Best Laid Plans

Spoiler:

Why did she agree to this? If she’d only taken a moment to look at a map before saying yes to the upbeat woman of Lamia Scale then Mao might’ve reconsidered it. By the gods above, below, wherever: Mao despised the desert. If she’d so much as realized that getting to the location required a ridiculously roundabout route or going through the thick heat it’d have been a flat out “No!” Besides the place sounded incredibly showy. Did they even have a rose garden? If it didn’t then she’d be sorely disappointed as the scent of freshly watered roses was all too refreshing and sounded pleasant after baked air.

Then again she might’ve been exaggerating a bit, mostly traversing a portion in order to reach Oak Town for a very important reason: the girl owned absolutely zero formal wear. Likely to camouflage them, the notion of wearing nice clothing and defending some couple’s wedding struck the mage as a tiny bit strange. Just a tad, if you will. Even stranger than that she couldn’t figure out if the couple placed the request or if the city did. ’Well…they do sound a bit popular, so I suppose a lot of people might’ve gotten together to make the request and naming the city rather than each individually…might’ve been…easier…’ It still sounded strange…maybe it was a way for some cheapskates to claim a “wedding present” in the form of wedding security?

Wasting too much money on an outfit would annoy her far too much, Mao opting for a simple ensemble before departing the lovable town with its massive library. The outfit might stick out a little from the usual, traditional wear, but it looked nice and like something the woman could wear another time if necessary.

A few days travel and a small pit stop in a village by the river found Mao gazing at the intimidating, party-esque city in awe and wonder. ’What a…loud…place,’ was her first thought as noise assaulted her ears. People milled everywhere, but for once, people hardly paid her any mind as she traversed the edge of the flow to a nearby clothing shop in order to change outfits before meeting Aiyana somewhere near the wedding’s location. There’d still be half an hour for the beast girl needed to meet up with the bandage bound lady of Lamia outside of the venue.

Aiyana was pretty excited about the job she was on her way to do! After seeing a job posting from the town of Rose Garden asking for help protecting a wedding, the Lamia Scale mage had gone and invited Mao to go with her. It had taken little, to none, to get the girl to agree to go on the job! ”It's so nice to have someone to go with when one of us wants to!” The phrase was spoken quite loudly, but the trail she was on was empty. She had been to Rose Garden before, and knew how nice the place was! Surely she could find something decent to wear once she got into the area.

Upon arriving, it was obvious that the hustle and bustle of the place was constant. It was just as busy, if not busier, than when she was here getting her passport a while back. 'Now to find a dress...' The thought was the only one on her mind as she walked into a clothing shop nearby, following the flow of the crowd to get to it. Upon entering the place, Aiyana went straight to the dresses she might wear. Only three piqued her interest though. One was a full dress, a dark green color throughout. But if it were to come to a fight she would be limited in movement when wearing it, the dress would go almost all the way to the floor! That left her with two choices, the colors either black or green.

The green dress would show a LOT of cleavage, and had a slit in it all the way up to her hip. Three silver bands would be just under her chest, a triangular shaped flower bouquet design in silver at the center of it. The black dress would be pushing it for most that were worried about modesty. It reminded her of black bandages wrapped at intervals from the neck down, skin visible in between those bandages with a see-through black material. Ample cleavage would be had, and her guild tattoo on her lower back would be visible through the clear material at that spot. Not only that, but it was also see-through where her legs started.

The black dress, while the most revealing, would be the easiest one to be in combat with. With that in mind, and liking how it looked in general, she picked it out! Quickly purchasing it, the young woman went to a changing room and got dressed. After making sure everything was all good with the dress, and that she wasn't forgetting anything, the young woman began to walk towards the exit of the shop. A sudden flurry of some children laughing caused her head to turn in their direction. Instead of being able to find out what was going on, Aiyana bumped into another person in the store. Having been at a pretty fast pace, the bump ended up with the two being taken down to the floor. At least there was decently padded carpet!

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Word Count: 507

Never having been to a wedding before (that she could recall at any rate) it certainly surprised the woman as she eventually joined a portion of crowd oddly dressed in fine clothing. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where they were all headed after a certain point, even though she momentarily entertained the notion they might be going to a fancy dinner party and not necessarily the wedding. ’This couple must be really well-liked…I have a suspicion this isn’t even half the guests.’ The crowd would undoubtedly be daunting then as the group continued towards the venue with the unknown addition in the back.

’All the easier to sneak in though.’

