[X] Sunny

“Leave the ringleader to me!” you hiss to Aunn and Lily. They nod and spread out, cornering the other two. To their credit, the bandits seem ready for this showdown, not backing down at all. Star sneers at Aunn, Luna doing the same to Lily, but less enthusiastically when she sees Lily raise the shovel.

“Ready for round two?” Sunny smirks.

“Ask yourself.” You march forward, directly towards the noisy orange haired fairy, who won’t be loud for much longer.

“Don’t worry about that. We heard you were some kind of ice fairy.” Sunny gestures dismissively at your wings. “I get it now, but don’t you know what happens to ice when the sun comes out?”

“It’s night right now, stupid.”

“Wrong! It melts!” Sunny’s wrist flick forward, and you dive to the side. Two thin orange beams sail over the backs of your legs.

Scrambling back up, you launch an icy dart at her dumb face, then charge forward, trying to close the distance. Your fist swings out, almost at its goal.

Two stabs of burning heat slam into you from the back and you’re knocked aside, tumbling into a crate. You twist to inspect yourself, winching as you pat down the burned holes in your dress.

“Haha! Light is mine to command!” Sunny gloats, having dodged the poorly-aimed icicle. She dances further away from you and begins rolling a fiery ball around in her hand like dough, making it brighter and brighter.

You kick away from the container, sliding hard on the ground as the bolt passes over you. You stare with saucer eyes at the carbonized crater left on the wood.

You can’t lose to some third-rate fairy like Sunny, you refuse to! You shove yourself off the rough ground. Thankfully, she’s catching her own breath, sweat starting to soak her sleeves. Watching her wearily, it’s enough time to form up a thin layer of armor over your upper body, linked frozen beads in a flexible grid-like layer. You hope it’s enough to stop the curvy lasers, since only misses will stop the fireballs.

You try playing around a little at range, launching a few more projectiles, but she’s nimble. She keeps circling around wide, keeping her distance. Yet even though her hands are glowing, she holds back from attack. Only now do you notice everything else in the dark warehouse becoming even dimmer. She’s stalling, you realize.

“When I beat you, I’m taking your badge as a trophy!” Sunny spits out.

Her hands clap together, unleashing a giant blob of white in a massive flash. The warehouse flares bright, every surface is spotlit, every edge outlined, all the way up to the rafters high above. The magical mass of light pulls away from her hands, a wobbling drop of honey falling horizontally, accelerating straight at you!

In an equal parts panic and rage you throw out as big an icicle as you can, forming an irregularly shaped, but clear as glass crystal that spins slightly in the air.

The angular chunk of ice intercepts the bolt of light in the middle. It’s almost too fast to catch, but it’s almost as if the light bends as it passes into the ice chunk, before exploding into a scintillating burst, emitting entire curtains of rainbow light in every direction. Flitching away from the explosion, you feel the colored rays that weren’t redirected sizzle against your armor, nibbling at your hands. But most of the energy had been redirected into a dazzling pattern of soot that now coats the surrounding area.

That was an unexpected result. You blink away the shadowy impressions, your night-sight returning agonizingly slowly.

You’re pleased to see the ice had continued on, unimpeded, having crashed and exploded against a stunned Sunny. You can feel the curious eyes of the others, but you put that out of your mind. This is your chance to get close!

The opposing fairy had been knocked further down the corridor, sitting against a row of barrels. She tries to get up, but it’s too late. You rip off the sagging ice armor from your clothes and use the strips to instantly encase her hands, one braced on the top of the barrel, the other stuck against the ground. Sunny kicks uselessly on the ground.

As she struggles, her hand on the ground starts to glow again, a dull orange that’s bounced inside the ice. The hand breaks out in a smaller flash, spraying you with shards.

“Hey! Cut that out!”

Ignoring you, she pulls her left arm out and uses it to try to free her right. But in doing so, you spy her dress shifting away from the back of her neck, opening up a lucky gap. It’s the perfect place to slip a frozen surprise. In a quick, practiced motion, a handful of supercooled marbles roll down her back, disappearing into her clothes.

“Ack!” The effect is immediate. She stiffens up, limbs askew like splayed out chicken. “Augh! Oh! Get it out! Ow!”

Her hand is now occupied trying to desperately scoop out the intruding cold assassins. You form a baseball-sized orb of ice, swirling leaves of frost etched into the outer layer as a decorative flourish. You hold it out to her. “Want some more?”

“N-no!”

“Then do you unconditionally surrender to me?” You put one hand on your hip.

“Yes… I yield…” She slumps over, holding her dripping palm out protectively.

“Ha! That’s more like it! Now: who’s the strongest fairy?”

She mutters something, barely audible but certainly rude. Whatever answer that was, it’s wrong. You press the ice ball against her neck, right under the chin. She jumps upward, twisting her head. “Eek! Okay! It’s you! Cirno! You’re the strongest!”

“Good. We have an understanding.” You pull away, but she raises her hand for something.

“Actually… um… that felt pretty nice. Could I keep the ice?” Sunny says, weakly.

“Uh… sure, I guess.” You shrug and let Sunny keep the orb, which she rolls against her forehead with her free hand, sighing.

Your compatriots have done well, though less dramatically. Lily stands over an unconscious Luna holding the shovel. Yet there’s not a blemish on the fallen girl’s clammy skin. “She… tripped and fell over on her own. She appears quite sick, to tell you the truth.”

Aunn tightly restrains a struggling Star Sapphire. The fairy attempts a final half-hearted stab with the broken bottle against Aunn’s abdomen, tearing into the fabric, but sliding harmlessly off the skin underneath. Similar jagged cuts cover the rest of her shirt and arm bandages.

“Please stop ruining my shirt…” Aunn adjusts the hold to pin Star’s arms, almost lifting the blue fairy off the ground.

“Boo… you guys are no fun at all!” Star tosses the bottle with her wrist, which clinks and rolls in a semi-circle, clattering.

“We did it!” You look around, letting the shakes wear off. There were casualties, sure, but all three of the bandit fairies were wiped out! It’s a done deal! Heck, maybe even a little anti-climatic. “We captured the Ghost Thief!”

You give Aunn a high five, which she returns enthusiastically with her elbow, swinging a grumpy-looking Star. “Yes, I think we did, Cirno!”

###

Larva scratches her scalp. “Aw! I missed out!”

She pokes at Luna’s cheek, who had awoken bleary eyed. She’s tied up with Sunny and Star using one of the ropes that had snapped during the collapsing trap. “So, where did you hide Misty’s notebook?”

“We’ll never tell you!” Sunny yells in defiance. Luna just whimpers.

“Did you forget what I can do?” You bop Sunny on the head.

“Let’s interrogate them once we’re back at the office and away from all this…” Aunn looks around at the mess.

It doesn't look that bad in your opinion. Two of the towers of goods would have to be re-built and there’s definitely losses under all the wood scrap and broken glass, but surely Takane will be happy enough to get the stolen goods back to overlook the small stuff. Cleaning up might be tricky, since there’s a lot of charred wood and a whole swath of scale dust settling into the boards. There might even be residue poisons floating around, but there’s gotta be someone more knowledgeable who will know how to scrub that out. It’s the yamawaro’s warehouse, anyhow. They didn’t even help out with the fight!

