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Valhalla is on the third/bottom floor!

The focus was supposed to be on the youma — to stop it from doing whatever it was doing. But despite the city itself being in danger, Valhalla couldn’t stand idly by and watch as those he knew got hurt. His reaction to Auriga attacking Cyllene was very similar to Ganymede’s, although it had been her cry of distress that drew his attention to the attack.

“Auriga! Don’t!” he yelled, his voice filled with the horror that bubbled up inside him at the thought of the repercussions that could be tied to her attack. Cyllene had every right to defend herself, and if anything happened to either of them, he didn’t know what he’d do.

Mica moved to attack and Valhalla found himself frozen as Ganymede screamed. This was what he’d been afraid of. Someone had been bound to see. Someone was bound to react, to attack, to defend. Auriga could easily get herself killed, and for what? What would she die for?

There wasn’t much he could do for either of them in the time it took for Mica to reach them, but there was something else in the mix as well. The aura of a Princess was powerful, kind to those of Order, but clearly not so to those who had been corrupted.

It made him sick to his stomach to hear their screams of pain, to see people suffering who didn’t have to suffer. This wasn’t like the ambush when those of Chaos sought to attack them — this was everyone, Order and Chaos alike, being betrayed and tricked and lured in by only one person. Two if the youma was included.

The trident fell at his feet, and Valhalla reached down to pick it up. Ganymede had already thrown herself between Mica, and the corrupt Senshi (Vespa) he didn’t know, and Auriga and Cyllene. He took a step forward, towards the fallen General, and knelt down beside her, her trident still in his hand. There was only a moment of hesitation, a moment to try and think of the consequences of his actions, but that was the only reason he hesitated — for the sake of those around him. In the end, he still did exactly what he’d planned on doing, and reached out to grab firmly onto Mica’s upper arm, pushing himself up from the ground and pulling her up with him.

“Just breathe,” he told her, making sure she was steady on her feet before letting her go and pushing the trident back into her hand. “Get your people out of here. Leave the girl,” he said, reaching down to try and hoist the other corrupted (Vespa) to his feet as well.

He almost missed what happened next, and would have missed it completely had Ganymede not moved against him, and he quickly turned to see what seemed to be the last of Bischofite... only… it wasn’t.

A new youma emerged, drawing on the officer’s final breaths. And just as soon as he’d changed, he was gone — teleported out it seemed. “Let’s get Auriga and go,” he suggested, figuring there was no other purpose to being there any more.

Serpentine is on the bottom floor.

Serpentine hardly minded when a second general (Avalon) amended his orders. Let her get the weaker ones out, while those with true mettle fought to clear the way for them. She was a general. It was her right to choose what path she took. Just as it was his right to choose his, and he had chosen the fight. Of those who joined the fray, one person in particular caught his eye. A particularly cunning Captain (Schorl) used her youma partner to maximum advantage, plunging down at the White Moon forces from the sky. He made note of her face along with her savagery. She should be commended. Others were also fighting, to be sure, far too many for him to make out well especially as the room filled with smoke. It was as though the building itself knew of the potential danger to the city and was trying to collapse upon it in an effort to stave it off.

For his part, he intended to turn his frustration, his anger, and his pain onto the target who had created them. Normally, that target would be Senshi, be they of White Moon or Dark Mirror Court. Not tonight. Tonight, he stood in this battle marred and fractured because of but now it all made sense as to why. Bischofite. Everywhere he went, BIschofite created ugliness. He saw the world and those within it not as it was but as he wanted it to be, and always painted with a dark brush. Even when Serpentine thought he had managed to learn to co-exist with him... it seemed that the other was determined to set them at odds.

The time it had taken to issue his orders and his own fatigue, however, left Serpentine open to attack. So focused was he on reaching the chakram-thrower that he did not see the page enter the room. A wooden ball clacked against the back of his skull, the force enough to make him cry out, but not enough to give much serious injury. Certainly not in comparison to what he had already endured this night. His hand shot through the page's chest without any consideration of how much it would hurt to grab that pulsating, coveted light until his fingers had already grasped their prize. The bandages did nothing to dull the pointed edges of the starseed as he ripped it out and let the page fall to the ground, but it was at least pain with a purpose. It was more than could be said of the other wounds he had received this night.

