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October | Event: A Night of Moonless Splendor
A Night of Moonless Splendor↲ OOC Plotting
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On the morning of the 14th, as citizens throughout Nippon prepare for final day of the Tsukimi festival, the refugees will receive a message on their magi-comm from MRU in Kyoto.
"To all refugees who will be staying in the Western Kingdom for the annual Sakumi Festival, please be aware that there is a curfew for all Humans and Hanyo before sundown. It is for your own safety that you heed this curfew, and remain indoors until sunrise.
The Festival will continue until the night of the 31st. It is recommended that refugees do not look at the night sky for the duration of the festival. If you must go out, make sure to hide your face behind a mask.
Should you or anyone else you know experience strange symptoms after dark, such as erratic behavior or transformations unrelated to the side effects of Kizuna bonds, please contact the MRU right away. Affected individuals are encouraged to remain indoors and in brightly lit rooms, away from any open windows.
Additionally, we have a prepared a special area of refuge for those who have not been able to secure safe transit to the Eastern Kingdom, located in Tengoku's Skytower. More information will be available in the coming days.
Please enjoy the festival, and may the gods bless you all."
The Festival will continue until the night of the 31st. It is recommended that refugees do not look at the night sky for the duration of the festival. If you must go out, make sure to hide your face behind a mask.
Should you or anyone else you know experience strange symptoms after dark, such as erratic behavior or transformations unrelated to the side effects of Kizuna bonds, please contact the MRU right away. Affected individuals are encouraged to remain indoors and in brightly lit rooms, away from any open windows.
Additionally, we have a prepared a special area of refuge for those who have not been able to secure safe transit to the Eastern Kingdom, located in Tengoku's Skytower. More information will be available in the coming days.
Please enjoy the festival, and may the gods bless you all."
Understandably, this message is not met well.
Upon hearing of curfews and strange happenings, many refugees choose to flee, flooding the last train to Tokyo and contacting the NRL to secure accommodations in Nihonbashi on short notice. But they aren't the only ones, as most of the seats have been reserved by native Hanyo and Humans, as those who can afford it are also choosing to leave until the end of the month.
But what's the big deal? Weren't people excited for this festival? Well, as it turns out: it's only "celebrated" by Yokai. For everyone else, the Sakumi Festival is the worst time of year to be in the Western Kingdom.
A Festival of Darkness
According to legend, the moon was a gift from the gods. Once a beautiful string of pearls, now only one remains, the others shattered by greed and war, their remains gathered together to form Gaia's ring. This is the story of the Tsukimi Festival, celebrated throughout Nippon.
But there's a continuation to this story, told only in the Western Kingdom. Because this gift was no ordinary gift. It's said that the light of the moon is what allowed the Yokai to evolve from mere Ayakashi into enlightened and intelligent beings. However, that same intelligence is what would prove to be their downfall, as various clans rose in power and sought the magical radiance of the pearls for personal gain. As more and more pearls were destroyed, fewer and fewer ayakashi were able to benefit from their light, with the last remaining pearl not strong enough to offer even the slightest of blessing.
As punishment for their greed, the gods took back the final pearl, with no intent of returning it. Without its light, the Yokai became twisted, devolving back into their basal instincts, and feasting upon one another with reckless abandon. Saddened by their plight, the gods quickly reversed this decision, and the final pearl returned to the sky after 15 nights of darkness.
This is the Sakumi Festival, held in honor of those fifteen days their ancestors spent in perpetual darkness. As the festival begins, on the evening of the 15th, the full moon will begin to fade away, like a lightbulb that's gradually losing power. Within an hour after sunset, it will have disappeared entirely, causing the rings around the planet to dim in turn.
All through the Western Kingdom, Yokai will be celebrating late into the night, and most of them will be wearing strange masks that are designed to reflect their inner-self. Perhaps the Refugees should follow suit?
Monster Mash Western Kingdom, Nippon
Those who stay indoors between sunset and sunrise, or who simply avoid the Western Kingdom all together, won't notice anything special about this festival. But for those who venture out into the darkness of the moonless sky, they'll find themselves transforming and turning into monsters.
