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Owner	Pose
Merelisa Shaynore	You smell it before you can see it.     The warpgate is a series of sigils on the ground of a stony building, big enough to accomodate frequent multiversal travel through the city of Venyth. There's no one passing through now, though, and stepping outside, the people you see are all fearfully scurrying around trying to find somewhere to take shelter. The city square has the remnants of a bustling market in the process of being abandoned, with a metropolitan mix of fantasy-species types ranging from big bulky dog-people and lithe elves, to there being canisters of oil on sale in stalls like beverages, filling the air with a heady atmosphere of alien spices and incense smokes.     It's all covered up by the warm desert wind that carries the smell of rot and stinging iron in the back of your throat. The skies, leaden cloudy, radiate a dim unearthly green, casting Venyth below in frightening hues of dancing shadows. The people on the street recognize immediately what the Elites must be there for and what category of people they are-- a catfish-looking guy huddled under a robe emphatically points you in the direction of the city gates.     The city is nestled in a valley between a ridge of hills that divides the grasslands from the desert, and the threat approaching Venyth, the 'Black Train', lies in the latter. Out this way, there's nothing but dry scrubland fading into sand, all illuminated by the ghostly green glow from the sky, without a single train track to be seen. Watching for a minute longer, the black clouds in the distance start to shift like a sea of ants, and then your eyes refocus to see the swarms of dark winged monsters in the sky.     A squadron of the archetypal 'city guard' nervously holds the line here, white-knuckling their halberds and practically falling over themselves when the Elites arrive. One of them informs you that this whole region of the continent used to be under the control of a mechanical tyrant with a demonic factory that lay out in the desert, referred to as Prometheus, who was defeated several years ago. The Black Train was one of his tools of enforcement, a phantom magitech train that delivered armies wherever it went, that must have somehow become reignited in the ruins of his factory lair, now hurtling on a suicide charge towards Venyth.     The city has walls, at least, and spellcasters and ballistae to defend them, but that won't safely cover for much besides picking off small flocks that slip past towards the city. There's still a trek out into the desert to meet the train halfway, and the guard captain offers his squadron as support to bring the fight to the train if you think they can help even a little bit.
Riku Asakura	Through the warpgate and by the civilians trying to get to safety, Riku Asakura is running the wrong way.  That is directly into danger.  He's going for the front gate of the city, while trying to figure out which of his Ultracapsules to use to fight this foe.  He settles on Ultraman and Belial, his bread and butter for the Primitive style.   He doesn't transform yet; instead, he talks to the guards, who inform him of what exactly is approaching and why.  He looks up towards the oncoming train and grits his teeth.  He needs to time himself correctly.  If it's too late, he will be too late to help.  Too early, and he might exhaust his window for transformation too soon into the battle.   "It's alright, I'm here to help.  We'll send this thing packing or destroy it.  Just hold fast and don't do anything reckless!" he says to the guards, trying to raise their morale as he takes a few steps forward and grabs the first capsule.   "You go!"
Odette Raskins	Arriving at the city via the warpgate, Odette's looking a little out of place. She had come to see what the big commotion was about, the call for aid involving some kind of train, but she hadn't heard the summons all too clearly during her shift at work. Coming under the assumption there was some kind of train derailment, she arrives in her Company-issued EMT uniform in blue and white, lugging her trusty carrying case full of medical supplies at her side. What catches her off guard, of course, is seeing all those people moving about with fear on their faces despite not seeing a train or a wreck anywhere in sight. She's particularly surprised by the guards, and when she hears what they have to say about a former tyrant, an evil factory, and the Black Train moving his armies. That last part in particular gets her sweating, and she's already looking off into the distance to see if she can actually see it. "We have to... W-wait, it didn't crash? Um. I think I might be out of..." She starts to protest a little, but seeing those worried looks on the guards faces convinces her not to finish that thought. Instead, a whimpering sigh comes out of her, and she relents with a slow nod after Riku's more eager encouragement. "R-right. I guess people are going to need treatment in the middle of fighting all that, so... Uh. Yes! And if anyone's hurt along the way, I'll keep you all on your feet and patched up so you can get back home safely once it's all done." She adds, even sounding convinced herself by the end of all that.
Tamiel Luxis	There should be more emissaries, Tamiel plucked anxiously at her scarf, holding it like a talisman, as she looked to the dark sky. She knew how often Vineta had been burned, but...looking at something like this...? It looked like the end of the world.     She was accosted by imagined rebuffs, from imagined angels that just made her cling closer to her scarf, like some kind of comfort blanket as she stared at the sky...Until, taking a deep, deep breath, she reelased it.     When she stepped through the warpgate, Tamiel had already shawled her shadow around her, manifesting a colorful, iridescent scarf that hung, weightless, in the air behind her for about a meter. She wore a elbow-sleeved hoodie with fishnets snaking down her arms to fingerless gloves, and a short skirt, robbed of any daring by leggings that extended down to heavy boots.     Her shadow was still clinging to its own scarf, as the angel interviewed the city guard for details on the Black Train. Tamiel did not notice. "I don't know about help," she confessed. "But, if there's anyone who's hurt, or who gets hurt, please tell me..." Her eyes found a friendly face. "...Or miss Odette where they are. If any of your people get hurt, you can come to us to try to get stabilized..."     She pinches a colorful keychain hanging from her side between her forefinger and her thumb. "That goes for everyone else too..." She tries for a smile at the elites. It falters into sober worry.
Sarracenia	The warpgate glows brightly for a moment as something comes through, and out rockets a...wooden VTOL ship that looks big enough to hold a half dozen people or so. It spirals up into the air, then levels off and comes around to head toward the incoming threat. The designs and color scheme clearly mark it as from the Sundew Kingdom, and it quickly moves into place hovering above the guard line. The canopy pops open and Sarracenia leans out. "Hmm...I may need to call in the Sovereign after all." she says before speaking into a radio.      The warpgate glows again a few minutes later, and the grandiose form of the Sundew Sovereign, Sarracenia's over 200 foot long wooden airship comes flying in. It too moves to hover over the guard line, turning broadside to the train as it deploys dozens of cannons and the bottom opens to deploy the Banzai Bill launcher.      Sarra pulls out a megaphone as her shimmering copper hair flows and her blazing red dress flutters in the wind from her VTOL's rotors. "Fear not! We will not allow this menace to harm you or your city!" before she slips fully back into the pilot's seat. "...I suppose I would not get so lucky as for this to turn out to be the Darkmancer saving me the trouble of finding him."
Dark Horses	Catfish and dog people. Keiwa would have thought it strange- Well, no, it is still strange to him. But given what he's had to deal with in the DGP... Well, a long thought process turned short is that they're still people no matter what they look like, which is refreshing.      What's a bit more concerning than what the populace looks like, though, is his choice of attire. The DGP uniform was made for many things, but the desert isn't one of them. A thick black jacket is probably the worst thing he could've chosen. But it's too late to change now, so he'll simply have to cope, something he's pretty good at, he feels.      "So wait, if this Prometheus guy is dead, who's sending the train?"      If they knew, the guards probably would've told them, he realizes, but that's a thought that only crosses his mind after asking. At the very least, he can help prepare for the worst, as he quietly slaps the Desire Driver across his waist, the buckle immediately forming straps to secure itself, but nothing more as Keiwa stalls on the further steps required to transform.
Angela	Roland arrives through the Warpgate, grumlbing. "Just go fight a train, she says. Grade 9 is clearly good enough just do it, she says. There'll be enough Elites that you can just stand around and make yourself useful." The down on his luck Grade 9 Fixer has his hands in the pocket of his cheap suit and he sighs as he sees some familiar faces. "Hey Riku." He says. "Hey Odette. Good to see you again. Angela said something about harassing a train to try to app--please Elites and to improve the Library's perception abroad." He already looks tired. He's sort of hoping this problem will somehow deal with itself but, no, he sees less a 'train' and more 'a monster swarm'. "Well if we get killed by a monster horde." He says, squinting. "Least that'll be one hell of a vacation." ''Sarracenia VTOL'' Roland runs his hand down his face in utter despair then does it a second time to make sure he' sseeing correctly. "Well maybe Sarracenia's got it." He says tonelessly.
Lilian Rook	Lilian doesn't get to pick and choose all of her Paladins assignments. As a star Chevalier, she has more freedom than usual in what to respond to while she is on call, and with the gift of foresight, she actually spends much of her designated divination time on a weekly basis contriving her work schedulein advance, but there are still limits to how fickle and choosy she can be. As she gets closer to the Big Day, her level of caution has steadily gone up over time, until over the last few weeks she hasn't been able to bring herself to take on anything terribly risky at all, finding herself unable to set aside the intrusive, narrative-brained thoughts that seem to take over when she does.     So a situation like this is the worst case scenario. Not only is this a red alert event of map-altering scale, it's the sort of situation she's as utterly unsuited for as can be, while still remaining just within the purview of 'an emergency combat situation' that justifies her presence. Lilian is barely one minute out of the Warpgate before the leaden sky and ominously apocalyptic light have her so badly on edge that she keeps thinking up a cover story for abandoning the mission in the back of her mind.     The city's defenses are hopeless. The sheer number of enemies she can infer from what she sees at the wall's edge is already vastly in excess of what she can expect to take out herself, even with the assistance of Tamamo's holy talismans. There are too many people to evacuate, not enough time to try, and getting to the train as quickly as possible will likely use up half of her reserves by itself; and then leave her on her own in enemy territory until everyone else can catch up. She can only look at the captain's suicidally noble offer with a melancholy-baffled expression and shake her head.     Just saying the words, "If it was taken out once before, we'll do it again." sickeningly spikes her heart rate. Every single thing about this scenario screams that the other shoe is finally about to drop on the trajectory of her life. Lilian can barely think about an actual strategy between bursts of obsessing over how her risk-averse divination had fucked her so badly and alternating phases of cope-induced theorizing about some master off-switch that disperses the entire army of monsters too.     'It's alright, I'm here to help. We'll send this thing packing or destroy it.'     §Is there any way his giant form could stop it? Derail it? Do I tell him to wrestle a train? He'll believe me.§     'R-right. I guess people are going to need treatment in the middle of fighting all that, so...'     'But, if there's anyone who's hurt, or who gets hurt, please tell me...'     §There are way too many people for that to make a dent. Can't they see that? Who are they going to save if that thing ploughs through the city?§     '...I suppose I would not get so lucky as for this to turn out to be the Darkmancer saving me the trouble of finding him.'     'Well maybe Sarracenia's got it.'     §Please for the love of Christ listen to me just this once.§     Lilian truly must be feeling much more cornered than she looks if she approaches Sarracenia up on the deck. SHe only just barely doesn't try to rip the megaphone out of her hands. "Sundew. Don't waste this ship's mobility just sitting here. Take everyone at full speed ahead to intercept the train before it gets here. You can bombard it as we approach. The only out we have right now is if the train has a way to halt it on-board, so the only sane thing to do is to act as if that's true."
