2026-03-18: Three Heroes and a Detective
- Log: Three Heroes And A Detective
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Akari Hoshi, Hazuki Nakao, Tamaki Uchida
- Where: Aerospace Museum
- OOC Date: March 19, 2026
- IC Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 (segues directly into this scene)
- Summary: Two groups make their way to the Aerospace Museum. Nobody has a good time, except maybe Trish.
MONAD: A party led by Umie Akabane has begun the event Aerospace Museum.
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 1: The Other Side - Challenge Level 2 ===========================-
| Approach Options: Academics or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Curse - -1 to Group Roll (Per Character), Educational - |
| Academics Up L1, and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
The Konan District's Aerospace Museum is easy enough to find, in part
because it has a life-sized Zeppelin replica attached to the building as
both exhibit and restaurant. Rumor has it that it can actually fly, but well
you can't believe everything you hear, right?
In the lobby, there's World War II memorabilia, including a Mitsubishi A6M
Zero hanging in pristine condition from the roof above. The lobby looks
empty save for a beautiful young man in the Kasugayama High uniform that
some may recognize as Jun Kashihara. He's looking around with a fretful
frown, as if searching for a museum employee; upon spotting you, he
approaches with a letter in hand to say:
"Excuse me--I don't mean to alarm you, but you should leave immediately.
Someone dangerous is coming here..."
The letter in his hand is tightly clenched, but the eagle-eyed can make out
a message like 'cOMe aLOnE tO ThE AerOspAcE MuSEUM oR ELsE <3' in a
scrawled, erratic hand.
No sooner does he start a conversation with you, when abruptly an entire
wall detonates into a great conflagration, as some incendiary device
detonates.
"Kya-hahaha! Welcome to my walk down memory lane. Guess you ran into the
first of my bombs. The next will go off in the stairwell, then the other
floors will go up in flames one by one!"
As flames of expiation light the heavens
The Lion's roar echoes far and wide
"Don't you remember? It's just like the Other Side. There's a field trip
touring the museum right now. If you don't get those kids to the roof,
they'll become barbeque! Better hurry! Kya-hehehe-ahahahaha!"
Your first challenge is rather simple, the voice wasn't kidding about the
stairwell going up in flames next. You have seconds to locate it, and run up
to the second floor before the fastest way to the second floor goes up in
flames.
Can you make it in time?
OOC: The Red Text in this Monad represents Deja Vu moments from 'the Other
Side'. If you've determined that your character was not present in Innocent
Sin, or you haven't decided yet, then you can ignore these moments.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
>> Yeah
>> there's a Zeppelin replica upstairs
>> can't fly it exactly to check
>> meetup in lobby?
Umie fires some texts to Tamaki, alerting her wherever she may be in the museum.
Looking up as Jun approaches, looking around for a employee, Umie frowns. "Kashihara-kun?" She angles her head towards him. "... Something up?"
Her eyes travel downwards towards the letter, immediately recognizing who it may be from. "Shit... !"
***BOOOM***
As black smoke and red fire light the opening lobby of the museum, a strange malaise falls across the shocked Umie's expression.
The blonde's body sways slightly, reddish brown eyes glazing over to reflect the sparks of flame.
A mouth set rigid relaxes, and opens, quiet, meaningful words beginning to pour out of lips already dry from the spilling heat.
"As flames of expiation light the heavens
The Lion's roar echoes far and wide..."
Her hand presses against her forehead as she comes it. "Damn it..." No mask to hide her here; there's just no time.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Academics toward The Other Side! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
Akari really wanted to see the Aerospace Museum because it had a rumour.
That was really it. There was a rumour, therefore Akari - a magnet through which all rumours flow, even if she never really spread any of her own - was interested. Okay, so it wasn't quite as interesting as some rumours, but what if it really could fly?
She actually has never been to the aerospace museum before, and it's not HER field trip that gets to go. It makes her a little uncomfortable for no reason she could clearly identify - there's nothing *scary* there, it's all planes and stuff, but she always has the vague feeling she shouldn't be there. So she invited Hazuki under the cover of 'want to see if the rumour's true?' It's a good way to relax after the Atelier and before exams!
(Akari is trying very very hard to not think about exams.)
So that was all well and good before -
An explosion!!
...
A few moments after the explosion, Ixquic - definitely Ixquic, helmet and outfit and sword and all - rushes out of the smoke. She is still trying to pull Hazuki along with her. Behind her helmet, her eyes are wide. "Up up up!" she demands, angling toward the stairs. She'll meet Umie (and anyone else) as soon as they're up there, or possibly before - it's not like Ixquic is exactly a *subtle* figure.
+monad
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has acted with Proficiency toward The Other Side! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki is trapped in exam hell. She is not good at exams. So when she got an excuse to take a break at the Aerospace Museum, she took up Akari's offer.
She'd personally hoped that it could fly, though she wasn't sure how they'd test it. She's unarmed, of course - no point in bringing a baseball bat - when the explosion goes off. As the smoke blasts out, she coughs for a moment, adrenaline flaring to make her think fast. "Ixquic-senpai, wait up!" she says on sight of Akari's transformation, charging after her into the stairwell.
There's a mop in a bucket net to the stairwell, which she moves to steal. She can hear Umie as she does so... why does that feel so... familiar?
Shaking her head, she pointed the mop out towards Umie. "Come on! We're running out of time!"
Proceeding after Ixquic, her Transmutation begins to forge onto her, sliding in like ink on a canvas and weaving like threads being crafted together.
