009 | Where Your Demons Hide

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Emergency demon fighting
When: Late May 5-Early May 6
Where: Just outside of Tokyo
Summary: The demon from the school has reared its ugly head again and needs to be taken down.



On the evening of May 5, the Heavens suddenly receive an influx of prayers from people in and around a certain town just outside of Tokyo. There seem to be a lot of people in the area that have suddenly stopped responding normally (or at all). The situation continues to spread as the night goes on until not only is the whole town suffering from this malady, but the neighboring towns are starting to become affected as well.

With so many gods and shinki on hand - including new ones that have just appeared - the Heavens have issued a request for any available gods and shinki to go investigate what might be happening down on the Near Shore. New gods and shinki will be given the low-down on what's happening, but not much more than that.

The situation will continue to expand until just a little before dawn, when the demon finally has enough power to revive.



Drained Humans

Many humans in the affected areas are walking around despondently. Oftentimes, they are just walking into things or getting hit by things. There have been a few car-related incidents as well. Anyone who was present for the high school incident will recognize these symptoms as something that was happening to people in the school. The glazed looks, the spiritless responses and reactions. So this should be fairly familiar to some.

No One's Safe

Unfortunately, being in the town will start to wear on anyone who is there. Gods and shinki alike will find themselves growing more despondent the longer they spend in the town. All of their energy will be slowly sapped from their bodies, and shinki in particular will feel almost like their existence is draining away.

Hellish Circle

There is a large park in the center of the town. Drawn all around this park is a magic circle, large enough to encompass the whole park. There are candles around the edges of the circle, and in the center there is a cup filled with blood covered by a mask with a swirling eye pattern on it. Stepping into this circle will not only make you extremely tired and suddenly drained, but it will also bring bat-like ayakashi bearing down on you.

The Demon

The Demon itself rears its ugly head just a little before dawn, springing out from the center of the magic circle and looking right pleased with itself. It stands about 5'8" tall, so it is largely unimposing, but there is an aura about it that makes it undeniable that it is powerful. The demon will gladly fight anyone who comes at it, though most he will just shove out of the way without a second thought.



In Summary:

• Help the drained people
• Try not to get drained yourself
• Be careful about being corrupted
• Fight the demon
• Have fun~

Comments

Demon Fight Sign-Ups

[godsoffortune]

If you would like to fight the demon (or just have an encounter with it), please comment here.

Sign-ups will be open until 10/17/16 @ 7pm EST. At which point three teams of up to three characters will be chosen to fight the demon, though you can still encounter the demon briefly even if you're not chosen to fight it.

Teams can be made up of any combination of gods and shinki, as the demon can be defeated without a 'rending'.

[mylanceisbiggerthanyours]

Nephenee and Alice are up for it, and will fight alongside whoever would have them!

[timeshields]

Closed to Souji

[She died. That's all she knows about herself as she stands at the gates. She's not even sure how she died or anything about herself, really. All the years and years of rewinding and looping through the same month are gone from her.

But somebody else has suddenly been assaulted with those memories. Her contract with Kyuubey, the wish she made. The things she tried to keep Madoka safe, trying to fight Walpurgisnacht alone and failing. The times she had to kill her best friend with her own two hands, the times she had to watch her turn into a witch.

At the end, the final loop she could get through she fought Walpurgisnacht, again, alone. All the other magical girls dead. And her, finally realizing all of the damage she's done by rewinding time and time again. She shouldn't be distracted considering the scale of the witch, but knowing what she did her soul gem started clouding over, realizing just how futile everything she was trying to do was. If she was a little more careful, if her head was entirely in the fight, maybe Walpurgisnacht wouldn't have managed to shatter her gem.

What's done is done.

She has none of that, but Souji does now.]

I. Drained Humans

[So they were sent to deal with the prayers of humans? She doesn't quite understand why their feelings should matter to her. They aren't who she's assigned to, but if she's asked she'll make a token effort.

She's not strong enough to stop people from walking into the streets, lifeless and spiritless. It should maybe concern her more than it does. But she's not surprised by it.]

... Why are we here?

II. No One's Safe

[She's been here for hours now. At first, she didn't feel drained. She felt fine enough considering her recent death. But the longer and longer they're here the less she feels like herself. Exhaustion settles onto her, as she leans against the closest building.]

I don't want to be here...

[prismbloom]

[ Aqua's been busy, between making sure the humans stay safe and fending off ayakashi. It's not exactly an easy job, fighting without a shinki, but she manages alright. Somehow, too, she manages to keep her head about her, and she hasn't quite felt the draining feeling others have. Good thing, too, especially since... ]

Miss? Do you need help?

[ She certainly looks like she does. ]

Yamato

[yamazilla]

[ New. She's new. And this place is new. And this area is new. And those streets are new, those buildings are new, this school is new, everything is new to her. For someone who's rarely stepped outside the harbor, for someone who's used to seeing the rolling clouds over the wavy horizon of the blue ocean (or at least, that's what she gathers from within her heart, what with being without memories), to being stuck such a small town is rather unnerving. She doesn't know how to describe it, but she's feeling cramped here.

Not to mention the incident the town presents. Yamato has questions, yes, but helping others takes precedent. And so, the kanmusu-- shipgirl-- gets to work. ]

Drained Humans, A
[ So about that bus that's rolling down the street. It turns out, it's not just the humans on the street that have been drained of energy. It's also the driver behind the wheel, with a lazy lead-foot on the pedal! The bus takes a sharp turn, seemingly veering out of nowhere, and rushes right towards you. ] Look out--!

[ If you think she'd just push you out of the way, think again. Instead, this kanmusu is going to reach an arm outward, palm out, and stop the bus in its tracks. She doesn't so much as budge, but front of the bus smashes on impact, the airbag immediately triggering to protect its incompetent driver. Metal bends, glass shatters, and steam emerges from the ruined front, but Yamato stands there without batting an eye. She looks over her shoulder. ] ...Are you alight?

No One's Safe A: ROOOAR
[ Historically speaking, the Yamato had used up to 14 tons oil/hour. That translates on her being drained easily anyway, and the effects of this spell only compound matters.

There's a roar. A loud roar, a rumbling that could shake the ground! One may think that it comes from an approaching ayakashi or spirit, but no.

It is her stomach. ] ...E...excuse me. [ Aaaaa how embarrassing! There's a light flush to her face as she places a hand over her stomach. But there it goes again, her stomach grumbling loudly. Ugh, and it hurts! Hunger hurts! She looks rather desperate now, turning to you. ] Rice--! Curry--?! Stew! Steak! On---onigiri?! [ She can't decide, all food sounds delicious to her. ] Do you have any onigiri on hand?!

No One's Safe B: FINE DINING
[ Fortunately she's equipped with a rather hefty crew of chibi-spirits to help her about and prepare a meal. But the problem is that she didn't remember she had them until now. But there they are, small spirits. A lot of them, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and hopping off of her shoulders or off her hips and landing on the ground, making themselves busy.

Suddenly there's a long table. And suddenly it's set with fine china and candles and napkins and flowers. And then suddenly they're serving food on it, enough and with such quality that it could be worthy of a wedding banquet. Yamato looks almost just as clueless as anyone else.

She brings a hand to her cheek, sighing. Might as well just roll with it, and her tone matches the fact that she is so done. ] Maa, isn't this nice...?

