//EVENT023.EXE

[reparator]

Who: Everyone + the ghosts of Christmas past the ghosts who aren't the ghosts of Christmas past
When: OOC: 12/16 to 12/23 ; IC: 4/22 to 4/26
Where: All around Cerealia
What: We have some new friends visiting.
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for violent and dangerous situations; please let the mods know if the rating needs to go up or the log needs to be locked!

---

//event023.EXE

The metaphorical sun is shining today -- until it isn't. All of a sudden, there's a creeping sensation up your spine, and the sense that something bad is coming. The day seems a little darker. And those closer to the source who are in their homes in the residential district will understand that sensation better than anyone. The pure of heart throughout the city who have been feeling under the weather lately will suddenly feel a terrible sense of all-encompassing dread overcome them. A loud metal groan will echo throughout the city as once again, the city undergoes surprise renovations. But today it is not what has been keeping the residents in – but rather some surprise visitors who have wanted out. And there's a message on the wind, one that might be heard for anyone who listens hard enough... Murderers. Murderers. Murderersmurderersmurderers.

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 900 ] The peace of the morning in the Residential District shatters just as the wall caves through. It’s a small segment of wall -- no more than five feet across at most. And yet the crash and groan of the metal being stretched is ominously accompanied by the distinct piercing screech of metal and another sound. A raucous noise, a combination of ungodly wailing and sharp, victorious laughter spills forth from the hole left in the wall as a myriad of ghosts and spirits erupt from the newly created exit. Characters with any type of spiritual sense will find themselves nearly overwhelmed by the amount of negative ghostly energy that suddenly floods Cerealia and characters with no sense of preservation will find any attempt to enter the hole blocked by the fiercest of ghosts, met with deadly force if they try to pass, as the ghosts won’t hesitate to do things such as reach straight into your body to try to stop your heart. These ghosts are out for blood, and they don’t seem to stop no matter how you try to talk to them -- they just hiss out, over and over again, “Murderersmurderersmurderers.” From there, the ghosts move on. Their true target, after all, is CERES… but to them, there’s no difference between the character players and CERES. They’ll go for whoever gets in their way, phasing through walls and becoming tangible long enough to reach for characters before fading away again. Characters with special abilities will find themselves in a similar state. Their abilities may increase and decrease in power sporadically, or be completely gone. They may attempt to cast a spell only to find that the wrong spell is cast instead, or an attempt at healing may end up a more dangerous spell. Be careful with your own magical skills! Those with items or powers specifically intended to ward off spirits will still fulfill their intended purposes when used – unless malicious spiritual energy gets to them first. PHASE II [ 1400 ] It seems the ghosts have more tricks up their sleeves. It seems that a not-so-friendly ghost has decided to play a game with you. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing, because a moment later a voice calls out -- Hey. Can you see me? -- and once you turn your head, you’ll come face to face with a surprise. Who is it in this world (or your world, or any world) that you have managed to disappoint the most? A family member? A friend? Yourself? They face you now, eyes full of sadness, and they say, “I need you to do something for me.” Without another word, they’ll turn away and begin to walk. Your vision grows foggy, focused solely on the need to do whatever this person wants – they need you, after all. Your legs move to follow them, unless you manage to somehow resist. But you apparently don’t seem to notice that you’re the only one who can see this person – or that they’re leading you stray toward that monorail track with the sound of the train coming closer, or that busy intersection, or right off the sky bridge. PHASE III [ 600 ] Other ghosts don’t feel like borrowing faces in order to inflict damage. No, they’ll inflict their damage on a far more personal level. They manifest suddenly and without warning – then all it takes is a simple touch. A ghostly hand reaches out to you and it feels like the cold wraps around your heart, and your