Lucky Lulu

"You make 'residents' sound terribly shady. And you did just admit to being an interdimensional thief. After breaking into my home, no less." Not that any of this seemed to particularly concern her, at this point. Masako waved her hand dismissively. "Well, it hardly matters. Come downstairs whenever you're ready and I'll have a drink for you." And with that, the tengu walked back and flew off down to the lower floor. Her voice rose back to the two upstairs as she poured out another cup and settled herself at the table. "Oh, and Low-san. The climbing was admittedly very impressive, but could you fly down this time? It looks like you knocked a few things off the walls, and I'd rather not have to pick more of it up."

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." There was another long pause. "Fine." Masako uncoiled, hucking the tetsubo back to the opening between floors. Given how relaxed she was as she wiped her hands of it after while they listened to the sound of the heavy, spiked iron bar slamming into the floor--mere centimeters from clocking Osada right atop the head, and fewer from crushing his foot--there was the distinct impression that she might not have really intended to use the thing from the start. The question of whether that impression was true, of course, would likely go unanswered. "Sake?" she asked her new guest, as casually as if the threat of bludgeoning hadn't been hanging over the latter's head mere moments before. "We were already having some downstairs, and even if I wasn't planning to open up a bottle or two more, you humans are always terribly light drinkers."

There was a long, silent pause. "...I'm not going to kill her," said the tengu, reproachfully. Her body was currently coiled like a baseball player about to smash one out of the park. How trustworthy those words were might have been doubtful, particularly given what she followed it up with. "Just break a bone or two. And give her a moderate concussion. She'll be fine, probably. If hopefully a bit more aware of the social and physical consequences of dimension hopping into someone's home uninvited while they're entertaining guests. And of being Marisa, I guess."

"Oh, no need. You're clearly an alien, alternative universe counterpart of Kirisame Marisa who has been transported through mysterious magical means to this one for some purpose, likely related to the ongoing conflict against the things they keep calling trespassers. Charmed, I'm sure." Masako lifts the tetsubo. "But I do feel l have some obligation to inform you that one black-white witch thief is probably enough on a per-gensokyo basis. I didn't build this collection of mostly-stolen junk just to have a bunch of the same someone rob it. So, in that regard... please hold still." The tengu started winding up for what promised to be a very, very heavy thwumping. "Still, you do have a moment to correct any misconceptions. It takes me a bit to swing this thing."

"We'll wait for her down here." Masako returned to the room, carrying a large ceramic bottle and a precariously balanced set of masu. These latter she set out on the table before her guests, filling each in turn to the rim with a warm, clear sake from the bottle, then setting it upon the table with an ease suggesting a form of well-worn ritual. Pulling the boxes close, even the humans could tell that the liquor within was both high quality, and perhaps unreasonably strong--more than enough to set one's eyes to watering, if they were unprepared, and doubly so given the sheer volume she'd opted to pour out for each of them. While they handled that in whatever way they saw fit, their host walked over to a corner of the room, rifling through what was, depending on who you asked, either a pile of old junk or a collection of nigh priceless artifacts. "When she arrives, anyway. That isn't her." "In any case, when she does get here, I'm sure there won't be any trouble. So long as you don't attack her, at any rate. She always seems rather exasperated when- Ah! Here we are." From a half-concealed rack against the wall, Masako lifted what appeared to be a large, iron, and viciously spiked tetsubo. The tengu herself had to use her wings just to have a chance of lifting it, though this didn't seem to concern her overmuch. There was the distinct impression that, excessively heavy or not, she was perfectly capable of using it somehow. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll be back shortly." And with that, Masako took the tetsubo and flew off to the room above.

