Encounterlogs
Ritsukas Odd Encounter Sr Rashid 250130
Ritsuka, a member of a group known for protecting and relocating women in trouble, finds herself at the center of a perilous situation when a terrified woman seeks refuge in her pharmacy. This woman, a target of The Destined Host due to her lineage as the last living descendant of a powerful witch line, is believed to possess blood that could summon a formidable demon. Ritsuka, already on high alert from recent supernatural disturbances, assesses the situation quickly. She offers the woman protection, revealing her affiliation with the Tsubaki cult, which has a history of rescuing women from dire circumstances. However, their conversation is cut short as members of The Destined Host, identified by their black leather jackets and a unique insignia, surround the pharmacy, a clear sign of the impending conflict.
The situation escalates when Ritsuka decides to confront the assailants, armed and prepared for battle. Despite her expertise and the help of her protection detail, the situation outside the pharmacy turns chaotic, with gunshots and supernatural abilities in play. During the confrontation, Ritsuka uses her innate magic to unleash a foxfire in defense, but the woman they're trying to protect mysteriously disappears from the scene. Even as police sirens sound closer, signaling the arrival of the authorities, the focus shifts from confrontation to locating the missing woman. The ensuing search inside the pharmacy and through otherworldly means yields no results; the woman has vanished without a trace, leaving more questions than answers. The remaining members of The Destined Host retreat with a foreboding promise of return, leaving Ritsuka and her allies to ponder the true nature of the woman's circumstances and the prophecy that seems to overshadow her existence.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRRashid):SRRashid)
[Wed Jan 29 2025]
In Biolabs Pharmaceuticals - OTC & Supplements
Even the blind would be able to tell that they've just entered a pharmacy. The scent of isopropyl alcohol is the first to greet the senses. The tile flooring makes spills and accidents a breeze to clean, and even a speck of dust would stand out against all that pristine white. All the aisles are labeled with letters large enough for myopic townies, and the fluorescent lights wash everything in their true hues.
A pair of chimes that feature frosted glass tubes and shimmering silver accents, resembling icicles hanging from a snowy tree branch, are hung up by the door.
It is night, about -3F(-19C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. There is a waxing crescent moon.
Ritsuka is just returned to the pharmacy for something late-night. She had sanctified the place earlier, and she looks over the projectors that were placed. All fake, of course, but they are there to explain away to what the Kami's little blessings and showings are, as they appear. The golden light that may blossom, or the silhouettes that play. There had to be a second look to make sure secrecy is maintained.
(Your target finds a young woman who has been targeted by The Destined Host. She is the last living descendant of a powerful witch line, and they believe her blood, if used in a ritual, will bring forth a powerful demon. The woman is terrified and seeks protection from the group. The characters must decide whether to help her, potentially making enemies of The Destined Host, or turn her over and risk unleashing an unfathomable evil on the world.)
As Ritsuka looks over the place, a woman stumbles into the pharmacy, hyperventilating. The brunette has long curls that drape down to her shoulders, amber eyes, messed up makeup that makes it clear that she was crying. Her tawny skin is marred by red and bruises, small spatters of blood flicked over her. Whether it be hers or someone else, it's difficult to tell. However, she's here, already selecting an aisle to cover behind, hiding from whatever lurked outside or had chased her, or from whatever had brought her to this position of strong emotion.
Ritsuka huffs in a small breathe and looks the woman over. She does not make to sneak too much, but there is a button press on some of her clothing, and as ever, it shifts to where that button is. Today, it is on her collar bone, covered by clothing. This is, of course, to bring by her protection detail, they are never too far.
"Who is chasing? But you did come to the right place, lady." She says, standing where she is, and just looking over the shelf, to see if there is anyone else coming to invade the pharmacy. Seems to become a daily occurrence lately. Yesterday it was the Destined Host summoning an oni. A few months ago a wild Werewolf slicing people apart in a rampage. Maybe she should just bring her backpack along, but this here, this place is still advantageous, with the Kami's protection layered over her.
The woman does, slowly, become just a tad bit more lethargic in her movements. Her eyes tiredly peek over to the aisle Ritsuka lingers in, and finally, she speaks. "I don't know who they are," she mumbles out, fumbling over her words. Her fear is still there, tantalizing, lingering. "They killed my brother in front of me. They killed my mum and dad. They killed everyone! And they won't stop chasing me..."
When the Asian damsel takes a gander, there's people she can see through the pharmacy's windows. None have entered the shop. But they do form a semi-circle around the entrance, leaning against their cars and trucks and motorcycles. They chatter to each other casually, all wear black leather jackets with an insignia on it. A crimson hand holding a blackened thorn crown.
Ritsuka makes to roll her eyes and looks back to the woman. "Lady- I belong to a group that will offer you two things. Refugee and protection. Will you trust me to carry you somewhere?" Of course, this won't stop her protection detail from arriving and likely coming into a confrontation with them. The Tsubaki, now formed into a cult under Kin'Yoko. But that will be a worry for then, she can come back, along with her equipment then. But for now, the easiest way, would be to drag the lady along, and shadowwalk just home, close to the Avenue that is transforming into more, but also their Headquarter. Far away enough for the Destined Host to lose trail - for now, and they can organize fleshforming for her, if necessary.
