633/Kitsubaka: The Wreckening

Kitsubaka: The Wreckening
Date of Scene:	22 October 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	A Fragment of the Murasame Blade attacks a harvest market somewhere in Tokyo. Four mahou stop it.
Cast of Characters:	Hinata Muramasa, Kureha Senkenzan, Erika Shimizu, Veronica Perenna

---

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    There are plenty of autumnal markets at this time of year. A season of remembrance and thanks, for harvests, for living, for the passed. This one is in a well trodden area for foot traffic. Not many cars around this area, but plenty of bikes and scooters weaving around the foot traffic. Stalls are arrayed along both sides of the central boulevard, their owners hawking wares that range from snacks and cheap costume jewelery to high quality clothing and toys. The entire area, about two hundred meters in all, is practically choked with pedestrians.

    The air is buzzing with voices and laughter, families joking and discussing, friends meeting up and the stall owners calling out to passers-by.

    Within this throng, is an unassuming girl with straight black hair, and piercing green eyes. She's alone, or maybe has a bawdy blonde tagging along, as she browses the wares on offer.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    It's one of those situations where, if Chisa weren't her attendant for the day, Kureha Senkenzan probably wouldn't be here. But she is here - it's something she'd heard some students at school discussing, and decided she wanted to see for herself. And Chisa had been only too happy to oblige the young miss' curiosity about the outside world.

    In a comfy, light kimono, the ebon-haired girl wanders the market, looking at this and that with interest. She's focused enough on everything around her that, when she sees a familiar green-eyed girl in the near distance, the reaction is instant. Unfortunately, the reaction is 'freezing in place,' because she's caught between the recognition of a familiar face and her instinct to avoid being social with her peers. Chisa sees the reaction and, after a second of looking, spots the cause; but she decides to let her young charge sort it out for herself. There might be a soft smile, though.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    Hinata Muramasa DEFINITELY has a bawdy blonde tagging along with her. You see, where the sullen and quiet Muramasa heir goes? ERIKA SHIMIZU is following along, when it's not an inconvenience.
    "Hina, Hina how do I look?" The braided blonde asks holding up some clothes on a hangar in front of her while vying for Hinata's attention. It's a cute little shirt with skull and crossbones printed all over it.
    And then... THEN. She spies a familiar sight.
    "OH! KUREHA~. HI!" She calls out, heedless of Kureha's freeze.
    There's no avoiding this now, Kureha.
    N O E S C A P E

Veronica Perenna has posed:
Ah, the pleasures of stocking up on little beautiful trinkets you find in the occasional market that get set up around special events, where would the world be without you? A certain brunette is certainly overjoyed to make her way around them, exploring this and that. She can even stock up on some enticing spools of fabric that are being sold. Marvelous!

But, as in high spirits as she is, all of that takes the background when she spots a certain duo she recognises from her first heist in Japan. "Hello, nice to meet you again. Wonderful time going for markets, is it?" she bows towards the two of them. Of course, she realises the two of them would not recognise her, so she is equally here to repay an old insolence of her. "I am quite sorry for having let you two reveal your identities to me, and for running away without repaying the gesture. I am the the Princess of Sarek, thank you again for helping me that day", she declares enthusiastically.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Hinata is trying her level best to not feed Erika's ego, but those green eyes do look over and offer a little nod. "Very menacing." is all she replies... then those piercing eyes move to follow Erika's attention to Kureha.

    She is pretty much the opposite of the blonde, offering a little bow to the Senkenzan heir's frozen panic, before her attention is drawn to Veronica's arrival.

    The girl does feel familiar, somehow, which bring everything together when she introduces herself. The stoic face of the Muramasa scion doesn't react that much, but the recognition does register, and she offers a bow. "A pleasure to meet you."

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Oh. Oh god. Oh god she's been recognized.

    Kureha is able to maintain control over her reaction... mostly. There's still a little flinch at the sound of her name. "...ah." She's been spotted.

