Tamayura festival - night 2 (part 2)
"I understand," says L, to the rustle of a bag. There's the snap of elastic, and when the detective speaks again, his voice is muffled by... you guessed it, that ridiculous 8o-mask he had worn last night. Once the soldiers spot them, if at all, Ryuzaki can't do much other than run like hell--and a photograph or glance is all that's needed to compromise a certain other case.
And Ryuzaki would really rather not die, thank you!
"Please verify our safety, I will follow," he says, crouching near the building. It's safer, relatively speaking, than stalking out into the open. It is, after all, broad daylight.
Even as Boogiepop turns to run, a trio of soldiers give chase, firing after the whole way. They don't seem to take kindly to the interruption. Fortunately (for them or for Boogiepop, hard to tell either way) they don't follow into the trees right now. "We'd better report in." "Think that was a Valyrie?" "Could be. I think I saw lipstick under the hood."
The path to the chapel is, surprisingly, clear, save for a single patrol of three men. Probably because it was one of the first places checked when they arrived. There's an APC parked not far from it, but nobody appears to be inside.
Suddenly! Near the dojo, some soldiers spot movement. "Halt! Both of you!" The three men level their guns toward Tate and Mashiro. One of them hesitates, blinks... and just -peers- at Mashiro for a moment. "How..." Another one shakes his head. "Just take them. You two, you're coming with us."
Signals. Oh /joy/. The Deathberry isn't going to hide. He's not going to run. He's going to wait on the soldiers and punch them in the face. He's taken far worse than a gunshot, and they perobably won't shoot him anyway,
While he waits, he flings a couple punches at the empty air, loosening up. Such a rude, rude awakening.
He can't help but wonder, though. Where's Makoto and Yayoi run off to?
Separating, yes. Separating them into male and female groups, and leading them all in different directions. Miyu can see this even at a glance-- though it troubles her as to why, exactly.
The Iron Maiden pauses as she looks to Mai, and the point that she indicates to with a touch. Looking absolutely clueless for a moment, the blue-haired android arches her eyebrow. "You mean, the powers such as those used by Natsuki-san? I haven't been informed as to every aspect of these abilities yet... but... if there is a specific mark that is carried... it -is- entirely possible."
Taking a step ahead to stand next to Mai, the bespectacled MAID also peers around the corner. Where is that wayward prince...?
Gunfire? There goes the neighborhood. "A virus, huh? Sounds like they're handing out shots already," Sailor Jupiter deadpans. And there goes Ling with the headbutt! Hey, he's not drunk after all! Or maybe he saw the same Jackie Chan movie she did.
Either way, its on like Donkey Kong. "I know one way to clean up a virus!" The senshi brings her hands together with a smirk, "Stand back, Ling! I've got these guys! SUUUPREEEME THUUUUUNDERRRR!"
CracklezzzapBOOOM! Someone's putting on a laser light show inside the building!
Success! Sort of. The soldier's kick is well aimed and hits Ling in the chest. The prince finds the breath knocked out of him for a moment, but seeing the man reaching for his arm again, he flings himself over into a roll and leaps (albeit with a slight pained stumble) back up to his feet. He's already stuffing the photos into the pouch beneath his coat, grabbing one of the small palm-sized cylinders inside and hooking his thumb through the metal ring at its top. Ling continues to stumble backwards almost drunkenly, keeping himself out of arm's reach of the guard and flailing his arms in an almost comical manner. The small cylinder drops from his hand on to the ground, and the prince suddenly stops and -POINTS- at it. "Uwah!! My inhaler!!"
One second later the cylinder explodes with a loud pop and a huge flash of blinding light. Even squinting the prince finds himself partially blinded, but he turns and runs regardless, relying on his memory of the area to find his way back to the dorms at least. It's funny, he thinks, he wouldn't know what one of those were if he hadn't gotten bronchitis last year-- and nearly grabbed one of his flash grenades in a sleepy daze before Orihime caught him. Lucky!
Thank heavens for small favors. Boogiepop goes further into the trees, making sure to lose his pursuers before turning and heading towards... well, wherever he can hear action. It sounds like there's a lot of it, as small groups of students fight back here and there.
Most of the students are smart enough to not fight back against people with guns who tell them there might be a viral weapon on campus.
Except Krispy Kreme girl, who poses mightily all the way to the nurse's office.
Kurosaki isn't.
And they'd been making such good progress! In fact, they were almost right there to where they could have snuck in and gotten at least something to arm themselves. Instead, Mashiro suddenly stops cold, so that he won't send Tate tumbling in turn, at the sound of a command being barked in their direction, and his eyes turn just in time to see guns drawn in their direction. This sensation is all too familiar, from the escape he had to pull off in his own world a few months ago.
...the confusion is obvious, and it takes the boy a few moments to realize what the matter is..but then he could just about forehead slap. Of course, these guys probably don't know about the cover story, and they might not buy it anyway. "Well..we didn't make it this far just to get captured, did we," he side-whispers to the defacto 'leader' of the expedition? But at the same time, it's kind of hard to argue with guns, and neither of them are presumably blessed with super-human durability.
Celene emerges from the dormitory quietly and quickly, since apparently the stairs either exit outside or into an empty lobby. Celene is grateful either way, and picks up the pace a little, trusting that one of L's ghostly powers is 'able to walk at a respectable pace.'
