Fumoffu Christmas Special: A Dark War Holiday
Location: PAX
Despite being in the middle of the Second Dark War, the PAX is filled with Christmas decorations as is tradition and Katrina's bar has been set up to manage a large party for the various families as they arrive to check out the Christmas menu. Despite the fact Kyouki is missing due to the Dark Ones taking her, Erevis is attempting to enjoy the holiday as the Christmas menu is debated. Shion, Taiga, Ren, Thena, Si, Jaime, Noire, Kaori, Erevis, Rio, Charlotte, Angela, Michiru, Adeline, Andrea, and Hess enjoy the party that is being held and Hess is the only one not dressed up, doing an anti Christmas thing while Taiga is still showing signs of being injured from her fight in 475. Ren is also massively pregnant and everyone insists on having others help her do things since she is due to have the baby sometime in February. Taiga has Ben push a crate into the room and tree emerges with decorations of the various families; the Nue side of the trees with their family names and decorations. Kaori's names, Shion, Miyuki, etc, mixing with the Mizukazes since they're related and whatnot and the tree is combined in the various ways, with each family's type styles combined, and the lights and decorations, and presents under it for various people that Taiga bought.
Yurica takes the time to order sweets off the Christmas menu while all this is doing on leading to Yuki to bemoan that Erica will kill her while Christmas presents are handed out to people. Si gives Ren presents stuff to help with her pregnancy, Kaori's present from Taiga is a picture, framed, of Kaori, Hess, Yuki, and Ren from a few years back when they were younger, and more as each person hands off presents to the other. Charlotte promising a present to Ren later when others are not around, Andrea handing a book to Charlotte and something to Noire, Erica pulling Jaime to the stage and calling Isis to the PAX to begin singing anime songs with her daughters, and Ben and Shion drink together at the bar. Hess invites Kaori to walk outside of the bar to join her at the park, wanting to give her a private present without prying eyes of people like Ren who are watching them, so the two leave.
Erevis starts a chorus with Jaime and Isis, floating them up to dance with her. She pulls Adeline onto the stage shortly after as well to join them. Andrea spoils Kaelan and Noire with eggnog and Kaori and Hess attempt to escape from the Chaos. Cheryl stalks Ben as he spends time with Shion, but is unsure if the two are flirting. A Grunting, Glaring, Limping Santa who is assuredly not Warren at all begins to hands out presents to the kids, piling them with gifts. He is accompanied by Mrs. Claws, who is definately not Arhn.
Angela and Cheryl send an agent to investigate the Ben scandal while Kaori and Hess make out in a corner. Yuki is piled with presents and Ren, Charlotte and Noire have an exchange which seems to indicate something terribly, terribly not PG rated is going on. Kaori and Hess return in time for the gifts as well and Cheryl declares family time as the united families of the PAX exchange gifts and enjoy the holiday.
Location: PAX
It is a normal day, despite the ongoing Dark War going on, at Katrina's bar as the people inside enjoy a calm moment. Erevis with her sake, Thena imported giant fish from Geyze, Adeline judging Thena, Jaime sipping tea, Alouette serving as a waitress, Ama joining Erevis, Tsukiyomi following Ama, Kaelan coming out of Tsukiyomi's tails despite being in Tsivrixsh territory, and Noire coming in to try the fowl. Ama and Erevis discuss the white streak that Erevis has in her hair, it re-appearing in her hair since losing her power, something she had long ago (See Erevis the Progenitor Season 1), and Erevis notes it is fine and seems to enjoy cuddling Ama while Tsukiyomi fusses over Kaelan. Despite everyone enjoying everyone's company, soon on the datapads a beep comes over from Taiga to former Fumoffu members on a new number asking them to come to the club for some reason while Tsukiyomi huffs at Kaelan using her as a shortcut to the PAX and Ama comforting her.
A few of them decide to check it out and find a dusty, run down club that hasn't been in use since Session 475, having fallen into disuse after Taiga's injury in her battle with Lorelei. Adeline eyes the club with Jaime as Zephyr joins them and Noire finds a folder on a table, a chair facing away from them as someone sits there hiding themselves from the team. Taiga's voice can be heard telling them about their assignment which contains EarthGov reports during the Dark War from scout groups encountering a group who they believe are subdueing a paranormal subject; they escaped before they could look into it more and EarthGov, focused on the war did not look into it more. There also appears to be more reports about supernatural beings being taken and a group equipped with paranormal talismen and other equipment. After asking Taiga, despite not seeing if it is her, where Si is at the warbled voice notes she is looking into other matters.
