School is out for the Winter. This is a bit of a relief for everyone, and they all kick back a bit after the apocalypse. Those who have organizations had not been contacted in months, and those who don't were enjoying the break from school. Most of them have not started on their winter homework, and aren't too displeased with that state of affairs. Doink moved to Kyoto, and all is mainly peaceful.

Mainly, because there had been a rash of arson lately. No lives had been lost as of yet, but it was a bit disturbing. Although both schools had been out for winter, both Tigurami and Warumono were hit -- in Tigurami's case, the fire was put out after having only claimed one classroom, and in Warumono's, the principal's office had been wrecked by the fire. After hours, the Tokyo Tower and several buildings in downtown Tokyo have had incidents of arson. A warehouse which was, once, the hideout for Kawatta's mech team has gone up completely, along with several surrounding warehouses, and the Warumono mecha club's now-disused country workshop has also been burned completely. Nevertheless, although it was a bit suspicious, nobody got hurt, and so nobody was worried.

And then Omero received orders regarding the next place the arsons would take place. Ranith and Kawatta as well. Meanwhile, Skeeve, trying to escape his fiancee-apprentice, Sumire's, rather sporadic control of magic, decided to go check out this fortuneteller who was supposed to be appearing in Midori Park. Eugene's parents as well decided to send him, having been tantalized with hints that magic MIGHT be real.

They get there around two and begin to stake the place out. Most head inside the park, but Ranith, on a nearby rooftop, watches and sees the fortuneteller, and N-kun is with him, laughing excitedly and apparently getting his fortune read.

Eyes widen and Ranith leaves the roof to join the party in the park, apparently unsurprised to find them all together.

They all take a look at the fortuneteller, who is a pretty young man, severely underdressed for the weather in a pair of 'mideval' style lace-up pants, winter boots, and a jacket. He was not wearing a shirt, and although it was not snowing, the weather was chill and he kept his hands tucked behind him, possibly for warmth.

Finally, N-kun notices them there and hops off the bench, coming up. Skeeve fixes N-kun with a Look.

SKEEVE: N-kun, no insult, but why do YOU need your fortune told?

N-kun smiles angelically.

N-KUN: I'm just curious to see how good he is, you know?

SKEEVE: Yeah, actually. I'm kind of here for the same reason.

N-kun tells him he hopes they enjoy it and starts to skip off. Just before he goes, he turns around and tells them, quite cheerfully,

N-KUN: You know, nothing is ever ended.

They mull around for a bit, and then Eugene approaches the fortuneteller and asks for a reading.

FORTUNETELLER: Do you wish to hear your fortune? It is a dangerous thing, the future. It leads to decisions that are as much downfall as increase. And yet there is a hunger to know it. To plan. Do you wish to hear your fortune?

EUGENE: Yes, I do.

FORTUNETELLER: Discontent grows. The robot turns on its master, the leaves fall in the spring. Where would the runaway child go? What is his goal, other than rebellion? When a human can be programmed, what are they? Where is your soul, Eugene the Seventh?

Eugene listens to this carefully, and one by one, the others come to ask their fortunes, except for Ranith, who declines the priviledge.

Kawatta's Fortune is: "Your hidden truth is in the secret place where one become many. Look inside yourself for meaning. But do you truly desire to see the darkness that is hidden behind the door?"

Omero's Fortune is: The Conqueror's interest grows, yet you must make the move forward, or the interest will turn to another conquered. Do you truly wish to be ruled?

Skeeve's Fortune is: Pasts can be buried by graves of flowers. A living past is stuffed in the grave, still breathing, and covered in blooming blood-roses. It cries out for release, or for blood to water the grave. What shall bloom there?

Curious, Eugene also enquires as to Alexandria's fortune. The fortuneteller explains that the fortune will likely be less accurate, as the girl is not there. "The Conquerer is in a new land, and moves to rule over all."

Skeeve, who has been keeping an astral eye on the magical aspect of this, asks the fortuneteller, "How do you do that? And what does it mean?"

The fortuneteller shakes his head. "I am sorry. I cannot remember well what I say when I prophesize. You will have to learn the meaning for yourself."'

