thenearshore | [closed] to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet

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[closed] to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet

Who: Nekhbet's ~~flock~~ temple (Shun, Fubuki, Reisi)
When: July 19th, morning
Where: Some nebulous place on the Far Shore
What: Mission 9, tracking a masked ayakashi.
Warnings: Potential mentions/descriptions of Johan's death if the subject comes up.

[As if things haven't been both dangerous and active enough around the Far Shore recently, Shun just had to overhear two of the advisors' shinki squabbling childishly over whether they'd really seen a masked ayakashi. It's not the kind of thing he can ignore, even with several other problems on his mind, and at the very least, he figures it might be a chance to see how his temple residents work together with the addition of Reisi.

So it is they've returned to the location of the argument, Shun heading over to investigate the patch of woodland the arguing shinki had been gesturing at. It's a little old, and not all the prints are clear, but there's definitely some not entirely natural ones marking the ground and heading deeper into the woods. Crouching down to study them, Shun raises his gaze after a few moments to look further into the trees.]

It's a good place for an ambush...and not one from us.

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[Oya. Looks like closing off the vent really got the ayakashi's attention. However, it appears the ayakashi doesn't want to stray far from the fissure. Reisi takes a few steps closer, closing the distance to maintain the ayakashi's interest. Inwardly, he's cautious, but outwardly he continues to wear a pleasant yet indecipherable smile.

Objective 1: Act as a distraction.

So far, so good.

Objective 2: Weaken the ayakashi.

Time to get on that, especially since he's already captured its attention. Reisi attacks his target with another borderline.]

[Shun had been mainly counting on Reisi to have come to the same conclusion on weakening the ayakashi, and he's not disappointed when the other man sends out a borderline against the creature. It tries to move around it, but fails, screeching and hissing as the line hits it nearly right in the middle, making part of its body sag and drip for a moment.

It's a fine cue for Shun and Fubuki to get in on the action, and Shun slashes a line of blessed water ahead of them before making the call.]

Now! [It's aimed primarily at Fubuki, though Reisi sending out another borderline wouldn't go astray - the creature's head turns just in time to be splattered by the blessed water, and though it rears back, its eyes are still in full view, giving Fubuki the option of whether to use his vessel power or a borderline to pitch in.]

[He'd split his focus between the enemy in front of them and looking for anybody or anything that might be the controller, so he's more startled than he should be when Shun calls out.]

[He recovers quickly. With Fubuki's borderlines the way they are, even if the ayakashi hadn't turned around he would have tried both, but whether either worked is up for debate, considering the ayakashi was already reeling.]

[It's possible Tenjoin's powers had some effect, but Reisi had decided it's better to be safe than sorry. Seeing the ayakashi turning toward his god and the other shinki, Reisi loosed another borderline at the opening when the monster reared. Now that his teammates have its attention, Reisi draws a line between them and the ayakashi, allowing their assault through while preventing the beast from charging them.]

[The ayakashi does falter at Fubuki's combined attack; it's hard to tell whether it was just one or the other that did anything, or the combination of both, but it stops it from recovering and Reisi's borderline hits it dead on once again, making it loose its footing and crash to one side on the ground.

Shun takes the opportunity while it's there, stepping forward and levelling the mask vessel's gaze at the ayakashi to focus his will on rending it. It's as good an opportunity as they're going to get, and the beast has been weakened about as effectively as it can be without most likely wasting extra effort.]

[Getting it down means it's been defeated, right?]

[Well...not necessarily, if it's not going to give up. But that's what the final attack is for...]

[Reisi's borderline gives him pause, but the "beam" of air-like pressure seems to go right through to the ayakashi—Fubuki subconsciously directing it at the ayakashi's mask—and it seems like their combined effort was effective, after all.]

Grab the mask—

[So far, they've confirmed rumors of a masked ayakashi and tracked it to this vent. It probably goes without saying that they may obtain further information regarding the mask and who- or whatever is controlling it by taking down said ayakashi and collecting its mask.

