2014-04-12 - Well-Dressed Rooftop Argument

Title: Well-Dressed Rooftop Argument
Summary: Tuxedo Mask is on his way home. Grace Chapel objects to his being in the outer city in the first place.
Who: Tuxedo Mask, Mahou Shoujo Grace Chapel
Where: Tama Outer City
OOC - IC Date: December 28, 2013 - 4/12/14

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Welcome to Tama by Moonlight.

As Grace leapt from rooftop to rooftop, heels clicking on tiles just before she'd make a leap to the next, her only thoughts were. .oO(I am /freezing/ my butt off up here!) What looks like flames constantly wreathes her neck, but despite the warmth it gave, she felt really cold in the winter! It was good to be home, and yet she was missing the free food in Hokkaido. Particularly the crab buffet, even if they'd kicked her out for being a bottomless fooding abomination.

That's because noone ever expected that a thirteen year old could be homeless. Could go hungry. That only happened in distant countries on TV ads, right? And Grace worked hard for her money, because the Tuners treated her right. But Grace wasn't prone to angst or introspection, she was prone to action. Even when the night was so cold she feared she'd become a Grace-sicle.

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

Ice cold-- but not nearly so cold as Hokkaido, at least. While it may have had free food, the place is cold enough to support ice palaces.

The night's crystal clear, stars visible despite the city lights and the softly luminous moon, and colors are all washed out by its silvery light.

Color wouldn't much help the figure that leaps over Grace Chapel's head, dark and elongated, moving incredibly fast and trailing a long black silk cape.

The figure doesn't seem to even have noticed her.

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Grace's thoughts in real time.

'Butt Freezing. Butt Freezing. There are no Noise out tonight, why did I even bother coming out... Wait what the hell was that!?'

Silken black cape flutters over her head, and Grace swivels towards Tuxedo Mask. She skidded off her next jump sliding on the frost covering the roof, before changing direction after him, pleated, ruffled skirts swirling as she jumped and called, "Hey! Do you think you can just cut someone off like that!?"

As if this were the expressway, and not the rooftops! "Who the hell are you!? What are you doing out here!?" Mamoru might notice that despite her low brow speech, she spoke in very formal Japanese. It made for a strange contrast.

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

The figure's already a rooftop over when Grace calls out, and when she does, he stops and turns, cape whirling around him. "Sorry!" he calls over, "didn't see you there."

Stopped as he is, it won't take Grace long to catch him up-- and he's absurdly tall, and just as well-dressed as Grace herself. Because he is, in fact, Tuxedo Kamen. "I'm not causing trouble, if that's what you're really asking. Is there a problem?"

His voice is kind and steady, grown-up, if slightly apologetic considering he did just sail over her like a giant bat; he's almost preternaturally still. Obviously magic, given the superjump business.

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Again she skids to a stop. Tuxedo Mask would note that while she's preternaturally graceful, like most Mahou Shoujo. The heels make leaping awkward. Don't ask why, they just did with her. Thus she's wobbling a bit as she stops a ways away from him. Crossing her arms. "Yeah there's a problem! The problem is..."

Which is when Grace actually took a good look at him. And for just a moment her vision changed to /Bishy vision/, which was basically Tuxedo Kamen being framed in Bishy sparkles with a rose frame. Looking away, there's a bright red flush to her cheeks.

"That you're totally...being a Magical Boy.." Grace Chapel.exe has shut down and needs to reboot. She eventually speaks again, sputtering, "...on my territory! I am Mahou Shoujo Grace Chapel!" She sticks a hand, framed in a crimson ruffled sleeve to her chest, not realizing that Tuxedo Kamen hadn't actually asked for an introduction, "And you're skulking around my territory! And I'm not worried about you causing 'trouble'. I'm worried about you stealing away my livelihood!"

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

"Fft. Take credit and the spoils of war if I run into something eating someone's face on my way through," the slender and graceful and obnoxiously handsome mysterious stranger says, waving a hand. "I'm only passing through."

Then he lifts his hand to his top hat and removes it, and flourishes a sweeping, courtly bow. "Tuxedo Kamen, both at your service and not," he corrects with a certain amount of humour, as he straightens and puts his hat back on, "a magical boy. Or," he adds more seriously, "skulking. I take it you're a Tuner. There'd better not be anyone /claiming/ Juban."

