World Tree MUSH

    It would be accurate to call Hinomura 'a very large village' or a 'very small town' depending on one's perspective. It's a place way out on the northern outskirs of what could generously be described as the 'central province' of Arashi-no-Moto; strictly speaking, it technically falls under the Imperial Capital's jurisdiction, but this far out they don't see officials here terribly often.

    That makes the samurai and his 'retinue' stand out all the more in the white of winter; everyone is staring at them. Ornate armor adorned in red and white cloth, a well-cared for katana at his side; everything about him is better-kept and cleaner than the villagers passing by, including his beard and the mane of salt-and-pepper hair pulled up into a high ponytail behind his head. The warrior sits on a chair, leaned back, arms folded across his chest, legs lazily spread; everything about him screams, 'bored and impatient'.

    Meanwhile, nearby stands a quartet of ladies dressed in more courtly finery of reds and oranges, though it's definitely of a warm winter make. The four of them stand ramrod-straight around a Norimono-style litter with a firebird motif around the outside, making it entirely obvious that whoever might be inside is their sole charge. One of them is conversing with a black-haired woman in shrine maiden's clothing, no doubt from the large Shinto-esque shrine standing at the north end of the village. Their chat seems amiable enough, though now and then the samurai glances her way with an annoyed look.

    The bandit extermination request posted to various adventurer boards and such around the Tree listed its client as 'Hisa, Shrine Maiden of Hinomura.' Perhaps that's her?

Bryllu has done some research on Japan, like studious tourist she is. As such, her current appearance is... strongly inspired by Japanese legends. Standing a whole five feet tall in a humanoid shape, except for the presence of six arms, she has layered on additional armor patterned after Gusoku armor with intricate custom artwork she got an artist to make displayed on her chest.

Four of her hands are resting on the hilts of four sheathed swords, clearly patterned after katana. One more hand holds a naginata. Despite all this detailing, she's obviously still a machine, with the high tech materials clearly out of place, and she approaches the black haired woman and bows in the Japanese fashion. "Are you Hisa, the shrine maiden of Hinomura?"

    "Oh cool! Real Samurai!" Valerian seems excited as he runs over to the Samurai. There's also a distinct lack of respecting his personal space, as the juicer leans in to inspect the armor and nods his head a couple times. He actually got there... supernaturally fast, all things told, one moment being a few yards away and the next being just right there to inspect the armor and katana as the warrior sits in his chair. 

    "Is it ancestral? I know sometimes the armor is handed down as party of a legacy. Same with the swords. Do you have a Wakizashi too or just the katana? Was the sword made by someone famous? Is it a Masamuna blade?" He leans in and asks more quietly, "Or a Muramasa blade? I won't judge." 

    Valerian leans back and grins, adjusting the massive bundle strung over his back and held by a strap in one of his hands as he fires off his questions.

    White and Red. A classic.

    A human woman, accompanied by a foot-tall 'sprite' approach, both sporting red accented white robes and bodysuit respectively. The human's hood is up, obscuring her face in impossibly inky shadows, while the 'sprite' has a helmet with its visor locked down over the eyes. Crunching through the snow in heavy boots, the Assassin approaches the litter and the conversing maidens, stopping a respectful distance away and remaining quiet as Bryllu already asked the pertinent question.

    She makes a soft clicking sound with her tongue, and the Sprite spreads the wing-pylons of her jetpack and lofts higher in the air, simultaneously summoning a bident with gleaming knife-sized blades.

    "Piera Forta, della Confraternita degli Assassini al tuo servizio." she says, dipping her head. (Piera Forta, of the Assassin Brotherhood at your service.)

    At first glance, there's another human here, fidgeting and nervous. Then... the cat ears twitch atop her head. Jessica is dressed unlike the natives, so already stands out anyway, in her combat fatigues and with a light vest of armor on it, carrying her sidearm. She is, of course, here as a Blacksteel Mercenary, not as a tourist.

    Nevertheless, the feline is moving steadily closer, trying to determine who she should ask for more information about this. Despite being armed, her nervous and skittish demeanor doesn't make it look like she's suited for combat right now.

    [This mission seems... Trivial. Your skills are wasted here. Local bandits are beneath a bounty hunter of your caliber.] ADAM drones as Samus Aran's gunship pulls in through a nearby vine.
    "It's not always about the reward." The Hunter replies in a mild tone as the purple plated starship touches down outside of Hinomura.
    The six foot tall figure in dark purple and red armor that emerges from the ship starts making her way through the village towards the gathering group, keeping to a steady stride without much urgency for the time being. She carries herself with the discipline of a soldier- or at least someone who has seen a lot of battle, as she approaches the samurai, shrine maiden, and-
    "Railton. Get out of the man's personal space." She says calmly to the excited Juicer, before she turns to the others.
    "I'm looking for Hina."

