Frills of Justice - protectors of Nagashima (IC)

[jamieth]

It is a middle of the spring in the town of Nagashima, and the weather was nothing short of perfect for the last couple of weeks. Spring break has ended, and the hustle and bustle of the first days of new school year - meeting new classmates, new teachers, getting acusto,ed to a new school for some - is more or less done, too.

At East High, a new band appearing out of the blue at the last year's cultural festival is still a popular topic, and the band's lead guitarist, Suzo Satou, still discovers an occasional confession letter in her shoe locker - and would probably get a lot more, were East High not an all-girl school.

Opposite to that, Nagashima High sometimes appears as the concentrated sea of masculinity - or, at least, its stadium does, where the American Football club members train to exhaustion, eager to prove their last year's campaign ending in the regionals was nothing but a choke. With the tournament schedule recently revealed, they are bent on starting with a bang and "showing those four-eyed bookworms and pampered rich kids how to do it the real 'merican way", quoting a certain overly enthusiastic member of the cheering squad.

Not that anyone at Mirayama would be threatened by such declarations, of course. The Academy is almost a small town in itself, only concerned with the national education system as far as they themselves decide to - and, let's be honest, an average Mirayama student isn't overly concerned about this sport in the first place. The race for class president of 2-3 attarcts much more attention - partially because the student council president, Harima Itsuki, is graduating this year, and the position seems to become wide open once the last trimester starts.

Meanwhile, rumor fly through school about a new student who just transferred into Mirayama - which doesn't happen often in the first place, since Academy's entrance exams are really hard... but that girl not only passed them, but did so with a perfect score - something even Mai Kamura hadn't managed to do a year before.

And, of course, not everyone can allow themselves to only be concerned about their school life - beyond the curtain of a brand-new uniform, some may work a not-strictly-legal part-time job to help their fanily - and some might be a living proof that all the money of the world aren't enough to be happy. And, of course, some mey have different secrets altogether - ones world really isn't supposed to know, for it's own safety.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko yawns in exhaustion as she walks into the school, blending into the crowd. She had a good run last night, or this morning really, a forty-five minute round trip including delivery and she managed to pass another street racer on top of that. She yawned again as the last drops of adrenaline left her body.

The only thing that could ruin her day now was that Hikari girl bugging her again, and maybe a surprise test, but it was all book learning, stuff she had already read past or could figure out on the spot, so yeah, maybe just the Hikari girl.

Snapped out her thoughts by the bell, she groaned as she made her way to her first class of the day, Physics and there was no time to doze off since it was a lab day.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira had arrived at school early, as she had been since signing up to run for class president. It gave her a chance to chat with more students before classes began, and well, getting up early had ceased to be a problem recently. If there was one thing Lira had plenty of, it was energy. She unconsciously touched the sun-shaped pendant she wore at the thought.

The bell put an end to her activities, however. She made her way to her geometry class. Not her favorite, for sure. A combination of active participation, good verbal and written communication skills, and hard work were her primary tactics for keeping her grades up, and the former two were a lot less effective in math. Still and all, she was redoubling her efforts. Knowing how to calculate angles was starting to have value in her actual life.

She sat down, pulled out her textbook, notebook, pencil, and homework, and began giving the latter one final check-over. She didn't expect to find any issues - not out of personal confidence, but simply because Mai had confirmed she was on point and she knew better than to think she would spot something that Mai couldn't on a homework assignment - but going back through the logic of the problems helped remind her exactly what she was doing.

[Rokku]

The Nagashima High cheerleading squad was out on the football field, practicing their routine while the team ran wind sprints, and Yuki Jackson was in the zone. More than one member of the football team had stumbled and fallen when they got distracted by how high she was kicking. To Yuki, this is what it was all about. Maximum team spirit, looking great and performing your ass off.

There were classes to attend, later. Her mind wouldn't be on them, as usual. She'd be looking forward to the next game, cheering the team to victory, and the party afterwards.

Hopefully no monsters were going to show up to ruin it.

[Princess K]

Himeko sighed. Geometry.

It wasn't particularly difficult work; she had never been one to struggle with academics. Without putting in too much effort, she always managed to scrape by with C grades in most of her classes. Certainly not anything to be proud of, but it was good enough that she wouldn't fail out of anything. It was a good thing too, she thought, she had more important things to do in her off hours than study. Of course, she had more important things to do in her on hours too. Himeko frowned, leaning back in her seat. She couldn't skip any more classes that quarter without being penalized, but she really needed a moment away from conic sections. She turned her head, glancing over to where Hikari sat. How unfortunate to have such a beacon of responsibility in her class. Nevertheless, if she let every good-intentioned student dissuade her from slacking off, Himeko would have been a star student. As it were, she wasn't, so she raised her hand.

"Oi, sensei!" she called. "Restroom?"

[jamieth]

Mirayama, classroom 1-3

It is the first physics lab of the year, and the first several minutes pass as the students - some long-time classmates since Junior High division, some having just met recently - sort themselves into pairs... except for one person, who never moves from her spot - and no one approaches her, either. Noticing that, the teacher thionks for a moment, than says, "Kurenai, join with Mataoka and show her the way around the lab, would you?"

The girl named Mataoka Fuuko finally takes a step towards Kagiko. She's the tranfer student that made so much fuss by managing a perfect scores on entrance exams - and, it seemed, putting effort into not attracting attention ever since. Even now, few could say they ever had a proper conversation with Fuuko - she always was perfectly polite... while managing to communicate "I'm sorry, I'm not really interested in it" with every facet. Probably the reason why no one volunteered to team with her...

Mirayama, classroom 2-3

"Sure, Kiyotaka", the teacher nods to Himeko's request, knowing perfectly well it was but a pretense, but not caring much. "Now, before I start the today's lecture, pass your homework forward, everyone..."

Nagashima Public, practice field

"Great job, Yuki-san!", the squad's captain called, "Ah, I'd really like to go through it one more time, but I guess it's time, unless we want to be late for class... Ah, I know we don't have an official practice today, but are you free after school?"

[The_Admiral]

"Whuh, huh? Ah, yes sensei." she replies to the teacher, trepidation growing with every word.

Kagiko approaches Mataoka, scratching the back of her head nervously with one hand and extending the other in greeting as she does so, she manages to say, "Hello, my name's Kurenai Kagiko, it's nice to meet you." stifling a yawn.


Introverts united? We have T-Shirts.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira passed up her assignment, opened both her text and notebook to their current pages, and dated the latter.

[Rokku]

"I sure as shootin' am," said Yuki, "are we meeting back out here?"

[jamieth]

Nagashima Public, practice field

"Well, no - it's just we... that is, me, Ichigo, and Rika - we were going to check the Mirayama's stadium - they built themselves a new one, have you heard? And recon's always useful..."

Mirayama, classroom 1-3

"Nice to meet you, Kurenai-san", the girl smiles politely, shaking Kagiko's hand. As always - just enough to be polite, and not a word more... as the two start to work, it becomes clear there's no slacking for Fuuko's partner - as soon as a slightest pause occurs during the work, she immediaely asks where to find the equipment for the next stage - quoting relevant sections from the manual verbatim, as far as Kagiko can tell.
Expertise roll, please - though I'll tell you beforehand taking 10 would suffice for a solid, no-problem lesson... rolling high or low might have extra effects, though :-)

Mirayama, 2nd floor hallway

As Himeko passes by the window, she notices a nondescript truck with the construction company logo driving towards the new stadium. Strange - it was supposed to be completed last week... after all, the grand opening is tomorrow - isn't it kinda late to fix things now?

[The_Admiral]

"How does she remember all this," Kagiko muttered to herself as she barely managed to keep up with her lab partner's pace, relying almost exclusively on deducing the experiment's process with her admittedly spotty memory and exhausted mind.

[jamieth]

Mirayama, classroom 1-3

As the pair nears the completion of their set of experiments - with over half a lesson to spare, and, surprisingly, despite than breakneck speed, without any significant issues - Fuuko takes a glance at the clock over the blackboard - or, rather, a giant touch-sensitive screen Mirayama uses instead of blackboard (surprisingly, the clock is still the old-fashioned mechanical one) - and nods to herself quickly. "Thank you for your hard work, Kurenai-san." Then, to everyone's surprise, she actually raises her hand and calls for the teacher, "Sensei, excuse me, may I go to hte nurse's office? It's nothing serious, but I'm not feeling that well, and it would probably be best if I took some rest. We finished here alreay anyway,"

That speech actually makes the whole class pause for a moment to take a glance - not only to check whether it was actually possible to finish that quickly, but also because that was the longest speech they ever heard from Mataoka - well, save from the one she gave at the entrance ceremony, as a first years' representative.

Somewhat dumbfounded by that statement, teacher pauses for a moment, blinks several times, then says weakly, "Oh... sure. Kurenai... show Mataoka to the office, would you..."

"Thank you, but there's no need; I know where the nurse's office is", she quickly grabs her bag, turns towards the class, bows slightly and heads out. Needless to say, from Kagiko's perspective, she didn't look sick in the slightest.

"The teacher just shakes his head, "Oh well... well, in that case - Kurenai, you can have the rest of class free, as well. You look like you need it..."

A note, since I noticed it isn't really apparent in "translation": Mataoka mostly speaks in very formalized language - or, rather, a "textbook" language, perfectly correct grammar-wise, but lacking nuances completely. Just in case you were wondering :-)

[The_Admiral]

"Thank you sensei, I think I need to go to the nurse's office for a lie down." she manages to stutter out in reply, stifling another yawn as she bows at her teacher, grabbing her bag and walking out after Mataoka. I'll see where she's going and then go to the nurse's office for a nap later she thought to herself as she followed Mataoka. And to be honest, she was very curious, her inability to interact with groups of people be dammed.


Time to put on the death Frisbee. And then have a nap. Death Frisbee first though.

[Princess K]

Himeko sees the construction vehicle go by and frowns. Every student could have recognized the logo - even her - since they'd been hammering away for ages. She was certain the whole thing had been finished though. Maybe they were fixing something broken?

The girl glanced in the general direction of her classroom, and then back at the window. Well, she'd showed up for roll in Geometry, after all. It couldn't hurt to take a few minutes to see what was going on. Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be less interesting than angles. Himeko headed for the stairs toward the first floor. A little run couldn't hurt either...

[Rokku]

"Heck, ain't no fancy new field gonna stop our boys stompin' those Mirayama sissies," declares Yuki, "but if you want me along, I'd be happy to come."

[jamieth]

Mirayama, 3rd floor hallway (Kagiko)

Exiting the classroom, Kagiko just notices Fuuko disappearing behind the corner of the hallway - a corner leading to the second stair. It doesn't lead higher than the 3rd floor, and below there's another hallway just like that one on the 2nd floor, and the building's back door - one leading to the sports section of the campus. Nurse's office is in an opposite direction altogether.
Stealth roll if you're going to tail her; otherwise, well, surprise me :-)

Mirayama, 2nd floor hallway (Himeko)

Naturally, the school's twisty driveways are far from being a highway - and the truck is moving slowly enough that the athletic teenage girl with a good knowledge of local geograhy can keep up with it easily, all the way to the stadium, as expected. It parks nearby, and the driver comes out and takes a look around before leaning on the truck's side and looking at his wristwatch.
There are enough trees and whatever else around to hide - unless Himeko would decide to act in the open?

Nagashima Public, practice field (Yuki)

"Ha, as if there ever was any doubt! See you after school then!"

I'm terribly sorry that there's not much going on with your characters right now... I'll try to bring you up as soon as possible.

[The_Admiral]

As she followed Fuuko, adrenaline started running through her veins as she attempted to stay out of the mysterious girl's sight. Attacking corners never got dull, but this was a different kind of rush, one that she now tells herself she should not start liking.


Stealth
[roll0]

Using OOC information, I am guessing this for Kagiko meeting Himeko :smallbiggrin:

Do you wanna steal a lorry?
Don't you worry I can drive,
The shifting points are kinda weird,
There's way too many gears,
But I think I'll be able to figure it out,

[Princess K]

The man was obviously waiting for something or someone. If Himeko wanted to find out more, the wise thing to do would have been to wait and see.

However, while Kiyotaka Himeko was a lot of things, wise was rarely on the list.

"Yo! Did you break the stadium or something?" she called to the man.

[jamieth]

Mirayama, school grounds
Himeko

"What? Oh, no, just doing the last checks to be sure everything's ready for tomorrow..." the man takes another look at the watch. He's quite obviously nervous. "What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

Kagiko

Mataoka takes a glance behind a couple of times, but, being in a hurry, doesn't seem to notice Kagiko. She heads out of the building and quickly makes her way across the ground, towards the new stadium - stopping at the last moment and slipping behind the tree. From her own hiding place, Kagiko notices a female student - 2nd year, by the color of the uniform - talking to a man in the uniform of the constuction company.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko sticks to the trees, she could not make it past the two without being noticed, so she sits, waits and observes, hoping they'll go away or that Mataoka would come back the same way too.

[Princess K]

"Nope, I'm a problem child," Himeko said cheerfully, as if that explained everything. "What about you? Waiting for someone special, omae?"

[jamieth]

Himeko
"N-no..." the man seems taken aback, not expecting such a response obviously, "Just making sure everything's on schedule... these guys sure take their time!"
Just as he says that, van's back door opens, and two more men in the same uniform come out, carrying the large wooden box.
"That might actually be good that you're here", the driver says, "would you mind showing those two around a bit? They have to place some sensors around the stands, and we're short on time... blueprints are good and all, but we never saw the place itself before, you see, and it's rather large..."

Kagiko
Mataoka stays still, watching the events around the van with a concerned face.

[Princess K]

Himeko tilted her head to one side. These guys were a disgrace to acting. They were obviously up to something fishy - sensors? In a school stadium? - but no matter. If there was something going on, there was no one better suited to keep it under control than her. Now, all she had to do was pretend she didn't realize anything was wrong. She'd already shown herself as a bit of a delinquent... three, two, one; action. "Aight, why not. Anything to get out of class for a bit longer, huh?"

The girl turned toward the stadium and walked off, gesturing for the workers to follow. The gem hanging from her neck seemed to tingle with excitement. "So what're these sensor things for?"

[roll0]

[The_Admiral]

Okay, time to follow, it seemed like something big and bad was going on, at least bigger than Mataoka skipping out on classes, she could always figure that out later. She thought to herself as she attempted to follow the year two girl and the workers without being noticed.

[jamieth]

Himeko

Do you mean you're trying to bluff the "workers" into thinking you believe them, or is it something else?

Kagiko

Just as the men - and the girl who was talking to the driver earlier - get away, Mataoka steps out of her hideout and approaches the driver. You can't pick up any words from your position, but from the tone - and expression - she's currently being as pushy - if not aggressive as you ever saw her, while the man trying to defend himself.
Do you still follow Himeko and the two workers?

[The_Admiral]

Okay, so Mataoka was involved in all this, she could deal with this, dammit she wished her phone was not so loud right now as she attempted to move closer and actually catch what was being said. Hopefully that second year was not in on it and could figure out that they were plainly up to no good.


Do I roll another stealth?
[roll0]

[jamieth]

Himeko

"Here, take a look",one of the 'workers' nod in the direction of the box they carry, "just be careful not to drop it - pretty expensive stuff, fragile, too."

The box is filled with couple dozen black boxes - each about the size and shape of a modern smartphone, each wrapped in a bubbly polyethilene sheet.
"They are more like reflectors", the worker says, "the transmitter in the car emits UHF waves, and these things reflect and retransmit them, creating the interference patterns which reveal any structural defects in the concrete..." he keeps on babbling for some time.
Apparently, that technobabble is supposed to sound believable to a schoolgirl. It really doesn't.

