The Great Race | IC

[MaryGold]

Seo Yeon

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Geon, Dae Jyung
​

Naturally, Seo Yeon had felt the built-in instinct warning her of danger. Yet, it was so small, it felt mere as if a fly was pestering her and refused to leave her be. Nine of the other Zodiacs nor Moon Bong mentioned the feeling, so, why would she have bothered with it. Even if it was something coming to attack them, just by the aura of it, the snake knew she could take it on easily. A Zodiac such as herself would have no problem defending herself. So, instead of addressing the issue, she ignored the feeling and continued to listen to Moon Bong go into depth of the most important rules. On the surface they seemed simple enough, but, even she knew she would have a hard time following them precisely.

The Phoenix words only grew distance from as the previously feeling she ignored only grew. And it grew fast. It was no longer a simple fly presence, but one big enough that it confused her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as she straightened her back. There was no possible way she was the only the only one to feel it. The danger was closing in on them quickly. But from which direction? Her head cautiously swivelled, searching for the answer. The left? The right? From behind? Or was it ...

Her line of focus had been broken the same as the Phoenix's by the explosion that shook the room and erupted into flames. The rubble that fell from the ceiling above nearly toppled her, but Seo Yeon was quick, dodging the cement dangers. Though the flames of the accident licked her skin and clothes, it caused her no harm, in fact, it rejuvenated her. The fire, the heat, it gave her back the energy she had lost when standing out in the cold rain. The sea of flames assured her rather than have her sink into fear. Of course, it wouldn't do the same for others, but they still reacted quickly.

The useless chicken was actually doing something useful for once, Junho had already done his part, dispelling the smoke, Min Jee opened the door and Eun Byul escaped, sadly the herd of rats did not. And Haneul ... Haneul was putting out the flames with water. Seo Yeon gasped at the sight of it, while it was practically harmless, Seo Yeon wasn't particularly fond of the idea of being soaked again. From what she could tell, most of the Zodiacs had already left the building, so naturally, she would follow suit, hopefully, one of them had an umbrella outside.

Quick on her feet, she nearly made it out before coming across the body of Geon, the monkey. Out of all the Zodiacs, he was the last person Seo Yeon would have expected to still be inside and hurt too. Without thinking, she kneeled at his side and shook him vigorously. "Get up!"

Coughing, Geon whispered rather, "I think I need mouth to mouth CPR..."

Rolling her eyes, Seo Yeon snarled and responded by punching him in his chest. The shock and pain of the hit had him sitting up instantly. "Junho got rid of all the smoke you, moron. Let's go!"

"Oh, really?" He looked away as if thinking about something. It was amazing to the snake how shameless the monkey, one of the strongest and smartest Zodiacs was. As Seo Yeon stood, he did the same, following her lead out the front door and into the still raining outside.

"Who's all out here?" She questioned Dae Jyung. Only then did it dawn on her that she had left her bag inside. The same bag that carried her companion and loyal servant, Ki. While flames presented no danger to herself, she could not say the same for the snake inside. "Oh no! I left him inside!"

@Iceydaze @CrystalTears @SkittlesAndSpike @Greenie @firejay1

Mentions: Izzie, Junho, Haneul, Min Jee, Eun Byul​

*****​

Soo

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Hyun Ki, Junho​

Blinking her eyes, Soo attempted to readjust her fuzzy vision, though her aching head was not helping. It all had happened so fast, she could barely remember what exactly had happened, but she knew she hadn't reacted fast enough. Seeing the current state of the Lotus Room told her, she had been quite lucky not to have been hit by an even bigger piece of rubble. Luckily, only a large enough piece hit her on the forehead, knocking her unconscious for only a short spell. Though her head was still muddled and aching, she managed to stand on to her feet and use the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the blood that leaked from the cut on her forehead and blinded her eye.

Scanning the room, she searched for the others only to find most of them, if not all of them escaped the room and were already taking safety precautions. She was able to catch Joon making an exit, however, she could not find Moon Bong, not even through the shattered wall windows. Where was the Phoenix?

As her head began to clear and she stumbled through the room, searching for the bird, she knocked into the Ox. Before she could fall back, he grabbed her arm and steadied her. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked her in the face.

"Uh, yeah, I -"

"Good, then you can help me."

The Ox did not offer her an explanation as he dragged her a bit deeper into the building instead of out. Soo was unaware of his plans until they came to Junho, gasping she ran to his side. Immediately, she checked for any wounds before her eyes wandered to the crushed wheelchair. The terrible sight of it made her wince, to think that could have been him, or anyone one of them for that matter. Still, they were all Zodiacs and were not to be taken lightly.

"You should have been more concerned with getting yourself out first, rather than the bunny or any of the others." Hyun Ki scolded the rabbit Zodiac. While he sounded annoyed, his actions and facial expression read more of concern. Using the blanket that Soo had brought, he securely wrapped Junho in it, all but bundling him. "Soo, lead the way out." He demanded her as he scooped Junho up and gestured with his chin for the sheep to take the lead.

"Oh! Okay," She smiled before dropping it. This was no situation to be smiling in. As she had been commanded, she led the Ox toward the Ox, making a clear path in her lead. Just as they neared the door, she halted, "You can take it from here? I didn't see Hwan leave or Moon Bong, or even that tiger. Besides, Iseul is still inside, I'll help him. You take care of Junho, and Junho, take care of yourself." She didn't want an answer before braving heading back into the burning nest.

@CrystalTears @Iceydaze
Mentions: Moon Bong, Zodiacs, Iseul​

 

[CrystalTears]

Park Junho

Location:
The Lotus Room

---

Interaction:
Hyun Ki, Soo

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Mentions:
Min Jee, Haneul and the rest indirectly.

---

Tagged:
@SkittlesAndSpike @Sen @MaryGold @Iceydaze @Greenie @firejay1

Thankfully, the rest of the zodiacs were capable of holding up their own, and none of them were coughing which meant that the air bubbles they were getting kept them from inhaling the smoke. The opening of the doo made the fires a bit worse, feeding them with more oxygen, though Junho was quick to steal it away to make the flames dim back down. It seemed as if Haneul had made it safely out as well, because the rain began seeping into the building, slowly trying to extinguish the flames. "Thank the heavens, they're making it out safely," Junho sighed to himself, coughing more into the blanket. The smoke was making in unbearable to breathe, even more now that the rain began extinguish the smaller flames and the air was slowly being replaced. He let out a few more coughs, before he attempted to crawl his away from the heathed metal that had once been his wheelchair. The Rabbit had to use his arms to drag his lower body away from the mess, hissing a bit when his hand found some flames and shaking his hand quickly. That hurt. It would take too long for Junho to attempt and crawl his way out of the burning building, he could tell that Iseul's thread was keeping the roof from collapsing anymore, but without his wheelchair, this could take days.


The moment Junho had wondered if he should see if there were more people still left in the tea house but had no option when he suddenly spotted two feet in front of him. It was Soo and Hyun Ki. The Sheep was hastily looking him over, though Junho clenched his fist to hide the burn he had gotten and even attempted his best to hide his legs. If they were injured or not, he did not know, because he could not feel them. They were, more than likely, injured when the burning rubble fell on top of him, but thankfully it gave him no pain. The ashes he got covered in did wonders on hiding any injuries anyway, not to mention the smoke. He chuckled when Hyun Ki lectured him, pushing the blanket away to smile at the worried Ox. "You know as well as I that what you're suggesting is out of my reach," he added to his chuckle before he began coughing again.

