[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

b

[notbunaga]

[She had no intention of being out this late at night, or even wandering this far. Souji had been restless the whole evening, barking and scratching at her front door, and eventually it became such a hassle that she figured something must be outside her apartment. In the off chance someone was wandering the halls with less than noble intentions, she had to at least investigate.

But the moment she opened the door, her dog had bolted out of her apartment, down the hall, through the doors into the stairwell and began descending fairly quickly at that...it was a total shock, and she found herself having to hastily throw on a jacket, shoes and...

...she grabs Hasebe, just in case. She was getting better. These days, if someone on the street was looking to cause trouble, she was never really concerned anymore. But in her mind, she was always threatening or fighting off people. When she manages to catch sight of Souji and follow her all the way to Recolle woods, a torch in one hand as she occasionally calls out for her dog, when she hears the sound of something nearby and, flashing the torch in Ryoji's direction, catches sight of something beyond that...something clearly inhuman.

If anything happens, she's not even sure a sword would cut it, no matter how good she's gotten with it.

Literally.]

...

[She doesn't say anything and does try to back off, but she's already betrayed her presence, having shone the light in her hand across him.]

[appraiser]

[ Nobody should be out this late at night, so deep in the woods. That would have been ideal, but impractical, if each passing night is anything to go on and Ryoji pushes deeper and deeper through the trees. Not far enough to hide from the barking of a dog that has him changing into Thanatos so that it may take to the sky, a familiar voice that has it freezing where it is, a slow turn into the beam of light that blinds, that almost obscures the person holding it, sword in her hand. "Run." The word flashes through Thanatos' mind, for once a word not aimed at another, but at itself. Ryoji would want to speak to her, but... shadows like him not being human She had brushed those things off the moment he brought them up and tried to explain; she didn't care. She didn't think they mattered. She would, now, seeing Thanatos charge right towards her using the light itself as a beacon, swooping at her head with its blade out but hopefully Aki's short enough that she wouldn't get beheaded even if she doesn't duck. ]

[notbunaga]

[Fortunately, her fighting instincts aren't her own. It isn't Aki that drives herself to duck, dodge and roll out of the way, but the memory of someone else. Of a warlord who'd laugh even in the face of death.

But she can't say she's as confident. The sensation of standing in front of this...thing is like staring at her own grave. The feeling in her stomach is unpleasant. Her knees might be shaking.

Despite that, it attacked first. All bets are off. Aki draws Hasebe from its sheath and takes a stance, discarding the torch to the floor.]

I'm warning you now. [Is she afraid? Of course she is. She's never dealt with anything like this before.] I know how to use this.

[Even so, her words don't betray her feelings. She's steady.]

[appraiser]

[ "Good." Level 10 out of 99, and getting better each day. Ryoji would trust her on that, and maybe that's what spurs Thanatos to come again at her. If she kills Thanatos— Ryoji, here, he wouldn't have to go through all that trouble of explaining, apologizing, and asking her to do what she would do now and end this for him. Thanatos' blade crosses with hers, the first shriek of metal on metal brief and disconnects sharply, the second coming down with the force of nature itself that flattens grass to the ground and strips trees of their leaves. ]

[notbunaga]

[The first strike is tough, even if it's not quite everything Thanatos is capable of giving, and despite how brief it is it tells her a lot about the difference in strength. If this thing is trying to kill her - if she wants to make it out alive - she won't be able to make this a straight sword fight. She'll need to improvise.

And in that split second as she considers that fact, Aki instead moves to evade the downward swing, her free arm rising to cover her eyes in anticipation of what happens next. A sudden burst of wind that expands outwards in all directions, taking everything she has just to stay steady and avoid being blown away with the dirt and debris, but it's dirt and debris althat manages to remain out of her eyes, freeing up an opportunity to act: she swings her sword in quick succession, two horizontal strikes, and regardless of whether they're blocked, evaded or hit, she moves back a few steps in retreat. The pattern seems to persist, as if she's leading him in a certain direction...she only hopes whatever this is, it doesn't catch on.]

[appraiser]

[ It's soon clear that it doesn't, Thanatos pushing forward just as Aki pulls him with her. There's a single-mindedness in Thanatos' action, attack- attack- attack- as if it could go on forever, because it can, taking those strikes with its blade and returning them in full before resuming its dogged hunt. That tempest slash does not come again for chipping away at its own strength each time it pours power into the strikes, but the sword itself holds enough power to make the onslaught relentless. Whatever plan Aki has, she had better enact it before she tires, because the moment she tires or falters, Thanatos is in range to take her head. ]

[notbunaga]

[Unfortunately, this is all pretty exhausting. It isn't just the prolonged physical stress, but the fact that she's outmatched. Blocking isn't an ideal response to his attacks which forces her to focus more on evading, but against an opponent possessing supernatural aptitudes, she's forced to predict how he'll attack and dodge well in advance of his actual attacks. The sheer concentration required for it is difficult enough, along with forcing her body to ignore its instincts considering dodging attacks normally would lead to her not moving fast enough in response. She has the mental capacity of someone far more experienced and powerful than she is, but she lacks the body to match. The situation is dire and she knows she can't keep this up for much longer.

