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Mintaka blinked as Sarras explained his plan, nodding her head. She hadn't thought of using her fellow order as decoys...but to be honest, she wasn't much of a action type of girl. She hissed when she saw Megrez strut up, even join the fray.

It was hard not to rush to the other senshi's aid. Sarras was on the move and Mintaka followed after just in case. She could help only one person at a time after all.

"Tell me what I can do for you." Was all she said.

As if the task he was committing too wasn't hard enough, the sound of a familiar voice shot through the air and it cut his laughter short. A cold and sharp dagger of fear made its way into his heart at the sound of that voice and without removing his hand, he looked towards the speaker, not too surprised (but not entirely pleased) to see Eternal Ganymede standing there. It was hard to ignore her presence and it had little to do with her threats and the memories of that devastating attack she once inflicted upon him. No, there was something different about her, something sickening, vomitting rainbows sweet about her, and like hell he could figure it out. Had she changed, or were the pain meds causing his brain matter to drip down his sinuses and puddle into his mouth?

No, he tasted that before. It was metallic. Not sweet, not like this. So no crack in his cranium was causing this strange feeling when he looked at her, meaning it was something she was doing. Once he accessed that much, he took in her words and sneered, hiding his blatant fear as he kept his hand firmly in its place, as though to defy her. He was a General of the Negaverse now... he had no need for a boogyman, no matter how attractive she appeared, or sweet she felt to his senses... no matter how much those flames of hers caused him to writhe and scream. He would not give Jade up to her, or anyone. "Last I checked, you weren't my mother, little lady... I've sworn off children, you know- just for you... figured you'd be happy!"

But she wouldn't. He could only hope that the minute he pulled the seed, he could teleport himself and Jade to a safer place and then lure the incoming mob of senshi and knight away from both Jade and the rest of the city. The problem with that was that his window was getting smaller and smaller by the second, and there was only so much acting he could do when the walls were beginning to crumble around him. There were knights and eternal senshi gathering in one area and conversing among themselves, among them was a familiar face, Lyceum. He could see the look on her face from this angle and he knew it all too well... like Dallol, she had seen his true nature, and any chance he had in winning her over was lost. She could have been a valuable asset, but there was little time to lament his decision. He had his orders, and he would follow them... he had lost Dallol this way and lived, and surely he could survive losing Lyceum. "I'm sorry, my dear... you would have looked beautiful in black, too."

More knights and senshi gathered and spoke among themselves, which means they were planning something, and he took a moment to whisper to Jade once more, unable to see the distress he was causing her, blind to just how far he had taken this ploy. She would hold this against him and he'd imagine having to explain all of this to her later, he just had to make sure that there'd be a later. "Now, please, play dead. Play really, really dead!"

Would she listen? Would she understand? He couldn't tell, and his attention was drawn to the small Guardian cat that approached him. For a moment he nearly panicked- HOW did she make it past Serpentine? A quick glance downward would see that the general had his hands full, though honestly what did it matter how she broke past the defenses? He recognized her from the recent ambush, even before she had addressed him, and he kept his hand still, not withdrawing but refusing to release his hold on her as she pleaded with him. Despite the dangers of the situation, she had approached him and begged to be traded... he remembered her hospitality, and that made matters all the more difficult when she transformed before him. There was a part of him that wanted to consider it, and slowly, that part was taking over. His hand was beginning to recede, and he dropped his voice so that she could be the only one to hear him. Only Cora and Jade could be allowed to hear this... otherwise... "Perhaps... but only if you can promise me that not a single senshi, knight, or chibi touches this one... promise me that, and-"

Splat.

Something hit his face. Something not too hard but enough to leave a sting, and the gooey, cold liquidy center splashed against his face, and without once looking away from Cora, he knew what it was. That smell was familiar to him and he used it often in his candy store. It was an egg.

Someone had thrown an egg at his face.

Someone had the nerve to throw an egg at his face.

And Cora... sweet, adorable, self-sacrificing Cora... was she not the perfect distraction to him?

