subdivided | week two: mingle

week two: mingle

Week Two
26 in Competition

As the sun rises on Monday morning, all participants will find themselves awakening with a sense of purpose. Regardless of where they slept the night before, they’ll find themselves compelled to return to the main meeting hall first thing in the morning.

Approaching the hall, however, they will find a large, swirling mass grey in color looming near the sakura tree. This swirl cannot be approached just yet, but seems to be locked and waiting for something more.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. Though they’re together, it’s Lune who speaks up first this time.

"Good morning, good morning. You've done well to purge the corruption in the previous gateway - allow us to assist with the finishing touches. For the time being, it would appear as though we've been able to locate another. The land might appear a bit familiar to some however... I only advise you watch your step."

When Lune finishes, Sol chimes in from their place at Lune's side.

"The corruption is still out there, and we're going to do all that we can to find a way to contain it. But until then... stick close to others this week. Do your best to protect yourselves and look after each other. Okay?"

The moment participants leave the hall, they will find that the gateway has changed from grey to white, the opening widening enough for multiple people to step through. The Signs will soon take their leave, and all will remain peaceful once more.

The only oddity is that throughout the week, in a noise that extends past the portal but seems to resound even through the village, there will be the occasional, resounding call of a war horn.

In addition, as the week goes on, partners will find ever-growing feelings of anxiety and nervousness dwelling within them the longer they are separated from one another. They will feel compelled to be very close to their partners at all times, and will be on edge if separated for more than an hour by the end of the week. Welcome to surprise codependence at its finest.

Welcome to your week two mingle! As a reminder, murder proposals are open. We will also be hosting a mini-event on Tuesday, so please be on the lookout for that.

In addition, ensure that all of your week one private conversations were reported on the page, and your week two private conversations are reported on that page. If you'll be taking anything from locations, please report that as well.

main navigation.

locations ✧ powers ✧ profiles
private conversations ✧ audiences ✧ faq

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The boss already? A boy after my own heart.

[Fuck you, Chrollo.

Digging his heels in, the horse takes off with the both of them. He won't let Minato fall off, but he isn't necessarily doing a whole lot to help. It's fine? Minato is a big boy and can handle it.] I can see.

Be careful. ♥ We'll be jumping.

[Over some of those gruesome-looking pits.]

Do what you need to get us there.

[ It's the quickest way to deal with it, Baren had said. Cut off the head, and the rest will topple. With that warning, Minato squeezes his legs as tight as he can around the horse's sides to keep from falling, and doesn't necessarily aim to strike any vital parts of anybody coming towards them, pulling his knife back to lure the soldiers forward, dangerously close to the pits over which they jump.

He makes sure the blinders are secure to their horse before holding his good hand out, lava dribbling off his fingertips and setting the dry grass on fire. The other horses rear and pull away in fear, while Minato slips their horse another apple. Just eat and be happy... don't worry.....

Sorry, villagers, about your forest. ]

Okay. ♪

[Minato said do what he needed.

In which case, horse sacrifice shouldn't be too bad, right? The next pit isn't so much of a pit as a trench. It's too wide to jump across for them and, in the end, still too wide for the horse. Better the horse than them...

Slipping an arm around Minato's middle, he brings his legs quickly up and makes a stand on the horse's back after it leaps, taking the boy along with him. Being airborne means no unstable galloping, and he can spring up with bridal Minato, pause for the start of the descent, and then leap off to the other side when it's clear the horse isn't going to make it completely.

The unfortunate part is: the other side has ropey nets covered by the ground.]

[ wakes up to Minato being bridal carried and their best friend the horse being abandoned, why

There's not much Minato can do to resist any of that, especially not having his feet on solid ground. There's a moment where he thinks about struggling out of Hisoka's arms so he can stand on his own, but honestly? Hisoka's legs are longer than his, he can probably avoid those rope traps better than him, and so Minato just settles back in his arms.

Do what you need to do. ]

[rest in peace, beloved horse

Truthfully, life would be a lot better with Bungee Gum. Alas, rubber gum aura isn't what he has. Landing on the other side of the trench, he quick steps just out of the net which snaps up after them.

But more are laid out at least a yard behind just in case. He steps out of one net trap right into another. It flytraps them, closing up around his legs and activating a smaller trap.

Minato is fine being held, but he twists anyway, taking the sharpened piece of wood catapulted up to the left calf. Ah, crafty. Perhaps the strangest thing is he looks more irritated than he does pained.]

Knife. [To Minato as he lets the boy down on the ground.] Try not to cut the good parts I need.

[Of his body.]

