recolle | [semi-open] harbinger of suffering and grief

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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))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Wha--!! Yato manages to bend sideways with the swing, the sword swooshing dangerously over his ear. He dances backward, out of reach. ]

Not like that!! The other hand!!

[ The other hand moves to whack Yato out of the way. Thanatos isn't saying anything. Maybe Ryoji is just petty and is doing this on purpose. ]

[ And Ryoji is supposed to be the nice guy... YATO KNEW HE WAS SHADY. He takes the hit on a raised arm, but he isn't nearly thick or beefy enough for that to not hurt. He quickly regains his balance. ]

I said talk to me, dammit!

[ He swings his sword around in a lightning-quick arc at Thanatos's mask -- but with the blade turned sideways at the last moment. He'd like to bat that mask around and make Thanatos look as dumb as Ryoji makes him sound!! ]

[ Talking is just too much extra html..... ]

It's hard! Talking and fighting-- no one makes conversation while fighting!

[ He doesn't know what to say, either, when there's a sword coming at his face and he'd like to cower against it, but Thanatos does not cower, it takes that sword without fear of pain and swings its sword around while Yato's sword is raised. ]

[ Yato knows he's in a bad spot when Thanatos doesn't even flinch after getting hit in the face. With his sword still extended, Yato is awfully exposed. But he can't take a sword to the side because he's pretty sure he'll die, so he takes what options are available to him: an extra step forward and his free hand raised to try and catch Thanatos's swing by the wrist or sword grip. Even if he misses the catch, he hopes his close proximity will make it too awkward for the blade to catch him with significant force. ]

[ That free hand probably isn't enough to stop Thanatos' swing, but it does slow it, target too close to slice in half and so turns the sword outward to use the hilt as a bludgeon weapon.

Yato being so close isn't something Ryoji expected, and he tries to simultaneously force Thanatos back and at the same time pull the punch— the result being... less hilt and more that jagged serrated section of the blade that he barely manages to turn sideways at the last minute like Yato had done for him before. ]

—Yato, talk to me!

[ It's easier to care and be present when he talks, but also more easily frightened, more tempted to relinquish control because if he hurt Yato here? It's on him, and there is no excuse he can hide behind. ]

[ Yato catches that odd movement before the sword gets him in the side. But the sting of a cut he expects doesn't come, just a heavy punch that makes him grunt and falter. He backpedals, raising his sword to parry any pursuing attacks. ]

Me? I'm the one with lungs to worry about!

[ He glances back to see he's about to retreat into a tree. He swerves around it, away from Thanatos's sword arm. Buying a bit of time to chat. ]

Tell me about this thing you've turned into. What is it?

[ You're a god, Yato. What god needs to breathe but not poop? But this is fair; it keeps him talking, thinking, his focus split from something other than destruction. ]

I'm the embodiment of all Shadows...

[ The voice coming from Thanatos is slow, tempered, as if simply repeating something once heard instead of speaking from knowledge. Because that's how it was: Ryoji knows what he is because he'd said these words himself once in a memory, explaining what he is, and what he means. ]

I came into being ten years ago in a laboratory, from the unification of many Shadows of the twelve Arcana. Something had gone wrong, then, and I was almost destroyed. Instead, I was sealed away. [ Thanatos shakes its head. Rather than answering the question, it feels like it raised even more. ] That's all I remember.

[ Good time for a breather, then... Yato crouches behind the tree, alert. He assumes he won't be getting any warnings before that big sword starts swinging again. He's so focused on dodging whatever might come that he needs time to absorb the entirety of what Ryoji says. Ten years ago? Sealed away? ]

You're saying the you right now was sealed into... your human form? That's one hell of a laboratory.

[ Sounds more like black magic than science. ]

When you say shadow, you mean more than your typical daytime shadow, don't you?

Shadows are monsters. Minako and I were fighting them in that tower, in the memories we shared.

[ That's as far as he can tell, anyways, from what she's told him of fighting the things. ]

They're not supposed to exist in this world, in this time. I'm not supposed to exist, as I am now.

So you're some kind of super monster? I dunno. Anyone with the dramatic flair to dress up like an undertaker and wear a golden skull-and-crossbones belt has to be some kind of human. Mostly a tacky one.

[ yato always has time for rudeness ]

Anything special about fighting a Shadow? You need a light sword or something?

[ Hearing Yato insult Thanatos doesn't make him feel any better, even though he would be the first to admit he hates every single thing about Thanatos right down to its existence. If Thanatos looks human by design, he wouldn't know if that has to do with Shadows themselves, or the scientists that brought it into being, but human made things are full of flaws, despite how Thanatos presented itself in his memories. ]

A regular sword works. Aki's did.

[ Light would probably work too...? He'd never transformed during the day, and in his memories, the Shadow was always cloaked in darkness as well, but his strengths and weaknesses aren't something he explicitly knows without fighting and seeing. ]

-- Aki?

[ The name comes like a punch. Yato's seen her point her sword around a bit. But facing off against this kind of opponent? Was it her, or just someone borrowing her sword? Yato can only assume she's not dead because of how casually Ryoji mentions her. ]

She fought you too?

Not by choice. [ Not like Yato who comes in ready to pick a fight. ] But I learned a lot from that encounter. Stab Thanatos enough times, and it can die too.