It is harder to hold a mop in a winged pauldron, though, so she DOES slide it to the other arm. Just to be safe.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has acted with Think Fast toward The Other Side! Smarts and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
The Zeppelin's just a replica. Some rumors do exist about it how it's not actually a replica, but it most certainly isn't. That's why they're there, to investigate the rumor and discourage its spread!
... right?
As she ponders their exact reason for being there, Tamaki furrows her brow and idly stares at the small plane hanging on the roof above. Some part of her maintains with stubborn conviction that this rumor shouldn't be reified into a capital-R Rumor, but what she can't piece together is precisely why. Every time her mind tries to determine any potential reason for that to be the case, she just draws a blank.
Tamaki's phone buzzes and snaps her out of her reverie. Seeing Umie's texts, she fires back a reply:
>> ... what was your plan going to be if you *could* fly it
>> and sure, i'm already there
Tamaki snaps her phone shut and looks around for Umie's approach. Soon enough, Umie arrives -- just as the two women notice another familiar face. Tamaki blinks several times and peers more closely at Jun, intoning nearly in-tandem with Umie, "Kashihara-kun?" The exact nature of Tamaki's apparent selective amnesia starts to become more clear to her. The sense of impending dread already has her in high alert, just before --
BOOM
If she had any doubt before, the words Umie recites basically confirm it. Think about something else, anything else -- or at least keep it contained to muscle memory and not conscious thought.
As if by driven by pure instinct, Tamaki rushes up the stairs. Spotting the other two, Tamaki waves to them. "Nakao-san! Ixquic-san!"
Along the way, she rummages through her bag and glances to Umie. " -- I might have a mask for you here, if you want, provided I can find the damn thing -- "
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Piece Together toward The Other Side! Automap! (|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== The Other Side - Round 1 ==============================================- Tamaki Uchida Academics Success Piece Together Automap Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Akari Hoshi Proficiency Success Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hazuki Nakao Academics Success Think Fast Smarts and Efficient Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Curse-0, Educational-2, and Terrifying-2 Final Conditions: Educational-1 and Terrifying-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
>> i didn't think that far
Which is likely why Umie is currently maskless, her purse far too small and her ability to predict trouble far too late.
The 'prophecy', late as it may seem, is at least over, for now, as Umie straightens, wiping sweat off her brow. "Ixquic-san. Nakao-san. You heard that asshole, right?"
Up up up they need to go. "I can't believe our lives are going to depend on that rumor..." She looks towards Tamaki, now here, as she offers a mask. "That part's not as import...ant..."
_don't let it see you_
A partially covered hand is wordlessly held out to Tamaki, Umie's eyes looking anywhere but anyone's faces.
She doesn't even pretend to hide when she puts it on, even; to everyone, it's plainly Umie, hair buns and all, _just with a half-mask_. "No way this can't get any worse, right?" she says, flatly, before she follows.
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 2: Worst Field Trip Ever - Challenge Level 2 ====================-
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Guts |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Educational - Academics Up L1, |
| Scary - Guts Down L1, and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
The second floor of the Aerospace museum is already filling with smoke, as
flames from the first floor have already caught hold here, licking along
several particularly flammable spaces. Exhibits about the history of
aviation in Japan and in general are lined up with artifacts of prior
generations.
Fifteen. Fifteen minutes. That's how long you have to find the kids and get
to the roof. You're not sure why you get that instinct.
You've gotta find those kids! Quick!
Unfortunately there are demons coming down the hallway already. Horse-headed
creatures that stand on two-feet. With a whinny of rage, they come at you,
spreading more flames with Maragi spells.
And that's just the first group of them.
You have to search this floor quickly AND thoroughly, fighting demons as you
go, paths that were open before closing off in flame.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
+pot/last Hazuki
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
"I can't wait up! Heroes don't wait around! Also everything is on fire!" Despite her words, Ixquic does slow down just a little so that she doesn't outpace Hazuki too far.
Ixquic is honestly glad to see Umie. Along with Hazuki, that makes three of them - four, with Umie's friend, who is vaguely familiar. Even if they haven't properly been introduced, it's not like they haven't yelled names (or, well, at least Ixquic certainly has) and they've fought on the same side before.
Good enough.
"I heard him," Ixquic agrees, "but I don't know why! Who'd want to do something like that?"
you would
Ixquic's sense of unease increases. She feels the need to move, to get out of the fire - or at least the smoke, it's not all burning up here yet but it won't be long. But she's a hero! She can't abandon kids. Are they even younger than she is? Whatever - she won't.
"C'mon!" she says, practically vibrating with energy as she hops from foot to foot, waiting for the others. That lasts about three seconds before a demon runs around the corner, a horse-headed, fireball-throwing demon.
"You look!" she suggests. "I'll hold them off! Whoop-ass time!" Ixquic brandishes her enormous gold sword and swings it at one of the demons, too far away to hit but enough to get their attention. "Halt, demons!!" Ixquic points, dramatically. "Today you go no further!"
Well, that's helping. But she can't stay there forever. She has to keep moving too or she's going to burn with everything else!
+act High Energy
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has acted with High Energy toward Worst Field Trip Ever! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki makes it to the second floor, nodding to Umie and Tamaki. "Uchida-san, Akabane-san... we need to hurry. We have..."
A pause.
"...fifteen minutes," she says, unsure why she said that, but it feels right. Uncomfortably right.
As the flaming demons attack, however, Hazuki's moving. She takes her mop and moves to smash it into a demon. The mop will probably break...
But it's a distraction to let Ixquic get the killing blow! "Ixquic-senpai! You'll have to do the melee, I'll focus on magic!" They're a team, after all, and this is definitely a team-worthy activity.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has acted with Guts toward Worst Field Trip Ever! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki replies to Umie, "Don't jinx it." As Hazuki calls her by name, it takes Tamaki some restraint to not smack her own forehead.
