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Post by Ravenna on Dec 26, 2022 7:55:52 GMT
Meanwhile, Ravenna and Kiyoko get started in the colossal task of reviving the shrine. The girls get started cleaning up the main room. There is trash everywhere. Eventually, Ravenna finds a broom and starts sweeping. A layer of black coats the dusty floor, indicating that the dirt has been building up for months. Ravenna coughs as the dust rises in the air. This wasn't going to be easy.
The two continue to clean. It was clear Ravenna's pace was much more urgent than the lackadaisical priestess. Cleaning wasn't exactly one of Ravenna's strong suits, but there was no denying that this shrine needed a lot of work. After sweeping the floors, Ravenna gets a bucket and a mop to help remove the thick stains on the wood floor. The two had been cleaning for some time now, and Kiyoko is about ready to quit.
"This is pointless. We'll never be finished at this rate."
"Well, we have to start somewhere. We're already making a dent."
"This is the easy part compared to the overgrown plants."
"I can get started on the outside. Are there any clippers around here?"
"Best I can offer is a pitchfork and a katana."
"You've got to be kidding me. Alright, you finish inside, and I'll get some yardwork done."
Kiyoko brings Ravenna a large pitchfork and an old katana. The track star heads outside to tackle some sticker bushes. Thorny vines have overtaken much of the shrine. She notices a wheelbarrow collecting rainwater next to a shed. Ravenna empties it out and wheels it over. Ravenna unsheathes the blade and starts hacking at the bushes. She uses the pitchfork to scoop up the yard waste and piles it into the wheelbarrow.
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*Shirou bursts into the narrator's booth, gasping for breath as though he just ran here.* Shirou, what the hell are you doing? I am in the middle of narrating the story. "I just wanted to know what color the wheelbarrow was." What difference does it make? It doesn't say what color it is. "I just want to know so I can better picture it." Would you have me describe every detail? I already went over their attire changes in great detail. Fine, the wheelbarrow is red. "I picture Kiyoko having a yellow wheelbarrow." This is absurd. Fine, it's yellow now! Get out of here, Shirou. You are not even in this story. "Well, I am now. I'm here, breaking the fourth wall. By the way, do you know when my next appearance is?" Just go!
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Ahem, anyways, Ravenna chops and slices away at various sticker bushes for the better part of an hour. She uses the yellow wheelbarrow to pile up the debris by the shed. The wheelbarrow happens to have something carved into the side that reads "Shirou steals underwear." Having grown exhausted, Ravenna returns inside to find Kiyoko laying on the couch. A black and brown couch, for all two of you wondering. "Is it a three-seater, or love seat?" I said get out, Shirou.
"I got some work done. I worked up a sweat and need some water."
"Good. Best I can offer you is beer, or off branch fruit punch."
"Fruit punch it is. You sure seem different from the first time I met you."
"I didn't realize you've been judging me for this long."
"Not judging, just noticing. You know, you say you've given up on protecting the city, but if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be asking us to help."
"Hey, someone's got to babysit these sheeple. Glad it's not me." *hic*
"Did you finish tidying up in here?"
Kiyoko points to a stack of garbage bags on the far side of the room.
"Great. Where do you want me to haul the garbage and yard waste."
"Lord knows you can't rely on the city to take your garbage. Just dump it down in the well. Be careful, there are spirits residing in it."
"Right, whatever you say."
Ravenna unscrews the lid on some room temperature fruit punch and takes a big gulp. The sweat is pouring down her forehead, and her clothes feel damp. Her arms and legs are covered with scratches from the sticker bushes. Ravenna finished the fruit punch and tosses it in one of the garbage bags. She starts hauling bags and loads of yard waste in the wheelbarrow which is yellow down the path.
