Scene #2506: Mirrorhearts

Owner	Pose
Elodie Vautrin	Whoever described the notion that girls going to the bathroom in packs was a fundamental law of the universe was probably not far off the mark. The end of the school day was almost here, just one last slog to go between now and freedom. One more stint in home room. The bathroom Ikiko and Amy found themselves in was in initially swarmed. Girls laughing, sharing gossip -- even a little bullying. But just a little. This is Radiant Heart, after all, and the sheer amount of do-gooders and the intensity of ... let's say ... it's school spirit an anti-bullying techniques (otherwise known as 'Mahou Anti-Bully Fist') see to that being highly limited. As the bathroom clears out leaving them a moment to finish freshening up, the sounds in the school dim and grow peaceful. Just the distant, muted sounds of learning.
Ikiko Hisakata	Ikiko is busy washing up her hands after an incident in art class. While smocks were involved (and, indeed, were quite instrumental in minimizing the scope of the mess), ''hands'' weren't as well protected, and scrubbing off the paint takes a certain amount of time. "I just hope those three settle their prank war before the end of the weekend," she sighs, using a thumbnail to scrape at a particularly stubborn bit of paint on her other hand. "Or at least keep it out of class."
Amy Faust	Girls go to the bathroom in packs in case of random encounters. That joke, for some reason, embedded itself in Amy's brain long ago; She thinks she read it on a web page in the early 2000s, perhaps in someone's snarky FFX-2 review, but she can't be sure because the internet archive doesn't go back that far and the webpage is lost to time. But that memory surfaces in her brain whenever she goes in a group. She is not sure what exactly it means to 'freshen up' and at this point it's too awkward to ask; but after washing her hands of paint, seeing herself in the mirror reminds her to run her fingers through her hair to straighten some out-of-place strands. Did school bathrooms always have mirrors? She honestly can't remember, which she supposes is an indication of just how much she used to avoid looking in them. "Mmh." The redhead grunts vague assent at Ikiko's words. "I mean... I guess it's a little inconvenient, but..." She sighs. "It's better they get the chance, right? To be silly. Better here than getting in trouble at work... If they even get the chance. Terrible magical things could happen and with the veil they couldn't even see them coming..." Amy blinks and shakes her head. "Ah, sorry, just... it's been... it's been a wild time recently." She says, trying to talk lightly about serious things.
Elodie Vautrin	There are a lot of default assumptions one learns to rely on about the world manifested in various axioms that are learned over the course of on (or two if you're Amy) lifetimes. What goes up must come down. The sun sets in the west. The tide rolls in. Your reflection moves when you do. But if that's so, why is the image in the mirror frozen and unmoving like a picture painted in glass?
Ikiko Hisakata	There's a nod to the wisdom Amy is saying as Ikiko glances over to the older girl, then Ikiko does a doubletake as she glances in the mirror while turning her focus back to her paint-spattered hands. "Well, ''that's'' different," she murmured with a slight frown, mildly concerned but not worried. Not yet, anyway. Keeping her eyes on the frozen image, Ikiko pulls out one of her silk handkerchiefs and loosely wraps it around her pointer finger, then cautiously reaches out to boop the nose of her reflection. "Amy-chan, I'm busy watching this, so I need you to look around," the young girl says, still keeping her eyes on the mirror and silently counting the reflections. "How many people are ''actually'' in the room right now?"
Amy Faust	Amy is finger-combing her hair when her reflection... stops. Which is a strange sensation. Because her mind starts to go through the process of 'the video/stream/computer froze' and for the briefest moment she reflexively wants to reach for the keyboard to check if the system is responding but then the rest of her brain catches up noting this is a ''mirror'' And ''mirrors'' do not freeze. Unless... "Ohhhhh no." Amy glances to check that her ring is still on her ''left'' finger so ''she's'' not the reflection, but then Ikiko asks, so Amy ''does'' dare look away from the mirror, trusting the other girl to watch the 'reflections' while she checks for other people in the room -- and again, if the room has been mirrored suggesting they got swapped into the mirror somehow. If she doesn't see such... after replying, "No one else," she flings a little water at the mirror in front of her to see if it goes through, or hits glass.
