RP: A Teeny-Tiny Prison break

Part of the A Few Fox Tales Arc

Summary: Ina, as per the norm, luckily bumbles into a situation. This one being a fellow foxkin sitting in the slammer. Seeing an opportunity, she helps deliver said Jailkit from their dire straits, and straight into her employ. Which is probably just more of the same.

That Cenril Prison, whose room I'm too lazy to fetch, sorry

Yukaku was hardly unfamiliar with the sort of accommodations that she now found herself in. Stone walls and iron bars, a little pile of itchy hay in one corner and a bucket in the other, some moldy bread and some dirty water. It was all as familiar to her as home, the awful smells almost nostalgic at this point. Presently, Yukaku sat cross-legged with her back against the wall, holding a skull out in front of her in such a way that she could work the jaw much like a hand puppet. "I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying that people are entitled to their opinions and maybe caving someone's face in because he said mushrooms were delicious.... maaaaaybe that was the wrong way to handle things." She said in a comically deep voice, working the skull's jaw up and down in time with the words. "Ok, but... like... they are rubbery and taste like dirt and are slimy. He was objectively wrong, fam." She then replied in her own voice.

Ina hasn't had too much cause to visit Cenril of late, what with her 'business' trips around Xalious, and Chartsend- but when she'd gotten word of another foxkin spotting, her curiosity did wind up piqued. They were, after all, far and few between- to the extent that she'd only managed a few chance encounters with relatives. Thus, when the news that a ruckus had seen one hauled off to jail with a small contingent of guards- well, she was willing to gamble. It -might- even be good to bump into Warai when he's safely behind bars, though of her cousins, Tsuiho had the more agreeable disposition.

If only he was better at staying in touch, beyond the occasional postcard. Though, that still put him ahead of dear sister Koi- who had gone so far as to quietly disappear into the night, no doubt due to her continual disapproval of Ina's sticky-fingered habits, and the repercussions of her schemes. Not even a letter, after -years-.

"Rude." Her voice echoed awkwardly in the alley she was trudging through,a reminder for her to pitch it down quieter. As her pace quicked through the abandoned detritus of Cenril's Poor quarters, her stature began to warp- Her height dipped ven further, dropping her below four feet, a wireryness taking hold of her frame. Her clothes weren't quite as adept at keeping up, however- something that obliged her to replace the fabric with rapidly grown fur- of a black that matched her vulpine ears. In essence, she'd shape changed herself a more fitting attired and shape for a bit of snooping, as alongside some popped claws- she could more than readily begin clambering up the wall of the Jail between the patrolling guards- so she might find whatever jail Cell held the potential family- or a new rival. Whichever. "Hullooo? If this is Warai- I just want to remind you that you -still- suck."

Yukaku felt some passing familiarity with the name Warai, a little tingle in the back of her head that said that the name may have held some importance to her. But it was like the echo of an echo, far too decayed to be recalled. "No?" Yukaku replied, her eyes seeking the source of the sound despite the futility of the effort, given her less than phenomenal eyesight. "Wait. Maybe? Sometimes I use fake names. Do I owe you money? Because like... I owe a lot of people money. It's this whole thing." Her ears swivelled about as she spoke, seeking out any small noise she could find that might give her an idea of who this person was. Yukaku's nose also wiggled just a bit but the general reek of the prison made it hard to pick up any other scents. That or this interloper smelled like a prison. Yukaku supposed such things were entirely within the realm of possibilities. "Is your name Warai?" She asked the skull but rolled her eyes almost immediately at the notion and dropped the skull, letting it shatter against the dank floor.

Ina awkwardly hangs from the wall, her claws scrabbling against the tightly packed stone so she can have an easier time peering in through the narrow slit that marked this establishment as more 'civilized' and 'Humane' than its peer. Really, it was a garbage window, with garbage lighting- which meant that even with better eyesight, the best she could do currently was pick out the distinct ears that would mark Yukaku as, at the very least- the same kind. "Yeah- I mean, he totes sounds girly, so. You're definitely not a Warai." There's a pause, as she recalls his fondness for trickery- her eyes narrowing as she tries to focus on sniffing the cell contents- "I mean, Probably not? Maybe. It's hard ta' tell sometimes, with h- Hoooooo." She wants to recoil, her face turning away to take in a few breaths of ...still foul, but arguably fresher air. "...Okay- No. He'd a probably made that place smell somethin' fancy to gall the Jailor." ...If he was even in there for long. The ol' Empty Jail cell trick -was- a classic. "Anyways, anyways. Uh- No. No No. Nooooo. I'm not Warai, either- Obviously." There's a pause, "An' I doubt your poor fractured Yorick is either, alas. That said- I do getcha. I -do-. Is tha' money thing how ya got in here? Wrong debts ta' the wrong people?" She's trying to soul cool and conversational, but it's made a bit harder near the end as both her feet give out underneath her- leaving her awkwardly propped on the slits ledge by a combination of her hands, and her jaw. "Hff. Nguh-hah." She shoulda skipped leg day, ho boi.

