2760/The Mysterious Mountain Encounter

The Mysterious Mountain Encounter
Date of Scene:	08 August 2015
Location:	The Realm of Gensokyo
Synopsis:	Marisa, Alice, and Sanae finally catch up with the mysterious, unknown miko that's been causing trouble all over Gensokyo recently. Diplomacy quickly fails, leading to Gensokyo's specialty; a good old fashioned duel.
Cast of Characters:	619, 807, 829, 847

---

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Some time had passed since Alice's encounter with the mysterious miko and the cat. Whether they were one and the same was anyone's guess. But that was neither here nor there now.

     On this particularly sunny day, midway up Youkai Mountain, something...seemed to be going on? The youkai were in a frenzy today. Specifically the tengu. Squads of White Wolf Tengu were rushing through the skies. "We've spotted the False Miko! All units after her!"

     "Where is Inubashiri's unit?"

     "They're on the other side of the mountain! We'll have to handle this ourselves!"

     "Fine then! Capture her and take her in for questioning!"

     And so they were. Swatches of brown, red, and white raced through the skies above the river. Following this group would soon reveal in the distance a rather huge scuffle taking place near the waterfall.

     A single individual, dressed in red, yellow, and white with short brown hair with red streaks seemed to be surrounded on all sides by tengu patrol squads. Despite this, she was systematically taking down whoever struck first, from all sides. Seals, needles, flaming ying yang orbs...Sparks of divine energy and flame lit up the sky.

     Well, at least the day wasn't boring!

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    News of a decidedly Reimu-like but Not-Reimu Miko has been circulating throughout Gensokyo as of late. It's quite understandably got the Youkai in a bit of a mood, considering this New Miko seems to have proven herself to be considerably more... Proactive than the local Hakurei. Naturally, some other individuals have taken interest in this new girl as well.

Individuals like Reimu Hakurei's self-proclaimed best friend and NUMBER TWO IN GENSOKYO, Marisa Kirisame.

    She just so happens to be sailing through the air on one of her regular flights when she sees some rather distressing activity on Youkai Mountain! The witch descends to take a closer look, and what does she discover but the Puppy Tengu on the hunt!

For a 'false miko' at that!

    "This should be good," Marisa snickers as she gives chase. A trail of stardust burns in her wake as she blasts FULL SPEED AHEAD toward Youkai Mountain's most iconic landmark.

She might actually pass the Tengu on her way by, giving them a nice, good-natured wave as she KICKS UP THE AFTERBURNER.

    "Heeeeeey Tengu!" Marisa sing-songs from just outside of the roiling dustcloud that is this little shake-down. "I see you've caught yourself someone interestin'. Don't suppose you'd mind if I took her of your hands, would'ya?"

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Said news has also reached Alice's ears as well, seems she decided to be a bit more active than Reimu which.. might be a bad thing actually, now that she thinks of it. She did have the first spotting amongst the 'main crew' but, that chase during the forest, she ended up finding a cat with a spellcard, not the 'Reimu' she was expecting. Never the less, she's behind Marisa, Hourai and Shanghai following along the side.

    "I'd be careful, we don't know what she's capable of, Marisa. And we're in Tengu territory." she gives an idle wave to some of the tengu, kicking up her own speed as she follows behind the now faster Marisa. "Save some for me... I have questions for her as well!" she chimes in after Marisa, "Mainly, what what she doing over near the Forest... And she needs to fix that hole she made!" priorities...

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    Talk of incidents and false shrine maidens have been circulating, certainly. Bunbunmaru would have made certain the news reached even the mountain's otherwise isolated district. One would think that the mountain shrine would immediately send out its champion to seek out this unwelcome disturbance to the peaceful balance of Gensokyo - but that would not be quite accurate. Kanako Yasaka is the one that beats the drum that they march to, and she has been wrapped up in securing yet more business deals with the Tengu and Kappa government, as well as making connections with the multiverse. It has been a distraction, but little more than that, and any interloper would definitely know better than to try and rampage on the mountain, with the Tengu guardians protecting it. Hohoho...

    She was actually among the Tengu now, sharing in some of that rich bird/wolf people liquor (purely business, of course), when a messenger bursts into the establishment. "The False Miko is on the mountain!" A few disbelieving looks pass around the ultra-relaxed room, but the urgency of the messenger eventually gets them to leave their places. No more 'business deals' today! Kanako is left sitting with her unwitting companion, a certain Sanae Kochiya, and swirls some of the booze around in her saucer while leaning a cheek against her other hand. "It looks like we won't get anything done until this is dealt with," you weren't really getting anything done, anyway! "Sanae, go take down the imposter. Make it flashy to impress the Tengu."

