Welcome to Gaia! ::

The young senshi yawned. Her day had been long, the night before even longer, added in this patrol and she was tired. She was tired most nights actually but she did what she needed to do. At least she didn’t have classes for another few weeks. She had a little more time on her hands, time that she normally filled up with volunteering or picking up more work hours. Money was tight for the young woman but that didn’t stop her from her duty. Her duty is to protect the city and its people. Her duty to help in any way possible, both as a civilian and as The Senshi of Amulets.

Eight hours at work, four at volunteer, four at patrolling, and that left just the right amount for sleep. At least on a perfect day. Sometimes work took more time or the volunteer work, and there were other days where she had self defense classes that also cut into her home time. Add in eating, cleaning, and other miscellaneous things and Botein knew she was tired. But she needed to do her duty. She had to do her job. It's what she agreed to when she came back to Destiny City.

So the slightly sleep deprived senshi didn’t react at first when the bright and festive garland that was hung just about everywhere seemed to move. It made sense to the petite woman that the boughs of green and gold, silver and red, would move and shift in the chilled wind of the night. That they were dancing in the light of moving vehicles. It was pretty actually. Mesmerizing in the way it twisted and turned around the trees and poles.

The young woman stood there, in the shadows and darkness, and absently watched as the inanimate object moved like it was alive, sleep hazing her brain. At least until a shout from the distance snapped her out of her daze. Striking blue eyes scanned the surroundings but didn’t see anything amiss right away, but still she moved towards the direction of the yell. Maybe it was just an irate person but maybe, just maybe it was someone who needed help.

Botein was passing under a few of the tinsel swags when a shout had her spinning around to face the caller, the shout was much much closer then the one that had sent her in this direction before. The strawberry blonde petite woman didn’t get a chance to react any further than that before movement above her had her yelping in surprise and shock, her arms instinctively going up to block her face. One of the strings of garland dropped from above her and wrapped around one of her arms.

Its mouth opened, fangs protruding, even as it tightened its grip on the senshi, beady eyes glared into her own wide blue ones. “Owwwwww. Get off! Off! Off I say!” She flailed her arm up and down in a futile effort to dislodge her unwelcome attachment. What was this? It hurt!

Botein had resorted to using her free hand to try to pull the garland off of her rapidly numbing, captured arm. The tinseled menace wasn’t so easy to dislodge, it also didn’t help that she had to let it go whenever it snapped at her with its mouth. The tightening of its grip was painful enough she didn’t want to know what it would feel like if it bit her as well!

Rapid movement out of the corner of her eye had the petite senshi look over and spot a woman with long and flowing hair. She did something, and then prompted Botein to try to run. She didn’t have to say that twice! The younger senshi, or at least shorter, tried to tug herself free and this time she actually felt the garland loosen its hold. She pulled harder… so hard in fact that when it let her go she fell straight on her butt as she was unprepared for the sudden lack of resistance.

“Attack it? With what?” Botein scrambled to get out of the reach of the tinsel snake… thing while trying to figure out what they needed to do. This was not in her senshi primer she got way back when. Her arm throbbed from the creature’s hold, her bum hurt from her fall, and her pride was rather bruised for her current predicament…. Her pride wasn't the only thing bruised as well.

Her hip throbbed where her backside collided with the ground, it was a different smarting then the actual tush, this was pain that was going to blossom into a distinctively shaped bruise. A rather Mace shaped bruise. It was a small little tube that was given to her by her self defense instructor but it might do the trick. Maybe. It was something that she had half thought of when she was preparing to go out earlier that night. She honestly didn't know if it even worked on the garland but she had nothing else. It was worth a shot. “I don’t suppose you have a lighter on you do you?” Her question was asked absently as she quickly detangled the small little cylindrical object from her bow. Her uniform was pretty tight but it also had a lot of fabric, surprisingly, so with a little maneuvering it was possible to make some pocket like spots. They were small but she wasn’t exactly looking to move using her pockets, just hide a few odds and ends like some change or bandages.

“Doesn’t matter. Let's see what this does, stay back.” Botein gave her warning before snapping off the safety and letting the little stream of aerosol pain fly. It didn’t like whatever the other girl did so maybe it wouldn’t like what she did either.

“I’m a healer ok! Do you think that thing needs healing?!” She nearly, but not quite, snapped back. Botein was scared and annoyed and in pain but that didn’t mean she had to be snippy about it. The other girl was just trying to be helpful. It was just a shame that her mace wasn’t all that effective, boo! Rather than waste the little bit of the spray that was likely left she stopped using the mace and backed away, letting the other woman take point with her sudo-bat she had found. “Ok, ok. Hold on, I’ll be right back!”

Taking a page from the long haired lady’s book Botein scrambled away and tried to find something that would work… something that would end this fight sooner rather than later. She was going to snag another plank like the lady did but a small yellow piece of plastic had her pausing before scooping it up and racing back towards the ongoing battle against the tinsel snake. “Stand back and pray this works!” Botein warned her companion, waiting just long enough for them to step away before she once again raised the small mace bottle and with a silent prayer to the heavens, took the lighter she found and tried to light it up. It took two times but it finally lit at which point she instantly used the last of the mace to send a peppery fire ball right at the plasticky creature.

It didn’t last long, the lighter was nearly empty when she found it and so was her mace after the first use, but it was enough. It had to be enough since both rapidly died away leaving her holding just two empty containers. Botein made a mental note to add a lighter to her general ‘kit’ and to replace the mace.

Botein watched as the creature went up in flames and all she could do was let out a little squeal of disgust and take a few skipping steps backwards. "EEEEWWWWWWWWW!"

The adrenalin that had been coursing through her rapidly faded and with it all urge to stay awake. Knowing when she was beat she let out a yawn, a large very unlady like yawn, before waving at the other girl absently and muttering 'time for bed' before wandering off while trying to smother yet another yawn. She needed to get to sleep and soon.

Maybe one day she would get to meet up with that lady again.

But first.... bed! Were, if she was lucky, sparkly snakes wouldn't haunt her dreams.

(Yup FIN)