Kagiko

The girl and the driver don't notice you, aparently, and you are able to get into the hearing range easily - hiding behind the very same tree Mataoka was using, in fact. Too bad that even hearing the conversation, you can't make much of it...
Whatever language the're talking, it isn't Japanese
Nor English
Doesn't seem like any of the major languages, either - not German, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Hindi, etc.
From some familiar roots and prononciation, though, you determine the synthetic nature of the language. It is Esperanto.
The driver takes a small black ball out of his pocket, and hands it towards the girl; she touches it, and...
...you feel the, admittedly very faint, sign of the Void.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko listens, after some picking apart of its grammatical structure, she finally nails it at Esperanto, a language she has been attempting to teach herself in her surprisingly limited spare time with very little success. She liked the idea of it, a language designed to promote mutual understanding. She gets a funny feeling as the ball is taken out, immediately dismissing it as more adrenaline as she attempts to observe, she'll have to switch to Japanese some time soon.

[Princess K]

Himeko peered into the box curiously, examining the little black devices within. They looked kind of like phones, though the man told her they were reflectors for 'UHF waves'. They did seem to be transmitters of some sort, but that was the only honest thing he was saying.

It seemed a practiced script; it was hard to babble on for as long as the man did without preparation, especially when the contents of the speech were nonsense. Acronyms and long words were usually enough to fool the average layman - any legal document was proof enough of that - but Himeko was a little more savvy than that, thanks to a ham radio enthusiast that frequented the same parts of the net she did. UHF waves were ultra-high-frequency radio waves; apparently "radar" wasn't a sciency enough explanation. That particular frequency range also had the small detail of being obstructed by mountains and large buildings.

Like a stadium made of steel and concrete.

The rest of the man's explanation wasn't much better. After a moment's deliberation, Himeko decided that this was quite enough BS, thank you. Whoever these guys were, they weren't construction company workers, and they were definitely up to something. And even if they weren't, it wasn't like anyone could be more disappointed in her.

And they'd run into the worst possible person, Himeko thought, a smile forming at her lips. "Wow, that's really impressive, mister! Radar is such a cutting-edge technology! Does your truck get analog television too?" she remarked cheekily. "Retransmit! I know, these are bat eggs, so they can echolocate the cracks for you." She bounded backward, cutting off the way to the stadium. "Now, do you want to tell me the truth, or do I have to show you why they call me a delinquent?"

[jamieth]

Himeko

"Way to smart for your own good, are you?" the 'worker' asks with a sudden note of tiredness in his voice, before speaking a short phrase in a foreign language into his watch - or, probably, communicator would be a better word. Even not knowing the language, the meaning of his message is quite obvious - "we have a problem".
"Now listen", he adds to Himeko, "I have to get you to sho-i. Don't resist, and none of us would regret it. And by the way, our truck does have an analog TV. For some reason, these waves can't be digitized."

Kagiko

Handing the ball back to the driver, Mataoka turns to leave... and then the driver barks a short command into his communicator. Hearing his next words, she turns around with an almosf furious look.
Hero point for getting discovered?

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko gives off a half hearted innocent whistle as the pressure of attention pushed down on her, her anxiety issues picked such 'perfect' times to act up didn't they? "W-what are y-you p-planning?" she stuttered out, backing a step away.

[Princess K]

Himeko looked the men over. If they were just another pair of delinquents, she might have been able to take them on without transforming. They didn't seem to be everyday troublemakers though; everyday troublemakers didn't attempt to plant transmitters in a school stadium. Whatever this was, it didn't seem to just be petty vandalism. Himeko huffed quietly; she should have disguised herself before leaping onstage. They'd find out who she was if she transformed. After the merest moment of deliberation, the girl just smiled. She'd just have to beat the memory out of them. Taking her pendant in hand, she spoke:

"Up to no good, ne? I guess I have to put an end to that! Velvet Mask, Soul Charge!"

[jamieth]

Himeko

Even before Himeko speaks the activation phrase, the man looks at the pendant she holds - and it seems he knows what he sees well enough.
Whatever plans he might have had are dropped immediately as the man almost screams something, in panic, into his comm.

The response comes, this time, in Japanese - and in a high-pitched, obviously female voice. "Operation is off! Repeat, operation is off! Get back immediately! To unknown wielder of life stone - please refrain from aggression. No harm would be done to the school or its students. Please come to the truck if you have any questions."

Kagiko

Mataoka stays silent for a split second, then asks, in a smildly surprised voice - which, by her scale, pretty much equal total shock, "Kurenai-san?" Then, after a short pause, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. Students weren't supposed to be involved..."

The next couple of seconds, several things happen in quick succession; you see a flash of multicolored lights from towards the stadium, and at the same moment, you feel the a melodic sound coming from the lock-shaped pendant of yours - except you're pretty sure that sound doesn't come from your ears.
The driver's communicator, meanwhile, bursts out an almost panicked-sounding phrase, and, before he can answer, Mataoka snaches the comm and starts speaking, in Japanese, "Operation's off! Repeat, operation's off..." At the same time, with her other arm, she starts pulling her neck chain.

[The_Admiral]

"W-what's that, w-what's going on? W-what are y-you doing?" she stuttered out as she heard a sound coming from that strange keychain she found up in on the pass, taking another step back, noticing Mataoka pulling at her necklace. For a few seconds, Kagiko could have sworn she was driving her fathers car at way over the speed limit again in the dead of night, something about that sound was so familiar.

[Princess K]

Himeko paused, hands in the air. That had been... unexpected. "Right, now you people are being honest."

Yet they knew what the life stone was. Magical girls weren't a complete secret - though many still held doubts on their existence - but the life stones... she'd never met anyone else who knew about them. The only people that should know were magical girls... and their enemies, and these men didn't seem like the former. Some people really couldn't pull off frills. The girl gripped her life stone tightly, narrowing her eyes. "Fine then. I guess you get a chance to explain yourself. But one wrong move and I knock you out so you can explain everything later. Now, just to be safe..." she raised the gem once more. She really didn't want to bother with being grabbed while untransformed. "Soul charge."

Light shone from the life stone, changing Himeko wherever it shone upon her. Her uniform melted into black and white cloth, reweaving itself into a magical girl's garb. Invisible hands draped a cape across her shoulders, and a rose bloomed across her chest, crimson red. Himeko laughed brightly, slipping her half mask onto her face. There was always something euphoric about the soul charge. That feeling of infinite liberty couldn't be beat. "Take me to your leader!" she proclaimed.

[jamieth]

Kagiko and Himeko

"Please wait just a minute, Kurenai-san; I'll rather only explain it once..." Mataoka looks around, "Also, please note... what I'm about to tell you is a classified information. Should you disclose it without permission, I'm afraid I won't be able to guarantee your safety. Knowing that, you're free to leave right now. Naturally, what you saw up to now is classified as well. Ah," she turns around,
"Nice to meet you, Velvet Mask-san. Allow me to properly introduce myself, and I'm sorry for decieving you earlier, Kurenai-san... I am Mataoka Fuuko-sho-i, of the Japanese branch of the Valkyrie Initiative. We are..."

"Lieutenant, you're overstepping your authority! You're putting the whole operation at risk!" the driver tries to interfere.

"That is not for you to decide, private", she stops him. "I am in charge of this operation, and I decided that the newly-aquired information requires of us to re-evaluate our plans; later, you are free to file a complaint if you disagree with my decisions. As I have said before, we work for Valkirye Initiative. It is the international private paramilitary organization aiming to save the world..."

"That's enough, Lieutenant!" the driver shouts, pulling a small black ball out of his pocket, "Don't think you know everything!" saying that, the throws the ball at the ground. A thunder strikes, and, within seconds, a great black cloud forms above the group - one surrounded with the flashing lightning bolts and, it quickly becomes apparent, vaguely humanoid - at least, its upper part is looking somewhat like a muscular human torso, head and arms. Mataoka looks at the... being eith a mix of terror and disbelief. "That shouldn't have..." she manages to quickly collect herself, though. Quickly pulling the small device looking like USB flash drive from under her uniform and says, loud and clear, "Sentinel Unit, Soul Charge!"

Needless to say, both of you feel the Void presense - and this time it is really clear.

Roll Initiative! For Kagiko, basic self-preservation instinct should be strong enough to trigger the transormation by now, but I have an idea on how to make you relevant even without it - and it would help with bringing the whole team together. Your choice.

Lira

The geometry lesson almost draws to a close when you hear the stroke of thunder in the clear spring sky. Seconds later, the loudspeaker above the door comes alive. "To all students, this is an emergency situation. Please gather at the Gym immediately; this is not a training, I repeat, this is not a training...

As a candidate for class president, you should probably set an example - if only there wasn't that oh-so-familiar feeling of disgust that signifies the presense of Void.

Should you head to the fight scene, you'll be in time to act last in the second round.

[Quellian-dyrae]

It took...a not-inconsiderable amount of willpower for Lira to not go rushing off as soon as she felt that presence. Had it just been a matter of politics and responsibility, she probably would have. But if she just ran off, it was possible that someone would go after her, which could put them in danger.

She'd just need to wait for a chance to slip away in the confusion.

And hope her delay didn't get anyone killed.

She stood up and went to the door, not even so much as grabbing her backpack, the way she was standing basically a signal that she was starting a line (Oh, brilliant, helping keep things organized should be a big help to your plan to slip away in the confusion.) If any of her classmates wasted time trying to gather their stuff, she'd say, "Leave it, it'll be here when we get back." Her voice clear and calm, with just a hint of urgency that was in no way feigned.

She didn't even notice that her hand had gone unconsciously to the locket around her neck.

[The_Admiral]

Fear overwhelmed her as she backed away from the monsters. Something in her gut was telling her that there was some bad juju going on. The melodic sound in her head was drowned out by her own 'trained' instinct, her hands almost raised to instinctively grasp an invisible wheel.

With no outlet for it, no crash to avert no spin to control, she stares at the monster in shock, backing away to just behind Mataoka. As one of her hands rose to grab Mataoka's, she managed to stop herself halfway.

[Princess K]

She was a Magical Girl too. That explained a lot of things; though the rest of Mataoka's explanation would have to await consideration. There was a more pressing matter at hand, like the monstrous void creature before her. Velvet Mask scowled, looking up at the creature. "Damn!" she muttered, as the terrible sensation of the void washed over her. One big monster, two magical girls and several noncombatants... and the driver who had summoned the fiend. He looked just as terrified as the rest; perhaps this wasn't going as planned for him, either?

The masked magical girl shook her head. None of that mattered, since the solution to the current situation was simple. The monster was a bad guy, she was a good guy. A + B equals fight.

"And they said I was bad at math," Velvet Mask murmured. Turning to Kagiko: "Stand back milady, we'll take care of this." And then at Mataoka: "I'll trust you for now, though we're going to have to talk about the people working with you. Now let's keep this thing from hurting anyone."

With a laugh, Velvet Mask flared her cape outward, letting black, razor-tipped tendrils spring forth. "Kraken!"


Tentacles:
Accuracy: [roll0]
Toughness DC 23 for 1 degree of success; 25 for 2 degrees of success; 28 for 3 degrees of success
Secondary Effect

[jamieth]

Himeko, Kagiko

For a second, Mataoka's body starts glowing as she floats several inches off the ground, and from that glow, components of her costume form - if it can even be called a costume. A grey leotard. Very thick metalling knee-high boots. A blve in matching style on the left arm. On the right, an arm-cannon. Thick armored belt around the waist. Shoulder-pads in the same design. And a headband with antenna-like devices over the ears and the scope fixed over one eye.
"Evacuate the civilians!" she quickly commands as soon as the transformation is complete, though the Valkyrie soldiers are currently hardly i condition to evacuate anyone - and she notices it soon. Floating just inches off the ground, apparently held by some glowing devices mounted in the soles of her boots, she dashes towards Kagiko. At the same time, she shouts, "Artemis system, suppression mode!", and the cannon on her right arm spreads, dividing into six smaller barrels which start rotating, sending hundreds of bolts of light into the thundercloud.

Being caught ion a crossfire obviously doesn't please the Void creature; as both barrages cut tiny pieces of the cloud away, it starts slowly backing away.
Attack roll: [roll0]
Toughness save: [roll1]

Creature is doubly bruised.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q757/jamieth96/sample_d22ac5f76a61826b1a85fc9a5d0a7939_zps3f25ea6 0.jpeg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q757/jamieth96/557b9fe1c5f5296e4a8d9fca15cf2afb_zps499182cc.jpgKa giko's up!

Lira

The students line up obediently behind Lira, knowing well - if mostly by reputation than from experience - that Ishikawa-sensei, Mirayama's principal, never abuses her administrative power without good reason.
I won't force you to roll anything here; just describe where and when - and if - you're slipping away.

[The_Admiral]

As Mataoka dashes towards her, Kagiko turns to her, asking "W-what do I do?" fear apparent in her eyes.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira led the way into the halls, heading for the gym as briskly as she could without compromising organization. Once they arrived, though, she stepped aside of the doors to let the rest of her class in first, taking a headcount as each student passed. "All present, professor," she reported (assuming the teacher was following the line). Of course, the stream of students arriving and making their way into the gym would, presumably, be enough of a press that Lira couldn't quite manage to follow the class immediately - not without being rude at any rate. She'd wait briefly beside the door for an opportunity...to break away and make for the nearest exit.

[jamieth]

The fighting party

The thundercloud roars, a large swirling black ball forming on one of it's hands, which it throws at the ground. Luckily, Himeko and Fuuko's efforts managed to push it back far enough so the resulting explosion doesn't reach Kagiko... all three of the Valkirye's soldiers aren't so lucky. Swept by the shockwave, one of them crashes into the side of the truck, the other two into the surrounding trees.
Soldiers fail the resistance check against area damage and are incapacitated, as per minion rules.

"Keep calm, Kurenai-san", Mataoka says, using the brief moment of respite, "Please listen to me. Me and Velvet Mask-san will keep the target occupied. I promise you'll be safe."
Sorry, more on Fuuko's initiative. I, in my turn, promise Kagiko would have something ot do by her turn :-)
Himeko's up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

As soon as she was outside and clear of witnesses, Lira would grasp her locket with a slender smile. Say what you would about the horrors of the Void, they still beat geometry class hands down. "Halcyon! Soul Charge!" she shouted, golden light filling her vision, her senses sharpening as the rush of positive energy poured from her spirit. Gleaming white armor appeared around her, wings of steel extending from her back as she shot into the air, flying at speed in the rough direction of the Void presence.

[Princess K]

"Tough guy, ain't ya?" Velvet Mask said, looking up at the creature. She flicked at her cape, considering firing a volley to peel away its iron skin. Unfortunately the "workers" were still in the area, so fancy tricks would have to wait. For now, she would rely on the age-old strategy of hitting them harder. "Da capo! Slice it to pieces!"

The lashing tendrils emerged from her cape once more, striking out at the Void creature with greater force, if less control.


Tentacles (Power Attack)
Accuracy: [roll0]
Toughness DC 25 for 1 degree of success; 27 for 2 degrees of success; 30 for 3 degrees of success on accuracy check
Secondary Effect

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nods in reply to Mataoka, managing to give out a nervous "Y-yes"

[jamieth]

That lack of control proves fatal for Velvet mask's efforts as the tentacles miss the thundercloud by a hair's breadth - figuratively speaking.
Unfortunately, strafing fire from Sentinel Unit's Artemis system fares little better, actually hitting the target, but failing to cause any more visible damage...
At that moment, a glowing white shape appears above the trees, speeding towards the fight scene from the direction of the school, causing Mataoka to pause, almost dumbfounded, for a moment; "Who's..."