Still hyperventilating, the woman blankly looks over at Ritsuka, her eyes skeptical at the least, suspicious at the most. "They said that they served a group too," she mutters, backing up against the aisle. "They said I had a higher purpose... I... I need to leave." That's when the brunette begins peering around, looking for an exit that obviously isn't at the front of the pharmacy. Probably a back door? Regardless of such a layout, she begins trying doors at random, throwing her gaze over her shoulder to watch for Ritsuka, just in case they come closer to her.
As the muscle comes through, they're easily let past by the cultists outside, unless Ritsuka presses the issue further, or unless her guards engage. It seems the group outside isn't too concerned for or with the guards there. Instead, they wait patiently, scoping out the entrance. Some laugh, a few open a bottle of beer.
Ritsuka makes a nod for her protection detail and then looks over to the woman, and follows her. Unfortunately for her, there really is no other way out than the front entrance. There is a locked door, but that one is... kind of the extreme kind of lock. With fingerprint and eye scanner. She does idly mention to her "They are standing outside. To be clear, I have no idea who you are, I am seeing that the Destined Host want you. And I do not want them to have you. We- are from the Tsubaki. If you've been here for a while, you might had heard that some of us helped women get out of difficult situations, and that we were working on hiring a lot of teachers to get those that lacked the skills to acquire them. Would you like me to chase them away? But then they might continue with another team. Destined Host is relentless." She says it loud enough, random customer might hear, but they might just think she is mad.
"They're still there?" the brunette wonders with fear and anxiety. She backs up against the wall, eyes trained on the entrance to the pharmacy. The entry that has only been opened by Ritsuka' guards. Those cultists outside make no emtry, they wait, patiently. Like predators that have trapped their prey and are merely waiting to pounce. "I don't know what a Tsubaki is, and I don't know who those people are! They said I was special and they want to use me! I'm scared and confused. I don't know what any of this means..."
"There is some that we could do; these two ladies here are with me, they are my personal protection detail, and I am quite dangerous." Ritsuka quietly says to the brunette, though she does not elaborate on why. "We could go and confront them, see what they have to say, or I go and speak to them with my team to find out, and I give you my keycard to get upstairs? Though at this time of the day the laboratory is empty, and they might have other ways up. There is a lot you do not yet understand, and there is not enough time to explain everything." She glances back out through the windows, looking less than happy. "What you are is safe, as long as I am around you, this I do promise you. I would assume they know this, and this is why they have not yet entered. I need to deal with their vulgar nonsense every once in a while."
"I just want to be left alone," the woman says shakily. Her eyes well up with tears, darkening those amber hues that linger within. "I want to be left alone, and everyone wants me for some reason." Still she stays, huddled up against the wall, as if to avoid that door by any means necessary. And still the cult lurks outside, drinking their beer and chatting, smoking, as if this were some casual game. "What is upstairs?" the brunette asks, wiping her eyes. "Can I leave from upstairs?"
Shaking her head, Ritsuka answers "There is no other way out or around, lady. Upstairs is the laboratory. The easiest way for you would be for you to let me drag you. We could look to get you a new identity. Get you to leave this life behind. Try and work on something to make them lose your trail." Ah, she raises her hands and shrugs. Sadly, she does not have her proper blade with her, she would have to get to the car for her katana and her vest, though handling matters with the HSD is always easier than handling things with the Destined Host. "For now- Let me just chase them away."
She makes to not to her protection detail and then goes on to open the door of the pharmacy out. It first is an attempt to go to her own vehicle, get her vest and blade. She could handle them with other means, specifically the flame of her soul, but this would be too public. Too much clean-up.
There's a look of bewilderment upon the brunette's face, and she wonders, suspiciously, "Who are you? You don't look like any sort of police woman or government official or a judge or something. How are you supposed to put me under Witness Protection?" Her hackles rise a little and she shifts, once more trying to stay away from Ritsuka, just as much as she tries to stay away from the door.
When the Asian damsel proceeds outside, once more, none of the Host calls for her. They don't seem interested, nor concerned, and they number about twelve, thirteen, without a firm count, and without checking the vehicles for more people. They still drink their beers and gaze at the doors, awaiting the woman who has yet to come out. "You see a brunette looking gal with pale skin and shit?" the biggest one asks Ritsuka, throwing his shaded (by sunglasses) gaze towards her. The Japanese woman's men (or women in this case) follow her, ready for conflict. She can easily obtain her gear if she so wishes.
Ritsuka simply grabs her equipment and puts on both vest and the blade by her side. She turns to the man who's addressed her, not meeting his eyes. "You should have learned your lesson yesterday, about when it comes to harassing my property." Oh, she might very much mean the woman they are looking for, it is not unusual. "Giving you two seconds to explain why you are after it, hurry it up." She does look between the figures, sees who she needs to cut first, where there is cover. The vehicles certainly are, and three of them all at once won't be a problem. Even more with her women available here, and by the time anything was decided, the Sheriff department would likely also be there, and someone might have already called them seeing that she is wearing a kevlar vest and a blade very publicly now.
