[IC] Mother, I'm Here

[Neon Knight]

The sun was hidden from Yokohama. The great city lay in night’s gentle embrace, resting for the return of the light bringer. Of course, being one of the largest cities on Earth, it was not entirely at rest. It continued to move under the light of streetlamps, the glow making the city seem like a sea of lights in the darkness. With so much light pollution, one could not really see or appreciate the delicate light of the stars. And even if one could have seen those brilliant little candles in the sky, you wouldn’t have seen what lies among their light, hanging invisibly in the void of space. The doom that hung over Yokohama was invisible to most eyes, but it was there, patiently waiting with ever building hate and strength.

Below, on the surface of the planet, numerous shapes moved in accordance to the titanic will glowering down upon the blue planet. They slipped onto the beaches from the depths of the sea, shaking off brine and clutching weeds as they moved into the alleys of the tall steel towers dominating the Minato district. The turf of parks tore itself up from the ground, revealing the crawling chaos that slumbered in it during the day, disgorging more monsters into the city. The many hiding places where the seed of doom had been planted stirred with activity, as alien forms awoke and began their nightly search. They slipped quietly and unseen, disturbing few, often mistaken for simple night animals when something or someone did catch the barest glimpse of a moving shadow. Their craft was sure, their will and discipline unfaltering as they fanned out amongst the iron nests of human kind. Their shapes were numerous and myriad, and each was shaped for a specific purpose or need. Together, they formed a shadowy army of skulkers and boogeymen; the night was theirs, and under its cloak, they pursued their evil task.

From the heights of a skyscraper, a lone figure looked down upon it with sight surerer than that of any other mortal creature upon the world. He was shrouded in black as dark as the night around him; if the night monsters could be said to own the night, then this person was the night itself. He observed the shadowy work of the monsters, knowing that their quest would be fruitless tonight. They would snatch few to none this night, and any they did manage to take would not be those they truly sought. He huffed, an expression of his impatience. He too would find no success on this night, and his watching was in futility. But to act was not only futile, but dangerous, risking himself for naught. He had to strike at an opportune moment, and although the role of the patient watcher did not come easily to him.

He shifted at his post, his body not unlike a man’s easily withstanding the night wind without bowing or shivering from its cold kiss. His spindly frame and limbs might seem a bit too thin for a human being’s, the proportions just a bit off. Definite features would have eluded any observer there, as he was too close to being a shadow to have the details of true reality. He was almost as alien as the monsters below, despite the hints of familiarity.

All at once something caught his attention, although there was no change in sight or sound around him that could be perceived. He looked upward, tilting his head back to the vault of the heavens, to the celestial expanse above the city, finding the hidden spot where the Great Doom waited. “Mother,” he said, his voice a strange mimicry of a man’s, but distorted as if by static and electronics, “We had her in our grasp once before. But she slipped away, and now has the power to protect herself. She has taken your gift and twisted it to her own ends. Your beasts will not succeed. My strength is needed.” He paused, as if listening to a reply. “Why did you give me these gifts and shape me into this form, if I was not to use them? I will find my wayward Sister. I will search from the tallest tower to the darkest depths of this sea. I will stalk the shoreline as a shadow, as you have made me, and I will return her.” There was another quiet spell. “You will not wait long. I will be swift. Endure this but a little longer, and let me finish my work.” His posture had hardened over the course of this unseen conversation, and here it finally relaxed. “Thank you, Mother.” He looked out over the city towards the horizon. “Day is not far off. I should resume my place. We will talk again soon, Mother.”

He dropped off the building, landing effortlessly and unharmed despite plummeting multiple stories, as lightly as if it was but a step on a stair, and vanished into the waning night.

___

She stood by the shore, watching the sea lick the beach with dark, glittering waves. A trail of prints marked the places in the sand where she had stepped, a straight line to the edge of the sea. A girl on the cusp of womanhood, she seemed at first glance ordinary. In terms of dress, posture, and stature, she would have fit in with any crowd of school age youths mingling at a shop after class. What marked her apart was color, or rather, lack of it. Her clothes were devoid of any hue other than a washed outside of grey, a bit like ink that had been heavily diluted by water, and her skin was likewise washed of any shade, white as unblemished parchment. Her hair, the iris of her eyes, all was bereft of any chroma.

The grey girl watched the moving water lap up almost to her shoes, darkening the sand inches from where she stood. She spoke softly, seemingly addressing no one. “Woe to you, oh Earth and sea, for the devil has sent her beasts in wrath. The time is short.” The waves lapped higher, covering her feet for an instant before receding. The waters churned as if response to her words, surging even higher on the beach on their next pass. “They will add another mark of pain upon the scarred face of this world. They will leave aching, bleeding rents upon the body of the Earth, blood in the dust and sand.” The water was now up to her knees at its highest, swamping the whole expanse of beach around her, and each wave that crashed on the shore seemed to be higher and deeper. “But I will heal these wounds, and I will erase the scars they would leave. I will heal the cuts upon the mind, until not even a memory of their crime remains. Mine are the healing waters, to wash away the pains of the body... and the mind.” With a roar, a final great wave crashed upon the beach, engulfing girl and all. When it drew back into the ocean, the beach was left pristine, blank. The sand and soil was exactly as it had been before the girl had stepped upon it. There were no footprints to mark that she had been there, nor did any of the earth show any signs of the touch of the waves. Not even a memory of the waters remained. It was as if it had never happened.

