Trouble in Paradise [Disney Event, Medium, NDE]

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

"I will give you no other name by which to call me. But ultimately it is your choice. As for the lock of your hair, it is a symbolic gesture. A respectful gift to the one who is about to feed and house you. Now, you ask too many questions. Put the lock of your hair into the locket and we will continue. The soup is already starting to fill the house with its aroma." And truly there was a delicious smell filling the room and the whole house. It smelled of spices and a creamy broth and delicious other ingredients all in a big pot to serve a whole household. And they were already starting to come out of the woodwork and settle around the table. Servants of all kinds all ready to eat lunch.

Irina found herself in the ocean in her cardboard canoe. She was maybe twenty or thirty feet from shore, with the sand visible underneath her. If she wanted to get out now she may be able to touch the bottom. Waves were already starting to pull her out farther towards sea though. There were people on the shore that were starting to come out towards her, but they looked terrified in doing so. And suddenly, even though Irina couldn't sense energy very well, she could sense something behind her. Something big. Something scary. Even Shikuza could sense it even though she had no energy sensory. It was a feeling of dread pressing down on them.

There was something in the water...

Meanwhile, Shizuka was talking to the princess while the guards went down to the water to save Irina. "That's a name that I haven't heard in a long time. Not since... Never mind. Anyways, where did you hear of that name? Most people in this kingdom have never heard of her or what she did all those years ago. Does this mean... You are one of my father's people?" This princess was cautious, and wary. She was hiding something, holding back information. That much was obvious. She was dropping a single hint, trying to gauge Shizuka's knowledge of the situation before she divulged any secrets.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka had to dig deep into her memories to bring back what she once knew as a child. Her father's people meant mer-people, right? So that meant her father was King Triton. His enemy was Ursula because she tried to steal his power in order to control the entire ocean. But she was defeated before she could manage to do that, and everyone who was cursed by Ursula's magic was saved and returned to normal. Was this the kind of thing the princess was talking about? Well, even if it was, Shizuka wasn't sure if she should go about and mention the entire story. That might freak these people out more than anything.

Instead, she decided that bringing things up slowly might work to her favor. She didn't want to rush the interrogation process and would much rather gain their trust, so she chose to start small. At this point in the story, it was likely that the entire kingdom knew about the princess' ties to the sea. If Shizuka brought that up first, perhaps they would trust her a little bit as one of their own. Maybe it was possible that the blonde was simply returning from a long trip away from there, or maybe they would think she had just heard rumors. It was obvious they knew about Ursula, which confirmed Shizuka's theory that this truly was Disney's story.

"Well, no. I can't say that I am. I wasn't gifted with legs and feet the way you were, and I've only ever spent small amounts of time in the water. Certainly not the majority of my life," Shizuka said with a laugh.

She noticed the guards running towards the water, which meant they may have also sensed whatever it was lurking beneath the waves. At least Shizuka wasn't needed yet.

[Irina Davayte]

In a moderate state of panic, Irina’s mind frantically calculated all her options. She was not a great swimmer, and afraid of swimming in the open water. She felt that she couldn’t quite think clearly in the humid, salty air. She was in a leaking canoe, which happened to be made of cardboard. Not to mention, she had no idea where she was. No wait, that was her list of concerns. Her options, she figured, were to swim toward shore until the water was shallow enough to run, try to paddle the canoe like a kayak (with alternating strokes on each side), or stay put and hope that the guards who were rushing toward her had a quick way to retrieve her.

Suddenly, she had the unsettling feeling that something was behind her. She didn’t turn around, but her pupils widened huge with fear. None of her options could get her away fast enough. She quickly paddled the canoe kayak-style, but found it less-than-aerodynamic because of the leaking. Even without anything threatening her, Irina would never be comfortable with getting in the open ocean deeper than her knees. Still, the foreboding presence behind her was more terrifying than the idea of getting in the not-so-deep water.

She dove into the cool ocean somewhat clumsily, and used a breast stroke to propel closer to shore. In a few seconds when it had reached waist-deep, she tried to run forward instead. She had never spent much time in the water, and didn’t realize that the resistance of the water would be enough to pull her down, face forward, with her first step. She scrambled back upright, with the salt water in her eyes making her hardly able to see. She was closer to the people ashore, but she didn’t even know if they would be friendly.

