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Entry tags:
【fallen stars vs TREE】
Punch A Tree Log
A Twisted Rumor
It's the day after the Fallen Star Meeting regarding the recent rumor. As morning brightens the city's night, stories are making their way from the bottom level to the top.
"The cherry blossom tree isn't going to hurt us, is it? It looks so scary."
For those who have learned the truth about rumors, this may especially distressing to hear. There's no time to wait: If anything is going to be done to save the tree's spirit, it must be done now.
The current plan is to address the tree spirit's wish to be remembered and acknowledged by holding a picnic by the lonely cherry blossom tree. Fallen Stars hope to reenact the lively Reblooming parties that had been happening on the upper levels all month. This tree, though the origin of that tradition, exists at the bottom level of Starsand City: Where spirits and kami are still feared. The hope is that this party will soothe the raging spirit and bring it peace... and, ideally, bring back all of the people who have recently gone missing.
But the meeting also ended on a note of caution. If the spirit will not peacefully give up the missing people, then more drastic measures may need to be taken. And... Spoiler alert, but this log is titled tree FIGHT.
Timeline of Events
This log will operate a bit different from normal! It's also an experiment, so if it doesn't work then apologies in advanced! In order to maintain an easy-to-follow timeline of events, there will be a top-level for each stage of the encounter. As the encounter progresses, new top-levels will be added to reflect each stage of the Rumor.
Character top-levels are still welcome, but please try to use the top-levels for time sensitive threads. Threadjacking is welcomed & encouraged, though please be respectful of one another. And of course, make use of the feedback section!
Backtagging is also still welcome. Event stages will be staggered over the course of the next week & past threads still have time to make an impact. Please don't feel rushed!
Character top-levels are still welcome, but please try to use the top-levels for time sensitive threads. Threadjacking is welcomed & encouraged, though please be respectful of one another. And of course, make use of the feedback section!
Backtagging is also still welcome. Event stages will be staggered over the course of the next week & past threads still have time to make an impact. Please don't feel rushed!
! Timeline of Toplevels
- Battle A - VS Tree Spirit
- Battle B - VS Bread
- Battle C - VS ???
- Battles D - VS Lost Spirits
no subject
[For a goddess, there's a natural humanity to her. Then again, that was from the perspective of someone who viewed humanity with a very odd lens. His brows arched.]
Oh, you're still on the hunt? My, my. Perhaps I should be as well. I'm not as powerful, but...I'm a thinker. [He can't neglect an opportunity for ADA...]
[That last sentence, however, catches him off guard. And he laughs.]
....I mean, so could I, so that'd hardly be a threat coming from a beautiful woman, but that's neither here nor there.
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[She's too tired to get embarrassed right now.
With the dry joke passed, she lowers both feet to the ground again. Red eyes sweep over the crowd again, and as Dazai now knows she is searching for threats.]
Mm, still hunting. And I hate it, because it means that thing won. Now that I know it's out there, I have to look for it. Cowardly but smart, whatever it is...
[She tilts her head back,] Satou, by the way. You can just call me that. You?
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I don't necessarily think that means it won. If someone runs from a fight, it's usually because they're well aware they're going to lose if they stay. We're on the winning side, and the festivities around us are living proof. It's just a matter of luring it out somehow and eliminating it somehow to fully secure our victory. I'll be looking for it as well. If my group finds it...will a simple prayer reach you?
[He's only half-joking there. ADA should keep their eyes peeled as well, now that they're becoming an organization again.]
That's a relief, since casual is far easier for me...Osamu Dazai. Just Dazai is fine. A pleasure.
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I hope that's the case... and yes, I can hear most prayers. If you really mean them, anyway.
[For better or for worse, a kami of Satou's level can hear most any prayer that is sincerely directed her way. They keep her strong, but not always sane.]
Dazai? Thank you for your help earlier. You all were pretty brave to fight something like that. [His group, huh? She's filing that away for later, while wondering if those three people were supervised by Dazai. Wasn't Fauna there? She'll have to ask later.]
And sorry for making you wait so long. Were you all okay? No one got hurt, did they?
