344 Diversionary Tactics

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Dragon Empire, an epic concert was beginning.

As dusk fell over the great city, little flashlights- err… spotlights came to life, shining upon the central square before the mana fortress, where a lynxmouse stood on stage with one paw behind his back and the other high in the air.

By the hundreds, his audience gathered, and together, they began to chant his name. "Mikiik! Mikiik! Mikiik! Mikiik! Mikiik!"

Softly a breeze blew through the square where they gathered, and from the side of the stage, a lynxmouse beat upon a pair of tanned skin drums. BOOM! BOOM!

"Mikiik! Squiikiki… kiik!" One extremely zealous fanmouse squeaked about bearing baby lynxmice enthusiastically, before all but falling over backward in an overexcited faint.

To the other side, a skilled musician lynxmouse pulled and played a strange string instrument, filling the air with music… yes, that's a rubber band. No, we shouldn't laugh.

"Squikkiik?" [Are you ready?!] Lynxmouse Pop Idol Mikiik hyped up the fans.

"Mikiik!!!" the crowd responded in an overwhelming roar.

Mikiik began to dance. One foot tapped in rhythm, then his head started to nod, and then with gusto, he started to sing the first verse! "Kikii mi kiiki squiikii kiik!"

"Kii! Kii! Kii!" the crowd cheered in chorus.

"Kikiii squii, miisquiii kisquii kiik!

"Kii! Kii! Kii!"

Mikiik danced as he sang, doing moves filled with style, and stunts that made the lyxnmouse audience applaud with amazement.

"Kiikii!" [So smooth!]

"Squiiik!" [More!!]

"Kikii!" [Too handsome!]

He went into the bridge with a haunting, teasing tone, and swiveled his hips. The crowd went wild!

And then fireworks burst out from backstage, and with a powerful crescendo, the song came to a thunderous finish! Mikiik stood triumphant in the center stage, both paws and his nose all raised to the sky! Lynxmouse cheers flooded the square…

"Aww! So cute!" a passing little girl walking her dog stopped for a moment and tossed a penny onto the two-foot-wide stage. Then, she went on to the ice-cream stand.

As for the rest of the capital, well… nobody else seemed to care. Most of the humans passing by the lynxmouse corner barely even spared them a passing glance. In short, that one girl's coin was all the attention the lynxmouse concert was able to draw.

Realizing this, Mikiik fell to his knees, both paws landing hard on the cold, unsympathetic styrofoam.

Diversion: FAILED!

***

"So much for Plan A." Remian grimaced. He hesitated for a moment, considered his part in Plan C, and then shook his head. "Maybe this can still work…"

Mindy paused. [Remian, what are you thinking…?]

[Just watch.] Remian focused his Psionic energies. [Silhouette!]

With a dreadful howl, a canine shape burst out into the square.

Screams erupted on every side. A bunch of mice playing music in the corner was one thing. A bus-sized ghost wolf with cat paws jumping out into the main plaza at twilight was a whole different story. Worse, it seemed to have already eaten someone! There was a scrawny guy seemingly stuck inside the main body of the giant ghost wolf!

Well, actually, that was Remian, and that was basically what happened when you used a pure Psionic Silhouette to get around - people can see through it. They can still see you, you know…

"Monster!" A city guard (off duty) leapt into the fray brandishing a meat skewer. "Here! Come get me, and leave the citizens alone!"

It was a very heroic gesture, but the meat skewer neither threatened the ghost wolf nor tempted it despite the dripping honey marinade…

Mindy snorted. [Good job. Your threat level is rated at 'weekend barbecue'.]

[Hey, at least there's screaming. It might still draw more attention…]

Then the little girl with an ice cream dashed up. "SHOO! Bad dog! BAD DOG!"

[Whatever happened to her dog?] Remian had to ask, even as he winced at her waving her ice-cream at him.

Thinking to scare her away, Remian made the silhouette growl at her.

In response, that girl scrunched up her face and then spat a huge fireball at him.

[WHOA! What the-?!]

BOOM! The fireball exploded, sending Remian flying thirty feet backwards, Silhouette and all.

Psst. Don't tell anyone, but that girl? Her name is Nai'khan-dras. She happened to be Bol'khan's daughter and her temper is even worse than her father's…

"BAD Doggie!" Nai'khan-dras wasn't done blowing Remian up. She stomped after him, eyes literally on fire, ice-cream melting and dripping all over her dress as she raised her free hand and gathered an even bigger fireball above her palm.

"UWAAH!" Remian's wolfcat Silhouette turned and started running, tail between his legs…

"Remian!" Mindy gasped and leapt to the rescue. She jumped right off a rooftop and intercepted the girl who was gathering a ball of fire bigger than herself. "Watch out!!"

The two girls crashed together as the fireball exploded, setting houses on both sides of the street on fire.

In case you were worried, neither girl was at all harmed by the fires. Nai'khan was a member of the Dras clan after all, and Mindy had been bonded to the Flame Emperor for long enough to be practically immune to fire.

Alas, the same could not be said for their physical collision. Mindy crashed into Nai'khan practically head to head, and both girls were going to end up with bruises and bumps on their heads after this…

"OOF!" they went tumbling to one side.

"Little Princess!" Seeing her suddenly 'attacked' from a rooftop stalker, every 'normal person' in the plaze suddenly leapt into action, drawing wands, weapons and comms crystals. They threw aside all disguises and instantly swamed to her side protectively. The ice-cream man, the meat-skewer guy, the baker, the old man fishing, all three couples, the grandmother and her grandson all revealed themselves as Elite Imperial Guards and charged to the rescue!

Meanwhile, the city guard (off duty) was running around in a panic like a headless chicken. "What do I do?! What do I say? What do I WEAR!?"

Then again, the city guards (on duty) weren't doing much better. They were running around trying to arrest everyone who wasn't an Imperial Guard, including Nai'khan's dog who was tied to a lamp post.

"Woof?!" the dog protested his arrest. [I'm just a dog!]

"You are suspected to be an accomplice of the Ghost Wolf!" the city guard (on duty) arrested him anyway. "You have the right to remain silent! Every word and bark and whine you say can and will be used against you in the court of law, or at the Pound Appeal desk…"

Not to be outdone, the Fortress Guards also sprang into action. "Help them! Arrest everyone and everything! I want to see handcuffs on everything that moves, even the ice-cream stand!"

"Even the ice-cream stand?!" Darian gasped under his Fortress Guard disguise helmet.

"And claim jurisdiction over the dog!" the Fortress Guard Captain (on duty) exclaimed. "Her highness will want him back safe and sound."

"Yes, sir!" two of the Fortress Guards went over and immediately started a quarrel with the city guard (on duty). "That dog is coming with us!"

"This is obstruction of justice!" the city guard (on duty) wailed. "I'm calling Internal Affairs!"

"I'm pulling rank!" the more senior Fortress Guard insisted.

"I'm pulling numbers!" the other Fortress Guard ran around behind the City Guard's back and stole the dog, running off with it while the senior Fortress Guard ran interference.

Darian, meanwhile, grabbed Mindy. "I'll handle this one! Miss, you're under arrest!"

"I claim diplomatic immunity!" Mindy yelped.

"Under which embassy?" Darian shot back.

Mindy's face fell. "Why won't you just let me get away with it!"

"Just doing my job!"

[But it's not even your real job!] Mindy wanted to protest, but Darian took her away in a hurry, quickly ushering her into the fortress for questioning.

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