Aunn cradles Medicine in her arms. You hold the end of the rope, ready to guide the three bandits of losing to their new home in the cells. With all three tied together, they’d better be good at six-legged racing or they’re getting rolled like a barrel. Lily guards the prisoners from the rear. The lamp is still wet enough to get tipsy off of, so Larva uses her new fire abilities at the front.

“Could you turn it down a little? It’s making me feel dizzy,” Aunn suggests.

“Really? I didn’t know it could do that…” Larva does as requested, shrinking and cooling the purple flame until it becomes a dull pink, and much easier on the eyes.

“Let’s talk to Takane before we leave,” Aunn says to you.

“All right. But where the heck did she go?” The rest of the warehouse is dead quiet.

“She’s where the wagons are at, I think?” You both turn in surprise to the unsolicited advice from Star.

“Huh? How do you know?”

“My ability lets me detect the location of all living beings. It’s telling me there’s a group of people around there.”

Aunn stares at the fairy suspiciously. “Why would you even tell us that?”

“I dunno… I mean we completely lost, so the sooner we end this, the better. I’m tired and I want to sleep.” She blinks her honest-looking brown eyes, widening her mouth in a lazy yawn. These fairies really are a strange bunch. You don’t trust them, but it’s not like they could do anything without instant punishment.

Aunn looks even more suspicious. But she isn’t able to come up with any objections either. “Fine. We can check the loading section first. It’s not far from the front door anyways.”

Your victorious party and the unhappy captives make a slow traverse past the stored goods, to where you remember the wagons to be. Everyone keeps a look out for Takane or the yamawaro, but there are no signs of any life. The eerie pinkish glow from Larva’s finger drains the artificial surroundings of depth, casting spindly figures that stroll along the walls, trailing you, dancing at the edges of your vision. The second-level balcony looks like a giant maw about to swallow the group in one bite.

Only one wagon is there, but it is empty, as you recall Takane saying earlier. Of the yamawaro boss and her people, there is still no trace. You’re about to pinch some answers out of Star, when you spy a solitary shadowy figure emerging from behind a stack of spare wheels. It’s too solid to be a shadow, or a ghost.

Her clothes are too dark and single-colored, but the height is about right… “Takane!?”

“Nope. She’s… a little preoccupied. Could I take a message?” It’s an unfamiliar woman’s voice, with a deeper tang.

“Who are you?” Aunn demands.

“A fine evening to you as well, Miss Deputy!” The figure approaches closer, slow and quiet like a caterpillar. If your heart wasn’t pounding, your breathing ferocious in your ears, you’d have given Luna a slap. “And you’re the new sheriff, aren’tcha? Miss… Chirpo?”

Larva strengthens her flame, washing the area in a harsh lavender. Each of you backs away in shock.

The stranger’s clothes are a midnight blue, looking almost violet. From under a black broad-brim hat pours wavy light hair and a single braid on her left, tied with a ribbon. And where her face should be is a grotesque eagle’s face, the naturally purple mask made luminous by the light, staring back at you with voids where the eyes had been cut out. The cruel curve of the beak is carved sharp enough to tear flesh. You can tell by the nudges of her head she’s studying you and the others as much as you are her.

“It’s her!” Sunny yells, suddenly much bolder.

“Help us!” Luna cries out in unison.

“Yeah, this sheriff is a total weirdo!” Sunny adds.

The stranger just watches, silently chuckling if her shoulders shaking is anything to go by.

Aunn’s breath hitches. She only whispers, “T-the Gouyoku Alliance…”

“You three, shut up!” Recovering your wits, you announce to the newcomer, “My name is Cirno! If you know I’m the sheriff, tell me who you are!”

A second look at her hair gives you a flicker of familiarity, but you can’t quite pin it down fully.

“Whoops. Sorry ‘bout the mixup! Not the best at rememberin’ what I see in those tengu papers. I’m just your normal greedy and money-grubbin’ Gouyoku grunt, after all! You can call me Reimu!”

Aunn shakes her head. “I’ve never heard of any bandit with that name before…”

“What do you want with us?”

“Nothing to do with you, really. Some important business with these yamawaro, and maybe some wolves. Oh yeah, and I’m also here to pick up those three!” She gestures deftly at the three bandit fairies.

“What? They’re suspects that we’re arresting for a string of burglaries,” Aunn squeaks out, as spooked out by the woman as you are.

“Sounds tiresome. Hand ‘em over to me,” Reimu speaks casually, as if suggesting nothing more unusual than to borrow a match. “Don’t worry, there won’t be any more burglaries, I can assure you of that.”

“That makes no sense! They are my prisoners! They can’t steal because I’m gonna lock them up!” You stamp your foot. Who the hell is this stranger and why is she getting in the way? “I’m not giving them up!”

Reimu sighs. Her hand slowly moves upward to unbutton her coat.

The coat slides open to reveal a startling arsenal. Two canvas bandoliers encircle her waist, One is jammed with bullets, the other with suspiciously colored vials, the glowing liquid swirling and pulsing in their glass enclosures. Her belt is loaded with pouches, two knives, and many suspicious black orbs with ribbon tabs sticking out. But what draws your eye are the two guns.

At her right side is a sleek, obsidian black pistol. It hangs freely, linked by a rotating pivot to a metal clip on the belt. Her gloved hand on the same side settles into a relaxed half-grip just above the handle.

More terrifying is a large piece of flint-grey metal holstered on her left hip. It’s some kind of super-sized revolver, with a pentagonal barrel connected to a stout octagonal drum. Small tubes run parallel to the barrel, coming together to a valve on the side. The cold edges and blocky contours give off the impression of a mighty machine at rest, like a train engine sleeping in its berth at the yard.

Oh, and she also has the Keiga rocket attached to a strap on her belt. It’s mostly obscured behind her, except for that distinct wolf head.

“Wait! Where did you get that rocket?” You point at the dangerous signal.

“Oh this?” She pats it with her left hand. “Someone left it in a room upstairs. A shame, there’s nothing like fireworks to celebrate a job well done! Now, to get back on topic, I really do need to take custody of those three. It’s very urgent for me, see.”

You wordlessly step in front of your captives. Larva and Lily look both frightened and confused, but they flank the captured bandits. Aunn looks helpless, Medicine still in her arms.

Reimu shoots a quick glance behind her, then steps forward. “I’ll even trade you the rocket for the fairies?”

“No!” You glare angrily, hoping you look less weary than you actually feel. She just chuckles.

“I wanna clarify: we can do this with very little pain, or a whole bunch. I’m personally a woman of peace, but here, the choice is all yours!” You can feel the grin forming behind the eagle mask’s jagged beak.

[ ] Live to fight another day.
[ ] Stall her out.
[ ] Rapid tactical retreat.
[ ] Attack first!

[X] Stall her out.

This Reimu person isn’t scary in the normal sense. She’s definitely no giant, doesn’t bear lunging claws or giant fangs, though the mask is quite creepy, like a plague doctor. You wouldn't be too surprised if she were a normal human under the mask, judging by all the fancy, well-cared for equipment. Humans really do enjoy their things. Rather, there’s something imposing about her form in the dark, her poised readiness. That earlier bout of combat against Sunny had been invigorating, especially after winning. With this woman, you just can’t shake the icky feeling of instant death from a hasty move.

“... Can I think on this?” you respond. Where is Takane? Surely she isn’t abandoning her precious warehouse?

