*WALKING to festival* Mariposa-downtown


Stephanie smiled at him staring at his face till his gentle tug on her hand shook her gaze away. Still smiling she told him, "I cant wait..im really hungry Noel...oh my look at all those papers flying about...we can get them later..." She began to walk with him hearts in her eyes...

NPC - Farmer Billy Bob the Third

The Wilderness - Mariposa's Rolling Plains

The old farmer gave her a warm smile, eyes twinkling, looking like sweet old grandpa would look at his sweet granddaughter. The sweetest granddaughter of the bunch with the most talent. He patted the spot next to him in the carriage, motioning for her to sit there.

"Madam Rum Bucket, eh?" he let out a hearty laugh, "That's a new one! I'll have to speak with Miss Helga next time I see her. I'll take you on to the big city, dearie. It's not far at all!"

Billy Bob waited for Madam Rum Bucket to sit her cute little patootie in his seat and once she was settled in, he would head towards the big city. Mariposa.

The Wilderness - Mariposa's Rolling Plains

Rocbouquet hesitated for a moment when the old man suddenly motioned for her to sit next to him in the carriage. She had expected the honor of riding with the vegetables.

***“Oh, um...” She adverted her eyes. Noel's lectures immediately came to mind: Rocbouquet, you are a beautiful young girl. You could get kidnapped by a stranger if you're not careful! That's why you should never walk around the town without your friends or your local Justice Force Team! Remember, you should not approach just anyone. If you need help, look for a uniformed police officer or a store clerk with a name tag!

But he talked to me for more than 10 minutes. That's enough to make him not a stranger, she figured. Besides, I have him fooled anyway! He's going to take me to the big city because he thinks I'm a talented dancer! She brought her hands to her face excitedly and giggled again.

“The big city! I can't wait to get there,” she exclaimed out loud as she climbed into the carriage and sat down at the very edge of the seat with as much distance between her and the farmer as possible. She removed Noel's scabbard from her back and rested it between her knees.

***ORIGINAL/SUBBED VERSION:

NPC - Farmer Billy Bob the Third

The Wilderness - Mariposa's Rolling Plains

"Big city, coming right up!" Billy Bob felt his face flush and even though he remembered that Mrs. Bob was waiting for him at home, he just couldn't help but be flustered by having such a pretty lady next to him. The cart's horse started forward and in no time, the pair had made it to the big city.

Madam Bucket hadn't mentioned a specific place so he assumed that cause of her occupation, he would drop her off on the side of town known for it fine dance establishments. He waved good bye and even offered her a few cucumbers that he had been bringing to town anyway.

"Good day m'lady!" and with a tip of a hat, Billy Bob the Third left Madam Rum Bucket.

Mariposa - Downtown, Walking to the Festival

“Yeah. Later...” he reiterated. At the very least, somebody else might pick a poster off the ground and read it. That made him feel a lot less guilty about letting the loose papers scatter around the town.

The closer Noel and Stephanie got to the main square the more crowded the street became. Festival drums rumbled over the giggles and shouting of the neighborhood children running back and forth in the stone-paved streets with paper fans and kites above their heads. Groups of chattering women stood around in the middle of the path oblivious to their surroundings. Noel did not bother asking them to move. He simply guided Stephanie and himself around them even if it meant leaving the sidewalk for awhile.

“...Ah, what a pleasant afternoon for a walk,” Noel stated, a smile upon his face. So pleasant that he soon drifted off into deep thought as he strolled through the crowds with Stephanie. Hm... This is nice. Almost like being with Rocbouquet... he thought to himself, looking down at the smiling woman beside him clutching happily onto his hand.

At the main square there seemed to be some sort of commotion. Dense crowds of people gathered in a circle around a group of individuals standing on wooden crates and shouting something that Noel could not make out from the back of the mass. “That's odd,” Noel commented out loud to Stephanie, breaking his silence. “I wonder what is going on...” From the look of it, the people at the center of the group did not seem too happy.

NPC - Heroic Hooligans

Mariposa - Outskirts

From the safety of a nearby blossoming tree came a harsh masculine whisper: “There he is, boss! The bad guy with the horns we've been tracking from the outside of town! We's gotta stop 'im before he does any harm to the lassie.”

The tree bore beautiful pink petals, but at a closer glance, a keen observer would notice that a teenager sporting baggy cargo pants, a muddy tank top, and a cape was sitting on one of the upper branches waving his binoculars around. Over his face, he wore a ratty red mask patched together from a handkerchief with holes for eyes, and apparently he had been spying on Bastet and Frieza for quite some time now. “Ain't nobody gonna get away with kidnappin' a beautiful face, tresspassin', or illegally parkin' a fancy planeamajigger in the middle of privately-owned land, right boss?”  

Another voice could be heard from the treetops as a similarly dressed young man carrying a wood-handle garden hoe slid down the slanted tiled rooftop of a nearby building and jumped into the tree to get a better look.

“Huh. Thought we's lost him when he turned 'round the corner, but we's sure outsmarted him,” he whispered. Both teenagers turned their heads toward the seemingly vacant rooftop and asked in unison:

“Hey, folks. So when we's gonna jump 'im to justice?”

