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

The Medicine Seller | OTA, new character!

[tadanokusuriuri]

[I - Drained Humans]

[He arrives on the Near Shore with a mission, and nothing else.]

[(So nothing new for him, not that he's aware of it.)]

[The Medicine Seller's wooden geta clack softly as he walks through the streets of the town, his colorful robes drawing no notice from the locals. He doesn't get too far, though, before he spots the first signs of trouble.]

[A young woman is walking nearby, purse nearly dropping from her hands, teetering dangerously on her high heels. It looks at first like she's just had a little too much to drink, but something...]

[Something definitely feels wrong.]

[As the girl pitches forward in a faint, the Medicine Seller goes to catch her... only to look up, as he lays her down to rest with her back supported against a wall, and see at least two more people stumbling around in a similar state.]

[This... is going to be a little bit tricky.]

[And he can't let himself get too distracted by the symptoms to go looking for the cause...]

[II - No One's Safe]

[As he gets closer to the park and the night drags on, he begins to feel... faint.]

[Not faint like the woman had, not exactly. Faint as if he's thinning around the edges, as if someone looking at him from the right angle might just see him going a little translucent.]

[For a moment, though his mind is still focused, he finds his body uncooperative -- he stumbles, only barely catching himself on a lamppost, realizes his hands and legs are shaking slightly.]

...How troublesome.

[He pushes himself upright, and in spite of the sway in his step, presses doggedly forward.]

[III - Hellish Circle]

[For a long moment, he simply stands outside of the circle, taking in all the details of it with watchful eyes.]

[It looks familiar, but also unfamiliar, and he can't tell why. That mask, something about that mask...]

[Even standing at the edge of the circle makes him feel weaker. But there is a mission -- whatever is causing this needs to be eliminated, at whatever cost it might take.]

[He steps into the circle, and is immediately aware of the appearance of the bat-like ayakashi. Instinctively, he brings his hand up towards them...]

[And in front of his hand, a number of white slips of paper appear. Fuda scrolls?]

[The shinki blinks, not quite sure what he just did -- but, as the ayakashi come after him, he has little choice but to go with his instinct, sending the fuda out like projectiles with a flick of his hand.]

drained humans

[miraculo]

[ Oh no, oh no no no no no, that pretty, colorful person is way too close to one of the enchanted humans. Sanae barrels out of seemingly nowhere, running straight for him. ] S---stop! That human--- that human may be a zombie...!

[ Spoilers they're not zombies and this is not a zombie apocalypse much to her nerdy disappointment. ] Don't let her bite you--!

Dio | OTA

[dioception]

A. Drained Humans

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered people looking rather drained and, dare I say, zombified? But it was the first time that he didn't know the cause of it. No evil fog, no parasitic plants, nothing. At first, he felt nothing, so he lingered, figuring that it was not anyone considered a 'god' getting drained, so why worry?

Instead, one might find Dio people-watching, taking a stroll about the place and laughing as people collided with any manner of things; poles, corners, each other. It was a good time!

"My, it has been some time since I've seen so many people in one place, but should anyone really be driving while they're all zoned out like this?"

B. No One's Safe

After some time, even Dio began to feel tired. Looking to the sky, he'd noticed that it was still nighttime, and he shouldn't be settling in for bed yet. That... was disconcerting.

Looking around, he did his best to be sure he was not in anyone's line of sight before taking on the form of a cat, so that if he felt he needed a nap, no one would mind him just curling up wherever it was convenient.

He ended up finding a good spot underneath someone's outdoor potted plant and just lying down there. This sucked. Maybe just a small nap, though...

C. Hellish Circle

He had to awaken at some point, and after removing the dirt of the potted plant from him, he'd turned back into himself and was on the move again. The drainage was real, and it was beginning to agitate him.

Upon passing near the park at the center of town, the large vampire caught a wonderful scent. Yes, the scent of blood. Ah, he'd almost forgotten his appetite, but it came back now with vengeance. He followed the smell until he caught the sight of it. That horrible, evil-looking circle.

"Hmmm..." Yes, that looked interesting. Interesting in the 'definitely some sort of trap' kind of way. But it wasn't for him. Anyone wishing to trap him would use much more than just a cup of blood if they were smart. Dio clicked his tongue in some amount of apathy.

"This doesn't look like my problem." He looked away when someone approached, the vampire giving them a grin. "You wanna deal with this?"

A

[timeshields]

As far as she knows, this is the first time she's seen people acting this way. But at the same time it doesn't make her uneasy, and the fact that these people just aren't important to her means she's just watching them walk into the street, walk into walls and each other.

"No." They shouldn't be, but it's not like she can get them out of the streets.

[bussounoshima]

[Funny. From fighting a god to being named one, all within a few minutes- it's not exactly something Sharak considers an honour. Maybe an inconvenience. The name Aditi is familiar, like something she's read before, but looking after the Gods isn't Sharak's job. She needs to find her men, she needs to get back to the youkai village- a cold feeling grips her when she realises the danger everyone is in with her barriers likely missing again.

A dead girl's memories rattling around in her head don't help sooth her concerns, but she's quickly ushered off to Tokyo anyway and she allows it in the interest of figuring what the fuck this is really about.]

[I. Drained Humans]

Idiot, get out of the way!

[Sharak hadn't meant to get involved. Really, she didn't. But she can't just ignore a teenage boy stopping three feet from the curb in a busy intersection. She grabs him by the collar and yanks him harshly onto the sidewalk just before a truck speeds down the road.]

You dumb brat, do you have a death wish?!

[The boy takes one dazed look at the scarred priest- and then just looks away, slowly getting to his feet and walking off without a word.]


[II. No One's Safe]

[Sharak is tired, which isn't right. She hasn't been here long enough to be this tired and it isn't hard to draw the comparison between what she's feeling and what's happening to the humans around her. She's being effected too, though at least that raises her guard despite her exhaustion. Her pistol is in hand and she's got an itchy trigger finger.

But right now she's taking a break to try and recover some energy. Leant against the wall outside a convenience store, she's going through the annoying process of getting out a cigarette and lighting it one handed. No, she can't just put the gun away for sixty seconds, don't be ridiculous.]

[III. Hellish Circle]

[At the very least, Sharak isn't stupid enough to step inside the ominous magic circle. It may not be a style of magic that's familiar to her, but she knows enough to figure that would be a stupid idea. Instead she's walking around the outside of the circle, examining the symbols and watching the mask.]

... They don't care about hiding it, then.


[Wildcard!]
[Come at Sharak with whatever you want!]

