The Seishou Summer Art Exhibition is Seishou Public School's brigest art talents being showcased- mainly the advanced Art Club class, but those not in Art Club who just draw or do art well. Reiko has done three pieces that sit on the edge of a small walk against the pond in the park--- a city skyline-- a more fantastical mountain range with some sort of dragon. -- a picture of a certain red fox coming out of a foxhole that she probably made Ayana pose for.
Reiko's skill is the skill of someone three times her age. It's a practiced hand that is steady and well done. She's a prodigy and it shows. It's no wonder why Infinity tries to woo her every school year and will probably do so well into her High School years.
Naru Osaka has some pieces along. Whatever she chose to drew is most likely done well and stunning. They're signed!
Reiko Touyama is actually looking, however, right now at a lovely charcoal piece done with a careful hand that is just as good as Reiko's of a mountainous skyline. It's signed 'Hiroko Koumoto'. Reiko's actually looking around for Hiroko right now. Expecting to see her eternal art rival here, but she's nowhere to be seen. She frowns a bit.
Oh, she has a dog on a leash. Wait, that isn't a dog. It's a red fox! A fox!? Yes. A fox. On a leash. Reiko off handedly wonders how many other girls take one of thier best friends for a walk. Probably. She doesn't know. Not many!
She is not also taking Ikiko for walks if she gains a wolf mode. It would be super weird walking her two friends at once.
She's walking towards her art pieces. She's invited Eilam-san over, because he wanted to see her art. Also. Look, having a pretty boy over to see her art is totally a mood lifter for her right now.
"Come on Ayana-chan~" she sings. "I have a friend coming over!" she says.
There's other small bustle here. So far. Nothing is wrong or out of place. It's a fun, warm day!
Wether that remains is of course anyone's guess!
Hokuto is out for a walk in the park, padding casually along in her by-now-familiar shorts, t-shirt, and windbreaker, ever-present butterfly hairpin clasped above her left ear. She'd heard about the Seishou Art Exhibit, and determined to check it out.
She'd visited a similar exhibition not long ago, put on by her fellow Verone students. She didn't enjoy that one much - dismissed a lot of what was there are pretentious twaddle, in fact - and she's hoping that Seishou's will be better. Artistic without feeling the need to be ART, whatever that's supposed to be.
She pauses to linger at a diorama one of the students had built, a series of figures apparently depicting a classic scene. Then she looks closer at the figures, and steps back, laughing merrily. "That's... it's... you didn't!"
They did. It isn't a pure classical scene, but one built on an old anime. "Someone had waaaay too much fun putting this together," she declares, and drags her camera out to start snapping pictures of it.
The fox on the leash looks around curiously, tongue panting in the heat. She looks relatively tame, for a 'wild beast'. That's probably the well-groomed coat and the leash.
When Reiko tugs on her leash, the little fox hops to her feet and pads after her, curiously sniffing here and there as she walks along at Reiko's side.
While Eilam /did/ expect Reiko to eventually contact him to hang out again or do something, it wasn't quite what he'd thought that it would be at some art exhibit. But, she did ask him to show up, and he wasn't feeling entirely too terrible today, so show up he did. Nearby to the park a new-looking towncar makes its way slowly along before stopping. A driver gets out and Eilam steps out of the back after the passenger side door was opened. Today's suit and attire was a bit different than the last time Reiko saw him. No jacket today, just a pink button-down short-sleeved shirt and a pair of slacks, perfectly pressed and looking like he was going out to some event.
The heat wasn't really his thing, hence a lack of longer sleeves, but for the moment he was tolerating it as he began to walk towards the exhibit at the playground park. With him all he had was a satchel hanging slung over a shoulder and the large stave he tended to carry with him, a painted-black metallic thing that was largely just for walking support as he needed it. Canes were way too gauche for his taste but crutches and the likes were just unsightly!
Was it obvious he was a little ritzy? His attire and hair and look in general might show it. Eventually he spots Reiko and begins to make his way over towards her. After all, how many girls fitting Reiko could there really be here at the park?
Reiko Touyama looks at her pieces and beams. "I think I did well!" she says with a smile. She turns back around and--- Eilam-san! She waves over to Eilam and smiles. "Eilam-san! Over here." she says bouncing on her feet.
Then she leans down. "Ayana-chan, here he comes- act super cute, okay?" she whispers. Ayana-chan is a good wingfox, she'll totally play along.
