▶ 004. TEST DRIVE & SIMULATION #4

[synfluxmods]

TEST DRIVE & SIMULATION #4

CONTENT WARNINGS: forced partial nudity, dead bodies

▶ 001. ARRIVAL / CAFETERIA.

It happens in the blink of an eye -- a dash of time. You're taken from where you were. What you were doing.. it isn't important anymore, and slowly, you give up to desire your normal life. When you awake, figures are looking down on you from a surgical table.

"Yeah, this one will do; let's take them to the rest," That's all you see before losing consciousness again, only to wake up in a pod with many others.

"Your questions will be answered soon enough as I'm sure you will have many," a female, robotic voice says.

Just then, your pod opens in a dim corridor with many others. Your new life is about to begin... whether you like it or not.

The pods drain their stasis fluid which wakens each Outsider. When Outsiders emerge from their pod in only their undergarments which have been supplied to them and head to a locker room in the medical bay, to find a towel to dry off with, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider to their rightful teams. If a character has any accessibility needs, they will be found here. It's about then they will feel a sharp pain at the back of their eyes, almost like there’s a foreign body lodged on the inside of their head. This pain will subside quickly as their body adapts to the changes, but there will always be a sensation of something being not quite right. That their bodies have been changed forever. They would be correct in thinking that. In the pod, all Outsiders have been surgically fitted with ocular and brain implants that will enable them to communicate with LILITH and the rest of the crew, and feed them the information they require. Almost like a computer screen has been loaded into their brains, they will see a loading screen as the implant completes its download. A questionnaire will then pop up, waiting for their answer. A voice, robotic and feminine, will also read along in their brain for them.

█ █ █ LOADING COMPLETE … BEGIN ORIENTATION …

Name:
Username:
Civilian Identity:
Age:
Species:
Origin:

What is your fantasy?

<raw code><table width="80%"><br><div align="center"><img src="IMAGE_URL" style="width: 200px; border-radius: 15px; border: 1px solid #7F7F7F; box-shadow: #8D8D8D 1px 1px 1px;"> <!-- CARD --> <div style="width:230px;padding:20px 0 0;border:1px solid #f2f2f2;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:right;gap:5px;background:#fff;"> <!-- CHAR INFO: start --> <div style="width:150px;font-family:courier;font-weight:bold;font-size: clamp(14px, 1vw, 10px);letter-spacing:1px;line-height:1;color:#000;"></lj-raw><font color="#00686E">NAME</font> <lj-raw></div> <!-- CHAR INFO: end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE START --> <div style="width:230px;background:#eee;"><details><summary style="cursor:pointer;text-align:center;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;display:flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center;background:#ccc;color:#000;">+</summary> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content --> <div style="width:190px;margin:0 auto;padding:7px 0;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-size:11px;text-align:left;color:#000;"> </lj-raw><b>Username:</b> !!ANSWER HERE!! <br> <b>Civilian Identity:</b> !!ANSWER HERE OR SAY UNDECIDED!! <br> <b>Age:</b> !!AGE HERE!! <br> <b>Species:</b> !!SPECIES HERE!! <br> <b>Origin:</b> !!ORIGIN HERE!! <br></br> <b>What is your fantasy?</b></br> </br>!! ANSWER HERE !!<lj-raw> </div></details></div> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE END --> </div></div> <!-- CARD name: END --> <!-- CREDIT --> <div style="width:100%;margin-top:-15px;font-size:10px;color:#ddd; text-align:center;"><a title="code credit!" href="http://10billionghosts.dreamwidth.org" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ddd;">credit</a></div></center></table></raw code>

The system will give Outsiders one chance to provide a truthful answer and choose their username and civilian identity. Should they refuse to cooperate, the implant will download the answer directly from their brain (and give them a username or civilian name against their will). This questionnaire will then be posted on the network for all to view and reply to. Almost like an ice-breaker, if you will. LILITH wants all their newest recruits to learn about each other!