"OK, Hunter," Celene mutters, loud enough for L to hear. "Recap. They're taking the girls to what looked like the nursing facility. Boys to the gym. Pictures of me and other IPA operatives who are, we've confirmed, /here/. Guns...average soldiers, probably--" Her eyes dart to L, and she probably changes what she was about to say, continuing, "...specially trained for either paranormal suppression or just with standard special ops training...wait, no, some of them were taken out by students, that means..."
...regular...soldiers?
She smiles. Just a little.
"Ryuzaki, it's up to you," she finally says, increasing to a more conversational volume. "We can either plow through these jokers, or be subtle. I don't have a silencer, if that changes anything."
Speaking of people who aren't smart enough to know better than to fight back... Tate is still out there. So the question becomes: Which impulse is tronger? Part of him knows he should just put up his hands and surrender, it's not like these guys can possibly be after him, right? And who knows what they might learn if they're ON THE INSIDE. But on the other hand, getting captured is totally uncool, and Mashiro is right; they made it a long way on their own, too far to just go down like chumps. Besides, these guys wouldn't really shoot teenagers, would they? With /bullets/?
Anyway, it looks like the soldiers have Tate and Mashiro dead to rights, which further gets the scarred boy's goat. "Mashiro, run!" he shouts at the younger boy, and it might be kind of dumb of him to use that name given the REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE, before bullrushing the nearest soldier, hoping the sheer unbridled stupidity of the act will keep the soldiers from pulling their triggers, while he aims to kick at least /one/ of them in the nards before he gets captured. He's nobody's chump! ...And who knows, maybe Mashiro will get away, right?!
Mai Tokiha nods slowly, "HiME all have a mark. If that's what they're looking for.." She frowns quietly, "Ling-san is taking a long time, ne?" How long can they wait back here for them? The longer they stay in one place, the more likely it is that a soldier will eventually work their way to the spot the girls were waiting. "Mou.."
Strangely, while Ichigo is there shadowboxing, the guards don't stream in abruptly, all at once or one at a time. However, there is a *tink* of something metallic being rolled into the room, quickly followed by the hiss of gas. Knockout gas, to be exact. Quick, stop breathing!
What, you didn't think they came ONLY with guns, did you? Silly Berry!
The soldier Ling is dealing with lunges again, only for Ling to stumble out of reach like some kind of drunken kung fu master. "Get back here y-" He steps forward, and something TINKS onto the ground. Now.. this soldier's not dumb. He knows that's not an inhaler. "SHI-" *FWASH!!* Intelligence aside, he is too late to block the majority of the flash, and far too late to try and stop Ling from escaping, his eyes dazzled. "MY EYES!" They burns us, precious. "Damnit -" He squints, trying to focus his blurred vision on the retreating shape of Ling, raising his rifle and pulling off a few shots. Watch out Ling!
From the school building meanwhile, there are screams of pain as they're -electrocuted- by Jupiter's attack. But they're not down or out by anymean. One of them grabs for his utility belt, "A Valkyrie!" He manages to gasp out, tossing a small round object at the floor, which rolls to Makoto's feet. And proceeds to, like Ichigo's, fizz out knockout gas - the soldiers came prepared, as they move out of range, or slipping gas masks on if they weren't already starting to. Take a nap guys!
"...." Is all Ichigo has to say about that. Knockout gas. There's really little he can do. He peers out the windows, which are guarded, and clearly there's people outside the door. He's boned no matter what.
This leads to one thing.
"SCREW YOU ASSHOLES! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I'LL GET YOU, AND YOUR BOSSES, AND /THEIR/ BOSSES!" He sways a little. "Just....you..." Yawn. "Wait." Thud.
"..." The recap was all heard, naturally, but L gives no sign behind that ridiculous-looking mask. He keeps his distance as well as his silence; the Sergeant has real combat experience and would know what to do should they come abruptly under attack, and therefore she gets to remain at point. His free hand disappears underneath that mask for some reason -- having some minor familiarity with his usual tics and habits, Celene could probably guess he's biting his thumbnail again.
The soldiers. "They're just operating under orders. Try to take them down without killing them. However--" The next is said with a note of hesitance, "--Let's value our lives. If they mean to use lethal force, then respond as you will, Sergeant. Our lives are in your hands."
That said, he darts sideways into the line of trees, intending on getting both out of sight and out of the way.
Ahhhh. Jupiter beams broadly, she just loves the smell of fried bad guy in the morning. Only, there's more where those came from! She puts her fingers together agian for a second round, but is caught by surprise by the shoud. "A what? No, I'm- hey!" She covers her mouth as soon as the grenade goes off, she's seen enough shows to know what comes next. "Dammit, I'm just getting warmed up... and... ugh..."
Or perhaps not. "... not tear gas..." Thump.
Almost there..! Ling grits his teeth, willing his vision to somehow clear faster. He can barely make out the corner of the building he knows Mai and Miyu are hiding behind, but he can see enough to not run directly into the building, at least. That's happened before, and it was really embarassing.
