daybreakacademy | battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

Who: A. Anyone!; B. Mostly those who have shown interest in fighting the Dragon, but even if you haven't posted in the OOC interest check, feel free to jump right in anyway!

What: A. Let's talk about Heralds; B. It's time to fight a Dragon daemon!

When: Late June. A happens before B.

Where: A. The Iris Network; B. A small town found within the Mount Lebanon mountain range, Lebanon.

Warnings: There will be fighting, likely with blood and possible gore.

Note: Will match format!

A. UN: murakumo_emille | Subject: Heralds

A. Colleagues and Students,

I, Head of Research Emille, have been looking into the beings known as Heralds in order to prepare for our eventual showdown with Utultar. There are records of battles against a previous Herald, Xelvak, and we cannot forget that a baby Herald resides with us within the walls of the Academy.

Therefore, for anyone who has fought with Xelvak or Utultar, or have interacted with the baby Herald, I would like to hear your story. What was your experience like? What was the Herald like? How do you feel about the baby Herald that resides with us? Is it an abomination, or worth training to fight with us?

As for myself, I will admit that I am wary of the baby Herald. As long as it does not become a threat, it can remain with us, but the moment it becomes dangerous we will need to take action against it. Besides, I do not believe it likes me much. That is my opinion. What is yours?

--Emille

B. Codename: Sleepy Hollow

[One June afternoon, Emille receives a dire phone call from Murakumo HQ in Tokyo. They've detected signs of a butterfly-like Dragon daemon in Lebanon, and they're asking if she can mobilize a squad from Daybreak to nullify the threat. By the next morning, she and a select group of students are on a Murakumo-funded helicopter flight to the Middle East.

Upon touching down at the foot of a mountain range, they are taken in rugged ATVs to a small town within these mountains. The surrounding area is densely wooded, and snow-capped peaks can be seen off in the not-too-far distance. As for the town, it is a mess. It is obvious that something strange is going on, that a battle has been taking place. Burn marks can be seen on some of the buildings. Chunks of earth have been gouged out and strewn around. Small medical tents have been erected near the entrance to the town, with Murakumo doctors aiding wounded humans. And, of course, swaths of orange flowers have sprung up in various places, from the ground to the rooftops.

Emille and the group are greeted by a member of Murakumo as soon as they step out of the ATV. The uniformed, ventilation-masked man gives a quick debriefing: the Dragon daemon, codename Sleepy Hollow, has used some sort of ability like the shedding of its wing scales to turn the people of the town against each other, verbally and physically. Murakumo is currently working on providing an antidote to this problem, both for the victims and for those gearing up to fight the Dragon. Sleepy Hollow itself has been chased off for now, but it will be back anytime.

He then points to three stations: A larger tent set up next to the smaller medical tents where the antidote is being created, a small table with a nurse outside of the medical tents, and the biggest tent of all in the center of the town where the anti-Dragon briefing is about to begin.

Which station will you join? See the toplevels below for details!]

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[Moments after Reiko's trailing off, the young woman begins to stir. She opens her eyes slowly at first, and then they snap open in fear. She scans the area and looks Reiko and Becky over. The wildness in her eyes from before is mostly gone, but one can never be too sure, so Reiko begins to get into position to hold her down if need be.

Still greatly concerned, the patient slowly and quietly asks, sounding as if she'd awoken from a century-long nap:] Where... am I? Who... are you? [She looks around some more, searching for something.] Where is... [Her voice fades out, unsure and tired. She looks back at Becky, her dark eyes seemingly pleading for answers or comfort.]

[The girl hesitates for a brief moment before starting to answer the first two questions; she doesn't know where to begin for the third.]

We're just outside of (insert town name here), my name's Rebecca and this is Reiko. [Fortunately the question of what happened hasn't actually been asked yet, because she's not entirely sure what to say about the situation at hand, unsure of how much she can really say with the Veil being a thing; "we think you were mentally or emotionally-manipulated by an otherworldly Dragon that hates humanity" isn't something you just say to someone.] You were hurt when we found you and we've been trying to help you.

[She gives Reiko a glance, an almost-defeated expression; she knows where the rest of this is likely headed and she hates it already.