He was feeling the back of his head for blood when he heard Turquoise calling. He could hardly believe his ears at her speech. Everything was literally falling apart around them, but thank the heavens a mere lieutenant , one too stupid to even play dead properly had managed to escape to tell him about the beautiful rainbow. Oh, and to dare question him about his partner, as though her pale, putrid shadow had any place beside he and Buddingtonite's nightscape. She was the only officer besides the cowardly Senshi (Carnelian) that had thus far managed to so offend him... and now she called to him, to ask him about someone two ranks above her as though they were gossiping biddies sharing lemonade on a porch. It was almost enough to make him break into sardonic laughter. Almost. Instead, he snapped at her through the crystal, not even attempting to hide the utter contempt he felt for her, "Go home, lieutenant. He has no need of you."

Then, for the third time tonight, he burned. By all the gods that ever were, he was so tired of burning. These flames did not bite his hands or lick the air above his head. This fire burnt from within, at his core, but he had no screams left to reward it. All his crying was done. All his speeches made. His throat was swollen to the point of near gagging when he hit his knees, but from this venue he could clearly see that the previously dismissed general had joined a Corrupt Senshi (Persephone) and others, including the Senshi from whom Serpentine had saved him (Thraen) in attacking Bischofite in his stead. Judging from the gaping wound and bloodied sword, this General... one he did not know, but one who he would meet after, had found her strength after all.

Then... it happened.

He had no real emotional reaction to Bischofite's fate. His anger and damaged ego remained the same. What other emotion should he feel? Nothing the misanthrope did was truly surprising after tonight. He had no pity left to give. Bischofite had set up this mad maze and become lost in it. 'It is enough.' No amount of whipping could add to the punishment Bischofite had brought upon himself. The boy had always been a monster. Now, his outside merely reflected his inner self. In a way, it was an improvement. It was at least honest. 'You sought to endure pain, to metamorphasize? Your wish is granted at last, Alois.'

So engrossed was he that he barely had time to register who it was trying to push past him. Fur and tiger stripes were all that caught his eye. Tsui. Bearing the mark of his whip, but currently seeking to push past him without so much as a word. As though it had not all begun with her. As though he did not matter as much as a youma. With a pained growl, he threw his whip around her leg and pulled her down. He was not going to be ignored, denied anymore. If he could finally get his revenge, then perhaps it would fill the holes that had been made inside him.

In the distance, his eye caught sight of Buddingtonite... and he was in the arms of some teal-skirted tart/ His tired brain mentally ran through the roster of those who had been assigned to work under him this night, either at the first stage of the operation or currently. In no particular order, and with no real consideration of whether or not the officers were still within the building, he sent a call out through the crystal for the first three officers that came to mind. His voice may have been throaty, and at times broken down into coughs, but he kept trying until the order came clearly, "Jarosite. Kerberos. Titanlavenite. A Senshi has General Buddingtonite. Detain her... until I come."

He had already lost too much tonight. He would not lose Richard as well. Once he had the other General in hand, he would offer the last of his energy to teleport him and any supporting officer out. No doubt, he too would pass out then.

But at least they would all be safe.

He heard voices, a single voice, one he'd heard before. It whispered against his consciousness as he tried to shove it away. He tried to block it all out and remain where he was, alone in his grief and mourning. Bischofite was gone and in his place was what? His body being used as a puppet, a host, for a youma? he didn't know, couldn't find out, because that Captain had taken him away. He should follow the Captain, and more importantly Bischofite, but he didn't. He was in shock over what had just transpired, over the sudden and extreme loss of the other.

The pressure of someone at his side brought his head up, blond hair a mess as it hung limp in his face, splayed across features distorted by the agony the General was being torn asunder by. Slowly, as if in a trance, he moved his head and turned leaking eyes onto Lellouch, tears still well and a sob was choked out as a shudder rocked his form.

"N-no...please." He didn't want to move, to leave, he would have to go home at some point, to be alone again. True Alois hadn't been living home much anymore. But he still turned up, he was still someone to talk to. Shaking his head slowly he blinked his eyes several times as the smell of smoke entered his nose, which was no easy task given his currant state. "You need to leave...the fire." He didn't know if the roof would hold up or for how long. "Leave." He whispered as he widened his eyes so they pleaded silently with her to listen and flee. It wasn't that he wanted to die, he wasn't suicidal, but he also didn't want to return to nothing and suffer the loss of another person again.

