Utena yawns, walking out of the tavern with a cheerful little giggle. She
blinks, recognizing you, and smiles. "Hey. Long time no see." 

Sylpheel is just leaving the magic shop and lowers her arms so her cape
slides shut in front to conceil her within it. She hears the voice and
glances over, "Oh...Utena-san. Good evening." ^^

Utena comments mildly, "I didn't know you were in Darra..." Just trying to
be friendly, not really nosy. :) 

Sylpheel says, "Well I traveled up here to see Lina-san.....I heard
something happened to her shop and wanted to make sure she was handling
it....alright." ^_^

Utena looks surprised. "Something happened to the shop? I was just IN
there the other day." She peers across the street. o.O

Sylpheel says, "It just appears that the books were damaged." ^^; 

Xelloss wanders by, humming a tune. n.n

Utena blinks.. hey... (snatch) "Xel! n.n" 

Xelloss gets snatched. "Yes?" n.n; 

Utena glomps an arm n.n

Sylpheel blinks... o.o; 

Xelloss says, "Ah.. Sylpheel-chan, Utena-chan, what's new? n.n;" 

Sylpheel ehs and starts walking over to her horse that is tied to one of
the posts of the Magic shop. 

Utena coughs. She lets go of the arm and leans back against a nearby wall,
humming slightly and doing a little-kid sort of
rocking-back-and-forth-on-her-toes motion. Nervous energy. 

Xelloss ums.. feeling a bit of tension here. "Ah.. how are you two today?" 

Utena shrugs a little. "Same as ever, Xel." 

Xelloss ahs. "I see." Glances around. c.c

Sylpheel unties the horse's reins from the post and turns over to them,
"I'm fine...I was just about to head back to Matherion..." She glances up
at the night sky....pondering how long the trip might take her.....5 maybe
6 hours...  o.O

Xelloss erms. "Sylpheel-chan, isn't it a bit late for that kind of trip?" 

Or was it more like 3 or 4....she shrugs. 

Sylpheel nods, "Hai...I don't know what I was thinking..." -.-

Utena mms, and offers Sylpheel a smile. "At least you have a horse. I
thought about going, but the idea of walking for two days doesn't sound
like too much fun." 

Xelloss ohs! "That's right! You left your horse behind at the Sanctuary
when you left." Snaps his fingers. And possibly said more than he should. 

Utena eheh's and pinkens faintly. "It's not -my- horse any more." she
chides in a soft voice, looking away with her arms crossing over her
chest. "I'm back to sleeping at the roadside again." She stretches. "I
forgot how tiring it is." 

Sylpheel blinks... "Sanctuary?" She gathers the reins more and reaches out
to run her hand down the horse's nose in long slow strokes. 

Xelloss ahs.. "Utena's.. previous home," he simplifies. 

Utena nods. "It's my old place, just a few hops north of here, for
travellers and people who need help." 

Utena grins a little. "Ironically, it's the one place I could really use
and can't go any more. I wonder if Francois has any room?" She grins wryly
over to the once-priest. 

Xelloss O.o;; "Ano NA! I can find you a place to stay in the meantime." 

Utena giggles, teasing a little now. "I bet he'd love me to do another
sitting." 

Xelloss-.-; "UtennAA..." 

Sylpheel blinks... "Sanctuary?" She gathers the reins more and reaches out
to run her hand down the horse's nose in long slow strokes. 

Utena grins and wears such an innocent look you'd expect to see the halo
appearing above her head... "Okay, okay." she waves her hands placatingly. 

Sylpheel looks over to the pair and smiles still petting the horse, "I'd
offer you a place...but I think Sister Lily is a bit displeased with
me..." ^_^; 

Xelloss blinks. "Displeased? Why? Because you left?" 

Utena says, "Urd's priesthood is a little touchy like that.." Utena nods. 

Xelloss frowns. "Why, that's crazy. Utena here has met Urd a few times,
and she's not the sort to be a stickler for rules." 

Sylpheel says, "Well....not because I left...she understood why I had to
leave. It was because of the things that happened before that..." ^^; 

Xelloss ehs? 

Utena uhms, and stands up some. "You'd be surprised, Xel. She likes to
break rules, but doesn't like her priestesses doing them. It's sort of the
divine right situation.." 

Utena puts her hands in her pockets. 

Xelloss hmms. "Well.. if Sylpheel is in the outs with her landlord.. and
so is Utena.. and I don't have my home properly made yet..." he poses. "I
could invite you both and construct a HAREM!" 

Utena EYES Xelloss tightly a moment. o.- As if to say 'We'll talk about
THAT later.'

Sylpheel blinks.  o.o;; 

Xelloss beams. ^_^ "Then I could be surrounded by pretty girls all the
time!" 

Sylpheel chuckles behind a hand and shakes her hand, "It isn't that bad,
Xelloss-chan." 

Xelloss says, "Oh, it's not? Nevermind, then." 

Sylpheel says, "Sister Lily just doesn't like me taking people in without
asking her first....after...what happened last time." 

Xelloss asks, "Well, don't leave us in suspense. What happened last time?" 

Sylpheel blinks, "Oy...I took in all those girls...remember." o.o; 

Xelloss asks, "Oooh. Right. But isn't that a charitable thing?" 

Utena touches her hand to the back of her neck. "Probably she got mad
because of that thing from Shin's... that's... sort of my fault." She
looks guilty and turns away, gazing at the sky. 

Xelloss shrugs. "We weren't about to toss seventy-odd abused women on the
street, you know. Not much option." o.o

Sylpheel says, "Well yes...she understood after I explained it to
her....but she was still upset that I took it into my hands without
speaking to her first." ^^; 

Sylpheel nods, "I'm sure she would have agreed to it...I just think she
wanted to have the -choice-." ^^; 

Utena grumbles. "She knew what was going on. -.- I suppose I can talk to
her if I see her again." 

Xelloss hms. "Well, at least she's not exceptionally upset, right?" 

Sylpheel says, "I haven't seen her...." She glances down... "I'm sure she
didn't mean anything by it...and I still have yet to comfront her about
it..." ._. 