Outsiders will receive a quick brief about their situation: They will be told that the year is 2278, and they have been taken to Neo Tokyo, one of the last bastions of mankind in a world terrorized by various Kaiju and monsters. Only a third of the population remains, and LILITH has gathered talented people from other dimensions here as a last ditch effort to save humanity. Outsiders are free to continue asking LILITH questions through their implant, but there’s no guarantee they will provide them with a straight answer …

Outsiders will also notice an implant in their dominant wrist. This implant has a barcode in it that will enable them to purchase goods from the local stores in Neo Tokyo. They will receive a starting balance of 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), which is barely enough for a few good meals, groceries and supplies. They can view their current balance through a hologram window projected by their ocular implant.

Once they leave the medical bay, they’ll be able to grab a quick meal in the cafeteria and mingle with the other Outsiders just waking up. Today’s menu is creamy crab onigiri & ginger salad, all packed neatly in a food ration tray.

That familiar, robotic voice is heard again:

"Greetings, my name is SYNTHIA and I will be taking care of you today while the rest of the crew is busy handling a recent issue. Worry not, my children. You are in safe hands."

▶ 002. CLEAN UP THE LAND OF DREAMS.

After nearly a month of investigation and monitoring everyone’s health, Tokyo Disney is finally cleared. Outsiders will be sent back to Tokyo Disneyland to resume their work. LILITH will order them to go collect the rotting remains of the Yamadenki and any bodies that were left behind from the battle.

When they return, they will find the park is still left in ruin from the battle and the air smells horrible. They will have to sift through the rubble for the remains of Yamadenki, rift mutated corpses, hybrids, and fallen scientists and mercenaries. It’s dirty work but someone has to do it. Luckily, LILITH has provided a sanitation suit that some Outsiders may remember. There are only a few in various colors, and those who reject the sanitation suit will be provided with gloves and encouraged to activate their plugsuit instead. After they’ve removed the bodies, they will be told to help clean up the park. The park has always been a popular place for teenagers to sneak off to and while they can keep the area closed off for the safety of the majority, there’s no way to keep out the most dedicated troublemakers. Some of the rides have some residual charge in their engines and can be ridden.. maybe test drive them for a spin? Nobody has to know you're doing it, right?

Furthermore, LILITH is interested in what remains of the secret labs. Most of the computer hardware and records have already been confiscated but considering how they’ve had almost a whole month to rest, they should be fit and ready to do some heavy lifting, surely. Most notably, LILITH will task the Outsiders with moving and transporting heavy machinery such as the electric generators, refrigerators, freezers, incubators, water distillers, and all sorts of fancy equipment. They will have to find a way to drag all of this out of the tunnels, up to the surface, and to the transport vehicles waiting to take them back to LILITH. If they look around, they may find a few golf carts in the tunnels but whether or not they have keys or even work is to be determined.

Observant Outsiders will spot some men in suits appraising the park and nodding their heads. Could there be plans for a revival of Tokyo Disneyland?

▶ 003. DATAPORTAL TESTING.

Following the clean up efforts at Disney, things begin to happen at LILITH. The engineering department gets to work and it isn’t long until they announce they’ve finally managed to get some of the dataportals running. It seems the Yamadenki remains had some special properties that they could use to stabilize and power the right technology. This is excellent news or LILITH and the administrators get to work communicating with other organizations around the world.

In the meantime, these dataportals need to be tested and Outsiders will be asked to volunteer. Should they agree, the engineers and technicians will explain that they’re going to try a short-distance test first. They still have access to their old base in Kyoto. It was abandoned years ago after a particularly devastating kaiju attack. While they were able to secure most items of importance in their evacuation, it wouldn’t hurt to go back and do another sweep for things that may have been left behind like medical supplies, tools, technology, and food/drink supplies.

Characters will be able to travel back and forth between Kyoto and Tokyo while they test the portals. There are some known effects of portal jumping but whether they start to take effect on the first jump or after a certain amount depends on the person. Symptoms include nausea, headaches, dizziness, and a loss of spatial awareness so they may get into people’s spaces, bump into things, miss targets, or get lost easily.

▶ 004. KYOTO & KAIJU.

