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Post by Juni on Mar 1, 2020 23:45:14 GMT -8
After the betrothal arrangement between the White Cat Clan and the Tea Clan, both houses presented dragon ball shards as gifts, to Koma and Juniper. Ever since that fateful day Koma had been researching the potential magic imbued in the shards, which for a long time was believed to be a children’s story made popular by Emperor Pilaf, and the idea of reusing the magic seemed to be simply a dream. The tea princess was not interested in forging a weapon from the shard but was later convinced that a paint brush handle with the shard inside would allow her to tap into powerful mysticism. It was unlike her to selfishly seek power, the recent events involving her brother’s murder, and the unruly Devil’s cooks gang meant the world had become dangerous. If she wanted to restore balance to the world then it would require that she utilized her full potential with the help of her betrothed. On the first floor of the west wing of zen estate, directly below Misaki and Coral’s room, was a corner office space, which was filled with books about various subjects pertaining to smithing and trees. It had been such a long time since something was forged from dragon ball shards on historical record discovered from one book, that it was difficult to find more of them. Each neatly stacked pile had been thoroughly read, assessed, and reorganized in the past few days since everyone who took up residence began to aid in the research. Juniper tasked Maxine in finding a book about saplings of strength. It was a rare book, in the possession of the local yakuza, and with her connections the book could be loaned or borrowed to aid Misaki in her research. Saplings of strength were equally as rare, no one had been able to grow them, and were found growing naturally in the wilds then put on the market at a value of 300,000 zeni. Cobalt blue eyes had become weary from the long days of reading, Juniper rose from the small desk, followed by servants who walked ahead of her to open a set of double sliding door panels revealing a much larger room, while it was quite ornate, it served as a storage room, mainly for the two hundred varieties of tea in an alcove with a circular entrance. In front of the tea supply storage cabinet wall, was a table and chairs which she sat in. The servants bowed to dismiss themselves to begin brewing the tea well suited for a late winter and returned with a pot large enough to serve others who would be joining her in this part of the estate. The research would soon be concluded upon the arrival of the missing book. [451] Misaki Kazamiya Persephone Koma Maxine
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Post by Persephone on Mar 2, 2020 18:00:19 GMT -8
Percy was way out of her element.
After the forest was restored by Misaki's quick thinking and a swift, well-aimed kick, Percy found herself tagging along with Misaki and Coral. Admittedly, she had been grateful to be extended the invitation to accompany the ladies to civilization. When Misaki had told her that she and Coral were going home, she wasn't expecting anything quite so...grand.
Upon their arrival to the zen estate, Percy almost forgot how to breathe. The estate was so immense, she was certain that kings and queens must have resided there. She had anxiously clung to her meagre belongings as they roamed the halls. The maids of the estate had tried, unsuccessfully, to take her grubby bag from her, reassuring that the bag would be taken to the guest room she would be staying in; but her bag was the only familiar thing she had, and it carried all that she possessed in this life.
After a bath in what almost resembled an indoor pool, Percy brushed her hair and wove it into a loose plait as she sat on a bed that was much softer than the forest floor she had slept upon for years. Percy put on her freshly washed dress, worn but well taken care of (this dress had travelled with her from the beginning of her journey), leaving her cloak folded on the end of the bed.
She had been invited to tea, and wandered through the corridors behind the maid who had been sent to collect her. The room Percy had been brought to was beautiful, albeit rather intimidating, much like the rest of the vast estate. Looking around the room, she noticed that her companions had not arrived yet, though a young woman with striking but tired eyes sat at a table in the center of the room.
"I'm sorry, I think I've arrived too early." Percy announced meekly, glancing around the room nervously as she stood in the doorway.
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Post by Maxine on Mar 3, 2020 4:45:08 GMT -8
“I see. So, you’re interested in that old rubbish? An android professional, hunting a gardening book? You know those plants aren’t worth the trouble, don’t you? I recall you lecturing me that you didn’t even eat a few weeks ago.””I apologise if it seems like I am wasting your time, but my client is very interested in it. It doesn’t need to be a purchase; just a loan would be more than enough. You have my word that I will return it promptly.”“Right. Well, I’ll be honest that it’s not worth much just sitting on a shelf, so I’m not opposed to the idea. But… just how much is it worth to you, hm? I can always find another job for you, Eleven…””I can… negotiate, for a while…”-------------- Coated in dirt and algae, Maxine’s day was feeling particularly… long. She knew a favour from a yakuza office wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience, but… this was a new one. ”Finally… just squeeze it back in, and…” grumbled the android, finally slotting the filter plate back into place – typical. The tank was impressive, but they had no way to drain it properly, which meant doing any maintenance meant getting wet… at least it wasn’t big enough to make her worry about her lack of swimming skills. And, as an android, she didn’t have as much need for respiration as any earthling or beastman. On the other hand – a familiar weight clasped around her waist. ”Tch – you again…” Alas, no amount of snarling above the water was going to distract an eel as big as she was. At least they’d been considerate enough to take out the octopus. ”Round two it is, Musashi…!”-------------- It was a good thing she’d had the forethought to put the book in her briefcase, and at least she might smell a little less like seawater… it’d started pouring with rain. She still had a long walk home… well, a bit of rain was no big deal. The city offered plenty of cover. It’d be fine. She had a mission to focus on, and no time to lose. She just had to focus. She just really wanted to ignore that thunderstorm that was brewing. Lightning, electricity; she didn’t mind that. But the sound of thunder… i-it made her feel sick. S-She wasn’t scared! She just… didn’t like it. She’d definitely need a break if it came to that… but, she’d make it there in time, right? S-Sure… She really didn’t want to explain what had taken her so long if it came to that… -------------- Well. Here she was, hiding in a café. Pathetic. She was long overdue now… but, at least it seemed like the storm was passing. There was some clear sky in sight now. B-But, she didn’t want to risk it just yet… and, she would feel incredibly rude if she didn’t finish her coffee. At least her suit was drying out a little, even if it still stunk. “Excuse me Miss – you’re an android, correct? Right?”Maxine cast her violet eyes upward; her brow furrowing. ”Correct. To whom do I owe the pleasure?”“We’re doing a survey of local androids on the state of the city and how you feel you fit into it – do you have a moment?””I deeply apologise, but I really don’t –”“Yeah, well, firstly: how would you rate your satisfaction with local –“”I truly don’t have time for this. It’s –““Look, it’s still raining! It’ll be quick, too! Promise! So, how would you rate your satisfaction with the city’s local maintenance services?”Ah, maybe she really was too old for this… -------------- As the servants returned with the pot, Maxine slid in behind them, closing the sliding door herself – and boy did she look miserable. Her usually fluffy and pristine hair was now soaked and still dripping; making her look like a drenched dog; and her usual suit jacket and skirt were currently slung over one shoulder. Her shirt was slightly less sodden, but her trousers were pitch black thanks to the water… and the scent of seawater was unmistakable. At least she already had an excuse to take off her shoes. It’d taken her more time than she’d like to admit to find the right room, but… it was simply to be expected of a butler. But, she would stride over to the table and carefully open her briefcase; placing the paper-wrapped package upon the surface before giving Juniper a deep bow. ”Ōhime-sama. I understand that the wait was unacceptable, but… things became complicated. Nothing for you to be concerned with, and the job is done. I shall be more timely in the future.” spoke the lady, sounding a little more… disingenuous than usual, but controlling her tone all the same. Pausing for a moment as the weight of the job left her shoulders, she hastily noticed her final mistake – she quickly plucked a thin branch of seaweed off of the packaged book. Noticing the entrance of another guest, Maxine gave a slight nod to the newcomer – she didn’t know her, but honestly she didn’t much of anyone in the Zen Estate so far… and, a guest of the Tea Clan was a guest of honour, regardless. She’d clearly had time to get changed and clean up, too… Maxine was truly jealous. In fact – ”If you’ll excuse my… unbecoming appearance; I’d like to take my leave very briefly to have an expedient shower.” She wasn’t sure what she’d do about clothes after that, but… she was sure she could improvise. ”Otherwise, I think I might gradually create a slipping hazard.”
