Gabriel's kickoff from Ariadne limits her movements, allowing Floral to grab her in a healing hug. The giant bird-creature freezes at the touch of healing light, her feathers and muscles twitching oddly once more while her body is once again rewritten (though this time it is seemingly without pain). The touch of hardened air from Helios' spell breaks Gabriel out of her healing-induced reverie, and she manages to dodge the wind-fist trying to grab her. Her fierce golden eyes swing around to track Ariadne leaping back into the scene, and she opens her mouth to screech her displeasure--

--When the loudest dial-up screech any of you have ever heard suddenly tears the air into little fluttering bits, shaking apart everyone's plans. Sometimes, when you tried to use dial-up internet and someone was already on the phone, you'd accidentally be able to eavesdrop on their conversation; something similar happens now. The four of you hear incomprehensible growling and chilling scrapes, which are then cut off by an unintelligible voice speaking in the toneless flat voice of an operating service. There is the distinct sound of a phone line disconnecting.

"...Oh." Lucia's shade sounds... surprised, relieved, and deeply confused, all at once. "The claws... they're gone. I don't... I don't think they're coming back. ... I'm going to go back now. Maybe I... maybe I can take some of me with me, this time." Moments later, the shade sinks back into Manchineel's prone form and vanishes fully from sight.

Spoiler: Helios, Mystic Sight
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The Death energy in Manchineel changed profoundly in those few seconds. If you hadn't already sensed it before, you would swear that the Death-energy in her has nothing to do with the Deatrhwell--they're utterly unrelated. In fact, as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish the traces of Death magic from the traces of Life magic, or simply the life-force of Manchineel itself. You think it's still theoretically possible to separate the two, but it's a much more difficult task now.

That being said, the Life-energy and Death-energy in Manchineel seem... healthier, somehow. They are no longer in conflict, but seem to be in harmony, which part of why it's harder to distinguish them.


Perhaps it's because of her longer exposure to Nope, but Floral recovers from... whatever just happened much faster than Gabriel does, intensifying her healing magic. In less than half a minute, Gabriel's form shrinks and changes, revealing a petite young woman with short, light brown hair, curled up on the ground.

...Er, make that short, light brown feathers, making up a hair-like crest on the top of her head. And... humans normally don't have long, curved yellow-and-black talons at the ends of their fingers and toes... right?

Ah well. She's definitely much, much more human than she was just moments ago.

Spoiler: Floral
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Take a Hero Point for me fiating that Cosme retains some of the animal portions of her Menagerie transformation, since Lily is much more accustomed to working with plant-transformative powers.


For the first time since you entered it, the unnaturally symmetrical grove falls into full, quiet stillness... except for a giant clover-colored tortoise munching at leaves, but he seems to be harmless.

Manchineel has fallen.

Spoiler: OOC
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Battle over! Everyone take a Hero Point!

More than that: Manchineel Defeated! Everybody take 5 PP!

More's going to happen now that a League member has fallen, but here's the important stuff for now:

First, due to the League now seeing you as a threat and time passing to complicate matters: The DC for all Downtimes increase by 5.

Second, Everyone gets 5 Downtime Actions.

Third, the next Scene will be a Lull, so start thinking of ideas!

Well done, everyone! One League Member down!