2015-03-13 - Museum Mayhem

Title: Museum Mayhem
Summary: It's the opening of an exhibit of English artifacts at the Museum of Western Art in the Ueno District. The focus is on the Dark Ages, and there's a fair amount of excitement in any quarter that is into the whole brave knights and beautiful princesses aesthetic. There are tapestries to view, swords to stare at, crowns to admire... Surely nothing will get stolen. Nothing at all. And none of this is magic, that's preposterous.
Who: Lancelot, Kaitou Jeanne, Fiat Silver, Lera Camry, Fuu Hououji, Hikaru Shidou, Chitose Shiratori, The Black Knight GM: Honoka Yukishiro
Where: Museum of Western Art
OOC - IC Date: 6 June 2014 - 03/13/2015

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

There's magic in the air.

It's the new exhibit's Opening Night Gala at Ueno's Museum of Western Art, and as such the museum is filled with golden light, the sound of clinking glasses and string quartets, the smell of canapes and swishing silk, and a lot of really well-dressed adults.

Given the topic, there are more children than usual at this gala, and an enterprising graduate student who works part-time as a ticketmaster has gathered her friends and set up a stall by the coat racks which is selling 'medieval' garb for swords and sorcery fans of all ages. It's mostly the kids strutting around in wide skirts and soft bodices, plush tunics and strapping hose, but a few of the better grown-ups are getting into the fun, too, including all of the security guards.

There are a lot of them, and cameras, too; here and there in back hallways, closed to the public, laser tripwires await the unwary. Alarms both silent and loud are poised to trigger, their sounds on the tips of their tongues, eager to take flight.

The reason for this heightened security is surely the exhibit's value: the Tower of London might as well have been emptied of its Crown Jewels, for such a collection of gold and jewels, crowns and pens, swords and bows and scepters and satins to have been assembled in one place. The descriptions underneath each display are rather whimsical. It was someone's life work to pursue and record just whose hands each of these items was thought to have passed through.

Names like 'Nimue' and 'Saint George' are mixed in with the Plantagenets and Tudors and Darby's. Any number of legends surrounding these artifacts might be true.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Wearing a red dress and matching high heeled shoes, complete with nice new earrings, Hikaru Shidou is here looking rather formal for a change. It's a stark contrast from her usual tomboyish attire, but it's still Hikaru all the same. And apparently, she's come here on her own tonight instead of accompanying Fuu here. Hey, sometimes she does things on her own, and sometimes she bumps into Fuu by accident! It happens!

Hands clasped behind her back, Hikaru shows off a formal touch to herself as she looks around at the exhibits, seeming more like a young woman rather than a red-haired tomboyish high school student. A slight smile forms on her face as she admires what there is to see, almost like she's not caring about what could possible go wrong.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera Camry wanted to come see the exhibit for two reasons. One was curiosity; her command of Earth's history was lacking, especially with Europe, a region that she had never been to before. The other was that what she saw reminded her of Belka, and she had a few pleasant memories of trips into the Belka Autonomous Region. Knights, swords, and the like had captured her imagination when she was little; a bit of that stayed, too, if her propensity for close-range fighting was any indication.

She is wearing a skirt, a buttoned up suitcoat jacket, and has a sword lapel pin on the breast pocket; she bought it from the gift shop as she entered.

She peers over a display case, staring down at a sword purporting to have once belonged to Sir Bors. She isn't quite sure who Sir Bors is -- or, for that matter, whether his namesake is a pig -- but it looks like a pretty sword. She claps her hands together, grinning down at it. "Wow..."

<I'm far superior.>

"Quiet, Sky," she grumbles at the Device -- in his Standby Form -- in her pocket.

<Pose Tracker> Takeo Akamizu [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

EARLIER

A rabbit had awoken him by standing on his chest and slapping him with a purple pointed hat. Groggily, Takeo had awoken and peered at the Rabbit, not for the first time wondering if he was any good at making stew. With one ye opened he says calmly to the Rabbit, who is actually Merlin, "What?"

"You need to go to the Museum." Merlin states as he sets the hat on his head. "You need to go right now."

Takeo sat up, causing the adorable rabbit, who is likely the most powerful wizard to have graced the Earth to tumble off the bed to floor below with a fluffy sounding **Thoof**

NOW

So it was Takeo Akamizu, Knight of the Round Table found himself walking around in rented medieval garb. He looked around as he steps in and then peeks down his shirt front. "Okay Rabbit. What am I here for?" He asks as he looks around conspiratorially.

There is a rustle in the man's shirt and a rabbit peeks it's head out. "The Scabbard."

"THE WHAT?!" Takeo says rather loudly in absolute surprise. Remembering where he is, and what he's doing he says in a near stage whisper, which is normal conversation tone, "The What?"

Merlin facepalms, a cute little bunny facepalming and shaking his head. "The Scabbard. Excalibur's Scabbard. We're here to look for it. I trust you know what you're looking for?" The bunny says nodding with confidence that Lancelot of all people would know what this sacred relic looks like.

Takeo blinks and pales. Slightly. "Oh. The Scabbard? Pssssh." He waves a hand dismissively. "Totally. I know what that thing looks like." He nods in confidence and begins to move forward, looking around, careful to note the placement of guards, because he has a funny feeling that he's going to have to steel this thing. He blinks at a Sword and asks the adorable bunny quietly, "Who is Nimue?"

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

It's almost as good an excuse for cosplay as an actual anime convention ... but Fuu has dressed up more like she were here for prom night than to check out the new exhibit, in a dress with a dark green skirt and a lighter green bodice. Add a bow and quiver and she might pass for a peculiarly altered version of Robin Hood - but she's not cosplaying. Even though it's kind of tempting, particularly with the impromptu costume rental stall.

She's also respectful enough of the museum environs not to engage in much conversation while other visitors are taking in the displays. She does nod and smile in greetings to Hikaru-san and Lera-san, though, as she passes within sight of them.

Predictably, it's the display of old-fashioned longbows which seems to hold her interest when she gets there.

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

Chitose Shiratori was here because she wanted to be here. She was rather fond of myths and legends, so as soon as work ended for her she came right here. She was still wearing her office attire, only subbing out her shoes for a pair of black heels for a slight bit of extra leverage. But otherwise she is alone, perusing random exhibits. The ones that catch her attention are more legendary tomes, but she gives at least one of everything their due as a museum goer.

Though for some reason, she seems to look at each exhibit. After she gives an exhibit a fair look, she turns around and faces directly away from it for a minute or two, as if she's giving her hairclip a good look at it. Then she moves on to the next one, and the cycle continues.

She ignores the strange looks she gets from passer-bys. She's only showing her friend the exhibit, too.

Then again, Chitose was never too sure if her Device needed line of sight to see things or not. Or maybe he didn't and it was just a ploy to keep her from moving for longer.

<Pose Tracker> Lilian Abarth [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

On the outside, looking in, one person - or two, really - watch. The wind tugs at long coattails, their iridescent blue subdued in the darkling gorgeous night.

Lowering a pair of slim binoculars, a masked woman murmurs, "It's all really in there, isn't it?"

<Quite, quite. Proper display, isn't it? I'd be proud to have a seat like that.>

"I suppose we're... going to be messing that up a little, aren't we?"

"It's all on exhibit here... or it's going to be in the back, with a replica in front. That's how they sometimes do it here, for fossils and such things. Miranda told me that."

"I -- No, Silver, we should take advantage of the distraction and investigate what's in the back. We'll find a jewel or something small, and then..."

"Please, be careful. We don't want to give away the game."

<Indeed.>

And so Fiat Silver raises one hand to her mouth, half-veiling a little giggle that's half confident and half-anxious. The breeze tugs at her hair as she steps out from the concealing shadow of the neighboring museum, and drifts up into the sky to approach the museum itself.

With her heart pounding, she breathes, "But it's almost a shame - if we're really skilled... no one will ever know. Will they?"

<Let us hope so,> the Intelligent Device on her arm and in her hand remarks, sotto voce.

COMBAT: Lilian Abarth transforms into Barrier Jacket!

<Pose Tracker> Maron Kusakabe [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

If there's one thing that Maron Kusakabe has learned regarding her little 'side job', it's that prominent museum exhibits all but guarantee that she'll have work to do. Investigating stood to reason. She even actually arrived early for once, a fact sure to shock anyone who knows her if they knew. She'd been wandering about the exhibit for a while, though not seeming particular interested in the displays, constantly looking off in other directions. It was thus perhaps not so strange to see her leaving again pretty quickly too, already on her way out while many people were still coming in.

Her true purpose is only discussed after she exits, speaking in a low voice to a companion most others aren't able to see, the angel Finn Fish. "Looks like they sharpened security since the last time. There's a lot more guards around than usual, too. How did it go on your end?"

The green-haired chibi-angel scrunches up her nose, only able to confirm, "I sensed a strong dark magic among the exhibit, but it was difficult to pinpoint where it came from. I'm pretty sure it's not what we're looking for... but you're going to check it out anyway, aren't you?"

Maron only smiles. They both know the drill by now. Time to slip out of sight into an alleyway and prepare for another daring heist! Security being this high doesn't matter, nor does not knowing exactly what she's after. That just makes it more interesting. And thus, soon enough...

"Strong and serious, matchless and marvelous, energetic and courageous!"

...the infamous art thief Kaitou Jeanne is about to make an appearance, using her Rebound Ball as a grappling hook to quickly scale a nearby building. High spots are always advantageous. Lacking a concrete plan never stopped her before: she'll figure something out once she's in position.

COMBAT: Maron Kusakabe transforms into Kaitou Jeanne!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

The piece de resistance of the exhibit is in some ways more impressive in how it is displayed than in what it really is.

There are plates of glass that shine like crystal.

There are more laserbeams inside, refracting every which way.

Untold motion detectors probably coat the entire inside of the case, which stands six feet tall in all.

There's always a crowd around it, but people tend not to linger, turning away with indifferent expressions to goggle at a famous crown or painting instead.

That may be because it's more archaeology than art: a length of blackness that might be wood or might be leather or might be both, chased at either ends with a bit of equally ancient, unidentifiable metal. The plaque at the bottom suggests that this scabbard may have once been owned by King Arthur Pendragon.

