subdivided | week eight: mingle

week eight: mingle

Week Eight
9 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 three large, swirling masses grey in color looming near the sakura tree. These swirls cannot be approached just yet, but seem to be locked and waiting for something more. Later in the day, if those in the village approach the third mass they will find themselves in a version of their home world. This world is completely void of people, but seems to be just as they last remember it. No darkness will be found in this world as well.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. They don't speak immediately, but wait for all to settle.

Welcome to your week eight mingle! We have now hit endgame week.

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

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[ the first gateway is unsettling, both in its similarity to his own citadel, and in its differences, but even worse are the ghosts of those who should have been here. kara tries to ignore them as he leads shess through to where he expects mikazuki will be, if this one is anything like his citadel's - sitting on the engawa with a cup of tea, waiting with a patience only the eldest of their number can find.

kara's sword is in his hand, still sheathed for now, but ready to be drawn. as they search, he glances back at shess. ]

Are you ready?

[shess's dagger is still out from when he killed emma, decorated with streaks of red. no traces of sorrow remain in his eyes, though—they're here to carry out a task. anything from before is, for the meantime, irrelevant.

and so, he's calm, though focused.]

I am.

[it's true. the engawa is mikazuki's favorite place, to look over others as they engage in their daily tasks, to avoid his own chores, and to wait for company to come in the form of tea, sweets, and scolding but fond conversation. on a normal day, that would be where he'd sit, waiting for the world to pass him by.

it's not a normal day - and even a sword as lackadaisical as mikazuki would be remiss to not answer the call of a mission. even as they approach the engawa, they may hear footsteps elsewhere in the citadel, headed elsewhere, closer to the cluster of rooms inside.

he's off to prepare for war.]

[ once kara hears footsteps, he swerves immediately to follow, pace quickening. he has an idea of where mikazuki is going, assuming this is anything like the old citadel - but he'll follow and see, trying to keep his own footsteps quiet as he goes. mikazuki knows they'll be looking for him, but not exactly when, so if they can ambush him before he's ready, they'll have a better chance.

when the sounds start to get louder, kara will press himself to the walls, moving cautiously until they see him. when they do, he'll wait for the right time to strike - assuming he somehow hasn't noticed them already. ]

[shess follows kara's lead, swift but silent. this is kara's home, after all; he knows it best. and, how mikazuki might act.

the air doesn't shift, though shess is certainly ready for it to, if need be.]

[well.

it's not as though mikazuki has lost every single ability that he possessed as a sign - he possesses a better understanding of what happens in the location where he dwells better than an average person. whether he matches up with ookurikara's expectations is hard to say - he heads past all the other rooms before headed toward one that's slightly apart from others. it would be the saniwa's room, neat and tidy.]

Pardon me, pardon me.

[he still speaks lightly, as if he is entirely himself, before going to a table in the room where there is a small collection of omamori set aside, lifting one

without glancing back at them, he speaks to his pursuers:]

It is hard to say if these were made by our master's hands - but would you like one for old time's sake, Ookurikara?

It would be a shame if you were to break too soon. I still need your assistance.

Edited 2019-08-01 17:10 (UTC)

[ well. he didn't really expect to go unnoticed for long, but it was worth trying. he's frowning as he steps into sight while still keeping his distance, only sparing a quick glance at the omamori before turning his eyes back to mikazuki. ]

Would it do any good, without the saniwa here?

[ he doubts it would, but if there's a chance... he doesn't want to break yet. not in a world that isn't their own, not against mikazuki, and just - not yet. not until they've finished this last task. ]

[...

to be honest, shess doesn't think much good will come out of conversing with mikazuki like this. if he isn't corrupted yet, then it's only delaying the likely inevitable; if he is, then it's a possible trick.

but this is kara's mission, above all, so shess won't interfere yet.]

[thanks, as always, for keeping up with mikazuki's rhythm.]

It is difficult to say... but if it is our home, and if we would like to think of them, then perhaps merely the thought will give us strength.

[even if ookurikara doesn't intend to take one, mikazuki will. something small, gold, and white, fastening it as another ornament on top of his already incredibly elaborate garb. the only thing is that today it looks like he's missing his usual hair piece.]

I shall take one for myself - would you like one just to make it fair?

Shess has two, but if he would like a third, then he is welcome to have one as well.

