When Dara approached saying that he too was interested in the job, well, what else could Jun say?

He didn't really want to get into a fight with Mr. Odd Eyebrows, and perhaps his assistance would prove rather useful in the long run. Hired muscle, that's how Jun would look at this temporary team-up.

"Well, I've no objections with that." Jun said with a slightly troubled smile.

And then there was the other girl who was the 'Shoot first, ask questions later' type, or at least that's how Jun saw her.

"Sure. Just leave the thinking to me and this job should be easy. As long as you don't think, I mean. Just... cover my back and this should be a walk in the park! Get it? Cause, we are actually going to a park. Gosh, I'm so funny." Jun puffed out his chest.

Then, he reminded himself of that, 'Gosh, I AM so funny.'

There was no way these two brutes had what it took for detective work, even if one of them was an ex-cop, or something along those lines. Perhaps especially because she was an ex-cop... or something.

Jun then turned on his heel and started walking towards the door, his head and pride still up-high in the air. This was one of those times that he could be a show-off and no one would berate him about it. It was time to show the world that he was, in fact, more intelligent than anyone else currently at that cafe! Perhaps not more knowledgeable, but more clever than them sure!

Though he did not take into account something. Did the two brutes behind him have any kind of transportation? Sure, he looked ridiculous in his, but he could get to most places quickly and did not have to walk.

"Say, you two have some kind of vehicle to go to the park, right?... Right? If you don't, well, I COULD let one of you hop on behind me if you insisted." He said with a smug smile in his face.

Jun's little joke, if he could call it that, actually earned a small chuckle from Kat.

"Yeah yeah," She replied. "You don't make a horrible joke like that again, and I'll watch your back anytime you want." Honestly, she wasn't looking forward to working with either of these guys. She vaguely knew about them. Knowing things was part of her job back in the military after all. She knew how to keep here eyes and ears open, and she didn't know them personally, but she knew generally what they were capable of. The kid was named Jun Kaiki, the other guy was Kaizuki or something. Jun could control ice or something, Kaizuki could manipulate glass. She had never worked with them before, considering she preferred to work mostly alone, but well...a one time deal wasn't that bad. Hell, maybe she'd like working with them.

...yeah, probably not. Jun seemed like a little brat from the way he was acting. His nose was stuck right up in the air as he walked towards the door. Ugh, she almost wanted to teach that brat the meaning of the word 'humility'. Well, either way she started to follow after him. When he spoke up again, dear god she had to refrain from slapping him. That mouth of his...that smug smile just deserved the be bashed in.

Fighting here would be bad, though.

"As much as I'd like to share a ride with a brat like you," She brushed past Jun with a frown. "I think I'll pass. I'll walk or get a cab." Truthfully, she did have a vehicle she used sometimes if she had to get somewhere in a hurry. A motorcycle, but she didn't use it much. "Not sure that thing could fit us anyways, and I'd rather not look like some virgin with a dead-end job."

And with that, she left the Cafe, heading right for the park. She'd probably walk there, and since she had her handgun with her, she didn't need to stop by her place either. Though maybe she'd need her shotgun....eh, nah. She doubted this was going to be anything big. And she had her other abilities, too, if she had too.

Kazuki was happy and relieved that Jun was fine with him going to the park with him, even if he looked hesitant about it. He watched as Jun turned and joked with Katherine about being the brains of the outfit. Kazuki didn't really laugh as he didn't really find it that funny, even if it wasn't aimed at him. Jun probably was very clever and maybe even knowledgeable, but Kazuki had his own wisdom as well. He liked the saying 'better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt'. He felt like it might apply with Jun. Even fools could be smart and witty.

Katherine gave her own remark to Jun's tomfoolery. She seemed quite capable of handling herself. It may have been her previous training or just her personality. Her ability to make shields kept her at arms length from a lot of harm, and her weapons were pretty effective or at least stunning to most. She seemed very independent, but at the same time, like she wanted to be around people. She would be interesting to learn more about.

Jun asked them if they needed rides. Kazuki would just take his bike there. If he could have fit it into a vehicle or something that may have worked, but carrying a bike on a scooter would have looked ridiculous. "Thanks, but I'll just ride my bike there. I'll probably get there a little bit after you. That way you can investigate without us distracting you." Kazuki decided to play into Jun's ego a bit. He left for the park shortly after Katherine. She was walking a short distance in front of him. He figured it was a long shot, as she shut down Jun, but he might as well ask. He rode up next to her and slowed to her pace. "I know it may look like some anime couple or some losers with dead end jobs, but do you want to sit on the rear rack? It'll be faster than just walking, and I'll be fine pedaling."

Well, since her mistr, erm... master had deal with most of what there was to do, all that was left to Ellie, indulge Ling with some more information, which she did with a teasing smile in her lips "Hmm~ I didn't knew that you had a bone to pick with the Jackets, Ling-Ling. What they did, splash water on you on a rainy day?"

"Either way, The Jackets are were they are supposed to be, at the Old Port/Industrial District. You can probably find them on the Freeway as well." Ellie pointed to a portion of the city map, making the Jackets usual tracks with small dots of red light, "But to get them, Ling-Ling, you'll need a ride of your, own... unless you think you can outrun racing motorcycles on foot. But fear not, the great Ellie-sama as just what you need and the best part is that it'll be totally free on this limited time offer." As Ellie said so, she handed an ignition key to Rui-Ling, smirking as she finished her explanation "It's on the store's back. Just bring it back in one piece, ok?"

