lostcarnival | ⇨ INVASION!

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⇨ INVASION!

Who: Everyone! But especially HARBINGERS!
When: S2:D16-22
Where: All over Wismuth!
What: As the Harbingers reveal themselves, those among the carnival that Creation has chosen will start to discover new powers within themselves. It's because they're magical girls, yo.
Warnings: Harbingers being assholes.

HARBINGERS OF VOID↴

On Day 16, the Harbingers begin revealing their new selves... in the form of wreaking havoc on the city! CY-Ren isn't looking for mass panic or serious structural damage - instead she wants constant annoyances and distractions, of the sort that will keep those that might be on her tail distracted from her true plans. However, when Creation is faced with the threat of twelve new Harbingers, it will have to fight in kind...

► HARBINGERS: Your job is to use your powers to create messes for other people to clean up! CY-Ren gives no specific instructions outside of a general framework... flex your powers! See what you can do. Don't destroy the city or anything, but give Creation a run for its money. She needs these civilians alive for her later plans.

► STAR GUARDIANS: Twelve members of the carnival have been chosen by Creation to fight in its name, even if they don't realize it yet. When confronted by the Harbinger's chaos, their Sparks will make themselves known in whatever form is appropriate to the character - and they will be asked if they are willing to use the power of their soul to fight the darkness. How this scene plays out can be flexible, but essentially they will find themselves faced with the question: are they willing to fight for the preservation of life? If they say yes, their Spark will emerge, and they will be able to trigger a magical girl transformation, as you do.

► CHARITY CONCERT: While everyone else is busy with the sudden rise of the Harbingers, CY-Ren's PR team is releasing a statement -- they will say that new information has revealed that there had been bomb threats made against the canceled concert, which are now being blamed for the damages. CY-Ren will make a personal statement, saying that in order to apologize for the failure of her previous performances, a new free to attend event is being planned for the near future - people who had tickets to the previous event and had to go home early get top priority!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rin's obvious and pure-hearted relief upon seeing him is both amusing and somehow aggravating. He finds that part of him recoils from it, as if offended by the naivety, even though he'd purposely mislead him in the first place. Well, there'd be a time to educate him later. For now Shima slips on his usual guileless smile.

"Haha, sorry I haven't been able ta contact anybody. I've been crashing with somebody who was at the concert, but with all the jumping around getting there I didn't actually know how ta get back to the carnival by myself. Lucky I ran inta you just now!"

Only a little bit of that is actually a lie.

Well Shima, now you know how Yukio feels about Rin most of the time. So, congrats on that? Though, apparently, being equal parts charmed and irritated by Rin's behavior is a common enough reaction.

"Yeah, I think somethin' with the music may have messed with the radios... But yeah! Do you need me to show you the way right now? Though it's pretty easy to find once you know where the park is..."

From nearby, Kuro, glamoured to look like a normal black cat, comes back up to Rin and rubs on his legs. But then... he notices Shima. Kuro may not be a familiar of Creation, but his senses are still very sharp -- and something is amiss with Shima. Something dark, and much more powerful, even more so than Yamantaka. Kuro's eyes go wide, his tail turns into a bristle brush, and the hair along his spine rises.

To be fair, Shima did already sympathize with Yukio a little on that front, having dealt with a similar ambivalence towards his own family and friends growing up. But this is a little different, like some weird primal Void urge to figure out how to tear away Rin's unfettered faith in others so he has to confront the abysmal truth.

Well, he may have to get around to that sooner rather than later, if Kuro gives him away. He holds his hands up placatingly as he glances at the agitated cait sith. "Uh.. What's up with Kuro?"

Yeah... Good luck with that, Shima. There's a reason the Void didn't choose Rin, and it's not just because of his little purple ring. Rin is the kind of person who would face the darkness of the abyss straight on, overcome by the hopelessness... then spit in it, just to spite it.

"Huh?" Rin looks down at Kuro, furrowing his brows. The boy crouches and pets the demon on the head, and he shirks back, keeping his eyes on Shima. "Kuro, what's the matter? Why are you acting this way?" Kuro's eyes flick to Rin, and he meows plaintively, clearly telling Rin something.

