Night of the Porcelain Soldiers!🎃

[mermalaide]

Tatsu paced back and forth, inside the kitchen there were shouts of war and pots and pans crashing to the floor. It was absolutely horrible. Her grandfather would be out a bit for the night and would not be back until later, and she was home alone. She had gone to cook some dinner, specifically curry, and then it happened. A little man made from some of the old dishes and bottles climbed onto the chopping block and hurled curses at her. 

She tried to fend him off and put him to rest, but he just summoned more friends!

"More sake woman!" The little man screamed, hurling a fish plate to the floor. The plate began to cobble together with other things to make another. It picked up a cleaver and hopped off the block to give chase. Tatsu ran, being thankful for the boots she wore, and locked the big rolling door to the temple kitchen. Tatsu moved a large hall table against the shoji and ran out onto the porch. She fished for her phone and called the Immaculate Heart Church's phone number.

"E-ex-excuse me!" She tried to get it together. "Could I please speak to Bernard-san? Could you please tell him that It's Tatsu and that it is an emergency!" 

[froststepper]

The rain poured down on the form of the large figure running through the darkened streets of Kyoto. He had recieved a call from Tatsu, who had asked for his help. She had sounded distressed, so Bernard had chosen to skip the details, and asked where he was needed. After recieving an address, he had gathered his things and headed out. Tatsu knew his set of skills, so calling him meant there was something dangerous enough to warrant his methods. Going in blind wasn't his usual approach, but urgency was the key here. His bardiche was in his hands, despite the leather sheathe still covering the blade.

After reaching the address he was provided, he knocked the door loudly. The thunder echoed his knocks in the distance. A storm was coming

[mermalaide]

Tatsu had to barricade the kitchen shut. Just because something was small did not make it less dangerous. Today she had been wearing the typical robes one saw priestesses wear. It had been a long day and she had her hair pinned up. When Bernard got there, she was crouched behind some sake barrels, clutching her belled wand. When the door to the house boomed, she actually jumped. Realizing it was Bernard, she came around the side of the building from where she was hiding.

"Bernard-san! Am I glad to see you!" She normally was able to dispel things, but this creature had caught her off guard so badly, she had lost her shoes. "Let's go over to the side of the house, I have trapped it in the kitchen, but it will likely attack as soon as I slide open the door." The cobble stones led them around the side of the house, past some pretty large sake barrels for blessings. The sound of smashing plates could be heard and Tatsu frowned. "I just thrifted those. Gramps is going to be so mad." She sighed.

Another crash! This time, knives were sticking through the door. 


"Sorry to call you out like this, Gramps went to help an elderly patient and I didn't know what to do, it attacked while I was cooking our dinner." She looked pretty upset. "I have actually never seen anything like that before, I have read about them but I have never seen one!"

[froststepper]

"I came as quickly as I could." Bernard answered. Tatsu seemed distraught, which made him wonder what manner of creature could sneak into her home, let alone surpise her? He followed the girl around the house, and he could hear the ruckus inside the house. When Tatsu explained the situation, Bernard was confused.
"You locked it... in the kitchen?" Dangerous enough to force Tatsu to seek help, but it could be locked in the kitchen? What were they dealing with?
"Tatsu, what exactly...?" The knife sticking through the door paused his sentence. He looked at it with curiosity.
"... let's start from the top. What IS it exactly?" Something that can launch cutlery with force, but couldn't escape kitchen was an odd combination. EIther it wasn't corporeal, unmoving, or very small. ANy of the options carried different manners of problems.

[mermalaide]

There were paper talismans on the door and it rattled. "I mad a barrier to keep it in there. It's violent and.. well making a few friends." She shivered. "As for what it is. Well it was in an old box of china. I didn't know someone had sealed it, maybe the warnings had been so worn away. But when I opened the box, a little samurai made of dishes sprang out and started screaming at me." Her hair was a bit wet and stuck to her a little, as did her clothing. She frowned.

"He caught me off guard with that knife he had." Tatsu shook her head. "I dropped him when he came at me, and he fell to the floor, and, well I thought I broke him, which was sad, but then he started piecing himself back together and-" Before she could say more, the door rattled and a gruff but miniature voice yelled in old style Japanese at Tatsu. "I don't think it's possible to exorcise it, I think it would have to be re sealed. But I'd have to catch it first." There was a shout and some pots banging around. Thankfully, there was no fire stoked, but some how the rice cooker flew through one of the windows, and clattered on the deck. 

Tatsu brought up her phone. "I am pretty sure we are dealing with this guy!"

[froststepper]

Bernard listened Tatsu with undivided focus. Situation was starting to get clear. He had dealt with cursed items before: Cursed sword that fought by itself, a statue that was being controlled by a witchcraft, and once a demon possesed nail clippers. Little soldier made out of porcelain was definetly new though.
"Are you certain we can't just pulverize it? You'd think it would be harder to piece yourself together if you can be carried away by the wind." Suggestion was not to make light of the situation. It would have been the simplest solution. However, Bernard was fully aware that simple solutions weren't always the correct ones. He was more than willing to trust Tatsu expertise on yokai on the matter.

"If we must contain it by sealing it away, I could draw it's attention and pin it down. I trust you can take care of the sealing process? Whenever you're ready, undo the seal, and let it out. I'll make sure it focuses on me." As he spoke, he unsheated his weapon. The blade of the bardiche was inscribed with latin writing, and the edge seemed sharp. Bernard run his hand along the text, before hoisting it in his fighting stance. He nodded to Tatsu that he was ready.