Closed to Yamanami

[ The shinki wanders about the town, knowing she has a purpose to fulfill but ultimately not knowing what that purpose is. Something remains empty in her heart, and she can't help shake the feeling that she must be doing something else besides being here. That her talents are to be used elsewhere. Aimless, that's what she's feeling right now, and that's not something she wants to have any longer than necessary. But it can't be helped, and so with a shake of her head she settles on doing her best to keep the people of this town safe. She's been given little direction from Heaven other than to do that, anyway.

Adjusting the red antenna-fashioned-parasol over her shoulder, she sets off down another lane quietly, looking about her surroundings with a conservative amount of wonder. Just as she's walking back out into a small park, she happens to notice someone else, a tall lean man with his back to her. And then she notices that something's on the ground-- glasses! From the way he was looking around, he must have dropped them earlier. ] Ah, excuse me, sir...!

[ She says, stepping up a few paces to approach him. She kneels down, picking up the glasses carefully. She straightens up, smiling at him pleasantly. ] You seem to have dropped this.

[countingthecost]

[An exposed root had nearly twisted his ankle, but in the process he'd lost his glasses. With all this darkness he's struggling to find them, poking around in the dirt and the leaves.

Crunching grass and other foliage behind him alert him to a presence behind him.Yamanami turns around just as she speaks up, holding out a glint of glass out at him. A relieved smile breaks across his face.]

Oh yes I did. Thank you--

[His hand and voice freezes just as his fingers brush against the rims of his glasses. A strong sense of connection hits him then. It's not her refined manner, although that reminds him, painfully, of Akesato. No, what's tugging at his heart is something else.

Taking his glasses from her, he stands up and puts them on, allowing his vision to focus and sharpen on her proper.]

Thank you. [He replies, still slightly stunned. Could she be...?] Miss...I don't want to presume, but are you my shinki?

Sanae

[miraculo]

Drained Hoomans ZOMBIES they're totally zombies k
[ If she touches one on the cheek, they do not move. They sort of just. Move. And wander aimlessly. They could only be one thing-- ] W---WATCH OUT..!

[ Have a Sanae running, jumping, and tackling the nearest absent-minded human next to you. Who probably didn't need to be tackled, but Sanae is doing it anyway. ] This is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse! If they bite you, you'll become one, too!

[ She couldn't be more off. ]

No One's Safe so might as well go home
[ Damn, this turned out to be a drag. Why is she so tired? ] Ahhhhn, I jus' wanna go home and play video games now. It's just... one of those days, you know? [ Have a yawn. ]

Hellish Circle
[ She standing off to the side of the circle, looking towards the cup of blood and mask. If you happen to be nearby, she'll ask: ] That eye... have you seen it before? [ She's seen it often, but what it means in this world and what it means in her world can mean two different things. ]

Wild Card
[ An option to tag Sanae with whatever prompt you like! ]

Drained

[fullcowl]

[Izuku's been tugging people back onto the sidewalks, making sure nobody's getting hit by cars. He can't do too much more for them, but he can at least make sure they don't get seriously injured.

He looks Sanae's way when she starts yelling, completely bewildered. He's seen this happen before. The school incident, where the staff and the students were lifeless.]

... What?

Kisuke Urahara

[makinuscream]

Prompt I
Whoa!

[ Index and middle finger together, Urahara gestures in the direction of a man about to topple over the edge of a bridge. Non-verbal kidou is never as strong, but he isn't fighting. This is pure rescue. A line of gold and yellow wraps about the gentle and with a slow gesture, Kisuke reels him back from the edge towards a tree. The line of energy wraps around the truck, tying the man to it. ]

Why don't you sit this one out?

[ Of course there's no response. None at all, but Shinigami are used to be felt and not seen by humans. ]

Looks like we've got our work cut out for us tonight.

Prompt II

We can herd them into the alley and block it off. It's not perfect, but I think we're far enough away from the main action that they should be safe.

[ Kisuke's head tips. The white and green striped hat hides the tiredness in his eyes. There is no reason he should feel so drained which means whatever is affecting the humans is affecting them as well. For a moment his normal, jovial expression turns grim as he looks towards the park. He can feel other souls there fighting.

However, he's been here all of a few hours and would probably be more of a liability in fight than help. Glancing back over at the humans standing docile against the make shift barrier, he frowns. ]

Prompt II

[kissthegoddamncook]

That so?

[He's sure Urahara sensed him coming closer. The man's an incredible talent and nothing dulls his senses. So not introducing himself, and frankly, not really being surprised by him, is not exactly uncommon.]

Sit it out then.

[He commands people. But it never felt right to command him or Yoruichi.]

Donut | ota

[glazedonutholes]

i. Drained Humans

Hey, are you okay?

[ The god peers down at the spiritless guy, waving a hand in front of him. ]

Is this some sort of zombie apocalypse game because I gotta say, you're doing it wrong. I mean, where's your zombie make-up?! [ The armorless blond puts his hand on his hip, looking down at their pristine clothes that don't look apocalyptic at all! ] And don't even get me started on your wardrobe choice. Not very in character.


ii. No One's Safe

[ Despondent in Donut's case is... unique. The fully armored soldier is collapsed on the ground with a magazine spread out before him looking utterly hopeless. If anyone comes up to see what's got the blond so down well... >_> ]

--could they make black the new summer color?! I don't care how slimming it is, it's just wrong.


iii. Hellish Circle

[ The cool looking magic circle grabs the colored soldier's attention and he immediately goes to check it out, maybe see what kind of paint they used. When he gets closer and see's the candles he claps his hands together thinking the whole thing some kind of elaborate May Day Festival. ]

Oh, wow! They have wine!

[ He barely notices the masks in favor of that sweet-looking wine. However, the moment he steps foot in that circle he falters to the side, feeling suddenly drained. ]

Huh, what's happ--

[ He sways, his energy faltering, bring him down. His armor breaks his fall but the moment his knees hit the ground a loud piercing sound is heard to his left and he's suddenly surrounded by bat-like monsters, and he does the only thing such a sight would warrant - He scrambles back and yells for help! ]

hellish circle

[prismbloom]

[ Aqua makes sure to stay just outside the circle, but she can't stand there and do nothing while someone is clearly in trouble. Keyblade in hand, she summons forth a rain storm, and thunderbolts keep those ayakashi away from the man.

She turns to him. ]

Can you move outside of the circle? [ If not, she'll have to drag him out, which is just fine by her, too. ]

[herbalsupplements]

[And Now: Kuwabara!]

[It's wrong. Kuwabara was alive when they got to the final cavern, bound and gagged but unharmed, but the visions in his head are of Gourmet's mouth stretching wider than any human's should, an irresistible force dragging Kuwabara to his doom, confusion and horror and despair.

Kurama can't fix that, at least not as far as he knows right now, but he can stop it from happening again. He gives Kuwabara a good, strong name and goes to find him immediately, determined not to let him walk blindly into whatever this new problem is. Fortunately it takes almost no time: Kuwabara's energy is as familiar and bountiful as it was last time Kurama saw him. Kurama maneuvers himself carefully and teleports over to appear behind Kuwabara the moment he spots him, energy tamped down to keep from ruining the surprise.]

Hello, Kuwabara.


[No One's Safe 1]

[Kurama keeps his eyes peeled for anyone suffering the effects of the energy draining, not just humans. When he comes across someone with the scent of the Far Shore lingering on them looking tired or even a little spaced out, he steps close enough to offer immediate assistance if necessary.]

Do you need a break?

[Sorry if you were legitimately spacing out over here, but this is neither the time nor the place for it.]


[No One's Safe 2]

[Welp, looks like Kurama's the one who goofed this time. He's starting to lag noticeably, but he keeps walking: one more person, then he'll pop out to somewhere safe to recover his energy. Just one more--maybe he should rest for a minute. That looks like a nice, stable object to lean against...]


