| In the Depths of Winter...; [Open to respondents to the thread "Emergency."] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 3 2014, 09:44 AM (1,441 Views) | |
| Czernobog | Feb 11 2014, 01:40 AM Post #21 |
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Best Influence.
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Shin and Jiro moved quickly: their path was short and there were no distracting signs that their quarry was close. They made a steep ascent, and found themselves at the reflecting pond that marked the uppermost reaches of the area open to the public. It was an artificial body of water, and they had reinforced the dam after the incident that resulted in the death of Yumi Imoto. A retaining wall of concrete blended into the surroundings, and a path led around it. In the summer, it might be a pleasant place to sit and think. Possibly a nice spot to go camping. In the winter, and now in the extremely late fall, it was a cold and unforgiving place. The wind was high, blowing from west to east. Shin paused, then looked at Jiro, and pointed at the middle path. "Go and meet with the others," he instructed. "Tell them that there were no signs on the west path. Probably too steep and rocky. I'm going to see if I can flush him out." He had entertained thoughts that something would be visible. Some metal thin reflecting in the low moonlight that had been invisible in the sun. Some sign of the tent or whatever other accommodation that his nephew had made for himself. In an ideal world, the boy would have at least had a fire going for warmth. He didn't do well in the cold, and this was certainly a cold night. Shin turned toward the lake, and donned his mask. He had reached the same conclusion that Daichi had: a display of some variety might cause Naoya to run. From where he was, though, fleeing the display would cause the boy to run toward the road, and hopefully toward Kijimuta, Susaki, and the others. He produced his phone. He was limited in who he could contact, but he messaged everyone in the rescue party that he could:
He called up Solomon, and the Wise King's figure was swathed in the green, flickering light of nuclear magic. The robed figure drifted over the treetops, unmistakable and unnatural, casting long and sharp shadows over the forest as it moved along at the level of the treetops. --- The lightning bug meandered away from Hanako, and then seemed to notice the other two. It flew erratically -- almost drunkenly -- to examine Kakeru, and then zipped toward Chika. It made several zipping dashes toward the girl, as if intending to run right into her, but stopped short every time before backing up and beginning again. It seemed to have no interest in dealing with the other two, only in pushing the red-haired girl back down the path. Over the treetops, the ghostly figure of Solomon drifted. --- The smell of char was much like the smell that clung to Naoya everywhere he went: the scent of a human body with every aqueous element replaced by that of ash. It was faint, and somewhat oily, but recognizable. From her position in the treetops, Kyo might be able to see something that no one else was in a position to: in a hollow between the lower path and the middle path was something that might have been easily confused for water, but in the dim light cast by Solomon, it resolved itself into a tarp stretched upon a rope between two trees. Its position shielded it from the view of those walking up the middle path, but from Kyo's position it was visible. It was, however, somewhat distant. Still, it was a definite destination. |
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| The One True Nobody | Feb 11 2014, 11:34 AM Post #22 |
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
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Kyo swung from one branch and landed in a crouch on another, and something caught her eye. She steadied herself and squinted at it, and then opened her eyes fully. "...Yeah..." she breathed. "We're definitely onto somethin' here..." She swung down off the branch and made her way down to the forest floor, keeping quiet this time. Daichi wouldn't hear her approach until the slight rustling of the ground to the side alerted him that she was right there. When she stepped into view, she had a finger to her lips and she was pointing in the direction she'd seen the tarp in. "There's a campsite or somethin' over in that direction," she said. "We should go that way, but walk careful, yeah? Naoya's an industrious dude, he might have traps out t' catch food with, like that rabbit earlier... watch where ya step." At that moment her phone buzzed, and she took it out, looking at the message on the screen. "...'Gonna flush him out...' shit, Shin's gonna try spookin' him inta showin' himself," she groaned. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she looked up at Daichi and started to walk quickly toward their new waypoint. "Be ready. And hope he's in his right mind when we find 'im." --- The BeeZector was trying to scare her off now. Chika stood stock-still, staring at the thing as it continually almost-but-not-quite rammed into her. Her hand drifted up to her shirt, and felt at something underneath in an absent-minded way--just under the collar of her shirt, a glint belonging to a certain chain was visible if the others were to look closely. "...It won't hurt me," she said. "I'm sure it won't hurt me." Her phone buzzed. In a halting, distracted motion, she reached into her pocket, took out her phone, and held it out toward Hanako. It was a new phone, since the first had been broken in the ruins not long before, but the phone strap dangled off it, the title of an obscure samurai movie embroidered on it, and two plastic charms: a sword and a helmet. She held the phone out to Hanako, not taking her eyes off the lightning bug, and said, "Check that message, would ya?" And then, tentatively, Chika took a step forward, and then another, waiting to see if the BeeZector would back up to accommodate her. |
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| Prince Arjuna | Feb 12 2014, 12:38 AM Post #23 |
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-insert something witty here-
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Kakeru looked at Chika and then at the lightning bug. It was ridiculous to think that Naoya was willing to hurt other people, but he still cautiously looked at the BeeZector, his hand still clutching on the purple cloth that was wrapping his sword. He was wondering whether Naoya could actually control it or not, or whether he was actually nearby. When Chika handed Hanako her phone, he looked at Hanako to wait for anything important that she might be saying next. While doing that, he continued to cautiously watch the BeeZector, thinking about what to do with it. |
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| Nonsequitur | Feb 12 2014, 01:00 AM Post #24 |
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Yellow Bubblegum
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"Chika, still, be careful there's no accounting for accidents and we have little margin for error." A second used healing someone hurt was another second that could have been devoted to finding Naoya. With the storm coming, they needed all the help the could get. She didn't take her eyes off the BeeZector, not until the phone was in her hands. The phone was new and the charm…in most circumstances she'd have thought it was just curious and not gave it a second thought. But given her new associations… …she put those thoughts aside for the moment, and narrowed eyes were instead turned to the message. "…it says that Detective Imoto is planning to try and flush Naoya out. It seems its our job to keep our eyes open for any signs of him." Well, signs other than his creations that seem to want to heard Chika away "Kakeru? Hold the phone and wait with Nakadachi-san: do not move. I'll see what it's trying to keep her from." She didn't want to get her hopes up that it was Naoya who just couldn't bear to see her until he'd gotten his issues sorted out. Naoya knew they would look, it could have just been a red herring. "If I see something? I'll let you know, be back soon." She knew she'd be fine. Kakeru couldn't go 'cause they'd have fond him sometime next year. for obvious reasons Chika couldn't. But she was free to have a look and come right back, right? |
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| Exodin | Feb 12 2014, 08:54 AM Post #25 |
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MAHHA
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Jiro nodded, and summoned his mask. Instead of having to force it out, it came so...fluidly. Like back when he'd first awakened. Kamina's signature glasses materialized on his face, and the boy had been about ready to use his favorite traversal technique. The drawback, Naoya could hear the noise or somehow see him. So instead, he began to make a mad dash down the middle path. Slight trip ups were frequent, but it mattered not for the boy who nulled physical. A look of fierce determination adorned his face. Now, that the boy was actually running the progress was much better. As he careened down, he noticed he was coming upon the group and that Naoya's lightning bug was...in front of them. "Not on the west path. He must be on the eastern one." The eastern path. The one Nakamura and his 'sensei' were on. That thought gave him pause for a second. Then the boy shook his head. He didn't have to double back. He could just turn around and start running again. Close in on Naoya from both ends. So that's what he did. Turned right around and began to run back to the pond so he could start down the east path. --- Seeing Kyo emerge from the brush like that was enough to give him pause. A campsite? Then that meant the two of them may be the group to intercept him. "I should take the lead. I'm...a bigger obstacle." Daichi then began walking in the direction of the site. His eyes constantly flicking from in front of him, to the ground. Traps for food huh? That could prove to be problematic if they weren't careful. If anything, he'd aim to only restrain Naoya if that proved absolutely necessary. |
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| Czernobog | Feb 12 2014, 09:36 AM Post #26 |
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Best Influence.