vision skews, and then... they leave just as suddenly as they came. Those who have been around for awhile may very well recognize the ghosts, at that. But the damage has already been done. Depending on a character’s assigned sense, they will feel one of the following changes: Sight: Hopefully you aren’t in the habit of bending the truth. Dead men tell no tales, they say. But what happens to a living person unable to tell lies? Any attempt at telling any lie or falsehood will cause the character to feel as though their throat has closed off, and they can do nothing more than choke. Smell: The cold passes, but in some way that it never really leaves. And then everything seems perfectly normal. Nothing has changed, right? You're fine -- except that in a short period of time with how crazy things are, it becomes apparent that you're unable to feel pain. The damage to your body is the same as ever, but dangerously, you can't feel a thing. Taste: It would appear as though the ghosts have a sense of humor. From those who rest in eternal slumber, try a few days of being unable to sleep. Everything seems fine at first... but slowly but surely, that lack of sleep will start to take its toll. Hearing: Most others would feel relief once the ghosts left, finally a moment of peace. But you? You don’t feel anything – nothing kind, anyway. Rather, you have been left unable to feel joy. Everything seems either bleak or as though it simply has no emotional impact at all. Touch: How many deaths have been caused in the name of heroics? Apparently in an attempt to keep future casualties down (or perhaps for their own laughter), the ghosts have left you unable to be brave. Suddenly, a situation you'd face fearlessly is one that has sent you running, panic sharp in your chest. These effects will last throughout the event, if a character is caught by them. PHASE IV [ 1000 ] While chaos erupts throughout the city, some of the more misguided ghosts (but still bloodthirsty, so very bloodthirsty) just happened to run into the wrong part of town and don’t know how to give a proper scaring. One ghost seems to think that it was a great idea to possess a masseusebot from the Spa. You’re grabbed suddenly! You fight for your life but can’t seem to get yourself out of its metal grip! With expert precision that only a robot can mange, it finds your pressure points – and releases all that tension from this Incredibly Bad Day. The ghost inside the robot is confused, distressed -- why is this human suddenly so relaxed? It only wants to murder. But the only illegal thing happening here is how good this massage makes you feel. Maybe later you’ll walk down the street and get stopped by the ghost that possessed a balloon dispenser. Perhaps a ghost has possessed the friendly McCERES mascot, and is now handing out coupons with murderous intent. And of course, there are always the hug bots... Look, they tried really hard, okay. Of course... they might end up possessing technology a little closer to home as well, at which point it's not so funny. BONUS [ xxxx ] Hopefully you have friends who have ghost-fighting skills. Or ghost-taming skills. Or ghost-bellydancing skills, who knows, we won't judge them if you don't. But what of those poor people who come from worlds where the supernatural is some weird television show? Worry not, poor souls, for CERES is here to provide! Some time after the ruckus begins, characters will find what looks to be a hand-held vacuum cleaner situated innocuously in their rooms (only one per person, you greedy gus). The logo on the side will helpfully inform you that this is of CERES make, because the paper pamphlet beside your new device? Well, it's more like a picture book. Observe Stick-Man Sully as he uses his vacuum cleaner to capture ghosts! Learn from his stellar example! Do not stick the hose in your mouth or attempt to give the vacuum CPR, there's a big X over that picture. Also of the one where Stick-Man Sully sets his captive ghosts free once more, we don't want that, do we? Your new ghost vacuum should prove effective against any ghastly ghoul that shoots your way, but beware! Should you capture a ghost and not turn in your vacuum to CERES for weekly ghost disposal, your ghost will serenade you in the wee hours of the morning with its song of choice. If you capture a whole horde of ghosts, well, congratulations. You have a boy band living in your vacuum. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's DECEMBER event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will last from 12/16 to 12/23, or IC 4/22 to 4/26. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you!

Comments

ota!

