thenearshore | 009 | Where Your Demons Hide

009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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~

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[His laughter made her blush harder, and she stepped back a few steps, letting him get up. That touch though. He had powerful hands, she realised. Or at least big, if still...surprisingly graceful?]

Tissues, or hankies. Depends on what you like.

[And if they had access to a laundry. But she smiled up at him again, a little uncertain as to what they were to do next.]

Som do we teleport to our shrine from here? Or do we go outside?

[Dio brushed himself off somewhat, looking around.]

MMmh, I guess we can just do it from here? I don't see why not. [Also ,he was told that he could teleport to a specific place if he had some sort of connection to it. He didn't really know the area, though, so he would just stick to teleporting to and from his shrine on 'the near shore' or whatever they called it.]

I think you can learn to do it? I'm... not sure. But either way, it's probably best to just hold my hand for now.

[And with that he extended his hand to her. He didn't know exactly what lie in store, but this would be an adventure for the both of them, together, and they were safe enough as a team.]

Mm!

[She agrees with him. Going around to the front seems silly. But she's not so certain she can do it by herself so...she'll take his hand again, and if he lets her, twine their fingers together.]

Maybe. We'll have to ask around, maybe.

[It might be a bit of a pain if can't, but they'll work with it.

But just before they teleport to the near shore (as she doesn't know what it's called) she takes a moment to stare down at their hands. It's funny. She didn't realize her hands were so small. Could a tiny thing like her be his weapon, his shield...?

She wanted to try. She wanted so badly to keep him safe. After all, he saved her by giving her purpose.]

[Dio is only too happy to allow their fingers to tangle together, looking down at them himself. He could only wonder what kind of weapon she would be, but right now he was thinking about how nice it was that they were partnered. Even if she didn't remember him.]

Of course. It'd be good to know, in case you ever need it.

[With that, his fingers squeezed hers a little bit before they teleported, ending up outside a small, Japanese-styled shrine, despite his own affiliations.]

Now, this is where we have to return when we are ready to head home.

[She was glad to have him for her partner. He was so nice! Who knew what kind of weapon she'd be though, when the time came. She didn't know how it was decided.

But it was still kind of exciting to teleport, and she hoped she'd get to learn! She couldn't depend on rides all the time after all. Especially if she just went out to get groceries or something.]

So this is our touchbase.

[She glanced at it, curious. She didn't question the style, though it didn't seem very...like him, or so she thought.]

It needs more jaguars.

[She's joking. It's perfect. Now, what direction should they go...?]

[Dio couldn't help but laugh a little at her proclamation that the shrine needed more jaguars, looking back at it.]

It could certainly use some. It's strange, how it is... Japanese styled.

[He wasn't Japanese himself, and the god he was want Japanese either, but here they were. At least he had a shrine now, and maybe people would actually pay attention to it.]

I've ah... admittedly never been to this area. So I guess it's time to explore! [And with that, Dio sighed and tugged her along with him by her arm.]

[She grinned up at him. She'd like to see a few in the Japanese style. It'd be rather...pretty, even nice, she thinks.]

Maybe it's so it'll blend in? Who knows!

[She laughs a little, and bumps against him as he tugs her along. It makes her laugh again, just because...well, she was giddy. It was a whole new world for both of them. It was great!]

What do you want to try and find first Dio?

[Her own needs could wait, especially if he wanted to find something. Like...she wasn't sure what he liked.]

What sort of stuff do you like?

[Dio had never seen much of traditional Japanese-styled anything, considering his lifestyle and geography before coming here. It was certainly something new, and he was curious to see some more of it.]

Mmh? I ah... I don't know. Some sort of clothing store?

[He could use a few changes of clothes, and some makeup. And some nice-smelling stuff! Soap or cologne or something. Not that he was thinking overmuch about his own things. It was Masaki who needed food and the like.]

What do you mean by 'stuff'? I like a lot of 'stuff'. [He laughed a little at that. Always thinking of others, wasn't she? Yeah, that was Masaki.]

[They could have a Near Shore tour if they wanted to! It'd be fun. But...they did need to pick up clothing and food for her. Not important. Actually is but...well, Masaki is being herself.]

Then we'll look for a clothing store!

[She smiled up at him. She could use...socks, tights, and figure out how to dress according to local fashion. But Dio needed that too, she thought. Can't have him feeling uncomfortable!]

Well...I was thinking like...since we're out, we're going to look at stuff for you too, right? So clothing, shoes...whatever stuff you'd be interested in.

Oh! Like dinner! Are you hungry? I could make something.

[Oh right... Food. Dio had been thinking about everything else, and forgot about the fact that Masaki wouldn't remember his vampirism.]

Ah, uhm, actually Masaki... [He was a vampire, but didn't that sound too far-fetched? A god and a vampire?]

I have a very special diet. We don't have to take care of it right now, though. I want to get you situated first, alright?

[Though clothes would be super fun too.]

