[[http://pastebin.com/6HHKJQkw]]
[17:06:20] <~Charm> October 22, 2054 || Somewhere west of the Swiss Alps || 0713 hours local time
[17:07:43] <~Charm> Early in the morning, even beating the sunrise to the punch, Laura Ingram has her bike going faster than should be physically possible, her mind at ease now that her addiction was being fed.
[17:08:57] * Caitlin (ten.tsacmoc.li.1dsh.56D89635-xus|enegoidrab#ten.tsacmoc.li.1dsh.56D89635-xus|enegoidrab) has joined #TheLibrary
[17:09:07] * Caitlin is now known as Lilo
[17:09:11] <~Charm> It had bee a while since she was able to truly be alone on the open road…she almost forgot how ecstatic it felt, opening up the throttle and not having a care in the world.
[17:10:39] <Laura> She hugs the curves of the road, relishing the wind through her hair.
[17:12:19] <~Charm> It was if she had finally been alive. They could keep their Elysian field and winged halos. Her heaven was a straight stretch of road winding into eternity. And by in large, it's what she had.
[17:14:18] <~Charm> But for as much as it sent euphoric chills down her spine, as much as she never wanted to stop…the others would likely be waking up soon. She probably ought to start heading back.
[17:16:59] <Laura> And so, reluctantly, she throws the bike into a screeching k-turn and races back the way she came. If she hurries, she'll be home before the sun is fully up.
[17:22:52] <Laura> 'Home' being a house on the suburbs of Geneva, where her three comrades are hopefully just starting to rise. She holds on to the fleeting hope that one of them will have breakfast going by the time she gets back…
[17:23:17] <~Charm> It takes about 10 minutes, during which she revels in the mindless bliss provided by her magic and the crazed pace she sets. But even she is able to tone it down as she nears the building the four of them call home.
[17:26:44] <Laura> "I'm hooome!" Laura declares as she lets herself in. "Any of you girls awake?"
[17:29:51] <Lilo> While Lilo would have probably been happy to cook Laura breakfast, it's still a little too early for her to have woken up of her own accord. Zzzz.
[17:30:55] <Noire> "Nnnng." Lazily, a head peeks itself from behind a door— while still being on the floor. There aren't any prehistoric creatures around, unfortunately. That said, the head is full of blonde hair, which lazily plasters itself on the ground as her own face's eyes are half-closed. Unfortunately, they're not as cute and youthful as they were a few days ago, and anyone who paid attention could tell you Noire'd been less hyper the last couple days, too. That said, the "Nnnng" is all poor Laura's getting.
[17:31:53] <Laura> "Err…Leci? You up sweetie?"
[17:32:09] <~Charm> Yeah…so much for getting that breakfast made for her…although, she's dealing with three teenagers. Do they even know how to work the stovetops?
[17:32:56] <Lecia> "Huh? Erm, Yeah! I'm up!" Probably still unpacking.
[17:34:07] <Laura> Laura smiles. At least one of them was up. "I'm gonna start breakfast," she calls back, "you want anything?"
[17:34:43] <Lecia> "Scrambled eggs OK?" The breakfast of champions.
[17:35:10] <Noire> "Pepperoni pizza." The 'teenager's' body starts inching out of the room, in a wormlike way.
[17:36:08] <Laura> The eggs are already scrambling. That's been a mainstay of Laura's cooking, for the last week. Pizza, on the other hand, Noire will have to microwave herself.
[17:37:06] <Lecia> Lecia's still in her room. She needs to unpack, for…well, she needs room for…a project…has to be shrinkable, but…an expandable robot is OK too. Not to mention not unpacking would be silly.
[17:38:37] <Noire> Well, she doesn't even pretend to take herself seriously, most of the time, so the crawling out while salivating is done regardless. Hadn't been unsleepy since yesterday.
[17:40:19] <Laura> With several pans already sizzling away, Laura steps from the stove for a minute to check on Lilo. She knocks softly on her door, and then, finding it unlocked, peers inside.
[17:47:15] <Lilo> And Lilo's right there in bed, headphones on even as she sleeps. At least the music can't be heard from across the room, as it often can.
[17:48:37] <Laura> Bobbing her head in her sleep? So cute. Laura leans over the bed and turns the volume down on her player. "Breakfast time, Phones," she whispers.
[17:50:47] <Lilo> Lilo blinks awake, returned to consciousness more by the lack of noise than Laura's whispering. "Breakfat so early…? Okay, I'm coming." As if she even knows what time it is other than that it feels early.
[17:51:29] <Laura> "Heh. Sorry, kiddo. But you know the boss wants us in early today, right?"
[17:51:52] <Lecia> Eventually, Lecia's hunger drives her out of her room. She'll have to COMPLETELY finish unpacking some other time.
[17:52:41] <~Charm> Well, earlier, anyway. A 9 am clock in isn't especially early, but it's nowhere near as late as they've become accustomed to.
[17:53:18] <Noire> "Oh maaaaaan." And after a few minutes she'd successfully slunk up to a table or somesuch, head resting on it. The memory of her last exchange with the boss is still fresh, but it's still not entirely too Noirey to be mopey and tired all the time. A moment is taken to blink a few times in an attempt to wake up, but it doesn't work all too well.
[17:53:42] <Lilo> "She does?" Either that's news to Lilo or she just hadn't been listening at the time. Probably the latter. "She won't mind if we take our time eating, I'm sure!"
[17:56:48] <Laura> Laura is back in the kitchen, and has an smorgasbord ready in no time. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes - admittedly, nothing too difficult to make, but at least there's quantity and variety.
[17:57:59] <Noire> Floating pancakes. They're on the moon princess' plate before she herself even pays attention to what she's doing, because she's too busy letting out loud yawns.
[17:59:49] <Lecia> Though she wasn't about to ask for such a variety, once she sees it, it's not like she's gonna NOT eat some of that stuff too. Though all the pancakes are sort of gone…well if there's one small one, Lecia will take that with a good amount of scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. Working hard means she needs more food, after all. "Thank you~"
[18:00:27] <Laura> Laura herself has made some sort of gigantic omlet, packed with ham, tomato, mushrooms, peppers, olives… pretty much everything. "No problem, hun."
[18:01:09] <Lilo> Lilo helps herself to a little bit of everything, sampling the fine American cuisine prepared by Chef Laura. "Merci!"
[18:01:19] <Noire> "Theeen let's dig in~!" The only thanks Laura gets is probably some kind of nod, and of course a huge smile with a CHOMP. Noire's chair floats as usual, and the typical stuff associated. Though of course she struggles holding the fork for a second, getting used to suddenly being… bigger again. It's a weird feel.
[18:02:29] <~Charm> It certainly took a bit to get reaccustomed to her old body. She hadn't realized how much a difference 5 years made. She sure does now though.
[18:35:56] <Laura> Nothing like a hearty meal to bring people together. Laura smiles as she finishes her plate. "Mind taking care of the dishes, gals? I need to shower before work."
[18:38:01] <Noire> "'Kaaaaaaaay." After a lazy display of chomps, empty dishes float over. The heterochromiac's clearly been daydreaming this whole time, though, and now is no exception.
[18:38:50] <Lilo> Lilo leaps into action. After all, Laura had done all that cooking. Though, that doesn't stop her from teasing, "We'll take care of it, so go clean off; nobody likes a dirty pillow!"
[18:39:29] <Noire> A small giggle comes out while the dishes essentially clean themselves. That's so cute.
[18:42:41] <Laura> Laura says something in the way of thanks, but she's already inside the bathroom. In short order, steam is visibly wafting out under the door.
[18:46:33] <~Charm> After everyone's been fed and watered, it's not much more than a simple walk to the Library.
[18:46:41] <Noire> Float.
[18:48:04] <~Charm> Whatever. Julie is waiting for you outside, looking a bit sleepy. It seems she didnt get as much sleep either.
[18:48:23] <~Charm> "What do you girls know about Halloween?"
[18:48:57] <Laura> "Yo Boss," says Laura, waving. "Halloween? Trick'or'Treat and all that. Just the standard holiday stuff. Why?"
[18:49:39] <Noire> Guess who slinks behind the rest and doesn't float straight up to meet her? Good answer. Still, not saying anything at all's in pretty bad taste. "Yeah, it's a holiday where witches used t- … ohhhhhh."
[18:50:35] <Lilo> "Did you have a costume theme in mind or something?"
[18:51:29] <~Charm> "Yeah. Although the 'witches' aren't the ones pulling the pranks. But for the past 25 years there's been a giant influx of supernatural beings around. So consider today a primer."
[18:52:12] <Laura> "Gotcha. What're we looking at, exactly?"
[18:52:18] <Lecia> And listening, Lecia is. Just sitting in back, probably had too much to eat, etc.
[18:52:27] <~Charm> "I'm sending you to the San Diego Library - the main Combat Squadron for everything north of the equator. I just wanna make sure you four can handle anything that pops up."
[18:52:42] <Noire> "Aaaw! I was hoping it was gonna be some sort of secret all magic users knew or something." A small pout, before shrugging it off and going back to listening… a foot or two above the ground.
[18:53:19] <Noire> A whisper to herself follows, though, with a nod or two. "Hey, wait a sec, isn't that where-"
[18:55:23] <~Charm> "Your boss for today is gonna be Mia Andrews, a cryomancer. Listen to what she says, okay?"
[18:55:38] <Laura> "San Diego? Now we're talking!" Laura's mood was chipper before; now she's downright peppy. "Ready when you are."
[18:55:54] <Lilo> "Cryomancer? …What's that?"
[18:56:02] <Noire> Thumbs-up. "Gotcha!"
[18:56:29] <Noire> Lines gets a pat on the shoulder, with a goofy little grin. "Let's just say.. it's someone really cool!"
[18:58:01] <~Charm> "Anyway, if you're ready…" there's a Mage gate waiting. "Make sure you aren't transformed - there still might be people in the Library at this hour!"
[18:58:04] <Lilo> Whoosh. "Oh, do you already know her?"
[18:58:44] <Noire> "Pffhaha." It's hard to keep the giggle in, as Blackie just floats ahead.
[18:59:06] <Lecia> Urk. That's OK. It's a SAFE gate. Right? Totally a safe gate. Totally. Totally. Right. …Totally.
[18:59:26] <Laura> Laura goes for the Mage Gate, waving the others forward with her.
[18:59:47] <Lecia> Lecia follows. Totally.
[19:00:17] <Noire> Noire only floats a couple inches off the ground on request, but still dives through the gate.
[19:00:18] <~Charm> October 22, 2054 || 12:08 AM PDT || The Library, San Diego, CA
[19:01:04] <~Charm> The gating goes off with no real problems, a brunette standing in front of them when they land. "Y'all speak English right?"
[19:01:51] <Noire> "Only a little!" When Noire says it she makes sure to exaggerate her Frenchie accent a bit, as some kind of a joke. She has trouble keeping from laughing at herself, too.
[19:02:05] <Laura> "That's the ONLY thing I speak, babe." Laura gives her a smile. "You must be Mia?"
[19:02:17] <Lecia> Huzzah, no problems~ Time to hear more things. "Yep~"
[19:03:34] <~Charm> "That's me. Jules said you were coming. Hope you like the night shift, because we're gonna have a hell of a time tonight."
[19:04:10] <~Charm> She nods to herself, Checking out how you all look. "Any of ya got flight powers?"
[19:04:39] <Noire> Noire's already floating, especially when she hovers over for the customary handshake. "Name's Noire! And you bet~"
[19:04:48] <Lecia> "I could probably make a floating platform…and Noire can fly~"
[19:06:06] <Laura> "Er, not unless I'm piloting something," says Laura, shrugging. "The boss said this is a combat squadron?"
[19:06:13] <~Charm> "No big shakes. If you can't fly, put one of these on before heading out, Kay?" in her hand are a few pins with wings on them.
[19:06:25] <Noire> Little Lessy probably notices the ground being distant for a second. "It's not just myself, y'know! It's just harder to focus on doing the same for other people without… accidentally making their organs crush themselves or something." A small giggle is given, like anyone else would actually find that funny.
[19:07:43] <~Charm> "yep! Anything off kilter, we needto deal with. And this close to Halloween we get plenty of it."
[19:08:16] <Noire> Yet another nod, before Noire's hand childishly shoots up into the air after landing. "Question!"
[19:08:40] <~Charm> "Its bad enough that Becky got hurt…but with Liz with a bad wing, we could use the help. What's up?"
[19:09:11] <Laura> "Gotcha." Laura pins on the offered wings and takes a few experimental hops. Playing it off, if nothing happens.
[19:09:16] <Noire> A pause is given to glance to the side at Laura, then to the other side at Lilo, before taking a small breath and shrinking down a bit before asking, yet still doing so. "Is there, er… a person called Marian here today?"
[19:09:33] <Lecia> Does she feel…taller? No wait, she's just airborne. Weee~ …though that being said was slightly disturbing. Giving she can actually move to take a pin, she does so.