Outsiders will be transported to the Old Kyoto Base with a small team of operatives. In terms of structure, the Kyoto Base looks similar to that of Neo Tokyo, with the remnants of a training ground, research labs and dormitories free to explore. Once upon a time, this base was filled with LILITH personnel. What had happened to them, along with all the other residents of Kyoto, is anyone’s guess.

With some work, they’ll be able to kickstart the emergency generators which will be enough to provide the power needed to search parts of the base. Characters can also leave the base and explore what remains of Kyoto. The streets are empty and the city has been abandoned since the attack. The Imperial Palace is still standing, albeit in decrepit conditions from years of neglect, and the once picturesque, historical streets now sit in ruin. Keep searching, and you will see the scars left behind from the attack - monstrous claw marks against a building wall, and forgotten human remains.

With the lack of human interference, Kyoto has become overrun with wild animals such as macaques, deer, foxes and tanuki. A herd of boar-like Kaiju have also taken their place at the top of the ecosystem. This Kaiju, the Yama-Kujira, is of special interest to LILITH.


█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Yama-Kujira
HEIGHT: 10 meters (adult), 2 meters (infant)
WEIGHT: 200 kg (adult), 60kg (infant)
CLASS: Piglets are harmless, Adults are a moderate threat
LOCATION: Kyoto, Japan
ABILITIES: The adult Yama-Kujira compensate for their terrible eyesight with a vicious attitude. They will charge at everything and everyone at the slightest disturbance, be it the sound of footsteps or even a bird flapping its wings. They have a keen sense of smell and hearing, and sharp tusks that they use to maul their prey. Fiercely territorial, especially near to their nests. Hates loud noises and the colour red. In groups, they have the ability to cause a minor earthquake by stomping into the ground. The Yama-Kujira piglets, on the other hand, are blind, harmless, docile and do not have tusks. May charge ineffectively to practice their skills and are strong enough to knock a person over. They enjoy fruit, nuts and milk.
WEAKNESS: They are virtually blind and rely on their smell/hearing, so taking those senses out will disorientate them. Otherwise weak to being flipped over and has a soft underbelly. Getting their tusks trapped in something will temporarily immobilize them as well.
EXTRA NOTES: Eats primarily vegetation and local wildlife but the adults will kill anything that moves.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Eliminate all adult Yama-Kujira within the area.
✖ Lure in and capture infants to surrender to LILITH.
✖ Bring back Yama-Kujira specimens, alive or dead.
✖ Scavenge for useful technology or supplies from around Kyoto and the Kyoto base.

█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

▶ 005. MAID DAY.

While Outsiders test out the portal technology and the engineers make adjustments to make traveling more stable, the administrators will announce they’ve touched base with other organizations around the world and have begun to process travel documents for everyone.

In the meantime, they will have to help do paperwork which includes repeatedly confirming details like their birthdays, hair color, age, blood types, and so on. They will have to fill out multiple forms again and again for administration, insurance, and passport reasons, as well as reasons that just don’t make sense. The paperwork is endless and it’s a lot to keep track of but everything is due on May 10th. To make matters worse, there is the longest line at the immigration office that does not seem to be moving at all. For some reason, paperwork submission needs to be done in person, even with all the advances in technology.

On the day of the deadline, something bizarre happens. Those with style upgrades should be familiar with LILITH’s state-of-the-art clothing-changing technology. On May 10th, nanobots will engulf some Outsiders and overwrite their clothing, forcing them into a maid outfit (or butler outfit, depending on player preference). Seok Dang’s back from his suspension (is that why he’s been so quiet and nobody has seen him around base?), and he was given the task to encourage all the Outsiders to finish their paperwork.

“I’m back, baby! Daddy’s hoooome!! Did you like the frills? Enjoying them? Everyone say ‘thank you Seokdang-oppaaaaa!’. The Captain says you gotta do your paperwork, and some lazy bastards haven’t turned theirs in yet. Unless you wanna be in that cute lacy skirt forever, let’s encourage everyone to do their homework, okay? Well, if you guys decide to just stay like this forever, I ain’t complaining. It’s pretty easy on the eyes. Next time, maybe I'll put you hot kittens in some tight leather. Who knows!”