Mariposa - Downtown, Walking to the Festival


Stephaine walked with Noel letting him lead her through the busy area. She looked up from time to time to see the pretty atmosphere but then quickly went back to staring at Noel... 'gotta think Stephaine...what do I need to do to bring Noel back home with me...think...' She then snapped out of it when Noel mentioned some commotion near them. "Yeah me too...I could use my water powers but I don't wanna scare these people...well what the heck.. one-time wouldn't hurt right sweetie-pie?" She looked up to Noel as she said that and let go of his soft hand to try and gather some nearby water to lift her up to get a better look...

NPC - Heroic Hooligans

Mariposa - Outskirts

partially running and partially sneak-running up came a rotund man who practically could have rolled up there (Might have been easier...) He got to the group huffing and puffing... "Sorry...im...late...phone alarm...didn't go off...i might...have rolled out of bed crushing it..." He said finally catching his breath and waiting to be slapped by the boss yet again for being late... "We didn't get em yet right... I can at least join in the fun this time??"

NPC - Heroic Hooligans

Mariposa - Outskirts


Against the cherry blossom tree the others were in, a young man rested against it, not looking at the crowd at all. He wore large red sunglasses instead of the red mask's of his subordinates, signifying his status as leader. He had a red cape tied around his neck (which looked suspiciously like the hand knitted blanket his grand mama gave his as a child) and a long piece of grass hanging loosely out of his mouth. He gave a small knowing smile once the gang was all there.

"Not yet," he started as he pushed himself away from the tree, taking his hands out of his pockets and posing dramatically in excitement.

"Listen up boys! Here's the plan! I've got this here sack. We catch him at the right moment, knock his him out and drag him out of town. That'll show him for showing up in our beautiful Mariposa! I won't stand for demons taking over our town. Are you in!?"

He shook around a potato sack animatedly as he gave his grand speech. They would show this town who the REAL heroes are. Not those crummy Justice Goody Two Shoes Force of LOSERS.

NPC - Heroic Hooligans

Mariposa – Outskirts

“Hey, I thoughts youse was on the roof! Would'ya get up here aw'ready? Yer gonna blow our cover,” the two delinquents called down to their winded teammate in annoyance. But when their leader seemed not to care about the tardy tubby's position on the ground, the two boys changed their tune. “Yeah, awright, boss man!” they roared, throwing their fists eagerly into the air at his ingenious plan. “Let's get 'im good! I'll hit 'im with mah hoe whiles youse all bag that baddie!”

Another head peeked up from behind the rooftop.

“Oi... I thoughts we's gonna use mine! I gots the perfect bag, remember: 100% burlap sack stole from beneath Mah's kitchen sink. Ain't nobody gonna break free of 100% burlap!...” He stood up from the roof and started making his own orders, pointing first at the heavier young man on the ground. “Tubby, youse grabs 'im while Lanky an' Stanky hit 'im with the hoe. Then I'll bag 'im mahself.”

“Youse can't speak for the boss man like that!” retorted the two delinquents in the cherry blossom tree.

“Sures I can. That's why I ran yonder to gets mah bag. Potato an' burlap ain't the same thing!” he pointed out, feeling extra smart when the others stared at him with a puzzled look.

NPC - Constable Davo Plod
Mariposa - City Square

At the heart of Mariposa the festival was in full swing. Lots of people crowded the streets, they were filled with performers, dancers and musicians. Colourful banners hung above with ornate designs. Kids ran around, cheering and screaming over the noise. The city was a mess of colour and sound and activity. An event this size needed a capable squad of enforcers to keep the citizens safe and have a good time.

The city has a respectable unit of law enforcers, tall and dignified men and women that protect and serve the people; the same can't be said for Cons. Plod. He wore the uniform, a clean gray military suit with the badge pinned to his chest, but he was neither tall nor dignified. He was a short, round fellow who wore his cuffs and baton loosely over his belt and didn't really bother with the hat. He was an unshaved portly little man, commanding what little respect he had. Plod was put in charge of patrolling the streets and keeping the event running smoothly. His portable radio fizzed into life. '724, this is dispatch, copy.'
The constable reached over and picked up the radio, holding it to his face. 'Dispatch, this is 724.'
After a second the radio replied. 'There've been multiple reports of littering around the city. What's going on out there?'
'Well there's a festival, people are going to drop stuff all over the place.'
'You better clear it up! There's heaps of paper flying around.'
'OI! At least give me Gaz or Pauly or someone to help me out here!' The radio replied back but Plod lost interest, walking along his route he began to see pages lying on the cobblestone. Dispatch finished their response and the radio crackled back into silence.

Plod knelt down to pick up one paper in front of him and examined it. A missing person, he though to himself. The constable was just about to call Dispatch again when he stood up and turned about to see a man and a woman walk nearby, and a copious stack of papers that look suspiciously familiar in his hands. But at the same moment Plod noticed something else, where they were going to. The large crowd that was gathering. 'Crikey!' he yelled and run his stubby legs to the mass.

NPC - Heroic Hooligans - Boss

Mariposa - Outskirts

He ignored the incessant squabbling between his compatriots. They were good kids but not always the brightest. He would come up with a brilliant plan! Acknowledging the tubby's suggestion of a second bag, he placed a hand on his shoulder, showing respect for his subordinate. He gave him a knowing nod and then proceeded to tell the group his brilliant plan...as if he hadn't heard a word of what anyone said except for tubby.

