Child's play

https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t19264-gang-ambassador

Riding in her shuttlecraft, Kloria noted the industrial city and how it was vastly different from most other places on Earth-land she had seen so far. Kloria had to take the shuttle off of auto pilot as she merged with the traffic of the city, figuring better to follow local vehicle rules to avoid issue. She was flying barely off the ground, often glancing at the onboard terrestrial map for guidance. When taking the job, she was informed she wouldn't be alone as she was to rendezvous with the other mage at the designated location, a tavern in the poorer districts.

She started to wonder on the state of this world. From the description of things, it sounded as thought the divide was brutal and the ruffians bad example reached the youth. Kloria knew all too well what happens when youth try to break out of their borders, and follow in bad leads. She shuddered the thought of letting them fall. "I couldn't save Ness from the dark, but at the very least I can make a small difference this time for these kids. This time, I won't fail."

Eventually  She found herself out of heavy traffic as she pulled up and parked in a larger vehicle section, raising her shuttle up before she left through the hatch at the bottom and walked away, the shuttle automatically parked itself on the ground. She could smell the pollution in the air and the sickly feeling of the lack of nature in this city. She entered the large steel building, seemed that they built the bar into a large support beam supporting a monorail. Kloria wondered why people had to live in slums like these when she passed by better areas.

She didn't know who she was looking for, but she felt she should make herself obvious. She scanned the room, and couldn't sense or predict a threat she couldn't handle. She sat down at a bar stool, while put her left leg up onto the barstool exposing her Sabertooth mark on her thigh to the room. "Barkeep, beer please." The gruff elderly man nodded, and pulled out a bottle and opened it, before sliding it across the counter into Klorias hand. She took a sip, waiting for the other parties to join her.

WC 383

This latest mission troubled Itori on several levels. The first one was the environment, as the kitsune was forced to walk through a city with polluted air whereas the majority of Earthland had fresh and clean air. She'd only bothered to endure it for several minutes before she made a minor alteration in reality to surround herself with a bubble of clean air. She wasn't one to indulge herself overmuch, but she didn't want to think about what this kind of pollution did to the lungs. That she could cure it afterwards might lessen the issue somewhat, but she still didn't want to spend her time coughing and feeling her nose itch.

The second was that she was apparently tasked with subduing children who were fighting each other beyond what could be considered scuffles. Itori liked children, so the fact that she might have to fight them and that this city was in such a state that this would be necessary worsened her mood somewhat. On the outside this would be difficult to notice: her face remained carefully neutral as she made her way through the city, vermillion eyes taking in the sights without ever showing much appreciation. She would remain polite and cooperative, but she wasn't going to pretend to like this place unless it was necessary.

Not that this city was unique in the division between the rich and the poor. It was a reoccurring theme throughout the ages, as the rich ensured safety and comfort for themselves and more and more stopped caring for the needs of the common man as they themselves no longer had to endure those struggles and thus had difficulty sympathizing. It also almost never ended well, but Itori still hoped that it would be a long time before the current civilization crumbled.

The story was pretty straightforward: the children were mostly left to their own devices as the parents were busy trying to make ends meet. With limited upbringing or means to keep themselves busy they end up bored and joining other bored children, who then begin playing together to alleviate the boredom. This would result in them forming gangs, and those gangs would then start fighting one another for dominance and territory. Very similar to the behaviour of adults, really, except with different motivations and on a smaller scale. Still, it would be best if they were reined in as quickly as possible before things escalated to an unacceptable level.

She also wouldn't be doing this job alone. A newcomer to Sabertooth would be there as well, which the kitsune figured made sense. As unpleasant as the job might be it was a relatively easy one, so it was a good way to help a newcomer get familiar with the idea of performing jobs as a guild mage, with or without a fellow guild mage. This of course also meant that Itori had the responsibility of making sure the mage got a good impression of Sabertooth. This bothered the kitsune a little as she walked to where she had been told they would meet up. While she didn't have self esteem issues she also didn't think she was that good an example of the virtues of Sabertooth. For one thing the guild usually favoured a strong stance in defending the world whereas Itori was willing to use violence when needed but for the most part preferred to take a more supportive role. Well, she'd figure it out on the go.

Letting out a minor sigh she noticed that she'd already arrived at the tavern where the other mage should be. She could sense the presence of someone with magic abilities inside, so she took a deep breath before opening the door and slipping in. Just like with outside she got glances due to her vulpine features, but as one might expect from a place like this most people kept to themselves and things didn't progress beyond those glances. Relieved Itori looked around, quickly spotting the one who had to be her companion. She didn't look like the rest of the people in the room, and more importantly she was the one with the magic aura. The Sabertooth mark on her leg sealed the deal, and the foxlike mage quickly moved over and bowed in front of Kloria.

