2013-11-9 - Memory Thief Dark Amber - Battle Against an Old Foe!
| Title: Memory Thief Dark Amber - Battle Against an Old Foe | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Perfume Splash and other warriors battle with Dark Amber at the Amusement Park. | |
| Who: Madobe Kuroi, Sakura Akagi, Rikoru Koyou, Kinzo Hiroyuki, Fuu Hououji, Tomomi Shizuka | |
| Where: Tomoeda Theme Park | |
| OOC - IC Date: 11/9/2013 - 10/15/2013 | |
Tama Outer City Tomoeda Theme Park
Tokyo's largest and most beloved theme park, Tomoeda's broad fairy-tale
gates open into a world of rampant color and giggle-like music. Fried
delights season the air with their stomach-gurgling seduction, distant
shouts of joy punctuate a roller coaster's drop, and costumed mascots amble
and wave. Though Tomoeda is the name that stuck, marketers prefer to call
this place Dream Land, and it does its best to give a suitable impression.
The largest roller coaster has a metal track, known for its speed and
smoothness, and snakelike yellow cars with red bellies. Past its twisting
coils is the iconic Candy House, pink and sprinkled, whose spires are waffle
cones and sugar dumplings, where light-hearted performances are held for the
benefit of the younger audiences. Other attractions include the swinging
Flying Pirate, spinning tea cups, a dizzying mirror maze, and, of course, a
romantic Ferris wheel.
Dark Amber was feeling pretty good for himself, he caught a very particular, strong bad memory and sealed it away into a little perfume bottle. It now sat in some decript monestary he was using as a hidden base, and by hidden base---meant 'this is where Kinzo does his brooding away from everyone'.
And so, it's confidence boost to be sure. It's later evening in Tama city at the Amusement park. There's a haunted house. It's an attraction. Kids are daring each other to be the first one to go in first, even those it's 'less scray' and more 'confusing', with mirrors, and twisty tunnels and a small maze and mechanical bats.
Though a few people run back out the front gate for some bizzare reason.
Maybe it has something to do with the handsomely dressed young man who doesn't seem to be a part of the attraction with a half filled perfume bottle of some sort, he frowns. "I didn't make those binds strong enough...." he also thinks '.....because I didn't want to hurt them' he finishes in his head as he looks down at it. These are weak 'bad memories'. His bottle isn't overflowing, which is a good indicator of this. The ride operator at the front looks confused about this, because yes, this isn't a part of the attraction. "...But I have school tomorrow..."
"Sakura-sama, I know... but this is important. It really smells like there's some trouble going on!" Mist, the little dragon-fairy, curls up on Sakura's desk in her room, but then perks its head up. It noses her phone over toward her. "Is there anyone you can call...?"
"Well... Madobe-chan is probably still awake..."
She sends out a text. Is Mist really right about heading for the park at this late hour?
She'll just have to trust...
"All right, well, Japanese Cherry Blossom could get there faster. So..."
"HENSHIN! Cherry Blossom Splash!"
Rikoru Koyou doesn't get a lot of time to herself, so she likes to make the most of it. Sure, coming out to a theme park alone is...just a little depressing, but still - it's her off time, away from work and school. She's not about to spend it sitting around at home! And that's why Rikoru is wandering around the theme park so late. Her sisters are on dinner duty tonight, so she can stay out late....as long as she doesn't miss school in the morning.
She's wandering back towards the entrance as a result, though she's pausing by the haunted house to get some cotton candy from a nearby vendor. "Mom'll probably be worried if I don't come back in an hour or two...huh." She turns, watching Kinzo. "I wonder what that guy's doing. That's weird."
Madobe sends back a text. It says, 'Sure I'll meet up >_>;;<_<;;'
Madobe of course isn't aware this is some kind of business or--at the very least--isn't sure she should be running to the place as Sweet Pea, so she's jogging on her own to rush over, right on out the door even! Her mother rolls her eyes as she bolts out.
It might be a bit or two before she arrives.
Given the incident at Infinity Institute the other night, and the fact that she genuinely isn't sure who else is resident in this part of Tokyo among the magical girl set, Fuu has been somewhat more attentive to bizarre happenings of late - not quite to the point of performing regular patrols (which may be a habit she should get into), but paying more attention when she notices something that seems amiss.
