WEEK 2 DAY 6: MISSION

[wonderful_mods]

Mission: "Mend the severed."
Time Limit: Very Long
Noise Plane: Solo
Wall Instructions: Key walls around the residential districts.
Wall Rewards: Psych Support
Reaped Rewards: Link Spider
Mission Rewards: 5,000 leu



[Things appear to have settled down from the previous days. No more gallivanting ex-GMs, no more strange displays of brainwashing or secret tunnels. Everything is, supposedly, back to order. And yet, judging by the mission, not all is right. Whatever it is, it's up to the Players to fix it. Why not look around and see what this severed thing is? The answer may not be too surprising, to those paying attention.]

Comments

[tamedhollow]

[he grins a little and shakes his head] I know it doesn't look like it, but I really love to read. [You'd never guess that one of his favorite things to do is read Shakespeare]

[leggierissimo]

Well, it looks like I know what the perfect gift would be, then~ [Were he inclined to buy gifts, anyway. Still, it's nice to finally talk to someone that appreciates a good book.]

[tamedhollow]

Pfft. If I HAD any time to read... So anyway. No hard feelings?

[leggierissimo]

Hmm... [He looks thoughtful for a moment, making a show of tapping the edge of the thermos against his lips.] As long as there isn't a threat of being headbutted in the future, I suppose.

[tamedhollow]

Well that depends. [he gives a wry grin and folds his arms] Are you going to be more upfront when stuff if bothering you? Though I guess I can use elbows to ribs -- gently -- instead.

[leggierissimo]

I would rather you not use force of any kind. [FLATLY. Is that enough of an answer, Ichigo?]

[tamedhollow]

Well I can't make too many promises, then. How about this. I can promise not to hit you again if you're more upfront about things when you're upset or worried. I know it's hard, but we all need to sort of be on the same wavelength for this to work.

[leggierissimo]

[Do you see the unsure radiating from this expression?] Threatening physical violence on someone smaller than you. That's outright bullying, isn't it? [Not weaker. Just smaller.] Some changes can't be made immediately, you know.

[tamedhollow]

[that... actually gives Ichigo pause. Bullying? He'd been bullied all his life. And of course, his response was to fight back. In fact, in his youth, he'd gotten so good at fighting that he became the subject of fear and less of ridicule. So he was just....?

... Yeah. Josh was right. And Ichigo frowns, deeply]

... You... you're right. It is. I'm... sorry. Like, really sorry. I'll work on being less violent with my friends. [especially the ones who might blow over in a stiff breeze] And you work on being more upfront. And we'll get better at this crap together.

[leggierissimo]

[Hm. The pause confirms what he's been suspecting - those so quick to use violence usually come from an environment where it's used frequently against them and they have no choice but to use it themselves. Sometimes, like with Beat, it comes from brawn over brains. But with Ichigo, he knows it isn't the case. Ichigo is much smarter than he lets on.

A little smile touches Joshua's lips, and he lets out a slight exhale, shaking his head.]

Everyone has problems that they need to overcome. But... I suppose it is usually easier if someone is there with you.

[tamedhollow]

[Would you believe Ichigo had been bullied all his life for his hair, of all things? It sucked to stand out. And in a room full of people with black or brown hair, a mop of satsuma-orange hair stood out like a sore thumb.

He grins a little, though, when Josh does]

Yeah. And maybe between the two of us we can get Neku to be a little less prickly, too. Ha!

[leggierissimo]

[Joshua would believe it. It's easy for people to single out those that aren't like themselves. He knows that personally, actually.]

I get the feeling that one might be a little tough. He's got a decent enough start, but he's far from where he should be.

[tamedhollow]

[Josh might have even been in the same boat, if that blonde hair is natural.

Ichigo laughs a little]

A little prickliness is just part of his personality, but he takes it to an extreme. Are you saying he used to be worse?

[leggierissimo]

[Wouldn't you like to know~]

He used to focus only on himself. He didn't care about anyone or anything else other than himself, and he used those headphones to block everyone else out. So yes, he used to be worse.

[tamedhollow]

[MAYBE.]

Ha. I can see that. He's definitely better than that.

[leggierissimo]

[It is, and it isn't~]

All thanks to playing through the Game for three weeks.

[tamedhollow]

That's what the Game is really for, isn't it. [less of a question and more of a statement] ... This one isn't doing that at all.

[leggierissimo]

[Joshua just nods, swirling the contents of his thermos.]

The entry fee, what's most important to you? It's meant as a reevaluation. Is that thing really as important as you thought it was? If so, would you do anything to get it back? If not, what is important? So many people nowadays lose track of that. You wouldn't believe what some people hold higher than everything else.

This Game... isn't challenging any of that at all.

[tamedhollow]

So the entry fee isn't just a motivation to play, it's a test of sorts. Forced reevaluation of your life... and no better time to do that than between life and death.

[Ichigo frowns. The more he hears about how Games should work, the more he understands how they could be useful, even a really good way to deal with the cycle of souls. A refinement process. By the same token, hearing how it SHOULD be makes him angry with how this one is being run]

Tch... who do they think they're fooling. I guess they didn't expect to get someone as knowledgeable about the Game as you. It almost sounds like you've run one. [he gives a sly, knowing smile, but doesn't press it further. He's on to you, Josh. But he also doesn't care enough to press for the "truth". What would it change?]

[leggierissimo]

Precisely.

[Believe him, Ichigo isn't the only one that's angered by how this cheap imitation is being run. There is no refining going on here. As far as he's seen, no winning souls have passed. They're being Erased, but aren't Ascending. It's breaking the cycle. Granted it's only been two weeks now, but there were winners last week. They shouldn't still be here, under normal running.]

Watching and learning has made me pretty good at understanding the ins and outs of the Game. [A little shrug, but he doesn't miss that smile. It's a little unsettling, but he trusts Ichigo enough.] I probably could if I wanted to.

[tamedhollow]

[there's no dynamism in this game at all. It's... stagnant. The same thing, over and over. And if Ichigo didn't think he might die for it, he'd just stop playing. But no... he had a job to do.]

Very observant, then. [the smile stays. Took him long enough, but he figured it out. Josh must have been pretty high up in Shibuya's Game. Between his knowledge and his unique reiatsu] Maybe you should. It'd be better than this crap.

[leggierissimo]

[At least now Ichigo sees Joshua's plight. He's mostly focused on getting out of this world and back to Shibuya, but leaving a world to rot away would just leave him with a guilty conscience. Things are caught in the balance all over the place.]

Mm, so I've been told. [Joshua smiles himself, glancing up at the overcast sky.] Not this one. Shinjuku just isn't my style.

[tamedhollow]

Hm... We need to get one of the Reapers from Shinjuku on our side, then. Help them put things right, then leave them to do what need to be done to keep it running smoothly while we go home. [he runs a hand through his hair, huffing a bit and lashing his tail in irritation] Surely at least ONE of them doesn't want to just go along with this.

[leggierissimo]

That could be difficult... We would have to single out the ones from Shinjuku, for one, and then we would have to find one that actually has potential. Putting the wrong Reaper in charge could lead to the entire system just getting messed up again.

[tamedhollow]

[Ichigo rolls his eyes] Well, at least we have plenty of time. I'll put money on all of us getting dragged around... forever. Until we fix it.