[AQ] Coming Together [DaLong/Miuna/X-Mod]

[DaLong]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
+ Description: Sasaki-san is always saying that you have no limits; working to your fullest capacity will always bring you victory--and that you can embrace those around you. Before heading off to take on a group of X-eggs found in the alley behind the Faberge building, she gives you an odd item. (+1 Arnold Key)

Upon entering the Faberge building one would find a young man sitting alone by the windows. What was he doing there? Da-Long looked down at the key he held in his hand. Every now and then he would twirl it watching the light reflect off the tiny mirror. How was he expected to handle this situation on his own? Taking his eyes off the twirling key, Da-Long looked over at Hitoshi. The little guardian was sitting in front of Da-Long quietly looking out the window. He couldn't help but smile seeing him like that. He was normally like that but, for some reason it was relaxing. Da-Long's head leaned against the cool glass as he thought back to what he was told.

Earlier that afternoon, while Da-Long was giving himself a tour of the building, he bumped in to Sasaki Hana. It seemed like she had something to tell him so he followed her into her office. It was there that he was told about a group of X-eggs behind the building and his assistance was needed. He was then given the Arnold Key to help him with the threat. Everything she said after that was a blur to him. He wandered out of the office afterward and found himself where he is now. Sitting alone on the first floor.

With a stretch of limbs Da-Long stood up. Now how was he going to do this? He had only just discovered that he could transform and he's only encountered an X-egg once. How was he supposed to go about this? Just waltz up to the group and the transformation suddenly kicks in? Does he have to dance around? Say something? Hitoshi watched Da-Long. As he struggled on the inside it looked like he was struggling on the outside as well. It was like watching a mime, telling a story with no words but plenty grunts and sighs. It was surprising to know that Da-Long had no idea he was doing it.

[Miuna]

Miuna was always one to push herself as far as she could. She wasn't necessarily a thrill seeker, per say, but she did love the adrenaline rush that came with it. It was like standing up after a good match only to notice small bits of improvement. It was satisfying, and Miuna was more than happy to learn that Sasaki-san felt the same way. Ever since she'd started she'd felt at place with Faberge. Perhaps it was the similar feeling of profesionalism that her mother had, or maybe just having a place to call home, but not once did Miuna ever regret her decision.

Now she stood outside her mentor's office though, looking down at the key in her hand. An 'Arnold Key' - that was what it had been called. Miuna didn't completely understand the explanation that was given to her. Apparently it was supposed to be used to transform even more than before, but what did that mean? She was already able to transform with Lapis, so what else could she possibly want? Sighing she stashed the key in her pocket, making her way to the elevator.

Once she reached the lobby she pulled out her phone, checking the location of the x-eggs. They weren't too far, only a block away from here. If she ran she could.... wait a second, was that Da-long? Miuna squinted at the familiar form of the boy, remembering after some time that he was also a Faberge member. Brightening up, she walked over to him.

"Senpai!" she said happily, folding her arms behind her back as she looked at the two. His guardian was just as cool as the others, but she wondered whether he'd unlocked his transformation yet. "What are you doing here? After class activities or something?"

[DaLong]

Da-Long froze. He knew that voice and that only made this a bit more embarrassing than it already was. He didn't know that he often did this, so it was probably nothing new. He straightened himself up in a flash and turned to greet his buddy. "Uh-- hey, MiuMiu" he said with an awkward laugh. Wait one second. Had he called her that before? Was it alright to call her that? Quick, answer the other question.

Clearing his throat to cover up his building embarrassment, Da-Long answered "Uh I was just checking the place out today. I wanted to know where things were and everything". Hitoshi sighed to himself as he watched Da-Long. How long could he last? "Oh," Da-Long said suddenly remembering what he was thinking about "I actually just got something from Sasaki-- hold on" Now where did he put that key? Fumbling around through his pockets Da-Long took a while to realize he was still holding it. "O-oh. Well yea, this key. She told me about these X-eggs around here and I have no idea how to use this thing. Is there a lock somewhere to use it on or something?" he questioned Miuna as he twirled the key once more. His reasons for asking Miuna was he believed she had a bit more knowledge on the subject of eggs and stuff than he did. Why not ask an expert, right? He thought.