"Your property?" the man wonders, stepping forward. Those sunglasses are propped downward, revealing hellish flames that lurk in his irises, pupil-less. "Dunno who you are," he tells her, "And I don't have trouble with you. I do, though, have trouble with the girl." He doesn't seem to want to specify any further, only taking a sip from the beer in his hand before spitting it out on the ground. That cold gaze of his never strays from Ritsuka. Not once. Nor does he seem threatened by her. His hand lingers though, in his jacket pocket, and he sits, waiting, as the rest of the group turns to face the Asian damsel. "If you want to start something," the big brute says, "Start it."
Ritsuka pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. The golden of her eyes focus on the man, and then, she simply goes on to make to slice him. She is quick, and the man lacks the monstrous appearance of a DemiDemon, and the flames of hell, he was likely just another demon or devil, and she really doesn't have the time to deal with their nonsense. Slain a bunch of them before, and she has a bad habit of carrying a lot of medical supplies. Maybe if it is necessary she will risk touching on breeching secrecy, but then, the devil should really not linger in Haven either, and more than that, it means that he is not protected by sanctuary.
The moment Ritsuka steps forward, the brute's hand lifts within the jacket. And as she makes to slice him, she slashes through his jacket, revealing his body armor, which receives the brunt of the damage. While the man certainly isn't a Demidemon, he seems rather strong. Because the instant he's slashed, a hole erupts from his jacket, a bullet hitting the Asian damsel in her torso (nine-millimeter to be exact) just as soon as she wrecks up his outfit and damages his armor. It doesn't take too long for the, probably weaker members of the group, to start pulling out their own pistols, and returning fire, muzzle flashes even erupting from the cars and trucks.
Specifically the vehicles encircling the pharmacy, not any other vehicles that are parked on the roadside.
Unfortunately for the demon, Ritsuka is right in melee range, so the bullet, though it manages to hit over her vest, does not stop her from following it up, moving forward to pierce the blade into an opening. The arms, the pants, it does not really matter, and perhaps for the worst part of it, she will definitely keep him between herself and them. It is perhaps a little... something, because none of those bullets fired by most of those around could likely be lethal to her, except for this one, and she will not hold back, her aim will be to kill.
Chaos breaks out, perhaps there is already sirens in the distance, but for the moment, it is outside her own knowing or reach or awareness. Her protection detail make their way to cover, be it the trees in the herb garden, or further back, or further forth even, as it went to her own vehicle, and they all know she wouldn't care if that thing got shot to pieces. They are trained, efficient, and they generally don tactical equipment, assault carbines, and where Ritsuka might give a thought to sparing a life, they have no such hesitations. Their aim is to exterminate, that is, within the room of sanctuary, and for those that have a red aura, well, they will be shot at, shoot to kill.
Though the Tsubaki has formed itself as a cult only recently, it's always had its own trained teams, someone was, after all, interested in Ritsuka and her loyalty, and ensuring she is more likely to succeed. And before now, they had been a part of Vengeance, though Vengeance itself, away from Ritsuka' own dealing, had always been more sparse. But such is life for those monstrous - and a price one pays when they create a group in the Underworld, hidden behind a graceful facade.
The demonborn, luckily for Ritsuka, has no melee weapon, as of yet. And as he takes the next slash, moving his body to place the brunt of the attack on his armor (and failing), he moves, blood weeping a little from the small scratch on him. Though it takes quite a bit of force for her to get that blade into his skin and flesh, as if his skin were a solid thing, not giving so easily as it may with any normal human. Probably some version of that supernatural toughness that most of their kind laid claim to. The brute, with his black hair and fiery eyes does his best to step back, at a pace remarkably fast, that would rival any of the angelborn who hadn't yet resorted to the monster that lurks within all of the supernatural. Of course, while Ritsuka occupied the strongest of the group, the rest occupy themselves with either her or her muscle. Sirens are certainly firing in the distance, though, that doesn't phase the creatures who are fighting. In fact that only makes them more frantic. "Two of you, go inside," the brute cries, "Hurry up and snatch the witch before she disappears!"
As the hired muscle fires, it's quite clear that the fire superiority belongs to the Host with their men. At least until two pull off and head into the pharmacy, on the brute's orders. The rest keep their fire trained, mostly on Ritsuka, but they miss frequently, for now. Pistols, revolvers, all of it, seemingly chosen for a street fight like this. Those sirens that fired off in the distance are getting increasingly closer.
The blade raises over her - and then, she is suddenly behind the two that are trying to get into the building, a blade seeking to injure, and if she finds they have a red aura, with lethal intend. How odd, so many months ago, this had bothered her, and up until very recently, she had not moved to actually kill another, not after she had to act in self defense, but times change, minds change, and Ritsuka has reached the point where there is no longer a place for mercy. Though if they have no aura, protected by sanctuary, it is cuts to the legs. She can hardly let them grab the girl and shadowwalk out, and unlike she, they are pressured by the sirens on time. She might have to do her own bribes later, if alone to make sure this is put aside as some gang conflict and personal security acting in defense, but she will worry about the details after this is handled.
Outside, her own muscle hunkers down, their aim now turns a touch, from open aggression to hunkering down and looking to outlast. Of course, they are experienced, this is not the first firefight they ended up in near Ritsuka, and it will not be the last one by far.