Anyone with even a half measure of mystical attunement can sense its power. It draws like a lodestone, like an indrawn breath. It is anticipation -- it is potential. It is very, very dangerous.

It is kind of dusty. Maybe it's really fragile and they were afraid to clean it very much.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

<Lera. Something about that one...>

"Mm?" Lera murmurs, looking up at the scabbard. She feels it, then; she is a rather good mage, even if her skills tend more to combat than detection. She stares at it for a moment, feeling its power, and then she tilts her head to the side. A smile crosses her face. "Wow. It's stunning."

She looks it up and down. "A little dusty, too," she tells the people nearby. "I-I mean, museum things are supposed to be dusty, they're old, everyone knows that, it's really normal for Earth museums and old stuff--um--I bet it's--"

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

At the moment, the scabbard in that central case is more or less directly behind Fuu.

She's aware of it, at least to the point that her clutch purse (because her dress doesn't have pockets) is held tightly in both hands. She has more than her cell phone and her wallet in there ... although she's hoping that the hairs going up on the back of her neck don't actually signify that she might need to fish out her glove-jewel.

Fuu does 'give in' to her instinctive wariness enough to glance around the exhibit in case there are any signs of trouble. She hasn't forgotten the incident with the haunted painting, or the other incident where a plot to steal students' energy turned a library into something just short of a deathtrap.

But as far as she can tell, there's nothing to be concerned about.

Somehow, that worries her all the more. But she goes back to looking at the longbows for now, mentally comparing them with the bow she uses on the archery team, and with one of her 'souvenirs' from a certain trip that went a LOT further than Tokyo Tower. She may be hanging onto her clutch a little more tightly than before, though.

<Pose Tracker> Takeo Akamizu [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

The Bunny's ears suddenly shoot ramrod in a direction and Merlin the Bunny gasps from Takeo's neckline. Takeo notices the motion and looks in the direction of the bunny gaze and moves toward the crowd of people. He stops just outside the ring of people and stands on tippy toes to peer over the gazers. Eventually somebody leaves and Takeo moves forward, his eyes drawn to the plague. He reads the thing and then looks to the ordinary length of leather. The two metal points and he has to fight his impulse to jsut reach out and touch the glass. "Merlin?" He asks to verify his thoughts.

The bunny nods and Merlin says softly. "Yes." The Bunny looks up at Takeo, then back to the Scabbard.

Takeo takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Its.... So old, and dirty." He can't take his eyes off the thing, and he blinks a few more times. How was he supposed to get that out of there.

He notices he's being spoken too and he blinks as he looks to Lera, idly shoving Merlin down his neckline. He, and apparently Merlin, forgot there were people around. "Dusty! I know right? Who would EVER want something as dirty and old and crusty as that? Am I right?"

The shirt front of Takeo moves slightly as Merlin, is suddenly smothered by fabric, and tries to get comfortable under the shirt.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Hikaru smiles and bows to Fuu, giving her a cheerful, "Hi, Fuu-chan!" Before turning to look at the exhibits again. She hasn't focused on anything in particular, just enjoying what she's seeing in general. For the most part, things have been rather quiet, and that's worrisome to Hikaru, since being too quiet means something's about to go down. Biting her lower lip, Hikaru decides to try to keep moving in hopes that she's just being overly paranoid.

As she walks, one might notice she seems to be having a little trouble walking. That's because Hikaru's not used to wearing heels, and learning on the spot is a very tedious process. At least she hasn't fallen on her face yet, which is always a good thing. She tries to keep a polite smile on her face as she tries to keep her balance while moving along. Yet, there is still that nagging feeling...

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Slipping in from the roof is simple enough. Fiat Silver is able to move over tripwires, murmuring to her Device, moving with grace and silence. There will be footsteps on the ceiling...

Unfortunately for Fiat Silver--

"What... what IS all of this stuff?" Fiat Silver stands in the curator's back offices, looking at a range of large-scale sculptural illusionary art. Of course, from the side angle, it just looks like stacks of junk. From another angle, which frames the aspirational thief in the doorway, of course, the illusions are quite clear.

<I don't understand modern art.> Silver Scorpion states.

The left eye of Fiat Silver's mask glows as she considers the sonic map, detecting a few subtle point sources through that magically enhanced collection of sounds... and a giant chaotic space on the exhibit floor. "Hmf... It's going to be packed in there. Hardly any way for us to hide from sight."

<Is that really the case?> Silver Scorpion muses.

"Even if we float above their heads, they'll certainly notice when we pluck the fruits of our larceny," Fiat Silver says. Her arms fold, lips pursing.

And then it dawns on her. She 'thwaps' the baton-form of Silver Scorpion into her unarmored hand, saying as she does, "But if there is no light by which to see..."

<They'll never see us coming,> Silver Scorpion concludes.

And so she turns, hastening down the hall, flying herself up over what seems to be a motion tripwire on her way to the electrical closet of the museum -- or at least an approximation. From there, only a short delay as Fiat Silver goggles at the dozens of switches and fuses and breakers...

Before the power starts going off. The astute may notice it does not all go off at once, but every single thing /does/ flip off - in rapid succession.

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Having gotten up to good vantage point, Jeanne takes a quick look through the museum windows using her (pink!) binoculars to check if anything's notably changed. Quickly judging that everything's still much the same, it's time to get to work. A stealthy approach isn't going to work here, there's way too many people about. She's going to need a distraction first. Something flashy and noisy. She can definitely do flashy and noisy.

What follows soon after is easy to both see and hear from inside the museum. A beautiful fireworks display lights up the sky with pretty colors with an exceptionally loud 'BANG', followed by a voice amplified by a megaphone. "BY ORDER OF GOD, KAITOU JEANNE HAS ARRIVED!"

The phantom thief herself is pretty easy to spot too, still up there on that same building. It doesn't look like she's going anywhere, just waiting there, as if daring any and all to just come try and stop her.

Except that upon closer inspection, it'll turn out to not actually be Jeanne herself, but rather a straw dummy dressed up like her. After megaphoning in her line from behind the building, the actual Jeanne quickly starts sprinting through the alleyways, taking a familiar route to the museum's back entrance, hoping for it to be no longer watched as carefully, or if she's lucky, perhaps not at all anymore.

She arrives there just in time to see the lights going out inside, causing her to pause for a moment. That was going to be her first move once getting inside. Someone beat her to it. Who could it be? Couldn't be that ridiculous cowboy thief, she's not that subtle. Could it possibly be Saint Tail?

Well, no sense in thinking about it too much. She's already committed. All she can do now is unlock the back entrance and slip in quietly, she'll decide what to do next from there.

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

Chitose also notices the magical energy coming from the scabbard, though she makes sure to complete the rounds on the other exhibits before she gets around to the scabbard. When she does, however, she settles into the back of the population mass and looks at the scabbard and the plaque.

It's at this point that her hairclip suddenly pipes up, though he tries to keep it low. <Is that supposed to be here?>

"Well, yes. They have a plaque for it and everything." She replies back.

<Wouldn't their queen want it back?>

Her eyes look up as if trying to look at her Device. "I think they're seperate families, Omen. But you'd think they'd keep the magical one at home and only run around with a replacement."

It's at this point where she realizes they're attracting some attention with talking, and Chitose reaches up to hold her blueberry headset that she keeps to talk to White Omen without arousing too much suspicion...

Only to feel hair, bare ear, and her glasses. She forgot it at work! Welp. She grins like an idiot for a moment.

Still, she thinks, she's interested in it. It's something magical she can sense, and just having it would be nice. Then again, if she wants it then someone else certainly would.

It's about this point she hears a bang and a sudden introduction. Her head orients to the sound. "Who's that?" She asks aloud.

And then the lights suddenly start to go out. When the main room is pitch black in darkness, Chitose utters two words, unmoving otherwise. "Of course."

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"Kaitou Jeanne" announces her presence. The ordinary security guards scurry outside to meet her at speed, while the crowd reacts with a mix of excitement and concern and more anticipation, either way, for what all is to come. Jeanne is a somewhat romantic figure in the press, but being around during a heist seems dangerous, too.

The lights go out.

No one can say the crowd wasn't primed for this.

Someone screams right away -- perhaps a child, perhaps an adult. It's a common human reaction, shrieking in surprise when the lights are doused. It is equally common for such a reaction to be infectious, and within moments the museum is a horror house of frightened people cowering in the dark, or bumping into each other, or trying to run away and tripping and crushing each other...

A lot of people need a lot of help in very little time, or folks are going to start getting very hurt indeed. Panic can be as powerful a force as any other emotion, sometimes.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"The emergency lights should come on in a moment!" Fuu's voice rings out as she tries to stay upright and more or less stationary, despite the increase in milling-about from the now-frightened crowd. "Everyone, please stay calm, we'll be able to find our way out in shortly!"

She probably sounds calmer than she feels, although she's somewhat relieved that she's not in the middle of a doorway or positioned at a corner - anywhere that traffic would try to flow *to* rather than merely around. She's still getting jostled around, though, and the uneasy feeling she was getting from that scabbard is NOT going away. .... In fact, is it just her imagination or is it getting worse?

She hopes it's just her imagination. Blackout plus frightened crowd is bad enough; blackout plus frightened crowd plus supernatural shenanigans equals a number of potential casualties she REALLY doesn't want to think about.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera glances sideways at Takeo, blinking at him a couple of times in confusion. Does he realize what it is? Probably not, she realizes. She looks at him for a second -- the front of his shirt moving draws a quick glance -- and then she smiles at him, before she shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know about that! It's dusty, but it's old and it's pretty distinctive and neat. Whoever had it must have been proud of it."

She laughs. "If you cleaned it off, it'd be great! If you had a sword." She pauses, and then her cheeks redden. "I-I mean. People don't have swords nowadays. That would be weird."

Except when she does, but shh. Now is not the time to bring up her 'traditional American swordfighting.'

"B-But if they did!" she declares, with a nod. "Right?"

Then the lights go off, one by one, and her eyes go wide sharply. She mistakes why, though, as she suddenly hears a familiar voice; she does a quick turn and stares. "Kaitou Jeanne!" she whispers, but loudly enough for Takeo to hear her. "Sh--she's the coolest!"