Ravenna reaches the well Kiyoko spoke of. It is surrounded by charms and warning signs. There is a crudely drawn picture of a cartoon ghoul with a red X across it. the charms wave gently in the wind. There was indeed a spooky presence about this place. Ravenna pours the wheelbarrow's load into the well and goes back for more. Once she unloads all the garbage, she returns to the main room, tired and sweaty. This wasn't what Ravenna had expected to be doing today, but she knows that sometimes you just got to overcome and pull through when things get tough.
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Post by Ravenna on Jan 27, 2023 10:39:21 GMT
Ravenna and Kiyoko finish cleaning up the main hall as Kaz and Akil return with the data storage device. Akil explains how they absorbed a strange digital energy from T-bone. Kiyoko grows concerned, rubbing her chin as she ponders. Kaz grow impatient and disinterested in all the technical details about something she is not familiar with. The shot putter crosses her arms and blows her hair out of her eyes.
"This doesn't make any sense. Is that thing we saw a ghost, or some kind of robot ghost?"
"Let me examine the specimen and we'll see what we can find out."
Akil runs some scans on the data storage, learning more information about this creature. It appears as though it contains the DNA of a Digimon, but lacks a body.
"That's strange. This spirit requires some kind of host to remain here in our world."
"We saw it rise from his unconscious body. Maybe they possess people!"
"What if they can take over cell phones? It could have come from a phone in his pocket."
"In any case, we are dealing with a enormous threat to the city. Let's take a closer look. Release the spirit."
Akil activates the storage and the strange red cloud of data quickly emerges from the machine. Before they know it, the spirit flies towards Ravenna and enters her body through her chest. She clenches her chest in pain and bends forward as she starts screaming.
"Ravenna! Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay, bug boy?! Some genius you are."
"Oh, I'm so sorry for upsetting you. I-I-I didn't mean to make you mad."
Kiyoko places her hand in front of Akil in between Ravenna.
"Don't take it personally. The spirit is influencing her."
"You're under the influence of about 5 different spirits and probably some funky mushrooms. Why don't you go take a shower and wash that hair?!"
The rest of the group is shocked to see Ravenna behaving this way. Akil appears anxious and concerned. Ravenna's arms begin to twitch as adrenaline fills her body.
"Privy, how did you force the spirt from its host before?"
"With a little physicality. I'm sorry, Ray."
Kaz approaches Ravenna and kicks her in the chest. Ravenna cries out and staggers back a few steps.
"Are you kidding me? Step off, godzilla."
"Is that a tall joke?"
"Tall, destructive, bad skin and breath, lizard brain, sounds about right."
"Thanks for making this easy. I don't feel bad about this."
Thew two track athletes move in and start trading punches. They alternate between blocks and punches until Ravenna lands a nice shot to Kaz's face. Kaz sways back a bit and wipes the blood from her lips. Ravenna goes for a couple kicks, but Kaz dodges back. Ravenna goes for a punch, but Kaz grabs her arm and picks her up in a fireman's carry position. Ravenna flails her arms and legs trying to get free, but Kaz holds on.
"Let go of me, you big ogre."
"If that spirit won't come out, I'll make it leave you the hard way. Big Ogre Driver!"
Kaz rotates Ravenna's upper body forward and tosses her forward like a body slam. Kaz drops down to the floor and slams Ravenna down on the back of her shoulders. Ravenna's body goes limp as the spirit starts to rise out. Akil aims the storage device at the red spirit and absorbs it back into the device. Kaz kneels down over Ravenna and checks her pulse.
"Ravenna! Can you hear me? Wake up."
"Does anyone know CPR?"
"I do."
"Forget it. Putting your lips on a woman, having your hand that close to her bombshells, you don't have the stones."
"Haha, you got burned, kid."
Kaz starts pushing on Ravenna's chest. Kaz leans over and places her lips on Ravenna's, breathing air into her mouth. Akil watches on in worry while Kiyoko seems to be way too interested. Finally, Ravenna's eyes open and she lets out a large gasp of air. Kaz smiles and helps Ravenna up to her feet.
"What happened?"