So as they continue to trade blows and are both drawn further in the direction she's leading Thanatos towards, the woods become denser. It's gradual, but it becomes harder to swing a sword without the tree trunks, branches and foliage getting in the way, making close combat more of a chore...that is, the larger you are, or the wider the swings you take.

But even then, it wasn't her goal just to make the environment more obtrusive for her opponent when it comes to fighting back. Her main goal was to find a spot where it appears as if she's been cornered. The trees directly behind her are seemingly packed together, enough to prevent further retreat, potentially cutting her off from any kind of escape or maneuvering. It wouldn't be too difficult for the relentless way he attacks to cut her down as she is.

However, lowering her stance all of a sudden, she backs up and squeezes through an unseen gap in the trees behind her, swift enough that if he continues attacking, it's the trees themselves that take the brunt of the attack, not her.

From here, there're a few ways it could go.

If he's strong enough to actually cut through the trees, he'll find they'll come toppling forwards in his direction. She isn't sure if he'd be strong enough to free himself from being crushed beneath the trunks as they fall, but even if it's just a distraction, it'll make an opening for her she'll gladly try to take advantage of.

Alternatively if they stay standing, maybe his approach is so singleminded he may simply try to force his way through the same gap she'd squeezed through, but owing to his larger size this would be far more difficult for him than her, and during that moment is another opportunity for her to take advantage of.

How it all goes depends on him, though. She planned out either of these scenarios in her head while she was on the retreat, but she can't say for sure which one will happen. After all, she doesn't understand the mindset of whatever she's fighting, so it makes it a lot harder to predict how it'll react. It might even do something else altogether and ruin her plan.

Only time will tell.]

[appraiser]

[ The woods are definitely not the ideal battleground, Thanatos in another world being more used to open skies or straight walls. More than half its swings catch woods instead of metal, slicing through branches and trunks with little perceivable effort but with a loss in time. It swats aside debris with the flat of its blade, shaking them off its coffins and holding them close to its body until it can't any longer and in front of it- -empty space, Aki disappeared into the gap and Thanatos braking before it. It definitely is strong enough to cut through the trees, so many in a row and thick as they individually are, but Thanatos too is tiring of the chase, and after a moment, backs off. It looks almost as if it were to run, but that would be optimistic. Those two scenarios were optimistic. An otherworldly creature like this, a sword could not be its only weapon. It had not shown Aki before, so she could not have known, but Thanatos stands back now, regarding that little gap in the trees, and in the darkness of the canopy, a great swelling of magic starts building up from in between Thanatos' jaws, ample warning for Aki to run- where to, though? when it's like a bomb dropped in the forest, blasting apart entire upper halves of the trees standing in the way so that Thanatos could take to the domain that is the sky and pick Aki out from above. ]

[notbunaga]

Oh, you've got to be kidding me...!!

[Yeah, it definitely put a damper on her plans. But she feels a part of her desperately telling herself to move at the sight of his attack being charged, however brief, and with little else in the way of options she can only retreat suddenly to some more of the wooded area for cover.

Of course, it doesn't help much, but having two or three rows of threes between yourself and an explosion is still something. Aki's thrown back as easily as the trees are, pain engulfing her body. She can tell if she hadn't her cover she'd likely be dead already, but again she feels that part of her - the part that's allowed her to last as long as she has - that tells her to endure. Tells her that no matter what, she has to keep fighting. If it weren't for that, she may have just given up here and now, lying on the forest floor.]

Isn't this great...I've got an old man from 400 years ago bossing me around now inside my own body.

[Not that it's so literal. The instincts are so natural they may as well be her own, but she can recognise these feelings are new. It helps that Dave explained he felt similar on occasion; new impulses that weren't his own until recently.

Either way, standing, she catches sight of Thantos in the air and divebombing towards her. With sword in hand, she waits as long as she can - not even facing him as he approaches - and at the last second turns on the spot and swings.

It's a very risky move, though. Even she isn't sure if she'll hit or not. She's only banking on the possibility of this catching him off guard.

Otherwise, he'll have her.]

