[BitPR²] Mortal World IV

[Kuroimaken]

"Kidou squad, fire! Focus on the entity acting as anti-artillery!

Infantry, engage any enemy making a move on our armor! Form a line and push forward, but do not pursue too far!

Masaru-taichou, come in."

Kamen Rider Rei will supplement the Kidou squad's barrage of spells with his own barrage of bullets, aiming at Argos to keep him (it?) busy.

[KnightDisciple]

[Eastern Russia]

The radio comes to life a few moments after Rei calls Masaru.

"Masaru here, I copy you."

[Kuroimaken]

"Feeling two distinct, large sources of Reiryoku in the area. One's at their base, I'm guessing it belongs to one of the members of the Court. The other's due west from here and I can't make heads or tails of who it might belong to.

Tell your men to circle from the east. If whoever's waiting there intends to crash this party and we have to step aside, it'll be easier if the enemy's flank is chewed into instead of ours."

Simultaneously, Rei opened a channel to Momoka.

"Kobayashi-kun, please respond."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound - Meeting Room)

Misaki enters... alone? Well, Yoshiro probably didn't have much to add to tactics meetings, and besides the fact, he was probably still resting from the night before. Sure did a number on him. She gives a neutral nod to Chuck, Shinhee, and sits down, quietly waiting until people are gathered. ...although it was pretty much just Chuck and her.

...and apparently Yuuta, who arrives a few minutes after Misaki, seating himself. "...so. Glad I'm not late this time." He crosses his arms, trying to think of something to break the ice. "...anybody baseball fans? I'll admit I'm missing it down here."

Misaki turns slightly, raising an eyebrow. Internally, she still wanted to snap his neck. But she is doing a good job of hiding it.

[Eastern Russia]

Momoka's voice comes in after a few moments. "Yes, commander?"

On the other side of the link, Momoka is standing watching the multiple screens that are overlooking the battle, taking it all in calmly. But she does everything calmly so that's not really new.

[Kuroimaken]

"Give me a status update on anything they might be powering up with spiritual energy.

I could also use an I.D. on whichever two of the largest Reiatsu are in the area that don't belong to us."

__________________________

[Kuzunoha complex]

"I'm afraid we don't get the luxury of being this nice and hee-laxed. We've come up with a plan that should eliminate Satomi Moto with the minimum possible amount of civilian casualties, ho.

We're going to fake Yoshiro and Misaki's death."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound)

Misaki... gives Shinhee a look. It is hard to describe what it denotes, but the closest thing would be that she is subconsciously drilling in 'this better be good'. She doesn't seem very impressed, all told.

Yuuta raises his eyebrows. "...that's the plan, then? Well, no need to be dramatic, are we all here?"

(Ikari Streets)

It'd be quite easy to overlook a small gang of teenage girls wandering the streets on a weekend.

...Yep. That's really all there is to say. I mean, what, do the Kuzunohas really take note of every tiny bit of minutiae? It's a big city, even Soul Society in all of its technological glory doesn't do that! Nonetheless, Queen Bee leads the group through the city in as inconspicuous a pattern as possible, stopping in clothing stores, having lunch at a cafe, and generally just sightseeing.

Rumble Bee, however, is looking around curiously, her eyes blinking rapidly. While much of the girl's minds have been twisted, timid little Minako's winning trait still remained. She was always the brains of the group, which is why Haruka felt like keeping her around while they were alive. But of course, she kept a rather rare, over-sensationalized trait; eidetic memory. And so, she tracks the movements of Kuzunoha's shikigami spies, registers any faces attached to any amount of spiritual power, and generally takes note of anything worth taking note of, all while the others are keeping up the facade.

Maybe this would finally give her some recognition for all her hard work?

[Eastern Russia]

"The cult are not powering up any manner of spell or artifact, I am afraid." Momoka scans the screens...

"The most obvious answer, at first, would be Vicenzo Scamozzo. However it becomes considerably trickier after that. Their forces are balanced in strength; but there is an... odd spiritual signature from one of what seems to be a symbiote-equipped mortal. I can only hypothesize, but it seems like they've merged at a spiritual level unlike the others, so do be cautious, and take note of any oddities."