She waits until Eilam gets closer. "Eilam-san, how are you?" she smiles. "Here's my pieces!" she says motioning to the art pieces. Well drawn. Nice. Impressive, and near the water. Reiko had to fight off like two boys earlier that were fishing off it for the place! Maybe she threatend to sick Ayana on em. Yeaaaah. She'd do that. She'd totally do that.
"So.. what do you think?" she asks to Eilam. "I take critque well, so no worries!" she says all smiles!
Then something like a big, dark straight shadow suddenly shoots over head, like a really big bird just wooooshed by. Though there's nothing in the air. Reiko's expression goes from smiles and a blush that Ayana-chan might know from when she talked about Haru and maybe even Misa when--- to suddenly wide eyed as something hits her like a brick in the chest. She in fact, raises a hand to her chest and gasps. "No..."
Those who sense darkness can feel something wash over the area suddenly. Reiko panicedly looks at Eilam and she shoots her hands forward to grab his arm. "Eilam-san! I'm really sorry about what's about to happen.....!" she says with a genuine worry to her voice. "Nrg----"
It's a sudden flash of light as the color from the area begins to apparently...swirl and move towards the center of the Art Event overhead--- looking like some sort of trippy special effect. There's a flash of orange light as she tries to infuse Eilam's clothes in bright orange- a color infusion-- Ayana's seen it before. Heck. She's EXPERIENCED before.
It's meant to protect him from whatever is happening-- because the strange effect seems to be affecting people too--- taking thier color as thier faces grow expressionless then slum to the ground, over tables, knocking over easels and displays. One falls over in the diorama Hokuto was examining.
The color gathers into a ball before it begins to vibrate before it begins to pull various tables. Canvases... display Easels around it, flipping tables as this continues before it's absorb much of the displays--- including Reiko's own pieces.
The various debris shoots out-- forming two spindly legs-- two spindly arms--- and a weird abstract face made of various art pieces. It looks like a weird horrible living Piccaso piece.
"EASEEEEELLLLLLL!" it yells.
Reiko Touyama grits her teeth. "Eilam-san... I need to get you someplace safe..." she says as she tries to begin to walk Eilam away towards a nearby pavillion that seems to be just on the edge of the drain. Half of it still retain's it color- the other half is that deathly odd monotone shade that everythings become.
Ayana probably growled menacingly when Reiko threatened to sic her on the boys. For one thing, they're smelly boys, and that makes it easy for her to hate them. For another th ing, Reiko wanted her to be menacing. And maybe she used a little illusion to seem scarrier than she is. That's totally not cheating, right?
So when ordered to act 'cute', Ayana still has no problems with that. She sits up a little straighter, looks a little more canny, and that blue bow on the back of her collar was there all along. Right?! Right! She preens and makes a soft yowling noise at Eilam; clearly friendly.
But then Reiko's starting to act like something's wrong. And she turns her new boyfriend (how many does this girl ''need';, anyways?!) orange! The little fox turns 'round in a circle, and then bounds up higher than a fox should leap to land on Reiko's shoulder. She makes a low growling noise, then bites at her leash and looks to Reiko expectantly.
Hokuto seems engrossed in her photography, at first. She doesn't appear to notice a thing as canvases and tripods get pulled away. Then the diorama gets yanked out from under her camera.
"Hey! I was looking at that!" She looks up, prepared to scold someone to within an inch of their life. Except there isn't anyone there, of course. Just a swirling mass of stuff.
"Right, that won't do at all. This is so very much not art." She pulls an ofuda from the pouch at her side and flicks her hand, the inked paper turning as stiff as a board. "Stop that this instant!"
Reiko seeing him and speaking got a smile out of him. "Hello, Miss Touyama. I was not expecting you to be in such an... exhibition. I suppose you are a bit more advanced than your age might imply?" As she starts to try to show off her works to him(and possibly might be showing /him/ off? He didn't know), he noticed the fox and stared at it curiously. Well, it wasn't TOO strange. Sometimes people had pets. ...somehow he didn't expect her to be the exotic pet type. She seemed simpler somehow.
"Have you thought about getting an art scholarship? You should apply early and have your grandfather, I believe you said you stay with him? To put it in some kind of trust for you. Let it earn income so by the time you are ready for college you can afford some place good."
Suddenly a shadow and Eilam seemed confused. Not by the shadow so much as something just felt... different. He wasn't sure what. He was aware of curses, but magic in general or even monsters? Not a clue. So as he started to look around, Reiko's voice and touch on his arm snapped him out of it and he looked down at her, "Sorry for what?"