She then turns her attention back to the woman.] How are you feeling right now? Do you remember anything that happened?

[The woman continues to look around, taking everything in as well as she can. Upon hearing that she was hurt, she lifts an arm to inspect it. She stretches it out and turns it around, and it looks okay. Any cuts that may have been on her arm were healed by Becky's efforts, leading the woman to wonder what was wrong.] I don't feel hurt... [Did she remember anything? It takes her a moment, but she gasps and trembles lightly before she responds.] I remember... being afraid. I don't know why... [She moans before raising her hands to her face to hide it as she sobs. Her mind won't let her recall what happened. It wants to spare her the trauma.]

[Reiko returns a similar look to Becky, frowning and furrowing her brow in concern, before patting the woman on the shoulder gently in an attempt to calm her down.] Shh, shh. You're okay. You don't have to think about it anymore. [As she continues rubbing the woman's arm, Reiko asks Becky,] Could you wet a washcloth for me? There's a drawer of them next to the sink. [Indeed, there's a portable sink set up on Becky's side of the cot. But before she can head over there, Reiko continues, this time in a forceful whisper.] And do you know of any way to distract her from thinking about what happened? It's too early for the big news!

[Taking a moment before doing what was asked, she replies, similarly-quietly:] Maybe we can try asking her about herself? Her name, what sort of stuff she does, just...get her talking about something?

[Then without really waiting on a response—partly in an attempt to keep the woman from wondering too much what they're saying to each other—she goes to the drawer, grabs two washcloths, and takes one of those two to the sink to get it wet. She brings both over, handing Reiko the dampened one while setting the dry one aside in case it's needed.]

Ah... [Reiko sighs. She doesn't want to upset the woman, but she'll do her best to keep her mind away from anything that would. As Becky is doing as she was asked, Reiko hesitantly begins to talk.] Well, Miss, surely you remember your name and age? [A sheepish smile.] It would definitely help to call you by your real name, you know.

[The woman's crying has subsided, but she is still sniffling and her hands are still in front of her face. Her reply is muffled:] Aline. I am nineteen.

[By now, Becky has returned with a washcloth, and Reiko uses it to wipe everywhere on Aline's face that she can get to in an attempt to wash off her tears. She continues.] It's nice to meet you, Aline. Did you know that Miss Becky here is about your age? She is!

[In an attempt to take a look at Becky, Aline removes her hands from her face. This allows Reiko to quickly wipe the areas around her eyes, which was her intention all along. Aline's focus settles on Becky, and it's different than the wild stare she gave her when she first awoke. This time, it looks like she's studying the younger woman, likely digesting and comprehending what Reiko said about her. Then, she slowly speaks.] Hello. How old are you?

[If there's anything that would work as a distraction, even if it turns out to only be a brief one, the question of Becky's age...is probably it.

So that's probably her job right at this moment, keeping Aline distracted.]

I know I don't look like it, but I'm eighteen. [Because she know it might be hard to believe, she's ready to pull out her ID to present that as her proof. She won't do so unless Aline does express any doubt, though.] My birthday was a few months ago, back at the beginning of March. When's yours?

[Aline's too spaced out to really care about verifying Becky's claim. Besides, the question posed to her immediately takes her mind off of that subject.] My birthday... I think it's in the fall. [A moment, then she begins to talk into the air, not directed to anyone.] Where is Fatima? I told her to buy some sugar for Mother... She's sixteen; she can go to the store by herself... I can't go because I don't feel good.

[She grows silent again, her outburst seemingly concluded. But no, she quietly murmurs,] And he... He... I don't remember... Do you remember his name? [Her dark eyes grow large in sadness and frustration. Reiko tries to calm Aline by stroking her hair, then posing a question to change the subject.] How do you feel right now, Aline? Do you still feel unwell?

[Aline tilts her head to the side, unsure of how to answer.] I feel... weird. My stomach... [A whiteness washes over her face as she suddenly leans forward on the cot, moaning. Reiko looks to Becky in surprise.] Please, try to keep her calm while I go look for a bucket!

[Oh. Oh crap.