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Grace extends her arms, places one leg in front of the other, and curtsies. But even that gesture is less introductory and more just.. part of how Grace acts. There's nothing warm and welcoming about it. It's more just arrogance, which is in and of itself a mask for her insecurities. "At my service and not? What does that mean anyhow? Why would I ever want you at my service?!"

But when he mentions Juuban, Grace points a finger forward as if she had just caught him in a trap. "As if! There's a Magical Girl three times as dashing as you claiming Juuban!" Wait what! Grace suddenly realizes her error.

The hand slowly lowers, she puts a hand up, and coughs as awkardly into her hand, pretending she said nothing to begin with. "What I mean to say is. Yeah I'm a Tuner. But so what if I did claim Juuban? That place is literally Noise central with all of those rampant emotions going around. I bet a newbie like you has never even fought Noise before."

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

"A newbie?" the masked gentleman asks, amusement now undisguised. He manifests a cane from somewhere, moving to lean on it. "Comparing evil-fighting experience? Come on. There's such an absurd variety of monsters, there's so much evil that needs to be stopped-- did you miss the part where I'm not looking for credit or payment? I'm not a threat to your livelihood."

And then-- the atmosphere changes. He doesn't step forward, but he does straighten up and hold the cane in one hand, and the way he's carrying himself is markedly different, all of a sudden. If Grace has arrogance, Tuxedo Kamen has noblesse oblige. "I don't answer to anyone, Mahou Shoujo Grace Chapel. If anyone 'claims' Juban in the way you seem to be implying it works, there'll be hell to pay if any harm comes to its resident protectors."

One corner of his mouth turns up, but it's not mirthful in any way. "This whole world needs help, Chapel-san. But there's more evil crammed into Tokyo alone than anyplace else I've been. This city can't afford to lose any of its guardians."

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

"The fact that you say that implies you know nothing about how the system works. I can only take credit for things I destroy." Grace crosses her arms, frowning at him. "So if you defeated something on my territory, even if you didn't take credit, I couldn't. The Tuners are really draconic about the rules."

The feeling of noblesse oblige causes her to glower. Because if there was one thing Grace hated, it was the feeling of being looked down on. It felt like an insult to her lifestyle. And if there was one thing she had in spades, it was pride. Pride, her shield against the world. Arrogance just manifested as one facet of it. "And what if I would harm them? Teach them a lesson? Are you saying they need your protection?" She lifts her chin. "If they do, then they aren't really worthy protectors at all, are they?"

The final comment though causes her to clench a hand at her side, her right hand. Something about that detail seems important. "Are you implying that I'm a /murderer/?" The ethereal fiery boa that drapes her neck flares up, just a little, responding to the depth and strength of her feelings.

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

"No, you're reading about seventeen different made-up things into everything I say," Tuxedo Mask says irritably. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

That said, the young man briefly tips his top hat, then turns -- his cape billows -- are those stars in it? Is that the night sky? Or just a trick of the moonlight? -- and takes off through the air. He is, in fact, headed toward Juuban.

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

"Now you're implying I'm stupid!" No he isn't doing that either Grace, you're doing exactly what he's saying. "Hey I wasn't done talking to you yet!"

But he's already leaving, and she's leaping after him! "Fine, but realize, the one who provoked me..." There's suddenly a yen coin in her hand. As she hops from a chimney, to an HVAC unit, following him. "...is you!" Her right hand flicks the coin. It's just a simple coin shot, but with staggering speed and force. And if it strikes even a small portion of his body.. It leaves behind an invisible magical beacon of sorts.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has used High Interest Loan on Tuxedo Mask.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask fails to dodge Grace Chapel's High Interest Loan, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Grace Chapel is Psyched! Stagger and Stun applied to Tuxedo Mask!

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

He was going home. And this crazy girl is yelling and has a terrible job apparently, and is taking it out on him, and now--

--mid-leap, the coin slams into him and he's knocked off course, sudden shock of the pain sending the zing of adrenaline out to his fingertips. He barely manages to land on the next rooftop over.

"I'm done talking to you!" he yells toward her, steadying himself on a chimney until he can regain his equilibrium. "Nothing I say is making you anything but inexplicably angrier. Don't you have evil to fight somewhere?"