It only heightened the reason for the added security of mages, and for a moment the girl tensed as those thoughts came to the forefront. She couldn’t be bothered by the crowds so much, the need to be on alert more prevalent alongside the possibilities of more enemies hiding in finery. ’I’m not sure I understand the reasons or necessity behind such actions. Why can he simply not let her be happy?’ The man’s inspiration completely confounded her as the woman couldn’t imagine going to such great lengths to ruin somebody’s celebration. ’If Aiyana or Dmitry got married it’d be nice to go and congratulate them, but I wouldn’t get in their way.’ For the briefest of moments she went so far as to imagine the two performing this act of “Holy Matrimony.”

A few giggles escaped: their heads didn’t fit such a proper image.

They were a pair of odd balls, at least compared to a lot of the ordinary citizens that milled around town performing their daily acts. It’d given way to a slight theory about the level of oddity in one’s character somehow attracting the potential for magic, or the allure of magic dependent upon how odd a person might be. ’No, if either of them got married, even to each other, it would be a very untraditional event.’ One of these days she’d have to see if they’d met, knowing just how large Lamia Scale’s guild hall truly was it wouldn’t be impossible for them to have missed one another. The Sabertooth mage hardly knew either of them, just well enough to say she liked them in a way that might extend towards possible friendship – though she couldn’t bring herself to assume either felt the same way due to lack of experience. ’Perhaps a bit more time before I make such outlandish claims.’

Ahead a tiny scuffle broke out, or rather a small accident as she neared the head of the group heading into the wedding party’s location only to find a familiar mage on the ground with another attendee. ”Ah, looks like you beat me here Aiyana…were you perhaps eager to see the buffet?” she offered a hand to the fabulously dressed woman as some man in a tuxedo aided the other fallen female.

The outfit was very Mao to say the least, and quite opposite of Aiyana’s revealing nature. The dark violet cheongsam with its gold lining and small golden and black design by the neck and bottom of the dress may have hugged her body a little more, but black silk pants beneath ensured not an inch of leg was shown despite the high slits on either side. A short, black jacket that barely reached down her cage with its long, slightly flared sleeves and gold lining also kept her arms from being exposed beyond her liking. A small comb decorated the right side of her hair, a pale lavender flower design with a few dangling beads kept some of her wavy locks pulled back.

”I don’t think it’s started quite yet at least, so we can still mill about for now. I’m glad I didn’t have to wander alone though, I’m not entirely sure what one does at parties.” Even as she spoke Mao’s tail absentmindedly raised and a few of those children from earlier raced beneath it without a care or worry in the world. Their rambunctious and carefree nature was charming even if a little alarming since they could easily cause a mishap, but nobody paid enough mind to reprimand them so Mao chose to ignore them as well.

Aiyana was in the midst of a profuse apology when her attention was stolen by a friendly, extremely welcome, voice. Unfortunately, the other girl remembered her eating habits, or the lack of paying for food if not needed, was the first reasoning to come across Mao's mind. "I wish that had been the case, Mao," she said as she took the hand extended to her as an aid to get up, "Some kids startled me and I just didn't pay attention to where I was going..." She took a few seconds after finishing her statement to dust herself off, and make sure everything was still in place. 'Of all the times to have long hair,' she thought angrily, 'I have to go and get dirt in it'

Once the bandaged mage was sure her hair wasn't completely messed up, and that the tear-shaped jewel was still attached, Aiyana returned her attention back to Mao. The dress was oh so typical Mao that she made a sheepish grin as she checked her out. A long, beautiful, cheongsam along with a short jacket to cover her arms seemed like it would be a bit warm, especially when she seemed to also be wearing pants underneath the dress. The accessories in the girls hair were a welcome addition to her wardrobe for the day, Ai nodding her head in approval; even though it wasn't asked for in the slightest.

The Lamia Scale mage listened to her Sabertooth friend, even as the culprits of her distraction ran about behind Mao. ”There's a lot once can do at these! The buffet, for starters, is what I had planned on once we got all set up here. There's drinks, but we should avoid anything alcoholic if we're to be security.' As if to punctuate the last part of what she said, Aiyana looked around as if searching for anything out of place before bringing her eyes back onto her friend. ”We could also just talk to people, although I'd rather just walk around and chat with you if you don't mind.

Everyone seemed to be in their own little world, the two of them being unknown in this town compared the the hundreds that lived here their whole lives and were friends with the bride and groom. 'With luck, maybe we can stay after the wedding and I can eat some more food then too!' The greedy thought was given away to anyone paying attention to her, unfortunately for the green haired girl, by her large emotional eyes looking directly at the food and desserts.