Indeed, on the back store, just under a dusty cloth, Rui-Ling would find a red Kawasaki Ninja 1000, actually more of a touring than a sports motorcycle (as evidenced by the attached sidecar), but still it had the power needed to outwit the Jackets in their own game. However, Ellie's advice would be best to be heed, because said vehicle belonged to none other than the World's Strongest Mage, who was borrowing her master's garage, since Reiko's own was full of junk.

Nevertheless, with the tools in hand, it was up to Rui-Ling, how things would turn out, our so, it was thought.

After finishing up with Ling, Ellie hurried back inside the Café, to scoop her beloved mistr-, erm... master, out of the trap she'd set on her own. Owing t the fact that no Chaser was left in the Dangeki right now, Ellie used this opportunity to get a little more intimate with Aria as she crossed her arms around her master's body and lifting her up as Ellie's hands mapped the gentle slopes doting Aria's chest.

"There you go, Master, I hope you are not mad, I had to dispatch Ling-Ling first. Of course, if you are, I'll gladly accept any kind of punishment you'd like to admonish~" Ellie teased, revealing a fanged grin.





As the first one of the Chasers arrived at the park, no matter who it would be, they would notice that the usually lively place was almost empty, even the wind was as cold as the very caress of a shinigami. Most, if not all, lampposts seemed to be flickering and a strange mist gathered around the park at this early evening.

Independent of what course of action they would take, the Chasers would be met with a serious problem, the park was too large and they would have to choose between dividing their forces to save time, or play safe and explore the place as a team.

There were four possible areas of interest according to Ellie's reports:

- The Lake: A small lakeside walk, used frequently as a track by would be athletes. Reports of weird lights appearing on the water's edge had been coming steady for at leas a week.

- The Playground: A playground for the infants who visit the park. Thee swings have been spotted moving on their own, despite the air being as still as tonight.

- The Acoustical Shell: An open air theater used in many different presentations. There had been sightings of the equipment functioning and even "music" being played when no one is around.

- The Botanical Garden: The city's repository of green life, it's kept and maintained by Sonomachi's University Bio Sciences Center and boosts a dazzling collection of temperate and subtropical fauna from all over the world. Reports of " queer things" moving in the bushes only to disappear when you get close, were coming for a time now.

The choice was theirs now, independent of it the nagging feeling that they were being observed by something would be plaguing the Chasers from now on...







The sound of loud music and revving engines filled the the gasoline smelling air as the gang of misfits known as the Yellow Jackets, after their obnoxious hornet stripe jackets and their leader, the infamous Suzumebachi, the hornet-like Youkai, was readying them selves for another night out, doing as they please.

On the central position, a figure engulfed by shadows thicker that oil grinned widely and she observed the Jackets go on their routine. No one appeared to mind the monstrous being's presence, so either it belonged there and was no concern of their, or it was somehow concealed, independent of that, its slasher smile only grew wider as the renegade bikers were set on their course.

One by one the pieces were falling in their place, the figure thought as she scuttled back to the shadows "Indeed, observing the show from the side every now and then could prove to be most interesting... ku ku ku."

---

@rechonq@Rune_Alchemist@GrafRoy Zeppeli@TheWindel@McFazzer@Ashifili

Indeed, Jun was the first to arrive to the park in a slightly ridiculous manner.

To be honest, Jun was self conscious of how he looked in his scooter, but 'It was cheap and it was affordable. Not to mention that it looked cool in my mind before I... actually hopped unto it.'

It was one of the few times Jun's imagination slipped up (no really, it was), and not only Katherine and Mumem Rider Kazuki had given him a hard time about it. His ego was bruised, that much was certain.

Still, Jun's most prized possession on himself, his brain, was working as finely as any other day. The ominous and eerie feeling he got from the park made him stand in place, waiting for his teammates to arrive.

Yes, he had seen the place earlier in the morning and it was nothing like what it seemed right now. It sent chills down his spine.

Better not move until his hired muscle arrived at the place.

Upon their arrival, Jun would turn to them and instruct them of what they should do, and what he thought were the areas of most interest in this regard, judging from what Ellie's reports said.

"You sure took your sweet time, you two. In any case, what do you two think? Eerie, isn't it? If you want the opinion of the brains of the operation, I suggest we split up. We can cover a larger area that way."

Still, he wanted some way to ask for help should it be needed. He would wait to see what they had to say about his suggestion, before bringing up the fact that they needed some kind of panic button.

~Aria~

---

Aria stared down Ellie with an emotionless gaze. Raising her arms up and holding them out into a “T” position, she waited patiently for her familiar to lift her up and place back down on solid ground. She noted the position of Ellie’s hands, hearing her words and seeing the mischievous fanged grin. Sighing, Aria took hold of a chocolate doughnut this time with one hand…and promptly chopped at Ellie’s head with the other.