Outsiders will find themselves dressed in maid costumes until everyone has completed their paperwork, so LILITH is heavily encouraging you to persuade your friends! Once everyone has submitted their paperwork, they’ll be able to uninstall the maid upgrade… but they can keep it as a gift! Those who would like to opt-out can simply have their clothing not be effected, and this prank works with those who have a style upgrade or are in their LILITH given attire (plugsuit or loungewear.)

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth TDM! All TDM threads are game canon; characters who don't app will be glitched out of this world. As TDM will act as the event, existing characters are heavily encouraged to participate. We encourage this format for top levels: CHARACTER | CANON | CURRENT / NEW CHARACTER. '

There are currently 16 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.

None of the prompts suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts!

Use the code provided in the ARRIVAL prompt if you'd like to participate in the ice breaker and place it in your top level along with your other prompts. Anything such as civilian name or username can be marked as UNDECIDED if you're unsure of what you'd like your character to have for now. Though it says 'Orientation', existing characters can still participate in the ice-breaker.

Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards May AC.

TDM #4 BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. ARRIVAL PROMPT: Newcomers arrive with ocular and brain implants and told a breakdown of the premise with an icebreaker orientation to fill out. Their first cafeteria meal is crab onigiri & ginger salad. Newcomers are placed in gray loungewear while they are being sorted into teams.

2. TOKYO DISNEYLAND CLEAN UP: Outsiders are sent back to Tokyo Disney to gather resources from the Yamadenki attack. Outsiders may wear a sanitation suit or use gloves. Some rides have residual energy should anyone want to try and take them for a spin.

3. DATAPORTAL TESTING: Resources gained from the Yamadenki creature have supplied LILITH with enough energy to use the dataportal to teleport outsiders to a former base location in Kyoto. Using the dataportal may give Outsiders limited side effects.

4. KYOTO & KAIJU: In lieu of a Simulation in Seok Dang's absence, Outsiders who teleport to Kyoto will be given the task to fight and clear out the Yama-Kujira, a boar like creature.

5. MAID DAY: Outsiders must fill out repetitive paperwork, which foreshadows travel in the future, and threatening not to will result in a forced maid outfit, courtesy of Seok Dang and his return.

code

Comments

geto suguru ( jujutsu kaisen / new player )

[gorb]

tw: possible genocide mentions / derogatory comments - lots of referring to humans as monkeys so v. sorry about that!!.

a. Cafeteria:

( To say Geto is not having a good day would be an understatement. He's starting to think it's entirely possible he's lost his mind, that maybe somewhere along the line Yuta Okkotsu and his special grade knocked something loose and now he's forever changed. That or Satoru ... but no - he really will lose it if he lets his thoughts drift there. Instead he lurks in the corner of the cafeteria, dubiously eyeing his tray of ginger salad. He really should eat, but actively moving to feels like a herculean effort. If he really is insane - or dead - would it matter if he ate or not? Who's to say it isn't poisoned? Wouldn't that be an entirely human thing to do? It's been years since he let his guard down and now look, suddenly subjugated and held at their whim. So he won't make it easy, he thinks, cutlery abandoned. The tray gets pushed aside with an irritated huff, Geto placing his elbow on the table top to push up his sleeve. The pale skin of his arm is bare there, and when he presses down on the veins in his wrist he can feel the shape of the implant. It hurts when he increases the pressure, foreign object scraping against bone.

Funny, when he shouldn't even have the arm to begin with.

He already has opinions and not all of them are good, even if he is obediently keeping them to himself amidst the monkey stench. He doesn't even flinch when someone sits down in the seat opposite him, quickly pulling his sleeve back down and slowly lifting his head. His expression remains mild throughout, though there's a dark wariness to his gaze, a quick flicker of movement that goes carefully still. ) Can I help you?

b. Clean-Up:

( This is giving him a headache.