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[So. That's good to know. If he really does find that thing - or if Fauna or Atsushi does - they can just offer up a prayer, and Satou will be alerted. It's always best to have the deck stacked in your favor, Dazai knows, and that's why he's making absolute certain it is.]
No skin off my teeth. It's kind of my job at home. A problem happens, I'm one of the people who heads off to fix it, life and limb. [He shrugs.]
But we made do. Everyone's fine, so far as I know. Atsushi's used to it - he's my protege, Fauna is quite the capable fighter, and I'm unfamiliar with our final companion, but she showed quite a bit of intuition during that whole skirmish. [So he should probably find and speak to her, too.] They were a bit emotionally shaken, if I'm being honest, but I talked to them and it seemed like things cleared up.
So everyone's healthy and happy. You've got nothing to worry about there.
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... I'm glad. Healthy and happy is still a lot to ask for after all of that.
[If they had slipped up even once, Satou wonders what would have happened. That battle could have been a disaster, honestly. If not for the Fallen Stars taking action, then the entire first level may have been destroyed.
She knows this negative 'what if' thinking will only make her upset, so Satou tells herself to switch gears. Instead, she focuses on what she's learned about Dazai in the past few minutes. If he's going to see this side of her, then she had might as well make sure he's a good person. Her reputation as a kami is precious, after all.]
You won't need to risk your life here, Dazai. But I appreciate knowing someone might risk a limb to solve the problems at hand. [No sense in telling danger seeking people not to seek danger. It makes it worse. She knows.]
I've got a feeling it's only getting started.
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[Dazai wouldn't be surprised that if they truly faltered, the damage could've been catastrophic. That's the usual.
Satou seems to be trying to get a grasp of who he is. That's something no one's properly figured out since he joined the Port Mafia, so...that's a Hell of a task. Still, he'll give her the most sincerity he can.]
You're not the first person to tell me that I don't need to risk my life doing something. And you certainly won't be the last! I don't do it out of necessity. I do it to make the world I'm in a better place. To do good. [Or because Odasaku did. But he can't ever say that. Not to anyone.]
...Of course it is. I never doubted that for a moment. Nothing like this happens only once.
But it's best to celebrate as if it's the only time. Then we can be just as grateful for the next. That's how the world is - an inevitable but beautiful cycle. The wonders of humanity.
[Any world was beautiful but cruel. It was their job to make it remain that way.]
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If you do that, even out of necessity, then your Atsushi-kun is going to follow your example. I could handle one suicidal hero, but if you make it trendy then I'll have to tie you up. [Realizing she has just started to MOM a GROWN ADULT, Satou tries to lighten things up with a shy joke;] I... It won't be fun either!
[She isn't certain for sure, but people don't take on proteges for no reason. And as a love kami, Satou is biased in believing that Dazai would care for this Atsushi. Family and friends are forms of love too, after all.
Which ties into how she turns her gaze upward and admires the rosy pink scene created by her magic.]
... But you're right. Humanity is worth protecting. Even if everything repeats over and over again, until the gears wear away to dust.
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[If there was Momming there, he Does Not See It. Let's not get into Dazai's Copious Parental Trauma here. It's...a lot. He does, however, get the recovery flirt. That's more comfortable.]And I'm glad we can agree on that. Even if I often separate myself from the humanity I hardly understand...it's wonderous to see. ...Atsushi's my greatest window into seeing that all for myself. [Like family, that boy is. But also his greatest window into humanity. How happy humans can be, how it can be to truly care...that much.
It's something that's made his emptiness fade a bit with time. It's still there. But it's lesser. That's all he could ask.]
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[She's still pretty flustered over her accidental mom'ing at an adult. It can't be that much of her identity, right?? But then again, Satou did embrace it from the moment it was offered to her.
His strange way of talking about humanity catches her reddened ear and helps her calm down. He didn't introduce himself as a kami, yet he talks like he's detached himself from humanity. She consciously decides not to judge. Humanity isn't something she parted with on purpose, but she understands why someone might want to. Closing her eyes, Satou leans forward and rests her elbows on her forelegs. A much more casual choice of posture for someone meant to be the reigning kami.]