___

It was starting towards late afternoon, but there were still many students around the school. Clubs had been rather active recently, and meetings often ran late, so it wasn’t unusual for students in their read and gray uniforms to be here even though the sun was almost at the horizon. It was hot and humid, typical of Yokohama summers, the muggy air making it even more uncomfortable. Most were looking forward to heading home and relaxing, but four students had another task before they could head home.

Early this morning, each of the Children had received a visit from a Surian.Yuki had found Akai in her room (yet again; Yuki should ask Akai how she does that sometime), while Kimiko discovered Kuma sunning himself on the sill of one of the windows of her house. Tsurugi had crossed paths with Susumu on his way to school, and Kuma just caught Nashiko before she headed into the school. The Children had been told that something had happened last night; that something new had descended from the Mother to the city. They’d been engaged in nightly sorties against her creatures, destroying strange and alien things that hid during the day and roamed freely during the night. They had stopped the monsters from breaking into homes, protecting people from harm and kidnap. So far, they had been very successful, mastering their powers and learning how to work as a team.

But the Surians had maintained that what they had seen so far was just the beginning, and from their tones today, each of them knew that what had happened last night had been something the Surians had been waiting for, something expected. The Surians had told the Children to meet them at the school after clubs had dispersed, and then they would explain further and formulate a plan for tonight. It was an easy way to get everyone together in one place to talk, and it shouldn’t keep them from their other commitments for too long.

In Susumu’s case, his mother would be busy working, and his sister Misako would be busy in clubs, and she could take care of herself for the most part, anyway. Yuki’s uncle Kaito was at their place, and he could watch Miyu and Nanami while Yuki was otherwise occupied. Of course, Nanami might just go out with her friends anyway, which wasn’t really much of a comfort, considering their tendency to trespass and poke around in places they shouldn’t be in looking for weird stuff. Still, she would be occupied, and not concerned with what Yuki was doing, and Nanami would make sure Miyu got home safely before she ran off. Kimiko was in luck; her father Jun was taking her sister Kaoru to a gathering with some of his business friends. The two would probably be back later than she would, and Noriko was so focused on her work that she had let Kimiko off with less than her usual scrutiny. Nashiko only had her father to worry about, but Saburo had been doing better recently, and she normally didn’t come home till a bit later, anyway.

There was just a little while left until the appointed meeting with the Surians, and the Children had that time to arrange their thoughts and get ready for it. Supposedly, this was going to be a big step up in the battle against the Mother. Although it would be natural to be a bit uncertain and nervous, hopefully the Children can find the courage in themselves to face this. They will need it.

OOC: So, first IC post! For it, you should describe your character, describe roughly where she/he is, and give a general impression of their thoughts. You can be with other PCs, with NPCs, alone, or whatever. This is just a quick little segment to let you guys introduce and display your characters, get everyone checked in and make sure everyone is onboard, and other bookkeeping and administrative type things. After everyone has posted once we will get on with it.

[Hawker]

Morie Nashiko sighed as she exited the school's expansive building, pushing a loose strand of inky hair neatly under her long braid. Dozens of students pushed past her, but she didn't mind or quicken her pace. She rounded a corner and winked out of sight completely. "Silly children, rushing around like that," she mumbled to herself before taking off in flight.

From up above, the city's tallest buildings gleamed with iridescent beauty in the afternoon sun. She put the sun behind her and approached the pier for her daily visit, touching down behind a structure away from prying eyes before fading back into visibility. Her hair had come completely loose and hung messily down her back and shoulders, so she hastened to work it back into a braid.
The water was dark as she peered down into it; from this high she could not make out her own reflection. "Masao..." she breathed slowly; not fifteen feet from this spot on the shabby pier her brother had perished at the hands of Mother's creatures. She squeezed a tear back into her grey eye and slumped onto a bench. "Masao, I'm supposed to meet with the other Children tonight. Kuma told me--" She paused as a man walked past, and waited until he was beyond earshot before continuing. "Kuma told me so this morning. Apparently there are new creatures they want us to fight, or something. It sounds... dangerous. I've got a bad feeling about it." She shifted, crossing her legs and looking to the sky. "Father is doing better this week. He's been going out more, although it's always at night. I fear that he sleeps all day, he's never up when I leave for school. At least he's getting out of the house." She sat motionless for another several minutes, eyes closed, thinking about her brother.

When she opened them, she checked her phone for the time. "I should probably go, wouldn't want to keep the others waiting. I miss you, brother." She stood slowly and vanished again once she was sure nobody was watching. After one last glance at the spot he died, she took off and flew toward the sun back to school.

