Thanqol

Masks: Resurrection Roundabout

"Oh, well that's lovely news," said Doctor Sylvanius, reaching up to pinch your cheek affectionately. "What a lovely young man you are." She goes ahead and dodders inside, sitting right at the back as the Kingbots continue their rampage, met with the combined energy of all those who fight for the smiles of others.

*

"Don't let her give you any shit," said JuneBird - having not quite finished chewing through her restraints but still having made it down the aisle to congratulate you as you pass.
Johnathan Jonestar had flexed magnificently but silently, tears running down his eyes, the ultimate sign of respect between warriors.
"This is amazing!" said Cinders, shaking smoke off the edge of her fists. For the past three years she's just been practicing with the augments she has. She has decided to at least graduate from university before she commits to the hero lifestyle - but from the grin she's giving you think that it might be for her after all. "Thank you for everything!"
*teleports behind u* "look after urself, kiddo," said Vault.

Surrounded by the cheers, tears and best wishes of all your friends and allies, it's a short walk down the aisle to the Assault Vehicle. The key turns in the ignition and the engine purrs like a lynx, and in its voice is the promise of anywhere.

THE END

Princess-Champions of Hyperborea

It is not in any way that Hornet's pictures are bad - they're extraordinarily skilled, flowing lines and liquid curves that transcend their hasty origins. It's more that Adila is strength and motion and momentum like a broken dam containing a lake of fire and she cannot process what she is seeing in the slightest. Her mind is sparks and lightning and there's no way that she could do something as serene as contemplate art in this moment. So she stares at the picture for two eternal seconds before letting out a disoriented +hmm+ and whirling off to wrap a Garthim in ribbons of fire.

But this isn't like before where she'd just dismiss this as something irrelevant Hornet did, to be ignored amidst the drumming call of her heart. Instead she falls into step with Princess Dandy, the one mind calm enough to consider the abstract while slam-kicking overgrown crabs with hobnailed boots. For a moment they dance together, Adila casting aside her lines of fire like a cloak. It's not clear who is leading; perhaps they both are, and the rhythm of the moment is the flash-steam tension of burning haste and pacific calm cancelling each other out. Their minds touch as their lips do, a more direct link and line of secrets than what they've shared before.

And then Adila is away again, carrying that drop of white in the depths of the black. She looks at Princess Hornet to show that she understands, and then she flashes across the room as a storm to interpose herself between her friends and the vengeful Oberon. She will defend them; none of this will work if they're not together.

[Overcome: 2+2: 4]

Chuubo's GMD: Love and Shattered Alchemy

She shivers for reasons entirely unrelated to cold as she's shown the pose, and does her best. She makes the motions exactly right. That's the most painful part of this. It's a pale imitation of what it should be and something is deeply off. But once she breaks the pose, it becomes not quite as stark. "I am afraid of those I can only dance, and I don't know what'd be at stake." She smiles. "So, ah, do you plan to stay in the area long? Or would you like to duel for answers to a question?"

@eldest

"Oh! Oh!" Jasper jumps up in the air with the excitement of someone who's never had someone challenge her to a duel before. "You actually want to - Yes! Yes, anything you'd like! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you want to dance -" she holds up one finger, turns around, and there is the sound of muffled squealing into a shirt sleeve. Then she straightens up and turns around regally with a completely impassive expression. "I accept your challenge and your terms," said Jasper Inkra stiffly. "The victorious will have total command over the secrets of the defeated -" there is a lot of willpower going into keeping a giddy grin off her face. "And as is expected, the challenger may be the first to dance."

Jasper paused and looked around. "Where are your backup dancers?" she asked.

Princess-Champions of Hyperborea

Princess Adila breathes in.

Little cloth bags on each of her wingtips are torn open. The glittering sand cascades down them surrounding her in a storm of jewels. She tosses her head back, wings up, and the tiniest spark passes from her lips - like a kiss on the breeze for the world she loves.

The sand ignites, coursing down her neck and bursting through the air in flames that for a moment seem like a mane as wild as her heart. She steps forwards, claws clacking sparks from the stone floor, causing lines of fire to run up her legs in spiral patterns. Her eyes are closed and this one step, this first step, feels so much like dancing. All along her body the black burns orange and the fire of her heart is visible for all to see.