All of the men and women in the fight, none of them have an aura. Though this may be explained away as the indiscriminate protection extended to the supernatural for about a week when they first come to town. If that's the case, they certainly haven't been around for too long. It's further proven when those cuts become mere scratches for the men, making their way to the door. They howl and turn, brandishing their pistols. And for the act, Ritsuka earns another shot to her back, this time placed by the brute, who, at this point has reached a truck, reaching inside to be handed a bat. One wrapped in razor wire. "Sirens getting close," the brute announces before firing his weapon again, this time through the pharmacy's windows, desperately trying to fling his lead into the place.
Now that she is close to the two figures, she definitely does not want them to continue on, and will look to knock them out. She is very strong, after all. There is always that tiny risk of someone dying with a knockout punch, it is never intended to kill, but it can happen. Ritsuka tries to get a brief glance of the witch, to see if she is still fine, hiding somewhere, taking cover, but it is not a very long look, if she seems just scared or fine as her own gaze turns back to the outside - And it is very much this point where there is no longer a point to hold back. It's already drawn attention. Those that should run away, have. Her staff knows. The Host knows of the supernatural, her own know. The one that doesn't is the witch, but she might just very soon.
The flame of her soul forms over her hand, forming into a golden foxfire in it, and she just throws it out, letting it rain as a hail of flames around some of the Host's vehicles to harm as many as she may.
The two men trying to enter the door, who've just brandished their weapons, get knocked out with the punches, but they don't die. Instead, they lay crumpled on the concrete, groaning a little during their period of unconsciousness. From out here, Ritsuka can't see the witch. And with her brief glance inward, red and blue lights reflect off the glass she's trying to peer into. The woman isn't there. However, the brutish man is, and he himself paths up to Ritsuka. Right as she unleashes her foxfire, which does very well knock a portion of the group unconscious and damages their vehicles. It does hit the brute as well, though it only seems to make him far more angry. And he's nearly ready to exercise that rage upon the Asian damsel, until he notes how close the police are... It seems, he's about ready to path through the walls.
The outside can be handled by the Sheriffs and her own now, and so Ritsuka turns away from that and rushes inside, to look for the witch, now it will become far more important to make sure the demonborn can't get to her. It is very much a case of rushing through the door in. The bell above the door twinkles in rushed notes. the staff likely took cover behind the counter when shooting from the outside started to go down, but the witch herself should still be downstairs, and so, she looks. In one hand she has her blade ready, on the other she can rely on her innate magic, well, that single bit of it. She is not an arcanist, but innate magic is ever beautiful.
If she can locate the Witch, she will very much try to move to her, and pull her along out with herself, something she will tell her staff just as much.
As the Demonborn brute paths in, just as Ritsuka enters the door, he scans the room. The girl is not here. He too seems to only care about the girl, and with that, he throws his gaze towards the Asian damsel with a snarl, before barreling towards the door, the locked one. Not that he can get in, not by himself. When the Japanese woman goes downstairs, she discovers too, that the girl is missing. Completely and inexplicably. Somehow she escaped and she's nowhere to be found.
Ritsuka makes to groan and she rolls her eyes at that discovery, but as always, what does a person do in such a kind of situation? That's right. She goes on into the nightmare. She looks for a reflection somewhere, never hard to do, and then finds herself on the other side, glancing around. Here, she possesses the typical marks of her ancestry, nine vulpine tails and the ears over her head, a radiant aura and irises that have turned into orbs of the very sun itself.
Strangely, the woman isn't here either, Ritsuka can't find her. Nor can she see any trace of the woman. Nothing is moved, no objects rearranged. If she would walk upstairs, the Demonborn brute is still there, leaning against a wall, with him and the rest of the staff paying no mind to someone in the Nightmare, someone they can't see. The woman is nowhere. Not along the aisles, not outside, nowhere.
Ritsuka raises her hands to shrug - and she shuffles down behind the closed door that leads upstairs to the laboratory, off of the stairwell that has, for some reason, been constructed inside of the bathroom. She glances into the mirrors there, and then uses her keycard to unseal the door, and exit. "Was it worth it?" She quietly asks the demonborn. "I hear the Sheriffs tend to put some of you into the clinic." Ah but then that seems to be about it. She suspects the woman shadowwalked, or found another way out. There is no point to fret it, so long as she was safe, the rest didn't matter so much. And she could ask her staff later to what the last was they saw, or check the security feeds. For now, it was cleaning up and letting the Sheriffs handle the Destined Hand.
"Worth it?" the brute grins, maliciously so, "She's prophesized to do something grand. Besides, I wouldn't hold the woman too close to heart. Murdered her own family. Walking through that apartment in Boston was like experiencing some shitty snuff film. The fuckers will get out. And I'll be back to my hunt." With this said, the brute scratches the back of his neck, and with this, he's moving to exit the building. At this point, the police have about finished up their work. And with some careful gesture, the man tossed his bat aside, concealing his pistol in his jacket pocket, while zipping it up, at least as best as he can, to hideaway the armor he has beneath. Whether he tells the truth or not is unknown to Ritsuka. The tone he has is a rather cruel sort of amusement. But it seems sincere? The woman herself, it's unclear if her actions or the words she spoke were a facade either. And she's gone, too late for any interrogation of any sort to be happening.