"You had a robot ghost in you, but I got it out for you."
"It is not a robot ghost. It's a formless algorithm of data. It appears to give the host a spike in anger and self-entitlement. These things are all over the city."
"Oh. My. God. Do you know what that means?"
"Yes."
"It's like a whole city full of Wormmon!"
"Exactly. This is the greatest danger Shibuya has ever faced."
Suddenly a light starts to shine out of Kaz's bowling bag.
"Wait a minute. Kaz, I think your Digi Egg is hatching!"
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Post by Ravenna on Mar 9, 2023 9:23:22 GMT
Kaz reaches into her bowling bag and pulls out a glowing Digi Egg. The egg gets brighter and brighter until suddenly it ignites in a cloud of smoke. The sound of a small explosion echos around the main hall. When the dust settles, Ravenna and the others see what appears to be a bomb in Kaz's hands. Akil takes a closer look.
"That looks like a Bommon. Neat!"
"A Bomb-omb?"
The baby Digimon eyes squint in happiness and his fuse wags back and forth.
"By bo be boo."
"Wha? Can this thing talk?"
Kiyoko cracks a smirk. The lazy shrine maiden feels happy to see a cute little Digimon, and chuckles at Kaz's unfamiliarity.
"They are not exactly fluent at conversating in this stage, but they can become quite capable."
Kaz makes a wide-eyed expression as she laughs uncomfortably.
"Eh heh heh heh... Whatevs. I'm not feeling the pet bomb vibe. You take it, Ravena. Is this even safe? Maybe you should take it instead, creepy lady."
Akil appears shocked. Bommon is upset and starts to cry. Their fuse begins to burn faster.
"How could a Tamer reject their own partner?"
"Are we sure Kaz isn't infected with one of these spirits?"
"Nope, I'm just naturally not very warm. Let's get down to business. I want to move out of my place before they turn it into a storage room. What do we do about that spooky thing we caught?"
"Just dump it in the well. That's what I do with the cat litter."
"I didn't know you have a cat."
"I don't."
"Uhh, nevermind. I don't wanna know. Let's go."
"Wait, why does she have the cat litter if-"
"Zip it, bug brain."
The group takes the spirit down to the well. Akil opens the capture device and the spirit is sucked down the well.
"This place is so creepy. What's going on here?"
"I put up these charms to ward evil spirits that were coming out. Vile demons."
"Demons coming out of a well? How very Kagome of you. I knew you were an Inuyasha fan."
"Now that you mention it, she kind of reminds me of Kikiyo."
"Why does everyone say that? I'm not one of those pitiful adults who still watches anime."
"Say, isn't the Shibuya river close to here? Where does the well sync up with?"
"The River Shibuya."
"Kiyoko, don't you see? Your well is connected to the Shibuya river. That river is a gateway between the city and the Digital World. That must be why there are monsters climbing out of your well!"
"Ooooooooh. Now it makes sense."
"That's enough for today, come on. Let's get going and start packing our things so we can move in."
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Post by Ravenna on Mar 10, 2023 7:36:51 GMT
Having gotten started on both the restoration of the shrine and the mystery behind the spirits, the group splits up to go their separate ways for the evening. The three moving in return to their homes while Kiyoko stays and lays around watching TV with bad reception. Ravenna returns to her dorm room to spend one last night there.
In the morning, Akil rents a large delivery truck. He picks up Kaz first, then after a few minutes of driving, he pulls over and Kaz switches places with him behind the wheel. They head over to Ravenna's dorm. The still tired Ravenna answers the door.
"Hey Ray. Ready to go?"
"Morning, sunshine. Looks like you need some good coffee."
"I'll wake up in a few minutes. Everything is packed. Who is driving?"
"I'm driving. Short stack over here was going way too slow and kept putting on the brakes. Guess you're not used to handling a big rig."
