ic Oh no, there goes Tokyo !

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Evening, March 22nd, 2024

A local, somewhat small, but still with plenty of room, show stage

Tokyo

 

The music is loud, and so are the fans, as Multiplicity has taken the stage. Normally, they would be playing back home in Freedom City, but ever since Neko had started helping build their social media presence, the band had started to gain a massive following in Japan. More than enough to get an invitation to go there to play, taking the stage together with Neko.

 

Both Neko and Bernadette and Neko has both brought their boyfriends along, and despite their somewhat strained relationship, both Charlie and Leon had come along. Despite Charlie's offer of taking the Young Guardians' jet, they had traveled commercial, which had been quite an experience, but now they were here.

 

The lightshow that illuminated the hall turns off, and the crowd goes quiet, waiting for Multiplicity and Neko to start the show.

Edited March 1 by RocketLord

[Avenger Assembled]

And then the ceiling vanished. There was no other word for it, it didn't rumble away, it didn't open - it simply vanished.

 

A low gasp went through the crowd as the naked stars above shone down on them - not the scant handful of stars visible on a Tokyo street at this time of night but a vast heavenly panoply only visible in the remotest, most rural parts of the country most of them called home. Soft, distant music like the tinkling of a temple's bells played and a flight of birds flew overhead, visible against the stars and a silvery full moon that shone down with limitless mystery and wonder. 

 

From everywhere and nowhere came a voice. To those in the audience it was an old voice, like something out of time, a country girl from Tokushima with the kind of tone they might have heard from their great-grandmothers - if their great-grandmothers had been a young woman approaching twenty. Just off-stage and behind a curtain, Neko was counting down on her fingers as she said: 

 

"In moon's silver glow,
Dreams dance, nightmares softly creep,
Night's veil, both shall know." 

 

And then she was visible on-stage as if she'd always been there, smiling at the crowd, so familiar and yet so alien, her ears and tail marking her as different than any of them but the faces, the voices, almost made her want to let them carry her away - 

 

"Ladies and gentlemen. I am Neko Musume, and my dream is to bring you the greatest American super-group - my dream come true -" 

 

When  she said the last word it seemed to explode in the air with fireworks and electricity, the sky overhead shifting to the shifting faces of the band before it became Neko herself, blown up to fantastic size as she shouted a word that promised an infinite wonder of possibilities to the audience below: 

 

"MULTIPLICITY!" 

 

By the time the audience could see the stage clearly again, the cat-girl was gone - but the stage was by no means empty! 

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

By the time Neko let her illusion fade and revel the stage once more, Bernadette O'Connell and the rest of the band were in their places. The Irish was dressed in a plaid skirt of various shades of green and black with a white T-shirt, spiked black leather bracelets on her forearms just below the wrist.

 

Summer Sands was just to Bernadette's right, similar dressed in a plaid skirt, although red and black in color. Summer also wore a white dress shirt and a black leather jacket. The other band members, Mark and John, were dressed in black, and set off in the shadows near the drums were two of Bernadette’s duplicates, each wearing wigs, to act as backup singers.

 

As the crowd cheered to the sight of the band, Summer and the others immediately went into the intro of their first song, a rock version of Blondie’s "Call Me." 

 

After a brief instrumental introduction, Bernadette began singing, as always, perfectly blending the lyrics of the classic song into the rock beat from Summer and the others.

 

Color me your color, baby

Color me your car

Color me your color, darling

I know how you are

Come up off your color chart

I know where you are coming from

 

Call me (Call me) on the line

Call me, call me any, anytime

Call me (Call me) I'll arrive

You can call me any day or night

Call me

 

Cover me with kisses, baby

Cover me with love

Roll me in designer sheets

I'll never get enough

Emotions come, I don’t know why

Cover up love’s alibi

 

Call me (Call me) on the line

Call me, call me any, anytime

Call me (Call me) I'll arrive

When you're ready we can share the wine

Call me

 

The song moved into an instrumental break into which was added a bit of a guitar solo for Summer before Bernadette and her duplicates began singing with a quiet, more haunting section of the melody.