[onerous]

((OOC: Anyone who touches or is touched by Yuri has a chance, at the player's discretion!, for Yuri to access one or more memories (like either one memory or a montage of memories) because the event will be making her mitori powers go haywire. Just leave a link or a description of the memory Yuri sees, you don't have to ask if it's okay or anything, just go for it! Likewise, Yuri might transfer a memory back (just let me know if that's cool) and I'll do the same. As a general warning most of the memories Yuri could show have to do with suicide though!

Your character will be aware that Yuri's able to see the memory and they'll be re-witnessing the memory themselves so have fun with it!))

[Phase I]

[it's a good thing she's used to this bullshit by now. For once she's dressed normally and not in her ridiculous shrine maiden get-up. Small miracles.

Still, she faces down the ghosts with a grim resignation, leveling her camera and holding her ground until the last possible second--at the height of a spirit's attack on her, she snaps the shutter and sends the ghost reeling. As it sinks to its feet, she hurries forward and-- sticks her hand right in the middle of it?? That's normal. She goes still, eyes narrowing in concentration, and then after a moment retreats.

The spirit disappears and Yuri looks don at her hand with a frown. That... wasn't what she was expecting to see when trying to access the spirit's memories, but she didn't expect to really learn all the answers just like that.

Would've been nice, though.

She heaves a sigh and lowers her hand, looking around for her next target or someone in need of help.]

[Phase II: Warning for mentions of suicide]

[“I need you to do something for me.” ] Hi...soka? [Startled, Yuri doesn't even think to resist, following after what she thinks is the woman she knows so well from home.

It leads her to the edge of the sky bridge, where Yuri hesitates on the edge. This... This was familiar. Worryingly so.] Ah, you're not Hisoka. Hisoka... saved me, the last time it was like this...

[But Yuri still hovers there, staring down at the ground below, then up across the skyline. She wavers, uncertain.] Should I...? [Anyone who grabs her has like a 50/50 chance of being subjected to this particular memory (to about 0:45) followed by another quick one; an older woman, her arms around Yuri's shoulders as she holds her back from the cliff.

If you want to die, I'll die with you, she says, her voice against Yuri's ear. You may think that you have no one, but that's not true. You're not alone. I'm here with you, so please, just stay with me. Even if it's just for a little while.

In the present Yuri flinches and squirms as the vision breaks, clearly uncomfortable] Hey!

[Phase III]

[Yuri likes to think she has quick reflexes, but even she's caught off guard by the sudden ghostly appearance of the specter associated with 'touch.' It touches her and her knees buckle, making her drop in surprise, grasping for her camera...

But then it's gone and Yuri's left sitting on the sidewalk, bewildered.]

What was that? Did it do something? [She looks down at her hands and pats at herself, checking for damage]

Phase II? To eventually transition into III?

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee has been sick, but the city is now in chaos. So he has been pushing himself to make his way around the city and help people against this greatest of foes: ghosts?!

As he was aggressively parkouring from building to building, wearing the blanket from his sickbed like a cape, Rock Lee noticed a very alarming site at the sky bridge. It was Yuri... and it looked like she was going to fall.

So, Rock Lee threw himself right at the skybridge with all of his force while continually crying out her name, to come to a landing right behind Yuri, then reach out and dramatically pull her back, with one hand gripping each other her arms. It's probably one of the smoothest rescues her coul-]

YURI-SAAAAAAAAAAA-ACHOO!

[-oh right he accidentally sneezes on her in the process. But he has no time to dwell on that as he's getting lost in those memories he got from her touch. If Yuri's getting some memories too, it can be any random ones from here or WHEREVER TAKE YOUR PICK.]

works for me!

[onerous]

[Well her day could have been worse, comparatively speaking. She got sneezed on, but she could've been a smear on the ground below. That's worse, right?

She's perfectly aware that he's seeing her memories-- and at the same time, she's catching glimpses of his. No nonono, she didn't want this!

