[h2]The Wandering Cat[/h2]

"Ahahaha! With my beauty at this point, what can you ugly whores possibly do?" the oiran cackled as she raised her hand, the oil in her immediate vicinity seeming to ignite as a wave of butterflies erupted from within it to intercept Rayne's rage-filled offensive. Even as as several bursts of energy managed to pierce through the blast, it was clear that too much of the assault was being interrupted by the butterflies to leave a lasting affect.

The oiran's pleased demeanor barely faltered, even as flesh was torn free from her body and sprayed backwards across the street of the burning town. It simply reformed, veins and muscle tissue and bone twisting back together before being covered once more by her pale skin.

At this point, it was likely she had enough energy to swiftly recover from such injuries, and produce enough of her butterflies to intercept most ranged attacks.

The smirk on the beautiful, yet wicked woman's lips only grew. She was confident there was no escape for the miko or the knight-witch, not as long as the final level of her curse grew stronger and spread. She'd suck them dry of everything they had, and in turn grow in power and beauty. At this rate, she'd devour this entire district, and then beyond. This entire city, all its men would become her meals, and its women would burn for her.

And then---

Something clung to her leg.

"Ah?"

It was a small stubby hand. It emerged from beneath her, the earth itself, clinging to her ankle.

It was pallid, and ethereal, emitting a faint blue glow.

Another joined it. And another. And another.

"Wh-what? Get off of me, you vermin---!"

She tried to raise her leg and pull away from the clinging hands, but they gripped her and pulled her foot down. Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny, grasping hands, stretching upwards and clinging to her kimono, gripping the oiran's clothing, her legs, and even her arms now to hold her on the spot.

The oiran's smug demeanor had faded, now, her lips parted and her teeth clenched. Though her butterflies were still forming, her cursed oil continuing to spread, the distraction had taken her attention and her control over the butterflies had faltered as they began to move less cohesively and spread apart.

"Get off! You have no right to---"

The oiran was cut off in a spray of blood. A wet, unpleasant gurgling left her throat, as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

A silver and gold ornamental needle pierced her neck from behind.

"Shouldn't your manners be more important, given the job you had in life?"

[url=https://safebooru.org//images/1595/4d406cb015cf5f947cc64d9330651db32299205c.jpg?1670437]The woman behind her had slender, pale arms, one hand gripping the needle now penetrating the oiran's neck from behind. Her nails were painted blue. Her hair and eyes, too, were blue, and she was clad in a blue dress and white vest, a shimmering translucent cloth floating around her shoulders. The needle had evidently been taken from her hair, which now hung loose down her back.[/url]

The blue-haired woman twisted it, driving it deeper, a smirk growing on her lips as the blue hands climbed higher over the oiran's body.

"I would say I can sympathize with being unsuited for close-range, but given how much I dislike you I think I'll refrain," she commented, sweetly.

Her voice made it clear who she was. To Rayne, it was obvious this was Qing'e. And to Sanae---

"Kochiya, Rayne, she's not going to be able to move for a few moments."

Despite having seemingly been engulfed in flames while vomiting oil, the blue-haired woman seemed positively radiant.

"So I think it would be a good time to make this bitch regret every choice she's ever made, don't you~?"

Indeed, the cloud of butterflies was growing less increasingly less cohesive, with more and more gaps forming, even as the orian twitched helplessly and spat blood. Between the needle severing her spine, even if she was a ghost, and the numerous small hands trying to pull her down, she'd been rendered entirely unable to defend herself for just a short time.

[@FujiwaraPhoenix][@DracoLunaris]