29 - Autumn Leaves

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Uncover the remaining secrets of the mysterious forest.
When: Nov 29 - 30
Where: Chichibu National Park & the Central District
Summary: A heavily forested wilderness area in Chichibu National Park is attracting dangerous numbers of ayakashi, and Heaven's forces suspect that this might be the mortal forest that was connected to the Heavens in order to kidnap gods and shinki a few weeks ago.






Walk in the Woods

On the morning of the 29th, Heaven's messenger doves drop off small folded cards at the doors of every temple. The cards read,


We believe that we have identified the location on the Near Shore where the human accomplices were working. As it is a large area, we offer you this information, in case you are able to assist us in searching for clues to the identity of the culprit. Please investigate with caution: there are reports of ayakashi in the area.


Attached is a map to a large national park in the Kanto region, with a section of the park cross-hatched in red pen. Anyone who goes to investigate the marked area will discover that it is heavily forested and contains about a mountain and a half; the ground is steep, muddy with autumn rain, and slick with dead leaves, though some red and orange colors are still grimly clinging to the branches overhead. Watch your step! The supernatural menace seems to have faded, but the purely natural hazards can do almost as much damage.

Heaven's forces, wearing white short jackets with gold chrysanthemum emblems over much more sensible jeans and hiking boots, can be seen here and there throughout the forest, searching for clues themselves. If somebody gets in a real jam, they might be willing to lend a hand.

Mysterious Trees

Towards the center of the cross-hatched area, investigators may begin to see some familiar signs. Are those bits of torn-down spell papers still fluttering from nails driven into the trees? Vines and tree branches cut and broken by the hostage rescuers breaking through? Footprints, torn bits of black hooded cloaks... there are clues aplenty here.

There's something else, too: a mysterious presence still seems to haunt the forest. The trees might not move when anyone's watching, but it seems like they're in slightly different positions every time you look away and back. And what was that flicker of movement in the underbrush? Is there still someone here?!

Comment on the NPC REQUEST/CLUE SEARCH thread below to request specific details, or to go hunting for that mysterious presence.

Ayakashi Attacks

There's more than one mysterious presence in these trees... and some of them are definitely not friendly. The forest's aura is unsettling and creepy enough to partially mask their approach, but ayakashi of all types and sizes seem to have been drawn here. Some wind along tree branches or soar through the air on fleshy, wide-spread wings. Others crawl or even burrow in the ground.

And all of them are excited at the possibility of a divine meal. Look out!

Autumn Leaf Viewing

An area of the Central District planted with maple along a stone-walled canal has been decorated with hanging lanterns, comfortable spread mats and cushions, and an abundance of delicious food and drink on the afternoon of the 30th. Everyone is invited: new gods and old, those who helped investigate the Near Shore forest and those who didn't. For those who did investigate, though, one or two of the white-robed shinki who are helping with the party preparations and enjoying the food and drink themselves will take the opportunity to pull them aside and ask about their findings.

The party includes games as well as food and drink. Kites, poetry games, tag, hide-and-seek, card games and dice games are going on all over. There's even some determined board game and mahjong players who have brought their favorite game to the outdoor venue and are setting up on mats with immense care.

At one edge of the landscaped area where the party is being held, the ground slopes up, and is planted with a riot of bright gold, white and rust-red chrysanthemums. Like the ones that bloomed everywhere a few months ago, these flowers exude a sense of peace, confidence and security to anyone nearby, and especially those who pick the blooms to wear in their hair or their buttonhole.

In Summary:

• Investigate a wild forest
• Watch out for nasty trees
• Exorcise an ayakashi infestation
• Enjoy some hard-earned relaxation
• Have fun~

Comments

[kokuyoyo]

[Definitely a way to not crash into anyone... Still, that just has Chikusa looking over the edge of the roof, debating on if he can jump down well enough.]

If I'd know this was going to happen today, I would have brought my uniform...

[revolutionfalcon]

Any cop who believed you were one just because you were wearing a uniform deserves to be fired.

[Shun says that very bluntly as he leaps off the side of the roof himself. Chikusa might be tall, but he still looks like the gangly teenager that he is.]

[kokuyoyo]

The trick- [He leaps over himself with a grunt, landing well enough. His shinki body seems to be much more suited for jumping like this than he remembers himself being...] -is to not let the see your face.

Most won't see me anyway... so the uniform is just for the ones who would, so that they don't look closely. [Door, door, where is door... He starts to make his way towards it once it's spotted.] With my hair hiding enough of my face, and a hat, it works well enough...

[revolutionfalcon]

That doesn't change my point. [Anyone who doesn't bother to look closely at someone suspicious that they don't recognise in their building is an idiot. Though that might come in handy for them when they get inside.

It doesn't look like it's much of a police station from the inside either, at least, probably courtesy of the area it's in.] Shouldn't take too long to find the right room.

[kokuyoyo]

I think you underestimate... large stations and how busy people are...

[But whatever, that's bickering for later. Chikusa glances around the station, just to get a solid look of escape routes, places to hide... It's an automatic habit at this point. Still, knowing what he does of stations...]

Then it's... probably near the back, and away from any holding areas they have...

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun typically does that observation while he's on the move anyway, so he's already starting to head across the lobby area. At Chikusa's guess, he inclines his head slightly and gestures towards the nearest corridor towards the back.]