[Senshi Odayakama (Crimson.)]

Senshi was told that her guest holder's name was irrelevant and for what reason it was that she was unable to give Senshi a proper name was concerning her. However, the soup that was filling the room was getting the better of her. "Hai. I'll get to work on that." Taking a small bit of her long hair, she raised her blade and with a light cut, she was able to free a small lock of her hair. She clenched it in her free hand before slowly placing it into the locket set on the table. She was wondering how this woman in front of her was able to see her...and if her servants could see her as well. Where was this place?

Based on what she's seen so far, she assumed this queen was a fullbringer. Either that or perhaps just a spiritually aware human being. Sheathing her blade, she would step forward toward the other room filled with servants and a supply of food, but yet she was curious about something. "Will you be requiring my weapon? Or am I free to carry it on me?" Odayakama Senshi was prepared to take her blade from her side although hesitantly if that was the case. It wasn't exactly polite to take your blade with you to a dinner table. She was looking forward to getting something hot in her stomach and then maybe some bed rest. She felt somewhat drained despite just arriving on this beach.

She would step inside the large room, looking for a seat away from the prying eyes of other people if at all possible. Senshi was typically an introvert. Talking with one person was fine, but definitely not in a room full of other people. If she were able to find such a seat, she would politely rest there before looking all around her. Keeping in mind of the area, she looked for all possible exit routes and the decorations of the room. She wondered why the place seemed so...sea oriented. Well, perhaps it was from the fact that this place was so close to the ocean shore. It almost seemed like a work of fiction as she would find it hard to believe that such a place like this exists. Then again, all she ever knew was Japan and the Soul Society anyways. Maybe this was England somewhere, they still had Queens.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

"You're free to keep that with you." The Queen offered little other conversation as she scooped up the locket and placed it into the basket with her other seashells and assorted ocean gathered objects. She moved into the dining room, but didn't stop there. Instead, she went towards the kitchen. "I'm going to wash up. Please, sit down and enjoy the food that my servants have prepared." As she entered the kitchen, she shut the door behind her. It would be rude to follow her and not partake of the meal that Senshi was offered. When she sat down at her secluded spot in the far corner, she'd find that the soup offered was indeed delicious and would sate her thirst and start to fill her body with a pleasant warmth despite the heat outside.

The exits she looked for were numbered just two. The doorway she came from and the door that led into the kitchen. The door that just had a mist start coming from the bottom of. The door rattled and shook for a moment before a loud cackling could be heard from inside. "The last ingredient I needed! My magic is fully restored!" The door blew off its hinges in a flash, hitting two servants in the back of the head and killing them instantly. However, the rest of the servants didn't look much better off either as they dissolved into fish heads flopping on the chairs they had been occupying. In came the Queen, wielding a glowing coral staff. "Come with me, girl. We will take the fight to the barbarians to the west now that my magic is restored! Thank you for your lovely red hair..."

Meanwhile, Irina had gotten out of her canoe and was frantically swimming for shore. Behind her, a great beast arose from the sea. A massive whale, too big for the shallow shores, rose up with a gaping maw ready to eat the fullbringer. But it didn't eat her. Instead, it just kinda sat there, like it wasn't even alive. Suddenly a glowing light filled the sky as a trident erupted from the whale's head. Out stepped a giant of a man, twelve feet tall, with only half of a man's body. The other half was built more for life in the sea, with a slender tail leading to fins and a flipper.

"Daddy!"

[Irina Davayte]

It wasn't that she had never almost died before, but Irina had no plans to get comfortable with the sensation anytime soon. Her immediate thought was "Things like this never happened to me when Altan was watching out for me." It was true. In fact, if Altan was with her, she supposed she wouldn't get into half of the danger she got herself into. Nor would she have half of the adventure she loved experiencing since she'd left home. She physically shook her head to clear those thoughts from her mind as she blinked rapidly, trying to clear the salty water from her burning eyes. How was she supposed to stop this pain? She tried to wipe her eyes. Her hands were salty. Her clothes were salty. There was no getting away from this. She resolved avoid swimming in the ocean again.

