Session Start: Sat Jan 24 16:34:47 2004 Last time, on Hunters: The team had another little test session with Lady Granite, and found out a) that Royal does indeed make a worthwhile melee combatant, b) that Mallet is getting over her recent de-magicking at the hands of Princess Purity, and c) Darkmoon's wolf form is really, really scary, but he does have at least a little control over it. Afterwards, they went to do a little investigation for Princess Squeegee. They had a chat with Lady Deer, who had just been raped by an unscrupulous Lord who was taking advantage of his powers of command. Hearing this tale brought out Sakura's memories of the exact same thing happening to her, apparently at the command of this same Lord, but several years ago. Everyone went their separate ways... and then nothing happened for almost two weeks. Sakura was completely unreachable - not even her secretary would answer the phone. Finally, on the next Saturday, everyone got a note to drop by the Blossom Detective Agency after school on Monday. [Monday, December 1, 2003 - 15:45 local time] [Sakura's place] [Session start] * Lord_Darkmoon is there at the appointed time. Perhaps a minute or two early. * Taki is dressed in her casual clothes, black tank top, black cargo pants, black duster. * Leena is a few minutes late, in her school uniform as per usual, with the addition of a scarf that looks way to big for her, but also very warm. And her backpack, too. * Kyouko arrives, her hair is wet, as she's coming from swimclub, and is in her Takeuchi Memorial Swimclub Hoodie. * Lord_Darkmoon is actually in what might pass for Lord-wear: a formal-looking school uniform. Black, of course. With blue borders. * Secretary is sitting at her desk as everyone walks in. She is wearing what looks like combat fatigues today, and she has a huge fading bruise over the left half of her face. ...what happened?! * Secretary has one hand under the desk, and it looks like she's holding onto something. ...what's going on? Ma'am? * Leena -did- have a cheerful look on her face... it drops like the Mallet when she catches sight of the Secretary. * Lord_Darkmoon looks at the Secretary concernedly. "Are you alright, Madam Secretary?" * Secretary frowns. "Sakura happened. It's all right." She presses the buzzer, unlocking the door. * Kyouko is in shock at the Secretary's condition. Her mouth drops open slightly. o_O * Leena doesn't sound convinced of the 'it's okay' part. "... if you say so." * Taki walks into Sakura's office area thingy. * Lord_Darkmoon is suddenly in the full hakama from the first time he met everyone, an expression as dark as his title on his face. "I see." It's not what you think. Then what should I think? * Kenji walks in the front door slouching down with a handkerchief drawn over his mouth. His coughing is audible a second or so before he actually enters. * Lord_Darkmoon walks into Sakura's apartment-place. "It had better not be." ...that last bit was muttered darkly, though audible. * Kyouko glances at the Secretary and heads in. What's not? Oh, right. * Minami eyes Kenji. "Are *you* all right? * Leena blinkblinks in confusion. * Taki nods at Sakura. "Yo." * Kenji gives a passing wave to the Secretary, not noticing her appearance at all. Eyes still downcast, he nods curtly. "Just a little down-- uh-- sorry I'm late." Ehh...Kenji? We were doing some hand-to-hand training, and she managed to plant her face into the wall. ..Oh. * Lord_Darkmoon visibly relaxes. "I see. That's good." He looks truly relieved. * Secretary closes the door behind everyone. As she stood up from the desk, you could see that she was gripping a gun. The secretary tucks it into a waist holster and locks the door. * Kenji coughs one or two more times into his hanky. " 's okay." *Glances up for the first time and notices the Secretary's face.* "whoa-uh-- er.. Hi?" .... oh. *blinks* Ick. Point that away from me. * Kenji followed in wordlessly afterward. ...you okay, Kenji? * Kenji looks around at everyone, sniffles and wipes at his face. "Just-- a lil down. I'm okay- really.,," If you say so, Kenji. *nods at the other boy* *to Sakura* If I may ask...has any progress been made on finding the foul excuse for a Lord? * Sakura is sitting at a large folding table with about six different guns in various states of disassembly. She, too, has a rather more military cut of clothing on than usual. * Minami eyes Kenji again, rummages around in her satchel a bit, and hands him a couple tissues. So...what's going on? Ano... *looks at Kenji worriedly* ...I can not comment on the progress of that investigation, under orders from the Queen. * Kenji takes the tissues gently. "Thanks- uh-- Minami." * Leena glances sharply at Sakura at the mention of 'orders'. ...Ah. No problem. ...I see. I apologize, then. *waits silently, standing with his arms folded inside his hakama sleeves, for Sakura to say why they were called in today* What? Why is she... but.... she's insane! Gah! He is still out there. So be careful... oh. * Minami looks at Sakura. "Is Nozomi any better?" * Leena holds her hands to her head, looking like she's about to pull her hair out. There is one thing related to that we should do right now. * Taki stands quiet in the back of the room. She seems rather distant. ...the reason I remembered what happened to me is that I have orders from the Queen to only follow her orders when it comes to our *she gestures around her with her hands* business, and once we were assigned to investigate it, it became business, and that order superceded his order not to think about it. Does that make sense to you? * Minami nods. ...Sort of. She had to explain it to me a couple of times. * Leena nods. So we have to get orders to only follow orders from someone? I understand. * Kenji rubs at his brow momentarily before nodding and looking for a place to sit. * Taki looks out the window. * Leena smiles cheerfully, hopefully. "Does that immunity extend to us? " It's less... clear whether you are explicitly under the same order. She told you to basically follow my orders. If the Queen could give similar orders to the rest of you... Or, for just protection from Lords, perhaps Kenji and I-- *goes silent, averting his eyes and looking guilty for even thinking of whatever he was thinking* * Kenji quirks an eyebrow and inhales to speak but ends up sneezing into a few of Minami's tissues. * Leena glances at Darkmoon ever-so-briefly, before shrugging and turning back to Sakura. So... I am ordering you, in the Queen's name to ignore any orders this Lord has given to you before, or will give to you in the future. ...okay. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, accepting the order. * Minami inclines her head. "Yes, Sakura." ...now, nobody just recovered any unpleasant memories, did you? * Leena nods solemnly. She likes that order, she really does! * Kenji mumbles something under his breath and wipes his nose. * Minami shrugs. "Not me." * Leena shakes her head. Good. Very good. No. * Lord_Darkmoon smirks. "It would be rather...disturbing...if I did." Anyway, she can't talk about what's been going on, but I can later if you want. * Secretary winks. Ooh. * Sakura scrupulously does not comment on that. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, eyeing the secretary with a mischievous smile as he does so. * Minami asks her question again. "Any word from Lady Deer, or aren't we to know about that either?" * Taki still doesn't respond. She slouches a bit against the wall with her arms crossed. I checked in on her once. She's... about as good as you'd expect. Ah. \: ... I will say that I have been busy. Which has put off our practicing yet again. ...which is bad, because it looks like we have another real mission on tap. * Leena finds a place to sit, quietly, and non-bouncily. Oh. * Kyouko pulls her hood up and sits down somewhere. 'real' mission? A protection and interception mission. You know. * Kenji starts to speak, "I- *cough* -- I've been practicing.. *cough*" What, spewing germs? * Leena sighs. ".... a real mission. Great." * Kenji looks embarrassed. "No -- Working on my powers... Since- I *sniff* couldn't do much-. . before." * Minami listens quietly. * Taki sorta turns to look toward Sakura at the mention of a mission. The Queen gave me notice yesterday afternoon that she has reason to believe that Lady Handcuff was going to be assassinated sometime during the period starting on Wednesday. * Leena blinks for a moment.... then cracks up. ...handcuff? * Secretary noticeably does not reach for the light switch. is there a Lady Bondage too? ...well, there's this little problem. . . . We don't know what she looks like? * Minami makes an inquiring sort of noise. No one in the hierarchy has ever heard of this girl before. * Leena claps a hand over her mouth, at 'problem', stopping her laughing. ....Oh. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyebrow quirks. Leena..huh? ...odd. .... oh. Is that all? She's probably just a new magical girl, then. * Leena blinkblinks. Did the Queen happen to provide one of those handy dossiers? But...Handcuff? Not just, "haven't found her yet", but "never heard of her before". Which has happened sometimes. But it begs the question of how our enemies can be thinking of targeting her if she's so new at this that nobody's heard the name yet. Perhaps they know not whom they target, merely that she is a magical girl. ... so how does the Queen know? No dossier. No location information. No description. No NOTHING. So.... * Sakura shakes her head. some girl will get killed. .... ...and we have no idea when, where, or how? I know she has sources. I suspect she has at least two major sources of information. ....this job...>< So... we get to walk around until we find her. Her Royal Highness's sources seem remarkably useless in this matter. All we know is the title, and that the assassins will be in position in two days. ...huh. To be honest, I got the impression that Her Majesty has already given up on her. * Minami mutters under her breath. "Wonder if that's a code name or somethin'..." * Minami looks up and frowns. "Given up? * Kenji wipes at his forehead. "Maybe- they can *cough* sense-- her magic." * Leena frowns. "Then why did she bother telling us!?" Maybe...she's a possible for our team? 'cause...handcuffs...reject...handcuffs...reject.... * Leena leans over, and gently whaps Kyouko on the head. Ow! Because she always tells us. Because that's the way she does things. ...and I've pulled off some pretty crazy saves before. Quit that! Oh... And I have a crazy idea for this one. * Minami half-grins. "Do tell." ...Oh? * Sakura looks at Taki. .... Ano. Oh? *smiles wickedly* Taki is Lady Handcuff? Is crazy good or bad when it comes to your plans? * Taki is still not really looking at anything, lost in her own thoughts and such. Who, do you think, has the most detailed knowledgebase about Magical Girl activities in this town? * Kenji snerks, then cringes and rubs at his brow at Kyouko's remark. Well, there's the...the distr-- Oh, that's easy. The rabid fangirls! * Minami follows Sakura's glance. "Ohhh!" ...Taki has those cards...right? * Lord_Darkmoon pauses, looks from Sakura to Taki, and then breaks out laughing. "Muhahahahahaha! That's great, Sakura!" ...quite. I... oh. Yeah. * Taki blushes embarrassed by Darkmoon. Now, if she's really new, she won't be in any sets yet. The card club girls are scary.... ...but the people who put those sets together, they're always collecting data. And a Lady Handcuff would undoubtedly have a certain... appeal. .... ooooh. Taki is bait? We could give her transformation a new look... >:) I was thinking of sending all of you. .... huh? * Lord_Darkmoon brandishes the Tessen, unfolded. Sending us...where? To talk to... them. ...Transformed, and giving interviews? o_O * Leena eye's widen. "Agh! No! They'll probably refuse to give us any information unless we give them our measurements or something!" *shudder* * Kenji nods slowly if a bit worriedly. If a bunch of Magical Girls walked into the MG card company, don't you think they could get anything they wanted. Especially if it was just a little information? * Minami looks a little worried. "If they could get over being fangirls...or boys, whichever...long enough for us to ask them..." ...maybe. It could be worth a try, at least. Not really... What if they try and find out why we're together? And if they don't want to, Leena can threaten to knock over their building. * Leena brightens up at that. "I like that idea, though!" I don't really like the idea... Just represent yourself as a team. _ That may not be the best idea. Threatening them? I'm sure it won't come to that. * Sakura has an evil grin now. Uh-- I don't know... if I'm ... comfortable doing that.... *looks down at his lap* .... it's no fair that just us go, you know. You get to come with us. * Leena grins. I can't - they think I've gone renegade, remember? So, which of our lovely Ladies is the leader? ...oh, good idea, Leena! *grins evilly at Sakura* ...drat. Do we really need a leader? They'll probably be too excited to care. * Leena blinks at Minami. "Of COURSE we need a leader!" True, but I've never heard of a Team without one, Minami. And the leader is always the cutest one! ....but then they'll make cards of our Team. * Minami nods at Kyouko. * Kenji worriedly wipes at his brow