Will Water Burn?

As he approaches, Mizuki notices how he has the feelers of an insect and purple gloves. Scars rip through the skin of his under-eye, glinting ominously in a shade of purple. As he lifts his hands, several poker cards are conjured mid-air, though they look more like water illusions than something that's solid.

Mizuki wields her daggers, tucking the pendant away. Calmly striding forward, her enemy shoots the multiple cards forward. Mizuki attempts to slice them with her daggers and while the droplets separate, they only reform into ropes.

While they're structured out of water, they have the same roughness as a normal one would, constricting her limbs as she struggles to move. She grunts, squirming around as she tries to break out of the grip of the ropes. Closing an eye, Mizuki flings her dagger accurately towards the enemy in front, only to have the weapon rebound towards her.

The assailant pauses, dazed for a couple of seconds. Mizuki manages to break out of his tendrils, sliding forward and under one of his water-based attacks as she retrieves her dagger. "Who the fuck are you and why am I here?" she questions the mysterious man.

"Hell, does anyone know where they really are?" he answers ambiguously, lowering two fingers before lifting them yet again. Except this time, held carefully between them is a card. Mizuki takes the opportunity to catch her breath, though not peeling her eyes off him. All the people here don't know how to give their answers straight.

Spinning her daggers between her fingers, she dashes towards him a second time and feigns an attack, leaping mid-air in hopes of hitting a weak spot when she lands. Upon having her anelace pierce the shield of the attacker, she finds herself roughly shoved back by sheer force. Mizuki lands, having to press her palm against the ground so she'll have balance.

"You're awful at this, considering I've already given you a clue. If you're going to break through our top-notch shields, you're going to need a little more than physical strength," he chortles. "Or is it that there's nothing up here at all?" he smirks, pointing at his head.

Mizuki doesn't let this provoke her. Instead, she takes the opportunity to slow the tempo of the fight, thinking back to anything he might've said as a clue. She stands, shifting very slowly so as to not trigger a reaction from the man.

If you put fire against water? His words ring through her ears. Mizuki's eyes widen, the epiphany hitting harder as it starts to sink in. Will water burn? A beat passes.

Shit, how do I start a fire? Mizuki glances around fervently. As she's distracted, her enemy takes the opportunity to hurl more water illusions in her direction, even managing to gash her. Mizuki grips onto her wound, gaze falling to her daggers. Friction. She looks up to the massive cards in the distance. If they're made out of paper, I can start a fire.

Gaining newfound confidence in her abilities, Mizuki sprints towards the cards, ditching the wound as she tries to strike the steel of her daggers' blades against each other. It's not an easy task for someone who has never had to start a fire this way, especially while trying to run for her life. When she manages to do it quick enough, she catches sparks of a starting fire.

Praying the cards won't shift under her weight, Mizuki leaps into the air, surprised when they don't even move.

Might be how light-weighted I've gotten since I became this white bunny.  By some miracle, the cards set on fire, not a massive flame but sufficient. Sheathing her blades, Mizuki lifts the pendant in her hands, cupping it. Closing her eyes, she hopes she'll manifest some form of power. A burning sensation tickles at the skin of her palms.

"Shit!" Mizuki squeaks as a massive ball of water is shot in her direction, knocking the cards out of place. They topple off balance, setting fire to neighbouring decoration.

Mizuki laughs. Knowing no incantations, Mizuki decides she's going to have to make physical use out of the fire. Lifting her palm, she raises it towards the attacker, creating a brief target.

Closing her fingers, she's engulfed in an aura of flames and fireballs are sent continuously rocketing against the enemy. He tries his hardest to recover from the hits, only to have his shield eventually destroyed to bits.

A menacing glint dances in Mizuki's eyes. Pulling her daggers back into her grip, she lunges at him at her fastest speed, stabbing him in the abdomen. His jaw falls wide open as he falls limp in Mizuki's grip, coughing blood. Mizuki lands blows till he can no longer stand.

On his knees, he chokes, barely hanging onto consciousness.

"Man… All we aimed to do was sell elemental shields. Nothing harmful."

"I know that isn't all," Mizuki lifts his chin forcefully with her foot.

The man who was on the verge of tears not more than a minute ago now flashes a bright grin, an incredibly unnerving one at that. "You catch on quick."

The room flashes a bright white and before she's in her senses, Mizuki is gone. "This won't be the end of our encounters," she hears a voice, much like the Cheshire's she remembers from the very beginning.

She awakes to the morning sun shining bright in her face. Mizuki sits up, rubbing the back of her head nonchalantly as if she hadn't spent an entire night fighting for her life. Her eyes widen in realisation, patting herself down and then realising that the godforsaken tail and the stupid bunny ears have vanished. She massages her limbs, although they've started to hurt a lot less recently. Fighting more has definitely conditioned herself to prepare for better fights.

[Side Quest: Memories Often Windswept - Return to Miko with the news]

As Mizuki stands groggily, she feels the sinking feeling that she might be forgetting something. She ponders on it as she strolls, thinking about all that she could possibly be missing. Her last resort is to check the timing, pausing abruptly in her tracks upon realising it's a Sunday. She blinks, and then she checks her Quest Log. Oh my god, I have a lesson with Adelia this morning.

With that, whilst ignoring her achy feet and fatigue, she runs towards the palace grounds, hoping she won't get herself roped up in any more trouble along the way.