[Miuna]

Miuna had to take a step back when she heard the nickname, a hand on her chest. Miumiu. That was the first time anyone had ever called her such a nickname and she couldn't help but waver at the sound of it. Did that mean they were.... friends now?!?! Perhaps they had finally moved on from the professional behavior of senpai and kouhai and were truly friends! Bless this day, whatever was to come of it! She would cherish it forever as the day she became friends with her upperclassman.

Bedazzled by the thought of camaraderie, she was pulled from her daze by the sight of the strange key. "Oh hey, I have one too!" she said, showing him her own. "I thought it might be used to open up maybe one of the leda locks or something, but we don't really need those anymore.... maybe there's a different lock? I mean, if the leda lock exists then there must be others like them." She pondered the very thought of a stronger lock when she realized what the other had said. "Right! The X-eggs! Senpai, please help me defeat them, I'm not...er... confident in myself... not really, at least."

[DaLong]

Noticing how Miuna stepped back after hearing the nickname, Da-Long felt he had overstepped a line. Maybe they weren't as close as he thought. That passing thought alone was enough for any smile he had to disappear. Maybe he's just thinking too much into it, but he can't help it. He actually calls her MiuMiu a lot, especially when talking to Hitoshi. It was a bit embarrassing when Hitoshi first caught him calling her that. After then, he's waited for the perfect time to ask if he could call her by a nickname. Looks like that time just passed by.

While off in his own brain he failed to listen to what Miuna was saying in the beginning. "Wait what?" he questioned. Did he hear that right? Was she asking him for help? Da-Long looked around quickly to see if she was perhaps talking to someone else. It was just him and Hitoshi there. He gave an awkward laugh as he replied "Well, actually I was hoping you could help me. I've only just learned about transforming ... does it hurt? I mean it shouldn't right? How much of us changes anyway? What if we're interrupted and we end up naked or something? That happens in anime right? Those shoujo ones". Da-Long stopped talking after Hitoshi tugged at his hair. He didn't notice he was asking so many questions "Oh- sorry". His smile had come back sometime during his question barrage.

[Miuna]

Miuna was surprised by his questions as she realized she had never really thought much about it. When she learned she could transform into a super strong form she had just gone with it, believing it to be the natural progression of these things. Her character change had already been bad enough and she couldn't imagine things getting worse. She had found out she was okay with her transformation though and embraced it the best she could.

"Transforming is great!" she said, happy to explain it to him. She wasn't sure how much sense she'd make, but she could at least give it a shot, "It's a lot like powering up in a video game or something. It kind of washes over you and suddenly you're like a different person. Your appearance stays mostly the same, but your clothes might change and your hair and stuff. Mine gets kind of long, and then I get really cool armor! Actually..." She took a moment to pull out her phone, showing him a picture of herself transformed. She asked one of the others to record her fighting so she could watch herself in action. "See! Still me, just... better I guess."

[DaLong]

So that was it huh? Da-Long nodded as he listened to Miuna. Once the picture was brought out he couldn't help but stare at it for a bit longer than he should have. Of course he hoped it wasn't noticeable. He cleared his throat as he turned to look out of the window behind him "So, basically we're gonna go Sailor Moon on these eggs here". He couldn't help but imagine a super sparkly transformation sequence happening, with really peppy music playing. He just hoped he didn't wind up naked.

As he wondered what he would look like he, noticed that Miuna had taken on traits of her guardian. Looking over to Hitoshi, it dawned on him "WOO! I'm going to be a ninja aren't I? Looking at what you showed me and looking at this guy here," he pointed to Hitoshi "I am so going to be a cool ninja-- wait you are a ninja right?" he suddenly questioned Hitoshi. Hitoshi simply sighed, he was getting tired of Da-Long and his emotions. He gave Da-Long a warning glare as if to say 'if you get any more excited I'm going to take over'. Da-Long shut his mouth and turned away from Hitoshi slowly "Uh we should get going right?" he asked while trying to avoid the little guardians gaze.