Merelisa Shaynore	The train's whistle sounds like a human scream, carrying across the open desert each time it sounds. Approaching close enough to see it, the black iron steam engine's hot orange headlight glows malevolently, and segments of track materialize from translucent to solid in an instant ahead of it. This close, you can see that the cloud of flying imps and devil-like monsters are just overflow spilling out of the cars and falling behind like a comet trail.     While the train is still a considerable distance away, though, something else intercepts it before any Elite does.     A streak of fire falls down from the sky and lands upright in the sand, blue digital flash midway in the air materializing into two massive mechanical arms. Floating over the woman's shoulders, the hands overlap over each other in front of her and catch the front of the train like a baseball, leaning into it to stay upright as the colossal force of it slams her backwards hundreds or thousands of feet. She digs a furrow into the sand longer than the train itself, gradually slowing it down, with her own hands drawing a red and gold greatsword off her back.     As the flying monsters overhead screech and howl in a thousand cries and converge on the figure, glittering red-orange dust envelops the sword and ignites on the upswing. A pillar of fire follows, umbrella-ing outwards in the sky to incinerate them by scores at once. The groaning metal of the train fighting to build speed sounds like a monstrous growl, cutting off with a tearing sound as a line of superheated white cuts down the entire length of it and explodes. The mechanical hands readjust their grip, slamming the face of the engine down into the sand and holding it in place as it spews smoke and bucks, with the ever-expanding cloud of wings and claws flowing out of the gaps her attack made in the storage cars..     Just then, the horrible green glow above reaches its peak. The beam that pierces downwards in the center of the auroras is like a column of lightning and hits with the force of a nuclear bomb. Even shutting your eyes leaves an afterimage of the vertical light imprinted on your eyelids when the explosion hits, throwing off a shockwave that hits a second later like a full body punch and a sandstorm. The metal at the impact point rends into white-hot shrapnel, shredding into coiled molten shavings; the vertiable army vaporizes in an instant without even a cry.     When you can open your eyes again, the sky is purple. There's no cloud left from horizon to horizon, replaced with a roiling sea of plasma in the atmosphere and the smell of fire and ozone. The Black Train is in ruins, and its slayer steps out of the two cupped mechanical hands that shielded her from the blast.
Merelisa Shaynore	She has long red hair, a gold in her earrings and around the pendant hanging from her neck. Her monochrome dress is sleeveless, with woven metal bracers embedded with crystals covering the rest of her arms, and she's wearing heels that click on the now-glass of the desert. Scorched and out of breath, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and smiles widely at the Elites through pants.     "Oh, hi! Hello! You must be heroes from offworld- ah!"     Dizzy and unfocused from her own weapon, she only registers the vague presence of unfamiliar figures at first, but a moment later she sees the Sundew Sovereign and its princess. She runs up to Sarra, and-- doesn't go in for a hug, but does giddily clap her hands a bit, and even Lilian and Odette get a polite wave of acknowledgement, the animosity from the Lambent Dragon incident seemingly forgotten. As the ash settles, she lets out a laugh, filled with energy from the post-battle runners high.     "Oh my gosh, Sarra, hello! And Lilian, and, um, Odette, right? And some more of you too! They must've put out a multiversal request, huh?"     Tonally dissonant with the landscape but somehow perfectly at ease, Merelisa coughs into her elbow and smiles. "Sorry your time was wasted! But you already came all this way; wanna find somewhere nicer to sit so we're not just out in this desert?"     She waves her hand behind her, at the smoldering wreckage of the apocalyptic vehicle, framed by obliterated iron that's slowly cooling down to molten orange from white and piles of demonic bodies. ""I'm the hero of this world; Andromeda. Or Merelisa, since we're kind of peers."
Chuyao He	Chuyao steps through the Warpgate. The smell strikes him and draws a frown--the scent of unpleasant things mingled with more pleasant things is worse than something unpleasant by itself. His white shenyi robes will surely not survive the desert unscathed, but this doesn't seem to bother him.      He procures Two Rivers from his sleeve and unfolds it with a flick of his wrist, using the steel fan to shade his eyes and observe the 'clouds' in the distance. "I see..."      Heaving a sigh after receiving the explanation from the frightened guard, "How unfortunate that Prometheus put these wonders towards such a tyrannical purpose." Closing his eyes in disappointment, he fans himself, then, with a sharp, second flick of his wrist, he collapses the fan. "The guard's assistance in crossing to meet the tyrant's remnants would be greatly appreciated."      A brief glance between the others gathered here allows him to offer further reassurance: "Dame Commander Rook, Brother Roland, Princess Sarracenia, junior brother Riku... this lowly scholar has not met the rest of your guests, but, I assure you that those with whom I am familiar will not let you down where a contest of force is concerned."      "We must act quickly. I, the lowly scholar, am trained in battlefield tactics as befits a gentleman. Would the honorable guard object to following my orders once we have disembarked from the Princess' vessel--"      Chuyao gasps, at the sight on the horizon, rushing past the guard to get a better vantage point from the wall of the nearest building. He leaps gracefully into the air and sticks to the wall, the only indication of how being the slight tensing visible beneath his wrapped cloth boots. Shading his eyes with Two Rivers again, he remarks, "Such a force, to hold down a contraption! It must be the equal of sixty--no, eighty mammoths!" He turns the fan sideways to shield his eyes, rather than shade them, when the light picks up, lowering it when it dies down.      Relaxing his muscles, Chuyao slides down the wall to offer a greeting to Merelisa. "I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, greet sister Merelisa respectfully." He gives a fist-in-palm salute and bows slightly at the waist. "There is no need to apologize for swift and benevolent action, sister. If you wish to talk for a time, this lowly scholar will gladly oblige."
Riku Asakura	"I g-," there is an interruption in the transformation sequence of Ultraman Geed.  That interruption was the train exploding, and the nuclear flash caused him to cover his eyes to avoid becoming blind.  When the roar of the explosion ends, and the light fades, he looks up and watches the devastation of the demon train, and looks shocked.  He almost waits for the other shoe to drop before putting the Ultracapsules away and turns towards the lady, addressing them.   'Oh, hi! Hello! You must be heroes from offworld- ah!' "Um.  Hello!" Riku says to the person responsible for the demonic train's destruction.  Of course, he was surprised that she went for Sarracenia first, to grasp her hands.  They must know each other pretty well!  He looks awkwardly for a moment, noticing that some people are not exactly okay with her appearance.   'Sorry your time was wasted!' "No, not at all, I'm happy not to have to fight a train traveling through a city full of people, full of demons.  I'm just glad the people are safe and nobody was hurt..." he says, looking at the ruins of the train.  Nobody who didn't deserve it, at least.   "My name is Riku.  Riku Asakura by the way.  Nice to meet you, Ms. Merelisa!  Yes, let's find a nice spot to sit and talk that would be better than the desert!"
Sarracenia	''Lilian rips the megaphone out of Sarra's grip''      "Wh-hey! Do not just snatch things from people!" Sarra says incredulously before coughing lightly. "...er...but yes, everyone should board the Sundew Sovereign." she says quietly into the radio.      Only for things to get rather intense a few moments later! The Dyna and the Sovereign both rock in the air from the shockwave, and Sarra quickly closes the canopy to block the incoming particulate and hangs on tight to the controls to keep the Dyna from crashing. Even before the explosion, Sarra thought she recognized those mechanical arms. After all the fire and fireworks, and then the sight of that red hair, the Dyna practically crashes anyway as Sarra lands it unsafely fast and then leaps out.      Merelisa stops short of a hug, but Sarra is over no-hugging business all-together.      The princess doesn't hesitate. "Merelisa!!!" she exclaims as she gives her fellow red-headed heroine a humungous hug. There are definitely tears, and a bit of a coughing sob. "It is...so good to see you. I was afraid we might never again cross paths even after our last meeting seemed to go so well."      'Wait that's... Lambent Dragon?'      Sarra shoots Roland a look and mutters something into her radio.      After the hug, Sarra slides a hand down to take Merelisa's, just happily holding it like a schoolgirl holding her friend's hand. "I should have realized this was Andromeda. I suppose it has been far too long." she says, probably not realize how clingy she is being. "Yes! Let us find someone nice to sit and talk! And yes, you simply must meet Riku! He is most heroic and self-less! I am certain you two will get along well"
Tamiel Luxis	"Right..." She finds herself nodding along with Chuyao and Lilian, already adjusting and casting off whatever sloppy plan she'd put together. "That's a better idea. Maybe when we're on my shadows can find an engine or a boiler, and we can--" The howling of the train cuts her her thought off, and she turns her attention, sharply, toward the hurtling sound. She is frozen, for a moment before she turns her attention to the VTOL, flexing her wings, doing her best estimate on how difficult it up would be to jump up into it.     And then there was another sound. A burning flash, that brought Tamiel form estimating a jump into falling over, her wings batting uselessly around her. She might have shouted, but it was reduced to nothing in the sheer magintude of the sound. She rubbed her eyes furiously, still not quite grasping that it wasn't the Black Train's initial volley on all of them, certain she'd find it screaming the rest of the way into town.     Instead, she saw a broken wreck of a thing, burned out to a metal husk. "Oh." She chewed on her lip. "Oh wow..." She didn't know a Merelisa, but it was Roland's mutter that keyed her in--the outsider who nearly erased a piece of the city off the map was common enough knowledge, in the City. She was torn three ways, for a moment, between fear at what she'd done, gratitude for what she'd spared them, and awe at the magintude Merelisa's unvarnished power.     "Sorry your time was wasted!"     It didn't take long for the three ways to agree, together, to not piss off the scary lady who helped them by blowing up a train, like she was some war-angel from the old war. "...I should be thanking you," Tamiel said, scratching behind her head, while her shadow peeked from behind her, as though angling for a closer look. "It could have gone really bad."     "I...Don't think I'd mind talking. And, it is a little hot here." A short pause, and the angel came to realize she hadn't introduced herself. "My name is Tamiel."
