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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))
D
I don't understand what it is, but it feels not correct.
[ Her words are a little unsure, as if she's unsure to describe exactly what she's feeling. And then she realises what she said, so she corrects herself. ]
Hmm... I think it would be better to say "not correct for me" cause it's something that's important to a particular person.
[ she opens up her fingers again, to look at the ring she didn't understand ]
no subject
I see. Rings are often bought to be given, after all.
[ That's what makes him pause, because he's yet unsure what side of the transaction he's supposed to be on, but shakes the thought from his mind as he looks from the ring back to Sakura. ]
I'm sorry for approaching with such a strange question. Are you not very familiar with rings?
[ Or is "I don't understand what it is" something that she would revise like the "not correct"? ]
no subject
[ She says, looking off into the distance a little bit as she tried to collect her thoughts. ]
I'd never seen my mother or my father wear their engagement rings... they said it was too Western. I remember a friend of mine gave a ring to his girlfriend because he thought she was pretty.
[ Sakura shrugs a little bit, but it's accompanied at least by a little smile. ]
I guess I don't understand what they're meant to symbolise half the time! It's something special, but something not meant to be shown off?
no subject
I think they're special, but they can symbolize different things for different people. For the ring I have, right now, it's simply a promise to learn its mysteries. But I'd like to give a ring to my girlfriend someday: a promise for marriage.
[ But not this ring. This one held a different sort of promise within it, though what exactly that promise is, he doesn't know. ]
I never really thought about it as Western culture though. Is your family from the East?
i'm so sorry, the notif went missing!
[ Her frame of reference is really that of fiction - because she's relatively inexperienced when it comes to actual romance. Still, she'll be enthusiastic and carry on this conversation because Ryoji sounds interesting. Interesting people are always worth knowing. ]
Yup! I'm Japanese. Ehehe... my name is Sakura Fujiwara! It's nice to meet you, Mr Ring.
you're fine♥
I hope I can do that someday... Oh, but I should have introduced myself first. My name's Ryoji Mochizuki.
[ And then, he switches to Japanese, just because he can. It's faltering though, simple words and slightly accented in that he grew up hearing it, but had to relearn the language all over at a later date. ]
You can call me Ryoji. My father is Japanese. I visited there twice.
no subject
[ She gives him a polite 45 degree bow, hands folded as she does so. It doesn't bother her that his command of the language is faltering, it's clear that he's familiar with it enough to respond to her and that's often enough.
Sakura straightens up and smiles. ]
Please call me Sakura. If you don't mind me asking, was your mother western?
no subject
[ He delights in seeing the bow— people here don't ever do it— and returns it, wrongly with one hand touching his chest instead of at his side, but the sentiment is there. ]
My mother has family in the... Mediterranean Basin, [ He switches to English for the term because he doesn't know it in Japanese, and then back again. ] But she is from here. Recollé. Like me.
no subject
[ she says, in english. ]
Unless you really want to practise.
[ it's followed by a small laugh. There's something very amiable about Ryoji's character that she likes. ]
no subject
[ He decides immediately and adamantly, choosing what's more fun for him to speak rather than what he's used to, because while there are a lot of Japanese immigrants in the city, English is the common tongue that often melts into background noise. The two of them speaking in a foreign (to him) language, it's like sharing in a secret, and that makes him feel closer. ]
It's hard to speak, but I can listen and understand. Like watching television.
[ More like how a child listens and understands the world around them, but doesn't have all the words nor knows all the grammar, to respond with the same level of fluency that may be in their head. ]
no subject
[ Sakura flashes him a peace sign. If that's what Ryoji wants, then that's what they'll do. ]
Do you want to get a coffee? I'm sure there's somewhere open nearby!
[ Without much hesitation, Sakura reaches out the same hand that flashed the peace sign up to him. ]
I'm fact, I'm sure of it!
no subject
[ In English, because it's the name of his favorite coffee shop, and also because he has no idea how to say that in Japanese. ]
It is in Tisse! I can take you there!
[ He takes her hand- that's permission to hold her hand, right? Right. ]
no subject
Lead the way, Ryoji-san! You can tell me about the words you know!
[ And like a child, she starts swinging their arms jauntily. ]
Do you know what coffee shop is, for example?
no subject
Hmm~ Coffee is kohi, and shop is shoppu?
[ Like. Literally the exact same words, with a forced Japanese accent. ]
no subject
I guess... you can call it a kohi shoppu... but it's easier to say "kafe".Just like in English, except with more of a "k" sound.
[ But that gets her thinking. ]
Hey, have you ever been to Japan?
no subject
I went two times! I went to Kobe for family after Dad died. And years later, Miyagi, to see the foxes!
no subject
Now there's a lot of Western style chains, they're not so much in demand...
[ She pauses, putting a finger to her mouth in thought. ]
So that's a lot of new words today!
[ and Sakura happily raises her hand that's holding Ryoji's. ]
no subject
[ He feels like he should know, having lived here almost half a year and frequenting the restaurants so often, but he also gets sucked into favorites and returning to those places again and again instead of exploring new ones. ]
I'm sure there is something like it! We can keep going out until we find one!
[ With that thought, he raises their hands all the way up in the air as if trying to catch the sun. ]