w/ some more of Minami's tissues. * Minami eyes Leena. "And here I thought leaders had to be smart. Silly me." * Taki mumbles from the back. "Um... I don't really want to, you know..." Sure, but who's going to really want them? We aren't exactly cover-art material. We aren't out their crushing Ningyo very often. No, no, no. The brains are never the leader. *blinkblink* I don't really want the attention and uh... stuff.... ... * Minami just "..."s at Leena, then turns around and faces Taki. "You and me both." Gah. Okay. Darkmoon's the leader. But we need you two. ...Okay! _ What? * Sakura sticks her tongue out at Darkmoon. * Leena jumps up excitedly. I will do it, but I... *looks confused* .... what!? I'll follow you anywhere, Lord Darkmoon, sir! *charmed pose* ... but that doesn't make any sense.... * Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head. "Very well." He draws himself up to his full height. Good thing he's in his dramatic blue-and-black Hakama, or it might look silly. Uh... I... um... *blushes a little a the secretary* Yes it does. While they're all busy trying to pry answers or kisses or whatever from him, we get down to the real work. Makes good sense. [...] * Minami smirks at Darkmoon. * Sakura hands over a sheet of paper with directions to the, uh, target. ... oh, he's the scapegoat. ... I can live with that. * Lord_Darkmoon looks like he's doing a very good job of hiding discomfort behind a stoic expression. * Minami takes it, looks it over, and passes it on. * Leena smiles *very cheerfully* at Darkmoon. So- it's okay if I don't go... right? cuz-- uh.. *fidgets in his seat* There's a lot of you.. so. Thanks for volunteering! * Minami eyes Kenji. "Afraid of getting your fangirls sick?" Won't you get better though? * Kenji shakes his head. "I don't think.. I'd get any.." ..when you transform? ...does it work like that? It's not about me being sick- uh.. I uh- 'cause you heal better...and stuff. Two Lords on a team is a little weird. * Kenji looks at Taki and Leena with pleading eyes That is true. *to Sakura* yeah, that too- *nods and stays quiet* * Minami shrugs. "It should be fine." But then there's no need to appear totally normal. ..Do we get to dress him up? ....what for? * Leena blinks at Kenji, confused. Surely the normal transformation will do just fine. So they can't...do whatever they'll do! ...or... oh. ...what? * Kenji looks down and nods some more. "..." like...asaladyorsomething. * Kyouko mumbles and giggles. Mmm. Well, if Kenji goes in looking exactly like Lord Superfluous, it's going to raise some eyebrows. Who? ...like who? Well, he can just change clothes. * Taki looks uncomfortable at that idea. I look like a dead man... I... but don't we... *continues mumbling to herself...* * Kenji appears saddened. ... Darkmoon can change his appearance, can't he? And there's other ways around that, maybe.... ....oh. That would work, I guess. I know! Darkmoon can transform into... it, and he'll be the team pet, and Kenji will be the Lord of the team! ...I could not control it for that long, Leena. ...I doubt his beast form would be much of a...."pet." We want to get them to help us, not to crap their pants, Leena. * Leena blinks. "Not that great of an idea, I guess." I don't -- don't think having me there would making a big difference anyway.. No. No it wasn't." Yeah, you don't need five girls on a team... ...I still want to dress him up. ... But he would look so cute! I could uh... sneak in the back? Or something... >>; Darkmoon, can your...thing...disguise Kenji enough to make him look like someone else? ... heeeey. I think she has a point. Although what would you put him in? * Maya gives ol' Kenji an appraising looksee. Someone has to have something... If Kenji is sick, it might be a better idea to leave him behind, though. * Kenji turns read in the face at the attention. It can make his clothing appear however he wants it to. It can't change his face, or body, though. So...as long as this Superfluous was more identified by his costume (like most of us) than by his face... ...hm. * Leena looks at Kenji. "Well?" ...makeup can change someone's face a lot. * Kyouko volunteers information, as she is helpful! * Kenji sighs and wipes at his nose. "I just- don't want to cause a fuss.-- if you guys think it'll be okay.. then.." That's...a lot of preparation to go through, though... ... oh! Stage makeup? Hey, I can do that! * Maya volunteers, too! That's too garish for normal people..but on a magical girl... ....uhhh? ...that's it. All of you, get out of here and get the info. We still need to plan the ops once we know where to look, so time is wasting. Kenji, go home and get well - we're going to need you later. * Minami nods. * Kenji nods. "sorry - I'll be okay..." * Kyouko sighs. "Yes Sakura." Yes ma'am. Okay, that's settled then. Good. * Minami heads outish. "Let's go, then." * Leena bounces in place for a moment, then heads out, almost-walking. Well, then. *waves his iron fan, and is in street garb once more, before heading out* Good grief. We'll need to find someplace to transform, before going in. * Maya gets going, hands in pockets. "So much to do..." * Secretary closes the door behind everyone on the way out. * Kenji stays seated, waiting for the others to leave. ..why don't we just transform here? Man, Kenji, you really are under the weather. * Kenji sniffles. "Sorry- I wasn't careful last night when I was out.. I just wanted to say thanks... I didn't want to talk about-- Superfluous.. Oh. Well, I was serious too - we're going to be heading blind into combat, even assuming they get some info, so you need to get well. ...are you remembering more about... him? * Kenji nods. "I understand.. I'll be ready.." * Kenji sighs. "there's a lot.. I- haven't talked about. I don't think-- I even want to.." You're going to have to make your own... personality. Don't worry about what he did - worry about what you're doing. ... thanks. *eyes downcast.