"Here's the plan boys! First, we sneak up behind and you gets him with your hoe! Then you and you both bag him with both bags. That way there's no chance of escape! Then I'll sweep that pretty little lady off her feet. The perfect rescue! No one could think of a more brilliant plan than me." he said with building enthusiasm, turning to look at their target. While he spoke, he pointed at the boys, giving the same roles that one of his underlings had already stated. It was as if he had heard them despite tuning them all out.

"Now you boys, follow after me. Hurry off that roof! You're gunna break your neck," he said with concern. There were times when the man treated the boys as if he were their mother for he felt a special responsibility for these guys.

They would show the town. They would show them all....they were the best!

NPC - Heroic Hooligans- Tubby


Tubby was happy that his boss loved his idea and smiled at him. He then listened to the orders from the boss. "Your the best boss," Tubby told him, looking at their target itching to bag him and toss him out like the trash he was. Tubby was also thinking of the recognition he would get from all those people and maybe they would give the boys some money too...oooh think of all the candy Tubs could get and not the 5 cent kind either..he could go for the 50 cent stuff now!

NPC - Heroic Hooligans

Mariposa – Outskirts

At their leader's command, the boys were off that roof and out of that pretty lil' cherry blossom tree faster than the time their mahs cried, 'corn fritters with fresh corn mayo for lunch!'

The one who had been referred to as Lanky scurried right up behind Frieza and Bastet as fast as can be, and raised his trusty ole garden hoe, while the other one, Stanky, motioned the other delinquents closer. Lanky steadied his trademark tool above the purple and white demon's head, and then, suddenly swung it like a baseball bat. BAM!

“Hah! Got 'im good!” he boasted.

“Gimme that!” Stanky snatched the hoe and took his own swing at Frieza. BUMP!

“No, no! Youse gotta hit 'im like youse harvesting potatoes!” the bossy boy from before whispered, yanking the gardening tool away from his teammate. He demonstrated his technique for the others before sliding his burlap sack over the stunned Frieza's head. “See now? Like that!”

NPC - Heroic Hooligans - Boss

Mariposa - Outskirts

"You got 'em boys!"  the boss sauntered over, proudly as he watched their handy work.  Meanwhile, Lord Frieza let out a short "what the he--" before he was thoroughly knocked out cold. The boss watched as they stuffed him in the sack and started taking off with the demon down the street. As soon as they turned the corner and he felt satisfied enough with the job, he fixed his eyes on the cute uniformed lady with purple hair.  He sidled over to her, place his arms on her shoulders as she was bent down, clearly in fear of this demon.

"Don't worry, little lady, you're safe with me," he spoke in a low sultry voice, with his best bad boy look plastered on his face.




Mariposa - Outskirts

"Sir, I think we should charge them wi--" she was about to say a littering fine when Ari realized that the paper she had in her hand was actually a missing persons flier. Still on the ground, she shoved the paper in Lord Frieza's direction.

"Sir, look at this! It might be--" she was cut off when unfamiliar hands touched her shoulders and she let out a yelp, quickly standing up and accidentally planting the back side of her fist into whose ever it was face.

"Aiee!! Pervert!!" she screeched, now realizing that Lord Frieza was missing when he had just been right beside her.

"Sir? Sir!? Sir!! Where did you go?"

It wasn't like him to just abandon her like that, well...he did sometimes but usually with good reason and he gave no sign that he had something up his sleeve as per usual. Her heart tightened as mild panic rose within her.

NPC - Heroic Hooligans - Boss

"Owch!" the boss yelled, seeing stars after he had been hit in the face by the lady he was supposed to save. His eyes watered and he looked at her, for some reason finally noticing the realistic cat ears and tail that were moved with every little movement she made, reacting with the girls emotions. He had to get out of here! Screw this chick!

"Y-You're a freak!! Just wait, I'll come back for you too!" the boss then took off running in the direction of his underlings, looking like a puppy with its tail between its legs.



Mariposa - Outskirts

Bastet had quickly forced down her panic, remembering that she had just punched someone. Oh, how embarrassing! She turned to apologize to the man when he suddenly called her a freak and ran off. Bastet pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

"How rude. His mother needs to teach him some manners," she said out loud to no one. Well, first things first. She needed to try to locate Frieza and solve the mystery of the distress signals, all on her own.

Bastet went to turn on her mini computer to try to communicate or at least geo-locate Frieza but unfortunately she found that it was locked up....with more distress signals! They were jamming her computer. She slammed the tiny device shut and shoved it into a pocket in her skirt.  She would just have to do this the old fashioned way!

Mariposa -  遊里

Rocbouquet's eyes beamed with joy.

Finally! The big city! Now I can— Her thoughts were interrupted by Billy Bob the Third's heaping handful of cucumbers, which he shoved uncomfortably close to her face.

“Um...Thanks?” She felt obliged to take one as she climbed out of the carriage with Noel's prized blade.

"Good day m'lady!"

Rocbouquet waved awkwardly at the farmer who did not return the gesture as he rode back to his peaceful way of life. She stood in the middle of the street for what seemed to be an eternity, staring off into the distance with a blank expression upon her face, clutching onto the sword and newly-acquired cucumber.

That was it?

