Miko the local Miko
Shrine

---

"Oh Dragon that governs over the east," Almost immediately after her hands hit the creature, she hit another stance, stabilizing her lower half, before raining down punch after punch on the thing. "show thine power against the impure! Grant your servant with your splendor!"

If she was fast before, now she was lightning fast, almost literally, as empowered as she was by Seiryuu's blessings. In the space of a few seconds, she had rained down a hail of strikes against the one creature. While most other people in her line of work call it brutal violence, to her it was a simple ritual of purification; beat down the enemy, then beat the spirits out of them.

"Fuuu.." She jumped backwards. If it was a human possessed by a spirit, it should be returning to normal relatively unharmed(though perhaps with a killer headache), but if it was a purely evil youkai of some sort... Miko clenched her fists, ready to move if that proved insufficient to pacify it.

@GreenGoat


This woman was insane! A gorilla pretending to be a shrine maiden for sure! This was the thoughts moving through the wolves intelligent (compared to other wolves) brain. The mangy mutt was indeed slowed by the protections placed upon the shrine, albeit it was showing ample resistance to them at the same time, perhaps it was due to the amalgamated form of its soul or perhaps it was due to the inheritent magic resisting properties of wolf-skin.

That said, said skin was doing little to shield the wolf from the concussive blows from this stupid gorilla, in fact, during the gorilla's punching session, the wolf even yipped in pain. A dishonour to their pride to be sure. But they weren't at full strength either.

The wolf got in a ready stance, Ready to give the woman what for, Ready to bite her neck and take them down. Yes, most certainly this was the method that would work right, They would tense up, their muscles, even while malnourished were bigger then the average wolf, denoting the presence of an apex canine. Muscles would pop and sinews would shift as the wolf would slowly pick itself up on its hind legs, its mass increasing to reach the depection of the beastman-werewolf, Their muscles would be inhumanly large even in a malnourished state. The form looked like some sort of fluffy hulk. Yes, this would be the form in which they bested this human. They felt strong, they-oh, a single step forward and they fell on their side with a pained whimper.

The Gorilla had done more damage then they thought. Stupid gorilla, and as the world around the wolf faded to black they'd just let out a whimper of protest at being bested, And when the wolf fully metted into unconsciousness. The presence of the moon lost all effect upon the creature. Leaving a Malnourished, skinny, and pained woman. This denoted her as a second-generation werewolf. No wonder she was so easy to best.

Of course now it would be a test of the shrine maidens morales, to let the woman die or to feed her and risk fighting a healthier werewolf.

@Krayzikk@HereComesTheSnow


The way the creature moved was inhuman, perhaps it was due to the way its mass was shifting, arms elongating, legs shrinking, torso expanding and contracting. It pained the eyes to look at. Erratic in the way it moved that even its movements through time were random, the only certainity was that it was moving towards the pair.

Another scream erupted from it, Truly whatever it was, the natural rules of reality were struggling to try to apply themselves to it as on contact with air particles there would be a fizzing and pop as the air particles would just be displaced somewhere else, as if they were afraid to maintain contact with the creature that played on the senses like a living illusion. How terrifying was it that it would break into run, and begin to run full speed towards Sieglinde, arms flailing, Mouth screaming.

Ryuji Igarashi - Hitting Traffic - District 19

@Krayzikk@1Charak2

The girl flew.

More spectacular than even that in one moment she wasn't there, and the next she was, she did so with one powerful leap, soaring clear over his head and the beast's both and comfortably, gingerly landing behind him. Her takeoff started at the balcony, at least some three floors up, just ahead of him— far too exotic a height for anyone their ages to be casually jumping from. As the flash of white and gold skimmed the very top of his vision, he placed her voice immediately even through his awe. Between that unusually familiar tone and manner of address to the slightly foreign accent on some of her vowels it could be only one person—

It was clear now that there was more to the girl's infallible answering of the door right as he walked up to it than sheer good timing. He had always been told District 19 was a rough one, and now he owed everyone back at Luigi's an apology. The "normal chick" he delivered to there?