    The sight of Bryllu draws the samurai's attention first, arching an eyebrow with vague interest at the familiar style of armor on a completely unfamiliar style of person He looks like he's about to say something, but then there is Valerian. As the juicer dashes up to the swordsman, the man turns to look at him in annoyance - and then stands up out of his chair in vague alarm, stepping back a pace or two and moving his hands near the blade at his side. "Tch... are all offworlders this rude? Damn near took your head off." Samus has the bulk of his attention after that, however, a look of intense scrutiny appearing on his face. And then, the barest nod.

    "You have indeed found her," the shrine maiden replies warmly to Samus and Bryllu both. She offers a polite bow to all, and a smile to Bryllu in particular, stepping away from the attendants and whoever they're attending to in the box. There is a gentle gesture of beckoning towards Jessica, urging the feline girl nearer, and then she continues, "It pleases me to see so many of you responding to my request. I've asked you all here to assist Lord Enrou in locating and eradicating a group of bandits that's taken up residence somewhere north of here. They're-"

    "They're riffraff," the samurai cuts across, irritated. "Still don't know why you made me wait, it's your backsides on the line. I'm plenty for this." Hisa merely wears an exasperated expression, and continues, "There are rumors that the bandits may be ronin from a province further north, not simple villagers gone rogue; if that's the case, then having other strong warriors to back him up would be wise." She smiles up at Piera's shinki, then adds, "And Lady Piera's familiar there can likely shorten the search quite a bit."

    With a last grunt, Enrou turns towards the north, and says, "You've given them the briefing. Let's get moving." And he just... starts walking northwards, one arm resting on his katana's sheath. Hisa lets out a little sigh, then turns to the attendants and says, "Perhaps wait a few minutes before following after with the Phoenix Maiden. Just in case." They nod, and shift into position to lift up the norimono, but don't take it up yet. To the rest of them, the shrine maiden bows slightly. "I suppose you'd all better go. I can have hot drinks waiting for you all when you return."

    Aquila starts humming a tune, her words carrying down from her overwatch perch. "... riff-raff, street rat..."

    Piera gives another nod to Hisa, and then sets off after the Samurai. "Triumphant pride precipitates a dizzying fall, Master Samurai. Caution and prudence are watchwords of the Brotherhood. May I suggest you take them into account, at your convenience of course." she sides to the samurai as she catches up, her hands remaining hidden in her robes, revealing nothing of her equipment to the casual observer.

    Aquila maintains position above Piera, her visor scanning for heat signatures, which should be easy in the cold environment. The Shinki does extend a 'handshake' to Bryllu, offering to share sensor data.

    Valerian laughs a bit at Enrou when he says he almost took his head off, "I think if you tried, it would be a lot of fun." He rocks on the balls of his feet, "And no, not all of them are like me. I just happen to be a huge fan of Japanese culture. Their civilization before the Rifts came was really something." He claps his hands together and tilts his head with an even bigger smile, "You never did answer my question, though. Questions. Plural. About the armor and sword." 

    "It's fiiiiiiiiiiine!" Valerian calls back to Samus as she scolds him about fawning over the Samurai in his own weird way. A gloved hand waves back at the armored woman before he starts wandering off almost immediately after the Samurai. He seems content to put up with the bristly nature as he keeps wandering after the bearded man. 

    "Hey. Hey guy. What sword style do you use?"

"Sir, if you don't our help I'd be glad to stay out of your hair and get paid for doing nothing. If you need our help, we'll be right there to assist." Bryllu bows to the samurai, "I am Bryllu Zibhu, fourteen hundred and fifty seventh of my line." She straightens, and accepts Aquila's handshake, sharing her own. She's already got infrared active and as soon as they set out, she's going to incorporate radar, sonar and ground vibration data. "Valerian Railton. If you do not stop harassing him, I will cease any efforts to figure out how to get an organic body." All of her zero effort.

    The Hunter's helmet dips in a slow nod back to Enrou before her attention turns to the miko, green visor staring intently as she listens.
    Bandits. Riffraff according to Enrou, but possible ronin samurai. Simple enough.
    Hopefully.
    The Hunter nods again to Hisa and turns to follow the others, opting to not comment on whether or not the local samurai might need the help. She's just here to make sure he doesn't die.

    Jessica smiles nervously, but has some solid advice. "Yes, um, even if you can handle it yourself, sir, it's probably better to make sure. Just in case! And you don't want any to escape, do you?" Biting her lip, ear twitching, she shuffles from one foot to the other...

    And her own comment reminds her to ask, "Oh ah... did you want them captured alive or um, are we allowed to use lethal force? The contract didn't say and I'm not good at subduing, but I guess I could cover anyone else..."

    As they start crunching through the snow, Enrou squints at Piera for a moment, then grunts. "I've been dealing with bandits about as long as you've been alive. Every time there's ever rumors that they 'might be ronin', it's some terrified villager making a mountain out of one outlaw with a beat-up old katana or a bow or something. You're all going to be awfully bored at the end of all this." He just keeps plodding ahead. "Does your familiar up there see anything? We can at least get this over with quick."