[954]
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Post by Misaki Kazamiya on Mar 6, 2020 5:44:25 GMT -8
Misaki moved quicker than she ever had through the halls of Juniper's teahouse - Which was really only power-walking - as she strode forth into the halls. she realized she'd been late, both to meet her new friend Miss Percy, as well as to meet Juniper for tea. the thought of both things put a quick step in her stride, and she walked with purpose through the halls as she kept her hands close to her sides.
It was likely going to be quite the change, she reflected, that she was putting on them. A loud "zhrt" sound accompanied her as her green energy pulsed around her, energy above even her normal level of strength echoing around her. The power she had was above the norm, and in this nascent stage of controlling it, the gardener was incapable of asking the dark-green trails of energy to calm down and return to the invisible spectrum. As a result, Misaki stood out, not only for the high level of power she exuded, but the fact that her energy made her stick out like a sore thumb was promising. Many of the servants couldn't necessarily sense ki, it seemed, but they could certainly tell that a visible amount was dangerous.
In essence, Misaki had a loaded gun stapled to her hand she couldn't get rid of, and the servants thus gave her a relatively wide berth as she walked. The Half-demon didn't even attempt to unfurl her parasol, panting as she caught up with Persephone with an entirely different, green-coloured aura compared to the one she saw before, and for once she looked slightly out of breath, even as Maxine left.
"...Miss Juniper..." Misaki added, before trailing off. the breath in her lungs wasn't quite there, even as a consistent zhrtzhrtzhrt cut off anyone from hearing.
"Miss Juniper, I feel I've...
zhrrtzhrrtzhrrt...
"Found an important...
zhrrtzhrrtzhrrt...
Misaki Stopped herself. could they even hear her over the glow of her energies, she wondered.
The Gardener focused herself, eyes closing with a look of annoyance and lips pursing into a slight scowl as she relaxed and allowed the energies to subside to a much quieter volume, barely audible.
"...Excuse me. I am afraid I'm not able to dispel this quite completely, so my aura will just have to be an inconvenience for the moment. I'm terribly sorry about the noise pollution." Misaki would add with slightly darkened cheeks, before turning to them. "Miss Percy, it's wonderful to see you again. Miss Juniper, It's good to see you." Misaki would add. pleasantries before business was Misaki's policy, after all, and with more composure, she once again remembered.
"...I have met the Tree you speak of, I feel. It spoke to me in a vision... which is part of why my ki has changed." She'd add. "I've learned that it sought me out to seek it out, that the tree has selected me as it's guardian, that it's power is being misused, and that if we do not act fast, it may die due to this misuse..." The florist added, looking solemn. "...Time may be of the essence. though... We at least won't be going in totally blind. I take it that book delivered by your new friend has to do with it? I shall have to introduce myself to her properly later."
Misaki would sigh, before being added "One more important piece of information.
"Oh, and it seemed to dislike 'Max', so I'm thinking of a different name for the tree. I thought of Terry, but felt it gave too much joke potential." She'd add with the same serious tone.
With that said, she'd look to Percy. "...I'm glad you made the trip well. It seems Oolong city got a little confusing on the directions?" She'd ask. "...I'm glad you made it. This is miss Percy. She's a friend of mine who helped me heal the ki of a sickened forest recently. She's quite strong, and very attuned to nature." Misaki would add happily. "Now I just need to find Coral..."
"Eyy! Check - these - out!"
Misaki turned to see Coral... wearing some sort of sleek black sunglasses paired with her usual outfit, which she slid slightly down her nose as she looked at the group.
"While you were researching, I went off to do some shopping, and found these awesome shades! Tell me - do I look cool, or do I look hot?" The girl enthusiastically asked, leaning forward with the shades... a little too far, as the girl immediately flopped onto the floor with a thud on her face.
"O-hoo-hoow."
Misaki would simply look on with interest at her friend's new interview with the ground. "well... Let's hope every other mystery today is just as easy to solve."
"By dose hurts..."
[793]
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Post by Koma on Mar 7, 2020 3:49:53 GMT -8
Koma had begun researching something that he had not previously taken to studying - but that was not smithing. The thirty year old samurai’s schooling in the martial arts and what it meant to be a Samurai had included those skills, or at least the ten prominent methods of smithing. Construction of weapons and armor was as important in his schooling as the repair and maintenance of them, as well as use of them had been in his young days. Swordsmithing took a lifetime to master, but the same could be said of all types of weaponsmithing and armorsmithing, gunsmithing, blacksmithing, and the ‘hard smithings’ in general. The sale of fine hand made weapons was one of the ways that the Tree Caves Monastery had kept itself in operation, and so Koma had already been given an apprentice’s knowledge of those skills, even wood carving for the creation of bows with fletchery, staffs, and spears.
In the time after discovering those books and reading what he had the patience to do, he had taken the past few days to ‘apprentice’ at several shops throughout the city which hand made weapons or repaired them, aiming to reacquaint himself in a timely manner with the arts and going further to have headhunters find the locations of the greatest masters of the arts of swordsmithing and wood carving in the realm, as well as several shamans who claimed to know of ancient smithing techniques.
Then he had hopped upon his Wolf Fang Chopper, bristling with tools and saddle bags and drove throughout the Pig Demon Duchies, the Western Lands, and the Central Lands at large and visited the sites of several great battles which had occurred in those places. At a place called Split Tree, for the massive oak which had once been the town’s name sake, he had dug in several places and spent the days gathering shards of the swords of the Samurai known as Seven of Split Tree, who had fought off nearly ten times their number of Northern Demon Kingdom marauders before falling as their equipment and spirits inevitably failed them. Some said that the last of the seven had let out a great warriors shout as he fell, and that had summoned the lightning that sent the Demon Clan into flight after a massive strike of lightning had split the tree down the middle, as if an axe made of lightning had struck it.
