Fantasy Nirvana: The Rise of Kagutsuchi

[Crow]

Word of the Cult of Kagutsuchi has spread through the Supernatural community in Japan - the rogue yokai that prowl with no direction, the minor gods that tend to their Earthly shrines, the onmyoji, magicians who inhabit the lands, and so on. Despite this, it finds difficulty leaking into the higher echelons of the divine hierarchy.

Not that we'd know if it did.

The Cult of Kagutsuchi aims to collect all eight pieces of Kagutsuchi told to have dispersed when Izanagi sliced him in vengeance, putting him back together and rebirthing a new god worthy of being worshipped. If this were to happen, Kagutsuchi would surely get revenge on the skies by burning the heavens and flooding the earth in ash.

Some individuals have gathered in a quaint, countryside place known as Homusubi Town, located in Kyoto, where people worship Kagutsuchi in a more positive light and respect his gift of fire through the practice of ceramic crafting and metalcraft, believing that they might find answers that can help repel the Cult or stop Kagutsuchi. These individuals who have heard word range from the simplest of mythical beast to powerful beings on par with gods.

Now, it's less of a who they are and more of a what they'll do.


Cheesemick - Benjiro Hiro

Crow - Tamae & Kyouka

Mitch Conner - Taira Junko

Necessity4Fun - Nolan Adkins

Table - Laura Scheer

Topless - Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya & Mayumi Igarashi

Winchester - Kaoru Ikeda


Night 0

A good summary of the town's aesthetic would be - stuck in the last century or few. It was rustic and silent with no signs of celebration. Bulbs illuminated some of the abodes. It was safe to assume that this was another day in Homusubi Town, even if this was your first ever visit.

It was a fine Friday night to behold. Up in the dark sky, stars shimmered alongside a bright crescent that would slowly vanish over the next few days.

You are but one of many visitors from outside this town, or even outside this country. Perhaps you arrived here a few days ago to prepare. Maybe you arrived this morning, maybe you just arrived. Aside from a few houses unveiling light, be it constantly bright or flickering, from their windows, the only place shining bright was the local ramen place, and flickering with the brightness of flames was the shrine at the end of the town.

Would you really spend this beautiful night sleeping all the way in your arranged housing plan? Or will you find reason to frolick under moonlight?​

 

[Necessity4Fun]

🎪 Nolan Adkins ​

Skipping happily, Nolan left the circus' main tent, another day of successful performances coming to an end. It felt wonderful, to make others laugh, see the mirth shining in their eyes or the expectation on their gazes! Almost made the teenager wise to be actually two, so that he could watch the show together with the audience at the same time he was on stage. He could only wonder what his comedy act really felt like from the seats... Oh well, they seemed to enjoy it, he had a great time planning and executing the acts too. And that was all that mattered: that everyone was happy by the end.

The bells from his costume echoed cheerfully with a chirin-chirin, as if casting a spell upon the illuminated night, a promise of exciting, fun new times. Above, the stars twinkled majestically, watching over the people coming and going about below. Even now, the beauty of the dozen sparkling lights against a veil of midnight blue would steal a tear or two, choking him up with overflowing emotions and the most genuine gratitude. Living to see all of the wonderful things in the world really was a gift... The greatest joy of them all!

Bathed by the moonlight, Nolan had merrily made his way through the maze of tents, finding his own. He didn't really have to change clothes as the other troupe members had, but it was still better to maintain the illusion that he had, since opening the game on what exactly he was would be bond to freak them out. Yeah, that was something that would be better left alone... It wasn't like he knew the full story either, memory being quite jumbled and mixed and hard to make sense of.
Sometimes there would be sensations, others flashes of images that went by pretty fast, but nothing that was any concrete. After trying to put the pieces back together and merely finding frustration, the teenager had sort of resigned to simply take a new step and keep going. No need to looking behind, no need to recall the past. Maybe, that had been the clever choice to make.

The previous costume seemed to slowly fade in the air, the image of a kimono being able to recognize just briefly before a different set of clothes showed up, materializing with the same pace as the clown apparel had. With the disappearing of the jester-like hat, his true physical form had remained on top of the head, wore like a cap lacking the front flap. Obviously, it couldn't remain there, soon being tied around his torso and hidden away by the greyish-purple jacket. Giving the mirror a few glances, mostly because its reflective surface still felt like a novelty to him, Nolan stepped outside his tent and while greeting, waving or simply making daily conversation with his performance colleagues, headed to the nearby town.

Hnnnnnng! He could barely contain his excitement, observing every single little thing with the wonder of a kid, playfully zig-zagging to one side, then the other, wondering what certain objects were for, or overall just admiring the scenery. Something about the style and aesthetic of the location felt quite... familiar... Had one of them been in a similar environment before, perhaps? Still, it was difficult to not go all bata-bata ^{(running noisily like a child)} over the place, overflowing with joy and amusement. Sure, other people needed their sleep, he supposed, but that was so boriiiing~! How was anyone supposed to truly appreciate the view if they couldn't express just how happy you were and how much fun you were having?!

"Hope this town isn't as dead in the morning...", he thought while sighing in disappointment, "These kind of tense, shiiiiiiin ^{(eerily silent)} atmospheres really suck! There's just no one around for me to talk to!!"

Without anything else to do, Nolan had momentarily pouted to himself, then kept on walking forwards, glancing this and that way at anything that caught his interest. Dressed in such colorful, childish and casual clothing, to any passer-bys the teenager didn't seem like a person that had just gotten out of work and decided to take a stroll outside. Nope! It was more likely that they'd assume that this tiny, quirky, curious boy was someone's son that had gotten separated from their parents somewhere and was now wandering lost...

 

[Winchester]

Kaoru flew through the night sky, weaving her way through the clouds. She enjoyed the wind buffeting her, as she made her way towards Homusubi. This is a good night to fly. She breathed in the fresh air, and sighed, creating a miniature cloud in the process. If only my task current task would be as pleasant as this The young adventurer had come to her for advice about the 8 pieces of Kagutsuchi nearly half an year ago, and she had heard nothing from him since. Her sense of unease began returning, as she thought of all the rumours she had been hearing about the Cult of Kagutsuchi over the past year. She shook her head. No need to worry myself about it now, there will be plenty of time for that when I reach Homusubi. She soon ended up flying over a stretch of sea on her way. She glided over it, and a water spirit rose from the sea to wave at her as she flew over it. She waved back at her as she flew past her. The mainland soon came into sight. It won’t be long now. She thought. Time to speed up. She began moving faster. She passed through multiple towns, whose lights lit up the landscape beneath her. Homusubi soon came into sight, and she darted to the ground as soon as she reached it's outskirts. As she landed, a layer of mist appeared around her. When the mist cleared, Kaoru emerged from it, as a human.