[Kuroimaken]

"It's not necessarily the best plan, but it is the one with the least heesk. Any form of direct assault is out of the question - we don't have the manpower to go on direct confrontation, hee-ho.

What we need is for her to come to us in a position where she can't bring anything more than a honor guard as an excuse. We have the means to falsify Yoshiro and Misaki's death hoficially - in a sense, anyway. We will bring her to Hee-kari to identify the bodies. Yoshiro actually holds an important position within their organization as Satomi's only living relative that she can't afford to cut loose as eagerly as she would like.

Once she's in the morgue, we will bring it down on her. If she somehow escapes the building..."

Shinhee looks at Chuck.

"...well, then I'm afraid I will have to ask you to finish the job, ho."

The comic-looking snowman in Shinji's clothes looked grim enough that one might forget he's an artificial magical construct for a moment.

"We can build barriers that will make it harder for her to heescape. And we can make 'bodies' convincing enough to fool most experts. But, being spiritually sensitive, we can't duplicate Yoshiro and Shizuka's spiritual pressures, or fake their spirits having left their shell. For that, we'll need the real ones.

Needless to say, this plan will hee-quire a lot of subterfuge and will attract quite a bit of attention. Satomi will know she'll be walking into a trap. We're counting on Yoshiro and Shizuka being important enough assets that she can't afford to try and send a substitute to do that work - besides which, legally, they'd need to be recognized by a relative, an-hee-way."

______________________

[Ikari Streets]

Well, of course the Kuzunoha can't take note of every tiny minutia that goes on in their daily lives, nor every single person in the street. That would be crazy. And even in Ikari's overcrowded population of mediums, they simply don't have the manpower to do something like that.

However, Minako underestimated the nature of the little Shikigami spies. While they are, for all effects and purposes, disguised to look like wildlife (pretty convincingly at that), she might also realize that said Shikigami are also spiritual in nature.

Meaning that only spiritually sensitive people can see them.

And the Kuzunoha DO try and keep track of empowered people.

Each time she looks at one of them, they look back. Each time she spots one, she can feel them looking back at her. Sometimes they move around, changing their angles and spots a bit. But given a little time, she will begin to notice Shikigami looking directly AT her BEFORE she looks at them.

It is fairly easy to reason why. Each time they are actually spotted, the shikigami "animals" send quick feedback to their masters. Their animal form makes it easier for them to discern between being looked at and being in the general direction one watches; so while they can't tell if someone is empowered or not, the simple fact they have been observed can. Minako was noticed because she was caught looking one too many times.

They can't really tell anything about her - who she really is, what she is, who she works for. But she knows she's been tagged. And she may not necessarily know how much her opponents know.

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound)

Misaki listens to this quietly, parsing over it... then facepalms. "...this is ridiculous. Satomi has connections, she could tie things up until they sent the 'bodies' to a place more convenient to her. She wouldn't come here. And what do you plan to do if you get her into the morgue? Talk her out of this conflict? Kill her?" She only gives a slight pause for a response before continuing. "Because the accuracy of the fakes won't matter if she knows it's a trap. And she will know it is a trap. She is too paranoid to think of anything else. So I won't allow you to risk Yoshi-kun's life or even just his body in that way when it will probably not matter." This, she is scarily insistent on, and it is likely there would be no arguing.

"For that matter, how do you even plan to approach her?" With that, she sits back irritably, waiting for answers. Of course, she could mention the other worry she had, but right now, she still wanted to keep it to herself, even though any plan would be ruined with Yuuta's presence in the room.

(Ikari Streets)

Minako, to her credit, does not give the impression of anybody more impressive than a girl that can see spirits just aware enough to know her friends couldn't see them, and ever so interested in the phenomena! She even gives a subtle, conspiratory wave to one of the shikigami when it looks at her, with a small smile on her face.

After all, she knew she'd been noticed, but she can at least minimize her perceived threat level, right? It's not like she looked like her old self.

