Did you know this section has a character limit?
Qrow - Spy for Hire; Village Outskirts
Qrow smiled. Espionage. That was right up his alley. In fact, it was his actual job. He nodded along with what Mamizou was saying, before smiling at the Tanuki.
"Now, now, let's not lie in the middle of a business deal." Qrow said jovially. "My guess is that your scroll there isn't a normal scroll. Probably got some magic on it, and it'll unleash something on those enemies of yours when we read it. Am I close?"
Elsa -...I'd quote a Frozen song here, but all I've got is "Love Is An Open Door" and that's a bit forward; Tower -> Village
Not wanting to bother the kind old man further, Elsa turned and followed Hibiki out the door...
And into a small village. Well, that was refreshing.
Elsa took a deep breath of fresh air, her first in several hours, and smiled. This prison was a lost less restrictive and voyeuristic than the last.
Glancing between the dirt road and the long train of her dress, she realized that maybe it wasn't the best attire for the situation. She waved her hand, and the train disintegrated in a dusting of snow, but leaving her dress unharmed. They do have medals for almost, and they're called silver!
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
Alisaie - Human village outskirts
The young elezen narrowed her eyes as the bushy-tailed woman made her offer. Leaping into local politics had become something of a Scion speciality over the years, but this felt different. Usually her brother and the Warrior of Light had a more concrete reason than this. Besides, she didn't need to be a political mastermind to see they were being played. She nodded as Qrow spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It could simply be a declaration of war," She piped up conversationally to the shirt-tailed man, glancing coolly up at Mamizou. "And reading it brings these "mountain folk" down on our conveniently expendable heads."
—
2B - Forrest road
"Don't worry, I can keep up."
And keep up she did, running alongside the motorbike with a long-legged stride that seemed effortless and graceful... until you noticed the bursts of shattered gravel being thrown up with each footstep. She had skidded to a halt beside the others with no sign of being out of breath, glancing over Kashira's shoulder at the map.
"KOS-MOS mentioned a Yukari in her report. We should check in with her."
At 2B's silent command Pod 042 moved in closer and projected a communications window, pinging KOS-MOS's frequency.
Dave, Village Outskirts
"If you think you're going to rope me into an obvious trap, you're mistaken," Dave said bluntly. "What, I'm supposed to trust someone who threatens to kill people for fun? I don't think so."
Dave felt angry and frustrated in a way that he hadn't been in a long time. No matter how much he tried to play it cool most of the time, things were different now. His friends were gone, and the only people he could turn to for anything approximating answers were a bunch of obnoxious trickster spirits. This proved to be enough to make him drop the coolkid act for a moment.
edited 23rd Jun '18 7:54:17 PM by HilarityEnsues
Ryo Saeba - Outskirts
Ryo mostly just stood his ground, pointing at the creatures who were now to be revealed to be tanukis and the man with the strange sword-gun (how does that even works) negotiated. And they seemed to be thugs wanting to blackmail some convenient tools to do their dirty tasks for them. He figured this world wasn't that diferent from them
He spoke up to the leading lady. "I have to agree with them. While I don't think any of us want to add "shot cuddly forest critters" to our resumes, I don't see how trying to kidnap two of us is respecting our rights. I mean, you didn't show us any real incentive beyond threats. And I don't know about you," he then did a knowing nod toward Wrex the eight feet tall lizard man, "but I'm pretty confident about our chances. Now, I could be wrong, of course, but can you really afford the risk?" He made sure to maintain an even tone of voice and a slight grin. While he wasn't really that confident about their chances against master of shapeshifting, this wasn't a situation where he could afford to show a sign of weakness.
edited 24th Jun '18 9:56:27 AM by Alecoene
"Junko"- Outside the Human Village
Without getting out of position, Junko finally raised her voice.
"Well, if you wanted help, why the hell did you resort to kidnapping as opposed to just, ya know, asking?"
Highly questionable logic aside, espionage, huh? Well, that sounds simple enough... although with said logic and what amounted to the classic "Hey, don't read this but just hand if off, m'kay" situation... it didn't take a master negotiator to smell something off.
"And who the hell are these spies, anyways? What have they been doing that's so bad?"
Uzume-Human Village
"Ah, hey, wait a minute!"
It seemed one of the newcomers was itching at the bit to get things done. She agreed, sure, but how sudden it was caught her off-guard. With that said, she also reentered the gate.