"Oh, not terribly. I've made sure to put a bit away ever since the war, and even with the additions this merited less than a century's work--though I suppose I did call in a favor or two for some of those." Masako landed before the entry to her home, kicking off her getas and tossing them off to the side as soon as she slid open the door. Without so much as a gesture to the others, she headed on in--though at the very least, her voice called back from inside as they approached. "As for who I'm expecting, I don't expect that you'd know her. But she's an old friend of mine, so I'm quite sure you'll get along, probably." Following Masako to the door, anyone who peeked inside would see it was... surprisingly rather simple. A few tasteful decorations, certainly--a scroll on the wall here, a flower there, a low table and a few comfortable cushions near the center--but nothing excessive. It actually seemed rather pleasant and open. Of course, this ended roughly as soon as the tengu opened the next door into what looked like the workroom of a particularly industrious antiquarian, but, you know. Presumably one had to keep their selections of scrolls and books, their swords and spears and elegant armor, and their emaki and other illustrations which looked like someone might have plucked them from the palace or tomb of a long-dead warlord, most of which featured depictions of tengu according to the traditional style and others which seemed much more akin to the strange girl in front of the group. One of these she brushed aside--a rather elaborate work featuring some human warrior climbing a mountain as one of these tengu sat on a sacred stone above them, presumably a design of human make--and pulled a bottle out from the wall before turning back to the others. "Oh, back to the other room. Sit down. I'll warm something up to drink while we wait."

Admittedly, the odd looks were not unmerited. Humans weren't exactly common guests on the youkai mountain, outside the Moriya Shrine--they certainly weren't regular sights in the lands where the tengu made their home. Even for someone as famously eccentric as Masako, bringing them here was rather strange. Not that Masako seemed overly worried about it, if she cared about the staring at all. She seemed content just to wave at a few familiar faces as the unusual group walked or flew on by, while she lead them to... Well, who knew where? It was probably becoming increasingly clear, by now, that the tengu settlement was a bit more complicated than it seemed from the outside. She seemed to know where she was going, anyway. And for now, it seemed to be somewhere further up the side of the mountain, crossing several steep roads and more than a few bridges to reach and doing little to lessen the likely impression that the settlement planning didn't really have typical human sensibilities in mind. Still, long as the climb up the winding path might have been, it did have a few perks. Amongst them, the view of the small but bustling youkai town layered along and built into cliffs surrounding but a few of the many waterfalls for which the Youkai Mountain was known. It was a curious mix of nature and artifice, traditional architecture interspersed with electrical lighting and more modern--if unusual--structures and contrivances worked in throughout the trees. The denizens walked or flew to and fro about their business, several moving from small shop to printing house to shop in what appeared to be a market somewhere below, or stopping by one larger building or another that may have been either an office, a meeting hall, or a sake house depending on your best guess. To all of this, Masako paid no particular heed. Indeed, it wasn't terribly long after the last bridge that she stopped, gesturing to a stairway carved into the side of the cliff. "Well? Do hurry up. My house is just up here, and I'm sure I'll have someone stopping by soon."

"Oh. You shouldn't. I assume, anyway. It's mostly only the defense force that picks fights, after all, and they're not who we're here to meet. Speaking of, as for you-" Masako flew up to the guard without any concern for the others watching the group. Landing before the weary-looking wolf, she gave him a Look that would send fear through the heart of any sane tengu. Or even most insane people, human or youkai, provided they had interacted with Masako before. "They are my guests. I should think that more than merits ignoring the order, shouldn't you? Certainly it's more than enough reason not to bother us about it. Besides-" The crow leaned over, looking into the eyes of the wolf. Then she reached a hand out. Then she flicked his nose. "They have information that might be relevant to the boss, and I can hardly be bothered to explain it all myself." Nor was she likely able to. Brilliant detective or not, it wasn't as if she had all the information on the trespassers that the others did. "So go ahead and let us in, before I tell Inubashiri you were sleeping on the job. Cute or not, I doubt she'll take kindly to it."

"It's a mystery," Masako said, mysteriously. Despite refusing to explain anything, she at least seemed rather pleased by Sanae's reaction as the miko took the poster. "I'm sure it won't go too terribly. Or, if it does, I won't be the one blamed for it." "Anyway-" Masako stretched her wings a bit, glancing further up and off the mountain path. "Inubashiri appears to be gone, so yes, we'll head back home. Do be sure to pick up the pace some; she seemed a bit serious about me stopping in to report, this time. More than usual, at least. And I do still need to drag Yayachan into meeting you, or she'll be upset I left her out of things." The tengu tilted her head, glancing over at the newly-arrived swordsman. "...You can come too, I suppose. Do you know how to fly, yet? If not, I suppose so long as you're a decent mountain climber, you might be able to make it anyway. And I'm sure someone can find a use or two for you until I have a new case." Then, without so much as waiting for a response, Masako continued on her merry way along the mountain to her home.

