Lily Strips For No Reason Burst S3

[18:19] * Oxford changes topic to 'GRODSNILLE-DAN-BUR - Distance: 8.1 kilometres'
[18:22] <@Oxford> The peeling green roadsign is already disappearing into the dust behind the sleek new police cruiser as Naida continues her drive south over the wides stretches of Cimbrian farm country.
[18:24] <Naida> Naida stares at the road as she drives, having to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from drifting off. I Spy stopped being fun a long time ago. Well, it was never fun. It's just an awful game. Who the hell invented it? Maybe when you drive long enough you begin to hallucinate. This would be really pretty if they weren't driving to their deaths. Her head snaps upright as she realizes she was daydreaming and drifting, jerking
[18:24] <Naida>  the car back to its correct position.
[18:27] <Cille_Lund> Cille has taken to reading during the trip...and that's why she brought a large book! She still looks up from it occasionally though, a bit more the later it gets into the road trip.
[18:27] <Henriette> "Naida, ma belle," Henriette says, concerned. "Shall I take over? You should not be tired going into a battle, you know." She's been rather quiet the whole trip, choosing not to actually engage in I Spy but rather to diagram out in a messy script the war effort as best she knows it. Her face is scrunched up in worry. It doesn't look good.
[18:30] <Naida> Opening her mouth to tell Henri not to worry, Naida ends up having to jerk the car back on track once again. "I...that...would probably be best..." She carefully slows the car to a stop and hops out for the least interesting Qing fire drill ever performed.
[18:32] <Henriette> With Henriette in the driver's seat, the car resumes a steady trek towards their destination. The map of the warfront is in the glove compartment, likely forgotten for the remainder of the drive at least. Henri's brows are wrinkled in worry as the car rumbles down the road. She's got more than the drive on her mind.
[18:32] <Lily_Blevins> Lily's watching the wonderful scenery go about~
[18:32] <@Oxford> Across the next low roll of hills, the road ahead is blocked by a pair of red-striped sawhorses and a tangle of barbed wire. A few Cimbrian soldiers stand nearby, clutching their rifles and pacing by the barricade.
[18:34] * Henriette slows as she approaches until they motion for her to stop.
[18:37] <@Oxford> "Halt," one calls, jogging over to the window as the car slows. "Grodsnille-dan-Bur is now closed to civilians. I need to ask you to turn your car around and go back the other way." He blushes just a little.
[18:40] <Henriette> "Lieutenant Henriette LeClair," she replies with a stern, no nonsense look. If looks could drill holes, she could start a carpentry business. "We are here under orders to assist in the defense of the Vaulme Line."
[18:41] <Cille_Lund> ...No matter how you look at it, they do look like civilians. Still kind of sad, but what can they do?
[18:41] <Naida> Naida mumbles something about turning the radio down as she turns over in her seat, having fallen asleep nearly immediately upon relinquishing the wheel.
[18:43] <Lily_Blevins> Lily leans in to see the soldiers, giving them a wave.  "Hi!  Lieutenant Lily Blevins here!"
[18:46] <@Oxford> He looks confusedly at the car full of secondary-school girls, looking like nothing so much as a choir club out for a joyride in their father's police cruiser. "I'll need some ID..." he says uncertainly.
[18:47] <Henriette> "Officer, what is your name?" she asks rather unpleasantly.
[18:54] <@Oxford> The young man frowns at her. That attitude is a deal-breaker for him. "Ma'am, turn this car around and leave immediately. This area is reserved for military operations."
[19:00] <Henriette> She glares at him. "If I wanted to be talked to as if I were some nouvelle recrue, I would not be here speaking with a guard such as yourself. You are most assuredly doing fine work here, soldier, mais the Glasholme Flight was ordered to the Vaulme Line by Chester Vaughn, et I would not want to be you if we were prevented from aiding in the war effort." She reaches down and tugs gently on her scarf, letting her angelic appearance
[19:00] <Henriette> shine through for just a moment. "I serve Cimbria in my capacity, soldier. Serve her in yours."
[19:03] <Naida> The sleeping girl groans again as she changes positions. Why is it so bright now.
[19:04] <@Oxford> The man inhales sharply, and takes an involuntary step backwards. "I.. er, please be on your way," he says quickly, averting his eyes. He covers by turning to the other guards and hurriedly waving the barricade to be removed. They look at him in confusion, but obey, and the road is soon cleared.
[19:05] <Henriette> "Thank you, soldier. Perhaps we will have more time for pleasantries if you are here when we return."
[19:06] <Henriette> She continues her drive through the now open gate, eyes intent on the road.
