's annoying him.<br /><br />As the elevator bings, the silver-haired kid looks up curiously, then follows Koji out of the elevator onto the third floor. "Ah, you again," Chandra says to Lacrima with a frown.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima looks back to Kazuo and gives a soft nod. "Hello Kazuo." she says. Kazuo right now. If only because she knows there's people coming that are not familiar with him and she is still not quite sure on the specifics of secret keeping with him. She gently hrms. No answer. "No answer...." she says. She's about to raise her hand to do.... something at the door... when Koji arrives. Is there others with him? Maybe they're lagging behind. "Where is Rashmi-chan? I asked you to bring her." she frowns. "If you don't. That's fine. But I will not be happy if rumors are spread that I was untoward during this." she says a little sourly. Of course. They're just being held behind a little when Koji rushed ahead.<br /><br />"Another person is coming. Akakuma-san. Just in case this summons something in the hospital, if there's something hidden and feeding off them." she says.<br /><br />Oh. There they are. She bows. "Chandra? Where is Rashmi-chan?" she asks. "Did she send you instead?" she raises a brow.<br /><br />"Let's get this started. As I said, I promise nothing. But my chances will be improved w...." a pause. "Yes. Rudeness on my part." she motions.<br /><br />"This is Kazuo-san. He's here to help me figure out where the energy is going." she says.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Without really thinking about it, Kokoro opens her mouth to speak, turning to look up at the hospital. "Appa-" But then she stops herself short, and for the briefest moment, Rashmi is treated to a look of quiet frustration, not at any external source, but at herself. "...Okana texted me. Said I should come with her to visit Silvia's parents. Just in case." It's a rare moment of forcing herself to speak carefully, respectfully. Even Kokoro has respect for hospitals and people visiting them. Perhaps also noteworthy is that she and Lacrima have apparently swapped phone numbers.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>'The silver-haired kid': no longer all that a unique identifier. Though Kazuo does look a few years older than Chandra, maybe university-aged. He folds himself into a polite bow to Koji, silent greeting. The one who greeted Lacrima with 'ah, you again' receives a small nod instead.<br /><br />And then the lights flicker when Koji reaches for the door, and he glances ceilingward with a sharp frown. "'If' may be the wrong word. Take care."<br /><br />Oh, look, he ''can'' talk.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Chandra gets a look from Koji when he comes up, as if expecting someone else, but then Lacrima is reminding him of the promise he made... that he forgot... and then unconsciously fulfilled, "Oh... Miss Rashmi is downstairs, she met a friend of her's." His tone respectful, but somewhat flat at the moment. Another heavy breath is taken and he pushes down on the handle to open the door.<br /><br />There is a certain smell in a room like this. The kind of smell that says that someone has been here for a long time. It's nothing anyone can identify to themselves. It a combination of the cleaning supplies, of bedding that needs to be changed in a couple days, and the occasional spill of food that didn't all get cleaned up no matter how hard anyone tries.<br /><br />Inside the room are four beds, but only two are occupied, and the distinct temperature change of room to hall causes a rush of cold to hot as the degree change is enough to prickle some skins. In the bed closest to the door is a woman who is more handsome than pretty, with a strong jawline and raven black hair. The placard says 'Silvia, Makoto' In the bed to her left is a tall and wiry-seeming man with hair that has hints of brown and despite his condition has a perpetual smile. It's very obvious that the boy favors his father, who's placard says 'Silvia, Jin'.<br /><br />The first and most obvious thing about both is they've been in here for months. Both figures are gaunt, the loss of muscle from movement taking decades off of them, and their hair has the stringy quality of someone who's not eaten as well as they should, the feeding tubes despite. Monitors, fluids, and the rest beep and pump slowly around them, telling the trained eye that both have strong heartbeats and other vital signals, but somehow they are as still as the morgue-like air of the room.<br /><br />The young man speaks again as he moves to one side of the door, "Sorry, I didn't have time to come early and clean up. The school archery team is prepping for a summer competition, and needed me to stay late to help check the gear."