Once she arrived at the rendezvous, she sat down and rebraided her hair again. While she waited for the others, she took her books out from her backpack and started working on her Mathematics. She had already changed out of most of her school uniform and now wore a white skirt and blouse with lacy patterns and black embroidery, although she still wore her shiny black school shoes. Her long face was focused into a tight frown as she concentrated on her homework.

[OOC: Does this suffice? Let me know in the OOC thread if there's a problem, first post is always the hardest.]

[AmberVael]

It was getting towards the time for the meeting, Kimiko noticed; if she didn't want to be late, she'd better start heading that way. With a few quick button presses she saved her notes and her current place in the book she was reading, then clicked her laptop shut before sliding the slim computer into its carrying case. Kimiko never carried books with her anymore- not only was the load lighter this way, but everything was just so much more accessible and readily available. To some it might look odd, but she was sure that everyone would do it this way eventually. It was just so much simpler and less wasteful. Teachers might have problems keeping the attention of some students, but when was that ever not the case?

Carefully and slowly, Kimiko stood up from her desk in the study room, bracing a little on sturdy wooden surface before she pulled herself to her full, completely unimpressive height. She picked up her laptop case, slid the strap over her shoulder, then walked through the halls with purpose, but without great speed. A tune went through her head- some beat she'd picked up while poking around online- and she hummed it quietly, a bare hint of a smile on her face. Kuma had suggested that what they were meeting about was serious, more dangerous, but Kimiko couldn't find worry in herself. It would all work out somehow, she was sure of it.

A few girls from the literature club passed by her, and she waved at them, but didn't pause to speak. Kimiko had begged off from her clubs today, citing a need for some study on an upcoming examination. They hadn't pressed her about it- no one ever seemed to second guess her when she made those kinds of decision. She wondered if it spoiled her, but she couldn't honestly see how, it always did seem like she had good reasons. But then, one was never quite sure of when they personally stopped being reasonable, were they?

With a slight shake of her head, Kimiko pushed the concern aside just as she arrived at the meeting place. Noting that Morie was studying, she just gave her a small nod of greeting before she took a seat and waited on the others.

[Green Bean]

Susumu's progress after school wasn't hard to track. With a cheap Yamaha electric guitar in hand and a battery powered mini amp strapped to his backpack, he played his way off the school grounds and towards Yokohama's main shopping district. Despite the low quality guitar, the sounds Susumu coaxed from the instrument are sweet and clear and ring out over the traffic and the crowds. With his darker skin and frizzy hair, he stood out on the street even without the guitar, but by now he knew to take it in stride. Better to be seen than completely ignored, right? Besides, at least with the guitar the street vendors were beginning to recognize him and had stopped charging him the tourist rates.

He stopped at a little stand on the way to pick up a few rice balls to tide him over until dinner. With Mom working late and what was looking like an eventful evening ahead of him, he wanted something in his belly to hold him until dinner. He threaded his way through the afternoon crowds, and finally reached his destination, Shibuya Music. He waved to the cashier, who had seen him drop in almost every evening for years now, and dropped off his school bags in the back room before making a beeline straight to the guitar section. He picked one and, over the course of an enjoyable hour or so, carefully tuned it. His hearing had become much better since he'd gained his powers, so any instrument he handled quickly became on-pitch on a level even an electronic tuner couldn't measure.

Even caught up in his work, Susumu kept careful track of time, and set off back to school early. The streets were a little more crowded as the daily crush of salarymen started to leave work, and a few times Susumu took the long way around to avoid getting caught in the crush of people. When the crowds thinned out, he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to Misako just to check in. It probably wasn't necessary, but ever since he'd begun the fight against Mother, Susumu was a little more on edge about his sister. By the time he got the traditional "still here, stop bugging me!" reply, he had finally reached the school grounds.

As he entered the meeting place, Susumu switched off his amp and slung his guitar back over his shoulder. His expression was serious as he nodded his greetings to his team mates.

[Lykan]

Yuki would almost assuredly be the last to arrive on the scene, for a multitude of reasons. For one, the stagecraft club had her stay late to paint some bland-looking mountainous backdrop for an upcoming production, for which the other members mysteriously managed to wriggle out of working on. It didn’t much, aside from eating a bit into her free time. She preferred to work alone on this sort of thing anyway…

Next step in the Hoshino Yuki delay-o-thon involved returning home. The trip was primarily required to grab a blouse and skirt ensemble that she had prepared earlier (she sure as hell wasn’t going to be explaining why she was wearing a boy’s uniform to the rest of the Children, after all), but she also wanted to check that Miyu had made it home safely. As much as she was willing to trust Nanami with her escort duties, it still gave the eldest sister complex in her some peace of mind to find her at home for herself. After snatching the clothes into her bag, peaking into Miyu’s room (she was there), and avoiding the prying eyes and questions of her uncle, she headed off for the next magnificent factor in her overly complicated trip.