[ Immediately, Minato is struck with guilt— Hisoka would've been fine if he hadn't needed to carry Minato's dead weight, unnecessary because Minato's perfectly capable of walking except he wanted to be lazy about it. ]

They're all good parts, though... Everything about you.

[ He mumbles under his breath as he crouches down to the ground and as carefully as he can, slide the flat of his blade between Hisoka's leg and the trap. Don't cut anything good. Don't cut Hisoka at all. He gets it.

It's slow work, but at least he's cutting away from Hisoka instead of trying to saw at the ropes from above. Hisoka will be (relatively) fine. Unfortunately, cutting away from Hisoka means pulling the blade towards Minato, and

yeah, that's how it happens

the rope snaps, and Minato, in his surprise, lets go of the knife. He barely manages to move out of the way before he gets a knifepoint to the eye, but unfortunately, he isn't fast enough to avoid the knife completely.

Blood drips down the side of his head. He really should've listened to Hisoka more, getting him to practice catching knives, then maybe this could've been avoided too. ]

[someone save minato]

Giving those words to someone... You should be careful. They might fall in love with you.

[Though it does take a little edge off the annoyance of being stabbed in the leg. While Minato works on the ropes, he leans down and grabs the wood, ripping it away so it doesn't become a hindrance.

Oops, there goes the knife.

He pauses, blinking, and then his eyes settle on Minato's neck as the blood starts pouring right on down. Ah. There's something very delicious about it when it's not fatal, but he won't think about that.

Instead, he reaches out to turn Minato's head to see. Not the whole entire ear, but a good chunk of it and the hair nearby.]

You missed your forehead.

[ Maybe Minato is just lonely and wants somebody to love him. Maybe he should be looking somewhere else for love, because maybe then he'd pay more attention to not slicing up his own face.

He doesn't feel pain, not right away. Instead, he feels the hot blood dripping down the side of his neck, gross and uncomfortable. ]

I'll... try not to do that next time.

[Apparently, love is terrible for Minato.]

If you're going to wrap it, you should, and quickly. Stalling will turn you into a corpse. You won't die.

Just an ear, right?

[He lets go of Minato's head so he can begin twisting the scraps of rope off his legs, stepping out of them carefully.]

[ It's true. ]

Just an ear... [ He ghosts his hand over where his ear is supposed to be, and just brings it back bloody. Gross. But still doesn't hurt. He doesn't really have anything to wrap it in, though, so the best he can do is to use his knife to cut off part of his sleeve, set it over the wound, and readjust his headband over it so it can help hold it in place. ]

You okay? We need to keep going.

[Hisoka is literally the worst because he chose not to help Minato at all, meanwhile saying, "Tis but a flesh wound."]

I should be asking you that. [He puts a hand on Minato's head, like he intends to ruffle it, but he doesn't yet. He smiles.] There isn't any use in telling you not to come. I can see it in your eyes.

Your thirst to be more ripe. It really gets me excited.

[He lets go and continues on. Minato will stubbornly follow probably.]

[ whispers into my hands, "more ripe," what does that mean...

Minato stubbornly follows, a little happier for being pat on the head, sort of, and making doubly sure his grip on his knife is secure once he retrieves it. It wouldn't do to lose any of them, after all; they were precious gifts from Hisoka. ]

Less soldiers in a battle field filled with traps... Pierce or pincer?

[ Should they barrel straight through the hoard, or take their chances splitting up and meeting at the end? ]

[please don't ask]

Yes. A little boring. I would rather dance with the real thing. [The question doesn't make him stop. He doesn't try to outrun Minato, or make Minato run fast, but he keeps going regardless.] Hmm?

Isn't being on your own dangerous? If you don't make it, I'll get to kill him on my own. ♠

[ Minato's not the one with a crippled leg, so while he isn't very fast, he keeps a steady pace, watching out for the traps and having his knife at the ready to cut through the ropes if any spring up at him. ]

It's dangerous, but that doesn't matter... But I get it. Let's stay together, then. Wouldn't want to leave you to go at it alone.

[ Minato: Hisoka would be lonely without me. Better stay alive. ]

[Why is Minato this way.]

Mm. The look in your eyes--I like it. [Better stay alive so he can continue to be turned on by the vivacious, unrelenting spirit of a teenager. It's fine.] Let's go then.

[He increases his pace just slightly, but remains careful of any more netting traps lurking below the earth.]

[ He wants to believe in people nobody else will believe in. Because look, Hisoka believes in him too!! Everybody's always saying Minato has a dead look in his eyes, he's never been praised about the dead look in his eyes before.

He never had to run while paying attention to where he steps, either, used to being free to run into walls or whatever, so this time, he stays behind Hisoka's back— he's got to lengthen his stride quite a bit in order to match Hisoka's, but after that, all he has to do is match foot step for footstep to ensure he's stepping somewhere safe.