"Rude..." Buddingtonite snarled, forgetting that there was a guardian cat before him. His mind came reeling back to the situation at hand. Jade had suffered long enough, and he would not tolerate a second offense! Finally, he pulled his hand free in a fluent, but violent motion, giving him enough time to place the old senshi starseed in his bandaged hand. Like a conductor motioning for the final note to end, he held his hand up, fist curled so tightly as to hide the precious gem that was inside. He released his hold on Jade and hoped she would fall limp, and with both arms free, one held the starseed he had just plucked from his hostage, and the other reached for a new hostage, grabbing the capelet that had once kept him from bleeding to death and lifting her into the air. Gra remained firmly attached to his side but had salivated at the sight of the starseed's luster, and Buddingtonite shouted to the crowd around him, raw egg dripping from his face as pure venom dripped from his lips. "You want a favor? Well, I didn't want to kill my hostage - get used to disappointment!"

And with the strength bestowed upon him by the dark gift, he hurled both over the edge. The first was the starseed, taking only a moment to aim it at the one that demanded proof, and then Cora, throwing her up and over and not caring that she'd land between two combatants. As far as he was concerned, he was doing her a favor by not reaching for her starseed, and though succumbed with embarrassment and anger, he could not forget that he needed to get Jade out of here, and he turned his back...

A mistake, given the heartless act he had just committed to the senshi and knights in the crowd...





Sarras was slowly making his move, grateful for the arrival of other allies as they all seemed to be doing a great job in keeping the loudmouth distracted. He had to had it to the senshi that accompanied him, as he knew himself to be a difficult person to deal with, but he admired anyone that was willing to play a part, even if they might not have known what that part was. He whispered back to her, keeping close to her as they made it to the building next to the sign that Buddingtonite preened. "If you got any magic, you'd better use it. I got nothin' but my fists and this dinky little cup... but don't worry, I'll try an' draw his attention if we get caught. You can take care of the-"

Someone made a movement in the crowd and Sarras watched as another senshi braved a strike against the general, this time throwing an egg directly at the officer's face. To his great amusement and surprise it hit, but there was no time to celebrate. Sarras had spotted the strange cat-human hybrid that was talking to the general too late, and when the egg hit his mark, whatever good she was trying to do was wasted. He watched, dumbfounded, as he ripped the starseed from Jade's body, and then threw both into the crowd below.

"Shi... NO!" Any thought of strategy left his mind and even Mintaka was threatened to be left in the dust, as the Cosmos page ran forward, jumping onto the sign and charging directly for the rose-clad general. What had he done to Jade? What would he tell Richard? He'd tell him he'd avenge her... because he was going to strangle the life out of this officer! "YOU SON OF A b***h!"

The wrist slipping through her grip was something of a frustration for Cinnabar, since she was very sure anyone who didn't have senshi speed would have been pinned to the ground by now and effectively subdued... It made her frown deepen as she spun backwards, anticipating a return blow and rolling with it to lessen the damage. It still hurt like hell though, the air wooshing out of her lungs as she danced back a bit, putting some space between her and the eternal senshi. The world around them faded to a grey blur for the lieutenant, unimportant compared with what was in front of her.

"Maybe you can play, white moon whore, but you're going to loose." Cinnabar bit out when she could draw breath, a feral smile pulling her lips back from her teeth. Then she was rushing the senshi again, feinting one way before she lashed out from the other. Every motion was smooth, economic, and designed to disarm and disable. There was no flash, no wasted energy.... Cinnabar meant business.

But then... there was a starseed being flung their way and the lieutenant jerked back instinctively, her eyes widening.

Mintaka's eyes widened as Sarras took a double turn and headed straight for the negaverser that had pulled the starseed out of one of the hostages. It wasn't hard to deduce that he was reacting specifically to the hostage, which meant the girl probably actually meant something to him.

Megrez's hit only fueled the fire around them, and Mintaka was unsure of which way to go, conflict and chaos every where.

"Hey....Hey Sarras!" Mintaka moved just as quickly, unwilling to leave his side should either of the two face danger. "Magic...Magic...." She fumbled her hands together, and the closer she got to the general, the more her hands shook. "Get it together." She gruffed at herself before opening her arms wide, just in the range of the general and Sarras. Whether this was beneficial to either of them was a different matter.