Utena snickers. "You'd know if she was really upset. There'd be smoking
craters where several of us were standing. She's -probably- forgotten
about it by now, unless you remind her...." 

Xelloss giggles. ^_^ "Too true." 

Sylpheel looks up.. "Oh I'm sure she's finding a way to let me know I
shouldn't do something without her approval again..." o.o; 

Xelloss says, "Eh, don't worry about it so much." 

Sylpheel looks down from the sky to look at Xelloss and Utena, "Eh?" 

*DING*! Ground floor, lobby, restaurant, Victor of the Duel. The Celestial
Elevator comes to a stop about 5 feet to Utena's right, and the doors
slide open to reveal Urd filing her nails and looking bored. "My ears were
burning," she explains. Curiously, no strange glances from townfolk.
Apparently only you three can see her. 

Xelloss blinkies. "There's something you don't see every day." n.n

Utena NOW slides closer to Xelloss out of instinctive nervousness, lest
Urd decide that her current state of affairs is not one that sits well
with reality.. 

Sylpheel just blinks...dropping the reins in her hand... o.o; 

Xelloss does the introductions. "Urd, Sylpheel. Sylpheel, Urd." 

Xelloss says, "...of course, you knew that already, being omniscient and
all."

Utena grins and rubs at the back of her neck while turning a cute and
nervous smile over to the goddess.

Urd eyes Xelloss. "Um, have you checked her aura lately?" She steps out of
the elevator, waving at Syl. "Hey, kiddo." She pauses. "I still like you,
despite the fact that you're temping with the Wingless on the side of your
priestess gig." She raises an e yebrow, expecting some kind of response to
this.

Sylpheel blinks, "Urd.....sama...." o.o;;; 

Xelloss erms. "They're not on staff, actually." ^_^; And checks out
Utena's aura. And/or checks her out. 

Utena's just Utena. Nice, happy, split-in-half girl. 

Sylpheel blinks again at what Urd said, "Eh?" ^^;;;; 

Urd sweatbeads. "I hate having this kind of effect on people." u.u; 

Xelloss says, "Moving right along.. what brings ya here, Urd-sama? n.n;" 

Urd ahems at Syl. "We'll talk later." She turns to Xelloss and shrugs. 
"Well, basically, Paradox did something...well...errr..." She scratches
the back of her head and n.n "He could have had better timing, is all..."

Xelloss ahs... and looks at Utena. "I know. We're letting it slide, I
believe."

Utena flinches, and shrinks into her jacket slightly. "..." She looks back
at Xel with a quiet and hard-to-read expression.

Utena nods. "... I'm not in a hurry to undo it." 

Sylpheel watches the three...fidgiting lightly... 

Urd sighs. "Well, see, if he hadn't done it while I was reinstalling
reality as we know it..." 

Urd sweatbeads and tries to smile disarmingly but it turns out wrong. n.o; 

Xelloss says, "It's staying the way it is." Firm. 

Utena nibbles on her lip and shrinks back further. "... I'm happy this
way." A hint of defensiveness.

Urd eyes Xelloss, a bit defiantly. o.- Then she turns to Utena. "You
better be. It's not getting undone." There. Bad news all delivered and
stuff. 

Xelloss actually brightens. "Good! That's a load off my mind, I tell you." 

Utena blinks. "... It's not?" She actually smiles, and looks tremendously
RELIEVED to hear it; light comes back into her eyes. "Great."

Xelloss smiles lots. ^_^ "Well, I'm glad that's settled." 

Utena exhales. "I thought you were going to smack me down, Urd-sama." She
blushes in the faintest shade of pink. "I'm glad you're not."

Urd raises an eyebrow. "This is not as relieving as you seem to think it
is," she warns.

Xelloss ohs? "And why?" 

Utena blinkblinks some. "Eto... I already know if something bad happens to
one of me we both die." 

Urd sighs, and puts a hand to her forward. "The problem *IS*, that now
you're...kind of OUTSIDE of reality. I don't know how the little bastard
did it, and frankly I don't care. But this means that...you just can't tap
your file in Yggdrasil. None of your
 divine powers are going to work. At all." 

Utena nods. "They couldn't anyway.. Dios is gone, Urd." 

Xelloss ohs! "Is that all? Righty-o. What the lady said." 

Utena says, "I mean, -really- gone. The Castle doesn't exist any more kind
of gone."

Urd shrugs. "That doesn't necessarily mean you're not divine anymore," she
says simply. "Besides, there's other problems."

Xelloss rolls his eyes. "Yeeees?" 

Sylpheel is so completely lost she turns back to the horse and resorts to
having a quite conversation with him while petting him...keeping herself
busy so she won't over hear anymore to confuse her further.

Utena swallows, and blanches. "What kind of other problems..?" she asks
weakly, looking toward the ex-Mazoku for a moment with shivering eyes. 
Then back to Urd.

Urd ahems. "First of all, it'd be a good idea for you to stay in *this*
dimension," she says with a sign. "I hacked something together on the
mainframe to keep track of you, but you're still locked out of Yggdrasil,
meaning if you wander off too far for too long you might not be able to
get *back*."

Xelloss nods.. "Again, that's a relief. I don't think she's planning to
leave..." blinks. "Does this mean ixnay on the orldway of reamsdray?"

Urd nods. "Well, yes, basically. Going for a little while is okay, but
anything longer than a half-hour or so is probably bad."

Xelloss NOW looks worried. 

Xelloss asks, "Urd.. this is not good. Any way around it?" 

Utena nods quickly. Said and done; she doesn't have the kind of strength
she used to to go merrily tripping along the light fantastic that she did. 
She links her hands behind her back, nervously. "... B... but wait a
minute, we were there a lot longer than a half-hour yesterday."

Utena says, "There's a problem, I was helping, nothing happened..." 

Urd raises an eyebrow at Xelloss. "Wait it out, basically. I'm *trying* to
hack her back into the system, but I'll grudgingly admit that Paradox is
good at what he does." She turns to Utena and shrugs. "Well, yeah. But too
many of those stays will add up eventually..."

Utena exhales slowly. 