“Don’t be ridiculous Ellie. There’s still much paperwork to be done because someone decided to distract me earlier,” she said with a critical eye. “Though I might still punish you. Maybe tie you up on the Dangeki’s roof as a reminder of not to tamper with my sweets. Now come along. We have work to do. Unless you feel like helping me in my papers?”

Already knowing the answer, the Head Magister took a bite out of her doughnut and left to head to the back of the Dangeki. She would leave it to her Chasers to handle the night’s events. Things were certainly interesting this evening, and she wondered briefly if there was a reason for that.

---

---

Setsuna Temple. Usually a place of tranquil beauty and meditation…only to be trampled upon by the rebellious of modern society. A once peaceful, serene area, now had a constant thunder cloud hovering above the temple and any building adjoining it. Cracks of lightning could be seen every few seconds and the boom of thunder swiftly followed.

The temple walls were now marked up in heavy doses of graffiti and profanity, street art of the vulgar kind being the new backdrop for the temple. Even now, a member of the Black Fang, some sort of extremist gang, was marking up one of the Temple walls even now. A Raijuu by the look of things; it didn’t seem like he would be stopping any time soon.

---

A new trump card, huh? What was it going to be this time, five seconds of time stop? An omnidirectional crossbow bolt? Transmutation without exchange? The Cataloguer must be a lucky person, to stumble across all these treasures in one lifetime. Makes one wonder if his first Treasure was a Treasure-seeking map.

Nevertheless, he smiled, dipping his head down to thank the Magister…right as a familiarly unchanging face popped up into the Dangeki Pawn and Parlour Café. Now, there were four immortals in the establishment, and Rui-Ling couldn’t help but laugh at Carver’s pitch. Seems like the door-to-door magic salesman was still trying to get a slice of the profits Rui-Ling got from his organ-selling days, and while the silver-armed youth considered packing some magical heat…

“Carver, you know, we’ve known each other for years, and we’ve probably had this conversation before, but really, maybe you should find someone else to buy your stuff. I’m more of an ‘expensive food’ type of person, you know? That being said, on the topic of people to buy your charms…not 100% sure, but there’s these two Chasers by the name of Lucille and Katherine who didn’t get the memo yet that normal bullets are fifty degrees of useless against most youkai. Perhaps work some of your magic there, lady-killer?”

Rui-Ling patted the slightly shorter teen on the back, winking. “And don’t worry, that information’s free of charge…but seriously, I have all the time in the world to prostrate myself before Aria and become a magical boy, so I’m not in any particular rush to add more spells to my bag of tricks. Keep your sample, and good luck, my friend~”

With that said and done, he turned his attention to Ellie, who finally began dispensing information about the whereabouts of the Yellow Jackets. Shrugging at her speculations about his grudge, he said, “Long story short, it was 1979, I was at an outdoors music festival in Kyoto, and they did a drive-by for shits and giggles. Got trampled to death like…three, five times before I tore out all their souls? Would have been fine with it, really, if those Yellow Jackets didn’t do the same thing seven years ago in Downtown Sonomachi, during the Proud of My Voice live performance. After that, I beat them in a race, stole all their vehicles, stripped them nude, and kicked their asses out...so the cycle of hatred was cemented.”

Patting his own legs, which, unfortunately, hadn’t gained any muscle at all during the past century or so, the immortal nodded at Ellie’s offer for a ride. Unfortunately, his particular brand of immortality meant that nothing could change about him at all. His hair was the same as it had always been, and no matter how much physical training he did, all Rui-Ling could do was be more efficient with what he had. And, as it was, the body of a teenager, regardless of how perfect his running posture was, could not outrun a vehicle.

A shame, really. He probably could do it if he was 25 years old and in the prime of his human life.

Palming the ignition key, the immortal nodded in assent. “No worries, I’ll bring it back without a scratch, Ellie. Swear upon my blood money…and please don’t take a page out of Carver’s book. Don’t need two infomercial characters in Sonomachi.”

With that, he went off to the back of the store, sweeping off the motorcycle dramatically. Tracing a line on the side of its polished red surface, the immortal tentatively tapped the side of the vehicle with his silvered hand. No magical reaction. Good, so Reiko wasn’t paranoid enough to buy an ensorcelled motorcycle as well. Hopping on and twisting in the ignition, Rui-Ling grinned at the rumble of the vehicle below him. It purred like a lion, more than enough power to shame the Yellow Jackets before he kicked their ass out of Sonomachi.

Pulling out of the shop and trying not to laugh at Jun’s scooter, Rui-Ling drove off, gliding through the streets seamlessly. With twenty-two years of experience with all sorts of vehicles and eighteen more of stunt driving, the half-Chinese Chaser zoomed towards the darkened realm of the Industrial District, a red streak through lonely streets.

~

Once he got to the heart of the Old Port, it was easy enough to hear and smell the presence of the motorcycle gang. The gasoline guzzling freaks were at it again, and it looked like their leader had recovered from the facial disfigurations Rui-Ling put him through last time. Pulling his mechanical mount up through the doors of the abandoned warehouse, he stepped off in front of the gang, blue eyes burning fearlessly.

“Welcome back to Sonomachi, you yellow worms! Come here to be humiliated again? Or did you actually get better since the last time I outraced you, took your rides, and sold them for 500 yen on EBay?”

Rui-Ling spat, eight years of training sending the wad of spittle right at Suzumebachi’s feet.

