New Years Eve/Danmaku Event

[betel_geuse]

"OKAY, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND UNDEFINED OTHERS. HAPPY NEW YEAR and WELCOME to our grand event! The topic of the day is DANMAKU. THIS IS IT, FOLKS. This is gonna be the next big thing in Genessia. Here and now, you're gonna learn what danmaku is, what it takes to win, and how YOU, YES, YOU can be a part of it!" Betelgeuse announced, moving around the small stage area and waving his hands around. He was full of energy and doing his best to impart that energy to the crowd. "NOW. I know a lot of you, LIKE YOURS TRULY, may never have heard of danmaku or only know a tiny bit about it. Fortunately, MY GOOD FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER KOISHI, is from a world where danmaku is a big deal, THOUGH WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT EVEN BIGGER!"

Betelgeuse paused to let people give some applause and to give the information a bit of time to sink in.

"Koishi is going to explain danmaku to you, then I'm gonna introduce you to some of the different activities we have for you to explore. So, without further ado, give a BIG GREETING FOR KOISHI!"

Koishi twirled once, appearing on stage in a small shower of hearts. After the mask incident back home the little youkai had gotten very good at ensuring she was seen on stage. She was dressed in her usual green and yellow though she was probably somewhat cleaner than most were used to seeing her. Satori had made sure she looked fully presentable on the stage.

"Hello! I'm Koishi Komeiji!" Her third eye was bobbing and weaving excitedly. "I'm a satori youkai and I'm from the great underground in Gensokyo. Because everyone there is super powerful if people fought then everything would break and that would be bad. So we invented danmaku to settle fights without killing anyone instead!" At least she was being clear for once.

She held up her arms, a spark of magic shooting up from her hands and exploding into hearts in the sky, spiraling outward and dissipating after a short distance.

"Danmaku is a lot of fun. It's a duel about beauty and skill and finesse. Not about power. And anyone can play! Even humans. Even if you don't have magic. If you do have magic, Danmaku is really really simple to learn. If you don't, then it's a bit harder, because you need to use other things! Most important though is to have fun! If you don't, then there is no point! It's also super pretty and fun to watch so everyone will have a good time I hope, okay?"

"Thank you, THANK YOU. You all are doing great! Now that ya know a bit more about the game, generally, it's time for some practical demonstrations! At each booth, you'll find experts to give you some practical know-how and HANDS ON experience. Cause anyone can tell you, the hands on stuff is always the best part, right??"

Betelgeuse chuckled at his own perverse humor, before walking over to the first booth.

"This here is where you'll learn pattern creation! This is the brass tacks of danmaku, folks! This is where you do your strategy and SHOW OFF YOUR STYLE! Fast or slow, intricate or basic, find out the uses of each!"

"Now, this next booth is another chance to show off CREATIVITY. Here's where we show you what sorta things you can THROW AROUND. All those pretty patterns you're gonna learn are made of something. Now, keep in mind, these are just EXAMPLES. Feel free to think up your own stuff. STYLE IS IMPORTANT. Balls and stuff is just the beginning, though balls never go out of style, in my opinion!"

"Booth number three is target practice! We all need some of that, right, guys! Believe me, hitting what you aim for is half the battle, well, once you find the target," Betelgeuse chuckled, giving a lewd wink. "SO. Come up and practice, work up all that HAND TO EYE COORDINATION. Believe me, everything is better when those work together."

"Later on, after you get some practice in, we'll have two demonstration matches. The matches will be Mamizou vs. Koishi and Remilia vs. Satori. Should be quite a sight! It's not all work, though, folks! We have a dancing area, food booths, drink booths, and some play areas for the kiddies! Being New Year's and all, we'll also have FIREWORKS, and not just the ones you'll be making with all those end of year kisses, neither! SO, eat, drink, and prepare to DUEL YOUR HEARTS OUT!"

Comments

Translation: "Nothing is achieved without effort."

[sakuya_izayoi]

The maid shot a glance at Azula, smirking a little bit. "Il faut casser le noyau pour en avoir l'amande. No fun will be had attempting to kill a woman dressed like that." She turned her gaze from one to another, settling on Vyers. "Be aware that by agreeing to a duel you must uphold your end should you fail."

