Devastation & Reform, 28 Days Later :3

[Chapney]

For almost a month, there was peace. It was a tense, uneasy peace, full of unspoken threats and the silent fear of attack, but it was peace nonetheless. Wonderful, beautiful peace. No one fought, no one died. No families were lost, no lives bravely sacrificed. It was a priceless relief from war, but there was always a sense of uneasiness. Everyone in the world knew it was too good to last. Even the Solians knew it, optimists that they were. The sun-star sat in an underground prison deep in Venusian territory, bound and chained and shielded from the barest hint of daylight. Even so, they adamantly refused to withdraw. Led by the Faces, they showed a stoic face to the world and kept their ground—and to everyone’s surprise, so did their enemies. The Battle of Loho was the last major conflict for an entire month. The Jovian Armada had left with a bloody nose, the city itself nothing less than a no-man’s-land. After Chronus and Saturos disappeared, the fighting just stopped.

For almost a month, the world rang with the metallic clanging of war-machines being built. The air crackled with the smell of static electricity as Jovians welded their airships together. The vast caves under Venusian territory echoed with the sound of heavy machinery being moved, as tank after tank was painstakingly constructed. Training was rushed everywhere, for pilots of every vehicle, no matter the shape or use. The peace was going to break eventually, and it was a silent race to see who would be first to strike when it did. Walls went up around every major city, and Garoh in particular soon found itself bristling with repair workers and weaponry. Chronus, it seemed, was determined not to come so close to losing the second time around.

Venus held its ground, Luna held its ground, Mars held its ground, Sol held its ground, Jupiter sat on its hands, and Mercury pulled its head back into its shell. Other clansmen found themselves hastily ejected from Mercurian territory, and the armies disappeared back into Lemuria. Not a peep was heard from the entire clan other than a quiet “no thank you” when Martian aid arrived. Requests from the other clans—and there were many—were met with a very polite and hasty explanation that Mercury was busy, very busy, and didn’t have time for them at the moment, but would definitely be getting back to them as soon as possible about whatever it was that was so important. Maybe. It all depended, because of course they were so very busy.

That’s not to say nothing happened. Venus was plagued by phantom strikes from a masked warrior. He appeared out of nowhere, wielding thunderous fury in his hands. None of their soldiers and guards could touch him, but all were flung aside like toys. Every time, his rampage went through like a hurricane, and then he was gone just as suddenly as he had arrived. His attacks formed a neat pattern of dots that swept across Venusian territory, falling into a strict and plainly visible grid pattern (which was the first sign of a man looking for something). This bothered the leader Ryu immensely—or perhaps it was something else that kept him up so late at nights. His aides all noticed the dark rings under his eyes, but he refused to speak of it to anyone but Alexis. Even she only heard him muttering vague things under his breath, like a haunted man.

Jupiter, on the other hand, seemed to be suffering from a plague of malfunctions. So far three major airships had been lost because some integral part had been misaligned, which caused a spark to go flying, which had set fire to a stack of paper diagrams carelessly left nearby, which had started a chemical fire which had spread to the fuselage, and soon the whole ship was a disastrous wreck. All of the engineers had been at their posts, and no one else had entered the site. It was all very confusing and expensive.

Of course, the peace couldn’t last.

It started to fall apart in what would best be described as “an undisclosed location.” It was a very large room with a door at either end and a long table running between them. There was a man standing at the head of the table, clothed entirely in black. He wore a voluminous robe left open along the front, and underneath that lay more loose dark clothing. His face was covered by a featureless hood that left no holes for eyes or mouth, but hung on the barest contours of his face. Beneath the sleeves of the robe he wore a second set, sewn shut at the opening so that not even his fingertips were exposed. Physically, he was only moderately tall, and there was no sign of any muscle to make him greater than any other man, but his complete and utter featurelessness placed him firmly in the bottom of the Uncanny Valley. The door behind him was open, and through it lay only shadows. The door at the other end was shut, locked with two iron deadbolts, and barred with three heavy oak beams. The edges were almost airtight, and glistened with freshly-laid runes. This was soundproofing at its finest. In the Lighthouse Society, no one could hear you scream.

As it so happened, someone was screaming at the moment. Jacob was writhing in his chair in front of the horrified eyes of the rest of the Society as his body slowly caved in on itself. The fingers of his right hand bent backwards until they touched his wrist, and then every joint in his arm simultaneously splintered. His left arm was withering and curling up like a birth defect from stunted growth, the muscles atrophying in real time as the skin sagged and wrinkled. Screaming in pain and horror, he tried to push himself away from the table, only to discover that his legs were decomposing beneath him. His screaming stopped suddenly, and the agony on his face was briefly replaced by shock just before his ribs caved in. His spin snapped in half, doubling him over, and the expression of shock was the last thing the Society saw of him before his face crumpled into the back of his head. After that, nothing was left of Jacob except for a ball of meat lying in his chair, twitching occasionally. A blank-faced servant stepped forward and covered the chair with a white sheet. The sound of retching came from the other end of the table.

“Thank you,” said the man. “I think that that was the last one of you to question the new leadership arrangements.” His voice was a deep and guttural growl, rattling below the boundaries of normal speech. The hood moved when he spoke, showing the exhalation from his mouth. The cloth rippled all the way up his face, seeming more like ripples in a pond than any facial structure at all.

“Good. You will all find a folder when you return home. It will tell you what to do. But…as an order of business…Florence.” He raised a hand and pointed with his sleeve. “Your task is the same. You will go directly to carry it out.”

“This meeting is adjourned.”

[Jade Balfour]

Sunny, Biblin, 3 days ago. (<- It'salink)

"Nanana-na-nana-na
Nanana-na-nana~

Nanana-na-nana-na
Nanana-na-nana~"

Sunny had had a bad month. A very bad month. A month so horrible and nightmare-worthy that she had indeed suffered a good three weeks of nightmares before coming to this night, this one right here, the one she was very intent on enjoying.

The forged crystal behemoth melded from the Phaeton's Blade and Levatine? Complete. A proper description could come later.