He didn't get to say much else before Hyun Ki wrapped him up in the soot-covered woolen blanket that Soo had made for him. "Hyun Ki! You don't have to--" He coughed before he managed to finish his sentence, unable to do anything as the sheep guided him and the Ox outside the door that the Cat had opened up earlier. They made it outside without too many problems, but the fact that Soo wasn't going outside with them made his heart leap into his throat. "Wait!" He called out to Soo. "Here," he said and reached out his hand towards Soo, the wind gathering around his hand before flowing over to Soo, transferring his energy over to the Sheep while still protecting her from both the flames and the smoke. "That should keep you safe. Get everyone out of there safely; the barrier should protect you and the rest, even when Iseul-hyung's not holding up the roof," Junho said as his hand dropped down, coughing more.

"Get them out safely, okay?"

 

[MaryGold]

Hyun Ki

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Junho, Dae Jyung​

"Soo-yah! Get back here!" Hyun Ki called for the sheep, but she had already saluted, quite sillily, with a wink to Junho before going back in. She was injured herself, her forehead was still bleeding and he feared she'd hurt herself trying to help others. Like someone else he knew, but to a lesser and more responsible degree. He would have gone after her, but his hands were full, quite literally. He had to succumb to staying behind, knowing she'd most likely be fine. Junho had helped form a safe path and Haneul was working on getting rid of the flames. Plus, Soo wasn't so helpless, he would just have to leave it be and focus on something else. Still, Hyun Ki huffed.

When he turned his gaze away from the door and to the zodiac in his arms, he glanced at the hand the rabbit used to channel his power. He had burned himself, and there was no doubt in his mind that he had hid it from them. Again, Hyun Ki huffed. Most of them worried themselves over Dae Jyung, but Hyun Ki found that Junho was just as bad, no, actually, worse. He put himself in danger one too many times, just to help others, disregarding himself. After all, it was how he lost his legs, Frankly, Hyun Ki was certain some other time it would be his life. Naturally, the ox would not stand for it. The dummy bunny, he was a little more than half the reason Hyun Ki decided to participate. Him and … he glanced over to Min Jee and breathed a sigh of relief. Good, she was out. She was the first one out, she was smart. He smirked at her.

His light brown eyes wandered back to the rabbit in his arms. Before he could reprimand Junho, he knew it was best to make sure there weren't any other wounds. Glancing around, his eyes caught a small stool on its side next to a few other raggedy furniture, most likely being thrown out. Oh, perfect. Hyun Ki used his foot to flip it right side up, but in doing so he used a little too much strength, 'causing the stool to do a somersault in the air before landing on legs correctly. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn't break it before softly scooting it against the outside brick wall and gently setting Junho onto it. "So .." Hyun Ki began, crouching down in front of the rabbit, "do you want to explain why you hid this?" He said, carefully taking the Junho's burnt hand and looking over the red mark. At least it wasn't so bad, but bad enough. "Soo could have healed it for you." Hyun Ki huffed and just as carefully set his injured hand on his lap.

It was still cold and raining out, and Hyun Ki had already been wet when he first entered the tea house, but he was starting to get soaked once again. Junho, unlike him, had a weaker immune system. He'd get sick easily. Why was everything so screwy today? Hyun Ki pulled the back of the thick wool blanket over his head like a hood and made sure to cover his shoulders with it. It wasn't much but it would have to suffice for now. "Don't be such a dumb bun, take care of yourself a little." He used the sleeve of his shirt to tenderly wipe a smudge of soot from Junho's face. "I'm going to check your legs, but before that .."

"Hey! Dae Jyung?" He called out to the dog zodiac who may as well be the rabbit's best friend. "Do you have an umbrella or something for Junho, I could use your help with that."

@CrystalTears @SkittlesAndSpike @Greenie
Mentions: Soo, Min Jee​

 

[Greenie]

Min Jee

As soon as Min Jee could, she had moved away from the doorway, expecting a stampede, or rather hoping for one. She could hear Dae-Jyung call to everyone, and his voice carried much further than hers did, thank goodness. Looking up to the sky, she felt the raindrops; another favour from the heavens. She didn't think it would take much for Haneul to take care of the fire, and it was a relief to see she was right on that account.

She turned to look at the Rat who was now beside her, immediately becoming tense. Of course she would be the one to come out first and straight to me. Now wasn't the time for old grudges, however, seeing they were in danger. Min Jee shook her head, still debating whether to speak aloud.

"No, I haven't." Her better nature proved stronger than her pettiness, giving an answer in the less than ideal situation. Would she had spoken to or shunned Eun-Byul if it had been a nice sunny day and rather than fire and collapsing roofs there had been tea and sweets in a very stable tea-shop? She liked to think yes, but she very much wasn't sure.

Putting all that aside however, the Rat had a point that Min Jee couldn't deny. The person who had caused this destruction had to be somewhere nearby still, right? Sound and scent wouldn't be the best way to search, not with the rain still pouring on them. Even her eyesight wouldn't do much good at the moment...

Looking back toward the door, she saw that at least Junho was brought out. Thank goodness someone had the sense to bring out the one who couldn't walk... though by the sound of it, it sounded like the Rabbit had been trying to be stupidly selfless. At least Hyun-Ki was telling him off.

There were still others inside though... "She's going back in?!" The words popped out of Min Jee before she could stop herself. "Tch..." As much as she wished to help the others, she didn't think it would be helpful if she re-entered.

"I'm going to get to higher ground to see if I can catch sight of anything." Saying that, the Cat transformed once more into her feline form. Ignoring the rain, she raced forward and jumped into the shadow cast by a streetlight against a utility pole, only to vanish... and reappear behind a large sign hanging above the doors of a shop. She easily stepped in front of it, balancing on the wet eaves, eyes wide and pupils dilated as she tried to catch glimpse of anything unusual.

 

[Spekkun]

Dae Jyung

"And she's safe, and he's safe and he's...huh?" Dae-Jyung had been performing a headcount of the Zodiacs as they left the tea shop when Hyun-Ki asked him the question. Stupidly, the Dog Zodiac patted himself down, as if the umbrella he definitely was not carrying was hidden on his person, deep in a pocket or something. "Ah, sorry Hyun-Ki, I left my umbrella somewhere else! Sorry Junho!" He apologized to his peers, a bizarre look on his face, one that could only be described by the phrase 'Man, if only I could see the future, then I would have brought an umbrella and a fire extinguisher', not that anyone could truly understand such an expression anyway.

He watched Min Jee climb her way to the front of the sign and began to wonder if he should start to survey the area as well. He had to do something to make himself useful, it wasn't like he could go back inside and help out either. He could take a lap around the area and look for suspicious people but he'd probably get lost and scolded again. Dae-Jyung didn't fear many things, but he definitely feared being scolded. It was too much for his heart to handle.

