[CA] Jokers Wild! (Dingo/Ermine)

“Do you think we’ll make it in time?”  Dingo jogged beside Ermine, who had been pulled aside  by Jun and the Triad and directed towards the other senshi.  The panic in Jun’s voice had been telling, enough to put the normally placid Dingo on edge and make them concerned.

The enemy was strong, after all - and the newly discovered senshi’s fate was in their hands.

Brushing hair from her face Ermine look at her partner and brushed hair from her face.  Dingo was new to her, but then again so many senshi were, so it was understandable that they hadn’t been able to work together before now.

“We can only see,” Ermine said softly, a hand indicating Dingo should head out before her, falling into step beside the golden senshi.

--

Sneaking towards where they had been told Lapis was located, Ermine lightly tapped the ground and made a questioning head tilt at Dingo who gave her a nod.  They’d talked about possible strategies on the way over and Ermine was going to let Dingo have the opening gambit and try to break the two opposing senshi away.

One more nod as they came towards the pair, Lapis backed away from the nearest escape by Cockatrice and basilisk.

“ROCK THORN,” Dingo suddenly called out, the large juts of stone slamming upwards and Basilisk jumping backwards with a somersault and landing on her feet, tail splayed in the air for balance.  Cockatrice advanced towards Lapis even then and Ermine flying-tackled the other senshi, making a oof sound as the spiked crystals dug into flesh.

They had to fight to save Lapis.

But the other senshi were stronger than Dingo or Ermine and no matter how much they tried to divide the senshi away from Lapis the two Jokers kept her pinned and locked away, and the fight started to slide downhill.  Dingo and Ermine pushed - but the battle slanted to the Joker’s favor fast and easily, leaving Ermine to block a hit on Dingo more often, and Dingo to throw her metal spikes to drive them away.

“We...cannot stay,” Ermine huffed softly, the fur faded and dull and the normally energetic woman herself flagging.  

“We can’t let them take her!”

“...we cannot win this fight though.”

“-But- she asked for help?!”

“What good are two corpses?!  If we make it back- we can warn the others.”

Cockatrice and Basilisk’s mocking laughter made the survival a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.