may missions

[adsum]

Who: Alice Yabusame, B.B. Hood, Childe, Dito, Himeko Inaba, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Nene Yashiro, Noah Ebalon, Rantarou Amami, Rio Ranger, Shin Tsukimi, Sou Hiyori
What: mission time
When: May 20, 2000
Where: various
Warnings: tba.

(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. Note that there will be references to violence and murder.

There will be no tag order, and a mod response will come after at least 4 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.)

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clock tower - bonnie, dito, hiyori, ranger

[adsum]

[ At midnight on the 20th, the sound of turning cogs and the ticking of the clock grows louder, then comes to an abrupt stop. The hands continue to move with the time, but no sound will be heard. It will no longer chime on the hour.

There have been notes appearing in the clock tower for some time now, the boards pulled up by someone, messages that seem to appear without rhyme or reason. Requests for help, hints and suggestions, but anything of real value seems to be lost in translation, scratched out and burned off and leaving those who view them to find the hidden message. How many of them were written by those those recently lost, and how many were found?

It's impossible to say, but there's one message in particular that should have drawn attention. It's like a little riddle, or perhaps a number sequence:

"Twenty four, twelve, zero."

There's only one time at which the day can be said to be all of these things at once.

Time marches on. ]

EXCITED TO BE THE BOSS!!!!

[antitoxin]

Twenty four, twelve, and zero! ♪

[ he repeats off the message on his pda, and then he's handing the slip over to ranger, he'll do better in keeping things safe compared to how animalistic dito can be (in only caring about his weapons), and bonnie portrays herself as the young and cute individual with a sunny personality, but a nasty bite beneath. there's no need to make her carry the message when she has a basket to hold onto, and midori is just a considerate guy so thoughtful of women, a feminist. ]

Anyone want to take a guess, you can only offer one answer.

[ why are they all at the clock tower, well, isn't it odd for it to stop so abruptly? his eyes do glance over the massive clock nearby, and then to dito who he's going to choose out of random because he just doesn't do well staying in once place. ]

Except you, I have a better job. [ with a smile, midori holds up the pda in front of dito's face so that he can see. ] Go inside the clock to see if there's anything clogging the wheels, it's always exciting to learn new things, Dito!

NOT U THE BOSS i'm happy for him

[rearranger]

Midnight.

[ A single word with no explanation, though he takes the slip for safekeeping. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out the connection from there.

It is odd that it stopped so abrupt, especially after making so much noise... But for it to be making such a commotion, there must be something of interest in there. That aside, it's better than waiting for someone else to fix the problem. If they don't, who will? Still, he seems content enough to let his coworker take the lead on this one.

The time of night makes communicating a hassle though. ]

[necrophily]

[ as always, it's exceptionally annoying that they can't say jack shit as soon as the clock hits that time. yeah, sure, midnight. that doesn't tell dito anything except for the time of the clock's untimely interruption. he's standing there with his hands behind his head, not really taking this seriously as he sees midori typing a little too much on the pda. he's not doing that shit.

although it's not doing him any favors when midori's pda is in his face, and dito's narrowing his eyes at the message directed toward him before ultimately bringing a hand down to nudge the pda away. he opens his mouth, as if he's about to bitch about something— ...only to close it a second later as he remembers it's futile to even try. god.

he's not sure what the point of all this is. but if the hands are still moving, he can follow that it's definitely something obstructing the inside. given the size of the clock, it'd have to be something bigger too, yeah? dito's thinking about this, and considering the last time he found something in this clock was very, very fun, he supposes it won't hurt to check it out. even though he's not doing this out of any desire to fix it or anything. hell, isn't the entire mechanism of the thing behind rock-solid glass?

whatever. he'll toss a hand up in a dismissive wave as he makes head toward the inside of the clock to investigate. hopefully! it's something good! ]

[dokkans]

[ She was more eager to let others deal with the riddle aspect. The idea was fun, but it wasn't interesting enough for her to really care much about it. Midnight, then. It does make sense, but it's still practically worthless unless they can figure out what the hell "midnight" has to do with anything.

Honestly. Just zap the damn thing already and let's get on with it. She wishes she could say that, but no sound comes out-- frustrating.

Perhaps feeling a bit antsy, she holds her hands behind her back, looking between Midori and Dito before deciding to hover a bit over the latter's shoulder. Curious, curious... ]

[adsum]

[ It is behind rock solid glass. The clock face blocks all entry to the inner mechanisms, and it would be difficult to pull it open with the way it's set into the tower.

