Chapter 1: Petals Born on Spring

"Hmm?" Abenanka raises her eyebrows at Chimera's enthusiasm.

She definitely finds there to be something sweet about her, something that reminds her of her younger sisters. Part of her wants to reach out and ruffle her hair, but to do something so familiar is completely out of the question. There is something about her blonde hair that keeps Abenanka's interest though. It just might be... jealousy?

"I don't suppose it comes from anywhere." She folds her hands behind her back, like someone used to maintaining a low profile and keeping out of sight. "Just a stray thought. Do you know mountains, Princess?"

Her question is cut short by the sounds of the airgun firing. She gives Chimera a small smile, and guides them a little closer to the range. There the two of them watch, and she's impressed by the skills on display. She can't help watch the expressions on each of the competitors faces, rather than the actions they're taking.

Then, like a whirlwind, Homura is in front of her with a plush. She blinks in surprise, before blushing and averting her eyes once again. "For me!?" Abenanka's wrong footed once again. "I couldn't possibly accept something so generous. Besides, surely something so cute- ah, so beautiful would be more appropriate in your hands."

"What? Nonsense! Just take it. If someone's giving you something, it means they want you to have it!" She smiled, stating the obvious with unflinching confidence.

However, she didn't get the chance to pester Abenanka further. She's interrupted by the sudden appearance of the shamon. As it landed with a ground-shaking tremor near their group, she cursed.

"Damn it! Here? We've got to call the imperial army—" She stopped when she noticed Rika was frozen in shock. "Don't just stand there! Go, get out of here!" She yelled at her, but it was too late. The hulking, winged shamon was already coming, so Homura stood her ground. The Colonel had entrusted his daughter to her and the others, so she wasn't going to run away.

"Come on then!" Her violet eyes blazed as psychic energy pounded behind them.

"Mountains? Well, I know them as—"

Whatever poetry Chimera is about to wax gets cut off by the shamon descending on the fair. After her initial surprise, Chimera strikes a defiant pose, holding one hand out towards the shamon.

"So you dare cast a shadow on fair days, demon of darkness? Then prepare to be felled, fiend!"

After looking around, Chimera dashes off to grab a roll of the fine cloth Rika was eyeing earlier. Tying off one end to a sturdy looking post, Chimera takes off, zigzags the cloth back-and-forth across the path where the Shamon is charging to form multiple triplines, hopefully slowing its charge.

Claude assesses the situation. Rika got a nudge to snap out of it, good. Princess is running around in the shamon's potential path, not so good. That makes it essential to stop, wound, or at least distract the monster.

Claude unsheathes the rapier and runs towards the rampaging shamon, Blinking onto the roof of a nearby building that happens to be just slightly taller than the target, then jumps onto the monster's shoulders from the back, using the momentum to bring down the blade's tip with both hands on the hilt, aiming at the area near where the shamon's collarbone should be.

Did I hit the subclavian artery? I hope it has a subclavian . . .

Depending on what would happen next, Claude was ready to either twist the blade, keep stabbing, or Blink away from the monster to avoid retaliation.

"D'Armagnac! Make way!" Homura warned, not wanting to hurt her by accident. The moment Homura pointed her finger at the shamon, a thin and blindingly fast line of sparks rushed through the air, exploding into a swirling, flesh-searing inferno once it met the monster and the flammable cloth binding it.

However, that was just meant to keep the shamon distracted while she used a few extra seconds to prepare her real attack. She'd never pushed her power this far before, but there was no room for hesitation in her heart. Her heart pounded, her blood boiled, her very soul ignited as she held out her hand. A ball of highly pressurized flames grew within her palm, shifting from orange to white-hot. A foreign but simultaneously familiar cry emerged from within her heart, and she gave voice to it.

"Saint's Blaze Requiem!"

The pressurized fireball burst forth as a powerful beam that rushed towards the shamon!

While the pair were attacking, Abenanka stepped in front of Rika. She urged others to come closer too, and tried to ignore her heart hammering in her chest. She drew a talisman, a mixture of her native tongue and kanji written in an overlapping style. With a deep breath, she held it between two fingers, her hand resting on the pinkie finger of the other.

