Scene Listing

||

Scene Schedule

||

Scene Schedule RSS

Owner	Pose
Masato Sanjouin	When the Deerscare dropped, the rooms changed once again. Leaving the chaos of the last room behind-- escaping the obscuring fog of spores and the whip of thorned vine-- those who made it out thankfully managed to stay mostly together. Unfortunately, not all of them had made it up the slip of ice and up the stairs. Usagi and Masato had been taken by the vines and shadows, and Kazuo and Amy had not quite made it out of the sunroom before that dreadful sound echoed through. Now, they were elsewhere, spirited off to a random part of the house as the rooms shuffled in their nonsensical maze. The silence that followed the change made that very clear. What lay at the top of the stairs now was a kitchen, and behind them, another sparse hallway. Still dark, the kitchen was large and looked as if it had been very modern, through now it was strewn with gnarled roots and large leaves, branches bursting through wall and ceiling as if they were inside a treehouse simply held aloft in a canopy. Island counter had lifted so much the marble had cracked down the middle, and a knife block lay on its side. Cabinets were crooked and full of broken dishes. Despite that, the sink started to run-- not water, but a dark, viscous liquid.
Zoisite	Fast as always, Zoisite followed after Tuxedo Mask along with the others. There was a sense of urgency as the brambles took two of their group away--Usagi and Masato. It was annoying, very annoying... And worrying. But as Mamoru said, Usagi was able to take care of herself. Masato too, hopefully. If not, that would definitely be rather ''un-fucking-cool'' of him, the shite. At the kitchen, he stopped midair to examine the kitchen. "Liquid dark energy, or just gunk?" It was a question to both Mercury and Kunzite, but he heard no reply from the latter. Looking over his shoulder, nothing but a new hallway and no sign of either Kunzite or even the red flare that was Amy. Heart dropped, deep into his gut, before breathing in. "We lost two more to the mansion." Looks back to the others and the kitchen.
Sailor Mercury	Sailor Mercury had jumped rather sharply at the deerscare yet again and now frowned openly. Between the disappearance of Masato and Usagi and now a few others, she was beginning to feel something a little bit on the angrier end of the spectrum. After all, how dare this spooky place take both her girlfriend and her brother so boldly? Surely, Mamoru and Izou felt the same. "You sneaky ghost! You bring them back ''right now''!" Mercury demanded of the air, atop the stairs, with a finger jabbed at the open air. Her attention shifted to the faucet and she wrinkled her nose. "Oh, that's not nice at all." Mercury touched the pale blue stone set in her ear and the Mercury Visor slid across her face. She might as well continue to gather information. ''Was'' it liquid Dark Energy or just gunk?
Hinote Kagari	Pulp Noir jumped after the others, along the icy mess they've created upwards and frowned, the others we're left behind. That's bad. He looks over to the running liquid, a sound which he doesn't like, as he looks back down to where they we're a moment ago. New area. Well F***. Pulp Noir would pull at his fedora a little and start to examine the kitchen, walking around a smidge in it as he pulled out a magnifying glass and started looking over the knife block. Why that? Well it's a start. "Let's figure out what's in this room. Something tried to bring us up here."
Mamoru Chiba	"They're alive," Tuxedo Kamen says softly, one hand over his heart for a second, the other on Zoisite's shoulder. "I can tell, I promise," he adds, bumping briefly against Zoisite's shoulder, smiling at Mercury. And then they're going in the kitchen, and Mamoru's taking off his gloves, and he immediately reaches for the kitchen island, his hand running across the buckled counter.
Wako Agemaki	Rattle. Rattle rattle. Rattle. There's a door - probably to a pantry or a china closet, originally, though where it leads now is less certain. It no longer hangs quite right, and there's ''something'' on the other side, scuffing around and making the door rattle in its frame. Rattle rattle scuffle rattle scuffa scuffa and then the door BANGS open so abruptly that it whangs into the wall, and Wako - still dressed from rehearsal in a leotard and leggings with a hoodie thrown on over them - stumbles out like she's been shoved. "--geez!" she yelps. "This house's attitude is even worse than the other one's!" A beat, as she regains her balance and looks up and realizes there are other people here. "...hi," she offers, "sorry I'm late."
Amy Faust	Amy lands at the top of the steps and--     *dook*     It's dark. And cramped. She lights a flare, and finds herself in a tiny compartment, wood on five sides and house wall on one. She starts pressing against the walls--     --and spills out onto the kitchen floor. "Urrgh..."     She stands up and glances around, taking in who's here. "It ''separated'' us? While we're ''in'' the room?! But it didn't split us up entirely..."     Also, the sink is pouring goo. Amy tries to turn the sink off, and also touches her burning flare to the goo to see how it likes heat and sparks.
Masato Sanjouin	The sink is flowing strongly, no matter what is done to the spigots. Already the sink is half full. The mysterious liquid scented like iron and earth. It hisses and steams against heat, which intensifies the smell-- burnt blood and soil. It stinks. The new hallway, shorter than the others before it and certainly not usually attached to a kitchen, is briefly illuminated by flickering sconces. Only for a moment, the white of the kimono and the dark wavy hair can be seen, before it is gone again. The knife block moves, turning with a small, subtle series of jerks to angle towards the group. Then they fly. One by one, towards each of the Mahou, as if thrown. The plates clatter and start to fling out of the open cabinets, as well.
Sailor Mercury	"Knives!" Mercury blurted out as they came hurtling and she threw her hands up in front of herself defensively. Of course, she ''had'' been carrying her computer moments ago but that had been stored away somewhere. Where? It didn't matter. What mattered for just now were the knives and the shield of ice that grew around her forearms to deflect what had come her way. Unfortunately, there was not quite enough moisture about for her to throw the same protective measures out for others and Sailor Mercury wasn't about to start infusing her own magic into the brackish stink from the sink. She was pretty certain it wasn't quite water enough for that, anyway. "Is everyone okay?" She asked aloud.
Hinote Kagari	The knife block comes to lift before Pulp Noir can properly investigate it, he dodges, as best he can as the plates try to flick out towards them in a clatter as but he has to draw his trenchcoat up as protection as best he can, as he winces and tanks the hit, plates ripping into it, causing damage, but leaving him otherwise unharmed in the end, even if the coat is tattered a little. HHe grumbled a little roughly. "I hate haunted houses already." he says.