Finding a place to change was typically an easy affair. As her forays out into the world as a girl became more frequent, she discovered a grocery store with a co-ed bathroom owned by a particularly busy and moderately senile old lady who never seemed to notice the apparent gender-swapping powers of her toilet. Using the place to change Yuki then dashed back to school, hoping that she wouldn’t be too heavily reprimanded for being late.

The thought seemed to disappear from her mind when she got there, though. There were still a fairly large amount of people meandering about the school despite the time. This was exactly why she didn’t like meeting up at the school. If there was anyone still around who could identify her, the consequences would be, well… Bad, certainly. It was probably not a good idea to think too far into the subject, lest her anxieties get the better of her again. On earlier meetings like this she had thought about asking to change the location of where they congregated, but the inevitable question of why she would want to gather somewhere else ultimately made her stay silent on the subject.

When she finally felt it was safe to sneak back in, Yuki heads up to their appointed meeting spot, muttering an apology sheepishly to the others. "Sorry. Had a thing. Ready to go now."

[Neon Knight]

The Surians had a tendency to pop up unexpectedly, so it wasn't really a surprise when Kuma suddenly walked out of a bush and lightly hopped into Kimiko's lap. With a air of pomp and decadence identical to that of a real cat, he flopped down lazily, looking up at Kimiko with a rather self-satisfied look in his yellowish-brown eyes. "Good day Kimiko, everyone." The voice they heard simply projected from the cat, without any apparent source. It was a bit odd, but you got used to it eventually. Akai trotted in just behind him, looking for all the world like any ordinary stray dog aside from the hint of a greater intellect behind her eyes. "Hello. Tsurugi should be here soon." Kuma looked a bit sly as he stretched out a bit more on his chosen bedding. "He just wants to be late so he can have something to complain about." Akai padded over to Nashiko and sniffed her lightly. "You smell like the sea. "

Tsurugi arrived swiftly as promised; he stood further apart from the group than Akai, who was sitting next to Nashiko, or Kuma, who would keep his seat in Kimiko's lap unless shooed away. The fox sits down on his haunches and begins promptly, without greeting. "Tonight is to be an important night. I have called this meeting to tell you that last night, the Mother sent down many creatures, including some new types. I have seen them myself, and have recognized members of the Mystic Breed. It represents an escalation in their search for you, and it means that soon if not this very night, they will come seeking you. But, all this arrival and movement have also revealed to me some of their nests. I am here to propose that you strike tonight against them, before they can prepare their own strike."

[AmberVael]

Kimiko was still not entirely sure why the Surians had chosen to appear as animals- surely taking human appearance would have some advantages, after all- and felt a bit uncertain about it, but when a being that looked like a cat chose to sit in your lap, it was hard not to react accordingly. So, obligingly, she pet Kuma and did not deny him his choice of seating while the Surians made their greetings. "Hello." She replied simply, the hints of a smile on her face.

She listened carefully as Tsurugi spoke, and nodded at his suggestion, but did not let that stop her from asking questions. "What exactly do you think would happen if we let them make the first move? And where are their nests?"

[Hawker]

Nashiko looked up from her homework when the Surians made their entrance, and matched Akai's gaze when she addressed her. She said nothing in reply to the dog's comment, but stared into her eyes wondering what the Surians looked like when not masquerading as dogs, cats, and foxes. It felt odd for a person to look like that, however alien their true form could be. She looked away to pack her textbook back into her satchel as Tsurugi began speaking.

Listening intently, but staring down at her feet, she pursed her lips. Was she ready to take on a nest of monsters? Nashiko was not terribly confident in her own abilities as a fighter for Earth. She always worried that, although the senior in age, she held the team back or slowed them down.

She was glad when Kimiko started asking questions, it allowed her to stop worrying and start thinking about gathering information. Knowing the consequences of what she thought would be playing it safe would help, so she looked up and waited for the Surians' reply.

[Green Bean]

Susumu, for his part, wasn't in the least concerned with how the Surians looked or why they wanted to look like adorable fuzzy little creatures. He was simply content in the knowledge that they were there to help, and excited about finally going on the offensive. "All right, we'll show Mother what we're made of! We'll kick their butts back into outer space!"

But his gung ho expression quickly lost its shine as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oh, but you said they're coming after us. Could our families be in danger?"

[Lykan]

Yuki waved to the animal-alien-things as they arrived, smiling a little. It was hard to say that the question of why they never took on a human guise confused her as well... It would probably be a little easier to recruit people if the prospective magical Child didn't have to deal with talking animals and possible encroaching madness on top of an evil alien spaceship aiming to wipe out all life on earth.

Susumu's comment made Yuki twinge. The idea of snarks invading her home to kidnap her sisters was primarily why she was so dedicated to smashing the mother's minions into little pieces in the first place. If her stepping forth to protect them was the ultimate reason why they might be harmed, she would never be able to forgive herself. "Show us the nests. Maybe if we prove too great a hassle for them to collect they'll lay off of us for awhile, or something."