[Kuroimaken]

"We're going to use the news.

Yoshiro is a public figure by dint of being Satomi's son. We'll leak the 'story' to a Tokyo tabloid, and contact her through 'official' channels, ho. Make enough of a media circus that she can't AFFORD not to take measures towards certifying the story.

One walks into a trap when one has no other choice, hee-ho.

And yes. The plan IS to kill her. Leave the cover-up to us."

________________________

She's certainly free to do as she likes. Whether her observers will be fooled is a completely different story, of course...

[KnightDisciple]

[Eastern Russia]

"Feeling two distinct, large sources of Reiryoku in the area. One's at their base, I'm guessing it belongs to one of the members of the Court. The other's due west from here and I can't make heads or tails of who it might belong to.

Tell your men to circle from the east. If whoever's waiting there intends to crash this party and we have to step aside, it'll be easier if the enemy's flank is chewed into instead of ours."

Simultaneously, Rei opened a channel to Momoka.

"Kobayashi-kun, please respond."

Masaru's response was swift and efficient.

"Copy that. Moving now."

Indeed, Rei could sense the Shinigami forces moving almost before his order was completed. Masaru was on the ball today! Probably trying to prove his worth as a Captain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Ikari]
[Kuzonoha Compound]

"We're going to use the news.

Yoshiro is a public figure by dint of being Satomi's son. We'll leak the 'story' to a Tokyo tabloid, and contact her through 'official' channels, ho. Make enough of a media circus that she can't AFFORD not to take measures towards certifying the story.

One walks into a trap when one has no other choice, hee-ho.

And yes. The plan IS to kill her. Leave the cover-up to us."

Chuck blinks at how...ruthless...Shinhee is. Then he starts voicing his objections.

"Having her leave on a trip like this, die, only to have her son "come back from the dead" is begging for trouble to fall on Yoshiro. Maybe you guys are good, but no cover-up is perfect.

Plus, we don't need to kill her. Between Misaki and myself we can strip her powers then, I dunno, snipe her Achilles tendons. Then you folks lock her up down here, she lives her days guarded by shikigami and not hurting anyone, Yoshiro takes over, etc.

But why not cook up a different plan? Heck, we know she's obsessed with money and power, right? What about using my family and that greed? We could fake that the Andersons want to fold on the condition they're absorbed by the Moto, companies and all. We're not Moto rich but we're not poor, either. I bet that'd be a nice carrot on the end of the stick.

Then we stage the ambush before she arrives at the destination. They'll still expect a trap, but Yoshiro doesn't need to get in the field, and we can set the engagement somewhere outside of a crowded city, because the number of acceptable civilian casualties for this is absolutely nill, Shinhee. She's not threatening to nuke a city, there's not a clear and present and immediate danger to other lives, we can take the time to set this up right.

Besides, when did the Kuzonoha get so flippant about assassinations? I know you're patterned on Shinji but I feel like cold-blooded murder like this isn't what he'd want.

Tell me this isn't literally the only plan you've got. It's shakily workable in theory but when you look closer there are holes. Let's at least try brainstorming a couple more scenarios first."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound)

Misaki looks to Chuck and nods at his complaints. Well, most of them.

"...besides the fact that I think keeping her alive is a liability, Anderson-kun is right." Internally, she is ticking, trying to think of a simple plan that wouldn't lose them much if Yuuta informed on them. Chuck's plan was quite fitting for that, admittedly. "...of course you'd have to convince her to come out here instead of insisting on you going there. And she'd definitely not come alone, even in the case of a surrender."

"...and as far as coming to her, I don't think I need to say how bad an idea that is."

Yuuta just sits back quietly, thinking on what to offer.

[Kuroimaken]

"You're welcome to propose a different plan, Chuck, but I'm afraid we do have to employ Misaki's brand of ruthlessness here." Hasunaga spoke up. "We've worked out a spin on the story already. There's a local company we've known to have dealings with the Yakuza for years. The whole thing will work out as a kidnapping plot gone bad. It's contrived, but good enough for the public eye. In keeping with Misaki's wishes, I made sure that under no circumstances short of the place getting carpet-bombed by actually invisible planes will Yoshiro come to harm.