Meanwhile, she was confused about what she was seeing. A merman slicing his way through a whale? This was something that never crossed her mind when she had considered what she might encounter on this trip. Was she hallucinating? That must be it. She was dreaming of the movie she had loved as a child. Irina just hoped she would manage to wake up before getting in any danger. Where was she? She must still be in the canoe in the lake. She supposed she would wake up when her body got in the water. But the salty water in her eyes certainly felt real. She wouldn't speak until someone here spoke to her. She would just watch and see what happened. Since she must be dreaming, she couldn't be in real danger. She had to get out of the water though, real or not. She resumed walking toward the shore.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Triton.

So this was the King of the Sea. It became extremely obvious to Shizuka that they truly were trapped inside a story that somehow merged its way into the real world. Or was it still real? She wasn't sure about that part, but for so long as she was actively alive in it, it was as real as could be. The Fullbringer finally fully noticed the woman trying to get herself to shore as this royal figure made his entrance. She stepped closer to the edge of the water, gently commanding the soul of it to stay away from her feet as she did so. She didn't want to get her shoes wet. Shizuka reached out her hand and grabbed the arm of the stranger, dragging her back to shore as quickly as possible.

All the blonde woman did to help this lady out was pat her shoulder, and she was able to dry off her clothes and make them good as new. She knew in the back of her mind that she shouldn't manipulate someone else's clothes, but she seemed like she could use it. Besides, all she really did was make the salty water leave. She didn't even touch anything else. Plus, the only really important thing to either of them right now was Triton. Shizuka didn't dare say a word yet until the princess had the chance to say something aside from calling him her father. The best thing to do would be to wait for more information, but how much would they even share?

[Senshi Odayakama (Crimson.)]

Senshi had taken a seat as she soon saw a sort of soup placed in front of her. It smelled good and so she lifted a spoonful of it to her mouth before taking a long, slow sip. It tasted delicious and considering the fact everyone else was digging in, Senshi followed suit. It tasted like clam chowder and she enjoyed it very much. Not wanting to be rude, she didn’t follow the owner of the home as she instead partook in the meal everyone else had. She was glad she came although that quickly turned into a 180 degree twist as soon as the door to the kitchen exploded immediately killing two servants.

Senshi immediately stood to her two feet as her Zanpakutou was drawn at the sign of danger. There she saw the queen as the various servants began to turn into flopping fish heads along the seats. She was glad she sat in an isolated corner. Eyes narrowing, Senshi was observing the so called queen as she wielded a glowing coral staff. “Is that this woman’s fullbring? No...it feels more like a Zanpakutou release. Almost like a Shikai.” Senshi was told to follow the unknown queen, however before she would leave the area, Senshi pointed her fingers out to the main exit out of the building before firing a blast of electricity causing the whole doorway to come collapsing making it inescapable.

“I’m not going anywhere with you until I have answers. Odayakama Senshi of Squad 9.” Holding her blade in her left hand, she looked to the self proclaimed queen as this was all too suspicious. None of this made any sense. However, she wasn’t going to do anything further for this woman until there were answers. Considering the fact she killed two of her servants with a door and the rest turned into fish heads, Senshi assumed the queen wasn’t a kind woman. She could also assume she had some sort of magical power beyond Senshi’s comprehension. She held her blade tightly, prepared for conflict as her five foot katana was pointed out to the wicked queen’s direction.

No more deception. No more cryptic messages. Senshi needed the truth. She was completely prepared for fighting, and she had even began to chant to herself. Internally she chanted the call for the Hado, Sho. Now to see what this twisted queen had in mind and what she wanted Senshi for to do with it.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
2785/2800
-25 Byakurai

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Triton was more than a little upset at being ignored by both of the ladies in front of him. But he seemed to deal with it until Shizuka parted the water with Soul Command and dried off Irina. Even the princess recoiled at the sight. "A Sea Witch! No wonder you knew the name of Ursula, you're just like her! Get away, we don't want your foul magics here." Triton similarly had something to say, with his loud booming voice. "It must be her that is filling our waters with monsters. Ursula had her powers sealed, so it must be you! Men, seize her!" The coral spear wielding guards started to advance on Shizuka. With Irina so close, she could get caught up in the crossfire...

Meanwhile, Senshi was trying to stop the Queen from leaving her own house. This enraged the woman, her hair flying up as her eyes turned red. With a flash of the wand, a bolt of green left the end of the coral stick and moved incredibly fast to slam into Senshi. The green energy transformed into sticky seaweed that threw her into the back wall and held her fast with a hold greater than she could overcome with her physical strength. "Answers? You expect me to just monologue and tell you my whole plan and how I got to the place of power that I'm in? You can stay here and rot before I'll tell you anything. Flotsam, Jetsam, awaken!"

