[b]Étoile![/b]

It's the hair that does it. Jerioth sits up (a motion that is as ponderous and weighty as the raising of an obelisk, her attendant there to support her hair and be ready in case she has decided to get up), and gestures for you to come closer. You do, naturally. She smells of alien fruits, almost like citrus, and this close you can tell that her lapis lazuli necklace has charms of protection and glory woven in the beads; that'll be your first target.

"It would be my pleasure," she says, one hand on your ponytail. Not possessively, but in the manner of someone who has every right to do so. If she wants to touch you, she may, and there is no question in her mind as to her right; her thumb strokes your golden strands thoughtfully. "But first... I trust you remember your lessons. Show me the Third Hymn of Our Lady's Power."

There's a barely contained huff from behind you; you're holding up the line by being such a suck-up! Now the slaves behind you are going to have to wait while you dance for her, show her the Hymn expressed through your body... but will you? She is so close, her hand offering you a lingering pat, and everyone knows the Phantom Thief is so crafty...

***

[b]Set![/b]

There! In the Saffron Hall, a Lynx wearing the black and gold of the ab-Ereshkigali. She's moving with [i]intent[/i], you can tell even from here. And part of that intent is that she's going to be at the panopticon sooner rather than later. That would be bad, because there's two unconscious guards and one (1) cutie-pie in the panopticon. And also the djinn, of course. Okay, don't panic. It's possible that this is a random probe, or they're investigating corruption and heresy in their sister temple... but it's safest to react as if you've been made. Okay. The guards are likely there to make any attempt on the nobility within fraught with peril. If Marianne makes some grand entrance, she's going to get lit up with musket fire. That also means that Canada's diversion has become even more complex-- they might react by drawing guards from the hall, or they might hunker down and become even more paranoid. The greatest danger on the board [i]right now[/i] is almost certainly that Lynx, though. She's got one of those extending poles in one hand, and moves like she's already on the hunt.

As for clearing the route, well, if you're going to be made anyway, you have access to Caphtor and a great view. You might as well let the temple know that something bad's going down. [i]Everywhere.[/i] Make up as many false reports as you can: rebels in the stairwells! Thieves in the maternity wards! Truant students sneaking into the wine cellars! Fires, chaos, anarchy!

Marianne would be awesome at this part, given her dramatic flair, but that just means you have a chance, right here and now, to prove to yourself that you're creative, dramatic, and also a really good planner. Yeah! Show Caphtor your best performance!

***

[b]Canada![/b]

The cheers and jeers slowly turn into confused murmurs. You're [i]not[/i] the fearful Bull, and that must mean... you're the warm-up? Yes, that's it. The dusk sun gleams off your shield as you pose, and some of the youths lean forward and try to get a better look at you. And why shouldn't they? You are [i]radiant[/i].

Two more elevators release their occupants into the arena: a frightened-looking teenager (what are they thinking, sending a [i]kid[/i] to fight Asterion?) with a buckler and saber that he(?) can barely hold out of fear, and a furious Lioness. The rules: three enter, one leaves. But that's not how things are going to go down, are they?

Save the kid. See if you can handle the alien creature without killing it. Prove that your defiant thumbs down isn't just empty bravado. And then challenge them to send the worst thing they've got! This is your chance to be a [i]hero[/i] again, and to look good while doing it!