[b]MITSURU SAZANAMI[/b]

Flitting past the Sun Princes was simple enough. Simple, not easy. Being in smoke form for anything over five seconds was exhausting and the toll it took certainly applied in this situation. Mitsuru struggled to maintain a brisk pace as they hefted the bubble through the streets, their mind still reeling from the flashy bastard’s words.

Who the hell did that shiny, rose-scented prick think he was? Typical Sun Prince cockiness. Suuure, the situation was totally being “handled”, as the Rose Prince put it. Of couuurse, there was absolutely no chance of the numerous swarms of Shadows endangering the poor fellow who had wandered in while the Sun Princes were trying for a Shadow-slaying personal best. Bastards, the whole lot of them. Mitsuru doubted that they would have even noticed if the civilian had gotten killed. They probably would have been too busy with their show-boating and sparkly special moves.

Mitsuru did have to admit though, they got spooked for a second back there. They didn’t expect the Rose Prick to actually go after them. Mitsuru scowled at the memory. He probably wanted to hog the glory of saving an innocent civilian too. But despite all the resentment they held for the Rose Prince, Mitsuru had to acknowledge that he seemed like a powerful and versatile fighter. They remember glancing back with a sly grin as they took off with the bubble, though the smirk soon fell when they witnessed the thick vines emerging to create grand-looking platforms for the Rose Prince. Needless to say, Mitsuru was quite relieved when the arrival of more Shadows forced the Sun Prince to abandon his chase. They grimaced at the thought that they almost needed to fight the more experienced adversary. If the rumours of a turf war were true, Mitsuru would need to get stronger very quickly in order to hold their own against Sun Princes like Flower Boy. And that meant not getting completely worn out after using their smoke ability for only five seconds and jogging a few hundred metres while holding a civilian. Speaking of the civilian…

[color=7bcdc8]“Hey!”[/color] the bloke called out and rapped his knuckles against the surface of the bubble. His voice was muffled but still slightly audible.

[color=7bcdc8]“What’s… Am I gonna get to ask anything after you guys are done with those...whatever they are? Shadows or something, I heard?"[/color]

[color=0076a3]“Well…”[/color] Mitsuru stalled, genuinely stumped by the question. The senior princes had talked about this before, right? Out of the corner of their eye they noticed another Prince, watching them from the top of a building then proceeding to fall off it as he laughed. Ouch. He didn’t seem hostile or harmed by the fall. A Moon Prince, perhaps? At least an ally hopefully. Mitsuru spied some Shadows further ahead that they could definitely use some assistance with. 

[color=0076a3]“If I recall correctly, your memories of your time here will vanish as soon as you leave the Otherworld,”[/color] Mitsuru replied in a composed tone as they found a nice level spot to set the bubble down. They summoned their weapon to engage the shadows, [color=0076a3]“So to answer your query: probably not?”[/color]

Suddenly, a stray, rather loud, thought pierced through their anticipation.

[Color=FFC0CB]'Honestly, has no one ever taught you manners?'[/color] an irritated voice that wasn’t Mitsuru’s spat, [Color=FFC0CB]'Hate the man, not the suit. You never dirty a gentleman's suit.'[/color]

Mitsuru whirled around, trying to find the source of the mental intrusion. They couldn’t spot anything that could have transmitted the thought messages. Unnerving. Unseen potential threats were unnerving. Ignoring the shadows down the road, Mitsuru once again picked the bubble up and made their way down a different route. It wasn’t long before they saw some more Shadows in their way and another telepathic message came through.

[Color=FFC0CB]“Slow down, Smokey!”[/color]

Mitsuru froze in their tracks, internally sighing in dismay. It seemed that nickname was going to stick around. The senior Moon Princes had laughed and slapped Mitsuru on the back, calling them “Smokey” after they introduced their powers. A more important thing of note was that the voice was male. That ruled out the chance of it being a witch attack. Mitsuru turned to greet the new arrival but was faced with nothing. They turned back to find a fellow Moon Prince had already dispatched the lesser Shadows and constructed a sort of shelter with his magic cards. Ah, so he was the Prince of Tricks.

Without further delay, Mitsuru carried the bubble into the safe zone before exhaling from exertion and relief. It was nice to finally have a small break.

[color=0076a3]“Thank you for the assistance,”[/color] they bowed after setting the bubble down once more, [color=0076a3]“I’m quite new to this so please forgive the inconvenience.”[/color]