DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

[synfluxmods]

DOWNTIME MINGLE #3

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, forced scenarios.

▶ 001. A JOB WELL DONE.

As Outsiders head back from Okinawa (or, perhaps they are already back, characters were able to leave Okinawa through the dataportal whenever) with plenty of coconut crab and mutated fish, Outsiders can expect to have the cafeteria filled with crab and fish food for the next.. well, undetermined amount of time. The power outages have been restored on the LILITH base, and while Outsiders have been enjoying their change of pace in Okinawa, there has been some celebratory news across the Outsider's ocular implants. It looks like it is a message from the big guy himself! Whoever that is. Wasn't his name.. Eiji something? Elijah?

"I'm not going to waste my time with introductions, because we have more important matters to discuss. First of all, good work. Second, while we have been met with several successes, don't let it get to your head. Third, continue following the lead of Yamakawa. ... This is why I don't do celebratory speeches. CODENAMES MONEYBAGS, DUELWIELD, BUSTERMOVE, CHAINSAW MAN and CURSE... great work. You'll see the rewards of your hard work momentarily. Report to me for a payout."

The announcement won't leave an Outsider's implant until it has been read, but just as the voice said, Outsiders will find a Sampo themed pachinko machine installed by the cafeteria near the vending machines. It looks like it's ready to be played! Why not give it a go? Because who wouldn't want to see this charm willingly.

A lot of toy companies are also wanting their skin in this game and have introduced the set of several actions figures based off Yzak and Dearka's gundams, which can be seen distributed on base. The caveat, however, is that you will need to build them piece-by-piece. Alongside this, there will also be Denji-themed plushies, even if it looks like a cross between a dog and human.

Thanks to Choso, hair care on the base has also gotten a lot better. Due to sponsorships, Outsiders are readily able to access more shampoo and conditioner options. Though, maybe thanks to the pictures on the bottle— buns are now trending.

Maybe give the pachinko machine a spin? Or try Choso's brand of shampoo your team's wing communal shower?

▶ 002. TRADITIONAL TANABATA.

The sun is hot but summer is traditionally festival season in Neo Tokyo; these old traditions have managed to hold up in this gritty society in attempts to keep a positive morale, so some citizens and organizers try to keep the tradition going and lift spirits by celebrating local festivals. Many districts and neighborhoods have their own festivals as well. One day, you might stumble onto a shopping district’s wind chime festival and the next day, you might find flyers for a neighborhood’s morning glory festival.

The largest festival of the month is the Tanabata festival. Since the holiday falls in an odd weekday this year, the main celebration is held the next weekend. Civilians and Outsiders can find various shrines, shopping centers, and community buildings with bamboo branches on display with holographic slips of paper that alternate colors. Characters that pass by may submit their wishes on their implants; a new way to keep the old tradition.

On the weekend, some stalls have been set up for people to celebrate. Attendance is low because of the heat and due to a food shortage, the options are lacking. However, there are plenty of games such as a toy shooting range with laser guns and kaiju targets. There are also goldfish catching games where people can catch a cheap goldfish drone that can “swim” in the air and water and shoot bubbles. As a bonus, LILITH will provide Outsiders with an outfit upgrade to help lift spirits. The outfit consists of a traditional summer yukata or jinbei.

Fireworks have gone out of style due to attracting kaiju attention. However, at the festival’s end, there is a drone light show. Hundreds of customized hummingbird drones take to the sky and create elaborate illuminations and shapes in the sky while music plays.

▶ 003. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS.

Festival season means LILITH also has to get in on the action, and while a certain Outsider named Dr. Ratio has raised concerns over the stated of the LILITH base Library, LILITH has actually listened to his desperate plea to renovate the library. What a perfect opportunity for LILITH to use the festival as a way of raising funds so they don't have to dip into their kaiju payout funds (and pizza party fund.) It's time for LILITH's annual SUMMER FESTA. Every year, LILITH comes together with local organizations like fire stations, police stations, clinics, and nonprofits to promote public safety and awareness. It's a one day festival where people can get information about what to do to stay safe not only during kaiju attacks but in their daily lives. The funds raised at the festival will go to training, supplies, research, and maintaining services.