Elodie Vautrin	Fortunately, they do not appear to have been swapped into the mirror, at least by Amy's reckoning on the subject. The bathroom also appears empty but for them. The surface of the mirror, however, changes, fading into a silvery-white sheen whose surface seems almost liquid rather than solid, beginning to ripple with disturbances like rain drops striking still waters. It accelerates and then... The surface seems to stretch outwards, like something on the other side of it is pushing out... ...which might bring to mind another oft-spoken axiom, though one mythological portent: beware mirrors, as they are often also doorways.
Ikiko Hisakata	"I guess entities can't move through mirrors while images move across them," Ikiko remarks as she carefully backs up towards the door to the hall. There doesn't seem to be any indication as to whether the thing approaching is hostile or not, or even how many are coming... but being closer to the exit means more options for more scenarios, which means fewer chances of being stuck in a precarious situation. She just hopes, for whoever's sake, that what's needed is a friendly 'hello', and ''not'' a crash net to avoid careening into the stalls.
Amy Faust	Amy steps ''back'' as the mirror changes appearance. She'd poke it with a stick but she doesn't have one. Damn skirts' lack of cargo pockets! (But they'd mess up the look, ugggh...) She'd always have had a pencil on her before... So instead she steps back, quickly, moving to stand with Ikiko. "Huh. That's an interesting theory." Amy answers Ikiko. "Uhhh, anybody there? Are you a weird monster or a visitor from another world or are you ''us'' from the mirror dimension, or...?"
Elodie Vautrin	The mirror's surface extends around that bulge, a silver glow brightening further into a cold, wet shimmering that flows. With a sound like ice straining and then cracking under pressure, that bulge snaps forward-out violently, but sluggishly, like something one is not meant to cross. A shape slips thorugh. First, a human hand, or near enough to be unsettling given the circumstances. The hand grasps the frame's edge like it's a lifeline before that hand is followed by a humanoid shape. Face first, pale hair falling around a face in damp curls, streaked with grime and faintly glinting. She pushes her way through with a grimace, half-falling out onto a wobbly leg while she half-turns back towards the mirror she's emerging from, giving a sharp yank to something that was ... stuck ...behind her, that she was still holding with her still submerged arm, long, silvery-white drill curls clinging to her back and heavy with sweat, and wearing a dress that might have been opaline white at one time and elegant in its beauty, but now it's a tattered, dirty, blood-stained, grimy mess of a thing. Still, there remains a certain tragic dignity to it even beneath all the damage. Her arm remains in the mirror's surface and she gives a sharp yank to something on the other side, pulling through half of something bundled in hastily tied together with twine paper wrapping, covered in bleeding ink and water warped corners. Another yank. A glance over her shoulder. There are two girls. Standing there. Staring. She can't help but smile at the ridiculousness of the situation and then she speaks. "Un peu d'aide ici, s'il vous plait?" That is definitely not Japanese, obviously, but it is at least an earthly language.
Amy Faust	Amy sure is staring, trying to figure out if this is a youma of some kind, but... somehow... it doesn't really seem like it? If there was any doubt, it--she--speaks: <Words Amy doesn't know> if you please? "Uhhh... [Parlay mwa frahnsay nan?]" Amy tries to say, in broken French, that she doesn't speak French. Then she asks: [Do you speak English? Ahnta wa neehoengo ga wakarimuska? Sprechen see doytch? Ahblas espanyol?]" That's every language she knows even a little bit of.
Ikiko Hisakata	Ikiko blinks at the two arrivals, then blinks at Amy's attempt to communicate. Well, it's a long shot, but 1.) the newcomers appear to be used to at least ''some'' form of weirdness, and 2.) finding ''any'' common language is better that verbally flailing in the dark, so... "I don't suppose you speak Canine, do you?" she gently barks to the mirror-girls, then adds with a meow of "For that matter, or Feline?"
