Daisy
Across town as Rachel's group made their way from the meeting at Skitter's base, they found a large circus tent pitched in the middle of her territory. Calliope music played loudly to an audience of one, a woman in a shiny white bodysuit with black spots and bunny ears stood in front of the large tent. The bunny woman waved enthusiastically to Bentley, the English Bulldog's tail wagged enthusiastically. "That is a mighty fine dog ya got there, Ms. Lindt. He's a real beaut!"
Rachel grasped the steel chain in her fist and gripped it white knuckle tight. She did not like strangers in her territory and especially ones commenting on her dogs. Bitch let a whistle rip calling her dogs forth from their shelters.
"Ahh, sorry but the rest of the pooches ain't coming. Seems one of my friends here is something of an animal trainer themselves. So you don't gotta worry about your four legged friends gettin' hurt today."
"I'll kill you if you hurt my dogs", Bitch saw red, nobody took her dogs away. Bentley slowly started growing in size, spikes of bone tethered by sinew and slabs of muscle grew from his exterior.
The bunny woman snapped her fingers and from the massive tent opening emerged a serpentine necked, jade dragon. It's milky green stone flesh stretched between the taloned fingers of it's massive wings that jutted from it's sides like arms. It's head was small for such a long neck and massive lower body but it's bird-like screeches caused the dwarfed Bentley to stay close to it's master.
"This here Green Dragon is called Emmy by her master, and then this bad boy is called Halcyon", Sea Bunny lifted the bottom half of her mask and blew a whistle with two fingers in her mouth. Out of the tent lumbered a metallic gold and silver Hercules Beetle, the bulk of its body about the size of a minivan. The tip of its massive horn on the top of its head burned bright with a white flame.
Lastly, from the tent, out strolled a woman in a strapless red and black sequin dress with a long slit cut to the upper half of her thigh. On her head was a glossy black top hat with a red band, a silver metal feather was tucked into the band from which it stuck up and drooped behind her head. She held one of her black opera glove covered arms high waving to the small audience of Rachel and her crew. Her green eyes flared with an unnatural green glow as she walked forward and took her place next to Sea Bunny. She doffed her hat and bowed deeply with a flourish, her skin was olive and her black hair was braided and coiled up beneath the hat.
She stood back up and flashed a bleached toothy smile, "I am Sheila Torrance and today's performance I have named Ars Magna, Monsters and Myths."
Rachel took a step forward and glowered at the intruders.
The bunny woman held up her hands, "I'm Sea Bunny, and uhhh I suggest you stand down and turn yourself in Ms. Lindt. Your subordinates are free to leave if they do wish to be available to make character statements at your trial."
"Fuck Off!" Biter spat his invective while the rest of Rachel's people shook their heads no, choosing to stand their ground with Bitch.
"That's -urk- my line", Barker croaked, the effects of Skitter's attack still weakened the cape's vocal based power. Biter shrugged in response.
Sea Bunny fixed her mask back in place, and long black spines tore through the black spots of her costume, "Wrong answer, Bucko".
The metal beetle's shell opened, its wings a flurry as it and the giant stone dragon took to the air.
~~x
As dusk settled over the city Dust Devil's eyes glowed red. It was a simple effect built into the mask but when the cape switched to his breaker state the red glow, while faint, remained giving his ghost form a demonic appearance. This unnerved Clockblocker as he and Flechette waited in Dolltown, while Shadow Stalker and Dust Devil constantly patrolled the area controlled by the Rogue cape known as Parian.
Flechette plucked at the almost invisible thread that ringed the edge of her territory. Flechette seemed even more nervous than Dennis did, she fiddled with her Arbalest twice in as many minutes and kept checking on the cardboard boxes of supplies.
"Hey, Fletch, you okay?"
She frowned, "It's earlier than usual for bringing supplies. She might get spooked since those two are all over her territory."
"Look, I know she's basically unaffiliated, but she has territory. That's what Piggot put the Terrible Two together for, the city isn't a pizza to be cut up for other's profit."
