The_Prof pages, "Well, I was wrong; looks like I could replace the headband for you. Could we retcon a moment for him to do that in his two bag stays?" to you and Akemi. The_Prof pages, "John said the [10] is a point cost but not a ability level." to you. Akemi pages, "Fine with me." to you and The_Prof. You page, "Kanna can easily provide the standard suite of sketches for forms, though swap out the Generic Male for a Red-Scaled-humanoid... or whatever the 'lesser' ranked Chaosian patrol member was." to Akemi and The_Prof. You page, "DAnkemuchly." to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Right." to you and Akemi. The_Prof pages, "Though unless you're planning on buying it later, I can't see any reason why not to upgrade it to a *3 multiplier to get a Horde of forms, and keep the Generic Male in there; sounds like it'd be useful." to you and Akemi. You page, "Well, I've never fully gotten a chance to really -use- it, so it doesn't seem worth the trouble. :) It depends on what Bey wants to do for Kanna, as she understands the time constraints." to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Well, if Lily were in there with him, there'd be no time constraint at all. ^_^ As is, not sure how much time it'll add." to you and Akemi. You page, "Really, just the 12 forms is enough for Kanna, imo." to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Hokay... 12 forms it is. :)" to you and Akemi. Akemi pages, "Given you can control the flow of time in the bag, you can just change the flow if you need to" to you and The_Prof. You page, "(The forms are: 'Male' Kanna, Lesser-Ranked Chaosian, Juri/Shiori Lovechild, Female Dark Elf Ranger, Eel, Shark, Sparrow, Falcon, Black Labrador, Dire Wolf, Pillar of Fire, Water Puddle)" to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Well, true enough. I think Phil was referring to how much time I'd be spending more or less by myself. :)" to you and Akemi. The_Prof pages, "No problem, i think. Have to think about making one for myself. o.o" to you and Akemi. ======== ======== John says, "Okay, then let's get our planning on the road." John says, "Okay, gimme a second to get my food and we'll begin." John says, "OOC Okay, let's rumble." Jacqueline unidles ======================================= ======================================= The planning meeting is called for a very large meeting room in House Gainax. It's quite crowded, given the large flock of Amberites, Lords of Chaos, and miscellaneous hangers on, lovers, and allies all gathered here. Kanna raises an eyebrow, entering in her usual gear and taking a seat. She pulls out a sketchbook, and starts sketching while she waits for things to start. Beowulf smiles a bit ruefully and looks for a place to sit with Lily, Aeris still on his shoulder. Jacqueline looks generally unhappy, and glances at Moonshade and Naru on occasion. Moriya-chan quietly takes a seat alongside Mitsune. Kanna is seated somewhere near the Bey-group, though still with a good sight of people. Thoric and Mutsumi sit down by Jacqueline, as does Moonshade. Naru sits down by Moriya. Motoko comes in only minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin, taking a seat by herself in the corner. The thin chain that holds Daffyl's Eye can be seen round her neck, but the gem itself is concealed beneath her white jacket. Beowulf pulls Aeris down into his lap once they've found a seat. Mitsune whispers to Moriya. Moriya-chan tilts her head softly, then whispers back. Beowulf reaches over to hand Kanna her new shapeshifting headband. Kanna ahs, smiles in thanks to Bewoulf, and accepts it. She unties her hair ribbon, pulls on the headband, and then ties the hair ribbon over it again. Moriya-chan turns slightly in her seat and beckons to Motoko, and pointing to an empty seat near herself, with a questioning look on her face. Motoko blinks rather absentmindedly, then stands up and moves over to sit near Moriya and Mitsune. Moriya-chan smiles slightly at Motoko. "Welcome back," she murmurs. Motoko says, "I just came back from walking Suu-chan home." She looks around. "A lot of people here." Moriya-chan nods. "We have two Houses of Chaos joining us, after all. Let's see what we can come up with." Miki seems to be sitting with Lord Loewen and some really hugely tall guy, about 7 feet tall with muscles on his muscles. Whoever he is, he has a Logrusfoil on his back, and wears House Nurgal's colors. Motoko asks, "Moriya, I never asked... how is Romar-san? You told him... what happened, didn't you?" Kanna arches her eyebrow again, and sketches Uncle Miki with the two, before hrming thoughtfully. She then glances over at Bey. "So, how'd Aeris's checkup go?" she murmurs quietly. She quirks a smile, and ruffles Aeris' hair. Aeris says, "I'm still me. Pretty as ever!" Beowulf says, "Just fine, your mom said." He smiles, and gives Aeris a quick hug. Jacqueline nudges Mutsumi and asks something in a whisper. Moriya-chan nods slowly. "He is...." She sighs. "He is trying to be strong, but I can tell he is not taking it well." Beowulf looks around the room again, eyes slightly wide, then turns back to Kanna. "I wonder if this sets some kind of record for cooperation between Amber and Chaos." Mutsumi nods to Jacqui and whispers. Jacqueline blinks slowly and stares at Lord Lowen in a very curious way. Lord Loewen rises. "I call this meeting to order." Kanna chuckles. "That you are, that you are." She hrms, flips a page, and sketches Bey, Lily, and Aeris in a classic family group shot. "Hm... probably. Definitely a record in numbers. Mom had some help from some chaosians way back during her cross-universe stuff against---" She silences. Motoko sighs gently at Moriya's answer, and turns her attention to Loewen. Kanna finishes the sketch, pulls it out, hands it to beowulf, and then watches and listens attentively. Beowulf takes the sketch, smiles at it and shows it to Lily and Aeris. He says, "I have conferred with Prince Miki of House Rebma and Lord Rengar of House Nurgal for most of the night, in order to prepare a plan. If anyone sees any flaws," it's obvious from the tone of his voice that he doesn't expect there to be any, "Please speak up." Aeris claps her hands and gets glared at by Loewen, who obviously doesn't see this as the sort of meeting you bring your kids to. Lily glances at the sketch and smiles. ==== ==== The_Prof pages, "Trying to push the issue? ^_^" to you. You page, "No, just felt inspired. ^_^" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Ahhh. :) That gonna carry over to an actual sketch? ^_^" to you. You page-pose, "Aerianne checks his game-related art list." to The_Prof. You page, "Perhaps sometimes in the middle of next -year-, maybe. -_-;" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Seriously, Chris kept pushing Bey to propose to Lily, when the main thing I wanted was to find out what *she* wanted. :)" to you. The_Prof pages, "Awwww. ;_;" to you. The_Prof pages, "Oooh... what *could* have been a very embarrassing moment last night:" to you. The_Prof pages, "Thoric had asked Jacqui and Mutsumi back to his room to discuss their future relationship." to you. The_Prof pages, "Bey was rooming with Thoric. So when we came back to Bey's room to jump in the bag, that's the room we were in." to you. The_Prof pages, "I posed getting out of the bag right as the Thoric convo got... interesting. I then remembered that the bag was probably in Thoric's room." to you. You page, "... whooboy. :)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Fortunately, John agreed we should retcon it to put the bag somewhere else. :)" to you. You page, "Good idea. :)" to The_Prof. ===== ===== Kanna OOCly says, "Have we even -heard- what The Plan is, again? :)" You page, "(has the plan been mentioned to anybody else yet? *wl* )" to Akemi. ===== ===== Beowulf looks slightly abashed, but keeps an arm proudly around Aeris while whispering into her ear. Jacqueline waits, kindly, to hear the plan. Loewen says, "Our basic plan involves three major components. The primary component is the commando raid to try to rescue the hostages so that we can then kill everything that moves in the place without any risk of harming the innocent." Miki looks rather uncomfortable at that way of putting it, while Rengar simply nods. "The two secondary components are the two diversions which will be used to enable our team to face minimal resistance during its raid. Firstly, we plan to use Justice as bait to draw out Serpent's Horn forces from their stronghold, then use House Nurgal and House Helgram's forces to strike and crush the forces. Once this is in progress, Amberite forces will be making an assault against the outlying canyon crossing keep outpost, in order to further draw off Serpent's Horn forces. The Commando team will then penetrate the fortress and rescue the hostages. Once this has been carried out, we will need to reassess the situation to determine whether a direct assault to finish the scum off is best, or whether to take other measures. This is the plan in brief." Jacqueline listens to the plan quietly, having no real objections. Beowulf nods slowly. ======= ======= You page, "How does the plan sound to me, given my own occasional experience in rescuing hostages, etc?