2015-03-23 - Useless! Useless! Useless!
| Title: Useless! Useless! Useless! | |
|---|---|
| Summary: A rainy day at Ohtori is interrupted by the unleashing of an X-Egg - some mysterious person having decided to see what a little girl's dream is made of. But what kind of dream is that? | |
| Who: Amulet Heart, La Sirene du Nord, Lera Camry, Fuu Hououji, Mai Tokiha, Soular, Fate Testarossa | |
| Where: Ohtori Academy | |
| OOC - IC Date: 11 June 2014 - 03/23/2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
During the Rainy Season, the enchanting atmosphere of Ohtori in the Spring all but vanished, beneath endless windswept torrents of rain. While classes were now out, the latest downpour cast a miserable pall over the landscape to the point where few students dared to brave going outdoors, until it let up into merely a light drizzle.
Suddenly people were making mad rushes down the sidewalk, a group of high school students beginning to tear towards one of the breezeways that was decorated by by bushes of extant heritage roses.
~SPLOOSH~
One of the puddles under a rain gutter gets struck hard, and the girl sitting on a nearby bench got soaked from the experience. It only raised a light sound of indignation, before she fell silent again, rubbing at her eyes and damp blonde twintails. "Sorry!" One of the high schoolers called without even looking at who they'd drenched.
<He's not sorry.> Sounded from the back of her hand, as she set down a folded yellow umbrella, decorated by dapper penguins in various poses. "It doesn't matter." 'I deserved it.' She almost added, but didn't. The words unspoken implying the universe was punishing her for her cosmic slight against it. Silence reigns between the girl and her intelligent device for a while, before he finally broke it again, <We've searched this campus at least a dozen times Sir. We should move on.>
Fate had stopped making any attempt to dry off, instead leaning forward, her shoulders slumped, eyes shadowed by her bangs, not saying much of anything. <Sir?> Fate's mouth suddenly felt quite dry, in contrast to the rest of her, and it took her some time to find the words to truly answer. "I don't know... how much longer I can go on like this Bardiche." She finally whispers in quiet admission of the true depths of her depression. The device pulsed with golden light, worry radiating off of him. And yet, for the first time, when his mistress needed him, he had absolutely no idea how to respond.
<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
Yuu Nikaidou, as far as anyone knew him, was the goofy, stumbling, maybe just a little dimwitted teacher that had transferred in to cover for a teacher who had come down with an unspecified illness that may or may not have actually been marrying into wealth on the other side of the planet. It happened a lot at Ohtori. He was all smiles, and though maybe not the most efficacious teacher at the Elementary school, the kids loved his self-effacing antics.
But it wasn't with that bright-eyed smile that Nikaidou-sensei now sauntered through the rain, with his hair let out of the ponytail he kept it in for the kids to pull at. An umbrella in hand, Nikaidou walked without his habitual slump through the trees surrounding the outer edges of campus...but then he sees it; senses it, hears it. Weakness of the heart is so obvious.
And so, quiet like the little kitty-cat his boss occasionally provides him as muscle, Nikaidou slinks up around the far edge of the nearest rose hedge, listening quietly to Fate talk to her... well, he won't worry about that. "My, my," he murmurs to himself, and his face splits like a sickle. "It's a shame that a young woman puts up with such painful burdens." He's not particularly talking to Fate, though perhaps a similar sentiment might start to drift past her subconscious. "There's no escaping the duties put on us by life, though. Why don't I help you let off a little steam."
He flexes his hand, malignant purple X energy drifting off his finger tips - and Fate feels it moments later; like a lance through the heart, those dreams she nurtures and the fears that she herself may be the source of their unachievability: Boiling hot, bursting free, and transforming hope into poison.
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Normally, Lera Camry isn't on Ohtori's campus. She doesn't partake in the clubs there after school, even if she has considered joining the fencing club before. But, today, she showed up to see a play put on by some of the students -- and walked out of it just in time to see the the rain had let up, which was a relief. She still fiddled with her umbrella for a moment, jostling it to be ready to use it.
She pops it open, stepping out into the rain, and the drizzle patters off her umbrella for a moment. Her eyes drift left, then drift right, and she lets out a sigh.
Then her eyes go wide. Something wrong -- a sense of foreboding, though she can't put her fingers on why -- hits her. She can't place it, quite yet. She isn't a skilled scryer.
And yet, it stands out plainly in her mind.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
It was one of those days when Fuu Hououji found that she needed to visit the Ohtori Academy library for one of her classes, biology in this case, and she's had a relatively profitable late-afternoon among the stacks. She's finished her research, packed up her books and notes, and is on her way back out ...
When something seems ... amiss. A chill in the rain-laden breeze, perhaps, or a gust of wind tugging her umbrella off-keel in an unexpected direction - or just a twitch that only her heart notices, of something being wrong. Either way, she finds her attention directed off the path she was following, and towards the bench where a familiar young blonde girl sits. "Fate-san ... isn't it?" she asks gently, approaching the young girl - although she's still too far away for convenient conversation.
Which is possibly just as well when the dark energy wafts from something she can't actually see, from her current position. Fuu shifts her umbrella to her right hand immediately, left hand digging around the edge of her jacket and into a pocket of her skirt.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Another rainy day, another foul mood. One orange-haired high schooler is only just now getting to leave the building - while Mai Tokiha had brought an umbrella to school today, it's one that suffered a bit of wind damage the other night. It jammed as she tried to open it, and even now it's looking slightly lopsided. Still workable, but...it's not great.
So, that's one frustration. Homework looming is another. And the rain is as ever a damper on Mai's mood - but on the bright side, things are mostly under control and she doesn't have work for a few hours yet. Enough time to get some cooking done for the rest of the week, even - and so, head full of recipes, she makes her way carefully down the pathways towards the dormitories. Things are actually beginning to look up, and she might be able to make the best of the day-
There's a hot, thrumming sense of horror and despair - sharp, poignant, a single chord of wrongness resounding across campus. Not everyone notices - in fact, most seem unaware. Though perhaps some start looking down a bit more, or hastening just a touch faster. Mai, on the other hand, nearly drops her umbrella in shock - here? Now? /Really?/ Regaining her grip, she looks around in a hurry - there's no obvious screams of panic, so it might not be an Orphan, so...
That way, maybe? A frown darkens her face, and she adjusts the bookbag over one shoulder. "Okay. So...something happened...that way." She looks toward one of the elaborately floral breezeways...then looks the other way, toward the dorms. Something gone wrong - not right in front of her, but close...
A sharp sigh - and her grip on her umbrella tightens in determination. This is happening on her school's campus - and whatever wrongness that is...it's best put right before anyone she cares about gets hurt. One more deep breath, for courage and to fix her course, and she starts walking swiftly forward. Determined steps, towards...whatever this new problem is.
<Pose Tracker> Nori Ankou [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
There's always someone who's difficult about these things. There's always someone who prefers Luigi, who prefers strawberry, who prefers Metallica to Slayer; the alternate side of things.
That someone, in this case, is Nori Ankou, who has been having herself a high old time on rooftops in the rain. In this particular day, though, she has not been dancing in shorts and a T-shirt; she had naughtily diverted a drain pipe which normally conducted water over a small subsidiary rooftop in order to gradually fill up an old clawed bathtub which she had found.
On the same roof, in fact. (Don't ask.)
Of course, the rain was letting up, and so the quest to slowly fill a bathtub was brought to a temporary halt. Crouching on the edge of that roof, Nori watches the passage of others, her hair soaking wet but her eyes bright and clear.
Batiste, however, is less fascinated, and despite his paddling around inside of the tub, smells that something has changed beyond the weather. Hopping out, he pads forwards, and squeaks an alarm. "Cousin, cousin!"
Nori looks up -- and blinks, stepping over, looking, watching. "What...? I can't see, through the mist."
"I can smell it," Batiste says, soberly.
"Then..."
"Perhaps. Do you have the mirror with you...?"
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
Even if it's raining outside, someone needs to stick around to water the plants in the Royal Garden. Rain can't get into greenhouses, after all! This was supposed to be Yaya's job, but the youngest Guardian was home sick with a cold after jumping in puddles yesterday.