She entered the town and began walking through it's streets, glancing around. The shops and the houses were those typical of a small town, with nothing standing out. Very few people were wandering the streets at this time. So, where should I stay tonight? She mused. I could find a nearby lake, but who knows if it’s residents would be inviting? And there’s the pollution to worry about. She sighed. I suppose I’ll have to find a hotel. Hopefully, they won’t try to rip me off-. Suddenly, she saw a blond boy heading towards her. No, something more. She could sense no ill will from him, so she headed towards him. “Hello there!” She smiled at him. “Where are you heading? It is a bit late for a kid like you to be wandering around the streets at this time of night.”

Necessity4Fun

 

[Topless]

H.A.M
(Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya, Mayumi Igarashi)

A good few days have passed since the trio's arrival at Homusubi. No sign of Kagatsuchi activity were in sight, but the team knows that there is bound to happen. They have already rented a room in an inn. It was cozy for the most part, but the aesthetic really doesn't lighten the mood. Still, it was a nice place to stay. The girls are out at night to have a nice relaxing stroll. Anna is on the lead, leaving Haruna and Mayumi behind her. The latter has her arms wrapping around the former's and her head resting on her shoulder. She doesn't like the atmosphere of this town.

"Geez, its been already a few days and I'm still not getting used to this quiet atmosphere." Anna says "It feels like a ghost town more than just a quiet perfecture. Hell, even Kyoto's neighborhoods are more quiet than this." Anna is more used to the urban life than the rural. This town doesn't sit well with her. "I understand how you feel, Hiromiya-san. But please try not to forget that we are here for a good reason." Haruna replied. Anna sighed before she responds "Yeah, yeah, I know why we are here. Don't need for me to be reminded twice or thrice about what should we do in this god forsaken neighborhood."

While they continue to stroll, Mayumi takes notice on two people; a boy in some fancy outfit and a woman that she feels something is off. "Hmm? What is it, Mayu-chan?" Haruna asked after noticing her demon friend looking at the two strangers. She looks back at Anna...only to find out that has went to go talk to the two strangers Mayumi noticed. "Hey!" She called "You two new around these parts?" Haruna is not happy about this.

Necessity4Fun Winchester ​

 

[Cheesemick]

Benjiro stared blankly up at the clear night sky, listening to his music player. It was an odd device to him, brought it from a store in a tiny village not to far from Homusubi. How long has It been for him almost one hundred years? Japan seemed so different yet the same as it ever was, all the building where the same but just a little bit different. Laying down peacefully on the rice field with his hand behind his head, he leaned up to look around him, a few tanuki stalked the field tonight, he had gotten to know each one of them in time he had been here.

About one week ago another vassal of the emperor of japan had came to him with a task, the last time Benjiro saw them they where only a child. There had been rumors the Cult of Kagutsuchi was planning something big and the emperor wanted to make sure Benjiro knew about it, Benjiro asked them if there was anything he could do, he told him he heard there was a team being gathered to investigated. Benjiro was a Shinto Buddhist, as all daimyo where back in his era, he knew the story of Kagutsuchi as good as anyone and the danger they could bring.

Ascending from his mountain he wandered Japan on his way to Homsubi, which took him five days. Adjusting to the new was Japanese life was easy enough, he was very shocked to see so many foreigners in Japan. The biggest surprise came to him when he found out Kyoto wasn't the captain of Japan anymore, it was his own clans old territory of Tokyo that was now the Capital. And the music, he loved the new modern Japanese music of synthetic singers something about it just seemed familiar with him.

Turning off his music player he thought it was about time he headed back into town, the people in small towns like these always found Benjiro older style of his Japanese voice to be very interesting, even though he looked young. He wasn't sure who or what he was looking for but he knew he would find it when he saw it. He noticed a few people gathered around in one street, curious he
approached them.

Necessity4Fun Winchester Topless

 

[Crow]

The gathered group in the centre of darkness with little light would see some of it glisten off the feathers of a crow that pranced on the grounds of the place, its red eyes shimmering as if they were on fire. For a few seconds, its blood-hued, ruby irises would glare at them, before it would turn away and hop towards what seems to be the open ramen shop.


"It seems that others are here, sister."

"Should we introduce ourselves?"

"No, no, not yet."

Two sisters were there, standing above a three-storey building to have a good view of the group gathered. The darkness was capable of hiding them, as most of the light was closer to the ground.

"But they could be potential allies," the bigger sister spoke.

"Or potential obstacles," the smaller one adds, "we should keep up with the observing."

"My my~, they are much like ants from here, are they not?" the bigger one laughs for a bit, "you keep doing what you do. I will have a closer look."

The bigger one withdraws away from the edge of the roof, disappearing, while the smaller one remains.


Necessity4Fun Winchester Topless Cheesemick

Mitch Conner Table​

 

[Winchester]

Kaoru smiled in amusement. While she hadn’t expected events to move as fast as they did, she was far from dissatisfied. She looked at the girl who had questioned her. “I cannot speak for the boy, but yes, I am new among these parts. I assume you and your friends over there are new here as well?” She soon noticed another man heading towards them. “Hello there! Would you like to join us as well?” She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “If anybody else around here is interested, they are more than welcome to join our conversation. I assure you, I don’t bite. Well, I do bite, but I don't plan to do so right now, anyway.” She paused. “And I do hope someone here has a better place than the middle of the road for us to talk in. It wouldn't do to wake up the residents with our conversation."

Topless Necessity4Fun Cheesemick Crow

 

[Necessity4Fun]

🎪 Nolan Adkins ​

Nolan had been glued to the windows of a darkened shop, gazing inside it attentively, trying to guess what kind of store it was, when he heard a female's voice echo behind him, a pleasant, friendly tone. Excited, the boy had instantly turned around, spinning to face the woman just as she made her question:

"Huh...", he tilted his head, glancing at the sky as if looking for an answer, "Nowhere!", the tiny blonde had announced cheerfully and nonchalantly with a smile, "Just wandering around, really... Not that I can admire much when it's this dark and quiet. If I had known maybe I'd have stayed back in the tents, but the night sky was waaaay too pretty not to head outside and explore a little~"

With a hop out of the store's porch, Nolan had made his way to the unknown gentle lady, taking fun and chaotic steps until there, just really enjoying the trek for itself:

"But now there's you here!", the teen had gestured at her, much like someone introducing a fellow performer to an invisible audience before throwing his arms up in celebration, "Yaaaay! Soooo, what 'bout you, miss? Where you headin'?", he had asked, stopping with a hand up, the other down and a curious head tilt, the stage-life flamboyance seeping through most, if not all, of the boy's movements.