But it is possible to pull at the hands that tick along and the numbers along it, and closer inspection will reveal the numbers that are attached into the clock are thicker than the surrounding decorations. They press against the metal rings around them, but they don't seem to be attached, and a little twisting and pulling would reveal that it's possible to remove them. Moreover, the clock hands and the numbers are the only pieces of the clock face that can be moved or removed. ]

[antitoxin]

[ look at them working together, he's enthused enough as he stands right beside ranger as his eyes remain attached to both bonnie and dito. they're quite small, so maybe they feel a kindred spirit, or bonnie's just opting out on what's easiest to investigate.

the silence is annoying enough as he clicks on his pda, showing it to ranger. ]

If they don't find anything, we can simply change the clock's time!

[ manually, that is, but who should they leave that to? dito, obviously. he's already getting his hands dirty. anyway, it's just an idea due to everyone being at the clock tower, and the note reading 24:00, 12:00, and 0:00 all being the same number depending on how it's read. ]

Want to take a bet on who comes to that idea between Bonnie and Dito? I have 12000¥ on Bonnie, she's a dark horse!

[rearranger]

[ Hiyori and Komaeda both have the same penchant for letting other people do the heavy lifting after they've already figured out the answer. Still, Ranger supposes it'll only cause more problems if there are four people trying at the same task - the only thing that will accomplish is somebody getting knocked off and cracking their skull open.

Tap, tap, tap... ]

They'll both get it.

[ The silence really is annoying, actually. It's going to be impossible to communicate. ]

The broken clocks in the student store are supposed to stop the silence for awhile. You think it's the same for this one?

[ He gestures vaguely to the clock tower. That is to say, maybe they can bypass the silence if they crawl in there. It's wishful thinking, but it'd sure make things easier. ]

mirrors - amami, inaba, ishimaru, shin

[adsum]

[ The world seems to be slipping more and more as time goes on, the barriers becoming thinner. Those who wander too close to mirrors have found themselves grabbed by ghostly hands, pulled against them, but up until now they've been easy enough to shake off. If not that, then one can at least make an effor to avoid them.

But it's impossible to avoid them forever, and at some point during the day Himeko Inaba, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Rantarou Amami, and Shin Tsukimi will all make the mistake of passing by one. Perhaps it'll be because the reflection catches their eye, showing some time and place that nonetheless seems familiar and nostalgic, or perhaps it's an effort to another place. One might even be brave enough to try and investigate them.

Why it happens doesn't matter, but the moment they stop for even an instant they'll find those hands reaching out and grabbing them. The grip is too tight now, impossible to break, and the movements too quick to possibly break free from. They'll be pulled against it, pulled against it, and there's the feeling of being pulled underwater as they're pulled through it.

Where they arrive is a room decorated in gray and silver, what they are greeted by is the sight of themselves reflected an infinite number of times in the surfaces of the room. The room might pass as a mirror image of the counselor's room, if not for the fact that the furniture, walls, ceiling, doors, and even the floor are all themselves mirrors.

Time marches on. ]

[notsosou]

[Something's been up with the mirrors... At this point it's clear it's just going to get worse if something isn't done, but reacting just in time to dodge a spectral hand hit the limit of Shin's willingness to investigate in that direction.

They're easy to avoid in some senses, and difficult in others, especially given Shin's penchant for cleanliness. It was only for a moment, stopping at a flash of spring green out the corner of his eyes, an unfamiliar empty room with the edge of someone leaving it and a crumbling ceiling... he blinks, and that's too much time. Cold hands below a familiar silhouette reach out and have him by the arm, the scarf, and he's as incapable of fighting the pull as he was against Maple, getting sucked in and drowned with a cry.

He doesn't know why that feels familiar, if off, as well. The sense of disorientation lingers when his feet once more settle on floor, not helped by the myriad reflections of himself scattered across every available surface, like he was smashed apart on landing here.

He shivers, drawing his scarf up to his face and hunching in. It's so cold, it feels like it's gone down into his bones and stuck his teeth together.]

T-this again...

[High-alert stress fights up against the pressing urge to find somewhere to curl up and sleep. Is there a smell of vanilla?]

[sisters]

( amami is brave (read: stupid) enough to investigate them, and frankly, being dragged into one is probably about what he deserves. it isn't like he didn't see the signs coming — antagonism building over time as the reflections continued to twist and alter, and at least once he's found himself with his back pressed against the mirror as he struggles to shake off whatever it is that's tried to pull him in now. so there's a habit now of not turning his back on them, but even so, a moment's hesitation is all the time that's needed for him to stumble face-first instead when an icy grip wraps around his arm.

so he makes his way into the room with a stumble, bristling like a cat and quick to straighten himself out once his balance realigns.

sharp eyes sweep over the area, taking in countless reflections as he searches for the figures that are casting them. he pauses in recognition when they look over shin, sizing him up and down, and it might not be immediately apparent that his intention is to check that the other isn't injured when it comes to the impassive expression he wears. doesn't look like it though, so he'll let himself continue on. whether it's shin who answers, or someone else, it's probably important to establish first: )

You're not hurt, are you?

