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Perfect Circle; [Closed: Atsuko, Chinedu, Ng, Ren, Ryou]
Topic Started: Sep 13 2017, 04:51 PM (628 Views)
Zesseract
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Activities ended as they'd commenced, and as the glass-front doors of the lounge locked, some imagined portion of the world lost itself in the mists, shrouded in the vagaries of the day-to-day affairs of the public's conscience, the shared hallucination of the Adyton had closed up for the day. Taking with it visions of sugary treats, lost inside the musk of hidden tomes mixed with the earthy sweet scents of coffee spices, it all melded into the blur of today's recollected experiences, and transposed itself into the ever-mounting agglomerate sum of Ryou's own experiences as he saw himself through its backdoors. He said his goodbyes to the cook, the barista who also doubled as a hostess, as well as the rest of the busboys who'd made the lounge their place of employ, anointed with a smile he wore for the comfort of his fellows.

He'd become malaccustomed to a predictable pattern of pleasantness, without interfering thoughts like the ruins rearing their ugly heads through his thoughts; as far as he was concerned, that world did not exist here, nor could be offered a place to stay for any real amount of time while he was at work. He'd struggled to keep himself compartmentalized, a narrowly defined figure that existed only within the expanse of these walls, with no interaction from the other 'selves' he took on at school, and at home. At no point did he wish for any of these people to meet with one another, therein lied the potential for disaster -he thought-, which was -really- what Ren's visit had brought on. More than the memories he'd long thought suppressed, his run-in had allowed his 'self' from the ruins to cross over into his professional life, and his being here greatly undermined whatever his professional 'self' attempted to do.

With the threat of shadows looming overhead, did it really matter if the lounge was down a busboy? Couldn't he let himself miss a day or two to train? How much did it really matter if he could operate the espresso machine if he'd yet to hone in on his scanning? The fact he couldn't readily laugh off these concerns was worrying, when he'd decided to delve into that place further, he'd done so with the promise that he'd try to keep up his 'normal' life; he'd convinced himself that this changed nothing of his other responsibilities, that it was paramount that he kept these up, for his sake (so he told himself). But the more he delved, the less reason he found himself in wanting to engage in these formalities. His life, or what he referred to as such, had become nothing more than a series of nuisances to navigate around in his pursuit to find out more about the ruins.

Throughout his shift, he attempted to place himself squarely in his 'server' box, doing his utmost not to stray from his self-prescribed rote. he let muscle memory and practiced emotions run their course... up until now. Rousing himself from his trance, he took purchase of his surroundings, as his arms seized upon himself in some guarded stance to some invisible threat. (Why didn't I go home?), he thought immediately, shaking off his initial shock as quickly as he discarded breath. It wasn't a ruins night, he'd had enough of that -already-, more over, his training with coach (Coach?) had made it so he wasn't going back there for a while. No, it was a weekend, he had tomorrow off from school... not from work, though. He'd need to come back first thing in the morning, (...wait!), put down the seats and dust-off the tables, and then see about asking Michiyo about how to operate the espres(Stop-IT!)-so machine.

He felt his hands seize his head, attempting to grip to what he thought was himself -no- to reassert himself rather, as he tried to dispel the narrative being woven around him. His mind's eye held up recollections of today, in a manner reassuring him that it was he that'd walked through the Adyton's doors, it was he that'd met with Ren, and it was he that'd rebuffed him. Suddenly, he found his strength failing, his legs wobbled with the same enervation as though he'd traipsed a thousand times through his rote today, and slowly settled on the floor.
Edited by Zesseract, Sep 13 2017, 04:51 PM.
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Smile Junky
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
After receiving Ren's call, Chinedu knew that he needed to act now while they had the chance to make the plan work. He'd been given a location, and with a few minutes of walking he managed to arrive at the Adyton. Now Chinedu just hoped that he wasn't too late... Alright, I need to get my head clear of distractions now. I can let it run free once we've slipped this ring on and taken care of this possession problem once and for all. Or at least figured out what our next step will be.

