Valentine's Day is important on Earth. The Hope Kingdom probably has a similar day. When loved one's will share a gift. He knew how it went, too. On Valentine's Day- the girls give to the boys. And on White Day, it would be the other way around.
Haruka had left him a text earlier, about this. In the botanical gardens. Spring was coming. Flowers were beginning to bud and the ones that were ready were already blooming.
It was here that Hope Kanata has found himself at the center of this garden, at a fountain, surrounded by a small footpath- but branched off from the main path. It was lonely. It was a quiet corner- but gorgeous. With such greenery.
He looks into the fountain, seeing coins at the bottom. Wishes and dreams people had- wished on coins and thrown into the fountain. He could see his face reflected in the slightly less turbulent water at the edge of the fountain's basin as he looked in.
Haruka is being careful- she's been thinking about this for a while, and has been asking Miss Siamour for help with learning how to make it. She beams as she watches Kanata, carefully pulling a hand-wrapped package from her purse.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kanata-kun," she says. Her voice is soft, and she's blushing absolutely furiously, but... well, however much it makes her blush, it's... apt. They like each other, they've both admitted it, and everything else is just... silly. The fact that she's dressed up probably doesn't help things.
"Miss Siamour taught me how to make chocolates, I hope you like it." It had taken her a while of slogging at it, but... it'll be so worth it if he likes the chocolates.
The garden has been a place that Twilight has been casing for a bit. It was a sizeable amount of flowers- and they were starting to bud. Sure a 'Princess of Flowers' would be drawn here eventually, if they existed in Tokyo? Surely this made sense.
Shut had begged to come along, but she refused. She had to do this alone. The idea was so appaling to her. A fake princess. Ruining what the word meant.
"Play your music. You'll draw her out. Soon enough." was Dyspear's... mother's advice.
And so, was the two met, the sound of a violin would waft across the breeze and through the leaves. Sorrowful and beckoning. Not the second half of a duet. No. This was a different tune. A different song for a different purpose.
Kanata can see Haruka show up because she slides up in the reflection. Also, you know, she calls out Happy Valentine's Day!
He turned and with a pleasent smile. "Happy Valentine's Day, Haruka-chan." he says pleasantly. He notices the blushing. He does get a little pink in the cheeks in turn as he accepts the box. He peeks inside. Chocolates...
Handmade. Not bought. His nose was assaulted by the scent and he smiled. "These are. Lovely, Haruka-chan." he said genuinely.
He was about to reach in and take one when the sound of a violin drifts across the wind. It sounds close- and.. something. About that tune.
Like he's heard it a long time ago.
"That song is..." he looks around.
"Where is it coming from?"
There's an absolutely furious blush at the compliment. Of course they're hand-made. Kanata is her prince, and if she can learn a skill she thinks a princess ought to have, she will learn it. Making chocolates for her Prince for Valentine's Day definitely qualifies.
Haruka perks at the sound of the violin, too. She blinks at him and his reaction to the violin song. "I'm not sure. I mean, I could probably transform and look, but that seems... a little much. Should we go and look together?" It's kind of pretty, even if it is sad...
Twilight continues to play, she's standing on the top of some sort of ornamental rock, high and slanted, surrounded by some floral bushes. Her eyes are closed. Yet.
She senses them approach. She does continue to finish the piece. She doesn't end it abruptly. That is not graceful. Her bow slides across her violin with grace and practice. Until the song ends on a low, slow note.
"Hope-san." she says. She'd met the boy all of once. Less a greeting. More like she's stating he's here. "Who is your associate?" she asks, red eyes, behind a mask, turn to Haruka. Her gaze seems judging and apprasing all at once.
Hope Kanata looks to Haruka and down to the chocolates as he purses his lips. "Let's follow the music." a pause. "Transform? I..." he furrows his brow. "Something seems off to me. About the music, Haruka-chan. It may be a good idea to be ready, just in case, if you think transforming is too much right now. Right?" he asks. "The music is.."
"It's familiar. To me." he says.
He jogs along, with Haruka. Though some brush. Down a path. To the slanted rock.
He blinks. "...Twilight?" he asks. "...you didn't tell me you played the violin too..." he says, his eyes moving towards it. He'd met Twilight before, yes. But this meeting. Has a different tone to it.
"Where did you learn that song?"
A pause. He'll let Haruka.. or Flora if she's chosen to transform.. introduce herself.
Hope seems uneasy and on-guard about this girl at least. Haruka may be able to pickup that much about his body language.