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "The overall plan sounds good, although so far, it's a pretty broad outline." to you. The_Prof pages, "Ooooh, good thing the Daffyl/Bey idea was Just A Dream. :)" to you. You page, "*nod* As I can't figure out specifics until I know who's being assigned to what teams?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yep." to you. ====== ====== Kanna hrms, thoughtfully, though nodding a bit as she thinks. Jacqueline hmms, and raises a hand. Loewen says, "Yes, Princess Jacqueline?" Jacqueline stands up, looking just a little uncomfortable. "At what point will we be bringing the Eye of Daffyl into this? At said point of waiting to determine future action or will it be used immediately after the hostages are secured?" Loewen says, "We spent a very long time arguing this point, consulting with Anno-sama, and attempting to determine whether it would be safe to take the eye into the fortress, or whether this would send up a very large flare to Daffyl saying 'Please come and kill the commando team'. Taking into account that such items can be called to those attuned to them from a distance, we're planning to have someone attuned to the Eye be part of the commando team, in order that they might call the Eye to them, should it be necessary. Ideally, we hope the team will be able to carry out its primary mission, then attempt to find Daffyl and return his eye to him, as making him know the truth would be of great assistance in turning the Serpent's Horn into a bloody smear. However, such missions rarely run smoothly, and it may be necessary to have the commando team evacuate with the hostages, and try to approach Daffyl with his eye later." Jacqueline nods and sits back down. Kanna considers, nods, and now raises her own hand. Beowulf waits for him to discuss the people for each team. Loewen asks, "Yes, Princess Kanna?" Kanna stands. "Two questions, Lord Lowen... First, who among our number have been chosen for the various teams? Second... if an opportunity comes to capture any of the leaders of Serpent's Horn so that they can answer for the crimes they've commited, -without- risking the primary objectives of rescuing the hostages and restoring Daffyl, is that a legitimate goal?" Loewen says, "I want to see them all turned into flaming puddles of blood, their severed heads turned into drinking cups, their only burial a mass pit of stinking maggots." He pauses. "However, what you do with your own prisoners is your own business. If you choose to coddle these beasts that walk like men, so that in the end, they may bite you on the ass for your kindness, that is your own business. They have defamed the Serpent and chosen to follow a false god. They deserve to perish. I will not suffer them to live if they fall into my hands." He pauses again. "Eliminating any leaders you get a shot at would be good, but that is definitely a secondary objective." "I will be discussing the makeup of the various teams once any questions over the basic plan have been dealt with." Jacqueline nods. She's felt just as angry before herself. Beowulf frowns slightly, as he's had people he originally thought were evil turn out to be decent folks, but holds his peace. Mutsumi looks distinctly uncomfortable. Miki squirms a bit as well. Kanna nods at that, slightly. "A writ of ingie ferrouque, then. I understand, Lord Lowen. Thank you." Kanna sits down, then. ===== ===== You page, "(Lowen, if he knows ANY Latin, would know "ingie ferrouque" is "fire and sword" :)" to Akemi. In a page-pose to you, Akemi nods ===== ===== Motoko says, softly, "As the Serpent shall gather his wayward Son, so should the Children of the Serpent gather their wayward brothers and sisters. Those who see the truth may come back into the light. Those who turn aside shall fall into the darkness." Kanna glances over at Beowulf, smiles slightly and a little sadly, and reaches over to squeeze his hand gently before letting go. Motoko says, "Sometimes we must offer the closed fist that wounds, and sometimes we must offer the open palm that heals." Loewen looks at Motoko with the look of someone who is not particularly good at interpreting oblique language, and thus is not sure if Motoko is making a criticism, a supporting comment, or just being philosophical. Motoko looks back at Loewen and her expression goes rather less distant. "I understand that there will be killing this day, and perhaps the next." Her voice is quiet. "But those who surrender or lay down their weapons should be taken as prisoners and tried fairly by the laws of the Courts, not cut down like animals at the slaughter." Motoko says, "The Serpent told me that his lost son must be made whole. I hope this is a sign that perhaps, some of his lost children may also find their way back into his light. If this is not to be so, then it shall not be so. But if we are without mercy, than we have made it that it might never be so." Loewen frowns in a very intense manner, then stands quietly, obviously struggling with himself. Motoko says, "We must show strength as it is called for, and mercy as it is called for. Serpent grant us all the wisdom we need to know when." She bows her head. Finally, he says, "If a doctor shows mercy to an infection, the patient will die. Any show of weakness in the face of a group like this merely encourages a false repentance, followed by them slipping off to wreak havoc once more as soon as your back is turned. But what Amber does with its own prisoners is, as I said, it's own business. As for myself, should they surrender before the battle begins, they will be treated as prisoners. But once the battle begins, I do not intend to give quarter." ===== ===== You page, "That pretty much makes sense, as far as it goes? *wl*" to Akemi. You page, "(kanna remembers the Twilight of the Cimbri -all- too well...)" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Heh :)" to you. ===== ===== Loewen says, "I will be leading the commando squad. Lord Miki will be directing the Amberite forces in conjunction with Lady Shinobu. Lord Rengar will be directing the ambush involving Justice." Kanna rubs her throat, quietly, but says nothing for the moment. Jacqueline's eyes widen. She's heard of what Aunt Shinobu can do and realizes the commando squad will be one fearsome group. Motoko nods. "I cannot command," she says quietly. "I do not speak for the Serpent at all times, but often only for myself. Perhaps it is that I am soft, and that others must be hard. I must be a part of the commando squad; Serpent's Horn holds my Soul." Loewen says, "The commando team will be consisting of myself, Lord Moriya, Lord Beowulf, and Lady Kanna to deal with physical threats, and my trump master Usui, the Bride of the Dragon, Lord Thoric, and..." He seems to have to struggle to get it out, "Lady Yumi, to provide mystical support of various kinds." Jacqueline squeezes Thoric's hand. Loewen continues, "Lady Naru and Lady Mutsumi will be assisting the Amberite forces. Lady Jacqueline and her sister, Moonshade, will be joining Lord Rengar's forces, to act as the bait. Thoric squeezes back and looks really, really nervous. Beowulf smiles reassuringly at Thoric. Moriya-chan raises her hand. Loewen looks at Moriya-chan and blinks. "Who are you?" ===== ===== The_Prof pages, "...well, an honor to be selected for the commando team, I suppose. o.o :)" to you. The_Prof pages, "Didn't realize Thoric was that good at the arcane arts, either... could be because he's a good switch-hitter." to you. You page, "This is going to be interesting, yes. :)" to The_Prof. ===== ===== You page, "Okay, -now- with those groups in mind, what thoughts do I have for adjustments for tactical planning, etc, especially with a hostage extraction?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "It seems like a pretty good team to you. You do notice he didn't say anything about Lily or Mitsune, though." to you. You page, "Hrm. Guess I'll have to bring it up, then. Though I notice that he was rather uncomfortable about the addition of Yumi to the team." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yep." to you. ===== ===== Moriya-chan stands. "I am Moriya, actually. There was a shapeshifting accident, and I have been, well, turned into a woman, as you can see. I apologize for not telling you sooner, but we were all busy preparing for the meeting." Lord Loewen says, "Well, such things happen. So what is your question?" Moriya-chan says, "My grandmother is among the captives, and as it happens, this form of mine resembles her very closely. The thought had occurred to some of us that this could be turned to our advantage when we strike." Loewen nods. "Ahh yes, good idea. Could be useful for drawing out or confusing the guards present at the cells themselves, as you could be used to lure them into a pursuit after which they could be ambushed." Moriya-chan nods. "Certainly a possibility. But we can discuss such details in specific later." Kanna glances over at Lily, to see how she's taking the non-mention of herself or Mitsune on any of the teams. Beowulf raises his hand. Lily is just watching Loewen warily, rather as one would watch a rabid dog. Mitsune looks somewhat annoyed. Loewen says, "Yes, Lord Beowulf?" Moriya-chan sits down again, quietly. ===== ===== You page, "(I suppose it's good the rest of us saner-heads are going to be going along on the commando raid, given Lord Lowen The Chaosian Chainsaw is leading it... *wl* )" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Well, he picked many of you because you fight well, but don't have much army leading experience :)" to you. You page, "Well, that makes sense. :) As we've worked more on the small-group level." to Akemi. ===== ===== Beowulf blinks briefly at the title, then stands up. "Is there a role in the plans for Lady Lily and Lady Mitsune?" Loewen pauses and consults with Miki and Rengar swiftly. "Lady Lily will be assisting the Amberite forces, while Lady Mitsune will be assisting in laying the trap with Lord Rengar's forces." Jacqueline recalls the last Mitsune was on her team, and shudders. ===== ===== You page, "What can I think of, otherwise, to bring up in the meeting? I know we were 'silent running'/turned off the construct manifestations for the initial sneak-in, and would probably want that again for the commando raid, but should I bring that up here? AS I don't know how much would have been discussed between Miki et. al." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Miki's probably addressed that with Loewen; if Loewen doesn't bring it up, you might want to ask." to you. You page, "*nod* Ah, there we go." to Akemi. ===== ===== Lord Loewen says, "The plan is to infiltrate the commando team into the Horn's shadow before the two diversions begin. They will then be positioned to observe whether or not the diversions actually have succeeded or not in drawing off any forces. Should our diversions be a flop, the team will be withdrawn and we will make another plan. Should they succeed, the team will then cross the killing fields as insects, and fly over the walls. Once we're into the courtyard, we'll be turning into ants and moving inside the walls as much as possible, down into the lower levels, where we'll resume human form and move to strike at the cellblock. Dr. Tomoe has prepared a set of Logrus Keys we can use to open the cellblocks once our sorcerors make sure any wards have been disarmed. Once we have secured the prisoners, we'll be leaving behind programmed blood duplicates to delay the discovery of our action as long as possible to give the team more time to get out." He continues, "Various members of this team possess construct access devices; these are best left turned off unless it proves we will need them, as we fear their use might alert Daffyl to our presence." Kanna nods at that, as that's what she expected. Beowulf nods, and pats Aeris comfortingly on the shoulder. Moriya-chan facepalms, and raises her hand again. Loewen says, "Ideally, they won't even know we were there until we've escaped and can produce the hostages and try to demand their surrender. Unfortunately, such things RARELY go ideally." Loewen asks, "Yes, Lord Moriya?" ====== ====== You page, "(ah, THAT was a form I forgot to add... -insect-. But, presumably, Moriya's about to address that.... :)" to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "D'oh. :(" to you. You page, "Well, hey, it's not like that Kanna -thinks- of these things all that often... being a fly was a new experience. :)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "I can imagine. :) One more reason to have Mitsune on the commando team." to you. You page, "Well, we already have Yumi on it, who can do the same. Well, if need be, more fast-time for headbands and stuff." to The_Prof. ====== ====== Moriya-chan says, "Unfortunately, I am in female form presently because the circumstances of the accident make it dangerous for me to be shapeshifted at this time. I would have to go to a fasttime shadow for two days to let matters run their course so that I can be shapeshifted." She pauses. "If we are to try using me as a decoy in this form, then whoever is shapeshifting me will have to study this form carefully to make sure that they can recreate this appearance, since it is not one of my natural forms." Loewen says, "I think it would be wisest for you to go and recover, then, as it will be much easier for insects to infiltrate than humans. I am sure Lady Yumi should be able to duplicate that appearance for you." Moriya-chan nods. "I will do so, then." Motoko puts her hand up and says, "I would suggest we leave the Eye with Jacqui; not only is she attuned to it as I am, the presence of it might also do more to draw out Serpent's Horn." Motoko says, "If the need arises, I will be able to draw it to me using my own attunement." Loewen nods, "We had been thinking to leave it in Gainax, but that is a good idea." Motoko says, "I also believe it would be a good idea for myself, Yumi-san and Thoric to go with Moriya to the fast-timed Shadow, in order to compare our spell lists together and adjust them to give us maximum sorcerous coverage, such as it is." Beowulf raises his hand. "I can make shapeshifting items for the members of the commando squad, so we would not be dependent on the abilities of Lady Yumi, in case she is knocked out." He blushes slightly, remembering the scouting expedition. Loewen says, "Make whatever preparations you feel is necessary. I expect that all of our sorcerors in the various teams will be wanting to do such things to prepare." ===== ===== You page, "Hm. Construct issue has been settled... but the rest of us aren't natural shapeshifters... what would be a good counter should Yumi be taken out before she can shift us back to normal? Hea---okay, Bey handled that. :)" to Akemi. ===== ===== Loewen says to Beowulf, "That is a good idea. Best to have backups." Kanna nods, as she was about to ask the same thing. She quirks a smile again at Bey. Beowulf nods. "I will probably spend fasttime making them in the shadow with the sorcerors, then." ======= ======= You page, "Hm. Has there been any reports of the Serpent's Horn using firearms? as I recall 'False Eowyn' having used them during the stuff 40 years ago, according to reports." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "The brain munched guard indicated they have gunpowder turned off at home." to you. You page, "Ah-hah. Did he know about Amber Gunpowder/etc?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Nope." to you. You page, "So, it's a tossup, but the stuff's hard to make in-bulk as it is, so it probably won't be an issue unless something weird happens." to Akemi. ======= ======= Loewen says, "Any further questions before we move on to the diversions?" He says, "Good, good. Prince Miki, if you will." Loewen sits down. Miki stands up. "We'll be staging a combined arms assault on the Serpent's Horn outpost, using the Amber Air Fleet to bombard the fortress from above..." He goes on in a long plan we won't go into details on, as no players are going to be present, just NPCs. ===== ===== You page, "Hm, could I get some of Ember's air fleet into this? As we've -had- an Air Fleet for somewhat longer than Amber has... :)" to Akemi. You page, "(though I don't know if mom'd be able to move 'em at this short notice, so prolly not... :/ )" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yep." to you. ===== ===== Rengar says, "Alright. Our basic plan is to use a molded shadow, which has been rebuilt to resemble a small medieval city state. We're going to leak the information that Jacqui and Moonshade have gone there, bearing Daffyl's Eye, in search of a Logrusfoil rumored to have been buried with a local hero. Once the Horn moves its forces into position to attack and enters the shadow, the shadow will relocate itself adjacent to two shadows where House Nurgal and House Helgram's forces will be waiting. We will then fall upon them and destroy them. Some of our forces will be positioned to give Lady Jaqcqueline and Lady Moonshade sufficient warning to trump to safety so they are not caught inside the slaughter. Lady Mitsune will be accompanying them to assist in their defense and/or