Being well experienced in the art of running-the-hell-away, the prince rounds the corner quickly-- but not quick enough, however, to avoid the guard's rifle shot. The shot catches him in the left shoulder, eliciting a gasp and a grunt from Ling as he skids and then stumbles behind the building to meet Miyu and Mai. "Start running," he says, gritting his teeth, "We need to get away from the soldiers. I don't know this area, so I'll leave it to you to decide on where we're going-- just make it somewhere where we can run, and where we can hide." And if the gods have blessed him, where they can eat.
After a few moments of arguing and a couple games of Odds and Evens, two soldiers make their way into the woods after Boogiepop. That Dark Thing came in here, so it must be around somewhere. They look... well, a little bit nervous, but not really scared. "It wasn't one from the pictures." "A new one then. We haven't found all twelve yet anyway."
Luckily for Celene and L (or maybe for the guards), they aren't spotted yet. The snap of a branch catches the guards' attention, and the three walk around the side of the church to investigate what it is.
"Miao!" "Awww, it's just a cat."
When Mashiro tries to make a break for it, one of the three break off and make a grab for his Princess Grab Point. "You're not going anywhere!" He'll get violent if he has to!
The sudden rush takes one of the other two by surprise, and he doubles over in pain. The third, however, moves in to smash the butt of his rifle down on the back of Tate's neck. He can't fight back if he's stunned or knocked out! The hurt man recovers quickly enough, and now there's three guns to two kids. They're pretty confident. "Hands behind your heads. You're coming with us!"
Led or carried, Mashiro, Yuuichi, Ichigo, and Jupiter soon find themselves brought to the office of Mashiro Kazahana on the second floor of the administration building. And there, on the floor, lies her motionless body.
....wait, that's just a marionette that looks strikingly like Kazahana. Weird.
Not long after, more troops file into the room, and a few of them begin to nudge the unconscious ones awake. Right after them is a girl with light blue hair and a sword for an arm. At her side is a short blonde girl who can't be more than ten. The blonde steps forward, looking at the four prisoners. "Not a one is a Valkyrie. But..." Her eyes narrow slightly at Mashiro. "Another one of your disguises, Queen of Hell? Miyu."
"Hai." The android dashes forward, grabbing for Mashiro with one hand while her sword is touched to her prisoner's neck.
Psss, Ichi! You forgot to say you'd get their little dog too! But eh, you're a sleepy berry, so it can be forgiven.
"Aah, Miyu-san!" Mai calls out in a low hiss, though the MAID probably sees it well before Mai herself did. Gunshots, and Ling rushing towards them. "You're -!" Mai puts her arms out to steady the Prince, mindful of his wound. "Ah, a safe place?" She glances around - "Off campus is a bad idea," she murmurs. They'd never get past the guards. "But we can't stay here. This way," there had to be a place that the guards haven't gone to yet. "Ah, Ling-san, can you manage? Your injury--" MIyu, carry him!
Kicked awake. That just makes Ichigo angrier. His first reaction is to take a swing at whoever's kicking him. His second reaction is to make sure his badge is still there, which it is. (People can't see it unless they're special anyway, and even if they can...it just looks decorative, unless you know what you're looking for.)
He groans a little and sits up, just in time to see the sword armed android charge at the awake Mashiro. He striggles, his first instinct is to body tackle the robot. This is exactly what he tries. Summoning every last ounce of willpower, stamina and strength, the stubborn strawberry lurches to his feet and flings himself at the Android.
As dazed as he is, he probably misses and eats the floor. Not like a starving Ling, but more like a faceplant.
"I see..."
Filing the information away for a later time-- as it would become useful, no doubt-- the crisp sound of close-by gunfire leads the formal-looking maid to lift her forearm a little bit and stand ready. For what, well... Mai has yet to see, but it may become time for her to show off her skills fairly soon. The maid steps back as Ling suddenly rounds the corner, reaching out to offer him a bit of support-- and then shooting a glance toward Mai. "Yes!" And should Ling generously accept the offer, she'll instead step in front of the Prince of Xing and kneel down a bit, presenting her back. Yes, a -piggyback- ride. "Please, hang on!"
Celene...sighs, as L skitters off and the guards get distracted.
On the one hand, she SHOULD alert them to the fact that she's here, that she's curious what's going on. She can get some good information, that way, and with just three of them, there's not a chance in Hell she'd be in any kind of danger.
On the other hand, that'd draw attention. Also, L's watching. OK, then.
While the guards are distracted by the cat, Celene walks up behind them...and places her Desert Eagle's barrel to the back of the most important-looking one's head.
"Freeze," she says. "I can kill all three of you before any of you so much as twitch. If you try to call for help, you'll die. Who are you?"
More people in the trees. Boogiepop sneaks out of the shadows behind L, and says nothing. From what Takaya saw of the detective last night, he has a feeling that L will notice him well enough without the risk of an audible greeting to give them away. He gives the detective a polite nod when noticed, however.
Ohhh, right in his already sore neckmeats! The blow doesn't quite knock Tate out, but he's definitely out of action now, remaining only barely conscious as he's carried like a sack of potatoes (po-TATE-oes?) to the residence of the chairperson... A place he actually hasn't been since he arrived in this alternate Fuuka months ago. He's pretty groggy by the time he's deposited there, and ends up getting booted by another soldier, before looking blearily at his surroundings... And the speaking girl.
