Scene #2220: City of Demons

Owner	Pose
Tamiel	The city that is under siege is... under siege. No, really! It is obviously in the midst of battle, but the battle isn't as devastating as it could be. It almost seems orderly... or perhaps BOTH sides are trying to avoid casualties? This would be odd, because the battle itself is literally biblical in nature, from a first glance. Those coming in will easily be able to see a few combatants already. It's easy, because several are in the air... in this case a large ship of some kind with fluted wings, hovering just outside the city. Above the buildings, none of which are above about thirty stories here, three beings that can only be described as 'angels' are battling. All wear featureless masks over their face and bear various shades of light hair, and in this world they seem to have taken the 'female' look for angels. The first is floating above with occasional flaps of sparkling white wings, scanning beneath and summoning the occasional lance of shimmering white light, sending it blazing down toward some target on the streets. The second is darting rapidly back and forth, then screeching loudly as it is set upon by three flying demons, which begin to tear at her and struggle with the angel. One of them manages to bite clean through her arm, and she's rapidly going down. Finally, the third looks uninterrupted like the first, at least initially, but as she scans for a target a loud crack is heard, and she jerks as if stung. Shortly after, what looks like the streak of a rocket launches toward her, forcing her into evasive maneuvers around a building, though the guidance on the rocket seems unnaturally good.
Krezentia Einjager	Battlefields are good entertainment. That's common sense. Angels and demons, those add a certain flair to it all. One you can't quite get anywhere you want. And that, well, that's all you need to lure a wild Krezentia out of her room. "Here, funya~?" "Yeah. Look, shit's going on." "I dunno, Krez, this seems like a BIG DEAL, funya~." "Don't care, we're goin' in!" It's on her typical Dunkelflugel Zwei hoverboard that the Magi and her purple fairy companion slash glowing orb of light approach the current battle from the air. They watch, circle around, trying to decide what to do. Help the angels? Mess with them? Hm. Let's wait and see what other people do. This'll be a lot more fun if she interferes with things rather than decides their direction. Eventually the hoverboard comes to a stop, and Krezentia flops down, sitting on it and reaching into a pocket. She produces two lollipops, handing one to Kopie (which, given the fact she's a foot tall, looks as great as you'd think) and stuffs the other in her mouth. "So, should we take bets?" "You always lose your wagers with me, funya~. "I DO NOT, YOU JUST KEEP CHEATING!" "Bluh bluh I'm Krezentia and I'm buttmad, funya~." "I would throw you but I don't want to waste that lollipop."
Shin Tokuyama	One may wonder why Shin is here, or how he got here, or what his overall purpose is. If they can spot Shin, that is. The only real sign of his presence here at the moment is a black japanese-style motorcycle parked out in front of a blown-out and evacuated store front. A pristine vehicle amidst the chaos and destruction of the city siege. Inside that store front, however, is actually Shin himself. Rather than participate in the fighting or the evacuating, he is actually pretty casual as he browses through the ruins of the establishment, moving fallen ceiling tiles or pieces of debris out of the way. He's done this with one had, because the the other hand is holding an open backpack and dragging it along at his feet. Occasionally, he'll stop moving trash and rubble out of the way to put something in his backpack. Usually a can of beans or stew, maybe some mundane medical supplies like bandages or aspirin. He's engaging in the most time-honored of protagonist traditions: Acquisition of necessary supplies while preparing for an upcoming conflict. (He's looting food and medical supplies before he has to fight something)
Cory	WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Cory's entrance is straightforward enough. She just rockets from a warpgate, propelled through the air by a thick current of expelled Ki! So she goes swooping through the streets between buildings, eyes somewhat skyward... and senses going every which way. The angelic figures warring above get boggled at, but she quickly ascertains that they're not actually trying to raze the city tot he ground. "Why fight here to begin with then?!" Worse, she has no idea which side to help if any... But then a different power signature catches her attention. Something alone, on the ground... and just nearby! So down she swoops, landing against the rubble-covered pavement within earshot of Shin. "Heeeeeeeey you over there. What the hell's happening here?" The question's asked with all possible honesty and not a shred of derogative anything - no finger-pointing over looting or anger that he's not helping. Just simple, honest curiosity!
Maya	Demons and Angels? Here we go again. Maya has grabbed Xiaomu on her way out of the Union HQ and they were comming in towards the tight of the battle now. sAve one thing. It's not by normal craft. The pair are haning n to the massive combat robot with a doggy complex known as Runner. The mechanized creature os bounding along heading towards the fight but seems to be very unhappy about things. There's something about this? It doesn't like. "Hang on Xiaomu we're almost there and it looks like Jinac has broken lose..."
Tamiel	Krezentia's observation point will let her see the numerous clusters of civilians heading for shelters... or being caught outside of shelters. Thus she can easily determine that this isn't the biblical battle that it would seem, since it is readily apparent that where the angels land, the humans stop, kneel, and are swiftly tagged with some kind of collar. If the area is clear of resistance, each small group will be lead toward one of the large, blocky transports nearby. Where the demons come in, the humans quickly move /behind/ the monstrous beings, who seem all too willing to leave the humans alone. It is also easy to raid the food stores, because most people are heading for the shelters. Nobody is stopping Shin, at least not yet. It's a good time for Cory to ask questions then! Isn't it? Sure. Though outside, one of the angels has landed and is scanning the area, both with the eyes and, a moment later, with more augmented senses. In this case, infrared. For the moment, she is taking a tally of the area, but the two should expect trouble at any moment.
