yumemigaoka | ★ blind the masses with a grin, stir up the media

Uninvited guests already, huh? [ With a flurry of stardust, Ai-Doll draws her wand and stands perfectly poised. Almost as if she totally anticipated happening and isn't at all surprised to see them already coming under some kind of threat. But surely not. ] Or I guess if you want to get technical about it, we're the uninvited guests!

[ She laughs merrily and then strikes the heel of her foot down decisively, fixing herself in place with the steady confidence of a Sentry ready to take to battle. ]

Alright, then – Hanako-kun, you take the lead! The two of you, fall back and keep pace with me! Everybody ready?

[It takes Rhodonite a bit longer to process the incoming enemies than the others - whether she was distracted by the sparkling night sky or just hasn't developed the right threat detection skills yet is anyone's guess - but eventually her eyes sharpen as she realizes that, yes, they're under attack. She's been expecting something since they arrived in the Slumbering City in the first place, mind, so it's a matter of swinging her bass over her front with a small flourish, red sand in the body glinting dully in the starlight, pick between her fingers. Ai-Doll's orders are quick and easy to understand, and she nods sharply.]

Y-yes! Ready as I'm getting!

[Her hands are shaking just a little, again, as she repeats herself and completely misses that she's done it. On the one hand, she has new power within since the last time she did this! On the other, if there were any Mentor she'd freak out training under, it's Ai-Doll, embodiment of her ideal and legend in her own right. She's playing music for an idol and two other Dreamers. Can she handle it...? Still, she won't fall behind, at least. If she's going to screw this up, it'll be by Ai-Doll's side where she's supposed to be.]

[Ango unsheathes his Sandglass weapons - a pair of glass kunai daggers, befitting his ninja image - and takes a few steps back towards Ai-Doll. Two musicians and two guys with knives sounds like an unbalanced team, but what the hell does he know? He's never ventured past the low risk areas close to the Slumbering City.

Presumably Rhodonite isn't planning to bash Torments with her bass (although that would be cool), so she's probably got some music-based defensive powers... and Ai-Doll is a Sentry, so she's going to be focused on defense, too. Which means that a Dreamer like him, whose combat abilities are limited to light attacks and sneaking around, is probably most useful where he can mop up any Torments that manage to sneak past the two of them.]

Yeah, yeah, I'm ready.

[He cracks his knuckles and stretches his shoulders. It's Ango's first official Excursion, but it's definitely not his first fight.]

[Ai-Doll's orders come as a bit of a surprise to him-- Hanako had come along under the (rightful) assumption that he was her back-up, and that she would be taking the lead on whatever battles they found themselves in. After all, she was the most experienced Dreamer of this pack, and had MANY more years of Torment fighting under her belt than he did. It was an awful lot of responsibility to place upon the shoulders of somebody who only just graduated ranks, but... well. How could he resist the opportunity to show off, especially in front of his former Mentor and a couple of newbies?

He grins, almost bordering on a smirk, making sure the others' weapons were summoned before making any moves. Wouldn't be fair to go on the attack if they were still defenseless, after all!]

Gotcha! ☆

[And at that, he darts forward, neatly dodging around the formation they've found themselves in and keeping his eyes squarely fixed on the front-line of the meteor swarm. Once he's deemed himself close enough, he leaps into the air, taking full advantage of his Dreamer agility to launch himself right into the fray.]

Hakujodai!

[At his call, two orbs of ghostly, semi-transparent light swirl into existence, zipping to slam into the closest Torments they can home in on. Using the nearest meteor monster as a stepping stone, he slashes at the one above him, his Striker advantage helping it poof into a shimmery cloud of dust. For as speedy and strong as he is, however, Hanako's still very much a glass cannon, and he can only do so much leaping and dodging on his own before he'll wind up getting hurt. He already knew Ai-Doll had some excellent defensive capabilities, but he was hoping the other two had some abilities that could cover the spots that they'd somehow missed. It was hard to gauge a Dreamer's power just by their weapons (because a lot of times, they really weren't weapons-- Rhodonite's guitar being a key example), so there was no telling just how this fight might shape up at the moment.

Wide-range fighter Hanako was not, however, and as a few Torments hurtle past him towards the group, he shouts over his shoulder:]

Incoming on your right and left, guys!!

[ Strike.