[19:10:13] <~Charm> "Marian? Yeah, she's on duty, why?" Lecia and laura can't actually fly, per se. But that'll likely change when they transform.
[19:10:17] <Noire> Of course, it was just a small lift. And even then, when the power's used it's not some sort of overpowering body-control or something. It's just managing weight of certain parts of the body to make it more likely to float.
[19:11:35] <Noire> "Ehehe." A sigh of relief comes out. "Oh, we've… met before. Think we could say hi sometime while we're here? Y-You know, when she's not busy or anything." The small nervousness is to be expected, considering what she's thinking. And who the person in question is, too.
[19:11:59] <~Charm> "Maybe after shift, I s'pose."
[19:12:58] <Lilo> Lilo accepts a pair of the wingy-thingies, too. "When was the last time we saw Marian?" Her voice lowers, "Do you think she knows anything about youknowwhat?"
[19:13:56] <Noire> "Can do, boss!" Getting comfortable already. Of course, an eye is kept out to make sure nobody's watching before lifting up in the air and doing a few twirls, because obviously if there're muggles around that doesn't happen. Maybe just a spin or twelve. Still, Lilo only gets winked at once; hopefully that'll say enough.
[19:14:40] <~Charm> Yeah, no non-magicals are here. "Welp, you know what they say. Transform and roll out!"
[19:16:34] <Laura> "Ah, going straight on-duty? Will do." Laura leaps into the air, transforming on the way up. If those wings are working properly, she won't be coming down.
[19:16:38] <Noire> Oh, it might've been worth mentioning the shades were on this whole time. They're pulled off with a big grin - because, you know, heterochromia moe~ isn't something incredibly popular with magicians, maybe it even looks sort of odd - as focusing happens, big sequence plastered on a massive prerendered moon background, et cetera. And standing there a few seconds later is a heterochromiac with silver-streaked hair and a not-so-modest outfit. Weapon not in hand, which is unfortunate because it looks kinda cool.
[19:17:46] <Noire> "Whoa, hey, wait a sec!" Still with no mood change, she'd gotten over being weirded out that nobody said anything last time, manually flying up. It's hard to tell if she's able to match Laura's speed, 'cause she's Laura after all.
[19:17:59] <Lecia> And Lecia certainly knows that saying. As such, she transforms with a bit of extra vigor, though that's not quite responsible for what happens next. The two bots that normally float around her, in the middle of the transformation process, attach to her back, and combine to become…a sort of jetpack! "Cool~!"
[19:19:00] <Lilo> Lilo quickly completes her musical transformation; she pins the wings onto her floating speakers, which are apparently invisibly attached by magic or something, because they manage to successfully lift her. "Maybe these things could have propelled me on their own, but that would have been loud, I bet." As if she cares about being loud.
[19:19:36] <Lecia> Testing….weaker…stronger… And thus Lecia is going down and up. She's thrilled.
[19:20:05] <Laura> Actually, Laura's fairly easy to catch up with. "Who-ah!" she grunts, waving her arms to keep from tumbling. While the wings technically let her be airborne, they clearly don't allow the sort of majestic flight she'd been hoping for.
[19:20:53] <Lecia> And then she actually catches up, after some testing. "Weeee~"
[19:21:53] <Noire> Because Noire's mastered flying with magic, she only gets to laugh at the other three having trouble. Well, Lecia maybe not, but she's Japanese so she's excused.
[19:23:03] <Lecia> You think she doesn't know how to fly, after she's been granted the power? Well, she's played a lot of games with jetpacks. It's sort of the same thing. Sort of.
[19:23:31] <Lilo> Lilo having trouble? Not this time. With the wings not even attached to her body, Lilo just sort of wills them to go forward. No messing with her balance or any of that stuff, but any kind of tight maneuvers are going to be a challenge. This simple stuff, though, no problem.
[19:24:36] <Laura> Laura looks rather like someone just learning to ice skate - her legs keep trying to go off in their own direction. Still, she manages to reach a stable enough hover. "So um, where's the squadron?"
[19:25:15] <Noire> A clueless expression for a second. "… Oh yeah, we didn't ask where we were patrolling, did we?"
[19:25:31] <~Charm> "Every squadron has their own area of ground to cover. You'll be taking Becky and Lizzy's sector - about half a mile up the coast from here."
[19:25:57] <~Charm> "in absence of orders, find something magical and kill it. Got that?"
[19:26:41] <Noire> "Aye aye!" A mock salute is given as there's a flash of malicious intent in her eyes. It fades as quickly as her presence does, though, soaring away.
[19:26:55] <Laura> "Jeez, you combat gals don't mess around." Laura gives her a nod. "Wilco."
[19:27:12] <Lecia> Lecia follows Noire in hot pursuit. Weee~
[19:28:45] <Lilo> Lilo's dragged onwards by the speakerwings after the others, stealing futureradio signals to listen to on her headphones.
[19:35:17] <Laura> Laura scans the horizon, searching for targets.
[19:36:04] <~Charm> It doesnt take long for them to hear the cries of something unnatural echoing from the blackness.
[19:36:42] <Noire> Obligatory joke about the meaning of Noire's name. But none of this, the chainsickle phases and is ready for blood already.
[19:37:29] <~Charm> And blood it shall seek. Three winged abominations soon come into view, sharp talons snapping at the sight of fresh prey
[19:38:36] <Noire> A smile— a wicked smile, even. Her differently-colored eyes glare as they're thoroughly prepared to tear these things apart.
[19:40:18] * Charm changes topic to 'Harpies x3 > lecia>Lilo>Laura>Noire'
[19:40:30] <Laura> "Evil seagulls at 2 o'clock!" Laura is ready for battle.
[19:41:39] * Lecia readies herself. Duck Hunt! …Bird Hunt.
[19:41:56] <~Charm> It's barely past midnight, not even close to 2 o'clock. Now that that joke has been taken care of, the harpies all swarm the magi
[19:42:01] <Noire> It takes a second to reel the weapon back, letting the chain extend itself fully before even swinging. Noire's own position hangs low and prepares to engage. "Looks like cake~! Lines, back me up!" Indeed, if the moon's out by now (probably is) its light is shining in such a position to make it look advantageous at etc etc.
[19:48:30] <Lilo> "Let's make it quick, Blackie! Which one first?"
[19:48:49] <~Charm> Noire and Lecia get slashed at by the harpies, which Laura is able to fend off the one attacking her.
[19:49:19] <Noire> The giggling turns into a cackle as she floats out of the slash with a headshake. "All of 'em! I'll swing wide and you make sure they can't get away, 'kay?"
[19:51:11] <Lecia> Pain hurts. The one that slashes at her is glared at. The one that slashed at Noire is glared at. Even the one that slashed at Laura is glared at. Basically, she glared at all of em. But only the one that slashed her gets her counter attack. Midair combat, superweapon in hand (today, it is a lance, like used on horseback), CHARGE AT THE VILE DEMON!
[19:52:11] <Laura> What's Laura's power? Not 'motorcycles,' but rather, 'transportation'. And with the roar of an ancient Oberursel 9-cylinder rotary, the effects of this become apparent. Laura is suddenly crouched atop a bright red triplane, which whirls in midair as it comes back around to close on the harpies.
[19:53:12] <~Charm> The one that Lecia charges at dodges like a goddamned matador. Olé!
[19:53:37] <Noire> "Okay… now!" Howling across the battlefield, the chain snaps straight out and swings in such an arc that it tries to encompass all three of them… without hitting allies or anything. Poor Lessy.
[19:54:05] <Lecia> MATADOR. This is personal now. Her and it. To the death.
[19:58:43] <Lilo> Huh, they're not that tightly packed. How to hit them all without catching friends? Lilo's speakers whir loudly, as though hard at work, though no other sound can be heard from them. At least, not by anyone other than the harpies; the sound is too high pitched to be perceptible and damaging to any of the mages.
[20:00:16] <~Charm> It's not especially damaging, except to the one that gets slashed by Noire's sickle. The other two arent perturbed enough by the soundwaves to get hit
[20:01:29] <Noire> "Damnit, they're fast!" With loud chainy noises, the sickle retracts into the shaft as Noire herself floats around to get a better position. Also, a glance up just to see what the moon looks like for the sake of making the GM expla- I mean, for the sake of looking at it.
[20:03:48] <Noire> "Lessy! Follow my lead, 'kay?"
[20:04:37] <Lecia> "OK!" She's serious.
[20:04:37] <~Charm> The moon is only a sliver of its true glory. Tomorrow is gonna be a bitch of a day, she can tell.
[20:05:42] <Lecia> Sure, that means she's ganging up on it, and that's not 1v1 fun. But Matador is unfair too.
[20:06:00] * Charm changes topic to 'harpies x3>Lecia>Noire>Laura>LILO'
[20:06:44] <Noire> The tip of her weapon starts glowing a little, with what little light the moon provides flowing into it. "Distract that one and stand over there! If I can get the others to line up…"
[20:13:17] <~Charm> Yeah, everyone but the non-threat gets pecked at by the harpies. It actually is starting to hurt pretty badly.
[20:14:16] <Lecia> WHAT DO YOU MEAN NON-THREAT. The fact that the birds are ignoring her lights a fuse.
[20:14:56] <Laura> Laura and one harpy square off, heading straight toward each other at break-neck speed in a deadly game of chicken. A half-second from impact, the harpy swerves, and is rewarded with a face-full of fist as Laura's triplane races beneath it.
[20:16:40] <Noire> "Ready, and…. fire!" The tip of the sickle rears up like a dragon's skull breathing fire or something, only instead of fire it breathes… light. But of course, said light is in the form of a big purplish-blue laser that fires straight at Lecia's attacker, shooting in such a line that it covers as many of them as possible. Of course, Noire used the hit to push her into a position TO be able to aim it properly— that said, she only gives a big grin to the one clawing at her face. "See you later~"
[20:20:19] <Noire> The arc of the beam watches Lecia's positioning and fires in such a way so as to actually expect the poor girl to provoke it, causing it to land IN the beam. The aftermath probably isn't pretty.
[20:21:17] <Noire> For the record, appearance-wise it's an X-BUSTER kinda thing. "Good job! Just like that!"
[20:21:38] <~Charm> Not for the one farthest away from her. It explodes in a shower of gore and gunk. The other two aren't looking that much better, despite their jeers at Lecia for not being able to hit again.
[20:22:06] <Lecia> But Lecia totally missed it. Perhaps she was aiming for knocking it INTO the beam, but she didn't even get that. Missing. MORE MISSING. Still, it's totally done for. She should take it easier. …And due to the jeering, she isn't, and isn't paying any attention to anything but them. "I'll get you yet!"
[20:26:45] <Lilo> Squeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaak. And then the speakers turned to silence, leaving a hollow feel in the air. Lilo's going for the headsplosion, but she'll settle for just internal damage if that's the best she can do.
[20:28:08] <~Charm> Nah, that kind of sound will drive anything crazy. It's at least enough that the two harpies slam Into each other before crashing to the water a good hundred feet below.
[20:28:37] <Noire> "Phew!" A hand wipes across the girl's forehand. "That… wasn't SO bad, huh?"
[20:29:56] <Lecia> Pout.
[20:30:39] <~Charm> Noire suddenly drops from the sky, landing on the beach with a hard FWUMP!
[20:32:24] <Lecia> …This was because she pouted, wasn't it?! Lecia flies down to see what happened, in a 'turn the jetpacks off a while then max them out to quickly make the huge fall less of an issue' kind of way.
[20:32:40] <Lilo> "IS THAT ALL OF THEM?" great batman above, her voice is incredibly loud. When she speaks, nothing comes from her mouth; the voice comes from the speakers at volume that treads upon the threshold of pain. "WHOA, BLACKIE'S GOING DOWN!" Lilo swoops down after Noire, though not fast enough to actually catch the petrified girl, they hopefully won't lose track of her.
[20:33:01] <~Charm> Noire is gone.
[20:33:38] <Lilo> Well, shit.
[20:33:44] <~Charm> In her place is a life-sized, photorealistic granite sculpture of the lunar mage.
[20:34:07] <Lecia> Whatnow. …What now. …It's not broken, right? Or chipped? That was a good fall.
[20:34:24] <Noire> With a super-cheerful smile as she stands in place. Terrifying, huh?
[20:34:37] <Lilo> "DID THE MONSTERS DO THAT? HOW DO WE FIX HER?"
[20:34:52] <Laura> With another engine-roar, the triplane swoops low, allowing Laura to hop off nearby. The aircraft then disappears to parts unknown.
[20:35:20] <Laura> "Gals, where's Noire and who made this statu- oh."
[20:35:27] <~Charm> Laura herself feels a bit…well, it's like she's sick. Everything looks fuzzy.
[20:36:44] <Laura> "G-goddamnit. I'm too young to be having hot-flashes…" Still, that's exactly what it feels like. Laura's burning up.
