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Ever since Kamiko had reached adulthood, hanging out with her had reached a new level of awkwardness for the sparkly kuppy boy. As if his mother's knowing sidelong glances and Missy's eye rolling whenever she spotted the pair together hadn't been enough, he had a blushing reflex he couldn't control--and it had been getting pretty embarrassing. Though Mena had outright asked him why he didn't just confess already, Shimy had given her kitty-daughter a bop on the head and said merely, 'It's different for us magical folk', which seemed more than a bit of an excuse to Eli, but one he had definitely been willing to make use of. Until his sister went and told Kamiko straight out why her brother was acting "weird", which had lead to Kamiko confronting him about it, which had led to...

Well, actually, it had turned out pretty well since he'd found out Kamiko felt the same way about him, but that didn't mean he was letting Noe off the hook. No, he was pretty sure he was still going to kill her.

But it had become painfully obvious to both kuppy boy and Shiba Inu puppy girl that neither of them had any real reference for relationships beyond what they'd read in manga and comic books...and despite Kamiko's assertions that Mena was a good person to ask for relationship advice, Eli was fairly sure his parents' relationship was not one he wanted to emulate himself. Sure they were happy together, but...well, he felt he and Kamiko were certainly different personalities at the very least.

So when Shimy handed him tickets to a Jpop concert in the city, he gratefully took the chance of avoiding planning a first date otherwise. He knew that both of them enjoyed that genre of music, and this group was supposed to be really good...so a nice evening together that didn't require lots of nerve-wracking planning to make the night nice. Now he found himself waiting outside the concert hall, and getting very, very nervous.

((edited for IM-RP compliance))

Eli heard his name and looked up to see Kamiko running over, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "Kamiko-chan! It looks like you didn't have any trouble getting over here~" he said warmly. He himself had dressed in his preferred casual "event" dress--sort of an eclectic mix of aristocrat and traditional formal dress...a frilled white shirt with jabot, a dark violet vest, and black dress pants, along with his ever-present crescent moon pin in his long blond hair. He fished around in his vest pockets before producing their tickets, handing one to Kamiko. "I don't think I've been out to a concert since I was a child," he admitted, looking slightly embarrassed about it.

Somewhere in the event parking, a nondescript looking minivan pulled into a parking spot...

((edited for IM-RP compliance))

Luckily, the folk in the nondescript van were not particularly menacing...simply meddling as usual. "Moi does not see why moi had to come along on this," one hybrid piggy woman complained from inside the minivan's tinted windows.

"Oh, shush you. It's not going to kill you," Mena said, rolling her eyes. As it was practically policy she spy on her children's dates...well, it had been more of a reflex to plot this than any suspicion the kids would be up to no good. It was Kamiko and Eli, for goodness' sakes, all they were going to do was blush at each other all night. Nevertheless, Mena had a reputation to uphold. She really needed to make a better effort to spy on Noe's dates too...though she wasn't sure if that would alienate her daughter, whereas with Eli (and Zane) she was quite confident that even if she was discovered, she could take them.

"It is possible to die of boredom," another voice chirped, and Mena looked into the backseat and into the golden eyes of one of the Cottage's most recent additions--Txori, short for Kira'urre'xori, and apparently a very old friend of Shimy's who had nothing better to do than crash at her house and work at the bakery. Mena had even less idea why she'd come along, though she suspected it might've been on Shimy's suggestion. "But you're not there quite yet, Missy," Txori added helpfully.

"Moi is overjoyed," Missy replied in a flat tone very much to the contrary of her words.

*

"Well, it was more of a classical concert, this will be my first time at an event like this," Eli clarified, with another nervous smile. He blushed at Kamiko's compliment and added, "And you look really pretty, Kamiko-chan." He took her offered hand shyly and looked curiously around at the vendors' wares, and shrugged. "We can always browse and see if something catches our eye?" He was still incredibly nervous, but somehow holding Kamiko's hand in his own helped put at bay some of his fears. They liked one another. They enjoyed the same things. It was going to be okay.

Even though Kamiko may have been oblivious to the others, Eli was busy sending menacing kuppy glares to the poor fools silly enough to vocalize. Eli was really not particularly intimidating, but he'd learned well from his mother that particular Look that almost guaranteed to get anyone to shut up when the Look was turned upon them. His attention occupied with that, it wasn't until Kamiko addressed him that he looked back at her, the glowing blue around her neck also partially back lit her face, really bringing out the subtle colorations of her mask. He realized she'd also asked him a question as she giggled, and opened the palm of his right hand slightly, bringing a handful of sparkles into being around his hand, and blew on them slightly so they scattered around the two of them, gently alighting on both of their clothes. "I'm sparkly enough for the both of us," he said in reply, with a mischievous wink.

*
"Did you feel that? It was subtle, but--"
"Yes. It's not quite the same power, but very similar."
"Too subtle to tell the level. Could be Rose, could be Lily."
"Even a Rose wouldn't be match enough for three of us."
"True enough. Let's let this play out a little further then."

"Ah, it was no trouble--I mean, I'm glad you're here with me as well!" Eli said, fumbling through sentiments though he was clearly sincere. He led Kamiko carefully through the crowds and down the ampitheatre to their seats--they weren't up at the very front, but they were close enough to have a good view of the whole stage and the performers. After squeezing through the aisle, Eli perched on the edge of his seat and checked his pocketwatch. "They should be starting off soon!"

