estoria | something wicked this way comes.

[It hadn't been quite what Rei ha expected when she stepped out to examine the area. Then again, her expectations when dealing with spirits usually contained sprawling dilapidated mansions. This looked... futuristic, which was a rather lame comparison.

It had been so long since she went ghost hunting (if what she'd done back home could really be called that anyway), the thread of anxiety twisting her stomach was more annoying than anything else. She checked her equipment-- the camera was ready to go and a quick check of the filament told her it wasn't reacting to anything just yet. Her Cybuddy, a black hat with a red ribbon tied around its neck, was held close in her free arm.

She hadn't bothered bringing a weapon. If her camera couldn't take care of whatever they faced, than she'd leave the fighting to her much better trained bodyguards. Speaking of...

Rei glanced over her shoulder to look at them. There were a lot of questions and not enough answers, but hopefully they'd learn something] There's no backing out now. Are we ready?

[Ghost hunting isn't quite the kind of hunt Saitou's used to.

Which isn't to say he'd admit to being worried - even if Saitou's found much more to worry about, these days, than he might've had this happened long ago. He was never the kind of person to get much out of ghost stories, but one too many encounters with things that can't be hurt, or things that use someone else to do the hurting...

Well. It doesn't exactly fill him with hope for this entire venture, but Hijikata and Rei are two of the last people alive he'd allow to walk into it alone.

So here they are.]

Yes.

[Look, you knew he wasn't Mister Eloquence when you invited him on this picnic.]

[ backing out of things isn't something Hijikata does, but especially not now when it concerns things he's technically responsible for here. It's not his idea of a good time, but things that need to be done will always need to be done.

He gives a curt nod to Rei's question, surveying the landscape. It's abandoned, but it does seem rather well-kept, which makes it hard to believe it's really completely abandoned. Then again, it's not like this colony is ancient, either and CERES had proved that when directly under the fire of questions they refuse to answer.

In a sense, Hijikata appreciates the bluntness and refusal... then again, it's also piss ass annoying.

Hijikata's Cybuddy stands at his feet, taking a curious look around, ears sharp and twitching with alertness, but otherwise silent. The black wolf pup doesn't seem particularly eager to stray from him, even going as far to be almost hugging his feet and slightly behind him. It looks like it could use being picked up like the cats get to right now!'

Too bad Hijikata is in no bullshit mode right now. It, too, though, seems to display an unusual lack if its normally puppy-esque tendencies. ]

Find us some ghosts, I guess. The hell if I know what we are actually supposed to be looking for.

[Rei shifts her cat, allowing it to take up a position on her shoulder. One hand smooths over her stomach briefly--calm down--and takes a breath.

Where does she even begin? Rei closes her eyes; she'd never had to use her powers before, since in the mansion they had just sort of...happened. Here it was a bit more difficult, trying to focus.]

I can't... There are a lot of voices. I can't pick anything out specifically, so we might have to get closer. [She turns her head this way and that before starting off in the direction it seems loudest. The filament on her camera begins to glow softly blue, and her cat shifts, tense.]

I wonder why they abandoned this place. Spirits don't just spontaneously appear-- and there seems to be a lot. [Aka A LOT OF DEAD PEOPLE FOR SOME REASON.]

[Saitou's own cat likes to hang over his shoulder almost by default; if one weren't already well familiar with the exact drape of his scarf, it might be easy to miss that he's accompanied by a Cybuddy at all. But it's digging its claws into his clothing a little tighter than usual, clearly not liking the place any more than any of them.]

My understanding is admittedly incomplete, but I have been told that reactors are volatile and potentially very dangerous.

[His grasp on why is still hilariously fuzzy, because getting a one-minute crash course in nuclear physics from someone several centuries beyond his time was definitely not the best way to learn these things.]

[ he doesn't have an answer nor anything to really add to the conversation, just willing to consider the idea food for thought. He follows the two of them, though, the puppy scampering after him in an extremely diligent manner.