Amy Faust	The sink won't turn off, and the bloody mud doesn't catch fire but still ''might'' turn into an ooze monster. "Alright, get clear--"     KNIVES!     Amy's brain is still processing the word when additional context is applied, sharply and deeply, into her side.     She screams in pain and looks down at the knife sticking into her in shock.     '''*SMASH*'''     "Ow!" Amy stumbles a half-step away from the dish cabinet, wincing before she turns off pain and tries to remember what's there. Liver? Kidney? Intestine?     She's a puella magi and Mamoru is here. Bleeding to death and organ failure isn't going to happen, and deciding how to prevent it is less immediate than being under fire right now.     She looks at the dish cabinet and a grenade appears in her hand, and then she imagines countless tiny shards of glass flying at them instead and thinks better of it.     "Uhh, ''guys?'' Gh..." She starts to duck for cover, hesitates unsure how that's moving the knife, "[...f*ck it]" she mutters as she pulls it out and pink light seals the wound with bruised skin as she crouches next to the kitchen island for cover, flinching when a plate smashes on the counter.     "If no one's got an answer for that we may need to change rooms! ...Also I got stabbed but prioritize everyone else!" she adds, for Mamoru.
Mamoru Chiba	"We have to start putting all the pieces together. I always imagine that bonsais feel like they're suffocating, but I might be projecting. Being cooped up blows. The maple with its leaves red like blood sat here, witness to sharp cold arguments, disapprovals, and-- do you want to come home?" he asks, his other glove off, hands coming to touch the sink before it overflows. "Do you want your child to come home? Is your child Masato, is your child the maple?" he calls after the flickered-away white silk and dark hair. And then ... the ''knives''. Zoisite's closer; Mamoru steps in front of him with his back to the knives, hunching his shoulders and ducking his head-- he's taller enough than the youngest of the Shitennou that this works, I swear. The knives definitely hit the floor after hitting the cape-- but now there are DISHES. "Okay, okay, no more kitchen!" He looks frantically around for anything else he can touch without getting clocked-- he produces his top hat from nowhere and jams it on his head-- and he looks for the phone, the cordless landline phone; Himeko loved to talk through the phone, especially when she didn't have one. "HI Wako-chan! I mean this is ALSO Masato-kun's house, technically it's his dad's but it's where Masa-kun grew up, right, and there's a *vast mystery* as to whether the house, the tree, or the lady is the angry one. We shouldn't break things any more than necessary. He still wants to fix it-- Yeah, Mercury, than''OW'' HEY!" he yells back at the cupboard as he gets smacked by a well-aimed plate, and then Amy gets ''stabbed'' and calls out to him. His eyes narrow and glow ''white'', and he gets a white aura around him, like he did when they fought Calaveras, and he draws himself up as he swipes the phone and he says in an extraordinarily Prince Endymion voice, thunderous with authority, resonant but not raised, "Enough."
Wako Agemaki	Knives! "Apprivoiser!" yelps Wako, mostly on instinct, and is immediately silhouetted in pink sparkles as her workout clothes transform into military parade glam in white and gold. The translucent pink shield springs into being around her before she's even fully transformed. The Galactic Maiden, thus transformed, makes a faintly exasperated face. "I did tell you the first time, right, that I'm not exactly that kind of shrine maiden - oouuh, that did not look okay, Amy-chan."
Zoisite	Touch was comforting, easying some of the worry he had. If anyone could feel where any of the Shitennou were, it was their prince. Another deep breath, and a firm nod, accepting what was said. ''Thank you'' would have been whispered between the two if the contact had been skin to skin. Soon, a new face had appeared. Whoever she was, she got a pointed frown from Zoisite before his attention was pulled towards the pantry door where Amy popped out of. Gods, it relieved him to see her, because this means one of the other three could pop back in at any time, hopefully. 'Kunzite, be safe.' He remained close to Tuxedo Mask this time, watching as ungloved hand tried to touch and console the spirits of the house, only for knives to come alive and him being covered by the prince for a moment. This time he thanked Tuxedo Mask aloud. "Amy, the bloom I gave you should patch you up for now. It's not a full heal, think of it as gauge." And as he speaks this, the blossom on Amy did glow a gentle gold, the roots embedded into the Mahou doing its job in applying pressure to the stab.
Kunzite	Any time. Any time at all. There is a noise from the darkened hallway, not ''quite'' at the same angle at which the white-clad figure had been - another door, perhaps? - and then the darkness intrudes ''into'' the kitchen. And fades, to reveal Kunzite, his uniform marred by splotches of green and black, chips of slightly-charred bark caught in folds of his cape and clinging to his hair. "Ah," he says. "There you are." From where he is, at the periphery, he's less in the way of the plates; he steps to the side of the hallway and reaches up to hold two of the crookedly-hanging cabinets shut, creating a slightly safer area by him. "Agemaki! Did the plants bother you on your way in?" ... apparently he thinks this is as important as missile weapons. Given that the plants left Usagi alone, though, it might be.
Masato Sanjouin	The peppering of plate and porcelain shards stops, at least, when Tuxedo Mask raises his voice and power. The resonance of it seems to make the room shudder, but the assault does still-- even the debris still flying through the air seem to halt there, as if frozen in time. Then, they simply fall, as if gravity has been turned back on. A mostly harmless rain of shattering pieces and chips. The silence and stillness returns, as Kunzite reappears and Amy sees some attention. Through the crackle of the cordless phone, the signal poor, Tuxedo Mask and those nearby would catch the hint of a female voice. It was cutting in and out, but several words were clear. "It's... gift.. --nniversary." A child's voice followed. "But he never... --gifts?" One of the kitchen drawers opens slowly, almost silently, if not for the roll and knock of something inside. A child's toy telescope, some restaurant pamphlets and menus, a small folded card, alongside some general junk and bric-a-brac. An old school report for Masato Sanjouin.
Zoisite	"Kunzite!" It was gasped as he recognized his boyfriend, and despite the chills he felt when the voice of Prince Endymion rumbled through the kitchen, he still quickly floated over to embrace and place a small kiss to cheek. "I'm so happy you're back. I know Tuxedo Mask is as well." A hand was quickly wiping away any debris off the Shitennou's uniform. It's when he heard a child's voice and looked over, pulling away from Kunzite to take a look inside the drawer at the knick knacks. A telescope. Of course that would be something belonging to the star seer. He reaches for it first, examining the trinket gently, knowing the value of it when it came to Nephrite before turning to Tuxedo Mask and offering it. He knew the prince would be able to read off of it by touch. "I think she's reaching out more."