The fact that this includes dropping by the amusement park has nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to check out some of the gift shops and see if there was any good Halloween-related merchandise. Besides, she'd rather wait and do her shopping as she leaves, not while she's wandering around at almost-random ...
But said wandering is what lets her see some people run out from the *entrance* to the haunted house exhibit. Her curiosity piqued, she gets in line ... not that she'd normally go into a haunted house, anyway. She just hopes there'll be a good chance to hide and transform if something warrants direct intervention.
Tomomi has picked up the scent of activity at the amusement park. She is not normally inclined to go to such garish places, particularly when she could be painting, studying or otherwise getting productive things done, but sometimes these places are good hunting grounds.
Tomomi rides her hot pink racing motorcycle to the park. She parks it securely before making her way into the park, guided by the odor of despair. It stands out in an amusement park like flatus in an elevator. She keeps a low profile, moving with the crowd. She's not using power. Not yet.
Dark Amber is a young man dressed like he's going to a steampunk convention. Regardless, he swings out his right arm and a swining blade on a chain fans out, he swings it around once as it's released , flying through the air with a curve to the chain as it's made to wrap around two of the feeling people. It appears to be an adult and an older teen. He begins to slowly approach with that opened perfume-styled bottle in his other hand. It's not corked. It appears to be filled with some sort of fluid. It'd smell horrible if you got close enough to it.
He's raising his opposite hand, it kind of glows an amber brown. At the same time, the people kind of go catatonic for a bit and that perfume bottle fills juuuust a little more slowly.
Japanese Cherry Blossom stands out in a haunted house because she's not particularly spooky. Also, where Dark Amber's vial smells of despair, she smells... of cherry blossoms on the wind. The scent should bring some hope to people, even before a physical light behind her bursts out in the darkness of the haunted house.
At first she's reflected on three different mirrors, which looks confusing, but then she steps out from behind one of them and faces Dark Amber down.
Sometimes Magical Girls shout. Right now, she doesn't. Instead, she glares at him, standing her ground. "You don't have to do what... you're doing here. But if you insist, then... I'm here to stop you, and I won't be alone."
Mist, elsewhere in the ride, hides behind a wooden ghost... and is startled by a plastic pumpkin.
Rikoru stops dead as Dark Amber's chain comes out. She scowls, her fists balling up. "HEY!" Without even thinking or taking the time to transform, she runs towards the man. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She tries to tackle the chains, though since she's still just a teenage girl right now...well, that's not exactly the best or most useful plan. Can't fault her for trying, though.
"I don't know who you are, but I can't stand jerks like you! If you want to pick on someone, pick on /me/, but I'm not about to-"
She's interrupted by a much quieter girl. She pauses, turning to look at Japanese Cherry Blossom. "...uh, and her, apparently. Well, that's fine. I don't mind help when it comes to taking down bullies!"
Tomomi tracks down the trouble to a haunted house. Rather than going in the front door, Tomomi steps around to the side, making her way toward an employee entrance. She slides in through the 'no admittance' door, working her way through the back corridors toward that distinct pungent odor. She hears voices. As she gets nearer, she slows down, looking for a crack or a fissure she can use to watch the proceedings without drawing attention to herself.
Fuu blinks as she hears (if not sees) the scuffle from more civilians being attacked, then the hint of a female voice ... and she gets back out of line in a hurry, heading towards the nearest ladies' restroom. Apparently, whoever laid out the park anticipated that people might need a toilet in a hurry coming out of the haunted house ...%r She has something more pressing to take care of than *that* kind of 'personal business,' though, and after a quick glance around, darts around behind the restroom instead of going inside.
A few moments later, the Magic Knight of Wind bounds onto the restroom building's roof, leaps across to the roof of the haunted house, and slips down behind it in search of the employee entrance ... she may still surprise some well-meaning employees, if any are inside and behind the scenes, but if anyone accosts her, she'll just smile and claim to be part of an experimental new addition ... Dark Amber is stopped mid memory theft. His bottles just a little under half full now. He looks up to face Cherry Blossom---and....... someone who tries to barrell at him and stops mid tackle. He doesn't know this person. But she's talking a big game. Dark Amber is ALL too well aware the power of teamwork. Dark Amber never was verbally sassy---even in the past life.