Koma took careful samples of the tree and said small prayers to the spirits of the tree and the surrounding area, which had once been known as the Village of Red Apple, under the protection of the Worm Clan of Samurai. When the majority Worm Clan had been killed, their princess had sent out a call to the samurai of the land, offering what meager savings she and her villagers had in exchange for protection of the Village of Red Apple.
When he was done gathering the sword shards, the scraps, and the wood samples from the tree both for his own sword’s handle and case, and the paintbrush for Juniper, he said a final prayer, before leaving a offering to the great tree and an offering to the shrine of the seven samurai who had died in its shade.
When he was done, he made the long drive back to Oolong City and thought of the memetic and spiritual ties that the materials he had gathered meant. Seven who had answered a call under one. The construction of the sword and its refining, as well as the ritual blessing of it, should take one day for each of the samurai - and another for himself as the one sealing the ritual to promise an answer for those who are in danger or those who threatened what he and any other honorable samurai would hold dear.
And of course, the answer to the crime which had been committed against him and the true members of the Bear Clan of Samurai. He drove onwards, and soon found himself driving through the crowded streets of the outskirts until he found himself on the ducal plateau, with the grand ducal plateau towering in the center, dozens if not hundreds of meters above them.
Raining throughout the time he had been driving back, he had become thoroughly soaked, so after parking his motorcycle in the Zen Estate’s outer garage and storage ring, he stripped to his black boxers and then dashed through the rain into the main estate - carrying the bag of materials he had gathered with him to show them to Juniper and prepare for the ritual at hand as they looked for news about this mysterious tree of power other than the Split Tree on the North.
The samurai who was a former orphan, vagabond, general of the bear clan, and now the crown prince of the White Cat Clan of the Pig Demon Duchies after being acknowledged as legitimate by his grandfather Yajirobe? He strode in without hesitation, past servants despite the fact some of the maids and butlers gasped at the fact he was wearing only boxers. He didn’t pay them any mind, as he had no shame in his body, even the hundreds of scars from near deaths which he had survived through; and it was not as if it couldn’t have been worse. Koma could have preferred to wear tradition undergarments, such as the Fundoshi.
[901]
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Post by Juni on Mar 7, 2020 14:15:59 GMT -8
The sound of a faint voice caught Juniper’s attention as she looked up to see a young woman approach, she had little recollection of who she was, but she recalled Coral mentioning something about extending an invitation to someone...the name escaped her at the moment. A servant served tea, keeping their head lowered, and remained by the tea princess’ side. “Please, join me for tea. Welcome to zen estate, my name is Juniper Tea, heiress to the Tea Clan, and this home was especially built for martial artists and enhanced ki users like myself to hone their skills. What is your name?”With a smile, she motioned over to the table, and picked up her cup taking a small sip calmly before setting it back down. It was at that moment that Maxine entered the room, not being able to detect her ki signature started her a bit, but being able to see her a little worn from the sudden downpour immediately made her snap her fingers at the nearby servants. A tea towel was brought over, which Juniper took, then handed it over to the lilac haired android. “You’re drenched, best to dry up, and I would go on about preventing yourself from catching a cold but I assume that is impossible. Thank you for finding this book so promptly, it is an old text, it describes a time in the past when a particular tree with tremendous ki energy drained the earth.” She looked over to Percy for a moment, speaking up for everyone present to hear, “My grandfather tells a lot of stories, this one in particular, was about a camping trip in the woods where the forest burned down, and the magic of the dragon balls were used to restore it. My sister and I discovered that he lies a lot, exaggerating most of the details, he may be a bit feeble minded so we often have to do extensive research in the hopes that we can find the evidence that supports his claims. We believe he reads stories , adapts them as his own, and it must be because of his age.”The servants of the estate were cleaning the floor tiles, cobalt eyes glanced over, and then looked back at Maxine. “The zen estate staff will gladly assist with anything you need to make yourself comfortable. Please rejoin us for tea, I believe we’re nearing a break through with all our research, and the last piece is finding the tree with the tremendous ki signature. We could use the help, it might be dangerous if we are not prepared, and you have more than earned my trust to be supportive at a time of need.”Misaki’s appearance to the room was rather alarming, a surge of energy was spiraling around her, and she appeared like she was about to burst. “HFIL, what is going on.” Is all Juniper managed to say to the gardener as she listened to her words. “If time is of the essence, we will have to look over the book after securing the tree, let us leave immediately after Koma returns we will need his sword if there is trouble.”
She turned to Percy and bowed her head slightly, "It is nice meeting you, Percy."Coral would arrive soon after sporting sunglasses, doing poses, and there was a break in the rain clouds to match her decorum as the skylight window in the ceiling reflected the light off her stylish shades. “I would say they look hot.” Juniper answered Coral before she slipped and fell from what might have been from the trail of rain on the tiles. She stood up from her seat, “Eh, are you hurt? Do you need healing?”Koma arrived wearing nothing but his black trunks, being a healer Juniper was accustomed to nudity, but perhaps the ladies in the room would be partial to his appearance since it seemed everyone was having a wardrobe malfunction from the sudden down pour of rain. The servants looked away demurely, the females giggled, and they were silenced by the elders to keep quiet. “Did you get caught in the rain, as well? The tea was just made, help yourself, if you will. Misaki-san believes she knows where the tree is but it is nearing death so we must leave immediately now that you are here.”[725] [1,176] Persephone Misaki Kazamiya Maxine Koma
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Post by Persephone on Mar 7, 2020 19:06:17 GMT -8
Percy's head was swimming as each new person arrived in the tea room. Before she had an opportunity to introduce herself, Misaki had arrived and done so for her. Admittedly, it was a relief to avoid the initial pleasantries; Percy had gone from a nomadic journey, alone, to now being surrounded by powerful women who seemed to also hold some sort of status in this land. There was so much happening at once, and she wasn't quite sure how to process any of it. The only familiar faces in the room were Misaki and Coral, and she had only just met them; despite that, their presence was rather comforting, and it was clear that they had been brought here for a reason. Misaki's energy had changed; no, not changed, just...grown wild. Like sun-starved vines climbing and crawling towards the sun. She opened her mouth to speak, but then a new person arrived in the room; a man, and he was barely clothed.
"U-um!" Percy practically smacked herself in the face with how hard she covered her eyes. Her interactions with men were infrequent at best. It was uncommon for the women in her clan to be in the presence of men until adulthood, in the event that they decided to get married or become mothers. Percy had been away from home since age 16, and could count on her fingers the number of men she had encountered in the last 4 years.
None of them had been naked.
"I-i-is this a common occurrence? People just...just...arriving? Wet and naked?" Her voice made her sound indignant, but Percy was mostly just horrified. The combination of everything that had happened to her in such a short time made her realize that she was entirely clueless; perhaps even naive. The world was a very different place than she had ever experienced before now. The bubble she had been living in her entire life had burst, and nothing made sense to her anymore.
