542/A Sudden Attack

A Sudden Attack
Date of Scene:	06 November 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - North
Synopsis:	A princess revisits a place full of awful memories, hoping to understand the way toward a better future. Yet others have far more sinister plans...
Cast of Characters:	Fate T. Waldia, Runealy Waldia, Gaofele Doiru, Mamoru Chiba, Hinote Kagari, Usagi Tsukino, Madison Perry
Tinyplot:	Fall of the White Flower

---

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Normally after school, Rune and her friends make their way back to their 'safehouse' apartment. Whether by foot, magic, mass transit, or private driver, they find their ways back either together or individually.

This day after class and club activities - Runealy notably hasn't joined one yet - the princess has a detour to take. A scenic route, more like. "There's a memory I'd like to come to better terms with... I'm going to visit the 'old mistake' before I head to our place. I'll call you if anything goes wrong." She pointed in the direction of the abandoned store, to clarify what this might mean.

Now she paces around the building, head low as a sharp sigh follows. Oddly, the princess is talking to herself: "Glad I got an artist to draw this place. It'll need to go into our history books too, even if it was 'a mistake.'"

She pauses near the back door, head slowly shaking a few times. "...More importantly, glad a lot of you talked me out of it after a while. Weird how something that makes sense at the time can turn out to be really stupid."

Madison Perry has posed:
    It's been about a week since that huge, ghost-like white flower appeared in the sky over Tokyo. It's faint now, and you can really only see it at night (and only with magical vision-average citizens have no clue its there), but as the sun sinks towards the horizon it begins to appear once again, like a phantom reminder that something is amiss in Tokyo.

    There's another symptom of that problem, too. Youma attacks have been on the rise since that flower appeared. More than usual prowling the streets, in what seems like an almost coordinated fashion. As is hunting for something.

    So maybe it shouldn't be a major surprise when the princess, revisiting her old haunts, suddenly gets the sense that she isn't alone. And that her unexpeced companion isn't human.

    It sits in the darkness of the old, abandoned store, as if hiding from the sun until nightfall. Maybe that's exactly what it's doing. But as Runealy pauses near the back door, that feeling hits.. and a pair of red eyes light up in the darkness behind the door as it hangs open just a crack. What they belong to is not yet seen... but it feels wrong. It's definitely not a poor lost puppy.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
It is early November. it is now jacket weather, and that is what Hinote is wearing. It's a fancy coat that comes down to about his knees in the back with big pockets. It seems warm. He is at a stand. Gao is probably somewhere behind him- as he pays a man from an aromatic stall. They're not too far away from whereever Runealy is- out of need- she's texted her location and she's still healing and Hinote still is worried about her being out alone still. He worries! But not enough that he isn't about to NOT treat Gao to a cold winter Earth tradition.

He hands out a warm up. "This is called Hot Chocolate." he insists, as he holds it out to Gaofelle. "It's hot! So be careful." he says.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"Thank you," Gao replies to Hinote, accepting the offered cup. He blows on the hot liquid for a moment, then takes a sip. "This /is/ good," he notes appreciatively, taking a larger drink.

The forester glances towards the direction of the old store. Closure helps with healing, and getting some closure with what the old store stands for will undoubtedly help Rune recover. Still, with the White Flower group prowling around, he can't help but feel concerned for Rune's safety.

Fate T. Waldia has posed:
Fate Testarossa is... somewhat close by, but not really. She's certainly not close enough to see anything that happens. She's floating up above the city, a tiny black dot against the sky, barely even visible, if at all.

It would take her a while to realize that any magic was being used. She's looking for magic, sure, but Jewel Seeds specifically. It would take her even longer to arrive.

This on top of the fact that she's not particularly expecting anything to happen today.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Those are attacks that Rune, aside from the initial outburst, has mostly responded to in brief 'skirmishes'; not yet fully recovered, she limited herself to delaying them, annoying them, redirecting monsters from important places or people and then hoping someone else could take over. It occurs to her she probably ought to talk with her friends about the giant flower, but... she has no idea what caused it, and thus little to contribute to any discussion on how to deal with this.

The idea that monsters might be hanging out in what should be an otherwise empty, low-value building did not cross her mind. She does however sharply look up, tense, as she sees a flash of red in the side of her vision. "Mm? That's not their usual color, but..." Possibilities race through her mind, and most of them range from 'kind of bad' to 'extremely, possibly world-shakingly bad' in their implications. The most innocent of them is 'red colored light from some Earth-person and their cell phone', and it's not enough to calm her down.

She decides to err on the side of caution; Rune can apologize if she ends up transforming for no good reason. "Summoning Princess' Tiara!" The jeweled headwear appears in one hand. "The Line of Succession..." It's passed to the other hand, which brings it to her forehead in the same motion. "Transform!"

A flash of red light engulfs her, and when it fades Runealy is in full magical attire with wand in hand, staring hard at the door. She's ready for whatever may be the cause of that 'light' in the dark of the old store.