As usual, LILITH is raising money for disaster relief supplies and renovation projects across Neo Tokyo. Per request, LILITH has agreed to set aside some funds to help renovate the facilities on base, including the library. However, they will task the Outsiders with raising the money.

It's a festival so how they raise the money is both up up to them or they may take the suggestions according to their team placement below. Either way, Outsiders are required to work with other people on their same team but they're encouraged to make it fun. Set up game stalls, sell food, do performances, and ask for donations to raise as much money as possible for their projects. The team that raises the most money is promised a prize while the losers will be punished. Here are the team suggestions below and some of them may have some new, modern twists:

Everlight: Kingyo-sukui, which is goldfish catching with a paper scoop. Managing the takoyaki stands.
Revelation: Yoyo-tsuri, fishing for water-filled balloons with a “fishing pole” with a paper string. Managing the mask stands.
Brimstone: Shateki, shooting at targets for prizes. Managing the sparklers stands.. sparklers shouldn't catch kaiju attention, right?
Redemption: Wanage, ring toss. Managing the onigiri stands.

Outsiders will be given a week to prepare for the festival and they only have a single day to raise funds. In the evening, the winning team is announced: Revelation. All team members will receive can badges and a pizza party. A special donation will also be made to the library on their behalf: A stack full of self help books, yes, REAL books and not holograms or digital books, such as "Overcoming Your Depression for Dummies" and "How to Make Friends 101." Thank you for your effort, Team Revelation!

As for the losers, they will be given options: Sign up or the final fundraising event of the night or help clean up at the end of the festival. The final fundraiser is a punishment game where volunteers from each organization are dunked in tubs of water or pied in the face. It seems like a certain person (Seok Dang) was supposed to be LILITH’s tribute but he is nowhere to be found… maybe one of the other losers will step up and take his place to be dunked in water or pied in the face? Characters may also sign up a loser character without their consent. Come on, be a good sport!

▶ 004. MONSOON SEASON.

Despite the celebrations and attempts to raise morale, the heatwave persists in Neo Tokyo and with it, the problems from the beginning of the month. Food continues to go bad quickly and while fundraising attempts have provided some relief, the city is huge and shelf stable supplies begin to run low again. The energy crisis improves slightly with blackouts occurring less frequently as emergency personnel attempt to intervene. Though the weather is dreary, the renovations must press on! Fortunately, most of the things to do around the Library consist of staying inside. Dr. Ratio has given the following orders which Outsiders may help with in the Library:

- Install better lighting.
- Organize and add more books.
- Set up and secure tables and chairs.
- Add couches to once section of the library to convert it into a lounging area.

Characters may work together to help, or maybe they prefer to laze around and give the newly renovated Library a test run!

After a few days, finally, the rain meteorologists have promised arrives. The skies darken and heavy rain falls on the city which brings much cooler temperatures. People stay inside more often as it becomes too inconvenient to go out when the rain and wind are so strong. The rainstorms grow stronger and eventually become fully fledged storms. The ground shakes from thunder and lightning strikes light up the sky.

Everyone’s ocular implants will frequently give warnings about the weather. LILITH will task Outsiders with assisting across the city. Help evacuate citizens to higher ground during flash floods. After the storms subside, help clear the streets of debris and trees. Some neighborhoods will lose power because of lightning strikes and need their generators restored. However, every time they finish their tasks, a new storm will occur a few days later and they’ll have to repeat.

At first, it seems like the typical summer storm season but meteorologists become concerned when more storms begin to happen without following clear weather patterns and even the locals remark the season seems very active this year… could it be another kaiju? The last time Neo Tokyo had floods, it was sea water, but this is caused by heavy rain. Like clockwork, LILITH's investigating team is on the lookout for energy from a rift or any leads to what could be causing all of the heavy rain. Outsiders are instructed to keep an eye out for any emergency messages.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our third downtime mingle! While we would typically have a texting prompt, we instead have player plots for this event! Thank you Abbel and Eski for the Tanabata and festival player prompt and Sky for the Library renovations plot! We appreciate Eski for spending 500 bonus points to provide everyone with something to wear for Tanabata. For the character-run stalls as part of the renovation prompt, players are not limited to the suggestions given by the mods and are free to come up with their own stall ideas. Additionally, for characters signing up other characters for the dunk tank, please make sure you get OOC permission from their players first.