That left the task to Amu, though at least it wasn't too terrible. It was better when Nadeshiko was still around, though, and would sometimes leave cookies for whoever had to stay late. Oh, those were the days....
"Haaaaa..." Amu lets out a sigh and turns to the next patch of flowers, but she's brought out of her thoughts by a voice flitting around her head.
"Amu-chan, I can feel it!" Miki seems quite insistent, looking toward the door of the greenhouse. "Someone's heart is darkening into an X-egg!" "We'd better hurry before it hatches!" calls Ran, and Suu is already floating back to Amu, holding her umbrella.
"Thanks, Suu! Let's go!" At least she has that umbrella, black and covered in bright pink hearts, keeping her somewhat dry as she runs out into the drizzle.
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
Misery tends to distract someone from company, as much as it also loves it. Thus Fate doesn't notice someone sneaking up until the last moment, when Bardiche finally chimes in alarm. Whatever words he speaks though are lost to Fate, the moment X energy strikes her, lancing through her heart.
It can't be said that the girl didn't put up a fight. After all, in the cutthroat atmosphere of Dark Fall, it would be remiss of her mother to send her amongst people who could corrupt all of the various things that could reside within her heart without being able to defend against it. Wouldn't it?
Even so, it cuts through any attempts to do so with an ease that defies description. She manages to stand on trembling legs, clutching her chest, a shriek bubbling out of her lips which dies within a split second as her resistance finally erodes away. She slumps back into a sitting position on the bench, eyes completely devoid of spirit and life.
Malevolent energy roils off of her, as something rises from her chest, upwards. A darkened egg marked by a white X slowly rises above her head, shaking with the fury of something corrupted, that nevertheless wishes to be born. "Muri~muri~" It calls with sinister playfulness, before it hatches with alarming swiftness.
The top of the egg pops off to reveal a little imp with a purple sheen cast over all of its skin, a red X adorning its head. It opens its mouth, revealing a wide mouth full of teeth. "USE~LESS!" It calls louder and more shrilly, before pulling out a baton from nowhere, that extends to roughly three times the height of the creature, as it holds it behind itself in a threatening pose.
Bardiche doesn't says many things to Fate directly, instead opting to speak to her telepathically pulsing more frantically in silence to the answers he found in her head, before the golden triangle addresses those gathered. Some of whom he recognized, some of whom Fate had wronged in the past quite directly. <I know its a lot to ask but-> "IM~POSS~I~BLE! I can't make the people I love happy!" <-please help her.>
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa transforms into Youma Form X-Chara of Futility!
Shun Minami has arrived.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 5 opponents! COMBAT: Shun Minami transforms into Soular!
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Lera bolts down the way after a few moments of mounting concern and a growing sense of wrongness. She turns to see the little imp rising up, with a huge and growing baton. It's coming out of Fate Testarossa -- and saying terrible things. Her eyes widen sharply as she sees the X-Egg's effects and hears its words. Things she never heard Fate before, and yet...
She swallows, hard, her fingers tightening around the pen in her hand. Bardiche's entreaty reaches out to her mind. "Bardiche," she says. "We'll help, don't worry--"
<Be careful. This is bad.>
She holds her pen aloft -- and then there is a flash of light that shoots up from around her feet. It washes over her, a bright flash of orange-red light, which sends her hair fluttering up -- and the green jacket that shoots up around her. She sucks in a deep breath, before she nods once, sharply, at the the little imp's direction.
<Mirage Charge!>
"Leave her alone!" Lera calls out, anger hitting her voice. She may not agree with Fate on much; she may have fought her in the past. But, she also knows the dread that comes when one's weakness is put on display. "Fate... Fate wouldn't want this kind of thing shared!"
COMBAT: Lera Camry transforms into Barrier Jacket! COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Mirage Charge on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Lera Camry accepts Lera Camry's Mirage Charge, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Accelerate and Empower applied to Lera Camry!
<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
The little X-Egg makes its appearance, and its summoner grins to himself, watching its inaugural howl.
"Oh, this will be interesting," he muses, and wanders off; his presence masked by his sheer normalcy, the man wanders a few paces off and makes himself scarce amid the trees on the outer ring of the campus. The data from this should be...interesting.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
As Fuu pulls her glove-jewel onto her left hand, she asks Bardiche, "Are you familiar with the concept of 'things one wouldn't wish on one's worst enemies'?" She spares a moment to glance around - counting heads for her allies, and looking in case there's anyone she does NOT want to possibly see her transforming. "What's happened to Fate-san is one of them ... Bardiche-san," she adds, picking up the name from Lera's use of it (if she hadn't heard it before).
"Belief becomes power ... Winds, guide me!"
Fuu's umbrella vanishes, turning into a streak of light and disappearing into her glove-jewel just as her school bag does, as the green-tinted whirlwind surrounds her; the whirlwind dissipates a moment later, leaving the Magic Knight of Wind in her armor and color-shifted uniform. She doesn't have any weapons out at the moment, but -
"Winds of Admonishment!!"
- since the first order of business is trying to capture the X-Chara and keep it from going anywhere, she doesn't really need sword *or* bow, just her magic. And with that, she conjures a whirlwind to try and entrap the little imp-like spirit.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Nori Ankou transforms into La Sirene du Nord! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Fate Testarossa's Block ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Parry ability activates! Cripple and Trap applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Dwindling raindrops continue to splatter against Mai's umbrella as she continues forward. That feeling of dread gets only deeper with each passing moment - not vanishing, not dwindling, just a growing sense of...frustration and despair. Not something the occasional HiME has encountered directly before...
Well. Not magically encountered, at any rate.
The scene she finds, rounding a hedge, is...far from what she'd expected. An egg - a strange black egg has hatched, producing an imp with a massive baton. "What in the world is going on here-"
'It's a lot to ask...'
Mai does a double-take at the strangely mechanical voice - one ringing a strange bell in the back of her mind. Where has she heard that before?...and then she looks past the imp, and sees blond hair on a fallen form, and it all clicks.
"You can't be serious. After the last time we met? After that explosive quake thing she unleashed, you want me to -help-?" Mai's eyes narrow in disgust, and she prepares to cut loose with even sharper words...
And then the imp speaks, and she stops cold.
It's a long moment of the X-Egg's cackling before Mai speaks up again; eyes lightly closed, she flares her nostrils. "...fine. No one deserves to go through /that/." Her umbrella is swung harshly to lodge against a nearby rosebush; her bookbag goes beneath its cover. Then, flames - bitter, smouldering, quietly furious as they form the gold-and-jade rings the HiME wields.
She rushes forward, the lighter rain still dampening previously protected face and hair, sizzling into steam as they hit the burning Elements. She weaves to the left, and rushes the imp from the side - bringing her rings up to crash against the massive baton it wields. All the while, her mouth set in a tight line.
COMBAT: Mai Tokiha transforms into Mai-HiME! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has fully healed herself.
<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
"It's almost like the cardiax..."
"More disturbing."
"How so?"
"The appearance... a Cardiax worm makes no pretensions."
Nori Ankou nods - and steps back from the roof top to hold her Black Mirror aloft. "Twinned in the mirror --"
The wind picks up from the north. Something gleams silver and blue and sea-green.
"Whether friend or foe, ally or enemy," comes a ringing and penetrant voice from up high, "those who challenge la Sirene du Nord now, when the summer rains pour, are fools. Creature, are you borne of despair? Sorrow? Fatigue of the heart or weariness of the soul?"
A footstep and a leap-- and with skirts trailing behind her, la Sirene descends, arms spread and hair trailing behind her. She descends as if she is being lowered from above; whether this is due to friendly winds of sheer magic is open to question. The rainy mist rises upwards in long curling columns to form a shape under her feet, and she seems in fact to stride down along it for the last several yards.
"It," step, "matters," step, "not." Step. "To reveal yourself," step, "upon these hallowed grounds," step, "has sealed," step, "your," step as she reaches the ground!!, "FATE!"
La Sirene du Nord has no idea.
She stretches out one hand, her fingers curling in a beckoning gesture as she holds the Black Mirror aloft in the other one. "Come now, come now. Be a good little creature... and give yourself up. Surrender your sorrows to me..."
COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Begrudging Ember on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has finished attacking. COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Dramatic Flourish!! on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to dodge Mai Tokiha's Begrudging Ember, taking 8 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly counters La Sirene du Nord's Dramatic Flourish!!, taking 6 Fatigue damage! La Sirene du Nord is Psyched! Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, Blunder Smasher, partially gets through, doing 48 Fatigue damage to La Sirene du Nord! Critical Counterhit!
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
It seems that Amu and her Charas weren't the only ones who were drawn by the activation of an X-egg... and Miki lets out a yell as they get close, "It's already hatched into an X-Chara!"
"...what, seriously? Already?" Whoever this egg belongs to must have some seriously powerful issues... "Then there's no time to waste. Ran!" "Right, Amu-chan!" The girl lifts her hands to her chest and forms thumbs and index fingers into a diamond shape. "My own heart, un..." Snapsnap go fingers. "...lock!"
The pink chara disappears into her egg and sinks into Amu's chest, and girl is transformed into cheerleader! Well... cheerleader-theme magical girl! "Chara-transform, Amulet Heart!" The background music even changes!
"Heart Rod!" A baton with hearts on either end appears in her hand, and she flings it toward the X-chara. "Spiraaaaaal Heart!" As it flies, leaving behind a trail of glitter, Amulet Heart calls out, "I know today is all gloomy and rainy, but there's no need to feel down!"
COMBAT: Amu Hinamori transforms into Amulet Heart! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has used Spiral Heart Dust on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces Amu Hinamori's Spiral Heart Dust, taking 4 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Block ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Parry ability activates! Stun applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> Soular [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
As treasurer of one of Infinity Institute's many student councils, Shun Minami occasionally has business with other schools. Today, his business with Ohtori Academy is at an end, and he leaves the grandiose building with a black umbrella in hand. He's sufficiently far from the others that he doesn't see Fate at first... but he absolutely notices that powerful welling of negative energy.
Of course, it doesn't alarm him in any way. But Shun is nothing if not curious, and he inclines his head in the direction of what appears to be a tiny floating baby marked with an X. It shouts something incomprehensible, if not in part then in whole, and when his eyes track behind it, he sees...
/Fate?/ he thinks, frowning. The sound of Bardiche's voice is startling as well; he was unaware that the Intelligent Device could speak so eloquently. Magical girls are already beginning to appear, and Shun recognizes some of them, such as La Sirene du Nord, Magic Knight Fuu and Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan. He eyes them in turn, then continues moving along his way as if unconcerned.
But when he passes by a tree, momentarily obscuring him from sight, he disappears. From out of nowhere, or more specifically from behind the same tree, appears Soular, still holding a black umbrella. The executive of Labyrinth doesn't approach the battlefield, it not being a place for someone like him--but the situation interests and concerns him, and Soular is the type of person who reacts to an unknown situation by hanging back and observing it until he feels he grasps it, so he leaps up into the branches of said tree to watch matters unfold.
'I can't make the ones I love happy,' the creature had said.
Truly incomprehensible. His cold mint eyes track to Amulet Heart and Mai-HiME, watching as they and the others begin to combat this thing.
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
"Who cares?" The X-Chara sneers at Lera, still showing teeth. "What she wants is IM~POSS~I~BLE~!"
<Thank you.> Bardiche says to those who have already offered their aid. To Fuu, to Lera, to La Sirene, and Amulet Heart
When Mai however speaks her entirely justified words of condemnation, Bardiche is quiet for only a moment, before answering, <Yes. Even if we don't deserve your help I am asking for it. Wouldn't you do the same for someone you cared about?>
The little imp attempts to start its attack by descending upon Lera, baton held backwards. Which is when a whirlwind forms around it, whirling it around and around. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Whoooaaaaaaaa!" It calls, with none of the composure of the person it came from under fire.
However, straining against the winds, it steadies itself almost immediately, still within the vortex other than a hand shielding its face.
A moment later, Mai's Magatama elements crash into it, the imp unable to move away from the assault by the flying HiME in time. An explosion strikes in mid-air, as its cast aside out of the whirlwind and down upon the pavement, getting up in time to look up at La Sirene du Nord.
At first it looks like its cowering before her beckoning before it suddenly gives a malevolent grin, "And what can you do? You're-" It raises the baton with lightning swiftness, a sudden red X, with crackling arcs of energy forming at its head. "-USE~LESS~!" The Red X spins before rocketing forth to explode into a riotous column of energy.
Before it can even redirect its efforts at anyone else, Amulet Heart is on the move, and a giant protective Red X forms over the X-Chara's body as its struck by glittering hearts. Rocked back a step, it shakes its head, as if in a daze, before growling miserably, "No need to feel down!? What do you know?"
It raises its baton above its head, and suddenly from the head of it, a giant kanji erupts forth representing the word 'MURI' in all of its glory, wisps of dark energy wafting off it. "You think you'll stop me and it'll all be sugar and rainbows?! Ha!"
It suddenly rushes forward, at Amu first, with a cleaving swing of the Kanji blade, before moving over towards Mai to do the same if it can slip under the guard that her element's present. Red X's form in the air, with numerous spikes lining them that look like thumbtacks.
They fly towards Fuu and Lera, attempting to latch painfully down upon their limbs. "Even if you did, I'll still be USE~LESS~!" It then ends with La Sirene, flying towards her with increased speed as if gaining momentum, trying to strike her with the butt of its length.
<Soular.> Bardiche chimes, as if in acknowledgement of his presence. However, he doesn't plead with him for aid, perhaps he thinks he knows better. The girl on the bench's glassy eyes look at him out of the corners of her vision though without any sign of judgement, or- anything really.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Snark Saber on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Snark Saber on Mai Tokiha. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Pointless Rush on La Sirene du Nord. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 11 Fatigue damage! Tangle and Trap applied to Fuu Hououji! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha narrowly braces Fate Testarossa's Snark Saber, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Mai Tokiha's Block ability activates! Exhausted and Stun applied to Mai Tokiha! COMBAT: Lera Camry fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Trap applied to Lera Camry! COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's Pointless Rush, taking 13 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Bind Break! All of Fate Testarossa's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori narrowly braces Fate Testarossa's Snark Saber, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Exhausted and Stun applied to Amu Hinamori!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
At least the spectator arrived *after* everyone had transformed, as far as the Magic Knight of Wind can tell ... and then she doesn't have the leisure to consider the question any further, as an extremely brambly and barb-bearing red X latches on to her left arm and leg. It doesn't quite knock the Wind Knight over; she does that on her own, trying to wrench her arm free and immediately regretting it from the combination of the barbs pricking her and the ground smacking into her head.
Still, if it's a magically-conjured entanglement - and she can see she's not the only one dealing with something of the sort - then magic should be able to dispel it again.
"Winds of Healing!" calls the green-clad Magic Knight - and although her left hand is pinned by her side, she can still call forth the soothing, healing breeze. The Winds of Healing tug gently at the X-Bind, unhooking it and peeling it back away, soothing the prick-marks where the barbs dug in. The same process repeats for Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan, and those recuperative breezes then enfold Amulet Heart, helping the cheerleader regain her pep after the kanji's impact.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Healing on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Healing on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Healing on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Lera Camry accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Healing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cleanse! All of Lera Camry's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Healing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cleanse! All of Fuu Hououji's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Healing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cleanse! All of Amu Hinamori's debuffs are cleared!
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Lera's teeth grit together, sharply, when the X-Chara sneers that at her. She tenses up insttantly, and the whirlwind shoots up around her. The statement from the little imp is distracting. More than that, some of the distraught that Fate feels hits her. Did she really think her mission hopeless? Did she pursue something she thought she could never do? Her brown-gold eyes widen with uncertainty.
Which is when two red X's materialize in the air, catching her legs. She yelps, yanking on her feet, trying to break free. It hurts her to do so, and the energy ultimately yanks her back down towards the ground. She hisses, softly.
Before she proves truly anchored, though, Fuu's spell cuts in. The red X's gripping her vanish, the barbs releasing. She lets out a sigh of relief -- there's a quick nod at Fuu, and then she turns to look at the imp.
"Stop it!" she yells -- and a ring of red-orange light fires out from under her feet. She fires off like a shot, suddenly accelerating -- and leads with a shoulder check, carrying the red crosses of energy after her, her shoulder aimed for the imp. "It's not useless, she--she can change how things are, still!"