    The emerald-haired teenager didn't really need that much of an excuse to get out of this den of sin. It was hard enough avoiding alcohol in Gensokyo without being in a setting like this, and a chance to stretch her legs is welcome. "Y-yes!" She hops up from her place and bolts out the door, taking a moment to back step and retrieve her wand, before taking flight immediately outside, gentle but powerful winds lifting her body. It wouldn't take her long to follow the trail of commotion back to its source: Marisa. Err, this false maiden. And everyone's favorite doll maker. "You just seem to have a nose for trouble," she remarks neutrally to Marisa, as she approaches, slow-hovering down! Then she gets her first in-person look at the rampager, "Wow! From above I can hardly tell!" She even has the same manners!

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Eh? Aw hell, captain it's the witch!" One of the flying tengu groused at Marisa and Alice's passing.

     "Tch! Stay out of this Kirisame, Margatroid! This is a matter of the Teng- and they're gone." The designated captain narrowed her eyes, unimpressed with such blatant trespassing. Sigh. "All units not currently engaged, stay put! We'll wait...for now."

     Shrewdly deciding to use the trespassers as meatshields, the remaining Tengu units fall back from the intruder, leaving her with nothing to fight. A good number of fallen tengu could be spotted down on the mountain riverside, thoroughly KOed and being helped by peers. That left Marisa, Sanae, and Alice alone in the air with the unknown miko.

     Said unknown miko frowned, looking around herself at the retreated tengu. And then up into the air at the three newcomers. "......" Marisa and Sanae were unfamiliar, but Alice. The girl's gaze settled on Alice. She was that doll using magician insistent on calling her 'Reimu'. Hmph.

     Getting closer would reveal that this miko, while certainly dressed similar to Reimu, was most definitely not her. Her hair was short. A pair of cat ears were very obviously situated atop her head, made clearer by the daylight. And a large, bushy tail swayed under her skirt. ...A Nekomata? Bakeneko? Strange. Those usually didn't possess youkai banishing spiritual powers.

     Regardless, she remained silent, staring and waiting for them to say something themselves, evidently.

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    "Oh, you know us. Always meddlin' and stickin' our noses in everything," Marisa grins at the tengu-- and the green priestess! She gives a cheery wave to Player 2 as she arrives, "Hey there Sanae. Looks like you've got trespassers!" She... probably means the neko miko. Probably.

    "Alice, you brought those dolls right?" she asks, glancing back at the puppetteer. "Not the ones for the puppies, but, you know what I mean right?" A fierce smile winds its way across her face, "I've got a feelin' this is gonna end in a tussle, buuuuut."

    With a quick flourish of her broom, Marisa descends, hovering just in front of the cat-eared miko. "Heeeeey there. I heard that there was someone after Reimu's job 'round here, but I didn't think there'd be this much of a resemblance. The name's Marisa Kirisame! You've probably heard of me. What're you doin' up here gettin' chased by the puppies?"

"I mean, dogs and cats and all that. But still, not many people just... come up here." Present company excluded.

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    The puppies barking is largely ignored, leaving them to retreat from the scuffle in the air, waving off the retreating tengu. "We will take care of it." she comments, though, with the sight of the green Miko, it at least brings some semblence of normalicy to this. Mainly, who's going to shoot at who first. "Hello, Sanae."

    Moving towards Alice's side, she gives a light nod. "Though, with me here, we probably do not need the remote dolls, but I brought them either way." she turns towards the neko miko not reimu..."We meet again, it seems. I knew I saw cat ears!" the tail... was new at least. "Who are you...? And what's the meaning of what you're doing." she frowns towards the Neko Miko... hovering a few dolls around Marisa as she shoots forth.

    Jsut like Marisa to go start things, now is it...

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    If it were purely Kanako's directive, Sanae would dive in, magic blazing. She isn't much for subtlety when it comes to more tense relations with those she is unfamiliar. Fortunately, Sanae is (a bit) less quick on the gun, and gives things time to settle down before she also descends to be at-level. "Ah, well... Visitors are okay as long as the Tengu approve of it," she asides to the witch, not that it is easy to win such approval. Beating back their guards is definitely the exact opposite way to earn visitation, kind of like, at first, just plopping your shrine down in their vicinity.

    Alice receives a smile in greeting, as well, and a dip of the head. She doesn't know her nearly as well as Marisa, but it is cute to see her entertain children in the village, and she is certainly a known presence in this land. She'll leave warnings about getting into trouble while following Marisa unspoken - she probably knows, from extensive experience.

    Not being privy to Marisa and Alice's particular dealings, she lets them do their talking, since it's only fair to wait one's turn. During this time, she greets the apparent usurper with a warm smile, since in this situation there is no need to assume the worst. Her more animal traits are noted, though, marking her as almost certainly a youkai of some description. The real mystery is why she took this particular form: Reimu is well-known, but her reputation is hot and cold, depending on whom you're asking. She lets the stiff paper of her wand tickle her chin as she seems to be thinking through things, gentle breezes rustling her skirt and sleeves.