The group decides to turn to Kitsune Udon for more expertise and head out, with Adeline stopping back by Ama and Erevis at the dining hall where Adeline asks for some blessings in the chest department. Afterward, they head down to where Kitsune Udon is located at the security hall and meet up with Kitty. Adeline stays behind to go over Kitty's files to learn all she can about the supernatural while Kitty listens to the case and before going to the location Taiga gave them, she asks if they are sure it really is Taiga that gave them the assignment. While doing this, Selena and Nicolette join them, since Nicolette also received the Fumoffu call and while Kitty calls Taiga, they are brought up to speed as Kitty gets in touch with Taiga; after a bit of back and forth, they learn Taiga did not give them their assignment. After learning about everything is going on, Taiga soon joins them, looking somewhat peeved at being impersonated, but curious about the case, and they all decide to go to the location together.
Location: Earth
The group finds themselves on a road outside some woods on Earth after tracking their lead. After no time at all they find a cold spot when following some footprints and Noire is visited by the spectre of a woman. She reaches out and touches Charlotte, giving her the vision of men with spirit tools grabbing something out of the swamp and leaving with it. The group resolves that they need to capture this spirit catcher, though Si has he own theories involve Bears and Sharks.
After searching several other spots and finding evidence that someone was napping spiritual items all over, they finally zero in on their last location, a shrine which appears to contain spirits. The group working together is able to break a spear that is holding the spirits in place and free them, but fail to find who these spirit nappers are.
After returning to the PAX, they find that the Mysterious Maybe-Taiga is in fact Ren, and no one is surprised. The group agrees to let Ren run the group for now while Taiga reels from having her team stolen by her daughter.
Location: PAX
Taiga and Ren have a Hess shaped cake before the club for Hess' birthday and Kitty proclaims being uncomfortable with the idea while X holds a knife, debating cutting into it so no one can eat Hess' breasts. While Taiga and Ren proclaim they are both innocent of the matter, Tsukiyomi leads the charge of getting some cake, followed by Noire, then Kaelan and finally Si as she passes out slices. And then finally a Chibi Thena leaps out of the cake, exploding it as she takes a slice, making Charlotte judge her. Kitty finally just calls Katrina and gets new cake to go with the pizza that is coming as Hess and Kaori arrive upon the sight of madness. While they settle down to eat the pizza and cake, Taiga bemoans getting old as she tries to keep up with this group as they enjoy themselves. Eventually Ren brings up the case as she brings up cabin in the woods and the strangeness going on there. The team debates going on the camping trip for Hess' birthday, but forbids Ren from going since she is ready to pop the baby any day now. Resigned to having to stay there, Ren gives Noire the camping gear and some camera stuff so she can observe them.
Location: Forest
While Ren assures them there is no Wiendigos as they trek toward the cabin, leading to Charlotte to ask how dangerous Wiendigos are really and getting answers from everyone about they should avoid them. They arrive at a beautiful cabin in the woods overlooking a pond and they all settle in while Hess checks the holonet connection and sees it is working good. After Noire finds no secret basements and they all agree it feels more like a nice vacation spot, they all settle into the cabin before nightfall until there is a sound at the door trying to get inside and Michiru's name is called out creepily. After opening the door they find Locket who followed after Michiru, hearing about the trip and wanting to join her, the two hugging each other and promising not to be seperated again.
Soon the sun begins to set and Iko makes everyone food as they all settle inside the cabin with Ren watching on her camera set up. Kaori and Hess huddled up beside each other and Taiga and Si next to each other and Locket and Michiru and so on until there is a coppery blood smell that makes the team begin to look into the situation. After making sure the fridge has no bad food, they peer out at the waters and see something by the treeline near the water that looks all jerky movement wise until it moves off.
After agreeing to not discuss the actual cannibal who shall not be named three times in mirrors, don't try it trust us, the group begins to split and search the house. Some stay behind to clean out the house while some go outside to look around. After investigating a noise, Locket finds footprints, though they oddly appear to be hoofprints.