The little circus clown remained there, looking at the stranger all jiro-jiro ^{(staring intently)} like, ready to pour his utmost attention to whichever her answer was going to be. But then more people had joined them!! In complete awe and trying really hard to not burst into a ball of uncontainable energy and loudness, the boy's answer had been immediate:

"Yep!!", he let out with a hop, "I'm a troupe member of the travelling circus that officially opened today. We've stationed somewhere in-between... this town and some other two... Out of work hours, so I thought 'Why not look around for a while?' ", the short teen then leans a bit, glancing at either ends of the street, "I think... I can remember where I came from? ...Maybe."

"Oh well, plenty of time to figure that out 'till morning~!"

"And I do hope someone here has a better place than the middle of the road for us to talk in. It wouldn't do to wake up the residents with our conversation."​

The first lady had commented, right after welcoming the newcomers, one of them a brown-haired man of a gentle semblance, wearing more traditional clothing that had not directed a single word at the group yet. Widening his eyes in realization, the woman's sentence had functioned as a reminder of the fact the entire town was trying to sleep while he was being slightly louder than he should:

"Ah, sorry. Got carried away a lil' bit...", Nolan had whispered back at her, "Would make a suggestion buuuuuut, obviously, I know nothing."

Winchester , Topless ​

 

[Topless]

H.A.M
(Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya, Mayumi Igarashi)

"Well that's good. At least we're not the only ones wandering around this creepy-looking town." Anna says just as Haruna and Mayumi came. Anna looked over at the teenage boy, noticing his positive energy as he talks and gestures. "Well, looks like someone's in a great mood tonight." She comments. "Hiromiya-san is acting really friendly to these strangers. That just makes me jealous. I wish I could be as more sociable as she is." Haruna thought as she listens to the conversation. Just then, a man came up to join in the conversation and then the lady asked if there is some place they can all be in to avoid their conversation waking up the residence.

"Me and my girls are renting a room in an inn just a couple of blocks from here. If you want, we can take you there so we can-" Anna's response came into a halt when her stomach loudly growls. "Oh crap..." She says out of embarrassment "Say are there any shops open around this time? At least a ramen place would do. Sorry about that."

Necessity4Fun Winchester Cheesemick Crow ​

 

[Cheesemick]

Benjiro walked up to the group hearing the tail end of the conversation, he assessed them all, never staring always being polite in where he looked. The first was the brunette woman inviting him to join in, he gave her a slight nod before moving to closely, she didn't sound like she was from around here. This area near Kyoto has always been thick with politics where you went to sleep said a lot about you to the locals, talking in some of the inns was worse then talking in the middle of the road. The next was a peppy boy with a okame noh mask, nothing to usual but a bit old fashion most likely a fan of japanese kabuki theater, maybe even a performer. The next where three girls, two of which seemed to be schoolgirls, ah yes the new japanese schoolgirl outfit, Benjiro didn't think to much of it. He couldn't help but think politically when he met new people being in politics for so long, He knew for sure though he had found what he was looking for.

"Good evening, my name is Hojo Benjiro." He knew it was rude to ask for peoples names before introducing yourself. "Who do I have the pleasure of meeting on this night. If I could make a suggestion, there is an all night open bar that sells ramen and servers food not far from here." Looking at the age of the peppy boy maybe a bar wasn't the best suggestion.

Winchester Necessity4Fun Topless

 

[Table]

• laura scheer: the awakening phoenix

• 
  The night was supposed to be cold. The wind from the north carried an ill omen of destruction upon this peaceful small town.
  
  Yet from one obscure corner of the town, a heated battle was occuring, illuminating this otherwise dark night with the warm radiance of blazing flame.
  
  For Laura Scheer, night is when she set her soul alight. Her flame, the very flame of phoenix itself, hunts rouge youkai without a single hesitation and incinerate them until not even their ashes were left behind. One could even say it's her very own will given form, a raging flame of justice hidden within the face of a beaut.
  
  And tonight, the flame of phoenix is once again set alit.
  
  Fleeing away from Laura's unforgiving flame was a woman, much simpler in fairness than that of her pursuer. However, this woman was clearly no mere human. For its stature, the pursued woman dashed in great speed and agility no normal human could ever achieve in their lifetime of training. Even the way it moved was not human-like. Rather than running with two legs, the woman jumped around with her hands and legs like a monkey. But perhaps the most noticeable and most disgusting feature from that woman which distinguished her from any normal human was that her skin seemed... loose. It might not be visible enough for untrained eyes, but Laura can clearly see some parts where the skin of that woman seemed detached from the skin on the other part of her body. It was like the 'woman' was just a mask for something much more sinister hidden behind the facade.
  
  Of course, Laura was no stranger to supernatural, but sometimes things do stay disgusting no matter how many times you've seen it.
  
  And amanojaku is one of those things.
  
  Perhaps one of the oldest and the most malice youkai in existence, amanojaku had existed long before written words exist in Japan. Even among Laura's personal list of the most unbearable youkai, amanojaku stood as the lowest among them. They possesses no good quality, only spreading mischief and corrupting people along their way. But perhaps what Laura hates from them the most is the fact that they tend to take the skin of their victims and wore it like some sort of clothing.
  
  To Laura, she could never find it in her to not puke from such defilement of the dead.
  
  Despite the demonic woman supposedly capable of outrunning Laura with ease, the blonde girl managed to catch up on the youkai through using her fire magic to launch herself like a rocket booster. Eventually, due to her desperate attempt at getting away from her pursuer, the amanojaku ends up being trapped in an alley instead.
  
  "N-no..."
  
  Despair enveloped the face of that amanojaku as Laura finally landed on the ground, cutting off her only route of escape.
  
  "End of the line, evil being. Any last words?" asked Laura coldly as she summoned her weapon and pointed her dagger toward the youkai.
  
  Surprisingly to Laura, the youkai in woman skin began to cry.
  
  "Crocodile tears won't do you any good!"
  
  Pillar of flame erupted from Laura's dagger, threatening to engulf the youkai in one strike.
  
  "You're wrong! That's not it!" the youkai yelled at the youkai hunter as her tears continue to fall from her eyes and running down her cheeks, "I-I only want to be with him! I know I'm only some lowly youkai, but is it wrong for me to love a human, especially someone like him!?"
  
  For a moment, Laura hesitated. The youkai before her showed an unexpected, yet sincere melancholy from her words, and it took her off guard. However, it didn't took her long before she raised her blade once more.
  