"Oh hell no," Tate says, woozily. Well, that confirms it. "It's /you/ guys." It's not easy for him to focus at the moment, but he pushes himself up as best he can, eyes searching about. Nobody else? No mysterious bespectacled older woman? At least it's not exactly the same, which Tate isn't sure is reassuring or not. And then, Miyu, the Other Miyu, goes for Mashiro. This is not a positive turn of events. "HEY! Hands off!!" he shouts, and if he could even get up higher than his knees, he'd totally try to tackle the Other Miyu. It probably wouldn't work any better than Kurosaki's go, though. "That ain't the one you're lookin' for!"
"It's nothing," Ling assures Mai, standing on his own without much trouble at all. He glances down at his shoulder, touching the bloody stain on his jacket. He slips his hand underneath, wincing visibly as he touches the bleeding exit wound. "It went through. I'll be fine." Once he gets a chance to sit and bandage it, anyway.
As Miyu kneels and offers him her back, however, Ling's face turns bright red. "A-ah, I don't.. think that's a very good idea," he stutters, taking a step back, "I'm.. that is.." The sound of voices and shouting grows louder and nearer, and the prince reaches out to grab Miyu's upper arm with his good arm and attempt to pull her to her feet. "We need to get out of here /now/," he says, "Start running!"
Just lovely. Rudely knocked out and rudely awakened in such a short time is prone to make a Makoto unhappy, punchy, and lightning-happy, but she just registers her displeasure with a groggy grunt. "Grf. I'm awake, I'm awake..."
Once things clear up and the room becomes more than just a foggy mess, the senshi takes a quick glance around to size up her situation. Hands not restrained, score. However, there are guys with guns, a lady with a sword-arm, Ichigo being stupid, that other big guy from the festival, and Ling's lady-friend. Not an optimal situation for calling down Mr. Thunder Dragon. Jupiter sighs, and patiently curls up her knees to her chest. Just have to wait for the cavalry to arrive...
Er, no. Mamoru wasn't at the festival.
And Ichigo's right there.
And so's that other guy.
So who's left?
Oi, Ling had better have brought his pimp cane and top hat. Er- wait. The Other Guy knows Important Things. "You know these guys?"
There's..a bit of conflict here, between the very sensible thing Tate says to do, and what Mashiro is tired of doing. Running from every problem! He'd begun to face this not so long ago, and he'd gotten better about it, lately. And so, at the last moment, Mashiro moves to rush in behind Tate, to give him some backup! Unfortunately -- as it isn't in the defense of a girl -- something about the dramatic effect just doesn't kick in, and he makes an audible 'grk!' as his momentum is suddenly brought to a halt by 'that grip'! Furthermore, suddenly more guns enter the equation, and it seems Tate has been outmatched, as well..this is getting bad.
"...sorry," he utters in defeated apology to Tate. "If it weren't for me, you probably could have gotten away." But there's little time for such sentiments, as he drags his feet while being 'lead' along, not wanting to be in any hurry to get to their final destination. "Looks like..we're going to find out who's behind this the hard way."
As they're filed into the room, Mashiro gives a quick glance around. The office is familiar, as he's been there a few times to discuss matters of his residency and cover story. ...what isn't familiar is the particular, apparent condition of.. "..chairman!?" The look of shock on the youth's face mirrors the paralyzing confusion that doesn't allow him a proper reaction to the entrance of a certain duo, but somehow the fact that he's being talked to filters through, and the sword to the neck manages to entirely snare his attention away. Turning his head a bit more carefully to regard the captors, his eyes somehow open even wider, "...Alyssa-chan and Miyu-san!? You are..but.." Before he can say more, Ichigo begins his resistance, and Tate begins acting up... That this is a bad situation goes without saying!
"I would suggest that you do hold your breath..." a voice from somewhere overhead remarks as something drops down and explodes, belching a thick, choking smoke all about the area around Celene and Ryuzaki. It's not the same knockout gas that was being used before, and it might make a person somewhat funny-headed even if they DID hold their breath.
It smells like something horrible. Almost like death.
And the soldiers were totally not prepared for it... But does Celene listen to instruction on the fly?
That robot is faster than she might appear. With a blur of motion, her sword arm swings out toward the berry, swatting Ichigo back with the flat of it. Even though she doesn't cut with it, there seems to be a -lot- of spiritual pressure in that sword. Weird.
Then Tate tries to tackle her, and Miyu reacts the same way, swatting him with the flat of her sword as she moves out of the way. She knees, peering into Mashiro's eyes with an unblinking gaze. "This is not Kazahana, Miss Alyssa." Miyu just lets him go, rising to her feet. "I am aware that some of you have powers. I would not recommend you use them here." There really is something very ominous about that sword. It's got some sort of weird energy but it's hard to tell exactly -what-.
Alyssa does not look amused. "The initiation draws near, Miyu. We need to find them quickly."
L is pretty good at this getting the hell out of dodge thing. Let's hope the trend continues; he doesn't soak damage very well, from the looks of him. Celene is quite correct in assuming that he's still watching -- Ryuzaki has his cellphone in hand again as he observes behind a tree, knees close under his chin. "..." Let's see how she handles the soldiers. It's time to send the next message, pre-written while on the roof.