[20:37:32] <Lecia> …It's TOTALLY NOT CHIPPED RIGHT? Lecia checks all over, worried as hell. …And then Lilo scream. And Laura doesn't look to hot eithno wait she looks very hot.
[20:38:03] <Lecia> And no not like that. Lecia isn't a lesbian. She doesn't even have any heart overcharge she can't do that.
[20:38:29] <~Charm> The lighting here is shit. She can't see any obvious cracks or anything, but chips? Good luck. And then her phone is ringing.
[20:38:30] <Noire> All magic users are lesbians just, some of them haven't realized it yet.
[20:38:56] <Lilo> "LAURA, YOU SHOULD SIT DOWN OR SOMETHING. YOU LOOK LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE OUT OF BED." The 125 decibel screeching probably doesn't help Laura feel much better.
[20:39:39] <Lecia> …Yet. But really. "…Um…I'll guess I'll take Noire back with me—" Phone ringing.
[20:40:29] <Laura> Not a bit. Laura wobbles a little as she stumbles over, one hand on her forehead. "I…I'm fine, but could we use our inside voices, Phones?"
[20:41:03] <Noire> Worth noting, if she's allowed ANY sort of control at this point the statue probably weighs as much as a paperweight.
[20:41:10] <~Charm> Laura's hand doesn't stay there for long. When she does pull it away, it'll have a large red welt from the burn.
[20:41:41] <Lilo> "I CAN'T HELP IT, IT JUST COMES OUT THIS WAY."
[20:41:43] <Lecia> And thus the phone is answered. "Hello?"
[20:42:17] <~Charm> "It's Andrews at base. I just lost you from radar - the fuck did y'all do?"
[20:42:26] <Laura> "Ah-hototot!" Laura inspects her burned hand. This is no ordinary fever.
[20:43:29] <Lilo> "ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE OKAY, PILLOW?"
[20:44:13] <Lecia> "…We got in a tangle with…some REALLY REALLY GOOD dark bird things. …Noire's a statue, Lilo keeps on screaming, and Laura looks…hot, like, boiling hot."
[20:44:14] <Laura> She staggers down the beach and sinks into the blessedly cool water, steam rising around her. "J-just gimme a breather, okay?"
[20:44:30] <Lecia> She can't admit that they were just run of the mill harpies. They dodged everything she threw at them. EVERYTHING.
[20:45:12] <~Charm> "Oh for christ's sake…im gonna open a portal near where I lost you. Get everyone back in here, okay?"
[20:46:21] <~Charm> A Mage gate appears about 35 yards from where you all are.
[20:47:26] <Lecia> "Got it!" This is Halloween, etc.
[20:47:54] <~Charm> Click. She hung up. Didn't sound to happy either.
[20:47:58] <Noire> The statue tries its hardest to comply and not be super-heavy.
[20:47:58] <Laura> "Nice…" Laura's cooled off a bit, but as soon as the water's evaporated out of her clothes she'll be right back where she started. She hurries toward the Gate.
[20:48:35] <Lilo> "OKAY, LET'S MOVE BLACKIE." Lilo goes to try getting Noire through the portal.
[20:49:00] <~Charm> It takes some effort but you manage to fit her through.
[20:49:30] <Lecia> And so Lecia goes as well. This is bad. This is pretty bad.
[20:50:22] <~Charm> The Library, San Diego Branch || 12:31 AM PDT
[20:51:00] <~Charm> "So what…oh dear." it doesn't take Mia long to figure out what all happened with Noire. The other two aren't as obvious.
[20:52:03] <Laura> Laura is trying not to make a big deal about her…issues. "Er, may I grab a drink before we debrief?" she asks.
[20:53:02] <Lecia> Worried glances. Everywhere. Especially at Noire. And Lilo every time she looks like she might open her mouth. Laura's a big girl, she should be fine, she seems sort of fine, but she still gets some anyway.
[20:53:03] <~Charm> "I've got a better idea." Mia puts a hand to her lips and blows, a stream of powdery snow wrapping itself around Laura for several precious moments.
[20:54:01] <Laura> "What the- oh yeah, cryomancer. Thanks." She actually shivers a bit.
[20:54:35] <Lilo> Lilo finally takes a hint and shuts up. Hell, talking probably hurt her ears more than everyone else, considering that the speakers surround her. At least she has some headphones to protect her.
[20:55:15] <~Charm> "Well the four of you aren't in any shape to head back 'cross the pond, so I reckon all y'all will be staying here for a spell."
[20:56:28] <Lecia> Though Lecia isn't actually in bad shape at all, sending her out alone is probably a bad idea. And you know, she couldn't hit anything.
[20:56:51] <~Charm> "Ifn you give me a minute, I'll get one of our conjurin' mages to fix something up. But for the next week, you four belong to me. Got that?"
[20:57:04] <Lecia> And so, she accepts her fate, not looking too happy about it. Just worried. For everyone else. "Got it."
[20:57:06] <Laura> "I…brrr…suppose, yeah. How'd the rest of the squadron fare?"
[20:59:07] <~Charm> "Still going strong. Two retreated due to injuries sustained, but so far that's all. They're used to the fighting, and conversing their magic until they need it. Something I WILL drill into you four in the coming days."
[21:00:22] <Lilo> Lilo's mouth opens to protest, but she remains silent for the sake of everyone in the room.
[21:01:27] <Laura> "Heh. Point taken." Laura's already starting to thaw out - sweat beads on her skin. "Are we in the barracks, or is there a hotel nearby?" She's anxious to draw a nice cool bath.
[21:02:27] <~Charm> "Anywho, I suppose you best be heading off. You'll be staying here, don't know how it is in Europe land but we can't afford to have all y'all running up a hotel tab."
[21:02:57] <Noire> The statue keeps on smilin'.
[21:03:19] <~Charm> "I'll take care of the stony one. The rest of you have your own quarters, set up to help with your…maladies. They don't seem permanent though."
[21:04:29] <Lecia> …Poor statue. And with Lecia not having other maladies other than a severely damaged pride, might just get a normal room. Either way, a nod is the reply.
[21:05:22] <~Charm> Lecia does get a normal room, if not very sparsely equipped. One bed, one lamp, and a nightstand. Noire is wheeled into a similar room.
[21:05:22] <Lilo> Well, Lilo isn't going to argue if having no control over her voice's volume scores her a better room. She might argue (very loudly) if it has the opposite effect, though.
[21:06:16] <Noire> If her room scores the volume of her voice?
[21:06:36] <~Charm> Lilo's room has thick walls with evident padding. Should muffle the worst of her voice, at least. Otherwise it's justlike the first two
[21:06:40] <Lecia> On a 1 to 10 scale, it'd be 11.
[21:07:05] <Lilo> Oh, that's awfully convenient, that they have rooms ready for loud lunatics.
[21:07:16] <Laura> Laura's just happy to lay down. Provided she can do it without anything catching on fire, that is.
[21:07:31] <Noire> Fortunately Noire can't be objecting to any of this. But in a few hours or so, hoo boy.
[21:07:40] <~Charm> More like they conjured up a fuckton of padding. Just like Mia coated every metal surface in Laura's room with ice.
[21:08:29] <Lecia> Magic is convinent. Having a phone that serves as a gaming device is also convinent, and the only way Lecia is able to stay sane, curling up and playing it. And doing badly. That's just how it is.
[21:09:09] <Laura> "Ahh, that's the ticket." She lays as still as possible, closing her eyes in the hopes she might catch a few hours sleep.
[21:10:39] <Noire> THE STATUE SHAKES AROUND ON ITS OWN BECAUSE WHATEVER'S IN THERE IS GOING TO BE VERY ANGRY SOON.
[21:11:57] <~Charm> Maybe. But for right now, all they can do is sit around and wait. They were being held here to learn how to fight. Even if it killed them.
http://pastebin.com/2qwrkm2M
[15:51:38] <~Charm> The Library, San Diego Branch || October 22, 2054 || 6:57 AM PDT
[15:52:21] <~Charm> After a stony silence, Noire's form slowly shifts. Stone melts to flesh as the magic's effect subsides.
[15:52:53] <~Charm> She's in a relatively blank room. A bed, a nightstand and a lamp. No windows, one door that's currently closed.
[15:53:39] <Noire> "Hahaha! It's okay, Les-" Her hand outstretches to nothing with a blank expression, holding still for a second to take all this in. Well, trying to figure out what TO take in, actually.
[15:54:58] <Noire> A moment of silence (detransforming included) turns into a moment of panic after a wait, freaking right out and leaping for the door to try and get that thing open. Obviously her thoughts are racing by this point, almost forgetting their original goal.
[15:56:20] <~Charm> It opens easily, but she can't move much farther, because there's someone in front of her. Someone very familiar, in fact.
[15:57:09] <Noire> A blink at the fact that it IS a someone, without even paying attention. She doesn't even realize how groggy she is. "Boss? I didn't-" … And THEN looking up.
[15:57:48] <~Charm> "B-boss? I-I…You!"
[15:58:28] <~Charm> Staring in front of her is a young blonde who hadn't been seen for quite a while, but could probably answer some questions.
[15:58:35] <Noire> "Whoa! I- whoops! Eheheh, I don't know what just happened and I- … heyyyy, wait a second."
[15:59:35] <Noire> The 'You!' is returned likewise in the form of pointing straight forward with a shocked expression, hopefully that says enough. Noire's OTHER hand twitches once for a second before ultimately calming down from the surprise.
[15:59:48] <~Charm> "I…imsosorryididntthinkyouwouldfollowmehereohgodpleaaedontkillme"
[16:00:33] <Noire> "Pff… Pffhaha." The much older blonde stands straight up and tries to stifle the giggle— unsuccessfully. "Hahahaha! You still remember that?"
[16:02:14] <~Charm> "I…it wasn't even two months ago! I…are you okay?"
[16:02:16] <Noire> … Then again, what was this girl doing about to come INTO her room? That's awfully suspicious. With a glance once confirming those suspicions, the heterochromiac - who definitely wasn't one of those last time - steps out of the room with a hand probably on her shoulder. "Relax~! It's… kinda a long story."
[16:03:00] <~Charm> "Oh…are you sure it's okay?"
[16:03:35] <~Charm> She seems pretty nervous. Given what she did it's probably understandable
[16:03:40] <Noire> "'Okay' isn't the word for it; I feel great~!" Without even realizing where she is Noire starts floating, twirling around a few times in the air to… take the freezing base air in or something. One would expect it to be pretty cold in there.
[16:04:25] <Noire> "Welll… important stuff first, though." Cough, cough. "Er, I was on patrol just a minute ago, I thought… how'd I end up in here?"
[16:05:10] <~Charm> San Diego? Cold? Nice try - cold is when it's below 60°F. It's quite temperate. Marian just glances aside at Noire's question. "well…"
[16:05:28] <Noire> A few seconds are spent poking herself in various places in a search for bruises, which ultimately doesn't get anywhere. "I don't feel like I got hurt or anything… real weird." Hey now, it's cold when a cryokinetic runs the place. Well, it SHOULD be.
[16:07:04] <~Charm> "Well…I was told to wake you up, but Mrs. Andrews just said to "wake up the statue". I didn't know what she meant by that.
[16:07:59] <Noire> One more pause, for a lengthy enough time before it all comes together. "… Oops."
[16:09:15] <~Charm> "Yeah…She wanted to talk to you once you 'were able to move', but she didn't say why. Did something happen on the patrol?"
[16:09:19] <Noire> "Well, er, nevermind that for now!" The shoulder-grip turns into a pull as she starts trying to laugh it off, with a face full of nervousness too now. "How've things been up here? I actually… kinda ended up indirectly asking the boss for a favor a while back to come here, but I didn't expect her to… y'know, actually do it."
[16:11:38] <~Charm> "well…it's been pretty hard on us. The attacks have been almost every other night. But we haven't lost anyone from my squadron so…I guess it's good?"
[16:13:41] <Noire> A 'pull' means walking out of the hallway or whatnot into wherever the boss is likely to be, still chuckling along a little because that's just the personality-type she is. Or, for now, anyway. Either way, after a bit of a sigh two fingers stretch out and point to her own face, leaning down at little Marian. "Uh… see these? Eheheh…" Her smile cracks before standing back up to keep walking, probably pausing every now and then to ask for directions to the office. "I've kiiiinda been a troublemaker lately, so that was probably my lunar magic stuffs going out of control. Probably! I mean… the moon petrifying people isn't TOO much of a stretch in some legends."
[16:14:58] <~Charm> "Oh…I guess. I don't know much bout mythology, so sure." The girl seems fairly…well, plain when she isn't bawling her eyes out.
[16:16:14] <Noire> "I gueeeeess," a sway, "I should apologize first before anything else. But I guess this boss did me a favor for asking you to get me too, since I did kinda ask and all-" Well, the tiniest bit of a blush for a second shows up, anyway. "Ooh, you know any good places to eat or something around here? We should totally go somewhere later~" Trying to shake off that nervous in the only way that's really fun.