At the mention of a dying tree, Percy uncovered her eyes and became alert. She glanced around the room, as if for the first time, and truly took in the people surrounding her. She was surrounded by women who all appeared to have immense strength behind them. The woman whose home they were staying in, Juniper, seemed to be the common denominator of this strange group. The half-naked man, who she assumed was the "Koma" whose sword they had been waiting for, appeared to be familiar with Juniper, and the sopping wet lady who arrived shortly after Percy was...like none she had previously encountered. She had heard whispers in her travels of Androids; people, but beyond the limitations of flesh and typical mortality. She supposed that this woman was an Android, but Percy had never met anyone like that before. At least, not that she had realized. And...wait...had she just called Juniper...Ohime? Princess? It just occurred to Percy that she had been very rude.
She liked Coral. She was amusing, and very animated in everything she did. And of course, there was Misaki; a kindred spirit, it seemed, who possessed powers of nature that were said only to be given to the conduits of the earth. And it appeared that everyone in this ragtag group of powerful people cared deeply about what happened to a tree.
Naturally, this was a cause she could easily get behind. With her hand over her heart, Percy bowed deeply to Juniper. "I apologize for my rudeness. Please allow me to accompany you all on this mission. I am...that is, I once was...a caretaker to this earth."
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Post by Maxine on Mar 7, 2020 21:28:34 GMT -8
Unsurprisingly, Maxine hastily took her leave as soon as she was given the chance after hearing Juniper’s initial explanation; giving the lady of the house a proper bow but offering Percy a nod of respect again before retreating – albeit now with a pair of servants of her own flanking her, and that towel wrapped over her shoulders. She’d certainly had experience dealing with such nobles before, and even being a guest of theirs, but still… it made her feel rather self-conscious. Thankfully, she was in good company. She could sense Misaki’s energy… situation, and wisely kept her distance; while Koma’s state of apparel made her feel considerably more comfortable with her own state. She’d offer a little nod of respect to him as she passed, of course; feeling a tiny sense of solidarity in their rain-related miseries.
As the others began their meeting, Maxine wouldn’t take long at all to catch up – she was professional, after all. And, well, being an android helped an awful lot as well. She didn’t bother with the luxurious bath, just dumping a basin of water over herself and getting changed. Alas, there weren’t exactly any further suits on hand, but she was quite content with one of the servants’ kimonos – it seemed maid outfits were following her lately, though. The plain maroon kimono suited her just fine, and the apron over the top gave it a professional look in her opinion. She’d just have to hope her company would tolerate her slightly wet hair…
She would never leave a lady waiting – err, she would never leave her lady waiting – and so the android returned quite promptly, after Coral and Koma made their colourful appearances. While no doubt Misaki hoped that Coral would have gotten to know the ground a bit better, Maxine was quick to offer her a hand up. She, for one, thought she did look cool. M-Maybe not hot though! ”It seems I really did leave too much water… my apologies, young lady. I hope you weren’t harmed by my incompetence.” remarked the machine maid, kneeling down to give her assistance – it was a good thing she wasn’t in her suit, or she’d no doubt look more like a prince than a servant. This young girl was probably a young friend of Juniper’s, so she would definitely be worth handling with care.
As she returned to her feet, with or without Coral’s blessing, she’d survey the other guests – the young lady from earlier seemed to be a professional, which was always good to hear; though she had no idea what a ‘caretaker to this earth’ meant – was she just a gardener with an ego? Then, the lady with green hair and a ridiculous power around her… definitely not a professional given that issue, but not one to be trifled with. Maybe one of those yakuza princess… probably a saiyan. Especially with that height. Maxine stifled a tiny gulp – best not to stare!
As Juniper organised the team, Maxine perked up noticeably. Business always came first. But, she got the feeling she ought to be polite as well. ”You have my support, Ōhime-sama. I should introduce myself to your guests, however – I am UN-11, or Maxine. I’m but a machine, but I shall be in your care. If you require anything, I shall do my best to provide. But, it sounds like we should focus and act upon the task at hand, first and foremost.” Giving a deep bow to the assorted cast, she’d turn her attention to Misaki and Juniper. ”To maintain its condition, I have not opened the book myself – it’s an exceptionally old copy, so I would advise taking the utmost care. It is also likely to be in a fairly old dialect, but I doubt that will be a problem for a noble demon such as yourself. If there is any inconvenience, I am sure one of our number can assist you.”
Unsurprisingly, the family who had owned it prior had not been… the gardening type, suffice to say. Maxine had gotten to know them well over the years, and more than anything she’d gotten to know how much they were controlled by their whims. Even more so as their generations changed, leaving older projects forgotten or dismissed entirely – maybe once upon a time they had their own interest in this supposed tree. Maxine herself really had no knowledge of biology beyond sentient anatomy and her gardening skills… she had no clue what these legends alluded to; nor much faith in any reality behind the stories. But, she would hold her tongue. She was a professional, after all.
”Perhaps we should consider our travel options, if distance is a concern, and research the book on the way? Or is it likely to be more of a, err, ritual situation…?” Admittedly, Maxine was just throwing out the latter idea blindly – it sounded kinda appropriate! She had no idea. However, given the pause in conversation, she’d cast a glance towards Koma instead – ”Goshyujin-sama, you look like you have quite the history.” she remarked simply, but her tone seemed uncharacteristically… genuine. Internally, she was impressed. Such scars… it wasn’t exactly the first time she’d seen someone look like that, but he did look quite young. Perhaps she’d misjudged him. ”And, of course, my thanks to you and Lady Juniper for your hospitality so far. You have been too kind.”
[903/1857]
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Post by Misaki Kazamiya on Mar 10, 2020 1:15:39 GMT -8
"I'b okay!" Coral managed, giving a thumbs up from her dead-fish positon on the floor. Taking Maxine's hand, t, the pink-haired girl looked confused. "...Wait, so you caused the rain-?" only to give an immediate "Awaawawawawawa-" As she stood up to quickly see a boxers-clad Koma and pushed herself against the closest wall. "...I think we came in at a really really bad moment..." Coral muttered to herself, before Misaki quickly scooped up the smaller woman like a dog picking up it's puppy from the ground.
"goodness, you're all wet too. Give me a moment, please..." Misaki stated, quickly bringing Coral towards the threshold of the room, before spinning the young heiress, who seemed more or less fine with it, upside-down.
With a quick, superhuman shake, the water that had accumulated across Coral's body went flying, the majority of the water heading out of the room. Coral gave out a vibrating "avavavavavavavava" for a moment as she was thoroughly shook dry, before Misaki spun the heiress again and set her right back down on the ground, with the puff seemingly fine with the rough treatment and smiling.
"There we go. Now you won't be getting that all over the floor." Misaki would add to Coral, as the two exchanged cheerful smiles.
