EX Mission: A Midsummer's Nightmare Dream Vacation

Monet

"As far as we go?" Monet gasped with an offended expression, her hand covering her mouth as she glanced over at Bastion who was preoccupied. Suddenly, Monet's face began flushing a shade of bright red rage, her body growing tense and stiff, her eyes shooting daggers at the high pixie floating above. 

A love rival?!  It only makes sense Bastion is popular!  And winged demons always had a thing for Bastion too!

But Monet won't quietly yield, this pixie won't stop them from being together!  Pixies were known for playing tricks and the cruelest trick of all is stealing someone's destined lover by barring her from lover's lookout!

"Jealously makes you age faster dear, you may be a pixie but eventually it'll catch up with you." Monet snapped as she held out her hand as a torrent of maga began to flow around her lowering her hand slowly and directing it towards the grass beneath her.  The ground began to twist and shape into a ghastly horse-like figure.

"Spectral steed!" Monet furiously called out as she slowly rose in the air riding her magical steed of love!  She gingerly grabbed Bastion's arm that just smacked a random pixie, obviously showing how much he agreed with her, as she pulled him up onto the steed with her like a knight in shining armor.  

She lightly tilted her head and flicked her hair to the as a sweet smile flowed on Monet's face, she met the vanguard's gaze accidentally smacking another pixie as she rose her hand in the air, doing her lovely Shakespearean pose again like some sort of noble out of a novel.

"Well let's hear it while we ride together, though we need to make it a bit less noisy first." Monet politely commented, as her smile twisted to a look of jealous rage at the high pixie before her.

Monet began inhaling a large amount of air so that her face was puffed out as fragments of maga began to flow towards her mouth. And in the next second she loudly exhaled, blowing a fumes of stagnant gas into the air to block more pixie's from reaching her.

"Stagnant Air." Monet whispered.

Forest
- Vayu -

As they moved through the forest, Vayu willing followed Scarlet, still holding her hand. He didn’t notice much around him. Anything but Scarlet still seemed blurry or just out of focus.

The group stopped when something whizzed through the trees around them. The Pixie’s began attacking them.

A threat.

For a few moments, Vayu’s mind struggled with comprehending what it meant. Eventually the threat registered in his mind.

Protect.

“Scarlet,” he said, pulling her around to face him, “Let us move away from this commotion. This is not very romantic.” He gestured towards the dive-bombing pixies, unintentionally swatting away an incoming pixie.

Being under the spell as he was, Vayu wasn't really able to pull himself away enough to be helpful. His mind was still wrapped up in the clouds.

Nihility ~ Fairy Swatter

"Ooh!!" Nihility cooed in delight upon watching Scarlet being led away by Vayu. "Is he taking her away for the steamy-hot barbecue?"

At that point a Pixe zipped past the two which Vayu swatted away with his offhand. Nihility's eyes widened at the action.

"Oh, no no. We can't have anything go to waste. Pixie's would be an added delicacy as appetizers. Let's capture at least a few."


the Pixie Huntress's eyes focuses on the Pixie that was about to regain it's composure after being smacked by Vayu and points her finger at it.

"You juicy morsel shall do just fine, as a starter."

Swallowing her saliva and moistening her lips, the lady acting as if possessed by some gluttonous demon, casts her energy-sapping spell, "Maga Transfer".


Tendrils emerging from behind the pixie wrap around it's neck and begin siphoning it's Maga. It is then transferred into Nihility through another set of tendrils attached at the back of her neck. Nihility's Purple eyes begin glowing even stronger as her visage slowly twists and morphs into a sinister expression.

Zephyr Arc - Forest

Zephyr realize quickly that something was messing with his mind. At first he tried to resist, but it quickly became obvious to him that whatever this was was too powerful to easily shrug off. He came to this decision after trying to fight it for some time, being sunk deeper into his own mind all the while. This came with touching upon the madness that dwelled within, placing him between a rock and a hard place. He understood that he probably only had two choices in this situation. Fighting both the madness and the affliction would be impossible for the current him, so he could either choose to give in to the affliction or go on a rampage... and he didn't have time to decide, as both rapidly encroached on his consciousness.

Just as the eerie grin sprouted on his face, Zephyr made one last effort to resist. Deciding he couldn't make trouble if he were unconscious, he exerted as much of his will on his body as possible, causing him to trip over an exposed tree root. He accelerated his fall in order to hit his head as hard as possible on the ground.

As his consciousness blurred, Zephyr cursed his overly sturdy body for the first time, as the blow wasn't enough to knock him out. Instead, the two forces threatening to overtake him collided head-on, melding together.