Sailor Mercury	Mercury's eyes had widened at the sight of Amy. Not for her appearance, of course, but the injury was definitely attention-snatching. "Oh." That was about all that she managed to say before Mamoru's voice cut across the air and the chaos seemed to settle back down again, porcelain debris clattering about. The blue-haired senshi breathed out a relieved sigh. "Good job, Mamoru-kun." Ami said and then closed her eyes. "Alright. Putting pieces together--oh, I should see if I can find the mass that was upstairs." Sailor Mercury turned the visor to the upstairs in general, seeking out the steady something that she hoped they were closer to now.
Amy Faust	Sailor Mercury asks if everyone's fine, and Amy shrugs. At the wide eyes she holds up a hand and reassures, "I can turn pain off, I stopped the external bleeding, I can regenerate in a pinch and Mamoru's here. It's fi-- I mean, it's not an ''immediate'' concern. I'm not going to die or even be maimed by something like this." She opts for a moderate-length explanation rather than just leaving it at 'I'll be OK', knowing Mizuno-san's preference for knowledge.     Amy's ''relieved'' by the way the room ''stops'' when Mamoru goes all King-y, and gives Zoisite a confused look for a second before she remembers and her expression brightens, "Oh right, that!"     She looks at it. It sure seems like it's doing ''something'', but she's not sure she should turn pain on again yet.     The drawer opens and Amy looks in it suspiciously, without touching it, and then relaxes again when it doesn't seem to be attacking. She watches Zoisite take the telescope. "Is that... good? Why is she giving us a telescope?"     She nods at Ami's comment about finding the source. "Yeah... do directions even mean anything in here? Someone said it wasn't quite like a Witch Labyrinth, but..." She thinks about how to word this. "...Are physical directions how we need to get close to it, or is there something else that matters more, that results in progress?"
Wako Agemaki	Ginga Otome relaxes somewhat as the assault from flying kitchenware stops, and some sort of gesture seems to have been made... even if she doesn't quite understand any of it thus far. She does brighten a bit at Kunzite's arrival and his greeting, turning slightly towards him where she's currently floating a couple inches off the floor within her faintly-glowing shell of pink light. "...no?" is her somewhat hesitant reply to his question, in the uncertain tone of one who had not, at the time, realized there was an alternative. "Although the fact that you had to ask has me conceAH!" The word 'concerned' jumps upward in pitch into a startled exclamation; Wako twists within her shield, one hand flying up to the back of her neck as she looks behind her. "It's rude to sneak up on people!" she informs thin air.
Mamoru Chiba	With every face that returns or joins, Tuxedo Mask is more relieved; his face softens when he sees Kunzite-- and the prince exhales and closes his eyes when his imperative actually works, sagging a little against the counter. He looks down at the phone, then over at the drawer, and he thinks about how ''sad'' Usagi sounded and how very unlike the scared she'd expected to be, and the words are more pieces, and he doesn't even realize it when he hugs the phone. "The telescope is Masato's," he says tiredly, and he turns to look at Amy. "If Wako-chan can bubble us for a moment," he glances at Ginga Otome who's yelping concerningly and getting ghost-hassled, then back to Amy, "I can heal you." Then he looks at Ami and smiles a little crookedly, but his attention falls on Kunzite and Zoisite. "I'm dropping henshin to get drained less and also because we're now being shown some hospitality," he says, and starts laying roses out on the counter like bullet clips or something. "I'm definitely asking for shields if necessary and I don't mind if anyone hovers." His rose-making hand finally comes out to take the telescope from Zoisite as Mamoru lets his henshin fall away, turning into to black and red ribbons that twist away into nothingness, leaving him in his hoodie, combat boots, and jeans-- but still holding the phone in his other hand. Nothing immediately hits him, but he remembers that with the picture he didn't get the impression until he looked into her ''eyes''-- the eyes are the window to the soul-- he looks at the wall through the telescope. "If someone can read out what's in that card and what tickets..." he asks vaguely, trailing off. "The butterfly. There's a little golden butterfly ornament that belongs in the maple bonsai. It was a gift, for their anniversary. He came home with it. But the sickness she had was progressing. They argued all the time, the bonsai was there for it, Masa-tan was there for it. You didn't want him touching your plants. Do you regret that now? Sanjouin-san, do you want us to bring your bonsai home, find the ornament, put it back?"
Kunzite	The kitchen responds to Tuxedo Kamen, and therefore Kunzite can take the time to turn to Zoisite, to wrap arms lightly around him in turn, to lean into that embrace and breathe the scent of bright hair. "I wasn't about to leave you a moment longer than I had to," he assures Izou - and then lets him go as Izou flits to that drawer. The telescope's appearance prompts a small smile from him, but he turns to keep an eye on the hallway he came from. And answers Wako. "We had something try to spook us that way downstairs, too. The plants can animate; the yellow-flowered ones particularly spit thorns that do something odd, the vines do as you'd expect, and a spore cloud took down Masato and had the rest of us coughing. But they were polite to Usagi, and I'm pleased they've been polite to you as well. Thank you for joining us." Another response, to Amy, as he turns his head, scanning the hall side to side and lingering on one. "Masato watches the stars. Even as a child. The telescope was his. I'm not sure there's a difference between physical directions and progress - we reach rooms that mean something, but sometimes there's a diversion in the path." Another pause. "Sailor Mercury," he adds, deferential, and gestures to a door down the hall in the direction he's looking at. "Do you see anything interesting that way? Mamoru just mentioned a butterfly, and I just saw one go that way."
Wako Agemaki	A deep breath, and Wako settles down some, listening to Kunzite's explanation even as she lifts a hand to bring another sphere of rosy light into being around Tuxedo Kamen and Amy, as requested. "I'm extra sorry I didn't get Usagi-chan's message sooner, then," she says, and makes a thoughtful face. "Maybe I was the rude one, after all." A beat, and she sketches a polite bow to nothing in particular. "Thank you for your hospitality."
Masato Sanjouin	The sink has begun to overflow, the brackish liquid drizzling down crooked counter in a rivulet to pool on the floor. Slowly spreading, it carries small chips of porcelain with it. Lights flicker in the hallway again, briefly. It is eerily silent, and a cold draft seeps in from that direction. Though a few doors are open, the darkness beyond them obscures where they lead. Static can be heard on the phone's speaker, and the faint sound of coughing punctuates it. Mamoru's spoken question--do you regret that now?-- drew a quiet sound like a sob. 'Do you want it put back?'-- "Don't touch, Masato." The sobbing grew into a wail. Through the crackle, a male voice stated coldly. "This marriage is a curse--" And the word repeats. "Curse-- Curse-- Curse-- Curse--" Something down the hallway screams.
