yogen | MISSION 1

Entry tags:

MISSION 1

Participants: Hanako, Amami, Clamor, Lucifer, Meng Yao, Shinobu, Gundham
Location: Courtyard
Date: 08/07

(ooc notes: I will state any possible content warnings in the subject line of the mod response when it comes up. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please tell me so I can back off and refocus the thread.

There will be no tag order~~, and a mod response will come after at least 6 player responses OR the next day, whichever is earlier~~. Please note this means that if you're absent for a day or more, the thread will move on, but I will pace things so that people aren't missing large plot beats.

For this mission, characters will icly split into two groups, and there may be an opportunity to remix groups later in the mission.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Meng Yao frowns a little. ]

...You are sure about being bait, then?

[ He's just going to check in with him on that, and then he'll look back at Luci. ]

I should hope it'll be that easy, but I agree that it's likely to be much more difficult than that, and we should be prepared in the event that it is.

[Clamor........ has a broom.

And a spellbook. And the broom is floating, so hey, he's not entirely outclassed over here. He's already frowning at Hanako's little introduction, though, glancing at Amami with Concern.]

I'm not really a combatant, but I know enough about protective spells... just stay close to me, okay?

Anyway... we should at least try to resolve this peacefully. We don't know if this gardener really is dangerous or not. We should at least hear him out before jumping to conclusions. [maybe... he could be a friend?? he sounds nice enough...]

[Nooo Clamor, Lucifer wants to Kill. :(]

In this place? I doubt that's the case, though it is a rather lovely plan. I'd like to strategize a bit before we throw ourselves out there, however. Meng Yao is right in that this is likely to be more difficult than a few simple spells. In which case...

[Red eyes roam around the group before settling on Hanako.]

You seem to know the most about the situation. Would you care to enlighten all of us, so that an effective plan can be created?

( ah, so meng yao's a fighter then is he? that's interesting to note. though amami won't interrupt hanako if and when he speaks up, or anyone else for that matter, he still offers up a sheepish look to clamor and meng yao, followed briefly by a quieter reassurance. )

I appreciate the worry, but I'd feel better about this if you guys had more confidence in it too.

( this will really only be as dangerous as y'all let it be for him, right? )

[ There is always talking with the gardener, and Hanako supposes he owes this to him because he hasn't seen the man attack anybody, nor heard of him doing so. But he throws a glance Lucifer's way when he's addressed, letting go of Amami. ]

Plan? I was thinking something like some people drawing him out, you bind him and I stab him!

[ Easy peasy.

But maaaaaayybe a little more than that, because otherwise he would have just made Amami be bait and asked for nobody else's help. ]

That, and... I'm positive there's something here that gives the gardener his strength, or that binds him here. If we can find it and get rid of it, he'll be much easier to get rid of.

[ Gundham finally speaks up from his corner of the room, arms crossed in thought as he listened before speaking. ]

Hm, yes... Some sort of tether that keeps him stable within this realm. Perhaps it should be so that multiple teams should cover different tasks. Some may draw the beast out to keep him busy, and others must break the tether to weaken him in order for an effective strike to be dealt.

Edited 2021-08-06 05:03 (UTC)

[A tether? Hmm.]

... I wonder if he's trapped here the same as we are. [and it reminds Clamor of something Nene brought up once, about how empty this place is... there are barely any spirits around, so why is the gardener here?

but anyway, spirit magic is his specialty, so he's damn well gonna try to take the pacifist route first... please try to reel your murder instincts the fuck in, he's lookin at you hanako & lucifer.]

[He will not reel in his murder instincts dammit, he wants to be the alpha demon and that guy is encroaching on his territory or something.]

A tether would be an interesting theory, yes. Have we any means of testing it or locating said anchors, however?

If he's bound to it, or it's giving him strength, he would probably be pretty attached to it. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the wisteria tree.

( he's a gardener, right? keeping the grounds? what would he be more attached to in this school, literally and figuratively, than that? )

Yashiro said burning down the tree wouldn't be a good idea... I kinda promised her we wouldn't try it if there were other options.