    Aquila does indeed see something - while the smallish canyon to the northeast makes it difficult to see the heat signatures of people, she can track the wispy, thin streamer of smoke curling up into the sky. They're cautious enough to keep their fire small, whoever they are, but for an aerial spotter, that's already too much.

    "You're right, I didn't," Enrou replies to Valerian brusquely. And... says no more than that. Well, not at first, anyway. But asking him about his sword style seems to touch on a note of pride. "Ouji New Shadow Style. I'm one of Master Ouji's best students." He glances over at Bryllu briefly, then snorts, the first sign of amusement he's shown so far. "...That's the idea. No need to get you all involved. That shrine maiden's damn hard to talk down, though."

    It's Jessica who tugs his attention next; his response is simple, and brusque. "Swing to kill. They will. If any of them get away, don't bother chasing. Let them flee north to the next province up, it's their problem. But they're murderers and thieves. They don't deserve any-"

    There's a cracking noise. A telltale twinge of magic, if anyone has the sense for it. A slim crescent of white-green light whips from the trees, right across Enrou's thigh, slicing through the armor and opening a cut on the leg beneath. At the same time, a pair of arrows fly out of the treeline straight at Aquila, the archers emerging from snow-covered hiding places. A trio of men in battered samurai armor emerge from similar spots, lunging up into a charge at the party.

    Enrou swears, drawing his blade and taking a stance despite his wound. "Dammit, never gonna hear the end of this. Defend yourselves!"

    Aquila reports the smoke from the fire, but is suddenly facing down incoming arrows. She jukes and swipes her Bident down across the shafts as they pass by, severing them and bleeding off their momentum, before turning the long staff downwards, and yelling something about jaffa cakes, before firing a charged bolt of yellow light back down at one of the archers.

    "Her name is Aquila, and she is not my familiar, but my partner." retorts Piera, before the sudden magic snaps her attention up at the ambush. She doesn't say anything as the Samurai starts eating his own words, instead she shrugs her cape aside, and with a shift of posture flings a trio of knives at the approaching melee fighters while drawing a short blade in her off hand in the same motion. "Come then and face me. Who wishes to die first to my blades?" she asks, grinning as she adopts a reverse grip on the blade and circles out from Enrou to give the Samurai more spacing.

    "It's fine! He's telling me about his sword style," Valerian calls back to Bryllu before letting out an audible 'oooh' noise, "Ouji New Shadow Style. That sounds pretty good~." 

    But then they're under attack. And Valerian has to actually react! 

    "Hey! I was having a conversation." Valerian's face twists into a frowning scowl as he reaches up to the bundle on his back and tugs it. A handle is exposed and he grips it before twisting his wrist a bit. All of the cloth around the package on his back is shredded as the WI-C8 Close Combat Weapon System (also called the Juicer Chainsaw) spins to life and the blades shred through the fabric. 

    "Rude people!" 

    Valerian dashes towards the charging Samurai with superhuman speed, aiming a horizontal chop right at the midsection of one of them with the massive blade of his chainsaw weapon, trying to bisect him right at the stomach.

"You're bothering the man who doesn't even want us here." Bryllu answers Valerian, but when the bandits finally make it here and the samurai tells her to defend herself, all four of her katana are drawn and she rushes forward to the charging ronin. Naginata moving to block attacks while the swords reach out to stab.

It's obvious to anyone who knows anything she doesn't actually know how to use swords, but raw strength and speed combined with having a bunch of weapons instead of just one manage to be a decent substitute.

    Jessica is mostly quiet, just... fussing along and with her ears twitching. Although some might note those ears are turning and alert toward every sound. She's looking awkwardly embarrassed by Valerian's antics, giving a timid apologetic smile every time she gets a dirty look.

    All that changes when the arrows start flying. Oh, that's not to say Jessica is suddenly a mountain of stability and confidence! No no, she shrieks and suddenly dives for cover, tail lashing as she hides! Which, at first, might seem like she's ill-suited to be a mercenary. But once behind cover she quickly scans the area and sees some are engaging the samurai, and there's a distinct lack of ranged support to handle the archers. If they're close enough, she draws a bead and fires the pistol, the odd *SNAP* of an originium firearm sending a bullet plowing through any soft cover. But if they're too far away she limits it to that one bullet, so she can dart to another spot behind cover that's closer.

