Spirit Gate Inn

[Midian]

In Chrysa's grasp the teapot samurai was momentarily stunned by the kiss and subsequent freezing of most of his comrades to the floor, his spoon and cup feet dangling uselessly.
"H-how--"

His lid began to tremble and shiver at the top of his pot, clattering and letting bits of steam escape. Yamasato glanced at Eira before calling to Chrysa to drop the teapot as he himself began trying to thaw the ice around her; however, ice created by a yuki-onna was not the sort to melt in hot tea, so he began chipping at the ice around her feet with the smaller end of his staff, trying to forget she'd been too far into his personal space a minute ago; at least the staff was long enough to let him keep his distance.

However, the teapot beat him to action. Before he could finish chipping away the ice on Chrysa the teapot exploded into plumes of boiling-hot water bombs as it yelled and swore in rage, rattling all of its parts like a tea tray in an earthquake. Yamasato could only stare in shock as the water flowed down the hall, melting the ice and freeing his comrades. It in turn flung itself down and was caught by a pillow riding atop a wooden dog figurine.
"We will not be patronized and we will not be defeated!" it yelled above the cheering din as the rush of objects broke past the three of them, making their way towards the central part of the inn.
"If they will not negotiate, we will take by force!"

Yamasato tried to catch a few with his staff as they stampeded by, but it made little difference in the great horde and they were soon left standing in lukewarm water.
"We have to go stop them before they assault the other guests," Yamasato said, still seeming a little bewildered. "I did not want it to come to violence, but it seems we have little choice. Perhaps we can contain most of them."

He shouldered his staff and walked away wordlessly, following the trail of scuffed and damaged flooring.

---

In the kitchen Mayumi squeaked as the china appeared on the counters seemingly without being put there, but slowly she turned to Chirra as he revealed he had done it.
"S-so you... You can move that fast?" she asked, shuffling a little closer. If the cat could move that fast, there was a chance he could eventually get her past the tengu and yurei to a door way-- and probably open it, too, given that he was at the inn at all. But Mayumi wasn't sure outright asking was the best idea; if he reported she was trying to leave, the yuki-onna might make good on that promise and throw her into the endless ocean that seemed to be out every exterior window. Mayumi turned to Tibbs and Hana, who seemed to be trying to find space to cook now that all the china was on every available workspace.
"I'll, um... I'll just..."

Mayumi chewed the inside of her cheek. If she looked helpful, maybe they would like her and help her, especially the red cat thing.
"Maybe if we do set the tables, though, people will think food is coming soon and we'll have room to work," she said, although so quietly only Chirra could hear. Mayumi grabbed an armload of plates and waddled out into the dining area, purposefully trying to look at the plates and not the various monsters she was setting them in front of. However, the stack dwindled, and she soon found herself shrinking under the stare of hundreds of eyes.

However, before she could bolt back for the kitchen, the doors to the dining hall burst open and the flood of objects tumbled in, yelling and waving makeshift weapons of whatever they could grab on their way there. More burst into the kitchen as well, surrounding Tibbs and Hana.

 

[Falcon]

Tibbs didn't even bother to choke back his roar of laughter when he saw how Chirra unloaded the dinnerware onto every available surface.
"Serves me right--" he managed to choke out as he stirred the soup and then gave it a small taste before adding a few more herbs. "Bit of my own medicine," he chuckled as he began searching for a large serving dish.
"I think I like you, Chirra."

It was the highest praise Tibbs ever gave anybody. Oh he was friends with a great many, but he very rarely, of ever, gave vocal confirmation of that fact. For him to openly declare any intention of friendship at all was a big step for the Tanuki. but he found he did like Chirra. The two of them could get up to quite a lot of mischief together.

But he had more important things to do than make jokes.

As he worked Tibbs tried his best to explain to the Two girls what the Inn was, how it was a haven for beings of a more magical nature, and why it was very important that the two girls not be allowed to leave until the proprietors were certain they understood the sanctity of the secret they had been allowed to know. He tried to keep the information upbeat and positive. As if he was certain they'd be able to prove their honesty and trustworthiness in no time, as if the very fact they were still alive meant the innkeepers too believed it was the most likely outcome.
These girls needed answers and at the moment it appeared the pudgy fluff-ball of a Tanuki was the best person to give them.

It was then the swift-cat reminded him the dishes needed something on them before they could be served and the two humans moved to begin setting the table. But before very much could be done they were all suddenly surrounded by living objects. Very threatening living objects.

"Woa, woah, woah!" Tibbs yelling in shock trying to place his fur covered girth between the objects and Hana, wishing very much that Mayumi was still in the room. "What's going on? What have we done to upset you?"