[16:16:45] <Noire> More than once along this time, she perhaps-unknowingly shot out the 'we need to talk' glance too. Everybody knows what that looks like.
[16:18:23] <~Charm> She does see it, but doesn't comment. You get the feeling she isn't that social. Maybe that explains why she had her own demiplane?
[16:18:47] <~Charm> "Umm…the boss' office is right over there…maybe we can talk later?"
[16:20:03] <Noire> That just makes the challenge even greater. So, cheerful Noire only smiles and pats her on the head. "You bet! After all, there's something I still need to ask. Maybe in a while after I'm done, 'kay?" The second sentence is emphasized in a 'way' that can't really be explained past that. Let's just say it's scary-sounding the way it IS emphasized.
[16:20:52] <~Charm> With a nervous nod, Marian leaves. She seems a bit more than a bit scared.
[16:21:59] <Noire> Her grin cracks after she turns around— in a way only the camera viewing this can pan into, not anybody else. But, with a quick turning motion, Noire repairs the fourth wall and knocks on the door once. Twice. "'Scuse me!"
[16:22:44] <~Charm> "Yeah. Enter." even for a cryomancer, Mia's voice sounds cold.
[16:23:42] <Noire> "Right." Certainly entering, but trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible and… not speak while spoken to, that seems like a benevolent idea. Thinking back on it, floating inside the room like she just did probably wasn't.
[16:23:42] <~Charm> "I assume Marian filled you in?"
[16:24:08] <Noire> "Eheheh… I guess I kinda messed up, huh?" Might as well admit it now while it's fresh.
[16:24:42] <Noire> Headshake, headshake. "Wait, no, that's not what I mean! How're the others? Are they all okay? Are the patrols still going on?"
[16:25:12] <~Charm> "Yeah. You fucked up. Because you used way too much magic. We have a little over a week before Halloween and you need to be a lot better than that if you expect to survive. Got that?"
[16:25:58] <Noire> Gulp. "Y-Yeah… yes, ma'am." Her eyes close once, before jolting back open. "But I'm not done! There's still stuff happening out there, right? It's just one mistake, I can still fight!"
[16:27:35] <~Charm> "Girl, you don't realize just how badly you fucked up, do you?"
[16:27:52] <Noire> "Erm… nope." Yet another gulp.
[16:28:19] <Noire> "None of my fr- … allies got hurt or anything, did they?"
[16:28:43] <~Charm> "Well, you're clueless. But at least you know it. Follow me." Mia stands up and starts marching, refusing to answer the question.
[16:29:43] <Noire> The refusal to do THAT of all things makes the lunar princess really nervous, but with a nod she still complies, multicolored eyes darting around the room nervously. Oh, and still floating, of course, she doesn't even remember how to land most of the time.
[16:31:47] <~Charm> When the woman stops, the two are in a blank room, a few benches off to one side, blue padded mats on the floor. "They're alive and will be available for tonight's sortie. That's all you need to know."
[16:33:00] <Noire> A slightly-more-cheerful nod in response. "Good enough for me! Though, I hope they're not mad or anything. But… uh…." There's something she desperately wants to say REGARDING that topic, but with Mia's attitude it's just harder and harder to say it.
[16:34:11] <~Charm> "…" she turns around and stares at Noire. "you got something to say?"
[16:34:50] <Noire> "Yeah… it's kinda… well…" Super-nervous all of a sudden. Obviously there's no way it's going to get taken to kindly when it comes out.
[16:35:27] <~Charm> "Spit it the fuck out already!"
[16:36:33] <~Charm> She really doesn't seem to be in the mood for beating around the bush
[16:36:39] <Noire> "Sorry! I'm not sure if it'll be tonight or tomorrow, but…" Nervously, her fingers twitch together, aside from all the fear at how loud this boss is. "I… might not be very useful then, so er, if there's something else you need done that's important too…"
[16:38:04] <~Charm> "…That time of the month, eh? Okay, I suppose that's worth a hall pass for tomorrow." with a sigh. She sits on one of the benches. "Now then, you think you're ready for some training?"
[16:39:55] <Noire> A sigh of relief. She'd almost actually admit that it's only half of it, but getting a good reaction from THAT is enough to not need to push it any further. "Yeah. You bet I won't mess up again!"
[16:41:34] <~Charm> "Let's make sure of that. The object of this is to use as little magic as is necessary to get the job done. Got it?"
[16:42:13] <Noire> "Cake! I hope it hasn't started already…" That last sentence, of course, is a whisper or a mumble or something. But she'll transform as soon as given the okay.
[16:43:53] <~Charm> The okay is less Mia saying something and more five targets popping up around her, each a random shape, all of them with a sort of bore near the bottom.
[16:45:05] <Noire> Vwoop. The chainscythe is in hand as soon as they do, reeled back already. "So I'm supposed to make it NOT flashy? Well… I guess it's not impossible or anything."
[16:45:58] <~Charm> "It's not a matter of flashy. You can be flashy as hell. The key is to use a drop of magic while doing so."
[16:47:00] <~Charm> "Should I demonstrate?"
[16:47:05] <Noire> "Oh! That's easy then!" With a big smile, fluttering eyelashes signify doom for these poor targets. "Noble Luna~ hear my call!"
[16:47:48] <Noire> Apparently that's a 'no.' With a bright flash, the chain on her weapon is already on the other side of the targets, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Well, probably, anyway.
[16:48:05] <Noire> 2d6+10 shifted and in order from right-to-left, AMIDOINITRITE
[16:48:06] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, shifted and in order from right-to-left, AMIDOINITRITE: 18 [2d6=2,6]
[16:48:17] <Noire> god damn this effect is awesome
[16:48:30] <@Charm> So 18,16,14,12,10
[16:48:32] <Noire> yep
[16:48:37] <@Charm> 5#2d6+?
[16:48:38] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 5#2d6+?: 9 [2d6=3,6], 7 [2d6=2,5], 9 [2d6=3,6], 6 [2d6=3,3], 2 [2d6=1,1]
[16:48:47] <@Charm> 2d6
[16:48:48] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6: 4 [2d6=3,1]
[16:48:48] <Noire> inb4 they all have +9
[16:49:01] <@Charm> Not these drones
[16:50:01] <@Charm> Tie 18, tie 16, miss 14, tie 12, hit 10
[16:50:19] <Noire> 3#1d6 then let it be done
[16:50:20] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, then let it be done: 5 [1d6=5], 2 [1d6=2], 4 [1d6=4]
[16:50:24] <@Charm> 3#1d6
[16:50:24] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 3#1d6: 1 [1d6=1], 5 [1d6=5], 5 [1d6=5]
[16:50:40] <@Charm> Hits on 18 and 10
[16:50:52] <Noire> 1d6 oh right they have hp don't they
[16:50:53] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, oh right they have hp don't they: 3 [1d6=3]
[16:52:53] <~Charm> The two targets on the ends are struck by the scythe and drop. The other three buzz and each shoot a tennis ball at Noire. It stings, but it's far from lethal.
[16:54:15] <Noire> A little wince, anyway. It's not like her outfit's full of body armor or anything. And if it becomes a big deal… well, that's not what she's thinking of right now, overcome by nausea and almost totally ignoring the balls. "Oh man… I think it did start already." Mumblemumblemumble.
[16:55:16] <Noire> "Well… one more round, then~!" With some chainy noises, the blade reverses itself midair after a quick lookover to make sure the targets didn't pop into the ground or anything.
[16:55:51] <~Charm> The two she did hit fell down, but didn't sink back down.
[16:56:25] <Noire> So all five are still up? Well, that's not going to teach this crazyperson anything.
[16:56:47] <~Charm> No, three are up.
[16:57:22] <Noire> Ohhh, ghetto targets. Well, before she even notices enough to pay attention the blade's back on the right side, leaving a searing howl of lunar wind in its wake.
[16:57:49] <Noire> 2d6+9 let's shift this one too then
[16:57:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, let's shift this one too then: 16 [2d6=4,3]
[16:58:01] <@Charm> So 16,14,12?
[16:58:05] <Noire> yeah
[16:58:14] <@Charm> 3#2d6
[16:58:15] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 3#2d6: 6 [2d6=1,5], 6 [2d6=2,4], 3 [2d6=2,1]
[16:58:26] <@Charm> All fall down
[16:58:26] <Noire> weakest of lings
[16:58:29] <Noire> 1d6 anyway
[16:58:31] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, anyway: 2 [1d6=2]
[16:59:11] <~Charm> That is enough to knock over the remaining targets. "Not bad, I suppose. How do you feel?"
[16:59:14] <Noire> With a SHINK - not THAT kind of SHINK, mind you, but rather the kind of metal clanging - the blade returns to the tip of the weapon. "How's that?"
[16:59:49] <Noire> Simultalk. Silly. "Well… I feel like that could've been more exciting than it was. Eheh." And a little sick.
[17:00:57] <~Charm> "Like how?"
[17:01:20] <Noire> "Hmm… more explosions? Laser beams?" To her knowledge, she can do all those things, and not doing them felt really weird.
[17:02:18] <~Charm> "Ah. Well, like I said. You don't need a ton of magic if you know how to shape it. May I?"
[17:03:04] <Noire> "Oh, ah, sure!" A couple steps to the side, still pulsating with energy and such though. In fact, while the boss does this she takes a deep breath and possibly starts glowing a little.
[17:04:42] <~Charm> One target shoots back up as Mia transforms, snowflakes flowing from the strapless white gown trailing behind her.
[17:05:40] <Noire> Relief is taken at the knowledge that they both probably suffer comfort issues while transformed. Poor them.
[17:06:35] <@Charm> 2d6+12;2d6+6
[17:06:36] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+12: 17 [2d6=2,3]; 2d6+6: 12 [2d6=4,2]
[17:06:57] <~Charm> Holding out one hand, a beam of icy blue magic coalesces, quickly coating the target in layers of ice. "Frost Burst!"
[17:07:32] <~Charm> The target shatters as powdery snow falls from the rafters.
[17:08:00] <Noire> Noire claps a couple times over to the side, feeling it necessary. "Ooh, I never even thought about naming mine!"
[17:08:55] <~Charm> "You don't have to, really. Some people hate it, others swear by it. In the end it's whatever works for you. Now, you ready to try another wave?"
[17:08:59] <Noire> "That's…" Though transformed, a bit of fishing around is done before realizing the shades she brought with her are indeed around somewhere, putting them on. "… Pretty cool."
[17:09:37] <Noire> … They're immediately discarded again with a cough. "You bet~!"
[17:10:50] <~Charm> "Don't try to take them all out in a single shot. They won't shoot unless you shoot and miss."
[17:11:36] <Noire> A big grin. "Actually, I'm okay! I'm the type who gets stronger when they're hit, y'know? And…" A small chuckle at the thought of what she'll be able to do in a minute.
[17:12:10] <~Charm> "remember. As little as you need."
[17:12:35] <Noire> A blink for a second. "… They won't shoot at all unless I miss?"
[17:13:54] <~Charm> "The ones you don't engage won't shoot, no. For individual practice, it's easier to focus on single targets, since it's assumed your squadron will engage the rest of the targets."
[17:14:42] <Noire> A small pout. "So that means I only messed up last night because I shot at all of them at once— but my teammates were having trouble too, you know?"
[17:15:55] <~Charm> "That's not all the trouble you had. Sometimes going after all of them is good. But for now, going against single targets makes it less likely you'll be hit." five more targets pop up, still armed and waiting.
[17:16:04] <Noire> "But.. I'm not going for a time limit or a no-damage record or anything, right? If I could make them all fire at once, and then send that back at 'em…"
[17:16:38] <Noire> Of course, she has no bruises or anything anymore, just grinning along at these targets and fully prepared to disobey orders.
[17:17:32] <~Charm> "If you aren't gonna learn from this, maybe I ought to send you back to Switzerland and let you drink chocolate all day." Mia is not amused by this bullshit.
[17:19:30] <Noire> "Awww. Okay, maybe this once…" Fun laser beams can come later. With a bit of focus she only closes her eyes, shouting. "Noble Luna, heed my call!" Her mind is hard at work thinking of cool-sounding names, very much at a loss while rushing toward the one in the middle. As she gets up there, she's already on the other side of it with the blade showing no sign of having moved at all… or having hit the target. Actually, it's just the air around it that seems a little weird. "Gravitas!"
[17:20:00] <Noire> 2d6+4 also shifting this one, bad enough dude etc
[17:20:01] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, also shifting this one, bad enough dude etc: 11 [2d6=2,5]
[17:20:05] <Noire> no apparently not
[17:20:30] <@Charm> Static clash. Take 2 damage
[17:20:46] <~Charm> Thunk! Ow, that was a baseball!
