#vampireproblems

[dredefulchilde]

Who: Joscelin Fitzthomas, the forces of Heaven, and you.
What: A distraught, blighted shinki goes on a rampage against Heaven. How will you react?
Where: All over.
When: January 23-25
Warnings Violence. Will update with anything else.

Liberties taken with NPCs are mod-approved.

At first, it's all rumor. On the twenty-second of January, there is a report of a small, hooded figure attacking one of Heaven's white robed shinki with a knife, then vanishing too quickly to be caught. There is another attack the next day on two of Amaterasu's shinki near her temple, and this time there's a complication: there are clear signs of blight on the small hand that holds the knife. By the third day, the mysterious attacker is clearly disfigured, all fangs and claws and multiple eyes. The number of victims--all injured, none dead--mounts.

Something is happening in Heaven. And it clearly isn't good.

Comments

The Hunt - January 24

[dredefulchilde]

[This is the thread for characters hunting for the mystery assailant/Joss]

Late on the 24th

[godsoffortune]

[After the knife attack, a short message is posted on the BBS, and white-robed shinki with grim expressions and weapons on their belts make a sudden new appearance around the Central District.]

We believe an unknown shinki has given in to guilt. Please be on your guard in the Central District.

Three shinki have already been attacked.

after the bbs message

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's had a bit too much on his mind in the last few days to spare too much to rumours, but once there's actually a post on the BBS and increased guard presence in response to these apparent attacks, he's definitely not letting that lie any longer. He might not be a fan of most of his neighbours in Central District, but he already lost one shinki this week, and he's not letting anyone hurt any more of them.

It's getting late, however, and he knows better than to try canvassing things at ground level when he knows nothing about the enemy here other than that they're a shinki and presumably blighted. So he glides over Central District and the surrounding areas on the back of a large, robotic bird with four wings and bristling with exhaust pipes. The dark shape is clear in the sky, six red eyes scanning for movement, and Shun stands astride its back, keeping watch himself with a hand on the bracelet under his sleeve that gives him a slight, but helpful bolster to his night vision.

He doesn't plan to return to his temple until he tracks down the attacker, that much is clear.]

I missed this notification! Sorry ;A;

[dredefulchilde]

A small, dark shape flits across the landscape, far faster than should be possible. The blighted shinki has retained his inhuman speed and agility and he is far ahead of any of his pursuers on the ground.

But not the one stalking him from the sky.

The hooded figure slows cautiously and then stops, sensing that he is being watched.

[revolutionfalcon]

Shun's mounts go at a swift pace, so once he spots the movement of something along the ground, he moves towards it, keeping pace but also a good distance behind so as not to draw attention to himself.

When the shinki slows to a stop, Shun pulls up as well, observing from his position - how far gone is he? He's killed a partially-turned shinki with a mundane weapon before, but that was one absolutely beyond saving. There's a possibility there may be people intending to save this one, so even if Shun would normally be inclined towards a mercy kill in a situation like this, he has to consider that possibility.

He descends slightly - he's still above the rooftops, but his mount is several times the size of a human. He's not making a particular attempt to conceal himself, especially since whatever reaction comes to him being spotted could tell him a lot about the condition this shinki is in.

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin stares up at the massive shape above him. He feels a wave of anger and hatred towards the person riding the ridiculous contraption; he has no quarrel with anyone except the white robed shinki and the forces of Heaven but he will make an exception for this newest pursuer if he is attacked.

He falls into a defensive crouch, holding a long knife in his blighted, clawed hand. Ready to attack.

[revolutionfalcon]

So, on the defensive here. That tells Shun the attacks being focused on Amaterasu's shinki is probably intentional - if this kid still has enough mind to not blindly attack, he has enough to pick his targets. He's plenty ready to retaliate, it looks like, but Shun figures he might as well see what he can understand first. If nothing else, it might save someone else some trouble.

"The Heavens have started a hunt for you already. Keep hanging around here and you're going to end up dead, one way or another."

He nods slightly towards the knife - or more specifically, the hand holding it. That kind of blight only accelerates. "Where's your god?"

There's always the possibility he doesn't have one, and that's the cause of his rage - any god would be having trouble doing anything with this amount of blight shared over to them.

Ablution - January 24 (late)

[dredefulchilde]

When the ayakashi's hood falls back, it becomes clear that there is still hope for Joscelin. There are clear, if small, patches of pale skin beneath the blight, and one of his eyes remains its original, piercing blue. But with every passing second, that hope is fading.

The boy crouches warily behind a borderline, feeling the blight spread and wondering what will happen next. He thinks he will probably die from this. Will it be so bad, dying? He'll be free of the pain, of the emotions roiling inside of him, when he dies.

But I don't want to die.

A small voice emerges from behind the borderline, distorted by a monstrous mouth.

"Help me."

[unlucky7]

It's dangerous to be out alone with an attacker on the loose, but it's the kind of troubling event Ginia can't leave alone. Proportional retribution, orders to kill on sight, those may be the ways Heaven operates, but not Ginia. If someone is attacking Amaterasu's shinki for a reason, killing them solves nothing. Answers first.

She's keeping around the area the shinki were attacked and slowly spiraling outward when she spots the sheen of a borderline. Popping over to check it out, her own fingers ready to slash and draw, she spots in front of the barrier and looks down at the feeble figure.

The blight is bad, distorting his features, but she can make out enough. Joscelin. What happened? Ginia crouches in front of him, mouth thinning into a line at his request for help. She nods, pulling out her phone, the glow of the screen illuminating her face, breifly considering who to contact before sending out a text message to Unmi. Dread forms a pit in her gut, but there's no time for fear right now.

I need help with an ablution. Can you meet me at [x location]?

Message sent, she turns to Joss and types up a message for him to hear.

"I'm calling a friend. We're going to do our best to help you, but you have to work with us, okay?"

[mithrarin]

As was often the case, Dust came on this mess from above.

With word of the attacker spreading around, he'd done what he always did: set out to find what was happening and to stop the attacker. He might not be able to Rend it alone, but he could beat it down and trap it in a Borderline, then ask for help -- and he absolutely didn't want Marinette involved in this. She was not ready to fight with him in his vessel form, not against something this dangerous and deadly.

But though he was focused, he wasn't mindless. He'd chased what he thought were sightings or tracks this far, and when they ended he took to the top of the nearby buildings in the hopes of gaining an advantage. A good thing, too, because from that vantage he spied the figures down below, the Borderline separating them, the lack of hostility on either side.

"I'm coming down," he said, quiet voice carrying as if he'd spoken right next to them. Warning enough so no one would panic or misconstrue when he landed some feet away, cloak swirling around his feet as he rose from the crouch.

Down here, the sight was clearer, impossible to misconstrue. He spun his sword into a forehand grip, but only because that made it easier to sheathe.

"This is... a really bad one."

[chibisu]

We'll be there.

A simple response beeps onto Ginia's phone, although it might take her a moment to get to it, with her sudden visitor. Unmi means what he says, however. It doesn't take a lot to guess what the ablution might have to do with, when there's a warning from the Heavens right there on the BBS. It only takes a moment after Dust has landed before there's another presence popping into existence there in the clearing. Cradled in one of Unmi's arms is Ebisu, arms wound tight around his shinki's neck. His other hand is free, pointed out and ready for a borderline.

Just in case.

It turns out there's no need to defend himself, not yet, and Unmi quickly surveys the scene with a grim look. "There's no time to waste," he says, circling around the twisted and pathetic sight that's curled up against the ground. "Jitsumi, and you there, sir- do you know the ablution chant?" He assumes that Jitsumi does, considering that she'd asked him for it, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

With his own expression solemn, Ebisu speaks up as well. "I can bring back some of the others, if we need them."

[dredefulchilde]

The creature looks up at the assembled group with all of its eyes and smiles.

“Are you here to kill me? There’s an order out.”

Joscelin almost sounds pleased, but tears stream from his one blue eye.

He likes that Ginia is here. She’s a strange one, but he respects her as one of the few adults who seems to take him seriously. If he’s going to die, maybe it won’t be so bad if she’s the one doing the killing.

Aftermath - January 25 (early morning)

[dredefulchilde]

The ablution finally finishes near dawn. Despite being released from the borderline, Joscelin hasn’t moved from his spot. He hasn’t spoken a word since the ablution ended, and he doesn’t seem to care about the fact that the ragged remnants of his clothing does nothing to protect against the winter cold. He’s just sitting there, staring straight ahead with a blank expression.

January 25, later in the day

[reformedsinner]

[Take care of Joscelin, Ayumu's notes had asked. It was, in a way, a final request; and Gojyo, distraught at her loss, is in no shape to take care of anyone, much less a boy with a rabidly violent, bloodthirsty streak.

He's fought Joscelin, even if only briefly. The network message, coming as soon as it did after Gojyo's own attack on the Heavens, is all too familiar.

It had still taken him too long to hunt down the child; when Hakkai happens across him, he's shivering and ragged, staring into the distance, and Hakkai's steps pick up to a jog.]

Joscelin?

[dredefulchilde]

Oh, it’s you. Tell me, am I still condemned to die?

[The boy’s voice is flat, his expression blank and unreadable. He draws his knees to his chest and tries not to let his teeth rattle with the cold.]

I don’t want to die, you see. I think I did, before the ablution, but not anymore.

[reformedsinner]

I don't know. But you shouldn't be sitting out here in the cold, or you may freeze.

[And if he is still under Amaterasu's sentence of killing on sight, then sitting out in the open isn't going to make for a long lifespan.

I think I did, before the ablution, but not any longer...

... it's a very familiar response. Hakkai could have said those words himself, half a year ago.]

Come with me.

[dredefulchilde]

Why should I?

[Joscelin looks up at Hakkai with those blank, lifeless eyes. His face is somehow even paler than usual, lips tinged blue with cold. The child sighs, painfully beginning to unfold himself.]

You barely know me, and I tried to kill you not so long ago. Why do you want to help me?

[Why does anyone want to help him? He’s a monster, and better off alone. Being alone is far less painful than having someone and then losing them.]

January 25th, shortly after the ablution

[nolittlesecret]

[Oh boy. This was going to be awkward? Who knows. Nari must admit that he's not the best at serious conversation, but serious conversation was needed.

He sits close enough to Joss where he can share the warmth he's giving off, pulling his knees up to his chest.]

..... So. [How to start this?] That was a thing.

[There's no anger. Just a lot of exhaustion in his voice.]

[dredefulchilde]

[Joscelin actually flinches when Nari sits next to him, ready for a rebuke or a blow that never comes.

Instead, Nari just sounds tired.

Joss pillows his head in his arms, and when he speaks its with none of his usual bratty attitude or bravado. His voice is small, and it's young. Vulnerable.]

I'm sorry.

[nolittlesecret]

[Times like this it's painful to know Joss is just a child, technicality aside. Should just be a child. Nari just never had much time around them, so it's hard to know what and when to say things and put his foot down. You can't treat someone like this like an adult. Maybe.]

Don't be. It's as much fault as it is yours. Maybe more mine in the long run. [He's an awful god, isn't he.]

I'm not good with people, first and foremost, especially young ones. I'm not calling you a child, but from my standpoint, you are far from an adult. It's a gray area. Shinki in general are a gray area. Still, if I had paid more attention and tried to find out what was wrong, this could have maybe not gotten so bad, so for that I apologize.

[dredefulchilde]

I wasn't fair to you.

[This apologizing thing is very new to Joscelin, but he's trying. He mumbles into his arms, words getting faster since he thinks he may lose his nerve otherwise.]

I didn't give you the opportunity to tell that something was wrong. I assumed you knew and didn't care because it's easier that way. I'm not used to people caring about me.

[Except suddenly, people do. Why? Why didn't they just kill him to save Nari? It's what he would have done.

The boy's voice grows unsteady and his eyes fill with tears.]

I didn't mean for this to happen. I never wanted you to get hurt.

Early evening, January 25

[erogappa]

There's a shinki giving in to guilt, brayed the alert on his phone, and Gojyo had tried really hard to pretend like he didn't know which shinki that was about. But then Hakkai took off, wearing his serious face, and had returned a while later with one very ragged looking Joscelin, and it was pretty pointless to keep pretending.

He figures he'll give the kid the night to clean up, maybe eat, get some rest... but as evening rolls on, he spots a tiny head in the garden, hunched up in one of Hakkai's blankets.

Ten minutes later Gojyo eases himself down next to Joss and, without a word, passes over a mug of perfectly brewed black tea.

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin accepts the mug silently and stares down at it, cupping it in his hands. Gojyo's solid bulk next to him feels...strangely nice. Companionable. The boy's small, tense shoulders relax slightly and he sniffs, still looking down at the mug.

A fat tear rolls down his chin and falls into the tea. Then another. And another. He sits next to Gojyo for several minutes while the salt-seasoned tea rapidly cools in the frosty winter air. He hates himself for being this weak in front of Gojyo, but he's too exhausted to hold it back anymore.

"It seems we had the same idea," he eventually says quietly, once he can trust himself to speak.

[erogappa]

They don't need to talk. Gojyo can just sit here with Joss all night -- he's getting pretty good at being a warm, comforting idiot, pretending that he doesn't see those tears.

He doesn't respond at first, when Joss finally speaks. Instead, he leans back, staring up at the winter sky. Even in heaven's mild winter, there's no birds. No leaves on the tree. The sky is stark, grey and flat: good weather to be miserable in, Gojyo thinks. It's almost funny.

"I want t'say she'd be mad as hell at th'both of us," he offers at last, talking to the sky. "Pretty sure she'd just be mad we didn't do a better job."

[dredefulchilde]

"We failed," Joss agrees, finally taking a sip of the tea. It's good. He'd tease Gojyo about that, if he had the heart to.

"We both wanted to bring her back but the bastards won. There would have been far less pain for them--" and for us "--if they had just let us have our way."
He goes quiet again for a moment, before asking:

"Have you ever done one? An ablution?"