WEEK 1 DAY 5: MISSION

[wonderful_mods]

Mission: "Observe from Tocho."
Time Limit: Medium
Noise Plane: Solo
Wall Instructions: Key wall in front of Nishi-Shinjuku. Objective to be met is appropriate dress.
Wall Rewards: Poison Chains
Reaped Rewards: Thunder Pawn
Mission Rewards: 10,000 yen



["Tocho" is a nickname that refers to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which has two panoramic observation decks. It shouldn't be hard to get there, but what awaits when you arrive?]

Comments

ANYWHERE IN THE PLAYING AREA~

[leggierissimo]

[Joshua knew it would come down to it sooner or later. He hasn't received a message himself, of course not - he knew what he was doing. He'd been harrying from the start. No points came from maintaining walls. And he wasn't about to let himself be Erased.

It didn't mean that he wasn't disappointed in a fellow Reaper or two, though.

Today, Joshua can be found roaming the playing area freely. If everyone else is upping the ante, he can't exactly pick off Players at his discretion. No hard feelings, of course. He's just doing what he has to do to survive~]

[tamedhollow]

[If Ichigo had to step up his game to survive? He would. Maybe when he was human, he'd be able to ignore his instinct to survive. But Hollows? Hollows had an extremely powerful survival instinct. Hueco Mundo, the world of Hollows, was a place where it was literally eat or be eaten. Hollowfication programmed a soul with that instinct, deeply entwining it into its very being. It was impossible to ignore.

And Ichigo was not going to be eaten.

Later, he would feel guilty. Full of despair, for judging his soul to be more worthy than theirs. But right now? He's focused on the task.

He watches the boss-level Drake Noise he summoned tear apart a group of three Players, one at a time. With fire. With energy bursts. With blades. The ferocious Noise has one Erased, and the other two very close. It's making quite a racket in the UG, probably enough to garner the attention of other Players and Reapers. Ichigo simply watches the monster work from a perch up high]

[leggierissimo]

[It certainly does get some attention! It's actually loud enough to get Joshua to pause in his prowling just to take a look at what's going on. And what he finds... hm. Well, for the set of Reapers he's been working with, it's quite impressive, actually.

Hope you don't mind a fellow Reaper leaning against a wall just behind you, Ichigo.]

Amazing what it takes to get someone to pull out the big guns.

[tamedhollow]

[Ichigo feels Josh coming before he ever sees him. He doesn't look at him, but his wole demeanor is colder than before. His voice is much more distorted than before, as well.]

They were serious all along. [he visibly twitches when he hears a scream of "HELP ME" from the street below. He can't help. He knows he can't. He should. Every ounce of his humanity is telling him to save them. But he can't.]

This goes against everything I stand for. Everything I believe in.

[leggierissimo]

[Hardly surprising. He's all too aware of what this sort of thing can do to people. He's seen it many, many times with fresh meat Reapers on their first Erasure. The thought that they're doing something horrible. That they had chosen wrong in joining the "bad guys".]

If you didn't do it, someone else surely would have. [He hardly sounds fazed by it all. In fact, he's probably standing back here inspecting his nails.]

Only they are the ones capable of determining whether or not their lives are truly worth fighting for. We simply give the means to an end.

[tamedhollow]

[Ichigo still doesn't look back. But his wings droop and his usually twitching tail is motionless on the concrete of the roof. He can't take his eyes off the bloody fight below. The dragon is clearly going to win.

They never stood a chance. The last remaining player is sobbing over the loss of her partner, struck down by the Noise. But she's smart. She's running away. But it didn't matter. The drake gave chase, never letting its prey out of its sight.]

We sentence them to their doom, you mean. If we all just... stopped. Doing anything. What would happen. Would they just Erase us all? Start over with a whole new set of Reapers?

[leggierissimo]

No. We force them to choose.

[After all, not everyone goes up against a Reaper and fails.

Joshua watches, completely apathetic. It's a shame that none of them were strong enough to survive, but that's how it goes sometimes. Three Erasures in one go is pretty impressive, though, especially with the current set of Reapers. And especially this late in the week.]

If we were to stop doing what we're doing, we would simply fade from existence if we weren't Erased outright before we had a chance. Things wouldn't be run correctly. Souls wouldn't be processed properly, unfit Souls would end up winning the Game, and the whole system would be thrown out of balance. But only for as long as it would take to induct brand new Reapers into the empty positions we'd left behind.

[tamedhollow]

Choose? [Ichigo laughs, humorlessly] Those three. They chose to fight. But they failed. This Game is rigged, if you aren't a fighter. What does that have to do with being worthy?