Hmm... Atsushi-kun sounds like a lovely child. [WELCOME TO THE KID ZONE, NAKAJIMA.] The boy who was with you at the fight, right? I'll keep an eye out for him too. Healing doesn't necessarily mean you're not in pain, hm?
[She bounces her foot in a childish way as she continues,] If you don't see yourself as human, then what will you be, Dazai?
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[
Don't be flustered, that's cute.If it is, that's fine. They both have a habit of quazi-parenting any stray that comes their way, it seems.That's a very casual choice of posture, and Dazai isn't blind to it. Hm. Well. He did encourage her to relax. He's just doing the right thing here, is all. That's what they're calling it these days. And he's luckily not the type to ever get nervous, unlike poor, poor Atsushi.]
He is. Sweet little thing. He tends to exhaust himself if someone isn't keeping an eye on him, and if you'd so please...but he is my protege. In the end, his pain is shared with my own. [He'd never accept that. But that's when he gets headpats.
As for what he is...]
That, I'm not certain of. What I am certain of is I've disqualified myself from humanity. Perhaps I could be nothing. Or the wind, the sun, the sky. Something in between. But not a human. And I'm not so arrogant as to declare myself a kami, either.
I can't say for certain. Perhaps others will give me an idea, and then I'll know. But until then, I'm myself. A disqualified being, searching for higher purpose and the desire to do good, ever-changing as the world itself goes on. [He chuckles.] Though...that sounds even more arrogant, I suppose.
[He thinks for a second, and then asks-] ...I'm sure you have a differing perspective, too, Miss Satou. Have you ever wondered what it'd be like? To be one of them?
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Besides. Dazai is sounding quite tragic himself and she's concerned. Not as a mother, but as a fellow 'disqualified human' to another. She shakes her head to deny his claim of arrogance.]
I think that it sounds wonderful. A kind choice when faced with a painful position. I can't answer what you are, but I don't think you're entirely arrogant. Arrogance is human anyway.
[His question catches her off guard. Their conversation had become so casual that Satou forgot he doesn't 'know' her. Not many do, after all. As a kami, reputation is important. Otherwise, her faith may fade and her powers with it. A scary thought to have as she sits at the bottom of a towering city, which is held up only by Satou's love.]
... I was one. Until five years ago, I was just a human girl. But I arrogantly decided I'd rather save the world than watch it fall apart. [She speaks wistfully, slowly turning her gaze upward again. The blossoms that result from her power, the towering city supported by her being a kami.]
Eventually, I stopped being seen as 'Satou.' I became the Kami of Love and my power slowly built up. I was told that I could save the world and that my power would restore peace to everyone... So~. That's what I did. I accepted their faith and now I'm the Kami they asked me to be.
[She shrugs uncomfortably, trying to pass this off as a casual thing. It's not a big deal! Anyone could do it if they were also backed into a corner!
But if Satou thinks too hard about it, it does scare her.]
I miss being able to screw up, though.
1/2
But her answer to his question is a bit of a surprise. He'd expected some distant answer, removed from the binds of humanity, perhaps just existing all on her own, but that's far from the case. She's a normal woman who took on a difficult position. She's someone who lost her humanity, too. Instead of Dazai's emptiness, however, there is love. Adoration. It's hard to say which is worse, if it's truly thought about.
What would anyone choose, if they had to feel an overwhelming need to care, or an inability to do so? It took Odasaku - then Atsushi to teach him how to have true empathy, and he's still learning. It's a horrific decision that makes neither of their fates enviable.]
I see. I can't call that arrogance, either. We're quite alike, actually. Two people separating themselves from humanity to try to save a world that was crumbling. A small few, I suppose.
[Kami are...those who've renounced their humanity. To serve a greater purpose. Perhaps he's more like them than he imagined at first.]
2/2
You've seemed relaxed now. Even then, I can see some humanity left in you. Just like how others have seen humanity left in me, and they've always advised me to never let that slip away. No matter how strong your responsibilities seem.
