View source for 2014-07-16 - Poetry Slam Smackdown!

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! style="background:#CC6699; border: 2px #CC0033 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Title: Poetry Slam Smackdown!'''
|-
|'''Summary''':<br>
''There's a plan by the scholar Nephrite''<br />
''To take power from poetry night''<br />
''To make matters worse''<br />
''All must speak in verse''<br />
''But heroines put up a fight!''
|-
| '''Who:'''<br>
[[Nephrite]], [[Erika Inagawa|Forever Sunshine]], [[Sakura Akagi|Japanese Cherry Blossom]], [[Fuu Hououji]], [[Reiko Touyama|Prism Keeper Orange]], [[Lucy Iwai|Mezozoic Maiden Lucy]], [[Usagi Tsukino|Sailor Moon]], [[Mamoru Chiba|Tuxedo Mask]], [[Mai Tokiha]], [[Eri Shimanouchi]]
|-
| '''Where:'''<br>
Ueno Museum District
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| '''OOC - IC Date:'''<br>
12 February 2014 - 7/16/2014
|-
|}
[[Category:Logs]]


 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.

Many of the more artistically oriented circles have been buzzing with news of Masato Sanjouin's poetry slam.

It seems a bit unusual for the renowned conductor (/cellist/tennis coach) to be hosting a literary event -- especially one with such an enormous monetary prize. But, as is often typical of artists, the lure of possible cash is too great to resist, and when the evening finally rolls around, the Museum District is packed to bursting with aspiring and established poets alike.

Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be any kind of preliminary qualification round. Almost everyone who signed up got a slot -- which meant it was going to be a long, long night. But, never one to be inhospitable, Masato had made arrangements for refreshments; that is, hors d'oeuvres of five-star restaurant quality and wine to bring an enthusiast to tears. However, the man himself is nowhere to be seen amidst the formally-dressed crowd. Perhaps he's simply caught up with judging duties?

When the time comes, the attendees are ushered into the auditorium, a small theater that seems...oddly placed in a museum. Non-magical folk wouldn't notice, of course, but there seems to be an air of wrongness to the place. The air is alarmingly stale, and a chill pervades the room, despite the obviously functioning heaters. Worst of all, every shadow grows long, and seems to flicker of its own accord in peripheral vision.

Nephrite constructed the place from pure darkness, after all. It can't escape his personal signature.

Uneasy or not, the lights go down, as does the noise of the crowd, and a lanky young man walks onto the stage. Well, 'walk' is a strong word -- to be honest, he hobbles to the spotlight, clearly weakened by something. His hair is dishevelled and unwashed, as are his clothes, which he hasn't bothered to change for the slam. A few scattered giggles are heard from the audience, but only before he opens his mouth.

It'll be hard for people to recall exactly what his poem was about. Only that its author had a velvety, hypnotizing voice, and that they were moved to the core by its nuance and beauty. If they listened too closely, however, they would find their senses slowly dropping away, until finally, they dropped into a deep, deep sleep.


 <Pose Tracker> Erika Inagawa [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Mio Kuroki, always buoyant in her slightly dark way, had invited her younger friend to come and attend this event with her. Mio herself is in a little black dress suiting the occasion, and that helps her in illicitly claiming a glass of wine for herself. 

Usagi will have to tipple on her own. At least the caviar snackies are free. 

But some delicacies of a noshing nature are not all that the world has to offer. When the time comes, and the guests are gestured into the auditorium, Mio ensured she was standing near the younger girl, like a tall maple besides a young blonde oak. 

At the doorjamb, she paused for a moment, swirling the red wine in her glass. 

As she sipped the last of it, she had reached over to touch Usagi's arm. "It might be nothing," she said then, "but - mmm. I'll be sure we're on the aisle." 

Inwardly, her thoughts are darker, and her expression deliberately stoic. But she does sit on the aisle - or just inside. 

AND NOW 

A presentation. Letting out a small sigh, Mio's face tightens as those words ripple over them. She leans forwards, fingers tightening on the stem of her glass. A casual observer might think: Oh, that Kuroki girl's just being a drama queen, /and they would be right/ -- 

Except that she's really bracing against the sense of discomfort. Her head tips forwards, resting against the seat in front of her. Not her most dignified moment. 

AND ERIKA INAGAWA... 

... is hopping rooftops some distance away. Lingering on top of one, her nose wrinkles. 


 <Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

While Fuu doesn't have that much of an interest in poetry, the prize money that's been put up for the 'slam' has her interested. Not that she's sure if she'll actually compete ... although it's not like she loses much of anything by making the effort, is it?

Come the event itself, Fuu has dressed up moderately nicely in a businesslike skirt-suit; rather than a physical notebook, she's used a word processor app on her phone to gather her work. She checks in, finds out when she's due to offer her poetry (such as it is), mingles a bit to see who else is here if anyone is familiar ...

And almost as soon as she steps into the auditorium proper, she wonders if this was a bad idea. Fortunately, she has her 3DS as a useful 'distraction' should she need it - but it really WOULD be rude to play games while somebody else is reading their poetry, earphones or no. Ditto for anything else on her smartphone.

By the time her neighbor nods off with his head on Fuu's shoulder, though, she knows she has other things to worry about than politely listening. She gently dislodges her neighbor (although he is admittedly kind of cute) and is looking around for a good corner to duck into while she transforms ... she doesn't trust the shadows here, but there's no real help for it short of ducking out of the auditorium completely, is there?

"Belief becomes power ... winds, guide me!"

 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight!

 <Pose Tracker> Reiko Touyama [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.

Reiko Touyama has shown up to the poetry slam. Arts, Literature, the Spoken Word, are all things that intrested her--- and putting them onto paper. Tonight, she had hoped to hear a few stellar pieces to commit to paper- the image that the words put into her head. She'd bought a brand new sketchpad for the occasion with her allowance and a lovely new pencil with a sharpened tip---along with a sharpner and eraser set in a baggie in her book bag. She'd be dressed half formal for the occasion. A vest over a blouse with a light orange skirt.

Something felt wrong when she entered though. It's not really a--feeling she's used too. Like something is off and you can't quite tell /what/. But something in her gut is telling her there's some kind of danger here. But that's silly. It's a poetry reading! Maybe it's just because it's dimmer in here than out there. Yeah. That's it. It has to be.

Reiko has a seat amongst the others and draws out her pad and pencil and sharpner and eraser and opens to the last page as she looks up. She watches the ragged looking man hobbles out onto stage and she blinks. Huh. Did she overdress? She looks down at herself, before looking up and around as the man spurts out.. something intelligeble, some sort of weird, hypnotizing melody. She watches people around her begin to faint. One sort of dropped mid walk to a seat. She frowns. 'W..What's going on!?' she thinks. She sort of slips under he bench and begins to crawl out into a corridor out of sight.

"I guess... this is something bad. Nrg. Hope I'm not the only one... Chroma Prism Orange! Transform!"

She says as she summons her crystal from her being, a flash of orange light, a billowy dress, and tiny magical koi tying hair ribbons. Prism Keeper Orange is here!

She then sort of jumps on out of the hallway.

"Putting people to sleep is lame! This... uhm. Isn't why we came!" she says dramatically.

She sort of looks around the room.

"...is there actually anyone here?" she asks out loud.

"Helloooooooooo?"

 COMBAT: Reiko Touyama transforms into Prism Keeper Orange!


 <Pose Tracker> Lucy Iwai [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

Lucy is not terribly familiar with slam poetry, the closest thing she knows being more akin to campfire stories told in verse. But when she heard that a handful of her friends were intending to participate, well, she was all too happy to let herself be dragged along and find out what the hubbub is all about!

Not that she intended to try her hand herself. Getting over stage fright was still a concern, especially with the school play tryouts in just two days, but she just wasn't interested. She at least tried to dress for the occasion, though, with her fanciest (not very fancy) yellow sundress and a small, tipped gardener's hat. The running shoes sort of ruin the image, however.

"These are tasty, I guess, but not very meaty," Lucy remarks, as she sniffs one of the hors d'oeuvres and discreetly drops it into her bag, from which gluttonously mascottish eating sounds can be heard, prompting a few onlookers to glance at the source of such uncouth noise! To cover it up, Lucy promptly makes a big show of snarfing down her own hors d'oeuvres as loudly as possible.

When they turn away, shaking their heads, she shakes her own. Why did she bring a dinosaur to such a fancy event? She had to split off from her friends to feed him, too...

But wait, it's about to start! Hurriedly, she gets closer to the stage, only half paying attention to the disheveled poet that just appeared, looking through the crowd to find familiar faces... But wait, something... isn't... right!

"Didi, quick!" And while most people are too busy falling unconscious to notice, Didi pokes out of Lucy's bag, wearing a tiny little bow tie, and hands her her club. She ducks behind a curtain, needing to change before she can take on her big role!

"Rock of Ages, make me shine!"

 COMBAT: Lucy Iwai transforms into Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!


 <Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Earlier this week,

Usagi Tsukino stares up at the ceiling. She reaches across the bed to grab her phone again, so that she can reread the texts. Mamoru Chiba. Poetry. Mamoru's friends.

She drops her phone again and resumes staring at the ceiling. Her homework remains unfinished on her desk, but it's like priority number eight on her list right now.

Now,

Usagi didn't really grasp the exact level of dress specified for this event. Mio tried to help, but there's only so much a person can do over the phone. Dressy... but not too dressy? Not like dressy dressy, but you know, dressy.

She wore a dress and it has flowers on it. It's a white maxi that fortunately matches her shoes. It's a good thing white is Usagi's favorite color, but it's about the only thing that lets her get away with wearing that garish brooch all the time.

Mio looking out for her helps, but Usagi wouldn't have let the older girl out of her sight in any case. Mio's her lifeline. When she touches Usagi's arm, the blonde girl (who has been too distracted to eat), leaps at the chance to cling to the outstretched hand. She freezes, listens to what Mio says, and then smiles sheepishly.

"Right, um. Aisle. Are you feeling okay?"

DANGER LEVEL CURRENTLY READS: nope. hey, are those snacks free?

(they are but now it's time to go sit down. usagi's internal bunny mascot cries hugely.)

DANGER LEVELS DURING PERFORMANCE: still nope, phone is more important.

"Mio-chan," whispers Usagi, her pale face lit by a device glow. "Mio-chan, Luna-chan gave me this app that, like... well, look at this--"

Usagi leans over to show Mio the screen, only to find that her friend is even worse at paying attention to poetry than she is. How could Mio fall asleep? That's so unlike her! Almost like an outside force is...

LUNA'S APP TRYING TO WARN ABOUT DANGER LEVELS: usagi there is danger meow.

"O-oh," she murmurs, glancing at the screen again and then up to the stage, where Magic is happening. She adjusts Mio into a more comfortable position (this involves grunting, Mio isn't heavy but Usagi has less upper body strength than Luna) and then awkwardly sinks below chair-level. Look, all the other good hiding spots were taken, okay?!