Angela	Roland was praying that someone else would actually deal with this for him and low and behold, his prayers are fulfilled! It's incredible! This has never happened so immediately and thoroughly before. Oh sure, his eyes are wantering because he squinted his eyes shut too slowly and that level of power is sort of inherently horrifying in of itself, but by the Wings, it's not his problem! He doesn't have to worry or think about it. And, most importantly, he doesn't have to fight a giant hell train and its accompanying horde of monsters. In fact, he doesn't have to do anything at all. He's already thinking about how he can get back to Angela and claim how difficult of a fight it all was, oh woe is him he fought so hard he's so tired, can he maybe get a day or two off? And so long as it doesn't become a big issue on the open band, he might even get away with it. At first all his talk about wanting to slack off was sort of a cover, but after doing the normal workload when he inevitably had to, it is increasingly less of a bit and more something he actually tries to make work. He's increasingly sympathetic and friendly with Netzach. "Ah, not a hero--" Roland says. "Just a working guy." He throws a wave to Merelisa. "...You uh... You're the Lambent Dragon aren't you? Busted up a major cell of the Middle a while back in The City?" He glances to Sarracenia, wondering how she knows her. He wasn't really involved and didn't really know the details, but he knows the stories. "Ooh yeah, I'd love to go somewhere nicer. And cooler..." He grins. Merelisa is speaking his language.
Lilian Rook	<J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia muttering, "...I suppose I would not get so lucky as for this to turn out to be the Darkmancer saving me the trouble of finding him." <J-IC-Scene> Riku Asakura says, "Sorry, doesn't look like it Sarracenia!" <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia lets out a short sigh. "Well, it is still quite a heroic endeavor." <J-IC-Scene> Riku Asakura says, "I suppose! I rather we didn't have to stop a town from being destroyed." <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia huff softly. "Well...of course. These people -not- having to worry about being killed would be better." <J-IC-Scene> Riku Asakura says, "Yeah..." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "I'm going to skip the part where I incredulously ask why that's all you can think about right now because this is an emergency." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "If you wait here at the wall, you'll have sixty seconds at best to stop some gigantic demon factory train at full speed and pray its inertia alone doesn't paint a miles long bloody smear through Venyth." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "You have an airship. We have a half dozen Elites who need transport. Can't you figure it out?" <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia says, "Wh-hey! Do no just snatch things from people!" <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia says, "...er...but yes, everyone should board the Sundew Sovereign." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "Hey. Shut it. Listen to me." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "However many monsters we shoot is completely irrelevant if the city is completely wiped out anyways. I don't know about you, but I'm not satisfied shrugging and going home saying 'Well, I did my best' after losing everyone." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "At the very least, Asakura might be able to do something about the train while transformed into Ultraman Geed. You need to get him there. If you use those big stupid cannons, you may be able to help derail the train." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "Is spiting me more important than everyone's lives?"     §This is the worst. Every single thing about this situation screams 'the tragic upset where the heroes are forced into a no-win situation and and half of them are shockingly killed'. I hate this. I'm getting married in three weeks and that's basically like declaring that I'm retiring tomorrow as far as this goes. I'm stuck here arguing with Sundew about this because I'd rather lose my job than take such a stupid risk and I can't fucking believe this is how it's going to happen.§     'Dame Commander Rook, Brother Roland, Princess Sarracenia, junior brother Riku... this lowly scholar has not met the rest of your guests, but, I assure you that those with whom I am familiar will not let you down where a contest of force is concerned.'     "Chuyao." Lilian's level of resting anxiety prevents her from stopping herself and inserting his courtesy name. Her resting grip squeezes the pommel of her sword so hard that her knuckles would be blanched white if anyone could see them through her gauntlets. "The number of people I can extract from this situation should it prove untenable is extremely small. As a Paladin, you're automatically taking up one of them. If you bring the guard with you, understand that they won't come back unless we secure a total victory." She doesn't want to mention that Riku can only be brought back with her if he isn't transformed. That's just a little too bleak.
Lilian Rook	'Would the honorable guard object to following my orders once we have disembarked from the Princess' vessel--'     Lilian turns back to look at the streak of fire with nothing but million volt dread. At this rate, she expects it to be the train revealing it has a gigantic nazi cannon as well. All she can think is:     §How did I fuck up a divination this badly?! Come on!!!§     'Such a force, to hold down a contraption! It must be the equal of sixty--no, eighty mammoths!'     Her anxiety escapes her as a short, strangled "Hah--?" Her shoulders jump from something like confused laughter. "What? What does that mean?" Being that scrambled by his comparison is a brief, and welcome, distraciton. Once she actually sees the mechanical arms, her breath catches in her throat, the the butterflies in her stomach turn to fossilized lead and fall to the bottom instead like a gut-punch. "No fucking--"     Lilian dives behind the wall again, just in time to nearly fall over from the blast transfer through the ground, and still have to throw her arm over her eyes to protect them from the back-scattered reflection of the light on the face of the buildings across from her; luckily one of her well-drilled reflexes, though it leaves her grip on that ear, compared to her other hand, loose and sloppy. Even making sure her mouth was open before the shockwave, it rings annoyingly in her left side now. She still has to come back up again to confirm what just happened, hastily re-binding her hair with a more secure twist after it'd just come loose in the wind. There, she--     'Oh my gosh, Sarra, hello! And Lilian, and, um, Odette, right? And some more of you too! They must've put out a multiversal request, huh?'     §Hello. Andromeda.§     "Oh god that's why?!"     §Fuck!§     Lilian squeezes her eyes shut, shakes her head just slightly, and sharply pats her cheek when she opens them again to look at the state of the desert. A single heartstring is tugged by her instant reminiscence of all the times she worked with Strawberry Princess, momentarily tipping the scales towards-- <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia ecstatically, "Merelisa!!!" <J-IC-Scene> Roland says, "Wait that's... Lambent Dragon?" <J-IC-Scene> Riku Asakura says, "Lambent Dragon?" <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia practically growls. "Do not call her that." <J-IC-Scene> Keiwa Sakurai says, "...So like... Should I take off my belt now or would that make things more awkward?" <J-IC-Scene> Roland says, "Huh? Why not?"     Nope. <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook breathes deep of the sweet sweet sound of Sarracenia getting really mad, bringing her back to reality. <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "Oh so *now* we have strong opinions about calling people what they want to be called?" <J-IC-Scene> Riku Asakura says, "Um..?"     'Sorry your time was wasted! But you already came all this way; wanna find somewhere nicer to sit so we're not just out in this desert?'     "I'm getting paid regardless." Lilian says, automatically turning to pretend-examining her fingernails through her gauntlets. "If the problem is solved and everyone is happy with it, then why should I complain about having an unexpectedly easy day?" What a thing to say while her heart rate is still in the triple digits. She remembers to blink a second later.     "Beg pardon? 'Find somewhere nice'? For what?"
Odette Raskins	"If any of your people get hurt, you can come to us to try to get stabilized..." "Right! Although if we're supposed to stop a whole shuttle... Er. Train." ODette starts, nodding quickly at Tamiel before Roland and Lilian redirect her towards the task of preventing the train from causing as many fatalities as it could. Seeing Sarracenia's airship gives her a rather morbid idea, but remembering that Riku's around also helps lighten the weight in her head a little bit. With Keiwa and Lilian there as well, she's also feeling a little better about their chances.  Chuyao's presence also piques her curiosity as well, although his is an unfamiliar face to the EMT. "I doubt throwing bottles at it's going to help much, but derailing it doesn't sound too bad. M-maybe..." Shivering briefly before she goes into her case, Odette's looking through the assorted bottles of unmixed stuff she has in there before the gears finally start to turn. "Oh! If I can get the mix right and get this spread out into a weird ramp,  that might be just eno-" In the middle of going through her stuff and trying to figure out how to make a foaming grenade spread into precisely the right shape, the train sounds off and puts the EMT into a brief state of fight or flight of scrunching up in place. She looks around rapidly like she's about to run at or away from whatever made that noise, and then she sees the flames at that moment. Eyes wide open, Odette shields her face reflexively as the blinding light crashes into the train. She scrunches up further in utter terror, recognizing the blast for what it is after having seen that kind of  blast before. It's only when she realizes she hasn't actually been turned into a smear herself that Odette finally straightens back up, albeit shakily. "M... Huh? Oh, y.. Yes! That's right. M-Miss Lambent-er. Merelisa, right? Was that-did you-um. Sure, that sounds good!" She blurts out, going through the whole range of confused, relieved, and terrified all at once. "We can... I-I've got some energy drinks on me if you're tired after all that?" She offers, already digging a few out of her bag. They're made with real sugar content, and they come in a variety of colors! "S-so this-er. That Black Train. Have you fought it before? It looked like you knew right where to hit it with the.. That to turn it into.. Um." She glances a little uneasily at the crater, like she's still worried it might come back up at any second. "It's really DEAD dead, right?"
Dark Horses	"Oh, hi! Hello!"      "...Huh???" Keiwa was posed and ready to henshin, but this greeting is enough to deflate him, the wind escaping his lungs as his breathing is knocked completely off kilter. As she further explains they basically showed up for nothing, Keiwa's face shifts from bafflement, to slight annoyance, to overall relief. Well, being called out to do basically nothing sucks, but at least she's offering to have a nice aside someplace nice? He'd consider it a small blessing, but honestly, it's a pretty big one if you consider the alternative was fighting a train and remnants of an evil army.      "Yeah. That sounds nice... Let me just uh..."      Keiwa takes up the offer to just talk and chill, though he's awkwardly now trying to remove his belt buckle in a way someone would try to holster a gun after prematurely pulling it out on an ankle-sized dog that spooked them. He's having a bit of trouble with it, though, mostly because he's used to taking it off after transforming rather than putting it on and then just taking it off. He finds the latch eventually, though, and quietly tucks the device away.