After a bit more searching things begin to become weird...er than usual. The Fridge becomes menacing and Kaori starts to act strange. This becomes troubling after Michiru finds a second Kaori upstairs absorbed in playing a game. After communicating this, the group has to figure out which is Kaori and which is a... hooved supernatural creature. Needless to say, ellipsis are highly called for here.
X and Kitty spot a figure in the yard and leap down upon it to find they are being stalked by a chupracabra! At least that's what Thena thinks, actually it's the Jersey Devil. Chupacabras eat goats, they aren't goat demon things. At any rate, Bigfoot is found innocent. The group slaughters the thing pretty quickly and in a rated R manner.
A few hours later, and quickly forgetting all the weirdness they didn't solve, the group enjoys a meal and begins to relax with a second Jersey Devil comes for them all. Or rather, it comes for the corpse of it's dead mate. Still after that it comes for them! They nearly kill this one by Noire demands they take it prisoner so they do. They decide in the morning to stop the trip and find something to cleanse their minds of the entire cabin in the woods incident they probably should have seen coming.
Location: PAX
Taiga teases the pregnant Ren with food since she can't reach it due to her weight and being ready to give birth any day now; eventually Kitty tells her to knock it off which leads to Taiga to pout since she's too short to play the trick on anyone else, so Noire pats her on the head in a mocking way. After some messing around Ren tells them about a game store in Tokyo that is having ghosts in that arcade that is spiriting away people that is a problem and so they set out, but not before Thena leaping out of breasts knocks out Kitty and X tries to stab Thena in surprise due to it. Typical Club activities, but at least Kitty made X promise not to destroy the arcade machines before she was KOed.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
While Thena is quiet due to the club being a little ticked at her antics, causing her to be subdued - which freaks out Charlotte, they enter the gaming store and find a massive three story building full of arcade machines and a holodeck center on top and even gaming machines downstairs. They split up to check the floors out with Hess and X checking out the top floor where they watch a couple using the holodeck and Adeline and Jaime play Pac-Man on the middle floor. Adeline uses her abilities to avoid the ghosts until she gets to the kill machine on pac-man while talking to Jaime and Thena does cosplay for the people of the store and makes money. Kaori even finds a gaming machine that increases her reality powers up to 75% while playing it, somehow.
Noire and Charlotte check out the downstairs and find unnamed creepy machines at the same time where they are attacked by an arcade machine, a ghost hand trying to pull Noire into the machine. At the same time, X and Hess see a couple going into the holodeck and not coming out after their time is up and X walks in, finding no one inside. During all this, Taiga keeps in touch with them on comms, looking into the place's history at Noire's request until she stops talking suddenly and responding. While Noire tries to get in touch with her as she unplugs the cabinet downstairs, it cackles unnaturally; Noire opens the cabinet up and it attempts to fry her, leaving her to barely escape as the lights go out on the bottom floor.
While they all plan to re-group, X and Hess heading for the middle floor, the BurgerTime cabinet begins to move toward Kaori to touch her and spirit her away. Jaime joins those downstairs and they feel something is moving down there with them while Michiru moves to the lights. Meanwhile Thena teleports outside and finds Taiga unconscious and she feels out, discovering that Taiga might be possessed and herself put into her comm. While BurgerTime chases Kaori, Hess prepares salt to deal with the possessions going on as Kaori runs to X for protection as Hess throws salts at it and stops it in it's place. Michiru also turns the lights on downstairs after Noire threats to bring the entire building down, making the downstairs area quiet down a bit.
Taiga rises up, roaring, and wrestles with Thena who tries to rebuke the demon controlling her. She then sends a copy to retrieve Si'Chii to help keep Taiga pinned. Hess throws salt on both the comms and Taiga, returning her to normal. At this point all goes completely quiet. Taiga reveals that before this place was an arcade, it was a series of businesses all of which experienced unsolved murders. It's about this time that the group realizes they've been surrounded by even more arcade machines.
The group combines efforts to get at what they think might be the source of the possession, bloody coins, and manage to break the arcade cabinets coin boxes open. This doesn't seem to have the effect they hoped for, but the group nevertheless finishes the job... seemingly, by dousing the remaining machines in enough salt to be the Steam Community forums.