    Unable to feign ignorance at this point, the young scion of the Chikafuji family bends into a slight bow of greeting, then reluctantly begins to close the distance to what is now a trio of other girls. "...good afternoon," she finally greets, eyeing Erika warily.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    "M-menacing?!" Erika flat out whines at the assessment she's given. "It's totally cute!" She huffs, planting a hand on her hip and shooting Hinata an agitated look. "I like cute things, you know! You should see Davy! I just need to move his tank into our room when the teachers aren't around." She grumps before her attention shifts.
    For a moment she blinks at Veronica, but then realization sets in as soon as she hears 'Princes of Sarek' in that introduction.
    "OH! Hey yeah, it's you!" She says shooting a wave. Erika is not the bowing type it would seem, but that's neither here nor there as she grins. "How goes the heisting?"
    But then. Like a shark scenting blood on the water, she grins toothily at Kureha.
    "Didn't expect to see you today. But that's not a bad thing! It's always good to see a friend~."

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"I am Veronica Perenna. What have you been doing?", Veronica asks the group while she keeps checking the surrounding stall. A candy dish shaped like an autumn leaf catches her attention, the intricate details of the leaf's veins perfectly decorating the dish. And to top it all off, the prettiest Dark-eyed Junco is standing onto a side of that leaf. She absolutely has to have that one. She instantly pays for it and puts it in her bag.

"What is or is not menacing?" Veronica asks, curious as to the reason for the quarrel. "The heisting goes fine, thanks." She beams at Erika. "I have gathered a second one, though a ghost had already stolen before I got to it. It suited her, to be fair", she comments with an unbothered chuckle.

"Wonderful to meet someone else", Veronica adds looking at Kureha and bowing towards her. "Veronica Perenna", she repeats for her benefit.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Hinata offers a small smile to Kureha as she approaches. It's a tiny expression, but it reaches her entire face. "It is good to see you again." she offers the other ebon-haired girl.

    Erika and Veronica's interactions don't earn attention... though she does giggle faintly at Erika's indignance.

    Then, someone nearby, who was talking loudly, suddenly keels over and lands hard across the stall, followed quickly by the stall owner... The sudden wave of narcolepsy spreads, but doesn't seem to be an even thing. Some people notice before falling prey, most don't even register before they're overcome.

    Then, there's a cruel chuckle, and a flicker of nine flickers of foxfire that descend from above.

    Hinata's eye shoot upwards. "A fragment!"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Erika's greeting draws a somewhat sharp look from Kureha. "There is no one in this world who has yet earned the amount of trust necessary for me to call them a 'friend'," she replies to the girl, one corner of her lip quirking faintly, as if a frown were being restrained. Veronica is regarded with less wariness; a much more neutral response is offered, especially in light of the politeness. "Senkenzan Kureha, daughter of the Senkenzan and Chikafuji familites." Straightening up from the reflexive bow, she listens to the group quietly - until someone collapses.

    The instant it starts spreading, Kureha turns around and gives her attendant a sharp, worried order. "Chisa. Get to safety." She's already reaching for the necklace tucked into her kimono, frowning. "Muramasa, what is happening?" She seems like she recognizes whatever's going on, and it 'smells' different from Kureha's own youkai troubles.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    Erika is indignant! She's very indignant! She wanted to look cute, not menacing! Huff! Look she's huffing, practically stamping her foot!
    "This shirt!" She says, showing the shirt in question off to Veronica. "It's cute!" It's covered in skull and crossbone print. "Not menacing!"
    And then Kureha's absolute zero ice queen reply makes her wilt. "Geeze..." She huffs.
    But then people start dropping like flies.
    "Huh?" ... "Oh."
    "OH!"
    ... Realization hits.
    "*OH CARP!*"
    Immediately, the glinting gleam of a gold coin dances in Erika's fingers before she flips it into the air.

    "Under a black flag we sail and the sea shall be our empire! Take what you can! Give nothing back!" She declares and catches the coin.