Merelisa Shaynore	"I was afraid we might never again cross paths even after our last meeting seemed to go so well."     Merelisa is a little bit stiff and awkward even despite her victorious enthusiasm, but not in an unfriendly way. When she's hugged, she fumbles a bit, like she's a tiny bit overwhelmed by that amount of physical touch, and disengages halfway in order to stow her sword on her back.     "Ah-! Ahah, wait, wait, my sword, my sword. Okay, yup."     She pats Sarracenia on the back in most of a hug, and her bright blue eyes slide self-consciously sideways when Sarra mentions how long it's been. "Oh, um... sorry about that. I've just been so busy. There's always work that needs to be done, right? But it's really so, so good to see you again too."     She turns to Chuyao and Riku, especially nodding at Sarra's enthusiastic introduction for Riku, but with a brief flash of a lost-puppydog type look. "Well, I'm sure they must be brave and heroic if they came all this way to fight one of Prometheus's most monstrous creations. It's a pleasure to meet you two, Chuyao, Riku. So have you been-?" Merelisa cuts herself off and shakes her head. "Nevermind. It's nice to meet you."     Tamiel's tiny timid voice makes the mechanical hand move towards her practically by reflex, cupping its palm and extending one finger to delicately brush her hair out of her face before Merelisa even gets to talking to her. That puts the smile right back onto her face, though, with her energy still running high.     "There's really no need to thank me! I'm just doing what I'm best at, and what the people need, you know? I'm just glad I got here on time, so none of you or the people of Venyth needed to get hurt!" "...You uh... You're the Lambent Dragon aren't you?"     With a gesture, the massive mechanical arms vanish in a glitchy blue distortion, and the crystals in the bracers on her arms gradually dim to become inert again. Merelisa's smile sinks a bit, but that's only partially because of the topic, and more because the flush in her cheeks from the fight is draining away. With another flick of her hand, she shakes out her hair again, knocking loose ash and little burnt ends, which makes it kind of unbelievable how long and healthy the rest of it looks.     "That's what they called me in the City, isn't it?" She shrugs, mostly to diffuse Sarra's negative reaction to the term. "I'm not happy with it, but I'm willing to let bygones by bygones. I can't be upset about them seeing me as a menace when I did menace the rotten way of life the people there are trapped in. My intentions speak for themselves."     She is getting a little bit defensive at something Roland seemed wholly positive on, though. The reasoning for that is, "But I don't want to hold grudges. So we're fine with burying that hatchet, right, Lilian?"
Merelisa Shaynore	"If the problem is solved and everyone is happy with it, then why should I complain about having an unexpectedly easy day?"     "Well, you have to know what level of risk you're willing to take on, right? It's nothing much to me anymore." It sounds a little bit passive aggressive, and Lilian examining her nails through her gauntlets doesn't help with that tone, but Lilian can notice the faint edge of stress in Merelisa's voice as she chatters about that longer than she needs to.     "You know, back when I was weaker, that train seemed like it'd be the death of me. But now here we are. Hundreds of years in the making, and between the last time I saw it and its destruction, the Black Train never got to kill a single other person." "'Find somewhere nice'? For what?"     Merelisa looks back over her shoulder with a pout, already rejoining Sarracenia. The heel-swivel clack on the ground turns her partway back towards Lilian. "Hm? Oh, to relax, of course. Did you want to walk all the way back through the desert just to take the warpgate right home again? Why not catch up? Let it be an easy day, on me."     "Oh, oh, Sarra! I remembered a place!" Merelisa claps her hands together and hums, enthusiastically talkative. "Right, it should only be a little away from here in the Thundering Wastes? When the four of us-- minus Serpens-- were making our way to Prometheus's lair, there was this gorgeous oasis we camped at... mind if we take the Sundew Sovereign?"     The spot Merelisa remembers is a few hour's walk away, but only a short trip aboard the Sundew Sovereign. Up in the air, the train tracks that the Black Train laid down extend all the way to the horizon, in the direction that Prometheus's palace must have been, and they end where the shockwave of the Firmament Driver stopped being intense enough to rip them out of the ground. The blast site is monstrous, the kind of crater that creates exotic forms of matter and will be geological record in ten thousand years, but there's no trace of the train remaining to threaten Venyth.     While in the air, Merelisa takes one of Odette's energy drinks and pops the tab with her pinky nail, leaning back on the railing and letting her hair catch the breeze of the ship's movement. "Ah, that's nice. 'Fighting' it before might be an overstatement, hahaha. We did sabotage it, though! Back when we were too weak to even touch Prometheus himself... the long trip across the desert, hollowing out one of his robots to disguise ourselves crammed in there together-- oh, you'd never hear about that part from anyone but me-- then sneaking into the depot... it's a whole long story, of course! Everything is."
Merelisa Shaynore	The oasis that Merelisa points out is so secludedly tucked into a rocky outcropping that it's hardly visible from the sky, and would be impossible to spot except by chance from the ground. Or, it would have been, but there's a flattened path reinforced with stones that leads to it, and a sign nailed to the cliffside directing people around the corner to the oasis.     Merelisa pouts a tiny bit, one hand on her hip. "That's new. How strange."     The oasis inside *is* pretty. Shaded from the wind and sun, there's fernlike short palms the same height as a person, with leaves in green and blue. The water is almost crystalline, surrounded by lush shrubs that crowd around the respite from the desert's dry sand, and the air is sweet and clear of the ozone and ash from the aftermath of Merelisa's laser.     There's also, beach chairs. A rectangular stone shelter is currently unoccupied, but peeking inside, there's woven cloths for towels, and a plaque on the wall elaborating on the story of the journey that Merelisa mentioned on the flight over.     There's also a vending machine, gunmetal with a sci-fi blue glow. On the side, it's marked with a symbol that includes, at its center, a starburst identical to the gem in the pendant around Merelisa's neck, surrounded by four smaller others. It's got drinks in it!     "Oh! Oh, that's what this is all about. That makes sense. We're totally free to grab chairs, then." Merelisa glances back. "Think I should sign it?"
Riku Asakura	Riku has a big, dopey smile as Merelisa and Sarracenia have their reunion.  It's nice to see them happy, especially with what happened lately with the Princess.  When Sarra tries to introduce him to Merelisa, he looks embarrassed and a bit flushed in the face at the attention Sarracenia wants to give him.   "Really, I'm not that much of a hero, I just do what I can..." he says, scratching the back of his neck, trying to downplay the praise.  He grows a bit more embarrassed when Merelisa adds to the compliments about being brave and heroic.  "Really, it's not much..." 'So have you been-?' "Have I been..?" but then comes the nevermind from Merelisa.  "Um. Okay!  Nice to meet you too!" he says to Merelisa, while she goes on to greet others and Chuyao.   'So we're fine with burying that hatchet, right, Lilian?' Did Lilian and Merelisa have issues in the past?  Everyone is talking about The City, too, in response to Merelisa.  Merelisa seems to have little love for that place.  What happened..? He wonders to himself, but doesn't push things forward.  It doesn't seem to be his place to get involved, but he's concerned because he has a lot of respect for Lilian.   Riku gets on the Sundew Sovereign when Merelisa seems to know a spot to relax and talk.  He looks over the side of the airship and seems to be awed by the landscape as it zips by under them until they come up to the Oasis.   "I've never been to an Oasis before... then again, I haven't been to a desert either..." he says and jumps out of the landed ship and grabs chairs for people to sit at.  He's here to help however he can.  He also bounds over to the vending machine to get himself a drink before sitting down.  "Wow, this place is so cozy..."
Odette Raskins	"My intentions speak for themselves." "It really did put a lot of people on notice." Odette murmurs with a slow nod, that uncertainty returning to the her face. "But maybe not eno... Mmmh? Mmh." She starts to commment, then stops abruptly upon realizing that suggesting Merelisa perform a repeat of that might not be the best idea. Or would it? She's not sure anymore, and that uncertainty remains even as she tries not to linger on that thought. "Did you want to walk all the way back through the desert just to take the warpgate right home again?" Thankfully, Merelisa provides a more pleasant out in response to Lilian, and that gets an eager chuckle out of Odette. "Not really! I-I'm really glad this.. Well, you got this wrapped up nice and quick, then. The past few weeks have been a little rough with the double shifts." "'Fighting' it before might be an overstatement, hahaha." With a light chuckle, Odette just kind of stares at Merelisa vacantly for several moments even after she's done drinking before realizing she hasn't actually said anything in response to Merelisa. "Tr-true! That was more of a blowout than a fight, yeah... Whoa. For someone like you to have had to pull stuff like that to fight the guy controlling it way back... You've really come a long way to look like you didn't even break a sweat now, huh?" The awestruck staring is pretty apparent, but Odette does remember to snap herself out of it eventually. Fully anmd comfortably in tagalong mode at this point, she of course does the tourist thing of snapping pictures of the oasis on the way there and around the flattened path. "What a pretty place... No wonder you like this spot. The water's so clean and the air's so... So..." She snaps her fingers a few times, having trouble finding the word. She stops snapping after the fifth snap, but her brow remains furrowed while she tries to pull it out of her head. Noticing the starburst symbol on the vending machine, Odette glances between it and Merelisa a few times before raising an eyebrow curiously at the latter. "What's all this is... All about?" There's a spot to sign the... Um. Sign what?" She asks, visibly confused before looking at the symbol on the vending machine again (and tapping away for a few drinks).
Angela	''I can't be upset about them seeing me as a menace'' "Ehh...Well I never had an issue with it myself. To me, it's just a kind of cool nickname. " Roland says. "I mean, it sort of signals you as hostile to normal City operation, but that's ... not a problem for me." He nods. "Plenty of people were glad someone was just doing something--or anything at all to hit back at some of the big forces crushing down there. They just can't be too loud about it, you know?" But he shrugs both shoulders. "But it's fine. If you don't like it, I don't gotta use it." He is a little hesitant to get on the 'Sundew Sovereign' but ultimately goes along. He's curious about Merelisa, so. He wants to check in on what's going down with her, honestly.