[Neon Knight]

Tsurugi seemed ever so slightly pleased at Kimiko's question, although the precise reason as to why was enigmatic to the Children. He was rarely anything other than reserved or outright stern, it was hard to find a logic behind what met his approval. Perhaps he liked having his opinion sought out, or perhaps he thought her question intelligent and addressing the proper concerns. It was clear that he found Kimiko's conduct preferable to Susumu's gung-ho earnestness, which earned the merest glance that managed to convey annoyance despite his non-human features. The Surians had a knack for projecting human emotions and subtleties when they wanted to, despite their forms. Akai, for her part, seemed to approve both of Yuki and Susumu's response.

"If we allow them to strike first, then they will target you one by one while you are isolated, striking with overwhelming force. They will have numbers, tactics, and abilities unlike anything you have yet encountered. With Mystics at their side, they might even command powers of illusion and deception that could allow them to attempt attacks during the day." Tsurugi's eyes look sharply at them all. "The more strength the Mother gets on the surface, the more daring she will become, the more she will risk. The more she will put at risk." He looks particularly at Susumu and Yuki. "If the Mother's monsters come and find you, it could be at any time, and at any place. Fight them in their homes, and you will not have to fight in your own."

Kuma spoke up from his perch. "There are other reasons to press the attack right now. We have identified a series of locations on and just off the shore, along the rural coast beyond the city. These are likely sights for the nests, but the Mother will be looking to build more to house a force of this size and to allow for further growth. With the powerful abilities of the Mystics, she might be able to base them closer to the city, while still keeping them from being noticed by your people. In fact, they might be even harder to find. This magic stuff is difficult for us to deal with. If we strike now, we might slow their advance, and this might represent our best chance to strike against them. We might not get another chance like this."

Akai rose up stepping before all of them. "And there is a third reason. These nests are likely the largest ones she has in Japan. If she has kidnapped anyone - ordinary human, or one of her Children - they might be held prisoner here. But that might change soon, as the Mother's forces build new nests and expand their territory in wake of this new wave."

[Hawker]

"And... And you think we can take on the largest nests in the country?" Nashiko asked. She looked up and eyed Tsurugi. "Am... Are we ready? If you truly think so, then I suppose this is the best shot we have." Her eyes narrowed and traced along the other two Surians. The creatures hadn't led them astray yet, and she definitely trusted them, but this was the biggest risk they would have taken yet. She looked back down at her shiny black shoes again, just barely able to see Akai's dim reflection on her toes. She desperately wanted to be able to save anyone the monsters had taken, as her brother had saved her.

Magic was a tricky subject for Nashiko to grasp, as well; she hadn't believed in it since her early childhood when she first heard about trolls and faeries and elves from her Londoner schoolteachers. It was much easier to understand the psychic and transformative abilities she possessed as one of the Children than the magical ones of the Mystics. She wasn't sure exactly what mechanisms she used to become a ghost or turn invisible, but she was certain that they were scientifically definable in nature, not magically based.

[AmberVael]

Kimiko thought a little, considering- if they kept together and chose defensive action, they might gain advantage that way without the same risk. But then, allowing their opponents to mount the offensive was undesirable, as they were the few who really knew of them and could defend against them. The creatures could easily launch attacks against other unsuspecting targets, whether for direct gain or simply to lure them out of the defensive ground they had chosen.

Waiting was not a good option then. Removing the forces before they could do serious damage seemed to be a better plan, but direct combat was risky. What else could remove them, however? Kimiko could not think of anything, but stored the question in the back of her mind to consider. For now, Tsurugi's suggestion did seem to be a sensible course.

"How much do we know about them? If we're to do this, do we need to scout before we go in, or have you handled that already?" Kimiko asked. It was one thing to know they were there... it was quite another to know how many there were, what distribution they had, and what the priority targets were.

[Lykan]

"If they haven't, I can take a shot at it. Arondight can do a flyover of the area and try to scope out what we might be up against." Granted, it wasn't exactly the stealthiest option in Yuki's arsenal; The Court Matrix's resident dragon-thing wasn't at all adept at being covert, but he was capable of flying at very high speeds, which might be all they really needed to get a feel for any sort of future battlefield. Plus, if things got hairy he could simply be un-summoned... Or smash a crapton of alien troops. The beast seemed to enjoy that sort of thing.

"I could also send in someone smaller if you want them not to know we're coming, I guess." She fiddles a little with the straps on her bag, thinking. "Really, any one in the Court would make for the safest scout, unless those Mystic-things have a way of locking me out of using them properly."

[Neon Knight]

Akai sat up on her haunches and placed a paw on her knee. "You can do this. Don't doubt yourself." Tsurugi gave the akita a harsh look, but kept his tongue and instead answered Kimiko's question. "I have gotten close to the nests. They are a series of burrows and hollows along the coast, going underneath both the shore and just offshore. There will be many Snarks, both shelled and unshelled. as well as members of the Hearth breed. Recons might be present if they are resting, but may also be out scouting. The newly arrived Mystics will likely be present." He gazed levelly at Yuki. "Having your construct scout ahead might have some utility; it might help us spot defensive outposts and lookouts on the surface."