She shifted her hands, grabbing Yuna and pulling her back away from Satsuki. Hard. "There need only be a single duel here to decide this but I would not mind more than one. It would certainly offset my boredom somewhat. I have not had a clean danmaku fight in a long time either." She glanced back at Satsuki. "But, of course, this is not my fight." She flicked her wrist, knife vanishing, holding out her arms. "If I may escort you all to a place more suited to a duel you may discuss the details as you walk."

She seemed to be herding them to the currently unused danmaku demo and practice area.

Re: Translation: "Nothing is achieved without effort."

[jerks22]

Yuna shoved off Sakuya's grip, hoisting her pistol in one smooth motion. "Don't touch me!" She held her hand to her chest, almost in shock at having the outburst. "I can only be touched by Bison...anyone else..."

Vyers laughed. "Yes, we're all well aware of your...proclivities, Miss Yuna. This won't take long, I hope. I'm sure 'Mr.M' is even now awaiting her in his chambers."

Yuna blushed.

Tepet: "We should confer with the leader. I don't like a course of action this brazen."

Vyers. "As brazen as, say, destroying a playground?" He gets a nasty glare.

Azula. "Please. How many times have we been exposed? Thrice? These vermin are either too stupid to notice or too cowardly to care."

Vyers. "Yes, makes you wonder why we're getting so worked up...mais bien sur, treason is treason, regardless of outcome. I'm sure our mistress will finish entertaining the rabble shortly."

The four of them dutifully Walked towards wherever Sakuya was taking them.

[weavemyownfate]

All right well.. It would appear the entire party has arrived, and Satsuki has to admit she didn't really see that coming. With Yuna's being temporarily distracted, that provides the Nova Guardian a chance to slip closer (if not directly behind) Gamagori while she keeps her eyes upon the invading group best that she can.

Though what's even more surprising is that the opposing group seems to, thus far, agree to the maid's proposal. Well if they're agreeing to a danmaku battle, then the obvious move is to have someone more proficient at it duel for her; Sakuya appears to be a good candidate and the resolve she shows suggests she may not mind being volunteered at the last minute- which she fully intends to do. "I.. Suppose that sounds reasonable.." Ok -what- is happening. Is this anything like what their actual meetings will be like?

By the way, Luke, Satsuki sees you. For a brief moment their eyes meet and she shakes her head 'no'.

huff he was being so quiet /throws this in

[lookprofessor]

Don't worry, Satsuki. This is way out of his league. Luke's half hiding behind a booth, frowning. His eyes are wide with panic as the conditions are agreed upon. He nods without thinking at her silent instructions.

He's going back to staring in horror now, 'kay?

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya carefully herds everyone to the practice area, their skin tingling slightly as they passed through the shield. With a flicker most of the excess equipment had been cleared out, though she left several magical knick knacks here and there for use.

"Now. The rules of danmaku are simple. Hopefully you were paying attention but for the sake of this duel I shall repeat them. These duels are non lethal and are performed by attempting to dazzle your opponent with clever patterns while also trying to hit them. You may injure your opponent but not mortally. Crippling shots are not illegal but quite frowned upon as healers are expensive. Most importantly the spoils must be clearly stated before hand and honored after the fact." She shot the invading guardians a glare. "Rules regarding duels between multiple people are a bit more complicated especially for rookies, so I will be limiting this to a one on one match. You lose if you forfeit or if you are unable to battle due to pain or stamina. In a duel with limited cards or time limit the victor is decided by who took less damage, or, in some cases, how lovely their performance was."

"As you are all new to the concept I suggest you look at the current duel between Koishi and Mamizou and learn from it. And if you need time to craft a few cards we will gladly wait." The maid was completely calm. "And as for you Satsuki, I suggest you do the same unless you intend to choose someone else to duel in your stead."

[jerks22]

Yuna looked worried. "Um, I don't know if I have time for this. Couldn't we just shoot her and get it over with?"

Azula: "She has a point. "How lovely their performance was?" I thought this was a duel, not a beauty pageant."

Vyers: A pity there aren't more of those. Think of all the second place trophies you girls could win.