As she flies, she catches Bardiche's statement. Her eyes go wide; is the Labyrinth executive here, too? She can't see him, but immediately wonders: 'Why?'
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Line Burst on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges Lera Camry's Line Burst, taking 14 Fatigue damage! Lera Camry is Psyched! Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Ringing crashes resound - burning rings meeting the baton again and again. After the final exchange, Mai is sent hurtling back - but skimming above the ground, she comes to a halt in less violent a manner. "Useless?! You-" Her jaw twitches, as she grits her teeth even more.
Bardiche, the magical gem-mascot or whatever, is...honest at least. Her gaze flickers to the fallen Fate, and she partially tunes out the rest of the X-Egg's rambling. Would she do the same? Ask for help for Takumi's sake? She hesitates before answering - and doesn't answer that question directly. "If you care...then how are you condoning what she's done? Things like that battle, that explosion. I'll still help - because this -thing- is even worse - but you..."
She's interrupted by a name, spoken by the device - Mai's gaze goes to the side, where the denizen of Labyrinth lurks. Her face turns ashen for a moment - this villain, accompanying the monster? With the blond girl involved, too? This is...she calls out to the silver-haired man, even as her rings begin to spin. "You again?! Well, I hope you're not too attached to this monster - because it's saying things I really don't like to hear!" The rain hisses as Mai flies around the side of the X-Egg once more, flames blazing in her wake. A half-circle of flickering fire, winding forth to ensnare the imp in a burning embrace.
There's anger in those flames - not a passionate inferno, but a bitterly furious one. "There might be reasons for that girl to feel down...but I don't want to hear them from -you-."
COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Infernal Embrace on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces Mai Tokiha's Infernal Embrace, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Block ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Parry ability activates! Diversion and Trap applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
La Sirene gives the X-Chara a scornful, elegant look as it approaches, tensing herself in anticipation of a whack to the ankles or something. Instead, there is a much greater whack, a red column of energy - -
A small gothic shape rises abruptly into the clouds.
On the rooftop, Batiste - who had been watching eagerly - is agog in astonishment, even as flame and fury rage below. La Sirene has vanished from sight. A moment of terror wracks his body, but he soothes himself quickly. She's in a storm! Ohtori is surrounded by water! Surely she'll be alright...
And there is very little he can do to affect that outcome.
But what he can do...
Is leap to his demise off the side of the roof!! No - Batiste's tiny fuzzy body is subject to slightly different rules regarding impact forces, and regardless he rolls into a puddle on a slightly ill-drained stretch of grass. Shaking off the mud, he scampers forwards, looping around to hop up on the bench and gaze upon Amulet Heart.
"This foe is a challenge, but I am confident in all of you!" He leaps up, trailing around Amu's neck momentarily with sinuously fuzzy warmth. "Even in the rain, there is joy - even on a bad day, life still has meaning!"
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Carpe Aonyx on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
"No, I don't!" Amulet Heart extends her hand, catching the Heart Rod on its return flight... then lets out a yelp of surprise as the X-chara suddenly rushes her. "Whoah!" She tries to parry with the baton, though she wasn't quite expecting the thing's speed. "Nnnh... That's not what... this is about!"
Even though she's able to fend off the kanji sword, the strength of the attack is still enough to send her tumbling back to the ground. "Life is never sugar and rainbows! That's not what I ever expect!" As Amulet Heart staggers back to her feet, she breathes out softly... then takes a more relaxed breath as a cool wind sweeps around her. "Th..thanks. I..." Blink blink. Wait, she knows some people here. "Magical Cheeseburger-chan? Mysterious Waitress?" The girl shakes her head. That can come later. "Look, I don't know what's really bothering you... it would be pretty arrogant of me to assume I do! But isn't it rude to just go around and attack people like this?" One hand rests on her hip, and the other points at the X-chara. "You should be ashamed of yourself, you know! Now use your words, tell us what's wrong! Maybe we can help!"
That pose and speech would be so cool if she didn't suddenly squawk and flail a moment later at the feeling of something fuzzy and wet on her neck. "WA! O... oh. I... I know that. Th.. thanks." Amulet heart coughs softly. "...little warning next time, but thanks for the help."
COMBAT: Amu Hinamori accepts La Sirene du Nord's Carpe Aonyx, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Amu Hinamori is Cheered! Withstand applied to Amu Hinamori! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has used Don't Get Cocky! on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa perfectly counters Amu Hinamori's Don't Get Cocky!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Critical Counter! Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, USE~LESS!, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Amu Hinamori!
<Pose Tracker> Soular [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Interesting... Soular, who's never seen a X-Chara before, watches keenly as the creature zips around, mouthing off to the magical girls that attack it. Its talk uselessness, both for itself and its attackers, is curious as well. What relation does this thing have with Fate? Are these thoughts and feelings she's been repressing, forcing this shadowy thing to burst out from where it was hidden? Or is it her true self...? And who is the culprit behind it?
He glances over at the magical girls as they call back to the creature. Amulet Heart tells it to just tell them what the problem is--efficient, though whether or not it will be efficacious is to be seen. When the orange-haired girl notices and addresses him, Soular focuses in on her, eyebrows slightly raised.
"Is it, now?" he calls back. "Fortunately for you, I have no attachment to this thing. Do whatever you will."
Propane Lera talks of Fate still being able to change things if she wishes. How odd. Soular rests a hand on his chin, regarding the unconscious girl. "Bardiche," he responds to the Device's greeting. He's not bothered that he hasn't been asked to help, even after the magical girls were; it's only logical, if he intends on purifying his master, to ask that service from those capable of purification. Soular would be a poor choice.
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
The imp raises its Kanji bladed baton again, ready to move on Fuu, as if seeming to respect the strategy of going after the healer first. When out of the corner of its vision, it sees the energy blast from Lera.
Leaping out of the way, the explosion that rocks a column of the breezeway nevertheless sends it into an uncontrolled flight that takes it time to correct itself to an upright position. "Change!? That's IM~POSS~I~BLE! You don't know a thing!"
<My loyalty to her is complete.> Bardiche replies to the HiME, without judgment on what Fate has done. If he has his own thoughts on the matter, he's not going to speak them aloud.
A half-circle of flame forms erupts around the X-Chara, and it stands in the midst of it, fanning its face from the heat of the flames, beads of sweat forming a sheen on its skin which looks less purple and more soot-colored black. And then it grins, "Why not? What are you so afraid of hearing?"
Which is when Amulet Heart calls the X-Chara out, and it spins around to face her. "Why should I be ashamed? Going around attacking people is all she does, and she's not! And all to try to make her dear mother happy! Too bad for her! Her mother knows she's USE~LESS~!" The word carries the magical weight of exposition to it as it yells it right at Amu.
The X-Chara's face erupts into a vicious grin, and suddenly it waves its baton in the air. X's crackling with violet lightning form everywhere, in a giant ring around the breezeway, trying to cage many of the Magical Girls in, save La Sirene perhaps, who has vanished into the waters. "She just hasn't realized yet that making her happy is IM~POSS~I~BLE!" They all rocket downwards, blanketing the area in a barrage of explosions.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Photon Lancer: Futility Shift on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Photon Lancer: Futility Shift on Mai Tokiha. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Photon Lancer: Futility Shift on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Photon Lancer: Futility Shift on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Searching for that Meddling Siren on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa accepts Fate Testarossa's Searching for that Meddling Siren, taking 0 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's Photon Lancer: Futility Shift, taking 9 Fatigue damage! Lera Camry's Fade ability activates! Lera Camry's Flash ability activates! Cripple applied to Lera Camry! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji perfectly counters Fate Testarossa's Photon Lancer: Futility Shift, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Counter! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji's counterattack, Gale Arrow, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha narrowly counters Fate Testarossa's Photon Lancer: Futility Shift, taking 11 Fatigue damage! Mai Tokiha's Reverse ability activates! Mai Tokiha's Tactician ability activates! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha's counterattack, Flare Shroud, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's Photon Lancer: Futility Shift, taking 31 Fatigue damage! Amu Hinamori's Fade ability activates! Amu Hinamori's Flash ability activates! Cripple applied to Amu Hinamori!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
After casting the Winds of Healing, the Magic Knight of Wind took the time to get back to her feet and manifest her bow and quiver; however, she barely has time to draw an arrow back and call out, "Gale Arrow!" before there's an abrupt storm of Xs all over the place. Her arrow flies, though, and the winds which surround the shaft pack enough punch to create a hole in the wall - enough of a hole that the Wind Knight is able to scramble clear of the sorcerous cage.