“Honestly, I’ve missed out on AKB48’s concert for this bullshit, and there's some Treasure-hunter around these parts as well that I need to apprehend already, so if you want to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, I might let you go home fully clothed this time.”

It was clear at this point that the meeting was over, probably for the last few minutes or so, but it wasn't until the sales pitch on magical trinkets fell through that she decided to leave. After all, she didn't want to become the next victim herself to be suckered into spending money on what was probably useless junk. Odelia bent over to pick up Bosco and, after pushing in her chair, was out the door, the small ring ting ting announcing her departure.

The funny thing was that Odelia had no clue where she was going. She supposed she could just walk back in and ask just about anybody, but truth be told, she didn't care where she ended up. And it wold be better to get to know the layout of the town while she was at it. Of course should something pop up she would gladly lend a hand, and who knows; maybe she'd get to find an actual ghost on her own?

Moving out, she picked a direction at random and just started walking, but not before sticking another lollipop into her mouth, this time cherry flavor. As a general rule, she moved from alley way to alley way while keeping tabs on the major streets and points of interests, such as a bakery not too far away from the Cafe. It wasn't long before she reached the mouth of the river. It was probably better not to cross it before exploring the rest of this half of the city, but now was a perfect time for a break as she sat down staring out into the ocean's horizon.

Luciel stopped Lucille as she made her way to her parked car, asking in his usual nervous manner if he could tag along to the temple. The unaging woman gave him a smile before fishing her car keys out of her purse. "Of course you could come along," she answered, unlocking the car remotely and approaching the driver's side door. "I always appreciate the company. It is never a bad idea to have back-up as well." Lucille waited a brief moment for her younger partner to get in her fancy car before she would take off. The drive wouldn't take too long, as traffic was dying down around now, but that didn't mean the trip would be silent. "I had always liked the cars like Mercedes-Benz or Bentley when I was younger, but my husband loved the fast cars. I could never understand why because he couldn't well drive them at top speed without getting in trouble. But I guess that's just what men do. As long as the ride is comfortable and smooth and I don't have use a clutch then I'm happy." Lucille rambled on with various anecdotes and funny stories for the duration of the drive, whether Luciel was comfortable with that or not.

---

"... and that was when I said to him 'I am getting my damn passport and going to the Congo' but by that night I realized I was over-reacting and talked it through. Many problems can be solved by using your words, dear," Lucille finished as their car pulled into the deserted parking lot to the Setsuna Temple. The ominous and active thunderclouds overhead didn't seem to do much to Lucille as she rather casually stepped out of the car and waited for Luciel to exit before locking it. They could already see one of the juveniles vandalizing the property, but Lucille was first occupied by adjusting her coat and removing her sunglasses. The sun had completely set by now so there was no need to have them on. Instead they were banished to her purse, which she kept slung over her shoulder as she confidently strode towards the temple and the Raijuu boy. It wasn't until after she climbed the initial set of stairs did she even acknowledge the presence of the green-haired boy.

She looked over her shoulder at Luciel behind her. "Remember: these are kids. They might be misbehaving but we do not need to hurt them... at least not severely." With that final reminder out of the way she settled her multicolored eyes on the Raijuu boy and approached him. "I don't think that's very nice," Lucille greeted, speaking louder than usual to make sure she got his attention. "Vandalizing a place of worship like this is very rude. I came here to convince you and your friends to cease this activity." She was very straightforward and sincere already, probably not very surprising for Luciel but perhaps it would be for the Raijuu boy. Lucille did use a gentle tone, something one wouldn't expect coming from a woman that was here to stop them. "Are your friends here? Can I speak with them too?" And now Luciel might be surprised. She was practically asking the hoodlum to get strength in numbers. All the advantages of a possible confrontation would seemingly go to these Black Fang kids, but Lucille didn't show any body language that would indicate nervousness. It was the opposite in fact: complete confidence. Whether that confidence was in her capability or that of the teenagers would remain to be seen.

Luciel had slowed his pace in following Lucille, subconsciously prepared for her to ignore him. On top of this, seeing the blink of the headlights from the car was certainly intimidating. Due to funds, he mostly walked or took the bus if it was too far. With that in mind, the neon glow of the luxury automobile which was likely foreign to the region. However, waiting after accepting his company was unexpected. He'd mostly taken solo jobs; 'cleanup' being more of his forte, though the name which the two essentially shared sparked a rare tone of intrigue. Seeing his reflection in the sleek vehicle was one of the many hints that it was about the point of their namesake where similarities ended.

