[player plot] Kagerou Daze

[suddenlybees]

WHO: OTA, some prompts semi-open per sign-ups
WHERE: Side A: Outlands, Side B: Daybreak
WHEN: Forward dated to May 23
WHAT: See details here
WARNINGS: Death and dying, and everything that comes along with it
NOTES: In your toplevel, please note whether you're playing on side A or side B! The plot will ICly take place from May 23-24, and players can continue to sign up throughout the month, partnered with an NPC student. Characters who do not sign up are still free to get involved with Side B prompts, so your character does NOT have to die to play with this plot. For any further questions, please direct them here. I will be NPCing Saeru and posting with kazokun

i. dawn, 5/23, open to all
[ The faintest of tremors runs through the ground. For a campus situated in the mountains, this may be scary, but hardly unexpected— if the tremor did not come with a surge of mist, black fog hissing like steam under pressure, filtering out from cracks in the pavement just outside of Theater Lenormand.

> Investigate the source, and potentially discover more about what happened, and what to do about it. There will be people who would need the help. ]

ii. throughout 5/23, closed to side A/B
[ It happens swiftly, quietly, without fanfare. Perhaps you're just minding your own business, waking up and seeking out breakfast, yawning and sidestepping before you crash into another student passing by, when there is suddenly a knife in your side, a twist and white hot pain. Perhaps you're hurrying to class, hear the shatter of glass, and make the mistake of stopping in place to look; you don't even know what fell on you, just that it was falling fast, it was heavy, and it was deadly. Perhaps you've caught wind of the rumors by now, suspicions circulating around a certain boy who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Avoid the boy, they say, he's bad luck. But maybe you mean to seek him out.

> Initial deaths can be played out or handwaved; let me know here if you want Saeru in a thread, otherwise feel free to NPC them yourself! ]

iii. 5/??, Kagerou Daze, closed to side A
[ You remember dying. At least, you think you died. It's hard to tell, because in the midst of a blink, the world dissolves around you and rebuilds itself into something... familiar. Maybe not familiar by sight, but the uncanny familiarity is still there, nudging at fears and worries long buried. What happened? Is there anybody here? How do you get out...

> Create your own world and make your escape! Once your character escapes from their world, they will find on their possession a small iridescent stone. ]

iv. 5/24, Daybreak Academy, closed to side B
[ What happened? You remember... dying? There was somebody else with you, you're sure of it, but they're nowhere to be seen. It could be hard to tell for some, but thick, clotted blood or a glance at your watch may be hints that 5-10 minutes have passed since you were last aware of things. Maybe you hit your head, because there's a faint hissing sound whispering at the back of your mind, like white noise, easily ignored.

There is no immediate or glaring indication that a Snake lies dormant in you, unless you're naturally attune to such things. The new power you've been granted may also come instinctively or not, a gift from the Snake housed within you.

> Have fun with your new powers! It was worth it, watching your friends get killed, right? ]

misc, not a real prompt.
[ For Side A characters who keep the stone on them after their escape, it grows steadily hotter the closer they are to their Side B partner. Once both partners meet and touch the stone at the same time, please let me know here!

For Side B characters, a toplevel regarding the final Saeru fight will be posted sometime on 5/15, to allow for investigation and IC discussion before confronting the daemon. ]

Comments

[foolishjustice]

[He jumps at the sound of his name, reflexively reaching for his gun before it registers that the source is a friendly - and uncovered - face. He lets out a tense breath, glancing around and making note of where the black suits are.]

Sakaki? Where the hell-

[Is this Hell? He died, after all...he failed, and now the gods are punishing him for his sins. Is that it?]

The fuck did you get here?

[hippocarnival]

I don't know. [He's sure he's dead, but he doesn't have anything more specific than that. Akechi looks as nervous as Yuya feels, and he glances over their shoulder to the Oni masks before grabbing for Akechi's wrist to lead him to keep moving. He doesn't want to know what happens when those guys catch up.] What about you?

[foolishjustice]

[He's perfectly content to keep moving, and seems highly familiar with the streets...as much good as it does with the crowd moving to block every potential escape route.]

I'm pretty damn sure I'm supposed to be dead. I remember being murdered, and then I woke up here.

[hippocarnival]

... Yeah. [Yuya glances down at himself and shudders.] But I don't know where here is.

[It can't be Tokyo for real, can it? Yuya glances back over his shoulder, slowly starting to take Akechi's lead when it looks like he knows better where they're going.]

[foolishjustice]

It looks like my personal fucking Hell.

[Another exit blocked by the two-faced masses, and he spits out a swear.]

Fuck...I don't think they're going to let us go anywhere but the subway.

[hippocarnival]

[They're really outnumbered... if it was just a couple, Yuya might start swinging with hits fists.] What's in the subway?

[foolishjustice]

If this is based on my memory of Shibuya...an entrance to a specific part of the Outlands. It's dangerous, but...it's a type of danger my magic is well suited to. Better than it is against Yakuza with access to guns, anyway.

[All his new Personas...why couldn't he have found one that protects against ranged attacks?]

[hippocarnival]

Yakuza? [Real Yakuza?? Akechi's detective life is so much more exciting than he assumed.] Okay, let's go top the subway.