The exact form of these monsters varies widely. Some simply become more monstrous forms of themselves. Others may not transform at all, instead gaining supernatural abilities or minor cosmetic changes. And even others may become entirely unrecognizable. These transformations will last until sunrise, and will return every day they go outside or look up at the night sky. And as refugees from different worlds, the monstrous forms they're capable of taking seem nigh endless.
But what now? Well, that depends.
For some, they remain completely lucid throughout the transformation, merely transformed in body but not at all in mind. This is most common for those who choose to head indoors upon transforming, away from the transformative effects of the darkened night sky. For these refugees, the transformations are just a fun quirk of the holiday or an inconvenience. Thankfully, this is generally pretty easy to avoid happening more than once, as they won't feel compelled to transform again.
For those who were unfortunate enough to stare at the sky for any extended period of time, their transformation may be more extreme, as their personality becomes corrupted. Certain aspects of their personality may completely overtake everything else, while others may act entirely out of character. But perhaps the worst part is that those who experience this corruption will feel a strong desire to trigger it again, despite the lack of a guarantee that it won't be any worse the next time.
And for the truly unlucky, they may find themselves in a state the Yokai refer to as a lunar curse. Those who are under the effects of a lunar curse will be overwhelmed with an insatiable appetite, hungering for any number of things, be it a specific type of food, a heightened sexual appetite, or even a desire to feed on the flesh and blood of others. As it turns out, this is the most common side effect, and is the true reason for the curfew: as Humans and Hanyo caught outside by a Yokai afflicted by a lunar curse may find themselves attacked or even devoured. Once someone has been afflicted by a lunar curse, they'll do whatever they can to continue the cycle the following evening, growing irrational and violent near sunset, even while wearing a mask.
You've Got Mail Everywhere, Nippon
But even those hoping to avoid the Sakumi Festival by fleeing to the East will find that the holiday spirit has followed them. With the advent of technology, mischievous Yokai have found ways to send curses via text message, which just so happens to overlap with the festival. Upon opening a message that will appear to be from someone on their friend list, they'll be directed a website that automatically activates the spell.
The exact spell seems to vary depending on which variety of curse they happen to receive. Some of these are quite ordinary, and will simply send salacious or otherwise overtly sexual messages to their friends or even complete strangers, with some capable of combing through their magi-comm for compromising photos to share. Of course, the latter feature is quite buggy, so the photos sent alongside such messages may in fact just be random.
But others may find themselves opening something more dangerous. Among these, one such curse will trap whoever opens it in an enclosed space alongside whoever happens to be nearby, forcing them to perform specific actions to escape. While some are relatively harmless, such as a dance more or shouting something humiliating, others will demand the pair perform particular sex acts in order to escape.
These closed spaces can occur anywhere, but to an outsider, they won't look like anything. Those trapped will look as though they've disappeared until the curse is lifted, but they'll still be able to see the world around them through the magical walls. So those who choose to browse their magi-comms on their morning commute best be careful not to open any suspicious links, lest they be forced to fuck on a crowded train.
Fly Me to the Moon
After a few days, all Refugees will receive notice that an area of refuge has been created for any Refugees who weren't able to leave the Western Kingdom prior to the festival starting. Provided by the Tengu of Tengoku, those looking to flee the chaos will be asked to meet on MRU campus on the morning of the 20th to be teleported to Skytower.
Unknown to many Refugees, Skytower is the only city of Tengoku that floats in the sky high above the Eastern Kingdom. Built long ago during a period of war between Humans and Yokai, it now serves as a watchtower to report on any danger approaching either kingdom, due to its strategic location above the Chubu region.
As the effects of the moonless sky do not exist in the Eastern Kingdom, it is believed that this location will prevent the Refugees from experiencing the transformative aspects of the Sakumi festival.
Or at least, that was certainly the intent.
Castle in the Shadows Skytower, Chubu
Perhaps due to their unusually high magical resistance, Tengu are rarely affected by the Sakumi Festival, and can often be found stationed as guards throughout more populous cities. This remains true at Skytower, where the Tengu monks who lives there assure their guests that they will not be harmed by anyone who calls Skytower home.
"Rest assured, although you may be closer to the moonless sky on this sacred tower, you are not in any danger. May Tsukuyomi, goddess of the moon, grant you her protection during this time."