"Ah, jeh...I vahz szinking zeht-" he started in agreement, approaching the car with a palpable moment of silence before Lucille began on the talk about cars which Luciel had nothing to substantially contribute with. Meanwhile, he was growing accustom to the scent of what a 'silver spoon' might be, firmly but gently closing the car door behind himself in slight worry that anything he did could cause offence. The car wouldn't even fit in his flat any way it was tilted, and the spacious interior...oof. Luciel was certain he could slide and lean the seat back enough to actually lay down with all of the leg room, though only played with the controls enough to confirm the suspicion before resetting it to a respectable position. In the process, his power bent his coat to instinctually mimic the interior of the car as it shrunk against his frame in a manner to make himself less noticable.
Her casual confidence as she spelled out essentially everything there was to what would have been a conversation fit nicely with his passive normality with conversation. Though her appearance betrayed her, Luciel often found it very easy to be around *ehem* individuals of escalated age; they often had so much to talk about where he had very little. With all of the experience accumulated through years of existence, it was worth listening to whatever they had to offer...
______________________________________________

...This was not always the case, as the car ride mostly consisted of extended anecdotes which often fed into eachother with only occasional breaks for the young albino to throw in such inputs as: "Yeh, iz how they say...", "Ah, vell, I'm not much for zeh heat", "I bet you haf had quite zee time to see zeh vehrld", or his personal favorite fallback, "...Ehrm..."

By the time they arrived at the temple, Luciel had mastered the seat controls as well as almost cooked himself with the heated seat option. While his intention to aid the woman out of a strange empathetically bias assumption within how he viewed her years, it was never intended to sit through such a history lesson. With all due respect, he was more inclined to listen to others than talk about himself, but he almost had enough information to write an extensive biography on the woman who didn't look a day over 25.
Stepping out of the car after they'd parked, Luciel stretched as his attire seemingly deflated, warping into speckled tints of its neutral state seen in his profile picture. In the motion, the contents of his coat peeled away from the shifting mass to display a bandolier of folded pieces of paper with a small pack on the end by his hip. From his back, his signature rapier was lifted away by his scarf before he caught it in his right hand, thumbing the guard to glint the blade for a moment though letting it settle as Lucille reminded him that they were just kids.

With this, he muttered a small "Jeh..." as he slipped the sheathed blade into the accompanying loop opposite the pack. His attention then turned to the figure in the process of defacing the shrine. It was a strange tactic, Luciel considered, to mark up the place where they would be concerned was not receiving 'enough' donation. His first thought was that the raijuu was an interloper seeking to mark territory for some means which the albino wasn't particularly curious to what ends. Though he certainly had words he could exchange with the individual, his compatriot was quicker to the draw and more eloquent with the phrasing.
In truth, Luciel would have been more inclined to sneak up and terrorize the teen into yielding useful information, Lucille's approach was arguably more off-putting. If the two were anything less than what they were, the challenge would be a terrible one since the opposition was bound to quickly outnumber them. It was because of this that Luciel casually thumbed through the bandolier before drawing a packet of barley seeds. They typically rapidly grew in vines which could bind multiple attackers if caught off guard, and, due to their non-irritant qualities, would hopefully keep Lucille from being too cross with him if push came to shove.
However, pinched between his ring and pinky finger was a packet of nightshade. While meek in its natural setting, the inspired version proved to be a powerful buff to his sword. The idea was to carry magical influence with a melee weapon to pierce the natural immunity spirits had, and, though the sword could deal little damage on its own, it served as a potent method of delivering a fairly debilitating poison after his power had its way with the toxin's chemical makeup. So was the hunt, Luciel valuing personal safety over objective parameters. He was more inclined to bargain with antidotes than words. Good thing Lucille was there, Luciel really needed payment from a successful job. Rent was soon to be due.

"I hope zeh pep talk sticks..." Luciel darkly joked in a soft enough tone for only Lucille to hear, eyes already narrowing in cold calculations as he measured up the single entity. "...I can catch it if it runs" he commented, never entirely concerning himself with the gender of spirits.

@rechonq

Kat left the establishment ahead of the others, intending on going straight to the park. Really, she supposed she should have gone home and got her gear, but she didn't think they'd get much out of their first day of investigation. Not that she was much of an investigator to begin with, but you learn stuff in the military. Welp, might as well get one last cigarette in before arriving at the park. Smoking and fighting at the same time, while incredibly badass, was not practical. Granted she was badass enough to pull it off, but still.

So she reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lit it, just as Kaizuki...rolled up. Honestly, she was a both amused and irritated.

"Uhh...seriously? You do know I just turned that guy down, and he's even cuter than you?" She continued walking, giving him only a small frown as she put the lighter back in her pocket. She had to give him credit for his persistence though. "But hey, good try, so tip for next time. Buy me a drink and maybe I'll say yes."

That was about as much as she said on that, and soon enough she would arrive at the park.

--------

@GrafRoy Zeppeli

Well, it seemed she was the last one to arrive. No surprise there, really considering she was on foot. She pulled the cigarette from her mouth, blowing out a puff of smoke before giving Jun an unimpressed, mildly annoyed look.

"Just who made you, boss, huh?" That could very well almost classify as a growl. She was used to taking orders, but Jun was definitely the least qualified person here to lead. "Kiddo, dunno how you did things before now, but we're working together for this job right now. Might as well make the best of it, even if I don't like it." She let the last of her cigarette fall to the ground, crushing it under her boot. "I think splitting up is a bad idea since we have no idea what we're dealing with here, or even if there's anything out here at all."

Jun had probably done something like this before, considering they were all chasers, obviously. That said, her military training still had a bit of sway over her tactics and methods, especially if a group was involved, even more so if a few people were tasked with investigating a large area. In the latter scenario, losing contact with your squad or partner, was definitely a bad idea, which meant first they should probably find a way to notify each other if they found something.

