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[It's a good thing that Henry's been keeping a close eye on his journal after everything that's happened. He hears Rikka's message immediately and wastes no time in heading out to find her.

And oh boy, is it an interesting situation he sees when he does. After what Alice had said to him, he was afraid that this'd happen, but he'd been hoping it wouldn't. Still, nothing to be done about that now. He needed to make sure that this wouldn't go horribly wrong.

He decides to to let himself be known in the most direct way possible.

By taking out his Ruin tome and shooting a blast of dark magic at Alice.

He's toned the spell down a lot, since he's not intending to kill or seriously injure her, but with how powerful his magic is, it's still going to hurt a lot if it manages to connect.]

[Rosetta, right then, is focused completely and totally on Diamond. Nothing else in the world, besides Heart alongside her, seems to matter to her. In some twisted effect of her twisted desires mixed with her actual love, nothing else DOES matter to her right then.

So, she doesn't see the incoming Ruin until it's almost right on top of her.

She reacts quickly, throwing up a free hand and generating a Rosetta Wall from it. But it's a small shield, and she barely has time to direct it. It absorbs a portion of the attack, but otherwise... She screams as the REST hits her.

Unable to keep her concentration - or perhaps once again feeling that bit of uneasiness flowing through her powers, powers that are supposed to vanquish evil and dark thoughts - the Wall shatters and she's flung back, slamming into the beach.

Only a moment later, though, she's rising up again, murder in her eyes.]

You, again...! I warned you, Henry-san! You will not take her from me!

ROSETTA!

[Even possessed, Mana is still Mana. So when she sees Rosetta get blasted, her attention is diverted from Rikka to her partner, and then to the one who attacked her. Mana's lips curl into a snarl, and she turns towards Henry... before launching herself at him, fist drawn back in preparation to punch the mage's head off.

Unfortunately, this is an act of impulse... and doesn't acknowledge anyone else on the battlefield]

[As she falls, Rikka tenses and waits for something to hit her. When it never comes and there's shouting in the distance, she chances a look over... and sees the darkness cross Alice, and she knows her backup has arrived and painted a big target on his damned face. On one hand she's glad for the covering fire. On the other... he's not going to last without her help.

As she hits the ground, Diamond lands in a three-point crouch in the sand to not stress her legs any more than they already were, before pushing off in a dash for Henry.]

Hold on... I'm coming!

"O maddening gale of the spirits of the earth... Stalagmite!"

[The ground before Mana ruptures and towering sharp boulders burst from the sand, forcing her to either stop or get skewered. Henry isn't the only one who's been watching his journal.

Jade had hoped he could use Rikka to force the other two to stand down, but it seems they're too far gone for that. There's nothing to do but take them down by force.

Though, with Rikka injured and Henry being a spellcaster... Looks like Jade may have to get more physical than usual.]

I think it's about time we bring this farce to an end. I really hate this sort of drama.

[Even as Jade arrives, Rosetta's focus shifts back to Diamond as she lands, and calls out to Henry. Fury explodes in her fractured mind again, and she gives a shout as she throws herself in the blue Cure's direction.]

No, NO! You stay away, they'll only hurt you more!

[She says this, of course, even as she lunges out with her free hand trying to grab Diamond by anything. Arm, hair, neck. Whatever she can her her hand on as she nears.]

[Mana has no time, or sense, to react quickly enough, and ends up running headlong into Jade's attack. It's only the durability of her Cure Form that keeps her from being torn apart, and the sudden upwards thrust ends up sending her flying.

She lands, sprawled out on the sand, stunned and unable to move, gritting her teeth in pain]

[Henry grins as he spots Jade. Normally he wouldn't be that grateful about having to share his opponents with more people, but considering that he wasn't trying to kill anyone for once? Yeah, he wasn't going to say no to some reinforcements.]

Ahaha, it sure is getting busy here.

[He glances over at Alice, as she lunges for Rikka. No way is he letting that happen, not if he has anything to say about it.]

Hey, hey, that's not nice. You shouldn't try to hurt your friends, Alice!

[He fires off another blast at her, hoping to intercept her before she gets to Rikka and, at the very least, push her back some.]

Edited 2014-01-11 23:06 (UTC)

[Jade can't risk casting an arte on Alice yet; she's moving too close to Rikka, who is in no state to take any friendly fire.