After putting the girl down, Misaki quickly shifted her focus briefly to Koma. "Lord Koma! it's good to see you again!" She said, giving a formal bow, hoping the aura's noise-pollution didn't make it too hard for her to be heard. She gave a respectful bow, even as Juni stated that they must leave immediately, before putting a finger to her chin, and turning to Persephone.
"Well, this is the first time I've seen someone in their underwear since I've been here, but perhaps it's common and I simply haven't noticed." She'd respond to Persephone's question with a slight joking smile. "Still, he's wearing boxers, so I wouldn't really call it nudity. It's merely the natural form of a human body, though. Even the scarring is simply part of a normal lifespan. I don't quite see the issue."
"...Still, I'm sure we at least have some time for Lord Koma to get back into proper dress. Armor is very important, after all. I believe outside of one's home it might also cause some issues due to public indecency." Misaki would add with a smile that gave a slight 'kidding' tone... before noticing something... odd.
Looking over Koma, and his host of scars, something finally occurred to her: in spite of the sheer number of injuries Copy had left on her, and the roughhousing of her earlier years, her skin...
Misaki checked her arm. Completely unblemished. It seemed, for some reason, she'd never dealt with such a simple natural process, and... she supposed it just hadn't occurred to her before now, that this was an abnormality. An aberrance against the natural flow of a human lifespan. Was this... due to that non-human element she had? She guessed she'd simply need to ask Juniper about that at some point, red eyes glinting briefly. she'd had precious little time to properly follow-up on that after their brief discussion atop the university.
Misaki looked to Koma and the others as Juniper explained the seriousness of the situation they were in, Misaki nodded as she explained the direness of the situation, even as Persephone eagerly volunteered.
"If Juniper is willing to bring you with, I should think we have no problems with that. someone else who knows the earth may be helpful in this situation." Misaki would respond, looking serious, even as Maxine pledged herself to the mission and introduced herself.
"Misaki Kazamiya. I am the gardener here." She explained with a slight bow, "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Maxine." the florist stated, sizing up the girl. She certainly seemed a fine enough android, though there was something about her that seemed different from most other androids. It wasn't the kindness she showed Coral, though that was appreciated, nor was it the somewhat wet appearance. There was something...
Misaki gazed deeply into the servant's eyes, like a hunter evaluating a boar, before finally giving a small smile. That was it. She was strong, that is all.
Giving a slight nod to her assistance, Misaki looked back. "...I should be ready to go in not more than a few minutes. I've a ride prepared for myself already, after all." Misaki would say, pulling a small salamander from her vest pocket at the statement, the creature clearly still asleep in Misaki's hands. "This little one should be able to carry me high enough in the air to sense out the ne'er do-wells who've done this to the tree, and save it from it's plight." She'd add with a smile, petting it's head. while a small purr came from the salamander, it was not quite enough to cause it to open it's eyes.
Misaki wondered if Persephone recognized the little one, before deciding she most likely had to. After all, the little creature was the same one they'd purified not too long ago, in a distant forest. With a happy smile, she'd nod, tapping off her parasol with a few short taps on the ground, before unfurling it above Coral, nodding to Maxine's question about the book. "...I think Juniper might be able to piece together more than I, but when I take my turn looking it over, it will be with extreme care. I've no interest in destroying old growth, after all."
And turning, with one gentle tug on Coral to get her shoulder ready. "Well then, I think we can discuss other details once everyone's ready to depart?" Misaki would ask, even as she turned. "I"ll see all of you in a few minutes. I'm off to get packed."
[967 words/1,760 total]
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Post by Koma on Mar 18, 2020 2:56:42 GMT -8
A true samurai was not one for unnecessary words. Koma simply gave a nod and a “Thank you,” which was directed both at his betrothed, Juniper, and at the workers who had prepared the tea, before pouring some for himself and taking a deep gulping drink. He was not one for ignoring his needs just because of decorum or pretending to make something seem greater than it was, and he was not drinking the tea to be polite. He was drinking it to warm himself. It would not do well to go into any battle, even one creating artifacts of power, with an ounce of sickness, and he had rode his motorcycle through the hammering intensity of the monsoon like rain storms between Oolong City and Split Tree. With the tea finished and Koma placing the tea cup gently back on the table he had taken it from, the half-saiyan samurai turned to Percy at her question and gestured his fingers as if he was playing a piano. Perhaps she could not hear well. “It is raining, and raining rather hard outside. I just drove through the majority of the Pig Demon Duchies gathering materials, and that’s the only reason why I’m specifically naked. Though this is my home, and I cannot promise that you won’t see me in less than formal garments.” Which is as if on cue what brought a tiny pitter patter forward down the hallways adjacent. The footfalls would have been cute, perhaps the imagined sounds of future children of Juniper and Koma’s, if they were not clearly fueled by rage and malice. They were the Pitter Patter of a knuckle cake, not the sounds of a baker making round flat cakes. “Koma of the White Cat Clan.” the female, squeaky, and melodic voice trumpeted before it’s owner was in plain view. “You are acting in a manner unbefitting of a man of your station when dealing with guests. The Crown Prince of the White Cat Clan is not expected to act that way, you are embarrassing yourself, your clan, The Tea Clan, and worst of all, myself and the rest of the Cake Court of Fae.” Then the voice was shown, as the wooden tatami door of a different room rocketed open, revealing a tiny, doll like figure with huge pigtails and a shrine maiden’s clothing, bells tied to the four pig tails which were made of her velvet textured, purple colored hair. “I prepared a bath for you and some proper traveling clothes for the occasion. I also took the liberty of calling in favors that you have unwittingly earned by your actions, and got members of the Cobbler Elves and donations for the brush hair of the brush for Princess Juniper, from a Pegasus, a Kirin, and a Unicorn. A tanuki offered as well, but I imagine that if he did give some hair strands, it would be from a distasteful place.” She finished belting it out, and crossed her arms only to see Koma step over her, his height at his calf already taller than her entire body, and he headed towards the prepared bath and clothes change. When he came back out fifteen minutes later, he was feeling much better and dressed in a black and yellow striped track suit, with black combat boots and a black sleeveless shirt under the track suit. It was then that he talked to Maxine and with her comments, he simply nodded. Her formality alone made people capable of telling that Maxine might be an android, that sort of formality went unpopular fifty years ago for the majority of the Western Lands. “Reading it is doubtful to be a ritual concern, I think. Because if it was, I think this book would have been in the hands of the Grand Dukes or some other powerful person, not a local Yakuza family, no offense to the Yakuza of Oolong City. And as to my scars, yes, I do have quite a history. I was not always Koma of the White Cat Clan. For much of my life I was Koma of the Bear Clan, and for a time was called ‘Koma the Grizzly Spinning Top’, among other nicknames. But that is a discussion for another time. I need to focus on my history when it comes to answering the questions of spirit that will be put into play when forging this sword and the spirit which will truly make it mystical.” What he did not say was the more common names for him, “Koma the Unkillable”, “Koma the Revenant Bear”, and “Thousand Deaths Koma”. He had already explained before to Maxine his belief about items which were well crafted or well cared of having spirits and souls of their own, so did not bother to explain it further. With that done, he simply sat in a corner as he waited, checking his sword’s blade as the Fae attendant whom was contractually attached to him, Shortcake, appeared and snapped her fingers, making a tray of food appear beside Koma, with steaming hot soup for everyone, as well as sausages made by Koma himself earlier in the weak, and curry buns. “I know you don’t like to go out adventuring and prefer to call yourself the Steward of affairs and accountant, Shortcake, but I think we might need your help this time. Who knows what spirits claim a domain in the area around where we will find this great Tree we’re looking for..?” [915] [1,816] Juni Misaki Kazamiya Maxine Persephone
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Post by Juni on Mar 22, 2020 2:22:50 GMT -8
There was quite a bit of commotion as everyone arrived at the zen tea house at once, Percy barely allowed her voice to be heard after Koma arrived, and asked if it was a common occurrence for people to arrive disheveled or barely clothed. The estate was built in a month’s time, so anything that took place was new, and that was a strong indication that went beyond typical western land culture. A caretaker of earth? Juniper started to believe the seemingly young woman must either be older than she looked or part of some cult at this point. The tea princess bowed her head towards Percy again after Misaki introduced her, “Feel free to travel with us, Percy-san.”