"What? That's crazy, Kuro. You're being ridiculous."

Kuro lets out a yowl of frustration and then takes off running, towards the park. Rin just watches him go, perplexed. Then he looks at Shima and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure what that was about either... He was talking about something evil being here? Then he said he didn't want to deal with it and ran off," he shakes his head, looking a bit embarrassed on behalf of his familiar. "Well. Whatever. He can take care of himself."

Edited 2018-02-18 23:43 (UTC)

Shima watches this exchange with a certain sort of exasperation... When Rin straightens back up, he can't help laughing a little. He could get away with prolonging the trick, probably. Maybe all the way up until they ran into someone else on carnival grounds who had the sense to doubt people more. But there wouldn't be much point to it--now or later, he assumes Rin's reaction would be the same. Does he not realize after the first time at home?

"Jeez Okumura-kun... Ya'd think everything really has gone back ta normal with how ya treat me. I guess ya can't tell since it's not demon-related, but Kuro's got a pretty good head on his shoulders."

He spreads his arms a little. Nothing looks different yet, but he gives Rin another chance to try and detect it himself.

He realizes, of course. But... he's always been willing to give Shima the benefit of the doubt. Even when his loyalties weren't clear, or even seemed completely opposite of their own, Rin wanted to still be friends, wanted them all to still get along. Rin could be... willfully ignorant when he wanted to be.

"... huh?" Now Rin turns his confused face to Shima, still not really getting it. Never in his wildest dreams would he think his friend would be actually helping the bad guys! After all, if the world were destroyed, there wouldn't be any more porn!

But now that Rin really looks at Shima, really... feels him out... he can sense something off. Something different. Instead of saying anything, though, he just laughs it off. "Quit being so weird, Shima. Let's get back to the carnival already and I'll make us some omurice."

It's true, Shima's ready to give up porn and let everything crumble into nothingness where it belongs. As long as porn still exists all the way up until they're all nothing, anyway. He's definitely crazy, but not that crazy.

"Aah... Omurice is pretty tempting but... ya know, that habit of yours is really gonna get ya inta some hot water if ya keep that up."

He gives that advice in an almost friendly way, though he doesn't spell out what habit he means directly. But Rin's seen him do this before, when he suggested Rin would have to be ready to kill humans if he wanted to fight the Illuminati, picking at Rin's desire to ignore the complexities of a situation. He looks up, thinking briefly, before glancing back to Rin.

"Maybe I should catch ya up on what's been happening at home after all, if ya need some real world examples."

Well, then Shima's definitely lost it, no question about that.

"Habit? Tch. What habit? My habit of being hospitable?" he puts his hands behind his head, pursing out his lips a bit. "Sure, I might get taken advantage of sometime but... it doesn't bother me..."

Wait. Happening at home? Hadn't Shima refused to spill any beans before? "Eh? Why the sudden change in heart? I thought you wanted it all to be a surprise! Or something about changing the future? Or whatever? I don't need to know about those things." He sighs and shakes his head. "Let's just go, ok?"

Because he's starting to get the sinking feeling that something really is off.

Shima hums a humoring sound, not bothering to correct Rin since he's sure it'll become clear enough he doesn't mean that, though it's probably true he could be taken advantage of.

"What's the rush? I had a job ta do before, so I couldn't just come out 'n tell ya everything. But well..." Shima steps back a little, bringing his hand up across his eyes and dragging his thumb hard across them--for a gut-wrenching moment it looks like he's torn right through his face somehow, but only darkness pours forth from the tear, wrapping around him and solidifying into a frankly kinda flashy outfit.

"It's all gonna end soon, so there's not much point in hiding what's going on. But maybe ya don't want ta find out, huh? Ya gonna let your brother carry the whole burden up to the end?"

He's not saying this out of compassion for Yukio so much as he knows that's going to be a sore spot for Rin.

Rin watches Shima’s transformation, the dark feeling in his gut getting infinitely worse. Suddenly, Kuro’s reaction made sense. Everything would become clear, soon, and surely Rin would see the truth. The truth about how the world should go.