  "He..." Laura stopped for a while, swallowing any kind of anger building up in her mouth before continuing, "was engaged to the woman whose skin you wore right now. Defiling the corpse of a dead person is one thing, but you also ruined someone's life."
  
  The flame which formed on the dagger grew even larger as anger began to envelope Laura's psyche.
  
  "Repent for your sins in hell!"
  
  With one swing, Laura commanded the flame to devour the foul youkai and burn it to ashes. The result was horrifying.
  
  The youkai, being burned alive by the divine flame imbued with the power of Atago, wailed in despair as its body turned to black coal-like ash by the sheer heat the flame produced. As the demonic being was dying from being burned alive, the youkai cursed in an almost inaudible gibberish before it was completely torn asunder into tiny pieces.
  
  "Mission complete."
  
  With the youkai completely turned to ashes, Laura turned her back and walked away from the dark alley.
  
  ---
  
  
  The night was prime, and for Laura, this means the hunt is coming to its peak. However, the town of Homusubi had proven to be far more different to central Kyoto than what she expected. Despite the numerous amount of youkai roaming at night, there was barely any sighting or report of rouge youkai attacking any human. For Laura, this actually comes off as relieving despite her job as a demon hunter. Then again, it's not like she was being paid extra for exterminating more youkai.
  
  With nothing else to do in mind, Laura decided to take a patrol in case things go awry.
  
  It took her only several minutes to find some people brave enough to wander the demonic night. While the town is remarkably safe tonight, Laura's instinct can't help but to be concerned if people were trying to pull an all-nighter outside their houses.
  
  "You there!" Laura quickly approached the group, completely unaware that neither of them were the most normal of people. Or rather, her instinct indirectly clouded her judgement and she failed to assess that they were by no mean just some ordinary humans.
  
  "What are you people doing in the middle of the night? It's dangerous to just randomly wander at night like this!"
  

Crow Necessity4Fun Winchester Topless Cheesemick

 

[Winchester]

When Benjiro suggested a bar, Kaoru glanced at the boy as well. She sighed. "A bar would not have been my choice, but it'll have to do. It's getting late and there doesn't seem to be any other options, so let's head there." She looked at Benjiro again. "I'm Kaoru Ikeda. The rest of you can introduce yourself later at the bar." Just as they were about to head out, another voice called out.

"What are you people doing in the middle of the night? It's dangerous to just randomly wander at night like this!"

Kaoru glanced at the newcomer. Another one who's definitely not normal. She replied to the girl. "You're right, and we were just heading to a bar now. You can come along with us, I am sure you will be interested in what we are going to be talking about."

-----------------------

At the Bar

"A tonkotsu ramen, please." The owner had been caught off guard to see such a large group of outsiders enter their bar, but he quickly began taking their orders.

"While we wait, I'll start off the conversation." She cleared her throat, and began to speak. "A demon hunter, Shinji Kawakami, had come to me for advice about the Cult of Kagutsuchi. I had given him what advice I could, and he had left for this town. However, he seems to have vanished without a trace after arriving here. His disappearance, and all the rumours I have been hearing about the Cult, finally made me decide to come here and investigate." She glanced at the others. "So, what about the rest of you?"

Table Necessity4Fun Cheesemick Topless Crow

 

[Necessity4Fun]

🎪 Nolan Adkins ​

"Well, looks like someone's in a great mood tonight."​

The woman's commentary prompted the boy to giggle with delight, twirling around once as he had stopped in a bit of a t-shape, brimming with the wonder of a child:

"And who wouldn't?! The stars go kira-kira^(sparkling) up above, the leaves all sawa-sawa^(rustle) on the wind... Everything is wonderful and filled with life, I can never get tired of it~", his expression was soft, yet a bit melancholic, "Both the tranquillity of the nights and the lividity of the days... I adore them, deeply. Doesn't it all just, makes you really glad to be alive sometimes?"

"Ahaha, oops! I'm making the mood sad."

Playfully kicking at the ground, the little clown had then taken aback by the sudden growling sound. Letting out a tiny surprised hop, the blonde had eyed the cheerful woman curiously having to remind himself that yeah, normally people's bellies would make noises when they were hungry. Every new occurrence of the fact was just quite interesting to him. Just as the famished lady had asked for a ramen shop, the previous silent member, Hojo, offered to guide them to a bar, looking at the teenager with an odd expression. Why? Were stores and bars not the same thing? Had he done something weird?

When the gentle woman from before seemed to have a similar concern, Nolan chimed in to reassure them:

"It's okay! It's okay! We're not ordering anything either way~", putting his hands up in a good-natured 'wait' gesture, "We're just gonna stick around you guys a bit."

"You there!", a new voice echoed out of nowhere, making the boy look around trying to locate it, "What are you people doing in the middle of the night? It's dangerous to just randomly wander at night like this!"​

"Hoooo... Is it?", he had asked confused, tilting his head, "What kind of danger? Can we get jumped by criminals? Can we get shot by gun bullets?"

With the group set for the bar, the cheerful clown that tagged along, hopping and following playfully as he took in the beauty of the environment while going run-run-run^(humming) in a light mood. The bar was a new place, unlike anywhere he had been before. A mix of a restaurant with a more modest feel to it... It was, curious, very curious, and the boy couldn't help but look all around, observing the never seen before people and objects. If it wasn't for the other people, perhaps he would have dashed towards a wall to reeeally stare at all its details.

The gentle woman, Kaoru, started the conversation off, with it taking a rather unexpected turn. Instead of more daily chit-chatting, it seemed as if the lady was in town for some kind of task? To be honest, half of what she had said made no sense to the teen:

"Ah", he let out sadly, "Sorry for your friend Kaoru-san...", Nolan had pat her shoulder in sympathy, remaining in silence for a while, "What about me? Uhhh, the word Kagutsuchi sounds familiar, probably something I caught up from standing close to the audience but... I don't really know what it means..."

The blonde's gaze travelled from person to person, watching their reactions to the topic at hand. What he the only one out of the loop? Was it something serious? It sounded pretty important already...

"Also... What's a demon hunter?"

Winchester , Topless , Cheesemick , Table ​

 

[Topless]

H.A.M
(Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya, Mayumi Igarashi)

Benijiro came up with the suggestion of a bar. Anna, desperate to satisfy her hunger, wouldn't care about the young boy being allowed into a bar. She just wants to eat. "Sure, let's go with that." She says, but then some blonde chick came up to them asking why are they doing out here in the dark. "Well, excuuuuuuuuse me lady..." She goes off in a sarcasitc tone "We're just heading to a bar. If you want, you can come along with us." On the other hand, Haruna looked at the woman and felt some sort of a familiar vibe. "That woman, haven't I heard her from my fellow demon hunters back from the organization? Could she be-" Her train of thought came into a sudden halt when Anna calls them out to follow them to the bar. "We're coming!" Haruna responds before turning to Mayumi and say "Let's go, Mayu-chan." The girl holding on the demon hunter's arm nodded.

