EVENT: The Calm Before the Storm

[soul_mods]

Characters: Anyone heading to Costa Rica
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Rating: PG
Time: September 1st, all day
Description: It's the day before the attack and now is the time to get the lay of the place, maybe help set up some traps and mingle with your allies.



The city is, quite honestly, a mess.

There had been that whole thing with the Black Blood before, causing citizens to turn on each other and cause destruction everywhere they went. The fact that the city had been abandoned for a couple of months as Shibusen sorted everything out didn't help. At all.

Added to all that, there's a lot of fog and by the afternoon it was raining pretty hard too.

Which means visibility is low and made worse by the fact that all the rubble more blind-spots than some of you are probably comfortable with. Still, any disadvantage can be made into an advantage. Probably.

You're all handed a poncho when you arrive via magic mirror before you're lead to where the citizens have made their main camp. There are tents and people around the monument built to honour those who died during the Black Blood Incident as well as to commemorate the citizen's return. It seems like this is where they've chosen to set up camp around...even if it's not the most strategic position.

The volunteers that stayed are all grim faced though at the very least, they seem to appreciate your coming here.

Either way, it's going to be a long day.


((OOC: Please put, [Character || OPEN/CLOSED] in your subject header! Assume there are local NPCs wandering all over the place. There will also be a separate thread for the event NPC if you want to tag them!))

Comments

[Mello and Near || open]

[want_the_world]

[ooc: If you want either of them alone, just let us know!]

[The last time they were in San José ended with Mello all but collapsing over the mirror's threshold, barely managing to get his injured partner back to Death City before his own strength gave out, and Near's hold on his Weapon form slipped away. He never wants to relive anything like the days that followed, which memory has fuzzed into one long, bleary stretch of time spent beside Near's clinic bed, mentally and physically exhausted.

The guilt he felt over not getting them out of harm's way would come surging back if he let it. He fights it off, not entirely successfully, and tries even harder to keep it from showing through their resonance, probably a futile effort, because Near's bound to notice Mello making more sure than usual to stay close enough to protect him.

There are plenty of other things on his mind, too, from the hideousness of the ponchos, to the inconvenience of the rain, to his annoyance that no one appears to have considered strategy at all in positioning the camp.]

One would think they could at least post guards on the perimeter.

[cardfortress]

[The last time they were in San José is quite vivid in Near’s mind, too, and so are the days he spent at the clinic afterwards. It took him a while to return to normal, and not just physically: after all, being chewed on by a kishin egg would take its toll on anyone’s mind, even the mind of a genius like Near.

(Especially the mind of a genius like him, because while most people would prefer to forget such a thing ever happened, Near focused on it and dissected it as obsessively as he has ever done to every little failure that has happened during previous missions. He has thought about what went wrong, but also what could have gone even worse, has considered what kind of injuries he could have sustained if Mello hadn’t used Soul Menace on time or if the kishin egg had chomped just a little bit harder; those hypothetical scenarios were terrifying enough to make him stop thinking about it sooner than he usually does about this kind of thing.)

But no matter how many times he thought it over, there is one thing that has never crossed his mind: the possibility that Mello didn’t try his absolute best to keep both of them safe. And yet he knows that his Meister still thinks he didn’t do enough, just like what he thought three months ago; Near can pick up on it through their resonance, but even if it weren’t easy to recognize that flicker of worry for what it is, the way Mello has kept even closer than usual would make it quite clear.

(He feels a twinge of pain on his left wrist and right knee, and chalks it up to the vivid memory of being in a hospital bed.)

The ponchos are hideous, but they are definitely not as terrible as the rain and the humidity-- his hair is glued to his skin, making him feel quite uncomfortable-- and even so, none of those things are as frustratingly annoying as the complete idiocy of whoever set up camp like this. What the hell were they thinking?]

That would be the most logical thing to do, so of course no one thought of it.

[He steps closer to Mello and reaches for his wrist, just enough so that he’ll be able to communicate through their resonance.]

Stop that. I’ve already told you that you saved my life that day.

[want_the_world]

[Mello feels those flickers of pain, too, filtered through their resonance but undeniably present, and even if he didn't already know almost everything Near feels and has thought about their last mission here, he'd know the direction his Weapon's thoughts have taken.

He does what he's always done, and uses the mingled shame and guilt over having failed as a goad to do better next time: this time. They've had this discussion, silently and not, enough times by now that Mello could hold Near's half of it himself. No matter how irrational he knows it to be, he won't be convinced that there wasn't something he could've done to minimize Near's injuries.

In the absence of sane security for the camp, Mello's going to take a walk around the perimeter himself, if only to be aware of where trouble will come from when it inevitably does.

When Near takes his wrist, he turns his hand enough to brush his fingers along Near's arm in return.]

I know I did. I've told you that I shouldn't have needed to. But we're stronger now. By a hell of a lot.

Change if you want. At least one of us can be out of the rain.

[cardfortress]

[Indeed, they’ve discussed this matter enough times by now that Mello can hold his Weapon’s half of it, but the same is true in reverse: Near can predict Mello’s replies in this discussion with an accuracy of 98%. He knows exactly what the blond will say in reply to what he says next, but he still says it anyway, hoping it will miraculously work this time.]

And I have told you that this world is at war, and we know the risks every time we go into battle.

But you’re right: we are significantly stronger, now.

