The Other Kung Fu Hobo

The Other Kung Fu Hobo
Date of Scene:	16 May 2013
Location:	Baron - Docks
Synopsis:	Souji Murasame and Alma Hyral meet with Akari Seran. Raine Arland gets caught up in the ensuing confrontation.
Cast of Characters:	Raine Arland, Seloria Delacreaux, Souji Murasame, Alma Hyral, Akari Seran

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Souji Murasame has posed:
The Ame-no-Torifune... Is docked right now, in Baron's extensive air-servicable facilities.

They are not on the ship. Nearby, there is a hostel. Not the ones directly on the dock, but ones further in that the Murasame heir can actually tolerate and don't smell of sailor.

An unusual situation has occurred recently: Another of the lost Academy students has arrived and promptly got herself into trouble. Souji doesn't mind about the trouble. But what he does see is an opportunity.

Thus it is that he sent his retainer and bodyguard, Artyom W. 'Frank' Valodjn to pick up the fallen Akari Seran, and ensure she is given restful accomodations, as well as the services of the nice healer of the Corporation, Alma Hyral.

Souji arrived a half hour ago to follow up. He waits outside the door wherein Alma has been ministering to Seran. Some of the more brave members of his organization may be accompanying him. All he is doing at this point is standing, arms folded, while waiting for Alma to give the go-ahead.

Alma Hyral has posed:
White Magic had washed over Akari for the better part of a day, for such extensive trauma, it taxed even Alma's considerable skills.

Erythropoietin receptors are stimulated by the light of creation, replacing blood that was lost, calcium lattices in the bone are stitched back together, torn muscles are regenerated at a microscopic level. Oh yes, Alma knew biology and anatomy quite well, it improved the focus of her healing. She just had little interest in it, unlike her sister Kyra.

Once Akari is back to full health... Alma removes the intravenous sedative she'd been using this entire time. It was short-acting enough, that all she had to do is break a little stick of ammonia smelling salts, and place it under Akari Seran's nose.

And then she retreated from the accomodations, nodding to Souji as she went by... She did /not/ want to be the closest person to Akari when she woke up.

The truth is, she was terrified of Akari, Akari had once dubbed her the /little rabbit/ and chased her all over the campus in an attempt to fight her, but she healed her nevertheless.

Raine Arland has posed:
MEANWHILE IN THE NEXT ROOM OVER.

"SWEET JESUS IN HEAVEN, WHAT THE HELL LAEVA--BWAH!" The sounds of metal clashing and energy vaguely being released can be heard. Followed by a start silence. ....Nothing happened for the longest time, which was actually just a minute or so. And then footsteps could be heard leaving that room. The door opened, revealing Raine Arland. Not!Hero extraordinaire. His black hair was about as messy as it usually was and his black and red jacket was left unbuttoned. Overall, he looked rather disheveled. and had a couple cuts on his face, courtesy to his annoying talking sword whihc shall now be named.

Pause as he beholds the sight of the rather importal looking Souji waiting outside the next room over, and then Alma stepping out a couple seconds after. "Huh...What the hell happened here? Looks like the shadiest business dealing I've never seen." Not that he saw a lot of them. He also was mumbling to himself.

This situation taking place so close to his own booked room caused the young man to stop and just stare dumbly. Hey! People in suits were legit staring material!

Akari Seran has posed:
Despite the incredible beating that the raging berserker took upon her unfortuante landing in a heavily crowded area, her numerous injuries were mostly a collection of superficial cuts and bruises that barely managed to count a flesh wounds. The odd exception could be found here and there: a few burned patches of skin where the darkness unleashed by Angantyr's deadly mace had seared the life from the flesh as well as the aftermath of Legion's electrical assault, though she had weathered even these ferocious attacks surprisingly well.

Still, even before her battle in the plaza, Akari had been through hell. Sucked into the darkness as their world collapsed, she threw herself into the endless tides of Heartless, reveling for the first time in a battle that seemed like it would never end. Untold numbers of black forms were destroyed by her mighty fists, the world contorting into a nightmarish swirl of darkness and rage that eventually swallowed her whole. After surviving the apocalyptic showdown and the subsequent fall from the heavens, she was more than willing to sleep for hours even without Alma's safety precaution.

Laying stretched out on her back atop the cushy surface of the bed, the young delinquent's general lack of class manages to extend even to her sleeping posture. Both legs are bowed out in an undignified manner and her arm is cast overhead, resting lightly across her face. The sound of her snoring could easily be mistaken for the snuffling of a wild animal and a small bubble of spit inflates and deflates comically below her nose as her chest heaves up and down.

The smelling salts do their job almost instantly. Akari snorts heavily as the chemical odor invades her olfactory senses, the bubble bursting loudly as she staggers as if punched in the gut. Her body jolts upright, arm falling to the wideside as she blinks through sleep-crusted eyes out of habit despite their lack of functionality. An epic yawn escapes as she stretches casually. It takes a few moments but eventually she realizes something is off.

"Ehn...?" Her head twists around as she takes in her surroundings through the air displacement. Her hand sinks into the soft cushions of the bed and blankets and she looks surprised as if just now realizing they're there. "What the...? This ain't my futon..."

A sudden wave of pressure and nausea washes over her as the pain from the incredible beating her head took finally settles in and she grips her face with a wincing grunt. "Nnrgh. <GOOSEHONK>, just how drunk did I get last night?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji, also a member of the Dark Sword Club, looks over to Raine with a slight narrowing of eyes. "I'm looking after a potential associate. Do not interfere." That seems to be all of the explanation Souji is going to give to Raine as he turns away, nodding to Alma as she exits. "Be ready." He says quietly to her as he moves past her with purpose, leaving her and Raine to do whatever while he faces the most violent person in Alexander Academy.

Souji takes three steps into the room, putting himself out of immediate arm's reach. Not that it matters with someone like Akari Seran, but it does give him enough reaction distance if needed.

"That wasn't drinking, Seran." Souji Murasame says levelly. "It was a beating. You dropped into the middle of a group of people who meant you no harm and you attacked them. Again. But then, this is normal for you, isn't it?"

He pauses. "Regardless, Seran, you're stuck in a new world. Our world is destroyed and most of our class is scattered to the winds."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma Hyral didn't actually go /far/. She just stayed a few feet behind Souji. Whenever he approached, so did she, staying just outside of the room when he took three steps within. She was trying hard not to tremble but.. sometimes she did, especially when Akari starts shouting curses.