Then colors.
COLORS.
It was so strange. Briefly, Eilam felt a bit dizzy before he found himself being tugged along by the girl. He didn't resist any, too confused at the moment before finally asking once near the pavillion, "What exactly is taking place? I do not believe this is part of this exhibit is it?" ... that shouting thing certainly did not seem so. In fact, he started to reach into his pocket to pull out his cell phone only to realize he really had no idea what was going on.
Reiko Touyama gets the hint from Ayana-chan and releases the leash- undoing it quickly. "Come on Ayana-chan!" she says as she gets to the Pavillion and motions to the bench. "Look this is..." she winces. "...god you think I'm going to be so weird after this." she says a little softly. "Just... try to. Get under there. Or sit down or-- just.. just stay under here!" she begs. She sighs and takes a deep breath and turns around and---
"That thing is a Shade. It wants the color." There's someone with an Ofuda trying to face that thing. "Oh no...."
She digs into her pocket pulls out her Chroma Prism-- a crystal of bright orange-- it hovers in her palm.
"Chroma Prism Orange, Transform!" she calls out.
The Prism Spins then vanishes into a ball of orange light that engulfs Reiko--- it forms a dress-- pretty and long-- it gives her two small fairy-like butterfly wings. It gives her stark white gloves and boots---- then two koi appear and spin up the form with a bow in each of thier mouths then tie a pretty bow into Reiko's hair--- one dissapearing, the other plopping itself into the center of the bow and becoming a fish-shaped clip. The small orb of light then moves back towards her hand-- the Chroma Prism becoming a wand with the prism inset in a heart shaped piece.
She takes a deep breath.
She takes a deep breath. "Sgt. Fins."
An orange koi appears in the air. Eilam can see it this time. She's transformed. The magic is stronger. The koi is for some reason wearing an army helmet-- a generic styled almost cartoonish one. It salutes Reiko.
"I need you to stay here and watch Eilam-san for me okay!?" she says. The koi salutes... swims on over to Eilam. Gets near his face to make sure it can see him. Then it /Salutes/ him. It doens't say a thing.
Reiko, now Prism Keeper Orange, bites her lip at Eilam. "I--I'll explain after okay!? I need to... fight. This thing." she says as she begins to float into the air with those wings and zip off toward's the Shade. She points her wand at the Shade. She frowns heavily at the thing.
"Art is the creativity of thousands of people, hearts put on paper! You have no right to steal such color and ruin the display of people's own hearts! In the name of the color orange, I'll purify you!" she calls out. A /Justice Speech!/.
God, this must just be like a manga to Eilam or something.
She looks to the Ofuda weilding girl. "Hey, you! Watch out and be careful!" she calls out as she holds out her right hand and a bolt of orange color energy shoots into the creature---
Because the creature was just about to try to stomp down on Hokuto. Orange throws it off balance to prevent this, it screams out "EASEL!" as it swings into the air. "Eeek!" Orange yells as she begins to dart backwards.
At least she took it's focus off Hokuto for the moment.
Monsters. Girls. Flowery speeches. Some things just confuse matters. The important thing is, it ruined a piece she liked! Was actually consiering buying!
A second ofuda joins the first, and she tosses them out into the air, letting them fly free - to flicker through the air as if guided by wires, landing on opposite sides of the monster. "It wants color? Let's see some more orange, then!"
She leaps backwards, a quick somersault, and tumbles easily to her feet. Her hands come together in a quick series of mudras. "Namah sarva tatha gatebhyah sarva!"
The inked characters on the paper swell and glow, and then... a ring of fire erupts around the Shade! "BURN, my pretties! BURN!"
As soon as the leash is removed, Ayana bounds off of Reiko's shoulder and onto Eilam's. Little feet cling tightly as she curls up around his neck and sticks her nose in his ear briefly, then hops down onto a bench. Suddenly, the bead dangling from her collar shatters, exploding outwards into a globe of scintillating colours. The little fox is absorbed, and then suddenly bears the silhouette of a girl?!
A little taller than Reiko, and with fox-like ears and tails, the silhouette forms a skirt and top, and then the globe collapses. Cute Fox Inariko grins toothily at Eilam, then says, "Don't worry, I'll keep him safe, Orange-chan. Go stop this thingie." Because it's not like she can do much to it.
"..."