Sarracenia	'I, the scholar of the late generation, Chuyao He, greet sister Merelisa respectfully.'      "Ah, hello Jianya! It has been quite a while since we have spoken as well! It seems like I am encountering many I have not seen in a while lately~"      '...You uh... You're the Lambent Dragon aren't you?'      Even after the glare and the growl...Roland just comes out with it and asks Merelisa anyway. The glare returns along with a frown, but as Merelisa handles it well enough Sarra just takes a breath and lets out a heated sigh, only for her eyes to go sparkly as Merelisa shakes out her hair. "How does your hair look that good after such a fiery attack?"      'Really, I'm not that much of a hero, I just do what I can...'      Sarra giggles at this for some reason and just smiles more at Riku.      'Beg pardon? 'Find somewhere nice'? For what?'      "For relaxing and catching up, of course. Do not feel obligated to-" Sarra starts to say something rather uncharitable, but then remembers she is under like three promises to be nice to Lilian -and- Lilian helped her very recently. Sarra sighs heavily again. "...join us. But, you are welcome to." she says begrudgingly.      'Oh, oh, Sarra! I remembered a place! ... mind if we take the Sundew Sovereign?'      Sarra backs up a bit when Merelisa seems visibly uncomfortable with the closeness, slightly crestfallen. She blinks in surprise then brightens a bit though when the spot is suggested. "Oh, of course! Everyone aboard!" she says, then waves up at the Sundew Sovereign. The guns start retracting as a half dozen rope ladders are lowered. Sarra grabs onto one, but rather than climbing her crew pulls it up. The others will receive similar treatment if they start to climb a ladder. Once onboard, Sarra gasp. "Oh! I remembered something as well!" she says to Merelisa, then reaches into her purse and pulls out the replica Andromeda pendant she had commissioned a while back. She happily puts it on as they fly.      Once the airship reaches the entrance to the oasis, it floats down as close to the ground as it can get without landing and the rope ladders are lowered again. Sarra is lowered along with one of them, and follows Merelisa in. "Has someone turned this into a tourist attraction commemorating your journey?" she asks as she looks around. She looks at the drinks on offer for a few moments before purchasing a lemonade. "That is what what is all about?" she asks, then ooohs. "Sign it? Why not?" she says with a smile.      Sarra isn't familiar with Keiwa, and so when there is a spare moment she offers a greeting. "Hello! I am not sure we have met before. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. And you are?"
Chuyao He	So have you been-?     Chuyao's brow lifts in expectation of a question that never arrives. He smiles pleasantly and nods when Merelisa disengages.     No stranger to sobriquets, he lifts a hand to his chin to ponder the reaction to 'the Lambent Dragon.' "A name for a menace... To menace a tyrannical state of affairs, and to be named a dragon for it, is this not a sign of one's success in such a measure? In the Central Plains, at least, one is not called a 'dragon' lightly. Many in the rivers and lakes strive towards the heights where such a title would seem fitting, and fall short, after all."     "Still," he says, with a little dismissing wave of his hand, "This unrefined scholar is all too happy to call a fellow <vigilante | wandering hero | knight-errant> by her name, especially if the title is such a sore subject." Well, you have to know what level of risk you're willing to take on, right? It's nothing much to me anymore.     Chuyao nods, very slightly, internally picking up on a weird vibe and electing to use caution in co-signing anything.     Far be it from him to turn down a ride on a fantastical mechanical conveyance, at least--he fans himself with three measured dips of Two Rivers, then boards, via embarkation ramp or 'lightness technique,' to marvel at the passing of desert scenery below.      Think I should sign it?     Chuyao clears his throat politely. "Sister Merelisa is of this world, whereas I, the lowly scholar, am a stranger to its customs. Moreover... I am wholly unused to advising the subject *of* a shrine as to the proper rites. If it is proper to conduct such a rite, then by all means, let it be done in its proper fashion. At most, this unrefined scholar would be glad to consult the coins for guidance on this matter."      "Otherwise, with sister Merelisa's leave, I shall have a seat, to take in the surroundings and reflect upon the nature of this place."
Lilian Rook	'Oh, um... sorry about that. I've just been so busy. There's always work that needs to be done, right?'     For just a fraction of an instant, Lilian sees Merelia's physical flinch, awkward aways-stare, and hears that particular tone, and feels just enough sympathy to look commiserating at her instead of irritated.     Then Merelisa brushes Tamiel's hair back and belts out a sopping wet line, and Lilian grimaces instead.     'I'm not happy with it, but I'm willing to let bygones by bygones.'     §No. Don't be weird. It's just Mesmer that primed you to think people are doing it on purpose. She's just stupid.§     Lilian takes a deep breath.     'My intentions speak for themselves.'     Lilian coughs, pressing a fist to her lips to hold it down.     'ut I don't want to hold grudges. So we're fine with burying that hatchet, right, Lilian?'     "Trídéag has grown tremendously since then, so I suppose there was very little harm done in the end." she says. "As long as you understand why it'd be unwise to return to the City, I see no reason to harangue anyone about it." Especially considering what else she's already not haranguing her about. She's so brave.     'Well, you have to know what level of risk you're willing to take on, right?'     "I don't see what that has to do with anything." Lilian says. "If people need you, then people need you. The risk is what you take on by shouldering the weight of their prayers." Liar liar liar liar loser loser loser loser.     'You know, back when I was weaker, that train seemed like it'd be the death of me. But now here we are.'     Lilian nods. "Of course. Now that you have access to the power of Ouranos, the leftovers of his subordinates should naturally be of no issue."     'Hm? Oh, to relax, of course. Did you want to walk all the way back through the desert just to take the warpgate right home again? Why not catch up?'     Lilian squints at Merelisa. The intensity of it is a momentary pulse; like a soft flinch of bafflement. "We have to go home at some point, you know. And I'm certain it'd be easier to relax there than here."     'Oh, oh, Sarra! I remembered a place!'     §Gross.§     . . . . . . . .     Having to ride Sarracenia's airship sucks. It's this or else trudging back to Aegis Astray and answering ten million people all going 'Oh? That was quick? What happened?' and punching back in, writing a stupid fucking after action report that sucks, and sitting around the lounge for another two hours responding to jack all; and that makes it suck more! She spends as much of the ride as she can leaning broodily on a railing, nursing an energy drink like a whiskey and trying to stare at the landscape instead of the big goofy wooden airship.     'Ah, that's nice. 'Fighting' it before might be an overstatement, hahaha. We did sabotage it, though! Back when we were too weak to even touch Prometheus himself... the long trip across the desert, hollowing out one of his robots to disguise ourselves crammed in there together--'     §Oh my goddddd stop talkiiiiing! You're so booooooriiiiiiiing!§     Lilian glances over her shoulder, wearing an incredulous-disgusted look at the fact that anyone is hanging onto her every word, much less glazing her. After perceiving Odette's excitement in particular. She stares into her can, then pours the remainder of it down the side of the Sovereign.     §I wonder if the Concord has a nicer staging wing. With a sauna or something. I mean, it's Grand Dorado.§
Lilian Rook	. . . . . . . .     'Think I should sign it?'     "You may as well. That'll complete the whole tourist experience, won't it? Increase property values."     Once Lilian is off the airship, she finally allows her armour to disintegrate again, unraveling into spiral metallic threads that further unravel into black particulate and scattered gold stars. The way it releases her clothing makes it look as if she'd just hopped down a two foot drop; in this case, her Foundation 'uniform', having been planning to head to Chicago for an overnight stay before the emergency alarm went off. She turns her back for a while to carefully untie her hair, then fluff it back out again with the tips of her painted nails.     Then, she glances at the vending machine on the off chance it serves alcohol for some reason, getting some if there is and abandoning it if there isn't. She meanders over in Chuyao's direction-- the sole bastion of class in this embarrassing adventure-- and asks offhandedly "Would the scholar happen to know anything about fishing?"
Tamiel Luxis	Tamiel spooked slightly as the mechanical arm moved, like an anxious animal staring at something it doesn't quite understand. She bites back the urge to apologize for THAT, too. "Yeah, Miss Merilissa." And then, almost by rote. "It's important to do what we can, for people who can't do what we can."     Why not catch up? Let it be an easy day, on me.     "I don't think my boss would mind at all. Building understanding with elites, and all." Sometimes, intelligence gathering was as simple as not chasing it away. Zazel would be concerned about...Whatever it was that had burned out that train. Her mom might be MORE concerned. Tamiel needed to know what kind of person of this Merilissa was. Tamiel nodded to her, boarding the Sovereign, electing to stay near Chuyao, who she at least remembered being pretty friendly.     "An oasis would be nice. It's...really hot." Tamiel's costume falls away from her like dark water, leaving her in a colorful tunic as she stares out over the desert, arms crossed on the railing on the Soverign. It must be cathartic, to break it like that, if it was chasing you around. It was a little difficult to imagine it all, in the scope of single human lifetime.     She takes her time to sign herself in, such as she can. Her presence is hardly a secret, after all. Her head tilts, gaze wandering from starburst to starburst, as she goes henpecking for some sugary drink. Four others. Four companions. "It's like a historical monument. A memorial...? To celebrate your victory?" She guessed, and assuming herself correct, "Does everyone know your story in your world?"
Dark Horses	There seems to be a lot of history between Merelisa and a few of the people here, so much so that he feels it'd be rude to interrupt. He'll get his turn to say something eventually... Assuming he finds something he wants to actually say. She's kind of, well, scary? Intimidating? She's got a lot of presence. Even if he says nothing, though, at the very least, listening to her might give him some ideas. She seems to have a lot of stories about heroics, so surely he can glean something useful from that. Being a hero and world peace go hand in hand after all, surely some of her stuff has to be applicable to his own situation. He's already got so many ideas with the robot suit thing...      "Hello! I am not sure we have met before. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. And you are?"      Keiwa turns around, currently fighting with the vending machine to get any sort of drink as he continues to slowly cook in his uniform. She might not remember him, but he does. Sort of? At the very least, her voice rings a bell. But why- Oh. Right. Christmas gift suggestions. He considers correcting her, but given how that conversation ended, might as well act like it's a fresh start.      "Keiwa Sakurai. Just Keiwa's fine though."
Merelisa Shaynore	"You've really come a long way to look like you didn't even break a sweat now, huh?"     "Yeah...."     The far-off stare Merelisa has, looking towards the horizon where the Black Train's tracks led, is only half performative, and only to the extent that she's aware of what image she gives off. Melancholically trailing off and lapsing into silence is genuine, and the gap in speech where she traces her nail around the edge of the can is a second too long for cinema.     "It really was one thing after another after that. I could've died any number of times, but I didn't; and it's only looking back on it that I can see how much happened. One day, I was stealing the Stellar Heart Andromeda and running for my life, and the next, descending under the earth in Zanides to accept Gaia's blessing, you know? Ahaha...."     "But I'm strong now." She agrees, ending her reminiscing. "So as long as I'm around, this world will always be safe. Things like Prometheus' Black Train are almost all wiped out by now. None of the others even bother anymore." "How does your hair look that good after such a fiery attack?"     Merelisa smiles proudly, shaking her head with her nose scrunched up happily from the compliment. "Oh, you know. When your magic is fire aspected like mine, you learn really quickly to always apply heat protectant in the mornings when you get the chance!"     There's no way that accounts for all of it. It might be magic heat protectant?     Sarracenia taking out a custom replica of the Stellar Heart Andromeda makes a complicated expression flash across Merelisa's face, that then blooms into a different kind of smile. She leans over to inspect it, poking at the golden spikes radiating out of the clear gem in the center, without the telltale signs of aging that hers has.     "Oh, that's so pretty! Wow! Did you make that yourself, or did you get it commissioned? What made you want something like this, Sarra?" "A name for a menace... To menace a tyrannical state of affairs, and to be named a dragon for it, is this not a sign of one's success in such a measure?"     To Chuyao and Roland, Merelisa is noticeably gratified at their takes on her actions in the City and the threat she poses to the powers that be. She punches a fist into her palm, pacing partway across the deck of the Sundew Sovereign and swiveling around to come back, stance wide.     "Yeah! Anyone who wants to do good in a place like that will be seen as a threat, of course, and dragons are the strongest beings of all. I'm a little bothered about how that turned out, but I've accumulated lots of titles for lots of feats. I only wish I'd given the strength to more people to speak up about how they really feel." "Has someone turned this into a tourist attraction commemorating your journey?"     Being a vending machine at a weird little oasis, of course it's got alcohol. Mostly canned hard seltzers flavored with fruits Lilian's never heard of, though. None of the drinks inside are especially 'Andromeda-branded', because from Merelisa's reaction, she didn't know this was here at all, and the Stellar Heart symbol on the side seems carefully stenciled on.     "They must've. That's cute, isn't it?" To Chuyao, while she's drawing a reddish crystal out of one of her pockets, "I'm only one-fifth of the subject, aren't I? Even if I was the leader. Maybe the other four might come back around here sometime far in the future by coincidence, haha... no, I can't imagine it. It's too far out of the way."