Haruka nods at his advice, grabbing one of her Keys and holding it in one hand as she jogs along apace with Kanata. If nothing else, she's good at running.
Haruka puts a hand on Kanata's arm, bright aqua eyes gazing steadily at Twilight. She's not sure why the white-haired girl makes her gut clench, but clench it does. Haruka dips a briefly-polite bow to the other girl. "Haruka Haruno," Haruka says, trying to keep some of her unease out of her tone. She's reading his body language, alright, and she's on-edge too.
Twilight looks at the two. Her hands go down to either side, a more relaxed position counter to the two she's looking down at, from up high. Hope barrages her with questions. Haruka just says her name. How to respond to that.
"I've always known this song." she insists. When did she learn this song? How? The darkness doesn't answer. It isn't important.
That girl is clenching something in her hand. Her eyes narrow at it. She focuses on it.
"Dress-Up Key." her eyes widen a bit. "Where did you get that!?"
Her demeanor goes back to being cool relativly quickly. "I suppose it doesn't matter. But that doesn't belong to you. It belongs to a princess." she hops down, a quick blur to the ground. Her hand outstreches. "Give it to me. To where it belongs. With a princess."
Hope Kanata frowns at first. Then shock. Twilight knows about the Dress-Up keys? and who they belong to?
Then she makes a demand. There is a seriously harder frown. A determined one, as he actually steps forward, then slightly in front of Haruka. He's a Prince. He needs to protect his Princess when she is caught like this- but he's also not completely covering her. She is a princess. She'll handle herself when she is able very soon.
"There will be no such thing happening. That Dress-Up Key has already found it's owner- with a Princess- and it isn't you." he says.
"You say you're a Princess. I remember that. What exactly are you a Princess of?" he asks. Oh, he has a few choice guesses he's keeping to his self right now inside his head.
Haruka pulls out her Perfume and transforms abruptly. "Pretty Cure! Princess Engage!" The Key goes in the Perfume and she transforms very quickly. Her eyes are narrowed slightly, and her bearing is all of a sudden regal, challenging, and self-assured. "I am a Princess, and this Key belongs to nobody other than me." It might have come from the Hope Kingdom, but it responded to her. To give it up would be wrong on a level she cannot even begin to process.
Flora moves into a lower fighting stance, her discomfort explained almost at once. Whatever the other girl is, she knows about Dress-Up Keys and wants to get her hands on them. Bad business, and possibly the sign of someone working with DysDark. "I'm not giving it up, and you can't make me."
Twilight gets her response. Hope says some somethings. This immediatly gets overshaowed by Haruka pulling out her Perfume and transforming into Cure Flora.
Twilight gets this little smile, a little toothy, a little creepy. "Finally..."
"'Princess' of Flowers. Please allow me to reintroduce myself."
"I am Princess Twilight, Princess of DysDark." she says, a perfect half curtsey. "My mother is so anxious to see you defeated."
"Afterall. That's the fate of a false princess. Isn't it? Cure Flora?" she almost sings out. She's waited for this moment. Searching. Seeking. Shes found her.
Hope Kanata begins to have some sort of royal bluescreen of death. Princess. of DysDark? Her mother? That would mean....
"Dyspear... has a daughter?" he asked a little in disbelief. This seemed to be news to him. Something he didn't know despite all his time... running. Hiding. In the Hope Kingdom.
"She is Cure Flora. Princess of Flowers. A real princess. Who doesn't talk down to others in such a way." he says.
He gives Flora a worrying glance but then a stern look as he holds out his hand- scepter appearing--- with a white flash-- a regal royal coat- frilly, noble, and it's tails just wafting in the breeze a bit.
"I am Prince Kanata. Of the Hope Kingdom. I won't allow you to do to this world what you did to mine. But more importantly."
"Neither will the Princesses sworn to protect it."
"I'm sure you would consider Princess Serenity a 'false' princess, too," Flora responds, still in her combat-ready stance. Her voice is full of the steely determination that characterizes her, that makes up the very core of her being. "You probably want to back off now," she advises.
The slight crouch she's standing in doesn't seem to bother her, nor does the fact that she has both hands up, ready to block or punch as needed.
"Nobility... Preciousness and Beauty. These are the signs of a true princess. The very way you carry yourself- and call yourself a princess? No. You are a fake." she says. "You seem to confuse my ability with that of Close. or Shut. You've encountered both. Haven't you?" she asks cooly.