She knew that Souji was more than capable of handling himself.. but she didn't want him to have to face that monster alone. And then Souji lays it all out, and she sucks in a breath. This could end up poorly for them all, if Seran decided to react violently to the news.

When Raine shouted from inside his room, then approached afterwards, she'd look at him, and put a finger to her mouth. Then sort of cant her head inside. She'd walk over to him with soft steps and murmur, "B-Be careful, S-Sir. You d-don't want to a-antagonize the w-woman in that room."

Raine Arland has posed:
"........Well. I didn't ask, but okay." Raine mumbled to himself, shrugging at Souji's stuffy reply. He gives Alma a glance as she approached him and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Huh. Trouble? ...Really now? It can't possibly be that bad." He then said, grinning slightly as he moved past her and then began to approach their room door, buttoning his jacket back up.

He poked his head into the room from the doorway once he arrived, taking note of things. "So what sorta terrible-- Annnnnd she's not wearing a shirt." Was Raine's immediate observation, serving as background noise to Souji's explanation. He didn't look away though. What? The important bits were covered!

"...You work for that loon over there?" He then asked to Alma, glancing at her while indicating Souji with a slight incline of the head. And then there was Akari herself. She looked like she kicked ass for a living. But maybe he was wrong! ...Or maybe he was totally right, and didn't want to be. Because that would be sad to be right this time! Even if it was totally obvious.

Akari Seran has posed:
The presence of new bodies in the room with her is picked up immediately and Akari slowly lifts her head from her hand to stare at the sword-toting young man, her brows immediately furrowing in clear annoyance.

"I know that voice..."

The girl scoots sideways, swinging her legs like pendulums and planting them firmly on the hard wooden floors of the bedroom. She hesistates a moment at the lack of sensation, clearly expecting there to be stone of some sort beneath the bed. This new development only seems to make her even angrier as if this entire situation was quickly unfolding in a manner meant to confuse and disorient her.

Akari's fist balls up tightly and she leans forward in a menacing stance, teeth grit in a fierce snarl. "Murasame! You got a problem with me?!" Yeah it looks like she's gone from zero to pissed in about five seconds flat.

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji bristles visibly. For Souji, that means he frowns a bit, his eyes narrow, and his body tenses. "Seran, are you going to insist on letting your muscles rule your brains? You can't afford that anymore. Listen to me. The world was /destroyed/. I am willing to help you, Seran, but you need to start paying attention and stop just brutalizing your way through life."

Alma Hyral has posed:
The girl actually cringes as Akari starts yelling at Souji. A radiant yellow aura has already sprang unbidden around her, limming her body. She stands just outside the room... prepared for what might be the inevitable.

She didn't think Souji could talk her down, but she hoped that for once... just once, Akari would listen to reason.

Raine Arland has posed:
Raine meanwhle just stands there at the doorway, looking between Alma and Souji and Akari, clueless as to what was going on, but far too curious to just up and leave. Because seriously. This was mildly entertaining.

Sure, he had absolutely nothing to do with this, but damn was delicious drama good to watch. Better than TV even. "Hunh. And so the tension rises. Will fists fly at this location? Stay tuned." He mumbled lightly to himself, smirking after, because this /was/ funny.

Just a little.

Akari Seran has posed:
One does not get a reputation that has students fleeing at the mere sight of you in one of the most prestigious boarding schools in all of Galianda if they are willing to simply listen to reason. Without a significant presence of earth to draw upon, Akari is robbed of her primary method of sight and the subtle nuances of Souji's annoyance is lost on the quickly enraging girl. As far as she can tell this is nothing more than yet another attempt by the elistist upperclass to force their precious refinement and snobbish attitude upon her and being ambushed the moment she wakes up in such a manner puts her in a foul mood on the spot.

"Shut up! I don't need your help!" Her fist clenches even tighter making an audible creaking sound before she waves it furiously at the air, motioning for Souji to stand aside.. "Move!"

Souji Murasame has posed:
On one hand, he could just let her go and let her get her feet on solid ground. On the other, she might just demolish the common room out of pique and really, it's cheaper this way.

He sighs to himself. "Yes, you /do/ need my help. If you're not willing to accept that, than be my guest." He steps aside, allowing her to pass.

And wondering if she's even going to be able to descend the steps. He looks to Alma, a wordless communication passing between them as they prepare for the inevitable.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma Hyral was terrified now, terrified... Everything in her mind screamed that she should run.

Raine was only antagonizing the situation with his flippant attitude, but he had no idea what this woman was capable of when she was in a full out blood rage.

She couldn't leave Souji though, she /wouldn't/ leave Souji, as she spoke to Akari for the first time, in a last ditch attempt to calm her down. "A-Akari, please, c-calm down. E-Everything S-Souji says is r-right. W-We can help you. B-By Cosma, please c-calm down!"

And then she tensed up.. she knew what came next, and she had to be ready to move in an instant. Listening in on Souji's commands. She nodded to him tentatively.

Raine Arland has posed:
Haaah? No seriously. What were they all doom and gloom about? This girl looked like a common thug! Was she really so badass that she struck fear into the hearts of armies? No way. If all it took was to go shirtless, he'd do the same damn thing! ...Actually, nah. He wouldn't. At all.

But the thought is amusing, if not, slightly troublesome. Hell, if things went /too/ awry, safety was just a dar corridor away! ...If Laevateinn didn't troll him. Which would probably be the case right now.

...Crap.

Better prepare for the long haul then! Raine just crossed his arms, standing aside as Souji and Alma dealt with Akari. He kepts his mouth shut this time. Choosing to observe quietly.

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari's temper continues to rise visibly as words are spouted at her in response to her demand that they stand aside. Her lips pull back further, revealing her grinding teeth to the three onlookers. Though she cannot see them very well without earth to call upon the air still provides her with vague silhouettes that slowly grow sharper in resolution the longer she concentrates - enough for her purposes.

Souji's soft sigh is like a bullhorn to her finely tuned senses, another arrogant gesture that displays his obvious disdain for her claims of self-reliance. And then Alma commits one of the first mortal sins in attempting to calm someone down: telling them to do so. All of this, as they might have feared, only serves to piss her off even further.

The girl's arm bulges slight as she flexes, her body hunching over into a stance that clearly gives away her intention to launcher herself straight at the other student. "MURASAME!!" Wood splinters into a spray of fine shards as she explodes into motion, crossing the distance between the two of them in the span of a heartbeat. Despite her reputation as a bruiser, Akari is /fast/. Her fist swings outwards as she flies towards him only to come crashing inwards at the place she knows his head is with stone-shattering force.