The emotions hit her stronger than the pictures she's seeing, particularly in regards to his teacher (the name 'Gai-sensei' comes to mind). She can't feel a connect to what she's seeing, she can't quite grasp that level of dedication and desire to overcome when in comparison she wants to lay down and die most of the time. But the gratitude and respect Lee has towards Gai...That she can understand. It's not too far off for what she feels for Hisoka. Though in different ways, she gets the feeling Gai and Hisoka saved them both.

Ah, she didn't want to see these things, but it certainly explains somethings, allowing Yuri to see him in a whole new, much better light.

How pathetic she must seem in comparison.]

Lee-san-- [She wrestles control of her mitori power, forcefully pulling herself from his memories and expelling him from her own. It's a lot more effort than it should be thanks to the spirits or whatever making her powers go wonky, but she squirms in his hold.] Let go! I'm not-- I'm not jumping...!

I

[yourotherleft]

[Zoro has no idea what's going on but he's pretty sure he just saw that girl take a photo of a ghost and make it disappear...]

How'd you do that?

[onerous]

Hm? [Yuri glances over (and up, wow he's tall...), tilting her head as she acknowledges him]

Do what? [Oh wait. She looks at the camera, then the spot where the ghost was.] Oh, er... It's a special camera. Do you know what a camera is?

[LOOK SHE CAN'T BE SURE ANYMORE...]

ii!

[adornmental]

[It doesn't take long at all for Kashuu to bond with people, contrary to what one might assume about the nature of a sword. He may have only spoken to Yuri a couple of times, but her stilted social awkwardness hasn't done a damn thing to put him off, and he already considers other spiritually-aligned people to be allies of a sort. So his reaction is natural - natural because he'd do the same for pretty much anyone, but moves especially quickly once he recognizes the person dangerously close to the sky bridge's edge. He dashes out from the building he'd been running through, taking the steps two at a time.]

Yuri! Get away from there! [And just as naturally, he's reaching out to pull her back--

He thinks that more than anything, the overwhelming loneliness is what he'll remember most of this memory that he knows he shouldn't be seeing. The sky and the ocean seem too vast sometimes, but in front of that blood-red sun with no other human in sight, the emptiness is almost crushing. That voice is unfamiliar too, as is the person speaking, but... he thinks he can hazard a guess as to who that is. A very important person, right? Maybe someone's most important person. Those words are a lifeline, he feels, even if he's not entirely sure that they make this scene any less lonely.

There's a little stumble as he pulls her from the edge, but in the second he keeps his hand around her wrist, the scenery of the memory shifts. Instead of the sky, it's the dark roof of an inn. Cries of battle surge up, but it's strangely muffled, like Yuri is listening from somewhere far away. The floor is scattered with bodies, glass, trampled lanterns. Inside of a room with broken doors, a young man coughs blood into the palm of one hand and holds a sword in the other. Kashuu is kneeling next to the tip of the blade - separate from the sword itself and lying on the floor - with both of his hands at his neck. Blood seeps through his fingers; he says nothing, but his eyes are wild and terrified as he looks up, over toward the window and the full moon shining through--

Kashuu pulls away like he's been burned, but then darts forward again, still concerned about the great drop down.]

I'm— [Sorry, for one, but first things first:] Let's go - let's get off the bridge, okay?

[onerous]

I-- [Her mind feels like it's spinning and she can't tell which way is up. She wishes she could say a scene of blood and fighting and terror in some way scared her, but it only brought a resign, 'ah this again' sort of feel.

His memories, she realizes in horror. Dying? Could swords die? There had been so much blood. She has a phantom pain of her own throat being slashed, a vague memory of a memory, or living someone else's death before and in her head it gets muddled until she's not sure if she's dying or the other girl had been dying--

Fuyuhi. Ah. That's what it reminds her of. Fuyuhi staring t her silently and bringing the blade across her throat.

Yuri tears her eyes away from Kashuu as the vision clears and her hands tug briefly against him because for a moment she wants nothing more than to fling herself off and end her horror. Not because of what she saw, but that she saw it in the first place--and because she's perfectly aware that he knows what she's seen, and that he's seen her own memories and why did this have to happen to her?]