Listen, from what we've profiled of her, the woman is shrewd and careful. And your family is unfortunately not that tasty of a carrot. You don't get to ask for the alpha wolf to come to you when you're baring your throat, either - Satomi would likely delegate the work to a surrogate. "

"An ambush would endanger a lot of civillians in the crossfire, Chuck. The Kuzunoha can't keep evacuating city blocks at their leisure - we've drawn enough attention with the operation to get Naito back." Margrave added his two cents as he walked in. Apparently he'd listened in partway through the conversation.

"And since you're not familiar with Japanese History, let me tell you that the Kuzunoha clan founder rose amid one of the periods of greatest court intrigue of Japan. They're no strangers to blood, even if they prefer not to shed it."

[Draken]

East Russia

Argos is already fairly busy shooting down Hideki's artillery and other forms of kidõ barrage. Vincenzo meanwhile has taken to shape and fuel a great dome of flame, underneath which the cult forces still bunker in formation.

Momoka's observation systems should then start picking up heavy dimensional activity in the middle of the cult forces, followed by a flux of spiritual signatures appearing and disappearing. Probably an evacuation and a reinforcement at the same time.

And Masaru, for his side, must contend with a barrage of ivory spines that erupts from the dome, blistering with a coat of flame and trailing noxious fumes, burning poison, most certainly.

[Kuroimaken]

[Eastern Russia]

Hm...?! That unknown Reiatsu... where is it going?

Focused as he is on trying to diminish Argos' efficiency as anti-air artillery (by shooting at it no less), Kamen Rider Rei can't afford to keep tracking whoever that spiritual pressure belongs to.

Whoever this is, it's climbing up into the air. Really fast.

And then it comes crashing down just as fast. No, faster.


"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! !!"

It's a small giant of a man riding a much larger serpent made of ice!

Or at least that's what it looks like in super-high-speed camera.

Anyways, it's headed for the very center of Vincenzo's fire-dome. At a speed that would make some bullet trains jealous.

"...What in the everloving name of F***?"

[KnightDisciple]

[Eastern Russia]

Masaru's response was both calm and immediate.

"Shields!"

Multiple Kido barriers sprang into existence in overlapping patterns, providing protection from the burning poison spikes. However, the formation of Shinigami did come to a near-instant halt.

Which is probably for the best, considering there's likely about to be a giant explosion of scalding steam.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Ikari]
[Kuzonoha Compound]

Chuck gives a long-suffering sigh and wonders how it was that the likely-mentally-unstable ruthless assassin lady was the only one agreeing with him.

"Okay fine, we kill her. But if you'd take two seconds you'd realize the ideal place for an ambush that doesn't want bystanders is outside city limits. She has to travel from point A to point B. We can literally walk on air. Even if she flies we just yoink the plane down. If she drives, we shoot out the tires. Point is, she can't literally teleport, she can't do that fancy dimensional gate thing the Reapers and the Hollows do. Well, gate things, I don't know if they work the same.

But the point is, she takes a non-zero time to move from place to place. We just need to set up and wait. Misaki and I can sit on a couple hilltops under ghillie suits and be undetectable, or the next best thing. Kuzonoha-made traps make sure the guard force can't react properly. We shoot, we hit, we're done.

Trying to do something in the middle of the city, however we set up that ambush, is asking for trouble.

Even if we try to use the story of her son being dead, assuming she takes the bait, which we can't be certain of, she still has to travel. The main point is, we don't have to do some sort of elaborate double blind in a basement while risking Yoshiro. We hit her en route before she gets here. That also reduces the chances of enemy forces setting up counter-traps we can't see, or trying to take civilian hostages, or any other number of ruthless things one can do in a city. I mean, not many natural gas lines to rupture out on a country road, yeah?"

He glances at Misaki with a distinct "I am making sense and not talking with the craziness, yes?" look in his eyes.

