<div class="floatright">(https://assets.vogue.com/photos/58916dd223f9887c0e0e0fbd/1:1/w_612,h_612,c_limit/17-hailey-baldwin.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><strong>Janise Hutchins</strong></div></div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: Courier;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>S T O R Y T E L L E R</strong></span></span><hr/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">Next Post: 5.12.22 | June 4th, 7:00pm | Clearing | <strong>CJ</strong>, <strong>Danica</strong>, <strong>Faith</strong>, <strong>Felix</strong>, <strong>Layne</strong>, <strong>Liam</strong>, <strong>Lorelei</strong></span><hr/><br/>Janise giggles a little at the comment about local boys, smiling somewhat shyly as she dips her head. "Maybe one or two. Though my Pa would shoot either of them if he knew." It's unfortunately a peaceful moment that doesn't last, interrupted by an impossible force hitting an immovable object. In this case, an actual<em>naga</em>slamming into CJ. At that point there's no calming down Janise, squeezing Faith tightly and praying.<br/><br/>The woman audibly gasps as she sees the water turn to ice, squeezing Faith even tighter. "Are you an angel, sent by the Lord?" she murmurs. There's something not<em>quite</em>right about her tone, as she lets go of Faith and moves a step away. "Or are you a witch?" Maybe a battle isn't the best time to be talking about such things, but Janise's attention is thoroughly stolen by Faith.<br/><br/>She lets herself be pulled along, either way, stumbling over her long skirts. She's still sending confused and contemplative looks to Janise, and like she's coming out of a fog she starts to pay more attention to everyone else at the same time. The naga, meanwhile, screams. Blinded and stumbling, her tail lashes and hits against CJ again but she finds little purchase. In her anger she claws at the ice, slamming a fist into it and seeing it crack as she thrashes around, smacking anything that gets too close--including one of the Liam copies, who goes flying and crashes into a tree with a sickening crack, vanishing.<br/><br/>The flare guns go off, largely missing but certainly distracting the snake heavily. Her head keeps jerking around as she claws at the ice, the sound of varying voices and flares going off disorienting her and ruining any chance the naga has of hearing Janise. The snake rears up, hissing, and finally manages to shatter the ice around her eyes--just in time for Layne and Dani to act.<br/><br/>The flaming torch slams into the woman's midsection and she howls in pain, while Layne's rock draws blood as the naga lifts her arms to block without much success. Wounded, she cries out, swaying.<strong>"Why?! I jussst... wanted my egg...,"</strong>the naga is confused and in clear pain, shaking her head and trembling. Dani and Layne end up bowled over as she swipes them with her tail, but it's lacking the strength that so easily sent the illusionary Liam flying.<strong>"Give it... back...,"</strong>the naga manages, only for Felix's flashlight to<em>slam</em>into the back of the naga's head hard enough it breaks. The woman drops with a heavy thump, like a puppet with its strings cut.<br/><br/>She's clearly unconscious, and blood begins to spread across the ground.<br/><br/>Into the sudden silence, Janise cheers and kisses Faith on the cheek. "You did it! You<em>all</em>did it." She looks around to include the group, smiling. "You saved me."