"My apologies, I hope I did not make you wait for too long. I am Shirokawa Itori and I will be your companion for this job." She straightened up and gave a friendly and polite smile, her five tails spread out low to the ground behind her as she lightly tilted her head. "Are you fully aware of our objectives? I do not mean to sound hasty, but we should agree on the manner of approach before we depart." Not that children stood a chance of being a serious threat, but in a way getting the children to stop fighting for the long term might be even more challenging than taking down a powerful foe. Controlling the thoughts and actions of another person was a task with its own unique difficulties, something Itori was painfully aware of given her own past.

WC: 857
TWC: 857/1500

Kloria noticed as the fox like humanoid walked into the bar, a sight that made her curious as she rarely got to see such a thing on Exdrax. She had seen avian hybridized humanoids, but as far as she knew the Earth-Landians do not perceive the beings known as Kitsunes in the same regard as an Exdraxian views an Exaz. However the bowing gesture confused her as she knew not all things equate, but still thoughts can't be stopped. "Five seconds and she already wants to mate? No, hold off on that thought for now."" Kloria watched as the tails lowered down, she wondered if they were a biological redundancy or used for magical purposes.


For the meantime she agreed that the two needed to coordinate their approach, which was on Kloria's mind the whole time. Her main concern was the cultural differences, Exdraxians had a more discipline body to discipline mind approach to wayward youths if they fell out of line. Usually involving some form of labour or intense training depending on the sins, but this situation was different. She put her leg down as she put the empty bottle down on the counter, fully turning her body around to face Itori as she leaned back on the counter. "I'm Kloria Xicor, and don't worry, I wasn't waiting much at all."

Kloria sighed as she tapped her wristband, bringing up the small green holographic screen. There was text in some foreign symbols. Her notes on the job request written in Exdraxian. "Honestly this job is tricky, most of my disciplinary tactics for children are illegal by Fiore laws, or ineffective to use on mass numbers. Frankly, I believe we should see if we can at least try to talk the kids out of this, hopefully Guild Wizards are enough. However I am not fond of striking Earth-Land children, I might slip up and break someone."

Kloria started to look thoroughly at the kitsune, trying to size her up she had to admit she was attracted. She never thought a humanoid could look beautiful with canine features, but she was wrong. Normally she could never be drawn off topic, but foreign worlds seemed to create exceptions to that rule as she looked down to the ears. "Those ears and tail, you must be one of the kitsune I heard of, gotta say you look quite cute. I wouldn't advise letting your tails touch this floor, I can smell the filth. You kinda remind me of my Triog, I'm getting off topic, forgive me for that, just been."

Kloria tapped the counter twice as another beer came her way, not sure what to think about on the issue. If anything, she found that the whole strategic aspect to be the most difficult part of the job."Our client really didn't know much, and from the looks of it doesn't wanna be seen talking on the issue. Quite frankly, if it comes down to it, we could always try to scare them with the reality of  life, conflict and fights are no child's play, a brief flash of power and an intimidating speech can scare them straight."

Kloria took a swig of her drink, she still didn't find the local alcohol strong enough to her liking. "Still, I am basically a trained warrior/huntress and you appear in a similar boat, is there any other trick we have that can work?"

WC 568
TWC 951/1500

While it was subtle Itori did notice a small pause in the reaction from her partner. Curiosity? Uncertainty? While these days nonhuman mages were actually quite common there would always be people who for one reason or another hadn't become used to seeing members outside of their own race. It wasn't something new, so Itori didn't waste any time worrying about it as she instead just smiled and waited for a reply.

Having the mage turn to face Itori proper gave the kitsune a good opportunity to get a look at what she would be dealing with, although she had the decency to be discreet about it. Without moving her gaze away from Kloria's face she took in what was visible from the edges of her eyesight. This one looked like someone who took the physical aspect of combat very seriously, in contrast to some who would abandon physical ability for the sake of maximing their magical prowess. Itori had to admit that she had a bit more respect for those who combined physical and magical prowess, as it gave you more options and helped avoid conceit. People who focused on one thing tended to become condescending towards the other.

"I am glad to hear that I did not make you wait for too long then. It is a pleasure to meet you miss Xicor" She expressed her relief before they got back to the task at hand. Kloria produced an interesting hovering screen from her wristband, although Itori was unable to deciphre the language. Combined with that small pause she figured that Kolria was a foreigner, probably someone from a small settlement or a big one usually disconnected from Earthland.