Tepet: Silence! Our glorious leader approaches.

And there, from the background, strutting across the road like it was her own personal catwalk, she arrived. Blonde, beautiful, buxom, and in control. All the guardians--the ones who didn't betray everyone, anyway,-- kneeled immediately.

Blonde: Like, omigawd, stop it you guys, you're making me blush. So, Satsuki's still there, ya know. Breathin and stuff and givin' people the stink eye. That's soooo lame. Not as lame as, like, pushing the paper people over the edge so they'd give the game up, but still. Pretty lame.

She brightened up. "So, like, what's the sitch? Why's everyone standing around with the Denny's chick?" The others kept her up to date as she twirled a sucker in her mouth.

"Uh huh....that's pretty friggin' weird, if ya ask me. And you should ask me, cause I'm like, the leader, and stuff? So, I mean, putting her 6 feet under is pretty quick, but it might be cool, if like, she killed herself? Not, like, saypookoo, or whatever, but like, having to go into exile would almost be better. She'd have to live all that time never having to show her face! Cause, like, her face is so ugly, roffle! And you know she'd do it, too. She's, like, Japanese, and they have to bring great honor to their famiry, and junk. El oh el!"

The others laughed with her.

"So, okay, I don't really care who does it. We rock and Sucksuki...sucks, so we pretty much have this in the bag. Soooo..." she extender her 'o's', twirling her hair. "If weeee win, Satsuki has to like, gee tee eff oh. Also maid chick has to like, make me pancakes, cause oh em gee I looove pancakes. Can you like, do the ones that have chocolate chips? Those are my totes fave. Ooh, or maybe those Reese's Pieces...actually we might have to go grocery shopping, lawl!"

"And, if sucksuki wins...which she won't cause she's fat, then I guess we'll put the newspaper back to the way it was. And, I dunno, you can have a gallon of Ben & Jerry's, cause I knooow you'd totally go to town on it. So, yeah, do your danpoopoo duel with whoever you want."

Yuna: If I win, I'll bring honor to Bison's name, but what if I get hurt? Then I wouldn't please him anymore...

Vyers: It does seem like a vulgar, gaudy thing. Still, I'm nothing if not generous. I'll add my stunning beauty to this pedestrian activity.

Tepet: I am an Exalted, clearly superior to all of you. It's only fitting that I be the one to please our master.

Azula: If you clowns think I'm letting any of you get in the way between me and revenge, think again. One way or another, traitor, I'll have your head.

[kiryuin_shield]

As everything happened, Gamagori was more than happy to get between Satsuki and the fakes. After all, he was still in uniform. However, as this newcomer came onto the scene, a pair of thick thorny whips slid from his sleeves. However, at the bickering he raised his arm and snapped the whip in the air.

"If you idiots are going to follow such a vapid, disrespectful, and offensive excuse for an intelligent life form, perhaps she should prove her worth or remove herself from the premises."

He growled for a moment, muttering 'where the hell is Nonon' under his breath.

[weavemyownfate]

Things have taken a turn for the very... Very confusing. Satsuki 'recognizes' the valley-girl and while her reveal is a very big surprise, she doesn't really know what to make of it.

Really, she doesn't know what to make of this entire scenario. Yet in a way it feels like she's back home again. This lot would make fantastic Club Presidents. That said, the valley-girl has managed to get on her nerves very quickly. Sensing her comrade's anger, she mumurmurs, "At ease, Gamagori. I have no interest in ice cream. In addition to the newspaper fiasco, should I win, I will have your leader receive twenty lashes. All of you but Yuna are encouraged to observe."

She gestures to Gamagori's whips.

"Now, assuming we are at an agreement, which of you will step forward?"

[symphonyofdestruction]

Where is Nonon? That is a good question! This evening is going to see the little pink haired girl hating herself for all sorts of failures. It was her that insisted the Guardian wear that kimono instead of her kamui. It was a selfish desire to have the two of them match and now, because of it, Gamagori was the only one of the three of them who could possibly stand up to this. And if they decided to not follow the rules if he won, it would prove difficult to force them to do so.