Xelloss hrmmms. "This is bad." Considers. "I don't mean to be pushy, Urd,
but work fast. There's a bit of a war going on in the dreaming I could
really use her assist on.."

Xelloss blinks. 

Utena . o O ( Among other things. ) 

Urd sighs and shakes her head. "It wouldn't be so *bad* if..." She pauses. 
"Well, there might be *one* way..."

Xelloss says, "Ah, Sylpheel... I forgot to tell you. I have to put you on
a temporary leave of absence. Things got VERY dangerous up there." 

Utena latches on the 'one way' and nods? to the elder goddess. 

Urd sighs and rubs at her neck a second or two. "Basically, the problem is
that you're cut off from what little of your power is left over in
Yggdrasil...so when you go to the World of Dreams, your actually...well,
*THERE*, I guess is one way of putting it. Kind of like an astral triple
bypass." 

Utena mms, and .. come to think of it, that DOES explain a few things
about yesterday... "So what you're saying is that when I cross over, I'm
THERE. That's ME, not a dreaming of me."

Sylpheel stroking pauses as she hears her name...and the following
sentence...not blinking for a moment as she lets it sink in...than with a
slight frown she nods...closing her eyes and resumes petting the horse's
neck

Urd errrs, then nods a bit. "More or less." 

Utena brushes her hand over her eyes. Right. Danger therefore doubled if
penguinators actually get a hold of her.

Xelloss shrugs, to Sylpheel. "Gomen nasai.. I just don't want you getting
hurt. But you'll still be paid. It's work leave. Okay?"

Sylpheel opens her eyes and answers, "I'll just be in the way....I
understand."

Xelloss shakes his head. "It's not that you'd be in the way. It's just
that.. your training.. I mean... ne. It's too soon to get into a WAR." He
pauses. "..if you want, I can work with you here until you're ready. 
Okay?"

Utena murmurs wryly, "In essence, what you're telling me is that I can't
take any of this for granted, and that I need to watch my butt, right,
Urd?"

Urd walks over and sizes Utena up, like a cartographer. "More or less. I
think if I can bring you up to Heaven for a little while, I can patch you
in so you can tap some of your power again. Thing is, that'd be just as
dangerous and wandering off with Xelloss..."

Utena shakes her head. "I don't want that much power again, EVER, Urd." 

Utena says, "If you really want to get into that.. you should talk to
Anshi's Utena. I wanted this so I wouldn't BE the thing that Dios made me. 
That's the point." She shakes her head, looking down the road to the path
leading north. "I don't want to be a goddess, I just want to be what I
didn't get a chance to be." 

Urd blinks, but chuckles faintly and pats Utena on the shoulder. "I know
you don't. It's kind of a pity, you'd be a good Norn." She winks, then
shakes her head. "No, you're right. Dios is gone and so is the
castle...you got your wish, you're more or less a normal girl who's also a
boy."

Sylpheel looks over to Xelloss and nods. ^^

Utena nods quietly, with a hint of fire in her eyes. "That's what I want
my life to be. Whatever happens to me.. it'll happen to me as a human
being. I tried being a goddess and it almost destroyed me.. I don't -work-
as that thing... I almost became just like Dios did, trying to work
myself to death." 

Xelloss smiles. ^_^ "Keep up your reading and let me know when you finish. 
Oh..." He takes out ANOTHER one foot high stack of books from the depths
of his robe, and hands them to Sylpheel. "Extra. Offensive and defensive
dreaming. Mandatory for conflicts like this."

Urd nods. "So you'd rather be a mortal who gets involved in celestial
combat with machine-gun wielding penguins and who dates a former Mazoku. I
understand completely!" She grins, whapping Utena across the back.

Utena ERFS and stumbles and reddens, but catches her balance and nods,
beaming crimson. "Yeah. ^_^ You should probably talk to the other me
though, and see what he wants. He might want something different."

Utena says, "He can HAVE it. But I'll pass." 

Sylpheel takes the books, o.o;;; 

Urd blinks. "Errr...no." 

Xelloss ^_^ "Study hard, Sylpheel!" He looks over at Utena. "Ne.. if you
want to stay here, and not come with me to Ops tonight, it's okay."

Utena giggles. "Maybe not." She shakes her head, a shadow in her eyes. 
"... I'll risk it."

Urd blinks, then raises an eyebrow. "Err...I didn't mean I wouldn't *want*
him to do it...what I was trying to say is that it doesn't...quite...work
that way."

Utena mms to Urd and shrugs a little with her mouth. "I guess not. We're
still one, even if we're two. It wouldn't work out, huh.."

Urd nods. "More or less." 

Utena looks back to Xelloss, "Besides, what else would I do? Sit here
twiddling my thumbs in the tavern while you're out there with that.. 
thing? Forget it. Not happening." 

Sylpheel ehs, "Xelloss-san....could you hold onto these until I find a
place to stay for the night...?"

Xelloss ohs! "Certainly, Sylpheel-chan.." He takes the stack back. n.n; 
Then to Utena. "Ah.. well, you could take up a hobby... knit me a scarf?" 
n.n; 

Utena narrows her eyes. "... I told you I wasn't the stay at home type." 

Xelloss ehhehs. "Okay, ma'am." ^_^; 

Urd erks. She's heard that line before, and takes a step *back*. <.<

Utena nods emphatically. "That's better. Geez." She rolls her eyes. "You
shouldn't have said anything, Urd, now he's going to baby me. -.-"

Urd fehs. "He'll baby you ANYWAY." 

Xelloss ^_^;; "Ano na.." 

Utena says, "Even if I am made of glass, I'd rather be useful and break
instead of sitting on a shelf gathering dust. -.-" She nods. "Yeah, I
know."

Utena grins to Xelloss sweetly. n.n

Utena says, "I'll be -careful-, okay? I promise. I won't do anything
stupid."

Xelloss says, "Ooookay..." 

Xelloss fidget. 

Urd digs around in her pocket, then produces something akin to a pager and
hands it to Utena. "Here."

Utena binkbink. Lots of new toys! She looks at the object handed to her
and turns it about. "What's this?"