“Nope. Just hand over the fairies.” Her voice sounds a little strained this time. Her finger twitches. You sway a little, out of nervousness. The three captured fairies watch just as anxiously from behind, bumping into each other as they try to see past you.

“But this is my first big break!”

“Sorry, little gal. It’s just how these things turn out sometimes.” As she speaks, your eyes catch on the rocket. Damn it, that thing’s important too, apparently. And she somehow got her hands on it.

“Y-you said you’d trade the rocket?

“Sure, that offer’s still up. Good eye, too. We got good clear skies, a lot of watchers out and about. A fine night for some fireworks!” Reimu holds the cone-topped cylinder up, the strap attached to her belt swinging. “But… I prefer you let the fairies go first.”

She’s slowly sliding to the left, so you pace to match her. “I want the rocket first.”

She lets the rocket drop. “No can do.”

“What if I kept one of these guys as proof? You can keep two of them.”

She scoffs. “Are you serious?”

“I am serious!” You stamp a foot. “Okay fine. I’ll give you one of them first, then you give me the rocket. Then I’ll give you a different one. I’ll even let you pick.”

“What? How the hell did someone like you get appointed sheriff? What are you playin’ at?” If the mask’s rounded eyes could narrow, you swear they would. Then a rueful chuckle. “Okay. Very good. You actually got me. But—”

She’s interrupted by the front smashing open. Reimu, jolted, swears.

“You think the intruder already got in! And you’re only telling me now!?” Takane’s very upset voice carries through the still air, accompanying a stampede of boots.

“Luna! Do the thing!” Reimu shouts!

“What? O–” A deafening silence swallows the rest of the moon fairy’s acknowledgement.

Reimu is fast, already charging forward, hand on the gun on her right. It flashes once.

You stumble backward, shoulder checked by the black and purple blur. Once again, the absolute quiet throws you off. One of your wing crystals is shattered, shards of ice sprinkling the ground. You had attempted to cut off Reimu the instant she moved, saving yourself from a more vital hit. You can see Lily get knocked aside in a similar manner, but the silence gives everything a nightmarish feeling, the physical world dissociating from your panicked thoughts. Luna is by far the most annoying of the three!

The rope holding the three fairies unravels, having been snapped by a second shot. Reimu appears to hug the three, pushing them away, her lips moving. Then they’re gone. Vanished, most certainly fleeing. You’ve changed your mind: it’s Sunny who’s the most annoying!

But they won’t get away that easily! Or something like that, you silently shout, lunging at the empty air. Fabric brushes on your finger tips, triggering a vice clamp on someone’s torso. They buckle under your weight.

Whoever it is, they struggle like a flopping fish, wiggling their way out. She seems to catch onto something, a hard yank propelling her forward. One foot comes free but with a jot, she slams back into the ground. It's finished when Larva and Lily join you in pinning her down. For a brief moment, the three of you are floating on a pillow of nothingness.

A second later, a smothered and highly annoyed Star Sapphire materializes. The Keiga rocket rolls out of her grasp and you use a foot to check its wander.

Looking up, the first tan cloaks of the yamawaro pour into the opening. Then at least a dozen black cloaks fill in from behind like a parade of shadows. Each of them is holding a revolver, or a longer weapon. Takane shouts something, looks confused, then makes one wide movement of her own gun-holding arm.

You all instinctively duck, and just in time. The flashes are like lightning strikes, yellow and orange flames blazing all around. Even harsher flashes burn curved lines into your sight; the remains of several hanging trip wires spark as they droop down, torn through by the bullets. Each shot can be felt, thumping on your skin, palpitating through your bones.

Even Star freezes up as the veritable hailstorm of bullets zips over your heads. Wood splinters and dust erupts under the muted storm. The pile of fairies squeezes themselves as low as they can, twisting into the hard boards.

After a moment, sound returns when the final ear-blisteringly loud shots leave ringing throughout your head. Then it quiets down again, naturally. There’s soft rustling and clicking as the yamawaro reload their rifles and pistols. A nervous yet excited murmur takes the warehouse’s delayed defenders.

“Anyone else stop hearing anything?”

“That was weird…”

“Did we get ‘em?”

“Gotta’ be. Not even an oni could sur—”

“I want bodies, or better yet: answers!” Discipline restored, Takane starts to set out orders. “You three, get onto the balcony level. You and you, go around, cut ‘em off from the door. Everyone else, with me!”

You also pick yourselves off the ground, keeping a close hold on Star. Aunn doesn’t even hesitate when Takane finally turns her attention to you. “You could've killed them!”

She sighs. “I wouldn’t lose any sleep if I did. But I doubt it. Save the tears and funeral for another thousand dollars of my merchandise. What we have accomplished is blowing off some steam and teaching them to keep their heads down. Now, what about the Ghost? I think I saw more people.”

Larva speaks as she ties Star back up. “There are three of them! They have abilities to silence sound and to bend light! One of them has an eagle mask; she’s heavily armed!”

Takane barely nods. Her gaze passes over you, lingering on Medicine in Aunn’s arms, then resting hard on the re-captured blue fairy. “So… is this another friend of yours I should know?”

Star’s long black hair is scrambled. She blows a curling strand out of her defiant face.

“She’s with the Ghost Thieves,” Aunn says.

“Hoho! That’s good!” Takane nods approvingly. “Keep her warm for us.”

“She’s our prisoner!” you insist. “We’ll be keeping her cold!”

“Sure, sure.” Takane holds out her hand. “Also, if you would?”

You had been hugging the rocket in your arms. It had bothered you a little that Reimu was both aware of and happy to use the rocket, despite it belonging to a rival gang. You don’t really understand. Regardless, you give Takane the rocket back. Right now, you want to get the rest of your catch back, preferably without another party joining in! “We need to find the other three!”

“Relax. We’re not letting them leave so soon. Now that we know they’re flesh, we can take a nice easy walk around the warehouse.” Takane says, self-assured. “Unless you have a better idea?”

[ ] Join a second, slow sweep.
[ ] Chase them down!
[ ] Convince Star to help.
[ ] Use Star as bait.

[X] Use Star as bait.

“I think I do…” You turn towards the captured Star.

“Trusting in my ability again? I’m flattered.”

“No! We’re gonna use you as bait. We’ll make your friends come to us!”

“What a cruel sheriff! You’re going to use a defenseless lady as a trap for scary evil bandits?” She wiggles against her bonds.

“Scary evil bandits? Those are your own friends! You led us into this situation in the first place!”

“Well, you’re the dummies who believed me,” she says, mockingly.

Takane interrupts. “So, you’re confident they’ll bite? Criminals aren’t exactly the most honorable folk.”

Aunn backs up your idea. “We’re very confident these Thieves don’t want to leave anyone behind. The masked Gouyoku fighter from earlier was trying to retrieve all three. It’s better than chasing them around again, I think.”

“...Gouyoku?”

“We believe so. She had a purple eagle mask.” Aunn’s mention of Reimu’s apparent allegiance causes Takane to frown.

“Alright... We’ll go with your idea.” Takane signals for the yamawaro left to gather around her. “Even if they run, we have one of them already. We’ll let you know where to set the fairy up for us.”