Heaven calls!
Fifteen minutes. That's how much time they've got. Tamaki shouldn't know that -- not to that degree of precision. All the same, she can put a number to it.
The earth calls!
Clearly it's because she's been in other hectic situations before, right? Clearly, she's intuited an estimate from her time in both high schools and the last few months. There have been a number of arson attacks by the Joker Killer, so she's pulling from some detective sense brain blast ...
... what was the next part?
Or so she tries to rationalize in the brief few moments before Hazuki's mention of that exact same estimate throws her for a loop. Those rationalizations of hers -- that's just not how things work, plain and simple. She stammers out, "Er -- right! Every second counts!"
There are kids in trouble to rescue. There's no time to wait. Like Ixquic says, everything is on fire.
Tamaki's seen her around and they've fought on the same side. Good enough for now, introductions can wait. "Heroes don't wait around, like you say!"
While the others are focused on fighting, she'll turn her attention to searching. Every so often, Arianrhod does pop into existence to hinder the demons to soften them up for the others with more decisive blows.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Never Burn Out toward Worst Field Trip Ever! Escape and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"Fifteen minutes, huh," Umie says, looking at Hazuki, then nods. She doesn't question that logic.
She has no weapons, but Badb will be enough. "I doubt any kid'd come when I call," Umie says, stifling a cough. The jacket worked far better against the chill of early autumn than it does here, stapled to her with body sweat. While she unzips it, she doesn't take it off completely, nor roll up her sleeves.
Yet, with Hazuki and Akari stepping up to work on the demons, Umie is forced to concede, slipping around.
"Hey, anyone in here?" she shouts, moving from room to room, working with Tamaki to made sure every room is looked over at least twice. "We're going to get you guys out of here. It may seem scary, but there's two superheroes right out here, holding the bad guys away."
Maybe by 'kids', Sudou meant *older* kids, but it's worth a shot, right?
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Can you do this? toward Worst Field Trip Ever! Specialty! +act/complete (|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Worst Field Trip Ever - Round 2 =======================================- Tamaki Uchida Guts Success Never Burn Out Escape and Efficient Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Proficiency Success Can you do this? Specialty Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Akari Hoshi Guts Success High Energy Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hazuki Nakao Guts Success Guts Base Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2, Educational-1, Scary-2, and Terrifying-1 Final Conditions: Scary-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 2/6 |== | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
Fighting off the demons isn't going to find the kids, but it's vital if you want to stay alive, and keep them alive. Ixquic and Hazuki focus on that to start, and they're getting used to working as a team; Ixquic is a lot faster than anyone who uses a sword that big seems likely to be, and she keeps tying demons down in melee while Hazuki focuses on her magic.
That lets the others focus on looking. And while there aren't *all* the kids on this floor, there's at least a couple.
...Unfortunately, they *are* elementary students, which means that Sudou definitely meant younger kids. The pair that Umie finds and the singleton Tamaki does are eager to escape, especially given - "Superheroes!" That brightens them up, even if it's a very scary situation...
But that's not the whole class by any means. Where ARE they?
"They must be further up," is Ixquic's guess. "I mean, this floor doesn't have the coolest exhibits on it..." She gives Hazuki a high-five, though, when the first wave of demons falls, and the others a big thumbs up.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 3: Grab Your Asses! - Challenge Level 2 =========================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Understanding |
| Conditions: Scary - Guts Down L1, Smooth - Charm Up L1, and Soft - |
| Understanding Up L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
Entering an exhibit on the events leading up to Westernisation and the
birth of Aviation in Japan after the Meiji Restoration, you find about a
dozen elementary schoolers huddled close to the floor, due to the smoke
already spilling into the room, even before it was opened.
"Are you firefighters?"
"Please get us out of here!"
"I'm scared..."
Some kids are outright crying on the floor, shaking, in little state to even
move, much less to follow your directions in demon infested burning
hallways.
Now is the time to change that. What do you say to them!?
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki returns the high-five, unaware she broke Umie's PERFECT COVER. Instead, as they take out the first wave of demons, the group can proceed to an exhibition on the birth of Aviation in Japan.
"Are you firefighters?"
"Please get us out of here!"
"I'm scared..."
They're definitely elementary students. A dozen of them, huddled by the floor, as smoke spilled in. There's crying and shaking kids, unable to even listen or follow directions. They're scared. Terrified.
It breaks Hazuki's heart. She has to do something. Maybe, in that outfit, she can.
Stepping a foot onto an exhibit, Hazuki throws her voice, a far cry from the gloomy girl she usually is. "Students! I, the Hero of Light, have come to vanquish the flames and the evil alike! The demons will no longer harm you! Their king will not lay a hand on you! You will survive the night and return to your families, if you can listen to us! Please, follow along!"
It's inspiring. It'd be even more inspiring if it wasn't cribbed from an old Drake Adventure.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has acted with Gamer Talk toward Grab Your Asses!! Specialty! +monad <Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Just one kid alone? "Hey, which way's your buddy, do you know?"
Two heroes? Overhearing this, Tamaki points at Umie's borrowed half-mask and grins confidently. "Three, by my count!"
Her thoughts were already going in that direction, but after hearing Hazuki's boasts, Tamaki mimes yelling into a microphone and despite the chaos of the moment, she puts on a brave face for the children and gleefully announces,
(Right, right right right, that was the line.)
"Heaven calls! Earth calls! The people call! Thaaaaat's right, your heroes are here to save the day!" With her hand splayed out in Hazuki's direction, she proclaims, "The Hero of Light!"