[17:21:01] <Noire> The floor under it cracks a little as if under some kind of pressure, but the target itself is unharmed. "Oops."
[17:21:47] <Noire> "I took so long to think of that one too!" A pout is given while turning around, thoroughly prepared to just try to blow them all up again.
[17:22:08] <~Charm> "Try it again, then." Mia just sits there, watching. "If you wanna try using something else, go for it. Just keep your magic stable."
[17:23:36] <Noire> "No way! I just need to not use my weapon, and crush it under its own weight. The power's kinda weird to use, buuut…." Eyes glaring at it, another attempt without any movename shouting is made to just crumple it to the ground without touching it. Likely, it's not going to end well.
[17:23:54] <Noire> 2d6+4 let's try this again… obviously shifting all of these
[17:23:55] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, let's try this again… obviously shifting all of these: 12 [2d6=6,2]
[17:24:05] <@Charm> Pfft
[17:24:10] <Noire> inb4 statics that one too
[17:24:17] <@Charm> In during
[17:24:57] <~Charm> It doesn't, unless another baseball slamming into her side counts as ending well.
[17:25:50] <Noire> It does, actually. "Okay! Now that that's done…" A second is spent focusing energy, standing still while minor bruises repair themselves and whatnot.
[17:26:49] <~Charm> "Oh, are you a healer?" Mia looks on, a bit concerned.
[17:28:10] <Noire> "Something like that! But that's not all~ Getting hit leaves some kinda weird magic residue or something, so if I take all that and focus it somewhere else…" The blade starts glowing a super-bright blue for a second.
[17:34:13] <Noire> "Noble Luna, heed my call! I can feel it— everything flowing into me! Become as a merciless bringer of destruction, O ray of light!" She could've easily just said it in the boring way, but giving it a name sounds a little more fun. The weapon is aimed like a rifle, though not befitting its shape at all, and a massive orb of energy gathers at its tip, aiming only for the target in the center. She totally forgot all about orders at this point, just trying to make it cool. "Fortuna!"
[17:34:28] <Noire> 3d6+9 IS THAT THE SOUND OF DISOBEYING ORDERS? oh yeah it's shifted too
[17:34:28] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, IS THAT THE SOUND OF DISOBEYING ORDERS? oh yeah it's shifted too: 23 [3d6=6,6,2]
[17:34:35] <Noire> AND DAMN GLAD IT IS
[17:34:49] <@Charm> 2d6+10
[17:34:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+10: 19 [2d6=4,5]
[17:35:02] <Noire> 1d6+10
[17:35:03] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, 1d6+10: 13 [1d6=3]
[17:35:46] <Noire> Well, the 'orb' obviously turns into a blackish-blue laser beam, likely leaving not even a smoldering pile of ash in its wake.
[17:36:20] <Noire> "Oops… maybe that was a little much."
[17:36:23] <~Charm> The target isn't there anymore. Mia is pretty impressed. "Not bad. Can you remember how that felt?"
[17:36:40] <Noire> "Yep!" A big smile. "Felt like I wanted to blow it up, so I did!"
[17:37:10] <Noire> If there're any walls, the beam probably didn't stop there.
[17:37:51] <~Charm> "Good. Try to do the exact same thing, but on a slightly smaller scale. Feel the magic flowing through you." She lowers three targets, leaving one up.
[17:41:08] <Noire> "Smaller scale? Hmmm… I'm gonna run out of these soon." A pause is taken before twirling the staff a couple times, then pointing the blade out. But there's an obligatory chanting at the beginning of the usual stuff, of course. "Auctoritas!" A ball of energy gathers before suddenly disappearing.
[17:41:15] <Noire> 2d6+9 can do, boss
[17:41:16] <DiceMaid-9001> Noire, can do, boss: 15 [2d6=2,4]
[17:41:41] <@Charm> 2d6+4 she weakened it for you
[17:41:41] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, she weakened it for you: 14 [2d6=5,5]
[17:42:15] <Noire> … And then a bright blue beam of said energy shoots out from thin air above it, enveloping the target.
[17:43:14] <~Charm> Flop! Mia just smiles as the target drops. "So, think you can fight without going overboard on magic?"
[17:44:17] <Noire> "Well, it won't be NEARLY as exciting, I can tell that much." A little sigh. "But… probably! If not that, then I can at least do that weird energy thing and keep the others from hurting themselves too much."
[17:45:44] <~Charm> "Perhaps. It seems potent. But is there any other magic you want to be rid of?"
[17:46:05] <Noire> "Rid of?" A head-tilt. "Like, take away my ability to use it? That sounds awful."
[17:47:17] <~Charm> "No, I meant you have more magic built up. I can help discharge it for you, if you like."
[17:48:00] <Noire> "Oh… that'd be nice, actually." Small giggle. "I don't remember exactly what being a statue felt like, but it was probably really weird."
[17:48:34] <@Charm> 1d6+1 remove this much OC
[17:48:35] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, remove this much OC: 2 [1d6=1]
[17:49:00] <@Charm> 1d4+1 this much too
[17:49:01] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, this much too: 3 [1d4=2]
[17:50:01] <~Charm> "…this might feel a bit embarrassing…" Mia takes Noire's hand as two waves of energy overtake her senses
[17:50:45] <Noire> "Eek!" Well, she jolts up a bit as it feels weird enough, but calms down and only nods once. "… Thanks."
[17:52:44] <~Charm> "You're welcome. I expect you all here tonight though. You'll get a pass for tomorrow though."
[17:54:20] <Noire> Yet another nod, with a couple blinks. Her eyelashes flutter against her own will as she remembers how French she is. "I will be. Thanks so much for all your help~!" Leaning forward to actually grab her current boss a bit in a hugging embrace, Mia gets one fairly hard peck on the cheek and an almost childish smile of thanks.
[17:55:40] <~Charm> "D-dismissed…" Mia says, blushing. Sure, she didn't mean it…right?
[17:56:29] <~Charm> It was just a reaction to the discharge of the magic. It doesn't mean anything.
[17:56:32] <Noire> Well, the hug stops after a realization and a giggle, though the other thing was genuine. "And… er, to clarify, you weren't wrong anything, but…" Cough, cough. "You saw that my power came from the moon, right? Take a look outside tonight and it might make sense… eheheh." Then with some kind of gesture, possibly even a mock-salute involved, Noire hops off and detransforms, floating out of the room.
[17:56:47] <Noire> And no way, it so does, it means she's thankful and happy. It's a cultural thing.
[17:57:14] <~Charm> "Y-yeah." Mia puts a hand over where she was kissed.
[17:58:27] <Noire> "Good luck with the others! See you later!" How does she even KNOW the others are doing it? Mysteries will be mysteries. Of course, as she floats off she has a certain person in mind… again. A certain antisocial person who is probably not the luckiest of people right now.
[17:58:37] <~Charm> Surely…no, that was silly. With a nod to herself, she goes back to her office.
[[http://pastebin.com/Z4Jbvdkb]]
[12:53:55] <~Charm> The Library, San Diego Branch || October 22, 2054 || 8:13 Pacfic Daylight Time
[12:54:54] <~Charm> After a very loud night for Lilo, things seem to have quieted down for the most part. Every once in a while she feels like yelling, but it's far from constant.
[12:57:33] <~Charm> Still, as morning breaks (or at least according to her phone) there's a note slipped under her door.
[12:59:45] <Lilo> This early? Lilo probably won't be up right away, but when she finally wakes up, she picks up and reads the note.
[13:01:23] <~Charm> "Meet me at the office once you can keep from blowing out my eardrums. — Mia"
[13:03:40] <Lilo> "Testing… Testing… One, two, three. Test." Okay, we're good. Voice in order, Lilo slowly makes her way to Mia's office, detouring for food if there appears to be a place to eat.
[13:04:39] <~Charm> The best she can find is a vending machine, but it's better than nothing
[13:05:47] <Lilo> Close enough. With some sugar to wake her up, Lilo follows the note's orders.
[13:07:50] <~Charm> "Glad you could make it." Mia's voice is pretty cold, even for a cryomancer. "I assume you've taken care of the volume control?"
[13:08:36] <Lilo> Lilo takes in a huge breath, as though gathering herself to scream loudly, but just whispers, "Yep."
[13:09:50] <~Charm> "Good. Now, do you know what happened to cause this?"
[13:11:05] <Lilo> She scratches her head in thought for a moment, "My magic started doing stuff on its own, but I don't know why."
[13:13:31] <~Charm> "It's because you used too much too quickly. Something you need to fix if you wanna keep up with us."
[13:13:45] <~Charm> The woman starts walking, expecting you to follow
[13:14:32] <Lilo> Lilo shrugs and follows, "We were trying to make it a quick one."
[13:15:58] <~Charm> "Sometimes speed isn't as important as making sure you conserve your magic."
[13:16:51] <Lilo> "Okay, is that all?"
[13:17:41] <~Charm> "it's a start. But it should be enough for the four of you to handle tonight's sortie."
[13:20:16] <~Charm> "You ready for a little practice?"
[13:20:51] <Lilo> "There were bird-people monster type things last night. What's it gonna be this time? Practice? Yeah, alright." More skill with magic's a better chance to get home, after all.
[13:23:05] <~Charm> The two arrive at a room with a good amount of padding and a few benches. With a few button pushes, three targets appear in front of Lilo. "Take these out, using as little magic as possible. Okay?"
[13:24:28] <Lilo> Lilo nods and hums, forming musical notes around her head to shift into her usual costume.
[13:26:02] <~Charm> The three targets seem simple enough. All she has to do is hit and knock them down, right?
[13:26:44] <Lilo> 2d6+8 closest one first
[13:26:45] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, closest one first: 16 [2d6=3,5]
[13:27:18] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[13:27:19] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 4 [2d6=1,3]
[13:27:22] <@Charm> Hits
[13:27:41] <Lilo> 1d6
[13:27:42] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 1d6: 2 [1d6=2]
[13:28:28] <Lilo> Lilo holds her microphone close to her mouth and blows into it, making a loud crackling noise as black and white static surges at the closest target.
[13:29:28] <~Charm> "Not bad." Mia says, smirking. "See if you can take out the other two then."
[13:30:16] <Lilo> 2d6+8
[13:30:17] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 2d6+8: 15 [2d6=2,5]
[13:31:16] <@Charm> 2#2d6+?
[13:31:17] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2#2d6+?: 8 [2d6=2,6], 9 [2d6=5,4]
[13:31:30] <@Charm> First misses, second tiebreaks
[13:31:46] <Lilo> 1d6
[13:31:47] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 1d6: 1 [1d6=1]
[13:31:52] <Lilo> laaaaaaaaame
[13:31:56] <@Charm> 1d6
[13:31:57] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d6: 5 [1d6=5]
[13:32:05] <Lilo> Got clashed, I take it?
[13:32:13] <@Charm> Yep. Take 2 damage
[13:33:12] <Lilo> Her speakers direct themselves towards the next target, slowly taking their time to charge up.
[13:34:25] <~Charm> Her attack goes wide as two tennis balls shoot out from the targets. That stings!
[13:34:58] <Lilo> "How come you didn't warn me about that? I wouldn't have attacked so slowly."
[13:37:48] <~Charm> "In a real combat, you won't have that much a warning. Just keep your focus. Remember, as little as you "need"." Mia frowns as she says it, but maybe there's a reason?
[13:38:32] <Lilo> 2d6+8
[13:38:33] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 2d6+8: 14 [2d6=1,5]
[13:38:52] <@Charm> Solo or both?
[13:39:32] <Lilo> Solo
[13:39:42] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[13:39:43] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 6 [2d6=2,4]
[13:39:45] <@Charm> Hit
[13:39:59] <Lilo> 1d6
[13:39:59] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 1d6: 3 [1d6=3]
[13:40:05] <@Charm> Flop.
[13:40:45] <Lilo> …As little as needed… Okay. Lilo walks over and pushes the second target over, dodging the flying balls along the way.
[13:42:41] <~Charm> "…well, I guess that works. Now let's see you go against something a bit bigger." the third target recedes as a giant target rises up. It doesn't seem that different, just bigger.
[13:42:59] <~Charm> "You won't be able to just push this one over."
[13:43:02] <Lilo> 2d6+8
[13:43:03] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 2d6+8: 16 [2d6=3,5]
[13:43:19] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[13:43:20] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 8 [2d6=5,3]
[13:43:27] <@Charm> And take 3 more damage
[13:43:58] <Lilo> "Are you sure?" Lilo goes over to try to push the next one over, too. Oops.
[13:44:23] <~Charm> As if to emphasize the fact, a softball smacks her in the head. It's not soft at all, she realizes.
