♚ 001

[heavyliesthecrown]

Who: Tsukasa and you!
When: Arrival days
Where: Sunspire and Beyond
Warnings: n/a

|| ACTION :: MAKARAS DASH ||

[ Tsukasa has seen many things since his time in Imeeji. That includes demons, of course. But somehow, in all that time, he had never been chased by a horde of humanoid crocodile-like creatures. And that isn't easy to do in his current footwear while running across a desert.]

Are you serious right now!?

[His wings are beating frantically, but they aren't lifting him into the air at all. He shoots an arrow and lands a blow toward one of the creatures, but they are quickly gaining ground and it isn't as though he has enough arrows to take them all out. He switches to his sword instead.]

I am not ready to get eaten by a bunch of crocodile demons!

|| ACTION :: Flight Attempts & Magic ||

[He really doesn't know what is wrong with his wings. They never worked properly when he was on Imeeji proper, but during the vague time that... hmm? His memories feel scattered, but he is sure they worked while he was in hell proper. Even more alarming is the fact that he cannot seem to summon any of his swords or hold his balance as he should. Did his Avante powers vanish just like that?

Dramatically he tosses a hand out, as though maybe he just needs to the proper hand gesture.]

YIYA~

[ . . . But nothing happens. Oh, come on!]

|| ACTION :: Singing & Riding ||

[If he is stuck here, then at the very least he is going to have to get a little bit of money if he wants to afford... literally anything. Which is how he has found himself with the local maahes breeders. Breeding is incredibly out of his wheelhouse, but apparently, they enjoy music. And music is something he can do.

And what is more... they are such majestic-looking beasts. *O* He wants one. He wants one so badly. He wants to ride one at the very least.

Which is why he can be found...

A.) singing a love song to help inspire the majestic beasts to... er. Well... love each other.

Or...

B.) He is gallantly riding one for a job well done. And seems to be doing so rather smoothly?]


|| NETWORK ||

un: holyknight

Pardon me. My name is Tsukasa Suou. I am searching for some friends if they are here or if anyone has heard of or seen them? Namely, Persicaria... or Emu. Natsume... though he may more accurately respond to Kohaku. Ritsu, Leo, Sena, or Tenshouin.

Lastly, anyone familiar with Avante en Garde, I would very much like to see and reconvene with you.

Thank you in advance. I hope to get to know everyone else here, and that we find a way back to our respective homes soon.

OH! And one other thing? Please let me know if they sell sunscreen here. It is much too sunny and hot. Thank you again.

((OOC: Profile & Permissions since he is Imeeji CRAU.))

Comments

[heavyliesthecrown]

. . . I am sorry you were forced to endure that. Demons are... not exactly kind.

[Though he supposes that depends on the demon. There are a few he knows who decided to embrace demons and become one themselves. He still isn't exactly sure what to think of it all, but neither can he blame them. Especially his senpais...

A waitress approaches, and he gives her his order, allowing the pause in their discussion to give him some time to think. Once she wonders off, his brows crease.]

It sounds, to me, as though we were sent to two very different places. Demons appear to be the commonality. I suppose I do not trust that we have not been wrapped up in another demon's ploys here.

[His time in Tokyo-F... while there were certainly good memories, many were tragic. He'll carry the scars of those forever.]

I was kidnapped... by hell. Heaven fell, and in a faction war, two sides that were willing to incorporate human souls into their plans nabbed individuals from a multitude of universes and realities. Those they captured were sorted onto units, where we were forced to compete against other units in both silly and traumatic games for the entertainment of demons. It was reality television, where our lives were an amusement to all those who watched, and the two factions warred for us to choose them after subjecting us to numerous trials.

[They were idols. But... not in the musical sense. Not in any sort of way that they could have ever hoped for or desired.]

Over time, many students from Yumenosaki Academy appeared. Some living, and others... having died and been pieced back together by the demons themselves, and contracted to them.

[timidheart]

[Mayoi listens quietly and intently. Mayoi was constantly worried that explaining The Nest would make people think of him as insane, or he'd be dismissed on the pure absurdity of it.]

[Somehow hearing Tsukasa's end of it. He feels less worried about that. It's horrific all on it's own in ways Mayoi could scarcely imagine. How could they have been sent to two vastly different, but equally horrible Hells?]

Tsukasa-san...

[What can he even say. This is somehow way harder than the last time he wanted to offer him comfort. Back then, he at least knew what he could say.]

Y-yes...I think you're right. Our respective Hells seem to be different, but they at least have cruelty in common. How utterly vile... to take the concept of an idol and twist it so.

[He's so useless, offering shallow words of comfort like this, though. His desire to reach out and hug him are strong, but he knows not how this Tsukasa would react to such a thing...it would be presumptuous and rude.]

I am ...pessimistic at best, but I hope with my entire heart, that we may never see those places again.

[heavyliesthecrown]

We can hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

[It is all they can do, ultimately, as much as he dislikes it. The feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop is unpleasant. He attempts to smile for the sake of the other teen.]

. . . I confess I have no experience when it comes to such a difficult climate as this, though. Back on the set of Imeeji, we always had food. At worst, there were rations, and we earned points which was the currency of Tokyo-F. I suppose it is similar to what we use in ES?

[He makes a face.]

Regardless, this place is dangerous. At least outside of this town, it is. Some humanoid crocodile-like creatures attempted to eat me. None of the powers I received as a member of Avante en Garde have followed me into this place, and neither do my senses or wings work appropriately.

[timidheart]

[Mayoi nods. That is a sentiment he agrees with. He feels like he has been climbing the walls, waiting for their tragedy to strike, trying to make preparations and warn others.]