And go, Ritsuka lets him. there was no point to perpetuate it further. The sun had already yet, and she lets out a yawn that she hides behind the back of her hand. Yeah, she can worry about it and investigate later, she saw the face, can probably put the scouts of her cult behind it, get a better idea. Prophesied or not, at the end of the day, even she knows that every prophecy can be broken and shattered. It is, after all, how everyone escapes their own death prophecies. Though there had been a few she had gotten, too. "... her spirit shall ascend beyond of mortal bonds, and the Iron Camellia shall remember her name with petals of eternal steel." Or so it says, but now, now was a good time to go on and finish up, and then to head home and sleep.
The situation escalates when Ritsuka decides to confront the assailants, armed and prepared for battle. Despite her expertise and the help of her protection detail, the situation outside the pharmacy turns chaotic, with gunshots and supernatural abilities in play. During the confrontation, Ritsuka uses her innate magic to unleash a foxfire in defense, but the woman they're trying to protect mysteriously disappears from the scene. Even as police sirens sound closer, signaling the arrival of the authorities, the focus shifts from confrontation to locating the missing woman. The ensuing search inside the pharmacy and through otherworldly means yields no results; the woman has vanished without a trace, leaving more questions than answers. The remaining members of The Destined Host retreat with a foreboding promise of return, leaving Ritsuka and her allies to ponder the true nature of the woman's circumstances and the prophecy that seems to overshadow her existence.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRRashid):SRRashid)
[Wed Jan 29 2025]
In Biolabs Pharmaceuticals - OTC & Supplements
Even the blind would be able to tell that they've just entered a pharmacy. The scent of isopropyl alcohol is the first to greet the senses. The tile flooring makes spills and accidents a breeze to clean, and even a speck of dust would stand out against all that pristine white. All the aisles are labeled with letters large enough for myopic townies, and the fluorescent lights wash everything in their true hues.
A pair of chimes that feature frosted glass tubes and shimmering silver accents, resembling icicles hanging from a snowy tree branch, are hung up by the door.
It is night, about -3F(-19C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. There is a waxing crescent moon.
Ritsuka is just returned to the pharmacy for something late-night. She had sanctified the place earlier, and she looks over the projectors that were placed. All fake, of course, but they are there to explain away to what the Kami's little blessings and showings are, as they appear. The golden light that may blossom, or the silhouettes that play. There had to be a second look to make sure secrecy is maintained.
(Your target finds a young woman who has been targeted by The Destined Host. She is the last living descendant of a powerful witch line, and they believe her blood, if used in a ritual, will bring forth a powerful demon. The woman is terrified and seeks protection from the group. The characters must decide whether to help her, potentially making enemies of The Destined Host, or turn her over and risk unleashing an unfathomable evil on the world.)
As Ritsuka looks over the place, a woman stumbles into the pharmacy, hyperventilating. The brunette has long curls that drape down to her shoulders, amber eyes, messed up makeup that makes it clear that she was crying. Her tawny skin is marred by red and bruises, small spatters of blood flicked over her. Whether it be hers or someone else, it's difficult to tell. However, she's here, already selecting an aisle to cover behind, hiding from whatever lurked outside or had chased her, or from whatever had brought her to this position of strong emotion.
Ritsuka huffs in a small breathe and looks the woman over. She does not make to sneak too much, but there is a button press on some of her clothing, and as ever, it shifts to where that button is. Today, it is on her collar bone, covered by clothing. This is, of course, to bring by her protection detail, they are never too far.
"Who is chasing? But you did come to the right place, lady." She says, standing where she is, and just looking over the shelf, to see if there is anyone else coming to invade the pharmacy. Seems to become a daily occurrence lately. Yesterday it was the Destined Host summoning an oni. A few months ago a wild Werewolf slicing people apart in a rampage. Maybe she should just bring her backpack along, but this here, this place is still advantageous, with the Kami's protection layered over her.
The woman does, slowly, become just a tad bit more lethargic in her movements. Her eyes tiredly peek over to the aisle Ritsuka lingers in, and finally, she speaks. "I don't know who they are," she mumbles out, fumbling over her words. Her fear is still there, tantalizing, lingering. "They killed my brother in front of me. They killed my mum and dad. They killed everyone! And they won't stop chasing me..."
When the Asian damsel takes a gander, there's people she can see through the pharmacy's windows. None have entered the shop. But they do form a semi-circle around the entrance, leaning against their cars and trucks and motorcycles. They chatter to each other casually, all wear black leather jackets with an insignia on it. A crimson hand holding a blackened thorn crown.
Ritsuka makes to roll her eyes and looks back to the woman. "Lady- I belong to a group that will offer you two things. Refugee and protection. Will you trust me to carry you somewhere?" Of course, this won't stop her protection detail from arriving and likely coming into a confrontation with them. The Tsubaki, now formed into a cult under Kin'Yoko. But that will be a worry for then, she can come back, along with her equipment then. But for now, the easiest way, would be to drag the lady along, and shadowwalk just home, close to the Avenue that is transforming into more, but also their Headquarter. Far away enough for the Destined Host to lose trail - for now, and they can organize fleshforming for her, if necessary.
Still hyperventilating, the woman blankly looks over at Ritsuka, her eyes skeptical at the least, suspicious at the most. "They said that they served a group too," she mutters, backing up against the aisle. "They said I had a higher purpose... I... I need to leave." That's when the brunette begins peering around, looking for an exit that obviously isn't at the front of the pharmacy. Probably a back door? Regardless of such a layout, she begins trying doors at random, throwing her gaze over her shoulder to watch for Ritsuka, just in case they come closer to her.