Ignoring the (admittedly entirely true) comment from Momiji, in complete and uncharacteristic silence, Masako reached one hand into her jacket. From this she extracted a large, rolled up bundle of some sort of paper, unknown within Gensokyo proper. The world seemed to hush as she gripped it in both hands, carefully unfurling it for the miko to view it and the image so elegantly crafted within. An image depicting a man wearing green power armor with a yellow-gold visor, backlit by an alien sunrise. "Here," said Masako, handing it over. "You like this sort of stuff, right?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh..." Masako continued making a vague, noncommital sound for some time, before finally relenting. She instead watched the newcomer spar with her fellow tengu. It WAS fairly unusual to see someone other than Konpaku using two swords at once. Particularly, specifically, something of the Niten Ichi-Ryu school according to the original interpretation. "I suppose we should, before they pick a fight with someone who will actually hurt them. It isn't terribly important, but if someone wants to drop more people near me to help solve my cases, I guess I'll take it. Even if I can complain about the lack of forewarning." "Well, whatever." Masako shrugged, turning back to Sanae. "If you're free, can you head down to the Hakurei shrine and help out there for a while? I had to beat her back to her senses, earlier, and I may have gone a slight bit overboard. At the very least, she still seemed rather bitter about it all, so I think she would appreciate a break." The tengu paused for a moment, tapping her chin. "...If you keep quiet about me being the one who sent you down there, in return, I think I have something here to give you that you might like."

Masako gave Momiji a Look. Then, with the Look still fixed on the white wolf tengu, she reached into her coat and pulled out the notebook in which she, indeed, wrote down everything. This she waved around vaguely. ...To be fair, it was a pretty silly question. Of *course* she took notes on them. She always did. Whether she'd share them without getting repeatedly bothered about it was an entirely different question, and to which the answer was generally "no, but bothering does work, so whatever." Tucking the notebook away, Masako gave Osada a glance, then shrugged and turned to Sanae. "Speaking of, Kochiya. Are you free?"

"Who, the gap hag?" Masako ignored the glare she received from Momiji, apparently unconcerned about Yukari taking offense. And unconcerned about being called a weirdo, for that matter, though perhaps even Masako realized that was a debate she couldn't win. "No, no, I don't believe it has anything to do with whatever film noir is. It's not as though she's omniscient, particularly when it comes to Incidents, so there are plenty of reasons for someone like her to retain a detective. And it isn't as though she could resort to her usual contacts, given they were all driven mad with bloodlust. Still..." "I suppose one might wonder if part of her reason for dragging me into the mess was because she was annoyed with me involving her in another case." Masako rested her cheek against her hand, considering the matter. It was rather plausible, when one thought about it. Albeit entirely (mostly?) untrue here. "But even if she were, Inubashiri, it's hardly a reason to think anything much will come of it. I've already told you, several times, that I am almost entirely innocent of the events which lead to that particular incident, so there's no cause to keep bringing it up around me. Nor is there any cause to be so paranoid; it's not as though Yakumo is capable of listening in on what everyone's saying at all times, even if she could be bothered to do so." The crow studiously ignored an eye in the tiny gap behind the wolf's head as it attempted to give her what appeared to be a wink, just before the gap itself appeared to zip up and vanish. No doubt another one was hiding around elsewhere, somewhere, but that was hardly the tengu's problem.