Kuma spoke up, stretching a bit upon Kimiko's lap. "You'll encounter species that you've fought and that we've gone over already, potentially new ones as well. You'll have to use your own initiative to decide priorities. In general, though, more advanced breeds like Mystics and Recons are higher priority targets. If that fails you, attacking anything that looks particularly dangerous or badass first isn't a bad way to go."

[Hawker]

Don't doubt yourself, Akai had said. Easier said than done, Surian... Nashiko took a breath and addressed Yuki. "I could probably scout around and inside the nests, too. I can go invisible, and walls can't stop me," she said, masking her nerves with feigned pride, though she did not change her serious frown. She did doubt even the mystics would be able to detect her presence, but if they could... Her job would be dangerous to say the least. The snarks and hearths didn't worry her too much, though; she could take them out psychically with ease, or simply escape through a solid wall if overwhelmed. "We should definitely both go, though," she added hastily, blowing her cover of put-on confidence as her face reddened. Once again, she directed her eyes downward to hide her embarrassment.

[AmberVael]

"Alright." Kimiko takes off her glasses and closes her eyes, rubbing them as she thinks. What else might be important? What potential problems could they make plans for and deal with before arriving?

"Is there anything else can we accomplish beyond just getting rid of the forces there? If we can find a way to make repeat invasions less likely, or capture some specific materiel to make this a more costly loss, we should. Is there anything you know of they might have that we could use against them now, or later?"

She takes a breath, then looks at the three Surians. "Is there anything else important we need to know or should look out for?"

[Green Bean]

Susumu was chastened by Tsurugi's unvoiced disapproval, so he keeps quiet. He didn't know much of tactics anyway, so he was content to sit and listen . He reassured himself that his family wasn't in any danger. If they attacked first, it would draw them away from targeting bystanders, right?

[Lykan]

Yuki gives her fellow magical girl a small, awkward smile. "If I were going along with Aron, I would welcome your company. Seeing as I can communicate with him remotely, though, I can't think of a good reason for us to join him."

Yuki fiddles awkwardly with the straps of her bag again, trying her best to be be polite about shooting down Nashiko's plan. "I mean, assuming the mystics don't have a way of locking me out of contact with him, he could just dematerialize in the case he would be overwhelmed. If that happened to us, though, well... We'd get imprisoned, and leave Kimiko and Su-chan to assault the nests on their own. It doesn't seem worth the risk for a simple scouting run, y'know?"

[Hawker]

"Oh... Good point." Nashiko was two years older, but Yuki seemed to know so much more about these things, somehow. She had figured that a gigantic dragon-beast would be a little too conspicuous, but she wasn't about to protest when the other girl seemed so confident. Plus, minimal risk was probably paramount, even if it meant potentially blowing the element of surprise. If there really were as many nests as the Surians claimed, they could easily just switch targets to catch Mother off guard anyway. Nashiko quickly glanced around at the others, hoping they were not looking at her, and then settled her gaze on the ground in front of Yuki so she could see her face just within her peripheral vision.

[Neon Knight]

Tsurugi considers for a moment before answering Kimiko. "We have already devised to destroy Cthonic Stones. You might find structures that they use as shelter, or plants they might grow for sustenance. Destroy those as well. If I thought you could get away with it without attracting too much attention, I would advise you to burn and raise the site to the ground. Salt the earth is the human expression, I believe."

"If you have any further questions, you may ask Akai. For now, I must begin my own preparations. At midnight, as soon as you can, you should come to the southern edge of the city, along the shore. I will find you and lead you towards the area I suspect they linger in, and then we can have Yuki's construct conduct scouting. While you are gone, Kuma and Akai will keep an eye on a city, and watch your families. You need not be concerned about their safety, so concentrate on the mission."

And like that, Tsurugi turned and stalked off, much the same as he had approached. Akai and Kuma (particularly Kuma, who appreciated Kimiko's soft lap and pets) would linger for a while, and take any small questions they had before departing themselves. Akai provided a more precise location for meeting with Tsurugi, apologizing for his terseness and lack of foresight in elaborating. But there was time yet to exchange words with one another, or to head home and indulge in family, friends, or other interests before the appointed meeting time.

___

Inevitably, that time did come, and the Children would begin to slip one by one away from their homes and into the night. Getting to the southern coast to the appointed meeting site in Kanazawa Ward, a bedroom community and regional commercial center at the southeast part of Yokohama. Tsurugi was waiting at the point Akai had indicated, right at the edge of the city where urban sprawl gave way to coastal flatlands disrupted by the occasional hill. The night was cooler than the day, and the moon was new, granting them darkness under which to work.

Tsurugi was as terse an impolite as he was before, immediately launching into a brief strategy session without bothering with a greeting.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

If you want to talk to one another or do something at home, like interact with NPCs or something like that, you can do that in a separate section from your response to my prompt above about tonight, but keep it rather short. Before we proceed with the night mission proper, I'd like Lykan to tell me what she is going to tell Arondight to do so I have a better idea as to his approach and tactics when scouting, before we get into what he sees and how his foray goes.