"Huh. That's convenient." She said to the Ice Queen changing her dress's length. "How'd ya do that?"
Lizard Metabolism
Baron, I Think That's A Bit Of An Overreaction
As expected, their daring subversive activities didn't work out in the long term. Even as he raised his fists to guard against the gatekeeper's sudden assault however, the magnificent opulence of Blacker Baron could not help but think she was being a bit upset. "Come on, baby, we'd eat it later jus' fine!" He huffed in response, looking towards the light. Going back to the foyer didn't really give them any tactical advantage, except for fighting in full light. "But we told ya, we in a hurry, dig?!"
Weiss' text message reached him just in time. "Ice Queen's telling ya to stay put, Baby Guts. Look for a window, we gon' be bustin' out of dis muddafucka."
Claw, Vroom
There was no time to waste. If 2B said she could keep up with them, the pirate was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Taking control of the steering wheel - such as it was - and managing to get the infernal contraption moving, Claw found riding the bike a curious experience. Landlubbers' modes of locomotion were largely unknown to him either way, but he assumed that riding atop a horse would be less bumpy.
"Yukari it is." He nodded in agreement as they stood at the crossroads. It seemed 2B and Pod were planning something, so he took a moment to rub his hands together. "Ready when you are, Miss 2B."
How do lizards fly?
Calamity is a housewife
Kirito, Mugenkan East Hallway
We had much less time than I'd anticipated. Somehow, I'd reacted quickly enough to the incoming attack, rolling out of the way and landing on my feet, though I might've ended up pulling a few tendons in order to do that, as the sharp pain in my limbs indicated.
While the Baron engaged the enemy, he put me on the task of looking for an escape route.
"Alright, as long as you can handle her!"
He mentioned a window, but I had my doubts about finding one in this illogical hallway. Nevertheless, I looked, and failing that, I looked to the parted space that our opponent had created, our most obvious path of escape.
Guts, Outside Mugenkan
'Blonde and brainless', as Guts had so endearingly labeled her, laid it thick on him, but only succeeded in looking foolish, as it was soon explained that she was responsible for causing a scene and attracting attention to him. The Black Swordsman already knew this was the case but still groaned in exasperation at the fact that he had been revealed to the enemy already.
"Again, thanks for that."
At once, Guts' cloak billowed open. His right hand blurred as the arm stiffened and carried it outward in a lashing movement, releasing a flash of light revealed quickly to be a throwing knife aimed vaguely at Kurumi.
A point of misdirection.
After throwing the knife, Guts had leaped over Yang, his cloak covering him like a shadowy fireball sailing through the air and his gigantic sword held in both his hands, carried above his head. This all-or-nothing diving attack sailed towards Kurumi's position, and Guts swung downwards as he landed.
edited 24th Jun '18 11:38:21 AM by LatverianBadger
"Shake the dust." - Anis Mojgani
Vampire Hunter
Sabrina, Outside Human Village
Espeon ran back over to Sabrina once the battle was basically over. Once she finished looking over her Pokemon for any injuries, Sabrina turned back to look at Mamizou. "And how does going to that mountain and reading that scroll lead to us get the unique umbrellas we are looking for?"
After all, they needed four unique umbrellas to get out of this place, and they didn't need to waste time on some pointless task.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
"Why would we force your hand into trying something that, I'll admit, could be just a little dangerous for a group of complete strangers?" Mamizou shook her (very smug) head at Junko. "You like these two ladies, right? Usually people don't do things out of charity around here, and last I checked they don't do it in the Outside World either..."
Which gave Mamizou a pretty good segway into her high-quality counteroffer. "...which makes the rest of you right, what do you all get out of it? Well, the lot of us are strong, and we could get you anywhere you'd like in this world. Even Bhavaagra and Former Hell aren't out of our reach. Do you want all of us to help you find these umbrellas you're so desperate to find..."
"...Or, do you want to let the little townsfolk be watched at every moment of their lives, here. Those tengu have their eyes everywhere, really, and what kind of lives can they lead if they have no privacy?"
Closing her eyes in a brief panic, she raised her arms like she was going to clap, and just managed to put the Dragon Slayer's broad sides in between them. Having barely caught the blade in mid-air, the young looking/bat looking girl opened her eyes and gave its wielder a very worried look. "H-Hey...you can let up now, okay?" Kurumi seemed to have broken out into a sweat, even in this cold.