"I know, I just don't want her to get hurt. No one really lives in this area but her friends and family. She protects it to keep the people she cares about from getting even more hurt."
Dennis cringed at the thought of falling into the hands of the medic of the Slaughterhouse Nine, an elementary school kid with a squicky fascination for modifying living human beings for her own amusement. Some of Parian's own fell into Bonesaw's hands to act as hastily modified doubles for the Nine to escape in the confusion.
"Why do you think the Director lent us out?"
Flechette shrugged, "I think they know I have regular contact with Parian's territory in my patrols, but as for you? You heard Dust Devil, we're glorified bait. Maybe they figure since you have been pretty effective in the past couple fights against the Undersiders, Grue or Skitter would want another shot at you."
Clockblocker hung his helmeted head, "Why are you straight up about this stuff?"
"Better than being lied to and taken by surprise."
Flechette looked up and on the roof of the apartment building stood a large cloth cat, Parian sat astride her creation as it leapt to the ground floor, landing like the cat it was. She held her hands up in surrender, while the doll masked woman looked from Flechette to Clockblocker.
"You're early", her voice surprised but pleased. "I didn't think you'd visit so soon."
Flechette's anxiety eased up as Parian dismounted the cloth cat, she carefully held her beautiful dress down to maintain her modesty. Any other day Flechette would have felt amused at her continued ladylike behavior but not with the ex Ward and ex Protectorate capes haunting the area.
"I didn't think I'd be early either but..."
"But what?" The Doll masked woman looked around and her cloth cat arched it's back like a Halloween decoration.
"It looks like the PRT is cracking down on everyone holding territory. I know you're in a rough spot..."
"I-I can't, my people have nowhere to go. I'm still saving for their surgeries. For some this is the only home they have left and they've lost so much."
Dennis sighed, "I'm Clockblocker, I'm one of Flechette's teammates. We all know you're not like Hellhound or Skitter, you're not violent without reason. It's why they asked us to come here and ask you to just move, you don't have a legal claim to the land you hold. But - but maybe with your power you can put in for a job with the PRT or even join The Protectorate? I'm sure if you -"
Parian backed away from the thread boundary and stepped closer to her cat. Behind her the smokey outline of Shadow Stalker descended from the roof of the building, landing silently behind the Rogue cape.
"PLEASE! Sabah, I beg you. Just you - just come with me. We can talk to the PRT, I'll protect you. We have a special hospital under the Wards base. Just don't run off."
Parian hesitated getting on her creation, and Shadow Stalker remained stock still.
"Trust me. I want the best for you."
"You don't know me, not really ", Sabah spoke quietly from behind her mask.
"I want to, very very much", Lily removed her mask. "Come with me, let's talk."
Dennis felt awkward as hell. Maybe he was still lying on his back pumped full of bug venom with some kind of allergic fever dream in full effect while waiting for a medic in front of the bank. A glimpse of Dust Devil's eyes from a dark window on the ground floor added further suspicion to this reality.
"Okay", was the Doll Woman's reply.
~~x
A gout of white flame engulfed the monster dog. Bentley charged the beetle but it flew up into the sky. The dog leapt at the nearest building and rebounded off it's wall and tackled the metal bug out of the sky.
The dragon snapped at Rachel who used the chain with the ring hand hold like a flail, her attacks glancing off the hard jade exterior of the creature. Barker used single words and syllables to create short burst explosive attacks keeping the snake necked thing at bay.
Sea Bunny ducked under Biter's enormous fist as he swung at the once retired cape. Her spines, usually tipped with whatever drugs or poisons she consumed that day, dripped with blood. Gashes bled from the torn leather wrapped on the bear trap for a lower jaw accessorized cape. His movements sluggish as her spines did their work while she continued to dodge his attacks.
Sheila Torrance stayed at the periphery of the battle, the color of her eyes switched from Green to Gold and back as the tactics of the same colored minion changed. She smiled to herself as the Protectorate would get exactly what they paid for.
~~x