Okay, now Eilam KNEW he was seeing things. Because none of this was real. This had to be some awkward dream. That's got to be what it was. He never woke up and he's just dreaming about the event he was invited to, imagining it. But why did this seem so... real? He'd had a lot of dreams over his lifetime. Too many. This didn't feel like one, it just... seemed like it should be one. Eilam, now covered in orange from head to toes, looked a bit like a badly-dressed hipster. Sitting down quietly at the edge of the pavillion, and suddenly having not only a flying magical koi in front of him but a fox...girl?
"..."
He really couldn't find anything to say, as he stared at Inariko, then back towards Hokuto and Reiko, in her new outfit. With wings.
"...I will be okay." he says softly, finally, part to Inariko, part to the fish. ...part to himself. Because he really felt like he was severely tripping right now. "I do not know if this is some... staged event, or not, but something about it feels... like I should know something I do not. Does she not need your help?" Reaching next to him to where his stave lay, which had turned singularly orange thanks to Reiko, he looked at it, then back to the ordeal going on.
Prism Keeper Orange watches as Hokuto summons up flames using Ofuda and cackles like a witch and now she thinks Hokuto is bonkers crazy. Also. "What!? No!---argh! THAT'S PEOPLE'S ART! I CAN SAVE IT!.. WELL... I COULD HAD...." she mutters as she dashes backwards as---
The Shade lights on fire. It burns, it calls out-- "EASELLLLL!" in a pained tone. As always, all a Shade yells is it's apparently name.
Easel. Because it's made of wood and art of course. Could had called itself 'ARTY' though. She wonders why it didn't.
She smiles back at Ayana-chan and gives a thumbs up as a flaming Easel arm sends her careening down into the dirt suddenly, before it swings it's other arm down at Hokuto.
"Ow..." says Prism Keeper Orange as she digs herself up off the ground with a pained look as she takes a deep breath and lifts back up off the ground. "...gotta keep my attention on this thing..." she says as she waves her wand in the air over her head with an arc--- forming a bunch of more magical koi---- then she swings her wand forward and they all launch like tiny rockets into the Shade, exploding into magical color energy which seems to hurt the creature heavily-- leaving orange splotches in thier wake against the creature.
"Hey you um. Can you do. Anything. To freeze it in place!?" she asks. That's how some Ofuda work right!? Or.. is that.. Chinese... Charm Tags.. or.. UGH!? She doesn't know!
Hey, at least it's on Fire. Wood burns well.
"Sure, okay," Inariko says to Eilam, "but I can't really do anything to shades anyways, so if it tries to hurt you I'll get you to safety!" she promises, then winks at him. "Although there is one little thing I can do."
Turning, she leaps back a step, tails flaring out behind her as she points at Easel. "FOXFIRE!" she declares, shooting a rainbow of colour at the thing. It has no power, but it's colourful, which should distract it.
Hokuto watches the ring of fire burn, for a moment, grinning maniacally. "Thaaat's it. All we need now is some marshmallows."
Backlit by flame, she turns to glance at Orange Girl. "You're shooting rockets at it from magic fish and you're telling me not to contain the thing? Ooookay."
Nimble fingers flick a series of ofuda into the air, five of them this time, each one fluttering into position around the shade to form a new circle. "Keep it busy for a few seconds, I've got this."
Bonkers crazy is standard operating procedure when dealing with art-stealing color-leaching eldritch abominations, yes, it most certainly is.
Despite all of this seeming completely unreal, like it was just some... elaborately staged event, some kind of 'artsy LARP thing put on for others, and he was invited to witness it', one thing that made Eilam consider this wasn't just... fake was a feeling on his ear. A lingering coolness. What was causing it? He couldn't tell! So, he reached up to touch his ear only to realize, the slightly damp feeling he'd felt not long ago, the Fox's nose. ...that feeling was still there as he wiped it away, looking towards her, then the army helmeted fish, and back to Reiko.
This wasn't just some thing going on... something was really happening. Just what, he didn't know, but this didn't seem like acting. It was far too 'real' even for how crazy it seemed. Was there anything he could even do? Not like he could throw around rainbows of colors or anything. But, as he watched the others trying to fight it, trying to contain it, seeing it fight back, it did make him wonder. Could he even try without risking exposing his curse? ...or did it even matter if they knew, because they expose themselves to him, and tried to protect him? Depending on if Sgt Fins could really communicate with Prism Keeper Orange or not, she might or might not come to see Eilam pushing himself to a stand. He had to at least /try/ to do something. Besides, not like he could get hurt permanently(as far as he was aware). Taking the stave in hand, he reached down near the middle and twisted it, starting to walk towards the group. "Miss Fox, if you want to protect me... come along. I cannot just let her get hurt trying to protect me, though. She might not live to feel bad about it, but I most certainly would." What was he doing with the stave, though? Well, if anyone watched, they would see him pull it apart, exposing a handle of some kind, which he pulled out with his other hand once while letting them fall, a long, thin estoc coming into view, one with no real hand guard, leaving it looking a bit awkward even if it was finely crafted.
