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Whirling Grain	So, you've just been scouring the site of a new potential manse. There's a guy in Nexus who's acting as a cat's paw buyer-- reasonably, on behalf of some guild factor or hierarch, and he's asked you to do some studies towards putting a tower on one of the Yellow River's southern tributaries. Potentially geomantic studies. Shady AF, but the coin's good and the work could be interesting, so maybe you'll be able to get to the bottom of that mystery some other day. Anyhow, just now, the important bit is that you're out in the sticks, and it's getting kind of late.
Whirling Grain	Oh, yeah, no problem for Blessed Sakura, Blessed Sakura! She's easily found the optimal site just past the woods, on a little jetty that sticks out into the river (rejecting several that would flood too easily come the spring), that has soil that's not-too-tough and not-too-soft. At least, not for the kind of tower construction she'd like to do here. And she's gotten a little into sketching out some preliminary designs right as the sun gets really low on the horizon.
Whirling Grain	OK, I mean, that's not good? I mean, one does get so carried away in one's work, it's easy to lose track of time as well as the surrounding environment. But before you know it, there you are, out in the middle of the undeveloped countryside, a couple miles from the nearest town (which, admittedly, has an academy with a lovely little library it would be nice to spend some more time in) on a jetty just outside the forest, and there's something rustling in the trees. Could be the wind. Maybe. Or some animals?
Twice-Blossomed Sakura	Her hand running through her pink hair idly, Sakura sets down a rather fine-quality quill pen, turning herself around as she stands herself up. She runs her other hand along the edge of her cloak, squinting into the woods. She starts backing up a few paces, a little further away from the woods, more towards the water- for whatever reason.
Whirling Grain	No, yeah, there's definitely something out there in the woods. You can here some kind of muffled growling, and a somewhat angry voice yelling "No, that's the wrong direction, you imbeciles!"
Twice-Blossomed Sakura	Call Sakura tactless, stealthless, or any other number of things. But rarely should one call her shy or overly-cautious. Which is on fine display here, as she rolls her fingers on one hand with a faint crackling noise- before she reverses directions and makes her way into the woods. Gingerly, mind. Don't want to make a mess of her effects. That would just be shameful.
Whirling Grain	Well, that was even worse! Sakura stumbles out in front of a middle-aged in a dark robe, holding half a dozen long ropes or leashes that are taut, pulling him in some direction. At the end of the ropes appear to be shambling, decaying human corpses! An eerie purple light pulses from their knucklebones, hinting at sinister purpose. I mean. You know. *More* sinister purpose.
Whirling Grain	The zombies sniff the air like loud, decaying beasts. Sniff! Snorff! Snorrf! One looks to the other-- there seem to be about six of them in all-- and says "... braaaaaaaaaaaains!" The man holding their leash scowls and shouts. "NO, you fool! The master requires *educated* minds! The academy is THAT way! Do not waste my time with this... child!"
Twice-Blossomed Sakura	Sakura jumps back- she's brave and foolhardy perhaps, but far from stupid. Tree cover here- probably a bad place to take off if she doesn't want to tear herself up in the process, but might be a good emergency escape. For the moment- well, perhaps she can do something about this. Maybe. She's a swordplay hobbyist at best- and unarmed to boot. But, well, she has -a- trick... A quiet muttering under her breath, and an arc of cherry blossom coloured light lances between a couple of her fingers.
Whirling Grain	"Enough! Devour her if you INSIST, but move on, quickly! We have a tight schedule, and the master will not brook our tardiness!" he shouts, a leadership action.
Whirling Grain	The zombies lunge into action, the moment their leashes are let to go slack, slavering and tearing heedlessly through the undergrowth towards Sakura, the snarl of "Braaaaaaaains!" on what remains of their lips. Balthazar seems annoyed, because surely these are not the high quality brains his master had sent him to fetch, but nevertheless, they are horrid, and they are coming.
Twice-Blossomed Sakura	Sakura is... not used to fighting zombies. Last time she saw one, well... she didn't really see it. Glaucoma's a hell of a thing like that. But regardless- when the half-dozen of them rush her, she's... not exactly elegant in avoiding their attacks. She's scrambling backwards, narrowly avoiding claws and fangs- and halfway tripping over a root or two as she backs up blind. She keeps her head on straight, still, to some degree- and weighs her options. She decides, eventually, on propping against a nearby tree with one arm- and reaches out with the other bare hand to the living master of these ghouls, hoping to leave them unsupported and confused. Why a bare hand becomes -readily- apparent when a crack of pink lightning (it's really quite the nice colour on her) arcs between her fingertips and through the air in the direction of the living man.
Whirling Grain	These zombies are weird! Beyond the weird purple glow coming from their knucklebones, you're *sure* zombies ought to have that rotting, choking stench, the kind that makes hardened warriors retch and gasp for breath. These ones don't. They have a kind of weird alchemical odor, almost a chlorine smell.
Whirling Grain	A crackling arc of magenta electicity arcs from Sakura's fingers, dropping the nearest zombie to the ground, a charred and twitching husk-- its knuckle-bones still glowing their eerie amethyst glow. The bolt arcs through the air to singe another, and then jumps to discharge its remaining energy in a third.
Whirling Grain	Balthazar's eyes light up. Not, um, literally. "What's this? A sorcerer!? The master will be pleased! Oh yes, yes! Good deadlings! Oh, good!"
Whirling Grain	"Disable her at once! But DO NOT HARM THE SKULL CASING!"
Whirling Grain	The zombies close in, and Sakura whirls to escape-- they're too close now. She begins to make the sign that will discorporate her, calling on her twilight anima powers-- their claws would reach her, and it would hurt, but she would live. Only... they don't. The amethyst glow of their knuckles flares to light as they close in around her, and as they make contact, it suddenly becomes... very... hard... to think... And everything.... is going dark. ***Fzott!!***