The three pack everything into the back of the truck with little space to waste. Ravenna looks around her empty dorm one last time and reflects on her time spent here. So many poorly cooked meals, spills in the living room, long showers, and time spent looking out the balcony. Ravenna feels like she will miss her home, but also feels ready to move on. Kaz sits in the driver seat. Ravenna sits in the passenger seat with a large box on her lap. Akil sits in the middle.
"What's in the box?" "Oh, just a gold samurai helmet."
"Really? Can I wear it later?" "No! I mean, it's cursed. Trust me, never wear it."
Kaz and Akil give Ravenna weird glances as the shot putter floors it out of the parking lot. They make good time heading towards the shrine. Instead of taking the usual road, Kaz drives off the road into an empty patch between some trees.
"Kaz! What the hell are you thinking?"
"Like we are going to get this truck up the usual path. Besides, this way is faster."
"This thing isn't intended for off roading!"
The truck blazes through the overgrown forest. Kaz swerves side to side avoiding oncoming trees. The truck approaches a small hill, and it goes airborne. Somehow, the truck lands safely next to the shrine. Ravenna catches her breath for a minute before they start bringing boxes inside.
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Post by Ravenna on Mar 21, 2023 8:13:19 GMT
Finally, the gang finishes unpacking. Ravenna collapses back onto a lounge chair and lets out a large sigh as she relaxes. Kiyoko finishes off her 6th beer of the day and tosses the can into a large pile of cans on the lawn. Akil wipes the sweat from his brow and polishes his glasses with a grey rag. Kaz takes off her tank top and starts shaking the sweat off. Akil's eyes widen in shock as he sees the athletic woman in her red bra.
"I'm so damn hot now."
"I'm exhausted. No more cleaning or moving things for a while."
"We should do something fun. Is it too soon to go bowling again?"
"I wouldn't mind rolling with you again."
"Kiyoko, you should come too."
"You mean, go out? Ughh, fine, but I'm not going to talk to anyone. The short frail one shall be my interpreter."
The gang gets ready and hops in the van, with Kiyoko riding on a big pile of trash bags in the back. Ravenna is wearing a purple corset, a vest with black feathers, long black and white gloves, black track shorts, and fishnets. Kaz is wearing a white tank top, orange shorts, black gloves with needles under the threading, large metal kneepads, black beanie, and a silver chain around her neck. Akil is wearing a yellow basketball jersey, brown khakis, and a bowler cap. Kiyoko is wearing a long and withered black dress with her hair down, looking like a ghoul ready to devour a young male.
The strangely dressed foursome arrive at the bowling alley. As they are walking in, Akil notices a strange car parked in a handicap spot. It is a rose pink antique automobile with polished white trim and brass handles. The interior appears to be decorated with flowers and old dolls.
"What a peculiar vehicle. I wonder who drives that."
"That is the tackiest rust bucket I ever seen, and I used to go down on chicks in a scrap yard. I mean, go down to the scrap yard with chicks."
"Why am I not surprised that you frequent a scrap yard when your body smells like trash?"
"I want to push a shrine maiden off a bridge, don't give me another reason to."
"I kind of like the way Kaz smells. It's like when my parents would get back from an archeological dig in the swamps of Ukululkul."
"Damn it, Akil. Stop being so adorable and punchable."
"You two sound like an old married couple."
"He's got an undeniable charm, like you're some kind of pixie elf boy."
"Can you picture him in a play about Peter Pan? Prancing and singing around the stage in bright green clothes?"
"Actually, I was in a play back in Egypt where I played, 'Munchkin who gets eaten by alligators'."
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Post by Ravenna on Mar 27, 2023 6:32:54 GMT
The four Tamers check in at the front desk and get set up on a lane. Ravenna notices a large crowd gathered around the lanes on the far left.
"How's Bommon doing?"
"Oh, I lost him during the move. But on the plus side, I found my bowling ball."
"You lost your partner? How horrible!"
"I can get another one at the store, right?"
"Fool! Do you have any idea how to raise a Digimon, or any animal for that matter?"