She has a high opinion of Jeanne, for mysterious reasons. It doesn't quite occur to her that the lights went off because of a second thief, though, leaving her staring a moment -- first at the straw dummy, and then at the people nearby. The rising panic and screams makes her realize this could end badly quickly.

"Everyone!" she yells, loudly. "Calm down, there's--there's exits over there, let's move to them, okay? But don't rush! Kaitou Jeanne never hurts anyone, so there's nothing to be worried about! Just take it slow!"

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

When the power goes out, Hikaru gasps a little, realizing that her paranoia was justified. She hears Fuu calling out nearby, and the feeling of panic from all of the other people panicking starts to grow within her. Yet Hikaru knows she must remain strong. She tries to make her way in the direction of Fuu's voice, hoping she can find her friend in the darkness. "Why now, of all times?" Hikaru mutters to herself, nearly tripping over one of her feet clumsily. She stops to remove her shoes and carry them in one hand as she continues to feel her way towards Fuu.

"I hope this isn't what I think it is," Hikaru adds, thinking that there's some kind of nasty monster lying in wait to ambush them. "But if it is, I'll be ready..."

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has fully healed herself.
COMBAT: Takeo Akamizu has fully healed himself.

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

The sudden spikes of screams make Fiat Silver frown, even as she flies inverted near the ceiling. It would be one thing if it were merely society belles, but... Those voices include children, don't they. And children of all ages, and Kaitou Jeanne, and surprised helpless people and --

Wait. "K - Kaitou Jeanne is outside?!" she anxiously whispers.

<Courage. We knew this would come, simply not the hour or the day...>

She comes then into the exhibit hall, though her position up high may mean she escapes notice for the immediate term. Sliding her way along chandeliers, letting her spell of flight keep her secured, even as she cranes her head back. People are shouting to calm them.

That's strange, Fiat Silver thinks: is that thing in the center a... scabbard? She squints, the lenses of her mask amplifying the light only a little bit and not really letting her make out the fine details.

<Pose Tracker> Takeo Akamizu [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Takeo grins to Lera and nods. "Yeah. But my sword won't fit in it. I do Kendo, so the Katana I have is a little different in shape." He chuckles and puts a hand on Merlin to get him to stop moving. This results in Merlin biting him through the shirt.

Takeo doesn't scream. That would be Not cool. He does twitch in pain, and nods a few times to the girl next to him. He's about to continue to speak when the lights go out.

From the inky blackness created when the lights are turned off comes a voice: "They've come for the scabbard!"

There is a pause as a hand draws a now glowing pendant from beneath his tunic and it is held aloft, revealing Takeo standing before the Scabbard, his eyes darting about, looking for the source of this intrusion. "Not if I can help it, he tells Merlin, who leaps out of the Tunic to land on the glass case.

In a powerful voice he calls out: "I swear to protect the weak and down trodden, to be a shield against the forces of darkness and the light against darkness. I swear to draw my sword only against the wicked, and to uphold the honor of my lord, and to protect his lands from the evil hidden in the hearts of men and the shadows!" Lightning slams down form seemingly nowhere and strike Takeo, with each flash of light, armor appears and he draws a bright glowing sword from seemingly nowhere as he calls out with a thunderclap, "I am the Cavalier Lancelot!"

Merlin looks around, and says, "Protect the Scabbard Lancelot!"

Arondight glows brightly as he looks around the museum and says, "Um. Weren't we going to take the Scabbard?" His eyes continuing to scan the area.

"Well. Yes. But technically it belongs to me. Well Arthur. Which Oh Never mind just do your job!" The Bunny says.

Lancelot calls out, "You heard the rabbit! Only I get to steal that magical artifact!"

Merlin once again does a facepalm, and dearly wishes he didn't look adorable when he did it.

COMBAT: Takeo Akamizu transforms into Lancelot!

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Locks are easy. Kaitou Jeanne always finds a way past easily enough. Often with just a hairpin or by slipping one of her notice cards in between the door and its frame, you'd be surprised how often that stuff actually works.

What's not so easy is to stop your brain from working overtime once something doesn't go as planned. It's not that there's a shortage of ideas, it's trying to make a choice in which of them to go with. All while knowing that they might /all/ be pointless, since she can't be certain of what she's even dealing with until she comes across it.

She has some time to consider such things, since it takes a bit to get to the exhibit area from where she enters. Although the alarm triggers may well be disabled as a result of the power outage, she takes no chances and uses the Rebound Ball liberally to swing past the sensors she encounters. You never know. It's faster, too.

She can already hear the panic up ahead, making her grimace a little. The aim was for the people to either leave on their own accord or be escorted out before the lights went out, to prevent too much chaos. But with the lights went off so soon, there wasn't time for that. And unfortunately, she has no time to worry about it. She needs to locate the source of the dark magic in this place and get it out of here, before anything bad happens.

The sudden appearance and words of Lancelot just as she gets there certainly make THAT easy. If the scabbard is the focus of his attention, then it seems only logical that there'd be a good reason for people to want to take it. And when a challenge is shouted out, she's naturally going to answer it.

"Too bad! Nobody tells a phantom thief what to steal, so looks like we're at an impasse." Swinging the wire-bound Rebound Ball at her side, Jeanne has a big smile on her face, looking like she's very much looking forward to a confrontation, not particularly intimidated.

She is not looking up, however, giving Fiat Silver the opportunity to potentially get the literal drop on her.

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

When the panic starts Chitose muses on the situation. If nothing happened she may have just looked around and left. With the sudden loss of lights and vision she might be able to skulk around and steal something of magical value, if not the scabbard oozing it out of all its pores. She wants it, she wants a lot. But at the same time she's not sure she can get it if multiple people go for it. So she stands as people panic around her. Being tall is somewhat useful, after all. More mass for people to displace.

That is, until people start to push her enough to rock her. Heels were not the best for panic, no ma'am. But when Lera yells that this 'Kaitou Jeanne' character never hurts anyone, she suddenly decides to cease resistance and fall. She lands on her butt somewhat unceremoniously, but she yells out as if she got shot by a laser. "Ow!"

<What are you doing?> White Omen asks her, as low as possible to be heard over the chaos.

She ignores him. "I think she's might be hurting people!" She yells out in a really high-pitched voice, before she adds one thing. "Accidentally!"

<Oh.> There's silence for a few moments from the Device before he follows suit. <She's right.> He offers helpfully to the crowd around them. Then he asks his partner. <Is it time?>

"I suppose so." Chitose grabs her hairclip and pulls him from her hair. A few moments later she's now wearing a whole lot more white, significantly more frills, and her hairclip is now a rod, which she is holding in her hand.

"Okay." She mutters in English. "What're the chances of pulling off victory today.

And /then/ Lancelot reveals himself and announces his appearance. This gets her to scramble up and look at him. There's silence from the woman as she works out where Lancelot fits in the Athurian myths.

Her Device, just as much a scholar as Chitose was, has some other ideas. <Maybe he can help us!>

"No, I don't think--" Chitose tries to cut off her Device to no avail.

White Omen yells towards Lancelot as much as a Device can. <Tell us more about that scabbard!>

"You know, if he gets it we won't, right?"

White Omen continues unperturbed. <Why is it so important?!>

Chitose sighs. This was going /swimmingly/ so far.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori transforms into Barrier Jacket!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

The crowd gets some reassurance from Fuu and Lera -- and some light from Takeo.

Then a lot more light(ning).

Various wonderful, terrible people start shouting challenges and questions at each other, and at that point, strangely enough, things become safer; obviously this is some kind of movie or video game promotion, and with that thought firmly in mind, people start filing their way through the dark towards the exit.

And it is still very dark. The promise of emergency lighting does not seem to be following through, perhaps because this is sabotage, not a mere power outage. A few individuals are radiant (sometimes glitteringly so), but only a few inches way, there's nothing but darkness. The room seems colder, almost voidlike in its absence.

The scabbard remains, just a pane of glass away.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

Magical thieves? Really? Although Kaitou Jeanne is at least familiar to Fuu ... still, it seems like this is a good time to slip out with the rest of the civilian populace, so Fuu slips away - particularly since it seems so incredibly *DARK* for the most part.

She doesn't make it all the way out, though ... or rather, Fuu chooses to break away from the departing crowd, fishing her glove-jewel out of her clutch, slipping the glove onto her left hand by feel, and letting the clutch disappear into the jewel for the time being.

"Belief becomes power ... Winds, guide me!" Fuu calls out once the other civilians have left, and the whirlwind effect of her transformation surrounds her. Soon enough, her formal dress has been replaced by the altered school uniform and armor of a Magic Knight, and thus garbed for battle, she retraces her steps back to the central exhibit area.

"Kaitou Jeanne-san, wasn't it?" she greets the slightly more familiar thief; she raises a hand and bows her head slightly in greeting to Lancelot, recognizing him but not recalling his name. "Was it one of you who disabled the lights?" she inquires, her tone still friendly and gentle. She's not throwing accusations, just inquiring.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight!
COMBAT: Lancelot has started an item contest over 'Scabbard'! For more information, please see: +help Items. To join the contest, +item/join Lancelot. You must join now if you are going to be in contention to possess the item. If you decide ICly to involve yourself with the item later but do not +item/join now, you cannot succeed at an Item Grab, nor determine the item's owner on a knockout.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.
COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera glances briefly at Takeo, before she joins the crowd. She flashes a final smile -- she forgot about kendo, for a moment, or the expertise of those at Ohtori Academy's fencing club -- but then she is back to getting people to the exits. She blends into the crowd for a moment, then; it might seem like that orange-haired Infintiy Student was lost.

But then, an orange-haired girl in a green barrier jacket is there! They are, of course, unrelated. Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan appears in a flourish, her own burst of red-orange light highlighting her. She has a broadsword in hand, though it's more the bronze-colored, curve-tipped core of one. The blade itself is a shimmering field of red-orange plasma.

