Ga Rei: Exodus Nine (IC)

[Frantic Author]

Hitoshira Nagi
Aoyama Ruins

I glance briefly at Elizabeth, before vanishing from her sight entirely, soulfire licking at my body as I wreathe myself in it and disappear. There's no need to speak to her any longer, but...

There are still others that I can't help but need to meet.

>>>Auron>>>

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Sure. You got a beer? Sake? Vodka?"

The hard-boiled detective -the name Jack Wolfe was amusingly fitting- had ultimately lived up to the stereotypes of his appearance, withdrawing a metal lighter with a practiced flick of his wrist.

He had taken it rather well all things considered, as had the rest of the humans that had made their way out of the strange healing waters of a newly enchanted Tokyo Bay; and while your first instinct had been to simply embrace old habits and nicotine for all they were worth, Kenji seems to have embraced his killjoy persona, as the group as a whole is forced to march along for another hour to reach the city's center. Traces of battle litter the area the entire way, and while shadows and insanity had seemed so prevalent before, what you all see now as you march along are ambulances and civilians, all working together to help out their fellow peers.

---Something has changed since your battle, or rather, it seems that some sort of problem was solved; it was possible that others had managed to jump on the 'last boss' while you were away.

Indeed, the information you have gotten since then seems to confirm that this is the case, however:

---What they defeated was not the 'last boss' type, no, it seems that the world had deemed fit to pull another threat out into the open right at the end. The name it went by was that of the "Great Devourer," a moniker that was lightly familiar to you due to recently awakened memories of previous 'cycles.' It was the God that appeared to right paradoxes, the one that ensured that things happened as they were "supposed too," and thus it was an entity that would destroy the world even if it was "saved from darkness," as it seems to have been...

And while you were away, dealing with one of the avatars of that darkness...

It seems this other God has appeared and challenged the people of this city to a "final battle" come morning...

---It's been about an hour since you arrived at the town's center and were informed of all of this; just as Kenji had promised earlier, there was certainly an airship here in the center of the city along with a bunch of armored soldiers with strange technology attached to their limbs. The ship belongs to a silver-haired general from Germany named Adala Lagerkvist, who seems to have taken over the operation of dealing with tomorrow's battle, and...

Along with the wandering soldiers...

Are a number of ESPers who have been more or less conscripted into a makeshift army.

Many of them were from that ghost-city, and you were able to recognize them on sight; some that should be here are missing, possible fatalities of the war against the darkness.

Others were not, new faces, ones who had come out and made themselves known purely because of the circumstances that had effected the city. Your own group slowly splits up upon arrival, with Kenji himself being dragged onto the ship to help with "software problems," while the others, upon being confronted with the fact that the world will end tomorrow if they fail to defeat another "God,"...

Have all scattered seemingly to gather their thoughts, or in some cases, simply to put themselves back together again...

As for you...

...This is all sudden and rather hard to accept even though the hints of a "Mastermind" had existed from the start, perhaps that is why you are able to note a half-destroyed bar when you see it, or why...

"Yeah... This'll do."

You brought that detective here with you.

Perhaps you were simply returning the favor of the lighter earlier, but...

Either way...

"Gods, monsters, a goddamn titan of light coming out of my head... I need a damn drink."

Seems like he intends on drinking even if you don't. You're not friends by any means, but with your friends scattered around and doing their own things at the moment...

Perhaps spending a bit of drinking time with a stranger wasn't too far out of the question?

...You recover from it in minutes anyways.

As those players that have arrived at the last "peaceful" section of the roleplay before the final battle, you are able to spend a bit of time interacting with the other characters, both NPC and player, before everything comes to an end. Because you are relatively early to this section, there is no 'hard limit' to the amount of scenes you can have, although they will all happen before 'sunrise,' and the section itself will end when the GM decides it is time for it to end.

Characters that wish to speak with you specifically. or otherwise have an event you can participate in will have a !next to their name, it's okay to skip these if you wish, and even go for NPCs that you don't have a strong connection with, but for NPCs with a notable connection to you, it is recommended that you at least give them an ear, as their scenes may have a significant impact on their ending as well as your own...