But the X-Chara's words seem to catch her attention, as she frowns at the little imp. "Happiness is never beyond anyone's reach," she says, as if scolding the X-Chara. "And as powerful as Fate-san is in a fight, I refuse to accept that she's useless. It's true that she's been an opponent far more often than I'd like," she admits, "but I'm hoping there'll be a day when we're fighting on the same side - I'd be glad to count her as an ally."
She pulls another arrow from her quiver, nocking it to her bowstring and preparing for the next chance to loose a shot ... but she doesn't fire just yet, instead giving her own words time to sink in. If they'll have any impact at all on an X-Chara, anyway - Amulet Heart certainly seems to be meeting the taunts and ridicule with her own, more optimistic words.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Gentle Chiding on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
"Yeah!" Lera calls back to Amulet Heart. "Don't worry, we're here to help!"
She rebounds backward after hitting, bouncing into the air, and flying. She turns around slowly, at first, as she looks down at the X-Chara and the circle of flamne below. The words about Fate's mother sting. She knew, on some level; she remembered how strong Fate's reaction was to her own situation. It was something they had in common, but it didn't bring them closer together.
Her eyes narrow, and the recent tension she felt starts to boil over. "She... she isn't useless," she says. "Even if her mother doesn't understand! That--that doesn't make her useless!"
The cage of X-shaped lights, and those crackles of violet coming from them, shoots up around her, and comes screaming in. Lera ducks hard to the side, first, the first one nearly hitting her waist, and then does a midair backflip over a second. The purple lightning from it brushes her, lashing against her Barrier Jacket with a spray of sparks. She ends her backflip, then drops down for the grinning X-Chara.
She swings her sword over her shoulder as she dives for it. A magical circle appears in the air -- and she tears through it in her drop.
<Inferno Slasher!>
Lera comes down at the X-Chara, swinging the sword over her head. Light crackles along the blade, the relatively thin sheath of tenergy around it flaring larger and brighter. When she strikes, it explodes up in a vicious edge of energy that shoots up into the air.
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Inferno Slasher on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly counters Fuu Hououji's Gentle Chiding, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa is Quipped! Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, Blunder Smasher, partially gets through, doing 44 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to dodge Lera Camry's Inferno Slasher, taking 35 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
Jumping out of the way of a beam: Good.
Not jumping far enough so you're caught in the explosion: Painful.
Amulet Heart's controlled leap becomes a flailing tumble through the air, ending with her slamming into the ground a short distance away. "Don't think... I'm going to give up on you that easily!" She pushes to her feet, flashing a quick grin at Magical Cheeseburger-chan, and lifts both hands in front of her. Pink sparkles coalesce, forming into a pair of pom-poms. "Attacking people? Look, I don't know what you do, but nobody is unloved! You may argue with your parents, and sometimes they try to run away from home... but you're never a useless person!"
Shakeshake go the pom-poms, sending glitter flying at the X-chara. "Besides, you seem plenty good at fighting to me..."
COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has used Pom-Pom Flourish on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to dodge Amu Hinamori's Pom-Pom Flourish, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Amu Hinamori is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mysterious Waitress? Mai retreats from the monster a moment, taking in the rest of what's going on. Every time something of this nature crops up, she can see a few more allies from previous battles - which is uplifting in its own right. The knowledge that in the end, they aren't along here...
Except for this blonde girl, maybe. Mai purses her lips at Bardiche's response of loyalty. "That-" She shakes her head. The amount of ground she has to stand on here is...markedly flimsy. Soular's comment is a helpful diversion from that - and she does a double-take, glancing at the ominous figure. "...so you're just here for the show, then? What kind of-"
Once again, Mai cuts herself off. No sense in picking more of a fight. The X-Egg continues to laugh, and taunt, and...the HiME's gaze falls. That dread isn't one she fears, it's one she knows - and the more it raves, the more of Fate's circumstance that gets brought to light, the more shadow that falls over her gaze. Not living up to a mother's hopes, efforts being in vain? She dwells on this, even as the lightning of futility rains down...
And then, a crimson barrier blazes to life, intercepting the worst of the storm. "...stop screaming it to the world." The rings around her wrists blaze fiercely, urging the flames surrounding the X-Egg to roar higher and hotter. Even as the barrier fades, the inferno remains - surging upwards into a burning pillar. "That's...not something -you- get to scream to everyone. Not like this." Her gaze comes up, burning hot - and she rushes forward, to slam the pillar of fire down on the ensnared imp.
COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Vehement Ignition on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to brace Mai Tokiha's Vehement Ignition, taking 37 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
Where IS la Sirene, ayway? Well, amongst all of those explosions, something fell back down from the heavens, and landed down with enough force to cause a minor crater. Squatting like this, la Sirene catches her breath.
Batiste sees her, and leaps from Amu's shoulder after one last reassuring side-hug, scampering over to her. There are some wordless passages of concern, but then the duo, now reunited, face the X-Chara instead.
The otter wonders to himself if la Sirene is strong enough to face this perilous, yet adorable enemy. But La Sirene, at least... is not doubting herself today.
Pursing her lips, though, she considers the tail end of what the X-Chara has said. Putting a hand on her hip she steps forwards, coming up near Amu even as Mai produces a crimson barrier and a burst of flame.
"Listen to me," she tells the X-Chara, raising her hands up to frame her face.
"Even if your mother doesn't care for you... even if your father neglects you. Even if you're not the favorite at home... There are people out there who will find you and love you and cherish you, no matter how far removed they might be. Upon this, you may rely... but I cannot promise you an easy search."
"But!" she says, sweeping one hand before her face. "To find 'Home' - is something which we all desire."
At this point she has gotten close enough to lunge forwards and try to grasp the X-Chara firmly about its midsection, at which point she aims to shake it vigorously and then toss it to the ground. Or, possibly, get knocked into the kangaroo habitat - it's an exciting toss-up!
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Desdinova on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges La Sirene du Nord's Desdinova, taking 22 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates! Stagger applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
The Magic Knight of Wind addresses the X-Chara, and while her words are touching, the X-Chara is only given momentary pause by it. It whips up the baton, the Red X already forming at its head, before careening towards the knight, trailing streamers of malicious power. "Impossible." It says without the same, sneering, contempt as it explodes.
The Imp gets caught completely off guard, the light of the ring of flames surrounding it not tipping it off to the glare of Lera's blade. It is struck in the back, which leaves a searing gash in its soot covered skin, wisps of smoke rising off of its form. It squeals in pain, finally leaping out of the flames to rise above them all. "You still don't get it! That's the joke! It's your fault that her dreams are IM~POSS~I~BLE because you keep getting in her-ahh-ahhh-"
As Amu's glitter comes into contact with it ACHOO! It sneezes repeatedly, again and again as if its having an allergic reaction to the Guardian's super cute pom poms. This is interesting since it doesn't have a nose. "-way!"
It tries to raise its scythe-baton, as the HiME moves at her with a vengeance, but it is just a moment too late. The creature is crashed into, and lit aflame by tremendous heat. It sails through the air, before crashing into a rose bush, whose flowers immediately start to wilt from the smoke that rises. It storms out of it, on foot, brushing aside thorns from its skin, before spitting one last one out that got lodged in its teeth. "Too bad. I'll scream it to the heavens if I want to."
Suddenly La Sirene is there, grabbing and shaking it. For a moment, its eyes become swirls of dizziness as its cast aside. But it floats just before it strikes the ground, saving it from a small amount of the impact. "Her loyalty is almost as complete as that /thing/'s." It points to Bardiche, "You have no idea how IM~POSS~I~BLE that would be." It says while floating there. "Let me show you."