    Finally, she reaches her conclusion, since this stranger isn't speaking for herself just yet. ...can she speak? With a light rapping of her first into her palm, to accentuate her eureka moment, she reveals, "I know! There are caterpillars that take on the appearance of snakes. Birds will eat a caterpillar, but they know to stay away from snakes!" It has to be some kind of natural self-defense mechanism, in her mind! Her guess is also likely completely wrong, but that won't stop her. After that, though, she addresses the cat maiden directly, and not like she isn't even here: "Anyhow...I'll have to ask you to stop making such a disturbance on the mountain. The Tengu don't like to be bothered! And it's probably better if they don't get too riled up."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "......." The girl stared at Marisa as she spoke. She listened, but she offered no immediate response. Instead, her brows furrowed a bit. Was she angry? Was she annoyed? Maybe she just had trouble speaking? All of the above? It was clear however that she didn't trust Marisa, nor her companions at all.

     Finally, after several seconds of silence, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting out a voice that gave off the impression of not seeing much use. "...What I'm doing up here is none of your concern. And for what the meaning of my actions are..."

     She opened her eyes. "...Isn't it obvious already?" Was it really? Wow this girl was bad at talking. If she would just explain... But that's not how things worked around here. Not at all.

     Suddenly, she glared, and with a flick of her hand, a handful of paper seals appeared, ready to use. "Get out of my way, or you'll wind up like those 'puppies' down there."

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    "Oh, well if you're going to be like THAT," Marisa rolls her eyes. They go right up into her skull, it's kind of cartoonish, almost. "I guess we'll just have to do this the usual way."

What is the usual way, one might ask?

Well, it probably has to do with the vials full of... distinctly minty-green fluid that Marisa has begun tossing at the Neko Miko.

    "Since you're PRETTY CLEARLY not too keen on how things go down around here," Marisa chimes, peeling away to conjure her orreries. "We'll give you a proper lesson in etiquette! Alice, Sanae, let's do this thing!"

'This thing' is apparently 'shoot pretty red lasers at Konoe.'

    The minty green vials glow brightly as the lasers sweep in and go up in a catastrophic KABOOM! This is not the normal kind of kaboom that Marisa's spells usually make, though. This one smells strongly of... Mint.

Did she suddenly decide to spruce up her magic with some candle-scents!?

Or is it... Something far more devious?

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Those dolls that Alice prepared? She starts lobbing them towards Konoe. "Well, if that's how it's going to be, then the rules of Gensokyo... " what rule... and as Marisa starts, she gives a light nod, "Okay!" Hourai moves in front of Alice and the red laser that spouts from the tip of the lance moves to explode the dolls in mid air, that same mint scent filling the area with those kaboom'd vials.

    What did she fill those with?

    Hourai's red laser starts trickling down to a small beam, intent on shining it at the Neko Miko, before it flashes off then flashes back on once more, her standard-ish laser danmaku. "You're that same girl who I chased through the Forest, aren't you! Where did you go after that!" Alice throws a few more dolls to let explode in that same minty like scent. Probably a good thing Chen and Rin weren't here...

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    Oh, so she can speak! It's never quite certain until they do. Sanae clasps her hands together, initially pleased at this revelation, since it means communication becomes a lot easier! Though, that simply means that the conversation soon takes a more serious tone, which given the situation they found her in, isn't too surprising. "So you're youkai hunting?" It is a duty that shrine maidens in Gensokyo apparently sometimes forget, until something disturbs the peace. A slightly worried twist develops to Sanae's smiling mouth. Only card-carrying ones should be allowed to do that, it is very specialized work. "A youkai hunting youkai..."

    She gives a light shake of her head, to move on, "The Tengu aren't a danger to humans, though! They have commerce and trade relations. You can't just..." Marisa cuts her off, mid-explanation, by going on the offensive, not that it appears she would have been listened to, anyway. This is simply the way of Gensokyo, speaking with lasers and bullets. "Wait, how did I get dragged in!?" Nonetheless, she'll just have to ask her questions later. After a slightly defeated look is passed to Alice, her presumably sane counterpart, she rolls up one of her detached sleeves. "Since it's turned out like this, I guess there's no helping it."

    She'll have to commend Alice and Marisa's preparations later; she had zero expectations for what she would be facing, or even that she would be out fighting today. So what miracle could she possibly perform that would help synergize with a cat trap? If only she had a yarn ball to roll out or something, or maybe one of Nazrin's friends (cruel). 'Make it flashy,' Kanako said. ...ah, yes! Taking Alice's lead, she traces a star shape in the air in front of her using her wand, which seems to become coherent light. But more importantly, the points of the star converge into a beam of her own, specially tuned to not pack much punch yet, but it joins the dancing laser pointer-like counterpart in dancing around. While this is happening, she also channels her breeze, causing some fallen leaves of late summer to stir around, distractingly. Sensory overload!?

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Eh?"

     That was all the time the girl had to mutter before KABOOM. A peculiar scent crossed her nose. ".....!?" What in the world!? CATNIP!? The miko backpedaled through the air quickly, attempting to get away from the smell. But then Alice launced several dolls, causing them to explode in mid air, assailing her senses with the smell again.

