Ga Rei: Exodus Nine (IC)

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half


​​They charge at each other, crimson fists blazing like a vision in a mirror, each one so intent on the other they barely notice what happens around them. Or at least, Kusumi doesn't, caught up in her mad, berserk rampage. The people around me are surprised, letting out gasps or exclamations at my friend's sheer recklessness.

I stay silent. I know what kind of person he is, and this situation doesn't catch me by surprise. That's why, as the two unstoppable forces charge at each other, I trip Kusumi without hesitation.

Just as their fists meet each other, she is thrown off by the slightest amount.

That's all Tomoya needs.

His burning red fist slams into her with absolute force, unchallengeable might hitting her small frame with enough force to devastate anything it touches. My boss's fist slams Kusumi into the street, forming a crater in the road from the sheer power behind the blow. This is, without a doubt, the last strike of the battle.

I casually begin to walk forward, right past the people around me. The girl is lying in the center of the crater, looking to all the world like she simply fell into a peaceful sleep. Tomoya is swaying on his feet, but manages to steady himself without any help. As I get closer to him, I see...

"...Butterflies?"

What on earth- no. I won't question the weirdness of it at this point. I'd acted a little out of character back there, screaming about saving people and this and that. Right now, I just want to sit down, have a cup of cocoa, and go to bed. Yeah, that sounds like a great plan.

"Well, that was fun."

"As long as we don't have to do it again, sure."

I sound pretty casual, almost lax, but really i'm keeping a careful eye on my boss. He looks dead on his feet; spending so much energy tonight took its toll on his body - if he was a lesser man, I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly collapsed. I don't want to insult him though, so I just approach Kusumi with him, hanging back a little.

If she gets up again, I want to be ready.

"Let's finish this up then, yeah?"

"Right behind you, boss."

He kneels down by Kusumi, and I get ready to go at a moment's notice. Compared to Tomoya I have a lot left over, so I want to be careful if anything out of the ordinary happens.

"Alright then, here goes nothing."

My hand twitches.

With a single, swift movement Tomoya removes the stone and places it on the ground a couple meters away without delay. I spread my focus around us as he does it, just in case, but it looks like we can relax. I think the battle is really, truly over.

We saved her after all.

[I3uster]

Suzume Oshino
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

"Rather, instead of not being afraid, you just learn to keep going in spite of that fear," turning her eyes back to the patient at hand, she smiles, "Allow yourself to feel it. Understand what it means. But don't let it stop you... That's the key, I suppose." Fading into silence for a bit after this, the woman eventually starts talking again after the brief pause, "But what brought this on? Are you perhaps worried about what happened tonight? I thought you did well, considering the circumstances."

I swallow and wait for a second to order my thoughts. Careful to not slow down my my hand movements I look her straight in the eyes.

"I don't think it actually makes me any worse at doing what I am supposed to. But it kind of feels like pushing a car with the hand break pulled, even if I move, it grates. I have to do what scares me the most, risking others, and I can, but it still...gnaws at me. It's hard to explain. I'm sorry."

Of course, endangering myself felt bad. There is no way to actually rid myself of these kind of base instincts, just like she said. But moving in a unit, being a part whose failure can destroy the whole system was even scarier. And when I command...it gets even worse.

And yet...

"I don't want to give this up. It felt right, it always did. But this time the danger was significantly higher than usual...and when it gets worse I don't know if I can manage and rise to the challenge, or if I'll snap. And when I fail, it won't just be me that suffers for it."

This whole talk has gotten a bit more personal than I would have liked, and as the words leave my mouth I notice my shaking hands. I blush instantly, my gaze shifting away from Megumi's eyes.

"I'm sorry to bother you with this. I wanted to help, and here I'm making you do double duty as counselor..."

[Airen]

Interlude
Hamasaki Kenji
"Blue Butterfly"

The young man known as Hamasaki Kenji was not a firm believer in miracles.

There were many things that could happen in this world, the dead could walk again, the spirits of the deceased could return to both destroy and protect, and the darkness in men's hearts could take the shape of an infinite, tangible power. It was a world where myths were true, and the word impossible could only apply to a few, select things.

And yet, despite the fact they should not have been able too, it seemed that the people here had defeated the one who had admitted to being the previous Tamamo-No-Mae. The girl's soul, exposed to the Kyuubi as it must have been, should not have been as intact as it was, but watching as the young bar owner removes the stone without harm, the girl does not awaken in a desperate bid to retrieve it, nor does her body begin to fall apart without it's protection.

But that should be impossible.

According to his information, the girl known as Koharu Kusumi had definitely been killed eight years ago. Revival with a bane stone was possible, but that would require the intervention of a living human, and even with that, the body would fall apart again once the stone was removed.

What an odd, impossible case.

Unfolding his arms, the young man sighs aloud, his body tired despite the fact he hadn't pushed it very much since he had awoken from his forced sleep. It had been a bad night, all things considered, and while it seemed like a sort of happy ending had been reached at the end, at least, in this part of the city, he had no doubts that the damage that had been dealt tonight would bleed into the following nights.

Nevertheless, for accomplishing the impossible, he felt that he should at least compliment them-

Stepping forward, what was found, was something suspicious.

Blue butterflies, glinting like azure glass under a crimson sky.

His eyes narrowing, the boy thinks, as he always does, connections in his mind are made, knowledge of the past, compared and connected to the future, but...

"Man, that's a really boring ending..."

The voice, a young man, a flash of hair, as well as the feeling of something hard, slamming into the back of his head, are all actions that catch the young son of the police chief off guard. He was a person that was impossible to sneak up on, a human that could exist in the supernatural world through sheer experience and hard work, whose skills all lay in detecting supernatural threats, had fallen victim to a simple strike with a chair.

The irony of it... Was rather unpleasant...

"Still, this has gotten a bit too out of control, you are not fit to touch the remains of that beast, Hamasaki Kenji. And neither are your allies."

Searching hands, removing the stone from his pocket, darkness, plunging in from all sides, and a body that wouldn't respond to his commands...

A glimpse of white hair...

And a... glowing... red eye...

---

Jacques Dussault & Watanabe Tomoya
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half

Nothing happened when you took the stone from her ear.