Then she snaps her wings in close and pivots about in a single devastating motion, spreading that fire with her pirouette. The flaming sand expands out in all directions and then the flames finally catch the partially filled bags and there's a detonation like a bad day at Hobling Keep.

As the smoke clears Adila shines. The sudden burst of dragonfire-heat has melted the prismatic sand that had delicately coated her scales into glittering stained glass. For a moment she's radiant, shining black gloss that reflects Alina's light of gold - a dark and crystal moon around that radiant sun.

She's freed from pride and fear both. She fights by expressing herself, and she fights only to buy time for her friends to express themselves. She's not striving for victory, she's striving so that Dandy has time to cast her magic - all the magic of love and life - so that Hornet has time to realize whatever inspiration takes her, that Alina has time to properly kiss her wife. There's no strategy that can be higher than this; to live your best life and help all of your friends to live theirs too. There are more wonders in each heart she fights for than she could imagine in all her days of dreaming.

Masks: Resurrection Roundabout

An AEGIS Modular Assault Vehicle crashes down the aisle. It runs over Dominus' motorcycle. She doesn't notice immediately because she's busy kissing Angel-IKA, but as she's swept off her feet by the blonde valkyrie and carried towards the door you catch the briefest glimpse of her seeing the ruin of her bike and a very complicated expression taking over her face before the AEGIS elites burst from the doors of the vehicles in all directions.

Amidst them all, the Shogun floats, alight with red demon fire, surrounded by levitating muskets. There's a deafening barrage as she begins firing shot after shot out through the open door, guns cycling in perfectly ordered drill. AEGIS troopers enhance the fusillade with their own weaponry. The door becomes clogged with fallen Kingbots but still they try to climb over their defeated comrades.

The Shogun turns to face you, Errant, and she tosses at your feet the very confused and disoriented celebrant. "We'll have to make this fast," she said, giving you a bright smile. "So - here. My gift to you." She tosses you the keys to the assault vehicle. Then her eyes snap back to the celebrant who gets off her butt in a hurry.

"D-dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate a -" a laser beam cuts through the wall and sets one of the curtains on fire. "- u-union of two beloved heroes um you can exchange vows now."

*

Brainstorm!

That's... that's her! Doctor Sylvanius! The King of Mars! She does not look at all like the pictures.

What you're seeing is a little old lady with Doctor Wiley hair and glasses thick enough to stop a bullet with an adorable little golden crown floating above her head, surrounded by a phalanx of golden-plated battle robots that are laying down a hellstorm of fire. She squints up at you with a face full of smiling wrinkles and a voice like chocolate chip cookies. "Oh hello there dearie. Could you please show me to my seat? I do hope I'm not too late."

Chuubo's GMD: Love and Shattered Alchemy

Name, right, names are important, do not want to upset The Sun with no name or in fact anything else. "Ah, no. You are not in the Consuming Hells, and I am not a devil." Not technically a lie. "My name's Mila." Also not technically a lie, but we are not thinking about any other name we might have had no ma'am. "We're in Town, the outskirts by Lake. Not in Outside though. And... I know some courtly rituals but I don't know which are the right ones. I... I hope you're not offended?" Was that the right level of contrite? How do normal people react when they come face to face with Great Powers? Why didn't she study this?

@eldest

"Oh!" said Jasper with a brilliant smile. "Of course that's fine, it's so much to remember - I'll teach you!" She walked over to Mila and stood behind her - her breath against your hair is so soft and warm you brain might melt away into the endless blue sky and dream of tropical islands. Forwardly, she pressed herself against your back, taking hold of both of your wrists - "You stand straighter, like this," murmured Jasper, remembering her own lessons. "This hand extended, this hand back here. Head high. You need to stand gloriously, as your most entire self, worthy of love. Believe in yourself!"

And then she swirled away in a burst of yellow fabric, walking backwards with a hand to her chin to inspect the results. "And of course if you wish to challenge me to a duel of swords, or dance, or weaving, or archery, that would be wonderful!" she said.

Fellowship: The Heart

Ailee had been cupping her hands over her mouth in readiness to yell something over at the direction of Coleman and the trash god before Lucien begins begging for restraint. She looks back and forth between him at the sentient garbage with a look on her face that clearly communicates how little she appreciates being made to think about what she's going to say before she says it. Then she shrugs and starts tracing a finger through the air, leaving trails of fire in very readable cursive. It's neat and refined, the kind of handwriting that might be formalized into a font on a printing press for religious works.