     "Gah! Hey!" The seals she was holding fluttered uselessly out of her grasp as she began to flail her arms, trying to drive the infernal scent away. "Stop that!" Alice's questions went unanswered. "That's cheating! Stop using that stuff! Argh!" Well, she was a lot more animated now, for the wrong reasons, but nevertheless.

     Those distracting lasers and leaf formations drew the youkai's gaze, her eyes sweeping left and right, following them. "........Uuuuu! STOP!"

     The remaining tengu watched, utterly dumbfounded. The captain of the current unit blinked a few times, stunned silent. "I....kind of feel bad for her now." The others nodded shakily. These people were inhumane. ...Inyoukaimane. Whatever!

     In a show of supreme willpower, the cat managed to resist giving in to the urge to get drunk on the overpowering scent or chase after the various lasers. Instead, she turned tail and FLEW OFF. Oops. Was this another chase!? "GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU LUNATICS!"

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    Ahahahaha! Even Sanae's getting in on it! Marisa's grin is all that anyone needs to see to know exactly how much fun she's having right now. "We've got her on the run! Come on!" The witch laughs and takes off like a shot. Her orreries continue to fire continuous streams of playful red light. Last time she used such low-intensity beams, she was playing with Cirno over Misty Lake!

This girl isn't as bad as Cirno, at least!

    "Come on kitty!" Marisa beams as she lobs a few more vials of explosive catnip-powder at the fleeing Neko Miko. "We just wanna talk! Maybe play around a little bit. It's all in good fun!"

Horribly cruel fun, that is.

    Marisa reaches into the inside of her hat, retrieving what appears to be a small, round firework-bomb. With a flick of her Hakkero, the witch lights the fuse and hurls the little explosive after her 'nip vials. It, naturally, goes BOOM!

This one smells distinctly of silvervine.

Is she just testing out a full range of anti-cat weaponry or something!? Does she have this much free time!?

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice shakes her head, that grin... and now with Sanae getting into it.... should she fee.. nah, this was a Youkai. Time to capture her. She keeps up the laser pointer light from Hourai and with her own, she pulls out a few more dolls, taking off after Marisa and the Cat. "We just want to talk! It would be easier if you stopped running you scaredy cat!"

    Alice went there...

    "Now stop and turn around and let's talk this over like proper people!" as she lobs a few more of those catnip infused dolls, letting the laser beam from Hourai explode them to fill the area once more with that minty scent.

    It's not too long before the eight remote dolls make their way around Marisa, shining their lights around to help confused and/or infuriate the cat youkai, Alice's own smile is shown, enjoying every minute of this...

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    It wasn't really that Sanae was trying to be cruel. But Marisa and Alice had a plan of attack here, and hers would have just been 'more miracles', so she's adapting to circumstances. Plus, with three on one, it was always going to be ugly - at least this way it's fun! "Huh, so this stuff really does affect you?" Admittedly, she had her doubts, but if it's a relatively freshly-awakened youkai, she must have more of her animal side in her. It makes an odd sort of sense. Watching the cat miko struggle to keep up and against her instincts, it gives a playful twist to Sanae's growing grin. No Sanae, no, don't give in.

    The girl's sudden escape snaps her out of it, "Ah...wait!" Did she go a little too far? Though certainly, not as far as Marisa or even Alice had. With Marisa and Alice already in hot pursuit, she does her best to keep up, currents of air driving her forward as she is forced to go fully horizontal. Yes, her figure vaguely calls to mind the stereotypical superhero posture, arm extended in a half-baked notion that it might somehow improve her aerodynamic profile.

    Once she is somewhat caught up, and in ear shot, she calls, "You see? They're using this strategy so that they *don't* have to beat you up. Everyone just wants to know why you're doing this." Including her, now that she's had a chance to get out here and actually see what the newspaper stories were about. That they're seemingly giving the Tengu a breather, having chased the assailant away, is also quietly appreciated. For her part, she is just flying for the moment: No more tricks. She even flashes a smile again, with not even a trace of malicious intent! "You also resemble a certain someone. There are many mysteries about you, so you have people talking."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Who's this supposed to be fun for!?" She growled angrily, veering through the air to avoid the catnip carpet bombing that was happening at the moment. ...Wait, was that silvervine!? Catching a whiff of that, the miko let out a shuddered sigh of pleasure, a silly look crossing her face for a moment.

     Maybe...Maybe she could just curl up and enjo--"NO! NO! Who are you calling a scaredy cat!? I bet you make dolls of your friends and hug them at night!" She shouted back at Alice angrily.

     Maybe she would have listened to Sanae, if she wasn't currently being chased and assaulted with various anti cat weaponry. Growing fed up with what was tantamount to bullying, the miko grit her teeth, resisting temptation and gathering the willpower to produce what looked like a spellcard.

     She was the one being assaulted, so this must be a bomb!

     UNKNOWN RELIC - FLAME SANCTIFIER ORB

     Yes, it was a bomb. She produced a single seal, and it was set aflame. Burning up and leaving a small orb of flame behind. The cat grabbed it, closing her fist around it before opening it again. The flaming orb expanded rapidly, taking on the vague shape of a certain someone's ying yang orbs. Except it was massive, as befitting a bomb.

