mochizuki ryoji ([personal profile] appraiser) wrote in [community profile] recolle2017-05-16 03:46 pm

[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))
thesettingsun: smile (okay you won't die)

C, for irony

[personal profile] thesettingsun 2017-05-16 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[As someone obsessed with fashion, Shuji is a frequent visitor to the Towers. He's seen many horrible things there, but they're usually in the vein of overpriced clothes, or clothes that he really wants but can't find in a size that flatters him.

This is worse, objectively, and Shuji raises his voice.]


H-hey, that's a little too close to the edge, maybe you should back off?

[Please don't die young.]
Edited (grammar) 2017-05-16 23:46 (UTC)
true_noir: (Hmmm)

D

[personal profile] true_noir 2017-05-16 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
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.]
cattack: (>:T)

A

[personal profile] cattack 2017-05-16 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[It doesn't take anyone particularly bright to notice the trail Ryoji left. And Cleo finds the trail and goes almost on instinct, following the gouges and still-burning magic. It's stupid- She should run away or call for help- but all she can think is that someone might be in danger, and she might be able to help.

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?
stopbleeding: (XVZXCBVCBBVVVCC)

c... look.... i'm sorry....

[personal profile] stopbleeding 2017-05-17 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Zoro doesn't know where the Towers are. I don't know where the Towers are. Nevertheless here he is, standing behind Ryoji on the bridge of the Towers.]

Huh. This isn't the boardwalk. I wonder where I took the wrong turn... I can't tell if I'm closer or...

[Finally he realizes he's not alone. One would think he'd be alarmed by the stranger's close proximity to the edge but, well. He's not. Everyone's got their thing and honestly he's too preoccupied to question it.

He does have a question though.
]

Hey. Do you know how to get to the boardwalk from here?
burningblossoms: Most From <user name=eeveelutions> or made my me (Derp)

A. At the beach, Alone. This already sounds like a horror film.

[personal profile] burningblossoms 2017-05-17 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Very often in the early evening, after everything that'd happened with Minako and that glowing woman, Yukiko went to the beach alone. She needed to practice, gain more control over that strange creature that she could apparently summon, and that was probably the safest place. Unfortunately for her, this places her in the path of a certain something.

It's difficult to miss Thanatos's approach, the rattling of wooden boxes, the blood curdling wail of doom coming ever closer. Instinctively she sets herself, and the gleaming avatar of her soul standing at her side. She knew that whatever this was, she should probably run, but as the monster came into view she stood rooted, staring at it intently.

Maybe it was just like a goth version of one of her own. Or maybe it was an illusion.
Either way, running wasn't an option now.]


...What...is this thing?
complementing: (Default)

A

[personal profile] complementing 2017-05-17 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
[She can't sleep. This in and of itself isn't strange, since Minako often has bouts of insomnia, nights where school and work and thoughts keep her up. But tonight she's unable to concentrate on anything that would normally keep her busy through the late hours. Parking herself in the darkness of the living room, curling up on the couch and vibrating with restless energy, she waits. For what, she doesn't know, but--

the explosion of light in the city, combined with the ominous toll of Lucy's grandfather clock marking midnight...it feels like a sign. She jolts up, flinging open the front door just in time to see something flicker across the sky. Minako is overwhelmed with the sudden need to be there, right now, some sort of primal instinct that almost stifles the common sense of taking her spear with her, before she runs out the door in just her pajamas and a pair of boots.

The city streets are different at night, but she navigates through them without really seeing anything, running at a fast clip until she skids to a stop at the Towers' enormous empty parking lot. The building is ominous as ever, equated as they are to the Tartarus of the other Minako's memories. But it's the figure in front of it that has her on edge now.

There's a hundred feet between them but she thinks it hears her regardless when she speaks.]


...was it me who was drawn here, or were you calling for me? [She fixes her gaze on the white mask, terrified but unable to look anywhere else.] Either way, what do you want with me?
sakeplz: (Don't You Wanna Play?)

C

[personal profile] sakeplz 2017-05-17 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[He's been doing some shopping when he happens to see a familiar person at the bridges for the Towers. Something strikes him as off so of course he can't just leave his new friend alone. It wouldn't be right. For that reason, he moves over to where he is and sets his bags nearby then reaches to wrap arms around him. Whether or not it works depends on if Ryoji lets him or not but hey at least he's trying to be affectionate?]

Ryooooo...I've missed you!

[He gives a tilt of his head.]

