thenearshore | 011 | Black Parade

Entry tags:

011 | Black Parade

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead

The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.

Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

In Summary:

Enjoy the festival
Help save Near Shore residents
Take down the dead bodies
Try not to cry
Cry lots
Have fun~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She's trying not to think of it. It'll haunt her later, to the point of tears-thinking that she was really nothing more then a special zombie pet for her god. (Which, thank the heavens, her god refutes; it upsets him).

This might be part of the inspiration for that. She peers around her, her lips parted-hearing the wails and pleads.

Her eyes briefly close, and she firms up again, rallying not for her, but for Sousuke.]

You're a liar.

[She gives him a shove against his side. If he's angry, then he won't be easily affected, she thought. Or at least that's what she was going for.]

Wake up! If you think it's bad for us, what about our friends? What about our gods? Rin needs you to help him and the people around him! He needs you to wait to mourn the dead!

We need to be strong! Understand?

[Liar. The word splashes into his mind like a droplet in a pool. Ripples spread outwards, shaking through some of the haze that has already wrapped itself around his mind. But it’s not quite enou—Shove! Sousuke grunts as his entire body rocks, legs quickly scrambling in a fast dance to keep himself from falling. The ground scrapes under his shoes and he jerks his head up, teal eyes flashing in surprise and anger.

But he’s awake again and the realization hits him before he can do anything. The surprise and anger fade, replaced with a frown and determination. Che, dammit. He was getting swallowed all over again? Straightening up, he rolls his shoulders. Rin… Rin is still out there. He can’t feel him amid the souls whirling around them, but he knows his god’s out there. Whether he’d been mourning the dead or wondering if he’s going to join them, Sousuke doesn’t really recall at the moment.

Doesn’t matter. He needs to focus. For his god’s sake. For his own.]

Aa. I got it. [Let me be your strength. He’d said that to Rin in the past, hadn’t he. Sousuke turns, glaring out into the souls whirling around them.] Any idea on how we’re going to deal with these?

[Good, it worked. SHe wasn't sure how it would have worked otherwise, and seen about Sousuke centering himself. If he hadn't cared about Rin, she might not have gotten through of him.

Rin needed him. Dio needed her.

She takes in a deep breath, and rolls her shoulders.]

Good. [She sighed, and took in a deep breath. All right. They're doing this.]

Other then finding our gods and shooting them, maybe borderlines...not especially.

[He’s frustrated with himself that he’d been taken over. Even with his exhaustion, he expects himself to have stamina forever, strong enough to keep going until it’s over. But that’s something he can deal with later. Right now, they have to focus on… he really doesn’t know. Not falling under again?]

The living have used this wall as an escape, so I’ve been guarding it to keep that open. I don’t know if there are more people around. [The fog’s too thick. So while he’d like to go find his god, he also doesn’t want to abandon some lingering stragglers to their grisly fate.]

[Not his fault, or at least that's what Masaki would say. He can't be the only one who's having trouble here. She's feeling rather overwhelmed herself but...

Work now, cry later.]

Okay. That leaves us with two options then. Either we guard this wall, or we roam around a little to get our bearings.

[At least, that's what she thinks. He might have a different idea.]

We can switch in and out, like a tag team. One gets a breath, the other one fights with their borderline. Fair?

[Sousuke narrows his eyes at the displayed pair of options. He wants to deny abandoning the wall at all, but his logic also kicks in. There’s no way they can completely know if the innocents are all gone unless they stay at this wall till all the fog clears and everything is said and done. And by that time, who knows what’s happening to their gods… What if an ayakashi shows up? Neither Sousuke’s god nor Masaki’s will be able to kill it.]

We need to get to our gods eventually and make sure they’re all right. We can’t hold this wall forever. [He faces out into the fog again as the spirits begin to pick up once more. But a breather does sound nice, despite his pride.] If no living has come in twenty minutes, we can leave.

I’ll… let you cover for me. [It’s very reluctant, but he needs the rest and how can he help Rin if he’s completely ragged with a strained brain?] Just for a minute.

[They're not the best options, but they're the only ones she's giving him. She can't leave him alone, and if she's alone....she has a feeling there's a risk of the forbidden. But he strikes up a good point, of imposing a time limit.]

Yeah. We can't. I haven't been able to find my god.

[She's been trying to find him from the start. But she finds out later he was...rounding up zombies on his own. Caging them even.]

But all right. I'll cover you for a minute. High five me when you're ready to come back in.