"I guess I just lost my best friend,
I dunno where he went."

Young Collin's glaives? Finished. The Solian was probably still abed after having been rigerously drained of his psynergy, linked to Sunny as a human battery for a solid 60 out of 72 hours. Like Solaris, (the name she had been tempted to give the Solian blade, but had settled for merely suggesting it to Saturos's Crystalmancers), the description of the Glaives, staff and spike, could come later.

"So I'm gonna drink my money.
I'm not gonna pay his rent."

Winona's cloak and the obsidian glasses the girl had demanded? She was probably still playing with her reflection back in the palais. Later.

"I got a brand new attitude.
and I'm gonna wear it tonight,"

Sundancer had been given the feather-light mythril tunic before Sunny had left the Palais. The artificer couldn't remember if her new friend had tried to reject the gift or not, but she had it now and that was all that mattered.

"I'm gonna get in trouble,
I'm wanna start a fight."

Nerezza's Sixfolds would love to never be handed over to her again, Sunny had taken her coarsest file to the lot of them and rudely scraped and nulled away every last trace of the Twilight Spark, reforging the damaged Sixfolds and only using Chrono's technique as a basic foundation, greatly elaborating it just because she could. Another project done, and forgotten in favour of tonight.

"Nanana-na-nana-na~

I wanna start a fight."

The final piece of Necare's- No. She was here to unwind, have fun, have a good night before she finally went back to Gehenna.

"Nanana-na-nana-na~

I WANNA START A FIGHT!"

So she was in Biblin, and she was drunk.

"So SO WHAT?
I'm still a Black Smith!
I got my Smith moves!
And I don't neeeed you!

And GUESS WHAT!?
I'm having more fun!
And now that we're done!
I'm gonna show yoooou tonight!"

No, seriously. She was drunk.

"I'm alright!
I'm just fine!
And you're a tool.

So SO WHAT?!
I'm still a black smith!
and I don't waaant you tonight!"

The day had started innocently enough, she'd left the Palais that morning and had gone straight to Altin, showing off her new position and demanding all sorts of papers and reports, some of which were still with her, but most had been PMRaven'd off to Gehenna for her to deal with all together.

Of course, given her normal appearance (short, baggy clothes, slept-on hair, etc.) the amount of "Psh, really?"s she recieved about her position had been... very... frustrating. So she'd come to Biblin, had her hair-cut (it was so short!), been fitted for a new Clan Robe (forget home-made, she had money!), and had spent the rest of the afternoon and most of her squirrled savings on things Sunny couldn't remember doing ever/for a very long time (New clothes? Okay. Make-up? WTF?).

"The waiter just took my table
and gave it to that guy right there.
I guess I'll go sit with ax-boy,
At least he'll know how to hit."

She winked at said ax-boy and went back to her song, wobbling a little but that was okay.

"What if this goes on the radio
That somebody's gonna die?
I'm gonna get in trouble,
My boss'll start a fight."

Of the 6000 gold Sunny had prided herself on saving over the years, she'd spent a whooping 5500 of it in Biblin today, and the rest had been blown away on bringing her here, to a tavern, a meal, and far, far too much alcohol for one little Lunatic to drink all on her own. Hence the wobbling and the winking and that persistent sense 'Where exactly am I?' She couldn't shake.

"Nanana-na-nana-na~
He's gonna start a fight."

"Nanana-na-nana-na~
WE'RE ALL GONNA GET IN A FIGHT!"

Oh, Sunny'd be fine, boozing till 3 am in an industrial town was safe-enough when you had three Djinn looking out for you. Sure, Dark had stuffed Clementine in a tequilla bottle to make her shut up and Mud had fallen asleep on Sunny's abandoned robe, but they'd make sure she got someplace safer than an ally to sleep once she was done being very very drunk and taking sever liberties with the lyrics.

"You weren't there,
You never were,
You want it all,
but that's not fair!"

"I gave you help,
I gave my all!
You didn't care-
You made me fall!"

Sunny, Biblin, 2 days ago

So long as she lived, Sunny was never
ever.
ever.
ever.
Visiting Biblin again.

"Feeling better yet?"

"You [beep]ing [beep]-[beep] [beeeeeeep]!"

Sunny, Gehenna, Yesterday-to-Present

Sunny had been offered a larger room, she'd refused. She spent most of her day cleaning out her closet for the new items, and re-arranging her tools for their move to the large workshop she had accepted. She spent most of the night reading the dozens of reports no one had seen fit to forward to her in the Palais. Now she was ready to get down to business.

Her hair was shorter now, sculpted in a 'Karst-Cut' or inverted bob, Sunny no longer able to tie or braid it back as it framed her face and required pins when she wanted to make sure it was clear. Her amber-brown glasses had been retired, the artificer putting the final touches of polish and umbra on her sleek, silver, square-lense pair before putting them on. They looked tinted, a silly precaution in sun-less Gehenna, but she could see through them just fine.

Her plain white and red shirts had been (mostly) tossed, the shimmering, silver length of her new accented tunic hugging her torso and slinking down over her hips. The heavy, mishapen robe was gone too, replaced by form-fitting velvet that flared out after the hips. She was working on new boots, but until they were finished she was content with wearing black velvet slippers instead; she refused to wear her old boots, they were too closely modled after Necare's armour.

Adjusting her grey sash over her shoulder, the sign of her position in the Clan, Sunny gave herself another once-over in her mirror, fingering the black ribbon around her neck to hide the marks there. She wasn't going to wear Necare's necklace; she'd broken the links and pried the moonstones out of their settings already, keeping them in a pouch at her belt. She wasn't going to wear it, he'd probably forgotten it had been given to her anyways, so she was just-

'Oh get on with it, Sunny.'
'That's mean, Dark. I think she looks great today!' As opposed to un-great yesterday.
'You would.'
'Hey!'
'Can I see your workshop now? The new one? Please?'

Sunny sighed, fighting a smile, and went to meet her 'subordinates'.

[Kamen Rider Grim]

Anyone who had intelligence in Vault... well, the reports were extremely strange. The riots were continuing, instead of settling down, and then stopped with the arrival of the Grim Riffer twenty-three days after the Battle of Loho, coming from Kalay.