And it was not much longer than a few minutes that the lights began to dim, and the crowds began to grow restless for the performers to appear. As the first spotlight revealed a young woman with blonde hair nearly as long as Eli's dressed in a sparkly red halter turtleneck and slim white jeans, and the others quickly followed in succession--the light revealing two more young women, neither of them older than their mid twenties--another blonde with shorter hair in pigtails, dressed in a sparkly green top and identical white jeans, and a brunette with shoulder length hair and two small pigtails, dressed in a sparkly lavender top and the same white jeans as the others. All three wore headset mics, and waved cheerfully to the cheering crowd.

"Ah, they must be the opening group!" Eli said, scanning the leaflet 'program'. "'Desert Rose', I think?"

After a quick and cute introduction speech (the longer haired blonde was 'Aki', the brunette 'Meli', and the pigtailed blonde 'Mira'), the music began to play...

{LOVE COME DOWN - 0:00-2:18}

Hajimete deatta sono hi kara
Miwaku no hitomi ni yoishirete
image…just keep comin’on

Konna ni koishitara karadagoto
hitotsu ni tokesatte shimaisou
damage…keep me hanging on

Itoshisa no chikara kokoro wa maiagatte
kono sora no hate made
omoi no tsuyosa wo yogoto ni kisoiatte
siroi tori no tsubasa

Furachi na yume wo maiorite
Kimi ni dandan chikaku natteyuku
Karadajuu de ai wo kanadete

Hirogaru hateshinai mirai e
Aoi reimei mune ga itamu hodo
keep movin’on to you
Ai no sekai he
come over…

As the music played on and the girls sung, Eli found himself growing suspiciously drowsy...

Eli yawned as he began to fall forward himself, but recovered when Kamiko tugged on his arm, though he couldn't stop himself from yawning again. "You're right--" he turned around in his seat to eye everyone behind them, and it was the same as Kamiko had observed. The only ones unaffected seemed to be Kamiko-chan and--

The performers.

Eli's eyes widened as he switched over to what he usually playfully termed 'Elti-vision'--letting his Ti'ama Contractee's eyes have a look. Swirls of what could only be energy were leaving everyone around them, headed straight towards the girls on stage who glowed brilliantly, which could mean only one thing. They were Contractors too, 'sacred warriors'. But why they were stealing energy from innocents--he couldn't fathom the reason. "It's those three!" he hissed, jerking his head to indicate the performers who still seemed to be busy singing. "They're magical girls!"

Eli did not like these odds. Even considering he and Kamiko were pretty well trained...there were three of them, and they looked very coordinated. It wasn't going to be an easy fight. But Kamiko was right, they had to do something...

As if breaking out a trance, the singers abruptly stopped singing, and turned as if one to the side aisle Kamiko had been making her way up to them in. The blonde with pigtails cocked her head, and said, very curious, "You're not a Contractor at all, are you?"

"She's not the one we've been sent for then," Meli said dismissively, turning away to survey the rest of the concert hall.

"The one you've been sent for is me!" Eli said, standing up, one hand on his brooch adorning his cravat. "You're Imperials, aren't you?" He hadn't suspected it before he stood, but as the words left his mouth he realized it was the only logical conclusion. "Identify yourselves!"

Aki giggled, a hand over her mouth. "Oh, how sweet~ Though, really, it's only proper to introduce yourself first--but as we outrank you, it's just as well." She eyed the others before producing a compact brooch out of thin air. "Eurus Soul Power, Make Up!"

"Muse Lyric Power, Make Up!" cried Meli.

And last but not least, Mira smirked as she declared, "Miranda Moon Power, Make Up!"

Sparkles filled and surrounded the stage, revealing the three girls in their senshi forms--Eurus' consisted of a long bloodred dress, the skirt in tatters, and an interesting tiara that had pods on the side that opened into a sort of metal flower; Muse's had a shaped overbust corset and fluffy skirt and sleeves, adorned with metal bands; Miranda's resembled a basic greek short chiton, and she carried a flute.

"We are Praetorate; Rose Eurus, Rose Muse, Rose Miranda," Aki/Eurus said, her simple declaration making Eli fear all the more. It had been bad enough to face three Contractors of uncertain rank, but--the Praetorate were the Empress' personal guard. "And we are most curious of your level, little one. Lily? Surely not a Rose..."

"Camellia is my name and rank," Eli said, his hand still clutching his brooch. Etiquette demanded they allow him a chance to transform, but Kamiko was in a precarious position and he had no idea if he could even spare that little time.

"Camellia is not a rank," Miranda said, crossing her arms.

"It is," Muse said, her eyes flickering between her companion and the kuppy boy, "but not one used since the ancient of days, the Empire's founding. It is used for a Ti'ama's first Contractor."

Eurus--the east wind, so likely an elemental wind or air power. Muse probably had to do with music...Miranda perhaps as well, with that flute. Eli's mind tried to work through how to mount a somewhat effective defense at fast speed. The goal here--well, they were here for him, weren't they? The energy stealing deal must have just been to gain attention, especially for senshi of their level. If he retreated to more neutral or even favorable ground for himself, they'd follow.

"We're going to slowly head for the Cottage--leave Eurus for me, the other two should be sound-based so just plug your ears," Eli muttered, before shooting her an encouraging smile. "I'm going to henshin now--go, while they watch me." Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Camellia Crisis Power, Make Up!"

"'Crisis'," Eurus noted, with a mysterious smirk.

"It's a kristi'os phrase," Muse warned.

"If he was one of the Blessed, we'd have heard long before now," Eurus said, with a shrug. "Besides, it isn't as if the Empress hasn't defeated a kristi'os before..."

"The kristi'os just managed to fry a third of our continent before she died," Miranda muttered.