If You Put Fire Against Water...

"Uh… Who are you?" Mizuki raises an eyebrow, wary of his presence. Lifting his hat, he reveals turquoise hair and a large pair of feline ears. His eyes glint a bright purple. Bowing forward, he holds out his tophat.

Lifting his gaze, he jests, "Isn't the real question who you are?"

Mizuki's heart thumps beneath her chest. "What do you need?"

"That's an awfully interesting trinket you've got in your hands there," he drags his words and before she realises, he's breathing down her neck. Mizuki straightens her back in shock, having not even realised how he vanished right in front of her eyes.

The stranger hovers his fingers over the pendant in Mizuki's shirt pocket. "You know, not many of us can get our hands on something mighty impressive like that."

And she can almost feel him grin against her skin.

Mizuki elbows him in the chest, turning on her heel as she falls into a defensive stance. "What do you think you're doing?" she hisses.

"Oh darling, what have I ever done to you?" he laughs, lifting his hands as if he's trying to do a gesture. Mizuki furrows her eyebrows, paying attention to his signals, trying her hardest to decipher his actions. He positions his hands into the shape of a finger gun, pointing it at himself before pointing it at Mizuki. She bites back a laugh, watching him fidget around, trying to shoot at her but there being no effect.

"You're wasting my—"

"Bang," he smirks, cutting Mizuki off. As he says this, a cloud of smoke appears out of nowhere, catching Mizuki off guard. She stumbles, flapping her hand in front of her nose in an attempt to clear the smoke.

Mizuki's attempts only go to vain as her eyes grow watery, vision slowly getting blurrier. She coughs loudly, soon feeling herself fall roughly against the ground. As she manages to open her eyes one last time, she catches the outline of a glowing smile, a signature Cheshire grin.

'How am I always caught up with weirdos?'

[Hirashi Mizuki has been knocked out]

Mizuki awakes to the sensation of quick wind against her face. She scrunches her nose, hiding her face with her arm in a feeble attempt to keep it from tickling her. Soon after this, she feels something vaguely furry against her skin. She blinks slowly, waiting patiently for a couple of seconds until her consciousness fades back. Mizuki pushes herself up into a sitting position, turning to her side where she catches the man from before.

"Morning, sweetheart," he makes a clawing gesture with his hand, leaning his tail forward and towards Mizuki. It's much bushier than a normal cat's would be.

Mizuki pushes it away, shuffling to the side while still on the ground. She scans her surroundings, almost panicked at the idea of being stuck in a foreign place. Around her, there's nothing but forestry—trees, ferns, pebbles, rocks—What if I throw one at him?

Picking a rock right next to her, she attempts to throw it at him while he's distracted.

He dodges effortlessly, swaying once before swaying back to his original position. At this point, he's leaning forward on his toes in a squatting position, cheek leaned against the edge of his palm. "You have to try a little harder if you're going to go against me."

Mizuki balls her fists in rage, though immediately falling into shock when he brandishes the pedant from earlier. Her eyes widening, she pats herself down while praying that it's only an illusion. Her face falls deathly pale upon realising that indeed, her pockets are empty.

"Why do you want that? Give it back," Mizuki crawls, attempting to snatch it from his hand. Like before, he vanishes, re-appearing over her head on the branch of a tree.

He dangles it mid-air. "Oh really? Catch it then."

As the pendant falls, Mizuki leaps mid-air to catch it. Eventually, she does, covering it with her fingers so it won't get stolen again. Though, when she lands, she feels increasingly queasy. She takes uneven steps backwards, holding her head, only to feel something odd.

Mizuki pats her head lightly, discovering a pair of bunny ears. She turns, finding herself face-to-face with the stranger yet again. "Fight," he huffs in her face. Before she can react, he snaps his fingers and the environment changes, encapsulating her in a dungeon-like setting.

Mizuki's eye twitches in horror. The domain's unlike any other she's fought in, though a room with black walls, there are poker cards and massive tokens, a sceptre with a heart-shaped ruby encrusted on it. The weight of the decorations would crush her if they fell. In front of her, is the same activation circle. In its center though, is a heart.

Mizuki fidgets with her bunny ears, pulling it down as if tugging at it won't cause her any more discomfort. "I really don't want to touch this…" she groans.

Is there no better way out of here?

Mizuki flips open her ability chart, lips parting in surprise at the incredible change in her skills. Though her strength has been lowered drastically, her agility and deception has shot up greatly. If she can master them on the spot, she might be able to use them to her advantage. Mizuki stares warily at the activation circle.

Well, I'll age fifty years in this wacky world if I don't do this any faster. Thinking this, she puts forth her palm and the ground begins to rumble. Mizuki has learnt how to keep herself on balance in these cases.

She watches as a human at least three heads taller than her appear with a cloud of smoke. He has striking blue hair and eyes blue enough to keep her distracted for eternity. He has a grin just as sly as the Cheshire-like creature, though much more attractive. Around him, there's a water-borne shield, the colour of sapphire. "If you put fire against water..." he takes a couple of lazy steps forward.

"Will water burn?" he cocks his head ominously.

[Side Quest: Memories Often Windswept - Escape the unknown domain]