Xiaomu	So somebody mentioned 'demons,' which got Xiaomu's attention. On the other hand, when she reaches the newly-Unified city, she actually has to look around from her perch behind Maya, almost rubbernecking as she tries to take in the situation. It doesn't LOOK that much like a demonic invasion, although it's definitely ... Well, supernatural at the very least. The sage fox is not well-versed in 'angels' that aren't actually titanic abominations of one sort or another and trying to kill the protagonist(s). "If Jinac is the apocalyptic war that ends your history, you might be right about that," she says dubiously to the Junker. "Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine ..." She gets a slightly tighter grip on her staff, continuing to gawk and try to figure out what's going on. If this IS a war, at least it's being an uncommonly courteous one.
Tamiel	Coming in on Runner means that the two are arriving via a strange manner, but Maya and Xiaomu don't... actually seem to get stares or anything. In fact they get a ragged set of cheers from the nearby group that sees them when they go into the city, a group next to a MASSIVE hulking form of a demon, with cloven hooves for feet and a goat head, the works. It doesn't seem to be doing more than herding them into a bunker-like shelter, and it turns to stare at Runner and the two riders with no real aggressiveness, just wary alertness. "BEHIND YOU!" One of the humans calls that out, and the demon whips around... a hair too late for the white-silver streak of an incoming angel's lance, tearing it in two before the angel herself lands. The angel pauses, seeing Runner and the group of civilians, and hesitates as if unsure what action to take... then the gleaming metal collar around her neck crackles lightly and causes her to spread wings, slowly rising while a shimmering blade appears in one hand. "Surrender and you will not be harmed. Kneel before the righteous."
Shin Tokuyama	"Eh? I dunno. I'm just trying to get some food and medicines," He'll keep most of it for himself, but probably give some to the victims of this attack when the chance comes up. Most likely, anyway, if he's overtly given the choice to, "Uh... from the sound of the radio, crazy space angels are attacking equally crazy space demons, like in them mangas." Shin gives this reply as he closes up his backpack and walks out of the store front, holding a can of cold stew in his hand. He pulls open the lid and starts drinking from it like a beverage. A true testament to his Protagonist-emulating Karate Hobo nature. He takes a few moments to swallow the mouthful of stew and inspects it. "Eh. Beef stew. Alright. I still kinda wish it was Oden, buit that won't be around for another 5 months." He remarks to himself. He looks over at the angel and shouts, "HEY. Are you here for some, like..." He tries to think of a good word. He can't, so he shrugs and lets it hang there, "Hey, I think that lady's gonna try and attack people," He notes to Cory, casually. He has no reason to think this, but he says it anyway. "Crazy shit, am I right?"
Krezentia Einjager	"Huh. You see that?" "OMNOMNOM, FUNYA~." "OK, will take that as a yes. Up we go!" The hoverboard starts moving, with Krezentia still lazily sitting on it. It doesn't speed, so much as casually head for... one of the transports! The ones packing up the civilians that've had a collar slapped on, specifically. "You could try paying attention, you know." "You could try not being a butthead, funya~!" "We both know I can't actually do that." A grin. "C'mon, let's go say hi. I want to know what's going on, those guys with the collars probably know for sure. And then we'll figure out who to punch. Or you can keep eating that candy. I don't care."
Hiei	Hiei regularly checks around random worlds, particularly when he hears interesting things going on. This is -particularly- interesting. Considering the holy wars that go on in the world he's familiar with, between spirits who believe that the Spirit World is Heaven. He arrives very quickly, and stands on a roof, his third eye already uncovered. He stares up at one of the angels, trying to probe its mind. It's certainly tougher than a human's, though when he probes through he narrows his eyes with interest. That's when he vanishes from where he is, jumping from the roof in a burst of speed, drawing his sword. He tries to jump onto the angel's back and holds his sword to its neck. "Tell me why you're gathering the humans. I have no interest in saving them, but my curiosity should be worth your life."
Cory	The angel will find Cory's body temperature not quite the same as human - she's burning much hotter than average courtesy of extreme exercise! Not especially unusual though, is it? "...." She FROWNS up at the angel, but quickly realizes... this is a good opportunity to learn. "Hey up there! Can YOU tell me what this battle's about?! An emergency call went out!" She nods back to Shin, just as casually. "Craaaazy shit." Totally agreeing. If this wasn't bad enough.. she twitches, looking around... "Someone else just arrived too. Not sure who it is but their presence is giving me the creeps."
Tamiel	Krezentia lands near the crowd of collared humans, who look upon her in anger as she seems to be so casual about approaching. The angel herding them into the transport looks, and a blade shimmers into existence in her hand, without offering any words to explain herself. "No." A voice out from the corner, male and calm, soon appearing to belong to a robed man who steps out from the transport to size up Krezentia. The angel, meanwhile, immediately stops and looks at him. Without looking at the angel, the man continues, "Continue leading them in, I will speak with this one." He eyes Krezentia. "Who are you?"
Krezentia Einjager	"Yo!" And hop, off the hoverboard. The construct disappears completely, dismissed back into wisps of mana. Kopie hovers down slowly, setting over one of the Magi's shoulders, the fairy barely visible in the orb of purple light now. "Name's Krezentia! I'm with the Confederacy. And lucky you, I'm feeling super social today. So, hey, let's do this right. What's up? Those're some cool collars. Can I know what you're doing here? No, wait! I've got a better line, damnit, ruined the moment." Oh well. She lifts her hands, to show she's unarmed. "TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER." "coughcoughRIPOFFcough funya~."