Madison Perry has posed:
    There's a low growling sound from behind the partially-open door, emenating from the darkness of what should be an empty store. It's impossible to see what it is, but it's definitely not a friendly sound.. and it's definitely not human, either. That feeling in the air suggests it's not just some random stray normal animal either.

    As Rune transforms, staring at the door, it slowly inches open, slowly, slowly, that crack of darkness widening...

    Until a small form stalks out. It's about the size of a small dog, but it looks like a weasel with horns growing out of its head and glowing red eyes, and it moves in a strange, twitching fashion. It's definitely some sort of magical creature- in fact, if she's had contact with them before, Rune would almost instantly recognize it as a Witch's familiar, one of the lesser creatures that serve the larger monsters.

    It arches its back and hisses at Rune. Unnatural and evil it may be, but luckily.. it's not very dangerous on its own, even to a weakened magical girl.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Usagi and Mamoru are out walking, but instead of being dentist-visit-inducingly cute, they're talking business. Well, Mamoru is, and he's hoping Usagi is, and as the white flower gradually grows more visible in the darkening sky, even the air feels more serious.

He tosses an empty coffee cup in a passing bin and unceremoniously reaches to slide his hand into hers.

"...so in short," he continues, "Homura said she and Gull and White and some others fought the girl that attacked Ami-chan, and that she calls herself the White Flower, and that she'd never heard of or seen anything like a Puella controlling familiars or Witches before," he says, only loud enough for her to hear him as they walk. "And if anyone would have, it'd be her. So this is definitely new, and really as worrying as I thought."

His eyes cast up to the sky and his lips thin. "There's going to be trouble tonight."

Fate T. Waldia has posed:
Fate feels a chill run down her spine, and holds her black cape tighter around her. It's a cold night, and for the moment she's alone. Arf was sent off to deal with some stray youma that was bothering them, so that Fate would have more time to scan.

Another slow night of finding nothing. At least the stars are nice, if she can just suffer the cold.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi is, of course, business.

Well, to be fair, normally she wouldn't be. But this business directly involves one of her best friends, and said friend having gotten hurt.

Her hand grips his in a warmth she can't really show otherwise. (Serious Usagi is Serious.)

"So, we're basically facing something unknown."

She sighs. Life is full of unknowns lately.

Still, she's worried, and so he must be eating himself up with his own. So, she does what she does best.

She offers him a brilliant smile, almost actually feeling it. "Don't worry, Mamo-chan. We'll all figure this out."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari grins at Gao. "Earth has weird drinks. Luckily, I think Chocolate is a thing you guys can make back in Waldia---though--- if you guys don't already have choco---actually. Maybe not. I forgot it's also like a plant. So---------" he taps his chin.

"Yeah so maybe not that. But....hrm." he seems to tap his chin in thought.

"So is chocolate a thing, Gao?" he asks as he taps his chin.

OH the store. Thank god he hasn't been back there in a bit. But... he may be soon.

OH SHIT. HE THINKS!-------- he hasn't been studying lines still. Nrg. Maybe it's better to wait after this whole mess is cleared up. Things are still screwing with his head a little thought wise.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru thinks for a moment. "I don't think so -- or at least, I haven't encountered it there," he finally remarks before taking another drink. "Still, it does sound like it would be an interesting thing to look into."

The hot chocolate is good, and the cup is nearly empty now. Definitely a drink that Gao wouldn't mind having more of later.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
A mix of fright and relief courses through Rune at the same time. She's relieved that it's not a demon, which would have meant one or more of them found the portal and crossed over to Earth... which would have other terrifying possibilities implied.

Yet she's still worried, because she has seen that while /most/ familiars aren't lethal threats on their own... they can be. It seems to be rare, but not impossible. Something else occurs to her too. "So /you're/ why that awful feeling is...!" Her sentence trails off as it rears to attack.

She stops speaking coherently, instead making an aggressive shout to launch an orb from her wand. It splits apart in mid-air, turning into a spray of green sparkles meant to pepper the weasel-familiar in a wide attack!

Madison Perry has posed:
    Poor weasel-chan. He never stood a chance. The green sparkles rain down on the Familiar, and with a little shriek it poofs into nothingness. Well. It seems like that little guy really wasn't that much of a threat after all.

    Of course, Rune doesn't end up with much chance to celebrate her victory. A moment later, the sound of slow, sarcastic clapping comes from atop the store. With it comes a voice- a young female voice, speaking Japanese fluently though with an accent that's hard to place.

    "Hey hey, lookit that. Young Miss Wand here, takin' out the big threats." A quick glance up towards the roof would reveal the source of the voice- a blonde woman, standing on the edge, one foot planted on the lip, a sarcastic smile twisting her lips to one side.

