Ether

"Miz'Githon..." Roxanne repeated, barely audible. She wracked her brain but... the name did not recall any memories. Though from what little she could gather, if this Miz was trapped to the West, then it was likely far afield from Lufiria, so it made sense that she would have no knowledge of her. The secrets of anima magic... how peculiar. The voice seemed to be gone, but... 'The West? Where to the West? We're on the Eastern coast of the continent, I...' Roxanne questioned briefly, wondering if the voice would return. Should she be encouraging it to? Was this real or was she simply succumbing to the pressure of the situation?

Thing seemed to be going smoothly, with Alvira's flashy melee execution swiftly followed-upon by Syndra and Alriana, leaving the area clear for a moment. Surely it wouldn't be long until more of Kazran's forces came into range, and they would be just as swiftly cut down once they did. Before Roxanne could advance though, she heard a faint voice. She could barely make out what they were saying, why were they whispering in the middle of a battlefield? She couldn't even recognize who was speaking with how soft it was. "I can barely hear you. Speak u-" Roxanne began, until it dawned on her that no one in her vicinity appeared to actually be speaking. But that couldn't be right, could it? She was certainly having a foul day, but surely she wasn't actually going insane...? 'You aren't... here, are you? Who...?'

"So long as we're on the same page love, because Oi also know exactly what Oi'm getting moiself into later tonoight." Catrin snickered, pursuing Selu's retreating hand after her playful flick on the nose, until she came up to her girlfriend's face and gave her a quick peck as their hands clasped together. Letting Selu pull her along enthusiastically, Catrin nodded along with her, eventually stepping in closer as they continued to walk, nuzzling her face into the nape of Selumine's neck and purring into her with a soft, low hum. Careful not to get into a situation where they'd trip over one another's feet, Catrin continued along with Selu in lockstep as they kept moving towards the arcade. "Sounds like a plan, love. Bust the bloody joint roight up, aye? Oi'm glad yer 'aving a good time... Oi know Oi can be a bit over the top sometoimes, it's noice to see you enjoy keepin' up with me, aye?" Catrin admitted, pressing her cheek into Selu's and nuzzling her tighter. _____________ The arcade had always been one of the more bustling locations at the shopping centre, and current day was no exception with the flashing strobe light and various machines busting out music at differing rhythms and beats, the cacophony of myriad melodies and lightshows giving the high-energy arcade an almost rave-like ambiance. As they got in close enough to really drink in the atmosphere, Catrin finally detached herself from Selumine's neck, pulling at the smaller woman's hand as she swung her hips in an exaggerated manner, bobbing and bouncing about as though she was diving into the centre of a mosh-pit. "'Ere she is, Selu! Iffin' you can imagine it, they've got it 'ere, games of all sorts, pretty well every genre, biggest game centre on the moon. C'mon then, Oi'll grab us some cards for the machines, aye?" Catrin piped up, leading the pair inside and up to the counter, just behind another apparent couple who were in the middle of grabbing cards for themselves. "Anythin' in particular catch yer eye, love? We can start wherever y'want." Catrin asked, her faux-moshing having calmed a decent amount as they entered the arcade proper, swaying and dancing in place along with the music as she waited for their turn at the counter.

Roxanne had tethered her conduits to Alriana, but it seemed the gesture had been unneccesary. She could tell that the dagger had ended the armoured man's life in an instant before the followup of light showered his corpse.. what terrifying aim. If she was fine on her own, then... "Err... looks like you didn't need help, Alriana. I've got you, Alvira. Give them hell." Roxanne to 10,29, Recall funnels, Heal Alvira

They were getting closer to the enemy, but Roxanne was still just a bit too far out to really do anything about them. Alvira had managed to take out one of the armoured bowmen, but there was still the other, and more men coming up behind... way more of them than the Tigers currently on hand. If she could level the field some... Moving forward, Roxanne focused on Alriana. She didn't have much interaction with the odd lizard, but this should still work. After a few moments of concentration, the tether was established, Roxanne's conduits snapping into place above the creation. "Alriana, I have your back! Direct your intent, and my conduits will follow you!" Roxanne announced, hoping she wasn't startled by the sudden tethering. They didn't really have time for explanations of advanced theory... lifting her staff at the same time, Roxanne poured her magic into Syndra. The mage had taken a hit at some point that had been left alone for long enough... Roxanne to 8,26, Equip Shine, Deploy Funnels to Alriana, Physic Syndra