Once Reiko's off on her search, Becky is—of all the things she could be doing now—taking one of Aline's hands. She has no idea if her touch will do anything to delay what's going to happen next, and honestly it probably won't so hopefully the woman doesn't take too long, but she's going to try it anyway, speaking up briefly while she does to try to keep the older girl's attention.]

You'll be okay. [She's using a tone that suggests that she knows things will be fine, though maybe not immediately, but it feels like a lie—no, that's not it; Becky's almost completely certain that it is a lie at this point.]

[Aline proceeds to dry heave, instinctively holding the hand that Becky doesn't have up to her mouth just in case. Her body reacting in such a violent way hurts very much, and it takes all she can muster to not break out in tears again. Though she's too occupied to reply to Becky's words of comfort, she definitely hears them and hopes she continues talking. Anything to take her focus off of the pain.]

[As Becky is trying to help Aline calm down, a commotion can be heard near the entrance to the medical tent. Immediately afterwards, a tense chatter fills the air, and movement in the tent becomes more lively. If Becky is able to look around, she'll notice that many of the medical staff are now wearing ventilation masks, and are trying to put some on the patients as well.

Reiko quickly returns with a small bucket, pale-faced and nearly out of breath. She places the bucket near the sink and immediately begins rifling through the drawers underneath. While she hunts, she tries her hardest to explain the situation in an even tone.] Becky. Aline. Don't panic, but our circumstances have changed. A wave of toxic orange flowers sent forth from the Dragon has been spotted coming this way, and we need to prepare for impact. [She finds some masks and pulls them out, handing one to Becky. It's a full face mask, with goggles and a respirator. Reiko quickly slips one over her head and gives it minimal adjustments.]

[Aline is still sitting up and hunched over, though her heaving attack has since calmed down. Reiko holds a mask out to her.] Aline, sweetie, you'll need to put this mask on. Please. It's very important... [She stops herself from saying "for both of you," instead choosing to bite her tongue.]

[Aline gingerly takes the mask and looks at it quizzically, then she looks at Reiko. But since Reiko already has her mask on, she instead looks at Becky and asks,] Show me? [Aline is trying very hard to be strong, but she has begun to tremble. She's been through this before, and it wasn't good...]

[Prior to Reiko's return, Becky is in fact still talking. Please hold on. We'll get through this. Squeeze my hand if you need to do something to distract yourself. Don't worry about if you do it too hard, I'll be fine.

Really, she's saying just about anything she can think of to try to be encouraging.

Then Reiko comes back with the masks, and Aline is asking how to get hers on.

Inspecting hers quickly, Becky then looks to Aline again.] Like this. [She starts putting hers on, making sure to do it at such a pace that the other girl can follow along.]

[Aline watches Becky's movements intently, partway because she's in a daze and mostly because she's fighting off a swell of panic rising inside her. She's able to put the mask on without any problems, but once her vision is reduced to only what she can see through the goggles, it makes her even more frantic. She immediately begins trying to tug it off, murmuring "no, no, no" under her breath.

Reiko, meanwhile, is occupied with speaking to other medics and assistants in an attempt to secure the tent as best they can, because the Bloom flowers are magical and can grow anywhere. If Becky looks up, she may even spot some dark places on the top of the tent, indicating that some of the Bloom is already sprouting and shedding pollen in those places. All this to say, Becky's on her own with Aline for the time being. She can still call out to Reiko if needed, however.]

[Seeing an immediate need for distraction, suspecting that only pleading for Aline to keep the mask on won't be anywhere near enough, Becky tries the very first thing that comes to mind and hopes that it'll be any help at all:

She leans in to give the girl a hug.

It's not an especially tight one, as anything too hard or too sudden would probably just result in Aline's panic levels spiking even harder and making an already-difficult situation even harder to deal with, but it's something more intended to say that things will (eventually) be okay. While she's doing this, she's trying to talk just a little bit more, though she's quieter than before, and sounding just a bit closer to the little girl that she looks like.] Aline— Aline, I know it's really scary, but we can get through this. Trust me. Please.

[Becky might be able to feel Aline's heart race even faster as she receives a light squeeze from the girl. It does halt her struggling, and she allows Becky's reassurance wash over her. It's just what she needs right now. Anything but that terrible monster that caused... That caused... She doesn't remember, but a peculiar anguish grips at her the more she thinks about it. It's a deadly mix of fear, rage, confusion, and sadness that her mind is trying to shut down and block out if at all possible.

That's when she stops trying to think and just listens to Becky. Aline wants to believe her words, but something is holding her back, like she has to regain something before everything will truly be okay.

Aline doesn't reply to Becky, finding herself deep in thought, trying to find what she has lost. When she does speak, it's in a small voice, unsure of her question.] Why do I feel like I've... lost someone?

[There it is. It's not completely clear thanks to Aline's current inability to recall what happened, but that, right there, sounds like enough to confirm what Becky had suspected, an answer to a question she had asked Reiko before Aline awakened.

Aline's own question is one that Becky doesn't feel ready to answer. Hell, she's not even sure if she should be the one to really answer, so the response to it (or perhaps that uncertain tone) is for that hug to tighten just slightly, though it's still not enough that Aline wouldn't be able to get away if she really wanted to.

It's a good thing they have these masks on, Becky thinks; she knows that if Aline got a look at her face right now then the other girl would pretty suddenly aware that yes, something did happen. (That is, if her response to the question didn't already say as much.)]

[Aline is acutely aware of Becky's hold growing tighter, but she's really too lost in deeper thoughts to think much on Becky's reaction. Since Becky hasn't said anything, Aline assumes she doesn't know anything either. She does try to talk out what she does know, however, in an attempt to jog her memory.] The Dragon appeared, and I started feeling weird. And then... I woke up here, and I was scared... [She grows silent again, and her eyes close under the mask.

Reiko comes back over, and sees the young women in an embrace. She gets close to Becky and does her best to whisper so that Aline can't hear.] Thank you for calming Aline down, but... Is everything okay?

[Reiko had scarcely emitted that whisper when a bright light suddenly and very quickly flashes through the tent, like an unexpected bolt of lightning, catching everyone off-guard. Many nurses and doctors fall to the ground, but Reiko stands behind Becky, hoping to shield her and Aline with her body from whatever that was.

It's a good thing they all have masks on, because a wave of dangerous Bloom pollen comes rolling into the tent at that moment, choking out anyone who was unfortunate enough to not have theirs on, or on incorrectly. Aline is trying not to open her eyes and see what's happening, though her heart is pounding and her anxiety is flaring up tremendously.]

[Becky isn't given a chance to answer the question, because that's when everything gets worse.

As Reiko moves to shield them, Becky winds up breaking the hug to shift her body slightly in order to shield Aline with herself as well, almost entirely on instinct. If something happened to her, her Flame could possibly help her to recover from it quicker, but Aline has no such advantage as far as she's aware. As she does this, she grabs one hand and does not let go, refusing to let the other girl think for even a moment that she's going to be left alone here.

Once again, Becky doesn't care how hard Aline squeezes her hand; she can take it.]

[A low and constant whine, somewhere between a moan and sobbing, begins to well up in Aline's throat and spill out without her realizing it. It's a primal reaction to the overwhelming terror she's experiencing right now. She tries to make her body as small as she can in the cot, curling up instinctively, and putting the arm that isn't occupied over her bowed head to shield her from the worst. Her other hand does squeeze Becky's, but more in defense than anything.

The others in the tent begin raising themselves off of the ground, looking around to see what caused all of those flowers to explode suddenly. One medical assistant bravely looks outside through the tent entrance, and their observation is hurriedly announced:] There's so much Bloom pollen everywhere that it's orange outside! [And then they double over, coughing violently. It seems that the sheer amount of pollen was strong enough to slightly get through their enchanted mask and make them sick. A nearby doctor pulls them over to a cot, while another shuts the tent opening tightly. This doctor faces the rest of the tent and tries to remain calm as he gives orders.] This is an emergency! Get ready to cover your patients and take cover yourselves! Now!

[The doctors, nurses, and assistants scramble to action, pulling what seem to be blankets out of their stations, out from under the sinks. Reiko is doing the same, and her motions seem more mechanical than anything. Though she's tried to remain tough and calm this entire time, this is pushing it a bit too far for her. She grabs two blankets and places one on the cot at Aline's feet, and begins unfolding the other. They're off-white in color, and seem to be glowing slightly. Once ready, Reiko explains what's going on, though she knows Aline is too far gone for any of this to really make sense to her right now.] This blanket is magically enchanted with a strong protective barrier. Please remain under it until this pollen cloud passes. [With that, she spreads the blanket out over Aline's quivering, wailing body.

The second blanket is for Becky and Reiko to shelter under, while sitting on the ground. Unless Becky is wanting to join Aline on the cot, where there should be room for her after the young woman scrunched up her body. Reiko is laser focused on unfolding the other blanket and won't say anything if that's what she decides to do. But is being forced under a blanket with someone else something she wants to deal with?]

[Becky refuses to leave Aline's side out of concern that doing so will make everything that much worse for her, so she finds herself sharing Aline's blanket and

immediately. regrets. everything.

This entire situation that is unfolding now is leaving them trapped inside this tent. Forcing them to stay beneath the blanket. Unable to see anything but the blanket, Aline, and herself. Not knowing how long they'll have to remain like this. No longer even sure if they will eventually manage to get out of this whole mess.

Her own breathing starts to speed up a bit. She realizes that she's beginning to panic and starts trying to keep herself calm, and needing the assurance that she's not here alone, gives Aline's hand a small squeeze of her own.]

[Aline doesn't particularly like the blanket put over her, so on top of her whimpering, she begins to shake her head as well. It's like she's giving the universe one big "nope" from under a blanket that's under a cloud of pollen that's under a tent that's potentially under a Dragon daemon. Her grip on Becky's hand is definitely tighter than the squeeze she gave as her head bobs about.

Reiko, who is draped in her own blanket, sees the movement from under Aline's blanket and is stirred to action. She's supposed to be sitting on the ground next to the cot, but she risks digging around in the sink station for a telescoping IV drip rod and brings it back over to the cot.

She slides her head and an arm holding the rod under Aline and Becky's blanket and holds the rod as best as she can in the middle of the cot. It extends enough to make the center of the blanket rise above their heads, causing it to become a less crowded space and more like a tent. Reiko smiles from under her mask.] Now this isn't so bad, is it? Let's pretend we're camping out, under the stars. This is our tent. [Aline begins to calm down as Reiko's voice soothes her anxiety. Maybe it's helping Becky too?] Can I tell you a story? When I was a little girl--

[Reiko can't help but cough a little, which causes the rod to shake with her body and the blanket to sway a bit. It's a fair sacrifice, however, in order to protect her charges. These young women are someone's daughters, and as a mother herself she is indebted to their mothers to protect them.] Oh, excuse me. When I was a little girl, I used to go camping with my grandparents every summer... [She pauses again, trying to fight back the tickle in her throat.]

[Thank god, something else to try to focus on. The space under the blanket being rendered less-suffocating helps a bit as well.

Becky starts trying to listen and her breathing levels out a bit, but she briefly gives a start when she hears Reiko cough. The sound gives her yet another thing to pay attention to, but this additional thing is also a concerning thing when what it is actually registers with her; is Reiko's mask on all the way, or is it actually not enough to protect her?

She's not at all sure if her power can offer the woman any extra protection, if that protection is needed, but she has to try, and so the hand that is not currently taken by Aline wraps around the one that Reiko is holding the rod up with, and she begins to focus on that.]

[Reiko's mask is on correctly, but the high concentration of pollen in the air at the moment from the sudden explosion of Bloom flowers is strong enough to break through the enchantment on the mask. It's the reason for everyone doubling up their protection by being thrown under similarly enchanted blankets. It's far from the most ideal situation, but this was intended to help in a worst-case scenario. For a true worst-case scenario -- a full-on Dragon attack -- this would do nothing, however. Thankfully, that's not what's happening now.

Reiko feels Becky's hand on hers and nods towards her in acknowledgement.] Thank you, Becky. But don't worry about me, this is nothing. [Even so, her attempt to be tough is undermined by the coughs punctuating her speech every now and then.] Now, where was I? My grandparents lived on an island that had mountains just as pretty as its beaches. I've camped in the woods and on the beach before...

[A loud cough rings through the air, but it's not from Reiko. As soon as she stops talking, the amount of coughing happening inside the tent -- and possibly outside as well -- is immediately noticeable. The sound is really bothering Aline, who had just begun calming down. She shakes her head and begins to plead,] Stop, please, stop. No, please.

[On the other hand, Reiko's coughing has subsided. Is it thanks to Becky's touch? But the non-stop rush of events in the past bit has caught up with her, and she's realizing that she's exhausted. Today has been a hard day, the kind of day that she'll need several days of rest to recuperate from. Aline's reaction is only adding to her weariness, but she has to keep going. Sooner or later, someone will come and address this pollen problem, kill that Dragon, and they can all go home. Reiko sighs.] Shh, Aline, it'll be okay. Surely Murakumo Psychics are on their way to use their magic in order to air out the camp. Give them just a little bit longer. [She turns her head to the quiet one.] How are you holding up, Becky? Do you have any stories you want to share?

[Reiko pats Aline's arm in order to calm her down.] Shh, shh. It's almost over. [She herself is growing wearier by the moment, and with her head laying on the cot it's hard for her to not keep her eyes closed for longer amounts of time with each blink. Hopefully Becky can grab the rod if she does fall asleep and loosens her grip...

A little while passes like this, and maybe she does fall asleep for a moment, but it's soon interrupted by a rush of wind sucking their makeshift tent-in-a-tent right off of the three of them. Various other items go flying through the air towards two Murakumo mages using their wind magic to clear the pollen from the tent.

Once finished, one of them announces,] The Dragon, codenamed Sleepy Hollow, has been exterminated. We will begin the process of breaking camp. You need to begin your final preparations as well.

[Aline is wide-eyed as she watches the mages leave, and then looks around, taking in everything. She's finally fully awake and back to her senses. Reiko is also quickly back on her feet after the announcement, whipping off her mask and smiling broadly at Becky and Aline. The faintest hint of tears can be seen in the corners of her eyes.] It's over! Everything's okay! I'm so glad! [She'd hug them like she would her own children, but she's able to hold back the urge, leaning dotingly over them on the cot instead.]

Aline, you're looking the best I've ever seen you. I'll look you over one more time, and then you'll be free to leave if you want. Becky, it sounds like you should find your Academy group before you get left behind! [She has to wipe away a tear that begins to fall.] But I'll miss both of you. Don't forget me, okay?

[Again, things generally happen before Becky can really begin to respond.

It takes her a few moments to process that it's over, but when Reiko addresses her, she starts getting back down to the ground and onto her feet. She starts looking around, before grabbing a nearby memo pad and scribbling something onto it. She then pulls that page off, tears it in half horizontally, and offers one to Reiko and the other to Aline.

It's a phone number.]

My— That's my number. If you want it. [She doesn't really want to leave them and have that be the end of that, so if one or both of them are interested in keeping in contact after this...]

The others have it too and they'll call me if I need to hurry up, so I'll stick around for another minute if— [As if on cue, her phone rings. She pulls it from her pocket and answers it, talking quietly for a brief moment before putting it away. So much for taking the extra time to be sure that Aline will be okay.]

Sorry, they're calling already, guess I can't wait a bit like I'd hoped. [She starts backing up, starting toward where she had originally entered the tent earlier, but not wanting to turn around yet.] Don't be strangers, 'kay? [Then she starts to turn and picks up her pace a bit. There's probably enough time to call out to her before she's left completely.]

[Reiko eagerly accepts the piece of paper with Becky's phone number on it and smiles.] Thank you, Becky. Hopefully the next time we talk it'll be under better circumstances!

[Aline also takes hers, though more gingerly. She nods in agreement with what Reiko says.] Yes... And thank you for being here for me. You've... saved my life.

[Then Reiko comes closer to Becky and says more quietly so Aline can't hear:] I'll keep you updated on what happens when I spring the big news on Aline! But I do want to make sure they'll both be fine first.

[Becky's phone rings, and she makes her way to the entrance to the tent. Reiko is still trying (a little unsuccessfully) to hold back her tears, and Aline is also looking sad. Parting is always hard. But hopefully, above the rush of activity happening in the tent, Becky can see two extended hands waving to her.]

Take care!

Thank you!

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battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

because I like this thread and want to see it reach a conclusion--

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in the interest of finishing this.

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end! thank you~