    In an instant her clothes are replaced by her pirate regalia, complete with jaunty feathered cap and naval greatcoat as she braces for battle.
    "It's a shard of Hina's family blade, thingy. She's gotta collect 'em all, and they usually turn up like this." Jolly Roger gives Kureha the quick and dirty rundown.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
She looks at the shirt Erika is showing her. Oh, hmm... Perhaps if it were more cartoonified? As it is, the brunette would side with Hinata. But before Veronica can say any of that, she hears Hinata shouting about some fragment, and people start collapsing everywhere.

Not only that fire is descending too, what the heck!? There will be time for talking later, the priority now is of course transforming. Then they can start talking about that fragment, and what it means to the rain of fire and the collapsing people. Veronica doesn't hesitate at placing her right hand at about the height a breastpocket would be on her left side, and from there a rectangle of moonlight emerges before transforming into the calling card of the Phantom Thief.

"While the world is full of trouble and anxious in its sleep, the princess of moonlight does dance and leap." Veronica chants while holding the calling card and moonlight bathes her. When it dissolves, the Princess of Sarek stands there in her Victorian garb, top hat ready and steady on her head, and her trusty cane solidly in her hand.

"What's this about a fragment, Hinata?" The phantom thief hurriedly asks her after creating a prismatic barrier of moonlight to defend from the flames.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "Jolly-san has the right of it." replies Hinata, as she tugs a short fragment of metal from inside of her blouse. The clearly fractured metal making a segment of a greater whole. She clasps this in both hands, and recites a haiku, as sakura petals begin to swirl around her.

    "Good habitation
    A luminous, dark flame eats
    because of the sword"

    The Shadow Shogun appears out of the flurry of pink flower petals, just in time to clash swords with a fox-shaped warrior. Nine 'tails' tipped with that ghostly flame appear as the monster seems to 'melt' into view.

    "It's a fragment of the cursed spirit of the Murasame. It's feeding off these people but this one.... GHHRK!"

    She's sent flying backward, crashing through an open store doorway and toppling several shelves on impact.

    The kitsune-like youma turns on the others, grinning maliciously as its tails seem to 'wink' out, and a single-tailed version appears for each other magical girl.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    Annnnd Hina goes flying.
    "--Ah double carp!" Jolly Roger scowls as Shadow Shogun is launched into a nearby store and the monstrous kitsune youma beast turns its attention on the others.
    "I'll grab its attention!" Jolly Roger snaps, "You two lay into 'em!" That's a simple plan as even when the youma splits into multiples to deal with more than one opponent... Jolly Roger stands herself in the way of all three.
%She stomp's her foot once and drops into a crouch and... Starts to make ocean wave motions with her hands. Then she *HAULS* on an imaginary rope- first left, then right... Then she heaves invisible objects over her shoulders- first left then right- as she starts to sing. An old shanty. Japan's most well known ancient sea shanty in fact... With a bit of the old Erika Shimizu twist.

    o/` ~ "Heave, ho! Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Oh! Soran soran!
    Heave, ho! Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Oh! Soran soran!
    Yaren soran soran soran soran soran~. Yeah yeah!
    When I hear the chatter of the gulls on the open sea...
    I know I can't give up, it's a life of piracy for me! ~choi!
    Put your back into it crew! Let's go! Oh yeah! HEAVE HO! DOKKOISHO!" ~ o/`

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    "I see," Kureha replies, giving Erika a small nod. That pendant is already being pulled out from underneath her kimono - and it turns out to be a small, simple magatama pendant. One that looks very, very old. "Well, if it's going to cause trouble in a public place, then I'm going to have to take issue with it."

    Pulling the pendant from around her neck, Kureha holds the bead forward in her right hand; and in the same instant, her pupils draw upward and downward, pulling into slits, while fire begins to flow out of the magatama in a torrent.

    The wave of flames washes over Kureha, whirling, swirling, as if to burn away the human side of her. The fire creeps down her kimono, thickening the fabric, adding layers; it washes up her body, finding its way up to her forehead, where it flares outward, a pair of flame jets curling into thick horns. The fire dances along her fingers, drawing a set of sharp crimson talons where before there were none, and the green of the magatama bead has been turned to a bright red.