* "well. I don't -- want to take up too much of your time..." * Kenji turns to leave. Right. I wish you'd have made it to the last one - I still need to get a better idea what you're capable of. * Kenji stops. "sorry.. I could tell you later.. if you want. .there isn't much..." Just get well. Probably see you Wednesday. k.. * Kenji exits. * Minami raises an eyebrow at Kyouko. "Transform here? Right in front of Sakura's cover? Smooth move." I'm sure we'll find a convenient place on the way. ..no, inside. We'd still be coming out transformed. Oh. And I don't think she likes to draw attention. Right. Minami's right. We can't come out of Sakura's place all transformed - it would draw too much attention here. So, um... do we transform before or after we ride the train? * Taki trails far behind the group. ...after, I think. Well, naturally. So... eh, find a place and go from there. And after might be a good idea. * Maya shrugs. "Just in case, y'know?" * Leena blinks, listening. "I didn't think of that... but we'll probably find someplace to transform on the way." Right. Let's get to the train, then. *heads off* * Minami goes. * Kyouko heads after them to the train. ...uh, someone still have the directions? I never got to look at 'em. ^^; I passed them on... * Minami looks around. "Don't know who had 'em last, though." Oh. I have them. Sorry. * Leena almost-walks along, glancing around. * Kyouko holds up her hand, directions clutched in it. * Maya is also going, looking a mite bit less cheery than usual. * Minami glances at Maya. "You okay?" The directions specify a rather short route - only one change of train. Well, then, as 'Leader', I appoint Kyouko official navigator! I'm kinda... still a bit shaken about hearing all the goings-on, y'know? Okay. I know the area sorta well. ...oh, right. Yeah.. * Maya sighs. "I mean, we're fighting a war... why... ngh, I shouldn't be talking about this." She shakes her head. If I ever get my hands on whoever is responsible for that... *seems in response to Maya's voiced concerns about the goings-on* * Leena looks at Maya. "... I just try not to think about it unless it comes up." You and everyone else who knows. ..Yeah...so..um...we have to take the next train that's coming. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, acknowledging Kyouko's navigatorial instruction. * Minami nods and pulls out a pack of cards, shuffling idly. "Sounds good." * Taki sits away from the group on the train and looks out the window. Train. Yes. * Maya decides to focus on said train, and not much else. As for hand-busying stuff, it's the old magic rings trick for her This train's the one...then we um...change at the next station. * Lord_Darkmoon stares out the window, possibly brooding, for the duration of the train rides. * Leena takes a spot next to Taki, pulling off her backpack and shuffling through it for something. * Kyouko inspects the directions for how to get to the building after the train rides. Hey, I picked up something for you. You might like it. * Minami grins at Maya. "My dad loves that one." Oh, uh, okay. * Taki looks at what Leena is pulling out. * Maya glances up. "Thanks... I've been practicing it for... years now. Just getting a tiny bit better at it every time. It's all in the wrist, really." * Leena digs out a book full of easy home recipes and stuff. "You're always making those lunches, and you cook for yourself... thought you might like this." ^__^ Okay...this is our stop. It's one train, and then another! And then you get off. The directions take you a half-dozen blocks further into some dense commercial office space, to a four-story brick building with a large friendly "JUMP MEDIA" sign on the street face. * Minami grins. "Don't I know it." She flicks several cards from one hand to the other sleeve. * Kyouko points at the building. * Minami looks around for some kinda alley thing. Ah, thanks. * Kyouko looks around for somewhere to transform. * Maya looks at said building. "Hm... plain target. Now, to get down to business." Most of the stuff I make is stuff my grandma taught me how to do... * Lord_Darkmoon eyes the place. "Let's go get transformed, then," he whispers to the group. He leads to a convenient alleyway with dumpsters blocking most of the view. There's a handy park another two blocks down the street. * Leena hands it off to Taki, and gets off the train. "Come on, come on!" Or the alley works, too... ( ^^; ) * Taki says that while on the train. ^^; * Kyouko heads into the alley and transforms. * Minami heads into the alley and transforms, then. * Taki looks at the others. * Maya also makes for the alley.. and tries not to shout out her transformation call with limited success. I uh... Do I really have to? * Lord_Darkmoon 's transformation is rather unflashy, since all that changes is his clothing. Which is now back to that blue-lined black hakama with wooden sandals. * Leena uses the park to transform. Always likes those better than alleys. Don't you have something you can wear over it? * LadyRoyal heads back out, glancing at Taki. "They already know what you look like, you know." Uh, yeah, Taki, you do. ^^; You can borrow my tessen if you want, though... Yeah, but... can't I watch... outside or something? * LadyRoyal eyes Taki. "Suck it up. We have to do it, so do you." ... If you wanted to weasel out of it, you should've tried that at Sakura's. Yepyep. It's just one time, Taki. You can do it. * Taki looks down sadly. * LadyMysteria nods, almost as if trying to project a bit of will into the poor shy ninjagirl. * LadyMallet bounds back over to the rest of them. "... something wrong, Taki?" It's just...a whole lot of pink. Think of Lady Handcuff! * Taki walks into a nearby shop and asks if she can use their restroom. Fine. <-- She mumbles before excusing herself. ^^; ... hope she doesn't take this the wrong way. Oh... Um. Heat, you managed to change your transformation, right? Maybe you can help Taki with hers? * LadyNightshade changes her clothes in the restroom and comes out in her robe. * LadyRoyal shrugs. "I just don't understand why she makes such a big deal of it. I know plenty of Ladies with weirder transformations. And it's not like she's going anywhere where she'll feel humiliated because of that. If anything, the people in there will probably love her for it." I think she's just... real shy, plain and simple. Yeah..we don't want them to be able get dirt on us too. Sometimes people are embarrassed for their own reasons, and not due to others' reactions. * LadyRoyal shrugs. "Well, whatever." * LadyRoyal looks around, taking inventory. "Looks like we're all ready then. Shall we go?" * LadyMysteria shrugs. "Sometimes it's really not all that difficult, or even for others to get. People are people are people. And I'm ready." * LadyNightshade walks back out of the shop and back to the group. Happy? *looks bitterly at Royal* * LadyRoyal shrugs. "Satisfied. Let's get started." Let's go. * LadyMallet frowns, and looks like she wants to say something. She even puts one hand up and opens her moth to say it, but doesn't, in the end. Sooner we start, sooner we're done. * LadyRoyal heads in. * Lord_Darkmoon nods to Nightshade, almost a greeting-bow. "I am sorry, Lady. As Royal says, let's go. Oh, and remember, no mentioning what we -actually- do." That last was almost an afterthought. * LadyHeat heads in after her. * LadyHeat checks for a directory