Urd ehehes. "Basically, that's a portable divine power generator. It
provides enough energy so that you should be able to wander into other
dimensions without fading out of reality. There is, however, a
drawback..."

Xelloss nods. And gets a spooky underlighting effect. "You must find.. THE
JADE MONKEY!" Da da DAAA!!! o/~

Urd sweatbeads. 

Sylpheel blinks and looks over to Xelloss.  ^^; 

Utena slips the device by its little clip onto the waistband of her
shorts. "... Of course. But as long as it doesn't turn me purple or make
me lose all my hair, I'll deal." She -giggles- at Xelloss.

Xelloss says, "...just being silly. n.n;" 

Sylpheel feels Xelloss's forehead for a fever.  ^^; 

Utena . o O ( He's nervous. o.O ) 

Xelloss o.o; "Ano, I'm fine.." 

Urd @mallets Xel, then sighs. "Try to keep serious for a second!" She eyes
Utena, stowing the mallet wherever it is she found it. "The drawback
is...well, err..." She pauses. "How familiar are you with the term
'magical girl'...?"

Sylpheel smiles and draws her hand back from his forehead. ^^

Xelloss x.x

Utena isn't. She tilts her head innocently. 

Sylpheel looks over at him....she blinks and asks, "Are you alright
Xelloss-san?" ^^;;

Xelloss says, "...hai... x.x" 

Sylpheel nods with a smile and folds her arms behind her back as she looks
over to Utena and Urd.  ^^

Urd scratches the back of her head. "Well, basically what you do is hold
the thing up in the air, shout..." She blinks. "Shout..." She blinks
*again*. "Dear lord, I FORGOT the henshin phrase..."

Xelloss weakly sits up. "...'norn powah, make up'?..." 

Xelloss cringes. 

Xelloss says, "I've bumped into Magical Girls before. Eeeeeehh." 

Utena boggles quietly. 'henshin phrase'...? She looks over and stares at
Xelloss, before groaning. "This is a bad thing, then? Please tell me this
isn't a bad thing."

Urd taps her foot, having various thinking poses. Most of them involve
props and backdrops (example: sitting on top of Rodin's 'Thinker' in the
Thinker pose). A clock can be heard ticking in the background.

Xelloss says, "Ah... it's not that it's BAD, it's just............ tacky." 

Sylpheel blinks and looks down to Xelloss for a moment.. "..." ^^; than
back over to Urd and Utena.

Cue the Jeapordy music... 

There's a black background, and one silver line runs through it quick
before Urd swivels her head at Xelloss. "Did I just get called tacky?"

Utena flinches again. "... tacky?" She rolls her eyes heavenward. "... 
Can't I just be like I always am and if something bad happens I'll just
deal with it?"

Sylpheel takes a step awaaaaaaaay from Xelloss.  ^^; 

Xelloss says, "I used to know a pair of humans who hunted magical girls
for a living. ^_^;"

Utena eeps and looks between goddess and Xel and acks softly and steps in
the way and smiles quickly holding her arms out.. "I'm sure he didn't mean
it like that... it wasn't YOU he was talking about Urd, honest... 
ehehe..." She looks from one to the othe r >.> <.< . o O ( Please don't
let this get ugly, please don't let this get ugly... ) 

Urd glances at Utena. "If you'd stop bloody messing with reality every
time something happens to you, then yes!" She sighs, then puts a hand to
her forehead. "Anyhow. I can't quite remember the phrase but I'm sure
something will occur to you. It's very nonspecific, so the costuming is
kind of...well, RANDOM."

Utena puts her hands on her hips, leaning forward, "I can't HELP it that
some joker marked my soul as the cosmic punching bag of the universe!"

Xelloss says, "Ah.. now now.. it's not THAT bad. o.o" 

Thunder rumbles overhead. 

Xelloss looks up. 9.9;;; 

Xelloss asks, "And let's please not get smited, okay?" 

Urd BLINKS at the thunder, then also looks up. "You've GOT to be kidding
me."

Utena says, "I didn't exactly ASK for this crap when I was born! I didn't
ask for my parents to die on me, I didn't ask for Dios to appear..."

Utena huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. 

Utena gets those little Ikuhara balloons of scribbled black lines over her
head. -.-

Urd decides not to worry about the implications of das blitzenkriegen and
instead focuses on Utena. "At any rate. You should be fine as long as you
use that the *second* you get into the world of dreams. It's a temporary
measure until I get this FIXED."

Sylpheel blinks and fidgits slightly...glancing upward.... 

Utena nods, covering her eyes with her hand. "... Okay... okay. As long as
it means I don't have to sit in the damn tavern with the knitting
needles."

Xelloss ^_^; 

Urd looks skyward. 9.9 "No. I doubt there will be knitting needles
involved." She has yet to mention the Cutesy Love Scepter of Goodness
popping up from time to time, but is fairly certain on the knitting
needles issue. Yep. She thinks. Pretty sure. Almost certain. At least a
60% probability.

Xelloss says, "...anyway.. ahem. If it's safe, then we probably should get
going." 

Urd nods. "Don't forget, alright? I'll get to work as soon as I fix the
bugs with the new install."

Utena lets out this little sigh. "Yeah." . o O ( Before I find out I have
to spend one day a week as a chicken or something... ) She manages to
scrape up a more or less functional smile and nods to Urd... "I won't
forget."

Urd smiles. "Alright then." 

Urd ahems. "Oh, and Utena..." 

Utena TWITCHES. 

Urd blushes faintly. THAT can't be a good sign. "Try not to walk over any
open air vents."

Xelloss ehs? 

Utena looks over weakly and nods. "... Okay. I won't. I promise." . o O (
Get me OUT of here... ) 

Urd n.n_v

Urd waves jauntily. "You kids have fun!" .oO( I hope to God this works... 
)

Xelloss says, "..anyway, let's get going! Ne, Sylpheel-chan, I'll drop
these books off with you again tomorrow." 

Crack of thunder. D'oh! 

Sylpheel nods slowly. 

Sylpheel waves, "Bye." ^^

Xelloss opens a blue portal, and hurries through. n.n; 

Xelloss steps into Ops.. blink. "Ah, Utena! Use the henshin thingy. We're
here."

