mcd900

There was a burst of energy - a sudden intense force, and then a blur; there was the feeling of voices, voices from all around, this time not ethereal, but distinctly physical, audible, people's voices, awash with concern, fear, anger, frustration - but, in a heap on the floor, Laniva could only make out the array of colors in front her that stubbornly refused to focus for several moments. There had been a terrible sound at the moment they had all come apart; and she wasn't sure if the noise was magic, or the sound of several armor-clad figures collapsing to the ground in one place or another, but either way she had a headache... Ugh, my... my head, she was in my head... She stirred, finally, seeing Syta rise with Kisara's pendant, turning to check on her. "Mmh... I, I'm okay..." She'd caught the tail end of what Syta was saying before she turned; the fox hidden away in her pendant was turning out to be a rather short-lived secret, but all things told she wasn't much enjoying having to keep that particular secret tucked away anyways. She grumbled up at Syta from the ground; not for her concern, but for her rather significantly battered state so early in the day. "Ughhh... t-too much magic, and gods, and... mrahh. I'll... I'll get up, in a second..."

There was a sudden flurry of motion as what seemed like half the Tigers gathered round to help separate the Escaflowne (and more importantly, Mercuria) from those holding it; but there was only so much of it she could perceive through the mental commands of Mercuria and the burning sensation that ebbed and flowed in strength as Kisara and the Evokers stepped in and lent their power. Not to mention that she could now see the image of Kisara in her mind where before she had been but a voice, but that aside she was being pulled every which way both magically and physically. "Khhh...!" Agh, that, that hurts-- Laniva was doing everything she could to release the blade; but despite not even having had much of a grip on the thing in the first place, moreso letting it rest in her hands, it was stubbornly resisting her efforts. I... I will not... I will not-- She'd thought the arena not so long ago had been a place to regret her lack of magical fortitude, but now more so than ever she was feeling that weakness; there was some feeling bubbling up, a will to bend, to obey; somewhere indistinctly behind her there was some awareness of Syta's voice and arms, and she bit her tongue, drawing blood, still intensely struggling, doing all she could to not simply collapse...

A god...?! Laniva was a bit too stunned at the sudden, rapid sequence of events occurring to form a full thought about the implications of delivering information to Mercuria, intentionally or not - Alvira was pulling on the blade, insistently, and the Escaflowne - the Escaflowne seemed to understand, but for all its understanding it was unable to act in this moment-- The burning sensation pulled at her core, and for a moment she did, truly, feel the need to convey the Escaflowne to Mercuria; but after a moment the worst of the feeling subsided, and in place of walking anywhere with the blade she crumpled to the ground onto one knee, almost tugging Alvira all the way down with her, both still distinctly attached to the blade. I-- agh...! Ngh, it's, it's in my mind... The fox's voice emanated from the pendant, interrupting her moment of pain/ K-Kisara? Ugh, right... "T-Tio, Elisa...! Please, come here...! T-The pendant..." Only Tio knew right now about Kisara, but surely, hopefully, Elisa would understand once Tio jumped in...

Laniva stood by, listening to Alvira as she made her plea, asking the Escaflowne for a lead on Fomalhaut. Hearing that the spear that she was searching for was a similar weapon to that of the Escaflowne itself caused a chill to run through her; whatever power that Galari had once had during the war in the legends could be brought against them. Lufiria... so maybe you'll find your answers there. Hmm... Okay, I think everyone who needed to speak to you has, so we can... She found her hands couldn't leave the blade, and neither could Alvira's claws - Alvira's frustration immediately made itself apparent, and with an accusation towards Mercuria, it seems like the situation she had been asking the others to prepare her was coming to pass. M-Mercuria... She's coming here? Or... or already here?

I see... um, thank you. The... power of the boundary. I'm not really sure what that is, but... if some of us have it, then that's... good, I think. I hope. I don't know about why any of us might have it any more than I do for myself, though... She blinked her eyes open slowly, glancing around in a bit of a daze - she'd been in such focus speaking to the blade that she'd forgotten her surroundings briefly. I... I'll try to make sure that we find Gaia. Since, it seems like we'll need to do it one way or another... Laniva motioned towards Alvira to come over. There was someone else who wanted to talk to you, actually... I hope you don't mind. There was... some confusion yesterday, and um... well, it might just be better if she spoke to you.