She did not resist the extraction in anyway, did not leap up, and start mauling anyway with her nails. She simply grunted, ever so slightly, before falling back into a deep, almost dream-like sleep. The peaceful face is nice, and while Maiya still seems confused, Izuna seems satisfied with this turn of events, once again affirming in your mind that, perhaps, just perhaps, the other man knew this girl in some way.

But that wasn't particularly important.

Touching the stone gave off mixed feelings, on one hand, some primal part of you surged in an insane joy at the touch, and your wounds, still freshly received from your battle with the girl, tingle in a pleasant way, as if to say that, if you just used the stone, willingly drew out it's power for even a moment, even wounds like this could be fixed in a matter of seconds.

But knowing better than to trust things that you had seen brainwash others, you put it down shortly after getting ahold of it, a bit of a ways away, so that, if the girl were to perhaps get up and go after it, you could intercept her mid charge... Or something like that anyway.

It's as you start back towards the others, or rather, as Izuna starts towards you, that you notice the butterflies are growing in number. What had once been around a dozen, had somehow, in a matter of seconds, becomes something more akin to a small storm. In the distance, you can hear the sounds of impressed bar goers makings sounds in awe at the sight, and in a way, it is certainly pretty, but...

"...!"

It also masked death.

The one who spots it first is Jacques. Small, impossibly fast shards of metal, needles, senbon, all dart out from the cloud of butterflies like a different sort of storm. A storm of pain and metal and blood-!

Immediately, a few things become apparent in the moment before impact.

First of all, there are simply too many to dodge, as if the owner of the attack had fired off a sort of shotgun that utilized tiny kunai instead of bullets.

And secondly...

Along with the storm of metal, a white haired young man, looking in his early teens, had appeared, standing over the spot where you had placed the stone with a sort of elegant calm. No one had sensed him coming, no one could have sensed him coming, his appearance like that of a shadow, practically materializing within the storm of butterflies.

So seeing...

Metal strikes you all, with some of the shots being deflected out of both instinct and skill, while most...

Meet their mark...


Tomoya takes 80 HP Damage.
Jacques takes 80 HP Damage.
Izuna takes 80 HP Damage.
Maiya takes 80 HP Damage.
Bleeding Ailment: Everyone (Except Kusumi)

"My, you guys are pretty reckless, just leaving these things out on the ground like this," his voice calm and friendly, despite the fact that he had just tried, and almost succeeded, in murdering all of you, the boy continues with a small smile, "Forgive me for the rude introduction, but I couldn't help but notice you had defeated that failure over there, and well, I can't have these things falling into the hands of just anyone, you know? And you hero-types always get so violent over things like this... Think of those wounds as a precaution on my part..."

His aura is completely unreadable.

Unlike Kusumi, who radiated power, this boy...

Radiated nothing at all...

"Still, I must congratulate you, the people of this city did well," smiling still, the boy turns his back, "It seems the crisis has more or less been averted, so for now, I shall simply take what is mine, and leave."

So saying, and with the stone you had just taken from Kusumi in hand, the boy cloaked in butterflies begins to walk away...

[Katie]

Mikagura Mika
Sea of Souls
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: ???

“Haven’t you already given it to me? There is only one deity who fits your description, and ironically enough, by fate,” I say. The word is drawn out on my tongue, stretched out like the noose on a hung man. “I have exactly what I need to win.”

I pull out the mistletoe from my pockets, with a sigh. In the end, I actually needed help from someone else. It’s not that being helped is wrong, but that I probably would not have even considered the mistletoe as an option until it was far too late. So much for a perfect memory.

“Ah, yes. How much time has passed in the…” While this place may be dreamlike, and certainly different from every law of physics known to man, I can hardly call it fake. Referring back to reality as I know it as the “real world” is a bit wrong. “In the city?”

Judging by her actions, a part of me, a rather optimistic one, wants to say that hardly any time has passed at all. This happens all the time in fiction, doesn’t it? Not only that, but she wouldn’t tell me how to save them if it was too late. Then again, it could be a trap, but…

No, there’s no need to doubt. At this moment, I have to take everything she says for granted, out of good will.

[Mormarth]

Watanabe Tomoya
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half

I quickly and quietly took the earring from her, she made a small noise, then rolled over, dozing quietly.

"Well, that's that over with."

I carefully pay absolutely no attention to the voices beginning to whisper sweet nothings to the back of my mind and gently place the Bane Stone on the street, straightening myself up as the hole in my mid-section has just about cleared up.

I slowly walk towards the others, making my stride as swagalicious as possible, aw yeah, just kinda-sorta punched out one of the bigger specters of my nightmares and saved the girl while I was at it.

Damn I'm good.

Izuna made his way over towards me, and I looked towards him expectly, he seemed pretty upbeat about the whole scenario, wonder how he knows her?

It was at this precise moment in time that Fate decreed from on high that Watanabe Tomoya's swag-walk was too good for this world, and promptly decided to end it to preserve all of creation from my groove.

By which I mean the butterflies from earlier multiplied until they were more of a storm of the bugs, and then needles, thousands of them, darted out from the swarm, I managed to bat a few aside, but I was beginning to slow.

Most of them it.

It hurt.

A lot.

Ow.

My recently closed abdominal wound decided that it was a smashing idea to open up again and I was now seeping blood all over what was left of my shirt, which wasn't much.

And then some fruity-looking tween popped up out of the butterflies like he was King Oberon, hair over one eye, all white-headed.

I hated him already.

Well, more so, considering that he was probably the master-mind behind the 'let's strike from behind with a flock of butterflies like a big pussy'.

No, I'm not pouting.

Shut up.

Fruitbat decided that this was a smashing time to begin to monologue, "My, you guys are pretty reckless, just leaving these things out on the ground like this. Forgive me for the rude introduction, but I couldn't help but notice you had defeated that failure over there, and well, I can't have these things falling into the hands of just anyone, you know? And you hero-types always get so violent over things like this... Think of those wounds as a precaution on my part..."

He quietly bent down and picked up the stone which I'd just laid out on the street.

"Still, I must congratulate you, the people of this city did well. It seems the crisis has more or less been averted, so for now, I shall simply take what is mine, and leave."