 

Oooooooh, he speaks the languages of love

Oooooooh, amore, chiamami, chiamami

Oooooooh, appelle-moi, mon cheri, appelle-moi

 

The tempo and volume picked up once again, as Bernadette began hitting the higher notes of the lyrics.

 

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any waaaaay

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any daaaaaaaay, (any way)

 

Call meeee (Call me) my looove

Cal me, call me any, anytime

Call meeee (Call me) for a riiiide

Call me, call me for some overtime

Call meeee (Call me) my loooove

Call me, call me in a sweet design

Call me (Call me), call me for your lover's lover's alibi

Call me

 

As Bernadette finished singing, the first song wrapped up with some brief heavy guitar chords and drums….

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

"Neko's got some serious stage skills," Charlie says to Leon, as they watch from backstage. He is wearing a pair of jeans and a dark red t-shirt with a white pattern of exclamation points and question marks on the upper right part of his chest, spreading over his shoulder to his back.

 

He's looked into her. Of course he has. He knows how complicated her story is, he knows the files that Claremont got on her and what she can do (just a fringe benefit of Callie Summers being the headmistress), but that doesn't mean that he knows her.

 

While Bernie and Multiplicity are rocking the stage, Charlie grins at Leon. Sure, they might have their issues, but he's not going to let that stop him. "You two seem to be doing alright. So, how did you get together?"

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

When Neko had told him that she wanted him to go with her to Tokyo, Leon was ecstatic. When he found out it was for Bernadette’s band to play at a club over there, he was even more excited. He was happy her band was doing so well. Leave it to Neko to get them that kind of exposure.

When he found out Charlie was going too, well, let's just say he held his tongue.

 

He distracted himself by reading up Tokyo, he wanted to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself or his girlfriend. He had already been learning to speak Japanese with Neko, and he wasn’t bad…

Of course, Charlie is probably already fluent in it, and like, a dozen regional dialects he thought irritability.

 

On the day they left, Leon had managed to be polite and even a little conversational. At least while the girls were around. When they weren’t, he was hostile anymore, but was still a little cold and distant to Charlie.

 

On the day of the show he watched from backstage with Charlie, grinning as Neko drew audible awes with her illusions. That was his hime at work.

 

On 3/2/2024 at 4:21 PM, RocketLord said:

"Neko's got some serious stage skills," Charlie says to Leon, as they watch from backstage.

 

“You don’t know the half of it.”

He wore blue jeans and a gray American Idiot t-shirt, with a white hoodie. He was still smiling even as the cat-girl vanished and Multiplicity took center stage.
 

On 3/2/2024 at 4:21 PM, RocketLord said:

"You two seem to be doing alright. So, how did you get together?"

 

Leon glanced at Charlie for a moment, obviously debating whether or not to answer. Ultimately he looked back at the stage and spoke. He couldn’t think of a good reason not to. Besides, he liked talking about Neko. She was important to him.

“She fell into my lap at a pool party, and I caught her.”

He chuckled.

“It’s funny. Looking back on it later, I know she staged it. She hardly needed me to catch her. But there she was, all warm and smiling up at me. I was putty in her hands.”

Leon grinned.

“And I haven’t regretted it yet.”

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The crowd goes wild as Neko blows up to gigantic proportions to introduce the band. Whether they are there for her, for the band or both, the show is off to a good start.

 

When Multiplicity takes the stage, even those that were only here because of Neko Musume quickly joins in the cheers. 

 

It is a sight to behold, with whistling and hollering joining the cheers as the band plays the first song, all illuminated by the night sky that Neko has made for the show, and whatever else she might have come up with.

 

But with a crowd this loud and dense, who knows what else might be going on?

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko joined the boys backstage, kissing Leon on the lips before linking arms with him. She was flushed and happy, looking content as she leaned warmly against him. "That should hold them," she said proudly, her voice an audible purr. "Hi Charlie," she added with a smile. "Do you like the show?" She closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed, making a definite audible purr that rumbled in her throat and chest. Everything was going well, and honestly she could enjoy the concert more than usual when she was back here and no longer in the line of fire of all those speakers. "What do you want to do after this?" she asked Leon softly. 