______________

Zephyr arose in a dazed state and stumbled after the party. However, he was no longer seeing what they were seeing. A familiar forest path extended before him, and an urgent voice urged him to move quickly. He felt love and safety as he was lead along... it was wrong. He quickly rejoined the rest as he picked up the pace like the voice told him to, feeling extremely uneasy as he went.

Then, as the pixies appeared, Zephyr felt himself be drenched in red. The high pixies had morphed into imps, and had slain an apparition on his mother. A violent rage overtook him, replacing the love with equivalent madness... no, this was wrong too...

He pulled his spear in its shrunken state from his glove and enlarged it, testing the grip. Next, he stepped forward, to slay the fiendish imps that dared to take away what was dear to him. He swung at an "imp", all the force of his madness and rage contained in his thrusting spear.

An image of an ever so small girl floating over him flashed by, causing him to miss. The conflicting forced of love and madness had brought him back to the place and time when both had converged most prominently in his life, to the day he lost everything. A strange, almost eerie sense of clarity washed over him as he looked at the high pixie, now in the image of Cherry. Yes, he'd lost his parents that day. He also gained a sister, who had been by his side ever since. He retracted his spear as he looked around the battle field, seeing what he couldn't before.

He could see his teammates, and then he could see the army of "Cherry"s. Both were locked in conflict. He couldn't let them hurt Cherry... but he also couldn't let Cherry hurt them...

He pondered for only a moment, then his spear extended abruptly, slamming down between the two forces. "I can't let you hurt each other... so I'll make sure you can't." He declared, activating his buffs and landing between them. With his abilities, he decided could nullify their magic attacks and keep them from approaching each other, so he would. It was as simple as that.

Cherry the Pixie | Forest

Cherry stopped her advance seeing the army of High Pixies, realizing they likely wouldn't let her reach her goal. She watched the events unfold below, at a bit of a loss of what she could do to defuse the situation. Then Zephyr, who had oddly been behaving himself suddenly jumped into the fray and declared that he wouldn't let the two sides harm each other and started using his powers to nullify the attacks the two sides threw at each other...

What bothered her wasn't that... but the fact that he very obviously wasn't doing the same for attacks aimed at himself. She bit her lip. It would have almost been better if he'd just gone berserk as usual. "This damn idiot!" She yelled, diving in his location, landing a drop-kick on a dumbfounded High Pixie that had been trying to attack Zephyr. "This is crazier than your usual crazy, dammit!" she exclaimed, glaring at the High Pixies. They had stronger magic by far, but she wouldn't lose to any of them in a fist fight.

- Cleo -

Cleo frowned as the world devolved into chaos around him. The fog over his vision pulsed at the edges, prickling his awareness. He felt Scarlet's fingers dig into his arm as a pixie swooped too close.

Protect.

"Relax, Spitfire. I've got this." Cleo reached for his sword, but Scarlet's grip on his arm hindered the movement. Turning towards her, he realized that Vayu was still holding onto her as well. That would make moving through a battlefield a chore, but he couldn't just abandon Scarlet.

Another fairy swooped towards them, and Cleo pulled their group to the side to avoid it. There was an awkward shift in the balance, and a moment later, Cleo found himself on the ground with Scarlet on top of him and Vayu standing over them, still holding her hand.

He wanted to move her away from the commotion? That wasn't a bad idea. She would be more safe away from the pixies.

MINE!

The best way he could protect her was by letting Vayu take her away from the fighting.

You'd let another man take what's mine?

"For her own safety, yes." Cleo muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, despite a clinging Scarlet.

"Spitfire..." As he looked into her eyes, he saw the emptiness there.

Something is wrong with her.

"I need you to go with Vayu for a minute." Instead of listening, she clung more tightly to him, shaking her head.

"There's something wrong with him. He's scaring me."

There's something wrong with all of us.

The world seemed to "snap" into place for the first time since Cleo had initially become disoriented.

"She's charmed."

We all are.

Shaking his head, Cleo turned to Scarlet again. She wouldn't understand logic like this. So, he would need to use a different approach. "Spitfire, you're right. Something is wrong with him, and only you can help me fix it. Can you do that for me?"

Scarlet hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Good. I need you to stay with him for now. That's the best thing you can do to help me fix him."

He slipped from her grasp and moved towards the center of the action. What a mess this had become.

Clean it up. Protect what's mine.

Bastion blinked, dazed, as Monet hoisted him onto her steed. Unbeknownst to him, Rory still held on and was pulled up alongside him, falling off at the last minute to hang onto the steed's tail. As they rode through the clearing, he stared at her in surprise, eyes blown wide, as she blew away the High Pixie with her spell.

"Monet, lovely Monet,
A vision on her steed,
No demon, man, nor fae,
Can match her strength or speed!"