[Kuroimaken]

"Funny fact about the city morgue. It IS on the outskirts of the city. You are correct, however, in that hitting her on the way here is less risky than trapping her within the city proper.

Taking her out on a plane, assuming she uses one to get here, is probably not going to work. She's going into a trap knowingly, so I doubt she'll take the company's private plane. That'd paint a huge target on her back. If she flies over, it will likely be on a commercial plane. Effectively holding the other passengers as hostages. A train is... no less likely, but would still present much the same problem. We would need to target her once she reaches an individual transport method such as a cab or a limo. In case of a company-owned limo, the car would probably provide her with protection as well.

The problem with setting up a plan where we hit her on the move is that it relies on two variables we can't control. Her route and method of transportation. And that's before we consider the possibility of decoys.

If you can present a method that ensures we can track her with 100% reliability, we can work around the transportation issue. Otherwise, a trap with a fixed location remains our best bet." Hasunaga concludes.

[Draken]

East Russia

Ryouma contacts the fire dome and it all but instantly parts...

And then and there a viridian radiance stops him in his tracks, as he is left staring into a great threefold green eye.

The shinigami forces will see the shield part and the emerald light erupt upwards, casting long shadows for the cult's soldiers. Men and women clad in ivory plate, wielding shields as tall as themselves and weapons reminiscent of great pincers crackling with spiritual power.

Vincenzo floats above the cult troops, slightly ahead of them as well and accompanied by four mortal commanders. Similarly illuminated by the green light, keen eyes will see that his face is quite stern.

Less keen eyes will focus their attention on the rising figure of the Ghost King of all Hollows rising from behind the cult's lines. Von Geister has his eyes set on the not-shinigami.

"You must be a fool to break formation and attack like that."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound)

Misaki takes in what Chuck is saying, then Hasunaga's response, giving the teen a very slight nod, but parsing both sides quietly.

"...picking her off in transit will be less of a risk of collateral damage, but on the other hand, a fixed point is more likely to get her trapped. If we attack her in transit and it fails - which is probably higher a likelihood than if we managed to get her in a place we controlled - we've tipped her off, and she will likely flee in whatever manner possible. And she will probably respond in kind. I don't approve of your plan;" She looks to Shinji and Hasunaga. "But I can't think of another avenue of potentially trapping her at this juncture." Not entirely true; she could likely think of something, but for now... she wanted to bait Yuuta out.

"...we're simply working with too many unknowns. I can give you a list of possible technologies or maneuvers Satomi would use. But she may have already considered the possibility that I've betrayed her, and may attempt something outside of her 'play book'."

[Eastern Russia]

Momoka observes Ryouma's entrance, nonplussed. And entirely unamused.

"It would appear we have a free agent on the field." Pause. "One who is indescribably unintelligent." There we go. There's a certain exasperation in her voice... and then, Von Geister shows on the scene.

"...I believe you are in need of further assistance, Commander. I can be there in a matter of moments by kido-conjured garganta. Shall I?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Eastern Russia]

Momoka observes Ryouma's entrance, nonplussed. And entirely unamused.

"It would appear we have a free agent on the field." Pause. "One who is indescribably unintelligent." There we go. There's a certain exasperation in her voice... and then, Von Geister shows on the scene.

"...I believe you are in need of further assistance, Commander. I can be there in a matter of moments by kido-conjured garganta. Shall I?"

"Ye're assuming I'm with the rest of them, old fart."

Ryouma roars out into the sky, his body taking on the qualities of ice and making him a bit larger than he already is. He slams into the green radiance with fist after fist after fist, for all the good it will do him. His punches are not without potency, but the differences in strength are clearly a touch too great. Whether he realizes that is a different matter altogether.

"Negative, Kobayashi-kun. I need your analysis more than I need your strength right now. Too many unknown factors into this. Hideki, Chouko." He patches into the communications line with both. "If you have any force multipliers you can deploy, now's the time to tell me."

For his own part, Kamen Rider Rei needs to make sure troop morale doesn't decay in the face of the enemy.