"Origami Flurry." She called out. At first she didn't think it worked, because she couldn't see well in the dark, but soon enough small white shapes started to appear, like the first fall of snow over Buddingtonite. Soon enough, he would be encompassed in a steady fall of white cranes, paper stars. Thick enough not to see through. It was a 15 second time frame for Sarras, as that was the only magic she had.

The contact of whip to flesh was as sastifying as cutting into a medium-rare steak and finding it perfectly cooked. Hatred was Serpentine's old friend, even if it blinded him to the goings on around him. His chest burnt from whatever magic had struck him, but he would have to see if there was a mark after the battle ended. As it was, his golden eyes followed the glowing Senshi (Astarte), but before he could make another strike... his single mindedness was taken advantage of. He had been prepared to make sure one agent was well (Erythrite) but now another came flying at him! This time it was one who openly displayed Negaverse alleigance, and a Senshi to boot (Kerberos), The force of contact made the General fall to the roof with an angered snarl, but he soon pushed himself to his feet. He turned to see if the officer had ben harmed, more to assess for tactics than any true concern when he saw it.

Buddingtonite. Surrounded by Eternals. Dripping what looked like literal egg from his face. Throwing a Guardian Cat into the crowd. Hatred and fury welled up within the General. It had been his duty to protect his partner, his friend, during this assault. They were the leaders of this band of officers, the ones that they should naturally look to as an example... and these sorcerers, these irritating, infuriating, nauseating peons of Order and Dark Mirror were making them look like fools. It was the worst possible insult that could be received, and he would make them suffer. They would all suffer!

Serpentine bit down hard on his lower lip to keep himself focused. The coopery taste of blood was enough to momentarily distract him from his rage, to satisfy his sudden need for violence. It could not be allowed to continue this way. Now was the time to prove why the rank had been given him. Taking advantage of this window, he spoke directly into his Communications Crystal, hailing all Chaos agents at once as he growled, "Agents - seek the ground, away from the smoke and flame. Regroup. Protect your own; seek medical attention if hurt. Kill as needed."

Orders given, he glanced back to see Senshi (Mintaka) and a cream puff page (Sarras) surrounding his partner and pelting him with... something white? The overwhelming sense of malice, termporarily set at bay, now once again took control. He teleported the distance between them and aimed a punch squarely for the back of the Page's head. NO ONE was going to hurt Buddingtonite anymore.

Not if he had anything to say about it.



[OOC Note: Quoting all Chaos members because he spoke into his Communications Crystal. You do NOT have to obey his orders unless you want to - I know people are caught up in other actions/may have other stuff come up! <3

Serpentine is also open to attack!]

A small horde of powerful Order signatures--maybe, it could just be a lot of low-level senshi and knights, Gunn was notoriously s**t at telling the difference--appeared not too far away and irritation sprung up like acid reflux in her gut, because of course they were going to stop and talk about it. The White Moon was notoriously talky. She didn't miss the Blood Moon as much as she missed the synergy of a unit, of knowing exactly where her peers were and what they were going to do. Being able to depend on her status as the Inner Sanctum Special Operations leader to call others to rally, that had been so convenient. She didn't have it now, and that sucked, but it wasn't going to stop her. She would not let herself be stopped.

Buddingtonite yelled, and Gunn's attention was yanked towards him. He had egg on his face, and if Gunn had had a moment, she would have yelled out a congratulations for that hint of Megrez's good aim. The sudden gut punch of a humanoid guardian cat was something that Gunn resolved to shrug off, instead focusing on her most immediate threat--the black-clad lieutenant. She had no intention of getting her a** kicked by a first-level child. She hopped backwards neatly, an Eternal's speed and agility providing her the upper hand--whether she needed it or not, Gunn did not believe in honorable combat, only in crushing the darkness that Chaos represented.

But there was something flying her way, and Gunn reached out to catch the flying starseed. The light within had already faded, as far as she could tell in the half-light of the still-standing floodlight and her own flames. It was a senshi starseed, for sure, even if she couldn't sense any radiance from within it. In her hand, it was unsettlingly cold.

She couldn't be sure the senshi starseed came from the captive, but she also couldn't be sure it hadn't. Gunn tucked the starseed into her bodice, where it ought to be safe from too much accidental damage. She didn't intend to allow Cinnabar any body shots, but everyone got lucky sometimes.