Edited 2019-08-01 17:38 (UTC)

[ he remains quiet for a moment, watching mikazuki with the omamori. his own, the one he'd received from his saniwa for the enkyou mission, had vanished when he'd arrived here. he'd refused to talk or even think much about it, but he does miss the reassurance of having it.

it's because of that that ookurikara nods, but he makes no move to come closer just yet. mikazuki will have to toss it to him, or come closer himself. ]

[he glances at kara, before he keeps his attention trained on mikazuki.]

... I'm content with Minato's.

[though all three of them know that his second is, ultimately, of far more value.]

[shess is content with his sand omamori.]

Splendid, splendid.

[and with that he'll take another omamori off the table - something small, black, and gold - holding it in his hands for a moment with a fond smile before he finally turns to face the two of them. he imagines that there's no point in keeping a gift if the others are too wary to approach him for it, and so he'll toss the omamori to ookurikara easily.

he smiles again - though his eyes are without the ever-present shine of the golden moons. rather, they're both a dark, starless blue through and through.]

Then we had best be going. See yourselves out and I shall follow - there is no reason to bring harm to this place.

[ he catches it easily, pausing for only a second to take in the colors before tucking it into his pocket. it’s different from his own, but it’ll do as a substitute.

he makes no move to leave, however, instead meeting mikazuki’s eyes. It’s disconcerting to see them like that - to see them so dark, without a hint of light in them. that’s how he knows for sure that the corruption has taken hold, and so he draws his sword. ]

No.

[ he isn’t sure if all the others have even done their part, just yet, either. if any of them are still here, he doesn’t want them to be distractions. ]

[shess smiles, without mirth. he's glad for kara's answer.

perhaps it's not fair of shess to think this, as he has no place with any real fond feelings attached, but this isn't the time for irrational sentimentality.]

Looks like it'll have to be here.

Oh my...

My visitors are quite disagreeable today.

[but he supposes that answer is as good as any - ookurikara draws his sword, and so does mikazuki munechika. the slight reflections of light catch against the blade of the sword, illuminating the crescent moons of it, and from that moment, he does not hesitate.

he'll close the distance between them immediately, swinging with enough force to make sparks fly, aiming to collide with kara's blade to make him step back and out of his master's room.

he was quite serious about a location change.]

[ if kara wasn’t already on his guard, he might not have caught mikazuki’s blade - but he does, and the power behind it pushes him back a step. once he catches his balance again, he refuses to go back any further, using both sword and sheath to block with all his strength, even if it can’t compare.

if he can’t overpower mikazuki, there’s still a chance, however slim, that he can be outmaneuvered. so ookurikara won’t try to shove mikazuki back, but rather twist to the side to get behind him and slash at his back. ]

[as kara does so, shess follows his lead again—that is, going the other way and attempting to stab mikazuki in the front.]

[of course it would come down to war and dance. of course, of course.

yet the twist to the side is what mikazuki would prefer, because the space is all that he needs in order to turn away from his master's room. he turns his blade in his hand, angling it so that it parries against ookurikara's before the blade connects against his back -

but to fight against two opponents at once is trickier, and his free hand catches shess' wrist if only barely. a second later and he probably would've been able to stab him and end the battle.

alas!]

Ha ha ha, I see what type of match this is now! I'll have to be even more on guard against you, my friend.

[he laughs, as lightly as ever - even as he moves to create more space for himself again, shoving them both back so he might be able to move with almost dancing steps further into the hallway, headed back for the portal back to the village]

[ it's frustrating to be repelled so easily, but he'd be almost disappointed if it were easy to defeat this particular opponent. as jiji dances away from them, he tucks his sheath back into the scarf to hold the sword with both hands and says quietly, so only shess will hear: ]

We need to keep him here. Don’t let him get to the gateway.

[ and because kara knows he can trust shess to cover him in battle, he chases after mikazuki without waiting for a response. the second he’s close enough he leaps forward to cut at mikazuki’s sword arm. even if the hit doesn’t land, kara be satisfied if it can switch their positions to hold mikazuki here a little longer. ]

[not for the first time, it occurs to him how inconvenient it is, lacking his usual capabilities or transcendentals. they'd make this fight vastly easier.

still, he has to make do with what he has at his disposal, as he gives pursuit as well. a light breeze sweeping at his and kara's feet is the warning the latter gets, before shess summons a burst of wind, coming from the direction of mikazuki's destination, to try and slow mikazuki down, or at least trip him up.]