The enemy reinforcements barely had time to enter the fray before they had been cut down like wheat to the harvest, quickly buckling underneath the immediate assault. So long as they didn't allow the vermin to regain a foothold in their own keep, they could stem the tide and keep it at a trickle. Still, even a trickle of water could make an impact, one of the men landing an unlikely blow on the mermaid Aegean before going down. There were no other enemies in sight, so the wound was easily dealt with... better for it to happen now than in a more heated engagement. "Yes, of course Gean. Hold still." Roxi replied, keeping back with the axewoman and closing her wound. Roxi to 5,24, heal Aegean

"Wearin' 'er out? Yer really gonna tempt me all bloody day, Selu? Oi hope you understand what yer gettin' yerself into." Catrin stuck out her tongue as Selumine got everything she intended to buy scanned by the teller, the feline fishing out her card and presenting it to the shopkeep before Selu herself had a chance to do so. "Moi treat, since you're treatin' me already love. As for what to do next... well, Oi'm not really 'ungry yet, since we ate not too long before we set out to town, but if yer feelin' peckish, we can eat first. Otherwoise... Oi don't know what movies are playin' roight now, but the arcade is always a good toime, if you ask me. 'Ow about we start there, and then after we wear ourselves out a bit, we can see 'bout chowin' down or figurin' out if you loike the movies they make out 'ere in the Jupiter sphere. Over on Mars you've probably got a lot more stuff from the mudball in circulation since yer so much closer, Oi'd reckon." Catrin gave her suggestion, but Selu was free to veto if she so chose. Catrin wasn't going to object to another movie date with Selu considering how well the first had gone.

"Sorry Renais... I'm going to have to disregard your advice. Showing them the floor isn't enough... these foul men need to be buried. So as long as I'm still breathing, I'll push as hard as it takes. I might need your assistance again, if they get anymore shots in with those pure weapons... nothing pure about any of this." Roxanne shook her head as a look of disgust flashed across her face, grimace evident for a moment before she bit it back. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Renais concern, she just... couldn't stop. Couldn't slow down. Not with confirmation that they really were gone... "I'll avenge you... all of you. I'm sorry that I didn't make it in time..." Roxanne continued, quieter yet still faintly audible. Slapping her palms against her cheeks, Renais had finished restoring her to health, and it seemed more men had arrived to flank them. Moving ahead of her fellow healer, Roxanne took aim at a burly axeman, loosing a barrage of light in his direction. "You first." Roxanne to 4,21, Bury Fighter 8's Light

"That's M... she is... was, our Captain. Hard to call four people a crew, huh Syndra?"" Roxanne replied to the Belrose with a solemn nod. What more was there to say, really? Roxanne could only hope M would stick still long enough to have her wounds mended, but it was hard to say what she would do now that she was free. Given the opportunity to attack her captors, M would likely take it regardless of her wounds. Roxanne flinched at the hand upon her shoulder, the tension breaking as a familiar voice followed it. "Kika... I don't blame you. None of us... none of us could have stopped her. I know that. I'm glad that you're alive. I don't... I don't know what I'll do, aside from drag her back in one piece, even if it kills me." The sheep shook her head, about to heal the agile lizard, but Kika had already dashed off before she had the chance. Didn't even give her the chance to ask who the third survivor was... But she couldn't dwell on it. The enemy was upon them, and with how effortlessly Versaris had dispatched the first challenger, they had opted to fall onto her instead. "If you think you're safer with me- GHRK?!" Roxanne had been about to voice her threat, but the monster blade cutting through her armour and tearing into her magic circuits had stolen the words from her. It hurt. It hurt so much. But it wasn't enough. None of these men's blades would be enough. The faces of the fallen flashed in Roxanne's mind... they were all gone. All but one more left unknown. Her vengeance would not be quelled by some wicked tool, not so quickly. Grabbing the armoured man before he could retreat his blade, Roxanne's conduits effortlessly disarmed him before the blade of light sprung forth from her wrist, skewering the knight clean through the chest as he dropped lifelessly before her. The other two, they came at her with gauntlets bared, swinging their fists at her, but she could hardly even feel the blows. Compared to the throbbing, awful pain pulsating through the core of her mana, these pathetic blows were nothing, and without even acknowledging the men, they too fell at her feet, scorched and returned to the earth. The sheep's eyes wildly darting from soldier to soldier... no one else was engaging. They had approached, but she had room to breathe for a moment. Versaris advised... it sounded more like a command to be honest, that she hold. He was right, she knew he was, even if she wanted nothing more than to dole out the pain wracking her frame into any beast of a man whose neck she could wrap her hands around. The Tigers were already surging forward to remove the approaching soldiers and cover her at the same time, giving Roxanne a moment to glance at M. Kika had given her a gun, which meant she would join the fray momentarily. Lifting her newest purchase from the bazaar towards M, the physic began to glow, mending M's wounds from afar. With that, she could only hope that M would be slightly less reckless than Roxanne herself had been. She wasn't anywhere near as sturdy, afterall. it was bad enough that Jane would never see so many of them again... she couldn't bear to bring the young girl a corpse in the place of her mother. "Renais... may I trouble you again? Pure weapons... rrgh... nothing pure about any of this." Roxanne muttered, leaning against the cold stone wall for a moment. Just until Renais returned her to strength. Roxanne hold, physic M