When Ai had asked him to come along as her backup, she hadn't been lying – at least, not outright. She rarely does to Amane nowadays, not when he's gotten so good at catching her out. But artfully sidestepping the exact truth and not letting on to the full scope of her intentions... maybe it makes her a scummy adult, but she doesn't mind doing that as much.

This isn't just a test for the novices, after all. If Hanako really has graduated and if he really is saying he's ready to start taking newbies under his own wings, then Ai wants to see the fruits of his labor before she can give him her full approval. She'd told him she wouldn't be letting him out of her sight just yet, hadn't she? ]

Decadence to the left! And Rhodonite... [ Ai-Doll claps her hands together and that radiant spotlight encircles her, drawing the attention of the remaining Torments. ] It's a little unconventional, but how about duetting with me?

[The cacophony of drawn weapons - and in Hanako's case opening fire, the Torments nearest him being taken down, somewhat to her surprise - does nothing to calm Rhodonite's nerves. Still, she's in good hands - nobody in this group wants anything but the best for her and all of them, and she'll have to depend on that. Now, she just has to convince herself she can handle it. Which is also a wash when Ai-Doll offers to take Rhodonite with her. Her pick nearly drops from suddenly nerveless fingers; if her bass weren't slung over her shoulder she'd have dropped that too. Her, in the spotlight? The literal spotlight, as she feels the air shift and Torments looking in her direction, her own gaze coming up to stare at Ai-Doll just as surely? She'd been thinking about it in the abstract before! She's not ready! Can she... stand in that light? Should she?

That nausea from the other day is back in full force, but she marshals her performance anxiety and nods, not able to find her voice just now. Tentatively, carefully, she draws on her power. She wants nothing more than to disappear like a low, flat note into the endless twilight; instead, she fires off a harsh, rich chord, and adds her own power to Ai-Doll's to make sure they have the Torments' attention between them. Her face is pale, but Rhodonite is stubbornly holding her ground.]

L-l-le- [She grimaces and swallows hard. It's pretty clear to anyone looking at her that Something Is Wrong, but it's way too late to back out now, as she does her best to smile and probably just manages a pained expression.] Let's go, senpai.

The kid seems nervous - not that Ango can blame her. It's her first real fight, and she's gotta perform in front of the Dreamer Union's top idol. He might have spent the past two decades cultivating a disaffected "cool guy" persona, but Ango still remembers being a nerdy, nearsighted kid with sweaty palms at his first martial arts tournament. He'd been scared shitless, and he'd lost his first bout... but after his nerves settled, he won the second and the third, and soon he realized that he was actually kind of good at fighting. What Rhodonite needs right now is a solid, well-earned win.]

YEAAAH! Rhodonite, that rocks!

[He grins and flashes her a hand-horns sign before returning his attention to the Torments. While the defensive wall of sound knocks most of them back, a few of the quicker ones change direction to evade the counterattack.]

Not so fast, you little shits...

[Ango throws his knives into first two Torments, extinguishing them, but the next meteor crashes against his armored fist and explodes into stardust. Damn, that's satisfying. The little buggers are fast but they don't have a lot of power, so taking them out is like a musical arcade game - it's all a matter of timing.]

[Amane hadn't reflected much on Rhodonite's behavior until now-- he had chalked up her extreme nerves when they had met at the bookstore to be due to the thunderstorm (and, to be fair, he was rather freaked out too, so he couldn't blame her!!), but seeing her in battle now... it seemed like she was just an anxious person in general. But who wouldn't be, when thrust into a situation like this? If there was anything Hanako had learned in his brief year as a Dreamer, though, it was to feign confidence-- after all, how did that saying go? "Fake it until you make it"? It's how he got this far, at least, and doesn't mind bolstering Rhodonite's self-esteem along with everyone else if it helped her on her journey. (But boy, if he ever found out about this being a Final Test of sorts on Ai's end... he wasn't going to be thrilled!!)

As the chord resonates through the hoard of Torments, pushing them back, Hanako perks up, that starting note invigorating him already.]

We get our own fight music?! WAHOO!