Since they seem to have gotten all they could out of this encounter, they turn to go. All of a sudden, the fortuneteller's vody arches as though in agony or orgasm (or boxed text). He relaxes, limply, against the bench, and his arms rise without any imput seeming to come from him. It's suddenly obvious why he had kept his hands hidden - from about forearm down, his arms have been replaced with prosthetics of metal. Instead of fingernails, three-inch long razors have been implanted in the fingertips. The fingers weave in the air, forming patterns as light reflects off of the joints and blades. The patterns are mesmerizing without actually compelling. The fortuneteller starts to murmur a song in words:

During this, a mysterious cloaked figure, vaguely reminiscent of a samurai or some kind of bounty hunter, had been sitting on a bench. At the theatrics, he had jumped up and run over, and most dark and mysterious vanished with the bounciness. His black bodysuit is velvet, his hat has pink inverted triangles on it, and there's an odd ring hanging off the top of his pointy "Vampire Hunter D" (tm) hat. His long hair bounces and he does his best to seduce the fortuneteller as the fortuneteller answers people's questions.

(I would be more detailed here, but, hey! I'm just the GM! It's not my job to remember this stuff. It's SKEEVE's job. Are you hearing me, Skeeve?! Where are the summaries you promised to write, huh? Why am I sitting here doing all the dirty work?! AIEEE!)

The fortuneteller reveals that his name is Lucas Davinport, and that he had lost his hands in a fire that killed his aunt, with whom he lived after he moved from France to Japan. He explains apologetically that he cannot remember the fortunes he gives, and hopes he hasn't said any major prophecy. He reiterates once more that they should clear the park and, shaking himself free from Pinku's attention, he heads away.

Sure enough, when they try to clear the park, various people protest. One thirteen year old girl who just wants a boyfriend agrees to only leave if she can get a date, so Omero takes her to a teashop. Skeeve is instantly both jealous and looking for blackmail material, so he wants to follow. Pinku jumps on this opportunity, as he IS the Gay Samurai and Skeeve is relatively attractive. Skeeve, oblivious, spies on Omero and the jailbait until he manages to send Pinku into a drag queen fit. Skeeve then spends sometime in the bathroom, trying to unboil his cock.

(And nobody needed to think about that, I think.)

At any rate, other people who cause troubles are a punk kid who doesn't want to listen over his music, and a little girl who is studying bugs. She's Mr. Tanaka's daughter Keiko, and she REALLY likes bugs. Eventually, the party manages to hustle both away.

Everyone then waits for the 'mysterious arson', while Pinku serves tea.

No, scratch that. Eugene decides not to wait, and goes and steals a fire truck from the local fire station. He promises to bring it back, though.

Well, Eugene just gets back with the fire truck when who should appear in the air but Honoo, the fire elemental from season one. He sets a few things on fire, and then the GM is floored because the party decides it doesn't want to fight, but to talk to him.

Honoo reveals that with the leaders of Secret Blade killed off, the demons are in disorder and are fighting each other for the right to rule. They're controlling the helpless elementals to do this and are killing elementals in droves. Honoo can't lash out at the demons, but he can lash out at the killers of the leaders of Secret Blade: Our heros. But since he's decided to talk, he also reveals that the demon planes are dying, and that moving to earth is their only option, really.

Eurie shows up in war armour, with a small armed guard of various volunteer elementals. She has decided to kick the demons into shape and get them moving into earth. The party impresses her, and she agrees to see if they can't work out something where the humans can survive too. All of a sudden, a male ice demon attacks with some desperate elementals. Eurie coaxes the Elementals to join her, though they are terrified of disobeying the ice demon, who gets his ass handed to him. I don't even have this guy's NAME written down. Skeeve? SOMEBODY?

Anyway. Skeeve makes the mistake of sticking his head into the astral plane to watch combat and nearly gets fried by a fire demoness, whose name he discovers is Sadina. He escapes.

They all go to Skeeve's apartment, where Sumire-chan had accidentally set the place on fire while trying to practice levitation. Pinku gets nookie with Honoo in Skeeve's apartment - score! Skeeve is not pleased to find gay elemental sex on his kitchen counter.

Eurie says again she'd like to work out a deal with the humans - if they give her Sentai. Well. After talking about this a bit, everyone heads over to the temple (minus the demons and elementals), and the group talks to Sentai. He says that sure, Eurie is probably powerful enough to do it, but do they really want to give so much power into her hands? As well, when they talk about the encounter with Lucas, Sentai is amazed to remember him. Lucas had apparently SUMMONED Sentai, which is how he lost his hands in the fire. Sentai can't remember quite when this is, though - sometime between ten and a hundred years ago. Which seems odd, for a fortuneteller nearly as young as he seems.

At any rate, while they're heading back, they hear the sound of metallic clapping coming from what seems to be the dark itself. A voice speaks, almost like Lucas', "The future is undecided and pawns have been placed. It is time to play the game."

When the characters, intelligently and unlike anime heros, search the shadows, they find Lucas collapsed in an alley, seemingly unconcious. They wake him up and ask him what he was doing there - he says that he didn't know, and that he had gone home. He goes off, and the game comes to an end.