"Oh, I know what I can do!" Dae-Jyung snapped his fingers. "Junho don't worry, I got an idea!" He would have to move quickly, the bunny's health was at steak! He removed the blanket Hyun-Ki had placed around Junho earlier and draped it over his own head, grabbing its corners with both hands and extending his arms over the bunny so that the blanket was something of a tarp.

"Ta-da! Problem solved!" Sure Junho might be colder, but the blanket was getting wet, and a wet blanket would be much worse for him than some cold wind.

Not that Dae-Jyung thought about any of that. He just wanted to be as helpful as the Cat and the Dragon.

Haneul

Haneul couldn't help but feel a sense of pride flow through him as the flames were put out. Had the situation not been so dire and had his arm not hurt so bad, and had he been alone, he might have done a little victory twirl or two. Speaking of his arm, he needed to get out into the rain, the water would relieve him of the pain and help him heal.

The dragon stumbled his way out of the burning tea shop, a sigh of relief leaving him as the rain hit his skin. Already he felt a thousand times better! "I hope everyone is alr-" He paused, staring at the Dog as he acted as an umbrella for Junho. It was a peculiar sight, that was for sure. It took him a moment to put two and two together, and while he wanted to suggest that he could keep everyone dry much better than he, he didn't want Dae-Jyung to become idle. He remembered all the times that Dae-Jyung grew bored and wandered off for hours or in one occasion, weeks.

Plus he didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Everyone is okay?" He asked, finishing his interrupted question. "I hope no one was burned. If you were, please let me see, I may be able to help with that."

 

[Iceydaze]

Iseul "Izzie" Kim

Iseul watched as everyone left the burning building one by one. Eventually, the fire was extinguished and he was left alone to keep the roof from collapsing. With nothing better to do than look around for signs of anyone left, Iseul transferred all of the strings all to his left hand and squinted, trying to make out any movement. The attempt proved futile since the smoke made it impossible to see clearly. Annoyed, he closed his eyes and listened. Even though he was more inclined towards making noise, it wasn't as if he was hard of hearing.

The calm Rooster could hear the commotion outside clearly and even the delicate yet numerous pitterpattering of little... rats? Puzzled, he watched them scurry about seemingly without purpose. If they had one, only Eun-Byul would know. Choosing not to bother with the slight distraction, he returned to the task at hand. Mentally keeping track of the voices, he noticed that the tiger, pig, and Phoenix had made no sound. Iseul wasnt worried about it. Baek-ho was the quiet type in the first place. Beautiful Moon Bong could take care of himself.. and Hwan? Well, that was his own problem. Admittedly, he was just happy that Junho was taken care of.

Iseul would never admit to being relieved to see them safe but at the same time, he had to be doing this for some reason, right? As he wandered about, his leg knocked upon a soft surface. Picking up the mysterious object from the ground, he recognized it as Seoyeon's bag. Just as he was about to toss it away in disgust, he caught sight of some movement. In the next instant, something black slithered from the bag and into his shirt's sleeve, smoothly gliding around his cool arm, choosing to wrap around it pitifully. "You must belong to that idiotic woman, right? There's no reason to follow someone who brings you to such dangerous places. I suggest you find someone new once you get out of here." Forgetting that he also brought his precious PpoPpo to the meeting, he lightly berated Seo Yeon as if she was the most thoughtless wench of all time. At the same time, he made no move to rid himself of Ki. It's not like Ki was as bothersome as its mistress after all.

Moving along, he finally made it to the entrance where he nearly bumped into Soo as she reentered. "What are you doing? The exit is behind you, idiot." Although the last word was spoken under his breath, there was no way Soo wouldn't have heard him. Not that he cared. She was in his way and running into danger. Would Hyun Ki and Junho ever let him hear the end of it if he let her go alone? Thus, Iseul decided to protect Soo for the time being, finding the sheep too soft to look after herself. "I didn't think you would miss me so much. I'm a little busy right now but if you insist, I'll join you." After making the decision for her, he followed her around, a black snake wrapped around on his right arm and the strings still keeping the roof steady on the other.

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Zodiac:
Interactions:
Location:
Extra:

Rooster
Soo and Ki @MaryGold
The Lotus Room
Attire & Ppo Ppo

 

[CrystalTears]

Park Junho

Location:
The Lotus Room

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Interaction:
Hyun Ki, Min-Jee & Dae-Jyung

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Mentions:
Soo

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Tagged:
@SkittlesAndSpike @MaryGold @Greenie

Worry was taking over Junho as he watched Soo disappear back into the building. Even with the barrier around her, Junho couldn't stop his head from thinking of the worst possible outcomes, especially knowing that everyone hadn't gotten out yet. If only he weren't so useless without his wheelchair. However, the thing was crushed in the extinguished fire and was probably nothing more, but a mess of burned fabric and melted metal. The extended hand tucked itself back into the blanket before Hyun Ki flipped a chair over, quite extravagantly too, though the chair didn't break and even landed on its legs before the Ox gently put him into it. It was cold, but not wet, and overall, it wasn't too uncomfortable either. It was far from any wheelchair or Hyun Ki's arms, but it still felt nice. A breath of relief escaped the bunny, knowing that the worst of the fire was over, and taking in the fresh air in comparison to the smoke and the ashes, felt great in comparison.

His gaze lifted itself from the ground when Hyun Ki spoke up before his burnt hand got taken out of its hiding spot. He hissed slightly, wincing in pain as the gentle hand of the Ox wrapped around his injured one to assess the injury. "I..." Junho began, but he knew that whatever he said, Hyun Ki would not like his answer. "It's small; I didn't want her to worry about it. It was more important to get everyone out, it doesn't even hurt that much anymore," the last part was a lie. It still burned a little bit whenever he tried to move his hand, and he doubted that he'd be able to hold anything or use his wheelchair with it. And to think he had promised the nurse to be careful if she knew what had happened, she might lock him inside the hospital room for the next month.

The blanket was curled around his shoulders before Hyun Ki reached over and covered his head with some of it as well, making a hood out of the woolen blanket before Hyun Ki said he was going to check his legs. Junho didn't know whether or not his legs were injured, as he couldn't feel anything, but it wouldn't surprise him if they got burnt or cut by the burning rubble that had almost crushed both him and the wheelchair. Dae-Jyung was called over in the hopes that the puppy had an umbrella, undoubtedly Hyun Ki was worried about Junho and the rain, though the puppy patted himself down without finding anything. Of course, he didn't have one, Junho knew because he had seen the puppy on the way to the meeting soaked in the rain after his battle with a cat. "Don't worry about it," Junho smiled at Dae-Jyung before he watched Min-Jee, in her cat form, dash off into the distance.

"Be careful Min-Jee!" He called out to her, unsure whether or not she caught his worried voice before she was already gone. Was she investigating on her own? What if she got attacked? Or injured? Or lost? Did she have their phone numbers? Did she know her way around town? Worry began stacking themselves up inside of his head, once more, before Dae-Jyung trotted over and unwrapped the blanket from Junho's form and then held up like a makeshift umbrella. It distracted the Rabbit from his endless worries for someone else, and instead, he laughs at the puppy's simple solution to the missing umbrella. It was cold without the blanket, but the consideration Dae-Jyung showed and the proudness of the puppy coming up with a solution on his own warmed the bunny from the inside. "Thank you Dae-Jyung," he smiled proudly and then reached behind himself to give the puppy a few pats on top of his head. "You make an excellent quick problem-solver," Junho, praised as he patted the puppy with his uninjured hand.