[mermalaide]

"Well.." She looked at him sheepishly, trying not to drown in all that wet, black hair. "You see, I crushed it with an iron skillet, the one I use for grandpa's eggs and it, well, made more of itself." She bit her lip. "I didn't think it could do that really, and then they ganged up on me when I went to get a broom to sweep them up." She looked a little funny.

"Anyway.. you will see my friend. Be on guard!"

She slid the door to the kitchen open. It wasn't obvious at first. No, but once you see it, it was horrifying. The kitchen was a mess of dishes that had been smashed, broken and reformed into two armies. There were towers and turrets, little men made of dishes, and carrying knives. A dish made despot was on one side and his mirror opposite was on the other, and they were barking orders to their infantrymen!

A plate sailed across the kitchen and slammed into the wall shattering into a million pieces. What on earth would she serve meals on now? Tatsu looked horrified. Before she could stop herself, she yelled at the plates. "Stop it you horrible dishy delinquents!" Her cheeks were red.

"Ohoho! Look Who is back!"

[froststepper]

Devastation in the kitchen seemed bad, but the problem seemed to be all the destroyed cups and plates were being made into more soldiers for the small army. The cursed porchelain seemed more dangerous than Bernard had at first assumed. No point in changing the plan now.
"Samurai!" he bellowed at the cutlery wielding fiends.
"I have come to this land to challenge warriors, but so far my blade has only cut weaklings! Send me your strongest, and I'll take his measure, or cower behind your numbers, if your spirit is fragile! Or am I mistaken thinking this island is famed for warriors, when it's filled by naught but gutless peasants?"

While this apporach seemed reckless, his strategy wasn't simply improvised. His studies and experience had shown him that some demons that imitate something specific usually tried to act like their inspiration. If this was the case, insulting the honor of warriors usually got them riled up, and in the time he had spent in the land, he had the impression local warriors took it more seriously than he had used to. He was making alot of assumptions, but even if he was wrong, there was very little in the way of options. Fighting such small creatures in confined space wasn't an option, so drawing them out was his best bet.

[mermalaide]

Tatsu stood there with her mouth agape for a moment. The challenge that Bernard had issued to the tiny china pieced warriors was impressive, and though she was probably laugh recounting this to Ryo or even Kinitsu later. She snapped out of it and when they were distracted on Bernard, Tatsu darted past, almost sliding across the floor to retrieve a large square container of salt. If she could bless that, it would help greatly. A small army of dish men marched forward with something that looked like a cobbled together ballista. "FORWARD MEN! WE HAVE A FORIEGN ENEMY AT OUR GATES! THE DRAGON WOMAN BROUGHT REINFORCEMENTS!"

Bernard had sufficiently angered them! Some of them banged pot lid shields and they yelled at him! "Foreign devil! Gaijin!" Some had fashion spears from cutlery and it looked like they numbered at twenty. Who knew if they were hiding in the cupboards. It was doubtful though. Stuff other than metal had looked smashed up good. A warrior that looked like he was made from a teapot with a sake decanter for a head rode to the front of them on a hovering plate that seemed to float on it's on merit. Tatsu began to work on the salt, having moved behind Bernard now. If she could bless it, maybe it would do some spiritual damage. Her Kagura suzu was in her bedroom, as they had really caught her off guard. The rain started to calm a little.

"I am Seto taishō." He seemed to have arms and legs of cutlery, porcelain dishes for armor. His face was a painted, ink colored snarl on the white, like something out of Noh. He had sharpened chopsticks at his side that one could only assume were his weapons. "Do you challenge me Gaijin?"

[froststepper]

Bernard kept his gaze locked in the literal small army marching forward. He had noticed Tatsu moving, and he didn't want to give the little soldiers any reasons to target her. However, seemed like his educated guess was correct, for the army made of pots and cups was focused on him, seemingly furious. In the most other situations to other people, the knee high army would have looked hilarious. But not to him, and not now. He knew better than underestimate spirits or demons. The nail clipper incident taught him that.

He stared down at the soldier who stepped forward to face him. Literally, for the thing wasn't exactly spoiled with stature.
"If you are the leader of this army, I am indeed challenging you." He said calmly, his usual warmth not heard in his voice, replaced by coldness like winter wind.
"I am Bernard, of the Lazarus order. Are you willing to face me, man to man, or do I need to go through your men first?" As he spoke, he flourished with his bardiche, making the water drops gathered on its wide blade rain down to the ground, following the rain that was slowly calming down

[mermalaide]

Tatsu knelt behind Bernard and began a blessing. She cupped her hands much like priests and nuns did to water. She concentrated deeply, visualizing (Rank C Ability: Purification), a breeze seemed to flow around them, and the smells of a soft ocean breeze came forward. It covered both her and Bernard. Ryujin's presence, the protective healing power he brought graced the salt. It shone with light. Seto taishō rode to the side to face him and looked like he would oblige, which only made some of the creations behind him angry. Some of them rushed forward in a sweeping wave and two things happened at once.

Firstly, he drew his bade in an arc and it cut sown some of the men coming at them. The tiny sword sliced them in half and they fell to pieces. Seto did not jive with insubordination, but the second thing was that Tatsu sprung from her knelt position behind him and darted to one side. She threw some of the purified salt at the dishes that were attacking without warning and it flew in an arc of light. Some of the dishes it touched clattered to the floor or altogether broke. Some still got through to Bernard. They looked like they could not stop even if the had wanted to.