Another message is texted across the campus-wide network:
I apologize for the gracelessness
of this message but I must be brief.
Use this network while you can.
Obviously, these soldiers are
looking for certain individuals.
If you are 'infected', text this
number.
- L
Infected? ...Those whose photograph was taken. All he needs is just one. Just one, who might get the word out to the others. It's time for the next stage of his quickly-formed plan, and only they can act as the 'hand' to take advantage of the information he might be able to offer--that is, whether they can make use of the 'eyes' and 'ears' he will soon attempt to give them.
But first, they have to reach the chapel, and--there's a twitch of slouching shoulders and L's head turns abruptly, eyes wide behind his mask. There might have been a startled noise, but it's obscured by the mask when he twists around, putting his back against the tree.
Why? --Not sure. But something unpredictable and illogical clings to Boogiepop like the way you can still smell smoky incense hanging in the air of an abandoned shrine. His composure returns as soon as he realizes no bullets are forthcoming. "Another surprise has arrived," Ryuzaki notes quietly, pulling his knees again under his chin.
Whap! Yeah. That's the floor. It's not tasty. That robot chick hits hard, but, well, Ichigo fought an Espada earlier this week, so it's not the worst he's had lately. Instead of coming back to his feet, Ichigo rolls into a sitting position, wiping the trickle of blood away from the corner of his mouth.
"Oh yeah?" He says, "If I used mine, you wouldn't be able to stop me, and this would be over." He'd also be killing people, but he doesn't want to think about that. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't."
That weird reiatsu in that sword arm is bugging him though.
Instruction from unseen benefactors(?) would be ill-advised to be ignored; L is given little choice in timing to do anything but quickly clap hands under his mask over nose and mouth and hold his breath. ...Now is a bad time to be so frequently surprised, but it'd be an understatement to say L isn't trying to keep a weather eye out for who spoke and who assisted them, just now.
Celene hears 'hold your breath', sees a SOMETHING drop down--
She's operating on reflexes now, she hops back, spinning around in the air and landing on her hands, and then pushing off into a backwards somersault which lands her on her feet, levelling her gun at the ROOF now, and holding her breath as directed.
She glares upward, eyes focused behind her glasses, ready to put some holes in whoever this new person is if they prove anything less than totally legitimate.
She's pretty sure the soldiers are nowhere near as good at holding their breath when surprised as she is.
As Ling PrincessGrabs(or is that MAIDgrabs?) Miyu and assures them that he was fine, Mai nods, "That way, hurry!" She points - it may or may not be a random direction, but do they have a choice right now? The voices were getting closer, and Mai breaks into a run behind the pair - only to succumb to anime cliche #48: When a girl is being chased by the bad guy, she must trip.
"WHooph!" Mai sputters as she trips over a Conveniently Placed (tm) branch, falling flat on her stomach. Fortunately she did not succumb to anime cliche #49: The trip and sprained Ankle. Though if Miyu and Ling stop to check on her, she waves them on, "I'm fine, keep going!" She starts to her feet, only to pause at the buzzing at her hip.
Her cell phone?
She glances over her shoulder, starting to jog ahead, lavender eyes widening as she skims the message. "A.." 'If you are infected, text this number'. It could be a trap. But this person did help.. but that could have been a trap too. She can't wait for long. Trust or not to trust.
She goes with her gut. Praying it hasn't lead her wrong, she quickly texts back the message: I am 'infected. ~Tokiha Mai
Here's hoping she didn't just make a HUGE mistake.
"Geh!!" exclaims Tate, as he rather gracelessly gets whacked in the face with the flat of the Other Miyu's sword-arm, which sends him sprawling. That's gonna leave a bruise; it made him bite the inside of his cheek too, which would be why the odd-haired teenager spits up a gob of crimson RIGHT ONTO THE CARPET WHICH FUMI PROBABLY SPENT A LONG TIME CLEANING. "Knowin' the midget chairperson, y'ain't gonna find her," he says, turning a wide grin towards Alyssa, red highlighting the white of his teeth. It's kind of gross, but when all else fails: Act crazy, and /do not stop talking/.
"No matter how hard you search. So why don'tcha just scoot, Tiny. Take your soldiers, an' your little robot too?" He even makes a 'shoo, shoo' motion with his hands. And he really hopes nobody decides to test the deadly android on her threat. Especially that Ichigo guy, he seems unreliable.
As for Sailor Jupiter's question? Tate tries to gesture at her to let it wait. He's trying to get them out of here by being clever. Which means they're probably doomed, but he's not going to fess up to that part.
In a way, it seems to Mashiro that Tate might actually know something about what's going on.. Maybe he's had similar experience with this before? Rather than being able to focus on that lead immediately, however, Mashiro is transfixed on this Miyu and Alyssa. Particularly the latter, since it's hard to believe that someone could be this different, when all the others he'd met so far have been closer to what he's expected. Ignoring their apparent disinterest, once Miyu confirms Tate's cry -- "...Alyssa-chan," begins the attempt to get some kind of connection, "Are you really behind this? Why are you doing this?" There's genuine bewilderment, for someone taking such a familiar tone! But just maybe, he can find enough in common to sort this out.
Other than words, though, he makes no sudden movements, and lets Tate have his say due to that earlier notion.