And, for my part, I've preferred meeting you like this, Miss Satou. Expectations and kami are nice and all....but I approached you with the admitted intent of getting a beautiful woman sitting alone to enjoy herself. [His tone turns a bit wry.] Perhaps as a bit of a bad influence, but at least I'm honest about it.
[Still, he sincerely smiles at her.]
The smaller the gap we have between ourselves and humanity, the more beauty we can see. It's a careful balance, but.
I'd like to encourage it, every now and then - even in public, just like this, when no one's looking.
No one except a fellow non-human, I suppose.
no subject
Instead, her ears are getting red as she hears the conversation turning back towards her. Even if she's a kami of love with two men in her life, it's embarrassing to hear. Maybe because she's that kami and not used to being talked about like this in public. Most conversations end with her being asked to help someone. Not with helping her.
It's embarrassing. But a nice change. How long has it even been since someone wanted to talk to her, and not the incredibly power inside of her?]
W, well. Since you're also excluded from humanity, I suppose... You're not one of the people that I need to protect. [Wow, she hates how childish that sounds.
But Satou is trying to reason with herself.]
I'll still do it, mind you. But a meeting every now and again can't hurt. [She shifts her gaze shyly, still not sure how to deal with the intentions that he admitted to. At least, not beyond her own confession,] I don't need my kami powers to kick a man in the face, though. W, watch yourself. I have kids in that crowd.
[... wait, that was a violent answer.
Kami don't give violent answers!]
What I'm saying is-- Thank you for the sentiment! [Most girls don't confuse 'thank you' with a threat to kick someone's face, but okay.]
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Poor Satou.]
I'm not. I do pretty well at protecting myself~ [When he feels like it. Atsushi does it otherwise. But...she agreed to meet him every now and then as Satou. Not as Kami of Love.
Better for her, better for him.
Even if he snickers at the violent answer.]
I thought you said my face was too pretty to damage? How fickle a woman's heart is. [Ehehehe.] Still, no problem. I'm happy to do what I can. And to be on my best behavior when your children are present.
[THOSE ARE EXACT WORDS, DAZAI.]
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Geh-- D, don't think too hard about it. I have two men already, who I... Ugh.
[She can't date as a kami, so Satou can't even admit to seeing two other people. Showing favoritism would upset the public. Satou struggles enough with not playing favorites with her children. It's why she hesitated so much to break her own rules and descend to the first level: She wanted to make sure that she wasn't acting as Chron's mother and Mikale's lover, but as a kami.
But Dazai seems harmless enough in his banter. Satou gives the most childishly huffy of sighs as she turns her head again, posture trying to correct itself but made casual by embarrassment.
He's been good company so far. Given how she can't be seen with her family right now, Satou had isolated herself on the tree stump. The reminder that she has a human core was nice, but it can't last. Her red eyes pick out her family in the crowd again and a heavy sense of duty settles in her heart once more. Satou's voice softens and matures all at once, sounding more distant that her bantering self.]
Dazai-san. What is your group's goal in this place, where you are strangers?
Do you wish to return home swiftly?
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[Dazai shrugs lightly, his grin still mischievous as ever. However, that fades a bit at those questions. His expression turns a bit more distant as well.]
I suppose our goal would be merely to protect others. To solve any rumors that cross our path. It's the same as back home. Solving incidents and making things easier for people - human or no.
Personally, I'm not too stressed about returning home. But I know Atsushi has unresolved business there. He's...got a destiny to live up to. A fair bit ahead of him. So...yes and no.
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I see.
Unfortunately, I cannot do much to hasten the process of returning you all home. That likely falls to the hands of the SpaceTime Kami, who is... 'missing.'
[She casts him a side glance, with her red eyes now glowing from her power. Checking if he caught her implication, that the 'missing' part was a lie. Hopefully that will make more sense as she follows up with;]
But I would appreciate your group not investigating cases of missing kami. You will create more problems than you solve.
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Duly noted. We're only looking into rumors that could directly harm others. That's not what that is, so we'll not be looking for any M-I-A kami. You have my word.
[Unless it becomes absolutely vital to do so.]