<I'm not sure we can hide from it... it's following us, isn't it? Wouldn't it see?>
In any case, hide with the others.
Asha brings Sasha up to speed and brings her with the group to hide, if she doesn't resist.
Sasha is, at first, slightly confused because of lacking telepathy and being unable to hear the others. She then understands what's happening and follows Asha while thinking about how cool it would be to communicate with mind powers like that.
"Oh, sorry Sasha. We're going to hide and see what is following us. If it feels okay, we'll call out to it and start talking. If it feels made of evil and sadness, we'll likely just attack."
<Maybe not, but we can try. And if it feels really bad and evil, we can probably attack first. If it's not bad, we can probably talk.>
Hide with the others and try to feel out what is following us.
<That sounds good!>
Tooru hides! Though she's still chasing who/whatever it is if they run away.
[Creativity] * 5Everyone confers quickly for several seconds, before agreeing to hide from whatever is following them. They split in two different directions, Tooru leaping to the left, landing in a low crouch and immediately flattening herself against the ground, carefully watching the bomb from a short distance away, while Asha and Alida rush off to the right, with Aleksandra just behind them. Mina is the only one who hesitates, looking down at the clear path that the fleeing trio left in the deep ashes in their hurried retreat. They haven't been making much sound, whatever is following them most likely just followed their tracks.
The green girl steps up onto the bomb, concentrating on the tracks her friends left, and the surrounding ashy terrain. It's a simple surface, just uneven heaps of powder, and replicating its optical properties is a simple matter; after just a moment of concentration,
her magic flows out over the tracks and creates a series of small piles over the tracks, concealing them flawlessly. Her job done, she leaps over towards Tooru, landing just short of the redhead before dropping prone and almost entirely covering herself with ash.
None of the girls have to wait long before their pursuer steps into view. It's a clay woman, aside from gender identical to the clay man on the boat, down to the tacky top hat, tuxedo, and glass tie. She's smiling, and carrying a shovel over one shoulder. She walks along the tracks calmly yet quietly, appearing not to have to have a care in the world, up until she reaches the bomb, and the end of the tracks. She stops in place, then robotically bends over at the waist, the rest of her body locked in position, like a statue. She holds that position for several seconds, her eyes not even looking at the bomb, before straightening up again.
The familiar then starts turning in place, carefully rotating herself to examine her surroundings. She looks past Mina and Tooru without seeing anything, then rotates past Alida and her two charges on the other side, at which point they stop holding their breath. They all wait for a little while, expecting the clay woman to do something more, but she just stays there, continually turning in place and waiting.
Mina frowns when she realizes it won't be leaving soon. Her illusion is very simple to maintain, but it is slowly draining her. And if she leaves, or dispels it, the woman will see the tracks the others left behind. She telepathically explains that to her companions, not quite sure what to do just yet.
((Next update Friday the 7th. Current (apparently looping) musical track: Santana - Black Magic Woman (Instrumental).))
Soul Gem: Glowing with a fading light.
Form and location: Medallion, pinned to her left breast.
Age: 14
Hair Color: Salt-stained blonde.
Health: Completely drenched, and now very ashy, but no longer very dazed.
Inventory: A club, and a boxed pair of new (if wet) shoes in her backpack.
Totem: A fishing club.
Stats:
Bravery: Talented~
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Amateur...
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Skilled!
Creativity: Cursed ;-;
Love: Cursed ;-;
Abilities:
Mobility Lvl2
Close Combat Lvl3+1
Totem Manipulation Lvl2
Berzerker Lvl3
Painless Lvl2
Effigy Lvl1
Soul Gem: Glowing with a Vibrant light.
Form and location: Ring, worn on her left ring finger.
Age: 13
Hair color: Ashen
Health: Fine, if very wet! And covered in asha!
Inventory: Four ribbons, woven into a net.
Totem: A Ribbon. The one her late sister wore.
Stats:
Bravery: Skilled!
Joy: Cursed ;-;
Innocence: Cursed ;-;
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Talented~
Creativity: Amateur...
Love: Skilled!
Abilities:
Mobility: Level 3
Close Combat: Level 2
Totem Manipulation: Level 1 (+1)
Heal and Steel: Level 2 (Active: Next attack rolls on Mercy)
Soothe: Level 3
Flagellation: Level 3
Memento: Level 1 (Given to Aleksandra)
Soul Gem: Glowing with a bright light.
Form and location: Ring, worn on her right index finger.
Age: 14.
Hair Color: Bright green.
Health: Still a little dazed and distracted, but Aleksandra's assult on her ears took the edge off it. She's entirely covered in wet ash, and dry ash atop that.
Inventory: Nothing of real value, not even a halberd, though she actually *could* summon another despite not having Totem Manipulation.
Totem: A halberd.
Stats:
Bravery: Amateur...
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Amateur...
Purity: Skilled!
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Talented~
Love: Cursed ;-;
Abilities:
Mobility: Level 2
Close-Combat: Level 2 (+1)
Regeneration: Level 2
Sixth Sense: Level 3
Semblance: Level 2
Projection: Level 2 (Active: illusion of ash (1/6 minor upkeep per turn)
Soul Gem: Glowing with a fading light.
Form and location: Necklace, worn around her... neck...
Age: 13
Hair Color: Bright scarlet.
Health: Fine! And dry, somehow!
Inventory: Nothing useful, except for ashy clothes...
Totem: Ofuda talismans, primarily thrown as manabolts.
Stats:
Bravery: Cursed ;-;
Joy: Talented~
Innocence: Skilled!
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Amateur...
Love: Skilled!
Abilities:
Mobility II
Mana Bolt III (+I)
Regeneration I
Totem Manipulation II
Invigorating Passion I
Outburst II
Duet with Reality II
Ward: Glowing with a foolish light!
Age: 12
Hair Color: Black.
Health: Fine, though her ears still hurt. Also, drenched.
Inventory: A cute blue ribbon tied into her hair, and an ancient AK-47 held in her hands. Alida's coat is wrapped snugly around her head as a kind of combination hat/hearing protection, though her own assault on her ears is what's really protecting her.
Stats:
Bravery: Skilled!
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Talented~
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Cursed ;-;
Love: Amateur...