 

[firejay1]

One by one, the others trickled out. A couple rather singed rats scuttled out, giving her a quick update on how the others got out, or why they were still inside. Min-Jee for her part, was quick to move, engaging in a clipped conversation before turning back into a cat and dashing into the shadows. Her powers made her a bit difficult to follow, so it took Eun-Byul a moment to find her again. She'd found a vantage point above a door, giving her a better view of the surroundings. It was tempting to follow suit, but Eun-Byul knew she wouldn't be of much use trying to climb her way higher. Min-Jee was in full view of the others, so if something happened to her, it would be easy for any of them to notice and help back her up, and if she saw anything important, she could call out and direct them better from the ground.

The others, for their part, were being as useless as ever. Soo and Iseul helping the others still inside was, well, rather typical of them, but at least they were doing something instead of acting like a bunch of clowns. Still gingerly holding her ceremonial knife, the Rat kept her eyes peeled, ignoring the pointless chatter of the others gathered outside. That was when she heard it. "Eun-byul~" She stopped. It was a vaguely feminine voice, and at first she wasn't sure she'd heard it at all, but then it came again, louder this time. "Eun-byul-ah." She didn't startled or frantically look for the source of the voice, but she began scanning her surroundings carefully. She spotted it. An odd haze hung in the air in the opening of a nearby alley, made more visible by the way it was distorting the rain a little. It wasn't substantial enough to prevent the flow altogether, but it bent it slightly. It knew she saw it.

There was slightest sound of laughter as soon as her eyes landed on the right spot. She looked around herself to see if the others were hearing this, but nobody else had seemed to hear a thing. "It's starting soon. You know what to do, Eun-Byul. You know what to do." The Zodiac raised her eyebrows slightly, the only real change in her expression, then turned away from the strange haze as if she hadn't seen a thing. Haneul, the dragon, had just exited the room. He looked relatively unscathed, so her instructions had worked alright.

"I don't think anyone has gotten badly burned. Good work." The tea shop had mostly stopped burning because of his efforts. "What about you? Are you okay?" She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning closer to him and shoving persuasive power into her voice. "Nobody's caught sight of who the attacker was, but if you happen to hear anything strange, like strange nightmares or an odd voice without an owner, would you let me know first? There's no need to tell anyone else about this." She'd put more magic into it than was absolutely necessary, but she couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Hopefully, she was right about him, and the Dragon was one of the more malleable minds. She looked back over at the alley, but whatever it was had vanished, just like that.

 

[Spekkun]

Haneul

"I am fine, thank you for asking." Hanuel nodded his head. His burns would be fine soon now that he was in the rain. The water would soothe and care for him, as it always had. He was grateful to be asked though. The smile on his face slowly turned into a confused look that lasted only a moment before the smile returned. "Of course, I'll be sure to let you know." The dragon assured her.

He had no idea why Eun-Byul wanted to keep such a thing secret, but he didn't think to question it, only to agree. "I haven't heard any such thing yet." Then again, it wasn't like he would have over the explosion or the roar of the flames. Whatever she was looking for would most likely come very soon. He turned his head, following her gaze to the alley, making a face when he saw it was empty.

Curiouser and curiouser. Just what was going on? At least they were all okay right now, that was the important thing. Hanuel looked up to Min-Jee and called out to her. "Ah, Min-Jee, have you taken notice of anything?"

 

[MaryGold]

Soo

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Izzie​

"I'm not dumb, Iseul." Soo huffed, feeling the absolute need to clarify and address his insult to her above everything else. No one liked to be called foolish, but the sheep more than most. The insult was enough to mar her good mood and the smile usually worn on her face. And that was just what his comment did. It was funny to think so long ago she, the monkey and the rooster had all been friends and won the race by working together. Maybe it was because of their history that she still treated the two very kindly and looked out for them the best she could. But sometimes she wanted to smack them both over the head. It was a mean thought and quickly cleared it her mind from it.

There were good things about them that often outweighed the bad too. It was simply overlooked one too many times. A perfect example was how she only then realized that he had Seo Yeon's reptile companion wrapped around his arm. The snake, Ki, if she remembered correctly was so quiet she barely noticed his black figure swathed around Izzie's arm. The sight brought a soft smile to her face. Especially considering he and the snake zodiac had a very strong mutual distaste for the other.


Instantly, she made a decision to overlook his insult. He did help decrease the injury rate for everyone by holding the debris up too. "Oh yes, it hurt too much to be apart from you. I feel so much better now that you're with me." Soo smiled, using the hem of her sleeve to wipe away the blood dripping down her face still. The injury on her forehead wasn't too painful, or painful enough that she'd whine about it. To staunch the bleeding Soo pressed her shirt sleeve against it. It was becoming quite bothersome to be blinded by red liquid.


"I'm glad to see you okay," She said, her brown eyes looking at him before the snake. "And Ki too. Good job." Her eyes wandered away to see that the Tiger was also fine. While she was relieved to see him healthy, she still didn't care for him. "Have you seen Moon Bong? He's not outside." Surely Izzie would be willing to help as he was fond of the Phoenix. "He has to be around here somewhere .." She mumbled, walking forward before her feet crunched against unfamiliar ground.

Soo directed her gaze to her feet and found she was standing on a freshly burnt and curved line engraved on the floor. It must have come from the fire … Slowly, she backed off of the line and used her shoe to push aside the debris that covered it, moving around the curve and cleaning the floor spot until what was engraved was clear. It was yin symbol.

"Hmm.." Soo pondered. "This wasn't here before."

@Iceydaze @Sen
Mentions: Moon Bong, Ki, Baek Ho​

---

​

Hyun Ki

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Junho, Dae Jyung​

"Min Jee is smart, she'll be fine." Hyun Ki said to Junho, his eyes wandering over to the cat on the lookout. And if she wouldn't be, they were all there to help as long as she didn't go far. Even then, he would be able to rush to her side or any of their sides. "You worry about yourself." He added, still unhappy with Junho's previous excuse for hiding his injuries. Hyun Ki was fairly certain half of it was a lie. He was oblivious to some things but he had been around enough people to tell when they were telling an obvious falsehood.

The dog came to the rabbit's rescue before Hyun Ki could reprimand him in depth.

Dae Jyung's help was always, in one word; unique. If he didn't have an umbrella, he could have simply asked someone else for one. It was more than plausible that they all had brought one. Well, except for Dae Jyung. The dog zodiac was still helping the best he could, and quite excitable too. He looked so proud of himself because of his very special idea and being able to help. Hyun Ki couldn't find it in his heart to tell to do the logical thing and ask someone else for an umbrella. He could only hope that he didn't catch cold after all was said and done. His sweet and innocent smile reminded him of the smiles on the faces of the kids he taught. "Ah, thank you Dae Jyung. I hadn't thought of that." Hyun Ki smiled softly and genuinely.