Spoiler: click to toggle
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Czernobog
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Best Influence.
Wei was a champion when it came to skulking in alleyways. He had sneaked in back streets, prowled along footpaths, and on one occasion, while in Taiwan, he had managed to creep down a hutong. But, usually, he didn't have to wait for a busboy to leave work and attack him with jewelry. That was a new one for him. It was getting to the point where he was beginning to wonder if he had miscalculated and Astawhatever had just gone out the other side, never even noticing that a pissed off Taiwanese expatriate was trying to silence the demon in his head.

That would be a real shaggy dog story, wouldn't it?
text message from Ng Wei to the Reitaku students
 
I'm getting impatient. Is anyone else in there that you people can see? I'm thinking of just going in there and doing it. I can just punch him in the neck and slip it on him, and we can be done with this NOW instead of later.

He hit send, and then a thought occurred.
text message from Ng Wei to the Reitaku students
 
I mean GENTLY punch him in the neck.
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kempan98
Ugly Crying
Atsuko got into her own position and sighed sharply. To say she was nervous was definitely an understatement. She had the wonderful privilege to distract Arakawa. There was a part of her that wished they were never classmates in the first place, but that was a selfish thought. She knew that he needed help and she couldn't just abandon him. Her phone vibrated and she looked at the text that Wei guy sent.

text message from Atsuko Hiroyuki to Ng Wei
 
We're not punching anyone unless needed. If the plan goes south, then you can GENTLY punch him in the neck.


She sent the text with a slightly irritated mood. Violence was going to be the last resort. She looked towards Adyton and could see a lone figure on the ground. She quickly sent a text.

text message from Atsuko Hiroyuki to Reitaku Students
Ng Wei
It looks like he's alone. Should I approach now or should we wait to see if he leaves?
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Wagoo

Interestingly enough, Ren was watching the other side of the alley, out of sight from everyone else, and wasn't enjoying it at all. He kept looking down each side of the street, trying to seem calm as he paced about the opposite entrance. As was typical of Ren, he failed miserably, and more than a few passerby at that hour gave him odd looks, which didn't help. Nevertheless, he was alone aside from the messages everyone was texting each other. He shook his head; he knew it was old-fashioned, but he felt more comfortable with using e-mail instead of IM or texting. But he was going to have to swap eventually; if only the circumstances weren't so bad.

Looking around again and into the alleyway's opposite end, he turned to his phone, glad that he didn't see anyone coming out of it. Someone had replied, and Arakawa had been sighted. A little typing on the touch screen later, and the message was sent.

text to All
 
I agree, though if it's needed, it's needed. Would you hold back, see which way he's going? Also, Nel-senpai,
where are you?
Edited by Wagoo, Nov 2 2017, 11:30 AM.
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Zesseract
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The world around him seemed to pulsate in and out of focus, each memory grounding him in a world that seemed wholly unreal to him; slowly, he saw himself guided to a compromise between these new recollections and where he felt himself stand, though it was still a jarring scene transition from that corridor in the ruins to his workplace after-hours. If he concentrated, he could still feel that onerous mist, each condensed droplet on his skin clinging to him like an anchor, dragging him down into the fog. And in that darkness, its source beckoning him; it wasn't some illusion -he said-, resolute in grounding himself squarely in that horrible space, and yet his surroundings were entirely alien to his last recollection.

Despite himself, or perhaps because of it, he didn't recoil at these new surroundings, rather he'd seemed to have settled into a sort of lull, a persistent illusion self-perpetuated by his own vagaries. So violent was his refusal to die in that place, that he'd created this whole separate life for himself? And what of the flash of gold in his line of sight, tearing through that mire in a brief but wholly definitive fashion, was that also artifice disguised as memory? He needed to get his grip together, if only to get to a safe place; if this was just his own self-denial -as he thought-, then he could at least allow himself to engage it in a space he recognized as comfortable...

