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Lyra said nothing, simply moving to CFW's side and wondering how well negotiation would go. If CFW Magic had gone this far, she'd probably already made up her mind. She turned her gaze to the pile of junk. Something about it... didn't seem quite right, but she wasn't sure what. Maybe there was something inside of it? Lyra made sure to grip her wrench more securely. If things went the way she thought they might, she'd need it soon enough.

"Understood." Lyra followed Mira, wrench at the ready in case an enemy showed up. Following Saejik's instructions, she made sure to watch her spacing compared to the rest of the group. Glancing at the piles of junk, she wondered if she couldn't take a few things once the fight was over. Give the 'lost hopes and broken dreams' some new life. Well, she'd have to see if she'd be able to keep hold of her life, and that meant being more cautious than before.

IP nodded, looking to its allies before doing a quick bow in front of Yuugi. "If you would forgive me for my... impudence... I have a request to make. I am still unaccustomed to combat, and would appreciate the chance to further calibrate my systems. May the two of us have one of the spell card duels this place has?"

IP nodded, standing up from where it had previously been kneeling down and giving the woman a polite bow. "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Hoshiguma. We are... rather unfamiliar with this region. Can you tell me who the major figures are? Any leaders, perhaps more information on who the 'idiot crow' is?"

Plenty of conversations went that way in the mercenary business. They generally didn't involve masks that looked like they came from a Broadway horror show, but still - this was something Spray knew how to handle. First order of business. Spray aimed and let out a few bursts of his Type 85, shouting at the katana-wielding lady, "Come on! Let's show 'em what we got!" Keep the enemy's head down while pumping one's ally up. He'd done this before. He definitely wasn't out of his depth... Right? Spray uses Suppressing Fire on the Onryō, preventing them from attacking for one turn! He also heals Mitsurugi for 10 HP!] HP: 72/72 Sneaky Beaky Like: Ready - 2 Uses Left Field Surgery: Ready Blinding Smoke: Ready Chemical Break Lights: Ready

Lyra nodded, and looked for one of the natives of the world - or maybe Histoire - asking them if they knew of a doctor who could perhaps fix 6D's injury before the fight they were about to enter into.

If that was how the angel lady was going to handle things, Spray decided he may as well chip in. He raised his SMG up to the ready position, aimed straight at the red-eyed woman, finger on the trigger. After a moment to clear his throat, he began. "The more you waste our time with your 'civility', the more time the Demon Lord has to resurrect. Now, the reason I was brought here was because no matter what we do to stop him..." Pointedly leaving out the words, 'To you, for instance', "It won't be as bad as what'll happen if he starts roaming this place freely. So I'm going to give you two options: You can either cooperate, or you can be added to the list of casualties. Do you understand?"

IP nods at LOTUS's words. "Indeed. We were merely surveying the surroundings for anything of interest - potential threats, or useful resources, for example. I am Instructor Prototype. Property of Kaida Corporation, currently working with this group to help eliminate creatures known as 'Trespassers'. We are not interested in incurring a battle at this time, Miss...?"

"Don't worry about it. I suppose it was a bit of a long shot anyway." Based on the sensations of being healed earlier, Lyra had some ideas of how to try to replicate the cleansing effects Crawford had, so perhaps she could learn on her own. "About 6D's condition... has anyone taken a look at her to assess what exactly she's suffering from? Maybe we'll be able to get it treated... preferably before this final fight, but we'll see..." It occurred to Lyra that there was one last thing she was forgetting before she left to see to 6D. Slowly, she reached up to her helmet and unbuckled the straps keeping it in place. Removing it revealed messy brown hair and a fair-skinned face that was covered in scars. After a brief moment to compose herself, Lyra put on her best smile and bowed. "Before I forget... Thank you for helping me earlier." With how unconfident Perlita seemed, it was probably for the best Lyra thanked her rather than question her assistance.

Lyra shook her head. Obviously Perlita was talking about what had revived Lyra from her barely-conscious state, but while Lyra was curious as to why she chose her, she couldn't get distracted by unimportant details or unwittingly guilt-trip her own colleagues. "I'm not talking about that. People make mistakes, forget things in the heat of the moment. Happens even to the best of us. I'm thinking of trying to get something to fix up 6D from that tablet the cat mentioned, but we'll get to that issue when we get to it. No, what I was thinking about was how it was you healed me earlier. Before I passed out? When Crawford healed me, I could feel some of the poison dissipate. I'd like to know how to do something like that on my own. Wouldn't need you to help me that way." And wouldn't need to waste your time, was what Lyra didn't say.