Sailor Mercury	"It's all mostly nonsense." Sailor Mercury replied to Kunzite with a frown. "My sensors are going completely haywire, except the hallway's pretty cold." She lifts a finger to point at the very same door that the Shitennou just indicated. "That one is colder again than the rest." Sapphirine eyes drifted to Kunzite with a lifted brow. "I think we've both had indications that there's something there worth examining. We all seem to be experience subtly different things that align, we should probably be a little more vocal about them. There's probably extra hints there, too." At the scream, Mercury jumps again and withdraws her pointing finger. "Goodness, that's creepy."
Mamoru Chiba	"All right, we'll fix it, please try to hang on to calm, we can fix this for you, and it'll be okay," Mamoru calls toward the hallway, putting the telescope back down and crouching next to Amy; the way his healing works with Zoisite's is that the flower is absorbed in as the injury heals itself outward from the inside; no chance of infection from the wound.     He takes Amy's hand, and within Wako's bubble of safe purification and shielding, he can just ''do'' it in the fresh air and rosy light. She's quite familiar with the sensations involved, but this time it's tinged with Mamoru's worry for the others, and his heartsickness for Masato and his mother, and his worry worry worry over Usagi... and then it's done, and Mamoru looks a little apologetic as he lets go. "Thank you, Wako-chan," he says, getting back up, and looking down. "Only... if you could please not put us down in the sizzling puddle," gets added wryly. Wherever they get put down, Mamoru proceeds to stay relatively close to everyone else, and he brings the roses and the phone with him.
Zoisite	Cold touch again, but not on his shoulder. Instead, it was his cheek. Gentle brush, almost like a sweet greeting of some kind. And for a moment, Zoisite felt his nerves want to spike, but he didn't permit it to happen. A deep breath, looking over the direction of the touch as he took in how many were touched and how what type it was. "So far, she has been gentle with us, assuming the cold contact we feel is Sanjouin-san. I cannot say the same for the house, but... She touched my cheek just now." Zoisite considers this gently, listening to Mamoru's droning of what the telescope communicated. "Sanjouin-san, the Maple Bonsai is in the shed along with some of my own plants. It's been cared for, but if it is your wish, I can bring it back here to be under your watchful supervision again." And there, he does bow politely towards the direction he felt the brush on his cheek. It was when he bowed that he noticed the smell from the sink, hooking his attention immediately. Erecting himself back, he approaches it, pinching off his gloves by the fingers before reaching into the liquid--swallowing whatever ick wanted to cling to his esophagus in that moment. Regardless, something seemed familiar. Too familiar. Stained fingers, he brings it up to his nose again before rubbing the substance between his fingers. It felt morbid, possibly stomach churning for most, and yet... "Blood, and bone fertilizer." What was she trying to communicate here? "You were hurting. Plants also bleed, feel what you do, listen to what you speak. " This was a whisper. For some reason, even with the male voice echoing, he could somehow empathize with that suffering instead. And ensuing scream, the direction that they all should follow... Zoisite considers the liquid a little longer before pulling away with the others, once again gluing to Kunzite's side.
Kunzite	Gluing to Kunzite's side is easier than expected for Zoisite - once Mercury's attention is on the hallway, Kunzite trades off, crossing the kitchen to the drawer to take up Mamoru's request as Zoisite's skills draw him elsewhere. There's a brief, gentle shuffling of paper. "Masato was polite at school," he notes aloud. "Enough that this looks like one of your school reports, Mamoru. Whatever was happening at home, he didn't let it follow him there." The folded card he holds up, so that others can see the butterfly print. Of course it's a butterfly. "The text is, 'Happy anniversary; to a new beginning and many healthy years ahead.' Signed by presumably Masato's father." He does not speak the name aloud. Instead, his eyes dart back to the hallway at the scream, and he frowns. And wraps an arm around Zoisite again, holding him closer, heedless of any bloodstains on his clothing. "Yes," he says to Mercury. Nothing more detailed than that. He ... probably just means that they should go that way. He's probably not admitting that he finds ''anything'' creepy.
Amy Faust	Amy also takes this opportunity of calm to look at her soul gem -- but aside from being bigger right now, the relative portion of corruption hasn't visibly changed, still just a little sliver. Being henshined for, what, a minute? Isn't showing visible change, at least. That's a relief, on hearing the comparison to an Eclipse Zone earlier she was ''concerned''.     She'll try to remember to keep checking it every once in awhile, though. The telescope is Masato's.     "Oh." Amy doesn't have more to say on that! > If Wako bubbles us, I can heal you.     Amy nodnods. "Appreciated."     'Masato watches the stars.' "That sounds like a prophecy or something."     She looks at Mamoru in great confusion, wondering what he's talking about until she realizes he's addressing the ghost.     The flare was dropped on the floor when she considered throwing a grenade. The burning smell returns as the blood-mud(?) pools on the floor. > Curse, curse, curse     "Well, that's no--" > Scream!     Amy's head whips to look that way. She waits, calmly, as she's healed.     Mamoru gets her mental image of the injury, the knowledge that she fixed the outermost skin layer to keep blood inside her but left the rest to him. She's also thinking about whether she needs colder weather gear when she dehenshins (mental image of soul gem and her 'no visible drain yet' assessment and plan to check it again later), and after seeing him leave the roses she's thinking about seeing if she can also summon weapons that stay when she dehenshins.     She wonders, is the ghost literally Sanjouin-san's mom? Or is it more like an echo or impression? Or is it a terrible altered state of being like a Witch?     Amy doesn't know Masato or his family well enough to have feelings beyond yes, this all souns sad and rough and she feels bad for them and hopes he's doing better now.     The worry for Usagi is met with reassuring memories of Sailor Moon standing strong against enemies and kicking their butts. She can take care of herself, and they'll find her.     Once she's healed, she turns pain back on, wiggles a bit, breathes deeply a few times, and then nods, "Think I'm all good. Thank you." She smiles to the others, then conjures a pistol and a grenade and dehenshins.     They're gone with a poof of pink sparkles (and so is the flare). So much for that, she frowns. Conversely, her first aid kit is now slung over her shoulder, as she shunted it out of henshin so it wouldn't get burned by thrusters when she flew up the stairs. She's still got the grey greatcoat, leather gloves, and pink hardhat she had summoned before henshining though. Who knows what hazards still lurk here?     Amy turns on her headlamp and looks towards the cold hallway, ready to move with the others. "That way, yes?"
