Free City, Truce - Fountain
A tiered fountain marks the center of Truce, water gushing from its
summit and trickling into a deep, wide basin, wrapped by a ring of benches.
Roads flow like rivers away from the fountain, and houses sprout like weeds
all around them. Not far to the east, the ocean roars in the harbor.
You push the Drop button. Effective?

The overly-warm, summery late-afternoon of Truce has people out of their houses and chattering in the streets with one another, going about their social lives as the weather allows them to do so. Longer hours of daylight means longer hours of fraternizing, of course! However...

This all comes to a screeching halt as something large, gray and scaley comes charging into the center of town from the western boulevarde, literally tripping over and smashing through the fountain in its haste; water, marble, and fluorescent purple blood spray everyone from impact, and it can be seen this this strange, rather menacing east seems to be missing not one, but both its arms - ripped, torn, or lost somehow at the shoulders!

Despite these grievous injuries it has somehow sustained, it only allows itself to be impeded by the fountain's collision for a moment or three, before staggering off in a blind run toward the eastern docks, dripping foul blood along the cobblestones in its wake!

Crossroads had been at home playing with Sir Barkington when she took notice of her flashing gem. She let go of the Kyuubey plushie the cerberus pup was trying to tug from her grasp, letting him win this round and shake some of the stuffing out of it. She transformed immediately upon stepping out the door, Barkington deciding to follow a moment after only to find it close in his face. No matter, he would keep chewing on his chew toy till she got back. It wasn't long until Crossroads crossed paths with fleeing citizens and heard the screams coming southward from the fountain.

Among the freaked-out population comes a sudden gust of wind, also blowing in from the west, and arriving upon this brief gale soars a white-winged, tatter-clothed young woman, shreds of black and white dress apparel fluttering in the created breeze. Several fleeing citizens stumble back against a nearby building as this wind pushes them away from the centrum where this woman lands, a few feet from the (temporarily) ruined fountain. A shining glow emanates from a jewelled clasp at her neckline, only part of her attire that doesn't look to be in shambles. A shallow cut is seen on one shoulder, bleeding lightly, but not seriously; she glares furtively toward the east, where the creature fled, wings ruffling over in added menace.

Crossroads arrived at the fountain just as the last of the people cleared the area leaving only her and Mollianne. She looked at the small siren with surprise, her mouth falling open a little bit, "M-Molly?" She had no idea why the little siren was here but that would have to wait until the yoma was defeated. The purple trail of blood from its wounds seemed to indicate that he was heading east towards the docks. From there where did it plan to run? There wasn't anywhere to go save for the ocean.

Crossroads had to do her best take care of it before that. She nodded to Mollianne and held her hand up into the air, summoning forth her bow and taking off eastward.

Mollianne watches for a moment, frowning at nothing in particular as Cross left first, but she followed quickly behind without sawying anything, keeping to the ground for the case of the docks not being too far away. Her razor-taloned avian feet scratched and raked the ground as she hustled after Crossroads, tucking her enormous wingspan against her back to lower the drag.

Indeed, the Yoma would not have anywhere to go this time, as it rapidly came upon a lack of room to run to; that is, unless it planned on going swimming, but who does that with no arms? Not this guy. He comes to a dock-board-clattering halt as realization sinks in that he's trapped himself, and this entices him to roar loudly and furiously into the air, waving his bloody stumps in a fit of rage that accomplishes very little. Dockworkers nearby escape into the ticket office or climb down onto waiting boats to escape this creature's wrath, some even going as far as to crawl under the pier itself. Horrendously-sharp teeth are seen gnashing together as it attempts to lash out at one of the escaping men, succeeding only in knocking him overboard and into the water below, where he quickly surfaces and frantically swims away!

Crossroads drew an arrow from the quiver at her back and stopped when she realized that the yoma wasn't going to make a break for the water. It was better to maintain her distance at this point and have a place to run (like the ladder to the beach below) should it try to charge her. At this point she was sure it wasn't much different than a cornered animal. She nocked her arrow and drew, taking aim for the beast and firing.