She poses for a moment, grinning brightly and giving a large thumbs-up. "I'm Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan, the amazing mage adventurer and incredible American magical girl who is absolutely, totally from Earth, and I'm--"

She pauses. She looks at Chitose, blinking a couple of times, and then she looks at Lancelot. Finally, she looks at Kaitou Jeanne. "I'm kind of confused, actually. Is that scabbard... um..."

COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Barrier Jacket!

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Hikaru doesn't know who Jeanne is, and she really doesn't care either. Right now, she's decided it's time for Magic Knight action! She runs, barefooted, into a nearby restroom through the power of memory, then makes sure it's empty before taking out her glove-jewel. "Belief becomes power... Flames, guide me!" She calls out, a flame covering her long enough to obscure her as she turns into the Magic Knight of Fire! Once that's taken care of, Hikaru rushes out of the bathroom and to where Fuu happens to be.

Upon arriving, Hikaru sees Fuu questioning Jeanne. Hikaru's about to open her mouth to speak, but she thinks better of it, since Fuu seems to have the initiative already...

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Lancelot looks back and forth to the arrival of Magical Girls. He knows Fuu, he's accidentally worked with her in the past, though he knows her as Magic Knight. "Magic," he says to her, stopping when he sees TWO Magic Knights. "Huh. There are two of you? I dind't know that! Cooooool. We should totally do a Team Up like the Comics and movies and"

Merlin calls out, "Lancelot! Focus!"

Lancelot blinks. "Right! You two have to believe me, I can't let these guys make off with this thing!"He gestures to the Scabbard, and then his eyes dart to the glass and he looks Merlin, "Can you get it out of there?"

"Of course, it's a simple spell of tra-"

The Glass shatters and Lancelot holds the Scabbard having shattered it with the hilt of Arondight. "Took too long. Gotta go!" He turns and moves toward the door, his blade held at the ready and sparking energy as he goes.

Merlin stands there on top of the case now facing the Magical Girl thieves. He calls out to Cheeseburger, "You! Former Colonist!" He calls out with a British Accent, "Help Lancelot!" Turning to look to the thieves, he laughs nervously, removes his pointy wizard hat, bows, replaces it on his head, and sprints after Lancelot leaving a Merlin bunny shaped smoke trail.

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Fiat Silver is standing on the ceiling as everyone presents themselves.

Lancelot! Kaitou Jeanne! Another figure, who did not introduce herself! Plus the others who are helping the crowd, which removes much of Silver's inner guilt. However, what does stand out to her is that she isn't being noticed. Frowning, she cups her chin, even as her hair hangs loose beneath her. This really is a winning strategy.

But then...

Even as she twirls around the baton that is (part of) Silver Scorpion, Fiat Silver lets out a rich and ripplingly ringing laugh, raising her hand up (down?) to her mouth as she does. "Twas I that sank your vision into darkness!"

She falters momentarily as Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan makes her appearance. But only momentarily. "And I am afraid, my darlings, that it is I who must seize this precious relic - for it is the most humble things that are the most precious. Telson Mode!"

And now she finally does descend - right behind Kaitou Jeanne. Possibly even back to back! Which is mostly an accident. <What a clever rabbit,> speaks Silver's wrist, even as she shouts, "Wait! Do you think that you can deny Fiat Silver the fruits of her cleverness?!" to the rapidly moving Lancelot. She raises the baton up - and the open depression on the top of it goes from a simple dark cavity to an auroral light show, a blue stalk of light erupting out as she snaps it forwards.

Two lashes! One, fast and with a sizzling SNAP! to it, to try and sting Lancelot's wrist - and a follow up to try and wrap that liquid ray of motile light around the scabbard and pull it back to her waiting hand!

COMBAT: ITEM GRAB! Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Yoink! on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly braces Fiat Silver's Scorpio Yoink!, taking 4 Fatigue damage!  Lancelot's Block ability activates!  Lancelot's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Fiat Silver fails to grab an item from Lancelot!

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Jeanne's eyes narrow. It could be easily mistaken as her getting ready for a fight, but her eyes are glued to the scabbard. It's now abundantly clear that this is what Finn must have been sensing, right now it seems hard to believe you wouldn't be able to tell immediately. Which could mean that something bad's about to happen with it... which makes it all the more crucial that she gets it away from everybody else.

Facing Lancelot was easy for the phantom thief, she doesn't know who he is. When magical girls show up that she does know, she grows a bit more apprehensive. Especially with the American magical girl from America there. She'd rather not do anything that might paint her in a poor light to someone who believes in her. But, she can't let that hold her back. It'd be safest for her to hold onto this thing. Besides, she knows she can trust herself with it. But how certain can she be that others won't lose or misuse it, whether by accident or purposefully?

"That's right," she confirms her identity to Fuu, only to shake her head at Propane-chan, "But it wasn't me who turned off the lights. Which means..." She turns back to Lancelot, clearly implicating him as the culprit. It has to be him, it's not like there's any other thieves around. ...right?

Fiat Silver clears up that little mistake, suddenly appearing behind Jeanne and causing her to let out a gasp of surprise. That was sloppy of her. But she'll have to worry about the identity of these people later - the prize is getting away!

The Rebound Ball flies up and attaches to the ceiling, allowing Jeanne to both put distance between her and Fiat Silver as well as close the distance between her and Lancelot in one giant swing. Aiming a kick to the back of the knight's head, with luck she'll be able to get him to drop the scabbard and grab it right out of the air, because as a phantom thief you've simply got to be a bit of a showoff.

COMBAT: ITEM GRAB! Kaitou Jeanne has used Flashy Thievery on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly dodges Kaitou Jeanne's Flashy Thievery, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne fails to grab an item from Lancelot!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

Chitose considers her options quickly as magical girls and knights come out of the woodwork.

Option 1: She could help any forces of 'good' against the (other) thieves, and then attempt to make an escape later...

...though if the good guys do too good a job it'll be her verses the remaining good guys and that would be terrible.

Option 2: Just berzerker her way to the scabbard and take it...

...though that would mean a chance (admittedly slim) that she'd have to face everyone at once.

The sudden appearance of Propane-chan brings her out of her thoughts, only to dive right back in as Chitose tries to work that name out. "Propane?" She says to herself and her Device.

Chitose shrugs. "Maybe that's what magical girls call themselves over there."

"I suppose. And America is on Earth, so that checks out."

Fiat Silver bring Chitose back to focus. "Or, option 3:" She says aloud to herself. Option 3: Perhaps there is value in /not/ stealing the artifact...

...of course, this means that she doesn't get the artifact, but that may not be a total loss. Then again, she does want the scabbard. But Option 3 it is! First off, to not look completely threatening to anyone yet. Which means a whole lot of looking around and doing nothing. For the moment, anyway. If she can /get/ the scabbard, fantastic. But she'll wait a brief moment before trying.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"I can tell that the scabbard is a powerful artifact," the Magic Knight of Wind begins -

And then things go to pot in a hurry. The rabbit with the wizard hat starts giving orders, including telling Lera-san ('Former colonist'? Really?) to help Lancelot. Then the other magical thieves start trying to grab the scabbard away from Lancelot, to little avail.

The Wind Knight shakes her head. "I can tell that it's a powerful artifact," she resumes, "but its presence is VERY disconcerting. Whatever power is worked into it, are you absolutely certain that power is *safe*?"

She's sizing Lancelot up at the moment, not rushing in to try and wrestle it away from him - but she's hoping her question elicits an honest and useful answer.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Gentle Chiding on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has cancelled their attack on Lancelot. If there are more attacks that need to be +cancelled, please hold all +attacks until the process is complete.

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Some enterprising security guard has snuck back into the basement and turned on the lights. There is a brief hum of electricity only really audible to the exceptionally aware.

And then -- nothing happens.

The lights are on(?), but there's no visual sign of that. It's still dark. Problematically dark, lit only by flashes of magic.

It is therefore magically dark.

This makes it extremely difficult to see what happens next. Lancelot is the only one who /feels/ it: a horrible constriction around his neck, fingers of ice grasping his throat, more scrabbling along his arm, trying to pry open his hand and wrest the scabbard from him.

As the lightning so proximate to the Knight flashes, there is the briefest glimpse of plates of armor -- greaves and pauldrons, boots and helm. Not a hint of flesh.

And the metal is so dark it might as well be woven of the room's naked air.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro transforms into The Black Knight!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 4 opponents!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has joined Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.
COMBAT: ITEM GRAB! Honoka Yukishiro has used Death's Grasp on Lancelot.

Huh? (Type "help" for help.)

COMBAT: Honoka has not concluded their actions. Reactions are not yet available.
COMBAT: Honoka has not concluded their actions. Reactions are not yet available.
COMBAT: You don't have an incoming attack from Dark. Please check +queue to see your incoming attacks.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lancelot fails to counter Honoka Yukishiro's Death's Grasp, taking 51 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
COMBAT: Lancelot's counterattack, Veil of Steel, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to grab an item from Lancelot!

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Fiat Silver tosses her hair, possibly right into Jeanne's face. But then she lunges forwards towards Lancelot! Fiat Silver's eyes seem to widen despite the mask, her lips parting in a gasp of surprise.

The darkness does not lift. Fiat Silver draws back the whiplike tendril of Silver Scorpion, saying as she remains still where she is, "Look out - something's... Is it a Device?!" Which may be enlightening to a couple of people who are inclined to listen.

Sucking in a breath, Fiat Silver calls out, "Whatever you are--" The glittering line of light is draw up, twisted around more like a ribbon than a whip, before being snapped forwards in a spiralling storm towards that black figure. "You stand between me and my priiiize!"

COMBAT: Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Seize on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro perfectly counters Fiat Silver's Scorpio Seize, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Blackblade, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fiat Silver!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Merlin the Bunny issues a call to action from Lera. She turns her head and stares at the rabbit for a few moments; the sword in her hand pulses with the plasma field surrounding it, and her brown-gold eyes blink a few times. "Colonists?" she asks, dumbly. "What are you talking about? Americans were never colonists!"

Lera's eyebrow shakes a few times, as she realizes that she did in fact forget something. "I-I mean--um--we're colonists no longer, we--um--" Her lips screw up, too, and she starts to make a face. "We proudly split off after the Gettysburg Address--is that a Device?"