Lira's up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira came in fast and hard, a broad gesture of her hand sending a flurry of golden bolts of light streaking for the creature of the Void, before she banked up and came down to land beside the other Life Stone wielders. "Oh good, we've already got people on scene? So we don't even have to pretend this is fair, then?" she said, the ribald confidence in her voice clear even through her visored helm.

Move Action: Close in.

Standard Action: Energy Beams at [roll0]. Toughness DC 24+Multiattack vs. Damage.

Move-by Action: Land beside the others.

[jamieth]

The thudercloud can't handle any more assault, it seems, and the rays of light pierce it through, tearing more of the cloudy stuff away; moving somewhat awkwardly, it raises higher, above the tree level, and starts floating away...
"It heads to the town!" Mataoka shouts, "It needs to be stopped at all costs! Artemis system, Annihilation mode!". The cannon on her arm extend to over six feet of length and she kneels to take a better aim, "Need to get closer... Adachi, Tojo, Nakada, you hear me?" No answer comes from the unconscious soldiers, of course.
"Kurenai-san, please help me; I need a driver - if we could get my men awake..."

Kagiko's up!
Here's the rules: for Lira and Himeko, to attack with Close or Ranged attacks, you need to spend a move action on Flight to get to a position first.
For the truck driver, it would be a little more complicated and involved...

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nods in reply, seeing an opportunity to help, she says, "I-I can drive. W-what do y-you n-need me to d-do?" fear apparent in her voice with a hint of increasing confidence. This was something she could do, something she was dare-say good at.

[jamieth]

"You?" Mataoka stares at Kagiko blankly for a moment, then nods, "Roger. Get me closer so I could shoot it." Saying that, she leaps on top of the truck and kneels again, ready to fire her colossal cannon.
Chase rules:

With the time required to get the truck to more or less open road, you'll start 3 zones behind;
every round, make a Vehicles check, DC 15; you catch up the number of zones equal to degrees of success. Failure is no change, two degrees is lose a zone, 3 degrees you crash - lose a zone and Toughness agaist DC 21 (truck's Toughness is +10)

Also, you might have to dodge it's attacks - in that case, use Vehicles check in place of Dodge.

Mataoka's pretty much defenseless while she's aiming, so I trust you to keep her safe this time :-)

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nods silently, jumping into the cab and strapping herself in. Cracking her knuckles, she turns the ignition and throwing the vehicle into first gear, sets off, fear fading from her face as trained instinct took over.


Vehicles
[roll0]

EDIT: Also since Initital D, all car scenes call for Europop. So, SOUNDTRACK (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE4qxQxlD3I)!

[Princess K]

Velvet Mask turned to spot the glowing figure alight near them. Another one? What were the odds of there being three magical girls in the same fifty freakin' meter radius? None of this surprise showed on her features though. Instead, she wore the same smile she always did. "I'll take point. Try to avoid hitting me, hm?"

With that she flared her cape outward, letting them expand into broad, tattered black wings. They spread wide, covering a breadth of nearly eleven feet before snapping shut, propelling the magical girl silently into the sky. Thus airborne, Velvet Mask frowned. While her cape was in its current form, she couldn't use it to strike as she usually did. If she wanted to strike it, she'd have to get up close and personal.

No problem.

Closing in on the creature from above, Velvet Mask dove toward her foe, driving a gloved fist down upon it.


Move Action: Fly into Range
Standard Action: Bop It! (Power Attack +1)

Accuracy: [roll0]
Toughness DC 22

[jamieth]

The cloud-creature proves itself surprisingly solid to a punch - which, of course, means the energy of that punch doesn't go to waste as Velvet Mask deals more damage to alrady weakened creature.

"Keep it that way, Kurenai-san!" Mataoka calls from the roof of the truck, her voice resounding from the comm system mounted into the vehicle's dashboard, "Just a little more!"

Mataoka spends her action to aim; Lira's up!

Meanwhile at Nagashima High

Yuki sits in the English lesson - one subject she definitely has no problems with - when her phone comes alive, signalling a new mail.

Subj: Fw: Fw: Fw: Weird stuff happening here
Some weird stuff happening here at Mirayama; we've been gathered at the gym, and I'm sure I heard explosions soming from the grounds - sure hope the game won't get cancelled.
The original sender's e-mail doesn't ring a bell, but the one who forwarded it to you is Nishio Haruka, a cheerleading squad's captain.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira nodded in response, and was about to take off after them, but the sight of the injured halted her, briefly.

She concentrated, the soft light shining around her building...and bursting forth in a cleansing wave of pure white life force, settling over the people who had been injured.

She didn't have time to wait on the results, though. As soon as the radiance had faded, she was in the air and flying hard after the others.

Standard Action: Blaze of Life. All in 60' receive a Persistent Healing effect at [roll0]. Next round it repeats at [roll1]. On the off chance that there happen to be any Void creatures in the area, they'll instead receive DC 24 Incurable Damage, Dodge DC 19 to halve (not repeated next round).

Move Action: Fly after the Void creature (although this may be a Move-by action if needed to maximize the number of injured healed).

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nodded in reply as she dropped down a gear, rocketing into the next curve on the road, that monster was not confined to the same road she was, which made it harder to keep up with.

Slamming her foot down on the accelerator, she shifts up again, but she was not going to let this creature loose her.


Take 10 on Vehicles roll for one degree of success, I believe that Mataoka can shoot now. :smallbiggrin: Kagiko has the feat that lets her take 10 on any vehicles check.

[jamieth]

As the truck zooms closer, the creature suddenly swerves down and to the left, crushing into the support of the nearby high-voltage line. The cables fly free, torn off of their supoprts, and hit the cloud - and, apparently, the electric energy piercing its body does it more good then harm, as its own lightnings grow thicker and the cloud pieces our heroes managed to tear off start filling again.
The Void power stunts self-healing effect out of its attack; [roll0]
If I'm reading that right, that's 5 degrees of success, healing Staggered, Dazed and 3 bruises. Current condition: -1 Toughness, Fatigued.

Himeko's up, Lira, have a Hero Point for fulfilling her duty as a healer.

[Princess K]

Regaining some height after her strike, Velvet Mask watches the creature careen into a high voltage line, seemingly draining its power to regenerate. As thunderclouds began to reform around it, the magical girl frowned. "Tricky creature," she murmured. "But it wouldn't be any fun, otherwise."

The girl dove back toward the creature, flying into its vision with her hand held high as if she was going to strike it again. "Take this!" she cried, even as she brought the gloved fingers of her other hand together. She'd distract it, then teleport and strike from behind.


Move Action: Fly Toward Enemy
Standard Action: Feint
Deception: [roll0]

[jamieth]

In the fight

As the monster starts recharging itself, Mataoka bites her lip silently, then, as Velvet Mask gives her an opening, whispers a short command, "Overcharge!"
The barrel of her cannon glows, and a beam of glowing energy, several feet wide, bursts out of it and towards the Void being.
Attack: [roll0], resistance is in OOC
That half a second that it takes the cannon to go into overcharge mode, unfortunately, give the creature time to react - though it doesn't manage to move away from the beam completely, and the attack still dissipates a large chunk of the newly-formed cloudy matter.
Failure by 2 degrees; monster gains 2nd bruise and is dazed. Lira's up!

Nagashima High
Hardly a minute after the mail arrives, the lesson gets interrupted forcefully as the public alarm sirens on the street go mad. Curiously, the class loudspeaker, which is supposed to back them up, stays silent.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira flew in hard, coming down for the Void creature and reaching out to try and set her hand directly upon it. Wound in the world...be healed!" she intoned, brilliant golden light shining from her hand, like sunlight trying to melt away a storm cloud.

Move Action: Fly into Close range of the enemy.

Standard Action: Overheal at [roll0]. On a hit, target must roll Toughness DC 24 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 24 vs. Impaired/Disabled/Unaware Affliction, and Will DC 24 vs. Weaken Damage.

[The_Admiral]

As the creature partially dodged the ray of light shot out by Hikari, Kagiko decides to follow in that creature's footsteps and moves the lorry out of the beam's path.

She spins the wheel to the right, passing the beam on her left as she then rapidly turned left sliding the lorry through the corner, easily keeping pace with the creature.


So take 10 on this check too?

[jamieth]

The Void being, avoiding the glowing beam, apparently decides trying to escape would be pointless... as long as it can 'decide' something, that is. Abruptly stopping, it turns around and launches the thunderstrike at the asphalt right in front of the truck, giving Kagiko little room to meneuver as the ground bursts right in front of her dashboard... maybe keeping too close wasn't the smartest option.
Vehicles check, no taking 10, DC 21;
Then, Toughness save, with truck's Toughness of +10, DC 20 on passed driving check, 26 on a failure; Failure of Toughness by 3 degrees gives a bruise to you, in additon to staggered truck.
You sure you don't want to reroll that Overheal attack?

Also, since I completely forget, roll an Insight, please:
That girl, Mataoka - for some reason, you can't shake off a feeling she seems somehow familiar.
In fact... her face, her voice, the way she moves, you can't help but remembering Nirumi-san, you sensei in aikido and sociology teacher at Mirayama.

After all the saves are rolled, Himeko's up!

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko spins the wheel, attempting to dodge the blast, but there was too little room to manoeuvre, no time to initiate a slide out of the path, to no avail the beam hit the truck, ripping through it and damaging the suspension, she grunted as her attempts to dodge the beam throws her at the steering wheel, injuring her.


DAMMIT, Rolls are bad.

[roll0]

[jamieth]

The truck's swerve comes too late, unfortunately, and the blastwave hits the vehicle, already unbalanced by the hard turn, and throwes to to the side. After rolling over the roof completely, the lorry falls back on all fous wheels, though - and, miraculously, is even able to move further, barely.

In the cabin, Kagiko gets thrown around by the acceleration and the changing gravity for a while, but the seatbelts hold, and the girl gets away with some bruises and scratches.

Mataoka, meanwhile, naturally gets thrown off the roof, hits the ground and rolls for several dozen feet, but flips to her feet at the end, seemingly unharmed.

Himeko's up!

[Princess K]

As the creature drew back to strike, Velvet Mask dipped away, only to find that the attack wasn't aimed at her. The thunderbolt was aimed at the truck trailing behind, which was thrown to the side. "Damned beast!" she hissed, turning to survey the damage. The Mataoka girl didn't seem injured, but who knew about the girl in the truck. She was just an innocent! "I won't let you flee!"

The Magical Girl snapped her fingers and whirled about, vanishing in a flourish of her cape. She reappeared on the ground beneath the creature as her wings melted back into her velvet cape. "Kraken! Strike it down and drag it to the deep!" The lashing tentacles whipped forth at the creature from below, seeking to slash and coil.


Feint = Halved Parry and Dodge

Move Action: Teleport to ground.
Standard Action: Tentacles
Accuracy: [roll0]
DC 23 Toughness, Multiattack

Extra Effort!

Standard Action: Grab w/ Tentacles
Accuracy: [roll1]
DC 18 Strength or Dodge (4 Strength + 4 Extra Limbs)

[jamieth]

The thundercloud creature gets hit by the tentacles, and torn again - but it's lack of solid structure prevent the tentacles from getting a proper hold.

Mataoka glides towards the truck, positioning herself between it and the enemy; "Are you OK, Kurenai-san?"

Having confirmed Kagiko's - relative - lack of harm, she dashes forward, calling a command, "Gladius System, activate!" Armor plates on her left arm shift, and from whem, a wrist-mounted blade made of pure energy bursts forth, which she swings at the Void creature.

Attack roll: [roll0]

The sword, however, goes right through the creature without doing it any apparent harm...

Liras's up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira was eyeing Mataoka curiously as she flew (and in fact, was rather distracted by the familiarity the girl shared with her sensei and teacher, which certainly didn't help her when she tried to lay hands on a storm cloud). The Void creature's attack on the truck brought her back to the battle, though. She gasped when the truck flipped, concern for the driver and anger at the monster beating curiosity back into the depths of her mind.

She didn't hesitate a moment, the light around her building once more. "Vibrant light of all the living..." she intoned, staring the monster down, crossing her arms in an X before her chest. "Blaze forth in your wrath!" she screamed, hurling her arms out wide. A rippling wave of brilliant white power exploded from her in utter silence, shining over the field. Her allies would be visited with soothing, healing warmth bringing with it a brief feeling of euphoria as their senses were momentarily intensified by the rush of positive energy through their systems.

The Void creature, on the other hand...

Move Action: If necessary, reposition to include as many as possible in the area.

Standard Action: Blaze of Life! Void creatures in 60' roll Toughness DC 24 vs. Damage, with Dodge DC 19 to reduce the DC by 5. Non-Void creatures in 60' receive Healing at [roll0]. Next round, they will receive the Healing again.

[The_Admiral]

"I-i'm fine, I-i'm so sorry," she stammered out as Mataoka checked up on her. She nearly got Mataoka killed she thought as Mataoka flew off to fight the creature. As she stared at the battle, a healing light washed over her, she wiped the blood off her mouth as she saw Hikari bathing the entire area with a healing light.

She cowered, as she again heard the melodic chiming.

[jamieth]

The monster brings its arms to its chest, as if trying to cover itself... the next moment, its arms raise to the sky, and a number of lighning bolts spray from it in every direction!
Multiattack against 4 targets, -4 to hit. All attacks are vs. passive Dodge, and the save is Toughness DC 24 (electricity).
vs. Himeko:
[roll0]
vs. Lira:
[roll1]
vs. Fuuko:
[roll2]
vs. truck:
[roll3]

Mataoka, being closest to the monster, takes the first hit - and immediately darts back towards the truck, standing between it and the monster. "Don't worry, Kurenai-san!" she shouts, just as the second strike hits her.

[Princess K]

Velvet Mask took a deep breath as the striking tendrils retreated back into the folds of her cape. Such rapid commands were tiring, and they'd been ineffectual as well. There wasn't anything solid to grasp within that cloud, it seemed. Yet there was no time to rest, as the Void abomination began to discharge bolts of lightning in every direction. In the face of the onslaught, Velvet Mask simply laughed.

"Is that all you can muster?" the magical girl cried, standing firm before the burning light with arms widespread. She hardly felt the electricity touch her, the mask on her face diverting the energy effortlessly away, even as it appeared to crackle across her skin. A little bit of stage magic, to make the heroine seem suitably mighty. Although unscathed, the magical girl still frowned, eyeing Mataoka and the civilian girl. They hadn't been so lucky, and neither would any other regular people. "For now, it seems brute force will have to do. Kraken, once more!"


Standard Action: Tentacles
Accuracy: [roll0]
DC 23 Toughness, Multiattack, Secondary Effect

[jamieth]

As the tentacle start tearing the cloud again, Mataoka nods to herself and whispers quickly, "Manual limiter override, Artemis system - Annihilation mode!"
This time, her cannon doesn't take that long to charge - nor to aim, it being almost at point blank...

Attack:
[roll0]

Dodge if needed: [roll1]

Toughness (DC depends on the previous rolls): [roll2]

Let's hope it suvives...

OK, I wasn't hoping for that. It's a direct hit, and that's a DC 27 on toughness check - but then, that's a nat 20 on said check! I guess I'll fluff it as the cloud getting really lucky, rather than being that sturdy.

The beam from Mataoka's arm-cannon hits the creature straight on, but, compared to the previous shot, it definitely looks thinner... and less bright. The next moment, a cannon on the girl's arm starts giving out sparks - and then the rest of her combat suit does. And then, with a small explosion, it vanishes, leaving the girl on the ground - back in her school uniform - and, apparently, unconscious.

