soul_logs | [OPEN] Mission 156

Entry tags:

[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.

OOC NOTES.
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"There are some benefits to it, yes, but not everyone has experienced such harsh weather before, let alone gone into battle within it," he offered in return. While it snowed in Sternbild, it was nothing like the weather here.

There was an innocent look of confusion that flickered over his face when she gave him such a steady glance and asked that question. Raising a slender brow, he made certain to keep all emotion from his face as he asked, "I'm afraid that I do not know what you're talking about, Miss. Fujibayashi."

Which was an outright diversion as his mind wondered if she had seen the reaction he'd given to the stiff pain of his recovering injury.

"There's a place back home called Flanoir that I spent some time in. It's a city surrounded by a huge field of snow, but you can keep warm by fighting monsters." She stopped to think for a minute. "There wasn't a lot of snow on the streets of the city, though, so it was easier to move around quickly."

She responded to his innocent look with a wry one of her own. "Don't give me that look," she told him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." She glanced back at the entrance. "When I came in here, I thought you were just tired from working; that's why I suggested a break."

She leaned close, her eyes intent. "But it's more than that, isn't it?" She didn't come right out and say it--not yet, anyway--but he had to know she'd figure it out sooner or later--considering she was a fighter herself.

A slender brow rose up at the explanation, and he took it all in to file it away for later a reference. He doubted that it would come in handy, but the Judge wasn't one to dismiss any piece of evidence. "Yes, I can imagine that you'd have to adapt to survive in those types of areas."

That look didn't disappear even as she countered his attempt. While he might have known what she was referring to, Yuri merely shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive gesture. "It's nothing for you to be concerned over," the Judge murmured as if getting swiped by crazy bobcats was something that happened everyday... "Just a healing injury is all."

Sheena ran her hand over her hair--a rare gesture of frustration and concern for her. Her normal tendency to ball her hands into fists and yell just didn't seem appropriate in a room full of patients. Hot-headed she might be, but she was also a caring individual--not always the best combination for a stubborn one such as she.

Hopefully, she'd be able to rein herself in as she shook her head, loose strands of hair flicking back and forth. She leaned forward, her voice low as she whispered, "Too late; I'm already concerned. It must have been pretty bad. I mean, I'm simple-minded, but even I can see you're still hurting. Take a break, Yuri," she insisted.

His pale gaze followed the gesture, and he noted the way that her expression hardened in frustration. Really now, he didn't know why people bothered to become so irritated or concerned over others, especially when they barely knew them. It was illogical to the Judge, and something he felt was more a waste of time in his opinion. People surely had better things to do with their time, correct? He knew that he most certainly did.

Remaining where he was as she leant in, he regarded her calmly even as she spoke. She was concerned? That mere thought seemed hollow even to him, but then again he had been noting more and more in this world that people were irritatingly persistent. Still, he allowed for his expression to soften despite his thoughts, and easily slipped a subtle, yet thankful, smile on his lips.

"Your concern is appreciated, but all I've been doing since the last mission is resting," the Judge replied with. Granted, it wasn't the entire truth, not if you dodn't include the fact that he's been working ten to twelve hour days at the Agency and Watch.

Her being concerned about others wasn't something that had started when she came to this world--it was the basis of her entire being and the core of the pacts she had made back on her own world. And it was something she couldn't easily disregard or forget, no matter how hard Yuri might wish she would.

Nor could she forget what she had learned about injuries through her own experiences. They healed faster back home thanks to magic and the creation of gels, but here, doctors tended to rely on the body's own healing system with only a little help from medicine. Glancing at her wrist, she recalled how long that had taken to heal--mainly because she refused to rest herself--and once more regarded Yuri steadily.

"That's a lie," she said pointedly. "They wouldn't be bothering you so much if you had been. So, take that break now, Yuri. If anyone comes in, I'll see to them, okay?" The look she gave him finished that sentence: And I mean it.

It would have been far easier if people simply minded their own business. He knew the limitations of his body well enough, and no amount of rest would change how fast his recovery rate would be. No, it would remain the same provided that he didn't receive any further injuries or aggravate his current ones, which was something he had been avoiding to the best of his ability.

Yet the expression she gave him told the Judge everything he needed to know, and he regarded her with a light smile despite his annoyance within. He would only cast further suspicion on himself if he continued to refuse, especially given that it didn't appear that Sheena was about to give up either, and he didn't wish to make a scene.

"If there is no other choice in the matter, then I will take a short break, Miss. Fujibayashi," Yuri offered with a subtle bow of his head. This was one battle he knew he couldn't win, not as things stood, and yet he couldn't help but wonder just why he seemed to be attracting those who were rather persistent to get their way.

Yeah, it probably would have been easier--easier for him to ignore the signals his own body was giving him if someone didn't interfere. He might think he wasn't aggravating his injuries, but every wince and grimace she saw showed her otherwise, and resting--in other words, stopping--would help his recovery rate.