With the suitcase open, Maxine revealed that she had not opened the book due to how worn it appeared, but this book was especially well made from a particular material that was neither paper nor fabric.
“It is always best to be prepared with able hands. Thank you for further assisting us in this matter.” Juniper added after Maxine returned from freshening up to deliberate on the task and research the book during the trip. While she listened to Maxine address Koma she gently used her mystic powers to turn the pages of the book through telekinesis, the language was old, most of it was understandable. While browsing, a passage about saiyans was included, and it dawned on her that this book was partial evidence that this particular race was not from earth. While she skimmed along, her attention was raised back to Coral who was being shaken dry by Misaki from the water she mopped up from the floor, and while it was unusual it seemed that the pinkette was unfazed by the applied strong armed method of drying her up by the gardner.
“If anything comes up, I am still able to lock-in to your ki signature if you leave ahead of us, Misaki-san.” The tea princess nodded as the gardner dismissed herself to pack up her belongings for the trip.
Shortbread, her half brother’s former personal assistant, began shouting about Koma’s behaviour, and Juniper chuckled since the fae remained unchanged since she treated Ma-Te the same way when he was heir to the Tea Clan. “It is good to see you again, Shortbread.”
After Koma enjoyed some tea, he was ordered around by the fae to take a bath, freshen up as the others had taken the time to do so, and returned with a few snacks for the road. The servants began to pack up the food into layered bento boxes after everyone got a chance to pick from the platters on the table to eat. Silk cloth was neatly wrapped around each box, the bentos were then loaded into a shiny black stylish hovercraft that looked like a limousine in the zen tea house’s garage, the servants were loading the trunk with other provisions for the trip; the capsule corp logo was engraved on the equipment that was being loaded which were components used to pack new things into DynoCapsules.
Juniper took a moment to place the book back in the suitcase, then drink hot soup, once she had her fill she took a curry bun for later. “Is everyone ready? We’ll take the hovercraft, it will protect us from the rain, and everyone can travel comfortably with Misaki-san taking the lead.”
With a smile, she took the suitcase in hand, and headed into the garage to board the hover craft. While she settled into her seat, she realized how dangerous it might be for a powerless servant to pilot the craft, it would be preferable if either Koma or Maxine did the honors.
“Koma-san, Maxine-san, would either of you like to conduct the hovercraft? Just to make certain we do not become a target upon the arrival of our destination when dealing with the marauders.” Juniper spoke eloquently, it was more of a command from the princess, rather than a request, but she was raised to speak this way. If it bothered either her fiance or the lilac haired android she would be humbled to listen to their complaints. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had friends, but her politeness would only stretch so far in how she addressed them.
After everyone boarded the hovercraft, Juniper reflected on how helpful Maxine had been while serving the Duchies, and the yakuza in Oolong City. “Maxine-san, I imagine that androids do not require sleep, but I would like to formally invite you to take up residence with us at Zen estate. After we conclude our business with this legendary tree, we can begin preparing a room for you in the tea house when we return, and I can personally give you a tour of the grounds. We have an excellent training room, one of the residents you have yet to meet delivers bread from a bakery we financially invested in, which uses the resources from the estate and it is especially crafted to improve a fighter’s spiritual energy. If you’re still under contract with anyone, Koma and I can pay them off, you’re better off remaining with us so that you can become stronger.” [872] [2,048]
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Post by Maxine on Mar 31, 2020 5:05:23 GMT -8
While she still hoisted Coral to her feet, Maxine just stared as the rest of the pair’s comedy duet played out – well, it was always nice to see the classics, at least. Though, Coral would probably need a comb soon. Alas, all the talk about Koma’s dress was a bit lost on her; again thanks to her yakuza work. That look was sort of… the in-thing, for a while. Better or worse than tracksuits? Tough to say. She was all about the nice suits and ties, so it didn’t matter much to her. Comic relief and outfits aside, Maxine would just give a little nod to Juniper in response to her thanks – she did not deserve anything more. A job was a job, nothing more.
She politely listened to Misaki’s introduction, but she didn’t think about it too much once she had the gaze of the – Saiyan? – upon her. That energy before was bad enough, but this made her falter a bit. Sure, she’d worked with killers, kings, and cutthroats of all kinds; but it was all business or pleasure for them. This lady was more dangerous than that… a natural. It was perhaps a bit early to start judging, but that’s how she survived with her job. Maxine would return the gaze with her own steely look for a moment, but inwardly she buckled a little. Tch…
…err, gardener, though? Maxine’s gaze really did buckle as she took that in. Eh, for real? Ah, maybe she was one of those retired thug types. Well, that was charming too, though she looked rather young for it. Oh well. Coming back to her senses, Maxine would slightly hastily return the bow, albeit managing to resist the temptation to reintroduce herself. Still, a gardener… how surreal.
Speaking of servants! A truly legendary soul appeared, making Maxine jolt up with attention. The bitter voice, the snarling tone, the immediate complaints, the calling of family names, the announcement of every effort, the sensational pout – this was it! The signature technique of a goliath amongst servants… her delivery was perfect; they should all be in awe! The android almost wanted to applaud. This girl – this lady – was undoubtedly the person in the room most worthy of Maxine’s respect.
While she was very tempted to give a bashful introduction to the lord of the house, Maxine just settled on a deep bow for now; allowing Shortcake to continue to control the stage instead. ”I should also like to extend my thanks to you, Housekeeper. Your staff have been excellent so far, and I can see that your management skills extend to elevating even the young master. It has been my honour to serve under you, even briefly.” Unlike her usual cool tone of voice, Maxine sounded just a little more emotive and effeminate this time around; a little more genuine. Or, a little more vulnerable...