"I'LL WIPE THAT ARROGANCE RIGHT OFF YOUR FACE!!"

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji is fast. Akari is faster. The punch strikes Souji's head, glancing off of his jawbone as a testament to his own speed. He steps backwards, rubbing the purpling flesh for a moment. "It isn't arrogance if it's true, Seran."

He raises the Murasame Blade's sheath, and grips the handle. "Come, Murasame. It's time to feed." With a blurred movement, he unsheathes the weapon, the black katana emitting a roar of wind as he lashes it through the air. The power catches Akari and sends her flying, crashing through the wall with a loud splintering noise, where tempest winds toss her back and forth. Souji launches himself out of the hole and spins, landing neatly on the street below as he raises the blade. Lightning lashes outwards, crackling in whiplike trndeils as it crashes down around Seran. "If you will not listen, I will beat sense into you." Souji says, simply. "The situation is too serious to allow you to run wild and indulge your selfishness."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Did I mention how /terrified/ Alma was of Akari Seran?

And she didn't.. she didn't really want to fight. She would not let Souji battle this monster alone, however, and she had attacked Souji.

"Tira, this is for you..." She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating, focusing. Letting her mind slip into that realm of serenity that she'd practiced upon.

As Akari crashed into Souji Murasame and Souji blasted her through the wall. Alma was already on the move, this state of hyper focus heightening her response. A yellow blur moved past both Souji and towards Akari. While Akari was still in the midst of freefall, that yellow blur would zip around in a circular pattern above her. And then below her...

And then that blur ceased in it's movements, hovering just a few inches above the cobbles below. Above and below Akari were now five circular sigils on each side of her. Inside each were shining yellow magical arrays.

When she spoke now, there was no stutter, no stammer, just serene confidence, "In the beginning, at the heart of all that exists, came forth the light of the Creatrix.."

The five arrays above Akari were joined in a circular pattern by lines of energy. The arrays would retract upon themselves, and form a great column of light above her. Penetrating right through her suspended form with the purifying light of creation.

"But light always casts an equal shadow. And so came the Destructor.. Dark from Light. Light from Dark. All was in balance at the dawning."

The five below Akari would be joined then, and each would turn, like five mirrors, refracting the light from above, and aiming them straight at her heart. While Akari may not have had significant darkness in her heart, she would feel a burning sensation as the light attacked that directly. Seeking it out, and attempting to use.. for lack of a better term /infect/ it. To try and quell her rage, to beat back the darkness, to bring Order out of her Chaos.

Raine Arland has posed:
At first it looked like they were going to talk Akari down and everyone would go out for drinks-- ..Nah, what was he thinking. He didn't bat an eye the moment that rather violent girl backed up her words with her actons, flying straight for Souji and beginning to mix it up with him. "...Well crap. Looks like fists really /are/ gonna fly at this location."

But the biggest question here was...was he part of this mess? He was right in the middle of it. Check. He was dangerously close to the proceedings. Check. He didn't particularly relish the thought of dying under the feet of clashing titans. Check. Alma just joined the fray. Check, check, check.

"I guess there's no choice." And with that, Raine held an arm out, forming a bloody magic glyph onto the floorboards that gave rise to a pitch black blade, spikes jutting out one side. The cursed blade; Laevateinn. "You owe for this!" He called over to Souji before joining in on the action. "You look like someone who takes beatings for a living. So I guess you won't mind if I join in on the fun, huh?"

Not about to wait for an answer, the dark swordman gripped his cursed sword and lashed outwards, sending forth a circular array of bloody, demonic energy. Once it got within acceptable range of Akari, he held the blade back and parallel to himself. "Ignition." The projectile then exploded in a burst of energy. More effective than just slinging random projectiles!

Seloria Delacreaux has posed:
That was most /definitely/ The Ame-no-Torifune.

Having come across the docked airship some time ago, Seloria had instantly turned around and started running, tracking the group down by sight and sound - sight via the people in Baron, and sound being the noises coming from the inn and the slightly panicked looks on the people around the building.

Seloria eventually bursts into the room, takes one look around, and immediately bites her tongue before she starts cursing. Oh /great/.

"Uh." Beat.

"Hi?"

Akari Seran has posed:
The familiar sensation of her knuckles impacting on soft flesh and stiff bone reverberates through Akari's fist and she is overcome by a momentary surge of ellation that accompanies the start of any fight. But Souji's speed is enough to reduce the pulping blow to a mere fraction of its real power and she stumbles forward as her momentum carries her past the elusive swordsman. His swift retaliation strikes her dead on, magical waves of force lifting her bodily into the air and sending the slender woman explosively through the far wall.

The sudden shift in direction throws her into momentary disarry, especially once the power of the sword spirit latches on and leaves her hovering helplessly off the ground. She curls up defensively as the lightning lashes her body, striking with mini-peals of thunder across her bare skin but seeming to leave little in the way of actual lasting damage.

The shimmering golden light that streaks past her registers in the back of her mind, though the maelstrom of surging winds and lightning make it practically impossible to track the speeding mage. She lets out a gutteral scream of pain and anger as the holy magic shoots into her body but it too seems to do little more than make her even madder and she starts to thrash wildly, sending uncontrollable waves of chakra flying out like bullets.

It seems like the clever teamwork has the furious bruiser dead to rights as she fights back almost helplessly against the imprisoning winds. But then an unexpected element chooses to intervene and that plan is dashed to pieces.

Akari's head snaps up as she feels the powerful demonic energy forming overhead. Gritting her teeth, she gathers up what strength she can muster and with a cry, throws her arm wide as if inviting the deadly attack to strike her. She is not disappointed.

Raine's thrust drives the young woman towards the ground, breaking her free of the wind's fury and the holy light in a single fell swoop. She hits the ground with a resounding explosion, chips of pavement and stone powerized by the impact billowing upwards like a geyser. The dust cloud obscures Akari's body for several seconds during which there is ominous silence. And then, the wad of energy that Raine unleashed goes flying back out of the mist like a ballistic missile for its former owner.

The particulate fog clears to make way for the surging energy and in doing so brings the berserker back into view. Where once she had only a single arm, the other lost in some unknown fashion long before her arrival at the academy, Akari now sports a total of six heavily muscled appendages. Crafted from the same stone that now rests beneath her feet, the arms bend and move like living things, each piled atop the other at her shoulders in a somewhat awkward fashion that requires her to hunch foward to allow them all to reach around far enough to be dangerous to anyone infront of her.