No one said Eilam was going to be able to do anything, but he didn't want to just sit still and let someone get hurt on his behalf. At least, not someone who wasn't getting paid for it.
Prism Keeper Orange isn't about to get into a yelling match with Hokuto over the nature of Shades. She frowns heavily as she looks back to the Shade when--- a colorful rainbow shoots overhead. Huh!?
Oh! Ayana-chan's illusion magic! Is it going to work?
Yes, it's working, it's keeping it distracted as it shoots extending jointed easel arms outwards toward's the color, trying to 'absorb' the illusionary color like it did the world and art pieces that have become part of it's being.
This stops it from noticing what ever Hokuto is doing-- as Prism Keeper Orange draws her Chroma Wand backwards....
"Come on you stupid Shade..." she mutters.
She waits for whatever Hokuto is doing to take shape as she mutters...
"Prism Aegis Power...! she calls out.
"ORANGE CHROMA OVERFLOW!" she calls out as she throws the wand straight out in her hand--- summoning up a bright flash of orange as a giant koi-shaped blast of energy ungulfs the Shade into a mass of purifiying orange light.
"EASEL!" cries out the Shade. Now's the time to finish this up, it seems, for Hokuto!
She's trying very very hard not to look back at Eilam. She has to trust Ayana will keep him safe! Also, Sgt. Koi is pushing against Eilam to little avail as he tries to stop Eilam from getting involved. It's VERY easy to push back against the tiny tiny orange koi of color energy.
Hokuto's attention is, in fact, upon the ofuda she's guiding into place, forming a second circle around the Shade. That she's just standing there watching it is icing on the cake, showing how little she cares for its ability to steal color from the surroundings.
She might object more if she could see what it was doing to her hair. She dosn't look good in grey.
Finally, however, the five are in place. As before, the inked characters glow and swell as her fingers work their way through the series of mudras.
Intensely focused, now, she chants her spell. "Ban, Un, Taraku, Kiriku, Aku! By the five elements, be sealed!" Beams of light spring from each of the five ofuda, forming a pentagram around the creature, one which starts to spin and shrink down around it...
"Huh?" Inariko asks, turning confusedly as Eilam starts walking away from her. "Hey, wait, no, you're not supposed t--" she trails off as she watches what he's doing, eyes widening in surprise. "Ohhhh, neat, that's a big sword. But uhm, you probably still shouldn't ..." she trails off, following along beside Eilam. "I mean, these things are scary and they steal color."
When the chanting starts, Inariko whips her head back towards it, then blinks in surprise. "So many magical people," she mumbles in surprise. But she still doesn'tr run away from Eilam's side. She promised Reiko she would protect him, so protect him she will! Even if it means all she does is watch.
"...you are right. Lots of... magical people." Just as he started to try and walk over, it looks like Hokuto and Reiko... in her wonderfully ORANGE outfit, were starting to try and 'finish' whatever the thing was. Of course, now he looked down and saw the fish trying to stop him. And briefly he felt bad. "Look, uh... I do not know if you can hear me, but I would feel bad just leaving her to protect me like that. Even if she is... magical." the phrase seemed strange to him. He was talking to a flying fish in an army helmet, next to a transformed fox(girl) and watching a giant awkwardly-shaped easel monster try and fight a magical girl and some chick with sealing magic.
Perhaps to Inariko's benefit and the fishs efforts, he does stop, even if he does wind up standing there in a dangerous area, holding the sword, watching, waiting. Seemingly ready to try and do something if their efforts didn't work.
Flaming pentagrams light up, Orange Color Energy engulfs the Shade as it begins to dissapate through the inheret darkness in the air. The combined efforts causing the Shade to loose it's cohesion, yelling out "EASELLLLLL!" one last time as it begins to fall apart-- before the color energy explodes out and it spreads the art debris up and out into the air as it rains pieces of art- flaming and otherwise as Easels and other stands rain down onto the ground. Eilam might want to prepare for the rain-- or Ayana prepared to cover him.