     "GO.AWAY."

     And then she thrust the giant orb forward, sending it barreling through the air towards the trio, as well as attempting to burn up any scents, toys, and whatever other nonsense they had deployed at the moment.

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    "Well, us mostly. But you're a cat, right?" Marisa sing-songs, lighting up another intoxicating firework. "So you should be able to enjoy this stuff too! If you'd stop runnin' and just relax a little bit~!" Except then, who knows what these crazy women would do to her! Maybe... /petting./ Or WORSE. CUDDLING.

HOW SCANDALOUS.

    Konoe is having none of it, though. She deploys a spell card! One that is... Strongly reminiscent of the ones that Reimu herself uses. "Wow, you really are a copycat," Marisa muses as the GIANT BALL OF FIRE hurtles towards her and the others. Time to stop playing around! Marisa lunges to one side, darting around the flank of the orb at breakneck speed! She licks her middle finger and then EXTENDS IT and rakes it against the flaming danmaku sphere like some kind of OVERCONFIDENT DICKBAG. "Ahahaha! But you're gonna have to do more than a big ol' Yin Yang Ball to hit me!"

    And then Marisa hurls the firecracker Konoe, blasting her with yet another burst of silvervine mist! But that's not all. The orreries fire again, but this time with considerably more intent to knock the cat out of the sky! Even if they are still that distinctive laser-pointer red. "Like Sanae said," she chimes, careening out in an ever-tightening orbit around the cat, "If you just stop resisting, we won't need to shoot you up!"

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    She only has ONE doll she makes of friends, and that's Marisa. But no one knows about that so... "I DO NOT!" she shouts back in reply. "Hourai, enough with the low power. Give her everything." Alice's face looks angry, very angry. She puts on a burst of speed and runs right through that flame orb bomb, she's going out for fur.

    Konoe used Taunt!

    Alice Margatroid fell for the taunt!

    Alice pulls out a spellcard of her own, mindful of where Marisa and Sanae are. "Curse 'Hourai Doll'!" she declares, shoving Hourai forward and, with a small ring of dolls around Hourai, they spin around and fire off high powered red lasers at Konoe. Not a happy Alice now.

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    Well, she tried. It's unlikely that Marisa is going to take any of this personally, as she's a fun-loving sort of gal. Yet, with what was just verbally hurled at Alice, Sanae pauses in her flight to wince a little. The cat has claws, after all. Given what she knows of Gensokyo and its residents, that likely throws a more peaceful resolution out the window, especially as Marisa continues with her own strategy even after its shock and awe effect is gone. She does give a last token effort, seemingly half-agreeing with Marisa's appraisal, "Cats seem to like this sort of stuff, right? Though...I guess maybe a bit less, when it is exploding around them." Perhaps that was the part of the strategy that lapsed.

    Besides, now was the time to treat her like a person, more than a cat! A notion that Alice takes to heart more forcefully than Sanae would have reckoned, from what she had heard and seen as a timid loner. "...oh no, now you've upset Miss Alice," she gasps, seeming to be genuine in her concern! But even more concerning is the incoming bomb - an obvious and powerful enough thing, but its expanding shell of energy is still enough to singe one of Sanae's sleeves as she bobs lightly out of its diesel truck-like path. Eesh...the power is similar, too! Her eyes widen a little, while she gives a pat of her sleeve, just in case the charring is more than just a visual effect.

    "How am I going to explain this to Lady Kanako," she wonders? Since it has already become like this, time to send more mixed messages! They'll just have to talk this out with bullets and lasers. Sanae once again traces a five-pointed star into the air, but instead of firing a beam from it, she sends it spinning off like some kind of magical beam frisbee; a look from dangerously up close would reveal it's actually a tightly packed formation of bullets, rather than solid lines. A fact revealed when she gestures again as it travels toward the neko miko, exploding into a broader, spinning star, "Sorry, Miss Not-Reimu! You'll answer our questions one way or another!"

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "W-Well....why are we talking about this!?" Konoe hesitated for a moment, but then shook her head, shoving the subect aside. It's true that she may have liked these things, BUT NOT WHEN IT'S EXPLODING IN HER FACE. Of course, the stubborn cat wouldn't just listen. Nope. That's far too simple.

     So, damaku battle it was!

     Marisa's OVERCONFIDENT DICKBAG dodging, got her a frown. But it was true. That wasn't even her strongest or most complicated spellcard. Just a giant orb. Better used in melee combat than a long ranged danmaku duel. Which brought us to the current predicament. It was now a three on one shoot out! How was this even remotely fair!?

     But she wasn't going to just sit here to lose. The girl, whoe name went unsaid even now, produced a handful of seals in both hands before tossing them out. They took on a life of their own and began to rapidly revolve around the miko in a pair of vague rings. A basic barrier to ward off weak danmaku for a while.