"Thank you, Renais. Much appreciated." Roxanne breathed a relieved sigh, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as the healing light washed over her, closing the gruesome wound across her chest. Stopping for just a moment to allow her armour to reform, the Iron Tigers had continued to move into position, with Jeremiah's protege leading the charge and Alvira not far behind him. Taking a small step forward, Roxanne pulsed Alvira with her healing staff for a second time. "Keep at top form, we'll crush them all-" Roxanne began, when a familiar... familiar and livid voice reached her ears, causing them to twitch as she snapped her head back down the hallway, eyes locking onto a familiar figure just rounding the corner of a door that had just been forced open. "M? M! You- You're alive!" ... No. M froze, her demands quieting in her throat, head slowly turning to... "... Roxanne." I can't. Not right now. Not with her... I need to focus. I need to fight. "We... We can talk later. I am alive... Breathing, thinking, fighting. There are... There, are th-three of us left." Clack clack. Her voice's trill grew tighter, grew thinner, clearly biting back feelings and emotions that she couldn't afford to have escape her. "I am alive. I will fight. I will fight until they kill me... They made the mistake of leaving me alone, and I intend to repay them for that. That mistake, error, choice... And when they are dead, if you wish me gone for what I have done, then I will face your wrath all the same." "Three..." Roxanne resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands... that three were alive was better than she had expected in the pit of her stomach, but the weight that any hope of the others... it was crushing, like the castle's ceiling falling and coming to a stop on her chest. Instead she balled her hand into a tight fist and grit her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yes, we will... we will talk later. Come over here and either Renais or I will see to you... you're injured. I don't know if Commander Natalya has a spare firearm... no one else here uses them to my knowledge." "... Hhssshhh..." M let out something like a hiss, something like a sigh, and quietly nodded. "We will talk... Until then, I require a gun. Or something that I can make into a gun..." "Commander Natalya is the imposing Tiger woman who took to the other corridor. You can't miss her. I... I'm glad you survived, M." Roxanne bit back her tears as she forced herself to turn back towards the upcoming combat, finally letting them fall as she turned away from M. "You had best hope she has a spare, or we find yours quickly. I have no intention of leaving any of them alive for you if you can't find a weapon." Roxanne to 6,18, equip light, heal Alvira

With a swift volley of light, the swordman in front of Roxanne ceased to be, wicked blade clattering to the ground. Hopefully never to be used again. Unfortunately, just around the corner was yet another swordsman with a similarly foul weapon. Just how many of them were there? She had hoped to cut this one down too, but unfortunately as she caught sight of him, the medic had closed his wounds and the guardsman charged in. A few glancing blows on his approach had slowed him, but he managed to close the distance, wicked blade smashing into her armour, the crystal shell automatically hardening in response, only to give way to the blade. As the jagged steel ripped into her flesh, it was accentuated by the feedback of her armour being crushed ravaging her circuits. Blasting light at her assailant to force him off, Roxanne stumbled back with her hand over her wound, getting a good look at him. He was singed and seared by her light, surely the next exchange would be the end of one of them but Roxanne had made enough space, she would- -not need to finish him, an ally zooming in like lightning and putting the swordsman down. As much as it pained her to not finish the man off herself, Amera's intervention has given her a second to check her own state. To be frank, it was bad. That was... a lot of blood, dripping out from the heavy gash across her stomach and chest. A painful cough wracked her body, more blood leaving out her mouth. Scanning the area, as another group of Tigers closed in from the South and crashed into the enemy, most of them were wiped out. Just one man stood nearby, in his hand another one of those damned axes. They made her blood boil even as it was leaving her body. She couldn't let him get a chance to use it, it was too dangerous. Ignoring the screaming pain, Roxanne dashed forward, funnels ahead of her as they took aim at the axeman and began to disassemble him much like the others who had faced them shortly before. Just hold out a little longer, body... "I won't-- let you!" She managed, if barely, another cough and mouthful of blood escaping her midway through. That man had to die, before he could bring that axe down on anyone... Roxanne to 7,18, Light up Fighter 1!

