estoria | ( mini-plot post: open to all )

Entry tags:

( mini-plot post: open to all )

Who:

jawdacity & all of cerealia!
When: towards the end of the event (so this won't conflict with any event threads you may already have going). 2-3pm.
Where: Abandoned village + surrounding jungle
What: THERE ARE EXPLOSIONS. And mushrooms.
Rating/Warning: Possible NSFW for gore?

Details about this mini-plot HERE

"World of Loudening Screams" (Watch on YouTube)

(theme song of this post, courtesy of

moribound.)

[ it's another muggy, meandering day in the jungle; nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. ]

IN THE VILLAGE

[ if your character is near the center of the village, they'll bear witness to the curious sight of a herd of shuffling mushroom beasts. in terms of threat level, to the experienced hunter they may have ranked low on the scale: slow, lacking an external fang or claw, they seem to be interested only in their endless march forward.

but, if your character is close enough, they may catch sight of a red-haired young man, a manifesto of anger written across his face. one breathless moment, the calm before the storm, and then he hurls a metallic pair of gloves at the closest beast, the gloves trailing arcs of flame.

what may strike your character first is the searing heat, the thrum of the earth below their feet. the whole village is demolished in a moment, the dying cries of the beasts rising above the din. the explosion lasts much longer than it should, the line of mushrooms going up one after another.

if you're too close, you might be torn in two. you might lose a limb, or two, or three. you might go deaf, you might lose your sight. you might lose all your eyelashes, your clothes. maybe the bag of mushrooms you'd collected for dinner is now little more than ash.

keep running. the smoke trails into the air. someone is screaming. the smell of charred meat follows you even after you disappear into the jungle. ]

IN THE SURROUNDING JUNGLE

[ if your character is close enough to the village, they'll feel the blasts, one after the other. the jungle is on fire, quickly spreading. maybe you'll hear the screaming, too; maybe your lungs will fill with smoke. maybe you'll run into one of the last mushroom beasts, fleeing from the explosion only to trigger a lesser one in the depths of the jungle.

it came from the village, didn't it? maybe someone you love was swept up in the explosion.

if you manage to escape the stampede of terrified jungle beasts (some of which may stop to crunch you up as a quick meal as they dash away from the blast), maybe you can venture closer to see what's happened.

or maybe you should get as far away as possible. ]

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Somewhere away from here.

[Mars keeps her voice level and steady, already kneeling down beside Tadashi's body. It's not even a question that needs to be asked. She'd have carried Hiccup's body too, and Grell's, if Toothless and Namur hadn't deal with it.]

I'm fireproof, Hiro, you're not. So, come on.

[And without another word, she scoops up Tadashi's unmoving form, holding it as gently as she can, and turns away.] The river is probably the safest place. We'll find a place for him there.

[Well that's true. Neither Hamada is fireproof and when Mars picks Tadashi up like it's no big deal he finally gets to his feet, immediately darting past her toward the direction he thinks the river is.]

If we get him away from the smoke we can figure something out. [They have to. He's going to make things different this time. He has to.] Come on. [He's making quick work to blow out of the village and into the jungle, assuming Mars can keep up as he follows the sound of water and heads for the river he'd first examined upon arrival. It won't be long before he stops by the riverbank, looking at Mars expectantly.]

There's gotta be something we can do for the burns.

Right. We'll get him clear. [Mars follows, keeping pace and carrying the body as tight and securely as possible, and once they do finally reach the riverbank, she lays it down in a patch of sand. Meeting Hiro's gaze is hard, but she does, expression softening as worry for his safety turns into worry for his sanity.]

Hiro...[She puts a hand against Tadashi's neck, checking for a pulse and finding none.] The burns are too severe. He's...already gone. I'm sorry.[Shaking her head, she braces for an explosion.]

[He takes off his helmet finally now that they're away from the smoke and flames, immediately dropping onto the ground next to him and hovering over the body like he doesn't want to believe that. They're code. There has to be a way to bring them back online, right? Think, Hiro, think. Code can't really die. Everyone who'd died in the raid…it was because it was too damaged or they couldn't be saved in time, right? If he works at it he can buy time and fix this.

He'll snap back soon enough, but this…is pretty hard on him after everything. He hears the words, but he's still staring at Tadashi. It's quiet for a few long moments as he lets that sink in…and then he lashes, smacking the older Hamada in the shoulder.]

This wasn't supposed to happen again! [It's not so much Tadashi did anything personally, but god help him if he finds out where Rin's gloves came from. There's another smack like it'll jar Tadashi out of playing dead or something before there's a frustrated cry, helmet being flung hard into the river. It floats for a moment, not quite being swept away.