She raises her right hand, which lights up in a deep purple flame as she extends out the palm. Fire arcs out, toward's Flora through the air. She doesn't even stop the stream.
Eyes take a moment to fall on. Prince Kanata? The fugitive prince. "Oh. So that's where you've gone. Tsk. We hoped you had finally found some hole to die in."
Prince Kanata doesn't even a need a moment to think about it. "Flora is all of those things. And more. Compassionate. Determined. Thoughtful." he calls out.
'We hope you had finally found some hole to die in'. Oh. That stung. It's clear on his face. Because he'd come close, countless times to just that. And it was only a hope. And a dream. and a girl crying in a field wanting to be a princess that kept him going.
It's probably this that causes him enough pause to be unable to throw a barrier up between Flora and Twilight's dark fire stream in time. "Flora!" is all he can do to call out. Not that she can't see it herself.
Flora shakes her head. "Strong, kind, and beautiful. That's what makes a grand princess," she shoots back. The princess ducks under the stream of flame, moving fast, legs lashing out in a sharp and vicious kick for Twilight's kneecaps while she supports her weight on her hands. She pulls back just as quickly, digging in her pocket and dialing a number at random on the small phone she keeps for Magical Girl Things, hoping the sound of a fight draws them.
"Exchange! Mode Elegant!" Her dress changes form, and just as quick, she pulls her cape off to fling it at Twilight's face, hoping the distraction will provide a cover for the abrupt lunge attack she's making, aiming for the other girl's midsection.
Twilight watches as Cure Flora ducks. Then she lunges, and before that kick can kick her kneecaps, she's cartwheeling backwards and then with a quick hunch- another blur, she's back on top of the rock she was standing on originally.
A cape flies through the air, at her face at the same time- but she's gotten far enough away by now. She's faster than she looks.
"Kindness is weakness." she says with her own determined tone. She belives this. Not just repeated rehtoric from her point of view.
"People dream. Don't they Cure Flora? But people rarely realize them. They're so utterly useless. So impossible to achieve."
"-and you fight for such frivolity. How /arrogant/."
Both her hands light on fire, flaring out with that purple energy as she twist her hands up wards- fire splaying out and arcing up like a fountain- creating a circle of flame around the area. Trying to encompass her and Flora. Trying to shut The Prince of the Hope Kingdom out. "I'll deal with you. After I've dealt with your princess." she says.
The magical fire singes the grass, and plants, but doesn't quite light the area on fire.
Prince Kanata doesn't need to yell out 'don't listen to her' because he's fairly positive Flora has already tuned this argument out already- or has a fairly good comeback for the Black Princess. He is about to go in, when fire lunges up in front of him. He's trying to be shut out from helping Flora.
He grows determined, he closes his eyes and clenches his teeth and he runs through the flames- while he crosses his arms in front of him. A multi-color rainbow barrier forming in front of him. The flames bend around the barrier- and he drops it when he's on the other side in the circle.
Prince Kanata is not a fighter. He is capable of fighting. But he is not a Pretty Cure. He does have tricks up his sleeve.
The Hope Kingdom is weak beyond belief, but he can still call on what little connection he has. What little he knows and can feel- and he focuses this down into his hand as he raises- a brillant beam of positive energy. Not strong or overpowering- he's pretty sure it'll just tickle Twilight barely if it hits- but enough to maybe knock Twilight off guard from another angle for Flora to get a hit in.
"I'm not going to argue with you, because I doubt you will ever listen to me," Flora says. "But dreams do come true, and are worth hanging on to!"
"Pretty Cure Floral Tourbillon!" The flowers whirl around, violently, and under Flora's focus they're almost more whirlwind than flower petal. She's glad to have discarded her cape, the wind would have made it intolerable to wear. Flora holds up the Crystal Princess Rod, quite ready to extend her range if needed. "Leave. Now." Her voice is dead-serious, sharper than rosethorns, the voice of royalty dismissing an inferior. Twilight is no princess, not to have such a cold and cruel outlook on being royalty. While backup isn't seeming to come for now... there will be other times. "You have subordinates? I have friends, equal and even stronger than both of us, who would not see you and your cold, cruel outlook take root in this world. Flee now, never come back, and you will not face up against them."
Twilight sneers. "You can't argue with facts." she says coldly.
Cure Flora calls up an attack and wind begins whipping everywhere. The flames waver and wicker- but they do not go out immediatly as Cure Flora makes a statement, with determination and tone of a princess. Well. What she percieves as a Princess. This is all an act to Twilight. She's fake. A fake.