Utena is quickly pulled through, and LOOKS at Xelloss with this pleading
expression. "Do I HAVE to...?" Fidgeting. "... I don't know what it'll DO
to me, and we were FINE last night.."

Xelloss waves a finger. "It's doctor's orders. And it.. shouldn't be... 
wholly awful." n.n;

Utena reaches under the edge of her jacket and pulls the thing off her
waist. REALLY looking at you quizzically. "... Xel... are you absolutely
insisting?" She squirms some more.

Xelloss nods. "Insisting. I don't want you fuzzing out of reality." o.o

Utena nods... softening. She shrugs and peers at the gizmo to see how it
works;.

Thought bubble with SD Urd! "Just hold it over your head and say...<pause>
well, it'll come to you, I'm sure. Gambatte ne!" n.n_v

Utena takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes and... holds the thing
over her head. Murmuring tightly, "This is so stupid..." *VAM!* An
eyepoppingly PAINFUL but mildly risque transformation follows, with a lot
of spinning and twisting and bright eyewrenching colors and really
hideously CHIRPY sound effects before... she blinks, and is standing there
with a skintight pair of black stretch leotards and a red sleeveless top
with a diamond shape cut into the shirt's center, a red collar with a cute
little gold heart to one side and .. surprisingly, the Sword of Dios in
hand. She looks down at herself and ACKS! throwing an arm over her chest. 
"WHAT THE HELL....?? -.O"

Xelloss *_*!!!! 

Xelloss exclaims, "Wow! That's MUCH better than most magical girl fuku
I've seen!!"

Utena does the 'turn and look down at self with BIG shaking eyes' thing
that all magical girls do right off their first transformation and .... 
sweatbeads. ".. I can't wear this! It's .." She generates a sweater and
pulls it over herself. -.-

Xelloss ;.;... 

Xelloss says, "That's no fun." 

Utena says, "I'm FREEZING. -.-" 

Utena says, "Give me one reason I should walk around with my cleavage
hanging out, Xel. Apart from the fact you'd like it."

Utena tugs the sweater DOWN. To about her knees. *-.-*

Xelloss says, "...um.. because..." 

Xelloss tries to think of one. 

Utena looks over reddened. "If you can think of one... then fine. But
until then, I'm wearing this." She hrmphs.

*pop* The sweater vanishes. 

Utena o.o

Xelloss blinks. "Oh, I get it. It's not part of the costume, so it can't
stay on you." ^_^

Utena >.< and crosses her arms over her chest. "... Xel!!" She glares. -.-

Xelloss ois! "It's not MY fault. Henshin spells work that way... you get a
costume and powers, but you can't modify the costume. Why do you think
Magical Girls are a pain? Most wear these cuuuute little sailor suits with
hearts and wands and sparklies. At least you got a sword and ample skin.
n.n"

Utena frumps, "I don't care what you see, but I have to have SOME goddamn
dignity! I can't be seen like THIS... this is... this is WRONG." She makes
a chair and sits in it and FROWNS.

Xelloss shrugs.. "Not much for it. Unless you want to try re-henshinning? 
Maybe you'd get something better?" 

Utena heys, that's not a bad idea.... she hms and latches onto that
hopefully. Genuinely not realizing that as magical girl outfits go, this
one's really DEMURE and UNDERSTATED." She uhms, and lifts the thing over
her head and pronounces, "Give me a REAL goddamn outfit!

*BING*

... and she's standing there in a... wedding gown? Yes, with the full
train and in spotless white with little lace ruffles and puffy armsleeves
and a little bouquet in her hand and a white rose wreath around her head
and the most UNHAPPY expression imaginable. "...." 

Xelloss pikus. "Well, that's... different." 

Utena grits her teeth. If the third time doesn't settle into something
ACCEPTABLE, there will be hell on earth.... oh yes, she promises. She
raises this device from hell over her head and mutters grimly, "Get it
right or else." *BING* More flashy effects. This settles down eventually
into a schoolgirl's red uniform with ornate white chest armor, one
shoulder plate, bracers, and high leather boots.  And a REALLY BIG sword. 
She hms. "Better. I'll live with this." What's this thing on her wrist
with the big jewel and why does she suddenly have the smell of marshmellow
in her nostrils... SOMEONE up there must REALLY be enjoying this. 

Xelloss scratches his head. o.o "Armored school uniform. Ooooookay." He
crouches down and peeks up the skirt. n.n

Xelloss @.@; and falls on his butt. "It was worth it." n.n; 

Utena idly waves the REALLY BIGASS SWORD around and grins. "I could like
this."

Xelloss sweatdrops. "That's.. large. Are you sure it's not some sort of
penis envy embodied?"

Utena grins and puts the sword away.. in the large jewel on her left
hand.. and blinks, and turns crimson. Spluttering. ".. what, jealous?" She
walks over and kisses your cheek. "Don't be."

Xelloss *^_^* and ahems. "We'd better get to Ops, seriously. I tucked the
place behind an illusion of nada, but it's still tense there." 

Xelloss opens the door to Ops... inside, most of the crew is in the room,
as opposed to out on jobs. Bugger isn't asleep; he's chain smoking
nervously. The Corinthian just sharpens his knife as usual. Acceptance and
Denial... sit, off to the side. And Any thing-chan is still a dolly,
sitting slumped against a console. Marco's Memory has even pulled up
stakes, manifesting as a bonzai tree in a pot.

Utena clears her throat. "Anyway, yeah. Ops." She looks at you worriedly. 
"Do you think that ... there's not a chance I had anything to do with that
thing showing up, right? I mean, you heard what Urd said... I mess up
reality when things go wrong.." She picks up Anything on the way in and
hugs her for reassurance.

Anything-chan doesn't move or react.. but you can feel that she's
thankful. She's scared and needed a hug.

Xelloss hms. "I'd hazard in the costume, whatever it is, you'll be okay
here. It's like a ... okay, I don't know what it's like, but I'll take Urd
at face value." 