Let's head that way and see what we find, then. [It's not like they can map it out from here, however more convenient that might be for both of them.]

[kokuyoyo]

[At least one of them has energy, because Chikusa only does that when his life is immediately in danger. At least he can keep up? Thank god for long legs...]

What are the chances of us being able to get copies of any videos...?

[revolutionfalcon]

Depends what their system is like. If they still keep hardcopies of surveillance data, it'll be a lot easier than if we have to try hacking into something.

["Try" being the operative word. Shun has some exposure to that sort of thing, but not enough to actually apply it to hacking something himself.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Chikusa peers into a room, checking its contents. In a place like this, not every room is labeled clearly sometimes, save for places like the police chief's office, or whatever is similar. He has experience there.]

This is a rural area... so it's more likely for their system to be outdated, for lack of funding. But there's only one way to check...

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun does the same thing on the other side of the corridor, but this one just seems to be filing cabinets. A good indication the station probably isn't that technologically forward.]

Right, we need to track down the room first. [For his part, he's just going to keep checking as they go until they hit the right one, if nothing else indicates it before then.]

[kokuyoyo]

[It takes a little bit of searching, but soon enough Chikusa makes a loud sigh after poking his head into one room.]

Found it...

[It's just not nearly as outdated as he'd like, which means one of them might have to actually be computer savvy...]

[revolutionfalcon]

[That's...somewhat unfortunate. Shun has loose knowledge of coding from when the Resistance had reverse-engineered enemy technology, but actually hacking is more of a problem.]

I don't suppose we can trust some idiot's left their password to get into the system written down somewhere.

[kokuyoyo]

...I mean, it's possible. Some people are that dim. So... [Chikusa reaches up to adjust his eyeglasses.] ....I'll search in this room, and you can check the offices.

[Yes, he's choosing the place that will take the least effort. Let him live, Shun.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Of course he is. Shun rolls his eyes rather obviously, but figures he'll probably get it done twice as quickly as Chikusa would anyway.]

Fine then. [He stalks out to go check the nearby offices over. Might as well start with what's close.]

[kokuyoyo]

[It looks like Shun will have to make a slight trip for what he wants... But whether he takes it or not, Chikusa will be waiting for him when he returns.]

[There's obviously been nothing by the cameras, but he's been taking the time to familiarize himself with the systems, and only glances to make sure it's Shun that's there.]

...So?

[revolutionfalcon]

[It's not as if they haven't already broken into the police station (though without much actual breaking), so Shun picks through the place until he finds the right desk of the right idiot who's happened to not be able to remember their login details otherwise.

By way of answer to that question when he comes back in, he holds up the paper before setting it down on the table next to him.]

There's always one.

[kokuyoyo]

Good.

[Going through his own bag, laptop held within, he takes it and a flashdrive out. His constant preparedness serves him once again...]

This might take a little bit...

[revolutionfalcon]

That figures. [Shun doesn't seem to mind - if they're copying a large amount of video files, it taking a while is to be expected. It's just useful that Chikusa actually brought a drive, because he doubts his duel disk would interface with this sort of system.]

As long as it gets us more than the nothing we've been getting for most of the day, it'll be worthwhile.

[kokuyoyo]

Mm.

[It's a wordless agreement, something he doesn't bother to spare more than the absolute bare minimum of energy on. Instead, Chikusa patiently begins to go through the videos, tapping his glasses down to the edge of his nose so that he can better look over the top of them.]

[It's going to take... a good... long... while... before Chikusa mumbles from where he's hunched up, assuming Shun is still waiting around.]

The amount of people... picked up around... [A quick check of the date.] The same time disappearances started happening.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's mostly just pacing and waiting for something to come up at this point, since Chikusa's handling the computer end of things. He's also hovering a bit closer to the door, making sure nobody's coming this way while they're occupied with this.

He turns his head when Chikusa mumbles his findings, though.]

That figures. They would've needed a decent number of people here to do the spell, and then to maintain it.

[kokuyoyo]

The problem... is that while I can tell the license plate numbers- [Because what else would a traffic camera be good for?] -the faces area lot harder to distinguish. Not to mention, it's not like we can tell who is a cultist based on their face.

We'll have to look at different places that might have cameras... and compile more information.

[revolutionfalcon]

[At the mention of the plate numbers being clear, Shun comes a bit closer.] I'd make sure we have a record of the plate numbers as well. If we can get hold of someone decent at hacking, we might be able to find out who the cars are registered to. There should be at least a few hits that are actual cultists.

[Of course, there's always a chance they're renting or borrowing or something to try and obfuscate things, but it's still worth a shot.]

[kokuyoyo]

That goes without saying.... [Thus, he's downloading what he can.]

But do you have a plan on how you're going to find out?

[revolutionfalcon]

Check them in person if I have to. Just because you don't like doing legwork doesn't mean nobody else is going to do it.

[If something has to be done the long, dragging and inconvenient way? Shun is still going to do it if it needs to be done.]

[kokuyoyo]

It has nothing to do with that... [Even if he does really fucking hate legwork.] What I don't like.... is needless legwork. That's expending too much energy... and too much time.

[He checks up on his progress with the footage.]

You should do something more streamlined... Like gathering information on who the cars are registered under, narrowing down your suspects based on people who have actual reason to be here... Process of elimination.... [Chikusa reaches up to nudge his glasses.] Something like that, anyway.