She claps for a few moments and then holds out the faux-microphone in Umie's direction. She did say she counted three. "But! What is light without its counterpart? Also presenting, the Hero of Dark! Care to demonstrate for the crowd here?"
she's a little sorry for putting Umie on the spot here but look she's trying to play hype girl to get these kids to move up and out to safety
Last but not least, she gestures to Ixquic. "Aaaaaand last but not least, well -- "
okay she didn't think this one all the way through
" -- Ixquic! Any inspiring words for the audience?"
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Demon Friends toward Grab Your Asses!! Friendliness and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
Ixquic actually falls behind this time.
She's slowed as the group passes a sign pointing to a display up a little further: a Zero. She can't see the display from here, quite, but -
"If she stays there any longer, she'll die!"
- she can't stop looking at the sign, like something about it had caught her attention. And it's the way they're going.
Ixquic's heart tightens with... panic? It's for the kids, she tells herself. She has to get the kids out of here. It's only the children that's making her feel like this.
She picks up the pace, *running* to catch up, and so she doesn't just arrive in the room with the trapped children: she bursts in, cloak flapping from the speed of her movement and her suddenly slamming through the door. She's a little out of breath. (It's the smoke. Probably.)
And then Tamaki takes *that instant* to gesture at her.
Ixquic draws herself up to her full height. Be Ixquic, she tells herself. Ixquic wouldn't be scared. Ixquic is brave, even if Akari isn't. Just be her, and not you -
"I am the magical warrior Ixquic, reincarnated from the depths of perpetuity - " She's finally learned that word! Good for her! " - and I'm here to save you all!"
just like she did for you
"Come on! We'll get you out. It'll be safer on the roof!" Ixquic is suddenly sure about that. It's where she'd run to, if she was trapped... isn't it? "You'll be safe as long as you're with us heroes!"
+attacks
(|=== Arcana +stats: Akari Hoshi, Persona Legendary Magical Warrior Ixquic ===|)
| []Dual Slice Wk Phys SLS PL 2 (2xHit) 15 HP +2L |
| Tandem and Heavy |
| ==Huge Swing Wk Phys SLS PL 2 ----- +2L |
| Weapon, Critical1, and Heavy |
| ==Holy Sword Wk Phys LGH PL 2 (2xHit) 15 HP +2L |
| Tandem and Heavy |
| ==Heavy Impact Wk Phys SLS PL 1 ----- +2L |
| Boost, Weapon, Critical2, Heavy, and Paralyze |
| ==Assault Charge Wk Phys STR PL 2 (2xHit) 12 HP +2L |
| Blast |
| ==Crashbrand Wk Phys ELC PL 2 (2xHit) 15 HP +2L |
| Tandem and Heavy |
| ==Spin Slash Wk Phys SLS PL 1 (3xHit) 17 HP +2L |
| Area |
| ==Wild Slash Wk Phys SLS PL 2 12 HP +2L |
| Wild |
| ==Rikaja Wk Magi REC PL 0 10 SP +2L |
| Renew |
| ==Absolutely Fatal End St Phys SLS PL 4 22 HP 0L |
| Signature, Critical3, and Masochism |
| ==Hyper Slash St Phys SLS PL 3 25 HP +1L |
| All_Out3 and Critical3 |
| ==Giantslayer Lance St Phys PRC PL 4 25 HP 0L |
| Signature, All_Out2, Anti_Block, and Critical1 |
| ==Mind Slice St Phys SLS PL 3 25 HP +1L |
| Panic and Area |
| ==Heroic Dream St Magi REC PL 0 32 SP +1L |
| Crt_Up, Atk_Up, and Area |
| ==Fated Duel St Magi SLS PL 0 20 SP +1L |
| Slash_Break, Panic, and Rage |
| ==Rocinante Fi Phys SLS PL 6 35 HP 1L |
| Tandem, Critical1, Heavy, and Theurgy |
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has acted with Everybody's Hero toward Grab Your Asses!! Friendliness and Focus! WHO
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It's okay, Hazuki, Umie breaks Umie's PERFECT COVER.
Hazuki makes her appeal to the audience, posing impressively as a Hero of Light, followed by Tamaki, who poses as--
... an announcer. Because she's announcing Umie as the 'Hero of Dark'.
The others of their happy little heroic group will certainly see Umie's eyes widen from behind the mask Tamaki lent Umie, which so happens to be the one Tamaki wore to the sanitarium.
damn it, Tamaki, why do you do this to her
"Right. I'm..." ... It's been all about scaring or charming demons; nothing about that could really work here, with scared children. Think, Umie. Think. Hero of Dark. Hero of Dar-- oh no, she couldn't pull *that* off
HA HA TOO LATE SHE'S TRYING IT LIVE screw it
Borrowing from her stint as the boy butler, she bows, placing a hand to her waist, the other held out. "That's right, I'm the Hero of Dark!"
Lips open in a sauve, reckless grin (level it out, Umie, don't do what you normally do) as she poses, placing a hand to her mask, as she proclaims, before gesturing her hands out: "And I'm here to steal the Old Maid's show!"
An awkward pause.
"... Did you forget your costume, miss?" asks a confused child.