     Alice's anger fueled attack was met with a grin as the cat weaved through the air, grazing past the laser here and there as it singed cloth, but just barely managed to evade contact. "Look at that! Now she's trying to destroy the witness!" Not helping, Konoe. Even still, the red pointer style color of their lasers was really REALLY distracting! She slipped up a few times, and those lasers almost hit her, only to be blocked by a seal, which burned up after. Sanae's bullet formation and avoided as the girl veered to the side, barely avoiding it due to the speed. Sheesh three on one was hard!

     Of course, she couldn't play defense all day or she wouldn't be able to dead rid of these people at all! That in mind, the girl pulled out another card, likely one more suited to shootouts like these.

     SPIRIT SIGN - ILLUSIONARY SEALING BORDER

     The surroundings darkened and the telltale spellcard border appeared in the vicinity. The cat clapped her hands together and and focused. Two ying yang orbs of flame formed on either side of her and then they began to fire out seal bullets in flurries.

     But there was a catch.

     Around Marisa, Alice, and Sanae, and Konoe each, an odd sort of spherical spiritual border formed. The bullets Konoe was firing made contact with the edge of the border surrounding herself, and then vanished. Soon enough, flurries of seal bullets began to flood in from the outsides of the separate borders surrounding the three, converging in from all sides.

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
    "You know, you really should try to use your head," Marisa chides as she goes in for another pass, her orreries firing brilliant lances of bright red light. "I mean, if you're gonna piss off Alice, you at least need to have some kind of back-up plan before she lights your ass on fire with self-destructing dolls or something equally awful."

    "I mean," she goes on, unleashing a barrage of green, magical missiles from her hakkero as she continues her assault. "You can at least ape one of Reimu's better spell cards if you're gonna--"

WAIT. DANMAKU BARRIER!

    "Shit!" Marisa hisses as a wall of spiritual energy appears all around her. Followed shortly thereafter by ofuda danmaku! DID SHE COPY REIMU'S BORDER HAX, TOO!? "You cheeky little copycat! How the Hell did you get this one!?"

    But, Marisa's seen this particular spellcard more often than once. She dodges and weaves through the incoming talismans like a pro-- but she's not the one she's worried about right now. Alice is on a warpath, and that makes her reckless. Which means...

It's time for drastic measures.

    Marisa draws a green talisman from the folds of her own dress. It's strangely similar to the very same ofuda that Reimu likes to use. "Alright, you wanna play hardball?" Marisa smirks, "Let's play hardball."

    She crushes the talisman. Suddenly the air all around her IGNITES with a sphere of mystic force. The ofuda pouring in through the barrier dissolve upon contact, transforming into raw magical energy that pours in to replenish the witch's own reserve.

SPELL CARD: MAGIC ABSORBER

    "Guys! Hold on!" Marisa roars as she lunges THROUGH the Spiritual Border. The energy field surrounding her keeps blazing brightly as she surges straight into Konoe's own barrier, and breaks through it with a mighty HIP CHECK. Marisa roars, her Magic Absorber smashing through ofuda after ofuda before they have the chance to warp over and pulverise her friends. Konoe hasn't been forgotten though. The witch's roar turns into a BATTLE CRY! Her MIGHTY DERRIERE and the flat of her broom go POWERSLIDING into the Neko Miko!

WILL SHE BE ABLE TO DODGE THIS ANTI-MAGIC HIP CHECK!?

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice comes to a 'screeching' halt as the danmaku barrier surrounds her, Sanae and Marisa. Alice hasn't experienced /this/ card in.. well in a long while. Jesus this is throwing many flashbacks for her. She's not close enough to join Marisa for the Malice Cannon... but she starts dodging the incoming danmaku, blocking a few with shield dolls and generally.. trying not to get HIT, meanwhile, she's thrusting a doll forth to start a laser barrage towards Konoe... on... and off. On... and off.

    And Marisa's right, if you tick off Alice, you better have a backup plan. She's waiting for the spellcard to end, keeping an eye on Marisa's hip check of ironbloomers.. o O (I never did like that...). "Sanae, can you do something about this barrier if Marisa can't dispel the card? I need some time to set up for Seeker Wire." she comments, readying up a spellcard of her own, a few dolls slowly coming around to orbit the Dollmaker.

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    It's never quite deadly, but the tension remains very real! Marisa remains quite the chatterbox, for good or ill, as Sanae is used to by now...but she's really not helping by the continuous 'copy cat' calling! "Oh, shoot," the closest you're ever likely to hear the green-haired priestess curse aloud, as her admittedly still lackadaisical shots blossom out, only to be avoided deftly. "It feels a little odd having a battle with someone whose name you don't even know. Unless she's borrowed that, too!" This was mostly to herself, yet thinking aloud, as she is prone to.

