[OPEN] Earthquake Event

[soul_mods]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Death City
Rating: Varied
Time: Jan 22
Description: OOC post here.



It's early in the morning -- just after morning training -- when the ground beneath Death City shakes violently in what most of you might recognize as an earthquake. It's not a particularly huge one for the more experienced of the guests, but it sends cracks shooting through the cobblestoned ground of Death City and up the sides of some buildings. A small handful of structures, mostly those that have been abandoned in the course of this war or the very old ones, take the most damage and topple over or crumble at their foundations.

The earthquake lasts no more than half a minute, but the vibrations and aftershocks last through the day. Death City's streets become full of holes, from those the size of apples to what could be described as deep ditches. The greatest damage, however, is the commercial sector, which becomes flooded as the waterways take damage and spill water into the streets. Shibusen's alarms blare out and quick, urgent orders to fix the waterways and search for the injured or anyone trapped in rubble filter in through all networks.


ooc: Like always, please feel free to start your own threads. Follow the subject line format:
[Character(s)] [Location/Time] [Close/Open]
This in-game day will last a week irl.

Comments

[ryuuhirameki]

Wouldn't it reflect worse on you if you become too stressed? And then perhaps you wouldn't be able to continue at all...

[he's already rolling back his sleeves]

[cursemarked]

I...

[SIGH] Alright, you win. [You bully!! She goes to take a seat in one of the chairs set up around the gallery for people to sit and admire the pictures. Only there's really not much to admire right now]

But I'm only resting for a little while.

[ryuuhirameki]

[victory! Kenshin gets right to work, though not without a glance back at Rei and an attempt at further conversation]

It's been a while since this one has really spoken with Rei-dono.

[cursemarked]

Since the hospital. [Which wasn't a good time for either of them] I'm sorry. [She scratches the back of her neck, expression apologetic] I've been so busy...

[And everyone's kept leaving :C But she looks up with a smile] How have you been since then?

[ryuuhirameki]

Busy. [It's a carefully-worded response, despite its sounding like he's just parroting back her own words.

He looks at her for a minute, hesitating. She's opened up about her past to him; he's hinted on his to her. His habit of holding things in keeps him silent, but there's a part of him that wants to tell her about everything, like she told him.]

So don't be sorry... [He drops his head as he turns back to cleaning] Because I have not gone out to see many people the past few weeks, that I have not.

[cursemarked]

[Rei is quiet for a long moment; she doesn't need that sixth sense to realize there is a change in the atmosphere in the room and their conversation.

She rests her hands in her lap, watching him with solemn eyes; her voice is soft, encouraging him to talk if he wanted to] What happened?

[ryuuhirameki]

[There's another silence as Kenshin picks up a large piece of broken glass and turns it over in his hands, careful not to cut himself on the edges. Finally he takes the jump and speaks.]

I swore once to protect someone's happiness, and then I took more than that from her soon after.

Now, seeing that person years later in this city—I still can do nothing to uphold the vow I made. I have always been... what has kept happiness from her.

[cursemarked]

[She watches him carefully, to make sure he doesn't accidentally hurt himself.

'Are you sure sure?' Is what she wants to ask, but instead--] Tell me. ['Tell me the rest of this story'. It's not a command, it's too imploring to be that, but she can't help if she doesn't understand]

[ryuuhirameki]

[He's told this story once before, but it will never get easier. Was this even the time? But she was asking, and he had already gone too far.]

Tomoe Himura. [it's just the name in answer, quietly spoken] My wife... whom I killed, thirteen years ago.

[cursemarked]

[She's surprised, yes, but-- not as much as she might have bee if she were anyone else. She rises slowly and makes her way to him; one hand reaches down to take the glass from him, her other arm sliding around his shoulders.

She can't imagine what it would feel like if Yuu suddenly appears; the overwhelming guilt and shock. She doesn't know what to say, so Rei just sticks close, a quiet and understanding support if he wants to talk more]

[ryuuhirameki]

[Kenshin swallows, grateful for the support, though he does nothing to acknowledge it. Instead he speaks.]

I thought, meeting her here at first, that if nothing else I could have another chance to protect her, to see her smile. But instead when she looks at me I can see only pain—I cannot give her the happiness she both needs and deserves. And then there's Kaoru-dono...

[it was both habit and nature to be short on personal details, but it didn't always lend well to explaining himself.]</small?

[cursemarked]

This might sound silly, but have you talked to them about this? Really talked? This is hurting you so much... [she wishes she could say or do something more, but she's aware she doesn't know the full story (and wonders how much of it she can pull out of him during this time).[

[ryuuhirameki]

It... hurts Tomoe more, I believe it does. We have spoken, but there is not much to say—nothing that can fix it.