Umie's angled grin twitches. ".... Aha... A true hero of Dark blends right in." RIGHT.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with String Theory toward Grab Your Asses!! Focus and Find!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Grab Your Asses! - Round 3 ============================================- Tamaki Uchida Charm Success Demon Friends Friendliness and Patra Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Charm Success String Theory Focus and Find Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Akari Hoshi Charm Success Everybody's Hero Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hazuki Nakao Charm Success Gamer Talk Specialty Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Scary-1, Smooth-2, and Soft-2 Final Conditions: Smooth-1 and Soft-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 3/6 |=== | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 1, Money: 0, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As the HERO OF LIGHT, HERO OF DARK, IXQUIC, and SOME ANNOUNCER LADY declare their heroism to the children, they actually do buy it. The heroic displays, costumes, and whatever the hell Tamaki and Umie are doing get the children to wipe their tears and start to rise, and soon, they have a tiny army of children following them up.
Hazuki does, however, whisper to her team as she passes by. "Wait. Old Maid? ...isn't that that serial killer...?"
Sumaru is absolutely not Hazuki's space.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 4: SCREAM for Ice Cream - Challenge Level 2 =====================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Academics |
| Conditions: Curse - -1 to Group Roll (Per Character), Fairy - Subtract 1 |
| Fatigue on success., Smooth - Charm Up L1, and Soft - Understanding Up L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
It's only getting worse as more devices are going off, the hallways are
choked with smoke, and the kids are coughing the whole way.
But! Sanctuary! Glorious sanctuary! You see the outline of a doorway which
leads to a certain money-grubbing fairy's shrine.
Entering the spring is an instant relief. The kids breathe easier. You'll
have to move before long, but any reprieve is welcome.
"Hey rugrats! Nothing in life is free, and that includes fresh air!" Trish
crosses her arms, tapping a riding crop, "Since you're exceeding maximum
occupancy, I'll have you know that I'm charging by the minute. I'd put it on
your tab but... ha! You don't have one. Tabs are for deadbeats and losers."
Then, with a grin, the fairy suddenly goes to stand behind a new fixture in
her fountain, covered by a bright red cloth, which she pulls off with a
sudden flourish, to reveal an ICE CREAM COUNTER and brandishes a scoop.
"Also I'd like to introduce you all to the latest addition to my business,
the Trish Refreshment Stand. Who wants Ice Cream? Only 5000 yen per scoop."
"Me!"
"Please! My throat feels like it's on fire!"
"Is she a real fairy!?" "Nah, it's gotta be a costume."
"That's right kiddos." She winks at them, before looking at all of you.
"Just a costume." She makes a gesture of two fingers rubbing against each
other at you. You start to realize, you've been CONNED! She's definitely
price-gouging in the middle of the raging inferno, tugging on your heart
strings and using the kids as props.
Are you really gonna let these kids go without ice cream?
Maybe you can convince her to be reasonable. That's one big maybe.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Ohhh, that's her deal, then. "Ixquic, the undying star! Follow her example, and don't stay down when you get discouraged -- get right back up!"
Tamaki at least tries to further sell the direction Umie takes things in. "That's right, she's incognito! She could be anyone! Anywhere! She could strike at any time! Evildoers bewaaare!"
"Lead the way, Hero of Light!" She gestures for Hazuki and more quietly adds, " -- and thanks for the idea. I think it lifted their spirits."
The roof is a fair distance away, still. The crowd proceeds, but it's not without its obstacles. The rising smoke makes it difficult to breathe.
There's some hope, though -- a brief respite, a place to surface for air. A sanctuary --
-- with a goddamned money-grubbing fairy in it. Tamaki's heard of her, but only via her St. Hermelin classmates.
Tamaki lets her elbow rest on the counter and she gives Trish a bright grin. "Ahhh, c'monnnn, think of the long tail. You're gonna gouge first-time customers? That'll kill repeat business, you know."
Something in her smile strains. It's then that she makes the decision to try and lightly hold that riding crop in place. Stop that.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Demon Friends toward SCREAM for Ice Cream! Friendliness and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
The undying star! That's a new title for Ixquic... but she thinks she likes it. Under her helmet, Ixquic beams.
"The Hero of Darkness doesn't need a mask," she says, "because the shadows itself are her mask! Evildoers will never see her coming! ...but you're not evil, so you can see her fine," Ixquic adds. "And it's good to have something for the smoke..."
She does not like the smoke.
The crowd proceeds. Ixquic goes ahead at one point, then behind at another to make sure demons aren't about to ambush the party. So she is not with the group when they walk into Trish's fairy fountain/ice cream shop...
...actually, where *is* Ixquic?
She's fallen behind again because, as the group goes up, she walked past one of the open hallways. From here you can see all the way down to the first floor, which is on fire, and up, to the higher floors.
Hanging there is a plane. A Zero, the same one she saw the sign for before. (It's a model, not that she realizes it.) Ixquic can't look away from it. She's frozen, despite everything.
'Hey, lady! Please help me...!'
Ixquic both can't bring herself to look at it for very long but has trouble looking away. She grips the railing, leaning far out so she can see up to it; she can feel the heat on her shoulders, on her arms, as she looks at the Zero.
Ixquic's grip tightens to the point her knuckles whiten. She holds it for about two seconds - and then she flees, running. Why does it feel this way to her? Why is she panicking about crashing it? She's never been in a plane in her life!
She runs - and, like the others, sees freedom.
Freedom is barging into an ice cream fountain (not literally) late, and shaking. She's not going to be any use with convincing Trish to NOT gouge, come on.
Well, except for one bit: "It's definitely costume day around here..."
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has acted with Academics toward SCREAM for Ice Cream! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Well, it worked as a template. And hey, no wonder Joker sometimes looks like he's having fun when he's playing the part! She'd just like to make sure he never finds out, ha ha ha
Umie just continues along like nothing ever happened because NONE OF WHAT JUST HAPPENED ACTUALLY HAPPENED ahem
.....
