yogen | MISSION 1

[ When Kazuki confirms to him basically there's nothing to save, Meng Yao concludes he's stating basically stating that he needs to be killed. Maybe Kazuki has given up hope he can be what he used to.

But also as far as he's concerned, he's a being who now also doesn't like to give straightforward answers, and would do what benefits him.

...In the end, a liability. He glances at Shinobu and Luci, before back at Kazuki. ]

Then what you are saying is that there's nothing that can be done, is there? "Kazuki" can't return to being a teacher, like he used to be?

...and don't you dare just walk away!

[ Just for the sake of ease, y'all can assume after everyone asks their questions (if others have any more!!) he is going to try to get right in front of Kazuki and slice his mask in twain.

Emphasis on try and people are free to try to stop him but also why would you. ]

[ Meng Yao needn't work so hard to be in front of him, because at the mention of the word "teacher," the gardener whips around to face him. ]

The binding wasn't to—-

[ The blade catches the crack and splits the two halves apart, the porcelain shattering irreparably when it hits the ground, and the face that stares back at Meng Yao...

There are no eyes that stare back, sockets empty and scarred with shredded lids, the skin and flesh and even bone around the eye sockets heavily disfigured by gashes upon gashes dragged from eye to ear as if gouged out by claws, or by fingernails. In the shattered pieces of porcelain littered upon the ground, one of them may notice broken markings on the inside of the mask where it'd pressed against his forehead, may recognize it as a binding seal— one that, now broken, starts to smolder with black smoke that bursts forth and envelops the gardener and forces the transformation to that monster form that snarls and howls and towers over them.

Amami asks why he never attacked. Masked, bound, the man could be a gardener, a teacher, a person who tends to his tree and watches the days go by. Not an option for him anymore.

Meng Yao vc: arson ]

[welp

The moment the gardener starts to transform, Clamor reaches forward to yank Amami back by his shirt, and if Gundham is close by he's also getting yanked over. They are both getting out of swiping range and into the protective bubble, he's had enough of this shit for one day.

He nods to Lucifer, Meng Yao and Shinobu—leave the fighting to the fighters. He'll make room for them behind the barrier if needed, but his focus right now is on keeping the kids safe. Good luck with arson.]

( this is just to say that amami has been successfully yoinked back, and after the initial surprise passes, he's not looking too happy about it. he'll be obedient and quiet while he braces himself for what's to come, lips drawn in a thin line as he shoots meng yao in particular a frustrated look, but like, what's he gonna do about it? think about the choice words he's about to have for meng yao once they get out of here, he guesses. plain ass useless ass human ass.

anyway apparently arson time will not be stopped. )

[ ...The moment the shift happens Meng Yao realizes that he fucked up. He's become far used to resorting to violence more often than not, even if he can't even say that this place hasn't been slowly eating away at his sanity. But when he receives that look he feels he deserves it. If he was going to screw up he should've ensured Kazuki was at least completely dead instead of a threat.

He just accepts responsibility for his actions, hopping onto the sword, and flying up so he's around the rear end of the creature.

But since he's likely to be striking first, he'll utilize a fire talisman...followed up with an explosive one, hopefully to debilitate it further. There's enough mass in the first place that he can ensure that his allies won't get caught up in it, not to mention there's the barrier. ]

[ nooooo please, the mask was going to fall apart anyways. Meng Yao was just speeding things along, and he gets the first strike in because of that, fire erupting and catching the monster in its flames, bones of its mask reflecting the glow but in those sockets there is nothing but the deepest darkest black.

Claws lash out, scraping Clamor's barrier and slamming on the ground, and the monster raises them again— and digs its claws into the ground, holding itself within the flames and screaming all the while, a talisman bursting against its side, its limbs, its face, it crouches and holds on. ]

[Well folks

You know it

You love it

The only spell Lucifer apparently uses,

One (1) binding spell, aimed in particular at those claws so that maybe Clamor has to expend less effort against repelling attacks. Barriers only hold for so long where Lucifer comes from, after all. And, besides, if our clawed buddy swats at Meng Yao, that won't be good either.

Lucifer has approximately one use as a support caster.]