I... [She takes a step away from the edge, her hands tightening on him as she clings and trembles at how close she's come to doing that again.

When they move away from the edge she still can't look at him] I'm sorry. [A whisper, but it's like a dam broke and the words come in a babble] I didn't mean to see- I didn't mean to show you-- It's not supposed to happen like that, I don't know why I couldn't control--

Phase II! A-and warnings for mentions of blood and kinda body-horror sobs....

[oneirism]

[It's Mitchell that spots Yuri first at the Sky Bridge, as him and Lapis make their way around the city to try to help protect people from the ghosts. He's quick to bring Lapis's attention to her, and it's only a matter of moments before they're up on the bridge, Lapis running towards Yuri as she steps closer and closer to the edge. Sheer worry and panic prompting her to call out as she gets closer to the other girl, and for one, the emotions are clear in her voice.]

Yuri, no - ! [There's no hesitation as she reaches out for the other girls arm to try to pull her back. But Lapis was unaware of how certain parts of her abilities aren't working as they should, and the mental barriers she had up was one of them.

The memory she sees hits her hard - the pain and loneliness something that she's known, and still knows. But that person and the words she says... Even if they aren't towards Lapis directly, they're a comfort to hear, and for a moment, she thinks of her sister. It's then it dawns on her what she's seeing, and she's about to pull away, feeling as though she's seeing something she shouldn't, but she lingers a second too long.

For Yuri, the memory she sees seems fuzzy and dark - there's a feeling of being dislocated, that she's not where she's supposed to be. Lapis, or her body anyway, is oddly still beyond the stray, unnatural twitch before it starts to move towards an older woman - who resembles Lapis - and a few others as they watch in a mix of distress and fear, the movements almost sickening in how the joints bend and move audibly. Lapis's voice soon calling out, not from her body but from somewhere in the darkness.

No, stop! Stay away from them, don't hurt them! Just get out of me! No, no, stop it - ! Then her voice cuts out, everything going black as if she simply faded away.

But then another memory follows. Lapis snapping back to consciousness, in her body again, only able to look in a daze at the blood steadily soaking the front of her clothes, (the growing pain in her abdomen the oddly reassuring indication that it's hers) as her sister cradles her, sobbing while sounds of the others panicking echo around her -

- And then Lapis quickly snaps her hand away, panic filling her as she realizes what Yuri just saw. Dread starting to mix in, though she forces herself to calm down and to focus on what's happening now - but her voice is shaking when she speaks.]

... Let's... move somewhere safe, okay?

[onerous]

[Her head feels like it's about to split open, but Yuri holds herself steady to avoid tumbling over when Lapis snatches her hand back again. Ah... She can't quite make sense of everything she saw, but she can pick up the context clues well enough. Lapis was possessed and hurt people, right? Yuri's seen things similar to that before, but she knows how it feels to have people see the ugly things you try to keep hidden.

She steps away from the edge a few more steps, her movements sluggish and numb.] I... [Her voice sounds weak to her own ears and she hates herself for it, fingers curling into fists as she forces herself to focus] I'm sorry. [For seeing what she wasn't supposed to, for Lapis seeing that memory... She wishes it could've been a nicer memory.

She wishes she could think of a nicer memory that could've replaced it.

Yuri moves robotically towards the doors leading back inside.] None of that... That wasn't supposed to happen... [She figures that goes without saying, but she needs to say something that isn't "I'm sorry" over and over]

III!!

[dishevelment]

--A 'ghost,' it seems.

[Koumei's tone was unconvinced as he knelt down to help the strange young woman. Ghosts and spirits were a thing that was beyond his understanding-- it was in the realm of the Magicians and the Magi, no one else. But factors like that didn't matter in this city, and Koumei found himself reminded of his two youngest siblings at the sight of her.