Unlike Rei, Hijikata can't hear anything, but the atmosphere seems heavy, for some reason, even if not strangely quiet (although he isn't quite sure it's good or bad thing). ]

The reactors-- [She makes an alarmed noise. The name Chernobyl suddenly rings clear to her and she actually flinches. For her, it was only two years ago that that disaster happened in Ukraine and reached world-wide attention.

They wouldn't send them somewhere where they'd be at risk for radiation poisoning, would they??] It might be... Well. [She won't even bother trying to explain it to them--she's an artist, not a nuclear physicist or anything, so her own understanding was extremely limited at best. Rei waves her hand as if to wave off her thoughts.]

Let's just get through this as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay here for longer than needed.

[The voices are starting to get clearer as they go, but she was still having some difficulty in picking out individual ones. Instead she glanced between the two men and made a soft 'hmm' noise.] Thank you both for coming with me. I know you were asked for by name, Hijikata, but neither of you had to accept.

Considering the lengths you have gone to in order to preserve my well-being, I could hardly leave you to this alone.

[There may be worse things than letting someone you've only recently met drink your blood every two weeks, but nonetheless.]

[ he shakes his head. ]

No one should be going at these things alone.

[Her face softens at Saitou's words, her expression fond when she looks at him. It's practically become second nature now to make sure he's, you know, eating properly and not going crazy or overworking himself. It helps that having someone to look out for helps her look out for herself as well. How often has she stayed up too late or gone too long without foo, throwing herself into her work?

She tears her eyes away to look at Hijikata, nodding lightly.] I appreciate it anyhow.

[The voices become clearer and she pauses a moment, tilting her head as if to hear better.] I think they want us to keep going, but... 'the path leads to nowhere.' That's reassuring. [Rei shakes her head lightly.] This way.

You... can't hear them, can you? [She wonders if she looks crazy acknowledging something they can't see or hear themselves.]

No.

[But on the sliding scale of "things that make someone look crazy," Saitou's seen enough shit to place this quite low, and there's nothing in his tone that suggests he's terribly worried about the fact that she can hear things he can't.

...which isn't to say there isn't a bit of worry there, but it's far less to do with Rei looking crazy and far more to do with every supernatural encounter he's ever had ending rather badly.]

[ Hijikata shakes his head in reply, but it's a bit distracted, to say the least. His focus is on other things—because he knows better than to think he's here for any of this mystery solving. It's a strange thing for him, though, even still. Because ghosts and the supernatural may be familiar to Rei but grids and circuits and networks are as still as alien to him as anything else except for the fact he's responsible for it, anyway...

It's one of those rare times he's taking a backseat to making decisions—the only decision he's here for is to do everything he can to make sure they don't end up dying.

He's got a bad feeling, though. The wolf seems uneasy, but in a different manner than the cats, tilting its head in various directions as if watching things moving or looking for something following. ]

[Rei hums thoughtfully and thinks that it's just as well. She'd thought the curse had been driving her mad at last the first time she'd been able to hear the voices and whispers of the mansion.

At least none of the spirits were attacking her here. Yet.]

They're not saying much. 'Never supposed to be allowed here'... This place has to be off-limits for a reason. [She looks wary and vaguely unimpressed] Maybe we should ask Elias for more information. If he sent us here he must know something.

[Hijikata's silence, if anything, does more to make Saitou uneasy than all the rest of this. It's Hijikata's lead that he's always followed and Hijikata's judgment he's always deferred to; Hijikata has never seemed daunted by anything, but when he doesn't offer that lead or that judgment here...

...it's unsettling, that's for certain.]

The more we know, the better our chances for success. I should think that would be reason enough for him to tell us more.

[Reasons Saitou still feels deeply wary about CERES: this.]

[ he gives nod at that. ] might as well see if he will offer anything worthwhile.

[ he isn't sure but he sure as hell doesn't trust any of them enough to be hopeful for anything that will help them. Then again, terms like that are always relative. ]

[Well it's not anything too worthwhile, she thinks, but it's nice to know this place isn't a radioactive disaster waiting to happen. Hurray for not getting cancer?