He shot a sideways glance to Chirra, wondering if the feline's enhanced speed would allow him to get both human's someplace safe if Tibbs himself could provide enough of a distraction, but Tibbs could think of no way to ask without being painfully obvious.

 

[DANAsaur]

Chrysa felt a sudden burst of power from the yuki-onna and suddenly, everything was surrounded with ice. Chills and goosebumps covered her entire body and soonenough, ice was covering her body too.

She was amused, fascinated even at how protective the yuki-onna is. Chrysa wanted to see more of her expression, to push her buttons even more. Forcing herself to smirk and be confident, she tried to spoke evenly through shivering and chattering teeth. "Y-Yes, Eira. I do enjoy a-a-aggravating you. I want to see m-more of you.."

Suddenly, the teapot on Chrysa's grasp began boiling hot, resulting for the nymph to drop it and wince. She had burned her finger! And as much as she appreciated Yamasato chipping away the ice on her feet, her focus wa on that wretched teapot. How dare that little thing burn her finger! Chrysa takes everything seriously when it comes to beauty and a burn is not beautiful! How dare he damage her skin? To even let such a beautiful girl like her burn?

Now that she's finally free from the ice, rage immediately consumed the nymph. She ignored whatever Yamasato was saying and looked straight at the objects. No words can describe how pissed off she was.

Do you have any idea how disgusting it is to clean a burn?" Chrysa said in a low, deathly voice as vines started crawling out everywhere, her vibrant green eyes darkening.

Perhaps the objects felt how angry Chrysa was because it suddenly broke passed them, running and yelling about victory. The nymph knew it was a petty reason for her to be mad about but not only was she burned by those wretched objects, she was ignored as well! Not to mention Eira froze her earlier just because she was jealous of how close she is to Yamasoto.

With a huff, the nymph quickly turned around and walked to the center of the inn before yelling "THAT'S IT! I had enough of you wretched beings!"

The thick vines from earlier started to showed up again as it crawling out of the windows, doors and any openings, surrounding and pooling around Chrysa like a she's the most fragile being on all realms. Chrysa knew she shouldn't use her powers especially somthing for this but they left her no choice. Besides, those objects must pay for what they've done to her now burnt finger.

"Go. Search the inn for those wretched beings and bring them to me."

The vines immediately moved and crawled away from the nymph and started searching the inn, grabbing and restraining the living objects it passed by.

Chrysa knew those vines will find those objects in no time. And when she finally get to them, oh.. She is certain they'll make them pay.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Nice Kitty...




Yes, Chirra had enjoyed listening to Tibbs explain everything before he'd made his own declaration. And he'd purred even louder when Tibbs laughed, then praised him... no, no, he didn't know anything about this tanuki's personal standards, but every cat in Creation understands praise when they hear it. And yes, the two of them could indeed get up to quite a lot of mischief together. Curiosity does have a reputation for killing cats.......

However.......

Things had become quite interesting. Yes, he could move that fast. But no, if Tibbs was thinking Chirra would use his speed to "rescue" the humans, then Tibbs just didn't know cats. Whether normal or magical, cats tended to deal with problems directly. As in, when all these "mice" were running about, he just had to...

... well, heh. He just had to do it in cat fashion. Meaning, he had to POUNCE on the problem. Ahhh! So many "mice", so little time! Still, he very much enjoyed his three seconds of fun, drawing out the "exercise" for as long as he could, batting Objects about, chewing on a few.

Then stuffing them all into the presently empty cabinetry. Of course, he had to be creative, to get them all to fit. Whether they stayed put was, of course, up for grabs (what with Chrysa's vines on the hunt, "grabs" was a pretty good word-choice).......

....... "Sorry I took so long... I haven't had this much fun in days."

Chirra paced about on all fours, rubbing his cheeks on everything in sight, including girl and tanuki (and being an "intact" tomcat, everyone could be thankful he wasn't "marking" territory by "spraying").......

 

[Falcon]

"Y-Yes, Eira. I do enjoy a-a-aggravating you. I want to see m-more of you.."

Eira's rage boiled down to cool simmer and then, like the floor, froze over. So that was it. The Nymph was doing all this to get a reaction?
"A fair trade for our hospitality," she bit herself off before she could say more.

Chrysa was behaving as a child would, and Eira, no matter how uncomfortable and irritated she felt, would not stoop to that level. She would not. She would not let her own behavior be what embarrassed her dearest friend. No matter how much she wanted to protect Yamasato from what she knew he found dishonorable. Not when his own actions of chipping at the ice suggested he was willing to ignore any previous infractions in light of the more volatile matter at hand.