Lira's up!
After that, it's Kagiko's turn - and you can have a free Extra Effort on your first turn as the Life Energy surges through Kagiko's body for the first time.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira's armor withstood most of the lightning bolt's force. What got through was instantly healed by the powerful flow of life energy contained by the suit practically before she felt the shock. "Oooh, impressive! You managed to make my hair stand up on end!" she taunted.

Although when Mataoka collapsed, her amusement swiftly vanished, replaced by concern. Even then, though, the blazing aura of life force faded, the last remnants of its energy flowing into the humans in the area. Hopefully it would be enough.

Lira swooped once more at the creature, her hand again glowing with radiant energy. Purely for effect, this time, she poured the overflowing power out so it formed a sort of blade of white light, which she eagerly if somewhat wildly slashed at the creature on the pass.

Secondary Effect of Blaze of Life's Healing triggers. Non-Void creatures in 60' receive another dose of Healing at [roll0].

Move Action: Fly-by.

Standard Action: Overheal at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 24 vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 24 vs. Impaired/Disabled/Unaware Affliction, Will DC 24 vs. Weaken Damage.

EDIT: :smallconfused: That's an awful lotta 24's...

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko runs out of the cab, as she sees Mataoka fall unconscious attacking the creature. She fell protecting her. Various emotions ran through her face from worry, to guilt finally ending up at anger. She heard the melodic sound again as that 'keychain' she found flew out of her pocket, glowing a gentle blue.

The thing circles her, a belt of blue energy forming around her waist. Snatching it out of the air, she stares at it. Her arm moves on its own as the lock is placed on the belt, as her lips moves spitting out a phrase, without a hint of a stutter "Soul Charge! HENSHIN!". The belt solidifies, four other locks forming on its sides. Chains extend from the belt, wrapping over her body, they then fly off revealing Kagiko in a heavy looking blue greatcoat.

Snatching a seemingly random lock from her belt, she pulls it open, a portal opens behind the Void creature and hundreds of energy blasts fly out of the rip at said creature. Slamming the lock shut, she rapidly repeats the process, another portal appearing, blasting the creature from a completely different angle.


Extra effort attack twice.
Multiattack blast on the creature, attempt to attack it from a direction it won't see coming, like a sneak attack.
My 2 To hits, both have a DC 24 save and don't forget the Multiattack bonus, +2 for 2 degrees of success, +5 for 3.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[jamieth]

Pierced by the beams of light from every direction and still teared by the Velvet Mask's tentacles, the cloud is now reduced to barely half of its original size, and all it can muster in response is the proportionally smaller version of the same explosive thunderbolt it used before.
Dodge save at DC 18;
Toughness save at DC 23/19 at fail/pass.

[The_Admiral]

Snapping the lock in her hand closed, Kagiko opens another lock at her belt. Her body is immediately surrounded with a luminescent blue shield that absorbs the damage. She stares at the creature defiantly as the lightning strobes the shield futilely.


Okay using the 1 change per round to activate the Shield lock, doing the ability roulette that heroes who have just appeared always do in shows like this for some reason. Impervious 18 nopes a damage of 9

[Princess K]

The magical girl hisses as the lightning strikes, not entirely averted by her defenses. "Nice shot," she says, glaring up at the creature. Velvet Mask turns to make sure no one else is injured. Her eyebrow rises at the sight of a new player, a girl in a blue greatcoat with an aura of power that only magical girls had. "For this next trick, a volunteer from the audience..." she murmurs, amused.

"The monster's dying!" she cries. "All together now, let's strike it down!"

Blade-tipped tendrils slide sinuously from the magical girl's cape, coiling about her body. "1... 2... 3!"

Delaying Initiative for Team Attack

Tentacles
Accuracy: [roll0]
DC 23, Multiattack, Secondary Effect

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira smirked beneath her helm as the lightning bolt bounced harmlessly off her armor. Golden light blazed around her hands as Velvet Mask called the countdown, and when her tentacles lashed out, they were followed by a flurry of beams of pure positive energy and a whooping scream.

Delaying for Team Attack.

Standard: Energy Beams. All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5. [roll0]. Damage DC 29+Multiattack or boost the Team Attack.

EDIT: Or...or I'll put on a nice fireworks show for while my allies blow the guy up. That works too.

[The_Admiral]

Nodding silently, Kagiko closes up the open lock at her belt, pulling the one in her hand open. A portal opens up, and a stream of blasts fly out of it at the creature. Joining the assault on the creature.


To Hit
[roll0]

DC 24 With multiattack bonuses

[jamieth]

The tentacles manage to hold the cloud in place, if not for long, still long enough for Kagiko's torrent of beams to hit it dead center, tearing it to pieces - the next moment, another thunderstrike booms and, with an almost blinding flash, the cloud is no more there, only the torn power lines and the holes in the asphalt indications of a fight that raged here moments before.

For several seconds, the place seems completely still and quiet; then, you all hear a low propeller sound, a heavy transport helicopter approaching from the east, prepering to land next to the half-wrecked truck.

[The_Admiral]

As the creature fell, she snapped the lock shut, closing the portal. Running towards Mataoka's unconscious form, her costume dissolved, leaving her in her school uniform. Kneeling next to Mataoka, she shook her body saying worriedly, "Mataoka-san, are you okay?"

[jamieth]

There is no response from Mataoka, but she seem to be breathing, and her pulse - assuming Kagiko checks - is weak but steady.

Meanwhile, the 'copter lands nearby, and its rear ramp opens. From its spacious hull, two people step out; the engines' sound make it impossible to discernt their words, but it seems they're arguing.

One of those two is an impressive sight indeed, over two meters tall, with a wrestler's build, and completely bald. He's wearing a formal suit and sunglasses. Next to him, barely reaching to the man's chest but looking positively fierce, walks Ishikawa Ayumi-sensei, Mirayama's current Headmistress.

As they get closer, you start to discern individual words. "...this operation of yours, Colonel, led to one of my students getting injured!" Headmistress shouts, looking like only the society norms keep her from getting physical. You're pretty sure none of you ever saw her that angry.

"Leutenant Mataoka was aware of the risks when she accepted this mission. Besides, she only became your student because of the mission..."

"Fuuko-chan", Ishikawa-sensei interrupts, stressing the name, "only became my student because I signed her transfer form, and would remain my student until she either graduates or transfers away! I'm not blind, Colonel. Do you really think that I could, even for a moment, not recognize the girl for who she is? We'll talk later", she stops herself, finally noticing they have company.

Colonel approaches the unconscious girl and gently lifts her, the girl looking particularly tiny agains his chest. "Please don't worry", he says with the surprising care and softness in his voice, "Leutenant Mataoka would get the best medical care available..."

"I sure hope so!" Headmistress turns away from the Colonel and towards the three Magical Girls. "The lessons are cancelled for today", she says with her usual polite smile, "but if you have any questions, we can talk in my office. I'm sure common courtesy would require that Colonel provide us a ride? By the way, Halcyon-san, you'll probably like to hear that all three of Colonel's subordinates are fine, thanks to you, though I can't guarantee their health after he gets to them."

Feel free to interrupt at any point, by the way.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira just kinda watched, a bit dumbstruck as her brain filed away the information that the Headmistress was, apparently, some sort of high-ranking member of some sort of secret military organization that had some sort of connection to the Lifestones, and basically turned off conscious thought for a few minutes while it tried to reevaluate pretty much everything she knew based on this fact and locate the appropriate response.

In computers class, she believed they called this a 404 error.

"Oh. That's good to know," she answered somewhat numbly.

[The_Admiral]

"Sh-she'll get better right?" Kagiko asks, as the Colonel lifts Mataoka up.

"What's going on?" Kagiko asks confused as the headmistress talked to them, she was still processing what she had just done as her fingers subconsciously brushes over her transformation device.

[Princess K]

Himeko was well acquainted with the headmistress. Of course, normally they met after she'd fought another student, not a horrific creature from the void.

Also, she didn't usually arrive by helicopter.

Velvet Mask took a small, almost involuntary step backward. The headmistress knew too much; she was involved. Would she recognize Himeko? No, that was impossible. The mask wasn't all there was to it; the transformation changed more than her clothes. Velvet Mask was an entirely different character from Himeko Kiyotaka.

Yet it was better to be safe than sorry. The magical girl took an exaggerated, flourishing bow. "Thank you!" she said. "But my heart lies yonder." With that, she turned on her heel, simultaneously snapping her fingers and vanishing from sight. Invisible, Velvet Mask spread silent wings. She'd follow them back and listen in. While she wanted to avoid hanging around the headmistress, she had to know what was going on.

[jamieth]

"She'll be fine, most likely..." Headmistress says, concernedly, "The Life Stone overload itself is draining on the wielder's body, but rarely causes harm that can't be fixed with several days of full rest. As far as I know, at least... Colonel's organization is far ahead when it comes to scientific research of the Stones and their properties, I have to admit. Ah, that's our ride", she nods as the black SUV rolls out of the heli. "I'm afraid I can't endorse underage driving, though, so get on the back seats, you two - by the way, I fully understand if you would prefer to keep anonimity... but I have some hinches about who you are anyway, and I'm sure cross-referencing the list of students who came to school in the morning with the list of those who were absent from the gym after the alarm would confirm some of my suspicions..."

***
During the short ride, Headmistress would either keep silence or chat about nothing of importance; of course, any of you are free to leave at any time...
***

A bit later, in Headmistress's office

"I think there are two main questions that bother you..." Ishikawa-sensei says, "First, who were those people, and second, how am I involved in this. Well... I first met Colonel about three months ago, and I can't say it was a particularly friendly meeting. Basically, he requested that I gave him a certain item that is currently held here, in this school... I refused, of course, since the item in question doesn't belong to me in the first place. The original goal of today's events was, I assume, to create a distraction so that Fuuko-chan could steal the item... but something went terriblt wrong. I may disagree with much of Colonel's methods, but he certainly wouldn't go as far as to involve the actual Void being.

Now, about the item itself, and how it is connected with my family... this story started almost fifty years ago, when my mother - this school's founder - was your age." she opens the drawer and takes out an old photograph, placing it on the table for you to see.

It is an old school photograph, showing a class of boys and girls in the sixties' uniforms, and Nishikawa-sensei points at two girls sitting next to each other in the front row. One of them, with the refined looks of the the girl from a high-class family, does have some family traits of Nishikawa; the other - well, hairstyle is wildly different, and the expression is much more energetic, but sitting next to the Mirayama's founder in the half a century old photo is Mataoka's striking copy.

The annotations on the other side of the photo read,

No. 16, Nishikawa Natsumi
No. 17, Nirumi Asuka

[The_Admiral]

" W-why does the other girl look like Mataoka-san? W-what happened fifty years ago?" Kagiko stutters out, very confused.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That's...Nirumi-sensei," Lira said, again sounding just slightly dazed. She had used the car ride to recover from the shock, was all gearing up to ask the smart questions, to get answers. And then she took another shocking revelation right to the coherent thought. She had thought she noticed something during the battle but..."Mataoka's...what, her granddaughter, I guess?"

[jamieth]

"Perhaps", Headmistress says, unsure, "though as far as I know auntie Asuka... erm... I mean, Nirumi-sensei never got married... Anyway, I have arranged the DNA test using Fuuko's blood sample from the regular medical check-up... I don't want to theorize further until I get the results.

Anyway... fifty years ago - you might have heard of it, as some form of urbal legend - entity known as Void - just like the one you destroyed today - first appeared on our planet. Seeking to destroy every single sprout of life in the Universe, it was stopped - or at least pushed back - by young heroes wielding the power of Life itself. And, believe it or not, Nirumi Asuka was one of those heroes. Indeed, she protected Nagashima on her own - though admittedly the town was somewhat smaller those days", she smiles, "And after the battle ended, and her powers waned, she entrusted the weapon she used in this fight - her Life stone - to her best friend - my mother - as a symbol of their shared dream - dream that resulted in this very school's foundation.

It was that Stone that Colonel wanted... you do understand why I couldn't part with it, do you? Though if Fuuko-chan is really Nirumi-sensei's relative, that makes her a rightful heir to the Stone..."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira nodded slowly, trying to wrap her head around it all. She knew there was more to the Lifestone thing than just shooting lasers at monsters, at least in the general sense. But she had never thought that people she actually knew might be involved. Least of all the person who had been teaching her Aikido for the past three years.

She felt a flash of anger at that, but quickly forced it aside. After it, it wasn't as if she had asked her sensei about such a thing. Or told her of her own Lifestone, for that matter. Some secrets just had to be kept.

"So what does this Colonel want with Mrs. Nirumi's Lifestone? I mean...we're all on the same side, right? And where does the Void creature fit in in all this? Was it just like...taking advantage of an opportunity, maybe?" She speculated. She hadn't been there for the start of the battle.

[The_Admiral]

"B-but why would he want it? It can't be used right? W-what's a lifestone? This?" she asks, showing her Lifestone to the headmistress.

[Princess K]

Invisible, Velvet Mask frowned. She'd known that there were other Life Stone users, but to find that there was so much history to it all was surprising. The magical girl shifted her weight uncomfortably; she couldn't get any closer to see what the others were looking at without alerting someone to her presence. She was invisible, not silent nor incorporeal. As it were, this "Colonel" sounded like the kind of man she knew well: someone in charge, a man who thought he knew better because he wore the right clothes or had the right badge. Their type couldn't be trusted; either profit or ambition would lead them astray. If his people were going to interfere or try the kind of nonsense they were trying earlier, they'd get kicked in the head just like any void creature.

Perhaps a little more gently, she mused.

[jamieth]

"Yes, Kurenai-san, this medallion of yours is a Life Stone, too - and I believe you had a taste of its powers today... as for why Colonel - or, rather, his organization - wants one - well, they claim their mission is seeking and destroying the Void... and the Life Stones are the only weapons that are capable of that. Now, on whether it can be used... if Fuuko-chan is really Nirumi-sensei's relative, there is a chance the stone would respond to her - though, honestly speaking, I don't think the probability of it is quite that high as Colonel apparently thinks it is. But that shouldn't concern you, actually... I had a chance to have a proper talk with the Colonel while you were saving the town, and I doubt he'll act that rashly again anytime soon... not to mention he'll be rather busy with the internal investigation concerning today's incident.

What you should be concerned about, though... the appearnce of that creature most likely won't be an isolated incident. You have to be ready to face them again... On my side, I can promise you all the support I can provide... it isn't much, of course, but at least won't have to worry about sneaking out of class when the time comes."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira smiled behind her visored helm, some of her typical confidence finally forcing past the confusion when she said, "Oh good. That takes care of the hard part, then."

[The_Admiral]

"T-thank you sensei." she stutters out. This has been a very confusing day, she was starting to get tired again, the adrenaline running through her blood again wearing out. Kagiko stifles a yawn.

[Princess K]

It would be so much easier if she came forward now. If she stepped out of the shadows and claimed the mantle of Velvet Mask as Himeko Kiyotaka's. She wouldn't have to be a bad kid, but a hero instead. She could step out of class without being hassled, and she'd actually have the authority on her side for once.

But no. She couldn't just take the mask off like that. Mixing the juvenile delinquent with the magical girl would dilute the latter. Besides, she didn't need the headmistress. She could skip class with impunity anyway; there was no need for a doctor's note or a special permission. If people knew, more would find out. What would the other students think? Her parents? No, it was better to remain hidden.

That was more hero-like anyway, right?