Out of complete spite, all it does to La Sirene is try to whack her shins with the head of the baton. And then it rises, the creature flowing through the air with the aerial mastery of the person it came from. It attempts to test it's 'Muri' baton against Propane-chan's guard. As it does so, it juts a hand out, red X's forming around the Magic Knight with spikey lengths that try to clamp down upon her limbs.
Somersaulting backwards out of the clash, it turns its baton on the HiME mid-flip. A spinning red X covered with arcs of creepy lightning flying out towards her. It then descends upon Amulet Heart with a vengeance, trying to break through her incredibly cute pom-poms to score another decisive blow.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Pointless Rush on La Sirene du Nord. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Snark Saber on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Blunder Smasher on Mai Tokiha. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used Snark Saber on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji fails to dodge Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 11 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori narrowly counters Fate Testarossa's Snark Saber, taking 20 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Exhausted and Stun applied to Amu Hinamori! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori's counterattack, Pom-Pom Barrier, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha fails to brace Fate Testarossa's Blunder Smasher, taking 46 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord narrowly counters Fate Testarossa's Pointless Rush, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Bind Break! All of Fate Testarossa's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord's counterattack, Les Mysteres, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Lera Camry perfectly dodges Fate Testarossa's Snark Saber, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Lera Camry's Fade ability activates! Lera Camry's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
"Her mother wants her to fight us, even if it hurts her?" Lera asks, her voice breaking. She knew it could be bad; she talked with Nanoha enough to put some of those facts together. She is, however, hearing it from the horse's mouth here -- or perhaps from the heart. Her eyes narrow, and she shakes her head quickly. She sees the baton come in, and that's when a cloud of dust shoots out from her feet.
She shoots high into the air suddenly, turning quickly in midair, as the baton shoots past where she had been standing. A trail of red-orange light is left in her wake, but the baton has a hole punched through it.
"That's... that's not right!" she cries down at the X-Chara. She remembers what Setsuna Higashi told her, when she read her fortune: she would have to help someone she cared for, and soon, or they would suffer for it. But, once again, she doesn't know what to say or do. "I don't want to hurt her! I want to help!"
< We need to handle that baton. It's pressing the Mysterious Waitress--> Sorry, Mai. Sky is picking it up too. <--and Amulet Heart. Dual Form!>
The sword splits down the middle; the red gem at the hilt ends up on the left one, as she has two sabers in her hand. A red-orange field flickers around the blades -- and Lera drops down, bursting through another magical circle when she does. She leads with her left sword, slashing down as she gets close to the baton. Then she pivots in midair, doing a backhanded slash with the right sword. She ends with an upward sweep of the left. Each leaves a trail of red-orange light in her wake.
<Rapid Skyfall!>
COMBAT: Lera Camry has used Rapid Skyfall on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa perfectly counters Lera Camry's Rapid Skyfall, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Counter! Fate Testarossa's Reverse ability activates! COMBAT: Fate Testarossa's counterattack, Snark Saber, bursts all the way through, doing 28 Fatigue damage to Lera Camry! Critical Counterhit! Stun applied to Lera Camry!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The X-Chara's retaliation for the Wind Knight's gentle chiding flings her back not merely into a hedge, but *through* it in a rather painful manner - probably as painful for the hedge in question as for the Wind Knight herself. On the plus side, that gives her some added distance with which to react to the next dose of X-Bind - and since she's all too familiar with what that does, she's happy to hightail it out of the attack's path, and to double around the end of the shrubbery in question on her way back into the fray. "Do I need to remind you that you're up against a troupe of magical girls?" she asks with a wry smile. "Impossibilities are our stock in trade, more often than *I* can believe some times!"
Rather than readying another arrow - since the one she'd been ready with was dropped or otherwise lost when she got blasted through the hedge - the Wind Knight raises her left arm, calling out once again, "Winds of Admonishment!" And once again, she conjures a tornado, trying to trap the X-Chara within the blowing vortex so that her allies can subdue it a bit more effectively ...
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates! Trap applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Loyalty, faith, determination - and all of it proclaimed as pointless and useless. The X-Egg is small, but cruel - laughing about how impossible the blonde-haired girl's goals might be. And on the one hand, if that battle is any indication, her failures might be for the best - but on the other...
Part of Mai can't help but be sympathetic to that plight. That part is currently calling the shots, only just shy of screaming at the imp in aggravated fury. How dare it do this - make a mockery of those hopes? How dare-
She doesn't see the attack coming until it's far too late to move. A flicker of flame licks out in response as Mai brings her rings up to meet the crackling X - to no avail, as it slams with both force and lightning. The HiME cries out in pain, and anger, and the screech of the lightning drowns that out for a moment...
When the storm clears, she's still standing - though shaky on her feet, uniform smouldering a bit. If nothing else, that - combined with the still-drizzling rain - have cooled her head a bit. Rushing in is...probably a bad plan, it's not like she's Mikoto. But, even as those impassioned pleas go out...part of her wants to remain silent out of spite. The blonde-haired girl has done some terrible things - more than she knows, if Propane-chan's comments are any indication. But...
...she's not the same as that other one who deluded everyone. Fate and Bardiche are...honest about their villainous intentions, if nothing else. And from this thing's raving...her cause, whatever her actions, is one Mai can empathize with. She's-
"Mysterious - okay, you know what, fine. I'm running with that. There's free coffee with every order of cake tonight, by the way." A glance to Propane-chan, another one to Amu, and Mai-HiME lets out a sigh of frustration. If nothing else, the misnomer derailed her train of thought. But...Lera's words helped give just that little bit of extra context. She's...got her answer.
Mai turns, not to the imp, but to the fallen girl and her talking gem guardian. "I don't know if she can hear me, but...it's hard. Fighting for someone else's dream instead of yours, not knowing how much they care about you instead of what you're doing...you might never be able to find out. I don't have the answer for what you should do - it's something you'll have to decide. But..."
She laughs, once - and turns to the mocking imp. "She might succeed. She might give up. But that's something for her to decide on her own - and that's a conviction you don't get to spit on." Flames lash out - not quite as ferociously destructive as before. Just a bit more heat, carefully placed - fanning out into a sheet of fire, to separate the blonde girl from the imp laughing at her.
COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Fan The Flames on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly dodges Mai Tokiha's Fan The Flames, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa is Quipped! Fate Testarossa's Fade ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
"Impossible?" La Sirene says, narrowing her eyes.
Then, "LES MYSTERES!" she cries, striking downwards, the protective barrier shimmering force, veves and silver light rippling out behind her - but the X-Chara's so fast it manages to get a shin-snapping blow in before the barrier forms!
The 'snap' of course being from her leggings and the sound of the rap. Sirens are invertebrates! ... No, that's wrong -
Either way la Sirene staggers back with a sucked in burst of breath through her teeth, glaring at the creature. She opens her mouth to give a challenge - and then pauses, turning her head to look over her shoulder. At which point she runs off and vaults up to a rooftop.
Well!
But fear not; you have not been abandoned, brave girls. Soon enough something pokes its nose over the edge of that roof.
From its top there, la Sirene mutters to herself, "I was going to play the Luxor game..." But then she raises her voice into a proper ringing call. "Evil little imp! If you cannot listen to reason, then listen to yourself! May you be cleansed of your hateful words - thus!"
And then she flips --
The clawed bathtub! It topples a full 720 degrees as it flies, and hopefully it will land, face down, on top of the X Chara -- which may give everyone else the time they eed to handle it.
COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has used Flipped Bathtub on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces La Sirene du Nord's Flipped Bathtub, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa's Block ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Parry ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
Maybe the pom-poms will be more successful at blocking the attack than the baton was.
Amulet Heart holds them out, and a dome of energy forms around her as the X-chara pounds at it. It seems to hold up just fine against the first two strikes, but the third cracks it. Amu leans forward, pressing against the strikes... and she finds herself driven back, feet leaving furrows in the ground. "Nnnn... Why can't you.. see? You're not useless at all! Even if... even if not everyone likes you, there are still some of us who want to help you!" In the end, the shield manages to hold, though Amu is left panting from the effort of keeping it up.
Taking a deep breath, Amu stands up straight and rests a hand on her hip. "There's nothing wrong with loyalty, but you should do some things for yourself!" Her other hand extends out, pointing directly at the X-chara. " It's part of our job as kids to be selfish now and then!"
COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has used Negative Heart: Lock On! on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to brace Amu Hinamori's Negative Heart: Lock On!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Tangle applied to Fate Testarossa!
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
Magical Cheeseburger Propane-chan is a rather phenomenal Swordswoman, so the imp turns to face her, guard raised. "Don't you get it? Wanting to make the people you love happy is dumb-"
The mage adventurer's bladework flashes one strike after the other, and rather than trying to counter each individual blow the little imp spins its baton in a rapid circle, each blow clinking against the baton just a fraction of a second too early for each to be driven home. "-so you can't help her. Her dream is-"
It grins toothily, as it suddenly shifts its guard, bringing the baton upwards in a vicious upward swing that sends the Kanji blade against her protection spells. "-IMPOSS~IBLE!"
A tornado catches it again, and this time, instead of trying to take it, the creature clinks down its baton against the ground, pushing off of it to leap out of the range of the gale force winds. "I don't care! I DON'T CARE! ALL OF YOU ARE USE~LESS~ DUMB!" It goes into a rage, waving its tiny baton aggressively at the Magic Knight.
The girl on the bench is being addressed. It's a wonder that in the battle that rages she hasn't been truly harmed, though she is certainly sweating from the intense heat. As she's addressed, the most the HiME gets is a glance at first, however those glassy eyes turn fully on her after a moment. There's no spirit in them whatsoever, but she does finally speak, softly, not with any fire or conviction, but simply as if she were clarifying a point of conversation. "I was doing it for my-"
And then all of a sudden, her gaze falls down to her lap. "It doesn't matter." The imp only cackles, as if it finds it intensely funny, what Fate was about to say, matching Mai's laughter at the imp itself. It doesn't feel its necessary to clarify to Fate. "She's stupid~" It says childishly. "She'll never give up, no matter how USE~LESS~ she is!"
-Which is when a bathtub lands on top of it. For a while its silent. Did that really do it!? Is it defeated? Suddenly the tub shakes with incredible fury before shattering into a several pieces that fly everywhere. "You'd be better at old maid, Obaasan!" Wait, did it really call La Sirene that!? How childish, she's only in middle school!
Which is when it senses the Guardian pointing to it. It looks at Amu, then it looks at its chest, then back at Amu, then back at its chest. Then it wails in a little tantrum, "Nonononononono! I won't let you! She'll always be USE~LESS~ Her dreams will always be IM~POSS~I~BLE. And your efforts will be-"
It raises the baton in mid-air, and suddenly spiked X's appear, trying to restrain everyone in place. The clouds above swirl ominously, as if responding to its childish rage. "-USE~LESS~ Time to finish you all off!" It speaks as violet energy rises off of it, charging up for something foreboding.
COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Mai Tokiha. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on La Sirene du Nord. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Lera Camry. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has used X-Bind on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa has finished attacking. COMBAT: Lera Camry narrowly counters Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Lera Camry's Reverse ability activates! Lera Camry's Tactician ability activates! Tangle and Trap applied to Lera Camry! COMBAT: Lera Camry's counterattack, Plasma Ball, partially gets through, doing 2 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Amu Hinamori narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 6 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Amu Hinamori's Fade ability activates! Amu Hinamori's Flash ability activates! Tangle applied to Amu Hinamori! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly counters Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Trap applied to Fuu Hououji! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji's counterattack, Trick Arrow Shot, partially gets through, doing 9 Fatigue damage to Fate Testarossa! COMBAT: Mai Tokiha narrowly braces Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 4 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Mai Tokiha's Block ability activates! Tangle applied to Mai Tokiha! COMBAT: La Sirene du Nord narrowly dodges Fate Testarossa's X-Bind, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Trap applied to La Sirene du Nord!
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Lera's rain of blows slams down into the baton, each strike repelled and knocked backward with a flash of light. The counterattack swings in, and the Kanji blade strikes into Lera's Barrier Jacket. There is a vicious red slash, lightly aglow, across her stomach where it strikes. The impact is brutal, bowling Lera over in midair and knocking the wind out of her. She goes flying into one of Ohtori's picturesque gazebos, slamming into the roof. Wood planks and stonework flies upward where it shatters around her.
She stumbles up to her feet, as a broken board falls down to the ground around her, and she looks up at the X-Chara. There's a thin hiss of pain, before she speaks again.
"That's... that's not true!" she calls out. "Making the people you love happy is part of life! It's a normal thing to want! It hurts if it fails, but... but that doesn't mean it's dumb!"
Another spiked X comes flying at Lera, and she points the sword in her left hand at it. A ball of light and fire flickers into existence off the point of the saber, then fires at the X. They collide with a shower of explosions and sparks, and the X comes spinning, flying right past Lera's cheek. It slams into one of the gazebo's support beams behind her. It cracks--
--and then the dome comes crashing down. Lera leaps away from it as it falls, going airborne again. She takes a deep breath, before she looks down at the X-Chara, and shakes her head quickly. Then she looks at Amulet Heart. "I'll try to distract it," she says, quietly. "You, um, do your thing!"
Then she's off, like a shot -- a ring of light bursting from where she took off, and a line of light zig-zagging in the sky. She has both swords out, and she comes down at the baton again. A magical circle flashes behind her as she does.
<Combination Crusade!>
Lera drops down on the X-Chara. Her right sword swings first, and then her left. After that, it's a blur of movement; pivots and twists, as she slashes with both swords until it becomes an indistinct set of flashes of light. They part, then, like a cloud burst back by air, as she thrusts the right sword at the X-Chara.
"BURST!"
A beam of light explodes off the sword, point blank, fired at the tiny imp-like creature.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Lera Camry has used Combination Crusade on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Lera Camry has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to dodge Lera Camry's Finisher, Combination Crusade, taking 76 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
"...yeah." Mai nods her head at Fate's nearly lifeless response - after everything said about the girl, to hear it from her is just...confirmation. "I think I know. I'd ask you to stop, but..." She can't. Not seeing those circumstances before her instead of behind her. She can only shake her head sadly.
The imp howls with laughter, and Mai's gaze rises to meet it. Once more, her gaze narrows - her mouth set in a thin line. "No. She won't. That's not something easy to give up - but she's the only one who gets to laugh at that." A mother's request is one not easily ignored - that much Mai knows all too well.
The tub interrupting catches her off guard, and she has to stare with everyone else at the imp's plight - further words lost in the fact that, well, a bathtub. A bathtub just landed on the - oh, it's still fine. Well. Mai glances to La Sirene du Nord, contrite - but the X-Egg cuts off any supportive comment she could make, summoning that trap. Spikes rising up around her, keeping her from flying freely.
She'd thought, earlier, of ignoring the disaster and leaving. When the victim was revealed, once more she considered fleeing. But now? After hearing what this monster is /daring/ to mock? Mai rises slightly, lofted upon mystic rings, and spreads her arms out wide. Ponderously, with a low whine, and wreathed in intensifying flame, all four rings begin to spin. Faster and faster, hotter and hotter, until the air immediately around them is being drawn in - an imitation, but a deserved one.
"I know just how useful - or useless - my efforts are. Maybe hers are the same way. But I..." She looks down. "...I can't stop trying. So what if she won't give up? At least she's trying to do something which..." Mai shakes her head, scrunches her eyes shut - and then, as the whine is building into a low roar, her gaze snaps open to lock onto the imp. "...which is more than can be said for YOU!"
Mai brings her arms forward - nearby spikes beginning to melt, to burn - and the full heat she's gathered is unleashed. A shining force of heat and light, rushing up to meet the X-Egg - upward, always upward, she doesn't dare unleash this straight ahead. Like some fiery dragon's wrath, Mai-HiME's fury burns.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Mai Tokiha has used Ardent Light on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa fails to brace Mai Tokiha's Finisher, Ardent Light, taking 98 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Her arrow ready, the Magic Knight of Wind wraps it in another Gale Arrow spell and looses it into the barrage of X-Bindings, carving out a bit of a hole - not as much as before; she winds up pinned down again, although it feels like the barbs aren't biting in quite as deeply. It also looks as though she managed to wing the X-Chara ... but there's a problem, or might be one.
What happens if the X-Chara is actually blown away and destroyed?