[13:44:54] <Lilo> 2d6+8 jerk
[13:44:55] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, jerk: 17 [2d6=6,3]
[13:45:00] <Lilo> 1d6 oh boy here we go
[13:45:00] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, oh boy here we go: 3 [1d6=3]
[13:45:22] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[13:45:23] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 3 [2d6=1,2]
[13:45:27] <Lilo> blow
[13:45:28] <Lilo> me
[13:45:53] <@Charm> That'll get there. Fluff the overcharge affecting her though
[13:46:55] <Lilo> 1d6+2
[13:46:55] <DiceMaid-9001> Lilo, 1d6+2: 3 [1d6=1]
[13:47:29] <Lilo> "Sonic boom fastball pitch!" Lilo picks up the softball and roars as she winds up for a lightning fast toss.
[13:52:11] <~Charm> The softball is nowhere fast enough, until an extra burst of magic forces it through the target, dropping it.
[13:52:33] <~Charm> "…" Mia just glares at Lilo.
[13:52:52] <Lilo> "…I thought Americans loved baseball."
[13:53:38] <~Charm> "That's not the point."
[13:54:15] <Lilo> "I hardly used magic."
[13:54:49] <~Charm> "while it's true…you know how that felt, that last attack?"
[13:55:09] <Lilo> "Uh huh."
[13:56:12] <~Charm> "You think you can remember how it feels? Try to avoid that."
[13:56:33] <Lilo> "It wasn't on purpose, it just kinda happened that way."
[13:59:08] <~Charm> "that's true. There's a little something that makes magic funny like that."
[14:00:15] <Lilo> "…So how do I avoid it?"
[14:01:30] <~Charm> "Well, there's not much you can do. Just do the best you can, okayVl
[14:01:38] <~Charm> Okay?"
[14:02:08] <Lilo> "Yeah, alright, but don't yell at me for something you can't control!"
[14:02:36] <~Charm> "I didn't yell at you!"
[14:02:52] <Lilo> "You might as well have!"
[14:03:25] <~Charm> "…I'm sorry." Mia bows her head. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."
[14:04:05] <Lilo> "That's okay, then. Thanks for the help."
[14:04:48] <~Charm> "Alright then. You're free to go. Just keep my advice in mind okay?"
[14:05:24] <Lilo> Lilo nods, "I'll see what I can do."
http://pastebin.com/Th9TBC7N
[20:30:22] <~Charm> The Library, San Diego Branch || 11:02 AM, PDT || October 22, 2054
[20:31:31] <~Charm> Lecia gets a knock on her makeshift bedroom door.
[20:32:09] <~Charm> She had the best night of the four of them, but she really wasn't able to do anything against tue harpies. So it wasn't much help, was it?
[20:33:51] <Lecia> With it not being hard to answer the door, it's answered right away with the door being opened. And though she had the best night, it was only because there wasn't anything negative happening to her. There wasn't any positives, she didn't even touch a single harpy by herself, and that explains the slightly glum expression on her face as she checks to see who answered the door with an unfittingly jolly 'Hello~".
[20:34:41] <~Charm> "Good to see you're awake." Mia offers an apologetic smile. "Want some muffins?"
[20:36:58] <Lecia> Muffins…doesn't sound that bad. "Sure~" At least not everything is going wrong. As long as the muffins aren't accidentally burned to a cinder, anyway. That would be bad.
[20:38:28] <~Charm> They appear to be store-bought. The woman sits down and opens the box, taking a pastry from inside and tossing it to Lecia. "So I understand you werent really doing that well last night?"
[20:40:38] <Lecia> And it's grabbed. Classic blueberry, best flavor of muffin. "Wasn't doing well at all…like, terribad…" The sheer amount of doing badly, she wouldn't even describe it. Even though she tried so hard she got a good few OC from the fight, she didn't land a single hit.
[20:42:26] <~Charm> "But you didn't do enough, I guess." The cryomancer starts chewing on a chocolate muffin. "You don't want it to happen again, right?"
[20:43:21] <Lecia> "Never again." The determination to stop it from happening ever again leaks from within her. Can't help people if you can't do a single thing.
[20:45:14] <~Charm> "…That's good. The determination should help. But make sure you don't overexert yourself trying, okay?"
[20:45:52] <~Charm> "I don't need to remind you what happened to the rest of your squadron…"
[20:47:49] <Lecia> A small gulp. Every single one of them got the short end of the stick. Especially Noire. Being a statue has to suck. "…Right, I won't overexert myself." …That was a good muffin.
[20:48:45] <~Charm> "Good. You seem like you get it." She stretches a little. There are several more muffins in the box, Lecia sees
[20:50:01] <Lecia> A nod. …And a single muffin is not enough. Pluck, another muffin is taken. …Banana Nut. Also pretty good.
[20:52:33] <~Charm> "Now…Do you want to do something?"
[20:55:48] <Lecia> The muffin is eaten quickly. "Sure! …some training, I guess?"
[20:56:46] <~Charm> "Something like that. Just so you can get back in the swing of things."
[20:59:34] <~Charm> She stands up, beckoning for Lecia to follow. Before long they're in a small gymnasium with padding on the floor and a few benches. "You ready?"
[20:59:35] <Lecia> A nod….and a third muffin. Another blueberry. And before actually taking a bite or whatnot, words. "I'll start that as soon as I'm able!" Because training is fun times…or at least avoiding sad times.
[21:00:54] <Lecia> And eventually they do end up there. "Yep!" So ready.
[21:02:15] <~Charm> With a few button pushes, three small targets pop up. They don't seem too threatening…
[21:02:36] <~Charm> "Fire at will, Miss Asami." Mia says, resting on the bench.
[21:04:48] <Lecia> Fire. Ranged attacks. Don't. Mess. Up. Again. First, transforming…and then, robo laser pew pew beam go!
[21:04:56] <Lecia> 2d6+10 Pew pew pew
[21:04:57] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, Pew pew pew: 22 [2d6=6,6]
[21:04:59] <Lecia> dammit
[21:05:08] <Lecia> 2d6
[21:05:08] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, 2d6: 9 [2d6=5,4]
[21:05:44] <@Charm> 2d6
[21:05:44] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6: 3 [2d6=1,2]
[21:08:40] <~Charm> The target quickly explodes. Wait…that wasn't supposed to happen, was it?
[21:10:59] <Lecia> So when Mia said not to overexert herself, Lecia apparently ignored it. Combined with magic's tendency to be wild, the two resulted in DETONATION after one hell of a laser. And then Lecia realized she overdid it there, and combined with last night's endeavor… "..erm…oops…"
[21:12:06] <Lecia> At least it wasn't during anything major, but…oops. Very oops.
[21:12:29] <~Charm> "I don't think that was what you had in mind…" The woman pales a bit.
[21:19:52] <Lecia> you know what
[21:19:59] <Lecia> can I just take a change that would be easier
[21:21:04] <@Charm> If you want
[21:21:20] <Lecia> 2d6 this is me not wanting to think
[21:21:21] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, this is me not wanting to think: 6 [2d6=2,4]
[21:24:36] <Lecia> It wasn't. The following purple feathered wings that grew on her back weren't what she had in mind either, but there they are. The process of wing growing took a few exceedingly painful seconds, and Lecia was left saying "owowowowowow" during the entire process, and some time after it. A good long time after it, even.
[21:25:26] <~Charm> "…I think that's probably enough for today." Mia frowns.
[21:27:38] <Lecia> Naturally. Lecia touches the spot that hurt, to realize that oh god she has wings…and that it didn't take much for her to join the ranks of the changed, even after being a complete failure earlier. The frowning is mirrored, the glumness at it's peak. "…fine…"
[21:29:32] <~Charm> "It's important to keep aware of how much magic you have built up. Is everything working okay?"
[21:31:15] <Lecia> "…besides the wings, I still feel fine…wings feel weird…" Things described were physical. Mentally, she feels like the worst kind of failure. Oh, and flap flap.
[21:33:09] <~Charm> "Noted. I'm afraid I can't do anything to help with your sortie tonight though."
[21:34:57] <~Charm> "Sorry to say you'll have to deal with it for tonight."
[21:37:46] <Lecia> A nod. "…Sorry…" Yeah, she has all the reasons to apologize, or at least the reasons she thinks she has.
[21:38:17] <~Charm> "Well…" Mia sighs. "You didn't mean it, right?"
[21:40:02] <Lecia> "…yeah, but that's not an excuse…"
[21:41:43] <~Charm> "It isn't. But that you recognize that is proof that you care. You're dismissed then." Mia takes the other targets down
[21:47:07] <Lecia> And a final nod, as Lecia returns to her room, and unless interrupted, immediately lies on her bed to do absolutely nothing but melt. Only she's on her stomach instead of her back now, because doing so on her back has proved VERY uncomfortable thanks to the new wings.
[21:48:40] <Noire> Clonk clonk clonk.
[21:51:13] <Lecia> Maybe the wings can get a robo-casing. Then she can call them a fancy ornament or something. …changes nothing. "Come in…" Can't even answer the door via opening, she feels that bad.
[21:53:29] <Noire> "Okay~!" The door is opened— slammed, in fact, if it's one of those kinds of doors, which it probably is since this isn't the GOOD kind of future. And in comes floating a blonde in a uniform she's never stopped wearing once in the past two months, though her smile seems strained and a bit forced. "It's really boring, and all the others were boring too, so I thought I'd come and see what-" Sniff sniff. She pauses midair to make a fact, feeling something's wrong but not quite noticing what.
[21:55:29] <Lecia> Is it Lecia being depressed, or the wings? Two things to choose from, can't go wrong here. You're either half-right, right, or completely blind in every respect. And yet still, she can muster up the will to respond to small talk, one way or another. "…it's boring in here too…"
[21:57:37] <Noire> Sniff sniff sniff sniff. "Something doesn't smell boring." A flinch for a reason Noire would rather not go into, because she makes a good enough effort to supress such things and twirl around in the air. "Tell me all about it~"
[22:04:37] <Lecia> 'It' totally means the wings. 'It' can't mean her problems, she's not worth that concern. At least she doesn't feel like it is. "…tried to train, overdid it and messed up the very first moment I could, ended up with these…" Flap.
[22:06:25] <Noire> A loud gasp in response. Unbeknownst to the poot little girl, 'it' actually did mean her problems because Noire pays jack shit worth of attention most of the time. "I- whoa! That's…" A moment is taken to observe, with maybe a little pout or somesuch. And just as rudely as one would expect, she floats over to pinch them a bit. Then again.
[22:07:48] <Noire> "… That's so aaaawesome~! Do you have ANY idea how much of a pain it is to control the weight of every little particle in your own body to keep from crushing yourself into paste on accident all the time? I'm so totally jealous, you'll be able to outfly me all the time now~" Twirl, twirl. There's a very strongly masked twitch in there— masked by all the twirling, that is.
[22:11:25] <Lecia> The wings are quite sensitive, due to them just sprouting and all. Though the pinching hurts, all the response is a flinch of the wings, said wings being notably small. She probably can't fly with them, and now she might attempt to fly with them and fail because she can't into wings and then she'll feel like even more of a failure because she can't fly EVEN WITH WINGS. "…hm, I could try
[22:11:25] <Lecia> that…" That spark of feeling good, it's gonna come crashing down. No feeling good ever.
[22:12:56] <Noire> Actually, it's not. The batshit murdering and stuff is reserved only for certain people— even Noire knows how to be a friend. That said, Lecia's wrist is grabbed in a really hyper motion. "C'mon, c'mon, it's probably safe outside if we go somewhere where nobody's looking! It's still early too!" And this can ONLY be done when it's early. Another twitch.
[22:17:47] <Lecia> Perhaps it might not, though. If Noire is clever enough, she might pull something off. And so, Lecia actually gets up, with an "O-OK!"
[22:18:02] <Noire> Floaty floaty. Outside they go.
[22:18:33] <Noire> … Of course she stops to walk whenever there are muggles nearby, smiling and waving here and there. With the occasional flinch.
[22:21:10] <Lecia> Lecia is too dulled by feeling like garbage to notice. Not even the possibility of flying without being transformed can get her out of this. Actually flying might help a bit though.
[22:22:54] <Noire> It's a lengthy run, and who knows, there may not be very many places that work for things like this— maybe it's out on a country road, maybe it's on top of a skyscraper? Regardless, Noire looks around every few seconds before an eventual journey leading them somewhere where there don't seem to be any immediate onlookers. She isn't worried, anyway, knowing what would happen if there WERE immediate onlookers. Or anybody who isn't some kind of ninja when it comes to hiding, anyway. With a big smile - albeit a struggling one - the wrist is let go of and Lessy herself gets a big, bright stare. "Okay!"
[22:23:00] <Noire> "Flap 'em."
[22:26:17] <Lecia> "Got it!" If it was on a skyscraper, Lecia would definitely feel really nervous. But either way, SHE MUST HARNESS THE POWER OF FLIGHT. WITH HER OWN WINGS. …And with her own wings, she won't get anywhere, but she's still flapping them with all her might.