    She's wearing a long dark-red and black coat, which if Rune has any knowledge of the things, will almost certainly be easy to identify as a Barrier Jacket.. but more concerning than that are the pair of long knives she wields, one in each hand. The weapons are slightly curved and each about the length of her forearm, though at the moment she's holding them somewhat awkwardly so she can clap without dropping them.

    "Still, hardly seems fair, does it? Poor thing did all the hard work, sniffing you out, and what kind'a thanks does he get? Poof, gone, just like that."

    The woman steps off the roof, floating gently down to the ground until her booted feet touch the grass. "Kinda makes you wonder how much a life's worth, don't it? Yours, mine.. that poor ugly Familiar. In the big scheme of things, I mean." She still has that twisted little smile on her face, but the way she begins walking toward Rune is anything but humerous, one hand idly flipping the knife it holds in a slow, casual twirl.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Glancing down at the girl beside him-- the pretty soldier beside him-- and her brilliant smile, and sees the 'almost' in it like very few others would be able to, and he squeezes her hand gently as his expression softens. If she can make the effort for his sake, he can make the effort for hers. "Of course we will," he says with a ghost of a smile, most of it in his eyes.

He's determined not to look at that flower again unless he has to, but still, he doesn't let go of her hand.

"Anyway, the only calls I've been getting on those posters is people who've seen her fighting. No one that knows her outside of that. But Gull-chan said that Blue told her that the Puellae come from all over the world-- which I can attest to, I've met some-- and she might never even have been near Tokyo before. I'm hoping social media turns up some hits, since I spammed a few networks from unconnected accounts I've had set up..."

He frowns. They're getting closer to the area where the broken-down conbenie is, though he's never been there. Mamoru carefully opens his senses, and beyond the sunshine at his side, the aura of malice is faint, the touches of despair almost indistinguishable from the background noise of the people in the neighborhood.

His steps slow to a halt, and he cocks his head, as if listening.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
His ghost of a smile, that one, bumps hers to a genuine one. There's still worry and concern, of course, because itcomes with the job, but she's learned how to take Small Moments, even during a crisis, when she can.

She watches, and listens, and while she understands all he's saying about social media, she has no clue how it would work. But it will, because he's smart.

And then they stop, and he is searching for things she doesn't quite sense yet.

Her hand tightens on his, and since she doesn't see what he sees, she watches his face.

"What is it?"

If she has to, her fingers will touch his face, even if only to remind him she was here and safe.

(Because who knows what crazy things go on in his mind sometimes.)

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari doesn't know much about the White Flower stuff, or that weird after image in the sky. He knows something dangerous is going on and that's why they're trying to not be too far away from the Princess overall. He doesn't know her exact location right now, duh. He sips his hot chocolate.

"I need to get back practicing my lines. nrg. But I'm going to wait till we're done with all this. Your head's a whirlwind when you have stuff like this on your head."

He holds a hand to his head. "Mehg. I mean that respectfully of course." he says softly.

"I dunno if I could enjoy a make belive story about saving a world if the real one isn't taken care of first, ya know?" he says to Gao.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gaofele Doiru nods understandingly and drains the last of the hot chocolate. "It's important to deal with one's responibilities," he agrees. "Makes it easier to enjoy the other things in life when there's nothing hanging over your head, especially if you feel accomplished about the things you've completed."

The forester looks up towards the White Flower and scowls. "And then there are things that you can't deal with by yourself," he sighs. "They're usually slower to deal with, but much more satisfying when done."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Runealy sags with relief, but actually has the sense to stay somewhat on guard... and so when she's met with mocking 'praise' from above, the princess is very quick to look up and be ready to raise a forcefield if need be.

No, she is only met with derisive words, not immediate assault. The words, rather than the knives, are doing the cutting right now. Rune's head lowers, shame taking hold. "It would have been a threat to someone. I know I should be doing far better, but... everyone's life is worth /something/ to someone, somewhere. You don't think about the 'grand scheme' when you're facing that. Maybe it doesn't matter to anyone else, but when you see it... it matters to you more than a million 'big pictures' ever would!"

Then something occurs to her, as her gaze follows the new arrival. "What do you mean by that, 'sniffing me out'?" That knife certainly seems to be used to make a 'playful', bullying threat toward her...

...And while Runealy won't be the first to fire, her wand is now aimed at this strange individual. "Who are you? Are you here to attack me? I don't even know who you are, or why you're here!"

Madison Perry has posed:
    The blonde woman snorts slightly at the shameful hang of Rune's head, at her words about the worth of life. "Wrong answer, kid." She replies, catching her flipped knife by the hilt and using the blade to point right at the princess. "See, when you look at the big picture, it's really just the opposite that becomes totally clear. We're all motes of dust- and who's gonna care if one dust mote kills another, right?"

    She laughs, a scornful sound.. before suddenly darting forward with blinding speed, a flash of red light left in her wake. She moves like a snake, slipping around Rune's raised wand, one knife slashing out to knock the other girl's weapong aside while the second slashes for her leg. An attack meant to cripple, more than one meant to kill.