This was followed four days ago with a bulletin being issued. It was somewhat plain and said the following:

"I, the Grim Riffer, Rock God, by the request of the people of Vault, hereby create the Free Kingdom of Symphonia, and crown myself Rock God King of Symphonia. Again, this is them saying they want me in this position, guys. I open my borders to anyone harmed by this war and I open citizenship to anyone willing to completely renounce their ties to the government of any clan ever period. As in, not just expatriation, but no longer a member of that clan at all.

Also, my first proclamation as Rock God King of Symphonia: Down in Alhafra is the most bitching boob job in all of Weyard. Seriously, it's awesome!"

Four days later, the "palace" that was being constructed on the outskirts of Vault was going smoothly in its construction. Grim had also gotten two young children delivered to him - a Jovian named Arthur Quincy whose stepfather had died at the Battle of Loho, and a Lunarian named Huang Qinxau who was orphaned at the battle of Xian. Both, apparently, were his children, although in Huang's case it was just his mother's dying words they had to go on (although Grim knew, somewhat instinctively, that both quiet boys were his).

[UltaFlame]

Outside Solian Palais - morning. UltaFlame.

Ulta had heard that a certain important Lunarian had been staying at the Palais for a while, though the particular reasons as to why eluded the Venusian. Still, he needed only one request to be filled, and this Lunarian was likely his best bet for getting the weapon he'd need. Ulta had no guarantee his request would be accepted, and nothing much really to offer beyond some coin he'd spent the last month gathering. The Venusian had a plan that didn't really have much coherence at that point in time. And he knew that, as a Venusian, he wouldn't likely be very welcome in the Palais.

But nontheless, he walked up, and recalled hearing once that the crystal of the Palais was itself alive, and for perhaps the fiftieth time that week felt glad that he'd never really felt the cold. Still, he was bundled up pretty heavily in the harsh cold of Tundaria. His thoughts flashed to a certain individual he'd meant at some point within the last month. Ulta shouted that he'd like to enter the Palais and recieve some respite from the biting cold.

Kiara Helbin - UltaFlame's hidden cottage, two days before.

Kiara, her two swords hanging at her sides, looked over notes she and a Venusian had made before she'd been told of this place. It was a sturdy cottage, and obviously Venusian Psynergy had gone into it's making. She'd been the one to suggest that the Venusian try to obtain the weapon he was now searching for a way to construct. But that wasn't what she was looking for. She'd hidden these notes here weeks ago, but the Martian thought something was odd. The Venusian, who's name she did not know, said he'd discovered that the one they'd need was in the Palais, but Kiara had just heard that the Lunarian was on her way to Gehenna.

She was sifting through notes on a table with one hand and spinning her diamond necklace around her other hand, feeling it slam into her palm each time. Then she'd found it. The Venusian would already be in Tundaria. Too late to get a message to him at that time. That Venusian would have to wait for his weapon. Her red hair, short though it was, kept getting in front of her eyes and she kept swatting it away as she looked. With a sigh, and a furious look at a randomly hanging mirror, Kiara ran out of the Venusian's house.

Kiara Helbin - within Venusian Territory - the day before.

Kiara had discovered that the Lunarian had been in Biblin, but since moved on. Kiara took a wild guess and decided to head to Gehenna. The swiftest land route, Kiara decided, would be to head through Vale and cross the mountain range and thus reach Gehenna. What to do when she reached there, Kiara guessed, would be decided on then. And she set out. She managed to acquire a horse somehow and made great distance in that one day.

Kiara Helbin - Outside Gehenna - Late afternoon.

Her horse had died a while back. Apparently Kiara had pushed it too hard. Didn't matter, it had fed her her dinner. But staring at the entrance to Gehenna, Kiara doubted that she'd be keeping her dinner in her stomach for very much longer. She silently cursed herself for going to Gehenna in the first place, but since she was there...

She walked up, and, "Hey! Lunarian Guards! I'm a Martian! I wish no harm and I am alone and I wish to speak with the Head Artificer if at all possible!" She quickly put her weapons on the ground and her hands in the air. Now, the only thing Kiara hoped for was to not be tortured to death for daring to even approach Gehenna.

[Chrono Ivan]

Demon Floating Castle Ancardia, the god-dammed present.

Today was the semi-random staff meeting. Semi-random meaning "every three days now" by his reckoning. Could a nation really not run itself without his say so ever four hours? Apparently not.

"...and that marks the official estimate of money earmarked to fix Air's Rock hanger." The overseer of internal affairs finished up.

"And you Sophia? What has intelligence found out about these convenient nighttime disasters?" Protocol dictated he be in formal wear to hold these things, as was everyone else. The suits looked ridiculous in his opinion, though they were kind of growing on him.

"Ahem. Intel has narrowed the possibilities. It's either directly from Solian counter-intelligence agents, or is a group of out clanless Alhafra being funded by them. Unfortunately illusion masters are proving difficult for the Blue Clans to root out. Since the damages ARE racking up, I'd like permission to take some of the White Lily off the counter-luna intelligence to try and root out the culprits."

He nodded without preamble. "See to it. Now that your budget's been jumped I expect many more favorable results about what their intelligence agencies find out about us." What I want them to think instead of the truth would be nice, again.

"All right, get back to your stations." He watched them leave.

"Now, to do for this week..." He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper from his pants pocket.

• 1. Armistice with the chump Necare.
• 2. Give props to Bowser, maybe sign a trade deal
• 3. Decide to snub or not snub Grim.
• 4. Troll Iskveda and Sundancer (is this possible?)
• 5. Start the [scratched out] LW's Core. (Don't say the name idiot this paper is unsecured)
• 6. [something illegible] <- Wat. (No seriously is this important or not?) {oh yeah the drill}

"Ah yes, armistice with the chump. I'll need backup for this in case it goes sour. Ancardia Comm put me through to Jackal." He said aloud.

"I better eat hearty, I'm afraid tonight I dine in hell."