The High Pixie was thinking far less flattering things as Monet's Stagnant Air forced her away, dizzy and spinning. She flew back and righted herself, trying to get her bearings. One of her Pixies got ensnared by a horrible demon's tendrils, but the next moment, the tendrils were blown away along with everything and everyone else as one of the humans went mad, slamming his spear down and separating the two sides.

It didn't last, however, as the two sides swarmed back together again. It was obvious, however, that their forces were unmatched. The High Pixie jammed her fingers into her mouth and let out a shrill whistle.

The next moment, more demons swarmed into the clearing. Several Mandrakes popped out of the earth, shaking their flowery heads, and even more Goblins emerged from the trees. A few moments later, ground shaking, a few Spriggans emerged from the trees, baring their teeth.

"That's not good," Nena muttered, knocking another Pixie out of the air wen something latched onto her foot and yanked her out of the air. She yelled, falling into a pair of strong arms that bound her tight. Nena turned, ready to thrash the enemy, when she realized it was only Komori, smiling warmly at her.

"Don't strain yourself any further, Nena, my dear," he cooed. "Rest safely with me."

"Not! Now!" Nena bellowed, squirming. The one time she didn't want to be in Komori's arms was the one time she couldn't escape them!

Forest
- Vayu -

As the commotion increased, it finally pierced through the fog that was still enveloping Vayu’s mind. They were under attack. However, after a short glance around, involuntarily, his eyes returned to Scarlet.

Cleo had finally let go of her hand.

“Don’t worry,” he said quietly, squeezing her hand. “I will make sure no harm befalls you,” Vayu said. He raised his other hand. “Confusion Wave.” The wave pulsed outwards, affecting the nearest enemy demons. More were coming towards them, their numbers too great.

“Arcane Barrier.” He cast and an invisible dome appeared around them, stopping the brute force attacks of the nearest demons.

However, Vayu didn’t even take notice of the effect, instead staring at Scarlet like a he had forgotten the rest of the group even existed.

Monet

"Look at that Bastion!  An audience has come to view our display!" Monet stated with a gasp, as she covered her mouth in glee as Bastion recited a poem back at her.  She turned to everyone with a smile, with a snide laugh at the high pixie as she wrapped one of her arms around Bastion to show that they were truly together.

She rose her hands in the air at the disoriented high pixie, as she began to stand on her spectral stead the tendrils from the steed keeping her balanced as she pulled out her weapon like some sort of circus performer pointing it at the high pixie.

"Shall we enthrall them with a duet?!  After all, it's us they're here to see this high pixie is only getting in the way..." Monet chuckled as darkness began to flow around her sword with a discharge of maga suddenly erupting from the blade on course to collide with the aliment stricken fae, "Void Pulse!"

Monet's mind immediately went to the song her parent's sang to her from her childhood a song about a mischievous fairy trying to get the attention of a human it loved.  It played prank after prank on the boy, that only seemed to draw them apart but one day the fairy realized that she just needed to be true to her feelings while the two sat under the moon.
----

"Playful Fairy!  A pinch of dust to play a trick.
Mischievous Fairy! A rock in the shoe giving a prick!
Again and again the prank she plays!
Until the boy leaves her alone many a days!
Lonely fairy! watching from a window above!
Longing fairy! wanting to be with the one they love!"

----
at the note of love Monet turns her gaze towards Bastion as she grabs one of his hands with hers and begins looking into his eyes.  What a perfect moment and with the moon coming soon it will be just like in the song!

Zephyr Arc - Forest

Zephyr's consciousness was pulled closer to the surface when Cherry suddenly smacked "Cherry"s face in. It didn't really stop him, however, as he started actively keeping the two sides from clashing as much as possible.

The real Cherry, on the other hand, busied herself brutally bludgeoning her bewildered kin with her tiny, bare fists. The high pixies appeared too utterly dumbstruck at the display of sheer elegant brutality that they were getting knocked down like bowling pins. Her rain of punches, kicks, elbows and knees almost looked worse than Zephyr's rampages as tiny bodies were sent flying one after another. "I'd like to recommend we stop this, but I'll knock down as many as I need to!" She exclaimed.

Nihility ~ Whipped Butterfly

Nihility's feeding/snacking was interrupted by an emerging horde. Suddenly the entire forest was filled with delicious meat all around her. No one would mind if she nibbled on a little goblin's ear and while at it, grabbed a leg piece off the Spriggans that sprung out from behind the trees. Even an earthy Mandrakes flavouring would do nice with the Barbecue that Vayu was preparing Scarlet for.

"Quick on your hooves, beast. We need to do our part in helping the Master Chef. We'll start by chopping away at all these delicious ingredients."

