[OPEN]

[daddyscythe]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Outskirts of Nevada
Rating: PG
Time: All day, Feb 27
Description: Shibusen offers a field trip to acclimate the guests to the Madness wavelength.


It's a perfectly pleasant day for the most part, if one is to look at the sky and maybe the horizon. For the attendees of the fieldtrip, however, things are naturally a lot more grim, if also lot more colorful. There are understandably no civilians in the area -- or any other signs of life apart from the group.

As promised, the location is extensively arranged to cordon off various areas of the place where Madness spikes have been identified. They are all properly labeled, both with text and visuals, and discreet agents kept an eye on all corners of the large field. The mirror by which the guest will come in is set in a corner, with some food provided next to it.

People are free to come and go, though the other end leads to the clinic instead of the Death Room. The rules are simple: venture into a level you think you can handle, and if you can't, someone will help.

In the afternoon, a light rain will come to add some variety to the endless desert. Make sure to take shelter in the open tents provided to protect you from the elements!

[ooc: Just put in open tags in the comments, [Character Name | Open/Close | Area/sort of madness targeted/whatever marker you want].

Plotting and information post was here.]

Comments

[pishirogane]

Naoto sighed as they were instantly spotted. And... oh god, it was her nurse from last time ushering them to a room. Just a small check up for the two of them before they could leave.

"I'm sure you can still sneak away, Kanji-kun."

[topgun_textiles]

Ohhh, he recognized that woman, looked a bit like a deer in the headlights at the sight of her. She didn't remember last time, did she!?

Sneaking away was tempting. Very tempting. But if he was going to get over this discomfort, he had to... had to put up with it.

"I-I ain't goin' anywhere," he insisted, just taking a seat on the neighboring bed in the room. He gingerly began rolling back the sleeve, revealing a bandage on his forearm.

"Damn it, this thing's buggin' me..."

[pishirogane]

That woman had the memory of a crow; of course she remembered Kanji. It would be in his best interest to be well behaved.

"I know being here is uncomfortable for you. It's fine..." Though she could do with some company, seeing him here all the time and cringing. Perhaps over time he would be able to become more accustomed or comfortable within the hospital setting, but it wasn't right now.

"When did you get that?"

[topgun_textiles]

...Scary crow lady. He'll behave this time.

He sat up straighter, and looked away. He'd always tried his best not to really show his discomfort about hospitals and the like, though he did outright confess this to her in the past.

"Well, what's runnin' from it gonna do, other than show I'm some kinda chicken?" He half-muttered, then looked down at his arm.

"Before I ran into you today. S'just some little thing, ain't a big deal."

[pishirogane]

"You're not being a coward. There are plenty of people who fear hospitals and the sort."

She frowned, unsure how to take his answer. That didn't really answer how he got it. "Kanji-kun..."

[topgun_textiles]

He looked away. He knew that tone. His bandaged arm seemed to sting a little more, but only because he'd tensed up a little.

Nearly a full minute later, Kanji broke. His shoulders hitched.

"...Some dude bit me." The scrawny little bastard. Surprise, surprise, he'd gotten himself into a fight.

[pishirogane]

Was that so hard?

"Someone bit you?" Now they definitely hadn't been in the right state of mind.

[topgun_textiles]

Well, n-no... though the Shirogane Stare helped bring things out a little.

"The Madness was a little stronger where we were. Didn't even go into the roped-off places before it all started. ...Then he bit me." And he may have punched the guy in the head a few times to get him away, but he was getting chewed on.

Kanji started picking at the medical tape. Weren't people's mouths seriously dirty? What if this bite wound was getting worse? He had to see.

[pishirogane]

That's usually the case.

"I... see..." That was somewhat disturbing. She rose to her feet and began helping him remove the bandages. The nurse would see to it when she returned, but what was its current state. It had been treated properly, right?

[topgun_textiles]

"Wh-what the-- don't worry about this, y-you should be in bed--" Even if he tried to squirm away, it was still too late.

On his left forearm, there was no mistaking the distinctive marks of human teeth, and they'd definitely broken the skin. There was much sign of healing yet, but it had been hastily cleaned and antibiotic ointment applied. He held his other hand over it to cover.

"Like I said, i-it ain't a big deal..."

[pishirogane]

Naoto examined the bite wound closely, finding it had been disinfected. It could probably go with another cleaning now that it was uncovered, but it appeared find otherwise.

She nodded and stepped back, resuming her sitting spot on the parallel bed. "Yes. It appears to be fine."

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji sighed, feeling maybe a little relief. It didn't seem to worry her, so he wouldn't let it worry him. It stung like hell, however, and he wasn't sure he'd keep his cool if he ran into Loki again.

"This shouldn't need stitches... I think." He lifted the wound closer to get a better look at it. He could just do them himself if need be. Satisfied with his examination, he turned and kicked back on his own bed, breathing a sigh.

"Man... that wiped me out. How the hell does anybody put up with Madness that high?" He hadn't felt anything that strong since Florence.

[pishirogane]

The next time he ran into Loki, hopefully Naoto would be there to act as some form of mediator. He seemed decent enough when she met him.

"... No, you don't. Just some cleaning and it should heal up on its own." She laid back on her own bed, hat low and eyes closing for a moment.

"I'm not sure, but they manage. We should try asking," she sighed. Her eyes opened again the moment the memories decided to surge through. She wouldn't stop seeing that now, would she?

[topgun_textiles]

There was always a comfort in a second opinion. If she says it should be fine, well, he trusted her. It gave him more time to practice before that day came where he would need to work on a living, breathing person.

He just hoped he could keep his cool then.

"I guess Kid might know, or that Spirit guy." Spoken quietly, letting the sting on his arm keep him from nodding off with everything still fresh in his mind. Damn it... he couldn't let this get to him! He'd be lying if he said none of it scared the shit out of him, but...

[pishirogane]

She would be the last person he wanted to practice on though and would do her best to avoid putting him on the spot like that.

"Yes... perhaps Albarn-san..." He was a finicky individual, but he had to have years of experience. Again, she closed her eyes, trying to remind herself she wasn't going to be attacked in her sleep abruptly.

[topgun_textiles]

That worried him most. Megumi was always pounding in his head that he had to stay calm, keep your head, idiot, or he had no chance of being able to work a stitch in any situation, dire or no. Would he be able to keep his cool should the situation turn a little more personal?

Kanji quietly nodded. Spirit was the reigning Deathscythe. It only made sense to ask him, though the last time they spoke, it was in regards to the Black Blood's effects, and before that how to wash scarves. ...He had weird conversations with people.

Naoto sounded a little tired, so he kept quiet, looking up at the ceiling. He knew nothing of what was going through her head right now, so he had to marvel at how easily she was nodding off when he couldn't get that awful scream out of his head among too many other things running through it.

[pishirogane]

He would be capable when the time came, but for now, perhaps best not to dwell on it.

Naoto rarely, if ever, spoke to actual members of Shibusen and that would surely have to change. As they sought to become more embroiled in the war, they had to find out whatever they could whenever they began taking more missions.

She kept her eyes closed, but only for a minute. When a third began to tick by, she turned uncomfortably on the mattress, a thin layer of sweat beading on her brow again. To be so close and to feel death caused her to shiver and rub her arms roughly. The chill wasn't diminishing so easily.

"... Kanji-kun?"

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji sighed through his nose, draping an arm over his stomach. It'd be easy enough to send Spirit a message later, figure out a game plan should any of them face severe Madness waves. After this field trip, he had a feeling a whole bunch of people would have nothing but questions for the locals. It was about time he started grilling one of his 'superiors'.

He was snapped from his thoughts when he heard his name, felt his face sting a little. He thought she'd fallen asleep; had he been spacing out this whole time?

Kanji turned his head, looked over. "Huh? Wh-what'sa matter, Naoto-kun?"

[pishirogane]

Don't mind her if she observed Kanji's technique and stepped in when necessary.

Naoto was back on her side, facing him. From beneath her cap, her face looked somewhat red and her eyes were focused on the sheets as her fingers clenched them. She was worried this might sound somewhat pathetic coming from her, but would this be alright? It was only going to be temporary until the feeling went away.

"... I-Is... could I...?" She trailed, biting her lip, but then took a calming breath before speaking again. "Would it be alright if I laid next to you?"

[topgun_textiles]

Any assumption that she was having an easy time sleeping was gone the minute she turned to face him. His brows knit, he began to prop himself up on an elbow, unsure of what to do, but he knew he had to do something--

And then the color red crept across his face. Oh.

His eyes turned to the floor, then to the wall. Kanji's hands lowered to the sheets, and with a wordless nod, he began to scoot over to make some room on the bed to the side opposing his bad arm. In the silence, the sound of the sheets shifting was almost deafening.

[pishirogane]

Her blood was pounding in her ears. Every slight movement they made sounded amplified in the small room as they shifted. From her legs sweeping out from beneath the blankets to her feet lightly padding across the ground between them, it all seemed to echo in her mind.

She was careful with her, movements slipping into the bed beside him, making sure to keep her legs from touching his and maintaining the maximum distance that could remain between them. Naoto face's was nearly as brilliant as his, but she remained low and covered, shrinking beneath the sheets. There was nothing odd about this right?

[topgun_textiles]

He was rather glad for his coat collar, as (he hoped) it obscured that adam's apple that bobbed when he swallowed, tried to find an interesting spot on the ceiling as he felt the sheets shift and the mattress dip slightly from the added weight. Kanji pulled his hands inward, resting them on his stomach.

No... no, nothing odd about this at all. They could sh-share a bed. It was fine! Totally f-fine. Kanji was so okay with this right now.

In fact, he was so okay with this he slowly turned to face her, see if maybe she was feeling a little bet-- good god, she was close.

...

"Y-you okay?" He managed, barely above a whisper as his mouth suddenly dried up.

[pishirogane]

She was settled momentarily, but being so aware of his presence kept her nerves at a high. Both of them were obviously uncomfortable being within this small proximity of each other, but it was still comfortable having him near. He was there and she wasn't on her own should something happen.

"... Yes, thank you."

Naoto curled into a ball, biting her lip. "... If this is making you uncomfortable, I can return to my own bed."

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji quickly shook his head. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable - not by a long shot - but he still couldn't shake those year-old nerves. Just a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have even thought about something like this without his brain having a proverbial blue screen of death.

But he had to try to push past it, at least a little. She'd started to tense up a little, and he can't imagine sleeping being comfortable curled up like that.

As he worked to quietly settle himself down, the bullet charm jingled between them, jostled by his upper arm as it moved across the small gap of open bed space. There in the middle, his hand would rest palm up, an offer to be taken or left as his eyes turned away.

"...I wasn't gettin' any sleep, either."

[pishirogane]

Naoto watched him from were she lay, blinking when he shook his head. Was he sure this was fine? It seemed like he might fall off the bed very shortly.

Only after the atmosphere lessened enough did Naoto uncurl from her small ball, letting her legs rest straighter. Her eyes fixed on the charm as it jingled, attention soon falling to his open palm where it rested. Was that an invitation? Her fingers gripped the sheets a little tighter.

"It was... startling to say the least. It would be quite the feat to sleep easy after that experience."