XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds (Eclipse), Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 2
Stamina: 21

-Run!

Upon seeing the nightmarish face that would haunt his nightmares for a long time, Tsugumi fell back on his instincts that hadn't failed him yet.

If Zero was as powerful as she said she was then she would at least be able to hold of 'Lilith' until she were able to make her own escape, Chiasa however was fumbling at the door as he began to sprint-

But that would make it all that much easier as he tapped into his Drive once more

"Double time!"

Tsugumi was something of an athlete when he was just an ordinary human, then there was becoming superhuman on top of that, then there was himself pushing him beyond his limits even further. Knowing there was no way he could break down the door conventionally, he ran at full speed towards the door with all the enhance force behind him before scooping up Chiasa and twisting to act as a cushion between her and the door.

It was a faint chance but the best they had in these circumstances.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

The fortuneteller was surprisingly light.

Letting out a sound vaguely reminiscent to that of a surprised rabbit as she's scooped off her feet by what amounts to a blur of color and force, you don't so much burst through the door as you do smash it straight off of it's hinges and through the far wall; it's surprisingly easy, something that again brings you a light tinge of surprise as you again realize that you're far stronger than any human had any reasonable right to be...

But you don't spend much time thinking about it.

Spinning around and slamming your shoulder into the next door in what must seem to Chiasa a single effortless motion, the changed interior of the school is certainly something that you can't help but notice within the brief instants of your pause; the windows are all frantically and haphazardly boarded up, broken glass more often than not laying beyond the gaps in the wood, as if something had been trying to smash it's way into the building while you were stuck inside of the gymnasium. The lights are weak and spread out, illuminating only every five feet or so clearly, and splashes of crimson fluid lay scattered here and there along the ground; while a part of you is sure it's just 'decoration' the intense smell of iron, combined with the sound of clashing metal and giggling coming from behind you, is enough to induce a sense of unwanted nausea in the pit of your stomach.

And that's when the guillotine swings by.

Dodging it easily enough, seeing it move slowly out of the corner of your eye; it would have perhaps caught your normal self off guard, but driven forward by your drive, your crystal, it's easy enough to simply spin past it and move forward, dodging three more, and even a thrown knife, as you relentlessly continue forward without letting the panic settle in, quietly telling yourself that this is easy, that dodging these sorts of traps was nothing to worry about for you, that you can do this as long as you don't freak out about it.

Forward.

Forward.

Forward.

It becomes a rhythm that you can't deny, and while the traps stop just as soon as they had begun, you keep moving forward because your instincts declare that you mustn't stop until you reach the room Zero had spoken about, meanwhile Chiasa, who is still attempting to process information that's going slightly too fast for her due to the suddenness of it all...

"Found it-!"

Lets out a squeak as she brandishes one of many cards from her deck.

One of the cards within Chiasa's special tarot deck, and one that, like the rest, is actually a sort of talisman with unique supernatural powers all it's own. Seems to bestow some sort of high-speed movement effect on the owner; however, since the user can collide with things that exist within their path, and thus they still travel directly from point A to point B, it cannot be classified as a form of teleportation.

It's a very readable motion for you, seeing her brandish the 'Chariot' and while you have no idea how it happened, the instant you see it...

You feel the world around you lurch forward as 'something' carries you at high-speed through space. It's not like you were made any faster no, it simply felt like the section of the world you had been in had 'shot forward' of it's own accord, and before you know it you're looking down not a hallway, but rather the inside of a dimly lit cafeteria...

The lurching motion winds up tripping you up.

Door slamming shut behind you, you can spy something that resembles fingers -skeletal fingers- holding the door closed of their own accord; as if something had simply sprung up out of the ground behind you when you entered the room and decided to hold the door shut so you couldn't get back out again, at least not without going through it, and...

The sounds of a distant battle...

Are completely gone...

"Okay... We made it... Alright..."

Doing her best to recover her sense of cool, even as she rolls herself out of your grip and onto the floor of the cafeteria, the girl continues to flip through her cards as if her life depends on it.

"You don't have any weapons, right? Here, you can borrow this one... It'll turn into whatever you want... Don't expect much past that though..."

And finding another card, this one 'Swords'...

She tries to pass it over to you.

---

Map!

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

Well, that was fast.

The sounds of battle were gone, the traps were gone, the monsters were gone but so was Zero. That means their safety blanket was gone, they were all alone.

Registering what was said, Tsugumi took Chiasa's card in hand, he thought of his own 'fighting style' as he had dabbled in some martial arts so he thought of clawed gauntlets. That would be easier to perform punches and throws than say an actual sword.

Staying back-to-back with the fortune teller, he continued to focus on the task at hand instead of allowing himself to go off into a negative thought spiral. But, with the doors closed and everyone away - they had a shot at getting home.

"Chiasa, the exit to get home is here right? Can you find anything? I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold anything off here."

The energy hummed in him still, the crystal resting upon his sternum still resonated with energy, he still had the will to keep on fighting. To keep moving forward, there was something else that drove him forward other than his Drive.

His aunt probably would have found that funny.

And that was it, he wanted to see her again. To see family. To go back to these mundane problems, to see whether Isako and Naoko were actually dating. The idea actually made him laugh. He missed those problems.

"I can give you some time but... you've got this, right?"

His voice was calm and cooler than earlier so either the stress was starting to fade and he was finally getting his cool, or he was going into shock. Either way, Tsugumi couldn't really tell. Taking in one deep breath he slowly inhaled through his nose before exhaling out of his mouth. His eyes darting from side to side, waiting for something to come, or at least a 'doorway' for them to go through.

"It's okay Chiasa, I believe in you."

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

It felt like things would be coming to a close soon.

The cold metal of gauntlets covering your hands, a transformation that had been accompanied by a rather showy flash of light as the card had seemingly dispersed into particles and reconstituted itself as a weapon, a flashy show that would have certainly burned itself into the mind of your younger self, but was now accompanied only by the slight relief of having something that just might do a bit more damage than your hands if it came down to it.

Chiasa had been silent ever since your request for her to find the way out, but had certainly been looking around the room for what you could only assume would be some sort of magical door; something like the cracks perhaps, a thing that would simply phase into existence and offer a way out of this labyrinth, but...

"I think it'll be in the center of this room... The Seithr feels strongest there, but that Shinobi said it won't show up until... All of this changes."

In other words...

Until the night turns back to day.

Which means you had to hold out in this room until then, whenever then happened to actually be...

So you wait.

There's little else you can do; nothing seems to be coming after you, at the very least you don't get the impression that Zero has lost and the monster is on it's way here to finish the job with the two of you, and in a way...

That silence is almost worse.

Nothing happens.

Nothing happens.

Nothing happens.

Staying near what pockets of light remain, you wait, and wait and wait, and wait...

"...What are you waiting for?"

Breaking up the monotony...

A new voice, one that even startles Chiasa, who had seemed to sense everything just fine up until now, comes from behind the two of you.

It's a young woman, about your age, maybe a bit older.

Her eyes are strangely sad, she's wearing the uniform of a student, there's a nonexistent wind blowing against her hair, and there was a porcelain doll clutched tightly in her right hand, the same hand that...

Bore a Union Crystal upon it's back.

Unlike yours, which was a transparent heading towards a light blue tint...

Hers is completely black.

The fatal phase, the last phase, the one in which self-destruction is assured as one's body simply ceases to be and yet...

"Phase 6... How are you still alive...?"

Voicing her amazement at this, Chiasa stick's an arm out as if to force you to take a step back and away from the newcomer but...

"What are you waiting for?"

The strange new woman simply repeats her question in a monotone voice.

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Ice Cream Shop, "32 Below"
Day
Date: April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Chilly

"Yes, I was informed that it was Ariel..."

The soft voice continues to remain as unfair as possible.

"I have heard nothing but good things about her. The principal as well, so you should be in very good hands. Even so, to encounter a disease I am unable to treat is rather distressing for me... But you seem to be in good health..."

...What was this?

"Still, if you say you're alright, I will believe you. I cannot treat the disease directly yet, but I am attempting to study, so I'll be able to bring you back soon enough, this won't be a forever thing."

...What was this?!

"Also, it is not good to suppress sugar impulses," nodding once with her eyes closed, the older woman crosses her arms, "I saw those glances at the cake. Don't hold back, get whatever you'd like, it's not like I spend money on all that much anyway. Here..."

Cutting her own ice-cream cake in half, the woman pushes half of it towards you.

"It's a reward for being brave. Don't tell your sisters though."

What was this?!

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Fuefuki Floodplains, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

Evelyn had leaped to catch it.

While she had instinctively called out when she had noticed who the target of the unfortunate falling salmon was, she had already moved to leap to your defense (in spite of said salmon attack likely doing absolutely no damage at all) long before her mind had thought to speak out a warning, hand reaching out to snag the freshwater fish from the sky that was the complete opposite of it's normal home.

Which is why, when she lands, she has a fish in her hands that there was no need for her to catch.

"..."

It flops in her hands, and while her gaze is thoughtful for a moment, when the green-haired man rushes over (surprisingly out of breath for such a short run) she...

"Ah sorry, so sorry!"

"..."

Responds to the apology without saying anything, just tilting her head to the side and offering out the fish and...

"Thanks. I really owe you one, kid."

"..."

Just nods and turns her from him back to you.

"Ah... Awkward..."

The green-haired man, voice slightly uncertain of itself...

Rubs the back of his hair at this.

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Ice Cream Shop, 32 Below
Phase: Evening
Date: April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

Ramming speed.

Employing a tactic that wasn't a form of revenge so much as a form of suicide bombing, the youth that has proven to be far too resourceful and charismatic for his own good also seems to have an inherent distrust towards this sort of action as well, as you had, after all, clearly just attempted to foist a certain girl's romantic issues onto him rather than deal with it yourself.

For that reason he cannot trust those friendly words or actions-!

Problem is-!

"Oh, sure, sure, I'll do it."

Having placed himself into the role of 'friendly and sympathetic' clerk in order to redirect a certain emotional train back on it's proper course, he would have to go back against his established character if he denied this sort of request now...

No...!

He was smart enough to evade this-!

Tapping into all the power he had acquired over years of nonsense customer servants and lapses in logic that bordered on the size of the Grand Canyon, the youth's brain frantically tries to spin out an excuse even as his face remains as friendly as possible, and-

"You'll come, right? I mean, we hit this off pretty good-! You're a pretty cool guy, Dai-kun-!"

She seemed so cheerful about it, genuinely cheerful in fact....

"...Yeah, okay. We're gonna be classmates anyway... So I guess...?"

That he had to give into his nature as a helpful person.

That's right.

The moment it had become a sincere question, was the moment where his chances of bringing himself to avoid it had dropped down to somewhere near zero.

He was just that kind of guy, the kind that would stop whatever they were going to get your cat out of a tree...

The unfortunate type that are aware of their own curse, but are also powerless to resist it.

"But if it's a party I don't wanna be eating alone, doesn't feel right you know? So make sure your partner there has room in his stomach tomorrow, no snacks or meals beforehand alright? It'll be a light fasting of friendship."

This guy...

Doubling down on the mutually assured destruction.

--}i{--

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Fuefuki Floodplains, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

When his mind finally catches up, everything was already over.

It seems there is no need to have used his drive at all; Evelyn had immediately acted in his defense, and seeing her easily leapt and caught the fish, it reminds him that as a Union, even if the fish hit him head-on it wouldn't be anywhere near fatal.

Even if her actions were moot in the end, he still gave her a grateful smile; just like he did whenever she defend him in the past.

Turning his attention to the green-haired man, Yuuki frowned a little. It ended up fine, but a salmon that big might still cause some damage if it flew to normal people...

Not to mention it interrupts his exploration with Evelyn.

Still, while this isn't awkward at all for him - this is how Evelyn acted normally after all - he suppose he should say something.

"It's fine." He finally said, expression neutral. "Just be more careful next time."

It's not like he wanted a fight.

With that being said, he gave a silent nod to Evelyn; with this little incident over, they should go back to exploring.

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Ice Cream Shop, 32 Below
Phase: Evening
Date: April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

Lucas found respect in the the guy who had the guts to push for a round to the death. A faint, yet worthwhile satisfaction before succumbing yourself.

Someone sane would have retracted the offer at this point, but as much as Lucas dreaded to go through the gauntlet of a full meal prepared by Hailey, he had his pride as a man. Or rather, he thought it was as decent of a way to avoid the next meeting with Ariel as any other...

...if he survived.

"Then it's a deal. We'll be waiting you at 8pm."

With that their fate were sealed.

I'll make sure to write my will first.

Lucas exchanged contact information with Daisuke, giving him a look that was a mix of pity and regret.

Their past and present might have been as different as night and day, but it mattered no longer. For their respective futures would be united through pain.

Event

>>>

Date: Tuesday, April 12th
Phase: Evening
[Hailey Dunn & Daisuke: Friendly Fire]

>>>

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

Tsugumi had almost forgotten that this was supposed to be a horror story. Zero herself had explained this barely minutes ago.

The figure before him was clearly a construct pulled from their minds, the porcelain doll was very stereotypical of the horror genre, the black dyed sailor girl uniform ill fitting to the girl who looked his age so presumably 17 or 18 years old- physically at least. However the most unnerving thing was the black crystal on her hand, that was the final phase of the union virus where the physical body was broken down into nothingness after the person had been driven insane.

If was surely a terrible fate they were all subjected to but yet, here she was. But she couldn't be alive. However after everything that happened with his own crystal on the verge of turning into a light blue, he wasn't driven to the point of his mind breaking but his grip on what could be and what couldn't was weaker than ever.

Held back by Chiasa, he kept himself primed and prepared for the doors breaking down or a cheep jumpscare but yet...

Oddly...

He felt compelled to answer.

"What am I waiting for..." Matching the figure in front of him in his own neutral expression, "I want to see my family again, that's what I'm waiting for."

It was simple but-

There was something that couldn't he helped.

"Is that what happened to you? You waited but... nothing came for you."

This adventure felt like it was coming to a close but the night was always darkest before the dawn.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

"Not at all, my friends were with me until the end."

There was no hint of a smile, and the monotone also refused to improve itself to the level of someone that was able to radiate emotion, even so, despite answering your question -or rather your assumption- the girl continues to remain motionless, only a wind that didn't exist seeming to move her figure in any real way.

"I simply got sick. They were there, but there was nothing they could do; Isako was a few months late."

Looking closer at her eyes, you find that they're almost glazed over... As if she was looking at you through glass windows that had been consumed within a deep, absolute sort of fog.

"So nothing I could do either; trapped, just like that, no choice of my own; none at all. Death sentences are funny like that..."

She says it's funny but she doesn't laugh.

She says it's funny but she doesn't smile.

"So here I am now, and here you are now, and things are the same as they were back then... No one leaves, not me, not you."

"But your body is still intact-! I can see you, you're real, if we're quick and get you to the Agency maybe-"

"No no no no no," giggling now, black lines slowly etching their way up and down her arm, you realize with a jolt that talking to this person is simply a pointless endeavor, and that the 'glazed look' in her eyes was simply the look of someone who was completely detached from reality in a way that you couldn't really comprehend, the mind of a Union that had entered Phase 6 of their infection, and had seemingly been allowed to simply linger within it, "No one leaves. No one gets out. Isn't that right, Alice?"

Interrupting Chiasa, she speaks down at the doll in her arms.

"..."

It doesn't say anything back, but she laughs as if it's seemingly non-existent answer had been the funniest thing in the world.

"No doors. No exits. No escape. We don't exist."

Snapping her fingers, the world seems to shift to reflect those words; a sort of ripple spreading out from her fingers, the walls that had once held doors simply become smooth surfaces of pitch black stone.

In but a single moment, it had simply become a tomb, something that could not be escaped, a situation in which running away had simply ceased to be an option, just as she had said it would...

No.

It doesn't just stop there.

Turning her back to you as the room rumbles and shifts, the young woman leaves behind her doll as she walks into the shadows of the cafeteria, Chiasa attempting to chase her down at first, one hand extended out as if to grab her shoulder, before pausing mid-sprint, throwing herself backwards out of reflex as a massive hand comes crashing down where her body would have been mere seconds from now. It's a pale white hand, porcelain, the hand of a doll that was quickly growing into the size of a twenty meter high giant; it's carefully crafted face expressionless even as it's unseeing eyes remained fixed on the location of the two humans that existed down below.

You are not the type to normally fight, but even so, it is natural for all living beings to be able to sense the killing intent.

It is a creeping, chilling sensation; an overbearing cold that travels up and down your spine and sends your heart racing as your body realizes once more that it has to either fight or run away, and that this time...

Running away was not an option, all exits had simply been wiped from existence.

"Play with them as you will, Alice. We're all here together now... Forever."

Do or die.

Tables and chairs crashing all around it as it's massive body pushes everything away as it grows, the doll lets out a silent scream of protective fury that only it's owner, shrouded in shadows and cheering it on without remorse, can hear over the sound of a shattering world.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

The wheel of fate is turning. Rebel one, Action.

The distorted room had transformed into a tomb with Tsugumi locked alone the porcelain doll 'Alice' having grown to a monstrous size and wiping up a strong wind sending all the tables and chairs spiralling around as if they were caught in a tornado with him and this monster in the eye of the storm.

He could sense it's malevolence, it's killing intent but to him at least, it didn't possess the same upmost dread as her before him. He couldn't feel the overwhelming power and and even the desire against him was muted in comparison. 'Alice' whoever she was... was no 'Lilith'. This wasn't an enemy he had no choice but to run from, he could hold out, maybe even take her down. There was fear but it was muted by a new feeling withing, blazing determination. Recalling upon his prior experience, he remembered leaping across otherwise impossible distances and through the use of his drive had had destroyed the otherwise unbreakable. He was never one to stick his neck out and break the rules but all his powers where that of a rule breaker. That was just what he and Chiasa needed right now.

He had already thought out a few battle plans having taken Zero's advice to heart, his crystal hummed throughout his whole being with energy, his weapons of choice,

Oh they were ready too.

"Chiasa!" Tsugumi called out at full volume to rival the unearthly screams of the 20 foot monstrosity in front of them, "I'll cover you, pull out a card that'll take this freak down, Tower or something!"

And with that he moved.

Not yet calling on his drive due to conserving that for later he strafed around Alice and maintained his distance. Judo wasn't going to be that much help unless he was in the right position for it. Moving with all the speed one could expect of a particularly mobile Union, he dashed to a blind spot on the side and leaped upwards towards the wrist of the creature. This was not a direct attack but instead a carefully thought out maneuver - after digging his claws through the cloth and porcelain he would let his crystal sing true, to enhance his speed and power just enough to swing his body like a pendulum around to her back.

The amount of damage dealt would likely be questionable but the wasn't the goal, if this worked then Alice would now to prone and Tsugumi was certainly more than ready to continue his plan of attack.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

There was an unnerving amount of intelligence in those lifeless glass eyes.

Whether it bore all the abilities and faculties of a human being or not, there is no denying that the massive doll's head seems to follow along with your path as you move, at least initially, before a sudden surge in the Seithr flow in the area forces it to turn to face a certain fortune-teller crouching low in the darkness to avoid the swirling storm of tables and chairs that continues to surge throughout the area as a sort of environmental hazard, carried along by endless whirling winds.

While she certainly intended to attack now that things had gone this far south, the Seithr here was limited, and so there was a certain caution to her actions that keeps her from acting immediately, from burning through most of the reserves to use one of her trumps until she's positive it will work, and thus when you charge, the only immediate support she can give is lighting up her own existence like a beacon, drawing whatever Seithr she can towards herself in an attempt to appear as the larger of the two threats in the room.

And it seems to believe it.

While it stomps the ground with all the physical force of an explosion as you draw near, pieces of concrete shooting up and out against you as a hail of impromptu bullets carried by a shock-wave of air, the doll's movements are just slow enough that by the time it thinks to grab you it is a bit too late, the human that it had underestimated as physically too weak to harm it, slamming into it's back with a momentum that carried a loud cracking sound as cut cloth and porcelain alike starts to give way beneath the super-humanly strong strike.

It's even strong enough to cause the doll to stumble, it's massive body lurching forward as the impact causes it to overstep it's bound towards Chiasa; not a complete take-down by any means, but a sign that it was not incapable of being shaken up by the attacks of the Unions.

Indeed, if you were to strike again before it regained it's balance, it was likely that you would be able to knock it down entirely; or failing that, at least pierce through it's body and find out what the insides are like, and if there was something in there that could perhaps lead to a more decisive victory. While reaching the floor again would take a few moments too long, the nearby wall seems easy enough to bounce off of in order to build more momentum for a crashing repeat of your previous action but-!

There was something wrapped around your gauntlets -and consequently your arms- now.

Pieces -or rather singular strands- of the crimson cloth that you had shredded apart during your efforts to get up to this point on the doll's body.

Only semi-visible due to the conditions of the room, it seemed that they had started wrapping around you as you moved, and while it hadn't seemed particularly threatening at the time, the feeling you get now is that of someone or something purposefully pulling the threads tight, painfully binding your arms together in spite of no one being around to do such a thing, as if...

The thread itself, the thread that made up the doll's clothing...

Was a manifestation of some other sort of power, the creation or product of some sort of foreign Drive, if the uncomfortable feeling your Crystal was giving off was any indication-!

-Hekatonkheires-
A Drive that is capable of the generation of supernatural 'wires' that the user is capable of both controlling to a certain extent or setting into an auto defense-mode seemingly managed remotely by the Drive Crystal; while the Doll itself does not hold a drive, it seems that the clothes it wears were hand-knit by the owner using this 'wire' or 'thread' and that it can act independently from the doll because of this, attempting to bind those that get too close so long as enough of itself remains to wrap itself around the opponent; while it's tensile strength is unmatched to the point of being impossible to break in that fashion, it's shear strength appears to be lacking in comparison...

The grip is so tight it's starting to leave marks in the metal gauntlets, although the claws remain relatively intact for now.

Distracted by this sudden ensnarement, one of the many flying tables comes crashing into you from the side, jarring your focus and throwing you bodily onto the floor, bouncing off the concrete with a painful bounce that elicited a surprised yell from the distant Chiasa.

It hurt.

Not unbelievably so, but enough for you to feel stunned for a moment as metaphorical lightning shoots up and down your spine; it's a small stun, one that recover from in less than a second but...

Just like that, you can feel something, another strand of crimson thread, wrapping itself around your right leg...

Dragging you across the ruined and destroyed ground, towards the doll that was marching straight across the room towards Chiasa now, reeling you in as if you were some sort of fish that it had happened to catch with a hook and was no longer bothering to watch.

Name: The Doll or "Alice"

Stats

Strength: S
Vitality: S
Agility: D
Dexterity: D
Fortitude: ???

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Lucas's Room, Boy's Dormitory
Phase: Evening
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1

It had been a relatively uneventful first day at school, and yet there was a certain bitterness to all of it that had nevertheless made it one of the worst days of your life. Having been put in the same homeroom as Watanabe Yuuki, under the watchful eye of a silver-haired teacher by the name of Irmina Von Einzbern, nothing particularly strange had happened throughout the course of the day's events.

A few students had been pelted with chalk by a few teachers for sleeping in class, but that was more on the 'normal' spectrum than the 'abnormal' spectrum of the school life, at least as far as you knew. The students uniforms bore a hint of Seithr about them that you had noticed quickly but then dismissed, as many of the files that had been sent to your phone overnight had made note of the fact that everyone attending the academy was doing so under the extra protections afforded by enchanted clothing; albeit without being let in on the fact that said clothing bore extra-protective qualities beyond what one could feasibly expect.

It was a bit of basic sorcery, albeit on a rather factory-like scale, but that was not what had troubled you throughout your existence today, no...

What had troubled you was...

"Tada!"

The sight of what Hailey said was supposed to be curry, because "we're in Japan now, so I figured it was time to pick up some new recipes!"

It didn't so much as sit in the pot as it did squat malevolently, hating all and being hated by all; a clearly toxic purple (how?!) sludge that was nevertheless an improvement due to the fact that it hadn't yet managed to eat it's way through the bottom of the copper pot.

Keyword.

Yet.

While Hailey seems pleased with the result, and indeed, is frying up some potatoes to go along with it even now, the moment she turns her back to the dish the noxious cloud of black smoke that lies above it moves in a bizarre way that resembles a skull and crossbones, a sound that resembles a cackling laugh erupting forth as one of many bubbles atop the surface pops.

It's in this moment that you truly come to terms with the fact that you just might die here today.

A knock on the door allows you to momentarily escape the grasp of death, revealing Daisuke, still in uniform, but a bottle of pink medicine grasped in his right hand, and since Hailey is dancing around in the makeshift kitchen she set up in the other room, the first thing that young man asks is...

"Scale of 1-10, how dead are we?"

He seems to have come to terms with his impending demise too...

Or perhaps...

He was searching for hope that did not exist.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Northern Cross Academy Grounds, Tomobiki
Phase: Morning
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 2
Seither Rating: 80
Stamina: 11

Well Tsugumi had fallen for that; hook, line and sinker.

He was expecting a 'plain old' giant monster, he had not been expecting another Drive Union like him. Now 'Alice' was stronger than him, hardier than him now, dexterity and mental fortitude was questionable although speed was the one advantage that he had. It was difficult to to that when he was roped up and being pulled along towards Alice.

The student instinctively pulled away at the doll but to no avail, the tensile strength was to great. However he could work around this, he had to.

Tsugumi had an idea, inspired by old films and tv shows he barely remembered that wasn't foolproof by any means but it was all he had.

The tensile strength was great but the feeling that his crystal gave to - be it an impulse or something greater - he felt as if their sheer strength was lacking in comparison. With the claws of the gauntlets still free, he scratched at the wires to see how they gave or not. It wasn't something that was needed now but a potential back up plan depended on the precise outcome of it.

There were other matters that also needed his attention, namely the wire that was starting to wrap around his leg. Calling upon his drive, he moved at sustained enhanced speeds using his free leg to kick off at the ground and get himself to his feet or at least away from that wire.

However this meant his arms were in contest with the wires now. Maintaining focus on his drive for how to maximise speed and power he tried to shake himself free whilst clawing at the wires around his wrists. Now wary of any incoming tricks with his Drive active once more, he pulled, scratched and tried to gain distance with all of his Drive boost abilities allowing him. Formulating multiple plans in case in his head; whether the doll fell, whether he was propelled towards Alice or even if his fingers were to become bound he would be ready.

However he was becoming aware that he alone might not be enough. Thinking back he remembered there was something or someone - perhaps even those two clad in white who were doing it - but there was something transferring 'Magical Element' into him. He doubted it was possible but if he could call upon an ounce of that extra power, he'd be blessed.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Abandoned Amanohokosaka Shrine, Tomobiki
Day, April 11th, 2056
Event Stock: 2

There was a shrine sitting atop one of the many hills overlooking the floodplains and the Shopping District, and it had taken almost fifteen minutes of pure jogging up a massive stairwell in order to reach it.

While you hadn't intended to go this way initially, the sight of the shrine in question from the floodplains had served as a spark of explorer's interest; and while a part of you had thought about perhaps using your Drive in order to cheese the long ascent, ultimately you had just walked along with Evelyn up to the top of the hill, and found the shrine in question in a rather dilapidated state...

Something far removed from what it would likely call it's heyday.

While the shrine itself is relatively intact, the dark wood of the donation box neither shining nor rotting; although it looks like the interior of the shrine, the place where a theoretical shrine maiden would live, would be poorly protected from any sort of extreme weather, be it hot or cold in nature. Of course, while the shrine itself is mostly intact, the tiles leading up to it are dirty and cracked, and indeed, the small warehouse that stands at the west edge of the shrine grounds, is falling apart in a much more obvious manner than the shrine itself, the wooden door that once protected it's contents now rotting and swollen from rain water.

"...?"

Looking around, clearly curious about the place, Evelyn strolls forward towards the actual shrine's interior, lightly pulling on the door and...

"...Locked."

Commenting when it fails to open itself to further inspection.

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Lucas's Room, Boy's Dormitory
Phase: Evening
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1

In order for Hailey to cook, Lucas had to go through few steps, on top of forewarning the Defense Corps that the dorm wasn't under attack, to make sure things wouldn't get to fubar status.

The first had been to ask one of the teachers to place a barrier around the room, effectively cutting it off the plane of Tomobiki once Daisuke would join the Sleipnirs. Couldn't run the risk of students coming in contact with hallucinatory emanations, corrosive clouds spreading about, explosions damaging the building's structure or any other creative disaster his partner could cause.

The second had been to suggest his roommate to stay away for the next couple hours or so. Maybe wait the morrow, in case their corpses would still carry pathogens. Until the inevitable purge from Sleipnir, one should remain careful.

The third was obviously the matter of his and Daisuke's future. For such an event, he had made the necessary preparations and was just finishing up, sealing up an envelope that he laid on the night table by his bed.

A quick look over Hailey's work was sufficient to make one regrets their life choices. And the smell was enough to make him almost choke through the gas mask. As if giving a plea of utter suffering, the rubbery protection reached its limits. Having come to a degree of exposition sufficient to deteriorate it in a matter of seconds, Lucas judged prudent to throw away the piece of (already) melting gear into the nearest bin, before falling back several steps.

It didn't take long for Daisuke to arrive, being early for his potential funeral.

Lucas gave the boy a vague nod of acknowledgement as Daisuke entered the room. The bottle of medicine was almost cute, or funny, if you were not one contemplating the jaws of death about to close on you.

Scale of 1-10, how dead are we?

The Sleipnir spoke using the tone of one who made peace with their imminent doom.

"They might still be able to identify the bodies, I think."

With a hand gesture he indicated the extra, blank will sitting atop his desk.

"They say the best way to bond with new comrades is going through hell together."

Lucas didn't need to add that it required them to still be breathing afterwards.

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Lucas's Room, Boy's Dormitory
Phase: Evening
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1

"So a 9 then."

There's a lot you can learn about a man from watching him write out his will.

While you get the feeling that he had done it initially simply to humor the situation, the slow creeping expression of horror that begins to cross his face as the smell from the kitchen intensifies rather than fades away is one that lends a sort of aura of finality and resolution to his actions and writings. It seems that rather than his parents, those to which he addressed his final wishes were his grandparents, specifically, he seemed to be apologizing to his grandfather for always skipping out on training in the family dojo; lamenting that perhaps those lessons would have aided him on this final battlefield...

Because nothing more than pure willpower would save the two of you now.

He was a gamer, as judged by the fact that he reassured himself that his win ratio in some fighting game, Arcana Soul, would serve as a sort of testament that he had certainly existed within this world...

At one point in time.

"As for my money... Well, I guess the old man can have that too. I was basically just working for fun anyways, but it seems like it'll be my end, just like the old man said it would..."

A pause, as he sets down the pen and stares at the ceiling, the sound of something exploding in the makeshift kitchen nearby, then...

"...How have you survived so long with her?"

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Lucas's Room, Boy's Dormitory
Phase: Evening
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1

It seemed that Hailey had managed to, somehow, send a bunch of knives flying in all directions while tripping. One of them sticking itself in the bed's mattress, a couple inches away from Lucas' hand.

As if to ward off from his mind what was going on, Lucas distracted himself by focusing on what Daisuke had to say.

The shivers still gave him away, as well as the strategic relocation to a corner of the room, where he was less likely to be hit by another hazard.

Lucas learned a bit about his fellow student; nothing really out of the ordinary for a person living outside the world of the supernatural and crazy.

"As for my money... Well, I guess the old man can have that too. I was basically just working for fun anyways, but it seems like it'll be my end, just like the old man said it would..."

"Why work at all, if you don't need to?"

It was indeed a curious fact for Lucas, who had to fight tooth and nails to find sustenance in the past. If you had the money, surely you could find a better way to spend your time. Even more so when your sole worries were that of a mundane teenager.

Maybe a matter of diligence or conviction.

A detonation in the background, then...

...How have you survived so long with her?

The blue-eyed boy shrugged.

"I don't usually let her cook, for one," a quick pause, then, "Went camping once. Naively thought it would be safe to roast a pair of squirrels. Close call. Had to have a stomach transplant."

Delivering the information about his near death experience with a detached voice, as if used to answer that line of questioning.

"...Good at following directions. Not so much when it comes to recipes."

He gave an eloquent glance in the kitchen's direction, right on time to witness a burst of green flames scorching half of the working station.

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Lucas's Room, Boy's Dormitory
Phase: Evening
Date: April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1

"..."

His face goes expressionless again as emerald flames momentarily shift the world into the eerie green color of a much more blatant and classic poisonous disposition.

"...I see."

Nodding once, just once, he turns away from that scene without showing any further reaction to it at all, as if he thought if he simply ignored it, it would also somehow cease to be present within the confines of his reality.

Perhaps to further distract himself, he answers the questions from earlier after thinking about them for a bit.

"As for why I work if I don't have too... It's just a habit I guess."

He shrugs.

"Been doing it since middle school, don't remember why I started... Probably just to keep myself busy on duller days, but it's kind of fun in it's own way. I work for a temp agency in town, so I wind up all over Tomobiki, never the same place each night. You'd be surprised at how many random tasks people need help with; I've done clerk work, mascot work, dishes, polishing antiques, the works."

Another shrug.

"Money is alright. Don't use it for much besides bills, but people around here remember when you help them, and some of the stuff they get up to can be pretty fun; sometimes wacky even, kinda like this..."

The smell of burning plastic envelops the room as the trash can finally loses to it's contents.

"Cept I think I might not be walking out of this one."