“Bye, I guess,” the blonde murmured. She slung her brother's scabbard over her shoulder and decided that it would be best to first take a brief tour of the area before finding something heroic to do. Much to her disappointment, the city wasn’t nearly as big as she had expected, and the architecture seemed very familiar for some reason, yet she couldn't place her finger on it.

***As Rocbouquet reached the corner of the street, she noticed a large wooden road sign hanging from a lamp post that read 遊里. Fortunately, the Latin alphabet equivalent of the street's name was conveniently placed beneath the unfamiliar writing by the city commission's board of tourism. The city however, could have done a better job: The letters seemed plastered onto an awkward strip of something—white out?—and the font, which strangely enough extended beyond the boundaries of sign, loosely resembled the Comic Sans variety, but that did not disturb Rocbouquet in the slightest as she rushed across the street and eagerly brought her fingers against its etched surface.

“Red Barn District.” She mouthed to herself, fingertips trailing along the text as if nothing were unusual about the way it passed through her gloves. The young blonde brought her index finger to her cheek out of puzzlement. “Well, that’s a funny name. I don’t see any barns around here.” She stared long and hard at the cucumber in her other hand. Her face suddenly flushed a bright pink. “Huh, must be where all the farmers come to drop off their goods to the market,” she concluded with a scowl. Her stomach growled.

Speaking of goods, she still needed to find something to eat! Rocbouquet checked her phone again. Unfortunately the battery was totally drained! Rocbouquet sighed. “Guess I better start looking for a restaurant...Or else eat the cucumber.” She shuddered at the thought.

“Heh...”

Standing beside her for quite some time now was a man sporting a pair of sunglasses and a black business suit: a true city slicker judging from his looks, Rocbouquet concluded. The man flashed her a grin as she made eye contact with him.

“Rough day, huh, kid? Here, buy yourself some ice cream...” He fanned out a wad of cash that totaled 80,000 munnies. Rocbouquet's eyes widened and her cheeks turned red.

“...Stranger danger!” she exclaimed, “Big brother told me to never accept things like money from people I do not know!” With one last huff of disapproval, she threw Billy Bob the Third's cucumber memento to the ground and then stormed off down the street, leaving the man in the business suit standing there blinking at her in confusion.

“Gee whiz, everybody is so friendly here!” She uttered below her breath with a big frown upon her face as she marched onward with her fists clenched and her cheeks puffed up in annoyance.

***Subbed version:

Mariposa - Downtown, City Square

“You know magic?” Noel asked rather surprised by Stephanie's revelation. “Careful not to say that too loudly. The older people of Mariposa are rather...” He paused for a moment to find an appropriate word, “...Superstitious. Old-fashioned. Grounded in tradition. I once dated a girl whose father was so against magic that he banned us from ever meeting again when he found out we'd been discussing it.”

Realizing he was rambling again, Noel apologized and then returned to the matter at hand: the surprising number of people standing around at the main square. He stopped for a moment and listened to the various voices making up the crowd. A few curious bystanders took missing person flyers out of Noel's hand as they walked by. “It's like the entire town came out here,” he commented to Stephanie.

“He ate my cattle!”

“He crushed my house!”

“Did you hear? The docks sustained over 900,000,000 munnies worth of damage!”

“I heard he capsized all the boats!”

Came the murmured rumors across the growing audience. The energy among the individuals speaking varied. Some quietly whispered into their neighbor's ears while the more vocal participants egged on the debate between the individuals on the crates at the center of the ring, shouting words of encouragement at the top of their lungs. From time to time the entire crowd erupted into roars of agreement:

“YEAHHH!”

Other times, there were gasps of horror and even defiance. Then there was a curious silence as one of the guys was shoved off his soap box by an angry farmer. But that silence was short lived. Noel noticed a cop running toward what now was a wave of chaos spilling out into the streets.

Oh no! He can't possibly calm down the crowd by himself! This looks like a job for the Super Ultra Mega Special Justice Force Team!

“Miss Stephanie, I'm sorry, but it looks like we'll be eating a late lunch. Please stay here where it's safe. I'm going to help that officer break up the crowd before an innocent bystander gets hurt,”  he announced letting go of Stephanie's hand and bringing his now clenched fist forward heroically.

Mariposa - Downtown, City Square

Stephaine was surprised when Noel mentioned to keep it down about magic. Stephanie looked around as well noticing the same things Noel did. She walked closer with him trying to get some other thoughts and views about whatever was happening. She just wanted to help.

Stephanie pouted a bit but did as Noel asked of her which was to stay safe where she was standing. "...But Noel..." She said to him but he was distracted right now.

NPC - Constable Davo Plod
Mariposa - City Square

Plod very nearly reached the crowd, he was yelling into his radio. "Dispatch, this is 724. A 526 is taking place in the city square, I repeat a 526 is occurring in the city square. Requesting backup and armed officers to the location."
"724, this better not be another stupid domestic fight like last time."
"Oh no way mate. There's a huge crowd here and I can hear shouting, I need people down here now."
"Alright, copy that 724. Backup will arrive in two minutes."
"Excellent," the constable ran off again. "Gimme Bruce too."
"Negative 724, you're still suspended."
"Bugger!" he cried just as he reached the edge of the rabble.