Out of the air emerged two eels. They flew, no, they swam in the air, spinning around the Queen and lifting her up into a coral chariot that they piloted. They plowed through the blockage that the byakurai had cast and sped out of the house, leaving Senshi to try to fight through the bindings that held her fastened to the wall...

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka didn't have to say any words. Her face said it all. She messed up. She didn't realize her own abilities would cause such strife between her and the storybook people. The Fullbringer sighed at the threat and decided using the rest of her powers was likely a bad idea, so she simply kept them at bay unless they were truly needed. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt any of these humans, and she certainly didn't want this new stranger to be in harm's way. If they were going to look for a fight from this girl, they were going to have to beat it out of her. For now, all she could do was attempt to explain.

"That's not true! The reason I know of her name is because I heard the legends. I came here to help you." Shizuka was half lying. She didn't originally plan to help, but she really did read the story. "You must see it in your hearts to trust me. Didn't Ursula die? So how is it that any of these monsters are even appearing? There has to be another problem and I was sent... Uh... I was sent from the other side of the world to help you all track whoever is responsible down. My magic is no different from your own, and even less evil than yours would ever be. I dried her off! I didn't curse her!"

The Fullbringer was an awful liar, so thinking on the spot was a bit tough on her. All she could do was sound genuine and focus on the truths in her words. She really did want to help hem after learning about all of their monster problems, but she was worried she may not get a say in the matter. Their impressions may already be tainted, so it's likely they won't listen at all. Shizuka stepped up the beach a bit to separate herself from the stranger in hopes that she wouldn't get involved in this little misunderstanding. Shizuka had forgotten how suspicious humans could be despite being one herself. She just hoped they would learn to hear her out.

[Irina Davayte]

Irina took a large side-step away from Shizuka, trying to stay out of the way and still appear non-threatening. She appreciated being led out of the water and dried off, not to mention the relief from the nasty salty feeling the water gave her. But she learned from Shizuka's mistake and made a mental note to avoid using any spiritual powers as long as she could, and decided to distance herself from the other woman and her troubles. She would try to help her out later if she got the chance, but Irina didn't intend to stir up any more conflict than necessary. Even if she was dreaming, she might as well make it a happy dream.

But then Shizuka said something that made her hesitate: sent from the other side of the world? Maybe Shizura had really arrived from another world herself. Maybe Irina was actually here in the universe of the fairy-tale after all. She would have to be careful to protect herself if this was really happening, not just a dream. Irina was sent to pacify some sort of situation here, but didn't see a problem yet, save the sea monsters that had been mentioned. So she decided to try to keep things calm until she had more information.

She had noted the King's indignation at not being addressed by her, so she tried to back-pedal and make things right. She curtsied to both him and the princess, just as she had been taught to do for important guests of her father, a Lieutenant General in the Russian Military, as a child. "Sire, I do apologize for my rude behavior. In my country, we were taught not to address royalty unless spoken to." This wasn't false. She hoped her thick Russian accent would help sell the ignorant foreigner angle, but it would also firmly establish her as an outsider. She left her explanations at that, and frankly, hoped she wouldn't be asked how it was she came to arrive in the middle of the sea. If prodded, she supposed she would have to tell the truth; there was no other way to explain it. She wondered how on Earth she was going to get back home.

[Senshi Odayakama (Crimson.)]

When she had essentially interrogated the woman in front of her, she was angered and became a being akin to a demon as the weapon in her hand shined its power. Before she could even react, she suddenly felt herself pelted with some sort of energy as it slammed her to the wall. "Ooof!" As the queen spoke, Senshi would interrupt her immediately as she held the blade within her left hand. Spiritual pressure would begin to emanate from her body as Senshi felt herself entangled in a mass of vegetation on the wall. "Extend above the heavens. Shonin Joka." Suddenly, under the bindings that held her, a red light would glow as the wall behind her would begin to get spider cracks along its shape.