Veronica Perenna	For some coincidence or another, Veronica has walked into the bathroom just a few minutes after Ikiko and Amy did. "Hello, Ikiko-chan, Amy-chan", she gives the other two girls a brief glance and a smile, while approaching the washbasin next to the one with the faulty(?) mirror, completing washing her hands just mere seconds before the reflective starts warping and deforming. A tilted glance, and she is mere seconds from transforming, before an apparently normal girl is the one that pops out of the mirror, her eyebrows slightly raised, looking intently at the mirror phenomenon. Things she know: this is not dark energy, or neutralised ''here''. The new girl doesn't seem to be using magic for something other than her arrival. She speaks flawless french. "Bien sûr, ne vous inquiétez pas", she replies a few seconds after without a second take, grabbing her hand and starting to pull. "She is just asking for help", she translates for the benefit of the other two, before looking back to the mirror girl. "Je tire trop fort?" "That would be an interesting coincidence", she replies to the feline part of what Ikiko has said in the same language.
Elodie Vautrin	She doesn't have so much time to glance over her shoulder again as she grabs hold of the package with both hands. And then there is French, spoken in two different voices. First, there is... faulty French. This makes her wince. It is followed by Veronica's perfect, flawless French. The first, however, asks if she speaks English, in which she chooses next to speak, though her accent is predictably pronounced. "...yes. Help. Quickly." A firm grasp on the edge of the bundled package. A yank. A pull. She gets it free, stumbles back and quickly manages to control it coming free from the mirror. For those helping, it's large, certainly, and heavy. It feels somewhat ovular in shape within the wrapping. She quickly -- carefully! -- sets one end down on the ground to avoid it being dropped unnecessarily. Meanwhile, the bathroom mirror seems to start returning to normal, the silvery sheen solidifying and gradually reflections returning. The blond girl sways a moment, unsteady before righting herself. "I was told this would be a place of aid," she says, pale blue eyes searching the trio that has surprisingly greeted her.
Amy Faust	Amy only gives Veronica a glance before looking back at the mirror nonsense. Fortunately, Veronica speaks French! Good (unknown) you don't ask(?) what(is happening)(?) She is just asking for help. (Subject? I? It?) (unknown verb) (unknown) (powerful/strong/loud?) Amy tries to follow the unknown language as best she can. It seems she has an easier time following even German than French... Fortunately, the new girl speaks English. "[Then help you shall have.]" Amy turns towards the mirror, and is engulfed in flame for a half-second as she transforms -- although she doesn't actually ''change'', in outfit or appearance, but there's the sense that a transformation occured nonetheless. Some kind of pistol appears (with a pink sparkly effect) in her hands, aimed at the mirror. "[Is danger following you? Although, monsters or the like should be weaker here... Or is the help more of a... Like, finding you a place to stay, finding other magical people who can help you with some problem, something like that?]" Well, if the accent didn't give it away, her actions sure do, she must be American.
Ikiko Hisakata	Ah, ''English''. Ikiko wouldn't necessarily consider herself properly fluent in that language, but she can generally make do. "[Welcome to Radiant Heart Academy,]" she smiles to the mirror-girl, being cautiously deliberate with her speaking to maintain her verbal footing with the patchwork language. "[My name is... Ikiko Hisakata, I believe is your order of names?]" ''I '''definitely''' need to practice my English more,'' Ikiko thinks to herself, stifling a wince at her linguistic awkwardness.