The content of the writing is itself less elegant. It starts with LOOK JACKDAW! I HAVE UNCOVERED THE SECRET OF WHERE THE FISHMONGER'S SEWAGE OUTFLOW IS and it goes downhill from there.

Ailee looks at Lucien expectantly, hopefully, with wide eyes and an innocent little mousy smile upon her face.

Princess-Champions of Hyperborea

Princess Adila stands up as tall as she safely can. She's surrounded on all sides. Strength flows through her muscles and her eyes move smoothly from target to target. Assessing. Processing. Preparing.

Of course it's doomed. Of course she has no chance. She doesn't need a legendary work of military strategy engraved on her soul to know that. She's not powerful enough to win, of course not, not in the face of these numbers, this evil, his strength.

But... it's not always about winning. It's not about power either. She has enough strength and ferocity within her heart to fight, even now, even if it's futile. She can't stop this, but she can get Princess Hornet to safety - and maybe if she's very lucky, Princess Alina and Princess Kazelia as well. The proud little flame in her heart that one day dreamed of dragons can at the very least manage this.

+Princess Hornet,+ said Adila, spreading her wings causing the vibrant oranges of her dress to cascade, glittering with firedust in the colours of the rainbow sands of Jedad. +No matter what happens... I trust you to fix things. Okay?+

Masks: Resurrection Roundabout

"Gk-erk-Hlp-ack"

The robots are silent for a second as they both run vocal clarification filters. The results are inconclusive, which they fortunately take as evidence for action. Prometheus severs the chains with a precisely applied laser beam and Bode puts a mega-lozenge in your mouth and makes you swallow. Breath starts to return.

Hang on. If Prometheus is in a Martian Kingbot does that mean that Doctor Sylvanius' forces have already...

The main doors are dramatically kicked open and the figure outside is backlit in a spectacular halo of laser light fire. She raises a finger and yells, "I OBJECT!"

@Sarahphim!

On the one hand, Dominus is a bio-scientist with a variety of organ enhancements that give her superhuman abilities when it comes to processing toxins. On the other hand she has a pretty significant head start when it comes to getting smashed. She's already pretty unsteady when the door comes down and Angel-IKA strides down the aisle, glowing golden. In the backdrop you can see Vault moving like a katana through a crowd of robots, a lifetime of learning to perfectly dodge your laser patterns manifesting itself perfectly as he tears through the machines - here, there, slamming a Repeater down so that Ferraphim1tp (sunk ships never die) can jack a bot and turn its firepower against her foes.

But Angel-IKA is having none of that right now. She's coming down, radiant, eyes like fire. If you did one good thing in your life it was help her redesign her costume. Home-made wolf-hoodies are in the past, now she conveys the aspect of primal savagery alongside her angelic appearance and looks entirely herself.

"H-hey, Angelica," said Dominus, having spilled the champagne all over her biker jacket. "I mean. Ha ha ha! It is too late for you to stop my evil plan!"
"Where the hell have you been, Pasey? I've been worried sick!" said Angel-IKA.
"Oh please, like you care," said Dominus. "We're professionals. Professional rivals. We always knew our jobs would come first."
"Our what!? Our jobs?! Is that what this is about? Pasey, do you have any idea how many laws I broke trying to hunt you down!?"
"You - what? No, Ange, you shouldn't -"
"I blew up a biker bar when they wouldn't give me information!"
"Tell me that wasn't the Crimson Roadhouse -"
"I hijacked a train so that I could steal a spy satellite!"
"You stole a -"
"I dangled the CEO of Crown and Slate off a building for information!"
"Mr. Blutcher? You threatened Mr. goddamn Blutcher!?"
"Of course I did, Pasey!" said Angel-IKA. "And then I crashed a stolen car through a robot army on my way in so I could get here in time to stop you from doing something stupid!"

Dominus stands there, absolutely flabbergasted. You're right there besides her, @Sarahphim - what do you say?

Fellowship: The Heart

"See?" said Ailee, punching Lucien in the shoulder chirpily. "We're getting somewhere now! We've gone from being smack-talked by a waiter to getting a conversation with something that at least has the self respect to pretend to be a god. This is progress, Lucien, don't look so bitter! Maybe it'll be interesting enough to write a Monstrology paper about? The Deeper Journal can't get enough papers on creatures that think they're gods."