However, all is not won just yet, as they discover one last terror, the holodeck on the top floors seems to be possessed and making more trouble for the group. It sends forth machines tailored to each of their interests, Si is unfortunately pulled in. Having destroyed the Holodeck in the process, where they thought the missing people were being sent, they unfortunately don't know where to find them. Hess uses her bad luck to try and help and the structure of the arcade collapses, revealing a basement where all the missing people, including Si are.
They return to the club to report, and members of the team go off to face their various traumas as childhood joys have become nightmares, all in a day's work.
Date: 10-642.2.8
Taiga calls the group together to answer a strange message from Ren who has been tracking more of the missing supernaturals lately. They arrive in a wooded area to find a group securing a monster Clown. After taking down the guards they learn a Pregnant Kitsune has been taken further into the woods and persue. The team quickly tracks down the truck, rescues Ren and blasts the hell out of the kidnappers, now having a somewhat better idea of what's happening to the missing supernaturals.
Later, Ren gives birth to a baby girl and is a very proud Momma Fox. They name the child Akatsuki.
Location: PAX
Taiga works in her lab alongside Marcus and Si to locate a reality that has a free PAX so that they can use it against the Dark Ones, even as their own is being attacked, causing the PAX to actually shake from the damage being inflicted to the ship. She finally finds a reality where a PAX is floating in the same quadrant where Erevis and her people first discovered it long ago, making it seem that it was never picked up; however at that moment the lab collapses from the Dark Ones' attacks right as Taiga locks in on the reality and buries them in the lab even as CHIP's voice is heard talking about multiple hull breaches. Despite being buried, the two work together to shift under the weight of the debris to get the computer device to Marcus where Taiga foxholes him away to another floor, using her golden eyes and reality powers to get out of the room, right as CHIP announces power detected, believing them to be enemy forces and sealing their abilities off. After Si asks what that was about, Taiga tells her that was a power dampening system to stop people from using their abilities during the war years, but Erevis turned it off during the peaceful era.
While Taiga seems to be suffering from a headwound that Si tends to, they walk down the hallways until they come across Myria who is trying to get a communication device to work. As the three discuss what to do next, they would feel the air growing thinner and Taiga notes she can feel the affects due to the power drain. They head to the club room since Taiga has tools there; once there Taiga searches her desk to grab a datapad to give Myria while Si gets Ren's snacks from when she was pregnant to feed Taiga due to her concussion. Right then a Dark One enters the club room, weakened from the protection system, allowing Si and Myria to defeat it with a chair throw and a kick; right as they are doing that, Kitty falls in from the ceiling onto Taiga's lap who begins to compliment her and flirt with her.
Kaori joins the group since the club is a safe place as they debate where to head next and they debate using Kitty's ceiling where Taiga talks about needing specific points and how Kitty's bad luck likely helped that feat before showing her mind is slowly becoming worse. Kitty wonders where Hess is at since she isn't with Kaori and Kaori seems to not know, acting sullen and withdrawn. Myria hacks the terminals to see outside in the hallway where Juan is leading Alouette and being chased by Dark Ones, leading to a comedic battle with them as they deal with them; afterward Alouette becoming starstruck with Kaori while informing them Anyata is floating out in space toward another part of the PAX. They manage to get in touch with CHIP who assesses their situation and gives them the run down: a giant tendril has been wedged into their area, he has little control of it, parts of it have been crushed in, they have 3 hours of air left, and there is only one exit point to the rest of the PAX.
They begin to float up after CHIP shuts the gravity off through the hole Kitty made and into the crawl spaces of the PAX, they work their way through the path CHIP made for them until they begin to get stalked by Dark Ones in the vents. After a scuffle with them, they reach the exit point where Dark Ones and a Dark Beast have Hess tied up in a gooy mess in front of the exit to the working part of the PAX. Taiga has passed out and with 2 hours of air left, they debate how to deal with the nest with the civilians and Hess. They work their way to the door for now and Myria works on opening it without alerting the Dark Ones, then after doing so moves through into the hallway; Myria keeps the door from being shut with a panel as Kitty gets the unconscious Taiga through who begins to recover. Meanwhile Alouette is caught by the Dark Beast and is being tied up along with the civilians; as Taiga begins to recover and sits up, the Dark Beast heads through the doorway, about to get stronger like the group when Myria TK pushes it back and Kitty opens a ripple to force it back into the room. Taiga opens a foxhole to pull Hess and the others back into the hallway to save the day as well; with everyone out of the place, CHIP seals the door to trap the Dark Ones in there. The group decides to split up with Taiga going to get some rest then head to the bridge to help with the PAX retrieval project, Myria going to make a report to CHIP, and Kaori hangs out with Alouette.