Not so much.

"Beyond the police" indeed. She was holding out on him hard. For shame, Sieglinde! You couldn't just let a young guy think you're just an exotic foreigner when you had some form of ability up your sleeve! In Academy City no less— having preternatural jumping power and impact dampening alone could get you far here!

As soon as his backwards slide had started, it stopped— and through the wonders of Newton's third law, reversed back forward a ways as he pretty much just bounced off the girl's back as she stood to her full height from the landing.

He came to a halt of his own volition the instant after.

They pivoted in turn not even a second later, her to fully face the walking sludge, and he a half-step to keep the two in view. She made no show of noticing the collision, offering her glasses with a chipper grin and a hand on his shoulder. After feeling her measured grip, bouncing off of that unshakeable stance, and experiencing the rush of wind in her flight's wake, he amended his assessment of this girl— she was Strong. Not "strong", Strong.

He looked the girl in her shining cobalt eyes, for all in tents and purposes even with his own...

Except for the fact that one was focused on him. The other straight ahead—

A quick glance the other way drew the line between that "unfocused" eye and the antagonistic mud. Worth asking about later. For now—

He had another question for the beautiful blonde that had just swooped in to save him from a horrifying construct that actively defied nature.

"Yo. Sure. Did I die?"

I've lived a good life, right? Seems like a Heavenly setup.

He returned the greeting as casually as he got it, gingerly plucking the frames from her fingers and stepping off to the side. A touch more seriously now, if only throw a lower tone of the voice, he began to relay info once again. "Careful, when he screams it hurts the hell out of your brai—"

As if called for, the mud began to advance, shrieking again in a sickening charge that continually assaulted the senses. It took all the pizza boy had to not drop to his knees again in pain—

"yeah it's a lot like that, I think it directly goes for consciousness"

But he didn't. And through grit teeth and a scrunched up face, he belted out the end of his precaution.

He couldn't say he was ready for it to come without warning, but he could say he was beginning to adapt. Forcing one of his eyes open, he looked on as the thing barreled towards them, all flailing arms and horrible noise. He didn't know what the Nordic girl's full capabilities were—

But if there was one thing Igarashi did know, it was the importance of making a read. And for that, you needed information.

How did this thing fight, then? What was the plan for a melee?

---

Was it merely her imagination, or had she felt a breeze in the apartment, despite there not being open windows or doors? Nero would likely be wondering what the deal was, but there most definitely was an odd movement of wind. Strangely, this had begun right around the time she had mentioned throwing the milk out. And even more odd was the horrible fake smile Kuuro had begun to wear. Yet there was not a single word to come out of his mouth for a while.

"...I-I see. You're in for a treat, then."

As he finally did manage to speak, his words seemed to almost be forced out of his mouth in a pleasant tone that was clearly fake. The young man tried not to dwell on the murderous urges that had begun to build inside him, and instead looked towards the pantry. Getting everything he needed would take his mind off of the bad stuff.

Most of it, anyways. He couldn't keep Nero from speaking.

Or so he thought that was a bad thing, until she unknowingly stroked his well-hidden hero complex. "A-ah, superhero? Well, I wouldn't go that far...aha" he suddenly found a stupid smirk plastered on his face that took a bit longer than he wanted to get rid of. "It's just a volunteer job I do to keep myself occupied, in a way I can get behind. Turned out to be rather boring, though. And I don't think it's feasible to find your bag anymore, I'm afraid."

Kuuro had been like one of those guys who joins something like the FBI because of exaggerated action films, only to discover that the occupation was filled with a lot of busywork. Still, he did feel some pride when he was able to help people. A good deed a day keeps the crooks away, or something.

Naturally, Nero was capable of causing Kuuro's mood to violently change with only a few words. A unique ability that might just be unrivaled by anyone else in Academy City. If they could power buildings by using the irritation one felt, Kuuro was sure he could power the entirety of Academy City with Nero in proximity. Kuuro turned around.

