[semi-open] harbinger of suffering and grief

[appraiser]

WHO: Ryoji and whoever doesn't sleep at night, I guess
WHERE: Apprassage to various places around the city, Recollé Woods
WHEN: midnight 5/17 and onward towards the end of the month
WHAT: Ryoji regains his Thanatos form; unable to control his powers, he flees, leaving destruction in his wake. He's generally very upset about it all. Please help.
WARNINGS: fighting, violence, mentions of death and suicide

[ —a screech pierces the stillness of night over the quiet streets of Apprassage, the bite of burnt rubber and asphalt filling in the space where a car now lies turned around and stalling traffic, shattered windshields spilling glass onto the street and the crumpled hood sending smoke into the air. The blaring of the car alarm falls on deaf ears of the boy standing before it, eyes wide and unseeing as he clutches his head and screams, the shimmering barrier around him dissolving back into darkness and then— ]

A. midnight, 5/17, various (CLOSED to those I talked to on May's plotting post here)
[ A brilliant flash lights up the sky outside, brief, overwhelming, then everything is plunged back into darkness. Whether the noise had woken you up, or you were awake in the dead of night to begin with, eyes lifted towards the sky might spot a shadow take off past the rooftops, deep rumble felt through the earth behind it.

Those who venture closer— the curious, the brave, the foolish— would find deep gashes on the roads, dragged long as if a sword pulled across the ground, scattered potholes still burning with the last wisps of an eerie glow. The sky flashes again, the shadow in the middle a dark hole that swallows up all light, monstrous figure apparent with the stark contrast that makes it easy to follow; even blind, one can do so by listening for the unearthly wail that cuts through the air and may dizzy the mind even from so far.

Close, it's hard to see, harder to believe: a sharp white mask reflecting the moonlight; serrated sword out of its scabbard and caked with dirt and rubble; coffins draped across its shoulder, rattling and coming for you. Every encounter brings it further and further out away from the innermost parts of the city, and each time, Thanatos stops and turns, breath visible as it chills the very air around it, waiting.

>> Hollingberry Field
>> Recollé Woods
>> Peach Beach
>> The ocean
>> ???

Select your arena, and let's go. ]

B. nights, 5/18 onward, Recollé woods (CLOSED to those above, and anybody who has interacted with Ryoji at least once before)
[ The pain disappears faster than it should have, but Ryoji would have preferred it to the emptiness in his chest, the way his hands won't stop shaking. He fumbles with his phone, startling when a twig snaps underfoot and he throws it from himself as if it burnt his hands.

He leaves the phone there for the time being, nestled on top of damp, rotting leaves as he picks his way a little deeper into the woods, a mutter under his breath: "Keep yourself together." Because whatever... whatever happened yesterday, he can't let it happen again, losing control and hurting others— killing, for all he knows, because he'd fled to the woods and hasn't gone back since the night before, hasn't talked to anybody in person except for some texts on the phone.

He's got to figure it out. Somehow.

It's here in the woods he'll stay until he can, out of the way and hoping nobody would come near after the unnerving draw of the woods earlier in the month, practicing under the veil of night. He'll manage it eventually, the flicker of shadow and a rumble, a light show, the splintering crack of felled trees. He's not as careful as he could be, frustrated, exhausted, distracted enough not to notice whoever approaches to see the arched back of a boy, head bowed and clutching his knees as he struggles back to his feet... or the back of a monster, sword in hand gleaming with the moon. ]

C. days, 5/22 onward, various (OTA)
[ Days pass, and it feels like he understands less and less of who and what he is... and why... The first time it happened, only a handful of days ago, it was a car accident. He'd frozen there in the middle of the street, staring down the pair of headlights as they approached. He had not died. He should have...

...Ryoji shakes the thought out of his head. Something had protected him, a power that welled up from within and then- gone. He couldn't do it again, hold out his hands and block the fluttering of petals onto his head in the park, or the cat that meets him on the road, rubbing its head against his ankles twice and then runs.

Maybe it had to be something similar, either to the situation or the feeling; there's no way he can know but to try, reckless and stupid as he stands by the busy streets of Tisse contemplating stepping out into traffic; holds a switchblade in his hand on the rooftop of an apartment building in Apprassage, flicking the blade in, out, in, out; up high on the bridges of the Towers, leaning dangerously over the edge as he stares down at the ground far, far below; at the zoo in front of the lion's cage trying to get it to wake up so he can climb the fence and stick his head inside its mouth; he doesn't know, nothing's working and he needs to know. ]

D. 5/26 onward, various (OTA)
[ the one lighter prompt, save me ]

Hey. Hold out your hand for a moment? I want your opinion on something.