[jamieth]

"Well, I really shouldn't steal any more of your time... it was a long and hard day for you, so try to get a good rest."

****

Next day, Mirayama, Class 1-3, homeroom

"First of all, I have some sad news..." Okabe-sensei starts a homeroom, "Unfortunately, due to some family circumstances, Mataoka-san had to transfer away... it all was really sudden, so I only learned it myself yesterday in the evening..."


EPISODE 1: SO, THESE THINGS ARE CALLED LIFE STONES? - end

(After credits scene)

About a week later, Mirayama, Class 1-3, homeroom

Okabe-sensei looks visibly confused.

"It's all really confusing, but, well, we have a new transfer student today... it seems... anyway... come in", he calls, opening the classroom's door.

Mataoka Fuuko steps inside; she looks just a bit different, though - less confident, perhaps? - and, of course, there's the fact that her right arm is fixed in a bandage.

In the awkwardly uneven letters so unlike her almost calligraphic writing from before- though that is probably because she writes with left hand - she writes the name on the touchscreen, Nirumi Fuuko.

"Good morning, everyone", she says, turning towards the class, blushing a bit, "I hope we can be friends... this time."

[The_Admiral]

(between classes)
Kagiko manages to corner Mataoka during one of the lulls between classes. Pulling her into an embrace, she makes a sound halfway between laughing and crying as she says, "Y-you're okay."

[jamieth]

Awkwarly, obviously unused to such signs of affection, Fuuko returns the emrace. "I'm fine, Kurenai-san", she says quietly, "Just... so much things happened, and I'm still getting used to it... losing Sentinel Unit... being put on reserve... living with Nirumi-sen... Asuka-obaasan..."

[The_Admiral]

".....I-If you need me, I'm here." Kagiko replied before she could stop herself. She had no idea why she said that, well she did, sort of, she felt guilty for getting her injured. She broke the hug that was now getting kind of awkward if only for its length.

Scratching the back of her head, Kagiko continued "I-I mean I'm here I mean if you n-need someone to talk to, I also w-wanted to t-thank you for saving me Fuuko, can I call you Fuuko? I don't want to be rude Mata, I mean Nirumi-san." as she started stumbling over her own words.

[jamieth]

April draws to a close. The days after the incident went pretty smoothly at Mirayama, the main events being the school's football team being soundly thrashed by Nagashime Public after a game was rescheduled to the letter's turf, and the class elections in 2-3, notable for actually having multiple candidates running for office voluntarily.
Honestly speaking, I'm unsure on how to resolve it; just letting it on a single dice roll seems anticlimatic, but simulating the entire campaign would drag the game...
Speaking of elections, how did you vote? Remainder: the candidates were Lira and Ken Matsu, according to sheet, "Ken Matsu is Mai's boyfriend, and a constant rival of Lira. The two of them can range from vitriolic best buds on a good day to outright hateful; they do have a certain amount of respect for each other, it's just that they're both highly competitive and have big egos. Their rivalry is definitely currently running hot since they're both competing for class president this year.". Of course, not voting is an option for someone like Himeko :-)

Down at 1-2, meanwhile, it seems Mata... er... Nirumi Fuuko actually became more sociable - though still somewhat awkward at normal school life stuff. Her arm has healed, it seems, and the girl joined the archery club - and the culinary one (whether anything cooked by her is more or less dangerous to one's fife then a bow in her hands is still debated, though.)

Meanwhile, the Golden Week approaches, and everyone's excited over their plans for the week-long holiday...
What would your characters' plans be? I can't guarantee they'll come to fruition, but still :-)

[The_Admiral]

The last month had been quite different for Kagiko, well very different for her compared to her usual school activities, that is sleeping and doing the bare minimum in classes. She had started, 'hanging out' with Mataoka, no Nirumi Fuuko, and she found out that she actually liked it. Plus, she has actually managed to stop stuttering around Fuuko so that's another plus.

Fuuko also has been training her, not much progress has been made but its only been a month and she was a better shot with her weapons than before. She also think she got her transformation down.

"Fuuko-chan, do you have any plans this Friday night?" Kagiko asks as she stands in the home economics lab, assisting Fuuko in her latest and hopefully not deadliest creation. She being one of the few people willing to at least try Fuuko's 'food'.


http://movielosophy.tumblr.com/post/64547985537/koutas-henshin-pose-practice

I imagine something like this happening at least once with Fuuko watching and laughing, or at least trying not to laugh.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The month went by fairly normally for Lira. The election process took up much of her time, of course, but she was actually kind of relaxed by the previous events. Knowing that there were other Lifestone wielders in the area, indeed in the school, lifted a bit of a burden from her shoulders that she hadn't realized had settled there.

There was, undeniably, a bit of tension to her in her sociology and aikido classes. Part of her really, really wanted to reveal her Lifestone to Mrs. Nirumi, to learn more from her, to keep her in the loop. But she just wasn't sure if that was even allowed, or if it would even be fair to pull her teacher back into this struggle, if indeed she had left it.

Election-wise...honestly, it was something I put in more for flavor than anything. I'd be perfectly comfortable never mentioning it again (could just assume someone other than Lira or Ken won, far as I'm concerned) :smalltongue:. Alternately, if you think it would benefit the story for Lira to have that sort of responsibility to deal with (not that I actually have any idea whatsoever what being class president actually entails), maybe it's good for her to win. If you want to intensify the animosity between Lira and Ken, could say he won. Or whatever. Point is, it's about two orders of magnitude less important than fighting evil with lasers! :smallbiggrin:

[Princess K]

Himeko's opinion of high school politics was quite similar to her opinion of real life politics: apathy. It wasn't as if either of them were really going to make a difference. The kind of power a class president had was nothing compared to the evil out there, human and void-born alike. Not that it stopped Aoi, who insisted that voting was an important responsibility to society. To placate the older girl, Himeko had quietly thrown her ballot Lira's way. There was something to respect about her; she was a tough one.

On another note, there was the case of Kurenai Kagiko and Nirumi Fuuko. Himeko had spent a good portion of her time discreetly researching the two and resisting the urge to go speak with them. Every secret wants to be shared, and to whom better than another magical girl? The bright one was the only mystery. She hadn't transformed back, so her true identity was unknown. She was probably a student, but which one?

The sound of the bell roused Himeko from her thoughts. Class had ended, so she could get off the roof now. Heading back inside, her thoughts turned to Golden Week. Her parents wanted her to attend an expo in Tokyo, but she could honestly think of a number of things she'd rather do, such as eating broken glass or being electrocuted by void-monsters. If only she had any other actual plans to use as an excuse.

[jamieth]

"Friday night - no, I think I'm free", Fuuko replied immediately, "Do you have any, Kurenai-san?"
****
In the 2-3 classroom, the homeroom teacher, Kurosawa Sunao-sensei, tallies the votes on the screen and declares, "Well, it seems that, by the margin of one vote, our new class president is Hikari-san!"
Ken stands up from his seat and approaches Lira. "Congratulations", he says, extending his hand for a handshake with a smile that looks just a little forced.
Mai, though, looks completely sincere in her gratters - though, being Mai, she makes sure to remind that while the post certainly offers some privileges, as well as responsibilities, it shouldn't be used as an excuse to relax on studying.
And I was worrying about not featuring the campaign at all :-) I'm not sure what are president's responsibilities are myself, honestly speaking, so, let's see how it works out :-) Also, you didn't mention whether Lira had any plans for GW.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Thanks," Lira replied with a smile that was solidly 95% not-condescending. Just the hint of a smirk to it. She earned that much, she figured. "Hey, close one though, huh?" she added with a laugh.

She laughed again at Mai's admonitions. "Nothing I can't handle," she said cheerily. It was a big responsibility. But then, surely no bigger than protecting her school and her city from the forces of the Void. Most of the rest of her day, what wasn't spent actually in class, would be occupied by going around thanking people, getting some overview of, you know, what she should actually do now, and discussing upcoming lessons with her teachers. Mai was not wrong, and she expected she'd have to spend much of her vacation reading ahead just to make sure she had a solid buffer against falling behind (it was a subject she'd broach with her friend, but very cautiously. If Mai was going to be doing something similar, which was not improbable, yeah, she'd see if she wanted to make it a team effort, but if she caught an inkling that Mai did have actual plans to go out and do something fun, she would not risk tempting her away from that with the promise of sitting home all day reading).

Regardless, the weekends would be out for that. Mom and Dad had made Family Plans for the Golden Week weekends, and not even dutiful studying would be an acceptable excuse for missing those.

She also kept her senses open, throughout the day, for the mental link with other Lifestone wielders. If she felt it, she'd send to them, ~Hey, Halcyon here. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get together some time and see about setting up some coordination plans, in case of Void attacks or whatever. Let me know if you're up to it and when you might have time.~

[The_Admiral]

"yeah, some guys from Kanto are coming over to try to beat Nagashima Pass, my dad wants to go up there and watch, apparently they're very big news. Do you want to tag along with us? We won't mind." Kagiko offered as she stirred the dough mix.

[Princess K]

From the students' talk, Himeko gleaned that Lira Hikari had won the election for class president, and by one vote no less. The girl snorted quietly. What do ya know, she thought. Perhaps it might have been worth it to go to class just to see the look on Matsu's face.

"Congratulations, Hikari," Himeko drawled, brushing past the other girl near the classroom. "Sorry I missed your coronation or whatever, eh? So what's first on your itinerary, world hunger or cancer?" She pointedly left out the fact that she'd voted for Lira, instead coloring her voice with a note of carefree disdain.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Thanks! And I figure I'll just lead off with abolishing death outright. For efficiency, you know," she returned with a cheery grin and sage nod, not even missing a beat.

[jamieth]

Halcyon's telepathic call reveals no new wielders - Fuuko's stripped of her Stone right now, and even if there are other Magical Girls nearby, they choose to remain silent for now (I can't say for Rokku and Velvet Mask, though, of course).
****
"Nagashima pass?" Fuuko asks with a hint of surprise, "That's... street racing, right? But... isn't it illegal?

[The_Admiral]

"Yeah, but I think the police turn a blind eye to it. I've seen the Chief's son on the pass before, dark blue Evo, he's very sloppy at corners." Kagiko replied shrugging, chuckling to herself at the last bit.


"..........Is it raisins or nuts again?" she went off tangent as she glanced at the mix.

Oh, missed that, hmm, Kagiko has not ventured close enough for the telepathic link?

[Princess K]

Despite herself, Himeko smiled at that, a grin tugging at the edges of her scowl. It had been a very smooth response, not at all thrown. "Damn straight," she remarked. "No doing things by halves, huh?"

After the exchange, Himeko takes her seat, slipping a set of earbuds into her ears. Lira Hikari... she mused as hard rock drowned out the world. Maybe not a wasted vote. Yet while the music could drown out the teacher, it couldn't overpower a voice that spoke directly into her mind. A voice called over the Life Stone's mental link; it belonged to Halcyon, the other Magical Girl.

Himeko avoided kept her expression unchanged, even as she glanced around the room. She had to be nearby, but who? The message could be coming from this classroom, any of the surrounding ones, or even from a floor above or below. She casually brushed a hand across her chest, touching the Life Stone hanging hidden around her neck. This is Velvet Mask. It would be a pleasure to meet with you, O Lady of Light. Name your time and place.

Himeko bobbed her head to the music idly. She'd meet with the others... it was only rational to organize. Of course, it wouldn't be Kiyotaka Himeko going to the meeting. It would be someone completely different.

[Quellian-dyrae]

~Mmm...how about tomorrow, outside the school? Say seven AM?~ Lira was a morning person.

[jamieth]

"Oh, OK, then", Fuuko replies, blinking. Apparently, civilian life still finds ways to surprise her. "I'll have to ask Ni... Asuka-obaasan, but I'm sure she won't mind... so... where and when do we meet?"
***
Lira and Himeko, are you fine with moving forward to the meeting?

[The_Admiral]

"We can go to my house after school on Friday, you sure you okay with this?" Kagiko replies, smile on her face.

[Princess K]

Himeko stifled a sigh. She was really more of an evening person. At dawn, then.

OOC: No problem at all!

[jamieth]

"Tomorrow, immediately after school. Got it", Fuuko nods, then turns to check her latest creation's progress. "Oh. I'm not sure it would be wise to raste it."


Friday, 7:00 AM, outside Mirayama

It is still over an hour till the first lesson, but even in this early hour the grounds are far from empty, as some of the more dedicated athletic clubs gather for the morning practice, and some dorm students decide to take a breath of fresh air beore classes - but there still is enough secluded spots for private conversation, if needed.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko gives a thumbs up to Fuuko accompanied with a grin* "Can't hurt that much," she says, shrugging as she rips a small piece of the cake, placing it in her mouth.

Kagiko immediately regrets it, seemingly pure capsician made it into the cake mix, somehow. Or at least it tasted like it. Making a dash to the tap, she opened it, gulping down water. "....you were right, I think capsican slipped into the mix somewhere." smiling encouragingly at her.

7 ish AM, Friday

Kagiko skips in unusually early and chipper, most of the time she would still be sleeping. She accidentally broadcasted over the mental link she had with any other lifestone wielders <She said yes!> Most of the school was treated to the unusual sight of Kagiko, a person who either moved in a panicked run or the lethargic zombie shuffle, skipping happily. She got some stares, but for one of the few times in her life, her anxiety issues did not act up, she was just that happy.



*SHE SAID YES!

If you want to have Kagiko get into the meeting humorously you could use this.

Kagiko skips in unusually early and chipper, most of the time she would still be sleeping. She accidentally broadcasted over the mental link she had with any other lifestone wielders "She said yes!" Most of the school was treated to the unusual sight of Kagiko, a person who either moved in a panicked run or the lethargic zombie shuffle, skipping happily. She got some stares, but for one of the few times in her life, her anxiety issues did not act up, she was just too happy.

BEcause she's happy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM&feature=kp)

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira stood in a reasonably sheltered nook off to the side of the school. She was in full armor, but her helmet was in her hand. She had wrestled with it for a bit, but finally decided she had no real reason to hide her identity from her fellow heroes. Keeping her heroic identity secret from everyone she knew as a civilian was stressful enough; she didn't need to add another secret in the form of keeping her civilian identity secret from those she knew as a hero.

[Princess K]

Himeko stood in front of a mirror, Life Stone in hand. She looked herself in the eye, and began crafting her mask. She squeezed the Life Stone, as if juicing a fruit, and a thick white wax dripped down, swiftly caught and shaped by her other hand. The wax hardened into a featureless white mask, which Himeko slipped over her face.

A moment later, she was someone else, the mask blooming with color and coming alive. She shifted slightly, getting used to the three extra inches she'd grown. Upon catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Himeko frowned, and the girl mimicked her. The guise hadn't come out quite like she had intended. The girl in the mirror was the image of a real person; a young English stage actress that Himeko had been fond of when she'd first picked up the Life Stone.

"****," Himeko muttered. She didn't look like a student at Mirayama - there were foreigners, but few enough that most people knew them - and someone might recognize the face besides. But no, that was unlikely. How many other Japanese teenagers would know enough about English stage plays to recognize an actress out of costume?

Himeko turned and left the bathroom, looking for a set of clothes that would fit. There would be something in her size; wealth did have some undeniable perks.

The Meeting

Who would be standing there, in Halcyon's radiant armor, but Lira Hikari? Himeko raised an eyebrow when she caught sight of the girl. She should have known.