Please note also we have added new rewards: the Poison Dagger, Cat Ear Visor, and the Elemental Swords now come in the models Ice and Lightning. Please see the REWARDS page for more information.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

EVENT BREAKDOWN (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. A JOB WELL DONE: The kaiju heavy hitters get recognition with.. a pachinko machine and shampoo sponsorship? Outsiders can react to their fellow colleagues about this development, or maybe even talk to the winners themselves around the base.

2. TRADITIONAL TANABATA: It's Tanabata season, even in a post-apocalyptic world! Put on some old, traditional attire with your friends and enjoy a drone show.

3. DR. RATIO'S RENOVATIONS: LILITH has teamed up with the local safety personnel to get in on the festival season. Characters are encouraged to fundraise for renovations at the LILITH base Library. Teams may also visit other teams events and stands to donate, partake in, and.. maybe deliver some competitive harassment.

4. MONSOON SEASON: With the weather being hot and renovations needing done, LILITH works together to improve the Library. A few days later, the weather gets suspiciously intense and Outsiders are instructed to help civilians with power outages, flash flooding, debris from heavy wind and rain.

code

Comments

[wwtd]

[ stop, that's too real. GAZES AT BISHAMON. GAZES AT ALL THE GODS. ]

... Usually. [ hiyori yields, saying the word slowly. THIS and THAT are different. she's not individual-oriented, she's just JAPANESE. prone to keep her struggles to herself to not burden others. certainly not a kind stranger.

but! but.

where to begin? the fact that she half-died by getting hit by a bus saving a stranger? that gods and spirits are close to her heart? that she lost her memories of them, not once but twice? for ten years? and she only just recently remembered perhaps the most important year of her life. the most important people in her life.

not counting the years she studied to be a doctor. those are important, too. ]

Have you ever met a spirit? Or a god? [ ........ way to sound insane, hiyori. she turns and waves her hands a bit, looking panicked. ] I know that sounds weird! I wasn't?? Sure?? How else to put it.

[intertwinedfates]

Hey, we gotta start from somewhere, right? Even if it-- [Wait what] Brainwashing worms? [He did hear that correctly, right? Because that's just freaky and far out there, even for this place? He thinks??] A-Anyway...! Glad to hear that much is provided, at least. Every little bit of information they can provide might give us the edge we need to come out on top.

[He won't put it past LILITH to have a hand in the whole kaiju mess beyond keeping tabs on them. It's all a little too convenient for his liking, but then, maybe it has to do with the type of technology they have. It's so hard to say without knowing more about how LILITH operates. Hopefully the Outsiders will be trusted more as time goes on until they're privy to at least some of the organization's inner workings.]

It's reassuring to know the police still act as a sorta reliable force here even in this age. It wouldn't have surprised me to learn that's one institution that'd become corrupted from the inside out. Some aren't known for their integrity even back where I'm from. Stupid kaiju, though, attacking places of recreation! These people need all the breaks they can get.

[For once Yato's content to take in what he's learned for now, not wanting to push Bakugo to be a veritable encyclopedia for him. He'll have to pick up some things on his own later, make an effort to hit up any libraries or resources available to them. Here he doesn't have a thousand years of knowledge to go off of - it's time to start fresh and learn like everyone else has had to.]

That was my line of thinking as well. It could all be some stupid experiment that went horribly wrong, be they created or called forth. Bottom line still stands, though - we can't sit back and let this place be destroyed.