”Why don't we grab some snacks before we start walking around the place? A little bit of food will keep out minds sharp, right?” She tried to give a good reason to start eating for Mao's sake. While it was probably a true statement, that wasn't why she had said it. She hadn't eaten since heading for this job, and there was FREE food right in front of her. Taunting her loudly with their delicious smells and odd shapes and colors...

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Word Count: 510

Though Aiyana claimed there was a lot to do it didn’t sound like it. Maybe if she knew more people attending the event then mingling with the crowd would involve a lot more work and time consumption than before, but with so many strangers around she hardly liked the notion of trying to chat with too many of them at a time. ’I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad way to gather information, but I don’t imagine many would be willing to talk about the ex-boyfriend in this atmosphere: would merely bring the mood down. Then again…they DID hire us too, so it might not hurt nearly so much.’

However they couldn’t expect the ex-lover to come charging in so openly – or could they? – and alone. No matter how much these people adored the couple the guy likely had a few friends in the wings ready to back him up. It would be utterly ridiculous and silly to come to this party alone! ’Not that I expect every partygoer to suddenly jump into the fray.’ Some of the men might, but too many of the women were finely dressed to perform such a laborious and dangerous task. So in the end, it would likely come down to the two women for any fight breakouts.

’At least I stashed my gauntlets here a little earlier in case things get too rough.’ If the man really did practice wave magic they might be in some slight trouble if he kept negating their magic, but she couldn’t very well drag the things around at the party without declaring openly who she was and her purpose for attending.

Aiyana’s suggestion prodded Mao out of her momentary thoughts, quickly nodding as a small snack would hit the spot. First things once they neared the food Mao snagged a glass and filled it with water, quite thirsty after the trek and preparations. The cool liquid worked wonders on her parched throat, the second glass more for sipping as she surveyed their selection of available appetizers since there’d be a proper sit-down dinner portion later. For now she settled for nabbing a few cold shrimp and some veggies with a dollop of ranch, the notion of warm food not quite appealing right this second.

The member 'Mao' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Aiyana was in the middle of shoving some mini quiche into her mouth when she heard some yelling on the outside of the crowd. Not wanting to have to put some back, or otherwise get rid of them, the self-starved mage shoved them into her mouth and ate them as fast as she could. A quick sip of whatever punch was there allowed her to be able to swallow it before she started speaking to Mao. ”Let's go find out what's going on. That could be one of the Ex-Boyfriend's friends harassing the crowd already.”

Almost waving goodbye to the Bacon-Wrapped Scallops she was leaving behind to do her job, Aiyana walked politely through the crowd. A few ”Excuse me”'s were made before she, finally, made it to the scene.

”No! I can't believe she'd do this! This man is not worth her time! He doesn't deserve to even TALK about her, let alone marry her!”

Apparently the Ex-Boyfriend was already here, and thoroughly pissed by the looks of it. It didn't seem there would be any way of talking the guy out of embarrassing himself further, so Aiyana did what she felt was the next best thing. ”Everyone step back,” the Lamia Scale mage said as she stepped out to face the man yelling at everyone. ”Get out of here man, the town hired us to keep you out. Don't make us have to beat you in a fight over this nonsense.”

”No! You don't get it! I WILL kill this guy for stealing my girl!”

With that, he shot a wave of energy at Ai. She easily dodged the attack, a finger snapping to bring Memory out of her shadow as she said two simple words. ”Summon Tom.”

Tom Ato was back! The master of trash talking made ANOTHER appearance! This time, the tomato made possibly the best insult she had ever heard him yell at someone he was talking to. ”I SLEPT WITH YOUR MOTHER! A ton of the people in the crowd laughed, but the mage being insulted roared in anger and started chasing after the tomato demon that was making noises as he ran. ”WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP!

”Okay Mao, let's knock this guy out and take him away from here so this wedding can get back on track! Here's hoping no one else shows up to help him!” With that said, the bandaged mage worked on catching up to Tom Ato and the Ex so that she could get this thing under control. She still wanted to eat those appetizers after all!

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Word Count: 428
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Tom Ato: Undamaged.
Hunger Level: Kinda Hungry!

Further snacking would have to wait as trouble began brewing towards the entrance. Of all the things she expected however, showing up without backup and already prepared to take this party down was not at the top of the list. ’Doesn’t seem…particularly well thought out…Judging by the way he’s near frothing at the mouth with rage, I think any coherent thoughts must’ve left.’ He yelled and bellowed, becoming all the angrier as Aiyana revealed who they were and attempted to verbally kick him out.