"Oi'll be good... reluctantly." Catrin teased, pulling away from Selumine far enough that her date could breathe and extract herself from the wall. It seemed that Selu had been wholly unprepared for what her outfit had stirred... perhaps she had been banking on Tokiwa's protection to save her from the consequences of her actions, but the fox had departed too soon to shield her. "Anythin' that shows off that gorgeous figure a yers is a good button to me, Selu. Did you want to try on a few more things 'ere then, or pack up what ya got and ask about that dress before movin' on?" Catrin asked, reaching towards Selu and holding her hand tenderly as she prepared to follow her in whatever direction she decided to choose.

Getting a parting wave from miss security, it didn't take long for Selu to finish changing, Catrin's eyes snapping over to her as she announced her presence. She had been expecting something cute, light flowy... those sorts of things just seemed to fit Selumine's vibe, but what she saw couldn't have been more different from her expectations. Catrin's face flushed red as she looked over her date, tail starting to flutter back and forth behind her as she slowly approached Selu. Looking around quickly... the store was still practically deserted, especially with Tokiwa having departed, and the few staff weren't paying them much attention, Catrin took her chance. Practically pouncing on Selu, Catrin forced the smaller woman's back to the wall, letting her finger run across the little bell on her choker and giving it a ring before stroking across her lips, wrapping her arm around Selu's slim waist and playing with the hem of that incredibly enticing skirt. "She paid for 'er stuff and left, said she didn't want to interrupt our date. Bloody good timing looks like... enough about 'er though." Catrin purred into Selumine's ear, before darting in and stealing a kiss. She didn't linger too long, as much as Selu was practically egging her on with her choice of attire, it wasn't the time or the place for an especially sloppy makeout session. Pulling away from Selu's lips after a few moments and giving her rear end a playful squeeze through her skirt, Catrin didn't give Selu much breathing room despite calling off her attack. "It fits on you perfect, so it looks to me. Perfect in more ways than that, though... you 'ave no idea 'ow much I want to drag you off somewhere and risk gettin' us kicked out roight now... but Oi'll be a good girl. You're dangerous, Selu." Another kiss, slightly longer than the first but still not left to linger, and no groping accompaniment the second time as Catrin continued to look Selu over, red in the face as she licked her lips. "Bloody wonderful... and 'ere I thought Oi'd be the one to 'ave to put you in somethin' sexy."

"Did Oi stutter? Supermodel." Catrin pressed, unable to help but let out a small chuckle at Selu's flustering, especially when Tokiwa eased the tension some. Head of security at AHI headquarters... quite the big wig, and she even knew about the thruster testing. Things seemed to be lining up too well for the woman to be lying about her position, so as long as she didn't tip any cards that Tokiwa didn't already clearly know, things should be fine. Allowing herself to relax, conversation flowed a bit more naturally. "'Ead of security, ya said? Bloody 'ell Oi left my fancy threads on base. Well, you certainly seem a lot less stuffy than the folk Oi usually report to, so it should be foine. No offense intended a'course, as a security bigshot Oi'm sure you can get 'ow that stuff bein' brought up outta the blue would be just a lil' bit jarrin'." Catrin added, giving Selu a nod as the woman stated her intention to go and try on some more items. "Oi'll be expectin' ya to knock moi socks off, Selu! Show me what you've got brewin' in that 'ead a'yours." She called out after the Martian with a wave, turning her attention back to Tokiwa, who seemed about poised to continue along with her own outing, leaving the couple to their date. "Oi really am, she's a swell lass, just needs to get that fact into 'er own 'ead too. Noice to meet you as well, Oi'm sure that the 'ead a security is a lil' more famous than us, really. And sorry again for the rough start, aye? Just caught me a wee bit off guard. Bloody good day to you as well, y'hear?"

Everything was so hectic, Kazran's forces beginning to stir and move in as it became clear that they were under attack again. From the screaming of the dragon nearby, it was clear she wasn't the only one with livid desires on Kazran's head. Hopefully she could channel that rage, because Roxanne herself fully intended to continue doing so. Her funnels, already twitchy as they were, darted around the corner as soon as a swordman with another of those accursed blades came close. Following her conduits out from cover, she took aim at the guard with the intent to erase him. "Get out of my sight." Roxanne to 11,17, Light up Myrm 4