Timeline: 10-642.3.12 - 2 days after Session 503
Location: PAX
Date: 10-642.3.12
While the PAX is still under repair, many sections are still offline which means the Club Room is temporarily out of order. As per TAW Standards, this means that the Fumoffu Club meets in Katrina's Bar. Jikuu and Victoire have joined the club and the group gets a call to track down a mysterious being with a long white mane. The group goes to Kitty's house to use as a base on Earth, much to X's usual level of lacking tolerance.
Si is sad to learn that the bunny with swords robe X wears does not carry the fangirl significance that she hopes, her new favorite anime, Samurai Usagi! (This will suredly become a thing she mentions a lot.) Jaime takes unusual interest in X's Dragoon Powers, and the rest are focused on the actual case. They look over reports of a white creature in the European State Wooded Areas that seems to be kidnapping women. Everyone makes Ren stay behind due to being pregnant. Much to her pouting.
Location: European Village
Arriving at a sterotypical village out of something from the 1700's, they group prepares to search for clues with John even joining since Michiru has decided to become part of the group. After having trouble getting the villagers to answer questions, Taiga uses her more kitsune nature to force answers out of them; they learn there is a clash of ideaologies between the old generation and newer generation about there being something in the woods which holds up construction into it and keeping pure women away from the forest because something takes them away if they are pure. Since there is two other villages, Taiga checks out the other village while the group goes into the forest where they find it to be clean, pure, and wonderful to be inside. Kitty even finds plants blooming that are extinct or shouldn't be blooming in this part of the world - or time of the year - yet.
As they begin to hear sounds deeper into the woods, Ren sets up cameras to catch sight of it, however right as Kitty's scans begin to come back with whatever it is, Jikuu takes a guess with what she thinks it is and guesses right just as the creature nabs the 13 year olds. A unicorn runs off with the two due to their maidenhood, forcing John, Kitty, X, and Michiru to chase after it. Using X's ripples and rushing forward, the unicorn knocks John away, the unicorn hating men, but Kitty soon manages to get onto the unicorn and forces it to heel, making it obey her. Taiga soon arrives and informs her about a crisis in a second village as they finish up and she shows a drawing of a dragon like creature with antlers; Jikuu and Victoire guess correctly once again that it is a Kirin.
The team tracks to the second village where they find the second forest much less friendly, Kitty riding the second unicorn, and they find themselves doing unfair tests along the way. They soon arrive at the creature where they have to deal with it's trials and Victoire threatening it if it tries to eat Jikuu. Soon Kitty throws shade and undermines what it is trying to do resolves the situation; they release the unicorn back into the woods and Taiga decides to hold future club meetings at X's.
Location:
X's Place
X finds her place has been taken over by the club while the PAX is still being repaired. The group starts with their usual snacks, almost denied cookies by X when Thena usurps the power by bringing them in. The team gets word of the secret society moving again, this time in a place known for being a haunted village. Kitty presents a camera that will supposedly help out with the situation.
The group heads out to find a manor that feels all wrong. Here they find several ghosts and the camera appears to repel them, the group is able to make quick work of the ghosts but find that the troopers have moved on to the village beyond. Here they find that the village is... strangely empty. As the group enters the village mists they become somewhat seperated, Noire finding herself running solo while most of the group is left to defend themselves from a village of angry ghosts. Si's fire proves very effective at warding them, and the Camera helps the group located Noire in a basement where Reikana has shown up, a sit in sacrifice for the villages prosperity, the length of time to meet this demand however has rended the village cursed.
The group manages to reunite after Noire breaks the ritual by stealing her twin sister back. The Camera proves to have another use as the group is able to use it to make their way back through the mists and to their shuttle to escape. They find that there was a van watching them the entire incident, now some of the group don't just want to solve this problem, they want revenge.