Utena holds Anything-chan closely and sighs. "I'll live with it. Anyway. 
What are we dealing with, what's the situation now?"  Ada isn't here. 
She's still sleeping off the effects of last night. o.o

Bugger crushes out a cigarette. He taps a key... and three black spheres
are on the screen, in a triangle formation. "What we got are three
impossibilities. Oh, and see that TINY red dot in the center? That's US." 

Xelloss rubs his chin. "Perfect geometry. That's odd. Nightmares are
usually completely chaotic. For obvious reasons."

Utena walks over to what she's shown and grimaces. "MORE of them showed
up..?" She looks to Xelloss. "Do those areas MEAN anything, do the places
taken over have any significance to the landscape?"

Xelloss shakes his head. "They're just empty dreamspace. I think the
pattern is more significant... three points with Ops at the center. Icky. 
Closed in."

Utena also asks in a quieter tone, "Has anyone spoken to the Lord about
this..? If it's not chaotic.... I know She's Chaos. Who's ... whatever the
opposite of Chaos is?"

Xelloss ahs. Um. "...no, I doubt anybody has. She's.. gone quiet, lately. 
Won't talk to anybody."

Utena brushes her fingers along her neck. "Should we try..? She might know
something..." 

Utena says, "I mean... we don't have anything else to go on." 

Xelloss sighs. "I suppose it's worth a try. You and me, then?" He eyes the
narrow staircase leading up to that Employees Only door..

Utena nods. "Or.. I can go alone. She helped me once.. when Dios died.. 
I'll go by myself if you don't want to." She sees some of the indecision
and hesitation in your face, moving to answer that.

Xelloss shakes his head. "I'll go too. But you can do all the talking. 
I'll just hang back a bit." He heads up the staircase... three stories
high of stairs, narrow passageway, badly lit. It's meant to be
intimidating.

Utena nods, and leaves Anything-chan on a console, figuring she doesn't
want to come along. As she walks quickly behind you on the staircase, a
vague memory nags at her... something from quite a while ago, even if it's
unrelated. Three spheres. Ops in the center. Does that... She thinks. The
universe likes threes... three goddess Norns, three facets of Dios... 

Xelloss opens the door... and inside is not a corporate office, it's the
shores off the lake of chaos. A golden lake, of random wavelets and
shorelines, eddies swirling.. but no voice greets you. It's just the
water.

Utena moves in quietly, her booted feet making soft sounds on the sandy,
gravelly shoreline. She looks around a moment before calling softly, "... 
Lord? We don't mean to disturb you..." She calls out, stepping closer to
the golden lake... fearful and cautious but not AFRAID. "... Can I speak
to you?"

There is no response. The waters lap the shore as they always do. 

Utena doesn't like this. Not even a little. There's only this thin strip
of sand, the rest is the golden waters... "... Are you here? Is something
happening..? We came about the things in the land of dreams..." 

No voice. Nothing to reply to. Is she really there? Is she gone? Is she
hearing you, but choosing not to respond?

Utena searches over the lake, over the little area of ground; she kneels,
ready to take off her boots and WADE OUT THERE TO LOOK if she has to.

Something's wrong about the waters. It's hard to put a finger on. They're
still golden and still glow from within, and they move correctly, but... 
they're not right. Not the golden saltwater that would foam a bit in the
waves.

Utena sits down with a crunch in the gravel and yep, pulls off her boots,
now grateful she's wearing a relatively high skirt. She frowns at the
noticing of the ... wrongness... of the lake and looks back at Xelloss a
moment, then stands, and steps into the lake, just a little, the gentle
waves wash over her bare feet and around her ankles. 

Xelloss shrugs.. he's not sure. But HE never goes near the water.. he
swallows, considering stopping you, but.. figures he should just trust you
on this.

The water is warm. Not cool, as it usually is. It's not water.. not
exactly. But to the sense of touch, it's hard to say.

Utena is going in with a state of innocence; she doesn't expect anything
bad to happen to her, so she isn't afraid of it... but she is very humble,
and moves very slowly, realizing this is a powerful force's space. But she
wants to know, NEEDS to know, if something's wrong. She moves in further,
until it's midpoint between her knees and ankles, looking around again,
calling softly. "Lord...?" 

Then it hits you. How you realize it, is not entirely clear.. but it's
tears. A lake of tears.

Maybe it's the contact with her skin, or the subtle feel conveyed from the
motions of the waters.. she staggers a moment, gasping. "..." Her tears... 
tears why? Why were these tears shed? Her heart opens and hurts, aches. 
She looks around again, as there's suddenly... she's IN this lake, she
feels great, great sadness... Almost making her want to cry herself. 

Xelloss calls out to you.. although through the sadness, maybe you don't
care. The lake is inviting. To drown in tears... grieving tears, tears of
sorrow for the passing of someone very dear to her..

Tears.. grieving.. oh, oh no... oh, no. NOW she knows. She looks
helplessly up into the black, dark nothingness void above her, crying out. 
"I'm sorry... I'm *sorry!*" Tears lapping around her knees, climbing over
them, but she hasn't moved... it's just pulling her in toward the
center... and the pain spreads.... a strange, hard to confront pain... as
her long-suppressed antipathy for the Prince and what she felt he did to
her is hammered back by this IMMENSE mourning and sorrow, making her feel
guilt and
 confusion and hurt.. 

Pulled to the center.. pulled under the surface. Into the heart of the
tears. But.. here, deep down, you can tell. It's not directed at you. It's
grief. Grief for the ultimate passing of Dios, the one she had fallen in
love with. She blames no-one. What happened was nature. But the sorrow is
unbearable. The lake of chaos has become a lake of tears. Join her. Join
her in sorrow and mourning. She's lonely.. 

Xelloss runs to the shores, and calls out your name.. silently, down here. 
Looks into the water.

Utena moves to her, reaching her hands out, she can't hear Xelloss right
now with the waves of warm gold over her head... she wants to try and make
her feel better, it can't be helped, it was fate, and fate has been cruel
to both of us, Lord, we both lost something precious we can never have
again... you your love, and I lost my innocence... but we can't have them
back, we have to move forward...  please, come back out of this, please... 
come up. I'll be with you, I'll help you, but don't do this to yourse lf,
don't be like him, please... his way is WRONG and we both know that and
learned that.. 