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

"Inexplicably!? Are you saying I have no reason to be angry?" Grace fires back, pointing at him. It's not that he wasn't right, because he was. But when her pride was hurt she tended to act a little irrationally, even if it had no reason to be hurt. So when he said, 'Don't you have evil to fight somewhere!?' she read it as 'I'm totally looking down on you. And condescending you. And..' "Don't tell me what to do!"

Suddenly her right hand has about a few dozen yen coins, which.. she just flings up into the sky. Not at Tuxedo Mask. Unfortunately, you know that old urban legend about pushing coins off a building? When they descend, she's trying to prove it's true.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has used It's raining yen, Hallelujah! on Tuxedo Mask.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask narrowly counters Grace Chapel's It's raining yen, Hallelujah!, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cripple applied to Tuxedo Mask!

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask's counterattack, Dramatic Intervention!, interrupts, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Grace Chapel!

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

The coins hang in the air for a second, glinting in the moonlight as they reach their zenith, then begin plummeting downwards.

The whole thing seems to happen in slow motion: he's listening as he straightens, and then when he sees her throwing gesture, he looks up. The reaction's instanteous. He throws his cape back and flings an arm upward, and there's a crackling and blurred explosion of red that's red enough to remain so despite the moon's pale glow; his other hand whips his top hat off his head and whips it up through the air, letting go.

About a dozen of the coins are knocked completely off course by hat; several fall to the rooftop speared by roses, and rose petals flutter down and pad the landings of most of the rest of them. Only one of the things manages to strike the well-dressed man, ricocheting off an HVAC and kneecapping him.

There's a sharp intake of breath at the impact, and then Tuxedo Mask is moving very differently. He's actually aggravated. One arm comes up to catch his hat as it falls back down, the other goes across his chest to pull off his cape and wave it through the air for a second, turning it into a long lazy silk rat-tail, which he whips toward Grace's legs. Skirts. Whatever. "There is no reason for us to fight. Stop it. Let me leave. You don't want me here anyway, and I really do not want to fight you."

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Oh For Crying Out Loud on Grace Chapel.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel fails to brace Tuxedo Mask's Oh For Crying Out Loud, taking 7 Fatigue damage! Tangle applied to Grace Chapel!

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Normally when Grace braces, it's a sight to see. A swirling aegis of coins erupts, intercepting the attack that comes her way. Little tiny golden satellites orbitting their crimson world. But she was so irrationally angry at Tuxedo Mask that.. she doesn't notice when his cape whips out. It's sleek, it's silken thin, one wouldn't think that a cape twirl had force to it. It strikes at her legs. Catching at her woven crimson stockings. Normally that wouldn't be enough to throw her off-balance, but she's wearing heels, on a frost covered roof.

She falls with a yelp of pain, hitting the roof, and then starts to roll, definitely not of her own accord.. towards the edge of the roof. There's a startled scream as she falls off, making one last desperate effort to catch.. the ice covered rain gutter. Her hand slips...

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has used Exaggerated Fall off a Rooftop: Because of Heels, that's why! on Grace Chapel.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask tries to cover Grace Chapel for Grace Chapel's attack, Exaggerated Fall off a Rooftop: Because of Heels, that's why!, but cannot get there in time!

COMBAT: Grace Chapel accepts Grace Chapel's Exaggerated Fall off a Rooftop: Because of Heels, that's why!, taking 29 Fatigue damage! Stagger applied to Grace Chapel!

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

--that escalated quickly. Tuxedo Kamen's eyes widen and he's already moving, trying to catch her-- stupid /shoes/-- but his hand grasps the air, and then he's sliding after her, still trying to grab for her hand. "Chapel-san! CHAPEL-SAN don't--"

He actually manages catch hold! But then

he can't

stop

and all he can do is sail right off the roof and try to interpose himself between her and the ground so she doesn't crack her head open, at least.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used The Ground is Hard and Grace is Kinda Heavy on Tuxedo Mask.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask accepts Tuxedo Mask's The Ground is Hard and Grace is Kinda Heavy, taking 26 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Exhausted applied to Tuxedo Mask!

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

Ow.

The ground is hard. Her landing is rough. And he tried to shield her. For a while she just lay there, with the wind knocked out of her, in a half-dazed state. As a Magical Girl, the chances of her actually dying were slim. That didn't mean it didn't hurt. A lot. For a while there's just the sharp intake of breath, followed by the exhalation, her breath steaming as her chest heaved. Until finally there's a quiet sound other than her breathing. "Why does this always happen?"