Tomomi can get into the haunted house. There's a spinning pipe, some sassy mirrors and a maze---typical 'fun house' affairs. She can watch through one of the slits made in it's construction, or at least peak from behind an access/maintence door.
Fuu goes and transforms... someone notes her running out, and points, what's going on!?
Sweet Pea may be running late. We'll probably cut to her dramatically riding the bus here and stopping far too often.
Regardless, Dark Amber finally speaks. "You know I can't do that." he says as he flicks the fingers of his right hand, a cork coming into view as he caps the perfume bottle. It slips into a pocket into the inside of his jacket.
"I can appreciate what you're trying to do, Blossom." he says. "and I understand. But this world can't be safe until bad memories can be stripped away entirely!" he says with a certain fervor.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Forget The Darkness! on Sakura Akagi.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Forget The Darkness! on Rikoru Koyou.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi fails to brace Dark Amber's Forget The Darkness!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Sakura Akagi is Quipped!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou narrowly dodges Dark Amber's Forget The Darkness!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Rikoru Koyou is Quipped!
Cherry Blossom stands and frowns... the comment reaching her heart. "But... why? Is there some reason that you can't let people alone? What happened to you in the past? ... I'll stop you. But you helped us fight that monster before, so, I can't believe you're all bad."
She reaches into her hair and pulls out a strand, finding a chopstick that glows with light. She shuts her eyes for a moment, and then she opens them again to aim it. She throws it toward Dark Amber's chest, aiming for where she saw him put that bottle. Maybe she can set those memories free again.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has used Chopstick Throw on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has finished attacking.
The bus fiiiiiinally stops by the amusement park and Madobe dashes out.
'Finally made it >_<' she sends to Akagi.
She runs for a bit, not really stopping for much of anything. She does, as she sees the haunted house, widen her eyes and ducks behind a post. Okay, she thinks, it's a scary haunted house. B-but she doesn't HAVE to be scared of it. It's just an attraction. Sakura probably didn't want her to go here right?
She checks her phone for a moment and then at her perfume bottle. Sounds like a good time... TO PERFUE UP!
But there's no animation in the budget for this so they cut to a flash of pink light from another angle so they don't have to show it.
"Okay!" Sweet Pea jogs forward. "Now what..."
Fuu may briefly see the edge of Tomomi duck around a corner before disappearing out of sight. Tomomi isn't going for a direct route toward the conflict. In truth, she wants to stay off to one side of it for a better view. There's almost certainly a quick way to where the action is from back there, and Tomomi is not taking it.
Tomomi slightly adjusts a mirror from behind to watch. She hears Dark Amber. Yes, that voice --! She fishes out her Moleskine from her purse to start taking notes.
So much for not being noticed, but Fuu forges ahead anyway, making her way through the back of the haunted house until she finds a good door to get out to the 'front' and try to deal with the villain ... or, she hopes more likely, help the other magical girls who might have found the situation do so as well. Her wind magic may not be as much good in tight quarters like this, but she'll have to do her best anyway.
"Imashime no Kaze!"
The Winds of Admonition should be a good lead-in - the whirlwind is intended to constrict and restrain, after all, so it shouldn't lead to a lot of other stuff blowing around. Fuu steps into view after she's unleashed her spell. "Nobody walks into a haunted house wanting to be scared out of their wits before they've had a chance to enjoy it ..." she says with a wry smile.
"Rrgh...what are you talking about?"
Rikoru reaches into a pocket, pulling out a playing card. "You're just attacking and bullying people! I don't know who you are, but...nothing can stop me from fighting for justice!" She tosses the card into the air.
"ACE OF CLUBS: RELEASE!" A gun is suddenly in her hands, aiming up as the card passes in front of the setting sun. She pulls the trigger once, sending a shining blast through the center of the card. The light flows over her as she spins the gun, forming a stetson on her head and shifting her outfit as she turns back towards Dark Amber. "DESERT STAR! I won't let you just do what you want!"