 <Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Sakura Akagi - or, rather, Japanese Cherry Blossom, is not so far from Erika's chosen rooftop. She's on her way toward what seems like the smell of something dangerous...

She's not too surprised to see Forever Sunshine is headed this way. "Ah. So you scented it too. Come on-- I'm sure there's something--"

She leaps into the air, and there's a trail of cherry blossoms left behind her as she starts hopping over toward the poetry recital.

 COMBAT: Sakura Akagi transforms into Japanese Cherry Blossom!


 <Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Having been dragged out to view the place in advance, Mai knew there was little to no chance of escaping tonight's event. She'd double-checked her schedule - work and medical both - but the evening was, in the end, open. Plus, Chiba-san had been enthusiastic about it, and she did owe him for dragging him out to karaoke the other night.

The occasion's formality, however, posed some problem. She had her school uniform, her work uniform, some casual clothes, some slightly dressier clothes for meeting with Takumi's doctors...but nothing up to the standards of an affair like this. She toyed with a few ideas - taking the apron off the Linden Baum dress and trying to turn it into something suitable, or just flat-out wearing her Ohtori uniform and calling it a day - but in the end, her friends intervened.

Courtesy of Mamoru Chiba, she now has a very nice dress that was apparently the result of his calling in a favor. It's nice. It's a nice mustard-yellow. Elegant shoulders, gauzy split sleeves, a flowing angle-length skirt - it's graceful and gorgeous beyond what she could have imagined. And now she owes him one and will worry for days about how to repay this.

Mai had arrived at the museum's theatre with Mamoru and Eri, and found a seat in the audience - her poetry confidence nowhere near thinking of competing. The shadowy atmosphere is a bit strange - karaoke parlors being brighter for the most part - but the sponsor was going for acoustics, right? And even with that flaw in the atmosphere, the rest of the event was well put together; the hors d'oeuvres were cheerily sampled, intriguing recipes mentally flagged for future experimentation, the wine excellent as far as she can ascertain...

The poetry itself, however, is incredibly boring. The first poet, slovenly at a glance - what, were participants not held to the same standards? - mumbled something that even the room's excellent acoustics couldn't save, and Mai finds herself drifting off to slumber...but then there's a shout. And another, and another, from all around, and Mai snaps to attention. She glances to her companions, then to those heroes who have made their entrance known.

"...well, this is certainly showing up in my face." Mai focuses a moment - don't burn the dress, it's far too nice to ruin - and holds out her wrists. There's a flash of flame, spiralling around her wrists, glowing near the bottom of her skirt - and as the rings take shape, Mai takes a moment to alight atop her seat's back. She's in an elegant dress, she's not sure what exactly is going on, but she's here and there's something evil to be opposed.

And for once, she almost feels like the nickname of 'Mai-hime' might not be completely out of place.

 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha transforms into Mai-HiME!


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

Having visited the venue prior to the event to check out the acoustics and classiness level, Mamoru Chiba is prepared for the sense of wrongness-- in fact, he'd texted someone noting it, leaving the invitation open to go with him to investigate. But he's here with Mai and Eri, as overdressed as he was for the Christmas party in Hokkaido, possessed of a white tie and tails and carrying himself with the dissociated loftiness and noblesse oblige of one of Ohtori's kings.

Only, the second he's actually inside the Dark Auditorium, his dark blue eyes zero in on Usagi Tsukino, there with Mio.

She came after all. And she's wearing white. And she's-- well. It's all right. She's here.

With kitchen prose and gutter rhymes in his pocket and his name on the list, Mamoru makes himself focus on things like finding a seat with his friends, keeping his attention on his surroundings, keeping an eye out for Sanjouin, trying to spot the other Senshi though he knows if they're not with Usagi they're not there, and nominally participating in conversation with Eri and Mai.

Through it all is his awareness that she's right over there, and they're friends, and she likes someone else, but they're friends, and she's right over there.

When the sleep-inducing mumble of the Grunge Poet begins to make people literally nod off, the eleventh-grader's not paying attention to the words, but their effect. He glances over in alarm as Mai begins to nod off, and reaches to lightly shove at Eri when the HiME wakes herself up and jumps up on the back of her chair. He's waiting-- for what? He stops waiting and leans down to reach under his seat, and when he sits back up--

Tuxedo Kamen is putting his top hat on with crisp efficiency. "Don't be afraid," he tells Mai as he stands up, "to call in the cavalry if necessary, but let's try to take the fight outside, shall we? Eri-chan, if you'd pass the word, I'd be eternally grateful."

Then he stands. "If you'll pardon me, I have something to attend to. I'll be around."

With a flutter of red and black silk and a rush of wind, despite not being in an aisle seat, the tall and slender masked boy is abruptly gone from sight.

 COMBAT: Mamoru Chiba transforms into Tuxedo Mask!


 <Pose Tracker> Eri Shimanouchi [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Poetry. It was something Eri had absolutely no talent for writing, but still appreciated much like music. Appreciation doesn't necessarily mean she knew a thing about it, especially slam poetry. She had to google it to figure out what it even was. Invited to the event, she had to first decide between her limited assortment of formal ensembles. That choice took her an egregious amount of time, all things considered. 

She eventually arrives in a strikingly conservative cobalt blue dress. She hoped noone would notice her passe shoes as she arrives alongside her pair of friends. She always felt like she was in Mamoru's shadow.. literally that is, not figuratively. He's just so tall! Taking a glance at the figure Mai cut in her own gorgeous dress, she feels faint regret for having not expressed her own anxiety. 

Before the performance began, she helped herself to a few of the more vegetarian friendly hors d'oeuvres, trying some olives dipped in cheese that she didn't quite.. recognize. She avoided the wine, having tested how well she could hold her liquor she wasn't eager for a repeat performance on a formal night. She gave Lucy and her handbag a friendly wave while doing this, but tried not to call too much attention to the fact that she was waving to her bag! 

Once inside the auditorium, she sat beside Mai as the performance began. And.. really didn't appreciate the first performance like she thought she would. She'd read on google that the first performance was usually a 'sacrificial poet' but she did know that he was droning on like Saotome-sensei talking about her latest dating debacle in class. Eyelids drooping, she began to feel as if maybe she just needed to catch a nap. 

The light shove from Mamoru jolts her out of such thoughts, as she looks to her companions with drowsy confusion, then all the other civilians. When the flash of flame manifested, she knew it was 'go' time, and manifested a green gem in her palm. At the same time tapping out a mass text to other Mahou Shoujo whose number she had to literally 'call the cavalry'. "Well at least the two of you are dressed for the occasion." She intones as she stands, instantly suffused with viridian a light the motes of which look very much like leaves. Mid-transformation, she's already leaping towards the aisle so she won't inadvertently leap on anyone's head, mumbling, "Well to take it outside, we have to first figure out what we're dealing with." 

 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi transforms into Puella Magi Eri!


 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
The poet, oblivious to his handiwork, continues reciting his poem, alternating between a confident near-shout and a shaky mumble at random intervals. He...He just wants to share his poetry. He wants people to /listen/ to him, for once in his life. He wants renown, cash, fame. And he's good enough to get them -- he knows he is. That man told him he was, before giving back his notebook. So then, why--

Sensing something is wrong even in his half-dazed state, the poet looks around the auditorium. The stage lights nearly blind him, and a force in his head throbs like an iron bar is melting in his brain, but he forces himself to really look at the people attending the slam. Wealthy and well-dressed, to the last. Not like him. Not like his family.

And they're all...asleep. They couldn't even stay /awake/ to hear a plebeian's hard work. Couldn't force themselves away from the hors d'oeuvres and wine for a second to listen to him. They'd laughed when he came on stage, and now...now...

"Now! Poema, release your might on these humans!" a baritone voice commands from the back of the auditorium, and the boy collapses as his notebook glows with dark energy, morphing into a paper-white caricature of the poet Shakespeare.

 COMBAT: Nephrite transforms into Youma Form Poema!
 COMBAT: Nephrite has fully healed himself. He is now ready to take on 10 opponents!

:An animated bust of Shakespeare with two quills on either side of his head, fountain pen heads for hands, and a toga made of parchment. He stands about at about six feet and six inches. His overall complexion is paper white.


 <Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Mio's eyes turn towards the screen, plaintively, before they shut. Fortunately, she is pliant when rearranged. She will, at worst, be a scenic corpse. Could anything be more apt? 

-- 

Forever Sunshine vaults after Cherry, trailing fragrant sandalwood smoke as she goes. Once she nears the auditorium, she says helpfully, "It's totally coming from in here!" She lingers at the doorway, listening - and frowning when she hears "release your might on these humans." 

"I think that's bad," she says, before body checking the door open and trotting inwards, coming up from one of the aisles in time to see - 

"Oh no, oh crap - um -" Forever Sunshine jogs a bit inwards, before clapping her hands twice and calling forwards, "HEY, BALD BREATH! The only MIGHT you have is "might have had a chance before the perfume warriors got here!"" 

Erika does not recognize Shakespeare. 

 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Forever Perfect Poise on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Forever Sunshine's Forever Perfect Poise, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite is Taunted!  


 <Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Sakura does recognize Shakespeare... from school. But English is not her favorite subject, in spite of her being an avid student of History - she just prefers Japanese. She hopes this is not some kind of pop exam. 

Erika has a good play on words, though, so she does the job of getting things started quite admirably. Japanese Cherry Blossom stands on the opposite side of the auditorium and also gestures toward him. "That's right," she says, looking at Forever Sunshine to back her up. "We're going to put a stop to your word games! Working together, there's no way we can fail, so you could just stop right now!"

 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Team Encouragement on Forever Sunshine.
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine accepts Japanese Cherry Blossom's Team Encouragement, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Forever Sunshine is Cheered!  


 <Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The Magic Knight of Wind raises her eyebrows as she approaches the stage. "So this *was* a scheme by the forces of evil." She shakes her head slightly. "I was hoping I was wrong ..." She turns to look towards the back of the auditorium, to see if she can spot the voice's owner, then glances around at her allies, smiling briefly in greetings to them (whether she knows them or not - it's good to see that she DOES recognize the majority of them), then focuses her attention on the youma once more.

"The show must go on, as the saying goes - but this is supposed to be a poetry reading, not a live-action stage show. I suppose we'll have to make this as quick as we're able to."

 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Gentle Chiding on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Fuu Hououji's Gentle Chiding, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite is Quipped! 

 <Pose Tracker> Prism Keeper Orange [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.

Prism Keeper Orange watches as the boy collapses and from the notebook, comes this big huge paper creature. Orange's eyes go wide. She's seen all of.. two youma. One was a giant Train the the other was a Giant Trash Can creature she was pretty sure was the result of a conspiracy to rule the world via magical trash can theft.

She goes even more wide eyed when Shakesphere results from this. NOoooo! They can't fight shakesphere! They just can't. Why not!? Well... This isn't really Shakesphere.. isn't it? Reiko pays enough attention in school to know who Shakesphere is. Arts major in the making of course.