Refugees will be housed together in random room assignments, and although the rooms are small, every amenity they could ask for is provided free of charge. In addition to gourmet meals and access to an exclusive library that few humans have ever set foot in, extravagant outdoor hot springs that seemingly floating atop the clouds are available for the Refugees to relax in at any time of day.
Still, there are some spooky happenings at Skytower. As an ancient tower built many generations ago, many of the passageways throughout the tower are quite narrow and dimly lit. Refugees roaming the halls at night may find their shadows behaving strangely, moving on their own and even creating the sensation of being touched when one shadow reaches out to caress another. These effects are only mildly stimulating, and may even be mistaken for some kind of prank. Only those who dare bathe in the hot springs at night will encounter something more, their shadows engaging in blatant sexual acts under the water, leaving the shadow's owner to writhe as they experience every little sensation.
Curiously, this never seems to occur when the Tengu are around, and those affected may leave such encounters believing they hallucinated it.
Still, true to their word, for the first few days, Refugees at Skytower will be otherwise completely unaffected by the Sakumi Festival, regardless of whether they wear a mask or stare up at the eerily dark night sky.
Please note: Players have the option of having their characters leave for the Eastern Kingdom by airship on the 24th if they do not wish to engage with the second prompt.
Generic Horror Movie Title Skytower, Chubu
But on the 25th, as the Sakumi Festival enters its final week, those bold enough to look up at night sky will notice that the stars are disappearing. The sky will appear to grow blacker and blacker, absorbing any nearby light and appearing more like a dark void overhead than a night sky. Even with the lights on, Skytower will be notably dimmer, making it difficult to navigate the corridors of the tower at night.
Ordinarily, this would simply be yet another aspect of the Sakumi Festival, and one that should be avoidable due to their location on Skytower. But as paranoia among the Refugees grows, Kizuna powered by their fear manifests by causing the area of effect of the Sakumi festival to grow, reaching beyond the borders of the Western Kingdom, until Skytower is enveloped by it.
As the sun sets, an otherwise peaceful night will turn to chaos, as every Refugee on Skytower begins to change due to the power of the moonless sky. A number of Lunar Cursed Refugees begin prowling the tower, driven mad both by fear and by the effects of their own monstrous transformations, attacking everyone and anyone they come across.
And for certain refugees, the gradual loss of the stars and the moon will have more devastating effects. Those with an affinity for stars, space, the moon, or who have begin learning Sora magic will begin experiencing bouts of sudden weakness, causing them to collapse or lose consciousness. This effect escalates as the night goes on, as those afflicted will begin to fade away, their bodies growing translucent the weaker they become. Only prolonged contact with someone they've bonded with seems to have a positive effect, slowing or even reversing the symptoms. But others may disappear entirely until the festival ends, only capable of reaching out to loved ones through their dreams.
Refugees with mild symptoms will be tasked with assisting the Tengu in securing the Lunar Cursed refugees, as well as reaching the control center at the top of the tower to put out a distress signal. By the end of the night, all Refugees will be evacuated by airship to Kyoto.
Paper Faces on Parade
All of this culminates on the final day of the festival on the 31st, during which the sun never rises. A perpetual night blankets the nation, as the final celebrations of the Sakumi Festival take place.
Following news of the disaster at Skytower, Emperor Katsuragi decides to take matters into his own hands. Utilizing his own immense magical power, he cloaks his palace in a protective shield that will limit the transformations produced by the Sakumi Festival. Although negating the effects of the moonless sky using magic is borderline sacrilegious for a devout Yokai, after everything the Refugees did for the people of Shikoku last month, the least he can do is try and support them during this difficult holiday season.
And so, on that morning, all Refugees, no matter where in Nippon they may be, will receive an invitation to a Masquerade Ball to be held in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. Those who want to attend need only wish it, and the invitation will automatically bring them to the castle grounds.
Additionally, all Refugees who disappeared as a result of the moonless sky will reappear thanks to the Emperor's power, just in time for the Ball to begin!
Kink Convention Gion, Kyoto
The Imperial Palace is much different from the Emperor's villas: a vast, sprawling mansion that seems to defy the laws of physics, with certain floors and walkways arranged in a way that makes them appear impossible to reach. Thanks to the many enchantments, those who walk the hallways of the palace won't notice if a corner suddenly twists, turns, or even has them walking along the ceiling of another room.