"Hai, Inubashiri, it's me. I ran into a bit of an issue with the gap witch." She said so as if she expected anyone listening to just accept it, as if it explained everything without elaboration. Which, for most residents of Gensokyo, it probably would. At the very least, Masako found no particular reason to explain herself before she had the chance to land and dust off the last of the residual brimstone dust still clinging to her clothes. "Honestly, she never ceases to be difficult." Masako folded her wings behind her, straightening up a little as she spoke to her fellow tengu. "I can understand wanting to bring me on to resolve a case, especially if it's big enough to get the Hakurei miko in over her head. But that hardly entitles her to hurl me from one dimension to the next before offering the job; there's no need to be so roundabout. She could really stand to be more direct when dealing with people." "Anyway, the human that smells like soup is Isobel Somethingorother." She stepped aside slightly, gesturing vaguely at the two following her by way of introduction. "And the oversized fairy is Empi Idunno. They were willing enough to help as my assistants with resolving this recent Incident after Yakumo dragged us in, along with a bunch of other outsider types. I'm letting them stay at my place, for the time being, so there shouldn't be an issue unless they wander off into town." Glancing back at the two, she gestured again, this time at Momiji. "Somethingororther, Idunno, this is Inubashiri Momiji, one of my distant fellows amongst the hakurou tengu and alarmingly good dai shogi player. She's one of the people in charge of security for the mountain, so normally she'd beat you senseless for trespassing on our territory. Fortunately, you're with me. Although..." "It does look like someone else slipped by." Masako tilted her head, looking past Momiji up the path. Her eyes settled first on Sanae--not a problem, given the agreements between the tengu and the Moriya shrine--before turning to the man beside her. For a moment, she seemed almost intent on examining him. But after a moment more, she seemed to lose interest, turning again to the blue-white miko when they finally approached. "Well, that's fortuitous. I was hoping to speak with you, Kochiya. Assuming you haven't been brainwashed, anyway, though it doesn't look like that's a problem."

Masako chose to ignore the obvious hesitation in Isobel's tone, just giving the two of them a prim nod. "Well, do try to keep up, then. If you're going to walk, there will be a lot of climbing on the way--the Moriya shrine is up near the top, after all." That saying, she turned back around and started flying off for the youkai mountain.

"Hm?" There was another series of wingbeats, as Masako--who was just about to take off on whatever nonsense she had in mind--reversed course. The was now hovering about a meter above Empi and Isobel, leaning over slightly to peer at the pair with an idle curiosity. As the moment began to stretch on, it seemed from the look in her eyes and the way she rested her cheek upon her hand that she were considering something. Or, perhaps, debating something. Until, at last, she shrugged. "Well, I daresay you're correct, Miss Powderbelle; you can certainly trust in my sanity a good deal farther than the rest of that group." It appeared the tengu was willfully ignoring that the fairy hadn't been talking to her. Not that this was likely to deter her in the slightest if pointed out. "Though I'll admit some surprise at seeing both of you follow me. I suspect you're both the type who would rather appreciate the oni, once you got past the usual introductions, and it's not like the other residents (conniving jerks who try muscling in on my territory some may be) should have been around to scare you off. Still, I suppose the prospect of camping out there would be rather unpleasant for most..." Masako tapped her cheek. Apparently she was back to thinking. "Well, I can't just leave you here. That red-white may usually be fairly polite about shifty sorts squatting at her shrine, even if she might grumble, but she was in a poor mood and I'd be remiss if I made it worse. " "I suppose there's nothing for it." She sighed, then gestured off into the distance. "Come along, then. We need to stop by the Moriya shrine before we head back to my place, and that's a rather long flight, even if it is all in the same direction. We can hardly loiter around Hakurei's place all day like certain other youkai."

