2026-08-15: The Curse of the Colonel
- Log: The Curse of the Colonel
- Cast: Colonel Penguin (as the Colonel), Lisa Silverman, Suzume Fukura, Jun Kashihara, Katsuko Yoshinaga, Isabeau Fontaine, Kazusa Motojima, Umie Akabane, Shinobu Shimizu, Shiryuu Ryouhara, Goro Akechi
- Where: Aoba - Main
- OOC Date: August 15, 2026
- IC Date: December 25, 2012
- Summary: Once upon a time in Sumaru City fans of the home team, the Sumaru Demons, got a little rowdy after a game and cast a certain franchise mascot's statue into the Tanabata river. Now, a rumor has been spread that the statue has returned- with a vengeance! Woe be unto any couple caught out on Christmas Day, especially those celebrating as is traditional- with Fried Chicken.
<Pose Tracker> Colonel Penguin has posed.
It's a balmy Christmas Day. Despite it being a white Christmas with a fresh layer of snow on the ground, it's not too cold outside, nor is there much of a breeze. It makes for a magical day to spend with someone special, for in Japan, it is considered a romantic holiday. One, which you enjoy over Fried Chicken, or perhaps Christmas Cake.
In the early evening, however, the Aoba district of Sumaru City's silence is broken by- music? Could it be Christmas Carolers? A local Catholic Church singing hymns?
No, it's a someone whistling in a minor key, some kind of jingle? Unfamiliar to most, unless you were alive in the early eighties. It bears a pregnant menace of sorts, one which all within Sumaru City can hear.
A woman bites into the Christmas Chicken she's eating with her sweetheart, and suddenly has to run to the restroom as her stomach gurgles a little too loudly. A man strolling with his girlfriend slams into a street lamp, his nose crunching from the immediate fracture, forcing the two to divert to the hospital. A high school girl leans in for the kiss and sneezes right in the face of their boyfriend, ruining the moment.
Kids throwing snowballs at the park, find the packed snow contains another surprise, rocks. Rocks that no one put in there. As one kid falls victim to this snowball foul, crying, the only thing louder than their sobbing remains that whistling.
A car slams into the enormous Christmas Tree stationed outside of Aoba Way, causing it to fall over, as the street is suddenly blocked by the three car pileup that follows. More and more events happen to so many people throughout the city.
Chaos erupts, as misfortune blooms in Sumaru City. And in the middle of the maelstrom of unlucky happenings, is a statue that looks as if it must be made of plastic. A genteel Southern American Gentleman, features worn away in part by the elements. With each step, the tap of a cane punctuates louder than his hollow steps.
"Did you think ah had forgotten, people of Sumaru? Did you think ah had forgiven?" He pronounces, through a suddenly animated mouth, his dialect, a strong Kansai accent, "Just because you finally retrieved me from the watery tomb you consigned me to does not mean my fury has abated."
Decades ago, fans of the Sumaru Demons got a little rowdy after a major victory, and threw a statue of a popular Fried Chicken Chain's founder into the Tanabata River. Ever since then, the team hasn't won- a single championship. Indeed, it hasn't even made it there.
It was whispered for years that it was the 'Curse of the Colonel' upon them. Three years ago, a concerted effort was made to find it, raise him out of the river, and place an omamori talisman of warding upon said statue to break the curse.
There is no omamori around his neck now.
"Tonight, this power of mine reaches its zenith. Ah'll show each of you that revenge is a dish best served... CHICKEN FRIED!"
He raises his arms high, still bearing the cane, and the streets erupt with walls of flame.
OOC Notes: Tonight, there is an epidemic of bad luck all across Sumaru City. The initial csys attack represents this curse of bad luck upon your character. Describe some bad luck event that occurs while making your way to this fight. For characters outside of Sumaru City, it will be inflicted the moment you enter, so describe it anyway!
You may come in swinging.
AS: Colonel Penguin has readied for combat as Demon Rumor: Curse Of The Colonel! They are now fully healed! Ready for 9 opponents! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Almighty skill The Curse Of The Colonel on Isabeau Fontaine, Jun Kashihara, Katsuko Yoshinaga, and Kazusa Motojima! | Pressure: Colonel Penguin gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Almighty skill The Curse Of The Colonel on Lisa Silverman, Shinobu Shimizu, Shiryuu Ryouhara, and Suzume Fukura! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Almighty skill The Curse Of The Colonel on Umie Akabane! AS: Avoid Worst! Kazusa Motojima takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Blast (Magic and Block Penalized!) and Spd_Dn (Avoid Penalized!) added! AS: Take! Isabeau Fontaine takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Paralyze (Physical and Avoid Penalized!), Rage (Weapon Attack and Incoming Damage Up!), and Atk_Dn (Damage down!) added! AS: Mind Up! Jun Kashihara's SP +8! AS: Avoid Neutral! Jun Kashihara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Rage (Weapon Attack and Incoming Damage Up!) and Spd_Dn (Avoid Penalized!) added!
AS: Block Neutral! Shinobu Shimizu takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Haze (Physical and Block Penalized!) and Def_Dn (Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Haze (Physical and Block Penalized!) and Spd_Dn (Avoid Penalized!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Umie Akabane takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Blast (Magic and Block Penalized!), Charm (Attacker or Ally takes Damage!), and Def_Dn (Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Pain (Attacker takes damage on healing and PL 0 attacks!), Poison (Damage on end of turn!), and Def_Dn (Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Take! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Crt_Dn (Critical down!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's The Curse Of The Colonel. | Paralyze (Physical and Avoid Penalized!), Rage (Weapon Attack and Incoming Damage Up!), and Crt_Dn (Critical down!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa Silverman is not having a great day. Oh, the snow is beautiful, but the person she wants to see on Christmas she can't today...
...And while she was having a nice time with a few fans, it went--poorly. She put on a little show for the fans who'd gathered, and promptly stepped on the ice, whirled, and fell straight on her butt in a very embarrassing moment. That would've been bad enough, except--
Her phone screen cracked!! She'll have to get a new one...
Misfortune blooms, and Lisa suffers similar bad luck as she goes. By the time she arrives to see the statue, her white coat is dirty, her boots are icy, and her mood is foul.
"You--"
Fire. Fire everywhere! Aaaah!
"I."
"Don't."
"Even."
"LIKE CHICKEN!"
Lisa shouts with rage as she charges the Colonel outright. She winds up, coils her muscles--
and PUNCHES for the Colonel's face outright!!
"I LIKED THIS COAT!"
AS: Weapon! Lisa Silverman has used the Strike skill Dragon Knuckle on Colonel Penguin! 2 Hits! | Aggression: Lisa Silverman gains 1 Limit!
AS: Counter Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 63 Strike damage from Lisa Silverman's Dragon Knuckle. | COUNTER! Lisa Silverman takes 61 Strike damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 63 Strike damage from Lisa Silverman's Dragon Knuckle. | COUNTER! Lisa Silverman takes 61 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume came to Aoba on Christmas Day, there to meet up with -
Well, no. Scratch that.
Suzume had planned to come to Aoba on Christmas Day, there to meet up with Reiya for traditional fried chicken and then to the popular Aoba Park. (Why didn't they just come together? you ask. The answer was that it kind of ruins the point if they spend an hour with each other on transit first, doesn't it?)
That was the plan, anyway. But instead, Suzume is here, by herself, in black pants and a dark purple shirt she probably bought because it's almost the exact same colour as her hair and a jacket, typing on her phone.
> what do you mean the transit's late
> oh, that's not so bad if it's just mechanical issues
> so half an hour
Reiya was unfortunately delayed on one of his transit legs and had to be moved onto the next one, which was not expecting another wave of passengers, which means he's *actually* on the one after that and is now running about thirty minutes late. Not the end of the world, but enough to annoy Suzume. Not at him, at train transfers.
"This sucks," Suzume says, as she sits on a bench near the outskirts of Aoba Park, setting her bag down between her legs.
About two minutes later, a car swerves the Christmas tree she was looking at, forcing Suzume to throw herself into the bushes rather than be the possible target of a tree chain reaction, as the CHristmas tree topples other things nearby.
---
Very shortly, an incandescently angry Suzume stomps out. She has dead leaves and broken twigs in her hair, a couple brown brambles stuck to her jacket and shirt (which probably accounts for the 'absolutely furious' part), an Evoker in one hand and a pair of what look like black metal tonfa, one in her other hand and one tucked in her armpit so she can hold the Evoker.
"I knew I should never come to Sumaru again without being armed! Every time I come here shit happens!" Suzume tries to brush some of the brambles off but only manages in scraping her hand; she's going to have to pick them out more slowly than that.
"You leave me out of this! I have nothing to do with the Sumaru Demons!"
Suzume holds up one other thing held between her fingers, pressed up against the Evoker: a keychain. Or, at least, the charm for a keychain. There's no keys on it. This is brand new. It also has a very different mascot on it: an adorable tiger wielding a bat.
As fire erupts, Suzume fires her Evoker, and Atalanta appears above her, her lionskin cloak billowing as she fires a shower of arrows at the Colonel!
"I'M A TIGERS FAN, YOU ASSHOLE!"
AS: Persona! Suzume Fukura has used the Pierce skill Arrow Rain on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! | Pressure: Suzume Fukura gains 1 Limit!
AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 18 Pierce damage from Suzume Fukura's Arrow Rain. Critical Hit! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 41 Pierce damage from Suzume Fukura's Arrow Rain. AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 14 Pierce damage from Suzume Fukura's Arrow Rain.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
As that minor key whistle resounds through Sumaru City, Jun is racing through the snowy streets as quickly as he safely can. After celebrating Christmas with his family, and his parents leaving to have a romantic date on their own, he'd browsed the Dark Side of Sumaru for any current rumors. There'd been some revived talk about the Curse of the Colonel that he'd paid little attention to--not when he saw a thread from a Sevens student entitled, 'Candid Suou-senpai Photos!!!!!'
In that thread there were a few blurry photos of what was nonetheless a tall, brown-haired man in red motorcycle leathers, looking over his shoulder, not far from Aoba Way.
It's Christmas--a time of miracles... a time of love. Perhaps Jun simply can't help himself when it's been so long since he's seen him last. He grabs his coat, thrusts on his shoes, and is out the door.
As accidents take place and chaos reigns, Jun spots the back of a brunet is red, reaches out to grab him by the shoulder--
"Tatsuya!!" he utters, pale face flushed.
The man turns around.
It is not Tatsuya.
It is, in fact, a grouchy-looking, bulldog-faced middle-aged man with stubble and a vaguely a similar haircut. "Whaddaya want, kid?" he demands around a cigarette, puffing out smoke with every word.
Jun rears back. The cigarette smoke alone does it, but it's far from the only reason. "M-my apologies. I thought you were someone else," he stammers, still red-faced, but now for a different reason.
The man skulks off. Jun breathes a deep sigh and settles on a nearby bench to stare mournfully up at the sky.
*SCREEEEEECRASH*
He whirls around as a car slams into the nearby Christmas tree, jaw agape. A pile-up follows soon after. As he watches, astonished, more and more chaos unfolds, and a statue of the Colonel himself moves and makes his declarations of vengeance to the air...
"...is this your doing...?"
Jun rises to his feet, hands trembling in fists, as he turns towards the cursed master of fried chicken. Lisa, nearby, declares she doesn't even like fried chicken--ironic, considering her school's grade's Christmas Village event--but her decision to inflict immediate, decisive violence on the statue is reacted to with a flare of light all around the youth's feet. It synchronizes neatly with Suzume's own summoning, though it takes on a different nature than a rain of arrows.
"I," he declares as Argeiphontes arises above him, "WILL NOT FORGIVE THIS!!"
The snow billows as the gold-armored Persona points his caduceus at the Colonel and casts gale-force winds to rip towards him!
AS: Persona! Jun Kashihara has used the Wind skill Dangerous Garula on Colonel Penguin!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
While most would have found Christmas to be a time of joy, Katsuko found it to simply be a cavalcade of terrible things, each happening just long enough after the other to make sure the wounds were still fresh. Whether it was a new Homunculus rearing its ugly little head, her plans for the holidays being interrupted for yet another time, or all of her backup plans being scuppered since they required another person to attend with, there was simply no way to escape things going wrong. Christmas Day itself only served to sprinkle another helping of salt into the wound.
Her father had left her a present. It was, in all regards, a wonderful and well-thought out present. Lovingly wrapped in paper that held a delightful pattern, the box contained an imported set of miniatures that had not yet been released in the country - not widely, at least. Not widely enough that she could have procured it without significant expense. It provided little comfort, given that she could not talk to him about it in person, nor call him for the vast majority of the day, but she was nonetheless overjoyed that he'd gotten it for her.