Rikoru has no clear idea what Sakura's talking about, either, but she's always had a tendency to jump to conclusions. Those people were being scared and chased. Therefore, Dark Amber is a bully who needs to be beaten down. Anything else can be asked later. The gun goes to a holster, though, as she just charges at Dark Amber. Unlike Cherry Blossom, the Desert Star prefers to get up close and personal.
In this case, by grabbing at Dark Amber. "Where do you even think you get off doing this? Is it your way of having fun, picking on people and trying to scare them like this?" As she speaks, she tries to hurl the man to the ground. Sure, he may have thrown her off her game, but if there's one thing Rikoru's good at, it's building a good, steaming head of shouting mad.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has used Get Over Here on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Imashime no Kaze on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly counters Sakura Akagi's Chopstick Throw, taking 4 Fatigue damage! Sakura Akagi is Psyched!
COMBAT: Dark Amber's counterattack, Amber Seeker, partially gets through, doing 7 Fatigue damage to Sakura Akagi!
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly dodges Rikoru Koyou's Get Over Here, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Rikoru Koyou is Psyched! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates! Stun applied to Dark Amber!
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Imashime no Kaze, taking 12 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates! Cripple and Trap applied to Dark Amber!
Dark Amber sends out a slice of amber engery from his blades at Cherry Blossom's chopstick, it sends it off course, but it still impacts into Dark Amber---and doesn't hit the bottle. But there will be other chances.
Fuu leads in with a whirlwind that seems to catch Dark Amber off guard, and allows Rikoru to follow in with transformation---and plowing him into the ground, he struggles---
"Right then...." he manages to huff out, as he attempts to fling out his blades and wrap them around Desert Star's ankles, before suddenly...dissapearing out from under her---and reappearing a few feet away, probably behind Cherry Blossom, taking a quick slash forward and before launching another blade over into Fuu's general direction---which explodes into some sort of mist in the knight's face.
Sweet Pea's arrival is noted, but she's not handled just yet.
Tomomi isn't seen or noted. and even if she was----she's not a threat in this situation--- probably just some bystander like any other.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Binding Amber Chain on Rikoru Koyou.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Amber Mist on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Slice and Dice on Sakura Akagi.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi narrowly counters Dark Amber's Slice and Dice, taking 8 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi's counterattack, Cherry Wood Chopstick, partially gets through, doing 2 Fatigue damage to Dark Amber! Cripple applied to Dark Amber!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou narrowly braces Dark Amber's Binding Amber Chain, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Rikoru Koyou's Block ability activates! Exhausted and Tangle applied to Rikoru Koyou!
COMBAT: Dark Amber has finished attacking.
Cherry Blossom heard Rikoru yell out, but didn't see her transformation clearly. Suddenly, though, the other girl comes barreling in, getting personal too! She caught the intro... but she's not sure what's going on. "Hey! Who are you? ... Desert Star?"
But she doesn't have much time to discuss this, as Dark Amber appears behind her! She spins suddenly, pulling out a second stick to clash against him. It doesn't look particularly powerful, but... it does get through slightly. Her long sleeve is cut in the process of the exchange. She grits her teeth and lets out a shout, countering with a burst of magical energy. A flower appears at the palm of her hand, and then explodes into petals.
Meanwhile, around the corner, Mist is sniffing its way through the attraction. There's Dark Amber, there's Cherry Blossom and... "Oh, Sweet Pea!" It flaps over toward her, directing her toward the Haunted House. "It's this way."
But it turns its head. There's something else too.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has used Blossom Burst on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji fails to brace Dark Amber's Amber Mist, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Diversion applied to Fuu Hououji!
"Ah! Mist!" Sweet Pea says. "Sorry I'm late. But ughh I had to take the bus and it was stopping everywhere and--" She pauses. "Is something else bugging you?" She starts jogging into the Haunted House. She'll no doubt be able to lend a hand in ONE MORE ROUND. You can even see the Countdown to Sweet Pea in the corner there.
But for now she continues chatting with Mist for the moment. It's not very often these two get screen time together because Sweet Pea thinks Mist is kind of spooky himself! If okay a bit cute too. Spookily adorable. "Is something uh--else the matter?"