    "'Course you don't know me, and don't take it personal, right? Just followin' orders!"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
These kind of cruel remarks aren't entirely alien to Runealy. She has heard others say things like this before. Some demons talked like that, shouted loud enough for even her to hear them from within a forcefield while the Queen - her late mother - fought and swiftly destroyed them. Others inverted those words, relishing in individual tragedy instead of justifying their attacks behind 'big picture' reasoning. Regardless of their precise form, she has heard these kind of comments from monsters.

And that tips her off that an attack is likely coming. It turns out to be so. Rune starts to protest, "That's horrib--" She's cut off by her attacker moving in! The alien princess manages to swing her wand in a parry to deflect the first knife, and her boot-wings glow in a silver light as she's launched up and away... landing just short of the back wall to avoid the leg slash. "Everything is personal, in one way or another! Who's ordering you to attack me, and... why!?"

It occurs to her she is now on the receiving end of a mystery she inflicted on Tokyo's protectors not long ago. Attacking them through no fault of their own that they could identify, and some of them had understandably asked 'why?', only for no good answer to be forthcoming. In some cases, Rune had just kept attacking regardless of their plea for understanding, for any kind of insight.

And when someone talks about lives being 'motes of dust', so insignificant on their own, /laughing/ about attacking... Rune is pretty sure a simple 'why!?' is not going to stop this. Just before she lands, her wand launches another green orb. This one does not scatter; it stays whole as it flies, and tries to 'detonate' into emerald sparkles upon impact... whether with her attacker, or the concrete some ways past her. Runealy is aiming so that if her attack fails to land, it should sail only a short distance before gouging out concrete rather than hurting anyone some range away.

Madison Perry has posed:
    "Well, I guess you're right, in a way." The blonde woman says, as Rune skillfully dodges both attacks, leaping backwards close to the wall in the process. "I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy my work. I get a good bit of personal satisfaction out of it." She winks a blue eye roguishly. "So in that way, I guess you could say it's personal."

    She seems to be in no hurry.. if her going for a crippling attack rather than a fatal one wasn't evidence enough of that, she seems more than happy to talk while she advances again. "I'm here courtesy of the Flower, hun.. don't tell me you haven't noticed it." She makes an absent gesture towards the sky. "Find the magical warriors of Tokyo. Hunt them down. That's what she told us to do, so that's what we're doin'."

    That green orb hurtles towards her. "Heartrazor!" She snaps out the word, and the red gems on the hilts of both of her daggers flare in unison. <<PROTECTION!>>

    A bright red round circle of energy flares to life in front of her, the green orb crashing into it and exploding into sparkles, but none of them touching the blonde woman, who walks through it a moment later. "Seems to me like you qualify. 'Course I knew that soon as the Familiar sniffed ya out. Handy, that."

    And then she's moving again, darting forward, flipping her knives around in her hands. She's trying to back Rune up against the wall, so she has nowhere to retreat to, and then send one of those wicked blades right for her.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"That's horrible!" Runealy gasps out, eyes wide as she realizes her attacker really is enjoying this - or else is putting on an amazing act, but the princess presumes the former. Seeing this kind of malice in a person, not a demon, is... not entirely /novel/ to her, but it's very rare; she can only think of a tiny handful of others that act like this!

"So why are you working with monsters like that!? Are you really okay with associating with... hn!?"

Rune starts to move, and to her credit she does manage to avoid the first part of this attacking motion... but is quickly overtaken, and the blade pierces her midsection... and part of the back wall.

The princess' vision goes black with silvery tinges shooting through it, as she screams! Rune tries to move, boot wings lighting up again to launch her... but the blade has her pinned in place.

"Not yet...!" Her words are a mix of defiance and a terrified gasp. Vision returns, but it's tear-filled and hazy. Enough for her to see her attacker and try to do two things.

First, Runealy's tiara gems light up. They spit out a rapid stream of tiny green sparkles... a very weak attack overall, but all she's trying to do is drive her unknown attacker back, to try to prevent any immediate follow-up blow. She needs a moment to aim.

Specifically, to aim at the sky and launch another wand orb. This one splits apart in mid-flight, sending a spray of bright sparkles into the air. This is interesting, since even while barely able to see... surely Rune should be able to tell that was not even going to come close to hitting her foe.

Madison Perry has posed:
    The blonde woman feels her blade sink home and bite into the wall behind her. This brings her close to Rune, and she grins a feral grin into the terrified princess' face as she holds her there for a moment. "Why? Didn't I already say? The Flower appreciates my talents.. and it's good to be appreciated." She starts to laugh again, but then Rune sprays those little green sparkles out of her tiara!

    They don't do much more then sting, but they do do that, and also temporarily blind the woman, who reels back slightly, rubbing at her eyes.. one knife still held the other still rather dramatically pinning the princess to the wall. She is in no way capable of stopping that orb being shot up into the air..

