2018-02-24 - What's in the case!?
| Title: <Your title> | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Ye-jin Song attempts to steal a briefcase full of corporate secrets from a beleagered businessman. Tokyo's Magical Girls chastise her and her disregard for traffic laws. | |
| Who: Ye-jin Song, Niramouse Umokeshi, Yumi Ohzora, Fuu Hououji, Mikoto Minagi, Steven Universe | |
| Where: Akihabara | |
| OOC - IC Date: <2018-02-24 - 2018-03-2015> | |
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed. <SoundTracker> Midnight in Tokyo-To - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBt8ioYEXBw&t=631s
AKIHABARA - 11:00 PM
The Electric Town marches toward midnight. The sun has set long ago, leaving the world lit by the bright massive LED displays, gaudy storefront windows, and yellowed streetlights. Small crowds move through the streets, thinning out as most filter toward Akihabara station to catch their last train home. Department store shoppers, arcade aficionados, tired clerks and besotted business people all make their pilgrimage toward the JR rail, a general exodus.
Between the crowds small stories play out, social microcosms amidst rolling waves of people. In one corner of Akiba central friends part with waves as they split their separate ways, while in another a beleaguered waitress makes a mad-dash toward the train station, and nearby a savvy shopper haggles for a discount television as the shutters close around him. Somewhere on a street corner two businessmen shake hands to commemorate their new venture, passing matte black briefcases between hands before they board audacious limousines.
High above them all the crowns of skyscrapers and billboards dim and fade, blaring lights and gigantic anime mascots winking out of existence as windows are shuttered and shops are closed. Some guiding beacons remain, maybe half of the towering buildings nearby--late-night shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. There's also a fair share of arrivals too, fresh-faced Tokyoites flaunting the curtain calls around them, ready to greet the chilly night's embrace and while away the hours until a fresh new day.
It's people go backward or forward, in or out, and Akihabara marches onward.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Amidst the electric mayhem of Akihabara, a boy, having been satisfied by the neon allure and vibrant sounds of electronic stimulation, begins a trek home. Empty-pocketed yet with a smile on his face, it is clear what was done this evening. He blew his allowance on video games and arcane funtimes. Ah, to be a kid. Living for today, ever hopeful for the next tomorrow.
Steven had gotten farther than he ever had on an old console game of Centipede. There was a certain appreciation for older games his father instilled in him when he was young. A good dad does that. The best dad supplies the funds to blow on the arcade versions in the funnest part of town.
Now, Steven did earn that money. Working hard washing cars pays off. A shame Lion wasn't here. Not that he would appreciate the games, but the birhgt light stimuli just seems to irk him. So often, Steven must venture here alone. Oh well, no Lion Lickers for him this day.
Maybe tomorrow.
"Ah, stayed later than I thought," The boy murmurs to himself, looking down at another source of electronic flair glare-- his phone. 11 PM. "Hoo boy. Pearl's gonna do her thing again," he comments, fisting the phone into a jeans pocket. "Glad she cares," he says, adjusting a backpack shaped curiously like a cheeseburger on his shoulders, and walking down the sidewalk. Normally he would don those flip-flops, but he has found crowded areas in Tokyo... not the best place for them. He gets stubbed toes and accidental step-ons too often. Don't worry, most of them are his fault.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Normally, a good student like Fuu Hououji would have been home hours ago, and probably in bed well before now if homework permitted it. But it's Spring Break, she doesn't have homework to do or classes to be awake for; she actually has the leisure to take it easy for about a week, to set her own schedule. ... Within reason, anyway - she doesn't want to upset her parents by staying out all night without warning or something.
She *still* ought to be making her way home, given the late hour; the trains don't run 24 hours, after all. But there are specials and sales intended to draw students while they have precious time off from school, and Fuu has been perusing the deals on some of the latest game-building suites. Mahou Senshi Gundame isn't getting ported to an entirely new engine if she can help it, but exploring the new options can't hurt, right? Finally, her decision made and her money spent, she emerges from Sofmap with a couple of shopping bags in hand, and pauses to pull her cardigan closer about herself. The temperature seems to have dropped ... and then she spots an unexpected (but familiar) face.
"Hm? Steven-san? I didn't expect to see you in Akihabara at this hour," she says cordially to the younger boy. "Is everything all right?"
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Watching the crowds pass by the doors of a smaller computer parts store and nursing a can of cherry and cranberry, Niramo was doing her best to stay awake while she waited. Nearby, the normally shy and demure Wakatsuki was haggling with an exhausted sales clerk, fiercely trying to lower the price on a second-hand cooling fan for a new computer the silverette was building. With it being Spring Break, the two friends were having a night out together as Wakatsuki shops for parts. Niramo did have to make it up to her friend after having forgotten to take pictures of the VR setup at Joyopolis, and while she normally didn't mind too much when her friend wanted to go shopping for new hardware, did she really have to stay up so late?
"You can tell this fan is lopsided, and the connection cord will have to be replaced before I can use it. It's not worth shelf value as it is right now!" "Ah, but the ArticBlitz 720 fan is built slanted to better direct air flow outside of the casing."
"This isn't the 5 percent tilt that's advertised on new models, it's more like 15 percent!"
Stiffling a yawn, Niramo slides the can inside her windbreaker, wordlessly offering it to the third person on the trip and Wakatsuki's better when it comes to tinkering with electronics. A few seconds passed before the can is offered back to Niramo by Takk, but when Niramo goes to take another sip, she finds that the can was now completely empty of it's precious energy-boosting cargo.
