☆TRACK XII: LOVE AND TRUST

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone!
What: The tour hits Europa, and Edward Blanche plans a trap.
When: May 25th - June 17th, 2055
Where: Any of the potential tour stops, but mostly MOSCOW.
Warnings: Probably violence.

“Oh, will you break my fall When I climb too high? I always lose my nerve, It happens every time.” ☆LOVE AND TRUST After the disaster that was the beginning of the World Tour, things from there have proceeded innocently enough in comparison. Virgo ended up being able to pull its act into some semblance of order before the festival finished, and so the magic on their side was not entirely lost. Things are tense, however, for anybody who has an idea of the stuff going on upstairs. Whatever is going on, Pride is in the lead by a landslide, and the desperation is present in the managers and the execs alike. Lesedi, however, couldn’t be happier. In fact, she is getting cockier by the day. Her plans with Lapis went wonderfully, and wherever the gem is now is irrelevant. Barring any major disasters, she is increasingly certain of her defeat of Virgo, and is encouraging her elite members of take potshots at them any chance they get. (This includes her beginner music mages.) The beginning of the month is spent with both labels visiting a lot of very familiar locations across Americana - most of which are places they will have visited in the past. The routes are very similar to the ones the first bands took during their opening tours last summer. As for the rescuers, now is the time to regroup. It’s not practical to follow the musicians to ever stop they make, but Shep has apparently enabled his spaceship with a cloaking device, and will be taking all the rescuers and free musicians to the major tour centers of each continental tour - the headline festivals, each lasting for days, and each carrying an important role in the ongoing ritual. That’s what Silver thinks, at least. As some of the rescuers may now know, Gold has apparently gone solo. ☆EUROPA TOUR As the Americana portion of the tour comes to a close around the 25th of May, both labels will be finishing up in Britain and heading on into the conglomerate of Europa. All of these cities are basically what they are like IRL except about 50 years more future-like, and you have full creative liberty to make up some developments to the local culture and worldbuild because this is the last time these places will ever be mentioned meaningfully! THE OFFICIAL STOPS: Paris (May 30th - 31st), Berlin (June 1st - 2nd), Madrid (June 3rd - 6th), Istanbul (June 7th - 8th), Rome (June 9th - 10th), Vienna (June 11th - 12th) THE HEADLINER: Moscow (June 12th - 17th) The festival in Moscow is much like the festival in Vista City - a musical blowout to end all blow outs. The two labels festival grounds are practically blending together at this point, almost as if fighting for physical territory along with fighting for the attention of the crowds. The thick energy of magic follows the tour like a comet’s tail. ► RESCUER PROMPT: Instead of cutting through all of the earlier stops, Shep loads all the rescuers up into the now-cloaked spaceship and will bring them to Moscow, the last step in the Europa tour path and the place they’ll be stopping the longest. Silver has been saying that the lot of them should start working on freeing captives at all costs, especially now that the labels are on the road and increasingly disorganized. Shep has gotten together a bunch of new material for disguises as well as more holo projectors - a lot of them have been spotted at this point, but if they can get close to the musicians and catch the labels off guard it could be their best hope of bunging up the rituals for both of them. Meanwhile, Gold is obviously absent from the team, and some may have seen their former leader essentially announce their intent to leave during their fight with Lapis. Silver and Shep seem to have been avoiding talking about it, but occasionally it will be referenced in public places and the conversation will turn rapidly tense. ► MUSICIAN PROMPT: Everything is more or less business as normal, except for the pressure of the tour seems to be causing all the authority figures to lose their minds, especially in Virgo. Beyond that, though, it’s all deceptively the same. Both labels stop in the various cities and put on their best show, only stopping briefly to enjoy the local culture. Everyone is under very careful watch, however, no matter where they are. No one leaves the performance areas without an escort - it’s clear that both labels are desperate to hang on to musicians at this point. The gravity of the situation is increasingly obvious. Both labels have been booked into the same hotel this time, which is essentially a castle in Moscow. It’s every bit as lavish as you would expect, and it’s easy to get distracted from the stress with the luxuries that are offered at every turn. The consistent sense of desperation that Virgo has running through it at the moment is totally absent in Pride - Lesedi seems like she’s in an absolutely fantastic mood. ► FESTIVAL PROMPT: The festivals crowds are bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. Rescuers will easily be lost in a crowd, and musicians will be followed by a detour of body guards that honestly feel needed for reasons besides imprisonment. The stages are colourful and elaborate in set up. The musical event goes on for three full days, and most of everyone’s time will be spent backstage or in their hotels. Rescuers will have to do their best to keep up. ☆BLANCHE MAKES A MOVE In the wake of Virgo falling behind, Edward Blanche has come up with a magical scheme of his own. Using the soul crystal of pure love from Greg Universe and pure duty from Meril, he has been devising a ritual - and with any luck, it take out two birds with one stone. Greg and Meril, having mostly lost their real personalities after having parts of their souls torn out and crystalized, will be set up in a central location in the hotel, after the performances on the last night in Moscow. They’ll be set up to play music, and while that music is playing it will be reaching out to all of the rescuers, whether they can hear it or not. This music is going to trigger the love and duty within their own souls, and direct it to a particular cause - a sudden and desperate need to save their friends, family, or other sympathetic souls from the labels. And the need to do it tonight. This will hit them particularly hard if they are naturally of a love or duty alignment, but it will have an effect regardless. How much it gets them exactly is up to you. Virgo’s musicians will be protected very heavily during the ritual, as Blanche is expecting the attack. His hope is to lure rescuers in and kill or capture them, having the advantage of foresight. He’s also hoping that the rescuers will go after the less protected musicians of Pride and steal them away from Lesedi, who isn’t aware that this is happening. If things go well for Blanche, both the rescuers and Pride will take a major hit, all in one go. Why not let your enemies destroy each other? Player participation in this can go two ways: one is that your character can simply go after any of the musicians you choose, and you can work out between the players and the mod how well it goes. Alternatively, you can have your character go to the heart of the matter and try to take on Greg and Meril. The tricky part? Blanche is going to be overseeing the ritual as well. However, without the focuses of Greg and Meril’s soul crystals, the ritual will fail. Also, there will absolutely be a few opportunistic ghosts looking for the opportunity to give everyone a hand. Communication with the mod is key for this event! Please run by plans to have any musicians successfully escape by me before going through with it, and also do let me know if you’d like the ghosts to help out! This can absolutely be combined with other player plots, such as the Pride break out initiative that’s been floating around. The night of the ritual is June 17th, so take some time to plan things out, and then get threading. Let me know if you need help setting any scenes! “Oh will you bring me home When I'm barely alive? It's the state of love and trust, And this is for you, And this is for us.”