[22:27:45] <Noire> Trying to ease suspicions away and get attention focused on the smile of hers, Noire folds her arms and just stares. I mean, with eyes like THAT it's hard to not stare into them anyway, huh? It's obvious enough that the wings can't fly, but with the slightest movement the little girl finds herself inching off the ground. Step by step.
[22:30:48] <Noire> And higher and higher! … Well, maybe it feels like the wings themselves are pulling her up, which may feel a little odd, but hopefully not enough so to shatter the illusion of fruitful effort. Yet.
[22:32:44] <Lecia> Not yet, but for now, the brightening of Lecia's expression makes it worth it. Just don't mess things up, Noire. "Hey, these wings actually work~"
[22:34:57] <Noire> "Ahaha! But there's a lot of practice you'll need to do before you can beat me, you know?" The purple eye winks. With a bit of a deep breath, the girl is pulled higher into the air, though the only cues for movement are a shift in weight if she tilts to the side or somesuch. Meaning, the wings themselves aren't incredibly responsive, at least compared to REAL wings. Noire herself follows a few feet up, though with a little less twirling and a lot more wincing.
[22:39:32] <Lecia> Yeah, some practice would be needed. Maybe she'll never get that practice before this wears off. Maybe she'll never know this flying is fake before this wears off. In any case, a giggle comes from Lecia, as she flies mini-rings around Noire, high up in the sky, absorbed in a lot of different things, thus unable to quite grasp the wincing.
[22:42:17] <Noire> Of course! And there's nothing in the sky to indicate anything… or maybe the fact that there's nothing DOES indicate something, as Noire's own giggles sound pained. Still, though she attempts to twirl around and double up the mini-rings, she does it sluggishly and is fairly easy to circle around.
[22:42:41] <Noire> So, the giggling is used to cover up how she's out of breath, and a pause is taken before stalling in the air and opening her big mouth. "So how's it feel?"
[22:47:51] <Lecia> Being a new body part, flapping the wings is honestly really tiring. Of course, Lecia is way too caught up in actually (not) flying to care at all, circling around Noire (or getting circled around by Noire) as well as she's able. "It feels great~" Like actually flying last night was, sort of. You know, the flying. And not the birds. That had wings. STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT. GET MORE CAUGHT UP IN FLYING.
[22:50:11] <Noire> "Haha! It always does! Well, maybe it's not relaxing as the box, but…" While the floating for both of them is still halfassed a bit, Noire herself signals to move to the side when noticing a silhouette or somesuch. And that's the point where the 'urge' manifests in the form of a big twitch that's almost impossible not to notice. Her goal becomes to get out of sight of whoever as soon as possible, so with an extremely nervous giggle their flight path changes.
[22:51:52] <Lecia> OK, she totally noticed that one. …and she swears she wasn't flying exactly that way, but maybe that's her wings being tired. "Noire, what's wrong?" So oblivious.
[22:52:37] <Noire> "Nothing!" And it was spoken in the most rushed way a voice can rush. In fact, Lessy's own flight path starts to feel notably forced in the direction it's tilted, as though she's not able to steer herself. And that's bad.
[22:55:52] <Noire> "Let's… let's go over there!" An 'eheh' works its way in there somewhere, as do some twirls. If there's ever a chance to look at her heterochromiac face - which there probably is - her expression looks almost nauseous, and like she's barely able to hold onto consciousness. The reason is another story.
[22:57:31] <Lecia> Especially when the rushedness brings worry, which brings a change in flight pattern, which makes her realize the forcedness of it all. It might click soon, or perhaps it might much later. But it will click, her fate is sealed. Until then, there's just the flooding worriedness. And there is something wrong, she's completely and utterly sure of that…which is every reason to go in the
[22:57:31] <Lecia> direction she mentioned, especially if it's groundwards. "O-OK…"
[22:58:59] <Noire> Well, her own wing-flight - which definitely doesn't seem like such anymore - stays afloat, while the other one slowly sinks to the ground, giggling along. The giggling starts sounding more and more tired as it goes on, but it's evident how much she's struggling to try. "Hehe… heh… think you can… keep going?"
[23:03:37] <Lecia> Lecia tried to follow Noire there via less flapping…and naturally, this results in no loss of air, or at least hardly any loss at all. The wings will probably stop flapping all together if Noire can keep up the floating for long enough. In any case, as much self-loathing as Lecia wants to feel right now, something is VERY WRONG. "No, I'm following you. Something's wrong, and I'm not just
[23:03:37] <Lecia> gonna leave you alone." BAD IDEA, LECIA.
[23:05:47] <Noire> "Eheh… that won't be very exciting at all!" A cough comes out, but she puts forth every effort she's able to muffle it while descending it and then quickly hides the hand she did it with. "I'm gonna… go down for a minute. K-Keep practicing, okay?" The nervousness is more apparent because the poor kid HAS to keep practicing, as she'd quickly find out she's unable to control her own flight at all. That is, until she gradually starts descending.
[23:10:54] <Lecia> If, even after not flapping at all, she still can't touch the ground, Lecia full on tries to reach the ground as hard as she possibly can. And if she manages that, she's going to follow Noire as fast as she possibly can. And as much as she wants to say that she's not even practicing anything anyway, she can't even stomach saying that, not like this. She'd feel a bit inconsiderate. "No, I'm following you anyway!" BAD IDEAS, LECIA.
[23:13:05] <Noire> It's kind of obvious how much effort is put into forcing her into the sky, but the giggling's done now as Noire's own descent definitely isn't a graceful one. It's actually a crash-landing. And… Lecia's altitude doesn't look that great when it happens either, because all of a sudden the wings ARE the only things she has to fly with. Well, barring a certain magical happening— it's a good fifty or so feet up, too.
[01:17:18] <Lecia> And those wings wouldn't do her much good when it comes to flying, though perhaps they can at least slow the fall. As such, they flap madly. If the fall gets to about 10 or so feet without that being fixed (basically, if Noire doesn't intervene), cue a rushed transformation to soften that landing further. In either case, Lecia doesn't look like she's leaving Noire alone anytime soon, even if she broke her legs on the fall anyway. And th
[01:18:56] <Noire> Noire's consciousness is absolutely not there at all, else the dropping wouldn't happen at all. Also, that line totally cut off at 'And th.'
[01:24:51] <Lecia> WEBCLIENTS. And that's terrible, is what that was. …And if she's just plain unconcious…well, holy crap that's bad. …what's worse is that an unconcious person falling from 50 feet in the air is a VERY bad (and noticable) thing that will easily result in pancakes. As such, Lecia transforms in a hurry, to quickly create a somewhat soft floating platform for Noire to not become a splat on the ground, and then one for herself too.
[01:26:35] <Noire> Well, maybe 40 feet. Still, they were both falling and it wasn't good. And the older of the two would emanate magic with an unconscious cringe every now and then, looking extremely unhealthily pale-faced. Too bad it's too early in the day to tell what the actual cause is, but it's certainly overexertion of some kind.
[01:33:37] <Lecia> Whatever the case is (even unconcious cringing, how does one do that), it's totally an unconcious Noire. This is a VERY BAD THING, and probably related to magic. Who knows more about magic than she does? LIBRARY PEOPLE. And so, once the floating platform gently lowers Noire down, Lecia takes Noire away to…whatever direction the Library was. Hopefully she doesn't get lost or anything.
[01:35:21] <Noire> Until a bear attacks! … Just kidding, there aren't any bears in San Diego. But Noire being on the ground reveals a little more than just an unconscious body. The hand she'd tried to hide earlier is actually covered in blood— her breathing is fine if that's indicative enough of MAGICSTUFF, but there's also the whole fact of being unconscious and not being able to be weightless. What a fun drag this will be.
[01:37:34] <Lecia> I mean, she was so absorbed in feeling miserable that she might not ACTUALLY remember the way back. In any case, Lecia's transformed, she can totally use THE POWER OF MAGICALLY ENHANCED TOUGHNESS to carry around—what's more conspicuous, dragging someone unconcious around, or moving them around with a floating platform? The former, obviously.
[01:38:28] <Lecia> On noticing the hand covered in blood, Lecia assumes it's the blood belonging to Noire herself. That may or may not be true, but regardless, she quickens her pace evermore.
[01:39:05] <Lecia> 2d6+10 I should totally just make my power involve platforms god damn
[01:39:06] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, I should totally just make my power involve platforms god damn: 18 [2d6=2,6]
[01:39:18] <&Noire> I shifted it while unconscious
[01:39:31] <Lecia> 1d6 rolling this anyway
[01:39:32] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, rolling this anyway: 6 [1d6=6]
[01:39:39] <Lecia> 1d6 bonus round
[01:39:40] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, bonus round: 5 [1d6=5]
[01:40:37] <Lecia> also I want to take the overcharge anyway just to make Lecia's life harder
[01:40:39] <Lecia> I really do
[01:40:47] <Noire> Considering how violent her coughing sounded? Definitely. No testing materials present, though, so the 18-year-old can only be limp and dragged around, with the occasional mumble.
[01:41:41] <Lecia> 2d6 Sharp roll, forgot sharp mod
[01:41:42] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, Sharp roll, forgot sharp mod: 3 [2d6=1,2]
[01:41:52] <Lecia> Lecia this is not the time to get lost
[01:42:13] <Lecia> Just look at that platform go. State of the god damn art. Noire's fall was as gentle as a spring breeze. This platform doesn't drag her, it carries her away. Of course, Lecia's attempt at finding the Library…
[01:42:55] <Lecia> …you see this is what she GETS for not paying attention to anything. If she could think straight right now, she would hate herself for hating herself so much. She needs to help Noire and SHE GOT LOST.
[01:42:55] <Lecia> …you see this is what she GETS for not paying attention to anything. If she could think straight right now, she would hate herself for hating herself so much. She needs to help Noire and SHE GOT LOST.
[01:43:55] <Noire> A 14-year-old lost in a big city. Hoo boy. Can we really do this by ourselves?
[01:45:50] <Lecia> I dunno. But this is as good as a cut-off point as any. WILL LECIA FIND HER WAY BACK TO THE LIBRARY AND SAVE NOIRE BEFORE THE MOON RISES? FIND OUT NEXT TIME…ON THE LIBRARY. Like, I can't pass up that 'next time' voice in my head. Should listen to it.
[01:46:31] <Noire> And will Noire wake up and start killing people? … No, she's totally out of it, that's not gonna happen.
[01:55:01] <Lecia> 2d6+10 for the hell of it
[01:55:02] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, for the hell of it: 17 [2d6=1,6]
[01:55:17] <Lecia> AND EVEN IF YOU SHIFTED THAT
[01:55:25] <Lecia> 1d6 I WOULD ROLL THIS ANYWAY
[01:55:25] <DiceMaid-9001> Lecia, I WOULD ROLL THIS ANYWAY: 3 [1d6=3]
http://pastebin.com/4jtjDSjj
[19:15:40] <~Charm> The Library, San Diego Branch || 10:23 PDT || October 22, 2054
[19:17:18] <~Charm> Laura is both hot and cold as she wakes up. Her magic-induced fever seems to be giving one last stand, while the cold steel of her bedframe does its level best to counteract it. And while it's not exactly ideal for Laura Ingram…
[19:17:27] <~Charm> It could be much worse.
[19:19:41] <Laura> Laura stretches gingerly, rubbing a sore spot out of her neck. Sleeping without a mattress last night has left her with plenty of aches, but at least the effects of her last sortie are subsiding.
[19:20:52] <~Charm> There's a knocking on her door, as another chill rushes through the woman. "Hey, you okay?" It's Mia's voice, Laura quickly recognizes
[19:22:05] <Laura> "Ah! C'mander. I'm doing fine, thanks."
[19:22:22] <~Charm> "Can I come in?"
[19:23:15] <Laura> "Yeah, of course." Laura begins getting herself dressed, slipping into her spare jeans and a fresh t-shirt. "What's up?"
[19:24:15] <~Charm> "Just checking in - figure your fever ought to be dying down 'bout now."
[19:25:47] <Laura> "Yeah, seems to be wearing off. I should be good by tonight, if that's what you're worried about."
[19:26:31] <~Charm> "I am. But if the same thing happens tonight…well, then we're no better off, now are we?"
[19:28:14] <Laura> "Well… one day closer to done, but I get your point. You said something about practice last night?" Laura's fully dressed and ready to get a little exercise before breakfast.
[19:31:21] <~Charm> "Yeah, a little bit of a practice session. If you want to, that is."
[19:33:01] <Laura> She stretches a bit more, quads and them hams. "Totally. You've got an actual gym or something here?"
[19:33:39] <~Charm> "Yeah, we actually do. Come on." Mia starts walking, expecting Laura to keep pace as the last traces of her fever fade
[19:34:17] <~Charm> "So…What do you think of the rest of your little crew?"
[19:35:32] <Laura> Laura keeps pace without much trouble. "There're pretty solid. Better than you might guess, anyway."