The fish waves it's fins trying to stop him exactly for this reason. The fish darts into Eilam's shirt as a foxhole and peeks out.
All that's left is a swirling ball of color energy floating where the Shade was. Thuming gently in the air like some sort of animate marble with swirls.
Prism Keeper Orange settles down to the ground with a little leg wobble and turns around suddenly to blink at Eilam. Who is holding a sword. And Also. A fish hiding in his shirt. And also. Ayana and also back at Hoktuo.
She winces and places her head in her hands. The Shade is gone.
"Oh god you must think I'm so weird now." she whines. She can afford to worry about the stupid things now.
"No no no no no!" Inariko whimpers as the Easel's components explode outwards. She doesn't hesitate or think; the fox-girl just turns and leaps on Eilam, tackling him to the ground heedless of whether he might stick her with the sword, and heedless of whether she might bruise him a little in the process. Oddly, for as small as she is (nearly a full hand shorter than Eilam), the girl is strong, and she easy wrests the poor boy off his feet. Once down, she crouches over him, taking the worst of the incoming shrapnel in the back. She grimaces, grits her teeth, and bares a fang towards the boy as she stares at him. "This is why Reiko-chan wanted you to stay under cover," she points out. Then hisses when the rain stops. Shaking herself free of the cloud of dust and debris, Ayana pushes away, then offers Eilam a hand back up. "Ow," she observes, pointedly, to him.
Hokuto watches, grinning, as the pentagram forms, her fingers continuing to twist through further mudras. And then the creature just goes and blows up. Raining art-shrapnel everywhere! It's CHRISTMAS!
Well, no. She isn't quite that insane. Just very irreverent.
"Cover is for people who are getting shot at," she says as she turns away to walk over to the others. "It's very useful then. Not much good otherwise."
A shrug crosses her shoulders, one to the other, and she looks over at Reiko. "So. You seem to have had some fun with it, at least. Magic fishies?"
Well, they managed to destro...y...
It!
"Ooph!"
Eilam was suddenly flat on his back and really confused, sword laying next to him, just out of his grip as it fell when he did. And instead he finds himself looking up at the fox girl, who apparently just shielded him? As she offers him the hand up, he accepts such, though once he stands he reaches forward and attempts to pull her into a brief hug, "Thank you. I did not mean for you to be put in danger when I was... trying to keep someone else safe."
This close, the fish, and she likely too, would be able to smell the fruit-smelling cologne about him, as well as a strawberry scent to him. "Though he did look up from his attempt to thank Inariko towards Reiko. Prism Keeper Orange. "...are you unhurt?" he strongly wanted to say she didn't have to do that for him, but it would sound ungrateful.
Prism Keeper Orange sighs out. "I'm fine! I get flung around a lot." she says goofily. "Um... a moment..." she turns back to that swirling ball of color and makes a hand motion for it to come over. It floats over quickly and hovers over her palm.
"Chroma Pallate Cleanser!" she calls out as she throws the ball upwards and points her wand at it-- a big ball of white energy emenating from her wand as it shoots into the ball of color energy and turns it entirely white--- before rays of color explode out from it! Returning the color to the world and the people who fell over and all the pieces of art.
She sighs a bit and holds her wand forward as it turns back into it's prism shape--- with a necklace attached to it this time, as her transformation fades into a swirl of orange into nothingness, leaving her just Reiko with the glasses and all the emenating dorkiness.
She slips the necklace on and slips the crystal down her shirt as not to let it be seen easily.
She frowns and looks around as she begins to pick through the art pieces. She picks up a familar frame!-----
and half her painting is burnt. "Owwwwww...I worked so hard on that." she hrmphs. She snaps at Hokuto a moment. "They're not just 'fishies', they're '/Koi/'." she says.
Sgt. Fins swims out from Eilam's shirt, salutres and then poofs away into an orange sparkle. She sighs a bit. "Thank you Sgt. Fins." she says to the spot the koi was. She looks back to Eilam and sighs a bit. "I'm fine, really!" she insists.
She winces a moment because she's antcipating the incoming 'Baka!' slap from Ayana. She still sighs and shakes her head.
"I'm really sorry about that." she says at Eilam and Hokuto. "Not my fault. But. They are my responsibility to fight." she sulks.