"Heavenly spirits of the air I beseech you, stalwart spirits of the earth I bind you." She recited, praying she didn't mess up. "By the instructions here written, take steps to protect us."

At first a shimmering blue light emanated from the talisman, drawing a line out from her. It spluttered and blinked a few times, before eventually growing to form a circle around those that gathered. Each flicker caused a spike of anxiety for Abenanka, but she tried to hold strong as best she could.

Shizuka had been patrolling on the other side of town when the monster had attacked the Spring Festival, crash-landed through a building, and destroyed several festival booths. She saw the pillar of dust in the distance and sprinted across a fairly long distance to get there, but by the time she arrived the monster was already in a crumpled heap and disintegrating into smoke. Luckily, even though there was damage to the festival, it didn’t appear that anyone was wounded.

Her armor and short-sword made it obvious she was part of the city’s police force, a sort of off-shoot from the days when samurai were more prevalent across Japan. She strode into the area with a stern look and ready for combat, but was surprised to see that everyone was fine. She approached the group with a professional, but curious attitude.

"Are you ladies alright? Civilians acting in self-defense against shamon attacks is legal in Tokyo, but not advised—especially for minors. However…"

She trailed off as she inspected everyone with a discerning eye. They all appeared to be very fancy with a few foreigners mixed in, so perhaps they were diplomats from another nation that had been allowed to carry weapons. Rika Hoshikawa was also with them, and she was part of that popular new theater that often played European musicals.

"Looks like you can take care of yourselves. Are you visiting to see a play of some kind?"

Whipping out a small notepad, Shizuka began taking notes on what was damaged as well as all the people involved in the incident.

Claude noticed and immediately stepped to intercept the approaching journalists - bloodied sabre visibly still in hand, albeit held nonthreateningly - giving the rest of the team an opportunity to meet the cameras or slip away as they saw fit. At least the princess surely didn't need any explicit hints, being familiar enough with such situation, and could decide for herself which course of action she'd prefer to take. Maybe she'd even explain it to the others if they can't figure out what's going on.

As the reporters became close enough to talk clearly and began rattling off questions, Claude engaged with them by providing some answers and making statements.

"I just stepped away from one of the local attractions, when I noticed that this monster is making a row. In our family, everyone is raised as a blademistress and a gentleman, so I found it only proper to intervene. I cannot take sole credit for what transpired afterwards - many have contributed to the defence of the fair, and may have since left the premises - but hopefully my performance can be deemed solid," the swashbuckler portrays driving the sabre down into an enemy, showing the depth of the thrust by pointing to the remains of blood on the blade.

"I do admit I got a bit battered in the process, and this might cut my pleasant walk short, but you know, all's well that ends well, and I'll be fine soon enough. So much for having a relaxing day before getting to work though. After all, I have an . . . artistic project to contribute to. I'm sure you'll hear of it soon enough."

Although Claude's measured speech is all good for PR and such, it lacks a certain...panache to it. With a flair, Chimera takes up a spot up in front of the journalists, puffing her chest out with one leg standing on a boulder-like piece of rubble.

"Such modest and refined language, Claude! For those who seek more than an account of what will become the past, turn to the words of I, Chimera Roosevelt, for what will become the future! When you speak of this incident, of darkness dashed in an instant, think of us, the exemplaries of the Imperial Café-Théâtre, the champions of humanity! We strike down terror with fiery aplomb! We bring meaning back to the word 'awe', and we mete it out without limit!"

"Imperial!"

"Café!"

"Théâtre!"

Chimera punctuates each word with a different pose, each ridiculously dramatic. "Remember it dearly, remember it well! As for I, Chimera Roosevelt? I shall take to the wind!"

"Secret Gambit: Heaven Obscuring Mist!"

Chimera throws down a smoke bomb, making a swift exit through the ensuing cloud of smoke. Anybody else who wants to escape attention might take the opportunity to do so as well.

Shizuka's eye twitched as journalists and excited on-lookeres swarmed the area, jostling her around and drowning out her very important police questioning. Since one of them began to regale the crowd, maybe these were celebrities instead of diplomats. But then a smoke bomb went off, allowing one to escape the attention.