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Good thinking," Rashmi murmurs. "I'm not much good in a pure fight, it's good to know someone'll be able to watch his back."<br /> <br />The elevator is called, and upon stepping out she gives Koji and Lacrima a bright smile and wave, and Kazuo with a brief bow. She opens her mouth to ask a question when Koji opens the door, and the change in temperature -- in many senses of the word -- makes her fall silent... As she steps through the door, heartbroken sadness inches over her face. Her mouth tightens, and she rests a hand on the boy's shoulder. "...It's okay," she says, softly. "Is there any way I can help with anything?"

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind Rashmi, Kokoro can best be described as 'awkward'. It's not usual for her to come to places like this, to make anything like a hospital visit. Even her body language practically screams 'I don't know what to do with myself'; she knows enough not to be her usual, aggressive self, but that leaves her shoulders hunched, her head slightly lowered and turned to one side, her hands shoved in her pockets. She makes brief eye contact with Lacrima, takes a quick glance at Koji, and then... well, she almost says something, but bites it back and remains silent.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima turns to Rashmi. "Oh. There you are. Hello Rashmi-chan." she says softly. She turns back to Koji's parents as she eyes them. Not the area around them so much as she's checking up and down and under the beds and crosses her arms finally. "Okay. Nothing there and visible." she says. "Thought so, but never hurts to make sure." she says.<br /><br />She looks to Kazuo and then to Koji and the others. "I'm going to start to work. Please tell me if you feel the atmosphere change for the worse. Feelings of dread, and so on." she says.<br /><br />She looks to Kokoro. "Thanks for coming Akakuma-san." she says. "This place is a bad place for creatures to appear. If they do come, and I can't use the full force of my abilities in such a place unless I also wish to taint it." she says frankly.<br /><br />She removes two of those dark crystals and places one at the foot of each, Koji's mother and father. They seem to hover in place when he places them. Spinning ominously. Sometimes they stop. They gleam. Then reverse direction. She pulls out that small pad like device and looks at the screen.<br /><br />"If something is outwardly draining them. I'll know in a few seconds." she says as she looks at the screen. "Hrmmm..."<br /><br />"I'm not sure. On the drain yet." she says. "But it seems your parents aren't regenerating any." she says.<br /><br />"Kazuo." she asks. "I'm not sure on that either. This is odd. They're alive. But. The energy levels aren't going up. They're going down. Slowly." she scratches her head.<br /><br />"Is it possible to damage someone like that? That they kind of... deflate.. slowly? From energy?" she asks, as she lowers the pad for a moment.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Chandra glances over at Rashmi when she comes up, then reaches out to gently ruffle the girl's head. Now that they're in serious business mode, he whirls the phone around in his palm, then slides it back into her backpack and steps forward towards Lacrima. "There she is," he says. That was kind of obvious, though. And Lacrima's already noticed.<br /><br />"Guess introductions are in order," he says, studying the taller man curiously. "I'm Chandra. This is my behaan, Terios Rashmi. And ah ..." he glances around. "Do you know Koji-kun and the grum--err Akakuma-san?" Not that she knows that he knows her name. That's probably going to be awkward.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Kazuo Takeba." Surname for surname, since Chandra gave Rashmi's. Kazuo answers bow with bow, and adds in answer to Chandra's question, "No. The young lady," he nods to Lacrima, "asked me here as a second perspective on some of her readings."<br /><br />Once they step through the door, he stops his efforts to be polite; he waits till the others are in and closes the door behind them, then turns his attention to Lacrima more directly. He's silent until she actually speaks to him. "Entirely possible. I can think of a couple of ways to do it off the top of my head." (Apparently Lacrima did not ask him here to be reassuring. Maybe he's one of her coworkers.) "Would you prefer I change and take a look? Or wait to give you more time without interference?"<br /><br />The answer being a yes, Kazuo glances back to Rashmi and Koji, and says in the same matter-of-fact tone, "Pardon me. This is not an attack." He makes certain he's out of sight of any cameras within the room or any line-of-sight through glass, and then, well.<br /><br />The transformation is fast; lines of lightning crawling over skin and fabric, and a flash of pinkish light from a jewel at his forehead that was present neither when he stood there as Kazuo nor a moment later when the change is complete. The uniform he's wearing is largely whites and grays, bar the dark earth-brown of the long cape's lining.<br /><br />(Kokoro has met ''him'' before, briefly, if not vice versa.)<br /><br />"This is also not an attack," Kunzite says, matter-of-fact, and lifts his hands; a faint shadow sweeps outward from him, until the room's lit a fraction more dimly than before, and perhaps a quarter of a degree colder still. He's careful to exempt certain things from the fractional energy drain. Electrical systems, for instance. Human beings.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lacrima gets a bare, brief nod. "...yeah. Yeah, I got you. I got it covered." She takes the moment to look around at the others, and-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, NOW Chandra has Kokoro's attention. "I know you?" she asks, suspicious. Suspicious enough that she doesn't watch Kazuo working, at least until- oh holy crap she recognizes ''that'' guy. And she's not very good at hiding her recognition, either. She's staring quite openly.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The young man somewhat at the center of this has checked out, so the change that Kazuo undergoes at first isn't even noticed for the first couple of heartbeats where he's already said to Rashmi, "If you want, there's a broom and some cleaning supplies in the cupboard there..." Pointing at it. This just puts one eye on the change... and while a piece of him is amazed, it's obvious he's so tired himself that he doesn't have the stuff to register it. <br /><br />As the small energy drain happens around Kazuo, the air in the room seems to finally kick in properly, a soft breeze rustling at all the long hair. After a second of that, both of the vital monitors flicker just briefly.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rashmi Terios returns the ruffle with a small smile, patting the monkey-teen's arm and moving off to collect broom and dustpan, shivering faintly in the coolness of the room. But, true to her word, she sets to cleaning up without comment, letting the people who know what they're doing do what they know.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima did not bring Kazuo along for 'reassurance', no.<br /><br />Lacrima looks to Kazuo and does answer yes, and he changes and she looks back to her pad and watches readings as Kunzite starts doing something. "His control is more fine than mine." she says. She gently crosses her arms and 'huhs' a bit.<br /><br />"That did something." she says. She squints a bit at the pad as she ohs! "I see it now." she says. "It's not that they're... not regenerating..." she says.<br /><br />"Something is taking it. I think. Slowly. Like. They get one step forward. This thing drags them two steps back." she says.<br /><br />She puts down the pad. "So there's something external." she says as she frowns. "Now the answer is what is it. And how close. Because if it's in this hospital proper it needs to be removed." she says as she taps her chin a bit.<br /><br />"Kunzite." Kunzite this time. He changed. "If what I'm seeing is right. Let's try to interfere with whatever is draining them." she says.<br /><br />"Either that's going to stop it, or that's going to cause something to come looking to see what's wrong." she says as she looks to Koji, who seems checked out. That's no good.<br /><br />"Koji-san?" she asks. "Things may happen in a moment. Are you sure your head is here?" she asks deadpan. "You're a liability otherwise." she states plainly.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>'This is not an attack'. Those words set the monkey's hair on end--and he's got a ''lot'' of it to have on end. But he doesn't act against Kazuo as he begins channeling magic. 'This is not an attack'; there it is again, and the monkey nearly twitches. But he manages to hold it in check, despite gritted teeth and hard stares.<br /><br />And then it turns out that those words are ''true''. <br /><br />Chandra blinks in surprise, and it's only after much staring and glaring that he realises Kokoro has asked him a question. Glancing towards her, he shoots the winningest smile he can, with hardly any transition from hard glare to pure cheesy grin. "Yeah," he says, "I'm the monkey that was with Rashmi-chan when you met her! Chandra, at your --" he starts to greet; starts to sketch a bow.<br /><br />-- but then the hair on the monkey's neck stands ''straight'' up, and he turns to glare at a specific point in the room.<br /><br />It's almost comical, how fast Chandra goes from uncertain glaring to cheesy grin, and now into pure protective. He steps, not subtly, in front of Rashmi, then narrows his eyes. "There is something here," he notes. "Something like a ... presence. What the heck. ''Behan?''"