"All units, concentrate fire. The target is the Ghost King of All Hollows.

Level 000 restriction lifted. Electromagnetic Interference Harmonizer deployed.

Indra Limiter released. Iron Maiden, ACTIVATE!

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENSHI N!!!"

It would take great force to break through this, and his Iron Maiden form offered the best strength for the task. At this range, he couldn't risk the God Bolt Missile. Thankfully, he still had other high-powered alternatives.

His armor sprouted two long spikes that pushed into the ground to help him anchor himself. His lance split open and began to roar with lightning as it accumulated energy.

"Riiiiiiiiiideeeeeeeeeeeer..."

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

Show

"You'd do the same for the Grandmaster. Don't sweat it."

So very casual about things at that point...

"Give it time and thought. You'll be a better human being for it."

Shaya then let go of Naito and sighed softly with a little exhaustion, but mostly the feeling of a job well-done.

"Let's get back. Close your eyes, and when you open them again, you'll be in your own bodies."

As Shaya promised, so it is. They weren't gone long, but their bodies feel a little heavier, like they'd caught a quick nap. The black-haired maiden is the last one to awaken.

[Izumo]
Kuzunoha Sanctuary

The only sign that Naito has awoken at all is the slow opening of their eyes. Naito just stares resolutely forward, not looking at either Katsuo or Shaya until they leave the room or directly address Naito. Whatever is going on, Naito doesn't seem upset or unstable, just lost in thought.

Would I?

[Draken]

East Russia

If Von Geister's central eye had eyebrows, they would be raised, because he is staring at a chilled fool flailing at a light.

And his myriad other eyes stare off into the distance as some ignoramus charged an attack like it wouldn't beget a response.

"Hmm..."

It would.

That response would be a cero charged in front of an outstretched hand, a brilliant viridian orb of energy for a brief moment, and then the deepest black, before it turned a bleak shade of a hue closer to pale gray than to the sickly green it seemed to be. Illuminating the area like a small, awful sun.

"Cero Pálido."

The world is bathed in that strange light as the energy blast erupts at the left flank of the shinigami army and then begins its sweep towards the right. Trees that touch the light shrivel into twisted, gnarled mummies of themselves and not a single beast, however blind they are to it, is foolish enough to stand in its path.

[strawberryman]

[Eastern Russia]

Bass drops by Koutarou in response to his question, his arms humming with energy. "Greetings, commander! Are you a fan of dubstep?" ...what?

"...very well. My analysis is--" And then the cero is fired. Bass leaps up to avoid the explosion. There's a crackle before Momoka finishes her thought, likely due to the energy. Hopefully Koutarou gets out of the way!

"...retreat."

[Kuroimaken]

Whether the Cero expands too quickly for Kamen Rider Rei to pull the stabilizing spikes out of the ground in time to retreat or he simply does not see the Cero in time, the fact remains that the Commander-General of Seireitei is fully engulfed by the blast.

[KnightDisciple]

[Eastern Russia]

The troops with Masaru are well-trained enough to recognize what the Ghost King is about to do. Barriers are anchored and reinforced in a moment, before the whole formation moves at high speed at an angle opposite the sweep of the terrible Cero. Masaru himself leads the way, throwing a couple of his own simplistic but powerful shields up as they move to try and disperse the force of the attack.

There are lives lost, but only a couple.

He finds himself frustrated that, of course, the whole venture will prove fruitless. At some point they would need to counter the Ghost King. Or alternatively just give up entirely and surrender the whole of the Mortal World to the care of Hollows for everything, but right now surviving the next 5 minutes was most important.
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[Ikari]
[Kuzonoha Compound]

Chuck seemed frustrated, at least mildly so.

"Right, okay, so this is less brainstorming and more you telling us how things are going down...

But anyways, Misaki, I say give us what you've got, information-wise. The worst case is that we know things she won't or can't use, and she'll be forced to try and come up with something totally new in a short amount of time. Meticulous planners are dangerous, but if you step outside their "box" far enough it might throw the off. It's not much, but we can work with what we've got."