Rikoru transformed in plain sight - she's not the sort to worry about secret identities. "You can call me Desert Star, yeah!" The distraction, however, means that the chain-blade wraps around her ankle, tripping Rikoru up. She crouches low, bringing her hands up and trying to minimize her need for movement. She turns, following Dark Amber with her eyes. He dodges around a lot, huh?
"Come on, ANSWER ME! Why are you doing this? If you don't tell me..." She does her best to lunge forward, despite being off-balanace. If he's dodgy, she just has to hit him too fast for him to spot! Her gun clicks, the chambers turning despite her not even touching it. Suddenly, her arm blazes forward, leaving a blazing after-image as she guesses at where Dark Amber will move next and tries to hem him in.
"I'll just have to beat it out of ya!"
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has used Miracle Straight on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has finished attacking.
Fuu lets out a yelp as the blade is thrown at her, and she brings her bracer-encased right arm up to try and block it -
Only to get a faceful of some noxious-smelling fog, which leaves her backing away, coughing and trying to fan what's left of the mist away from her face. "You aren't much for good manners, are you ... memory-thief-san?" She rubs her left sleeve across her glasses, trying to get rid of some residue from that mist as she decides on her next attack ...
And decides, in lieu of any better ideas at the moment, to call forth her sword and try to stab Dark Amber in the knee.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Sword Strike on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber fails to brace Rikoru Koyou's Miracle Straight, taking 12 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly dodges Sakura Akagi's Blossom Burst, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates!
COMBAT: Dark Amber fails to brace Fuu Hououji's Sword Strike, taking 8 Fatigue damage!
Tomomi takes a few notes on the battle, focusing her attention on Dark Amber. The other girls are interesting, but not her primary concern. Dark Amber... her eyes narrow. She doesn't like him. No, not one bit, not a jot.
Dark Amber frowns as he just manages to evade Cherry Blossom's strike, but part of his suit rips, and then tries to tank Rikoru's just full on punching. This doesn't work, not even a little- he may aswell as be trying to use paper as a shield. He gets punched in the face. That kinda hurts. A lot. It disorients him enough that Fuu's strike hones on in perfectly.
Tomomi takes notes. There's something that kind of catches Dark Amber's attention from Tomomi's location for a moment, but it's drowned out by the ringing in his head.
"I'm sealing away bad, terrible memories." he insists to Desert Star.
"Do I need to be more blatant?" he asks--he responds with a fluffy of blade strikes back into her face, while fanning out a series of homing blasts at the others in the area.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Bladestorm on Rikoru Koyou.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Amber Seeker on Sakura Akagi.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Amber Seeker on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi fails to dodge Dark Amber's Amber Seeker, taking 9 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou narrowly counters Dark Amber's Bladestorm, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou's counterattack, Southpaw, partially gets through, doing 4 Fatigue damage to Dark Amber!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji perfectly dodges Dark Amber's Amber Seeker, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Critical Dodge! Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates! Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!
"I smell something else strange, but I'm not sure. Too much going on right now..." Mist lands on Sweet Pea's shoulder for a second, but then flaps its little wings and heads up again. "Good luck. I'm going to... sneak." It lowers its head for a moment in a slightly embarassed way, but then... it heads around the exhibit.
"...It's not really a question as to what you're doing, Dark Amber--" Sakura tries to evade the blast, but she's distracted by a mirror and miscalculates. The crystal slams into her, and knocks her back... the mirror itself cracks. She turns around and looks at it for a moment, seeing shattered reflections. It's disorienting.
She spins and finds Dark Amber's scent. She shouts at him even in relative darkness. "It's WHY. Did something make you want to seal all these memories away... even ours?"
"You know we can't allow it! And if you'd let us, we can even help you!"
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has used For Sweet Memories on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has finished attacking.
"I suppose not," responds Fuu as she nonchalantly leans aside from a blast that was thrown at her face, hearing it slam into a prop zombie somewhere behind her. At least, she hopes that was a prop, or at least an actual zombie. "I thought we told you before, even our bad memories are precious to us humans. But if you're so determined not to learn this lesson, perhaps we need to carve it deeper into your body?"