Plod fought through the hostile crowd, all the shouting and pushing made it very difficult to assert his authority. "Break it up! OI! Disperse! Police!" He didn't get the rally to budge more than a few steps but he eventually managed to squeeze through and burst out in the center. As soon as he did the crowd jeered and shouted at him, the enforcer of the law copped the townsfolks outrage and insult for the next few seconds. He raised his hands and gestured the crowd to calm down but to no avail, he was totally drowned out be the people. Realizing this he took a long, deep breath and shouted with all his might.
"QUIIEEEEEEET!"
Everyone stopped, no more arguing, no more shoving. The crowd went silent, so silent that in the distance Plod heard a glass shatter somewhere in someone's house. Oh bugger!, he thought, I hope I didn't do that. "Righto, I'm Constable Plod of the Mariposa Police Unit. What's goin' on 'ere?" A brief silence descended over the crowd, their opportunity had arrived. Once again everyone started to yell and shout their grievances at him. Plod gave up! He relaxed his arms and showed his disbelief.

A man stood on the soapbox behind the policeman, he then gestured the crowd to stop and they did so. "Excuse me officer," The man addressed Plod and he turned about. "We here have a problem that we need you to sort out."
"What's thing about?"
"It seems that our resident mutant tiger has gone and destroyed half the city and we want the enforcers here to do something about it."
"YEAH!" the rabble cried.
"The what what has what now?" he asked. He's never once seen or heard of Baby in the whole sixteen months he's been in Mariposa, it never even occurred to him to ask why such a small town would even have something like Bruce.
"Baby. You know; that massive tiger from years ago? There's been a lot of damage around the place and we think it's him that did it." A police van could be heard in the distance, it's siren getting closer to the rally. Plod also spotted the couple from earlier arrive, the armored man with the stack of litter and his lady friend.

Mariposa -  遊里

While searching for a place to eat, Rocbouquet noticed that a lot of the businesses in the area did not open until later in the evening. Her stomach roared in displeasure.

“Hmph. Everybody here must sleep in pretty late,” she assumed, yawning at the thought of a comfortable bed. Rocbouquet frowned. She was soooo tired and soooo hungry! It just wasn't fair that the rest of the city got to sleep while she starved!

***“...I should have gone back with Wagnas last night... Maybe he would have taken me to watch the fireworks and then walked me home afterward....” she sighed. “That would have been really nice...” She reached down her corset and pulled out a photograph of Wagnas standing shirtless next to her brother—also shirtless. Behind them was a beautiful beach and a cloudless sky. Rocbouquet instantly smiled when her eyes fell upon Wagnas' hot bod. She gave Noel an over-exaggerated frown. His presence in the image was such a mood-killer.

“...Except then big brother would have told me that I couldn't be a part of the Super Ultra Mega Special Justice Force Team the next morning!” Rocbouquet took her left thumb and placed it over his face. There. Much better. She smiled warmly again at the Wagnas half of the image.

“So what heroic thing would you like me to do to start my career in this new place, Wagnas?” she asked the photograph with a shy giggle. Maybe she could help a lady across the street, or save a cat stuck up in a tree! The possibilities were endless now that she could decide things for herself! Yes. She'd prove to Noel that she could be a hero just like him and Wagnas—and without anybody else's help!

“How about I start off by finding somebody who is lost and needs directions? Does that sound good to you, Waggy-poo?” As she looked away from the photograph, she caught a glimpse of a very familiar brunette with a very distinguishable bifocal on his left eye, sneaking around the area with a stack of loose papers under his arm. The way he glanced back and forth suggested he was looking for trouble.

“Oh no. Kzinssie! What is he doing here!?!” Rocbouquet gasped, quickly tucking the photograph away for safekeeping. She needed to hide, but where!? All of the buildings in this part of the city were equipped with flashy spot lights and marquees, which appeared to scream, "Look at me! Look at me!"—Rocbouquet's eyes suddenly filled with hope as she scrambled around the street corner—except for that dumpster in the alleyway next to a pet(?) store named the Kitty Kat House!

“I better make a bee line for those trashcans before the pest sees me!” she declared to herself, raising her finger to the air like her brother does whenever he leads the Super Ultra Mega Special Justice Force Team to victory. Rocbouquet quietly skittered over to the dumpster and dove behind it. Unfortunately, Kzinssie had noticed the white ostrich feather in her fascinator sticking out from behind the large receptacle and walked over to check it out. Rocbouquet squinted her eyes shut and held her breath as she heard his footsteps grow nearer.

“Um...Is there something I can help you with, miss?” he asked stopping before the dumpster with a genuinely concerned look upon his face.

“...No. Now buzz off!”

“...Rocbouquet?” He peered around the corner and saw the blonde beauty crouching behind the dumpster with her hands covering her eyes.

“No,” she murmured. Why couldn't he just mind his own business like everybody else and leave her alone? Kzinssie's grin widened.

“I didn't know you were one of Miss Helga's dancers!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in an insincere manner, his eyes straying from her face. “My goodness, Roc, you're so...talented! I guess it runs in the family, eh?”

“......” Rocbouquet crouched lower until her eyes were in line with Kzinssie's, and then sprang upward, bashing her forehead against his as she shouted in his face, “Hello, I'm up here! Quit ignoring me! I said go away, you big fat jerk!” Kzinssie did not seem intimidated in the slightest.

“Noel is looking for you, you know,” he pointed out with a shrug.

