Chapter 1: Petals Born on Spring

When the violinist smashes the violin, Chimera jolts, almost knocking a katana over. Regaining her composure in no time at all, Chimera steps forth to confront the violinist.

"So it seems we have found our first curse—you act as if you are possessed! To play so beautifully yet to act so ugly, you must be the same kind as Tartni, enchanted by the unattainable melody played by the devil!"

Leading Rika, Suzumiya, and Hana down the street to the pastry shop, Shizuka awas aghast that her cousin had never had a sweet of any kind.

"Not even taiyaki, warabimochi, or even a pancake?! We’re going right now! Wweets are good brain food, you know. They help with the cursed store afterwards."

Dragging Hana and the others to the western-styled pastry store, Shizuka excitedly points out the ones she thought were the best. Once they sat down and received their orders, she noticed how her burnt hakama stood out amongst the fancy western-clothed waitresses and other customers.

"Ah. I’ll go wait outside for a bit to get some air. Still a bit dizzy from that crazy ride in the truck."

As she stood outside, she watched a scraggily seagull hop between shipping containers looking for something to eat. Her pensive stare was broken by the sudden sound of yelling at the so-called cursed antique store next door. A man stormed out, but it seemed like there was some sort of violin related violence that had occurred. She then saw Chimera emerge from the store to yell at the man.

"Chimera-san~ Don’t attack weird musicians!"

Abenanka stops outside the shop. She takes a necklace featuring a small pearl engraved with the Nigi-mitama, and the same characters in Ainu, from the bundle of charms hanging around her neck. Looping it around one finger, she holds it out in front of her and carefully watches what it does. In theory, her charm should be attracted to any buildups of malevolence or spite.

She's distracted, for a moment, by a scraggily seagull. For it she fishes out some bread and kneels to attract it over. Once it's come close enough she offers an arm, though it's weight and size makes it awkward, and preens the feathers around it's neck and head. She smiles softly. "Look at you, inquisitive Kamuy, has your majestic eye seen any curses?"

Homura perked up when the old man spoke of the 'cursed' violin. His warnings went into one ear and right out the other one.

He's really committed to the bit. And apparently, he's so good that it fooled that musician! She reasoned. This was her chance to get a hold of this cursed violin and prove how fake it was.

"I see, that sounds awful...! How scary." Homura played along with his 'story'. He was just trying to play up the danger and rarity of the so-called cursed violin. She was sure if she applied pressure, he'd crack and sell it to her. Likely for an exorbitant price, but she had money.

"But are you sure you couldn't part with it for me, ojii-san?~" She leaned forward against the counter and gracefully rested her chin on her hands. She fluttered her eyelashes, playing up her heart-stopping beauty as much as possible to hopefully persuade the old man. "I'm no musician, just a collector of all things beautiful. If it was good enough for Paganini, then it must be gorgeous. You have to at least let me have a look at it!"

Chimera nearly growls at the violinist for messing up her hair, but stays her hand as he does a 180 and makes amends. Such is the power of her sagacious words!

Overhearing the owner's story about the violin, Chimera lights up and eagerly prepares a bombardment of questions.

"A cursed item! Does it have a dark and menacing aura? Does it repel attempts to destroy it? Oh, does it have a name?"

Hana tutted, "We're wasting valuable time here, why would we have purpose for an old Violin?" She said clearly not appreciating the clout that a name like Paganini carried.

She folded her arms and strolled around the antique shop slightly irritated.

Grabbing her order of a dozen palmiers, Shizuka followed Hana to the antique store with the bag of goodies in-hand. Peering around everyone to get a look at the violin, but she couldn't see much. Since she had so many, she offered one of the pastries to anyone within reach (including the seagull and the shopkeeper).

"Eeeeeh, why not just smash it to pieces! Unless that counts as 'playing' it, then maybe not."