[19:08] <@Oxford> In no time, the picket is behind them, lost among the scenery. Over the next hill, the town of Grodsnille appears, split by a winding snake of a river that flows gently westward over the farmland.
[19:12] <Cille_Lund> Magic, solving problems! That works, sure. ...The roadtrip, finally almost over!
[19:17] <Lily_Blevins> Lily resumes watching the lovely scenery~
[19:20] <@Oxford> A much larger, sturdier barricade is erected between the first pair of buildings of the city proper. This is no civilian picket, but dense row of anti-tank blocks, barbed wire, and emplaced guns. Soldiers swarm everywhere.
[19:22] * Henriette continues her drive to the barricade. At the line, she looks for a soldier who seems to know what's going on. The one that approaches them will do.
[19:27] <@Oxford> This man is clearly of higher rank than the lowly private who stopped them earlier. "Ladies," he says as the car comes to a halt. He glances from one girl's fae to another. "Are you the 'support' I've been told to expect?"
[19:28] <Lily_Blevins> Lily gives a nod.  "Yessir!  Lieutenant Lily Blevins, here for support!"
[19:30] <Henriette> "Indeed. Lieutenant Henriette LeClair. Where is the commander? We would like to be briefed on the current situation as soon as possible."
[19:31] <@Oxford> "Excellent!" he says, nodding sharply. The officer casts a furtive glance behind him, at the other soldiers. "I've been given instructions for you. I'll have to have you drive back behind that building over there before you transform, for security reasons."
[19:32] <Henriette> "Understood," Henriette replies. She smiles amicably at the man, trying be a little more pleasant than she was with the previous guard.
[19:33] <Lily_Blevins> Nodnod.  "Makes sense, doesn't it?  We'll hop right on it!"
[19:33] <@Oxford> "Good. Now, your mission."
[19:35] <@Oxford> "The Bur river forms the boundary of our second defensive line. With the Vaulme Line falling, we have army units streaming back toward us with the Raadis in hot pursuit."
[19:41] <Cille_Lund> ...Ah, right, this is when she should be paying attention. Time to put the book away!
[19:41] <@Oxford> "You five-" he begins, and corrects himself with a frown, "you four are to take up a patrol above the city and prevent any Novgoraadi forces from attacking us while we conduct the retreat."
[19:42] <Naida> Naida blearily drifts back to consciousness, quickly realizing where they are and pretends like she's been listening all along.
[19:43] <Lily_Blevins> "Oh, so we're basically covering your backs!  Got it, got it!  I assume you'll give the order for us to retreat when you're all good and out, yes?"
[19:46] <@Oxford> "Or when we've determined all other units are lost, yes," he says, sounding uncertain. "On the subject, I have to advise you against responding to any calls for aid from beyond our lines. We have strict orders to remain in this area to preserve the integrity of the Bur Line."
[19:50] * Henriette ([email protected]) Quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[19:50] * Henriette ([email protected]) has joined #WorldWarBurst
[19:51] <Lily_Blevins> "Got it, got it..."
[19:53] <Cille_Lund> Cille doesn't expect to follow that order, and naturally doesn't mention that!
[19:56] <Henriette> "Yes, so are we to assume position at once? We have driven some time, and I think at least one of us could use a break." She looks prepared to drive, but she's wondering where they'll all sleep that night.
[19:58] <@Oxford> The officer frowns. "General Holst's Headquarters was overrun about an hour ago. We think the enemy Pendant Users were with the unit that attacked the HQ, but we have no way to be sure." He shakes his head. "On that timetable, forces from there could be arriving at any time now."
[19:59] <Henriette> Henriette glances to her right. "Naida, how do you feel?"
[20:01] <Lily_Blevins> "General Holst?  That might be where Rosalyne went to, hope she's all right..."
[20:03] <Naida> A hoarse gurgling arises as she replies to Naida, leading to a lovely ruckus of throat clearing. "Like I just drove forever and then didn't sleep for long. I'll manage."
[20:04] <@Oxford> The mention of Rosalyne's last name reminds Henriette of the last time she saw the Cimbrian girl. If Rosalyne was at the Headquarters when it was overrun...
[20:10] <Henriette> Sighing, Henriette nods to the officer. "We will be on standby. Thank you for the information." And she drives off towards the back alley to park for their security.
[20:17] <@Oxford> He nods. "We don't expect many survivors, but I feel better knowing you'll be here to cover us. One flight of Pendant Users is worth a squadron of fighters." As she drives the car away, he returns to his unit, anxiously asking for reports from the front.