[Mello’s fingers feel warm against his skin, and he’s about to tell his partner that he can turn into his Weapon form if that will worry him any less, when the Meister goes ahead and suggests exactly that, albeit for different reasons. Near nods.]

Okay, [he replies, giving Mello’s wrist a light squeeze and turning into his Weapon form immediately after. The physical discomfort he was feeling disappears completely, making their resonance feel clearer, somewhat.] Will wielding me make you worry any less?

[want_the_world]

[Near transforms so neatly that Mello doesn't even have to catch the Rubik's cube; he's simply holding it in his hand. The slight static in their resonance smoothes out, and he can tell Near doesn't feel the phantom pain of injuries long healed anymore; the total effect is like a cool breeze clearing Mello's head.]

I'm not worried. I'm mildly concerned.

[Or so he tells himself.

No matter how well-acquainted Near is with the risks they take every time they accept a mission or go into battle to repel an attack, Mello will always believe he has failed if his Weapon is injured or harmed in the slightest. He's always been fiercely protective of the few people he considers his, and Near is more his than anyone else ever has been or will be.

He starts walking, sizing up the layout of the camp. It's unlikely he even needs to ask Near his next question, because he's sure the Weapon has anticipated it, but he does, to make the plan official.]

We should keep an eye on Matt and Karina tomorrow. They're out of practise.

[cardfortress]

[Mello’s fingers closing around his Weapon form feel as reassuring as the steadying warmth of their resonance. Their bond always amplifies everything they’re feeling, good or bad, and the way Mello’s mind seems to become clearer, prompted by Near’s sudden lack of discomfort, returns to the Weapon immediately after, making him feel less tense.]

Of course.

[Needless to say, Near isn’t buying it: he knows very well that what is going through Mello’s mind is far from being a minor concern, and has made its way well into the realm of worrying.

Just like he knew Mello’s arguments in their previous discussion almost word by word, he is just as familiar with the reasons why his Meister feels responsible for him the way he does. He can’t say he disagrees with his reasoning-- he feels the same way about Mello, after all-- but he definitely disagrees with the feeling of failure his partner feels whenever he’s injured. They’re partners: that failure is theirs, not Mello’s.

(He makes a mental note to give his Meister’s hair a chastising tug when they get back home.)

Indeed, he doesn’t have to bring up Matt and Karina’s situation: Near had already thought of the same thing.]

I agree. Their resonance shouldn’t be affected by BREW sending him back temporarily, but it’s better to play it safe. Matt has no experience with the Witches’ most recent experiments, either.

[want_the_world]

[As the Meister, Mello feels the bulk of the responsibility falls on him, no matter what Near says. He's the one taking the active role; it's his actions that directly affect their safety.

He catches Near's thought, and can't resist teasing.]

Be careful, N; if you pull my hair too often, I might think you like me.

[He still doesn't like this situation, with the attack having been announced. Why in hell would you broadcast your intentions to your enemies? The only reason Mello can think of is that Shibusen is utterly predictable in its response to threats; the Witches have to know Death City's forces will be split between coming here and staying there for defence.]

We should also be ready to get back to Death City at a moment's notice.

[cardfortress]

[Unfortunately-- or fortunately, depending on the point of view-- for both of them, Near is as stubborn as his Meister, so he will never let his side of that argument go for as long as Mello clings to his own.

Those teasing words bring a flicker of amusement into an otherwise serious conversation, lightening the mood somewhat, so Near plays along, wanting Mello to let go of that subject already.]

Perhaps I should stop doing it, then; I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.

[Near doesn’t like this situation, either, and he shares his partner’s thoughts on why the Witches would announce their attack. Shibusen is far too predictable for its own good, and being incompetent during a war can lead to terrible results; why don’t they know this by now?]

I know. Shibusen has its dumb moments, but the Witches would have to be even dumber not to take the opportunity to invade the city again.

[want_the_world]

[Mello would just as soon let the topic drop himself--they'll never agree on how to assign the responsibility, not as long as each of them also wants to claim the bulk of the decision-making--so he responds to his partner's teasing in kind.]

Yes, that would be terrible.

[The locals he walks past don't even seem to notice him; none of them are paying any particular attention to the perimeter of their camp. Hopeless. Luckily, the Witches aren't taking advantage of the lax security. Yet.]

Do you sense anything?

[cardfortress]

Indeed. And it would also ruin my reputation.

[He pays close attention to everyone they walk past, local or not, but there is nothing he can pick up on: the only thing he can detect is the general mood of the place, the tension and the anticipation of an upcoming battle.]

No. Nothing is going on yet.

[want_the_world]

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but given my reputation, and the fact that everyone knows we're partners, yours is likely already in shambles.

[It's astonishing that the Witches would keep their word about when they'll attack, but the evidence says they are. For now.]

Yet is the operative word.

Is it too much to hope there's something entertaining to do around here?

[He takes it for granted that neither of them will sleep tonight.]

[cardfortress]

Excuse me, my reputation should still be intact. Unless you have been conspiring against me on that matter...?

['Yet' is indeed the operative word, and although the Witches seem to be keeping their word about the timing of this battle, Near is expecting the worst to happen during the night. That's when they will be at their most vulnerable, after all.]

I'm sure we'll find something suitably entertaining to occupy ourselves with until the attack happens.

[Near takes that for granted, too, and he plans on spending most of the night already in his Weapon form, just in case.]