You seem sad. Or upset. Or both.
truedetective: (12)

B

[personal profile] truedetective 2017-05-17 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Naoto isn't much of a night owl, normally. But Kanji the dog needs to be walked to keep up with his boundless energy, and the idea that this reality itself must be investigated leads her to be more inclined to go out.

Then, all of a sudden, halfway through a walk in the woods, Kanji growls. It's not the usual 'I'm staking out my territory' half-hearted growl she's used to, but a very clear one. The dog senses a threat somewhere, deeper in the brush. Naoto narrows her eyes.]


--is someone there?
goen: ((౦ ‸ ౦);)

B... laterish in the month

[personal profile] goen 2017-05-17 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yato sees it every now and again. A bright flash in the night, strange sounds, and later in the daylight when he's bored enough to investigate, unnatural markings like you'd see out of a movie. The first time he sees those markings, he decides to arm himself. He turns to that miracle we call the internet. And days later, he begins to travel at night with a katana sheathed at his side. He expects to be stopped or gaped at or run away from, but miraculously, no one seems to notice or care.

One night as he heads for the river (it's nice to fall asleep to its gentle babble), he spies the shape of a person in the woods. Yato rarely runs across other people here, especially at night, so he instinctively quiets himself and observes from behind a tree. The person turns, just a little, and Yato makes out just enough of his face. Isn't that... Ryoji?

He frowns, on the verge of revealing himself to ask what Ryoji is up to out here, when something strange happens. The shadows play in front of him, the sound of a deep rumble -- and then he's blinded by light. When his eyesight returns, Ryoji is gone and something else stands in his place.

Hunched and slim, dressed in a grim coat with -- are those coffins? A being so otherworldly and eerie, that for the first time in years, Yato feels a chill in his heart. It's been a long time since he's felt this -- a raw, instinctual fear.

And yet... isn't that Ryoji? Ryoji was literally standing there a second ago, wasn't he? As much as he doesn't see eye-to-eye with the guy, Yato can't walk away without at least attempting to verify that Ryoji as a person is still somewhere in this picture. Yuuko would kill him if he didn't...

So uh. Against his better judgment, Yato separates from the tree. He eyes the giant bread knife in the thing's hand and carefully rests his hand on the hilt of his sword. ]


Ryoji?
feistytrader: (...uh.)

C

[personal profile] feistytrader 2017-05-17 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Silver is late for work. He's never really late to work, so maybe Jaeger might take pity on him, but that doesn't mean that the idea of it doesn't have him in a panic anyway. So that very same traffic that just started to wind up and Ryoji is contemplating walking into is the traffic that Silver is boldly dashing through; he easily outruns one car while nearly getting slammed by another- he manages to roll past the car which gets him quite a bit of irritated honking return- and hastily makes his way...

...Directly towards Ryoji at full speed, because dodging cars and looking at the guy precariously close to the road don't exactly synergize very well. Watch out--!]
thesettingsun: mad (and just call you a fink)

[personal profile] thesettingsun 2017-05-17 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
[That sounds like a non-answer. It sounds like an answer dancing around the real issue, and Shuji swallows, then walks close enough to Ryoji to hold his hand out to him.]

Please come back to the middle. What's so important that you've got to be on the edge like that?

[He doesn't want someone to die in front of him.]
sakeplz: (Work Of Art)

[personal profile] sakeplz 2017-05-17 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
You can share with Jirou. I'll still love you no matter what is going on.

[He guides him right up against him to hold him close so that way Ryoji can just lean against him for comfort. Sure he's not sure what is going on but this is someone he cares about and this someone needs him. That means it's time for him to be right here with him.]

What's wrong, Ryoji?
gudaguda: (pic#11127632)

D

[personal profile] gudaguda 2017-05-17 11:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sakura's a little startled by this sudden approach, but she does comply - a little warily but still with a smile on her face. She purses her lips as she feels the ring in her fingers. ]

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 ]
burningblossoms: (What?)

[personal profile] burningblossoms 2017-05-17 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)

[She moves alright, the sight of something building up sending her sprinting across the sand towards the treeline and some sort of cover.  A part of her wants to get away, to run, get to her van and take off but another part knows that's not going to help.  This thing is a threat, and not just to her.

Quiet resolve floods into her from the Persona as it bobs along beside her, wings spread and ready to attack.  Yukiko flicks her fingers towards the thing attacking her and flame blossoms around it, the attack focused around the center mass.]


true_noir: (Cloak9)

[personal profile] true_noir 2017-05-17 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)
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?

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