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

[fullcowl]

[Whoa, okay. She's just arrived then, he looks a little worried. Did they really just throw people into the situation without giving them a proper mission briefing again?]

This is Japan. It seems like people are acting strangely and we're here to investigate, and keep them from getting hurt.

[somebodysdaughter]

But... this isn't Tokyo?

[Well, at least she's still in Japan. Aya laughs briefly, breathlessly, because she knows that if she doesn't she's going to do something much, much worse, something she simply can't afford to right now. God, and she's wearing pajamas pajamas. She's who knows where, talking to who knows who, even the clothes she stands up in aren't up to the job--

[At least that bit made sense. The rest of it?]

We're what? How? You mean we can't just go home?

[fullcowl]

We're very close to Tokyo.

[But it's probably not her Tokyo, the same way this isn't Izuku's Japan. Some things are similar, but so much isn't. People here don't have quirks, don't have powers. The monsters aren't villains, they're invisible to the people on the Near Shore.]

We're here to look into the cause and stop it, to get all of these people back to themselves.

[He says as he stops another person from walking straight into the street. At least they're easy to maneuver when they're like this, even as unsettling as it is.]

[somebodysdaughter]

But how?

[Oh, she misses her brother, she wants to go home. She wants someone to tell her it's going to be okay, she wants to crawl into bed and hide beneath the covers. More than anything, Aya wants to wake up.

[And she's being unfair. She knows she is. Yes, everything's wrong, but what is this boy supposed to do about it? He doesn't know her from a loaf of bread and here she is bombarding him with questions, with her confusion and her panic and her fear, with why, why, why. What if he doesn't know either, Aya? What if he's like her, if he's just as lost and confused as she is and she's given him no choice but to hide it?]

I'm sorry, I don't - I know it's not your fault. I... I just don't understand any of this!

[fullcowl]

[He pauses for a moment, this is a little similar to the first time he met Kido. But... he has a little more experience now, a little more used to being a hero and a lot more used to being a god of the Far Shore.

So he'll give his most reassuring smile.]

Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay. I'll answer as many of your questions as I can.

[somebodysdaughter]

Thank you.

[Aya closes her eyes, she presses her hands to her mouth. Please, please don't let me start to cry--

[But her feet are cold, and her pajamas feel horribly flimsy; but they're surrounded by strangers, blank-eyed and stumbling, and if she isn't sure why she should feel so awful that's at least more of a reason than she has for being in such strange company. She's not sure this is the place for an explanation. She's not sure this is the time for it. All these people!]

But - is it safe here? What's happened to them?

[fullcowl]

We're safe. But if you don't feel that way we can go somewhere else.

[The people around them not so much.]

Essentially an ayakashi is feeding of them and making them behave this way.

[That's his best guess anyway.]

[somebodysdaughter]

A what?

[Ayakashi.

[She's heard the word, she's sure of it, and in that context, too: but that had been a dream, hadn't it? True, there'd been a... a clarity to it, a certain sense of simple logic that had been missing from all of the others, but it hadn't made any more actual sense in terms of what Aya knew to be real than the stars and the smoke. It sounds familiar, even weirdly right, but that's all - except for the part where she knows, deep down in blood and bone, that she can't go anywhere. She's meant to be right here.]

But - what can we do? I've never seen anything like this before!

[fullcowl]

We need to look for the source. As gods and shinki we're able to fight away the ayakashi that are draining them.

It's a new experience, but all we're really trying to do is help people.

[somebodysdaughter]

[All it sounds is familiar, and that's worrying.

[Gods. Shinki. Ayakashi. Yesterday, Aya's life was her home and her family, it was her arms full of books and the high-school uniform she'd not yet got tired of wearing, and plans for the summer. It was Suzume telling her about a boy she liked and wondering giddily what that felt like - not just crushes, silly middle-school things, but for real this time. Today, here she is. She wants to tell this boy it sounds crazy, that it makes no sense, that it's got nothing to do with her, but it wouldn't be true. She swallows.]

But... I don't know how to fight. I - I just don't know.

[fullcowl]

[Why do the heavens keep pulling people who can't fight and then expect them to...? He worries for a number of things, and all these new people.]

You don't need to fight. There are plenty of people here who can.

Right now, we just to make sure nobody walks into the streets.

[somebodysdaughter]

Really?

[That's... actually rather reassuring.

[No, Aya doesn't want to be here. That doesn't change the fact that she is, that something is expected of her, and it's a relief to know that at least a little bit of it - just stopping people from getting hurt - is something she might actually be able to sort-of do. If she can help, she wants to. If nothing else, it'll make her feel less - adrift.]

I guess that doesn't sound that hard. Um... so, do you need any help?

[fullcowl]

Really.

[He'll smile softly. She seems at least a little calmer now.]

I can't get to everybody on this street, and a lot of them try to walk out into oncoming traffic. If you could handle one side of it, I'll handle the other.

[somebodysdaughter]

All right, I'll give it a go.

[Aya nods. She returns the smile. She steps back, just enough to give him space, and nearly bumps into another dazed, wandering stranger. That's not what has her hesitating: that's the bit where this man seems utterly indifferent to whether she walks into him or not. She's not exactly going to be able to reason these people round, and grabbing onto them just like that... well, it doesn't feel quite appropriate.]

Um, how's best? Just... redirect them?

[fullcowl]

Yeah, just make sure they don't walk into the streets. I grab them by the shoulder or arm.

[Like this young man right here, who seems to be despondently walking into the street before Izuku grabs hold of his shoulder and turns him back onto the sidewalk.

There's no reaction as they keep walking off.]

[somebodysdaughter]

Okay. I'll do my best.

[It feels a little weird, really. She catches another dazed pedestrian by the sleeve and half-leads, half-wrestles them back away from the road; it's a relief when they don't so much as acknowledge it and, course corrected, simply stumble away. What would she have said?]

Oh, um... what's your name? I'm Aya.

[fullcowl]

I'm Midoriya Izuku, but Deku is fine too.

Sorry we had to meet like this, Aya. People aren't usually like this as far as I've seen.

[He'll grab a woman by the shoulder and tug her back to safety.]

[somebodysdaughter]

No, you've been really helpful! It's nice to meet you, even if things are a bit weird.

[Ooof, this one's twice her size. A big guy and he seems absolutely determined to walk right into the road. Gentle persuasion doesn't look like it's going to do a lot of good here, so Aya grabs him by the arm and drags back as hard as she can--]

Well - I'm really glad this isn't normal.

[fullcowl]

I'm always glad to help.

[Izuku's next to her in almost a flash, tugging the man back onto the sidewalk. He's considerably stronger than he looks, after all.]

So am I. I hope whatever's causing this is dealt with quickly.

[somebodysdaughter]

Yeah... me too. How will we know when it is? Does this all just stop?

[fullcowl]

It does, it did the last time, anyway.

They just snap out of it and act like themselves again.

[somebodysdaughter]

So they'll all be okay? That's good.

I guess we just have to... wait it out, then.

[And pull people away from the road. Like this guy. No, you want to go this way. That's better.]

[fullcowl]

As long as we can keep them safe until that happens, they'll be alright.

[It's really too bad there's not a place that's definitely safe. They could just leave these people there and check in on them.]

[somebodysdaughter]

That's definitely good. I wonder why they want to stay outside, though? Do you think they're going somewhere?

[fullcowl]

... Maybe the ayakashi are pulling them out here?

If we could put them in a building and lock it...? But if we do that then we'll have to keep track of them indoors. There's probably less they can hurt themselves with but there's still that potential. And then we'd need to unlock the doors once they snap out of this...