But the palace is far from empty! Exploring the mansion will reveal special rooms tucked away with certain enchantments, with many designed to entertain guests who happen to be staying there. Aside from generic things such as black and white movie theaters, libraries, and spas, some of these rooms seem to be tailored for this specific event.
One room is offering demos and workshops revolving around particular kinks, specifically designed to get the most fun out of whatever transformations they've been dealt by the Sakumi Festival. Refugees will be able to rent out sex toys and devices to use throughout the palace, and will even be offered a map of hidden and secluded spots to play in without getting caught.
In another room, a Yokai-turned-tentacle-monster teaches on the importance of safety during bondage sessions, complete with a live demonstration that will require volunteers. Whether this demonstration is simply about proper binding techniques, or an outright public tentacle-fuck, seems to depend on the enthusiasm of the volunteers.
And in another part of the palace, those who want to indulge in their desires anonymously will find special stalls seemingly designed for completely anonymous play, with variously shaped holes cut into the walls to reach out and touch one another. The way the room is set up, there's no way of knowing who is in each stall, as each one has a separate entrance. There's even a special stall that instead blankets the pair in complete darkness, allowing full-body touches and embraces with relative anonymity.
Just don't wander too far. Those curious enough to venture deep into the palace may instead come across a number of cursed rooms designed to trap intruders. Those captured will remain in these rooms until an attendant happens to find them to let them out. In addition to rooms filled with aphro-laced incense, some contain complex mechanisms designed to fully bind intruders, with some even doubling as fucking machines. Thankfully, there are multiple warning signs posted, so only those feeling especially naughty will end up in these corridors.
Party in a Labyrinth Gion, Kyoto
Those who are familiar with the Emperor's penchant for parties won't be too surprised by the offerings on display tonight. Although officially a Masquerade Ball, in which all guests must wear either a mask or appropriate costume, the actual theme is a bit more raunchy, and all Refugees will be welcome to choose from a selection of outfits that come in varying degrees of sensual and erotic.
Refugees will find no shortage of fun and interesting things to do at the party! A live music performance will play throughout the night, allowing guests to dance their hearts out on the dance floor. Food and drink are plentiful, with all alcoholic and uki-laced goods carefully labeled for the Refugee's convenience. And of course, those who want to indulge in their Sakumi transformations can do so knowing they're at no risk of becoming Lunar Curse and will retain their wits about them until the festival ends.
But as the night grows long, a more traditional event takes place in the palace garden, where the various Yokai attendants and aristocrats present gather around a large bonfire for the Sakumi Festival's end. They dance and sing, and then give prayers to the moon goddess Tsukuyomi, begging forgiveness for whatever sins they committed during the festival.
Refugees who are curious enough to take part in this Sakumi Festival tradition will find themselves compelled to confess their guilt for anything they may have done during the festival as a result of the moonless sky's effects. Whether these confessions are truly anything worth feeling guilty about is up to the individual, of course.
As the clock strikes midnight, all masks are thrown into the fire, and the sky lights up with a brilliant display of stars as the moon takes its rightful place in the sky once more.
But as for Katsuragi? He can be found curled up in a corner, thoroughly exhausted from using so much magic, with his head resting in the lap of a certain individual. Probably best to leave them be.
OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's October event! Please direct any questions to the Question Thread in the OOC Plotting post.
• If you do not wish to participate in this event: characters who are able to flee to the Eastern Kingdom will not experience any of the effects of the moon's disappearance.
• If your character would flee but you want them to participate, it's entirely possible that they may find themselves utterly unable to secure a ticket to leave the Western Kingdom, given there is only one train. Additionally, all teleportation terminals to Tokyo will remain offline until November 1st, and due to the lack of the moon, teleportation magic may be weakened.
• While the sky will continue to look spooky in the East as well, this annual phenomenon is explained as a scientific one. As Gaia's moon and rings are magical in nature, the increase in energy expelled during the Tsukimi festival causes them to release a gas-like by-product that blots out the sky at night for a period of two weeks. This has been proven to be true, but the reason this happens at the same time each year is still unknown.
• You have 100% freedom to pick whatever sort of monster your monsterfucker heart desires, be it from Japanese lore, your character's canon, or another canon all together. Whether transformations are painful or not is up to you, and monsters with supernatural powers or abilities will also be allowed to keep those powers! Go wild!