escape." Jacqueline gulps Beowulf looks a bit worried about what might happen if Jacqui and Moonshade don't get adequate notice, but saves it for after the meeting breaks up. Rengar looks over at Jacqueline. "Do you feel up to it?" Motoko glances over at Jacqui and smiles. Jacqueline pauses for just a second, as her expression becomes serious. "Yes, yes, I'm up to it, as is my sister. Don't worry about us." Mutsumi says, "Jacqui is much tougher than she looks." Kanna nods in agreement to -that- statement. Beowulf smiles and nods. Rengar says, "Good. The shadow has been prepared, we can move the three of you into position as soon as you've prepared any spells you may be wanting. Ideally, we want the commando team to move out in two hours, so if you have any preparations, please go make them. Any final questions?" ====== ====== You page, "Hrm, -can- I think of anything now that might not have been covered by this? As the timeframe issue has just been addressed. Checking tactics, but I -think- everything looks solid. And note that there's no droo here to allow Moriya to ask any other questions... *wl*" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yes. But Drew's not going to be involved in the one part he missed." to you. You page, "Ahhh. Other than getting a sslightly more beefy shapeshift headband (actually, make it a second item, a ring) to cover some more forms, I guess I don't really have any other preparations to make." to Akemi. ====== ====== "No questions? Excellent. Alright, everyone go get ready." Motoko says, softly, "I would like to offer a short prayer, if I may, while we are all here." Kanna nods to this. Lord Rengar smiles. "I would be honored." Jacqueline looks over at Mitsune. "Hey," she says in a somewhat teasing voice, "This time try not to get yourself killed." Mitsune says, "But it wouldn't be an adventure without a good maiming." She laughs Jacqueline sighs and shakes her head. Beowulf gives his attention to Motoko. Beowulf does a double-take at Mitsune. "Right. No throwing yourself on Merehallow, right?" Kanna just arches an eyebrow. Motoko bows her head and closes her eyes. "Serpent of Chaos," she says in a firm, steady voice. "As we are all your children, as the Pattern came forth from your Eye and the Logrus came from your blood, so to are the Children of Chaos and the Children of Order as brothers and sisters. Watch over us and over those we love, those who are absent and in the hands of those who hate them. Grant us the light that destroys lies and the wisdom that reveals truth. Grant us the cunning to outwit our enemies and the fire to defeat them in battle. Grant us the healing that brings peace and the union that ends division. We are so often lost and confused in the darkness, turning one way and then the other, seeking after we know not what; guide us as the sighted man shall guide the blind man. Give us the strength to bear whatever we must bear in what is to come. This will not be the last battle that the Children of Chaos and the Children of Order must fight side-by-side in." Beowulf bows his head in respect to Motoko. Kanna murmurs quietly under her breath, but nods in approval at Motoko's prayer. Jacqueline keeps a respectful silence during the prayer. The various Chaosians seem pleased. Lord Rengar says, "Thank you, Bride of the Dragon. Lady Jacqueline, Lady Moonshade, Lady Mitsune, I will see you in 2 hours. Good luck, everyone, and may the Serpent guide your arm, your eye, and your mind." And then the assembly breaks up to make preparations, say goodbyes, etc. Jacqueline sighs Mutsumi hugs Jacqueline. "Good luck." Beowulf lays a comforting hand on Jacqui's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do well." Motoko comes over behind Thoric's chair. "No ewoks this time," she says softly. Naru mumbles, "Under Mom's command. Just greeeaaat." She sighs. "Oh well, such is life." Jacqueline says, "like father, I'll do what has to be done." She smiles at Motoko. "Good luck to you too." Thoric laugh-snorts, then says, "If we beat the Horn with Ewoks, I think they'd all kill themselves." Kanna gets up, quirks a smile to beowulf, and flips open to another page of a sketchbook. "... well, looks like I've got a -second- conjuration order up for you, Bey." She looks wry, and sketches out some other forms, including fly and ant. "Though I think this one should be ring formed, just to fool them out." She grins at Thoric. Beowulf smiles at Naru. "You'll do well. You impressed me on our recent expeditions." Beowulf blinks at Kanna. "Eh?" Jacqueline looks slowly at Naru, then Moonshade, then gives Miki an inquisitive look. Naru says, "Mom rides people pretty hard." She pauses and laughs. "I didn't mean that to come out that way. Well, anyway, she's a good commander, but now she's going to be trying to get me to go into the cavalry again." Beowulf looks at the sketches. "Ahhh, I see. I was including that one in the ones I'm making for the commando teams." He grins. Motoko unloops Daffyl's Eye from round her neck, then hands it to Jacqui. "Take good care of it," she says softly. "And don't be surprised if it disappears suddenly." Miki nods at Jacqueline. Jacqueline blinks. "This..." She pauses. "Well, I guess it does make sense for me to hold it for you." Beowulf nods. "Oh. Well, I'll try to remember to tell how well you did on the research end of things, too." Jacqueline blinks slowly as she tries to figure out what the hell that nod from Miki is supposed to mean. Kanna says, "For the shapeshifting items, in case Lady Yumi's taken out of action." She finishes sketching, and hands it over to Beowulf. "Well, this is my order-set anyway. I'm sure you can figure different things for different people as needed." Motoko looks at Jacqui. "Well, you are attuned to it, and it is part of the diversion to draw out Serpent's Horn that you be in possession of it." ==== ==== You page, "Will have list of additional forms in a little bit. *wl*" to Akemi and The_Prof. ==== ==== Beowulf nods. "I'll talk to Lady Yumi and get her suggestions." Thoric says to Motoko, "Let's just hope this goes as smoothly as that did." Jacqueline nods. "But... if you ever find yourself in a bind, don't be afraid to bring it to you. This thing has tremendous power, even if it isn't the true Jewel." Beowulf goes over to talk to Lady Yumi about suggested forms, and also about how much fasttime the sorcerers are going to use compared with his conjuring time. Motoko smiles weakly at Thoric. "Hope springs eternal, as they say." She glances at Jacqui and her smile grows slightly. "I learned that last night after nearly burning my brain out with it, but thank you." Kanna says, "That'll be cool." She hehs a bit, and looks rueful. "Well. This is certainly going to be interesting in the Cathayan sense, but..." Yumi tells Beowulf they'll probably be speeding the Keep up enough to give them a few weeks to work with, as she plans to prepare a few very large spells that will need long casting times." Jacqueline . o O (So was the nod a 'yes their heads are still clean' or a 'yes I talked to them already' or a 'yes, I'm about to talk to them'?) Naru says, "Oh, I think you'll do great, Kanna." Jacqueline seems to hesitate a moment, then asks, "Sis? You've got the Valar blade with you, right?" Beowulf nods to Yumi. Moonshade says, "Yes, I do." She draws it and waves it around. Jacqueline says, "ah, okay." Kanna says, "Oh, I know -that-..." She quirks a smile. "...Just if you'd told me three months ago that I'd be participating in a joint Chaos/Amber operation against Anti-Amber Chaosian Terrorists, I would've laughed my head off." Her smile widens. "Interesting times, indeed." Naru says, "Everything changes." Jacqueline withdraws from the others, begging their pardon, and approaches Miki. Miki says, "Hello, Jacqueline." Motoko says, "As the serpent sheds its skin, all things chance, yet remain as they are." Pause. "No matter how many times I say that, and despite Davros's explanation of the theological value of paradoxical statements, I still think it sounds slightly dumb." Kanna says, "Yup." She sits and sketches the group a little bit as a way to blow off steam. Naru laughs. Jacqueline says quietly, "Was that a yes I talked to them nod, a no but I will nod, or a I wiped out their memories of the entire event nod?" Naru says, "Philosophy is very useful. And very confusing sometimes. What is the sound of one hand clapping and all that." Kanna says, "'Change is the Only Constant'. There's Order in Chaos, and Chaos in Order, and such the universe should be." She quirks a smile. "And after that, everything else is fiddly stuff." Motoko frowns, then demonstrates how someone with Shape Shift Body Parts can very easily clap one-handed. "I'll have to show Father that." Naru giggles. "He'll think that's funny." Beowulf asks, "Any other