There couldn't have been much difference in age between them. They were all young people who were barely on the threshold of adulthood, a period that was trying for everyone.

He held out a hand for her to hold on to with a small smile.]

Here. Let's get you on your feet-- we'll figure out if anything happened while we walk.

[The young woman might catch sight of a delicate young man with braids in his bangs or a shy but spirited young woman with an ornate pin holding her hair back as she held his hand. They were indeed close to her age, but it was clear that their lives were far from untarnished despite their smiles and their youth.]

[onerous]

It was different from the others... It had tentacles, didn't it? It was stronger too. [She's not sure why she's saying all that as she stares at her hand, slowly curling and uncurling her fingers. It was definitely stronger and different than the puny spirits she'd been fighting until now.

Yuri glances up, surprised at the offer of his hand, and she regards it with a worried look. Was it okay? Refusing would be rude, but ultimately probably safer; but if she refused, she might have to explain and that'd be even more awkward. But if she touched him and she saw something, that would be worse, right?

--Belatedly she realizes she's taking a few seconds longer than necessary to make up her mind and making the situation worse because of it, so hastily she grasps his hand and pulls herself up.

She catches sight of both siblings, brief flashes that has her blinking. They're pretty, she thinks. Family? Yuri, aware that he's probably seen what she did, tilts her head and tries to pull her hand away, embarrassed.] ...Sorry, I didn't mean to...pry... [Awkward.] Those were...siblings? [She could feel familial ties to them that weren't her own, liking lingering from what she got from him.]

ii!!

[retorter]

[ It doesn't take long for Souji to recognize Yuri. He doesn't actually suspect her of wanting to jump at all, but it looks like she's speaking to thin air and she's also in a prime position for any possessed robot to throw her over the edge, so Souji quickens his stride to get to her first. ]

You're just asking to be pushed off standing around like that, you know. [ Ever the gallant rescuer... He doesn't wait for her to respond, just reaches out to grab her arm and haul her back from the edge. ]

[ And then he's hit by a vision? Hallucination? Memory, but it can't be, because he's never seen that cliff or woman before, but before he can realize that it's Yuri's memory he's propelled through one of his own. His memory is as brief as hers. It's just the image of a room empty except for Souji, who's curling his fists in bedsheets and trying to endure the pain wracking through his entire body. Souji who's trying to ignore the dull, craving ache in his belly and throat, and ignore the singular desire pulsing in his veins for blood, blood, blood, blood. he needs it, he really wants it, but he can't because he's terrified that if he does, that if he drinks a single drop -- ]

[ Souji's grip breaks as soon as Yuri flinches and squirms away from him, and he takes a step back as he tries to understand what just happened. ]

-- What the hell was that? [ there's a strained edge to his voice that wasn't there before, but whether it's from seeing Yuri's memory or seeing his isn't too clear. one thing's for sure, Souji's being a tad more aggressive than is warranted at the moment. ]

[onerous]

[She stumbles, but thankfully keeps herself upright, clutching at her own arms in a desperate half-hug as she tries to sort everything out. It's always difficult peeling her own memeories from someone else's. It had been difficult enough when Miu had turned the tables and forced Yuri to relive her own terrible memories and she'd spent a few minutes sitting in her room picking through what she saw.

She didn't have minutes here. A craving for blood claws at her stomach, a phantom pain there and in her throat (burning, an urge to cough and cough) and she looks at Souji with wide eyes. She's heard stranger things here and her mind races with possibilities.

Unfortunately, Yuri's pretty sure Souji is just the right amount of aggressive. She did, after all, just totally invade his mind. But her eyes dart to the side, to the all-too tempting edge, and she flinches and turns away from it.]

...Let's get away from here first. Please. [Her voice is raw, harsh and she shudders] I'll explain, I promise.

two!