Others appear. She doesn't know these people--- Forever Sunshine says something about 'Perfume Warriors' the phrase is familar to her if only because Mei brought it up the other night. She looks down at her Chroma Wand. Maybe this was a bad idea....

She shakes her head, enough of that! "Ah---it's okay if... things are a little fishy right now....!" she says with the most straightest face she can manage right now as Koi materalize at the feet of Cherry Blossom, Forever Sunshine and the Mesozoic Maiden (When they all respectivly come out.) They'll spiral up, swimming about and spreading empowering sparkles in thier wake before popping like a bubble when they're over thier heads. They're bright and brilliant orange "We can sea it out in the end!~" she says with a curt nod!

HoHoHo, she thinks, I'm so clever! Despite it being words so no one can hear how they're spelled. OH well.

 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Orange Prism Power! on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Orange Prism Power! on Forever Sunshine.
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Orange Prism Power! on Mesozoic Maiden Lucy.
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy accepts Prism Keeper Orange's Orange Prism Power!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!  
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine accepts Prism Keeper Orange's Orange Prism Power!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Empower applied to Forever Sunshine!  
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom accepts Prism Keeper Orange's Orange Prism Power!, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Empower applied to Japanese Cherry Blossom!  


 <Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Poema?!

Usagi pokes her head up over the chairs, blue eyes wide. And there, she sees--

"Tuxedo--eek--"

Her aborted exclamation turns out to be more of a squeak. There, next to Tuxedo Mask, floats a beautiful girl with red hair and an elegant dress. She's radiant. She's Mai. Usagi buries herself behind the chairs once again and grasps her brooch, closing her eyes.

"Moon Prism Power--" She summons up the light. Her hair instinctively reaches for the sky, somewhere past the ceiling. "MAKE UP!"

The back of the auditorium is visited by a kaleidoscopic aurora, a shifting palette of colors and silvery-white sparkles. A slender silhouette bursts forth from the warm hues, hair and ribbons streaming behind her. As she alights upon the back of one chair, the lengths of red cloth encircle her feet, forming boots, and then a skirt and gloves and bow--and finally a sharp collar.

The girl gestures accusingly.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Sailor Moon spins around with otherworldly grace, keeping her balance on her tiptoe. She traces a crescent shape through the air.

"Letting other people's validation become your sole measure of self-worth turns you into a mirror reflecting all hurtful things you see! I won't forgive anyone who responds to being hurt by deciding to hurt others!"

She points at Poema, striking a fierce pose.

"I'm the sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! And, in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

 COMBAT: Usagi Tsukino transforms into Sailor Moon!
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon has used In The Name Of The Moon on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly counters Sailor Moon's In The Name Of The Moon, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon is Psyched!  Nephrite's Reverse ability activates!  Nephrite's Tactician ability activates!  Cripple and Trap applied to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Haikool Story, Bro, partially gets through, doing 7 Fatigue damage to Sailor Moon!  Sailor Moon is Quipped! 


 <Pose Tracker> Mesozoic Maiden Lucy [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

A flash of green light filters out from the curtain Lucy hid behind. A moment later, projector gets abruptly repositioned to point to the Mesozoic Maiden as she lands in, stage left, splintering a few of the floorboards in the process (oops).

"Strong as the tyrano! Clever as the raptor! Nimble as the dactyl! I am Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!" She points at the youma, in something resembling Sailor Moon's typical speechifying pose without actually being it (she knows Usagi is here, and would rather not sour one of her best friendships with a copyright infringement lawsuit).

"Everyone has a story to tell! Pangaeans tell each other where the stars come from around the campfire, and earthlings come together to put their feelings into rhyme! Interrupting them while they're speaking, let alone using them for some dastardly energy plot, is not just rude, it makes me want to shout!"

"I am Lucy," she repeats, "hear me ROAR!" The last word, shouted so loud it causes the air around her to ripple, shoots towards the Shakespearian bust like a cannon loaded full of hunter-gatherer indignation!

 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy has used Hear Me Roar on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly dodges Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's Hear Me Roar, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Mesozoic Maiden Lucy is Psyched!  Nephrite's Fade ability activates!  Nephrite's Flash ability activates!  Nephrite is Taunted!  Diversion applied to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

The cavalry. Right. Okay, technically 'mounted warrior' applies to Mai's emergency backup option, but that would be much better used outside, and best used not at all. She manages to give Tuxedo Kamen a smirk in reply as he vanishes in a gust of wind, and muses out loud. "He really does have to be dramatic..."

That musing is cut off by Eri's comment, what dignity she managed to possess offset by her face flushing. She starts to protest, but gives up and just sighs. "You know well whose idea this was! But yes, let's see what we're up against-"

Enter Poema, and Mai blankly staring for a moment. Okay. This is easily the most bizarre thing she's seen this year. The demonic singing trio has been dethroned. It takes the declarations of other heroes to pull her attention away from figuring out what on earth this is. Mai hesitates to call the monster out, though. What does one say to an animated bust of Shakespeare?

Apparently, anything one wants. Taking a breath to find her confidence - and drawing on more Linden Baum experience than she'd like to admit - she calls out loudly. "Everyone gets their turn on stage, and you've had yours - so step aside, and let other poets have a try!" Whether or not the monster's listening, Mai whips out a quick lick of flame to snag the bottom of the parchment toga...

 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Just Burn Bad Poems on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Mai Tokiha's Just Burn Bad Poems, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Stagger applied to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Eri Shimanouchi [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

If she were more learned in Western history, she might better recognize what exactly Poema is depicting. She thinks she saw a picture of him once in her textbook. Well whatever! It's a monster right? And it's standing over the abominably boring poet. It hadn't yet occurred to her that he might be responsible for that. Not even looking upwards at Mai, she wiggles her fingers, "I think you're protesting overmuch Mai-chan!" She had no idea where that paraphrase of a quote even came from. 

As she runs up the aisle, tendrils, long and sinewy, creep out from behind her gloves like ivy covered in razor sharp thorns. It hasn't even fully formed, before she lets her magic do its work. Green runic circles, sparkling with viridian motes form all around the Youma. 

The stage blooms and blossoms, erupting into small trees and saplings with sharpened branches all around the Youma. More grow into bamboo stakes, intending to skewer the opponent. Normally she doesn't justice speech as she's terrible at it, so she decides to say the first thing that springs to mind, "I'm not much good at rhyme, but if you're going to cause a fuss, then I can always create..." There's a notable pause, as if realizing internally how bad the pun is.. but being unable to stop the trainwreck in the making, her tone becomes chagrined "..poetrees on the spot." 

 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi has used Weald Advent on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Eri Shimanouchi's Weald Advent, taking 30 Fatigue damage!  


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

Out of nowhere, the tap-tap of dress shoes on the arm of an auditorium chair and the rustle of silk heralds the arrival of Tuxedo Mask behind Sailor Moon. One white-gloved hand reaches to place itself on the back of the pretty soldier of love and justice, and he leans in close to whisper to her.

But then the puns start.

It takes an immense effort of will to focus past their glorious pain and tell Sailor Moon something very, very important, very very quietly.

"Thou contracted to thine own bright eyes, feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel, making a famine where abundance lies-- thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel. You're right-- but remember, too, that he can't hurt you unless you let him. You're better than his words, Sailor Moon. You'll always be better than words."

Quickly said, the masked man draws back from the light of the Moon's Senshi, staying close but out of general sight; her friends are numerous and many are present, but they all have a lot to worry about. His friends have each other, and-- maybe-- Sailor Moon needs him tonight.

 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Thereby Beauty's Rose Might Never Die on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon accepts Tuxedo Mask's Thereby Beauty's Rose Might Never Die, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon is Cheered!  


 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Despite what it may seem, this is not a kind of youma that the magical warriors have encountered before. It's from the Dark Kingdom, without question; but its origins are a little more, shall we say, parasitic? Poema is not, in fact, the poor collapsed poet. But it was brought to life through his energy, siphoned away from him over the period of about a week and a half. And now that it has all that delicious life energy, it will get more. Nephrite so decrees.

Speaking of the man, he is maintaining his position at the back of the room, coldly surveying the situation as it begins to unfold. The stars had forseen the interference of the Light, and they had not led him astray, for almost a dozen magical girls appeared from the shadows, ready to protect the unconscious audience and save this hoax of a poetry slam.

Very well. He had come prepared.

Back on the stage, Poema barely has a second to look at his surroundings before he is assailed: by words, and by magic. Truthfully, the two crossed over more than many realized, and it was nowhere more obvious than with this youma, powered by poetry and wordplay. He cringes at the crude insults of the Perfume Warrior, his stony face contorting in frustration. Really? Bald Breath? That doesn't even make sense!

"Do you not know who I am?" the pale creature announces, pointing one pen-hand towards the girl. "I am Poema, the might of words made manifest! You will suffer for you clumsy insults!" This goes for Fuu as well, whom he glares at. Just try and take him down quickly. You'll find that he's a master of drawing things out unnecessarily.

When Sailor Moon makes her appearance, Nephrite's eyes widen just a touch, though obscured by shadow, it is unlikely that she knows he is present. He has faced her in combat before, many months ago. That time, she left victorious; this time, he will crush her where she stands. The Dark General temporarily seizes control of his youma's mouth to say the following:

"Sailor Moon, you are<br />
a hypocritical child.<br />
I will end you here."

And although he was temporarily possessed by his master, Poema shakes it off with relative ease, though not before a tongue of flame singes the hem of his toga and a several stakes of bamboo impale his chest.

"Such insolence!" he cries out, in both surprise and pain. With one grasping hand, he pulls out the plants, but his lovely tunic is now stained both by sap and ash. "I wonder -- will you have such *spunk* when I take your very words from you?!"

He fires off three different attacks: a volley of golden lassos, a rainfall of ink, and best of all, a ball of pure darkness, a nebulous mass of midnight despair and raven feathers. Each, if they hit, will affect the very words that a person can say. And without their armour of bluster and self-righteousness, what will be left of them?

 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Tuxedo Mask.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Mai Tokiha.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Prism Keeper Orange.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Eri Shimanouchi.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Fuu Hououji.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Rhyme Without Reason on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Rhyme Without Reason on Forever Sunshine.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Rhyme Without Reason on Mesozoic Maiden Lucy.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Dulce et Decorum on Nephrite.