Akari breathes deeply, her chest heaving as she shakes off the onslaught that nearly crippled her from the onset, a mixture of barely restrained rage and thuggish delight at the prospect of an engaging battle. "Now then... let's see how you fare against a real opponent!"

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji fights, not responding to Alma's words and her beseeching. He is focused on one thing: Defeating the enemy.

Unofrtunately, someone just makes the issue more difficult. "You fool!" Souji yells at Raine as she is driven to the ground. "You have to keep her in the air! She is earth-aligned!"

And then Seran appears, augmenting her ability. "Too late." Souji says, hissing throug his teeth in frustration. "Very well. I can't blame you for your ignorance. But work with us, not against us." He spins the Murasame Blade, drawing the back of the blade across the crevice between thumb and forefinger. The black blade shimmers as Souji begins to awaken a fragment of the spirit within the blade.

He doesn't look back as Seloria arrives. "Hello Delacreux. Care to give us a hand in subduing the local bully?" He's not conversational. He turns his attention back to Seran. "You think you consider yourself a real opponent? Don't try to put yourself on my level... you'll never reach it!" With a hissing motion, Souji leaps, slamming the blade into the ground as a thunderous shockwave erupts up from under Akari, sending her flying. He twists, sending a pair of crackling, crescent energy waves arcing through the air in an X pattern to follow, attempting to shatter the earthen augmentations of his opponent!

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma dimly registers Seloria's voice, back up in the inn room. Even though she was far away from her at this time, out on the streets, barely above the cobbles, she knew it was her.

Alma knew that the blind woman was a geomancer from their time at school, it was the only way she could track "Have faith in the Creatrix; for she loves her children."</span>

And then Seloria would just feel warmth, as Alma sought to increase her focus and Seloria's already significant summoning talents. The warmth would continue to spread, almost prophylactically, invigorating the two girls.

She watched Souji bring the woman into the air with a thunderous shockwave, and her mind registered it, as she planned for her next attack.

Raine Arland has posed:
"Hah? Keep her in the air?" Raine had asked, glancing over at Souji curiously, hefting Laevateinn onto his shoulder as he did so. Akari's reprisal barely warranted acknowledgement from him, but he took the time to glance over to the clearing dust. ...And he sees just what Souji was talking about. "....Holy shi-"

Six arms? Seriously? SIX ARMS? "You can not be serious! That has to be breaking some sort of rule somewhere!" Seriously! Six arms! What is this BS!? "Okay, keep her in the air. That's gonna be a problem for me. I knock things to the ground and keep them there. Guess I'm gonna have to fall back onto my less...volatile techniques."

Not particularly broken up about the handicap inflicted by the situation, Raine lowered his blade to his side, staring down Akari. "A real opponent, huh? Well, color me intrigued! I think I'll give this real opponent before me a workout! Let's have some good old fashioned fun, huh?" Entirely doomed to engage in this to the end, the dark swordsman broke out into a run, going right for Akari and her six arms.

Once in range, he lashed out with a blade cloaked in a cloud of shadow, following it up by thrusting an arm out and clenching his fist. Manipulating the cloud of darkness around the violent girl and aiming to drain her energies.

Seloria Delacreaux has posed:
"Seran. Murasame. Alma." Whoever the other person is.

Seloria sighs when help is requested, even as she inclines her head, then without another word, the goddess Sylph appears behind Seloria's head, and she turns her eyes on Akari.

"Yes, keep her in the air." She mutters.

There is a krak-boom as Sylph lifts one hand, pointing at Seran, before wind and lightning wrap around Seran. She can't lift her up, but --

An annoyance. She can do that.

Akari Seran has posed:
Souji's confident boast is met with a wordless cry of defiance as his sword comes down. Her foot slams into the paved stone street and the impact sends a massive fracture zigzagging across the ground on a direct course for the swordsman. It splinters into a spherical spiderweb crack upon reaching his general area and the entire street begins to heave and shake, attempting to uproot his footing and keep him off balance even as the burst of energy lifts her away from the earth once again.

The twin crescent waves combine into a scathing X that slams into her dead in the chest. Akari grunts but twists to the side, somehow actually grabbing a hold of the energy and flinging it off towards the city with no regards to where it might land. This swift manuever prevents much harm from coming to her but the final surge of power smashes apart one of her arms in the process as she discards it.

Recovering herself in midair, the raging girl somehow completely defies the natural laws of nature, her feet slamming into thin air as if it were completely solid. She propels herself with kick of her feet and rips right past the mercenary, swinging the remaining two fists on her left side at him with a coordinated strike to both his face and solar plexus.

Hit or miss, her insane momentum plants her square at Souji's feet with a heavy crash and she wastes no time in leaping to the attack. She comes from below in a crouch, her head rushing up to meet the bottom of his chin with no regard to the sheer recklessness of the attack. The three arms on her right side all swing up at once not a moment later, each swinging in a deadly coordinated uppercut.

From behind yet more wind rises up from the summoned fairy, buffeting the berserk martial artist. By this time she's pretty <GOOSEHONK> tired of wind. Akari reaches out and attempts to nab Souji, turning and heaving him bodily at the two girls who think they're all safe up there in the sky. Several huge chunks of rock follow for good measure, each coming in a vertiable storm as the various arms rip parts of the road up to use as projectiles.

Souji Murasame has posed:
Is it a boast if its true? Souji is knocked backwards from the unstable shaking, the Ramuha heir launching himself into the air to keep himself from falling over. He hits the ground some distance away, just to get more Akari to the face. She pummels into him, rushing him down and slamming into a swift guarding manuver, but inertia will not be denied. Souji is sent flying, spinning through the air to hit the ground in a skidding kneel across the way, standing as redness begins to soak into his suit. He looks down, irritated. "Tch." He pulls a vial from his coat, drinking it in a swift motion before tossing the empty thing aside to let it shatter. The mixture seems to reinvigorate him despite his wound as he stands once more. "You think your brute strength is going to keep you surviving in this world? You're going to just hit something harder than you and break. Rushing ahead is the action of fools." He sets himself, regaining his footing and preparing to strike again as he forces the dizziness out of his body with pure force of will.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma Hyral through all of this, would give Seloria a sympathetic smile. She knew that Seloria didn't want to be here. And she hated to be part of the reason that kept her here...