But. Wait. Rin is covering his mouth with his hand, his cheeks turning red behind it. He makes a weird snorting noise, and it’s clear that he hasn’t heard a word Shima has said since his magic wardrobe change.

After a few agonizing seconds, he can’t hold it in any longer, and Rin bursts out laughing, and pointing at Shima. A genuine guffaw, tears of mirth in his eyes and shortness of breath. That he manages to speak at all is a miracle.

“GAAAHAHAHAHAH!! SHIMA! What the— heheh- what the HELL is that outfit?! You look like... you look like an Arabian porcupine! Hahahah!! Where’s your lamp, huh? Do I— pffftttttt. Do I get three wishes?!”

Concubine. Concubine is what he was going for. But Rin doesn’t care and he has to sit down to catch his breath and wipe his eyes.

Sorry about your dramatic harbinger debut, Shima.

Edited (KURT) 2018-02-20 19:22 (UTC)

“Porcupine....?” Just sounds confused for a moment, until Rin’s actual meaning dawns on him.

“WAIT A SEC--YA MEAN CONCUBINE!? What the hell, Okumura??” Points an accusing finger at him. “First of all, concubines don’t grant wishes, you’re talking about genies! And who’d grant a wish to ya after that!?”

Look, he was expecting some laughter, but this is too much!

Edited 2018-02-20 20:27 (UTC)

“A concubine would!! Gehehehehhahahah!! Ok ok I wish for... I wish for...! I wish for a refrigerator that food never goes bad in! Can you do that for me, Shima-genie-san?!”

He snorts and sporfles and starts laughing anew.

“You look ridiculous!!”

"No, concubines are harem girls! Quit mixing 'em up when harem girls are obviously way better than genies even without the wish-granting!"

Catches himself going along with the impulse to get all worked up--which is normally fine if he wants to let things smooth over, but in this case it lets Rin off the hook too easy. He huffs a breath, settling back down.

"Jeez... Nevermind. All you're interested in is the outfit, I guess! It looks like ya aren't even a little bit curious what's really going on. No wonder Okumura-sensei's always so stressed out. He may as well be dealing with everything alone."

Shrugs, "Well whatever, if ya seriously don't care, I've got stuff ta get ready for CY-ren."

He turns and starts to go, though he does it slow enough to give Rin a few seconds to think things over.

"Right right. Harem girls," Rin says, putting the emphasis on the "girl" part and wiggling his eyebrows a bit. You look like a girl in that outfit, Shima. That's what he's saying.

But... wait, what? Rin hadn't heard the needling comment the first time, since he was very busy trying (and failing) not to lose his shit.

"Wait...! I know he's stressed out..." Rin says, standing up and brushing himself off, "But he wouldn't have to be, if he'd just share some of it with me! But you know Yukio! He never tells me anything! I... I don't know how I'm supposed to help him."

Wow hey, we've ALL put on actual skirts before, Okumura Rin. You can't get in his head about the Harbringer uniform looking girly when he knows what you look like in knee-high socks!

But he doesn't rise to the bait because he's got his own lines to throw out. He turns back, nonchalant but not smiling.

"Think about it logically. Why would he share anything with ya when ya've never even considered any of the questions whirling around that messed up head of his? Even Bon knows more about your past than you do and he's only been going at it for like a month or something. Well, maybe less than that when you're from. But it's still more than nothing, ain't it."

Edited 2018-02-21 04:07 (UTC)

Rin would like to point out that he makes a very cute girl. Probably the best looking cross-dresser of them all!

"Because.... because the past is in the past, of course! Nothing we learn about it will change what's happening right now. It's not that I don't care! It just... it won't make a difference!" he shakes his head. "But it doesn't matter.... even if I were interested, Yukio wouldn't let me help him. He never does."

"There it is again, your habit. You're wrong, ya know... But ta think the Okumura Rin-kun who'll rush inta trouble without even thinking most of the time could get this avoidant is pretty surprising... I bet that guy can't stand it."