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"If we try to interfere," Kunzite says, "it may simply concentrate the drain on the boy." He gestures to Koji. "He's also affected. But he has considerably more reserves than the other two do. So that may be best all the same."<br /><br />(Wait, what?)<br /><br />He turns, registering Kokoro's stare for a moment without returning it, and says, "Something is already coming looking." And he disregards etiquette ''entirely'' and points. Not at any of the ''people'' in the room; at directions that appear to be midair. One; two; the one Chandra is staring at; four --<br /><br />-- it'd be wonderful if he were stopping there, wouldn't it?

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro keeps staring at Chandra for a moment or two more. There's a quip she desperately wants to make, but before she can do so, the Monkey Local Authority Figure is staring at a spot in space, and Kunzite is pointing at it - and several others. Immediately, Kokoro's scowl makes its grand hospital debut, and her hand goes into her pocket. She didn't understand a lot of what Lacrima just said, but she can understand that whatever they're doing might be upsetting something dangerous. And she knows how to deal with that.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From out of her pocket, Kokoro withdraws a small charm, a silvered miniature hammer. She keeps it in hand, for now.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>*TINK* <br /><br />*TINKTINKTINK* <br /><br />*TINKTINKTINKTINKTINK* <br /><br />The sounds echo off the ceiling of the room, coming from the corners, the far wall, the floor. Then comes this strange sort of cackling hiss-snarl, an animal noise, but not one heard anywhere in nature. It could give the people who designed the Alien chitter from the first movie a few pointers. To Rashmi's left, a pair of almond-shaped red 'eyes' blaze to life... <br /><br />*TINKTINKTINK* Another set on the ceiling right above Norie and her crystals... <br /><br />The air in the room begins to pick up, the temperature dropping another two degrees, and a mechanical squeal comes from the machinery in the room just before they shut down entirely, as well as the lights in the room. Plunged into the dark there's nothing but the air and whatever lights are being made... by angry red eyes... and the blacklight glow of Norie's crystals.<br /><br />There's a sound of someone collapsing on the floor, and then a squeal-hiss as leaping from the darkness and towards Norie from two directions are two creatures. Each are about as big as a medium sized dog, but look like ferrets... but ferrets with scythe-blades for it's forearms and forelegs. Their mustelid faces flicker in and out of existence, like ghosts, like the rest of them as the air in the room picks up some more, enough that it makes a small howling in the air. But those blades look real... they sing with mana and gleam for blood.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>While Kokoro quietly armed herself, Rashmi did much the same -- By the time the sound of blades tapping on the ceiling could be heard, a sunburst-shaped charm was in her hand. The redhead's sweeping slows to a halt at the first hissing cackle, and draws in a slow, deep breath..<br /> <br />But being ready for trouble, however, doesn't keep creepy red eyes in the dark from startling a person.<br /> <br />The broom clatters to the ground as she dives aside. "NICOMACHEA!"<br /> <br />*bing* &lt;&lt; COMMAND INPUT READY, &gt;&gt; said the charm, in the calm voice of an older, wise man. &lt;&lt; SET UP. &gt;&gt;<br /> <br />The charm becomes an armored book, and Rashmi's clothes become more or less an armored dress, and even through the fear she manages the precise series of mudra the book had provided her, that she had practiced and drilled ever since the madness at the harbor.<br /> <br />A rune-and-line magic circle spreads beneath her, and most of the occupants of the room. &lt;&lt; WIDE-AREA BARRIER! &gt;&gt; she calls, and the atmosphere seems to.... twist, somehow. A sphere spreading outward, repainting the walls a mottled and roiling green-black, lending a gloomy, otherwordly dimness to the atmosphere, and erasing all trace of Koji's parents -- anyone in the hospital besides the assembled party, in fact.