Scene transition will be handled with the following format at the bottom of the post:

>> *intended character* >>

In this case, the current scene is with Jack Wolfe.

Mina: !

Gisela: !

Kenji & Maiya: !

Hel: !

Yamuna: !

[Airen]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship SLEIPNIR

Your appearance doesn't seem to surprise him, even though that starlit flame seems to have deposited you here of it's own accord.

Sitting at a computer desk inside of the ship, or rather at one of the 'Terminals' you had been shown by the Admiral a few days ago, the fingers of Nakamura Auron are flying across the keyboard at a particularly absurd speed; there's a black screen filled with seemingly meaningless code zooming downwards as he codes at a blatantly supernatural speed. While most of his attention should have been focused completely on the task at hand, he notes your presence without turning around, or rather, he notes your presence and decides he simply can't afford to turn around and acknowledge you directly, because...

"Hitoshira."

...He has little more than five or six hours to create a 'miracle.'

"You should be resting."

Of course, this does little to weaken that overwhelming feel of 'paternal guardian' he gives off even in the midst of battle; you remembered it quite clearly, how he had seemed to attempt teaching you even whilst beating you down in your first encounter, but here, like Yagami...

It seems all of the "aggression" has disappeared, or rather...

This man had never really held 'malice' towards anyone in the first place.

Merely an overwhelming sense of duty that had ultimately proven to be weaker than his 'moral code.'

"Every bit of power and stamina we can possibly manifest will be necessary."

---

Makoto Fujioka
Aoyama Ruins

"..."

It takes her awhile to respond; in the end it is her own selfishness that caused her to ask it, but by that same token it was a selfishness made for what she saw as your own good, not out of any real desire to oppress but...

Finally, after minutes of silence that come across as 'agonizing' in your current state-

"Very well, mon fils."

She agrees with a sigh, even though she doesn't really wish to do so:

"On one condition however, while you are in there, I want you to think of the 'strongest possible sword,' and when you get out I need to borrow it for a bit."

It's a bizarre request, but to her it makes sense, or rather, it's a stroke of brilliance that has only come about now that she's been forced to consider as well as accept your 'presence' in the coming battle.

The 'program' they were working on was the result of many geniuses coming together to make a 'weapon' of sorts that everyone could use, and while the others had already made a 'basis' for it, to ensure that it would work more than once, something like...

'Adaptability'

Could be useful, and with everything on the line now...

...She and the others can't afford to allow any 'weaknesses' to exist.

--}i{--

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Aoyama Ruins

Pulling her sleeve up to cover the returned locket, a muffled clink beneath the cloth chimed out as Saki gave the Goddess a perplexed stare.

“I believe you to have left that observer status, at least for the time being, Goddess.”

Leaning in, the girl drew her face closer to that of the so-called ‘observer.’

Circumstances before hadn’t allowed the girl to truly pay attention to it, so this was the first time talking to the Goddess with her true face. Not masked, not assuming the appearance of Saki herself, but as Yamuna.

“Masks ill-suit you, Goddess.”

With a nod the girl withdrew, turning her back. With a wave to the Goddess behind her, metal swaying and lightly chiming beneath her sleeve, the girl offered a farewell for the night.

Of course Sensei wasn’t the type to break promises.

Redgrave

[Frantic Author]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship SLEIPNIR

Flickering into being with silver flames that vanish from my body, I stare at Nakamura Auron as he writes lines upon lines of codes, fingers flowing like a dance across a keyboard that I can barely see.

"Hitoshira."

There's so little time, and yet..

I have so much to say.

"You should be resting."

Ah...

I get it now.

I don't want to, but I really do understand you, Nakamura Auron.

"Every bit of power and stamina we can possibly manifest will be necessary."

I shuffle awkwardly at his words, a flush coming to my face as I realize that he's right; I'm putting off falling asleep, and dreaming. I... I can't bear to see what happens next, what images occur in my mind. It probably won't be much, because, in the end... I'm Nobody's avatar, in a way aren't I? I'm the sign that she wants us to win. So I'll meet her -- one last time, before the end. I can feel it. In my heart, in my soul, in my very veins that there's no way she won't appear before me one last time.

"...You're really a good person, aren't you, Nakamura-san?"

It slips out without meaning -- I hate honorifics. Loathe them. I've avoided using an honorific since I fled to Italy, and the fact that it slips out just means its true -- even when he faced me, he was teaching. Even when he was trying to grind into my mind the idea that I had no chance of victory, he didn't want to harm me. It's incredible, what the man before me has accomplished, no matter how many times reality repeats, he's an incredible person.

I laugh.

It's long and loud, cruel and harsh, and a vicious sound that rips itself from my throat, tearing at my insides as I do it. Lilith is silent in my soul again; she's in my soul yes, but she's quiet, quiet like a gravestone in a moonless night - like the grave where I first met my foster father.

"Haaaa... Do you really think that I'll fall asleep before the end? Come on now, Nakamura-san." I smile at him, a brittle thing tainted with sadness. "Ryota and I are far too similar for you to not have noticed what I'm like."

Every night in Toyko, there was danger, there was fear, and there was horrible, horrible kindness. I doubt anyone else could bear it, in my graveyard, selling information to people overflowing with emotion.

"It's a dangerous day tomorrow, Nakamura-san."

Fear.

"It's a hopeless day today, Nakamura-san."

Lust.

"And yet... We'll definitely make it out alive."

Love.

"We'll definitely succeed in spite of all the impossibilities, because of who we are."

Hope.

These are all dangerous emotions, but combined... they form something almost indescribable. A carefully kept, rarely touched secret --

"Isn't it ironic, that you, the person who taught Ryota so much, who guided him, also guided the person who defeated him to her victory?"

Gathered Starlight.

I grin at him, an impish thing, and wink. "Don't worry, Nakamura-san. I won't tell him if you don't."

[Katie]

Mikagura Mika
Aoyama Ruins

So, she does understand. That’s good, that’s very good. No need to worry about that, then. Although, with how directly she’s phrasing this request, it’s a bit… Being asked to be someone’s friend straight out is embarrassing, no matter how you put it. Besides, I hadn’t really thought of taking our relationship that way… Ah, putting it that way makes it sound melodramatic. Rather…

I’ve always viewed the being in front of me as a goddess, not as a person.

It is that inherent level of inequality that prevented me from conceptualizing such a thing in the first place. Back when I fought the corrupted version of her, I had discounted the notion of ever winning from the very start. While it’s about a different aspect of Yamuna, to me, the essence of the problem remains the same—that I assumed the gap between us was so large it couldn’t be crossed.

So, perhaps I’ve been looking at this all wrong. If she offers, it’s rude to decline. There’s no need to overthink this and any of the ensuing ramifications at all. Rather than treat this as an intellectual matter, shouldn't something as earnest as this be treated emotionally?

“I don’t mind at all, but I’m not sure if I’m going to participate in any more tournaments after this,” I say, putting out what’s been on my mind for a while. As it seems… everyone is busy asking me about the future. The future I’ve never bothered putting any thought into. And even before all of this, I wasn’t sure of what to do with my life going forward…

“Not that I don’t find them fun, but… I wanted to use that time find something useful I could do.”

[Airen]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship SLEIPNIR

"...Heh."

It's the first time you hear the man blatantly emote in any real way, and as a result it's a light chuckle that you almost think your brain made up all on it's own in response to your teasing words, but...

"Yes, I suppose that is somewhat ironic."

...He also seems to find it relatively amusing for some reason. In the end, Yagami's undoing had been done under his own guidance, it was something you hadn't really questioned at the time, as the doctor had already showed a bizarre altruistic streak in sparing you after your initial encounter as well as refusing to use the bane stones for any reason, but his loyalty had also seemed the most absolute out of all of Yagami's followers, so...

"However, it was not entirely for your sake. My family was in the line of fire, and Yagami... He was on the verge of becoming something different than even a Dark Messiah, he had to be stopped before that, before he lost himself, so in a sense I was continuing to protect him even then."

He still does not turn, although a shake of a head and the pausing of fingers indicates some other level of sudden thought.

"...When we were children he saved me once. In the grand scheme of things it was nothing major, just people going after the weak half-Japanese student with no friends and going too far... It was a small bit of heroism, but I intended to pay it back. That's why I helped him even after I realized we had lost our way, and that we had become the villains ourselves... It wasn't all about the world, in the end I was protecting my best friend."

That's how he sees it.

In the end he was keeping a "promise," and aiding his friend to the best of his ability, even when that friend began to slip down darker paths.

He had done 'heroic' things in spite of that, glimpses perhaps, of a true nature that he himself doesn't really believe is enough to make him a "good person," the 'family man' that looked out for everyone to the best of his ability, even if it didn't look like it at first glance, because...

He had fully intended to follow through on "evil" actions as well for the 'greater good'; circumstances had merely delayed those actions enough that he had never had to actually pull the trigger on any of it personally.

"But yes, I would prefer if the world remains intact myself, therefore, we have to win."

He nods.

"But thinking we will win just because we are who we are is dangerous thinking; I am going to go into tomorrow with every possible advantage available to me. I am aware of your similarity to Yagami, and that is why I will tell you once more... Sleep whenever it is possible. That is a rule of war."

A pause, then:

"It would be a shame to get this far and lose because of fatigue."

---

Mikagura Mika
Aoyama Ruins

"Ah, really?"

She smiles.

"I see. Well that is fine as well, a sign of change in you. Still, I'm sure there's a number of things you can do to make an impact in the world."

The future.

A transient thing that most people take for granted, the idea that tomorrow won't come is something that the majority of humans do not contemplate until it is too late, and because of that, it is rather easy for "Death" to sneak up on them, to be blindsided when it turns out that 'tomorrow' is not coming after all, and that it was actually never guaranteed to appear in the first place...

An awakening call that could potentially be too late.

"The world is going to change after this, one war or another; and the people of this world will have to change to match it or be lost... Life is rather cruel in that regard, but... It's not an impossible task."

Another smile, one full of warmth.

"You don't have to figure it out right now... But so long as you keep looking, I'm sure you'll be able to find your purpose in life, it's a question that burdens us all eventually," for just a moment, the aura of the goddess becomes that of divinity once more, "And once you find it, so long as it's a purpose you believe in, there will always be someone around to help you fulfill it."

A pause, then:

"So when that times comes... I want you to know you can count on me. Goddess or no Goddess, humans are my companions, and I will treat them as such until the day I myself finally cease to be."

That was, after all, the original form of her resolve; and something that had quickly turned into a roaring fire that now refuses to give out.

"So feel free to rely on me. Since the goal is a happy ending for everyone, perhaps becoming an ambassador for Demon-kind? The war will remain stuck in a cycle so long as both sides continue to desire fighting each other."

It was an absurd goal to even think about, but...

The biggest possible change in the world she could see for herself; or rather, the change in the world that she wanted to see the most.

A world of peace, where everyone can live together, and...

A fairy tale ending of sorts.

--}i{--

---

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Aoyama Ruins
Devil May Cry

"Yes. I suppose I have..."

She had laughed in the end, as if realizing her own error and finding it amusing, and indeed...

That Goddess had ceased to be an Observer at the start of all of this, the moment she stuck her hand into the world's affairs because of what she acknowledged as an "injustice."

But...

Feeling somehow bolstered by her words, or perhaps simply the strange but obvious truth hidden within them, you once again find yourself wandering the depths of the night. While the city itself is alive with civilians, here at the park ruins are a number of people that can all be thought of as abnormal in some way; not just ESPers and Exorcists, but entities that you can recognize as "Demons" exist here too, there is even another woman that gives off the aura of a "Goddess," but who disappears as quickly as she had arrived, a fleeting glimpse for eyes that hadn't been looking for her to start with, but one aura in particular...

Appears suddenly, and rather strongly at that; it's an aura that your wandering self simply decides to follow once you find it, as if allowing yourself to simply go where fate takes you, and where fate seems fit to lead your tired body...

Is a shop with double doors and an arched roof. It looks ancient and almost run down, with holes in the roof and walls from battle damage and debris littering it's surface. Hanging above the door, there are neon lights -that are no longer receiving electricity- spelling out the name "Devil May Cry," and inside, his body visible through open doors...

A certain Mr. Redgrave...

Seems to have surrounded himself with weapons of all sorts, or rather, judging from the feeling you got from them, what he was really surrounded by...

Was a bunch of demons in the form of weapons.

He seems to be going through them, preparing for tomorrow's battle in his own way (it seemed he would be fighting too, was this his shop?) and...

In contrast to everyone else, who almost seems melancholic, this man...

Continues to move with his usual casual ease, as if nothing about the atmosphere had changed for him at all; or rather, his sense of inner calm was so refined...

That he gave off the appearance of being "unworried" by the events.

[Vritra]

Makoto Fujioka
Aoyama Ruins

"Very well, mon fils.

On one condition however, while you are in there, I want you to think of the 'strongest possible sword,' and when you get out I need to borrow it for a bit."

“Mhmhmhmmm Okie ~”, vibrating in happiness as the anxiety from the long silence dissolves I giggle and confirm my acceptance of her conditions.

The strongest sword, a sword that could cut down annoying annoying fake fake… Curling up into a ball within the tank I stretch out my arms and close my eyes. The resistance of the fluid and the memories that I dive back into, I drink them all in. That sensation of touch, red and hungry tinged with frustration shallow, to shallow. Sinking into my thoughts I try to push that feeling deeper, it wasn’t enough so next time I’ll cut deeper until it has nothing left. Touch, restlessness, desire, …taste?

Sitting there in silence as I try to hone myself and figure out an answer to that annoyance a strange taste swirls up and occupies my thoughts. Strangie, strange, strangie where did…

Ah, right, right it was when Sensei… Grimmacing as I remember where I tasted that strange electric blue that lingers in my tongue, along my edge, within my soul. Still for everything that happened I need to do my best for Ane-san so maybe that ‘Power’ could provide a clue.

…

Mmmmm, maybe shmaybe.

Floating there as thoughts, sensations and desires swirl and pulse I devote myself to that task that both Ane-san needs and I want, I won’t lose to anyone else and so I fall inward to go searching. A sword to win, the strongest sword, Ane-san needs it and I need to beat annoying annoying fakie fake when I face it again.

Stupid Sense I’ll show …you.

Ah, maybe Kimichi might know something I should go see her after Ane-san lets me out.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins


I tossed him the bottle - an American beer, something dark. I wasn't really paying attention to it, to be honest. A wave of a hand, and the shadows under the cap popped it off, falling to the ground like my own.

I have to shake my head.

"I'm still out of it from earlier, Jesus."

Honestly, I wasn't sure how much I could tell the shadows to move. It felt like I'd burned myself out, and while I was fairly certain I'd get better - I'd done stupid things before - I figure it'll take a little while.

"This must be pretty big, huh? Learning all this stuff is real, and out there, and even worse, right in front of you."

I swivel out, looking at the city. The front half of the bar, the wall, the entrance, has been sheared off completely. My handiwork, I think, but I can only guess at the cause. At least the view of the city and the bay beyond is pretty good.

"How are you holding up?"

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Well, I saw giant monsters made out of shadows, people speaking in tongues, and then got dragged through what I'm pretty sure was some sort of afterlife, and came out the other end of it more or less coherent? So I guess I'm holding up as well as could be expected... Always knew this city was fucking strange."

Eying the bottle that had seemingly uncapped itself without flinching at this strange turn of events, he just shrugs at it after a moment, before throwing back about three-fourths of the bottle in a manner befitting the stereotypes of his profession.

"But hell, looks like some hero-types were hiding in it, so it's strange, but maybe not as bad as I thought?"

A pause.

"Course the White Titan thing is still messing with me. Came out of my head, blinding pain; came out of the rest of us too. Persona? Thought I was normal, but turns out I'm a bit of a weirdo too, so what the hell, might as well embrace it.

He downs the rest, then:

"...Fucking hell. Does that mean the vampire killer is actually a vampire?"

...Something seems to come to the front of his mind all on it's own.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Well, I saw giant monsters made out of shadows, people speaking in tongues, and then got dragged through what I'm pretty sure was some sort of afterlife, and came out the other end of it more or less coherent? So I guess I'm holding up as well as could be expected... Always knew this city was fucking strange."

"That was my fault, yeah. Couldn't figure out a smart way to beat that thing and get out of there, so I overreached. Left me pretty drained, but you're goddamn right. It's a real circus out here."

I take a pretty good swallow myself, matching his.

"But hell, looks like some hero-types were hiding in it, so it's strange, but maybe not as bad as I thought?"

"I dunno. I never thought of myself as much of a hero. I got these powers eight years ago, now," And a wave of my hand sets the shadows to writhe around us, before settling down again. "And sometimes it feels like I haven't pushed myself as hard as I could have, so I try to make up for it now... there's an organization that works to protect people here, in Japan. I'm not a member, but I know they're not real fond of people talking about them or the supernatural in public."

We look at the ruined city in front of us, in silence, and I take another sip of my beer.

"Not that it matters now, I guess - even if I was gonna follow their damn rules."

"Course the White Titan thing is still messing with me. Came out of my head, blinding pain; came out of the rest of us too. Persona? Thought I was normal, but turns out I'm a bit of a weirdo too, so what the hell, might as well embrace it.

I raise the bottle to him.

"Cheers, mate."

"...Fucking hell. Does that mean the vampire killer is actually a vampire?"

It takes me a minute to respond, and the last chug of beer.

"...Yeah. Yeah, she was, and she was a nasty bitch, too. I fought her, along with some of my friends. I don't know what happened to her after that, but I think they took her down."

I get out another few bottles, and pop them on the counter. They're just there, if I feel like it - and I do feel like it, so I grab another one.

"She got to someone I know, you see. Turned her into a vampire like herself."

I shake my head.

"When it rains, it pours, huh?"

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Is that right?"

He shakes his head at the absurdity of it all; the cracks in his reality refusing to go away now that he's taken a peek behind the curtains himself.

"Makes sense why we could never catch her then, magical serial killers probably got ways to get in and out of locked rooms without leaving a trace... What was it in Dracula? Like clouds of mist? Fog? Bats? Yeah... It was that kind of bullshit."

Another pause, and a head snakes out to grab another beer:

"Well, probably for the best I never ran into it. Sounds like walking straight into an execution, but..."

The other hand retrieves a miniature notebook, which he slowly flips through as if looking for something...

"Friend of yours huh? Would that be a miss Mina Harker?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"...Name like that's just asking for trouble."

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Is that right?"

"Yep."

"Makes sense why we could never catch her then, magical serial killers probably got ways to get in and out of locked rooms without leaving a trace... What was it in Dracula? Like clouds of mist? Fog? Bats? Yeah... It was that kind of bullshit."

I shake my head.

"She was tricky to fight. Fast, too, and strong. I don't think a normal person could have beaten her - no offense."

"Well, probably for the best I never ran into it. Sounds like walking straight into an execution, but..."

I watch him flip through his notebook. That's the sign of good detective, right there. That little notebook is one of the strongest tools you can get - not that I'd know from any personal experience. Whenever the law is involved I usually do my best attempt at hide-and-seek.

"Friend of yours huh? Would that be a miss Mina Harker?"

"...That's right."

"...Name like that's just asking for trouble."

It gets real quiet, for a minute.

Real, real quiet.

"Yeah."

I swig my beer.

"You're probably right."

It's still quiet, for a little while, until I break it again.

"She's still alive, you know. We were gonna go on a date before this all happened, see how things went. Now... I'm not sure what's gonna happen. I'm almost a little scared, you know?"

I shrug, and finish my beer.

"But I'm not a coward any longer."

I grin at him.

"It's all a little fucked up, isn't it?"

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"That it takes a literal apocalypse for people to confront mundane fears? Yeah, that's more than a little fucked up I'd say."

He chuckles.

"But that's how it seems to be... Just got a glimpse at all of that mud nonsense, but even I could kinda tell what it was."

That's not surprising; people had been able to perceive the Kyuubi eight years ago in spite of their personal power... There are a number of reasons as to why, from it being that absurdly powerful itself to simply it desiring to be seen, but the most important factor in it, as well as the mud that had made it up, was that...

Everyone had contributed to it.

Observing it was the same thing as observing a 'part' of yourself, thus...

It's only natural to be able to see it.

Humanity had seen it and understood, even if only subconsciously, that what had come to claim their lives was the monster called "themselves." The angry thoughts, the violent thoughts, the regretful thoughts, the pains that made life seem meaningless and not worth dealing with in any capacity, that mud was a creation of a world that had refused to face itself and had lost it's drive in life, and...

"Fear was a part of it as well, mine, yours, a shitton of other peoples... And it forced us to face it or die."

Another shake of his head:

"Everyone has hints of cowardice. But after that... Well, judging by how we're still alive... I'd say a lot of bravery showed itself as well; all about balance I guess, the things we run from might just have a habit of chasing us down."

He sets the bottle down on the table with a light clink.

"So hell, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, so there's no time to be afraid of today. So if she's still alive, go for it, word around this place is that tomorrow is the big day."

A laugh...

One that was strangely fearless.

"Can't go out and punch a God in the face with regrets now, can you? Seems like that's the sort of thing that'll slow you down."

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"That it takes a literal apocalypse for people to confront mundane fears? Yeah, that's more than a little fucked up I'd say."

I laugh too.

"We're only human, end of the day."

"But that's how it seems to be... Just got a glimpse at all of that mud nonsense, but even I could kinda tell what it was."

Hatred.

That's what it had been, made up from the muck of the years. Self-loathing, disgust, bitterness, vengefulness... they'd manifested in a crimson wave sent by the people for the people, to destroy the people.

What a laugh it was, but... I'd been able to do something about it, now, and that was worth more than it had ever been to me before.

"Fear was a part of it as well, mine, yours, a shitton of other peoples... And it forced us to face it or die. Everyone has hints of cowardice. But after that... Well, judging by how we're still alive... I'd say a lot of bravery showed itself as well; all about balance I guess, the things we run from might just have a habit of chasing us down."

I swallow some beer in response, looking out at the city. Gotta be a lot of insurance to collect on, after this, right? Joking about it helps ignore the bitter feeling that I helped cause some of it.

"So hell, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, so there's no time to be afraid of today. So if she's still alive, go for it, word around this place is that tomorrow is the big day."

"That's right; all hands on deck, yeah?"

"Can't go out and punch a God in the face with regrets now, can you? Seems like that's the sort of thing that'll slow you down."

I let out a laugh of my own, and...

It feels good.

Some inner tension I hadn't even noticed lets go, like a hand unclenching.

"I'll drink to that."

> > Gisela > >

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

With the words of a stranger shaking a certain tension loose, the self that stands up to move away from the alcohol does so without a clear goal in mind; should you act now or wander around to visit the others more?

There are people all around you that you recognize, some of them are together, like Maiya and Kenji, while others like Liane are ordering around strangers in suits (exorcists most likely) with an expression that is remarkable serious for her usual cheer, but...

The body goes where it goes, and on a night like this...

Perhaps it is best to listen to the flow of fate?

The night deepens into a much purer darkness. While there is a moon present in the sky, the sky itself is strangely cracked and almost seems to be on the verge of breaking completely, like a glass orb that's fallen off of a shelf and managed to strike a hardwood floor. Campfires are lit, more groups form, some people split off, others are shepherded into the ship for medical attention, and you...

"..."

Spot Gisela, sitting silently alone with a bow -that man's bow- draped across her knees.

...She was someone you were having a hard time forming a decisive opinion about; her nature was that of a loyal knight, which had caused her to take more 'evil' actions for the sake of her lord, but at the same time, she did seem to possess a strong moral compass, and had literally thrown everything she had against that pitch black monster for the sake of protecting those humans that were nearby...

Hell, she had thrown even more effort around for the sake of protecting Mina, and had leaped across the city itself in an effort to aid you.

...Her expression is the usual, but the eyes are closed; you approach for your own reasons, and while the two of you haven't spoken in hours -your last interaction being that 'shadow self' catching her after her fall- the woman does seem to notice your approach in spite of her closed off senses, and...

"Dussault."

...After a moment, she speaks softly.

"I believe I never thanked you for catching me back there. I appreciated your efforts; and I will repay you for them."

...And gives another statement that's hard to get a read on.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

Huh.

I've been walking around, watching people gearing up for the big day. It's almost funny, comparing how much things have changed from when I last touched down on Japan's shore. It might have been half a year, eight months at most, but now it felt like years.

I can see some people I know, here and there, and I'll touch base with a few of them before the night is out, I'm sure, but... I'm just following my feet, and before I know it, they lead me to her.

No, not her, but her.

Gisela.

She's sitting alone, with that guy's bow laying across her lap, and her face... yeah, I've seen that look. If I had a mirror, I know it would have greeted me after Arya died.

This was a little tricky, wasn't it?

I still didn't know how I felt about her, and we'd fought together.

Saved each other, even.

She'd also skewered me to a pillar like she was pinning a butterfly, and while I'd seen people turn around before, I wasn't really sure what was going on with her.

"Dussault."

"Hey."

"I believe I never thanked you for catching me back there. I appreciated your efforts; and I will repay you for them."

"Is that right?"

I study her for a minute.

"I can think of a way, you know, if you're serious about repaying me," And she is, I can sense it. "Just answer me three questions, and I'll call it even, yeah?"

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"...?"

At first, she doesn't know how to respond to it.

It's a simple enough request, but not the sort of thing she had expected to hear from you; she wasn't a social butterfly, but she was good at reading the minds and motivations of those people she had fought in the past, and so approaching her at this angle was something that she considered to be 'strange' all things considered...

After all, you had shown signs of both fear and grudges around her, and she couldn't really blame the you from the past for feeling that way, she had certainly presented herself purposefully as a sort of boogeyman, naturally embracing a "villain's" role when she had decided that there was no other way, that she had to play the role of the "anti-hero" rather than the "hero," a "black knight," in comparison to the shining one she had initially wished to be, like those western fantasy books she had read in the orphanage, but...

"Very well."

It's a simple enough request, and there's no reason to deny it, and-

"But what do you wish to know...?"

-Even without that...

She is rather curious.

[Mooncake]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"Very well."

"Ok."

"But what do you wish to know...?"

"Well... first question. This person you serve, or whoever it is - does it satisfy you, to serve them?"

[Airen]

Jacques Dussault
Aoyama Ruins

"He was able to prove he knew of the future. His goals were to save humanity... As long as that was the end result, I suppose I would have found some satisfaction in it."

In the end she had wanted to be a hero, and what was more 'heroic' than saving the world? She had been raised to be an exorcist, and the duty of an exorcist was to fight the supernatural, to find a method to save the world and refuse to act on it because of 'morality' was a leniency allowed only for those who didn't have the weight of the world's impending destruction upon their shoulders.

...Or at least, that is what she had thought at the time.

Now...

"I would have rather not harmed anyone, but to me... The greater sin would be for everyone to die because I did not act. Even if the act itself was reprehensible, if it was the only way, I felt I had to do it."

She is not trying to portray herself as particularly tragic, no, if she had been a 'true' hero she would have rejected 'necessary evils' from the very start, a hero is someone who "speaks of how things should be" rather than "how things are," but...

She had promised to answer, and thus she presents the truth of the matter; amongst which are her own motivations.

"I would die as a result of it as well, but if that kept the world going... I felt it would be fine."

A pause.

"...Now I'm not so sure... About anything, really. Was I right then? I cannot say... Nor can I say that I'm right now... I'm just..."

A sigh.

"Trying to do the right thing."

That is what would satisfy her...

Although that man... Would probably tell her to live more for her own sake.