• As a reminder: there are roughly 10,000 Refugees in Nippon, so if you would like to utilize a random Refugee NPC for monsterfucking purposes, this is of course allowed!
• As stated above, characters who go to Skytower will have the option of leaving for Tokyo before things turn sour. These characters will still be able to attend the Emperor's Ball on the 31st!
• Please be kind to your fellow players and utilize content warnings for any graphic monster-related violence, kinks, etc! If you're not sure if something needs a warning, warn for it anyway!
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no subject
He looses a feral growl, a worn yet heated sigh leaving him as he eyes up the wheelchair bound mermaid that warns him.
"Cloud?" ]
?!
[ She speaks. Sternly. "Don't do this, you're not gonna like it."
And yet...he approaches nonetheless. Slowly, Buster Sword at his side with more instinctive intent. Yet as he gets closer...as he lays eyes on the woman whose face and striking red eyes... ]
Lu...cy...?
[ It's as if he's in a trance. As if one wrong move would set off that prey instinct of his. Somewhere deep within the back recesses of his mind, however... ]
Get- Hah- [ He's in there. Buried deep beneath the bloodlust and his wilder drive to clear his path of anything that stands in his way. To dominate whoever's in his way. ] Get...out of here...
[ Despite his words, Cloud raises his Buster Sword in both hands, poised and ready to strike. As if his feral state was at odds with his subconscious. He never wanted to hurt anyone. But Lucy? Nyuu? Between everyone he's assaulted and the debauched acts he's committed throughout these long, long nights...his sins only continue to mount. Unfortunately for Lucy, those were likely the last shreds of his humanity he could muster. So if she was going to knock some sense into him, as he suddenly lunges forward to bring his massive blade down upon what should be a sitting duck...
Now might be a good time. ]
no subject
There's nothing she can do to erase what Cloud might have already done, but perhaps she could help stop him from making more regrettable mistakes? Even if only for a moment.
She hears his warning, but chooses to ignore it. Instead, she doesn't even flinch when he comes at her (though she is surprised by the speed he's able to move at while carrying that large sword, eyes widening a little). Two vectors clasp the enormous blade between their palms, halting its momentum.]
I'm not as weak as I look.
[Is her response to his earlier warning.]
no subject
Prey that clearly wasn't going to be taking this lying down as his arms visibly tremble, the Buster Sword not budging an inch closer as he grits his teeth. Only realizing too late as the initial shock of the stalemate happens... ]
!
[ His eyes snap wide. Cloud was a sitting duck like this as his breath catches in his throat. His fighting instincts can only do so much in a predicament like this. Especially if he can't see what and where these dangerous invisible limbs were coming from. ]
no subject
The blue mermaid tail flicks its fins against the wheelchair in agitation as Lucy continues to stare up at Cloud from her seated position. The two vectors remain to keep Cloud's sword within their grasp while a third goes behind Cloud to strike him on the back of his knee, trying to get him to falter in his stance so the vectors hanging onto the sword can attempt to wrench it from his hands.
Lucy would've pulled his legs out from under him, but she didn't want to get too crazy either, lest she accidentally make Cloud fall onto his own sword. That was the annoying thing about holding back, she noticed. How do know where the limit is? How will you know when to stop before it's too late?]
no subject
Growls at what would be Lucy's feet if she had them. His blade held over his head, bowed before her, he kneels.
Confused, bewildered, but overall just frustrated that his target was fighting back, Cloud's hair bristles as he activates the Magic Materia slotted within the Buster Sword. It glows, his body enveloped within a rising aura of green tones of Mako. Sparks dance along the length of his blade. He's readying a spell. ]
I...
[ Cloud? ]
Told you...
[ To get out of here. And now the proverbially 'cornered' beast she has quite literally kneeling for her, is instinctively about to unleash a mighty blast of Lightning atop them both. ]
no subject
Her tailfin flaps again.]
Hm?
[He was trying to warn her again, but she's too deep into this now. Cloud's still in a frenzy. That, and Lucy had her pride. She always hated running from a fight. But she can't just stay in this deadlock with him either.]
Tch...!
