intro log.

[fracturamods]

welcome mingle

( AND SO IT BEGINS. )

There's nothing but the clatter of train tracks, and the odd feeling of almost floating.

When you wake, it's hard to tell exactly what it is that you're missing - only that you are. There are pieces that aren't quite right, even if you're not sure where those pieces would normally be. Pieces of what, exactly....? Well, if you had to put a word to it, it would be - yourself, probably.

The place you've found yourself in is strange, certainly. It's probably worth exploring a bit. Though it just as easily seems that the only form of welcome or explanation that you have, comes from nothing more than a slab of marble.

Well - that, and all the people who seem to have woken up alongside you, lost and also probably Doing Their Best™.

There's no need to fret that much though. It's hard to say exactly where you're going next, even though some places might feel a little bit more like a clue, but what you do know is one unshakeable thing:

There's still much more ahead of you.

Comments

[amberspirit]

[WOW.]

It's a good bargaining tool. [Don't punch holes in his plans, geez.] I can get ramen on my own.

I'll think of something later. [Again, he starts walking.] I'm going to look for something. I'll find you in a bit.

[merrygopound]

[ Okay but why is he bargaining with an ancient Japanese aphrodisiac--

She's a Little Concerned, now, but also still very much Mizuki, so she drops the subject and nods, turning to check out another direction. ]

Got it. I'll go check things out.

[amberspirit]

[Sometimes, that's a coveted snack among adult otherworlders in the spirit world. It's fine? It's fine.

With grace befitting his stupid hairstyle, he silently turns the corner at the end of the aisle and disappears. He's gone for maybe five minutes or so.

Well, he's still gone technically, but Mizuki will definitely hear a loud, crackling pop from a block over and several aisles down. And then there's a little bit of crashing. And there's some blackish smoke rising up over the top of the aisles? Hm.]

[merrygopound]

[ Hm. That definitely sounds like something one might expect to hear in a store.

Mizuki gives her cart of fifty first-aid kits a longing glance, but then she sighs, rolls her shoulders back and does the responsible thing of immediately jogging in that direction to check out the Thing. ]

[amberspirit]

[The closer she gets to the right aisle, the better she can hear the quiet fumbling and the fall of a few more things onto the floor.

Haku seems to be currently in a battle of strength with... a soup thermos? His hair is very Ghibli, like someone has rubbed a balloon over it and held it away. He’s trying to force the lid onto the canister and tighten it. Shards of extremely fluorescent light spill out of the edges. The rest of the poor aisle is a mess of shattered... burnt? things.]

By the power of the flame within thee, submit!

[But Haku manages to snap and screw the lid down in time.]

[merrygopound]

[ Even Mizuki knows better than to go sprinting into a fight that she doesn't quite understand. But that's definitely a soup thermos. Filled with light.

And that is Haku, wrestling with it and also dealing with a bad case of static, prompting her to stay right where she is until he gets the lid on and she can speak up. ]

Want me to find a brush for your hair?

[ Look, she has questions. But. Still. ]

[amberspirit]

[Whew.

Turning around, he glances at Mizuki with the thermos clasped between his hands.] What? [Quickly, he reaches up with one hand to touch—to smooth down the wildness of his hair even if it has mostly settled itself. Kinda. The ends might take a minute.]

No, I’m fine. Here. [Ignore his mess.] It’s like your flash grenade.

[merrygopound]

Really...?

[ Mizuki takes it gingerly, wondering if she just has to flip the lid to unleash it or chuck the whole thing. Well.

It's a thought for later. ]

You really made one for me... okay, then it's official!

[ Why are you pointing at him, Mizuki. ]

[amberspirit]

You have to undo the lid and—

[????

Why is she pointing? He looks at her, confused.]

Official...?

[merrygopound]

We're friends now. Officially. You can't have the status of Super Ultra Mega Best Friend Forever, but for now, you can be my Favorite Person Here.

[ With a decisive nod. ]

[amberspirit]

[He actually looks somewhat bewildered by the bold declaration. Friends...? He’s not sure anyone has ever thought of him as a friend. Not at the bathhouse at least.]

...Alright.

[That? simple?]

[merrygopound]

Good. If anyone tries to make you do sorcery things that you don't wanna do, I'll beat them up for you.

[ She's serious. ]

[amberspirit]

[It isn’t exactly the same, but the sentiment reminds him of someone, he thinks... Someone... Hm. Weird. Who was the one that made him feel this way...?]

You don’t have to worry. I can take care of myself. No one will make me do magic against my will.

[Since, like, he’s so hungry to learn magic anyway that he can’t be made to use it when he doesn’t want, right? It’s fine. Being used to do dirty work is another story, however.]

[merrygopound]

Mm... well, I'll still find a way to pay you back.

[ and protect him because he looks like a pansy, but she can't say that to a friend. ]

[amberspirit]

[Wow. Some friend! He's perfectly capable!]

It's fine. The spell is simple. [Nevermind the destruction in the back or whatever.] It'll remain until you open the lid. There's only one use. You have to close your eyes, too, or you'll be just as blind as the one you're using it on.

Don't open it until you're ready.

[merrygopound]

That's a given. I'll save it for an emergency.

[ Hugging the thermos with the same kind of quiet glee that she'd hug a stuffed animal-- ]

Thanks, Haku.

[amberspirit]

Mm.

[He nods at her, and then he turns around in place to survey the damage of the aisle. Welp. Sometimes, he's a greedy dragon for magic, but he wasn't raised in a barn. Lifting a hand, he flicks it. Broken pieces gather together, fallen pieces return to their places, and streaks of soot get brushed away by invisible hands.

He walks down the aisle to look for some kind of container he can let the broken pieces fall into.]

Did you find what you needed?

[merrygopound]

[ There's a massive cooler hanging up on the top shelf, unscathed by Haku's mad scientist experiment, so as soon as Mizuki spots it, she's springing up into the air to snag it and presenting it to him instead. Yes, the shelf is much taller than her. Yes, she still reaches it easily. ]

Yeah, I found a bunch of first-aid kits. I was thinking about making everyone take one, just in case.

[amberspirit]

[Clearly, he could have pulled it down with magic for her, but she isn't about that lazy magic business, is she? Also ah... thinking about and helping other people... (closes his eyes)

Very quietly he murmurs,] Thank you, [for the cooler without interrupting her talk. The debris from his capturing attempt flows right in and out of the way.]

First-aid kits...?

[merrygopound]

... Uh. Do you not... know what those are?

[ HAKU... SHE'S CONCERNED. ]

[amberspirit]

[LOOK.]

I've never heard anything called that. [HOWEVER. He's smart enough to use context clues thank god.] It's a pack for... medicine?

[merrygopound]

Yeah, that's exactly what it is. It's got all sorts of things like bandages and ointment and medicine for when you're sick or injured, and it's really important to have one.

[amberspirit]

I see.

[Not a bad idea, he guesses. Okay. First-aid kits. Got it.]

It would be good for everyone to have one, but what happens if they won't follow us wherever we're going?