II

[killsthebuddha]

[ It's a shitty idea to check out what was going on out here, especially for a shinki to do so without a god on hand. But Gojyo is missing, the fucker, and Sanzo has a list of reasons to not want to come out here with any of the three other gods. The plan had been to investigate briefly and leave, get a look at what was happening and see if any of the idiots he felt responsible for might have gotten caught up. It's not going so smoothly now.

He's sweating and starting to feel a drained sort of sick-tired. Too tired. His breath comes a little short, louder than he'd like, but he otherwise moves quietly as he stops along the wall of a convenience store, hesitating at the corner when he hears the snick of a lighter.

Grip tightening on his revolver, Sanzo's paranoid and on edge enough to be ready to take aim in an instant as he rounds the corner. ]

Nightshade | OTA

[alittleglow]

Drained humans

a.

[As a new shinki, it's natural to be disoriented, and to see one wandering around and staring in confusion is most likely nothing out of the ordinary. But this person, this very beautiful woman in expensive clothes, is acting... well, downright strange.

She's flinching away from manhole covers and lamp posts as if she's afraid they'll attack her, and occasionally reels away from any car driving too close to her, clutching at her head. Oh, and at times like this, her entire body flickers like an old TV with a bad signal, her hair blending from gold to black to brown, clothes changing shape and style. In between the images, a short and thin form can be momentarily glimpsed.

And then, as she's catching her breath leaning on a building, one of the despondent humans walks right into her, and... she shoves him over. Nice.]

Don't touch me. [Her voice is vicious but also, it has to be said, panicked.]

b.

[Finally taking notice of anything else but herself and her own predicament, Nightshade has found herself a human. The preteen girl appears to have been knocked over by something, judging from the bump on her forehead and her scuffed clothes, but instead of getting up she's just lying where she's left, in the middle of the street. She's not even crying or upset, just staring listlessly at the sky.]

This is a dangerous place for you, small human. Why are you here?

[She gets no response. Nightshade frowns, not really concerned but certainly puzzled. With a stick she had picked up earlier for some reason, she reaches out and pokes the girl's cheek, as if trying to get a reaction.

Someone please help out here.]

A

[ivegotasword]

[Kuwabara catches the poor, despondent human before he can hit the ground, helping to steady him] Whoa, hey, I gotcha, man, I'm just gonna- [shuffle the guy off to a nearby bench and guide him down, where he's relatively safe and out of the way. Pushing him over like that was rude, but like. The guy is probably in way less trouble than Nightshade is, all things considered. He doesn't know much, but that static can't be good]

[It's murder on his eyes, if nothing else]

Hey, are you okay? You're uh... not looking so good.

[flagitate]

drained humans

[ Katniss isn't sure what's going on, exactly, but it's pissing her off. Something's happening to these people, something bad. It's worse than a simple apathy, worse than a total disregard for their own safety. Honestly, Katniss isn't concerned right now with the why. What she's concerned with is getting people out of harm's way.

She's everywhere she can possibly be. Her main priority is people who are in immediate danger--which is a lot--and she's doing a pretty good job. Kind of. She's fast, at least, and she's strong enough to lift people out of some sticky situations. Unfortunately, she has no time for people just gawking and standing around, so if she sees someone who's not really helping-- ]

What are you doing? These people need help, so help!

[ ... Alternately, she can be found taking a break from her rescue mission. It's a short break, unfortunately, because as soon as she sees someone in a tough spot, she's up in a flash and running to lend a hand.

She might really need some help. Katniss is only one person, after all. ]

no one's safe

[ And then, after spending too much time out in the town, a wave of despondence hits Katniss. It hits her hard. She's sitting in a patch of grass, knees pulled up to her chest. It all comes rushing forward: her failures, how utterly useless she is because, even if she's saved a lot of people, it's not enough. ]

This is pointless. I should just... go away.

No One's Safe

[toremainbehind]

Come on now, you shouldn't be talking like that.

[He's been struggling to ignore the weird energy in the town, the weird energy drain as he comes back to see if there was anyone else who might still be lingering.

Even he can't save everyone, but after seeing Katniss in such a manner, he couldn't leave her.]

[guideslight]

a | drained humans;

[ Yuma is tirelessly trying to get people out of the road and using his light powers to supply more light to the people who are walking. He wasn’t sure what was happening. Frowning, he tried to shake the shoulders of a random passerby. ]

Come on! Snap out of it! You’re going to get hurt!

[ It seems like he’s trying to do this to numerous people; Yuma is concerned about these people being hurt… ]

b | no one's safe;

[ Unfortunately, his continued sprint to help others is wearing down on him. He hadn’t had the chance to find his shinki, despite his effort to look…He worried that he was going to be more hurt then him. Rubbing his arms, he felt a chill as he tried to keep walking to find someone to help. He couldn’t stop now, after all.

Maybe someone tell him to take a break…]

c | wild card;

[Need Yuma’s help with fighting? Or possibly his light powers? Please use this as a wild card option and engage Yuma in whatever you'd like! ]

b;

[bustered]

[Yuma isn't the only one walking in a daze, but to Zack it looks a little different than the daze of the human inhabitants of this realm. It's like he's much more aware of himself and just feeling a little dazed as opposed to the blank nothingness of the humans. It's for that reason that the former SOLDIER falls into step beside him.]

Hey there. Feeling cold?

Jae-Ha | OTA

[razzledazzles]

A. Shoujo jumping??

[As much as Jae-Ha wanted to cling to the peace that he had in the heavens, it was difficult to ignore a cry for help. He couldn't will himself to do it, and so here he was, in the middle of it all. It seems like with all of the negative energy in the area, plenty of ayakashi are coming out of the woodwork as well. One that Jae-Ha has drawn away from a group of innocents is particularly large, a neon green balloon-shaped thing that uses its tentacles to clumsily chase after him.

Unfortunately, it's creating quite the mess as they go. Jae-Ha needs to lose it, so he attempts to jump a different way, towards a more empty street below— however, it doesn't end up as empty as he would have hoped.

So, hopefully this person doesn't mind a little close contact. Jae-Ha isn't paying attention to who it happens to be, he just touches to the ground after falling from the sky, wrapping one arm tight around their waist and pulling them close.]

Sorry about this. [He at least mumbles an apology before he jumps again, taking off into the skies along with the person he's now holding up next to him. Don't worry, he's pretty close to losing this thing!... Even if his jumps keep getting lower. Is he tired? Well, hopefully they won't crash.]