As the muscle comes through, they're easily let past by the cultists outside, unless Ritsuka presses the issue further, or unless her guards engage. It seems the group outside isn't too concerned for or with the guards there. Instead, they wait patiently, scoping out the entrance. Some laugh, a few open a bottle of beer.
Ritsuka makes a nod for her protection detail and then looks over to the woman, and follows her. Unfortunately for her, there really is no other way out than the front entrance. There is a locked door, but that one is... kind of the extreme kind of lock. With fingerprint and eye scanner. She does idly mention to her "They are standing outside. To be clear, I have no idea who you are, I am seeing that the Destined Host want you. And I do not want them to have you. We- are from the Tsubaki. If you've been here for a while, you might had heard that some of us helped women get out of difficult situations, and that we were working on hiring a lot of teachers to get those that lacked the skills to acquire them. Would you like me to chase them away? But then they might continue with another team. Destined Host is relentless." She says it loud enough, random customer might hear, but they might just think she is mad.
"They're still there?" the brunette wonders with fear and anxiety. She backs up against the wall, eyes trained on the entrance to the pharmacy. The entry that has only been opened by Ritsuka' guards. Those cultists outside make no emtry, they wait, patiently. Like predators that have trapped their prey and are merely waiting to pounce. "I don't know what a Tsubaki is, and I don't know who those people are! They said I was special and they want to use me! I'm scared and confused. I don't know what any of this means..."
"There is some that we could do; these two ladies here are with me, they are my personal protection detail, and I am quite dangerous." Ritsuka quietly says to the brunette, though she does not elaborate on why. "We could go and confront them, see what they have to say, or I go and speak to them with my team to find out, and I give you my keycard to get upstairs? Though at this time of the day the laboratory is empty, and they might have other ways up. There is a lot you do not yet understand, and there is not enough time to explain everything." She glances back out through the windows, looking less than happy. "What you are is safe, as long as I am around you, this I do promise you. I would assume they know this, and this is why they have not yet entered. I need to deal with their vulgar nonsense every once in a while."
"I just want to be left alone," the woman says shakily. Her eyes well up with tears, darkening those amber hues that linger within. "I want to be left alone, and everyone wants me for some reason." Still she stays, huddled up against the wall, as if to avoid that door by any means necessary. And still the cult lurks outside, drinking their beer and chatting, smoking, as if this were some casual game. "What is upstairs?" the brunette asks, wiping her eyes. "Can I leave from upstairs?"
Shaking her head, Ritsuka answers "There is no other way out or around, lady. Upstairs is the laboratory. The easiest way for you would be for you to let me drag you. We could look to get you a new identity. Get you to leave this life behind. Try and work on something to make them lose your trail." Ah, she raises her hands and shrugs. Sadly, she does not have her proper blade with her, she would have to get to the car for her katana and her vest, though handling matters with the HSD is always easier than handling things with the Destined Host. "For now- Let me just chase them away."
She makes to not to her protection detail and then goes on to open the door of the pharmacy out. It first is an attempt to go to her own vehicle, get her vest and blade. She could handle them with other means, specifically the flame of her soul, but this would be too public. Too much clean-up.
There's a look of bewilderment upon the brunette's face, and she wonders, suspiciously, "Who are you? You don't look like any sort of police woman or government official or a judge or something. How are you supposed to put me under Witness Protection?" Her hackles rise a little and she shifts, once more trying to stay away from Ritsuka, just as much as she tries to stay away from the door.
When the Asian damsel proceeds outside, once more, none of the Host calls for her. They don't seem interested, nor concerned, and they number about twelve, thirteen, without a firm count, and without checking the vehicles for more people. They still drink their beers and gaze at the doors, awaiting the woman who has yet to come out. "You see a brunette looking gal with pale skin and shit?" the biggest one asks Ritsuka, throwing his shaded (by sunglasses) gaze towards her. The Japanese woman's men (or women in this case) follow her, ready for conflict. She can easily obtain her gear if she so wishes.
Ritsuka simply grabs her equipment and puts on both vest and the blade by her side. She turns to the man who's addressed her, not meeting his eyes. "You should have learned your lesson yesterday, about when it comes to harassing my property." Oh, she might very much mean the woman they are looking for, it is not unusual. "Giving you two seconds to explain why you are after it, hurry it up." She does look between the figures, sees who she needs to cut first, where there is cover. The vehicles certainly are, and three of them all at once won't be a problem. Even more with her women available here, and by the time anything was decided, the Sheriff department would likely also be there, and someone might have already called them seeing that she is wearing a kevlar vest and a blade very publicly now.
"Your property?" the man wonders, stepping forward. Those sunglasses are propped downward, revealing hellish flames that lurk in his irises, pupil-less. "Dunno who you are," he tells her, "And I don't have trouble with you. I do, though, have trouble with the girl." He doesn't seem to want to specify any further, only taking a sip from the beer in his hand before spitting it out on the ground. That cold gaze of his never strays from Ritsuka. Not once. Nor does he seem threatened by her. His hand lingers though, in his jacket pocket, and he sits, waiting, as the rest of the group turns to face the Asian damsel. "If you want to start something," the big brute says, "Start it."