"Yeah. That's who set this fire," Umie says quietly to Hazuki. "Though that's just what the police call him. He's better known as the Joker Killer. That letter that Kashihara-kun had... the Old Maid's been relentlessly harassing him."
They continue on, and... Umie frowns, coughing into her hand. "Give me a second..." Eyes watering, she closes them as she summons the Badb in a brief flare of blue light. ".... Left."
The doorway may have been visible before Umie had used Badb, but now, it's confirmed, at the very least.
Crowding in, Umie breathes in the blessed, blessed cool air of Trish's fountain dimension, before looking up at...
.... an.... ice cream display...
"... how low can you get, Trish-san," Umie winces.
"Shortstuff!!" exclaims Trish. "Well, you don't want these kids to have to endure your torment, do you? All those nights, trying to wrestle up loose change for me. But you were such a *cutey patoety* back then~~<3"
Umie's lips seal into a grim little fake smile as she begins digging around her jacket. "Eheheh... let's not bring up the past in front of people~~"
Wait a minute. Umie looks back over her shoulder. "... Hey, did Ixquic-san follow us in, or did she slip back out?"
That's about the moment Ixquic barges in, shaking. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Hold on, I'm prepared." Digging out a coin purse, she opens a little pocket inside the flap and, carefully, she draws out a diamond, one of many that were embedded in her from that fight in Eiji Kamiya's Palace.
Oh boy, this is going to make Trish raise her prices whenever she sees her in the group from now on, isn't it
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki leads the way, and they make it to...
THE ICE CREAM STAND???
"What?" Hazuki says, stone-faced, as the kids run up to get ice cream from a con artist fairy that Hazuki has never heard of. She scratches the back of her head. And then, as the others try to negotiate, Ixquic is-
Nowhere to be found. Hazuki's actually about to double back to find her, when she shows up.
"Ixquic-senpai, are you okay...?" she asks, before turning to Trish. "Hey! Where's our group discount for being such a large group?!" wait what
Hazuki's trying to fast talk the fast talker, and hopefully, it'll help contribute! But she's more worried about Akari right now.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has acted with Think Fast toward SCREAM for Ice Cream! Smarts and Efficient! MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with String Theory toward SCREAM for Ice Cream! Focus and Find! (|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== SCREAM for Ice Cream - Round 4 ========================================- Tamaki Uchida Charm Success Demon Friends Friendliness and Patra Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Charm Success String Theory Focus and Find Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Akari Hoshi Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hazuki Nakao Academics Success Think Fast Smarts and Efficient Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Curse-0, Fairy-0, Smooth-1, and Soft-1 Final Conditions: -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 4/6 |==== | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 2, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|) +monad <Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki's attempt to strongarm Trish right back only serves to prolong matters. They glare at each other, caught in stubborn deadlock. "Why should I bend when I've got you right where I want you?"
She doesn't spring for Hazuki's idea, but it does wear her down even further. "Ehhhhh? Group discount? This isn't that kind of establishment! The price stands as -- as -- "
That's when she sees the diamond. That, plus the fatigue from the negotiations so far short-circuit whatever exact price Trish had in mind, certain that this will be enough to cover it all once it's appraised. "Oh my goodness, thaaank you! You've certainly upgraded from loose change!" Trish's avaricious smile looms, both now and in future deals.
"It's a deal!" The kids raise their hands and cheer as they partake of some of the most expensive ice cream around.
Tamaki sighs in relief and deflates. "Yaaaaaay," she flatly cheers. " -- and yeah, that's one of the names the police call him," she confirms.
That said, she had been so focused on the kids that she didn't think to check on the newly-named Undying Star. " -- Ixquic-san?"
The very much not-costumed apprentice detective steps over to her, uncertain as to what's going on. She missed something.
From Tamaki's perspective, the climb up hasn't been so rough, but ... she can't shake her sense of dread about what's at the top.
... also from Tamaki's perspective, when she's shaken, she'd want food. Maybe the offer will help out here. "... what, ah -- what flavor would you like?"
MONAD: Umie Akabane has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 5: Déjà View - Challenge Level 1 ================================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Understanding |
| Conditions: Hard - Understanding Down L1 and Heartening - Guts Up L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
You rush into one of the hanging displays in the Aerospace Museum. A
life-sized model airplane hangs from the ceiling over an open floor plan. A
portion of the floor acts as a walkway that leads right up to it. There's no
reason to approach it, given that the place is actively on fire and you
still have a ways to go before you reach the roof.
But... you could swear--some of you--that you hear a young girl screaming
for help from over where the model airplane is. No matter how much you look,
though, there's no one there. Eerie.
Not everyone will hear. Just those who might be getting reminded of a past
that never was, if they were a part of it. Those who wouldn't are simply met
with another empty room.
Whether you hear or not, do you move on, or do you double down? Tick tock...
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
That has to be about the most expensive scoop of strawberry ice cream ever.
With the kids all getting their own ice cream and cooled down, Umie has to hope that Trish's space has those time refractive properties she's long suspected. (... not that she's ever been able to *test* them.)
After all, she doesn't want to test whether Hazuki's 'prophecy' of fifteen minutes is true.
Getting their motley group of kids situated and filing out, Umie summons the ghastly smiling form of Badb once more, trusting that the kids will be none the wiser, outside of a confused glance upward or two. "This way, I think. Should be an airplane model to our right. Just keep on the walkway, though."
Someone is screaming from the airplane; at least, it *sounds* like it, though the fire's noise may be distorting the noise. Whether it's real or not, all the more reason to check, right?
.... Right, Umie Akabane?