B. Shoujo levels of drama, too

[He's been here too long. The draining feeling had acted quickly at his hope and moved on to his physical energy. Now he was downright exhausted. He could barely manage to jump on his own, let alone with any of the people who needed help here, and so his feet stumble as he lands in an alleyway. A hand moves to the wall nearby to keep him stable in the next wobbling step.

He's particularly weak against supernatural things like this. He probably should have left when he was feeling dead exhausted before. Now, he reaches for his phone in his pocket with a free hand, trying to get to his contacts and hit the name of his god— but he trips a bit in his next step forward, dropping his phone to the ground and leaning more heavily against the wall.

This is so pathetic... He feels like he's going to waste away right here.]

C. Wildcard, everything is shoujo

[And of course he is around this whole time, less tired in the beginning and getting exhausted pretty quickly bc shinki + natural weakness to this junk. Feel free to hit him up anywhere or plot with me on plurk!]

A. Fly with me

[bussounoshima]

[One minute she's on the ground, fighting the urge to yell at some idiot repeatedly walking into a wall, the next there's a man who is touching her. Her gun is already in her hand before she can observe anything else about the situation, but then they're... in the air.

What the fuck. Actually, let's vocalise that thought:] What the fuck do you think you're doing?!

Aymeric de Borel | OTA

[onedrinkwithme]

Drained Humans

Wait!

[He shouts as he grabs a woman by the arm who is about to run into traffic. She barely responds as she lets the elezen maneuver her onto a bench and stays.]

Rest here for now.

[And he moves quickly to see if anything else is strange within the town. If one were to see him, there might be an instance where Aymeric is actually carrying some poor human into the closest open building.]

...just what kind of creature can make an entire town feel this way?


No One's Safe

[Being in this town is draining in both mind and physical strength and Aymeric is feeling it. Between carrying and herding the people to safe areas, his body is crying out for him to actually rest. He moves sluggishly as he keeps a hand on a wall to steady himself, deeply breathing. He should try to rest...doesn't he?

But if he does, thoughts begin to creep into his mind. The kind that tell him that saving these people won't make up for lives already lost. And that what keeps him moving, abeit slowly. His sense of duty always triumphed and Aymeric hopes it's the case here.

But damn it's hard not to give in.]

Not...yet...

Drained Humans

[maidensbunraku]

[Alice is near by, trying to direct people to safety..with varying amounts of success. She perks up a bit at the question and shakes her head, trying to usher a young man back onto the building.]

I'm not exactly sure but obviously it's fairly powerful if it can get this many people at the same time.

[A pause before she crosses her arms after deposing the human on a chair.]

Or it could haven been here a while and just now showed signs of being dangerous.

Flynn | OTA

[choseneutrality]

Drained Humans

[There were so many people wandering about and not caring for their own safety. Flynn had done his best with Jack Frost helping here and there in keeping people from serious injury. But there were so many...

He gathers power up and casts Media to heal a few people that were sporting a few wounds. Given that it was a weak spell only the light injuries disappeared.]

No One Is Safe

[He felt tired. So, so tired. Flynn stumbled and bumped into a nearby wall, his legs threatening to give out beneath him and his eyes fluttering from an increasingly heavy feeling. He vaguely heard the sound of Jack Frost flopping onto the ground and saying "I can't go on, hee ho..." before his knees buckled and he was fully leaning against the wall.

He couldn't find it within himself to move from where he was. Maybe... maybe if he stayed and waited for a bit...]

No one is safe

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri came up behind Flynn and pulled a bottle of some sort of liquid from her pack.]

"Here, you look like you need a drink. That being said it will taste terrible."

[Looking around, she herself looks a bit fatigued, but her own emotional distance seems to have insulated her from the absolute worst of it.]

Senri | ota

[bear_necessities]

Drained Humans-

[Senri very gently picks up a small boy who'd been about to wander onto a busy street, and sets him back on the sidewalk. The boy blinks at him blearily, then starts walking again.

Right back toward the street.

Senri simply reaches out, picks him up, and sets him back down on the sidewalk. Again. And the process repeats. It's likely to go on for quite a while unless someone intervenes.]


Hellish Circle-

[It's probably fair to say that most of the people here know very little about the mysterious magic circle. Senri knows even less.

What he does know is that it's bad. And really is there anything else important to know?

He's not entering. Instinct tells him it's too dangerous to enter the circle alone. If he sees someone else go in that's a different story. But for now, he's just glaring at the cup in the distance, growling.]

Grrr......

[That's helpful, right?]

Drained Humans

[slantedcross]

[Youji just. Does a double take as he passes by. He watches it happen once, twice, and then.]

You could tie him up. Or, I could.

[fullcowl]

A. Drained Humans

[The good thing about this is Izuku's super humanly fast and strong, he can manage to get people out of the way when it comes to speeding cars, or when they start drowning in public pools. He's never been so relieved that hero training encompassed so much first aid and first response. There are people who need help and he's here to give it, even if they are walking around practically soulless.]

We'll fix this.

B. No One's Safe

[As much as he can and has done, the long he's here the more things are starting to weigh on him, his insecurities and problems are starting to cloud over his judgement. All the things he's had to deal with recently- he's taking a short break.

Izuku's curled up on a bench, hands on his head as he starts mumbling, stress getting to him.]

I can't be everywhere, I can't help everybody. People are getting hurt. I can't... I can't even protect my own shinki. Shouto got hurt in our last prayer, I should've stepped in. Kido was attacked by a vampire. I can't protect enough people. I can't even protect the two people who depend on me...

B.

[birdstheword]

[She really shouldn't be out and about. But there's no way a hero can stay down when something big is going on. Davesprite had left earlier, when she was worried about the town. It had been an hour before she felt that she just had to go. Already, she had been saving people, stopping them from running into cars or off bridges. It's left her sweaty and exhausted. The banadge around her neck was starting to feel scratchy too. Already she was tired to begin with, still recovering from massive blood loss but...it does get her blood pummping.

Of everything that has happened, she had not expected to pass by Deku. Sitting down cradling his head. She stops and looks at him, blinking. She can only pick out a few words here and there with the quiet mumbling. She stares for a moment before walking over before reaching out and ruffling his hair messily. If he looks up, Hajime is smiling brightly down at him.]

Dekuku...what are you doing? Are you okay?

Goten | OTA

[sonofson]

Drained Humans - A

[It started off easy but no matter how fast or strong he is, there are too many people and only one of him. Even the people he has already saved end up in bad situations all over again once he leaves them alone for more then a few seconds. It's no good. They're not even responding to him! It's creepy...