There is a smelly, sweaty, boy hugging her! Ayana's ears flatten back, and she bares her fangs, but actually, he smells like strawberries, and that's kinda delicious. Ayana is torn, because boys are gross, but this one doesn't smell bad. On the other hand, he didn't do what he was told. On the other hand, he's being very polite.
"Ew," she finally settles on, in a small voice, as she flails her hands a little at her side. She doesn't hug him back (that would be unthinkable!) but she also doesn't exactly run away. Her tails lash behind her, but her ears slowly--very slowly--release their tension as they return to a normal place atop her head.
"I'm fine," Ayana says to him. "Reiko-chan, make your boyfriend stop touching me, please," she whines.
Hokuto turns and looks over at the fox-girl and her friend. Who she ... doesn't seem to like. Oh well. Foxes. What can you say?
She walks over to the pile of ex-art, to see if any of the diorama she liked is intact. Recognizing the frame, she reaches up to pat Reiko on the shoulder softly. "Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry about your picture. It looked really nice. But you can make another one, right?"
She tries to keep a conciliatory tone. "Making sure the people are safe is more important, though, isn't it?"
She pauses and looks over at Eilam. "Like your... er... boyfriend."
"Ah, sorry, I did not know you... would be uncomfortable." Eilam laughs about it before not one, but two people refer to him as Reiko's boyfriend. Which catches him by surprise, watching the color return everywhere. Looking around, he reaches down to pick up the sword and asks aloud as he walked back towards his dropped stave pieces to reassemble the case/walking aid he kept with him, replacing it inside and sealing it shut. "Is that what you have been telling everyone, Miss Touyama? That I am your boyfriend? I mean, there are worse fates after all, but we've only had ice cream together. At least save such proclamations until after you get your thank you kisses, hm?"
Oh, he was going to tease the hell out of Reiko about it now. Just because he could. He's terrible and he knows it.
Reiko Touyama was about to say something to Hokuto along the lines of 'I could had purified it and saved all the art!' and she seems mid open mouth to say 'I' when Ayana chan demands to get her boyfriend off her.
He isn't her boyfriend!...
'Like your boyfriend'..
He--he isn't her boyfriend!
Her face is bright red now and she's about to say something when Eilam accuses her of telling people that he was her boyfriend and she actually looks woozy- like her face could melt ice cubes for miles with how warm it must be from all the blood flow of blushing!
"P--pfwha?! No--no! I haven't been saying that! Ayana-chan just thinks any boy I like is my boyfriend!"
OH CRAP!
"What!? I mean! Not like that!? I'm not saying I don't like you but it's not like that!?"
"I mean! I like you! But--butbututbtutbraghhhhh!"
She just throws her hands up in her face.
Then very quietly from behind hands that feel like they're burning. "Can you let Ayana-chan go please? She only likes girls."
Inariko flails and backs up, pinwheeling her arms for balance. Once she's confident in her freedom from the oddly not-bad-smelling boy, she peers at him, then at Reiko, then at him again, then throws up her hands. "Augh! I thought you were her boyfriend! I can't keep track, she's so popular! She's got the creepy dollgirl, and the archer boy, and the sparkly boy from the other school! Reiko-chan, just pick one and settle down like I did! I think you should pick the girl, she is probably going to be best for you because she is not a boy."
With the sword tucked away back into the hidden compartment inside his stave, and that put back together, Eilam laughs and adds, "Oh, I already let her go, but... popular? She is? I am surprised. Here I thought our resident next Berthe Morisot was a bit eager to receive attention because she did not get it much." He was feeling a bit more energetic for whatever reason. Maybe it was temporary. Regardless, Eilam made his way towards Reiko before he was standing quite close to her.
"So, little minx, am I just a collection to your harem? Regardless, since you seem to enjoy manga so much, and this all seems very much like some elaborate stage play for some live action roleplay thing, I believe that means the hero gets a kiss from the saved damsel, right? Or in this case, the heroine from the boy she protects."
Though Inarikos advice hangs in the air. Perhaps a girl!...because it's not a boy. Or at least a feminine boy. Wait, was he leaning in?! He was going to kiss her! Well, kind of, if she didn't faint like a scared goat. She'd wind up with a kiss on the cheek, perhaps, or forehead if nothing else. Assuming he's not laid out onto his back again from being tackled or more art monsters.
Reiko Touyama eyes go wide. "Buh..." she says and grits her teeth! "H--hey! Misa-chan is just a friend...who's possessed by that stupid doll." she blushes. "Haru-kun moved away...." she says softly. "...Who was Hunter.. by the way." she says "A--and Tadase likes /pastel goths/!" she insists loudly!