As things are, the takedown is going quite smoothly. Perhaps too smoothly, Reisi thinks. They hadn't let up their attacks or given the ayakashi much of a chance, but is there more than meets the eye here? Reisi remains ready and on-guard while maintaining the borderline protecting Kurosaki and Tenjoin. Additionally, he's also holding the borderline over the fissure in the ground, and it probably would be best for him to keep an eye out for anything else.

Are they rending the ayakashi before taking its mask, or vice-versa? What if there's more than one masked ayakashi nearby?]

I have you covered. [He affirms, just so they know he's keeping eyes and ears open so they can focus on their task.]

[It takes a bit longer than usual for the rending to take effect, but Reisi's question on the front of order is answered before too long as the creature collapses in on itself and begins to dissipate. Shun waits until most of the face has vanished before he darts ahead to grab the mask.

Though he's definitely keeping an eye out as well even with Reisi watching their backs, Shun pauses to look over the mask for a moment before glancing past it to the fissure in the ground.]

I'm surprised that thing was alone. [Assuming it was, in fact, alone, but for now, there's no other sounds to indicate another one nearby. Cautiously, he steps around the fading ayakashi and starts walking towards the vent, crouching down by it and peering through the borderline over the top.]

...Maybe it wasn't trying to escape after all.

[The rend taking longer than usual might have been bad, but thankfully that worked out fine. He's almost too relieved when he's reminded of...the other thing. Since he's less sure that this ayakashi was alone, he's looking back the way they came. Whatever Shun's noticed, Fubuki missed it.]

Why do you say that?

[Reisi maintains the borderline over the vent while taking down the other one that's no longer necessary. Still looking out for anything else that may come their way,]

Then it may have been trying to expand this hole for something else, correct?

[If it wasn't going to go in, then perhaps it was trying to let something else out. Still, who or what was controlling the ayakashi before they defeated it?]

Right. If I had to guess what the something else was, I'd say backup. [There's a smell lingering around the hole, something very visceral and yet also deep, as if brought up from an abyss. Shun's heard before that this world has a hell, and if there was anything he would ascribe a smell like that to...

With a slight, annoyed shake of the head, he straightens up. By this time, the ayakashi's form has completely disintegrated, but the mask in Shun's hand still remains.]

I'd check it properly, but it doesn't look like it'll be large enough all the way through to admit a person. [And also that's a really bad idea in general for not dying, but Shun doesn't seem too concerned for himself.]

[Please don't jump into the hole, Shun...]

[At their assessment, he takes another look at the vent. He can't quite follow the reasoning, but whatever the case, it...doesn't look that dangerous at the moment. There isn't an indication of anything coming from the direction they came, either. On the other hand, he couldn't spot anything that might have been the controller.]

Are there any marks on the mask?

[If Kurosaki can't fit, then Reisi certainly won't make it through, either. Apparently, he also would have no qualms with investigating it if he could.]

No, it doesn't...

[Reisi still hasn't removed the borderline simply as a precaution.

Taking out his phone,] I'll record our discovery here.

[When Fubuki asks that question, Shun holds the mask out in front of both of them and turns it around slowly - it's unmarked, but for the black lines that draw out the normal eye design of these masks.]

Nothing unusual. [As for Reisi's suggestion, Shun just nods, stepping back from the vent for the moment.]

I'll keep hold of this and see if I can get it to either someone familiar with magic, or one of the more reasonable older gods for more information.

[He noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye, so he doesn't miss it when Shun turns the mask over. So...nothing to identify either the controller or anything the controller might have been using to monitor the situation here. That doesn't rule out something like...Shun's vultures for example...(somehow...). But he really hasn't spotted anything.]

...It's not made of ceramic, is it? [Because, what with having captured an actual mask, he can probably throw out the ceramic pieces he's picked up...]

I haven't seen anything that might be the controller. We...can probably leave safely. [The latter being just a guess on his part.]