So she took her emotions, balled them up, and forced them to the back of her mind.

She became ice.

But even ice will crack when scalding water boils over and threatens to make it melt.

With the blatant refusal to acknowledge her words of parley as her only warning Eira was seconds too late as the boiling water swept past her singing her bare feet in the process.

"We will not be patronized and we will not be defeated! If they will not negotiate, we will take by force!"

With a cry of pain, Eira called upon her own abilities to lift herself into the air away from what she could not physically tolerate, resisting the urge to cradle her burned soles in her hands in light of how that would look to the others. She could not afford to show he weakness. Not now. Not with a crazed teapot on the loose and a nymph that would take advantage of every opportunity nearby.

But her fears on that count were quickly put to rest as one rode off down the hall and the enraged Chrysa turned to follow.

"We have to go stop them before they assault the other guests," Yamasato said, still seeming a little bewildered. "I did not want it to come to violence, but it seems we have little choice. Perhaps we can contain most of them."

"Containment would be best, Eira agreed controlling her voice carefully so as not to give away her present discomfort, "Perhaps if we start with those that have been separated from their leader? Let the Nymph contain him as she seems to have a personal vendetta over that burned finger--"

There was no mistaking the way Eira was careful to float down the hall rather than set burned feet to the floor.

 

[Midian]

"Wh-what just happened?" Mayumi stammered, having seen a rush of animate items go flying away into cabinet and drawers. The cat seemed to be controlling the situation again, this time stuffing the objects into storage or chewing on them, which caused them to curse and cry out in pain as they seemed to be alive and sentient. In the kitchen the tanuki and human looked just as surprised as the cat rubbed up on them. Mayumi tended to like cats because they were fine with eyeballing you from a distance, but this one was very friendly. Not too far after him the tengu and Eira came in and Mayumi tried to find a guest to sidle behind, not wanting to face the ice woman's wrath again. However, they seemed to be on the case of the living items and she watched them intently where she hoped she couldn't be seen, unaware she was still visible to everyone.

The kitchen cupboards trembled and Yamasato raised a white eyebrow at the swiftcat.
"If the cabinets couldn't contain them before, what did you think was going to change this time?" he rumbled, watching the hinges begin to separate and handles shake.
"Chrysa and Chirra, go lead the guests from the dining room and make sure they get to their rooms safely. Do not rush them, but move them along. Tibbs, it's time to earn your keep and help us. They'll be out at any moment and we have to defend the patrons."

The cabinets buckled and the items came streaming forth again, but before they could converge on the stalwart group, there was a terrible rumble that shook the inn as the lights dimmed and the furniture clattered on the floor. The animate objects collapsed, suddenly lifeless.
"So I give, so I can take away," a distant, mournful voice echoed. Yamasato shuddered, but bowed his head in deference. The doors to the dining hall opened and slowly in floated what appeared to be a very old woman nearly cocooned in white hair that flowed freely. Her eyes seemed sightless, but there was no doubting that she saw. In her hand she held the spirits of the items, a white and wriggling mass.
"What is created cannot be destroyed. I will set their spirits on the wheel of rebirth and see if they might not sleep yet a little longer. Yamasato, Eira, what happened here? Why are there humans? Chrysa? Chirra? Answer for yourselves. What is your part in this?"

Majo, the sorceress, the keeper of the inn and the guardian of Guest souls as they passed through the human world, waited for their answers as she physically faced Tibbs, her frosted eyes unblinking.

 

[Stormi]

As Syphlie went along in her wheel chair making her way to a gateway. She hummed silently as she went along. After going a few blocks she reached the place. It was an abandoned building. Opening the door she made her way through taking her inside the inn. Entering she was greeted by a mess her human form no longer apparent. Her tail coming out from under her ankle length skirt, and her aquatic ears protruding from under her hair. She had a blank look on her face, confused seeing the Inn keeper and a few guests and staff, and the floor covered in different items.

"Um..?" She started just enough to be heard, her confused voice apparent.

I was quite unusual to see the Mermaid confused but when she was it sure was a sight, she seemed to lose her words and look as if she was a small child confused about her parents conversation, not that she had parents anymore...... The most confusing part for her was the randomness of the objects varying from hair brushes, to umbrellas, to other random things of random uses. Waiting to see what would happen next she sat in her wheel chair in an awkward manner. Looking over she looked at the girl 'Is that girl human?' Sylphie thought to herself, everything happened so fast that she was left there just awkwardly sitting.