Yukaku occasionally felt like they were having two different conversations but she was still able to follow the gist of it with at least a little accuracy. "Well I don't know know what a Warai is but I definitely didn't make this place smell fancier.". She let out a small laugh at her own joke before lifting her hand in front of her face. "See what I did th... oh." She added before remembering the fate of her cellmate just moments ago. She then stood herself up and stretched a bit, some bones crackling here and there as joints popped. It was getting close to that time. "No. No. Not money. Some guy was coming at me tryna say mushrooms are delicious. And I disagreed with him. It was this whole thing."

Ina's ears perk up- though less due to Yukaku's replies, and more due to the gradually approaching sound of whistling. Patrols were coming, and that meant gettin' down to business. At the very least, the other fox seemed like a bit of a meathead- and that could be useful, in a pinch. "Arright. So- don't gossip Grub wit' ya if I don't wanna Knuckle Sandwich. I got it. But what I don't got, is ja name, the name ya give tha' guards- and uh. The Cell number, if you got it. Spit it out, real quick- and we can say ya owe me one, yeah?" Hopefully, the prisoner's real quick-like about those details, as Ina's only really able to hang on until the guard rounds the bend. "C'mon."

Yukaku tilted her head one way and then the other. Between the sounds of the guards and the tone of the person's voice, Yukaku developed a small sense of urgency. Not much but enough to make her take the situation just a little more seriously. "I'm Yukaku and uh... I think I mostly just yelled about all guards being racists so... I don't think they actually got my name. As for the cell number..." She thought for just a moment before shrugging. She had not bothered with dedicating that information to memory. She certainly had not been expecting visitors.

Yukaku cracked her knuckles. "I'll just knock, okay?". But Yukaku, of course, did not wait for a response. The question was rhetorical. She drew in a deep breath and focused, drawing upon the reservoir of energy that whorled inside of her. The darkness within her cell was cut abruptly by a faint blue glue that emanated from one of her hands, steadily growing brighter as more and more force was channelled until she was sufficiently satisfied that the amount she had gathered was enough to do the job. And then she released it, thrusting her fist forward. Another, much larger, ethereal fist erupted from her own and collided with the cell door. There was a boom and the sound of twisting metal as dust and debris filled the air. And from that dust cloud, Yukaku would emerge with two of the bars in hand brandished much like daggers. The air around her seethed as faint blue energy rippled chaotically around her. "...anyways."

Ina certainly wished for more of an answer, but given Yukaku's seemingly simpler nature- she'd accept 'Knocking' as an adequate means of identification. As the foxkin relinquished her hold upon the slit that overlooked the cell- she even felt a certain degree of -relief- that she at least understood the value of subtl- *BOOM*. "...That Dumb Bit-Wh-" Oh. Yeah, that oh-so-near guard is -here-, having darted around the corner at the noise. Essentially, just in time to see a figure all clad in black (don't mind that it's all fur), striding away from the wall. Really, the only thing Ina can think to do in the immediate is to immediately bundle both her tails together and draw them up against her back- before awkwardly side shufflin, "Hey, Good lookin'? ...Yeah, not my finest." YOINK. Before the guard can even fumble for a whistle, she's booking it for the alley she'd entered by, forcing him to hustle after her in his armour. What this means, is she buys enough time to prepare for his arrival- which in this case, involves dragging the pack she'd left behind with her clothes on top of a nearby junk barrel, so it was within easy access. With the 'heavy' lifting out of the way, all that leaves is for the foxkin to make use of her innate shape-shifting, coaxing all the fox fur she'd grown out to recede anew- in tandem with a bit of additional height and curves. Essentially, when the guard rounds the corner, he's met by a very distressed and very naked woman doing her best to cover up. "Close your eyes! I'll Scream!" The guard, having run in here chasing a dark figure -isn't- quite prepared for this, and while he doesn't quite fully turn away- he -does- stop what he's doing long enough for Ina to fumble into her now handily available backpack. And then promptly draw out a frying pan to clip him across the face with enough force to send his helmet spilling out from the Alley. "'n here- Have another one." Or two. Or Three. It's the third time around that she's confident he's actually out of it- allowing her to enact phase two of her ingenious plan. Which is to say- stripping this guy naked, stuffing his body in a barrel, and using her shapeshifting to look the part of the dude she just dropped unconscious so she can get into the Jail. And on the way in, she does her best coughing & sore throat impressions. Enough so that she can convincingly waggle her backpack (now in tow) at any inquiring eyes and hoarsely offer up the reply of 'Contraband.'