[20:24] <Lily_Blevins> Lily hops out of the car pretty eagerly  after it's parked, and then looks both ways to make sure there's none of the soldiers watching.
[20:25] <Naida> Naida sighs. "That's gotta suck...spending all your time out year surrounded by death and horror, only to be an ant before a teenage girl..." She stumbles out of the car, leg partially asleep.
[20:27] <Henriette> The keys find their way into Henriette's dress shirt pocket. She smooths her skirt and begins to reach into the glovebox for the pendants. "I believe our goal should be ensuring the safety of the men we're supporting. Saving them seems more important than playing aggressive, right?"
[20:27] <Henriette> New approach for leading. Ask the troops what they think.
[20:27] <Lily_Blevins> "Sounds right, doesn't it?"
[20:28] <@Oxford> Naida's leg tingles as it hits the ground harder than she intended. The coast is clear, and the flat brick walls of the factory block them from view of the barricade.
[20:28] <Lily_Blevins> Lily strips down and focuses.
[20:29] <Cille_Lund> "There's something wrong with giving us the kind of power that dwarfs them in the first place...but I suppose I can't complain. Saving the men sounds right, though!" She steps out herself, ready for being MAGICAL.
[20:29] <Lily_Blevins> And then sighs, putting her dress back on and grabbing a pendant.  "Worth a shot."
[20:31] <Cille_Lund> ...Ready for random stripping, not quite as much. ...But, there it is. Cille is perfectly fine with using her crutch, for the time being!
[20:31] <Lily_Blevins> She turns into her standard magical form, druidic outfit and all.  "Come on everybody change now~!"
[20:32] <Naida> "Sure they'd let a man do it if they could, and I'd be more than willing to let them." She casually picks up her pendant, mold sprouting from the pores of her skin like a decomposing corpse as it hardens into a carapace of sorts. The tentacles around her waist grasp around to get a feel for the area before settling down.
[20:36] <Henriette> It's harder to disguise Henriette's transformation than the others. A blinding light covers her body, flowing into her brown hair and over her pale skin. It's as if she stepped into a mirror and another girl stepped out. It's almost as if she were a different girl entirely. "We will do as we have been ordered. That is how we have always done."
[20:37] <Naida> Resisting the urge to say something snarky, Naida nods. "Yes, ma'am."
[20:37] <Cille_Lund> Cille grabs her pendant, maintains a safe distance from Naida, and does a pretty standard TRANSFORMATION! ...It must have been particularly flashy (or had it rained recently, and she hadn't noticed?), because she can totally see a rainbow...a rainbow that's pretty close. ...Huh. And she turns around, and...rainbow. Rainbows everywhere near her.
[20:40] <Naida> "...did you just learn a new trick? Because it's not very intimidating." Snarkgasm.
[20:41] <Cille_Lund> ...It's a strange sight, but considering what Lily went through when getting the ride for the roadtrip, she might be going crazy. ...But there's Naida, commenting! "Er, well...it's new, for sure!"
[20:41] <Lily_Blevins> "To the air, then!"  She jumps up, flowers sprouting from where she was standing, and ascends up over the town, scanning ahead to see what all is there.
[20:43] <Cille_Lund> ...No reason to stop, though! Maybe if people watch her fly out, she'll raise morale a bit more. Just gonna ROLL WITH IT. "Right!" She follows Lily up, trailing a faint rainbow as she goes.
[20:44] <Naida> Trying her best to hide in plain sight, the squidgirl rises with no flourish. She's well enough aware of how terrifying she is.
[20:45] * Henriette waits for Naida to leave before she unfurls her glassy wings, glowing brilliance shining out around the troops. It's beautiful... and terrifying. She glances down to see if the troops are watching them closely. Best to offer them morale while they can.
[20:57] <@Oxford> In the camp below, faint shouts of panic spread like a virus, each person infecting those within earshot. As half the camp stares dumbly at the glorious beings ascending into the sky, anti-aircraft guns swivel toward the threat with desperate urgency.
[21:04] <@Oxford> They're stopped by a shout from the officer: "Hold! They're ours!" One shocked moment of silence later, the encampment erupts into cheers for the four angels, sent to free them from their doom. Hats and helmets are thrown upward, and a small knot of soldiers by a machine-gun post spontaneously burst into the Cimbrian national anthem.
[21:06] <@Oxford> "Cimbria er endnu ikke omkom, sa lange vi endnu leve...." Their voices rise and our joined by other soldiers, until the entire town seems to join the hymn, urging Glasholme Flight onward to victory.
[21:06] * Henriette shines as brilliantly as she can for the men, proudly displaying for them like a preening bird.
[21:06] <@Oxford> /session.