“W-What!?” Her jaw dropped in horror. Had Noel sent Kzinssie after her? How did he know that he would find her miles and miles outside of Mariposa in the big city!?! Rocbouquet backed away from her brother's lowly teammate. “...N-no he isn't! What makes you think that?” she shouted defiantly, fists clenched at her sides.

Sneering, Kzinssie shoved a crumpled missing persons flier into her face. He smirked as Rocbouquet took the paper into her hands and stared at it with a puzzled look.

“But that's okay. I won't tell him...in exchange for a kiss.” He winked.

“...Eh?” Rocbouquet's face reddened like a thermometer. Gross, are you kidding me!? Her stomach churned at the thought. But she knew how to outsmart a big dummy like him! The self-proclaimed heroine squinted her eyes slyly. “...Okay fine, Kzinssie. You win.” She adverted her eyes and puckered up her lips.

“...Psyche! GALACTIC RIFT!”  she shrieked as she smashed her dead smartphone screen-first into his face. Without a second thought she took off running down the main strip. Not too far behind her, she could hear Kzinssie shrieking at her as he chased after her:

“Yeeeeouuuuuch! Get back here, you little brat! I'm not about to get made fun of by the others for letting you slip away from me like that!”

Rocbouquet shuddered. She did not want to find out what he would do to her if he ever managed to catch up.

***Subbed Version:

Heaving a defeated sigh, Bastet leaned against a lamp post and look blankly down the street. She had been searching for several hours and had not gained a clue abut anything. Those hooligans had completely disappeared and not to mention that her computer was still acting up so she had no working GPS. She was just utterly lost in this unfamiliar city.

Her eye caught the sign of a local business "Kitty Kat House". Bastet gave it a funny look and subconsciously scratched at her own cat ears. She had only seen shady looking men going in and out the doors. What did that have to do with cats...

She sighed again. If she couldn't find Lord Frieza...what would the High Lord Minister do?  Her tanned face paled and eyes widened at the thought. She...she would be exiled from the force! That was just as bad as never seeing Frieza again. In desperation, she pulled out her mini computer again only for it to now have gone unresponsive.

Bastet was about to scream when her ears twitched at the sound of a rattled in a near by alley way. She could hear voices and a girlish scream. From the alleyway, a young blond haired girl came running from it, followed by an older brown haired man. She had heard something about a kiss...

Putting two and two together, Bastet jumped into the pathway of the man.

"Stop right there!" she held a finger out pointed at the man, ”In the name of the Intergalactic Space Force, I won’t let you lay a hand on an innocent girl!”

Glaring furiously at the man, who was quickly heading directly at her, Bastet curled in her pointed finger and formed her hand into a fist. She then clock the man right in the face, knocking him to the ground. A flutter of papers went everywhere, littering the sidewalk, which angered her even more. With fluid grace, Bastet had grabbed both arms and pinned him down with one knee only to realize she had knocked him unconscious.

Oh no...she had done it again!  She grimaced while pulling out her hand cuffs from her hidden pocket.. Simply pressing a button, a blue light appeared around the man’s wrists as she activated the restraints.  

Not quite sure what to do with the unconscious man, she sat him up and leaned him up against a building. At least he just looked like a passed out drunk...he fit right in with the riff raff of this town. It was then that she recognized the papers. They were the same ones that were littered everywhere and caused her to lose Space Lord Frieza! Her anger bubbled even more but paused momentarily to look closer at the flier. That did seem awfully familiar...

Wait! The girl! Bastet felt panic rise. She should be tending to her, making sure she was alright. It was then that she realized the girl had kept running.

”Hey! Wait! It’s safe now!”  she shouted, hoping the blonde would stop.

OOC:

"Ugghhh, what happened?" 

Dazai sat up, feeling groggy, and with a splitting headache. His surroundings were completely unrecognizable, and he had no map, only his phone. He reached into his pocket, and groaned in despair as the phone refused to turn on. 

"No battery." He mumbled, standing up slowly. 

The last thing Dazai remembered was fighting with Chuya, and getting struck upside the head by his knife. "Leave it to Chuya to knock me out." He laughed, stretching slightly. "At least that explains the headache. But where am I? I doubt the Port Mafia would have any reason to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere........" 

Dazai glanced behind him, and for once in his life, he was near speechless. "A spaceship. No way." 

Silently cursing the fact that his phone was dead (and therefore unable to capture any pictures), he decided instead to try and find someone that could help. "Hopefully there are some friendly people around here." Before walking away, however, he took a peek inside the spaceship, noted that whoever was flying it had left, supposedly to gain assistance, and then pocketed a few interesting looking random things. 

"Alright, let's go see who I can find!" Dazai began to walk in a random direction, with a resolute grin on his face. 



*several hours later* 

"Hello???!!! Is there anyone here?!?!" Dazai was hungry, and tired, but still continued walking, having seen no sign of anything familiar. "Wait, what's that?" He glanced ahead, seeing a bunch of buildings. "Ah, finally! A town! Now I can find out where I am!" Dazai set off at a brisk pace, reaching the town within a matter of minutes. 

Off from an alleyway, he heard a scream of the feminine sort, and he watched as a girl ran from the alleyway. "What on Earth could have made her scream so loud?" He wondered, and called out, "Miss!? Are you alright?" 