[She tilts her head, curious. Vampire god? What is that?]

Well...all right. We'll talk about it later.

[She bit her lip and nodded.]

Clothes first, then groceries. And...maybe we can pick up a snack on the way.

[She might be a bit hungry. A little.]

[If she wanted, he would promise to talk about it later. He needed to be honest with her about this, after all. As much as he felt like it was too soon to be telling her about his bloody diet.]

We'll get to it, not to worry. But before then... [She was hungry, huh? It was nice to be able to provide for her, he decided, and he was more than interested in getting her comfortable.] What kind of snack would you like? I'm sure I can find something...

[He dug into a pocket, pulling out what looked like a mirror that had been torn off of something- because Dio had pulled it off of a car not long ago as he helped a man find the homes of some children.]

[She'd like that, the honesty. Even if she would pause for a few moments about the blood diet.

Speaking of things to eat...she did want something, but she paused for a moment. Why was he taking out a mirror...? Maybe he wanted to floof his hair? She had no idea.

But back to what she wanted to eat. That was important, because now that she was thinking about it...she was really hungry. Like she hadn't eaten in a long time.]

Um...meat sounds nice?

[Does that sound weird? It might sound weird.]

Maybe a meat bun? With coffee? I kind of want something warm for some reason. Heh.

[From Dio's hand, glowing purple vines emerged, sinking into the mirror. It was perhaps good that he could simply use his godhood to explain this. It was a sort of divination, after all.]

Meat buns, is it?

[Then meat buns it will be. The vision in the mirror showed him the way to some meat buns. Meat buns that he supposed were probably very good, though he wouldn't really know.]

Looks like I've got a good read. I think we can handle this!

[And with that, he is perked up, his fingers taking hold of hers once more as he headed off, his head bowed to look into the mirror as he went. If they were going to walk into anything, it might be good for Masaki to warn him.]

Mm, meat buns!

[She smiled-and found herself gaping. He just did...why thorny vines? That was weird. That was really weird. She did not know if she liked this. She tensed, and her grip tightened on his hand briefly, uncertain.

But...okay. Okay. It was going to be all right. She breathed out a small sigh, shuddering a little as she loosened her grip on him.]

Okay!

[She kept an eye out for him. Well, it seemed he was...scrying, somehow? It wasn't so bad. She thought. It was just kind of alarming, but amazing too. Wow, Dio could do a lot! She followed him, and gave him a warning if he was about to walk into anything. 'Light pole' 'Mail box' 'Dog poop' were some of them.]

[He briefly recalled how she had told him to call back his Stand when she faltered, but there was no way of knowing that using his power, even a small amount of it such as this, was enough to make her falter. She had never told him, after all, and so he continued on his way, his grip tightening as hers loosened.

There were few obstacles between them and their destination, and Dio deftly managed to miss them, even paying more attention to his surroundings after the threat of dog poop.]

Mh, looks like we've made it!

[When he finally looked up from his mirror, they were outside of a small diner-type building. Dio had never really seen anything like it, but it's where his Hermit Purple had led him to, so it must be the right place.

His vines retreated back into his arm then, and the stolen car mirror stuffed back into a pocket before he made his way inside.]

Let's go get you some meat buns and coffee then, right?

[She hadn't connected the dots. The insensity against her senses with such a mild summons, it felt like a buzz against her teeth. And the fact it was alarming looking did not help in the least. At least he wanted her to stay close, she supposed.

And there was a moment of amusement with how he was so careful to keep his feet clean.]

Looks like! That mirror thing, it's really useful. What do you call it?

[She was all sweetness again, more at ease now that the power was gone. She didn't quite realize it herself.]

And thanks for getting me this, this is really great!

[She smiled up at him, swinging their arms idly. Ah, too bad he couldn't share dinner...breakfast? With her. It would have been nice.]

[Dio caught a little bit of something, but it seemed over so quickly that he wasn't certain that he even noticed anything at all. Either way, they got her food and then Dio went to take a seat at an empty table outside. The place didn't look busy enough for him to need to chase living people off.]

Well, the mirror is just a car mirror, really. The vines are called Hermit Purple.

[He smiled a little as he leaned back in his spot, watching her.]

You're very welcome. I hope I can do my best to keep you content, Masaki. [And he meant that, with everything that he was. He would make her as happy as he could manage.]

Whenever you are done, we can get you all set up clothes-wise, and maybe you can help me pick out some things.

[Something that he might see again, another time, one way or another. But she was clearly happy with getting warm food, a warm drink. There was a table where they could sit together, which was enough. She sat across from him, but she could feel their legs tangle, and bump into each other.

Which, for one reason or another, made her want to blush and turn shy. Instead, she blew on her coffee, curling her fingers around the cup.]

Hermit purple...what an interesting name!

[She smiled, and there was a sparkle in her eye, a small chuckle. It was funny, but she didn't want to insult him. Not when he wanted to make her happy, sincerely. This time a blush did rise from her face, and she rubbed her fingers against the sides of her cup.