Xiaomu	For all that the warning wasn't directed at Xiaomu, the sage fox doesn't actually know that at the time - and she whips around, drawing one of her handguns from inside her vest, just in time to see the demon (scary-looking and monstrous, but ... friendly?) get bisected by the angel's spear. And the sage fox just stares for a couple of seconds - long enough for the collar to crackle and for the ultimatum to be issued. "Riiiiiiiiiight," Xiaomu drawls, ejecting the clip from her handgun, swapping it with one from a pocket of her vest, and loading the new magazine. Then she repeats the process with her OTHER handgun, remarking as she does so, "Point me at the righteous and I'll think about kneeling, but if you're supposed to be the 'good guys,' something tells me I'm gonna get lumped in with the filthy sinful heathens." She re-holsters Silver and Platinum. "Not like that's anything new to me," she adds, with a twitch of her blonde-furred fox ears ... Then she leaps, drawing Suiren's blade forth and trying to stab or slice at the angel's collar. Maybe freeing an angel from whatever external control is apparently at work will actually do some good here.
Tamiel	The angel that Hiei grabs is... confused. It pauses, as if trying to understand what is going on. Yet it has self-preservation of a sort! "Because we are commanded," is all she says, in a melodic voice. Then the angel's collar crackles lightly, and she shuts up. A sudden jab is angled at Hiei... much faster and stronger than a human has any right to do, possibly crippling to a normal human. A youkai of Hiei's level should have zero problems dispatching her if he wishes, though.
Maya	Maya says "It's similair to the Chisten concept of Hell, actually! We can talk about it later." She's catches the cheers. She's going to do what she cna to hlep and there's a huge demon ahead and she's getting ready to fight. Heck Runner's already powering his magitech beam canon. She moves to act on the warning however then something comes out before her and she looks at them for a moment. If anyone here can sense Magic? Maya's got enough to be a leyline or small nexus point on her own. She does however she makes no hostile action yet. "We came to deal with the attack upon this city. No insult but time is wasting and there's more people in danger." Also given whom she is there's only a handlful beings she's kneel to in such a fashion.
Hiei	Hiei gets thrust back, and sticks his sword through a nearby building's window. He stares up at her, once again trying to probe her mind. He realizes the implications of her collar, but now he wants to see which is -stronger-. His Jagan eye, or whatever is controlling that collar. "Angel! Tell me who commands you!" he shouts, trying to assert a ridiculous amount of will onto her. Though he's sure that there's a risk that the collar may kill her before he gets an answer, he tries nonetheless. Obviously threatening isn't going to work.
Tamiel	When Shin so casually walks out and meets the angel watching them, said angel stares as if deciding what to do. She summons a lance, paired with a shield, looking more like a valkyrie than anything else. Yet it's when Cory walks out that things get serious... because as soon as she turns to face the Saiyan and sees that tail, the angel launches herself toward Cory at a frightening speed. This one isn't like the others, it's actually a threat, though Cory can probably tell that she could likely win on a one on one. If Shin pitches in, they'll go down easy. Apparently something about the tail triggered that?
Tamiel	Powering a magitech cannon? That's getting some attention! All at once, two more angels are zooming in toward Xiaomu and Maya, streaks of silver light behind them. They're coming in fast, but not so quick that they can't be reacted to easily. These angels, at least, aren't even close to supersonic. The one facing the two is a little more of a challenge, at least at first. The blade lowers, waiting for surrender... and not getting it. "Then you will be-" She might have been saying more, but the blade arcing toward her throat has her own coming up to fight. She's good... but Xiaomu is notably better, and the blade is a hair too slow to stop the fox's sword, causing it to shear through the collar's side. It doesn't cut it off completely, but it causes bright sparks to crackle outward, and a jolt from the angel. Immediately, the angel strikes out with her palm. Her motions are /more/ fluid, more dangerous in some ways, but she's also trying to disengage. She doesn't see Xiaomu as an ally, but apparently the two approaching ones don't see the one with the damaged collar as an ally either, since they change their vectors to arrow right for the now 'freed' one.
Shin Tokuyama	Shin looks up from his can of stew as the Saiyan girl goes to shout at the angel like he did just moments prior. He tilts his head a little bit, holding the tin can of food in one hand. He blinks several times and then dart-hops backwards and away from Cory when the angel launches in with a charge. One hand continues to hold that food in a death grip while the other grabs the backpack he was carrying, "Oi oi! Come on, don't fight right here. My bike's like... right there!" He gestures vaguely at the motorcycle parked nearby. He got that as a quest reward from Krezentia's world, after all. It's important to him. For the moment, though, he leaves Cory to fight on her own devices. He's decided to play it low-key for the day. Or at least till he finishes his food, "Wonder why she seems to hate you, though!" He shouts towards her.
Kay	One of the two angels heading toward Xiaomu is intercepted! Violently! A tiny brown-colored creature, no more than four feet tall, leaps from hiding and SLAMS into the angel to bring her down. The two tumble over and over before the demon that tackled her to the ground rolls off, skidding and leaping to its feet. It looks like a dark-skinned girl with earthen, pebbled skin and claws and a tail, from appearance. The angel stumbles up, but before it can fully recover several gunshots slam into her. They don't really hurt her much, but cause her to stagger long enough for the smaller demon to plunge a hand into her chest, tearing out her heart. The blonde girl who fired the shots calls out sharply, "Damaging a Grigori's collar won't stop them, but it should distract the others! Can you help me get these people into the shelter?"