While he didn't say anything (he preferred to leave this sort of conversation to others), Spray nodded at Mitsurugi's words, and switched off the safety of his Type 85. Wasn't his first time out, and if things got violent, he'd need to be ready.

Lyra still had something bothering her, and with that, she went to Perlita. She needed to talk to her - if only to learn how exactly her "Persona" was able to do what it had done. After that, Lyra could see if there was something she could do to help 6D and... whatever it was had happened to her after being swallowed by Trick, and once all that was done, she could go and hone her own skills. One at a time. "Hey, Perlita," Lyra said, waving at her to catch her attention. "I was wondering if you had a bit of time to talk about how you healed me during that last fight?"

IP turned to LOTUS, noticing they had been accompanied by UB-65. "No obvious signs of conflict, and no obvious signs of wildlife either, though considering the nature of the... spirits... that were present at the site we were given access to, there may still be flying creatures we're not aware about. It seems the locals here are more interested in holding feasts or parties than patrolling for intruders... Should we enter the village now?"

IP nodded. "I understand." And with that, IP began heading towards the village, though it didn't go in just yet. Instead, keeping LOTUS's advice in mind, it tried to find an elevated location that overlooked the village, and also tried to search the area for any signs of life - wagon ruts, tracks, signs, etc.

There were plenty of times that Spray had done something that elicited a less-than-friendly response. That one Halloween at FoodPlace'stm, the birthday party for Sandra where nothing went right, and earlier last week when he asked for a raise on his contract fee. He'd never had someone freeze up and mumble to themselves when he'd asked who they were, though... "Okay, uh... Spicy? Are you all right? You seem... troubled." Maybe stating the obvious wasn't the best start, but he had to bring up the issue somehow, before it got worse...

Not exactly an unfamiliar situation, but he was usually not the only doctor... Well, maybe he was just there to keep people alive until the more experienced medics came through. He could do that. "All right, then. Oh, by the way, I didn't catch your name..."

On the walk back to the conference room, Lyra had to remind herself it was out of her hands now. Whatever happened to the strange ship-woman at this point, Lyra had done all she could. Or, perhaps, what little she could. It reminded her of what little she'd done for the team so far. Shout. Wave a wrench about. Get subject to a chemical weapon attack that required someone else's help to recover from (which reminded her she still needed to talk to Perlita about how she'd done... what she'd done). It all made her think that perhaps she didn't belong here. Beyond the fact that she technically didn't. Ugh. Couldn't think like that. She was enough of a liability without self-doubt plaguing her on top of everything else. As she entered the conference room proper, she noticed the familiar faces of the people who'd helped bring down some of the other enemies, like Brave and Trick. And... was that...? Surely not... At least, they looked like they were from that show she'd seen, what with their armor and distinctive helmets... There were multiple universes, so maybe... Shaking herself out of her surprise, Lyra gave the trio a light bow. Whoever they were, it was best to be professional. She could satisfy her curiosity another time. "I'm Lyra Concept, independent contractor. It's nice to meet you, Captain." Whatever the circumstances, it was probably better to address the man formally, regardless of what he said. Would show respect for authority that way, which might help the people with guns relax a little.

"How long does it take to get to the ocean itself by truck? I'm not sure how much longer Iowa has until the symptoms-" The contractor cut off as she noticed Mira's communicator ringing. It was rude, but it was probably the best way to get help for Iowa. "Hey, Mira! Can you ask Histoire to send Iowa to a place where the ocean is nearby? A harbor or dockyard or a beach or something? She's fallen ill and I think it's because she's spent too much time on land!" She just hoped this worked, or she'd have wasted a lot of time and resources for nothing...

Spray mulled around the words in her head a little bit before seeming to come to a conclusion. "'Being hit by bullets won't hurt them, but being shot just mi...' Hang on a second, what? Yeah, shooting them with the bullets was what I was thinking of in the first place! I ain't gonna throw my ammunition by hand, if that's what..." Spray shook his head. Don't get distracted. "Never mind. I'm not the best shot anyway, so I suppose it doesn't really matter - what's more important is what kind of injures am I going to have to deal with. Is it lacerations? Third-degree burns? Broken bones? Any combination of those things?" Spray figured that, if his gun wasn't going to be much use, that left his medical skills. And if fights here were anything like fights back in... his home world, for lack of a better term, there were going to be plenty of injuries when the fights ended. He hoped his medical supplies would last...