Mashiro does, indeed, have 'power'..but the reason he doesn't call on it is a bit different than why Ichigo and Makoto are holding back. He's since put two and two together to make something approximating four, and figured that they must be after HiMEs, or 'Valkyries' as they called them...and showing his cards would be a bad idea.
Like Ryuzaki and Celene, Boogiepop holds his breath. It would be difficult to continue fighting if he got Takaya killed, after all, especially in such an ignoble way. Ryuzaki's fright is noted, but not otherwise reacted to-- nobody reacts well to a shinigami appearing, after all.
Fwipfwipfwip. A few gunshots are fired overhead as a helicopter makes its way over campus.
A helicopter that isn't marked with the Searrs emblem.
The chopper slows down a bit as it approaches the campus chapel and comes to a hover for a moment. The door in the side of the aircraft slides open, and a single figure with long blue hair jumps out, wearing gray and black..
Er... did she just jump out of a helicopter? That thing has to be at least three stories up! Still, she seems to land easily enough, falling into a crouch. Once the girl is out, the a hand can be seen waving out of the helicopter before it turns to fly away.
As she stands straight, Natsuki suddenly has a pistol in each hand, one pointed toward the unconscious soldiers and the other generally upward. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I was busy taking care of something." Or someone, as the case happens to be. "Where are the others?"
That powerful grab! Looking surprised and insistant all at the same time, Miyu frowns. This would have guaranteed a speedy exit, but the Prince insists on doing things the hard way-- at least, to her eyes. But Miyu's more of a team player than you'd think! Instead of arguing, she sighs and nods. "Very well. Tokiha-san."
She stops short as Mai falls, turning around to look with wide eyes. "Tokiha-san!" Her jaw tightens as Mai makes her declaration, and the maid's face takes one of grim determination. "Ling-san!!" she declares aloud and reaches out to grab the Prince by the scruff of his neck. If she can get a good grip of him, her face tightens up as she eyes the dormitory and -jumps-, seeking to yank the young man off his feet and into a leap that carries them up to the second floor-- and barring any interruptions, a sharp elbow to the glass window to allow them entrance.
Jupiter just sits where she's at, flashing Tate a puzzled look at his wave-off before grumping and pulling her legs in closer. She'l just keep listening for now. Sooner or later this will all make sense. And then the beatings can commence.
The smoke scatters almost as quickly as it explodes outwards. It seems to claw at the soldiers most especially, as if it were intelligently seeking out their orifices and clawing inwards to steal their consciousness from them.
Above, sitting beside a gargoyle that is totally out of place on the small chapel, is a young man with fright-white hair and ghost-pale skin. And the most impossible, golden eyes ever to grace a human face instead of that of a fox.
On one hand he his twirling a grenade pin around one finger, in the other he's holding a hardcover book with a missing dust cover.
Nagi Homura grins a bit lopsidedly and remarks, "You missed one just behind you and to the left, Miss Hunter..."
How the HELL did he know her name?
Ling skids to a halt as Mai falls, turning around with the intent of assisting her and getting them all moving again-- after all, Mai's the only one who knows where they're supposed to be going! "Miss Tokiha..!" he says, his tone urgent as he watches her take the time to play around with her phone. "We really need t--grk?!" Quite suddenly the ground is no longer beneath his feet, and the prince finds himself flailing slightly at the air as Miyu launches them up and into the building. He /knew/ he should have tried to find out what this girl is! On the other hand, he finds himself somewhat grateful that she's on /their/ side.
Wariness lingers, but seeing as Boogiepop is making no aggressive moves, L returns his attention more or less to the most urgent matter at hand; he's never been the type to dwell on distractions when he's got a plan in mind. Right now, he's task-focused: get to the chapel, begin the next stage.
His cellphone is buzzing. It has a more predictable pattern than the buzzing of his own thoughts, which is what makes it an aggravating distraction. The message he finds there, however, is worth the irritation. He punches out a reply and shuts the phone, watching the helicoptor and their benefactor descend.
The next message is hurried, stilted; whoever is sending this is in a rush:
Gather as many of you as possible.
Escape.
Get access to a computer.
I will send you a network code.
It will take some time.
I will give you access to all
surveillance footage on campus.
Use what the soldiers can't have.
Please use it wisely.
- L
Emerging from behind the tree, a slouching, shuffling stranger with disheveled hair and that absolutely ridiculous mask, L addresses the blue-haired young woman. "Thank you, we will be going into the chapel. I have to get to work quickly. Do you know Tokiha--"
L turns his head upwards, regarding Nagi silently. "..." He looks back towards Boogiepop, if he's still there. Laptop bag and bag of sweets are retrieved, shouldered, and without a word, L takes advantage of the moment to retreat into the chapel. It seems if Natsuki wants some answers about 'Tokiha', she may have to accompany him.
That was a fairly stoic reaction. This is because L's reasoning ability is beginning to suffer thanks to an overwhelming presence of Unexpected and Otherworldly Variables. ...Or maybe he just needs more sugar.
OK, now Celene is getting annoyed.
First - Helicopter. New girl. Freaky orb guns. Inhuman jump. Goody!
She growls - and then the smoke clears, and there stands...
"OK," Celene says simply. "I am going to react to this situation in a calm, measured manner, and then I'm going to expect you both to provide me with exceptional reasons not to be very upset."