With one fell swoop, Nihility slipped out the whip-blade from around her waist and swiped at the little mandrake near Tyrian's feet with the razor-sharp edges to silence the screaming. An astoundingly loud clap of thunder blasted the ground, throwing dust away. She then proceeded to eye the Goblin that was bearing it's teeth at her while a meaty Spriggan rushed right beside it.

"Speed me up steed. Do you want me to miss the barbecue!!" Nihility growled at Tyrian as she lasciviously began swinging her whip in the motion of the infinity sign.


Tyrian narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he grudgingly followed the order. "My Mistress would never approve of such barbarism... Shoggoth."

Unfortunately, due to the Fae spell messing with the vulnerable state of mind Nihility had been harbouring, the elder demon was able to twist and slip her claws deeper into the human's mind and take back control. As such, without physically harming the Vanguard, Tyrian had no way of stopping Shoggoth's sinister grasp over Nihility's body which was giving the demon the power to manipulate her like a marionette. The only thing he could do at the moment, was whatever was necessary to avoid the body from getting hurt from the surrounding demons.

"Fleet Foot!!" Tyrian growled.

The Wilder-Beast's mane pulsed with Maga as the spell rushed out to be absorbed into it's rider's body.


The skin on Nihility's body prickled up as a jolt of energy surged throughout her body. Her eyes grew even brighter as Shoggoth freely controlled the Maga.


"That's a good boy. I told you, She is my property and I will do with her as I please. Now, rush after those two humans. We will lay a path of blood and mayhem in our wake."

Gripping tightly onto the Bicorn's mane, Nihility's movement of flicking the whip grew in intensity. With precise agility and speed, the sound of blades slicing the air in a blazingly fast rotational motion spread loudly in front of the dashing Bicorn and the arched forward Vanguard that was riding it.

"For Spice and Flavour!!!" Nihility charged forward with a shrill warriors-cry, "Yayayayayaaa!!"

- Scarlet -

Scarlet watched Cleo's retreating back over Vayu's shoulder. Her expression was a combination of fear and determination as she gave her arm another ineffective tug. "Of course I'm not worried." She responded without actually looking at Vayu. "Cleo is going to find a way to make you better, and I'm going to help him."

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

- Cleo -

The fog continued to lift as Cleo took in the chaotic scene before him. The Pixies alone weren't too much of a threat. In fact, they were kind of cute. The second wave of demons presented a bit more of an issue though. He blinked as his eyes came to rest on one particular pixie that didn't appear to be working with the others. In fact, it seemed like the fierce little thing had decided it was a good time for a boxing match. He could respect that kind of spirit in a woman.

You can respect a lot more than just her spirit.

Cleo flinched at the voice, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't wrong. She was tiny, but the pixie was definitely in shape. Athleticism was far from a turn-off. Maybe he'd have to make her his too...

Yes. All mine.

For the first time, Cleo realized that the voice was his own. That probably should have given him pause, but instead, it made him feel a little drunk on power. Whatever charm this was didn't appear to be affecting him anymore. Somehow, he'd overcome it, or at least some part of him had.

Now, he needed information. Judging from the crowd, the only ones that were unaffected were Nena and the pixie. Cherry, was it? He'd have to compliment her fighting prowess later. She might like that.

Since Nena seemed less inclined to be caught up in the combat, Cleo made his way towards her instead. As he approached, she half-heartedly struggled against Komori's grip. Was she like Scarlet? Trapped by a man she didn't want? He couldn't have that.

Before he could do anything about it, Silky actually cut in by slipping her hands into Komori's coat from behind and tickling his ribs. As Nena tipped forward, Cleo was there to catch her with a flourished dip.

"Well, hello there, sweetness." He whispered into her ear as he spun to pull her back to her feet. "I'd love to ask for a dance, but I'm afraid now might not be the time." With a wolfish grin, Cleo took a half-step back, maintaining his hold on her hand, which he pressed a kiss across the knuckles of. "Rain check?"

The sound of someone hitting the ground briefly drew his attention, but he didn't allow his eyes to wander from Nena as Aeris and Mongo joined Silky and Komori in the flailing pile of bodies.

Monet's voice. So lovely...

Bastion watched her single, enthralled, until she took his hands into her hers and stared into his eyes. The chaos melted away around them as he leaned toward her, as though pulled by an irresistible force.

A terrified squeak came from behind him, and something latched onto his arm. Startled, he threw whatever it was off, but too late! He slipped from the saddle and fell, only saved from being thrown to the ground by his leg getting caught. Dangling upside down, his head right by the horses hooves, he gave a dizzy groan and threw his arms vaguely upward.

"Monet, Monet, pull me up and save the day!"