    'Swing to kill' Enrou says in regards to the bandits as the party moves along.
    Samus Aran is no stranger to taking a life, but the Hunter says nothing as the group progresses. Magic- actual real magic- is not something she is used to, but she can tell when an issue arises, as the samurai's leg takes a cut and arrows start tp fly.
    The Gravity Suit is a testament to the armaments of the mysterious and enigmatic Chozo people; arrows bouncing off the suit's armored plating without even so much as scuffing it in the least as the bounty hunter switches visors to thermal scanners, immediately picking out the signatures of human body heat through the winter cold.
    Samus raises her arm cannon far too casually, without so much as a word.
    With a whirr and a click, the barrel spreads apart, a single missile loading visibly into place in the mouth of the cannon.
    Before it launches, whizzing through the air with a rocket-shriek as she aims dead-center for one of the archers center of mass.
    On impact the ice missile will explode with stunning force before flash freezing everything around it, intending to mercifully subdue the man with sheer cold.
    No banter. No one-liner. No commentary. Just quick and efficiant subdual.

    The archers hadn't expected their target to shoot back. Both of them move to dodge, but it's too late. The blast hits home, catching the woman in her shoulder; she's not out of the fight, but she's sure not going to be using that bow again. The other is still fine and well; and lifting up his bow to return fire, in fact, this time unleashing a volley of arrows. Meanwhile, Piera offers challenge, and one of the samurai accepts, turning to charge towards her with his katana in hand - he's not great, but he's at least had some training, enough so to deflect a thrown knife. He responds by lunging in with a quick stab that he turns into an upward slash with a shift of his hips.

    Valerian surprises his target with the burst of inhuman speed, but it's a testament to his skill that he manages to get his guard up at all... and survive the strike, for that matter. In the moment Valerian's chainsaw makes contact, there's a flicker of bluish-white, firelike energy. Instead of being bisected, the man and his sword are slammed back with the force of it, smashing into a tree and sliding down, dazed. He still manages to get up, but he's unsteady on his feet.

    Bryllu, likewise, finds a surprisingly hard target in her opponent, a woman who begins to move just barely fast enough to keep up with the onslaught. She's completely on the defensive, finding no window with which to counterattack, but the thin wisps and flickers of that blue-white haze tell the tale of her being able to keep up.

    While she's holding Bryllu's assault off, another archer is taking up aim at the six-armed transhuman samurai. The arrow is nocked, drawn back - and then a bullet from Jessica's offworld weapon pierces the archer's side, taking him out of the fight pretty solidly. The archer wounded by Aquila's laser shot comes charging out of the treeline, katana in her one good hand, towards the sound of Jessica's firearm, but Samus Aran has a projectile solution to that problem, encasing that particular bandit in ice.

    From somewhere else in the treeline, more of those wind-cutters come hurtling out, but this time Enrou is ready for them. His blade dances, deflecting the magical attacks, and he grunts, "That damn onmyouji, hanging out of-" Before he can finish the sentence, a woman with a spear lunges out of cover and straight at the samurai, immediately putting him on the backfoot. And unlike the others, her spearwork is more than just trained - it's skilled. The air around them fills with the sound of ringing steel.

    Aquila gets put into Evade mode, cutting her jetpack as those arrows come in, dropping out of their arc before relighting and diving down at the archer with an eagle-like shriek as she pushes her jets to the redlines. The Bident snaps closed into a single, twinbladed point, as the Shinki drops like a rocket-propelled arrow at the archer, aiming for a weakpoint in their armour.

    Piera's opponent lunges, and finds nothing but air as the Assassin steps around, and brings her blade in around his back, aiming to stab it into a shoulder to reduce her opponents reach by removing an arm from play... though one of those 'wind cutters' comes a bit too close, slicing off the top of her hood and causing it to fall away from her face, revealing tanned skin, and raven black hair.

    Unlike the Samurai, Valerian doesn't really have a sense of honor about the idea of a battle. And once that samurai is flung backwards and unsteadily stands up, Valerian immediately pivots in his footing. 

    Because more than actually complete the mission, at the moment, Valerian wants to make sure that really cool Samurai Guy with the neat-sounding sword style and the armor stays alive, "Keep laying down cover fire! We have a spellcaster in the treeline!" He shouts to the ranged support of Samus and Jessica, his persona immediately switching over to being an actual mercenary. 

    And then he is... leaving that that previous samurai alone, not bothering to follow up with the man that he knocked back. Instead, he leaps and lunges, trying to pincer attack the woman focusing on the samurai lord and impale her from behind with a powerful thrust of his chainsaw weapon while she is occupied with the samurai.

Bryllu just keeps pushing, increasing her speed and allowing her movements to be erratic, slashing at wildly different parts of her opponents body at the same time to try to make it impossible for the woman to defend herself entirely. "I'm sorry, I wish I had the skill to respect yours, but all I have is my superior body and I cannot give you the opposition you deserve, but neither can I back down."

    Jessica doesn't like to waste ammo with 'covering fire' considering how expensive her brand of ammunition is, but she doesn't have to do it much. "All right! I'll try to find the Caster!" She picked up on that context pretty quick... and despite her own lack of oripathy, she's well used to dealing with the bizarre powers that those who have it are given. Snapping off a few more shots at the archers, Jessica then pauses, trying to scan the area.