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima hears the tink'ing and there's creatures coming in. She looks up and puts the pad away as she frowns. "Bad news. These aren't the main event and probably things the main event sent. The source of the drain isn't even in Tokyo." she says. She can feel the barrier snap up. That's good.<br /><br />"Good. That means Akakauma-san can let loose without worrying about damage." she says. Ignoring the fact it's keeping everyone else safe.<br /><br />She hrmphs and infuses those two crystals with a little dark energy. She shoves them into her pockets as she looks back to the room and with a flash. She's in a MUCH more flashier dress, as she forms a blade made of dark energy that extends from her straight end hand as she frowns.<br /><br />"Come on, insects." she says a little icly.<br /><br />"I want to see what you're capable of." she seethes a little. "Weak." she dares, as she attempts to lunge at one of the creatures near Rashmi first, since she was just busy with the barrier, trying to stab downwards with the blade of energy.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And almost as soon as she's got her trinket in hand, the lights go out. Already given to decidedly rough speech, Kokoro lets out a fairly unladylike utterance, and at the same time the room is illuminated by an entirely different source of light.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arcs of lightning dance across Kokoro's body, tracing an outfit in red and burgundy, while in her hand the charm begins to expand, larger and larger, until it's a tremendous weapon that everyone in the room should recognize - save perhaps Koji. Her eyes shift from brown to violet, while her hair lifts upward, standing up and spiked. The transformation isn't even complete before... what's she doing?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's holding that tremendous hammer just under the head, and lunging in to try and smash the nearest kamaitachi with it, rather than taking it by the handle and swinging the thing. She gets about one good swing off before the words 'Akakuma-san can let loose without worrying about damage' drift through the air.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a brief moment of incredulity. "...well why didn't someone tell me that sooner?!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she starts ''swinging''.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As Rashmi's barrier goes up, the monkey-boy reaches out his hand, and a long slender rod of some strange material appears there, lengthening and straightening until it is a bostaff of impossible origin and material. He whirls it once in front of him, then points the tip of the staff towards the strange creatures as they enter the room.<br /><br />But Chandra doesn't take the initiative; he doesn't jump in to fight straight away. Instead, he makes a point of positioning himself between the creatures and Rashmi. There's no point getting too close; the little beasts are outnumbered even if he doesn't enter the fray! (No, Chandra is not very good at counting.)

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Darkness is, unsurprisingly, often something Kunzite's friends with; nonmagical darkness affects his sight hardly at all. Whichever kind this is, his priorities are already set. With a gesture, he calls up a smooth curve of his own darkness where Lacrima ''had'' been, a half-dome designed to intercept leaping and falling bladeweasels. He can't do as much with kinetic energy as he can with other things, but skidding on a near-frictionless surface tends to disconcert many creatures, and slow others down. Buying her a moment to deal with Rashmi's unfriend.<br /><br />Second priority -- moving to where someone fell. Making sure that person is either outside the barrier, or protected.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>When Norie lashes out and strikes through the 'thing' that's hissing up at her, crawling at her in an almost millipede-like slithering movement, it passes right through it... but also disrupts it. The aura of it flickers, the dark energy causing a sort of static in the energyform. Then, the injured thing splits into a pair of hissing, spitting, bladed and fanged monsters.<br /><br />Three more of these things drop down off the ceiling and end up bouncing off of the barrier that Kazuo put up, leaving him shielded on one side, but a fresh squeal-scream from behind him says that another one is there, and like the others it is jumping at Norie.<br /><br />As the former 'General' goes to where the body fell, he can easily find the crumpled heap of Koji... only when his hand comes close, there's almost like an arc of power that comes off of it, slowly illuminating the spot where the young man at the center of this is laying, and looking like he's flickering in and out, as if only a part of him was taken with the barrier. An older, echoing voice that comes from his mouth but without moving says 'Hilf... Mir...'<br /><br />For Rashmi, as her barrier spread, for a moment she illuminated them fully in the aura of magic, their mana reflecting in greenish glow that just makes the red eyes glimmer harder as they spare her a look, but then continue their charge at Norie... for the moment ignoring the others. But the sounds of the blades digging into the floor, the walls, it continues, coupled by the feral squeal-screams of the creatures in the wan lights created by the various powers... <br /><br />And Then Kokoro's hammer HITS one of them. And it's like watching lightning come off a cloud and strike back in on itself, the energy keeping the creature as an entity swirling and boiling around itself until it hits the wall, and unlike the one that Norie struck, this one seems to smash and discorporate, leaving a dust-like splatter-stain on the wall, static dust like iron filings locked in place at the moment the magnet pushed it all the wall, only to fall to the floor after a three-count.