[Both because it'd be cruel to abandon the people of this world and because they need them to get back home. They can be selfless and self-serving at the same time.]

damn i gotta work harder then

[frostfist]

[ Damn.....that's deep. Also, he's now obligated to read Wrestle Galaxy. Which he lifts up and waves a little. ]

Guess there's only one way for me to find out. How about this then: since you offered me a story, I'll give you one back once I finish yours.

[ She can even pick the genre (even if it'll probably just be him). With that said, he gives a bigger wave with his free hand and saunters off. See ya around, Hiyori!! ]

[blastedass]

They have a bestiary in the training simulator if you want to read through the kaiju files. [That's his offering to explain what happened. Most of the kaiju profiles are quick reads, though the long, detailed battle reports and related findings can be a hell of a snooze fest unless you're really interested in learning all that crap.] We haven't died yet.

[He wants to attribute that to the Outsiders' strength, but knows plenty of their success comes from LILITH's willingness to help them and provide information and preparation for the battles. As much as he doesn't like their methods, he's come to accept they at least care about their mercenaries' success. It's not some shotgun blast and hope. Even if Bakugo shares Yato's speculations about whether the group had a hand in the kaiju problem in the first place.]

This world only has 30% of its entire population remaining alive. There are more important things to deal with than corrupting the police force. [And yet, that's not to say there haven't been bad cops. Quite a number in fact. But Bakugo isn't one of them, neither is his partner, and he won't work with any that are, so his force is clean as fuck. Enough he can rely on them during attacks and investigations as necessary.] The kaiju don't seem to care where they attack. Just whatever draws them.

[Whatever that is. People as food, electricity as sustenance and power, human bodies as incubators, those were the three big ones that hit. As Yato quiets down from the questioning, Bakugo settles into his own reflection. There are a lot of places and people to go to for information and learning about this world and its history. A lot of it's blank or guarded, but plenty of it remains open, both true and speculation.]

The geckos under Disney Tokyo appeared alongside the experiment underground went out of control. I don't know if they were related or not. [The geckos came out of the forest to feed on the electricity and the lab below ground tore apart during the fight and created a rift that turned nearby people into reptilian beasts... Make what you want of that, but now they have rifts to deal with as well. They're related to the kaiju. Somehow.]

Aa. Once we finish the kaiju threat, we're closer to going home.

[gundemn]

is mild-mannered not your type?
what is then?

[vorous]

Oh! Um, okay, uh. I didn’t think you would be so interested.

_{[ Laios gives him a bit of a sheepish look, cheeks turning red again, but reaches into his yukata to pull out a folded up piece of paper with a drawing of the chimera monster in question. It looks like a bunch of animals mashed together, and yes, he carries this around everywhere with him, apparently. It’s got bat wings, bird wings, three heads, parts of a tiger, parts of an eagle, a snake for a tail, hooves.. it’s quite the monstrosity. ]}

Something like this!

_{[ There’s notes written on there about what it could do, but for some reason, the part that says “it can make forests out of its poop” probably stands out the most. ]}

[yuwon]

I didn't say that.

I don't really have a type, but if I had to say, I guess someone with strength. ... and someone who doesn't mind waiting. [ if just out of necessity than it is an actual preference, but shhh. ] But, do you really care?

lmao how did i f up format like this sobs

[curingidiocy]

[ That's... true, he supposes. Even he is lax on his food consumption when it comes to the dinner parties the IPC invites him to. Or rather, invites an Intelligentsia Guild representative to, that more often than not happens to be him, because the other guild members hate interacting with the IPC and prefer to throw him under the bus. Cowards and fools, the lot of them... ]

Your generosity is appreciated.

[ He'll accept the free food gratefully. With the wooden stick provided, he'll carefully pick up one of the takoyaki balls and blow on it gently. After a few puffs of air, he bites into it, taking care to nip around the outside of the ball. His caution is vindicated by the immense heat that radiates from within, so he opts to wait a little longer. ]

[busternaut]

[Dearka snickers when Yzak gets flustered, and dismisses his scowling with an amicable shrug.]

Makes sense. Honestly though, that doesn't actually surprise me at all, hearing that about you.

[Cryptic...]