"...what was that?" he asked, the vein in his forehead pulsing and his eyes narrowing. "Does the exhibitionist really like roleplaying as an innocent girl that much? I shouldn't be hearing this from someone who takes their love for books a few steps too far."

"Ngh." Was Sieglinde's only answer, at first, as the abnormality confirmed her pizza supplier's observation. The thing didn't just hurt to look at, or hear; every one of her senses told her that it was wrong. Her Eye agreed, imparting with its foresight a sense of something amiss. The sound didn't affect her as badly as Ryu-kun, but only because she had the time to steel herself. "Not dead, Ryu-kun, and you're not going to be for a long time yet. If you can, I need you to grab my bike. We might need to book it fast."

The way the air around it reacted, charged and volatile, touching it with her bare skin seemed like a very bad idea. It wasn't going to stand around, either, not for very long. She needed a weapon. Not for the first time she wished she had brought something more potent into the country with her, but there was no time to think about that now. No time for subtlety, either, she would have to explain things to Ryu-kun when the danger had passed. Lo and behold, the Eye warned her it would charge in moments and she reacted preemptively to push the high school aside and jump back herself. A pace, then two, distance enough to buy her a little time. Her eye had alighted on the stop sign behind her, and it would serve to slay this foe without another option.

"Allfather says you don't belong, beast," The Nordic woman taunted, intent on keeping its focus on her. Her hand hit the post behind her with unerring precision as though she could see it without looking. She grasped it with the other, as well, and twisted hard; the weather-beaten metal gave way reluctantly, rust that might have taken years to fell it giving way under the force and leaving her with six feet, give or take, of metal ending in a broad flat surface on one end and jagged metal on the other. Not very comfortable to hold, perhaps, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She held it low and close, point towards the beast to spear if it charged and the flat to the rear prepared to slap it aside if that was more prudent.

"Tis I who may choose the slain, jötunn, not you." When she spoke again, her bright voice had gained a sharper edge that hummed like singing steel. A harmonic in tune with the lilting cadence of her speech, speaking of poise as well as power. "And it is not my time to die. Nor Ryu-kun's."

"So come on, then! Try your luck!"

紫菀
@Vocab

---

Shion continued on her way to the next store, passing by a shop selling Gekota merchandise.

"..."

Suddenly, it was as if the pull of gravity shifted as she got several feet past the shop. She was pulled backwards by an invisible force, looking as if someone had grabbed the back of her shirt's collar and dragged her back. She finally skidded to a stop in front of a limited edition phone case. Surely, with all the money she recently got, she could afford to get it and still take the kids to the theme park? Her eyes skimmed over all of the visible merch from outside the store, mentally noting the prices. ¥5000!? Her head hung in disappointment. There was no way she could justify that for a phone case, especially since she didn't have an actual phone. Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave, so she went inside to look around.

@Krayzikk@HereComesTheSnow


The creature continued to move forward, reason begone from its ephemeral state. Yes of course it would continue to move Sieglinde, Its body quite purposefully moving against the metal spear. Pushing through, letting it pass through itself, as if a ghost, and the screams painful as they were, would intensify to an agonising degree. However harm to their bodies? None. It was like a ghost walking.

Its essence would disperse upon passing through Sieglinde, leaving in her mind and imprint of a lab room. Nothing more. No location details. Just the room of a lab. Tubes broken, jar fluids everywhere. a place worth checking out probably. If she could find it. But for now it would seem this harmful encounter would end without more then bleeding eardrums due to head pressure.

(Late post is late.)

“I’ll eat anything you make, Shirogane~! You have not disappointed my pallet with any of your meals thus far!”

Perhaps any other person might have felt the malice of Shirogane’s words, but to someone who had limited hardships after her admission to the Abbey. She was just glad she would be able to eat something great like she always liked.

The howling of the wind.