She closes her device with a mildly frustrated sigh and rolls her shoulders, feeling an ache starting up. Stress? Tension? There's something about this place that puts her more on edge the more she stays; in that way, it's not unlike the mansion, and isn't that a terrible comparison to bring up?]

Let's keep going. I have a feeling we're going to have to get as close to the core of this place as possible before we start getting real answers. Or any at all.

[the voices she's hearing don't seem inclined to conversation--static, stuck in a loop, she thinks. With a new, grim determination she moves on.]

After this, maybe we should reward ourselves with something nice.

[That...isn't promising, but Saitou, as usual, is the last person to voice any complaints. He only nods, pushes forward -

- okay, and looks mildly surprised at Rei's second suggestion.]

Something nice?

[He's not good at relaxing or indulging or any of those nice things, he's going to need a little more than that to get him going.]

[ something nice, huh. Well he'll leave that to the both of you ok. ]

I'll provide any intelligence support I can give over here.

{ if you need to contact Elias about anything/ask a question during the mission just put it here (you can reference the situation by linking the tag where they are contacting him or just make a short description note or whatever suits you)! }

[After deciding to pose some questions, Rei grabs her device to contact him]

Elias, are you there? Do you know why this place was abandoned, or what it was used for? Saitou mentioned something about reactors. If this place is radioactive...

[She trails off, but her tone, normally even and calm, speaks volumes of how cross she'd be with him]

Edited 2014-12-22 08:11 (UTC)

Hm? [ he laughs, knowing that tone ] Easy now, nothing's radioactive unless you're going into the core, I am not that terrible of a guy!

This place, though... [ his tone is quieter and suddenly very solemn. ] had something caged in it that escaped and killed a lot of innocent people just doing their jobs.

[This is the worst date ever, Elias.

She relaxes though at his reassurance--sure he could be lying, but if she doesn't trust him, how can he trust her?]

So the spirits I'm hearing are probably the workers? And I suppose it's too much to hope that the thing that escaped is long gone by now. [Rei shakes her head lightly.] There are spirits here, though. I don't think any of them are the one you were worried about, but they're here. It's a... sad sort of place.

[ he's sorry he's not used to these kinds of things. ]

No, it should be gone. Even if they forged the documents on killing it, it wouldn't have been able to survive this long outside of its incubation unit.

[ a slight nod. ] Maybe it's just guilt that is creeping up on me insisting there's something hostile there.

[Next time try flowers.]

That makes our job a little easier than. [Little does she knows.

Her curiosity picks up at his confession of feeling guilty though. Curiouser and curiouser.] Were you in charge during this time?

[ if only... ]

Nah, I'm not sure who oversaw that area, actually. Might have been one of the victims.

[She frowns thoughtfully and says nothing for a moment, running over what she knows. Any information is good information, and she's a little worried about that 'something caged.']

Any more advice? [She glances away to survey the area ahead, mentally trying to prepare herself.]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I can give you an image file on the thing just in case you somehow manage to find it, if it helps.

[Well, it's something and any little bit helps.]

Sure, I'll take it.

[ attachment: file.jpg.

And I'm a classy girl!!! You're full of something but it ain't love.

]

Oh, cute. [ this fucking bullshit????? ]

Where: somewhere outside the entrance of the reactor.

It's surprisingly easy to think in this state, he's come to realize; easy to let the memories and thoughts flow through him that seemed so impossible to pull forth to bring the emotions when they were needed most.