She closes in again, not stabbing this time, but slashing at Dark Amber - and aiming higher this time, at the hip at least.
COMBAT: Dark Amber perfectly dodges Sakura Akagi's For Sweet Memories, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Sword Strike on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
Rikoru switches her stance, her right hand pulling back and left going forward. She tries to duck through the flurry of blades, launching some quick left jabs at Amber...but it doesn't go very well, and she comes out much the worse for the exchange, cut in several spots. "What, by making worse ones? You think anyone's going to like being grabbed by you? That doesn't even make any sense!"
She glances over at Sakura. She wants to ask what the hell she's talking about, but...well, not the time, is it? "Everyone always knows more about what's going on than me...well, that's okay!" She goes for a left jab, then suddenly switches up her stance again, trying to disorient Amber and herd him around. "But trust me, buddy! You're as blatant a jerk as it gets!" She keeps doing that, jabbing and then moving her stance and then repeating the process.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has used Dempsey Roll on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber fails to counter Rikoru Koyou's Dempsey Roll, taking 19 Fatigue damage! Tangle applied to Dark Amber!
COMBAT: Dark Amber's counterattack, Power Cut, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Rikoru Koyou!
Tomomi can feel that faint connection with Dark Amber. It's unpleasant to her. She's not thinking about Mist right now, sketching Dark Amber in her Moleskine dexterously. The dialogue between the girls floats through her mind, but she keeps focused on her task of annotating her drawings.
"Okay." Madobe says. "Be careful."
She runs forward, ultimately coming upon the others and skidding to a stop once she sees what's going on. She can tell Dark Amber is the agressor here. Her eyes narrow and she says, "I knew it!" She points a finger at Dark Amber. "You're not really interested in helping us, you're just--trying to use us while you're going around stealing memories! I can't forgive this!" She draws out her two pistols, spinning them around her fingers once before pointing towards Dark Amber.
"Memories make us who we are...bad and good!" And she opens fire, threatening to plaster Dark Amber with sweet pea flower buds!
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has used Sweet Pea Shooters on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber perfectly dodges Madobe Kuroi's Sweet Pea Shooters, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates!
Dark Amber listens to Cherry Blossom's words. "...ha!" is all he replies. "It's only because you don't remember." he says in a sad tone. "But---that's not important now!" he says as he turns to take the next few hits from Fuu. "----oh! You were....." at the Arcade. Right, he finishes in his head. That's why he doesn't do things like that anymore. Just...everyone. Out of the woodwork. He tries to power slice into Rikoru's attack, but is just powered throughed himself. He's about to follow up with something when---Sweet Pea finally gets on the scene. She's late. He zips away into a sudden burst of movement to an area above the doorway of the haunted house---he frowns...."No.... I'm not using you...." he says. He raises his hands and unleashes a torrented wave of energy at Desert Star--- she's a little bit too much in this mess to handle-- a brute. One wave...two waves...three waves! The others don't get attention this round.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has used Amber Storm on Rikoru Koyou.
COMBAT: Dark Amber has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou fails to dodge Dark Amber's Amber Storm, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
It must be true. She doesn't remember. Something that Cherry Blossom should remember...
She realizes that she can't really help Dark Amber until she knows the real story. And that won't be today. Right now, she'll just have to help the people he's hurting...
And that includes Desert Star, caught up in his powerful blast. It looked bad, she thinks... she'll have to at least distract him.
She puts her hands in front of her chest, palms together, and closes her eyes. "Cherry trees..."
"Hear my prayer, and come to our aid!"
White branches appear from the ground, twining toward Dark Amber. Maybe it will be enough to slow him down.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has used Cherry Tree Magic on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has finished attacking.
Fuu shakes her head a bit, trying to get her vision to clear the rest of the way - and then winces as she sees Desert Star getting horribly abused with a series of energy blasts. "Iyashi no Kaze!" she calls out, bidding the Winds of Healing to assist her and Desert Star; a gentle breeze blows through the area, soothing the pair's worst injuries and offsetting the debilitating effects that had hold of them. It's not much, but it's all she can do in the middle of a fight.
Then she gets her guard back up.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Rikoru Koyou.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cleanse! All of Fuu Hououji's debuffs are cleared!