    Her purpose, of course, is to find the spellcaster. She might not be in range for her sidearm, but as soon as she has a good idea she lays down a few shots before darting forward, pausing only to call out a quick, "THANKS!" to Samus for snagging the one headed her way.

    With the archer frozen Samus' attention shifts.
    She shoots Jessica a thumbs up.
    Valerian points out the spell caster hiding somewhere in the trees. The Hunter turns her gaze towards the very trees where those windcutters are coming from.
    And she picks out a heat signature while the cat-mercenary snaps off several suppressing shots.
    There's just a beat's pause as Samus sets her footing, boots shifting in the snow into a runner's brace, before she takes off at a sprint.
    Then the thrusters on the back of her power armor kick to life.
    After a short running start... Her speed picks up. Faster. Faster. She blazes between trees, swerving amid the oncoming magic at top speed before she... Skids to a halt right in front of that onmyouji.
    With a click, another ice missile is loaded into the Hunter's arm cannon as she brings it to bear and fires.

    The archer aiming for Aquila reacts too late to the sudden dive. It's apparently not a tactic familiars of this world generally use. He tries to bring up another shot with his bow, but it's too late for that. He tries to dive out of the way, but he waited too long to do it; the bident finds a home in his side, where there is little armor. If the shinki knows the sound of catching something important in her stabs, she has definitely done so - he utters a groan of pain, tries to stagger away, and immediately collapses. Piera's dancelike grace, likewise, surprises her opponent, and her attack finds its home in his shoulder. He lets out a pained growl, shifts his katana to a one-handed grip, and whips around to try and continue the fight with a single-armed style. It's... not likely to work.

    Enrou is deep into it, his leg wound making it difficult to regain his momentum against the spearwoman. "Tch. What the hell's a ronin doing resorting to common banditry?!" A sour look crosses the spearwoman's face, and she presses her attack with a mocking reply of, "'Heat Haze' Enrou, getting old enough to need help with bandits-" - only to have Valerian surprise her from behind. Her instincts turn out to be good; she manages to shift her body at the last second, turning the impalement into a slash across her side, wounding but not putting her out of the fight...

    "REPPU!"

    Until Enrou takes the split-second window to quickly drop his blade into its sheath, and then draw it again with a yell and a flare of that blue-white spirit fire. It creates a huge slash wave, splitting her spear apart and putting a deep wound across her chest in the process.

    The swordswoman squaring off with Bryllu just keeps parrying, blocking as fast as she can, her face a mask of concentration, and then effort, and finally a creeping despair as she realizes she's not going to be able to block it all. One slash nicks her. Another. A third. There is a fleeting moment where her expression seems to turn to resignation - and then Bryllu's next strike lands right in the center of mass.

    A few more of those wind cutters hurtle in, but then they cease. Samus can see the spellcaster stopped in his tracks, going through the workings of some complex spell. He doesn't have nearly the time he needs to finish it, though. There is very suddenly a huge armored warrior in front of him. He lets out a startled yelp, and then an ice missile freezes him over entirely. The spell dissipates harmlessly.

    There is utter silence, only Piera's opponent still standing. He stumbles back a step or two, seeming to realize just how badly outmatched he is. And then turns to flee northwards, back towards the camp from which the hazy trail of smoke could be seen.

    Enrou doesn't seem inclined to let him go, already fishing around at his belt for what turns out to be a pull-cord flare. It sends a bright red flare up above the trees, and then he plops down on a nearby stump with a grunt of pain.

    The archer aiming for Aquila reacts too late to the sudden dive. It's apparently not a tactic familiars of this world generally use. He tries to bring up another shot with his bow, but it's too late for that. He tries to dive out of the way, but he waited too long to do it; the bident finds a home in his side, where there is little armor. If the shinki knows the sound of catching something important in her stabs, she has definitely done so - he utters a groan of pain, tries to stagger away, and immediately collapses. Piera's dancelike grace, likewise, surprises her opponent, and her attack finds its home in his shoulder. He lets out a pained growl, shifts his katana to a one-handed grip, and whips around to try and continue the fight with a single-armed style. It's... not likely to work.

    Enrou is deep into it, his leg wound making it difficult to regain his momentum against the spearwoman. "Tch. What the hell's a ronin doing resorting to common banditry?!" A sour look crosses the spearwoman's face, and she presses her attack with a mocking reply of, "'Heat Haze' Enrou, getting old enough to need help with bandits-" - only to have Valerian surprise her from behind. Her instincts turn out to be good; she manages to shift her body at the last second, turning the impalement into a slash across her side, wounding but not putting her out of the fight...

    "REPPU!"

    Until Enrou takes the split-second window to quickly drop his blade into its sheath, and then draw it again with a yell and a flare of that blue-white spirit fire. It creates a huge slash wave, splitting her spear apart and putting a deep wound across her chest in the process.

    The swordswoman squaring off with Bryllu just keeps parrying, blocking as fast as she can, her face a mask of concentration, and then effort, and finally a creeping despair as she realizes she's not going to be able to block it all. One slash nicks her. Another. A third. There is a fleeting moment where her expression seems to turn to resignation - and then Bryllu's next strike lands right in the center of mass.