Perhaps to Guts' surprise, perhaps not considering all the weird stuff he's violently hacked to death in his life, the girl was very strong for her size and managing to keep the sword from coming any further down. Though, even then, he might be able to tell that she was having some trouble with that.
The door creaked loudly as it opened, something that comes with the territory of being so old. The room's owner, buried underneath a thick blanket, stirred yet didn't seem to wake up.
The master bedroom was a very large one, easily able to give comfortable laying-down room to everyone in and around the mansion's grounds. The hallway's candle lighting and the dim coolness of the giant, curtained window cast everything in a deep, dark blue pallor that gave Weiss just enough to see by if she really tried.
More paintings and photographs, indistinguishable in this lighting, covered the wall to her right. To her left was a bed that seemed to be intricately carved with a number of floral motifs, crested with a sunflower above the sleeper's head. Writing desks, chests, drawers, potted plants and other things lined the walls...
...and right next to the closest edge of the bed, in a little wire basket, were a set of three umbrellas.
There certainly were windows in the foyer, sure, but Kirito's attempt to get a little closer to them brought him right up in the face of an intercepting Elly. "Nope!" And with that, she tried to give Kirito a really firm punch right to the side of his head.
In truth, you probably could've just written a "?" for her and gotten the gist of it.
At the base of the mountain, on the side of the road leading away and by a dormant farm, was a little storefront. In lieu of any real name for this vendor, a sign reading "FINAL POST-AUTUMN SALE (please buy our remaining stock)" was hung above in bright orange colors. Carrying out baskets of questionable-looking produce were two tired-looking
◊ women, one wearing a hat. They stopped to wave at the group as they came up upon them, a little desperate plea in their eyes.
Could it be time to ask for directions?
He got up, his bandy legs wobbling as he precariously stood to his full height. "In truth, with how often this group gets new members...exceptional..."
And then he walked over to them, bending a little lower to move down to their heights. "I am the Locksmith, and this is the Tower. A tower of names, of journeys, and of thought. The two of you, among the infinite people that exist, have been chosen by the God of this Tower to climb its floors and meet him at its terminus, for reasons that no one but him understand. You will not be allowed to return to your homes, in all likelihood; for even if you see what might appear as your own realm, it will be but another of the infinite versions that exist in time and space."
"There," which must've meant that gate thing, "is a door to another world. In each floor there is something that like it, where you will be tasked to find something that will open the way to the next floor, and your next ordeal. It could be anything, even a notion, but in this case, you will go to that foreign land of Gensokyo and find some very specific umbrellas. Four of them. I believe the others in your journey, the other Climbers that share your fate, have already made some real progress."
"Now...is there anything else you need to know?"
edited 25th Jun '18 11:16:21 PM by wikkit
The Kid took a moment to look the building over as he waited for a reply, noticing the strange way it was built. Similar to some of the other buildings he had seen so far, and unlike anything he had seen back home. The walls seemed to be made from wood and thin sheets of what seemed like parchment or paper; The light shining through them easily. When the reply came, he began to move inside.
Stepping into the building, he quickly scanned the room; Spotting several faces he had seen before. He turned his attention towards Sumireko, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "Back at the town, I assume. I'm here to check on someone called Reimu, and ask about the keys. Since you're here, I guess you've already done it?"
What a rambunctious little girl she was. If it wasn't for the fact she was a supernatural animated corpse with all the loss of sensory perceptions that implied, the hellish ruler would have been actually concerned about the absolutely boneheaded way the girl was doing things. And she herself was having to follow behind in the bulldozing attempt so as to not lose her as well.
Times like these were what the personal barrier was good for, it was just so handy to have it automatically defend her from the plebian things in life such as wayward branches or startled pests lurking in the foliage that either bounced off or splatted against the rounded barrier like a bug against a windshield.
Idly slowing down when she saw another seemingly youthful child of monstrous energy (this one looking rather under the weather), Lucifer simply let out a sigh before ruffling around in her sleeves to bring out... a single breath mint! Taken from her brief stint in Kamurocho! She hadn't really needed such a thing though it was free so she simply obligingly took it on instinct. "Good girl, here you are." Floating the piece of minty freshness over towards the undead, the angel took a good look at the umbrella youkai before nodding.
"Well, it is your lucky day then. We are here not for a fight but because we require your services as a parasol. If you would kindly come along with me for a moment, I can show you off and then you can get back to being ill." Despite the polite words, the angel was saying things in a way that implied that it was less a request and more akin to an order.