Ravenna, Kiyoko, and Akil exchange shocked glances as they settle in while uncomfortably silent. To Ravenna's surprise, Kiyoko is doing quite well for a hermit.
"Nice shot, Kiyoko. You are pretty good."
"Thanks. Lots of Wii Bowling."
"That's not how it works!"
As Kaz is setting up for a shot, all of a sudden, she notices a face appear on her bowling ball. Two bright eyes and a big grin smile happily at the shot putter. Kaz hollers in surprise and quickly sets the ball down on the holder.
"What is that thing?!"
"Oh my stars, that's Bommon."
Bommon rolls around happily and spins. The little Digimon reverts back to his normal shape, before resuming the bowling ball form.
"Fascinating! This Digimon has the ability to morph."
"A living bowling ball? Now I'm interested."
The group continues to play. Kaz notices her game is improving, with far less missed shots. On the next frame she gets a split. She rolls the ball down trying to get one pin to ricochet and hit the other, but it is clear she is going to miss. Kiyoko puts both of her arms up as if to say it's a field goal as the ball looks to pass through the middle. All of a sudden, the ball curves way over and hits the pin on the left, sending it flying into the one on the right. Kaz claps and pumps her fists as she celebrates.
Fellow players begin to take notice of the group's skill. Kaz continues to dominate as Bommon does their best to hit down as many pins as they can. On one frame, Kaz ends up with another split, this time two on the left, and one on the right. Kaz takes a deep breath before rolling the ball. Bommon bumps into the front left pin, then the right pin, before finally knocking over the back left pin. People cheer and celebrate. This draws some unwanted attention.
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Post by Ravenna on May 22, 2023 9:08:58 GMT
Ravenna and the gang having fun is interrupted as they hear a loud, annoying shriek from across the alley.
"What's all this hoopla about?!"
Four very old women slowly walk, limp, waddle, or roll towards the lane.
"Oh my god, it's like the Golden Girls. Da hell?"
"Haha, the golden girls. How original?! I guess the tall one ain't got much room for brains, what with all the sausages she swallows."
"Excuse me, bitch?!"
Everyone stops playing, and the crowd forms a circle as the two groups stare off.
"We're the Fabulous Dolls! There's Edi, the cutie with the walker. She's super into that spiritual crap. The strong one is Elanor. She can crush a watermelon with her yams. Then there's Eloise. Her scooter can go up to 8 miles an hour."
*Shirou bursts into the narrator's booth. Before I have time to scold him, he shushes me.* "I shall keep this quick. Just wanted to let the audience know that 8 miles an hour is way too slow. That is a great in joke. Farewell." No one is going to get it. Anyways...
"And last but not least, yours truly, the rose of Tokyo, Edna! I've had enough of you young sluts stealing our thunder!"
Eloise rolls up to Akil in her scooter and tries to pinch his nose with a grabber. Akil backs up and freaks out.
"Ahh! It smells like fish."
Kaz gets in between Akil and Eloise, and the shot putter nudges Eloise's scooter back with her foot. Elanor gets in Kaz's face.
(Elanor) "Didn't anyone ever tell you to respect your elders? You may be young enough to be my granddaughter, but I'll still kick your ass."
(Kaz) "Respect is earned, saggy arms. Don't think I won't be picking you out of my boots just because you are a fossil."
Kiyoko dashes over to Elanor and waves a charm around while dancing and chanting. Edi does the Catholic cross motion and pulls out some rosemary beads.
(Kikyo) "Begone, evil spirits! Return to the other side!"
(Edi) "Dios Mio! Lord have mercy on this poor heathen."
(Kiyoko) "Oh, sure, insult my family's religion. What a ****."
(Ravenna) "Stand down, you guys. There's too many people around, and no sense in fighting these biddies. What do you want?"
(Edna) "You think you are hot crap, with your trick shots and tacky balls. You dress like a whore! We could kick your ass at bowling any day of the week."