But the Lord of Nightmares turns her back.. no. I can't cease mourning,
not yet. Leave me to my pain. It's too late. Already an old enemy makes
yet another foray at me. I can't do anything about it. I feel empty. Leave
me. I'm sorry. ...she tries to push you back to the surface.

Utena is pushed away, this is your place, but she struggles against your
will anyway, trying to, WANTING to save you... don't do this! What
enemy...? -PLEASE- don't do this to yourself! You're not empty... you have
your children, they need you, don't do this..! But even though she
struggles and cries out, she's pushed farther away...

You float to the surface, with her parting words. Not yet. I can't face
them yet. Leave me. Keep them well in my stead. Please. I can't yet. 
Mourning continues. I can't. ...and then silence. Except for Xelloss, who
wades in quickly, to fish you out.. 

Utena is face-down in the flowing tears, she wails.. .when you come to get
her her arms are still hanging stubbornly down in the water, fingers
spread, trying to reach.. but you get her, and pull her out. 

Xelloss drags you back to shore.. then sits, exhausted, and stares. 
"..what happened?! What's going on?"

Utena rolls to her side and coughs up some of the golden fluid on the
beach, her body sheened with a faint remnant tinge. Once she gets her
breath back she speaks hoarsely. "She won't come out.. she's in mourning,
for Dios. She says she feels empty.. she won't even come back for her
children, she said... she can't face them yet, that 'an old enemy makes
yet another foray." She takes a few more deep breaths, tired... brushing
her fingers over her face, looking at the sheen of the Lord's tears.

Utena says, "I tried to get her to come back, but she wouldn't listen to
me... but she's alone, and she's scared.."

And another detail... not echoing supernaturally, but your memory pushes
it up. *keep them well in my stead. please. I can't yet.*

Xelloss isn't pleased. "Mourning for Dios? What's so great about Dios? And
if we're facing an enemy, we NEED her."

Utena blinks. She repeats the last words, softly, more to herself. Trying
to understand what they mean, failing. She doesn't wholly understand... 
the temptation to go back to her is great, very great, having felt that
deep pain... Utena doesn't like being confronted with pain she can't solve
or help... it hurts her.

Her children. Keep them well, in her stead... an order? A request? To act
on her behalf?

Xelloss grumbles. "Just great. This is what happens when you get a moody
god." He sighs. "Well.. whatever this is, we're not exactly helpless. We
can face it."

Utena looks at you grimly a moment. "She -loved- Dios, Xel. If I died
tomorrow, you wouldn't want to do anything either, would you.." She .. 
staggers at the implication. But she wants to be mortal... she wants to be
human... please, Lord, don't make me be a goddess again.. .

Xelloss blinks... that.. that he did not know. "She what?" It's
staggering. "...I see. Well.. she's.. understandably upset, then. Hrm. 
Well.. as said.. we can face it. If she needs time, she needs time." Sigh.

Utena remains where she is, looking at her hand. "... I... I think she
wants me to.." speaking in a tiny voice.

Xelloss hmms? "Wants you to what?"... blinks. That's a small voice. Small
voices are troubled. 

Utena says, ".. to... to.." She shakes her head suddenly, rising to her
feet. Utena looks back over the lake. I'll watch them.. but please,
please, Lord, please don't ask me to be you. I'm not good enough. I'm not
strong enough. I'm just Utena. I'm not even a prince any more. I know that
you're hurt, and I want to help.. so I'll help you...

The voice replies, this time. What you are is human. And that is precisely
what is needed against him. Will you help? 

Xelloss doesn't seem to hear that. Thinking, to himself. 

Utena closes her eyes. Yes, I will. If only because I want to move
forward, and not be in the past. Besides, I still love this world, just as
it is.

And.. the Lord smiles. Her form appears to you.. tear-streaked face, red
eyes.. but thankful. A glowing person of golden light, a woman. "..you
will require my mantle, to achieve the goal. Do not be afraid. You will
not be a goddess again."

Xelloss doesn't see this, either. Sulky. 

Utena swallows quietly and steps toward the figure, replying in a soft
voice. "I'll do it... but Lord, understand that I'm not doing this so that
you can give up and follow Dios. I know you're hurt, I feel it so
strongly. I know what it's like to be without the one you really love." 
She looks at Xelloss, guessing he can't see this. "I won't be your excuse
to hide away from the world..." following with a nervous, "... okay?"

The Lord looks down.. saddened. "I will not follow him. I cannot follow
him. I accept your terms." She cups her hands, a small point of light
forming.. a butterfly. It flaps out to you, in a lazy pattern. She
explains. "..you alone of all humans have come closest to walking the
path. In what will be called the second Mazoku War, you held Giga Slave in
your left hand and Giga Restoration in your right hand. You have walked
through the portals of Giga's Dream.. and Giga's Gate." She looks over.. 
the Employee's Only door. Deceptively ordinary, but you can see a glowing
frame around it.. a spell nobody else could see. "I will grant you the
helm of Chaos. The Knight of the Lord of Nightmares. To confront enemies
old and new. In the spirit of humanity, and all the chaos they hold, and
all the desire for life and death they seek." The butterfly touches your
hand... and in an instant, the Lord has vanished, and so has the
butterfly. Back to reality. But.. something's different. 

Definitely.. Utena faints. A little gasp, and a whimper, and she crashes
right to the ground right in front of you... overwhelmed, she'll be fine
in a moment or two, when she recovers from the shock. Everything that the
Lord said is true.. but she tried to deny it as part of -this- self.. but
she can't. Because she's still one self, and she can't divorce herself
from what she did as Dios's servant and avatar. Yes and no and ... she
wavers a moment. But then stabilizes... 

Xelloss has you in his arms, quickly.. but carefully, for some reason, as
not to touch your back. Eyes WIDE. "Utena? UTENA!"

Utena mrrs softly, powering back up in your arms and letting out a long
breath. ".. it's okay, Xel, I'm okay... something happened... she.. she
said she's given me the helm of Chaos... that I'm her knight..." She looks
up, wondering why you're looking at her so funny; what was for her a brief
shock and moment of uncomfortable psychological 'fitting' was for you
probably a lot scarier seeing her body ripple like that...

