2nd Screw [Action]

[all_wound_up]

[Nano picked a bad time to show up in Hinoto-Ri.  She's a Leo, and the fear inflicted upon her by the event has reached the point of complete unhinged terror.  At the beginning of the day, she thought to take a walk to clear her head, but as things got worse and worse, she's found herself utterly unable to deal with the world around her.  And to make matters worse, those horrible scorpion creatures are crawling all over the city - and now, perhaps smelling her fear, they're also crawling all over Nano.  She can be found running all over the city at various points throughout the day, trying desperately to shake them off and get to safety.]

Noooooooooo!  Stop it!  Get off, get off!

[She's really too afraid to do much of anything about it.  In fact, she's even too afraid to notice that in her panic, she's managed to manifest her Persona, Pinocchio, for the first time, floating protectively above her as the scorpions continue to sting at her.  Ironically, the robotic nature that Nano normally tries so hard to hide is currently her only saving grace, as her Persona reflects physical damage and the scorpions' venom can't affect someone without a genuine circulatory or nervous system.  The scorpions will eventually mindlessly sting themselves to death, but there are quite a few of them and Nano's not much for fighting, so it seems she's going to need some help here.]

Comments

[otakuro]

Crap, this is bad...!

[Almost the moment he exits the Velvet Room, it seems, Atsuro is made uncomfortably aware of the fact that the town has acquired a few new residents. A few thousand new residents. As a perfect partner, he's immediately swarmed like bees, and while he's almost accustomed to dealing with horrifying situations and grotesque monsters by this point, nothing quite prepares you for dealing with an unending horde of shadow scorpions.

Why did none of his Persona know Bug Spray?

As he runs down the street back towards the apartment building, he spots someone up ahead in similar straits. A young girl. And she was... curling up to die?! That wasn't much of a strategy...!]

H-Hey! Get up! You've got to run and find shelter!

[By this time, he's summoned his Persona enough times that it emerges almost without a hitch. With a wave of its rod, the streams of water that surround Enki flow forth to try to wash away the pests.

Unfortunately, given his status, it seems he may only serve to attract more of them...]

[all_wound_up]

I-I'm too afraid...! My legs won't even move!

[Yeah, Nano's completely in the grip of fear right now as she curls even further into herself, kneeling in place and shaking her head.]

Go away, go away, go away!

[Responding to its master's distress, Pinocchio holds out its hands, letting the protective light of Marakukaja wash over both Nano and Atsuro. It might not be able to do much right now, but at least it can help protect them.]

[otakuro]

[Atsuro feels a wave of energy flowing over him, instinctively understanding that he's been on the receiving end of a defensive buff. Not a bad idea - he hadn't played around with his Persona's versatility yet, and as he draws nearer to the girl, he beckons Enki to turn back and cast a Tarukaja on himself. She didn't seem to be in any condition to fight; by her own words, she was suffering from the mass wave of fear that had swept over the city. ...Capital F, even - His Patra spell was no good lifting the ailment, and Ideo had explained that it seemed to be beyond a normal Persona's power...]

Tch... Hold on; how much do you weigh?!

[Rude, Atsuro. But when he reaches her side, he immediately turns around, maneuvering backwards to assume a natural piggyback position; the reason for his question now should be obvious.]

[all_wound_up]

A-ah... no, I can't!

[There's nothing in this world Nano is more afraid of than having her true nature exposed for all to see. The key in her back is a dead giveaway, of course, but she's managed to get by so far without an incident. But to reveal herself so early in such a new and dangerous place... the thought alone is even more terrifying than the scorpions crawling all over her. And so, motivated not by confidence but by a greater source of terror, Nano slowly wobbles to her feet.]

Let's hurry!

[otakuro]

[Atsuro blinks for a moment or two before standing up awkwardly. Whatever had motivated her to action, it was good enough for him.]

OK! Head for the apartments!

[He points out the correct direction. Fear was a good motivator to run faster, right?]

I'll hold them back from behind. Does your Persona know any Agility spells?

[The scorpions have recovered from the Malaques and have begun to swarm again a steady clip...]

[all_wound_up]

My... what?

[That guy she met when she came here said something like that, but...]

What is that thing!

[OH GOD IT'S GOING TO KILL HER]

[otakuro]

...

W-When did you even get here?!

[How terrible was this person's luck that she'd appear in the city in the middle of something like this?! Atsuro resists the urge to facepalm. There was no time for it.]

Just run! I'll take care of things here. ...If you run into any trouble, you can um, scream. You can take care of that, right?

[all_wound_up]

Um, I...

[She doesn't want to leave him here, but the oncoming swarm of scorpions changes her mind quickly.]

Ah! Th-thank you!

[It seems she can indeed take care of that, as she takes off toward the Pisces apartments, screaming at the top of her lungs.]

[otakuro]

[Atsuro, of course, has no intention of simply standing there to be used as scorpion bait. Once he's sure that she has a clear path, Atsuro turns back and issues another order to his Persona.]

Give it all you've got, Enki! Help us survive this -- all of us!

[The moment his Persona appears, Atsuro, too, is running, taking off after Nano. Though his Persona was merely an extension of his soul, it seems to be able to act with some autonomy. Enki hovers in place, keeping its powers at bay, awaiting the right time...

When Atsuro is a good fifty meters away, a deafening roar strikes his ears as the floodtides are unleashed. Malaques, boosted with the passive Water Amp and further powered by the Tarukaja, tears through the scorpions and surges down the street, catching a good majority within its wake. Of course, some escape the flood. The battle wouldn't be nearly so easily won. But it has bought them some time, and Atsuro pumps his legs all the harder.]

[dame_tsuna]

HIIIE!

[Holy crap! Girl being attacked by scorpions! Tsuna's not exactly a brave hero or anything, but he'll at least try to save her.]

Hang on! I'm coming!

[Tsuna used flail! It was not very effective.

Yeah, flailing his arms at the scorpions and trying to pull them off her is only resulting in the scorpions biting him too. Awesome.]

Ow! Owowowowow!

[all_wound_up]

No! You have to run! They'll kill us both! They'll kill everyone!

[Nano flails in return, probably hitting Tsuna as often as she hits the scorpions. Don't worry, she's not actually all that strong for a robot.]

[dame_tsuna]

Ow! Ow, stop! Hang on!

[Okay, this isn't working. While batting at scorpions with one hand, his other reaches into his pocket, and pulls out bottle of pills. Yeah, he's done with this now. He takes a step back from panicking robot for just long enough to swallow two of them.]

[all_wound_up]

What are you doing? Don't leave me...!

[And she's back to cowering.]

[dame_tsuna]

Hold still.

[This command is delivered in a calm, even voice. Not at all like the fearful squealing he was doing only moments before. And after a few seconds, the scorpions stop moving. Most of them just fall away, frozen in place. If she looks up, she'll see Tsuna standing there, concentrating. A flame on his forehead matching the one flickering at his fingertips.]

There, that should take care of them for a few minutes. Can you stand?

[all_wound_up]

[Nano had her eyes closed for most of that, so she's pretty amazed to find a dozen or so frozen scorpions lying at her feet when she finally opens them. And even more amazed when she looks up to see the young boy that was panicking at least as strongly as her a few moments ago, seemingly calm and in control of the situation. It's enough to make her forget her fear for a moment or so as she nods and slowly stands.]

H-how did you do that...?

[dame_tsuna]

Long story. We should get you back to your room first.

[He's actually debating just flying there. Scorpions can't fly, so at least they won't attack again.]

Where are you staying?

[all_wound_up]

A-ah... the Pisces ward.

[theothermist]

[And here's one girl fighting off the scorpions with her staff, trying to stop more of them from getting any closer to Nano.]

[all_wound_up]

[There isn't much Nano's Persona can do to help in this case, but it can at the very least buff Chrome's physical defense a bit while she fights, so she'll feel that warm light wash over her while the pile assaulting Nano thins itself out.]

[theothermist]

[Chrome blinks in surprise at Nano's Persona, but she's quickly back to fending off the scorpions, making sure that she stays near the other girl to act as a sort of shield against them.]

[all_wound_up]

They'll get you too! We have to get out of here!

[theothermist]

[Chrome pauses, looking around at the crowd of scorpions, before she removes a box from her belt and presses her ring to it, an indigo flame soon surrounding the ring. Cue an owl emerging from the box to go attack the scorpions.]

... We can use this chance to get to somewhere safer.

[all_wound_up]

[Scorpions must be a little less scary when you're in a mafia family with Bianchi. Nano regards the owl nervously for a moment before nodding to Chrome, flailing her arm to knock off the last few scorpions.]

We have to hurry!

[theothermist]

[Pretty much. And Chrome gives the other girl a nod, using her staff to help brush off the scorpions before heading off in a direction that seems to have a lack of scorpions for now.]

This way.

[all_wound_up]

O-okay...!

[Nano's pretty unsure on her feet right now, but she does manage to force herself to move enough to follow Chrome.]