Ritsuka pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. The golden of her eyes focus on the man, and then, she simply goes on to make to slice him. She is quick, and the man lacks the monstrous appearance of a DemiDemon, and the flames of hell, he was likely just another demon or devil, and she really doesn't have the time to deal with their nonsense. Slain a bunch of them before, and she has a bad habit of carrying a lot of medical supplies. Maybe if it is necessary she will risk touching on breeching secrecy, but then, the devil should really not linger in Haven either, and more than that, it means that he is not protected by sanctuary.
The moment Ritsuka steps forward, the brute's hand lifts within the jacket. And as she makes to slice him, she slashes through his jacket, revealing his body armor, which receives the brunt of the damage. While the man certainly isn't a Demidemon, he seems rather strong. Because the instant he's slashed, a hole erupts from his jacket, a bullet hitting the Asian damsel in her torso (nine-millimeter to be exact) just as soon as she wrecks up his outfit and damages his armor. It doesn't take too long for the, probably weaker members of the group, to start pulling out their own pistols, and returning fire, muzzle flashes even erupting from the cars and trucks.
Specifically the vehicles encircling the pharmacy, not any other vehicles that are parked on the roadside.
Unfortunately for the demon, Ritsuka is right in melee range, so the bullet, though it manages to hit over her vest, does not stop her from following it up, moving forward to pierce the blade into an opening. The arms, the pants, it does not really matter, and perhaps for the worst part of it, she will definitely keep him between herself and them. It is perhaps a little... something, because none of those bullets fired by most of those around could likely be lethal to her, except for this one, and she will not hold back, her aim will be to kill.
Chaos breaks out, perhaps there is already sirens in the distance, but for the moment, it is outside her own knowing or reach or awareness. Her protection detail make their way to cover, be it the trees in the herb garden, or further back, or further forth even, as it went to her own vehicle, and they all know she wouldn't care if that thing got shot to pieces. They are trained, efficient, and they generally don tactical equipment, assault carbines, and where Ritsuka might give a thought to sparing a life, they have no such hesitations. Their aim is to exterminate, that is, within the room of sanctuary, and for those that have a red aura, well, they will be shot at, shoot to kill.
Though the Tsubaki has formed itself as a cult only recently, it's always had its own trained teams, someone was, after all, interested in Ritsuka and her loyalty, and ensuring she is more likely to succeed. And before now, they had been a part of Vengeance, though Vengeance itself, away from Ritsuka' own dealing, had always been more sparse. But such is life for those monstrous - and a price one pays when they create a group in the Underworld, hidden behind a graceful facade.
The demonborn, luckily for Ritsuka, has no melee weapon, as of yet. And as he takes the next slash, moving his body to place the brunt of the attack on his armor (and failing), he moves, blood weeping a little from the small scratch on him. Though it takes quite a bit of force for her to get that blade into his skin and flesh, as if his skin were a solid thing, not giving so easily as it may with any normal human. Probably some version of that supernatural toughness that most of their kind laid claim to. The brute, with his black hair and fiery eyes does his best to step back, at a pace remarkably fast, that would rival any of the angelborn who hadn't yet resorted to the monster that lurks within all of the supernatural. Of course, while Ritsuka occupied the strongest of the group, the rest occupy themselves with either her or her muscle. Sirens are certainly firing in the distance, though, that doesn't phase the creatures who are fighting. In fact that only makes them more frantic. "Two of you, go inside," the brute cries, "Hurry up and snatch the witch before she disappears!"
As the hired muscle fires, it's quite clear that the fire superiority belongs to the Host with their men. At least until two pull off and head into the pharmacy, on the brute's orders. The rest keep their fire trained, mostly on Ritsuka, but they miss frequently, for now. Pistols, revolvers, all of it, seemingly chosen for a street fight like this. Those sirens that fired off in the distance are getting increasingly closer.
The blade raises over her - and then, she is suddenly behind the two that are trying to get into the building, a blade seeking to injure, and if she finds they have a red aura, with lethal intend. How odd, so many months ago, this had bothered her, and up until very recently, she had not moved to actually kill another, not after she had to act in self defense, but times change, minds change, and Ritsuka has reached the point where there is no longer a place for mercy. Though if they have no aura, protected by sanctuary, it is cuts to the legs. She can hardly let them grab the girl and shadowwalk out, and unlike she, they are pressured by the sirens on time. She might have to do her own bribes later, if alone to make sure this is put aside as some gang conflict and personal security acting in defense, but she will worry about the details after this is handled.
Outside, her own muscle hunkers down, their aim now turns a touch, from open aggression to hunkering down and looking to outlast. Of course, they are experienced, this is not the first firefight they ended up in near Ritsuka, and it will not be the last one by far.
All of the men and women in the fight, none of them have an aura. Though this may be explained away as the indiscriminate protection extended to the supernatural for about a week when they first come to town. If that's the case, they certainly haven't been around for too long. It's further proven when those cuts become mere scratches for the men, making their way to the door. They howl and turn, brandishing their pistols. And for the act, Ritsuka earns another shot to her back, this time placed by the brute, who, at this point has reached a truck, reaching inside to be handed a bat. One wrapped in razor wire. "Sirens getting close," the brute announces before firing his weapon again, this time through the pharmacy's windows, desperately trying to fling his lead into the place.