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Solomon saw the reflection of the tarp from above, and knew what it meant. The persona flickered, dissolving briefly into blocks of light shot through with vertical lines, almost like a video artifact, resolved again, and then dissolved completely, the pale green light vanishing. He began to run, heading for the center path, but cutting to the left as soon as he was on it. If he had followed the head of the eastern path, he would have to loop around the back side of the mountain, and that would take too long. He reached a sharp incline, more a cliff than a slope, but covered in grass, and looked back and forth. This was going to suck. He shone light through his eyes to cut the darkness, and he stepped forward, leaning back as he slid down the side of the gorge. All he could hope for was that he wouldn't break his leg at this point. --- The lightning bug shuddered and buzzed in the air, as if irritated, but did indeed move to accommodate her movements. It swiveled when Jiro approached, as if surprised, then turned back to Chika. It floated up to head-level, and briefly made a whirring noise that had a plaintive note to it. When Hanako reached the edge of the ridge, she saw the edge of the tarp that Naoya had made into a tent. Reaching it would require backtracking to a shallower part of the ridge and finding a clear enough stretch of ground to proceed down along the east side of it. --- As Kyo and Daichi approached, they would have to pass through dense, heavy foliage to reach the tiny clearing. It was shielded from the worst of the weather by the ridge, but the temperature was still dropping, the wind still picking up, the pressure still changing. There was the small campsite -- the tent made with a length of rope and two tarps, the small firepit, cold and unlit, and the spot where Naoya had sat, contemplating -- and the gruesome sight within it. Naoya had the noose about his neck, and was hanging from the tree. He had made a miscalculation with the length, and had apparently left too much length hanging below. When he had dropped himself -- the creaking sound earlier -- it hadn't provided enough force to snap his neck because his feet had reached the ground and inadvertently provided enough braking to avoid that particular end. Still, he hung there, feet brushing the ground, hands curled into fists, face slowly turning from red to a blue matching the hat he was wearing. He could easily have stood on the tips of his toes and removed it, could easily have simply cut the rope, but didn't. His eyes were half-open and seemed to boil within, motes of glowing yellow blossoming and contracting a dozen times a second. |
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| The One True Nobody | Feb 12 2014, 10:08 AM Post #27 |
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
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"Right," Kyo said, falling into step behind her student without complaint. "Careful, though, okay...?" The problem of getting there without noise was a thing--plants in the way, thick clusters of trees and bushes and everything, negotiating that without raising a clamor would slow them down quite a bit. It wasn't that difficult for Kyo, but she was still more used to traversing a city than traversing a forest. Jungles made of concrete were simpler than those made of dirt and bark. When they made it to the campsite, though, Kyo stopped cold. She didn't even see the campsite itself. That was just white visual noise, background props that meant nothing. Nothing. The sight of her friend hanging from a tree with a noose around his neck. That was everything. Everything. For a moment she was sure it had happened again, again, she had come out here looking for someone who'd vanished and her curse had made it so she would be the one to find them dead and cold in the middle of some bleak nowhere. She was so sure of this that she felt her knees buckling. But then she saw the truth of it. His neck was intact. It hadn't broken. Instead he was choking. She was here in time this time. She was here in time. She was here in time to stop the bad thing from happening. "Oh no you don't," she heard herself under her breath. The mask appeared in her hand, the butterfly mask with the two red jewels dangling from beneath the eyes, and she quickly stretched the band over her head, putting the mask over her eyes. "You ain't gonna be another one o' my ghosts you stupid, fucking idiot! I'm not walkin' around with you floatin' behind me, you bastard." She appeared in a flash of blue as always, but her movements were so fast that Daichi wouldn't be able to make out any of her features apart from the massive pair of purple butterfly wings that sprang out of her back, propelling Cereza into the air, hand on the hilt of her red-and-black demon katana. She leapt into the air, giving the wings a single flap to boost herself