to see which floor the Cards are done on. * LadyMallet almost-walks, following along. She takes a moment to summon the Mallet somewhere in there. * Lord_Darkmoon walks in, head held high, amidst the Ladies, looking every inch the regal Lord. * LadyHeat looks at DM and blushes. * LadyMysteria tags along, adjusting her tophat juuust so. Oh, and she has her wand handy, too! "Nice show, Moon." ^^ The lobby of the building is a spacious, overly-decorated atrium. Pictures from various publications fill the walls. ...notably, there's a three- times scale portrait of the Queen. * LadyHeat sees the picture of the Queen and twitches. * LadyNightshade pouts in the back of the group. You can't escape her, it seems. Is that a mole? * LadyMallet glances at Darkmoon every now and then. It's pretty obvious she's trying -not- to gawk at him, and can't help but occasionally. * Lord_Darkmoon acknowledges the compliment with a shift of his eyes and a small smile. He...actually manages not to sneer at Her Royal Pain's portrait. At least it looks like the Queen... except a few years younger, and in a plain brown fuku. * LadyRoyal raises her eyebrow at the portrait and shakes her head, then looks around to see where we're going. The group did not gather very much attention as they walked in - and in fact there are a number of other girls in slightly-fake-looking costumes scattered around the lobby. * LadyMallet sticks her tongue out at the picture of the Queen as they pass it by. ... should've figured there'd be cosplayers here. Not bad outfits... * LadyNightshade gathers the least amount of attention that she can. She almost seems to blend in with the background. * LadyRoyal looks around at all the maybe-maybe-not fakers, and gets a hint of evil grin on her face. * Lord_Darkmoon lightly thwaps Mallet with the tessen. "Behave, m'Lady." * LadyMallet pouts, and holds her head. Meanie. * SecurityGuard walks up to the team. So...who do we ask? * LadyHeat looks at the Security Guard. ...Hi? * LadyRoyal tips her visor to the guard. "'lo." Those are nice costumes, but I'm afraid the cosplay photography session has already ended for the day. 0 We're not cosplayers... Heh. * Lord_Darkmoon turns to the Security Guard, fixing his gaze on him. Somehow, he gives the impression he's looking down on the guy, even if their heights are nigh equivalent. "We are here to speak to your...information department." * LadyMallet waves at the SG. "But we're not cosplayers." *twirls The Mallet around lazily* ^__^ You're very good cosplayers, yes. * LadyHeat takes a sip from one of her waterbottles. ... can I lift you, sir? * LadyRoyal draws a few cards right obviously out of thin air. "I'm glad you think so." If we're cosplayers...who are we? * Lord_Darkmoon holds up the tessen, which quite visibly transforms into a bokken. But if you want the information desk, got to that counter on the left. Ladies...please, no need to frighten the gentleman. Thank you. * LadyMysteria smiles at the security guard. "Pleeease?" ^_^ Much appreciated. Awww. * LadyHeat heads to the information desk. * LadyRoyal goes too. * Lord_Darkmoon tilts his head in a thank-you-kindly-sir gesture, and heads for the desk, himself. Thanks Mr. Security Guard Man! * LadyMysteria follows. "Some people..." There's a nice young woman sitting there in a fairly generic salarywoman outfit. Uh..hi. * LadyMallet almost-walks to the information desk. We need to find information about a certain Lady. I'm sorry the cosplay session is over - come back earlier tomorrow, and we can get you in the shoot for certain. ... We're not cosplayers! You can take a tour... oh, you want information? That's right. Yes. Yeah. Yes, please. Um... er. * LadyMallet blinkblinks. "Yeah!" ...not cosplayers? *tolerant smile* Sure, you're not. * LadyNightshade stands back away from everyone. She is not part of this group. o/~ * LadyHeat sips her waterbottle. * LadyMysteria looks back at Taki (if she's there) for a moment, surreptitiously. We're not. Does it really matter whether or not we are? * Lord_Darkmoon favors the help lady with a small smile. "We would appreciate any assistance you could give us. We are looking to speak to those responsible for gathering your information on Magical Girls." I don't think anyone would want to cosplay me. ...and I suppose you're going to tell me you're here on a very important mission. * LadyMallet blinkblinks. "Okay, so we are. Can we get some help?" All we're tryin' t'do is get some information, don't need to complicate matters, y'know? You're the only ones we could think of to help us... * LadyMallet twirls The Mallet like a baton in a slow, lazy spin. Uh huh... what is it exactly you want to know? We're tryin' to find information about a Lady Handcuff, actually. Don't s'pose you'd know where we could do that? * LadyMysteria leaves it to the others, looking the Security Guard's way... and grinning. * HelpLady 's lips twitch. "Handcuff? Riiiight." We know she exists... We need to talk to the ones who's in charge of managing all the information that you guys get about magical girls that you put on cards. ^__^ Riiiight. Okay. We can probably give you info in return.... I take it, then, that you are as in the dark about a Lady with this title as we are? Perhaps we can assist each other in obtaining information on this potentially new Lady. * LadyRoyal eyes the woman. "You have no idea, do you?" HEY! KID! *shouts at a young man halfway across the lobby* Take these nice cosplayers on the card production tour, okay? ... oh! Yes, that we could! And we'd even do that for free... uh? .... We're not cosplayers! ....We're not cosplayers. * LadyMysteria frowns at being called a cosplayer again. "What they said!" What we are is people who don't have time for this. WOW, those are good costumes! * LadyMallet stamps her foot, just strong enough to dent the floor. Now, now, Ladies. Who are we cosplaying then, huh? Cool it, Mallet. * LadyHeat is getting annoyed. No need to get annoyed. We should have expected this. You too, Heat. Easy, Mallet. Really. Besides, you might hafta pay for that dent later. ^^; * LadyRoyal nods at Darkmoon. "What he said." okay..but... If you'll follow me, I'll take you up to meet the card set production staff. Hmph. Excellent. Fine. * Lord_Darkmoon tilts his head, a Lord accepting a favor. * LadyRoyal follows the intern. ..Hey! Royal! ...that was a really bad pun. Let's see. I recognize the Lady Mallet, and the Lady Nightshade, and... Lady Poker? * LadyRoyal blinks. "Wh--oh!" * LadyRoyal rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess it was." * LadyRoyal glances at the intern. "Royal." Not sure about the rest of you. ... Lady