    A few more of those wind cutters hurtle in, but then they cease. Samus can see the spellcaster stopped in his tracks, going through the workings of some complex spell. He doesn't have nearly the time he needs to finish it, though. There is very suddenly a huge armored warrior in front of him. He lets out a startled yelp, and then an ice missile freezes him over entirely. The spell dissipates harmlessly.

    There is utter silence, only Piera's opponent still standing. He stumbles back a step or two, seeming to realize just how badly outmatched he is. And then turns to flee northwards, back towards the camp from which the hazy trail of smoke could be seen.

    Enrou seems inclined to let him go, already fishing around at his belt for what turns out to be a pull-cord flare. It sends a bright red flare up above the trees, and then he plops down on a nearby stump with a grunt of pain.

After her victory, Bryllu bows to the remnants of the woman she was fighting. Then she whips her blades in the air to get most of the blood off and sheathes them once again, turning towards Enrou. "Sir, do you need assistance?" She asks calmly, not bothering to put effort into chasing the last, trusting Enrou's judgment on the matter.

    With the battle winding down, Valerian seems to not be all that inclined to pursue after the last fleeing member of the bandits that attacked, "It'll be easier if he goes back and warns them." 

    The Juicer states this as his chainsaw slowly winds to a stop after the power is turned off and he stabs the weapon into the ground, leaning on it in a relaxed manner, "He'll go back, warn them, they'll rally everyone there, and then we can clean it up. It's a harder fight up front, but it's less of a logistical pain than trying to track any remnants that might reform." 

    He reaches into a pocket on his apron and pulls out a pack of stimsticks, putting one in his mouth and lighting it before exhaling some smoke.

    Aquila is versed in knowing when her strikes are fatal. She pushes off of the archer, jetting back away from him as he stumbles and collapses. "Requiescat en pace." she offers, before returning to the rest of the fight, though it's largely over by the time she returns.

    Piera grins at her opponent, sheathing her short blade as he goes into a one-handed stance. She brings up her empty hands, mockingly taking on a boxers stance, before he takes the hint and turns to flee. She looks around at the others while Aquila lands on her shoulder. "I liked this robe too..." she grouses, regrouping as she fusses with the broken hood, seemingly content to allow 'her' quarry to escape.

    Jessica doesn't chase after, not wishing to waste ammunition. She flattens her ears, panting quietly before holstering her weapon and straightening up. "They got away..." She sounds pouty, but it seems like she didn't actually... expect they'd get away.

    There are more important matters to attend to now, though. Enrou is wounded, for one, so she moves over to check on him. "Do you think they'll be back before we can get out of here? Can you walk?"

    With the caster subdued Samus gingerly hoists the frozen onmyouji up with one arm and returns to regroup with the others.
    Before she casually sets the frozen spellslinger down in front of Enrou.
    "Where do you want this?"

    When Bryllu checks up on him, Enrou waves a hand breezily. "I'll be fine, soon as the Phoenix girl gets here." There's noticeably less annoyance in his voice than before. That trend continues when he replies to Valerian, "We took down three trained swordsmen, three trained archers, an onmyouji and a woman with spear skills good enough to open her own school. If they're smart, they're running for the hills. But we'll check anyway." There's a brief pause, a side glance, and then, "...the ancestral armor's for special occasions. This was commissioned for general use. Sword's from one of the swordsmiths of Fuutetsu, not sure who. Don't think I've ever heard the names you mentioned." He regards the frozen spellcaster with distaste, then replies to Samus, "Do whatever you like, I don't care. He'll be executed anyway if we take him in."

    The older samurai glances at Jessica, then shakes his head. "I'll be fine, soon as-" There's a crunching sound of snow, the four attendants from before finally approaching within earshot. They're carrying the firebird norimono, and they haul it dutifully right up past Piera, one of them giving a faint nod to the Assassin. The conveyance is carried right up near to the stump Enrou sits on; one of the attendants rolls out a silken carpet before the door, then slides it open.

    The girl that slides out could very nearly be called a 'waif'. Clad in a more formal version of the shrine maiden outfit, her light brown hair frames a haggard face with pink-red eyes, and when she moves to stand, she does so with one of the attendants' assistance, and the support of a cane in her right hand. Her left hand is completely wrapped in bandages, extending up under the sleeve. She takes a step or two forward, a slight limp in her right leg, and then looks Enrou over for a moment.

    Then she turns and looks around at everyone else. "Any other wounds?" Her voice is soft, a touch curt.

"This body took some damage in the struggle, miss, but it's nothing serious and the body itself is temporary and will be reduced to raw materials when I construct my next one, so please save your energy." Bryllu bows and does not look injured herself, only some chips on the naginata and perhaps the sheathed katana. She next addresses Valerian, "Hey. Uh. Two questions. First, do you know why the artist I asked to design this artwork isn't responding to me anymore? I had some ideas for other things I was hoping she could help me with. Second, can you help me get better at fighting. My people... violence is not something we have done for a period of time I shall summarize as untold aeons."