 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange narrowly braces Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite is Psyched!  Prism Keeper Orange's Block ability activates!  Prism Keeper Orange's Parry ability activates!  Prism Keeper Orange is Taunted!  Stun applied to Prism Keeper Orange!  
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine narrowly dodges Nephrite's Rhyme Without Reason, taking 2 Mana damage!  Forever Sunshine's Fade ability activates!  Forever Sunshine's Flash ability activates!  Cripple applied to Forever Sunshine!  
 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi perfectly dodges Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Critical Dodge!  
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji is Quipped!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  Trap applied to Fuu Hououji!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Nephrite's Dulce et Decorum, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Accelerate and Withstand applied to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha narrowly dodges Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Mai Tokiha is Taunted!  Stun applied to Mai Tokiha!  
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy narrowly braces Nephrite's Rhyme Without Reason, taking 2 Mana damage!  Cripple applied to Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!  
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon fails to dodge Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon is Quipped!  
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom narrowly braces Nephrite's Rhyme Without Reason, taking 0 Mana damage!  Japanese Cherry Blossom's Block ability activates!  Cripple applied to Japanese Cherry Blossom!  
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask perfectly dodges Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Dodge!  Tuxedo Mask's Flash ability activates!  


 <Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Forever Sunshine slips into a readied stance - which loses something when she says, "Omigosh that is so CUTE!" Why? Koi! Fishy power fills her, empowering her citrus scent with more elemental Orange. She is pleased.

Then light fills the room... 

"Sailor Moon!" Forever Sunshine says, eyes going wide at the fierce posing. She immediately moves as if to mimic it, from the other direction. "YEAH! Cherry, this guy's in trouble now, huh?!" 

She remains optimistic until she is splattered with ink and feathers, which make her squeak in dismay, staggering back - into the first row of seats. She sputters, wiping at her face and saying, "This horror poem gently crapping, hot and steaming in our lapping, on the insolence he's rapping, will he prevail?" 

"My calf's sore," she mumbles. 

"Cherry Blossom! Slap his face in," she calls as she squats to rub out the charley horse. "Paper poems have their place in, school and coffee shops and other places with, um, Thor!" 

That was reaching. "Blow his leaves off! To the shore!!" 

 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Hey Hey Go Go on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom accepts Forever Sunshine's Hey Hey Go Go, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Japanese Cherry Blossom is Cheered!  


 <Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

While the Wind Knight is quick enough in dodging that the lasso fails to close around her throat, it *does* ensnare her arm, halting her dodge with a rather painful yank. "Nngh - !"

Her sword materializes in her left hand: not the hand she normally swings it with, but since her right hand is the one that got ensnared, she needs the left hand to cut it loose. One good swing and the 'rope' should be parted easily enough, leaving the green-clad Magic Knight gathering herself and checking the state of her allies. "I dare to say we've fought verse enemies than you before ... but rather than take a page from your book, I'd rather support my allies when they need it. Iyashi no Kaze!"

Her sword is shifted to her right hand as the Wind Knight swings her left arm upwards, and the Winds of Healing gust gently around her, the Mesozoic Maiden, and the HiME of fire - attempting to ease the pain of their injuries thus far and get them back up to something resembling full fighting potential.

 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Fuu Hououji.
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Mesozoic Maiden Lucy.
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Iyashi no Kaze on Mai Tokiha.
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cleanse! All of Fuu Hououji's debuffs are cleared!  
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Cleanse! All of Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's debuffs are cleared!  
 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha accepts Fuu Hououji's Iyashi no Kaze, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cleanse! All of Mai Tokiha's debuffs are cleared!  


 <Pose Tracker> Prism Keeper Orange [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.

Prism Keeper Orange is hit with fowl wind and darkness, along with raven feathers. One of her materalized fish around her gets covered in feathers and turns particularly dour before popping out of existence in depression. She frowns, as some get caught in her head band. Black doesn't look particularly bad from her headband, but it makes her feel depressed, she siiiighs as she begins to pluck them from her head.

She feels a little better, though not by much, with every one plucked.

"Verily, I often feel much like a tiny fish in a big sea...."

"But orange we all?" she says as she manages a grin before flinging off an orange beam from the tip of her wand into the being!

The last magical Koi just over her shoulder facepalms and pops out of existence. These things are not sentient, but somehow it accomplishes this.

 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Orange Rush! on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Mesozoic Maiden Lucy [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

Once Lucy's righteous indignation subsides, she hears the sea-punned theme justice speech from a magical girl she's never seen before (perhaps she's new?), and adorable magical koi sparkle up to meet her, and soon a bubble pops, filling her with the unlikely power of orange energy! The cavegirl waves with a smile to the young Prism Keeper, grateful for the assist.

The youma announces its name and its intent to steal their words. Lucy frowns at that, even though she's not entirely sure what he means by that. She manages to raise her weapon in time to split the torrent of ink headed her way into two streams, but ink, being what it is, still gets on her arms nonetheless, obscuring the glowing tattoos. "Huh-oh." Lucy's vision blurs for a moment, and then... she's fine? The healing wind from Fuu has her cleaned up in the snap of a finger! This youma didn't count on the power of teamwork, did he?

"It seems my words aren't lost! You lose this round, you silly bust!" Lucy declares dramatically, pointing her club with a smile, which... fades out after a second. "And now I speak in forced rhyme? Still, you'll need to try harder next time!"

And thus, she charges ahead, swinging her club at the paper poet! "For ruining this poetry slam, I'll gladly pound you into jam! And if you can't slam with the best, then--"

Wait a second, this doesn't rhyme with "bamm bamm bamm bamm"!

 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy has used Bamm Bamm Bamm on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Japanese Cherry Blossom laughs a little, gleefully, when a fish appears and grants her the power of bubbles. Tuxedo Mask... well, he has a slightly different reaction, even though it wasn't aimed at her. She did speak to him about his problem, but... he seemed so... eloquent. Clearly this WAS one of his better subjects in school. It's hard not to feel charmed... but... she must focus on the threat!

She's struck with a wave of ink. It doesn't immediately occur to her to let out a verbal retort, as she's busy coughing on it, a little bit. She needs a breath of air, so she shouts, "Cherry Blossom Breeze!" and allows the pink winds that it creates to give her a moment of rest... then looks over at Forever Sunshine and nods. She turns her hand toward the Youma with one hand open! A wave of pink petals, flowing through the air, spin around and strike out for the Shakespeare-like monster. She does not have a poem to counter with, this time, but it may just be because she's warming up.

 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Cherry Blossom Breeze on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to counter Japanese Cherry Blossom's Cherry Blossom Breeze, taking 31 Fatigue damage!  Tangle applied to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Energy Elimination, fails to get through, doing 0 Mana damage to Japanese Cherry Blossom!  


 <Pose Tracker> Sailor Moon [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

When Poema suddenly gets too real with her, Sailor Moon shrinks back with a look of reproach. She glances about to see if anyone else got a special message.

No?

Just her?

Okay.

She wobbles on the chair back, and is about to hop down to preserve her dignity when a flourish of midnight silks catches her attention. Tuxedo Mask always finds a way to sneak up on her, even when she knows he's here. The pretty soldier freezes, eyes wide.

And then he's gone. Gone where? Back to Mai, or is he just giving her space because he once again is over analyzing that justice speech she made up when she was embarrassed that one time, or is he--

oh that's a lasso.

Usagi yelps and falls ungainly from her perch, tripping over a passed-out audience member and going sprawling over two more. She attempts to shout apologizes but--dark magic!!--her voice is gone! By the time she's disentangled from them all, the blonde girl is red in the cheeks. She leaps out to the aisle and begins to jab a finger in accusation.

Nothing comes out. She furrows her brow, and then digs in her skirt pocket for a phone. Fortunately, there's other people around to distract Poema while this happens. Several times, when someone makes an excellent play on words, she glances up for a moment. Sweat forms on her brow.

Finally:

"Y-yeah?! Well, um--how is a raven like a writing desk?!"

She pauses. This is good. She hopes this is going to be good. No, this will be good.

"It is--um--nevar put with the wrong end in front?"

Sailor Moon frowns and keeps scrolling.

"Oh, um, it's never--like, with an a instead of an e, I mean instead of the second e, which is raven backward... um. Ha ha."

 COMBAT: Sailor Moon has used THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD OKAY on Nephrite.


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

"HOW DARE YOU? Made of lies as you are, I suppose it's no wonder you could imagine Sailor Moon a hypocrite--"

Tuxedo Mask's voice rings out from the shadows; he leaps from the shadows, letting the darkness of feathers and ink and depression splatter behind where he was a moment ago, like with like. When he lands, it's on the rail of a balcony filled with sleeping victims, and he grips the indentations of a handy column to lean forward and drive his projection to that of a Greek orator. His words echo through the acoustically perfect auditorium.

"Lo! the rose of sweet belief that stemmeth tides of bitter cynics: its thorns grant no relief from this, thine arbor fill'd with critics! Heed him not, fair maids, I pray thee; never let mere words dismay ye!"

Well he's not by Mai, at any rate.

 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Tuxedo Night on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Tuxedo Night on Mai Tokiha.
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Tuxedo Night on Fuu Hououji.
 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha accepts Tuxedo Mask's Tuxedo Night, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Mai Tokiha is Cheered!  
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon accepts Tuxedo Mask's Tuxedo Night, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon is Cheered!  
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji accepts Tuxedo Mask's Tuxedo Night, taking 0 Fatigue damage! 


 <Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

There are a few people here who Mai doesn't recognize - but the vast majority are those she knows to be heroes. The Perfume Warriors, stepping up to insult the monster directly; the Wind Knight and Mezozoic Maiden, challenging with less insult; an unknown girl in orange, her friends - one of whom will be getting a few words later - and, of course, Sailor Moon. The last is apparently notable enough to even monsters, as it challenges her directly, and Mai reflects on the speech.

...no, the monster's in the wrong here. Right? The thoughts were ill-timed, as darkness and raven feathers come her way - and in spite of her best efforts, she finds herself in a cloud of feathers, strange words of despair filling her mind. The lines are there, ready to speak her doubts and fears - but Tuxedo Mask's words and the Wind Knight's cleansing breeze scatter much of the mood and feathers, and bolster her instead into a leap forward. Rings spinning away hidden beneath her skirt, the HiME in a formal dress seems to float before alighting on a closer seat. Because...she does feel elegant, and she can always blame Tuxedo Mask if anyone calls her out for this later.

"Sailor Moon was just correct, but her point you did neglect - <br />
Threatening your enemies with destinies most dire.<br />
But this insult will be mended, for all of us you've now offended-<br />
And I for one will gladly see your works upon a pyre!"

With each line, each rhyme, flames spiral out from the rings around her wrists. As Mai finishes her poetic challenge, she flings both arms forward, directing the inferno - streams of flame forming a double helix, caging the bust in a fiery embrace.

 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has used Infernal Prison on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Eri Shimanouchi [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

Insolence doesn't usually pay off for her. Eri's rush towards the stage is stopped short, on skidded heels as she listens to Poema rail at all the Mahou Shoujo arrayed against him. Every word he speaks has a certain mystical weight to it. Perhaps she feels envious in a way, she had passion certainly, but not when it came to speaking, especially not in public. It felt like her mind fumbled and grasped for each word that came so fluidly to others. She has no time to contemplate these matters, however, as golden lassos are hurled her way. 

