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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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[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. ]

[it says a lot, doesn't it? what people, when given the opportunity, chose as their ability here. what nice and peaceful abilities others switched to. shess does not wonder what it says about him, then, that it never occurred to him to pick anything but a power meant to harm others.

he already knows. after all, he is a sura, and there is a reason the world has branded them as "evil".

admittedly, this is a somewhat different scenario than what he had in mind. were it any other, he would use it at full force, without hesitation—no matter how cruel of a death that may be. if it were just an enemy...

and truth be told, it would still be so easy, to use it even knowing it would kill kara. in the end, they all have to die here, sooner or later. still, shess came here to assist kara in his role, not his own, and until it's shess's life in danger, he'll continue to honour that.

it's why, when mikazuki and kara feel the sudden pressure, it's not a force to meant to destroy them both. however, shess certainly means to slam them both to the ground, so as to prevent mikazuki's strike from being fatal.]

[no matter mikazuki's strength, there's no dodging the pressure that comes from this power. he thinks, for a moment, of what someone had told him. how frustrating it can be to realize that you could so easily win if not for these interruptions, or the fear that can come with knowing that you are weaker, and may meet your end soon.

he hates it.

perhaps spitefully then, as if he will still make use of his downward momentum, mikazuki's blade shifts and he can only minutely guide it - to slash painfully against ookurikara's right eye, blinding him. mikazuki wonders if it might be able to help him see the world as the master that he so adored. could that make him a bit more tolerable?

but he can do nothing but succumb to the gravity after that, falling to take a knee even if the feeling of bowing his head against his will sits poorly with his pride. to fail to exercise his own will... it grates at scars that mikazuki didn't know he had.

maybe it's why the very second that the pressure alleviates even a fraction, he'll adjust his grip on his sword to slam it brutally through shess' abdomen, running it through his gut.

even as blood runs and drips onto the ground, mikazuki's smile is perfect.]

Neither of us will cease until the mission is completed - isn't that another reason why we get along, my friend?

[and he'll pull his sword back, coated with shess' blood as he takes to his feet again and disappears through the portal back to the village.

at least they did manage to keep him 'a little longer'.]

[ even with a warning, ookurikara isn't quite ready for the sudden change in pressure, and he falls to one knee as the blade comes down on him, pain flaring across his eye and face where mikazuki's sword tears at him. it's the same side as masamune. was that deliberate, he wonders, as he distantly registers a strained cry...

it takes a moment to realize that it's his own voice, laced with pain.

but he's still alive, unbroken, and more importantly - shess is hurt, and mikazuki is on the move. this isn't over yet. it takes longer than he likes, but ookurikara forces himself to his feet, one hand over his right eye. like his former master, he won't let the loss of an eye stop him, even in the face of a foe he still admires.

he'd trusted mikazuki implicitly, since confirming it was him. he might have liked to spar, but not quite like this.

he needs to be stopped. they'd failed to keep mikazuki from the village, but battlefields are always changing. this is no different, even down to a comrade taking a dire wound after placing themselves in the line of fire. and so he heads for the gateway, running as fast as he can with this injury. shess, he trusts, will survive, and catch up. but even if he doesn't, the priority is mikazuki.

this battle won't end until one of them breaks. ]

[well then.

it reminds him of the past, he thinks. the situation is so different, and yet the nature of it all, to have someone he cares about taunt and strike at him like this... well, this time around, it doesn't hurt nearly as much. he's far stronger than he once was.

kara's left. good. that spares shess from having to waste his breath telling him that it'll be fine. to go. (kara should understand, more than anyone.) pressing a hand to his wound, as blood streams between his fingers, shess evaluates the damage.

...

no. not yet. he handle this much.

it likely won't be fatal for a while. they can finish it by then. either mikazuki was sloppy or he wasn't aiming to kill shess to begin with, though given the way he's behaved up until now, shess can take a guess. the thought earns a ghost of a smile. ah...

in any case, the pain doesn't bother him. after a lifetime of being torn apart and the like—and, eventually, learning to let his regenerative abilities handle the rest—this is nothing. he's a little surprised by how unsteady he is on his feet, though; how difficult it is to move with this injury.]

Annoying...

[being reduced to a human's level, that is. how weak he feels. he's going to be a little later than kara, unfortunately.

still, he follows after.]