There was something in her heart that fluttered. It felt...very much like the start of a crush.]

I don't think you'll have to work too hard for that. And...I'd like to make you happy too.

[She took a moment to take a sip of coffee, hoping that he didn't see how red her face had gotten. Maybe the idea of eating was making her all affectionate? What was the saying- the way to the heart was through the stomach? Maybe.]

What sort of things would you like to pick up? Clothes? Books? Food for your special diet?

[He didn't suppose she was about to let the 'special diet' thing go until she found out what it was, but he simply wasn't ready to come out with it just yet. One thing at a time, and today had already been so eventful!

He smiled as he could see her face turn just the slightest bit red. It was adorable. She was adorable. God... Dio pressed his lips together as he suppressed a small smile and the urge to kiss her. So many things he couldn't currently do.]

I'm going to work as hard as necessary. I want you provided for. [Perhaps to make up for how desolate Between had been. He wanted her to have nice clothes and good food, always.]

I could do with some more clothing, perhaps toiletries. I'd like some new smells and looks.

[He needed makeup and accessories, alright?]

I think I could go without any new books for awhile though. Maybe a movie or two?

[They'd figure something out when she found out. It helped that she was somewhat open minded and charmed by Dio. There was still so much that was going on today! She was dead, she had a new home and...

she was a partner to a god. Who wanted, of all things, to take care of her. She went completely red, squirming a little in her seat.]

W-what?

[She bit her lip, and realized she was blushing again, making her duck her head, and take a hasty swallow of her drink. She was flustered but...hearing that he wanted to make her life good, and well...it did make her happy. And flustered.]

You're...that's very kind of you. I'm very touched that you're looking out for me.

[It was tempting to call him 'Dio-sama' or 'Lord Dio' but she felt it might be a little too much. At least for now.]

We...we don't have to look for books right away. But, it wouldn't do if you're not feeling your best, and looking your best will help.

You already look good, but if you want to change it, I understand.

[She smiles-she must have looked lost, wearing that giant shirt. A good look for some, but not for others.]

But...with your permission, I'd like to get some work too. It doesn't seem fair if you're doing all the work.

[He smiled some more at Masaki turning red like she was. He wondered exactly what she was thinking that had her blushing like this, but he couldn't help but enjoy seeing her that way. She seemed a little embarrassed, but happy nonetheless. He knew enough about her to be able to see that much. Dio couldn't help also being happy to know that she was the same way as before, even without her memory.

He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, hiding the fact that he'd teared up a little as he grinned at Masaki.]

You can do whatever you'd like, Masaki. We're partners, remember? I'm not your boss, no matter how it may seem.

[He chewed at his lower lip at that, wanting to make Masaki feel as comfortable as possible. He didn't know if he was technically supposed to be her boss or not, he didn't want her to feel as though she needed to defer to him. She was her own person.]

[She could have told him if he asked. Not easily, with maybe a bit of cheek scratching and sputtering, but she would have. Another sign that even without her memories, she was the same as ever.

Which was...well, she was thoughtful, taking another swallow of coffee, before setting it down. Soon chicken, you will be destroyed. Good.]

I know. Well, it's sinking in a bit.

[She laughed a little, before reaching across the table to touch his hand. A brief thing, before she drew away.]

But I want to make sure that...how to put it.

[She considered, biting her lip. And then: ]

I want to be there for you, because we're partners. And I want to make sure that we communicate too. We're relying on each other, aren't we?

[That urge to kiss her wasn't going away, but he managed to refrain. It was just too soon, though it was never soon enough for Dio. Still, he'd leave her in peace for now, knowing just how sincere she was when she said she wanted to be there for him too.]

We are. We need each other in order to protect order, people, and each other. In some ways, it's poetic, isn't it?

[He didn't know what kind of poetic, though. Masaki being his partner was a mixed blessing.]

Either way, I trust you. I certainly appreciate the communication, but ultimately I trust you enough to make good decisions on your own. [Often better decisions than his own, in all honesty.]

Well, whenever you are done, we can find a clothing store, I guess? Or a department store, that might be more convenient if one is nearby.

[Maybe one day, if he was so lucky, she'd move to kiss him first. But right now, it would be a little too soon, like eating popcorn before a movie.

Still, she wanted to be there for her partner-it was something that she planned to give priority above all others.]

It kind of is, yeah.

[Her smile warmed, and she nodded.]

But thanks for that. I'll keep you in the know though. I don't want to hide anything from you.

[Oh Masaki, if you only knew...but she nodded, and picked up her food.]

But yeah, once we're done, we can do that! We can use your...Hermit Purple?

[She shook her head a little, smiling. It was such a funny name!]

Yeah, we can use that to find a clothing or department store. Whichever is closest.

[Even if using it made her feel...kind of strange, and she didn't know why.]

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009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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