[ If you comply, Ryoji tugs out from beneath his collar a thin silver chain, on the end of which a gold ring dangles momentarily before he presses it into the palm of your hand, closing your fingers back over it. Despite having been tucked under his shirt, the ring is cold against your skin, a faint glow emitting from in between your fingers while no sun reaches it inside your hand. ]

...How does this make you feel?

[ Stupid, probably, as if holding a ring would evoke some sort of emotion, but that's what it does for Ryoji, looking equal parts expectant and hopeful as he looks from you, to the ring delivered to his door courtesy of Retrospec, and then back. ]

--
( ooc: Aside from being able to shift into the form of Thanatos, Ryoji's powers include: ghastly wail (fearful opponents fall unconscious), tempest slash (sword attack), megidola (almighty magic attack), moonless gown (barrier that reflects all attacks, max three activation per day))

Comments

D

[true_noir]

I feel nothing... though the glow is a bit strange.

[She opened her palm again and offered it right back to him before looking at Ryoji a little pointedly, studying him and his reactions, her lips thinning to a line. After a second, she added to that statement.]

You were sent this in the mail, were you not? By them?

[Because feelings about strange objects... she was starting to just assume were their fault somehow.]

[appraiser]

[ Nothing, huh...? It's disappointing, but expected. He takes the ring back, turning it in between his fingers without ever slipping it on, and then tucks it back inside his shirt. ]

That's right. From Retrospec, but through the mail slot rather than my dresser.

[ There's that need to keep it close, hence wearing it around his neck, but actually putting it on... he's a bit more wary to do so. It looks like a ring, but at the same time, it's from Retrospec. If a hidden compartment opens the moment he puts it on and shoots a needle into his skin and poisons him, that'll be on him. ]

[true_noir]

That seems to be... normal then. It's yours, or they want you to believe that it is yours. My cloak is the same way, as is the pocketwatch that they sent me recently.

[She frowned and shook her head now that it was clear where it had come from.] Do you remember it from one of the hallucinations, by chance?

[appraiser]

Nothing prominently featuring the ring, either purchasing it from a store, or receiving it from somebody else...

[ He's silent for a moment, trying to think further whether he'd been wearing a ring in any of his memories, but he can't tell, eyes always focused on the person and sights in front of him rather than at himself and the hand that presses against his chest or up to adjust the scarf around his neck. ]

...Oh, but I see Minako- the other her- in some hallucinomemories. I'll have to ask her if she's noticed a ring in hers.

[true_noir]

[She blinked. Some of what he said was lost in a certain revelation. Had he mentioned this before, with Minako? Her eyes widened and she blinked yet again, looking at him curiously.]

You see Minako in yours? I... did you mention this to me before, did you tell her? How do the two of you know each other in them?

[appraiser]

I don't think I've mentioned it to anybody else, really.

[ The fact doesn't really ever come up, he and Minako keeping slightly different sets of friends and there being no reason to say it. The fact that Chloe knows Minako doesn't surprise him, only because he knows the efforts Minako puts into knowing everybody living in the city. ]

It's a bit strange, too, and I'm not sure what to make of it: My memories reach back as far as me being a child, maybe ten years of age. The Minako I saw then was the same Minako I saw as me being in high school. The very same. She looked no older.

[true_noir]

[She blinked. That was strange, remembering her as if she never aged but he was a child somehow. She frowned some and reached up to scratch her chin before shaking her head.]

The more I learn of such things, the less they make sense. Did you ever see anything that relates to the spear she has, or... well anything specific? [She almost mentioned the evoker, but decided against it. She and it had kind of a history at this point.]

[appraiser]

You'll have to be more specific about what specifics. But the spear...

[ Ryoji shakes his head. The only time Minako would need to wield the spear is in that tower she climbed, and he was only only there for one instance of it that he can remember. ]

It wasn't that spear that she carried, but a different one.

[true_noir]

I see. But you saw the spear. And I wonder about the gun that they sent her. They called it an evoker, I think? It... makes no sense to me, what it is intended for, or why it exists.

And it alarms me, somehow. [Yeah, well, triggering a memory while pointing it at a friend was a good way to do that.]

[appraiser]

Right... the Evoker.

[ Briefly, Ryoji brings his left hand to touch the hip on that side, where the Minako in his visions kept her Evoker in the holster while she carried her spear, both being weapons he'd only seen just the once but became more familiar with it after hearing about it as Minako describes it to him.

Minako had her spear and gun. Chloe had her throwing knife. Ryoji... his entire being was able to change into that of a weapon. Why all of this? ]

We'll figure out that gun, somehow. The spear, at least, was useful earlier in the month for fending off larger creatures.

[true_noir]

[She nodded, sighing.] We have little choice but to figure it out eventually. I can't say I'm surprised if it makes little sense to you too. Nothing about that thing makes any sense. A gun without bullets that cannot fire properly.

But, on the list of things to deal with, it is likely nowhere near the top, is it? We have many pressing concerns, after all.