The Wind Knight looks up at Amulet Heart, who seems to know a lot more about X-Charas than the Magic Knight herself can claim - and she comes to a quick decision. "Amulet Heart-san, I leave this in your hands!" Ironically, it's her left arm that's free this time, and she reaches up, 'pointing' towards the magical cheerleader. "Winds of Protection! Guard her long enough to finish this fight!" the green-clad Magic Knight calls out - and a wind barrier forms in front of Amulet Heart, hopefully protecting her and possibly creating the opening that the magical cheerleader can capitalize upon ...
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Protection on Amu Hinamori. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Protection, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Accelerate and Withstand applied to Amu Hinamori!
<Pose Tracker> La Sirene du Nord [Ohtori Academy (9)] has posed.
La Sirene du Nord, who does kind of dress and talk like she's from the turn of the century for no good reason what-so-ever, recoils as if struck. "Ob-b-b-baasan!?" she says in dismay.
In a moment she'll remember to leap down and kick a small egg dream.
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
"These aren't my efforts! There's nothing I can do unless--" Bathtub.
Amulet Heart blinks several times. Should she wait? It seems so awkward to lecture a bathtub.
But the tub soon shatters, and the decision is made. 'where was I.. oh yeah!" She resumes her pose of pointing dramatically. "I don't know what your dreams are, but they're -your- dreams! They shouldn't have to be someone else's dreams!"
Fire flies, swords swing... and a cooling breeze surrounds Amulet Heart. "Negative Heart: Lock On!" Her hands come to her chest, fingers forming a heart shape over the padlock there. The girl thrusts her hands forward, and a pink beam fires in rings from the lock, going through her hands and emerging as a series of large hearts that fly toward the X-Chara. "OPEN HEART!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Amu Hinamori has used Open Heart on Fate Testarossa. COMBAT: Amu Hinamori has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fate Testarossa narrowly braces Amu Hinamori's Finisher, Open Heart, taking 34 Fatigue damage! Fate Testarossa is unable to keep fighting! Fate Testarossa's Block ability activates! Fate Testarossa's Parry ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Fate Testarossa [None] has posed.
That's one hell of a distraction Propane-chan. The creature simply tries to zip out of the way, only to find that the weight of Lera's blows has pinned it in already. One slash after another falls, filling the air full of the violet material that makes up its skin.
Part of the red X on its head is cut clean off, revealing the tip of what looks like a... cat ear that is still sheathed in violet skin. It shrieks in fury, waving its baton at the mage threateningly and ineffectually.
Suddenly it stops, as if it feels something rising, a sheen of black sweatdrops all over it. It's not the heat it feels however, it's the anger, the wrath, the resolve of the HiME mistress of Kagutsuchi. It raises its hand, red X's moving into place as if to block what is coming. It really shouldn't have even bothered.
Even a fraction of that child's light blasts it away, the flames washing over it, the blast wave as that ardent light smashing the little imp to the ground, where it doesn't look like it wants to get up, its whole body on fire, wisps of darkness bleeding away along with the smoke.
It does however, with such languor that one might tell its on its last legs. If this goes on, then might a child's dream truly be destroyed!? Except that now it's facing the power of the Humpty Lock!
Prismatic hearts shimmer and wash over it, and it tries its best to stand up against it. And fails. When everyone's vision clears, they get one last glimpse of a grey-furred cat ear. A tiny hand waving from a closing egg, before it slips inside. "I'm so sorry for troubling all of you you. Thank you so much for your help!" The tiny chara calls kindly and respectfully(Even to La Sirene, who seemed poised to kick it.), before the colorful egg shuts entirely, the cracks vanishing.
It descends down into the center of Fate's chest, then disappears entirely in a shimmer of light. The girl slumps over, unconscious from the ordeal... <Thank you very much.> Bardiche chimes, after a few moments, the delay perhaps only to check over his mistress to make certain she's alright.
<Pose Tracker> Soular [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Curious indeed. Soular has to applaud Fate her loyalty to her mother; it is regrettable that Fate apparently cannot actually fulfill her mother's will, but he can respect her dedication at least. He's far less impressed with her opponents, telling this... X-Chara that she ought to be selfish and self-serving, and as he watches the battle unfold, he doesn't bother to hide that from his face. Yes, Mai, Soular basically is just watching--but at least he hasn't interfered.
Until now.
With the X-Chara defeated and Fate functionally at the mercy of her "saviors," it wouldn't be good to leave an ally undefended. At the least, it would reflect poorly upon Lord Mobius. With a nimble but powerful leap that takes him up and over the treatops, Soular alights next to Fate and Bardiche. He crouches, scoops her and her weapon/friend into his arms, then stands and gives the magical girls a cool look.
"A decent enough performance," he remarks, because Soular can't not be a condescending jerk, "but it would be best to end this here."
And with that, he leaps up again, once more into the trees and now out of view.
<Pose Tracker> Amu Hinamori [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
"That one was strong..." And yet, despite her exhaustion, Amu feels good that they managed to purify the X-chara. As the egg floats back into Fate's chest, Amuley Heart takes a few steps toward the girl. "You know, you--"
Any uplifting words are cut short as Soular appears and absconds with Fate. "...ah." She looks toward Lera and Mai, "I've never had that happen before. Any clues?"
<Pose Tracker> Lera Camry [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
She doesn't let out a sigh of relief until it's clear that Amulet Heart's attack has settled things. Then, when the tiny egg thanks them, Lera sighs -- and briefly smiles. But Soular is in there, a moment later. She can't quite rage about it; he's helping an ally, after all, though he hadn't seen fit to until then. She is not, though, pleased. Lera calls out a futile: "Wait!"
But they're off. Her outstretched hand falls down by her side, still clutching the other sword. The tip of it hits the ground, energy blackening the dirt there, until she thinks to turn the weapon back into its pen mode.
She clutches it, before she looks at Amu. "He's... with another group. I'm not sure what he's doing," she says. Then she frowns, looking down at her fate. "I hope she's okay..."
<Pose Tracker> Nadeshiko Fujisaki [Ohtori Academy (6)] has posed.
Off in the trees, a pair of eyes blink away, the voice they belong to hemming to himself. "Wasteful," he mutters, making a few marks on a scratch pad and tucking the results in his pocket. But his eyes snap back over as Soular appears, narrowing at the save. "Now that was interesting...who was that girl?"
But the risk of discovery was too great from lingering now. "Yet another point of data to record," he muses to himself, meandering off into the forests surrounding the academy's gardens. "Another egg that was not the Embryo. This methodology isn't very efficient, is it?" He muses to himself, and the man who doesn't honestly look all *that* much like Yuu Nikaidou departs, to leave the magical girls to their turmoil.
<Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Ardent fury burns through the stormy afternoon - and with everyone's force united, the egg-monster is purified. The HiME, catching her breath, receives an apology...a thanks...and an admonition, all in short order.
Mai has spent her fury, and so it's a softer gaze that follows Fate's departure in the arms of that silver-haired mastermind. What...in the world is going on here? Amu's question and Lera's explanation leave Mai with a slight bit of whiplash...until finally, she lets out a sigh. "Yeah. He did something with giant mirror-monsters some weeks back...I don't know what to think about that girl. 'Fate', right?"
Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, maybe? Mai shakes her head, uncertain. "You were able to fix that monster though...which seems to have been a better idea than just incinerating it. Nice work. And...I need to go get ready for work. 'Mysterious Waitress' does have a job, after all." She musters up a smirk and a wink, and turns to get her umbrella-
The clouds, troubled by Kagutsuchi's heat, unleash a bit heavier rain directly upon Mai. "...of course." She storms over to grab umbrella and bookbag, and leaves without another word - Elements fading into wisps of flame as she heads for the Ohtori dorms.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The astonishingly cute appearance of Fate's true 'heart'-embodiment actually catches the Wind Knight by surprise - such a gentle girl, if that represents Fate's inner self ... and then Soular whisks Fate away before there's any more chance to ponder what's going on.
"If anyone needs healing before we go our separate ways," she offers, "I'll be happy to do what I can for your injuries." Mai-san is gone before Fuu can really get the offer out, but the offer stands for those who aren't already leaving. Granted, getting out of the rain is probably a more important idea than magical first-aid winds at the moment ... but either way.
