soul_logs | [OPEN] Mission 156

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[OPEN] Mission 156

Characters: Open to participants who signed up here.
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA
Rating: Various.
Time: March 27th, late morning.
Description: The second of the three Madness emitters outside Death City is the target for this mission. Bundle up, everyone -- it's gonna be a cold one.

The mission begins late in the morning, to allow the mission-goers as much sunlight as possible in the warmest part of the day. Not that it'll help much… Temperatures are well below freezing already -- unnatural even for early Spring in the mountains -- and a howling snowstorm threatens to blot out the sun, beginning up the mountain where the slope just begins to rise sharply.

The slopes themselves are fairly barren: a windswept-looking tree here, a cabin that may have once belonged to the snow patrol there, maybe a Madness-crazed bear or mountain lion. Those braving the storm are lucky enough to see five feet in front of their face in these conditions!

Those brave few who manage to make it to the top (enduring falling temperatures and defeating the corrupted fauna and hulking kishin yeti along the way) may come across their goal at the very summit of the half-mile-high mountain: the Madness emitter itself, in the eye of the storm… And one last obstacle: the Witch guarding it.

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It would be easier on her if she switched to Weapon form, almost infinitely so. She wouldn't have to slog up an icy slope, she wouldn't be chilled to the bone, they would be able to fully Resonate, which would provide a much greater defense against the Madness...

...but.

She couldn't do that, even if it was more pragmatic from her perspective. She wasn't the type of person who could just stand back and let Kaworu do the lion's share of the work under these conditions just to spare herself a bit of discomfort. "N-No," she shook her head resolutely and squeezed his arm. "Like this is f-fine. Let's keep moving."

Edited 2012-10-02 05:42 (UTC)

He glanced back at her, all curiosity and confusion because he is sure that this can't really be 'fine', but after a second he simply smiles as best as he can despite the weather.

"A-Alright then. But let me know if you begin to get too cold or tired." He squeezed her arm back, happy that at least he was regaining some feeling in the limb under her body's warmth. "I c-can at least carry you part of the way. There is...no point in both of us being uncomfortable if only one needs to be."

"N-None of that," Yako chided, trying to strengthen the semi-Resonance thrumming between them. It was difficult to focus, between the wind and the terrain, but every little bit helped. "You're the one who will be doing the physical part of the fighting later. Being frozen solid for my sake won't help much."

Her eyes slid shut for a moment, conveying her own smile even with her mouth and nose covered as they were. "So quit w-worrying, I'll be okay. I promise."

"There is n-no way to avoid my being cold," he pointed out stubbornly. "That is just something I must deal with. B-But your state matters as well, and if you wear yourself out when it is not necessary..."

Kaworu trailed off, but not out of a lack of things to say. He brought his eyes forward again, squinting to scan the area in front of them, sure he had seen something move...

There. He saw something shift in the scarce underbrush of the mountainside trees, low and too quiet to hear over the wind, but something was there, and he paused to incline his head in that direction. "Yako..."

Yako's eyes narrowed. She had seen it too, though her perspective was just as restricted. While it could just be a rabbit or rodent of some sort, when the Madness was factored in even that much could be counted as a threat. A small threat, true enough, but a threat all the same.

Wordlessly she gave Kaworu's arm an affirmative squeeze and finally shifted into Weapon form. Better to be safe rather than sorry, after all. She tried to stabilize their connection as soon as it snapped open, not wanting to waste time if something jumped out abruptly.

He had hoped it was just a rabbit or something. It might have been a bit anticlimactic, but still better than the alternative.

Unfortunately, the alternative suddenly charged from the bushes, apparently having given up on stealth with them stopped and now armed. A kishin egg, white to better blend into the snow and baring sharp teeth and claws, too fast to dodge but at least not strong enough to break through the soul shield that sprang up in their defense.

Kaworu had jumped a little at the assault. He hadn't flinched back home with a Prog Knife sized for an Eva swinging at him, but this was different. Enemies he hadn't been preparing for all his human life, and what if the shield hadn't been strong enough? His grip on the whip handle tightens slightly, but he let out a breath and forced himself to relax, eyeing the monster raging at the semi-transparent surface of his soul only a foot or two away.

"Are you ready?"

That sort of sudden attack, with any other Meister, might have ended up with them sacrificing an arm (temporarily or permanently) in order to hold the monster off long enough to get an attack in to make it back off. Yako found herself extremely appreciative of Kaworu's shield. It was such a relief, not having to constantly worry about tactics like that.

'Yes, she affirmed. 'I'd advise you to try and get the motion started before you drop the shield though; it will save time.' And it would minimize the window of time that Kaworu was left out in the open. Everybody would get what they wanted. 'Let's do this.'

Hopefully this would go smoothly enough. At the very least, moving around would let Kaworu warm up a little.

He simply nodded for the time being, staring the raging kishin egg down through the shield. Start the attack before lowering the shield, right.

They had been able to practice a few cracks of the whip before heading out, but it was still a weapon he was largely unfamiliar with -- guns had simply been practical to learn, and fencing was one of many fighting styles he'd been taught so swords were fine too, but there hadn't really ever been a need for him to use a whip before. He took a moment to breath and try to figure out the timing, and while the monster was pulling back for a moment, rapidly brought whipped the weapon forward and attempted to drop the shield at the last second.

A second too late, however, as he underestimated the speed of the whip's tip and it struck against the inside of the shield before it could lower and just dropped uselessly to the ground.

'Slide back!' Yako didn't quite snap, but there was a definite spark of alarmed authority behind the 'words'. She kept her head beyond that, however; rationality in the face of emergency was one of her specialties, and this wasn't entirely unexpected. The length of her cord and cracker far outstripped the diameter of the shield, as it was. She kept calm and increased her 'hunger', placing her hopes in his reflexes and the monster's one-track mind.

At least half her prayers were answered. The Kishin Egg's front limb came down on her cord, muscles already bunching in preparation to leap forward again. Its plans were abruptly halted, however, by the sudden sting of its energy being ripped out. The beast snarled, high and inhuman, and clumsily rolled away. It soon scrambled back up, but there was a new wariness in its aggressive posture.

Kaworu only managed to grunt an affirmative sound before throwing himself backwards, just yanking the whip back from under the kishin egg before quickly raising the shield again.

"Sorry," he muttered once they were safe behind his soul again, their enemy glaring at them through it as it began to stalk in a circle around them, most likely looking for an opening. A faint sense of embarrassment passed through the connection, mostly veiled with gratitude for her timely save.

'Don't worry about it,' she sent a jolt of reassurance his way. 'It was bound to happen sooner or later. Better that it happened right off the bat rather than when this guy had a better understanding of our capabilities.' It knew about one of her attacks, yes, but it would have known about it as soon as the first Lash came. So it wasn't truly a setback in that department.

I grabbed a little energy off him just then. Not enough for a backlash or anything, but there's more where that came from. Make sure you tell me if you need a boost for yourself or the shield, okay?' It was better not to take unnecessary chances.

'I am fine for the moment.' For a moment he was just grateful that they could resonate well enough to communicate like this, as he suddenly realized that he had no idea whether kishin eggs could understand speech. If they had to speak aloud and it turned out these things could listen in and turn it against them...

It was certainly smart enough to be wary now that it had experienced Yako's energy drain, however, so he had an idea.

'I am going to try to trick it, so wait until contact is actually made to drain it again'. Kaworu wouldn't want to trip his own partner up with the same trick, after all.

He turned sharply towards the monster and it stopped in its circling, ready to defend. Tightening his grip on the whip handle, he made a sudden movement towards the thing -- not yet actually dropping the shield or striking with the whip, but it did the job of startling the kishin egg. It jerked backwards, giving them a bit of extra breathing room, and the moment it dropped its guard again in confusion over the lack of attack, he dropped the shield and lashed out in a flash.

'Right!'Yako got ready, carefully leashing that strange, soul-deep hunger for the time being. She was glad that Kaworu's confidence didn't seem to be all that shaken by their initial misstep; that could be fatal, in a situation like this. The relatively open terrain was excellent for using a whip, but the chill could turn key movements sluggish and disjointed. Adding uncertainty into the mix would just be asking for trouble.

'Nice!' She congratulated him as she connected full across the monster's torso, tearing into its reserves. It backed off again, snarling lowly and shaking off the lingering pain.

'I think,' she mused, taking stock of what she had managed to take. 'That I should be able to manage a small Backlash if the next hit doesn't reach, and if it does I'll have enough for a decently strong one.'

'Alright,' he replied automatically, already moving to strike again while the kishin egg was still reeling from the last attack. It had only just steadied itself and looked up when the whip connected again, and then Kaworu was jumping back and bringing the shield back up before any retaliation could be made.

Yako could practically feel him snap into step, finding a rhythm that worked for him. On this latest stroke she managed to get an even greater haul, and carefully pooled her stolen energy together. 'Alright, more than enough for a good Backlash. That means that the next one doesn't have to hit, but if it does it will have a....greater effect. And if you can manage a hit on the neck we'll be done, but no pressure.' It didn't appear to have plating, like some of the others she had seen...

She hoped Kaworu would be able to handle seeing the result.

'Around the neck?' he echoed, pausing for a moment now that the shield was back to catch his breath. He'd had training in all kinds of fighting styles and defense, of course, but he hadn't really ever needed any of that when he could guard against attacks and destroy or disable any opponents all with his A.T. Field. This much movement in an actual fight was just really unfamiliar. 'Why the neck?'

Certainly, the neck was generally a weak spot on any vertebrate, and he was very much tempted to go for it now just to see if he could -- and already, he was eyeing that vulnerable point on the kishin egg through the semi-transparent soul material. But still, it was a strangely specific target.

There was a moment of silence on her end. It wasn't sheepish, or ashamed, just...silence. 'It's...It's a cleaner kill, that way.' Less painful than whittling and battering away at the Kishin Egg, wearing it down in all senses of the word. One way or another, this monster would die today. Yako didn't feel the rage she did in Norway, when the little boy had been injured, or in Australia, when the darker Bakura had nearly died.

Without that hot, bitter emotion driving her instead of her normal reason, she couldn't muster up the desire to draw this out any longer than she absolutely had to.

Kaworu was similarly quiet on his end for a bit, but then he simply sent back, 'Alright.'

Even if her words said it in the least detailed way possible, he could still feel the distaste for violence in her, close enough to his own that he saw no reason to disagree. Even if it was a monster twisted by the Witches, the kishin egg was still a living thing, and while it definitely had to be put down he didn't like the idea of making it a more painful experience than it needed to be. If there was a clean way to do this with a whip, then he was all for it.

So he watched the thing for a few seconds longer, while it hunched in the snow defensively and looked torn between futilely attacking and just running away. A cleaner kill it is, he decided, and all at once dropped the shield and lashed out, as close to the monster's neck as he could approximate.

'Alright.' She was relieved that he didn't pry, though she hadn't particularly expected him to try. Kaworu didn't seem to be the type to argue for gratuitous violence, for all that he was a self-professed Destroyer of Worlds. She followed his motions carefully, waiting until the last possible moment. As soon as her cord first made contact with its neck she unleashed the energy in one big burst.

She could hear the wet crackling noise of its vertebrae breaking, both from the energy and the enforced blow. She forced herself not to think about it, and instead watched carefully as it slowly tumbled to the ground. Had she been capable, she would have winced at the angle its head landed at. As it was, she merely waited, making sure that it really wasn't getting back up before she switched back into her human form.

Her fingers were curled tightly around Kaworu's. She blew out a tired sigh and stared a the small ball of light slowly rising up out of the corpse. "Well...one steep left."

Kaworu winced enough for the both of them at the sound of its neck cracking, and he turned away from it the moment its soul slipped out. Dead things were unpleasant, no matter the world.

"Do I need to do anything for this part?" he asked after a moment, just happy to have Yako's warm hand in his again. Not just for that warmth, of course. Resonance was wonderful, but especially after fighting something that would have happily killed them given the chance, it was comforting to feel a pulse against his palm and body heat that was so indicative of life.

Edited (ahahahahaha whoops) 2012-10-10 04:08 (UTC)

"No." She squeezed his fingers and began walking towards the fresh corpse, gently tugging him along with her. "This much is enough." As long as he just kept holding her hand...she'd probably be okay. Probably. It would keep the Madness from making it worse, at least.

Yako stopped less than a foot away from the fallen monster and very carefully did not look at Kaworu as she bent down. She didn't particularly want to see the expression he would make. Her fingers closed gently around the corrupted soul and she straightened slowly and deliberately. Then, closing her eyes and quietly murmuring an "itadakimasu," she popped it into her mouth and swallowed. Immediately the self-incrimination welled up, quickly followed by the urge to cry, but she had enough experience by now to force it down.

"...we should keep moving," she said after a brief silence. She still wasn't looking at him, but her grip on his hand had grown desperately tight.

He stood silently by while she did what she needed to, all too aware of her grip tightening through the process and the quiet despair leaking through the remaining bit of resonance. Distraught at her distress, he tried pumping all the comfort and soothing he could into their connection, but he wasn't sure that it was enough for her to even notice and then she wouldn't even look at him...

"Hold on," Kaworu answered to her suggestion, instead tugging her close to himself and wrapping his arms around her. Yako had an inch or two on him, but he pulled her head down to his shoulder anyway and held her tightly.

A million worst-case scenarios flashed through her head in that instant, like him not wanting to partner up anymore, or asking if she would let go of his hand, before it registered that she was hugging him. She was tense for just one second and then it all abruptly flooded out of her, leaving her to cling to him desperately. She had only ever done this in Ireland, after her first mission with Kanji, so an outlet like this was long overdue. The darker Bakura wasn't exactly one for comfort or cuddles, after all.

Still, she didn't allow herself to cry. A sniffle here and there, perhaps, and shaking shoulders, definitely. But no tears. She had promised Neuro, after all, and she hated going back on her word. Especially to him.

Edited 2012-10-11 03:07 (UTC)

He's happy to just hug her for now, satisfied that he seemed to have made the right decision when she latched on like that. For a minute or two he lets her just relax, stroking a gentle hand through her hair and humming something soft and calm.

Only when he feels the shaking subsiding does he pull back some, peering up at her with a smile. "Are we ready to continue now?"

She raised her cheek a touch reluctantly when he drew back, but nodded with a wan, tremulous smile. "Yeah...thank you." Her voice was soft and sincere, nearly lost in the wind. She needed that, though. There was only so much she could bottle up at one time, and resonating with somebody like Kaworu made even that much a chore.

She gave him one last squeeze, then, feeling her gratitude well up and overflow, tilted her head up to press a kiss to his forehead.

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/hides face in shaaaaame

oh hush~

<3 Also she is like...five foot?

he's only like 4'9"... http://forum.evageeks.org/thread/3816/Character-heights-v2/0/?

He died before his growth spurt. That's so sad :c