[foolishjustice]

[He nods, casting a nervous glance toward the closest oni mask.]

We'll have to leave the crowd to get there, but...we should be able to make it if we make sure we stay moving targets. They probably have shit training with firearms. And if they follow us, we'll be in a smaller area where it's harder to take advantage of range.

[hippocarnival]

... So we run as fast as we can. [He offers a weak smile.] Good thing we both have a lot of practice, right?

[foolishjustice]

[He nods, crouching down and ready to go.]

...They'll be aiming for me. You'll be safest if you keep your distance.

[hippocarnival]

I won't leave you behind. [That's already decided in his mind. He'll stay close, and if he has to carry Akechi he'll be ready to do it.] Let's go.

[He'll let Akechi take the first step forward, but as soon as they're going Yuya's got his elbow tilted to put as much weight into pushing through the crowd as fast as they can.]

CW: Shooting and related injuries

[foolishjustice]

[As he expected, the thugs focus their fire on him as he breaks free of the crowd and dashes toward the subway entrance. Their aim isn't the best, but they know enough to target the center of mass. It's only his speed that saves him when, halfway through the clearing, a hole opens up in his calf and he stumbles.]

Shit-!

[The bullet hit the muscle, that much is obvious from how weak his leg suddenly feels. But between shock and adrenaline, the actual pain doesn't even register. He pushes forward, slowed but not stopped as more bullets bounce off the pavement in front of him. He hits the stairs to the subway and his leg goes out, leaving him gripping the railing tightly to stand. He doesn't have time to hobble down the stairs, so he does something he's normally be embarrassed to even try: he sits on the railing, and slides down to safety as bullets ricochet off the walls of the subway entrance.]

[hippocarnival]

[Aw, hell. Yuya hollars, grabbing Akechi's arm to help him along as they rush to the subway. They just have to get out of shooting range, at least out of direct view. Then they can take care of that.

When they reach the stairs, Yuya looks over his shoulder and angles himself in front of Akechi. As he slides down Yuya follows right behind, trying to stand between the Yakuza and Akechi. Does he have anything to deflect bullets? Nah, but he's got less pain clouding his focus as he watches their back in case they need to dodge and he hopes that's enough.

[foolishjustice]

[The Yakuza, fortunately, don't follow down the steps. Unfortunately, as they descend, the scenery...warps. The upper floor of the station looks decayed, with growths that look unsettlingly like flesh clinging to the walls. The light is dim, and seems to come from nowhere, and wind whispers from the staircases leading down to what should be the boarding area.

As soon as they're safe, Akechi stumbles again, dropping to one leg and hissing in pain. The wound is difficult to spot, since his clothes have changed to his princely attire, but a spot of red is slowly starting to stain each side of the leg of his pants.]

Fuck...how badly is it bleeding?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya kneels beside him, tilting this way and that to try and see the wound.]

Not a good time to change clothes... [But he catches sight of the wound again and reaches for the hem of his pants. The blood is soaking quick.] There it is. Im going to pull your pants leg up and take a look, okay?

[He tries to be gentle about it, at least.]

[foolishjustice]

That happens on its own here. My Flame seems to be specifically meant for this place.

[He rolls into a sitting position, so that the injured part of his leg is no longer against the floor.]

Alright, go ahead. Don't be afraid to damage the cloth if necessary, this outfit never shows damage or stains from the last time I wore it.

[hippocarnival]

Like some magical girl outfit? [He grins a little, shuffling the leg up until he reveals the wound. Is anything weird about it besides being a bullet wound?] We should wrap this...

[foolishjustice]

Pretty much exactly like that, actually...though the transformation is much simpler.

[It just looks like an ordinary bullet wound. Fortunately, it missed the bone, and the exit wound shows that there's no need to dig it out.

Akechi shifts so he can reach into a pocket and produces a couple gauze pads and a roll of bandages. Hopefully this works like the real Mementos, and just bandaging the wound will speed the healing process...]

[hippocarnival]

It comes with first aid too? [Yuya takes the gauge pads, and gets to work wrapping the wound tightly. It's bleeding in two places, so he's worried about stemming the bleeding.]

[foolishjustice]

No, these are things I bought on my own. The creatures here are...territorial, I guess is the best way to put it. Whenever I'm here, I need to be prepared in case I get hurt.

[hippocarnival]

[He looks up, taking in what feels like some sort of horror show. He doesn't see anything coming yet...]

Do you know how to avoid them?

[foolishjustice]

If this is like the real place, the ones on the higher floors should run the hell away from me. They can tell how powerful my active familiar is, and they get stronger the further down you go.

Other than that, it's easy to hide here if you have cover, but...this place is shit as far as that's concerned. It's like a maze, and mostly straight hallways.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya nods slowly. It looks like a subway, so... that's not surprising.] Can you reach your familiar?

[Yuya can't hear Odd-Eyes, he assumes because he's dead and it must have broken the connection. Not being alive is definitely too far away.]

[foolishjustice]

This mask is proof I can. My familiars are...a little unusual. They're actually parts of me, manifested as legendary figures. It would be pretty damn hard to completely disconnect them from me.