(Eloise) "*Wheeze* But Tuesday is bingo night."
(Edna) "Can your pie hole, Eloise, and suck on your oxygen tank. You kids today think you are so smart with your interweb and smart phones. Well I got a smart phone too! My grandson got me this."
Edna pulls out a phone. Her fingers stumble around as she tries to use it.
(Edna) "I got pictures of my trip to Shibuya. Lots of weirdos. How the hell do you get this to work? Where is Alejandro? Alejandro!"
A well-built young tan man with dark hair comes rushing up to Edna.
(Edna) "This is my Healthcare Worker. He doesn't speak English. Alejandro! El phone-o!"
With things breaking out into complete chaos, it becomes apparent that the two sides will face each other at bowling.
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Post by Ravenna on Apr 2, 2024 2:02:47 GMT
So after an eternity of Edna trying to get her phone to work, Ravenna's weirdly dressed crew challenges the Fabulous Dolls at bowling. It wasn't easy for the younger team, considering the old ladies literally had ramps that roll the ball for them. While starting out behind, Ravenna picks up her game and her team wins. The old ladies demand a rematch, but Akil's storage device starts going off.
The device detects the presence of another spirit, this time in Edna's phone. Akil pulls out the storage device and gets ready to use it. The manservant Alejandro notices the device and becomes fascinated by it. He grabs the device from Akil and bolts out of the bowling alley.
Alejandro steals the moving van and drives off. Ravenna's group chases after him, and steals the old lady car. What follows is a crazy yet less than thrilling chase scene, as neither vehicle is very fast. The smog from the van makes it difficult to see. Alejandro drives up to a package facility and heads inside. Ravenna and the others get out and take a look at the massive facility. Kiyoko feels uneasy.
"This place is full of dark energy. I'm suspecting it has something to do with these spirits."
"I think I figured it out, you guys. Someone, or something, is using Kiyoko's well to get spirits into the city, and they are using deliveries to spread the spirits throughout the city."
Ravenna, Kiyoko, Akil, and Kaz enter through the main entrance. The receptionist recognizes that they are no supposed to be there. Kiyoko reaches into her sleeve and pulls out some powder. She blows it in the receptionist's face, temporarily blinding her. Kiyoko nonchalantly continues on.
They head through two large bay doors and enter a giant room with endless conveyer belts moving packages along. The spirits in the room make Kiyoko's skin crawl. Yet, something else that she doesn't see gives her an unpleasant feeling. A strange cloaked figure wearing a kitsune mask is seen off in the distance.
Without warning, the figure dashes towards Ravenna. Before the Spirit User can react, the figure strikes Ravenna in the chest. Kaz runs over to punch the assailant, but with frightening speed, they dash out of the way. Kaz chases after as the figure jumps up onto a conveyer belt. Kaz throws a package at the figure, managing to cause them to stumble for a moment.
The strange figure quickly recovers. They reach into their sleeve and pull out four skinny knives. They throw the knives at Kaz and two of them slice her thigh. Kaz shrieks in pain, but continues chasing the assailant. Kaz manages to catch up and lands a blow to the chest, but the masked assailant returns with a big kick. Kaz reaches into her bowling bag and grabs Bommon.
The baby Digimon morphs into a baseball. Kaz is startled by this occurrence, but figures it is just what she needs right now. Kaz winds up and throws the ball at the assailant. While traveling through the air, Bommon morphs into a bowling ball, appearing like Kaz's ball from earlier. Before the projectile can reach the assailant, in the blink of an eye, the masked figure switches places with Akil. The bowling ball hits Akil in the chest and knocks the wind out of him. The assailant flees for the time being.
Ravenna watches on in horror as Akil collapses. She feels responsible for Akil getting hurt because she can't Spirit Evolve lately. Seeing the ability to trade places gives Kiyoko a flashback to her days as a Tamer. Does she know the figure in the kitsune mask?
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