His focus remains instead on Mana. She may be stunned, but if the girls are as durable as Rikka said, he's not going to count on her staying down that easily. The colonel dashes for their captain in hopes of restraining her before she can recover, prepared to summon his spear when he gets there.]

[While focused on Diamond, Rosetta is now quite aware of the other combatants present. Henry shouting at her beforehand also gives her a bit of a heads up. Enough that when the Ruin launches again, she kicks off the ground in a cloud of sand to dodge it.

She attempts to drop in the direction of Diamond, but grits her teeth in frustration all the same, because she knows very well, messed up psyche or not, that is enough to give her time to dart away or retaliate while she's in the air.]

[Retaliate indeed. Now's her chance to break this battle wide open...! It's going to hurt her now, but it's going to end this madness, and so she'll take it and beat herself up over it later. Raising her Lovely Commune again and slamming a new Lovies into it before sliding it back into its holster on her hip, she spins carefully on her heel to face Rosetta, and...!]

Sparkle! Twinkle Diamond!

[A brilliant ray of ice jets toward the yellow Cure suspended in air, glistening in the sky. She'll only get one chance this perfect to take care of things, and her aim is dead on. This would end it!]

[For however skilled and battle aware Rosetta may be normally, even as much of that carries over now, her mind still is not all there. She realizes a second too late how much she just left herself open to Diamond, and attempts to level her Love Heart Arrow to intercept.

Cure Diamond proves faster, however. The ice beam strikes her dead on. She screams, covering her face as ice begins to cover her arms and upper body, and begins to do even more before gravity takes over and - with some considerable added weight - Rosetta drops to the beach like a rock.

As dust clears from her landing, she does not yet move much. Though not completely frozen, notable chunks of ice have formed around her, and she is visibly shaking from that cold.]

[Yes! She hit! Alice should... um. There's not nearly enough screaming in pain or outwardly-apparent exorcism going on here. Did it work?

And then something goes wrong, and it's like there's something stabbing right between her eyes. She shrieks for just a moment like she's been injured, but the pain clears almost as rapidly. And yet... she feels off. Like she'd just run a few dozen laps on the track. Just... oddly drained. She sways on the spot, barely catching herself as she digs into the sand. This entire thing didn't make any sense - she hit with that attack. Why did she feel off, all of a sudden? Was there something on Earth that powered the attack that wasn't there all of a sudden?

But that wasn't important now. To start with... she had to get to Rosetta. Her steps dragged as she worked her way over, and it felt so far away... much too far to cover in any reasonable time. Had Alice really been so distant when she'd shot her down? Or was it just that Diamond felt so terribly sluggish now?]

[With all the spells and power being slung around, Gaius knew he'd be out of place in such a battle. It had seemed that Mana and Alice could take care of things, but with two others joining in the fight, their targets had multiplied.

Perhaps it was time he stepped in. Given the beating Rikka was taking from the other two girls prior, she was easily the more favorable target, and Henry and Jade seemed preoccupied with Mana and Alice. He waited. He watched. He saw an opening, and he made his move.

The thief was fresh for the fight, and he had to work fast. That was his specialty, after all- quick in, quick out. His steps were light, his path already predetermined. Rikka might a flicker of black from the edge of her vision, Gaius' cloak billowing up as he practically appeared behind her, his steel blade gleaming as he yanked it from its sheath, twisting to put the entire momentum of his body into the swing.]

Edited 2014-01-12 06:37 (UTC)

[Jade can hear the fight going behind him, though unfortunately he can't hear Gaius approach. The moment he reaches Mana, his spear materializes out of his arm and points to her throat, while his foot comes down on her arm to pin her down.]

Call off your friend, Mana. I won't ask twice.

[Hopefully she still has some semblance of survival instinct left.]

[Mana grit her teeth, glaring up at Jade like a mad dog. She grabbed at his saber, and attempted to push it away from her... which, given her enhanced strength, she might actually have a chance at.

In either case, she's going to kick up at him as well, intent on driving her knee into his waist.]

Edited 2014-01-12 17:55 (UTC)

[Rikka's not looking behind her, or to the side, or at Mana, or really anywhere she needs to be looking. She's focused solely on checking on Rosetta. That proves to be a very, very big mistake.

