soul_logs | Phase 3: Mission 153

Characters: Grand Canyon mission goers, victims, medics
Location: Grand Canyon
Rating: R
Time: Feb 5, 2009, mission starts at dawn
Description: Event links list.

The scouts had done their jobs well and the mirror deposits its travelers just at the end of the area Shibusen has closed off as their mission target. It's still dawn, the sun barely visible over the horizon. The witches hasn't noticed them there yet, the scouts say, so it's still possible to take them by surprise.

This is what the agents are told: In the rock face of the Grand Canyon is a cavern system made up of many small caves and three large ones. The large caves contain a kishin egg pit, the kidnapped agents and civilians, and what appears to be a machine at one end. There are about five dozen zombies crawling the area, and an equal number of ants, spiders, and ravens on top of it.

Worst of all, the scouts report that they had sighted a few of the agents patrolling for the Witches. The scouts hadn't been certain if these ones had soul perception or other abilities, and had given the area as much space as they could in order to avoid an early confrontation. Still, it's bad news and it looks like a fight with some of the kidnappees themselves is inevitable.

Not much time is given to the agents after the briefing before they're being ushered into place. A few scouts are going to be causing a commotion some distance away to distract the familiars and zombies, clearing a path for the agents. After that, it's all up to them.

[ooc: Just put up your own threads with the subject line [Characters][Feeding Cave/MMM Cave/Kishin Egg Pit/Elsewhere][Open/Close]
Kidnappees can go thread in the caves while waiting for the rescuers, too.
For those who want to thread with a witch, please add it in the subject line so we know where to go!
This day change will be one week irl.
The mirror will stay open for anyone who needs to be rushed back to the medics.
For those handwaving, please put your summaries here for the meister points and soul tally record.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

But I don't want to leave. [Her tone was almost petulant.

Though if they wanted to take her back alive...well, that was to her advantage, wasn't it? Because when she moves in to attack she's definitely aiming to kill and not to wound.]

I happen to like it here.

[It was only then that Katsura moved to defend himself, Gintoki close to his side.]

This is no place for anyone, Aqua-dono. I do not wish to hurt you, but I will if it means getting you out of here alive. [It was good in a sense that Gintoki was a wooden sword; it meant that they could control their resonance enough that they wouldn't do much harm to Aqua if they attacked.

That was, if she'd let them.]

(reply from suspended user)

I'm happy here. [It was as simple as that, really. Her stance shifted a little, and that was the only warning they were getting before she was coming at them, aiming a swing at Katsura's head.]

[The swing was fast, so much that Katsura took a half-step back as he moved to block the blow from hitting him. At the same time, he was also vaguely aware that Aqua seemed stronger than she should have been and that was not a good sign for either him or Gintoki.]

Happiness is meaningless if you are to spend it alone. This place may seem to be liberating for now, but only emptiness lies at the end of it. [Even as he attempted to convince Aqua, Katsura was already prepared to react to her next blow, all pretense of trying to use words abandoned.]

This again. [She wasn't in much of a hurry to finish this fight. After all, this was the most interesting thing that had happened in a couple of days. Though there was a flash of annoyance at his words. Gai had said something similar before, hadn't he? Though she was quick to cover it, with a smile that was at once sweeter and sharper than the one she'd worn before.]

And what's wrong with that? [She brought her weapon back to strike again.] Even if there's only emptiness, even if everyone here is crazy, at least, just this once, I'll be choosing this for myself. [Not for anyone else, but for herself. For the first and only time she's choosing what she wants.

Why couldn't they be happy for her?]

[The strike this time seemed a little harder, more determined. Katsura blocked it less effortlessly this time, his own breathing betraying the fact that he shouldn't even have been here in the first place, but he was determined not to give up yet.]

You're wrong. This choice you have made may have been made by yourself, but it is not something you would have done if the Witches had not kidnapped you. It is easier to pretend that you're happy when there's no one to tell you that you're lying to yourself- [And here, Katsura stepped back again, this time lowering Gintoki in a manner that indicated he was prepared to strike back to knock Aqua out] but that, as well as this choice is but a fabrication.

[She could see Katsura wasn't at his best, but where she would have worried normally, right now she just saw it as another potential weakness she could exploit.

And she was finding that the longer she spoke to them, the less she wanted to drag this out. Everything was slowly becoming less and less amusing by the moment and she's just about had it with this entire conversation.]

Don't talk like you know everything about me. If it weren't for Shinsuke, neither of you would even be here at all, right? [She didn't even care if it was true or not. She just wanted to lash out in any way she can.] How awful.

That is not true. [Though Katsura said it almost on instinct and he had not changed his stance, his expression at that moment was a clear indication that the words had cut through on a deep level.]

You may think that if you want, but we're here not just because you're our friend now [And our responsibility, a reminder of what could have been].

No- [And here Katsura sounded determined, moving to Aqua's right in an attempt to end the fight quickly as he knew that Aqua could get the better of him in his current state if she really tried]

We're here because we would be comrades even if Takasugi had never been here, and a comrade never leaves another when they're in need! [The only disadvantage Katsura had as he swung Gintoki was that he wasn't doing it forcefully: It was weak, but he was still attacking the way he would with any other enemy. Most notably, he was aiming at her neck, where a hard enough tap would be enough to knock her out.]

[She pivoted, bringing her own sword up to block the attack.]

Your first mistake was trying at all. Comrades, friends...they all just leave in the end. What good is hanging onto those things when all they're going to do is disappoint you? [Her expression twisted caught somewhere between a sneer and something else. Something sad and lost and small.]

If I'm going to lose them no matter what... [She pushed back, and aimed a kick at Katsura's stomach.] Then I'd rather just throw it all away now!

[Aqua's expression and her harsh words caught Katsura so off-guard that he couldn't even anticipate the kick aimed at him, much less avoid being hit. That it had been aimed for one of his still healing injuries only made the resulting pain worse, along with Katsura's decision to not let Aqua even think that she had manage to hurt him.

Gintoki however would have been able to feel the pain, as well as Katsura's growing distress over the situation. Her words were undoubtedly resonating a little too much with him right now, given the similarities of their situation, Black Blood or not.]

Aqua-dono, even if it's true that everyone must leave sooner or later, that doesn't mean people are always going to disappoint you!

Phase 3: Mission 153

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I never know what to do in fights period. =w=;;

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It's fine. I've been slow as molasses lately anyway. =w=;;

1/2

I hope this makes sense.

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