What she needed to do was get to where she thought the possible senshi's body might be. The coolness of the starseed was even more worrying, pressed against her breastbone like that. "Europa stop ******** around up there what are you doing," she shouted. She had to get attention off the lurking senshi, maybe then they'd actually commit to something more than stupid banter. Judging by the reactions she'd observed so far, the Negaverse would change tactics to protect a comrade. So, she'd play that up.

Gunn charged Cinnabar, skipping the niceties of attempting a body-shot by aiming a full slice of the clock to the left of her. It was a spur-of-the-moment attempt to clothesline the Lieutenant. They were of equal size, and Gunn's arm was at the perfect height to snap tight around Cinnabar's throat and, hopefully, lock her in a stranglehold.

If that didn't attract attention, she figured, nothing would.

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ChibiGingi

mention

Bluefire Dragonz

attackkkk

Silverah

stop screwin around europaaaa

To call this a ******** felt like an understatement. Fire. People fighting. Hostages. Themiscyra had hung back after she'd hit the rooftop, pausing to stare dumbfounded at the scene. Pausing to catch the arm of the other Page with her, eyes bright in the fire light. "Just stay on the sides for this. You're already hurt." Referring to his hands. Referring to how she'd found him in the first place. Walking home as Danika, spotting the familiar Jedi-garbbed knight tucked away in one of the smaller parks. She'd thought it was hilarious, sneaking up on him as a civilian, as just any other person who happened to spot someone walking around in a "costume." Wanted to have some fun with that, tease him and laugh. Till she saw what he was doing. The damage to the tree trunk. The worse damage to his hands.

Danika hadn't bothered to hide when her brain caught up and she'd bolted from the limited foliage she'd been lurking behind, yelling at him as she'd gone. Idiot! What the ********>? Perhaps the only thing that'd saved him from the young woman bitching him out, still in her non-powered state, was the blackout. She'd stored away her raging for the moment, and Themiscyra didn't let him out of her sight for a moment after that point. Gritting her teeth the whole time they'd been en route to the collection of energies.

In fact, as she stood atop that roof, nails biting into her palms, she spotted Valhalla without much difficulty--they'd managed to hit the section of the roof near the knight, and a few other semi familiar faces. Casting a sharp look to Ashur, she stormed towards the Knight. "Lovely ******** evening this is," she snarled in what one might strain to call a "greeting" to Valhalla, giving a quick nod to Ganymede--then doing a small double-take, frowning a little at the other woman before shaking her head. Something felt off, but then, this whole evening did.

Didn't bother asking what the situation was--she could see the fighting, see how some Negas were holding onto civilians. All in the middle of a freaking blackout. "Anyone have a plan--"

Her words cut short, attention turning to focus directly on one figure. Blue and black. Themiscyra's hackles raised. The smoke helped to mask the most of him, but now and then she'd see his figure clear enough to confirm her hunch. She didn't bother trying to talk to anyone else. Didn't try to return her attention to that idea of a plan. She was burning for a fight, to swing and punch and her attention was riveted to one of the agents she'd had the pleasure of going up against. Jarosite. This was a damn lovely evening indeed.

Round two, ding ding.

Themiscyra bolted into the smoke, trying to keep her sandals from making too much noise, but sure her own energy signature was a dead give away. Didn't keep her from trying to land a fist to him as she charged the Captain.

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_ p a o cx

So someone's in the dog house. And she's a hypocrite.

Guine

HI AND BYE~

Sunshine Alouette

Brief mention?

the_scowling_cat

Snagging 8B

"The <********> is going on here?" The Senshi of Treachery was seething, moving quickly towards one of the few familiar faces he could spot there on the burning and crowded rooftop. Varuna, senshi though she may be, and someone he'd only spoken to briefly, was still more familiar to him than the other players on the field.

He'd been curious what the collection of auras was about--he could feel a bit of everything gathered up there--and had gone to take a peek. Not that he'd expected to see fires, or what looked like a bad mob film hostage scene. So he'd gone straight for the white and blue girl, giving a quick glance to the surroundings with a rather open look of disgust. "Am I the only one feeling like there should be cameras every which way?" Of course, there might have been a bit of a longing on his part to have his cell on him and catch some footage of this. Would have been fun to use in a few projects.

Pale eyes were already scanning, trying to get a better grasp of whom was where--or rather what was where. Maybe try to grasp who was doing what. But he could spot a few potential targets for his magic, if the Negaverse lot really did start killing off the hostages. Stealing energy was one thing. A life? Total other story.

--Did... one just... do that? He felt the blood drain from his face. The ******** was all this?

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Guine

Idk where they are. But he's now next to her hi.

It was chaos. Literally.

Bethany Wyatt was content to just remain in her dorms and read by candle light when the electricity in the city went out. After all it was one of the biggest perks about being such an avid reader- one didn't need electricity to get lost in a good book. All she needed to do was keep the candle in a safe spot and maybe get a breeze going in her room, and it was then that she realized that something was going on in the city. She opened the window and could hear a commotion in the distance, and the smell of smoke hit her nose. Something big was happening to her beloved city, and what kind of person would she be if she stood by and did nothing.

It didn't take long to power up, but it did take awhile to move into position. From her dorm window, Sailor Canopus, Dark Mirror Senshi of Longevity, had to make a wild guess exactly where that action was before traversing through the mirror, and when she arrived, she was still a few streets away from the action. The amount of order signatures outnumbered the Chaos, but only one of those Chaos signatures registered as an ally in need to her. The rest? Distinctly Negaverse, and perhaps it was some of her bitter feelings from the last encounter flowing over, but she held no love for the Negaverse.

The sight of Leto being struck down tore at her mind, but the sight of Avior's injuries, injuries he sustained while protecting her... that made her blood boil and her heart beat with a ferocity of a raging bull, and that's what drove her towards the chaos. That, and the smoke from the flames... if the Negaverse was there, then she knew that they were up to no good, and that no one was safe, Dark Mirror, White Moon, knights or the poor civilians caught in the confusion.

Whatever the Negaverse was planning, she'd foil it.

She was happy to see Chariklo in the fight, and the sight of her launching her attack against a Corrupted senshi certainly confirmed that the vengeance in her heart was justified. There was no love for the Negaverse in her heart... not at this very moment. There could be none... after what they did to her princess and Avior, she would not even humor the notion.

Without once thinking of how strange it might have been, Canopus approached the closest knight she could see, an Earth squire, and without once introducing herself, she pressed him for action. "We should act to protect the civilians here, shouldn't we? Do you need help? I think I can offer you protection, if you'll have me...?"





Alright, so it was an incredibly stupid thing that Sarras did, rushing out like that and letting his anger get the better of him. As he drew closer to the general, he had remembered just how much of a difference in power and strength that existed between himself, a page, verses a general of the Negaverse. He was thicker than this officer, even with his daintly little outfit, but his aura was dark and potent, maybe even more so after such a barbaric act. He was going for a punch, slowing down with his approach even as the Negaverse general was engulfed in a sea of origami. No doubt where those origami came from, and he had slowed down, just long enough to flash her a thumbs up-

But also, enough time for the snake-like general to get the sucker punch in, before he could even make it to Buddingtonite. Sarras let out a pained grunt and went tumbling down, just short of the flailing general, even further from Jade. He glared back at the one that struck him down, too angry to care how foolish of a move this all was, but not so that he could ignore the way he saw double of the general and how they danced. "I'll make sure you pay for that!"





All Buddingtonite wanted to do was grab Jade and teleport both of them out of there, before the walls crumbled down and threatened to crush them both. The wolves were well on their way and he would gladly expose his throat to them, but only if Jade was safe. It was such a simple task, and yet it was foiled when he heard a shout that sounded like a battle cry, and seconds later, he found himself engulfed in a sea of fluttering white... origami paper?

"Are you ******** serious?!" Buddingtonite shouted, looking around and trying to find the culprit but unable to see beyond the attack. He began to swing his arms around and try to free himself from their nuisance, ignoring the youma that hissed and gurgled angrily at the approaching senshi and almost slipping in the puddle of saliva that had gathered at his feet. "Oh when I get my hands on you, I'll throttle your pretty little neck!"

He was caught in a sea of origami and vulnerable, a precarious position for a Negaverse general.