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

"Komori! Not! Now!" Nena squirmed and struggled, but Komori only smiled stupidly.

"Don't worry, my love. I've only lost all feeling in my arms. I can still carry you!"

The next moment, Silky had slipped forward to tickle him, and Komori bucked forward, letting Nena break free from his hold. Only, the next thing she knew, she was in someone else's arms.

Cleo. Great. He seemed to be throwing his smooth ladies' man routine into overdrive, but Nena could only roll her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Before she could protest, Rory came flying through the arm, thrown off a charging horse by Bastion. She landed in Komori's arms, permanently bent into hooks at this point, only for Komori to be brought down by a combination of Silky, Aeris, and Mongo.

Oh geez. This was so far out of hand.

"Sorry, kid," Nena sighed. "But I'm going to need you to wake up now."

Swinging her arm back, she cracked him across the face with a terrific slap that sent him reeling. With any luck, the pain should help clear his head a little, and his natural blood should do the rest.

"Now help me get this group moving again!" she ordered him before taking to the air. "Cherry, get us moving again! I'll cover our escape!"

The fairies, soundly beaten, were starting to retreat, but the Goblins and Spriggans were just getting started. Like some kind of circus act, the Goblins were hurling each other into the air before descending like flying, fist-flailing projectiles. Nena weaved through the air, dodging where she could and sniping Goblins out of the air when she couldn't with her Impure Reach.

Then, a fist came through the air, knocking her aside and into a tree. Nena cried out, slumping, as a Spriggan leered down at her and reached for her.

"NOT MY SUCCUBABE!" Komori roared, bursting out from the pile of bodies and slamming into the Spriggan full-force. It flew back and crashed into a tree, sending Goblins and Mandrakes scattering in its wake.

"Komori..." Nena murmured.

"I would help you up," he said, turning to smile at her. "But..." He gestured with limp arms.

Using her wings, Nena lifted herself up and flew to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "If you really want to help me out, help Cleo get everyone moving after Cherry, okay? I'll be sure to show my appreciation later~"

Komori's sunny smile went supernova. "Of course, my dear!" He turned and rushed back for the others, his dead arms finding new life as he scooped up Zephyr with one arm and got Tyrian's neck in am (unintentional) chokehold with the other. "Let's move, everyone!"

Zephyr Arc - chaotic forest

Once the "other cherries" beat a hasty retreat from getting blungeoned by Cherru's fists in combination with whatever assaults the others managed to get on them, Zephyr began getting more... Zephyr-like. The goblins and spriggans were open game in whatever oddly twisted state of mind he was in, it seemed.

As Zephyr started whipping himself into a frenzy ripping into the poor creatures, Nena finally got enough breathing room to call for Cherry to get things moving again.

Cherry the Pixie | chaotic forest

Cherry stopped wiped the High Pixie blood off her knuckles when Nena called, noting that they'd finally wised up enough to run off. Breaking out into a laugh when Komori yelled "Succubabe" to the heavens, she gave Nena a mischievous look before zipping up to get her bearings.

"This way, follow me." She called as she whizzed back down just as quickly, having picked out the quickest route through the trees to their destination.

Forest
– Vayu –

Even though he wanted to ignore the commotion around him and Scarlet, the continuous attacks of the Springgan and Goblin were enough to interrupt their moment.

“What a bother,” he murmured.

He put his arm around Scarlet’s shoulder and gently guided her along, unaware that she was looking increasingly uncomfortable.

“Let us find a quieter space,” he said.

They followed along with the others.

- Cleo -

Cleo chuckled as he rubbed the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "I always knew you had some spice in you, but that was one hell of a kick."

His tongue moved over where he'd bitten his lip during the slap, and he paused when he found his teeth oddly pointed. Surely, they hadn't always been like that. He shook his head, as if to clear his mind. Before he could form a response to her, a rogue Spriggan knocked Nena to the ground. No retaliation was necessary on his part though. Komori made an excellent wrecking ball, smashing the little demon aside.

As she flew to them, Cleo couldn't help but appreciate Nena's true form though. She'd been hiding a lot under her barkeep's clothes. "You know, it's kinda hot when you're being bossy." Smirking, he drew his sword. "Why don't you keep practicing that on the group and let me watch the rear instead?" Cleo twirled his finger, as if requesting she do a spin. "I assure you, I'm very qualified."

With a wink, he turned towards the demons pressing on on their group. "You all could use a lesson in respecting a lady!"

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

- Silky -

As she'd pulled herself from the pile, Silky heard Nena's request for Komori's help. The group did seem to be somewhat in danger. Maybe she could make herself useful somehow? Glancing around, she spotted Nena's bag and grinned. As Aeris got her bearings and staggered towards Komori, Silky plucked Mongo from the woman's leg and stuffed him into Nena's bag, which she then handed to Komori with a gesture to indicate it belonged to Nena.