That said, the idea that most of Kloria's disciplinary actions would be deemed illegal by Fiore laws was somewhat troubling. The blonde mage didn't look like the type to dish out sadistic punishment for the hell of it, so did that mean she was raised in a spartan environment? The five-tailed fox was glad when Klora herself suggested that they'd try talking to the children first, as she'd rather not proceed on this job with the single objective of inflicting harm on those who hadn't even fully matured yet. "I agree that we should first attempt to talk to the children. The client has voiced concern about their aggressive behaviour but there was no mention of drugs or enchantments influencing their actions. Peaceful talks should be possible and much preferable over violence."

It didn't take a genius to notice Kloria inspecting Itori's form. The kitsune did do enough training to stay fit and able to move about while swinging a sword, but she had to admit that her curves were still the more dominant factor. She had yet to take a seat during the discussion, and for now opted for it to remain that way as she instead focused on what Kloria was saying. Although apparently they were holding a brief intermission where they talked about Itori's species instead, to which the kitsune laughed softly. "Yes, I am, and thank you very much for the compliment. If I may be so bold I would say that you also have quite the impressive figure." She barely needed to look down at the floor as she could smell what her companion was talking about, but nevertheless lifted her tails a bit higher behind herself. "I will make sure to keep that in mind. Cleaning fur can be quite difficult. But do not worry about showing curiosity. This job may be important but it does not appear to be pressing, so we do not have to count down every second." Given that Kloria was a newcomer Itori definitely didn't want her to think that Sabertooth was some guild which would try to force every drop of potential out of you without ever giving you the opportunity to truly enjoy the results.

"I would surmise that our client fears that if they raise their voice too high the ones in a more fortunate position in the city might suspect him of something." She folded her arms so her hands were hidden inside the wide seeves of her outfit, tilting her head slightly to the side "I would like to hold off on any aggressive methods until it becomes clear that nothing else would be effective. That said if scaring them is sufficient I should be as good a choice for this job as most." She glanced down at the white sword at her waist which most likely had helped form Kloria's assessment. "That statement is both correct and incorrect. While I have certainly trained to be able to fight with physical ability my speciality is actually more of a supportive role. I can heal, enhance and protect, but aside from that I am also capable of shaping complex illusion should the need arise." Her tails moved from side to side behind her when she said that. "It is a native talent of my species. This does mean that if talking does not work I can weave illusions to help persuade them. However such illusions tend to function better if there is something really woven into them, so you would have to do most of the talking while I used subtle illusions to make them more inclined to listen to you."

She wondered if she should take a drink before heading out... but then decided not to. "With some idea of what we would be able to do depending on the circumstances I believe we might as well head out and find some leads to track down the leaders of these gongs. After you have finished drinking, of course." She hastily added. She didn't want Klora to feel pressured, but she also didn't think there was much reason to loiter if they already had a good idea of what their strategy would be. While the strategy was still barebones it would form a good foundation they could improvise on when the situation demanded more depth.

WC: 1001
TWC: 1858/1500

Kloria finished the second beer quickly before putting it, and the jewels down on the counter, before standing up. She heard enough as she had a general idea of what the Kitsune was capable of, much to her dismay. She was not sure how to feel about illusion magic, while it was rare on Exdrax, it was mostly rare because a lot of Exdraxians found it to be cowardly. However healing and protection abilities could be useful, especially if that meant Itori could take a hit.

Kloria figured that she too should explain her capabilities to her partner, as it was only fair. "My abilities are at present, restricted by your laws. As far as I am aware, I am permitted to use things such as energy and electric based weaponry, and my mobility device. As well as the ability of my blood known as 'Xicor', which allows me to shut down magic in an area around me." Kloria could not blame the locals for the imposing limits, a bunch of beings that look human with dangerous capabilities rivaling the natives, she'd be apprehensive as well. Especially with the capabilities of the rogue Exdraxian.

Kloria started to walk out of the tavern, ready to get started, "I'm ready to get this started, I have a good idea of where they might be." however before she got out of the bar, her right wrist band turned green, she held up her wrist as she tapped it, and the automated robotic voice of Syba, the automated computer on board the shuttle, speaking in the local language. "A change of apparel recommended, the task requires setting a better influence on children. Current apparel is not appropriate for assignment." Kloria shrugged as she was too blind to herself to notice such a thing. However various points started to glow as her alternative outfit formed and took shape.  Kloria pulled down her sleeve as she checked the still green wrist band. "Better?"

The silence of the computer was enough as the wrist band turned back to blue, but the grumbles of the men from around the bar were clear. She gave a few a cold stare as if she was silently implying she was wondering if the oafs actually thought they had a shot before they turned back to their drinks.  

She proceeded to walk outside as she was fiddling with the blue wrist band, until a green three dimensional map hologram formed of the area. Kloria zoomed in on a place a short distance away of what seemed to be a scrap yard. "If I were a betting girl, I'd say they're probably at the scrap yard. I'm not it's just logic, it's the easiest area that kids could sneak into and have room to scuffle. Any objections lady?"