However, there was one small problem. And it was a big one.
The paint she needed for it had all sold out in the shops near her, and as far as she could tell, a store on the edge of Aoba was the closest possible location that held it. Her information had been correct, and she'd paid no small amount of money to acquire it... which made it all the more galling when a car rushed through a puddle the very moment she exited the store, and made her way into the area proper to grab something to drink. The coat could be washed, and the indignity gotten over, but it only took one look at the spilled paints to know what damage had been done. There was no salvaging the dregs either - filthy water had diluted it all, and left her with little more than pots of sodden plastic.
It was hard to tell how Grim felt with just a glance. Her face was shrouded in silver or darkness, with one half layered in shade, and the bottom clung to by the rictus grin of a half-skull mask. SEven as she felt the fire lick at her costume and the heat seep beneath the supernatural fabric, she advanced from the shadows, revealing herself while she sized up her opponent. She could feel it sapping her strength, and the haze disoriented her aim, but she still brought her rifle to bear was little more than professional. Yet, when she spoke, there was venom in her voice, and a chill to her words, like a shard of ice was lodged in her heart.
"Your sins are unforgivable, and you shall face judgement for them tonight. Dantes - send this bargain bucket barbarian back into the river."
A man wreathed in shadowy fog emerged from behind her, and with a flourish of his sabre, sent a surge of roiling flame forward to engulf the accursed colonel.
AS: Persona! Katsuko Yoshinaga has used the Fire skill Hell to Your Doorstep on Colonel Penguin! | Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 45 damage from Stress! | Ruin: Katsuko Yoshinaga gains 1 Limit!
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
A Christmas date in Sumaru...
... it had been going fine, for a while. They were even having a walk in the park after a nice date which had, admittedly, involved Yasushi Fujihide shaming Isabeau over eating too much again.
But then --
-- that heavyset boy has pinned Isabeau against a tree, somewhere they think is discreet, and it's certainly a forceful overture from a distance, until
"SHIT!" Yasushi yells, as he pulls his hand back from the tree, sharply. "I got bit!"
"Eeeuh?!" Isabeau jumps away from the tree, swiping at her shoulders. "Get it off, get it off!! Aaaaaieeeee!!!"
"What's with you?!" Yasushi yelps, as he cradles his hand.
"I--I cannot stand spiders--!!" Isabeau wails, as she clambers away.
"HEY--!!" Yasushi yells after her, but she's gone.
But there, as she flees...
... is the Colonel.
"You are joking to me," Isabeau pulls out of her phobic panic to stare.
"MIELIKKI!" She invokes, furiously, as she takes a vial from her belt with her free hand, crushing it in her grasp. The bronze weaves over her, blue flames erupting from the ignition, changing her as they burn.
No longer is she dressed like a sporty girl -- but clad in Victorian garb, a longcoat hanging off of one arm, a bronze vest across her chest, a belt with so many pouches and vials attached as it keeps up her trousers. There's a targe strapped to one arm; the other grasps her spear.
And she is still, elementally, Isabeau.
She's just in time to bear the strain of those flames. She twirls her spear, as she leaps from the street to the top of a car, fuming angrily. "I -- I was on a /date!/" She yells, angrily. "I did not /need/ an /interruption! I was /fine!/ You... you /embarrassed/ me!!"
As a little blue wasp-winged fairy rises up behind her, with oversized bear claws from the pelt draped over her and a golden dress, Isabeau yells: "I WILL CRUSH YOU!"
You know what that means:
It's time for first round Megido, that Almighty fury which explodes like a little star.
AS: Persona! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Almighty skill Megido on Colonel Penguin! | Defense: Isabeau Fontaine gains 1 Limit!
AS: Block Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 144 Wind damage from Jun Kashihara's Dangerous Garula. Critical Hit! Weak! | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) added!
AS: Counter Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 128 Fire damage from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Hell to Your Doorstep. Critical Hit! Resist! | Def_Dn (Block Penalized!) and Spd_Dn (Avoid Penalized!) added! | COUNTER! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 89 Fire damage in return for her attack! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 134 Almighty damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Megido.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa... doesn't really have anybody to spend the day with. Not in that way, at least. She did, however, spend a nice morning with her brother Kazuhiro.
They'd set up a table in Kazusa's studio so Kazuhiro could work on his own projects. (Well, Kazuhiro had sdone most of the heavy lifting, considering.) And they'd exchanged gifts. That part was nice.
But then she'd settled in to try and work at her Quintic tablet, and the battery for the stylus had died. Being near Akiba, this normally wouldn't be a problem.
The shop was out of stock. But they had a store in Aoba, and they could have them set it aside for her to pick up, perhaps?
So Kazusa was already in a bad mood when she stepped off of the train platform. And on her way she tried to stop to help someone affected by bad luck, only to get casually pushed aside into a lamp post as the person runs off. "Augh! Oh come on!" she objects to the universe through gritted teeth, deciding to cut into the park to try and stay out of any more trouble. Or more reasos to be limping around.
And there she witnesses Isabeau being pinned by her date. There's no way she allows that, right?
... Well, that's not how she predicted Isabeau would get out, but that works? She decides to go after Isabeau, only to find... a living, angry statue. Kazusa stares at it in disgust, and then sighs. "... Ugh."
She /was/ dressed in a bright red dress with white fur trims and lace, with a hooded cloak draped over her shoulder. But as a butterfly drifts by her, she lashes out at it with a whip, dispersing it to sparkles that reform into a floating, half-vampire/half-human woman. And flames surge up her form, replacing the red dress with a circlet, purple tunic and skirt, and a black, starry cloak.
And the silver eyes, fangs, wolf ears and tail. Can't forget those.
She wincse as she feels the sharp ache in her back. "Mina! Masukukaja!" Mina raises her healthy right hand, and the spell's blessing falls on herself, Jun, Shiryuu, and Lisa to help ease their movements.
She glances aside to Isabeau. "... You know what today is, right? I seriously can't believe you agreed to go on a date with Fujihid on today of all days."
AS: Persona! Kazusa Motojima has used the Almighty skill Masukukaja on Kazusa Motojima, Jun Kashihara, Shiryuu Ryouhara, and Lisa Silverman! | Support: Kazusa Motojima gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Almighty damage from Kazusa Motojima's Masukukaja. | Spd_Up (Avoid Improved!) added!
AS: Take! Kazusa Motojima takes 0 Almighty damage from Kazusa Motojima's Masukukaja. | Spd_Dn removed!
AS: Take! Jun Kashihara takes 0 Almighty damage from Kazusa Motojima's Masukukaja. | Spd_Dn removed!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
===YEARS AGO===
'You're such a contradiction... You break up with him, and now, you want him back.'
As Mai-chan's sweet voice rang in her ear, Umie watched as Kaito, her former boyfriend of a few polite, dreamy months, clasped the hand of their classmate: the athletic, soft-spoken Sakoto a distance ahead.
'It's only, what, a week or two, since that breakup? I guess he didn't love you all that much...'
"I did it for his protection," Umie mumbled beneath her breath.
'I guess it'll be another Christmas, alone...'
===NOW===
..... Maybe, there is a reason why Umie is never allowed to have a date for Christmas, if this was going to be the outcome.
".... Bad luck..." Umie murmurs, as she looks around with a distanced, muted sort of horror, as she hold her bucket of fried chicken, freshly made. "Bad luck, everywhere..."
At least she got here early, so that she could stand in line at the FCC.
Her phone beeps; shifting her bucket of chicken under one arm, she opens it.
Shiryuu's running late.
Tapping a message for him to 'stay there' with the abstract reasoning of 'bad luck, supernatural, badbad', a screech of car tires draws Umie's attention up.
As a car swerves to avoid another in the rapidly escalating car wreck, it momentairely is pointed towards Umie there on the sidewalk, before the driver thankfully corrects himself.
However, as it zooms by, it launches a wave of wet, slate-colored snow, splattering all over the blonde's nice clothing, shoes, hair, and phone, giving her bucket of chicken a coating of asphlat flavored wet.
As the screen of her long-suffering phone goes blank, Umie looks up to see...
.... the colonel, his aura bathing the streets with red fire like he was a supervillain from one of those animes Shiryuu would mention.
"....." So that's why she's feeling hot right now....
Some days, in order to play into the role of the Badb in mythology, Umie would make a point of amping up the drama of a bad omen descending on an opponent in their prime.
*drip* *drip* "*achoo!*'
Nope. Hearing someone like _Jun_ raise his voice is something Umie cannot beat, nor is she someone in the mood of being theatrical in any sense of the word, right now.
"Fuck you and your stupid goatee to hell, you shitty piece of cheap plaster! YOU'RE RUINING MY FIRST CHRISTMAS DATE!"
Cue shrieky crow lady Persona, pointing claw, and a hollow pain in Umie's gut.
Yeah, that hurt, but it hurt _real good_ to get that out of her system.
AS: Persona! Umie Akabane has used the Dark skill Bad Moon Rising on Colonel Penguin! | Umie Akabane takes 45 damage from Stress!
AS: Charm results in party damage! Umie Akabane takes 90 damage! | Ruin: Umie Akabane gains 1 Limit!
AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 0 Dark damage from Umie Akabane's Bad Moon Rising . Weak! | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) and Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Christmas! A holiday for romance! It's something Shinobu hasn't thought about in a while, but... 'Tis the season, right?
...Well, that was the idea, she got to talking with someone and it seemed like it was going great - they had a date planned for the day of and everything.
But - they got there and the tables were full. And even when they did get seated, their orders got mixed up with someone else's, which would've been fine if her date wasn't allergic...
And then the restaurant lost power before their orders could be remade, and that was the last straw that got the whole thing declared maybe a sign from above and called off.
Needless to say, Shinobu's Christmas day is pretty wrecked by now, and she walks the streets of the Aoba district, silently fuming with her hands in her coat pockets.
She should've taken that job tonight after all. At least she would've gotten paid for this.
...At least it seems like she isn't the only one having a rough day. Things seem pretty chaotic today. Wait, actually... she hears a man's voice rising above the commotion. Not forgotten, not forgiven...
...Wait.
Wait.
Of course this was going to happen. She's an 80s kid. She remembers. Of all the rumors to come to life...
...Chicken-fried revenge...
She never did get to eat - that just reminds her that she's still hungry - and that turns her frustration with the night's events into anger.
"...You picked the wrong night, old man. I was just looking for a punching bag." Shinobu says, and charges. She brought her duffel bag with her, thankfully - so she draws out her staff and rushes him down, jabbing it toward the statue.
It looks like there are other people here, too... but she'll acknowledge them once the initial rush wears off.
AS: Weapon! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Jab Flurry on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! | Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit!
AS: Counter Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 57 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. Critical Hit! | COUNTER! Shinobu Shimizu takes 47 Strike damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Best! Colonel Penguin takes 25 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. | COUNTER! Shinobu Shimizu takes 32 Strike damage in return for her attack!
AS: Counter Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 57 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. Critical Hit! | COUNTER! Shinobu Shimizu takes 47 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Shiryuu Ryouhara has posed.
"OH my god!"
"FNG-kouhai you have to save us!"
"How could you crash the truck so badly Benimaru!"
"It's not my fault, the load shifted!"
"More like a load of--"
(SHI: um. might be a minute)
The text was sent while hanging one armed off of the beam lodged through the cab's window desperately trying to counterbalance the tipped-over dump truck back out of the ditch and onto both of its axises.
two hours, a lot of mud and profanity, a hasty shower, and a cross-city run later
It's not even the _first_ weird thing that's happened to Shiryuu this week.
After the bit of emergency overtime aside, Shiryuu does manage to get away from the jobsite in time to get _back_ to the hotel (of course Indigo, the nice one uptown, not the ratty samurai-themed cosplay one across from the jobsite, that would be too easy.) to gather Akabane for ... she said something about this being the most romantic day?
Ryouhara has no concept of that.
But, here he is, in something approaching nice clothing, with a long grey zip-up cable-knit sweater worn in lieu of his usual haori -- mostly to keep his symbol from being recognized today. It's even gone so far that the boy's haphazard hair is jammed entirely into a matching knit cap, little jangling charms hung off of the front.
He's even taken his bandaging off for the purposes of looking nice, though his left eye stays shut for the duration.
Despite being entirely winded from running across town, and more than a little achy, and also still injured, the onmitsu, it seems, can be pressed to come out into public with the promise of chicken. "It feels like I've forgotten something," Shiryuu thinks aloud, patting his pockets.