[Hellish Circle - 1 thread only!]

[Kurama has a lot of energy, so he should have a higher than average chance of enduring whatever weirdness is bound to happen to someone stepping into the magic circle, right? Right.

Except now there are multiple ayakashi headed right his way and he feels like he's been fighting all night. He's fully prepared to do something to protect himself, but he's being slow enough about it that there's plenty of time for some kind soul to intervene.

The things we do for science.]


[Wildcard]

[Let's do something else, from maximum serious to ragging on tonight's shoes. I'll match style if you prefer prose, too.]

[ivegotasword]

[When he arrived here, they told him he was going to be working with the god Xochipilli. That was a cool sounding name and all, but he had no idea how to spell it, and more importantly, he didn't have a clue what the guy looked like. They said he was Aztec, right? Was that the guys in the hula skirts?]

[Instead, it was just a soft-spoken pretty boy in fancy clothes calling his name, smelling like roses and feeling like... ]

[Well, honestly, kinda like he knew him. It made his heart hurt and gave him this weird, tingly, uneasy feeling at the base of his skull. Should he let on that he knew? He definitely was not supposed to know, so it was probably a good idea to not think about the calm, cool, collected aura Kurama radiated, and how familiar it felt.]

[Taking half a step back, he put his hands in his pockets and looked away, feigning indifference the best he could]

So, you're my new boss, huh?

[somebodysdaughter]

i. Closed to Ouka Sakaki

[Nothing makes sense any more.

[She'd been lying on her side on wet asphalt. There'd been a ringing in her ears, the roar of flame, and her body aching all over as she dragged herself to her feet. Her yukata had been soaked, her hair had smelled of smoke and she'd lost her shoes and her parents were, mama and papa-- they had been - they were gone and she'd been standing in the road and she couldn't find Ran, where was Ran, where was he? And light in her eyes and her heart in her throat, and her brother's voice calling out her name.

[It only hurts for a moment--

[And that's it. That's where it ends.

[Then - then dreams, she thinks. Smoke. Voices. She hears Ran, hers him talking comforting nonsense, but the words rush over and into one another, meaningless as the churn and bubble of water. And women's voices, and music, and she walks down a tunnel for what feels like hours and the walls slip away and splinter into stars, and then she's falling, tumbling head over heels while someone plays Erik Satie on an unseen piano, and Aya sees her mother but her mother, of course, is dead. A white room, endless and featureless, and a pyramid of white and black boxes, but the floor is water, and she is dragged under and how strange, she forgets she's supposed to be scared. Morpheus, someone says, and Aya thinks, but of course. Morpheus, the dreamer.

[And now she's here.

[Aya's feet are bare, but the pavement is dry. She stands in a street she can't recognize, in someone else's pajamas, and there's something hard and unfamiliar pressed against her palm and when she opens it she finds one of her birthday earrings, just one, and no sign anywhere of its twin. Her fingers feel stiff, like they don't want to move right; her legs don't quite seem used to her weight any more, and she stumbles over to a long, low wall and sits down, her head spinning, as she tries to make some kind of sense of - of anything, of what she has just lived through, of what she is living through now. She feels dizzy, winded, in freefall; too shocked and too dazed to cry. Where's Ran? Where's anybody?

[Someone, she thinks finally, must know what's going on.]

*

ii. Drained Humans

[They wander, and Aya wanders with them - dazed, bewildered, her steps as slow and dragging as theirs. In a funny kind of way it's almost comforting, to know she's not the only one who feels so lost and out of it. Her legs, as she walks, are aching, as if unaccustomed to the effort of holding herself up; she stumbles, unsteady as a toddler, as a cartoon drunk. Where's Ran, she wonders - she's heard his voice, heard him call to her, but she's searched and searched and found nothing. More to the point, where in the world is she? There has to be somewhere around here she recognizes.

[If only someone knew what was going on. Aya's - well, she's tried getting someone's attention, but nobody she's met so far looks any more up to a conversation than she feels. And that's confusing, and it's frightening, and she's starting to feel like some kind of ghost--

[Someone has to know what's happening to her. They have to.]

Um... excuse me? I-- I think I'm lost. Can't somebody--

[Nothing. Nothing at all, and she's starting to feel like an idiot for trying. Oh, God-- Aya is lost and she's frightened and she wants to go home, and she doesn't even know where that is.]

Can anybody hear me?

*

iii. Hellish Circle

[And there's a park, and that's all wrong too.

[To a confused sixteen-year-old, wandering the streets in a pair of pajamas she knows she's never owned, the sight of the park is bad enough. There'd been rain, there'd been light, there'd been the squeal of tires - and now she's dry as a bone, and dazed, and frightened, and hopelessly lost. All that before the circles and the candle call themselves to her attention, and maybe a million years ago she'd been at a festival, but this doesn't look like any kind of a celebration to her. If she hadn't been near panic before, that's enough to tip her over the edge.

[Aya screams. She stares in horror at the cup, the eye, the blood. She stumbles backward. She's had all she can take for one evening, and she wants to go home.]

Ran!

ii

[fullcowl]

[Izuku's out and doing his best to help these people who are walking aimlessly, resigned to whatever might happen to them. He can't pinpoint the location of the ayakashi or whatever is doing this to people, but he can at least keep them out of harm's way.

He pauses when he hears somebody ask for help.]

I can hear you. Where do you need to go?

Cirno

[belovedtomboyishdaughter]

Drained Humans
[Cirno had absolutely no idea what's going on at all, at first. She knew she wasn't in Gensoukyo anymore, because she'd never seen anything like this place there. Then somebody told her she was a god now! That was so cool! It must mean people finally recognized how awesome she was. And now there was an incident going on down at the village near by and they wanted her to help with it. Alright! Time to show everyone she was the strongest god out there and help solve the incident.

There sure are a lot of humans wandering around here though. They all seem kinda tired. Hey, that weird metal thing is about to run right into one crossing the street! That's not nice.]

Hey!

[She freezes the car in place, causing it to come to an abrupt halt, and fortunately for the driver, the airbag goes off so he's alright. Cirno doesn't know what a car is though, since those don't exist in Gensoukyo. She flies over in front of the car to scold it.]

Watch where you're going! You could run into somebody like that!

[The guy who was crossing the street, meanwhile, just keeps walking like he didn't notice a thing. No one else reacts to the spectacle either. This does strike the fairy as a little weird, but she has no idea why everyone is acting like this.

Hey, maybe it's an incident! It'd be cool if she could be the one to resolve an incident for once.]

No One's Safe

[Cirno has been flying around for a while now, and probably has a slightly better idea of what's going on.

But now she's starting to get tired. Probably she's been flying around too long.]

I'm hungry! Do they have any Takoyaki or anything around here? Or Ice Cream! That would be nice.

Hellish Circle

[Well, Cirno doesn't have to worry about stepping on the circle because she's still flying. It sure looks like someone's doing some kind of magic here. Is this what's causing the incident? Where's the person who made this? Cirno was totally going to beat them up and show everybody how strong she is, by solving the incident.]

Hey! Whoever it is who made this thing! Come out so I can beat you up!

[Yeah, that's an excellent idea Cirno.]

Shhh..Not late as heck- No One's safe

[maidensbunraku]

[Alice herself has been wandering about and been getting slower and slower as time went on. She's been separated from others and very unsure about what is all going on anymore and she can't find her way back. That and there is the urge to just..let it all go.