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Out of stage, Bernadette and the rest of the band only paused a few moments after they finished the first song before they started into the next, a rendition of Joan Jett and the Blackharts’ I Love Rock 'N Roll. For this song, Bernadette began moving about the stage as she sang.

 

They then went to two very different songs, Sheryl Crow’s Soak Up The Sun followed by ABBA’s Dancing Queen, both with a bit of a rock edge to them.

 

For the finally, they went with the high tempo, high energy Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue, which had heavy guitar and drums before Bernadette began singing.

 

Ooooho yeaaah

 

Yeaaaaaaaah

 

When I get high, I get high on speed

Top fuel funny car's a drug for me

My heaaaaart, my heart,

Kickstart my heaaaaart

 

Always got the cops coming after me

Custom built bike doing 103

My heaaaaart, my heart,

Kickstart my heaaaaart

 

Ooooh, are you ready girls?

Ooooh, are you ready

 

Woaaaaah, yeaaaaah

Kickstart my heart

Give it a start

Woaaaaah, yeaaaaah, baaaabyyyyy

 

Woaaaaah, yeaaaaah

Kickstart my heart

Hope it never stops

Woaaaaah, yeaaaaah, baaaabyyyyyyyyy, yeah!

 

The high energy performance continued for the rest of the song, before it finally came to an end, as Bernadette looked out at the crowed with a wide smile.

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

When Neko joined them backstage, Leon happily returned her kiss. He visibly changed when she took his arm in hers. He relaxed more and smiled more naturally.

“You were amazing, as usual.”

He grinned and chuckled.

“After this? Pretty sure Bernie is gonna be starving.”

His grin grew a little mischievous.

“But after that, we could ditch red and the square then go find somewhere we aren’t supposed to be.”

He leaned down, he kissed the top of Neko’s head by her ear. He gave the ear a teasing nibble before looking back out at the stage and leaning into her as well. 

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

"Figures that'd be how you'd get a girl," Charlie had replied with his usual grin, before Neko joined them. "She had to set up a whole scheme to make you realize what was in front of you."

 

"Hey Neko," he responds, after having smiled at their kiss. "Your setup was great, and Bernie and the band's doing great as always."

 

Sure, everything's going fine. It's good, it's great. So why does Charlie have this nagging feeling that something's off?

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The crowd continues to go wild at Multiplicty's show. Depending on the songs, they're shouting, dancing, chanting or singing along to the songs. Whatever Bernie and the band had imagined for their first international trip, they are clearly a hit. 

 

But even then, not everything is alright.

 

Neko is the first to pick it up. Above, near the roof that she hid with her illusions, dark shapes are sneaking around on the rafters, moving towards the scene. 

 

From their positions, Leon and Charlie spots the same, and then Neko sees the dark shapes moving through the crowds. Ninjas. And lots of them. All heading towards the scene.

 

Finally, Bernadette sees the ninjas moving towards her from the rafters... It is just a matter of time before they all strike.

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Ninja. 

 

There's ninjas in the crowd, above them, who knows where else? Charlie had fought his fair share the last time he was in Japan, during the world tour with the Raven. The Ushers had hired some local clan to help them, and they had beat up a lot of them, but that couldn't be why they were here. It wouldn't make any sense...

 

Doesn't matter right now. He can find out the why later.

 

"You see them, right?" he asks Leon and Neko, while he reaches into his reinforced backpack, into the secret room with his uniform. "We need to keep everyone safe, get the crowds out of here. Seems like they're going for the scene, maybe we can get them up there and keep them contained. Cover for me a sec while I get changed."

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

Leon smirked and glanced back at Charlie.

“Don’t hate the player. Not my fault I have girls throwing themselves at me.”

He grinned and looked back out over the crowd.

 

He was still grinning until he saw movement in the rafters.

“What the-?”

Even as Charlie asked, he spotted the movement in the crowd too.

“Really?”

He glanced back at Charlie, giving the other hero a look the could easily be interpreted as: ‘Did you know about this?’

 

He looked down at Neko, it was obvious she had spotted them as well.

“Well then…, I don’t think they paid to get in and I doubt they’re here of an autograph.”