If that's the meaning of you awakening, then... I guess we should try to prepare for whatever is coming. There are legends about Galari... if that's how serious things were before, then... Laniva bristled slightly at the thought. A-Anyways... a pull to Gaia? So, then... if one of us holds you, we might be able to find Gaia, and understand what's happening, and get your memories back... And, maybe, understand why I have this connection. I still don't understand why it was... me. And Miria, too, but she's... I'm not anyone special, really. But... if I can help, then I'll try to help. We... need to decide as a group, though... I think we should help each other, but I can't make any promises on my own. But I'll try...

Kazue swings twice at Satyr 6, taking two good chunks out of the hull as it struggles to come around! [88 - miss!] [53 - hit.] [84 - no crit.]. 15 damage to Satyr 6, 10 XP to Kazue. Louise fires a beam at Javelin 3. Guaranteed hit. [12 - crit!] 39 damage to Javelin 3, taking it out of the action! 33 XP to Louise. Leon closes in with the shotgun on Javelin 1. [30 - hit.] [12 - crit!] 27 damage to Javelin 1, as it goes up in smoke! 33 XP to Leon. Bonner hits Satyr 6 with the cables. Guaranteed hit. [27 - crit!] 24 damage to Satyr 6, for some serious overkill. 4 XP to Bonner. Esther lets the stake driver loose on Javelin 5. [45 - hit.] [20 - crit!] 30 damage to Javelin 5. AI noises from the EMP as it pops. 33 XP to Esther. Iskra opens up on Satyr 5 with an autorifle. Guaranteed hit. [72 - no crit.] 9 damage to Satyr 5, leaving it on the cusp. 10 XP to Iskra. Markus pulls some Gs as he lets a missile fly at Javelin 2. Guaranteed hit. [20 - no crit. (19 crit btw)] 10 damage to Javelin 2, as it can't get a lock back on him out of range. 10 XP to Markus. Scylla lets it rip at Javelin 4! [64 - hit.] [50 - no crit.] [44 - no Luna proc.] There's a loud grinding sound as the blade cleaves Javelin 4 for 17 damage. Javelin 4 counters, guns blazing! [68 - hit.] [7 - crit!] Major damage, as Scylla takes 18 damage back! 10 XP to Scylla. Sia commands the Dawn to fire its main cannon. [77 - hit.] [88 - no crit.] 16 damage to Satyr 2. 10 XP to Sia. Daeran shotguns Satyr 5. Guaranteed hit. [37 - no crit.] 10 damage to Satyr 5 for shoot-down. 30 XP to Daeran. Enemy Phase 3 Markus defends against the charging Javelin 6! [66 - miss] 1XP to Markus. Satyr 2 slips past to attack the Dawn! [47 - hit] [5 - no crit] 7 damage to Sia! The Dawn's guns roar to life, shredding Satyr 2! Guaranteed hit. [34 - no crit] 9 damage to Satyr 2, destroying it! 30XP to Sia. Scylla slips through the guns of Javelin 4! [43 - miss] 1XP to Scylla. The Lieutenant Commander winced at the damage alarms flaring for Scylla's machine; digital though they were, the warnings were whining as insistently as if it were the real thing. Another hasty mark on the page... The comms officer, Warrant Officer Reed, brushed her hair out of her eyes as she studied her console intently, pressing her hand against her earpiece and listening closely. "Captain! We've intercepted enemy communications. It sounds like enemies are launching from the colonies - relaying it now...!" A synthesized voice played over the bridge's speakers. It was close to a human voice, but there was just enough of a mechanical nature to it that the simulation couldn't cover by garbling the audio. "< Hey, what do you guys think you're doing?! You haven't even got any weapons loaded on your fighters-- >" "< Quit worryin'. We're the Lightning for a reason. And besides, we have the expert with us-- >" Alrenne stifled a snort. Is that the best callsign they could come up with? That's a little cliche. I know they're engineers, not writers, but they can do a bit better than that... Three fighters with a lightning bolt emblem take off from the southern colony, while 3 HEXes join the battle from the northern colony! The squad leader has some kind of insignia, but it's indistinct at this distance... Player Phase 4!