So she'll lean up against a building and blinks very lethargicly at the fairy.]

I..I don't think they will serve you at this rate..

Sephiroth

[prideinthefall]

[ Sephiroth ignores this insidious feeling of a loss of self. Surely, it is a temporary thing and caused by the source of this problem. He ignores the humans wandering around; they do not matter to him in the least. Holding out one hand he summons the Masamune to his left hand as a large, black wing unfurls from behind his right shoulder.

Though that crippling sensation continues to slink down his spine, Sephiroth doesn't stop until he reaches the park. He pauses because of the markings. They are unfamiliar to him both in pattern and script. ]

Hnnn. A cheap trick?

[ Then he decides that it doesn't matter. Sliding his right hand through the air, over the boundary of the circle, Sephiroth's lips press into a thin line when he suddenly feels weak. He takes a single step back, refusing to relinquish more ground.

His eyes narrow when the bat like creatures come streaming down. His right hand shoots forward, creating a barrier in front him. The bodies pelt against it, cracking the magic as they veer off and up. ]

((ooc: because he's stubborn Sephiroth feels the need to test out whether or not ayakashi can't be killed without gods. Come join the fun. For once he won't be as inclined to mock those around him.))

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri watches the silver haired man as he moves up to the park. Such dedication, such stubbornness, such a single minded drive to get to the bottom of things. Really she can't fault it as she had come late to the party but wanted to find the center, but promised not to do anything dangerous to her own Shinki. Still, this was a good chance to analize data and try to figure things out.

With that she steps behind the protective plexiglass of a bus kiosk and calls out in a deadpan manner.]

"Excuse me, Silver Hair-san, if you need assistance just ask, but it looks like you are trying to prove something. Still, either way I'm going to collect data on your ordeal."

Masaki Kurosaki

[shockshot]

Closed to Dio

[It had felt as if she was floating in darkness. Floating, but she was calm. It did not feel hot or warm, dry or wet; she had nothing. She was...

Who was she again?

What was she?

She didn't know. Images flickered, noises blurred against her ears, until she woke up.

Her eyes snapped open, and she took in a deep breath. She didn't know where she was. She was wearing...

She slowly sat up and touched the material. A...sparkly t shirt? Socks and shoes? What was she wearing? She shivered, and it wasn't due to the weather. She slowly got up, her eyes roaming around. She felt a spike of fear through her as she looked around.

She was dead. Her name was Masaki Kurosaki. And she didn't know where she was.]

Drained Humans

Hey! Watch out!

[The person didn't seem to hear her; or if they did, they didn't care. But Masaki managed to shove them both out of the way before they could get hit by a car.

...but the problem was, while Masaki could and did pull herself up off the sidewalk, the person she rescued...did not. They just kind of...laid there. And sighed. Masaki bit her lip.]

You should at least try to rest out of the way or something. I'm not going to put you in a taxi.

[If the way the car was wavering like a drunken bumblebee was any indication, that would be a terrible idea. ]

No one's safe

A:

[She didn't know there were dangers about this. Then again...her getting used to the shinki state, with the hunger and everything else, maybe it wasn't surprising.

Masaki had been standing around, but she couldn't remember what she was supposed to be doing.

She didn't know what she was anymore, and she found herself pressing against a light pole, her eyes closing as her knees folded. She didn't feel in touch with reality anymore. How strange.]

B

Hey! You all right?

[She noticed someone wasn't looking so good; like the humans but not. But she came over, waving her hands and smiling, and in general trying to get their attention.]

You're looking kinda out of it. Do you need some help? A bench maybe?

[She'd offer to get them food but...she doesn't have money and stealing is wrong.]

Hellish Circle

What...is this?

[She's staring at the circle, and she doesn't like it. She really doesn't like it. She doesn't know what it is, but it's weird and considering the weird things in this town....yeah. She might have to just not touch it.

Not personally anyway.

So that's how she gets to the conclusion that she should poke it, somehow. Which is how she ends up looking for rocks and sticks to throw over the border to check it out.

Hearing movement, she'll look over her shoulder and grin.]

Hey! You don't happen to have a rock on you, do you?

[She beams.]

I just wanna check something out.

[dioception]

[When Dio arrived here, he'd been in some sort of 'new home' for himself. Someone had spoken with him, explaining that he was a god now(of course he was? He already was, if you asked him), and what all that entailed.

Excuse him for being skeptical.

What was more concerning for him was that he'd had a vision of Masaki; her death. By fading, to be exact. He had lost so many people, he couldn't bear to have lost her that way and when he was told that he could find his shinki(who was apparently Masaki), he had rushed off to find her, and he finally did without much issue.]

Ma- ...! Masaki! [He had worried for a moment that he might reveal that they knew each other previously. Dio had not planned on actually listening to the person who had spoken to him previously, but something in him had seized up before he could run to her and hug her, his hands instead grasping at her arms.]

I'm so glad I found you. I... I'm Dio. [This was a weird meeting. Oops.]

[moonfang]

DRAINED HUMANS
[Zangetsu didn't want to miss any action, not this time. Even though the last time, it turned out that the monster in question was a friend. This time, there's no obvious ayakashi; just the havoc it's wreaking. Humans are dropping like flies left and right, apparently too tired to do anything except wander aimlessly and even into traffic.

He's managed to pull one unfortunate soul free of the street, but there is a scream of tires and a loud honk from down the road, followed by a dull, thick-sounding crunch. Even with Sonido, by the time he gets to the scene, it's too late.

The man in the car has gotten out and is panicking on the street. She came out of nowhere, why would she walk out into the street, the light was green, etc etc. But Zangetsu isn't paying him a lick of attention. Instead, he's watching a strange little orb of light bobbing above the wreckage. Actually, he's not just watching it. He's staring at it, motionless. And the orb starts to take the form of a person]

HELLISH CIRCLE
[someone has managed to fall into trouble, and for once, it's not Zangetsu. Whoever you are, whatever you were trying to do, there is now one or more glowing neon bats coming for your blood. Or your soul. Or whatever it is these things actually want. But the bats smack into an invisible wall, like so many bugs on a windshield, because someone HAS figured out how to draw barriers!]

Tch.... Do you always walk into obvious traps or is today special? Get out of it!

[His words are sharp, but they lack their usual bite. Zangetsu himself seems to be lacking, too. His breathing is more labored and he's sweating from the effort of just using that little bit of power]

WILDCARD
[BRING IT ON]

drained humans

[prismbloom]

[ She couldn't save her.

It hits Aqua hard, but this is a serious situation, and she can't lose her head now. Not when so many people are in danger. Even if she can't do much, she's doing what she can: pulling people out of harm's way, fending off ayakashi when and where she can.

Except... she hadn't been able to save the woman, not even when she'd been so close to Aqua, physically. It's something that'll eat at her later. For now... she has to-- ]

Are you alright, sir? [ ... He's just kind of standing there and staring. ]

[toremainbehind]

Drained Humans

[After that incident with that vampire, Izumo had taken to being more cautious with his surroundings. Even with his newfound powers (one he isn’t even sure how to control), he was still initially wary of wandering around.

However, it hasn’t escaped his attention that the humans seem…off.

So, he frowns, searching for anyone who might have an idea as to what is going on.]

No One’s Safe

[This was—not good.

Izumo can feel his energy slowly being sapped from him, his hand twitching slightly as he goes to get a safe distance away from whatever it is that’s draining from him.

Distracted, he reaches up to touch his neck, covered in a few bandages before he shakes his head and starts walking away, probably trying to pull anyone who’s been in the town too long with him or at least call out to them.]

no one's safe

[blizzardrock]

[Got pulled along.]