[intertwinedfates]

Definitely. I'll do that asap. I want to know more about what you guys have faced up until this point so I can be on the same page. [It might be boring as all get out to read the longer format reports, but there could be something useful in them. It'll just take time to get through them all without his mind starting to wander.] Heh, that much I can see.

[Bakugo at least seems little worse for wear after repeated encounters with the kaiju, if nothing else. Hopefully everyone else is fairing half as well. And he hopes that luck will hold for while longer yet. This time him and Hiyori will be in the fray, and he isn't keen on the idea of anything happening to her.]

Ugh, yeah... That's such a huge loss. I can hardly believe things have gotten that dire, even after hearing about the kaiju. It just seems so incredible. [Though some people will always take advantage of a situation to improve their own fortunes, both monetarily and physically. But it's reassuring to know that someone like Bakugo is helping to keep order in a world that can be hellish at times. Even one more good person can make a difference.] Good to know. They're probably impervious enough to regular threats that they feel no need to avoid specific locations.

[No natural predators, in other words. The top of the food chain, unless the Outsiders stop them. When taken like that, it's little wonder humanity has dwindled to such numbers and that they've had to resort to drawing in people stronger than themselves to help. Yato sighs quietly as he mulls over everything. Maybe he won't be able to do much on his own, but he's got to keep trying.]

Seems likely that's the case. Either that or it's one hell of a coincidence. [So many moving parts to this puzzle, it's little wonder LILITH is trying to keep it under wraps from the general populace. There's so much to worry about and precious little concrete information to go on. Hopefully they have some brainy types among the Outsiders who might be able to help crack this conundrum.]

Do you want to go home? Or are you okay with being here?

[gundemn]

well yeah you're kind of impossible to read
you never show emotion
i didn't think you had any interest in a dating program

ashdjs oh my god.

[photosympathies]

( Shaved ice it is! Vash bounces a little on his feet, then makes sure to match his pace with hers ( he's had too many complaints from Meryl about his freakishly long legs by now, he knows to stop striding everywhere ). It's hot, but not too hot for the desert planet dweller, and as he walks his gaze swivels all over the place, part open curiosity with a smidgen of cautious wariness to it. You take the man out of the gunslinging no man's land but you can't take the gunslinging no man's land out of the man. )

Do you like being a doctor?

( Because getting to know new friends is the aim of the game! )

[thundercrashes]

We're gonna have to fix that here at some point, 'cause you're missing out.

[when prepared just rught, ebi fry is one of god's gifts to mankind]

[busternaut]

[Dearka arches an eyebrow. He has a sense of where Bakugo might be going with this, but he decides in this moment to just let the kid reach the point himself, rather than try to cut him off at the pass.]

Then I guess LILITH has to send someone to come get my ass. Or the Buster'll stall out and it'll get eaten by a kaiju, with me still in it. Depends on the scenario, I guess.

[He flicks his gaze briefly to make sure Yzak isn't listening; dude hates it when he gets all gallows humor about potentially being killed in combat.]

[yuwon]

I didn't think you were, either.

But, you're right. I'm not interested.

shall we wrap this thread?

[gundemn]

Oh yeah? Then let's make it a date.

[ He punctuates his statement with a wink for the cameras. ]

[blastedass]

[Bakugo's never found Dearka to be stupid, though a mix of arrogant and lazy teaser isn't remiss. He narrows his eyes at the man for dodging the suggestion with a sordid result. Seriously? He needs him to spell this shit out?]

Baka. At least teach me to move it. I can get you out, but you're really okay with letting this get eaten by a fucking kaiju?

[Calling him out on his ridiculous notion as well as pitching up the rationale behind his intent on getting some baseline familiarity with the Gundam. Even if it's little more than moving the arms and legs or at least igniting the thrusters to jet it out of the kaiju's path. Doesn't even have to pilot it, so long as he can tilt and shoot.]

[blastedass]

We've had three large attacks. The rest are smaller encounters and whatever LILITH wants to put up in training. [Records of other kaiju exist, enough to make convincing training simulations for the Outsiders to face. Bakugo has some suspicion to how and why they have that much information, but figures it's come from research and previous battles, before LILITH reached the point of needing to enact the Outsider protocol.]