Now that she is close to the two figures, she definitely does not want them to continue on, and will look to knock them out. She is very strong, after all. There is always that tiny risk of someone dying with a knockout punch, it is never intended to kill, but it can happen. Ritsuka tries to get a brief glance of the witch, to see if she is still fine, hiding somewhere, taking cover, but it is not a very long look, if she seems just scared or fine as her own gaze turns back to the outside - And it is very much this point where there is no longer a point to hold back. It's already drawn attention. Those that should run away, have. Her staff knows. The Host knows of the supernatural, her own know. The one that doesn't is the witch, but she might just very soon.
The flame of her soul forms over her hand, forming into a golden foxfire in it, and she just throws it out, letting it rain as a hail of flames around some of the Host's vehicles to harm as many as she may.
The two men trying to enter the door, who've just brandished their weapons, get knocked out with the punches, but they don't die. Instead, they lay crumpled on the concrete, groaning a little during their period of unconsciousness. From out here, Ritsuka can't see the witch. And with her brief glance inward, red and blue lights reflect off the glass she's trying to peer into. The woman isn't there. However, the brutish man is, and he himself paths up to Ritsuka. Right as she unleashes her foxfire, which does very well knock a portion of the group unconscious and damages their vehicles. It does hit the brute as well, though it only seems to make him far more angry. And he's nearly ready to exercise that rage upon the Asian damsel, until he notes how close the police are... It seems, he's about ready to path through the walls.
The outside can be handled by the Sheriffs and her own now, and so Ritsuka turns away from that and rushes inside, to look for the witch, now it will become far more important to make sure the demonborn can't get to her. It is very much a case of rushing through the door in. The bell above the door twinkles in rushed notes. the staff likely took cover behind the counter when shooting from the outside started to go down, but the witch herself should still be downstairs, and so, she looks. In one hand she has her blade ready, on the other she can rely on her innate magic, well, that single bit of it. She is not an arcanist, but innate magic is ever beautiful.
If she can locate the Witch, she will very much try to move to her, and pull her along out with herself, something she will tell her staff just as much.
As the Demonborn brute paths in, just as Ritsuka enters the door, he scans the room. The girl is not here. He too seems to only care about the girl, and with that, he throws his gaze towards the Asian damsel with a snarl, before barreling towards the door, the locked one. Not that he can get in, not by himself. When the Japanese woman goes downstairs, she discovers too, that the girl is missing. Completely and inexplicably. Somehow she escaped and she's nowhere to be found.
Ritsuka makes to groan and she rolls her eyes at that discovery, but as always, what does a person do in such a kind of situation? That's right. She goes on into the nightmare. She looks for a reflection somewhere, never hard to do, and then finds herself on the other side, glancing around. Here, she possesses the typical marks of her ancestry, nine vulpine tails and the ears over her head, a radiant aura and irises that have turned into orbs of the very sun itself.
Strangely, the woman isn't here either, Ritsuka can't find her. Nor can she see any trace of the woman. Nothing is moved, no objects rearranged. If she would walk upstairs, the Demonborn brute is still there, leaning against a wall, with him and the rest of the staff paying no mind to someone in the Nightmare, someone they can't see. The woman is nowhere. Not along the aisles, not outside, nowhere.
Ritsuka raises her hands to shrug - and she shuffles down behind the closed door that leads upstairs to the laboratory, off of the stairwell that has, for some reason, been constructed inside of the bathroom. She glances into the mirrors there, and then uses her keycard to unseal the door, and exit. "Was it worth it?" She quietly asks the demonborn. "I hear the Sheriffs tend to put some of you into the clinic." Ah but then that seems to be about it. She suspects the woman shadowwalked, or found another way out. There is no point to fret it, so long as she was safe, the rest didn't matter so much. And she could ask her staff later to what the last was they saw, or check the security feeds. For now, it was cleaning up and letting the Sheriffs handle the Destined Hand.
"Worth it?" the brute grins, maliciously so, "She's prophesized to do something grand. Besides, I wouldn't hold the woman too close to heart. Murdered her own family. Walking through that apartment in Boston was like experiencing some shitty snuff film. The fuckers will get out. And I'll be back to my hunt." With this said, the brute scratches the back of his neck, and with this, he's moving to exit the building. At this point, the police have about finished up their work. And with some careful gesture, the man tossed his bat aside, concealing his pistol in his jacket pocket, while zipping it up, at least as best as he can, to hideaway the armor he has beneath. Whether he tells the truth or not is unknown to Ritsuka. The tone he has is a rather cruel sort of amusement. But it seems sincere? The woman herself, it's unclear if her actions or the words she spoke were a facade either. And she's gone, too late for any interrogation of any sort to be happening.
And go, Ritsuka lets him. there was no point to perpetuate it further. The sun had already yet, and she lets out a yawn that she hides behind the back of her hand. Yeah, she can worry about it and investigate later, she saw the face, can probably put the scouts of her cult behind it, get a better idea. Prophesied or not, at the end of the day, even she knows that every prophecy can be broken and shattered. It is, after all, how everyone escapes their own death prophecies. Though there had been a few she had gotten, too. "... her spirit shall ascend beyond of mortal bonds, and the Iron Camellia shall remember her name with petals of eternal steel." Or so it says, but now, now was a good time to go on and finish up, and then to head home and sleep.