The second failure came in the fact that she wasn't even there when the assault first came. She'd slipped away unseen, for a reason that in under any other circumstances might have ended up with a cute, awkward scene. But in this case when the kimono clad musician makes her way back into the festival, things were a little different. In her hand she is carrying a little box wrapped in simple red paper with a bow on it. If it was a gift, there could only be one person it was for.

But instead of what she wants, instead this happened. Its obvious right when she finds the group. She may be a small girl, but her voice could pierce through steel. "What the hell is this?" She missed the beginning of the conversation, but she can tell its a bad scene. Even without her goku uniform though, she isn't about to just run away. Unless she is actively stopped, she'll move to stand next to her friends. "...Sorry...guess I picked a bad time to leave." Nonon just apologized. That is, perhaps, the most unexpected event all night.

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya's eyebrow twitched as the false guardians bickered among themselves as to who would be the one to duel. Truth be told it didn't matter to the maid. Regardless of who was picked they would have to adhere to the rules of danmaku combat.

"Remember, you want someone who is flexibile and quick in combat. Someone who has the ability to create projectiles. A purely melee fight would likely end quite badly, though its not impossible."

"Also, Lady Satsuki, your own victory spoils seem rather mild compared to the one they have set. Are you sure that's all you-"

The maid visibly flinched as Nonon screeched onto the scene, the woman having to suppress a sigh of irritation as she joined the group. "As I said previously. We will be conducting a formal danmaku duel to decide the outcome of this encounter."

[jerks22]

Tepet (snapping at Gamagori): You impudent primate! I will cut out your tongue! How dare you insult our glorious leader in that way! She alone will bring this world to order, and usher in a shining new age!

Blonde: Whoa, easy there red! Like, it's cool. He's probably like, super shallow and can't appreciate how awesome I am. I mean, you can have him later, I guess. If you're into that kinda guy; hashtag roidrage!

I mean, he like, wanted ME to participate! Like, I know I'm super cute and you all just can't get enough of my cuteness, but I'm the boss, here! Doing dirty work is soooo...dirty. I might totally break a nail. Like, ohmygosh gag me with a spoon!

The Guardians were visibily shocked to hear Satsuki's conditions.

Yuna:...

Vyers: To see one who puts even my beauty to shame be marred...

Tepet: You monster! How could you even think of suggesting something so profane!

Azula: You can't accept that, Glorious Leader! The shame would be unbearable.

Blonde: Kin-kay! Wow Fatsuki, you are a total freak! (puts finger on tongue) Is he gonna do it, or do you swing that way? Like, ohmygosh, I should've worn leather. (observes her groupies)

Oh my gosh you guys, sometimes I wonder where you'd be without me. It'll be totally kay! Like, even if you guys screw the pooch--oh em gee who even invented that cause I have a Pomeranian and that is soooo not funny--, I'll be fine. Tell you what; whoever loses has to watch the First Season of Gossip Girls with me.

Vyers: Surely you mean just one episode...?

Blonde: Did I st-st-stutter? The WHOLE season. I've got it right here on DVD. Hashtag tee why Santa! So yeah, I dunno cosplay girl, that win perdition, or whatever, sounds pretty harsh to me. These guys look worse than that time I got a bad horoscope. Lawl you don't even have to ask my sign; Pisces for life! Okay, so I'm gonna get some snacks. I have some major cravings for Reese's Pieces. Don't start without me! Kay bye!

Then she skipped away, singing to herself. "California girls we're undeniable! Fine, fresh, fierce, we got it on lock..."

The rest of the Guardians look less than spirited. Perhaps because their leader just left. Perhaps it was the severity of what might happen should they fail; either seeing the love of their life be whipped, or enduring her terrible taste in television. They stared at the ground, silent, for a while, before one spoke up.

Vyers: ...Well, I, for one, won't let the chance to dazzle you rubes with my radiance pass me by. It would seem I'm the only one man enough, or beautiful enough, to face the prospect of failure. Allons-y, Satsuki! And be grateful, for my ravishing beauty will be the last thing you see.

[weavemyownfate]

"It should suffice." On one hand, Sakuya is correct in that there appears to be a disbalance in the wagers; but the Nova Guardian appears to know what she's doing with what little information she possesses. And if Sakuya can indeed keep their word, that would make her job even easier. Her expression remains fairly neutral as she looks from one group member to the other.

