[OPEN] Mission 156

[soul_mods]

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.
- The event summary post containing all relevant links is located here.
- Make your own threads, but please indicate in your subject line [CHARACTER(S) | LOCATION | OPEN/CLOSED]
- If you have any further questions, the mod thread on the coordination post is here!

Comments

[hand_of_judgement]

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."

[ninjainviolet]

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?"

[hand_of_judgement]

"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.

[ninjainviolet]

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.

[hand_of_judgement]

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."

[ninjainviolet]

"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?"

[hand_of_judgement]

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."

[ninjainviolet]

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."

[hand_of_judgement]

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."

[ninjainviolet]

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?"