Poker. Heh! Royal. Right. Sorry. Let's get going, shall we? Of course. * LadyMysteria chuckles into her hand. "Anyway, yeah, I'm ready." * LadyHeat starts to say something, then stops. I... me... what? *blushes* The card production team is on the fourth floor. Lead on, please. We never had much of a photographic staff here at JM, not until we decided to put together the MG cardset. * Intern takes the team into an elevator. Now we have nearly two hundred photographers on payroll, as well as accept the amateur contributions of almost a hundred amateurs every year. * LadyMallet almost-walks along. The non-functional butterfly wings that are part of her costume bounce along with her. She bounces in place on the elevator. * LadyRoyal nods like she's interested in what he's saying. Wow, nice. Um... are they mostly male? Well...we're kind of dealing with a fairly new Lady..so.. The elevator starts shaking - that Mallet weighs a LOT. * LadyMysteria is apparently curious to figure this out. ...that's a lot of people. Please stop that. ... Mallet, stop. Leena... I mean..ow my knee. * LadyMallet blinks. "Ano?" * LadyRoyal casually kicks Heat's ankle. * Lord_Darkmoon shoots Heat a glare. Ow! Oh, sorry. * LadyHeat falls over slightly. * LadyNightshade looks uncomfortable being this enclosed with everyone. Foot slipped. So clumsy. Lady Mallet, just because -you- can lift the Mallet doesn't mean the elevator can take you shaking it. * LadyMallet stops bouncing for a moment, glancing up at the roof of the elevator. ...yes, it is predominantly a male staff in the field, but we have a lot of women writing copy and editing the image submissions. Oh, sorry. Wow, you're even staying in character! We've little choice. ...We are ladies. * LadyMallet opens up the MalletPortal, and tosses The Mallet into it. * LadyRoyal gives the intern a condescending look. "Yeah, aren't we cool." Okay! Well, he's a Lord. Haha. ... hehheh. * LadyMallet resumes her bouncing-in-place. ...huh? Where'd it go? Better, Lady Mallet. Up her sleeve. Didn't you see? It went away. ^_^ Neat. * LadyRoyal shakes her head. It does that sometimes. Well, it'd be annoying to carry it around all the time.... But where does it go? At least the Tessen is nice and compact. *hefts his bokken* The elevator opens up, revealing the fourth floor. It's a large open space, with several hundred desks. You guys are really good. My wand's pretty light. Not too flashy, but light. ^^ * LadyMallet blinks at Heats question. "I'm... not really sure." ...right. I just know I can get it when I need it. So, where's the people who have the info again? I'm strong..so the waterbottles don't bother me. * LadyMysteria twirls said wand, then beeps Darkmoon on the nose with it. "Anyway, tour?" We need someone who knows the new Ladies well. * Lord_Darkmoon puts the bokken, now that black-sheathed Katana, at his hip. And twitches his nose when he's beeped with the wand. The ones who are out in the field, hunting down leads and stuff, and getting the first scoop on the new MG's before anyone else does! Here's the main production floor. Each desk you see is assigned to just one Magical Girl. ...you're kidding. * LadyRoyal raises an eyebrow in spite of herself. "Impressive." * LadyMallet blinkblinks. ... that's a little scary. ..I wonder who was me. Well, we double up the out-of-action girls. One apiece? Wow. * LadyMysteria smiles. "I wonder what's in mine." ^^ Still, that's pretty work-intensive. I see. Now, who here would best be able to help us with research into a hithertofore unknown Lady? ...Yeah. She's really, really new. That's a little scary. One person dedicated to finding out everything they can about just one of us? Like our own personal stalkers... Or really really obscure. Or both. There are nearly fifty ladies who work at maintaining and updating all of them, as well as preparing features for the magazines and of course the actual cards. ...hm. Who's in charge of them? Indeed, fourish dozen women in uniforms similar to the helpdesk lady's are all bustling around the various desks. Gruff looking photographers mix in with them, dumping rolls of film and CD's on the appropriate desks. * LadyMysteria is idly looking to see if she can spot her desk while the others grill the intern. "And... do you have a gift shop?" Maybe if we just...shouted really loud? The man in charge is our editor - it looks like his door is closed just now, so we won't be able to meet him. ...he may wish to meet us. who knows the most? Um. When can we meet him? Oh, everyone here shares the load. And I don't know a lot of the folks up here by name. Anyway, that's the card staff. Next on the tour is the actual presses... Wait... but... *glances at the others* * Intern starts trying to herd the team back onto the elevator. We don't need to see how they make the cards. ...no, this is sufficient. Ladies, shall we go introduce ourselves to the editor? We're not interested in the presses. >:) * LadyRoyal nods at Darkmoon. "Let's." * LadyMysteria nods. "We shall." ^_^ ... we're in agreement, then. ^__^ Wha-wha-what? okay. * Lord_Darkmoon starts striding to the editor's door, wooden clicking sounding with each step. To the editor's office! You've been very helpful, but we don't need you anymore. Bye-bye. * LadyMallet heads to the editors door, almost-walking. * LadyHeat heads over to the editor's door. * LadyRoyal goes off with everyone else. * Lord_Darkmoon arrives at said door, and raps thrice. * LadyMysteria follows! "We're going to introduce ourselves to the editor." She wavewaves at the Intern. Thanks for helping us Mr..uh.intern. As Darkmoon strides across the floor, the officeladies look up, take note, and begin to swarm. ...well. that takes care of that. * LadyRoyal slides out of the path of the swarmers, continuing her route to the office. * LadyHeat attempts to maneuver around OL swarm, and heads toward the office. * LadyMallet contemplates helping him out.... but decides against it, and keeps on her course. * Intern is bodychecked aside by one of them, and sprawls to the floor, never to be heard from in this game again. ... hey, I think the ladies are coming to meet us. Maybe they recognize the genuine article. ^^ I think they're going after Darkmoon... * LadyRoyal reaches the door, assuming it's not forty klicks away, and knocks. It's hard to tell if they think he's genuine or not, but they may not care, either... ... why him? He's *OUR* Lord. * LadyMysteria scowls. Go Away! We're Ladies. Sorry, we can't do that. We need your help. We'd like to have a word with you, if we can.. We're not going away! Or, even if we can't. Yeah, we really need your help, so we're going to stay here until you give it. ^_^ * LadyRoyal eyes the lock idly. What do you know about a Lady Handcuff? * LadyMallet gets a good grip on the doorhandle, trying to open in normally first. (unlock/locked?) We might not even want to stay here.... * Editor yanks the door open. "I don't have time for-" ...then gets trampled as all the Ladies and the Lord, and the ladies following the Lord stampede into the office. * LadyMallet waves at the editor. ^__^ Um...hi. * Lord_Darkmoon stands amidst this swarm, trying his best to look Lordly and unfazed. * Editor waves back, bemused, from under the pile. What do you know about Lady Handcuff? Hi! Hope you're not too busy. Because that'd suck for you. * LadyMysteria does her damndest to get OUT of the way of the ladytrain. "Hello, sir! We need your help. And they've already asked the question." She nodnods. * LadyNightshade continues standing by the elevator watching all this happen. What? ...all of you OUT! NOW! OR YOU'RE FIRED! * LadyMallet pouts. "Now that's a mean thing to say." Hush, Mallet. There's a collective "aaaaawwwwww", then all of the office workers file back out quick-quick. He's just trying to keep order. * Lord_Darkmoon almost succeeds in suppressing a sigh of relief when the OLs stop swarming about him and leave. * LadyMysteria chuckles, then unconsciously sidles a bit closer to Darkmoon. "Anyway..." ^^ ...you too. You look like good cosplayers, and I'm sure we can arrange a good contract with you, but one of my assistants can handle that. * LadyNightshade idly just looks around the office while they all make noise. * LadyMallet waves again, once the editor's back on his feet. ^__^ We are sorry for barging in like this sir. ... we're NOT COSPLAYERS! Gah. However, we have more urgent matters than cosplaying to discuss. * LadyRoyal shakes her head. ...not cosplayers? Ha. We're a Team. Calm DOWN, Mallet. ...no, that's not an order. Just a strong suggestion. ^^; * LadyMallet blinks. "But I am calm..." C'mon, kids, I've got work to do. Alright, enough of this. We actually need to convince him. Sir? If I may have your attention? *unsheathes the Katana* Demonstration time. ^_^ So do we. * Lord_Darkmoon gestures, and it becomes a tessen again. *blink* Oh, boy. Now you've gone and done it. We gotta prove it, now. * LadyHeat sips some more water. Nice trick. Do you have a cup I could borrow? * LadyMallet walks over, and casually picks up the desk. Or anything heavier looking, it there's something like that. ...if you have more like that, I might be able to get you on the television special we're producing. Really? I'm rather uncomfortable in my uniform. Mind if I get a touch more casual? *gestures with the tessen, and is suddenly in his normal street clothes* * LadyRoyal sighs. ...hey put that... ... what the hell? We're trying to tell you, sir. We're. Not. Cosplayers. We're _Ladies_. We are not interested in being in a television show. We have come to you to ask for assistance in information gathering. and we need your help. Now, can you please give us the information we need? ... If you need further proof, you'll be missing most of your office. Mallet, might be a good idea to put that down now. * LadyMysteria just makes marionette-controlling motions and (attempts to) make the editor's desk-stuff dance. =P * LadyMallet puts it down just as casually. ^__^ Mallet, we don't need your Property Damage attacks. ^^; ... Or.... * LadyRoyal flicks a few cards out of nowhere into the door. I can do this all day, you know. ^_^ *ahem* It wouldn't take too much imagination to see smoke pouring from this guy's ears at this point. * LadyMysteria stops, claps her hands, then nods. "Anyway, we really, really need your help." ^^; * Editor sits down on the floor, hard. * LadyNightshade continues browsing unnoticed around the office. Now, will you listen to us, so we can stop playing these childish games? *transmutes his clothes back into the hakama* * LadyRoyal kneels down, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Now, I know this is hard for ya, but you're gonna hafta try an' concentrate, right?" ...I always knew this day would come. ...one where you met Ladies o.O? Yer might think yer insane, but yer not. So stop thinkin' it. *sob* PLEASE DON'T CLAIM ROYALTIES!!! YOU'LL PUT US OUT OF BUSINESS!!! ... .... * LadyMallet blinkblinks. * LadyRoyal starts snickering. Uhm...we just need help. No worries, man. Most of us don't HAVE cards. ... er, no, we're not here for that. Really, we need a hand. We just need some info is all. We're not here for royalties. We're here because you have excellent research techniques, and we would like to take advantage of them. Also you got my birthday wrong. But that's beside the point. .... Okay, I guess I won't. I was kinda hoping I could get a better rep, though.... Info... info, I can do. I would be very, very happy to help all of you with anything you might need to know. Lady Royal, perhaps them just making up birthdays is a -good- thing. Excellent! Wonderful. * LadyRoyal winks at Darkmoon. ...but... can we do a photoshoot? Please? Before you leave? Great! ....uhh... Eeh.... Err. Photoshoot? Of course! The picture you got of me doesn't do me -any- justice. ^__^ Well, one wouldn't hurt... A small one. We seek information on a Lady Handcuff. --photoshoot? Er... we can discuss that later, I think. *eyes Mallet, and sighs, defeated* ... sure! ^^ But first things first. Right. Lady.. Handcuff? Right! She's really new. * LadyMysteria seems very interested in that, all but bouncing in place. What can you tell us? * LadyRoyal nods. "What do y'all know about her?" pictures? So, you do know of her? Excellent. * LadyNightshade sneak sneaks. We need to know. * Editor grabs a phone, and dials an extension. "Hey, bring in all the Handcuff material, would you?" Wow, they *are* good. Thirty seconds later, a young male staffer rushes in with a short stack of manila folders. Here we go. * LadyMysteria hrms. "Mister Editor, sir, are there really *that* many cosplayers around here off and on?" Sure. We do a photoshoot every afternoon. o_O .... It fills the pages of the magazine. Anyway... here we go. ... every AFTERNOON? o_o * Editor slides out an 8 by 10 of a young magical girl. * LadyRoyal peers over at it. * LadyMysteria boggles, even as she looks at the photo. * LadyHeat looks. * Lord_Darkmoon examines it, too. "If we could have a copy of the picture and this data, we'd be most appreciative." .... how do you get such good information? Lady Handcuff is a pretty young teenager, thirteen or fourteen, but handsomely developed and nearly her adult height. Long, black hair frames a cute face before spilling on down her back. She wears a tight, silvery top, a straight