"How about you turn your buttoned-up behind back around and gimme a bit of an explanation, twinkle-toes," I sneered, "I mean, c'mon, haven't you even read the rules? No fucking monologuing, you clod, what are you, a fifties comic-book villain, 'hero-types', really?"

I stood up fully, continuing to shit-talk this mealy-mouthed little twerp, "So you pull your ass out of your butterfly posse and gimme one good reason why I shouldn't rip your bleached head off for ruining the vest my mother made for me!"

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half


"Well, that's that over with."

"I guess so. Still, I'm glad that..."

The spearman is starting to walk towards us when I notice it, my voice trailing off mid-sentence. The blue butterflies from early are gathering, swirling around each other in a small swarm as I follow my boss back to the group. It's not the weirdest thing I've seen, but I don't like it. Anything out of the ordinary in this town is generally evidence that something supernatural is about to go down.

Tom has his "Look-at-me-I'm-the-best-thing-ever" face on, which is pretty typical of him. Not that it's always undeserved, but still, he puffs himself up a lot. Oh well, no skin off my nose. I'm much the same way. Grinning at him, I speak up in a joking tone.

"I know you're a little busy preening your feathers, but did you notice-"

Senbon?!

I whip out my knife at speeds the human eye can barely see, speeds that I never thought I could move at before the spear of light pierced my chest eight years ago. From the swarm of butterflies comes a rain of needles at superhuman speed. I block several of them, but there are too many to evade or block completely.

I cross my arms and try to take most of them, but some slip through and pierce my chest and legs.

It's painful, but I'm not dead yet.

I look up to see a white-haired teenager calmly standing amidst the butterflies, right over the stone that Kusumi had parted with. I... can't feel his presence at all. It feels like, even though I'm looking straight at him, he doesn't exist at all.

"My, you guys are pretty reckless, just leaving these things out on the ground like this. Forgive me for the rude introduction, but I couldn't help but notice you had defeated that failure over there, and well, I can't have these things falling into the hands of just anyone, you know? And you hero-types always get so violent over things like this... Think of those wounds as a precaution on my part..."

His voice is neutral, but friendly, even though he was trying to kill us only a moment before. I don't know who - or what - he is, but I don't like it. I grimace as I try to move, the needles digging into my skin. I'm not as tough as Tomoya; if I don't muster up some strength, I won't be able to move until the boy disappears.

"Still, I must congratulate you, the people of this city did well. It seems the crisis has more or less been averted, so for now, I shall simply take what is mine, and leave."

Without another glance, he picked up the stone and began to walk away. My boss, drawing from that well of strength that he seems to possess, began to bitch out the creature like it was going out of style. Tomoya is my friend, and that's why I appreciate just how loud he can be sometimes.

It makes it easier for me to move quietly when a distraction occurs.

I quietly put my hand on the ground, making it look like a reaction in order to steady myself, which it is. It also puts me in a good position to spring a little trick for the brat trying to take what we fought to get rid of.

"I don't think so."

The ground beneath his feet cracks, and a thick cage of shadows springs around him, covering him completely. And then... well, I don't know. My body flinches and I have to brace myself against the pavement, throwing of my focus. This is bad; in this state, I don't think I can win.

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
Sea of Souls
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: ???

Hmmm? Time?" her expression once more returning to a small smile, the woman masquerading as your rival takes only a few moments to answer the question, "That's a difficult question for me to answer. Time is certainly still passing while you are here, I cannot stop it, but the flow down here is not the same as the flow up there, so it's certainly not too late."

Taking a step closer to you, the woman reaches out with her right hand, her pointer finger resting on your forehead.

"Normally, coming to see me would result in your body being unusable for awhile, the soul has to find it's way back to it's vessel and all that," her voice as light as ever, you feel something odd, a warmth, making itself apparent at the place where her finger was touching your body, "However, I do not believe you have the time for that, so I shall send you back to the city with my blessing. Forgive me, it may sting somewhat."

Her voice is so casual, saying things that seem so out of place in the normal world without a sign of hesitation, and while you open your mouth to say something, anything, in response, a warm feeling, a sense of both violation and exhilaration, cuts any comments you could think of making short. Your head is spinning, and as your vision pulses, this already dream-like world seems to distort further, a sea of blue becoming an ocean of many blues, some dark and some light, and the woman before you seeming to stand out as something silver, or perhaps grey...

??? has shared a portion of her power with you.
??? perk. "To Overcome Fate," has been acquired.

You can't make out her features anymore.

It's certainly a humanoid figure, only a few feet in front of you, but her features, anything that would identify her as anyone, seem to be covered by a sort of light... A direct contrast to the darkness closing in from everywhere else...

And as this darkness takes you...

Once more, you hear the woman's voice.

"The night is almost over. Just push forward a little bit more... I believe in all of you."

...

...

...

Mikagura Mika
Park - Near the Memorial
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

Mika takes 40 HP Damage.
Vampire Counter + 1

You awaken to a burning pain inside of your lungs.

Still on the ground where the sphere of flame had left you prior to your little visit to the dream world, the air around you is still dyed a vivid crimson color, as if blood had soaked into the fog and had become fog itself. Off in the distance, you can hear the metallic sound of metal striking something it could not actually cut through, as well as an occasional grunt from a voice you recognized as belonging to Sora. On the ground nearby, it seemed that Shiro was unconscious, and Norie, eyes wide but determined, was also on the ground, her right arm and leg covered in what seemed to be burn wounds, wounds severe enough that, combined with her clearly pained breathing, made it obvious that even staying conscious at this point was not a very enjoyable option for her.

Nevertheless, she did seem to be watching over both you and the unconscious Shiro.

"Sora-san... went that way..."

Noticing that you were awake, the dark haired girl motions towards the stone monument that marked this park as a place of tragedy. While you could see the two of them, the god and the abnormally powerful human locked in combat, rather clearly thanks to your ESP, it seemed that the girl wasn't aware of that, and was simply catching you up on the situation.

Pulling yourself up to your feet at these words, you take a breath and...

[Airen]

Suzume Oshino
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

"It's fine," brushing off your apology with a casual air, the older woman chuckles, "I'm a mother, kid. I'm used to playing at the counselor role, no need to apologize."

There was a brief pause, then...