After some time, they made it to the bar. As they wait for their orders, with Anna's going way to much, the gentle woman, Kaoru, starts off the conversation. She says that a friend of hers went missing and is looking for him throughout town. The next was the clown, Nolan, who came here just because of rumors and no good reason at all. He then asked what is a demon hunter. Anna turns to Haruna and says "Hey Haruna, you're a demon hunter right? How about you explain what a demon hunter is to him?" Haruna gulped. She is asking to herself "Why you turning on me, Hiromiya-san? What can I say to him? Oh, to hell with it. I guess there is no harm in trying." She sighs, turning to Nolan, and say "A demon hunter is someone who hunts down demons, as in like you find a demon, you kill it. Personally for me, I only hunt down demons who cause only harm. I believe that there exist demons who only wants to do good, so there is no point in killing them. As for why we are here, we were given an assignment from my organization about investigating some strange activities revolving around the Cult of Kagutsuchi. Oh, and by the way, I'm Haruna Oda. My companions here are Anna Hiromiya and Mayumi Igarashi, both of them are not part of the organization so its safe to say that demon hunting is not on their bucket list."

"Whew, that was a mouthful. Haven't talked this much since the school fair." Haruna thought. "Yeah, demon hunting is fun and all, but I prefer to mix drinks and break bones." Anna says before turning to Mayumi and add "And I guess the same goes to your friend too." The mute girl nods before she gestures to say that she prefers to live normally as a civilian. While Anna understood, she leans on the group to say "By the way, she's mute. I hope you understand sign language."

Necessity4Fun Winchester Cheesemick Crow Table ​

 

[Winchester]

The boy seemed genuinely confused about what Kaoru had talked about. “I see. Well, they are a group who are attempting to do something that will doom us all, so I hope you’ll join us, since we could use your help. You said there you heard the word Kagutsuchi from your audience, did you notice anything else?” It seemed unlikely that he had noticed anything of significance, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

The girl named Haruna explained demon hunters to him.The girl, Mayumi, began gesturing, but Kaoru didn’t understand her. Anna explains that she is mute. “I’ve been meaning to learn it for a long time, but I never got around to it.” Kaoru told Anna in an apologetic tone. “I understand that she prefers to be normal from the context here, but I hope you can translate her speech from now onwards. I apologize for the inconvenience, both of you."

Topless Necessity4Fun

 

[Necessity4Fun]

🎪 Nolan Adkins ​

Glad that the others seemed to handle his apparent lack of knowledge nicely, the blonde boy had relaxed again once the light brown haired girl, Haruna, had started answering his question. To be honest, the fact that she was apparently one of the 'Demon Hunters' had been surprising... Someone looking his own age could do such an important, dangerous sounding job?! He had lots of questions! Though perhaps, for now, one at a time didn't sound all that bad...

The word 'demon' itself would shake some of the more recent memories, bringing more uncertainty than answers. Which ones? Oriental ones, Occidental ones, the whole package? It had been a recurring problem whenever they'd pick up a book on the topic from the shelves of the darkened store... One single word could mean so many different things sometimes! His vision would go all guru-guru ^(spinning), and he'd get fura-fura ^(dizzy) while trying to make sense of them... Perhaps Nolan needed access to some less complicated reading materials... He'd tried getting a library card once, coming to learn that he lacked all the documents required to do one. That had been a little sad to hear. Anyway, despite the vocabulary failure, the teenager had grasped that whichever kinds of demon they were, Haruna apparently fought them.

"On your own?", the little clown asked tilting his head, "You do such a dangerous job alone?", there was a hint of worry in both his voice and expression, especially after the girl's companions had been introduced as not being part of the organization she was talking about.

" 'Mix drinks and break bones?' ", he parroted Anna's lines, as if doing so would help with understanding it, "Do the bones go on the drinks?", such a weird question would roll out innocently, with the boy blinking at the woman in legitimate curiosity.

From the third one, Mayumi, Nolan had gotten only a tiny glimpse of 'here' from her gesturing. Though his intuition told him that he was wrong about that one too. With an apologetic smile, the circus clown scratched awkwardly at his cheek:

"We don't, sorry.", his gaze fell over the table sadly, "Everything's just gone all para-para ^{(broken [into pieces])}, bara-bara ^(scattered), kara-kara ^(missing), so there's not a lot to remember...", the heavy silence would remain for a while, until the boy jerked back up, the same upbeat character as always, "Oh I know! We'll just have to make it into a game of charades every time!!! These can be pretty fun to play~!"

Next, it was Kaoru's turn to explain things, mostly what this 'Kagutsuchi' was all about. Having received an unexpected reply, the boy's eyes would widen in a mix of appal and distress, a faint hint of disbelief showing itself too, but promptly put aside as he had no reason to doubt any of the words being shared. This time, it had taken the clown noticeably longer to begin bouncing back, especially since thinking about the ultimate end of the world was... he wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like how it made him feel. Angry? Sad? Indignated? All of them, maybe neither?

The words that wanted to come out would trip over one another for a good minute or so before anything had actually come out, abeit reluctantly:

"...We, I... N-neither of us had any idea something this serious was going on...", the boy's gaze remained downcast, fixated at the table's surface, a conflicted, erratic, restless gaze. Lots of emotions raged at the same time and with it being a first, Nolan wasn't sure of what to do with them, "If I had, I'd have paid more attention to that instead of my troupe colleague's performance... Oh shoot, what a missed opportunity!"

Slamming at the table in frustration, the little boy had been surprised by the loud rumble it had caused, immediately wincing at it, gesturing with a hand as if to silently apologise too. He sighs, leaning his back limp onto the chair and looking at the ceiling, trying to get his mind out of the problem of catastrophic proportions. For a moment his thoughts had been rendered null and blank from the shock, but eventually, while concentrating on the diagonal wooden beams above him something would suddenly click into place...

He got back straight like a bolt, out of nowhere, no warning, with an energy boost that contextually had no reason to be. Bobbing in the seat like someone who had something to share and was dying to do so, Nolan had opened his mouth repeatedly, trying to find the right words to tell that which he wanted to say, but clearly struggling to do so. Then he took a new breath, calmed down a bit and tried again:

"I've just realized-!", he exclaimed while trying to keep his voice low, probably the hardest thing he had even done, "Haru is a demon hunter, Kaoru seems to know these stuff well too... and is on some kind of mission..."