Twlight raises a hand as if to respond and... just swats the blast that comes from the right, from Kanata's direction away and off into the sky- like it was literarly nothing. She does this without even looking in his direction.
Though this whole bit. This whole. Holier than thou attitude she percieves. More flame lights up at her hands. Then it builds around her. The flames at the edges she'd made earlier finally extinguish. This feeling grows. and grows and it's palpable, the feeling of just pure despair in the air she's creating and feeding and emenating from herself. It'd be enough to probably make normal people sick and succumb to it at this level. Her only response is a yell of anger, mixed with a cry of despair as she lets loose a firey shockwave against the winds, and this threat.
This is her response. To try to snuff it out.
Maybe at the very least this will be a vicious clash of power of two Princesses. One of Light and One of Dark.
Prince Kanata watches as his attack is just. Swatted away. He'd sure he'd at least /hit/ her or /miss/ her, but he just watches the beam of light shoot off into the sky harmlessly. He swallows a bit. That's...
Then Flora begins to call out her attack and the wind whips and whirls around and he covers his face as his coat gets caught in the breeze. He watches the flames extinguishing themselves.
But that feeling. That feeling from Twilight. Just. An overpowering sensation of despair. Like she's wielding it like a weapon and manifesting physically. It makes him sick and queasy in his stomach. It makes him feel not nice things.
But he does not succumb. Cure Flora is there. And there are chocolates. Seated on a nearby rock. And he can see them.
The flowers finally coalesce to whirl at the flames, moving furiously to meet Flora's determination, redoubled and even trebled in the face of how dismissive Twilight is about Kanata's attempt. Sheer, stubborn hope is what makes up a great deal of Haruka's being, both as Cure Flora and in her day-to-day life. There is no way that despair will ever beat her, and just as a flower draws water from the earth and energy from the sun to sustain itself, so too does Flora draw energy from hope, and roots herself firmly in place, even as the wind whips her hair wildly.
"You aren't going to win, we both know it! Just stop this already!" Flora bellows over the maelstrom, where fire meets flowers. The tone of despair catches her ears, enough to be put in a back corner of her mind, but not enough to distract her from her current, single-minded purpose.
Twilight cries out in that near battle cry as she keeps up that firey despair- as it clashes with flowers--- and eventually-- one has to give out over the other. Despair burns strong, but it doesn't burn long- and even a Princess of Despair has her upper limits and they're being tested by this assault.
She finally screeches out as the fire pops out and she does indeed, breathe heavily. This was taxing.
"Hek..." that's a sound of unpleasentness.
"What do you know, fake princess?" she calls out. "Do you belive that poor excuse for a prince is going to make you one." she says, pointing at Kanata- once again, without looking at him.
Red eyes narrow behind the ballroom mask fitted across her face.
Before she can continue, she's building up fire again. She's going to do this again.
She won't be upstaged by this fake princess of flowers. Not yet.
Fire is a powerful, wildless, coursing thing, challenged by little and difficult to control. Roses, unfortunately, are easily burned, fuelling the fire only further.
But there is one agent which serves to counteract fire in almost every form.
"MERCURY AQUA MIST!"
A heavy mist shrouds the area, building up suddenly and overwhelming the fight from all sides, as if a low-flying cloud moved in and settled rather suddenly. It is cold, and it is wet, and it is actively hindering the buildup of fire.
"I don't know who you are," calls Mercury's voice through the fog, "But throwing fire at princesses is generally considered poor form. Especially on Valentine's day!"
Mercury lands not far from the fight, her visor active and tracking Twilight by infrared through the fog.
Prince Kanata has gathered his resolve and is getting ready to throw a barrier up and around Flora so she can weather the next assault, and hopefully end the fight, or send Twilight packing or any countless other things.
Then there is suddenly a cloud of fog, after a callout. Prince Kanata uses this moment to lay low. The mist is a better shield than his rainbow barriers for the moment.
He uses the cover to try to move forward. He doesn't say a word, as not to give away his position. Maybe. Maybe he can try again. When she can't see him at all.
Flora lets out a sigh, briefly dropping her guard before squaring up again. The blond princess looks at the blue-clad sailor soldier, so similar to Sailor Moon, and raises her eyebrows fractionally. "Like I said," Flora offers, following the movement of Mercury's head with her own, as best she can. "I have friends." She may not be completely sure who this friend is, but she is certainly happy for their presence, and will definitely endeavor to thank them later.