She snaps her head to Kaitou Jeanne and grins sheepishly, before she looks back at Fiat Silver. "Wait!" she calls out at her, before she lifts up off the ground; a trail of red-orange light is left in her wake. She hasn't seen her before, unlike Chitose; she saw her once, during a problem with a Jewel Seed! "That Device you have! Where did you get it!? Where--"

Her words catch in her throat as she looks at the Black Knight. Her eyes narrow, as she regards the steely figure for a moment, and wonders: is that a man or an animated suit of armor? She isn't certain. She isn't certain that it matters in the immediate term. She adjusts herself, turning in midair, and then shoots towards the armored figure. Her left leg snaps out in a spinkick as she gets closer.

"Oh no you don't!" she yells.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Spin Kick on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Lera Camry's Spin Kick, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Lera Camry is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Jeanne's attempt to look cool is foiled by the appearance and intervention of an unexpected third party. She took note of the lights being turned back on, and how they didn't actually come back on. Magically dark indeed, and the culprit is now entirely obvious.

It's also obviously dangerous, turning on the knight who holds it. Dangit, she knew she should've been the one to take it, now people are in danger! A priority shift is in order. Landing after her swing, the art thief quickly spins around and brings the Rebound Ball back to her hand.

A faint hint of a grin appears when she notes the other thief coming to the same decision. Good, that means they're all on the same page: whatever this thing is, it comes first. With a snap of her wrist, she uses the wire-attached ball as a weapon this time, lashing out towards the dark entity. Meanwhile, she addresses Lancelot: "Let go of it, quickly!" Which... might not be too convincing from someone who wants to steal the object, but she has to try.

COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has used Rebound Ball on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to dodge Kaitou Jeanne's Rebound Ball, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Kaitou Jeanne is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

"I can tell that the scabbard is a powerful artifact," the Magic Knight of Wind begins -

And then things go to pot in a hurry. The rabbit with the wizard hat starts giving orders, including telling Lera-san ('Former colonist'? Really?) to help Lancelot. Then the other magical thieves start trying to grab the scabbard away from Lancelot, to little avail.

The Wind Knight shakes her head. "I can tell that it's a powerful artifact," she resumes, "but its presence is VERY disconcerting. Whatever power is worked into it, are you absolutely certain that power is --"

She just can't finish asking a question tonight, can she? That Black Knight almost literally came out of nowhere - actually, it (or he) probably DID do exactly that - and is trying to choke poor Lancelot now.

It's potentially just as well that she's thusly distracted from Lera messing up a basic point of American history; if the Wind Knight weren't otherwise occupied she really *would* facepalm. But the Black Knight is a big enough concern that the facepalm doesn't even start - and as Kaitou Jeanne advises that Lancelot needs to release the scabbard, the Wind Knight dashes in to try and grab the scabbard away from the Arthurian knight.

She'll worry about what to do with it after she has it ... if she gets it. Her first impulse would have been to go for a Winds of Admonishment, but there's almost no way she could grab the Black Knight and not trap Lancelot in the whirlwind with him ...

COMBAT: ITEM GRAB! Fuu Hououji has used Sorry But I Need That on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.

Huh? (Type "help" for help.)

COMBAT: Lancelot fails to dodge Fuu Hououji's Sorry But I Need That, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji fails to grab an item from Lancelot!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

Chitose did sense the magic on the scabbard. But when the lights crackle on without actual light, something has gone really wrong and Chitose has no idea what was going on. So when the darkness suddenly materalizes a figure, Chitose suddenly loses her stomach for the scabbard. Oh, she had trained and everything before. Her mother made sure of that. But this is the first time she specifically /has/ to fight with darkness and the like. Fear was not the word she'd use, more just disquieted. Which is fine enough for her, she'll just ignore the scabbard unless she can grab it without expending much effort.

The sudden words of 'device' repeatedly is enough to get her to look up, seeing Propane-chan flying at one of the other theves. "Wait, there are more than one of you?" She asks her own.

<Yes.>

Chitose looks at Propane, then at Silver, then back behind her head (as best she can), then back to the Knight and the Lance guy. She raises the device, but she pauses. Right now, she's not entirely sure she can target the Black Knight without hitting the Lancelot, and she's not quite prepared to do so quite yet.

So she waits.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Shidou [Juuban Public School (9)] has posed.

Hikaru has been caught off-guard by what's been going on, but is trying to keep her focus going steady. She watches as Fuu goes for the scabbard but fails. Hikaru scowls a little, but then realizes that she has a chance at going for it instead. She tries to catch the Black Knight off-guard and swipe the scabbard.

COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou has used Item Grab on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has left Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly braces Hikaru Shidou's Item Grab, taking 2 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Lancelot's Block ability activates!  Lancelot's Parry ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Fiat Silver attempts to snatch the Scabbard away from him, and with an effort of will, Lancelot spins mid stride and a holds up his amr as if there is a shield there. Lightning appears and circles his arm, making a barrier of pure crackling energy as he places it between himself and his would be thief. As Kaitou moves in, he leaps backwards and goes into a roll, coming to his feet and sprinting.. He looks to the adorable bunny running beside him, "Don't bother with the sigil for Sparkles you said,"

Merlin looks up at Lancelot as the two run, "What? Did you think I'd know the most powerful magical Artifact other than Excalibur or the Grail would draw other Magical Beings into a contest of genres and powers over it?"

Lancelot looks at Merlin and says loudly, "//YES!!//"

"Okay. Fair enough."

"I WISH YOU WERE A PONY!!"

Which is when he is suddenly stopped and finds himself choking, his eyes clamping shut. He splutters, and kicks in the air, one eye opening to glare defiantly forward as he tries to hold his arm back and away, attempting to keep whatever this is away from the scabbard, "Wha - ? Who?" He gasps out as Arondight, appearing to move of it's own volition, lashes quickly. Lancelot leaps backwards, narrowly avoiding Fuu's attempt and lands in a crouch just as Hikaru moves in, He places Arondisght between him and that same lighting barrier erupts into brilliant being. Holding the Scabbard in one hand, and Arondight parallel to the ground between him the Dark Knight and apparently everybody else, Lancelot's eyes scan the room quickly for a way out, his breath coming quickly as he knows he's flat out numbered.

Merlin skids to a halt beside lancelot and looks up, gasping for breath, little tiny bunny lungs not used to so much physical excercise. "Lancelot?"

"Yeah?" he gasps out.

"I wish I was a pony."

"Oh my god. I hate you." Then he bolts again for the door.

COMBAT: ITEM ESCAPE ATTEMPT! Lancelot is attempting to escape with Scabbard! They must run for 2 more turns!
COMBAT: Lancelot has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Lancelot may have saved his prize, but his windpipe will probably not soon forget the hand that was around it. A hand that draws a blade, more heard than seen with its sharp shing through the air, which slices away Fiat Silver's whip with seeming effortlessness. Lera's foot finds purchase on tough, tough plate, which doesn't dent beneath the impact, nor force its owner back. All that armor isn't much help in getting him out of the way of Kaitou Jeanne's ball, which causes his weight to shift with the impact, over one clanking step.

From the sound of the soft, sharp 'crack', that step broke the marble tile underneath.

The Black Knight doesn't bother with formal introductions. That blade is still slicing the air and making it scream -- more particularly, the air near Lancelot's retreating shins.

But Fiat Silver, Lera, and Kaitou Jeanne feel something else, something that is in a way more sinister. What is it exactly that fills the air? Miasma? Or is the light being sucked /away/ as quickly as it shines?

The latter somehow feels right, in that it matches the awful feeling in their heart, a clenching, roiling darkness that comes from absence rather than presence. It's cold, in more ways than one. Ruthlessness is a common side effect, though so is retching, groaning, horrified introspection and desperate denial.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Fiat Silver.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Don't Trip on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Thickening Darkness on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro accepts Honoka Yukishiro's Thickening Darkness, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Lancelot fails to dodge Honoka Yukishiro's Don't Trip, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 6 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Kaitou Jeanne's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Fiat Silver narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Fiat Silver's Fade ability activates!  Fiat Silver's Flash ability activates!  Fiat Silver is Taunted!  
COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou transforms into Magic Knight of Fire!

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"Powerful?" Fiat Silver says when Fuu speaks.

<If it is causing this darkness and defying everyone, it must be more than a simple treasure,> her arm says. (Well, no - but the mistake could be made by the unfamiliar.)

But! "Ah!" Fiat Silver squeaks when her whip is subjected to a brutal slicing, glittering day-glo streaks of blue dissipating as she draws her wrist back. "Silver--"

<It's alright! I am unharmed, please be calm, it is merely a setback-->

And then things get worse. A darkening wave passes through the air. Unfamiliar with such magical threats, Fiat Silver has little comparison to make, but that sense of clenching darkness in her gut washes through her, makes her shudder visibly. Her eyes narrow behind the mask as her eyes water up.

She's here, isn't she? She's made children cry and scream even if they're not here any more. Hidden in the dark, no doubt. Like her.

She doesn't say anything airy as she raises her head again. However, she does twist the baton in her hand around. "Grenadier Mode," she states. The aperture on the bottom (top, now) of the baton glitters as it turns slightly reddish, and then she declaims, "Scorpio Flare!" A twisting disk of glyphic light, and then the reddish gleam turns into a sphere of red, lobbing forwards, past the knight - Both the knights. And the rabbit, too!

Then it bursts into agonizingly bright light.

"I've come far too far to let you run away!" Fiat Silver calls. "Even if your treasure has a guardian..."

COMBAT: Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Flare on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Flare on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne narrowly dodges Fiat Silver's Scorpio Flare, taking 13 Fatigue damage!  Kaitou Jeanne's Fade ability activates!  Kaitou Jeanne's Flash ability activates!  Blind applied to Kaitou Jeanne!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro perfectly braces Fiat Silver's Scorpio Flare, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Brace!  
COMBAT: Hikaru Shidou has left Lancelot's item contest. Please check it with +item Lancelot.