[ Amami: the lore!!!
group 1:

The binding spell brings the monster down immediately, without resistance, the monster lying flat on its side barely able to raise its head but it struggles enough to look at Meng Yao, to turn away and bare its throat. ]

( all these short-term ass thinkers... who will think of the lore!!

anyway, the strange behaviour doesn't escape amami's notice. all he can think of is the way kazuki had been in that garden, curled in on himself with his hands over his ears, the hollow feeling of guilt in his chest, and it's seriously stressing him out. he's not stupid enough to think he'll accomplish something by jumping out of the barrier and trying to play hero, but he does look to clamor, reaching out to grip other's arm if he doesn't notice amami. the look in his eyes is serious, urgent, and if clamor's gaze lingers he'll indicate kazuki's restrained form with a nod because. idk if the others are making noise and amami doesn't know if kazuki gets a choice in the matter of attacking people who do.

but whatever. clamor, you're the thousand-year old elf with magic, you're the spirit expert, so do something. put a wall around kazuki, cage him in, cut the others off, whatever — anything. he knows clamor didn't want to hurt him in the first place, this is their last chance to step in before someone takes this opportunity to learn anything about what they just saw for good. )

[It's hard not to catch on with how the creature—how Kazuki—is acting. This isn't a rampaging beast trying to kill them. This is...

He feels a hand on his arm, and Clamor tears his gaze away from the scene to look at Amami, eyes pleading. He doesn't have to say anything... he knows what he's thinking. And the sensible part of Clamor's brain says it's a terrible idea, they should just let this happen and sort out their regrets later, they've already made too many mistakes, it's too late to fix things now...

But he's never been a creature of logic. Clamor sighs, deep and weary.

The barrier ripples and fades... but after another moment of focus, of redirecting and shaping his magic, a fresh wall of light springs up between Kazuki and Meng Yao, dividing them. He'd like to surround Kazuki completely, but that would really be asking for too much... he'll have to settle for a wall to match the beast's height, wide enough for their group to stand behind safely. Lucifer's bindings should be enough to make up for the rest.]

This fight is already over. So talk. [he sounds exhausted in more ways than one, and he won't be chiming in any further for now. he's got a barrier to maintain.]

[ The monster roars from the other side of the barrier. It can't talk... It can't change back to talk, not like this.

Also it's probably a bad time for this but bits and pieces of Kazuki's situation were found inside the school, drawings and talismans and the fact that he was a teacher, once upon a time. ]

[ ... Okay, well, that is something that just happened.

When the creature bears its throat, Meng Yao hesitates, and then before he can think of doing anything else, the wall is up.

It's never quite a bad time for those things; though speaking of talismans, he did happen to have one of the binding talismans still saved, which he'll take out. He does jump down from his sword and properly sheathes it. ]

Edited 2021-08-26 00:03 (UTC)

[This is my response to say that Lucifer is here to let Clamor lean on him as needed because Clamor is tired and Lucifer is a ~~gay~~ stupid bird.

Other than that, he's maintaining the binding spell and he's not thinking about attacking, just kind of staring at everyone else like "please let this man die you're just making everything worse", not because he's wanting to show mercy for Kazuki or anything but more because he wants to go to bed.]

[ For all that Shinobu resents him for what he’s put them through, Kazuki is still… something. A living being. Whether he’s human or demon or something else entirely, she’s not sure, but she’s let that black-and-white binary dictate what she should do for too long.

What would her sister do? Kanae would reason that it wasn’t his fault, she thinks; maybe his hand was forced, she’d say, or maybe he was just scared. He never meant them any ill will. She purses her lips and frowns thoughtfully. ]

I don’t think he can. It doesn’t seem as though he’s much longer for this world.

[ She takes a step forward, wordlessly volunteering herself to do what she thinks has to be done. What else is there for them to do? With his voice pained and his throat bare, Kazuki’s practically begging for them to finish him off. ]

… I can put him to sleep.

( y'all are seriously testing his patience today. it's different — he gets that. the way her words come together, it's more like an offer to put him out of his misery than to make him suffer for any supposed threat he could pose. amami still doesn't like it, though. he gets it. he gets it, but it's been a whole minute; even if it were painful, if it were him, he'd still rather go out knowing that the people who did this were willing to make an effort for him, rather than having his end decided because of one rash decision made without even having the full picture.

he gives an extraordinarily big sigh. )

Sorry, but can you hold on that? ( god he is so tired. exhausted. he sounds it. ) I'm not going to say you can't do it if it's necessary, but you're all so quick to give up on things. I think it's clear we've misjudged him, so we owe Kazuki-san some consideration at least in this.

( cool your jets!! well, not that he can stop you, as has been shown. anyway, he'll shake is head and set his hands on his hips. )

That mask, you all saw how he tried to keep it from falling apart... This is our fault, so making him pay for it shouldn't be our first resort.

[ While everyone is sort of bickering and mulling over what the heck to do, Gundham is going to carefully step forward to the bound being. Now he truly knows why he was so fervent on trying to keep that mask up.