[dmails]

[Okabe is following his own specter here: a girl with short black hair, dear Mayuri, asking him to 'do something for her.' He's abandoned her, by being here; he's failed somehow, and allowed her world to be destroyed. So of course he follows, like a man desperate and blind, chasing after redemption he desperately needs.]

[When he sees a woman at the edge of the bridge, the spell shatters like glass over his vision.]

[He reaches to grab her - it's almost reflex at this point, seeing her standing at the edge of the bridge and juxtaposing it with the image of Mayuri he'd seen the moment before. (He can almost see her fall, in his mind's eye.) The minute he touches her shoulder, she will in turn see this memory; she will see the blood seeping from Mayuri's wounds, nearly feel the electricity of the time leap machine through his scalp as time warps around his consciousness.]

[And he stands there for a moment when he's dropped from the suicidal memory, eyes wide and visibly nervous. How many times he had thought of that, in the aftermath of--]

[onerous]

[Her head feels like it's going to split. She stumbles backwards and to her knees, mind ripping itself from the memory and the pain.

She can't say she understands all of what she saw--a dead girl she--no not she, this man--cared for a lot. Dead. Leap? Time-- Time travel?

Ow, her head hurt. Her eyes dart to the familiar (unfamiliar, familiar only because she was in his mind for that short time) man and then away.] I... I'm sorry... [She doesn't know what else to say. Sorry that that happened, whatever it was. Sorry that she entered his mind like that. Sorry he had to see her own secrets? Maybe all of it, even if 'sorry' seemed too small a word to encompass all she wanted to say.]

ii? If this isn't ok let me know ;;

[isolophobia]

[ It's probably not very far to fall before Yuri is plunked across the hind withers of a Nightmare. Hope you didn't have a heavy breakfast, Yuri. Though you had best get off your belly and find your seat quick, because this is a wild ride.

In point of fact Pitch was actually not concerned with Yuri at all. He just happened to be passing under the skybridge at the right time. This thing moves strangely too, but there's nothing wrong with gravity when it goes from galloping on thin air horizontally to galloping on thin air vertically. ]

Still keeping that fear close I see.

it's fine!

[onerous]

[She can barely remember stepping off. Was she pulled by Hisoka-that-wasn't-Hisoka? Pushed? Or had she taken the step herself? She doesn't know, doesn't want to know, and her heart is pounding in her chest.

She sits up and then hunches down--this isn't a bike, she has no idea how to sit on it, but she stares down at it with open awe. A black horse? Shadow horse?? Her hand moves anyhow, petting it uncertainly, but she flinches at the familiar voice, trying to look over her shoulder for the source.

For a few moments Yuri says nothing, not sure what, exactly, to say in the face of that] It's not a fear you let go of so easily.

[She looks away, ducking her head and closing her eyes to avoid the stinging wind caused by the horse's movement.] ...Thank you for saving me. [because at least she was still alive, even if she was already fairly convinced that death was cheap here.]

phase 1

[heiwana]

[ Unlike Yuri, Kousetsu is always donning his priest robes. It's just how he rolls, tbh. But he does see her and come over to her after she's done...preforming whatever sort of spiritual cleansing on that spirit. He recognizes her from working at the shrine, so he knows that she's good people. He looks tired and slightly ill, but he's pretty good and forcing himself to work.

Either way he's definitely on guard as some ghosts shoot past them, his hand going to his sword hilt. ]

...it is not safe here. You are not...harmed, correct?

[onerous]

[She looks up, tense at first, but slowly relaxing as she recognizes him.] Oh. [His name, she knows she knows it, sure she's heard it from her time around the shrine, but it's not coming to mind. Damn.

Still, he looks... not good. Yuri's brow furrows in concern] I'm alright. I can handle something like this.