[Kuroimaken]

[Ikari]
[Kuzonoha Compound]

Chuck seemed frustrated, at least mildly so.

"Right, okay, so this is less brainstorming and more you telling us how things are going down...

But anyways, Misaki, I say give us what you've got, information-wise. The worst case is that we know things she won't or can't use, and she'll be forced to try and come up with something totally new in a short amount of time. Meticulous planners are dangerous, but if you step outside their "box" far enough it might throw the off. It's not much, but we can work with what we've got."

"I can understand why you're upset, Chuck, but our prey is just THAT hard to catch. This plan was initially formed taking into consideration what a pain in the ass it would be to trap Satomi in pretty much any fashion. We considered variations like business mergers in different cities, or otherwise drawing her out during other public events, but we couldn't minimize collateral damage in any of those scenarios. Bringing her to Ikari for home advantage is one of the best things we could think of, but there's really no blindfolding her about walking into a trap. As long as Misaki and Yoshiro are our 'hostages', she's going to be more careful." Margrave noted.

[strawberryman]

[Eastern Russia]

((Can't respond here until Kuroi stops being coy with fake cliffhangers. ))

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Compound)

"...Moto corp produces a large number of quincy equipment. Besides this, they also have many types of utility-branch technology, both experimental and fully tested." From there, she grabs a pen and sheet of paper, provided they're present, and begins writing down a rough outline of the tech she knew about. It's a long list. And reads like something out of the collected James Bond movies.

She looks up as she's writing, fully capable of multitasking! "...I still can't say I approve, but I've got no other recommendations at this point. And Yoshiro will not be anywhere near this." This is not up for negotiation, apparently!

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corporation)

Satomi sits at her desk, quickly tapping on a keyboard, entering... shipping manifests? Idly, between a pause in entries, she taps her intercom to Kato's desk.

"Miss Kato. I would like you to arrange a meeting with two of our agents at the shipping dock. I need someone to look after the Nakahara account." The Nakahara account, of course, was just a front for Von Geister's shipments.

"...yes, Satomi-sama. Should I come al-"

"No. I will meet them myself."

"...of course, Satomi-sama." Satomi lets go of the intercom, continuing her work. It wouldn't take very long for Kato to arrange the meeting. She had preparations to make...

[Okinawa, Japan]
(Umeko's Apartment)

It wasn't very late in the morning when Umeko carried Naomi to bed and curled up herself. And, of course, she caught a nap earlier in the day. Normally her sleep schedule wouldn't be so hilariously off, but... well, what else could they do? Not long into the evening, however, Umeko can't help but lie awake, brain back to ticking mercilessly.

And heart beating even more mercilessly. Her dreams were more of the same. Happy family. Loving partner. Perhaps even wife, one day? She could literally dream.

She sits up gently as the sun nears the horizon, slipping off and looking back to Naomi with a smile. She slips into some more appropriate clothes, making her way outside for a run. The crisp evening air was... refreshing. Hopefully Naomi wouldn't mind her running off, if she woke up anyway. She's got an odd smile on her face as she makes her way around town. It's small and understated, but she couldn't really hide her happiness.

On the way back, she stops by a market, gathering ingredients for chicken stir fry. She makes it home before it gets dark, cutting up the ingredients and storing them in the fridge before sitting on the couch, pulling up her simple laptop and just... browsing.

Parenting. Pregnancy. Homes in Okinawa outside of the city. Whatever came to mind, just waiting for Naomi to wake up.

[Kuroimaken]

((Your heartlessness cuts like a damp, frozen swordfish at my soul, strawbs. ))

[Eastern Russia]

The drama is utterly, absolutely ruined as apparently no one even pauses to consider that maybe the Commander-General could be endangered by that cero, even though its sole destructive power lies in snuffing out life.

Seriously, guys. That hurts.

"...STORM CANNON!"

A golden-and-black continuous lightning stream pours forward from Kamen Rider Rei's position, aimed straight at Von Geister, as he stands his ground thanks to the electromagnetic field he can manipulate, usually in his defensive form.