"Are we-", he stopped, tilting his head this and that way in thought before deciding that this should be spoken even lower, settling for a whisper-tone while leaning forwards, "Are you all, like, not exactly normal people too??"

Winchester , Topless , Cheesemick , Table ​

 

[Winchester]

Kaoru looked at the boy. She sighed "Yes, we're not normal people." She glanced around, and none of the other customers in the inn were paying attention to them. She then turned back to the kid. "This is what I am". She placed her hand on the table, and changes her hand into that of a dragon's.
Necessity4Fun Topless

 

[Topless]

H.A.M
(Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya, Mayumi Igarashi)

Haruna can tell by his tone that Nolan is worried about her situation. In all of honesty, being a demon hunter is very hard for her age, but this is the will of her family after all and she needs to uphold it no matter. She sighs as she answers the young boy's questions. "Most of the time." She says "But it depends on the target. If the said demon is too much for me to handle, I would have to call for Anna or Mayumi or both for assistance. Sometimes I need an extra muscle or an increase of firepower. On Anna's case though, it depends if she has time to lend me a hand considering her work." The boy then turns to Anna who was confused about her statement of "Mix drinks and break bones", even asking a literal question if the bones goes on drinks. The barista let's out a chuckle. "No ya dinggus!" She says "I work at a bar on the red-light district. Its a family business, but it has been a frequent site of supernatural happenings. You guys should go visit there sometime. We got some good food, live shows, hot women, and most especially, I mix the most exquisite and awesome-looking drinks. Of course, youngsters like you are not allowed."

Anna leans back, doing a bit of a stretch for her back before she goes back to her relaxed position as she continues to speak. "Now as for 'breaking bones', what I mean is, well, from where I live we have this underground fighting arena that only a good handful of the rich knows. Every night there is a match where the rules are simply 'with the exception of weapons, anything goes'. There is no prize pool, however. The only prize the winning fighter gets is fame and recognition." Anna looks directly into Nolan's eyes as she closes with this statement "Whenever the bar closes, I participate in those fights. 20-0, not a single soul can ever take me down. I am currently the reigning champion in that arena. The feeling of winning is like...um...food, it satisfies you. Or anything that gives you that satisfying feeling."

After that, when Mayumi stated her sentence in gestures, none of them seems to understand her, though Kaoru says she wants to learn sign language but never got the time to do such. When she requests to be her translator, Anna says "Sorry, I too don't know sign language. But Haruna knows, so you can only count on her." Haruna sighs, feeling a bit disappointed in herself. "Why do I get to bear the biggest responsibility out of the three of us?" She thought to herself. Nolan then thought of an idea to play charades. That is something Mayumi can be an absolute beast at, though there is Haruna to always understand what the word she is gesturing. After sometime in the conversation, Nolan leans in forward to ask if they are all not normal. Kaoru answers, admitting her status. She then goes on to show it by having her hand change into that of a dragons. The trio jumped in surprised. "Whoa! You're a dragon?!" Anna asked, totally freaked out by the revelation, not so much for Haruna and Mayumi. "Damn! That's something out of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid!" She adds. "Hiromiya-san..." Haruna called "I guess you should say something to yourself then." Anna glances at the young demon hunter and nods.

Looking back at the group, she says "You may look at me as a normal human, but actually..." She glances down and sees a hand-sized rock on the pavement. She gets off her seat to go pick it up, Once she has it in her hand, she clutches it so hard to the point that she crushes it...into literal dust. "Say, have you heard about ogres?" She asks as she goes back to her seat "It just so happens that I am a half-ogre. My strength, let's just say, can be compared to the likes of Son Goku or Superman. But I don't fly though, or shoot beams. I'm just that strong, naturally." She then turns to Haruna and says "What about you? Got anything to say? Also, say something about Mayumi as well." Haruna takes a deep breath and says "I'm a demon hunter as you know. However, not only am I trained in the ways of sword, but I was also taught some pretty decent magic. This sword right here is a family heirloom, and if you been reading some mythology, let me tell you that this is no ordinary sword." Haruna unsheathes her blade, showing its deep crimson shine. "This is the Totsuka Sword, and yes, this was originally wielded by the god Susanoo. How my family got this is something I cannot tell to anyone at all." Haruna says before she puts it back into its sheath. She then turns to Mayumi and ask "Mayu-chan, is it okay if I tell them who you are?" Mayumi looks down, feeling hesitant. Eventually, she nods. Haruna nods back before looking at the group and tell her friend's story. "My friend Mayumi is...a demon. But please understand this; she was a perfectly normal human being, but one night, she was assaulted by demons and got really hurt. Luckily, I was there to save her, but not her parents. Some bits of demon blood entered her wounds and, well, that's how it happened. You may look at her as normal, but when she smells blood or sees some violence, her demon side will take over. She has some level of control though, but it is mostly of her appetite. She ate a live bird when I first noticed." Back in her mind, she thought "That's another mouthful. I don't think I can keep this up."

Afterwards, Kaoru asked the young boy about his name. The trio waits to find out.

Necessity4Fun Winchester Cheesemick Crow Table ​

 

[Necessity4Fun]

🎪 Nolan Adkins ​

"Yes, we're not normal people."​

Hearing the confirmation had been one of the most relieving things for the teenager, whose expression had slowly brightened up with a mix of delight, curiosity, boundless energy and a longed-for sensation of belonging. He was just so happy that tears had started pooling in the corner of his eyes, eventually making their descent in a gentle string as the boy failed to find the right words to even convey such a huge explosion of positive emotions inside him. He was just... so happy, the happiest he could remember ever being.

The words had been more than enough really, at least for him, but Kaoru-san had taken a step even further, placing her hand on top of the table... A hand that suddenly wasn't a hand anymore, but three big sapphire-tinted scally clawed-fingers. Nolan gasped in surprise, glancing at the woman, then at the claw and back her a couple of times until the whole thing had finally registered properly. She was actually a really big lizard creature and was sitting right there beside him! OH MY GOD, he had so many questions!!!
Getting all zoku-zoku^(excited) over what such revelation could mean or imply, his eyes glistened filled with amazement and admiration, bouncing on the seat with all the things he'd like to say, or ask or who knows! But that'd be too disruptive for either the place or the time of day. Inside the circus clown was exploding with enthusiasm, wanting to be as loud as his heart desired. Ahhh, it was so hard not to just let it all out with the energy of a dynamite!!! What a cool night this was!! The coolest of interactions with the coolest of people! He felt truly blessed.