But... what about you? Do you need to sit down and rest a moment?

phase iii

[abhors]

[ Kogami's been on a never-ending patrol every since this whole ghost business started. Things are getting worse each day, he's witnessed some while he heard about others, such as people losing control of their powers, machine possession and illusions of the dead (all things that he believes by now). Whatever is happening to the colony, he's certain that it's not safe for anyone to be alone - especially outdoors (not that people are having much luck indoors either).

So when he sees the familiar girl just sitting on the sidewalk, his police vehicle comes to a screeching halt as he rolls open the window. ]

Yuri - are you alright?

[onerous]

Kogami-san... I'm al-- [Well. It's not a complete lie, because physically she's alright. But she's confused and a little scared and frustrated by not having any answers. Apparently that counts enough as a falsehood because she squeaks in alarm at her throat suddenly cutting her off.

She presses her hands to her mouth until the brief coughing fit passes, her brow furrowed in confusion.] I'm fi- [Another coughing fit and Yuri just looks more bewildered.]

...I don't know what's happening.

II then leading to III

[keep_hope_alive]

[It should come as no surprise that the moment things went south, he'd show up. Black coat, silver mask, and all. Spirits have been a subject he's had interest in for a very long time, and if given the choice, he'd want to banish them peacefully. But clearly that's not going to be the case.

They were mindless, and if they weren't, they were broken. Broken and angry with no regard who they attack. They needed to be stopped but, this is the first time he'd have to actually have to fight one a ghost...or a thousand ghosts.

He'll worry how to do that later on, as he saw Yuri near the edge of the bridge and immediately wasted no time in altering his course. Leaping off well timed bursts of air, he lands on the bridge just in time to grab her arm and pull her towards him.]

Stop. Can't have you turning into a pretty stain, can we?

[onerous]

[She yelps in surprise, tensing as her back collides with his chest. Her entire body freezes and then shivers, like she's coming out of a daze.]

I-I wasn't going to jump. [it's a weak-sounding defense, especially in the face of the fact she totally looked about ready to step off. She twists her head around, surprised despite herself (the voice had been familiar, after all).]

Mr...Cerberus?

II

[digiteyesed]

[Ene is absolutely going to grab anyone she sees trying to die, nobody is allowed to follow those ghosts words! Even if this girl is a stranger, Ene can't just leave her there once she spots her. She surges forward, wrapping her arms around the girl and trying to drag her back.

The rush of memory is shocking enough that she freezes, confused what's happening, but not letting go. Yuri will get her own vision of a memory, although Ene's reaction to death and solitude is different. She's full of fury and determination to carry on, even if she's alone now and lost everything she refuses to give in. She's seen that happen to too many people, and she won't allow it any more.

That's why she bites back again here, shaking herself free from the haze of memories and yelling back at Yuri.]

D...Don't 'hey' me! You just said yourself, that's not 'Hisoka' or whoever, right? So you definitely shouldn't!

phase II take 2 MOTHERFUCKER POSTED BEFORE I WAS READY

[spes_phthisica]

[The feeling of reeling vertigo lasts for a moment after the memory fades, not least because the edge of the bridge definitely still feels like a looming threat. Even so, he holds on to the girl's arm as respectfully as he can manage, standing so that he can make the best use possible of his not entirely impressive weight.]

Sorry to do something like that without your permission. But were talking to someone who wasn't there, and I thought... it must be one of those things trying to make us hurt ourselves.

[He glances over his shoulder with a shudder as if half expecting to once again find Yamanami there.]

It almost happened to me too.

[There is no "almost" about it. Even if he was saved from killing himself, the experience had opened up a wound inside his mind, and it feels like it's still happening. The sucking sensation of depth from her memory spills over into his, as the world plunges into freefall at the sight of the bambo sword in Yamanami's hand, the look of naked horror on Hijikata's face, the heartfelt sound of loss escaping Kondou, the blood spilling over his own hands the sword through Yamanami's back his smile his words what has he done what has he done-

A shiver runs through him, as he forces himself to not reel from the force of the memory, forcing it back down.]

Are you alright?