He's got a text. 'stay there,' Umie said. "..." Shiryuu, who's already run across half of Sumaru, can only make a face. Obviously, the cell networks are having trouble. Somehow, he managed to evade most of the other disasters. Or rather, remained completely ignorant of them. Only now does he look up.
Oh, there's a statue. It's speaking in a rich, lustrous American accent. Wait, what?
Shiryuu's hand goes to his side where his sword would be. Oh. Right.
That too. Still. "....ah," Shiryuu frowns. A magical girl fight is -rapidly- breaking out. And some of it is glittering across him. Shiryuu's face does not appreciably improve.
"...don't turn into a sailor scout," he grouses at Akabane's direction under his breath. She's already angry. There's no escaping this, the boy grumbles as he assembles a full on archery bow from his pocket. Wait, what?
Oh. You're not familiar with ninjutsu, are you?
The sound of paper creaking ominously as a pale white geometric bow is strung and nocked with a mean looking arrow fills the air around him when he goes to full draw.
_WHOOM_
AS: Take! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 0 Almighty damage from Kazusa Motojima's Masukukaja. | Spd_Dn removed!
AS: Weapon! Shiryuu Ryouhara has used the Pierce skill Hishinmeisen on Colonel Penguin! | Aggression: Shiryuu Ryouhara gains 1 Limit!
AS: Block Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 88 Pierce damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Hishinmeisen.
<Pose Tracker> Colonel Penguin has posed.
As Lisa punches at the Colonel, she finds her punch off-center, parried by the snap of a cane. "Manners." He chides her, even as she punches again, this time connecting, only for her to have her wrist slapped.
And then he swings his cane, aiming right for her ribs, "That's no way for any lady to act, engaging in fisticuffs, spewing falsehoods." What's the falsehood? That she doesn't like Chicken! That's impossible.
Whereas Suzume, with the trains delayed, is having one very bad Christmas. Arrows rain down, and the Demon bats several waves out of the sky with his cane, before one finally sinks into his shoulder with a plastic thud, before vanishing.
"It is nothing personal, little boy. My revenge is against Sumaru City for their transgressions. You are simply collateral damage. But as you are a Tigers fan, perhaps you'd like to join me?"
A wave of his cane, and suddenly a large buttery biscuit is careening towards Suzume's head! Or more accurately, her mouth. While it's a devastatingly blunt object, a taste of it might just make her more sympathetic to his cause.
Jun- a magical Christmas might have been seeing Tatsuya, only for it to be- some random grouchy gentleman. He's understandably upset.
"I am responsible for these happenings, yes." He answers his question readily. "I demand satisfaction for past wrongs." Gale Force Winds rip at him, and the Demon is thrown back against a food cart. He then gets up, brushes himself off, and somehow, begins to ROLL UP HIS SLEEVES? Isn't he a plastic statue?
"Not holding back? Then I will conduct myself accordingly. Face the greatest evil ah have evah wrought upon this world- DOUBLE DOWN!"
And on both sides of Jun, two enormous fried chicken patties appear, to smash his person in the middle, as if he were merely the insides of a sandwich, before then vanishing.
Katsuko declares their sins to be unforgivable, as they send Edmund Dantes, a spirit of vengeance, at him. "The Wrath of Dantes cannot burn even half as hot as mah own." And with a wave of his cane, the roiling flame is split down the middle, snaking up the cane, before he then sends a stream of it back at her. "Face mah chicken fried retribution!" But that flame instead heats up the air around them, making them feel as if they were plunged within a vat of hot oil.
Megido then bursts like a tiny star right upon the Colonel, who staggers backwards, needing to brace himself with his cane to endure the fury of Isabeau Fontaine being embarrassed on a date. "You embarrass yourself, child. I know how to best discipline an unruly girl." He suddenly is on her, slamming his cane down hard upon one of her arms like a much worse version of a teacher with a ruler. "Spare the rod-"
Kazusa meanwhile stares at the statue in open disgust, and the Colonel meets that stare with an odd intensity. "Do not turn up your nose at me- you ingrate!" With a wave of his cane, there's a honeyed scent that surrounds Kazusa. "Or you'll find yourself barbecued!"
Right as licks of flame in the shape of bees appear and make a them-line right at her, detonating into fiery explosions on contact. It does smell quite nice though.
'Fuck you and your stupid goatee to hell'
"You've got a mouth on you-Nngh-" As he weathers the shriek, "And that goes double for that bird of yours. Let's see how it tastes deep fried."
And the air around Umie heats up rapidly, to the point where things start to catch fire in her vicinity, the heat of a hot burning pit full of oil.
Which is when Shinobu rushes in, staff jabbing, as he parries, and ripostes three times in turn, in a furious exchange of blows. "Ah accept your challenge." He says, as if he were challenged to a duel. Then with a point of his staff, the air around her heats up to scorching temperatures.
Which is when the paper of Shiryuu's bow reaches full draw, and fires its nocked arrow. It thuds right into his neck, before he waves his cane up to smash the arrow out of his neck.
"Savagery." He growls, as if expecting some Native American, rather than a Japanese ninja, "Shooting a man when his back is turned. You'll pay!"
Shiryuu better move quick because there are abruptly two Fried Chicken patties trying to turn him into the filling of a sandwich.
"Enough of this. Secret Recipe!"
Oh no, what is he planning?
"-Eleven Herbs and Spices!"
The air is suddenly full of a secret blend of herbs and spices, wait - that concentration of spice- it's Scoville levels!? They're beyond human tolerance! It's too high! IT'S FAR TOO HIGH! It's over NINE THOUSAND! Except... add like three more zeroes to that to get the real Scoville levels. Everyone suffers as a breeze pregnant with magical capsaicin stings at their eyes, their skin, their throat.
"As a gentleman, I'll allow all of you a single opportunity to walk away." He says as he stands in the midst of his storm of spiciness, like a cop that just shot tear gas at all of them.
AS: Weapon! Colonel Penguin has used the Slash skill Breast Strike on Lisa Silverman! | Pressure: Colonel Penguin gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Strike skill Buttery Fresh Biscuits on Suzume Fukura! | Colonel Penguin takes 90 damage from Panic!
AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Strike skill Double Down on Jun Kashihara! 2 Hits! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Strike skill Double Down on Shiryuu Ryouhara! 2 Hits! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Agi Deep Fryer on Katsuko Yoshinaga and Umie Akabane! AS: Weapon! Colonel Penguin has used the Slash skill Wing Strike on Isabeau Fontaine! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Honey Barbecued! on Kazusa Motojima! AS: Colonel Penguin spends Limit on Reach! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Almighty skill 11 Herbs and Spices on Isabeau Fontaine, Jun Kashihara, Katsuko Yoshinaga, Kazusa Motojima, Lisa Silverman, Shinobu Shimizu, Shiryuu Ryouhara, Suzume Fukura, and Umie Akabane! AS: Counter Best! Suzume Fukura takes 116 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Buttery Fresh Biscuits. | Charm (Attacker or Ally takes Damage!) added! | COUNTER! Colonel Penguin takes 75 Strike damage in return for their attack!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) and Poison (Damage on end of turn!) added! Charm removed! Explosion! 90 damage!
AS: Block Best! Lisa Silverman takes 56 Slash damage from Colonel Penguin's Breast Strike. AS: Avoid Neutral! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) and Poison (Damage on end of turn!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Jun Kashihara takes 31 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Double Down. Critical Hit! AS: Avoid Neutral! Jun Kashihara takes 54 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Double Down. AS: Nerve Up! Jun Kashihara's SP +8! AS: Mind Up! Jun Kashihara's SP +8! AS: Avoid Worst! Jun Kashihara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Shinobu Shimizu takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. AS: Avoid Neutral! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Poison (Damage on end of turn!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 59 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Double Down. AS: Avoid Worst! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 95 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Double Down. AS: Avoid Neutral! Kazusa Motojima takes 64 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Honey Barbecued!. AS: Avoid Worst! Kazusa Motojima takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Poison (Damage on end of turn!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Umie Akabane takes 42 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Agi Deep Fryer. | Haze (Physical and Block Penalized!) added!
AS: You have 1 more attack in queue! AS: Avoid Neutral! Umie Akabane takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) added! Charm removed! Explosion! 90 damage!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 99 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Agi Deep Fryer. | Haze (Physical and Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices. | Panic (Damage when using Persona/Tandem!) and Poison (Damage on end of turn!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Isabeau Fontaine takes 30 Slash damage from Colonel Penguin's Wing Strike. Critical Hit! AS: Avoid Best! Isabeau Fontaine takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's 11 Herbs and Spices.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Even Jun is mad! He won't forgive the Colonel! "YEAH!" Lisa agrees loudly, as Masukukaja by Mina Harker makes her feel faster, and all sorts of explosions occur on the Colonel. The cool Shinobu charges up into melee with her.
But parried--by a cane!?
"Ow!" The Colonel is like a grumpy old martial arts master! "I don't want old men telling me how to act!" Lisa grumps at him--but then she takes a strike to the ribs. She tanks it, but it winds her. "Oof--"
"No!" she calls as Jun is Doubled Down.
But the secret recipe comes and--
"Augh!" Lisa coughs, and coughs, and coughs, and then coughs some more. "You--big--jerk!"
She walks over and offers a hand up to Jun. "Focus," she advises. "...We're gonna kick this guy's ass."
"I don't have a chicken pun, but kehhei!! I'm mad!"
"EROS!" Lisa calls forth, and the stylish cupid in black jumpsuit and white fur whirls into being. "PRotect us!"
"Now COME AT ME you--you--"
Eros throws up her bow-hand and fires arrows into the sky, which cascade downwards into a torrent that becomes shields before Lisa, Suzume, Umie, and Katsuko!
"I'd rather have STEAK!"
AS: Lisa Silverman spends Limit on Help Up! Panic removed from Jun Kashihara!Hyper (Next Attack Boosted/Incoming Damage Down!) applied to Jun Kashihara! AS: Persona! Lisa Silverman has used the Recovery skill Line Guard on Lisa Silverman, Suzume Fukura, Umie Akabane, and Katsuko Yoshinaga! | Lisa Silverman takes 90 damage from Panic!
AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Recovery healing from Lisa Silverman's Line Guard. | Phys_Safety applied!
AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Recovery healing from Lisa Silverman's Line Guard. | Phys_Safety applied!
AS: Take! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 0 Recovery healing from Lisa Silverman's Line Guard. | Phys_Safety applied! AS: Take! Umie Akabane takes 0 Recovery healing from Lisa Silverman's Line Guard. | Phys_Safety applied!
AS: Katsuko Yoshinaga spends Limit on Exploit! Katsuko Yoshinaga can use another Weak skill this round!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
An energizing wind blows across and up Jun, making his limbs more limber and his footfalls spryer. He turns to see Kazusa in her Transmutation costume, her Persona the source of the Masukukaja. "My thanks," he calls to her, the gratitude helping to temper his anger some in the moment.
Umie's right. When Jun gets pissed off enough to yell, you know you've done wrong.
Not that the Colonel cares. He brazenly admits fault and demands satisfaction anyway. "And what wrongs have the people of this city done to you? They're the ones who retrieved your statue from the bay in the first place!" he argues, whirling back to him. He'd go on about how the Sumaru Demons have already suffered by being a terrible team--something so infamous that even Jun, who cares negative amounts about sports, knows about it--but then the Colonel comes at him with fried chicken patties.
Jun does not like fried food. It's far too greasy and heavy for his palate. He leaps backwards reflexively, just managing to evade getting squashed flat--but the thing about crispy fried food is that it's full of crunch break-off-able bits, and when they impact each other, they pepper him with a barrage of batter. He cries out as he takes a tumble into the snow, leaving him vulnerable to the snow of eleven herbs and spices.
It is hell. Jun is hurled into a violent coughing fit, filled with panic as he attempts to ward away the abominable heat by smearing snow across his face.
It might be just as well that Tatsuya isn't actually here...
Fortunately, by the time he recovers, Lisa's standing over him, holding out a hand. He blinks at her, and as embarrassed as he is to be seen like this, he accepts her hand with gratitude and gets to his feet. The power of friendship will always cut through whatever rage and panic he might feel.
"Yes, we will," he says coldly, glaring at the Colonel. Eros brings down shields to Lisa and several of the others, and after that spice assault, Jun knows well that to defeat this demon, he'll need to focus on support too. That's what he and Argeiphontes do best--and he'd like to encourage Lisa to do exactly as she just said.
