Well, it’s looking like the female adventurers of Porthaven have gone from a Dirty Pair–esque duo to a Bubblegum Crisis-esque team of four.
But, seriously, though, Dirty Pair and Bubblegum Crisis are two of the best Sci Fi anime of the 80s.
Kat can’t help but feel that she’s been in this exact situation at least twice before. And it usually ends with her getting exploded. So, all in all, she’s not exactly thrilled that this is what she’s reliving.
“Ready?” one of the four cloaked hooded figures standing before her asks.
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Kat mutters.
The first of the fours steps forward.
“From the distant lands of Yamatai, I have come to pursue evil wherever it may be found,” she declares, throwing back off her cloak. “It is I, the Mistress of the Way of the Sword — Akari!”
The second follows suit.
“And me, hailing from the shores of Pelayo,” the woman on the right boasts, “the Lady of Explosion Magic, ready to rain down ruin on wrongdoers — Alma!”
“And you do this every time you’re about to fight somebody?” Kat asks sceptically. “Doesn’t it kind of lose its impact the more you do it?
“I can’t say we’ve ever really noticed,” Akari says.
The third and fourth hooded figures exchange a glance from beneath their hoods.
“Do you want to go first, or should I?” the one on the left asks.
“Well, you’re Prima,” the one on the right says, “so I guess that means you should go first.”
“Right. But I don’t have to,” the one on the left says.
“No, no,” the one on the right says. “It’s fine, you go ahead.”
“Right,” Prima says, stepping forward to emulate Akari and Alma’s dramatic introduction. “I’m Prima, the Rose Blooming on the Mean Streets of Porthaven!”
“And, me,” Vera declares, throwing off her own cloak. “Um… Prima’s sister, I guess. Vera!”
“We’ll work on that catchphrase,” Akari assures her. “And your timing.”
“But that was very good for a first attempt,” Alma says. “Not everyone can get the ‘dramatically toss aside your cloak’ thing without tangled up or tripping over their own feet.”
“Nailed it,” Prima exclaims, high-fiving her sister.
“We are so cool!” Vera says.
The two Elf twins turn to Kat.
“Well?” Prima asks eagerly.
“Wasn’t that awesome?” Vera asks.
“What do you think, Kat?” Prima asks
“I think I’m going to the Nail,” Kat mutters, pushing herself off the couch and striding for the door.”
“But we can’t seen your cool intro yet, Kat!” Vera says.
“Right,” Kat says, resolutely continuing to stride towards the door. “Now I’m definitely going to the Nail.”
Prima rolls her eyes. “Come on, Kat. Be cool! I bet you’ve got a great intro and nickname. You know, like, I am the dauntless Battle Maiden — Kat Darkstone! or Behold, the Dark Valkyrie Who Slays from Afar — Kat Darkstone! Or…”
Prima blinks.
“Aaaaand, she’s gone.”
“Quick,” Vera urges her sister and Akari and Alma. “If we go now and cut through the alley at the Leatherworks, we can still can cut her off at the Fish Guttery! I say we bring her back and not let her leave until she does a cool intro for us”
“Right,” Akari says. “Go!”
Alma nods. “Split up. We’ll use the Styracosaurus Strategem!”
“Go, go, go!” Prima cries.
I don’t think my original plan was for Prima and Vera to even be from Porthaven, and in the long run, they might not be. Of course, Akari’s from Yamatai and Alma’s from Pelayo and they’re wandering mercenaries, so if I do want to have Prima and Vera cross paths with Akari and Alma — which I’m really starting to like the more I think about it— that doesn’t really need to happen into Porthaven.
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