If anyone was sensitive to “that” feeling, it would be Nero. Or rather, it would be the “invisible” fae dancing along with the muses of Shirogane that those born without that innate sense of the “other” which Nero was blessed [Cursed] with. That fae was the great spirit of the wind, whose power was granted to Nero by contract.

The green, fae-like spirit was a simple being that seemed to be enjoying herself in the winds generated by Shirogane, though Shirogane did not seem to understand that his actions were merely causing joy for that which exists to not be seen.

“Yaaay! The wind is moving fast~! Thanks for the ride, Spiky-hair!”

Truly a simple spirit.

But Nero contracted with the Sylph for a reason. The sovereignty over the wind was seconded to none as a spirit. But it was strange. Spirits tended to avoid things created by humanity. After all, the progress of humans is what caused mystery to no longer prevalent itself upon the world as it had years ago. Therefore, one could consider “progress” the natural enemy of the “World”.

So for a spirit to take a liking to an Esper …

Her mind wavered for a moment, focusing on the “being” that did not exist to anyone else but what she assumed to be herself, staring at what should not be there and away from Shirogane for that moment. However, the man brought her attention back with his words once he began to speak again.

“I mean, you are a very nice person, Shirogane. You do not hesitate to assist those in need, and you always seem happiest when making someone else happy. That is what I noticed about you, at the very least. I think you are a superhero; a great one at that!”

A genuine smile was shimmering on the face of Nero as if the innocent smile of a maiden. The smile of someone who genuinely believed what they were saying was an indisputable truth. Though one might question how a person who had only known Shirogane for but a few days could determine his entire character, Spirits tend to dislike those without pureness in their heart. So the fact that Sylph did not mind “showing” herself in front of Shirogane was enough for Nero to place her trust in him.

… At the very least, that is how she felt until he continued to speak about a certain “incident” that brought the two together in the first place.

Her face shone a bright red all the way up to her ears, blushing a deep scarlet. Her face contorted into some sort of a cross between complete disgust, likely towards both of them, shame, and cringe. An unintelligible garble escaped her mouth as she attempted for the moment to compose herself, failing to do so, and repeating that unintelligible garble until she could finally (poorly) compose her thoughts into words.

“I-If you are going to bully a cute girl like myself, you will never find someone who’d like you, y-you idiot! I hate you!”

It was something that she would rather not talk about. The issue of taking in “others” into the “self” was the same regardless of what one committed themselves to; it would muddy the meaning of “self” and that would transmute itself into “another”. Of course, to someone like Nero, “action” committed was not due to the transformative nature of her power, but rather the requirement of “contracts” in order to “act”.

…And, much to the chagrin of Nero, Shirogane had seen her while she was most vulnerable to her contract.

“I’m mad now,” Nero said, turning her head away from Shirogane and puffing her cheeks. “I take back what I said. You are the worst. An enemy of womankind! Don’t talk to me until you apologize!”

Whispering to herself, Nero continued under her breath in a tone that she didn’t believe Shirogane could make out.

“And just when I gave you a compliment too. Sheesh.”

Nero stormed into the other room of the apartment, rather upset with Shirogane for his actions. Regardless of her position on the matter, it was very unlikely she still did not expect Shirogane to cook, as well as unlikely she would miss a meal.

Such is the life of a homeless vagrant.

Ryuji Igarashi - Traffic Jam - District 19

@Krayzikk@1Charak2

As much as Ryuji wanted to not abandon someone to confronting an unknown enemy like this, he understood that there wasn't anything more he could offer to Sieglinde but his cooperation. When you were on the power scale of ripping signposts out of the ground, a normal level of strength would just be getting in the way. Doubly so since it seemed to only have eyes for her in the first place.

"On it," he said through grit teeth as the pain in his skull mounted, sliding her glasses into the collar of his shirt for the time being, "It's out front, right?"