Also, she has no idea what 'Gossip Girls' is.

"All right." Satsuki murmurs as she slips her hands into the sleeves of her kimono. The voice of Nonon is all too familiar- and as she thinks about it, the pink haired one would be a pretty good fit, but her next move is far too clear. Rather than fill Nonon in on the situation at the moment, she glances to Sakuya. "I would like for you to duel, should you possess similar resolve."

[kiryuin_shield]

As soon as what Gamagori can only theorize is the internet personified turns to leave, he gives a frustrated grunt and whips his arm in her direction, sending a whip off with the intent to wrap the girl up and drag her back.

"THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS SHOW THE DECENCY TO OVERSEE YOUR SUBORDINATES BATTLES. YOU WILL STAY, YOU WILL WATCH, AND YOU WILL HOLD TO YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?

[jerks22]

Yoink! Away she went. She seemed a bit heavier than a girl her size ought to.

The Guardians were about to get their murder on.

"No guys, don't blow a gasket. Chillax!" She sighed.

"I see how it is; fatsuki gets to eat all she wants, but when I wanna get some popcorn, suddenly I'm the one that has to keep a diet. Then again..." Her eyes went from petulant sadness to flirty. "Maybe Arnold here is just super concerned about my figure." She looked at the vine holding her. "Couldn't hold back, huh? I know, I'm so glam. That's a big thing you've got here, by the way. But it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean. Jay kay!"

The Guardians were bags of emotion.

"Whatever, I'll just sneak some Twinkies out of her pocket when she's not looking. Don't even act like you don't have some." She winked her eye and stuck out a tongue.

Vyers facepalmed. "Please, glorious leader, don't tease. Ah, to be denied a chance to avenge personally, and go up against a more experienced player. C'est la vie! Still, that ought to make the competing conditions rather fair. Ah, that our boss should find balance such as this is truly a thing of beauty. Rivaled only by myself, bien entendu. If you are quite done manhandling our fair mistress, perhaps we may begin?"

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya's smirk widened a bit when Satsuki asked her to duel. "I was hoping you would ask me. The danmaku today has rather wet my appetite for the game once more. It was a shame I did not get to participate in the festivities. I would be absolutely delighted to stand in for you Lady Satsuki."

The maid flexed her fingers, turning to face her opponent, giving a formal curtsy. She straightened up after only a moment, gesturing around the practice area. "There are some shot gloves to your left and some flight pins behind you. I suggest putting both on before we begin. They will greatly aid you."

She readjusted one of her gloves, smoothing part of her scarf and tossing it back over her shoulder. Her watch glowed and crackled, the borders of the shielded area flashing, the space inside rapidly expanding to give them a bit more room to duel.

"We shall duel till one of us loses the strength or resolve to continue. After all, a duel to protect honor is not something to end or judge on more arbitrary rules." She finally straightened up, folding her hands over her apron. "However it is also important to know when to cease fighting. An honorable forfeit calls more respect than being ground to dust."

The maid glanced at the observers. "When he is ready feel free to begin the duel at any time."

[jerks22]

Vyers bowed as well. "Regrettably, my wings have been clipped, else I could show you my true glory. Alas..." He outfitted himself with the latest in danmaku fashion, and tested it out a bit, ascending and scattering a few nondescript shots.

"Very well. On your mark, mademoiselle."

[weavemyownfate]

Satsuki, for the most part, appears patient. Which is pretty much a facade, with as increasingly annoying as the blonde is becoming and all.

Once the duelists are in position, there is just one teensie little problem: She's not high enough. Thankfully, getting a higher vantage point is of little difficulty for Satsuki, as she motions for Gamagori to lower himself enough so that she can stand upon his shoulders. It takes a bit of adjustment, being in a kimono and all, but she pulls it off without having to drape it over his face.

Once he stands, she raises a hand to the sky as she declares, "Let the duel begin!"

[kiryuin_shield]

Gamagori grinned as he knelt down, offering his arm to help Satsuki's ascent. Once she was stable on his shoulder, he stood once more, offering Satsuki an even better view of the field, clenching his other fist and making the whip tighten around its prisoner.