Whose idea are they really going with? You’d protest, but there’s a new surprise to steal your attention.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

The bobbing head of orange startles you at first, but it’s darker, tied up differently, and belongs to the freckled yamawaro. She’s dragging some elongated machinery on a two wheel carriage. The object is as long as she is tall, and only a touch narrower, consisting of multiple metal tubes bundled together and attached to a hefty brass-plated base with a handcrank, like a music box. She also has a sack of rectangular blocks over her shoulder. You can’t make heads or tails of it.

A toothy grin emerges on Takane’s face “Abby! Perfect timing. Leave that girl there and join us.”

Takane and her yamawaro become engrossed in their huddle, eagerly hashing out some kind of plan with lots of fingers and waving coming out of the black and brown clump. Not to be left out, you call for your own strategy meeting. Aunn, Lily, and Larva circle around you. With Medicine still out of it, she’s left safely in the front of the store by the other sleeping yamawaro.

“Let’s come up with our own plan!”

“Aren’t we just following what Takane is doing?” Larva asks.

“I guess we have to,” Aunn says. “They’re the bigger group and this is their home turf after all.”

“That’s not a plan,” you protest. “We should do something different at the same time!”

“Honestly, we don’t need something complicated. We still have one of the Thieves. That should be enough to get the information we need later,” Aunn explains. “We now know about Reimu, so we just need to prevent her from rescuing Star tonight.”

“But what about the others?”

Lily has a good point. “If they start fighting again, these yamawaro are awfully quick to start shooting, even if we’re in the middle of it. We can only hope for a better opportunity.”

You recall the recent display of destructive power wrought by the yamawaro on their own stuff. “Grrr… Then let’s focus on guarding Star! I want everyone ready!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Even Aunn had been frightened enough by the Gouyoku gunslinger and Takane’s liberal application of firepower to finally accept bullets for her own revolver. Her gun can hold six cartridges, which you help her load.

“Hey.” The yamawaro boss herself interrupts, tapping you on the shoulder. “We have a place for your thief fairy.”

She leads you to the other side of the building from the wagon bay. This seems to be where the warehouse is more sparse, at a corner with the internal balcony. In the middle of a cleared space, a stool is braced against a support pillar, a loop of chains with a lock piled dramatically on top.

Anyone approaching from the rest of storage would be spotted and more than likely shot to pieces from the armed and eager yamawaro arranged around. They had split up, some moving further back, taking cover behind the boxes. Others fan out, forming a rough crescent shape curled against the corner. The orange yamawaro, with the help of a buddy, lugs the heavy contraption up the stairs to the second level. The shadowy balcony wraps around the entire outer edge of the storage section, giving them an excellent view of the whole area, though the darkness helps hide their targets as much as themselves.

“It’s perfect!” You drag Star towards the strong-looking chains. “These will suit you better.”

“Enjoy your gloating while it lasts.” Star sniffs. “You’re never sleeping easily in this town ever again.”

“Do you prefer ice instead? Because that’s always available.”

“Hold on, Cirno.” Aunn is concerned at the lock. “We’d better use our own rope.”

“That’s still my rope. And what’s wrong with the chain?” Takane questions.

“Where’s the key for the lock?”

“I’m holding it, of course.”

“...That’s the problem. We’ve going to take charge of guarding the prisoner.”

“Heh. Sure, sure.” The yamawaro doesn’t press. You finish up tying Star to the chair. Her legs are secured to the stool, arms to the pillar. Everyone takes positions behind the yamawaro line, encircling the bait. Takane moves on, looking satisfied at the rest of the preparation.

Cupping her mouth, she yells into the dark, her voice dispersing almost echo-like around the still pillars of merchandise. “You thieves! We know you’re still here! We have your friend!”

“Are you guys too scared to fight me fair and square? That makes sense, we already beat you once!” you follow up for good measure.

There’s no counter response. You can only wait, ready to get your revenge on Reimu. She must be the leader of the three bandits, or their handler or whatever. And they had the gall to accuse you of working for humans!

No, you do see something. A light winks at you from the dark, the visual equivalent of a shout in the dim interior. The yamawaro see it too, quietly raising their guns. Your allies shuffle, waiting anxiously for what such a signal could bring.

A thin beam appears, reaching from the same spot to a point on the wall, shaking slightly. One of the yamawaro positioned nearby tentatively sticks his hand into the beam, cutting it off. He smirks, trying to squint down the beam to see its origin, his gun raised.

Then you see white, hear—and feel—a tremor that swiftly grows to a roar! A wall of light had been erected, running across the warehouse to intersect the right wing of the yamawaro positions. The shaking rains dust from above. Everyone in position around Star is knocked over.

After the longest, sense-obliterating second in your life, the light fades, replaced by void. The yamawaro nearby had been blasted away. The one who had played with the beam groans, covered in burns. The building itself groans, an entire section of the balcony becoming unstable. One of the support pillars in the middle is wiped out, another closer to the edge of blast teeters with a bite taken out of it, close to failing completely.

Takane stares gobsmacked. A gaping hole at least three people tall had blown through the outer wall of her warehouse. The loose top of a shattered plank falls, splitting apart on the ground in a crumble of charred bits and joining the remains of scattered goods and broken debris strewn around the shadow of the building. A couple of the outside lamps must’ve been hit, the actual void of the night sky is visible beyond the jagged maw, letting pale starlight pour in as your vision readjusts. You leap back up, trying to find the source of the massive beam. It had to have come from atop one of the shorter stacks of boxes, but with the abilities at play, they could be anywhere.

Takane finally manages to recover, shrill as she calls her people to arms. “W-we’re going to kill these fuckers!”

The yamawaro respond enthusiastically with a second barrage of gunfire. Amidst the ear-hammering cacophony, a much thinner laser stabs out, sweeping the balcony with its green fire. Several yamawaro cry out as they get slashed. Those not hit keep shooting, aiming at where the attack had come from, but the fire had slackened considerably.

“There! Two units from the wall!” One of them calls out a target from above. You could barely hear them over the gunshots.

From above, the contraption from before reveals itself, wheeled up to the very railing. Dark orange hair pokes out from behind the fully assembled machine. Shortly, an even louder sequence of bangs pounds your ears. The machine is a weapon, a giant gun striking the room with lightning every second, spitting out rapid fire death. Brass casings roll off the balcony like drips from an icicle.

In the distance, the crates start to explode, barrels bleeding their contents to the ground. A bubble of smoke billows upward, a fire? That illusion is dispelled as the thick curtain of grey keeps rising. The expanding smokescreen swirls as the bullets punch through.

Another cloud of smoke poofs up, closer. The Ghost Thieves begin to return fire; the singular shots hitting remarkably close, showering the yamawaro in wood and forcing them to duck. The fairies weren’t armed, you recall, which means it must be Reimu heading this assault! The super artillery ceases, you can see two yamawaro fiddling with metal blocks. A sly second laser, bright blue, knocks out one of them, still brilliant enough to dazzle everyone else below.

It’s messy! It’s chaos! And you want to leave your posse behind and join in badly! But, remembering the plan, you hesitate to emerge so soon. You look back at Star, who seems to be watching with less fear and more curiosity for someone right in the middle of flying bullets. You know the enemy love their sense-cheating abilities, but surely even they can’t steal her away from such a dangerous battlefield?

[ ] Push back Reimu.
[ ] Keep guarding Star.

[X] Keep guarding Star.

Those two possibly could, you admit. It’s better to stay and wait patiently.