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Unsurprisingly, Jeanne's words go unheeded. But that doesn't keep her from chiding Lancelot for it. "Drop the stupid scabbard, you goofball! Can't you see how dangerous it is?!" It's so frustrating when other people are more obsessed with stealing a thing than she is. Especially since this forces her into a dilemma. She's either got to go after that guy, and make sure the dangerous object doesn't cause any more trouble, or deal with the danger that's already out there that seems to be some kind of living darkness.

But who is she kidding, she can't possibly make the choice to ignore something like the Black Knight being out there, it needs to be stopped. She can always retrieve the scabbard later. With luck, maybe it won't even be dangerous anymore if this thing's taken down.

The point is soon moot anyway, as she feels the darkness suddenly bearing down on her. Luckily, the holy blessing upon her heart keeps it safe from being directly affected. Unluckily, she comes to the horrified realization that deep down, she never quite managed to shake her fear of the dark. "No..." Being thus shaken causes her blessing to weaken, threatening her to be overcome by it. "I don't want... to be alone...!"

She is saved by unlikely means: a sudden bright flash brings her back to the here and now, where she is most definitely not alone. A hand is slowly brought up to her heart. Then, a second flash follows, this one emanating from the phantom thief's body, as a barrier bursts forth, pushing the darkness back. "I won't... give up so easily!" The Rebound Ball is quickly replaced by a ribbon that appears in her waiting hand. Time to get serious.

COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has used Miraculous Reversal on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly counters Kaitou Jeanne's Miraculous Reversal, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  Bind Break! All of Kaitou Jeanne's debuffs are cleared!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Blackblade, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Kaitou Jeanne!  
COMBAT: Lera Camry perfectly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Lera Camry's Fade ability activates!  Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

While the Magic Knight of Wind is still worried about the scabbard, she's far more worried about the Black Knight - whether this spirit is the scabbard's guardian, or simply some other force which wants the dark power of the artifact for its own purposes, or those of whoever might have conjured the spirit.

She'll worry about trying to catch Lancelot momentarily, if there's still any opportunity to worry about that. The Arthurian knight is AWAY from the Black Knight by now, which gives her the opportunity she couldn't grasp earlier ...

"Winds of Admonishment!!"

Namely, the opportunity to try and trap the Black Knight in her magical whirlwind. If she can immobilize the spectral swordsman completely, excellent; if she can only slow him down, just as well.

"Spectre-san, why *are* you trying to grab that scabbard?" she inquires politely as she's trying to 'lock on' with her binding tornado. It's worth at least trying to ask, especially if the Black Knight has enough of a mind to offer up an answer.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly counters Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Psyched!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  Cripple applied to Honoka Yukishiro!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Backbite, partially gets through, doing 29 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji!  Critical Counterhit!

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Lancelot moves to run, and finds himself hit in the leg by a very frightening blade. If Arondight is the sword of light, then that thing is its evil twin. On performance enhancing drugs.

He hits the ground and lets out an explosive breath with an "Oof!: and quickly rolls to his feet. "Who are you? What //are// you?!" he asks as he slowly gets to his feet. His eyes dart around the room as he holds desperately to the scabbard. "Magic, and other, Magic," He says addressing Fuu and Hikaru. "I know you're good people. I need the scabbard to save my sister." He nods to them, his eyes sort of pleading, "Please. Help me?" He looks again to the Black Knight, narrows his eyes and pushes himself to his feet.

Once he is on his feet again, he tries to bolt for the door once more. His armored frame tucking the Scabbard securely against himself as he calls out to Jeanne, "Can't! Sacred duty, Sister, Save the world, you know how it goes with us heroes! Always ignoring the sage advise of the bad guys!"

Merlin, little bunny paws on his knees looks to Fuu and says, "Please forgive him. He's an idiot." Then runs after Lancelot, floppy ears and cotton tail bobbing as he runs.

COMBAT: ITEM ESCAPE ATTEMPT! Lancelot is attempting to escape with Scabbard! They must run for 1 more turn!
COMBAT: Lancelot has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Miasma -- or something far darker -- fills the air around Lera. She sees the nimbus of orange-red light around Soaring Sky begin to dim and her eyes widen, worry about her partner briefly filling her, which is when she leaps away before that awful cold can grip her. The drive to protect Sky proves stronger; she feels the frosty fingers of its effects at her feet, a shade of what might be, and she executes a backflip to come at the opposite wall.

She bicycle kicks off it, shaking her head -- and fighting away any terrible doubts, any terrible denials, that appear in her mind as a shade. She banishes them before they quite grasp her psyche.

She realizes, then, who the priority is.

"Kaitou Jeanne!" she yells, as she hits the ground, turning to look at the thief. She catches those words she said. She can guess what happened, when the darkness from that knight got her. Her jaw sets; she remembers the girl who helped her, because Yukimi asked, and went into the sewers with her. The girl who made it possible to get the leads she did.

"I-It's okay!" she calls out. "That thing--whatever it is, I don't think it can get the scabbard! It's bad news, and... and I don't think it'll end well, if it does!"

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Stand Firm on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne accepts Lera Camry's Stand Firm, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Kaitou Jeanne is Cheered!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Fiat Silver's flashbomb soars over the Black Knight's head, and detonates without apparent effect; is there even a /slit/ in that visor? Still, it affords a brief view of the sillhouette in more detail. There are spikes. Also skull engravings. That armor is a cliche, but so completely into it that somehow rather than ridiculous it is genuinely terrifying.

Jeanne's ribbon gets more attention, the blade coming up to catch it on its way in -- and then flicked away, into the Winds of Admonishment. The sweep of the weapon continues, slicing at the Magic Knight of Wind, and then spins even further to once again assault the fleeing Lancelot.

Specifically, the Black Knight is aiming to take Lance's hand -- or incite enough pain that the scabbard is released. With the gesture of a clenched fist, the darkness itself seems to come alive around some of the others, choking and grasping at Jeanne, Fiat Silver, and Fuu. The phantom hands are, much like Lance discovered of the real ones, icy cold.

COMBAT: ITEM GRAB! Honoka Yukishiro has used Unhand That Scabbard on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Backbite on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Backbite on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Backbite on Fiat Silver.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Unhand That Scabbard, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Lancelot's Block ability activates!  Lancelot's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro successfully grabs an item from Lancelot!
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Backbite, taking 25 Fatigue damage!  Kaitou Jeanne's Fade ability activates!  Kaitou Jeanne's Flash ability activates!  
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Backbite, taking 23 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  
COMBAT: Fiat Silver narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Backbite, taking 17 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Fiat Silver breathes heavily for a moment even as her flash-bomb aids Kaitou Jeanne. (Ironic.) And there's no doubt it's Kaitou Jeanne now; Lera's verifying that. In a fiery and meat-grilling kind of way!

And yet Fiat Silver can't feel any delight or tension right now, at this encounter. It's making her frustrated, but mostly, she feels disgusted with herself. She purses her lips as she steps forwards, directly into those icy hands. They clasp and sting at her.

"Guhh -- h, hahh, Silver, is it always going to be--?!" The Intelligent Device gives her a ray of hope, or at least a rope to cling to. <This is REALLY quite irregular. Keep your chin up!>

And Fiat Silver, quite literally, raises her chin -- looking up towards her enemy, her eyes thinning behind the opaque eyes of her mask as she says, "Whoever.. or whatever you are... You shall not humiliate me further. My debut is already spoiled thanks to you -- I won't accept more. I can't! I will never! Silver!"

She brandishes that baton again. "Scorpio Seven!"

<Indeed.> The aperture atop the Intelligent Device twists, narrows down into a thin oval. <Prepared.>

Fiat Silver sucks in another breath through her nose - and declares, "The darkness can't hide you. I fear no ghosts!" Her hand squeezes down-- and that thinned aperture erupts in a sudden bombardment, one, two, four, no - seven jeweled green shapes smashing out of it, bursting in shining flares of emerald light wherever they may strike home. It's risky, perhaps, but she's focused it quite closely on the looming Black Knight, even as it strikes home and makes its claim on the scabbard!

COMBAT: Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Seven on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro fails to counter Fiat Silver's Scorpio Seven, taking 27 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Whack Knight, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fiat Silver!

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Kaitou Jeanne's eyes briefly shift to Lancelot as she almost objects to the 'bad guys' line, but thinks better of it. There's also no need to point out that, having heard that he needs the artifact to save his sister, she just lost the last bit of motivation she had to try and stop him from making off with it. If it's for family... that's more important than anything else.

He's still an idiot though, she's with Merlin on that one.

Unfortunately, the Black Knight isn't so accomodating, and once it gets the scabbard... Well, Jeanne can't actually worry about that right away, because she's surrounded by what looks like liquid darkness trying to get through her barrier. And it's working. It takes her full concentration to keep it at bay and stop it from actually coming into contact with her, which would surely be Bad. This is rapidly tiring her out, there's no way she can keep depending on the barrier for an active defense like this.

Just then, there is some unexpected encouragement. "...Cheeseburger-chan?" She feels a little bad for only really being able to remember that part of the name. It's true that she helped the girl out once... and, secretly, has been trying to look out for her beyond that when the opportunity presented itself. That's right, she can't be so weak. Not when there's people out there who need her help. "...you're right!"

The barrier fades out without a sound, and Jeanne leaps up high, backflipping in the air and landing safely away from the encroaching darkness. "Looks like chances are good I won't be getting my prize today, but if someone else is to take that treasure..." Jeanne doesn't consciously realize she's doing anything, but a faint white glow begins to form around the ribbon as she finishes speaking, "It won't be you!!"

Springing forwards, the phantom thief strikes with her weapon in passing, landing behind the Black Knight. While just trying to cut the shadows might not have been too effective, the effect of Jeanne's ribbon has the potential of being an order of magnitude greater than normal, by virtue of being imbued with a force that's quite the opposite of the shadows the Black Knight is comprised of.

COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has used Holy Ribbon on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Kaitou Jeanne's Holy Ribbon, taking 27 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

"That's the spirit!" Lera calls out after Jeanne, grinning at her; the inability to remember her full name doesn't bother her. (Some days, Lera mixes the order of the words up, too.) She looks away from the phantom thief, then, and towards Lancelot. Her eyes widen, when she sees the attack thrown by the knight. She sucks a breath in, before she bolts forward.