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya, however, was patient, her demeanor calm and still. Her eyes were still a vibrant red, the maid taking a deep breath, her smile dissolving into the stoic mask she usually wore. Her battle aura had manifested, space rippling around her. It was a strange, ethereal feeling of unease causing skin to prickle and bones to ache as the hollows of time washed over those present as she waited for the fight to start.

"Let the duel begin!"

Sakuya's power rippled and she simply vanished. A fraction of a second later the knives began to fall. A rain of silver blades dropped from above. Some of them were aimed at him but many would land off target, suppressing him. Fortunately the battle area was very well lit so the knives weren't impossible to see, and even if they did seem to be falling a little slower than than gravity demanded, and the gaps between the knives were more than sufficient for a human body to squeeze through, it would still take near superhuman reflexes to dodge them effectively.

Spell card 1/3: More than enough of me to go around

[jerks22]

Vyers winced, feeling a tad uncomfortable with all the supernatural hijinks going on. He only had a vague understanding of how the game was played, but went on to do something like this.

He flitted out of the first few blades with relative ease, but it became clear that dodging all of them would be impossible. Thus, out came the copies. "Ah, tell me, can one multiply beauty, or is it simply vulgar mass production?" Most of them would stand there, taking hits and making ostentatious poses. Others would be jump-kicking and punching other blades, guarding the original, who was getting his bearings with flight. Still, he tried to move around and mix with the rest.

Still, others were more menacing than mere displays of his overflowing beauties. They leaped upwards towards sakuya, bouncing off the projectiles and aiming their multitudinous strikes towards. Such Vyers, many kicks. Wow.

It's hard describing 2D cards in a 3D space...

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya tried to move back but she was already on the edge of the barrier. But an attack that only used clones and no projectiles? It might be work... but he would have to catch her first.

He was using her projectiles to assist his own movement. This probably meant he wasn't too agile in the air. That's fine. It probably just meant he couldn't readjust himself quickly. She threw one last volley before twisting and moving along the upper edge of the barrier, angling down and dropping like a stone, turning at the last minute. One of his kicks scraped past her arm, leaving her flesh burning as she flipped back, a card appearing in her hand.

"Time Sign [Imaginary Vertical Time]"

The illusions of knives appeared in a weaved pattern. Lines of them, looping and crossing... Almost filigree-like. All at once the illusions solidified, the knives seeming to hang for a moment before continuing along their set path, gaps opening and closing, widening, shrinking. Walls shifting and moving. A difficult spell to dodge even for an experienced duelist.

Spell card 2/3: Absence makes the heart grow fonder

[jerks22]

Many vyers formed up in a 3x3 wall, taking the knives from her closing volley oh-so valiantly.

The original was left to himself as the rest shimmered out of existence. His eyes darted back and forth, gauging the time and looking for an opening. Now or never, he sped through. Nnnnnope, not quite! A few slipped past his dash and put cuts on his arms and legs.

"Oh, such cruel pain! But perhaps it is beauty to bleed." It wasn't much fun if you couldn't fight and taunt. He squeezed into a larger opening in the pattern, getting a few more scrapes for his trouble, and began his next technique. Complete with requisite monologue, of course.

"Perhaps my beauty, multiplying like that all at once, was much too much. Prepare yourself, fair maiden. L'absence renforce les liens!"

Large, dark, rolling spheres emanated from his shot glove. The longer they remained on the field, the darker and more expansive their effect. Oddly, this was for Sakuya's eyes only. He, and any onlookers, could see the action perfectly well. Could she bust his umbra balls before the arena was hopelessly cloaked in shadow? Regardless, he prepared his final move.

If I got anything wrong just tell me. I'll fix it.

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya didn't seem to share his opinions on taunting. Even as he shouted and dodged she remained completely silent, hyper-focused on the battle at hand. She flew back, allowing her spellcard to break as he approached. It wouldn't do well to have her locked down by what she fully expected to be another physical attack. However, even if she was mistaken, she would be ready.