[appraiser]

[ A gun without bullets is strange, but it's the one thing about the weapon that Ryoji feels relief for. Without bullets, it cannot hurt or kill. ...supposedly.

That "supposedly" is something he hopes he or Minako will learn soon through memories so they can better understand the whole thing, but for Ryoji, it takes less precedence than figuring out himself, first. But he doesn't want to make Thanatos public knowledge yet, not until he can get himself under control and able make the promise not to be a danger. ]

...There are so many concerns, I don't know where to begin. Memories, for one— earlier in the month, there were cracks all over the city, memories stored underground. But everything returned to their proper sizes before I could figure anything out. What about you? Where would you start in looking into all of this?

[true_noir]

[All that is almost certainly a good idea. Everything about the evoker was a little freaky for her as it stood.]

Yes, I noticed the cracks. I'm not even quite sure what to think of those. At this point, I am not entirely sure of the direction, though if I can find one I will definitely home in on it. [A pause and then she thought of something.]

But, on a related note, do you happen to know anyone that can read blueprints?

[appraiser]

Blueprints?

[ He's only ever seen blueprints in movies, blue paper with white lines so fine and detailed ones eyes gloss over them save for the outline telling of what the design is of. ]

Not of the top of my head, no... What is it of? A building? Weapon? It might be easier to find somebody with knowledge of those, and ask from there.

[true_noir]

A building, that much I know, and I would ask that you never mention it on the network. I do not want Retrospec to be aware that I am asking in the first place, because they might realize I found something.

[appraiser]

[ The fact that it needs to be hidden is concerning, suspicious. He's curious. ]

I promise I won't mention it. Would it be alright if I saw it? Where did you get it, and what might it have to do with Retrospec?

[true_noir]

[She reached into her bag and produced a photocopy. The original was hidden. It was a fragment of a blueprint, with the retrospec logo on it. It was clearly torn from a page, as if in haste.]

This is a copy. I can't say where I got it. [Because it was very illegal.] But it definitely has something to do with them... after all, the logo.

[appraiser]

[ The lines are hard to make sense of, forming the outline of a building only because Chloe told him was it was of, otherwise he wouldn't have guessed so easily. Straight lines... lots of lines, some thicker than others, some dotted. Letters and symbols he does not know. ]

I can't tell what building this is for... Do you think the Retrospec building? [ He looks up from the page, stepping back so that Chloe may put it away and not be caught with it out. ] It's not a blueprint, exactly, but some video games have maps that look similar. Maybe somebody who's into such games will have better luck reading it.

[true_noir]

[It wasn't complete as buildings go, but it was definitely a building. The implications would be more obvious to someone who knew blueprints, but it had the look of being the sort of document that was used to display a building's layout.]

I'm guessing that it is, yes. It does seem to be for a building, but whoever it was that took this from the place I found it, they were so hasty to get rid of it they left part back.

A game might be an option... do you know anyone in that case?

[appraiser]

Hmm... I can't imagine a scenario in which somebody were to tear only part of a blueprint out unless they were running. Stealing? [ He frowns, unsure, shaking his head. ]

I don't know any serious gamers, but maybe people at the arcade would. Do you know the one over in Tisse? The Hubbub Hub? Aki who works there is a Retrospec user.

[true_noir]

The rest of it, yes. At least that is what I assume. I only found this wedged in, like it was what was left behind after all.

[She nodded at the mention of the arcade and considered for a moment. It brought to her mind Tim. At the very least, maybe he'd have some idea of where to find illegal help?]

I could ask Aki, or possibly Tim. They're someone who maybe could help a little.

[appraiser]

Tim? Noah's Tim?

[ That little golden orb is what comes to mind, Timcanpy with the long wings and many sharp teeth. But that can't be right, and Ryoji laughs, a little sheepish as he brings a hand to the back of his head. ]

Or, probably, somebody I'm not familiar with.

[true_noir]

Tim Drake. [She coughed.] If you mean the strange ball with the horrifying mouth of razor sharp teeth, I was unaware that it could speak, much less have higher thought. Tim knows computer programming, so perhaps he could know someone through the arcades.

So, you may have met him, or not. I think he keeps to himself somewhat.

[appraiser]

I'm not positive Toothy Ball Tim can converse on his own accord, but he can repeat messages, so it could be possible. Like how a parrot echoes and learns to communicate.

[ Tim Drake, though. Computer Programming Tim... The name sounds familiar, in the way reading a name in passing sounds familiar several years after first hearing it. He might have talked to Tim before, among many dozen others all at the same time; he'll have to go back through his messages to check. ]

Tim Drake sounds like a useful person to have, though. A computer programmer, when there might be something to learn from the application program.

[true_noir]

No matter if he can help with this specifically, he would be a good person to be able to contact. We have few enough options after all. We might as well keep in touch with the ones that we manage to find, yes?