Edited by Makaioh on Jun 26th 2018 at 1:23:28 AM
Knight Gundam - The Tower
The metallic knight was a bit unbalanced by how things had happened so rapidly. He had been engaging in combat with his arch-enemy Neo-Black Dragon, and then he found himself here being told he had to climb a tower. Still even if he was caught off guard by how rapidly things were happening, being given something to do immediately, no matter how strange, helped him focus a bit. Also the knowledge that he'd be traveling to different worlds meant he'd probably be able to help others in need, an offer he definitely could not refuse.
"This situation seems simple enough, and a Knight is never one to turn down a challenge, even if he finds himself forced into it. As long as you are certain the others who have been forced to climb this tower are in the direction you're sending me, then I have nothing else to ask."
Edited by Bcom on Jun 26th 2018 at 4:50:34 AM
Did you know this section has a character limit?
Qrow - Talkin’ ‘Bout My Motivation; Outside Human Village
The offer was too good. Transport anywhere, likely including to those missing umbrella owners Kosmos had mentioned, Yukari and Kogasa Tatara. That was almost too good to pass up.
Qrow was definitely taking this with a pinch of salt. Sure, they were pretty upfront about getting them to deliver a weapon, but the motivations were suspect.
“You’re youkai, right?” Qrow asked. “Why are you looking to help the village? They don’t seem to take kindly to your kind here.”
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Hakurei Shrine
"Yes," KOS-MOS replied to Kid succinctly, offering him a nod of greeting and acknowledgement, "Reimu has been of great help in deriving the identities of the umbrellas in question, as I have shared with those of our fellow Climbers who possess the technology necessary for long-range communication. We are currently discussing how to go about locating the house of a woman named Yukari."
"Why are space and time distorted near Yukari's house?" she inquired with Reimu, not entirely unfamiliar with such phenomena, "If she possesses the ability to manipulate space-time, there is a significant probability that fighting her would result in our swift defeat. I would prefer a non-violent method."
Motorcycle Group
"Hello, 042," the gynoid answered the Pod's call, voice projected to the surroundings while "AUDIO ONLY" displayed on the holographic screen, "How may I be of service?"
Edited by darksidevoid on Jun 27th 2018 at 6:12:20 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Red Fox - The Tower
Ezo Redfoxes attention was on every thing around her except the main talking at first. Her eyes filled with a sense of wonder-moment as she just kind of observed her new location before instinctively trying to hide behind Silver-Fox who wasn't there as the man continued to talk, shifting slightly behind Knight Gundam in the process as she eventually focused on listening.
Figuring this was still part of one of her games, she eventually linked back out from behind the robot though and asked, "Do... we get any thing to help us along the way?".
Lucha Libre goddess
Weiss— Mugenkan’s Master Bedroom— Tl;dr Weiss takes the umbrellas and jumps through a window.
Weiss continued to rush through the hallways. She was moving so fast, if someone was around to see her, they would only be able to watch a white blur.
“It doesn’t make sense. How can this home be so huge. It wasn’t that big from the outside.” she thought to herself as she followed the red line.
In her path, only one thing made her make a full stop—The snoring. It could only be one person, Yuuka herself. If even half of what Elly said was true, it was better not to disturb her, if possible She opened her eyes widely, using one skill she was the best among her friends: her delicate touch.
She tried to walk, with softness on each step, like a feather falling to the floor, attempting to make as little noise as possible. Yet her feet weren’t touching the ground, but her glyphs that would muffle the sound of her feet.
The heiress stared at the beautiful scenery for a few seconds, only to shake her head as she remembered their mission.
The dim light, made her squint her eyes slightly, and see the sleeping mistress of mugenkan. But it was the sight of the umbrellas that drew half a smile in her face. Just before she would touch try to take the umbrellas, she would send one last text message to Yang, Kirito and the baron. One that had to be brief.
First, she would attempt to open the glass of the curtained window, if it was closed. But keeping the curtains covering the light outside closed.
Keeping her soft pace, she would walk towards the basket. A black glyph would appear just below the basket, pushing it towards the ground, hoping it would remain immobile, as she took the umbrellas and stacked them above her arms. One above the other.
Once Weiss was, again, close to the window, she would attempt to push the curtain with her shoulder, and jump with the umbrellas outside. If successful, another glyph would be waiting for her, as she would jump one after the other, until she was safe in the ground.
Edited by FallenLegend on Jun 27th 2018 at 10:51:43 AM
Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.