Everyone else should just establish themselves as present and describe what they look like transformed. Hopefully, we'll get on with the events of tonight proper in just a post or two.

[AmberVael]

Kimiko is the first to arrive, approaching with confidence and energy. As the Adamant Angel, Kimiko's body was covered completely in sleek and curving armor, gleaming silver metal interwoven with glowing emerald crystal; Her helmet covers her eyes and most of her head, but her mouth is uncovered and a dare-devil smile plays across her lips. Numerous small devices hover about her, razor thin ovals set with glowing green discs that drift around her in slow circles. Each of them was a focus for her power, serving in such a variety of ways that it was impossible to tell what exactly they were and what they did.

Now that she's here, Kimiko seems impatient, though she reins herself in to listen to Tsurugi closely. Nonetheless, it's obvious that she's ready to get going, and she asks no questions this time.

[Lykan]

Yuki is there not long after, choosing to wander the city after their meeting rather than return home again. Chances are going back would just end up being a big hassle, if she had to dodge her sisters and uncle to get back to her room only to try and sneak out later once again. Soon after her arrival, she concentrates, raising her hand up to the night sky and causing her sleeve to fall away, revealing a silvery band around her wrist. Once exposed to the light of the stars, the band begins to glow, calling down a beam from the heavens that engulfs her form. When it fades, the girl is clad in a frilly, white dress, with her head, hands, and feet adorned with a brilliant silver armor. With a snap of her fingers, a staff forged from interlocking white plates appears in her hand, glowing from within with a soft blue light. With a cheery grin she waves to the others, twirling the staff about in her hand.

“Hi everyone. Sorry for any delay on my part… Although it doesn’t look like everyone’s here yet, anyway. Hopefully nothing serious is making them late.” After a few moments of quiet, she turns to Kimiko, continuing to twirl about her staff. “Hey, senpai, up for the killing counter game tonight? From the looks of things there’s gonna be lots of things to smash on this run.”

After a short talk with Akai and Kuma after their previous meeting, Yuki had managed to come up with instructions for Arondight’s future scouting mission: Fly only as low and as slow as he needed to see any structures or minions in the nest. If he were pursued by the mother's minions, see how long they would give chase before turning back and doing another sweep. Do not attack them. If things get too hairy, dematerialize and return to her. Maintain constant contact, through visuals and mental communication. Yuki will draw out maps from what she can see from Aron's imput, and present them to the rest of the group, as well as any other peculiar findings.

[Green Bean]

Susumu didn't trust himself to go home after the meeting; he didn't want to make excuses to go out after dinner to his mom in person. He was pretty good at spinning the truth, but he knew the day he looked into his mother's eyes and straight up lied to her he'd lose something important. So he texted his mom about a last minute practice session with his band (which didn't exist, but it was his go-to excuse for Children business) that would run extra late and found an out of the way park to kill some time with guitar practice. He arrived at the meeting point lost in thought, but perked right up when he saw that his comrades were already here.

As he watched Yuki transform, his face broke into a grin, and the sound of a distant guitar riff cut through the air. He slowly reached for his own Amulet, and as he did the music got louder. When he made contact, the ground seemed to rumble, and Susumu was engulfed in a harsh red glow that erupted from below. The phantom guitar got even louder, and a disembodied singer joined in.

<Lock up your daughter!>

The words weren't Japanese, but English, a harsh voice challenging the world at large. Susumu laughed jauntily as his prim and proper school top flayed away, replaced by a black sports jacked patched with a riot of colours. The sleeves and hems were frayed, but the buttons shined like gold teeth.

<Lock up your wife!>

His hair, normally frizzy and short, lengthened and puffed out, spiking up like he'd just stuck a fork in an electrical socket. It turned a deep shade of electric blue that went right down to the root. The colour clashed horribly with the red aura surrounding him, and was all the more distinctive for it.

<Lock up your backdoor, and run for your life!>

Susumu's pants changed from matte to shiny black leather, and shiny studs began appearing with a metallic groan, like they were being seared on with a branding iron. Chains erupted from the heaving earth, and wrapped themselves around his leg and waist, and drew themselves taut. When they seemed about to pull Susumu into the earth, he wrenched his lower body, and the chains snapped like cheap rubber bands. The ends attached themselves to his shoes as the music got even louder.

<The man is back in town!>

With a ostentatious crescendo, Susumu pulled an unreal-looking electric guitar from thin air, and the music and lights cut out, leaving him silent and lit with a pale glow that pulsed to some silent inner beat. It was utterly over the top, utterly absurd, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm ready."

[Neon Knight]

If Tsurugi felt any displeasure at their brash manners, the smiles and the banter, he did not show it. Tsurugi was usually harsh and demanding, constantly judging their attitudes and beliefs for any sign of overconfidence or weakness, but when it came time to actually fight, he usually let it be and just let them do their work.

