23 - Crazy Cat Shuffle

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Crazy Cat Shuffle
When: September 20
Where: Shibuya & Ikebukuro, as well as the Far Shore
Summary: The new Crazy Cat mascot keychains are sparking real passion in Tokyo's hot spots. Brawls have broken out over the extra-rare versions, and all of this angst is attracting ayakashi. The gods have been asked to step in before things get out of control.







Crossing Crisis

The Shibuya scramble crossing is always busy, but it's especially wild today. Ten new Crazy Cat vending machines have been installed at the mouth of the alley across from Shibuya Station's exit. Rumors are flying that these machines have extra Blue-Star Cats in them: the very rarest kind! A crowd of hundreds of excited fans have gathered, but the people at the front of the lines are buying lots of cats, and the mood is starting to grow sour as the people at the back of the lines begin to wonder if there will be any left by the time it's their turn.

This crowd needs crossing guards... or just someone who can snag some of those ultra-rare Cats and sell them to the back of the line for crazy cash. Everything a god does is righteous, after all.

Sunshine Struggle

Crazy Cat machines dot the Sunshine City complex in Ikebukuro. The machines here are attracting some particularly nasty ayakashi: jealous little purple creatures with too many legs that stoke buyers' envy and need for more and better collectibles. Under their influence, it's not just the Cats going fast. The local stores are selling out of everything cute on the shelves.

Worse, some of the ayakashi victims are turning to theft when they run out of pocket money. Time to exterminate those bugs before they start a new crime wave.

Taking Stock

Accident? Sabotage? No one's telling, but a delivery truck carrying boxes of new keychains to restock the machines blew a tire and overturned on a major street. Under the influence of those greedy little ayakashi, collectors are descending on the wreck to snag their favorites before the police show up.

The dazed driver doesn't know what to do, the crowd is starting to get violent, and those Cats do look amazingly cute. And appealing. And, for that matter, valuable.

Bad Kitty

The cat keychains are super cute! Even gods or shinki might be tempted to buy one and take it home, but taking these keychains back to the Far Shore will give away their hidden secret. It's not just human envy that's attracting ayakashi to the Crazy Cats. There are ayakashi hiding inside this batch of cute kitty dolls, and bringing them through a shrine to the Far Shore will force the hidden creatures out of their plushie prisons.

They're big, they're mad, and they're hungry. And the Heavens are full of souls that smell delicious.

The ayakashi escaping from Crazy Cat dolls on the Far Shore resemble gigantic (taller than a person at the shoulder) versions of the cute plushie cats, with very real and sharp teeth and claws. They run and attack at random once released from the dolls, so even gods and shinki who did not bring the toys back could be faced with a fight. The patrolling shinki will do their best to hold them back with borderlines, but they need help to rend these crazy cats before they do too much damage!

In Summary:

• Placate the crowds
• Squash bitty ayakashi
• Struggle with temptation
• Defeat the cat invasion
• Have fun~

Comments

[nopixiedust]

Don't act like a tough guy if things start getting rough. [She knows him, after all.]

[Carefully, she hops down from the truck down to the front of it, and then down to the doors. It takes a little bit of tugging, her small frame being what it is, but soon enough the door is popped open and she can check on the driver.]

He's not bleeding! But one side of his face is really red- I think it'll bruise.

[nopixiedust]

There's plenty that's weird about it. You know those guys you took stuff from are just gonna get more upset and come back, right?

[littledove]

[When she doesn't topple to the ground she's surprised. She blinks up at him before her eyes widen.]

OH-! [Attempting to peer around him she realizes in that moment that the child who had stolen was already out of sight.]

Ah... he got away...

[She slumps, before her eyes lift back up to his.]

I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I was running after someone, but he's gone now.

[boneofsword]

[Archer isn't sure if he's reading things right, but Zelda seems to be not thrilled to be the one left behind.]

Surely you possess some useful skills, and two gods are a better bait than one. [he points out the most obvious.]

[littledove]

[She shakes her head sadly.]

People are still going crazy over these collectibles. I didn't realize it was because there could be an ayakashi inside one...

[Reaching forward both hands grasp his sleeve. Her fingers curl into the fabric to try and still the fact that she's shaking.]

What can I do to help?? P-People could be hurt, but I.. what should I do?

[mithrarin]

[Dust plants his feet, adds his strength to her momentum -- and throws her after the bike. Between her run and the surprising amount of force he can put into the throw, she'll just barely make it.]

[He sure hopes she can adapt to his plan really quickly, though.]

[littledove]

[Someone thinks her idea is good...!! She brightens up, before-]

Do you think they'll notice us if we do? [Suddenly he's included in this]

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Forrest isn't exactly sure what she's doing with the light and looks slightly bewildered, but he just lets her do her thing.]

...Something like that, yes. Not by training, but I know enough to at least help with bandaging people.

[frankensteins_moe]

[Getting your point across is hard when you can't talk, especially in the heat of battle. Whether that little gesture just now was on purpose because Berserker's picked up on the kinds of things that are likely to get Soleil's attention, or just the fastest way of communicating her thoughts, is hard to tell. Either way, though, mission accomplished.

And when Soleil calls the name she'd given her before, Berserker transforms into a magnificent wedding dress. It's even nicer than the one she normally wears, and it's all for her goddess. If seeing a little bit of her chest was awkward before, this is definitely several degrees beyond that.]