"Still, that's a hard question to answer," her right hand twitching slightly, as if she had had to suppress the impulse to raise it to her chin, the azure haired woman tilts her head slightly as she continues working on what seemed to be human teeth marks on a person's shoulder, "It's true that there's always a danger of getting others hurt when acting in a group, but that's also true in a lot of different areas of life..." Voice cutting off slowly, as if she needed the time to think, she continues after this brief pause, "If you want to do this, then go for it... There's no such thing as perfection. Eventually, you will fail, however, if you're afraid of the idea of failing, then you'll never accomplish anything at all..."

One finger raised, like a teacher pointing at a student in a classroom, the woman's face is serious for a moment, but then cracks back into a small smile.

"Still, you are a kid, it's natural to be a little unsure," her expression darkening slightly, the woman looks to the side, "I'd give it a few more tries before you decide on anything. Liane said she'd look after your training, and she's pretty good... And I suppose I could help out a bit as well once this is all over... After all, as a ESPer, it's impossible for you to completely avoid this life," eyes closed, there was one last pause, then, "Still... What happened tonight was not something an exorcist of your level should be exposed to, that's something more suited for the adults... For someone your age and experience, I assure you you did quite well, although the use of a Ga Rei was unexpected..."

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault & Watanabe Tomoya
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half

"One good reason...?"

The young man seems to find your question amusing, for reasons you can't quite figure out.

"Well fine, I suppose I can give you a few-"

His voice calm and even, as if the threat of four super-humans going after him wasn't something he was particularly worried about, the white haired young man stops as Jacques attack springs into action. A trap, a cage of shadow, materialized through spirit power, rising around his figure from all sides. With the darkness of this early morning, as well as the absence of light besides that of the crimson moon, it was an attack that could only be truly seen if one went out of their way to look for it, a surprise attack that should have certainly trapped the young man, and left him at the mercy of the group but...

The instant the walls appeared, springing from the ground, his figure blurred and vanished in a storm of the azure butterflies, as if his entire body had been swept away on their luminescent wings. The storm of bugs scatters after this, going in all directions, as if to confuse your senses and cover his escape, but...

"I suppose the first reason is it would be a waste of energy. With the way you are now, none of you can capture me, I can escape whenever I want."

Rather than escape, the young man, sitting now on the low roof of a nearby building, his physical reappearance only made known because he had called out to you, smiles to himself as he waits for you to notice him.

"And since I'm such a generous person, I'll give you another reason," holding up two fingers in a sort of mocking way, the youth grins, "These stones are dangerous. As their keeper, I am simply taking them out of reach of those who do not deserve to handle them. Is that not a good thing?"

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

"She is nothing but a meddler of the spirit... Some sort of foreign existence that lives in the sea beneath this city."

Saki’s own eyes looked downward as understanding dawned on her. There could only be one meaning to the ‘sea beneath this city.’ The girl felt a tinge of disappointment in herself for having not come to such a conclusion by herself. The infinite blue, an ultimate conclusion, the final destination of the soul.

In spite of her disappointment, Saki hooked her lips upwards in an amused smile. To learn that her brief departure from her body had sent her to such a fascinating place was a true delight, the cherry on top of this International Hyakki Yagyo.

The very thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.

Staring at the floor beneath her she imagined it, picturing it in her mind and imprinting that vision over reality. A large, flowing stream of blue, running endlessly beneath the earth. Somewhere beneath her, beneath everyone, that river was flowing, unseen and unreachable. But somehow she had seen it. She had reached it. A place that only the dead are meant to touch.

But what she had been a part of was no river. It matched the description of that place, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t a stream of souls, what Saki had been inside of was endless and vast, like a sea.

Sea?

The word repeated in her head. That description shouldn’t be right. It should be a river, not a sea. That was what she had heard, what she had read. The information she had was reliable, and her knowledge of such matters was nothing to scoff at. But what if…

If what flowed beneath the world was a river of souls, the Reimyaku, then somewhere… somewhere that river would empty into a larger body of water.

A body of water like a sea. A Sea of Souls.

"She knows more than she admits. When I met with her, she claimed it was our first meeting, and yet, she knew far too much about me to claim being a stranger... Nevertheless, she is still a fool," laughing to himself, the boy continues on, apparently getting into the answer, "Some sort of god, stronger than everyone in this city, and yet, she does not leave that place. Says the stones of the fox are dangerous, that I should not continue to use them, and yet she does not take it from me."

"She's someone who believes far too much in words. I can't stand talking to her."

“A strange hostess.” Saki mused. The words that the goddess had spoken still hung fresh in her mind, and indeed she believed the memory would never fade. It was already becoming something precious to her, that moment, those words. “There is much she knows, yet she speaks as an observer, understanding that her words are those of one who has little understanding.”

Saki too had been told not to use the stone. But not because it was dangerous. She-Who-Reigns-Sovereign-Over-The-Pitrs had simply arrived at the conclusion that the stone wouldn’t give the kind of result Saki desired. In retrospect, she agreed with the words of her masked self. In the end, the red in that stone, no matter how beautiful, how radiant and enticing, was something that could paint the world in its color. The more she thought of it, the more she understood. Red would simply replace gray and nothing would change.

If the goddess in the sea below was simply one who wished to give a helpful nudge, the nudge of an observer, then choosing not to take the stone from him may simply mean that the power it had was one that he needed, even if it wasn’t one of which she approved. Perhaps he too understood this, perhaps he did not. Perhaps Saki’s thoughts couldn’t be further from the mark.

At the end of it all, despite how much she knew, there was only so little that she understood. In that regard, maybe she and the goddess down below were more similar than she expected.

There was more Saki had initially asked about, but in his thoughts about the goddess in the sea below he had partially answered the first question he was given.

‘Says the stones of the fox are dangerous’

It wasn’t even a half answer, but there was enough for Saki to make her own conclusions. After all, what other fox was there that he would mention so casually, as if expecting her to be acquainted with it?

Smiling in a self-satisfied way, Saki crossed her arms over her chest, nodding to herself with both eyes closed. There would be no need to implore further about such things. Likely, what had been said was all there would be. Now there was only one other matter her curiosity had yet to touch on.

A single ruby eye slipped open to return the stare of her company. Aside from the words of She-Who-Reigns-Sovereign-Over-The-Pitrs there was another thing still fresh in Saki’s memory. The storm of crystalline shards of ice boring down on her wasn’t something she would forget soon.

The one in front of her had done a number on her, on Suzume, and even Megumi and Liane. In spite of that, the more Saki thought about it, the more she began to think differently.

He wasn’t unpleasant.

"The next time we meet, you and I, I hope your world will have become something other than red and gray."

“Perhaps this is what she meant?” Saki’s smile changed as she spoke to herself, from one of satisfaction to something born of amusement. Leaning back, Saki uncrossed her arms, putting her hands behind her head as she relaxed herself.

“What of you, Covetous Niflungar? Surely you will be arrested once this night is over. Have you resigned yourself to your fate?”

[Airen]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

"Resigned?" the word brought a smile to the boy's face, "Naturally. As I stated before, the rules made by the winner must be followed by the loser." Leaning his head back a bit, so that it was resting on the wall, the boy winces once as he continues, "I made a bet, thought I could control something that I could not, was overwhelmed by the power of the fox, and as a result, broke the established rules of this world. And after that, as a criminal of the world, I was subdued in my rebellion by those who would uphold the law of the world, therefore I have no room to complain about my fate... I lost on all accounts."

Surprisingly calm in spite of his exaggerated choice of words, the boy removes his hand from his missing eye, looking at the palm as if to spot blood, and then when it didn't appear, lowered his hand back down towards his side.

"Of course it will not be an ordinary prison. There are places for people like us who slip and embrace the darkness, when we become threats to this world, no longer humans but monsters," still oddly calm, the boy shifts his gaze slightly to the right, "I've heard stories about it, but the chance to see it in person, surrounded by so many of the others, shall be intriguing in it's own way."

There was another, long pause, then...

"Well then, Revenant Flame, is that all you require of me?"

One last question.

[Mormarth]

Watanabe Tomoya
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half

"One good reason...?"

Butterflies deigns to actually answer my snarled interrogative, he's even amused by it. I'm shocked.

Really, I am.

I'm also bleeding all over the place, out of the corner of my eye, I spot Jacques moving around, that's good, I'm out of gas anyway. I'm yelling at him because, really, I don't really have anything better to do.

"Well fine, I suppose I can give you a few-"

The trap springs, a cage of solid darkness, pulled from the dim light of the slowly stirring dawn, springs up around him, it's completely without warning, I'd probably be taken completely off-guard and have to beat my way out, allowing some time for setup by the opposing party.

So of course a swarm flutters all over the place, his form vanishing from sight.

Well, guess he ran off.

"I suppose the first reason is that it would be a waste of energy. With the way you are now, none of you can capture me, I can escape whenever I want."

One, three, five.

It's arrogance, complete self-assurance, timing his arrival perfectly so that we're all tired out and exhausted, I've been beat up pretty bad, and Jacques is looking even worse, so Twinkletoes decides that it'll be a perfect moment to drop in, gank us, and then make fun of us at his leisure.

Someone was clearly not loved enough as a child.

"And since I'm such a generous person, I'll give you another reason." He held up up two fingers, like this is all just some sort of idle amusement, playing games with his toys.

Seven, Eleven, Thirteen.

"These stones are dangerous. As their keeper, I am simply taking them out of the reach of those who do not deserve to handle them. Is that not a good thing?"

Seventeen, Nineteen, Twenty-three.

Okay. There we go, perfectly calm, still as cool waters, yeah, that's me.

If I keep saying it to myself, I'll unclench my jaw.

Alright, let's review.

Keeper, completely self-assured, and, if I'm not mistaken, that's another one of those damn stones in his eye.

Mention of 'that failure', probably referring to the lady I'd just knocked into unconsciousness.

Use your brain for a minute, 'failure', bane stones, she was, apparently, the Kyuubi, but, of course, I'm still here.

Hence the whole 'failure' thing, I assume.

"So, let me guess, you're one of those freakazoids who want to summon up the Kyuubi and kill the world or whatever you feel like calling it."

All I could really do in this situation was dig for info. As insufferably arrogant he was being, he did, as much as I hated to admit it, have a point. I'm running on fumes, and judging by that thing in his eye, well, it'd be like fighting her all over again.

Except with no go-juice, and, considering there's been no feedback on his end, Kenji's already a non-issue.

Fun times.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half


​I missed him completely.

As my cage closed around him, the boy just smirked, and disappeared in a cloud of those damned butterflies.

"I suppose the first reason is it would be a waste of energy. With the way you are now, none of you can capture me, I can escape whenever I want."

I located his voice pretty quickly, all things considered. He was just sitting on a roof, as casual as he had been when he'd first appeared. A smug smile sat on his face as the boy looked down at us.

If only I was able to wipe that grin off of his face - no, there's no way I can reach him. He's already proved that my power means nothing to him, and from the looks of it, Tom is completely out. Just after I strengthened my resolve, I have to admit that I'm helpless, again.

Damn it.

I cough, a wet, wretched sound, and look at my stomach in vague amazement. It looks like some needles slipped past my guard; I don't think I'll be able to move very far after this. I can already feel my concentration slipping, but I can't let myself go just yet.

He called Kusumi a failure, so that must mean that, in some way, he is involved with the Kyuubi. With that, and the red stone in his eye that burns with the same intensity as hers had, our chances of beating him as we are now are even closer to zero.

"And since I'm such a generous person, I'll give you another reason. These stones are dangerous. As their keeper, I am simply taking them out of reach of those who do not deserve to handle them. Is that not a good thing?"

Again with that, that stupid, irritating arrogance. White-knuckled, I seethe with my blood dripping onto the pavement. I can't refute his words, not really. Antagonizing him in the state we're in would be bad. I do't see Kenji, so whatever this butterfly-boy is has probably already gotten to him.

"So, let me guess, you're one of those freakazoids who want to summon up the Kyuubi and kill the world or whatever you feel like calling it."
​
There's my boss, with an angry scowl on his face. Knowing him, he's trying his hardest not to snap at the boy looking down on us like a self-made God. I'm also pretty sure he's right, and - my fingers tense a little as more blood seeps out of my stomach - I've got a question of my own to back his up.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it is a good thing. But why are you the keeper, huh? Why you, out of all people?"

My world is starting to dim... this isn't good. I'll freely admit that I'm a weakling compared to Tomoya's endurance, but I can't pass out or give up here. I need to find out more about this. That's the only way we can beat this boy.
​

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault & Watanabe Tomoya
Outside 'For Pete's Sake', New Aoyama
Night
Moon Phase: Half

"A freakazoid?" rolling over the word, as if it was foreign to him, the young man pauses for a moment before the smirk returns, "Well, I can't deny that I would like to see the Kyuubi summoned, but I could care less about what happens to the world afterwards, saved or destroyed, so long as it changes, whether for good, or for bad, I would be content." Saying such things with a calm voice, the boy lowers his hand from where it had been raised, lightly gripping the tile of the roof beneath where he sat, "As for why I am the keeper, well..."

Still smirking, the boy seems to float to his feet, his hands held close together in front of his chest, as if he was getting ready to clap.

"Every human has a desire, and mine can only be granted by the fox," his gaze and tone still even, the smirk deepens, and you can feel your body tense, "However, summoning the fox myself would be problematic for a number of reasons... Let's just say I'm not a suitable host."

His smile widening again, you feel something, not a sense of hostility, but nevertheless, a sense of danger-

"However, to be honest, I suppose three of you guys have potential to be the host. Perhaps, as your final trial for tonight, we should go see..."

A small, clapping sound...

Is the only thing that heralds the shattering of your world.

Your vision breaks like glass as the young boy's eye glows crimson, and there's a terrible sensation, a sensation of falling somewhere, endlessly plummeting into darkness, as if the world itself had opened up to swallow you. There was no way for you to avoid it, the instant the boy's eye had gleamed, it seemed you had been struck by whatever this is, and while you can't actually see anything around you, you instinctively clench in an attempt to defend yourself against the assault you are sure is coming, yet-

"..."

-When it stops. When you find yourself, standing on what seemed to be a wooden bridge in a place that was definitely not Tokyo, with only each other and Maiya for company, you are not attacked in any other way. The wounds that had been covering your body had seemingly disappeared, although your bodies felt uncharacteristically heavy in the places where the wounds had been, as if the actual damage had been converted into something else...

And there was something else strange about your form...

It flickered at the edges... As if you were now made of some sort of flame...

"Spirit bodies?" her voice concerned, the dark haired teenager looks at her arm with narrowed eyes, "Did he cut us off from our bodies somehow...?"

Cut you off...?

Did that mean you were ghosts now...?

Around you, the skies are clouded and grey, and the boy who had brought you here is nowhere to be seen, even the odd feeling from before is gone, but for some reason, you do still feel like he's watching you from somewhere.

North of you, there's what seems to be some sort of Taoist shrine, it's halls and grounds empty, except for a black mist emanating from the interior. Like the rest of this place, it's existence seems hazy, like you're looking at it through some sort of fog, and behind you, to the south, there seems to be some sort of dirt path leading into a deep forest. Off to the sides of the bridge, you could see a dozen other abandoned buildings just scattered around the grounds below you, leading endlessly on into a black horizon, where grey was consumed by a deep black.

...This place wasn't right.

You knew that instinctively.

Something about it just seemed evil, it's existence screaming that it had no business existing in your world, and, a small part of you was sure that it did not, in fact, exist in your world, but if that was the case...

Where the hell were you...?

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

Saki never expected his answer to change. In some sense she felt that she was, in more ways than one, similar to her. He had chosen to take a risk, fully prepared for the consequences, and he had no intentions of avoiding those consequences. It was his path, his decision, his fate.

It vexed her ever so much. Like an intangible hand had reached into her chest and wrapped its fingers tightly around her heart, the irritation settled in and refused to cease. She had no place to interfere, she understood that, but it was hard to accept letting him be locked away.

It wasn’t as if she was attached to him, she hadn’t even known him for long, and it would be a stretch to say they knew each other as more than past foes. Even still, it irritated her to no end to see someone who might understand her go without so much as lifting a finger.

“That will be all.” But even so, he had the resolve to accept whatever happens henceforth. As much as she wanted to return to the streets, wandering the city under the moonlight knowing that somewhere out there he would be doing the same, she would accept it. It wasn’t her place to do anything but.

Returning to her feet, Saki continued to look down to the ESPer, his focus still misdirected to his right. In Saki’s eyes that tiny gesture, that slight shift of his gaze, was as if he was trying to look away from his fate. A crack in the calm mask he wore as he spoke about the consequences he would face for his actions. But even still, she saw determination there. Resolve.

It would simply shame him to go any further.

“It was fun,” yet, she wouldn’t close the door on him. His resolve had her respect, but should fate have other plans for him, she would accept that outcome with elation. The memory of her fire at odds with his ice flashed through Saki’s mind for a brief moment, and she smiled a last time at the ESPer. Turning away, Saki took a step, pausing to speak to the man at her back. “Should fate lead you to this Hyakki Yagyo again, seek Flame, and perhaps we can do it again, little moth.”

Saki didn’t turn back to face the ESPer again as she walked away, bidding him farewell with only her back and those parting words.

It would be his fate to face. She wouldn’t try to convince him to flee from it. However…

... However, even as a believer in fate, Saki didn’t consider it an absolute to bend to the will of. If he must face it, then she wouldn't interfere, instead she would rather do what she could to change the fate he must face. It would be a shame to see such pleasant company behind bars, when he would be much better suited to the night.

A clock hung on the brick walls caught Saki’s attention, delivering a less promising message. The night wouldn’t last much longer. Soon the sun would rise and dispel the dark that had blanketed the city. A hunch told her that the festivities would subside until the next sundown.

A part of her considered making for the rooftop to wait for and watch the sunrise, but Saki reconsidered as she remembered the helicopter she had seen on her arrival. There would be no enjoyment in such company. Instead she made her way to one of the walls, a few feet away from where some of the exorcists were killing time playing cards.

Lowering herself to the floor, Saki made herself comfortable. In another part of the shop she saw Suzume with Megumi, smiling as she saw the two talk. At least her lord was making progress toward her own goals tonight.

As for her humble, though ill-tempered servant, for now she would rest. It had been a long night, and if she wanted to enjoy the next one she would need to be well rested.

[hero]

Koga Ran
Akasaka, Tokyo - Outside Toyokawa Inari Temple
Night
Moon Phase: Waxing


"..."

It's a repetition from a scene that took place only moments ago. But this time, something is different. The way I feel has changed, the way I look at my opponent has changed, even the burden I carry over my shoulders has changed. During our first exchange, I noticed that the 'core' of this titan was more than a mere monster. Although I cannot tell what its thoughts are, I could tell that it had a will of its own... A reason for fighting. Now he recognizes me as a threat because I am trying to destroy what it holds dear... Be it its own life or something else. Now those eyes, which were previously empty and did not recognize me seem to be staring right into the window of my soul.

Once more, everything rests on my shoulders. I am used to working under pressure just as I am used to working alone. However, for some reason I do not feel like my usual self. To be honest, I am not even sure of what this emotion is. Am I worried about my companions fighting on the outside? Or do I feel reassured because I know they will carry out their tasks like they said they would? The truth is... I am not sure.

In the end, there is one thing that haven't changed. And that's my identity, my determination as a member of a Koga to carry out this mission to the end no matter what dares to stand in front of me. Just like this 'Core' fights for a reason, so do I. There are people I've swore to protect... People who are threatened by the mere presence of this giant. If that's the case, then nothing else matters.

Its nature.

Its reasons.

Its origins.

None of that matters. Because the moment that creature put in danger those she made an oath to protect, her mind was already set on destroying it. No hesitation, no doubt and no regret can be found in her stance... There is only resolve, a symbol of the decision she has taken. Its an attitude belonging to times old, when heroes could fight friends, loved ones and even family to the death should they find each other on opposite sides.

That is the kind of person Koga Ran has become after the death of her parents nine years ago.

"Here I go."

It's a polite warning. One I would have never given to the average monster. It's a sign that I acknowledge its dreams... And that I will be the one to trample over them with my own. But this time I am not reckless... This time I don't attack my opponent out of desperation. I've learned not to underestimate this opponent the last time I faced it. The cross that holds its form is not its weapon, nor is the core's body. Its weapon is this entire place... The body of the giant.

This is its world. A world I've chosen to invade. A world where shadows can easily overwhelm me.

Flames cover my whole body. They hold anger, sadness, loneliness and a myriad of negative emotions waiting to be unleashed. This is my power, one that can only be used to destroy another. One that causes only harm... One that I fear even after mastering it. In the end, this fight might have been orchestrated by fate.

Because...

I charge.

I scatter flames in the darkness as I become a dashing red comet.

It's no different from the first time I've attacked this 'core'.

The method has not changed.

But this time...

I'll make sure this place...

Because this world of darkness is the only real place where the ESPer Koga Ran can live in without restraint.

... Burns from the inside out.

[I3uster]

Suzume Oshino
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

"If you want to do this, then go for it... There's no such thing as perfection. Eventually, you will fail, however, if you're afraid of the idea of failing, then you'll never accomplish anything at all..."

"I'd rather not get anybody killed in the process though. And that was a real danger back there, or at least it felt that way." I speak bluntly, leaving the evasive attitude of earlier behind as I focus on her eyes.

"Still... What happened tonight was not something an exorcist of your level should be exposed to, that's something more suited for the adults... For someone your age and experience, I assure you you did quite well, although the use of a Ga Rei was unexpected..."

"I'll be honest: I don't want my performance to be gauged as if I'm still riding with training wheels. I'm not a newbie, even if I'm young. So give me your honest assessment, from one veteran to another." Maybe this will piss her off, but the way she talks she obviously still sees me as a kid.

I appreciate her maternal instinct, but getting coddled isn't going to let me improve. I need to ensure that no harm will be done to those I am responsible for. And for that I need to be aware of every little thing that I have done wrong.

I have repeated the whole incident in my head more times than I can count. But still, her assessment will, even if it provides no new insights, at least distract me for a while.

[Airen]

Suzume Oshino
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

For a moment after your request, the older woman just silently stares at you. Her gaze is not angry, far from it, rather, there's a certain sort of clarity to it, silent pondering eyes that, for the first time, gave the impression that the woman could see right into you. It's a feeling that lasts only for a moment, as she closes her eyes soon after and sighs, and the expression that appears on her face...

Is the sort you'd see on a person silently wishing they had a cigarette.

"Fine, from a veteran to a veteran," eyes narrowing as she continued on with her first aid, the motions are slightly more robotic than before, "As a Ga Rei user, you should not have exposed yourself to that boy, that was your first mistake."

A lecture is coming....

But you had asked for this.

"Because the soul of a Spirit Beast is tied to that of it's owner, any sort of damage one of you takes is reflected to the other... Although I assume you know that," tilting her head slightly, as if confused by something she had seen on this newest patient, the woman frowns before continuing, "And the enemy was someone capable of attacking everyone in the room at once, as such, you simply doubled the danger on the life of both you and the beast... I can't say for certain that staying in the back with Liane would have been a better option, but that woman is stubborn, the spirit would have had to go through her before it ever reached you... Additionally, while it may have seemed in perfect health, the Wendigo was actually much weaker than the boy, and while the ESPer was fighting against us, it is unlikely he could have moved to defend it if the two of you had attacked it together."

A quick, brutal analysis.

"Of course, we all made mistakes, I should've helped Michio with his chant, Liane shouldn't have been so accepting of doing everything alone, and Saki-chan needs to learn to control her recklessness, and give more thought to collateral damage... But alas, hindsight is 20/20 young one."

[Airen]

Koga Ran
Akasaka, Tokyo - Outside Toyokawa Inari Temple (Inside Legion?)
Night
Moon Phase: Half

Once more, a charge fueled with emotions. Here in the darkness, in a sea of rage and regret, you toss aside any concepts of restraint, your fire, a thing you treated only as a weapon, burning a vibrant red as you assault your opponent, sparks shooting through the darkness as red once again torches this world white. It's forced purification, destruction of miasma, destruction of emotions made manifest in the living world, and your footsteps blazing this path of white through the black as a true child of Kyuubi, you do not hesitate to run over the wishes of others in order to make your own come true.

This being, the core and the others, had threatened the people of this city.

And as one of their guardians, you simply could not allow it to continue to exist.

"..."

The being watches your approach, it's eyes tracing the body that was moving like a shooting star, but still does not say anything, even after you gave it the honor of a warning. It's body still bound, the wound you had given it before seemed to have finally healed over, but even still, despite already knowing what you were capable of doing, the spirit does not move itself to stop you...

Or rather, thanks to the efforts of your friends, it could not.

The roars outside were overwhelming, loud and monster like, but while the hands had appeared to grab you last time, limbs of darkness that carried an impossible strength within, no such thing appears now.

Somehow or the other, they were keeping the limbs at bay.

Bound to this spirit as it was, the being whose regrets had drawn the others to it's side, realizes that the body is useless, that it cannot attack you with it anymore, and still...

The instant you struck it's body... This small, compressed world-

??? takes 120 HP Damage.
Affliction: Burn

-Flashed red as everything around the both of you seemed to explode and then burn, fire arcing out into the black, tearing it apart as if driven on by your own will to crush this thing beneath your fist. Unlike before, the cross does not hold the being to it, and beneath your fist it buckles and launches back with the explosion, it's restraints, it's connection to the main body, torn from it as it bounces against the black ground, it's body rocking from the impact even as it's own form catches fire.

It was an amount of destruction that was unusual, even for you... But where the boost to your power came from didn't really matter...

Now that the core wasn't attached to the others, the main body should fall apart, and even if it did not, it would take it a moment to reintegrate with the others.

It would be weakest right now, if you were to hurry, you could crush it before it could recover-!

You take a step forward, intent on continuing the assault before the faceless being can rise to it's feet, but something stops you...

"Ow... Hey guys, you all can hang onto this image for a bit without me... Right?"

The being, who had been silent until now, had finally begun to speak.

Her voice was female, a young woman with an American accent, and as the newly revealed woman rises to her feet, you can almost see the featureless black fall from her form and reveal her actual features... Features that are quite unlike the male facade it had been putting on when you first saw it...

Long blonde hair, golden eyes, and surprisingly casual clothes...

It's a figure identical to someone you had never met, who was known to a few as an owner of a coffee shop in Aoyama, but known in the moonlit world as one of those who had opposed the world's darkness eight years ago. You had never met this person, but...

For those who did know her.

Her existence here should be impossible.

Because, even in this very instant...

She was in another part of the city, watching over those who were too weak to protect themselves.

Nevertheless... She also seemed to be here...

Encountered: Liane Cross?

"That was a pretty good punch... Guess it really does take a good hit to wake me up..."

Despite the fact she looked remarkably human, you were sure this was the same being as the one you had struck before, and you were sure that it was a vengeful spirit of some sort, but...

"Still, not quite enough for a knock out," sounding surprisingly pleasant, the young woman spins her arm once as if to test it despite the fact she was a ghost, "So, that means it's my turn right? Well, get ready."

The instant those words leave her mouth-

"...!"

She has already crossed the distance between the two of you.

Her movements are fast, of the highest tier, something you would expect from a Speed-oriented ESPer, but...

Ran negates the damage.
??? current STR value confirmed to be 40.
??? takes 40 HP Damage.
Burn severity increases.

Your reflexes honed to a superhuman level, you gather your spirit, ready your stance, and even manage to sneak in another hit of your own as the force behind the girl's attack pushes you back. It doesn't have the same explosive output as before, or rather, the girl actually bothered to defend against it this time, seeming to clamp down on you spirit power with her own to dampen the damage, but...

"Geez, that fire is annoying..." her right arm, the one she had struck you with, now gently aflame, her expression is only slightly pained, as if this was more of a mild annoyance than anything else, "Well, I suppose it would have to be... People like you are always pretty strong."

Her eyes moving from it to you...

You realize that despite her conversational tone...

She is about to attack again...

---

???

Name: ??? (Liane Cross?)
Gender: Female
Age: ???
Class: Legion Core?

Combat Stats

Strength: C (35) -> B (40) [Indomitable]
Vitality: C (30)
Agility: B (40) -> A (50) [Indomitable]
Dexterity: C (30)
Resistance: C (30) -> A+ (60) [Indomitable]
Spirit: E (15) -> D (35) [Indomitable]

Major Perk

-Indomitable?-
???
[Effect 1: Passive. When HP drops below 75%, raise Liane's RES by 10. When HP falls below 50%, raise RES by 10 again. When HP falls below 25% raise RES by 10 once more. Stats return to their normal values if HP rises above the specified points.]
[Effect 2: Passive. When in critical condition (HP 25% or below) Liane cannot be stunned by any attacks, and the effects low-mid tier physical debuffs have on her are negated. In addition, so long as she has SP remaining, and just uses her body (no weapons) to fight, points equal to her current SPI value can be distributed amongst her physical stats at no cost.]
[Effect 3: Passive. Whenever she is afflicted with any sort of physical debuff (STR, AGI, VIT) or status ailment/affliction, raise Liane's Spirit Value by 10. This effect stacks, but ends if the debuff(s) are removed.]

[I3uster]

Suzume Oshino
New Aoyama, Inside Occult Shop?
Late Night/Early Morning
Moon Phase: Half

I internalize all of her words. No matter if you ask for it or not, blunt critique like this, whatever it may be about, is not easy to take. One might think that me feeling unwell upon reception of the words I requested myself is hypocritical, but that is just the way humans work. Harsh truths hurt us, but this is how we grow.

The way she frames it makes me sound like a total amateur. I had basically charged in like a complete idiot, leaving my support behind to enact a strategy that did not work out like I thought it would. Victory has been the end result, but it certainly could have been achieved a lot easier.

"I'll try to keep this in mind next time around." I sigh. This makes sound quite condescending and dismissive, resulting in an awkward pause.

A bit of nervous fidgeting on her part reminds me of something. Taking off my gloves I reach into my jacket. I draw out the small carton packet, still showing signs of crude permanent marker vandalization, and flip it open.

these kill you

I still have nineteen compact pieces of suicide in here, finely rolled in easily inflammable paper.

"Take one. Getting killed by little paper sticks sounds a lot less agonizing than the potential alternatives, the more I think about it."