Merelisa Shaynore	She murmurs and incantation and the crystal bursts in her hand, becoming a swarm of fiery golden motes. With sweeping, curly motions, she draws her hand across the side of the vending machine, manifesting golden light that scorches 'Andromeda' in pristine cursive into the side. A final snap of her fingers adds a star at the end as punctuation. "That'll complete the whole tourist experience, won't it? Increase property values."     "That's a cynical way of looking at things, isn't it?" Merelisa straightens up, digging around in her pouch for a fistful of silver coins. "To these people, I'm nearly the reason for their whole world. The peaceful world, that they love and cherish, and the privacy, security, and happiness that they couldn't have before. They love me."     "That's why a place like this would exist at all. That idea of me has real power, to fuel people's hope in the future. As the world's Andromeda... those little gestures mean a lot to people, I've learned." She starts feeding coins into the machine. "Drinks on me, okay?" "To celebrate your victory?"     Merelisa smiles lightly while handing Tamiel a sweet boba tea. "That's a nice way of thinking about it. There's so many reminders left over, of the scars Ouranos made during his reign. People deserve reminders of how it was toppled, too."     Merelisa encourages people towards the beach chairs, but only sits down in one once others have started doing so. A blue digital flicker on her face teleports rhinestone-embedded sunglasses onto her forehead, which she flicks down with one finger while holding a can of beer in the other. "As long as you understand why it'd be unwise to return to the City, I see no reason to harangue anyone about it."     "I'm glad your organization's doing well, don't get me wrong. Your efforts are really good! They're noble." The 'but' is so audible before she even says it, that her spending time to take a sip and lean back in her chair feels agonizing. "But, knowing your pace, you haven't done anything about those Beholders yet, have you? Every effort's doomed until those eyes are gone, you know. Maybe we should meet up later and talk tactics about that?" "Now that you have access to the power of Ouranos, the leftovers of his subordinates should naturally be of no issue."     That gets Merelisa to frown and sit up off the back of her beach chair, pushing her sunglasses up. "It's only based in the All-Seeing Eye's power; it's not the same, anymore. But you're right. The only thing that could stand against Ouranos was me, and now, there's nothing at all that can rise to that level of tyranny again. Every echo of the Titans is utterly, completely helpless to terrorize anyone anymore."
Riku Asakura	Riku was intercepted by Merelisa by the vending machine, as she put in money for the drinks.  Riku gets himself something sweet and bubbly.  Before popping down in his seat and listening to the conversation and the way it goes. "Wow, it sounds like you went through a lot, Merelisa.  To be able to take down the train in one shot, I bet you had to go through a lot more than I have so far..." he says, taking a sip out of his soda and looking out over the water silently.   'But, knowing your pace, you haven't done anything about those Beholders yet, have you?' "Trideag has done a lot for the district!  It's rebuilding homes and helping feed people.  It can't solve every problem the city has right away.  Everything needs time.  If you solve problems too fast, then something bad might happen.  Especially if they take nuance.  The City is... rough some days, but the people that live there can be just the same as people anywhere else.  People are complicated." He says this, but thinking of the Thumbs and the Index making conflict in the district, has him frustrated that some things can't be solved by becoming Geed and fighting them like Kaiju.
Angela	Roland is honestly a bit enthused by Chuyao's own take on the matter, which cheers him up a little because he was starting to worry he was coming across as a huge asshole despite not trying to be one and that's worse than coming across as an asshole when you ARE trying to be one for sure. It seems Sarracenia actually knows her pretty well, he thinks. But he sets aside that for now. He knows that his opinion on Merelisa's actions might be a bit skewed but he knows how the Middle acts. It'd be weird if a lot of people weren't happy they got taken down a peg, even if they'd only voice it where they were sure it'd never get back to them. The Middle haven't--- hmm, actually he should probably say that, huh? She seems a little down. "Ever since you did what you did, the Middle haven't shown up in District 12 again. They'll probably be laying low for a long while even elsewhere." ''Trídéag has grown tremendously since then.'' "Oh yeah? I haven't been able to visit in a while, but that's good to hear." He seems to get the sense he shouldn't say something like 'At least you don't have to deal with the Middle along with all your other problems'. But instead he kind of nods, admitting that it's probably not a great idea to visit anytime soon. Even if she could take on most of what the City could throw at her, what's she gonna do? Laser half the City from above? He supposes he shouldn't be surprised that Lilian knows so much about her. He's briefly distracted by talk about family, but occassionally gives Lilian clueless little looks before trying to hide them so he doesn't get called out on it later. ''I'm a little bothered about how that turned out.'' "Well, I'm grateful for what you did. I've been thinking someone should do something about those maniacs for a while but--" ''Anything about those Beholders yet.'' If Roland was drinkikng something, he'd spit out his tea all over Odette right now. Fortunately, he hasn't drank anything just yet which he thanks the heavens for. "Don't usually hear people talking about the Beholders like that." Roland admits. "But I guess they're usually ... sort of out of the way and you don't notice them, until you start really dwelling on the idea of just how much they can see..." Of course at this point he knows of one specific weakness about them. "But apparently you can shield places against their sight. Even if they're tough to reach right now, it might not be a bad idea to subtly hide important stuff underground if you're not already. If you hide everything they'd get suspicious of course..."
Chuyao He	But I'm strong now.     "Hm..." Chuyao taps his index to his chin. They love me.     His brow furrows. This is assuredly improper behavior. So boastful, yet not in the boisterous way that he tends to expect, when thinking on the word. He looks out over the oasis, taking a seat, hands folded in his lap. There is a quiet assurance in it that unsettles him, especially given the strange vibes he picked up on before the flight. But, knowing your pace, you haven't done anything about those Beholders yet, have you?     Perhaps a hint is necessary. Yes--cautious and noncommital, allowing Merelisa to draw her own conclusion, which, naturally, seeming like her idea, she will embrace more fully, and thus avoid potential disaster in the future. To regulate one's self has outward effects on others, after all.     "A decade long I honed a single sword, its steel-cold blade yet to test its song. Today I hold it out to you, my lord, and ask: 'Who seeks deliverance from a wrong?'" The Swordsman is one he shared with Petra and Lilian. Now, with Merelisa, to ask:     "What does this poem mean to you?" Don't usually hear people talking about the Beholders like that.      "May this unrefined scholar ask why?"
Odette Raskins	Lilian can easily see Odette listening intently to Merelisa. How could she not, when she's recounting pieces of her journey to becoming a seasoned hero? Of course the EMT would be easily drawn in by that, and the melancholic trailing off even moreso. "From a heist to a... Going underground? Gosh, you've really been through a lot. Then this world's..." She nods slowly after that, looking back over in the vague direction of where the Black Train had been (or just where Odette vaguely remembers the Sundew Sovereign flying in from). "Definitely seems like it's all working out, if even something that got us called in got taken out that fast. The less danger at home, then better. And then..." Odette pauses briefly, then pops open her own can of hard seltzer from the vending machnie. "The others that are left. Once those are... Um. Handled or retired or whatever, what do you want to do after that? Vacationing, retirement, something completely different?" She asks with open curiosity, sipping from her can and pausing briefly before drinking again. "I only wish I'd given the strength to more people to speak up about how they really feel." "Neat... Mm. Y-you know, there's still plenty of work to be done in the City, and we've been making a whole bunch of headway into improving things for people there in... A lot of areas." Odette explains, taking another sip of her hard seltzer without hesitation now that she knows what it is. She does hesitate about naming anyone other than Trideag, but that's something she can always mention at a later time. Probably. "We've still got a ways to go, especially with the Beholder thing-" She adds, unable to be grateful to the heavens as Roland is. "-but I'm sure you'll see the difference we've all made the next time you come by. Um. If you want, that is?"