She'd rub her shoulder one last time, and then a rock was coming right at them!

As the stray rock descended, as she hastily tried to move upwards, but it struck her anyhow, and Alma was literally crushed through the floor of the Inn. Her focus was momentarily gone, as she shrieked in agony.

Laying there for a time, she allowed the healing warmth to take care of some of the wounds, as she desperately tried to regain her focus through the pain that was causing her to sob. All she had to do was close her eyes, and think of one person... a moment later, she was off again.

Zipping through the air outside the inn was that yellow blur, snaking around in serpentine motions, zig-zags. It all seemed non-sensical, but eventually the patterns were made clear as various arrays and sigils appeared suspended in the air, the result of her artistry. And when she was finished... She stood there in mid-air.

Eight sigils joined together at Akari's left like bright stars, their radiance becoming blinding, in the pattern of a Celestial Chariot, a constellation from the Land of Dragons.

"Auriga. Bright lights of the Tiger of the West, and the Vermillion Bird of the South."

Another five sigils joined together at Akari's right in the pattern of weighing scales, a constellation from Ivalice.

"Libra, radiant justice, may your scales always remain in balance."

And another seven sigils joined together directly above Akari, in a straight line. A simple constellation from their world known as the Seven Virtues.

Seven Stars, Seven Virtues. All of creation is her. As you rebel against creation...

She dropped a hand, and suddenly all at once, every single Sigil blazed to life.. and then as one began to streak towards Akari, as every single fallen star strikes her simultaneously. A brilliant, radiant explosion of light that momentarily blinds all who behold it, which strangely seems to leave everything unharmed, except its intended target.

"...creation rebels against you."

Raine Arland has posed:
"...She just dodged my well aimed--BWUH!" And just like that, Raine took two punches to the gut and face, tumbling over backwards and falling flat on his back as he did so. "This is...NOT what I signed up for. What the hell, man..." Okay, maybe he did sign up for it, but still! He could complain! He wasn't a hero, so he had that right! Maybe.

"Okay, let's try that again." He grumbled, sitting up and holding his nose to stem a nosebleed. Thankfully that was all he had taken considering the force of the blow. Well, that and a bruised. If he didn't have the power he had, well...crap. But thankfully, that wasn't the case, so no need to worry! For now. "Gotta say, you've got a ton of strength packed in those fists, girl."

Raine spoke as he stood up, shaking his head and wiping away blood from his nose. "I guess it's no fun if you're weak after all." That said, he took up his cursed blade again, the weapon bursting into a red glow. "But I think it's time to knock you down a peg." And then he gripped the sword in reverse, slashing forward and sending out a familiar circular wave of demonic energy. "We'll see if I can't eat away at those arms of yours!"

The energy went flying straight for Akari, aiming to strike at her extra arms and eat away at their form, attempting to lessen their effectiveness overall.

Akari Seran has posed:
Standing up to her hunched-over posture once more, Akari merely spits on the pavement as she glares with dead eyes at the arrogant man. "You talk too much! I will fight until I die. Only the strong survive! Only the one left standing is righteous!"

The juggernaut takes a step foward, her slender leg causing the stone beneath to splinter from the force of the impact and dust billows out around her feet in a wispy cloud. She leans foward as if to launch herself at Souji once again but a sudden brilliant flare of light beside her causes the bruiser to pause. The light itself is meaningless to her, ofcourse, but the surge of grand magical power is not. Akari grits her teeth as she realizes that yet more points of energy are taking shape, her head swiveling from one side to the other a few moments after the constellations take form until the final one causes her to look up towards the heavens.

The signal is given, the energy comes crashing in on her from all directions like golden meteorites called down from heaven to inflict revenge upon the girl who shouts her defiance towards the gods themselves. But rather than give in, rather than submit to the certain painful destruction that seeks her out, Akari does what she has always does - she fights.

All five of her arms lash out in every direction, a frenzy of unleashed raw power and blurring fists. The golden pinpoints of light crash together, squeezing inwards as if the girl were in a vice but rather than detonate, they slam to a screeching halt as if striking an invisible wall.

Akari screams in primal fury as she wails away at the holy light, pushing it back with an impossible display of martial acumen. The constellations waver back and forth, gaining ground against her desperate defense and then losing it a few moments later. This battle rages for several intense seconds, the outcome impossible to predict, but finally, against all odds, Akari gives a last beastial swing and the argent spheres erupt in all directions, peppering the surrounding area with a myriad of monumental explosions.

The energy from her final strike is such that she cannot contain its fury. Her fist follows through and the very air infront of the geomancer ingites in a striking and utterly overwhelming burst of raw friction heat. A beam rips through the sky, Akari's arm acting as a channel as it completely engulfs the floating white mage and just barely misses Raine with its ludicrious outpouring of violence even as he sends a whirling crescent that disappears into the torrential outpour, its effect on her lost in the overpressive pressurewave of incalescence.

Once more the smoke eventually clears from the epicenter of a whirling tornado of uncontrolled destruction with Akari standing trimphantly in the eye of the storm. She looks miraculously unharmed by the attempts to bring her low and she gives an animalistic snort. "Ha... ha... ha... not bad. Not bad at all!" The girl leans her head back and... laughs. Akari bursts into almost unrestrained laughter, her emotions allowed to spill freely. "Now /this/ is a fight! Comon! SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN REALLY DO!"

She hunches over and draws in strength, her body seeming to wash away the cuts and bruises as the power of the earth surges through her. Her destroyed arm reforms, regenerating before their very eyes and she gives another outburst towards the sky, this time yelling with obvious delight.

Souji Murasame has posed:
"HAH!" Souji yells, adopting an offensive stance again as he takes slow steps towards Akari. He doesn't /need/ to be near you to kill you. "The righteous? How pointless. Might doesn't make right. It just makes more might." Akari makes her impressive countermaneuvers to stop the incoming assaults from his associates, but he doesn't seem to be put out by the lack of a smoking crater.

"Power without control is pointless." Souji pronounces. "You waste too much time and energy. You are going to be crushed... And then maybe, at least, you will listen to reason, Seran." He lashes out, a hand clenching and creating another massive thunderclap that sends Seran flying, before he repeats his Murasame Sword Arts to cleave away the earthen armor Seran is using. He will do this as much as he needs.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma Hyral is dumbstruck as every single one of her attacks is... deflected by her fists. So much so that she doesn't predict the wave of friction heat which lashes out at her. It strikes her, and she screams in agony. Her robes actually catch fire for a moment..