Yukaku tended to use much less subtle methods when making daring escapes. Not so much cloak and dagger as much as hammer and nail. Yukaku was the hammer and prison was the nail. The other person being present to lure away the guard was just a nice little bonus that made the overall experience that much easier. Or rather, it probably would have if Yukaku were someone else. But she was Yukaku and so rather than take the opportunity to make a sneaky get-away, Yukaku drew in a deep breath and shouted at the very tippy top of her lungs. "ALL GUARDS ARE FACISTS!" It was a statement that typically drew the ire of said guards. So she dropped into a wide stance, arms held high and at the ready. That chaotic energy that had been swirling around her focused in an instant, coalescing into a more refined aura that looked faintly like a giant tightly balled fist. And when the first guard rounded the corner to give an unruly prisoner a right proper attitude adjustment, said guard was instead met with the sight of the wee foxkin blasting towards him like a fluffy cannonball. It was an altogether strange thing to see, to be sure. That ethereal azure hand had reeled back and then lurched forward; fingers unfurling as it dissipated. Yukaku had used that energy to quite literally throw herself at the guard. And just before she would collide with the decidedly bewildered man, that aura would roar back into existence around her, a giant ghostly fist with knuckles aimed at the guard and Yukaku in the middle screaming obscenities. The second boom was undeniably louder than the first, their bodies colliding into the wall behind the guard. More dust, more rubble.

Ina's stealthy entrance is at least going a -lot- smoother than planned- if only because there's a whole lot of 'Fascists' moving to pile into the Jail and towards the source of chaos. But not quite all- a fact that has the Foxkin jogging in place for a moment as they pause by, if only so she can then turn around, grab the guard that passed her by the wrist, and hoarsely ask, "Where are-?" The guard doesn't even think -twice- about the voice, and the darkness of the evening helps to turn even familiar faces into obscured silhouettes. "The church! The central one and Olrics- It's the new one. She's-" As he gestures towards the Jail, another crash ripples through the air, prompting him to begin turning back towards his initial path. But Ina doesn't let go, instead gruffly offering up a 'better' solution- "I'll go. 'm Faster. You get the other guards from their patrols." There's a pause, a brief exchange of looks- and then she remembers to ease her grip off him- leaving him to contemplate his comrades' offer. It's a good one, really- and with a nod, he starts to set off, with Ina making a show to do the same. Except, well, she's right back to jogging in place for a few moments, and then making an abrupt 180 towards the Jail. "Paladins. Nuts ta' that." What's more- the direct contact she'd made with his skin meant his luck had run out- in the literal 'he's probably getting mugged in an alley'. And she's feeling that much luckier as she peeks into the Jail. At least until she gets inside. Then she can only mutter, "What tha' hell was I thinkin'?" Yeah, It's one thing to feel lucky- it's another thing to realize there's not only a lot of guards, but a massive Metal Golem. In fact- she -recognized- the damn thing from when she was pulling a bank heist. As strong as Yukaku sounded- it was probably in the firm grasp of this thing that she got plucked up and deposited in the first place. Aaaand, it was currently in the process of crouching down, grasping hold of a door frame, and pulling itself into the hallway towards the din. Because, of course it is. While this does mean that the small lost and found counter behind the front desk is unattended- and yes, she does help herself to some odds and ends that look valuable- it also means that she's now left to rummage through her backpack for the cheap-and-easy discount potions she brewed while hanging out in Case De LanLan.