But it does mean sitting tight and watching as the yamawaro continue to battle it out with the mysterious outlaw. You would love to throw in some icy shots of your own, but the poor lighting, all those obstacles, and your newfound trigger-happy allies moving around stay your hands. You look on, absorbed as another flurry of shots is traded between both parties.

The yamawaro take the first couple of casualties to the bullets, you can see the injured huddling under cover, bandaging themselves with their own cloaks, though any finer details elude you. Despite only being a single person, Reimu, moving and shooting unpredictably from behind her smoke screen, manages to hold off at least a dozen yamawaro in their fixed positions. Half that number she had already brought down. Are the Beast Gang’s members all this powerful? Maybe you were wrong and she’s something more than human. A near miss showers you in splinters. You belatedly duck, shaking your head clean and remembering that even observers aren’t exactly immune to the wood splitting little balls of death.

Peeking carefully over, you catch Takane silently leapfrog a sack to stand at the front of the yamawaro line, completely exposed. Yet, for whatever reason, she holds her fire, waiting with her gun held out at hip level. Reimu can’t actually see her either, you realize, and the instant her next deafening shot tears a vortex through the grey clouds, Takane fires rapidly, back-to-back lightning bolts. A grouping of six craters impact the amorphous surface, surrounding where Reimu’s shot had just vanished from. But did it work?

A flash that eclipses any gunfire sweeps the warehouse, low, dangerously low. When you re-emerge, you see the top of Takane’s hat fall from her head, sliced clean off, the red lance leaving another smoldering gash on the wall. She falls back, furiously tussling the smoke from her green hair, leaving only the felt top rolling on the ground with a smoldering ring.

The yamawaro’s guns answer with a volley, but are cut off by another beam. And another. And then another, close enough to feel its heat.

Forced into cover, you check in on your friends, who are also doing a good job looking small and not getting hit. Star is cringing in her chair, translucent wings scrunched up, a black mark barely an apple’s height above the top of her head. Two paces from the legs of her chair, a puff of dust is kicked up by the bullets.

Wait… bullets?

You don’t give any warning before unleashing a flurry of ice. Hastily formed white and blue particles scythe through the chilled air, coating the ground in a muddy slush.

“Ah!?” Star squirms to get the freezing shards off her tied up shoulders. But she’s not the only one who shrieked. You are rewarded by the sudden appearance of her two guilty-looking friends. Luna sneezes, shivering. Sunny just looks shocked, either by the cold or by your demonstration of complete mental superiority.

“Hah! I knew it! Pre-dic-table!”

“Great job Cirno! Now we have them!” Larva pops out, flexing her fingers and ready for revenge. Aunn and Lily rush in, closing the corners of the cage. A thin coat of icy armor already covers your clothes. Sunny snaps out of it, looking angry, but also desperate.

“This is our final stand!” She cries out. Their actions, however, speak louder as their two backs meet, nervously looking at the four who box them in.

It is a short and decisive affair. They look exhausted and can barely put up a fight.

“I-I surrender!” Luna yelps as Lily’s shovel gets poked towards her face.

“Grrr!” Sunny struggles as you sit on her back with Aunn and Larva pinning her arms down.

“We got them! Let’s tie them up!” At your call and some shifting about, your perfect set of three is restored.

Your eyes return to the gunfight when the big gun above pounds your ears again. That girl must’ve managed to make it work by herself, and the combined weight of fire stops Reimu’s advance. You’re not sure if she witnessed your second capture of her fairy lackeys, but she stops shooting, too. Only the yamawaro are left taking potshots at the smoke.

Takane quickly eyes your captives as she finishes another loading of her pistol. She holds up a blackened hand. The yamawaro fire ceases and a natural quiet is restored to the room.

Standing back up, Takane cups her mouth. “You, the hiding little rat! We have your buddies so you may as well just give up!”

Several heartbeats pass. Then, Reimu calls back, but not for Takane. “Miss Sheriff! Are ya there?”

“I’m here. What do you want?” you ask, confused.

Reimu’s voice trails off. “You guys did pretty good, I admit. But I don’t know how much you really understand here, about who you’re helping out.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” you respond. Takane stiffens up.

“This is a trick!” She turns to the remaining yamawaro nearby, signalling them forward. Five slowly approach the cluster of crates in a wide crescent like grasping fingers.

“Trick! That’s good, coming from her. That’s right, Cirno, this is one tricky tale about the life of Miss Takane Yamashiro! Or more infamously, the Mountain Pass Bandit!”

The yamawaro boss is as white as a snow drift. She opens her mouth again, but nothing comes out.

Reimu burns onward. “But shootin’ is only fun from the wooden end of a gun, so she retired from bein’ an outlaw and got away from it all. She went straight and tried to ply an honest trade as a merchant. But comfortable habits are hard to break!”

“Who the fuck are you?” Takane manages to finally shout. “You think making up bedtime stories about people is a funny joke!?”

“It’s closer to the truth than you think. So: an honest merchant, buyin’ and sellin’ for a regular ol’ profit. Pretty borin’ isn’t it? But what if she could get the items for cheaper? ‘Cheap as dirt,’ so says the big bad wolves. ‘So sorry about the blood and the dents but there’s no need to ask questions. Just take the goods and leave the money on the counter.’”

“Big words for one of Toutetsu’s fat bellied chicks! You think there’s anyone out here without dirt under their sleeves?” But Takane’s insults sound half-hearted. Her people look unsurprised by the revelations, but are tensed as they hold their ground, watching and waiting. Aunn looks plain disappointed, a big frown as she keeps a struggling Sunny held. Honestly, you wish Reimu would shed the flair and talk in a more straightforward way, but you’re mostly following along.

“She carried a gun, but found her true callin’, in fencing! And things were good! At least for a while… See, human children are taught not to play with wolves, but I guess lil’ youkai can only get the same kind of education from being bit!” Reimu’s voice sounds more distant, echoey. “Really hope you were listenin’ carefully, Cirno, since this story is for you to finish! Have a fine evening now! Watch out for those wolves on the way home and take good care of those three: I’ll be pickin’ ‘em up later!”

“Wait, what!?” you shout.

“That is not good,” Aunn mutters worriedly. You’re not sure which part of Reimu’s words she’s talking about. Likely the whole thing.

“Hey! We’re not done yet!” Takane raises her fist.

The only answer is a series of loud bangs that flinch the forward line of yamawaro. It’s more smoke bombs; they form an unbroken curtain to the hole in the wall. A few shots are fired blindly into the thick clouds, but none of them dare to advance closer.

On your own approach, your nose prickles up at a distressingly familiar smell.

“There’s fire… Fire!” the orange yamawaro on the balcony shouts. She jumps up and down and points at blacker smoke that begins to erupt out of the sinking smokescreen. Takane screams something unintelligible in frustration, her fist leaving a crater in a nearby crate.

Breathing hard, she shakes out her wrist, grimacing, and also surveying her battered and stunned people. “Well? Get to it!”

The remaining yamawaro put away their weapons, scrambling to specifically prepared barrels of water. It’s obviously a well-drilled contingency. They move with focus, hacking open the barrel covers and swiftly conveying buckets to splash over the fire.

With the path opened, you rush to the front of the giant hole. Coughing a little from the residual smoke, you gaze out into the pitch blackness further out, only the occlusion of the stars giving the horizon away. No sign of her at all. Reimu had slithered away sneakily as she had arrived. The darkness, your tiredness and unpreparedness temper the urge to give chase. Next time, you vow, you’ll be ready!