Wako Agemaki	Wako tucks her head downward in acknowledgment, smiling a little. "No problem," she answers Mamoru - and when the shield around him and Amy disappears, it's only after she's shifted them safely away from the pool of black ooze slowly spreading over the floor. She listens as the others speak: Sailor Mercury, Mamoru himself, Zoisite, Kunzite. The corners of her mouth tuck downwards, slowly curling into a thoughtful frown as her brow creases. "I think..." she says slowly. "I think maybe we're dealing with something like an onryou, or a tatarigami. If we are, then it's not really her - or at least, it's not a whole person, you know? It's more like, feelings that she left behind - grief and anger over a wrong, that kind of thing - that were so strong they took on a life of their own. It needs to be acknowledged and appeased." She lets out a deep breath. When she lifts her head, she looks a little embarrassed. "We really don't deal with this kind of thing on the island, but I've been reading up since the last time."
Masato Sanjouin	When all of them file into that liminal hallway, the chill is bitingly cold. The darkness of the doorway doesn't shift even when they draw closer to it, but every step towards it feels like the air is thinning. The scent of sickness and sap fills the air with an oppressive weight. The spiritual pressure intensifies enough to make Ami's computer sensors audibly beep in alarm. Ahead, in the dark room they're headed to, a singular growlight turns on. Above a section of root, the butterfly dances, fluttering there as the only visible thing for the moment. The phone crackled again from Mamoru's person, a simple statement that rang clear in the quiet. "Mind your father, Masato." The deerscare drops, and the hallway behind them is gone. For a moment there is only darkness, and then other growlight turn on and glow bright. One by one, they reveal the terrible, twisted semblance of what was once a beautifully tended garden. Thick roots and broken pots and churned dirt lead, through various flowers and foliage, towards a large and unnatural tree. Itself made up of many other plants, as if gathered up and forced to grow, dead and with branches that seem to claw out. In the trunk, twisted up together in wood as their energy is syphoned, are an unconscious Masato and Usagi. A scream echoes from all around, painful to hear and full of despair and anger. The sound of cracking branches and snapping wood matches it. A swarm of purple butterflies bursts out of opening wood, numbering in the thousands to swirl around and buffet the heroes like a dark gale. Their very touch like ice, stealing breath and energy from whoever they touched, infusing into flesh. Dizziness, foul illness and disorientation seeping into them. From the top of the tree, two very large purple wings are emerging from the breaking wood.
Zoisite	Fingers plugged his ears, the painful scream getting to him this time--similar to how the vending machines twisted his strings and limits. However, he still remained calm, up close to Kunzite and eyes focused on two things: Mamoru and the two others trapped by the monstrosity before them. Then the swarm... Gods, all he can do is put up an offensive shield as his fingers give a clear snap, summoning ringlets of swirling cherry blossom petals, spinning around the entire group and hoping that it'll deter the butterflies for the moment.
Kunzite	"Radiant Dark Embrace!" In an instant, Kunzite is calling out and pulling Zoisite a sidestep over, his own darkness manifesting in a sphere that covers - barely - himself and Zoi, and also Amy Faust. Not absorbing the swarm of butterflies, but reflecting, repelling. Layering his shields with Zoisites, trying to keep them off of him, and off of the one whose energy is most lethally limited. Amy's dealt with his shields often enough to know that they won't interfere with ''her'' attacks, if she henshins again.
Sailor Mercury	The deerscare falls--the hallways and rooms shift--and Sailor Mercury jumps. Her eyes close briefly for a moment and, just barely above her breath, she mutters, "''Every'' time..." It's probably the combination of things, in truth. The deerscare in itself is a fairly innocuous thing, but the ''thok'' across the tension breaks through her already tense nerves. Then, of course, there's the garden and the tree. Most importantly, there's Usagi and Masato, and the Senshi of Intelligence almost scowls in reply. "Usagi-chan! Masa-nii!" Her voice is sharp and concerned, though her attention is swiftly diverted. Purple butterflies swarm forth and Sailor Mercury is quick to react. A lift of both arms sees water pool about her hands to be tossed forth to intercept as a great sphere of icy cold water. "Mercury Aqua Mirage!" And she is equally quick to bring it to actually freezing. Hopefully a physical obstacle will help to shield people. "We have to get them out of there!" Mercury states frantically. "They're fuelling things!"
Amy Faust	Amy nods as Ginga Otome explains the probably nature of the being they face. "So how do we appease it?"     She sucks air in through her teeth and wraps her arms around herself at the sudden, biting cold.     *Dook*     This feeling is familiar, and Amy tenses.     It feels a bit like...     ...They've entered the Witch's Lair.     It's a garden and... That tree. No runes impress themselves on her vision, ans she looks at Masato and Usagi in alarm!     The scream from all around is actually... ''more'' normal, at this point. Witches often do something like that.     The butterflies come ''fast''. Forgetting she's not henshined, Amy tries to summon her weapon -- and the delay would have been enough for them to reach her if not for Kunzite's shield.     Light surrounds her and leaves her briefly wreathed in flame. An explosion scatters a spray of burning powder at the butterfly swarm. "Thanks." She tells him, while planning her next move.     Are those... giant wings? Seriously, if a Witch's name ''did'' appear she wouldn't be surprised at this point. Tree with butterfly wings makes as much sense as any other form she's seen Witches take. "Kyubey said Witches were born from curses. A twisting of truth, but... is this creature formed from similar Despair?" > "We have to get them out of there! They're fuelling things!"     "Are anyone's powers good for cutting? I'll try to help keep the butterflies off people!"     Amy conjures salvos of mini-missiles and sends them towards the cracks in the tree and the wings, watching for any more opening cracks!
Mamoru Chiba	He sees Usagi hanging from that ''thing'', Masato hanging from that ''not a tree'', that conglomeration-- that ''coagulation'' of plants, that '''''clot''''' of plants; he sees as red as the last few seconds in the telescope and silently offers his roses to Ami. Mamoru henshins as Prince Endymion's cape unfurls from his armored shoulders, and he draws his sword with a metallic ''schinnnnng'' as his armor forms from ribbons and gleams in the harsh growlights. "I'm pretty good at cutting," he says, and very confidently swings his big sword to slice very precisely and very deeply into the 'tree' below their -- Usagi's and Masato's -- feet. "Would it help you to think of this as a Familiar hatching into a Witch?" he asks, *some* kind of exasperated affection in his voice. "His mother was cooped up in here dying and she has a grudge against his dad." The handsome prince calls over the noise, "Onryou-san! I'd like to buy your house with Masato-kun and fix it for you, and take it out of the hands of that man! And we'll keep up your shrine! But give us back my wife and your son first!!"The accumulation of shields and his cape and armor do a good job, all, of keeping butterflies away from him.