[She can't let him go around with a strained mentality, much less a strained body. So Masaki steps forward, taking in a deep breath, clearly determined to defend him.]

[He probably would’ve been more stubborn, but unfortunately circumstances kind of press him for options. With one more glance towards the grounds in front of them, Sousuke quietly sinks down atop the wall, letting his legs dangle over the side. Just having the chance to sit down and rest his body is immensely relieving and he lets out a silent, heavy breath. With her there to cast barriers, the spirits aren’t going to be so ready to come rushing towards them and bother his mind.

Some of him wants to roll onto his back, close his eyes, really rest, but he refuses that weariness. He still has to keep an eye out, in case he sees his god running around out there. Even if he’s resting, it doesn’t mean he’s going to disconnect. Masaki could use an extra pair of eyes as well while she works.]

I’ll let you know.

[He’s not going to high five her. Stubborn guy.] To your right. Three more incoming. [All shambling and gross.]

[She can do the barriers. She knows them, practised them, by now, even if it's not as strong as Yukine's, or uses them offensively like Sousuke. Then again...she did have a bit of a crutch.]

All right.

[Party pooper. She's not surprised though, and she took in a deep breath, readying herself. She always had to make her will stronger then steel when this happened.]

Line!

[One day, she won't have to say the word. But the borderline is strong, keeping bare souls and zombies at bay. She still needs to make more though...so they could have a borderline cube.]

[Sousuke remembers her from the group practice. Remembers that she’s, admittedly, not the strongest or the best user of the borderlines. His pride has reservations about trusting his reprieve to her covering, but the rest of him shuts that opinion up and waits. Masaki knows what she’s doing.

The first borderline’s a success and once it’s up, the creatures on the other side of it rebound, pausing to take count of what’s going on. There’s an additional aid, and the borderline helps to block out some of the souls and atmosphere. It gives Sousuke some reprieve from the constant pressure on his mind and soul and he’s able to relax a little more for it. Masaki, too, gets the same benefit.]

They’re coming around the sides.

[So far, he hasn’t seen any Near World residents running towards them or the wall, so that’s… good.]

[She is still new to it,still trying. But she is very determined not to be left behind when it comes to using border lines too. She refuses. So long as she draws breath, she will not let the zombies cross he lines.

His quiet pointing out has her gaze flicker, and she nods slightly.]

I see them. Thank you.

[A deep breath, and she makes another borderline, and another on the opposite sides, ensuring that the pair of them are within a open box of borderline. Than is, until she spins around, and makes the cutting motion facing Sousake, covering his back and the wall. She can feel a trickle of sweat down her brow, and she goes to turn the other way, taking in another deep breath. Boxed in. But the air feels pure in h ere.

Any Near Shore resident she allows across would feel the same, she thinks.]

Better?

[New as she is, she’s all that’s keeping these creatures away from the wall and the innocents trying to get to its protection. Sousuke respects her determination at least; it’s difficult to trust himself to someone else’s hands, but he has no choice right now. Not when, as she put it, his god’s counting on him.

And there she goes again, catching the ones coming from the side. Sousuke sweeps his gaze across the area in front of them, breathing heavy, but silent. Just a few minutes to rest, then he’ll jump back in. The three-sided box makes the air easier to breathe now and he can feel some of his strength starting to come back.]

Ngh?

[And starts a little when Masaki abruptly aboutfaces and cuts a line right in front of his face. He tenses, but the barrier shoots up behind him as she drew it, blocking off that side as well. He glances behind him, then turns back to Masaki, noting the sweat on her brow. A box isn’t going to be the easiest thing to contain; his don’t stay up very long…]

Aa. I should be good in a minute.

[She's trying. That's all she can do, and they both have their gods waiting for them, somewhere. But it's good to see that her borderlines work-that they go through someone without hurting them.

Even if it had been a bit of a risk.]

All right. Good. Take your time.

[She wipes the sweat away, and takes in a slow, deep breath. She'll be fine, she thinks. She just has to hold it now, even if there are zombies at the line now.]

I can hold this for awhile.

[It might be a lie. It's hard to say, and she is feeling the pressure of keeping it up. But she's not going to fail Sousuke now. Or herself.]

[He respects that. She’s doing what she can, determined to protect him and those they’re guarding. It’s hard not to notice that Masaki uses her borderlines very differently than Sousuke does. Hers aren’t as violent or as aggressive, far more protective and defensive. It has to be their personalities. Alongside skill.]