"No," she said, shaking her head as a soft smile touched her lips. "You don't have a choice." She got up to find a spare blanket for him--in case he decided to lay down--and placed it next to him before resuming her own seat. Whether he did it to avoid a scene with her or because he finally realized she was right--she didn't know and she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that he finally relented before she had to become even more persistent.

"At least I don't have to knock you out now," she told him with a chuckle.

There was no chance that he ever would allow himself to relax enough to become so vulnerable around others, especially with so many others around. No, that was something that he would never do for there were far too many risks involved. Yet despite that, he effortlessly managed to offer Sheena a thankful smile when she brought the blanket over and placed it beside him.

"Thank you," Yuri kindly offered in reply to her gesture even if she wasn't expecting it. He saw little point in fighting this battle any longer than he already had, as it was simply easier to allow for Sheena to do whatever would draw her attention elsewhere. All he had to do was wait, and so he settled himself in to do just that even as she chuckled those words.

Raising a slender brow, he regarded her quietly. "Somehow I believe that would be rather counterproductive."

As long as Sheena was there, she'd make sure nothing would happen to him, but he probably didn't know that about her yet. Or if he did, didn't trust her enough to allow it to happen. In a way, she couldn't blame him, but considering the situation they were in, he was going to have to learn to trust others. (So thought the one who suspected Kratos from the beginning).

"You're welcome," she replied, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. "I figured you'd tell me you didn't need it." Probably to his surprise, she didn't blush when he pointed out what he considered a flaw in her plan; instead, she returned his quiet gaze and said, "Not really. I was taught how to knock someone out without really hurting them, and all they'll do is sleep--giving their body time to heal."

Crossing her arms, her look became stern. "So, tell me. Just how exactly did you get hurt?"

No, he wouldn't do that even if he knew that he didn't need it. He had already disagreed far too much already, and doing so any further would only undermine his own place here within the city. It was far easier to simply be patient and bide his time rather than direct any further questions or attention towards him.

"Perhaps, Miss. Fujibayashi, but I do need to be ready to work at a moments notice," Yuri softly murmured in return. The thought of being forced to do such a thing was unpleasant at best, and he loathed to think that such control would be stripped from him.

The look did nothing to affect him either way, even if his expression reflected a subtle look of surprised concern. "The medic area fell under attack during the last mission to destroy the emitter," Yuri offered. It was the truth, and while he didn't actually say how he got injured, what he said was as close to an admittance as he'd get.

Unfortunately for him, Sheena was beginning to think of him as a friend, and when it came to her friends, she was pretty loyal. Not to mention pretty stubborn when it came to helping them. Unbidden, a small smile curled her lips as she recalled trying to snap Colette out of her Angelic condition with "hypnotism". If she was willing to try that, imagine how far she'd go when she felt they really needed help.

Like she believed Yuri did at the moment. Sighing, she looked at him with consternation. "I said I'd take care of anyone who came in, Yuri. I have some experience with injuries in battle, you know." Mainly her own, but she knows some basic first aid thanks both to that and her time here. "I promise not to hit you in the head if you lay down on your own, okay?" The smile she gave him was both warm and concerned at the same time.

Her eyes narrowed at his story, but the anger wasn't directed to him, but to those who let it happen. "It took something like that for guards to be put up here? I thought that was common practice."

He loathed the thought of having his control stripped from him like this. The Judge could feel the flicker of anger within, but held himself in check despite what was within. Yuri instead offered her a subtle smile in return. "Would you accept me leaning back against the wall instead?" Yuri asked instead, that same smile still ghosting on is lips.

"There had been a small detachment of guards, but they had been predisposed in another section of the camp." While he wasn't condoning or against what the guards had done, or the lack of guards, the Judge was merely stating fact. It had been as it had been, and it had been his own sloppiness that had caused the injuries.

Sheena also hated not being in control, but she also knew that sometimes one had to let others take over and help a person through the bad times. She could imagine how she'd feel if someone kept telling her what she was telling Yuri. No, she knew how she'd feel--having gone through it at the clinic. She had been angry; at the doctors, the nurses, herself--and wanted nothing more than to leave there as soon as possible, but circumstances wouldn't let her. Not right away, at least, so she had been forced to rest until she could. Just like she wanted him to do. Cocking her head to the side, she nodded. "Since the bed in the clinic was like that, I can't really say 'no', can I?"

She looked at him quizzically. "The guards moved off?" While he wasn't judging their actions, she was--but probably not in the way one might expect. The anger she immediately felt disappeared as she thought about the timing of the guards actions. "Do you think there was a distraction that made them move off?"

He would have done so regardless of her desires, but giving her the illusion that he thought that it was optional was far easier all around. That was why he inclined his head in thanks when she gave her consent, and with a subtle, but grateful smile, he murmured, "You have my thanks, Miss. Fujibayashi."