WC 486
TWC 1437

appearance:

Itori couldn't really guess at Kloria's opinion of her abilities. The blonde woman was pretty good at hiding her thoughts when not caught off guard. Nevertheless the kitsune was sure that the two of them should have little issue solving the problem at hand. Without any magic or drugs forcefully alterating the behaviour of the children they shouldn't be too difficult to calm down, especially since they would be susceptible to Itori's illusions and soothing magic.

Listening to her partner explaining her abilities the five-tailed fox raised her eyebrows at the last part. She felt the desire to lean away from the magic-negating woman for a moment, but supressed it. "That is definitely an unusual ability. Also powerful, although I do not think it will be needed here. You should have little issue making yourself appear imposing to the children though, given that energy and electricity based abilities are often a good choice for putting on a display of power."

She gave a quick nod when Kloria declared that she was ready to begin, the kitsune having no reason to delay the two of them as they headed inside. When the foreign mage was distracted by her wristband Itori halted and watched with curiosity, wondering about the strange voice. It wasn't the first time she'd come across talking equipment, but usually they sounded like a person, whereas this one sounded... odd, to say the least. "That is an interesting piece of equipment you are wearing. Does it always keep an eye on your attire and whether it is suitable for the situation?" She couldn't immediately see why this attire would be better than the last, other than that it would blend in better. Then again, that could already be more than enough.

She had to admit that listening to the men in the tavern complaining that Kloria wasn't showing off as much as before was mildly amusing, although she didn't show more than a faint smile as she excited the establishment. Once outside she once again cleaned the air in a small bubble around herself, then watched as Kloria produced a three-dimensional map and zoomed in on a particular spot. "You are most likely correct, but give me a moment to ascertain..." Closing her eyes her ears twitched, the vixen ignoring her other senses for a moment as she instead translated all the sounds around her in a mental map. The way that sounds bounced from walls, the strength, direction, pitch, stability... It didn't take very long before she could make out the voices of children in the distance, faint but distinct. "Your bet was right on the money. Beyond ease of access it seems they also enjoy the fact that there are plenty of discarded objects to play with... or use as weapons." She frowned before opening her eyes. "On that note, I believe we may have to hurry." With quickened step she headed in the direction of the scrapyard, her tails trailing behind her as she appeared to be quite worried.

Once they were close to the scrapyard they could hear yelling and shouting, the high-pitched voices making it clear that it was from children who had yet to develop the vocal cords of adults. The shouting sounded angry and somewhat hysterical. The kitsune stepped around a wire fence, involuntarily wrinkling her nose, and looked at the mountains of garbage and discarded objects before her eyes focused on a group of children who were gathered in between two of those giant heaps, their faces red as they were loudly arguing about whose 'territory' this was.

Itori didn't want to waste any time dealing with this before it really got out of hand, but she also didn't want to move without making sure she and Kloria were moving in accord. She glanced at her companion, her expression one of worry. "I think it would be better if you took the lead. You blend in better than me."

While violence hadn't broken out quite yet multiple children were holding weapons. These ranged from wooden sticks to metal pipes, although thankfully they didn't appear to have gotten their hands on daggers so far.

WC: 692
TWC: 2550/1500

Kloria's suspicions were correct, and she was glad as that saved the two time. The two made there way to the scrap yard. She found herself slightly disgusted by it, that there was so much wasted materials just lying around doing nothing when most of them could be re-purposed.  However she was caught slightly off guard when Itori asked her to take point on the matter, while she looked like a human, she might not pass as one to most. "Well, as long as none of them have super hearing and can hear my second heart beating, I could pass as human."

She sighed as she assessed the situation, wondering if it was better to take the high ground or low ground, but ultimately decided the best approach is the authoritarian approach. She found these kids were unruly, and needed a firm hand and a deep scare. She clenched her right fist as green particles came out of her skin through her sleeves and formed her Axo-Canon before she walked in slowly. "Blending in? We need to let them know their place."

Kloria walked through the scrap yard, down a narrow path until she found a grown man covered in filth face down, Kloria knelled down and rolled him over with her left arm, hearing his groans while she assessed his injuries by sight or touch. "Broken nose, dislocated knee, bruised ribs, and I'm guessing by the urine scent you were unconscious for a bit." The man wheezed out something inaudible, Kloria could tell he was trying to agree. "I see, was it the kids? Did they just chuck a heap of trash at you?" The man barely nodded, Kloria stood up before she started to continue on her way to the area. "Don't worry, I'll end this petty incident here and now."

Continuing down, Kloria could hear the shouting get louder as she could hear the sounds of metal and wood clashing. She approached an open area as she could see two major heaps on either side while trash was littered about, as if to simulate some form of battlefield. She could hear the children yelling about what could be done to advance, albeit poor strategy on either part. She made her way to the center and tried to yell for attention but her voice was drowned out by the noise. At this point she knew she had to get it somehow.