The spheres of darkness did surprise her, however, the spheres didn't seem to have substance. She narrowed her eyes, extending her sense of space outward some. If he was planning on blanketing the field in darkness then she would have at least some sense of what was around her.

And if he thought making it hard to see would give him an edge... well he woudn't be the first. Then again, it was not the first instinct of a danmaku player to shoot the bullets being shoot at the bullets that were being shot at you...

"Lightspeed [C. Ricochet]"

She threw a single knife, the weapon moving at absurd speeds as it bounced off of every available surface, passing through him harmlessly multiple times. No doubt it would be less harmless after it had some time to disorient him... On top of that it would be nearly impossible to predict without giving it a lot of his attention. And no doubt staying near surfaces it could rebound off of would be a bad idea...

To make matters worse the maid was still moving, her eyes a smoldering red as she charged up and over the spheres of darkness, the energy clawing at her back, making her skin prickle painfully. She was throwing knives forward, up, and to the sides, different strikes traveling at various speeds, the slowest of these knives rebounding off the walls to strike at new and various angles. The sheer amount of suppression would make her extremely hard to approach.

Spell card 3/3: Behold, my radiant beauty!

[jerks22]

Vyers wasn't even gonna try to predict the path of a ricochet. Better to use what concentration he had to focus on where to move and dodging the majority of the knives, made easier with the help of his umbra balls. They were a heavier shot, meant to be taken down and punishable to the opponent if not. They did take some collateral damage, and Vyers used them to shield himself from yet more. Still, many got through, and he was starting to get pin cushion-y.

Yet they had done their work, and the area was dark enough to put his next, and last, thing into motion.

All that bluster about brilliance and radiance? It was time to deliver. The darkness had obscured him, some, but more importantly, it set the atmosphere to one of expectant and underwhelming sight. Time to overwhelm. "Enough of my veil; my true beauty must burst forth!"

Charging the shot glove for all it was worth, his body radiated near-blinding coronas of light, like a flash grenade of pure beauty. With one hand, he clutched a wound, and with the other, he held out his fingers, firing 5 cones of piercing, glaring laser death, making his fingers dance as he tried to trace Sakuya's movements.

That's more like it!

[sakuya_izayoi]

Sakuya didn't expect the lasers. After two very simple and rather amateur attacks the sudden flash of brilliance took her off guard. Sakuya jerked back quickly, trying to correct her mistake. She twisted mid air to graze the attack, her vision flashing white as a white hot lance of pain shot up her leg, the laser engulfing it shin to thigh before she managed to get away.

At the same time the bouncing knife ended its course, impacting and embedding itself deeply into his hip, hopefully throwing off his aim. Regardless the maid allowed herself to drop down quite a bit, her leg snapping out a bit, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, a little blood and clear fluid already starting to run down her leg. It had been a long time since she was burned so badly.

She needed to end things quickly. An injury like this would spell her early end.

Tracking lasers on their own were not overly dangerous and she kept a distance, avoiding them until the spell broke, focusing on defense.

It was now or never. She had to incapacitate him or at least pressure him into surrendering. With her left hand she drew her third spell card, her right reaching down toward her watch, clicking it twice, and removing it from its protective case. The face remained unchanged but the exposed back shone brightly, thousands upon thousands of minuscule runes painstakingly inscribed on every available surface of every gear, every screw, every spring.

"Dimension Sign [Mirror Paradox]!"

The watch burned and crackled in her hand, a nauseating wave of energy washing over onlookers as spacetime was ripped open... It ended quickly, marked by two loud clicks as two timepieces were returned to their respective cases. There were two Sakuya's now, the newcomer defined by her black hair and uniform.

They moved similarly, but not identically, though they appeared to share the burn on their leg. In addition summoning the paradox in such a complete form was very taxing for Sakuya, both maids looking equally tired from it... but that's what an attack like this was for, right?

And this was no simple doppelganger or illusion. Both maids rushed forward, becoming a flurry of knives, the weapons rushing forward in a straight line or bouncing off of everything. The darker one scattered some playing cards, vanishing, appearing behind Vyers, parting the still-airborne knives, attempting to kick him in the spine. The white haired maid followed suit, though she appeared under him attempting to ram him from below.