Comments

Usagi Tsukino || Rescuer || Ship and Moscow || OTA

[lightthedarkness]

Ship A:

There were some new faces among all those on the ship. But there were far more missing. She had quit from "Thistle" and Mrs. Ophelia wished her the best. They had given up the apartments and Usagi donated whatever she wouldn't need (or that hadn't been a gift) to charity so that it wouldn't just collect moth holes and dust in an abandoned closet. She had everything that any musician ever gave her (that hadn't been food), and was currently in one of the rooms on the ship. But she was getting cabin fever, unable to do anything as she knew the musicians were traveling from city to city and who knew what was happening to them.

She had to get out and about, get her space cleared. She was pacing around the ship, not feeling hungry as she watched the world pass them by.

"It looks so much like home... what is going to happen to this place when we leave?" when all the musicians were gone, when Santiago and Blanche's control was wrenched out of their hands and destroyed?

She swallowed.

She asked herself that everyday.

"What is going to happen?" she wouldn't dare think about not winning, not freeing everyone. She needed to believe with her entire being they would win. She pressed her hands to the glass of the ship.

Ship B:

Haruka was gone, Michiru was gone. It seemed fitting they were back together and she prayed that they were back home. What if Santiago or Blanche had heard their incredible musical skills? She missed them though.

She missed Ami and Makoto, she missed Luna and Artemis...

She missed Mamoru.

Oh stars in heaven, how she missed Mamoru.

So it was perhaps, unsurprising to find Usagi crying with her left hand held tight to her chest over her heart. Or it would be unsurprising to those who knew her best. She had tried to find a private area to break down, but it was a small enough ship that there weren't many places to be alone.

But it would be over soon, one way or another. She just needed this moment of breakdown.

Ship C:

"If you're not going to eat the food, can I have it?" she asked as she saw her fellow rescuer poke the food in the ship's "galley" (or was it gallery? She could never remember. She'd ask Ami when she got home). She offered a smile in understanding, not everyone had an iron stomach like she did.

"Is it a lot different than you're used to?"