’This almost seems more like a job for the Rune Knights, why aren’t they involved?’ If this man became so angry that murder became a possibility then surely some proper authority was needed? ’Then again…I guess we’re like a secondary police force?’

Ducking to the side, Mao found herself crouched down near a group of people watching the events. With a wave of her tail they finally moved further back, though not enough to her liking, ”Please get further back, we do not wish for anyone to get hurt.” Finally things clicked as they retreated towards the building, closing the doors to try and lock the ex-boyfriend out – even though he could barrel through those glass doors with utter ease. As they evacuated however a voice rose above the others with the most ridiculous claim that Mao paused for a second, ’What?’

No, she couldn’t be distracted right now as Aiyana provided the man with a very…effective distraction. That odd little mobile tomato continued to dodge and weave whilst making odd noises like an alarm, tripping just in time to avoid a wave that flipped one of the buffet tables over. In the midst of this mayhem she pulled out the clawed gauntlets from the bush she’d stashed them in, glad that the kids hadn’t taken to the dirtier portions of the garden – likely prevented thanks to the adults.

Activating the beautiful red gem, lights glowed on all five limbs as the animalistic woman made a mad dash for her prey. However as a fist neared him something shone as his eye glimpsed her and even as her fist collided with him Mao grimaced as the crystals seemingly evaporated from her right hand.

’Damn it, so he can erect a shield at times too? Fantastic.’

On reflex the man threw his hand out, a crescent wave almost clipping her if the mage hadn’t landed on her feet after the exchange. Just as he got to his feet Mao gave him a left hook, accepting the loss of the burning gems on that hand as well as the man flew, though this time managed to catch himself and skid to a halt rather than slam into the ground as she’d hoped. ’If only I could’ve kept him disoriented.’

---

HP: 94%
MP: 95%

+10% Strength/Speed

Spoiler:

Aiyana almost cried when she saw the table flying at her precious Tom Ato, the tears being stopped before they ever showed as the demon fell in a hilariously accidental dodge. Somehow, Mao had gotten to the man first, planting a blow that made the mage tumble about. As the bandaged mage got almost in range, Mao got another shot in. While she struck home, the other mage seemed to take the hit in stride; landing on his feet and skidding to a halt.

Using this time to throw in her own attack, finally being close enough to do so, The young woman drew her Khopesh and swung with the blunt side of the weapon. The attack struck home, hitting the man in the center of his back and sending him almost headfirst to the ground. She started to swing down again, in an attempt to hit the back of his head and knock him unconscious, but the stronger mage threw out a wave of energy that knocked her back and to the ground. A pained “oomph” left her mouth as both she and their opponent quickly got back onto their feet.

Had she been alone with this man in a dark alley, the look on his face would have left her mortified. Instead, having Mao with her there as well as a large crowd of people, she kept calm and tried to talk to him as he readied himself for the two female mages.

”There's no need for senseless violence here. Just give up now. The Rune Knights will be more lenient if we turn you in on a peaceful surrender.”

The words did little, if anything at all, as the man just used his wave magic to throw a chair in her direction. She dove out of the way of the chair, the leg just barely missing her ankle as she did so. Doing a forward roll, Aiyana got back to her feet in time to see a pitcher of some kind of drink coming ton towards he head. She ducked underneath the pitched, moving a bit closer to the man in the process. 'Maybe I can do the same thing to him as a distraction,' she thought as she threw out a bandage to latch onto a broken table leg and threw it at the man. Had he not dodged the sharp part of it would have struck his leg, most likely crippling him for the fight. As he jumped to the side, Aiyana's foot met the leg she had aimed the projectile at.

The kick was well placed, but the leg did not break. Instead, the angry Ex jumped backward to keep damage to a minimum.

'Damn, this guy knows how to fight, and him being this pissed isn't helping us at all.'

It seemed the friends from different guilds were going to have to figure out something different than usual, as the mage they were fighting rendered any magic they were using useless as she had seen a short while earlier when Mao had attacked. With that in mind, and hoping Mao would be thinking the same thing, Aiyana let loose a cat o' nine tails bandage whip at the mage.

Meanwhile, coming out from behind a table while the mage was distracted, Tom Ato came out and thew a glass cup at the man. It struck his back, breaking in the process, as Aiyana's whip was coming at him.

”Come on! Stop picking on the ladies you wuss! Fight me, a REAL man! More tomato than you can handle at once! We're gonna turn you into paste!”

