[OPEN] THE MAN 'RETURNS'

[betheman]

Who: THE REVIVED GONGENZAKA! ...And you.
Where: Carnival Grounds ofc
When: Tail End of the Performance Week-S1:D16!
What: Junko being a general nuisance to everyone.
Warnings: The flavor prose before the taggable prompt includes references to Gongenzaka's last moments and thoughts during the Vampire War. Click here to skip all of that.

War of this level was like nothing he had ever experienced.

Where he had come from, was a 'war'. Certainly not the battlefield as Shun had seen it-with civilians churned body and soul into cards, buildings toppled into dusty ruin. No, he had only seen the aftermath of it all; the remaining survivors afraid of anyone who so much as carried a duel disk, running for their lives with hastily gathered water and worn tins.

Where he had come from, as well, was nothing like the battle field he saw last. A prepared arena of trees and vines, forged of solid vision so real that one could swear the fruits were edible. Where one by one all of those who had been pitted against them were ticked away by the 'battle beast' who had been left to wander those 'woods'. A caged 'animal', defending themselves in rage.

No.

This was a real battle.

With bloodshed and screams, bared teeth and snarls, and when push had come to shove he had refused to back down.

"SUPER HEAVY SAMURAI SUSANNO-O! SHUTENDO-G! MAJU KYU-B!" He summoned them forward not to charge in battle but to form a wall. "Quickly, get to safety!" An impenetrable wall of solid light, forcing the charging vampires back for as long as was needed, even when it came to using his own bare hands himself. In those moments, he thought he could hear himself roar, and even snarl. Grinding his teeth as he gripped a vampire's fist in his own, his geta burying themselves into the ground he held himself on. He pushed them back...

...And that was as far as he could remember. From there, there was a burning and empty sort of pain, before the world went dark and replaced itself with mere blurs of colour behind nonexistent eyelids.

He thought he saw gold-and then red-and then gold again. A cloud of blue, fogging his vision as the sensation of warmth covered him entirely. It was a warmth unlike anything he had ever experienced.

...It was a warmth that lasted for a long time, hugging the edges of his memory in a deep and relaxing sleep.

And that was about when he realized he wasn't quite breathing. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, mind, but it was feeling very tight, and cramped, and-

Gongenzaka's eyes flew open just as the final edges of awareness caught up with him, and in those moments there was an echoing CRACK, followed by a muffled and choking shout as eggshell broke away for him to fall flat on his face covered in egg juice.

==============~*~==============

[So. That happened.] Ah-t-t-... S-Shoot..! [The last few hours after he woke up have been something of a blur. First, the Ringmaster comes in excited and beaming, hauling his (still fairly egg covered) upper body up to properly give him a hug.

Then she complimented his legs, which...at that time was about when he realized why they didn't feel the same.] w-wUOH-!!

[There were four of them. (And he still looked and honestly felt like an enormous baby deer trying to make it ten feet from the egg tent at this time)

Apparently this was what they had made preparations for back when he made his contract, however. The Ringmaster had summoned his soul before it properly moved on, stuffed it in...an egg... (He still wasn't quite sure honestly, since at the time his ears were still fairly waterlogged and he was trying to comprehend how coming back to life ended in FOUR LEGS)

He still had half a year to work off though, thankfully-because apparently in all the time she had been fretting about the magic actually working, a number of weeks had already passed.

She had gotten his things from the Treasury, but only some of it fit properly-which meant borrowing a carnival t-shirt when it was realized that his uniform just would not pull over all that fur-and all the while as he was tugging that on there were excited shouts and blatherings about how exciting it all was (that it worked, she meant), how she was going to tell everyone...

And then she left.

For an hour.

In the present, his legs skid-the forepaws scrambling just as much as the hooves to meet dirt, before he awkwardly managed to 'horse stance' his way into seeming balance.] Hahhhhh...

...gNH- [.........Only to promptly trip as soon as he tried to take a step from there.

Face, meet ground.

He had honestly been too afraid to even start trying all this while IN the tent, as the Ringmaster discovered on return; multiple eggs, large centaurine body...she came back confused an hour later (likely after whatever announcement of revival there was), gave him a hand getting up and out...

...Annnnnd once he was out it was time to figure things out on his own.