    Piera returns the nod to the attendant, but frowns as the 'Phoenix Girl' appears. The pair of Assassins look at one another, but don't speak as yet, instead simply moving closer to Samus and the frozen mage. "I could extract some information from him... if he is still alive in that state, at least." offers Piera, stepping forward and flicking out one of her Hidden Blades, glancing from the Onmyouji to Samus, to Enrou, to the waifish girl and her attendants.

    Jessica shakes her head, "Just bruises and fatigue," she replies to the girl. She nods to Enrou though, and offers him a candy bar. "Here, it will help for a little while." That's true, right? A little sugar rush is probably good for the wound until he can get some real rest, healed or not.

    "You look tired, too," she points out to the newly-arrived girl.

    "Oh neat. I didn't know the ancestral armor is for special occasions only. Fuutetsu sword. I see, I see. It's clearly well made if it stood up to her spear. It's cool not to know the names I mentioned, they don't show up on every world." He holds out the pack of stimsticks to Enrou, "You smoke, man? It's a stim. Should help you on your feet." Grabbing one of the cigarette-like objects and lighting it puts a rush of stimulants in his system, not unlike a Runner's High. 

    Valerian taps the ash from the tip of his, "No wounds here." He says to the tiny girl who heals people, "I don't wanna put you out, anyway." 

    And then he turns towards Bryllu when she approaches him, taking another drag from his smoke, "They're probably busy with other work. Try offering them more money for the job. Easiest way to get anyone who does work for hire to pay attention is offer them more money for the same work they'd be doin anyway." 

    "Better at fighting? Yeah, probably. You sure you want that, though?" He asks her honestly, "The problem with getting good at fighting is more people wanna fight you. I hope you understand that," He says as he leans on his chainsaw a bit, "You've used tools up until now, and a tool is at its best when it's doing something. Paradoxically, a sword is best in its sheath. You know what I mean?" 

    "I'll teach ya if you want, though. Sure. I just want you to be certain it's a path you want to go down."

    Samus will opt to leave the bandit's fate to the local authorities.
    "He'll live." She asides to Piera in regards to the frozen caster. He probably won't be very happy when he thaws, but he'll live.
    But then her attention turns to the attendants and the norimono.
    Whoever's inside must be important if they're getting the silk carpet treatment.
    The Hunter says nothing as the sickly looking girl emerges, at first, regarding her with a silent curiosity. Before she rests her left hand on her chest and dips into a slow, and slight bow.
    "Fine here."

    "R... right," the girl replies to Bryllu. The look in her eyes screams 'I have no idea what you just said,' but she accepts it gracefully. Her eyes pass over Piera briefly, seemingly unconcerned by the insinuation of knifepoint interrogation; then to Jessica, whom she looks over more critically. Just bruises? Not an issue, then. She cants her head at the feline girl's observation, then replies, "That's normal for me."

    Enrou eyes the cigarette dubiously, then shakes his head. "Pass." He does pat his katana's sheath lightly, though. "It carries my ki well. All you can ask for in a sword."

    No one else seems injured, so she steps forward with the assistance of her cane, bends over a little near Enrou, and holds out her left hand. Little flickers of flame dance along her fingertips, and then a small wave of it washes over Enrou's thigh. It's peculiar; the sound is soft, the warmth and light are not harsh. If any flames could be called 'gentle', these are them. And rather than any sound of pain, the older samurai looks relieved. As well he should, for the wound is closing up steadily.

    At the same time, however, there's a small wince on the young healer's face, and the faint smell of burning flesh wafts into the air. But whatever effect it's having, she bears with it until the wound is gone, and then straightens up. There's a steadying breath, and then she turns to look at the rest of the group...

    "...thanks."

    One of the attendants gently hisses a chastizing, "Lady Matsu." The girl looks like she's swallowed something distasteful.

    "...I wish to convey my deepest gratitude for your service. I am Shuzenji-no-Matsu, Phoenix Maiden and head of the Shuzenji Clan. Hinomura is the village of my birth, so please allow me to give thanks to the brave warriors before me." She pauses, during which the attendant looks satisfied.

    Then she adds, "...by holding a feast in your honor at the Shuzenji estate." The attendant's face transforms to 'oh crap' in an instant.

"There's a pause as Bryllu processes what Valerian just said. She puts one hand on her face, and sighs deeply. "... right. Money. I'm an idiot." The synthetic human doesn't elaborate, beyond that, "I've been doing a lot of fighting. I need to gather the resources to repair my ship and ... well, what I actually studied to do is useless out here, but I can make bodies well suited to fighting, so that's what I've been doing. I know, though, that sooner or later I will get in a fight where raw power will not be enough, and I'll either die or have to rely on skills I do not have." The announcement of a feast gets her attention, "I would be glad to attend, lady Matsu, but I would request that you do not burden your attendants to provide food for me."