Running out of energy and ideas, he had started carrying everyone he had saved to a nearby shop. Placing them inside and then holding the door closed with his own strength or blocking it with a car when he leaves seems like a good plan. Most of the area is cleared but by that time the shop is jammed full. Goten frowns as he opens the door to push one last person inside before putting the car back in place--- and maybe a second car ontop. Just in case.]

Sorry but I don't know what else to do! I promise to let you all out when you're not being so weird!


Drained Humans - B

[Goten is still going about gathering mindless people and trying to put them in stores. With one store filled up and blocked off, he's has started a second round of this. It doesn't feel right to trap a bunch of people in a store but it's the only thing he can come up with! ---That's when he notices another person passing by.

It's practically without thought that he floats over and scoops whoever they are off their feet. He's not even looking to see who they are. Just sort of going on auto pilot as he makes the same trip over. Gotta save everyone! ]


No One's Safe

Whew! I'm beat!

[That's it. Done. Goten flops down onto his butt and then just falls back and sprawls out. He's luckily off to the side of the road and in the grass just staring up at the sky. He's tired. Going back and forth and back and forth is not only exhausting but boring too... He knows something is off. Goten knows he shouldn't feel this tired but he really doesn't care at the moment. Just taking a break. Yeah. A small break. He could almost just fall asleep right there. Man is he ever feeling the urge. If he could just take a quick nap, maybe he could recover some of that energy that just seems to be falling out of his body.]

Drained Humans - B

[ivegotasword]

[Later, Kuwabara will wonder how a toddler scooped his tall ass off the ground like it was nothing, right now he's yelping and throwing his arms around Goten's neck because his tall ass just got scooped off the ground like it was nothing.]

Hey, what the heck, put me down! [he's not afraid of heights, but he doesn't like seeing the ground pass beneath his feet like that either]

Izuminokami Kanesada

[nakemen]

Drained Humans

[He'd seen this at the school, but Izuminokami thinks this is far worse. He's already had to stop a few people from being hit, some others from walking into walls, and other such ways to not let people get hurt. It's tiring work, but he also can't just let people get hurt. But he's also having a hard time figuring out what to do with all these people. He has one man slung over his shoulder, a kid in his arm, and a hand on a pretty woman's shoulder who had just been ready to walk straight into a car.] Damn it! I'm running out of hands! Someone help me out here?!

No One's Safe

[As lazy as Izuminokami is, he does have a lot of energy put to the right things. Going around saving people is something he's very much about because justice. But he's been running around this town all day and so he's ready to just take a nap right there in the middle of the road. But then there's cars.] Stupid freakin' cars! Craaaaaaaaaap, I'm tired! [Maybe he's starting to feel the effects of this town, but he's never too tired to whine about stupid technology ruining good chances for naps. Damn cars. He could easily go find a place to rest, but whining is easier.]

Closed for Horikawa
Having hair like his, Izuminokami keeps a brush on him at all times. It's long and thick, it gets knotted up easily. He never used to until Horikawa nagged at him about properly taking care of his hair. As annoying as he was, he'd had a point. It made brushing his hair at night a lot easier. For Horikawa at least. Izuminokami didn't do it unless he was left with no other choice. Too time consuming.

But since getting into this town and dealing with feeling like his energy was being taken away, he really hasn't wanted to do anything with his hair. That's way too much work, but as he drags his hand through his hair, he grimaces. It needs to be brushed. It's not matted just yet but it will be soon if he doesn't take care of it now. He sits down on a bench, sighing loudly as he pulls out his brush. But even separating it into more manageable pieces feels like too much work. He knew he could be lazy but this was ridiculous.

It was times like this, and most of every day, that he missed Horikawa. The guy was helpful after all. Right now he could easily imagine Horikawa smiling, teasingly disciplining him for being so negligent about his hair, but treating each strand like it was precious. Since getting here, he really hadn't been too good about taking care of his hair. He definitely didn't brush it as much as he should and if Horikawa saw it, could remember him, then his partner definitely would have gotten on his case about it.

No one's safe

[chickshades]

[ Bandou'd been right there with his god, helping to keep the people from getting hurt. But damn if Izuminokami-san was hard to keep up with. And if he was already getting tired from the workout this was giving them, then Bandou was exhausted.

He stops on the side of the road, leaning over with his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. ]

Shit man...

[ As skinny as he was, it was really apparent right now just how out of shape he really was. Laying down just about now would really be nice. He was about to stand up and ask Izuminokami-san if maybe they could give it a rest for a bit since there were a lot of others here to help out, when he spotted him standing in the center of the road, a car headed right for him. They may not be noticeable to the people on the near shore, but that didn't mean the car would drive straight though him!

At that moment, being out of breath was the last thing on Bandou's mind. He sprinted towards his god, placing himself between him and the car. Which thankfully wasn't going too fast, because Bandou quickly found himself sprawled out on top of it - the sudden impact with an invisible entity getting the driver to stop fully.

Youji

[slantedcross]

Drained Humans

[Youji is perched on a low rooftop overlooking a busy intersection where the deadened masses seem to be congregating for some reason. One such individual seems to be approaching the curb of the sidewalk at just the right pace to surprise an oncoming car.

Youji is fast with a white line of wire, wrapping the would-be victim around the arms and torso, a clear, bell-like tinkling audible as he pulls it taut, and tugs it back.]

Hey! [He spots someone, and hopes they're a god or shinki.] Drag them closer, will you? It's taking all I have just to restrain them!


No One's Safe

[Youji was never the most enthusiastic about being called into action, so he honestly didn't notice it at first.

The never-ending slog of things that needed fixing continued to not end, but this was generally how he felt about being asked to solve problems. Watching the crowds move as if through an impenetrable fog was tiresome, particularly when there as nothing in his skill set that lended itself to prevention. He was great at killing people, yeah, but preventing it... not so much.

Even so, he stops one of the zombie walkers and quickly grabs a lighter out of their shirt pocket.]

Thank you. [And lights a cigarette, leaning back against streetlight.] Carry on.

Wild Card

[Throw whatever at him, attack him, ask him to help in a fight, etc!]

Re: Youji

[asklepian]

[Julian, normally pretty even keeled at worst and downright enthusiastically friendly at best, is having a bit of an off day. First, there was the fact that he's somewhere completely new--cut off from anyone he knows--and has had quite a few unbelievable revelations over the last few hours.

And then there was responding to all the injuries--increasing rapidly, as people grew more and more despondent and unbalanced.

(Add on top of that, though he doesn't realize it, that he's being affected by it as well? It's a recipe for disaster. Or at least a very snappish doctor.)]

Do you want to die of lung cancer?

[Julian reaches out to guide the person away from falling off the curb and into the street.]