( he's not, so like, he's hoping they aren't. )

[moraloutrage]

[After his experience with the mirrors last month, Ishimaru had been trying his best to avoid them when he could. The only things they were bringing him were bad, both physically and mentally.

But today, when he tried to stride past a mirror, he made the mistake of glancing at it. It had shown a reflection that seemed to contain a familiar sauna, billowing with manly stream. It drew him closer, made him hesitate just long enough to be grabbed and pulled right through!

Within the mirror room, Ishimaru grunts softly and rubs at his arm as he tries to process his new surroundings.]

Ah... [And he sees the familiar faces surrounding him, including a pair of green heads.] I- I am unharmed. What of the rest of you...? What... is going on...?

[dereban]

[Sometimes it's a blink and you'll miss it sort of thing; at least, that's what it was like for Inaba, who only saw heartache through the mirrors: empty, familiar places that could only remind her of her hometown of Yokohama and the upset of seeing it so barren.

She had to constantly remind herself that it wasn't real--and even if it was, it wasn't her Yokohama.

It wasn't her home.

It wasn't the place where she had learned that there was more to life than seeing things in black and white.

It wasn't the place where she has professed her love--

So on and so forth.

But of course, as someone who considers herself normal, having hands grab at you certainly was not expected, nor was it something that she could think could happen to her.

And yet, here she is, in this predicament. Of course, the natural course of things is to look herself over--both physically first (making sure that her tallies are still the same as when she last saw them) and mentally (by checking to see if her phone even works in a place like this to use as a light, too) before groaning and collecting herself.

She also brings her hand to reach towards her magatama pendant, trying to clasp her hand around it as if it were a lifeline.

Breathe in, breath out. You're not alone, Inaba Himeko!]

Could be better. [To put it bluntly.] Could be a hell of a lot worse. It's just us four?

[adsum]

[ Fortunately, no harm seems to have been done to any of them. The group has the same amount of tallies that they started with, and there's no immediate danger present. If one ignores how unsettling it might be for some to see their reflection on so many surfaces at once and the chill in the air, it could pass for a normal room. There's no smell of vanilla, nor does the room seem to have any particular scent at to it.

There is, however, a red light reflecting off of the surfaces. It's faint, but visible. Once the group has gathered their bearings, they can try to locate the source if they'd like. ]

[notsosou]

[Rantaro's searching, suspicious gaze... Shin can't meet it with his own. There's a unique soul-twisting horror to re-meeting someone you know you didn't leave a good impression on... who saw a side of you you didn't want even yourself to see. He responds after Ishimaru does, in answer to both.]

Just a little cold, ahaha...

[Passing through the mirror was like an ice shock for him, but the chill in the room is making it hard to warm up. He notices Inaba clutching the pendant around her neck, attention drawn by the flash of the phone light, a flicker of knowing.]

Looks like... There were four of us last time, too. We're in some kind of mirror dimension...

[This is all his confidence in the mental comparison he's drawn speaking. If this is like then, then 'a lot worse' is possible later. He's slamming the thought of less making it out in a mental drawer, keeping it as a hitched tightness underneath his diaphragm. He pauses, pensively staring at the very shiny counselor's desk, and then starts digging in his pocket.]

Those of us who have phones... Should we swap numbers, in case we're split up?

[He's making an effort to pull together, despite the crawling mortification and creeping fear. He still has Rantaro's old one, but he hasn't sent anything to it after his death, oscillating between scrolling back through it searching for any sign of what he was thinking or it being too painful to look at upon coming across it... more the latter, lately. He doesn't know if Ishimaru has one.]

[sisters]

You have mine, but let's try to avoid that if we can, shall we?

( unfamiliar, supernatural territory — this isn't his idea of somewhere that he'd want to leave the rest of them by themselves in. his attention returns to linger on shin again at the clarification of where, exactly, he supposes they might be, but that alone doesn't offer much to work with. more questions, but the only one of any immediate concern is voiced once he decides he's satisfied with the shaken, but seemingly unharmed group that's landed in here. )

I suppose that means we can't expect to get out the same way we came in though.

( which is more of an observation for confirmation than a question; if they could be split up, then the mirrors they came through must be one-way entrances.

he'll let the others decide if they'd like to swap numbers, since his is already in the mix. instead, he takes the opportunity to better sense of the situation overall. with a few steps towards the mirror he's pretty sure he'd been pulled through, amami leans towards it to inspect the reflection for anything that stands out: making sure that his own reflection looks back at him, for one, and trying to identify where each mirror in the room begins and ends. if he can locate a general direction for the red light, great! if not, at least he might be able to pin down the context he needs to compare this room to the counselor's.

experimentally, he taps a knuckle against the surface. knock knock, is whatever pulled him in here home? )

void - alice, childe, nene, noah

[adsum]

[ The barrier between worlds seems to grow thinner and thinner with each passing day, and those who walk about the school have no doubt noticed it. The shadow figures are almost tangible by now, pieces of the school disappearing and reappearing. Those who are unlucky enough to take the wrong step sometimes find themselves falling right through the floor, only to find themselves right back where they started.