He'd done this before and it had been Alois who had pulled him from the self induced guilt he'd felt for Bazzite, the crippling guilt he'd punished himself with. What now? Alois was gone...who could he turn to. Swallowing thickly the blond haired General turned his attention to the blond haired senshi, the order one who looked like a walking garden. His mind didn't process the words, couldn't and wouldn't, as he sought to work out what the other had just said, the meaning behind those words. Maybe his slate eyes gaze away his lack of currant understanding. But he wouldn't give voice to it, it was pointless right now. "Get out of here...the fire." The place would come down upon them surely.

His attention that was on Lellouch changed and shifted from her to Avalon once more. The red head didn't know when to close her mouth did she? She thought herself better than him, that she could win against him. Perhaps that was what he needed right now? Someone mocking him, thinking they could take him just because he had teleported, summoned his weapon, and was emotionally a wreck. But the anger he held for her, for her actions against Bischofite, rose up within him and drove him to his feet. His gloved hand snatching up his weapon as he snarled in the retreating Generals direction. Slate eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze down to Lellouch. "Go, I have a General to teach a lesson to." And he had ever intention of lashing out at the red haired General. He would see to it that she learned her place, if not tonight than another night. She would learn her place was beneath him.

He didn't like the blond senshi who Avalon was going after, didn't like that one and her powers at all, but he'd be damned if he let her get off speaking the way she did. She was a back stabbing traitor as far as he was concerned, not to mention she'd done this in front of the enemy. As he turned to face her, in a flurry of motion that sent blood stained fabric swirling about him, he threw that spear at her back. "Bleed." The word was no more than a cold, hard, snarl even as tears dried against his skin causing his skin to become uncomfortable, tight, and his eyes ached as a headache started to form.

Get Auriga and go, yes, yes, that seemed like that best option. The only option, really, when the fight seemed over and there was nothing left to do but turn on each other and continue the long, drawn-out, exhausting battle with the Negaverse. The fire had been raging for long enough, and with the power returned emergency personnel were likely soon to arrive. Or the building would collapse from the stress, just like the department store had earlier in the evening, and then they'd all be crushed beneath it.

That was not the end that Ganymede fancied.

She nodded mutely, moved as if she meant to follow Val's suggestion, turning back in Auriga's and Cyllene's direction, too consumed by horror and disgust to chastise Val for so naively returning the General's (Mica's) weapon to her.

Avalon appeared with another corrupt Senshi (Kerberos) who felt just as wrong as Cyllene did, but his corruption came as less of a failure, because Ganymede had not known him before, did not recognize his face enough to feel responsible. Perhaps he'd once been a White Moon Senshi, or perhaps he'd never known what it meant to be what he was.

Ganymede's thoughts were overcome with sights and sounds—pools of blood and wet, rasping breaths. She felt dazed, didn't know where to look. From Avalon to Valhalla, Mica to Auriga, Cyllene, the blue-haired corrupt, the blond corrupt that had bumped into Mica (Vespa). And over Avalon's shoulder she could see Benitoite approaching, his face twisted so strangely, if only because Ganymede had never known him to express that level of emotion.

Avalon spoke to Valhalla, and Ganymede's focus shifted—foolishly, perhaps.

Her eyes were locked with Val's when the hand lodged itself into her chest.

The sounds of battle faded. Thought fled. All she could see was Valhalla's face; all she could hear was the beat of her own heart.

Thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump...

She'd never thought to count the beats before.

There should have been pain. She should have felt terror, denial. If she'd been more prepared, maybe she would have tried to fight. But shock left her frozen. Her attack was just there at the tip of her tongue, one chance left to use at the right time, in the right place, on the right person. Yet she could not utter a sound. A shuddering breath escaped her lips, loud in the sudden silence that seemed to descend upon her.

From far off in the distance, among the stars she could not see, stretching forward from a time long gone, the voices rose to whisper as they so often did on her moon, soft, soothing, calling her soul back home.

'Ganymede... Ganymede... Ganymede...'