[onerous]

[Drained Humans]

Stuff like this just makes my actual prayers harder...

[Yuri mutters to herself, heaving a sigh as she works making people sit around the outside tables of a cafe, trying to keep them from accidentally wandering into traffic or into dangerous construction zones and the like.] Sit. Stay.

[Like they're dogs or something, and they don't seem to be listening. As soon as she gets one down, one gets up and tries to walk off again, forcing Yuri to whirl about and force them back down too. And then another gets up... It's like a particularly cruel form of whack-a-mole, and Yuri's starting to look a little frazzled with it. Send help.]

[No one is safe I]

[Unfortunately, Yuri has that kind of face that invites concern no matter what she does. She can't help that she always looks somewhere 'far away' or like she's upset and close to crying all the time, but in situations like this it seems to be worse than usual.

Honestly she's feeling fine, but it doesn't seem to stop people from stopping to make sure she's alright.

She's either being badgered by an aggressively well-meaning old lady-- or maybe you've come and approached her yourself out of concern for her well-being. People are being drained left and right after all, right? She just stares with a mildly pained expression.]

...I'm fine. That's just my face... [Let Her Live.]

[No One's Safe II]

[Alright except this time she's actually feeling it now. She stubbornly keeps going as long as possible, because this is fine! Everything's fine! Half-stumbling into a lightpole means nothing, though Yuri finds herself slowly sinking to the ground, hugging onto the pole like it's the only thing stopping her from completely flopping over.

God. This is pathetic. She presses a hand to her face and slowly drags herself back up, resting her cheek against the cool metal for a moment and closes her eyes. But she can't stay that way for long, afraid she'll pass out, so she forces herself away from the pole and takes a few heavy steps away.

She may or may not end up half-collapse on someone soon, sorry man.]

[Hellish Circle]

[Rested at some point, of course Yuri's back to investigate and help more. She's got her phone out, looking between the pictures she'd taken of Ukoku's scribbles and drawings on his floor, and the magic circle.

There doesn't seem to be a connection but it certainly doesn't hurt to check. Yuri rests her hands on her hips, tilting her head one way and the other. She wants to examine more, but she's not stupid enough to go running in without a weapon--and her own shinki only turns into a bird. She supposes if she just ducks and dodges if she has to summon him it'd be fine, but it doesn't make her feel good.

She taps her foot and shifts restlessly.]

I guess this is the source of everything. [Yuri speaks evenly to whoever approaches, frowning, and after a moment she heaves a sigh and runs a hand through her hair] What's the point of this...?

No One's Safe II

[ivegotasword]

Whoa, hey, are you alright? [Kuwabara moves to catch Yuri as she stumbles, gently steadying her and keeping her on her feet. She's one of the livelier people out, but at this time of the night, that's not really saying much.] Don't worry, you can lean on me if you need to, I still got plenty of energy.

[solar_avatar]

Like a Roman Candle
(Initial solar-ity is closed to Youji. Whole scene is written up to prepare for others. Youji may or may not be included in threads.)

[ There's a massive influx of prayers asking for help back on the Near Shore, almost an annoying amount for some people, and it's clear that something big and bad is happening. However, in the Far Shore, there's a bright light radiating outside of Hedone's temple. Brighter than anything that's been manufactured, but also larger than a roman candle. Even for a good few minutes there's a steady pulse.

In fact, outside of Hedone's temple, there was the very picture of a sun hovering over the ground. Nowhere as big as one, 'only' having about a 5 meter radius, with the bright light coming out like tendrils around the orb. It wasn't about to say anything at the time, but the timing sure was conveniently synced up to when Youji had gained new memories.

By the time that anyone had come to investigate, aside from Youji, the source was seemingly gone. Aside from a very golden and petite female gaining her bearings in the open yard. The look she gives is almost like a deer caught in the headlights. ]

Hello?

Drained Humans Open
[ It was her first trip to the Near Shore, first trip on a thriving earth (not that she would know,) and of course it was during this epidemic of malaise. Everyone looked so tired, ready to fall over. In fact, she sees a taller man about to do just that, whom she calls and runs out for. ]

Watch out!

[ Yet as she managed to catch him in time, though only enough to slow his fall onto a safer landing, the golden woman stared at how despondent he was. Trance started to look around at just how many others were like that. ]

What's wrong with everyone...?

Hellish Circle Open
[ There was no one to stop or warn her at the time- Other people were handling situations. Yet there was enough curiosity about the circle and something at its center. She gave a glance over at the candles, walking around the scene for the first few that she had passed.

It was the cup that she was getting increasingly curious about. To find out why it was covered, or what it was filled with. So the woman stepped into the circle, took two more steps before her feet felt too heavy to take another.

Until the ayakashi showed up.

There's a point when fear overrides fatigue and any other drained effects. Even when it's just to scream out in fear and duck down, covering her head as there wasn't anything to immediately hide behind. ]


Wildcard!

[slantedcross]

[Well, he was glad he wore his sunglasses today.

Youji burst out of his temple, mind weighted under a sense of... calm melancholy. Dignified sadness, that was the initial impression he'd gotten of this new shinki. Beautiful and selfless, and...]

It's okay, I didn't need my retinas, anyway.

[He lifted his arm, because the shades were damn-near inadequate at this point. He thought about running back inside for his hat, but though that might send the wrong impression.

Speaking of impressions, this one was a hell of an impressive one. Who the hell... how the hell...]

Well. [He cleared his throat, just.] At least you don't need me to break the ice, do you?

Joseph Joestar | OTA, new character shenanigans for ya

[hamonfisted]

Joseph hardly had time to figure out for himself why he turned up somewhere completely new to him, but he had to admit it was an upgrade from the squalor he'd been living in.

Briefly given the rundown by a mysterious person, he'd been told he was now a god, er, the reincarnation of the goddess Venus. He was skeptical, but furthermore, apparently something big was happening that he should go check out?

When will big, horrible things stop happening, he briefly wondered. There was a flash of someone else's' memories in his mind, too. It was... distressing, to say the least. To see a young boy die like that. Was this his... 'shin-key'?

He felt the urge to seek him out, and he had an inclination of generally where to look.

(I. Drained Humans)

There were people, and so many other new things to experience here. Ducking his head into an electronics store told him everything he needed to know about being able to watch movies, but look at the size of the screens!

It wasn't all good though. Those people looked and acted practically like zombies, but obviously they weren't gunning for human flesh, so they weren't the real deal. Lifeless seemed a better description, really.

"What is going on around here?"