Once again, light coruscates around him, and Argeiphontes sends forth another wind--but this time, one that gently peels away the burning spices, leaving behind the refreshment of a cool glass of milk, around Lisa, Shinobu, Umie, and Shiryuu.
AS: Persona! Jun Kashihara has used the Recovery skill Amrita on Lisa Silverman, Umie Akabane, Shinobu Shimizu, and Shiryuu Ryouhara! | Support: Jun Kashihara gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Shinobu Shimizu takes 0 Recovery healing from Jun Kashihara's Amrita. AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Recovery healing from Jun Kashihara's Amrita. | Panic, Poison, and Rage removed!
AS: Take! Umie Akabane takes 0 Recovery healing from Jun Kashihara's Amrita. | Blast, Haze, and Panic removed!
AS: Jun Kashihara spends Limit on Shift! Kazusa Motojima can use another Weak skill this round! Hyper (Next Attack Boosted/Incoming Damage Down!) applied to Kazusa Motojima! They both receive 8 SP and 30 HP!
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
It occurs to Suzume that, one, she is *definitely* stuck in Sumaru's rumours now, and two...
There's a lot of people here who probably don't anything about baseball.
Suzume doesn't have the power of a Navigator, but for probably the first time, she's encountering a mythological (well, urban legend? what's the word for that?) figure that, by virtue of being a pretty serious baseball fan, she is deeply familiar with. "Hey!" she calls. "The Colonel got dumped in the river, that's why he's mad in the first place! Try using Water!"
Unfortunately that's not an option for Suzume herself as she advances on the Colonel. She recognizes about half, let's say, of the people fighting him, but one of them she definitely is most surprised by is -
"Silverman-san? I guess you are from Sumaru, but funny seeing you here!" So soon after she Awakened to her power. For another first, Suzume gets what Yukari feels; it's a shame to see her get thrown right in without really meaning to (because she didn't choose to encounter the Colonel). It might be different if she'd chosen, but...
"I'll give you a hand again," she says, with a slight wince as she raises her hand toward her and Jun (there is a burr stuck on her neck and it's driving her nuts), before she turns toward the Colonel. Her reaction on having a biscuit thrown at her is immediate - more accurately, her reaction on having a roundish object about the right size, even if it's not quite the right shape, thrown at her is.
Suzume drops one of her tonfa entirely and grips the other one on the straight grip rather than the crossbar. It's not long enough for her to get a real two-handed grip, so she ends up gripping it correctly with one and kind of giving it a boost with the other; she'd give a lot to be borrowing one of Junpei's spares right now. But she swings -
And she catches the biscuit in a home run smash! The biscuit more explodes on impact than anything else, showering her with crumbs and making her sputter as she gets some of it in her mouth; biscuits always make her want a drink. But a big chunk of it flies right back at the Colonel.
"Wrong," she says, with that slightly crooked grin she's known for. "Girls can play baseball too."
(Suzume is actually more sensitive than she seems about that one. She likes to be treated the same way as the rest of the guys, but doesn't look *that* much like a boy; she likes pants and doesn't like tight shirts, but her face isn't particularly androgynous and neither is the rest of her. Plus, she actually exerted some effort today, so even though she *knows* she isn't very good at it, it stings in a way it normally wouldn't.)
Scooping up her tonfa, Suzume switches back to the crossbar grip as she charges. She rushes through the spices, eyes and lips burning even though she's trying very hard not to get it in her mouth, and she's holding her breath when she comes in with a double forward strike directly at the Colonel's midsection!
Suzume turns the first impact into a spinning movement around the Colonel, keeping up the pressure as she works her way around him, striking to try to keep him off-balance and unable to summon more food, delicious or not. She isn't even using Atalanta this time!
AS: Weapon! Suzume Fukura has used the Strike skill Combo Impact on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! AS: Avoid Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 101 Strike damage from Suzume Fukura's Combo Impact. AS: Avoid Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 101 Strike damage from Suzume Fukura's Combo Impact. AS: Avoid Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 78 Strike damage from Suzume Fukura's Combo Impact. Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
Is there no way Isabeau allows that...?
... she wasn't fighting terribly hard, at least at a distance.
They do say girls like that kind of thing, but...
Never mind that, MEGIDO!
And the Colonel responds by not spoiling the child, his cane smacking down. "Do not!" She snaps, as she springs off of the car's rooftop to escape him, landing instead on the top of a streetlamp. (More ninjutsu?! No, Shiryuu. This is the art... of the lancer.) "
"He told me," Isabeau scowls, to Kazusa, notably after her arachnophobic freakout which she really would feel bad about if her mind hadn't been entirely hijacked by the terror of a spider existing somewhere around her. Phobias! They make you into a dick sometimes!! "What is the problem with it? It is a strange way to view Christmas, but we are seeing each other, so..."
Her scowl deepens, as she looks behind her. "... but, he was bitten by... euh... something? I... I came to handle this!" She ran away like a scared little girl. "Still... is he all right...?"
Tragically, Isabeau's nascent sense of empathy is cut short by seeing a guy fold a bow out of nothing. "An admirable trick weapon," she calls, to Shiryuu, as she herself presses a latch on her spear and the shaft collapses down to form a knife. "I have more tricks than this."
Girls can play baseball, Suzume says, and Isabeau replies: "Girls can excel at any sport they choose. Let me aid you! Mielikki, shatter her reservations!"
That's unkinder than it sounds; the little fairy scatters fairy dust over Suzume, and the Heal Break she inflicts will make it easier for people to heal her.
AS: Persona! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Recovery skill Heal Boost on Suzume Fukura! | Defense: Isabeau Fontaine gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Heal Boost. | Recovery_Break (Healing Up!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Katsuko suppressed a shout of pain at the countered gout of fire. It was a difficult thing to manage - it felt like the fire seeped into the gaps of her costume and heated the silver until her skin singed. But she held on, and all that met the air was a sharp grunt before she regained her footing from stumbling back. Rifle still readied, she made to retreat back to cover to perform an analysis and gain some usable data, but the colonel's onslaught left her staggering down once more. It was one thing to be assaulted by the heat of the flames around them, but to be treated like some grease-dripping slab of poor-quality poultry?
The indignity of it all hurt worse than the heat.
His capsascin-crammed onslaught of spiciness suffused the air with a substance that subjected her to a stinging sensation with every breath taken only added to injury. Her lungs felt as though they were aflame, her throat threatened to be seared shut, and her tongue screamed for the cooling embrace of some dairy product or another. But, possessed of a singular force of will and the rage of losing some *very* expensive paints, Grim rose to her feet. Lisa's ward only served to bolster her confidence, and she turned to the stranger with a sharp nod.
"My thanks." She said to Lisa, before refocussing on their mutual enemy. "Now let's pound this purveyor of paltry poultry into paste."
Her vanishing back into the shadows, cloaked by her Persona and rendered into little more than a mote of darkness, might have seemed at first like she was running. But as some would find out soon enough, it was merely her laying in wait. Lisa was the first to be shown this, with Dantes shielding her from harm with a swipe of his cloak. Kazusa was next, with the only warning given being a voice from the darkness and a glint of a mask emerging from nearby.
"A foul thing. I hope you won't mind me going all out against this greaseball." She said flatly, before Dantes shielded her as well, leaving only a faint trace of healing in his wake.
Suzume was the last to receive the boon of Katsuko's attention, her having noticed she'd taken quite a chunk of damage.
"I trust that you have a distaste for this thing as I do. Let's make sure this pathetic hunk of plastic never bothers us again."
With that, Katsuko emerged from the darkness again, and refocussed her gaze on the colonel.
"And you, you utter clown... If you're going to do this, at least have the dignity to hone your recipe before you attack us. If mediocre chicken is all you have in your arsenal, then you should have stayed drowning." Dantes emerged as her wrath was declared, holding his palm forward to send dark energies surging into his foe. The Colonel's judgement was at hand, and he had been found wanting.
AS: Persona! Katsuko Yoshinaga has used the Recovery skill Wait and Hope on Katsuko Yoshinaga, Lisa Silverman, Suzume Fukura, and Kazusa Motojima! | Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 90 damage from Panic!
AS: Take! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 0 Recovery healing from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Wait and Hope. | Cloak (Non-Area Damage Mitigated!) added!
AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Recovery healing from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Wait and Hope. | Cloak (Non-Area Damage Mitigated!) added!
AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Recovery healing from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Wait and Hope. | Cloak (Non-Area Damage Mitigated!) added! AS: Take! Kazusa Motojima takes 0 Recovery healing from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Wait and Hope. | Cloak (Non-Area Damage Mitigated!) added!
AS: Take! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 0 Recovery healing from Jun Kashihara's Amrita. | Haze and Poison removed!
AS: Persona! Katsuko Yoshinaga has used the Recovery skill Judge on Colonel Penguin! | Ruin: Katsuko Yoshinaga gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Colonel Penguin takes 0 Recovery healing from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Judge. | Dark_Break (Dark Affinity Down!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu sends Lisa an approving nod. She can respect anyone willing to charge into combat with just their fists.
But the Colonel meets Shinobu's staff with his cane, returning each of her strikes with his own. He accepts her challenge, and points - and the air becomes irresponsibly spicy. Her spice tolerances are pretty good, but this is ridiculous...
Shinobu covers her nose and mouth, backpedaling out of the hot air - but it's already sticking to her, causing her eyes to water. Thankfully, Argeiphontes comes to the rescue. A cool, refreshing breeze blows forth.
"Thanks." She sends Jun a grateful nod before looking back toward her opponent.
"A 'gentleman'. That's rich. If you're a gentleman, I'm a queen... and you sure as hell won't see me lounging around on a throne all day." Shinobu retorts with a smirk. "You and your overpriced chicken can go to hell."
She rushes toward the Colonel, spinning her staff overhead.
"Get tenderized!" She shouts before swinging her staff out in two quick strikes aimed for the statue's head.
"Nice moves." Shinobu asides to Suzume with a nod. "Don't let this old-timey asshole tell you what you can and can't do."
AS: Weapon! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Bell Ringer on Colonel Penguin! 2 Hits! | Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit!
AS: Shinobu Shimizu spends Limit on Help Up! Poison removed from Suzume Fukura!Hyper (Next Attack Boosted/Incoming Damage Down!) applied to Suzume Fukura! AS: Avoid Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 161 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Bell Ringer. Critical Hit! | Blast (Magic and Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 107 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Bell Ringer. Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa is supposed to be trying to be a better person.
... Surely it's okay to be snide to a-- demon possessed statue...? An angry ghost of Ad Campaigns PAt? A...
"You'd be surprised the things I can turn my nose up at!" she retorts. She frowns. "Wait, that didn't come out right--"
But she doesn't get a chance to fix that as she is forced to throw herself back to try and avoid the exploding bees. "Ow! You creep--" The Masukukaja made it easier to move but didn't do anything for the pain in her back. "Can someone tell me what the heck this thing is supposed to be?!"
And then a foul (spicy) wind blows, and Kazusa can't move fast enough to outrun it. And now her eyes and nose are burning. "Ow ow ow! You couldn't have offered us the chance to leave before doing that!? Some gentleman you are. That's it!"
Lisa doesn't want old men telling her how to act. "Tell me about it," is Kazusa's comment to that.
She tries to give a nod to Jun. "Yeah, you're welcome." That comes out more dismissively than she meant, but she's distracted.
Kazusa huffs at Isabeau. Figures Yasushi would say something, but knowing him... "Yeah, and what else has he been telling you? You know he's kind of a gross guy, right? I know you don't hear all the gossip, so let me fill you in."
Is he okay? "How should I know, he's your date." Meaning, Kazusa didn't stop to check on him either.
She blinks and looks around, sharp-eyed as a voice speaks from the darkness. "Wait--who's there?! Show yourself!"
But as annoyed as she may be by everything happening today (or most times), as she glances around she can see plenty of people that aren't in particularly good shape and sighs. "Mina, please help heal everyone!" she calls out.
Mina raises her right hand, and an intense burst of healing magic comes for Katsuko, Suzume, Lisa, and Umie to try and mend their wounds and keep them in the fight.
And then Kazusa points right at the Colonel. "Now, Grasping Eiha! Pin him down!"
Mina raises her left hand, the one that's of pale, ashen skin, with fingernails like claws, and in tandem a large hand of shadow manifests to try and grab at the statue.
AS: Persona! Kazusa Motojima has used the Recovery skill Intense Mediarama on Katsuko Yoshinaga, Suzume Fukura, Lisa Silverman, and Umie Akabane! | Support: Kazusa Motojima gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Kazusa Motojima has used the Dark skill Grasping Eiha on Colonel Penguin! AS: Avoid Best! Colonel Penguin takes 84 Dark damage from Kazusa Motojima's Grasping Eiha. Weak! | Bind (Magic and Avoid Penalized!) added!