requests anyone wants to make for conjured items before we go into fasttime?" ===== ===== You page, "Hm. Given that I usually have sis do all my heavy-power backup, and I won't have her around for this unless things go fubar, anything else I should request Bey to conjure?" to Akemi. ===== ===== Motoko says, "Something to disguise our minds might be useful, unless shapeshifting can also be used to conceal those." Moriya-chan says, "Given that we'll be flying straight into their stronghold, that would be a good idea." Miki says, "I'm going to talk to them after the mission, as I fear they'd both be likely to go off on mad killing sprees to try to catch the ones responsible if they knew now, and there won't be anyone around to restrain them." Jacqueline shouts to Beowulf, "Ah, a stronger head-shield for my sister?!" Moonshade frowns. Motoko says, "Basically, anything that could help us get in and get out without being spotted." Beowulf nods, and thinks for a moment. Jacqueline nods to Miki. "I... guess that's for the best. Thank you." Jacqueline returns to her group. "Sis, I meant one of those psychic shields." Jacqueline says, "gramma Utena got in trouble last time because she didn't have one, I'd hate for the same thing to happen to you." ===== ===== You page, "(I've already got my adv psyche barrier ring, my armored jumpsuit from Lian, so I'm not sure what else aside from additional shapeshift item to handle infiltration forms.)" to Akemi. ===== ===== Beowulf comes out of his brown study for a moment to nod at Jacqueline. "That's a good point." Beowulf says, "The psychic disguise I'm making for the commando team will also have some psychic defense in it, but can't be used with a full psychic barrier; I can make a full barrier for Moonshade, though, since she's not on the infiltration team." Jacqueline looks at Moonshade. "Sis, that okay with you?" Mutsumi hugs Jacqueline and then Thoric. "I'm off to go make some trumps and help Daddy. See you both later." Motoko says, "See you, Mutsumi-chan." Jacqueline gives Mutsumi a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck out there, Mutsumi-chan." Kanna hrms, and leans over to murmur to Beowulf, tapping her ruby ring as she does so. Thoric takes Mutsumi's hand and kisses it. "Good luck, Mutsumi-chan." ===== ===== You page, "[Kanna] Will your psychic disguise thing have any problems with the barrier you made for me at Vulcan's Forge?" to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "[Beowulf] I believe so, yes." to you and Akemi. The_Prof pages, "Or will the fact that it's a Real item, while the psychic void is conjured, make a difference?" to you and Akemi. You page, "(I thought part of the thing with Kanna's barrier was that it was the 8-point barrier, which was auto-on in case of psychic attacks, but normally off.)" to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Well... psychic void can't be in the same item with improved psychic barrier, John said." to you and Akemi. Akemi pages, "Trying to wear both will tend to cause interference between them." to you and The_Prof. You page, "Ahhh. Well, they're seperate items... go ahead and make it, and Kanna'll have to switch off, I suppose." to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Yah... Bey'll have to switch off, too." to you and Akemi. ===== ===== She winks and bounces off after her father. Kanna arches an eyebrow at the byplay between Thoric and Mutsumi. Motoko watches the interplay between the three, looking vaguely heartsick, then turns away and stares intently at a wall. Jacqueline smiles at Thoric. "My, aren't you extra-suave lately." Moriya-chan sighs, and reaches over, putting a hand on Motoko's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Motoko is very tense. She leans her head back and says something quietly to Moriya. A door opens and a nervous looking woman, blonde, tall, and fairly physically large, pokes her head in, looking around. She sees Motoko and Moriya and looks slightly relieved and heads over. Kanna raises eyebrows at the newcomer who's nearly as big as she is. Moriya-chan laughs softly and leans closer to whisper back. Motoko laughs softly, then turns towards the big woman, looking rather surprised. "Anya-san," she says quietly. Eudial falls asleep. Moriya-chan straightens up. "Hello, Anya-san." The woman walks over, looking nervously at all the folk who are still milling around that she doesn't know. She bows to both of you, then says softly, "I heard about what happened, and...I mean, I don't know if I can be of any help, but I couldn't just sit and wait for the news." Beowulf whispers back to Kanna, a look of regret on his face, as he points back at the ring. Beowulf goes over to wait for Moriya to be free for a moment. Kanna mmms, sighs, and nods, and murmurs back before straigtening up. Thoric says to Jacqueline, "I'll never be as suave as you, fair lady, but I will do my best." He takes Jacqui's hand and kisses it as well. "Take good care of her, Moonshade." Moriya-chan nods. "We understand, Anya-san. It's been hellish for us to have to wait until now, finally, to do something." Anya looks over at Moriya-chan and blinks. "You know who I am?" ===== ===== You page, "[Kanna] *sigh* Right. Well, hopefully I won't lose this.. it's been a hell of an advantage for me to have this sort of backup." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "[Beowulf] Well, you could always give it to Gabrielle to hold for you... as soon as we get out of the vicinity of the Courts, of course." to you. You page, "[Kanna] Hm. That's a thought, true. I need to hand off my diary, anyway. 'sides, if things go totally fubar, I'll be having to get her back online asap ANYWAY, so..." to The_Prof. You page, "[Kanna] I'll have to think on it a bit once we bop out but before we're fully moving on the mission." to The_Prof. ===== ===== You page, "(and list of forms for Kanna's shapeshifting ring (unless Yumi has better ideas) -- Generic Male, fly, ant, Firedrake (small), Gold dragon (sparky-sized), Grass snake, Kanna-Centaur, Iron-skinned Kanna, Female Dwarf, Dolphin, Generic Female, Mouse)" to Akemi and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "All right..." to you and Akemi. Akemi pages, "-Righto." to you and The_Prof. ===== ===== Jacqueline blushes slightly. "Good luck to you too, Thoric. Come back to us." Moriya-chan pauses, and shakes her head. "I'm Moriya. Sorry. Shapeshifting accident." Thoric says, "I will do my very best, Jacqui." Motoko asks, "How is Romar-san doing, Anya-san?" Anya says, "It has been very hard on him. He tries not to show it when people are watching, but the only other time I've seen him this sad was after Davina died." She sighs. Jacqueline nudges Moonshade. "So, feeling ready?" Moonshade says, "All I have to do to get ready is to pick up my sword, so yeah." ===== ===== Moriya-chan OOCly says, "I thought Moonshade was waving it around earlier." John says, "OOC She's being figurative :)" Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Ah." ===== ===== Mitsune says to Jacqueline, "I've already got my spells racked." Moriya-chan glances at Mitsune. "Going to head off with them now, then?" Jacqueline says, though with a very very very small bit of discomfort, "So, you're getting everything you could ask for in this trip, huh?" Motoko says, "I wish I could go and stay with him and wait for his son to come home. But I can't. We're going to go and do something very dangerous, Anya-san." She looks Anya up and down. "We're all trained warriors and we've done these kind of operations before; you haven't. I don't want you to be put in danger; if anything happened to you..." She sighs. "I haven't even been to see Romar-san since Davros was taken. I haven't had the time." Beowulf moves over to talk to Moriya, since he seems to have a moment. Jacqueline glances down at Mitsune's hand, and specificially, a ring she's wearing. Kanna waits for Moriya and Bey to have their chat and stuff before going over as well. Motoko asks, "If you want to help, could you please go to him and tell him I'm sorry for not coming to see him, and tell him that we're going to bring his son home, and wait with him until we do? Take care of him, because Davros can't?" Anya looks very frustrated by this. "I just...I just..." She starts crying. Moonshade nods. "Kicking some ass and taking some names. I'm pretty happy." Motoko's calm expression cracks slightly, and she hugs Anya. "We all have to do what's best for us to do," she says tightly. "It's very seldom as much as we'd like, but..." Moonshade continues, "I was a little worried when they started explaining the plan that they were going to blow up the whole shadow, or something, but this sounds pretty good to me." Jacqueline shakes her head. "No, no, no suns going nova this time.......... I hope." ===== ===== The_Prof