"This is..." Masako yoinked the paper from IP's hand, quickly scanning the contents. Beyond it being written in English (for some reason), and the location, there didn't seem to be anything all that unusual about it. Assuming that Yukari actually owned this land and was able to give it away (Masako highly doubted it, but that was a separate question from whether there was even anyone down here who would really be actively opposed to their presence and trying to kick them out), then everything appeared to be in order. "Incredibly dull." The tengu sighed, folding up the paper and shoving it under her hat. Sure, this gift of an otherwise useless piece of land was infinitely more important and valuable than it might seem, under the context. Something some of the others might not properly appreciate, without an explanation she had no intention of giving unasked. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't be disappointed. "I was hoping for something a bit more interesting. A grand fountain of sake, maybe. Legendary Lunarian artifacts. Some of those weird outside world books she collects. Still! I suppose it is what it is; the oni aren't that far off, from the look of things, so you might have 'close enough' luck with the first one. Assuming they don't beat you up, anyway." Shrugging, Masako turned towards the portal, offhandedly waving back to the rest of the group. "You can camp out here, if you want. I need to take care of a few things before I head back home for the evening. Just yell if any of you threatening, otherworldly sorts need more petty favors from the gap hag and aren't afraid of her turning you inside out for annoying her too much; she'll be listening in for a while, I'm sure." And with that, Masako made to hop through the gap.

Masako gave a glance at the still-sullen Reimu, then shrugged, popping a few more bits of food into her mouth before finally laying down her chopsticks. "These were rather good, Konpaku-san. I'm sure I'll stop by again on some piece of business or another. But, for now..." The tengu rose, hopping over next to Yukari to peer into the eldritch mass of the beyond. She wasn't entirely sure, but she was pretty sure one of the eyes winked at her. Definitely not sure how she felt about that, or what it was implying either way. Not that it mattered. "Well, I suppose I'm curious enough to see what you're planning to drop on the heads of the humans. Shall we?"

"Well, I'll be getting an earful either way." Masako's response was flippant, albeit true. The relationship between certain gods and the tengu was complicated, to say the least, and introducing a new one was sure to ruffle some feathers. The higher ups in the tengu hierarchy were sure to be a bit displeased until she could explain herself properly. And even by youkai standards, Masako was rarely inclined to explain herself on the first go. "So I hardly see what further payment I could make. Working through that will be a higher cost than you could ever hope to extract." "Still... She's not so foreign as it might seem." There was something oddly solemn in her tone, now. And it seemed, when she looked at Yukari now, that Masako was at last prepared to drop the pretense. For a moment, at least. "I put the pieces together easily enough; you're an expert in this stuff, so I imagine you can, as well. And situations like this are what Gensokyo is for, much as we might pretend otherwise. Circumstances being what they are, I'm willing to take the risk and accept whatever further payments are necessary, should the cause arise." "Besides," and in a moment, Masako was back to her usual self, this time stealing a roll of sushi and a bit of ginger from Reimu's plate, "I'm sure I can find some clever way to make use of an indebted goddess somehow. Especially if, as seems likely, I choose to pursue further cases like this one."

"Oh, don't you start." Apparently, the legendary youkai of boundaries didn't intimidate the tengu in the slightest. At the very least, it seemed that Masako was about as fazed by Yukari's response as the gap hag was to her own assault, taking the time to rob Walmond of yet another piece of gyōza. "The agreement was implicit on your end from the moment you dragged me into this case--no, from the moment you dragged me into this mess more broadly, as you know perfectly well. If you thought you could wiggle out of that, you'd be sorely mistaken. And given the facts of the case and its resolution, it only makes sense that I demand a rich reward." The tengu leaned back upon her cushion, stabilizing herself with her wings as she examined the floating Yukari. It almost seemed that a tension settled on the room as the two watched each other in relative silence. A tension whose pressure only deepened as the silence extended for what seemed like an eternity. Until it seemed as if, at the slightest sound, the room might erupt into a danmaku brawl that made the recent fight against Reimu look like nothing more than a child's play at the same. Until, at last, Masako spoke. "You and Hakurei will see to the construction of a small, roadside shrine. It will be built to my exact specifications. And, lastly..." The eyes of the two youkai met. Anyone who looked at them would be sure to see the flash of cunning behind either, built over years, decades, and centuries, buried beneath a fundamentally alien mind and engaged in a constant struggle for the slimmest of advantage. Not that Masako was particularly interested in any of that. She doubted Yukari particularly cared, either. But there were humans here, and they were youkai. It was important to put on a show. Especially given the sheer shock her exact request was liable to elicit. "You'll see to it that the shrine is dedicated to the name of the goddess Saigai Mitsurugi. Are we understood?"