    Though she recovers a moment later, all traces of humor gone from her face as she snarls. "Getting cute, are we?" She steps forward and grasps the hilt of the weapon stabbing into the princess, yanking it back out. "Don't worry, I won't keep you long."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Ohnl!" An incoherent, hurt noise is Rune's acknowledgement of the blade-yank as she slumps to her knees. She /tries/ to say something back, but all she can manage right now is choking noises.

Fate T. Waldia has posed:
Bardiche pings in Fate's hands. ~Disturbance detected.~

"Coming for us?"

~No, sir. Lower.~

Fate looks downwards to see streets, buildings, cars and people. Trying to find the magic with her own eyes is like trying to find a needle within a haystack. A little direction from Bardiche points her in the right direction, still too far away to do anything about it.

Fate dives closer to the store to get a better look, more out of curiousity than anything else. It's only as she gets closer that her pace increases, pouring more and more speed into it. It's clear that the magical disturbance is a battle, and while there aren't many people in this city that Fate cares about, something is driving her forward.

When she gets close enough, she clearly sees Rune getting stabbed. "Is that a device she's using?"

~Yes, sir.~

She holds Bardiche in front of her. That girl is being attacked, by someone who is clearly very mean. What should she do?

~Photon Lancer~

Four yellow orbs of electrical magic fire from the tip of her device, spreading out and weaving between each other as they head towards Madison Perry. Fate doesn't know what's going on, but she wants it to stop.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru's distracted, still, brow furrowing as he listens to the air, eyes unfocused. "Something..." he says vaguely, absently, and he returns to the present when Usagi reaches up to touch his face. It still takes him a second before his eyes are actually looking at her when they're set on her face, and an instant after they do, alarm registers in them.

And then there's the scream.

"Rune-chan's old neighborhood," he says tightly. "There's demons in the basement maybe. Come on!"

And just like that, he's pulling her hand like she did with his the other night, running, running for an alley; he henshins even as he's skidding to a halt, waiting for Sailor Moon to finish her transformation before wordlessly picking her up and vaulting them up over rooftops to leg it to the abandoned convenience store as fast as magically possible.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A feeling of...something crawls up her spine at his distant look. And then her body is a field of goosebumps at the scream.

Usagi's throat almost closes as she tries to keep pace beside him. (But really, his legs so are very much longer than hers.)

She is panting when they reach the alley, but she transforms quickly.

Then they are airborne, and she's keeping her eyes peeled.

When the scene comes into view, Sailor Moon just about sees red.

And so, trusting Tuxedo Kamen not to drop her, thereby sending her to her death (no pressure, dude.) she shifts in his arms mid jump.

She's never done this before, at least not like this, but here goes nothing.

With no speech, her fingers go to her forehead, pulls back, and flings the circling disc of magic and light straight at the woman she's sure HURT RUNE (grrrr.)

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
That orb and scream mayyyy aswell been a bat signal.

He doesn't wait for Gaofelle because he knows Gaofelle will be on his heels quicker than a jackrabbit. There's a flash---he did mutter his henshin phrase but it so comical under his breath and fast that no one heard it. He leaps over the building, drawing his sword and basically immediatly comes down hard the longsword igniting as he just comes down /hard/ into Madison Perry without thinking who this person is. He doesn't /care/ right now, because Runealy is right there hurt and this is the only person here.

He's acting without thinking.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO THE PRINCESS!" he screams out at the top of his longs while he swings the sword downwards.

OH---- others are here too and also launching attacks. That's good--right.

...isn't that that weird twintail girl with the scythe thou?

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
There's a flash of green echoing Hinote's flash of red like an afterimage as Gaofele henshins and near-instantly launches towards Rune's signal. Shimmers of light hover in the forester Knight's hands, not yet resolving into his bow or the viney quarterstaff as he flies like a-- well, like an arrow, swift and furious in its course, not bothering with the maple seeds that he normally uses to slow his fall.

Gao lands like a pinecone, his magic forming a splash of plants to soak the force of his impact. His bow flickers into sight long enough for him to snap off a Nettle Barrage at Madison, then flickers out as he summons his quarterstaff and readies himself to protect Rune. A low growl emerges from his throat, and his eyes practically glow with fury.

Madison Perry has posed:
    The blonde woman is mere moments from slashing down with her knives and sending the Princess to her final rest when suddenly her Device pings loudly. <<Mistress! Incoming attack!>> Her eyes snap up.. just in time to see those balls of crackling yellow light heading rapidly in her direction!

    Cursing, she doesn't have time to throw up a proper shield, so she dives to the side. Luckily the attack is aimed at her, not Rune, so the injured princess is spared being taken out as the orbs track Madison instead of just detonating where she had been standing. Even so, the blonde is quick enough to slip away from them, the dirt exploding up behind her in a cloud as they hit the ground, sending her tumbling. Clearly used to combat, she rolls back to her feet in one motion, looking annoyed and slightly smudged..