"Split for me." The blade underneath the moss was a three foot long katana blade which was shorter than her standard five. Her blade was abnormally long for most Shinigami. However, as she commanded the blade would split into six pieces down the blade connected to the blade handle as it would bloom like a flower. In that moment,if the witch was gone, the blade Shonin Joka would slice through the seaweed with relative ease. "You know Crimson, there's nothin wrong with a bit of BDSM. I hear it's popular nowadays." There was a groan as Senshi would land on her two feet. "Not now Shonin Joka. We need to figure out what she did with my hair." There was silence as the blades were now extended nearly seven feet long but thinner in appearance. They moved of their own free volition as Senshi took a deep breath and sprinted out the door to chase after the chariot and the eels.

"I hope you know what you're doing redhead. Don't get me broken again. You know you've done that WAAAAY too much for my liking." Senshi remained silent. She sprinted at around 150 speed instead of her 250 in the general direction of where the chariot would go. Considering all the mentions about barbarians in the west, she felt like she was going to have to go back to the beach of whence she first came. Shonin Joka for the meantime stuck itself together as one blade, but seeing the cost was paid the transformation was complete for the rest of her release. "Ikuzo." She had a feeling there was going to be a storm coming. Well...as they say. Life is a Beach.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
2435/2800
-200 Shikai
-150 Split

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

As Shizuka explained the "situation", the guards, the Princess, and Triton seemed to calm down. "My apologies. We've been on edge since the attacks on both Kingdoms have been escalating. Ursula, as you say, did not die. She was defeated, yes, and her powers sealed by my trident. We have come to assume, though, that her powers have been straining against the power of the trident. If she has somehow obtained the blood of an innocent, regurgitated kelp from a shark, and hair of fire then the spell will be broken and she will have full power to raise an army against us once more... Don't ask me why those ingredients counter my trident..." Triton seemed very concerned by the whole turn of events, hence why he was spilling all of the information to two strangers.

Meanwhile, Senshi had cut open her bindings and rushed out of the house to see the Queen riding away on her eel chariot. She stopped, however, when she sensed that the Shinigami had thrown off her shackles and emerged from the house. "So you still defy me. Very well, I will use a bit of my army on you..." Pointing her coral wand at the ground, seaweed emerged from the sand and formed two wicker-man-like creations. These seaweed monsters started to shamble towards Senshi. They were slow, but they looked particularly strong despite being made up of seaweed. "Flotsam! Jetsam! To the Castle!" And so the Queen left, leaving behind two soldiers for Senshi to get past before she could continue to chase down the woman.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Well, I was going to, but I guess I won't now.

The Fullbringer sighed in relief. So he listened to her. That's good. She didn't want to harm anyone or end up harmed, herself. The easiest way to get information would just be to talk to them, so that was all Shizuka could do. Triton was obviously very upset by what was going on, and super concerned that their kingdoms may be in danger once again. That was troubling. This kind of thing never came up in her stories, so this had to be what Disney was talking about. But what was Shizuka supposed to do? She was only one person. All she could do for now was hope that they would let her help them.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

A simple question, but it was meaningful. There had to be something they could do to get a head start against Ursula's return. Triton couldn't handle it on his own, either, but all of them together could possibly make a plan that could work. He was the Kind of the Sea, after all. His powers were greater than Shizuka's just off the bat. He knew these waters more than anyone aside from the princess, whom Shizuka knew now to be Ariel. She had assumed previously, but it's all adding up. They all need each other to take down Ursula once and for all. So what could they do to get started?

[Irina Davayte]

Irina relaxed a bit now that there was no conflict among the people with her. "'The blood of an innocent, regurgitated kelp from a shark, and hair of fire?’ That sounds easy enough to get a hold of,” Irina said, biting her lip, always calculating each possible scenario. ”I mean, I know sharks are carnivores, but I’m sure if you kept one from food long enough, it would try any source of food it could get.” ”Not to mention,” she thought, ”Kelp is decently high in protein. And might even make the shark vomit.” But she kept those thoughts to herself. Nineteen years old, she was working on not saying everything that popped into her head. She looked King Triton in the eye. ”How concerned should we be right now? What do we need to do to protect your people?” She was sure he had calculated these things already, but wanted to hear it for herself.

She was sure that a conflict was about to begin between Ursula and everyone else. She hoped the Merpeople and the humans would be able to work together against their dangerous common enemy. But she was most afraid of two things: firstly, that she might have to go back in the water, and secondly, that she would almost definitely have to fight one of her childhood idols.