"I don't really care what we do, honestly, but If we do split up though, we're gonna need a way to let someone know we've found something. Especially if we find whatever out here's causing this."

The lone Raijuu boy froze, body spiking up as if he was caught in the middle of some heinous crime. Which, for all extents and purposes for Setsuna Temple, he was currently doing in the moment. As Lucille spoke, his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. The boss had trained him along with many of his brothers well and he was able to identify the people before him. A vampire by the looks of it and…some sort of boy that smelled like perfumed lettuce.

However, the Raijuu boy didn’t expect Lucille to request something like that and he spent a moment or two just flat out staring at her. Was she serious? She actually wanted to meet the boss? The shadow of a retort was on his lips but he held back his words, a strange behavior for an impulsive species such as a Raijuu. Whoever ran the Black Fang sure did work of keeping them in line.

Still, the Raijuu boy was at least smart enough to realize that Lucille’s plant partner was gearing up for a fight and he hissed in his direction. Although he did not leap, he cast a suspicious gaze on the vampire for Luciel’s actions. Finally, he shrugged before crossing his arms.

“Sure thing Grandma. But keep your bodyguard in check, yeah? You’re either really brave or really stupid to want to talk to the boss directly,” the boy hissed before his hair began to spike up. Electricity flowed through is body, making it light up all over as a beacon. Soon, more and more lights lit up and it soon became apparent that the Chaser pair were surrounded from the very beginning.

The Raijuu were everywhere; crawling on the walls, lounging around at any place to sit, and even hanging in the temple’s trees. However, none of them dared to move forward, leaving the talking up to the boss. This boss would make herself known by walking forward, hands in her pockets and a glare to her face. So the mission briefing was true. There really was a Kyuubi calling the shots here.

“Chasers? The hell do you want?” the fox girl growled, glaring at the two. She looked like any other teenager though looks were deceiving. As a full-blooded Kyuubi, her powers far surpassed those of the vampire and walking plant. Negotiation would be the main focus in this confrontation.

---

@GrafRoy Zeppeli@Rune_Alchemist

He smiled as Kat told him off. He expected it to happen and he found her insult sort of amusing. He wasn't one to take another's words to heart. He didn't argue with others much. His typical response to dealing with anyone he didn't like was ignoring them. He really felt he was smarter or more logical than most others, he just never voiced it. It was easy to ride her comment off as the opinion of someone with bad taste as he went ahead of her to the park.

Before he reached Jun at the park he dismounted and locked his bike nearby. He began to take in the environment of the park. It was certainly no surprise that something was going on here. Everything just felt wrong. Even though it was night, there typically seemed to be someone around the park, but now it felt like somehow less than no one was here. The mist hid everything and even though it wasn't that cold, the wind in the park had a terrible chillly bite to it. Chills ran up and down Kazuki's spine.

He approached Jun around the same time Kat arrived. He was quite ready to accept Jun's idea. He wasn't going to say anything just walk off to the lake and ignore anything else he probably had to say. If 'the brains' was so great, he could probably handle this himself. He was stopped after just a few steps when he heard Kat objecting to the smart aleck. She gave some valid points that they were a team and taking advantage of that would be good, and if they wanted to split up that they should have calls. "I'm going to agree with both of you. I think we should split up and be careful of what we find, but we definitely need a way to call each other if something happens. Hoestly with how empty it is, I'm fine with just yelling. Unless you all want to take the time to swap numbers, I don't have any better ideas."

A smile formed on Lucille's face when the Raijuu boy complied without any difficulty. She was slightly impressed that he was able to recognize that she was older than her looks would suggest, though she didn't have any grandchildren like he suggested. At least not yet. "Well, I did graduate from Oxford way back when," she mused to herself, letting that serve as her statement of boldness. When the other Raijuu around began to light up like beacons she didn't seem particularly surprised. She could sense their presence since she arrived. A human likely wouldn't have the senses for it, but as the Raijuu already noticed she wasn't a human. As Lucille and Luciel waited for their leader to arrive, the older woman turned to face the younger boy for a brief word. "He wasn't going to run," she told him, turning forward just in time for the fox-girl to arrive.

This teenage gang leader didn't seem to surprise Lucille either. Not her appearance nor her behavior. But rather than immediately answer the younger girl she decided to do something else first. Without a word or any fast movements, Lucille stepped forward and approached the kitsune, likely standing uncomfortably close. And without warning she reached forward with both hands and grabbed onto her hood before gently pulling it back, removing the hood from her head and revealing the girl's fox ears and entire head. "Ah, you look much better like this," Lucille declared, now taking a step back out of the girl's personal space and returning her hands to herself. She didn't wait for any protest or complaint before continuing. "My colleague and I are both Chasers and we've been tasked with handling the kids that have been stirring up trouble at this temple. We were told that we are allowed to use force, but I like children and don't believe that is necessary."

Lucille began to lean back as if she was going to sit down in an invisible chair. Before she could fall, however, she lifted her legs and began to levitate. After propping up her head with one arm and crossing her legs it genuinely gave the appearance that she was in an invisible, floating lounge chair. For Youkai and Chasers the sight wasn't much to behold, but it did serve as a gentle reminder that Lucille was above humankind. From this relaxed position she continued. "So really, the question isn't what I want, but what you want." The faintest hint of a smile appeared on her lips. "But you have to give me a name. Surely a fox-girl like you has a cute name, no? On that same subject: my name is Lucille. You can call me Lucy if you like."

Luciel wasn't the hostile type; being surrounded was no surprise or cause to be alarmed since the impression was that it was all to be expected. Never would he ever draw a blade before the first blow was slung, though he was content with being the finishing motion. This in mind, the looks of scorn and suspicion were nothing new. Seeing it from a collection of surrounding spirits fed into the content ideology that at least he was being taken seriously before the words from Lucille mentioned that the creature didn't intend on running. It wasn't much in the way of concern as far as the esper was concerned, since two to three dozen amounted as much as one or two flicks of the wrist to have lesser beasts bound and answering for their shortcomings.
Harming a single hair on the furry bodies of the spirits was only a secondary consideration, assuming civilities fell on the deaf ears that he expected from glorified 'ghosts'.

No, Luciel came to know this class of monster as a sensitive sort that preemptive strikes yielded little result other that continued conflict.

In response to the bark of the immature spiritual beast that disgraced themselves and their purpose in defacing what was supposedly sacred land, Luciel offered a simple disinterested huff of a scoff. 'Staying in check' depended on the actions of the actions those they were surrounded by. If a single one attacked, it'd certainly be a mess for those and theirs who joined in the foolhardy assault.
It wasn't Luciel's business to fight, only resolve...and an attack on him was an affront on lady Lucille whom the albino sought to protect.

All of this considered, the comedy in Luciel's expression was palpable. Never for a single second did he entertain a single notion slung by lesser or greater spirit. His job was to ensure that no call would go unanswered. He needed money, not a war. Preemptive strikes were never considered, only scalding returns for the immaturity and unpredictable nature of spirits that he'd come to know. In this, Luciel rested his hand on the pommel of the blade, casually holding the folded papers at his side. It was clear that he didn't trust the spirits' motives, great or small.

Luciel opened his mouth to speak, though bit back his words at the idea of carnivorous beasts that spirits tended to be preying upon the slightest weakness as the two sharing similar-sounding names. Instead he offered a soft sigh and an disappointed tilt of his head with a lifted eyebrow to show his lack of invested seriousness with an underling calling him out. At the same time, their eyes locked with the one that had spoken for Lucille to keep him in check, staring the creature down with expecting disinterest as if begging for them to make them worth their time. With an inaudible scoffing motion, Luciel composed themselves, turning back towards the individual in charge.

Appearances aside, being the boss of so many useless goons was enough weight to earn respect. Of course diplomacy was better suited to Lucille who seemed to have the bravery and intuition to approach their counterpart, and Luciel wouldn't make a move. Again, a single motion against his comrade's person would be met with hostility. Strong as they were, Luciel doubted the boss creature was willing to deal with his form of diplomacy. The thought briefly crossed his mind as to how much poison a spirit could handle before crumbling, though the assumption of their disgustingly uncultured understanding of botany compelled Luciel to stay is blade. Truly, the confusion of toxic dissemblance from a single slash of a mortal blade wouldn't show itself until seconds later when their very essence began to almost literally boil.
It was good that Lucille was there, since Luciel had little respect for the creatures.

"Ah...yeh" Luciel mused, noting the lights of the numerous creatures. "I vill not strike first..." he coldly promised for the sake of diplomacy.

Jun flinched at Kat's comment. Well, he wasn't trying to be bossy but perhaps it was the way he said it that made him sound like so.

Jun was by no means a leader, and he knew that much. "F-Fine, we can just-!" He was cut off midsentence by Kat again, saying that if they would indeed go their separate ways, then they should need something to call on each other.

He was just about to say that sticking together might be nice, but Kazuki joining the fray and saying that separating was indeed a good idea, well... he couldn't very well back down now, could he? Not when it was his idea.

"Fine, then!" He turned around and readied himself, taking both guns from their holsters inside his coat. "I'll take the lake, then! I can use my powers better there and I won't need any support there!"

He was about to start walking, but he remembered something. They needed those 'panic buttons'. He extended his hand and created a pair of ice balls resembling grenades.

He then turned on his heel and tossed them at the two brutes that came with him.

"Throw this in the sky and they will explode, making a loud noise. I guess we can use these if we find something interesting or some trouble." He then turned his face to the sky. Err, guess giving them another opinion on what to do shouldn't hurt, right? "Well... if you want an opinion on where you two should go... I definitely think Katherine should head to the playground and Dara to the Acoustical shell. Just a thought. So, well, we can check the Botanical garden together."

Most jump-scares and monsters often appeared in the Botanical garden. Going there alone would definitely be bad.

Katherine was probably better suited to battle in an open space like the playground, and if Dara got into a fight in the acoustical shell, everyone would hear it. What, with glass being noisy as hell and whatnot.

---

@Rune_Alchemist@rechonq

Alice was late (fashionably). She was late, for a supposedly important date. Of course, the Chasers couldn't get a thing done without her. How they'd survived as long as they had without her in the fold she had no idea, but they were lucky. Mami had gotten held up at the hot springs, shepherding about the ignorati with a sweet smile and a pleasant greeting, but once she had finished up (and politely asked permission to go out with friends, to which her parents responded positively and in tears for some reason), she was gone. Alice didn't care. Alice did what she wanted, because she was strong and imposing and way bigger than sweet little Mami could have ever even imagined!

The door to the Dangeki Cafe burst open, and a chill wind heralded the entrance of Alice, who was revealed in her full glory. All four feet and six inches of it. Her presence, however, filled the entire room with its hugeness as the young girl smirked at the few remaining patrons, hands on hips.

"Kukuku~ it is I, the Great Alice, come to grace your... rustic little hovel with my majestic presence!" announced the girl in that super formal tone of Japanese that makes you say 'desu wa' at the end of every sentence.

Today, she was wearing a black gothloli one-piece dress with thin red ribbons, white lace, and plenty of pleats and frills. Her hands were covered with black silk gloves, and her legs were engulfed in a pair of long black leather boots, laced tightly up the front. Her perfect blonde hair fell magnificently onto her incredibly well-tailored dress, and her beautiful blue eyes pierced like knives into all who would look upon her awesome personage.

"You need not prostrate yourselves in front of me, but you certainly may if you feel the overwhelming need to do so. Now, why was the Great Alice called to this dinky donut shop? You peons require my help, no doubt, so I demand elaboration!"

~Aria~

---

The Head Magister was in the back of the Dangeki, scribbling away at note, files, and other important documents when Alice bursted in at the front door and made her grand announcement. Aria didn’t so much as look up, already noting her presence from miles away and even taking a few pokes in her mind to discover the reason to her tardiness. So instead of pausing in her work, Aria waved Ellie over.

“Ah, my favorite tea partner is here. Go set up the table Ellie and get Alice up to speed. I should be done in no more than ten minutes or so; in that time I expect only the finest sweets and the sweetest teas to sate the appetite of me and my guest,” the Head Magister said-wait, was she actually requesting a tea party?

---

~Cernia~

---

“The hell?!?”

The Kyuubi was caught off guard and so her body was rigid, which in turn saved Lucille a fate of being punched through a wall five miles away. Her fox ears twitching to the cold night air passing through the fur lining them, she continued to stare at the vampire with a stunned expression. Seeing their leader so surprised, the gang of Raijuu honestly didn’t know what to do, least of all attack the ones who had just disrobed their leader.

”What I want is for you to beat it out of here before I do it for you,” the fox girl snarled with a flare of renewed anger, though her ears betrayed how embarrassed she had felt at being so easily distracted. “Besides, I don’t think you wanna tussle with me hag. The name’s Cernia; ring any bells? That’s because I’m the one in line to become the World’s Strongest Creature dumbass.”

Ah, so that was the case. The name “Cernia” might have rung a bell, the title of World’s Strongest Creature having been passed down a lineage of warriors and the like each proving themselves to be superior to all others in combat. The current World’s Strongest, a grumpy gargoyle, was rumored to have a Kyuubi for an apprentice…so then the rumors were true.

Unfortunately, that only meant that diplomacy was more crucial than ever. Cernia wasn’t the apprentice to the World’s Strongest for a weak reason…though one had to wonder…if Cernia was here being a troublemaker, where in the world was her master?

---

Heavy bootsteps echoed as Vincent entered a short alley, the moon glowing in the black sky overhead. His clenched fist trembled. He'd been told that "all known" entry points would be continuously monitored, but considering he'd only ever been through one passageway into the other world, he was pretty sure they'd only pinpointed one.

Vincent exited, and looked overhead at the wine-red sky. They couldn't send transmissions interdimensionally, meaning he was alone with his thoughts and the automatic shotgun he removed from his duffel bag. Japan's gun laws were unbelievably strict, but government sanctions provided him with firearms delivered right to his doorstep. The masked man loaded a fresh drum into the machine, and slung a hefty greatsword over his back. Even these would be enough for the grunts littering the streets, weak offscourings that needed to swarm to take down even a human.

A shadowy figure seemed to peek around the corner before receiving a full blast of buckshot to its face. Yanking the pin of a grenade out with his thumb, the Executioner strolled towards the center of town, firing at anything that dared to present itself. Tonight's execution had begun, and fire would herald his coming.

@rechonq@GrafRoy Zeppeli



Kat sighed, taking the ice grenade from Jun. Well, at least the kid wasn't entirely stupid. His choices for where they should go wasn't entirely unfounded, though she would have rather checked the garden together. There wouldn't be much cover around in the playground. Too open...if there was something there, it'd be easy to it to see them coming a mile away.

Jun might have thought she was suited to open combat, but that was farther from the truth. Well, her military training anyways wasn't geared towards it. Quickly, quietly, and efficiently without any witnesses. If she got into a firefight, that meant the mission had already been fucked. But well, she's done much better with much less before. So she'd take it for now.

"Well, not entirely stupid." She replied with a smirk. "Sounds good then. Go take the lake, I'll go check out the playground and Dara can go check the acoustical shell then." with that, she turned and headed for the playground, though not before giving them a little warning. "And just so ya know, I'm not saving your sorry ass if ya get in over your head."

And though she said that...well, she'd probably end up doing it anyways. As much as she acted otherwise...she was honestly too nice not to play the hero if she could.

Meh, whatever. Maybe this would be quick.