Leon let go of his girlfriend, letting paper spread out into a jacket. With a swipe of his hand and a full mask formed over his face.

 

“I’ll hit’em hi-.”

He looked at Neko again and he saw the sparkle in her eyes as she watched the figures moving through the rafter. He grinned behind his mask, but she could easily hear it in his voice.

“Don’t break your toys too quickly?”

He teased as he started to move.

“Guess I’ll hit’em low. Don’t take too long bird-boy”

He grabbed a spare microphone as he slipped from backstage.

 

Paper swarmed ahead of him, it formed a a waist high barrier much like the ones police use. It formed between the crowd and stage, then began to push out towards the crowd on its own as he walked out into the space it was forming.

 

The mic cut on and Paper turned to the people gathered.

“Gomen.” (“Sorry.”)

He apologized to the crowd, standing before them in full mask and hood.

“Shō wa owarimashita!” (“Show’s over.”)

His Japanese wasn’t perfect yet, but he was a fast learner and Neko helped where he messed up. Not to mention she was real good at encouraging him.

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl Duplicate

 

Out on the stage, one of Bernadette's duplicates had spotted the ninjas up in the rafters as they finished the last song. "Oh bloody hell." She muttered as she moved over towards Summer.

Suddenly Leon's voice came over the speakers, apologizing that the show was over as he created a barrier between the stage and the crowed.

"Summer, there’s trouble." The duplicate Berandette said. "You an' the others need ta get backstage ta safety." She said, waiting to guide the other band members off stage.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The ninjas in the rafters begin to move about now that they are spotted. They move up over Leon, once he creates the barrier, throwing shuriken towards him, one of them managing to hit his neck, just nicking him.

 

The ninjas in the crowd start moving faster now that Leon is on the stage and the paper begins to push everyone away from it. They move closer to the barrier and quickly begins scaling it or leaping above it. Still, some seem to remain in the crowds that start to flee in panic, making their actual numbers difficult to make out.

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette watched as the crowd began to panic and started fleeing the scene as the situation started to become apparent. The redhead felt an anger well up in her but could not do anything about it at the moment, not with so many bystanders still around. Leon was trying to get them clear and keep the ninja back, but the barrier he had put up was only a momentary delay.

 

Backing up toward the entrance to backstage, the Irish teen kept a close eye on the gathering ninja, both on the ground and up in the rafters. She prepared to dodge any attacks as she waited for some opening where she might be able to better help.

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko Musume 

 

Neko stared up at the interlopers, hissing under her breath. Shinobi of legend; morons who dressed like stagehands. It was lucky they had spotted any of them at all in their dark clothing. Her golden eyes were practically glowing with suppressed anger, pupils dilated wide, ears back atop her head. With Paper controlling the crowd and Multi-Girl looking for a way to get off-stage, Neko settled on a distraction. Well. That was what she would have called it to her Claremont teachers, anyway.

 

Speaking for herself, she said in a cold, growling purr - "<If they want to play at the old days, they shall have them.>" 

 

Atop the rafters of the stage the world went mad, at least for the attacking ninjas as gigantic burning cats filled the air, leering madly and staring with terrible eyes, their yowls blotting speech, their stink any sound, and the terrible wrongness of the world of the yokai silencing even the senses of the mind. Neko pushed it hard, nails digging into her seat, a low laugh of "kekekekeke" coming from her throat as spectral demons of the past beset their attackers. 

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

A dark shadow moves into the action, as Stormcrow takes to the stage, a grin on his lips as he raises his left arm and shoots a line into the rafters, while he pulls his collapsible staff out with his right. 

 

"Paper and MG, go low. I'll go high and get to Neko, we'll switch places if we need to."

 

Leon's doing great, getting people out of harm's way, but they could really use Bernie, if she can do anything.

 

Letting the line pull him up, Stormcrow reaches the rafters, letting go of the line, he moves through Neko's illusions and swings his staff, knocking out first one ninja, then spins and thrusts his staff across the rafters, hitting the next one. Both fall down, while he looks over his shoulder at Neko.

 

"Hey Neko, how're we doing up here?"