"Takk, did you really have to drink all of it? Wakatsuki-chan is so focused that she lost track of what time it is, and i'm so tired!" "I fail to see what the problem was. You did offer me a drink. Good choice on picking that blend, by the way." "But I just bought the can! At least the wiring kit I bought you should stop you from trying to turn my phone into a DVD player. Again." Despite the bickering of the two, there wasn't any heat in her words. The young girl has quickly gotten used to the quirks of her Kwami friend.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Shopping! It's something Mikoto has /tried/ to get better at over the years, but she's still mystified by many of the trappings surrounding this mysterious venture. But still, after days of Mai fussing over her -- even though Eri's magic has /physically/ healed her -- Mikoto is more than ready to get out of their dorm. Yumi coming to ask if they'd like to go shopping is a great excuse. (Mai, unfortunately, has work, and it's not something which can be dismissed even when Mikoto gives her big puppy-eyes.)
It had started as a simple shopping trip -- they always do. But there's so much to /see/ in Akihabara, and so many clever little cafes that never truly sleep, and the afternoon rolls into the evening and only gets later from there. Mikoto hardly notices, as bright as everything is.
But, in the end, her body never lies. She yawns, big and wide, rubbing at her eyes. "Yumi," she says, shaking her head to try and alert herself as newly-purchased cat clips sway from her braids, "what's time?" (She's holding a shopping bag, but there's /definitely/ no watch in there.) GAME: Save complete.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Yumi Ohzora doesn't go out shopping /all/ the time, or anything. Just... Sometimes. When she feels like it. And it seemed like the best thing to do to invite someone along. Yumi wanted to spend some time with Mikoto. And, well, there's a lot of reason to with... everything that's been happening, so Yumi has had a lot on her mind. It may have started simple, but--
Yumi /does/ notice, having had to take a few 'meal breaks' that were mostly excuses to sit down for a bit, and now as they walk, Yumi is leaning a little against a telephone pole, holding a couple of shopping bags herself--though mostly she arranged deliveries where she could. She doesn't look as tired as she is because she's good with makeup, but there's a sort of 'buh' for a moment as she looks to Mikoto. "It's... Um..."
Yumi does keep a phone, and alarms handy. So she takes hers out and looks at it and--
"Whoa, it's eleven. I'm never out this late..." She... sort of doesn't move from the pole. She seems almost attached now.
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed. <SoundTracker> The Goddess - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8PMGbU7uNo
It sounds like a gunshot, to those far away. A crack, a snap.
It sounds the same to those closer-but it hurts more. The same way any noise hurts, when it's loud and close enough. They can feel it too, a short and sharp reverberation as a wave of sound rushes down one of Akihabara's streets. Everyone can feel it pass-it's not painful, but it's certainly tangible. Maybe even helpful, for sleepy witches. No so much for nearby windows and windshields, which crack as cars lurch into mish-mashed jumbles as drivers start and swerve. The source of the noise: One Ye-jin Song, walking down the center of the street like she owns it. She's unrecognizable to those who know her, a golden V-shaped mask covering the upper half of her face and obscuring dark eyes behind. She wears a short-sleeved crimson dress at knee-length, black shirt and leggings underneath, with a voluminous white-furred coat thrown across her shoulders like a cloak. Clasped in one hand is the coiled length of a whip, a bone-white loop held loosely between gloved fingers.
She's definitely impeding traffic. Someone honks, and with a flick of the hand and a flash of white lines the offending vehicle is neatly bisected. The driver is lucky enough to be sitting in the front half, a few inches from where the whip cuts through metal. From there it's a few more steps up over hoods and rooves take her to her target, one of the bulky black limousines trapped in the mass of traffic. The first crack of her weapon shears its top away, and the second strikes something inside. When she pulls it back something comes with it, a shape that arcs through the air and falls flopping at her feet, like a fish reeled from the deep blue sea.
It's not a fish, though. It's a man, a spindly looking gentlemen in a business suit, grasping his suitcase for dear life. He rolls a few feet before she pins him in place with a heel, chiming, "Tanaka-san! Is that for me? You shouldn't have!" And when he refuses to relinquish the case, she applies visible-and painful--pressure. "Hey! You idiot, gimme it already, come on."
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mikoto is tired - but it seems like Yumi is even tireder. More tired? Grammar is difficult at this time of night. She hadn't noticed before, but now she thinks to look, it's obvious. Mikoto realises, with growing concern, that Yumi might be too weak to get home safely.
At times like this, it's important for Mikoto to take charge and take care of her friends! That's what Mai would do. And then Mikoto's face twists up into a frown, because Mikoto realises that Mai is /probably/ worried sick about her, with how concerned she's been recently. Normally, Mikoto doesn't worry about getting back late at all, but... she's seen Mai glaring when she doesn't think Mikoto is looking. She doesn't want her to be mad.
Mikoto shakes her head to dismiss the thought and wake herself up, approaching Yumi. "Let's go back, 'kay? We can walk slower." They've been walking slow the entire time, from Mikoto's perspective, but she's sure that Yumi has been putting forward her best effort.
The lightpost seems to be providing her friend with support, but Mikoto thinks she would make a /much/ more lively leaning post. So she wriggles in to Yumi's other side, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her. Miroku's case might be uncomfortable - at this angle, it's liable to knock into Yumi's legs - but it shouldn't be too much of a problem if they're moving slowly. "Come on," Mikoto urges her, encouragingly.
That's when a crack rips through the sky, instantly dismissing any tiredness from Mikoto's mind. It's not like Natsuki's gunshots - more like Eri's whip. Mikoto's head darts towards the sound, and it's clear in an instant why it's such a familiar sound: that stranger is wielding a whip, too. Mikoto doesn't recognise her, but she recognises the danger she presents, and she tenses against Yumi.
It's important for Mikoto to take charge and take care of her friends. But the context's all different, now.
"Yumi should leave," Mikoto says, still staring at the masked girl. "Too tired. Might get hurt. I'll distract her." That Mikoto is also tired, that Mikoto shouldn't be fighting, isn't even brought to the table. She distangles herself from Yumi, looking apologetic as she does so, and begins to circle around to the other side of the street after Ye-jin.
Once she's away from Yumi, she swings Miroku's case around, pulling it out in one swift motion. "Hhhrah!" Her exclamation is throaty and fierce, as she darts forward to swing her blade at the attacking girl. It's an attack designed to draw attention more than it is designed to cleave - but the obsidian blade is still sharp, and heavy, and not to be underestimated.
Mikoto spares a thought to Eri, in the back of her mind, as her left arm supports half the weight of her falling blade. Even if she's tired, the fact that she can fight is a miracle of magic.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Mikoto's more than perceptive enough to get it; she's probably right, in that 'walking home' has ceased to be an option for her under her own power. But, she hasn't wanted to make a big deal of it--so it surprises her when Mikoto frowns and then approaches, makes an offer. "...You sure?" Yumi asks, and takes a heavy breath. The gray-haired girl is aware that she's pretty slow as it is, but she nods. "Okay, sure. That... good plan." She looks down at her phone and grimaces at the idea of calling someone, starts to put it away instead--and suddenly Mikoto is there!
"W-whoa," she says, and takes careful note of the case so she doesn't fall. Instead, she waits a moment, and then leans on Mikoto. "Thanks," she says, a little gloomy to have to do it, but--The crack through the sky. Yumi blinks--she doesn't hear enough guns to mistake it for that, but-- Yumi is staring, too. "W-what's she doing to that guy...?" But Mikoto suggests she leaves, and Yumi blinks. "Hey--" Mikoto looks apologetic, and Yumi watches her go, leaning again on the pole with a worried expression. She thinks baout it...
"Sorry," she says. "...I can't do that. Can't get left behind..."
Yumi hits a few presses on her phone, and in a flash of green light, she is holding a staff taller than she is, white wood and green gem at the top. "...Staff of Lost Ivy," she starts to murmur, "In my hand..."
She picks it up and slams the butt of the staff into the ground, and a column of green light crashes up, obscuring her completely, replacing her casual attire with something altogether different--black clothes, a flowing dress and green leather for gloves and boots, and of course, a wide-brimmed, pointed hat. "Remembr'd be!" She narrows her pink eyes at her foe, as Mikoto crashes forward--though she winces a little. ...But she pulls something /else/ next, and suddenly she's seated on a broom that takes her upward, sitting side-sattle and rising into the air. One hand on the broom, one hand on her staff, she mutters a spell to keep her hat on, and then--
She points her staff, and a rune comes into existence--before vines and whips of ivy erupt from the ground to try to restrain the masked woman. "Hey! You can't just mug people with a whip!"
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven rounds a corner, and down a small ways he runs into a familiar face! One he definitely didn't expect out this late. "Hey Fuu! What's happening? Oooh! Did you go shopping?" A pause and a coy look "Did you get /me/ anything?" he asks, but is clearly joking. "I haven't been in there! Do they have cool stuff?" Huh. Sofmap. Seems liek the happenin' place.
"Perhaps one day I won't blow my cash on the arcades and GAHH--" Loud sounds of dischordant cracking of windows and horn blares, assisted in some sort of chaos orchestral of car alarms going off just GRATES on the ears. "What in the HECK was-- hey that is cool. Bad, but cool." Steven turns to find a woman, clad as the queen of a masqureade, whipping cars apart. Why can't Amethyst do that?! Okay, bad time to think about that, why would she do that? On a related note, why is this person doing that?!
"Go time!" he says toward Fuu, heading for the street. A pink shield suddenly in hand, the boy climbs over a few piled up cars in fender-bender limbo like an obstacle course, making it to the event playing out i nthe street. "Hey lady!" Steven calls out. "Cars are super cool things that don't deserve to be whipped! THey deserve to be cherished!" A pause. "Also, stop hurting that guy! Or I will make you stop with a threashing driven straight to you by the Cyrtsal Gems!" Wait, the others weren't here. Eh, it sounded cool.
SERIOUSLY LADY LAY OFF THE CARS.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
The loud snap shatters more than the murmur of the crowd. With a jump, Niramo turns her attention back to outside, the lingering blanket of sleep thrown off as her senses tell her there was something off about that sound. A look over her shoulders shows that Wakatsuki is still deep in debate with the clerk, and wasn't likely to budge anytime soon.
"Wakatsuki-chan, i'm going to get another drink, okay?" The idle handwave from her friend was all that she needs to walk out of the store and look around, and if the sounds of honking, another crack and the sheering of metal was anything to go by, it's something major. People could be in danger, so there is no time to delay! "Sorry Takk, looks like you're going have to wait to mess with the kit later, we're needed!" Thankfully, there's always a nearby alleyway to duck into when such things like monster attacks happen.
Only a minute passes before Sourisi arrives at the intersection, landing on top of a traffic light. Thankfully for her, her instincts on this being a magical attack was mostly spot on, with the sliced cars, people fleeing and the businessman under attack. There was only one minor change in the usual setup that changes quite a few things.
The 'monster' attacking the people was a person, dressed more like a regal queen than one would expect of someone attacking the innocents of Tokyo. The fact that she had someone pinned under foot was proof that she wasn't here to stopped what destroyed these cars, but to attack.
Pulling her tonfa free of their clasp, the mouse-suitted Miraculous user looks down upon the Queen, and calls out. "People come here seeking new gadgets and gizmos to enhance their life, but they paid for them out of their own pocket. You can't just take what doesn't belong to you! I'll be brief, so get off his case!" With a flourish, a tonfa flies downwards, curving around to strike Ye-jin!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Go time indeed. Still cringing at the alarmingly sharp noises made by that woman's whip, Fuu spares a moment to nod to Steven before fleeing around the nearest corner like the other civilians.
She just doesn't KEEP fleeing; instead, she ducks out of view somewhere - Akihabara is *full* of side streets, once you get off the main drag - and pulls out her glove-jewel, tucking her shopping and her purse safely into the jewel's 'inventory' before uttering her invocation. "Belief becomes power ... Winds, guide me!" One short-lived, localized whirlwind later, the Magic Knight of Wind is on her way back to the street where the excitement was starting, going over the buildings rather than around them. It's still sort of the long way around - but this way, she has the advantages of higher ground and a better overall view, Others are already attacking, and whatever's in that suitcase which is so important, it's probably a good idea to help him get to safety. So while the others are attacking the PRInCESS ...
"Winds of Protection!!"
... the green-clad Magic Knight tries to conjure a wind barrier so he has a chance to get away. With or without the briefcase - the Wind Knight has no idea what it *is*, or for that matter, whether the girl with the distressingly sharp whips is a potential ally or a definite enemy. Evidence thus far DOES tend towards the latter, admittedly ...
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
"I'm gonna make you into a pancake if you don't--" A final tug, and Ye-jin frees the case from her victims hands. It's held aloft triumphantly, a symbol of not so hard won victory.
Unfortunately, she has other things to worry about soon enough. The first is Mikoto, the bounding sword-wielder hurtling out of the corner of a quickly narrowed eye. "Eh?" She moves, but not quite fast enough-he hand he raises to intercept Mikoto's arm can't change the arc of the blade enough to keep Miroku from scoring a slash across a shoulder.
Her hand rises to retaliate--and she finds it trapped in a mass of vines, much like the rest of her. Her arm flexes ineffectually for a moment, and it's enough time to hold her still for the next blow at comes: Sourisi's tonfa. The projectile smashes into Ye-jin, tearing her free and sending herself and a mass of vines rolling across the street.
The wall of wind prevents any blowback toward the cowering businessman, who takes a forelorn glance at his suitcase-and then makes a bee-line in the opposite direction.
As for Ye-jin, she rises soon enough. Still entangles in vines, she can at least shake a hand free to smooth back a few wine-red strands of hair from her face. Her jaw works back and forth in visible fury, testing its hinges like a snake preparing to swallow it's prey.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Her voice seethes with barely restrained fury. "I can do...WHATEVER I WANT!" Her first rejoinder is for Yumi, eyes cast up toward the witch floating above the street. She's got enough of her arm free to use the whip, and the white strand is soon streaking toward her. It seems futile, given the distance between them--but it stretches, and it's coming right for her.
"So mind your own business!" The second arc of the weapon snaps toward Mikoto, another deafening snap ripping through the air as her element is redirected. In nearly the same instant another strand whips toward Sourisi, white lines slicing through the space between each assailant. Each time the weapon returns to her hand, neatly coiled for the next strike.
"And if you even think about talking to me like that again--" Her gaze redirects to Steven, and then Fuu, a vine-wrapped finger making an imperious point in the boy's direction, "I'll send you straight to hell, got it?"
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Miroku bites, and Mikoto leaps away. She's not aiming to destroy Ye-jin, not yet - she just wants Yumi to --
Do the opposite of what she's doing. "Yumi!" Mikoto calls, but she can see the determination in Yumi's attacks, and she doesn't argue any further. If Yumi's decided she needs to fight, Mikoto won't force her not to. But she will fight alongside her friend. She's relieved to see the Winds of Protection kicking up around the battle - she knows that Fuu will be able to help defend them.
The whip-crash interrupts her, and on instinct, Mikoto tries to leap away. It was, perhaps, the worst possible reaction; the whip tangles around her leg, biting into her skin, and Mikoto falls to the ground. There's an audible huff as the air is knocked from her lungs, but she's still clinging stubbornly to her Element, and she twists around, fully intending to cut the end of the whip off her leg if the PRiNCESS doesn't disentangle it on her own.
One way or another, she rights herself, though she's favouring her right leg. She /doesn't/ know who she's talking to, but the masked girl has made it easy; now she's attacked, she's clearly an enemy, and the way forward is obvious. Mikoto runs forward - no leaping, this time - and plants her good foot in front of Ye-jin, sweeping Miroku forward in a horizontal momentum-powered slash as she screams. /Now/ she's attacking for real.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
... well, that answers THAT question, doesn't it? The Wind Knight's eyes harden behind her glasses at Ye-jin's words, and flashes of green light arc out of her glove-jewel, materializing into her bow and her quiver. "You may *think* you can do anything you please," she responds crisply as she pulls out an arrow, "but you'll find that harder than you might have imagined. As for sending us anywhere, or to any afterlife ..."
She continues speaking even as she raises her bow, nocks the arrow, and draws the string back, lowering her bow as she does so; a gentle breeze rises about her on her rooftop perch, ruffling her skirts and sleeves, tousling her hair. "Greater foes than you have tried as much, more often than I care to count. All of us are still here; those who strove to kill us ... not so much."
The breezes gathered around her pick up dramatically as the Wind Knight calls out, "GALE ARROW!!" and looses her shaft; at the same instant, the wind gathered around her abruptly wraps instead around that arrow, simultaneously driving the shaft forward and shielding it against turbulence that would throw off her aim.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
"No! You can't!" Yumi calls back to Ye-jin. "It's wrong, and it's /weird/!" Does she know who she's talking to? Well... She doesn't seem to have a lot to say to that, because she is abrubtly much busier dealing with the strand of whip. Yumi throws out a hand and traces a rune in the air, a magical barrier erupting in green light between her and the whip--but while that protects her from the bulk of the /damage/ to her body, the shockwave of the whip sinks right into her arm, and she lets out a cry of pain.
"A-aaah!" It /hurts/, and the hurt lingers, causing her tos way on her broom for an instant. It was, apparently, not futile. "F-fine," she says to Mikoto, and grits her teeth again. Her glasses are gone, lost somewhere in the transformation, but there is more yet that she can do. "...Feel... The prickle on your skin, that makes to fail to hurt again!" she throws out her hand--and a blast of black energy charges towards the masked woman, erupting into a strange green light that seeks to make her weak, drain the vitality from her entirely. "I'll try and hold her down!" she calls, but the pain is obvious in her voice. "Just don't... you know, /kill/ her, Miko-chan!"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
By calling out the mysterious magical girl and throwing a tonfa her way, Sourisi knew she just made herself a target. As the whip rips towards her, Sourisi swings her second tonfa at the wicked whip instead of trying to block, the enchanted hardwood more than enough to withstand what was cutting apart cars only a moment ago. She didn't want her weapon to be pulled out of her grasp, that's for certain. The ear-splitting /crack/ and the force behind the whip is still enough to knock Sourisi off balance, causing the mouse girl to leap away.
Catching her wayward tonfa in midair, Sourisi lands on the hood of a van, kneeling from the landing. Looking at the Queen, she blinks as the masked figure points a threatening finger near her. Following the point, she notices Steven and Fuu for the first time, a smile growing upon recognizing the Wind Knight and the Shield Warrior. But the threats are no joke, and the Queen looks more than ready to follow through on her threats. Jumping next to Steven, she taps him gently on the shoulder with a tonfa to get his attention. "She might try, Steven, but me, Breeze-san, Ivy-san and everyone else here are protecting each other, because that's what we do. We're going to make her pay, threating innocent cars and people like this!" Giving Steven a quick wink, Sourisi jumps away, not towards Ye-jin, but towards the sliced top of the limo. She has an idea, but she just needs to get into position first!
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Not even a moment goest by, and horrible things are said towards Steven! "To H... what?!" he says, completely taken aback by something os awful said! "I just wanted to protect the sanctity of cars! And also keep that guy from getting banged up! And you say that?! Your mom would be ashamed of you!" he says, scolding this apparent villain-type person.
Other magical girls arrive on the scene as they have been alerted to the disturbance and those in trouble. Steven decides that the ladies know what is best, and leaps into the fray, following their lead! "Y'know what," he says toward Sourisi. "You are right! She is just trying to get under my skin. Let's let her have it!" he says, charging forward.
"You have a mean tongue," Steven says, jumping toward his target, but lets see how it likes to taste shield!" As the shield comes close to contact, he thinks to himself. Yeah, that was a good like.
Ah who is he kidding, it needs work. If he doesn't make better ones, he might get quite the licking!
AHAHA... hah... hum.
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Ye'jin's Element doesn't challenge Mikoto's, the strand of whip retreating back when her blade swings for it. This time she's able to see the girl coming, though even with that allowance she's still taken aback by the ferocity of Mikoto's blow. She's forced back again as the blade sweeps a line across her legs, her efforts to propel herself backward not clearing quite enough space to go unscathed.
The wound is deep enough to make her stumble, wobble off-balance as both Fuu and Yumi's attacks speed toward her. She makes attempt to right herself, whip snapping in the space in front of her, discharging a shockwave of sound toward Fuu and the incoming projectile. There's not enough turbulence to throw the arrow off completely, though, and she jerks back as it strikes her solidly in the shoulder.
Yumi's curse envelopes her next, and she feels the pull of fatigue as the magic wraps around her. A wobbly hand rises to deflect Steven's shield-and gives way under the force of the charge, sending her skittering back and stumbling back against a nearby streetlight.
There she pauses, letting out a hissing breath as she pushes herself back into a mostly vertical position. "Alright, if you're going to waste my time--" Ye-jin her fingers, spares a second to test her grip as green embers waft from her fingertips. "I guess I'll just go wild."
She jerks back into motion with startling speed, running at full-tilt toward her nearest opponent: One Steven Universe. She lifts from the ground with a leap, soaring into the air and aiming a foot straight toward the shield that just battered her backward.
Regardless of whether she crash into shield, boy, or ground, the first attack is only a stepping stone. She rebounds from the impact, pushes herself back into the air and whirls in a circular spin. Her Element rotates out around her, white and razor-sharp strands expanding and spiraling outward in every direction. They spin toward Sourisi and Mikoto, carving into everything in the intervening space.
And when she lands and the weapon coils obediently in her hands again she makes two final pirouettes; One that sends another strand of whip toward distant Fuu, and a second that arcs for one of Yumi's arms, intent on yanking her free from her broom.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Distance is little protection against that whip, as the Wind Knight quickly determines when a crack of said whip throws the Gale Arrow off-course - and another crack actually stings the Magic Knight herself. It doesn't dislodge her from her perch by itself, mind you - but her own follow-up arrow, intended to interrupt the whip, goes off the mark just far enough to be ineffective at either stopping it, or putting a further dent in Ye-jin's offense.
It's only when she reaches ground level that the Wind Knight realizes she must have taken more of a hit than she thought; her leg doesn't quite collapse underneath her, but the whip plus the stress of jumping leaves it weak enough for her to notice, and a quick glance down confirms it. Her gaze sweeps over her allies, taking note of a couple in particular who seem to be at less than ideal condition. She can at least do something to help them ... as well as getting herself back into the fight better.
"Winds of Healing!" she calls out softly, conjuring a shimmering, restorative breeze - around herself, first, offsetting the worst effects of that girl's whip. Then the Winds of Healing wrap around Mikoto and Steven as well, balmy and soothing; it won't heal all their injuries, but it should get them back to optimal condition for the time being, keeping their injuries from hindering them as much.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven moves in, wordplay and all, slamming his shield into this V-Mask lady. His strength is remarkable for his age being a half-Gem, but this lady shirks it off and keeps going! This clearly isn't her first rodeo. The villainess retaliates with a startling amount of speed, coming right for him at supernatural speeds! Of course there comes a point in every young boy's life when they realize that standing in front of something, no matter how good you are at blocking attacks, is a /bad idea/.
Thus, in some sort of instinctive battle reflex, Steven pivots, uses his shield as some sort of vaulting leverage, and goes up and over the hood of a car just before impact happens!
The boy peeks back over the wrecked car, and just tenses at the sight of the impact location. Eesh. "Is what is in that briefcase really that important?!" he shouts from behind the car, avoiding those strange stranding attacks.
The boy waits for an opportune moment to strike. As the lady slings the whip everywhere, it doesn't give much chance to get in there. At least until she occupies herself with assailing Miss Wind Knight and Miss Ivy Witch. The boy feels the winds of opportunity blow (Thanks in part by Fuu) And Steven shoves some debris from the wrecks out of the way and charges Ye-Jin's flank, swinging his shield wildly!
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
'Just don't... you know, /kill/ her, Miko-chan!'
They're the words of a friend, and Mikoto absorbs them, but they seem hopelessly idealistic from where she's standing. This masked girl - whoever she is - is powerful and dangerous. She can see, from the corners of her eyes, how her whip falls on everyone, quick as a falcon in the dive. If Mikoto holds back... But it's Yumi's heartfelt plea, because Yumi is a good person who doesn't want to see people hurt.
"... I'll try," Mikoto says, short and clipped. There's pain in her voice, too. She came into this tired, and it's starting to show.
If she was going to say anything more, it's impossible, because her foe is moving again - fast, too fast. She sees her moving towards Steven, but she doesn't even have time to regret that sunny boy finding himself on the battlefield before she's moved on to everyone else.
It's as if the whip is everywhere. Mikoto knows, now, not to run - but Ye-jin is too far away to attack. It's all she can do to lift Miroku defensively, shoes scraping against the ground as the force of the omnipresent strands push her back. The claymore protects her face and chest, but the razor-wires slice little ribbons through her sleeves and into her skin.
Striped like a tiger, Mikoto pants, her shoulders and chin dropped to protect her neck. But green winds cloister around her, flowing past her wounds, easing the pain which makes her favour one side. She nods to Fuu, in silent gratitude, before she lifts her blade. The winds of healing have made it easier. Even so, she can't keep this up for long. And worse - Yumi is --
Mikoto screams like a wild thing as she charges towards the masked girl, leaping to close the distance - it's clear she can be quick, too, though Miroku drags against the air. She swings the greatsword in an overhead arc, slicing downwards in a powerful and decisive strike which promises to shake the ground beneath her. She has to finish this quickly.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Yumi, for her part, has a staff--but it is more implement than melee weapon, and she does not move it to clash with anyone at all. Yumi watches Ye-jin go off-balance, watching the way she can... throw sound, like that. But at least her curse works--a lock of gray hair flutters back against her face, at her ear, and she takes a quick breath while she has the chance. "Really, you don't have to go wild, I don't think anybody here wants you to go wild--"
She winces as Ye-Jin moves. "Look out!" Steven. of course, little Steven. That gets on her nerves. "You're just--w-whoa what is--"
The last whirls do take a whip towards Yumi's arm, and coil around completely, too hard for her to get out of. Her eyes widen--and the force of the Element wars against the spell that stops her from falling, and the Element wins, /yanking/ her right off. The broom keeps hanging in the air as Yumi crashes towards the ground, about a story--and she hits the ground hard, whirling around to cradle her staff and prevent it being risked at all. "Acgh--"
She coughs, hard. She hasn't gotten the chance to respond to Mikoto yet, though she opens her eyes and just manages, "H-hey, I didn't die. ...C_cool..." She coughs again, and starts to turn around. The broom hangs still in the air, though it turns to point towards Yumi.
"T-thanks, Mikoto-chan..." She seems to believe Mikoto meant it. "And... Now..." She closes her eyes, "Ancient power... I call you from vine and tree, towards the shadow afflicting me," murmuring, as she traces with her hand the runes that glow green ahead of her, five--and then opens her gloved hand, sending forth cascading beams of green energy straight for Ye-jin. "Now!"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Darting in and around cars, Sourisi was trying her best to be out of sight and mind of Ye-jin. With the girl with the massive sword, the Witch of Ivy, Knight of Wind and Steven and his shield leading the charge, that's likely the case for now. Now she only has to get a little closer, then-the sound of a whirling whip was the only warning that the Queen was up to something. Sourisi peaks her head up over the hood of a limo to see what was going on.
The masked villianess was swinging her whip above her head, more of those strange strands of energy lashing out at the intersection, changing course and expanding almost randomly to the young girl. The odd lights was just as potent as the whip itself, cutting into cars, asphalt and poles with equal ease. With how rapidly they change course and with it cutting through any possible cover, Sourisi hastily crosses her tonfa in front of her, the enchanted weapons able to withstand the power behind the Element, but sending the mouse girl tumbling backwards all the same.
Coming to a stop when her head hits jagged metal from behind, Sourisi hisses in pain and scrambles to her feet. Wondering what she just hit, she realizes the Queen actually help her reach her goal, the cut top of the limo. Swinging her tail at the edge of the roof, a soft gold chain of light forming where she tapped, before swinging her tail again, and again, and again! After a few swings, the interior of the room had magical chains on the inside, criss-crossed and overlapping each other.
With her makeshift net made, Sourisi looks back over at the fight and winces as Yumi is ensnared by that vicious whip and yanked right off her broom. "So, she likes binding people, huh?" Kneeling down, Sourisi lifts up the roof carefully, straining to lift the heavy metal over her head. Grunting with the effort, Sourisi turns around and throws the makeshift net at the masked fighter, hoping her crazy plan works. "So let's see if we can tie things up!"
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Ye-jin doesn't stop moving. Her pirouette ends in a crouch, set to meet attacks she's certain are on their way-and she's right enough.
Steven is the first, and she moves to meet him once again. She's already seen how surprisingly sturdy the half-Gem and his shield are, and she doesn't challenge them again. Not directly, at least. She turns as they collide, pivots to step aside before they can crash together at full force. It's only part of her shoulder that takes the rattling blow of the boy's charge, and she spins into a crouch with the added momentum. One leg extends outward, aiming to sweep the boy's feet out from under him as she rises to her own.
She's keenly aware of Mikoto, the next approaching threat. Her eyes follow the dark blade as it arcs through the air, and she knows clearly the power behind that vicious weapon. Fast as she is, though, Mikoto's just a hair faster. The leftmost tip of her mask is shorn free, glittering gold cast to the street nearby and fabric town as the weapon rips a line down her arm.
Now Mikoto's not the only one screaming. Definitely because that hurt a lot--but also definitely just to be the one screaming louder. "Yaaaaa!" She doesn't bother with the whip at such close range, instead pivots to bring one foot up in a circular ark toward Mikoto, aiming to send her as far away as reasonably possible. "You piece of crap, I'll--"
Focused as she is, she doesn't have nearly enough time to dodge the hail of green energy rolling toward her. It likely saves Mikoto from any reprisal, considering the blast throws her into an off-balance roll.
A roll that ends with Sourisi dunking a roof over her head. Golden chains tangle and restrain, and for a moment all that can be heard is unintelligible ranting. Just for a moment, though. A second later another shock blows the makeshift net back in the direction of the Miraculous mouse, and Ye-jin's voice is much clearer as she demonstrates some choice eloquences that have come with her study of the Japanese language: "I'll grind your bones to dust!"
She's still aware of both Yumi and Fuu, both of whom are dangerous problems. A street-level Ivy Witch provides at least some new opportunities, though. Ye-jin elects to move again to take advantage, taking a few quick vaults to the roof of an abandoned car nearby. He vaults from there, closing the space between herself and Yumi. Her Element extends out again as she goes, a verticle line that slices down toward the witch.
From there it's only a short flick to send it sideways toward Fuu, seeking to snag her and reel her in closer if she gets a hold. Perhaps in hops that she'll be sending slightly less arrows in her direction if she does.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
The masked girl - masked no more - wants to send Mikoto away, but that was always Mikoto's plan. She leaps away as soon as her sword hits the ground, though the way she has to heave it upwards from its indentation in the ground gives Ye-jin enough time to kick at her as she leaves. Foot strikes laceration, and Mikoto hisses through grit teeth.
This girl... talks a lot.
But she doesn't just talk - she's attacking again, as if tireless. Worse, she's attacking both Fuu and Yumi! Mikoto charges forward, again, announcing her attack with a terrible bellow; it's as if she's /trying/ to be as distracting as possible. Her sword swings down in a horizontal arc, demanding attention.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
As the car roof lands on the masked Ye-jin, it looks like that may have stopped her for now. "Right, now let's see why she attacked-aaah!" A pulse of magic sends the trap net flying back at her, and only instinct causes Sourisi to duck down in time to avoid having her attack go back to sender. Her brained ponytail whips by the displaced air as it just soars over her head and slams back onto the limo, but now upside down. Looking up slowly at the Whip Queen and hearing her threaten, no promise to grind their bones into dust rattle Sourisi visibly. "Welp. I think we only made her mad."
Being threaten by Ye-jin or not, it doesn't change the fact that she's caused chaos to an otherwise quiet late night during spring break, sowing chaos and ruining fun for others. Pulling her tonfa free of their clasps once more, Sourisi takes a more direct approach this time and rushes Ye-jin. Mikoto has shown that directly charging could catch the masked whipuser off guard for a moment, and the Miraculous mouse zig-zags in attempt to throw off the whip's aim. With one last leap, Sourisi jabs her tonfa rapidly at Ye-jin while still in midair, the air. "Sorry, but no bonegrinding for me today, thank you! Why don't you just give up the briefcase and walk away?"
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
There are points where Steven doesn't remember what happened in combat. One of them was about five seconds ago. The last thing he remembers was coming at Ye-Jin, flying into one of his shield dervishes. A section of a Bubble Shield was used, a kick was involved somehow, and Steven finds himself flat on his back, reeling from back pain. Thankfully enough other contenders are present to distract him from being put in traction.
The boy quickly leaps to his feet, and readies himself. "Okay, we need help! Cars, lend us your power!" He says, as if calling out to some kind of automobile god. The boy shrugs at the result of no answer, and has a better idea. Steven conjures his shield once mroe, and takes in his hand. Whilst everyone else fights, the boy begins to swing the shield around in a circle. Almost like a discus throw, before letting it loose. If of course goes wide of Ye-Jin, and pangs off a car. Then another.
Then another. One would almost think it is picking up speed somehow.
It reflects off of the side of a truck, comes back to STeven, who reaches out, grabs it midair, and i nthe same momentum, spins around one last time, and slices a throw vertically toward Ye-Jin!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The whip doesn't QUITE ensnare the Magic Knight of Wind, at least not enough to yank her much of anywhere. It does, however, spur the Wind Knight back into motion - mostly because she sees it coming with just enough time and clarity to move. She doesn't quite get away unscathed, either - but she's still in better shape than she might have been ...