As the smoke wafted over the crowd and the blonde girl shouted something, Shizuka began to recall that there was some meeting at the cafe about new recruits arriving. But... she was half asleep during that the meeting, so her braincells really had to work overtime. Finally the lightbulb clicked, these WERE her fellow petalframe pilots! But the whole thing was supposed to be a secret, so she settled on chasing after those fleeing the area.

Busting through the smoke and sprinting terminator-style, she followed the blonde one as her hair stood out the most even though her stature was tiny.

"Hey, this is a crime scene, you can't just run away! Also, what room are you taking at the cafe? Are we gonna be neighbors? Are you from France?!"

Chimera jumps as she sees the police officer stomping after her like a terminator. Try as she might to pick up the pace, the police officer is gaining on her and Rika...terrifyingly fast, actually. Curse these short legs (and thanks for having a reasonable stride length, Rika)!

"Ack—! Have you no sense of tact? Dramatic timing? This is no way to conduct an auspicious intertwining of destinies, you open-hipped hooligan! Now, begone!"

Fumbling a vial out of her sleeve, Chimera throws it on the ground behind her, where it shatters and forms an oil slick.

"Secret Gambit: Giant Slaying Territory!"

"Inter-what? Big words for someone so short. Is everyone is France short?"

Almost side-by-side with Chimera, Shizuka didn't seem winded at all. However, once the vial of oil hit the ground she began to spin out of control on the stone path. He trajectory bent sideways and sent her right into a booth selling various fruits, which she slipped right between by deftly contorting her body. However, directly behind the fruit stand was a horse stable with a big pile of hay, which Shizuka also flew past and slammed right into the stable's wooden support beam.

"Guh--"

She wasn't hurt too bad, but her face had a large red mark down the middle where her face and slammed into the wood. The nearby horse gave her a glance but quickly resumed munching on the hay.

Damn it, journalists and the police? She was very much familiar with the former, given her career, but she didn't feel like dealing with them nor the authorities after that ordeal.

While Claude was busy engaging the crowd and Chimera was being chased by the police officer, Homura looked over at Abenanka. "It's getting far too crowded, huh? Let's get out of here." She smiled. "Oh right! I'm still giving this cute bird to you, no matter what!" She insisted stubbornly.

She held out the bird plush that she'd been holding in her free hand... However, it was completely charred. It was a small miracle that it was still holding its shape.

I burned it by accident!?

The poor bird plush crumbled to the ground in a smoldering pile of ash. "Ahhh! Bird-san! No!" She dropped to her knees to try and scoop it up, but it was already getting blown away in the wind, so she only saved a small handful of the remains.

"Damn...! I'm sorry, Abenanka. Forgive me!" She clenched the fistful of ashes tightly, her disappointment in herself hanging over her like a cloud.

"Can I have a gallon—no, two gallons—of milk? ...Make that Wagyu milk!" Chimera, obviously still thinking about her short legs, enthusiastically washes down her meal with a copious amount of milk. The jury's out on whether or not that'll pan out into something more than a regrettable stomachache later.

When the talk of the temporary captain comes up, Chimera eagerly nods along as she listens to the commander...even long after he's finished talking about the potential choices. When it becomes apparent that was the entire list, Chimera tilts her head quizzically. "Eh? Was I not considered?"

From behind the bar, Shizuka was out of her police uniform and wearing her normal hakama. It was a more comfortable and breezier than being stuffed into heavy armor. She had just finished pouring Mr. Hoshikawa another cup of sake before hearing Chimera’s order of milk.

"A glass of milk foooor Chi-mer-a-san~"

She set a large glass of milk on the table with a professional flourish as well as a smug expression, although you could see that she had written everyone’s names down on a small notecard in an attempt to memorize them.

"We meet again, I’m Shizuka Gozen! We’ll all be piloting the petalframes together. Ah, don’t run away this time."

When talk turned towards the new team and who would be the captain, Shizuka stroked her chin in apparent deep thought.

"The captain is the one who gets yelled at when things go wrong, I say whoever wants it the most can have it. Or you can spar over it and see who wins!"