    Regardless, the cat youkai has the right idea for this kind of thing. Being completely on the defensive is a good way to get shot down, so the sudden turn to offense is to be expected. She wasn't quite prepared for the extent that she is able to use Reimu's abilities, though, and when she calls upon the boundary for her next trick, a genuine look of bewilderment crosses her face. "Huh? She's really good at it, though!" Could a 'copy cat' be an actual nekomata subspecies, at this rate? She'll have to ponder this mystery later, as she has little concentration to spare, making small adjustments to her flight as necessary, and at times even contorting her body a bit, as the density and angles are a little much! Dangerously close.

    "I'll - do what I can, Miss Alice," she calls, as she finally gets a bit of a break in the clusters of seals, enough to right herself. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she once again channels the wind around her, whipping it into a frenzy around both her and Alice in a smaller, counter-sphere. What is a gentle breeze within the shells acts like a shield of razors on the exterior; hopefully Alice can reign her dolls in away from it, or they might explode prematurely. Nonetheless, it isn't able to deal with all of the shots, so caution must remain. With all her strength required for this, there is little time for a counter-attack of her own. Hopefully Alice and Marisa have got what it takes!

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "How did I what?" Konoe asked, frowning as she watched the others navigate her spellcard. They keep talking about copycat this copycat that. Was Reimu really that similar to her? She'd never met the girl. Only heard hearsay in passing. She knew she was the Hakurei Miko and that she was strong, but not much else.

     Oh well. She didn't entirely understand herself either.

     She smirked, watching Marisa and the others contend with her spell. Maybe she might actually be able to---wait...wait what? Right then, Marisa used a bomb. Except it didn't create any sort of offensive attack. Rather, it broke down the surrounding danmaku and the barrier surrounding the witch, giving Marisa ample opportunity to head straight for the cat's barrier.

     "EH!? HEY!" She cried indignantly as Marisa broke through with a HIP CHECK, the tail end effects of her bomb diffusing the bullets her orbs were firing out. "THAT'S NOT FA-BWUH!" The broom rocketed into her midsection and Marisa's HIP CHECK bowled the poor miko off to the side. Alice's lasers struck her after that, bringing her concentration to near zero.

     Sanae's WIND EROSION miracle, in combination with Konoe's own wavering focus on the spellcard, weakened the barrier enough for both her and Alice to break through and counterattack.

     Three on one really was impossible!

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
NONE CAN CHALLENGE THE INVINCIBLE HIP-CHECK.

    "Don't you know?" Marisa grins as she careens into the unfortuante Neko Miko. Alice's beams lance through Marisa's barrier just as it dissolves. Her compatriots' counterattacks pour in as well, "This is Gensokyo! EVERYONE CHEATS HERE!"

    But, they're probably gonna have to wrap this one up soon. The Tengu are probably just waiting for an opportunity to blitz them all for causing a ruckus in their territory. As Sanae and Alice complete whatever it is they're doing, Marisa lunges back in to finish things off.

    The witch twists about, flipping to catch Konoe with a spinning clothesline that would, coincidentally, hoop her into Marisa's DREAD GRASP.

It might not help that the witch presently stinks of a variety of cat-friendly herbs.

Or... perhaps it will!?

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    "I... do not... have dolls of people here!" Alice shouts as the wind erosion breaks the barrier enough to have Alice get through, though, Marisa's hip check... oy... that was a dangerous thing. Good thing she wasn't at the rear end of it. "Spellcard!" she announces, the tell tale spellcard border appearing around, Alice's eyes laser focusing upon the cat. Fortunately, Marisa was behind the cat at this time...

    "Spy Sign - Seeker Dolls!" Alice's dolls shoot from Marisa to over the dollmaker's head while various strings shoot out towards the cat... and a wide angle just in case she got loose and soon, red lasers shoot across the magic strings like electricity through wire. She keeps up the red lasers for a few seconds before the card dies down... wasn't her most powerful card but it was one of the few that had red lasers that she could use and not nail Marisa with...

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    With Marisa and Alice mostly taking point, there wasn't much reason for Sanae to go overboard, herself. She might receive a scolding from Kanako for not being punishing enough, but certainly she will understand the power of teamwork, since she makes such a good one with Suwako! ...hah. When her wind manages to erode away the boundaries of DOOM, it finally dissipates, settling back into the gentle breeze it had been conjured from. This is the opening Alice had needed, and Sanae is once again free to focus. In the interest of continuing to be lower key, she'll do some seeking shot work of her own; a gesture of her hand summoning spectral serpents that follow and reinforce the barrage of Alice's dolls. Yeah, three on one, definitely isn't fair.

    But sensing the tide turning, Sanae seems satisfied with this much, even daring to drift closer through the air towards where Marisa and her would-be cat hostage are. "You fought hard, but the outcome seems certain, right? So let's just go have some tea and try and sort this out." She even places her wand back at her hip, as a sign of trust and goodwill. Of course, she can't speak for her counterpart Alice Margatroid, whom is apparently still steaming over the doll accusation. Maybe a little much? Not that she would mind, at any rate, her dolls are super cute! She clears her throat, after getting lost in the thought for a moment, "From my perspective, it's absolutely fascinating, and I want to learn more about you! Do you have a name of your own? You don't seem to actually 'believe' you're Miss Reimu, anyway!"