[19:37:32] <~Charm> "Huh. Okay…Carolle and Devereux did fairly well for themselves, so I figure you just had a bad night last night." Before long they're in a room with blue mats on the floor and a few benches.
[19:39:05] <Laura> "Yeah. I mean, I don't think we were in much actual danger from the harpies. And normally we'd have all the time we need to work out the side-effects, so we tend not to budget it…"
[19:40:06] <~Charm> "Oh. Well, you're here, and it's a good skill to have, using as little magic as you need. You ready?"
[19:41:31] <Laura> Laura rolls her shoulders and cracks her knuckles. "Hit me."
[19:44:50] <~Charm> With a few button presses, three basic foam targets pop up. Each one has some sort of launcher in the middle. "Go crazy, girl."
[19:46:13] <Laura> 2d6+9 Of course, no way to use my clashing prowess against these punks.
[19:46:14] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, Of course, no way to use my clashing prowess against these punks.: 15 [2d6=2,4]
[19:46:27] <Laura> (er, 9/7/3, btw)
[19:47:13] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[19:47:14] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 7 [2d6=3,4]
[19:47:28] <@Charm> Tie BUREKA
[19:47:40] <@Charm> 1d6
[19:47:41] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d6: 3 [1d6=3]
[19:47:44] <Laura> 1d6
[19:47:45] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, 1d6: 3 [1d6=3]
[19:47:49] <Laura> 1d6
[19:47:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, 1d6: 2 [1d6=2]
[19:47:53] <Laura> aww
[19:47:54] <@Charm> 1d6 pfft
[19:47:54] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, pfft: 1 [1d6=1]
[19:47:58] <Lecia> ahahahahaha
[19:47:58] <@Charm> Nice
[19:47:59] <Laura> aww YEAH
[19:48:13] <Laura> 1d6 Damage?
[19:48:13] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, Damage?: 3 [1d6=3]
[19:50:11] <Laura> Laura transforms in a flash of burning petroleum. She leaps into the air, rotating once to bring a chain-wrapped fist crashing into the left-most dummy.
[19:51:36] <~Charm> The target crashes down to the floor with a flop. Mia smiles. "Doing good, it looks like."
[19:52:12] <Laura> 2d6+9 Next one, comin' up
[19:52:12] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, Next one, comin' up: 16 [2d6=3,4]
[19:52:31] <@Charm> 2d6+8
[19:52:32] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+8: 11 [2d6=2,1]
[19:52:41] <@Charm> Hit
[19:53:09] <Laura> 1d6 damage
[19:53:09] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, damage: 3 [1d6=3]
[19:56:05] <Laura> "Number two, comin' up!" Laura spins to face the next target, using the momentum to bring her foot up for a waist-high kick. The foam opponent is knocked flat.
[19:57:15] <~Charm> "Seems like you're getting the hang of it. Wanna try something a bit tougher?"
[19:58:39] <Laura> Laura's ready for anything. "Heck yeah. Let's see it!"
[19:59:39] <~Charm> The last target sinks down, only for a massive amorphous target rise, several launchers trained on the American Mage. This one seems like it's actually capable of attacking.
[19:59:45] <~Charm> "You asked for it!"
[20:01:13] <Laura> "Show me what you've got, tough guy!" Laura bobs and weaves like a boxer, waiting to see what the target can dish out.
[20:01:58] <~Charm> What it can dish out is a volley of five baseballs. They wouldn't be lethal even if they connected, but it would hurt pretty badly.
[20:02:07] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[20:02:08] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 8 [2d6=2,6]
[20:02:14] <@Charm> 1d6
[20:02:15] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d6: 2 [1d6=2]
[20:02:53] <Laura> 2d6 Crashu
[20:02:54] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, Crashu: 5 [2d6=4,1]
[20:03:18] <@Charm> You're at 14 I assume. Which isn't enough to beat it
[20:03:20] <Laura> er, plus 9 for a 14. But she'll OC it.
[20:04:09] <@Charm> Okay then
[20:04:13] <Laura> Actually, no. She'll take the hit.
[20:04:25] <@Charm> Okay
[20:04:37] <@Charm> 1d10-3
[20:04:38] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d10-3: 1 [1d10=4]
[20:05:31] <Laura> "Ouch, hey!" Five at once? At least one of those is bound to connect, hitting as Laura tries to get close enough to strike. "You weren't kidding, eh Mia?"
[20:06:05] <~Charm> "Nope! Remember, the idea is to only use as much as you need and nothing else."
[20:07:32] <Laura> "Trying," Laura replies, grimacing. She's sure she could've dodged that with a boost of magic, but that wasn't the point of the exercise.
[20:07:49] <Laura> 2d6+9 This time, he's going down.
[20:07:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, This time, he's going down.: 13 [2d6=2,2]
[20:07:53] <Laura> or not.
[20:08:34] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[20:08:35] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 5 [2d6=1,4]
[20:09:01] <@Charm> You could beat it without much effort at 1 OC
[20:09:37] <Laura> Nice try, but that's not the goal here. However…
[20:10:21] <Laura> If you're saying I'm 1 short, can I take a point of Strain for the +1 by trash-talking a teammate afterwards?
[20:10:54] <@Charm> You're more than 1 short. But not much morethan that
[20:11:40] <Laura> More's the pity. Hit me.
[20:11:56] <@Charm> 1d10-3
[20:11:56] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d10-3: 4 [1d10=7]
[20:12:27] <~Charm> Well the point wasnt to get blasted with baseballs either, was it?
[20:13:59] <Laura> Because that's definitely what's happening. This foam target is well-defended; Laura takes a flurry of the hard leather balls to the head as she manuevers around the blob.
[20:14:37] <~Charm> "Are you okay?" the machine pauses for a moment as the cryomancer stands up, concerned.
[20:15:53] <Laura> "Spiffy," Laura grunts, taking a few steps back. "This least-magic strategy is a little painful, I gotta say."
[20:16:18] <Laura> 2d6+9 But she'll give it another shot
[20:16:19] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, But she'll give it another shot: 16 [2d6=2,5]
[20:16:53] <~Charm> "Well, you might have misunderstood. I said to use as little as you needed. Not the absolute bare minimum you could make."
[20:18:09] <@Charm> 2d6+? It clashes this time
[20:18:09] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, It clashes this time: 8 [2d6=4,4]
[20:18:31] <@Charm> And beats you.
[20:19:09] <@Charm> 1d10-3
[20:19:10] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d10-3: 4 [1d10=7]
[20:19:21] <@Charm> Taken 9 damage so far
[20:22:47] <Laura> "I've just gotta-" Thunk. Thunk thu-thunk thunk. That approach was just as well-covered as the last one. "Damnit, I'll get you yet."
[20:23:43] <~Charm> "If you need to use a little more, that's fine. Just be sure you need it before using it, okay?" Mia goes out and says it, sighing.
[20:23:49] <Laura> 2d6+9 But let's do this!
[20:23:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, But let's do this!: 15 [2d6=3,3]
[20:25:10] <@Charm> 2d6+? clashing
[20:25:11] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, clashing: 11 [2d6=5,6]
[20:25:16] <@Charm> 1d6
[20:25:16] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d6: 1 [1d6=1]
[20:25:19] <Laura> Goddamnit.
[20:25:23] <&Giantree> bads
[20:25:27] <@Charm> Yeah you'll need to take some OC
[20:26:25] <Laura> Need to? Because Laura's managed not to roll a 6 for 5 in a row. She's obviously commited to this whole "no magic allowed" thing.
[20:26:39] <@Charm> Okay then
[20:26:42] <@Charm> 1d10-3
[20:26:43] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d10-3: 4 [1d10=7]
[20:28:18] <Laura> "I don't-" Thunk. "-need any-" Thunk. "-more. I just-" Thunk, thunk. "-need a better-" Thunk. "…goddamn."
[20:28:32] <~Charm> Of course, Laura might not have heard it as she continues getting pounded by baseballs
[20:29:01] <Laura> 2d6+9 Let's go, last chance, c'mon no 6.
[20:29:02] <DiceMaid-9001> Laura, Let's go, last chance, c'mon no 6.: 16 [2d6=3,4]
[20:29:21] <@Charm> 2d6+?
[20:29:22] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 2d6+?: 10 [2d6=6,4]
[20:29:37] <@Charm> Yeah no. You lose unless you spend some OC
[20:29:59] <Laura> Failure is the only option. Don't worry, I've got a rant prepared.
[20:30:23] <@Charm> 1d10-3
[20:30:24] <DiceMaid-9001> Charm, 1d10-3: 6 [1d10=9]
[20:30:29] <@Charm> Rant away
[20:31:10] <~Charm> And before too many more can hit, Laura's transformation falters as she flops to the ground, bruised and probably really tired.
[20:32:37] <Laura> Her next attempt is no more successful than the last. The blob's defenses offer perfect coverage, reacting too quickly for her to penetrate without burning some magic.
[20:33:58] <~Charm> The giant target is lowered as Mia heads out to the mats, stooping down and looking at Laura's bruised body. "Umm…maybe I should have tried something a bit easier?"
[20:34:08] <Laura> Laura finally steps away, un-transforming with another flash. "I give up, Mia. This is bullshit."
[20:35:08] <~Charm> "Yeah, I'm sorry. Maybe I overestimated things based on those first two targets…are you okay?"
[20:36:13] <Laura> "You want to teach fighting styles? Sure, go for it. But if this is supposed to teach discipline or some shit like that, there's no way it's gonna work. You can say 'only use as much as you need,' but in the field that choice is life-and-death. You can't expect me to treat this like the real thing when it ends the second I say it does."
[20:37:12] <Laura> Laura puts a finger squarely on Mia's chest. "You want to show us how a pro does it? Go up with us next time. Prove those stripes on your sleeve aren't for show."
[20:39:06] <~Charm> Mia grabs Laura's finger and bends it backwards. "I don't appreciate being talked to like that by anyone, but especially by a subordinate. I paid my dues to this place."
[20:41:16] <Laura> Laura jerks out of Mia's grasp and glare. "Spare me. We know you're the Big Dick on base, but you didn't get that way by getting shot. How many years you been on?"
[20:42:46] <~Charm> "It'll be thirty years next march. Despite what you think, I'm doing my best to watch out for everyone here. These girls go up there every goddamned day, and they can't afford to miss time because they're busy having hotflashes or blowing out their eardrums or being statues."
[20:45:01] <~Charm> Mia's normally cold disposition has turned downright icy. And while due doesn't even look 30, Laura gets the sense she wouldn't lie about that.
[20:46:37] <Laura> "Yeah? Well this one can't be missing time holed up in the infirmary because of your stupid drills. You've got 30 years of experience, and you still think dodging baseballs is gonna teach us how to regulate our magic? Blow me. That kind of skill doesn't pop up overnight, and it sure as hell doesn't develop from sitting in a batting cage."
[20:49:09] <~Charm> "Damn straight it doesn't pop up overnight. It takes effort and repetition. There's no way I can expect you to properly manage your magic like these girls do after one session. But it puts that thought in your mind."
[20:50:10] <~Charm> "Because you need to know how to do it. What woulda happened had I not been able to cool you down?"
[20:52:46] <Laura> "Only thought going through my mind is that you haven't got a clue." Laura turns to stalk off, calling back over her shoulder. "A little fever's nothing. You're just a burned-out has-been if you that's the best advice you've got."
[20:55:05] <~Charm> A frozen hand grabs her shoulder. "You've got a lot of nerve, backtalking to your boss like that."
[20:58:08] <Laura> "You ain't my boss, bitch. I'm on loan, and if you don't like my attitude I'll pack it up and head back to the Land of Watches and Chocolate. I want to help, but screw you and your authority complex. Now get the fuck off me."
[20:58:14] <~Charm> "One more word and you're benched. And you hate me because I can make that call." She isn't kidding.
[21:03:53] <Laura> "Oh, I'm going up." Laura turns to leave, and it'll take more than a hand to stop her. "I'm going up tonight, Mia. But not for you."
[21:05:11] <~Charm> "Sorry, but no." The woman turns to leave as Laura's body is overtaken by magic and unceremoniously dumped back into her room
[21:05:52] <~Charm> "Thank you, Marian. You can head back now." Mia nods as the blonde Mage slinks out the back exit.
[21:06:40] <Laura> That gets her a gasp of surprise played off as a smirk. "Had to call for backup, eh? You really /are/ burned out."
[21:07:26] <~Charm> Who is she talking to? She's in her room. Alone, with nothing but a frozen bedframe and a flimsy mattress tossed to one side.
[21:08:43] <Laura> "W-whoa." Laura tries the door. "House arrest, eh? Well fuck you too, Snowslut. Fuck you too."
[21:09:05] <~Charm> Unsurprisingly, it's locked.
[21:14:30] <~Charm> It felt nice in here, with the iced-over metal able to pull heat away from Laura while she suffered from her magical malady. But now? She's just left out in the cold. And it's miserable.