She is still blushing as she takes a series of breaths and tries to calm down. She actually falls down to her butt because she did, indeed /get so woozy/ from all that blood rushing through her head just after expending a bunch of energy. "Off. I'm okay." she mutters in that embarrased tone.
"That's how this all started anyways. Me and my friend's game.. the manga. Something made it real." she says silently.
"So maybe manga being real isn't too far from the truth but it isn't a harem manga!" she huffs. "J--just cuz! I like..pretty older boys and--and! nrg...!" she crosses her arms and blushes as she sits on her butt down there on the ground. Yeah now she's just babbling whatever comes out because NOTHING ELSE can ever be as embarassing as this. Her hair is so frazled and hanging over her face even.
Oh then he leans down and kiss. /to the cheek/!?
No..No things can be way way way more embarassing!
"Arg!" she says as she falls backwards more, straight to her back!
Not the boyfriend. Right. Either Orange is in denial, or Foxy is having some fun at Orange's expense. Okay. We can work with this. Or not. Her phone is ringing.
"Yo. Tokyo Pizza 'n Mausoleum, you stake it, we bake it."
What.
Vampire pizzeria? Oookay.
After a moment, she adds, "No, it's just Utthhryyl and his gang again. Take 'em out for coffee and make sure they've got their veils up, you don't wanna panic the neighborhood. Again."
Another pause to listen, and she nods. "No, I'm in the park checking out the art festival, it just got munched by a Colour Out Of Space. ... Yes, of course I took care of it. No, nobody's hurt except orange-girl's about to burn out her ability to blush, by the look of things."
She stands there talking for a minute or two longer, then sighs. "Fine, fine. I'll go handle it. Just make sure there's plenty of cheese and sausage, you know what they're like when they're hungry."
She pockets the phone and waves to Orange and her Not-boyfriend and Foxy-girl, walking on out of the park. As she walks off, she can be heard muttering, confusedly, "... pastel goths?"
*Click*. Inariko's phone is out and in her hand faster than Sgt. Fins can salute, snapping a picture of Reiko getting a kiss to the cheek. Then, just as quickly, she's sending the picture to who knows where!
"Awww, you didn't kiss her on the lips," says Inariko with a little pout to her tone. "Oh well, Ikiko-chan will still love this," she says, grinning madly.
Then she spots Reiko's discomfort and makes a face. "Waugh, uh, I was never here," she assures everyone, and then just as suddenly, the fox-girl isn't a girl anymore. Instead, a little red fox bounds forward towards Reiko, up into her lap, onto her chest, and then licks the girl's face to try and restore some sense of comfort to Reiko. Because that's what being licked by a fox does, right?
"..."
And the girl transformed back into a fox. ...as amusing as the scene was, Eilam still felt a little awkward about all of this. While he was mostly laughing to himself, Eilam stepped away a little and surveyed the scene, letting the two have a moment to recover or whatnot as it was. "I will not pretend to understand any of what happened, but... perhaps we can talk about this and other things sometime? I mean... I do not know where these... things appear, but I assume at least my manor is safer if you want to come there to talk?"
Reiko Touyama is foxlicked, this is enough to get her back sitting straight as she pets Ayana down her back and giggles a bit. "I'm fine Ayana. Ugh. Was that a flash..."
Pause.
"....did you take a picture?" she asks with fox with a frown, she eyes Ayana wryly. She doesn't expect a fox to reply except maybe look innocent for more pets. She just sighs, defeatedly.
She looks up to Eilam. Who is inviting her to his house! Oh my! Of course she's going to say yes. Because. When a cute boy. Invites you to his house. You say. /YES/
"Yeah that should be safe." she says softly. "These things like crowds and public areas. I don't think that's gonna happen at a manor at the edge of town." she says meekly as she rubs the back of her head.
"Ahahaha--I'm sorry about this." she says, she's slowly, slowly returning back to her natural color that isn't red and the rush has still left it's lightheadedness in it's wake.
There still is a little blush though there, it just doesn't own all the prime real estate on her face anymore is all!
The fox hops away as soon as Reiko sits up, turns one circle, then hops back into Reiko's lap and licks her chin one more time, then sits down between Reiko's legs, peering up at her. When Reiko turns to address Eilam again, the fox tilts her head backwards to peer at him, too, then lets out a soft little yap in his direction.