Calamity is a housewife
Guts, Outside Mugenkan - Does this
◊ look like the face of mercy?
Dragonslayer came down like a cannonball but was intercepted by the vampire's quick reactions as she clamped her hands down on its sides and stopped it mere inches from her face.
Strong, this Apostle, thought Guts as he kept pushing down, a snarl in his lips and the back of his neck wet from fresh blood. But she would lose this battle eventually.
"You want me to 'let up'? You've never been in war, have you?"
Kirito, Mugenkan East Wing - HURK
Windows!
As soon as I spotted one in the foyer, I rushed through the distortion in the air our host had created, hoping to open it up so we could give Yang the backup she might've needed.
I was smacked on my temple for my troubles. The force of the strike sent me reeling, and I nearly fell on my butt from the disorientation that followed.
I cursed as I held my grip on Elucidator and held it up and towards the enemy.
All thoughts in my head advised against fighting, but I only had to defend myself for as long as I could, and hope the Baron would come in with a save and buy me time to open our escape route.
Edited by LatverianBadger on Jun 27th 2018 at 11:26:32 PM
"Shake the dust." - Anis Mojgani
2 Spooky 4 U
"So we'll be send to declare a war and perform it's first attack at the same time. That's so simple that I can't possibly see how that might come back to bite us on the ass," dryly quipped Wrex as he kept his big fuck off shotgun close to his chest. He would then state, "I'm with him here," giving Dave a quick nod. "You ensure us that we won't be rushing head first into a trap but I don't buy it," he further said before glaring his eyes at the mob leader and throwing at her, "You said yourself that some plans don't remain the same after all."
Finally he commented, "Asides you already tried to force our hands by kidnapping the two females but here you are trying to make a deal with us. You also assume that some of us care about if a small, harmless village has some eyes spying on it. I doubt these villagers have much secrets....unless you know about any?"
Edited by LightToAll on Jun 28th 2018 at 3:22:44 PM
Lizard Metabolism
Baron, Saving Baby Guts
That scythe was proving to be a handful. Shows what he knew about the supernatural stuff, thinking it would just cease and desist when met with superior force. As such, he ducked deep down, letting it fly past harmlessly. Somehow, even his hat made it out okay. "Alright, Baron wanted to do dis the easy way."
Baby Guts got punched though, and that was the last straw. "Aight, bitch, how 'bout ya take on someone yo' size?" He called, dashing in. The eagles on his gauntlets seemed to almost scream like authentic birds of prey as he threw a flurry of fiery punches towards Elly, way faster than someone his size should be and about as strong (if not stronger, what's with those giant gauntlets). Baby Guts found them an escape route and Baron hoped that, if Elly decided to move out of the way, his attacks would punch through the window and create their opening.
At least Ice Queen sent good news.
Claw, Motorcycle Sale
Letting 2B and Pod handle the conversation with KOS-MOS, Claw idly rolled his shoulders, looking at the map they've procured. Well, "map" was a bit of a goodwill on his part, to call this drawing that. Why was Lunarians' location even on the map if this was supposed to be the Gensokyo region? What, did they have their own miniature Moon somewhere in the mountains or what?
...he wouldn't be surprised at this point. What mattered was that the locations of interest - Remilia and Yukari - were more or less concrete. The former, at the very least, though if he recalled there was a group visiting the Hakurei Shrine at the moment; ergo, they were on the case as far as Yukari was concerned. The little shop on the side of the road got his attention. Looked like the owners were not having an easy time, but given the quality of showcased products he could see why was that. "I'll see if I can ask for directions over there." He said to the rest of the group, letting the Kappa Ride take it easy for now as he shuffled off the bike and approached the two unfortunate merchants.
"Good afternoon!" Claw called to the two. "How's the day finding you?"
How do lizards fly?
The Mighty Pen
Kashira Lavellan - Roadside Merchant - Lore Requisition
Kashira couldn't help but be quite impressed with 2B's abilities as the other woman fulfilled her promise and easily kept pace with their vehicle. Wherever she comes from, they know how to make their warriors. I have to remember to ask a bit more after this mission's over, if there's time. Like Claw, she saw no reason not to let 2B update the others she was in contact with, the other woman had proven capable enough to be trusted with that, though she did keep one ear on the conversation, just in case something of interest came up. The bulk of her attention was on the road ahead and their destination, which might not be Yukari's abode after all, considering how...widespread she appeared to be. And if another group of Travelers was at the shrine, they were better placed to handle such a thing. Kashira gnawed on her lip in thought. That leaves Remilia or just hoping to run into Seija. It seems we can do the latter anywhere, so I suppose Remilia's place it is, unless the Gensoyko Red Jenny or a forgotten god happens to stop by.