Which brought things here.] Khh....Hauhhhhh... [To the largest of 14 year olds attempting to get himself off the ground.

In the heat of battle, changes hit at a drastic pace-mostly at the face-but for those who were around between the war and the Nether World, doesn't that headband and pomp look familiar..?]

You alrigh' mistah? [A passing dream visitor asks. The centaur in question merely focuses on standing, stumbling somewhat before finally getting properly on his feet again.]

I, the man Gongenzaka, will be just...NGH- ...Fine...

[....YEP THAT'S HIM ALRIGHT.]

Comments

[osteothropy]

[Sans heard on the wind that something had been shaken up in the egg house (from a particularly giddy Ringmaster) and has decided to pop by to snoop things out. Nearby, he's sort of stunned to see one of his former coworkers come back to life - and with some significant changes, none the less.

Sans appears nearby without much fanfare, taking a moment to look the guy over before making his presence known.]

Hey, Gon. You finally came outta your shell!

[otoko]

[Honestly, as much as he would be more than irritated whenever something technically outside the line of work came up only for Sans to lean back and relax, Gongenzaka finds himself more relieved than anything. If there was one thing he hadn't thought to ask, it was 'who else died'.

He was pretty sure not everyone had 'egg-surance'.

As it is, a lack of fanfare is exactly what he needs-so as he keeps himself from falling over (again), he nods. ...And frowns, albeit only slightly. It's hard to be that mad.] It's Gongenzaka..!

But yes-literally, it seems..!

[Yes Gon, that was the point.] I take it you knew about the 'eggs', then..? [he asks, taking a shaky step forward and sighing when he manages not to waver this time.]

[osteothropy]

Mostly from the Ringmaster blowing by. Not too surprising, though, she's always been an egg person.

[The exact magic involved isn't clear to him, but it's been a deal he's considered making, so he's been paying attention where revivals are concerned.]

Didn't know if she was actually going to keep her end of the bargain, with how long it took.

[otoko]

Considering it was what I, the man Gongenzaka, formed a contract for...

[Though, considering the uneasy twist from his ears, this isn't quite what he expected.] I can see that time has passed, but just how long should it typically take then?

[A lot less, you magic-immune fool.]

[dorkypantsuit]

Woah! Is that Gon!

[The Psionic is pretty excited when he sees Gongenzaka wandering around, even if it is on shaky legs. It had been so long, he'd assumed something had just gone wrong, that he'd never see the other man again. He was very happy to find that was not the case.]

[otoko]

[It's a fairly automatic response, by now-] It's GONGENZAKA..! [he immediately quips back through irritation, only to fumble as he spies who spoke.] Auh- Psiioni-

-g-wOAHH-!

[Annnnnd that tumble was so impressive that he's got his face down and his rear-most legs up and over in the air.

Nice.]

[dorkypantsuit]

[For once his concern outweighs his laugh reflex and so he rushes forward to help Gongenzaka to stand up.]

Hey, you okay?

[betheman]

Nnnwoh... [He forces his head up at least, the rest of his limbs sort of awkwardly wobbling in the air.] I, the man Gongenzaka...shall be just...fine...

[...maybe.]

[cuckooed]

...Oh my god.

[It can't be. And yet...]

Gongenzaka?

[She remembers this kid. He, the man, etc. etc., but usually it was followed by "SHALL HAVE THAT AS MY MEAL!" And then he died.

And now he's not.

She is immediately at his side, trying to keep the poor boy steady.]

Hold on, dear, steady...!

[otoko]

[Steady would be great. He could go for steady. The man sputters somewhat as he's balanced, and it is only after he again has even footing that he realizes who it is.] Auh-! Koel..!

[cuckooed]

...Its good to see a friendly face come back.

[Ah, really, she looks pretty relieved. This kid didn't deserve to die.]

Did the Ringmaster do it? You hungry at all?

[She isn't going to point out he has four legs and is part bear...fox...bear-fox. He's probably already figured that out.]

[otoko]

Mmnh, it would seem that when I, the man Gongenzaka, formed my contract with the condition of being able to safely return to my home 'no matter the circumstances'...

...this was the result. [He's still not sure about that, and it shows unfortunately well between the ears and tail.] ...As it seems, eggs are involved...which may explain the lack of hunger for now...

[Ahhh, eggs. He'll need food in an hour, probably.]