It's happening more and more, and at some point or another it seems to have taken two of their own. It was inevitable that others would be drawn into it as well, as four students will find. At some point throughout the day, Alice Yabusame, Childe, Nene Yashiro, and Noah Ebalon will all find themselves slipping. It doesn't matter where they are, whether it's in the auditorium or the forest, the ground beneath them seems to disappear and fall away. There's a feeling of weightlessness, of the world falling away, and complete and total darkness.

For those who are familiar with it, they should be able to recognize this empty space as the void, and with any luck all four of them will have a mirror that they can snap in an effort to return to where they came from - if that will even work now. Who can say when the world itself seems to be collapsing on itself? Still, there's only one way to find out.

Time marches on. ]

[silentabyss]

[I came in here to establish that Noah lands on all fours like a cat and looks around like !!

thanks]

[mermaidcursed]

( hey. hi. hello. you know what sucks? pausing because of a sudden dizzy spell that's been happening more and more this month because your stomach's feeling icky and then suddenly nonsensical void. was there blood? no. of course not. this school is bullshit and someday nene will say a swear outloud instead of just thinking them while trying to cope with anger, confusion and fear at a situation.

she can sort of make out the others, at least, though she doesn't think she likes the idea of landing on something too well- so nene will indeed try to use a mirror shard to escape the void. )

[shimashima]

Wh... What in the world— No one was stabbed this time!

[ That's the first thing out of Alice's mouth upon getting his bearings — once he's picked himself up from the ground. A moment later, he does remember to keep his voice down, in case there's anything lurking in the darkness.

This is much worse than inexplicably falling through the floor without actually falling anywhere! He isn't thoroughly familiar with the void, but his last visit to this version of the school was more than enough exposure to it for him to want to hurry back to the normal one (relatively speaking) immediately. Who would wait around to be eaten by terrifying monsters or drown in mud or who knows what else?

At least there are other solid figures nearby, not shadows, and definitely not giant centipedes or other creatures... Some are rather small, but it seems they've survived the surprise and the rough landing. Still, while his eyes adjust, Alice's fingers fumble for his own mirror piece in a delayed, uneasy search. ]

...Who's there...?

[devouringdeep]

[The sense of vertigo that happens as the ground opens beneath one's feet without warning is a sensation that Childe is overtly familiar with, and as he opens his eyes upon landing he half expects to be greeted by the sight of the gnarled roots of the great tree within the abyss. Instead, it's the familiarity of the void school itself that greets his sight, and he might have wandered off on his own to investigate had the voice not caught his attention.]

Sounding off. I come in peace.

[He brushes his palms off on his pants as he straightens, wiping at the corner of his mouth and letting his eyes flicker about.]

Anyone wanna fess up to triggering the reality shift?

[The sound of rustling and the displacement of air is what tips him off to Nene's impending arrival, and there's just enough time for him to hold his arms out in front of him to catch her safely within them.]

[silentabyss]

It wasn't me for once.

[That's important to say. Because sometimes he is the one responsible. Noah dusts himself off coolly... he's here too much, to be honest.]

[adsum]

[ The mirror snaps and for several seconds, the world seems to blur and shift, and there's that same feeling of weightlessness before reforming itself into something visible and tangible. The group will be able to feel the floor beneath them once more. It seems that breaking a mirror will no longer save them, so the group had best take care.

The group is in the clock tower. If any of them had been here previously, they would know that even this area had been taken by the void by now, as it's begun to eat away at the left half of the school. Several of the floorboards have been ripped up, and there are black patches of shadow on the floor, matching those that had begun to appear in the school. ]

[mermaidcursed]

( nene almost misses the question- the world churns and it makes her stomach and head feel even worse and at least childe is there as something sturdy to lean against, and then it doesn't work. to make it clear, she carefully shows the group the mirror piece snapped in two pieces- there's no way out.

after a moment though, she shakes her head and signs out something simple, that noah can translate for the rest: )

I saw no blood.

[silentabyss]

[Noah says "She says you're all a bunch of assholes and this sucks". Ok no he doesn't. He'll translate that for her though so that everyone else gets the meaning.

He himself then proceeds to sarcastically sign out "fuck" because obviously sickle Clamor is listening and will yell at him otherwise.]

I wasn't doing anything that would've set it off. It's... probably a result of the shadows that have been pulling at us around the school. Like... the mirrors have been. [Is that explanation helpful?]