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[semi-open] harbinger of suffering and grief
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))
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)
[
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))
A
Retrospec gave her visions of fighting a monster. Maybe this is the reason why.
When Thanatos stops near the ocean, Cleo finally steps out. She doesn't try for a surprise attack, or anything of the sort. Rather, she has a hunch trying to surprise it would be both futile and fatal. Instead, she approaches from the front, arms spread to show she's unarmed.]
Who are you? Are you all right?
no subject
Over the water, Thanatos remains silent for a moment, then opens its mouth to whisper a single word that seems to resonate in one's mind rather than through the ears: ]
Leave.
no subject
I can't do that. I need to hear more about you. Are you a danger here? Or are you in danger yourself?
[Her instincts, of course, are telling her that this is a giant monster with a serrated sword and wearing a line of coffins. It is definitely not in danger. It could not look more evil if it tried.
But this entire situation is too bizarre to let design aesthetics make her decisions for her, so she needs to get more information here.]
no subject
I said, leave!
[ It isn't the stern, commanding voice of an ancient god of death or whatever Thanatos might appear to be, but rushed, laced with panic, of a boy who feels cornered even though he's the one with a sword in hand, diving down from the sky with a halo of coffins and with force enough to split through the surface of the sea, waves rising behind Thanatos as it makes a pass at Cleo. ]
no subject
(Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Cleo wonders why she isn't scared of him. But her lack of concern for her own life can be addressed later.)
When Thanatos makes that pass, she dives downwards, trying to get under the attack. Instincts from her years of martial arts training and actual fighting kick in- If your opponent has a knife, get inside their range so they can't use it. That's how you fight a knife, and a sword... the same principle applies, right?
So, as Thanatos' attack goes over her, she reaches up, ignoring the water battering at her as she makes a grab for the coffins.]
Who are you?!
no subject
Refusing to answer, Thanatos takes to the air with a roar, unbalanced by surprise of the extra weight latched onto one of its coffins, light as Cleo is compared to all that Thanatos carries. The sword is sheathed, unable to reach her, and sparks of light flicker between the jaws of its mask but does not fire for being unable to reach her there either.
But there are other ways to fight back. Thanatos takes off, low to the ground all the while it skims the beach and turns parallel to the pier, then over the water, trying to shake Cleo off, violently but in hopes she will let go to tumble the few meters into the sea where she can easily reach the shore. ]
no subject
She was hoping she could stop it. But of course her weight wouldn't be enough, with how strong this monster seems to be. So now, rather than just trying to stop it, she's clinging on for dear life, using both hands to hold on as tightly as she can. If she drops into the water... Well. She can't swim. She could possibly flail her way back to shore, or this close, it's possible she could simply walk out. But she doesn't want to take chances.
Clinging on despite Thanatos' attempts to shake her, she instead pulls on the coffins on one side, trying to use them like a Chocobo's- a horse's- reins and steer Thanatos back towards the shore.]
no subject
Under the water, it slows, robes and coffins alike billowing and roars muffled. But there it stays; if it cannot fight, it can wait. And it can wait forever. ]
no subject
She opens her eyes, ignoring the stinging pain in the one eye that works to see the pilings of the pier. And then, she flips around, using Thanatos himself as a springboard, kicking off as hard as she can to flail her way at the wooden pillar, grabbing hold to try to climb it and hoist herself above the water's surface.
It's slippery, and hard, and she doesn't know if she can make it. But she's open now, vulnerable, and running out of air and time.]
no subject
The moment Cleo leaves its back, a sudden turbulence marks Thanatos' exit as it breaks the surface of the water, struggling to stay aloft with the water taken up in each of its eight coffins that weighs it down and keeps it from fleeing while it has the chance.
Ignoring Cleo's struggles beneath the pier, Thanatos lands on top of the pier, trying to shake off the water, trying to keep the shadows from flickering and turning back to the boy who cannot run. ]
no subject
Either way, she starts climbing her way up the pier, sheer desperation lending her an impossible strength as she climbs up, falling over at the very edge of the dock. Her lungs burn, her muscles are weak, but her eyes are still burning with spirit as she stares from her prone position up at him. She hacks out water when she tries to speak, coughing and nearly throwing up, but she still chokes out one word:]
Who...?
no subject
Thanatos remains silent, hunched at the very end of the pier as it waits for the last of the seawater to drip from the coffins on its back. It can hear water in Cleo's lungs, feel the fire in her eyes, fear... no longer driving Thanatos but fear directed towards another, towards Cleo who feels no fear at this very moment it addresses it, and that shift of human concern dissolves Thanatos into the darkness, leaving a much smaller figure knelt on the cold, wet planks.
Stilled, Ryoji waits for Cleo to stop talking, afraid to turn and face her. ]
no subject
She hacked and coughed, getting as much water as she could out. Her voice is raspy and choked, but even so, able to breathe once more, fueled by determination and concern, she picks herself up, dragging herself slowing in Ryoji's direction.]
... Are you all right...?
[The same question as before. But maybe, now, she can get somewhere with it.
no subject
Ryoji stands shakily, pushing off his knees, head bowed and then turned away as he walks towards Cleo, has to in order to pass her and leave the pier. He ignores the question, refusing to look her in the eyes, but quiets his voice as he stalls next to her, wanting to reach out and help her up, but can't. ]
Can you get to a hospital on your own? Water in your lungs could turn to pneumonia.
no subject
Maybe, if he hadn't been a monster, she would be less concerned. But frankly, even with the near-drowning, none of this felt quite real. The surreality of chasing a monster, the monster being a person, clinging on to a coffin as it zipped around... The fear for her own life was a distant thought. This was too dream-like, no matter how much it hurt.]
... I do not know. My bike isn't here.
no subject
...I'll call for an ambulance. [ His clothes are not wet despite Thanatos being drenched, having transformed after he was out of the water. The phone in his pocket should still work. ] I'll find you later, I'll cover the costs— later. I can't stay here.
no subject
['need', she'd wanted to say, but then she bends over, coughing more out.]
Please, tell me... what is wrong. You are... frightened, aren't you?
no subject
Ryoji steps back, fear written all over his face, head shaking in denying it, hands shaking in betrayal. Another step back, and he pulls out his phone so he can do this and get it over with and then get away.
9-1-1 ] —Ambulance, Peach Beach pier, one woman. Please hurry.
no subject
[She steps forward, trying to reach out to him.]
You should come as well. Whatever is wrong, perhaps someone there can help you. Is- Is whatever happened from Retrospec as well?
no subject
I don't know. [ He pulls back, so close to bolting already. ] I don't think this is something anybody can help but me.
[ And he can't help himself. He doesn't know how, that much is obvious. ]
no subject
[She's afraid. Not for herself, of course, but this scared-looking boy in front of her. Younger than her, she thinks. He doesn't deserve to have that kind of fear. She wants to protect people from having to be afraid, that's why she's trying to become a cop in the first place.]
no subject
How can you help me?
no subject
[She has to be honest. She really has no idea. This is so far beyond her, it's almost funny.]
But you are suffering and afraid. I don't want to leave you alone like that.
no subject
I'm sorry.
[ The apology is already too late. ]
I really think that the best thing— for the both of us... would be to leave me alone.
no subject
If that is truly what you want, that's your right to choose. But... Please. Think it over. Do you really want to be scared and alone?
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