[appraiser]

[ At least that 400 year old man can be relied upon to preserve her life, an understanding between the two that Aki has to listen to in order to be alive; it's the opposite for Ryoji and Thanatos, Ryoji rejecting the Shadow and Thanatos silencing him and taking over in full, driven only by instinct instead of thought and reason. This makes its movements simple but deadly, diving straight for Aki when it spots her standing there, unmoving, with its sword out to its side at the ready to slice off her head. Disappointment floods through Ryoji as he watches through Thanatos' eyes. She's not running. She's not even looking at it. If she's ready to give up her life, then Thanatos will gladly take—- — a blow to the face, it catches Thanatos on the neck and rips upward past its jaw, black tar-like ichor spewing from the wound as it howls in anger and indignation as it shakes off the damage as if it could not feel it and grabs for Aki again, holding her there while her sword is caught on its mask, tearing her apart limb by limb by limb with its bare hands -if it were a stranger off the streets, that might have happened. But it's Aki standing before him. Aki who is not somebody who considers him a friend— Ryoji isn't even sure he considers her a friend; he'd like to be, but they're not there yet. But it's somebody he knows, standing so close he can see Thanatos reflected in her eyes and it balks, frozen there in front of her. Kill Ryoji. ]

[notbunaga]

[The one thing that's saving her for the moment is her identity; she isn't aware of this, but if she were, she couldn't do anything about the fact that when her eyes focus on the monster before her, it's hard to call those eyes Aki's at all. The way the moonlight reflects against her red irises displays them even more clearly in the darkness of the night, but they're cruel. They aren't the eyes of a human, even if the rest of her is; they're the eyes of an honest to god demon, a woman vilified after her death and twisted into a demonic spirit by the belief of the very people she fought to protect. The epitaph of Demon King was no longer a mere lie.

But the moment is brief, and there isn't time to dwell on it. She doesn't know what this monster is or why it's frozen in place, but she takes advantage of the situation almost immediately and raises her sword, hilt gripped tightly with both hands, to plunge the blade into its neck.

For good measure, she removes the sword and stabs it in the chest.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The whole time, she yells out into the otherwise silent forest. In this very moment, the appearance of a monster like this represents everything that's happened. How things have changed. How things are going to keep changing. How the once peaceful city of recolle is sinking further into the realm of fantasy, with no end in sight. How it's hurting all the people she knows and she feels powerless to stop it.

Maybe Thanatos isn't the cause. Maybe it's just one small ripple in a much larger wave.

But she's taking out all her anger and frustration on it now, relentlessly slicing into its body with no remorse or hesitation.]

Die...!! Die, die, just die already...!! Die and take retrospec with you, you...!! You...!

[She doesn't really know what else she wants to say, so she just yells again, frustrated and incoherent, all the while stabbing him over and over.

To think not too long ago, she couldn't ever imagine herself hurting anyone.]

[appraiser]

[ This must be what dying feels like. It's like how he'd always thought it to be— time slows to a crawl, so that he could feel the blade plunge into his chest, sinking into him inch by inch and wrenched out the same way, white-hot until it's numbing and he can no longer feel the pain or hear his own screams that are drowned out by Aki's own. He's dying. Time frozen, a thousand holes in its body so that there would be nowhere new left to stab, frozen and condemned to watch... He watches her eyes, red like Yuuko's but they hold no love for him; they never will. Watches her hands hold that blade, sticky with black blood- his- driving it where his heart would lie, where it would clench in his chest and suffocate him for remembering— warm hands in his, reluctant but she never let go, she promised— she'd laughed at him, once, and he can't hear it anymore, deaf to her voice, shouting at him now in unrestrained fury and madness and vindication that he can't hear but he can feel and It's killing him. He's scared. He's—- —Ryoji, lying flat on the ground and crying out in agony, clutching at his chest where dark red starts to blossom on a white shirt, Thanatos' coat a simple hooded jacket, the coffins it carried now the ground on which Ryoji lies to die. ]

[notbunaga]

[It'd be a lie to say what follows was entirely on his behalf. It's true that the sight of him shocks her; all the anger washes away in an instant, replaced by a numb sensation in her chest and a sudden pain in her head that shakes her to her very core.

"Will you promise you won't hurt him?"

It was something that had upset her, for reasons she never bothered to bring up. She just ignored how she'd felt and pressed on in the hopes she wouldn't ruin Yuuko's night.

"Thank you, Nobu. You don't know how much that means to me."

All she can see is Yuuko's smile. The relief that set in when she'd "approved" of their relationship. That there was no threat of her bringing any harm to Ryoji, a promise she had made entirely sincere with every intention of keeping.

But seeing him on the ground in sheer agony, she drops her sword to the ground. She can't even process this, now that some faceless creature has a face and a voice and an identity to him that are so very real.

She moves closer and practically falls to her knees beside him, unable - unwilling - to hide the fact she's actually crying.]

...why?

[Her hands move outwards and hover over his body, as if there were something she could do...but there isn't. She's sick to her stomach. She can't even touch him.]