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Word Count: 603
HP: 96%
MP: 90%

Again the odd little veggie man gained their foe’s attention, the broken glass causing some blood to pool on the back of his shirt. A feral growl slipped out, causing the tiny trash talker to duck back behind the table for safety. About to blow the entire table – and subsequently smash their littlest ally – an equally ferocious sound caught his attention a split second too late as the metal glove slammed into his face and forced the man’s body to spin in midair before hitting the ground. The sound came unbidden from Mao’s lips, but it worked all the same as she wanted to keep that odd little thing alive since its methods were effective to say the least.

Blood dribbled before the man simply spit it out alongside a loosened tooth and those ferocious eyes returned to the Sabertooth mage. ”Stop getting in my WAY!” The yell was punctuated by the man’s hand reaching towards a table, and with a wave all the contents flew towards Mao as she dashed towards him. Utensils slashed at her figure as she focused on defending against the plates and glasses instead. Fine china and glass exploded in the air left and right where she couldn’t dodge, and by the end of this party some cleanup crew would certainly have their work cut out for them.

As the man readied to throw the entire table next that brave little tomato refused to be forgotten. One could almost see Tom Ato’s eyes going in different directions as he screamed his adorable little war cry and stabbed a fork into the ex’s calf, eliciting a most unpleasant noise. It was some concoction of surprise, pain, confusion, and the utmost levels of rage combined into a shrill shrieking yell. ”Why can’t you leave me ALONE?! WE DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER!” the distraught and somewhat bloodied man yelled, the slash of wave magic nimbly dodged with another round of wooping from the tomato demon.

”Because,” Mao’s harsh voice answered, ”she doesn’t love you anymore!” One-two, one-two, one-two became the rhythm as the two danced. If she could just avoid giving him time to work some magic then perhaps Aiyana or Tom could get in a good, solid strike so she fell into the rhythm of quick strikes and punch attempts, some dodged and others partially blocked, but he couldn’t do it nearly effectively to prevent his arms from receiving a beating, and one or two hits to the chest. However the strategy came double-edged as the last wisps of her magic faded from the rest of her, stealing Mao’s attention long enough for the man to send a blast to her chest.

Backwards she went, though with the grace befitting a feline more than any hare she twisted her body. Bracing for impact was only the secondary intention as that long, large limb came whipping up to slam into the man’s side, one of the tips managing to forcefully slap his face and force the belligerent fool to the ground again.

---

HP: 80%
MP: 95%

Ignite on CD now

All she wanted to do was yell good job to Tom Ato right now. That master of trash talking tomato demon was doing work on their opponent! The little guy had distracted the man long enough for her whips to strike across his body, and still had managed to avoid taking any sort of damage. Of course, any kind of hit was enough to splatter the tomato into paste in this fight right now. That being said, the poor tomato seemed like it's life was at an end! The angry mage was preparing to destroy the tomato before a ferocious sound from Mao turned his attention just in time to take a hard punch to the face.

Mao's blow had knocked a tooth out, the man spitting it out before yelling and throwing a table and all it's contents at Mao. Taking the chance to act while the man was distracted, Aiyana went in for another strike using the blunt side of her khopesh. She was stopped, however, by the amazing sight of her precious summon charging in to save the day. With an adorable battle cry, and the demon's eyes going off in different directions, the tomato charged in and stabbed the man in the calf with a fork.

The blood-curdling scream and yelling from the distraught man were almost ear piercingly loud as he attempted to counter-attack against the pesky plant. The attack was easily dodged, and Tom Ato continued his taunting. ”WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP!”

In an answer to his screamed outburst Mao answered with the cold, hard, truth and began a series of blows with the man that ended in her being hit with a blast to the chest. Aiyana grew worried for a second, watching Mao start to fly through the air, until she saw the feline was she twisted her body and used her tail as a whip to send their opponent to the ground.

”YEAH! You're getting beaten like eggs by a tomato and two woman! How does that make you feel Mr. Tough Guy! You have enough yet! I bet your full on pain once we're through with you! We're just gonna feed you more until you give up!”

As this was yelled, the bandaged mage took her chance to move in for the attack. The attack in question was nothing glamorous, nor could it ever be considered fancy. The short woman just swung the khopesh at the man's back as he turned towards the ever taunting tomato demon that she had grown to love the more she used it. Sadly, the man turned around just in time to see her weapon swinging down at him, now coming for his head with how he had repositioned. With his eyes wide in a mixture of fear, and what seemed like something beyond rage, the man let loose a point blank wave blast at Aiyana as well.