I …I am wretched in the sun, admittedly, but I did get very used to the harsh winter of the Nest. Our technology was very limited, too, and we had to be careful with resources.

[Ah, monsters… monsters are scary… Mayoi’s hands begin to fidget a bit.]

D-Did you get hurt…? Did they follow you into the area…? I wonder what fortifications we can do for such creatures. I-I will not have another Grimm attack, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t-

[heavyliesthecrown]

[His agitation is clear. 'Grimm' attack, he says? Like those mythological beasts? Whatever he has gone through has left deep physiologic scars. That much is sure. A claw-tipped hand reaches out to rest over one of Mayoi's comfortingly.]

Whatever happened in the Nest, we will not allow a repeat of here.

[He squeezes his hand in what he hopes is a reassuring gesture.]

Whatever those creatures were outside of the settlement, they did not follow close to this place. A Hyena...? Boy? Ended up separating them from us with a wall of fire. We escaped, of course, and here I am. I sustained no injuries. It seems the residents are familiar with the creatures, so I imagine this settlement is already protected against them.

cw: onset of a panic attack

[timidheart]

[He could feel himself starting to slip into panic. Like ice water under his skin and a heavy weight in his chest. He's felt on the precipice of being set off like this for some time, quietly trying to hold it together while he tiptoed around this lace as if he were walking on eggshells.]

[He did not quite realize how badly That Place had warped his concept of safety until just now.]

[Tsukasa reaches over and offers him some comfort, and Mayoi finally gasps as if he's coming back up for air. With that he's able to reign it back in and get it under control, though it should be clear he was trembling a little from getting worked up.]

I-I apologize... I let ...I let my worries get the best of me. I-I'm very sorry.

[He keeps his eyes down, looking at Tsukasa's hand and how curious it looks. It helps ground him.]

That place... all they did. A-All they did was bury someone, and that small act of disturbing the grounds had brought them upon us. Every step we took ...felt as though it could bring our demise if we were not careful. Like walking through a minefield blindfolded.

[heavyliesthecrown]

I understand.

[He may not have experienced the same horrors. But he knows what it is like to experience something traumatic that stays with you. He thinks, with time, he's become fairly adept at pushing it all down.

When every other day might toss you into a traumatic situation, at some point, while the pain and trauma doesn't disappear, you learn to just... be. Which isn't to say he hasn't had plenty of breakdowns himself. That it doesn't still happen. But right now, he can at least be the person who is there for someone else.]

Imeeji... was like that too. From one day to the next, it was impossible to say if you would be forced into one of their twisted ideas of a game. What they would do to you, or force you to do.

. . . We were just... amusements. Paraded around like favorite pets that they delighted in watching suffer. Ratings, you know.

[He cannot count the number of times he has died. The different times he has been tortured or humiliated. He is good at forcing some things from his mind. If he just doesn't think about it, then it's fine.

In fact... some memories were so traumatic, that his very friends had them wiped from him. He can't even recall them all. Only that they were enough it was deemed that he shouldn't ever linger again.

He draws a breath before his gaze hardens. He takes Mayoi's hand into his own.]

I am a Knight, Ayase-senpai, and also, a proud member of Avante en Garde. Though my powers have been stripped of me, I still retain the knowledge and strength that has been taught to me through numerous trials and hardships. I will protect you, and fight to see us home once more. I shall never give up on that, no matter how many battlefields we must cross.

[His free hand lifts as he reaches across the table to touch Mayoi within the center of his chest.]

And you... are a soldier. Knights and Soldiers are rather similar, if I may say so. While Alkaloid may still struggle to catch up to us Knights, I shall not allow a worthy opponent to fall before we have properly conquered them ourselves. Hold your head high. We are allies, right now, you and I. Take the time you need to adjust, and know that I will ensure your safety with my very life.

[timidheart]

[Oh.]

[When had Tsukasa-san grown so tall...?]

[Mayoi is struck right now, by his words, by his confidence, that it's all he can do to watch him with rapt attention. He feels in his heart, in this moment, that he wants desperately to believe in him. There is a warmth and a hope there that he wants to keep close, that he has felt he hasn't had for some time.]

[At the same time, he wants to grieve a little, too. Tsukasa-san ...it was not so long ago he held him in his arms, wrecked with grief over something he had done by mistake. He had felt a very strong sense of protectiveness, then. Having that turned on him so suddenly, ah...]

[Mayoi wishes that those he loves and adores will stay young and innocent forever, so he may dote on them, so when they inevitably grow taller, it is bittersweet. Still, that makes him no less proud.]

[There are tears streaming down his face, he can't help that. Mayoi has always been a teary person, but he can at least do as he's asked. He lifts his head up, swallows down his anguish, and meets his eyes.]

Tsukasa-san has grown up into such a strong person... how lovely. I-I am quite proud to call you an ally...I will work hard to be worthy of your words, so please wait until I can catch up to you.

[While the Tsukasa in front of him does not recall That Place, to him, they are still one in the same.]

[heavyliesthecrown]

My heart soars hearing you say that, Ayase-senpai. I will strive to do my best and live up to those expectations. Perhaps someday, my actions will prove worthy enough to make me king?

[ He does release his hand after a moment, but simply to hand over a handkerchief he has upon his person so that he might dry his eyes with it.]

I have much I must do here now, though. I have heard there are some shabby buildings to make into a home? I suppose... beggars cannot be choosers. However, that will take some adjustment.

It appears someone important to me has appeared here from back on the production, too.