[ Hanako was an advocate, but, you know. This is also an option, I'm just saying. ]

[Well if Nene doesn't want the tree to be harmed they're not fucking hurting the tree, Nene is Lucifer's daughter, he found her in the hallway??? His now.]

Let's exhaust all other options first, in that case.

[Can you say "biased"?]

If we’re going to pick teams…

[ Shinobu pulls her sword free from its sheath with a ‘click,’ then holds it out like it’s time for show-and-tell. ]

My sword was forged from a unique steel that makes it especially effective against demons. To that end, I believe I would be best suited to fighting with the gardener directly. Does anybody else have anything that might be helpful?

[The demon™ has noted the sword™.]

I have both the powers of creating hexes as well as breaking curses, and I can summon imps to back you up if needed. To that end, I propose that I be in charge of binding the gardener. I could also very well augment your weapon — a hex pertaining to whatever element you feel you may need can do well.

[Listen Obey Me canon is waffly on magical limitations, which means Lucifer and I do what We want.]

[Clamor is also making note of that sword, thanks, please don't stab the demon...]

I'd like to be there to try and talk to him before you all start picking fights. I am a spirit specialist.

[though uhh he does still have a question about that] What is it that has everyone so suspicious of this gardener, anyway? I haven't spoken him myself, but I've seen him around. He seems harmless enough to me.

I think being "bait" means I can't really contribute much else than trying to talk to him, so that decides it for me. We'll probably need a separate team to deal with the tether too, if we can figure out what it is.

( anyway, minato's words got him feeling kinda bad about being on team kill kazuki, so he feels like he should at least try on that front. that aside? )

I can't speak for the others, but the things he said when I spoke to him didn't quite add up. On one hand, he said he wasn't trying to get inside the school, and on the other, he said that the doors glowed with a light when he came too close to remind him to stay on his side of the boundary.

( so like, which is it man... do you want in or don't you... )

And if he can’t be reasoned with?

[ Shinobu can count the number of demons not totally hell-bent on slaughtering the human race on one (1) hand. If Rantaro died—no, if anybody here died because she put her trust in the wrong demon, she’d never be able to forgive herself. ]

I’m not comfortable with unnecessarily putting Amami-kun in harm’s way. We need to be prepared for the worst.

If he cannot be reasoned with, we put him down. I think Clamor's words are worth heeding, and I think Amami brings up an interesting point as well. It seems that this entity cannot make up his mind about if he'd like "in" or not. Does anyone know if he's been violent in the past?

[Lucifer still wants to Kill, but... logic has to win in the end, unfortunately.]

Can't make up his mind? Or rather, he doesn't feel the need to be honest, for whatever reason that is. I have not heard of him being violent, but that hasn't convinced me of any benevolence or malevolence either way.

It'd be wise to be cautious interacting with this being and though negotiation seems to be the first tactic that we'll attempt, if we believe taking care of the tether will weaken him then that is a valid option.

[ Meng Yao hasn't been convinced either way. If he feels at any time it's going to be best to kill the gardner? He'll kill him. If it looks like talking will be fine, he'll stay his hand on his sword.

Spirits who look the way that it did haven't been ever indicated to be benevolent in his world, as far as he's concerned, but he's going to at least do his best to be polite. He is just less people-pleasing right now when lives are at risk in a potential fight. ]

Back in my world, I am known as a cultivator. Part of the expected duties of a cultivator by the people is to deal with any wayward spirits, whether that would be peacefully or by force if necessary. To that end, my attacks would be effective against spirits in general, or if need be dealing with other supernatural matters would be fine as well.

[ He has also been practicing and doing his best to work on his cultivation since he's gotten his sword as well as spiritual power back so he's definitely ready for whatever job he can do to assist. ]

It seems from what I've heard so far is that we do have two individuals assembled for ready to speaking with the spirit and two on standby for fighting. Though in regards to the tether, we'll need to have that settled as well. Were we going to have three groups of two? Or was it going to be two groups of three? If the latter, we should ensure there is a fighter with Amami and Clamor.