"Let's see," mumbled the ox as he dusted Junho's pants legs and carefully rolled them up to examine his legs as promised. He wasn't at all surprised to see burns, blotches of red skin he and cuts scattered across his skin along with splinters. Nonetheless, it was upsetting. He huffed and fell silent, contemplating what they were to do next. Things had gone to hell rather fast and were only now settling down, but that wouldn't last long, the bell would ring soon and who knew what would come after that. Finally, he spoke. "Haneul can heal the burns and wash your cuts. We can -"

Suddenly, pausing, Hyun Ki turned his head and looked to Eun-Byul when she asked about disembodied voices. Of course, he wouldn't have been able to hear if it wasn't for his enhanced hearing. Now, if she had asked him, he would have certainly been able to give her answer. Because as of now, he was able to hear several voices, enough so that it was giving him a headache. Surely no one else could hear them, but they could probably sense owners of them around. At times like these, he had wished he was able to switch off his super hearing. But no, he could only focus it. He frowned slightly and brushed away wet hair strands from his eyes and forehead before pressing the sleeve of his shirt to his left ear. Maybe their attackers were still around. But where?

@CrystalTears @SkittlesAndSpike @Greenie @firejay1
Mentions: Min Jee, Eun-Byul​

---

​

Seo Yeon

Location: The Lotus Room Interactions: Everyone
​

The moment Seo Yeon stepped forward, fully intending to re-enter the charred building that was falling apart, she heard it. It was one simple command "stop". And stop she did, against her own will, she was stopped before she could even make the conscious decision to. Instead of being confused or terrified of the sudden lack of control she had over her own body or the sudden voice in her head, she was angered. She clenched her fist at her sides and gritted her teeth. She had given her loyal servant Ki one job and that was to find that demon, a very troublesome demon, the demon she had been searching for the moment she received the invitation for the race. She couldn't wait to take it down herself. But she no longer had to find the demon, no, not when it had come to them. And if she was correct, and Seo Yeon knew she was, then that demon was involved with the destruction of the Lotus Room.

No one was there, not one soul besides the Zodiacs was in the vicinity. However, now that things were calming down and cooling off, just faintly, very faintly they could feel the presence of others, many others watching them. Seo Yeon would dare to describe it as if a large audience was watching them from the shadows, their eyes glued to every one of them, watching their every move. Pinpointing that audience was impossible, they were everywhere and yet nowhere. It frustrated her. They were smart to not reveal themselves because the moment they did was the moment she'd set them all aflame. It was common knowledge that if you played with fire you'd get burned.

Seo Yeon unclenched her fist and flexed her fingers to discover that she was no longer a stone statue. She looked around watching as the others busied themselves. Min Jee looking out for the enemy, her search would be fruitless even if she did feel them, Hyun Ki and Dae Jyung looking after the rabbit, though the earth-born Zodiac looked to be troubled and then there was Eun-Byul and Haneul. What were they talking about? She hadn't the slightest clue, nor did she care when he started talking with Min Jee next.

"The bell is going to ring soon." She announced, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think we should be prepared for when it does. I'm afraid we have a welcoming committee."

@ Zodiacs
Mentions: Zodiacs​

 

[firejay1]

Eun-byul smiled at Hanuel one last time and muttered a quiet thank you, pressing a light touch to his arm before pulling back away and walking off. She ignored the alley where the strange haze had been and simply grabbed her dagger more tightly, back to the other Zodiacs, but still keeping wary of a possible attack from behind. Seo-yeon's warning wasn't exactly a surprise. It had been pretty clear that the tea shop hadn't exploded by some silly mortal accident. "Thank you, Seo-yeon-ah." She called back, expression a light smile and tone far from condescending, but she could hear the echo of laughter around her, their little "welcoming party" as the Snake had so helpfully characterized it making fun of what they saw as her saying the obvious.

Unfortunately, Eun-byul was ill-suited to this sort of thing. Her magic worked just fine on most classes of demons, but taking on this many of them at the same time would make it difficult for her to take advantage of the gaps her persuasive voice usually gave her. Having the others here obviously made the fight easier, but the minute that bell rang, the competition was going to start. Every demon counted. With a gathering of malicious demons this large, Eun-byul also suspected that a couple other nuisances were about to turn up soon. Her casual resting smile tightened slightly. Best of luck to those non-Zodiacs. Or not.

 

[Greenie]

Min Jee

As she had expected, even with such a vantage point, the rain in general made it hard for Min Jee to catch any scent, sound or sight of whoever may have caused the destruction in the tea-shop. It was rather unfortunate. She wanted to hope that meant they were all safe for the time being, but the ominous feeling inside her told her that wasn't so. Demons and evil spirits were tricky; they wouldn't just leave themselves out in the open so that anyone could apprehend them. She wouldn't have been surprised if they were around but hidden, watching the zodiacs and the cat, snickering at what had just happened.

Her ear twitched, and she heard Junho call out to her to be careful. Inwardly, she couldn't help but laugh and the sweet and kindhearted rabbit. "Junho, you really should worry more about yourself," she called out to him telepathically, turning a little just in time to see the sight of the bunny being shielded by Dae-Jyung. If she had been in her human form, she would have been forced to hide a chuckle. "I appreciate your concern though, so thank you."

His call was followed by the Haneul's question. She didn't know him well; then again, she didn't believe anyone did. From what little she heard, he had preferred to keep to the water since the zodiacs had been sent down. What she knew of him was what he should- well mannered and apparently resourceful.

"Unfortunately no," she replied. She paused in her speech as she easily jumped off the eaves and landed on the ground, shifting back to her human form almost immediately. Pulling her hood up to cover herself from the rain, she shook her head. "Whoever or whatever caused is gone or hiding their presence." Looking to the others, she noticed not all the zodiacs weren't there. "Are there people still inside?"

 

[MaryGold]

February 1st

DING DONG

The Lotus Room
​

​

Gradually, the rain began to let up until it was drizzling, though it was still just as much as blur and the weather just as frigid. It quite possibly could have gotten worse as cracking thunder could now be heard and streaks of lightning seen in the dark clouds. It was a morose scene with the practically empty streets save for the Zodiacs who stood outside of the Lotus Room, or what was left of it.

The Lotus Room was now nothing but a charred building, falling apart bit by bit. Small streams of smoke still rose from the top and out of the blasted windows, covering the area around it. But the danger was far from gone. Surrounding them was not one, but many sensible creatures nearby, while their energy could be sensed, their locations could not be pinpointed. They weren't in any hurry to move from their spot nor were their reasons being there any more obvious. Or if they were even the ones who attacked the meeting.

Descending from the sky, seemingly out of nowhere, came a swirl of orange and red flames. And stepping out of it was none other than Moon Bong who was fixing his coat and dusting off whatever soot he had gathered on his clothes in spite of now slowly being soaked in rainwater. From his front pocket, he pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at the sky. "I searched for our assaulter within in the vicinity, needless to say, I did not find them." He sighed lightly and glanced at them all for a moment, raising an eyebrow when noticing that the Sheep, Rooster, Tiger and Pig were not outside.

Moon Bong vanished in a burst of flames and appeared on top of the damaged Lotus Room building. He whipped out a notebook and pen only a moment before putting on his reading glasses. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "In five seconds the bell rings."

In other words, in five seconds chaos would break loose for the coming months ahead of them.

One. The smoke slowly began to decrease.

Two. The rain had yet to stop pouring.

Three. "I bet this is going to be anti-climatic." The Monkey grumbled.