pages, "If Kanna wants to catch Bey, she'd better hurry..." to you. ===== ===== Moriya-chan takes off a necklace that she's wearing and tucks it away in a pocket. Anya cries on Motoko's shoulder. "I just can't stand not knowing. I hate it. I hate it." Thoric says, "Suns going nova?" Jacqueline says, "and since we need to make lots of noise and distractions....." She looks at her Mo ring, and double-checks to make sure it's on. "Hey, Uncle Mo, you reading me here?" "Loud and Clear, Jacqui." Jacqueline says aside to Thoric, "Akashan Sun went nova, but things got better." Motoko says, "He is alive and safe. I know that much. He is my Soul, chosen by the Serpent, who watches over him always. We will bring him back." He pales. "I'm glad I didn't go on that mission." Beowulf looks uncomfortable at the strange woman's tears, like he wishes he could do something, and sighs for a moment before going to pick up Aeris and Lily. She says, "I'd just die if he died. I couldn't bear it." Jacqueline says, "Uncle Mo, you got some sort of loudspeaker system on Big Mo? Like if I wanna start taunting an enemy army or something?" Lily is quietly conversing with her mother across the room. She smiles at Beowulf. "Ready to go?" "Damn straight!" Motoko's voice cracks slightly as she says, "He will not die." That was Morgy Damn Straighting :) Moriya-chan moves over to join Mitsune, now, watching Anya and Motoko from a slight distance. Anya now moves on to sobbing incoherently. Jacqueline says, "cool. I think Big Mo's gonna see some action in a few hours, put him on ready-to-go status. And put the Funk Fleet on yellow alert." "Righto, Jacqui." Kanna hrms. "Actually, I'll come with you, Bey, in a moment... so I can chat with sis while at the Keep." Beowulf winces a bit, shooting a look back at Motoko and the strange woman, before smiling weakly at Lily and nodding. "Yes." He picks up Aeris in his arms. "Now, we're going to have to turn off your connection for a little bit while we're in there, but we should be OK..." Aeris nods. "Okay. Be careful!" Motoko guides Anna over to a chair and sits down beside her, offering her a handkerchief. "We will bring him back," she says fiercely. Anya takes the handkerchief and innudates it. "I know youwill, but I'm afraid you won't, and I just can't stand not being able to do anything!" Jacqueline nudges Moriya. "Moriya... er...... chan.... I need to use the Shake-Me Jewel for a bit, do you have it with you?" Moriya-chan blinks at Jacqueline, then nods and pulls the Jewel out of her coat. "Here you go." Motoko says, "You _can_ do something. You can stay with Davros's father. There's no one he'd trust to look after Romar-san better than you." Jacqueline takes it and tucks it away in her jacket pocket. "Thanks, I'll have it back to you soon." Moriya-chan says, "All right." Beowulf waits for Kanna to catch up to him. "Talk with... ah, right. You can probably trump back to one of the folks here, as I doubt you'd want to wait by yourself with a bunch of conjuring and racking folks." He grins a bit at her. Moriya-chan now turns to Mitsune. "Are you going to join Jacqueline now, then?" Kanna chuckles and nods. "That was the general idea. And oh, one second." She quickly heads over to Moriya, and quickly interjects once he's finished talking with Mitsune. "Got everything on your end all right? Knife and all?" Moriya-chan says, "Yes. I got the Knife back after the scouting mission, and will be bringing it along." ======== ======== Beowulf asks, "OOC Oh, what was the verdict about the item detection inside the castle? Or was Yumi able to find that out from the patrol members?" John says, "OOC Anything charged with Primal Power or the Constructs are likely to be noticed." Motoko says, "OOC: No Knife, then." Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Oop. Okay, no Knife." Kanna OOCly says, "Ah-hah. What about Beryllina? As it's not exactly Primal. I can have Gaby hold onto Knife though and have it ready to trump/gate in if things go fubar." Kanna OOCly says, "Or Kafuin can be ready with Knife, etc. I just want to keep track." ======= ======= Mitsune nods to Moriya. "Yes, I will." She kisses her on the cheek. Moriya-chan squeezes Mitsune's hand and kisses her back on the cheek. "Take care. I'll see you when it's all done." ===== ===== You page, "(That's a good question... Beryllina's -not- a Primal Power weapon, it's Apoc Damage. *wl* Where does that come under detection rules? )" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "You don't know. It might not be detectable, or the sheer power of it might be." to you. You page, "... greaaaaat." to Akemi. You page, "(I'll have to have Gaby and Yumi consult on that at the Keep, I guess.)" to Akemi. ===== ===== Jacqueline says, "ladies, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me a moment, there's something I have to do alone for a bit before we go on our part of the mission. I'll be in my room." She bows out cordially and heads for the exit. Thoric says, "Bye, Jacqui!" Jacqueline gives Thoric a wink as she departs. Kanna arches an eyebrow at the byplay between Jacqui and Thoric, but says nothing. Moriya-chan looks between Jacqueline and Thoric rather thoughtfully, for just a moment. Anya says, "I just. I want to break something. Into very small bits." Her fists clench and unclench. Kanna hehs a bit at Anya. "Believe me, I -know- -that- feeling." Motoko looks up and realizes that she hasn't actually introduced Anya to anyone. "Everyone, this is Davros's old friend Anya-san," she says weakly. "Anya-san, these are ." Thoric comes over. "Don't worry, Anya, we'll rescue him. They have my Mother and my Grandfather too." Beowulf bows respectfully to Anya. "Davros impressed me as a very good person; I can see where he learned some of those qualities." Anya says weakly, "It's very nice to meet all of you." Kanna nods, and bows to Anya as well. "A pleasure to meet you, Anya." She hehs a bit, and goes back to stand with Bey. Beowulf bows again. "Take care. We'll bring him back." He looks around at the rest of the group. "If you'll please excuse me, I need to go with the sorcerers and conjure." Beowulf goes over to where the sorcerers are gathering, along with Lily and Aeris, and invites Kanna along with a look. Kanna goes along with Beowulf and co. Motoko stands up. "I should go now as well, Anya-san," she says softly. "Unless you want me to stay with you a little longer and talk about anything." Anya says, "There's things I'd like to talk to you about, but if you need to go, then you'd better go." Moriya-chan moves over to Yumi, at this point. "Yumi-dono, how long would you need to study this form to be able to shift me into it again? I'll be needing two days fasttimed anyway to let the sipping Logrus leach out of my system." Yumi says, "The time before it wears off should be enough." Kanna says, "We can probably get some training for you in that form in the interim." Motoko squeezes Anya's hand briefly. "Then we'll talk once we've brought Davros back to you and his father," she says. Anya nods. "Serpent's blessing on you," she says weakly. Moriya-chan nods. "Good." She looks down at herself again. "Yes, that was what I was planning. It's certainly been an interesting experience so far. Definitely...feels...very different." Motoko nods. She hesitates, then traces a Great Spiral in the air between them. "Serpent's Blessing on you also, Anya-san." Anya smiles for a moment. "Thank you." Then she rises and quietly leaves. Kanna chuckles a bit at that, watches the byplay between Motoko and Anya, and watches her head off. ================================ ================================ John says, "OOC And at this point, I assume everyone scatters to go off and rack spells, conjure, etc." Motoko says, "OOC: Yup." Moriya-chan OOCly nods. Kanna OOCly says, "Pretty much, yeah. Kanna consults with Yumi and Gabrielle at the Keep on the detectability of Beryllina. She already carried it along for their prior sneak to the Serpent's Horn area, and into and out of Rebma, but that wasn't going into -hyper- secure areas." Kanna OOCly says, "(as if she can't carry Beryllina, she'll neet to get something useful out of the Ember armories.)" John says, "OOC So, pretty much at this point, not much left to play out before the assualts, which I think we'll have to do Sunday night, as various folk have told me they're wearing out tonight. And since Saturday, I will be going to Travis' and not back until pretty late" Jacqueline says, "OOCly unless someone wants to have a word with jaqui before going off to battle, I guess I'm done." Kanna OOCly nods. I'll be out tomorrow until around 11 pm est or so. Sunday I'll be in around 8:30/9 pm est due to Anime. Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Hey, can we do the sparring session between Moriya and Moonshade, then?" Jacqueline exclaims, "OOCly oooh! do that!" ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "Hm, does Beryllina do 16-point damage? o.o" to you. You page, "it's a 16 point Apocolyptic Damage weapon. Not a Primal Damage Weapon (16 pt to opposite power, 8 pt to everything else.)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Ayah. x.x One of these days, I'm going to have to talk to Kanna about how she did that. o.O" to you. You page, "Sadly, Kanna can't tell you IC." to The_Prof. You page, "OOC... recall some of the stories about Yig? :)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Awww. ;_; Something to do with the Elder Gods?" to you. You page, "Actually, no." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Ah. Oh, well. ;_;" to you. You page, "Kanna hung from Yig to learn how to recover Aunt Juri. (the Yig Prophesy). However, she ALSO got a +5 boost to Endurance (+10 phys endurance), and the -knowledge- to make a 16-pt damage weapon." to The_Prof. You page, "And since, as you know, the Forestals got tetchy when she talked about Yig to Bey and Lian just 'cause of the prophesy...." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Ahhhhh. Righto. ^_^" to you. You page, "One thing Bey might have noticed... before Jade, Kanna's hands were unscarred. -After- Jade, she's got an -extremely- fine network of scars along her palms and fingers... normally, they're mistaken for just more palm/finger lines." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Yah, I noticed it when you pointed that out. :)" to you. You page, "As part of the requirements for making Beryllina was to rip the weapons used to make it apart -with her bare hands-, allowing her -blood- to mix with the source metals." to The_Prof. ======= ======= John says, "OOC HEh. We can assume this happened earlier, since right now, you'd both be going to different places. :)" Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Yeah." Jacqueline says, "OOCly wooohoo! I've been wanting to see this :)" ====== ====== In a page-pose to you, Chris ...s. A lot. You page, "[Kanna] Eh?" to Chris. Chris pages, "'Akio says, "Considering I have the JoJ plugged into myself at the moment, I think I can rip apart Daffy's puny little shadow warding."'" to you. The_Prof pages, "There are times I want to put Merc on a *Leash*. :P" to you. You page, "Urm. Um? Augh? *pause8 Oh HELL?!" to Chris. You page, "... just heard from Chris. *facepalm*" to The_Prof. Chris pages, "The general reaction n the peanut gallery is along the lines of '...' (a lot) 'Aurghle.', and calls to reboot Gaby. She's using the effing JoJ to boost herself for the Logrus match. x.x" to you. The_Prof pages, "Yah. ;_; You really ought to get a puppet for the peanut gallery. :)" to you. You page, "....." to Chris. You page, "And here Kanna was calming from her mom's assurances." to Chris. The_Prof pages, "From the gallery: Frito> Akio says, "Also, I figured I could use it to help Kanna on the mission. But she has me turned off."Frito> Arawn says, "Which is probably a GOOD THING (TM)."" to you. Chris pages, "Merc soooo needs to be kicked. Or Gaby be taken away from him. 9.9" to you. You page, "*Sigh* -.-;" to Chris. Chris pages, "At least he won't be playing her in nextgen." to you. You page, "[Kanna sighs, and makes a note for "Twilight" Suzuka to put out a hit on -Mercutio-.]" to Chris. You page, "[Kanna] Most the the time I don't mind how he plays sis, but sometimes... *sigh*" to Chris. You page, "*sigh*" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Come on, make a puppet and come up here. :)" to you. Chris pages, "[Lian] Usually, it's okay. It's only when he gets that 'I'm an all-powerful construct and I can do whatever I damn well wish!' thingy going that I want to hurt him." to you. The_Prof pages, "Seriously, though... I wish we *could* muzzle Merc." to you. You page, "1: don't want the distractions, 2: don't know how, 3: trying to ponder wether or not it'll be viable to bap him on the head come KeepConII with my sketchbook." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "As he's gotten much worse in the last couple of months; I thought he did a near ideal job of running her back in TAMD." to you. You page, "[Kanna sighs, and nods. "Yeah. I HOPE dad talks sense into her during the match."]" to Chris. The_Prof pages, "Ahhh. It'll be viable, yup. We'll hold him down. ^_^" to you. You page, "[Kanna] As it's supposed to be -wrestling-, NOT Power-slinging." to Chris. The_Prof pages, "As for how to do it... I've got the directions logged, and I can mail 'em to you if you like." to you. You page, "Nah, no worry..." to The_Prof. Chris pages, "[Lian] Forget it. I think I'll go and blow up the Borg homeship to distract myself. I don't want to think about it. I really don't. (And it -is- wrestling. Gaby wants to use it as a 'battery'. Extra hitpoints, basically.)" to you. You page, "Mail, perhaps, if you want, but I don't have plans to do it anytime soon." to The_Prof. You page, "[Kanna sighs, nods, and hugs.]" to Chris. The_Prof pages, "Will dig it up for you, then." to you. The_Prof pages, "On its way. :)" to you. The_Prof pages, "You get OK?" to you. You page, "Yupyup." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "It's not *that* complicated, really... just a little tetchy on the exact formatting of commands." to you. ====== ====== You page, "And hm... Gaby/Yumi/other analysis on the detectability of Beryllina?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "They tell you Beryllina has big magic mojo and is fairly likely to be detected." to you. You page, "Sigh. Righto. I'll have sis on readiness to get it and my Adv Psyche Barrier Ring to me by Any Means Necessary should I have to contact her, but otherwise get me some good solid dependable -normal- sword, staff, and crossbow to use on the assault. Any risks of detection of the Caine Dagger?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Highly unlikely to be detected unless they have such good detection that you couldn't evade it no matter what you did. It doesn't radiate huge mojo like items with 16 point properties do." to you. You page, "What about Lian's jumpsuit?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "They think it'll probably be okay." to you. ========= ========= Moriya-chan OOCly says, "I suppose Moriya and Moonshade will be facing off in one of Gainax's gyms, then." John says, "OOC Yep." ============================== ============================== Moriya-chan chooses a bokken to fight with. "What do you wish to use, Moonshade?" Moonshade gets a bokken as well. "Might as well use this." Moriya-chan nods, then bows to her, and takes up a battle stance. Moonshade bows back, then charges, sword held high, clearly going for an upper body shot. Moriya-chan leans out of the way and tries to strike at her leg as she moves past. As Moriya-chan begins to move, Moonshade pushes and leaps high into the air. The blow at her legs misses. She lands and spins, spitting in the face of concepts like inertia. But Moriya-chan successfully anticipates this once Moonshade begins to jump, and brings her sword up smoothly to parry, turning on one foot. Moonshade then backflips out of reach, and pauses to think of plan #2. Moriya-chan does not pause to let her think, but immediately charges forward. ====== ====== Motoko brandishes his +7 Flaming Wang. Motoko OOCly mispages. :) Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Does Davros know Motoko has one of those?" Motoko says, "OOC: He will soon enough." ===== ===== Moriya-chan rushes forward, then suddenly comes to a halt, causing Moonshade's counter-blow at leg level to miss. She reaches out with her bokken and 'helps' the sword along, then brings her sword up to thwack Moonshade in her chest and chin. The top button of her shirt pops off. Then Moonshade lunges forward, aiming a haymaker at Moriya-chan's chin. Windir falls asleep. Moriya-chan tries to dodge the punch. She's about as successful at this as the Belgians were at stopping German invasions in the 20th century. She takes it on the chin, then basically becomes airborne Moriya-chan, flying out of control across the room, then slams down into the ground. She rolls to her feet, even as Moonshade is charging after her, her bokken slashing the air in an x like pattern as she runs forward. Moriya-chan parries one thrust, then helps the second one along again, making Moonshade look pretty frustrated . She then attempts to follow up with an impressive lookign move to use the force of Moonshade's force against her by tripping her and using her own free hand to help Moonshade fall. Unfortunately, as she falls, Moonshade somehow grabs her leg, and uses Moriya-chan as a pivot to bring her own legs up in the air to kick Moriya-chan in the head, sending her sprawling. She then rolls to her feet, even as