    The girl brings the bead up to her left temple, where it forms a clip in her hair as if from nothing. At the same time, her eyes shift in color, from a more bloody crimson to a brighter orange-red, the color of flames. "Rekka Saisei!" She brings her hand across, and gives her hair a flip - and the mere gesture causes one last sheet of fire along the underside of her hair, forming a red underlayer. The talons of her right hand are then drawn behind her back, the young ogre princess standing straight and regal. "Youkai Musume..." And then her left hand comes up, adopting a ready stance that almost looks beckoning.

        "...Onihime."

    Those crimson eyes meet the gaze of the single-tailed copy, steady and stern. "Just a single tail? Don't treat me so lightly. My blood comes all the way from Mount Ooe. You-"

    ...

    Onihime stares at Jolly Roger. "Is... that the Soran Bushi...?" Blink. Blink blink.

    Wait no! Don't space out! This is a fight!

    Remembering herself, Kureha lunges in, both arms now out and ready to swing big, powerful punches at anything distracted by the classic fisherman's song.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"Shadow Shogun!" Veronica shouts as Hinata is thrown away away. She isn't certainly going to worry about names now. Instead the magical girl with hair of moonlight tries to jump after her, but she is soon impeded by the youma responsible summoning more of its kind (or of itself? Maybe they are clones since tails have disappeared from the creature's body).

"Roger, Roger!" Veronica replies a mit mischievously to Jolly as she agrees to the plan. Hinata was armoured when struck, so she believes everything is alright with her and she will soon appear again.

"Friend of flame who uses sleep for nefarious ends, try these beams of moonlight to fend!" Veronica adds (unneccessary) poetry to it, the aforementioned ray emerging from the illuminated sphere on her cane's handle, multiple of them going ahead to strike any of the demons that aren't already being taken care of by others.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Taunt Successful. All the Tail Spirits turn on Erika, lashing out with spectral swords at the Dread Pirate. The spirits aren't exactly tactical geniuses, the trio advancing and slashing almost robotically.

    Onihime transforms! Then nearly gets distracted by the same taunt as the Spirit Copies. However her will is stronger than that and she launches at the single tail copies with claws and fire. One falls quickly, but is quickly replaced, sa the flame flickers and seems a bit dimmer, then the body re-forms and resumes attacking.

    Veronica adds some stylish flair to the affairs, laserbeaming the clone bodies and causing them to burst much like the one Onihime dealt with... the body once again re-forming as its associated flame seems dimmer.

    The main body, with six-flames still hanging around it, slowly circles around the fight, heading toward where Shadow Shogun was flung... seeming to be going for the finishing blow. It gets about a quarter of the way there, before it jolts and a resonant CLANG of metal on metal echos out. Shadow Shogun has returned to the fight and is clashing blades with the monsterous kitsune-like monster. "This one is able to clone itself as long as it has those foxfires! Destroy them and we can beat it!" she continues after being rudely interrupted earlier.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    "Har har! A discernin' one aintcha? Aye, it be Japan's oldest shanty!" Jolly Roger replies to Onihime as the trio come at her. She ducks, she weaves, she heaves imaginary rope to dodge as they charge her with their spectral blades, several cuts and lacerations showing on her greatcoat. ... But there's no blood.
    Jolly Roger tends to not bleed, after all, as she stamps her feet to hold the reforming fox spirit's attention after Onhime and the Princess of Sarek lay into it.
    "That's right! That's right, dance with me." She cackles while continuing her song.

    o/`~"Heave, ho! Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Soran soran!
    Heave, ho Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Soran soran!
    Yaren soran soran soran soran soran~. Yes yes!
    Boss, I tell you, the size of this chest of booty,
    is different from all the others. And it's all MINE. ~choi!
    Put your back into it boys! Let's go! Oh yeah! HEAVE HO! DOKKOISHO!"~o/`

    As she stomps her feet again, this time a cannon drops out of her greatcoat, as though it simply fell out of an inside pocket. Setting her boot on the cannon to adjust its aim and blow away another copy so the others can get to the main fox spirit and its foxfire.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    It's a fierce, steady, surprisingly graceful onslaught. There's a certain subconscious technique to the way Onihime moves, the battle instincts of an oni melding with the natural poise of a rich family's daughter to make something powerful, regal. But against a phantom opponent like the Spirit Copies, it's less than effective. Not when they can just reform.