She raised her Axo-Canon to the sky as she forced her energy into the Axo-Canon, forcing it to overload as a ball of yellow energy formed, growing and shrinking in size as Kloria closed her eyes right before it exploded causing a major flash of light and sound. The light reflected off of the metal around, extending to nearly every crevice in the area reaching all the children.  All the children dropped whatever they were holding and fell to their knees if they were standing.

Kloria waited for the effects to pass as she stood there, waiting for the young ear drums to readjust themselves.  Decades of training with the Axo-Canon had waned flare's effect on herself, but she was not invulnerable. She looked around, waited as her hearing came back into effect. Standing in the midst of the moaning and crying of young children, stood the Exdraxian woman emitting a cold aura, albeit non-hostile.

WC 558
TWC 1509

"I doubt they have the enhanced hearing needed to pick up on that, and even if they did you would still be seen as more human than me, given that I have these vulpine traits which make me stand out." She indicated her ears and tails, as well as the silver-white hair. She decided not to point out that her clothing wasn't doing her any favours either, or that theoretically with her illusions she could compensate for all of those issues. While she wouldn't say it out loud, part of the reason why she suggested that Kloria would take the lead was because the other mage was still new to acting as a member of Sabertooth and the kitsune hoped that by giving her the opportunity to take control of the situation she could quickly gain the experience needed to play her part on a larger scale. She wasn't one to throw people into a sink or swim situation, but she also didn't want newcomers to end up being completely dependent on their superiors telling them what to do.

Although she got worried when Kloria made it clear that she wasn't planning on doing this the gentle way. While she wasn't entirely surprised she hoped that the foreign mage wouldn't go too far in disciplining the children. When Kloria found the battered and bruised man the spirit fox hurried over and kneeled next to him, beginning to patch him up with her healing magic while glancing at Kloria. "I will heal him insofar as needed. None of the wounds are serious, but it is better to not leave them untreated. Go on ahead, I will join you as soon as I am done here."

Fortunately it didn't take very long to treat the man. While the children had clearly had their fun abusing him they hadn't inflicted any deep wounds, so she just needed to provide enough energy for his body to recover and she was already done. Once the man was aware enough that he could stand up on his own strength the vixen apologized before moving to join Kloria, who must already be addressing the children. She could hear it in the distance, along with the fact that it wasn't working. The children were still busy arguing with each other and trying to claim the place as their territory...

Seeing the orb of energy flying into the sky Itori didn't need an explanation what it might be for, which allowed her to close her eyes in time. Unfortunately she couldn't say the same for her ears, which were filled with one of the loudest sounds she'd had the displeasure of hearing before she covered them with her hands with a sharp yelp. Her entire body froze aside from some trembling, her mind overwhelmed by the extreme sensory input.

It took her a full minute to recover from that, at which point she was still breathing heavily and using some healing magic to help her poor eardrums recover from the ordeal. Walking forward she looked at where all the children were clearly just as stunned as she was if not worse. Even if Itori's ears were ridiculously sensitive she still had a lot more resilience overall than these kids who still had to mature and develop.

"That might have been a bit too much, but it certainly got their attention." She joined the blonde woman's side, looking at the surrounding children before closing her eyes. Focusing briefly she released a weak wave of healing energies that would at least remove the physical aftereffects of the powerful flashbangs, even if the youngsters would probably still be reeling for a while mentally.

"So, could any one of you provide an explanation for why you are fighting one another?"

The children appeared somewhat confused by the question, but one of the older ones stepped forward. He had dropped the metal pipe he had been holding before, but had already shrugged off whatever effect the flash grenade had on him to instead stare Itori square in the eyes.

"This is our area! What do you think you're doing here!?"

It appeared that the flashbang had agitated him, because without waiting for an explanation he threw a punch towards Itori, who held out her hand and caught the punch on the palm.

"We are here because we heard that your fights have become more violent, to the point that you might become genuinely injured."

That answer didn't satisfy, and neither did it satisfy the other children, who all looked displeased that the two adults had forced themselves into the gang war and had used such a forceful method to demand their attention.

WC: 778
TWC: 3028/1500

"That might have been a bit too much, but it certainly got their attention." Kloria nodded, she was aiming for much. She hit her mark as she got the attention of everyone, and she knew it would be best to start of by letting the children know their place.  "Obviously, these kids have yet to realize authority by social order. So I dipped in the natural order."

Kloria rested her hand over the Axo-Canon, keeping it pointed down as she listened to the kitsune and the children. However what bothered her more were the annoyed reactions, which bothered Kloria. She was a firm believer that if someone was willing to do something, they needed the conviction not only to carry it out but to see it through to the end, including the consequences. She waited for Itori to finish as she looked around. She spoke up immediately. "Although quite frankly, what most of you need is to learn some respect."