Rejoining with the others, you prepare to leave. Takane and the orange yamawaro are moving their wounded outside. Medicine has come to at last, and you see Aunn tie a bandage around her bumped forehead.

The three criminals are guarded by Larva and Lily. They seem perturbed by Reimu’s swift exit, whispering urgently to each other.

“She left us behind!” Luna complains.

“Shush! We’ll be rescued, just you wait,” Sunny boldly reassures her.

You push at the sluggish group, moving them towards the door. “We’ll see about that! Now, start walking!”

Medicine appears by your side, looking rather upset. They recognize her, screaming out the door, the ‘demon’ doll hot on their heels. Lily and Larva laugh as they give chase.

You and Aunn walk after them in a good, quiet cheer. That's when you meet Takane at the threshold, coming back inside. You give space for her to enter, but she just pauses there, outlined in a white halo by the intact front lights.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” she snaps.

Aunn starts. “We have to get these three thieves to a cell as soon as we can—”

The yamawaro crosses her arms, not budging from the door. “No one’s leaving until we figure something out.”

You hesitate, stepping back. She had been shifty-eyed since Reimu had escaped, but an awkward air seemed to chill the subject. Until now, right when you’ve been split up. Larva looks curiously at you three from outside. “Is this about…?”

“What else!?” She’s barely holding onto her composure, her eyes reddened and wet.

“We have our hands full right now… but fine. I say what you are doing is pretty terrible! I mean, you’re reselling stolen goods for a dangerous criminal organization. We should’ve realized something awful like this was going on!” Aunn looks indignant.

“You’re really taking the word of a violent and unstable outlaw, just like that?”

“You’ve been hiding the truth from us this whole time. I don’t know if your words are any better.”

Takane’s shoulders droop. “…At least hear my side of things. Please.”

You try to size her up. She’s tired too, and outnumbered… as long as you ignore the entire building still full of her workers. Her right hand hangs loosely by her side… you remember how quickly she reacted against Reimu in the smoke. But she can’t just make you disappear, right? “Uh, we don’t have much of a choice?”

“Damn right!”

Aunn nervously sighs. “It’ll be easier if you tell it straight this time.”

“I will, and… I’m sorry about before. But it’s a hard situation, you see…” Takane starts her explanation from the beginning. She first confesses to being an outlaw in the past, an early one, stealing from the covered wagons of the pioneers.

“But I never killed a single soul! We never took anything needed to live, either! Some folks may have gotten roughed up a little, but again, that’s all a long time ago! Even the bounty placed on me expired already!” she pleads. And indeed, after doing more running than stealing, watching as rustic settlements grew into bustling towns, she had given up her old trade and used her knowledge of the trails to run her own wagons, selling honest goods to people. Success led to an ambitious dream taking root in her mind and Takane and her yamawaro settled in Sage Springs, a much more prosperous town at the time. They built a bigger store. They started trading along the railways and the rest of the country. But when the gold ran out, they found themselves overcommitted in a floundering town.

“So we took on ‘tainted’ merchandise while we reorganized our store. It was purely a temporary measure to balance the books a little. It was that or lose everything,” she argues. “That doesn’t mean I like the Keiga at all and you’d hardly find that I’m the only person in town to make that choice!”

Aunn shakes her head. “You were willingly selling other people’s things. And working with the Keiga, who have killed people... is that supposed to make it sound any better?

“Yes! I mean, maybe not.” Takane’s face is flushed. “Cirno! Look, you’re the one in charge. We worked well together tonight, didn’t we? We captured the Ghost Thief and revealed Gouyoku’s dirty hands!”

More incredibly, she falls to her knees, kneeling low with her nose almost touching the ground. “Hell, I’ve learned my lesson! I’ll promise to cut those wolves off immediately! I’ll find a way to make things right!”

“I dunno…” you look at her from the corners of your eyes. You stare curiously at her head: all that’s left of her hat is the brim, encircling a patch of toasted green hair.

She looks up. “...Alright. Even if you can’t overlook this, you gotta at least tell me where we stand. I guarantee I’ll let you go in peace after this."

She even lets you and Aunn break away for a miniature meeting. You both huddle behind a store shelf, whispering to each other.

“Okay, I know stealing is considered bad by most people, but I thought we had a truce with the gangs?”

Aunn answers, “The truce only covers what the Gangs do in the town. And that’s only if they uphold their end and behave. Something by a private individual like this… it’s definitely against the law. She’s already fooled us before, we can’t let her get away again!”

Peeking around the side of the shelf, you see Takane still leaning against the door frame, taking deep puffs from a cigar. Her foot taps impatiently. Her head faces towards the wounded that had been laid out on the porch. The Keiga rocket still hangs off her belt.

That thing still bothers you. “What about the rocket? Why would Keiga give her the rocket if they’re already waiting outside?”

Aunn blinks at the change in topic. “Ah… I wouldn't know. Is it important?”

“Yeah! I feel like Reimu said the Keiga are already somewhere outside. But why didn’t they do anything when she used her giant blast?”

“Hmm… you’re right, there’s no way anyone watching in this direction would’ve missed it.” Aunn looks uncomfortable. “Yet Iku did tell us the Keiga were doing their own active search, so what Reimu was saying might not be a lie. So I don’t know if Keiga might actually be waiting, or what they’re after if they are.”

“Should we tell Takane?”

“We can… after we tell her she’s being arrested!” Aunn hisses.

“Oh, right, back to that! But… she did say she wouldn’t do it anymore… ”

Aunn looks pained. “...Cirno, I seriously advise you, as your deputy, that it’s our duty to arrest people who break the law!”

Damn it, Aunn. You can’t argue she’s not correct, especially since you haven’t actually read any of the law book thingies yet. But you feel in your gut it’s just not that simple of a choice. Didn’t the mayor tell you to serve the ‘public trust’? Would this make the public trust you more? Besides, you’d thought it’d be fun and easy putting people in cells, but you’re not sure if it’s even possible in this case. If she doesn’t come peacefully, with your hands full with those fairies already, what can you even do?

[ ] Arrest Takane.
[ ] Overlook Takane’s actions.

And…

[ ] Warn her about the Keiga activity.
[ ] Don’t warn her.

[X] Overlook Takane’s actions.
[X] Warn her about the Keiga activity.

“We can’t just…!” Aunn furiously shakes her head. She doesn’t take your decision well, abandoning any pretense of keeping the discussion to whispers. “Please reconsider! She was knowingly profiting from stolen goods! That itself is criminal and there are serious penalties for that kind of behavior! If you’re worried about backup, we could even call the Mayor, or for the rangers…”

You flinch at her outburst. “No… hold on! I know Takane did a bad thing… but it’s all part of my plan!”

“A plan?” She looks incredulous.

“Yeah!” You get a little closer, shielding your mouth. “If Takane is close to the Gangs, then we can use her against them!”

“I don’t know…” The exchange goes back and forth, but you stand firm. Eventually Aunn relents, though she doesn’t look happy about it.

“And, at the very least, we can make sure she doesn’t do anything again, so it should be fine!” you end with. With discomforted agreement from Aunn, you move out from the store shelf.

“Did you two come to a decision?” Takane asks innocently, though she is unable to fully hide her pleased expectations. She must’ve overheard at least some bits. Heck, the guys outside probably heard Aunn.