Umie, strangely, keeps walking on, as if she hears nothing concerning, up until one of the kids speaks up.
"... Miss Dark Hero... I think someone's there..."
Umie blinks, then looks towards the plane. "I... didn't hear anything, I don't think." She looks to the others. "No resonance, either, but there's plenty of us that can hide theirs. And if a kid's in there..."
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Understanding toward Déjà View! Base! <Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
"I'm *fine*," Ixquic repeats.
She's so not fine she doesn't even comment on the world's priciest ice cream. Or get any for herself, even when Tamaki asks her; it's like she doesn't realize it's for her. SHE doesn't have any diamonds in her pockets, after all, and somehow she doesn't think Trish will react the same way to a gift of clownskin.
Ixquic still has not found anyone who will take that stuff off her hands. It's just going to live in her pocket until the end of time at this rate.
She sticks with the group this time, though, so she's behaving-fine even if she's not feeling-fine.
"Yeah, the airplane model is this way," she agrees with Umie. "That's what I went to look at, because..."
...
"...because I did."
But this time, there's a voice.
Ixquic does not actually recognize the voice, the first time it calls. You don't ordinarily hear *your own* voice from the outside, and if you do it frequently doesn't sound quite right to you. She knows she's heard it before, but she can't place it...
'Noooo! Help meeee!'
Ixquic freezes up. Again. Ixquic may not always be the most dependable, sometimes; she's kind of erratic, a little detached from reality, prone to running off and doing her own thing. But it's almost unheard of for her to do nothing at all, and nothing at all is what she does this time.
'She's going to die if she stays in there much longer! What should we do?'
"No!"
Akari claps her hands over her ears. This doesn't actually do anything - her helmet's in the way - but it's a reflex as she hunches down, trembling. Because back then, she couldn't do anything at all. She had to be rescued.
She would have died. She should have died. It would have been *easier* for them to let her die and they didn't even though she tried to kill them and she never understood why -
But when was that time? She can't remember. She can't remember... but... it's real. Like when she looked into that face. Like when she heard that *other* voice, the one that wasn't her. Like the first time she heard the Joker Killer speak.
Ixquic is of no help at all. Her eyes are squeezed shut behind her mask. She can't even think straight. All she can think about is the flames and the fear and the time she failed to be a hero.
MONAD: Akari Hoshi has acted with Guts toward Déjà View! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Ixquic says she's fine, and Hazuki doesn't think she is, but she just nods. But when they all reach the empty room with the airplane model, Hazuki pauses.
She doesn't hear a thing, though something is unsettlign nonetheless.
But *Akari* clearly does, and Hazuki's eyes widen. "Ixquic-senpai, we need to go..."
But it's unlikely she'll get a response from that. And if Akari stays here, they're in trouble. They're running out of time. The fire's coming. Fifteen minutes...
Hazuki steps to Ixquic's side, and tries to hug her. She doesn't pull her, simply squeezing her to try and give her some form of distraction and comfort. It's a bit of a boundary breach, but the alternative is worse.
"Ixquic, please! Just a little longer... we're almost there! These kids need our help..."
If Akari seems like she'll do so, Hazuki will literally try to lead her by the hand, if she'll move it off her head. Just until she can get her bearings enough to fight.
MONAD: Hazuki Nakao has acted with Let The Mask Slip toward Déjà View! Bravery and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Given how much attention Tamaki pays to food blogs, she has reason to believe that at least at the original price point before diamonds got involved, it might not actually be the most expensive ... but the ones that do exceed the 5000 yen price tag cheat by including ingredients like gold flakes. They conflate monetary value for actual quality and -- look, she has very strong opinions on the topic.
Ixquic turns down the offer. Tamaki swallows a spoonful of sea salt caramel and remarks, "... yeah, I don't blame you." Not that it's bad, but the precarious situation is doing a lot more of the heavy lifting than the taste is.
Even before they reach the roof, it turns out that Tamaki has plenty to dread, right here and now. She'd break out into a cold sweat if she weren't already perspiring from being caught in a building's fire while wearing her usual business suit.
Tamaki cranes her neck to see where the source of a certain sound is coming from. Her voice hovers just on the edge of panic and comes out strained and breathless. "Hey. Hey, you hear that? Did we miss someone?"
Umie doesn't hear it, which causes Tamaki's breathing to become more ragged and her eyes to dart around the room. " -- really? You can't sense it?" Between the two of them, Umie's perception is definitely better.
Even so, she still does her damnedest to thoroughly search for the voice. Nothing, nothing, and more nothing -- no one gets left behind. "I could have sworn -- "
'No!'
Tamaki jerks upright and turns in Ixquic's direction.
Oh.
She walks over to the pair of students, stretches out a hand, and gently offers, "It's okay, it's okay. Everyone has their low points. I should know, speaking from experience."
There's a determination that shines through her eyes in her otherwise blank expression. It's always easier to be strong for someone else's sake instead of your own, isn't it? "Just don't let it keep you down for good. We believe in you. C'mon, Ixquic-san. Show them what it means to be an Undying Star."
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Never Burn Out toward Déjà View! Escape and Efficient!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Déjà View - Round 5 ===================================================-
Tamaki Uchida Guts Success
Never Burn Out Escape and Efficient Fatigue: 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Umie Akabane Understanding Success
Understanding Base Fatigue: 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Akari Hoshi Guts Success
Guts Base Fatigue: 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hazuki Nakao Guts Success
Let The Mask Slip Bravery and Patra Fatigue: 0
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Hard-2 and Heartening-2
Final Conditions: Heartening-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 6/6 |=====| ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 2, Money: 1, Gear: 1
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|======================== Monad - Aerospace Museum ========================|)
-==== Round 6: A Page from an Old Script - Challenge Level 1 ================-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
You burst out of the third floor's entrance, where the Zero hangs from the
ceiling; the entire ground floor is up in flames now.
