ᴏᴘᴇɴ ▸ out of the deep waters and all its intricacies.

[wray]

Who ⬤ Six & you.
What ⬤ The Kappa Round-up, as per the Enma's orders.
When ⬤ After the Night Parade; soon after the Enma's order goes out.
Where ⬤ Around the city.
Content Warnings ⬤ Violence, most likely.

i. cyberkinetic
( OPEN TO OTHER ENMA MEMBERS )

[ six thinks that it was only a matter of time before such an order was issued.

things have been going well. too well, in fact, with hardly any hiccups in between. the night parade almost felt like a complete lie, a fabricated scenario meant to reassure everyone involved that there was nothing wrong. not even his experience with the strange drug from that bunny doctor can match up with how everything is right now — a complete mess in every sense of the world.

not only did early preparations do nothing to prevent the tragedy from happening, but now the department of enma has been deployed to do clean-up of the unsavoury kind. while six himself has reservations about the order, he knows that it's barely worth the effort of going against it. if he doesn't help with rounding up the kappa and everyone else involved with them, he knows that the enma can just as well send someone much worse to do the job itself.

he'd rather avoid that, if he can. ]

OPTION A - ASSIST.

[ it's almost funny how quickly he has to play the part of a loyal lapdog, the way he doesn't bother asking any questions and instead just focuses on getting the job done. he stalks along the streets of jigokucho in search for any kappa that are hiding or are currently on the run. he's quick and efficient when it comes to rounding them up, knocking the ones he caught unconscious rather than causing them too much harm.

it's a different story when it comes to the ones who do struggle against his attempts though. he doesn't even bother holding back.

if you happen to pass his way, he might gesture for you to come closer with a jerk of his head. ]

... There are some hiding over here. [ this building, this particular alleyway, or anywhere else. ] Mind giving me a hand?

OPTION B - HINDER.

[ of course, not everyone has to agree with what's happening. six knows this. he understands. it's never going to be easy for everyone to harm someone who is just trying to run away, but that's exactly why he has to be the one who does it. if it isn't going to be easy for others, the least he can do is be the bad guy so no one gets in trouble for the lack of action.

he can always worry about the consequences later.

or you can make it his problem now, by confronting him and standing in his way just before he grabs another kappa to knock out along with the rest. ]

Don't get in my way. You either help or stay out of this.

ii. fireflies
( OPEN TO ALL )

[ it doesn't surprise him that there are those outside of his faction attempting to help the kappa too.

if he happens to find you hiding the kappa at your place or catch you in the middle of the act of letting them escape, he'll attempt to put himself in between you and the way out. he assumes an offensive stance, claws out and ready to strike if he must. ]

... Don't be stupid.

[ a warning, a threat, and everything else it could in between. his voice is low and even, but if one pays close enough attention, it almost sounds like he's struggling to remain neutral. after all, despite admitting that he'll do what must be done, it doesn't mean he has to like it.

this is one of those moments where that's practically obvious.

the last thing he wants to do is to hurt someone who is only trying to do good things. ]

If you hand them over, no one will know you were ever involved.

iii. reconfigure
( OPEN TO ALL )

[ once all is said and done, six doesn't immediately retreat to his assigned quarters. he roams around the neon-lit city streets with no rhyme nor reason instead. he didn't come out of that scuffle completely intact (shallow cuts and purple bruises), but the physical aches hardly compare to the mental ones. his exhaustion runs bone-deep, even more so now that he's been all over the place without giving himself any respite.

somehow, it almost seems as though he's punishing himself. not only for what he just did, but perhaps for other unknown reasons that he keeps close to his heart. when his body leans against the closest thing — a wall, a street light, a random object — keen ears would hear him mutter quietly to himself. ]

Is this enough, I wonder... How do I make up for what I've done?

[ even if you try to catch his attention now, it doesn't seem like he's going to notice. it might take a few attempts, given just how absentminded he is right now. ]

iv. wildcard me, baby

( ooc. sometimes i forget six is a chuuni edgelord. but let me know if you need something specific from me!

in terms of specifics, six can be found stalking the streets of the city in search of the kappa or anyone attempting to help them. he is fully decked out in his eternals uniform plus the weapons he has on his person. i'm happy to write custom starters if none of the ones above ping you so pls feel free to pm me. 💜 )

Comments

ASSIST.

[stubboarn]

[ dimitri follows his glance to a convenience store, and nods. ]

It shouldn't be so difficult to persuade the owner to give them up ... It's likely that they will try to divide our attention if they don't intend to cooperate, and we need to prevent the kappa's chances of escaping.

We can go together in the front, or one of us keeps an eye on the exit and catches them there - how do you prefer to do it? [ said casually as he walks with him towards the building. people are glancing at them with unmitigated dislike; he supposes that's unavoidable given the nature of their job. ]

☆ RECONFIGURE

[ahost]

[ so absentminded— he didn't notice the boy sitting down on the sidewalk, back pressed against the rusty base of the streetlight; the same one six has (subconsciously) leaned on. the sorcerer was taking a quick break after spending hours hunting down the kappas, and while he didn't know how to handle the mental exhaustion it left him with, he settled by attending to what's easier: his growling stomach. he would be seen savoring a humble midnight meal; a store-bought sandwich and soda on the side, nothing too fancy and totally fitted for his tight budget. he's halfway through it by the time he turned his attention to the newcomer, watching quietly, still unsure whether it's an enemy or a friend. the dim lighting offers little help, but soon after-

he mutters a soft 'oh!'. another enma. he had seen that man in their headquarters before.

if it was any other night, any other situation, itadori would've greeted his fellow associate better. however, given the circumstances and the difficult orders they've been given by their leader, he knew neither one of them had the energy for an introductory small-talk. they could use a break, a moment of silence— maybe they didn't need to talk at all. itadori kept an eye on him regardless, that's when an awful thought came in mind. why is he reassured by the dishearten glum on six's features? ah, maybe in a fucked-up sense it felt less lonely to see someone else is struggling with those orders too. guess he's not the only one who's hating tonight. ]

... Hey.

[ he allows six a moment. then, once again- ]

You wanna' sit down for a bit?

reconfigure

[sweetsong]

Hm?

[ whoever that is... are they speaking to him? no, no. probably not. robin's done his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. the last thing he wants right now is to draw any attention to himself, especially to his arm. his jacket can only provide so much cover, so to speak.

but he's not going to ignore six leaning up against that wall, the wall of one of his favorite bakeries, a place that he knows he'll be welcome with a warm smile and greeting from a youkai who doesn't mind having the support of a tamamo clan member. ]

Oh! Are you okay? Um...

[ he smells like blood. robin's just not sure if it's his own or someone else's. ]

fireflies;

[breweries]

[ --ah. it seems that shylock has lowered his guard a little too much. but taking a kappa back to his place would prove more trouble than it's worth (mostly because his roommate is part of the alliance itself), so the least shylock would do is take the poor thing to the back of the bar for at least one night before figuring out where to go from here...

but now, all he can do is give six a sardonic smile. ]

I suppose you won't make the same offer to my little friend here?

[ the kappa cower behind shylock, visibly trembling and tired. it's been a long, long day, but of course law does not rest. ]

FIREFLIES

[strikingchords]

[Lan Wangji measures the distance between himself and the other man. the scene has been set, the pieces locking inescapably into place as events unfolded: several members of Enma bursting into an apartment complex in the Sutoku Alliance territory near where Lan Wangji happened to be walking home for the day. a room-to-room search, with much banging of doors and loud voices, shocked residents flinching away from the invaders. "friendly" interrogations on where a suspected fugitive might be hiding in the building, if the Enma had reason to believe one might be there.

and, finally -- unnoticed to anyone but Lan Wangji and a single Enma who happened to be looking out the window from two floors above...

...a lone Kappa fearfully descending the creaking fire escape, trying hard to make themself invisible against the rough concrete of the building's exterior.

the Kappa made it as far as the alley behind the building before finding their path forward cut off. the instant reactions of the two witnesses have inevitably led to Lan Wangji standing halfway down the alley, facing the street and protecting the dead end and its cowering occupant. he looks like nothing so much as a fiercely glaring white ray of light, dropped into the dimness between the buildings in some vengeful guardian myth. and Six, with his outstretched claws, is between both of them and the exit.

Lan Wangji knows the other man's reflexes are fast and accurate from watching him on the night of the assassination. he can guess that Six is a fighter, but he doesn't know him well enough to guess how far he'll go for this. relaxing his own coiled tension and standing aside to let Enma simply walk away with the terrified Kappa isn't an option.

No one will know you were ever involved, he hears. they're nonsense words to him.]

...

Inaccurate.

[his voice is just as steady as Six's, flat and uncompromising. he, at least, doesn't have to wrestle with conflicting feelings in this.

Lan Wangji would know what happened here.]