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's too cramped in here!" Rashmi calls. "We're going to be tripping over each other if we don't move!" Scrabbling back behind the front-line fighters, she flings an arm outward, spreading a rune-and-line magic circle in shining gold in front of Lacrima as the creatures leap for her. "Kunzite-sempai, can we irritate what sent these enough for it to show its face?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima watches the creature split in two when she thrusts down into it with the dark energy blade, which dissipates the moment it hits the floor and embeds itself in it. It isn't a sword. Just a blade of energy. She frowns to Rashmi. "You're right." she says as she raises her hand and then calls out.<br /><br /><span style="color:purple">"Auge!"</span> she calls out.<br /><br />A brilliant black dark energy explosion explodes out into the barrier world's wall and blasts off the entire wall where the door was into the hallway.<br /><br />"Now it is less cramped." she calls out.<br /><br />Lacrima really likes barrier worlds for reasons like this.<br /><br />She steps out into it and then turns back around to the creatures given chase. She huffs. <span style="color:purple">"Auge mas pequeno"</span> she calls out, as a somewhat smaller explosion rakes out towards the creatures upon seeing Kokoro's success with such a move, if with a hammer.<br /><br />She looks over to Kunzite and raises her brows a bit. "This thing is too far away. It's also something like a device. It /feels/ like a device." she says. "Like what Rashi is using right now. That kind of device." she says.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Chandra's monkey ears twitch at the observation, then he dashes forward. "Inside the barrier, I don't think these things can reach Koji-kun's parents," he notes. The monkey doesn't hesitate as he dives head-first through the window, smashing it open. "Come on and catch me if you can," he calls turning around to fling a rock from his pocket at one of the creatures. Well he's ''trying'' to take the fight outside.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro swings her hammer, and with a crackle of lightning, one of the kamitachi is no more.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Snap a picture, Rashmi. You're probably not gonna see Kokoro smile again for a good while.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Warrior of Storms pauses in the followthrough on her swing, and breaks into a soft, dangerous grin. "Hoh...? Didn't seem to like that too much." She gives the hammer a quick whirl around herself, and then she's going to town. Swinging that hammer left and right, at anything small and bladed that's unfortunate enough to get within reach, every swing punctuated with the crackle of electricity on the hammer. But she's got surprisingly good control of that huge thing, and she's focusing, first and foremost, on the ones that come after other people in the room - ''especially'' the ones trying to hit Norie.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does briefly pause to just kind of quietly stare at Lacrima blasting an entire wall out, though.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm not seeing a connection," Kunzite calls back to Rashmi. "Just as well. We already have four priorities, and that's three too many." Bladeweasels. The victims outside the barrier. And the victim half-inside the barrier.<br /><br />Bladeweasels concentrating on Norie. Kazuo shifts his shield to keep anything from trying to run ''through'' Koji's space. "We have too damned many devices -- no offense," he adds in Rashmi's direction, though not to Rashmi. "These things are chasing either Lacrima or her energy; if you can lure them out, we might have a shot at figuring out what in hell your barrier is doing to your friend --"<br /><br />Apparently Kunzite's superpower is delivering bad news.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Poor Poor Chandra. None of the saberferrets (Because really... bladeweasels?) follow after him out the window, but because of the barrier putting things out of phase to keep damage happening in the real world, he sees something with those enhanced senses of his that others did not see, and can confirm something they cannot. There's mana, hanging like spiderweb threads in the air from the third floor of the hospital, white with the light of life energy, and trailing west-southwest away from the hospital and gone to the horizon. Swaying in a breeze that only exists because of whatever this thing is. They're like the connective mana-strings of a golem controller.<br /><br />The cement-dust of the first explosion isn't even gone when the second of Norie's explosion goes off, and she gets a mild surprise... the power that's maintaining the constructs being based on life-energy means that the two that were caught in it implode, and seem to be sucked into the darkness, and feed little trickles of the good stuff right into her.<br /><br />Rashmi gets to watch and The maiden of Storms goes to town on these things. With the wall destroyed, light has poured in, and nine of these things are left in the room, everywhere, like brown furry insects that flicker and show the things behind them. Another trio of them are hit with the methodical flails of that mighty weapon, and each time, they shriek, they hit the wall, and discorporate into what could best be called... the dust in the A/C. Thankfully the mage's circle of protection doesn't interfere with either of the attackers, but at the same time, one of them lands atop it, and begins to hiss and stab frantically at it, screaming and flailing like an unhappy little blender.<br /><br />Getting to watch it all, from his position, nothing is attacking Kazuo either, still going for the dark energy at the center of Norie, though, from inside the shield, comes the words, "Schneide... die Faeden..."