She points her weapon at Nagi first, because he annoys her more. "First: How do you know my name? Second: I knew he was there. Don't underestimate me."
Celene Hunter does not do silly things like 'miss.' Physically, or metaphorically. Not for twelve years.
"Third..."
She looks at Natsuki, decides not to point her gun at her, and says simply, "Third, who are you, and what the HELL is going on?"
Mai Tokiha tucks the cell phone back into her pocket uneasily, then starts running again, after Miyu and Ling. Miyu just -- jumped up into the dormitory? With Ling? What a wild ride. Now how was she going to catch up with them? Where were they even headed, for that matter? Mai had to tell them that she's JUST DOOMED THEM ALL!
Koff. "Mashiro-chan... Tate?" Eagle eye Mai whispers, picking out the figures from a distance. Ahoge sense or sister sense, or just plain luck to that managed to get her to stop? She didn't know why Alyssa and .. Miyu--? No, the other Miyu. Were they captured too? Or .. *buzz*buzz*buzz* "Eh?" Now what - Oh! It's from that mysterious person again. She skims the message quickly, nods to herself.
Answers will come later. In the meanwhile, she has to get those people out of there! And that means...
Her hands clench tightly, then relax. Flames swirl into being, encircling her wrists and ankles as she summons her tenrei. But she can't burn it with fire; she might hurt the people inside! She needs something to throw; something that will smash the glass.
Rocks fall, everyone dies? No.. but that thick tree branch was heavy and sturdy enough to suit. She hefts it with surprising ease, the rings spinning into flame as they carry her upwards. She braces herself, holding the branch, getting ready to throw it! And she rushes forward, pulls back with the branch and _SWINGS_, letting go at the last minute.
The branch does it's job, smashing through the glass; Mai has to cover her face from the shards, but lowers her arm again, waving urgently, to Tate, Mashiro, Jupiter and Ichigo. "Hurry! Follow me!"
As the frightful smoke begins to clear, Boogiepop stares up at Nagi, and says... nothing. No words of thanks, no questions, nothing. Just that emotionless stare that the shinigami is so good at. He continues to be there after L goes into the chapel, still staring at the boy, even as the helicopter makes it's sudden arrival. It's quite the dichotomy, the boy in white sitting in clean high above and the boy in a shroud of black below. Perhaps more meaningful than it appears.
There is other business to attend to, however. Boogiepop finally turns away, to follow L into the chapel.
Yeah, that's right. Miyu Greer doesn't make bluffs. She might not know the exact nature of Ichigo's powers, but that won't be true for long. The android's eyes scan the shinigami for a moment, focusing on the badge... "Shinigami." Her eyes shift over again, scanning Jupiter. "Sailor Senshi." For now, she doesn't seem to see Tate or Mashiro as enough of a threat to bother scanning. "There is no need to worry, Miss Alyssa. They won't harm you."
Mashiro's questioning earns a curious tilt of Alyssa's head. "You seem to know me. Or another version of me, perhaps. Regardless, we are not the same. As my father has already told the rest of the multiverse, I need the other Valkyries' power so I can begin the Golden Millennium." She seems rather peaceful as she smiles.
The peace is broken, however, as the window smashes. Some of the soldiers instinctively open fire, but Miyu Greer moves quickly to shield Alyssa. "Miyu." The little blonde gently nudges her way around the android and reaches up to pull the ribbon from her hair.
Suddenly, a golden light fills the room as Alyssa's hair goes from blonde to shining like the sun, rising up around her head as if an invisible wind is whipping through the room. "After them, my Einherjar!" The soldiers take a quick glance at Alyssa before nodding and giving chase... though as normal humans, they'll have to take the stairs. That gives the escapees a few moments' lead to capitalize on.
Alyssa isn't finished yet, though. She lifts one hand high and touches it to the floor, where a large diamond emblem appears. Dozens of jagged, two-dimensional... -things- spring forth from the Searrs emblem, floating through the air and giving chase. Many of them remain two-dimensional, but a few begin to glow and expand into huge hulking monsters. Orphans.
Once the Orphans leave, Alyssa wobbles slightly and begins to collapse. Her android companion is there in an instant, catching the girl gently despite the sword arm. "Don't push yourself!" At least Miyu Greer won't be chasing them.
Natsuki Kuga glances toward Celene with a nod. "Natsuki Kuga. HiME. IPA, Vanguard Detachment." That's all the introduction she's going to give right now. "Tokiha? Mai is here?" The blue-haired HiME glances toward L, but stops once she hears Nagi's voice and points a gun directly toward him. "You have about three seconds to explain why you're here, Nagi. We don't have time to deal with you -and- Searrs."
Valkyries? Father? This got confusing right quick, even for Tate. "Yeah, well, whatever that is, it ain't likely to happen," he says, defiant even in confusion. Perhaps especially in confusion. "'cause we're gonna--" Whatever they were going to do, the world will never know, because Yuuichi's surely baseless bluff is interrupted by Mai crashing through the damn window. So much for being all dramatic and stuff... But he's still pretty glad to see Mai, even if he won't say so. "Searrs ain't gonna ruin this Fuuka too," the scarred boy says, aloud, towards Miyu and Alyssa, before he's dashing - presumably with the rest - towards the shattered window.
Though on the way there, he realises something. "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW YOU, TOKIHA?! YOU CAN /FLY/!!"
"...Unless your white-haired friend has access to exceptional technology," notes the masked and disheveled detective, one hand in a pocket, the other holding the bags to the slope of his shoulder, pausing inside the chapel's entrance to look back, "I wonder if that grenade was really his doing. You see--" L looks away again, resuming his stride within the chapel, this time looking upwards in distraction. Stained glass windows. These conditions are ideal, the sunlight paints myriad fragments of color across the floor.
"--there is no debris, no canister left behind. Furthermore, the activity of that gas was strange. Didn't you notice?"
Didn't he pretty much -just meet- Boogiepop? Nevertheless, it seems the unearthly protector is being the sounding board for the detective's observations. He raises his voice now, for Natsuki. "Tokiha has contacted me. I have asked Tokiha to gather the others claimed by the invading force as 'infected'," his voice echoes queerly in the chapel as he proceeds, searching, "And acquire access to a computer--this chapel has been used for something other than worship."
"...I will be transferring the surveillance live feed to a certain network address. Please use this information to plan out your reaction to this invasion. I also want to know what 'Searrs' is."
Vakyries? Golden Millenium? Jupiter bites back the urge to raise a hand and ask for better exposition. Her patience, however, is rewarded when she's heroically saved by a well-flung rose! "... Or a tree branch." Eh, a distraction is a distraction and she takes the cue to spring to her feet and dash for the window. Whoever gets in her way gets a fist to the face, then a boot heel to the gut. Unless its Mashiro or one of the boys, at which point she's likely to grab them by the back of the collar and drag them out with her. "C'mon, let's go!"
Even without her senshi power, the green-eyed sailor is damn athletic, and she quickly catches up to Mai. "Thanks for the save!", she smiles as she pulls a glove tight over her fist. "Show me where to go, I'll make sure the path is clear!"
Letting Ling loose as they land inside the room, Miyu's arm continues to sweep around in a hard arc, grabbing the sheets and shards of glass that drop from below and cast them to either side as they enter-- literally, her arm is a blur with only momentary pauses as her fingers gently touch each one and fling it into the wall like a series of makeshift throwing knives.
They're not a giant stack of dishes, but her coordination is good enough.
Doing her best to try to get the Prince of Xing to stay on his feet at first, the Iron Maiden reaches for the spectacles at the end of her nose and lifts them free, tossing them aside for the time being. Her long-lasting intense gaze turns toward the prince, her eyes shifting to the wound in his shoulder. "We must tend to that immediately."
There's a crash, and a tree limb, and wide open windows. There's also a distraction. At the girl's voice from outside, the Deathberry wastes no time at all. He leaps to his feet and bellows, "C'mon! Let's blow this joint!"
Unlike Tate, Ichigo fears not jumping out of windows. He charges towards the jagged hole, stopping at the edge and waving the others through. He'll hold the line. He'll make sure the others make it. Then and only then will he leap through.
"Perhaps I overheard you saying it on a previous occation?" the youth inquires with a faint grin. He then oh-hos as Natsuki comes in. "The stage is set for a wonderful dance, I think..." he says after a moment as he stands from his perch. "Natsuuuuki!" he declares, almost swooning. He then falls off of the ledge and faceplants into the ground in a painful looking position. "...ow..." is all that he can really say.
After a few moments on the ground he drags himself upright and scowls at the ground as if it betrayed him. He then picks up his book and dusts it off, sticking the small literary work into one of his back pockets.
"Perhaps we should withdraw to somewhere less open? I would feel so much safer to explain myself without having to worry about snipers..." he suggests, the mirth in his voice not quite touching the chilly, metallic gaze of his golden eyes.
Golden millenium? Somehow, the smile from the young girl isn't very comforting, even if perhaps -- on some odd level -- it was intended to be. False messiah complexes are like that. Unsure of what to do, but now feeling that talking it out won't be possible on a civil level, once again Tate takes the lead in this area. 'Does this guy really understand what he's hearing?' But...it could just as easily be him making those defiant remarks in the face of impossible odds. Like when he stood up to Archduke -- Nagi!
Whatever the plan was going to be, maybe a dogpile on Miyu, it's interrupted by the shattering of glass. Reflexively, Mashiro's arm raises to shield it..but hearing a friendly and familiar voice coming from the other side, he doesn't even stop to think of what floor they're on, as he makes a bolt for the newly made exit. This is one case where getting some distance really is the best choice tactically -- or was it, as he plummets toward the turf outside. "..aah!" That's as good a thanks as Ichigo will get, for the immediate moment. Brace for impact!?
"It's not my place to say," Boogiepop says neutrally as L begins voicing his analysis of Nagi. "And he is not my friend, we've only just met. I would not put too much faith in him, however," the phantom continues. "He is... unsettling."
The black-cloaked boy allows his gaze to drift to the inside of the chapel, observing the stained glass windows and the patterns they cast across the floor. His head tilts ever so slightly at the sound of a body falling from a tree outside, but it's soon ignored. For now the combat has ended, so all Boogiepop can do is wait... in the mean time, he continues to watch Ryuzaki, trying to make sense of the man's actions. What is he searching for?