"Cross, wait!" Mollianne's reverberative voice echoed behind as she walked up, and then to one side of Crossroads, reaching up to try and lower her readied arrow. "This thing has information, and we need it. I chased it alway the way from Tonoe, but it would not talk." She turns toward the flailing Yoma, meeting its vicious gaze. "You have nowhere left to go! Tell us where the last two princesses are, right now! Otherwise I will let HER tear something else off!" Her voice raises as she threatens, but makes no immediate moves onward. The armless Yoma keeps the Mollianne's gaze evenly, hissing through sharpened, clenched teeth that offer no words.

Crossroads' arrow flies, but thanks to Molliane's interferrance ends up hitting the pier with a dull 'thup', embedding itself deep into the wood. She spun to face Molliane, her expression giving away her irritation and confusion regarding the situation she found herself in. "What do you mean it has information!? Since when do yoma talk?!" Those things were better off dead and better off dead quickly before they harmed innocent people. To stop her was a waste of time not to mention a waste of an arrow.

Mollianne frowns at being scolded, but feeling as though she was in the right, set about advancing toward the Yoma, which held its ground in the face of feathered adversity. "We WILL find them eventually, whether you like it or not." A globulant mass of some violet energy formed in one of her hands, and she flung it toward the Yoma, who flinches, but isn't struck; it was intentionally aimed so as not to hit the beast, but Mollianne smirked at this display of fear anyway. "We can stop this anytime you want. Tell us where the princesses are, and I will retreat." She seems to put emphasis on the 'I', possibly hoping the Yoma doesn't notice. The Yoma backs up a step, keeping up a hellacious visage but noticeably put off by the fact that Crossroads is waiting behind Mollianne.

Crossroads took hold of another arrow and readied it. If that thing really could understand what Mollianne was saying to it, did it really believe she would retreat? Well, Crossroads wasn't going to make such promises and it didn't really matter if Molly kept her word or not. Besides, if she was really so certain she could find the princesses then what was the point in talking to it or even making deals? Still, she allowed the siren to do as she wanted. If the Yoma made any indication to move she would fire again whether Molly wanted her to or not.

As soon as Crossroads indicates (to the Yoma, at least) that she is preparing to attack, the Yoma suddenly lunges with its jagged maw at Mollianne, a desperate maneuver as it sees no other way out other than through. The siren lithely sidesteps, however, and a thin cord of purple light issues forth from her fingertips at the same moment, lassoing around its neck as it charges forward! Mollianne gives only a subtle downward-pointing motion as she pivots on one taloned foot, which brings the creature forcefully to the dockboards on its stomach with a loud -whumpf-! This coil of purple energy maintains its hold on the Yoma's neck, and Mollianne gives a small sneer as she all-but lords over it, holding the light-tether in her small fingers. "This is your last chance. I will not stop her after this. Where are they?"

The Yoma emits a piercing shriek of dismay, biting at both the air and the wooden boards of the pier as it struggles, in vain, to get up with no arms for support. It pretty much winds up thrashing about in its own blood, at this point.

Sensing the yoma's charge coming Crossroads drops her arrow and makes for the ladder, the warning sensation quickly subsiding as she manages to get a foot down the first step, leaving her to see Mollianne take the yoma down. Well, at least she seemed to have in under control at the moment even if trying to get it to talked seemed like a futile effort.

Mollianne looks up as Crossroads reacts to the Yoma's action and subsequent decline, and grimaces as she apparently still doesn't get what she wants. She grits her teeth, suddenly very annoyed, angry, upset, or whatever else you could call it. "Fine. Have it your way." She abruptly pulls up on the light-tether that surrounds the beast's neck, which drastically tightens and constricts to such a degree... that it completely separates the Yoma's head from its shoulders, as the purple cord pulls together at its ragged-fleshed neckline and simply poofs into nothingness. The head rolls a couple of feet, and much like the yoma's erstwhile thrashing, goes quite still, pooling more blood around its fresh wounds. Mollianne still looks considerably riled, teeth and small fangs showing in an active display of aggression at... something.