That doesn't make him feel much better.]

Why…[That's pretty much all he has to say, hands curled into fists and eyes trying to burn holes through some of the trees. Not cool, world. Not cool.] He's not supposed to die here.

[It's a hard thing to watch, to feel that anger rolling off of Hiro. She's putting pieces together, though. This isn't the first time, and it definitely puts to rest the feeling she'd gotten from Tadashi...that he was hiding something. He was dead, and this was the second time for Hiro now. And she doesn't really know how to handle that. He's just so angry, and she's really so bad at this.

What she does do is shift back into her human self, and reach out to take Hiro by the shoulder. Her hand, still unnaturally warm, squeezes it tight, the pressure of a friend to a friend. Words...aren't easy, and the elude her for a long, tense moment.]

Hiro.

[No honorific, not now, even when she's not Mars. He doesn't need to be treated like a junior right now.]

He wasn't. But he'll return.

[Her voice remains steady, now that words are coming.]

That's how things work in this place. It's awful, and I'm sorry...but Hiro, you'll see him again. [Stepping in now, she pulls him away from the body, spinning him and pulling him into a tight, unrelenting hug. She's not good at this, and she's mentally freaking out a bit, but this is all she knows how to do. And even that is just because of Usagi.]

I'm sorry, Hiro.

[Back in their world, Tadashi had run into the fire no matter how hard Hiro tried to stop him. The act cost him his life and changed Hiro's forever. The first night without Tadashi was without a doubt the worst. He hadn't cried, and he hadn't lashed out like this, but he'd scribbled so violently in his journal the black permanent marker bled through to other pages and his eyes remained dry and itchy as he continued to stare at the partition across the room, pulled back enough to see the empty bed.

"Tadashi's gone."

"When will he return?"

"He's dead, Baymax.

"Tadashi was in excellent health. With a proper diet and exercise, he should have lived a long life."

"...yeah. He should have."

He's not expecting the hand on his shoulder. He's expecting the hug even less and his first reaction is to try and push away, a feral sort of noise stuck in the back of his throat as he's pulled away from Tadashi. With his back to his brother and caught in a hug he didn't ask for (but probably really, honestly needs) he stops squirming just enough. He can't look at her, but he can at least talk to her and try to sort things out.]

When people die here, they get sent somewhere to get their code fixed, right? Kinda like when it corrupts and they send people into the Nexus. What if they decide his code's too messed up to come back? Mosley told Tadashi that both of us have been here before, but it was a long time before they let me back out of the Nexus. [They're potentially irrational thoughts, yes, but as much as he doesn't usually think about it Hiro's still fourteen.] I don't know if I can do this again.

[It's only been about a month since Hiro arrived in Cerealia. A month gained with his brother after a few without him only to have him slip through his fingers again. It's awful to think about. More than anything, it just hurts. It makes his chest ache and panic bubble slowly in his stomach as he realizes more and more just how familiar this scenario is without Tadashi or Baymax.] I can't keep losing them.

[Rei won't force her hug on him, but she will continue to hold his shoulders unless he starts to get really pushy. But when Hiro relaxes enough and stops wriggling, she stands there and listen to him talk, just...taking that in. Death is hard, it always is, even for someone who's seen as much as she has. It's definitely the irrationality of it all that makes her even more sympathetic. Because as mature as Hiro can be, she does recognize that he's still young.

Softly, she hums and just lets him talk, and when he's finished, she takes a deep breath.]

Hiro, when people die here? They return in a few days. It was the same with everyone who passed on the raid. I counted three days until I felt Toothless' presence again, though I've heard it happening in as little as one, and as late as a week.

[Rei pauses, giving his shoulders a little squeeze.]

I highly doubt that the pattern, which we've observed repeatedly, will alter in this instance. Think about it, Hiro? Use that logical brain of yours. Do you really think a pattern would change just like that? Don't think of what-ifs. Think of facts, observations.

[Yes, she's appealing to the super-genius's logic. It's all she can really think to do.]

And even if he does take time to return? Then you'll be fine. You can keep going. Because that's what Tadashi-san would want. It's not like you'd be going it alone, either. You'll have friends to support you, and he will come back.

[Another beat, a deeper breath, and she shakes her wrist, freeing the strand of prayer beads around it. The wood clacks in front of his eyes, and the tight hug renews.]

I have faith in that, Hiro.

I know…I know. [And he does know. He knows everybody comes back, he's spoken with a few of the guys who died on the raid and have come back. Logically, of course he knows they all come back. It's hard to pull himself back into that frame of mind though, especially when all this has done is kick him back to months ago to the night of the expo where he'd been just as helpless and let Tadashi slip through his fingers.