“You’re not in trouble, for now!” you answer with boisterous pomp. “But there’s strings attached!”

“I’ll be stopping any and all criminal involvement now and in the future?”

“...well, yes…” you respond, taken aback for a moment. “But there’s more! You also have to help us against the Beast Gangs!”

“Woah, hold on. Whatever I was before, I’m just a businesswoman now...” To both your disbelieving eyes, Takane explains, “A well protected businesswoman, sure, but tangling with one of the Beast Gangs is surely beyond a regular citizen’s responsibility?”

“Maybe, but you can still give us all your gang secrets!”

“That’s something I can be of good use for… but I don’t know how far I can help. I was only receiving the goods. I had no part in any of the robberies or any of their other activities. Although… uh, any information might be helpful for the both of you, no offense.” Takane thinks for a moment. “Here, if you need advice, you can tap my past experiences any time!”

You nod. Aunn takes her turn. “What about all the stolen stuff you still have?”

“I’ll see what I can do about that.” Takane says, maybe a little too weakly for Aunn.

“You mean returning everything?”

“Well… hey, I’ll do so, as much as I possibly can. I can use the reach of our mail order catalogue to spread the word if that’s satisfactory to you?”

“Thank you. That would be best.” She says nothing else.

“Great! If we’re all agreed…” Takane beams at you. “I’m thankful for everything tonight. I promise you won’t regret taking it easy in my case!”

“There’s something else…” you decide to also tell her about the rocket-shaped and equally volatile Keiga problem. “We heard from a trusted person and now from Reimu that Keiga has a trap set tonight for the Ghost Thief. So we think that they’re probably waiting for something else to happen here.”

“Really? It has to be that Gouyoku bully bluffing, whatever you just called her. Anyone watching and interested would be here by now. Who’s this other ‘trusted’ person?”

“That lady who runs the station.”

Her smile drops, looking confused. “Nagae? I don’t speak to her much, but she’s just not the liar type. I don’t know how she knows, but why would Keiga give us this rocket if they’re snooping around?”

“We hoped you’d know!” you exclaim. She doesn’t say much else, and floats away, brows furrowed, while you return to the others.

“So what happened with Takane? I didn’t know she was working with Keiga like that, but I guess it’s not too surprising.” Larva asks curiously.

“She’s not in trouble as long as she stops doing bad stuff,” you announce.

Larva is interrupted by Star. “Hold it! Why does Takane get away with the same crime?”

“Yeah! This is an injustice!” Sunny roars.

“Because it’s not the same! You guys were stealing, she was just making money from other people stealing! Or something like that.” you defend yourself. “Speaking of that, we still need you to give back all the missing stuff!”

Sunny only sticks her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at you. You force the three to their feet, having the other two fairies and Medicine stay close. Looking around, the yamawaro appear to have controlled the fire and are largely focusing on taking care of their wounded.

You yawn. It’s past time to leave. But Aunn stands silently, looking at the warehouse and still looking a little upset.

You try to cheer her up. “We can’t worry about Takane when we have bigger fish to fry!”

Aunn shares her concerns with you about letting Takane go. She awkwardly expresses that she is not comfortable playing so loose with the law, and confesses that she’ll accept this for now, but might not be able to continue as deputy if future decisions are even more risky for the town’s safety.

There’s not much time to process your deputy’s frustrations as Takane returns, waving her arm.

“Sorry about this, Sheriff!” Before you can react, Takane immediately pulls the string on the rocket.

“Why did you do that?” you yell in panic, watching the red flare lurch into the air. It spirals as it flies up and up, bursting in a scarlet-sparkling pop. You protectively cover your face, fearful of falling sparks. But the small burst only leaves behind a puff of smoke that hangs in the air for a few seconds.

“If what you said is true, this meeting was probably going to happen anyhow. At least, I can prove to you that I’m turning over a new leaf!”

She barely finishes her exclamation when the dark horizon starts to wink. You watch stunned as orange dots light up like a line of fireflies on the contour of invisible hills, swarming together in a disorganized mass. The mass of lights grows as it begins to rush straight towards your position.

“...So there were a lot of them too.” Takane comments, noticeably less bold now. She barks out some orders towards the sooty faces just leaving the warehouse.

And faster than you think possible, the thundering of hooves on earth is all around you, spraying dust, the muscled hides lit like a bloody nightmare under the torches as they swirl around the group. Takane and her yamawaro had pulled back in a protective circle around their wounded. Their hands hover over but do not touch their holstered weapons. You also form up around the precious prisoners, but in a tighter, interlinked formation. Sunny’s mouth is agape, eyes wide, too preoccupied at the commotion to complain about your back pressing into her. Luna sneezes awkwardly as Larva’s wings twitch nervously against her face, the sound swallowed even without her power active.

The tempest of horses dwindles into a loose, rowdy ring surrounding both groups, the hollers of their riders not audible. The mean-looking beasts neigh and snort. Their riders, around two dozen in all, are just as imposing, with terrifying red wolf masks. No two masks look alike, the brutally hewn and unevenly painted wood evident of an unrefined but enthusiastic workmanship. They openly swing around curved sabers or wave around an armory’s worth of guns. The metal flashes with palpable excitement under the torches.

A couple people without masks do stand out. One of them has transparent fairy wings shaped like a dragonfly’s, but she’s like no fairy you’ve ever seen. She’s no less than two heads taller than you, looking even more so atop her mount. She’s wearing a shawl that’s spangled with stars and striped red and white. And she has a white hat, a purple ribbon with green dots tied around it.

The other person can’t be any taller than the fairy, but she’s further elevated by a truly monstrous steed. Several ugly scars mar the giant horse’s crimson coat. Its only good eye extrudes hate. Yet, despite its ferocious appearance, it comes to a graceful halt, barely jostling its rider. In fact, she rides with legs to the side, almost reclining on the saddle with a casual and comfortable bearing, looking almost bored. But as your widened eyes meet her brown ones, she grins, showing off perfect, white teeth.

As she sits up, gazing with excitement at the scene, you note the two whole, fresh peaches nestled into the brim of her round hat! This must be the girl that Iku was mentioning. Too bad there’s not really some way of telling Iku about it right now.

You turn back towards the fairy when she moves first, looking perturbed at something. She leaps from her horse, nearly tripping from the stiff fall. She marches halfway towards you, pointing a finger just past. “It’s you again!”

Confused, you turn your head until you see Larva taking a couple of steps away from the huddle wearing a coy smirk. “Who?”

“You! You’re the one who stole it! So give it back!”

Ignoring her, Larva pretends to whisper to you. “She’s the one I stole the fire from—”

“And then used it to ruin my old hat!” Clownpiece complains, pointing at her hat, where you can now see burned nibbles on the edges of the ribbon. “Now I have to wear this boring one.”

You finally connect the dots: she’s the one who robbed Ao and Aka’s cave and fought with Larva two nights ago! “Wait! You’re the weirdo who was messing with the local fairies!”

“That’s right! I’m Clownpiece, the strongest fairy in all the countries throughout all the worlds!”

You sputter. What a shameless claim! “What? That can’t be you, because that’s me! Cirno, the strongest sheriff!”