Four. The bustling presence of their surrounding enemy went still.

Five. Silence.

"See, I told -"

DING! DING! DONG! DONG!

From all sides, the sound of a large bell could be heard, ringing repeatedly. It was almost deafening to every ear that it fell on, and yet, no human heard it as it rung and rung in the heavens above. It continued for a few seconds before it stopped and vanished just as suddenly as it had come. What followed after again was a paused silence. Not a soul moved until they did.

Screeching of all kinds, different pitches and volumes could be heard until what appeared to be a hoard of black clouds and cutting wind came rushing at the Zodiacs. In reality, it was hundreds, thousands of dark spirits and demons passing them by in a herd. The audience that had been watching them was now running past them, into them. It was clear that they were lower demons and spirits, not having much of a mind. Only a few of them stayed in remained in the chaos to attack the Zodiacs while they others rushed by in a blur, blinding most if not all of them in the confusing disorder.

And so commenced the second Great Race.

---

@Greenie @SkittlesAndSpike @CrystalTears @Sen @Iceydaze @firejay1
​

 

[Spekkun]

Haneul

"Ah, I see." Haneul pursed his lips as he thought about who would have attacked them, and why. It didn't quite make sense, who else knew about the location? Was it exclusive to the Zodiacs present? This was just one more reason why he shouldn't have spent his days isolated from the rest. He was so out of the loop, he had no idea what life for the other zodiacs was even like up to this point. All he had were memories of how they were before. "Well if you could not see them, then they must not be there." Min Jee was the cat after all, her vision was loads better than his own.

"I guess they're still inside." He hadn't noticed that the other zodiacs hadn't exited the Lotus room yet. The numbers of the group outside were less than they should be. But hey should be alright. He'd put out the flames after all, and they all were just as tough as he was.

When Moon Bong descended from the skies, Haneul was quick to bow his head, but it was for not. He'd disappeared in flames, only to reappear above them, on the building. The moment he pulled out his pocket watch, Haneul knew that they had little time left. Every second made the dragon a bit more antsy, until the ringing of the bell sounded out, apparently easing the anxiety that had been building inside of him.

"Ah, Min Jee, it's a pleasure to see you, and good luck with the race." He turned back to her, offering a smile. To him, this wasn't just a competition, but a way for him to get to know the other zodiacs more. There was an awkward moment, at least for him. He wanted to say something more but he didn't know what else to say. "Ah...be careful. Someone bold enough to do this will surely be bold enough to try again."

Dae Jyung

The ringing bell almost, almost made Dae-Jyung drop the man-blanket-umbrella that he'd made. He did jump in place however, out of both surprise and excitement. "It's about that time!" He grinned a grin so wide it almost stretched off of his face. "Race time! I hpe you guys are ready!" The ringing of the bell was enough that the dog zodiac had nearly completely forgotten about the near death experience that had just occured.

He wanted to run off right now, but he realized a few things. He didn't quite know where to go, he didn't want to leave Junho to get completely soaked, and he was starting to get cold himself. "Boy...too bad the tea shop blew up..." He could really use a warm cup of tea right now.

 

[firejay1]

The sound of the bell seemed to split the air. Eun-byul had no idea why it had to be so loud, just like the first one had been, but each ring seemed to spell the coming doom. The brief silence that followed the ring of the last bell made the Rat even more uneasy. She wasn't sure what the Zodiacs still inside were trying to do, nor was she sure how the pathetic folk crowding around each other were planning to handle whatever was coming. Just as she expected, the silence didn't last long. In a burst of movement, the lower level demons went for them, shrieking filling the air. The sky almost seemed to darken, and the speed at which they moved stirred up an angry wind. It was a good thing there weren't many humans about, because full-on panicking would have ensued, and made this all so much more difficult.

Eun-byul hardly seemed concerned by the tiny mass. Most of them weren't attacking, anyways, and they weren't doing much more than leaving little cuts and messing her hair. One of the larger ones, a black blob with little bat-like wings, dove for her making a nasty rasping sound. She waited until it was close enough to kiss, then quietly opened her mouth. "Stop." She commanded harshly, power in her words. All of the demons close to her froze, causing some of their colleagues to bump into them, before they fell to the ground, in a patter of little bodies. She cut down as many of them as she could as they fell, but for the large one, she simply walked over it, stamping the sharp heel of her shoe into its nasty little black body as she moved further into the swarm. She did this repeatedly, carving a small swatch of clear air around herself. The smaller demons began to avoid her, but a couple of the larger ones were eyeing her. She made no move to stop them, nor to go after one or another. The more got close enough for her to stop them in one shot, the easier it would be to take them down with less magic use.

When enough of them had gathered, she snapped out another. "Stop." And began cutting them down, but suddenly she felt something behind her. She whipped around, raising her dagger to protect herself. It wouldn't have been much good against the demon. A massive snake with wings had its mouth open wide, fangs well in view and ready to bite her. The Rat flinched and ducked with a yell. The worst sort of opponent was an agile one that caught her by surprise, and she was expecting to get a nasty bite. Instead, there was a loud thump and an angry, thrashing hiss. She looked up and had to stop a scowl from marring her delicate features.

A small girl with short black hair was sitting atop the large snake... and its neck was in her mouth. "Ae-ra..." Eun-byul said, trying to sound grateful instead of irritated, not that the idiot would notice either way. Of course she would show up, the human-loving busybody. The Spider spat the snake's neck out and gave Eun-byul a blank look, black eyes as unpleasant to look at as when she was a spider.

"Uhm... Excuse me." The girl said, uncertainly, making the Rat even more annoyed since she'd just been saved by this dimwit. The small girl spun around, fingers curled slightly to better get a few good scratches into the demons flying past. The careless demons that got scratched by her began falling to the ground, but unlike when Eun-byul had told them to stop, these ones were dropping dead, the life sucked out of them. These ones were small enough that the Spider probably could have taken them on before she'd gotten strong enough to gain a human form. As she spun, little wings popped out of her back, ripping through the cloth of her shirt. The large snake on the ground had gone completely still, and its wings shrank in front of Eun-byul's eyes, nothing more than an empty husk. No matter how many times she saw it, it was creepy. "I've got to... go, Eun-byul-ah. Okay?" Ae-Ra said, her eyes shiftily scanning Eun-byul.

The Rat tried for a strained smile and nodded. "Okay then. See you, Ae-ra-yah." She stopped her perfectly manicured nails from actively shooing the Spider off. By the Emperor, she hated this girl. As soon as she was gone, Eun-byul went back to carving through the lower level demons, a little more vigorously than before. Gods knew how the rest of them were faring.

 

[Greenie]

Min Jee

Min Jee had barely nodded in response Haneul when she looked toward the sky, eyes narrowing as she saw the many pesky minor dark spirits heading in the zodiacs' direction. The bell had certainly alerted the supernatural world, and the demons didn't seem all that happy. She could see most of them fleeing past the group, but some of the little pests seemed devious enough to try and attack them.

"It seems more than just higher ranked demons are being bold tonight..." She reached up, an almost invisible tendril stretching out between her hands. She then flung her hands forwards, and the tendril flew forward, wrapping itself around two malevolent little spirits, holding them tight. As they tried to escape, her hands clenched into fist- the tendrils squeezed around them tightly until the exploded. It was harsh but effective.