[Energized by this new line of defense, he leaps from Torment to Torment, taking some well-aimed swipes and stabs to pick off a few from the ones drawn in by Ai-Doll's and Rhodonite's lure. Best to thin that bunch a little so things don't get too overwhelming, but considering she was in Ai's hands-- he had a feeling the ladies would be alright. With that in mind, he draws his focus to the craftier creatures, alternating between slashing the closer ones, and using his Hakujoudai to pinball them in Decadence's direction. Rhodonite wasn't the only Novice here, after all, and while Ai-Doll seemed to be better suited to train her in her abilities, Hanako could already see some ways he could help this guy out with his own.]

Hey hey, old guy! Wanna see how many we can get in a row?

[ Hanako has Decadence covered - or at least, covered enough that Ai-Doll feels confident in turning her full attention over to Rhodonite. They're both illuminated in the spotlight's vibrant glow so for once, Ai-Doll's light isn't quite so overwhelming. Of course 'not quite so overwhelming' is still 'overwhelming' and the way she beams at Rhodonite isn't helping matters at all. ]

That leaves me and you to clean up the stragglers, then. We can handle that much, right?

[ With a flurry of bright starlight, she manifests her Sandglass and strikes down an approaching Torment with it. For Torments this weak, one or two blows should be enough to take them down... it's being swarmed that's the real problem here. ]

Let's draw them in and pick them off one by one!

Who the hell are you calling an old guy, brat!? I'll kick your ass right back to elementary school!

[He isn't even 40 yet, damn it! He still has all of his hair! He really isn't that much older than Ai-Doll... although her good looks are probably helped by clean living and moisturizer, whereas Ango lives on a diet of cigarettes and conbini snacks and only exercises when he's running away from the consequences of his own actions.

Spurred on by righteous indignation and the totally mature and adult need to impress a snot-nosed middle schooler, Ango focuses on pulverizing Torments with his fists and feet. Neither he nor the brat is really a distance fighter, but between his throwing knives and the kid's Haku-whatevers, they can at least funnel the Torments into range.]

Keep'em coming! I ain't even broken a sweat yet!

[Hopefully the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Rhodonite's face captures her inner terror well enough. Sure, she can handle it, but her mind is building her up to an impossible standard. The cheering from her fellow Dreamers is helping somewhat - she's not completely frozen, and her mind's still whirring - but this is still rough on her. But... she also can't run away. Ai-Doll is trusting her. The others trust Ai-Doll and so are trusting her by extension. Running would mean they'd all just...

Rhodonite trembles for a moment, pulse pounding in her ears, as she shakes her head violently. She won't let them disappear. She'll protect them, however she can. If she has to throw herself in front of a Torment, that's what she'll do. And if she can remove the problem before it's a threat, well... that'll work best.]

R-right. Right...!

[She's still visibly shaken, and Lisa is going to regret this Dream when she wakes, never mind that she needs to thank Hanako and Decadence (or their civilian selves) for their support later. But the fire is back in her eyes, smoldering yet not extinguished, and the sand in her bass shifts and glimmers as she adjusts her grip, before slipping the strap off her shoulder and swinging the body out with a flourish, taking a Torment apparently by surprise and blasting it aside. These things are going to pay for making her look so unreliable in front of Ai-Doll and the others...!]

[Hanako merely cackles at Decadence's indignant response, looking absolutely unabashed and unbothered about the threats to his person as a shamelessly smug grin crosses his face.]

If you insiiiiist ♪ Just don't go and get a heart attack on me if it's too much on you, 'kay?

[There's only one person here who might grasp the irony of that joke of his, but honestly? Hanako's earned the right to a little black humor in that regard, okay!!

Without missing a beat, he picks up the speed of his attacks, using his orbs on a rotating basis to either knock one of the Torments within stabbing range or send them wheeling in Decadence's direction. With how weak they were, sometimes even a hit with his Hakujoudai was enough to pop them like a meteor-shaped balloons, but it best to take them out as they came instead of them overwhelming them in numbers. A loud, discordant sound echoing from below grabs his attention, however, like an instrument hitting something at full force, and he turns his head just in time for a Torment to go rocketing past him and smashing into another in an explosion of stardust. It's easy to put two and two together, with Rhodonite over there holding her bass like a baseball bat, and he lets out a low whistle of approval.]

Nice ☆! You're getting the hang of it, Roadie!

[Congrats, Rhodonite, you just got christened with a nickname!! Whether it's a good one or not is... debatable, but it can be workshopped down the line!]