    But Hinata has some guidance. "The Foxfire," Kureha echos, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "...I see."

    Her clawed right hand stops slashing and smashing, and instead snaps out in a grab. She intends to grab one of the fox clones; if she can get ahold of it, the next step is to swing it back, and attempt to smash it straight into one of the foxfire orbs. And with her inhuman strength, that's a very forceful smash indeed.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
The Princess of Sarek sighs when the youma reforms its clones. It was to be expected it wouldn't have been that easy. Her beams of moonlight have precisely fended through the dark creatures, and here they are back as now. "Dearies now, has nobody taught you to stay out of the way when your presence isn't welcome?"

Time to try something else then while Jolly is still taunting for them. At least the Shogun is back with them now. "Glad to have you back, Shogun!" Veronica smiles at her ally. She is about to say that these things reform when the Shogun is faster than her, and not only reveals she already knew that, but that unless they deal with the foxfire, nothing will change.

"Alright, Shogun, thanks for the tip!" Veronica grins, as she puts her can under her arm and starts trying to dodge and run any of the clones. If she makes it there, she repeats the same beams of moonlight, this time directed at the floating flames.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    The main body snarls as Hinata gives away its weakness. It doubles its efforts to try and overpower the smaller samurai.
    That's when its first flame goes out, beaten by the overwhelming strength of an Oni. It yowls, its form flickering as it loses strength.

    The Princess thene laser beams another flame, snuffing it out and making the monster lose one of its swords, knocking it off balance and allowing Hinata to break its guard and slash through another flame.

    The fragment construct looks about ready to flee, its form starting to 'melt' back into invisibility.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    Oh look at that. Shadow Showgun announces its weakness and it tries to run.
    "Oh no ye don't!" Jolly Roger declares as she draws a flintlock musket and takes aim, unleashing a well-aimed shot to try and hamstring the beast.

    o/`~"Heave, ho! Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Soran soran!
    Heave, ho! Dokkoisho! Heave, ho! Dokkoisho!
    Soran soran!
    Yaren soran soran soran soran soran~. Yes yes!
    I asked a seagull today 'who's rules the seven seas?'
    And she replied 'Just E~ri~ka~!' ~choi!
    Put your back into it girls! Let's go! Oh yeah! HEAVE HO! DOKKOISHO!"~o/`

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    After smashing apart one of the foxfires, Onihime draws herself up, assessing the battlefield. More flames are being smashed, and more importantly, the main body looks like it's preparing to flee. "Retreat shall not be permitted," the horned girl states, her tone full of iron. "You started this, now you'll finish it."

    She doesn't lunge; she's never been that fast, and she never will be. Instead, she swings her leg upward, an impossibly high kick, foot brought straight up for just a fraction of a heartbeat - and then she slams that leg downward, bringing the inhuman strength of the oni to bear in an axe kick turned to a stomp. A stomp that creates a buckling shockwave through the ground, aimed at disrupting the fragment's very footing.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"Trying to run away now?" Veronica smirks, looking at the fading form of the demon in front of her. "Lke we will allow that. You wanted to hurt innocents. It's only fair game we do the same to you."

The cane of the Princess starts shimmering, shining lights appearing all over its length. The demon is still trying to fade away, so Veronica tosses a well-aimed punch in the direction it was just then, before swinging the cane wide in a movement that releases the shimmering lights outwards like a fog that quickly spread through the area. The power of this fog is to reveal what is concealed, so with this the Princess is confident the youma's little trick has just been foiled.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Jolly Roger shoots true, and the Fragment's leg buckles... its cloak is disrupted as it's forced to a knee.

