Evening, June 15, 1999

[loveandwillpower]

Three are down, three are dead.

Haruhi. Rosa. Alice.

The Princess will be free of her chains soon, Hope from Pandora's box bright and innocent and so easy to be crushed by the unscrupulous. Enemies lie everywhere - the sisters, no matter which side they take, they're out of the way for now. If there are still enemies to take care of, if she's still alive at the end of the night, she'll see if she needs to drag anything out from under their skins.

Four to go. Tomosuke's message had been clear. A turncoat twice over, no fit familiar for a witch. Even a treacherous witch.

With Maria's betrayal, there's really no time to waste. Can't check on the prince, if he's gone then that's just wasted time, if he's not then that's still wasted time, if he's taken a turn for the worse and died then too bad for him, Maya's reign'll just have to kick off with a tragic star-crossed romance, it's his fault for getting in the way.

Time, time - wires strung across doorways and stairwells, ancient crossbows dredged up from the basement, sharp stakes and slippery steps in strategic places, all the traps her wild ingenuity can summon into being, and, of course, a certain upgrade for the power of Venus, purchased with the help of papa's credit card.

Mia will be back to free Maya tomorrow, so it has to be tonight.

A challenge must be issued to the worst of the demons remaining. With the power of love and beauty, she'll defend this household, and with that, she dials Nui. With Alice's cell phone, of course. She might not pick up for Minako, but she definitely will for Alice. Power of love. It's what she's got and she'll use every single tool at her disposal for the sake of her liege.

Comments

[flatview]

[ She didn't expect to be getting any more phone calls tonight. Everyone was here, right? --oh, except for Alice and Minako. She still wasn't sure what to make of those claims about Minako being the "bad guy" anyway...hadn't Hiroshi gone nuts before? How could she fully trust him?

But Minako's instincts are right, at least. Nui picks up the phone at once. ]

Alice-chan? Hey, hey, where are you? We're getting worried!

[loveandwillpower]

Really? Are you really? Did you have ~a secret date~ after all?

[ Squirm, demon. ]

[flatview]

...Minako-chan? [ she lowers her voice a little. Maybe--maybe she can reason with her? Get her to say what's going on? ]

I don't need to have gone on a date to worry about her, or, do you think I'm that meaaaaan~?

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hiroshi tightens a bit at Nui's response. If Nui had answered thinking it was Alice and got Minako, then Alice was...

He looked at the others, then back at Nui. This was important.]

[loveandwillpower]

I don't know, Nui, how mean are you?

But you know, you shouldn't keep Alice waiting! She's a delicate and maidenly flower, after all!

[flatview]

That would depend on where she is? Are you playing weird games with her? Risque, risque.

[ doing jazz hands in Hiroshi's directions...let her try to get some info out of Minako first ]

later, the Fey house

[itwasfeyt]

[It was easy work, getting to Maya's house. Nothing along the way to halt their progress until the all-to-familiar front door was within sight.

The real problem, of course, was hiding within. Minako, Maya's closest friend and confidante, now the person responsible for her false arrest, and the murder of Haruhi... It was hard to even imagine such a situation coming about - what could have spurned her on like this, she wondered. Minako had called Maya her "princess"... did that mean that... all of this was her-

She shook her head, dislodging that thought. Not right now. They had to take care of this.

She placed her hand on the doorknob. It's only fair that she went in first, it was her house.]

...So, we're really sure that she's in here?

[flatview]

That's where she said.

[ Nui drums her nails on the doorframe. ]

She wants us to come to her, at least, so even if she's not here in person, something important definitely is. ♥

[all_onis_are_true]

Let us be careful. Minako is deceptively strong. She may prove a handful if she chooses to fight back, which I have no doubt she will.

[ohmygah]

Ya think we might be able ta talk her down?

[With everything that's happened and how fast things are progressing, it seems to Osaka that that's becoming an increasingly low probability. But she can hope.]

[flatview]

No.

[ nui's answer comes instantly and without remorse ]

She's not even in the realm of listening to reason, you know?

[ohmygah]

[Osaka's face scrunches in something vaguely similar to offense.]

Ain't so different from me or Maria.

[Then she thinks about it for another second.] Well, Ah mean. Without the... [She can't even really vocalize what Minako's done without feeling sick.] Y'know.

[loveandwillpower]

[ While everyone else fusses over dead friends and so on, the house remains as it is.

Minako's exact location is a mystery. The channeling chamber, maybe? It looks occupied, the door open a crack and light shining through. ]

[loveandwillpower]

[ The basement? Hiroshi'd been locked up underground, after all. ]

[ohmygah]

[Osaka is having a lot of trouble concentrating right now. Even more than usual. Nui and Haruhi and Alice were dead and then there was whatever was going on with Minako and Maria and Maya and Hiroshi and then apparently Chiyoko and Nui knew a thing

For once Osaka isn't sure if she's the most normal person here. Maybe she's just in the dark again. That would make sense. That would be something familiar and normal rather than horrifying and chaotic. She just wished someone, anyone, would explain.

She drifts over to the basement door aimlessly.]

Anybody checked down their yet?

[itwasfeyt]

[Maya was having more trouble staying calm about everything then concentrating on it. Everyone had had some level of preparedness when the reached the house... only for it to slip from their fingers literally the moment they opened the door.

It was simple to say that she was scared. Obviously she was. Then again, she knew the house better then anyone, which meant she had to lead the way. Hopefully straight to Minako.]

They basement? Hmm... I don't think so?

[all_onis_are_true]

Ah... no, not yet.

[He freezes a bit. As much as it pains him to admit it, he's in no hurry to go down there anytime soon. Just looking downstairs makes him break out in a cold sweat.]

Do... do you think she would really be down there?

[happyhalloween]

Why wouldn't she? Venus kept Hiroshi in a basement after all.

[ohmygah]

[She did what now.

She glances at Hiroshi for a split second, making sure she doesn't stare. That's a pretty rough deal.]

She might wanna avoid someplace with evidence 'n stuff. But Ah can check.

[She feels like keeping Hiroshi away from there and surrounded by friends is a good idea.]

[loveandwillpower]

[ Maya's room? Surely the Princess' room must be free of traps. ]

[all_onis_are_true]

[He hesitates, his hand hovering over the knob. He looks back at the others.]

This... is the last place we haven't looked. I would not be surprised if there was a trap somewhere in here too...

[He looks back at the door.]

No matter how much I know it is necessary for us to proceed, I find it hard to anticipate reaching the conclusion of this madness. So many have died already...

[itwasfeyt]

[It was noticeable, how quiet Maya had become by now. There was no energy left to be plucky. The most she could handle now was "Not breaking down" after seeing the deaths of two friends at her hands.]

Minako..... she has to be in here.... If she's not...!

[Then all of this would be even more worthless, wouldn't it?]

[happyhalloween]

[Maria says nothing, just squeezes Maya's hand.]

[all_onis_are_true]

There's only one way to find out.

[He looks at the others, nods... and then quickly opens the door and presses himself against the wall next to it, anticipating any potential door trap.]

[happyhalloween]

Maria will go first.

[She helped Venus after all. If someone would get a trap, it ought to be her. So she lets go of Maya's hand and walks in front of Hiroshi.]