[ The dissonant, resonant twang of the bass sending Torments scattering is loud enough to sour over even Ai-Doll's singing and for the first time in a long while, her composure breaks – she laughs. She can't help it! She's so utterly delighted that it takes her a second or two to reign herself back in but once she's mostly gotten herself back under control, she gives Rhodonite a thumbs up. ]

That's exactly what I wanna see!

[ A Torment swoops into the pool of light illuminating them both and, following Rhodonite's example, Ai-Doll sweeps her wand right into its gut and sends it spiralling into stardust. ]

Let's make sure Rhodonite doesn't leave us in the dust, okay? ☆

HELL YEAH! Next time, light the guitar on fire too! That would be sweet!

[The Torments are coming too fast for Ango to spare more than a glance towards Rhodonite and Ai-Doll, but that's enough for him to catch Ai-Doll slugging a Torment with a goddamned magic wand... and it's fucking awesome.]

If you two are switching to brute force, then me and the brat are gonna have to sing! Hey, brat, are you any good at karaoke?

[Unfortunately, like everything else about Ango, his musical preferences are both deeply embarrasing and 20 years out of style. But he can totally ace those 90s anime theme songs at the karaoke club!]

[So many things happen at once that Lisa almost loses herself in the chaos, and it takes a moment to let as much of the situation flow in as she can handle right now. A moment is all she has, of course, but that much is enough for her to... not entirely calm down, but at least center herself enough that she can feel right in her own skin after a deep breath. Or, at least, that she can reconnect to the fight around her without feeling quite so frazzled.

Rhodonite is conscious that the Torment she hit whizzed straight past Hanako (oops) to chain into another one and poof into glitter (yay!), that Decadence is keeping up and has time to crack jokes (huh), and that Ai-Doll is praising her and laughing happily (oh gosh oh man can't process this now). But the thing that occupies the most space in her mind is-!]

Roadie!? Seriously!? That's-

[She makes a show of puffing up about it, but. She's not mad. That much is visible from the expressions on her face, which... flicker through (lessened) frustration, determination, minor annoyance, a little bit of affection, and perhaps most importantly hope. It'll be okay. She can deal. She's not out of the woods entirely, but Rhodonite should manage, as long as nothing goes horribly wrong. To keep it that way, she flips her bass back into her hands, starting to play a low, poppy melody to keep the Torments' attention, humming along quietly enough it'll be hard for anyone but maybe Ai-Doll to hear.]

[Hanako can't help it either-- he starts laughing more in earnest at the utter chaos of it all, with Ai's whacking the stuffing out of a Torment and Lisa's journey in facial expressions once she picked up on her new nickname. Who says fighting these things couldn't be fun? He spares a glance over to Decadence at his question as he continues to fight, however, putting a finger to his cheek as he pretends to take idea into consideration.]

Oooooh? Whaddya have in mind, old guy? Some enka, maybe? I don't know if it'll mesh that well with their style, though!

[Not that Hanako's ever really been to actual karaoke before (because that requires him having friends), but he's... pretty decent at singing, actually! Blame it on Ai-Doll making him duet with her a lot during their training days (and the Hoshino twins practically throwing their mother's discography at him), but if they needed some back-up vocals in a pinch...]

Sorry, but I'm not about to let you two hijack this show. ★

[ There's only a few Torments left, but that doesn't mean she's going to let the other steal the spotlight from her and Rhodonite. Flipping her wand back around, she re-orients it to her mouth like a proper microphone and, somehow falling perfectly back into beat with Rhodonite's bass, she starts to sing. ]

More than the tough stuff in life that weighs on my mind, let me indulge in the sweetest romance of a lifetime! ♫

[ There's no point in being under the spotlight if she's not going to properly strut her stuff, right? ]

You're 40 years too early to be singing enka, brat! Come back when you've been dumped by at least three ex-wives. Besides, you heard Ai-Doll - you and me are on backup!

[Ango is a little disappointed at not having a chance to show off his karaoke skills, but everyone else should be grateful that they won't have to hear his singing voice. It's not that Ango's singing improves after a few beers (it absolutely doesn't), but he definitely sounds better after everyone else has had a few rounds too.

By now the meteor shower has thinned out to a light rain, and under the combined musical attack the remaining Torments seem stunned and disoriented - making them easy targets for Ango and Hanako. He's not usually a pop music fan, but this song has a catchy beat... maybe he'll have to try practicing it himself.]