    Onihime stomps hard enough to make the world shake, and the Construct topples onto its side, dropping its other blade and scrabbling with claws to try and crawl away.

    The Princess of Sarek pins the thing down, its cloak completely negated, revealing the black fur, the burning yellow eyes, and a sliver of metal embedded in its forehead.

    Hinata sees the opening, sheathing her sword and taking a stance. Eyes close and her breath slows, becoming measured as she seems to count.
    In.
    Out.
    In.
    Out.

    In. Eyes flash open, and she steps forward. The air around the fallen Fragment seems to rend asunder, a thousand fracturers appearing as the air itself seems to shatter like a dropped mirror.

    "The Approaching Storm,
    Shakes the World to its core.
    Flames Extinguished."

    She kneels, slowly sliding her katana back into its sheath, clicking it in with the final sylable of her haiku.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    The rends close. The monster is sundered into dregs of black smoke, and the fragment clinks almost daintily to the ground.

    The miasma that seems to have permeated the area begins to thin and fade away.
    Hinata picks up the fragment, and looks around. "We should leave before they begin to waken." she says, cradling her prize like it might shatter and vanish.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Through their combined efforts, they prevent the creature - the fragment - from fleeing. Hinata has her chance, and she takes it, with a beautiful display of iaijutsu.

    Kureha finally allows her stance to relax, and draws her leg back. Her posture becomes upright, formal, hands folded in front of herself; but she tilts her head with slight bafflement at Hinata. "Why don't we just transform back and feign ignorance? If we pretend to be among those affected, they'll be none the wiser and we can continue whatever business we all may have had here."

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    With the fox spirit handled, Jolly Roger simply tosses her spent musket aside, where it dissolves into seafoam and sparkles as soon as it hits the ground.
    "Har... That be a good idea, Onihime has the right of it." She's all for faking it to make it, but she does approach Hina, gently setting a hand on her shoulder.
    "... Yer alright, right?" She asks, voice laden with concern. That was a solid blow that she had taken at the start of the fight and all.

Veronica Perenna has posed:
"How are you feeling, Shogun? You took a tough blow then", Veronica asks after the other girl recovers the fragment. "And what is going to happen once you have all the fragments."

"We need to check they are going to recover well" is the Princess of Sarek's immediate concern when Hinata mentions they should bail. And Onihime proposes to stay too, albeit for reasons different from hers. These people just got hit by a magic attack, who knows what other effects it might have that might be difficult to identify while unconscious.

"If we really need to make a break for it, we are fast enough to do so even if they are awake", she gives a reminded. "So I think we should stay to make sure they are fine." What is the worst they could do? Badmouth them? She is the proof that isn't particularly effective, since it hasn't hindered her normal life any.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Hinata, after the others make the cases for staying, to make sure the civvies are alright, to continue what they were doing, sighs and nods. "My apologies, I... I am still getting used to having allies other than Jolly-san."

    She stands, after patting Jolly Roger's hand reassuringly, and detransforms.

    Before she tucks the composed fragment pendant back into her blouse, she holds up the new chunk to it. The assembly emits a soft golden glow and the new piece lifts up to slot in with the others and locks into place as if it was always there.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    As if a flame were being suddenly snuffed out, the transformation of Onihime wisps away on the wind, leaving behind only Kureha Senkenzan. There is a pause, awkward and thoughtful, before she replies to Hinata, "...a feeling I'm rather familiar with, recently." The closest to commiserating she'll get, really, but that alone says a lot. "If there is nothing any of you need from me, however, I would like to go confirm that Chisa is unharmed."

Veronica Perenna has posed:
Veronica presumes the Shogun is fine since she didn't actually report anything after her question, so she goes to check for the people that got struck by the youma's spell. "I am going with you", she tells Onihime. Well, not like she could go anywhere else, since they have the same destination.

Time to get to work for Veronica. There are many people to check, a whole market's worth of them... This is going to take a while.