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

[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 ]

[loveandwillpower]

Something like that! Of course...

I won. ♥

[ Her voice keeps that fresh and bubbly tone, but there's a hint of beartrap hidden in all that airiness and foam. ]

Maybe you should leave my princess alone and come pick up yours before I wear her out!

[flatview]

You won. Oooh, what kind of prize?

[ A look of panic enters her eyes, but her voice remains nonchalant as ever. ]

And you have a princess, woo~ow, I didn't think you swung that way.

[happyhalloween]

She means Maya-oneesan. [That was meant to be a whisper, but Maria's not always so good about modulating her volume.] Maya-oneesan's the moon princess, just like Hiroshi's the earth prince. That's why they're getting married!

[loveandwillpower]

[ That's Maria...! They're in league after all! ]

You've forgotten my tender and heartfelt confession of love already? You really are a demon!

[ But not for that reason. Gonna admit it? ]

[itwasfeyt]

....Your princess?

[WELL LOOK WHO DECIDED TO SHOW UP]

Minako.... you... y-you really think of me in that way?

[THIS IS SO SUDDEN. PEOPLE ARE DEAD BUT LETS FOCUS ON THIS]

[loveandwillpower]

[ FUCKING PTERODACTYL SCREECH that's audible to everyone else in the room whether she's on speakerphone or not WHY IS SHE WITH THEM and why isn't she dead if Maria squealed... they must want something from her she has to be awakened for - the Silver Crystal, that sounds right, Maya is the princess and there's no other explanation. ]

Maya!! It's not safe with them, run!

[happyhalloween]

[Maria's going to purposely try to talk so she can be heard through the phone now:]

Venus! I know you're not really a bad person! You're just being possessed! Bear, you should leave Space Witch Venus now! Tell Shigetsuna-sama we're sorry we told Souji about stuff!

[flatview]

[ THE PHONE IS NOT ON SPEAKER, NO, WHICH CAUSES NUI TO MAKE SOME DEMONIC NOISE OF DISPLEASURE AT THE SCREECHING IN HER EAR

But this does prompt her to put the phone on speaker now. ]

[loveandwillpower]

You're the ones who're possessed!

[ Haruhi Rosa Alice Nui. Maybe Maria? At least two undefined. Bikini? Iris? Might be safer just to burn the entire Fey Manor down, but this is a last resort. She can fight four witches, probably. Did they kill Souji? That's what it sounds like to her. ]

There's more of you, but you won't be able to sleep or relax or let down your guard while I'm still alive, isn't that right?! And you can't kill her because then your most dangerous foe won't have anything between you and revenge, that's right too! This is a standoff!

[happyhalloween]

Space Witch Venus, stop it.

[That... is definitely Maria's voice.]

I know you're a good person. You saved me from the Black Witch when nobody else could. But you're doing bad things now. Please stop doing bad things. It's not like you.

[itwasfeyt]

Minako! You've got to stop!

[And that's Maya, sounding very frightened, now that she's gotten over her Gay Crisis.]

What's happened to you?! This isn't like you at all!

[flatview]

[ Nui doesn't say anything while this continues, merely peering at her phone with a strange look in her eye, part confusion and part...anger. ]

[loveandwillpower]

I have a sacred duty to the princess! I've been enlightened! All of you who are still human, you'll thank me later!

...Maya, come home. The rest of you, too. I'll show you the power of love and the power of space!

[ohmygah]

Ain't love supposed ta be... less full of yelling and death? Cause it seems like yer doing a lot of that.

[Osaka: still on the ground as she says this.]

[happyhalloween]

Maybe that part's the power of space?

[foolsfancy]

[ hissing urgently; ]

Why does that matter?! Maria, ask her where she is right now!

[happyhalloween]

Space Witch Venus, where are you right now?

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hiroshi has stayed quiet the entire time. Part of it is simply not wanting Minako to know he's there. But the rush of unpleasant memories and the stress that more people may die is really getting to him. Still, he listens intently.]

[loveandwillpower]

Maya. Come home.

[ Osaka doesn't know a thing about love. She'll paint the halls red if she has to. ]

[happyhalloween]

[Maria reaches over and presses the off button on Nui's phone. She looks up at the others.]

She's at Maya's house. We better go before she does anything bad to Mia-oneesan or Bikini-obasan or Iris.

[itwasfeyt]

Minako....

[Maya looks down at her hands, holding them together. Was it.... it was all her fault, wasn't it?]

W-we have to hurry! Mia doesn't even know I'm out, yet!

[all_onis_are_true]

Ah, y... yeah.

[He twisted his scarf a bit. For once, he looked vulnerable, like the teenager he is. He would be the first to say it was HIS fault. After all, he'd failed to notice anything, hadn't he?]

Let's... finish this.

1/2

[flatview]

[ Nui doesn't move or protest when Maria turns off the phone, clapping it shut with a single finger, but otherwise standing stock still. ]

Aha...hahaha...isn't it funny, Chiyoko-chan? It's reeeeally, reaaaaaaally funny. We didn't have to investigate anything at all, did we? Because, it wasn't either one of them, it was Minako-chan all along.