A ring of red-orange light, flecked with gold, explodes from her feet. Then she flies like a cannon shot towards the side of the black knight, rushing at him. "We'll getcha your scabbard!" she calls out to Lancelot, but her focus is on the knight.

She swings her broadsword around, as she comes closer, she shoots up into the air. Jeanne's ribbon flies -- and she comes down after, slashing her sword straight downward. As she does, the blade ignites brighter, a golden glow infusing it.

A magical circle shoots up on the floor -- with the tell-tale triangles, circles, and lines of Midchildan magic -- and she hits it with her feet. It flashes around her, and she swings the blade down with a two-handed chop. When she slashes, a flare of energy shoots straight up from her sword's strike.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Blaze Cleaver on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind throws herself out of the path of the Black Knight's slash as well as she can - she doesn't have time to call forth her own blade in time to parry, so dodging is really about all she can do. And judging by the force of the impact just from getting clipped, it's probably just as well - blocking might have been just as bad for her ongoing health as getting hit straight on without blocking it somehow.

What's more worrisome, as she gets back to her feet, is the fact that the Black Knight has managed to seize the scabbard. "No ... !" she whispers to herself. If she was remotely on the right track about the scabbard's own power, then letting the Black Knight make off with it *is* the worst outcome possible.

So she charges at the Black Knight, calling out a kiai as she manifests her sword and brings it down at the dark figure's shoulder. Her slash probably comes in almost parallel to Lera's own.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Sword Strike on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly counters Lera Camry's Blaze Cleaver, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Blackblade, partially gets through, doing 30 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Sword Strike, taking 2 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

There is an ear piercing scream as Takeo feels real pain. Oh he's been in pain before. He's broken bones, had burns, and been in fights at school and been hit with the Kendo sticks in both practice and in tournaments. He had thought he had known pain.

He was wrong.

His throat, already raw from the choking the Dark Knight had given him, is ripped even more raw from the scream that emits from him as he falls to his knees, the Scabbard falling into the Dark knight's grasp as Lancelot cradles his hand. Tears fall as he pants there, and Merlin runs up to him "Lancelot?"

The tears fall and splash on the ground before him. "Two times." He says in a resigned voice. "This would be the second time. I've had the cure for Mika in my hand, and it was taken from me." Merlin blinks and places a paw on Takeo's knee.

Lancelot raises his head, still cradling his arm as he stares at that blackness. One word escapes him. "//You.//"

He pushes himself to his feet. It is clear the Cavalier is tried. It is clear he is in pain as he cradles the likely broken and magically assaulted hand. Arondight suddenly flares with hot and bright white light as electricity arcs and crackles along the blade. He takes a step forward. "You. Will. Not. Take. Mika. From ME!!!"

He suddenly lunges forward, Arondight flashing, causing Electricity to arc and dance around him as he goes, sending the waves of energy to arc and trace along the floors and the walls of the Museum. Adding his own attack against the Dark Knight, Lancelot's fury is an attempt to drive the Dark Knight into a corner, or, better yet knock the thing down for the count.

COMBAT: Player not found.
COMBAT: Lancelot has used Bladefury on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Lancelot has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro perfectly braces Lancelot's Bladefury, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Brace!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

The problem with being very analytical was very big. Chitose liked to analyze and think about things before she acted. The problem with that is that it takes a fair amount of time before Chitose is satisfied with a plan. In this case, when Chitose decides to put a plan into action, everyone is /not/ where they were supposed to be, having moved away in pursuit of the guy with the scabbard. Chitose sighs and takes off after them.

"I... I think we should skip ahead a little."

<Affirmative.> The Device responds. <Crossbow Mode.>

The rod Chitose wields begins to morph around her wrist and form into a new shape. First, the main body that completely covers her hand, followed by the frontal bow area, finished with a pair of metallic wings and a shield covering the top.

Chitose swings the newly Crossbow'd device to point directly at the Black Knight, though she wavers briefly, unsure if that's the best course of action.

But soon she aims directly at the Black Knight, and fires.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Light Bolt on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly counters Chitose Shiratori's Light Bolt, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Backbite, partially gets through, doing 14 Fatigue damage to Chitose Shiratori!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

The Black Knight is not totally unstoppable, as demonstrated by Fiat Silver's bombardment, which blasts him back into Jeanne's ribbon. There is no hissing as the holy power connects, no roiling of unholiness that strives to get away from Heaven's wrath, but there is a shockwave that lifts the knight off his clanking feet and smashes him into the wall.

Unpeeling with another clank, the Knight gets that black blade up in time to intercept Lera's energy flare and flick it right back at the Midchildan, now discolored to a sickly fel green and amplified in force. Then he spins out of the way of the Magic Knight's strike.

Lancelot falls upon him full of fury, threatening to strike once, twice, a thousand times, but it ends after the very first thrust, as the Black Knight raises the ancient scabbard in self-defense, as though it were a second sword.

No words are spoken, but the implicit threat is very clear.

The Knight begins slowly backing out of the room -- ostensibly similar to Lancelot. Unlike Lancelot, however, tactics are employed to /cover/ that escape: more swords rising out of the darkness, invisibly, to strike and slash and stab at those who would oppose him. One bounces the incoming energy bolt back at Chitose, then follows up with an especially brutal slice.

The knight also delivers unto Merlin the Bunny a passing kick.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Blackblade on Fiat Silver.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Blackblade on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Blackblade on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used In Blackest Night on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used In Blackest Night on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used In Blackest Night on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's In Blackest Night, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Lancelot is Quipped!  Lancelot's Block ability activates!  Lancelot's Parry ability activates!

COMBAT: Lera Camry fails to counter Honoka Yukishiro's Blackblade, taking 38 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Lera Camry's counterattack, Sentinel Cross, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!  
COMBAT: Fiat Silver fails to counter Honoka Yukishiro's Blackblade, taking 40 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fiat Silver's counterattack, Prosoma Guard, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Honoka Yukishiro!  
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's In Blackest Night, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Kaitou Jeanne is Quipped!  Kaitou Jeanne's Parry ability activates!  
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori fails to dodge Honoka Yukishiro's Blackblade, taking 33 Fatigue damage!  
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji fails to brace Honoka Yukishiro's In Blackest Night, taking 21 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Quipped!

<Pose Tracker> Fiat Silver [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

The fact that Lancelot is using this for his sister percolates through the thick protective mask around Fiat Silver's face and forehead. The rabbit helps. Her lips press thinly as she straightens up.

If I can't take that -- then I'll grab SOMETHING else, Fiat Silver vows, sweat running down the back of her neck. When that Knight backs away, Fiat Silver lunges forwards, to keep him bracketed. But then the darkness rises up near her -

"Ah?! Pr-" The barrier doesn't form quite in time, a single huge turquoise flash in the darkness as she is instead struck with shivering force in that arm. The blade smashes down, the armor holding against it but with enough force that Fiat Silver feels it go numb - and feels herself get thrown to the floor, landing with a clatter and rolling in a heap, tangled up in her own coattails.

But from the ground...

She is able to cinch forwards, to pass the baton to her other hand, not numb. To roll onto her side, twisting up the Intelligent Device's active component as she says, "Shift - Telson -" Another sputtering ribbon of light appears, shimmering and rising as Fiat Silver twists it back and forth, smashing it forth at the waist of the retreating Black Knight!

COMBAT: Fiat Silver has used Scorpio Seize on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fiat Silver has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly dodges Fiat Silver's Scorpio Seize, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Honoka Yukishiro!

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

It's kind of awe-inspiring, in a bad way, to see the apparent ease of which the Black Knight handles the various attacks coming at it. Jeanne begins to wonder what it even is they're dealing with, it doesn't seem like your normal run-of-the-mill creature of darkness. She hit it good just now though. Maybe if she can do that one more time...

She starts to formulate a plan of attack to hopefully maximize her advantage, but it immediately cracks, then falls apart as the other people around her start taking a beating. Particularly poor Lera, taking a couple of brutal hits, causes her distress. "No! You... you leave her alone! She... all she wants is..."

She never says it out loud, but she remembers Lera's motivation: getting her mother's belonging back. Now there's also Lancelot, needing the scabbard to help his sister. Neither of them would stop at anything for the sake of their family. She knows that feeling, and shares it strongly.

There are no more words. Not even a battle cry. It's with an almost eerie silence that Kaitou Jeanne rushes straight for the shadow creature, barrier flashing back into existence to disperse the darkness as it strikes. Her ribbon's glow grows ever brighter, becoming almost blindingly so just before she's in striking distance. The first lash and its immediate follow-up leave a trail of white flame, and the final strike unleashes the full fury of heaven, ending in a literal explosion of light. The phantom thief herself is blown back by it, sliding across the ground, both barrier and the glow of her weapon gone now.

COMBAT: FINISHER! Kaitou Jeanne has used In The Name Of God! on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Kaitou Jeanne's Finisher, In The Name Of God!, taking 31 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

Lera quickly discovers that she has met her match in swordplay against the Knight. First, the blast of energy from her sword shoots back up into her, colliding with her Barrier Jacket. There is a shimmering flash of light, a ripple of energy that shoots across her clothing as the spells are pushed to the limit. She begins to stumble backward, and misses the black sword shooting towards her at first.

When she sees it, she gasps and calls out, "Sky!"

His commands are interrupted. The sword splits in two, one in each of Lera's hand, but then the blade slashes into her stomach. A gruesome, glowing red slash is left where it hits the Barrier Jacket's shields -- and is only barely held at bay. The impact throws her backward, and her legs stumble, before nearly giving out; the wind is knocked out of her. It's a struggle to stand back up.

She pays a quick glance at Jeanne, but she doesn't linger, this time. She doesn't call out, either; she lets the pahntom thief unleash her ribbon's strikes. As it finishes, she leaps into the air, shooting through another magic circle.

Lera comes down, leading with the left sword -- sweeping down with it, and leaving a trail of light in her wake. As she lands, she pivots; the right sword slashes in front of her, and she ends by stabbing the saber in her left hand at the Knight.

COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Rapid Skyfall on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly counters Lera Camry's Rapid Skyfall, taking 17 Fatigue damage!  Honoka Yukishiro's Reverse ability activates!  
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro's counterattack, Blackblade, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry!