[Miuna]

"You're going to be a super awesome ninja!" Miuna agreed, throwing her hands up in the air in excitement. She was always hyped when it came to others transforming. For a while there she had been the only one, and then Takeo-senpai and Jojo-chan had joined her. Neither of them were Faberge though which left her alone in this big building. It didn't matter now though, Da-long-senpai was with her and that could only mean this afternoon would turn out great.

"Oh right! Yeah, let's get going," she slipped her phone into her back pocket and made her way to the door, not at all waiting for the other to catch up. She was excited to have a chance to show off her skills in front of her wonderful senpai. Using her heightened Egg-sense, she led the two of them to a broken alleyway not too far off from the Faberge building. There was a dark presence here and she quickly changed into her transformation, not taking any chances as she felt the wave of x-eggs approach.

Juon Keiko

[Juon]

The darkness radiated from the alleyway just a building or two over from behind Faberge's glistening black tower, seeping out through the cracks of the crates and boxes and dumpsters and trash cans that barred the path ahead. There was a chain link fence just ahead of them, and an eerie energy that was certainly coming from behind it--Egg sense or not, it was easy to tell, even just from looking. A thick, dark purple mass was clouding out like wisps of smoke from behind a pile of boxes, easy for the eye to catch, even if you weren't looking.

Upon approaching, even peering from an angle through the fence, one could spot an actual nest of X-eggs, which seemed to have taken over the home of an animal, now huddled together in still silence.

There were six of them, total; six eggs, sitting together without making any kind of move or sound. But from the energy radiating from them, it was more than clear that they weren't in any kind of dormant state. More as if, it seemed from the look of them, they were simply waiting for something--or someone--to come by.

It seemed that they were going to be getting their wish.

[DaLong]

Off in his own little world, Da-Long didn't notice Miuna leaving him behind. He snapped out of his thoughts quickly and dashed after her. Just as he was about to call out to her, he was blinded. The light lasted for a short time so it wasn't much of a bother at all. Rubbing his eyes Da-Long glanced over at Miuna. Oh! She now looked much like the picture he was just shown not too long ago. It was a quick transformation then.

Standing behind Miuna he looked over her towards the fence. "Okay, I know that those X-eggs are most likely there, but that purple smoke stuff looks cool ... just saying". Realizing that now probably wasn't the best time to to be saying stuff like that, Da-Long glanced back at Hitoshi then to Miuna. Yeah, he should get ready. Now. Transforming looked pretty easy, so without a second thought he took a deep breath and let the light shine. As he thought, it was a pretty quick transformation. Unlike those you see in anime with the swirling colors and shapes. He wanted to actually take some time to look over himself but he knew that he couldn't do that now. Instead he made sure to remind himself to see what he looks like later.

[Miuna]

Miuna threw Da-Long a look before rolling her eyes and carefully sliding over to the X-eggs. She knew she wouldn't be able to get too close without setting them off but she had to survey the scene somehow. From the looks of it there were 6 of them, all carefully huddled together in some strange imitation of a bird's nest. The sight alone made her wary, but the way the purple clouds were oozing from the tiny seeds of despair was making her dizzy. She had to step back for a moment, still waiting to draw her spear before making a move. There were.... 6 in total, she guessed from where she stood. Healing multiple X-eggs was never a problem for her before, but she did wonder how many she could manage before growing tired.

In this proximity, three would be her limit most likely. She clutched the Arnold Key to her chest, debating using it. It might come in handy later though at the school, a thought that had her pocketing it once again. There was always another time and another place.