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

- Scarlet -

Scarlet's eyes widened as Cleo turned towards the oncoming pack of demons. Surely, he didn't intend to fight them all alone? It appeared that was exactly what he planned, and despite his request to help Vayu, she couldn't just let him risk himself like that.

As Vayu began to steer her away, Scarlet pulled back against him. "We have to help him! He can't win against that many!"

Samael/Monet

Monet's eyes widened, her vision narrowed, as she saw Bastion falling off of her spectral stead. She reached her hand out in an attempt to catch him but he slipped just barely out of range, as fell off... or so she thought as he foot caught caught as he hanged from the horse.

"Don't worry! I've got you!" Monet called out to Bastion in a fit of hysteria, scrambling around her person for something that she could use.

She patted down her bag, as she pulled out her overcoat from her normal clothes. Suddenly her eyes lit up, as she knotted the coat together like a rope and tossed it down for Bastion to grab before yanking him back up onto the horse with a suddenly quick jolt.

Monet pulled a bit harder than she expected, as the Bastion was suddenly pulled up into her face as the two locked eyes for a moment as they locked eyes for a moment the two drawing in closer for a ki....

"AHA!" A sudden shrill emanated in their eardrums as a rag-tag duo of two goblins landed on their shoulders knocking them off the horse. as the two surprised vanguards and two foul demons rolled across the forest as the horse slammed face first into a spriggan... fading in a buff of smoke.

Monet absolutely furious, grabbed the goblin closest to her and slammed him square across the face with a painful slap that resonated throughout the forest, the goblin spiraling away in a daze. Her eyes quickly turned towards Bastion as she rushed over to help him back up.

Nihility ~ Follow the leader

"Aaaah!! What are you doing!?" Nihility shrieked, quickly moving her arm away. "Did you want to be included into the BBQ menu?"

The buzzing whip sword fell flat onto the ground, leaving a trail as Tyrian got dragged around.

"I could have chopped your arm, clean off." She fumed and scowled at the man who clearly was not paying much attention to details.

"Normally I wouldn't mind mixing aged meat with tender flesh, but right now I fancy a gourmet dish prepared by the Master Chef, out there... Oh! What do you know? He's heading the same way as you."

Nihility crossed her arms in a huff. "Fine, lead the way, old man."

Still gazing at Komori's back as if shooting daggers right in it, Nihility contemplated in chopping the arm once again, or maybe chop the limbs of any other surrounding demons. "We'll follow, just let go of the Bicorn's neck. It is turning into an uncomfortable ride for me."

Oh, what outrageous misfortune! Thrown apart again when they were so close!

Bastion tumbled into the dirt, dazed, as Monet’s spectral steed vanished in a puff of smoke. He rubbed his head, watching as Monet furiously dispatched the Goblin before rushing to his aid.

“Ah, you are so lovely when you’re angry,” he mused as she helped him up. “And happy. And curious. And-”

The rest of the group blundered into them, separating them for a few moments. But when there was an opening, Bastion threw out his hand and grasped Monet’s, clasping it tightly. Smiling, he strolled after the others, swinging their arms together.

Meanwhile, Nena just shook her head at Cleo’s remarks. She had to remind herself that this was the charm talking, but... it was also more than that. They’d need to have a talk after this was over, but for now, she nodded to him as he covered the rear for their escape and flew overhead to corral the others into moving.

Below, Komori blinked in surprise as Silky handed him a bag, indicating that it was for Nena. Dropping his hold on Nihility’s Bicorn, he grabbed the bag and waved it at her. Mongo, who had just stuck his head outside to look around with a dazed expression for Aeris, found himself being whipped back and forth suddenly.

Nena sighed. “Uh... could you hold onto that for me, sweetie? It would be such a big help!”

“Of course!” Komori bellowed. “Anything for you!”

She looked down and spotted Mongo emerging once more, fingers groping toward Aeris, who had sidled up to Komori with batted eyelashes. It was tempting to offload Mongo onto her, but for the sake of avoided any more distractions, she called out to Komori.

“And keep the contents zipped up!”

Komori beamed and nodded, shoving Mongo’s head back inside the back and zipping it up tight. The bag bulged and wiggled as Mongo tried to free himself, but to no avail.

“It’s up ahead!” Cherry called.

“Finally!” Nena turned and fired a few curse spells over her shoulder to help Cleo stave off the following mob as they burst through the trees and into a clearing.