black skirt that reaches nearly to her ankles... and a pair of glowing handcuffs connected by a forty-centimeter glowing chain. ...interesting. * Lord_Darkmoon keeps his private thoughts about this costume being even more impractical than usual to himself. ...we were going to do a special feature in next month's magazine. She's been active for maybe two months, and we got the first photos two weeks ago. ... wow. Interesting. Really? Huh. Where's she work? She seems to work mostly in Soka. * LadyRoyal scratches at her cheek. "Powers?" Powers are pretty nasty - we've seen two attacks so far. Okay...so she seems fairly able to defend herself? Can you describe these attacks? Yeah, descriptions help. * LadyMallet doesn't comment. She just takes in the information as it comes. First is "Chain Link" - it turns her handcuff chain into something that can slice anything. * LadyMysteria is still kinda looking at the picture, perhaps a bit jealously. * LadyRoyal whistles. "And the other?" ...I mean, ANYTHING. She hacked off a concrete, rebarred pillar with it once. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, as if this doesn't surprise him. He's getting that pokerface thing down-pat. Like butter. No, like water. ... geez. do the handcuffs hurt her movement? * LadyMysteria looks between the others. "That sounds like Princess material..." With hand-to-hand? * LadyRoyal refrains from outpokering Darkmoon's face. "What about the other?" ...the second one, we don't know the name of. Somehow she copies her own cuffs onto someone else, which then tighten until the victim's hands pop off. * LadyMallet winces. ... OW. ... * LadyMysteria winces as well. ...whoa. Definite Princess material. Definitely. She's obviously somewhat... restrained in that costume. Yeah, once the others find out about her. * LadyRoyal nods. But other than having to keep her hands moving in unison, it's not that big a deal. ...anyway, what's up? Why do you need the info? We need to talk to her. * LadyRoyal winks at the editor. "We'd like to tell ya, but then we'd have to kill ya." An' that's not too grateful, yanno? Yeah, we need to meet her sometime. ^^ Hmmm. We're a team matchmaking team! Making teams out of loners! She was mentioned, so we need to talk to her about this. ^__^ Someday, you'll tell me. We just might. Perhaps. For now, we gotta split. Can we get a copy of your data? No, no you don't. * LadyRoyal winces. "Right. The photoshoot." You need to go across the hall and do an interview. And a photoshoot. One more thing... * LadyMallet leans forward. "Yeah, about that..." * LadyRoyal tries not to look too obviously like she was trying to weasel out of it. Name all of us. ... Thank you for your assistance. And, yes, a copy of the data would be nice. Perhaps that could be waiting for us when we are done with this...photoshoot. When did you want that done? ^__^ Lady Heat? ... Interview? Photoshoot? I'm all for that! ^^ You know who I am?! ...oh, I know all of you. Except your Lord. * Lord_Darkmoon just tilts his head. ...I take it you command this team? Which one is your girlfriend? * LadyRoyal snerks a little at the "girlfriend" comment. ^^; ... * LadyMallet points at Royal. o/~ * LadyHeat snickers. * LadyHeat points at Nightshade. ...or are all of them? ... me! ... * LadyMysteria wavewaves her hands furiously. ^_^ * LadyMallet holds up her hands. "Not me, though. He's a dork." * LadyRoyal goes into an all-out snicker. "Now, now, I think that's private business, innit?" * Editor nods emphatically. "All of them. Definitely. Ooooh, this is going to be a good article." * LadyNightshade isn't there. ;P ...Oops. * Lord_Darkmoon sighs, rolling his eyes. * LadyMallet leans forward, putting just a touch of pressure on his desk. Creak, groan, bordering on snap?. "I am NOT his girlfriend, and never will be." Sure, Miss Mallet. He's a DORK. I'd rather be caught dead than be his girlfriend. Mallet, leave it. It's the MG tabloids. C'mon. * Editor stands and leads them out the door - where the entire staff was standing, listening. .... .....Great. You opinion of me aside, Lady Mallet, they will print what they wish to print. Anyway... oh, hi! * LadyMysteria waves to the staff. ^_^ * LadyMallet turns around, and waves at the crowds with a big smile. "Hi!" ^__^ * LadyRoyal blinks and brings one hand up in a slow wave. The staff is even more berserk than before... but we will refrain from long winded descriptions. Well. Um. Creepy. Anyway. * Lord_Darkmoon endeavors to keep the Ladies between himself and the office ladies. ^^; ...in fact, let's just push the next three hours firmly behind the curtain. There was a interview, and much mooning over Darkmoon, and a photoshoot, and more mooning over Darkmoon, and an impromptu demonstration of The Mallet... but even with the property damage, the entire staff was blissfully happy to meet real Magical Girls. And that handsome young Lord. They left with a folder full of the details on Lady Handcuff, a promise of more help if they ever needed it, and about fifty business cards from all the women who propositioned Darkmoon. ... can I burn them? One by one? * Lord_Darkmoon hands them to Mysteria when they're well away from the scary scary place. "Be my guest." @_@ * LadyRoyal stretches. "Been a while since I performed that long, and with that big a crowd." ..Yeah. * LadyMallet has her hands behind her head, and she looks reallly cheerful. Even moreso than usual. "That was fun." * LadyRoyal looks around. "Anyone up for food?" ...I need some tea. *looks most drained* At least we now know who, and where we'll need to be. * LadyMallet glances at Royal. "Food! Last one there gets to foot the bill! Err. Once we pick a place." I saw a neat little place down the road. We could all probably use a little something. How 'bout it? * LadyMysteria takes them and tucks the cards away for later. "Yeah, I know... man, what a day. This turned out pretty well..." We should get back to the boss with this soon, too. *hefts the folders* * LadyRoyal grins. "Even better. We take her with us too." * LadyMallet doesn't respond to Royal. Unless you count her breaking off into a run that way as a response. Or...eep! Food would be nice. * LadyRoyal chases after! ... HEY! * LadyMysteria pursues, trying not to drop the cards in the process. Wait up! *rushes to catch up* Shouldn't we detransform first? If you wanna be LAST! * LadyHeat heads after Mysteria and Mallet "Wait upppp!" * Lord_Darkmoon 's feet still click-clop with each step, as he's still in his hakama and funny wooden sandals. * LadyRoyal runs through an alley to try and cut ahead, detransforming while in transit. [end session] Session Close: Sat Jan 24 19:45:52 2004