destinystrings | (no subject)

[action, June 28th, with Nano Shinonome]
[Well, something bizarre was happening in town again. From the reports coming in, the modus operandi this time around was harmless pranking - nothing to cause permanent damage or anything much more severe than acute embarrassment, but something of an inconvenience, still. On this day, as he has done the last few days, Atsuro wakes up and very carefully checks his room for traps and other such nefarious plots before declaring the coast clear.

The first order of business, of course, is to check the forums he frequents for updates. Atsuro logs on and happily begins to browse the web, somehow failing to notice an extra device stuck into his USB port that wasn't there the night before... A green light flashes on this foreign wireless communications device as the computer starts up.

...Whoa. 10 new responses. It was time, as it always was, to edumacate the masses with his wealth of knowledge. Atsuro clicks the Reply button on topics titled things like 'LF: Radishes, FT: Parsnips', 'how do u get the hammar?' and 'What do the gold tools do?']

Yeah, you have to catch a arapaima in the tropical region to unlock the gold fishing rod. It just gives you an extra bite at the line before the fish escapes.

Anyone want to trade something for daikon radishes? I don't know where all of these came from, but I'm running out of inventory space. I still need to get some arugula growing...

The hammer is kind of useless if you're not going to fight the optional tanuki boss. When he tries to make you pay your loans, you can refuse and fight him for a discount instead. Hammer the weak point for massive damage - or you can use the platinum shovel to create spiked pitfalls.

[TAB to the next screen TAB to the next screen TAB to the next screen....

And across town, whoever is talking to Nano may suddenly find themselves staring at Nano's arm. Which is now cake. Awkward.]

[action, June 30th, 13th Hour]
[Wow that fiasco with Nano had been horrifying to figure out probably the worst thing was that the cake had looked pretty delicious it was hard to problem solve when you kept thinking about taking a bite out of your good friend's cake hand. It is the 13th Hour now as Atsuro decides it is time to step away from his games for a night and actually do the job he was sent here to do. There's something off about Chouchin-obake; it had been impossible to fail to notice as it had grown stronger with repeated training. While the Persona was definitely improving attack-wise, something was... off. It wasn't like Enki, with whom he had felt more and more unified the stronger it had become. Or even Gates, with whom he had shared something of a definite camaraderie by the end.

No, Chouchin-obake just grew more and more ornery and more likely to set random things on fire of its own accord. ...Maybe it was time for a switch.

Caught up in these thoughts, Atsuro is slightly unprepared when he stumbles across the giant rock sitting smack dab in the middle of the Cancer district. He is even more unprepared when it sits up and punches him in the face without so much as a grunt to announce its presence.]

Ow!

[The Spriggan unfolds itself and lumbers towards the boy, whose immediate reaction is to thrust his hands into his pockets for his COMP which he had found sitting on his end table before he'd gone out.

...

OK let's try that again. Thrusting his hands into his pockets for his COMP. Thrusting his hands.... OK, thrusting his hands and he finds... his, uh... belt? And... six tiny red balls.............. what.]

Uh...

[He prods at one. It spits out an enormous bug. The bug promptly turns around and spits fire at Atsuro.]

What's going on?!

((The first response will probably actually be threads with Nano if anyone is interested in responding to that. The fairies have hooked it up so that every time Atsuro presses TAB, Nano spits out rollcake!

Additionally it is also cool to say that the faeries also hooked it up so that everything he types personally is broadcast to the public.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah -- "

He had failed to recognize that not everyone was as resistant to demon attacks as he was. Especially demons from his world. With Harmonizer in hand, the Mazionga didn't afflict him quite as severely as it did an unprotected human. Atsuro breaks into a half-jog towards the girl he didn't know.

"Laksmi! Help her out."

The demon responds with a wave of healing again, this time directed at Kotoha and her team of Pokemon.

"...Are you OK? I have no idea how our stuff got swapped, but that was a Spriggan from my world."

Kotoha catches her breath and hauls herself up onto Solar Logos' back.

"I'm fine...barely."

There's a slight pause as she burrows into the moth's fluff and stares down at Atsuro.

"Uh, you're that guy from the haunted castle my first night here, right?"

((Whoops, aha!))