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cleanse! All of Rikoru Koyou's debuffs are cleared!
He seems confused, Tomomi thinks, making more notes. Is Dark Amber wholly sure of what he is? She writes a few more notes in the margins. He may be an opportunity yet. She'll need to check with the Apothecary's archives to see if there is even the possibility. Surely there is something she can use to persuade him.
"It won't be that easy to get away!" Sweet Pea says, snapping her pistols up and homing them in on Dark Amber. She squints one eye closed and pops off a single shot. What exactly is this guy's deal, she wonders, but apparently she is a little less inclined to be so concerned with helping Dark Amber as Akagi is. Maybe it's because of how intense the difference between Sweet Pea and Madobe is. "Get back here!" She adds.
She's starting to feel a little bit worried about Mist though. Maybe this was a trap--meant for him? If he's working with the Apothecary after all...but he can be pretty sneaky. He's probably okay.
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has used Sweet Pea Strike on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has finished attacking.
Desert Star can feel the magic coming - but that's not the same as being able to do much about it. She tries to get out of the way, but Dark Amber is far too fast. The magic washes over her again and again, sending her skidding across the ground. The spurs of her boots dig in, and she ends up kneeling, breathing heavily. The breeze that washes over her, though, softens the brusies. She's actually grinning. "Not bad...for a bully. You want to go all out?" Rikoru stands up, reaching up to pull the brim of her stetson down. "Fine."
She starts walking forward slowly, spurs jangling. "Let's go all out. I don't know what all this memory stuff is about...but I do know there's nothing in this world lower than someone who treats others like you do." Her grin widens.
She stops right in front of Dark Amber, as if daring him to try and cut her. She takes a deep breath...and then steps in even closer, slamming her right fist for Amber's jawline. "/Draw/, jerk."
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has used Rawhide on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Rikoru Koyou has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly dodges Rikoru Koyou's Rawhide, taking 19 Fatigue damage! Dark Amber's Fade ability activates!
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly braces Madobe Kuroi's Sweet Pea Strike, taking 1 Fatigue damage! Madobe Kuroi is Psyched!
Dark Amber is hit with peas from Sweet Peas gun, little plants bloom at the place of impact, he brushes them off, as Cherry Blooms explode from the area around his feet, they scratch at his legs as he bursts from them, they don't hold him down as expectedly...
Just in time for Desert Star to slam him in the jaw. This....actually decks him. Outright and good, but not enough to send him fly...."I have no idea who you are miss...." he says. "But you are a pain in my side tonight." he says oddly cooly. His right hand explodes forward toward's Desert Star's face, he yells....
"DARK AMBER CRUSH!"
And then Desert Star might find her head in encased in Amber. This probably hurts. A lot, if it connects, and doesn't outright send her packing for tonight.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Dark Amber has used Dark Amber Crush on Rikoru Koyou.
Mist locates Tomomi by scent. Hiding behind a plastic tombstone, it sniffs a little in the air, but fades its visual color to gray to hopefully avoid detection. ... Mist watches her for a moment, very suspicious.
Japanese Cherry Blossom cannot allow this to stand. Desert Star is determined to interpose, but this isn't REALLY her fight... at least, Cherry Blossom doesn't think so. So she's going to have to make sure that Dark Amber realizes she's still going to battle him... even if she still wants to offer help.
"She is right. We can't let you bully people and pick on them. You must have your reasons, but until we can set things right... we'll have to stop you."
Cherry Blossom puts her hands to her sides, and pink light begins to build around them. She raises them in front of her body, and then spins around. The sleeves trail behind her in a pink-tinted wind, petals building around them. "For all of these people, our friends, and their memories..." She opens her hands outward, and a swirl of light and fragrance pours through. "... Cherry Blossom Elimination!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sakura Akagi has used Cherry Blossom Elimination on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Sakura Akagi has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber fails to dodge Sakura Akagi's Finisher, Cherry Blossom Elimination, taking 37 Fatigue damage!