She only barely has time to bend over sideways to duck one with a gasp, only for another pair to come in low at her. Leaping desperately to try to avoid possible strangulation, she spins transverse, her body parallel to the ground. Her own weight causes her to tip back perpendicular, as she lands in a handstand, which is when she notes... a lasso tightening over her boot. 

Yelping, she hurls herself forward, and manages to fling it off with supreme effort, but the damage is already done from even this glancing blow. She feels something unusual happening to her, like her very words were being twisted and stolen from her mind. Squaring her stance, she digs her heels into the carpet of the aisle. She tries to say something else to psych herself up with further insolence, but it comes out all.. wrong, "Thyme after thyme, your masters use creatures like yew try to ruin special occasions with a-corny plot." Her face screws up like she has no idea what she's even saying. Perhaps she should stop, but no, as before she carries on, "Tokyo is a special place, and I will always be gard-en it with the same p-ashen I have for the trees!" The look on her face is one of embarrassed horror now, like she was ashamed of even saying it to the powerful and eloquent monster. 

When she flicks her wrist, her scourge's tendrils all move in different directions, each moving in serpentine motions like a sharp wheel. Petals bloom in the wake of their movement, though the tips grow with such rapidity that it's difficult to see if anything is actually blooming upon the Puella Magi's weapon. As one, they all attempt to converge on the creature, criss crossing to try to rend with thorns. 

 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi has used Rosary Wheel on Nephrite.

 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly counters Sailor Moon's THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD OKAY, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon is Psyched!  Nephrite's Reverse ability activates!  Nephrite's Tactician ability activates!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Energy Elimination, partially gets through, doing 0 Mana damage to Sailor Moon!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Eri Shimanouchi's Rosary Wheel, taking 17 Fatigue damage!  Eri Shimanouchi is Psyched!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to brace Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's Bamm Bamm Bamm, taking 11 Fatigue damage!  Mesozoic Maiden Lucy is Psyched!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Prism Keeper Orange's Orange Rush!, taking 15 Fatigue damage!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Mai Tokiha's Infernal Prison, taking 29 Fatigue damage!  Diversion applied to Nephrite!


 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
Hmm. These girls (and, well, the boy, too) are better with their words than he'd anticipated.

Nephrite narrows his eyes, looking with disdain on all the puns, rhymes, and hasty poems being flung at the youma alongside their attacks. Fools, all of them. To think they could defeat a true monster of the Dark Kingdom, under the direct command of his General. They are in for a lethal wake-up call.

"Poema. Kill Sailor Moon, and drain the spares while you're at it," the threatening voice resonates from the back of the hall once again, terrifying and commanding. Almost as if directly controlled, the youma shoots two black quills at the sailor-suited girl, aiming to drain her of her energy before he can close in for a fatal blow. Her energy is no good to him if she dies before its drained.

Unfortunately for him (and Nephrite), the 'spares' prove to be shockingly powerful.

The Shakespearean automaton is assailed from all directions before it can gain a strategic command of the battlefield: thorny vines, flower petals, beams of orange, and worst of all, a double-helix of fire that boils the ink in his veins and sets his parchment tunic on fire.

The cries it lets out sound...almost human? Poema speaks with the voice of the poet he has drained, but it's clear that it is a separate entity from him. Still, the shrieks of pain sound less like an unholy monster and more like a tormented young man. When he finally regains his composure, the youma stands at his full height, towering over many of the young fighters around him.

"I am the herald of the Dark Kingdom! For your disobedience and insubordination, you will taste the wrath of my dark words, carried on dark wings."

He follows that promise with another volley of blackened despair energy, this time targeted at the plant Puella Magi, the sunny Perfume Warrior, and the Wind Knight. Mirroring her earlier attack, Poema summons a veritable storm of razor sharp rose petals and pollen to cast upon Japanese Cherry Blossom and those that happened to be close to her. Finally, he looks at Mai and Tuxedo Mask, the defenders of Sailor Moon.

"Allies of that decrepit, corrupt kingdom. You know nothing. Bow your heads in shame, and bend the knee before your rightful masters," he commands, trying to affect some of Nephrite's intimidating air -- and mostly failing. Oh, well. The rain of stone busts he conjured above them should do the trick.

Clearly, he hasn't made the connection that Mai is not a reincarnated member of the Moon Kingdom, but that's of little consequence to him.

Nephrite, unmoving, summons his Dark Crystal from the shadows and shoots a beam of darkness towards his youma, absorbing all the light it touches. It's ridiculous that he has to heal his youma in battle -- from his personal reserves of energy, no less. But until the soldiers can be defeated, he cannot risk them taking Poema down.

 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pallid Bust of Pallas on Mai Tokiha.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pallid Bust of Pallas on Tuxedo Mask.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pallid Bust of Pallas on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Eri Shimanouchi.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Forever Sunshine.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Fuu Hououji.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Haikool Story, Bro on Mesozoic Maiden Lucy.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Haikool Story, Bro on Prism Keeper Orange.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Haikool Story, Bro on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Backspace on Nephrite.

 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Nephrite's Backspace, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cleanse! All of Nephrite's debuffs are cleared!  
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange perfectly counters Nephrite's Haikool Story, Bro, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange's counterattack, Orangella Obfuscation, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite is Psyched!  Fuu Hououji is Taunted!  Stun applied to Fuu Hououji!  
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon narrowly dodges Nephrite's Pallid Bust of Pallas, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  Sailor Moon's Flash ability activates!  
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine perfectly counters Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine's counterattack, Perfect Praline Posture, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha narrowly braces Nephrite's Pallid Bust of Pallas, taking 12 Fatigue damage!  Mai Tokiha's Block ability activates!  
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask fails to dodge Nephrite's Pallid Bust of Pallas, taking 26 Fatigue damage! 
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy narrowly counters Nephrite's Haikool Story, Bro, taking 7 Fatigue damage!  Mesozoic Maiden Lucy is Quipped!  Cripple applied to Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!  
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's counterattack, Blast from the Past, partially gets through, doing 17 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom perfectly counters Nephrite's Haikool Story, Bro, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom's counterattack, Petal Blast, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi perfectly counters Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  Eri Shimanouchi's Reverse ability activates!  
 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi's counterattack, Nevermore, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Forever Sunshine is slightly dizzied at the passionate bursts of all sorts of things erupting around her. Flame! Plants! Pure refined -- Koi?? The poetry and puns don't help. But then... 

"Disobedience? Insubordination??" 

Forever Sunshine throws up a hand and with a sudden flash -- 

FUN FACT! Rose petals are often esteemed for their fragrance and color, but in many countries in the Middle East, they are also used for flavoring. Rosewater is a common flavor added to many drinks, and its unique flavor derives from the essential oils steam-distilled out of rose petals being processed by perfumes. 

-- The rose petals erupt into a candied mess of crystalline nougat! The plane of candy flies forwards, and Forever Sunshine catches it in the palm of her hand like a huge snowflake. 

"I don't know what you're talking about! We're not with the Dark Kingdom, or any other Kingdom except the Perfume Kingdom! You're taking orders from a horrible person, talking about killing Sailor Moon and worse!" Her eyes then see that glimmer of darkness arcing out from whover's in the back - and a canny look crosses her face. 

"I see that man in the back of the room," she says. "And he's sending you that beam of power." Forever Sunshine cracks that praline in her hand into a thousand (delicious) fragments. "So I guess I'll have to seal your doom--" 

NOW she leaps onto stage. Her strategy is simple at least; she's rushing inwards, ducking down lower, her shoulders hunching over as she makes herself a small target. Sandalwood smoke rises from her heels as she speeds up, bursting up with an incense-sweet fragrance as she rises upwards into a swooping upper cut- 

"SANDALWOOD PUNCH!" she cries as her fist arcs upwards. She rises up, in fact, high enough that she grabs hold of the lighting rig on the ceiling, calling down, "Cherry, the flowers!!" 

"Oh hey," Forever Sunshine observes, still dangling. "I guess I'm a poet, I just didn't--" 

 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine has used Rising Sandalwood on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Forever Sunshine's Rising Sandalwood, taking 13 Fatigue damage!  Stagger applied to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Petals head out for Japanese Cherry Blossom, but she seems able to respond in kind. She holds her fingers out, and where the petals meet, there is a clash of pink-on-pink, cherry blossoms and rose blossoms cascading. They nullify each other at once, with an explosion of fresh and floral scent.

She places her palms together, flattening them out, as if she was accepting that initial blast as some kind of offering.

Her reply is quite serene compared to the flurry of her attack.

"The scents of springtime<br />
Should grace the winds with softness<br />
And bring only peace."

"Allow me to further demonstrate."

"A force of nature- Should never be twisted to... such dark draining ends!"

"Cherry Blossom -- Petal Spiral!"

And then she demonstrates indeed, just how very peaceful cherry blossoms can be, when another flood of them, spinning in a tornado-like form with sharp edges, goes flying at the youma! But this is of course razor sakura petals in the name of justice.

 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Cherry Blossom Petal Spiral on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Japanese Cherry Blossom's Cherry Blossom Petal Spiral, taking 36 Fatigue damage!  Stun applied to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Mesozoic Maiden Lucy [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

As tends to happen when she fights, Lucy is fired up! But three factors slow her down in her tracks. The first is the mysterious voice's order to kill Sailor Moon, and the youma's attempt to specifically drain her energy. "Don't you dare try to hurt my friend!" she declares, "Soon enough, your charade will end!" The bold declaration is matched by mighty clubbings.

The second factor is the monster's voice matching the young man's, which is creepy at best and very alarming at worst.

The third is the wind carrying petals and pollen flying right towards Cherry Blossom, her and the orange magical girl! She knows Cherry Blossom can fight flower with flower like the best of them, and she can only hope the newcomer in orange has something up her bag of tricks. For her part, Lucy fights flowers with fire.

All it takes is a spark, and scraping her club against the aged wooden stage provides more than enough. In a well-rehearsed movement, Lucy inhales and blows into the flying embers, bolstering them into a dragon's breath-like shield of flames that not only protects her, but even reaches the youma itself! And as we all know, paper is weak to fire.

The magic contained within that wind, however, can't entirely be stopped by mere flames, and Lucy feels something like a wave of cold going through her, and working more of its debilitating effects. What will it be this time? She still has some embers left for a counter-offensive. But will her words be enough? She lets her heart speak, knowing her friends are besides her, and she's with them, too.

"Like the sun rising,<br />
Holy flames banish darkness,<br />
Away with you, now!"

This gives her just enough time to take another breath, and send another stream of flame towards their foe!
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy has used Blast from the Past on Nephrite.


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

Dark Kingdom. Dark. Goddamned. Kingdom. So indignant is Tuxedo Mask from the repeated Sailor Moon potshots -- as beautifully as everyone is doing, and as cheered as he is by the recognition and praise and defense of Sailor Moon from corners other than his own, there's some righteous fire going on there -- and so distracted is he by the infuriating revelation that this is, in fact, a Dark Kingdom plot...