Cory	"Wyack! What's your prob--" Whooooosh! Cory sidesteps the first thrust, ducks under the next, and loses a bit of fabric and flesh from her arm from the following thrust. Arm just slightly bleeding, she gathers power in her legs and arms in order to execute a series of tight backflips, landing in an offensive stance with arms raised, knees bent, and fists ready. The previously twitching tail curls swiftly around her waist for safekeeping. "You're taking this awfully casually!" She barks Shin's way, more disbelieving than bothered by his lack of aid. He might be an ass, but Cory apparently thinks this is pretty normal. Startlingly enough she actually does listen to Shin's warning and has placed herself further down the street, luring the angel away. "Huuuuuuaaaaaahhhhhh.....!!!" The Saiyan woman's skin sizzles and crackles, exuding a white light that quickly ignites into a raging flame-like aura. Winds howl through the streets and the pavement beneath her cracks, freeing chunks to rise and spin around in the roaring overload of pure Ki. "Do you know just HOW long I've been hunting for someone who can actually keep up with me?! Pity you feel so empty..." She launches herself into the fray with reckless abandon, rocketing on a plume of expelled Ki into a swift flying kick. It'll probably strike the shield but the sheer force? If the two /don't/ go flying into a building, it'll be amazing...
Maya	Runner however was staringot power down the machine had intended to fight the demon.s However this is where things are going bad at this point. Maya's look becomes icy as she starts on a reply. "Then You will not like wha....?" Maya now pause as Xiaomu reacts Runner turns to the angels that are comming, it's troso opens and it fires seveal micro missiles at them. Maya mean whils i smoving to start casting blue fire leeches out of her body, the card glows blue and as tht happens? She's suddenly finding she's got some help on the way. Then the angel is ripped apart and she sees the demon. Some part of Maya is basically inwardly hissing like a cat. She's able to keep it under control. "That's the plan, just dont' start shooting if I suddenly get wings, all right?" Maya's now moving to cast her spell to put protective wards on the civilians. "Xiaomu we need to find some where out of harms way for these people and now! Runner see if you can find something like a subway!"
Tamiel	"That would be me, for now," says the man to Krezentia. He's sizing her up, and narrowing his eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?" Apparently, he is suspicious of Krezentia. Wonder why? "I am Joseph, leader of this expedition. We are gathering the lost souls here so that they may be sent to their proper places, working as a harmonious whole, and to weed out the sinful." That's when something on him beeps, and he pauses. Just then, another angel appears, this one landing atop the transport. She just... stands there for a moment, before Joseph orders her, "Tamiel, we have a Rogue to the northeast. Please see to it." "Yes, Master," the woman says, and she launches up into the air. She's a silver streak, much faster than the others, but obeys Joseph without question. Like the others, she has a collar as well.
Tamiel	Hiei's invasion of the mind will find... yeah, there's some resistance to that, but the COMMAND doesn't work nearly as well. That resistance SLAMS upward, and the angel lets out a SHRIEK of pain as she writhes in the stronger fighter's grip. The mental probe does find what he's seeking, though... after a fashion. Glimpses, that's all- A lovely woman, that the angel seems to worship- A city in the skies, overlooking the planet- Numerous angels, all in training with various weapons- Her collaring, which is apparently a moment of... pride? Hiei will get the distinct impression that this angel is not just a slave, but raised to be that from birth.
Hiei	Hiei finally releases his mental hold on her, then stares up into the sky, his eye peering up, trying to -search- for the city. Obviously wards and other such magical resistances could stop it, but he's most definitely trying to probe it, trying to find that woman. When he gets something into his head, he just goes for it. "Woman in the sky." he says, within earshot of the angel he just had a hold of. "I assume that you can hear me through her. I will give you two choices. Descend down here and speak to me yourself, or I will begin slaughtering every single angel, and every single human, until I either get bored or forget why I was slaughtering them. Ten seconds." He pauses for a few seconds, then says, "Seven."
Krezentia Einjager	"You don't strike me as the glorious leader sort. Hm. Maybe it's just the height," Krezentia answers; this is likely incredibly rude and disrespectful, but that's how she is to start with. "I already told you my name! As for what I want, I don't know. So you're leading some sort of crusade and busting the balls of the sinful, huh. Lemme guess, control collars! Those're kinda cool. HMMMM." The Magi shuffles into her jacket, pulling a BROCHURE out. She hands it to Joseph. It's pretty standard Confederate propaganda. Do you need power to accomplish your goals, are there rebels giving you a hard time, blah blah blah. Probably a page on how amazing Dracula's hair is. Look at that mug. How can you not want to join his side? "Oh, a Rogue? You've got my attention. Hey, why don't you read that pamphlet over while I go help that girl out. And then you can tell me whatcha think!" With a snap of her fingers, her hoverboard appears again. She yanks Kopie out of the air with one arm, hops on, and then speeds right off, after Tamiel. Right, let's resume conversation. "So, any chance you're chattier than that guy?"
Xiaomu	Xiaomu lands from her maneuver, glancing between the unexpected but welcome ally, the Angel who just got knocked out of the air, and wasn't there another - yes, key word 'was'. "Nice work, you two," she says to Kay and Maya, sheathing her staff-sword again. "Point the way to the shelter, are you sure it's gonna be safe enough?" She's already looking out for any sign of more angels coming in; she doesn't plan to let the next one get into melee range ...
Tamiel	The angel Cory is fighting is fast, and strong... and apparently quite tough. Her shield comes up in time, and the kick slams into the metal hard enough to dent it. It might be 'summoned' material, but apparently it's just ordinary steel? It sure buckles like it. Maybe something tougher than steel, but it's not anything special as far as strength goes. It won't take another hit like that. The angel herself grunts and slams into the nearby building, brick dust blossoming out. She doesn't say anything... she really is 'empty' inside, and in another heartbeat she's leaping out with her wings unfurled, the lance doing a very, very fast stab. It's also not anything special, material-wise, but the angel has some tremendous strength and speed behind it. What's more, she's still moving fast even though she's injured... though that crash through the wall has left some very obvious abrasions and bruising, parts of her shoulder seen through the skintight clothing she's wearing, already darkening to a nasty purple. She's organic, whatever she is, and can bleed.