Aa.

[Seconds are ticking down and each one feels like a little drop back in the reservoir of his strength. Breathing easing, legs and arms regaining feeling, his head clearing and his focus returning as his heartbeats calm. Sousuke glances up to her again when she states their status.

But he can tell the difference between truth and hope. With a soft breath, Sousuke gives his arms and legs a quick rundown, physically and mentally.]

I’m good. You can rest now.

[She's trying what she can do. Maybe their personalities and skills are different, but she still has to admire him, for his use of skill. She keeps her borderlines grounded, and solid against stray souls and zombies, for all she can see them passing by, if not trying to make it pass.

Maybe if they were in a different situation, she would be trying to use her borderlines far more aggressively. Even as he straightens up, she glances back. Her gaze is worried, and clearly she wants to stay put but...

Her head dips into a nod, and she starts moving back.]

All right.

[She doesn't put them down though. She'll wait until he decides what to do before leaving them without defence.]

[Sousuke eyes the fray in front of them. While it looks like madness, considering the mass of souls and fog obscuring the reanimated corpses wandering around or assaulting various things, he wants to think the majority of the innocents have made it out by this time. No one has passed through or by the barrier in the past few minutes.

The swimmer frowns a little when Masaki looks back at him. Those worried brown eyes… He doesn’t want her to be concerned about her. She doesn’t need that kind of burden. Sousuke’s doggedly determined to be self-dependent so people don’t have to feel that way about him. Rin. Goten. Masaki included.

But life happens and as she nods to him, Sousuke passes her with a quiet incline of his head in gratitude.]

I’ll hold it from here.

[And then quickly forms a straight borderline from one end of the wall to the other, blocking the swath of zombies from coming. It frees up the sides, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s coming around them either.]

I haven’t seen a Near Shore dweller in a while.

[Masaki wants to think that as well. That there are people who made it out, and they won't be hurt by any of this. She's not even sure they can see the fog. It might be one of those things that is purely of the spiritual world.

And draining spirits like them too. She doesn't want to see Sousuke go down on his knees. She doesn't want him hurt at all.

He might if they keep this up. She sighs, and lets go of the borderlines in front of her as she backs up to the wall, leaning against it. It feels as if she's taken off a too tight helmet, though the sensation doesn't go away completely. There's still the one behind them, after all.]

Neither have I. But it's hard to see anything with the fog.

[They might have to go out anyway.]

[Whether there are still innocents inside or not, they can’t tell unless one of them runs past. All they can do is stake out here for a few more minutes before they’ll be forced to accept that it’s clear and they can move on. No zombies have made it past the wall all this time, a testament to Sousuke and those who’ve helped him’s abilities. It’s taxed him to the point of dropping, but he can’t let himself fall again. Masaki’s convinced him of that.

But he can’t—refuses to—let her sacrifice herself for him any more than is necessary. As his borderline goes up and hers comes down, Sousuke once more focuses on the mist before him and begins picking off and countering the corpses shambling around through the mist. Spirits floating this way or that dive against the wall, only to retreat from its surface. The air’s thicker, not as bad as before, but… at least they have protection.]

Aa. We’ll stay here for ten more minutes. If we haven’t seen anything by then, we’re clear.

[And they can go out into the fog and look for their gods. Or keep fighting. Probably both. Together or separately, he doesn’t mind either way.]

[True, that's the only way they'll know. Masaki feels a little anxious in waiting for the innocents to come by. But she's also worried on Sousuke's state, and the way that he's still going at it. Maybe...she would have thought he would have needed a longer break. Maybe something to eat or drink.

Especially since he's using his borderlines to eliminate the corpses that are still stumbling about. At least the spirits aren't making him listless like they were before.]

Right. We'll keep switching out until the time limit. I'll use my phone to time it.

[And do some fight and search after. And maybe once it was all done, they could...go home and decompress. That was something to look forward to.]

[He could use something to eat. He could use something to drink. But he knows that need will always be there. No matter how much he eats or how much he drinks, he can never completely banish the sensation of longing. It’s part of being a shinki, he’s discovered. It’s not fun and he’s not told Rin about it at all. He doesn’t intend to because of the guilt it would put his god through. But he pushes past the discomfort and forces his body and stamina to move.

He’ll continue this until he’s with Rin once more and assured that he and as many innocents as they can find are safe.