Haru, Anna and Mayu had also each, --well, sorta--, re-made their introductions too, now with the addition of the supernatural aspect. It was nice really, seeing everyone share the details about themselves that they normally would not... The blonde teen paid attention to it all, wondering how it would roll out when it became his turn to do the same thing. Thinking about it was nerve-wracking, but at the same time, rather heartwarming. Even if he was just as confused as they would be, Nolan just really really wanted to share it too! For the first time, he'd get to talk about all sorts of stuff that he could not... Maybe the others could help make him make better sense of them too.
Knowing that the Demon Hunter didn't actually have to do it all by herself all the time was a good thing, even if the phrases seemed to carry a hint of melancholy to them... Then for a complete twist of the mood, Anna had called him a 'dinggus', a word that the boy had not read in any book before, but could tell he had just been called something in the lines of 'silly' for his previous question, letting out an ashamed and awkward 'a-ah, my bad' at the woman's reply.

"It's okay! We don't drink~", he had reassured again at her when the mention of a bar had resurfaced, probably not understanding the real reason as to why he wouldn't be allowed at the place.

The rest of the explanation had however gotten lost on the boy. Well, he knew what fighting was, and what 'underground' meant when used literally, but the deeper meaning of the whole thing hadn't reached him and the last commentary had brought about another unexpected question:

"Food is... satisfying?", the little clown had tilted his head in curiosity, "Satisfying like the approving claps of an entertained audience? Like making someone laugh at your silly jokes and cheering them up with them?"

Apparently, the big lizard being that Kaoru was was called a 'dragon'. The name sounded, familiar, perhaps it had been on one of those books back in the antique shop? He could sort of faintly recall things about them being nature guardians and having lots of magical powers, but it had truly been a while since he had been anywhere near the object... From a book that thick, it was hard to memorize all of the information they contained. As the sharing session went on, Nolan had found himself more and more assaulted by unknown terms and names. Those had been said which such a matter-of-fact stance that he felt out of the loop again, as if he was expected to know what they meant, and well, did not. It was getting frustrating, to have a chunk of the conversation locked behind his lack of knowledge or context, though once Anna had reached out for a rock, gyutto- ^(crunching), making it into dust that the wind had dragged away with it. Amazement was not enough this time:

"Oooooh~", he had let out pointing at the spot on the pavement in disbelief, "You're so strong! It went all bok-TTO ...gota-gota-gota.^{(craSH ...scatter-scatter-scatter.)} It was so cool!!"

Haru's sword was pretty nice to look at too, though once more, none of the names rang any bells, so Nolan had just looked at it in awe with an 'ohh' until it had been put away. At the Demon Hunter's explanation on Mayumi however, he had hung his head low for a while, trying to make sense of the seriousness of the story. Mixing the blood could do that?! His gaze had moved towards the poor girl, filled with concern. She was going thought something like that without consent or anything... He sympathized with her, even if the boy could hardly being to fathom just how scary it probably was.
Letting out a nod to signal that he had listened and understood most of the words, the circus troupe member had just stopped for a moment, just to process all the new things he had been learning and seeing. There was a lot to unpack and something told him this was just the start since most of their tablemates were yet to talk more about themselves...

"By the way kid, I don't think you've mentioned your name."​

And then suddenly it was his turn.

"Oh, R-right! Sorry, I got really caught up with all uhh... the things happening.", he had apologized with an awkward laugh, jeez what a roller coaster this day was being!

He dried up his face, at last noticing the shed tears, and clearing his throat prepared to introduce themselves. The boy was nervous, unsure of what to expect back for reactions, especially since he had never done this before, but he'd never let that stop him. If anyone could understand, it would be these guys! And maybe they could all be friends too! ...That'd be really nice~

"Hi again!", he had raised an arm in greeting, "I'm Nolan, I work as a clown on the travelling circus that has just opened recently nearby and uhhh...", looking down for a while, the teen had unzipped his jacked down revealing a white string that seemed to be tied around his torso, the white contrasting against the black shirt. He untied it, holding one of the ends firmly as to not let it fall and slowly slides out the Okame Noh mask from the back of the jacket, "And this is Yorokobi!", the boy held the object up cheerfully, doing his best to not let any of his doubts and worried show through.

"I just call it 'Koby' ", the teen kept going, tying the mask properly on top of his head as he had no reason to hide it anymore, "We're sort of stuck together, I guess? But not in a bad way! ...Huh, how can I say it?", Nolan tilted his head, holding a finger up against his mouth and looking up in a thinking manner, "I think... I think that I died. I get this odd sensation that maybe, I'm not supposed to be here, you know? It's... odd and a bit sad. But then also, I feel glad to be here too, to meet people and places, to experience and learn all kinds of things... I'm not sure why I'm still here but, I am sure grateful for it."

"Just by being here and by being able to do and see so much, I truly am happy... Living is just that wonderful on itself."

Winchester , Topless , Cheesemick , Table ​

 

[Table]

For most of the time, Laura wasn't actually in the bar. Previously, the demon hunter decided to decline their invitation as she was in the middle of her routine night patrol, and she wasn't feeling really sociable tonight. Luckily for Laura, that particular night was as peaceful as daily basis aside for the previous case with a certain amanojaku. The worst that happened tonight was merely a mischievous youkai who thought that stealing from someone specialized in extermination demons was a good idea decided to do exactly so. Fortunately for Laura, she was highly prepared, and nothing of value was lost from her.

It was overall a great night, except that she has yet to fulfill her true purpose of coming into this town in the first place.

But all things considered, it was not a terrible night for the lady of nobility. Though she didn't really show it, she quite enjoyed the cold wind which came with the crescent moon far above the sky.

As she strode through the peaceful night road, her stomach growled.

'Guess it's as good as any time to get some dinner,' thought Laura as she was about to head home. The distance from her current location to the apartment she rented in this town wasn't that far, so it shouldn't take more than several minutes for her to reach it. However, as if something tugged her heartstrings, Laura immediately stopped after just barely making several steps.

Her instinct as a demon hunter told her that a powerful youkai was nearby. Laura was almost panicking, but she quickly halt herself before she managed to summon her weapons as despite the relatively immense strength, she felt not the slightest of malice usually coming from the ill-intentioned youkai. Even so, as a demon hunter, she could not ignore this presence.

So, being a professional demon hunter she is, Laura rushed toward the place where she felt the power to be most intense. It didn't take her too long to finally reached her target destination. However, when she realized that the place where the source of immense strength came from was a bar, Laura briefly hesitated. In that split second moment, unpleasant memories ran through her mind as her hand began to shake.

'Calm down, Ranko. It's not like it's the same kind as she often visited,' Laura struggled to calm herself as she almost slammed the door into the bar open.