KeyLimePie	Amy asks the billion yen question of ''how'' to appease the lingering resentment of a vengeful spirit, and Wako grimaces. "That's a great question," she replies, trailing along with the others. "I don't think I can get a bunch of salt water in a hurry-" The deer scare drops. The center of the grudge makes itself known. Ginga Otome's eyes get very big. "''Splendeur de l'aube!''" The shield that has stayed around Wako since the kitchen expands outward, shimmering over and past the other mahoujin around her until it encircles the massive tree, wings and all. Light builds within it, but slowly, the encroaching of dawn's first light after a long night. "I can try to purify it," she calls out, breathless with effort, "but I need some time!"
Masato Sanjouin	The flaming petals deter a great deal of the continued assault, preventing a bulk of the insects from getting too near and burning up dozens more. In a saddening result, many of them plummet piteously from the air, their wings burning up to rub them of flight entirely. Kunzite's shields further protect and prevent as much contact as possible, redirecting many butterflies into the fire. Though this is far too effective to be allowed to stand. The dirt beneath his feet shifts and softens, roots moving and rapidly trying to grow up Kunzite's legs. It is not going to stop with merely holding in in place, intent on growing over him entirely, crushing in its hold like a constrictive snake. It will drain whatever can be drained from him, aggressive in its siphon. It does not want that shielding to hold. Many more insects get caught in Mercury's water trap and imprisoned as it turns to ice, and the forward momentum of the ice ball also intercepts some of the flowers turning their way-- yellow, just like the ones Usagi picked earlier. Mercury's ice crashes through much of them to prevent the spray of darts that would otherwise have aimed for Ginga Otome and Mamoru. The great wings that have unfurled from the top of the tree spread wide and loft, as another screech tears through the air. The mini-missiles hit the cracking wood and seems to split it more, singing and burning as it splinters wider-- underneath the gaps, the white kimono fabric peaks through. Holes pierced through the wings in a painful barrage, clearly sensitive. Some detonations leaving wide scorches, but these seem to reform rather quickly. They're resistant to the damages, but certainly gain a reaction. A violent uplift tears a root from beneath Amy, thick and heavy, to try and knock her away. It is the ''sword'', hitting like an axe into the base of the giant twisting trunk, that colours that white Kimono red-- blood seeping through, instead of sap. As if flinching, the remaining butterflies and other attacks pause. A loud wailing comes as large wings beat, whipping wind as if trying to blow Endymion and the others away. As Ginga Otome's light builds, the growlights dim and turn off and the darkness starts to lift. Every passing moment of illumination lessens the oppressive spiritual weight upon them, and makes them feels as if they can breathe easier. A shimmer starts to take hold of the large purple wings, as if threads of gold begin to become visible in their movements, reflecting the dawn's light.
Sailor Mercury	Though she might not have been Mamoru, Sailor Mercury does presently have a handful of his roses and without anything more immediate to take care of for herself, she might as well put them to use. At the very least, she ''hoped'' they worked roughly the way that they did when Mamoru threw them about. The Senshi spun and loosed a few at Kunzite's feet, directed at the shifting soil and vegetation there. Then, as the turn completed, more were hurled to meet the root lifting for Amy. She wasn't entirely certain that they would have the same effect. All she could conceive at the moment were friends in danger. Friends being assailed and friends presently trapped as batteries to this horror tree. Finally, Sailor Mercury is on the move. Whatever is left in her hold is thrust into whatever roots or feeders that she can find along the way as she rushes in behind Endymion with approximately the same kind of fervour as water begins to pool about her freed hands while determination was written across her face. "We can buy time!"
Mamoru Chiba	Instant regret. That was not what he expected. He should have expected that, honestly. Endymion hisses and wipes his sword off with his cape, then sheathes it, all in three moves as he's leaning into the wind, then gripping the trunk where he cut it. "I'm sorry. Yes. He wanted you to feel better, and here I am cutting you. But I love them and you ''took'' them and... and we lashed out, like you're lashing out." He heals it. His hand glows, and he heals it. "You don't have to be so angry. We can't fix what happened, but we can make things better than they are right now."
Zoisite	'''"NO!"''' Zoisite shrieked both in horror and anger as he saw the roots begin to wrap around Kunzite's legs greedily, only for one of his palms to glow fiery and sprout out his rapier. No hesitation then as he stabbed downwards at the accumulation trying to syphon away at the older Shitennou's energy. It begged for all of Zoisite's force to do so, making sure it sink deep before pulling it back out to stab back down into the roots once more. Again and again, cutting away at what he could. ''"Let him go!!"'' Whispering 'spitfire' he produces a ball of fire to attack at the roots.
Amy Faust	> I don't think I can get a bunch of salt water in a hurry.     "How much do you need?"     (And then everything went to hell) > Would it help to think of this as a Familiar hatching?     Amy shrugs. "I mean, if it drops a grief seed, great, but it doesn't really matter as long as we defeat it."     The repeated screeching, and the bark cracking to reveal kimono fabric, is not making this enemy any ''less'' Witch-like, that's for sure.     A root starts to move. Amy looks down, and starts to step away, too late-- "Wuahhh!" She's tossed through the air, the root weakened by roses catching her at an angle and tossing only a short distance, spinning, to land on the ground nearby with a grunt.     She's just getting up when the gust of wind makes her stumble backward. "Hey!"     The part of her mind focused on strategy has already planned the next move. The missiles were ''working'', just Mahou Missile Massacre it--     But her friends are healing it.     And it's ''not'' a Witch, however much it may resemble one, so it could work. As long as those butterflies are kept away.     "Salt water, comin' up!"     An explosion helps her leap despite the wind, and she lands next to Wako, planting her feet on the ground and spreading her arms as she summons like a dozen of those launch tubes, floating in the air like Mami's rifles.     '''CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK'''     In front of and behind Amy and Wako is now full of saltwater mist, a couple dozen liters. It's just kind of cold and damp as it drifts onto them.     "Does that help?!" Amy shouts, over the loud ringing of having stood close to explosions.
Kunzite	Kunzite's shields don't bar the roses - they strike the roots attacking him and Amy. So does Zoisite. Kunzite holds still, trusting Zoisite's aim, not risking leaning into a cut. Amy's knocked away, so ''she'' won't catch any extra blast from the fireball -- -- and Kunzite's shield shifts, concentrating down, redirecting the heat that escapes the root back into it. Keeping him safe from the fire nearly next to his skin. Smooth and even, as if they've practiced this a dozen times or more. His hand reaches for Zoisite's shoulder, touches and rests there a minute, the motion clear in the edge of Zoi's vision. "That should do it," he murmurs, half-private against the backgroud of Amy's launch tubes. "Charcoal in a moment. Thank you."