Warmth spread through her, from her chest out through her limbs and into her extremities. Something pulsed within her, matching the steady rhythm of her heart. It grew stronger, rose higher.

It could not be contained.

A scream, not of pain or fear, but surprise, defiance, relief. A blinding flash of golden light with Ganymede at its center. For a moment it consumed her, safely encircling her. Then it exploded, as her starseed stubbornly resisted any attempts to pull. Avalon would find herself knocked back from the sudden output of raw energy, her hand forced from Ganymede's chest without its intended prize.

Although Liryn had spotted the Nega-General up ahead up and close to where the youma stood and continued to fiddle with the crystals from back at the plaza, the tabby bobtail couldn't see the him as a candidate for the missing starseed. Nor could he see it of the group consisting of a second Nega-General (Avalon), a corrupt eternal senshi (Persephone) and strangely enough a blond-haired eternal senshi (Thraen) that had vines and plants that appeared to be part of his garb and who all appeared to be standing against the first General.

"We need to keep looking" he said half turning to address the eternal senshi with him, only to realise that the eternal senshi was no longer with him. He started to backtrack his steps as he wondered where the other had got to, a part of him wondering if the other had managed to find the owner of the starseed, but determined not to lose the eternal - not this time - not like at that other warehouse.

And then he finally spotted the eternal and froze as he spotted the corrupted eternal with the maniacal grin (Atë), purplish eyes widening horrified as he took in the scene playing out in front of him.

Was it one moment he stood frozen? Two? Liryn couldn't say, his eyes staring almost fixated on the pair despite the sounds of chaos breaking out behind him and the sounds of someone screaming and then he saw the eternal fall and his fur puffed up in outrage.

How dare she. How DARE she!

Since awakening to himself, Liryn had spent most his time trying to find his senshi - had in fact spent countless nights trying to do so. It had taken poking around in various different places and a lot of hunting, but finally he had managed to find the dark-haired eternal in a burning warehouse, only to lose the other.

But now he had finally managed to find the other, had managed to exchange a few words - even if the situation hadn't exactly the one that he'd been picturing when he'd imagined finally finding his senshi - and now that he finally found the one that he had decided on as his Liryn was not about to let some nasty corrupt senshi get away with stealing their starseed. It was with that thought topmost in his mind that Liryn sprang at the Nega-senshi with an angry yowl, looking more like an puffed up furball than anything intimidating.

His claws were out however and as soon as he got close enough, Liryn took a swipe at her in an attempt to scratch her.

There wasn’t much else to do now that Bischofite was gone and the building would surely crumble with the fire that raged above them. If anything they needed to get out while they could.

And yet… so many things prevented them from doing so.

Valhalla’s looked up as Avalon approached he and Ganymede, not understanding the strange expression on her face. There was another corrupted senshi (Kerberos) with her he’d never met, but at the moment, that didn’t matter. Avalon was in front of him. He’d never had the chance to know her as well as he wished he had, but Babylon cared for her (or at least he had at one point in time…), almost got himself killed because of her.

He opened his mouth to respond, but the General was too quick — she moved in a way he hadn’t expected. Her hand reached for Ganymede and all he could do was stare in horror, his breath caught in his chest as her hand plunged into the woman his life revolved around.

Everything in that moment happened so fast. Avalon was obviously trying to pull her hand from Ganymede’s chest, starseed in tow, but Valhalla wouldn’t just let her. He swung hard, his fist aiming for Avalon’s face, wanting to push her back, to get her away, to stop her from what she was doing…

But a sudden burst of light did the job for him, and he felt himself being thrown off balance. From what, though?

Ganymede?

He stared up at her from where he’d found himself on the ground, unsure of what to think or do. He could see Benitoite approaching as well and quickly pushed himself back to his feet, trying to prepare himself for a fight in order to get Ganymede, Auriga, and himself out alive.

"Don't come any closer," he spat, more out of fear than anger, obviously feeling threatened now that they were seemingly being surrounded, placing himself in front of Ganymede. He had his fists and compass raised, not willing to let anyone have a second shot at her, especially not Avalon.

Auriga is on the third floor!