Then her attention was drawn to the merchant stall they were rapidly approaching. So there is poverty and hardship here. I had half wondered, considering how strange this place is, but some things are always the same. Acknowledging Claw's remark with a brief hm and a nod, she climbed carefully off her own seat and approached somewhat behind the sea-officer, a warm smile spreading across her face. A few coins worth of goods would likely buy us all the information we could possibly get from them, if they are what they seem to be. Why sell their wares by the roadside instead of hauling them in to market? Why have a farm so far from anywhere but the kappa? Do the kappa buy such things? Where are the other farmhands, two people hardly seems enough to work a full-sized farm. All these questions she kept to herself, glancing about and seeing what she could glean from the surroundings, while waiting to see how Claw's conversation went. She could always step in at an opportune moment.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. -Lao Tzu
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
2B - Roadside
"KOS-MOS. This is 2B. My team has secured transportation and are leaving Genbu Ravine, heading east. The Kappa gave us a map and some possible umbrella targets." 2B glanced over her shoulder as the two local girls greeted them by the roadside. "In your last report you mentioned a Yukari. Have you learned anything else about her in the meantime?"
Outskirts
Lucario walked back towards Anabel, not even looking back or acting scared cause she was way too edgy and cool of a dog Pokémon for that shit."So you and your Pokémon can go anywhere in the entire world," Anabel commented, shooting the raccoon lady a sharp look. "But you need us to go up a a mountain barely a few hours away?"
Outside Mugenkan
"Whoa, dude, relax a little!" Yang exclaimed when Guts got all... Gutsy. "You've got her on the ropes, already, big guy. You're being kind of a jerk, cranking it up to ten right now, maybe just dial it down to like three or four! - Oh, message, one second!She whipped out her scroll in one hand and saw Weiss's message. So Weiss was coming to them. Might as well keep this shortstack guard busy so that it took the heat off of Weiss. Oh, and those other two people inside. They were important too. Probably. Maybe. She texted back with the refined, rapid-fire texting skills of a teenager.
"Come on shorty, your friend Elly was making cookies for us, why not just everyone chill out and we can see all about this 'hospitality' you were mentioning," she said to Kurumi with a smile that was half-confidence, half-wondering-if-she-actually-made-those-cookies. "Plus I don't think this human ursa over here likes you very much, so you better think quick before he does something worse."
"...I'd like to hear why you're in here, first," Yuuka said in between sniffles.
Poking out from underneath the covers, her right hand holding Weiss in place, was the owner of the mansion. With an unmanaged tussle of short-cut green hair, a piercing red gaze, a very red face that had snot running down it, and...a cute set of pink pajamas
with a little stellar-themed print on it (complete with nightcap), Yuuka Kazami...didn't look all that good.
"Come...just give me a goo-oooh, ooohh, AACHOO!" Yuuka sneezed loudly, and with that involuntarily yanked Weiss to the ground.
All of her face. He had really big hands, you know.
Done double of what she had just given to Kirito, Elly flew a good ten feet backwards, coming to a skidding halt on the polished tile. She was just about to get up, ready for more...which was about the time that her scythe came back like a spinning boomerang.
Her forehead caught the pole-end, and with that, Elly was de-hatted and therefore presumed dead. Or, she was just knocked out for the moment. Was there time to check, though? The way out was open!
She looked over at Yang and replied "Me chill out? I'm not the one that's gonna get cut in half! Can you ask him to please calm down for a moment, so maybe we can talk without that last part?"
And so, began the great exposition dump.
"The Great Hakurei Barrier. It's what separates this world from the Outside, and it's made so that it's hard to get in, and almost impossible to get out. I'm in charge of...well, you're sitting on its weakest point, so, if you're just gonna wander around trying to find it, that's good, right? Hakurei Barrier, Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Makes sense. I've only gotten to this dumb cat-infested ghost town that one of her lackeys keeps. Even I don't know where she lives along there."
"...Aren't you supposed to be the one protecting it?" Sumireko asked. "Why don't you know about something like that?"