Yeah. I didn't believe it at first. [Granted he had no reason not to believe it, outside of calling the entire thing a bunch of bullshit and demanding to be set free to return back home. He thought it was some illusion brought on by All or One or a dream Quirk by one of the villains. Reality was not so nice. Coming to grips with a world that ravaged is difficult. Most people come from worlds that are at least whole, even if they're struggling with war or disaster.] Who the hell knows. We don't have any records of what the kaiju do when they're not attacking.

[Only their movements and affects on areas around the places they eventually target, like the calm before a storm, when the air smells wet and the clouds gather into dark curtains. Bakugo assumes they avoid places more out of lack of interest in said places rather than any fear or danger. But Yato's not wrong about these beasts being the top of the food chain. How they haven't turned the planet into nothing by now is a mystery. Maybe they eat each other at times?]

Some people think the kaiju are coming from the rifts. But we only just experienced a rift under Disney in spring. None of the others had anything like a rift occur around them.

[The other question earns a quick glare and spark from the blonde.]

Of course I want to go home! I was pulled out of a civil war!

[intertwinedfates]

Not sure if that's a lot or not. Suppose it always could've been worse. [Especially if they've been here for months on end, then three isn't too bad, numbers-wise. Though this would make the fourth, wouldn't it? And they're still not sure what exactly they're up against. And clearly there was plenty before the Outsiders arrived, given humanity is down to such pitiful numbers. He can't help wondering what happened to the kaiju that caused all that damage. Did the armed forces of the world manage to subdue them eventually? So many questions...]

Can't blame you. If I hadn't previously been in a different world, I would've thought it all a load of bull, too. [And it would've taken him even longer to adjust to this craziness. A peaceful dream world is a far cry from this one that's in dire need of assistance so that humanity can survive. It's slightly heartening to think that LILITH thought he could help, but damn if he doesn't feel somewhat ineffective next to those like Bakugo whose natural talents are more versatile and impactful.] Wonder if maybe we shouldn't leave the next smaller batch alone, provided they aren't hurting anyone, just to see how they live. That could provide useful information.

[It'd be good to know whether what they're dealing with here is overgrown animals or rampaging monsters. From what he's heard, it depends on the type of kaiju, though most seem to lean more towards the former than the latter. It's all too much for one person to wrangle, leading Yato to sigh heavily.]

So you think they may be appearing in different ways, maybe? Like, the rift might not be the only way they're entering this world?

[Sheepishly, he holds up both hands. Yikes. Touchy subject, huh.]

Alright! I get ya. I'd want to go home too, if that's what you were in the middle of. [He grows silent for a few moments before sparing another glance.] ...were you guys winning?

sure thing

[thundercrashes]

[Oh, that actually makes Manjoume's face turn a slight shade of embarrassed pink, but the cameras on them is the only reason he doesn't go off on the other boy here and start yelling. Yep, no other reason, surely.]

Y-yeah. Sounds good.

[busternaut]

[Annnnd there it is. Dearka levels another appraising stare at Bakugo, seriously considering him for a moment.]

You really want to learn how to operate this thing? I'm not exaggerating when I say it'll probably take you at least a month just to learn how to make it take a single step. You're looking at a shitload of hard work and study, with not a lot of return.

[coordination]

[ Cryptic indeed. And thus, a side glance and a quirk of his eyebrow. ]

Oh? Why is that?

[blastedass]

We've encountered six kaiju since getting here, these bastards included. [Since they're definitely going to be dealing with kaiju here in Korea. Three of them, soon to be four, were large threats. The other two just happened to be in the area where the Outsiders were.] It seems like a major attack happens every other month. [Somewhat tying in with the influx of new Outsiders, though Bakugo leaves that part out. It sounds too strange and conspiracy theory. There are too many questions and LILITH is stingy with the answers to the point it's better to conjecture than ask and get fucking nothing.]