As a child, Maggie had once been in the car when her mother hit a squirrel. Both had panicked, pulling over to the side and flying over to help -- but it was too late. The tiny legs twisted, something red and sticky oozing out of where its skull had been. Maggie had cried then, cradled against her mother's chest. How could life be so fragile? It was the first time she had truly realized it.

And then, there had been her friend who was killed by Negaverse agents -- a death she had been lucky enough not to see with her own eyes.

This was entirely different. Auriga was unlucky enough to glance over just as Avalon pierced her sword through Bischofite's back. A harsh intake of air brought a sputtering cough to her lips, one that turned to a retching groan when the sword was removed in a spray of blood. Another general appeared -- why were there so many of them -- but this one was crying.

If the situation weren't so dangerous, Auriga might have popped some popcorn and whispered speculations to those within earshot. Unfortunately, she had bitten off a piece too large to chew and hadn't even noticed when Mica nearly killed her. Instead, it was Ganymede's words that snapped her out of it. She stared, almost pouty, up at her and said, "But she's..." The words died on her lips. Valhalla joined in, and suddenly, she felt like she was sitting at the kitchen table being scolded by her parents for swearing on her Twitter page.

Beyond her, that guy who had been dead was suddenly... not? Auriga's experience was so limited that she did not know who Tanzanite was, let alone that it was possible for humans and youma to make halfsies soup. So her natural thought was: "Is he... a corrupt prince?" He had wings. The only things she knew that had big ole wings were princesses like Iris.

Now, she was scared. Auriga disentangled herself from Cyllene, trying to draw closer to the protection of Ganymede and Valhalla. "I don't understand," she said, brows knitted. Her eyes strayed as Avalon began to approach -- the scary one who had killed the other scary one. Auriga visibly shrank back.

Her lips burst into a scream as Avalon shoved her hand into Ganymede's chest. "NO!" she shouted, throwing herself forward. Her fingers barely reached Avalon's wrist before another General attacked her. Auriga clamped her hands over her ears, tears springing to her eyes. "Nononononpleaseno," she breathed, a long word of panic and fear.

Then -- everything was brightness.

Auriga sagged to the ground, groping feebly for something to hold. She found an ankle. Was it Valhalla? Ganymede? Cyllene? Her entire body trembled from head to toe. Blinded and terrified, Auriga bent her head to her knees, essentially bowing at the feet of those around her. And why not? She wanted to help, but she was just a kid. And all of this had been very, very confusing. Maggie might like her plotlines twisted, but Auriga preferred a simple life as a senshi -- and this was anything but.

And now, Ganymede who she had looked up to was maybe hurt or burned or... who was she kidding?

You know nothing, Sailor Auriga (Jon Snow).

Surprise etched itself across his face. He was not expect someone to catch his weapon and yet it had just been caught. Growling he watched the blue haired corrupted senshi bring it back to him and felt like screaming in his face and perhaps even stabbing him with it. Didn't he see what she'd done!The corrupted senshi didn't make it though as that blond, ganymede, did something which threw him off. She blew Avalon back and some bright light escaped her, that was never a good sign.

he would have walked closer, possibly been blasted back himself, if not for Lellouch grabbing him and holding him against her chest. "I can't leave...not until I've spilled her blood. "Didn't she understand? He needed to get back at the other General for all that she'd done tonight. he didn't care what Bischofite had been planning, he'd have yelled at him later when they were alone. Bischofite would have no doubt been scolded for what he'd done, or planned to do, by the higher up's. it wasn't her place to kill him though! She could have left...had everyone leave and taken out that youma behind it all. Did he have to pay with his life and his humanity? Then, then she'd gone and challenged and threatened him. No, he would see her bleeding if he got what he wished for tonight. As much as he wanted to kill Tsui he wanted to cause the other General to bleed.

Wide eyes looked from Ganymede to the knight, who always seemed close to her, and shook his head. "I'm not after your little senshi. I'm after my fellow General." he stated as he turned and nodded his head to Avalon. "She killed Bischofite." And that was serious to him, his voice alone gave that away if his appearance and actions so far hadn't done that enough.

Forget summoning his spear to himself he was going after Avalon and would just beat her with his fists, it sounded like a good way to let his emotions run wild till he collapsed or was carried off, as he suspected Lullouch might do with him at any moment.