Veronica Perenna	First a girl stumbling through a mirror, and then a mysterious package that looks definitely big, though it is not wholly on this side yet. Questions start flowing to Veronica's lips with an itch under gleaming eyes, but she holds herself back, instead coming closer to get the wrapped object out of the mirror. Letting go of the girl's hand when she reaches their side, Veronica stumbles slightly under the object's weight before she corrects her efforts. While transforming might be the optimal choice under the circumstances, but the crystal heart should deter any dark energy activity, and between the four of them they could probably pull it off without transforming. And she doesn't want to give her identity away just like that. "It is, welcome to Radiant Heart Academy", she too switches to English, she nods towards Elodie. "Who pointed you here, and were you being chased]" At Ikiko's assessment, Veronica tells her in Japanese. "I could help you study if you need it. That way, we are teaching each other a language", she winks.
Elodie Vautrin	There are so many questions, and Elodie has a few herself to ask, but first of all she's mostly just sagging in relief, as if she's grateful to be here and on solid ground -- like she didn't think she was going to make it. The mirror is almost back to normal, their reflections clearly visible once more. Just a pinprick of light left in the center to give a hint that anything was changed, like a CRT television's fading dot fter being clicked off. "You all seem unsurprised -- so it is true, then!" She seems even more relieved. "You must help me, I am --" Her gaze is on Veronica, of course, sicne she's the one who's asked questions, and Amy's transformation sure did get a wide-eyed stare of trrepidation, awe, and delight... but whatever she was going to say is caught off, as the mirror-portal seems to flare back to life -- no -- is forced back by vines that spill out, latching onto the frame of the mirror and holding it open. A voice, shrieking on the other side in French. Veronica will understand. "GIVE HER BACK!" More vines, slashing out, covered in bloody-red blooming roses and thorns that drip blood. They slam into Elodie hard enough to send her flying, cracking her into a wall face-first hard enough to spider-web cracks and reveal masonry behind the tile. Already, they can see the vibrant blooming roses and vines are starting to wilt and die from the darkness poisoning their beauty with the aid of the Crystal Heart "YOU CAN'T HAVE HER After everything we've done for you?!" Vines lash out from the mirror, aiming ot grab at Amy, Veronica, and Ikiko each. As they near them, as the blooming of the roses tickle their noses with a cloying scent, they can feel something else: a brief and overwhelming desire to please their wielder. Were it not for the Heart's protection, the magic would surely be more potent, but here it is already fading and might only impact them but a moment, like a poison thorn of emotional dependency striking at each of them in their heart. How could they be so ungrateful for Her?
Amy Faust	Amy fires into the mirror a couple of times, and then... ...She really does want to be good... ...but it's dulled by the Crystal Heart, and the dark magic gets no help from Amy's psyche against a faceless voice. Years from now, something unexpected will remind Amy of this foe and she'll either grumble or break down laughing depending on how future encounters go. Now, though, it's just something messing with her. "What is that?! How do we close the portal?! Ah, [How do we close the portal? What is that?]" she repeats, in English.
Ikiko Hisakata	While her reflexes aren't as good as they are when she's Cute Wolf Tsukiko, Ikiko is still pretty agile, and that's good enough to avoid a solid hit from the vines -- although that lash is ''definitely'' going to smart later on! "I'd henshin, but I'm not sure I'd want to try biting these vines," she comments to Amy and Veronica, switching back to her adrenaline-resistant Japanese. "And I'm not sure I'd want to smell it with a more sensitive nose, either," she adds with a sneeze. Still, with the invasive vines weakening, that does open an opportunity. Darting forward along as far from the mirror as she can manage, Ikiko goes over to help Elodie up, in preparation for an attempted dash for the door. This ''definitely'' calls for a nurse, especially one who can handle admin paperwork!