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The Wind Knight lets out a cry of pain as the swords surround her, cloaked in darkness; her breastplate helps ensure that none of the strikes are mortal, and her reflexes with sword in hand do help to keep her from being outright incapacitated - but much more of this is only going to end in one manner.

And her sword disappears once more, replaced by bow and quiver. She reaches over her shoulder, pulling forth a single arrow and nocking it to her bowstring. She raises bow and arrow together over her head, trusting her recollection of where the Black Knight was, and letting muscle memory and instinct do the rest.

"Right stance ..." Without thinking about it more than to repeat the words, she adjusts her footing and positioning, settling into a textbook-perfect archer's stance; she can barely *see* the Black Knight, but she got a glimpse of him a moment ago, and she can see where her allies are aiming as well.

"Right form ..." She lowers the bow, drawing her arrow back; muscle memory is doing most of the work now - the fruits of so much practice and training. But it's more than just endless arrows loosed on the dojo's range that she's drawing on now: the willpower of a Magic Knight, and her command of the winds, are coming to the fore as well, a breeze rising about her, tousling her skirt and her hair.

"Right shot ..." Her arms tense a bit, one last centimeter of draw; her mind tenses a bit, gathering up her magic for the instant she'll need it.

"Gale Arrow."

Her fingers relax, the bow straighens, the arrow flies - and the wind whispers behind it, blowing the Wind Knight's hair forward before the tailwind catches up, enfolds the arrow, steadies its flight and drives it forward even faster than the bow alone could launch it.

COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Gale Arrow on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Gale Arrow, taking 16 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Psyched!

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Arondight stops mere inches from the Scabbard that the Black Knight held up, and Lancelot nearly, nearly growls at the behemoth before him. He quickly finds himself under assault by the Darkness surrounding him, and he goes on the defensive, that energy barrier flickering to life, while he also parries with the Bright White sword in his hands. He winces with every parry, his injured arm sending red hot stabs of pain with every move, but he tries his best to hold the attacks at bay.

Merlin is kicked, sending the bunny flying through the air to a cry from Lancelot of: "MERLIN!" He cries as the bunny flies through the air to land in a pile of fluff at the foot of the broken display case. Even in this distress somehow managing to look absolutely adorable.

Lancelot shakes his head. "Who sent you?" He asks, stalking forward. "Did she do it? Is the Sorceress behind this?" He watches for some way to get past the Dark Knight's Scabbard defense. Some hole to use. He narrows his eyes and lunges forward once again. Delivering a single slash infused with Lightning to try and exploit an opening. "You take the cure for my sister, and now you hurt my Rabbit? Nobody hurts my Rabbit!"

COMBAT: Lancelot has used Lightning Slash on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Lancelot has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly braces Lancelot's Lightning Slash, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Lancelot is Psyched!  Stagger applied to Honoka Yukishiro!

<Pose Tracker> Chitose Shiratori [None] has posed.

Chitose watches as her bolts smash into the Knight, but is completely unprepared for when one springs back at her, hitting her in the chest. Thankfully the Barrier Jacket absorbs most of the hit. But her recovery from the hit cloaks the appearance of the ghost swords of the Black Knight that come at her. When one swings at her she tries to turn away from the blow, but not quite fast enough as the blade digs into her arm, causing her to hiss just a little. "Ack!"

"Alright, that does it." She points White Omen not at the Black Knight itself, but upwards above him.

White Omen charges for a brief second before a ball of light shoots into the air above the Black Knight. If it gets into position, the ball will seperate into a number of smaller bolts that falls upon the Black Knight.

COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has used Starling Shot on Honoka Yukishiro.
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro narrowly dodges Chitose Shiratori's Starling Shot, taking 21 Fatigue damage!

<Pose Tracker> Honoka Yukishiro [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Fiat Silver's whip tangles the Black Knight's left heel, slowing him down just a bit. It's enough to keep him in place for Kaitou Jeanne's miracle.

Light shines even more radiantly than it had before, and this is crucial -- the play of luminosity from ribbon and girl and explosion finally reveals even more detail of this phantom figure. There really isn't any of his face visible at all, and any or none of the elaborate engravings on the great helm could be eyeslits. There is also a cape, invisible up until now due to its indistinguishability from the swirling darkness around it. It explains much of the Black Knight's slipperiness in combat.

Jeanne's light seemingly cannot hurt the scabbard, but does not wound the Knight as much as it might have for the same reason -- once again the artifact is brought forth, and it takes the brunt of the light directly into itself, absorbing it hungrily.

There is the sense of an evil smile beneath the helm, or at least of amused malice, but it is, of course, impossible to see. It intensifies as he gracefully reveals that most of what the Magic Knight of Wind and Chitose were each aiming at was only that ever-moving cloak -- holes are rent in it as it's blown around and torn asunder, but they seem to reform as quickly as they're made. There's always more darkness to be woven. Meanwhile, Lancelot's lightning seems to fizzle and pop upon the surface of his armor, though there is, at least, a satisfying CLANG!

And after all that, the Black Knight takes a knee.

This is visible because all at once the darkness is leaving, allowing the light to be seen, the golden light of a beautiful museum whose celebration of culture has been ruined.

More accurately, it's returning to its master, being sucked into the crevices of the armor like wisps of smoke drawn into a vacuum. It only takes a second or two.

He thrusts his shadowblade into the scabbard.

And then the world explodes. The darkness pours forth with such sudden and total force that it's like meeting a steel wall. The world is blind, beyond sight and sound. Total sensory absence, and it's impossible to know if it lasts for a second or an hour.

Afterwards -- the Black Knight is gone, perhaps consumed, injured, or (dare one hope?) destroyed in the detonation. The scabbard remains, smoking in the middle of the floor.

"...broken..." moans a rabbit by the case, the minute his beady eyes set on it. Indeed, it has been torn nearly in two, hanging together by only a thread. More importantly, that sense of enormous potential is now a guttering coal of its former flame.

"--but it can... be... repaired. With time, and danger," Merlin concludes, not quite daring to meet Lancelot's disappointment with his eyes.

COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Chitose Shiratori.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Lancelot.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has used Dark Heart on Kaitou Jeanne.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Honoka Yukishiro has used Death's Door on Lera Camry.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Honoka Yukishiro has used Death's Door on Fiat Silver.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Honoka Yukishiro has used Death's Door on Fuu Hououji.
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro has finished attacking.
COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Finisher, Death's Door, taking 38 Fatigue damage! Lera Camry is unable to keep fighting! Lera Camry's Fade ability activates! Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Fiat Silver narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Finisher, Death's Door, taking 47 Fatigue damage! Fiat Silver is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Lancelot narrowly dodges Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 5 Fatigue damage!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Finisher, Death's Door, taking 57 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Kaitou Jeanne narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Kaitou Jeanne's Parry ability activates!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!
COMBAT: Chitose Shiratori narrowly braces Honoka Yukishiro's Dark Heart, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Chitose Shiratori's Parry ability activates! Chitose Shiratori is Taunted!
COMBAT: Honoka Yukishiro is unable to keep fighting!

<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.

The blast of darkness comes screaming into Lera. Her Barrier Jacket flashes, barrier spells and protective enchantments flashing all at once, as the artificial clothing holds her through the worst of it. It still tosses her like a rag doll, and she smashes into a display case and tilts it over. The trio of maces inside slam through the glass, adding to the shards of the broken glass on the floor. She slumps over, then, only drearily awake.

Everything, she reflects dimly, hurts.

Then certain things hit home. She didn't manage to beat this opponent; even if her swordsmanship is better, even if her command of spells is better, she couldn't go toe-to-toe with this foe. Could she really do so with Jaren?

Her eyes half-lid, and she looks down at the ground. She hears Merlin talk; when she speaks, her words are half to Lancelot, half to herself. "That's... that's something, at least."

<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.

The explosion of darkness sweeps the green-clad Magic Knight away like a leaf on the wind ... except that leaves on the wind don't slam into walls hard enough to elicit a bone-rattling **WHAM** quite the way that the Wind Knight does.

Her bow and quiver vanish as she slumps to the floor; somehow, her armor remains intact - so she probably doesn't have the stretcherload of broken bones that would usually come with an impact like that.

<Pose Tracker> Kaitou Jeanne [Juuban Public School (11)] has posed.

Kaitou Jeanne doesn't have the faintest idea how she even did what she just did. All she's sure of is that she gave it everything she had just now, and something exploded. Also that she feels utterly exhausted. It feels like it takes a tremendous amount of effort just to raise her head from where she ended up, in order to look at the result of her actions.

Needless to say, she's not pleased with what she sees. "...what? It can't be! That's not..." Possible? Well, it clearly is. Even with everything she did, what everything everyone else did, the shadowy knight is still there. At this point, she can only conclude, "I'm not strong enough...?"

She can see every bit of the Black Knight's deliberate movements, taking the darkness within itself, and delivering his final strike. And she can do nothing about it, struggling to just get back to her feet in the time it all happens.

Only to get blown off of them in the next instant, the blast of darkness easily carrying her off, straight towards a window. She has the presence of mind to keep her head down and raise her knees up before she crashes through the glass.

What happens next is anybody's guess. But given that there's no breaking news report about the capture of Kaitou Jeanne, she must have at least managed to get herself out of sight, somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Lancelot [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.

Lancelot falls to his knees at the Scabbard and just... Stares. "All that searching. All that..." He closes his eyes and hangs his head. "Merlin. I keep failing." He gestures around him at the ruined display. The broken scabbard. He just stares at it, not certian what to do. He closes his eyes and opens them, removing his cloak. He walks over to Fuu, and drapes his cloak over her shoulders before he slumps down next to her. "Hey. Remember when I got knocked out of my transformation and I was in a crater, and you healed me?" He smiles over to her and holds out a hand. His non broken one. "Name's Lancelot. Think we can actually be friends instead of occassional part time team ups?" His smile is a sad one. He just lost both the Scabard and the fight. "Also. The Rabbit is Merlin. I wish he was a Pony."

2015-03-13 - Museum Mayhem

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