Welcome to Gaia! ::

For the moment, they had a small clear space, it wouldn't last long, but it was enough for him to be distracted as she tugged at his costume to get his attention - as though her yelling up at him and calling him a mountain man wouldn't have done so on it's own.

She was so small.

"Our magic hurts them more together, so we wait for a big group again, and then we will hit them." He could use his attack once more without taxing himself, and there was always hand-to-hand. But what of her? How well would she fare avoiding the sludge creatures until they could get a tactically useful set up again - at least, without his using her as bait, which he was not going to do.

Ideally, he could just pick her up and keep her with him until opportunity presented itself. Realistically a big fellow like himself picking up a little girl was just asking for trouble. Fighting some distance away was a single senshi he did recognize: Ida. She was busy with her own small army of Blight creatures - there were many fewer than there had been on planet Ida. A smaller infestation perhaps?

Or they'd caught it sooner?

Aue lifted and threw a sludge creature against a piece of ruin, grunting in satisfaction as it struck with very solid thunk.

Other voices, more senshi had arrived it seemed! A smaller one and a male senshi, neither of whom she knew. She knew none of these people but that was fine, no doubt there would be time for that later.

Hearing Ida's voice calling to them, trying to get them to move to her point and that of the other small senshi (just how many chibi senshi where there in this war?), Lacrimosa didn't need to be told twice and made her way over. It hadn't been easy, having to fight her way through a little just to make her way to the orchid senshi.

She didn't like the feel of physically taking these things down, rubbery and goopy, she was sure she would need to shower when she got home just to remove the lingering grossness. But it had to be done and magic could only be used sparringly since it had only so many times it could be used.

"What are these things?" she couldn't help but ask once she reached Ida, disposing of another blight creature in the process. "I've not seen anything like these before."

"Follow close to me, I will clear path to others. It is better to work as group." Another of the gooey blight monsters fell apart with a wet glorp as the senshi of lemons pulled a small, pointed puukko from sub-space and used it to stab through the vile creature and tear it in half. As black ichor oozed down his right arm, he turned towards Mimosa once more, "Come, we go."

Ida was calling them closer, the tactical side of her brain having latched onto the same idea: group up, watch each other's backs, attack outward.

Particles of monster dust marked their progress, each creature downed wetly soon became dry, brittle as ash - disintegrating and being carried of as though some magical breeze wished to whisk away all evidence of their very existence. Perhaps Tachibana itself was doing some housekeeping? The whole magical bullshit busines was weird and Aue refused to dwell on useless things when he was busy ramming his broad shoulders into tar-monsters, chopping them up, or otherwise causing the aforementioned beings issues.

"To the centre--" He had done all he could manage for Mimosa, really - the rest was up to her. Throwing her bulbs once they had joined the others would be grand, since the activation with Aue's own magic made it that much more effective. He did wonder though, that the young one's magic seemed to be mostly...distracting. Why in the hell would on allow children in battle and then give them sparkles? It was suicide.

"Perkele--" Aue picked up and threw one of the monsters into some of its friends, knocking them down in a rather comical manner though he did not even crack a smile.

War was grim business after all.

Mimosa didn't know how to feel being put in the middle but it was what it was and she was surrounded by older senshi and she kept throwing bulbs like Aue said because she just wanted to help.

"Can we sense it too?" She asked as if she could tell on the planet or something, but all she felt was nervous and annoyed and possibly scared.

There was no time to follow the chibi senshi as she ran off. Ida's hands, curled into fists, beat back the hulking dark forms of the Blight with the others, standing firmly between them and the door Tachibana had disappeared through.

She wanted to go after her, her heart ached to be there to protect and help... but she knew her eternal strength was better used here, to protect all of them. It was hard to trust the younger senshi's own strength, but she forced herself to let her go, to let her be the one to find the source of the Wrongness they all felt.

This isn't my planet and everyone has to stand on their own two feet. She thought, even as she wanted to protest it.

"Aue, Behind you!" She called as she knocked another away with a shove of her shoulder. She stumbled back and behind her heard a young voice calling out.

Tachibana had found it. Ida risked a glance back over a shoulder, but all she saw was the open door way. Another swing from a beast knocked her aside and brought her back to the present, rolling up onto her feet again with her fists up. Her side ached, but it wasn't important, not right now.

"Destroy it!" She called back, puffing with exertion and dark hair falling into her face.

Mimosa continued offering bulbs to help take out large swaths of enemies when they gathered en masse, and Aue was perfectly happy to use the chibi senshi's magic to help bolster his own into being even more effective to give the other child - Tachibana? - a better chance of making the whole production come to an end.

Because it wouldn't. Until the planet had been purified of the Blight things, as Ida's had been. An unfortunate waste... Again and again, he put military training to use against their oily opponents, turning only enough to check that the kids in the center were still unharmed.

Doing so went against his training and left him open to attack. It was stupid, but they were kids. Thoroughly unsuited and unprepared for what their planets and this magic kept asking of them where he knew, understood, and could take measured risks. Ida's warning gave Aue enough time to take a solid strike at an angle instead of fully from behind, mitigating much of the potential damage but still leaving a large tear in his costume and a red welt that would no doubt become a spectacular bruise along his right side.

Aue couldn't see Tachibana, but he picked up the sound of a thin, reedy voice saying 'Get off my planet!' as he and the others continued to hold the line. Moments later came an ululating cry the likes of which he'd only heard once before, on Ida. It's done. They'll dissipate now... Before all their eyes, that very thing happened: each remaining creature let loose a pained cry and became as smoke, disappearing as though there had been no battle to cause the planet Tachibana to call for reinforcements. Only the dirty, disheveled senshi left standing about told the story of what happened.

"Are there injured?" Fifteen feet away, Aue's Puukko reappeared from a fading Blight monster, chipped but intact. He went to fetch it, crouching to retrieve the item instead of bending to avoid further damaging already tender ribs. Triage the wounded. Clean up whatever is left of these monsters. Go home. Mechanically the senshi of lemons returned his blade to subspace, rose, and returned to the others while contemplating the next steps that should be taken and wondering which ones would be.

Senshi were not a military operation, after all.

"Ida-nee!" Tachibana said happy to see the older woman was ok. She ran up to her hugging her. "Yeah I'm ok." Aside from scuffed up hands from the rock she had managed to avoid injury. "What was all of that? Why was it here?" She had so many questions. Was this normal? Did it mean her planet was dangerous?

Still all of her question could wait, Ida was right they should check on the others. As they made there ways back to the others no one appeared too hurt thankfully. Remembering her manners Tachibanna bowed deeply to the gathered senshi. "Thank you everyone for helping me and my planet." She said in her best polite voice.