Gundham... is going to try something. Kazuki himself is not an animal, and he doesn't mean to call him one, but the beast form definitely seems akin to something similar. Gundham has been around animals for so long that he's learned to pick up on their personality and just guess what they're thinking based on very keen intuition. He's going to try to ask a yes or no question. ]

Will us binding you properly let you speak once more?

[ Gundham certainly didn't waste his own talismans either, he definitely has at least an extra. If Kazuki agrees. ]

[ He doesn't know. It's uncertainty that Gundham picks up, uncertainty and rage and guilt and sorrow all muddied up together like his fight isn't with Meng Yao or Lucifer or any of them, it's with himself.

He was bound once before, with that mask bearing that marking on the inside that allowed him to lock up what part of him was the beast. But, evidenced by the forest group, that binding was incomplete and the slaughter that followed isn't one by a being who didn't mean it, but rather the actions of a monster drunk on the thrill of the hunt, biting off chunks and leaving the rest so it can chase down another and another and another, unsated.

They think to bind him to what? And then what?

They're not the first people who've tried. ]

[Everyone seems to have calmed down... and, more importantly, Kazuki hasn't made any other violent moves. So after a moment of cautious staring the wall of light fades out, and the only thing keeping Clamor standing is Lucifer. The book stays open and glued to his hands.

He doesn't know anything about this binding stuff... so he's just going to chill for a minute here and regen some mp.]

[...

.........

..........................................

picks Clamor up

Carry on doing shit, bind is still maintained, Lucifer thinks y'all are wasting time.]

[ He definitely picks up Kazuki's vibes. Unfortunately they are not good vibes. ]

Hm. He's... fighting himself. He doesn't know what to do.

[ He thinks on the mask, and all of the talismans. On "binding" and how it needed to be complete before silence wasn't a problem in the library. Perhaps whoever did bind him did it improperly before. ]

Perhaps, there is a way to bind him properly. I sense that his bonds were not complete, prior to this. There is a chance to save him from such a life of blind carnage. Elsewise, we do have the option of subduing him permanently. But, there is something I wish to know first.

[ He turns back to Kazuki. ] You have fought very hard for quite a while, haven't you? To keep your humanity. Tell me, have you come so far to give up now? Or, do you wish to keep fighting for a chance to regain yourself?

[ Gundham's really out here telling Kazuki to believe in himself.

There is no immediate answer he gives Gundham. There is the same doubt, the same guilt, there's exhaustion and hopelessness and underlying all of that is resolve. It never was him wanting to die or he wouldn't still be here. He just didn't want to cause harm; there would have been no way to cause harm, whether he manages to get a hold of himself or not, if only the students would stay indoors. ]

I think we should give it a try.

( amami is watching, has been listening since gundham first spoke to the beast pinned down to the ground, and even if he's not as intuitive as gundham, he can still notice the absence of change. if gundham says this is uncertainty, then it's continuing, and this... isn't really the kind of question where you can take a "maybe" as a "yes". )

If it works, Kazuki-san will be able to stay, and maybe he can even help us figure out more about why we're here. If it doesn't work, at least we know he won't fight us on it. I don't think there's anything to lose in trying.

( if he wanted to die, he'd have just chosen to die. the fact that there's hesitation at all, in amami's opinion, speaks to the fact that it's only fear of the consequences of living that holds him back. if they can bind him successfully, the way that kazuki had said that they might be able to do, then maybe it doesn't have to come to that.

chose hope, kazuki-san. choose lore route. )

You mean complete the binding?

[ ... ]

The mask that he wore had a binding talisman on it before, so whatever we use likely would need to be large enough to fit another one of those on it.

[ Or...well, yeah. ]

Edited 2021-08-26 04:45 (UTC)

[ He is!!! Believe in the me that believes in you!!!!!

Gundham hums for a moment, in thought. Listening to Amami's words, and the intention in Kazuki. ]

...Very well. If you do have such a resolve to keep going, then also put forth that resolve into believing that there is a way to help you.

[ He turns back to the group. ]

We need a binding talisman and a tether.

[ Considering he uh, snapped the other one in twain. ]

Edited 2021-08-26 04:55 (UTC)

... It would be easier if we had more than an empty void to work with.

[he's kinda sprawled out in Lucifer's arms rn but Clamor is still here. he's paying attention.

if they cant fix the "empty void" problem tho, guess its time for everyone to empty their pockets. what junk is kazuki gonna be stuck to next.]

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cw: eye... stuff

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lucifer looks so damn pleased with himself in that icon i'm losing it wolfie

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