The park, oddly familiar despite all the time that's passed since Geto was a teen and now, leaves him feeling unsettled in a way he can't quite quantify. He keeps expecting to move his head and catch sight of someone familiar, a thought that turns his stomach somehow even sourer and has him instead opting to lurk inside the labs, a hulking bored shape in the dark. At least this way stops him from actively having to handle the monkey remains - he wouldn't even be here if there weren't something in his head pushing him to, a problem he'll have to work on - and nobody would take kindly to letting his curses just eat the corpses.

Speaking of, a curse comes, sluggish, and Geto eyes the way it moves warily. There's something off about his technique, he thinks, his own thoughts just as slow. But it still manages to lift a heavier piece of machinery for him, manoeuvres it so that the door to another room is free for Geto to step under. He lets the curse drop it again, a heavy clunking sound echoing through the halls, before it lumbers after Geto into the new surroundings. )

Hm.

( Dust, dust, and more dust. To himself, or perhaps to the ( invisible-to-human-eyes ) curse. ) Why am I even here?

c. Kaiju:

( He's sitting on top of the corpse when someone inevitably stumbles his way, the Yama-Kujira possibly only recently deceased judging by the slowly seeping blood pool beneath it. Geto pays it no mind, face angled skyward even with the sound of approaching feet. He's humming some song he's heard Mimiko or Nanako singing, a little off-key, a little unrepentant. For those who might be able to see curses, there's currently one gnawing the legs of the boar creature, but for everyone else it's just Geto Suguru, cross-legged and bored. ) Stop eating that, the monkeys will want the parts.

( Softly murmured, and then he opens his eyes. To whomever unfortunate enough to come across him he lifts one hand, wide palmed. ) Yo.

( It's perhaps a little louder than he intended - or maybe precisely as loud as he did - because just off in the distance there comes hoofbeats. Geto smiles, sharp and vicious, cracking his neck with single-minded focus. ) I hope you know how to fight.

d. Network:

Suguru Geto

+

Username: soba
Civilian Identity: Zoru Soba
Age: 27
Species: Human
Origin: Earth

What is your fantasy?

To rid the world of non-shamans.

credit

e. Wildcard

( ooc: whatever moves you! i'm down to clown with this one. i'm readily avaliable at discord: sad gay dna or qingya for plotting shenanigans / questions / anything really! once again sry about geto he's A Lot. )

network; un:nailedit

[kanzashi]

[ nobara has no idea who this guy is, but something about the written texts stands out.. ]

ridding the world of non-shamans? what kind of stupid fantasy is that? you'd have to kill almost everyone! there'd be hardly anyone left!

[gorb]

( This is why he should have picked something fake but nooo, they had to pluck the answer from his brain! )

Weeds allowed to grow strangle the flowers, sacrifices must be made.

[kanzashi]

what's the point of living in a world with nobody in it?
everything from baristas to fashion designers, even the people keeping the internet running— everything would be gone!
if it's going to be like that i'd rather die too!

b-adjacent, sorry geto

[eyescar]

[ Yuji sees the back of his head before he sees anything else, and it throws him into immediate fight or flight.

When was the last time he saw this guy... Was it back in Shibuya, all those weeks ago? Staring at them as he screamed out for Gojo-sensei, demanding to have him back, seeing the man and the prison realm fade from view? Was it after that? It's as if the anger blinds him for a moment, and nothing else seems to matter - not the fact that they're in the middle of the base, not the adorable outfit he has on thanks to LILITH, not even the post-surgery sickness he's been feeling this whole time. No, all that matters is stopping this man-

So, from nearly across the room, Yuji leans at him, going straight for the man's throat without even bothering to check who it is, anger ridding him of whatever notion of sensibility he had inside of him. For a Yuji too drunk on grief and pain to function a lot of the time, this is a better outlet: anger feels better, rage feels better than the horrible, sinking feeling of heartache and pain, the way that his guts feel twisted up inside of him like poison.

(It does not register in his mind that this might be another one of those 'haha, oops!' things from LILITH, that there's more to it; he doesn't know all that much about the situation between his sensei and Geto Suguru, only that Kenjaku wears his face and the name 'Geto' was thrown around by other people. In Yuji's mind, they are painfully one and the same, an agonising confusion that leaves him a little bereft of sense). ]

You...!!