Should we assemble into three groups, I shall undertake the task of finding the tether. I am also quite adept at creating seals of protection, so should you need such a charm, I will lend my assistance.

[ Gundham, like Amami, was mostly less equipped to handle a battle face on with such a spirit (as much as he likes to believe he can fist fight it. And I mean, he has gone toe to toe with a 250-pound robot before.) Besides, there are people already in the group with the proper tools to dispatch the Gardener. He knows there are more skilled hands at work, and is intelligent and wise enough to know he doesn't want to get in the way.

What he could do, however, is point out potentially magical objects and tethers! Outside of animal care, Gundham has studied the occult both on his own, and in the unofficial club they have at the school. He is very confident in his searching efforts. ]

If we break into only two groups, I will leave the fighting to those more well equipped to do so at this current time.

Edited 2021-08-06 15:18 (UTC)

It sounds like we have two people who can act as front-line fighters. I myself have combat experience, [and a whip! and I did not forget he has a whip this time,] but I believe my role would better be suited to be support, as higher-level hexing spells can be arduous to cast if I have to focus on combat at the same time.

[He's rusty. It's been a few hundred years since he was involved in a war. Even then, military stratagems were Leviathan's task, not his, and Beelzebub was a more effective front-line fighter than Lucifer.]

I would rather break the groups up into two groups of three, as there is greater strength in numbers. I'll be going with whatever group Clamor is assigned to.

[Bro.]

Looks like this group is pretty popular. That makes four people who want to talk to him, doesn't it?

( that accounts for more than half of their group, which seems a little much to amami. )

Though, this was Hanako-kun's plan to begin with. Rather than two groups of three, or three groups of two, I think we should be accounting for seven people.

Well, I suppose this way there is at least one combatant on each team.

[ Which is what he was a touch worried about earlier. ]

Though it may be a little unbalanced as it is.

[ He'll defer to everyone's judgment because he is Flexible in terms of where he can go, so!! ]

I am not unopposed if we are splitting into just two groups or if it's more. But either way, I believe this means I will be accompanying Gundham on locating the tether. And of course, whichever group Hanako decides to come with is his own decision.

Edited 2021-08-06 19:52 (UTC)

[Clamor looking a little confused/embarrassed for a minute because this is the second time now Lucifer has been weirdly protective of him?? what did he do... he's not been doing that poorly with the hexing lessons, has he?]

I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know. [citation needed] Still... it'd be a good idea to have someone else around in case diplomacy fails. I can protect Amami, but I can't hold up a barrier indefinitely.

Do we know what removing this "tether" is going to require? I think that's important to know before deciding who goes on which team.

[ Hanako has a sword, do you think he's up for talking? Still... He's a mediator and a protector first and foremost, no matter how distrusting he is of this school's supernaturals that aren't his supernaturals, the ones that he knows. ]

I going to be out there when you guys talk, but I won't interrupt unless the guy gets violent. [ He's just going to be there for both ig ]

As for the tether... It should be his most prized possession. Such thing is called a "yorishiro," which grants a supernatural their power, and if this guy's able to form such a strong barrier that's able to keep me out at first, he's gotta have something like that.

[ Basically Tether Team's got to butter the gardener up, find out what he treasures, and destroy it. ]

[ The more they learn, the more complicated a task killing the gardener proves to be. Fortunately for them, putting together elaborate plans is Shinobu’s specialty. ]

I propose that we split our operation into two parts. First, those of us who wish to parley with the gardener should also see if they can glean any information regarding the whereabouts of this “yorishiro.”

Once we’ve reconvened with them, we can continue with the second part of our plan. How we should divide ourselves into groups will depend on what information we can gather, but I agree with Clamor-san: we should have at least one warrior per party should things go awry.

Does anybody have any objections?

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