As Koma returned, though, she was all business again. His history didn’t surprise her, but she listened carefully – thankfully, he watched his mouth around her gokudo; her eyes narrowing for just that split-second before he apologised ahead of time. He was probably right, admittedly, but she was still annoyed! ’The Grizzly Spinning Top’, though… hm, the Bear Clan, too? He did fit in nicely with those young punks. Well, perhaps old punks, now. Perhaps dead punks. They hadn’t really been near her clients’ turf back then, so she didn’t know much more than that.
Naturally, Maxine would assist the servants in preparing to store food and packing the car – she didn’t eat herself. Well, she could eat, originally for the sake of tasting poison, but she didn’t feel any desire to eat or need to eat. M-Most of the time. But, that was a matter for another time! For now, she just wanted to work; so she focused on that. It was a good distraction from Misaki’s insistence that she was going to ride on a pet lizard, but alas, not quite good enough… ah, she just wanted to go back to her little world of cars and guns. At least she'd had time to change back to her proper suit, having dried it while the others prepared for the little trip.
On the plus side, Maxine was promptly given an offer she could never refuse – and, coincidentally, getting her at least half of that little world she was thinking of. ”Yes, it shall be my honour to handle the driving, Ōhime-sama. My body is expendable, so please do not concern yourself with my safety beyond my core.” Honestly, the android sounded a little too eager about that, letting some of her ulterior motive slip despite her grim words – that was a nice hovercraft, and she very much wanted to try it. Yes, she did prefer cars, but she wasn’t going to complain! And, it was a lot easier than all this awkward talking, she had to admit.
Taking the driver’s seat after seeing off her fellow servants, Maxine wore a sparkling smile for a just a moment as she surveyed the controls; carefully adjusting her seat until it was just right… and catching herself, quickly returning to her usual cold frown. S-She had to be professional! And, right on time, too, as Juniper started to ask big questions.
”Ōhime-sama, while I would be honoured to join the Zen Estate under your esteemed family name, I must give some caveats. My personal debts are… important to me, though I am very flattered by the offer; so I must insist that I continue to handle them myself. I know it generally considered deathly unwise to have a debt in Oolong City, but I would consider mine more a debt of favour than finance.” explained the android carefully, once again sounding a bit more animated than usual; ”Furthermore, I must insist that I maintain my contracts, as I am technically a freelancer rather than bound to any one family. I have a lot of close friends, teachers, and colleagues amongst the gokudo; and I do not think I could bear turning them away in a time of need.”
A pause. A dangerous pause.
”Should it come to be that the Tea Family is at odds with my business interests, I will certainly make you aware and formally leave the premises before acting upon it. Please have faith in my professionalism, above all else. I will always endeavour at least politely inform you of my allegiance before considering anything - antagonistic.” Hrm. That sounded cool in her head, but just sounded kind of… really, really suspect out loud. Like, ‘waking up with a gun to your head’; that sort of suspect. ”Err… what I’m trying to say, is… I won’t immediately ally with you, but I have no intentions of turning against you either. The gokudo are a dark business, but not that dark. Not my brand, in any case! But, you know, the world keeps on turning – tomorrow it could be you.”
Once again, Maxine hesitated, still reeling a bit from the original offer. T-This was a bit much to decide all at once, especially after just a few meetings with the lady… but, it was a very safe choice right now, should her caveats be respected, so… some sugar, too. ”I-In any case! I would be honoured to serve your house. You have been courteous and compassionate, and the young master has shown a sense of ambition and self-respect that impresses me. Regardless of your decision, I hope to look forward to cooperating extensively in the future.”
She’d like to raise a glass to good business right about now, but no such luck; so she’d settle for starting up the hovercraft instead. Hm… how to lighten the mood? She’d gotten tips on that a long time ago. Well, okay, on a lot of occasions, but they didn’t tend to stick. Just this once, though… hm, what was appropriate? ”On that note, let us get to work. Or, let us ‘make like a tree and leave’. A Tree of Might, in this case. Thank you.”
[1350/3207]
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Post by Misaki Kazamiya on Apr 1, 2020 11:13:42 GMT -8
Misaki shivered, taking a breath in the corner of her room. She'd hardly entered Juniper's own company before her own energy would have overwhelmed her. it was intense beyond reason, strong beyond her nascent ability to control it, and her own irritation at the scene, understood and yet not understood well enough to defeat, hurt. She was strong! Beyond measure! She was strong. she always had been. that meant that her own energy shouldn't overwhelm her so, right? She understood it well enough to work with it, but even so....
She sighed. The idea of being overrun by one's own energy still found it's itch elsewhere in her body. It filled her with contempt for herself for ever having so much trouble. the ideas began to fill her head, as she quietly changed, that... perhaps she was simply doing this wrong, if she really...
Misaki heard her aura, like a siren, raise in pitch again, and sigh.
"Hey."
Misaki turned in surprise, only to see Coral.
"Uhm, I've... I've already packed. Would you... do you want a moment...?"
Misaki blinked. "It's fine... I'm simply concentrating-"
Misaki's response was cut off as Coral simply slinked off to her side, putting a hand firmly on her shoulder.
"...Ki control problems?"
Misaki blinked in surprise, before turning away. She looked to the side of the walling. she'd thought she'd figured it out, that she'd been putting Koma's lesson to good use, but she still"
Coral squeezed her shoulders.
"Hey, hey..." Coral added. "Your shoulders feel pretty tight."
Misaki looked back, and frowned. She wasn't used to Coral being this perceptive.
"It's... alright to be bad at this, you know?" Coral would add, before pulling Misaki to the side and inviting her to sit down. "...I have a little bit of ki ability, and, well, my parents, uhh, had a heck of a time teaching me to deal with it. Like, it wasn't, a lot, a lot, but, it was at least a little" She'd add. "I got all this formal training, all this special work put in, I had to learn how to be 'in harmony with natchoor'..."
At the last one, Coral added air-quotes that made it less than ambiguous to the Florist which lessons she preferred to skip. The display brought a little smile to her Face, as her aura calmed a bit further.
"...But, ya know? It all didn't work out for me. Then... I found my one secret trick."
Misaki blinked.
"Well... actually, I didn't find it myself. someone else told me about it, actually! One of my best friends growin' up!"
Misaki leaned in, eager to listen.
"See... to control your ki..." Coral began, trying and failing to take a scholarly look as she stood up within the fairly spartan room, gently angling the desk light to shine upon her, and posing her hands in the classical buddha pose, eyes closed.
"you take your best bits of concentration... and focus them into wiggling your nose!"
Coral took this time to dramatically post, fanning her hands out as she wiggled her own, just like that.