[Ichigo listens to Josh, but doesn't respond. Unbreakable status quo... he was never fond of that]

... How can I move up the ladder.

[leggierissimo]

They chose to fight, because you gave them no other choice. But they didn't apply themselves well enough to win. [Joshua tips his head a little in thought.] Just because someone has no physical strength or skill doesn't mean that they're unfit to win. Anyone can win the Game if they try hard enough.

[... ah, but that's what he's been looking for. A chess piece to push forward.]

By doing exactly what you did just now. Play by the rules. Do what you're supposed to do. Good dogs get rewarded, after all.

[tamedhollow]

[Ichigo flinches as the girl who fled for her life is struck down by a barrage of sword-like projectiles. Stabbed, right through. She vanishes completely, leaving behind only a puddle of blood. In a matter of moments that, too, vanishes. No trace remains of any of the Players. Not even a scrap of cloth, a drop of blood. Erased. It really was an apt term.

The drake, now out of targets, sinks down into the ground, forming a blue and black tattoo-like mark on the ground.

Ichigo wasn't so sure about that. Players needed to use psychs to win. They wouldn't be able to avoid Noise all week, after all. But then again, Ichigo didn't quite understand how those powers worked.

He finally does turn to look at Joshua, eyes still cold... but now determined]

And if I get high up enough, can I change the rules?

[suicidoll]

(Okay, so maybe Kreutzer was one of the fellow reapers to be disappointed in, but that was the least of her worries. She was just having fun with the players; honest! She just prefers mind games over killing players.

In fact, she may have just thrown some noise at a group of players for the hell of it. She's simply watching it from a distance with a tea in her hand. Can't you just feel the lack of enthusiasm, Joshua?)

[leggierissimo]

[Having fun with the Players is all well and good, but there is a time to play and a time to work. Do too much of one, and things become unbalanced.

... which... seems to be the case here. Wow.]

Impressive technique.

[suicidoll]

Isn't it just?

(She takes a sip of her tea.)

I suppose the higher-ups will be upset about yesterday until next week, won't they?

[leggierissimo]

[Did she even measure the strength of the Noise you would need to Erase them? Joshua's betting on no.]

Unless everyone else shapes up, I suppose.

[suicidoll]

(Nnnnnnope, not this time. There's something resembling half a care in her efforts, but that might be a hallucination.)

Then perhaps this will get them moving. We'll be expected to try our hardest today.

(Except she's not. Because today is a nice day and she doesn't feel like it. Employee of the month right here.)

[leggierissimo]

[... wow. She's on the fast track to being fired, this one.]

That we will! But it doesn't seem to be stopping you.

[suicidoll]

(Very unhealthy work ethics. Who knows if she'll even make it past the first week?)

I like to do the unexpected. It makes me unpredictable and harder to follow.

(Which is really more ominous than it should be. Oh well.)

[notsogrimreaper]

[Is this a fellow Reaper to be disappointed in? Because although Ryoji seems new, he doesn't seem too concerned about helping in harrying. He's just wandering around, looking for people he knows, and peeking into shops occasionally.

And then he spots you. Ooh, wings! We should talk to each other, huh?]

Um, hi there! I should introduce myself, huh?

[leggierissimo]

[... well, it might be, if he had met you before! As it is, the rather oddly cheerful greeting catches his attention, and he turns to look over his shoulder. ... another strange one. Wonderful.

But, no need in being impolite. He'll smile, at least!]

That's typically what people do when meeting each other for the first time, yes.

[notsogrimreaper]

A-Ah! Yeah, I just meant since you're a Reaper and I'm a Reaper and-

[All the embarrassment.]

Anyways, my name is Ryoji Mochizuki. Pleased to meet you!

[leggierissimo]

... well, I suppose you do have a point. Since we'll be working together and all~

[He already knew the names of the majority of the other Reapers. Unfortunately. At least it had it's advantages.]

Joshua. It's a pleasure, Ryoji-kun.

[notsogrimreaper]

The pleasure's all mine, Joshua-kun!

[Offers a hand to shake, then tenses a little.]

So... we do need to erase others, huh?

[leggierissimo]

[... a handshake. Well, he doesn't really see the harm in it. He'll at least return it.]

That's right. My, you must really have been paying attention during your orientation.

[notsogrimreaper]

[That hand that shook Joshua's is now up to rub the back of Ryoji's head in embarrassment.]

R-Really? I was actually pretty confused during most of it.

[leggierissimo]

I've noticed that that seems to be a common trait around here.

[Don't mind him as he pulls his phone from his pocket, flipping through it for a moment. Ugh, still no reply...]