One of the kids yelled up, seemingly agreeing with her, until it failed rather quickly.  "Yeah, she's right! The grown ups need to respect us and stay the f**K out of our business! we are as good as them anyways." Kloria sighed, she thought for a second that there was hope, but it had to disappear. As other kids started to agree with her, Kloria raised her Axo-Canon to the sky and everyone quieted down again afraid of another flare, Kloria lowered the Axo-Canon. "Respect? What would any of you children know about respect? I had to claw my way out of a wolves den with full weighted gear on to just get a shred of respect."  

Kloria took advantage of the silence and looked at the boy who struck Itori, grabbing him by the collar with her free hand, her cold eyes meeting the aggressive child's who slowly started to turn to fear in the presence of the Champion of Exdrax. She wouldn't have come on this strong if not for the fact that these kids were now also disrupting the flow of society. "Then there's you, striking an adult after letting your temper get the better of you. The staff who actually own this territory are unable to work because of your little games. Kids are getting hurt, and you have been disobedient in harming the staff. You dare ask us what we're doing here? We are Sabertooth Wizards, we are here to settle this little shamble. You think you know know everything you arrogant foolish boy, but truth is, you know not of the powers of what you're emulating."

Kloria's grip tightened as she looked down at him, her glare was cold and devoid of mercy. "You kids wanna act like gangsters? Fine, then we'll treat you like it. You're going to jail for trespassing, breaking and entering, you in particular for assaulting a legal wizard, and you in particular, you seem to fit the type that would harm the employees. You're being charged with attempted manslaughter unless someone else fesses up."

She would then let go and with a quick reflex, shove the kid knocking him back down on the ground, she looked down on a the kitsune, whispering quiet enough for just the kitsune to hear. "Just using a technique that you Earth-Landians call the  'Good cop, Bad cop' routine. Figured if bad cop gave the kids a scare of the major consequences, that would set them in fear, mind taking over from here?"

WC: 620
TWC 2129

The kid's punch had been lively, but it still lacked the strength to really bother an experienced adventurer like Itori. Once the assailant had pulled back his fist after realizing it wasn't going to do anything right now the kitsune also lowered her arm, remaining perfectly calm even as Kloria took over. Unlike the fox, who had been going at things with a gentle pace so far, the tall mage wasn't wasting any time in making it clear that she wasn't going to let the kids do as they wanted.

While Itori didn't interfere with Kloria's method of intimidation she did hope that the foreigner wasn't going too far. It came as something of a relief when her partner admitted to purposefully having taken the role of the harsh one and that she wanted the milder kitsune to follow up now. She nodded slightly while at the same time silently crafting a minor illusion that would make her voice appear in Kloria's ear as if directly spoken into it, not loud but very clear.

"I shall be adding some additional persuasion to my words, so I would suggest that you prepare yourself mentally."

Stepping forward she raised her real voice, speaking out for the first time since Kloria laid down the law. However this time there was something to her voice, a subtle effect which made it feel like the words penetrated deeply into the mind and lingered there for longer than they should. Difficult to ignore, difficult to dismiss, as if you couldn't help but listen and couldn't help but think about what she said.

"As my colleague has so clearly explained, there are always consequences to your actions. Thinking that you know what is best does not mean that it is impossible to make mistakes." She reached down and grabbed the boy who Kloria had pushed down onto the ground by the shoulder, helping him get up and dusting him off. "There is nobody who would not relate to your desire to make your own decisions and be respected. The reason why we are here is because in your hurry to attain both of these things you are overlooking the fact that the same adults who tell you what to do are also always seeking the power to choose their own path, and recognition from others. You are treating them as enemies when they are the same as you."

"No they're not! Adults always tell us to slow down and don't do things for no reason! They think they can order us around when they can't even do anything right!" While all the children were listening attentively they still looked rebellious. At least, some of them: none of them had tried picking any of their makeshift weapons back up, and some of the children were looking less certain or even bashful.

Shaking her head Itori took a step backwards once the boy had gotten his bearings again. "As I said, just because you know what you are doing does not mean that you cannot make mistakes. We live in a world with many difficulties, each of which can make it harder to make the right decision and do the right thing. Have any of you ever left this city? Have you seen what kind of wonders and terrors this world contains?"

Spreading her arms Itori channelled some magic for a much bigger illusion than the minor sound illusion she'd used for sneaky communication. What had been a scrap yard with mountains of discarded objects slowly turned into a vast plain with actual mountains. On one of the mountains stood a magnificent castle, with walls of stone red as rubies and towers which pierced the skies. Miles above a dragon crossed the blue heavens, its roar a faint sound from this distance. Despite being only an illusion everyone in the area could feel the sunlight of an clear sky hit their skin, and smell the fresh air of the outside world.