"We'll pass that along sir." The Comm replied.

"Not that part you... ugh. Just tell him what I'm doing and that official policy in Brodaq is not now and never has been 'when in doubt, kill it with fire'."

He had a letter prepared for this of course. Sealed up and typed by the finest stenographers, who were paid far too much to write fancy in his opinion. "Attendants, to me!" he commanded with casual authority.

Teleporting was impossible within Ancardia, but you'd think they'd done it anyways, so fast did those 1st division Aeronauts dash into the room. "Sir!"

"I'm making a sortie under the auspices of negotiations to Gehenna. Prepare a contingent to accompany me."

A wall of salutes. "At once."

(PM is going to be sent)

[Jade Balfour]

Guards, Gehenna's West Gate, Mid-afternoon

Long-gone was the practice of Gehenna's guards idly staring at clouds and kicking stones while on duty at the gates. Just as forsaken was the practice of employing complete idiots to perform patrols.

Every day crowds of Lunarians moved through Gehenna's massive gates, and as the month of tense peace wore on the numbers seemed to recover from the near-abandonment during Loho and Xian's assaults to something nearly normal. True, it could become monotonous, mindless, but only something, or someone, decided to break the din.

Kiara's outburst would earn her another half-breath of anonymity before the now-crouching Martian would have her world explode into screams and umbra. Gehenna was filled with refugees from both fronts, and the three guards didn't feel any inclination to stop a number of them from lobbing orbs of Umbra and gravity at the Martian.

What they did do was draw their weapons, aware that she was trying to appear non-threatening but distrustful from the start. Null would flood over Kiara from the guards, stopping some of the bruising attacks as her Psynergy would become a weak, useless set of skills; she would have an easier time casting in ice-water. One of the guards was quick to get behind her, hooking her arms behind her back and holding them by the elbows- if she struggled, the other two would not hesitate to kill her.

"Bind and muzzle it," The only guard with a helmet commanded, the crowds either watching closely or hurrying to get away from the Martian. "Then drag it down with the rest of the trash." 'It', how pleasant. "If it's too much trouble, you know what to do."

Kiara would be taken into Gehenna, jostled and dragged down the black corridors where her arms were properly bound with sharp, uncomfortable Dark Matter shackles. They were going to go a long, long way down.

Sunny, Gehenna, Mid-Afternoon

'I hope there's a big forge 'n good metals.'
'Well I want there to be crystals and a good strong cauldron!'
'Bah! Amatures! Giant gravity field and Dark Matter well, refinment basins and yards of work-benches!'

The more her Djinn nattered to each other about her new workshop, the better Sunny was beginning to feel, smiling and rubbing her hands excitedly as she started walking a little faster, nearly jogging until-

"Madame Sunruner." -ewha?

"...?" Sunny stopped, turning as she saw a guard approaching from around the corner she'd passed. "Yes?" She blinked when he touched a hand to his heart and bowed, w-wow.

"There is a Martian asking for an audience with you, a young woman with red hair and Proxian features. She claims she came alone and announced herself at the gates." Sunny froze.

'S-Spella..?'
'Spella!?'
'Spella?'
'Zzzz Zzzz...'

"Where is the prisoner- I assume you captured her?" The guard nodded.

"She's being taken to the Lower Dungeon, she should be there by now." Probably for torture, Sunny tried not to smile at the thought of Spellas screams. "Shall I relay a message to them?" Huh?

"No, I'll go myself." She said, suddenly uncomfortable with how closely the soldier was watching her. uuh... "You're free to go back to your post, thank you." He looked very happy to be thanked, bowing again and rushing off.

'The workshop can wait.'

Sunny teleported down, pleased to find that the only martian signature in Gehenna had been brought to one of the obervable chambers; a dome of black one-way glass capping the circular chamber where Kiara had been dragged. Sunny was grinning as she peered down into the chamber, stupid, blind, useless Spella-

ohshit.

"Kraden-damnit, that's not Spella!" Damn it! "Someone let her go, keep her bound up but don't go sticking knives in her. Bring her up here."

[Kamen Rider Grim]

Symphonia, Royal Palace, Mid-Afternoon

"OK, that should be everything," said Grim. "Creation of the Council of Citizens, with the Council Head as my chief advisor. Post the bulletin over the area. And, uh, how's the take-over of the rest of the neutral zone going?"

The Mayor of Vault, currently the interim Chief Minister of the Capital, shuffled through some papers. "Hmm... Well, we've got control in most of the neutral arable land, and we've sent some feelers to Lunpa to gauge their sentiment toward joining us. Also, we've got reports that the surrounding villages are accepting the change in administration."

"Good, good," said Grim. "And the Temple?"

"Sorry to say, sir, but they and Vale are rather... incensed about you."

"Ah well, it happens. Say, have we gotten any letters from world leaders?"

"No, sir. I don't think many of them recognize us."

"Well... send a letter to Necare of Luna and Cronus of Jupiter again, this one saying I'd like to negotiate with them, begin some trade and such."

[UltaFlame]

Kiara had expected to be treated roughly but she was no soldier. She barely managed to hold back from squealing when they grabbed her. She blocked her mind from her body the moment they started calling her 'it.' These were Lunarians, she told herself. She was still hoping that her peaceful surrender would have earned some form of peaceful restraint. Her mental block shattered the moment the dark matter shackles were slammed on, and she let out a silent gasp. That seemed to do her no good, and she didn't quite recall later exactly how she got that bruise on her face. But soon enough Kiara saw a woman behind a glass dome, and realized she herself was the one inside the dome. She heard some muffled sounds, which Kiara thought sounded dissapointed, but she couldn't really tell.

Then she was being dragged again. She still had shackles on, but she was being brought to the woman. When she got there, Kiara did her best to bow, and asked, "Would I be correct in assuming that I am in the presence of Luna's Head Artificer? I am Kiara Helbin, and I have something to tell you, and would you please speak to me? Also, are my swords being held, and will I be able to get them back ever?" It wasn't until the words had left her mouth that Kiara realized she was speaking to a Lunarian, Head Artificer or not. She was liable to be killed on the spot. In some ways, the average Lunarian had a quicker temper than the typical Martian Clan Leader.