The quizzical expression had him raising a slender brow back in question. The answer was simple enough, and she had already answered most of it with her following question. That didn't prevent him from answering though, far from it, as it left the situation far easier to control. "Of that I have no doubt. I believe the guards were fighting their own battles in another section of the camp. Or they were at least when I stumbled upon them."

If Sheena had been a bit more observant, and less wrapped up in her concern for him, she might have noticed those subtle reactions of his and taken the hint to leave him alone. Unfortunately for him, usually once Sheena sets her mind on something, it's pretty hard to shake her off, but sometimes easier to fool her. Like with his acquiescence. "You're welcome, Yuri."

She was about to ask him what that look was for when he answered her question. Of course, the wording he chose brought her focus back to his injury, and with a glance in what she guessed was its general direction, said, "Is that when you got hurt?"

"No, it had been sometime after it," Yuri honestly admitted, but he didn't elaborate on it either. He didn't see the point of such things, not when it could possibly involve her searching for another involved who could voice events that should remain secret.

It was already undesirable enough that Obito had seen part of the skills he kept hidden, but there had been little choice. The less people who know of it the better, even if he believed that the other young ninja would either forget such information or not think it important in the grand scheme of things.

Sheena nodded, trying to visualize the situation. She didn't know if this encampment was set up the same way as the last one, but it had to be pretty close--with perhaps one or two differences to help minimize those kinds of things from happening. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "Yuri, how many missions have you been on?" It was asked in a tone that meant she was focusing not on him for the moment, but on something else, but she still needed his input for something.

That was the nature of those trained in her village; they were information-gatherers, but for Sheena, the information she tried to learn was used for other means--to protect people. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same thing about others with her training, since some used the information against people.

The change in questioning caused him to raise a slender brow again in subtle surprise. It seemed almost completely out of the blue, but the Judge didn't allow that to keep him off guard. There wasn't much point in hiding such information either, since doing so would only be counter-productive on his end... no matter how unfortunate that thought was.

"Zero," Yuri initially answered before he found himself calmly elaborating. "I am no fighter, and so I have not attended any mission beyond the medical facilities."

"Oh." Her tone was slightly disappointed. "I was hoping you could have told me if the camp setup was the same each time. It's nice for those who have to use it, but it also make it easy for enemies to figure out any weak spots in the defenses." See? Her question truly didn't have anything to do with him--not directly anyway.

"I know we don't have a lot of people, but something's going to have to be done to keep everyone safe. I mean, if the medics get hurt, who'll help the wounded?"

The disappointment wasn't surprising, and he simply regarded her calmly as she elaborated on her thoughts. "The setup, from what I have seen, appears to adapt to the environment it's in. So while there are some similarities, there are differences also."

There was an amused smile on his lips at her final words before he shook his head lightly. "You're quite right."

She nodded slowly. "Most camps do adapt, but there's always a basic formation they follow. Food here, quarters there, med tent over there. It helps for those who go on a lot of these types of missions."

She caught that smile and her eyes narrowed dangerously until he spoke. Sheena hated being laughed at--especially when she was thinking about things, which might explain why she didn't do it too often. Her expression relaxing slightly, she said, "It just makes sense. Although, to be safe, everyone should get some first aid training."

He wasn't from the military, and in all honesty, the Judge didn't care much for their tactics either. While they were bound by their own rules and codes, their sense of justice were just as weak as the heroes of Sternbild. Still, he didn't allow such thoughts to show on his expression as he neutrally said, "Is that so? I'm afraid that being merely a civil servant doesn't leave me with much experience with such knowledge."

The narrowing of eyes was interesting, but he didn't change his expression even if it subtly softened. So... he had done or said something to upset her, hmm? That was an interesting concept to consider. "Most of those who fight in my world know at least basic first aid. Perhaps such a thing should be implemented here."

Sheena wasn't from the military, either, but she had seen enough in her life to understand certain things. Plus, her ninja training relied on the element of surprise to be used in her favor, so she would always try to use that particular method. However, unlike him, her sense of justice was a bit different. Everyone made mistakes, and they could be forgiven for them.

Especially if they regretted their actions and were somehow trying to make amends.

She looked at him curiously for a moment. His use of the word "merely" seemed odd, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why, and instead said, "Really? You've never been anywhere or done anything where things were kept the same to avoid problems? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It probably depends on the situation."

And laughing at her was a dangerous one at times, sometimes resulting in light violence and harsh words. Okay. Maybe "loud" was a better description. So, he might want to take everything into consideration as well before pushing her buttons. Nodding, she continued. "The same is true on my world, since a lot of people travel and have to fend off monsters occasionally. Do you think Shibusen would agree to having a class like that?"

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[OPEN] Mission 156

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