Veronica Perenna	"Vol au Clair de Lune, Sortie de Voleuse Fantôme, Mon Évolution!", Veronica calls out, snapping her fingers and summoning the Hallward painting's blessing. Glowing mist wraps around her, and her magical garments materialise, accompanied by feline ears sprouting from her scalp, and a swishing tail emerging behind her. "La Princesse de Sarek, avec l'espoir bien accroché, je saute à travers les ombres pour illuminer la nuit!" she sings the final verse, holding her cane tightly in her hand. She wants whoever is on the other side to understand, and to stay away. "Flamme à Sept Couleurs!", she points her cane towards the vine, glistening moonlight shining from the cane through a prism and becoming roaring rainbow flames with the shine of the ruby ring on her hand. The fact they are asking something be given back, makes her feel a bit skeptical, but the new girl has been hurt, and they are without doubt using dark energy, so she has little doubt with whom to side with. "How are you feeling?", she asks the mirror girl with a worried glance. She was hit without henshin protection, if she even has one, but at least the Crystal Heart should have lessened the blow. "I wouldn't want to bite those things either", she agrees with Ikiko, thinking back to when she attacked Petz as a cat, pointedly using her claws instead of a bite. Yeah, she very much agrees.
Elodie Vautrin	There's a shriek of pure, unadulterated rage from the other side of the mirror as the vines are attacked. It's not a shriek of pain, more one of exasperated outrage. How dare they?! And clearly, they know something is wrong, by now. They should have been bent to the will of their magic, after all, right? While it's hard to guess how much they can 'see' from the other side of the mirror -- it's not as if any of them can see much themselves -- the vines certainly s eem well aimed and more waves of them are coming through... even as they wilt. Trying desperately to hold the doorway open. Withdrawing her head from the dent she made in the wall, the blond teenager straightens up none the worst for wear. Perhaps she was in a Henshin after all? She whirls around to face the crackling mirrored surface before her. She does appear to be ... injured? Cracks web across her cheek and collarbone like porcelain hit too hard, light leaking from behind them causing them to glow faintly. One stays shut, while the other bleeds quicksilver dripping down her cheek. "Lame Fracturee!" she declares, whipping her hand before as she seemingly draws from the aether a long, slender blade that blazes with flames made of light and she vaults forward and throws that blade directly into the mirror, causing the room to erupt into a blazingly brief flash of light that spills out into the hallway, blinding all for but a moment. Silence, then. And then the girl falls to her knees, panting -- exhausted. The vines left on the ground by the sudden severing of the connection between 'here' and 'there' wither and dissipate into nothing.
Elodie Vautrin	The mirror is no more -- shattered. Someone is going to have to explain that.
Amy Faust	Villains always think everything belongs to them, don't they? Once Amy can see again, she looks at the mirror -- no longer a portal, no longer in one piece, and the vines severed -- and runs to the new girl's side. "Are you alright?! We'd better get you to the nurse... don't worry, she knows about magic." Beat. Amy then repeats what she said, in English.
Ikiko Hisakata	"I'll get a dustpan and a broom," Ikiko grimaces. "Better to get this cleaned up ''before'' anyone else shows up, especially if they're not aware of what's going on." At least she got the worst of the paint off of her hands before all of this went down, even if she didn't have time to get all of it.
Veronica Perenna	The vines are repelled, and Veronica looks at the the place that was supposed to have a mirror. Ok, based on that girl's actions, the only way to close the mirror is to break it. A shame that, and one she wishes they had a Device Mage on hand for. "I don't think there is much to worry about, Red, the Crystal Heart should have taken care of it before it actually hurt her", she reconsiders now she can spare her enough attention to look at what is in fact a henshin. Besides the show of magic that she just accompanied here. Admittedly, she is not sure how they would heal those cracks, but presumably, that's just how her henshin works and she has a more standard form underneath just like everyone else. "Do you want a hand?" the cat thief asks Ikiko.
Elodie Vautrin	The girl grabs the package again, holding it tightly to her, before just nodding wearily and then all but fainting right there. She's still awake, in truth, but only just. The level of fatigue saturating her being is intense. Getting her to the nurse's office is probably the right choice -- or at least somewhere she can rest. There'll be time for questions later, no doubt.
Ikiko Hisakata	"Yes, please," Ikiko says with a sigh of relief to Veronica. "Red can get the new girl to the nurse, while the two of us clean up what we can." Before she heads to get the cleaning tools, she does give Elodie a quick little hug as a form of encouragement and welcome.