And then the fire simply snuffs out, as the flames are simply absorbed into the yellow aura around her.

But even though they were absorbed, the damage was already done. Her focus was shattered. And she'd need time to regain it..

A glance sidelong to Souji. He was hurting too. She couldn't fail here.. Akari might kill them all if she did. She went up, higher, and higher. And then she'd just settle there in mid-air, taking the time to regain her focus, that state of serenity.

And then she'd raise cross both her hands, pressing her palms backwards, as a giant array appears in-between them.

DESTINY LIES IN MY HANDS, STOP TIME! GALAXY STOP!

From her hands, sprang forth what appeared to be a tiny galaxy of stars, which rotated around rapidly, and then all of a sudden, expanded forth into a giant sea of stars all around the street. And everything.. stopped, but her. In this state, she couldn't actually harm anything, or leave the confines of its effect, she could move around. And so she did, moving down as she went. Zipping around, she snaked in and out of the sky, back and forth, creating different patterns from before. And when she stopped... the galaxy retracted suddenly, and faded. Everything started to move instantly. Except all the sigils were set up in advance, at point blank range to Akari, making her more vulnerable to the strikes.

Eight sigils joined together, which were in the shape of the constellation of a proud Hunter, from the world of Manhatten.

Transcended Huntsman, may your arrows harry the beast of the Destroyer.

Seven sigils join together, in the shaOdin's Wain, carriage of the First Blade, trample forth.</span>

And at point blank range, they all exploded as one around Akari in a flash of light just as brilliant as before.

Be Judged.

Raine Arland has posed:
"Okay, this girl is crazy. That six arms thing is really giving me the creeps." Raine commented lightly, rolling his neck about as he spoke. He didn't seem to be taking this all that seriously despite the danger and various lightshows being thrown about. "But you're right. Time to turn things up a notch."

The moment he said that, his left eye immediately flared up, the white sigil inscribed where an iris usually would be glowing intensely. So much so that even slight movement of his head left a trail of red in it's wake. "Eye of Judgment; activated!" Grinning wildly, almost enough to match Akari's crazed posturing, he raised Laevateinn, gripping the handle with both hands tightly, a demonic aura funneling off of the surface of the blade. He spared one moment to glance at Souji, adding a single comment. "I'd get out of the way. Fair warning." That said, Raine turned his attention back to their opponent.

"THIS is what I can do!" And without wasting anymore time, Raine dashed forward at high speed, getting right into Akari's face with a trail of red following before he spun his sword, glimmering with dark energy before stubbing it into the ground between then. "Let the darkness carry you away!"

And immediately upon doing that, the point of impact created a violent burst of dark energy and spiraled upwards, threatening to carry the girl with six arms into the air before crushing her against the ground mercilessly.

Akari Seran has posed:
"Quit wasting time with words!" Akari bellows back at the unflappable swordsman, a man who seems able to keep his composure even in the face of someone with such intense ferocity. Is it his unwavering belief in his own abilities that makes him so or perhaps his utter disdain for the unfocused aggression that the young woman throws about without regard for the consequences. Whatever the cause, the determination he shows her only spurrs her on to fight harder.

"Make me understand with your strength!"

The familiar burst of energy erupts from below and proves to yet again be an effective method of removing her from contact with her source of power. This time the X of sword slashes catches her in the back as she flips through the air, carving away a full pair of the arms which go spinning off to land with heavy crashes on the stone street, which has basically been reduced to chicklets at this point.

Time suddenly stops. For those caught in the web of compressed reality, their existence ceases to move for a few terrible seconds as Alma weaves her deadly armada of golden constellations, arranging them about the skyborne warrior as if setting the chessboard with a dozen pieces against a single pawn. There is no way that this can end in anything but disaster for the girl, her face frozen in a mask of fury, for she seems to know no other emotion.

And then stranglehold on the galaxy is loosed and it snaps back into its rightful place with an almost vengeful fury. But something goes wrong.

Akari stops in midair, her power over the elements seizing her fast even as the holy light coalesces around her. She reacts in the same instant, her fists swinging out as she leans back and gives a primal howl. A sphere of spiritual energy erupts around her, red light hammering the entire port with a crushing wave of force as the holy magics are once again rebuked by the sheer audacity of the miniature titan's outburst.

She rockets to the ground, propelled by the blast to land square on her feet, arms tucked against her side as if coiled to strike. Raine comes in with near perfect timing, his demonic blade thrusting into the ground before her and assaulting her with torrential outpour of darkness. Akari throws her arms wide as if to welcome his attempt to bring her low and the energy ripples her hair out furiously as she strains to hold her ground. Eventually the spiraling force dies out and Akari merely grins back at him.

There is no more time wasted on words. Akari takes a single step forward and swings her fist at Raine's gut, her blow striking with the fury of a demigod. Dozens more rain down upon him after this, countless punches that blur as they flail away like a storm of hail. A final blow put distance between them, either blasting him across the street or sending a wave of pressure out behind him that rips apart the ground.

She spins, launching herself Alma in the air and giving her a taste of the many-armed fury that lies within before finally turning her aggression on Souji, blitzing back and forth in a whirlwind of fists.

Alma Hyral has posed:
As Akari spins at her, the girl's eyes go wide. That hesitation costs her, but not terribly, as she starts to move just before Akari reaches her. A single fist glances off of her shoulder, causing her trajectory to dip slightly.

But then she corrects herself. She might just be fighting back tears, as a muffled shriek erupts from her throat. The blow was still enough to nearly break her collar bone.

Like a bright yellow star, shooting through the dark, she moves to stand behind Souji. Her focus was broken once again, but she didn't need all that much to be able to heal. She knew better than to reach through his winds, so at a distance, she causes a radiant yellow glow to erupt over him, and herself. Starting the process of healing their wounds with the light of creation.

Raine Arland has posed:
It failed.

It failed.

His ultimate skills failed. The Eye of Judgment, The vortex of darkness, Everything. Raine didn't even find time to properly process this before he found a fist in his gut, followed by another, and then another...and another...annnnd another, till it became just a blur.

"This is buuuuulllshiiiii--" The final blow sent him flying out out of the combat zone and into the street where he crashed unceremoniously through the wall of another establishment, sending stone and wooden debris tumbling down on top of him.

'...Kid, that was the worst showing I've ever seen from you yet. You need more training. You're useless. Just lay there and wallow in your powerlessness.'