Her place wasn't too far from here. If he really hustled, he could make it there in a minute or two. It wasn't as if anyone else lived by there—

The pressure redoubled. He felt like something was about to crack, he felt like his eyes were gonna explode! What was he still doing here!? He needed to get the damn bike so they could get out of here!

He turned to leave, free hand clutching at his temples, as Siegliende's voice changed beneath the screams into something different, something with a layer beneath, something awe-inspiring...

And with one final shriek that heralded a wave of torment anew,

"...It's gone."

The apparition passed, and with it, Ryuji's urge to vomit from the vice upon his skull. That had to be what cluster headaches felt like... Terrible. It just compounded and compounded until it damn near drove him insane. If he hadn't already experienced a portion of it, if he hadn't already been given a task to focus on, Ryuji wasn't quite sure he wouldn't have. Still, though, what an anticlimax.

Or...

"Think that's it?" he asked the blonde, who looked for all the world to be ready to take on giants. "Knowing our luck, knowing this town... It'll hit us again later, won't it?"

Knowing what's coming isn't the same as experiencing it. Not even for one of Odin's chosen.

Still, Sieglinde braced herself. The signpost's tip planted hard in the ground for support as she stared down the apparition for the last few moments before impact, matching intensity with intensity. In such close quarters its screams were agony. Like hot knives driven through her ears, piercing deep into her brain. It wasn't the most painful thing she had ever experienced, but it was probably vying for a spot in the top few percentiles. There was little that could be done to rationalize a pain with no evident source but grin and bear it. That haze of pain seemed to last a lifetime in a matter of seconds, the only solace the knowledge that in a few moments it would end. But the animal brain is a potent thing even for someone disciplined, so she was thankful when images appeared through the haze. Brief flashes, more impressions than memories, but she focused on them to distract herself from the discomfort. Clues to the thing's origin, perhaps, something that she might be able to see with her Eye when she was done.

And then it was done. The creature dispersed upon contact with her body, fading away as though it had never existed.

While Ryu-kun gathered his wits again she brushed aside the small trickle of red from her nose with her sleeve, one eye wide and unfocused the other blank and staring. Her shallow breathing slowed again as the delivery boy piped up, no longer needing to lean on the post for fear of losing her balance.

"Think that's it? Knowing our luck, knowing this town... It'll hit us again later, won't it?"

Sigi laughed, glancing between the sign in her hand and Ryuji and flashing him a smile that managed to be both radiant and sheepish at once. Oh, boy, did she have some explaining to do. She simply nodded.

"It might. But I have a feeling that it won't. I don't think it was the threat, I think it was a..." She searched for the word a moment and waved her hand to illustrate, corralling the thoughts that still raced. "A symptom. But that's a problem for later. I need my glasses, please, and I hope to gods that you managed to hang on to the pizza. I'm starving."

Ryuji Igarashi - Traffic Jam - District 19

@Krayzikk

Here." He said simply, glasses catching the light for a moment as he retrieved them from his collar and sent them her way with an underhand toss. Obviously she could see without them, so there wasn't any reason to worry about hitting her in the face...

Well, on second thought, that would be pretty funny. A woman ripping a signpost out from the concrete and not being able to catch a pair of glasses? Pretty ridiculous, especially after her other stunts. Imagine jumping off of balconies if you can't track a softballed pair of specs, really.

Wiping the smirk off of his face after a moment's imagined slapstick, the pizza boy raised an eyebrow and the well-traveled cardboard box in unison. "Never dropped it." he replied, before exaggeratedly puffing his chest up. "Luigi's Pizzeria employs only the finest in transportation specialists. A freak of nature is nothing for one of us when we're on our game. In fact, I would go as far as to say the service environment has us rated, much like crash-test dummies, for mental stress well beyond what that thing was capable of."

Prying the lid open, he peered inside for a moment before resealing, hopefully not having let too much heat escape. Some people didn't mind cold pizza, the freaks, but nobody wanted it cold on delivery.

"Looks like it just slid around a bit— Shall we be off? No telling what else'll be out on these streets."