Xelloss actually freaks out MORE, at that. "You're WHAT?! But you never
cast the spells! That's.." Looks.. behind you. "...apparently what
happened. Um. Utena? You've got wings."

Utena says, ".. w... what?" She tries to look behind herself, which is the
most natural and human reaction you could get.

Flutter. Golden butterfly's wings. More the IDEA of wings, really.. 
they're there, even with your clothes on. You could probably move them if
you tried..

Xelloss sits back a bit.. gaping. "Well, this is.. unexpected. I thought
that.. well. I thought that the prophecy about the Knight of the Lord of
Nightmares only worked for sorcerors. Because you had to cast some
specific spells, or something."

Utena... and doesn't say ANYTHING for a few moments. Feeling them in a
strange sort of way, lighter than air, but very, very real, even if
they're just.. concepts of wings, they're also there.. much like herself,
a concept given animation yet just that much of nothing at the same time..
she can encompass these things easily... and then she straightens herself
with a low breath and shakes her head. "... It's to do with balance..."
She holds out her hands. "When we fought Gaav, I had Giga's Restoration in
o ne hand and Giga Slave in the other.. I've been through both of the Giga
Gates... she said I was the closest a human's gotten."

Xelloss pauses, letting that soak in. "Ah... yes, it's true.. nobody else
has EXPERIENCED those spells like you have. Not me. Not Lina." Shakes his
head, to clear it. "..what does THIS mean, though? I don't know much about
the Knight's role, save some vague legends, and that.." Blink. "That he or
she is the leader of the wingless. Meaning.. you're technically my boss,
since I replaced Nightmare."

Utena has the grace to not laugh.. but she does giggle faintly. "Oh, no.. 
geez." She shakes her head. "... but I did beat them all in the duels.." 
She seems goodhumored about this, not resistant to her past as she was
even an hour ago. There is a balance there.. but she's still free to be
what she wants, which is what matters to her the most of all. "I don't
know either. I feel like... in a way, I'm back where I started..."

Utena grins wryly. "Instead of a rose signet, I have wings. But it's okay,
I guess. I told her I wouldn't be her excuse, I wouldn't take her place."

Xelloss is a bit puzzled. "If it's okay.. then it's okay. Although I'm
stumped. I never expected to see a Knight raised in MY lifetime, and
that's taking into account how long I live. There's never BEEN one,
they're as rare as Knights of Shaburanigdo."

Xelloss nods.. "The Knights are agents of gods. Not gods themselves. More
like angels, if you have to equate it.."

Utena nods slowly. "Or Princes." She grins. "The world will have it's way
with me after all, I guess..." She puts her arm around you. "Don't worry. 
I still feel the same way.. I'm still two mes. But I wonder if the other
me just got winged too.."

Xelloss hrms. "I doubt it. It would make sense.. but L-sama rarely kowtows
to little things like physics or truth when she wants something done." He
sighs.. and smiles. "I'll just have to make sure you sleep on your
stomach. Unless you can.. shoo them off somehow?"

Utena concentrates on them a moment, feeling them as part of herself, like
additional sinews and muscles corded to her back but so light and delicate
at the same time... tries to flex them, just once, to see if she can. "I
don't know, it's kind of neat." She grins.

They're responsive.. real and unreal, a part of your body and a trick of
light. They feel right. Just right. You could probably fly if you act on
instinct..

Xelloss nods. ^_^ "Very pretty. Of course, you probably just got dumped
into a new boatload of hazard considering those spheres out there.."

Utena is tempted, but Xel's reminder brings her 'down to earth' so to
speak.. she fixes herself on a mental image of birds that fold up their
wings when they walk and tries to make hers do the same, so as to not be
in the way...

Fwoosh. A little brush of air.. and the wings fold, and vanish. For now. 
You can still SENSE them there, waiting for when you wish to unfold them.

Xelloss is impressed. "Nice." 

Utena says, "Well, we can bet it's Order, and a very ugly kind of Order we
won't like at all." she surmises. "But... like I was thinking before we
got here.. the universe seems to like things in three. You mentioned a
Knight of Shaburanigdo, which I'm gue ssing is NOT the same as what I
am... is there another?"

Utena says, "Is there something besides Order and Chaos...?" She frowns. 
"I thought it was human beings... but this just blew that idea away."

Xelloss blinks. "Order? I've never heard of some weird metaphoric entity
called Order. But.. if L-sama is Chaos, then.. I suppose it would be a
natural enemy." He shakes his head. "Humans are chaos too. It's hard to
explain, but there is a creation myth f loating around about L-sama. In
direct contradiction with the church, of course, but I could cite sixty
cultures with creation myths as well.."

Xelloss continues. "And yes.. there are knights of all the gods in
L-sama's pantheon. Knight of the Lord, Knight of Ceipheed, Knight of
Shaburanigdo. Luna Inverse is the current Knight of Ceipheed, but there
hasn't been a Knight of Shaburanigdo in awhile.  . the Mazoku don't like a
human acting on their behalf."

Xelloss says, "The Knights are ALWAYS human." 

Xelloss pants. @.@ Lots of info, but he's done now. 

Utena nods slowly. "Maybe 'order' isn't the right word.. it just popped
into my head. It must be the wings." She grins wryly, and listens. "Why do
I feel like I was railroaded all over again?" Looking back over the lake,
she shakes her head. "... It's all right. I'll be all right." Something's
nagging at her, about the wingless,something she heard a LONG time ago in
the course of the duels, but she figures she'll remember it later. "Urd's
gonna be really pissed off at me now. n.n;" 

Xelloss ehhehs. "Well... we'll burn that bridge when we get to it." He
scratches his head. "This is way too much for me. I think I'm heading
home.. you coming? If nothing's changed at Ops, I think it'd be safe to
get some rest."

Utena nods. "Let's. I think I need to lay down.." She hugs her arms around
your waist, grinning. "You really DO get me in trouble... you know that?"

Xelloss ^_^; "Well, if it helps.. it wasn't intentional."