(II. No One's Safe)

It couldn't have been long enough for Joseph to start feeling drowsy, so why was he getting sluggish? Napping sounded nice, but this worse than just your run of the mill exhaustion, and he didn't trust it. Of course, this would explain why everyone here was behaving like sleepwalkers.

There was a source to it, he had gathered, something pretty evil, but he'd need a break. Just a little seat on a bench that looked quite a bit too small for the large man. Instead of wandering around aimlessly and getting worse, he wanted to look around from one spot and wrack his brain.

(III. Hellish Circle)

Of course it was the park in the center of the town. Where else would a better source be for affecting everyone at once with whatever draining power this was.

The circle looked fishy, and the candles reeked of some ritual or another that quite frankly, Joseph wanted no part of. He kicked at the lines in front of him with the toe of his boot. This was going to be a trap. It was night, obviously enemy territory, and there was probably something unholy over yonder.

Grass rustling beside him told him he wasn't the only person here, so he spoke up, hoping it wasn't some spook trying to get the jump on him. "What if we douse all the candles and washed up this ugly graffiti? Think that would break up whatever spiritual mumbo jumbo's going on here?"

(IV. Wildcard!)

[Hit me with your best shot, combine prompts, or create a scene between. I'll match however you choose to reply, brackets or prose.]

III

[shockshot]

"It can't hurt?" She saw him staring at it, and well, she'd been wanting to test to see if it did anything spooky. Well, the candles would be useful, maybe they could reuse them if they weren't terrible! She certainly could use a few at her place.

"Maybe we should use water or a broom or something? Maybe we can sweep wash it out of existence!" She beamed up at him. Man, he was big! Big as Dio even. Wondered how that happened. Guess he ate his wheaties.

ouka

[savemeomi]

a.( no one's safe )
[ She's tired. So tired... It feels as though she'd been walking for hours. Days, even. And yet, Ouka doesn't feel as though she's gotten anywhere.

Or perhaps there's nowhere to go.

She stops in the middle of the street. There are a few others walking past, but for the most part, it's quiet. Slowly, she drops down to her knees. It takes all of her energy not to just slump over, and it's mostly because it would be pretty gross to be lying in the dirt.

She should keep going. Should... but... ]

b.( hellish circle )
[ At first, Ouka had thought the candles were an interesting and cool touch, but the closer she gets to the park, the weirder things look. It'd looked almost romantic from afar -- the night lit up by candles -- but now it simply looks... satanic.

She's tired, probably from all the aimless wandering. So she stops to take in her surroundings. It only takes a minute for her to decide that, no, she doesn't want to be here anymore.

Moving her feet feels like it's more difficult than it should be, but Ouka manages to turn herself around.

Only to find herself staring at a... a... bat? No, a monster. She gasps, and freezes. If she had more energy, Ouka would turn and bolt in the other direction, but she feels drained, exhausted.

It swoops, and she ducks. She finds herself on the ground, hands covering her head. And then, she screams. The sound that comes out is high-pitched, higher than anything a normal human could make. Supersonic. It's only able to radiate a foot or two around her, but seems to be enough to keep the monster at bay.

For now. ]



[ ooc: just fyi, Ouka's ability is a Banshee Scream: Ouka lets out a supersonic screech that radiates a few feet around her. Currently, it's mostly migraine-inducing and will probably cause anyone within that radius (minus her God) to become annoyed and disoriented, as one would when hearing the same, shrill, loud sound going off constantly. She's got pretty good stamina, but will have to breathe once in a while, so being quick to react when she's taking a breath would be your best bet to keep her from going on ]

B.

[sonofson]

[It's the scream that really gets Goten's attention. It's nearly impossible to miss and usually screaming means someone needs help. right. He heads right to the source which is almost a regret as the screaming gets louder and louder until its practically painful to be near.

Still, he can't just leave her so Goten pushes forward. He tries to grab Ouka and hoist her up above his head before running away with her. Her scream is terrible that even the bat creatures doesn't seem to want to follow. Its when they're a fairly safe distance away that Goten drops her on her butt and covers his ears.]

PLEASE STOP!

Toshizou Hijikata | OTA!

[koukai_kirai]

[I. - Drained Humans]

[The moment the call reaches him in the dojo at his temple, Hijikata starts moving. Dressed in his training clothes -- a simple black yukata and hakama -- and still carrying a heavy wooden training sword, he steps out onto the veranda, down the wooden steps, into the pair of sandals he left lined up outside...]

[And from there directly to the Near Shore, without missing a single beat.]

[Souji will have gotten the call as well, he's sure. He can catch up with him on the other side.]

[As he walks down the street, the first thing he notices is that several humans are just... lying on the sidewalk, looking dazed. One of them appears to have scraped himself up a bit, but they all seem otherwise unhurt...]

[He hears a long beep nearby and instinctively picks up the nearest person -- a spaced-out teenager with dark clothes, a few piercings, and a dye job that seems carefully engineered to piss off the older generations -- off of the ground and hurries down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. Not a moment too soon, as a large car pulls halfway onto the curb where he was standing seconds ago. The older businesswoman behind the wheel shifts rather clumsily into park, seeming to be trying to push herself upright with her grip on the steering wheel, and doesn't even bother turning off the engine as she stumbles out onto the sidewalk. Glancing back, Hijikata sees her weaving, staggering...]

[Still carrying the passed out punk, he rushes over to her side, managing to shuffle the kid into one arm and get the other one around the lady's waist just before she collapses, too.]

[He breathes a sigh of relief -- but this isn't going to get better until they get to the source, is it?]

[...And furthermore, how is he supposed to put either of these people down without hurting them, with both arms this full?]

...Shit.

[II. - No One's Safe]

[It's getting worse.]

[Even he's starting to feel it, though with his strong constitution and sheer determination, one would be hard pressed to tell. And everyone he sees, even ones he recognizes as gods and shinki, seems to be flagging under the pressure of whatever it is that's happening around them...]

[Spotting another person who seems to be struggling, he approaches, still straight-backed and sharp-eyed as he ever has been.]

Are you alright?

[III. - Hellish Circle]

...What the Hell is all this?

[Nothing goddamn good, that's what.]

[Well, if they tamper with whatever all this bullshit is, maybe it will make all of this stop?]

[Hijikata begins to move towards the center of the circle, faltering just slightly when he feels the sudden drop in his energy level. He takes another step forward, but by that time, it's too late -- a swarm of bat-ayakashi are falling on him like goddamn locusts. Without his shinki immediately at hand, it's all he can do for the moment to take his wooden sword, say a little prayer of thanks for whoever decided that they should train with swords that were heavier than real ones to make the regular ones feel easier to swing, and swing with all he's got whenever one comes near. He can't Rend them yet, but that doesn't mean he's defenseless, damn it!]