Raine just grumbled from beneath the rubble at the voice incessantly jabbering in his mind. "...Whatever." Despite the force used against him, Laevateinn's energies were already stemming the worst of it. But maybe he should just lay there. What good was he?

Souji Murasame has posed:
Raine is crushed by the power of the Fist of the Wandering God.

Alma manages to avoid the worst of it.

Souji stands, watching as Seran rends the power of Alma's powerful invocation apart... And when Akari comes for him, he is ready. The Murasame Blade flares with crimson, bloody light, and Souji leaves afterimages of the weapon as he moves his blade with a blur, parrying each strike with the Murasame Blade. Sparks fly as the pair meet, sweat beginning to trickle down his face as he guards against the overwhelming force with intense focus and a lifetime of training. Finally, he spins his blade, catching the final strike in a capture and pulls her in. "Is that your best?" He asks...

And then the world explodes around Akari, sending her flying down the street. Souji raises his blade, red light slashing downwards repeatedly upon Seran as a horrid sensation begins to grow around them. "Stand down, Seran. You are running out of time."

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari grins as her fist sends the hapless knight sailing into the distance, extracting the pure joy that comes from overwhelming an opponent and breaking them apart. She grins as her fist clips the frustratingly agile mage, enjoying the look of fear and the cry of pain that her incredible might brings to the weak. And she grins as she plummets back to the earth, her stony knuckles clashing with a fit of sparks and the hiss of metal upon the cursed blade that sweeps out to stop her.

"Hahahaha! You'll never know until I'm dead!"

The two warriors engage in an epic deadlock, neither able to bypass the incredible frenzy of strikes and land a solid hit. However, Souji's focused technique begins to wear away at the reckless assault and little by little cracks and chips begin to spread through her elemental prosthetics.

With a resounding crack, Akari swings to intercept yet another strike and fist shatters against the cold metal. She doesn't even miss a beat, adjusting her flurry to account for the lost but moments later the final extra appendage suffers the same fate, leaving with only her natural arm and replacement for her missing one.

Growling, she lunges, ignoring the scathing bite of the Murasame blade as it cuts a thin trail across her torso. Her earthen right fist closes in, almost moving in slow motion as it crashes towards Souji's head but even as the knuckles make contact with his cheek the air around her explodes, flinging the berserker away to be buffeted by waves of power.

Akari glides backwards on her heels, rending twin gouges through the pavement as she slowly skids to a halt. Her arms come up to deflect the energy blades, crossing defensively over her chest. This works for a few moments but the ceaseless onslaught eventually shatters the final stone arm and sends her sprawling on her back.

She lays there for a time, staring up at the sky and she suck precious air into her lungs. Fatigue courses through her muscles, a soft burning sensation that aches in an oddly pleasant manner. It is hardly debilitating; she fought the Heartless for days before the darkness finally managed to swallow her. But it is the first time that she can remember in ages that she's had this much fun.

With a grunt, Akari sits up. She does not stand, instead glowering quietly across the distance between herself and the other two students for a few moments. Finally, she rubs the back of her neck in an almost sheepish fashion and lets a genuine smile overtake her features. "Heh... guess you're not quite as much of a push over as I thought."

Raine Arland has posed:
"This is ridiculous. I can do better than this." Raine grumbled to himself, left eye beginning to glow brightly again now that he's gotten a moment's rest. Rays of light began to peek out from the openings in thr rubble before they were blasted away by a burst of red energy. When the smoke cleared, Raine stood, looking not that much worse for the wear, but he was grumbling and rubbing his midsection lightly in pain.

Ah well, it'll heal.

Surveying the situation at hand, he noticed that the fighting seemed to have...stopped? At least it looked like it. "Huh, what's this? Finally finished having your fun, Six Arms?" He asked, stepping over the rubble and moving a bit closer to the others. "Oh yeah, I'm fine by the way. Thanks for the help!" He spoke sarcastically, raising a hand in a wry greeting to Alma.

No matter, Laevateinn's energies would take care of it over time. "Anyway..." He wasn't that much help in the grand scheme of things, was he? "Still, I gotta say, that whole arm thing is pretty crazy. Never fought against anything like that before. That's for sure."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma, did, not, much, care for Akari right now.

She never thought the woman was a /pushover/. She just didn't like her. This was all the sort of random destruction she just hated. The pointless violence. Fighting just for the sake of violence.

Alma was a pacifist, she'd only fight if her friends were in danger. Before Raine even said anything, she was already descending to land right beside him, she still gave him a sort of embarassed look, speaking timidly, "S-Sorry.."

A moment later, the aura around her faded away entirely, and instead, a radiant yellow glow appeared over him instead. The light of creation starting to heal the worst of his injuries.

Souji Murasame has posed:
The Murasame Blade hisses with crimson and shadow. There is a wash of energy as he raises the blade. Light dims for a moment as the Murasame heir prepares to unleash the power of his ancestral weapon.

But Seran surprises him by actually... taking his advice.

That's a new one.

Souji pauses, and spins the weapon, sheathing it. The Hungry Blade will have to be content with what it has taken from Seran for now. He look over to Alma, calling over, "Please assist this man with his wounds. He deserves that much, at least." He says, not acknowledging the sarcastic remarks sent his way.

He looks towards Raine for several seconds, a searching gaze in his eyes as he considers something... And then he nods faintly, turning away to walk towards Seran. "Are you going to listen to me now, Seran?"

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari grunts at Raine, frowning disapprovingly as she shifts her blind eyes towards him. In full contact with the ground such as she is now, the geomancer's unique form of sight gives her a clarity well exceeding that of any normal vision. His breathing, the flow of the blood as his heart thumps away in his chest, the click of his boots on the stone - she feels all of it.

"Relying on others is the quickest road to defeat."

Pushing to her feet, Akari casually dusts herself off and the last remnants of stone on her stump and shoulders crumbles away as she releases her control over them. She sighs wistfully, bending to each side and then twisting her shoulders back and forth. An audible array of cracking sounds echos through the open street as her bones shift and readjust and it almost looks like she's treating their fight like nothing more than a routine workout.

The girl's mouth twists into a frown as Souji draws near but she rests her hand on her hip and takes an idle stance, turning to face him now. "Hrmmm. I still don't like your tone, Murasame. But you've earned my ear for the moment. I will grant you that much as payment for the entertainment you've given me today."