"No, no," said Masako. "This is hardly the time to be talking of such things." She started reaching across the table, only to have Yukari lean back. So she reached further, and further, until she was basically lying on it. All for the simple goal of giving the other youkai a firm bap atop the head with her kiseru. Say what you will about Masako, but she was NOT about to tolerate shenanigans. Those that weren't hers, anyway. The tengu plopped back atop her cushion, resting the empty pipe against her cheek while glaring at the youkai. While, naturally, using her free hand to pick up a pair of chopsticks and snag a dumpling from the plate set before Walmond. This she waved accusingly at Yukari. "You can flirt with the humans and whatnot later. For now, we need to discuss the commission you owe me. And whatever you want to give to the associates you've foisted upon me, I guess--I'm well aware you already have something in mind for them." "But I-" Masako popped the gyōza into her mouth, quickly devouring the thing "-am the finest detective in Gensokyo. Quality like that doesn't come free! And I have yet to name my fee." Somehow, it sounded like she had a very particular price in mind.

"No, you don't. And no, it isn't." Masako poked Reimu right in the cheek with her pipe, as if to emphasize her point. "This is my case, after all, and I didn't beat you senseless so you could steal it out from under my nose." She stopped prodding the miko, examining her for a moment, before adding, almost (oddly) kindly. "Besides which, you need the rest. You're hardly in a condition to help, as of yet, and even the gap hag was worried about you. So it's best you just relax and have something to eat with the rest of us before we decide how to proceed."

"I'm not sure why you would expect it to go differently, when you're going around putting on possessed masks, of all things." Masako caught her hat as it finally floated back to ground level, resting it once more upon her head. "Still, if you aren't going to give me the commission I've rightfully earned--with a well-deserved bonus, I might add, now that I've returned you to your senses--I wouldn't mind hearing exactly what you remember regarding this whole incident."

The shattering of the danmaku, cut through by the cursed bullets, was almost akin to a bomb and of itself. Certainly it was enough to kick up clouds of dust as they raced down the chain of glowing spheres back to Masako, the first few slamming into the ground beneath her as the rest burst into motes, leaving the area where she'd been casually floating nothing more than a vast, rising column of smoke. For a moment, it seemed, that was that; the tengu had proven far less clever than she'd pretended, and been thoroughly stunned and overpowered by the shrine maiden, with her own danmaku backfiring upon her. Indeed, as the smoke started to clear, it might have appeared to the other onlookers as though Masako had been absolutely annihilated. All that was left was the detective's hat, slowly floating down on a light breeze. There was only one, small problem. "Interesting technique. I would expect no less from the great Hakurei miko." Despite having supposedly been silenced, Masako just wouldn't shut up. Reimu spun around, dodging the first burst of danmaku that went soaring past, tearing into the saplings now behind her. Her eyes scanned the distance, trying to spot Masako's silhouette through the ever-growing smoke, sending needles flying at the slightest sign of movement. Not that it seemed to help terribly much. None of the danmaku struck the tengu, if she was even there at all, only landing amongst the grass and kicking up more dirt to join the smoke and the motes of light from the shattered cage that seemed oddly reluctant to fade. Indeed, as Reimu chased Masako's voice through the cloud, they only seemed to glow brighter. "But, well, therein lies the rub. I would expect no less." The second burst only narrowly avoided striking her nose. The third and fourth were nearer still. Still Reimu searched, trying to find some sign of Masako, while those little motes of light continued to suffuse the surrounding air. "I suppose it is possible I've left a few openings, here and there. And I do think I'm rather clever. But to say I'm less clever than I think..." The miko's eyes caught the branch of a tree. Not one of her saplings, but a proper tree, spared by the onslaught of bullets flying this way and that. Upon the study branch reclined a woman, dressed in her typical working detective wear (sans her hat), a pipe held between her fingers as it expelled a vast cloud of concealing smoke. She watched the miko with mild curiosity as she flew closer. And then, when she was close enough, she shrugged. "Is that so?" Asked the crow. "I think..." The wind picked up once more, carrying away the smoke and dust. But though they departed, the light remained. Thousands upon thousands of motes of light, carved from full danmaku, suffusing the very air until one couldn't move but through them. And in less than a breath, they grew to become full danmaku in turn. "No," Masako said. "No, I think I'm exactly as clever as I think, thank you." The sheer power of the resultant airburst was enough to shake the trees, sending the tengu inadvertently toppling out from her perch as stray danmaku cut through the leaves and faded away. But with her wings, she could catch herself easily. The same could not be said for the red-white miko as she was sent careening out of the sky to slam into the ground with exactly as much dignity and a good deal less consciousness than LOTUS had managed not long before. And a moment later, the mask--separated from its recent owner by the force of the attack--followed a mere moment later, bouncing upon the Netherworld grass a few yards from where Reimu now lay. With a few gentle flaps, the tengu brought herself over, settling down upon her geta just next to Reimu's head. "Also," she said, primly, to the barely-conscious form of the miko. "The gap hag was only an accomplice. Yuyuko was the one who stole your dango. I'll take my commission whenever you wake up."