She barely feels the steel driving into her back, for a moment; Gaius might notice that he's meeting some resistance. But it passes, and her advance just... stops, as she lets out a small sound of question, and the briefest whimper of pain. There's a faint pop of blue as her costume disappears, replaced with the casual clothing she'd been wearing ten minutes ago, and her hair returns to its normal blue; her Lovely Commune hits the beach just after, Raquel out for the time being. The sword sticking out of her back gleams in the sunlight; the girl falls to her knees after a second, the blade falling out and dropping to the sand with a good coat of her blood, then falls flat onto the beach another second later. She's still alive, but not by much, and she's in no condition to resist much of anything, let alone try and keep fighting.]

Edited 2014-01-12 18:19 (UTC)

[As he was focused on Alice for the last few moments, Henry hadn't spotted Gaius heading for Rikka until it was too late. He watches her fall and instantly heads for her, his tome open ready to send out another spell.

He doesn't fire though, not yet. For the moment, he gets in front of Rikka, glancing at her to verify that she's alive. And she is. Good. Now to make sure she stays that way.

He stares at Gaius, his usual grin still there, but just a little darker than usual.]

Ahaha, I'd really rather not fight you, you know! So if I were you, I'd just back off now.

[He holds his hand over the Ruin tome, the dark magic starting to form.

...of course the reason he doesn't want to fight Gaius isn't just because he doesn't want to fight another Shepherd, though that's definitely a part of it. Mostly it's that he's a fragile little mage that won't last long if he can't go all out. Especially not while outnumbered and protecting someone who's injured.]

Just a friendly warning.

[It had been a momentary falter- for someone wearing such an outfit, the thief hadn't expected any resistance. Proof enough when the blade's left his hand, but it was quickly recovered the moment it hit the sand. He'd made a dive for it, scooping it up by its handle and rolling back to his feet to put himself back on the defensive as he noticed the dark mage's attention drawn.

His eyes narrow as Henry speaks, noting the tome and knowing he'd be best off avoiding anything cast at him. He also recalled that mages weren't too impeded by moving on sand, so he had to be doubly careful.]

Don't think that's an option, 'specially if you've already started.

[He moves, dropping low and darting to the side. His intent is to strike Henry from the side, try to catch him off guard. Not that he's reckless though, he's still quite mindful that he's dealing with a mage. Gaius just hopes he can move faster than the boy can cast.]

[The shove does throw Jade off balance. Enough that when the kick comes, he's not in a good position to dodge it. He braces for the impact a split second before it connects; even so, he doesn't see the sheer force of the blow coming until it knocks the air out of his lungs and easily flings him several feet away from the girl.

The Colonel catches himself quickly and rolls back on his feet, but not without flinching. Judging by the pain in his abdomen, he'll be sporting a nasty bruise by the end of this. Careless. Even knowing Mana's transformation makes her stronger, he still underestimated her.

The real problem, of course, is that overestimating her could get her killed. Something that, despite his earlier words, Jade would rather avoid if possible.

He still has one advantage left. Mana shouldn't know about his short-range strike artes; the element of surprise may make a difference. They're not as powerful as his fonic artes, but in this case, that works in his favor.]

Well, well. Looks like you're not completely helpless. [His voice drips with disdain, hopefully goading her into attacking first.] Think you can handle me without your friends here to do your dirty work for you?

Edited 2014-01-13 21:03 (UTC)

[Mana picked herself up, and glared coldly at Jade. She scanned the battlefield and... saw the state Rikka was in. She nodded to herself, before turning back to Jade]

You're outnumbered Jade-san... we'll make this quick and painless as possible!

[with another roar, she launched herself again, swinging a punch at Jade... not so much goaded, as fully reliant on melee in this fight]

[As Rosetta lay there, shivering from the cold, her mind is for several moments even more of a mess than before. Rikka had hurt her.

Rikka had hurt her. In spite of that attack being one that was supposed to purify, its freezing effects were still quite pronounced.

...wait, purifying... the lack of that stuck out to her.

...no, there was nothing to purify, her mind was clear, it was focused, she knew what she had to do...

And as the sounds of battle raged, slowly she tries to move again. The ice cracked, feeling a weakness from just not that, but as her own selfish feelings rose again...

But the ice still broke. She still rose, though shaking.]

Rikka-chan, how could you...

[As she speaks, she sees who she speaks of, and deep within her mind... there is a voice that screams internally. The sight of Rikka, bleeding, down on the ground... Regardless of where her thoughts are, it's a sight burned into Yotsuba Alice's mind forever. In that moment, she can't even tell if she's alive or dead.

Outwardly, though, Rosetta begins to move sluggishly. Towards Rikka. One way or another, it needs to be verified.