Moscow A:

She was getting ready for what she was sure would be the final showdown. She was doing some recognizance around the hotel, seeing what roads tended to be the least busy and when, what security she could see. Under the hologram, she was just a brunette with shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She tried to make the hologram's appearance as unnoticeable and unmemorable as possible.

Everything was going well and several of the musicians she saw heading into the hotel didn't even recognize her even as she recognized them. She didn't nod or greet them, walking ahead of them and turning the corner.

Only to run straight into someone's chest AND hear the hologram short out.

She was now standing, twin blonde-tails bright blue eyes and all in the middle of the sidewalk.

Her eyes widened and she was trying not to panic as she frantically looked for an alley to get the hologram back in place. Maybe no one saw her!

Care to rid her of that notion?

Moscow B:

It was night time and it was time to do further patrolling of the area. At least as Sailor Moon, she'd have an easier time of it, right? Usagi looked around to see anyone was around her and, reasonably assured, ducked into an alley.

She held her hand up high in the air.

'Silver Moon Crystal Power, Make up!' her light and magic wrapped around her and she could feel her power in every inch of her body. She opened her eyes and allowed her wings shift from the ones on her fuku to her actual wings so she could fly around the building. Whatever information she could get, could be used for the other rescuers and Shep and Silver.

She turned around and stopped dead in her tracks.

Ship A

[hearted]

"What will happen is that we'll save them...just like you always do," Minako whispered encouragingly. "I know it looks bleak now, but if we can unite their hearts...and if anyone can..."

She'll never not believe in her princess. Minako curled up to her side with a smile.

[lightthedarkness]

Usagi turned her gaze away from the world passing below and shivered but smiled, cold but not frightened. "I did fail pretty miserably at uniting Ivan's and Pao-Lin's, though," which was entirely her fault. She smiled, though, turning to look at the world.

"But maybe. Hopefully. I wonder... if there are people like that other group, Poison? Predator? Whoever they are, ones who don't want to go home and would rather have all that they have here. What happens to them? What can we do about the holes left behind by Santiago and Blanche? Will there be someone who tries to fill that space? Am I... Am I wrong for wanting to stay until I'm sure this place can stand on its own feet?"

[hearted]

Minako took Usagi's hand with a soft smile. "No, I...I think I agree. As much as I miss Ami and Mako and everyone...we've bonded with the people here, and I want to see to it that they'll be okay. We won't let this disaster or anything like it happen again."

[lightthedarkness]

"Do you think we'll get that choice?" she asked as she looked at Minako. "After it's all said and done, nothing would worry me more than them... than all of us being forced to forget this, each other. We have to remember, if only so we can stop it from ever happening again." She swallowed.

"And the idea of coming in, destroying... so much and just leaving, goes against everything I stand for. We've never done such a thing."

[hearted]

Minako clenched her fists. "I'll fight for that choice, and I know Rei will too. She has more of a reason than any of us...I don't know what will happen, but I know we'll fight."

Right? She leaned against the window, taking in that view of the world they'd pledged to save before returning to their own.

[lightthedarkness]

She wasn't naive enough to be as selfish as she used to be. She knew, perhaps better than anyone, that the heart had room for to love so many, to cherish everyone. She did know, she did understand, but some part of her.... the part that was still young, was scared of losing Rei at the end of it all. She knew, of course, that Rei had more memories back, and more kept coming everyday, more importantly, she had said that she wasn't going anywhere, and she believed her because Rei had never lied.

But she was still scared, on some level, one she wouldn't admit to and it would take an enemy's spell to make her confess otherwise, that she was terrified of Rei choosing to stay, or worse, choosing not to stay, but not choosing to come home because what she went through here, made a new Rei. She wouldn't admit to it, and that teeny-tiny young and selfish part of her would erase this world's claim on Rei. However, she knew she couldn't but more importantly, she wouldn't. It would make her a hypocrite, but more than that, it wasn't putting faith in Rei. It was saying that everything Rei went through as a senshi, with all of them, did not compare to everything she went through here. It said that, Rei would have all her memories and find the life of a senshi lacking in comparison.

And some little nagging voice, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Nehelenia, told her that the senshi had never been Rei's family the way that they were made to be here. Hadn't Usagi failed to befriend Ivan and Pao-Lin? Hadn't she failed in keeping Rei safe like she promised?

She had. She could admit it.

It didn't make it any easier to know that, though.

She was not enough on her own. It was good, then, that Minako could fill in the holes that she couldn't.