And how changed were their attitudes. Impatience from Kimiko, bravado from Yuki, and Susumu barely had to say anything and was still the loudest and most brash of them all. They were a motley group, one might be forgiven if they could not connect these with those that had met at the school earlier this day.

Tsurugi did not have much to say, merely reinforcing what they had discussed earlier, and biding Yuki to summon Arondight to begin the scouting. Arondight was as imposing as ever when Yuki called him. He towered above all of them, easily dwarfing a heavy truck. The metal plates covering his body were visible even in the deep darkness of the moonless dark, their pearl white surfaces catching the faintest rays of artificial light from the city behind him. His form was shaped much like a typical dragon of legend, although his head was a flat, featureless teardrop made of the same armor plating his body. He stretched his wings, the kite shaped plates of those limbs unfolding out as he lofted himself easily into the air. Arondight was silent and uncommunicative as usual, not uttering a single word before promptly departing once he knew his task. A trail of blue light marked where he flew as he began his pass over the countryside.

Impressions, images, and emotions quickly began to fill Yuki's mind, as well as Arondight's terse statements. Some distance from the city, when the plain and rolling hills had firmly taken over from the urban sprawl of Yokohama, the land was alive from movement. Arondight was flying over a series of three hills, each of which supported shapes upon it that darted about in response to his flight. He could see holes and burrows upon and around them, thick growths of strange plants clustered near them, and dozens of furtive shapes moving about on the ground. This far out, and under the cover of darkness and perhaps magic, it was no surprise that no one in the city was aware of this.

While there was definitely movement in response to his pass, no winged terror took flight after him, and no alien archer attempted to loose any shot at him. They stirred beneath him, clearly agitated, but they did not directly respond to him with violence.

All this Yuki knew, and could relate to the others.

[Hawker]

Nashiko floated in after Arondight had taken flight. She had gone back to her pier, this time to mentally prepare herself rather than monologue at her dead brother, and lost track of time invisible and unable to touch the world with her eyes closed.

She slid back into the visible spectrum about 5 meters from the group, but she remained translucent. Fully transformed, she floated just off the ground, her legs and feet completely concealed in a long, gleaming white kimono that seemed to give off a slight glow rather than reflect the existing lights. Her eyes were glossed over with a silver luster, and her hair flowed free around her head, disheveled and constantly in motion. A glowing, cracked red stone hung on a silver chain at her forehead, providing the only bit of color to her blanched appearance.

She did not comment on her tardiness, or on anything else for that matter. She simply drifted into place between Susumu and Yuki. It was difficult to tell where she was looking; her head faced forward but her eyes were unreadable. Gradually the glow surrounding her subsided as she settled.

[Lykan]

A look of disappointment is plain on Yuki's face as she receives the visions from her draconic cohort, her eyes shut tight to better concentrate on the images she's seeing. "It looks like the lot of them are held up underground, and there's a whole bunch of these weird plants about. They have guys about on the surface but apparently a huge freaking dragon isn't something to panic over." She smirks a little. "... I almost feel like provoking them to see what would happen, but I'll resist giving the order unless it doesn't seem entirely stupid." She opens one eye, looking in the direction of the fox. "Aron's probably not big enough to fit down any holes, and anyone else I can bring in for help would have to penetrate a small army skittering freaks. Should I whack the proverbial hornet's nest to make them come out?"

Yuki gives a small nod and a smile to Nashiko when she arrives, looking a bit relieved now that everyone was present.

[AmberVael]

"We're going to have to enter." Kimiko observes, pulling various thoughts together as she considers the best tactic. "And Arondight's your best, from what I recall. He can probably handle himself, right? If they saw him, they probably know we- or at least something- is coming."

She weighs possibilities in her mind. "If you think he can handle it, attacking them wouldn't be a bad plan. Use him to draw their attention, then we can move in while they're distracted and do as much damage as possible before they can respond. A standard feint, but I think it could work. Since you can see what he does, we should be able to see how many forces they commit and whether they draw away to focus on us once we start."

"Any objections?" Kimiko asks, looking over everyone.

[Green Bean]

"You don't have to risk him right away. I can send my own friend here to draw them out." Susumu casually tossed his illusory guitar into the air, and it turned into a maelstrom of light and colour that resolved itself into a second Arondight, which clawed at the ground determinedly. He sticks his hand through a metal wing and wiggles his fingers. "Fake Arondight here should be able to fool Common breeds at least. Even if it doesn't work, we'll know something with a bit of brains is calling the shots."

[Lykan]

Yuki nods a little. "I can see a bit of a problem, but it hinges mainly on their ability to remember our abilities. If they know I'm capable of summoning Aron like this, they may be expecting us to pull this sort of trick. If they do, they would probably set up a trap to counteract our assault and capture us at the nest." Yuki wastes no time to stick her staff through the fake Arondight and wiggle it around, giggling a little. "Good thinkin', Shortstuff. If you're gonna send this thing in, be sure to put him on the ground. I don't think they're going for Aron because he's kinda far up in the air right now."