And with Ye-jin trying to go for some semblance of high ground, the Wind Knight just draws another arrow back on her bow, and lets it fly - trying to anticipate Ye-jin's next move and attempting to cut her off.
<Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (10)] has posed.
Of course she doesn't stop moving. It would be so much easier for Yumi if this person would /stop moving/ but she doesn't. ...Not that Yumi really blames her for that. She is, however, still on the ground. This will shortly be problematic. "Hey, don't call her that!" Yumi shouts at Ye-Jin, masked as she still is, "She's not!"
But then, there's talk of grinding her bones to dust and Yumi sort of 'eeeehs', not at all liking that mental image. It unsettles her, hearing something like that from someone person-sizzed. "Look, I--" The line comes down. The whip is rushing towards her, and in a few instants, Yumi traces a pattern before her that blazes to green life, a great barrier erupting between her and the whip in a flash of light, sending a beam crashing outward--far away, into nothing in particular. "Real tired of..." Pause. "No, just... real tired." She watches Steven throw his shield, and bites her lip. Is Mikoto okay...?
Yumi takes up her staff, pointing it forward, other hand open, facing Ye-Jin, despite the pain in her arm, despite the pain in her body. That hand starts to glow ethereally black. "..." A deep breath, and she intones, "Sleeping power be bound by my will!"
"VERDANT FLARE!" She finishes the spell, finishing the runes in the air before her, and her staff's head glow brilliant green, radiant. From her hand fires a chartreuse beam slightly wider than her handspan--that, when it reaches the partially-masked woman, will triple in size, forcing Yumi back against recoil.
<Pose Tracker> Ye-jin Song [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Ye-jin finds that she has no choice but to give Mikoto that attention, pivoting again to face the blade streaking toward her. Her hands grasp at her Element, draw it into a taunt line to catch and slow the ebony blade arching toward her. Were it an ordinarily whip, there's no way it would hold. Even magical as it is, it still frays and gives under the weight and the edge, doing barely enough to prevent a more severe would than several of the others she's taken from the weapon. She can at least give something back, for the trouble. White coils of her Element loop twist around Mikoto's arm, and with that leverage Ye-jin hefts, pivots, and hurls her vicious foe away.
It doesn't leave her in a good position to deal with the rest of what's coming at her. Her eyes make a difficult attempt to track Steven's shield as it ping-pongs back and forth, and then directly toward her. She curves away from it's ark, attempts to throw herself to the side and finds her legs more unsteady from Mikoto's cuts than she thought. The shield strikes at least some part of her, enough to throw her backward several steps. Into both the impact from Fuu's arrow, and the flurry of strikes being delivered by Sourisi. Each impact drives her further back, back, and into the wall of green energy loosed by the Witch Ivy. The spell crashes into her, flings the PRInCESS from her feet and across the narrow street. She goes over the roof of abused cars, into a nearby vending machine.
And when she tears herself out of her little indentation she's very upset about it. Her steps aren't as sure as they were before. She goes wobbling, shredded from a dozen cuts and arrows, bruised by shields and tonfas, wracked by witch's magic. "Stay out--" Her element is raised over her head now, whirled like a helicopter blade as it builds speed. Faster and faster, louder and louder. "--of my business!"
And she brings it down. The crack of the whip is deafening, and the shockwave after is immense, blowing outward in all directions from it's point of impact near the center of the street. It's enough to lift vehicles, to send any bystanders that remain cowering scattering. And when the sound stops reverberating and the air stops vibrating, Ye-jin Song is gone.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
As the masked whip-master goes flying into a vending machine, Sourisi felt a spike of hope rise within her. With that last concentrated barrage from them, and with Steven's bouncing shield and the Ivy Witch's energy beam being the star of the show, this person should be on their last legs! But being knocked down doesn't mean she's out just yet, if the swinging whip was anything to go by. "Everyone, watch out-" The last of Sourisi's warning is muted by the crack of the whip and the sound of cars flying.
Once Sourisi's head stopped ringing and making the world spin violently, the magical mouse girl sat up slowly to take notice of her surroundings. She was inside the window display of a shop on the opposite side of the intersection, and the dented shutter behind her shows just what broke her flight. Standing up slowly, but with a lot more pain that before, Sourisi looks around at the intersection, at all the tossed cars and property damage, before jumping out. She's sore, bruised, and very tired now, but there was likely someone who could use some help, and she was worried about her allies.
Only one question remained. "Just what was so important in that briefcase that another magical girl attacks them for it?"
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Minagi [Ohtori Academy (10)] has posed.
Mikoto asks for attention, and attention she is given.
The magical whip slows Miroku's path, softens it enough that it's not able to score deep, even as Mikoto presses the attack. She hisses, again, as the Element wraps around the cuts on her arm; but she's poured so much of her strength into pushing Miroku forward that she's able to be taken off-balance by the counterattack.
She sails away, slamming into the side of an abandoned car, and hitting the ground with an audible /thunk/. Miroku held in one hand, Mikoto pushes her other underneath her, muscles quivering as she struggles to push herself up.
She's halfway up before she collapses again. "Nhhh," she groans, teeth grinding together. Once again, she tries to stand, hand grasping at the side of the car for support - but this time, Ye-jin's final attack works against her, sundering the ground and sending Mikoto sprawling to the ground again.
Mikoto draws in a shuddering breath, and lies still. She wants to fight, wills herself to fight... but she cannot.
The question of the briefcase earns her attention, now that the battle is closed off to her, but all she's able to manage in reply is a quiet huff.
