[Center][color=ed1c24][h2]Fujiwara no Mokou[/h2]
Level 6
6/60 EXP

Location: Frozen Highlands - Krat Zoo
Wordcount: 1337 (+3 EXP)[/color][/Center]

As the beast died, Mokou floated back to the ground, shaking her cooked arm as if it was a minor annoyance, the black already fading away. Now that the carcass was defeated, she could get a better look at her two ‘helpers’, a kid and a bipedal rabbit of some kind. Odd, but not something she was completely unfamiliar with… And certainly not opposed to seeing, [color=ed1c24]“I had it, but the help made it go quicker. Certainly didn’t expect to see anyone actively wandering here… But suppose it makes sense”[/color] Mokou says, idly kicking the ground as she paced towards the fallen beast, hands in her pocket and posture completely relaxed, as if she hadn’t just been fighting for her life mere moments ago, [color=ed1c24]“I got asked by a little group a ways out here to help find a few ‘vikings’. Turns out the wildlife here is enough to deter most rescuers from actually entering”[/color] she comments, before turning [color=ed1c24]“Oh, and for the record, I’m no ‘child’. If I were to wager a guess, I’m older than you by several dozen generations. Not that I mind, most make the same mistake”[/color] Mokou adds with a shrug, letting Heismay apologize as she lifted a hand out of her pocket, aiming it towards the fallen elephant before her. A few sigils appeared above her hand, rotating themselves into proper position… Before the carcass itself ignited into flames. A slow burn, nothing flashy, but the purpose was clear: Mokou was getting rid of the body, largely to ensure it never got back up again.

[color=ed1c24]“Eh, sure. Not like I have a reason not to, and it ensures I don’t accidentally miss anyone”[/color] with a dismissive wave of her hand towards her fallen foe, Mokou turns back to Heismay, [color=ed1c24]“Fujiwara no Mokou. You can just call me ‘Mokou’ though, I don’t much care for the full name anymore”[/color] the white haired girl greeted, taking Heismay’s hand and shaking it lightly. For a brief moment, a wave of warmth blew across Heismay’s form, dispelling the lingering frost from the elephant carcass.

With that, Mokou began walking towards the stagecoach, only stopping for a moment to glance at Roxas as she passed, [color=ed1c24]“Pleasure to meet you too kiddo. Can tell you’ve got a bit of talent for magic. Keep it up.”[/color] she says casually, only to continue her walk to the stagecoach, glancing up at the man who spoke up to her as she approached: Military folk, by the looks of it, [color=ed1c24]“Oh yeah, sure. Already agreed to help out with Heismay over there. I’ll just be taking a bit to relax”[/color] she says, giving a dismissive wave of her hand as she opened the side door to the stagecoach and, within seconds, crashed upon one of the seats, all decorum completely disregarded.

For a while, Mokou simply sat there, idly tapping her finger on the arm rest nearby. She wasn’t in a hurry, but with the lingering pain from nearly being torn in half, Mokou at least deserved a small respite. Even a healing spell from the boy couldn’t get rid of the feeling of near death. Yet, she didn’t stay lounging for long, as when the group had arrived at the empty, frozen food court, Mokou stood up with a grunt, dusting her shirt off as she opened the door of the stagecoach.

[color=ed1c24]“Let me just check around here real quick, don’t want to miss anyone hiding out.”[/color] Mokou tells the others as she finally steps out of the stagecoach again, stretching a little before hopping to the cold ground and began her search within the frozen food court. For the most part, Mokou hardly looked around the open areas of the food court. Instead, she immediately made her way to the empty food stalls, taking a look around. For a moment, she actually seemed to put in effort in her search, looking high and low within the stalls that she investigated… Yet after about two searched stalls, the white haired girl simply let out a sigh, turning to the main area and cupping a hand around her mouth to broadcast her voice, [color=ed1c24]“Hey! Any vikings around here? Rescue is around!”[/color]

In the seconds following Mokou's outcry, the dwindling echoes of her shout slowly gave way to the bleak blustering of the Highlands' icy winds, steadily working to bury the horrors of Krat Zoo beneath spotless winter snow. The phoenix was nothing if not stubborn, though, and after a moment, her persistence paid off. She identified movement, not among the food court's various stalls, but at the back of one of the small-animal exhibits in the plaza's middle. In retrospect, it made sense; those h, catering to arachnids and reptiles, had to be climate-controlled to keep them nice and toasty, and there would logically need to be some sort of hidden space in the exhibit's middle in order to tend to the habitats. As she watched, a maintenance hatch opened up, and a weathered face adorned by a winged, fur-lined cap and a voluminous blonde bear poked through. When the viking spotted a number of people alive and well, he squeezed out of the maintenance chute, crawled through the former iguana exhibit, and used a large round shield to break through the glass with a smash.

"Oof!" The tall, portly man tumbled to the ground. When he got to his feet, he towered over not just Mokou, but most of the Seekers. It was a wonder he managed to fit into that hiding spot at all. "Agh! So cold!" He shivered, his teeth chattering. "Thank goodness you folks came along. I'd 'ave starved to death if I'd been in there much longer. Don't s'pose you've seen me brothers around?" He glanced around the food court.

[color=ed1c24]“I haven’t, but the group over there found someone named ‘Erik’, if that rings a bell”[/color] she says, walking up to the viking and lifting her hand, a small flaming feather quickly forming in her palm, [color=ed1c24]“Take this, should warm you up a bit. Just don’t grab onto it directly, guide it with your hand”[/color] the girl says, letting the feather hover in the air in front of the viking before she turned on her heel, [color=ed1c24]“Come along, we’ve got space on the stagecoach over there. Keep yourself nice and safe while we find anyone else.”[/color]

With the viking in tow, Mokou takes a moment to scan the area one last time before she begins to make her way back to the stagecoach, hopping onto the roof, taking a seat on top as the group continued onwards. She didn’t take up a watcher role even with her perch however, instead closing her eyes and letting the group continue on.

At least, for a bit, before the sound of rippling water and shifting trees caught her attention. Immediately, Mokou opened her eyes, just in time to witness the massive albino alligator rise from the water. The phoenix blinks in surprise, before a small smile forms on her lips, rather than the surprise from the others. The elephant was certainly a surprise, but whatever this creature was… It was clearly a cut above.

It took only a second for Mokou’s flaming wings to sprout from her back as the white haired girl took to the sky, a finger snap ringing out as four different flaming orbs formed into existence, barely wasting time before they began to rain flaming feathers down upon the beast. She didn’t anticipate them doing much, the beast’s hide seemed too thick and wet for her feathers to do much, but the first step to slaying a beast was to study it, and that was what she would do from her aerial advantage, harassing the beast as it thrashed about.

… Of course, Mokou was not oblivious to her ally’s own actions, and when Edward shouted out towards her, the phoenix gave a small nod, lifting her hand in a finger gun as she aimed towards the barrel in question. A small sigil appeared at her finger tip, and a small burning flame erupted to life, moments before she took her shot, a condensed beam of fire launching straight towards the barrel of fat as it neared the beast’s mouth.