But it didn't lessen the fear and she knew it wouldn't until they were back in their own home. And she couldn't bring herself to say "if Rei came with them" because she wouldn't allow herself to doubt in Rei, not after everything.

She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes. They would fight, they would win, and they would deal with the fall out.

Because they were senshi, because she was Sailor Moon, because it was just the right thing to do.

"Sometimes I wish we could go to the future again, if only to know how things are going, how we're doing with that has happened. I have hope for the future, I know that we'll make it through this, because we always will when we're together." She swallowed. She was putting too much on Minako's shoulders again, she knew.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She couldn't doubt herself. She'd die before she let Blanche and Santiago get their hands on another person, before they could ever touch Rei again.

"We have to get ready for Moscow and whatever may be there. I think it will be the final act, as it were, the last song."

Ship B

[trustme]

"Oh! Ohhhh..." Usagi might not see it through her tears but Doctor came rushing up to her from across the room and just as soon as he reached her started flailing his arms, unsure whether or not she'd want him to touch her at all. Hug? No hug? Gosh he's really not the best person on the ship for this is he?

He taps her lightly on the shoulder and throws his hands back up towards his shoulders. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

[[ooc: Does he know she's Sailor Moon or is she just the Flower Shop girl who turned out to be a rescuer?]]

[lightthedarkness]

((OOC: Rei revealed all the identities of the senshi to FoB at the Warehouse so he would know who she is out the gate.))

She panicked when she suddenly heard the Doctor yelling, only to realize it wasn't in pain but in concern. She quickly wiped at her eyes and sniffled, trying very hard to prevent even more negative impressions in front for Rei's family. She already messed up with Ivan and Pao-Lin, she didn't want the rest of Rei's family to hate her... hate her more, even.

It was hard, though, trying to recover after all her crying but she was doing an admirable job. She even managed a smile.

"I-I'm fine," she whispered, "Honestly. N-Nothing to worry about, Doctor."

[trustme]

"I wouldn't say it's nothing if you're crying. Do you need anything? Should I go fetch someone?" he asks. He can think of several dozen reason someone in her position might be upset. It's not easy being in any sort of war even if it's a secret one.

[lightthedarkness]

"It.... it's just because I miss- well I guess I miss my other space ladies, I miss my loved ones we left home to protect the planet while we were gone," she wiped at her eyes.

"But it's fine, I'm fine. I'm not hurt, don't worry, I can fight," which she could only assume was his concern for her at this point since she was sure he likely didn't like her now that his "son" and youngest "daughter" didn't like her. She was just some weird rescuer who came for Rei and happened to get the rest of them, what did it matter who she missed?

Alright, so she was feeling sorry for herself but she was allowed such a thing in the safety of the ship away from the battle.

[trustme]

Ivan and Pao-Lin weren't ones to gossip. Even if they were displeased with Sailor Moon's actions before she was precious to Rei. So Doctor has no idea what Usagi thinks he might think of her. To him she is one of the senshi who worked hard to help them escape and has some sort of close bond with Rei, though just like Rei herself, he doesn't fully understand it yet. That and she is still Serena Lapin from the flower shop to him, and he wouldn't turn a cold shoulder to that nice young lady if he saw her crying.

"Homesickness." He nods his head. Understandable. He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and offers it to her. "Don't be embarrassed. You've been in Vista city for a long time now. The only reason we're not all homesick is because some of us don't remember just yet," he jokes.

[lightthedarkness]

Nothing good, honestly. She can have a hilariously low opinion of herself if allowed to wallow in her doubts, which she has been allowed when it comes to Rei. She takes the handkerchief and wiped her eyes, sniffling.

She opened her mouth to say something about it not just being that they don't remember, but that she's scared the very person she came for won't even want to go with her. Rei is so distant from her now and she? She's terrified how little she actually means to Rei because the whole reason she even came?

She let out a breath, looking away and feeling so ashamed of herself.

But she closed her mouth and swallowed, unable to tell her fears to anyone but Minako. How could she say such a thing to Rei's pseudo-father? How could she ask him to understand how selfish she was being?

If he knew what she was thinking, he wouldn't think her so worthy of sympathy. She felt horrible for what she felt, she felt horrible for always unloading her worries on Minako, she felt horrible for being unable to find a better hiding place.

"I'm so sorry," she hiccuped. "If I could, I'd fix it but... but I don't even know who wants it fixed."

C- Latest ever

[invisiballman]

"Of course."