AS: Kazusa Motojima spends Limit on Help Up! Poison removed from Katsuko Yoshinaga!Hyper (Next Attack Boosted/Incoming Damage Down!) applied to Katsuko Yoshinaga! AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 184 Recovery healing from Kazusa Motojima's Intense Mediarama. AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 138 Recovery healing from Kazusa Motojima's Intense Mediarama. AS: Take! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 123 Recovery healing from Kazusa Motojima's Intense Mediarama.
<Pose Tracker> Shiryuu Ryouhara has posed.
I mean, technically he's being reasonable. As reaasonable as a fine American gentleman made of (plastic?) can be. Why is he talking like he comes from Kansai? Well. The Colonel is American, right? A lot of Americans talk like that, if Shiryuu understands the dub he caught Kiria watching that one day.
'DODO DYNASTY,' wasn't it? Something like that.
He is an exceptional villain, a man with a fearsome aura. "Obviously the enemy commander," Shiryuu reasons quietly as he assembles his bow, coming to the reasonable conclusion as any would of someone with the rank of 'colonel.' He, the shihaisha, however, has no interest in talking. He leaves the task of negotiating to the others to distract it while he assassinates the thing so he can get some yakitori. Or whatever Akabane was thinking before she --
"That is nonsense," Shiryuu says, plainly with a frown, as the Colonel snaps the arrow out of his neck and turns towards him. Shiryuu says it just like that: 'NANSENSU da.'
He's going to need stronger weaponry.
Suddenly, the aroma of hot chicken fills the air around Shiryuu, and the boy's single eye dilates as he becomes aware of hot, fleshy weight surrounding him. "!"
"KUH!"
The onmitsu diappears into a brutal, spicy mess, with a _wham_ as he vanishes briefly into a sandwich.
In the end, Shiryuu has to cut his way out with a knife, his kunai cutting into the patties as he breaks loose and cuts into a run for it, shouldering his Hishinmeisen as he goes. The origami bow was really only made for one shot -- and the fire and spices that are licking at the onmitsu's heels is too much for it right now -- he'd have to use his jutsu to repair it when he gets an opening.
"Akabane!!!" Shiryuu calls out, running across the field with his bow shouldered and his knife in his hand. "The enemy commander is highly resilient and -- *munch* his jutsu is extremely delicious! Stay out of range of his power!"
Yes, Shiryuu carved a piece of chicken for himself, on the end of his kunai. Sometimes in a situation of limited resources, you have to survive on the enemy's rations.
"--don't catch cold either!!" It is also -abundantly- clear he has no earthly idea of why he was called out, and is apparently lock-focused on the task at hand.
Without a full suite of supralunar power, the boy's options are limited. He'll have to get in close. "Stay there!" he tells Akabane, and is absolutely not listened to.
He's already running at the danger, in true Chariot fashion. This is why you don't summon shields for them.
As he goes, there is a tiny thread of resonance that trickles into the sensory unconscious, powerful enough to let the shield cast by Jun to visibly flex, lightning pulsing trickles of resonant power flaring across the translucent force in a steady, pulsing rhythm that can just barely be heard over the crackle of rudely spicy flames.
He's one of the few that actually hasn't summoned a Persona yet, but the force of that subconscious line of rhythm and force...
In lieu of an actual, visible Persona, the boy apparently has electric needles. The little flash of light sends the steel senbon crackling through the air towards the Colonel as he works to distract him, enough so that he can close the distance and use -- this shield? -- to penetrate into the Colonel and his brutal aura of eleven. He just needs to get close enough to him, then he can use Juurishojin. But first, without the winds at his call, he has to get close enough. So: Gashin-senbon first. Killing later.
It does beg the question as to what kind of guy brings a superfilament wristblade on a date. But that's a conundrum for later.
AS: Shiryuu Ryouhara spends Limit on Psych! AS: Weapon! Shiryuu Ryouhara has used the Pierce skill Gashin on Colonel Penguin! 2 Hits! | Aggression: Shiryuu Ryouhara gains 1 Limit!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
As it turns out, Umie had missed Shiryuu's earlier text; in keeping with the theme, the ding was actually her email, helpfully telling her that she got a new email.
It was spam.
But oh, does Shiryuu ever look good, even if Umie's not entirely sure if he realizes the occasion she's called him here for.
Umie's cheeks momentairely flush at how he's dressed up, then flush for another reason when she realizes that new cute cableknit pink sweater and khaki pants are now sopping wet; if it weren't for her jacket, she'd be even worse off.
Her makeup? Could be worse. Her hair buns? Soggy. The bucket of chicken? A disaster.
'Don't turn into a sailor scout,' says Shiryuu.
"Okay, *that* reference I got," Umie grumbles back.
At least she's not wet for very long, as the colonel helpfully turns up the heat! And then some more, until it it way past being helpful and more Umie realizing the oil in her bucket of chicken has become reignited. "Augh!"
The healing from the newly awakened Lisa comes in handy, at least, And Jun? in spite of his rage, he is still so helpful.
"Silverman-san. Kashihara-kun." She should tell Jun about the thing she's learned about the possessed by that strange Joker Persona... but that can _surely wait_. "Thank you," she says instead, especially after seeing he's extended his powers to Shiryuu as well. Ah, with it being Christmas... hopefully Jun was able to get into contact with Tatsuya. There was some sort of rumor about Tatsuya on the Dark Side, but Umie especially knows how those things just draw more trouble, in the end.
And now everyone else knows, as well! Case in point: the Colonel. Whose jutsu is apparently very delicious, according to Shiryuu.
"I'm not standing back, not until his ass gets back in the river where he belongs!" Umie yells at her Christmas date.
Calm down, Umie. The colonel said something about birds, sooo--
"And this bird knows a thing or two about your weaknesses now..." Umie says, tapping a finger to her chin with a particularly vicious smile--
"--*achoo*" But then a sneeze ruins that momentum.
Taking a moment to rub her nose and eyes from the blast of eleven herbs and spices, Umie gives the glittery Kazusa a watery, runny nod of thankfulness. She'd say something, but all she can handle right now is breathing through her nose.
A half-covered hand is thrown up, as Umie points... and sneezes again.
"Vabe," Umie manages to say, as she chucks the grit-seasoned package of chicken right at the Colonel's stupid, stupid face.
AS: Umie Akabane spends Limit on Exploit! Umie Akabane can use another Weak skill this round! AS: Take! Umie Akabane takes 159 Recovery healing from Kazusa Motojima's Intense Mediarama. AS: Persona! Umie Akabane has used the Almighty skill Hooded Smile on Colonel Penguin! | Ruin: Umie Akabane gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Umie Akabane has used the Dark skill Mudo on Colonel Penguin! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 81 Pierce damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Gashin. AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 81 Pierce damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Gashin. AS: Take! Colonel Penguin takes 0 Almighty damage from Umie Akabane's Hooded Smile. | Charm (Attacker or Ally takes Damage!) added! Panic removed! Explosion! 30 damage!
AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 134 Dark damage from Umie Akabane's Mudo. Weak! <Pose Tracker> Colonel Penguin has posed.
"That explains everything." He says to Lisa, as she says she doesn't want old men telling her how to act. "You simply don't yet know your place!" Before he then glowers at her, "Steak? Steak!? I see your palate is just as immature as you, little girl."
With a tap of his cane, a biscuit the size of Lisa's head forms, and launches at her with the speed of a bullet. "I must take responsibility in your refinement." Be careful, a taste, just might change your mind! Aggressively!
"Insolence!" He snaps, as Jun backs up Lisa's talk, and his cane arcs to attempt to snap against one of Jun's shins with bruising force. Thankfully, the power of Eros is guarding them, right?
A big chunk of biscuit flies back, and he staggers, "Women? In sports?" He says blankly, adjusting his glasses, "Who would ever pay to watch such tripe?" Whereas Isabeau echoes the same, and he scowls, "Women should spend their time learning more useful skills that befit the fairer sex. Can you even cook your own meals?"
As such, Suzume's tonfa strikes take him head on, as he tries to step out of the way only to get struck again, and again. "Poor form. Now-" An array of small nugget like pieces of chicken rise over him, before they all catch flame, and zip towards Suzume and Isabeau like shooting stars, "-ZINGER!"
The judgment of Dantes takes hold around him, but Katsuko might feel as if it's- redundant, somehow. Like he was already vulnerable to that which she is trying to do. Katsuko causes the Colonel to stand up straighter as he takes on a furious tone, "Mediocre, you say? You're calling my chicken mediocre? I demand satisfaction for this insult, child. Face my retribution!"
What rises out of him, would look like a Persona at first glance. An enormous chicken, perhaps Vidofnir, of Norse legend. But- it's lacking feathers, instead bearing a crispy breaded skin. Which then catches on fire.
"Nashville... HOT!"
Like an enormous meteor, or perhaps tiny sun, it falls towards Katsuko at high speed, becoming a geyser of roaring flame.
Shinobu though declares if he's a gentleman, then she's a Queen, "Your majesty." He drawls, staring at Shinobu, in the face of her words. "My prices are eminently reasonable!"
He's off-balance, and thus two strikes bat him around, back and forth with harsh effect. "What is it your people say? Ah right-" Then holding up his cane, he tries to rap it harshly against her ribs, "-Chesto!" Grasping tendrils of darkness try to gather over him, but his forward momentum at Shinobu gets him just out of the way of a far worse blow.
"I call Fowl." He says to Kazusa, as a terrifying heat begins to form around her, catching the entire area on fire. In the meanwhile, Shiryuu finds himself seduced- not by Umie, but by the sweet sweet scent of fried chicken. Despite the prior one's vanishing, his bladework has turned the brief manifestation of chicken jutsu into...
RECEIVED: Christmas Chicken Cutlet x1
A cognitive item of immense healing power. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
What kind of guy brings a superfilament wristblade on a date? The kind of guy who is prepared for a decades old urban legend to ruin his date, duh. The Colonel gets cut twice, shaving off part of his plastic mustache, yet for some reason, he seems happy, "You there sir, it seems I misjudged you."
Look he's just glad someone here isn't dragging his chicken. "May I offer you another of my famous recipes?" That sweet scent begins to form around Shiryuu, that telltale sign of honey, before numerous candle like flames, shaped as bees fall upon him, trying to Honey Barbecue the Onmitsu.
"I'm not going back!" The Colonel growls at Umie's assertion that his ass is going back in the river. Badb's curse, then goes off, as ruinous misfortune causes him to stumble into a pot hole of his own making.
Right as Mudo goes off.
His entire form is darkened, sizzling with Badb's dark power.
As he climbs back up to street level, seeing all the opponents arrayed against him, then- adjusting his plastic collar, then strolls up to Umie, trying to whack her hard in the shins, "Don't test me any further- or I'll cast you into the river myself!"
(At least he likes her boyfriend?)
Lifting the head of his cane high with both hands, he drops it into the street with a harsh impact, magic rippling outwards, over each of them. They each feel it, yet it's difficult to say what he did.
"By the ancient culinary arts have you been bound! And by this compulsion do I demand you answer me!"
What the heck is going on here?
"White... or Dark Meat. Your answer... Choose wisely!"
Uhhhhh, does he mean chicken? Everyone has to hope he means chicken. He's a Rumor of an old timey Southern Gentleman so, if it was innuendo, it'd be really weird right!?
AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Strike skill Buttery Fresh Biscuits on Lisa Silverman! AS: Charm results in party damage! Colonel Penguin takes 90 damage! AS: Colonel Penguin spends Limit on Broad! AS: Weapon! Colonel Penguin has used the Slash skill Leg Strike on Jun Kashihara and Umie Akabane! | Pressure: Colonel Penguin gains 1 Limit!
AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Zinger on Suzume Fukura! 2 Hits! AS: Colonel Penguin spends Limit on Exploit! Colonel Penguin can use another Weak skill this round! AS: Persona! Theurgy! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Nashville HOT on Katsuko Yoshinaga! AS: Weapon! Colonel Penguin has used the Slash skill Breast Strike on Shinobu Shimizu! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Agi Deep Fryer on Kazusa Motojima! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Fire skill Honey Barbecued! on Shiryuu Ryouhara! AS: Colonel Penguin spends Limit on Reach! AS: Persona! Colonel Penguin has used the Almighty skill You Must Choose: White Or Dark on Isabeau Fontaine, Jun Kashihara, Katsuko Yoshinaga, Kazusa Motojima, Lisa Silverman, Shinobu Shimizu, Shiryuu Ryouhara, Suzume Fukura, and Umie Akabane! AS: Avoid Best! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Strike damage from Colonel Penguin's Buttery Fresh Biscuits. Safety! Physical damage reduced! | Charm (Attacker or Ally takes Damage!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Zinger. Critical Hit! Safety! Physical damage reduced! AS: Avoid Neutral! Lisa Silverman takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Avoid Worst! Suzume Fukura takes 22 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Zinger. Safety! Physical damage reduced! AS: Block Worst! Jun Kashihara takes 93 Slash damage from Colonel Penguin's Leg Strike. AS: Block Worst! Suzume Fukura takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Kazusa Motojima takes 22 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Agi Deep Fryer. AS: Avoid Worst! Kazusa Motojima takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Jun Kashihara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Shinobu Shimizu takes 54 Slash damage from Colonel Penguin's Breast Strike. AS: Avoid Best! Shinobu Shimizu takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 39 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Nashville HOT. AS: Avoid Worst! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Counter Best! Umie Akabane takes 43 Slash damage from Colonel Penguin's Leg Strike. Critical Hit! Safety! Physical damage reduced! | COUNTER! Colonel Penguin takes 50 Slash damage in return for their attack!
AS: You have 1 more attack in queue! AS: Avoid Worst! Umie Akabane takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
AS: Block Best! Isabeau Fontaine takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
The power of friendship--and Jun's Persona--sees her less burned, refreshed, ready to fit again. When Jun blinks at her, she smiles briefly--but it's a tight smile. "Right!"
But Suzume is surprised, and, "I live here!" Lisa agrees with Suzume, "But it's better that you're here, too! Let's get him!"
She can rely on Suzume, anyway. "Yeah!" Lisa agrees then with Suzume and Isabeau both. "We can do whatever sports we want!"
Grim thanks her--and Lisa nods firmly. "Hey, go for it."
But she doesn't know her place? "Steak can be prepared in a TON of mature ways!" Lisa snaps back--and suddenly there is a bullet-fast biscuit. She darts to the side, and Eros rises up to deflect it with an arrow. "Besides, bread makes you fat!"
"I can cook," Lisa answers. "But not for you."
Umie's gonna put him back in the river. That's great.
B-but the--
"What the hell?" Lisa asks. Magic ripples.... "The ancient what now?"
Then she scowls. "You think I'm going to pick white meat, don't you."
"Well--"
"I'm gonna make YOUR meat go dark!"
Suddenly Lisa brings out Eros again, and the two of them move in time. "Haaah--!"
Eros fires--and a gigantic hammerblow comes down in the form of a little black sphere.
AS: Persona! Lisa Silverman has used the Strike skill Black Spot on Colonel Penguin! AS: Charm results in party damage! Lisa Silverman takes 90 damage! | Aggression: Lisa Silverman gains 1 Limit!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 148 Strike damage from Lisa Silverman's Black Spot.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun waves back to Suzume. He doesn't know her thoughts, which may be about Lisa, but it is a shame to be forced into a supernatural battle when you just wanted to mind your own business and have a nice holiday. However, it would be even more of a shame to be one of those poor people in the crashed cars who can't do anything at all.
When it comes down to it, having experienced both, Jun would rather be a fighter than a victim.
He didn't recognize her at first, but the longer Isabeau and Jun are on the same battlefield, the more he realizes he's met her before--specifically, at the Eifuji Manor in Hirasaka. He double-takes at her, but if any new person he's met over the past year would turn out to be a Persona User, of course it would be a serious ghost hunter.
And, now that he's remembering that, he realizes that the costumed Kazusa too was at that ill-fated trip. Coincidences upon coincidences... She doesn't come across as dismissive to him, at least, merely distracted, considering she's beating him to the punch when it comes to keeping everyone on their feet. They're all distracted right now.
He nods back to Shinobu and Umie in turn with a smile. "No need for thanks. We're all of one mind when it comes to this," he shoots a scathing glare at the Colonel, "ruffian."
Umie and Jun in particular will talk later, whether that's about her bad news or his.
With Kazusa handling the healing and Grim supporting her, and Jun's Dangerous Garula earlier having been particularly effective, he decides to switch back to the offensive. (No Water magic, so he can't take Suzume's suggestion, though.)
Before he can, though, the Colonel WHALLOPS him on the shin with his cane. Eros did not bestow his protective shield on him, so Jun gasps with pain and staggers, clutching his leg with grit teeth. Still, as much as it hurts, that's only that much more cause to bring the pain right back.
However, as he stands, favoring his uninjured leg, the Colonel demands an magically-enforced answer.
Jun is an excellent cook. He understands the question, and the right response, immediately.
"Dark meat," he answers with confidence and zero hesitation.
Let's hope the Colonel agrees!
At least Lisa does, in her own way. When she charges forward with Eros, Jun summons his Persona again. "And so you see the light. This--is divine punishment!" he declares. A godly wind blasts forward to potentially speed her and her Persona up and make their tandem attack that much more devastating. Even if it doesn't, it'll batter into the Colonel like the wrath of an ancient god.
AS: Persona! Jun Kashihara has used the Wind skill Heavenly Cyclone on Colonel Penguin! AS: Suzume Fukura spends Limit on Exploit! Suzume Fukura can use another Weak skill this round!
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume feels something she's gotten used to with her time at SEES, though it never quite gets normal: the feeling of other Persona users bolstering her.
"Thanks!" Suzume calls out, feeling energy surge through her from Isabeau, and then Kazusa taking advantage of it to give her a burst of energy, at about the same time a shield forms in front of her from Lisa and Shinobu comes up to fight at her side. That's a lot of help. And she's not going to complain!
She *is* going to complain about the Colonel though. "I can cook," she says, defiant, "but I figured you wouldn't actually want me to, given you have a *restaurant*. But that doesn't matter. Plenty of people like women's sports - and if you want a demonstration I can get back to kicking your butt!"
In this she's in agreement with Isabeau, and Lisa, and Shinobu. Why wouldn't she be?
The zinging chicken whips toward her. Suzume moves fast, almost blurring to one side, and the first part of the barrage misses; she brings up her tonfa to try to deflect the second half, and almost makes it, though a couple of the little shooting starlets sneak through and burst against the shield from Lisa, showering her mostly with fragments of flame rather than a direct hit.
"Ow, ow, hot," Suzume interrupts herself to beat out a little flame that is threatening to take hold on her sleeve. She looks right back up at the Colonel afterward, eyes narrowed: "Right. Back to kicking your butt! Atalanta!"
Atalanta reappears as Suzume pulls back one fist, spinning the other hand's metal tonfa to pick up speed. Faster and faster it blurs as green-white winds build upon it, and when she strikes forward, she's actually too far away to hit directly - but a veritable buzzsaw of air rockets from Suzume's whirling tonfa, cutting into the Colonel!
Suzume follows it up with a shining blow from her other hand, then another and another, as Atalanta's blessing on her weapons rises up and gives her the strength she needs.
"White!" Suzume says, immediately, without even thinking about it. "I'm gonna pick tebasaki every time! Wait, why am I even answering??"
AS: Tandem! Suzume Fukura has used the Wind skill Wind Cutter on Colonel Penguin! 2 Hits! | Suzume Fukura takes 90 damage from Panic! | Pressure: Suzume Fukura gains 1 Limit!
AS: Tandem! Suzume Fukura has used the Light skill Holy Sword on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 193 Wind damage from Jun Kashihara's Heavenly Cyclone. Weak! | Rage (Weapon Attack and Incoming Damage Up!) added!
AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 141 Wind damage from Suzume Fukura's Wind Cutter. Critical Hit! Weak! | Blast (Magic and Block Penalized!) added!
AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 97 Wind damage from Suzume Fukura's Wind Cutter. Critical Hit! Weak! AS: Block Best! Colonel Penguin takes 48 Light damage from Suzume Fukura's Holy Sword. Critical Hit! AS: Block Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 50 Light damage from Suzume Fukura's Holy Sword. AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 66 Light damage from Suzume Fukura's Holy Sword. AS: Avoid Neutral! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 46 Fire damage from Colonel Penguin's Honey Barbecued!. Critical Hit! Resist! AS: Avoid Neutral! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 0 Almighty damage from Colonel Penguin's You Must Choose: White Or Dark. | Omen (Damage in 2 rounds!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"I do not want to hear your gossip!" Isabeau snaps, to Kazusa. "Surely what they say is not so not like they say about me!" But she should know, and she hesitates, a moment. "I... I will check on him when this is done!"
The other guy with trick weapons proceeds to talk like a weirdo, and Isabeau gives Shiryuu an odd look as she asks, "... is he real, or another Sumaru trick?"
Being fair: actual ninjas would totally be a Rumour Sumaru comes up with.
The worst trick, though, is this Colonel. "Excuse you! I have met an Olympian woman! My tennis skills are second to none! If you must know, as well, I am learning to cook!"
The chicken flies towards her --
-- and Isabeau stabs it with her knife.
"Can you really eat this...?" She wonders, and --
NOMPH
"It does not taste haunted," she remarks, thoughtfully. That's right, Jun: this IS the ghost hunter, Isabeau!! And as that geas falls over them, she hears Jun's answer...
... and gestures towards him, with her knife. "The fancy boy is right," she says, boldly. "Dark meat is best." And then, double-taking: "... euh? That is -- Jun? Mais oui! Allez!" That's probably positive, even if one doesn't speak French.
"Inhuman creations will not bring down the human soul while I stand!" Isabeau insists, then, as Mielikki rises once more -- to sprinkle healing fairy dust over Suzume, Katsuko, Shiryuu, and Lisa.
The last one of which she double-takes at, too, because noticing Jun made her notice her. "A 'Siren' is here, too? What in the world..."
AS: Persona! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Recovery skill Mediarama on Suzume Fukura, Katsuko Yoshinaga, Lisa Silverman, and Shiryuu Ryouhara! | Defense: Isabeau Fontaine gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Lisa Silverman takes 141 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Mediarama.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu already disliked this guy. But hearing the way he talks about women...
Well. She's glad she already has a bludgeoning instrument on hand.
Who would pay to watch women in sports?
"I would. And I have." Shinobu comments, backing up Suzume's retort.
"You're stuck in the past, old man." Shinobu comments. "And we're gonna put you back there."
She nods back to Jun, then, offering him a grin.
"Well said." She agrees.
'Your majesty', the Colonel says, and Shinobu rolls her eyes.
"You're real funny." She says. "...Oh yeah? By who's counting?"
Her strikes land solidly - but so does his. Shinobu winces with a sharp hiss as the cane smacks her in the ribs, causing her to double back. That's going to leave a bruise...
The Colonel holds his cane up high and brings it down. She can feel the impace reverberate all around her - and through her. What did he just do...? And what's with that chant?
White or dark?
"Uh... We're talking chicken, right?" Shinobu asks. "I've always been more of a dark meat kinda girl, myself..."
The answer slips out. She doesn't know what it means that it does - but it might be a sign that they should hurry.
"Lachesis!" Shinobu calls out and her Persona appears behind her. She levels her staff, taking the Colonel's measure - and a pulse emanates outward. She seeks to stoke the fires of his rage, to cause him to act rashly, even as Lachesis makes him weaker.
And Shinobu gives him barely any time to realise what's happened as she rushes toward him, staff spinning violently!
AS: Shinobu Shimizu spends Limit on Exploit! Shinobu Shimizu can use another Weak skill this round! AS: Persona! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Almighty skill Goading Break on Colonel Penguin! AS: Weapon! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Spinning Staff on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! | Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit!
AS: Take! Colonel Penguin takes 0 Almighty damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Goading Break. | Phy_DN (Physical Attack/Defense Down!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 91 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. Critical Hit! AS: Avoid Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 85 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. AS: Avoid Best! Colonel Penguin takes 39 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. AS: Take! Suzume Fukura takes 132 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Mediarama. AS: Take! Katsuko Yoshinaga takes 116 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Mediarama. AS: Take! Shiryuu Ryouhara takes 119 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Mediarama.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Who indeed, Kazusa? Surely it was not Grim, who - in a voice eerily similar to the one that had addressed her from the shadows surrounding her - spoke as calmly as she could. Not entirely calmly, however, as the spices settled into her throat and left her feeling a little hoarse.
"Thanks. This one's tough... Be on your guard. he seems to take his substandard meals quite seriously." One would have thought she'd have laid off of the incessant insults by that point in time, but Grim simply could not help herself. It seemed to be a sore spot for him, and needling him about it was something she could not resist.