Subbed:

Mariposa - Downtown, City Square

Noel's stern expression changed the moment Stephanie began to pout. An overwhelming sense of guilt overcame him. He slowly lowered his clenched fist of supreme justice. Nodding once, Noel let out a soft defeated sigh and motioned for her to follow him through the large gathering of concerned townsfolk.

She's not my sister. I shouldn't be telling her what she should and shouldn't do, even if it would be a lot safer for her to stay here.... he reminded himself.

By the time Noel and Stephanie reached the front of the crowd, the officer seemed to have everything under control.

Nevermind! Noel thought, wincing as the rowdy townsfolk began to push and shove and shout at each other again. The young swordsman continued toward the officer nevertheless, seemingly unfazed by all of the flailing arms and bodies bumping against his armor. The uproar came to a sudden stop when the man behind all of the mayhem gestured for a moment of silence from the agitated citizens of Mariposa. Word of Baby spread like wildfire through the crowd as the man and the officer exchanged words.

Noel paused as the all too familiar name reached him. His expression grew very serious.

“No. Not Baby,” he uttered to himself, adding to the concerned whispers around him. A few weeks back the Super Ultra Mega Special Justic Force Team lost their only secret meet-up place to that gargantuan tiger cub. The poor creature became spooked by Noel's sword, which he had reached for when the curious behemoth brought its giant nose forward to sniff his six teammates. To a cat of that size, the weapon shouldn't have been any more threatening than a needle, yet the timid beast took off running for its life! Noel and Wagnas were lucky it hadn't crushed them or any of the cowering bystanders in its panicked dash toward the farmlands.

“......” Noel tightened his grip around the fliers in his hand. If only he had known how to handle cats, then maybe the community center, the secret base, and that new development on the affluent end of town – with the chic shopping plaza and froufrou boutique Rocbouquet had grown so fond of visiting – would have survived! Noel sighed. He had let everybody down that afternoon. But that was all in the past, he reminded himself as he returned his attention to the concerned crowd. Right now I need to be looking for my sister and helping this policeman. He doesn't seem to know what to do about this crowd. Why is tha— Noel paused as he caught ear of the conversation. Oh. The officer didn't know about Baby. He must have been transferred to the department from another town. In that case, I should introduce myself to him. Noel thought.

As Noel approached the officer, he offered his hand and a brief introduction:

“Fellow doer of justice, the name's Noel. I couldn't help but overhear you saying that you have never met Baby before?”

Mariposa - Downtown, City Square




Stephanie followed Noel through the crowd and listened the best she could over all the voices. It was then, Noel asked the police officer about a baby. So, weirdly she spoke up asking, "What's a Baby?" in the direction of her love Noel and the close-by police officer as she wondered what all the hubbub was about and she was planning to ask if they could help when Noel started that part of the question for her.

NPC - Constable Davo Plod
Mariposa - City Square

Things started to look up for Plod; the police van was only a minute away to handle the crowd and the litterbug was literally handing himself over. However, low level crime aside it appeared a rather more serious threat loomed over the city. He took Noel's hand and replied "I wouldn't get too comfortable mate," Plod pointed at the stack of papers. "I've got a bone to pick with you and your littering, but if you can shed light on this mutant tiger thing I'll take all the help I can get." He finally shook his hand, "Constable David Jeffery Plod, you can call me Constable."

No sooner had his finished his introduction did the van finally arrive, sirens bleared and policemen emerged from the vehicle. Armed men in dark suits of gleaming armour streamed out of the van, the leader equipped his megaphone and announced to the crowd "This is the Mariposa Police Unit. Please disperse immediately." The rabble didn't take kindly to the obvious threat which was not at all a reasonable request to pacify the tension. There voice was being silenced! Rather than leave quietly they at first groaned, disgruntled at the police presence. Many then decided to shout and hurl abuse at the armed men, mirroring their grievances from earlier. "You are causing a disturbance to the festival," the leader continued, thinking carefully about what to say next. "Please vacate the area and-" He didn't get a chance to finish, the crowd began to advance on the policemen and they in turn clustered behind their broad shields. None of them dared to draw their swords, attacking civilians? It's unacceptable and a public relations disaster. So the crowd continued to bang, clammer and punch the steel of the enforcer's wall.

It was all Plod could do. He stood there, witnessing the carnage as it all unfolded. He sighed and turned back to Noel. "They'll be fine. So tell me what you know about this Baby."

Mariposa -  遊里

Rocbouquet could not believe the missing poster Kzinssie had showed her moments before she had taken off running for her life. Why did it feature one of her childhood drawings? And why the heck would Noel dig that thing out of the waste basket in her room instead of using her school picture? How embarrassing! The notes he included about her below the image were even worse. Since when did she need to be home for dinner by 7 PM? Ugh. The other kids at school would make fun of her for the rest of her life if this annoying poster made its way into the classrooms!

I can't let Wagnas or anybody else see this! Rocbouquet thought with a groan, crumpling the missing persons poster in her hand as she continued her mad dash down the street. Rocbouquet suddenly heard Kzinssie's sharp wail, and then total silence.

What did he do? Run into a lightpost? she wondered, but she did not dare turn around to find out. Not long after, a feminine voice broke the silence:

“Hey! Wait! It's safe now!”

...What now? Without stopping, Rocbouquet looked over her shoulder in the direction of the voice. To her surprise there stood a really tan-looking girl, who – at least from this distance – appeared to be wearing a headband with purple cat ears.