Umm... Not that I don't get what's going on, but...where are we going?

[It hasn't occurred to him that there might be someplace where the draining is weaker.]

Shun Kurosaki | OTA

[revolutionfalcon]

[A: Drained Humans]

[The sudden flood of prayers was enough of a warning sign of what was to come, but as soon as Shun sets foot in the town they're all coming from, a familar unease runs over him. As someone who came to this place when the school had been attacked, the sluggish, unfocused movements of the humans here are all too familiar, and his eyes dart around as he walks further in, watching for people dragging themselves into dangerous situations.

The roads are of particular worry, and before too long, Shun finds himself by a school. There are students straggling out from late clubs and other activities, and though some of them are at least alert enough to hover vaguely at the side of the road until it's empty and they can cross, others walk out without actually looking. A girl who doesn't look older than about ten and a boy even younger, probably siblings, step out together far too slowly to cross before the inattentive, semi-conscious driver nearby reaches them, and before there's the chance for another accident, Shun steps in and scoops the two forward, ushering them to the other side of the road.

Watching them wander through the doors of a nearby building, he gives a faintly relieved sigh and turns back to look towards the crossing.]

Keeping an eye on things is easy enough, but how the hell we're meant to get people who insist on driving like this off the road... [Idiots. He passed more than one accident on the way in, and at the rate this is going, there's only going to be more.]
--
[B: No One's Safe]

[Coming here this evening, Shun was already on the worse edges of tired. His encounter with the roaming vampire the previous night left him in less than optimal shape, even if he got away, and the use of his power to that extent only cost him more. If he'd been in better condition, he would've noticed earlier that he feels weaker and weaker the longer he stays in this town, but it takes until he's tunnel-visioning enough on his next destination that he almost trips down a staircase for him to stop. At that point, the focus on the situation at hand slips away, and he holds his head for a moment as he realises exactly how drained he feels.]

Damn it...

[It doesn't last long, though. He's not known for letting things like this stop him, and after a moment to recover himself, he starts moving again, having to put thought into focusing on everything around him in the way that's usually natural to him. Most won't notice anything other than hard lines under his eyes, but people who know him a bit better may notice the fainter shadows and the fact that he takes one to two seconds longer to notice their approach than his usual snap response to people still several metres away.

He's fully aware of this himself, but he's still got a job to do here, and he's not going to let this stop him. So anyone approaching will get his focus - even slightly delayed, he picks them up sooner than many would - his eyes narrowing as he tips his head in the direction of what he doesn't currently know is the park.]

I think there's ayakashi closer to the center of town. We need to protect the people, but getting rid of the problem at its source would help them even more. [At least, in the state he's in, he hopes those flying shapes he caught sight of were ayakashi.]

--
[C: Hellish Circle]

[The magic circle is pretty damn noticeable even by the standards of what's going on in the town, and Shun looks over it with a rather dubious eye. He's not stepping into it, he's not that stupid, but he'd also like to know what exactly the hell is going on. So after inspecting what he can of the candles and circle, he climbs the nearest tree to the park that isn't actually within the circle, from which point he can catch sight of the small offering in the middle of the park.

Snapping a small branch off from around where he's standing, he closes one eye and aims in the direction of the cup and mask before hurling the stick towards it with a hard, well-aimed throw. Before it even gets near the offering, its trajectory begins to shift much more harshly than the conditions warrant, as if a strong wind is hitting it, and it lands a good few metres clear of the circle's center.

With a frustrated hiss between his teeth, Shun drops to the next branch down, eying the circle again.]

Figures we'd have to cross that thing to find out what the hell is going on here.

--
[D: Wildcard]

[[None of these working for you? Assume Shun's trying to get to the bottom of things through investigation or hit me up for plotting!]]

B

[jocularly]

[What use is a shinki if they are not with their god when they need it most? Joker knows Shun is exhausted - he feels the town (or something) tugging on his energy reserves too - but they are both ridiculously stubborn. As long as there are people in need, Joker isn't running and he knows Shun won't either.]

Let's get the word out, aye? Ye'll be putting yerself in mortal danger if ye try to attack it alone.

[He has learned to give Shun space even if all of his instincts are screaming at him to comfort him.]

I'll be honest, ye look dead on yer feet. I'm gonna get some food in ye and somethin' ta drink.

[Gods are not invincible. The strain will have an ill effect, he's sure of it.]

Please, Shun?

Yoruichi | open

[skyleopardess]

Drained Humans

[It's an utter mess in town, and Yoruichi can see why the alarm was sent up. With people stumbling and spacing out, it may seem like the whole town is at the tail end of a raging party, but there's enough spiritual energy swirling about to make it clear all isn't what it seems.

So far, she's caught someone falling off a balcony, fished someone out of a stream, and used kidou to put some distraught children, not understanding why their parents weren't answering their cries, to sleep. She can't fix their parents, but at least she can give them some momentary peace.

But the night's not over yet--a truck careens around the corner, the driver's head slumped over the steering wheel. And it's heading for a cafe, where all the outdoor diners sit blissfully unaware of--well, anything, really.]

Look out! Dammit, this fucking--[She breaks off, launching into shunpo to get between the people and the truck. As fast as she is, she hopes she's not too late.]

Hellish Circle

[The arcane lines and candles would have been enough to keep Yoruichi out, but the group of teenagers just inside the circle weren't quite as astute. She'd thrown them over her shoulders two at a time and carried them out of danger, but now she's standing protectively over the last, gulping in breath as she fights off attacking ayakashi.

Nami, her soulless shinki, gives her some protection in her gauntlet and boots form, but Yoruichi's tired due to the drain on her energy, and the fight's tougher than it has any right to be. But her hand to hand combat skills are still formidable; her movements are steady and smooth, destroying ayakashi with the ease of centuries of experience.

She's not leaving this kid here to die--it's just that simple.]

Drained Humans

[twiceinhabited]

[Ever since the alarm went up, Amane have been looking into the town. And well, she basically end up trying to get people out of dangerous situations. How many times did she pull people away from the roads and various interchanges? Not only that, but seeing people and the children being affected, either as victims or loved ones of victims, clawed at her heart.

Amane had finished, somehow, pulling the last person away from the road and into the nearest building—a nearby cafe. As she sat them down at a table, she looked up when she heard a screeching sounds.

And then the sight of Yoruchi's sudden appearance between the truck and the cafe. Amane's breath get caught up in her throat, torn between calling out and wanting to avoid distracting her god.

So instead, Amane moves... to hide under a table with the person she's previously helping. There's so many people here, she would try to save at least one person from whatever impact that might happen. And then supporting her god next.

She's having faith in her god to keep the truck from causing any fatal casualties.]

[countingthecost]

[To say that Yamanami's confused is a gross understatement. But there are people in need of help, and they should be the priority. Keeping busy is also good for keeping unwanted thoughts away, and heaven knows how much he actually appreciates the distraction.]

Prompt A: Uncle Samurai
[Having arrived in clothing from the 1800s, he certainly stands out from the rest of the town. So when he tries to help a group of young children, there's a loud chorus of kids yelling out that there's a real life samurai and crowding around him, begging him to help them find their parents. Yamanami smiles and does his best to placate them, but he honestly has no idea how to find the whole slew of addresses that's being thrown at him.

Maybe someone else might though. Looking around, Yamanami might look a little lost, and anyone that happens to be walking by will be approached by him and the children, all clinging tightly to him. With an apologetic smile he'll raise a hand: ]

I'm sorry. Could you help me bring these children to their homes? I'm afraid I don't know this town at all.