[Bane]

Bane awoke with a rather pounding headache. He also awoke annoyed, for the light filtering through his crystal prison landed directly across his eyes. This wasn't the cause of his headache, however. No, he suspected the source of his headache was excess energy coursing through the room. It flowed through the room and, by extension, his own body. Being too far from the earth to use it, it built up. This was just theory, of course, but it was a pretty good one.

He had nobody to talk to. Not many people came to visit him. It wasn't as though anybody knew him around here, anyway. Thinking back, he regretted not spending more time with Solians. Regardless, this was his predicament.

You know, Clay, this is silly.

"How so?" came the djinni's voice from deep in Bane's mind.

Because, a long time ago, before the Solian goddess* stepped in, crystal was the domain of Venus. Look around us. Being inside Bane's head, he was restricted to Bane's line of sight, so the human assisted him. So many things crystallize. Water, honey...and you know, minerals. Take a guess what this crystal is made of? Clay, seeking to annoy his companion, burst from his body and licked the wall. He shuddered. "It's not so sweet," he said.

Bane laughed. I'm just saying, I should be able to get us out of this. I mean, if I wanted to. But I can't. It's silly.

Clay agreed.

OoC:

*I can't remember if Sol is a god or a goddess.

And yes, I am claiming that Sol took the power of crystal away from Venus and gave it to his/her children. Deities can do that kind of thing. Venus probably lost it in a card game or something.

[Jade Balfour]

Sunny, Gehenna, Mid-afternoon

"She had weapons?" Sunny asked, looking past Kiara as one of her guards brought the weapons forward. Tcha, plain steel, unadorned, boring. Sunny reviewed them both briefly before dropping them to the floor and taking a step closer to Kiara, grabbing the girl's face and tilting it up so she could see it properly through her tinted glasses.

"Tch, you don't look anything like that slut." She commented, releasing the girl soon after the observation was made. "But you do realize that regardless of your purpose for seeking me out, so long as your Clan acts as if it can tell my Leader what to do, you will not have weapons, psynergy, or freedom of movement in Gehenna."

'Are you sticking up for Necare?'
'Shut up.'

Nodding to the guards, the three hesitated a moment before leaving, it weakened the Null barrier around Kiara, but Sunny didn't seem to mind; she wasn't a jove or anything.

Leaving Kiara on her knees (where she'd been pushed), Sunny sank into one of the seats reserved for those observing the horrors down below. She looked bored, the distance causing the tint in her glasses to completely hide her gaze.

"So... what brings one of Reid's Runts to visit me here?"

[UltaFlame]

"Actually, I'm not here as a member of the Mars Clan. I'm actually here on behalf of a Venusian. I don't know his name. But he still thinks you're in the Palais and went all the way down there and is probably there right now." Kiara did not stand. She wasn't sure if standing would somehow upset the Lunarian Head Artificer. "I was only wondering if I would-" She suddenly stopped speaking as the guards left and she felt the haze over her Psynergy break if only a little bit. Kiara had no clue the lack of her ability had so affected her. "Only wondering if I would ever be able to reclaim my swords. See, I'm not actually a part of the military, I was just off selling some of the clothes I knit and..." Kiara shook her head. She was definitely scared.

"Why did I come to Gehenna again?" She asked herself, meaning to think it but saying it out loud anyway. "So, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that someone wanted you to make a weapon for them. Only someone of your skill and abilities would be able to create the weapon he wants. He wants a weapon that can Null Venusian Psynergy. We spent the past month gathering coin, if thats what you want. But we have notes, hidden. He was hoping to use those as a bargaining tool, as well... Anyway. I guess I won't be getting out of here soon." She finally stood, and looked around the room. Standing was a bit annoying, she decided, finding herself incapable of balancing with her arms. The Lunarians sure knew how to keep a person tied down. Kiara looked over at the Lunarian Head Artificer, and asked, "are all Lunarians into Bondage or something? Can you take these shackles off or am I going to have to wear them all day? I suppose that since I'm a prisoner I shouldn't complain."

[Kamen Rider Grim]

Vault, A Part Of the Palace Under Construction, Mid-Afternoon

Work crews who have the power to demand breaks will always demand breaks. And when the work crew on the palace learned at the outset that the Riffer wanted them to be well-fed and take lunch breaks, they seized the opportunity to turn them into two-hour-long buffet-style affairs. And then immediately tried to angle for more breaks.

This meant that currently, the palace's east wing was little more than a wooden framework. A wooden framework that three little kids were climbing. The oldest, having celebrated her sixth birthday on the road from Kalay, was Susan Talbot, Her Royal Highness the Heir Apparent and Crown Princess of Symphonia. Her blue hair hadn't had time to get cut, and she wore pants made from a tough, canvassy material. Her Daddy had had them specially made for her. As she climbed, she looked around. "C'mon, Arty, Huang," she said. "It's prob'ly the only chance we'll get!"

"How come Arty gets a nickname but I don't?" asked a short boy, no older than five, who was climbing behind her. Huang Rifa Qinxou, as he was called, was also a Symphonian Royal, a Prince who'd been born in Xian.

"'Cuz your name would shorten to Wang, and Daddy said that I can't give you a name like that 'cuz it's incest!" Susie continued climbing rapidly, then hooked her knees on a particularly sturdy beam, grabbed it with her hands, and began hanging upside-down.

"Why?" asked Arty, the third, a blond Jovian who looked almost like his father in miniature, save for the hair color and lighter skin.

"I think it's 'cuz wang means penis," said Susie, giggling.

"It does?" asked Huang. Susie nodded. The three kids burst out laughing as they all continued climbing to the platform on the top, ignoring the ladders that had been taken down. As they sat on the platform, Huang said, "So what now?"

"Now we're the kings and queen of the Castle!" shouted Susie, standing on the platform shakily as she spread her arms wide. Arty had to duck to avoid being hit by her arm.

"Nuh-uh, Papa's still alive," he said.

"Yeah, but he's the king of the country. We're the kings of the castle," said Huang, grinning.

"Exactly!" said Susie. "And now, we begin shouting at the peasants. Like him!" She pointed at a random person walking by. "HI MR. PEASANT!" The three kids waved at the bemused man.

[Jade Balfour]

"Of course, with no light how are we supposed to keep tabs on each other? You're going to wear them because you're an idiot." Sunny answered crisply, her eyes still shielded by her glasses but her expression shifted to one of avid distaste.

"You, a Martian, have come into Gehenna to ask that I, a loyal servant of Luna and part of the reason Mars has taken up this foolish, suidical campaign against my Clan, should make a powerful weapon for your nameless Venusian friend, a member of the Clan allied with Mars against us? Really now, tell me why I shouldn't peel your skin off for suggesting something so unforgivably stupid."

[Lachesis]

Florence had merely been standing in one of the corners, as was his custom. He had merely watched, calmly observing the new leader of the society make a rather unnecessary mess. It was a pity that he felt such a demonstration was necessary. It would be an even greater pity if it turned out such a thing really had been necessary. But for the moment, the other members of the society and their reactions were of no great concern to him. He had a task, after all.

"As you wish." A simple bow, and he slipped away, crumbling into dust that would never reach the floor. He rose from the earth elsewhere, buried deep in the Lamakan. Moments later, he was gone yet again, crossing the world to his destination almost instantaneously.

Time passed.

It was morning in Mikasalla, and people were on their way to do various things. The town was coming back to life after a quiet night, and as adults went off to work for yet another day, more than a few children went elsewhere to waste their mornings learning useless things that could never possibly be even slightly important. If the children were to be believed, at least.

But the adults knew better. The children naturally protested, but they were sent to their schools nonetheless. And the adults could work without the nagging fear of what would happen to their children, as they knew they were safe.

Classes began. Time passed. He could be relatively certain the number of people there had been maximized.

Hidden away in a remote corner of the building, Florence calmly inserted a crystal into a device the size of his thigh. Several moments passed, and it began to make a quiet buzzing sound. The air itself seemed to change in some way. The children and their teachers would not notice. It was as if nothing happened for them. No one outside would notice. Not yet, at least.

Florence noticed. But he had been waiting for it.

He calmly picked the device back up off the floor, cradling it under one arm. He was not in the ideal position for its intended purpose, but it had been an acceptable activation position. As he moved through the school, seeking its center, the time distortion field moved with him. Some might notice a slight change, some unidentifiable feeling, as the field moved, but it was of no consequence. They couldn't stop him, after all. Not now.

He placed it back on the floor. His was, ultimately, a suicide mission. It was why he was the one doing it, after all. Who better to send than someone who could survive it?

Who else would have accepted it?

Time passed, though at two different rates. The teachers were gone, cleanly disposed of out of the sight of innocent children, and those children had gathered elsewhere in the school. Florence did not scare them, though many felt uneasy. But he had commanded them. They obeyed. It was that simple.

They were outside the actual school building now, in a position where people could have clearly seen them normally. The children were gathered in front of them, and he simply stood with his back to the gate. The outside world was of no concern to him for now.

"So, children. You have no classes today. In fact, you have no classes at all. Unfortunately, you will still need to stay here for now. But since you have so much free time..." What he had in mind would take time. More than a little time, considering how quickly the mission would be finished to the rest of the world. He raised one hand to his side as a sphere of psynergy formed. "...who wants to play a game?"

But he had plenty of time.

Ultimately, none of them would spend more than an hour dying. He could improve that.

He eventually moved back to the device. The stone pillar collapsed, unneeded, as there was nothing that could damage the device. And he simply stood there, waiting for it to finish its work. But he had time. He had all the time in the world.

Things were not quite the same on the outside. A second passed in the world, a decade within the school. Crystals slowly began to poke their way through the stone after several seconds passed, pushing through the roof. Moments later, it began to emerge further away from the center, and as the seconds passed, it continued to grow. By the end, there was no building. There were only stone fragments left around the edges, and a mass of crystals in a vaguely spherical formation towering over the ruins. The gate had disintegrated, as had most of the walls. There was nothing alive.

One hundred seconds had passed. A thousand years had passed. There was no school left, there were no bodies, no fragments of an ancient device. There was no man hidden in the center. There were only the crystals shining in the midday sun.

It would not take long for word of the disaster in Mikasalla to spread. Children had died, after all. The question was what would happen because of it. He did not know, but he would learn. He would watch.

He had all the time in the world, after all.

~~~ Lachesis, Outside Gehenna, mid-day ~~~

Melissa. Meh-lee-sah. Meh-lis-ah. Meh-lis-sah. Meh-li-sah.

Mee-lee-saa?

Lachesis had gotten quite good at entertaining itself with little effort. Deliberately butchering the pronunciation of someone's name was among the various activities it enjoyed, though it generally enjoyed it more if the person was there to be irritated by it. Some people were so silly about that kind of thing~

It wasn't quite sure how far away the gate was, nor did it particularly care. The gate was over there, Lachesis was here, all was well~

Except for the lack of Melissa.

Lachesis reread the currently note stuffed in its robe. Yes, it was supposed to meet one Melissa for this task and work out some acceptable bargain so that it could get what it wanted and they could get what they wanted. And then the world would be a better place, because two people would be slightly happier as their plans moved further along. It just needed to actually be with Melissa to get that out of the way. It was hard to talk with people who weren't there, after all.

It tilted its head to the side. "You think they know we're here, Solace?" It was a silly question. A better question would have been 'do you think they know who we are', but that wasn't what it asked. It was implied, really. They might know that the "we", Lachesis and Solace, were present, but they might not know that Lachesis and Solace were present. It could have just been two rather odd people doing... something in front of Gehenna.

Well, Lachesis could wait. It was good at waiting. Even if the guards didn't know who those freaky people were in front of Gehenna were, they'd figure it out at some point. Even if they had to be told. If they didn't know, it was almost inevitable they would ask, really. Or do something incredibly stupid. But hopefully ask.

Meeeee-leeeee-saaaaa.

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

OoC: Actually Bane, Sol doesn't technically manipulate the crystals themselves - but since they can shine light into it, they use light as a medium to work with it. Proper Solian crystals have souls fed to them and so are empathetic, able to properly interact with a Solian through their own empathy and psynergy.
Also, although Sol is generally referred to as male, it's a four-part God. Think the Trinity with Four, reflected in the Faces. :3
That being said... *rubs hands*
Hello, D&R, my old friend.

Kurelia, Lama Temple

It was a young woman in a kimono, her hair in ribboned buns, that knelt down on the other side of the crystal from Bane. Her features were of the Xianese area, and she had tired circles under her eyes.
"Your people have not moved yet, Bane," she told him. "The peace holds, your letter to thank for that."
She paused, looking at him closely. If Bane were one of those rare Adepts who can see auras, he would have seen her empathy stretching out to him, magnified by the crystal.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she said suddenly. "It might do you well to feel the earth again."

She looked at him closely.
There would be a shell of crystal ten feet below him; it would swallow any messages he tried to send.

Pyra, Signomi, Dragonmaster, Palais Oasis - the Memorial

They stood together again, on the sand, looking out over the Solians and others standing knee-deep in the water. It had a purifying effect, this water washing over them, crystal clean. It splashed and caught Sol, transforming into liquid light, shimmering with gold.

It was the first time in a while the Faces were together again; usually they were off doing their own thing, either tending the home front or driving this city or that abroad. Dragonmaster incessantly trained and drilled the army, Signomi flitted back and forth raising morale and sending messages to foreign dignataries, Pyra tended the sick, wounded, and did what he could.
All of them were worried about their Leader. They had several suspicions about where he might be... but there were rumours here, rumours about there, and with all the earth of the world, he could be anywhere.
But they could feel the Star, feel its beat. They knew he was still alive, and tried to carry on without him.

They were the Faces - Holy, Crystal, Light, and Averell's Time. Saturos was all of them together, and all together, they were him. Pyra's healing and empathy, Signomi's eloquence and diplomacy, Dragonmaster's martial arts and leadership, and Averell's knowledge and skill.
It was hard to know how much he meant to them until he was gone. Each of them lamented him in their own way.

But this was another lament, standing between two monuments - both four-pointed stars, one blushed in red crystal, the other washed in blue. They rose from the sands, the water ringing at their bases, and caught the light from above.
Signomi stepped forward, apart from the other Faces, and faced the audience.
"My Starless Solians," she said, her voice eloquent with intonation from years of speaking. "We stand here between fire and ice, between the slaughter of war and the brittle ice of a moment's peace. We know fire may come again, we know the ice may yet hold. We are here to honour two not of our own, who have suffered from this war. I name them now, inscribe the letters on the air with sound," she spread her arms, the crystals hanging from her sleeves clinking.
"Boyd Glacies of Mercury. Werebarret of Mars."
There was a pause as the syllables fell, echoing from the monuments.
"Though they fought on different sides in this war, both believed strongly in what was right. Boyd sacrificed his life to save another, a lady who flies beneath our wings. Werebarret refused a tyrannous request and he paid the greatest price. But honour is beyond price," she said, hand flying forward in gesture, rings catching fire in the light.
"Though bad blood flows between their Clans, the same blood flows in their veins. We honour that blood here today."
"Boyd, or Boydyboy, as he was sometimes called," she said, a smile tugging at her lips, "was a warrior of fierce valour and a tireless defender of what is right. A stranger to his own Clan, he came here to offer what help he could to our cause, refresh to our direst need. He took up blade to defend a city not his own. That was his first selfless act; the second the saving of our dear Winnie. For that he bled and died, his body beneath the assaulted mountains of stone. His Djinni survives him and Winona carries his legacy - his actions have left their mark on this world."
She raised her hand; runes in light inscribed across the blue monument.
She paused, as the waves lapped against the monuments like music. A dirge for the lost.
"We all remember Werebarret, whom some called the Invincible. A passionate defender of justice, and in him the fire of life burned brightly. He never stopped, and in his blood flowed the simple joy of being alive. I think," she said, and the echo came back across the crystal, "that we have never met someone so full of energy, so constantly moving. We remember him arriving at the Palais, dragging Lord Saturos off to the latest Elball game, or trying to force him to work out. They stood strong together many times, light and light-bringer, against the wrongs of the world." Here, they knew she spoke both for Were, and for their lost Leader. This was a song for him, too. Being lost.
"But the gods must have thought him too proud, too great for Weyard. Stricken with an incurable illness, Werebarret never gave up. Long after a lesser man would have died, he still struggled on. Until, undone by treachery, he fell; offered a second chance by a selfish goddess, he seized it." Her voice softened here- no, not softened, but quieted, grey an edge. "Led by his sense of loyalty and duty, he committed atrocities. Plunged the world into the chaos he so despised."