The spirits around them are still avoiding the area; Masaki’s borderlines from earlier are still helping the air remain clear of the spirits and fog. Sousuke’s not looking forward to their return so he’s going to take in as much of the clear air as possible before that happens.]

Where’d you get a phone?

[Might as well try for something casual since they’re in this situation together—Damimt, there went another pair of Near Shore dwellers. A woman and her child, breaking through the barrier and dashing for the wall. He grits his teeth as the barrier wavers from his momentary laxing to let the person through, but it hardens again a moment later with a reflexive flex of his power. There, good again.]

[It was kind of bleak. Their lack of ability to be satisfied with food or drink wasn't something Masaki had ever told her god-but she wouldn't be surprised if he suspected. She only learned not so long ago that she wasn't alone with this.

But she'll continue. It's nothing that can be helped, and it's something she'll have to work through. That is, until the innocent people are safe. Until she knows Dio and Rin are okay.]

Hm? Oh that. Dio gave it to me. The night that we met, we did a little...looking around.

[She pauses, and tilts her head, even as she sees about the timer. There-and she tenses as the mother and child move through the barrier. It doesn't fall, but it clearly causes some strain.]

Actually no, I'm wrong. I think I found it in my bedroom, after I took a shower and got changed. I was...I really needed a shower.

[Hope that tidbit isn't distracting Sousuke from protecting the Near Shore dwellers.]

[Sousuke frowns as the woman and her child vanish over the wall. Well that’s a survivor… So the question is, do they still stick to the twenty minute countdown or do they restart it since they’d just seen a Near Shore resident? He doesn’t want to linger around here longer than they have to… but “have to” constitutes protecting the innocents. Peering out into the fog again, Sousuke curses quietly. There’s no hint of the fog lifting either.]

Looking around? As in shopping or exploring his temple?

[He fixes the barrier, though it taxes him again and some of the air quality drops because suddenly his breathing feels thicker and a ripple of somber sensations drip down his spine. The atmosphere outside’s gotten through and it’s going to affect them again. He focuses on Masaki’s words again.]

That’s a really different memory.

[Shopping or exploring versus finding it in the bedroom. And it’s not so distracting as much as something else to focus on than the zombies now pounding at his walls. Besides, he isn’t any better, since he’d gone two days without a shower when he arrived here.]

[She's still keeping the clock from before. She doesn't know if they can keep restarting the clock, over and over. He's worn out, and she's getting herself confused. Even if that means that she's not helping out as many people as she could or should (and feels bad about it...)

They can't last like this. And their gods could do a lot more good, with their shinki then without them. The air feels heavier, and it's harder to focus. She almost misses the last statement, and shakes herself, like a dog flinging water off of their coat.]

Exploring his temple. I explored a little, then we shopped because...it didn't have everything I needed.

But the phone was there. Sorry. Got a bit mixed up. Somehow.

[She loves showers. And food. Both were amazing, even if she never felt full.]

[Well if that’s the decision she’s making, Sousuke’s not going to fight her over it. One of them has to stand up and take control of this or that or they’re never going to get out of this place. Just as Sousuke’s determined to take turns and when he comes back on the defensive, Masaki takes over the clock and he acquiesces to her decision. It’s probably the better option, considering the strain they’re experiencing already.

Honestly, they’ve been at this for a while together and who knows how long before then. They’re only guarding one—relatively—small area among a wide open perimeter where people can go streaming out of at any moment. So the chance that there are a lot more survivors left inside the mess of battle is very small. At least that’s how his mind is logically trying to ease his concern and conscience.]

I see. We’ve had to go shopping a little as well. I didn’t think about phones though.

[Considering Rin’s able to teleport to his side or call Sousuke to him, that’s not come up. But it’d be… nice to have some leeway, once Sousuke gets over his still-lingering reluctance to let Rin leave his sight due to what Schuldid to the larger boy. He doesn’t want to be stolen again, but he doesn’t want to live in fear attached to Rin’s waist either.]

[Far too true. She wants to do the right thing, and the right thing here-even if it makes her grit her teeth-is to stick to the timer. They'll do more harm then good if they stick around for too long. Especially if their borderlines fail.

She's been running around like a headless chicken and stressed out at the damage she caused, and Sousuke-who knew what he had done.]

Phones are good. Plus, it means you can just...give him a text if something or the other pops up.

[She likes to send texts to her god, just to see how he is, if he wants anything. It's kind of nice just to be able to check in on each other, and on the others on the network as well.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject