32 - Blow Your Top

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: A volcano eruption threatens the Western District
When: Jan 14 - 16
Where: The Western District of the Heavens
Summary: The Western District volcano is erupting again, endangering nearby temples and sending ash sprinkling down across the Heavens. Is it natural, or another attack? Those who dare climb the volcano can find out.






Earthquake Warning

On the morning of the 14th, an earthquake rattles windows throughout the Heavens. It's not strong enough to knock down buildings -- unless they're about to fall down anyway, like some of the older abandoned temples -- but it's strong enough to knock things off shelves and startle any late sleepers out of bed.

After the earthquake, strange sights abound around the Heavens. The poetic koi are swimming in organized schools in all of the canals, heading upstream towards the east. Springs of pure water burst out in some areas, and in others, normal springs or fountains have gone temporarily dry. Blue and green lights bob and weave across the landscape.

Falling Rock

The volcano begins erupting with a roar and a bright scarlet glow on the horizon. Ash and bits of rock fall across the Western district, and may even reach into the Southwest, Northwest and southern Central districts. Volcanic glass fibers that look like golden hair collect on trees, fences and buildings.

Trails and fountains of lava are also erupting from freshly opened fissures and wending down the sides of the volcano. Gods and shinki who live in the Western District are going to need some help clearing ash and glass from their roofs, trying to re-route lava flows (the good news is, if you cool one side down enough, you can turn them! the bad news is, that takes a lot of work) or just offering them a spare room to stay until things calm down.

Swamp Gas

It's not just lava and springwater erupting from mysterious new crevasses -- and it's not just mundane volcanic gases, either. Divine volcanic vents are blowing mind-altering fumes all over the Heavens. Anywhere across the Far Shore, but especially as characters get closer to the volcano, they may experience one or more of the following effects:

• Confusion
• Intense emotions
• Anger and irritability
• Impulsive behavior, loss of emotional control
• Hallucinations
• Unusually clear insight into other people and situations
• Coughing, eye and throat irritation, difficulty breathing
• Irresistible impulses to speak in poetry

Most symptoms will clear up after a few hours in fresh air, and all of them will be gone within 48 hours of the last volcano gas exposure.

Mountain Climbing

Natural disasters don't just happen like this in the Heavens... do they? Amaterasu's white-robed shinki are convinced that something is wrong, and they're organizing into search parties to go up the mountain and seek out the cause of this eruption. New and old gods and shinki are welcome to join them, or form their own groups. All of the hazards -- tremors, lava, ash, and volcanic gas -- will get worse as characters ascend the volcano. Strange little spirit flames, in shades of red and blue, dance on the rocks, dazzling, confusing and threatening to singe interlopers.

And there's someone up here, too. A mysterious figure with glowing red eyes is keeping watch on the intruders and vanishing behind boulders whenever someone turns his way. He won't let anyone traveling with one of the white-robed shinki get too close, but solitary gods or shinki might manage to lure him into conversation, if they try....

OOC: Please comment to the 'NPC REQUEST' thread below in order to talk to the mysterious figure on the volcano.

Those climbing the volcano will have a chance to battle the mysterious figure should their characters choose to do so. If you're interested in a fight, please comment to the 'NPC FIGHT' thread below before the top-level is posted. A top-level for the fight will go up on IC Jan 16/OOC Sept 4.

In Summary:

• Don't get rattled
• Help out the Western District with their volcano problem
• Watch out for volcanic gases
• Find out who's behind the eruption
• Have fun~

Comments

Maybe they should be serious-ish for once >.>

[badassfreakingoverlord]

'Associate' is a hard word. But I'll corrupt her to the path of evil yet -- pfagh!

[Okay, what the heck is this stuff? It tastes like rotten eggs and burning!]

hibiki might be....sealrious

[priforprince]

HRAKH!!

[ Hibiki also hunches over, hand over her mouth, eyes squeezed shut. All thoughts of the strange company her talent agency keeps are swept out of her mind by EXTREME DISCOMFORT.

Not....breath....lungs....throat.......

She's a....she's a performer, those are sacred......!!!

Her lung capacity is excellent, though, based on the sheer volume of the hacking going on over here. ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Aaah, ask the book, they're overrated.]

[Zetta clears his (lack of a throat), making smacking noises as he tries to work the last of the crud out of his mouth.]

That was weird. As a demon, stuff like that shouldn't really affect me.

[priforprince]

Save your breath.

[ For someone who cares.

And, just as Hibiki thinks that, she sees a silhouette in the mist. Her head lifts, and she blinks. That's...that's impossible.

What would she be doing here? ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

You know perfectly well telling me that will just make me talk more.

[Zetta makes this statement calmly, even reasonably, as if it's simple logic. Meanwhile, the truck rolls on -- towards that envisioned silhouette, as it happens.]

[priforprince]

[ The closer they get, the more Hibiki's convinced. That's....that's....

At long last..... ]

--Pull over.

[ She doesn't even respond to Zetta's riposte. Her attention is completely fixed on something up ahead that it's entirely likely only she can see. ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[...What the?]

[She actually seems serious, and not even in the "angry yelly Hibiki" way. Or the "scornful, condescending Hibiki" way. Or the "over-the-top, way-too-committed Hibiki" way. Or -- well, he could go on, but this is different.]

[With a mental command, the minion who's driving stops the truck. Not even suddenly, actually gracefully.]

this tag goes out to tenoh haruka, who has no time for such shit

[priforprince]

This shouldn't be...

[ Really, Hibiki should be listening to her more suspicious side right now. It would behoove her, as the Cool Older Antihero, to not fall for stupid traps (and then yell at the kids about it). She will have a genre crisis later.

Right now, though, she is having a gay seal crisis. She's out of the truck before it's even finished moving, and taking off at a run, an actual run. Her mind has fixed on that silhouette, and she literally cannot see anything else.

What's the meaning of this?! Why has this figure appeared before her?? Is her wistful, tortured longing so great she's hallucinating, or.....or....

or...... ]

FUWARI!!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

What the -- [Oh hell no. The driver hauls Zetta out the door, then sprints to catch up with Hibiki, the Overlord wobbling and shaking in her grasp in a terribly undignified fashion.]

There's no one there, you idiot!

[priforprince]

FFUUUUWAAAARIIIIII---

[ Hibiki stumbles, coughing into her hand. She wipes her mouth off on the side of her hand (in a very cool, decisive motion) and squints into the smoke.

Fuwari had....she'd just been there....Ah! There!

So no sooner do Zetta and his "ride" get a chance to catch up to Hibiki than she's taking off again. ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Okay. He sees the lay of the land. So without a moment's pause, the minion tosses Zetta to the side, then dives to try to tackle Hibiki by the legs.]

[Zetta, of course, slams face-down into some hot rocks. This is not his day.]

[priforprince]

FUWARIII! FUWA---HRK!

[ Hibiki is tripped, though unlike Zetta she has arms to keep herself from catching a faceful of ash and rock. Twisting, she kicks at her captor, wriggling along the ground in the desired direction. ]

What's the meaning of this?! Unhand me!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Zetta's minions are, thanks to a leveling program, not weak -- and this one is determined not to let go! As for Zetta --]

[Crap. He's not in any position to respond, is he? Well, maybe it's time to use this power he allegedly has.]

[The Overlord's voice thunders telepathically towards her.]

Open your eyes! There's no one there!

1/2

[priforprince]

MY REVOLUTION HAS SUCCEEDED! FUWARI IS - MY TREASURE IS -

[ Hibiki swings her finger around to point dramatically before she turns her head again to look. See?! Follow her gesture, and there's.... ]

[priforprince]

[ .....no one and nothing.

Hibiki gasps. Then chokes (ash).

Then gasps again, undaunted.

What... ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Really, this ought to be where Zetta laughs, gloats, snickers, and otherwise mocks Hibiki for calling someone 'her treasure'. He does none of these things; in fact, as the book slowly floats upright, he spins to look at her with more concern than malice.]

You're seeing things. Seriously. You're more likely to run into the lava than anything, charging off like that.

[priforprince]

My impeccable sensibility....was led astray?

[ This fact seems even more unbelievable than Fuwari not being here.

Hibiki looks completely lost. Dismayed, even. ]

Unbelievable....

[badassfreakingoverlord]

You're not perfect. A little self-awarness might go a long way to helping you.

[The effect of the divine gas isn't hypocrisy, that's just a side benefit.]

[Zetta regards her with a thoughtful frown, more puzzled than angry, which is of course quite unusual.]

...There's someone you consider your treasure? You, really?

hibiki only has top-class fr---/fuwari runs by covered in mud bleating like a goat

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki looks away. She tries to get out from beneath her captor/savior, the better to stand up and look into the distance, still facing completely away from Zetta. "BRILLIANT", says her jacket across the shoulderblades.

She's talking to herself, not Zetta, when she speaks. ]

The most precious treasure.

[ And then she turns to head back to the truck, all business, still trying to avoid Zetta's direct gaze. ]

Let's return.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Hold up! You can't just drop something like that and not explain! [Zetta might be trying to stop her, but his minion isn't; she even helps Hibiki up, then stands off to one side obligingly.] That's freaking major! I mean, what if I started talking about my lost student like that?

[priforprince]

This fruitless exploration grows tiring.

[ Hibiki hops back into the truck and sits. An exploding volcano is going to wreck all her plans, she knows, so she has to handle it....

But right now, she just isn't up for it. ] Drive me down the mountain.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...And now you're moping?

I'm not doing a damn thing. [He isn't even getting back in the truck, glaring at her through the open door.] This behavior is unacceptable. I don't care how sulky your visions make you feel, you're not allowed to act this way.

[priforprince]

I don't recall requiring your permission.

[ Hibiki closes her eyes. Her head hurts.....

And so does her chest. Right...in the middle. ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

You kind of do. It's my car. And I refuse to accept this behavior from you, any more than I'd accept it in myself. It's intolerable!

[Which goes a long way towards saying that Zetta finds her normal behavior tolerable?]

I can't accept that all this time you've been nursing a broken heart and just pretending otherwise. That's beneath you.

[priforprince]

[ The car won't move? Fine, then she will. Hibiki stands. ]

I'm leaving.

[ She just...she can't, right now. She cannot. She can't work through the implications of him having expectations for her, and she certainly can't sit here and listen to the words "broken..."

"br......"

"b..."

No. She can't even let herself think in those terms. She is so close. The first glimmer of revolution's rays wink on the horizon.

She can't trap herself in a pit whose walls reverberate with those words, and she refuses to hear her private affairs discussed by a talking book! ]