Twinkling lights hung from the trees all around, bathing the clearing in a soft, magical glow. Banquet tables were set all around, filled to the brim with succulent fruits and meats, colorful drinks, and delicious desserts. Fairies of all kinds fluttered and danced about merrily, and at the far end of the clearing, two figures sat on ornately carved wooden thrones raised up by a beautiful dais.

As the group burst into the clearing, the merriment ceased abruptly in cries of surprise and dismay, and the two figures on the throne leaped up in a flurry of wings.

“Who dares to interrupt our festival?” the female demanded, her beautiful face etched with scorn.

Spoiler:

The pursuing demons stopped abruptly at the sight of them and immediately fell into reverent bows.

“A thousand apologies, Queen Titania,” they said. “We were only following the king’s orders.”

The queen turned to her husband, who sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Oberon? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Nothing, my love,” he said, waving an airy hand. “My attempt to rout these interlopers in our woods seems to have gone awry.”

Nena beat her demonic wings and glared at Oberon. “We would have been happy to leave if you hadn’t charmed most of us!”

“Charmed?” Titania folded her arms and glared at the king. “Haven’t you learned your lesson already about messing with love spells?”

Oberon picked at his cheek. “Yes, well, be that as it may...” He flapped his wings and moved away from the dais, inspecting the group before him. “As you seem to be here now, this calls for a change of plans.”

Spoiler:

“I’ll say.” Nena pointed a finger at him. “Lift the charm now.”

Oberon raised his eyebrows. “Oh ho, resorting to threats? Very well. If you’re so eager for a fight, a fight you shall have. I’ve been desiring some entertainment to cap off the festivities anyway!”

He clapped his hands, and a figure who’d been discreetly leaning against the dais off to the side peeled away from it and approached the group.

Spoiler:

“If you can defeat my champion in combat, I shall lift the charm from all of you,” Oberon declared. “What say you?”

[A: We accept your challenge.
B: Champion? Why don’t you face us yourself?
C: Hmm? What’s going on? I seem to be too charmed to care.]

Samael/Monet... C

Monet was surprised when she entered the banquet room was memorized for a moment. She had to value the fashion sense of these fairies, they took a lot of care and precision into their décor that any designer could appreciate. It seemed like the fog of the charm spell weakened a bit for a few seconds, as she was able to hear the conversation for a moment...

"Charm spell?! We're here for lovers lookout to see the moon, so we can be bound together forever!" Monet said with a loud huff as the fog suddenly came rolling back in as her mind focused on love again, as she pointed a finger at Oberon with a scowl on here face as she sucked in a loud breathe of air prepared to shot in a demanding and stern voice, "I've grown up in a fairy forest, don't think you can hide it from me!"

She glanced around at the others, as closed her eyes and nodded, assuming that they all already agreed with her because why wouldn't they? That's why they were here wasn't it? There was all this talk about battling, but she didn't care about that she only cared about Bastion for this moment.

"Though, with our love nothing called lover's lookout will be able to hide from us. Isn't that right?" Monet said with a smile, while looking into Bastion's eyes growing entranced and forgetting all the talk and conflict happening around them.

Zephyr Arc - Fairy Banquet | A

Zephyr was plucked up and carried off by Komori in the middle of his rampage, remaining docile as he could see his allies as themselves at the moment. Cherry lead the way and they quickly ended up at what looked like a banquet for a bunch of "Cherry"s, a regal looking fairy in green, and some pompous looking guy with her. He ignored most of the conversation as it didn't seem there were any threats, until the pompous guy called in a man with a spear and challenged them to a fight.

Recognizing the threat, Zephyr made to accept, but was met with a tiny fist to the chin instead. Cherry put a finger to her lips to shush him before turning to the others. "Who should we send in? Zephyr has enough of his mental faculties to do well enough... I'd volunteer myself if it was someone more my size, to be honest. Tam Lin isn't a pushover, so we best be careful." she spoke to the group. Carelessly rushing in was probably a bad idea so she felt it best they- the sane ones- chose who to send in to fight the one she recognized to be Tam Lin.

Forest
- Vayu -
C: Hmm? What’s going on? I seem to be too charmed to care.

Without resisting, the Vayu allowed Scarlet to drag him back towards Cleo, where she began to help him fight off the demons. Vayu simply stood by, mesmerized by her movements until the pursuing demons stopped abruptly and fell back.

Vayu stepped up to Scarlet, barely aware of the festivities around them. He lifted his hand and gently pulled a strand of her hair back behind her ear.

“You are an amazing girl,” he said.

Distracted for a moment by Oberon’s declaration, he pulled his eyes from Scarlet and turned around, taking in the soft magical glow and the banquet tables, and completely missing the somewhat threatening situation.

Nihility ~ Party

Komori led them out to the Fairy gathering and what a spread they had laid out for them.