If he felt even half as bad as she did about losing the paints, it would be worth it.
On the hand, her taunting had worked. The Colonel's rage was palpable when he demanded retribution for an insult against his work, and Katsuko hoped that that meant his focus was shaken. On the other hand, her taunting had worked, and he was angry enough to launch a chunk of charring-hot chicken at her with no shortage of wrath behind in his voice. Katsuko, quite eager to not be the subject of yet more heat-based harm, threw herself out of the way with all due haste. Her quick thinking worked. Mostly. The brunt of the damage from that meteoric mass of meat missed its mark, but the flavourful flames still singed her enough to sizzle.
"Hot? Please. your work is lukewarm at best! Your recipe has been butchered worse than your chickens! And worst of all..." She narrowed her gaze at the military man turned poultry peddler, and jabbed her finger at him as if to spear him through the heart. "Your portions are not nearly generous enough to warrant the price you charge!" Her normally flat voice wavered a little, but not in fear. It was in annoyance. Not anger, not frustration, but the same kind of voice someone might have used upon finding that the price of their favourite burger had gone up yet again.
The flames had not stopped her in her tracks. What had managed to do that was the colonel's poorly-phrased ultimatum. At least, she hoped it was just poor phrasing. To imagine it as anything else left her lips curling beneath the mask in slight revulsion, and the thought was unceremoniously cast from her mind before it distracted her further. He'd cast a spell of some sort, and she needed to do something to address it. Addressing him was a personal matter though, and she was not compelled to do it by any supernatural means.
Just outright pride.
"It matters not what meat you choose to serve me or others. Your work shall always fail to meet the mark." Katsuko said, holding her rifle at the ready and aiming square for his face. Then lower, towards his mouth. Then yet lower, aiming until she could land her crosshairs on the very top of his throat. The fact that his beard - that stupid little plastic lump, wiggling around as if to taunt her with how ridiculous it looked when freshly dredged from the depths - was in its way and stood no small chance of being shot through was irrelevant. Probably.
With the shot made, Grim retreated back to cover again, and was glad for it. Not to avoid any attacks, but to hide any potential shame she might have felt at being healed by someone she had, to put it mildly, not been kind to recently. She was, however, still close enough to be within earshot of Isabeau, and spoke loud enough that she was certain she could be heard.
"Thanks for the assist." She spoke, the only sign of her a glint of silver in the dark. "...And if I may offer advice? You're better than this, and you can do better than *that.*"
Her head was turned towards the chunk of chicken she'd eaten. That, surely, was what she was talking about. She was surely displaying displeasure over Isabeau eating supernatural chicken, and had not been struck with a pang of unwanted guilt over her actions.
AS: Weapon! Katsuko Yoshinaga has used the Pierce skill Skullsplitter on Colonel Penguin!
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa isn't doing too much better, so she gives Umie a brief nod.
The Colonel is saying a lot of things to the other girls that Kazusa is still happy to take plenty of offense from. "Ugh. All the talk of 'refinement' and what girls are or aren't allowed to do make you sound like my father. And I don't need more of him." She locks eyes with the Colonel. "I'm going to work with computers."
Okay so she is in one of the only 'acceptable' sport for a girl, but she also hates it.
"Enough with the chicken puns, we get it." Heat rises up around her, and rather than doing the cooler thing and backflipping out of the way, she draws her cloak around herself as she darts back, to protect herself from the worst of the flames.
She blinks as... something happens, glancing around warily. "What was that-- what did you do?" He presents an ultimatum, and Kazusa, never one to take the easey way out, huffs and folds her arms. "Neither. Not if it's coming from you." She can cook, but... she hates doing it. Especially for others.
Kazusa has to do a double take at Jun, and it's only a moment later that she remembers that trip. (Which, to be fair, was dominated in her mind by the realization that there ws, in fact, a real ghost there.) "Oh. You were there at that mansion, right?"
Suzume likewise gets a distracted nod as she calls out her thanks.
But she scowls at Isabeau as she denies the aid of gossip. "You know the girls just warn each other about things sometimes, right?" There is a pause of self-reflection. "I mean-- okay, so most of the rumors at Shujin are gross, but seriously so's Fujihide. He's probably just using you to get something he wants. He's in my class, you know."
Isabeau will, in fact, go check on him, and Kazusa feels mixed about that.
I mean, it's probably a good thing to make sure someone without supernatural powers didn't get injured by the supernatural... but on the other hand, well.
She glances around as Grim speaks, huffing quietly. "Enough with the creepy shadow act, whoever you are. Don't come crying to me if I can't figure out where you are so I can heal you."
But she refocuses her attention on the Colonel soon enough. "Alright, you--" From within her cloak Kazusa points. "Mina Harker! Use Kouga!!"
Mina raisse her healthy right hand, and a bolt of light streams down from the sky to blast the Colonel. Maybe, if the effects of the Grasping Eiha are still lingering...!
AS: Persona! Kazusa Motojima has used the Light skill Kouga on Colonel Penguin! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 179 Pierce damage from Katsuko Yoshinaga's Skullsplitter. AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 155 Light damage from Kazusa Motojima's Kouga. | Haze (Physical and Block Penalized!) added! Bind removed! Explosion! 30 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'We're all of one mind when it comes to this ruffian.'
"That's it," Umie encourages with a blackbird smile. "Let's--"
Before she's able to encourage Jun to violence, the Colonel comes up directly to her and, standing like a white pillar, does a violence to *her*.
Being kicked in the shins somehow doesn't hurt as much as seeing him go after Shiryuu, however, tempting him with sweet words of Honey Barbecue Chicken.
'Ah, look, your boyfriend's being stolen again...'
It doesn't matter if it's the memory of clasped fingers and flashes of bare, unmarked wrists from her high school days, or the frankly ridiculous connotation that a statue of an American southern colonal in white is trying to seduce her boyfriend with offers of chicken; Mai-chan's words draw blood all the same.
With a flash of anger in her eyes, jealousy seizes hold of Umie's chest.
White or dark? Umie can answer that, as a bifurcated blade falls into her hand from the fashionably oversized sleeves of her winter jacket. (Who carries a weapon on a date? Umie didn't, but then, things happened.)
"White."
She's also not here, suddenly. It happened at some point when the Colonel was looking away, which, with this many opponents, is a very easy thing to do.
Where is Umie? The first sign of her new position is a pressure of someone right at the back of the tall colonel's head, as Umie descends down like a very vengeful little falcon, shoge aimed for the nape of his neck.
"As in, your head!" Umie hisses at the back of his head, if she's able.
It's fine. This is a rumor demon! She can be violent.
AS: Tandem! Umie Akabane has used the Dark skill Seeker in the Dark on Colonel Penguin! | Ruin: Umie Akabane gains 1 Limit!
AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 222 Dark damage from Umie Akabane's Seeker in the Dark. Critical Hit! Weak!
<Pose Tracker> Shiryuu Ryouhara has posed.
%r
At some level, Ryouhara understands the Colonel's plight. Apparently, there was some sort of grudge handed down through the ages. It's something he can empathize with, but not at the expense of the people. Or rather, not at this type of expense.
Even worse, the Colonel seems to have a very ko-ryu way about him.
"...that's not a responsible thing to think."
He's surrounded in very capable senshi, it's not a tactically sound plan to insult them all at once. There does seem to be a lot of awfully nicely-dressed people here, Shiryuu reflects, as he gets in range. Even before the supralunar power shifted their appearances, he realizes belatedly -- even the bystanders. The girl who was over by the tree who just had the ninkou-style spear...the girl in the nice white coat... the other one with the red trimmed dress that just... listen. Is everyone on a date?
(The fact that Isabeau was wearing a _sporty_ outfit first, and a ghost hunter's attire second does not register to Shiryuu over the fact that she has a spear that transforms into a knife. Perfect date attire, obviously.)
(This is also why Shiryuu is on a date with Umie, who is also armed. He is absolutely not responsible for her also being armed on a date.)
...and why is everyone so filthy?
".... Umie eats plenty of bread and she's extremely fine..." he wonders absently under his breath, almost losing his train of thought. Nope. Absolutely he's distracted, tucking the speared chicken cutlet (still pinned on his kunai) in a safe place for now.
No time to think about it.
Speaking of.
Shiryuu is closing within melee range of the Colonel when he turns his attention back to him -- shit. Shiryuu looks up with a flat expression, the little chimes on his hat making a pretty noise with the movement.
"...an enemy whose skills are not worth respecting is not worth fighting," Shiryuu says, pulling the length of wire and blades from his sleeve. He scents the decadent sweetness of honey barbecue, right before he's swallowed up by a powerful storm of what are obviously enchanted suzume-bachi. For awhile, he is roasted. "---!!"
"Light or dark, is it..."
His seething voice is inside the fire.
"....my answer will be written.. at your memorial."
-- and then Shiryuu cuts every single one of the candleflames in half with his wireblade. The lash of Juurishojin takes up the slack where that powerful shield no longer does, the cut of the blade scattering flame into sparkles everywhere, leaving Shiryuu surrounded in a fine aura of coruscating fire and steel.
(It's what happens when you're covered in fairy dust.)
The electric beat mounts, surrounding Shiryuu as he dashes, leaving a glittering (omg) trail of power (decorative) behind him as he rushes the last few critical feet to the Colonel. The massive length of Juurishojin, the wire whip sectional blade, cuts throught he space betwen them as he tries to cross into and through the enemy commander's space, to loop his blade around him and bring him down into better punching range, launching off the ground into a three-piece axe kick. From there, the onna may be able to subdue the commander long enough to get him wrangled back into the river where he belongs. Or beat him to within an inch of his delicious life.
Seriously, there are more than a few girls trying to pummel the colonel brutally for what he said, the onmitsu thinks.
Fearsome.
AS: Shiryuu Ryouhara spends Limit on Psych! AS: Shiryuu Ryouhara spends Limit on Exploit! Shiryuu Ryouhara can use another Weak skill this round! AS: Weapon! Shiryuu Ryouhara has used the Slash skill Juurishojin on Colonel Penguin! 2 Hits! | Aggression: Shiryuu Ryouhara gains 1 Limit!
AS: Weapon! Shiryuu Ryouhara has used the Strike skill Ryouhara Ninjutsu on Colonel Penguin! 3 Hits! AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 57 Slash damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Juurishojin. AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 57 Slash damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Juurishojin. AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 114 Strike damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Ryouhara Ninjutsu. Critical Hit! | Colonel Penguin is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Block Worst! Colonel Penguin takes 114 Strike damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Ryouhara Ninjutsu. Critical Hit! | Colonel Penguin is unable to continue fighting!
AS: Block Neutral! Colonel Penguin takes 60 Strike damage from Shiryuu Ryouhara's Ryouhara Ninjutsu. | Colonel Penguin is unable to continue fighting!
<Pose Tracker> Colonel Penguin has posed.
"What a waste of your pocket book money. Does your husband know you're squandering his wealth?" The Colonel asks Shinobu, seeming oblivious of the fact that- look. It was a different time.
The Colonel does not answer Lisa, the waterworn plastic eye sockets simply staring at her.
The hammerblow falls, the Colonel steps aside, but the impact still staggers him. Right as the divine winds of Argeiphontes crash into him, buffeting him aside. He says nothing of their answers... quite yet. Even as Suzume comes at him, the look in those plastic eyes eerie, as if he were judging the way she responded.
Her windborn attack smashes into him, skidding his hollow body across the street heavily, with hollow thud thud of impact, even before the Blessed Weapons carve into him with all consuming holy light.
"What do you think we're discussing, your Majesty?" The Colonel asks Shinobu, perhaps only reinforcing her earlier perception, but he does not answer her question otherwise, save with a question. He deserves the blows he takes that follows.
An intensity follows within Katsuko's blunt blow that snaps off part of his plastic glasses as he mutters, "Nnngh-!"
It is true, the Chicken doesn't taste haunted Isabeau, and in this space, it is likely zero calories! Probably. That's a good thing to tell yourself.
It's then, that Umie descends, targeting his neck, chunking off part of the plastic.
Shiryuu then gives his answer.
"Four of you... chose... poorly."
A sickening feeling suddenly erupts in the gut of Lisa, Katsuko, Kazusa and Shiryuu, an all consuming, gnawing illness that saps the energy right out of them. It's like having a stomach bug for days. It wrenches them from the inside out.
It would seem the only wrong answer, is refusing to answer one of the choices allowed, or refusing to give an honest answer.