Abenanka puts some effort into standing on the crowned street, ignoring the loud chatting around her, which she wasn't used to, as she focuses on the seagull. Once settled on her arm, the bird naturally responds to her command, focusing it's gaze on the shop:



It chirps furiously, not at the shop though, but around it, then following the crowd on a flyby; its screeches, Abenanka could notice, were mostly directed to the man who just left the shop. Despite the distance, she can see how the man looks up at the bird, with a terrifying face, and it stops chirping immediately, as he goes away.

---

On the meanwhile, Homura did her act: she's particularly stunning today, with her dress, and she'd never ben scarce of charisma and beauty to begin with.



"Oh... heh..." He mumbles, scratching his head and flustered, "Well... If you ain't playing it, I don't see a reason for why shouldn't you have it! I fact, it could even be safer with you... That man wouldn't know it, and would give me peace! A moment, please..." He says, disappearing behind the back door.

After some minutes, he returns, with a small case. "Here... Have a look~" He says, excitedly opening it. Inside, tightly fitted by the upholstered lining, stood a majestic violin, definitely not from this century, or the later.

It is definitely baroque, made in a deep wine-colored wood, with redder fine veins. The sides were finely carved into a fluted pattern and the scroll, where the strings are held the pins, gilded, was carved into a fine volute. Next to it, in the case, was the bow, made in a reddish wood, with ornate corners, resembling flower buttons.

"S-stunning, isn't it?" The man starts, "Heh, not quite as you, young lady, of course! You remind me of my daughter, you know? Say, I'll give it to you, for free; I wouldn't feel good profiting on it, anyway..." He offers, with an affable smile.

"Uh... A name?" He rubs his chin, at Chimera's question, "Uh... I once was told it is a Stradivarius, meaning that was its maker..."

Finally, at Shizuka's suggestion, he gasps: "W-wait, please, don't even think about that! Whatever kills whoever tries to play it would certainly not be happy about that!"

Just as I thought... So easy! Homura's pride in her appeal swelled. She let a slight smirk play on her lips when the owner turned to fetch the violin.

Her eyes shined when the old man returned and showed off the cursed instrument. She hadn't been lying when she said she was no musician, but she could still appreciate the violin's masterful craftsmanship. She reached out to gently lift the violin out of the case, looking at it more closely.

"Oh, stop..." She giggled in a deliberate manner, only to blink in surprise when she realized what he said. "Wait, you'll just give it to me...?"

This briefly threw her for a loop, challenging her skeptical assumptions. What's his angle? Does he expect me to insist on paying? No, that'd be stupid. Then what does he get out of giving it away?

"Th... That's sweet of you! I'll take it off your hands then." She put her confusion aside and flashed an award-winning smile. Whatever the man's plan was, she was more concerned with proving the 'curse' fake.

"But first..."

She casually took the bow out of the case and took a playing position with the cursed violin. In stark contrast to the melody performed by the violinist earlier, Homura played a random, discordant series of notes that offended the ears.

Clasping her hands over her ears against the horrors of Homura's performance, Chimera grimaces.

"...This sound, it strikes at the soul directly! Cease, Homura! This curse is obviously beyond your ken!"

Abenanka glances at the group in the shop, considering. In a city, following someone unnoticed probably wouldn't go how she wanted to. Her Ainu fashion stood out like a sore thumb among the Japanese and Western dressed, and she didn't know the usual hiding places and things. If she followed the man alone then who knows what would happen. If she was being honest, her best move would be to let them know.

But then... they were doing their own thing, once again. She'd do hers, once again. She shrugged and set off after the man, trying to see what had made the seagull so agitated, without telling anyone where she'd gone.

"N-no! What are you doing?!!" The man screams, loosing his cool and crouching behind the counter, hands on his ears and terrified.

As Homura swings the bow through the strings, a cacophonous and ear-hurting horrendous noise leaves the violin; it's impossible not to at least flinch at that!

On the meanwhile, outside, Abenanka was on the man's tail, not far enough to not hear the ominous noise from the store; neither the man was, for as soon as the sound reach them, he screams in agony, his face distorts in pain and he clasps his ears firmly, stumbling wildly away as fast as he could, losing himself on the crowd and turning the corner.

---

A minute or two after Homura started playing, everything starts shaking. An earthquake?! People outside could be heard screaming, no, it wasn't an earthquake!

Outside, from the canal, jumped multiple shamon, as much as from the last night, but in a much tighter spot! Landing on the block they start their mad destruction, first with booths and vehicles on the streets, though aiming at those nice buildings:A group of them can be seen still next to the canals, laying waste to the ships, while another gets dangerously close to the shop loading the theatre's truck, while another corner a group of people in a plaza, and finally, a group can be seen being fend off by local patrolling cops, their pistols seemingly doing little damage to them, with reinforcements being called.

These monsters attack by whipping vine-like tendrils from their arms and body.

"Gah! It's much worse than it should be!! You really offended them with your terrible playing!!" The old man said to Homura, in an accusatory tone.

"T-this is terrible! I will call father and Moriyama-san! Mister, do you have a telephone?!" Asks Rika, to which the man nods and points to one, on his desk behind the counter. She she runs and makes a call. Trying to outspeak the loudness outside.

"Great they're bringing the petalframes, but it will take a minute!"

---

Realising what is happening, Claude runs out and starts organising the people.

I'm a noble, I'm born to lead; I can do this!

"You! With the guns, listen to me. I'm ensign d'Armagnac. If we're to make it count, we must act strategically. Single fire only. Aim for those huge eyes, take the time before each shot.

You are fireteam one," Claude designates several of the cops, "you are fireteam two. Be ready to reposition by leapfrogging, team one shoots, team two moves on command. Later you swap."

The ensign's strategy was ultimately to trade time and territory for lives, and lead by example, brandishing a pistol on the shamon too. There was little that could be done without the petalframes on the scene, so for now at best the underarmed defenders would have to draw out the shamon, slowing down their advance and hopefully giving the cornered civilians a chance to evacuate. In essence, this is a district-scale fighting retreat at least until the situation changes.

Shizuka winced at Homura's awful violin playing, but just as she was about to leave the antique store she heard the sound something large emerging from the nearby canal. The sound of something getting smashed and people screaming out soon followed, which prompted Shizuka to sprint outside to see what was going on. it seemed that the cursed violin was real after all, since it drew out shamon that had begun to attack.

But do they hate the sound or do they like it?

Without time to waste on planning, Shizuka made a bee line to the nearest group of people that were in danger, the pastry shop. The shamon was still half in the water, but it was large enough that the shop was still in smashing range. Its vine-like appendages whipped around, causing Shizuka to jump and weave between them before she could even get close. However, she wasn't trying to attack the shamon directly. Instead she clambered up the side of one of the cargo ships and made her way to the bridge. Once inside the ship's control area, which was now empty due to everyone fleeing, she spotted the controls for the ship's foghorn. Without hesitation she found the right lever (well, it was the only lever) and pulled it down with some serious force.

"Let's see if this gets your attention, tentacle-face!"

Of course, the shamon probably couldn't hear her taunt since there was loud, annoying horn drowning out all other noises.

Hana slid out the door into the street and took in the scene unfolding, the Shamon mercilessly smashing through stalls and booths and rapidly approaching the panicked civilians. She heard Claude trying to organize the first-responders that had trickled into the disturbance, she quickly considered her options.

She noted a large flock of birds that was scattered from the tree during the earthquake, their clustered form took to the skies in a floating cloud of bodies. She concentrated, placing one hand onto her temple and the other to her chest. She normally spoke and saw through a single animal, but maybe this would work in a pinch, she could distract or blind the Shamon long enough for the others.

She speaks the arcane spiritual language:
Fortes caeli creaturae, aures vestras parate, vires vestras invoco, susurrus mollis prope, hac hora coniungimini, alas vestras extendete, ecce! bestiam excaecate dum pugna explicatur!

Her eyes flash white, and her irises dissapear as she locks into the mind of the creatures, she commands them to surround the Shamon and attempt to blind them. She sends the psychic suggestion, it is difficult to communicate with so many creatures at once but being so small, she thinks it may work.

She can see through one of the birds eyes, their collective senses spill into her mind, she takes in the surrounding area from the higher vantage point as the flock swoops in on the Shamon!

"There is no curse! And I'm proving it here and now!" Homura stubbornly shot back, not slowing her awful 'music' for even a moment. At least, not until the mayhem began.

"What...!" The shaking caused her to nearby stumble over. When screams suddenly reached her ears, she ran over to the windows to see what was happening. Her eyes widened at the sight. Shamon? Right here? Either it was a coincidence, or the violin's curse, and curses in general, were actually real. Though the curse didn't manifest in the way that she expected.
"H-How is this my fault!? You said the stupid violin would cause whoever played it to die! You didn't say it'd summon a bunch of shamon!" Homura snapped at the old man, glaring back at him over her shoulder.

However, there was no time to be frustrated or confused. Rika had thoughtfully called in for the petalframes, but for now, they had to preserve life and stall the shamon as much as possible. "Right, we're heading out! Hold these for me, please!" Homura said to Rika, taking off her high heels and throwing them to the young woman.

She thinks about smashing or immolating the violin in her hand, but the shopkeep's warning echoed in her mind. So did Abenanka's own from earlier.

Be understanding rather than callous, huh...?

She didn't want to make a bad situation worse, so she just puts the violin and the bow back in its carrying case on the counter. "I'm coming back for this!" She tells the old man before rushing out after Claude, Hana and Shizuka.

---

As soon as she got clear of the antique shop, it became obvious why she left her shoes in Rika's care. Focusing her pyrokinesis, she took to the skies with bright jets of flames bursting from her bare feet. She would incinerate her footwear if she tried this normally, and she really liked those white heels.

She could take stock of the situation from above. Claude was marshalling the cops, Shizuka was trying to distract some of the shamon, and Hana... Homura couldn't tell what Hana was doing at a glance besides the fact it was clearly supernatural, but she did notice the birds were deliberately coordinating to pester the shamon, and assumed that was probably Abenanka's doing.

Wait, where is Abenanka? She was just realizing her friend's apparent absence. With the petalframes on the way, Homura felt she needed to find her sooner rather later.

Before Homura got a chance to really look though, she noticed the people being cornered by a shamon group in the plaza. Before she could stop herself, she was already swooping down to the scene. Just as one of the shamon's tendrils lashed out towards the people, a spray of flames singed it and forced the tendril to withdraw. She landed in front of the people protectively, her violet eyes blazing with psychic power.

"Go, get out of here! I'll hold them off!" She shouted to the people. Clapping her hands, she generated a circle of tall, scorching flames around her and the shamons. It closed her in with them, but it would also prevent them from going after the people. Should they try, they'd first have to get through flame walls hot enough to melt steel.

She stared the shamons down. They were looking quite flammable, which boded well for her. Her blood was boiling, and another strangely familiar technique, just like Saint's Blaze Requiem, was stirring in her heart, but she ignored its call. She wanted to conserve her strength just in case.

She stepped forward and took off her gloves, stuffing them in her handbag. "Vines, huh? You picked a really bad day to show up, because I'm all fired up!" She held out her hands and unleashed dual streams of flame! She also took advantage of the flame circle she made, utilizing it to shoot fireballs at the shamon's blindspots.

"A demon summoning instrument...so cool! Owner, allow me to utilize your inventory!"

In the absence of the petalmarks, another weapon must find its use in the interim. Chimera looks for any sort of large cannons she could use to fire on the shamon. In the absence of such items, Chimera instead picks up a bunch of firearms and straps them together in an unholy amalgamation that makes up for the limitations of outdated technology with the sheer force of every single gun shooting at the same time.