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The audience is slowly, but surely moving out of there. Paper's doing good, far better than he might think himself. Maybe its not this crowd's first ninja attack, or maybe they just know better than to stick around when the fighting starts? 

 

Maybe they're making the right choice.

 

Another shadow moves in through the rafters, coming up right next to Neko in a matter of seconds, moving without a sound. This ninja is wearing red and gold, their face hidden behind a full red face mask. A Katanarchist. They strike a with a clawed gauntlet, swinging it at Neko without a word, striking across her back.

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

Papers eyes darted from one ninja to the next behind his mask. A flash of metal and he leaned his head to the side.

He still felt the bite of the shuriken as it scratched him. He touched the spot and saw the blood on his finger tips.

 

“That’s one.”

 

Paper waves a hand and paper flows out of his sleeve to form into several floating paper lanterns around him. He reaches out to touch one and it spasms at his touch.

A tear forms in it, opening to reveal a single large eye. The latern tears again into a large mouth and a long tongue hangs out of the ragged edges.

Suddenly, the chochin obake lurches forward in a wild swaying path that looks like it will carry it over the heads of the ninjas.

 

At least until it stops midair and spasms again.

 

Paper balls the size of bearings explode from the latern yokai construct. They fill the air at the front of the crowd, but they strike with surgical precision. Not a single bystander is struck by the hail of hardened paper balls, only the ninjas Paper can perceive.

Edited April 4 by Spacefurry

[RocketLord]

GM

 

All the ninjas that the group can see on the ground is down, unable to stand the barrage of Paper's hardened paper balls.

 

Up in the rafters, the four ninja drop down, away from the horrible illusions that Neko is conjuring and leaving her to fight the newcomer. Instead, they turn their attention towards Paper and the band. As they fall, two of the ninjas throw shuriken at Paper, while the other two immediately start moving once they hit the floor, setting off in the direction of the band, throwing shuriken of their own towards the dupe as they move around her to a better position.

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette watched as Leon dealt with the ninjas that were visible down among the crowd, but then two more dropped down from the rafters to go after him. For a moment she was ready to go over to help him, but then realized two others were backstage fighting her duplicate that was with Summer and the rest of the band.

 

Deciding that Leon as alright for the moment, and had Neko and Charlie watching over above, the redhead moved all the way backstage, the moment she was out of view, she was moving much quicker than a normal person could run as she caught up with her duplicate.

 

Coming up behind one of the ninjas, Bernadette delivered a solid backhand to the side of the figure's head, knocking the ninja to the ground and unconscious.

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko Musume turned and stared at the man dressed as a Katanarchist, acutely aware of the blade that had missed her spine by inches. She stalked forward, not away, the metal of the catwalk ringing beneath her steps. The social media influencer, the rock band marketer, the genki girl - all fell away as she stared at the vision from her past. "<Look at me. Look at me, Katana's dog!>" she hissed as flaming horns rose above her head, topped by a flaming crown. Her perky outfit seemed to burn away in fire, revealing a long-sleeved sailor fuku beneath like an old-fashioned schoolgirl's outfit.

 

Her ears twitched atop her head, her yellow eyes glared wide, her mouth was all pointed teeth. This was the devil catgirl who had served along Katana, the one in all the wartime propaganda, the one in the archives of the Green Dragon Society. She seemed to have two tails, lashing with unrestrained fury. She reached above her head and seemed to produce from nowhere a burning naginata, flame crackling from its tip and along its shaft, which she held weightlessly, pointed straight out at the Katanarchist. "<You know me? You know I won't miss!>"  

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

The new ninja is moving fast. Seems better than the others. Their leader, maybe?

 

Whatever the cause, they go straight for Neko, and she recognizes him, calling him Katana's dog. Right, backstory development it is.

 

While she prepares a burning naginata, Charlie throws a ravenrang right past the ninja's face, drawing attention long enough to distract them from their next strike.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The Katanarchist almost growls as they pulls back for another strike. There is something animalistic about the sound, something not quite human about the sound.

 

They don't have much chance to do anything, before Neko strikes with her naginata. The moment that it connects, the illusory weapon causes the ninja to flinch and stop, like it was a real weapon. They don't even have the time to respond.