Nervously, he set his hands down on the pavement, quivering in the irreality of it all, he could manage to push himself against the ground he currently perceived, eventually getting himself off the ground entirely. Standing, he managed to get a hold over himself, mentally and physically speaking as he found purchase of himself in his own crossed arms; grasping a sort of totem to keep his thoughts from eroding him, he looked around, unsure of where to go. The usual suspects remained uncharacteristically silent as he found no prime mover for his actions, no intent behind his rationalized world; freedom had suddenly become a terrifying notion.

He began to move -rather- shuffle away from the alleys and back onto the main street; it was through the park -he said-, his little tower of white on an islet, whelmed in green on all fronts. There he'd find refuge.
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Smile Junky
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Yes… I’d sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it’d get us a happy ending.
Text to all
 
I am at the front of the Adyton. Ready to move when the time is right.


Chinedu looked at his phone as soon as the messages started to pour in, a small crease forming in his brow as the discussion went on. The possibility of having to punch themselves into a solution for this whole thing didn't sit well with him at all. Atsuko at least mirrored his thoughts on the situation. Still, this would have to go down sometime soon, they weren't going to get many chances this good just any day now.

What a fine situation we find ourselves in. Hmm. Bless us in our efforts Lord, as we try to save a soul. Amen

A brief movement caught Chinedu's eye as he saw someone seemingly slink off towards the alleyway. It may not have been the target they were looking for, but to simply ignore it would have been foolish. The text from Atsuko seemed to imply she had caught it too, which only deepened his resolve.

Text to all
 
Saw someone duck into an alley. May be him. Going to take a look
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Czernobog
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Best Influence.
text message from Ng Wei to the Reitaku students
 
Well, he WAS headed my way, now he's headed the other direction, back to the street. Don't know if he saw me.


He tensed up, and prepared to walk parallel to Astaroth, sticking to the back alleys. His reasoning was that if he could get the others to act as spotters or actually engage him in conversation. He couldn't risk being detected - while there was little chance that the "duke" would remember him, Wei would not bank on that result. Expecting things to go your way was a sure-fire way to lose any edge you might otherwise have, and when the enemy was a demon possessing a hormonal teenager, it was entirely likely that he would not be inhibited in how he approached the situation.

text message from Ng Wei to the Reitaku students
 
I'm shadowing him at a distance. Would it be possible for someone to engage him in conversation and the rest of you to give updates on his movements?


If this didn't work, he might have to climb a fire escape and get a higher perspective.
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kempan98
Ugly Crying
Atsuko tensed up a bit. This was really happening, wasn't it? One small mistake and this was all over for them. It didn't help matters that this guy was probably possessed at this very moment. She knew that Wei was following him and Chinedu was going to go into the alleyway. So, she had to contribute as well.

Text to all
 
Send him my way. I'll find an excuse to talk with him, we're classmates so maybe I can bring up the school or something. Anyway, I'm not good in a fight, so it would be better if you guys shadow behind and intervene if something goes wrong.


She sent the text and nervously waited for a reply.
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Wagoo

Should I? Should I not? Should I? Should I not?

You are no longer in control, fly. Aesop sounded a bit tired and annoyed- or was it boredom, of all things? One has given two potential commands, another is acting upon one of them. Do you have your other ally perform this act of shadowing, or perform it yourself?

Ren let out a sigh as he responded.

Text to all
 
Please be careful, Senpai.


Your answer is nothing? Aesop chimed- and this time, it was an unhappy and a tad angry chime.

Look at me right now, Aesop. What good am I if things go wrong? I'm not going to be of any help if- no, when Astaroth fights.

An angry grunt was heard, and when the sound of Aesop returned to Ren's head, it was resigned. Avoiding that place this story began in has failed you. There is no way to avoid it now, and there's no way to get better at survival. Hiding has failed.

... So I should prepare for when I can't avoid it anymore. Ren began to look over Bedlam on his phone, looking up names.

After tonight, he wasn't going to deal with his problems by hiding behind others. There had been enough of that for a month.
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