While her attack hit, striking across his brow with the blunt part and most definitely leaving a concussion, she was blasted a good few feet away; her precious hat flying off in the process. Of all the things she could worry about, the hat was now the main concern on her mind as her back met a sharp object on a table with a crunching noise. Her FAVORITE hat was no longer on her head, but on the ground in between her and the angry Ex-boyfriend. She quickly got up off of the table, the clinking noises heard behind her letting her know it was probably glass in her back right now. She was definitely bleeding as well, the warmth on the back of her shirt telling her as much.

She ran towards the wedding crasher, dodging two separate blasts that came her way with sidesteps as she bent low to pick up her hat. As she came up, hat being placed deftly on her head with years of experience in it, Aiyana swung her weapon at the man a second time. The attack missed by a wide margin, but it seemed the tomato helper had plans of it's own as a knife flew into the upper thigh of the guy's left leg. The knife didn't dig deep, but allowed the owner of the summon to get out of the way before she could be the target of any more waves of energy.

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Word Count: 726
HP: 85%
MP: 90%

Neither woman was in perfect condition, but so far between them – with a fair bit of help from the weird veggie man – the intruder didn’t look so hot himself. Utensils and dishes had been chucked at him, several bruises from various punches and broad sides of blades marred his skin, blood smeared on his chin, and his clothes were torn no thanks to all the abuse they suffered from all this treatment. And yet his adrenaline continued to push him through all the torment thanks to some vain home that his temper tantrum might reap the rewards he so desperately sought. His perseverance deserved some applause even though it brought only annoyance and troubles to everyone else.

Aiyana managed to distract the guy as Mao recovered her breath and returned to her feet. The last one hurt, but provided with tantalizing targets the woman could afford a few seconds to let the pain ease until it was nothing more than a dull ache. ’Her hat?’ The desperation with which she sought the garment confused Mao, only now realizing that she wore it despite it not quite fitting the dress and event. ’She must love that hat.’ Well she wouldn’t fault her, though it made her a bit of a target at the same time going for it so desperately.

Again Tom Ato insisted on getting in a glorious attack as the trio swapped spotlights and provided Mao an opening that she dove to take. Those furious eyes turned on her, the blast knocking through her shoulder as Mao ducked to avoid the brunt of it, though the joint would no doubt be complaining later. The claws of the gauntlet locked around the man’s wrist as he tried to throw another irritating blast of wave magic at her, and bracing her feet apart the ferocious woman yanked on the limb even as an arm cocked back for the umpteenth facial strike. This man’s nose was next on the hit list as a small crack sounded. Down her body went, avoiding a blind strike as the tail came up to swipe him to the side and slamming the man into a table he’d thrown earlier.

Letting the infuriating demon steal the man’s attention Mao ducked behind a tree as a hand unconsciously covered her shoulder. With a wince she surveyed the more or less ruined buffet tables with only a few still standing, no thanks to that cretin’s temper. ’We just need him unconscious at least, then it’ll be easy to get him out and the party back underway…oh.’ Well it wasn’t the best of ideas, but she liked it.

There he stood, unsuspecting and trying to catch his breath as the tomato demon spat a raspberry at him, wiggling what amounted to fingers in a mocking fashion. The sloshing noise and first torrent of punch tipped him off, only enough time to twirl about as the thick, crystal punch bowl slammed down on his head.

”Sorry, you weren’t invited.”

---

HP: 72%
MP: 95%

"Aww YEAH! PUNCHOUT! We got him girls! We've saved the day!"

Aiyana had to admit, the fight HAD been pretty impressive. They had managed to take out a mage that rendered their magic useless, while he could still use his, with only minimal damage to two of them. By a strange twist of fate, Tom Ato had managed to get through the entirety of the fight without a scratch on him. His beautiful, red ripe, body lacking any bruises at all while managing to get in a bunch of insane attacks and taunts on the angry man Mao had just 'punched' into unconsciousness.

Looking over at Mao, her Sabertooth friend, she noticed that she had taken a lot more damage than Aiyana had realized. Raising her black weapon with it's golden etchings along it at the bunny eared girl, the weapon glowed brilliantly before releasing that light at the injured crystal mage. The result of this magic, coming forth from a weapon ironically, was that the beautifully tailed girl would heal some over a short amount of time. ”You owe me a hug for that Mao!” The exclamation was said in a happy voice, planning to make it more than just a friendly hug. As she thought this, the sounds of angry voices were heard coming to them.