Kay	Kay(for that is the girl's name) answers Xiaomu and Maya, "The shelter is sturdy enough to hold them off until the main army can get here. It's reinforced with the strongest wards we know, and layered in brightsteel with a carbonized superstructure." She grins, "I'm not actually sure what all that means, but I think that means it's strong." Indeed, she got the quotation wrong anyway. She shakes her head and holsters her pistol. "Let the rogue go, it'll work out. Levi, there's a wounded, see what you can do!" The demon that is licking the blood off her talons straightens up and bolts off to help the wounded, while the civilians are trying not to shove and panic. It looks like one of the doors is jammed, which is making progress slow. Kay says, "We won't shoot you automatically, you don't... look like them. Who are you people?" She's obviously eying Runner, mostly, with some interest. "Name is Kay, Demon Summoner. We don't have much time, so keep it quick."
Shin Tokuyama	To his credit, while he's not IN the fight, Shin is going to come along with Cory. Albeit probably at a slightly slower pace. He had to lash his backpack to the back of his bike and then ride it through the streets after the Saiyan and the angel. And he's actually PRETTY GOOD at doing that, finding collapsed signs or tipped over cars to ramp over obstacles that might impede him as he zooms along. "Hey now! I'm casual because it's not my fight! She challenged you, right? That's how it works, Martial Artist's honor says I can't interfere until you dramatically ask for my help," He shouts from the back of the bike, riding along without a helmet as he tries to find downtime in the fights to shout at Cory. "Think about all the most dramatic martial arts fights in movies. The ones right at the climax. They're dramatic one-on-ones! You have like... Bruce Lee versus Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon. Jackie Chan versus Hwang Jang lee in Drunken Master." Shin rides along for a while, trying to think of some more. "Uhhh... Donnie Yen versus whoever is playing the non-Chinese character in the movie!"
Tamiel	CAN the woman hear Hiei? It isn't clear at all. But the mental probe doesn't find the city... it instead finds the woman, very quickly, and not far away. A block or two away, no more, and heading toward Hiei anyway. She may not know what is said, but perhaps the angel can call her. "My Mistress will be here," the angel says, going limp. Apparently it has decided not to fight a fight it can't win, and this time the collar allows it.
Tamiel	Joseph is left looking puzzled at Krezentia, frowning heavily. The... lackadasial manner doesn't sit with him. And at first, it seems that Tamiel will be pretty poor company as well. As the hoverboard draws up beside her, the masked angel looks pretty intent on her mission, wings outstretched and flying at a fast pace... toward where Maya and Xiaomu are, in fact. The two might see the pair coming. But in mid-flight, Tamiel slows down enough to have a reasonable conversation. Still intent on her goal, but she does have curiosity. "Why are you helping me? You are not like the surface dwellers I have seen. What do you want?"
Hiei	Hiei vanishes in a burst of speed, holding his sword with both hands. He looks like he's ready to strike if needed, and he covers the distance -very- quickly, heading directly for the woman. When he appears, it's around five feet in front of her, crouched slightly, a definite combat stance. "Tell me what exactly you're doing, and why. I'm curious, though not yet bored. And if I don't become bored, I won't take your head."
Tamiel	In response to Shin, the angel that Cory is fighting actually shows a /hint/ of personality. A brief glance to the motorcycle, and she turns back to fighting Cory, only to ask, "That one. Is he your summoner? Your Master is a very strange person."
Tamiel	The woman before Hiei smiles, "I am merely following the expedition. I am one of the Handlers. Angels tend to be... single-minded." She looks Hiei over, then purses her lips. "And you are a strange demon. Who summoned you, that you feel compelled to talk rather than fight? Most do not bother to have curiosity. Nor are there many so strong."
Krezentia Einjager	"Oh, you know. When I get bored I have to go out and do stuff. This is stuff, it counts. Somewhere in my contract I guess it also says I have to keep an eye out for potential recruits and allies. On that note, sec." Krezentia plugs one of her ears as though she were wearing one of those radio earplugs. <<I swear to fucking god if you piss the High Lord Angel or whatever her title is and she doesn't want to join us because of that I'm going to show up and present her your head to mend the gap. Don't tempt me, I am SUPER bored right now.>> Right! Back to Tamiel. "So what's a Rogue?"
Tamiel	The group that Maya and Kay and Xiaomu are helping... are no longer under attack. Not really. The angel with the damaged collar flaps wings and shakes her head, then looks at the gathered group. Clutching her neck, she floats upward and starts to bolt, heading off to the west rather than back directly into the city. She looks a little confused, but mostly terrified.