Prompt B: Drained and Ayakashi attack!
[Eventually the oppressive environment gets to him. His heart grows heavier and heavier, his limbs likewise. Matters get worse when he accidentally stumbles into the park. The circle is a huge warning to stay away, but wait-- there's an old man slumped against a tree, dangerously close to the circle! Gritting his teeth, Yamanami draws closer and closer to the circle, and as he carefully helps the old man up a whole host of bats arise to attack them!! Taken aback by the sudden appearance of the lot, he can only brace himself and try to run, the old man slumped across his back.]

b

[spes_phthisica]

Over here!

[A moment after the call, a borderline springs to life right behind Yamanami. It's not the most precise thing, because Souji hasn't had all the time in the world to practice, but it will be enough to hold the bat ayakashi off for a moment.

The slight figure some distance before Yamanami is wearing more modern clothes, striped leggings and an oversized jumper in pastels, with with cute hair clips holding his hair back, but otherwise he looks pretty much the same as remembered. The way sickness marked his body later in life hasn't affected how he looks in death. And he has absolutely no idea that he might not be the most comforting person to see at this moment, gesturing hurriedly for Yamanami to come closer before his borderline breaks.]

Davesprite | OTA

[redotiertwo]

[A: No One's Safe]

[If there's one thing Davesprite has figured out he's used to since coming here, it's feeling like he shouldn't be around. Whether it's around people or around certain places, it seems like a pretty standard thing for him, and as sad as that is, it doesn't feel like it's a new feature from coming into this place. It wouldn't even be weird for it to be more pronounced today, given how bad he feels about what happened to Hajime the previous night.

Literally feeling like he shouldn't be around because everything in him seems to be draining away rapidly is a new one, though, and as he searches through the town for people in trouble, his wings fold closer and closer and he sinks lower and lower to the ground before his long ghostly tail snags something and loses him the last of his air. Dropping like a stone, he braces himself against the ground with his feathered, taloned arms crossed over each other in front of him as he skids along pavement to come to an ungraceful stop just short of hitting a street sign, his shades somehow staying miraculously on despite everything. Another thing that doesn't come loose is the sword stuck through his stomach like he's its sheath, the blade poking out the other side a little further as he pushes himself up and tweaks it a little.]

Fuck, I am never gonna get used to this. I mean, I'm already used to it, but not remembering it just makes this look seventeen different kinds of screwed up even if it feels right. [At that point, though, he might actually notice the presence of others nearby, and he pushes himself back up to balance on his tail with a wave of the hand...and his head swims so badly he has to flop sideways to lean on the sign for support.]

Yeah, hey, everything's cool here, just making my mark on the town. You know, as literally as I possibly can. [The tip of his tail flicks over to point out the long and very noticeable trail of neon orange feathers that fell out of his wings and large neck ruff during the crash.]

--
[B: Hellish Circle]

[Okay, so Davesprite knows his cliches. He is incredibly familiar with the part where if there's a town dealing with weird dark shit and a magic circle in the middle of it all, you don't go into the magic circle. It's like going into the basement alone with a flashlight you didn't check and double-check the battery life on in a horror movie. You're probably going to die, and everyone's going to be yelling at the screen how stupid you are.

Unfortunately, the effect the spell on this town is having is losing him the focus he needs to check where the line of the circle is while he's flying above it, and with one misaimed flap of the wings, he crosses the barrier. Immediately, the sinking, sucking feeling at every part of him increases tenfold, and he only manages to keep his wings flapping enough that he doesn't smash into the ground like the most orange meteorite in recorded history. Instead he just hits the grass, bounces, and lands hard on his back a few metres inside the edge of the circle.

He's just rolling over to drag himself out again when he hears the screeching of the bat ayakashi impending, and his head swivels that way immediately as one hand goes to draw the sword in his stomach, with an extra-hard wrench to unearth the bit of the blade that stabbed itself into the ground with his fall.]

Damn, I'm losing my touch. [What touch. He never had a touch, or so he firmly believes. Backing towards the circle's edge as fast as he can when he feels so ridiculously lacking in any energy at all, he glances back to catch the eye of anyone who's made the wise choice to hang out outside of it.]

On the assumption I'm actually going to make it back to the edge of this before the ground opens up and swallows me into the depths of hell or some shit, I could use an assist.

--
[C: Wildcard]

[[Talk to me about plotting anytime, or perhaps your character just caught sight of a weird bird-ghost-person flying overhead?]]

FINALLY I TAG U

[moonfang]

[avoiding the magic evil circle seems like the wisest course of action, and yet... So many have accidentally stumbled into it. The bats keep on coming, too, and Zangetsu is slashing them in half with his sword. It's only a temporary fix-- the neon bat-bits find their other halves quickly enough and reform. But it keeps them occupied. He'd be able to destroy them better and increase their regeneration time significantly if he had the energy to just blast them.

But no, all that energy was being siphoned into the stupid circle!

Whump! The sound of something hitting the ground, and by the direction of it, whatever it was is within the borders of the circle. Zangetsu turns to look and spots something incredibly orange]

Where the hell did you come from? Did you fall from the sky? [that would explain the wings, at least] You're too far away! Get a little closer and I can grab you!

Mabel Pines | OTA

[attackglitter]

Drained Humans

[You know this is really weird and Mabel has come to acknowledge that. She's taken a somewhat hands on approach, actively pushing people out of harms way, or turning them to a different direction. She's explaining things to them, regardless of whether they can hear her, or are paying attention or not.]

Okay, so that way is cars. And if you walk that way, you're going to get hit by a car. So I am going to bring you here and you just sit right here and don't go anywhere, okay? [She'll deposit one person at a park bench before going back to another.]

Want to hear a joke? I know a great knock-knock joke!

[She'll be doing this all day. The problem is that she's getting so used to it that she might start pushing on your character. So how are you going to handle a twelve year old in a homemade knitted sweater pushing you a way you didn't necessarily want to go?]

No One is Safe

[Mabel is starting to feel exhausted. And there's a part of her that knows this isn't a normal feeling for her. She's gone through her pockets, her sweater, her socks, and she's come up with just enough to stock up on a little bit of sugar.

By little bit I do not mean little bit.

So she's sitting in front of a building, stuffing handfuls of that really cute japanese rock candy in her face.

This is not helping wake her up.

But it's definitely bad for her. But she's nearing the bottom of the bag.]

More sugar... that'll help, right...?

Drained Humans

[bussounoshima]

[Looking over her shoulder at this little girl pushing her towards a bench. An adult she might shove back or something, but a kid gets some forgiveness.]

Oi. Do you need something?

freyja wion | ota

[soothes]

( They try to explain things to her. Although Freyja listens intently and the words make sense... she feels as if new piece of information threatens to overwhelm her. She is the incarnation of a goddess born from the wishes of humans, prayed to and worshiped. There are a million and one questions but there isn't a chance for her to ask before she is whisked away to help with a situation that needs their attention. Left on the outskirts of a large city, she takes a deep breath and focuses ahead.

It was all so much but perhaps she could help... ? )

ＤＲＡＩＮＥＤ ＨＵＭＡＮＳ

Pl-please come with me!

( Reaching out she grasps the hand of a young woman, dazed and stumbling, along the sidewalk with a blank expression. More than once she veers dangerously close to stepping off into the street which is what has moved Freyja to act. She is not the first and there is doubt running through the new goddess' veins that this woman will be the last. This was different from performing shows to fight back the Var and there is a part of her that feels lost without the others; Mikumo, the rest of Walküre, Mirage and Hayate.

Occupied with her thoughts she is violently shaken from them as a car speeds past them, jumping onto the sidewalk and slamming into a nearby storefront. Her ears is ringing, heart drumming in her chest and she has to fight not to stand there shaking. Help, she has to help. She's different here, she has the power to cure and heal more than just the Var syndrome.

Keeping hold of the woman's hand, she circles the car and pulls the door open. The man at the wheel is weak, bleeding but breathing. She can fix this and takes a deep breath in before doing what comes most naturally to her. She sings.

The effect is not immediate but slowly the wounds on the two nearest her begin to heal as her rune comes alive, glowing bright and sparkling pink. Not only them but it begins to spread outwards, healing the wounds of anyone that can hear her voice and offers at least some respite from the effects covering the city. She can't sing forever but she could at least do this much and give them more of a chance to get somewhere out of harm's way. )

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ＇Ｓ ＳＡＦＥ

( She continues to sing whenever she comes across a rough scene. Sometimes, it is not so bad and Freyja does not have to sing for long but that is not always the case and she continues through whatever comes to mind. It comes to a point where she does not even sing Walküre songs but the songs of the popular idols from home that she loved so dearly. It helps to keep her smiling through all the pain that she continues to stumble upon.

It helps her better ignore the exhaustion that has begun to creep into her body. Helps her to ignore the soreness settling in her throat.

There comes a time when she can't ignore it and she stands bent at the entrance of an alley, her hand pressed into the wall for support and the other rested against her knee as she breathes tiredly but even that helps little. The exhaustion seems to grow and Freyja realizes as long as she stays here then the worst it will become. She won't be able to help anyone if she collapses and that truly scares her more.)

ＨＥＬＬＩＳＨ ＣＩＲＣＬＥ

( Everything is wrong here.

That alone is obvious to see but Freyja feels something looking at this circle that stands over her like a dark shadow. It reminds her of that terrible place back home as it absorbs in everything good around them. She doesn't venture near it, scared to get close but lingers to try and divert some of the dazed humans from wondering too close. She sings to those she can but it feels like even her powers are overshadowed by whatever was being called to the circle.

It is why she cannot help rushing forward when she someone else wondering close. Reacting before she can think, she vanishes and reappears close with a stumble from not being used to having an ability like teleporting at her use. Thankfully, Freyja manages not to fall in front of this person (a person that does not look like the glass-eyed citizens so another God perhaps?) and lifts her hands. When she musters her voice, it comes out with an edge of panic: )

Don't... don't go near it!

ＷＩＬＤＣＡＲＤ

( For anything else not listed above! Feel free to send a PM or hit me up at kaldwin if you'd like for me to set something up! )

drained humans

[galactically]

[By now Sheryl has seen enough chaos to know when to act and when to stay out of harm's way, but everything about today is too reminiscent of what happened two months ago. Thankfully, no poisoned chocolates are involved this time around, but seeing people in a mindless daze, stumbling in the middle of traffic in a sluggish state, will always be unnerving. A very sickening sight.

The little girl struggling in her arms snaps Sheryl out of those thoughts, however, quickly dragging her out of the streets and into the sidewalk. Her expression shifts, oscillating between frustration and worry with a strong knitting of her brows.]

Don't you dare die out there! It's dangerous!

[While hoisting the girl close to her chest, Sheryl suddenly hears heavy slamming from where she stands and quickly turns to the direction of the chaos. It takes little time for her to run towards it, making sure to keep her hold on that tiny person secure because there's no way she's letting her die.

Right at the sounds of a soothing melody, though, her steps slow down as she looks on with a mesmerized expression. How unusual, but not in a bad way. Sheryl is no stranger to the power of music, of course; the goddess of music has her own power to sway the masses through beautiful songs alone — for better or worse. The bitter taste of pragmatism still lingers in her tongue from yesterday's trauma.

Sheryl Nome is not a woman who is easily swayed by any musician, but somehow, Freyja's song is so uplifting that it wipes away the grim emotions she felt from that day... as well as the pain. Literally. A soft gasp escapes her lips as any bruises and wounds in her body have spontaneously healed. Well, then...

Closing her eyes, she lowers the girl to the ground to hold her hand, and with a deep breath she sings the last line along with Freyja.]

Julian Bashir | OTA

[asklepian]

[Drained Humans]

[It had been a bit of a trying day already. Julian had woken up in an unfamiliar room, been told by a young man wearing white robes that he was now Asclepius (the Greek god of medicine, wasn't that a bit on the nose) and that he was expected to assist those in the world of the living by answering prayers with his shinki--a spirit who would be assisting him. The man whose death he'd seen, just as sure as if he'd been there himself.

And then they'd been assaulted with them, and he'd been pushed out the door and told to find his shinki and get on with it.

Basically, the greeting left something to be desired. He'd tried to tap the commbadge on his chest and contact Deep Space Nine or the Defiant, but absolutely nothing had happened. He'd called for doors, presuming he might be in a holosuite, but that had gotten him nothing except for puzzled stares. Alright. Time to play along, then.

The prayers, at least some of them, seem to call to him more--people who are hurt, people worried that the sudden onset of exhaustion and malaise is an illness that they're all catching. Surely it doesn't hurt to help a few of them while looking for the man who is supposed to be his shinki, so for the moment he's kneeling on the sidewalk in front of a listless young woman, bandaging a wound she'd gotten from running headlong into a bench on the street.]

Alright, that should do it. Come on, let's get you up.

[She's so dazed though, that it's awkward to both get her on her feet and somewhere safe. He can pull her up easily enough, but she instantly stumbles and leans all of her weight against him. This would be a lot easier if someone could give him a hand. How about you, convenient passer-by?]

Ah, excuse me, could you lend us a hand please?

[No One's Safe]

[Julian didn't often get tired. His particular genetics gave him increased stamina, and lessened the need for sleep. Right now, though, that didn't matter--he felt like he could fall into bed for a week straight.

Instead, he just falls heavily onto a seat outside a sidewalk café, and is promptly ignored by the waitress. Not that he really cares, he's too tired--sitting for a moment or two should help.]

drained humans;

[scatteredbloom]

[ This is confusing. One minute, he was alive doing who knows what in who knows where with who knows who, and now he's dead and-- wherever "here" is. And there are people in weird clothes walking into things like they're either blind or impossibly clumsy. Moving among the stumbling masses is like trying to dodge attacks, with people bumping into him and himself sidestepping this one and that one to avoid full-on collisions. There had been a very bare-bones explanation of what was occurring and no amount of questioning had gotten him anything more than that, but honestly, if this is the afterlife, he wants to change religions, because this sucks.

But then there's a voice asking for help, and while he's not sure who it belongs to or why they need assistance, he can't just walk away from it, especially if they can see him and are coherent enough to ask. Or perhaps they're not one of the stumbling and were stumbled into? Either way, maybe this person can give him a better understanding of what's going on as he moves to try and help keep the woman from ending up on the ground. ]

What the hell happened?

[oathkeeper]

[ Drained Humans ]

[A young girl walking across the street looks lifeless and drained. Devoid of life, she stumbles into the road where several cars are coming right for her. Lights flash and cars honk but she doesn’t respond.]

Hey!! Watch it!!

[Sora teleports himself right to her and just barely manages to throw himself and her out of the way of a speeding car. They crash to the ground in a heap. Even with that she doesn’t respond and is merely a seemingly lifeless body in his arms.]

Are you okay? Hey! Can you hear me?