"Wowee~!!" Nihility exclaimed with sparkling eyes. "Look at this scrumptious presentation. There is so much to eat... raw!!"

Nihility slid off Tyrian's back and surveyed the environment. "Hey, hey, Master Chef!" she prodded Vayu's shoulder with the back of her whip-sword. "Is this all for the secret Barbecue? Oh, it is wonderful. You really outdid yourself with the ingredients this time."

She continued to energetically poke his shoulder and then shifted her gaze on to the Scarlet delicacy. Licking her lips in increasing levels of ecstasy, she hungrily grilled the juicy meat with her eyes. "Now enough buttering the lovely food and hurry up with barbecuing the meat."

[C: Hmm? What’s going on? I seem to be too hungry to care.]

B: Champion? Why don’t you face us yourself?

- Cleo -

Having successfully held the majority of the fairies at bay during their escape, Cleo moved to rejoin the group as the fighting came to an abrupt halt. To make sure that Scarlet's efforts didn't go unnoticed, Cleo took her hand and kissed the knuckles while Vayu was momentarily distracted by the scene around them. "Thank you for the support, Spitfire. Stay with him a little longer, and we'll work things out." He winked as he released her hand, and Scarlet swooned, falling against Vayu's side with a breathy sigh.

The exchange between Oberon and Titania wasn't lost upon him as Cleo approached, but the demon's "challenge" made it sound like they were beneath him. Not that it mattered. It was the lovely Titania that Cleo addressed with a slight bow. "What is a vision like yourself doing with a man that doesn't listen to your every word?" He stretched out an open hand towards her. "Since this appears to be a festival, perhaps you'd like to dance with a man that doesn't need a minion to fight his battles?"

Bastion stared around in awe at the twinkling lights and winged folk before turning to Monet.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it? A perfect scene for inspiration!" He caught her by the shoulders and brought them both down to sit on the grass, framing the lights behind her. Leaning back against the nearest tree, he hummed thoughtfully to himself as he took in her radiant smile.

"Monet, Monet, day has come and gone away. But your beauty is here to stay."

Nena rolled her eyes and turned to Komori. "Be a dear and keep the others under control, will you?" She glanced at Nihility, who looked ready to cook Scarlet up for dinner. "Especially that one."

"Of course, my sweet," Komori replied, kissing her hand, then the length of her arm until she pried it from his grip.

Okay, on to business. She and Cleo seemed present enough to fight. Cherry might be able to provide a little support. Zephyr could be risky, but he was able to swing a weapon for the moment, at least. Four on one... not great odds when they were facing a champion fighter like Tam Lin.

Just as she was thinking this, Cleo strode forward and bowed to Titania. "What is a vision like yourself doing with a man that doesn't listen to your every word?" He stretched out an open hand towards her. "Since this appears to be a festival, perhaps you'd like to dance with a man that doesn't need a minion to fight his battles?"

Ohhh no.

Titania raised her eyebrows, a smirk playing on her lips. "Do you hear that, Oberon? This human desires my company."

"Hah!" Oberon laughed merrily, far from jealous or angry like Nena expected. "So he does. Very well then. Tam Lin, today you will have the pleasure of watching instead."

Tam Lin bowed and stepped aside as Oberon and Titania descended from the dais and hovered before Cleo, Zephyr, Nena, and Cherry. Four on two, and somehow, their odds had gotten worse.

"Cherry, stay back and support. We're going to need all the healing we can get," Nena told the fairy. "You two knuckleheads, keep them occupied, and I'll lob in whatever spells I can."

Titania batted her eyelashes at Cleo, her wings hovering faster as wind swirled about them. Oberon gave a haughty laugh as he stared down at Zephyr, flames beginning to flicker at the edge of his own wings.

"Well, humans, don't die before giving us a good show!" the fairy king declared as the fight began.

- Cleo -

Cleo raised an eyebrow as Titania assumed a fighting stance. "Well, this isn't quite what I had in mind, but I guess you could call this a kind of dance." From the very air around her, he could tell she was powerful.

Another recent image flashed in his mind, and he smirked. Red. He'd always had a healthy respect for his female Vanguard counterparts, but she had been something entirely different. Overpowering even. This felt oddly similar, and yet also different.

"Am I to understand your man doesn't mind sharing then? I've never been a fan of the practice myself." His eyes locked with Titania's for a moment as his and rested upon the hilt of his sword. "While I can think of much more fun ways to spend out time together, perhaps it's best not to give your subjects that kind of show. So, for the sake of entertainment..."

He drew the katana with a flourish, causing the bell on the end to jingle theatrically. "Shall we begin, or would you rather let the anticipation build a little more?" Cleo asked, his smirk widening.