Kuroko hands over the food without protest. Honestly he hasn't had much of an appetite lately anyway. Too many other things on his mind. He is pleased Usagi noticed him this time, but that does come easier to people who have gotten to know him.

"I don't have a problem with it. I'm just not that hungry."

[lightthedarkness]

She eats when she's nervous. Hell, she eats when she's happy, mad, and everything in-between. But she also eats when she's nervous. She takes the food and is eating, but it's slow, deliberate.

"What's wrong?" she asks softly.

[invisiballman]

He's silent for a long moment, almost long enough that it seems he doesn't intend to answer. Then the response pours out, in an even more carefully deadpan voice than usual. This isn't his natural even tone, he's very deliberately keeping any hint of emotion out of it.

"Do you remember the conversation we had at the diner? The one where we established that the most sensible course of action regarding Kise-kun and any potential emotional entanglements would be to wait until after the rescue was successful?"

[lightthedarkness]

She paused in mid-bite and realized she would need to concentrate more on this than she originally had anticipated. She put down her fork.

"Ah yes, I do. Has something happened?"

[invisiballman]

"I didn't. Wait, that is."

Yeah, he knows he should have. But the conversation just went to weird places and then they were talking about it anyway.

[lightthedarkness]

"Ah," she took another bite.

"I take it, though, that since you're not grinning from ear to ear, it didn't go well?"

Moscow B

[psyvampexperiment]

Sariel has been keeping a oddly low profile on the tour, making the appearances he's on order to make, performing in concerts and in other live appearances. But his heart has not been in much of it. He might sound more intense on some of his darker songs, as if he's taken some kind of inner turmoil and poured it into the lyrics. The rest of the time, he's avoided his bandmates and gone out for long walks late at night, always with a guard at his back, though he has tried to give them the slip, always, though, to no avail.

It's during one of these walks, he might roam into an alley way, seeing a small, slight figure. Serena..... yes, that's her, but what is she doing here? Perhaps she's trailing one of the bands, or... perhaps she's someone who knows what's going on.

That's when she transforms, changes before his very eyes, into... His angel.

"You...?" he asks, nervelessly, even stunned to the core. He wonders, for a moment, if someone drugged the water he had before the performance earlier that evening, but no... this has to be real.

[lightthedarkness]

Sailor Moon gazed calmly at Sariel and then summoned her Tiare. She tilted her head, but then merely glanced behind him and pressed her lips together. Since he watched her transform, the magic would not protect her identity. So she could only nod. Yes.

She moved towards him, hoping he was alright. She smiled, not mad at him for knowing.

[psyvampexperiment]

"You...? Serena...? You were the angel who saved me?" he says, and he might, reverently but almost nervelessly, goes down on one knee to her. His bodyguard might be coming up behind him, but Sariel manages to pull himself together long enough to hold the guard off, one shaking hand raised to them.

"You were the angel all along... Who... what... are you?" he asks, stunned, looking up at Sailor Moon, his pale face transfixed in awe. The girl he had the playfully flirtatious karaoke with, the girl he'd confided to... also has this side to her and it's all he can do to process this.

[lightthedarkness]

She blinked, it wasn't that she was unused to people kneeling, it was more that she didn't often receive it in this form, nor should she, she thought. She walked over to him and reached down, not wanting him to kneel.

"I should mention, my name is not Serena," she said, her voice soft. "I am not an angel, either," she smiled. "I am merely me. I am Sailor Moon, a guardian of my home and others. But it isn't safe for you here."

[psyvampexperiment]

If she tries to nudge him to stand, he will, though she might feel him trembling a bit, and he'll still look at her in awe, sidewise, out of the corner of his good eye.

"You certainly look like an angel, you're the sort of being who'd inspire people to think of angels, and you've protected me, the way an angel would. Maybe you aren't an actual angel, but you're my angel," he said. "You protected me from crazed fans, and you helped me protect me from myself.

"I know..." He glances to the guard behind him. "I've been made aware of what's going on, what Pride Records really is... And... I have other reasons for embracing that. There's nothing left here for me..." Especially now that Aramat hates him and Tooru distrusts him.

[lightthedarkness]

"No, I'm not an angel, please, you need not treat me as such when all I did was what was right," she shook her head. "I did help, yes, but I don't want you to kneel for it." She gave a small sigh, feeling a bit uneasy dealing with all this.

"I'm still me," she offered. "The same one you've spoken to all this time. I can't take you here, though, I don't have the means of getting you to safety should Santiago send guards after us.... I'm sorry. We will get you out of here, though."