Alright! It looks like we've almost got this place cleared out!

[.....okay, what the hell, Ai-Doll is overpowered if she can get back to full idol mode from that. That anxious feeling is still burning, but there's also a certain other warmth... Ai-Doll isn't just singing. She's singing to her music. It's one thing when Rhodonite needs to start from scratch with everyone looking at her. It's another when she's already started and the others are joining in and supporting her, and it feels good to be - somehow - playing backup, keeping her fingers moving and staying on beat. Hanako and Decadence trading barbs is also somehow reassuring now? She doesn't understand herself but she'll take it.]

Hey, every good show needs security! Don't lose focus until they're all down, and we'll be all right!

[The music is doing its job - the last batch of Torments seem to be on rather more predictable paths as they fall in, and it's easy enough to make sure nothing hits her or Ai-Doll. She's not quite brave enough to open her mouth and try to sing, but she does manage to (a bit more loudly) hum along. That, and when one of the Torments breaks containment and swings back toward them, Rhodonite jumps toward it and gives it a solid boot back out of the way, punctuating her bassline.]

You think I'll have actually three wives someday?

[HANAKO, THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID, OH MY GOD--

But jokes aside, they really were at the final push of things now, and with Ai finally busting out the vocals (a classic, at that!), Hanako felt invigorated enough to mop up the remainder of these Torments. It was easy to tell who the real stars of the show were, and as fun as it was to pretend they were going to contribute along-- he knew was nigh impossible to upstage Ai Hoshino when she wanted to strut her stuff. So he's content to fall into the role of back-up (or security-- maybe that metaphor worked better), though he can't help but add a bit of idol concert flair to things-- it was only appropriate.]

Last stretch! Uu! Haa! ♪

[And in a feat of spectacular timing, Hanako manages to slash the Torment that Rhodonite had launched out of the way, the critter exploding into so much stardust. How's that for teamwork?]

Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! ♪

[Does it count as wotagei if he's directing his Hakujoudai to slam into the monsters in time to the beat of Ai-Doll and Rhodonite's song, or--]

All aboard the STAR☆T☆RAIN! Let’s make some noise now! I know for sure there’s no way that we’re gonna stop! ♫

[ Torments shatter apart into glowing stardust – really, even if it wasn't for the starry sky spinning around them, this would be just about the loveliest stage she could ever dream up for herself. The thought comes with a little pang, knowing that even when she's singing her heart out in such a beautiful place, her two biggest fans aren't going to see it.

It's all the more reason to go even harder in real life, of course. But still. ]

So grab my hand and let's strike up the band – it's only the start so let's go! ♫

[ She punches the air in time with Hanako's strikes, bright and beaming. They've got this! ]

[In the space of a few moments, he and Hanako have been demoted from enka stars to backup singers to security guards to wotaku stans... but Ango is having way too much fun to care. Sure, Ai-Doll could probably clear this whole pocket dimension of Torments by herself, but what's the point of being an idol without fans?]

Yeah! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa! Fuwa!

[He holds his knives like glowsticks and waves them around in time to the music. There are hardly any Torments left to fight at this point - Ai-Doll and Rhodonite's song is steadily blasting them into a soft, glittering rain - so Ango can relax and enjoy having free front row seats at the most exclusive concert venue around.]

Come on, ladies, take a bow - you've earned it!

[Ai-Doll is dazzling, as always, but... the feeling of this is so overwhelming that she can't help but grin. She's not in the center, no, but she's close enough that she has no regrets whatsoever anymore. She'll be annoyed later, but she feels... a little better about herself, being able to reach this point. She's not deadweight. Indeed, things are going... well? Question mark? She keeps playing, fingers sure, Ai-Doll's song keeping her grounded; then again, with things the way they are, it looks like the show's winding down, and some of the tension leaves Rhodonite's body as the Torments thin to nothing. That frees her mind to wander a little bit, and she comes to a realization: this is the first time she's played music for other people in... a long time.]

What a rush...

[And she'd forgotten how much of a good feeling it was to play and have your effort appreciated. She's not too loud, of course - she's not one to talk over a performance if she doesn't have to! - but still, the words slip out. She directs her warm, happy expression up at Decadence, appreciative. Really she just wants to wrap all of them up in a group hug, but that's. Way outside her capacity right now.]

★ blind the masses with a grin, stir up the media

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