Angry, that is, until the gang that was showing up saw the person they were coming to help unconsciousness and a bloody mess. ”Go ahead, carry him out of here and check him into a hospital. I'm sure the Rune Knights won't be long before they find him there too.

With that said, the crowd of friends ran off carrying their buddy. With an entire town of witnesses the law enforcement of Fiore was, for a fact, going to be arresting him for plenty of reasons. Happy that they had managed to stop the wedding from being a total loss, the bandaged mage turned back to face Mao before speaking up.

”Let's help clean this place up. Then we can get through the wedding and get to the real food at the party afterward!”

Meanwhile, Tom Ato was victory dancing off to the side of a flipped table. Being in view of most everyone there, the tomato demon seemed to be...river dancing quite quickly. While impressive, Aiyana would have to ask him to stop in a bit so he could help with the cleaning as well.

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Word Count: Error 404, word count not found!

Finally they could all breathe a sigh of relief, Mao’s shoulders drooping as she could relax. The slumped over form looked a very sorry sight compared to his grand, raging entry earlier as the once white shirt now took on a red and pink flavor, scratched up all over and with bruises forming in various locations – especially his battered face. Both the mages’ fine clothing suffered from the fight as well, the Sabertooth femme fatale a little sad to see the once night outfit smeared with some food, cut in other places as she removed the partially battered gauntlets. They’d done their work however, the girl thankful to the damage they’d wrought on that nasty foe. A small blush formed as she realized how…rough she may have gotten in the fray, ’Oh my…well, it’s over now at least.’

An orb of light ran into her, surprising the bunny girl who’d been on high alert mere moments before. It required a moment or two for the healing energy to really register as she nodded awkwardly to Aiyana. ”Um…sure? Though let me help in kind,” she hesitantly declared and moved closer to the bandage user. Warm energy began to come off her as she slightly glowed, trying to keep the brightness levels down as she worked on healing the pair seeing as Tom Ato came away unscathed in all the chaos.

Just as the party goers were coming out of safety a couple of goons showed up armed with cocky grins. They vanished just as quickly though, spying their boss lying face down in the ground with his numerous injuries and vast punch stains. As the dominant woman commanded, the meager men headed her words and carried their boss off to temporary safety as the couple’s reputation and favoritism would precede them. Their slightly trashed wedding party wouldn’t go without some vengeance from the authorities, and who knows, maybe they even had some friends in prison?

A small part of Mao wanted to complain and point out that they’d done the bulk of the work dealing with the fellow, yet she refrained from airing any grievances in favor of simply sighing. At the end of things they’d be allowed to relax at least, still invited to this party even if their job had been more or less completed.

”I’ll help with the furniture I suppose if you could help with some of the utensils and dishes…” On a brighter note some of the staff would be helping out with the cleanup and a few of the guests – primarily those energetic children from before.

The cleanup went quicker than expected, grown adults and children all pairing their efforts to get the place in order for the popular couple's wedding that would be starting soon. Amazingly Tom was as good at cleaning as he was at fighting, quickly helping pick up tables and chairs at a surprising speed.

Nothing happened to pause the wedding further, the beautiful ceremony going without a hitch as the two watched while standing next to each other. ”Wish we could have a ceremony this beautiful, she mumbled to Mao as they continued to be honored guests of the wedding for helping as security.

After the wedding, however, is when the real fun started. The food was amazing! Just about anything you could think of was there! Not only that, but there was an open bar that she gladly partook of. As she was filling herself with the free food and drink, the popping sound of a microphone turning on could be heard over speakers near the front of the place.

”Ahem, I'd like to make a toast!”

Oh no...that voice was all TOO familiar. Tom Ato had decided to speak about the bride and groom? This could only go one way; Far South!

”The two we had the pleasure of seeing get married today are an eggcelent couple. Their popularity in this town is like a golden goose egg to that of chicken farmers.”

Good, this was very good. He was just complimenting the two in his usual kind of speaking. She wondered if the bright red tomato realized how bad the puns were, or if he even realized he was making puns. For all Aiyana knew, the poor plant demon only knew how to talk like that at all.

”The groom, however, couldn't protect his own wedding! It was like a newborn chick, needing his mother to throw worms into his mouth!”

”Oh god...here we go...He's turned this into a roast now!” Aiyana said this a little louder than intended as she made her way over to Mao. At this point it was too late, she may as well let the little guy continue.

”He couldn't mash a fly if it flew onto the palm of his hands. He couldn't Ketchup to someone trying to get away from him! He can't mustard the courage to protect his newly made wife!”

