The Library: Session #7

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[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.