[Reisi makes sure to take photographic evidence of their findings and adding notes on the ayakashi that they had encountered.]

Would you mind if I took pictures of the mask as well?

[At Fubuki's question, Shun runs his fingers over the mask, frowning a little.] I don't think so. Doesn't feel right.

[It is very smooth, but it's not cold or heavy, and doesn't seem fragile either. Honestly, he can't actually tell what it's made of.

While he keeps Fubuki's observation in mind, he glances around himself slightly.] If you don't have a problem with it, I'd rather leave switching you back until we're out of the woods. Even if we can't see anyone now, there's plenty of places to hide on the way out.

[With that, he turns his attention to Reisi and his request, holding the mask up a little distance out from himself, his hand right at the bottom and covering as little of it as possible.] Go ahead.

Got it. [He...might prefer it this way for the moment, actually, with the better field of view. He wouldn't say so, though.]

I'll keep an eye out.

[Not ceramic... So the shards had pretty much nothing to do with it, after all. He'll have to remember to throw them out later, since he can't do it right now.]

[He glances at the mask as they fiddle with taking the photo, before returning his attention to their surroundings.]

It doesn't feel...weird, does it? Who's going to carry it?

[He takes pictures of the mask, first the front, then makes a gesture to have it turned around before getting the back as well.

He doesn't know what he'd expected of the mask, but nothing really stands out about it.]

To think something like this can be used to control ayakashi. I wonder how it works, or if it perhaps can be used to control beings other than ayakashi...

Obviously I'm going to. And it's fine for now. [Given Shun has a pretty strict policy of not making his shinki do anything he's not perfectly capable of doing himself, asking one of them to carry the mask just seems like pointless and petty delegation to him.

Turning the mask at Reisi's signal, Shun glances over to it with a rather sharp little frown.]

I'm wondering if it's actually a characteristic of the mask, or if it's something else and the mask is just a mark of the control. That's why I'm interested in getting someone better versed with magical and spiritual things to look at it.

[The idea of it being able to control things other than ayakashi is definitely not a promising one, though.]

[Well...the more it's in their hands, the more nervous it makes him. If Shun had suggested Reisi touch it, Fubuki might actually have protested, based on something a fake-mask-maker may or may not have said once... (Or something he interpreted from something a fake-mask-maker might have said once. Same thing.)]

Shun, if it starts feeling dangerous, please don't try to hang on to it.

[Reisi's taken records of it now, after all; it'd be a loss but not that much of one...]

Understood.

[Having finished taking out the picture, he puts his phone away and takes out a cloth to wrap up the mask. Reisi may not be able to hear Fubuki like this, but it's best to avoid contact with evidence and to preserve its condition as much as possible.

Since Reisi's new, he's curious as to who his god might ask about it.]

Who do you have in mind?

Define "feeling dangerous". [Shun's tone is a little dry, given running into a trigger-happy enough old god in possession of a mask like this would probably be dangerous of itself. Nonetheless, he does have the general idea of what Fubuki means, and he doesn't seem too fussed by Reisi wanting to wrap it up before they leave. He does hold it out rather carefully, though, making sure Reisi doesn't actually have to touch it without the cloth barrier to get it wrapped.]

Suijin if I run into her, or Yukine or Yato since they've apparently encountered some of this sort of thing before. There's one or two newer gods I'll think about, but I don't think any of them specialise in this sort of thing, so it'll be a long shot.

[Despite Shun's dry tone, Fubuki answers seriously.] If it feels like something is trying to press into you. [In other words, he'd meant "hang onto it" literally; giving it to someone hadn't actually crossed his mind, despite what Shun had said about having someone look at it.]

[Speaking of—he is being bad at his appointed task by watching them wrap it up, but he can't help it. Especially not after Reisi had brought up the possibility of the mask being able to control other things. He can't say he's relieved when the mask is covered, but there isn't exactly a way to seal it away or anything right now.]

Path's clear.

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[closed] to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet

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