"In the end," she said, her voice striking clear again, "Lord Werebarret - and here now I use that title to the man of valour whom we all remember - realized in a Good far greater than any god or goddess. Mars proclaimed to us how he was burned for his 'treachery;' we take it and lift it up in celebration. Here was a man who stood for what he believed in, who torn between his god and his conscience, choose what he believed to be right. For Werebarret committed no treachery: though Mars tried to reforge him, the Phoenix of Mars who rose from the ashes was stronger. In the end," she raised her hand, and the letters wrote on his monument, "he committed no treachery. Werebarret was true to himself, and true to the peace of the world."

"We honour these two for their selflessness, we honour them for what they were as they died."
She paused, and like rain, like light, her words fell into the ears of all listening.
"Stars on earth, shining as we should shine."
"Let their monuments stand here to endure the passing of time, as their memory endures. Let he or she who would do honour them keep their monument and care for it, nurturing it as they would nurture their memory. If ever their memory is forgotten - let the day never come - then let their monuments, too, fall. To shame us for forgetting," she said, and her hands fell from the air in which they were held.

There was silence, as the light-letters burned on the monuments.

Then the singing, the elegy, the requiem of the Children of Light pattered with the first notes of its soothing rain.

[UltaFlame]

"Because it's a weapon useable only against other Venusians. My friend is loyal to venus but harbors no loyalty to RyuKenshin. Ryu is the one who decided to ally with Mars. It is probably safe to assume that if something were to shake up Venus, it would at least divert some of it's war effort from Luna to him. And if somehow Ryu is immobolized, then Luna would have a much easier time getting ahead in this war. And besides that you'd get a Venusian to mess around with and poke and prod. Who knows what you Lunarians can find out just by using one Venusian to create an anti-Venusian weapon." Kiara knew that she had to offer the Lunarian something more. "And my Venusian friend is a Venusian Soldier. He's been through their training. And we have notes. My friend is against Venus being in this war on the side they're on. And you'd likely be able to get him to be a spy for you."

Kiara did not like this. With each passing correspondence with this Lunarian she felt the chances of the careful planning they laid down, incoherent and unfinished as it is, slip away. It all lay with that weapon. Without it, Ulta would be incapable of completing his plan.

[Jade Balfour]

A weapon which could only harm Venus?

'That sounds sorta like how Solian Crystals won't harm Solians...'
'Only in reverse, sounds like our sort of thing.'
'But psynergy is all-inclusive, the request is for something that ignores the other five elements and only attacks the one. Hmm...'
'Sounds like my sort of thing.' But it also sounded like something else.

"Are you an idiot, Miss Kiara Helbin?" Sunny asked, slowly standing back up, but not approaching the other woman. "Do you know who I am? Do you know anything about this war your 'friend' so despises and your clan so endorses?" She shook her head at the stupid girl, smirking before gesturing to herself, as if saying 'Here I am'.

"I am Sunruner, Sister of the late Mercenary Kristopher, the man responsible for the chaos at the Crystalis Palais, the Laliveran dome and the destruction of Mercury Lighthouse. I have been accused and tried on the question of my involvement in the death of your former Leader Werebarret, accusations which started this war to begin with! And now you want me to build you, a Martian, a weapon for your imaginary Venusian friend to kill RyuKenshin of Venus!? ARE YOU BEGGING ME TO KILL YOU!? GIVE ME HIS NAME AND I WILL CONSIDER LETTING YOU LIVE!"

'But you're going to make it, aren't you?'
'Dark, that's dangerous! This'd be Werebarret all over again!'
'But he's right, it's too interesting to leave untested, a weapon that only works on one element? Yeah...'

[Bane]

OoC:Well, I didn't know Satty. I was just making stuff up. If you think it should be deleted, it's no big deal. I just needed something to post without saying "lol Bane is here" Also, I totally meant to have a Crystal post, but forgot.

IC:Bane

Bane's eyes sprung to life at the mention of the walk. If he'd had longer ears, they'd have pricked up too. "I'd love to go for a walk," he said. He was indeed one of those adepts who could see auras, although it was a new talent. As it was, he still knew empathy when he saw it. "Will it be you who will accompany me?" at this point he winked. Unnecessary as she had been, of course, the one who offered. Still, he had noticed she was cute, and he figured he'd imply as much.

IC:Crystal

Crystal waited beneath the road, waiting. She had been tracking this movement for weeks. If her calculations were correct, her mark would arrive in about two minutes. Sure enough, about thirty seconds later, she could hear the vibrations from the wheels of the wagon, and the hoofbeats of the horse guiding it. As it got closer, she prepared herself. Just before the wagon was above her, she sprang from the ground behind a solid wall. She heard a loud neigh, and a skid as it seemed the horse dodged out of the way, leaving the wagon to slide into the new wall. Crystal stepped through the wall to greet the newcomer.

"Hello," was all she said before she tore a piece out of the wall and knocked the passenger. out cold with it. She searched his person and not finding what she was looking for, she searched the wreckage he lay in. It didn't take long, for what she sought lay practically on top. It was a small gilded box, not much larger than a book. She picked it up and stuffed it in her robe. She spun, sinking back into the ground, and left the scene.

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

Kurelia, Lama Temple

Only the slight flattening of her slanted eyes would give Bane any warning that there was a reason Astor was the only one who could deal with her: she was a bit of a tsundere.
Bane would see the flare of holy psynergy around her fist as the crystal parted for her. She lunged into the chamber and grabbed Bane around the collar, pulling him up to her until his face was inches from hers.
"Yes, I will be talking you for a walk," she said, in a voice like steel. "I am already taken, thank you very much, so don't even try to play those silly games with me."
She released him with a huff, and spinning around, set out down the hall.
"Are you coming?" she shouted back.

[Kamen Rider Grim]

Symphonia, Castle Platform, Post-Lunch-Break

Fortunately for the kids, the construction crews were busy with the stonelaying for the West Wing of the castle today. So their hanging out on the platform was undisturbed. Currently, they were lying on their backs looking at the clouds.

"Hey, Huang, what's Xian like?"

"Haven't you been? I mean, you've been with Dad on tour all this time..."

"Yeah, but we never got that far south, it was all Imil and Bilibin and this one stop in Brodaq five months ago. I wanna know what Xian's like!"

"I'm interested too," came Arthur's voice.

"Well, it used to be really pretty. And then the soldiers from Venus came and they attacked us."

"Daddy doesn't like Venus much," said Susie. "He says their leader guy is the devil."

"The devil doesn't exist," said Arthur. "He's just a... a big evil made-up guy."

"You didn't see the pictures Daddy made of the Venus Leader Guy," was Susie's only reply. "So what did you do?"

"I was being trained by my mom in kung fu."

"Cool!"

"I guess." Huang's voice didn't have the same oomph as Susie's. "It's not like it was all that special. Everyone in Xian did it."

"Nobody in Imil did it," said Susie. "Or Gehenna neither."

"They woulda had somebody," argued Huang. "It's not like it's all that special."

"I wish I could learn how to kung fu," said Susie. "I'd be all 'Ha! Hoo! Ha!' and I'd break boards and stuff!"

"That's karate," said Huang in a deadpan tone. "That's from Izumo."