Moriya-chan comes to her feet. Moriya-chan shakes her head to clear it. "Mmmph. You're quite good, Moonshade." She straightens slightly. "Are we allowing Power Words in this match?" Moonshade says, "No magic." Moriya-chan sighs. "Right." She says, "I ain't got no magic, and if we have magic, I'll just lose. So no magic." Moonshade now begins to press Moriya-chan hard. Moriya-chan is able to keep out of her reach, and lands several quick blows against Moonshade, but she's quickly running out of room to retreat. Moriya-chan unleashes a series of blows off to one side, then as Moonshade's attention is drawn to that side, she successfully slips past the other side of Moonshade to get more room to move. Unfortunately, Moonshade manages to spin a complete circle at blinding speed and bring her bokken around to crack Moriya-chan a solid blow on the ribs, which sends her sprawling. Which isn't entirely bad, as it sends her away from Moonshade and she manages to keep her grip on her sword. But now she's starting to feel a bit wobbly, while Moonshade seems ready to take a beating all day long. She's up on her feet again by the time Moonshade reorients herself and pulls out of her spin. Moriya-chan frowns. "I think, without my magic, you'd beat me eventually." Moonshade says, "I am indeed a bad-ass." She grins. "You wanna stop, then?" Moriya-chan chuckles. "Yes. We do have to go to the planning meeting soon, after all." She pauses, and snaps off a neural disrupt at Moonshade. Moonshade staggers for a moment, then proceeds to whip her bokken around. The bokken cracks into the side of your head. Your vision doubles for a moment, and when it clears, she has you by the throat and is holding you up in the air. "Yeah, yeah, you got magic, and my magical defenses suck. But I don't like people who take fucking cheap shots after the fight is over. Do you UNDERSTAND?" Moriya-chan says, "..." Moriya-chan says, "That...was...meant to be...a...urgh." Moriya-chan says, "No...offense...intended...." ====== ====== Rod pages, "so, what's AUntie Kanna thinking of studly Thoric now?" to you. You page, "Well, Kanna's wondering 1) what happened, 2) where'd he get this mojo boost. :)" to Rod. ====== ====== Moonshade says, "If I punched you in the nose after the fight was over and told you it was a warning that you need to work out and get stronger so that people can't punch you around like this, would you consider that a fair warning?" Moriya-chan says, "Wanted...to show you...what even...power words...could do." Moonshade says, "I know damn well what they can do! That's why I didn't want any magic!" Moriya-chan says, "Sorry...very sorry...I approached it...the wrong way." She puts you down. "You're a damn good swordsman, but pulling that kinda shit's a good way to get yourself maimed by someone not as kind as I am." Moriya-chan gasps for breath. Moriya-chan holds her head. "I'm sorry, Moonshade. I don't know why I decided to do that." Moonshade . o O (Sore Loser) Moonshade says, "Ahh, don't worry about it. A good fight can be relaxing, but sometimes it gets you worked up where you do stuff ya shouldn't." Moriya-chan bows low. "Damn. I'm sorry. Ugh." Moonshade bows. "Let's go hear the masterplan, then." Moriya-chan straightens up, wobbling slightly. And y'all head out and we iris out on this. =========== =========== Kanna OOCly appaluds. Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Actually, John, I want to finish talking to Moonshade as we head to the meeting. Can we finish off with that?" John says, "OOC Okay." =========== =========== Moriya-chan walks along behind Moonshade. "I suppose...what I was trying to suggest is that you go and pick up some magic. Although I should have said so before demonstrating." Moriya-chan says, "What I just used is something that my father taught me, and he is hardly a mage. A simple power word is useful for sorceror and fighter alike." Moonshade says, "I'd rather stick to what I do well, than do magic and be mediocre at it." She continues, "Although Mom was always badgering me to pick it up." Moriya-chan nods. "Whether it's full sorcery or, as I said, simple power words, even a little magic can severely raise your advantage over your enemy. When I was fighting off the Serpent's Horn incursion at Tremere, I was fighting one person, when I felt someone else start to attack my mind." Moriya-chan says, "I used magic--a fire spell--to finish off the person I was fighting so that I could turn my attention to the other person. If I hadn't had that, it would have been much more difficult to fight off both." Moriya-chan says, "I'm not nearly as good at it as, for instance, Motoko, or your sister, but it's helped me. A lot." Moonshade nods. "Well, it's just not my thing. And I wouldn't want to muscle in on Jacqui's territory." Moriya-chan chuckles softly. "I didn't think it would be my thing either, until Aunt Hiko persuaded me to try it. As for Jacqueline, I think she'd be happy if her sister shared another interest with her. Anyway, that's just my piece of advice. Which I should have said, rather than demonstrated." She rubs her head. "That was really stupid of me." She makes a dismissive gesture. "Don't beat yourself up about it." Moriya-chan nods, a bit reluctantly. "Well...all right." Moriya-chan pauses. "Wait, you do have Pattern. Have you, at least, learned how to use Pattern Defense?" Moonshade says, "Yes. I took a crash course and learned all the basic stuff." Moriya-chan nods. "Good. All right." =============================== =============================== Moriya-chan OOCly says, "Okay, that's all, I guess." Jacqueline asks, "OOCly so john, what's this idear of yours?" John says, "OOC Mmm, Mac and Cheese..." Jacqueline says, "OOCly muh? O.o" John says, "OOC Sorry, just revelling in cheesy goodness." John says, "OOC Okay..." =============================== =============================== After you finish preparing, you, Mitsune, and Moonshade, are basically stuck sitting around, waiting for the call to head out to the diversion site. Jacqueline holds the bundled Justice in her arms, meditating peacefully and trying not to be scared shitless. Moonshade says, "Hey, Jacqui, can I ask you a question?" Jacqueline opens an eye (both were closed as she meditated). "Hm?" Moonshade asks, "How'd you end up as such a great magician when your Dad hated it, and your Mom doesn't do Magic?" Jacqueline sets Justice down and thinks for a moment. "Well... well... Dad wasn't home as much as he wanted to be..... he did a lot of stuff for King Tylor, special quests now and again, then got promoted to Marshal of Amber and started leading the armies around on top of everything else." She looks down at Justice thoughtfully. "He... he just never had the time to help me out with the sword. That..... that's one part of it." Jacqueline says, "Since I stayed at the castle for most of my life, I grew up around everyone else that did too..... and they were mostly magicians. Aunt Wakaba, Aunt Yumi, Gramma Anthy, Aunt Keiko, I watched them a lot, and started picking up some of it." Jacqueline smiles. "Especially Gramma Anthy.... I thought I might be just like her someday..... after all, I look more like her than like mother or gramma Utena, and she seemed to make magic seem so.... so.... _neat_." Moonshade smiles. "Yeah, that's true. Aunt Wakaba and Grandma really don't look much like Anthy at all. Jacqueline's expression falls into a manner of embarrassment. "And for a while I was picking it up by myself.... and nobody really cared until I... aheh..... blew up the wall in my room. That's when they had Aunt Yumi train me in magic." She sighs. "I was hoping Gramma Anthy would, but.... at the time she was busy with other things. Though it worked out pretty well, Aunt Yumi's a great sorceress too. And so stylish in her own way." *sigh* Moonshade says, "Mom tried teaching me magic when I was little, but I sucked at it, and ended up learning how to make magical stuff from Uncle Aule instead, and training how to fight with Uncle Tulkas. I did learn a few tricks that are kind of innate to all Maiar like me, but they don't seem to work out here in the rest of the universe." Jacqueline raises an eyebrow. "You can make magic stuff? Like what?" She says, "Magic weapons, magic armor, all kinds of stuff, if I have the right materials." She says, "Takes a long time, but it's fun making stuff." Jacqueline says, "hmmm. You should meet Mr. Vincent some time. He's a weaponsmith too, made stuff for dad all the time." She says, "That would be cool." Jacqueline idly taps Justice. "Still.... dad did manage to teach me a few things.... I can get by with a sword, but compared to the rest of the family...." *sigh*. ========================================= ========================================= Kanna OOCly says, "and night for me now." Kanna OOCly waves.