The blade spoke into her mind, half musing to itself more than actually speaking to Laniva. Her tail swayed a bit, idly, and she ran a finger across the pendant as Kisara... mumbled? thought-mumbled? in her mind as well. If the power in Galari woke you, then... it has to have been because of the ancient war, in Hecatia, right? I don't know what other reason Galari would have had. Though, if that's what was happening the last time you awoke, then, that's not a good sign for right now... b-because, then that would mean... She frowned, brow furrowed in thought as she mulled over the blade's words. I... don't have the first idea about how to help, but... if you helped Galari all that time ago, then we could probably use your help now...

I'll... I'll be as careful as I can. I'm not great with ordinary magic... I don't think I'll be any better at this. Laniva saw the light of the blade grow once again, as she closed her eyes. The voice from before echoed into her mind, speaking to her, asking her, but different from before; this time, she felt as if she had a greater deal of control. I... I heard. About what... who... you are. Escaflowne. About Gaia, and Galari. I don't really understand everything, or anything really, not yet... but you'd... like our help, right? If we can help return your memories somehow... Laniva fidgeted slightly. Really, she was more than out of her depth here, even after having heard all of Miria and the Escaflowne's conversation. Nor was she sure that Kisara was hearing any of this; but hopefully this was leading somewhere, at least...

Okay. Good... Kisara's reassurances would have to be enough; Laniva did believe the fox, but there was no stopping the sense of unease at everything involved with the Escaflowne. The blade... it must be talking about some of us. It can... sense me? That sensation I felt yesterday... couldn't have been anything other than it calling to me. But why me...? And the Escaflowne... so Galari named it that, but it existed even before... "My turn... okay." She stepped forwards, accepting the blade, closing her eyes and concentrating deeply. This time, at least, she didn't want to be so overwhelmed she couldn't even respond properly...

"H-Huh...? Um, okay..." Laniva accepted the necklace - accepted Kisara - from Syta, putting the necklace on, and tucking the jade under her breastplate. Her tail swayed a bit, mildly apprehensive. "I-If you're sure this a good idea..." The fox's voice spoke in her mind; she was getting rather used to it now, between her and the Escaflowne, though whether that was a good thing to be getting used to was another matter entirely. I... I can hear you... I can... do that, but please try not to do anything, just... only listen. T-They're putting a lot of trust in me to let me touch the blade again already...

"Huh?" Laniva blinked as Syta suddenly crossed into her vision, staring. "O-Oh. I, I guess... you can't hear the voice...? It, it's saying that Galari promised to help... it. But, that was... over a thousand years ago, right? A-Ancient, now..." Her tail swayed idly as she tried to make heads or tails of the voice's story. Really, it couldn't have happened to someone worse for figuring all this out... mrahh.

Laniva watched quietly as first Gean, then Miria touched the Escaflowne. Gean's hair fluttered as if in the breeze for just a moment, despite their group's distinctly being inside, curiously enough. She tilted her head a bit, curious. Gean hadn't heard any voices, but... As Miria made contact with the blade - contact, more literally, as she began to hold the blade for longer than Gean had, looking as if in thought, and their conversation echoed into her mind. There - that name, again... Gaia, Spirit of Earth... Galari - defeated the Lufirian Empire? And 'my' power... is, the Escaflowne like Kisara? But... in a blade, not a pendant? I haven't heard of any of this before... She crossed her arms, unsure if any of the thoughts she'd intended to keep to herself had slipped into the conversation between Miria and the Escaflowne. She had the feeling that someone probably needed to be touching the blade to communicate with it, the same as with Kisara; but then again, she was hearing their voices now, and she wasn't touching it, so it was anyone's guess, really... "...Galari? Who's Galari...?" She mumbled her thought aloud, not realizing it'd hadn't gone unspoken as she'd intended.