[Forced to release the sword, the two vectors push against the ground to speedily force her wheelchair backwards, wheels squeaking in protest as they move at a speed they weren't meant for. As a precaution, she prepares to use her Mizu magic in case the vectors aren't enough, remembering from her lessons that Mizu was capable of manipulating electrical currents to a certain degree. It may not get her out of this completely unscathed, but the magic was her best shot at protecting herself from the worst of it. Although her memory from last year's lunar curse remains fuzzy even today, she can recall pieces of a fight the DNA Voice had gotten into, in which it had also been attacked with lightning yet managed to survive thanks to the power of Mizu.]
no subject
The boom is deafening, and despite Cloud's best efforts to try and leap away as the lightning comes down and spreads across the street... ]
A-Ahh—!!
[ He's launched. Sent flying as his mind renders to static. Any lesser being or monster would have been fried by such a massive output of lightning. But as he collapses and lands on the ground, body twitching and sparks dancing the length of his limbs, his claws drag through the concrete as he hisses and bites back the pain. Forces himself to snap out of it. It's not enough to shake him of the curse, the blond slowly rising to his feet once more as he shakily reasserts his grip on his sword. ]
You...
no subject
Yeah?
[Most people would've backed away from such a fearsome sight, but Lucy wheels herself closer instead, mainly to get Cloud back within the range of her vectors. Once he is, and Lucy is the furthest distance away that her reach allows, the translucent hands lash out again. There's two of them, but this time, each one goes after a different target. One attempts to yank Cloud's head back by his hair, while the other grasps the sword's hilt and pulls. Lucy's hoping she can distract Cloud from his ironclad grip by causing him pain. If she could just get the sword away from him, it would be one less thing for him to attack her with.]
no subject
Even when Lucy's vectors successfully stop him from following through with his next swing attempting to sweep and destroy the wheelchair she's sitting in, he holds his ground nonetheless. ]
Grrrrrrrr!!
[ The Buster Sword lights up with sparks of lightning. He can't unleash attacks like his Blade Burst or other long distance strikes. He could cast Thundaga once more. But instinctively he refrains, knowing that he'll only be hurting himself in the process. He snarls down at her as he's yanked back by his hair. His hold upon the Buster Sword is still firm, even as he builds up magic in the blade as if preparing to unleash something big. Whether he was or not...that's a gamble his body is taking as he trembles and attempts to break through. He manages one step, despite the firm hold of the vector in his hair and the way it yanks his head back.
His eyes find hers, however... ]
Please—
[ Through gritted teeth, he's left wide open being held like this. His eyes mismatched gold and blue. ]
Stop...me...!!!
[ Before he throws away everything. He doesn't want to kill. He doesn't want to die. He hates what this curse has done to him, yet his personality on the surface has shifted into something completely different. He's reaching out to her. Desperately. One last time. ]
no subject
She sees the sword begin to crackle with lightning once more. Is he really planning on casting that spell again after what happened last time? Lucy isn't sure of Cloud's intentions. Regardless, even if his body was able to take such an explosion before, she knows from personal experience that everyone has their limits, no matter how powerful they might be. Going beyond her limits was what killed her in the end.
Then he pleads with her again, only this time he's asking her to stop him. Lucy's hardened expression falters as she holds his gaze. Very well...]
I'm sorry.
[The vector gripping Cloud's hair switches from pulling to pushing his head down. Hoping to knock him out, the vector bangs it against the ground once with such force that there's an audible sound.]
no subject
That first line sounds dirty.The sudden shift in momentum from having his hair pulled to having his head be so forcefully shoved down would have been harder to pull off if he were of a clearer mind. But with his reflexes more instinctive than honed in this bestial state, Lucy's gamble pays off. The lightning that trickles the length of his blade wanes as a sickening smashing sound can be heard echoing down the hollow street.There's no cry of pain. No groans. Just dead silence. And the sheer impact breaking skin as his forehead is well and bloodied as he lies face first on that ground. At her feet. ...if she still had any.