    For all she knows, though, she is about to get a paw punch to the face or something, because this could just as easily be another of these she-devils' tricks. And it sure is funny how far she's come from when she first appeared, isn't it Marisa?

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     There was no doubt that the tengu were waiting for the right moment to blitz them all, except for maybe Sanae. So wrapping this up and getting out of there was definitely the right idea.

     Going back to the fight however, the three on one disadvantage was pressed even more as Konoe found herself roughly bound by a plethora of strings. "Hey! Let me go!" She protested, about to struggle. "...Eh?" But before she put earnestly put up an effort, LASERS followed. And with Sanae's assistance, they became VAGUELY SNAKE SHAPED LASERS. The energy channeled through the strings barreled into the cat without mercy and cried out. "AHHHH!" She endured the barrage, unable to do much of anything, bound like that.

     Once it was over, she slumped over, about to fall out of the sky, were it not for Marisa's catch.

     It seemed like the girl was unconscious. Unfortunately, given the case, she was still nameless and with unknown motives. Alice went too hard apparently.

     But what to do with her now? She couldn't respond to them like this. And waiting here would just invite the tengu.

Marisa Kirisame (829) has posed:
MARISA GETS: ONE NEKO MIKO.

    "Well," the witch sniffs, adjusting her load ever so slightly. Can't be off balance out here, after all. "That could have gone worse! She's uh. Alice I think you shot her a bit too much," which is kind of strange coming from Marisa, admittedly. Miss Ultra Beam is telling someone to chill with the lasers!? BLASPHEMY!

    "Ah well, she'll be nice and quiet like this. Perfect for gettin' outta this joint." And there's almost certainly a gaggle of Tengu just waiting for their chance to leap out of the bushes and accost these poor innocent maidens! "I think I'm gonna get while the gettin's good. Gonna haul this load down to my place 'till she gets up."

    "Good seein' ya again, Sanae!" The witch swings up towards Alice, scooting forward to make room on the rocket broom. "You should drop by sometime! We'll talk. Have lunch maybe." As soon as Alice is onboard, Marisa flips her Hakkero over her shoulder. It vanishes into the tuft of her broom!

"Alright. Come on Alice!" Marisa grins. Her broom makes a telltale and EXTREMELY OMINOUS humming noise, "LET'S CHEESE IT."

There's a boom. And then a master spark. Except it's being used as a booster, not a beam.

In any case, Marisa's getting the hell out of dodge. AWAAAAAY!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    With her own spellcard finished, Alice finally takes a few deep breaths and regains composure. "I don't have any dolls like that..." she muttered, shaking her head, "Well, at least with her knocked out, it'll be a easy ride home and we can question her when she wakes up. So, I think there was enough shot there." she nods, firmly. "And who are you to talk about enough shots..." a light scolding look to Marisa as she moves to hop side saddle on the broom, wrapping her arms around Marisa's hip to stay steady.

    "You should, Sanae. We can have it at my place and I'll keep the dolls away for a bit so we can have a peaceful time there. Marisa's right though, the Tengu may want to say something about this. Have fun with them." and with that, and the Hakkero being used as a booster... she's gone along with Marisa.

Sanae Kochiya (619) has posed:
    "I'd like to know more about our unexpected newcomer," Sanae admits, "But...it *is* probably a good idea to clear out." She doesn't have to glance over her shoulder to know that those white wolf tengu, that had been taking a rest after the beating, are likely re-assembling for a counterattack against the source of the disturbance. Further, as trespassers on the mountain, Marisa and Alice might not be spared their adorable wrath, either, despite being instrumental in protecting it from further face punchings. Such is the inflexibility of tengu law. Realizing something, she sighs, "Sure...I'll come visit as soon as I can, Miss Alice, since I really want to know more. Right now, I still have things to do here." Sheepishly raising a hand to rub at the back of her head, she softly laments, "Though I don't know how much will be salvageable of today's negotiations, after this uproar. Ahahah..."

    Before Marisa blasts away like a rocket with Alice and the cat youkai, Sanae does lean a bit closer to the tuckered out Konoe, to get a better look now that she isn't hurling gigantic burning orbs or seals at everyone. "You know, having her around might be really useful. Try to steer her towards fighting the actually misbehaving youkai, though, alright? And--" She seems to sense something, probably the approach of the tengu, so she leaves the rest unspoken for now, backing away as they high-tail it from the scene of the crime. "Ah...yes, be well!" At the sparkle on the horizon, the white wolf tengu finally emerge, glancing around as much as they sniff the air.

    "It smells funny in here...but there's no mistake that it's where the trail leads! Miss Kochiya, where are the intruders?"

    Sanae smiles half-knowingly, "Oh, they already left...they were probably scared of your reprisal!"

    The white wolf tengu looks skeptical for a moment, before giving a proud little grimace and a puff of air, "Hmph, as well they should be! We just needed to regroup, is all. Well, as long as they're gone..."

    Flattery can go a long way in the sealed lands of Gensokyo.