Just as she said she would, Hiyori followed without hesitation, if a little slowly. She still appeared distant, as though lost in a trance after what all had transpired, but she was trying her damnedest to pull herself together. And thankfully, it looked like that wasn't something she had to do alone, for when they were on the boat- which, she noted, she almost didn't even realize they had traveled at all to reach -Yato pulled her into a loose embrace. It wasn't much, but it was comfort. Something that grounded her and reassured her that, while maybe things weren't alright, she at least wasn't having to face them alone.
And she really needed that, which was likely part of why she let him hold her, even taking the offer of leaning on him. Because right then, everything else just hurt too much.
But she had no choice but to put that pain aside, when they arrived at their destination. Yet again, people were in trouble. Danger lurked in every corner; danger that could be seen by the eyes of more than just gods or half-ayakashi like her. And she didn't know if that made things better or worse. Regardless, she, too, set to taking down the odd squid creatures
even though they were kind of cute ;;, not intending to let them hurt these other people. That didn't, however, mean she intended to speak as she went about this duty. Though the smile from Yato certainly didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. What did go unappreciated, however, was what followed.
A not-so-subtle frown came to blight her face at the request of the man, reinforced by a bribe of blue coins, the female's expression twisting from a sullen one to that of agitation.
"You want us to... what?" she muttered, as though daring the man to repeat.
"How can you have such petty priorities in a time of crisis like this?" she demanded, finding herself slightly surprised by how bold her own voice sounded. But she found she lacked the will to argue, instead gritting her teeth and clenching her fists at her sides, eyes briefly closing before she allowed herself to burst out.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not letting those creatures cause more problems than have already sprung up!"
Not another word was uttered. No eye contact made or time wasted. All there was was the sound of harsh footballs and a blur of pink and brown as Hiyori turned tail, dashing away towards the stage with newfound resolve. Perhaps she wasn't quite as nimble or bouncy or strong as she was in the spirit state, but it didn't matter; if she had to face this beast alone, she damn well would. After all, you couldn't always rely on others for everything. Sometimes matters had to be taken into your one's hands. She didn't care about those stupid coins, or if any of the others had the mind or intention to help or otherwise assist in that man's schemes. Hiyori Iki would not stoop to that, even if it meant a higher chance of survival.
What was the point of living, if you lived by doing the wrong thing?
So she ran, or perhaps leapt, into action, skidding to a stop only when she was about six feet from the monstrosity that was Gooper Blooper. She was approaching from behind, and promptly cupped her hands to her mouth, shouting at the large creature in all of it's girth.
"Heyyyy!" she hollered, seeking nothing less than to gain it's attention.
"Over here, you big... squid-thing!" she continued, unable to come up with any good insults that might provoke the thing. She was too nice to come up with anything in that regard. Still, she accentuated her words by squirting the creature with her FLUDD, following up(should that not have worked) with waving of her arms.
@Takumi @Yun Lee @Mari @Minerva @Jeremi @Verite @Bloopers at the Harbor