Edited 2019-08-02 04:10 (UTC)

[flames lick at the hem of mikazuki's robes as he makes it to the gateway, though he does not bother to put them out immediately - he has a bit of an itinerary. he imagines the the injuries will slow them both, which is what he'd prefer. he's given more room to maneuver now, and most importantly -

it is nice to be away from his home. though even now, he looks over the village and its quiet, its emptiness. ah, the days that he was allowed here were so limited compared to the rest of his long life and yet....

and yet.

he conjures up a handful of sparklers and a small rocket, and then neatly cuts away the burning pieces of his own robes. he thinks that if he had stayed put even a moment longer in front of ookurikara, he might have been burned much just worse - he's rather proud of him for all his practice he's put in. and that is his last thought as he uses the borrowed fire from his comrade to light the sparklers before neatly throwing them against the flammable pieces of the village, letting them catch flame with their dazzling light. anyone who remains will certainly catch sight of them, not unlike moths to flames.

though he avoids any location that might have animals.]

Soiya, soiya!

[similarly, he launches a firework rocket into the air for good measure, listening to its whistle and the resulting explosion just above the housing area. he tosses the burning piece of fabric aside.]

Ha ha ha. Wasshoi!

[and then he draws his blade - waiting.

it is almost time for the night to be over.]

[Haha. Well.

Luckily for Mikazuki, it doesn't take long before he gains a response for his efforts. North had told Emma that she planned to stick around until the last possible moment, concerned that something could go wrong if they all died before taking care of the Signs — and at this moment? It seems like her paranoia paid off. A stream of lava makes its appearance first, quickly and without preamble. Though clearly aimed with the intent to disarm and injure, North doesn't expect it to be enough to take him down. In fact, given the current situation... She doesn't even expect it to connect.

Ookurikara had his reasons for believing that coordinating an attack on Mikazuki would be as good as planning one's suicide, after all.

... Not that knowing did anything to prevent this outcome, anyway. The village is on fire, and Mikazuki got what he wanted. North makes herself known, emerging from what little of the village remains untouched by the flames, armed and bracing herself for what's clearly going to be a bad fucking time. She keeps her distance from him, ready to move the moment he takes a single step towards her, but—

Stiffly:]

... I had hoped the other two would be enough to take care of you.

[Shess and Ookurikara are nowhere to be seen. She respected their wishes when they said they would be taking care of Mikazuki themselves, but one cursory glance is enough for her system to register everything she needs to assess the situation. The blood on his blade. The discarded, flaming piece of fabric. The fact that he's alone. It's impossible not to assume the worst. They really should have killed him before the corruption had a chance to strike. What a shitty outcome.

For better or for worse, it's almost time for the night to be over.]

[as he was waiting for her - he hummed a festival song, it rings through his ears and the night air, making things just a bit more - aha, livelier. even as everything burns around him, he maintains the same air of untouched serenity, and when she approaches - he greets her with a pleased smile.]

Ah, there you are.

[like he had been looking for her everywhere - like he was merely answering a summons from her, and was waiting for her arrival. the lava stream is avoided - quick and easy at it comes, no matter how it tries to touch him. it makes one wonder if the universe chose its guides based on this type of strength, or if it was something else. regardless, in comparison to her stiff tone, his is just as calm, soothing as always.

almost like he's not corrupted at all, if not for the lack of light in his eyes]

Certainly they have made their attempts - you'll be seeing them shortly.

I did not misunderstand that you wished to see this through to the very end, did I? Though you endure... You are always fighting, always caught in a war you must win, always kinder than you appear...

[one might call it being a victim of circumstance, at risk of having their thoughtfulness trampled. and yet... mikazuki can only think of the way that flowers might bloom in adversity. of a hope that rises defiantly even when victory seems out of grasp.]

Mm, you are the type of existence that I always, always like the most.

I hope you will find time to rest soon.

[it's funny - the words are without question mikazuki's.

they only lack the gentle song in his voice, that would make them more soothing rather than simply appraising.]

[The fact that her attack doesn't connect isn't a surprise. His words, however, are another story. Try as she might, emotions are a tricky thing, and she's unable to stop herself from having some kind of reaction. The way hands curl into fists, fingernails digging into the artificial flesh on the palms of her hands. The way her shoulders tense, simulated breathing coming to a halt. The itty bitty sound she makes halfway through his speech, expression pinching.

"You'll be seeing them shortly."

She has to remind herself that this isn't her friend anymore. Though the words are coming out of his mouth, there's no mistaking that the darkness has already reached him. Sentimentality has no place here. Now, she's just waiting for him to make his move.]

No, you didn't misunderstand. [Here, or back home. This is just how it is.] Unfortunately for both of us... I think you know me well enough to understand that I won't be able to rest until you're dead. So why don't you make our jobs easier, and stay still?

[He won't. She knows he won't. Otherwise, Shess and Ookurikara would have succeeded.

That doesn't stop her from immediately firing another stream of lava, though.

She's gotta be stubborn even when she knows she's likely going to get her ass wrecked.]

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