What, the falling off of rooftops? Her voice is still very muted, "All I want to do is live my own life. And every time something, or someone just ends up making me look ridiculous for that. Whether it's Moeru-san. Or Sailor V. Or a Youma pretending to be Sailor V, who decides to introduce me to my family as a joke. And she ends up not even being my family! The Kanji aren't even the same!" She rolls off from on top of him, and slowly, with arduous slowness, just starts to rise, leaning against a wall. "And now this. I guess this time it was entirely my fault that I looked ridiculous. Good grief."

Her voice sounds actually ashamed, though her voice is dripping in sorrow. She sounds dejected, defeated. "Thanks for.. well.." Shaking her head, she offers a hand to help him up. And her eyes shimmer with something in the moonlight as she looked down at him. "...trying to save me from my own stupidity and clumsiness. Sorry about that. I should just.. go."

Whether he takes her hand or not, she eventually turns down the street, and starts to just walk away, with a limp.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has used Sad Grace in the Snow on Grace Chapel.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel accepts Grace Chapel's Sad Grace in the Snow, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Grace Chapel is Taunted!

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

And he's a bony older boy. Sometimes 'meat shield' just isn't that effective. He just sort of hangs out there, stunned and winded, forcing himself to remain calm against the rushing in his ears and the inability to take a breath until his lungs decide to work again. It takes him about as long to be able to decipher spoken language as it does for Grace to start talking, which is handy, and then he just closes his eyes and grimaces as she rolls off.

Once she's off him, though, there's the faintest play of light and shadows, golden light, around him; he's still listening, and then he opens his eyes, and they're very very blue. And they're focused directly on hers, and they're not looking down on her and they're not pitying. They're just-- openly empathetic. Compassionate. He accepts the hand up, unfolding his lengthy frame until he's-- through no fault of his own-- towering over her again.

With the contact of his gloved hand, the golden glow brightens for a second, and Grace will feel the aches and the exhaustion melt away. "You're the only one whose opinion of you really matters, Chapel-san," he says very seriously, intently. The whole of his focus is on her, and it's weighty, and it's nonjudgemental, and it's intense. It's almost too much focus. "Don't worry about looking ridiculous or not. Don't worry about putting up a front and picking fights. Follow your heart, not your worries, and things will start to look up."

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has used Inspirational Monologuing! on Grace Chapel.

COMBAT: Tuxedo Mask has finished attacking.

COMBAT: Grace Chapel accepts Tuxedo Mask's Inspirational Monologuing!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Grace Chapel is Cheered! Cleanse! All of Grace Chapel's debuffs are cleared!

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

And Grace listens. Perhaps for the first time tonight she doesn't allow irrational anger to control her. She actually had a lot of sense, even if she chose not to always exercise it. She meets his eyes momentarily, and her attention is just caught. There's no imaginary bishy sparkles this time though. Just the strength and weight of his nobility backing up his gaze and his words. Her eyes eventually close, as two tears are squeezed out, but when she opens them again, she's smiling. It's not much of a smile. It's just a tiny one, still rife with embarrassment. "I.. I guess that's true." She looks down. "Usually I tell that to myself, believe it my own. I suppose this time I just needed someone to say it for me. How embarrassing."

She puts her opposite hand to her forehead, highlighting her embarrassment as she looks back. "I have to follow my worries on occasion, Kamen-san. Else.." She shakes her head deciding she doesn't want to talk about her circumstances, "Nah.. that's just an excuse. Following my heart isn't something I think I'll be any good at, at first but, I'll try."

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

Tuxedo Mask smiles down at Grace, then, with something very like affection. "Good," he tells her, briefly clasping her hand in both of his, then letting go. "Never stop trying. If I come through here again, let me get you hot chocolate. It fixes everything, even if it's just for five minutes." He takes a step back. "But I really do need to get home. Good night, Mahou Shoujo Grace Chapel. Hang in there."

With that, he crouches for a half second, and then springs up and out of sight over the top of the building they just fell off of.

<Pose Tracker> Grace Chapel [None] has posed.

When he mentions hot chocolate, there may be actual stars in her eyes, as she murmurs, "S-So kind!"

But then he's gone. And while Ruma Hino may normally have spent the night shivering in her sleeping bag within her tent, fending off the cold. Tonight her heart was just a bit warmer than usual. Sleep came easily, and it was actually peaceful and restful for once.