[futhark]

[ Caster might be very quick to tease, but that doesn't mean he's immune to return fire. His eyes focus on the toy right before making him a little cross-eyed. ]

...that's charming, yes. You offering this gift. [ His fingers brush the kitty-cat as if it was supposed to explode any moment.

It's not like the world is ending, really- but, is there a catch somewhere? ]

I have no other option but accept.

[futhark]

[ Caster gives Archer The Look. Did you just call her a bait? Well, he called them both a bait to be exact, but you know. Pragmatism to the extreme, because it would be even hard to argue about that wording.

He wanted to, but then a sudden thought hit him. ]

...Archer, you can make more than one weapon right?

[ Two swords for example. ]

I suppose the proper rend won't be able to be performed with a different god holding it but some damage would be done.

[futhark]

"I wasn't actively looking- I just one day walked past a shop and saw it on the display. The rest was pure instinct." The shirt spoke to him. 'Buy me.'

Right, it wasn't that silly, but making it sound like this sounds like a good idea.

"I also had to get something that won't be easily mistaken by my shinki as theirs" Archer liked dark clothes by default, Lancer- he mostly ran in his "fossilized" get-up too, but he did seem to favor darker shades of green too.

[sageprincess]

[Ironically, Zelda doesn't take nearly as much offense to that comment as Caster does. Using some kind of decoy could work, if the decoy can outrun the creatures reliably. She's just not so sure she can.

Caster's idea is the one that gets a bigger reaction out of her.]

... You can create weapons?

[Though there's a slightly odd lilt to this question, like she somehow knew that already, or is putting 2 + 2 together in some unknown equation. That desolate valley of blades would certainly gain a new context if that were the case.

But, focus. She needs to focus. She shakes her head.]

Regardless, you will not fight as effectively if your attention is divided between hunting the creatures and defending a third party.

[stupid men why won't you just listen to her for hylia's sake--]

[batteredog]

[ A look of surprise. He didn't know there were words like that. ]

.....

[boneofsword]

Yes, I do. [That tone doesn't go unnoticed. Archer looks at her sharply. Perhaps she had seen someone else with similar skill.]

That entirely depends on the third party and their skills. If you wish to join us I can create a weapon of your choice. If not, then we should at least escort you to your temple. [because priorities.]

I am in awe....

[futhark]

Very often learning the difference between cowardly escape and strategic retreat was what made warrior live longer. It's smart, it's tactical, generally a good idea in certain, specific circumstances-

"...really?"

He sat for a moment longer on that lamp, blinking owlishly. Is this how probably everyone felt when he fell into a habit of breaking every fight, due to the given orders? Not that he can remember that part clearly, as it was related to a different summoning but...

[futhark]

"Well, I guess it does count as a job finished..." No more gacha machines here, no train on the streets, and everyone returning to going by as if nothing happened, because Far Shorers antics don't register at all.

Someone could probably do some cleaning, but that's not going to be him! So he runs off to get to the rest of his errands instead.

[artificialrose]

[Shit, time for him to be a responsible adult. Garry freezes for a moment, mind stumbling over everything. Maybe he should just run back to his temple- ]

Oh! Komaeda's temple- it has water around it! [He snaps his fingers.] And just a single bridge!

[futhark]

Keep trying then. [ Otherwise nothing can be accomplished. He's starting to like that dour shinki of his, even despite their past history. Or maybe because of it? Friends to enemies, enemies to friends- that was always a part of life for him. But yeah mana is a precious resource, and Caster can relate to running low on it. While neither of them will disappear without it, this time it's still a hindrance.

Suddenly Caster peels himself away from Archer, because he remembered about the blight sting and how easy it can transfer ]

Shit- my bad.

[futhark]

She's really skilled, you know.

[ There are princesses and princesses who can kick your ass. Zelda fits into the second type. Caster's very well aware she's able to take care of herself - so if she does decide to join them he won't oppose at all. ]

[discerp]

[Mikan purses her lips a little.] W-well, it's really nice that you w-want to help, but... But it could be dangerous without proper training...

[She puts the light away and offers more water, sitting back.] St-still, they'll need all the help they can get, s-so... So I can't fault you or anything. B-but, please be careful!

--Um, m-my name is Mikan. M-may I know yours'...?

[nopixiedust]

[Not only is Wendy now long used to Hibiki's antics, but she's more focused on just clinging as they rise out from the tide of paper.]

I thought I'd be trapped there for hours! [Especially if Hibiki had gotten distracted by a mirror again.]

[discerp]

O-oh! So strong! [She's impressed, at least, and looks pleased.]

Um! J-just over here! I-I just need him out of the crowd so I can examine him! [She leads D2 over to a side area that seems to be mostly empty, since most people are concentrated around the truck itself and its contents.]

I-I was worried people wouldn't be able to see me, s-so they wouldn't stop to help...

[artificialrose]

Oh, I believe I can. In the end, it's just regular people and not something worse like ayakashi... right?

[Smiling a little, he leans against the inner wall of the truck and slides down to the ground. If they're going to be here a while, there's no point in wasting energy by standing up, after all.]

Do you think they'll eventually go away, or will it take police?

[discerp]

[Oh right, those things. Mikan winces and looks around with an air of unease]

Ayakashi... Th-that's right, those things c-come around in situations like this, r-right?

Um... I don't... I don't have a shinki to fight with, though. [She trails off, looking embarrassed] Or, w-well, I do, but they're one of the, um... The 'soulless' ones? A-and I don't know how to use his weapon form very well...