...he doesn't see the fairly large stone projectile headed his way until it's too late. Nevertheless, he leaps away from his post on the balcony on instinct, and it's the only reason he's smashed out of the air via application of Wisdom Goddess Bust and Continued Poe From Shakespeare to the ''gut'' instead of the ''head''.

One minute he's there, and the next, he's crashing loudly into the aisle, the thud of his body preceding the loud crack of stone against floor by a split second.

It's a good way to make a point.

Point taken, Tuxedo Mask's briefly blinded by panic as he can't take a breath, but he manages to wrench his focus toward the bright heart, full of fear and hurt, that shines at the edge of his awareness. If he can't see anything else, he can see ''that''-- and it gives him the determination to reach up and grasp the closest chair and use it to haul himself unsteadily to his feet. His breath's still coming in short, hungry gasps as he jerks his hat off his head and flings it across the auditorium, straight for the big paper-white face of the insulting parody of Shakespeare. His mask and shirt front and gloves gleam from the darkness, and he finally takes a ragged breath and calls out hoarsely.

"Stop busting our chops!!"

 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Señor del Antifaz on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly dodges Tuxedo Mask's Señor del Antifaz, taking 13 Fatigue damage!  Tuxedo Mask is Psyched!  Nephrite's Fade ability activates!  Nephrite's Flash ability activates!  Blind and Diversion applied to Nephrite!  


 <Pose Tracker> Prism Keeper Orange [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
Prism Keeper Orange raises her wand in defiance, and a rush of magical, orange Koi appears into existance around her, darting and rushing around her. forming a protective bubble. Haiku!? As a WEAPON!? NEVER!

She narrows her eyes. "That's... nrrrggg! That's bad! You shouldn't do that! We're here to listen to poems! You're....turning them into weapons!" she says in a fuss. She's rather upset that her night of art and drawing was ruined.

SO THUSLY! She calls her newly formed, less depressed fish to her side as she calls her fish to swim around her wand...

Large, Orange and Swimming<br />
Quickly in the Pond she Darts.<br />
Fish Like So many knives.

Them she throws the Koi off thier spin into the Youma. They form into some sort of beam.

 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Schools of Pain on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Sailor Moon [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Sailor Moon waits for the reviews to come in. She shuffles her weight from foot to foot. It takes a moment. This is a battle, after all.

But then--

They're supporting her?!

Not just Tuxedo Mask, but also Mai! The auditorium is already filling with joy, from the light of the Flame of the Goddess that Lucy calls upon, to the comforting scents that always follow Japanese Cherry Blossom and her Perfume Warriors, like Forever Sunshine!

Usagi just didn't notice it because she was so wrapped up in... everything.

A weird Greek statue thing hits her upside the head.

Sailor Moon squawks and goes down hard and gracelessly. She's back on her feet in a scrambling second, but her protests are drowned out by a shriek as ''there's more statues raining down what is this fresh punishment.'' It's already too late to stop blocking, so all Usagi can hope to do is start mashing the joystick and hope that this isn't a full-screen super.

Her wild flailing and stumbling somehow ends up with her sprawled seated on the far end of the aisle, a trail of broken busts leading up to where she sits. The last one landed just at the tip of her feet.

"You just--just wait until I look up another pun! I--heeyyy." She rubs her throat. She can talk. She can say things like--

Sailor Moon springs to her feet, tracing a crescent through the air again. "Moon Twilight..."

Her hand cuts across to touch her tiara, her thumb and forefinger framing the bright gem set in the middle. It flashes with an internal light, pale and silvery.

"FLASH!"

The room is briefly lit by pure white, framed by the dark shadows fleeing from Sailor Moon's magic. Just for a moment. Then there's only Sailor Moon, holding the pose but also trying to sneak a look at her phone. "...there's no cool words that rhyme with flash. Oh, ash, like a tree! I'm not plants, though."

 COMBAT: Sailor Moon has used Moon Twilight Flash on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to counter Sailor Moon's Moon Twilight Flash, taking 65 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Pallid Bust of Pallas, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Sailor Moon!  


 <Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

While the Magic Knight of Wind tries to defend herself against the next attack from Poema, enough eddies of dark power break around her defense that she winds up feeling somewhat wobbly ... and while a piece of her is still inclined to focus on support spells, there's another part of her mind which is rapidly getting tired of this monster.

"Though you darken stage and doorstep<br />
By rustling page and forced dubstep -"

... whatever that's supposed to mean in this context ... ?

"- Victory lies in our grasp,<br />
Echo of your dying gasp!"

The Wind Knight raises her sword, a whirlwind gathering around her as she continues her poetic rebuttal.

"Herewith do I call the storm,<br />
Elemental wrath take form,<br />
And into the howling tempest<br />
Hurl thee for wind-weasels' banquet!

KAMAITACHI NO RANBU!!!"

The last rhyme is more than a little forced, admittedly - but the Storm-Dance of the Kamaitachi is unleashed, controlled as well as the Magic Knight of Wind can manage in her current frame of mind, a rending whirlwind howling forth to slash into Poema's form ...

 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Kamaitachi no Ranbu on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

Everyone, it seems, is responding to the poetry in kind, and whatever embarrassment Mai had in standing up like that fades quickly. It helps that the shadows full of shadowy words have faded away entirely - and while she feels like she has to be elegant in this dress, Mai can't help but smirk as that parchment toga ignites.

Those screams are kind of worrying, though.

She does spare a moment to glance reproachfully at both Tuxedo Mask and Eri, because some of those puns were...to be honest, all of the puns are, well, puns. All too soon, however, the monster emerges from the storm. Disobedience and insubordination? Oh, she'll show this 'herald of the Dark Kingdom' insubordination-

Mai's flash of fury flickers with hesitation at the monster's address to her and Tuxedo Mask. Allies of a kingdom? What kingdom could he be talking about? The busts arrive abruptly, and stone rings against metal as Mai uses her rings to weather the worst of it. She glances quickly to the other 'allies of the kingdom' targeted, wincing at Tuxedo Mask's plight - but the best defense might be a good offence...

Flames lick out, winding from Mai's rings into the air, gathering near one of her allies - and the HiME calls out to the monster, trying to keep it from noticing her attack until it's too late. It shouldn't take long, her friend is sharp - so just a quick couplet. Maybe the event's getting to her...

"Better than the Dark Kingdom, to which we won't bow!<br />
I'll stand for what you oppose, so just...Eri, now!"

 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha has started a combo targeting Nephrite!

 <Pose Tracker> Eri Shimanouchi [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

The threatening baritone in the back of the crowd leaves a sort of tremor in her heart that causes it to quicken even further when he proclaims that he is the herald of the Dark Kingdom. Would this be the same as the time she fought Zoisite, when she felt useless against such power? Would this be like the time Erythrite stole the energy of her friend, and hospitalized her? 

The sudden despair of those thoughts, causes her to glance reflexively towards the first speaker at the rear of the auditorium. One might find it only fitting that actual blackened despair energy careens her way. Her weapon hasn't had time to retract yet, nor does she have time to get out of the way. Reflexively she sweeps a hand in front of her, striking the tenebrous power head on. It's not a casual slap, it's more a frantic, desperate, impulsive move. 

The violation of what she feels at her fingertips, creeping up her arm.. is not.. foreign to her. If anything it feels familiar, and seductive in it's attempt to get her to give in. The horror of realization strikes her, that it's not unlike that which she feels in a witch's labyrinth, only more concentrated. She speaks a single word, though it has all the weight behind it of a mewling kitten, "No." The next statement is just as soft, but has a resolve more unyielding than iron, "No more." It's not a realistic statement, not at all. After all, the Dark Kingdom would have many more victims, soon. But it's what she needs to hear, to throw it off. 

Her scourge is back into position, and there's a sickening 'shunk' as the thorns upon them grow swiftly. They're all thin, but wickedly long, gleaming with something on each tip. Each one is ripped off, and flung like a deadly javelin, ignited by the ardent flames of her friend's passion. 

And from her lips, comes a cinquain that she has no idea how her mind came up with it, even unbidden. 

"No more shall the herald preen, <br />
Like a peacock's strut, <br />
Mark now - our retort is seen,<br /> 
your performance cut, <br />
Blazing thorns shall jut!" 

Each ignited thorn explodes, into burning fiery splinters upon hitting whatever target it strikes. Fortunately... far away from the audience. 


 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi has joined the combo started by Mai Tokiha!
 COMBAT: COMBO! Mai Tokiha and Eri Shimanouchi have used Combo: Blazing Thorns In Poetic Form, composed of Scorching Spiral and Nightshade Javelins, on Nephrite.
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to brace Mai Tokiha and Eri Shimanouchi's Combo: Blazing Thorns In Poetic Form, taking 57 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit! 

 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Fuu Hououji's Kamaitachi no Ranbu, taking 44 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to counter Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's Blast from the Past, taking 19 Fatigue damage!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Pallid Bust of Pallas, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Prism Keeper Orange's Schools of Pain, taking 15 Fatigue damage! 

 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.
"...as though I were trying to hide."

Seconds after Forever Sunshine announces her observation to the room, there's a palpable wave of dark energy that sweeps the room, and at its apex, the menacing figure of Nephrite appears, hovering in the air a dozen feet or so above the battle. He slowly brings his gloved hands together, condescendingly applauding her brilliant deduction. "Well done, indeed, Perfume Warrior. Perhaps you can even name the bust you see before you?" The man gestures to the youma's head. "Being the paragon of deductive reasoning that you surely are."

And then -- oh, it is /painful/ to watch. His servant can barely stand up against the barrage of attacks, from flying hats to blazing thorns to enchanted koi, of all things. A youma of his, this stupidly incapable. It's appalling. He doesn't show any of his disgust, of course, lest he gives the fighters a foothold for their morale.

He can still win the day. He is a General of the Dark Kingdom, and failure is unacceptable.

"Poema." He commands, unfeeling blue eyes trained on the youma, who is burnt, scratched, and bent out of shape in almost every way. "This pathetic human's energy has weakened you. Accept the power of our Queen, and show these," Nephrite pauses mockingly to look over the rabble beneath him, "'warriors' what you are capable of."

The man produces his Dark Crystal once again, and shoots the same aura of negative energy at the pathetic creature. It...does less than he'd anticipated. The tears and burns on his parchment toga remain, and one of his hands is bleeding ink at a sickening rate. But Poema rises once again, and unleashes a similar scream as before, this one laced with both agony and fury.

"Suffer! Suffer the consequences of defying our dread Queen!"

He takes one metal fist and slams it onto the ground near Japanese Cherry Blossom, Eri, and Fuu. The ground beneath them begins to shift unpredictably, almost as though an invisible hand were pressing keys on a typewriter beneath them. Towards Orange, Tuxedo Mask, and Lucy, he unleashes a single lasso, aiming to trap them and prevent escape. Finally -- finally -- he turns his stony eyes towards the most insolent in the room: Forever Sunshine, Mai, and Sailor Moon. The automaton fires three beams of despair and darkness, one from each hand and his cracked mouth. Each of them is practically glowing with light, with hope. It is offensive to his eyes. It must be snuffed out.