“Haha!” Clownpiece laughs boisterously, hands on her belly. Recovering, she crosses her arms. Her muscles press against her shirtsleeves. “So you’re the new sheriff of this pathetic place. You’re a lunatic if you think a pipsqueak like yourself could take me on! I would crush you like a bug and then burn the ashes, but I’d need my torch’s flame to do the last part. So count yourself lucky, punk.”

She spits into the ground.

“Why don’t ya just crush her right here and burn her later, ya dummy?” The peach girl laughs. A chuckle shuffles through the seemingly amused Keiga gangsters.

One of the gang walks her steed forward, a woman in white vest over a lavender dress who growls. “We’re wasting time! Girl, leave it!”

Clownpiece clenches her fists but acquiesces, backing off.

The newcomer hits the ground on two steady feet. Two bluish wolf ears emerge from the brim of her maroon hat and short white hair peeks from behind her mask, the teeth of the snarling mouth opening like the jagged edge of a saw. She carries two revolvers, one on each side. The metal and the grips, even the holster are entirely colored red. You can see eyes, red as well, reflecting light as they warily scan around.

“Enoko! So grateful for your visit tonight!” Takane loudly greets her. Apparently already familiar, her tone, however, is openly sarcastic. “But what brings all this company?”

The woman gives the hole in the warehouse a glance, passing over the injured yamawaro. “Looks to me you’ll be offering even less hospitality than before.”

“Really? I thought tonight’s lightshow was fine entertainment.”

“Maybe. But I thought we were promised a different order of fireworks.”

“Things don’t always go to plan. The instant we weren’t being shot at, I used the rocket as soon as I could.”

Enoko nods. “Very well. Tell me about what happened here.”

The two close stiffly like two porcupines about to hug, becoming engrossed in a tense exchange. You overhear Takane’s particular worry about the Gouyoku woman.

“So, are you going to chase after her?” Takane raises her voice.

“Nah. No point. We already knew about that individual. Magic like that…” Enoko sounds the opposite of concerned, almost pleased. “It’s been a while. Rest assured we’ll take care of her. And thank you for confirming that Toutetsu was behind her actions. We’ll be wringing out those grubby birds' necks soon enough. Now, will your warehouse still be ready tonight?”

“About that…”

“Yes?”

Takane raises her fist, backing away a step. “It won’t be, but that’s not because of the warehouse. I won’t keep taking your goods if it brings me trouble like this! Tell Kurokoma that we’re through!”

There’s a deathly silence. Takane’s locked into her strong stance, but you see her gulp perceptibly after a few seconds. Enoko’s face is hidden behind her mask, her body language still.

“Huuh? You got scared? How lame!” The blue haired girl giggles. Takane flushes.

“Quiet.” Enoko sighs, crossing her arms. “That’s disappointing, but it’s fine too. We were having doubts about your reliability”

Takane drops her arm, giving a dry laugh. “Is that what all that rocket nonsense was about?”

“I personally don’t care for mind games either. But our two mortal enemies are craftier than ever and our Boss wants us to keep up.” Enoko shrugs. “Still… bold words for someone who still owes us the payment for those earlier deliveries. If there’s no future business between us, then we claim that debt now.”

Takane seemed to have omitted critical pieces of information from you. Aunn drops her face into her palms.

“Y-you’ll have it! But I need time.” Takane stutters.

“How do we know we can trust you at this point? We could just take what’s ours right now!” Enoko points towards the warehouse. A round of whoops and yells circles the Keiga outlaws.

Takane huffs, building up speed as she talks. “You could, but then you’ll just have more stuff and not any more cash. I mean, that’s why you came to me in the first place. Are you really going to pay yourself in flour and nails and whale oil? And all those fancy mercenaries. Very high upkeep, I heard.” Takane glares towards the peach girl. “Let’s stick to the original idea. I’ll pay up for the shipments already received.”

Enoko seems almost impressed by the blatant wheeling and dealing. “...Don’t play around with us. You’re a pawnbroker: you should know about collateral. Maybe we will take some too. Maybe yourself. That’ll ought to keep your people on task.”

“And kidnap me in front of the good sheriff?” Takane gestures towards where you stand. “There’s no need for that. You know where to find me.”

“Hmph.” Enoko scoffs. “Fair enough. Just have the money ready.”

“Oh, I will.”

The Keiga shotcaller finally turns to you. “So, the new sheriff actually caught the ‘Ghost Thief’...”

“Yeah! We roughed them up!”

She snorts, then walks to the captured fairies. Everyone else subconsciously backs away. “So these three were working together with that thief?”

They shiver as she approaches closer. Luna whimpers as Enoko reaches out and gives her a hard pinch on the cheek. “They don’t feel ghostly to me.”

“They have some magical trickery, I’ve seen it myself,” Takane says.

“Hand them over to us.” Enoko’s eyes bore into you.

“Huh?” Caught in the figurative spotlight, you’re not sure you understood what she just said.

“You heard me. They were messing with our business, now they get their comeuppance.”

The sudden demand throws you off. You can only stare in panic. Aunn and Larva seem to be in the same state, no assistance coming from them.

Enoko shifts to one foot impatiently. She snaps her fingers, growling, “Well?”

[ ] Surrender the three bandits to Keiga.
[ ] Refuse!

[X] Refuse!

“No!” Your voice is more shrill than you’d like but the answer is loud and clear.

Enoko marches forward. “What?”

“I said I’m not giving up my prisoners! I caught them first, fair and square!” You plant your fists, not backing down as the wolf-faced woman looms over you.

“You’re not in any position to refuse.” Enoko states flatly. “You’re outnumbered. And frankly, you all look like crap.”

“Then do your worst!” You raise your fists as if to box. It’s so frustrating getting pushed around and surprised by bullies tonight, and you’ve had enough. Your confidence, mostly real, seems to trickle over to your friends, shuffling forward from behind.

“Wait! Hold it!” Aunn, also rattled but determined, tries to debate her. “Your boss agreed to the truce! You can’t interfere with our business!”

Larva questions, “If you’re so strong, why even ask us in the first place?”

Sunny squeaks, “Uh, I don’t know about fair, but Cirno here did catch us first. We’d rather stay with her for now.”

Enoko doesn’t respond. Takane is the one laughing now. “Look’s like they called your bluff! Ha! Just retire for tonight, and let us working folks have some rest. There's a long day tomorrow.”

“Whatever.” Enoko’s voice is hard, but while it’s hard to make out much behind that wolf mask, for a flicker, you could swear her eyes seem to soften. “We’ll remember this!”

She launches herself back on her horse, turning to the side and waving her arm forward. “Keiga! Let’s hustle!”

Clownpiece shoots you and Larva one last glare before the departure of the Keiga gangsters drives another storm of dust through the air. As they gallop away, a quietness returns to the warehouse surroundings, the shuffling yamawaro and your own breathing the only sounds left.

The dust settles, letting the stars above twinkle hypnotically. Is it finally over? Just patting yourself down, your hands feel leaden and an exhaustion even more powerful than that of last night almost overtakes you.

Takane sighs, just as relieved as the rest of you. “Whatever I feel about our damned Mayor, I can’t deny she did something right getting through to these gangs. Though honestly, it probably involved more than a bunch of skeletons in closets. Again, thanks for being with us for that encounter.”

Some more words are exchanged, but it’s not clear under the haze. Something tense between Aunn and Takane, you think. The only thing you’re sure of is that everyone makes it back, with the prisoners secured. A sound sleep descends upon you after that.

[-] To be continued…