What the demon hunter got was a group of familiar but not exactly familiar faces, one that she had just met beforehand. However, something felt off about some of them. Her eyes were instantly focused toward the gentle-looking brunette, whose one hand seemed scaly and clawed like a reptile leg.

"Just what-" Laura quickly cleared her throat when she realized that she sounded surprised, "I thought I could leave you all be, but it looks like there is an interesting character slipping right under my radar among you all."

Then she turned her gaze toward the other fellow, still looking as intense.

"I believe this is the second time we've met tonight," Laura crossed her arms, "My name is Laura, Laura Scheer. Though I'm also known as Ranko Sakura, the Flame Queen among my demon hunter acquaintances. I don't particularly enjoy hurting other, whether it's human or demon, so as long as you all behave well, I can assure that no harm will be done. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

As if she remembered something important, Laura released an empty sigh. Her eyes seemed wearing off, either from tiredness or something else which went on in her mind.

"While we're still at it, does the name 'Cult of Kagutsuchi' ring a bell to any of you?" Asked the blonde girl, her face told them enough that she wasn't in the mood to have a mindless chat.

Crow Winchester Necessity4Fun Topless Cheesemick

 

[Winchester]

The boy had begun crying when she had replied that they weren't normal people, and when he had seen her hand, become amazed. How long had he been alone? She felt ashamed about getting annoyed at him. Kaoru promised herself that he wouldn't be alone any longer.

She turned to the three girls as they began showing their powers. Anna's strength was impressive, and seeing Haruna's Tostuka sword made her gasp. "That is quite the impressive heirloom." She told Haruna. Haruna then began to tell Mayumi's story. She turned to Mayumi "I am sorry for what happened to you. Struggling with demon blood's influence is no joke, but I am sure you can keep it's influence at bay, as long as you are strong willed."

She turned to the kid. "By the way kid, I don't think you've mentioned your name." He finally introduced himself as Nolan, and took out a mask which he called Yorokobi. As she listened to his story, she felt even more sympathetic.

"Just by being here and by being able to do and see so much, I truly am happy... Living is just that wonderful on itself."

When she heard that, she smiled. "Yes it is. And I'm sure you'll find a reason as long as you're with us, Nolan. We will face many hardships, but I'm sure you will gain much out of this adventure."

Suddenly, the girl who declined to join them earlier showed up. She was gazing pointedly at her hand, which she realised to her embarrassment, she had forgotten to change back to normal. I really shouldn't be so absent minded. The girl proceeded to introduce herself as Laura Schreer. She also called herself Ranko Sakura, though it seemed as if it wasn't a name she wanted strangers to call her by.

"While we're still at it, does the name 'Cult of Kagutsuchi' ring a bell to any of you?"

"That's what we're all here for." Kaoru replied. "Well, except Nolan." She sighed. " I guess I'll have to say everything again." She began telling her story again.

Topless Necessity4Fun Table Cheesemick Crow

 

[Crow]

"Yeah, I'm paying for them. I just feel like it. And an Oyakodon for me please. I'm really craving some fowl flesh today. Oh and keep the change."

A rough voice spoke up as a some money slid towards the store owner. The source of this was someone hiding himself behind a menu. He was reading it, yet he was slurping something, implying that he had already ordered his first round of food, maybe more.

How long was that person there?

He put his menu down, and if all were looking, Anna would see a human male with black hair and sunglasses, while others would very blatantly see a type of red-eyed larger-than-average crow using his talons as hands, slurping on a cup of WcDonald's iced tea. He must've gotten it five towns away, because there was no WcDonald's near here.

"What? No outside food? Yeah, OK, that was pretty rude of me, but I'm almost done, OK?"

The crow looks at them. To Anna, the man's mouth was moving. To all others, the winged creature's beak moved to eat and drink, but did not correspond to speech.

Sluuuuuuuuurrrrrppp.

Sluuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrppppp.

"It's good stuff, their iced tea, especially after all the ice melts. You guys ever had it?"

Winchester Topless Necessity4Fun Table Cheesemick Crow​

 

[Topless]

H.A.M
(Haruna Oda, Anna Hiromiya, Mayumi Igarashi)

The three women felt sympathy over Nolan's situation. He died, but was somewhat reanimated by a yorokobi bound to him. But at the very least, he is still able to live on in the living world. Just then, a young woman came into the bar and its t he woman from earlier. This time, she formally introduces herself as Laura Scheer. That name alone caught the attention of Haruna. "Laura Schneer? Hey, I think I heard about you from the organization." She says "I'm Haruna Oda, I don't know if you ever heard about me or not." Just then, the group heard a voice of a man beside them. They turn around and they all jumped at the sight of a large crow...with the exception of Anna, for some strange reason. "Huh? Why are you all guys surprised about?" She asks "Is there something wrong with him?" Haruna turned to her and ask "Do you not see? That's a large talking crow!" Anna raised her brow in confusion. "Crow? Doesn't look like one to me." She says.

Necessity4Fun Winchester Cheesemick Crow Table ​

 

[Crow]

"For your information, I'm a Jackdaw, we're very different from crows, thank you very much," the bird speaks, "oh and uh... I guess I forgot about my little thingymajig..."

From the perspective of others, the crow would point its talons towards Anna. From her perspective, a man raised a palm. Anna's vision, for a few seconds, would not be too different from a glitchy, buggy computer screen as the man began to phase out of reality and be replaced by the black-feathered avian all were talking about.

"Just a very low-tier version of a standard disguise spell. I use it to buy fast food from human restaurants. Those who have tapped into their magic or use nifty equipment from the supernatural side of the world can naturally bypass it. It's rare to see them at the cashier. Rare, but still happens. Ugh... should've used it on my drink to make it look like in-store tea..."

He collects his Oyakodon and snaps his newly acquired disposable chopsticks with his talons.

"You girls look pretty surprised. Am I honestly the first talking bird you've seen? Because usually people not too different from you meet like... ten... twenty talking birds before they hear a word from my beak, not including parrots. Mmmm chicken..."

Necessity4Fun Winchester Cheesemick Crow Table Topless​

 

[Winchester]

Kaoru looked up, startled. A large red eyed crow was sitting nearby, drinking something. "I'll have to take your word for it. I haven't visited that establishment before, I'm afraid."

Everyone else was startled by the crow's appearance, except Anna. After the crow was done explaining itself, Kaoru replied. "I have seen other talking birds. It's only your sudden arrival that caught me off guard. Anyway, do we just call you a jackdaw, or is there another name that you prefer?'

Topless Crow Cheesemick Necessity4Fun Table