Cory	"There's only one problem with that! This isn't a movie!" Cory 'complains' lightly - and this proves to be the one distraction that is worth worrying about. The stab is almost too fast for Cory to react. React she does-- but only by swinging her body around enough to take a stab through the side. Mostly a flesh wound, but plenty of blood. It doesn't pierce STRAIGHT through though... reason being Cory's hands gripping the weapon hard and struggling to hold it back. She's been gutpunched, kicked, burned, singed, blasted, swung around like a club... STABBING is a fairly new kind of pain to her. As her blood flows out onto the weapon and drips, staining her uniform... she hisses... then starts laughing... "Yesssssss! That's more like it! Let's have more of that!" Is she UTTERLY CRAZY?! Some onlookers would have good reason to think so. The swirling white ki pauses briefly, only to erupt with increasing fervency as a crimson blaze. "KAIOOOOOKEN....TIMES SEVEN!" The Saiyan brings a knee up with lightning speed, aiming to simply SNAP the weapon - assuming it's the same material as the shield, anyways. And if not...just wrench it out of the angel's grasp. But successful or not she finds she's already within the angel's guard, and claps both hands together over her chest! "Moron. I'm a Saiyan, not some kind of magic beast or anything! HUUUUUUUOOOOOAAAAAHHH!!!" The street's treated to a thunderous screechy noise as pure Ki flies from her hands as a thick beam that hits like a sledgehammer! Forget just hitting the building. this might go THROUGH it. Or maybe two or three. believe it or not this is being merciful. She's focused this one on pure physical impact and less on VAPORIZING. It'll disperse quickly enough. PROOOOBABLY not lethal.
Xiaomu	"I'm Xiaomu," the sage fox introduces herself to Kay. "Glad to have a local who knows what's going on with us ..." She watches the angel with the damaged collar retreat - and lets her go. "So you said these angels are called Grigori? Who put the collars on all of 'em and why?" Since there's a lack of enemies in the area right now, Xiaomu turns her attention to helping the civilians on their way to safety. Kay'll have to lead the way, but Xiaomu can do some crude first-aid if needed - tying bandages around wounds, setting broken limbs and improvising splints, stuff like that. She's not good at it, but she knows layperson's basics; actual medics or healers will want to take a look at any of the wounded. Hopefully there'll be medical staff at the shelter. "... wait, are these shelters built specifically to anticipate angels trying to round up mortals en masse or something?!" Xiaomu adds to her questions, as several pieces abruptly settle into place together.
Hiei	"I'm a fire youkai, though some have referred to my kind as demons as well. I don't care one way or the other." Hiei says rather boredly, lowering his sword to his side, and standing up straight, even though she's likely taller than him. "I'm summoned by no one. I do as I wish. I'm simply here to sate my own curiosity and boredom. Now, you say you're a Handler, and I assume this means you have a leader?" he asks, hand becoming tight around his sword. "Tell me your name, if you have one.And your leader. I'm more than happy to cut and probe all of your minds until I find the root of this all." He pauses, then a slight smile forms. "The Root. Too bad She wouldn't be able to appreciate that sort of humor..." He seems to take a moment to talk to himself, as if ignoring the woman's existence for a brief few seconds.
Shin Tokuyama	Shin darts along near Cory, "The only difference between a movie and real life is the screen, if you're willing to live your life right." He comments, grinning a bit as he finds a clear patch of street and then skids the bike to a stop, idly pulling a full circle before halting in the street. He then takes out his phone, "Oh man. Sweet." He starts typing at his keys while idly logging into Twitter. He stops, bike on idle-mode while he taps in: ' Shin Tokuyama @CombatVagrant · 7 minutes ago Man, free stew and watching a sick fight? Score. #JustKarateHoboThings' Shutting his phone and putting it away, he takes out a pair of sunglasses and pets them on when Cory's aura starts kicking up, "Yeah see! Now you've got the hang out of it! Show her your fighting spirit!"
Tamiel	Up in the air... Tamiel glances at Krezentia, and then nods as if this explains everything. Surprisingly, the enslaved angel is far more chatty than Joseph was, possibly because Krezentia said something of interest. "Allies. You want to ally with Heaven? They are unlikely to agree without good cause. What would you offer them?" Her tone suggests it's more curiosity than any personal interest... at least so far. The question of rogues is answered much more directly. As the fluttering angel fleeing to the west comes into sight, Tamiel stops and hovers. Seven shining lances appear around her, circling twice before launching at high speed toward the fleeing angel. They aren't enough to kill her... that angel was fairly strong. They will be enough to pierce her wings, arm, and chest deeply enough that she takes a pretty nasty tumble into the nearby river. Tamiel doesn't even go to check to see if the angel survived, perhaps hoping that she did... despite the odds being against the rogue being able to survive being underwater while injured so badly. "A Rogue is a Grigori whose collar has been damaged. While they often maintain some loyalty, the shock sometimes confuses them. They are dangerous to leave unattended." Apparently she's... going to ignore the civilians going to the shelter in the distance and just turn around and go back toward Joseph. Not much creativity in interpreting mission orders, huh? She keeps explaining, though, "The collars help to push forward Grigori who balk, or to control those like myself, who are too dangerous to trust to loyalty alone. That one was the latter, as well."
Maya	Maya says "Understood, and I'm Maya I'm a Junker, and don't mind Runner. He's more a pet than anything well and wildlife defence at least that's what my brother's intention was!" A combat ready bot that's a pet? Also wildlife defence? What sort of things was oit made to fight it doesn't like the demon however it's growling at it like it was the angels. "We responded to a distress call. Now I should get to helping with that door. IF there's no other issues! Runner come on, help get the door open, and cover the civilians. People let my compnaion pop the door so you can get in faster." Maya's going to take to healing and now she looks to the Angel. Maya's also able to do far more with her healing magic and she's going to be helping whom she can. "So now what do you want to do aside from get that collar off? Xiaomu can you give her a hand if she's willing to give up. I don't see any reason to misstreat a POW."
Kay	Kay is already moving to help with the injured as well. She sighs, "What? Yeah, yeah, they're for the angel attacks. The Grigori, rather. There are other kinds, but most of them are Grigori." She shrugs, but is giving the pair an odd look. "A woman with a technomagical dog and a fox familiar, who don't know anything about the war? I have a feeling there's a bit of a story behind that." To Maya, Kay shakes her head, "Leave her, she's dangerous. She'll-" She stops and points at the fleeing angel... then winces despite herself when Tamiel appears in the distance to kill the poor girl. "... she'll make good bait to keep the others busy. Or at least she did."