How? What have I...?

[appraiser]

[ Ryoji is dead so there is no tag.







jk

He's alive, but only in some sense of the word. Not human, no beating heart, means hands clamped down over his chest can stem the flow, but they're shaking in pain and fear and he can't draw breath enough to scream as he jerks his shoulder away from her hands and turns onto his side, pulling his knees to his chest as if he could disappear into himself.

Thanatos knew no pain. It could shrug it off and deal it back a hundred-fold. It was strong and could not cry like Ryoji is crying now, wanting Aki to pick up that blade and ]

...finish it.

[notbunaga]

[The truth is, she doesn't want to respond. She doesn't want to say or do anything, because it all betrays just how weak she is right now, and there's nothing she hates more. While she doesn't hate herself akin to a certain best friend of hers, she hates moments like these where she really shows how human she is, because it makes her feel so fragile.

Ironic, considering whose presence she's in right now.

And after some silence, her voice comes out shaky, spoken through a breath.]

I couldn't...I can't...she'd never forgive me, Ryoji.

I already told her I wouldn't hurt you...if I go that far, I...

[appraiser]

[ It's called putting something out of its misery- a mercy killing. Leaving him like this, eyes on his back, forcing him to listen to a voice thick with tears, it's cruel. Leaving him wondering what happened, why he couldn't stop, how he almost killed Aki— would have killed Aki, if he'd just closed his eyes and shut off his mind, like sleeping. It's cruel.

This is the pain that grips him, makes him squeeze his eyes shut tight and clench his jaw until it aches. ]

Who are you talking about...? [ No, he doesn't care. ] Kill me. She won't know.

[notbunaga]

You don't get to decide that!

[Maybe she should just kill him. Maybe it'd be easier for the pair of them; him talking this way about himself infuriates her despite how upset she is, and she ends up drawing an arm back just to wipe at her face with her sleeve.]

She does it too...just goes around deciding how everyone else feels...doesn't even consider...

[Every time she has to hear it, she ignores it on the surface. But however slight the feeling of resentment and anger that builds up each time, it's there, every time...

"No one would miss me."

"No one loves me."

"But it's fine, because I'm all alone."

Every time Yuuko says things like this, Nobu wonders if she even matters to Yuuko at all.

Seeing Ryoji treat her like that, even unknowingly, hurts.]

You said you aren't human...[She puts her arm by her side, looking down at him.]...are you gonna survive if I don't finish you off? Is that monster going to come back?

[appraiser]

[ Ryoji frowns into the dirt, bitterness washing over him because all he ever does is consider. Isn't this consideration enough? That's why he's asking this, so nobody else has to be put through what he put Aki through. What does she want from him, when there's nothing he can give, nothing he can do to fix this. ]

I'll- [ live ] -survive, probably. I don't know if it'll come back. If you kill me, I can guarantee it won't.

[notbunaga]

Then I'm taking that chance.

[The weakness in her voice is gone. The streaks running down her cheeks might be a reminder of her tears from a moment ago, but her sorrow's been replaced with a determination he's never seen from her before. Her usual, indifferent exterior is gone.]

I don't care about you, Ryoji.

But Yuuko means the world to me...I decided a long time ago that as long as she's still smiling, I can carry on. At one point it was all I had to keep me going.

[And she means that quite literally.]

So I don't care how many people you hurt. I don't care about the needs of the many. So long as you're important to her, you're not going anywhere.

[As you can see, their friendship is very healthy.]

[appraiser]

[ "I don't care about you, Ryoji" is pretty much expected; she didn't need to say that. But Yuuko's name has him freeze, chill down his spine and heat up his neck— why- who is Yuuko to Aki? that she would turn a blind eye to Ryoji burning the world just because he means something to Yuuko? ]

"So long as I'm important to her"?

[ He entertains an idea, briefly- but breaking up with Yuuko feels like it would kill him before Aki would get the chance. The idea hurts more than the pain in his chest; he couldn't do it.

He's important to Yuuko now. But she doesn't know what happened to him, and he doesn't want to destroy all that they have because of what he is, and that determination is enough to force himself to sit up, teeth gritted so that he could do so without crying with the pain. He wills himself to stand, walk away. He doesn't need Aki. He can die on his own; he's already halfway there. ]

[notbunaga]

Just don't get any bright ideas.

[She says it as he's leaving, but doesn't follow after him...there's some understanding there of what he'd said could mean, depending.

And if he takes his own life...that'll be an issue, but she can't follow him around all day every day, stopping him from that, either.

So she'll handle that as it comes. For now, she's gotta go clean herself up; it was easy to forget she isn't in good condition herself, so she walks in the opposite direction of him.

After everything that's happened, Souji can wait.]