Yukaku left that first guard beneath a pile of bricks, probably alive but most likely crippled for life, just in time to turn her attention towards an oncoming gaggle. With a furious roar, she charged towards them and leapt like a rapid animal towards the first one that got close enough... only to be caught by the much larger man by the collar. It was almost comedic when he started punching her, each blow causing her entire body to spasm violently as she dangled above the ground in his grasp. "You... know... what... your... problem... is...?" Yukaku groaned between each collision of fist to face. But the guard seemed to be in no mood for her shenanigans and, bolstered by the cheering of the other guards behind him, just continued wailing upon the small foxkin. The cheering subsided soon enough though, replaced with confused murmuring, as none of those punches seemed to have the desired effect of rendering Yukaku unconscious. The one who had her in his grasp even stopped entirely. "How in the...?" He growled, his words quickly cut off when Yukaku interjected. "You're too clingy!" She howled as she sent a fist hooking up towards the man's elbow, which promptly bent the wrong way with a sickening snap. He dropped to his knees just in time to receive a knee to the face. There was a crunch and a spray of blood and teeth. And then the guard, now decidedly uglier, crumpled entirely to the ground. The rest of the guards hesitated when she turned her attention to them. "How you guys wanna do this? One at a time? All at once? Surprise big guy ambush?" She asked as she picked a tooth out of her hair and flicked it away.

Ina hears an absolutely earsplitting sound of metal scraping against stone, and promptly turns her attention back towards the hallway, catching sight of Sheriff Barts Metallic Frame righting itself. With a certain degree of abandon, she promptly -downs- the entirety of two specific potions. One is a slightly nuttier flavoured version of the protection from fire potion she'd brawled alongside Lanlan, and the other was- well- ...Okay, it's less of a potion, really- and more just a whole bunch of flammable fish oil. Frankly, it tastes so often that the idea of spitting it back up onto the floor is pretty tempting- but she manages to brace herself. Instead, she simply focuses on puffing up her cheeks to cartoonish enough proportions to contain the entire flagon, before hustling down the hallway after- well, Exactly what Yukakku asked for- given the gathered guards are parted rather abruptly by the large Metal Golems limbs. There's a -surprising- degree of precision in the movement- as it manages to avoid crushing anyone to the wall, providing a clear runway between itself and the escaped prisoner. Without sparing a word, the metallic figure lifts one massive hand and makes a beckoning motion towards the rioting Foxkin- clearly intent on sticking her back between bars. And Ina? Well- she's trying to catch up, but Giant Metal Legs can cover more ground than hers- especially when Bart's standing up straight. And, y'know- she's trying -not- to spit fish oil everywhere.

Yukaku sighed. They always chose option three when option three was available. It was so predictable in the most infuriating way. Yukaku could take a beating like an absolute champ but there was a ceiling and she was not particularly fond of hitting that ceiling. "Something tells me you don't do the whole witty banter so I dunno... Just hit me, I guess, so we can..." Bart was, of course, happy to oblige this request before Yukaku could even finish what she was saying, slamming a fist into the foxkin that was nearly as big as she was. The impact sent her flying backwards, her body smacking into a wall with a teeth-rattling thud. It was equally surprising and completely unsurprising that Yukaku stood up from this with no apparent injuries aside from some torn clothing. "You hit like that guy's mom!" Yukaku yelled, pointing at a randomly selected guard, who looked to be unsure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. Again, energy coalesced around her in the shape of a giant ghostly fist and again, she used that energy to fastball her own body at the golem. Bart was more prepared for this than the last guy that had seen this technique and thrust forward one of his massive metal mits to meet the oncoming foxkin. They collided but Yukaku did not go flying backwards this time. Her hands shot forward, meeting the golem's fists and stopping her momentum entirely. Yukaku kicked her legs behind her, flipping herself head over heels to land on top of the fist. Some guards gasped. One guard even gave a slightly impressed 'wow' as Yukaku ran up the golem's arm. When she reached Bart's shoulder, she leapt right off of it. For a brief moment, the tell-tale blue glow of her energy lit the dim hallway as it gathered into her right foot, which was in the process of kicking backwards towards the back of Bart's head. There was a sudden loud gong like a hammer against a church bell when that foot connected. Bart lurched forward only ever so slightly but Yukaku went rocketing away from the force of her own kick, flying right over Ina's head and towards the exit beyond.