Confident in her disguise, Himeko strode forward. "A pleasure to meet you again, o Halcyon." She extended a hand. "My name is Anna... though I wore the Velvet Mask when last we met."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Good to meet you, Anna. Well, officially, anyway. I'm Lira," she said with a smile. "So I mean, main reason I wanted to talk was, well, that whole play teaming up on Mr. Raincloud seemed to work, just, really well. I was hoping we could come up with some sort of system for if other Void creatures attacked, to minimize the chances that any of us will have to fight them solo. They haven't exactly earned the right to a fair fight, I fig-"

She halted as the sudden telepathic link shot into her mind, looking to Velvet Mask with one brow curiously raised. ~Who said yes to what?~ she sent back with kinda bemused cheerfulness, giving a shrug to her counterpart.

[The_Admiral]

<Who's that?> Kagiko transmitted back to Lira, stopping in her tracks and looking around in confusion.

[Quellian-dyrae]

~Um...Halcyon speaking. Hey, actually, Velvet Mask and I are around the school here, where those three trees are? We were actually about to discuss some Lifestone business if you have some time.~

[The_Admiral]

<....oh, okay> she transmitted back, calming down.

Walking in on the meeting much more sedately, she announces herself as she walks in, "H-hello," she stutters as she realises who one of the two was, wincing in anticipation of another speech or 'motivational' sound-bite.

[Princess K]

Himeko smiled at Kagiko, laughing in "Anna's" high, clear voice. "Come now, we don't bite." After a thoughtful pause, "Well, most of the time. Only villains, though."

In response to Lira, "I'm used to fighting alone," Himeko said. "But only a fool fights alone when offered aid. I'd be glad to work with you - both of you."

[The_Admiral]

"M-me too, S-sorry I-I can't talk to m-most people w-well." she replies, scratching the back of her head finding her own shoelaces very interesting.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira smiled when she saw Kagiko. "I had thought that was you! That was the first time you used your Lifestone, right?"

"Yeah, I've done my share of the whole lone warrior bit too. Time and past time for a change of pace! But this is good, with two of us in the school, chances are we'll both detect any Void creatures if they're nearby." Given her current appearance (and the fact that she didn't recall seeing her around), Lira just assumed that Anna wasn't a student...although that did beg the question of why she had been in range of her telepathy. She dismissed the question as unimportant.

[The_Admiral]

Y-yeah, s-so w-what are w-we d-discussing? she replies, her shoelaces still the most interesting thing in her vicinity.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Oh right, how to coordinate, basically. So the next time Void creatures attack, instead of fighting them solo, we can just hammer them with overwhelming force! I guess my first thought is kinda how you guys felt about that Colonel and his organization? I'm not really thinking we want to officially join them or anything, but did they strike you two as...I dunno, at least trustworthy enough to see what sort of resources they could provide in terms of communication and information?" Lira was having some difficulty balancing the ancient wisdom of the eternal axioms "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and "don't trust shady dudes in suits."

[Princess K]

"I'd rather be careful with them. People like that... who knows when he'll decide that the Life Stones have to be commandeered 'for the greater good'? We've been tasked with protecting the people, regardless of politics. Who knows if they'll do the same," Himeko said with unintended vehemence. She coughed, a little embarrassed, and continued. "The other one... Sentinel Unit. She was with them, wasn't she? We should speak with her about that organization."

Himeko hesitated a moment, debating with herself what to reveal. Finally, she spoke. "If it's resources, I could help with that. I've been, ah, blessed with some measure of material wealth. Don't be afraid to shoot for the moon while we make plans."

[The_Admiral]

"I-I don't know, b-but, I've t-talked to her and I-I trust her. I-If things get r-really bad, t-they can h-help e-evacuate c-civilians, t-they're t-too overstretched to h-help otherwise. I-If we need s-something s-special, s-she may be able t-to contact their HQ f-for help. B-but we're m-mostly on our own, t-they probably w-wont b-bother us." she stutters in reply.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira nodded. "I was thinking along the lines of like...well, I dunno. I mean, we'll sense the Void creatures, but something to make sure when one comes we can make sure each other know about it, and get on scene quickly. Maybe talking to Sentinel would be the smart next step," she agreed. She looked to Kagiko, "I haven't really had a chance to talk with her, myself. You think you could organize a meeting with her?"

[The_Admiral]

"S-sure, I'll have to a-ask her. W-we can m-meet after s-school?" Kagiko replies.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That works for me. Anna?"

[Princess K]

"In a few hours, then."

Himeko turned on her heel and strode away. She'd need to step into a public restroom to change not just her clothes, but her face as well. Living a triple life would start to be a pain...

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Alright, see you guys then!" Lira said, before shifting back to normal and heading off towards home room.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nods, slipping away quietly.

- Some time later
"Fuuko-chan, I just ran into the other two magical girls from last month, they wanted to talk to you, if you're okay with it, that is." Kagiko informed Fuuko.

[jamieth]

"You mean Velvet Mask-san and Halcyon-san? Sure", Fuuko replies quickly, "is during the lunch fine? I've cleared our evening plans with grandmother, by the way, and she said it's fine..."

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko grins, at the last comment "Yeah, I'll tell em that."


Okay, school is until 2:30 PM in places like these right?

[jamieth]

Fuuko did become more social since the incident, true - her discipline and dislike for wasting time didn't really change, though. As son as the alarm signalled the end of the third period, she stood up and headed towards the roof.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira slipped out as well, getting to a secluded spot to transform before flying up to the roof. She did keep her helmet on this time though, just to be safe since more people were on the grounds now.

Working on the assumption that we basically just coordinated meeting on the roof telepathically off-screen, correct me if I'm wrong.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko follows Fuuko, closely behind her. As she made it to the roof, attempting to help her seem slightly less suspicious as the made it to the designated meeting point she helped coordinate.

[Princess K]

<OOC> Sorry, missed this update!

Another meeting, and this time with Sentinel Mask. Himeko smiled as she transformed into Velvet Mask, even as she vanished immediately from sight. The path to the roof was a familiar one; she spent many of her class hours lounging there, after all.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hey, all," Lira greeted once they were all there. "So, Fuuko, we're trying to figure out how best to, you know, coordinate things in case of Void attacks. We're...considering trying to see if the Colonel could provide some assistance along those lines, but we really don't know much about them. If they could help with something like that and...well, even if they can, whether they'd wind up being more help or hindrance. Do you think you could give us something of a rundown of their operation? I mean, anything you're allowed to tell us, of course. I wouldn't ask you to break any confidences."

[jamieth]

"Well, as far as fighting the Void is concerned", Fuuko responds after a short pause, "I'm afraid it would be up to you for the time being. I was the only... Magical girl..." she stutters slightly, unused to the informal, but really common moniker for Life Stone wielders, "stationed nearby - the only one combat-ready, at least. They'll certainly attempt to re-synchronize the Sentinel Unit, but it'll take time...

As for other things - the Initiative definitely can provide you information on the Void appearances - in fact, they'd probably try to contact you on that matter soon if you didn't make the first move. There is a sensor network - it is a crude imitation of the Life Stone detector technology, but it is capable of detecting the appearance of Void with the accuracy of several dozen meters. If... when... it finds something, it is in the Initiative's interests that you learn of it as soon as possible - I'm sure the Colonel would also provide you with a transportation, if needed.

Other than that... as you might guess, the Initiative has a training program for... Magical Girls. Though there would be no point for you in going through the full program, but I could ask the insructors to arrange a crash course to cover the things you feel lacking."

[Princess K]

Velvet Mask tilted her head. On the one hand, it was reasonable that regular people would want to do something to protect themselves from the Void threat. Nevertheless, she was loath to put herself in the hands of some mysterious organization. After all, when were mysterious organizations ever what they seemed? Never; otherwise, they wouldn't be 'mysterious' organizations. The mention of "combat-ready" magical girls was intriguing. The Initiative had other life-stone wielders then, just not ones trained to battle the Void. If I have to fight another magical- she banished the thought. Hopefully, that wouldn't need to happen.

"Well, the enemy of my enemy, as they say. We share goals, so I see no reason why we couldn't cooperate," Velvet Mask said. "But we'd need a way to communicate outside of the Life Stones; with each other and with the... Initiative. E-mail is too unreliable... cell phones, perhaps?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Or maybe those little, like, the walky-talky things that fit in your ear," Lira mused. "The sensor bit is good, especially if they can get in touch with us. That's what I was hoping for, something to make sure that when a Void creature comes around, we all know about it."

[jamieth]

"I think cellphones and emails would do for a start", Fuuko nods, "I could get some communicators for you, I suppose, but ultimately they're as reliant on relay stations for long-distance communication as phones are. But it would be for the best if you could meet with Miyuki-chan - she's in charge of communication in our HQ..."

[The_Admiral]

"B-but we'll just be a-around here right? N-Nagashima has full phone c-coverage. A-and the pass is m-mostly covered."

[Princess K]

"Miyuki, hm? Perhaps we should..." Velvet Mask smiled slightly, momentarily intrigued. "Where is this HQ, anyhow? Hidden somewhere interesting, I hope?"

[jamieth]

"I'm afraid I can't reveal the Headquarters' location", Fuuko shakes her head slightly, then makes an almost teasing pause and adds, "Branch HQ, however, is located on one of the islands off Okinawa. It is a nice place, I would say, though my opinion on the matter is subjective, of course", the Valkyrye Initiative's lieutenant (in reserve) gives a faint smile. "As for cellphone coverage... it can't be relied upon during emergencies, I'm afraid - panic can cause network overload... and simulation scenario 17-C included a Void being manifesting inside the cellphone relay station. The results were... unpleasant."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"So yeah, some sort of backup might be good just in case. And would give the Initiative a dedicated means of contacting us as well, which would probably be a good thing anyway."

[The_Admiral]

"...Oh, so Initiative c-communicators are our best bet for r-reliable communication?" she asks, almost rhetorically.

[jamieth]

"Not really", Fuuko shakes her head, "As I said, they have much the same problems - well, to a lesser degree, since they are operating in a dedicated mesh network... meaning they are more reliable than any civilian communication system - but your best bet would be Miyuki. And I'm sure she'в love to meet you, too..." she finishes almost in a whisper.

[The_Admiral]

"H-huh? R-really?" she asks at the last bit, slightly confused.


she would, unless в's some cyrillic thing.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I wouldn't be opposed to meeting with her. How about you guys? We could do it after school today maybe?"

[jamieth]

"Today is impossible, I'm afraid", Fuuko shakes her head, "I'll have to contact the HQ first... I'll try to do it before the school ends, and tell Kurenai-san... you know how to contact each other via your Stones, right? Anyway... we probably need to head back soon... You'll need some time to change back, right, Velvet Mask-san, Halcyon-san?"

It is, actually; Cyrillic "в" is on the same key as latin "d". What happened wsa I was typing the post, then switched to a different tab in the browser, replied to a friend in a social network (in Russian), then switched back and continued typing the post; then I noticed I'm still on the Russian layout, backspeced it and retyped - and failed to notice one symbol left :-)

[Princess K]

A secret, huh? Velvet Mask mused. But from what she said, Sentinel Unit here knows where it is. 'Not at liberty to tell', rather than 'I don't know', which means she was at least somewhat trusted by the organization... Her face could open a lot of doors.

The magical girl blinked, somewhat guilty at the thought. Stealing someone's identity like that didn't feel quite right. It seemed like a violation of some intrinsic right, which is why she usually tried to take on generic forms, "Anna" notwithstanding. There were probably ways to investigate that didn't have a chance of getting Fuuko in trouble with a shadowy paramilitary organization.

It simply wasn't something a heroine would do.

"I'll keep my metaphorical ears open," Velvet Mask responded idly. "I'll be right nearby; contact me when you can!" She turned for the stairs back down, calling upon her invisibility as she did so to vanish from sight.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Same here!" Lira said, giving a brief wave and then flying off to find a secluded spot to shift back to normal before heading to her next class.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko sits in the back seat of her father's car with Fuuko, he had stepped out to help fix up Nagashima's team's car, they were getting their asses handed to them. These Kanto bigshots deserved their reputation, they drove this road like locals.

"Fuuko, I-I, I like you," she blurted out without much more thinking.

[jamieth]

Even though it's dark, the shade of red Fuuko's face turns is almost bright enough to provide illumination of it's own. "Ku... Kurenai-san..." she turns away instantly, trying to hide her embarassment, and awkwardly tries to change the subject, "You... I... but... I was wondering where did you learn to drive like that", she blurts out as another car appears from behind the turn and breaks, tires screeching, "but... aren't you afraid? That's dangerous, right? I... could never..."

[The_Admiral]

"I, I learned how to drive here, I, I helped my dad unload the car on deliveries. Then my dad broke his arm, he couldn't drive for three months. I took over from there, I wanted to get home quickly so I started driving quickly on the way back. I've been doing deliveries ever since. It's not that dangerous if I stick to my limits." she shrugs in reply, looking slightly dejected at Fuuko's avoidance of the earlier topic.

[jamieth]

"I see... you're a really nice person, Kurenai-san..." Fuuko finally manages to face Kagiko again, though still blushing, "I'm really glad I met you... even if it was in that situation... Someday... I hope we'll get to fight together"

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko was finding her feet really interesting as Fuuko talked her face turning red as she look at Fuuko, "T-thank you Fuuko chan, s-same here." crap, she was stuttering again, idiot, idiot, idiot, why did she have to go out and say that Kagiko mentally told herself as the silence lingered.

Breaking the silence she asked rather hopefuly, "D-does that mean....do you........"

[jamieth]

"Well, I'm not really supposed to talk about it, but... Kurenai-san, I want to protect this town... this country... too... Someday, maybe... Asuka-obaasan would deem me worthy of her Stone..."
Honestly not sure whether Fuuko misunderstands here :-) By the way, remind me please, when Fuuko and Kagiko agreed to meet, was anything decided about after the races?

[The_Admiral]

"Oh," Kagiko replied both relieved and irritated, strangely enough both feelings were at the same source. Was Fuuko dense, or was she not being blatant enough.


Yeah, I though that we decided to meet in amusement park with the rest on Saturday. So can we move on there? Also, COMEDIC SIDEPLOT AHOY (http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2005-08-09). :smallbiggrin:

[jamieth]

Saturday, Nagashima's amusement park; circa 11am

The park is rather crowded, as it always is on weekends; Fuuko, as is in her habit, gets to the meeting early and waits at the entrance.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko was clinging close to Fuuko. She really was that dense, she had tried everything she could think of that was just below kissing her, which was definitely a bad idea at least at this stage, with nary a reaction.

She scanned the crowd as she stuck to Fuuko, searching for a sign of Hikari or Anna.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira arrived promptly at eleven. She had flown over, but landed a few blocks away from the amusement park and walked the rest of the way, out of costume. There were too many people around to risk going in costume - at least, in her costume. Glowing suit of European-style medieval plate mail...yeah, not exactly ideal for avoiding attention.

When she spotted Fuuko and Kagiko by the entrance, she walked over with a smile and upnod. "Hey."

[The_Admiral]

"H-hello, Hikari-san." she replied, instinctively wincing in anticipation of her voice.

[Princess K]

Himeko, as always, was in costume.

Not in costume of course, the tuxedo and mask were combat gear. Polite conversation demanded less flamboyant dress, and another woman's face. A girl called Anna walked up to the Nagashima Amusement Park that day, Himeko nowhere to be found.

"Hello!" she called, when she caught sight of the others. "Hope you've been well."

[jamieth]

"Good morning, miss Anna", Fuuko greets the girl and says, "let's go - I hope we'll have some time to play after getting it done..." That, in itself, is rather unusual - Fuuko got much more sociable since the incident, bit "play" is still not the word that comes to mind regarding her.
Leading the group, Fuuko walks towards the ferris wheel; on the bench closest to the ride, sits a woman wearing a black suit and sunglasses. Fuuko nods to the woman in greeting, but, from the motion o her hand, you can be pretty sure she only stopped herself from saluting at the last moment.