    "If that's how you feel, I can give you some combat tips and pointers in a fight. For as much as I can, since most of my advice will be from an organic perspective and you can do things with range of motion that I can't." He confesses to her before looking towards Matsu and smelling the air rapidly. 

    He asks what is probably a too-blunt question, "Does your own power burn you? I know what burning flesh smells like. I've smelled it enough times." He asks her before his face turns serious, "Never heal me. Ever. Not if it hurts you. I can just regenerate it later." But that's all he really says about her powers before he gives a polite bow, "I would also be honored to have a feast at your manor."

    "Well, if he's going to die regardless." remarks Piera, waiting for the ice to melt a little, before unceremoniously plunging her Hidden Blade into the Onmyouji's throat. She goes still, almost like a statue, for a heartbeat, before she lays the limp body down, brushes her fingers over his eyes to close the lids and murmurs softly. "May you find peace in the next world. Requiescat en pace." She then wipes the stained blade off, retracts it and turns to Matsu, as if nothing happened. "Lady Matsu, Lord Enrou. This group were indeed disgraced samurai, from a southern province.. I know not the name in your tongue, though the leader was the woman with the speak. Yamakawa Kasumi. She was stripped of her honour and banished for disloyalty... she fled, and these others followed her. You did well to wait for assistance," she says this to the Samurai. "They would have killed you, and moved on before the local lord could send in an actual team to finish them off."

    She relates this all like she just had a pleasant conversation with the fallen mage, not just brutally murdered him. "As for the invitation, Lady Matsu. I would be honoured." She sweeps an arm out to the side, steps half a step back, and dips in a flourished bow.

    "Ah..." Jessica can see this is some friction here, but she also has to appreciate it. She considers what to say, then give a nod of her head, "I would be delighted." Her normal nerves seem to have calmed a little now that battle is over and it's in the recovery stage, leading to a tail-swaying catgirl who just seems pleased to be here, despite all the blood ealrier. She knew what she was getting into... after all, she knows what kinds of missions Piera does. The rest are new but she can guess.

    Then she looks down. "I'll wear something nicer, though."

    Samus doesn't flinch as Piera finished the job on the Onmyouji. She doesn't comment, either.
    Her focus is on the girl and the Samurai as Matsu heals Enrou... But at a cost. To see the flinch form upon the girl's face makes the hardened bounty hunter tense visibly even in her power armor.
    But then it is over and the girl displays an impressive level of fortitude in spite of the pain that had seemingly caused her.
    And then comes the invitation.
    "... I..." Samus pauses, considering for a moment before committing. "Accept."

    For a second time, Bryllu gets a baffled look from Matsu. "...if that is your desire." Then Valerian says something that has her eyes wide with shock. He's just casually cut right to the heart of her current state with a casual question, and then followed up by insisting that she never, ever heal him. For a few seconds, he receives a hard stare, harder than a girl her age ought to be able to give. But then she replies with a soft, "...fine."

    It's probably telling that she has no reaction whatsoever to the Assassin's execution. Not even a flinch. She just watches for a moment, then looks to Enrou, who nods faintly and crosses his arms. "...Yamakawa's Dancing Spear, huh. To think I'd finally get to see her spearwork in a shithole like this." He shakes his head regretfully, moving to stand up. "She made her choices. I'll have to write a letter to the Yamakawa clan and tell them where she ended up. Come on, we gotta clear that camp."

    Matsu turns and starts to hobble her way back towards the norimono, one attendant dutifully moving to assist. She does stop to glance Jessica and Samus' way, giving the both of them a faint nod. "I'll have an attendant make arrangements and send out invitations. Please leave-" There's a little hiss of pain as she moves to sit down, but she pushes past it quickly. "-please leave contact information. If any of you are further injured, I will be waiting."

    But there will be no more injuries this day. As Enrou expected, they arrive to find the bandits' canyon camp deserted, only the smoldering remains of a fire present. That, and the food, furs, and other supplies they'd looted, plus a few valuable trinkets. With no way to tell precisely where they got any of it or what it was intended for, Enrou will recommend just foisting the supplies off on Hinomura. Hisa will be quite pleased with this.

Bryllu thinks for a moment how to explain things. "Lady Matsu. My ancestors left the trappings of flesh behind. My body is cheap artifice and can be reforged like a tool made of low grade ores. It does not require sustenance, sleep, or any such frailties of the flesh. And so I have not the means by which to enjoy food."

    Matsu finally seems to grasp the explanation... somewhat. "A... a puppet body? I see. I will have to ask more at the feast." She pulls her other foot up, giving Bryllu a last, small nod before the norimono is closed and the carpet rolled up. She'll be a ways behind the rest of the group the entire time, at least until everyone returns to Hinomura.