"Give your energy to me, and despair!"

 COMBAT: Nephrite has used cummings and goings on Japanese Cherry Blossom.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used cummings and goings on Eri Shimanouchi.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used cummings and goings on Fuu Hououji.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Prism Keeper Orange.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Tuxedo Mask.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Pun-jab Lasso on Mesozoic Maiden Lucy.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Forever Sunshine.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Mai Tokiha.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Quoth The Raven on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Nephrite has used Backspace on Nephrite.

 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Nephrite's Backspace, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Cleanse! All of Nephrite's debuffs are cleared!  
 COMBAT: Mai Tokiha perfectly counters Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  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 Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask perfectly counters Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask's counterattack, Dramatic Intervention!, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Japanese Cherry Blossom narrowly braces Nephrite's cummings and goings, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Japanese Cherry Blossom's Block ability activates!  Diversion, Stagger, and Tangle applied to Japanese Cherry Blossom!  
 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi narrowly braces Nephrite's cummings and goings, taking 3 Fatigue damage!  Eri Shimanouchi's Block ability activates!  Eri Shimanouchi's Parry ability activates!  Stagger applied to Eri Shimanouchi!  
 COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Nephrite's cummings and goings, taking 13 Fatigue damage!  Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates!  Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!  Stagger and Tangle applied to Fuu Hououji!  
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange perfectly counters Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Critical Counter!  
 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange's counterattack, Orangella Obfuscation, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask covers Sailor Moon for Nephrite's attack, Quoth The Raven, taking it upon themselves instead!
 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask fails to dodge Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Stun applied to Tuxedo Mask!  
 COMBAT: Forever Sunshine narrowly dodges Nephrite's Quoth The Raven, taking 0 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite is Psyched!  Forever Sunshine's Fade ability activates!  Forever Sunshine's Flash ability activates!  Stun applied to Forever Sunshine!  
 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy fails to dodge Nephrite's Pun-jab Lasso, taking 9 Fatigue damage!  Mesozoic Maiden Lucy is Quipped!  Trap applied to Mesozoic Maiden Lucy!  


 <Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

As the youma throws the (figurative) book at the heroines, the Magic Knight of Wind seems to take some of the worst of it - trying to dodge the beam which heads her way, not QUITE getting far enough out of its way, and winding up half-lurching, half-slumping out of the way. Her eyes look glazed, and her sword has disappeared (which can't be that good a sign when the fight is still raging).

Somehow she manages to find a vacant seat in the front row, and she sags into it, looking increasingly woozy ... if she can't continue fighting alongside her allies, she can at least make sure she's out of their way.

Somehow her armor remains intact, her transformation holding steady rather than reverting to leave her in civilian form. She just can't focus enough to fight any more.

 <Pose Tracker> Japanese Cherry Blossom [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Japanese Cherry Blossom tries to stand her ground, but the rippling underneath is far too much. She doesn't seem hurt, but she's stumbling all over the place, which is unusual for her. She finally puts her foot down too low as the ground moves, and she twists her ankle, getting it a bit tangled in the rippling and rolling of the earth.

"Never!" she shouts, in defiance of the creature.

"Words are holy things-<br />
they give meaning<br />
remove fear and despair<br />
whether they would describe nature and<br />
its songs<br />
:or love

their power is not to be turned<br />
against a poet! 

Look deep inside yourself...

and you'll discover too<br />
what<br />
you really

meant to be--"

Of course, most of these strange little halting pauses and weak leadins are because she's still tripping over things. But she is finding her footing now, and manages to stand tall long enough to prepare another attack. She presses her hands together again as pink light builds around her in an aura. A red ball of light rises up behind her, forming a glowing halo that fades into the color gold.

"People write poems about the sunset, so let this light inspire you to write only those poems that will heal and thrill!"

"Cherry Blossom--"

A spiral of petals begin to dance in the light that's around her, joining up with the halo, and then all of that light flies forth!

"Golden Sunset!"

 COMBAT: FINISHER! Japanese Cherry Blossom has used Cherry Blossom Golden Sunset on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Prism Keeper Orange [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.

Prism Keeper Orange is physically, very well, spritually, a little tired. Emotionally? An utter wrecked. She closes her eyes as she swallows a little. "D..dread Queen!?" she asks spastically. What kind of queen is that!? "Yeah well... well! She's not Queen of Earth, it's too pretty to be ruled by some sort of ugly queen!" she says with a determinded and worried huff.

She looks at the Perfume warriors with wonder as her wands charges up at it's tip...

"Um... Prism.. Keeper Red talked about you guys." she says with a smile! "Only in passing, she said there were lots of other people out here, too!" she says with a smile.

But they're doing thier best.. so she should, too!

"You're going to realized you fished in the wrong pond today!" she calls out, as she fires off a beam of colorful orange light of color energy from her chroma wand.

 COMBAT: Prism Keeper Orange has used Chroma Wand Charge on Nephrite.

 <Pose Tracker> Forever Sunshine [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

"Gash," Mio Kuroki mutters. 

"It doesn't matter who it is," Forever Sunshine says, with an accusing point downwards. "Because it's not really them. The representation of a face isn't that person! You're mistaking form with nature, and I'm not gonna put up with i-" 

It's glowing. 

Forever Sunshine's body reacts in an instant, like any athlete on the summer fields might! She lets go of the railing - and as she falls, the beam smashes through the air her body occupied, not a second ago! 

She lands, as Japanese Cherry Blossom begins her invocation. "And through the fragrant night, a thousand promises are born - but with the sunrise, everything's born anew!" Straightening up, she lowers herself into a ready stance, accusing finger extending out to point at Poema. "For the sake of the memory of morning and the fragrance of dew on the orchards, I'll liberate your poetic spirits from the writer's block that comes from that -- that guy over there!" (smooth) 

That pointing finger becomes an open palm as Forever Sunshine advances in one, two, three steps. Raising her hand up, she sucks in a deep breath, fast enough to make her cheeks puff out slightly. "Pink -" 

A ringing chime fills the air. Pink hued lightning arcs out of her palm as her thumb comes inwards, as if about to administer a knife-hand strike. Forever Sunshine's eyes go wide. "Peonyyyyyyyy--" 

The scent of a warm orchard in full blossom, with notes of tangerine sweetness and honeybees in the air, fills the air as the crackling lightning spreads outwards, dispelling darkness. 

Forever Sunshine slams her hand downwards. "O~ver~~driiiive!" It is a mere slap - it wouldn't do more than stir the flesh. Because what's behind it is pure, silky-smooth magic, hopefully rippling through Poema and blasting the youma loose from whatever may form its core. 

 COMBAT: FINISHER! Forever Sunshine has used Pink Peony Overdrive on Nephrite.


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

More attacking, less listening. For a half second, the caped and masked defender of the champion of love and justice shoots Mai Tokiha a seriously dirty look, but then there's a lasso moving to cramp his style, and damage being flung around toward the valiant girls and despair sauce with a side of feathers jetting Usagi's way. With a silent apology to the girls closest in proximity to him, he whips out his cane and throws it in front of him, letting it catch the lasso instead of him.

"Heed my words, you heartless demon!" Still hoarse. Tuxedo Mask clears his throat and gets a little louder, dashing toward the back of the room instead of the front-- towards Usagi, not Nephrite, notably. "Plans you've wrought through Coleridge schemin', not even fit for Marlowe's dreamin', break when faced with justice gleamin'! This missive we deliver you through apostrophic caesurrrrr--" Sez-you're?

Deep breath, and just a moment's sprinting pause, perfectly timed, before he freestyles even faster. "--a!-gonna find your metered scansion in the throbbing from a beating, while your boss who stanza lone's bereft of even simple poesy and your flow is deconstructed by a justice swift and rosy!"

The boy's voice gets stronger with every driving emphasis, his filters ripped away and a grin beginning to surface. Everyone's pulling together. And everyone's pulling for Sailor Moon. He can ''taste the justice that's on its way''.

With his arms out and his cape looking a little tattered, Tuxedo Kamen makes it to Sailor Moon just ahead of the missile, catching her up unceremoniously in his arms before launching them both through the air and over the heads of quite a few people. His trajectory's good, but this once, his speed's a detriment as he manages to catch the concentrated Poe like a blow to the head.

That's why he almost falls when they land on the stage; his almost falling, and his effort to remain upright while dripping in ink and feathers and misery, are why he's still hanging on to the odango'd senshi. Really. Those are the only reasons his hand's on her slim shoulder.

In a motion that unfurls his cape and sends the silk billowing dramatically backwards, he flings an arm out and looses a handful of extremely sharp-stemmed roses point-blank at their enemy. "Your sins against--" he says a little dazedly, now having to fish for the words, "--humanity and decency are prolix; they're evil but pathetic 'cause they're based on utter--... bollocks!"

It's like drums. Verse, no matter how bad, as long as it scans-- verse is like battle drums. Fight songs. Rhythm that sets hearts racing and blood singing. Center. Distract. DISTRACT IT. "They'll ever drag you down so hard you'll never take a bow until your reign of fail is ended with a--"

For better or for worse, the roses are sharp and they're right up in the monster's face, and Tuxedo Mask finishes with a shout, "--SAILOR MOON! NOW!"

 COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Tuxedo Mirage on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Mesozoic Maiden Lucy [Infinity Institute (8)] has posed.

The man at the back of the room steps in, and a shiver runs down Lucy's spine before she's even turned around to see him. The dark energy emanating from him alarmingly reminds her of some of the most powerful opponents she's ever faced-- and only defeated through teamwork and outright miracles, if even that. And that was without another monster distracting them and wearing them down!

She very much counts her blessings, then, that he seems content to merely hang back, toss a few barbs and heal the youma. This allows her to focus on it once more, as it goes back on the offensive, and shoots a lasso towards her!

Ever nimble, she leaps out of the way, soaring as high as the cramped space allows her, and kicking a wall for good measure. She didn't count on it /tracking/ her, however, and soon her graceless but athletic sailing, becomes simply graceless, as her trajectory changes entirely and she gets slammed (appropriate, considering) into the floor!

Painfully, she picks herself up from the splintered wood, and hopes whatever new curse hit her is still something she can work with. Kicking another wall, she kicks herself back into an aerial trajectory, flying like an arrow with her weapon raised and ready to scrape out whatever pages are left of the cruel youma once her friends are done with it. Now, what words to say...?

"Ah! That's right! When you appeared, I forgot to tell you welcome!"

"...Welcome to the CLUB!" she shouts, as she applies every bit of her car-lifting superstrength into a swing of her unbreakable artifact.

Yes, she's better with haikus.

 COMBAT: Mesozoic Maiden Lucy has used Queen of Clubs on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Mai Tokiha [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.