[gorb]

( He's a little off. That's to be expected. Seconds away from death and he'd woken up in a new place with a whole ream of new information to swallow. Plus his technique fading in and out, he's not exactly firing on all cylinders. Which means when Yuji goes for his throat, Geto is a half a second too late in getting his own arm up. Those fingers graze his skin and he huffs, surprised, at the sheer strength coming from the kid. That and the cursed energy rolling off of him in waves, there's a lot to process in such a short amount of time. )

Ah?

( Half questioning, half surprised. Instinct has him driving his other hand towards the boy's face, trying to put distance between the two of them. The sound of grappling has the curse in the corner looking their way but Geto doesn't call it any closer. Instead he hisses through his teeth, aggrieved. )

What?

( Whether that's because of the attack or the teenager in a maid outfit is unclear. Geto merely swings his elbow into the boy's side, snarling. )

[eyescar]

[ He's good, of course he is, Yuji had seen how easily he had handled Choso back in Shibuya, the amount of power that had come rolling off him like waves, the way he had eaten Mahito when Yuji had been so close, and it grates on him. He should think before he acts, but rationality evades him time and time again, as it does when those people are involved: Mahito, Kenjaku, Sukuna. Yuji follows his heart, and his heart says anger.

It doesn't help that the last thing he remembers from home is grief and loss, the rage of knowing the date, the reasons, the escape -

Ducking down to try and avoid the hand to his face, Yuji adjusts his weight, digging his heels into the ground. It's easy to summon some of his cursed energy, then, to swing his fist around to try and hit Geto right in the gut, to allow his strength to piece him and have him on his knees. It's not as if Yuji thinks that he can get answered or anything, nor does he think he actually wants to kill this man, not at heart, but his rage is overpowering.

It makes it hard to focus on anything else. ]

You - I hate you - you -

[ He's hit on the side, not quite able to dodge, but ducks down to press his hands against the ground and swing, legs coming up in a kick towards Geto's head. ]

c. 1/2

[gimu]

[ the directive this time is easy enough to follow: clean up. eradicate. clear the ancient streets of oversized wild life. help out. don’t die. easy. it’s why choso is out here in the first place, meandering old roads, exploring old streets, looking at the bones of a city he has never laid eyes on before now.

at some point, he rounds a corner to find someone else’s clean-up efforts. he’s about ready to just keep going when something in the core of him pulls, a taste of something sour and familiar touching his tongue like oily smoke.

is that not a curse? then who is the figure on
the body
? ]

2/2

[gimu]

[ black hair, black eyes in a serene face, a voice that soothes while it severs through the seams.

yo, it says, in it’s lovely voice.

something turns over in choso’s stomach, exposes the squirming raw hate underneath, and as it froths up his gullet like a chemical reaction choso’s expression twists into a rictus. lips skin back from teeth, eyes widen ‘til there is nothing but white around his iris, pupils blown wide. the strange black mark across his nose begins to roil, blood teeming like it’s eager to overflow from within his strange body.

he doesn’t recognize his own voice when he snarls, ]

Kamo Noritoshi!

[ at a much louder clip than the other. he doesn’t hear anything else but the pound of his pulse in his ears, not the gurgle of the curse, not the incoming gallop of hooves.

a stream of blood separates from his face (the mark, like tape from a dispenser) to curl into a tight, red ball before his hands clap closed around it, like catching a bug mid-air. ]

[gorb]

( Oh.

Now that's much more interesting. The curse-in-the-shape-of-a-man comes eagerly enough and Geto's eyes narrow from where he rests atop the kaiju corpse, insouciant. He curves one arm behind his head, stretching lazily, though there's something in his narrow-eyed gaze that might belie his wariness, his caution. It's a strong curse, the thing before him, an odd edge to it that has Geto's teeth itching. )

Hm? What's that? Are we shouting irrelevant names? I'll go next! Waka Inoue! Is that right? Or no, yours. Isn't that the name of one of the Kyoto students? Still, not him.