________________________________

[The Kuzunoha Compound]

"I suppose we could try to somehow try to trick Satomi without Yoshiro's help, even though there would be at least five of us around to protect him.

But not to make too fine a point on it, Misaki-san, I don't think that's actually your decision to make." Hasunaga pointed out.

[Selinia]

[Okinawa, Japan]
[Umeko's Apartment]

Naomi sleeps like a satchel of rocks cast into a particularly inky ocean trench. Looking at her, you'd never guess it was broad daylight outside - but can you really blame her? Catching up on several days' worth of much needed sleep, Naomi is unconscious until long after the sun sets. To go by the clock on Umeko's bedside table, 23:14, a device which also nicely serves to truncate a mumbled "Wha time'sit?" as the redhead rouses herself from her slumber.

When did she get into bed? Naomi really couldn't remember, but she'd pretty much passed out, so probably before that. Given that screwing up her sleep schedule even more is basically impossible at this point, Naomi gives the fact that she has to work tomorrow all the consideration it is due (which is to say, none), and proceeds to slide out from under the covers and wander over to Umeko. She announces her presence with a yawn and a pair of hands on Umeko's shoulder's craning over the back of the couch to look at whatever her girlfriend has pulled up at the moment.

"...aaahhh, your bed is way too comfy, Ume. And wow, tab frenzy, much? Please tell me you haven't been sitting here since I zonked out, that is way too much something I would do." Naomi snerks a little bit as she focuses on the currently selected window. "What's this one, anyway? 'Healthy pregnancy weight gain'? And... ohh, that's a pretty landscape in that other window. Those woods are nearby, aren't they?"

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Kuzunoha Sanctuary)

"...she's right, I don't think Yoshiro should be in the path of this. But it's his decision." Yuuta shrugs. And for a moment, Misaki is taken aback, wondering what his game is...

"...fine, but if you endanger him, it's on your head." She glares at Hasunaga and Shinhee, the air around her distorting with heat.

[Eastern Russia]

"...Commander. Glad to see you are alive. But my assessment hasn't changed. You should retreat." Momoka isn't emotional in this, not even a tint of fear. It's simply analysis!

Bass, meanwhile, discharges the building sonic energy from his arms, hitting the camp, mostly centered around Von Geister, with a massive burst of sound. That's got to hurt his sensitive ears.

[Okinawa, Japan]
(Umeko's Apartment)

Umeko smiles, bringing one hand up to stroke Naomi's arm, looking up with a slight blush and a smile. "...well, uh, glad you think so. It's our bed now, isn't it though?" She winks before looking back to the laptop screen. "...and yeah. Uh, just... you know how I am about fitness. And there's no house, but there's a nice plot out of town a ways. It's kind of on the edge of two districts, but... it's nice. Lots of space. Out by those woods we like to hike in sometimes. I figure we could work something out, and build a house how we want it."

With that, she pushes the laptop closed, and turns around. "You hungry? I prepped some stuff for a wok, chicken and veggies and all that. There'll be plenty to eat, but you were out most of the day."

[Draken]

[Eastern Russia]

Silent instructions cause the assembled cult forces to scatter away from the shinigami army, and once Koutarou's cannon blast surges outwards, Von Geister slithers across the air away from the blast, letting Ryouma go free from his paralyzing glare.

Some of his tentacles are burned off by the blast, but they regrow fairly quickly. The sonic boom is answered with a blabbering screech and twitching hands by the Ghost King, who follows this with a swing of his hand and a hail of barbed spines at Bass.

"Such insolence from mere stewards."

Cero Pálido is not lethal and not destructive, it is not so kind a surge of energy, it leaves behind shriveled mummies that are very much still alive but empty of will. A state that the Ghost King can use.

And so his victims jerk suddenly and draw their empty swords, blight slowly growing over their forms. Cumbrously they advance on their former friends and allies, while the cult forces in the back form lines again and fire their needlers at the attackers once again.

For his part, Vincenzo is at the ready to handle any attack on the ranged lines.