Again, Rikoru tries to duck away - and again, Dark Amber is too fast. She may hit like a freight train, but she's not as tough as one - or as fast. Amber reaches for her face, and as the Desert Star tries to pull back, the amber seals around her. Her eyes widen, but it surrounds her before she can do anything. It does hurt, and Rikoru has just about enough space to grit her teeth and struggle.
All this does is send hairline cracks throughout the amber. Helpful for getting her out later, but not enough to free her by herself - and certainly not enough to let her get out in any condition to fight.
Definitely Dark Amber, Tomomi notes, seeing that one poor girl get consumed in a blob of it. She'll need to be ready for that just in case. There are a lot of dangerous maneuvers she'll need to plan for at this rate. Sometimes it's hard out here for an artist.
"You..." She says. "You hurt---uh..." She looks at Rikoru for a few moments before turning back to Dark Amber. "--Well I'm not going to stand for it!" She jogs, trying to put herself between Rikoru and Dark Amber, all the while firing more pink blasts at Dark Amber. Sakura is already using her Elimination, so she's trying to pin him in place with her shots so he can be, well, cherry blossom eliminated. Her cheeks are puffed out in frustration!
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has used Viewtiful Pea on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Madobe Kuroi has finished attacking.
Fuu frowns as Desert Star goes down, and the wind kicks up around the green-clad Magic Knight, tousling her hair and her skirt. "You'll wish for somebody ELSE to take your memories of this fight away after this ... it's not like you're going to learn from why we're resisting you, is it, anyway?" The wind surges higher as Fuu calls out, "MIDORI NO SHIPPUU!!" and unleashes the full force of the Emerald Hurricane, hammering Dark Amber with gale-strength winds - winds which may serve to help focus the others' fragrance-based attacks.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Fuu Hououji has used Midori no Shippu: Full on Dark Amber.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Finisher, Midori no Shippu: Full, taking 23 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Dark Amber narrowly braces Madobe Kuroi's Viewtiful Pea, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Madobe Kuroi is Psyched!
Dark Amber is beset with the various, powerful attacks----something he expected when he nixxed Desert Star out of the fight---and people yell at him, and spout various things----- Dark Amber is not away of any little scent dragon mascots, yet--- so this is hardly a trap for that.
He frowns as he takes the hits, trying to dodge....trying to tank them, all this is exhausting. He takes a deep breath and a gasp as he appears on top of a fake tombstone. He hrmphs----
"This...I'm not---" he's not bullying..! Or is he? Not on purpose---at least, argh this is so confusing for him. "Arrgghh!" he releases out as he whips into his pocket and spins, a little tiny amber perfume bottle flies at Cherry Blossom's general direction, it's filled with the foul smelling bad memories given form-- "I'm..not bullying anyone!" he insists as he leaps into the air---he needs to leave anyways---they're getting the upper hand, he's starting to drain, and powerdown as it is. He can feel it. He does a leap to a nearby food stand.....then another to a nearby trash bin---yeah he's leaving, or trying to unless people move to stop him further.
Fuu isn't about to give chase; she's more worried about Desert Star, and she re-conjures her sword to start trying to chip away - VERY carefully - at the amber encasing the girl's head. "Hang on just a moment, we'll get you out of there and I'll case a better healing spell ..."
Japanese Cherry Blossom picks up the vial. She looks at it... and opens it again. The smell is... not good, but these are people's real memories, and, bad or not, they should be returned. From there, everyone should start going back to normal...
Mist comes back to her, and sits on her shoulder at the strange smell. It turns colors again, shimmering gold now. "I saw a strange person lurking around." It looks over at Desert Star, and then flits over to Sweet Pea. "Thanks for coming out too. I hope you don't get too sleepy..."
It lowers its head in an embarrassed way.
"I didn't feel like chasing the fight outside where more bystanders would potentially have been at risk," Fuu answers, "and I was more worried about you." She dismisses her sword and stands up straight. "Even though I don't know who you are yet, we had a common enemy and a common battle. For now, though ... Iyashi no Kaze!"
The Winds of Healing blow through the haunted house again, their magic focusing around the magical girls to heal the injuries incurred in that fight, soothe the pain of their wounds, and restore some of their vim and vigor. A good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast (and/or a late supper) will do the rest ... particularly if Rikoru/Desert Star really can make chili with healing properties.