Would be nice to have the horse back... but the horse would get caught immediately, so Minato just lets the lava flow from his hand again. It doesn't catch as quickly as fire does, but it's hot and with all the dust kicked up in the air, it starts to spread and eat away at the rope traps and grass and trees and... dead bodies... live bodies too...

Just run faster, they'll be fine. ]

[Maybe those people are stupid and don't look hard enough. Somewhere in that stoic gaze is something very delicious, and it should definitely be nurtured until it's ripe enough to eat.

If Minato's destruction scares him at all, he makes zero indication of it. His focus stays ahead of them while Minato flattens what's around them. It isn't he's necessarily protecting Minato, not when he believes in Minato's own attempt to try, but any stragglers stumbling up to them.

He doesn't need a good leg to be able to use both hands to kill the life in their eyes.]

[ Maybe those people aren't horny, idk

This is more of the role Minato is used to, anyways, support from behind rather than leading from the front. He's content to level the playing field while keeping the enemy in check, allowing Hisoka to snipe off whoever is in their way. Somehow, "go for the leader" becomes "mass destruction" instead, but perhaps this is the easiest way in the end.

Mass destruction.

Oda cannot call for reinforcements if he has none left.

The world burns around them, spreading from the ground to the trees to the sky. It's a little harder to breathe, but Minato remains calm, can save his breath as he slows and steadies his pace, and marches forward. ]

[Mounting toward Nobunaga gives them a conglomerate of hardened defense, but the red and black flags are there. The one sign that if they get through, they get the brown-haired, horse-riding man in the midst of everything.

He pauses to glance back over his shoulder.]

There's your boss. ♦ He looks fun.

[Turning, he steps out on his good leg and swivels around behind Minato.] Say, have you ever been bowling? [Both hands settle on Minato's shoulders.]

No.

[ Is Hisoka going to toss Minato because that's not bowling. ]

[No, no. That would be a waste of a good boy, honestly. He isn't going to bowl Minato, but Minato is definitely going bowling.

One hand slips down under Minato's bicep, sliding from shoulder to elbow and lifting the arm up and out. He holds the arm there with two fingers.]

It's not hard. You have to roll a heavy ball down a lane at ten pins. You see how many you knock over. [Bending over, he lowers his head by Minato's good ear.] Let's see how many points you get, hm?

First, you have to make the ball. You can do it, can't you?

[A nice, big, molten ball of lava.]

[ He's not really sure this will work— rather than knocking anybody over, a lava ball will just set people on fire, maybe- but Hisoka is asking him of this and Minato so desperately wants to make him proud, so he nods, pulling back away from Hisoka so he wouldn't get caught up in the flames either.

It doesn't form quickly; Minato hasn't had that much practice with his powers yet, has neglected it for much of his time until just a few days ago, but maybe that's just as well. A small molten ball of lava can cool slightly, forming a thin shell before Minato adds another layer over it, layer upon layer of fire and rock. ]

How big? And then we just... roll it?

[ Mmmmaybe his arms aren't strong enough to lift this and bowl, but he'll try ]

[Ahhh. Minato is actually doing it! How wonderful. God, he's so excited.]

Bigger. [His golden eyes stay on the growing ball.] Bigger. [They're bowling, but it doesn't have to be a bowling ball size. And yet, better start Minato off small for the first go.] Bigger...

There.

[Just big enough to hold.] It's magnificent. Now you put three holes in it, enough to slide your fingers in. [Off to the side, he stands in bowling position, arms up, as if he's holding a ball himself.] Like this. You step forward and swing it back. [He shows Minato how to serve the ball down the lane.]

And release. As hard as you can.

[ Stares into the sky bc I don't think Minato is fire proof, but you know what? It's fine. Hisoka is telling him to do this, Minato watches him for a moment and then copies the motions, shoving his hand into this ball of molten rock and using the heat and pain as incentive to swing and throw it as quickly and as hard as he can.

aka he more or less chucks it through the air like a baseball instead of rolling it, but that's fine. This is good. Their enemies are dying, Hisoka's teaching how to bowl, Minato can finally report back to Val what burnt flesh smells like. Cool. ]

[wow bad someone please help minato

Unfortunately, the clown is having the time of his LIFE despite it being at Minato's expense. The ball goes roaring through the line of defenses, and Hisoka's eyes are burning with enthusiasm.]

Ahhh. It's so wonderful to watch them go down.

[He steps forward in front of Minato.] Stay here. I'll be right back. ♠ [It won't do to get Minato murdered? Then he'll have less toys to play with.]

week two: mingle

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)