Lilian Rook	'But I'm strong now. So as long as I'm around, this world will always be safe.'     Lilian rolls her fucking eyes. This is different from rolling her eyes in that she is thinking 'fuuuuuuuuck' while she does it. That, and,     §I bet you were halfway interesting back then, too.§     'None of the others even bother anymore.'     "Then you've got plenty of time to catch up." Lilian says, at first without really thinking about it, then half-intentional, punching in codes on the vending machine as she goes. "Personal development always falls by the wayside when the world is in crisis; anyone would understand that. Getting the opportunity to make something of yourself and catch up to where everyone else is afterwards is a luxury that not everyone gets, too." Bland. Matter-of-fact. Workplace cooler talk, actually. Like she's expecting to hear about her day job and her kids. Hard seltzer is good enough for now, but she gets two just to be sure.     Cracking one open with her teeth on the tab, Lilian takes a long swig of the can, trying to imagine it were something about thirty proof higher, and watches Merelisa sign her name out of the corner of her eye. She swallows down the noise she'd like to make when putting down a cold drink on a hot day, just so she can say "Like penmanship, I suppose. If that interests you, then why not."     'That's a cynical way of looking at things, isn't it?'     Lilian slow-motion looks over at the little shelter and the memorial plaque, then back over to the lovingly hand-stenciled mark on the vending machine, then Merelisa's gaudy-ass magic signature. Her cheek twitches. "Better to come across cynical and find out someone isn't, than put your hope on your sleeve and come off naïve when someone is." she says, then decides to double her drink intake right now. She nearly gags at the sunglasses.     'Your efforts are really good! They're noble.'     "More importantly, they're above board." Lilian says, trying to find a beach chair that's far away. "And don't get me a nickname like 'Lambent Dragon'. Our continued presence in the City is what's allowing humanitarian organizations to rally around us and spread their influence. There are thousands of people just now getting to take their first breath of air that doesn't reek of terror. There's more value in worrying about the 'right now' as well as 'once it's over' than just nobility, you know."     'But, knowing your pace, you haven't done anything about those Beholders yet, have you? Every effort's doomed until those eyes are gone, you know.'     "That's an awfully grandiloquent assumption. Pardon me, but as the person who constantly works close to the ground on the issue, I don't share your defeatist attitude." says Lilian. "Besides. You're vastly overestimating the relevance of those 'Beholders'. I don't fault you, granted; they must bear a traumatic resemblance to the 'all-seeing' from this world."     'It's only based in the All-Seeing Eye's power; it's not the same, anymore.'     Lilian arches an eyebrow, purposefully exaggerated, then sits down.     'But you're right. The only thing that could stand against Ouranos was me'     "You mean the five of you." Rude. Don't interrupt.     'Every echo of the Titans is utterly, completely helpless to terrorize anyone anymore.'     Trying to speed through the rest of her first drink to better tolerate this conversation, Lilian says, "Then you should really get a hotline, if these people are calling us instead of you." between long draughts. "You wouldn't have to apologize for wasting our time, that way." she says, specifically calling on the throwaway wording from before.
Lilian Rook	'Oh yeah? I haven't been able to visit in a while, but that's good to hear.'     "I'm aiming at reaching a Grade Four Association within the year, conservatively." Lilian says to Roland, blatantly more friendly in everything from fond tone to smiling expression. "We've got our first batch of subsidiary Offices moving in. The Sweepers don't come around anymore, and the Syndicates are having doubts about their notions of crushing District Twelve with numbers. The Library job was a huge boost to our prestige, too-- oh and I'm finally not in the red every quarter from funding it. Surprisingly, when left to their own devices, people find something to do."     Considering it's a beach chair, and actually a very nice location, Lilian finally allows herself to stretch, obligatory noise included. "Soon enough, there'll be nothing left of Lobotomy Corp within District Twelve. There'll be Trídéag's territories, the community networks built up by our friends with the Mad Father, and I suppose the Library will overgrow everything in between. In fact, I'm counting on it." she says. "Before long, that menace will make any sort of force projection into District Twelve such a thorny prospect that you may as well consider everything else its own city-state. I don't know whether to liken it to how the moon protects the Earth from asteroids, or to a colourful carnivorous plant, but it's done a remarkable job thusfar at luring potential problems away and swallowing them whole."     'If you hide everything they'd get suspicious of course...'     "Oh my. But why?" Lilian feigns concern, batting her eyelashes and bringing her spread-out fingers to her lips for a gasp. "I've nothing at all to hide." she says, saccharine.     'What does this poem mean to you?'     Lilian side-eyes over there at the words.
Sarracenia	'Oh, you know. When your magic is fire aspected like mine, you learn really quickly to always apply heat protectant in the mornings when you get the chance!'      Sarra smirks lightly. Even she isn't dumb enough to think it is only just that, or at least not some simple hair conditioner. It makes sense that someone who uses so much fire magic would be resistant to it herself. Merelisa makes a complicated face at the replica necklace and Sarra hesitates a moment. She had worn it in front of Merelisa before, but that was a while back. She is happy when Merelisa smiles. "Unfortunately, I am nowhere near skilled enough to make such a thing. I had it commissioned." Sarra hesitates at the question of why she would make it, and fidgets with the necklace a moment. "W-well...because I admire you, I suppose. In most ways I want to be like you one day." Sarra says, blushing a bit at saying such a thing out loud.      Sarra had not considered the actual implications of Merelisa being named the Lambent Dragon, and so when Chunyao and Roland put positive spins on it, Sarra has to pause to consider it. Is the name as bad as she thought? Merelisa doesn't seem to like it either, so Sarra decides she still doesn't like it.      'That'll complete the whole tourist experience, won't it? Increase property values.'      'That's why a place like this would exist at all. That idea of me has real power, to fuel people's hope in the future. As the world's Andromeda... those little gestures mean a lot to people, I've learned.'      Sarra frowns lightly at Lilian's take on it. Merelisa's reply gets a firm nod from the princess. "Hope is important. I am doing my best to become a beacon of hope as well."      'But, knowing your pace, you haven't done anything about those Beholders yet, have you? Every effort's doomed until those eyes are gone, you know. Maybe we should meet up later and talk tactics about that?'      Sarra frowns ever so slightly at that. "We will deal with the Beholders and the rest of the terribleness within the City soon enough. Until then, we are helping as many as we can and empowering them to help others as well. One should not discount the good being done because there are challenges ahead." Sarra does not particularly like agreeing with Lilian, but sometimes it happens. Sarra brightens after that. "Oh! Perhaps you could join Trideag as well! We have built a thriving area within the City that is quite safe and draws people in with its hope! With your powers you would surely become a Star quickly!"      The rest of Lilian's comments are not appreciated by Sarracenia. Sarra of course picks a lounger as close to Merelisa as she can get, then sips her own drink quietly as she listens to Lilian. She is glad when Lilian finally moves on to talking about Trideag instead of attacking Merelisa.      ...even if the question of why the city called for outside aid instead of trying to contact Merelisa -is- kind of a good one.      Sarra ponders Chuyao's poem for a few moments after he asks Merelisa. Sarra is about to offer her own answer, but wants to hear Merelisa's first. Instead she looks to Keiwa. "It is good to meet you, Keiwa. You mentioned a belt. Are you one of those kamen rider type heroes?"
Lilian Rook	'Unfortunately, I am nowhere near skilled enough to make such a thing. I had it commissioned.'     Lilian suddenly sits up in her chair. Her fingers jump back to her mouth; this time the gasp is sincere. Her brows knit together, eyes narrowing, and she blurts out "Oh god that's so creepy."     'W-well...because I admire you, I suppose. In most ways I want to be like you one day.'     Her voice pitches higher, coming out breathy-sarcastic. "Are you five?" And so the black knight heartlessly tramples on the girlish wishes of a blushing princess. Sign it, print it, sell it.     'Oh! Perhaps you could join Trideag as well!'     Lilian's fight or flight reflex kicks in. She's so fast to say "She's considered an Urban Plague by the Head, remember?" it's almost dizzying. "It'd cause catastrophic issues for everyone in Trídéag, including you, if she just waltzed right in."
Tamiel Luxis	Merilissa seemed earnest up and down, with everything she said, but somehow it made Tamiel feel a little queasy nevertheless.     Stands at the top of her world. Nothing left to do. No regrets at all. Loved and celebrated by her whole world... Her shadow is counting on its fingers as she goes through everything. Big laser that could probably destroy a city...! Tamiel wasn't sure what she was meant to think of Merilissa--Lilian felt like she had a point. But, the Faded Print weren't doing things on the up and up, either.     But then again. They hadn't tried to blow up a whole District with a superweapon.     She found herself nervously glancing between Lilian and Merilissa, until Chuyao put forward his question. She didn't have the full context--or even partial context--but it had the air of a test, and she listened enraptured, rallied by how wise it sounded into hoping she could get an idea of what to think of Merilissa out of her response somehow--or at least figure out what he thought of it.     "Even if they're tough to reach right now, it might not be a bad idea to subtly hide important stuff underground if you're not already."     "Underground...?" Tamiel Will Remember This. "Is that literal, mister Roland? Does it have to be a certain distance below ground, or with something in the way?" Berislav would want to know this. Best if those weapons he was getting made got put into a warehouse where the Beholders wouldn't get to see everything. Maybe somewhere beneath Firefly Dam? Focus! Focus... She takes a sip of a drink that she mostly picked because of all the pretty bright colors on the packaging, and makes a face at the taste. "Even if they don't have anything the Beholders want to know, if there's ways for my friends to get a sense of privacy, I want to be able to give them some."
Chuyao He	In most ways I want to be like you one day.     Chuyao nearly chokes on his drink, coughing and sputtering. This is a dire warning which warrants immediate divination the very moment he has the privacy to properly consider the implications. "Pardon," he mildly offers. "This unrefined scholar was too hasty in his enjoyment of this beverage." Are you five?     "Of course," Chuyao says neutrally, and without outlining anyone in particular as virtuous, "To aspire to be more virtuous is worthwhile. When one sees virtue in another, it is only natural to seek to emulate it, and to hope that one is not mistaken." *I must consult the coins the very moment I have the privacy to do so.*
Angela	''WE will deal wit hteh Beholders and the rest of the terribleness within the City.'' No wonder Angela feels no need to really interfere with Trídéag operations, Roland thinks. They might be interfering occassionally with her intermediate goal but if they're that intent to be a thorn in the City's side, he'd avoid being an immediate problem too for as long as possible. The way that Sarracenia is so flippant about it too, he's honestly a little jealous about that. If only he could feel that the City's nature could be so easily overturned by just 'yeah we'll deal with the Beholders along with everything else'. Fuck. Is that normal, he wonders, is that what people outside the City are just like all hte time? Is overthrowing some of the scariest forces of the City just a tuesday to them? ''It'd cause catastrophic issues for everyone--'' Isn't Rita a member, Roland thinks to himself, but he likes Rita so he's not really eager to make the point and put her on the spot like that when she isn't even here. Roland still doesn't know why Merelisa doesn't like Lambent Dragon, but at this point he'd feel like a heel if he kept asking so maybe he's not going to do that. He'll be normal. He supposes the real issue is that despite Rita's designation, she probably has way fewer enemies anyway. "Yeah I can't imagine everyone in Trídéag is as tough as she is." He admits. In truth, he has no idea how tough Merelisa is but she did just, like, eradicate an army and a death train so probably a bit more than the average Grade 5 Fixer for sure. ''May this unrefined scholar ask why?'' "Oh uh. I mean. Usually people don't talk about them at all, I guess. But if they do talk about the Head, it's not usually the Beholders that go after people. So I guess for a lot of people, it sort of flies under the radar? Like you know they exist, but they aren't the ones who will shove their claws in your guts." ''I'm aiming at reaching a Grade Four ASsociation within the year.'' "Grade Four ... Grade Five is a bit of a hurdle for a lot of Fixers." He admits. "Once you make it to Grade 4, they'll definitely figure you're here to stay but if District 12 continues as it has been, you'll probably be going up Grades quickly so long as you keep getting results." ''The Sweepers don't come around anymore.'' "So they've designated it as proper residences..." He murmurs. "Well if you come by again, I've got some new tricks I'd like to try." Of course, he still doesn't intend to go all out when Trídéag is involved. He's honestly pretty lucky that Angela doesn't seem to have a good idea of what his fighting skill should represent. "It seems like they're happy there. And I know from personal experience how much of a motivator that can be. It's a lot harder to drag yourself out of a rut." ''In fact, I'm counting on it.'' Roland is surprised to hear that, eyes widening a little. He supposes he's also 'relying on the Library' a bit himself despite his goals so he can't really comment, but he didn't expect that sentiment to come out of Lilian. "Thorny prospect huh." He quips before admitting, "Yeah... District 12 is sort of becoming it's own miniCity huh. Branches, Nests..." He shakes his head. "A moon..." He murmurs, thinking of how often he's noticed Lilian staring out at it. "I'm guessing soon, a lot of those problems that have been hassling you are gonna be headed to the Library to ... try to get an edge on you." r''I've nothing at all to hide.'' "'Cause they're the sort of people who like seeing other people's secrets, probably." He can't imagine a Beholder being any other sort of person, honestly. He's nervous about drinking anything right now in case someone says something that makes him cough it out. He's going to try ... little tiny sips.