[Princess K]

"Miyuki-san, I presume?" Himeko said, a small smile playing across her lips. In the middle of an amusement park, a black suit and sunglasses was rather glaringly obvious. It was charming, really, like something out of a spy thriller. "A pleasure."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira gave a slight grin at Fuuko's sentiment. "That'd be fun," she agreed.

When they reached the suited woman, she nodded a greeting and said, "Hey."

[The_Admiral]

"H-hello," Kagiko manages to squeak out as she stuck even closer to Fuuko, grabbing the hem of Fuuko's shirt, only to let go, wiping her palm nervously on her own shirt.

[jamieth]

"Miyuki-san, I presume?" Himeko said, a small smile playing across her lips. In the middle of an amusement park, a black suit and sunglasses was rather glaringly obvious. It was charming, really, like something out of a spy thriller. "A pleasure."

"Miss Anna, I presume?" The woman replies in tone, with obvious stress on the name, "Sorry to disappoint, but only a driver and, technically, a bodyguard. The one you seeking is..." she has no time to finish, as the shout is heard from along the walkway, "FUUKO-NEESAN!"

A source of that sonic attack immediately becomes apparent as the girl, looking positively elementary-school - twintails, short overalls over a pinkish t-shirt - launches herself at the magical girl-in-reserve, clinging to her like a monkey, hugging Fuuko both with her arms around the shoulders and with legs around the waist, nearly knocking Fuuko to the ground. "I was so scared when I couldn't talk to you anymore!" she continues, slightly quieter, as Fuuko strokes her head whispering something to the girl's ear.

In the middle of that scene, each of you hears a clear, high-pitched telepathic voice, "Onee-san, are you the new friend Fuuko-oneesan told me about?" (In Himeko's case, though, the quiestion comes in English, and without the honorifics.

"...her", the woman finishes flatly.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Yep. She could admit it. Not what she had been expecting. Lira cast a sidelong look at Fuuko and gave her a wry grin. "Well played," she said with a slight bow of her head. She managed to withhold her laughter, but only just.

She was rather surprised a Lifestone had come to one so young, though. Even by magical girl standards. But if anything, she decided, it meant not to underestimate her.

~That's us,~ she responded telepathically. ~Good to meet you, Miyuki. Fuuko tells us you're the one to see regarding matters of communication, yeah?~

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko is knocked off balance by the overenthusiastic girl hugging Fuuko, she barely manages to stay on her feet.

"yes I guess, I mean I think I'm her friend, I like Fuuko, I don't know if she likes me, well I think she likes me as a friend, I don't know if she likes me like I like her, or even that...... did I say all that?" she accidentally replied telepathically with her entire, rambling and panicked train of thought.

[Princess K]

For a moment, Himeko was dumbstruck. Collecting herself, she said, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Nowadays, age is no limit."

Miyuki-chan, huh. Now that makes sense. Ignoring Fuuko's rambling, Himeko turned an eye on the newcomer. Telepathy was a fairly universal power, it seemed, but her powers may be more if her specialty was communications. Were her thoughts safe? How would she even know if they weren't?

"It's nice to meet you," Himeko responded aloud, speaking English as well.

[jamieth]

Lira
Fuuko, turning away from the little girl for a moment, gives Lira a slight smile; her lips move without a sound, but, even without lip-reading skills, it is easy enough to decipher as "Sorry"

~Yep, I love talking to my friends! I was so sad when I couldn't talk to Fuuko-neesan anymore...~
Kagiko
~Yep, I like Fuuko-neesan too! She's really nice! It's so nice she found new friends! It's so sad when you have no friends...~
Himeko
"Right, Auntie Kaede was really surprised what she found me, too", The girl replies, also aloud, in English without any noticeable accent - and the woman on bench flinches slightly... apparently at being called an 'auntie', "She said they can't let me fight... But I don't want to fight anyway, I just want to make even more friends I can talk too! Oh, it's OK if I speak Japanese, right?" she switches to the other language, "Let's go!" she gestures to the Ferris wheel, "Sorry, Fuuko-neesan, I checked, and the cabins only fit four people... If only I could hide like Natsumi-neesan..."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Still wearing a bemused look, Lira nodded agreeably and headed for the ferris wheel.

[Princess K]

"Of course," Himeko responded, switching back to Japanese. She followed the others to the Ferris wheel, eying the back of Miyuki's head thoughtfully.

[The_Admiral]

"F-Fuuko chan, you o-okay with s-staying here?" she asks, waiting for an answer before moving slowly towards the Ferris wheel, lagging behind the others and throwing quick glances at Fuuko.

[jamieth]

"It's OK, Kurenai-san", Fuuko replies, "It's business before pleasure..."

As the ferris wheel cabin gets off the platform, Miyuki suddenly gets more serious. "OK, I suppose that's high enough... Crystal Radio, Soul Charge!"

Miyuki's Magical Girl form appears clad in a black skintight armor that looks made of hexagonal plates, each no more than an inch across, and her twintails, suddenly geining a life of their own, move like a couple of antennae. More importantly, in the air around her, a score of hexagonal screens appear - some empty, some showing portraits of girls - and some boys - of varying age and race... some that you might recognize - a Russian figure skater, a rising Hollywood star, a guitarist in a fairly popular teen band... most, however, are just another faces in the crowd.

"OK", she announces, "Now, could you please give me your Life Stones, so I could tune up to them... it would only take several seconds?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira hesitated just a moment as she reached for her locket. She actually hadn't removed it since she had received the Lifestone. Being a little paranoid about removing the source of your superpowers just seemed sensible to her. She spent a moment reaching out with her senses, to make as sure as she could that no Void creatures were anywhere within the immediate vicinity, before slipping the locket off her neck and handing it carefully to Miyuki.

Move Action: Routine Perception check for 19.
'Nother Move Action: Active Perception check for [roll0]

EDIT: Well, that'll do.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nodded fishing out her own life stone from her pocket and gingerly handing it to Miyuki, if Fuuku trusted her, she would too.

[jamieth]

There doesn't seem to be any presence.

I'm going to wait for Princess before going further; on brighter news, my connection is back again and better than ever :-)

[Princess K]

Sorry! Summer term's started, so I'm up and around classes and tests again. No rest for the wicked.

But no excuses, here's some melodramatic internal monologue. Well, technically not monologue, but eh.

Himeko froze upon seeing the girl's transformation. There were so many faces on the screens around her. They blended together, though many more famed faces peered out from the crowd. Were these all magical girls? But more importantly, she needed to hand over her Life Stone. Himeko hesitated, even as the other girls handed Miyuki their Life Stones. Her magic was sustained through the little gemstone, and without it, her guise would fail. Even if it didn't, would her face appear on the screens around Miyuki?

To be honest, there was no real reason for the deception. She'd fought alongside the other girls and spoken with them, and they seemed like good people. Besides, the mysterious organization might know her identity already; that employee of theirs had survived to tell the tale. The others had trusted her with their secret... But she still couldn't seem to bring herself to hand over her Life Stone.

Himeko Kiyotaka wasn't the kind of girl that was a magical girl. She was crude, violent and good for nothing, only accepted in society because of mommy and daddy's money and influence. 'Anna' was a better fit for the Life Stone. She was confident and stylish and powerful, the very image of a heroine. Himeko on the other hand... undeserving. Always that word, undeserving. From teachers, from her parents, from the family staff. Undeserving of privilege, of wealth, of respect. But not the Light. No one could judge Velvet Mask.

Unless they knew.

Himeko let out a breath. Composing herself, she said: "I'm afraid that won't quite work. I require the Life Stone on my person for..." she hesitated for effect, "...health reasons."

[roll0]

[jamieth]

"Oh..." Miyuki replies with a hint of disappointment, but quickly cheers up, "OK! PLease promise you'll take a good care of it, then, nee-san!"

Nodding to herself, she closes her eyes and touches Halcyon's Stone, which emits a faint blue light, and a new screen forms in the air, this one showing Lira in her Mirayama uniform.

Next, Kagiko's portrait appears in a flash of orange light - though she is shown in her casual attire, and behind the wheel of her father's machine.

Opening her eyes, Miyuki looks at the new screens, blinks in surprise seeing Kagiko's, and hands the girls their stones back. "Oh, you can drive, nee-san? I'm so jealous... I can't get anywhere without Kaede-baasan... Anyway, now that I've tuned to your stones, anytime you want to talk to me - well, you don't really have to do anything, just wish for it, and our Stones would do the rest... Oh, sorry, I've got a call!" she quickly adds as one of the portraits starts glowing. Touchig the portrait, she goes silent for several seconds, then nods and smiles. "OK, and now... oh, don't you think we've been at the top for some time?" And , indeed, it seems that the cabin hasn't moved for rather long since getting to the top position.

[The_Admiral]

"A-are we supposed to be here this long?" Kagiko asks, looking out the window of the Ferris Wheel.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira put the locket back around her neck, then frowned and looked around. "It does seem a bit much," she agreed, trying to spot the controller.

Perception: [roll0]

[Princess K]

Himeko flashed Miyuki a small, apologetic smile. "My apologies, but I'm sure we'll make it work. If mundane contact fails... I'm sure I'll notice something's wrong."

On the subject of "something wrong", they had been on the Ferris Wheel for a while. Not even spinning, but just hanging there. "It does seem unusual," Himeko remarked lightly, peering out at the amusement park below. "And remarkably coincidental that we of all people happen to be aboard during a malfunction. Though perhaps I'm simply being paranoid?"

[jamieth]

It is rather clear that not everything is going like it should; an organized queue at the entrance booth has dissolved into a small crowd, watching as several people in the technical staff overalls discussing something.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I guess it broke down or something?" Lira said, taking out her cell phone and sending a text to Fuuko.


Lira: What's going on down there?

[The_Admiral]

"H-Hikari san, a-anything f-from Fuuko chan?" Kagiko asks, looking over Lira's shoulder.

[jamieth]

A reply comes quickly, The staff claims it's a malfunction, should be fixed in about half an hour. But Captain Nakamura suspects a sabotage - it seems like too strange a coincidence. I'll keep you updated.

The next moment, a sudden gust of wind hits the cabin, rocking it violently - and dies down as quickly as it came.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Apparently just a malfunction, but the captain's saying sabotage can't be woah!" Lira grabbed the edge of the basket as the wind suddenly picked up.

She gripped her locket in her other hand, once more extending her senses to try and detect the taint of the Void.

Routine Perception for 19 as a move action.
Active Perception for [roll0] as a separate move action.

EDIT: I'm gonna waste all my good rolls on these Perception checks and then when a Void creature actually attacks it'll be nothing above a 5...

[The_Admiral]

As the cabin rocked, Kagiko is thrown to the other end as she grabbed the other edge of the basket. Gripping onto her Lifestone with her other hand, she too attempts to search for the presence of the Void.


Gambler's fallacy my friend, though I am guilty of it too, I have a skype roller I call Tsundice, it has a copy on my friend's computer, it's Yandice :P
[roll0]

[Princess K]

"There are a lot of people here. This could get very bad, very qui-" A gust of wind shook the Ferris wheel violently, cutting off Himeko's words. "Damn!" she hissed in English, clutching the side of the cabin to regain her balance.

Life Stone in hand, Himeko opened her senses, seeking the tell-tale evil of the Void.

[roll0]

Who needs points in perception. Or Awareness. 1d20's all I need. Also Lira has the senses of... something with really good senses. Metaphors are hard.

[jamieth]

Suddenly, it is there. Lira senses it first, that sickening presense - but it is still weak, still unformed... and somewhat distant. Soon, Himeko notices it too. The Void forms itself, slowly, tretty much at the edge of the park, and as it does, more and more gusts of wind fly around, knocking over the prize stands at the stalls, tearing the balloons out of kids' hands...
The next moment, Miyuki blinks, "A video mode? OK..." she touches one of the portraits, and it expands into a two-feet-across hexagonal screen, showing an image of a teen girl wearing something that looks like a school swimsuit - except in knaki instead of traditional blue. She seems to be in the command room of some sort - it's rather dark, the only light provided by the rows of monitors all around; there are people sitting in front of them, but none of their faces are seen.
"We've got a reading", the girl says, catching her breath, "The location is... Nagashima, western district! Wait, Nagashima - isn't it where..." she looks away from the screen for a moment, listening to something, than adds, "Have you managed to make a contact with local Wielders?"

"Yep", Miyuki nods, Kagiko-neesan and Lira-neesan are my new friends!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"It's near the park. We need to get do-" Lira stopped herself with an exasperated sigh. They were at the top of a ferris wheel. The chance that anyone could see them was trivial. The chance that someone had A) seen them get on B) kept track of their cart C) recognized them and D) was still watching was ludicrously small.

So what was she worrying about?

"Halcyon. Soul Charge!"

[The_Admiral]

SOUL CHARGE! HENSHIN! Kagiko almost instinctively shouts as she opens the lock, placing it on her belt.

As her costume formed, she pulled down on a lock left of the central lock, an orange portal appearing in front of them.


Activating Dimension lock to open a portal to somewhere that people won't be looking. She can think with portals.

[Princess K]

"Velvet Mask, Soul Charge!" Himeko cried. The black fabric of her magical girl garb shifted into existence, replacing her civilian clothes. That's better, she thought with a small smile.

Slipping the porcelain white mask onto her face, Velvet Mask glanced at Kagiko. "This will take us out of here?"

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko nods with a "Mhm" as she gestures to the other occupants to utilise the portal., going through last.

opens up behind a restroom?

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira nodded, and looked to Miyuki. She wasn't entirely comfortable leaving the young girl up there alone, but liked the idea of bringing her into battle less, Lifestone or no. "You come with us, as soon as we are all on the ground, Kagiko can open you another portal back near Fuuko and your bodyguard. Okay?" She cast a questioning look to Kagiko with the last word. Then she stepped through the portal, taking a moment to orient herself and key in on the Void creature's location.

[The_Admiral]

"I, I just need to know w-where they a-are n-now." she replies, nodding at Lira .

[Princess K]

Nodding, Velvet Mask slipped through the portal. It was slightly disconcerting, as the portal took her from the Ferris wheel cabin onto solid ground, and the girl took a moment to steady herself. Turning toward the Void creature, she spoke: "I'll see if I can lure it away from the crowds."

The magical girl flared her cape out, letting it solidify into a pair of dark wings. With a great leap, she hurled herself into the air toward the enemy.

Move action to head through portal, a second Move action toward the Void creature.

[jamieth]

The girls find themselves safely on the ground behind the restroom; as soon as she touches the ground, Miyuki shakes her head, "I'll be fine on my own! You have to stop it! After all..." she points towards the Ferris Wheel, "People there can't get out that easily!"

Himeko

As Velvet Mask approaches the place, she sees the wind forming into a large todnado - it remains stationary for now, but the Void sense definitely points right at its center.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira...wasn't entirely convinced, but the girl wasn't wrong. She quickly texted Fuuko:


Lira: Void detected. Miyuki behind the restroom. Hurry.

And then put away her phone and took off after Himeko, white light shining around her hands.

[The_Admiral]

Glancing at the tornado has an idea, the saying, eye of the storm, Kagiko presses her lock again, attempting to teleport into the eye of the tornado.