The Hakurei miko was blessed with many talents. Many were connected to the usual tasks of those in her position; the arts of performing blessings, exterminating youkai, and invoking the native gods of the land, unreliable as both she and they might be. Others were connected to the particulars of her line and their connection to Gensokyo itself, manipulating seals and barriers with ease that even more diligent shrine maidens couldn't hope to match as part of their role in maintaining the Great Hakurei Barrier. But perhaps the most unique and intriguing of her abilities was the ability to float. Not fly through the air, as others did, but to simply float through life itself in a state of perfect oneness. At its apex, this ability took the form of her Fantasy Nature, in which she could float away from reality itself. Impossible to harm, impossible to attack, impossible to defeat. Such was the power of the Hakurei miko. But, incredible as her power was, Reimu was not unbeatable. And she was not the only being in Gensokyo capable of feats more typical humans could never hope to match. Masako had been watching the miko as IP tried to shoot her down with the robot-maid's more-literal-than-normal bullet danmaku, nodding to herself as the miko disappeared from sight. After the assault she'd endured, it only made sense. This way, she could destroy their group with impunity, while they could only fly around, unable to attack her, unable even to track her movements. And yet... And yet, Masako still watched the empty air, even as the seal began to form and she was forced to continue her erratic, defensive movements, prepared for attack. More than that, her eyes still seemed to be following something. And as the tengu watched, colorful danmaku with a faint, silvery aura began to form wherever she glanced, just a few at a time, slowly circling as their numbers grew and grew. Nothing terribly difficult to avoid, even if Reimu had remained within the boundaries of reality. Just a few course adjustments here and there would place her safely out of harm's way, once the extent of her power ended. Masako raised her yari. The sun of the netherworld rested in the crescent. Her danmaku began to glow brighter, still growing in number. She waited a second more, and then... The spear had swung downward not five milliseconds before Reimu reappeared, right in the center of the massed danmaku. Right as chains of smaller orbs sprang into being, making the full extent of the spellcard clear. A cage. A massive cage, formed of little channels of prediction and deduction, guiding the miko to its nigh-inescapable center. Just in time for the beams of light to burst from the tips of her yari, striking the lattice and causing the whole thing to crash inward-and-outward in a deafening, blinding explosion of light. PASSIVE 1. Masako spends 4 Insight and gains (12+(4*5)) = 32 temporary hit points from Pattern Prediction. 2. Teachings of the Tengu is applied to to IP and UB-65! Currently, they gain (60% damage bonus against Reimu from Perfect Profile, 20% damage bonus against the saplings from Perfect Profile, +12 to damage in general from Tarukaja). ACTIONS 1. Masako uses Defend as an action, halving all damage for one round. 2. Masako uses Swift Scan on Sapling A as a free action, targeting its Actions! Masako gains detailed information on whatever Actions it has, if any. 3. Masako spends 1 Pursuit token to delay an action until Reimu reappears at the end of the round, at which point she spends 12 Insight and uses Case Closing Declaration! She does 1.6*([the average of 8(4d8+12+10)]+12) damage to Reimu! This totals to 531.2 damage!