"Do not be too hasty to think you know everything you need to know. This world is vast and contains many things, both fantastic and horrific." With a flick of her hand the illusion faded away, leaving the (in comparison) gloomy and tiny scrap yard behind. The children who had been looking around with amazement returned their focus to Itori, who was smiling gently. "If you act with impatience you will meet walls. If you can wait you will grow, becoming stronger, smarter and more knowledgeable. You will be able to realize the change you want to bring to the world around you. I will not say something so cliché as that you can achieve anything as long as you are with your friends, but those who work together and reach out to others oftentimes find their path easier than those who turn against one another with sharp words and heavy weapons. Or at the very least more pleasant."

She tilted her head slightly to the side as she folded her hands together and let her wide sleeves cover them. Behind the white vixen her five tails were spread out, but instead of the low posture they had when she greeted Kloria they were higher up in the air, drawing attention to themselves together with Itori's large vulpine ears. "You clearly have the energy to leave a mark on this world, so I am looking forward to seeing what will become of this city once it is your turn to shape it."

The children all stared for a while, then slowly began to leave the scrap yard. While they didn't exactly look happy none of them seemed to have the will to argue back or even be stubborn about anything. Some of them looked almost thoughtful, but in that immature way children had which was more like they had been presented with a puzzle or something confusing and were trying to make sense of it.

It didn't take very long before the two mages were alone in the scrap yard. Turning towards Kloria Itori shrugged. "That did not take very long, did it?" She looked at one of the two mounds of scrap which the children had been fighting over. "Children may act with energy and passion, but they rarely possess the certainty and determination born from experience and understanding."

WC: 1052
TWC: 4080/1500

Mental affluence abilities, Kloria hated that those abilities were legal in Fiore, Exdraxians detest those types of abilities that influence the actions of other's mind. At the very least, Kloria's own blood ability solely reveals lies, and not prevents them. Kloria dismissed her Axo-Canon as it dematerialized and retreated back inside her body. She kept an immense focus as she tuned out the subliminal effects of the voice. However, she did find that an alluring voice seemed to make the kitsune more attractive. The illusions seemed to give the kids a a stronger reality check. She simply kept in mind that she was in the middle of a scrapyard until the illusion finally faded, finally glad to be back to reality. She preferred to be objective to reality when she had to work.

When the kids left, she turned back to the kitsune, agreeing that the job did go over quite smoothly. However she started to unwind as the pressing matter had since passed. She looked at the smaller figure, now she couldn't help but ask the questions she was holding back. "So, if I may ask. Do Kitsunes have a long lifespan? I didn't think there would be a similar race to mine on this world. Exdraxians on average if they die of natural causes live nearly a century."

Kloria had an ominous feeling as she sensed a familiar presence as she materialized her outfit and it retreated back into her flesh, but then her right wristband turned flashing red. The automated computer Syba spoke up immediately. "Exdraxian fugitive detected, identity: Nessa Xicor. Kill on sight once hostages are found." Kloria instantly summoned her Axo-Canon again as she turned to the left pointing atop of a trash pile to where she saw the familiar sight of someone dawned in the Phaz-Armos, the forbidden prototype of Cho-Armos, the Phaz-Canon was pointed down at the two Sabertooth Wizards. Kloria gritted her teeth and wasted no time as she called out to her sister. "Nessa! Where are the kids?!"

The figure didn't respond as she aimed down at the ground and a large pulse seemed to originate in the right shoulder and traced along to the barrel of the cannon as a large blue energy was discharged, hitting the ground and seemed to bubble and spread like a liquid before the figure repeated the process but aimed it at a train on the other side of the mound out of sight. It jumped into the first mound and seemed to sink in as Kloria ran forward, shooting energy pellets, trying to stop the escape but was too late. After the figure disappeared, the blue energy dissipated. "Damn it! Syba, get me a fix on her location! Now!"

The Yellow lights on her Axo-Canon turned green as the computer explained. "Target is on a vehicle and deactivated Phaz-Armos. At Current speed target will be unable to locate. Secondary issue, restraints applied by Fiore law prohibit usage of tools needed to capture and track. Suggested course of action, scan for keys of the Teraseed Ge-" Kloria slammed her hand over the audio port, not letting the system finish it's sentence before dematerializing the Axo-Canon, before punching a car frame out of frustration, denting it. "Damn it! Again I let her slip my grasp... Champion of Exdrax my ass." Letting out a deep breath as she pulled back her fist, her knuckles bleeding as she turned her focus back to the kitsune.

"Could you please keep whatever you saw to yourself? That was, a private matter that doesn't involve Earthlings. Anyways, wanna go out for a drink or something?"