Wasn't the first time Spray had been treated like a lesser individual because of his background. Wasn't the first time someone had told him he was in over his head. Wasn't even the first time someone'd failed to elucidate the exact reasons he was in over his head - or the first time a future colleague had responded to his introduction with apathy. With a first impression like that, Spray grinned broadly. It was almost like he was right back at A.I.M.! And, hell, Saigai had even told him his targets were immune to bullets, so she'd helped him more in the first five minutes together than most of his coworkers had helped him in their first five days. All the same, he needed a little more info on who their enemies were, especially if he was going to earn his keep. Which reminded him of the check that was still sitting in its envelope at his desk back home... He could worry about that once the current job was finished. For now, diplomatic, ask for more info. Speech is spontaneous, don't think too much about it. Shaking his head to clear it, Spray opened his mouth to speak again. "Okay, okay, so guns are not an option. Guess considering our current situation that's good to hear. But, you, uh, still haven't told me what these 'dark creatures' are, exactly... Wait, are they ghosts? 'Cause if they really are ghosts like that one lady... I think her name was 'Ringu'? Whatever, if they're ghosts then I'm afraid I'm not sure what good I'm going to be... I mean, if their powers are limited to throwing things at or on people or making lights flicker, then I might be able to help, but if they can do things like possess people or reanimate the dead, I wouldn't know where to begin with that..." Maybe he should've caught himself before he went on a tangent that ended with "I basically can't do anything in that situation". "A-anyway, what are these youkai, and why would swords be better weapons against them than guns? In fact, you spoke like 'strength of heart' and 'the will to carve meaning into the world' are separate from the use of 'mass-produced bits of lead', but I've met more than a few people who could claim otherwise. Whatever, getting off track again - Youkai. What are they?" Probably way too many words for such a simple question, but it was done. They couldn't be taken back no matter what he or anyone else wanted. He just hoped this wouldn't end the way it did when he'd met that Roachburn colonel... His nose still hurt thinking about it.

IP relayed the information it had received to its colleague, LOTUS, before noting, "Perhaps we should check the nearby village. Gauge whether or not the residents present a threat to any operations we might conduct in this area. Then there is the matter of the... spirits, for lack of a better term, surrounding the area, and whether or not they may disrupt our operations. I believe one of us should remain here to guard the area while the other checks the village. Would you prefer I remained here or that I went to check the village?"

IP bowed. "Thank you for your advice, LOTUS. I will attempt to locate any nearby resources. If you like, you may sit on my shoulder." The android turned its right shoulder towards LOTUS, inviting her to hop on. Whether the tablet-turned fairy chose to do so or not, IP began to survey the area that they had been given - looking it over for threats and valuables.

Lyra waved at the two redheads for them to come over. "Hey, do either of you know where the nearest beach or docks or something is? Iowa here isn't doing so well, and I think if we bring her to a body of water she'll recover!" This was a bit of a long shot - the contractor hoped to hell she wasn't wrong about her theory. "Iowa, just... just stay calm, okay? We're gonna get you some help. Bring you to the ocean, maybe. See if that helps things. Stay calm, all right?" Those words would probably have been more convincing if Lyra sounded like she knew what she was doing. She didn't because she really, really didn't. Lyra looked over to Perlita, hoping maybe she could say something more reassuring...

Searching himself for injuries and finding none, Spray stood up as Mitsurugi passed him. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am - wait, hold on a second! When you say youkai, do you mean like the cow-headed dude or the slit-mouthed woman or that guy who offers colored toilet paper to people he's going to kill? 'Cause, uh, not to understate the threat they present to humanity, but those don't exactly seem like massive, world-devouring beasts - I think Sakuya called them 'Trespassers'?" Spray suddenly remembered what the Guardian Spirit had told him less than five minutes ago. "Oh, right! Amaterasu sent me to help you deal with the Trespassers! I don't exactly have any experience with... whatever those things are," (It was at this point Spray had wished Sakuya had given him a photo or a drawing or an astral projection or something - surely Guardian Spirits could do something like that), "but I can handle myself in a firefight, and patch up your injuries as needed!" With the introduction out of the way, Spray returned to his previous topic. "Anyway, even if those kinds of creatures are dangerous, at least some of them should go down to a few magazines of nine mil. Unless it's like that lady that comes out of the TV, in which case, I guess we're just going to have to run." Upon bringing up the subject of firepower, Spray surveyed the weapons and equipment his newfound colleagues had... A gauntlet, swords, a revolver, and two of them had no visible weapons at all... "Okay, so, most of us don't have guns it looks like? That's... not great. I myself only have the one..."

Lyra'd treated her own wounds - and even the wounds of others - more than a few times, but this was outside her area of experience.. Despite that, after what Iowa said, she had an idea as to what might be the cause... "Iowa... maybe something similar is happening to you? Maybe this is happening because you're on the land when you'd previously spent your whole life at sea..."