Coming back for more? Your mistake...

[[OOC - Re: the second prompt especially, it might be worth noting that Hijikata's god power is capable of inducing a sort of Heroic Willpower-mode in others, so if your character needs a little boost of Determination to get through the wooziness as this event goes on, let me know and he might be able to help them! If you have any other ideas, hit me up at cognitiveleague.]]

Drained Humans

[solar_avatar]

[ The shambling epidemic certainly left everyone with more than enough to take care of. It very easily left everyone's hands full. Even without other means, it could be enough to tire most people out. At the least, it certainly keeps everyone busy.

Trance was redirecting one of the people, who seemed beyond exhausted but kept walking, to face towards an alleyway and away from the traffic. It looked to be safe enough.

Ready to do the same for more, she sees the guy that was holding up two other people. She took a few seconds, watching to make sure he was alright and to figure out what he was doing. When it seemed like he was at a loss, the golden woman carefully approached, offering an open arm as she neared. ]

Do... You need some help with them?

Closed to: Aymeric & Byunghee; Hijikata & Souji; Youji, Freyja, & Cirno; and Schuldig

[godsoffortune]

[Just before dawn, the demon appears, bringing a sense of dread and an aura of power with it. It looks, for all intents and purposes, like a street punk, with the hood of a zip-up pulled over its head. If not for the leering smile, you might even mistake it for a normal person.

Its hands are buried deep into its hoodie pocket and it shows no signs of removing them anytime soon. In fact, everything about its maliciousness seems casual - like it knows it will beat anyone and anything that stands against it.]

A closed thread for the groups chosen to fight the demon:
Aymeric & Byunghee
Hijikata & Souji
Youji, Freyja, & Cirno (all three having signed up individually have been teamed up)

This thread is also open to Schuldig, who you can expect threadjacking from depending on your permissions. This has been approved by the mods.

Enjoy!

Hijikata + Souji

[koukai_kirai]

[After a brief time spent trying to fight his way further into the circle to see if he could manage to interfere with it, Hijikata was forced to make a tactical retreat. Even for someone with his strength, stamina, and determination, there was no point in letting the circle keep weakening him with no guarantee that sabotaging it would even work.]

[But he's been nearby ever since, certain that whatever is going on, this is a place that needs to be monitored. Souji finally caught up with him a while ago, and together, they've taken to patrolling along the outer edge of the circle, moving humans out of harm's way as necessary, on the lookout for any further leads.]

[And then that thing appears.]

[It looks human, almost -- short, inconspicuously dressed -- but it can't possibly be. Even gods have been struggling to handle the atmosphere here. And that face, that smile...]

[Hijikata grasps the wooden sword he brought along to the Near Shore in one hand, dropping his weight low as inconspicuously as can be managed, his eyes fixed on the strange newcomer.]

Souji.

[Be ready, his tone advises.]

OTA | Dokugakuji (Saiyuki)

[royaltyloyalty]

No One's Safe aka Meet His Soulless Shinki

Dokugakuji's only barely processed what's happened to him when he's sent right out into the fray. He doesn't like the protocol at all, but his mind's a whirl at present. They want him to focus on fighting the ayakashi things but just getting close starts to drain him. It's as he's looking around at the other Gods and Shinki in the area that he looks down at his sword - it's not his sword anymore, but it's a close approximation. He had to be introduced to the sword's spirit earlier -- Mokki, with the Moku (目) character on his right cheek, partially written on top of his sealed right eye. Doku was supposed to pick an alternate name on the spot with a suffix and everything and, like a completely repetitive idiot, -ji was all he could come up with. So now he had a sword spirit with two names.

Since the worn-out feeling is starting to seep into him, he wonders if it's affecting his sword-person too. "Revert, Meji." The Soulless Shinki appears, still weirding Doku out a bit. Okay a lot. Without much more than an exhale, Meji falls to his knees. He's still wearing the white robe because Doku was sent down so fast.

"Oi! What's wrong?" Doku's immediately worried that this person - who acts so much like the dead-eyed, brainwashed version of Kou did - might have hurt himself on the scuffed pavement. He's not feeling so hot either, but this guy's not even talking to him! "Come on man, if you're not ready for this, we'll go back - I don't care what they say!" But can he do that? He's only gotten as far as teleporting here once and not well. He's not even sure if he can get back!

Hellish Circle aka I'm Fighting for Two already so please bring me your character(s) to play off of!

He's been in so many combats now, he'd thought he'd have seen it all. He'd seen the Seiten Taisei and been soundly defeated; he'd seen Kougaiji get brainwashed; he'd seen a powerhouse appear out of nowhere and attack every youkai in sight without a second thought. He'd seen the giant shikigami and he'd helped his supposed enemies. He'd seen and done so much... but the way his Mokki sword cuts through a small, bulbous bird-like ayakashi is insane. He may as well have been cutting paper. The bird was a frail thing, but it was still solid, or so Dokugakuji thought. He was no longer sure - he'd admittedly never fought ghosts. That was a new one.

He knows he was told an incantation for how to Rend, but damned if he remembers it now. He just keeps slicing wildly, running this way and that to attack while occasionally dodging. He doesn't talk to his weapon like some of the other Gods are and for now he thinks he's the normal one. If Mokki won't talk to him, what good does talking at him do? Doku is just a series of angry shouts and grunting noises as he looks for another ayakashi to get rid of. It's easier than wondering how he even got into this situation.

Other
Wildcard slash Various Cast Shenanigans. Also, if you know Gojyo, come say hi to his big brother? :D All 6'2" of him!

No One's Safe

[solar_avatar]

With her god having gone ahead to deal with the 'source' of the prayers everyone had been receiving, it left Trance with... Not much guidance. Perhaps because he wanted her first day to not be so overwhelming, but bad things were happening, right? So Trance went to the city to see what could be done. Which mostly turned into guiding listless and dazed humans out of traffic, or easing their falls.

Which is when she saw someone a foot taller than her hovered over another person. Was in a person? It seemed like they were suffering the way that the natives were, but there was something off. The other people were ready to pass out, but also had a goal and place they seemed to want to go to.

Trance guessed that this tall man was from the other 'shore' as well. She missed him reverting the person from their previous sword form. It was because of the ears, as weird as it was. While his were longer, he was the first person she saw that didn't have the general shape these humans did. So, the guess was made. The golden woman carefully approached, an apology for intruding in her tone, asking, "Did something happen?"

yuuto kigai | x

[salaryman]

DRAINED HUMANS

[ He cannot say that he has much -- if any -- memories of who he is or what is presently happening. His smile, however, remains a pleasant and courteous one. For at least he knows that people are not supposed to be meander about in such a fashion.