[ His voice, impassive, is one he is barely able to hold together when he remembers the utter terror that had gripped him when the tables turned and he was the one to face death, and there was nobody to save him but himself. ]

I fought another Shadow: Yukiko's fire-wielding goddess, who brought Thanatos down as well. Both times, I was forced back to being me, and they couldn't kill me.

[ He doesn't want to bring the conversation down this path again, but from his tone, there's the implication that he disapproves of people's inability to murder other human beings in cold blood, their will evaporating the moment they see his face and not Thanatos' mask, even though they are to be the same. ]

[ Ryoji don't judge people for not wanting to murder?? That said, Yato doesn't really want to murder Ryoji but he won't murder Thanatos either... Handling Thanatos is Ryoji's job, not Yato's. ]

She was able to getcha, huh? And I thought she couldn't get any scarier.

[ Yato is proud of her, though. She's a tough bean. ]

Guess that means I've gotta work harder. I'm coming out now.

[ He sees that Ryoji is capable of keeping it calm when he's talking and Yato is out of sight, but it's the hard stuff they're supposed to be working on. He slips out from behind the tree, ready to dodge back or parry or keep moving, depending on what Thanatos tries to do. ]

[ It was terrifying fighting Aki. Not at first- at first, it was instinct that drove Thanatos to fight, drawn into a trap that was set for it and it blasted it apart instead of being caught— what had caught Thanatos in the end was Aki herself.

Aki's eyes were full of pure, undiluted fury and resentment, and Ryoji had frozen under that stare. Yato's are sharp, a clear, bright blue that makes him think of the sky, the ocean, his mother, things he loves. If he focuses on that, then...

The blade flashes out again, body moving without thinking the moment Thanatos catches the movement, swinging at Yato's face— don't look at him. ]

[ The longer they fight, the more comfortably Yato wears his emerging skill. His reflexes, already sharp from regular sparring with a sneaky punk like Yamato who attacks to surprise and punish, feel honed to a razor edge as he beats Thanatos's sword up just enough to clear his head. He'll retreat and maintain a very certain distance from Thanatos: barely enough for the tip of Thanatos's sword to reach him, so that Yato has the greatest luxury of dodging or parrying at all times. That's the idea, anyway. ]

Focus. You brought yourself back once. Don't let anything distract you from that.

[ Yato can only imagine that's the roadblock. Ryoji is the type of putz to stress out about hurting people. But if Yato can convince him that Yato is unhurtable, maybe Ryoji can concentrate a little better. ]

Okay. [ is that last word Ryoji speaks before Thanatos falls silent, sword falling heavily, relentless for the eternity the next several minutes feel like as he tries to recall those moments where he'd been able to calmly come back on his own accord, not backed into a corner in desperation as with Aki or Yukiko. On his own, there was nothing he could do but slowly exhaust himself, but there were other times. Most successfully, it had been with Yu, but Ryoji can't possibly hope to pull that off with Yato as they are now.

They aren't friends, or anything close to it.

Ryoji appreciates Yato, but he honestly does not care for him the same capacity he does Yu, or Yuuko, or Minako. With these people, he refuses to fight them, essentially denying all of what makes Thanatos— it's the opposite with Yato who can hold his own, easing one worry of Ryoji hurting him and exchanging it for another worry of losing that ultimatum.

He needs to stress about hurting people. That's what makes him him, and he needs to remember these things about himself if he's to turn back. ]

This isn't working.

[ It feels like giving up, but it's too soon. ]

[ mumble grumble

On the upside, this is excellent sword practice. On the downside, Yato's really getting exhausted, both mentally and physically. ]

Well, I'm out of ideas. Why don't you just shoot magic at me again and put me out of my misery.

[ please note: a joke ]

[ How about he doesn't say that, even as a joke, because Ryoji's first instinct is always to listen and obey, and it's only because of the harsh light of magic that he reels his thoughts back in. ]

Don't give up on me!

[ He snaps at Yato, affronted and immediately regretful at his reaction, but there's that corner he needs to be in, desperation, adrenaline, clarity over confusion— the onus is on him, and he has to turn back.

And he does.

But not before uprooting half a dozen trees, I hope Yato got out of there in time. ]

[ oh my god

Now Yato knows what that light means so the instant their surroundings begin to brighten, he drops his sword and DIVES between Thanatos's legs. This will be awkward when Ryoji changes back, but look Yato can't teleport and this was the fastest way to not die. ]

You actually did it, you asshole!

[ This is more accusing and less encouraging. ]

[ Ryoji almost steps on Yato's head in stumbling backwards the moment his feet touches the ground, too shaken to be proud or relieved or apologetic. He flops down onto the ground, exhausted, staring at the sword Yato had left abandoned several paces away, scorched expanse of earth behind it. ]

Maybe I could have done it earlier if you'd asked politely and used my name.

[ he shakes his head ]

...Sorry. My thoughts are a mess. I believed in you being a god, that you would be able to survive whatever Thanatos threw at you. I didn't worry about you as I should have.

I did survive, didn't I? There was no need to worry!

[ He's being self-contradictory now... but he's willing to drop it if Ryoji is. He gets back up to his feet and brushes himself off. Who'd've thought he'd get so blasé so soon about tangling with an entity of death... ]

... But you brought yourself back again, so good job.