[toogoodtoopure]

[For a moment, Yuugi thinks that he fell asleep on the job, before he rubs the heel of his hand at his eye and looks again. No, that...really is something. Ah, someone, rather. Nobody familiar of course, but the general appearance makes him assume coworker, to some extent. His eyes trail the taur form, curious, before he notices the struggling and repeats the question the dream visitor asks, though with a bit more concern, trotting over.]

A-are you sure? I'm...those don't look comfortable...

[His ears pull back against his head, brow creasing before he holds his hand out.]

Here, let me help.

[betheman]

No, [He insists, holding up a hand.] If I, the man Gongenzaka, accept help now, then how can I expect to properly master this body in good time?

It would be UNFORGIVABLE..!

[Well someone's a little passionate, aren't they? and what's that thing on his arm?]

[toogoodtoopure]

[His ears twitch as he fights back the instinct to flinch - it's not something he's done in a while but old habits die hard and, let's be honest, this guy isn't exactly small. And, well, he's vaguely reminded of Jounouchi-kun and Honda-kun, back in the early days of their friendship and even before.

Instead of letting it get brushed off, he tilts his head, keeping his hand out, and smiles.]

But, it's okay to accept help once in a while? You're no less if you do.

[betheman]

Indeed, that is true...

But this is not the time!

I, the man Gongenzaka, must learn to walk once again, on my own..! [NO CRUTCHES NOT ALLOWED!!!]

[fragileandsoft]

Woah there.

[ Greg started over to try and help him up, but that's an awful lot of limbs with very limited control. He ends up hovering, a little uncertain, trying to figure out how he can help. ]

You won't be fine if you keep hitting your head like that. Take a breather, all right?

[betheman]

[He thanks his stars he is not an ushi-oni, honestly. All the same. By this point, rolling onto his back for a 'breather' sounds like the best idea, given he's not in a crowded end of the carnival.] Hrmn...some air would probably be good, yes... [A few deep breaths and he'll be on his feet fine in no time right?

Y E S.] ...These legs do not seem to work nearly so easily as one would think of their own limbs...

[fragileandsoft]

Hah, anyone who's spent a while at the gym could tell you that. Ah, here.

[ He fishes around in his fanny pack, because he is a practical man with no fashion sense, and pulls out a water bottle. He offers it over to the kid. ]

Haven't seen you around before. You part of the carnival?

[pipers_son]

Now look who it is!

[Joker should be a familiar face- he doesn't seem to have changed much, although he's considerably more in control of his wings as he circles down from above before landing gracefully. No more crashing into buildings or tents or the ferris wheel.]

[There might even be a smidgen of actual genuine relief to his smile, although he'd never show it. The thing with the vampires- it hadn't been pretty. To see someone come back- even in the weirdest of ways- has Joker grinning wide.]

Sure know how ta make an entrance, don't ya, Zaka?

[Full names are for losers.]

[otoko]

IT'S GONGENZAKA..!!! [HOW MANY TIMES-

Even worse, the frustration makes him lose focus-doing the pooch equivalent of the splits while he flusters about.] A-AAAUH-!

[pipers_son]

[For eternity, probably. But Joker watches, chuckling none-too-subtly into his hand.]

I think ya got more ta worry about than a nickname, mate.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Chiaki hears Gon coming before she sees him, and wanders towards the center of the Carnival to see what all the fuss is about.

Then she immediately hides behind a tent.

The man is large, and incredibly fluffy. It's sort of hard to tell whether or not he's dangerous. She keeps her distance --

Until he falls over. ] Oh--! [ Then she darts out of hiding, hesitating halfway to him. It could be that he doesn't want to be bothered. ]

Ah-- [ So there she is, hesitating in the middle of the road, not quite sure whether to help him or not. ]

[betheman]

[Behold, for he is about to completely misunderstand why she has stopped-] AUH!

Forgive me-I, the man Gongenzaka, did not intend to block your way..! [He flusters, scrambling to get to his feet again.] It is merely taking time to adapt to these legs...

[AHH! But he should not make excuses..! UNFORGIVABLE!]

[waitingforplayer2]

N-no... it's okay!

[ Oh dear. She's still hesitating - he's making so many quick and large movements that she's a bit wary about going closer. But -- ]

Do you need help? ... Can I do anything?