    Only to have the Device ping again! <<Incoming!>> It warns, and she spins just in time to see Sailor Moon's Tiara headed straight for her. This time she snaps her arm up. <<PROTECTION!>> That round red shield bursts into life again, intercepting the Tiara, though the blast of energy from the detonation is enough to send her skidding backwards across the pavement slightly.

    And at this point, Hinote comes crashing down at her, sword-first, from the sky. She barely has time to raise her knives, crossing them to catch the sword blade, gritting her teeth as she stops it an inch from her face, her arms straining as she tests her strength against Hinote's while trying to push the sword away.

    "Heartrazor!" She gasps out, "This is getting out of control! Call for backup!"

    <<As you wish, Mistress.>> The Device replies. For a moment it seems like nothing happens.. then suddenly there's a bizarre warping of the air, and a pair of portals open up on either side of the parking lot- looking very much like the entrance to Witch's Barriers! More of the weasel-like familiars pour out of them.. a lot more, and they swarm towards the wounded Rune and her defenders! Madison attempts to push Hinote away, looking for an opportunity to get out of Dodge while the Familiars hopefully distract people, diving out of the way of Gao's nettle barrage in the same movement- at least if he waits to fire it until she is away from Hinote!

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Right now, Runealy doesn't feel very 'cute.' She has an unknown attacker - whose only clue has been 'from the Flower' - looming over her, and the princess is in no condition to put up a real fight at this point. She sees knives looming overhead, mind racing to come up with any kind of meaningful defense...

...and then she sees blurs of color that are familiar. A black blur launching yellow energy, as Fate moves to make good on their promise to one another.

Another black blur carries a white and blue blur into this fight, as Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon prove their words of reconciliation with an alien princess who had been hurting them was not just them talking big.

A silver blur, the friend and newest Knight - Hino - she almost chased off shortly after arriving on Earth, vaults over the roof with sword and fire.

A green blur, one of her first friends ever, lands in front of her. Gao has been vital in her survival through this ordeal, and proves so once again.

It's an incredible display all around, and one she feels compelled to say something about, something to all of them: "Thank...!"

With her current wound, that's as coherent as she manages to get.

'Backup' arrives... more monsters, and in her current state Rune isn't able to really do much about them. She slumps to the ground, putting herself within a red energy bubble... a forcefield, one already flickering and weak, hoping it will be enough to ward off familiars.

Fate T. Waldia has posed:
"So you're a Mage," observes Fate. "Or is 'Knight' more approrpiate? It's a little hard to tell what type your device is, at this distance. I'm assuming Belkan? Pretty dangerous things to be swinging around."

<Scythe Mode>

Bardiche's axehead turns, a pair of scythe-like energy blades glowing out of the top. "Either way, I have an understanding with this girl, so I wont just let you kill her just like that."

Fate dives from the air, reaching the ground, and flies mere inches above the pavement as she raises her scythe. Portals open in front of Maddy, and Fate gives chase. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Familiars appear before her, and Fate's scythe falls and rises as she attempts to cut her own path through to the portals. She can't just let some crazy device-user run around on her own!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
As the tiara boomerangs back to Sailor Moon's hand, they're actually landing; Tuxedo Kamen's eyes flicker towards Runealy even as his hand stays on Sailor Moon's back. All right, the Forest Guardian's in front of her, but she's still got a gut wound, she's still bleeding heavily, and Mamoru's not much use against--

--oh dear god, god damn, this isn't just some nut with a Device and a Barrier Jacket, she's calling Familiars. It's the White Flower.

"They're not real," he tells Moon urgently, crouched so she can hear him as she readies her next attack. "You can blow them away indiscriminately. They're just nightmares made of Witch. I have to stop her bleeding."

With a quick squeeze to Sailor Moon's shoulder, Tuxedo Kamen dashes back to the wall past Gaofele and crouches down next to Rune's bubble. "Let it go," he says firmly. "Let your Guardian guard you and let me stop you from bleeding out. Okay?" His glove comes off; he's out of the fight, and he reaches, waiting for the forcefield to flicker out so he can put his hand on the wound.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon tenses when they land, and it's not just because her tiara made a meaty 'thwack' when it struck her hand. (She has GOT to learn how to catch that better.)

Unfortunately, she's caught it with her throwing hand, and if she tried with her left, well, who knows where it will land?

His hand is warm on her back, though, and she steels herself.

And then he's rushing back to Rune, telling her these are guilt-free targets, and she nods.

"Right. Take care of them, Mamo-chan."

Wait, what? Seriously?

Ug she's such a girl.

Maybe no one noticed.



She watches the weasels for a moment, working the ache out of her hand.

And then she remembers.

Would this work on them?

Only one way to find out.