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>:frowns and sighs. "Of course they want me. Lord knows why. I'm not a human." she frowns. "Idiots. What sustience do you expect from me." she says as she turns to the wall as she hrmphs and steps a few feet down to the corridor because she's putting distance, giving time for people to attack. Then she turns because she doesn't run away. They're not fixing this situation tonight. But there's things she needs to setup still.<br /><br /><span style="color:purple">"Perno oscuro ancho!"</span> she calls out as she sweeps her hand out. Bolts of dark energy raining down from what is apparently the ceiling, in the general vicinity of the creatures. This continues, an incessant rain of dark and black energy that doesn't let up until it's rended and destroyed and nothing is left standing. It also has the side effect of damaging things around it. Luckily. It's a barrier world.<br /><br />"Weak idiots. Acting above their station." she mutters. "You won't get another chance."

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What the ''hell''?!" Chandra asks, grabbing onto the edge of the building. For the moment, the fight is forgotten, as he stares at those weird wires of energy. ''Choti behan, you're going to want to see this.'' <br /><br />Banishing his staff back from whence it came, Chandra climbs up to a better perch, then explains, ''Whoever's controlling them is pretty far away. This is weird. And strong magic. Be careful.''

:'''{{#var:198|Rashmi Terios| (198)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>''I see it, bhaee priy,'' Rashmi answers, peering in confusion at the glittering lines of energy. Then Koji speaks up, and her confusion turns toward the downed boy. "I... what?"<br /> <br />*bing* &lt;&lt; CUT THE THREAD, MASTER. &gt;&gt; Nicomachea intones under the din of battle, and Rashmi starts, uncurling slightly. Stretching out a hand, she summons a trio of sun-colored balls of mana, firing desperately at the whisker-thin wires. The bullets streak past the melee, but only one hits its target, shearing through one of the threads of mana and dissipating on its own.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Norie's got the clean-up more or less covered - but that doesn't mean Kokoro can't dive in and take one or two more down for herself, flowing from one swing to the next in efficient movements. She does turn her head slightly, talking as she swings. "Ain't a predator alive that goes after somethin' it can't eat. If it does, it ain't alive much longer. Either they're after somethin' outta you that ain't life energy, or they're after you for somethin' else." Only when the threat seems dealt with entirely does the girl swing that hammer up onto her shoulder, still on guard. 'Just when your enemy thinks they've won' is a great time for an ambush, after all.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Immune reaction, maybe --" Answering Kokoro is a privilege for times when people are not firing in the dark. Kunzite concentrates on trying to stay ''out'' of Rashmi's way.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Between Norie's rain of black death, and the fury of Kokoro's Hammer coming down on them, the remainders of these blade-tipped beasts are either blown to pieces, or smashed to dust, though the last one than staggers away on three legs and attempts to leap TOWARDS the strings that Rashmi is aiming for, getting hit with a glancing solar-like shot and being spun off to hit a building and discorporate due to the damage it suffered. Which means more of that A/C dust ends up landing in a flutter on Chandra's shoulders<br /><br />*TWANG!*<br /><br />The noise is coupled with a physical sensation like a whiplash that reverberates on everyone who is contained within Rashmi's barrier, and Kazuo sees the flickering form of Koji convulse and arch like HE was the one struck, but then collapse as his form solidifies into the familiar student-dressed and braid-tailed young man. For a moment he looks up at Kazuo, eyes tearing up like someone who'd just been relieved of pain, and then collapses unconscious, vanishing outside of the barrier and protected from anymore harm.<br /><br />Two threads remain, their movements having stilled to nothingness now, near-invisible save to the sharp eyes of the monkey who's enhanced senses know how to spot little magics like this.