Souji Murasame has posed:
"I'm not asking you to like me, Seran. I'm asking you to work for me and let me direct your efforts. There's a lot of situations I foresee which could use your... specialties. In return, you get money, food, information and support." Murasame shrugs at that.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma just continues to give the man a shy look as she continues to pour the light of creation into his body. Mending the worst of his wounds in relatively short order, as she stammers out. "I-I never c-caught your name. I'm A-Alma, S-Sir. A-Alma H-Hyral. C-Can I make it up to you p-perhaps? I can.. c-cook you a meal."

She kind of cringes, in anticipation of getting her head chewed off sardonically again.

Raine Arland has posed:
"....Relying on others?" Raine mumbled in confusion. What was she talking about? Did he say something? He paused for a bit, bringing a hand to his chin curiously in thought. It took a few moments before a voice spoke up in his mind again.

'She's talking about me, you buffoon.'


"Oh." Was all Raine had to say in reply back. ...Well, it's a lot more complicated than that, but...He'd leave it alone for now. Not the time or place to refute it. If ever.

Hearing Alma's voice, Raine's attentioned turned back to her and he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at her change in speech pattern. "...Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help. I mean it this time. Really." Well, that was the best he could say to indicate that he wasn't be a wiseass again.

"As far as I understand, that guy-" He glanceed at Souji then before continuing. "-Is your boss or something. Better take care of immediate interests, first right?" And then names came into the equation. Well, there was no harm in a name. "Raine. Raine Arland. Nice to meet you, Alma. And don't call me sir. It's not like I'm a knight or anything." Far from it actually. But hey.

Pause.

Cue stomach grumbling. "...I guess food would be nice right about now." Because the human body was a traitor that required food like the sissy it was!

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari lets out a disgruntled sigh, her hand reaching around to rub the back of her head once more. The motion dislodges a few pieces of shattered masonry from the confines of her thick ponytail and they skitter across the pavement with a faint tinkle. "All things I can get myself or have no need for."

She allows her hand to drift down to the top of her armless shoulder, the fingers hooking over it idly which brings her attention to something that has been missing this entire time: her jacket. While she has pretty much zero love for Alexander Academy, that was a pretty damn comfortable jacket, even if all she ever did with it was drape it over her arm. She'll have to find that thing later.

"I have no interest in getting tied up in your scheming. If you want someone crack heads for you, go hire some street thug. I have better things to do."

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji, through a massive force of will, manages to refrain from eyerolling. "You have an entirely too inflated sense of your importance and ability, Seran. Why hire a street thug when you act like one?" He turns away. "Very well. Go die in a gutter like you seem to lust for. I have no more need of you." He walks away, stopping back inside the inn and tossing the inkeep a bag of Gil before turning to leave.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma Hyral would just nod quickly, she seemed like an.. entirely different person, than before. Like she totally lacked confidence in herself, and anything she did, especially in talking to someone she'd just met.

She'd pour forth one last heal into him. In the end, Raine probably actually ended up looking less injured than she did! But then she'd turn it on herself as well, as a soft silvery glow spread over her own wounds. A timid smile would curve on her lips after a time, "Y-You're w-welcome R-Raine...c-come with me.."

And then she'd gesture in the distance at the Ame-No-Torifune, and if Raine came....

/THIRTY MINUTES LATER/

The table of the Ame-No-Torifune's kitchen is covered with an absurd amount of exquisite and mouthwatering French food, given the time and effort Raine saw her put into it. And she would sit there, eating a quiche, acting like it was no big deal. "S-Sorry that I was so s-slow. I'm still j-just an a-alright cook. But my t-teacher says I'm g-getting better."

Raine Arland has posed:
And he did come. Why? FOOD. THAT'S WHY. But this was entirely too much. Where was he supposed to put this!? It was kind of a waste really. Unless the crew got to share in the spoils. Then it was perfectly valid. "Wow..." Raine mumbled in awe, staring about at the spread of food before him. "This is something else. I wasn't expecting /this/, but hey I won't complain! Let's see how it tastes."

And without further ado, he went for the closest thing to abate his raging hunger. Now he just needed to remember to chew. That was important. Yes. ...Or was it? No, no, it definitely was. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Akari Seran has posed:
"Hmph. That's my line."

Akari watches the swordsman stalk off, cool and composed as always. For some reason his attitude just pisses her off. She manages to keep her temper reigned in, however, her lust for battle sated for the moment.

Fishing around in her pocket, she digs out a small square crumpled package with a hole torn on the top. Her thumb digs into the opening, seeking out the flat surface of the cigarettes that should be contained within and finding nothing but ash and detrius.

"<GOOSEHONK>. Where do I go to get a smoke around here...?" Akari's head lifts as she looks around, scanning the demolished street and finding the bulky outlines of buildings. Unable to read signs or even really see where she is, the girl clenches her teeth in annoyance. "Tch."

When Souji exits the inn, Akari is leaning against the wall. She has sprouted another stone arm to replace her missing appendage and both are crossed over her chest. Her head tilts towards him as he passes by and after a moment she calls out to his back. "Hey. Murasame. Got any smokes?"

Alma Hyral has posed:
The crew had started to learn over the past few weeks since her cooking lessons to become a Master Chef started, that when Alma cooks.. they'd best high tail it to the kitchen. As a crack team of Murasame Zaibatsu Janitors, Security Guards, Airship Mechanics, Black Mages taking turns in shifts...

Pretty much everyone ushers through while Raine eats.

Everything Raine ate was delicious.

"It c-could be b-better.." She idly chews on the quiche, swallowing another bite. "I-I'm still lacking i-imagination."

Raine Arland has posed:
...This girl was insane. Coud be better? This was the most DIVINE thing he had ever tasted! Utter madness! His mouth was exploding with FLAVORS it was PREPOSTROUS! But here he was! And it was happening! On this day! How could he describe this?

No! There was no way to describe this at all! It simply /was/.

Before Raine knew it, tears began to stream from his eyes. "Alma...this is....I.....how....where....I just....I.....Am I in heaven?" And after an extended stream of disjointed words, that question was all he could get out.

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji doesn't even stop walking. "No." That is all he says to the stone woman.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Later on, Minette would get the food bill for restocking the pantry. She always found a way to write it off anyhow, given that Alma was /feeding/ her.

For now, Alma would just give him a strange look, flushing a little bit from pleasure, "I-I'm glad you l-l-like it. I-I'll tell you w-what. C-Call me up any time. I c-can't always f-f-feed you here, but I can c-cook for you off the s-ship.""