Her hand reaches behind her back then in the air, and her shiny new moon stick spirals into her hand.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

A bit of an arc, and definitely not to eleven. But she will go as much as she needs, because now she has Mamo-chan to protect, too.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Guardian Hino is here. He's letting Tuxedo Kamen and Gao handle Rune. Gao can make those shields. Tuxedo Kamen can heal(?). Sailor Moon is taking care of familars---so that leaves---

Hinote drives toward's Madison when she relents as he pushes that sword into that cross-defend of blades. He's unhappy and his sword is on fire and his hands are on fire and he's not really particularly happy.

The gem on his sword bursts out and sends a wave of fire off at Madison as he purses as she breaks off dodging away from Gao's nettles.

He's keeping close and person and melee with his big fire sword. No close attacks. Just powerful swings. Those are daggers. He has to be able to break through her defenses- right, he thinks!?

He raises a hand to try to off one of these horrid little things that leap for him in the meantime.

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO!?" he screams out.

"DID MISTER BLACK SEND YOU!?"

"FLOWER!? YOU MEAN THAT SHIT IN THE SKY!?" he screams out.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao nods to Tuxedo Kamen, then lays into the horde of familiars with his quarterstaff. There's a small glow at each end of the staff, more glow on each hand of the forester Knight, and even more of a glow where his feet touch the wide splash of plants summoned by his landing.

The glows brighten to match the speed of Gao's staff-spinning, and each footstep leaves a fading footprint. With each fierce spin, each maneuvering step, and each walloped Familiar, a circular defensive screen grows out of the magical patch of plants, slowly forming a light weave of plants to help keep the Familiars away from Tuxedo Kamen and Rune. It might not be as sturdy as a full Forest Wall, but it should delay the attackers while still allowing those protected to see out, and it still allows him to thrash Familiars.

Madison Perry has posed:
    The little weasel-Familiars aren't much- they're pretty easy to deal with, swept away by Fate's scythe as she rolls through them on a pursuit course, and vaporized by Sailor Moon's healing beam! Turns out healing Familiars makes them go poof as much as shooting lasers at them. They are easily warded off by Gao's wall, his spinning staff excorcising them efficiently.

    Madison meanwhile is still backing off, away from Rune, pursued by Hino who is doing his best to smash through her defenses with his big, flaming sword. He definitely has the advantage in reach and in raw strength, but Madison is clearly an experienced fighter with those knife-Devices of hers. Like a snake she slips out of the way of each powerful swing, deflecting some but mostly just dodging, leaping backwards.

    She's looking for an exit, but she still takes the opportunity to tease him. "What am I tryin' to do? Ain't it obvious? Kill magical girls.. or boys. Anybody really." She laughs again, "Yeah, that 'shit in the sky'. You can't stand up to the Flower, kid. You're better off just giving up now-" But she has to cut off to parry a particularly viscious blow.

    Hino finally has to stop attacking in order to raise a hand to ward off a Familiar that leaps for him, and Madison seizes her chance. Darting backwards, she launches herself into the air, flying up into the sky in a dark red streak. Her voice echoes back down, "I ain't stupid, but this isn't over, kids! Sleep with one eye open!" It's no doubt she's taken note of those who responded to her attack. More faces to add to the 'target' file.

    Of course, as she streaks off towards the center of the city leaving a trail of red light, it's not terribly hard to see where she's heading- she's practically leaving a glowing trail in the air to follow.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Eyes cringed shut, Rune relies solely on what others are saying to guide her actions. So when Tuxedo Kamen tells her to lower her forcefield, she hesitates for only a moment before doing so. She has no idea if doing so will unleash a pack of those familiars to swarm her, and her body tenses up in expectation that it's going to happen...

...but she has indeed done it, offering trust despite tremendous fear and pain. She's too hurt to /say/ anything back to him, so obeying his request is going to have to speak for her.

Rune will likely have very gushing words for everyone later, but right now they're just not happening.

As the hand rests atop where she was stabbed, Rune's eyes flicker open to look up to Tuxedo Kamen in amazement even as attacks flash in the corner of her eye - friends pursuing their new foe, it seems - and a 'quasi-wall' goes up from Gao to shield her and her healer.

She /wants/ to say so much about this right now, and can only hope her eyes can convey the awe and gratitude she has to everyone... even as Madison begins to escape, even as lingering fear courses through her as Madison confirms that killing - something she had been laughing about at first - is the goal.

But it didn't happen here and now... and while she will indeed 'sleep lightly', at least there will be a next day.

Fate T. Waldia has posed:
"We aren't finished here!" shouts Fate. "If you think I'll let you get away that easy--"

She swings her scythe in front of her, pointing the top of it at Madison.

<Arc Saber>

A golden crecent of electrical magic flies from the top of her scythe, chasing after Madison. Fate is quick to follow after her attack, pouring all of her focus into maintaining her speed. It will be difficult for her to attack the rogue magical girl if Madison keeps moving, but Fate isn't an easy mage to outrun, either.

