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.)

Comments

[adsum]

Take as long as you need. We have all the time in the world.

[ Is that an attempt to lighten the mood...? Maybe he senses Amami's unease, but either way he seems unperturbed. He'll stick his head in to check on his young charge before finishing his final few preparations. Otherwise he's content enough to wait for them to regroup and come to a decision. ]

[moraloutrage]

[And so Ishimaru steps out through the mirror! And he takes a moment to breathe in the air. It's not often that he gets to be outside without being on school grounds. And he observee as the apparent counselor speaks, confused by the whole situation. But it seems his input is needed now. He smiles a little at Amami's eagerness.]

Well, I'm all for riding along and seeing where this takes us! We don't seem to have much choice at the moment. While we could investigate this area, this seems like a more promising lead! Furthermore, we will have safety in numbers!

[notsosou]

Ahaha, you're going to head over there with or without us, aren't you...

[It could be a trap... but Shin especially right now doesn't want to rock the boat in the face of Rantaro's expectant spark and the already shaky ground they're on... as well as the knowledge that he knows how to handle danger, if he's to have been believed. It's something that happened without Shin noticing it; Rantaro earnt his loyalty... as uncomfortable and terrifying as that is to fully realize after the fact of the matter, the taproot going deeper than thought.

It mixes horribly with the incongruent warmth. Like Rantaro, there's a reflexive kneejerk response of the soul to it, as to an allergen; his distrust of his own reactions to calm and comfort.]

We should be fine in the carriage... it's whereever we end up we should be worried about.

[Isn't that what they say, about secondary locations? This would be voluntary, instead of being knocked out from behind, but it's still a once bitten twice shy situation, especially with that being the Counselor. He looks up and it's with that wall of a closed-eyed smile.]

...I say we check it out. That's my vote.

[Barring objection from Inaba. It's the fact that it could be dangerous that's gotten him. He's been thinking for a long, long time, about saving others and what that actually is or means, and the strange boy is already heading for whatever awaits. Safety in numbers, huh...]

[dereban]

--well, looks like the 'ayes' have it. I'd say continue to be cautious, though. And if something turns for the worst and something is definitely not safe, a key word or phrase or something might be good.

[ Especially given that they're in the presence of other people. ]

I usually go for "heartseed".

[sisters]

( there's a bit of a non-committal shrug at shin's words, a look in his eyes as he smiles that says shin might not be completely wrong, even if he won't give a hard confirm. he was one of the ones to suggest sticking together, but if it comes down to a matter of risk, he doesn't mind being the one to scope out a situation ahead either. it's just... well, he's not sure how they'd catch up after the fact, so he looks half-relieved with the positive answers. )

We'll go with that, then.

( it's not a bad idea — though usually a more subtle, common word would be a more useful flag in his opinion. he's not particularly looking to discuss the technicalities at length though, and so figures they can probably make it work. in the meantime, he'll turn back to mizuki and the carriage, beginning to trot over so he can check it out before allowing the others to get in. gentlemanly behaviour!! unless any of them are hesitating, in which case he guesses he can lead by example. )

Looks like we have a decision. Thanks for letting us hitch a ride with you.

[adsum]

You're welcome. Please, make yourselves comfortable.

[ The counselor will see them into the carriage, making sure each one has settled in comfortably before he shuts the door behind them. He'll take his seat in the front of the carriage, and before long the squeaking of wheezes and the clacking of hooves on the stone ground can be heard. The scenery moves outside of the window at a brisk pace, showing the town disappearing into the background and being replaced by field and trees.

The boy in the carriage with them seems to be dozing. The group won't share in that exhaustion, however, so it may be safe to assume that it's nothing more than the sudden excitement. The boy has the pallid skin of one who spends most of their time indoors, and the gaunt and frail frame of one who's struggle din life. In truth, the child beside them has always been sickly, enough so that just being able to make it this far outside is nothing short of a miracle.

It's calm and quiet, and the world passes them by. ]

[moraloutrage]

['Heartseed' is an unusual word, but Ishimaru shall nod firmly and commit it to memory regardless! In any case, it seems that the vote is unanimous. It is time to go into the unknown with this familiar man!

He marches onto the carriage not long after Rantaro and takes his seat. It soon feels a like a very relaxing ride. An unusually relaxing one! But he tries to stay alert as he can even in these circumstances. The one thing that really catches his eye is the child. He frowns with concern as he looks towards him.]

...Is that boy alright? Should we do something for him?

[sisters]

( it's a cozy carriage, in the sense that cozy tends to translate to small, and amami's not too fond of it to tell the truth. it might be about a hundred times bumpier and louder, but the small, confined space with hardly any room (or reason) to move his legs while they travel is very car-like, and he finds he could use some fresh air. in fact, he's dibs'd a window seat — now he's probably hanging his head out of it like a dog, trying to watch as they get closer and closer to their destination.

it's only ishimaru's voice that draws his attention back, glancing between his classmate and the boy seated with them. )

You have any ideas for what? I'm not against it, but it's not like we've got food or anything on us. If he's really that tired, it might be a good idea to let him rest until we get back.

( he'd just feel a bit bad pestering the poor kid when he's clearly exhausted as-is. )

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru frowns as he considers Amami's words.]

Well, you do make some good points, Amami-kun. There is not much we can do as is, and it may be best to just let him rest. If anything, perhaps his pulse could be checked, just to make sure that this is not dire?

[dereban]

Pulse and temperature.

[ Inaba adds, trying to keep her voice neutral and also not really saying much herself outside of that. ]

Although the latter might be a bit obvious based on how he looks.

[sisters]

( well, can't argue with that. with a glance to ishimaru, then inaba, amami will lean over in his seat, gently taking the wrist of the boy so that he can check for a pulse. if they continue to doze, amami will brush his fingers against his forehead next to check for his temperature, but he's mindful not to disturb the other too much. )

[adsum]

[ His vitals and temperature seem to be normal! He does stir a little, bringing a hand up to brush Amami's away, but it seems safe to leave him until they reach their destination. It doesn't seem that it'll take long. ]

[sisters]

( the sleepy hand swats his away with ease, and amami breathes a little sigh of relief. it doesn't seem to be anything too serious, so he'll give it a moment before clearing it up for the others too. )

Looks like he's just tired. Hopefully he'll perk up a little more once we get there.

( rest can do wonders for you at a time like this — and speaking of getting there, amami kind of leans to peek out the window again. )

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru nods softly. He seems relieved to hear that and content to leave the boy to his nap.]

Very good. Thank you for checking, Amami-kun. I guess we shall see what happens when we reach our destination. [He shifts in his seat, ready to wait patiently through the rest of the ride.]

[dereban]

... yeah, that's definitely good, at least.

[ Although she might be a bit concerned about where their destination even is. But it's time to just wait patiently, she supposes. ]

[adsum]

[ The group's patience is rewarded. The scenery goes on for a time, and the further away they move from the village the more the scenery will change, and then the world subtly shifts. It's the same feeling one might get when passing through a sheet of water, a cold splash that marks the boundary between one piece of reality and another. There's the sight of the forest, the end of a pathway, and then it blurs and changes entirely.

It's almost like being in a dream for how seamless the transition is, that dreamlike way in which the dreamer moves from one scene to another without even realizing it, and they're now on a beaten path in the forest. It's a clear and crisp day, the sun shining down through the trees, the sound of birds chirping. The counselor walks along with the boy on his back, who seems to have finally stirred, his arms loosely wrapped around his neck. The group trails behind him, and they may catch themselves mid step upon developing awareness once more.

It seems that he's been speaking to them all this time - ]

-others there too, so you won't be alone... You can stay as long as you'd like, whether it's a year or three, or even longer.

[ It's a kinder voice than they're used to. The counselor is never particularly cruel, but nor does he tend to be kind - he listens and watches without ever truly interfering, doing little more than tapping the glass here and there to see what will come of it. ]

[sisters]

( the transition does no more to set amami's nerves at ease than the imposition of those softer feelings earlier. as it happens though, he does feel like he's getting the idea of what this place beyond the mirror might represent. while the contrarian part of him half-wants to speak up — "what about leaving?" — or maybe it's just a bad habit from his counseling sessions. rationally though, he understands that it's probably not so productive to do so. he has his own assumptions here, and the fact of the matter is that the past is the past; he doesn't think that interrupting now will do anything but ruin the moment, and potentially the understanding that they have to gain of the path that led the school to where it is now.

instead, he'll turn his gaze to the others beside him, nodding his head over towards the two ahead of them with his voice low. )

Memories? Something like this happened before, I think...

( if his handy dandy notebook was to be believed. )

Can't say for sure, but it was the gardener's memories that time.

[moraloutrage]

[Ishimaru does hie best to try to take in his surroundings as he comes back to awareness. The scenery is lovely at least, but he tries not to let sight-seeing distract him from his thoughts. He has to figure out what this is all about.

He listens as Amami speaks, remembering what he's heard of the past missions. And he speaks with a similarly low voice as he mulls over the possibilities.]

Is that so...? [He hums thoughtfully.] So this could be the past of- of the counselor? [Ishimaru turns over what words he's heard of his in his head.] With those time durations he mentions, it almost sounds as if he's talking about the school... aside from the part where he makes it sound so easy to leave.

[dereban]

That's what I was thinking, too. Hopefully our being here didn't meddle with it, though.

[ She's not here to change the past. In fact, the idea of being here in the first place is a bit unsettling in her eyes. ]

But it sounds like it. Maybe it was initially easy, though. Depending on how long ago this was.

[sisters]

Should be fine as long as we don't try to do anything.

( it'd be pretty impressive to change the past, sure, but he's pretty sure it leads to some kind of... y'know, those like, time paradoxes. if they changed something here and now, the circumstances that led them here in the first place wouldn't have come to be and all that. besides... )

It's probably less like we're actually in the past, and more like we're seeing it through his perspective. You know how time sort of skipped between the carriage and here, yeah? Kinda like the way you only tend to remember the important bits.

[moraloutrage]

I... I think I understand what you mean.

[Ishimaru nod slowly at Amami's explanation.]

So it's as if we are within his memory... rather than the past itself. I did have a strange experience like that the other month, when others entered my memory... [He frowns as he thinks back to that time, trying not to dwell on the memories in question.]

In that case, we do not have to worry about disrupting the past. ...But I shall be careful about my actions anyway, just in case!

[dereban]

Mmhm.

[ It's a silent agreement, to say the least. ]

But if it's like that, there should be no concerns, but... I don't want to make too many assumptions or risks.