The daring swashbuckler quickly organizes the demoralized police officers, her words burn inside their hearts and her noble blood shows, almost compelling them by its power alone, they barrages turn more precise and constant, actually halting the shamon advance!

The cops shot from their cover, either some cars or makeshift ones, with Claude standing heroically at the front and inspiring everyone. By the time they get some time to breath, taking out some of the closer enemies, she hears from one officer: "Reinforcements are already coming by, they'll surely bring heavier armament!"

---

On the shore, where a group of the shamon slowly raise themselves from the water, turning and slicing through ships with their wips, they advance to the district but, suddenly, all stop, as one ship cuts through them, honking loudly with Shizuka inside, yelling incomprehensible stuff with a defiant face.

---

Meanwhile, Hana, with great effort, can tap into the flock birds, and direct the feathery swarm towards the closer shamon.

Surprising, the birds attack with great ferocity at the evil creatures, stopping them on their tracks of destruction while they aimlessly attack at the air, trying to bring down the birds.

At this moment, Chimera leaves the store, carrying some monstrosity of a makeshift weapon of mass destruction: a bunch of obsolete guns strap together...

She comes at range, ready to shoot the maddened shamon, she swiftly dodges their attacks while raining death on them: actually she recklessly shots at them, relying on the huge recoil of the guns to throw her back and away from harm! Amidst that, Hana uses her birds to blind and distract the shamon, making sure Chimera doesn't rely on sheer luck for avoiding being crushed in pieces.

---

Finally, Homura heroically stands herself between the terrified civilians and the monsters, her fiery eyes burning as hot as her wall of flames. She manipulates the flames around her, turning that into a corridor of death!

But, that was a huge effort... She can't hold it for long, and lets go of the flames, but not before frying some of those shamon and allowing the people on the plaza to take some safe distance!



After doing her distraction, Shizuka finds herself completely cornered, the shamon around her ready to slice through her boat like it's sliced bread!

Round 2

While fending off the shamon on the street together, Hana and Chimera can hear from Rika, as she bursts the door open:

"Good news! The frames are ready to launch, they should be here in a minute!" She says, excited, and then adds, not so excited: "Oh! And the HQ say they're detecting an anormal buildup of shamon energy around here... That definetely doesn't sound good..."

The initial rush of the shamon had caught Abenanka off guard. She glanced after the man she'd been tailing but couldn't see him anymore, he'd been lost in the crowd. Part of her wanted to try her luck and go after him, and she even went a few steps, before her loyalty and sense of duty won out and she turned back.

The first thing she needed to do was to find out where the others had gotten to. Getting to high ground would help with that, just like the streak of fire that flew from the direction of the antiques shop. Abenanka once again found herself admiring the skills and sense of her comrade, and was about to head in her direction when a different sound distracted her. A foghorn.

"Which fool is on the water at a time like this?" She whipped around and darted in the direction of the docks. "The spirits of the seas are... less forgiving."

She vaulted a fence onto the docks themselves, and ignored the looks she got going against the crowd as she sprinted for the boats still moored and in tact. She whispered a prayer to the Kamuy of the Air to give her speed and lighten her steps before leaping aboard one of the ships. It would take effort and help from the spirits to hop from boat to boat to her destination.

---

She arrived at about the same time as the petalframes did. She touched down lightly, easing the pressure off with a crouch, before the Yuki-Onna crashed down onto the deck just after. She had to adjust to how the ship shuddered but it held firm and she avoided falling over, until the second tanky petalframe landed and she pitched over onto the deck.

She blinked when the shaking stopped and looked up to see Shizuka's petalframe beside hers. "Gozen-san, you're the one?"

Ignoring the surprise that someone in her unit would do something so reckless, she hurried to mount up in her own petalframe. She settled as fast as she could, which wasn't much given the technology around her, and took the controls. No matter how many times she suited up it would still feel awkward, but thankfully the snow maiden's ice tools would help her here on the water.

"Well, we're here now." She called to Shizuka. "I'll give us something to walk on."