( He's kept track after all these years after all. It pays to as a defector. But a vague hum follows, his gaze tilting ever so slightly away from Choso to what he's assuming is the approaching footsteps of some very annoyed Kaiju. And then almost lazily, he rises to his feet, hopping down off of the body to stand just before it, offering his mildest of smiles. )

If you're going to try and fight me best to do it quickly. We'll have company soon.

( It's a curse. He could probably consume it. But with his technique acting up does he want to try? )

i forgive u the world! forgive me my lateness!

[gimu]

[ Something of Choso bids for consideration, to stop and think and look at what stood before him, but the blood is an unending thrum of war drums, the hate effervescent as it froths up his gullet. Something here is not right, he needs to look, he needs to think, but the man with the amicable voice has it lilting, mocking, jibing, stinging, and Choso cannot help but snarl in turn, the blood pulling from his mark to form more little orbs around him in profusion.

But something here is not right. ]

Are you not Geto Suguru? [ Heat gathers in his palms. Convergence screams for release, but damn him, Choso holds. ]

Are you not Kamo Noritoshi?

[ In the nearing distance, the cacophony of a titan boar grows ever-louder. ]

b

[memors]

[ Though not unused to perceiving something not-quite-seen, for a Shadow like Ryoji, the presence of the curse acts more like a beacon, an impression. In truth, it drew his awareness because he sensed something with the otherworldly shape almost like a Persona, and when he stumbles upon the unfamiliar man with his unseen familiar, he can't quite discount that possibility entirely. Whether a Shadow or something else, his attention has been garnered, for better or (probably) worse. ]

Don't worry. Whatever's in there is long dead. [ That's why Geto was hesitating for a moment, right? In any case, Ryoji is inviting himself to accompany him, following suit and ducking through the doorway. ] Probably the last mercy those transformed could hope for. Who's your friend?

[ Staring with a keen gaze right through the spot where the lumbering curse stands. Given his soul probably looks something like a curse itself, it's a little frustrating — finding others like himself around here is pretty rare indeed. ]

[gorb]

( A stillness falls over Geto, a quiver of attention. If he's surprised that someone has joined him it doesn't show. The same for the fact that Ryoji can see his curse. There's no familiar energy coming from the newcomer though, and so when he turns his gaze their way it's ever so slightly curious. A quick assessment and then the stillness of his frame abates, shoulders loosening as he kicks through some debris in the corner. )

Not a friend.

( Pleasantly, with a mild smile. ) But useful.

( And then more pointed, because while he was part of the debrief he didn't exactly pay all that much attention. ) You said transformed? What were they before?

a

[desireinsilence]

[ it's been a while, a long long while, but they haven't changed that much that they wouldn't recognise each other anymore, have they? Shoko spots the criminal from her table and abandons her sad little meal to see if trash boy A has anything better to offer.

no stitches along the forehead. now, that's a relief.

propping her chin in her palm, she settles for a slanted smile. ]

I don't know. Can you?

aaaaaaaaaahhhhh??

[gorb]

( He blinks, slow and a little uneven, shock flickering across his pale face. ) Shoko?

( If his voice is a little disbelieving he thinks he can be forgiven for that. What sanity he's been clinging to fractures a little at being shown a familiar face - better to think it's a hallucination when he doesn't recognise anyone in front of him. He hasn't seen her in years, not up close like this anyway, and for a moment he forgets everything else in favour of smiling, real and genuine. )

Well. Only if you want bad cafeteria food and shitty company.

( And then he laughs, a little wilder than the calm kind he might have given when they were young. ) What are you doing here?

d; @kijyo

[saudadist]

can you even accomplish it?

@ soba

[gorb]

Yes.

( Well. Maybe not now, but. )

@luckystrike

[sanctus_dei]

Define "shaman".

@ soba

[gorb]

A non-jujutsu sorcerer.

wildcard!