Tamiel	Once again, the angel fighting Cory says something rather than just fight. This time, it's to stop and stare at the cackling madwoman... and react to the scream. "Kaio-what times what?" That's some definite confusion, followed by a beeping from the side of her mask... which then EXPLODES with a small popping noise and a trail of smoke! Then Cory blasts her, much to her surprise, and plows her through a building! The wall tumbles down, crumbling and falling, and when the dust settles... she's still up! Sort of. Mask cracked and showing one very human but bleeding part of a face and eye, the girl staggers to her feet, clutching a broken arm. "You... are..." Then she falls over with a thud. Her collar is intact, and she's not dead, but she's not going anywhere for a few hours.
Krezentia Einjager	"Oh, huh. Right, I get it. Important to keep your soldiers under your thumb and all that." Krezentia shrugs. Her own mother makes pretty heavy-handed use of enforced loyalty in her dolls and drones, so the concept is pretty much there already. She has negative feelings on her own programming buuuut that's not a matter for today! The display is pretty impressive, though. Krezentia whistles, while Kopie ooohs. "Nice aim. Not gonna get the body, though?" Oh, what can they offer. Hrm. "Y'know, I don't know what your Heaven is like, but I know one thing nobody turns down, and it's power. You guys seem to be dealing with a hell of a situation here. Us Confederates, we're all about supporting each other through these times. Y'know. Subjugate the massages for their own wellbeing. Keep 'em safe. Now I can't guarantee we can turn your war around overnight, but I can guarantee you'd be getting some damn heavy firepower on your side." That, though, isn't the main pitch. "But honestly, the big reason that'll eventually push you is that them's some Union folks down there opposing your guys. Union'll show up, side with those rebels. Ever wondered what it'd be like dealing with armies that span entire worlds 'n galaxies? Y'might be about to find out, and be stuck against one 'o those. Having the other on yer side is gonna become top priority, give it a few weeks."
Tamiel	"My name is Mary," the woman replies to Hiei. Of course, all female Handlers are named Mary, but he doesn't know that. "And I am the second in this expedition. Joseph is leading this one. We both serve the Almighty, of course." She seems amused at something, then murmurs, "Joseph's Grigori would be interested in seeing you. Are you finished manhandling mine?"
Xiaomu	"Maybe you missed that she was being controlled by that collar before I damaged it," Xiaomu says somewhat pointedly to Kay. "And I'm not Maya's familiar - I'm technically not anyone's familiar, I'm a free-spirited free agent. I just like working with Reiji." She sort of misses the retreating Grigori getting finished off. Sort of. Mostly. ... Not as entirely as she'd like to, though. "Anyway, yeah, shelter," grumps Xiaomu, helping chivvy the civilians her group is protecting into what should be a safe haven until the angelic jerks go away. It's not like 'demons' being good guys is that unusual; technically Xiaomu could be considered a demon as well (although she'd take exception to certain definitions).
Hiei	"The Almighty. Well, I think I've heard enough." Hiei looks around for a moment, then just sort of sighs as if going through the motions. "I'm bored." His arm jerks, making a movement so fast to decapitate her head, that she'd likely not even feel it. Then he very carefully walks over to her, starting to reach for her hair. "I've decapitated you. You have roughly a second before this becomes apparent. Make your last words good." That said, he gives her a moment to speak, and just reaches out to grip her hair and -yank-. He apparently didn't care what her last words were, either way.
Maya	Maya says "There's quite a story and no she's not my familiar though? If I had to have one She'd be at the top of the list." A little humor to try and break the mood. She looks up at how things play out and grimaces. She now goes back to teh shelter aiming to heal those who need ot and help keep things moving.
Cory	WHOOOOOSH! Down goes her opponent. And once Cory's ascertained the angel's down and yet still alive... she powers down. The crimson 'flames' fade and with it all the fancy wind and slightly bulged muscles (not that she has much visible to begin with.) "phew..." Of course she's still bleeding - and apparently crazy enough to stick a finger around at the wound. This immediately brings forth a hiss. "Guess she got me better than I thought... that'll take a few days to heal fully." Just a FEW DAYS? She turns to look Shin's way, and promptly shines a smile... as if totally not caring about the chaos going on everywhere. "Like I need your advice. Didn't want help to begin with. Fancy running into someone who gets it, movies or no movies." She rummages around in her Gi and pulls out a small pack of bandages and cleansing agents to deal with that little wound...
Tamiel	The woman with Hiei stares. "You wouldn't dare. You'll be killed without a thought!" Or at least she believes that. She isn't quite aware of just HOW strong Hiei is. Not until her head separates from her body. THIS particular angel reacts badly to that. "MISTRESS!" The shriek carries QUITE a distance, and bare-armed, the Grigori pounces Hiei in a desperate, vicious, but rather uncontrolled berserk attempt to tear him apart! As we've established, while she's a cut above most of the angels, she isn't on the youkai's level.
Shin Tokuyama	Shin slips the phone back into his suit pocket and gives Cory a thumbs up, "Woah, calm down there, turbo! Now you're winning and martial arts-ing, there," He states chipperly. He props the bike down and turns down the kickstand. "I get it, for the most part. You should still be more careful. You're up there at a 7, I'm down here at a calm 2. Meet somewhere in the middle on this matter. Couple days seems a bit on the long side, you should just grab a bed and sleep that off," Shin idly remarks to her in regards to her injuries. He cracks his knuckles a bit. Shin flattens out his hand, "Looks like she might be human under all that. Let's take a looksie. If the theory is right, she'll be my love interest and potentially a new party member," He nods a bit. And then he lowers his hand in two swift chops, trying to shatter first her collar and then her mask with rapid blows of his hand in an almost casual manner.