She was slightly distracted as she continued with her 'exorcising' method, looking to Eun-byul and noticing the Rat was talking to a small girl with a short haircut and quite easily fitting the 'adorable' category of looks. Of course, one look at her former friend told Min Jee that adorable or not, she wasn't too pleased to see the one named Ae-ra. Either way, it seemed the small girl was effective at killing the demons, so that was a good thing.

"Friend of yours?" Min Jee asked, unable to keep a small smile from gracing her lips.

@firejay1

 

[CrystalTears]

Park Junho

Location:
Outside the Lotus Room

---

Interaction:
Hyun Ki, Min-Jee & Dae-Jyung

---

Mentions:
Eun-Byul, Haneul

---

Tagged:
@SkittlesAndSpike @MaryGold @Greenie

"I cannot help it. . ." Junho excused his worried call after Min Jee. It was dark, and they had just been attacked by something that could still be lingering around, the thought of her being on her own worried him. And then there were the general dangers of the world, especially for a cat! It made him feel a bit better when Min Jee responded to him telepathically, a relieved sigh and chuckle taking the worries away. "I'll be fine," he replied to her. "I got Hyun Ki to take care of me, and Dae-Jyung is helping too. So, stay safe." It didn't matter what Min-Jee told him, the Rabbit would never stop caring about others instead of himself.

"I don't doubt that she is," Junho said with a smile as Hyun Ki pointed out Min-Jee's cleverness. She was a smart cat, but it was the origin of that intelligence that was a sad tale to remember. "That's funny," Junho chuckled as Hyun Ki too told him to worry about himself. "She told me the same thing," he smiled before glancing down at his dark somewhat torn pants before Hyun Ki squatted down to roll his pant legs up. Even if Junho didn't want to admit to it, he was a bit surprised at the grand reveal of his legs when Hyun Ki rolled his pants legs up. They looked far worse than what the Rabbit had thought they would, with both splinters and beads of blood and some burns littering his skin. He couldn't feel his legs, so it made plenty of sense for there to be no pain, but that didn't mean there were no injuries. "I'm glad I can't feel any of that," Junho said to break the silence that had appeared between him and the Ox. "It looks like it would hurt," it was meant to be a joke, but it probably didn't make anything better. He knew how much the Ox worried about him, even if Junho insisted he would be okay, it wouldn't go through his thick head. It was a good thing, and Junho would be a hypocrite if he said he didn't understand the feeling of persistently worrying for someone else.

"What's wrong?" Junho asks as Hyun Ki stops mid-sentence while suggesting for Haneul to address his wounds. He followed the Ox' gaze and landed on Eun-Byul, wondering why Hyun Ki was staring so intently at her but brushed it off. "You worried? I'm sure she'll be fine," Junho said, though completely out of context as he didn't overhear what the Ox had.

The rain began to let up, but that didn't stop the thunder and lightning from creating flashing lights and loud sounds. It was as if even the weather knew how to create a suitable atmosphere as the bells began ringing. Junho perked up in the chair he was sitting in, evil presences suddenly started to appear everywhere. He could feel the dark spirits traveling faster than the wind, it became close to suffocating from all the demons that ran by them, but then there were those who were not interested in running, but instead wanted to fight. "And so it begins, huh?" Junho sighed as he glanced down at his exposed and injured legs. He did want to win if to only fulfill the selfish wish of walking and running again. Junho had no intentions of trying too hard to win the race, there were so many better wishes to have of becoming a God than just walking again.

Dae-Jyung's cheerful cry for the race beginning made him chuckle as he turned around to look at the puppy umbrella he had made. It was only drizzling outside now, though being wet was terrible for Junho's health, Dae-Jyung being cold made him feel worse. "Here," the Rabbit said as he reached over to Dae-Jyung and lowered his arms before wrapping him in the blanket with a smile. "It's not much, but it should make you feel a bit warmer, right?" Junho said and patted Dae-Jyung's head. "Stay warm. I'll brew you some tea in my apartment later," Junho offered before eyeing two bigger demons that had been staring at them for a while now. "They never learn, do they?" Junho sighed as he made a single motion with his hand. He didn't have a lot of energy left, but it was enough to cleanly slice the two demons in half with little to no effort. Thankfully, they were lesser demons. He wouldn't let them injure anyone else, not while he was still around. "We should get out of the rain and away from here," Junho suggests out loud. "Wouldn't want to stay here while the demons continue to attack or run, not to mention our attacker might be waiting for an opportunity to strike."

 

[MaryGold]

Hyun Ki

Location: Outside -> The Lotus Room Interactions: Junho, Dae-Jyung​

Hyun Ki was unable to respond to anything Junho had said before the bell began ringing. The noise was enough to make him grimace, but it was the screeching of more than one voice of different volumes and ranges that nearly deafened him. His hand slammed onto his ears and his teeth clenched for the time it went on. Even when it was over and the wind whipped around them along with the lower class demons, Hyun Ki was waiting for the ringing pain in his head and ears to subside. O

If the rest of the race was going to be this loud and painful, he was going to struggle a lot for the coming months. But it was nothing he couldn't handle, he did work at an elementary school. It had helped him adapt to loud noises very well, yet the shrieking of demons were substantially more damageable to the eardrums than human children.

Junho's attack on the creatures had given him just enough time to recover and control himself without being assaulted himself. It seemed Dae-Jyung was somewhat blind as to what was happening in the blanket he was wrapped up in. Hyun Ki had no intentions of dragging him out of it to help, if anything he was certain the dog would get lost in the confusion whether he helped or not. His eye caught the glimpse of a young girl, a newcomer, but the way she sucked the life out of the demons told him she was no girl and could old her own very well. So, he averted his eyes and looked for a place to take cover until the demons passed. As sad as it was, their best bet was probably the very place they had left. It was no longer on fire and was in terrible shape, but it was safer and less bothersome than outside. They could formulate their next move. He figured if the true attacker was out there, would they really attack them? So far, their efforts were rather weak.

"We can go into the Lotus Room and wait out these guys if need be." Hyun Ki said only a moment before a frail, boney, ink-skinned creature with sharpest teeth Hyun Ki had ever witnessed, leeched onto him. It almost felt wrong to hurt this monster that was terribly weaker than him, but his bite did hurt. He didn't hesitate to rip him off and slam into the ground. Whole these demons were no true threat to them, they were large in numbers and pesky.

"Come on," he wiped away the blood from his bite wound onto his shirt before picking up both Dae-Jyung and Junho in one arm each. With his speed, there were in the building again in seconds,if even that. He set them by the window and looked past the broken glass to the creatures outdoor. "I don't think whoever orchestrated this posse of demons is going to show themselves. It's like they are not even putting any true effort to hurt us. Or their just stupid." He highly doubted the latter.

@CrystalTears @SkittlesAndSpike @firejay1
Mentions: Ae-Ra​

---

​

Seo Yeon

Location: Outside the Lotus Room Interactions: Haneul
​

With a snort, Seo Yeon reached into her pocket and pulled out her lighter. It wasn't as if she needed the fire to to take on the chumps that the oh so genius attacker threw at them, but it would surely get the job down a lot faster. Whoever it was, they were toying with them. And it was just as annoying as it was angering. The blur of monsters were beginning to decrease and thin out until it was but a handful that were present. After the deaths that had occurred already, most of them were smart enough to keep moving, but there were those few arrogant fools who stayed behind. One of them being a rather large beast that had quite literally flew past her radar. How had it done that? Was she too distracted?

Looking at carefully, Seo Yeon recognized its freakish build, blue skin, multiple eyes and more teeth that could fit in its mouth and the very fact it was hanging on a dark puff of smoke. While she couldn't name the demon, she had seen it times before in Goryeo. And she knew it was not as weak as it's peers and could still be considered a danger, just not to them. Still, it had masked itself well and stood behind the dragon, raising its horrendous claw to swipe at him. The tip of its claw didn't even brush against Haneul before she flipped open her lighter snapped her fingers, directing her flames at the demon. She didn't miss, but the demon moved back in time for the flames to only burn his hand. "Haneul, behind you," Seo Yeon finally notified the dragon.

The creature hissed, holding its hand close. Observing it carefully, she saw the intelligence in its eyes. Maybe she was underestimating the beast, but surely it couldn't be too strong if it was attacking the very Zodiacs themselves. "Haneul, come over here." She instructed him as a precaution, only a moment before he swiped his claw at what absolutely nothing, but what followed after was huge and strong gust wind, knocking anyone in its path off their feet and into the air.

@SkittlesAndSpike
Mentions: None​

 

[Iceydaze]

Iseul "Izzie" Kim

Iseul would have corrected Soo on the matter of her intelligence had it not been for the girl's feelings for him. He had a soft spot for soft things. If she was just a little more tiny and had a pair of long droopy ears, she'd probably be life's greatest creation. Unfortunately Junho and Ppo Ppo had already taken over that position. "Thank you for keeping me in mind. It's a pity. That part of my heart is already taken. I'm sure you'll find someone for you eventually." Finding no legitimate reason to doubt her words, he not only took her comment seriously but misunderstood it as well. So he turned her down as gently as he could manage, hoping she wouldn't be too upset. Unwilling to continue that conversation, he changed the topic with ease.

"At least you're a genius in comparison to that woman. Who would leave a comrade behind in a fire? What if he stressed out and ate himself?" Looking to the snake in question, he found the little guy still wrapped around his arm comfortably. "Ki, you're better off with a master like Soo. Making friends with snakes is only for those with a deathwish." Refusing to take note of the irony or the snake tightening on his arm with Ki's ever growing irritation at his comments, Iseul turned back to Soo and finally took notice of her head injury.

Without a word, he pulled back some thread to place down a section of the roof that was above an area they had already explored and drenched the thread in the rain to cleanse it. With a graceful turn of his wrist and a playful wiggle of his fingers, the thread twisted and wrung excess water out of its fibers before weaving back together into a piece of checkered cloth that wrapped itself around her forehead with a firm tug. He hoped the pressure would help stop the bleeding so she wouldn't get too distracted by it. "I'm not sure where Moon Bong is. Probably left. He should return soon, however. The Phoenix has always been a punctual fellow." The guy had to announce the start of the race, right?

Soo didn't seem to notice the action at the moment since she was distracted with something on the ground. Meanwhile, Iseul listened closely to the activity outside, worried for Junho. The rooster guardian wished he had the time to give the bunny an umbrella earlier. Honestly, sometimes he wished Junho came a little more prepared. It would sure take a load off of his mind. Not that Iseul minded pampering him. It was simply a matter of when and where. Taking a peek at his watch, he just noticed the time was nearing when Moon Bong's voice rang out clearly from nearby. "Soo, I found him!" Pleasantly surprised, he nearly ditched the sheep guardian and was about to leave when he remembered she was distracted by something. "What are you looking at by the way? No, never mind. If you think it's important, it'll probably be better if everyone knows of this."

Coincidentally, he had only taken half a step outside when all hell broke loose. The bell rang loudly and a hoard of small fry demons went nuts. It was hard to tell what was even going on so he gave up and returned into what was left of the room. "...Or not." Iseul was already feeling tired and cold from not only taking care of Junho earlier, but having to keep the tea room intact moments before. It was better to conserve his energy for the moment. Thankfully Hyun Ki was by Junho's side and Iseul had nothing to worry about. With the ox by his side, Junho was practically untouchable. With a relieved sigh, he bent down next to the symbol on the ground. Tracing the symbol with his index finger, his brows creased in puzzlement. "Yin? Do you think there's a Yang around here somewhere?"

---

Zodiac:
Interactions:
Location:
Extra:

Rooster
Soo @MaryGold
The Lotus Room
Attire & Ppo Ppo

 

[Spekkun]

Haneul

Seo Yeon's voice prompted Hanuel to move but it was too late. The dragon zodiac was swept up in the gust of wind, flying off his feet and into the air. Had he not been at least somewhat mentally prepared he might not have been able to recover. All it took was a simple thought, a mental command, and the water in the streets and in the air around them moved quickly and suddenly. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to catch him, immersing half of his body in the water to safely stop his movement.

His eyes narrowed at the demon that had attacked him as he lowered himself to the ground. For such a terrifying creature, it sure was sneaky. He hadn't even registered its presence and might have been wounded far worse had Seo Yeon not called out to him. "Thank you, Seo Yoon." Now it was his turn to attack, and hopefully, he'd be able to kill the creature quickly. It was far more dangerous than any of the other demons attacking.

In a sudden move, he thrust his arm in the direction of the creature, his index and middle finger pointed. The water he had used to catch himself rushed forward in his hand's direction, thinning as it moved. It was Hanuel's intention to pierce the creature and kill it. He did not want to take the chance that the creature would harm him or any of the others again.

Dae Jyung

Now that they were indoors, Dae-Jyung's rather chipper spirits seemed to be dampened, an ironic statement considering that they were out of the rain now. He wore the biggest, poutiest face that he could muster. He broke free from Hyun Ki's arm and gave him a glare. "I coulda ran myself! Besides, I coulda beat up a couple of demons, no sweat!" He didn't have abilities like many of the other Zodiacs boasted, but that didn't make him useless in a fight.

The true crime was not that Hyun Ki had removed him from the fight, but that he was carried under his arm instead of on his back. A piggyback ride would have been so much less demeaning and way more fun! But, now was not the time to fuss at his friends. He had to stay focused...on what exactly? All the action was out there!

"What do we do?" Dae-Jyung asked, shaking his head wildly and sending water flying about. "We can't do any fighting in here, and I don't have a plan...yet." He wriggled his eyebrows. If he took a moment to think about it, was able to sit in his thinking chair and had a nice snack, surely he could come up with a good plan.

Like splitting up! "Alright, I got a plan. I'll go out there and fight, and you stay here and protect Junho and Izzie." He reached over and lightly punched Hyun Ki's shoulder, a grin on his face. "Sound good?" Part of him was curious about what Iseul was talking about, but he was in fight mode now! "Don't make things too difficult for him, you guys!" He lightly scolded Iseul and Junho, reaching over to pat the rabbit zodiac's head.

He started to run outside once more, shifting into his dog form as he jumped out into the fray. "Here I come to save the day!" He called out, immediately sinking his teeth into the throat of the first demon he saw.