"...Good point," Reimu admitted, before taking a drink of water. "Well...she and her own made the barrier, so they'd know more about it. Kinda hurts that they're the ones you're trying to get. And, yeah, the reason they made it is cause she can manipulate boundaries."
"You'd think that's a really vague description, yeah? 'Cause it's really, really broad. Boundary of fiction, boundary of time, boundary of life and death, boundary of here and there, yada yada, whatever, she's reaaaally, really annoying to deal with. Just changes stuff without asking for permission."
"And I'm surprised she didn't come here to gloat while I said that," Reimu finished.
She smiled, though it might seem like a little bit of an untrustworthy one. "It's a bit of an open secret about them. If the Tengu could ever control the human population, they could control all of us. Let's keep it at that."
Unfortunately, Anabel seemed like a bit more of the more usual human Mamizou had been interacting with. "Yeah...okay, let me spell it out for y'all. Tengu don't like tanuki. Tanuki don't like tengu. We both don't like each other, but we don't bother each other too much because we like it a little more peaceful. But you all aren't tanuki, right? It's plausible deniability. If they see you, you're just a bunch of strangers to them."
"Now, I'd like it if one of you made a decision for the group. Or, even yourself. Don't think you all need to agree on it, 'cause it's not like you need help reading something."
A silver-haired woman
◊ was apparently waiting for them as they walked out of the portal. She must have been patient, considering the snow that had piled upon her heavily-clothed shoulders. Why'd you keep her waiting for so long?
"Excuse me," she calmly asked, "but you must be those outsider people. Have you happened to see a little girl around here? Red eyes, pink clothing, and answers to Remilia?"
The elder sister walked off with her basket, leaving the younger, Aki, to happily answer. "Not the best time for us, of course, but today ain't that bad. A little less colder than usual. Do you want to buy something? We've got a lot of preserved sweet potatoes, and we're giving them by the bushel! Please!"
There was a definite note of desperation in that "please".
Kogasa stared dully at Lucifer, coaxing her own diseased mind to think about what was being asked of her. After a bit, she looked up with a faint smile. "You...want me to be your umbrella?"
"That's real thoughtful of you miss," she said laboriously, "but...you're not trying to just make me feel *sniff* better, or something? Or a prank? Did one of those Taoists set you up to this?"
"That is the attitude most suited for this kind of journey I'd say, Sir Knight," he said to his tiny robot master. "You can go, knowing that you will be helping those less capable than you. Good luck out there."
Outside of Town
Anabel bit her lip, thinking. The snippy woman had confirmed what she had suspected. The 'Tengu' and the 'Tanuki' were, effectively, rival gangs. They likely weren't actual criminal gangs, what with how this strange world's cities seemed so small, but it helped to imagine them as such. And outside of the International Police, rival gangs tended to hate each other the most. Sometimes enough to go out of their way to find excuses to battle each other."Alright, fine, you drive a hard bargain but we'll do it - you just better hold up to your end of the bargain," she said sternly. "Lucario, take the scroll."
The dog Pokémon walked up to Raccoon Lady, unflinching nerves of steel making her gaze right ahead at the tanuki as she reached out and grabbed the darned scroll everyone was so touchy about.
"We'll meet you after it's done - how about where that cozy shack was located before," Anabel continued. "Pop it back up so you can wait inside, and we'll be back as soon as we do it."
Whether or not they went through with it, having something to implicate the Tanuki would at least score them points with the Tengu if they wound up being the better of the two groups. And they could do some poking around to confirm if the sentret-woman was telling the truth all along. In either case, it would mean having a well-connected group's assistance in tracking down those umbrellas.
Mugenkan - Outside Front Door Area
"Sure thing!" Yang said happily to Kurumi. Still no sign of Weiss,"Hey uh... crap, I don't remember your name... did we even get introduced? Well whatever, can you let up on the girl, you're kinda overdoing it here?" She pivoted and took a step forward, then tapped the fingers from her right hand down the side of Guts's blade until they were right along the edge, just below where Kurumi's hands were clapped together on either side. Her bicep tensed nigh-imperceptibly under the metal and the sleeve that were keeping it hidden, and her fingers click-clacked as they made contact.
"I mean really, what's with that face you're making?" she asked. "You know you're supposed to eat fruits and vegetables, right?"
Hakurei Shrine
-Njal gives the newcomer an inquisitive look before returning to the important subject of umbrellas, while Toph grumbles indistinctly about wooden floors and the people who make them.-
Can your servant lead us to there? Should we expect a difficult battle in order to take it?