[jamieth]

Kagiko
Roger, the answer comes from Fuuko almost immediately as the portal opens in front of Kagiko.
Everyone knows it is actually completely calm in the eye of the storm. Except this particular storm doesn't seem to play by the rules; a blast of wind strikes out of the portal the moment it opens, pushing the girl away from it.
Entering a portal is DC12 Strength check
Himeko and Lira
As the two approach the tornado, it becomes apparent it isn't really monolythic; a number of smaller, more or less independent whirlwinds zip around it, dissipating and forming again.
Given your flight speeds, I'd say you're within a move action distance

Everyone: Roll Initiative!
[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira wasted no time, flying into the thick of the fray. The light around her hands built and spread as she flew, until she reached the enemy force with her entire body shining like a star. "This is no place for you! Be gone!" she yelled at the monsters, hurling her arms out wide.

And Life blazed around her.

Move Action: Close with the enemy.

Standard Action: Blaze of Life. All Void creatures in 60' roll Toughness DC 24 vs. Incurable Damage. Dodge DC 19 reduces the Toughness DC to 19. Pretty sure there aren't any injured in the area so won't bother with the Healing portion.

[jamieth]

Whatever else, few would argue that flying headlong into the whirlwind is rarely safe. Suddenly struck by the hurricane-strength wind, Halcyon loses her concentration for a brief moment - enough for the charge of Life she prepared to unleash on the creature to dissipate with a flash but no real effect. The next moment, one of the tornado's secondary whirlwinds forms next to her, attempting to suck the girl in...

Attack roll: [roll0] vs. Parry.
On hit, Damage DC 23; if failed by 5 or more, you are also knocked back... ehh... actually no, with Toughness 13 you aren't. Damage still applies, though.

update after roll: on the other hand... it's DC 28, and yes, you are knocked back on a 2- or more- degrees of fail, though it's still only 30 feet.

[Princess K]

"Worry not!" Velvet Mask proclaimed, flying over the civilians in the park. "Calmly get yourselves and your families away from the storm. Do not be concerned," she flashed a grin that no one could see. "We're unstoppable, and we will protect you."

As she flew toward the coalescing Void creature, she saw Halcyon leap into the fray a little bit quicker, only to be thrown aside by gale-force winds."Halcyon!" Velvet Mask cried sharply, watching the girl get flung away by the tornado. She didn't seem severely injured, but certainly not unscathed. Velvet Mask slowed her flight, hovering in place on dark wings. If she couldn't get close, she couldn't do much to the creature...

The girl flourished white-gloved fingers very slightly, a motion like a magician's legerdemain. She introduced a new character to the stage, a small, flying magical girl that floated who was being very, very loud. The illusion flitted about the Void creature, flying away from the amusement park. "Hopefully it'll be distracted for at least a moment..." she murmured. Turning back toward Halcyon, "Tend to yourself if you need to. I'll cover you."

Move Action to approach creature, but not into combat range.
Standard Action Illusion: Deception [roll0] DC 14 Insight to disbelieve, if it has reason to believe the illusion is false.

If Halcyon is attacked, Interpose to take the attack.

[The_Admiral]

As her attempt at sneaking close up to the creature failed, she changed tactics, teleporting onto a roof within visual range of the creature. Placing the Dimensional lock onto her belt, she pulls open the blast lock as a portal opens above the tornado, a rain of energy bolts descending from above onto it.


This is a surprise attack right?
[roll0]

DC 24 Multiattack FROM ABOVE!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira went flying, her head spinning from the battering winds. "Ow..." she murmured.

Steadying herself, she channeled her power inwardly, white light shining around her as she invoked her healing powers.

"It'll take a lot more than that to beat us!" she challenged the creature...err...she was pretty sure it was a creature, anyway.

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Soulcharged Healing on self. Healing [roll0].

End of Turn: Fortitude(?) to throw off the Affliction: [roll1].

Current Status: Dazed.

[jamieth]

Lira
The affliction fall off; you're free to act normally from now on
Everyone
The tornado starts moving towards the distraction Velvet Mask has provided with surprising swiftness - not tenough to save it from Rokku's attack. The tone the wind emits changes, becoming lower - it's almost as if the creature was roaring.
Still, fixated on the nearest target, the whirlwind starts spinning even faster, sucking all the nearby air in with great force...
Your choice how the illusion would react to that; so far, the creature certainly didn't catch up on the deception. And you're up!

[Princess K]

Velvet Mask's brow furrowed with concentration, even as her wings carried her forward, keeping in range of the Void creature. Faking a person in motion was hard enough, but in this wind? Simulated cloth physics involved a lot of very complex mathematics that the magical girl was very pointedly ignoring. Hopefully the creature 1) couldn't see that clearly and 2) didn't have the void equivalent of an aerospace engineering degree. Also her distraction could have done with being a little less frilly. "I've got it distracted, but I don't know for how long!"

Move Action: maintain range
Standard Action: maintain illusion

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko, moved closer to the creature and as she ran, she pulled open the lock in her hand, another portal opening in behind the creature releasing hundreds of energy bolts at it.


[roll0]

DC 24 Multiattack

[jamieth]

OBlts of light conjured by Kagiko seem to go amiss of the creature at first - then suddenly curve to strike it with a barrage of attacks... which, miraculously, seem not to hit anything vital - assuming, of course, that Void beings even have vital organs in the first place.

On the brighter size, though the creature might start noticing some little irregularities in the illusion's reactions, it's hardly bright enough to see the hoax for what it is, and appears to still be involved in trying to hit it after all.
Kagiko hits with 2 degrees, making the DC for Toughness roll 26.
[roll0]
Insight: [roll1]

Halcyon's up!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Recovered, Lira threw herself back into the fight with fury, firing her own barrage. A rapid burst of finger-width laser beams shot from her hands at the Void creature.

Standard: Energy Beams at [roll0], Toughness DC 24 + Multiattack.

Current Status: Normal.

[The_Admiral]

Seeing her barrage strike doing no damage, Kagiko gritted her teeth as she pulled her lock open again, releasing another barrage of bolts at the creature.


Since it wants to attack hologram, I can just take an action right?
TO HIT
[roll0]

DC 24 Multiattack

[Princess K]

"C'mon, ugly, let's waltz," Velvet Mask said. The illusion danced through the air cheerfully, always a little out of reach. The illusion laughed, mimicking its puppeteer's own.

Sometimes you gotta let the ranged-folk DPS.

Move Action: maintain range
Standard Action: maintain illusion

[jamieth]

Yet more barrages coming from every direction - and yet, terrifyingly, the Void being still comes out relatively unharmed...

Angried by the stalemate the battle turns into, and the apparent impossibility to get close to the (immaterial) Magical Girl, the creature reaches out with one of its "arms" and picks up a nearby trashcan, flinging it towards the illusion.

Creature attacks at [roll0]; not sure what would be the apropriate Dodge rating for the illusion - Velvet Mask's Dodge? Illusion rank? Princess, your opinion? Anyway, on hit, it would become obvious the girl isn't real (due to the can passing right through her).

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira knew when to take one for the team, and selling Velvet Mask's Illusion would only help them. "Careful!" she yelled, hurling herself in the way of the trashcan, betting on it not being strong enough to get through her armor. She darted away then to get into a better angle to attack.

Stinking thing was tough, she'd give it that! Pointing her finger, she concentrated the power of her positive energy into as focused a beam as she could, expending the full force of an entire energy barrage into a single narrow point that could blast through just about anything.

Reaction: Interpose for the Illusion. Which may be a completely ludicrous idea, but let's give it a shot! Toughness: [roll0].

Move Action: Fly about (in particular, getting a few dozen feet from the illusion, in case the thing has area attacks).

Standard Action: Energy Bolt. Dodge DC 19 for half, followed by Dodge (not Toughness) DC 24 vs. Damage.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko grimaces as her bolts missed the creature and dissipated harmlessly into raw energy, she pulled her lock down again, opening another portal from which another barrage of bolts spew forth, flying towards the creature.


[roll0] To hit

Tough DC 24 Multiattack.

[Princess K]

The illusion waved at Halcyon and made an exaggerated bow of thanks. Had the trash can passed through the illusion, it would have certainly tipped the creature off, no matter how dimwitted it was.

As the others attacked, Velvet Mask edged the illusory figure closer, in and out of the creature's reach. She needed to keep its attention, lest it lose interest in the fake and begin attacking the real magical girls. If it did, there wasn't much the illusion could do to reclaim that attention. The magical girl beat her black wings, gaining altitude. When the illusion ceased to be useful, she would have to do something suitably and perhaps excessively dramatic. Some might even say foolhardy, but playing puppeteer from behind the curtain didn't suit a character like Velvet Mask.

Standard Action: Maintain Illusion
Move Action: Begin gaining altitude

[jamieth]

Halcyon's heroic sacrifice only reinforces the creature's determination to bring the bothering illusion down; unfortunately, through a completely inverse reasoning, it manages to come to a correct conclusion - that to do that, it would be necessary to deal with those who go to such lenghts to protect the girl first.

The creature roars. The gusts of wind strike through the area, lifting nearly everything unfixed into the air. There are rocks, and tree branches - but also the containments of the trashcan, and the wares from the neighbouring stalls, and a sewer entrance cover, and a bike helmet... most of these objects are, of course, rather light and/or soft. But the speed can compensate for the lack of weight, and the numbers do the rest... The best the girls can do would be to cover themselves as far as possible, and hope none of the larger - and heavier - stuff hits them.

Area attack; Dodge DC 20, Toughness 25/20, for Lira and Kagiko. Himeko's safe this round due to her altitude.

[The_Admiral]

Kagiko spots the impending attack, responding by pulling open the shield lock on her belt, a blue shield forming to protect her, deflecting the majority of the debris.

Closing up the lock, she again pulls open the blast lock as a portal opens up near the creature, unleashing another barrage of bolts in its direction.


TO HIT
[roll0]

DC 24 Multiattack

[Quellian-dyrae]

Dodge: [roll0]. Toughness: [roll1].

Lira's armor absorbed the worst of the barrage. She got battered around a bit by the debris, but nothing she couldn't deal with.

In response, she fired again, hurling another slender bolt of light down at the Void creature.

Standard Action: Energy Bolt. Dodge DC 19 for half, Dodge DC 23/19 vs. Damage.

Current Status: 1 Bruise.

[jamieth]

Kagiko's torrent of energy proves much more effective this time, neaqrly ripping off the monster's "arm" tornados just as it tries to cover itself from Lira's beam... which, as a result, pierces the monster dead center - and the next moment the evil presence disappears. A gale of wind rushed outwards from where it just was, but it is just that - a rush of air contained in too tight a space for too long.

The next moment, Miyuki's voice sounds inside Lira's and Kagiko's heads, "We saw everything! You did great, and..." a short pause, "Colonel asks you to tell Mask-sempai that... we never considered optical constructs as viable methods of distracting void-spawn... and that would require additional research... I suppose that's a compliment", she finishes happily.

[Quellian-dyrae]

~Yeah that worked wonderfully,~ Lira sent in telepathic agreement.

[The_Admiral]

"Y-yes" she replied, relaying the message to Velvet Mask.

"M-Miyuki-san, where a-are you and F-fuuko chan?" she asks Miyuki.

[jamieth]

~Ah, we're fine... Fuuko-neesan got me away... Eh, one moment...~ a short pause, ~Kaede-obaasan get news from the servicemen, it's likely the feris wheel failure was a diversion... but they'll get it sorted in several minutes, so no one's got hurt... Eh, we're meeting with Kaede-obaasan on a parking lot in five minutes.~

[Quellian-dyrae]

~Parking lot in five, got it. We'll be there,~ Lira sent.

((Err...assuming the telepathy is coming to all of us. If not, ignore this.))

[The_Admiral]

Y-y-yes Kagiko replied, teleporting out of sight of the crowd and closing the central lock.

Stepping out, she slowly makes her way to the parking lot smiling and stepping up her pace as she sees Fuuko, "Fuuko chan, you're okay."

[jamieth]

The parking lot is, unsurprisingly, almost empty, with few remaining cars likely elonging to the unfortunate sould trapped in the ferris wheel - well, except for one brand-new sport sedan. Or a sport sedan that was brand new until today; a number of bumps and scratches definitely look recent, and, judging by Kaede's expression, she's less than pleased about it.
"I'm fine", Fuuko replies, "Sorry, captain, but your car... and... I'm sorry I can't really help now..."
"Don't say that!" Miyuki, now in her civilian clothes, and holding a stuffed bear half her size, interrupts, "You were really cool when you rammed that turnpike..." causing another twitch on Kaede's face. "And you were really cool too", Miyuki exclaims, turning to the team, "We saw everything..."

[The_Admiral]

"Y-you r-rammed through a t-turnpike?" Kagiko asked, apparently quite entranced at the action movie feat.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira...raised an eyebrow at that, but declined to comment. "So, anything else on the agenda?"

[jamieth]

"I had to get Miyuki-chan away from the battle... quickly", Fuuko explains.

"Officially, I have only to congratulate you on another successful operation", Kaede-san, apparently ranked captain, replies, "unofficially... I have planned on letting Miyuki have some fun after the meeting, but is seems the park would be closed for the day - and I'm not really familiar with the city, so if you could recommend us a place?"

[The_Admiral]

"....T-there's an a-arcade" Kagiko nervously squeaks out.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"The park over on 8th is pretty nice too, although not much to actively do there."

[jamieth]

Miyuki's eyes sparkle at the mention of the arcade; her caretaker hesitates for a moment, then says, "Oh well, I suppose there's no harm... I don't think we'll all fit in a car, though - is it far?"

[The_Admiral]

"N-not v-very, it's in the c-city." she replied, playing with her thumbs.

[jamieth]

"Well then, lead the way", the woman from Initiative states, letting you through; she keeps close, but not adjacent, giving you girls a chance to chat freely.

"What games do you like, Kagiko-neesan?" Miyuki asks immediately.

[The_Admiral]

"I-I like the l-light gun games. H-how about y-you or Fuuko c-chan?" she stutted as she led the group to the arcade she used to hang out at.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lira followed along. She wasn't a huge fan of video games, but they were a fair enough excuse to hang out and kill an hour or two.

[jamieth]

"Oh, Fuuko-neesan is really good at shooting!" Miyuki exsclaims, "She always got top scores at the shooting range back at the base!", causing the older girl to blush furiously and squeak, "N-not really..."
"I want to play some rhythm games, though!" Miyuki continues, "Julia-neesan always tells me about how she won another tournament -"
Hearing that, Fuuko tightens a bit, "Miyuki-chan, do you mean Silva-san? But with her Life Stone, won't that be a cheating?" she turns towards the Initiative officer, "Captain?"

[The_Admiral]

"R-really?" Kagiko replies to Miyuki, sneaking admiring glances at Fuuko.

"W-what d-do you m-mean by with her l-lifestone? S-she doesn't t-transform does s-she?"

[jamieth]

"O-of course not! But... you know how LIfe Stones grant us... eh, you some special abilities even when you don't transform? Our... eh, Initiative's researchers aren't sure whether it's intentional, or just a side-effect of Life energy concentrated to tight in the Stone, but... even without transorming, Miyuki-chan, for example, can speak any human language..."
"Yep", Miyuki nods with a grin, and her bodyguards quickly corrects, "We aren't sure it's limited to human languages, in fact. Animals are unaffected, it seems, but we haven't had an opportunity to test with aliens."
"...and Silva-san, if I'm not mistaken, got increased reflexes and coordination?"
"Right, but Julia-neesan always leaves her stone at home when going to a tournament!" Miyuki exclaims, "She says she would never cheat at something like this!"

[The_Admiral]

"O-oh..." she replied, remembering her own ability.

"S-so, w-what w-was y-yours Fuuko-chan?" she asks nervously.