He means Yukio, of course. Being privy to Yukio's 'training' and the shit-storm that hit after his own brother's wedding, it isn't hard for Shima to put together an idea of how he was feeling, and use that to shake Rin up.

"Urrrggghhh...! What HABIT are you talking about?! And it's not that I'm avoidant... I've TRIED! I've tried to help him! I've tried to be there for him, and he just turns me away! I can't help someone who doesn't want to accept that help!"

Probably not the reaction Shima was going for, but the frustration in Rin's voice is painfully evident. His brother... he was so stubborn! All he wanted was to help, and Yukio just wouldn't let anyone get close!

Edited 2018-02-22 03:22 (UTC)

Shima folds his hands behind his head, not alarmed yet at Rin's frustration.

"Oh, I'm sure ya've tried the 'hey, just talk to me!' approach. But after saying that, all you're actually doing is just waiting around for him ta explain it patiently, right? Are ya actually doing any work there? Sure, maybe he doesn't want help, but it's not like ya've made it any easier on him if he's gotta sit there and illustrate for ya why he's got a problem in the first place.

Even if ya say ya aren't avoiding him, ya still aren't really confronting anything, are ya. Ya planning ta just wait as long as ya can for it ta work itself out? That's the habit I'm talking about."

Rin gestures in his frustration, talking with his hands so much more than usual. Which is... a lot. It's a good thing no one is walking by him, because they'd be likely to get smacked right in the face.

"Well YEAH! Of course I'm just waiting for him to tell me stuff, because, unlike some people--" he says, clearly gesturing to Shima, "-- I'm not some crazy spy person who sneaks into other peoples' stuff! Yukio's business is his, and I'm not about to go looking through his private things!! I'm not... I'm not just..." he sort of trails off, losing steam as he continues to talk and think about what he wants to say next.

"I'm not just waiting because I want to. I'm waiting because it's all I can do. Yukio... he already... he already doesn't like me, or trust me. I'm not going to push him. I won't. You may not care about your family, Shima, but I do."

... Unexpectedly harsh, coming from Rin, but he's had a lot of time to think here in the Carnival.

He narrows his eyes, grin widening for just a moment at that little jab from Rin before it smooths into something more nonchalant again.

"Haha. Yeah, my family seems like a really nice bunch, huh? Passionate! Noble! A lot of love ta give! But ya know, they've never really made the effort ta understand me, or even just took a minute ta care about what I care about. Apparently it's easy ta love somebody and still do it without thinking of them at all."

Shrugs, like that's not a big deal.

"Unfortunate really. All that love 'n care ya feel for your brother doesn't mean much--actually it might be doing more harm than good, ya know? 'Cause all that tender patient love 'n care ya've got stored up hasn't helped ya see that he's desperate enough ta die for the truth about all the questions plaguing him at this point."

"He's already tried ta kill himself ah... at least three times?"

Rin is about to make another comeback, another jab against Shima and his shady manipulation, when he drops that bombshell.

He visibly pales, and it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the universe. For the first time, he feels the cold claws of the void wrapping around his heart, like ice in his stomach.

"... What? What... did you just say?"

Suicide? Three times...? Yukio had.... what had Yukio done...?

"Didn't ya ever wonder where he was disappearing to after cram school? Basically he was trying ta put himself in life-threatening situations ta wake up a dormant power... Tried ta drown himself with water elementals, I think he might've jumped off a building...

"Though actually the most recent time he just shot himself because it was all too much, I think, after he found out how much human experimentation the Order was doing, including involving Fujimoto Shiro-san. Luckily... or.. unluckily, he's got some Satan thing going on with his eye that stopped the more lethal attempts on himself from being successful.

"Seems rough that only Satan was actually keeping him from dying though."

Shima barely has time to finish before Rin cuts him off, his flames flaring to life, even without his sword drawn, behind the glamour.

"SHUT UP! Stop LYING! You... you're making it all up! I know you are! You're just trying to get under my skin because of what that stupid lady did to you! So SHUT UP!!"

He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. It couldn't be true...!

⇨ INVASION!

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