Despite that though, it does not stop Shiryuu, as the Onmitsu dashes a glittering, decorative trail, containing the spirit(??) of Christmas(???) which is apparently spending time with your significant other, feeling that kokoro, being a good consumer in your ardently capitalist system.
It is, very romantic, as his blade loops down, catching the Colonel, then kicks him repeatedly. And it is the result of one of those kicks, that the worn away genteel look of the man, is wiped away when he's decapitated.
Sent flying, as his head spews dark mist, of obviously cursed energy.
"Mark my words... one day... ah will return! Justice will be mine!"
The statue goes insensate, the feeling of Joka disappears from the entirety of Sumaru City. Still, someone may want to put sealing talismans all over this thing and throw it in the river- just saying, the worst possible thing would be for someone to accidentally unseal it from a storage room in one's local high school.
Christmas is saved! From a malevolent rumor of a Western Chicken Chain's founder that had a highly successful advertising campaign decades ago and defined the meaning of the holiday in Japan.
... What an unusual holiday.
But where then, did this rumor come from?
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
~*Two Days Ago*~
"I don't take kindly to mockery!" Masayoshi Shido shouted on the phone at his subordinate, SIU Director Mouri. "Call him. I want this taken care of immediately ."
The SIU Director seemed flabbergasted, "But, we can't have the Colonel killed. He's overseeing the integration of the X-1 project. It could potentially interfere with the rollout. And the timing everyone will know, Sir."
"Useless! Was I asking for him to be killed? A fool such as Toriyabe needs to be taught a lesson about biting the hand that feeds them."
"Yes Sir but, then why go so far as to get him involved?"
"He can earn his keep with some creative problem solving." Masayoshi Shido growled at Mouri, who hastily said, "I'll call him right away."
-=-=-
~*December 24th - Almost Christmas*~
While getting ready for his first date with Ren Amamiya, Goro Akechi was also reviewing bank records.
"Hmm... How very interesting. Consistent withdrawals for months. And this pattern of transactions, it would seem the good Colonel has a Mistress he intends to spend Christmas with." Goro Akechi smirked at the idea, wondering who it was, "I could ask his Shadow directly, but where's the fun in that?"
That night, on Christmas Eve, an anonymous poster speculated a link between the Curse of the Colonel and Christmas Chicken, that on this night, he might just return. It was posted automatically on a timer, long after the date had begun.
-=-=-
~*Christmas Day - Elsewhere*~
A young woman in lingerie kept glancing at her phone in boredom, before glancing back towards the other man with her.
"How's it going?"
"This- never happens." Colonel Toriyabe growled in frustration.
"Want me to stick around, just in case?"
"What do you think I want you dumb bitch!?"
Her eyes narrowed, as she got up, pulling her coat off a rack, as she buttoned it and grabbed her purse.
"... To get it up." She said as she fluffed her hair out and grabbed her purse, "But, sounds like you're not man enough to manage even that much, Colonel."
"OUT! OUT DAMNIT!" He threw a whole bottle of pills that crashed against the wall, as she left out the door, shouting, "Merry Christmas- Asshole!"
It was only later that he found out about the rumor of the Colonel, the curse. He'll never be able to prove that his offense caused it- but he didn't have to, the message was received loud and clear what happens when you mess with the Golden Lion to try and score points with his commanding officer.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Though he hasn't been in a position to remark on it, it honestly takes Jun aback that there are people actually eating the Colonel's attacks. It doesn't get any less weird the more it happens, especially when Isabeau does so and declares it Probably Not Haunted.
Even more weird is that she remembers his name! She'd been extremely serious about the ghost hunt and he had... nnnnot, even if he'd still played along, so he wouldn't have expected that. By the time he did start taking it seriously, he was a little busy being re-traumatized.
"Je suis surpris que vous souvenez-vous de mon nom," he calls back to Isabeau in well-accented if overly formal French, the latter of which may be unsurprising from a generally polite Japanese youth. "Vous vous appelez... Isabeau Fontaine, n'est-ce pas?"
(Look, he doesn't get a chance to practice his conversational French that often. Opportunities must be seized, no matter how otherwise ill-timed they are. If he were the type to let them pass him by, he wouldn't have run out here in search of Tatsuya in the first place.)
Kazusa recognizes him too once Isabeau addresses him, and he nods back to her, brushing whatever remains of the snow from his face. He can only be thankful that this is a bad moment for everyone. "Yes, I was. I was just thinking what a coincidence it was."
Jun grins back to Shinobu. "You as well," he replies. He gestures elegantly towards the Colonel. "Shall we take this antiquity to his final resting place?" He plucks the briar rose he carries as his weapon from his coat and brings it to his lips in a dangerously sultry smile. "I'll bring the flowers for his grave."
Don't worry, Umie. With or without you, Jun can be coaxed to violence. He really just needs the proper motivation and an appropriate outlet. A Rumor Demon will do--especially one who's hurting his friends. Fortunately, Umie immediately proves she can handle herself... to say nothing of Shiryuu's vicious follow-up. Jun hurries over to Lisa's side when she's struck down by that sickening feeling, then narrows his eyes at the decapitated statue with a disdainful look.
"On second thought, I shan't bother. Laying flowers on plastic would be so... tacky."
He'll spend his time helping Lisa get to a bathroom instead... Someone else will have to re-lay those wards.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume looks incredulously at Isabeau when she voluntarily eats some of the chicken. Gross, she thinks to herself; it shows on her face.
Like, the healing was good, but the chicken? "Bet it's cursed even if it isn't haunted," Suzume says.
She knows she's being judged by the Colonel, though she has no idea which way he's going to decide. She'd like to try to take him down before then, and she raises her tonfa again - but doesn't need to lower it as the statue falls still. Plus, you know. Headless.
"I'm gonna go dump it back in the river," Suzume says, firmly. "He deserves it. Anyone want to give me a hand?" She doesn't cheer for the Sumaru Demons, remember? They can stay cursed for all she cares! But first...
Suzume pulls out her phone and sends some quick texts.
> you missed some excitement
> also we're not getting chicken now
Suzume shoves it back in her pocket afterwards, looking somewhere between satisfied and irritated. Satisfied with how it turned out, but for the rest of it...
Well, she'll *remember* this Christmas. But she might be happier if it wasn't so memorable!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Normally, Grim would have liked to make a quick and dignified exit. A swish of her coat and some pithy one-liner, a subtle slink back into the shadows, or simply vanishing from sight while everyone's backs were turned. The Colonel put paid to any notion of that. Throwing a hand up to her mask, Grim staggered over to a nearby wall and held her hand against it for support, heaving and lurching in a manner most unusual for someone as cold and unyielding as her.
"Urf... Knew his chicken was bad... Didn't think it was this bad..." She hissed, before dragging herself away.
Grim still managed her vanishing act, but it was said that if one listened closely, a retching noise could be heard some ways down the river.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
'Husband'. Shinobu stops in her tracks - and responds to that with sputtering laughter. She isn't about to elaborate to him on why that's so funny, though.
It does remind her of her failed date, though, which just gives her more encouragement to hit him.
"Hey, I make my own money. I don't need some man to dictate my spending habits." Shinobu replies. She pauses at his next response - and chooses to answer with her staff.
She looks toward Jun, then, and grins.
"Let's." She agrees.
And soon enough... the Colonel loses his head.
"Fine, fine. Come back any time, but it won't change the outcome. These beatings are all you can eat, old man." Shinobu replies, twirling her staff before resting it on her shoulders.
She looks toward Suzume as she asks if anyone wants to give her a hand dumping the statue back into the river.
"After all that? Definitely." Shinobu agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"Mais oui!" Isabeau actually smiles, to Jun. "Isabeau Fontaine! Votre accent est bon," she adds, complimenting his accent. "Venez à Kagurazaka, on parle souvent français!" ... or, in other words, he should go visit Kagurazaka to practice his French further.
Seeing Suzume's expression, she defends herself: "I was not about to let that strange ninja man be the only one to do it."
Grim and Kazusa each have warnings, for Isabeau. "M...mind your own business!" She snaps, to the former -- who, with Katsuko's disguise, Isabeau doesn't even recoginse. "What do you know?! Do not barge in with such a creepy way!"
Kazusa, at least, she can place in her mind. "He is nice to me," Isabeau scowls, to her. "He does not take me on a date only to mock me, like some boys."
Still -- they're gripped by that curse, and Isabeau snaps, despite her resistance: "Release them!"
Luckily, before she has to use force, that ninja does it for her.
"... so, into the river, is it?" Isabeau asks, as she steps forward. "Let us go."
She's pretty strong for a big girl, as it happens.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Four of them chose... poorly.
In the rush of the kill(?), it doesn't really settle on Umie what the Colonel meant until she nimbly lands on her feet, tucking her blade back into her coat sleeves as the man in white is rightfully decapitated.
"That rose is better given to someone who deserves it," she quips back to Jun, mischief in her smile. "There's still some hours left."
They saved Christmas, after all. Surely, that counts for something?
"But... more seriously, I can't feel its curse anymore," she says, glancing about the ruined streets and confused civilians. "But the field the entity created will likely dissipate soon because of that, so--"
This was for the likes of people like Katsuko and Kazusa, but... that's when she notices the truth of the Colonel's wording. Jun is tending to Lisa, and Grim and Kazusa are affected, so...
She makes a mental note of of Suzume and Shinobu, but neither of them seem to be ill, and Shiryuu seemed to be just fine cutting the statue down. Isabeau, also, seems.... okay?
Clearly, it should be her that's been cursed, but maybe another curse must have pushed it off.
"Sure, I can help," Umie says, when Suzume asks. "It's not like he'll politely walk himself back in." She rubs her neck, looking about the smokey city. "So this is what a Christmas date is like...."
NO UMIE IT IS NOT AND YOU KNOW THIS
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa nods to Jun. "Yeah... seems like... there's a lot of those..." she admits with a concerned frown. "... that thing was real, wasn't it?" She's still grappling with that one.
"I'm telling you," snaps Kazusa. "He's only pretending to be nice! If you'd just listen for a moment--"
Unfortunately, that's the Colonol's last curse hits her, and as her stomach churns Kazusa groans and doubles over, clutching her stomach. "Ugggh... Patra!"
Patra, unfortuantely, does nothing, after Mina casts it.
It's so unfair. She has to be so careful what shee eats so she doesn't put too much weight on. Fried chicken is definitely something her father would disapprove of.
Why is she being punished for not wanting to eat it???
Her face is turning green, though. "... I need a bathroom..."
Hopefully, someone can provide her directions.
She might be late picking up her battery.
<Pose Tracker> Shiryuu Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Even with an intimate view into the inner works of the world underneath, Shiryuu could not have at all considered the cause of what would have created the rebel commander and his brutal poultry attacks.
Of course, it didn't really matter, for the purposes of the boy in the charmed knit cap. One's charge is to soldier on.
Soldier--
...soldier... "...URP~~"
Were the enemy rations poisoned?! Impossible. No cooking of that level could have turned against him, and furthermore, Shiryuu's constitution is such that most poisons will simply be ineffective. Or at least, that's what he insists. It's actually just a situation of mind over matter, as Shiryuu pushes through the wave of brutal nausea and pain to launch himself off the ground.
The practical upshot of it is that Ryouhara is done playing, and his axe kick rolls into a second hit, and then he twists into a full on spinning drill kick and --
"... to betray my tastes like this," Shiryuu labors under the curse. "in the depths of your hatred, you've betrayed only your own principles!!"
Shiryuu won't have it, as he spinkicks through the Colonel.
The Colonel's fate is sealed as the head rolls off, with the boy's wire coiled tightly around him. Shiryuu lands nimbly, with the flash of Juurishojin flicking back into his wrist in the wake of the demon dissipating, with the high pitched whine of the ninkou's winders pulling the wires securing the blade tight again to his wrist. In an instant, it's like he's not armed at all.
Well, after he tugs a bit of his sleeve down to cover where the last section of the blade hung at the cloth at his wrist.
He straightens, finally reaching behind him. "No," the boy in the bookish kind of hat says to Jun, to Katsuko. "The enemy may have lost his way, but his chicken was top notch," he ays. He proves it, by producing and setting the chicken cutlet down on a piece of paper, drawing a little sealing array around it, and then chanting something, making a few hand symbols before tying it shut.
He stands. Umie's already decided to help push the statue back in the river, and so Shiryuu's honor bound to comply. He holds up a hand. "Stay strong," he tells Kazusa. "The enemy's curse can be withstood, with an iron constitution." He sounds fairly knowledgeable about it, despite being the absolute last person to be able to comm...
"....urp--!.."