KeyLimePie	The air fills with saltwater mist that beads in her hair and settles cool against the skin, and Wako laughs, buoyed more than she'd have expected by the familiarity of it, in an odd way. For a moment she imagines the cove at the South Shrine, the torii and the sound of waves. "Good enough!" she answers Amy; "thanks!" She needs to focus, now, to channel Wawna's drive on this large scale. Holding that feeling of unanticipated warmth in her heart, she rises, floating several feet up off the ground now and out of the immediate reach of grasping roots or vines. Her arms move in practiced gestures, tracing out the forms she did twice a day every day for most of her life. She doesn't ''know,'' really. She can only go by what she's heard Mamoru and the others say during the course of this experience, pieced together into a idea of the grudge that's grown into this tatarigami. But the picture that's formed from the few details she has feels all too familiar. "Did you feel trapped?" she wonders aloud. "In this house? In your marriage, in your role?" The light within the sphere builds little by little, growing in strength from a faint glow to a wash of warm pink radiance. "You don't have to be any more," the Galactic Maiden says softly. "Your son doesn't either. You can both be free."
Masato Sanjouin	The healing touch seeps into the wood, and Endymion's intuition sees the red stains fading back to white. In the midst of everything, the cordless phone crackles again with a younger voice, "And that one... --is Regulus..." Though the wings still beat and try to keep others from approaching the tree-- such as Ami, who is fighting the gusts to gain ground-- every rose plunged into roots has them writhe and retract. It certainly prevents further attacks from them, though slowly, they begin to shrink and wither. Just as any root, this is cutting off the great tree's influence over the garden around it, and surely beyond that, lessening the hold on the house as well. Lessening the resistance to Ginga Otome's light, unable to bury down deep and draw from the land and the dark memories here. The tragedy, and the pain. Fury is slipping away, more and more, with every growlight turned off, every shadow dispelled, every root withered. The flame the burns away at the snare upon Kunzite does well enough to burn the plant matter away, but the flame turns an eerie shade of green as it does. This comes with protests, of course. The dead looking branches sway and bow, and snap and break away-- boughs of brittle wood and sharp twigs hurtle towards Zoisite, Kunzite, Mercury, and Ginga Otome behind her like debris blown about in a typhoon. As the light continues to lift the darkness, and the roots are severed, the wings seem to shine and glint more golden than they were. The walls are glassy, as if they are standing in the greenhouse, and through them is a hazy, frosted vision of the rising dawn. Though counterintuitive at a glance, the continued healing and purifying light seems to have large chunks of bark and wood falling away from the twisted tree, leaving the pristine white fabric only and gradually revealing the shape of a woman beneath. "I'd much rather let him watch all those American movies and dream up silly things about stars," the phone said in a feminine voice, prompted by promises and questions, "Than let him turn out anything like ''you,'' Masahiro." The removal of this shell, exposing what is beneath, until even large hands seem to be the only things gently holding Usagi and Masato in place.
Amy Faust	(The launchers poof away in pink sparkles as soon as they've fired.) Wako laughs cheerfully, and says 'good enough' and thanks her, and Amy smiles. She helped!     The Ginga Otome speaks to the echo of Mrs. Sanjouin, and Amy looks at the ground pensively and thinks Amy thoughts for a moment. > You can both be free.     Amy looks up at the tree-butterfly-kimono creature. "That's right!" She shouts. "We'll help you, if you want to leave this path!"     The darkness falters, the light starts to win. "I'm sorry the world was like this. Your son can see it get better, if you let them go." Amy tries to reach what's left of Masato-san's mother too--     But the darkness isn't done yet. It lashes out. Amy conjures micromissiles which launch to intercept and blow apart boughs and knock sharp twigs aside from striking herself or Wako.     The wings... are turning golden? "Look! It's changing!"     Finally, they can see her hands, holding Masato and Usagi. "I'm sorry your life was like this. Please, let them go!"
Sailor Mercury	The tree was breaking away from ''her''. That was clue enough for Sailor Mercury. In order to free Masato and Usagi, ''she'' needed to be freed. So, of course, even in the face of the gusting wind and the sharp splinters of wood that burst her way, Ami pressed onward. A flinch here or there against grit teeth as fragments bit into her exposed skin, even past her Senshi durability. Fortunately, Jadeite had taught her a trick quite a long while ago that she could use here. Of course, she'd had to develop her own little technique for it. Directly manipulating the shape of ice wasn't quite as natural for the Senshi as it seemed to be for the Shitennou, but Mercury ''could'' phase shift things quite quickly. The water that had pooled about her hands stretched outward, cylindrical and perhaps a half-metre long. The far end fanned out and flattened, then the whole thing snapped frozen. The result wasn't quite an icy sword as Jadeite might have managed but, rather, an axe. Perhaps even to Endymion's concern, Mercury took swing at the tree to hack at it sharply--but careful to avoid the white fabric beneath the bark. Her aim was not to cause any more pain to the spirit of the woman within, but rather to help cut her free of the scraping prison that had grown up around her. "Let us help them, Sanjouin-san!" Ami pleaded. "And you, too!"
Mamoru Chiba	"Maybe," Endymion says in an almost gentle voice-- almost, but not quite, because there's an implacable will behind it, bedrock, "you'll be able to help us get this house cleaned up so that Sanjouin Masahiro-san doesn't think it was Masato-kun that made it overgrow so badly, mm? But first you must give them back. Usako never hurt you, she felt your pain, and this is no way to repay her. Masato-kun is your ''son'' and you're taking his energy." Amy's speech is great! But the prince of that world shoots her a dirty look at her being sorry about 'the world', ...at least it's very brief. "Please someone be ready to catch Masato-kun!" Sorry Ami but you have an axe, Mamoru's going to catch Usagi this time.
Zoisite	'That should do it.' And the desperation diminishes, knowing that Kunzite would be able to handle it from here. The flames sputter from Zoisite's fingertips until they stop, his green eyes watching the eerie shades of similar color smoldering in return. A hand lifts, warm despite the cold air, placed on top of his boyfriend's as he stands up. Gaze lifts up to whatever wood was left behind, trapping the mother, son, and holy princess in place. A tap from the tip of his sword to the ground, and a new swarm of pink cherry blossom petal come to life, along with a quiet sprinkling of fresh maple leaves in between. "Let go of the regret, it's too heavy for you to bear, Sanjouin-san. Your son is here, stubborn as a bull, but there's a kind heart in him. That's what makes him special, unlike for former husband. Let that callous man carry the ''rot'' instead of you and your son." "Sakura conflagration~" It was spoken carefully, petals and leaves floating down to finish off whatever dead pieces of wood still clung to the victims. Sword vanishes as then, tugging at Kunzite's fingers at the request of their prince, before flying over quickly beside Prince Endymion to help catch the other Shitennou.