Ina winces when the first hit connects, falling down to her hands and knees to peer between Bart's legs and look at the aftermath of the hit. And suffice it to say- she's feeling a -lot- better about the investment of time and effort she just made after Yukaku gets back up. Still, since she's unsure if the other Fox was aiming for the flight or fight option- Ina can only wait, something which gives her ample opportunity to eye the monks' forceful counter-attack, as well as the altogether fluid bit of acrobatics that followed. Acrobatics which placed Yukaku -behind- yours truly. "...!" With a flourish her stolen guards' helm is tossed to the side, garnering a few odd looks from the men -not- occupied by the site of the currently face-planted golem. And they're treated to a -truly- bizarre site, given that Ina undergoes yet another bout of rapid-fire shape-changing- though this one is a bit more straightforward. Specifically, her cheeks are snapped back to their normal size- the loss of excessive chipmunk-esque dimensions causing a rather rapid expulsion of oil in a disgusting spray. Which is then chased by a belch of foxfire. So, yeah. The inside of the Jail is on fire now. As is the interior of Ina's mouth- but it's fine. Seriously, the stuff's hardy enough that she's even able to nonchalantly blow a flaming kiss towards a panicking officer, before literally hightailing it after Yukaku. Though- she's definitely going out of her way to shedding pieces of her disguise once she's around the bend. The fact that one of the side effects of said potion involves her body temporarily turning to organic pyrite makes the possibility of being stuck in costume a bit- unpleasant - especially when dealing with a potential accomplice that is 'punch first, ask never'. "Hey, Hey. Wait up. And- Uh, Go- this a way." Yeah, she's going to play backseat tour guide to a hideout. ...While trying to do her best to change on the Fly. -While- in the process of turning into a pyrite statue. This is fine. This is normal.

Yukaku was in the process of debating whether or not she should cut and run and leave Ina behind when Ina conveniently rounded the corner. The aggressive undressing did not seem to phase Yukaku as much as it probably should nor did the transformation that Ina was in the process of undergoing. Weirder things had happened. She just shrugged and grabbed Ina by the wrist as her fist-shaped aura made its appearance once more, though noticeably smaller than it had been. "Kinda runnin' on empty but I have enough juice for one good jump. Probably." She chuckled as the phantom fist drew itself back with both of them in tow. Lurching forward, the fingers unfurled and it dissipated as the two were sent careening through the roof; Yukaku's body serving as a nice little meat shield so that Ina could avoid experiencing the blunt force trauma that normally came with going through a stone wall. Not that Yukaku was immune to the pain of said blunt-force trauma, she was just a little more used to it than most people. All in all, it was probably one of Yukaku's more successful escapes.

Ina managed to tuck the breastplate aside, and is currently in the process of growing a nice layer of fur for false modesty's sake- when she feels Yukaku's hand clench firmly onto her wrist. "Hey, Wait. No To-" Oof. It's not that Ina gets motion sick, especially while not cosplaying as a statue- but there's definitely something uncomfortable about being propelled in the air so abruptly. What makes this especially bad, however- is that she's acutely aware of two things. One, her newfound fisticuff-happy friend is bracing so that Ina's -Fivefold- heavier pyrite body can land on her- ...and her continued direct contact is likely leeching the poor lady's luck. Which- in this case means- It's not just the roof they go through. Oh no, they manage to hit -just- the right spot that they plow through the wall, then crash through the weakened floorboards of the second floor- slam through an entire cupboard full of dishware, knock over a bookcase atop the pair of them . . . and then plunge into the basement when the floorboards give way into a basement. Honestly- Ina is counting her (literally stolen) blessings that she's feeling fine, and has even avoided splinters. That said- given just how goddamn noisy all of that was . . . Y'okay? Ja better be, because we gotta get a move on. Pronto." And she'd not even really wait for the other fox to recover, rotating her wrist free of the monk's hold to limit the damage she's doing to her Karma- and then grabbing onto her sleeves in order to tug her forward. "Hustle, hustle." And please be conscious. Obviously. Otherwise, it's potion time.

Yukaku had no energy left to use as a buffer to protect herself from the pain of impact this time. Her body could take it. That was Yukaku's gift and curse. The force of each impact was absorbed into her body to be stored away for later use. But she felt all of it. Every brick, board, cup, plate, book, and bookshelf. It was pure searing agony and by the time they landed... Well... outwardly, Yukaku looked fine. She had not incurred so much as a scratch. And yet, she had been rendered entirely unconscious from the sheer agony that she had experienced, her brain just decided that it was too much and turning off for a bit. It was still not one of the worst escapes she had ever made though.... so that was good, at least.