"three times! not one! not two! Three times you wiggle it! and like that, your ki shall balance and you shall be at peace!"
With every statement of a number, the pinkette's nose wiggled, and Misaki could only hold her laughter until just after Coral finished, to the pinkette's prompt slump.
"No, come on! It works!"
Misaki's laughter filled the room. "...Wiggling the nose? It's really only that simple? Coral.... hahahahaha!" Misaki laughed, taking care to keep herself from falling from her chair.
"Okay, you laugh! but! The room's quiet now, isn't it?"
Misaki stopped, dead in her thoughts. Come to think of it...
"I don't know why it works, but it totally works! Just trust me on this one! See?" Coral asked, before motioning around. "whatever. The point I'm making is... sometimes, the answer is silly. And sometimes we don't know why it works, and sometimes you need someone's help to figure it out when you're totally stumped! And more importantly... that's not shameful! That's really cool! So... maybe we can head back to the group and just... be a bit more honest about issues like that."
Misaki smiled. "Well, we certainly do need to be heading back. Is everything packed?"
"Misaki, please. The only thing I am almost a greater master at than shopping is quickly packing in bulk. It's very important to know how to keep things quickly and neatly packed so that your family will allow you to shop for more things on bigger trips." Coral stated proudly, a huge smile plastered on her face.
Misaki grinned in spite of herself. "...Well then, let's not keep them waiting." She added, her usual polite demeanor once again as it always was. The girl stood up, and with a happy look to Coral, the two set off for adventure
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Misaki came in with a bright "humhmhm" As she came, along with Coral and her fair bits of baggage. "Hello again, everyone." Misaki would say as she re-entered the area, a happily purring lizard clasped in her hands as a bright blue backpack was across her back. Coral had, meanwhile, commandeered some sort of fancy cart for all her luggage.
"M-Misaki, this is... you're sure this'll all fit... on that tiny little lizard?" Coral would ask quietly, looking to the Florist.
Misaki, for her part, simply shrugged. "I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. He just needs to stop being lazy and get up."
A small groan came from the lizard in question as it turned over in Misaki's hands.
"Oh, behave now."
And with that, Misaki took a deep breath, before finding a relatively open space in the courtyard.
With a quick, intense look, and a delicate hum, she placed the little salamander down onto the fresh grass, focusing as it wandered forward a few feet, clearing the distance quickly for such a tiny lizard.
Misaki smiled down at the creature, amidst the group, held out a hand, and allowed emerald-green ki to pour from her and into the salamander...
With a quick burst of smoke, the salamander rapidly grew, gaining wings, Claws, horns, snout, and razor-sharp teeth. A low roar could be heard as the creature's wings spread and it took it's full size, being a little larger than the average elephant...
And yet, not a single blade of grass was swept out of place.
Misaki turned back to grin even as Coral's legs shook so hard that she could probably have created an earthquake.
"...I still haven't figured out what to name this little guy." Misaki admitted, turning to the rest of the group as she showed her new vehicle. "...I would be interested in hearing ideas on the trip." She would add with a smile, looking over the New, snazzy-looking hovercraft. it looked state of the art, and a marvel of technology, but for Misaki... there was a reason she carried a parasol. Although perhaps there wouldn't be enough room-
"Hey Misaki, I got the rain-gear set up!" Coral would add happily from behind the florist, a makeshift canvas work attached to the back of the dragon already.
For once, Misaki was actually left looking surprised and taken aback. "where did you-"
"I'm very well-prepared when it comes to not getting my hair wet." Coral would add proudly.
[1230]
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Post by Persephone on Apr 9, 2020 20:57:55 GMT -8
Percy breathed a sigh of relief when her request to accompany everyone was accepted, and bowed once again. "Thank you." She had mostly remained quiet while everyone was speaking; it seemed that she had fallen into circumstances beyond her knowledge, and would have to catch up as they went. The only thing that mattered was that somewhere, a part of the earth was in peril. Despite her exile from the Gallizenae, Percy felt the undeniable duty to protect nature. It was uncommon for her to come across so many people from so many different walks of life that held interest in protecting the earth.
She blushed bright red when Koma expressed that this was also his home. Percy had now been rude twice in the home of royalty. She would have to make it up to Koma and Juniper, somehow, but for now, it seemed imprudent to interrupt while tensions were high. When Misaki brought out the salamander, her breath caught, and in spite of herself, she gave a gentle, almost loving smile to the sleeping lizard. Percy glanced up at Misaki, but looked away quickly. She really does care about creatures. How curious. As Misaki and Coral left to pack, Percy went back to her quarters to pick up her travelling cloak and her small pack. It carried little, but she hadn't been without it in years. As she arrived back to meet with everyone, she noticed the hovercraft and her eyes widened. It was intimidating, a more advanced means of travel than she had used herself; and then, the little salamander was no longer little.
As the ground shook, Percy steadied herself and looked up at the dragon with a smile. "If it's okay with you, Misaki, could I ride with you and Coral? As strange as it sounds, dragons are more in my comfort zone for travel." Percy chuckled softly and placed a gentle hand on the dragon's side, speaking to him in almost a whisper. "Hello, friend. May I fly with you?" She stroked the dragon's rough, scaly hide as lovingly as one might pet a kitten.
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Post by Koma on Apr 12, 2020 17:36:28 GMT -8
The fae who had served as steward, housekeeper, and accountant to both a Prince of the Tea Clan and a Prince of the White Cat Clan now, simply raised a purple haired eyebrow for a moment at the android. A tinwoman, of all things? They didn’t typically value the adherence of schedules, decorum and the like over what they themselves were programmed as, but despite that, Shortcake saw that this pink haired android seemed to. She curtseyed for a moment to the android before going back to her business.
“I’m sure you’ll get just as skilled as me someday.” Shortcake said, though didn’t say it entirely on the level. There was an implied challenge there, as if telling the tinwoman ‘I’m sure you will get as skilled as me if I break a leg or stop growing in my skills as a housekeeper and stewardess’, but it was not spoken. Such things were not spoken in any noble house, especially not a house of the Pig Demon Duchies, where an aberrant word could start a duel.
Koma drank his soup silently as he finished checking his sword, and nearly choked on the last drops at Maxine’s drink, before stuffing a Curry bun into his mouth and handing one to each of the members of the party, and made sure there was an ice chest filled with food supplies for this adventure on the hovercraft, including more of the deer, boar, and bear sausage he had just partaken in, himself. He had made both the sausages and the curry buns he had handed out, of course, as cooking was a skill that no true Samurai would allow himself to forget.
“Maxine driving makes more sense, both because she’s probably more accurate at driving a hovercraft and because we don’t know what we’ll be facing or when one of us needs to leap off the craft to deal with threats.”
Koma said before tearing another bite from the curry bun he had, carrying his sword and a dynocapsule utility belt with him as he did, fastening the belt and then adjusting the sword into a holster for its scabbard upon the belt.
[360] [2,176]
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