Kazue's attack! [67 - hit] [29 - no crit] 14 damage to Satyr 4. Satyr 4 switches to cannons and counters! [29 - miss]. 10 XP to Kazue. Louise's snipe! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [67 - no crit]. 11 damage to Satyr 3. Satyr 3 counters with a missile! [33 - hit] [42 - no crit]. 5 damage to Louise. 10 XP to Louise. Iskra fires on Satyr 3! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [30 - no crit]. 6 damage to Satyr 3. Satyr 3's missile counter. [99 - miss] It flies wide! 10 XP to Kazue. Bonner fires on the badly damaged fighter! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [21 - crit] 36 damage to Satyr 3, Satyr 3 down! 4 XP to Bonner. Enemy Phase 2 Javelin 4 closes in with guns! [22 - hit] [95 - no crit] 9 dmg to Markus. 1 XP to Markus. Javelin 6 lets a missile fly! [70 - miss] It flies off somewhere. 1 XP to Scylla. Javelin 5 pops a swarm pod and lets it fly! [38 - miss] Esther narrowly evades them all! 1 XP to Esther. Satyr 6 lets a long-range missile go... [19 - hit] ...and it lands! [84 - no crit] 2 damage to Leon. 1 XP to Leon. Satyr 5 fires guns at Daeran! [42 - hit] the rounds penetrate the armor, [99 - no crit] but hit him in a non-critical area. 5 damage to Daeran. Daeran counters! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [77 - no crit] The explosive shotgun shell blasts the fighter's wing! 12 damage to Satyr 5. 10 XP to Daeran. Satyr 1 closes in on Bonner... [8 - hit] and every round finds its mark! [91 - no crit] Bonner's defensive capabilities are too good, however. 0 damage! Bonner switches to the cables! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [25 - crit!] The cables do a little more than slow down Satyr 1, as it explodes. 21 damage to Satyr 1! 4 XP to Bonner. Satyr 2, fox 2! [61 - miss] Whiff. 1 XP to Kazue. Satyr 4, guns! [78 - miss] It hits the asteroid instead of of Kazue! Kazue swings back with her plasma saber! [100 to hit, guaranteed] [96 - no crit] 10 dmg - Satyr 4, destroyed! 30 XP to Kazue. "All hands, we have reason to believe there are additional enemies in the area. Be wary of an ambush as you move to secure the area around the colonies." Player Phase 3!

"O-Oh. Oh! Okay... that's fine." Laniva blinked slightly, thoughts grounded once again. She'd been so lost in thought about the blade, and the voices, and the meaning of it all that rather simpler explanations had escaped her. "Um, thanks, Alvira... I, I trust you too. We can try it together. I hope it helps..." There was a bit of an inkling that the question had rather caught Alvira off guard, between her hesitation and her huff. Her ears flicked a bit, at somewhat of a loss as to how to continue... well, there was always 'touch the blade', but she was still getting ready for that.

Laniva listened quietly as the Lady Celine dictated her terms; it was a surprise that she was so welcoming of so many people making contact with the blade, and the condition she had set was rather unexpected as well. Her story was heartfelt, certainly, and while Laniva couldn't quite relate in any literal fashion the meaning of her words rang clear. It resonated with Alvira strongly, clearly; the dragon was moved to tears. "W-With me? Um, sure... Does it matter if it's specifically me? I... don't mind, but I'm not quite sure I understand why me..." She nodded, hesitantly, taking a deep breath to try and mentally prepare herself to touch the blade again; this time, hopefully, retaining more lucidity during the experience.

"Ah, wait up..." Syta had already went off towards the food as Laniva was still pondering it, and she moved to catch up while there was still time-- Or, rather, while she thought there'd still been time. Celine and the remaining members of the Amaryllis had entered the inn, leaving her with a mug of coffee and a single untouched egg on her plate. She quickly forgot about breakfast, though; the feeling from the day prior had returned, a strange inclination towards what could have been none other than the Escaflowne that set her hair on end. She set her breakfast down on a nearby table, giving Syta a bit of a poke to get her attention, then walked over towards the others and the Lady Celine. "Um... I'll, defer to your judgment on this, L-... Tio. I don't really know what will happen with or without other people touching it, so..."