When this event was suggested to her, Mai balked. Poetry wasn't something she had confidence in - either writing or appreciating - and the atmosphere of the setup was too rich for her tastes. The conversation about opera that had bewildered her didn't help at all. But her friends insisted - one going to the trouble of finding her something appropriate on short notice, the other needling her about a hundred and one little things...and now?

Even with the monster, she's enjoying herself. Years of devotion to karaoke have given her more ability to rhyme than she ever realized, she actually feels elegant instead of awkward for a change, and the monstrous interruption has brought the atmosphere to a level she can deal with. And everyone around her is fighting the good fight.

Wonderful scents, passionate flames, fearsome thorns, emerald winds, orange koi, a ''hat'', and that flash of brilliant white light... In spite of the monster's commander making a personal appearance, Mai's spirit is bright, and her flames blaze brighter. Another orb of darkness and feathers is met with a brilliant red barrier, every trace of that misery burning away. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Tuxedo Mask taking a similar blow in Sailor Moon's place - the right thing to do, but it's time to finish this.

The HiME in the yellow dress takes one last leap to the side - this time not coming down, but letting her Element keep her aloft where the area's clear. This could get hot - and while she wouldn't mind catching the monster's commander in the crossfire, she needs an angle where she won't hit any bystanders along with the monster. There's no more urge to be poetic, Mai not normally one to deliver a heroic speech to the monster...but one more won't hurt. Not today.

:"Queen of the darkness."

Mai flings her arms out to each side, rings visibly spinning in a feverish blaze.

:"Light defies you, and so, I."

Flames whirl around her, dancing tightly nearby, glowing eyes visible to those who dare to look.

:"Shining wings of fire."

Kagutsuchi. Mai doesn't whisper the name, only thinks it, references it - but the flames answer, an unearthly cry resounding as she thrusts her hands forward. The flame comes with it, her passion becoming light and heat and destruction, bearing down on the monster.

 COMBAT: FINISHER! Mai Tokiha has used Ardent Light on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Eri Shimanouchi [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.

The general of the Dark Kingdom shows himself wearing a familiar uniform. Oh it had differences certainly from the other member of the Shitennou she'd encountered, but it still caused her to swallow audibly, a good measure of her resolve flooding out of her. While from his perspective his monster may be getting pounded, his mere appearance was enough for her to believe the fight had shifted in his favor. After all, if his poetry youma could hold off so many of them for so long, what would happen if it's master decided to join the fray? 

She doesn't have time to contemplate this, as the tremors caused by the fist pound her relentlessly. The ground made unstable.. it shifts and undulates in ways which cause her to barely keep her footing. When it's finished, she moves unsteadily, as if she'd lost all of her equilbirium. 

The words she speaks comes out just as unsteadily, as punctuated syllables, like clicking keys from the typewriter. Except everything sounds like nonsense, and backwards, with notable pauses in-between each, like her mind couldn't wrap itself around what she was saying 

"evlos 
: e(s 
:: dn 
::: eb 

:::: ee 

::::: rt 
:::::: a)R" 

Screwing up her face in discomfort, like she had some intense headache, she flicks her weapon at the creature, a green and acrid substance spattering upon the stage. It attempts to lash it with what would be bone-breaking force for any normal human, the tips cracking thunderously as it extends. 

 COMBAT: Eri Shimanouchi has used Venomous Lash on Nephrite.


 <Pose Tracker> Sailor Moon [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Sailor Moon's breath is stolen.

It's him.

His face is so cruel. Was it always like that?

She is stricken by this revelation. The blonde girl makes no move to save herself. That is for Tuxedo Mask, who protects her when she needs it. Even in his arms, she is silent and preoccupied.

They alight upon the stage. The velvet curtain of Tuxedo Mask's cape draws aside, and there stands Sailor Moon. She clasps her hands together, raised above her brooch. The light on her face is not from her phone, but from the gem set into her bow. It's a warmth like a beating heart.

She furrows her brow. How did this go? A, B, A, B. It's something she can make herself. Something for him. Something from her.

The kaleidoscope halation around her slender figure grows, like a spotlight solely for her. The rhythms of all the passions around her give her bravery.

"I admit--" she pauses, and then closes her eyes for a moment. "I often feel despair!"

The pretty soldier steps forward, opening her eyes and reaching for the sky. A crescent wand falls from a shower of sparkles, landing neatly in her hand. "Maybe the same that comes from your kingdom of black--"

She twirls it lightly. The weight is familiar. The warmth is her own. "And though I always learn a new magic prayer--"

Sailor Moon points her scepter at Nephrite. The gold crescent gleams.

"Whenever I see a heart like yours, I feel myself sliding further back!"

Usagi stops. The glow around her glimmers, its direction lost. She looks over her shoulder at the rest of the girls, at Tuxedo Mask, and finds herself a smile.

"I know that sometimes I need help to make my debut."

Her voice rises, finding glee in a touch of sass like everyone else.

"So really, I'm sorry I always have to build anticipation--"

She traces a circle before her, invoking the silvery moon in the sky.

"Here's all my love for you!"

The kaleidoscope explodes, and the tapestry of color and feeling flows out from her heart and into the world.

"MOON HEALING--ESCALATION!"

 COMBAT: FINISHER! Sailor Moon has used Moon Healing Escalation on Nephrite.

 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Mesozoic Maiden Lucy's Queen of Clubs, taking 8 Fatigue damage!  Mesozoic Maiden Lucy is Psyched!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly counters Tuxedo Mask's Tuxedo Mirage, taking 5 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Nephrite's Reverse ability activates!  Nephrite's Tactician ability activates!  Diversion, Exhausted, and Tangle applied to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite's counterattack, Riposte, partially gets through, doing 10 Fatigue damage to Tuxedo Mask!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly dodges Mai Tokiha's Finisher, Ardent Light, taking 95 Fatigue damage!  Nephrite's Fade ability activates!  Nephrite's Flash ability activates!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Forever Sunshine's Finisher, Pink Peony Overdrive, taking 38 Fatigue damage!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite accepts Eri Shimanouchi's Venomous Lash, taking 10 Fatigue damage!  Cripple applied to Nephrite!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite fails to dodge Japanese Cherry Blossom's Finisher, Cherry Blossom Golden Sunset, taking 83 Fatigue damage!  
 COMBAT: Nephrite narrowly braces Sailor Moon's Finisher, Moon Healing Escalation, taking 65 Fatigue damage!  


 <Pose Tracker> Nephrite [Infinity Institute (S)] has posed.

"Fools!" Nephrite calls out as one after the other, the magical fighters charge up and fire off their most powerful attacks. His shouts are all bluster, with a tinge of worry hidden somewhere beneath them. "You think you can overpower a servant of the Dark Kingdom with those pathetic spells?" Holding his Dark Crystal out in front of him, the roof above their heads disappears, revealing a hauntingly starry sky. Bright constellations leered down at them, each a representation of an astral force that the man had one to his side. "You are in my domain!"

Stellar energy shoots down from each of the heavenly creatures -- but it does not resemble the starlight that inspires astronomers, lovers, and poets. It is cold. Manipulated. Like the light a dead star gives off after collapsing in on itself. Perhaps better than darkness, and beautiful in its twisted way, but still twisted and terrible.

These beams of light hit the Dark Crystal, which reflects it as a dark prism and creates a shield around himself and Poema. "You have fought well, soldiers. But you cannot win."

Volley after volley crashes against the hardened darkness surrounding them. Fire. Vines. Physical assault. Even the energy of pure light. All these are absorbed into the shield. For a second, the long fight seems to have turned around. Until.

There's a crack in the barrier. And Sailor Moon is unleashing her full power.

Nephrite tries to do something -- anything -- to stop the assault of moonlight on the two of them. But even with his prodigious control of the stars, the man cannot control the Moon. The blinding light penetrates the weakness that the Senshi's friends had created, and pure, scalding power pushes at it relentlessly until it bursts completely, shards of darkness exploding in every direction.

For a second, he's wrapped in shimmering mist and holy light. He cannot see. Can hardly even breathe. His powerful body reacts to the energy attack like acid, and yet...is there a part of him that feels

Nostalgic?

As quickly as it had begun, it ended. Nephrite is obviously battered; the youma is worse, leaking darkness and ink from every pore. He pauses for a second to catch his breath, lowering the arm he had raised to protect his eyes. With a gaze to wilt roses, he stares down Sailor Moon and her damned Crescent Wand.

A moment passes.

"Poema," he says quietly. "Kill her."

Even falling apart at the seams, the youma rushes to obey his master. He detaches one arm completely, wrenching it from his torso. Removed from his body, it morphs into a menacing sword, a black blade with a silver handle, always, always bleeding inky darkness. With one last battle cry, Poema charges at the Moon Senshi, sword poised to run her through completely.

If he's going to go down, he'll take a prize with him.

 COMBAT: FINISHER! Nephrite has used Mightier Than The Sword on Sailor Moon.
 COMBAT: Sailor Moon fails to brace Nephrite's Finisher, Mightier Than The Sword, taking 79 Fatigue damage!  Critical Hit!  Sailor Moon is unable to keep fighting!

 <Pose Tracker> Sailor Moon [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.

Usagi can't breathe.

That's okay. It always happens like this.

It's getting easier, too! The first time she spoke those words, she felt like she was giving away every part of herself. The sensation still comes to her sometimes, when she's reading something tragic and flirts with morbid thoughts like what dying feels like.

Usagi was scared and desperate then, but that's not all she was. She was able and she was willing. All of Tokyo needed her help, and magic made her help be enough.

That's why she knows that she can do this. She's a stronger soldier than when she first faced this man. This feels right.

The sword goes through her chest. It doesn't go cleanly, because fairy tales are partly lies, but it does go quickly. The kaleidoscopic light goes out like a gust  snatched it from the wick. Sailor Moon falls first to her knees, and then to the floor. She has a moment to think while this happens and before that old sensation visits her again.

Why does this also feel right?

The chaos is immediate and purposeful. Nephrite's time here is finished, but he knew that when he gave his last command. The forces of darkness abandon the stage so that the forces of light have a chance to mourn and recover.

But it is a stage, remember? That is real blood on Sailor Moon's white clothes, and that is a real sword placed by a hateful hand, but the sword is tucked under her arm and the wound is a messy cut along her ribs. It looks more dangerous than it is. Sailor Moon is still unconscious.

She'll be fine. She always is, eventually.

Later that night, Usagi awakens with a start. She is home, dressed in her bunny pajamas and wrapped up in her bunny blankets. In the dark of her room, she sits up, moving cautiously. The moon through her window is enough light by which to see. With a delicate hand, she reaches for her side.

Nothing there. It's sore, but nothing there. This night's story is over and she is left only with the memories.

Luna slips in through a crack in the door. "Usagi-chan, are you awake already? You need to sleep, you're still--"

"Luna?" says Usagi, thinking of breathlessness and already feeling the tears. "In our past lives, did something bad happen to us?"