over Naoya's head, tucking her legs in, and with one swift motion drew Shuraba from its sheath in a lightning-fast draw-cut, aiming to cleave the rope and drop Naoya to the ground and as far as Kyo was concerned, if he landed a bit badly he fucking deserved it for trying to do this to her and Chika and his uncle and all the others. She wasn't going to let him. He wouldn't become another ghost floating in the corner of her Left Eye. She was in time to stop it this time... --- "It won't hurt me," Chika insisted firmly and with absolute certainty, brushing off Hanako's urge to be careful with those same four words. When Hanako tried to hand the phone to Kakeru, however, Chika turned sharply toward the girl and snatched it back. She didn't look like she was happy with being left behind. She was here to search with them, not hang back while other people did all the searching... She looked to the BeeZector, reaching out tentatively as if to touch the side of its metal body. The last time this thing had been so close to her face, well... it hadn't been a pleasant experience. Its master was a different person now, though. A much better person... |
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| Prince Arjuna | Feb 13 2014, 09:14 AM Post #28 |
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-insert something witty here-
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Kakeru just sighed. He somehow felt like he was being a burden here. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was being a burden to anyone around him. He was about to take Chika's phone when its owner suddenly snatched it away before he could even touch it. Sighing again, the former child assassin shook his head. "Let's just go and take a look together..." Kakeru suggested as he stepped forward to follow Hanako. That way, no one in their group would be left behind. And it would be a lot safer than Hanako going alone. And being such a person with traditional view of life, he believed that it was his job to keep the two girls safe, but he was still aware that he shouldn't say that out loud in front of them, knowing that they might accuse them for being sexist. He was hoping that they could find Naoya, not knowing the situation that was currently happening with the other group. He followed after the two so that he wouldn't lose his way as he walked. He held his wrapped sword tightly, seemingly prepared to pull it out at any moment should something dangerous came out. |
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| Nonsequitur | Feb 13 2014, 08:20 PM Post #29 |
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Yellow Bubblegum
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She said nothing as Chika snatched the phone back. Hanako would have thought nothing of it. But Hanako was not Chika, and that was more than enough to realize they of course would have reacted to it differently. She had a look. And Saw the Tarp. She had no idea of the condition Naoya was in. She had no way of knowing. "If you want?" She asked as she came back down the same way she came. "I see what could have been his camp, but we can't get to it from there, this is the way to get to it." She pointed further along the ridge where the going would have been easier and not a sheer drop. It was somewhat worrying all she saw was the tarp. She didn't know if all the things he'd need to make it in the wilderness were just out of sight, or if he was in some kind of trouble or abandoned the camp… |
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| Exodin | Feb 14 2014, 10:45 AM Post #30 |
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MAHHA
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It was taking too long, taking far too long. So Jiro charged his legs with a Bash, and leaped skyward. Then, he did so again when he landed. Leaving holes in the ground from where he launched himself. The distance was greatly reduced now. He was so close to the camp. To where Naoya must be. There was no feeling of pain throughout his entire being. No horrible booming migraine. Kamina was actually working with him. The blue haired man appeared with a grim determination on his face every single time. Then, a red skinned angel appeared and there was a bright flash of light in the sky... --- "I'm always careful. Hanako-san said I wasn't allowed to die, remember?" Daichi was not as experienced as Kyo was at climbing or traversing mountainous areas such as this. So it took a considerable effort from him to try and make as little noise as possible. Instead of focusing on Kyo's persona, Daichi summoned up his own mask and had Michael send a blast of Hama skyward. To act as a sort of signal flare. Then, it was time to cast Dia on Naoya. Hoping that any possible wounds, self inflicted or otherwise were withing his healing capability this time. |
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2:38 AM Jul 11