Crossroads had no idea what Mollianne was even expecting from it. Yoma didn't talk. And if they could she doubted there would be able to talk about anything of interest. Their minds as far as she knew were more akin to a predatory animal gone crazy than that of a sentient being. It was better to just kill it as soon as possible and not risk endangering the lives of others, especially in such a highly populated place as Truce. The young woman climbed back up to the pier and started retrieving her arrows, picking up the one she dropped well enough but having a bit of difficulty pulling the one she fired out of the wood. "Want to tell me whats going on?"

Mollianne looks up at Crossroads with her glare still intact, but realizing that it isn't intended that way, her face softens somewhat, and she then just looks... sad. "I overheard it talking with something, or someone, when I encountered it in Tonoe. It mentioned two princesses... because you and Lora already killed one, if I remember. If they are around and active, they need to be found. Before... something else happens, like what happened to Kyrk. I will not let that happen, under ANY circumstances."

Mollianne doesn't seem inclined to explain the 'talking' aspect that she mentioned, given that Cross is right; Yoma don't "talk" in a vocal sense.

Mollianne frowns softly, reaching up to her neckline and gripping the embedded Soul Gem held there, forcefully tearing it free from its resting place! Light shines from it, joined abruptly by a glow that encompasses her shredded clothing as it coalesces and reforms around her body, rapidly replacing itself into what she had been wearing previously. The glow fades, and she is left there holding a translucent egg-shaped jewel in one hand.

Crossroads turned her back on Mollianne, biting her lower lip as she finally managed to jerk her arrow free. "I have never heard of a yoma talking, and if they did I dont think they would have mind enough to say anything that interesting. They are probably just as crazy as witches if not worse." But then again, why would Mollianne say something like that if that truely was the case? Crossroads wasn't exactly sold on the possibility that it spoke but something had to of happened for the siren to think so. "If it came from Tonoe though it was pretty foolish to let it live long enough to endanger innocent people in Truce, Mollianne."

Mollianne frowns, holding her Soul Gem in one hand for a moment. She -was- right; there's no telling how many other people could've been hurt as she chased it from one continent to another. Being in her transformed state tended to invite lapses of her better judgment, and this wasn't the first time. Plus, there was that 'other' thing. "I am... sorry. I expected more than I should have." Mollianne tucked away the soul gem she was holding into the cleavage compartment within her leather chestband, and allowed her eyes to fall upon the decapitated Yoma. "Knowing there is something working behind the scenes and not being able to do anything about it is extremely frustrating."

Crossroads was seething now that the whole situation was starting to sink in. How DARE she? It wasn't just the risking of innocent lives here but also putting herself, Tyrranis and Lora in jeopardy! Why was Crossroads chased out of Wutai in the first place?! It wasn't only because wishborn turned, but because they turned and hurt others! And now Mollianne had just ended up driving one into a crowded area in Truce of all places! Crossroads didn't want to experience being driven out of another town for how dangerous wishborn could be to others! She wanted to slap Mollianne for her stupidity at the moment, but instead she merely cletched her bow and the arrow in her other hand and began walking back to the fountain.

Mollianne must have seen that this was coming, possibly expecting something even worse. She looked up only in time to see Crossroads turn away from her, but averted her own eyes toward anything further. She messed up this time, and it was only just now starting to sink in; no doubt Kyrk would have ripped her a new one if he was still around to have known, too.

Mollianne sighed irritably, poising herself as she made ready to dive into the corpse and retrieve the grief seed that yet remained hidden inside. She hated the warm months, sometimes. If it were up to her, it'd just be winter all year long. After today, though, it would probably be a good idea to stay out of Truce for awhile, before she got in any more trouble...