[a little bit longer they desire, and a little bit longer is what they receive. between the burst of wind and ookurikara's attack, he can't immediately head for the gateway - he sidesteps from ookurikara's slash, though imperfectly with shess' assist. his arm is wounded with a cut, though not deep enough to faze him, and supposes that it's rather difficult to move as he'd like when so thoroughly pursued.

so he'll stand his ground for a moment before turn his sword on ookurikara, aiming to slash across his chest, smile still perfectly in place]

I did not wish for you to bleed in a place that could have been your home—

Yet to leave me no choice, and be so whole-heartedly devoted to your mission that you'll let yourself be consumed by it... You're just like him.

[shess was right - there is no room for sentiment here. there never has been for swords.

but that's the problem with mikazuki munechika. sentiment moves his blade and his heart both and while sometimes he can set it aside, it grows more difficult here. when kogitsunemaru's comb rests on the engawa as if he was just there brushing his hair, when he can hear imanotsurugi's laugh echo through these halls -

swords are meant to protect history, and what is history besides a tale woven by sentiment?

he looks only for an opening to escape, to a place where he is less bound by his own newfound sense of emotion.]

[ when he realizes what mikazuki is doing, ookurikara tries to pull back and bring his sword around to block. the blade glances off to bite into his side, earning mikazuki a grimace.

ookurikara won't ask who he refers to, even if his mind dares to wonder. it's too much of a risk in a battle to the death against mikazuki munechika to entertain his whims, and he's never had much use for idle chatter, anyway. it would only be a distraction - one that neither he nor shess can afford.

so he meets mikazuki's eyes with a defiant stare, refusing to let himself falter. ]

Is that all?

[ then he's moving again, aiming low to slash at mikazuki's legs as flames burst to life across his blade. ]

[shess would be lying if he said it didn't hurt to see his friend like this. himself, and yet not.

all the more reason to end this, really.

as mikazuki speaks to kara, shess moves, pulling the glove off of his free hand with his teeth as he does so. better to be at an angle than be stuck too close to kara, after all.

so when kara attacks, shess moves in from the side.]

[unfortunately his whims don't die just because they aren't answered. the same as ever, mikazuki presses on even when ookurikara doesn't want him to, just as they'd done this entire competition. an incessant press, a stubborn nudge, an unstoppable force against an immovable object, even as he jumps to avoid the slash at his legs

but he thinks that the fire has a change of getting in his way. a number of swords were felled by flames, left without memory - and what is mikazuki to do if he were to ever lose his memories?]

Do you ever wonder what it is that you miss, what makes you less effective, when you do not pay heed to others?

The people you might have saved if you just paid attention?

[but it's just a taunt, the same badgering he'd been delivering this entire time without the gentle, elderly fondness.

it's what he intends to be the last words for ookurikara to reflect on as he doesn't pay heed to shess, not just yet, because mikazuki is focused on allowing his blade to come down, intending to slice through ookurikara's skull.

if he doesn't use his brain to think past his orders, does he really need it?]

[ of course he misses. of course fighting mikazuki wouldn't be that easy. ookurikara is hardly surprised, but he does feel a flash of annoyance at the difference in their power. he tries to pull back, but between the momentum and the limitations of this body, he won't be fast enough to escape the next blow, no matter how he moves. blocking is the only option, if he's quick enough - but kara has always been one of the slower uchigatanas. the odds are still stacked against him.

but he can't fall yet, not with only a glancing blow to show for it, and certainly not when mikazuki is trying to distract him with that.

ookurikara has only a quick moment to wonder at mikazuki's question - has he failed someone here, after being this way for so long? he refused to let anyone close for fear of losing them, but even out of those who'd forced their way into his heart despite that, he couldn't save any of them. when they were corrupted, he didn't even recognize it. what else could he have done?

...but that's past. he can't afford to let mikazuki distract him, so he forces it to the back of his mind to haunt him later, after he's broken. there is still a mission to accomplish.

whether or not his sword is fast enough to block, ookurikara retaliates with a wave of fire. even if his sword won't cut, the flames may catch on mikazuki's battle attire, and that will at least give shess a better chance - even if this blow breaks him before he can really be of use.

mikazuki had taught him to use his power well, after all. ]

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