Rika turned to look at Ink in surprise—not that her face could be made out well in the darkness. Once again he had proven the most forthcoming, in spite of his attitude. She considered backpedaling, if it would be considered as such, and clarifying that she hadn't been asking about [i]the[/i] wish of each medium present—but, she decided that it was fine if they thought that her wish had been about stargazing. It explained the comet-shaped shield on her arm equally as well as her actual wish, was much more straightforward, and apparently not as lame as she thought it might sound. [color=cyan]"Thanks, you two,"[/color] she replied with a grin. [color=cyan]"Sometimes, it seems like everyone is content with their life down here, and nobody has any ambition. I know that's probably not true, but it's nice to actually hear it."[/color] Then, their moment to indulge in the calm before the storm had passed. Angela wasted no time in making herself the center of attention, and Rika couldn't help but admire the boldness of the spectacle. As she stood up, she readied her shield and smiled. [color=cyan]"No maidens will be kidnapped on my watch, fair lady!"[/color] she chimed in heroically, getting swept up into the act. Using the Rising Star to shield her eyes, she gazed up into the air and scanned the ceiling some more. Suddenly, she pointed back in the direction of the city with her free hand. [color=cyan]"I think I see something!"[/color] she shouted excitedly, standing up on her toes. [hr] Rika groaned as ringing filled her ears. As her head rolled limply on her left shoulder, her eyes slowly opened, unveiling the scene that was unfolding beneath her. Oddly, the first thought that occurred to her was that the friends she'd just made were now arguing, and she'd have to put a stop to that. It was only a moment later that she realized that the ground was now over a hundred feet below her, and as the ringing in her ears subsided, it became replaced by the thunderous sound of massive, flapping wings. Looking up, she saw the huge claws of the Rex Caelestis gripped tightly around the Rising Star, which may have just saved her head from being removed from her body. It became clear what her comrades were arguing about: if they tried to attack the dragon, they might hit her. She gazed at the creature with wonder and awe for a brief moment—until her close encounter with death fully sank in and the moment began to lose its magic a little. Studying it closer, she noticed that it was badly burned, which all but confirmed that this was their mark. She also noticed that it seemed to be struggling to continue its ascent. [color=cyan]"Oh, I'm [i]heavy[/i], am I?!"[/color] she scolded, igniting the thrusters of the Rising Star and causing the creature to shriek and let go in response to being burned. Rika rolled in the air a couple times before stabilizing herself and beginning to gain height faster than the pained and struggling dragon. [color=cyan]"Thanks for the lift, snake-head!"[/color] she shouted as she redirected downward toward her target, slamming into it and dragging it all the way into the ground with a bright blue explosion that destroyed a section of the back wall of the ranch, sending bricks flying across the field some distance from her allies. As they approached the hole in the wall, they were greeted with the sight of Frederica standing atop the stunned beast, wiping sweat from her brow. Waving to her allies, she grinned from ear to ear. [color=cyan]"I said I'd bring it down, yeah?!"[/color] she shouted proudly. And bring it down she did. As motionless as the creature now was, one could be forgiven for thinking it was already dead—but as it began to stir and squirm beneath Rika's feet, the group had to face the reality that this beast was made of sterner stuff. Rika began slipping on the dragon's slick body and was forced to dismount, jumping behind the creature and out of view. As her allies rushed out the hole in the wall and ran out onto the brick road, the creature whirled its snake-like head to look at them—or at least, it turned to face them, but it had no visible eyes—something that was much easier to notice on the life-sized creature. [color=cyan]"Hey! Fight something in your own weight class!"[/color] Rika taunted, causing it to whip back around and bear down on her.