Atsuro blinks for a moment or two.

"Ah, right! You're the -- "

He wisely doesn't finish that sentence with the adjective he was thinking of.

"It's nice to see you again. Er. ...Probably would have been nicer if it weren't like this."

He pauses once more.

"Do you think you need to go to the hospital or anything? You're not used to being hit with high level spells, huh?

Kotoha hunches down a bit, burying her face in the white fluff between Solar Logos' wings.

"...I'll go in the morning. Right now I want to collapse."

"No, uh, I think that means this is the time when you need to go to the hospital actually." Atsuro is a little bit alarmed now as he reaches down towards her to... do something. Honestly, he had no idea what to do with someone who was feeling adverse effects after a demon attack if Mediarahan didn't help. He settles with trying to feel her forehead for a fever, which he recognizes as incredibly pointless the moment the movement is made.

"...Come on. You need to see someone. I can get you there pretty quickly. ...Laksmi, give her another Mediarahan."

If Atsuro looks closely enough, he'll see that Kotoha's hands are trembling violently and her eyes are wide with fear.

Well, no. He can see that if he looks at all. She's pretty obviously in shock.

"O...K. OK." A deep breath. "...OK."

Her monsters, whatever they were, certainly seemed to be much more used to taking attacks than Kotoha was. Atsuro exhales slightly and hopes he doesn't sound too insane as he leans down and addresses the giant bug.

"Hey! Er. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we need to get your... master somewhere for medical treatment. I'm gonna summon one of my... friends - Can the two of you together carry her carefully and follow me?"

...did it even understand human speech...

The moth lets out a keening rumble of assent that easily drowns out Kotoha's feeble protests, her voice coming out muffled and indistinct.

"...no fair, going behind my back like that..."

"I'm standing right in front of you."

He says with a rather faint grin as Laksmi and Seiten Taisei vanish from sight. In their place, he calls forth...

"Thou hast need of my assistance, Son of Man...?"

The angel hovers in place and takes in the bizarre scene with an unusually calm expression. Granted, its expression almost never changed, anyway.

"I have need of your great feathery butt, yeah. Can you keep Kotoha from falling while I lead them to the hospital?"

He was surprised he had recalled her name out of the blue, but there it came.

"As you wish."

And the Power will attempt to scoop up both girl and moth alike in its arms.

Good luck with that - the moth is the same height and only slightly lighter than the girl, not to mention that the surface of his wings are at about the same temperature as a charcoal grill.

Kotoha isn't resisting being carried, at least.

Angels can be surprisingly tough and durable, especially ones made of metal. The problem that arises is not burning or the excess weight, but simply...

"...This would be easier if done alone."

Dexterity was somewhat lacking in a creature with gauntlets for hands. Power fumbles with trying to grasp them both without crushing them.

"...Er. ...Do you mind, um. ...Mr. Bug?"

Was it even a mister

Kotoha answers the question, since the moth can't...speak, for the most part.

"His name's Solar Logos. Y'don't need to carry him, he can keep up..."

"R-Right."

The Power complies and unceremoniously attempts to dump the bug while still keeping hold of the girl. He could stand to be a little bit more gentle, honestly, though it works out in the end.

"OK. Follow me, then."

As Kotoha is carried off, Solar Logos flutters behind the Power.

In due time, they make it to the hospital. They had almost run into danger again once or twice, but some quick maneuvering had proven effective in aiding their timely escape. Atsuro runs ahead and darts inside the building; the Power follows at a slower pace and waits outside the doors with Kotoha.

A few moments later, Atsuro returns with a few orderlies wheeling a stretcher.

As Kotoha is placed on the stretcher, she recalls Solar Logos and curls up a little - although it's lessened, she's still trembling from fear and adrenaline.

"Hey, don't worry."

He tries to sound more confident than he feels.

"They've been treating demon attacks here for years now. You're in good hands. I mean, I've been in here twice, and I'm still alive."

Very comforting.

Kotoha flashes a feeble smile.

"Hah, a regular devil survivor, huh?"

"...You could say that."

Metajoke ba dum tsh.

"Er... I'll wait out here, OK? I think they'll be running some tests on you." He glances towards the orderlies who seem eager to be rid of him. "...Get some rest."