Kay	"The collars don't /exactly/ control them," Kay answers. "They do, but... most Grigori don't really consider us humans to be real people anyway. They just don't like their own going off alone." She sighs, and helps usher the last of the civilians in. "I mean... once in a while one of them will try to help us," Kay admits. "But the odds are pretty low."
Hiei	Hiei doesn't release the disembodied head, and when the angel comes at him, he blurs beyond her, and stops right behind her, sword held out. He didn't aim for her, he actually aimed to despite her collar in multiple places. If she truly is a slave, then he wants to see if this changes her perspective at all. "The only reason that I didn't kill you was because I wanted to see if you were acting of your own free will. What you do next will decide your fate."
Tamiel	Tamiel shrugs at Krezentia, floating in midair. Apparently she doesn't need to use her wings to fly, even though she does move them when /in/ flight. Guidance? "If she lives, then she might learn something from it. I was ordered to take care of her. I've done that." The talk about the Confederacy and Union is much more interesting to her, and Tamiel listens all the way back to the transports... which are now closed up, even though they aren't full, thanks to the battle fading. Joseph is there, and tosses the pamphlet aside. "Heaven has little interest in allying ourselves with anyone, at this moment. We have no need." He gestures to the transports. "We have enough for quota. I suppose I expected more, especially with Tamiel here, but unforseen matters. I am afraid your Confederacy will continue without us." Smug, isn't he? Or, well, he is until he screams from being engulfed in a pillar of fire at Tamiel's gesture. HER Control collar didn't do much to stop that, did it? As the handler's blackened skeleton collapses, she turns to Krezentia, "Tell me more about these galaxies of enemies? I will be needing a new Master."
Tamiel	The angel with Hiei now will find her collar gone. She also knows she's outmatched. It doesn't take much for her to know what to do. She may have loved her Mistress, but she also likes, you know, being alive. Her wings stretch, and she makes to takes to the air and fly off, away from the park where the transports landed.
Cory	"......." That rambling and toddling off by Shin leves Cory somewhat speechless. She gapes, mouth opening several times and finger pointing, wiggling.. she grasps at the air as if trying to stop him... but eventually both her arms drop down in relaxation. She lifts off the ground and flies softly over, then past Shin to catch up and land. "So you noticed that too... wait, love interest? Did you hit your head as a kid or something? Shouldn't the victor get more attention?" It's hardly indignant whining. Just honest confusion! She just put on one hell of a display, after all! "I dialed it down. She's still alive..." She lets Shin do the disrobing thing though, and uncurls her tail. Instead of watching she just focuses on breathing and regaining her spent Ki.
Hiei	Hiei very quickly starts running then, allowing the angel to escape. Then he stops on a rooftop above Tamiel and Krezentia, dropping the head down, allowing it to fall to the ground inbetween them. "I've killed this Handler. I don't know if that does anything. Enjoy." he calls down at them.
Tamiel	Shattering the collar and mask is done more easily when the angel isn't fighting. Maybe they have a protective aura? Her face is pretty but not gorgeous, and otherwise she looks just like a healthy, fit woman in her late teens. Except for the wings. She is still alive, but she's out cold. Fortunately, Grigori heal fast in general, so a few days and a good splint and she'll be moving again. Though... Shin may not find her as cooperative as he'd like.
Krezentia Einjager	Seeing Tamiel just suddenly roast Joseph brings a grin to the Magi's lips. Oh, this angel is delightful. RIP Joseph, he was an asshole. We'll make sure his tombstone has a butt drawn on it. Or something equally meaningful. "Why don't you come to our base? I think its scope alone will show you everything you want to know. Then maybe your higher ups will carefully reconsider." Citadel's huge, it's true. A base several times the size of a world, that's difficult to verbalize-- easy to show.
Shin Tokuyama	"Oh, sorry if I made you jealous. You're very pretty too," Shin replies to Cory in a bright tone, "Though if you want more attention, asking me if I'm mentally impaired is hardly the way to do it. You'd wanna go more towards 'Oh hey, so how do you know so much about martial arts?' or something like that," He notes, explaining it in an almost patient-sounding tone to the Saiyan girl. "Shin Tokuyama, Combat Vagabond, though," he introduces himself to Cory casually. He pokes at the unconscious girl a couple times and then says, "Ah, she's gonna be out for a while," He tilts his head and then takes out a notepad and a pen from his pocket, "Hey. Saw you get knocked unconscious. Reformed Villain? New Party Member? If so: Contact me at +81 #-####-####'. Then he sticks the note in a pocket or something on the angel girl. "Well, I oughta kick it for now. Too long in one place and I get restless. Nice meeting you." He comments to Cory as he writes up another Tweet on his newly-created twitter account. He then boredly posts it for later and smiles, "Catch you on the flip side, yeah?" With the note left and his way late introduction made, Shin mostly wants to high-tail it to the nearest warp gate and move on to more action elsewhere.
Cory	"Wh--...ut..." Compliments are a new thing for Cory. She's left blinking as Shin goes through his rigamarole... then scratches the back of her head. "I'd -say- you sound just like some overgrown fanboy, but..." She purses her lips, then folds both arms under her chest. "Any idiot can sense you're actually not all talk at all. Rather sizable amount of energy for a human. Chikorri... Cory for short!"