How odd. Where did she come from? The runaway blonde wondered. Perhaps she worked at the pet shop? That at least explained the tacky headband. Rocbouquet continued to eye the girl suspiciously instead of watching where she was going. Maybe big brother sent her after me too! she concluded, frowning.

Suddenly a deeper voice chimed in:

“Miss!?

Rocbouquet's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Where the heck were all these people coming from? And why did they decide to show up after Kzinssie spotted her? Something was not right...

“Are you alright?”

Huh? Is he talking to me? Rocbouquet turned her head just in time to receive a face full of cotton fabric as she came crashing into some random brown-haired man's chest. The impact sent her falling backwards onto her butt. Noel's prized sword went flying out of its scabbard, clattering noisily off to the side, while Rocbouquet's phone skipped across the pavement until it ended up in the street.

Dazai watched with amused interest, and just the slightest hint of concern, as the girl ran towards him at an alarming rate. The girl had glanced over her shoulder, and didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going, which became much more obvious as she was just several feet away from Dazai. An instant later, perhaps by accident, perhaps on purpose (the world may never know), Dazai found himself rammed into by the blonde, sending him reeling forward rather ungracefully. Luckily, he managed to catch himself with one hand before he hit the ground completely, leaving him hovering just inches away from the girl. He glanced over to the side as a sword, previously on the girl's hip, clattered to the ground. "Oh, this must be my lucky day." he thought, and with an awkward smirk, he pulled himself away from the girl and sat on his knees, holding out his hands in a helpful gesture. "I'll ask again now, are you alright?" He stood up, taking her own hands in his to help her do the same. "And if you don't mind, would you maybe do me a favor?"

subbed:

Bastet frowned. The girl kept running and...ouch. That look liked it hurt. Bastet winced as the girls phone and rather large...sword(?) skid across the pavement of the street after she ran into another man. The two had seemingly toppled on top of each other and Bastet's tail nearly poofed out to its full width in exasperation. He better not be another pervert!

She started stomping her way towards the pair, pulling out her Galactic Space Force badge and yelling towards the pair.

"Halt! In the name of--ooh ooooh!" she squealed as the closer she got to the pair, the better she could see the girls magnificent sword. She rushed passed the phone and immediately picked up the very large and very heavy weapon. It almost looked to heavy for her to lift, much less that young girl to lift, but Bastet lifted it like it was a piece of paper.  

"What a magnificent work of art..." she murmured as she turned it round, admiring it's craftsmanship. In all their travels, Bastet had gained a rather passionate fascination with more primitive weapons. Space lasers blasters, stun guns, plasma blades, and photon torpedos were nice and all but nothing compared to the beauty of weapon painstakingly hand made by a skilled master craftsman. Whether it was swords, bows, daggers, staves, polearms...she collected them all. In virtual combat training sessions, she often practiced with these sorts of weapons for fun. Bastet had actually found herself drawn more towards a quarterstaff but swords were still very nice. Especially one of this calibur, especially--her thoughts were cut off as her ears twitched at the words coming from the new strangers mouth. Just what did he think he was asking!

Her face flushed in embarassment as she hurriedly grabbed the young lady's phone and hurried to their side, pausing briefly to look at no one and say "Remember kids, swords are not toys!"

Holding the phone in her hand and cradling the sword carefully in the same arm, Bastet reached back into her skirt pocket and pulled out her badge, flashing her credentials long enough for the two to see..

"I am Lieutenant Commander Bastet of the Galactic Space Force. Is this man bothering you, miss?" she spoke with a commanding voice as she stared down at the two before her while simultaneously, putting away the badge and reaching a hand out to offer the blond assistance in getting up, despite the man already in the process of doing so, as well as offering the girl her phone back to her.

Mariposa -  遊里

...Aaaaand the mysterious man fell right onto her, ending up uncomfortably close to her face. Great. Rocbouquet held her breath and adverted her gaze.

Wagnas will be my first kiss—not this perv! She thought turning her head to the side in disgust. Just how long would he allow himself to hover awkwardly above her like this? Fortunately, the situation only lasted a few seconds with the man eventually managing to push himself back to his knees. Rocbouquet let out a sigh of relief.

***He then asked her again if she was okay, but when he spoke, he seemed distracted. So strange. The men she had encountered so far between Mariposa and this place were always looking at her shoes—but this guy? He seemed to look toward the street with sparkling eyes! A quick glance to her right confirmed that he was actually eying Noel's sword. Rocbouquet raised a puzzled brow. What was with that doe-eyed look he was giving it? She let out a surprised gasp when he suddenly stood up, took a hold of her hands, and asked her to do him a favor. She could not control the intense rush of beet red color into her cheeks. What the hoverfly?

“Why of course I'd do you a favor! I'm a hero! Can't you tell from my good looks?” she pouted, pulling her hands away from his and crossing her arms. Just then, the girl with the cat ears from earlier came marching over, shouting in an authoritative tone about some space force. She also offered her hand to Rocbouquet.

“Um...What?” Rocbouquet asked, giving Bastet the crazy eye. Wait a minute. Her eyes narrowed. “Hey, that's my big brother's sword! Give it back!” she exclaimed, looking up at the girl with a huge frown on her face. She didn't even bother responding to the question.

***ORIGINAL/SUBBED VERSION: