[OPEN] The end of the storm

[watermemory]

Who ⬤ The team members and ANYONE!
What ⬤ The mission was a success! Time to face the music from friends and family.
When ⬤ Just after the tower expedition
Where ⬤ Outside Kaigo no Bou, probably moving around
Content Warnings ⬤ References to violence and horror imagery


All at once, the rains cease.

The damage remains, both to the city and to her inhabitants, but reality reasserts itself, and the ill wind that's blown through Jigoku-cho has—for now—come to an end.

Emergency services have borne away the injured, including the Daitengu and the freed Enma, leaving a gaggle of people emerging into the night.


[This is an OPEN IC MINGLE. Go forth and icly rubberneck or speculate or collect your friends back home to get some rest or yell at said friends for taking risks without telling them they were chosen for this mission out of some misguided attempt to get them to not worry. Who would do something so stupid, anyway.]

Comments

[watermemory]

[The whole time, as events wind down after the shadowy being says its parting words—"They cannot save you"—picking up the pieces in the wreckage of the Enma's sanctum, trying to formally shake hands with Billy and Hu Tao and instead getting caught in a tight-but-not-unwelcome hug from Cain, then the long, long ride down the restored elevator... the whole thing begins to take an unreal sheen. By the time they hit the lobby, the only thing stopping Minato from falling asleep on his feet are the nagging bruises all over from being thrown across the room.]

[Well. That and the glimpse of the being's face. Its smile is going to be haunting his dreams for some time. He doesn't want to think about that part.]

[There's another whirlwind of activity as they hit ground level. Faction leaders are hustled away by medical staff, Toraguma is yelling about something but Minato has gotten to a point where Toraguma yelling can bleed safely into comforting background noise. He's going to sit at a bench in the lobby, cradling the camera in his lap like a cat, and for the first time since midnight, catch his breath.]

[fuckdogramagra]

[ It had taken him a bit to get down to Kaigo no Bou, and even longer to work out what the safest distance to wait was- Tama was far from the only person who had thought to do this, but he certainly had looked the most chaotic. He'd crammed the colorful bobbypins he'd bought in to his hair to pin back his unruly, frizzing bangs, he hadn't even grabbed a hakama and felt underdressed as a result, but he'd snagged their umbrella, and was rapidly worrying the prayer beads wrapped in triplicate around his bony wrist-

And then, the sky...cleared. Really cleared, completely and totally, making him peer curiously out from under his umbrella at the sky like he'd never seen it before. It was all anyone could do, bursting in to Kaigo right then, not just the worried well-wishers but the Enma's agents as well, people bustling about and carrying away the wounded (the wounded?) and he felt a little lost, still feverish but forcibly keeping himself grounded through sheer stubbornness. Seeing Minakami sitting down, rumpled but alive, exhausted but alive, it's impossible to not rush over instantly. There were many people he'd been worried about entering this nightmare tower, but it stood to reason that his best friend would take precedent in all things, surely. So, what was it...yell at said friends for taking risks without telling them they were chosen for this mission out of some misguided attempt to get them to not worry? Why, don't mind if he does! ]

M...Minakami. [ Well. Yelling had been the plan. The thing keeping him warm and alive and present in the moment, an increasingly-difficult task given he was slightly woozy on his feet. But he smiled, a little shakily, instead of losing his temper, or sulking, or throwing a manic tantrum. ] Sorry, I'm not good at waiting, I guess...

[watermemory]

[The increased sounds of activity, both in the lobby and spilling in from the exterior doors, wash over him unmoving. It can all wait til later. Or... it could. He's not sure how he knows to wake up from his half-doze, even before Tama calls his name, the sounds of his approach should be fully drowned out by everything else, but he looks up.]

[His friend's there: hair in disarray, half-dressed, face flushed and eyes bright from a fever -- but they're alert and present. It's a far cry from how Minakami saw him last, or more accurately didn't. It's a good thing he's sitting down; that last awful week where he was going through the motions at the Arena, trying to do what he could without dwelling on what he heard during that phonecall. It had nearly all been brought to the surface again, when he'd seen an apparition of that man's face in the bird's remains, but he'd had to push past it. But now, weak with relief and out of immediate danger...]

Tamamori? [That comes out sounding more lost than he wants.] How did you get here?

[fuckdogramagra]

Honestly, it was kind of a blur. [ Haha. Get it. Because he has a fever and also I haven't threaded that part out yet.

Tama wasted very little time in shuffling over to the bench, flopping down next to Minakami with some confusing mix of exhaustion and energy, stretching his legs out. Maybe it was secretly good he hadn't wore his hakama actually, given it would have just gotten bloodied up and surely the washing machines back at the apartments were going to become exhausted tsukougami by the end of the month alone, and... ]

Uehara-san sent me a message, and helped me get here. [ Sorry, Kamui of the present, for tattling on your tattling. But the loop is now complete. ] If you went, went back to the start of the blood...d'you think it'd be when it started falling, or when it was first made? [ He's trying hard not to lean too close, partly to keep his feelings at bay as well as some attempted consideration for both of them being a little out of sorts, but it's painfully obvious he doesn't want to. ] Maybe...it fell down here from Yomi. I don't imagine the Enma and Yomo-tsu Okami would get along.

[holeful]

[Fukuda is not the first on the scene to greet those emerging from the tower, which probably is partly because of the contraption he's lugging behind him. He's attached a volleyball net to a boogie board, which allows him to drag the net along the ground more smoothly. He's using the gathered net like a bag, which for some reason is full of towels (half of which already have bloodstains), a watermelon, a first aid kits, and an assortment of leftover snacks and drinks from the beach party.

Is this helpful at the point he actually gets here? Hard to say.]

Ah, I wasn't sure what state everyone would be in, so I just grabbed anything I thought people might need!
[He's trying his best... ?]

[watermemory]

[Minato emerges from the tower, looking scuffed and mostly like he fell down a few flights of stairs, which isn't like. great. but pretty good considering the circumstances.]

[That's -- isn't that the Enma employee he escorted out of the turf war territory last month? He'd never gotten his name, but Minato quite literally never forgets a face.]

Hello...?

[.........]

Where did you get all this?

[holeful]

[Very funny that he's actually spoken to Fukuda twice before now, he just doesn't know Fukuda is "333" on the network. Almost tempted to shoot for this conversation to end without him getting a name, for comedy.]

From the beach! That's what we've, the Department I mean, has been using as a home base since Kaigo no Bou was, well, you know.

[fuckdogramagra]

[ Tama has been one of the ones loitering out front, waiting to see when the heroes return from their mad rush through the tower, but as ever...Fukuda is tall, and stands out so well against even the nearly-mundane thinning bloodrain that Tama can't help but gravitate over. ]

...the first aid kits are lucky, actually. [ Maybe not the watermelon. The drinks might be fine if they're bottled. When was the last time he ate, actually...? ] Maybe the Enma will feel better if he gets to crush a watermelon after all this is done, too.

[holeful]

I mean, if he's in bad enough shape to need a rescue, I'm not sure if he'll be in the condition to crush a watermelon?

[Thinking.]

Unless he's so powerful that even in his weakened state he could effortlessly crush a watermelon!
[He's very jazzed with this idea.]

[ganashara]

[ The sound of the bike's engine cut through the quiet of the square outside the tower as Lio cut his way through to the entrance, killing the motor and peeling off his helmet as he dashed inside.

He was mainly there for two reasons; check in on Minato and his boss, and check in on Cain. Most other things were secondary, but it wasn't like he wouldn't recognize everyone else.

The building was still starkly dark, with the power out, but everyone had enough lights that he found them fairly easily. ]

Boss! Minato! Cain!

[himbosupreme]

[He was coming out, exhausted but alive. Truthfully he wasn't sure what was going to be waiting for him when he got outside, but even before he could check if the rain had stopped, he heard a voice calling his name.]

Huh? Hello? Is someone there??

[The group was handling the Daitengu well enough without him, and Aurora had already pointed himself towards the voice, trotting over to in front of the shorter man. He followed the wolf until he was in front of where he assumed the other would be.]

Is that...Lio?

[Some parts of his uniform and hair were singed and he looked utterly exhausted, but otherwise was fine.]

[ganashara]

[ Cain would get Lio in his vision a moment later from, of all things, a hug... a hug he was going to pretend didn't happen aftwards, sure, but it was sincere in that moment. ]

Holy shit, you're okay! M-mostly...

[watermemory]

[The roar of the bike cuts through Minato's semi-sleepwalking state in the lobby. He's trying to keep out of the way of emergency services (after one of the medical staff sniffed him over, in case he had worse than bruises and superficial cuts all over from being ragdolled around, then waved him off with orders for bedrest), but the -- to him -- unfamiliar sound of of a motorcycle wakes him back up.]

Lio?... Toraguma left with the ambulances, you just missed him...

[ganashara]

The ambulance? How bad off was he?

[ Lio, of course, assuming the worse and not realizing Toraguma was accompanying Cloud there or anything but he was also still very much in panic mode. Give him a moment. ]

[21towin]

[In the meantime, Billy went ahead and snuck away to enjoy a night on the town. Preferably one that was quiet and calm. He found it in a small grill and bar restaurant. Tucked away in some quiet part of the city near the edge of the Tamamo territory. It was early in the evening now as he sat himself down at the bar. This was meant as a form of celebration for him. Both for having done his own part in the tower, and for his recent promotion.

The latter of which came with a handy bonus.

There was also the matter of actually grabbing something to eat. Following the whole blood rain thing he hadn't eaten since the beach. It was difficult to with the stress of, well, everything.

Leaning back in his chair, stomach grumbling loudly in abject impatience to be fueled, he scrolled through his phone in idle boredom.]

[beep beep inbox tag but on an entry im on a roll today]

[fuckdogramagra]

[ It's at some point during Billy's phone-scrolling, well in to the night, that a text from an unknown person comes through- they'd never spoke, and Tama felt awkward doing this sort of thing, but it was very earned in this circumstance. ]

Billy-san,

This is Tama Mizumori. You don't really know me, but Mina- you might know him as 'Minato' -said that you were one of the people that helped him during the attack on the tower. I'm sure that the town and all of our factions will give you your due thanks for what you've done for all of us, but I personally wanted to thank you for working with Mina, and helping to keep him and the others safe.

I'm sorry if this is a strange message to send someone whom you've never met, but I would be willing to show my appreciation by buying you a drink someday.

heh~ so many texts how exciting~!

[21towin]

[He looks down towards the message and reads it in his head. Well now these were all awfully social folks! He didn't give anyone the Billy name though.]

This is William,

Don't worry about it, that was a group effort, everyone did their part equally. Besides, it was more or less just a job for me. But if you really want I wouldn't say no to a free dinner.

[himbosupreme]

[It hadn't been long after Cain made it outside that he basically collapsed in the streets and was readily tucked away at his new apartment with roommates and the white wolf in tow. Having realized he still had dregs of his magic power, he'd used it all in straight up tanking the entity at the top of the tower.

He was spending a fair amount of time in bed, but as long as Megumi let them in, he was more than happy to recieve visitors. Aurora too was sitting on the bed, alert and tail slowly wagging.

Once he was fully rested, however, nothing was stopping him from being a complete and utter menace as he burst into the hospital and other places, trying to catch up on everyone he needed to.]

[breweries]

[ of course shylock's coming in after the blood rain broke, and he's not about to let a couple of human kids stop him either -- but it's all right. he gets the apprehension, seeing how much the people who went on the raid had went through, but shylock comes in good faith. ]

I wonder how your fellow Central wizards would react upon seeing you like this.

[ a chuckle as he hovers over cain's bedraggled self, setting down a beautiful bouquet of roses and, naturally, a bottle of red wine with a cute bow attached to it. ]

Reckless as always... If Lord Figaro were here, he would have healed you up right away like last time.

[himbosupreme]

[Shylock found Cain looking like he'd just woken up from a decades long nap; which he almost quite literally had. He wasn't expecting visitors here, but clearly lit up when he saw the west wizard.

Aurora, Megumi's white wolf had also perked up his head when Shylock approached, seeming to regard the man. Well, it seemed like this person was no threat to Megumi and a friend of Cain's, so the wolf just settled back on his place on the end of the bed.]

Didn't Figaro say he can't heal stupidity? Or at least when you exhaust all your mana...

[He made a face though, at the suggestion of the other Central wizards. Honestly, Megumi and Yuuji (and Fukuda and Lio) hovering was bad enough.]

Please don't remind me of Oz's disappointed stare...I'm sure Arthur and Riquet would lecture me for hours too....

[He's just going to focus on the gifts because they were so pretty! And Shylock always had excellent taste.

He'll save the drinks for later, though.]

I honestly didn't realize I still had some of my magic until the last minute. And I apparently used a ton of it resisting the influence of whatever that was at the top of the tower.

[beep beep inbox tag but on an entry]

[fuckdogramagra]

[ It takes a bit of doing, working up his nerves at the thought of directly messaging people like this, but when Cain wakes from his well-earned nap, there's a notification on his cellphone from a semi-unknown username. (Well, they talked once, but he isn't expecting recognition.) ]

Knightley-san,

This is Tama Mizumori. You don't really know me, but Mina- you might know him as 'Minato' -said that you were one of the people that helped him during the attack on the tower. He also told me that you protected him at the eleventh hour. Given how seriously Strife-san was injured, I just wanted to say...

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for keeping Mina safe. I don't know how I could ever repay you, but maybe someday I can at least offer to buy you a drink.

[himbosupreme]

[Unfortunately Cain was still bad with distinguishing usernames, but he didn't mind hearing from people anyway!]

Oh, you are a friend of his? I'm happy to hear from you. And really, I was just doing my duty. He helped me out as well in the tower, and I didn't want any of us to come out of there in a stretcher.

I...I am sorry about what happened to Cloud, though he was on the other team. But please, there's no need to thank me. Or if there is a way, just tell Minato how happy you are that he's okay. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

I'll take up the offer to drink though. I'm always down for that with anyone!
(❁´◡`❁)

anna (oc) | tamamo | team toraguma

[notched]

[ She comes out of the tower with the rest. She has not tried to take her coat back from Cloud just yet, he needs care more than he needs to return her belongings. But now she is standing at the base of the tower watching as he is taken away, looking small without her armor and looking definitely spaced out. She had taken a little of the sedative that was prescribed to her to control her frenzy, but the the pressure of the curse still has her... floating.

She looks startled when people come up to her, pat her shoulder, and answers in halting non-statements. Someone could use... a little ground, help. ]

[retroductions]

[He was not a part of the teams who threw themselves into the open maw of the Kaigo no Bou, but that does not mean Sholmes cannot creep about the aftermath like a bloodhound, scenting information and gathering it where he will. The wearied crowd that spills out of the tower, once the task is finally completed, does not all appear in a state to speak; with some concern, he even sees those injured swept away with worrying haste, and something sinks in his chest.

When he finds Anna, his enthusiasm for questioning what exactly's happened stills itself. It does not take one's powers of keen deduction to see she is not all there, gone distant. Even if he startles her during his approach, this impression lingers.]

Dear girl, are you all right? You barely look as though you're present at all.

[And she looks so... small, standing there like that, without her usual coat to bolster her frame. Must have lost it or given it away, he thinks. Did he see a similar fabric of its ilk wrapped around one of the injured...?

Sholmes shrugs off his coat without much thought and hangs it on her shoulders. It practically swallows her whole.]

[notched]

[ She has large brown eyes, they have a way of looking emptied and vacant. She stares at him that way for a moment, but recognition seems to filter in. She hesitantly reaches up to touch the fabric of the coat, then draws it around herself gratefully. ]

We were successful?

[ She is... surprised and looking to him to reinforce that it's true. ]