[rikugan]

[ although the possibility did cross his mind briefly (and dismissed immediately), gojo didn't place any expectation on LILITH to bring him here. she could do it, of course. she has shown how far her reach goes through time and space, pulling in suitable candidates from across the multiverse to assist her with her kaiju problem.

but why would she choose him?

whether it was back in shibuya or that quiet alleyway near jujutsu high a little over a year ago, gojo would never miss that cursed energy once unique only to him. unfortunately, he is now fully aware of kenjaku and the desecration of his corpse, so with minimal humor and zero hesitation, gojo satoru materializes in front of geto suguru just outside of med bay. he needs to see him with his own eyes because it is only then that he can determine if he will permit the existence of that signature here.

blindfold abandoned within the confines of his brimstone room, a pair of bright blue eyes stares into the depths of a familiar purple. the indifference in which he regards him doesn't waver even as he confirms his identity within that split second. gojo remembered that he had a dream as he died — a dream of a comfortable, perhaps even peaceful, reunion with geto and the few others who he had deemed important in his life. it was a happy dream, but ultimately, it was only a dream and this is reality. ]

Suguru. [ he utters a long unspoken name flatly, despite the way his features softens ever so faintly. ] You look disgusting.

w o w

[gorb]

( He isn't surprised. He thinks he should be, but when he searches himself for any revelation he can't find it. Between one breath and the next Gojo Satoru is there and Geto realises that the itching at the edges of his senses is not the leftovers of a failed mercy killing but actual living, breathing personage. He stares at those bright blue eyes, his own expression simultaneously blank and blown open all at once, lips parted on a breath. Is he glad? He might be? Is it terrible to be pleased? A thousand and one questions clamour to the forefront but he can't quite pick which one to ask first. The how's and the why's aren't even really that important. His hand is still on the cool metal of the med bay door.

Of course he's here.

And then Gojo speaks and any relief flutters away like petals on the wind. )

Go fuck yourself. ( Sharp, instantaneous, no cult-leading benevolent persona here. Just Geto Suguru, estranged once best friend, and the sharp sting of pain. A beat and then, another terrible swelling feeling, a not-quite-funny bubble of laughter. ) Satoru.

( The hand on the door falls away, arms crossing over his chest, a single black eyebrow lifting. )

Is that really what you want to say to me?

c

[cranekin]

(He emerges from the brush, like a ghost and if Geto can sense it, "ghost" might not be too far off for what Tsurumaru is. Dressed in a white kimono and robe, pale skin, white hair, he definitely looks like some sort of spirit and the air around him is one that isn't quite human either. Maybe that's why his eyes flick towards the curses below him when he speaks and then back at Geto,)

Yo.

(He raises a hand in turn,)

Good work.

(It looks like the boar is taken care of. He'd thought he heard a commotion in this direction which is why he came in the first place but it looks like it's been taken care of. Ah, but there, not far off, he can hear danger approaching and he places a hand on his hip,)

Eh? Are you tired already?

(Of course, he can fight, but maybe he wanted to see how this guy took down a kaiju so easily.)

[gorb]

( It's been a Day. The appearance of something not quite familiar has lost its shocking lustre. Or possibly it's the fault of all the gore staining his nice new sweatpants. Either way he crosses one leg atop the beast and lets his foot go tap-tap-tapping. )

Is there a quota? I didn't see anything in the small print.

( Completely unperturbed by the approaching hooves. )

They really should have mentioned that.

( Eventually, when the sound gets barely a few streets away, Geto hops down from his perch. His shoe sinks into some of the remaining viscera and he pulls a face, before peering up the street. ) If you can't fight you might want to get out of here.

C

[failedsafe]

[It doesn't occur to her that she should not be able to see curses so in the midst of looking for more kaiju, she sure is staring at them before he greets her, a little loudly.

She starts to lift her hand to greet him back, but stops as she hears something in the distance. Then feels it as tremors wrack the earth and reverberate through her body. Siiiiiiiigh.]

My guy, that was super unnecessary.

[gorb]

Was it?

( Amused, perhaps arrogantly so. He's still sat upon his original victim, foot tapping lazily. )

I'd rather not have to hunt them down. This is absolutely a better use of my time.

( There, at the corner, another shadow. The curse gnawing on a leg immediately stops, careening off into the distance to try and cut the first one off at the knee. Geto sighs, stands and stretches. ) So. Can you?