Even as that voice just faintly screams in in head, its drowned out by the other voice. The promise that she is much closer to what she needs to do.

That everything will be alright, if she can just finish this task...]

It'll all be over soon, Rikka-chan...

[It's not the vague threats or Mana shouting that bring Rikka back to herself. No, it's the sound of shattering ice. Her ice. Everything feels so, so foggy... but she knows that her ice should never be shattering with her in this state. That's enough to bring her around, slowly... just in time to sense faint bootsteps in the sand, and Alice's voice calling softly to her. Promising her demise.

...demise? Wha... oh. Oh. Right, she was...!

Her eyes shoot open, and she regrets it almost immediately; wincing against the strong sunlight. Her body feels warm, in more than one way; the sun's heat is pleasant against her oddly clammy skin, but there's a warmth spreading from her back that she doesn't want to think about. Can't think about; everything's still fuzzy, and unnecessary processes are being diverted for a few important things.

Namely, her hand reaching for her Lovely Commune, only a foot away, but it's a long distance to cover when you really should have been killed a few minutes ago. She can feel the sand between her fingers, then the cool feel of magical plastic. She gropes for it once, twice... there!

Snatching it, she shifts backwards, pushing herself slowly and painfully to all fours, then delicately back onto her knees so she can look around. Jade's holding his spear, Mana's standing up and charging, Gaius stabbed her- no, not important now; he's facing Henry, and Henry's facing him. Alice... is coming toward her. A hundred feet. Ninety-five feet. Ninety... no. There's no time to watch.

Putting her hands to the ground, shaking off the signals from every bone in her body to stay down, she pushes herself up, almost losing her balance once or twice, and swaying badly when she finally makes it up, her front caked in sand. Her hair is a mess, obscuring her face, but she raises a shaky arm to hold out her Lovely Commune, opening her mouth and starting to speak in a barely-audible voice.]

I'm not... done yet... I haven't saved anyone... [She shakes herself, and when she looks out at Alice again, there's a blaze in her eyes, even as they look dangerously glassy.] You will accept my feelings...!

[And there's the flash of blue again, and where Rikka was standing a moment ago, Cure Diamond has returned, yet-unrepaired hole in her costume from the earlier wound a bloody reminder that she really should have stayed down.] The light of wisdom... Cure Diamond!

Edited (lol formatting) 2014-01-14 02:45 (UTC)

[With so much happening all at once, the rest of the battlefield becomes a blur to Henry. Just as well, really. Unless someone else decides to rush right at him, he needs to focus on his current opponent anyway.

The one thing he makes note of is that he hears Rikka's voice - not quite back to normal, but good enough for now. He sure hoped that meant she was back up again.

But that was something to worry about later. He was going to have to deal with the thief rushing towards him first. He builds up the energy for the next spell, trying to keep his eye on Gaius. Man, he'd almost forgotten just how fast he was. Henry needed to hold steady, wait until his spell was ready to go...

He saw the side strike coming just in time, but it came just a second to early for him to counter with his spell. And blocking isn't exactly a viable option when your weapon is a book. So he does the next best thing he can think of.

He takes the hit.

He winces as he feels the metal piercing his side, feels that blood is starting to flow out, but if there's one thing he's good at, it's enduring pain. He wasted no time in firing off his spell, hoping that the hit he took will give him enough opportunity to get Gaius before he can dodge.]

[His first target was still alive, apparently. Wow, these girls were pretty tough. What was that dress made of, anyway? Well, he'd have to deal later, unless Mana or Alice were able to before him.

He feels his blade connect with the mage, hoping it would disrupt the preparation of his spell in the process. Not that Gaius is going to stick around to find out. He hasn't survived this long on being cocky.

-well, that's a gutsy little mage. Since he's facing Henry at the moment of the attack, it's easy for him to see that the mage still has a hold on his spell, and it's a difficult position to evade. That doesn't mean the thief can't try, and let it not be said that he's not quick on his feet. He makes a dive to the side, shuddering as he feels the magic brush across him, and as he rolls in the sand, the dark tendrils trail him.

That was a little too close for his tastes, but he's not going to complain so long as he's still able to stand. He's going to fully take advantage of his position too, being that he's not gotten too far from Henry. If it takes the kid a while to cast, maybe he might not be expecting such an immediate retaliation.

Get ready then- because here Gaius comes again, sand flinging behind him as he pushes off into a direct dash for the mage, the blade of his sword gleaming only briefly beneath the fresh coating of blood.]