"I would reccomend leaving before you make more of a fool of yourself, pawn of despair," the Princess of Flowers says, Crystal Princess Rod in one hand. If Twilight tries to come at them, she will find herself coming up against a rather impressive rose.
Twilight, somewhere in the deep recesses of her head, is deeply regretting not succumbing to Shut's begging to let him come. Because he would be intensely useful right now.
But there are some things a princess must do alone. And confront a would be fake princess is one of those things.
She won't make the same mistake again thou.
She's getting ready to launch another wave of fire when there's a new voice. And there is fog everywhere. Is this... the Cure Mermaid? Who is supposed to exist? She was only aware of the one waking up. This upsets her. She reminds herself to shove Close through a window for bad intelligence.
She can no longer see. The fog is high up, even on the large slanted rock she's standing on in the garden.
"'Pawn' of Despair."
"I am The Princess of Despair. Princess of DysDark. Daughter to Dyspear. Such arrogance." she says with seeping anger.
She does however, lower her tone. "A princess knows when she's bested for the moment. But do not misunderstand."
"This isn't over. It won't be over before you fall before me, 'Princess' of Flowers." she says with as much stinging ice in her tone as she is capable of mustering.
A keyhole portal grows behind and engulfs her and closes behind her, and taking her with it.
There are things she has to think about now.
'Haruka Haruno'
Sailor Mercury is prepared for a fight, but what she gets is a retreat. Tilting her head, the bluenette studies Twilight's exit portal curiously, then wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, dark energy," she says with a sigh. The fog begins to dissipate as Mercury abandons her defensive stance in favor of turning towards Cure Flora.
"So, I guess you didn't need me after all," she says with a faint smile. "But good thinking on the phone call. Remind me to introduce you to Virtue sometime. It might make this easier." Pause. "Oh, right! I'm Sailor Mercury. But you have also met me as Frost Knight Mercury, about a year ago. Is everything okay, here, now?"
Prince Kanata watches as the fog dissipates and Twilight retreats. He lowers his scepter- having been ready to try something, and then sighs a bit. He looks dejected right now and with a white flash- the scepter, the frilly outfit goes away. Still a Prince. Just Hope.
"We're okay." he says. That much is true. "Virtue?" he asks.
He looks around and down to the ground. The chocolates survived. They were not lit on fire. He walks over to them and picks them up before sitting down on the rock and opening the box to examine the homemade chocolates again- and take in their scent.
"Thank you, Haruka-chan. For the wonderful gift." he says, finally. He does not apologize for. All that, that just happened. He knows enough that it wasn't his fault.
But the look on his face still says it for him.
Cure Flora nods, huffing a heavy sigh of relief. "I think that's it for now." The Princess Cure curtseys gratefully at at the Sailor Soldier, smiling. "But-- the phone call sort of epitomizes why people like us will win, I think. When bad things happen, we fall together, not apart. And I... wasn't sure I could handle her, so I would much rather have a friendly face around."
There's a tilt of a crowned head, even as Haruka drops her transformation, blond locks vanishing in some places and replaced by reddish-brown in others. "Virtue? Who's that?" Haruka asks. She moves over to sit by her Prince, setting a hand on his arm and smiling in spite of her curiosity at Mercury, and faint confusion. "I do remember you!" she says, beaming. "It's nice to see you again! ...Do you know a Sailor Moon, by chance? Your outfit looks very similar to hers."
Sailor Mercury smiles at the pair, then promises Haruka, "I'll explain all about them another time. For now ... I feel like I'm intruding on something special." She winks at them both, grins, then draws a bead of subspace in her hand. "Call me sometime," she reiterates as the bead expands outwards into a doorway stretching to nowhere.
Ami hesitates before entering it, and glances down at her side. "Behave," she mumbles quietly to something, then steps through the portal, which draws closed behind her.
Prince Kanata frowns. "I don't know who she was. I never met her when I was running in The Hope Kingdom. But she was powerful. And wielding despair like a weapon without any apparent ill effects."
Haruka sits by him. and places a hand on his arm. This is comforting. He needs it right now. He's a mess. He closes the box of chocolates. He's going to take them back to his hotel room. He's going to put them in the safe so he isn't waking up to have another and find a fat stuffed Aroma and/or Pafu in there instead. Then...
Then he's going to start looking for an actual place to live.
For now he just closes the eyes and sits here with Haruka. That's what he needs right now.