We did. When we went to Kyoto, there were boar-like kaiju, and Okinawa had crab kaiju. They were a lot smaller than the giant bastards and didn't attack unless you provoked them. [Easier when it came to the boar kaiju, since they charged anything that moved, like dumbasses. The crabs... Those were a joke because the Outsiders literally went "chow time!" on the beach as a small vacation. If Yato remembers his first meal here when he arrived, the crab dish, then yeah, he's experienced it too.] LILITH asked us to bring back some of the young, but most of us ignored that. [It hadn't felt right to kidnap babies from creatures that weren't posing a threat and the Outsiders were the ones invading their territory...] They like to collect pieces of the kaiju we beat.

[Even if it's suspicious, Bakugo can't blame them. He'd want to know more about the things attacking too. Not that he wants to do research on them. Dissecting and postulating is someone else's damn job. Unfortunately for Yato, when he sees the records and experiences his first kaiju attack, he's going to find it's far more the latter. Rampaging monsters with intent to destroy. Why? That's a good question, with only 'prey' being the overarching answer.]

Yeah. If the rifts are the only way, then our job should be to make sure the rifts can't open anymore. [Less kicking kaiju ass and more technology safekeeping. It's an easier solution-- just block the doorway forever --but if LILITH has technology to bring people from other dimensions, closing fucking rifts shouldn't be that hard, right? Bakugo thinks it's more than just the rifts, even if those end up being the main cause that affects other things.

As for the question about the war, Bakugo goes quiet, expression somber.]

I don't know.

[That's it. Ominous, sad, unknown. They had one known victory until it reignited. Everything else...]

[blastedass]

Unless your friend's always going to be around as backup.

[There's no harm in letting someone smart and strong serve as a stand in. While he's obviously into it for a personal enjoyment, Bakugo's not shallow. He's treating the opportunity seriously as well, not wanting to risk Dearka's mecha to a kaiju just because the pilot got knocked out. Hopefully it won't be needed, but better to be available and not needed than the other way around.]

I'll have it take a step in two weeks.

[There's zero doubt in his voice, eyes narrowed and locked at Dearka's own. He is determined.]

[intertwinedfates]

Hmm. A fair number of them. Pretty suspicious that they appear like clockwork, but then again, so do the sun and moon. [Meaning they can't put it past being the result of some strange natural phenomenon and not simply a human-made occurrence. Yato might be more suspicious knowing it coincides with more Outsiders as well, but like most things it could probably be explained away. Frankly he has to wonder if LILITH hasn't tried to anyway.]

The small ones sound like more edible types, that's for sure. Pity the large ones don't sound so appetizing. [Oh, he remembers the crab kaiju! Tasty little buggers they were. The boars probably would've been rather yummy as well, had they opted to go that route. It's something of a relief to know that not every kaiju is a massive, overgrown wrecking ball of a monster. Hell, fighting small ones sound like they'd make for a nice break between the jumbo-sized ones. Good snacks, too.] Yeah, I wouldn't want to deliver young creatures into LILITH's hands either without knowing exactly what they planned on doing with them. It's one thing to observe and quite another to lean towards more unethical means. I think I'll stick with just bringing them the bits and bobs we find.

[Hopefully such articles will help make things clearer in the coming months and help prepare them for any further attacks. He doesn't like being on the backfoot due to inexperience and ignorance both. Back home he knew what he was up against and had vast experience to draw from. Here, he's starting from zero again, and frankly he doesn't like that. It sucks to be the newbie.]

Only time will tell what our goals will be. Until then, we'll just have to do our best to subdue them as they come. [One thing at a time. They can't possibly hope to cover all their bases in one go, especially for those of them that aren't much in the way of technical or sciencey types.

Though all that falls by the wayside when Bakugo answers his last question, such as it is. No wonder the kid wants to hurry home. He must have people important to him that he wants to protect, along with saving his own world. Nodding slightly, he resists the urge to clasp a hand on the other's shoulder.]

You'll make it back. And I'm sure you'll do great.

[There's no guarantee that they'll win, of course, but he knows Bakugo won't let up until he's done all he possibly can.]