[Action]

[mokomanjuu]

[Mokona is running through the streets, screaming at the top of her lungs. It is not a playful scream. She's being pursued by a swarm of... things. They look sort of like mosquitoes and sort of like severed human heads with oozy appendages all over. They're also about the size of human heads. In other words, twice the size of Mokona. She's pretty fast, but so are they.]

Kyaa~!! Mokona's really scared! Someone come save Mokona!

Comments

[faithful_kitsune]

*Ran stares in shock at the oncoming swarm, the shopping basket dropping out of her hands.

Her brain starts working in overdrive. if x is traveling at a velocity of y, then an intercepting shot should --

She pulls out a series of shikigamis, flinging them around herself. Then, with careful precision, she begins to cast danmaku in a fashion that focuses more on the pursuers than the pursued.*

Mokona! Behind me! NOW!

[mokomanjuu]

[Mokona makes a last desperate dive to safety and slips into Ran's forest of tails. She's completely out of breath by now.]

[faithful_kitsune]

*Some of the creatures have been taken down by the shots, but more are coming.

Fine with her. She pulls out a card. It doesn't have as much impact as she remembers, for whatever reason -- perhaps for whatever explains that strange emptiness she feels -- but it should still cause some chaos.*

SHIKIGAMI "WIZARD FOX THOUGHTS!"

Cue a series of localized explosions of little green bullets.

[mokomanjuu]

[That's got most of them, but now there's another swarm coming in from the side.]

[faithful_kitsune]

Persistent wretches!

*Recalculating. Her mind works like a computer, figuring out the computational trajectories of everything involved. She flies higher, luring the bulk of them away from the main city, before pulling out yet another card.*

SHIKIGAMI'S RADIANCE "FOX-TANUKI YOUKAI LASER!"

A huge bullet shoots towards the crowd of creatures. Those who manage to dodge might find themselves caught off guard by the lasers that emit from it...

[mokomanjuu]

[Mosquito horrors fall from the sky like really gross rain. There's only a few stray survivors left buzzing around near the two in the air.]

[faithful_kitsune]

*From here, it's only a matter of a few precisely calculated shots. Her shikigamis move into position to ensure they can entrap and lead the survivors into her danmaku lines. That's enough cards for now.*

[mokomanjuu]

[And all is quiet, save for Mokona's hysterical whimpering.]

[faithful_kitsune]

Hush, Mokona. You're safe now. I've taken the creatures down.

*She begins to descend back to the ground.*

But... where on Earth did they all come from?

[mokomanjuu]

[Still not leaving those tails nope nope nope.]

Mokona doesn't know! Mokona was out in the park and all of a sudden, monsters were everywhere!

...Is Ran sure they're all gone?

[faithful_kitsune]

It seems so for now. This is a most curious -- oh!

*Ran seems to have spotted someone.*

[mokomanjuu]

Huh? What's happening? Is it something bad?

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen had simply followed the sound of screaming and then stopped short. Throughout this entire scrum he's simply stood there, gawping.]

[It he wasn't madly in love before, he certainly is, now.]

[faithful_kitsune]

*She descends finally once the last of the monsters have been shot down, and spots Shen.*

Goodness! How long have you been there, Shen? Are you all right?

[nomen_est_numen]

[His feathers fluff again. Drat this autonomic response!]

I'd... been here a short while. Followed the sound of screaming to see what was wrong... couldn't help seeing... my goodness, when did you remember how to do that? It was stunning!

[Someone's a bit impressed, it seems.]

[faithful_kitsune]

Ah... a while ago. It's not as powerful as I remember it being, however. I have not figured out why yet.

*She might be blushing a bit.*

[nomen_est_numen]

Perhaps there's a component to it that you haven't remembered yet... and the technique isn't complete without it? At any rate, it was quite impressive--

[He breaks off, seeing a bit of white poking out of Rans tails.]

Is... Mokona all right, in there? [He leans to one side as though to get a better look at the fuzzball, and blinks.]

[mokomanjuu]

[Mokona sticks her head halfway out.]

Mokona's all safe now. But Mokona doesn't want to come out.

[nomen_est_numen]

Ah. I shan't insist, then. You look rather... snug, all told.

[Lucky Mokona. Still, NOT THINKING SUCH THINGS. He's not a tail-waving youth any longer, after all. One must retain a measure of decorum. Let's change the subject, shall we?]

Any idea what those creatures were?

[faithful_kitsune]

I do not. I would say they could be a form of youkai, but it is hard to say. Perhaps I should consult with the scientists about this. They seem to, well, be better suited towards biological analysis than mages.

*She ponders this, then walks over, picking up her basket and carefully -- gingerly -- picking up the corpses of one of the horrible little things and placing it in.*

*sigh* This was such a nice basket too. I suppose I shall have to get a new one after all this.

[nomen_est_numen]

[He gingerly, almost hesitantly, reaches out to pat her shoulder with one wing. She seems so long-suffering at times.]

Perhaps I can find one like it. At any rate, d'you want me to maybe accompany you to the lab?