WC 629
TWC 2137

Itori was aware that she should be more careful with using those talents of hers that could directly mess with the perception and minds of those around her. She did try to not use them unless she thought that they would be effective. But for a member of the kitsune species, spirit foxes for whom crafting illusions was a natural ability, it took some effort to treat those talents as being as forbidden as other species wanted them to be. While she didn't ever show any signs of noticing it the five-tailed fox was aware that around her reality had a habit of subtly shifting. She didn't have the sheer power to constantly cause major alterations though. Only the nine-tails and those close to that summit could go so far as to make their surroundings entirely unreliable for others.

Nevertheless this time around the illusion and the enchanting voice had done their job well. The kids had paid attention and been impressed, and after hearing what Itori had to say they had realized that they were too hasty in their thinking and went home to reconsider. Given how energetic children were and how much they lived in the moment she doubted they would remain contemplative for long but at least they would no longer have as much motivation to dismiss the concerns of their parents entirely.

She just hoped that Kloria wasn't too angry. Despite doing a good job of hiding it Itori's experience allowed her to notice the very subtle signs that her partner on the job wasn't pleased with the illusions and the voice. It looked like in this department Kloria was a lot like the humans. Drug abuse aside most humans got mad when they learned you had been pulling the wool over their eyes unless you did an astonishly good job at amazing them.

Now that they could relax a bit she answered the questions shot at her smoothly. "Us kitsune do live a very long time yes. While it is not an exact science I believe that us possessing both a strong spiritual and physical side causes our unusual vitality, slowing down degradation and improving our recovery. Beyond that due to us only procuring more power as we age the ageing process is slowed down even further. Frankly speaking it is uncertain what should be considered the natural lifespan of a kitsune. Those that survive for long enough to no longer have to fear all threats that can realistically be expected to occur tend to disappear." As Kloria explained the lifespan of her own kind Itori weighed the pros and cons of speaking the truth, then decided to just go for it. It's not like she was hiding it after all even if she had made a note of not pushing it in people's faces unless it was in fact an adequate response in the conversation. "My lifespan is nearing the eighth millennium. Admittedly having lived such a long life certain events have left me wondering whether it is still entirely accurate to count my age from the day that I was born." How did age work if you died but came back as yourself?

Due to the opportunity to hold a conversation Itori was slow to react when suddenly a stranger appeared and the mechanical-looking magic reappeared around Kloria. Turning around the kitsune looked at the stranger who showed some strong similarities to her blonde companion. Well, from a certiain perspective: they were definitely different people. It was just that it was easy to see that they came from the same area and were different from humans in the same ways.

That kind of thought took second place to the thought that a weapon was aimed at her. Quickly adopting a stance with her sword in front of her and held with both hands the five-tailed vulpine mage prepared to intercept a shot from that gun while also planning her counterattack. She didn't actually know whether Kloria's kind had an actual resistance to illusions: resisting the effects when you were forewarned and given time to prepare wasn't the same as actually being resistant. Especially since Itori hadn't been aiming for combat-grade illusions when she was talking with the kids.

She didn't need a suggestion to follow the lead of the other Sabertooth. Once the stranger moved she dashed forward as well, sword brought low now as around her the area began to shimmer. Normally she'd have settled for standard invisibility but that would just leave Kloria as the sole clear target and it was generally a bad idea to turn your ally invisible if you hadn't trained with them for it. When the two of them failed to capture this clearly hostile outside Itori frowned and closed her eyes. Her ears went sharp as she listened, but unfortunately she was forced to agree with the assessment from Kloria's watch. The train was quickly moving away, too quickly for them to easily follow. A chase had low odds of succeeding.

Sheathing her sword she watched as Kloria injured her hand out of frustration before she walked over and placed her hand on the other woman's. A white glow with a ghostly tint to it enveloped both hands, giving the one belonging to the taller person a soothing sensation as the torn knuckles were healed up, leaving only the traces of blood that had already escaped the wounds. "Please calm down." At the request to not speak of what just happened Itori tilted her head to the side quizzically before smiling. "Of course. It would be unethical of me to reveal secrets that I only stumbled upon by happenstance. Consider my voice sealed."

From what little she had heard there was good reason to be angry though. Hostages. Children. The only reason the kitsune wasn't showing anger and dismay at that was because she had years and years to learn self control and didn't want to feed into Kloria's frustration by worsening the mood. Instead she pulled her hand back and folded both inside her wide sleeves before nodding again. "That sounds like a good idea. Although I must give the fair warning that if I drink too much I tend to become more careless with my illusions. Combining that with the results of alcohol leaves most people unable to tell what is real and what is not, so I shall be drinking in moderation."

WC: 1069
TWC: 5149/1500