The helmsman, a bright-eyed Ensign, eagerly straightened up in his seat. "Aye, ma'am! Dawn moving to flank speed to support." Alrenne winced, watching Kazue's blip dart ahead of the rest of the formation. Bah. When I set this exercise up to determine... incompatibilities... I didn't anticipate them revealing themselves quite so soon. He typed notes furiously into his personal terminal. The hologlobe on the bridge flickered as the simulation fighters advanced on the pilots of the Dawn, the distant fighters remaining in formation while the nearer ones dove into a dogfight, two letting loose missiles at Kazue's HEX, a third taking a potshot at Louise's from just outside of her range. Satyr 1 lets loose with a Long-Range Missile... 74! ...but fails to get a good lock on Kazue! Satyr 2 turns outwards, firing a missile! 40! The missile explodes on Kazue's left side, sending shrapnel into her armor! Satyr 3 moves to zoom past Kazue, firing one at Louise! 81! It flies wide, hunting some distant heat signature! The rest of the fighters advance! Turn 2 begins!

After some time, Laniva and Syta finally entered the inn's main room. It looked like Laniva had been right about their lateness; contrasting her usual earliness to breakfasts with the Tigers, pretty much everyone was already here, eating, chatting about this and that. She scanned the room. Versaris was showing the Evokers a little bird... Mikoto was completely wrapped up in a hug by Renais - she raised an eyebrow a bit at the sight. Between her merchant image and the rather charged conversation they'd had not so long ago, it was... rather distinct from the image Laniva had of the fox. "Hmm... doesn't look like Lady Celine is here yet, Syta. Let's get some breakfast in the meantime... once she gets here, we may not get a chance."

"Addictive..." Laniva stood after Syta, opening her eyes as the pets came to a stop. "Mhm. We have a whole bunch of things to do, so let's get started..." She went a bit red yet again as Syta continued, playing it off with a small laugh. "Maybe I will pet you back, and see what you think of that. Oh, and... my tail is okay, too. J-Just... definitely, not without telling me first. You can get away without that for my ears, but... mrah." She nodded, starting for the door. "Let's go. Don't tell them why we were late, okay~?"

"Mhm. I'm sure. I-I like it too, you know..." Laniva closed her eyes as Syta went right after her ears, sighing softly. It was nice. "Hehe. It's kind of cute, how eager you are... mh... mrow." She let Syta continue for a good moment, the hug a welcome addition to the petting. "Mm, mhm. Time and place... mrahh. H-Hey, we should really go see the others... once you get your fill, though..." How'd we get back to the bed...

"H-Huh? No, I... Syta, it's okay, really." She sat down on the bed, then slid over next to Syta. "I don't mind when you do that, Syta, especially not when it's just the two of us... it just, catches me off guard sometimes, that's all." She leaned on Syta - gently, she was in her armor, after all - and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't... really think of myself as a knight. It really does make me happy to hear that you think that, but... I don't want you putting yourself down 'cause of it." She squeezed Syta, just a bit. "If it's just the Tigers around, then go right ahead. They're like family, nothing to hide there... I mean, some of them can be even more, um... willful, sometimes." I still have that dress... maybe I should try wearing it again-- n-no, would she even notice...?

"Mm, okay. Thanks again, Syta..." Laniva nodded approvingly, stretching and bending her arms, more than satisfied with how it felt. Nice. Won't have any problems fighting in this--?! "Wha-?! H-Hey, Sytaaa, come on..." She let out a noise that somehow expressed both disapproval and happiness at once, grumbling slightly. "D-Didn't you get your fill last night? Mrahhh..." She let out a sigh. "I-I'm not gonna be all that fun to pet in armor, you know... w-we should, really get going..."

"Oh..." Laniva blushed slightly, again; there was a feeling of this happening rather more frequently of late, and she had a fairly good idea of why that was. "W-Well... I can do it by myself, it just takes longer, so I never really thought to ask..." She rolled her shoulders, making sure the fit of the plate was comfortable enough for her to move around. Syta was doing a rather good job of it, for someone who didn't seem to have all that much experience with a full set of plate. "Haha... I'm just excited 'cause it makes me kind of feel like I'm a proper knight. Not that that means you're just a squire, though...!" Her tail flicked about rather eagerly, between the both of them.

"Mm? Oh... really? Um, sure...!" Laniva bounced off the bed, obviously quite excited to have the help. She picked her breastplate out of the small mound of metal in the corner of the room, picking it up and walking over towards Syta before setting it against herself and turning around to give her access to the straps. "Hehe, it's a bit... mm, how to say this... well, I'm kind of happy you're willing to help. Back then, it was always the squires helping the knights into their armor, and... well... I was only ever on one side of that, so..." She fidgeted slightly in place, waiting.