Aiyana wondered how long Tom Ato would go for. If it was anything like the time she had fought against him this insanity could, quite possibly, take the entirety of the day that was left.

”That's why he needed a fruit to save him, ME! I'm just too Smoothie for people to handle. My Kung Pao Chicken martial arts training makes me the envy of all the other foods! Land, Sea, or Air I can sage the day! By land I have as little care for my opponents as I have roots to the land, and I walk on feet! By sea I am a leek on the enemy boat, their chances of victory slimjim!”

And now the foolish demon was talking about himself. What was next? The bride after that?

”By air I am the chicken-hawk out to eat our enemies, whom are chickens!” With that yelled, the demon looked over towards the bride before he started speaking again.

”Now this beautiful cupcake is the main course for the entire wedding. Those eyes are like two gorgeous grapes. Her nose is like a little cherry and her teeth are the perfect whiteness, instead of some gross eggshell color. She has some nice grapefruits, and that hourglass figure says it's time to eat!” Some of the guests, already drunk by this time, were now laughing at the toast? Roast? Whatever you wanted to call it, this was pretty amusing when you've had a couple drinks.

”I can only imagine how this peach would be like to live with. I mean, we can just look at her for the halibut and be happy at just that! And those buns! They are the best I've seen in a LONG time. I mean, one could just do this!”

With that last sentence, Tom Ato was walking up to the bride. As the phrase was finished, he let loose a slap on the butt that was heard over the microphone. The poor girl lifted up off the floor in surprise, even as Tom Ato dropped the mic to walk away. The resounding boom of the item hitting the floor was the exact moment that the toaster desummoned from the world.

Aiyana was speechless, a dumb look on her face as her eyes widened in terror at what had just happened. ”Remind me never to let him stay around long enough to pull stunts like that anymore. I'd hate for it to happen again like this.” This was whispered to Mao, whom she was not sure how to react to after what they had just witnessed.

Boy would this be a toast/roast for the history books. A trash-talking tomato demon who, not only uplifted himself, but made fun of the groom and hit on the bride; slapping her on the ass before leaving.

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Word Count: 860

”For what?” Mao whispered back, though she likely spoke too quietly due to the lack of response or Aiyana being too focused on the ceremony to hear her. This notion of “getting married” sounded strange to Mao as she didn’t quite comprehend the need for such a large event to commemorate two people choosing to be the other’s sole mate. ’Creatures merely pair up temporarily or for life, but I think they put more effort into the courtship and initial display to impress than the aftermath…I guess humans are showier than other species.’

Distracted by all the events and then the mingling – and free food in some folks’ cases – nobody thought to keep an eye on a certain red demon. Nobody gave him a second thought until the declaration of making a toast caught everyone’s attention and then the room full of eyes couldn’t help bore into that strange, strange little…thing. Chuckles and groans signaled a divided crowd in regards to the fruity demon’s puns and then he went down another avenue: roasting the groom. Again, as Mao observed them all, mixed reactions arose as some became easily incensed at the “insults” hurled at someone they liked whilst others decided to take it all in stride and good humor – more so once the puns began.

Then came the ego boosting as Tom Ato self-promoted shamelessly, though a line about a “leek in the boat” even gained a small giggle from Mao. She didn’t know what a “slimjim” was though. For the third time she watched as the crowd differed on opinions, a lot of the males nodding enthusiastically to the toaster-roaster’s proclamations about the bride as some women proceeded to mentally melt their dates/husbands/family members or experience some bouts of jealousy in general. The very loud behind smack towards the end garnered a few laughs though from a lot of people merely with how audible it was, Mao impressed he could manage that through the gobs of fabric those dresses sported.

”Duly noted,” she acquiesced to the embarrassed mage, ”Between his helpfulness and the extravagance of the event he managed to take his opportunity. At least nobody seems especially incensed however thanks to his wordplay. I think it’s safe to say at this point we can eat a bit more and take our leave since nothing else is happening.” They’d dealt with the primary threat after all and save for maybe a bit of drunkenness on some partygoers’ parts, they really weren’t needed anymore. ’Hopefully I don’t have to go to such an event for a while. Things are still a bit stiff at these types of parties. Then again, who knows what a guild’s party is like…’ Trying to imagine one at the Sabertooth hall, Mao could only sigh: she’d probably get tossed into the air a couple times. ’I suppose this one’s not so bad after all…’ Besides, at least she’d been accompanied by a friend through it all.