He remembers the first time Souji, as a child, cried in front of him and clung to him—something small and pointless that he'd long forgotten it in the face of their relationship continuously becoming more strained as time went on. He remembers the first time he complimented Saitou and the expression that took his face as a result—something Hijikata didn't ever think to look back on and realize as significant as it may have been. He remembers the time Sanosuke and Shinpachi were so drunk that all the yelling and screaming and otherwise scolding that he gave went uncomprehended and he gave up only to babysit their stupid asses until they fell asleep—something that was so aggravating at the time and he'd told Sannan as much, but now all it brings forth is their laughter and how honest and happy they seemed. He remembers Heisuke's first attempt to bail him and the others out of trouble and being left to explain on his own and Heisuke coming up with the most complicated and difficult to follow bulllshit—but he'd always been so goddamn sincere like that, even in the face of something like Hijikata's wrath, hadn't he.

He remembers the first time he saw Kondou smile at him (for him, really) and all that follows is the feeling of how badly he wanted to protect that so the other could smile like that forever—for him or otherwise. And even though the pain in his chest isn't the same as the rip in his heart, he finds himself still associating the two. It's suddenly so easy to admit to himself he misses him, that so much of his life was gone now with him even still and that he really needed to stop pretending—

—why is it, though, that the first memory of Chizuru is of her tears, of screaming so loud and desperately that he can't even be sure there is sound at all? Why is it that where all the others bring a relaxing and easing feeling of slipping and falling further into weightless blackness, she brings this terrible reminder of the hole in his chest where blood is still pooling from and why isn't it healing, anyway? Why does shit like this always happen when he needs it to happen the least?

Gritting his teeth, he forces out a sound as he sneers in contempt towards the thing responsible for the injury to begin with and despite everything he digs his fingers inward against the smooth surface of the floor.

That's right, this isn't just about himself anymore. It's past that stage and he can't (he won't) leave her behind. But try as he might to pull himself up or otherwise find the strength to do so, he can't and Hijikata's balance falters as his palms slip in the blood that's already painted the floor.

Letting out a heavy and ragged sigh, he concedes to lying on the floor without struggling for now, trying to right his head from swimming and his vision blotchy. (He hopes, if nothing else, that Saitou and Rei made it, that he didn't just prolong some awful inevitable set of deaths to be executed alone.)

"—kata-san!"

He might think that the voice is from his memory. It has the same shrill, panicked tone that matches the way she had screamed for him whenever he had been injured or she had been scared before.

But not from his memory are the footsteps and the way she has to gasp to catch her breath. The sudden message had startled her out of bed and into motion immediately. If Hijikata needs her help, how could she ever ignore it? Even if this is some kind of trap... even if she can't trust the CERES employees... there won't ever be a time when someone claims that Hijikata is calling and she won't come.

So here she is, breathless and terrified but determined, gripping the hilt of the katana that had once been Hijikata's while Shotsuren stays tucked into its sheath at her waist.

"Hijikata-san, where are you?! Hijikata-san!"

She's getting closer; soon enough she'll be able to see Hijikata and the creature responsible for his injuries.

It's her voice calling for him—trying to find him—that forces Hijikata to open his eyes and make an attempt to try and get up again. Even though he doesn't quite realize until she's much closer that it's actually her and not his mind getting the best of him.

"Chizuru, don't..."

If he was hoping she would hear him, the attempt to give any power to his voice is laughable: it's weak and unfocused but he tries, anyway.

Luckily, whatever attacked him doesn't seem to be around (or if it is, it's made a point this far to leave him alone and lie somewhere in wait). Which is truthfully the fear he has (that it's still around and now Chizuru is at risk while he has a goddamn hole through his chest).

With that creature that had wounded him so badly blissfully out of sight (Chizuru hopes and prays that it will stay that way, but she doesn't know for sure that it will), she's able to make it to his side. Which is to say, she catches sight of him and lets out a shriek before hurrying over and dropping down to her knees.

"You - what did this to you..."

It's probably dumb of her, but she lets go of Kanesada's hilt and reaches for his shoulders. She knows better than to shake him, but she has to touch him and know that he's still there. "You aren't healing. Why aren't you - shouldn't you be healing...?!"

That was the point of taking the ochimizu, wasn't it? But here he is with a hole in his chest and too much blood.

something wicked this way comes.

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after being separated from rei & saitou (for chizuru)

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