:'''{{#var:199|Chandra| (199)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As that piano-wire cord of mana snap, Chandra lest out a low whistle. Closing his eyes for a moment, he centers himself in Rashmi's magic, then leaps forward ... directly towards one of the remaining wires.<br /><br />No, wait, towards ''both'' of them? Where there was one monkey before, now there are two. Chandra cleaves through the two wires with sharp nails, severing the mana with a simple slash of magical disruption, then arrests his leap with a cloud of energy that coalesces beneath him. <br /><br />Chandra hovers on his cloud a moment, then hops back towards the broken-out window and back into the room. "Did it work?"

:'''{{#var:160|Lacrima| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima frowns and looks around. Is that it? She frowns a bit harshly. "Idiotic. Idiots." she mutters. She does not have a very large insult dictionary. She walks back in through the hall in the way. She looks at Kokoro. "All this damage will go away when the barrier is dropped." she says. "We damaged a very nice recreation of the area when Rashmi ran her barrier." she says.<br /><br />"The 'real world' is fine." she says.<br /><br />"It's a nice way to not have to worry about collateral damage- if you have someone with a device." she says.<br /><br />"..or in my case. Spreading dark energy around a sensitive area like a hospital." she says. She hrmphs and looks around. Then she looks at the pad as she looks back up. "The draining has stopped." she says more calmly and deadpan. "So yes." she says as she waves her hand in the area.<br /><br />"Whatever is still out there. There's no guarantee it'll reconnect or come back." she says tartly. She looks to Rashmi. "Drop the barrier when we're all settled. There's no reason to keep it up." she says as her fancy dress outfit flashes off in a purple glow, back into the labcoat she entered in.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When the first line is cut, Kokoro just about loses her balance, stumbling to one side with a surprised utterance. She quickly finds her footing again, though, and takes a look out the window - in time to see Chandra flying around on a cloud and dividing himself briefly into multiples.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When he gets back in, she's staring flatly at him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...you look like you're gonna hop on that cloud and fly off to India the next time a monk wanders by."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does give Lacrima a brief nod. "I'm not sure I get it exactly, but as long as it means I didn't wreck the place." She's got that hammer of hers resting against the ground, but when it looks like they're clear of the immediate threat, she picks it up, lofts it into the air, and by the time it comes down in her hand, it's reverted to charm size again - and her outfit disperses in a final, crackling display of electricity.

:'''{{#var:202|Koji Silvia| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The light of the moon that bathes the victors shines down through a cave along a coastline in an island at the southwestern edges of what could be called Japan... and inside a single red eye glows within the depths a tall crystal ringed in metal. <br /><br /> From it, a voice echoes, genderless and with an old Mid-Childian Dialect.<br /><br /> &lt;&lt;CONTROLLER LOCATED. PRIORITY: ACQUISITION.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&lt;&lt;PRIMARY DIRECTIVE STILL IN EFFECT.&gt;&gt;
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