[He gets up and helps her to her feet but she just sways for a moment before stumbling away.]

... Not this again!

[ No One’s Safe ]

[Something feels off.

Sora collapses on a bench and rubs his temples. He doesn’t feel tired but he sure feels... something. Nothing?

Maybe he just needs a nap? Yeah. That sounds good. He curls up on the bench for a snooze because a bench in the middle of a park is a fine place to fall asleep. Right? Right. He just needs a little bit of energy...!]

No One's Safe

[onedrinkwithme]

[Too bad someone is going to disturb his naptime with a shake of his shoulder and a stern voice. No time for sleeping Sora!]

Wake up, tis not time for rest.

[Aymeric can feel his energy slowly sinking away but he's going to fight it.]

OTA "Friendly" Fire incoming

[volksdaemon]

[[OOC: LINK HERE to his Powers & Permissions! I won't use telepathy powers on your character(s) without permission. ^_^ ]]

Drained Humans

Schuldig is nowhere to be found, visually. He caught the overwhelming negative emotions in his periphery and headed this way out of sheer curiosity. He's hanging out in a building with a room he teleported into that keeps him within short range of the humans that are so very despondent. He listens to their mental cries and finds those strands that aren't quite their own - an outside influence that he doesn't have a name for. He wants very much to discover who or what is responsible for those manipulations since it's clearly not him.

For now, he's experimenting. He's tugging on those threads himself, looking for what effects they cause people to do. Namely, he notices the attention getting pressed in his direction. Ah ha, now he was getting somewhere. He makes sure that attention is on him and his shields are up before shoving his own controls onto those same people. He's 'helping' as it were. He helps a couple of people walk into brick walls so hard they break their noses, another's eyes shut as they're riding a bike only to end up crashing into an elderly woman at the corner, while a third person is so distracted they cause a T-bone collision.

No One's Safe

Schuldig doesn't ignore the Gods and Shinki who are trying to help those affected, but the shinki are the ones who he's most interested in from his little bunker on the floor above a coffee shop. As he senses the despondent shinki walking around, he reaches out to them and tries to determine what they're so despondent about. If it's a particular memory of their past life getting drudged up, he's even more curious, trying to twist that knife and watch them react. To him, it's just research. He wants to know how much shinki can take focusing on a particular memory before they start to blight their gods and their mind eventually turn into the emotional soup that was Axel's at the end of his ayakashi existence.

Hellish Circle

He recognizes that sort of circle. Not that one exactly, but the styling of it all. Eszett had been attempting to do similar things. They're probably as egotistical as whoever designed this one, he figures. As a result, he's sneaking mental peeks at the Circle every so often to ward people off however he can - using his powers, of course. He doesn't want to teleport out there until absolutely the last possible moment.

No One's Safe

[timeshields]

She's exhausted, drained, like she should just curl up somewhere and accept her fate the long she stays out there. More than anything there's the feeling of grief scratching at her thoughts- there aren't any memories she can remember. But there's a feeling of helplessness, like she's slowly losing her grip on herself.

She tries to swallow it down and continue as usual, but it's clearly weighing on her. Homura reaches out for the nearest building to try and steady herself. It doesn't... feel wrong to believe these things- but at the same time she doesn't want to blight her god. So she fights against it, trying to stay as stable as she can.

Hiyoko Tosaka | ota

[talkbirdytome]

Drained Humans-

Hey! Watch it!

[Hiyoko just narrowly manages to grab a woman who'd been walking very casually and obliviously toward an open manhole cover. Add this to the guy she saved from traffic and that one construction guy that almost lost an arm and Hiyoko is getting really frustrated.]

Geez! What the heck is wrong with everybirdie today??

Hellish Circle-

Finally!

[Hiyoko has been searching for some explanation for all of the weird stuff going on today. And this looks like it.

Actually even if it wasn't an explanation for the things she's seen today, it must be an explanation for something weird. Somewhere. Either way, time to rain the justice of the goddess of the hunt on it!! With a triumphant battle cry, she unwisely charges forward.

And stumbles almost immediately as an uncharacteristic weight settles on her soul. She never felt so tired, so... drained before.]

Wha- what is this?

[She puts a hand to her head, trying to steady herself. Hiyoko hasn't even noticed the menacing shadow of the large bat flying toward her. Maybe she could use some help?]

drained humans

[blizzardrock]

Maybe it's an epidemic?

[So says the guy who didn't even get up to help. He gets up now, though, with a little more effort than is probably warranted.]

Should we fill that in with something? [He points to the open manhole.]

Elise | ota

[lilys_poise]

Drained Humans-

Hey, c'mon! You can't just lay down in the middle of the street! You'll get hurt.

[If he doesn't move soon, she'll have to try dragging him. Too bad the guy Elise is trying to move to safety is well over twice her size. It's almost comical watching this tiny girl grab the guy's leg and start tugging.]

Unf! Just... move as far as the sidewalk or something...

Please?

[Yeah, this isn't happening.]


No One's Safe-

[Elise has been running around town all day, trying to save people from their own despondency. It makes sense that she's tired. But she's never been this tired before. And more than just physically tired, she feels.... drained. As if all the energy is fading away from her very soul....

Maybe she should rest. It's not like she's really doing any good by just running all over the place. The people she helped probably just wandered back into danger.

And there are already a ton of gods and shinki here to help out. They can handle this just fine. They don't need her. She leans with her back against a nearby storefront, and just lets the weight of her exhaustion pull her down. She'll just.... rest here awhile, watching the people go by.]

drained humans

[saikusu]

[Saïx has been watching her struggle with moving him since she commented on not laying in the middle of the street. He would have helped sooner, but he wanted to see if she could do it on her own, first. When she proved unable to, he steps out into the street and over to her.]

Need some help?

Natsuru Senou | OTA

[thirdbeauty]

[Closed to Lightning]

[She'd arrived and been shuffled off with everyone else so quickly, she hasn't had time to think or even breathe. What was everyone talking about? Where was she when she arrived, and where is this town? ... Who even is she?

All she knows is what's apparent - that she's a tall teenage-looking girl in a very eye-catching costume, with her hair tied back into a hip-length high ponytail. She just stands off to the side, nervously fidgeting with her skirt and looking extremely self-conscious. Are those sequins? What possible reason could she have for wearing something this flashy out in public? Not to mention the heels, when she thinks she must already be pretty tall without them.

Her appearance is hardly the thing to focus on, though. More importantly, where is this place, and why is she here? She frantically looks from unfamiliar face to unfamiliar face, none of whom seem to even be noticing her. Doesn't anyone know who she is?]

[Open - Drained Humans]

[Now that she has some idea of her purpose here, Natsuru seems much more sure of herself. No longer is she self-conscious about standing out, instead focusing all of her energy on making sure no one nearby gets hurt.

She's so focused, in fact, that she gets completely blindsided by a random person bumping into her from the side.]

Ah-?!

[She embarrassingly stumbles a little, but catches herself quickly. Then another person bumps into her from behind. She jumps, and rushes to distance herself from the little mini-crowd she'd found herself in the middle of.]

S-Sorry! Is everyone okay?!

[It'd be incredibly easy for someone to sneak up on her while she's distracted, apparently. Whether they intend to or not.]

[flagitate]

Hey, you should get out of the way if you don't want to get trampled. They can't see you.

[ Sneak up on her? That's probably what's happening, even if it's not Katniss's intention. She's just so quiet, a habit from her time as a hunter. It's usually a good habit, but this time... it's probably not, considering the blue-haired girl looks absolutely overwhelmed. ]