Kunzite	Kunzite lifts his hands, and the spare fire and heat he borrowed from Zoisite lashes out - not toward the tree, but to intercept the brittle boughs, the twigs, the air currents moving to tumble them off-target and land them in a scatter. A shield of another sort. One that lets Zoisite, should he choose, take steps of his own against the tree - something far more in Zoisite's field than in Kunzite's. "I've talked to your son's lady," he says, not shouting like the others. Calm, conversational. "He helps her widen her world, not narrow it. She'd gotten, she said, in the habit of trying not to want too much. Masato is helping her change that. Not only her; when the woman you're holding," Usagi isn't grown up yet, Kazuo, "married her beloved, Masato worked quietly to make sure everything went smoothly. Supported them. He takes care of others; builds platforms under their feet, to support their dreams. And he is loved." And in these things, he is nothing at all like his father. He glances aside at Zoisite, at Endymion's call. Moves, cracking the rest of the charcoaled roots away (coals to burn incense on, incense resting at the shrine), at the tugging of those fingers - to help to catch Masato, or if Zoisite breaks his fall, to help to catch both of them.
KeyLimePie	Just a little more-- The light grows, rose and gold, sakura and sunglow strengthening with each word of encouragement. "That's right," says Wako, floating in midair with her arms outstretched. "It must have been hard, all that time here... but you can let go now. That man doesn't have to have any power over either of you any more." She closes her eyes against the dawn-colored radiance, her lips forming four more words: ''Katami. Wakachita. Yagadanse.'' "APPRIVOISE!" Phantom armor forms over her uniform, translucent high-tech plates of white and gold, headdress and twintails and the arc about her shoulders like a celestial maiden's raiment. It's barely visible in the last surge of light that fills the entirety of the huge shield sphere around what had been a tree and everything in its immediate vicinity, turning the whole thing briefly into what looks a little like a small sun touching down to earth,
Masato Sanjouin	The grief, anger and despair was peeled away, along with the mystery. As each Mahou reached out to free the semblance of her, heal her, or otherwise acknowledge her fate, more and more of Masato's true mother could be gleaned beneath dead wood. Mamoru's words open the hands slowly. Masato and Usagi, who so opened their hearts and felt deeply and with love, were sympathetic and understanding. So intent on righting things... trying to understand. The wish to banish Masahiro from this place forever, from her son's life, and stand guard over this garden and land with a jealously protective guard were things that they could help in other ways. Vengeance for the betrayal was her own desire, and justice may never be done-- but if it ever was, holding these two to borrow their light, for darkness, was not the way it should come. Yes, Masahiro should carry the rot, but she could not inflict upon him what he had no heart to even feel. She must believe in her son, and his friends, to do what is best and balance things again. Believe that they will set things right in her stead. And so, Masato and Usagi slowly slip into the arms of those trying to save them. Kunzite's words settled things further. Masato had not emulated his father too thoroughly, even when it always seemed that her son was trying to win his approval. Twist himself to fit Masahiro's expectations. When Ginga Otome finally brings the full extent of her purifying force to bear, that light washes away any remaining grief. It stays the anger, and cements the things being said. Packs them in like gauze in a wound. It soothes the malice that has built up and fed upon the magic drifting in and out of the house-- the fire to fight fire-- and the violent antipathy for the machinations of the man still controlling their son's future, happiness and home-- just as he always had. Expecting obedience, conformity, and perfection at every turn. Expecting them to be people they were not. Ginga Otome's sun took hold to banish these dark thoughts. The final beat of spreading wings sheds any last hint of miasmic purple, and they are gilded in the gentle, warming light of a new day. Brilliant gold, shining flawlessly, excised of the foul curse that they had once carried. For a moment she stood, glowing and pale in her white kimono, long wavy hair dark like Masato's own. Her eyes closed, her face pretty and serene. For the moment, shed of all ire and malice, and basking in the relief of peace granted to her. The glow brightened further, all of her shining golden, until she was no longer visible in the blinding brightness. This light shattered then, breaking into hundreds of golden butterflies. They seemed to dissipate into all manner of things, through the glass and out into the property, into the shrinking plant life. Slowly, everything seems to have returned to normal-- the intense weight upon the air has ceased. Birdsong can be heard in the yard beyond. Even the garden and greenhouse, though terribly overgrown and messy, no longer seems to be anything more than that. Certainly no longer possessed by supernatural forces. The gentle morning light filters softly through the glass and dapples through the shelves of plants and potted trees. On the dirt, where she had stood moments before, a small golden butterfly stuck fast into soil. The kind that adorned a pot to decorate it. The last of a dark energy, radiating with the intent to suffocate, sicken and kill, left it like a wisp of black smoke. A killing curse, finally leaving the innocuous looking ornament after all these years, now left it little more than an average piece of metal.
Amy Faust	Masahiro-san made things like this. One life, his ''wife'', filled with so much despair she bacame as like a Witch. And another life... well, Masato-san isn't under his control anymore. His friends and Mamoru have got that covered, she's sure, though she doesn't know the details of his situation (and it's not really her business.)     Still, that someone would cause this much suffering...     Part of her wants to ''do'' something. To curse him, somehow.     But he's not here, not in front of her, and the feeling fades as Kunzite takes the tack of talking up Masato, and how he's helped those dear to him. She smiles at that thought, that he's already shown how to be free of this. If living well is the best revenge, Masahiro-san must be ''seething'' with enough salt to purify hundreds of spirits.     The light purifies. The Puella Magi looks up at the echo of Masato's mother, and then she's butterflies. Amy smiles, and holds her hand over her heart and bows her head slightly for a moment in what she hopes is a solemn and respectful gesture to the departed spirit.     Which ''did'' drop a... a something.     Amy looks from Wako in wide-eyed alarm. "There's ''more'' haunted houses?!"     As for what the not-Witch dropped, Amy walks over to look at it, though she doesn't pick it up. "Well, it's not a grief seed. What ''is'' it?" She crouches to look closer if someone hasn't already picked it up. "Looks kinda like... a hairpin...?"
KeyLimePie	The purifying light fades away in much less time than it took to bring forth. As it does, Ginga Otome's Cybody armor disintegrates into scattering sparks of white and gold that vanish in the air, and Wako settles her feet gently back onto the ground. When she's standing steady, she sucks in a deep breath. "Hey, Sanjouin-san," she says, a bit out of breath and just faintly aggrieved. "How come all of your houses are super haunted?"