Rei has a point though, and she's actually fairly smart to appeal to logic and fact than emotion. He needs both, truthfully, but right now logic is curbing him to calm down a little and really think about what's happening. When he speaks again, it's more calm.]

…I know. [It's almost funny to him that Rei's talking about patterns when this, too, is a pattern. "You have friends to support you." "Is this what Tadashi would have wanted?" "If you remember them, they aren't truly gone." He knows he'll be fine because he's already lived in a world without Tadashi. He knows he'll be okay because there are other people. It's still hard to swallow around that when it still hurts, possibly more the second time than the first. He notices the beads and blinks suddenly like he's finally back in touch with the conversation and he's half-tempted to bat at them like a cat before realizing that's not appropriate. He doesn't return the hug, but he leans in anyway because…well, she's still right.]

Sorry for…all of this. [He's more subdued and less hysterical at least, even if his eyes shift to look back at Tadashi again.] I guess I just didn't think this would happen again. What're the chances, huh?

[She'd had a feeling that logic would be the way to go. It's cold, calculating, and there's no room in it for freakouts. As much as she wants to appeal to emotion, it's a lot like with Ami. You do what you can and tailor your efforts to the other person's preferences.]

It's alright, Hiro. Really. Everyone needs something like this sometimes. No matter who you are.

[Still holding on, she leans further down, arms rubbing his back for a moment before at last she lets him go. And starts fiddling with the prayer beads around her wrist, undoing the clasp while she talks.]

The chances of it aren't terribly low, honestly. There's a lot of danger here, in Cerealia. It's subtle most of the time, but the jungle is deadly dangerous. And...whatever set that fire? Is just something outside our control. But we have a pattern, and we know he'll come back this time too. [Since there's no need to say that she's worked out what happened in the past. Hiro's clever enough to know she'll have worked that out, she reasons, and calling attention to it? Is just not a good idea.

Still, with the beads undone, she reaches out and takes Hiro's hand, re-clasping the circlet around his wrist without waiting for a reply.]

Here. I want you to hold onto these for me. Until Tadashi comes back. Just like I promised he would. Think of that as my guarantee, okay? They're enchanted, they'll help keep you safe until you're reunited.

[He appreciates it, Rei, really. Even if he's still a little awkward about it. It's easier for him to watch the beads come undone from her wrist as he monitors her movements, eyes not leaving even as he answers.]

I meant the chances of him dying exactly the same way he died back home. [There. He said it.] I kinda thought maybe I'd be prepared for that and...turns out I wasn't. [He clears his throat though. He opens his mouth to say something else but suddenly the there're prayer beads around his skinny wrist. He knows they'll be protected under the gauntlet at least but he's busy watching them sway on his wrist for a moment.]

...are you sure? What about you? [It's a stupid question probably, but now that he's refocused he's back to wanting to make sure she's taken care of, too.]

Ah. [That explains a lot, particularly his reaction. And Tadashi's too, at the fire she'd generated around him once. She can only imagine.]

I'm fine, Hiro. And I'll continue to be fine. I can transform if there's any difficulties, and my friends are here. The goddesses of Love, Wisdom, and War. I'm as safe as I can be in this situation. The beads? Will do you more good than me, right now.

[Really. It's just that simple as far as she's concerned.]

["Ah" is right and he gives her as lightly remorseful look. That is precisely why he was freaking out and now that she understands...well, it doesn't exactly justify his crazy behavior but he feels a little less bad about it. It's hard. It's always going to be a little hard no matter what.]

If you're really sure about that...[He's keeping them close.] I'll give them back as soon as I find him. I promise. I know you can transform into Mars and everything but be careful anyway, okay? I don't want to find out that we've lost more people later.

[He trusts her to be okay, but this has increased his paranoia about losing people. Sorry Rei.]

I promise, I won't die, okay? If something can kill Mars, Venus, and Mercury? Then we're in a lot more trouble than just the jungle. Seriously, don't fret about me.

[Rei's smile widens just a bit, eyes softening into what she hopes comes across as reassuring.]

But you can't go haring off into the jungle alone, either okay? My enchantment will only protect you so far, and there are still dangerous things out there.

[It works. It works because he's allowing it to work and he's allowing himself to act his age and rely on someone else. He knows Rei will be fine. He doesn't have to worry about that. But there's a sheepish grin.]

Right...okay, no more disappearing on my own. [Unless absolutely necessary, but he's not going to add that part.] ...think it's okay if I just stay here a while until his body's gone? Then I'll head back to where everyone else is. I promise.

That's fine. I should get back to helping take care of people who might need it. I'll be back to check on you periodically.

[And with a shimmer, she shifts and Mars is darting back towards the inferno.]

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