"Alright, I can get maybe two or three of them at most," she said once she had regrouped wtih Da-Long. His transformation was interesting to say the least, one she'd definitely like to see in action. So far she'd seen knights and princesses and princes, but no ninjas. "When they attack, I'll try my best to keep them in the area. See if you can wear them down at all with your attacks and then we can try to cure them together! Does that work for you?"

It was a risky plan, but really what else did they have?

[Juon]

"Are you... going to notice us now?"

The high-pitched voice echoed in multiple pitches from one of the eggs, bouncing off of the opposing walls of the alleyway and traveling down it like a tunnel of sound. The eggs all seemed to float from their acquired nest, peeking around to stare out at the two Character Transformed individuals.

"Won't you see what we did?"

They started floating out, but stayed behind the fence, spreading into a formation that felt familiar to them. One was at the lead, three were huddled behind it, and two stayed above.

"We just want you to be proud..."

The two above seemed to be charging some kind of energy; they were the ones oozing the energy, but it seemed that it was switching from an ooze to a flare, swirling upward and beginning to simmer and grow. The supposed leader of the eggs then dipped below, and the three that were behind it shot out in a sudden motion, twirling about each other like a rotary fan as they summoned a beam of that dark energy, spinning it out toward the two individuals in a large, three-pronged blast, rotating violently through the alleyway as it burst through the fence as if it wasn't even there.

[DaLong]

Da-Long would have agreed to that plan had he not already left Miuna's side. As soon as he realized how light he felt, Da-Long was out. All it took was a few small bounces while Miuna was talking before he really wanted to soar. Bounding between the buildings, getting higher and higher, Da-Long nearly forgot about the x-eggs. This first transformation had him really overexcited. It was so amazing to feel all this power and energy.

His mind was brought back to the fight when a sudden blast shot underneath him. “Woah!” he exclaimed watching the fence tear up as if it were paper. Da-Long stopped on a nearby windowsill; his head jerking back suddenly. It was then he noticed the mass of hair he now had. After fixing himself quickly he looked down at Miuna, hoping she would be alright, then towards the x-eggs. He knew he had to attack but as he searched his back, throwing hair out of his way, he couldn't find a sword or any kind of weapon. “What do I attack with!?” he yelled down at Miuna.

[Miuna]

Miuna knew if she jumped the beam would follow her, bringing it up to target both of them. Instead she stayed put, sticking her spear in the ground and raising her shield. It managed to block most of the attack and she took it down the moment she was safe. The fence behind her was ruined but she'd gotten away with at most a few bruises. She was used to this by now though, used to taking the brunt of it all. SHe could take it but her upperclassman looked like paper in the breeze. Unless he had a defense move hidden away somewhere he'd be powerless to stop them.

"Anything, everything!" She yelled back, jumping up to try and avoid another blast. She charged at them with her own weapon, sending a flurry of attacks in the formation's direction before using it to launch herself over them. "See if you can summon something to hit them with!" She landed on the other side, bringing up her shield again to prepare for the next attack. As long as she could wear them down she could cure at least one of them. She'd done this before and she could do it again.

[Juon]

One of the two lights had blocked, taken the brunt, and the other was scaling high. What was it doing? Why wasn't it noticing them? What had they done wrong to deserve that?

Useless.

The word didn't ring out verbally, but a pulse through the air carried that feeling with it. The two flaring eggs that had been staying stationary at the back seemed to turn their attention to the quiet feet above as they rose like feathers; their flares seemed to surge with further fury, and they launched upward from their previous place in the formation, seeming to be looking with intention to charge toward him head-on, using the sheer force of the negative aura radiating from them as their attack.

The three that had remained, as well as the leader, kept stationary, however.

The leader rang out for the group,

"We'll make you notice us!"

The others then joined in.

"We'll make you hurt!"

"Feel our pain!

"We'll make you notice!"

The three then seemed to be preparing another attack, though instead of a singular beam, they all got back-to-back and released a pulse of x-energy reaching out in all directions, a dark wave expanding through the alleyway.