Merelisa Shaynore	"I bet you had to go through a lot more than I have so far..."     Merelisa shakes her head. "I don't know what you've been through. But I'm sure you've been plenty strong while going through it. You've made it this far, haven't you?" "What does this poem mean to you?"     "Hmm? Alright, Master Chuyao. Let me think."     Being posed poetic riddles by philosophers and teachers is actually a very familiar dynamic for Merelisa. Sometimes you just have to accept, that if you go into a shrine that's been untouched for a thousand years, a robot might come to life and ask you a test of character in a language no one alive speaks anymore, and if you don't answer from the heart, you get incinerated. It's impossible to tell behind the sunglasses, but she closes her eyes for a minute.     "... The swordsman has practiced her skill and built up her strength for so long, that she's indistinguishable from the sword itself. Her duty, then, is to dedicate herself to a cause, and not waste or misuse the power she's accumulated. Strength has to be turned towards helping the people who have been wronged for not having it."     Her hands drop back down to her lap, on top of the mystical sword she always carries. She traces the edge with her fingers, used as recently as half an hour ago, with all the fondness of an elderly cat. "I don't disagree, of course. All I've ever done has been for the people. I just can't imagine having ten years to practice first." "...because I admire you, I suppose. In most ways I want to be like you one day."     Merelisa picks up the replica pendant, and then lets it swing gently back down to Sarra's chest. "That's really really sweet of you. And I believe you can be. Your whole kingdom's behind you too, aren't they?"     She gives Sarra a little wink. "All that's really needed to be like me is a good heart and being in the right place at the right time. And I know your heart is good." "Ever since you did what you did, the Middle haven't shown up in District 12 again."     "There you go. A complicated problem; a simple solution." She tucks her foot up against her bottom, leaning back on the beach chair with her knee to her chest. It feels almost like this 'is' what vacation-tone chatter is to her. "All that matters to the people in power, is power. Take it away from them, and they're nothing but scared, helpless bullies." "Well, I'm grateful for what you did."     Merelisa reaches a hand out to the side with a small smile, loosely curled into a fist to bump up against Roland's hand. "Appreciate it."
Merelisa Shaynore	At his double-take, she's completely unaffected, stone-facedly serious about her antagonism to one of the highest powers of the City. "That's how they fool you into accepting it. Even when people aren't thinking about them, they are. They change what they say, even what they feel, knowing that they could be watched at any time. The people tyrannize themselves, and when they don't, the tyrant's spies tell him exactly where to direct all of the force he has."     Her point illustrated, she continues talking, bitterly impassioned. "Then when it's over, the spies show the world the aftermath, and people will see it and say that it was inevitable. That of course they should've known not to speak that loudly about how they feel, because the tyrant knows everything, and this is just the way the world works. No one ever forgets that they're being watched, not really." "You're vastly overestimating the relevance of those 'Beholders'."     Merelisa's thumb nail pierces through the side of the can she's holding, though her expression doesn't change. "I'm not. Trust me on nothing else, never believe another word I say, send your workers to fight me in the streets if you want, but on this, at least, trust me. Please."     Merelisa swivels to the side, no longer relaxing on the chair but instead staring directly at Lilian. "I've seen them. I know them. Believe me, I appreciate the work you do. It's necessary, sure. In a better world, it would be sufficient. But as long as those Beholders exist, everything you've built is one raised voice from being wiped out. As long as you're being watched, everything you do is either permitted, or *destroyed*."     Following on Roland's comment, "Does your Trideag have hidden underground facilities? Do you hide what you're holding and where you're going? Make plans on paper, offworld, and then burn them? Speak without moving your lips? Have you really grappled with what it means to have every moment of your life watched?"     Her intense stare stays on Lilian, eyes twitching to scan her face, for a few seconds longer. Then she breaks and looks at the others around, who've nearly all mentioned their affiliation with Trideag. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring all of that up in front of your employees. But as you gathered, I'm experienced with this kind of thing." "Oh! Perhaps you could join Trideag as well!"     Merelisa laughs voicelessly, but not entirely unhappily. "No, I'm sorry. I really don't think I could, Sarra. But that doesn't mean you won't see me around." "Then you should really get a hotline, if these people are calling us instead of you."     Merelisa stands up and stretches, overhand tossing her empty can into a trash can thirty feet away with impeccable accuracy. "Oh, they do. I may have been busy saving other worlds too, but it's not like I've let anything bad happen to this one. But, this has been a good wake-up call to step out of this little universe more often, now that I've settled some... evil I was dealing with. Always more calls to get to, right?"
Lilian Rook	'I don't disagree, of course. All I've ever done has been for the people. I just can't imagine having ten years to practice first.'     Lilian clicks her tongue. That was a C+ answer. She was expecting F-. Of course she couldn't have even that little bit of fun.     'All that's really needed to be like me is a good heart and being in the right place at the right time. And I know your heart is good.'     §Gag me with a spoon. Is that how she talks to twelve year old fans that run up at a concert? Give her some glowsticks while you're at it! With any luck she'll crack them open and drink them!§     'All that matters to the people in power, is power. Take it away from them, and they're nothing but scared, helpless bullies.'     Lilian, in the midst of cracking open her second can, presses her hand to her face and drags it down her cheek. She can feel her blood pressure elevating in exciting new ways that are completely different from, and yet somehow still exactly the same as, dealing with Sarracenia. Or Mesmer. Or both(?!)     'Appreciate it.'     "Don't encourage her." Lilian mutters, exasperated. She sounds like she's trying to tell someone not to feed the wildlife.     §Oh god she's revving up to a whole speech! Ughhh!§     Her attention only wanders, or perhaps rematerializes, when she hears the can crack open from the side. It's not exactly an easy noise to notice. She'd have missed it if she weren't aggressively trying to filter out everything Merelisa says. Even then, she only looks sideways on the off-chance that she gets to see Merelisa having a tantrum. Unfortunately for her, the reality is vastly more tiresome.     Her eyes hover in the vicinity of Merelisa's, but don't make contact. Her can hovers in the vicinity of her lips, too, and abides by the same rule. If she were to do anything more, it'd be like showing interest, and the fact that she started paying attention is bad enough.     It's bad enough because this sort of thing is something Lilian had left behind so gladly that she hadn't ever thought of it since. The way that people spoke to her like this, all the time, forgotten until this conversation, guarantees that Lilian can't see it any other way; as anything but someone indulgently wallowing in their past glories, telling her that because of their unlikely good fortune, her daily hard work is doomed.     To her, what Merelisa thinks is taut severity comes across only as theatrically grizzled puff. Her impassioned words of warning, something that can't help but ooze masturbatory pleasure in every pause for breath. They're punctuated by hungry little voids of past closure, dark and greedy. When Merelisa waxes theoretical, Lilian imagines it as gratuitous parental roleplay, passing down stern advice and expecting the wide-eyed wonder of a child. Every single thing the woman says tells her that her only goal is to harvest her attention; that there is no real meaning, no substance, no genuine intent to communicate a single goddamn thing, and that engaging with it at all is to be stolen from.
Lilian Rook	So even though Lilian can't help but see, if only for a short while, a dim shadow-print of some fiery charisma that she can almost imagine Merelisa might have once had, she has no intent to dignify it whatsoever. Her stream of consciousness pumps the brakes to inform her that if she dismisses Merelisa out of hand on grounds of nothing more than tone and ego, she'll be just like everyone who ever did it to her; who still do it to her; and Lilian flips that warning light back off. She tells herself that it doesn't matter one bit if it really does come from a place, or if Merelisa even really means it, because this isn't a person she needs to see the best in; only what's in front of her.     'I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring all of that up in front of your employees. But as you gathered, I'm experienced with this kind of thing.'     "As I can see." Lilian says, tipping back her can just to leave some room for ambiguity before following up with "You must've given no shortage of speeches before. Your practice is abundantly evident." Her own absence of expression is by far the more practiced artificiality, though, and it irks her all the more that she uses it so little these days that Merelisa would be a special exception. "Of course, I have no intent to criticize or ridicule you for something so obviously personal. Regardless of its relevance to the City, your adventures happened to you, and your grand adversary used his powers to do real and tangible harm to your community for most of your life. That's an incontrovertible fact." And also utterly irrelevant. Nothing more than dismissiveness thinly veiled as humility born out of compassion. "So I won't hold it against you."     Draining the last of her drink, Lilian sighs, snaps it out of existence, then props her cheek up on her fist, steadied over her elbow, and rolls slightly over to stare past Merelisa's left ear. "But I'd like to ask that, whatever about me reminds you of when you when you were an optimistic amateur, you put it out of mind as best you're able. I'm not looking for for advice at this time, and I'm not much a fan of unsolicited trauma dumping either."     Lilian closes her eyes, and slowly rolls back over onto her back, folding her hands behind her head and taking an especially deep breath. "Not that it's terribly likely we'll cross paths again. I'll make a note to leave things on this world to you, and let you stick to focusing on your home as always. There's nothing wrong with that."