Stepping forward, he reaches out to take their arm to lead them somewhere a little safer than in the middle of the street or toward a wall. He'll find a place that they can sit down that is close to where they just were and look at them. ]

It seems as though you are having quite the day... I would ask more about it but it seems like that is beyond your capabilities. [ A small tilt of his head as if to say 'such a shame.' Before he is moving on to continue his walk down the street. If he did nothing, something would tell him that he'd be bothered for it later. So he does the bare minimum to help. ]

But really ... why am I here? Where am I? Somehow... I feel like I am late for something...

NO ONE IS SAFE

Ugh... I'm tired.

[ Resting his hand upon his shoulder, he rubs a particularly sore spot. His head drops as he feels sweat starting to roll down his face and neck. It's exhausting to keep moving yet he feels if he doesn't, he'll regret it. ] Could this be ... a spell?

[ How did he know something like that? Or rather, why is that the first thought that comes to mind? Yuuto wonders and decides that it's best not to worry too much about it. As his energy continues to drop and he continues to move forward. ]

But ... if this continues ...

WILD CARD

[ None of these starters work? Throw anything at me! ]

no one is safe

[darkduelist]

[He is feeling weaker with every moment, as if his very being is being drained.

Yuto scowls to himself, but he doesn't stop moving. The thing that is causing all of this has to be somewhere around. He just needs to find it.

But instead Yuto quickly spots a man that seems just as exhausted as he is.]

Hey, do you need help?

OTA

[kagenonadeshiko]

[When Amaterasu's messenger arrived at the temple with a mission, Ayumu chose to accept it despite losing all of her firsthand experience with the enemy. It's a good opportunity to gather intelligence, not just on the ayakashi but those involved in the operation itself.]

Drained Humans

[It's a disturbing sight, watching the town's residents milling about so listlessly and walking in front of the strange modern vehicles. Despite this, Ayumu appears completely unmoved, as she calmly assesses the situation. Most people that interacted with her before might find it strange to see such a blank expression on the face of a woman whose demeanor is usually friendly and kind. But then again, they all have their hands full with the investigation and keeping the residents from hurting themselves so maybe no one notices the shift at all.

However, they might notice her sneaking up behind residents about to head into traffic, locking them into some kind of grapple until their bodies slump, and then quietly dragging them away from the street. It's just a sleeper hold but with how dark it is, it's probably hard to make out exactly what she's doing to the people they're supposed to be saving.]

Hellish Circle

[Once Ayumu's managed to knock out some of the residents so they can't wander in front of incoming traffic anymore, she continues her exploration of the town. Eventually, she wanders into the park. The circle catches her attention immediately so Ayumu ventures along the candlelit perimeter, committing as many details about it to memory as she can to report to Toshi later.

Finally, Ayumu decides to venture into the circle itself to get a closer look at it from the inside. Though she quickly spots the strange cup, she's too far away to get a good look at its contents. And then she's distracted by the sudden, over-powering wave of exhaustion that makes her knees buckle and start to slump toward the ground. An animalistic shriek resounds overhead, accompanied by flapping wings before a bat ayakashi swoops down at her.]

Hellish Circle

[saikusu]

[Saïx was just a little too far away to stop her from entering the circle. He watches as she slumps to the ground moments after entering. He takes off running toward her, staying outside the circle. As the ayakashi swoops down on her, he casts borderline to protect her from it.]

Yumi, can you hear me? We need to get you out of there.

[Hopefully he'll be able to manage it without walking into the circle himself. He's of no use to either of them if he wins up slumped and exhausted on the ground, too.]

Yato - OTA (aside from one prompt)

[5yenwish]

Humans

[It had been hell getting Yukine to come out here. The brat was tired and grumpy and very displeased with the nighttime mission, but Yato was insistent. They had to help out here if they could.

So the two can be found trying to gently goad information out of the drained humans and keeping them from falling over or hurting themselves in some way.]

Circle

[Yato takes one look at the circle and tells Yukine to stay the hell away from it. He, however, approaches curiously, peering down at the markings with his hands in his pockets, as if this is a totally normal everyday thing.]

Huh. Never seen anything like this before.

[Apparently it's not totally normal.]

Yukine - Closed

[When the demon appears, it's all Yato can do to get Sekki to come to him right away and start battling off the ayakashi.]

What… what the hell is that thing?!

[He hefts the twin blades of his shinki, growling as he rends another ayakashi.]

Si--no! Seven??? D-dammit. Yukine, you keep count! I can't do it right now!

Yukine

[returnedfromtheline]

[Yukine is disgruntled at being ordered around, but he can't muster the energy to make a retort, let alone disobey and see for himself what's at the center of the circle. He'd been feeling worse and worse since coming here, and it's not just the chest-clenching fear of the dark holding him down...

Huddling under a dim street light at the edge of the park (if these morons didn't want their town to be so gloomy they should've invested in better lights), Yukine exhaustedly slumps further down-- and then he is abruptly called.

As he blinks to orient himself he groans in his throat. One scary human-like thing that wasn't there before, and a whole lot of ayakashi going crazy ... For all he'd like to, he knows he's in no condition to take the 'thing' on. As it is, his attention slips at Yato telling him to keep count, and he becomes too dull to cut the bat Yato's taking a swing at.]

Ugh- 't hell with the count.

Eiji Hino | OTA

[candothismuch]

[Drained Humans]

Are you all right? Hey!

[Eiji is running back and forth helping any and all affected humans within his sight. Pulling them out of the way of danger or catching them to keep them from cracking their heads while they collapsed; he did all of it. Or was at least trying to.

Just what was going on?]


[No One is Safe]

[When he first felt the effects, Eiji had of course ignored it and pressed on. And of course the more he chose to stubbornly move on and keep on helping the people of the Near Shore, the more tired he was becoming.

At some point he stumbles but manages to right himself and press on, despite the slight tremble that was going through his body. It was strange, at some points it felt like he couldn't feel the tips of his fingers.]

[Wildcard]

[ooc: Have an idea? Feel free to toss it at me.]

Drained humans

[hontobakabaka]

[So she was getting to town to preform an initial survey of the situation. All hands on were generally a thing that she was not informed about and there wasn't much of an information grid in place so Ruri was out with one of her "technical tools" poking one of the collapsed people with a stick]

"Hey." [poke] "Hey you?" [poke poke] "Baka...."

[With that she lets out a breath]