Some of you may get a sense you've seen this before. A sudden fear that
someone might fall into the blaze. But when you search, no one is here.
As soon as you make it to the next floor, you feel it.
Sound effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RARotEaobh0
The world shifts into a monochromatic hue, and nausea churns in your gut. A
familiar presence awaits you on the rooftop.
You feel as if you're repeating the same actions. Reading from the same
script. That's impossible.
You know he's there. Steeling your resolve, you head up to the roof.
OOC Note: If you got this card, you'll start the next battle with the
Prophecy buff.
Final Loot: 2 Items, 1 boxes of Money, and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'... because I did.'
"Eeh?" Umie peers over her shoulder back at Ixquic. "Earlier, you mean?"
Her eyes meet Tamaki's; Umie's lips dip in a grimace. "No, but that narrows things down, doesn't it?" She holds up her index finger. "This is a delus--"
Never would Umie expect Ixquic, normally indomitable, to be the one to 'crack', if that is, indeed, what all this is.
(This is a lock, and she needs to find her way around it.)
"_Ixquic-san_." Umie does her best to project her voice, raspy as it is, as Hazuki helps her up. "Just let it go. It's all part of the Old Maid's delusion." Calling the Joker Killer has a nice side effect here, however: it's a far more innocuous title for the kids to hear than something with the word 'killer' in it. "Listen to Nakao-san and Uchida-san. All this deja vu stuff is because of the Old Maid's machinations. He's using Sumaru City's tendency to turn rumors into reality to create one *he* thinks is reality."
But how can she be so sure of it, Umie thinks. She's not to the level of someone like Fuuka or Ririka. Is there something she's missing?
Ushering the students up the stairs to the next floor, that sense of deja vu feels stronger and stronger for some in the party...
.... but not Umie Akabane, who keeps looking back and telling people to keep on course. "We're close. C'mon. It's..."
But, when that wave of familiar nausea hits the blonde, she nearly tips down the stairs as she begins to crouch, holding her head.
"... can't see me.... can't see me... not here. No one is here, there is no one..."
There is a just blackbird here, nothing special. No, wait, that's Umie.
But there is just a cardboard blackbird here. But no, that's Umie.
There is Umie. There is just Umie.
That is enough.
'Now, it's up to you all to succeed where I failed. None of you deserve to go it alone.' In her mind's eye, she imagines the white crow.
"...." Umie holds her hand to her face, pressing Tamaki's mask close to her face as she straightens. "The Old Maid is here. Please... be ready."
<Pose Tracker> Akari Hoshi has posed.
Fifteen minutes... Less now. They've been in here a while, as it still burns.
And Ixquic does not straighten, not at first. Only Tamaki of the others can hear the voice, but Akari can, more clearly than anyone. Of course she can.
It's her.
Hazuki hugs Ixquic, and she kind of just takes it for a moment, barely moving, before she lets out something - is she crying? Maybe a little.
And Tamaki and Umie, too, try to raise her spirits. Tamaki especially. To be an undying star... she has to at least try, doesn't she? She's a hero. The kids need her. She *will be* a hero. No matter what. She reaches up to wipe at her face, fails because of the mask, and gives up on that.
"I'm okay," she says, stepping away from Hazuki. Not far; half a step at most. She's clearly not trying to escape her, just wants some space back. "I'm sorry! I just thought - I felt..."
Akari trails off. She felt like she was going to fall from the plane into the fire. Even though she's not *on* the plane, and even then, she didn't fall. Someone saved her. Someone... who? Who was it? She can barely remember the face, wavery and uncertain. She doesn't think she knows them, except she *does* know them at the same time.
It's not a delusion, she wants to yell at Umie. It's real. Isn't it? It feels real. But if it's something the Joker Killer is doing - but she knows *his* voice, too, when she shouldn't. She knows -
She knows his name, as the deja vu rises. It's stronger here. She feels like she's retracing her steps, but she's never been here before.
The Old Maid is here, Umie says. And Ixquic can't hold it back.
"Leo!" Ixquic unshoulders her sword, clenching it defensively. "His name is Leo." I called him Leo, is what she means, as that sense of saying the same things rises up, as the pulse of monochrome memory hits her.
She grips the sword tighter. "We need to go," she says - and then she runs, cloak billowing behind her. So much for slowing down the party.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
"You felt ..." Tamaki trails off in her reply to Ixquic, but nods. Her gaze flits to Umie and doubt sets in.
It could be a delusion. It could be the truth. There's not enough information to conclude. She pointedly avoids calling it a 'delusion', but she does want to indicate to Ixquic that she heard it, too. "... something. Yeah."
An overconfident Tamaki, foolishly emboldened by the notion that she knows more than anyone, would have -- and once did -- run ahead on her own. With knowledge comes the burden of responsibility, right?
Now? Now she's aware of both her own talents and shortcomings. She's paying this matter the respect it truly deserves, and she isn't alone in this.
Umie's already offered her help, both now and in other circumstances.
Hazuki draws strength from the bonds of connection, working in unison with others.
Ixquic and her share some strange connection to this set of events which have threatened to resurface memories that shouldn't exist.
"All together, now."
This won't be like last time. So she promises to herself as she runs behind Ixquic, newfound confidence rising within her.
-- right up until her arms and legs immediately feel like lead when she hears what Ixquic called him just now. Oh, she's got a bad feeling about this.