As his hold upon the Buster Sword loosens as well as she successfully slams him, he barely moves. If one listens hard enough, you could hear him breathing, after he forced air back into his lungs. But he doesn't move otherwise. He doesn't crawl. His body twitches as if struggling to do anything else. It's the most vulnerable he's looked this entire accursed month... ]
no subject
LMAO.Oh. Oh shit.For the first moments, Lucy panics on the inside, catastrophizing that she killed him after all. It was horribly ironic, considering how she killed so many others without batting an eyelash. However, it's not enough to completely override her sense of caution. She doesn't speedily wheel herself closer to Cloud, rather, she uses one of her vectors to check for signs of life, unable to hear Cloud's breathing from her current distance (especially over the pounding of her own heart echoing in her ears).
The vector is cool to the touch as it presses against his neck to feel for a pulse. She lets out the breath she'd been holding when she feels the pulsation against her vector's fingers. The translucent hand fades away as Lucy wheels herself closer at last, until she's right next to him.
She could stop the blood coming from his forehead. Hell, she could heal all his injuries now that she finally got him to stop. First, she should probably get him indoors. Four vectors emerge and reach for Cloud, intending to pick him up as delicately as possible.]
no subject
[ Just as the vectors emerge, reaching for Cloud's near motionless body... ]
[ In the time that Cloud was dazed on the floor, his hold of the Buster Sword loosened...which is why what Cloud does next is, in some ways, more terrifying. Like a feral wolf on all fours, his bushy tail flicks, his claws scrape through the concrete, and he effectively pounces for Lucy in her wheelchair. Everything happens so fast. A blur. A blinded rage as both eyes are a golden shade now, his body seemingly surrendering to the Lunar Curse in its entirety. His fingers dig and wedge themselves in the spokes of her wheelchair before he lets out a downright inhuman snarl. If she hadn't had this? He would have pounced on her. But when faced with an obstacle? All he can think of is discarding it.
Throwing it away. With a burst of strength, he lifts her off the ground, shoving her over as broad lines of blood stain down his face. In the moment, for what it seems...
He's not there anymore. He smells blood. He senses where she is. ...and he's reaching down for his dropped Buster Sword to finish what he started. He'd take his prey. He'd claim her for himself. ]
no subject
...!
[Lucy curses under her breath. The vectors try to return and protect their user, but Cloud's too fast even for them. The metal spokes instantly snap under his grip. Out of habit, she tries to kick him, but her tail only flaps at him.
She's up and then she's thrown down just as quickly, giving Lucy a spell of vertigo. In the confusion, she doesn't have enough concentration to get the vectors to cushion her fall, so she lands hard with a pained grunt, head bouncing off the ground. Darkness creeps into her vision. Consciousness... waning...
It's been a long time since Lucy's had to exert herself like this, only serving to make her feel more fatigued than usual. But she had to stay awake. Nyuu wouldn't stand. A chance. Against...
Lucy fought against the fatigue, but her eyes soon closed and her body went limp as she laid on her side. Yet she wasn't still for long as Nyuu awakened with Lucy's lapse of consciousness. Nyuu's eyebrows furrowed and she groaned from the throbbing pain in her head. Her eyes fluttered open just in time to see Cloud, except he looked nothing like the man who helped her before. It wasn't just because of the wolf features. The predatory gleam in his eyes, the menacing snarling and growling--
And the sword he's raising up.]
C-Cloud?
[A scared little whimper of his name.]
1/2
Scary. Monstrous. ]
Grr—!!
[ His grip tightens. He can feel the weight of the Buster Sword coming up...and down— ]
no subject
[ He doesn't even make it all the way. In actuality, the Buster Sword had made it as far as being held high over his head, teetering between falling back...and coming down like a guillotine passing sentence. It's almost like he's frozen. One second. Two seconds.
Three seconds. Before he finally breathes again and...his mismatched eyes change once more. A soft luster of Mako returns to them. The gold in one of them slowly shifts back to the vibrant blue she once knew. Though his feral traits (ears and claws) remain, there's a look of utter shock on her attacker's face. ]
... N- [ It hits him. Like a freight train. Everything that happened up to now feeling like a nightmare he just woke up from. Except all of it was real. And without his fully registering it, Cloud's eyes burn. Tears roll down his cheeks when he finally exhales, ] Nyuu.
[ And the Buster Sword falls. It hits the cold, hard ground with a ring, falling to the side behind him as he feels his knees buckle. And he drops to them in front of the terrified mermaid. ]
What... What was I...?
[ About to do? ]