She glances once back at Rune, shouting, "I'll be back to check up on you."

Fate sees many people gathering around Rune. They seem to be friends of hers? Either way, Fate isn't worried about Rune's life being in immediate danger.

But she has to stop that girl with the device. Fate turns back towards Madison and chases, black cape and blonde tails fluttering in the wind behind her. She isn't sure what she'll do with the killer if she catches her, but that doesn't stop her from giving chase.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
"GOOD, NOW I WON'T NEED TO FEEL BAD DOING MY BEST TO SEND YOU THE <UNMAGICAL BOY LIKE WORD> BURN WARD!" he screams out. Yeah. Hinote is pissed at hell. At least he's not threating all out death and apocalyptic fire.

Fire screams into the sky as the mage takes skywards- beams of bright swirling red and orange fire screaming from the sword. He's missing- he's missing a lot. He doesn't care---he keeps shooting until he simply can't Hinote can't fly- but he really wishes he could sprout awesome phoenix wings or something right now and probably looks like he might by sheet force of will because just how UPSET this made him.

He actually doesn't put the sword away-instead he just starts slashing wordlessly into remaining familars until the area is safe.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
He doesn't even notice Sailor Moon called him 'Mamo-chan' in the middle of battle; he'd just given her a quick nod as he left her side. In Tuxedo Kamen's peripheral awareness, the fight goes on around them, Gaofele is building a wall of greenery with the dance of his fighting, footsteps both light and hard; Hinote is screaming things at the White Flower girl and she's sassing him as they fight; the little girl with the scythe and the twintails is objecting as she plows through familiars; Sailor Moon is dispatching Familiars with alacrity and beams of sparkling splendour--

--his focus is on the redhead slumped to the ground, and the warmth and peace she'd felt so briefly in his apartment when he lifted some of her exhaustion and despair suffuses the air, floods her with gold. He notices her expression, and the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he smiles behind his mask and shakes his head. Affectionate and amused: he'd be calling her an idiot, kindly, and it's clear in his face, and it's equally clear that the meaning is 'this is what friends are for, isn't it?'

Then he hears the yelling and the sounds of battle growing lesser, and he keeps his hand on Runealy's midsection, carefully putting his energy into knitting up the girl's insides, using all the energy she'd taken from him before and thinking nothing of it.

He can split his focus slightly now that the bleeding's slowed and there's less chance of toxins washing through her system, and he does it to turn his head away from her and call out, "I'VE GOT HER! GO AFTER THAT GIRL! I'M PUTTING IN A CALL FOR BACKUP TO FOLLOW YOU!"

One hand fumbles in his jacket for his Virtue phone, and he says shortly, "All points. Someone from White Flower seems to be headed back to base, from North Juuban Avenue. Some people are in pursuit, but they could use backup. A lot of backup."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
For a moment she is torn. Follow, or check on Rune and Tuxedo Kamen.

He makes the decision for her, and as she takes to the roofs, she wonders if he just knows her well or if she's really just transparent.

She keeps an eye on the trail, risking her hand to throw the tiara when she can.

Fortunately, it's becoming apparent that she's getting used to the return, a spinning disc on her fingers that slows to a much less painful catch.

The moon stick is still out, but more useful as a means of bashing away an errant familiar or what have you.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Guardian Gao delays a bit, making sure that all of the Familiars in the immediate vicinity have been dealt with. Once the forester Knight is reasonably sure that the area is secure, he parts the defensive screen of plants so that Tuxedo Kamen can get Rune to a safer location.

He hesitates a moment, looking from Rune to Tuxedo Kamen, then towards the White Flower, then back at Rune and Tuxedo Kamen. "Stay safe," Gao murmurs (to Rune? to Tuxedo? to both?) with a note of worry, then he bounds off, following the others in pursuit of Madison.

Madison Perry has posed:
    It's not particularly hard for any of those who choose to follow Madison to do so- she's flying fast, but that red trail she leaves through the air makes tracking her progress easy, and she's high enough in the sky that buildings don't start to become obstacles until she enters the very center of the city.

    Those following therefore won't have much difficulty in observing her fly straight to a tall skyscraper near the middle of town- a residential tower, owned by some wealthy but insignificant property management firm.

    But, drawing close to that buildings, it's obvious something is /wrong/ with it- there's a power radiating from the building that feels an awful lot like what a Witch Labyrinth feels like. It covers the entire building from street-level to its lofty peak, broadcasting 'stay away' vibes at a level anyone within a block can feel. Looking straight at it, it almost seems to shimmer slightly, as if the whole structure is somehow slightly out of tune with reality.

    It's almost a wonder no one noticed this before, considering how very obviously /wrong/ it is once attention is drawn to it- it's almost as if it suddenly /wants/ to be noticed. One thing is certain, as Madison vanishes through a door on the roof- entering that building is probably not something that should be done lightly, or alone.